THE CONSTITUTION OF THE EPEIANS
(as last ammended in March 2009)

Contents
Preamble
Article I: Name, Insignia, and Ritual
Article II: Eligibility, Election, and Initiation of New Members
Article III: Requirements for Members
Article IV: Government of the Society
Article V: Meetings
Article VI: Advisor
Article VII: Amendments

 Preamble

Honor and Service are the foundations of the Epeians.

Membership in the Epeians recognizes outstanding service by undergraduate and graduate students in the University of Michigan College of Engineering, both to the college and to their peers. The honor of membership in the Epeians fosters the self-respect and the peer recognition that inspires a leader to excel.

The Epeians serves the College of Engineering in two ways: it develops the leadership skills of its members and strives to increase underclassmen participation in student societies. Since all leaders serve their constituents, service is implicit in leadership. Ultimately, service cultivates the respect for others that characterizes a great leader.

By combining honor and service, members perpetuate our ideals and serve the College of Engineering.

Article I: Name, Insignia, and Ritual

Section 1: Name.
The name of this society shall be THE EPEIANS. The significance of the name shall not be publicized, but shall be handed down to new members during the Initiation Ritual.

Section 2: Insignia.

  1. The official symbol of the Epeians shall be a wooden horse.
  2. The official Coat of Arms will bear a wooden horse on its crest, the founding date, and the Michigan block M.
  3. The official pin will bear the Coat of Arms.
    1. Upon initiation, members will receive a gold pin.
    2. Upon completion of their term, officers will receive a silver pin.
    3. Upon completion of his or her term, the outgoing President will receive a black pin.
    4. At the Initiation Ritual, the Outstanding Initiate for the term will receive a black pin.
  4. The official certificate of membership will include the Coat of Arms and the University of Michigan Seal.
  5. The official colors of the Epeians will be Teal Blue and Molson Gold.

Section 3: Ritual.

The Initiation Ritual shall be kept secret. Copies of the text of the Ritual shall be kept by the President, and worn or obsolete copies shall be destroyed. Changes in the Ritual must be approved by a 2/3 vote of active membership in a closed meeting.

Article II: Eligibility, Election, and Initiation of New Members

Section 1: Criteria for Membership.

  1. Nominees for the Epeians should be undergraduate or graduate students in the University of Michigan College of Engineering. Students enrolled in other units within the University may be eligible in cases of outstanding involvement in Engineering societies.
  2. Nominees should have provided leadership or service to their respective engineering student societies, their departments, or the College as a whole.
  3. Nominees should have demonstrated a willingness to lead in their prior leadership or service positions, and should demonstrate superior leadership skills or the potential to become an excellent leader.
  4. Nominees should have demonstrated exemplary breadth of character in their prior leadership or service positions, putting forth a great deal of personal effort, serving the College with honor and integrity.

Section 2: Discretionary Nominations.

  1. Any active member of the society shall be allowed to nominate persons for membership in the Epeians. The Dean of the Engineering School, Faculty Advisors, Department Heads, and the Assistant to the Dean for College Relations may also make nominations
    1. Prior to accepting any nominations, the President shall explain nominations and voting procedures in full detail to the membership.
  2. A nominating member shall submit in writing, based on the Epeians Nomination Form, the full name, activities, accomplishments, and a statement regarding the nominee's character to the President. The President shall make this information available to the active membership (refer to Article III, Sections 1-3) at the Elections of New Members Meeting.
    1. Nominations may be submitted to the floor at the Elections of New Members Meeting.
  3. After discussion of nominees, active members must vote for any number of candidates. Candidates must receive a majority vote to be invited to initiation, as stated in Article IV, Section 3.
    1. Abstentions will not be permitted during voting.
    2. A blank vote will be counted as a vote of 'no'.
  4. The Elections Meeting is a Closed Meeting (refer to Article V, Section 3). All discussion concerning nominees is the private business of the membership, and shall not be repeated outside the Elections of New Members Meeting. Any member, active or inactive, found violating this will be subject to loss of membership.

Section 3: Automatic Eligibility.

Presidents of all engineering societies recognized by the University of Michigan Engineering Council shall automatically be nominated for membership in the Epeians. Presidential nominations must meet the criteria for membership, and must follow the procedures for discretionary nominations.

Section 4: Honorary Nominations.

University of Michigan faculty, staff, or Engineering Administration are eligible for honorary membership. One honorary member may be elected each term. Honorary nominations must meet the criteria for membership, and must follow the procedures for discretionary nominations. The honorary nominee with the greatest vote over a majority shall be elected, and shall participate in the Mixer Meeting and Initiation Ritual.

Section 5: Invitations.

The membership shall deliver a letter of invitation and an information form to all elected nominees at least one week prior to the Mixer Meeting.

  1. The letter of invitation shall include a clear description of the society's eligibility and election policies and an invitation to the Mixer Meeting.
  2. The membership information form shall include space for a list of the nominee's achievements and for a personal statement by the nominee.
  3. The letter shall include the names and contact information of all the current officers, so that nominees may ask questions about the organization.
Section 6: Election of Initiates.
  1. The Mixer Meeting shall be an informal meeting at the beginning of each term at which nominees and members can become acquainted.
  2. Those nominees who attend the Mixer and indicate their desire to become members (by submitting their membership applications), and those nominees unable to attend the Mixer but instead contact the President or Vice President, will be considered candidates for membership.
  3. Other nominees may either decline or defer candidacy. Those who defer candidacy or initiation more than twice must be re-nominated by a majority vote of the active membership in a closed meeting.
  4. In order for an initiate to become an active member of the Epeians, certain requirements must be met. These should include, but are not limited to, the following:
    1. Attendance at no fewer than THREE regular meetings.
    2. Attendance at no fewer than TWO Epeians social events.
    3. Participation in no fewer than THREE hours “inside” service and ONE hour “outside” service. Inside service includes all service activities arranged by the Epeians. Outside service must be arranged by the initiate, and must not be used to fulfill any other requirements.
    4. Payment of a fee is required to participate in the Initiation Ritual.
    5. The discretion of the Vice President may be used to grant completion of a requirement if an initiate in unable to fulfill a requirement for various reasons. In this case, the initiate must have over-fulfilled other requirements by an amount equal to or greater than the shortcoming.
  5. Those initiates who have fulfilled their requirements according to the above criteria, shall be given drink names at the Naming meeting. This meeting is to occur approximately one week prior to initiation, and shall be closed to initiates.
  6. Those initiates who did not fulfill the requirements will be notified in writing by the President, and will be asked to try again in the following term.
Section 7: Initiation.

Upon completion of requirements (refer to Article II, Section 6), initiates shall be initiated as members according to the Initiation Ritual.

Section 8: Non-Discrimination.

The Epeians shall not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, veteran status, religion, handicapped status, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, or any other characteristic not related to leadership, character, and contribution to the College of Engineering.

Article III: Requirements for Members

Section 1: Membership.

All members shall be classified as either active members, inactive members, or permanent members.
Section 2: Active Members.
  1. Members of the Epeians should be undergraduate or graduate students in the University of Michigan College of Engineering. Students enrolled in other units within the University may be eligible in cases of outstanding involvement in Engineering societies.
  2. All active members are expected to attend the meetings of the society.
  3. All active members are expected to assist with the business and projects of the society.
  4. Only active members shall have voting privileges.
Section 3: Inactive Members.
During a term, if a member has missed three meetings in a row, he or she shall be considered inactive.
Section 4: Permanent Members.
  1. A permanent member shall be excused from attendance requirements, and shall be considered an alumnus of the Epeians.
  2. After three active terms, a member may retire as a permanent member.
  3. Upon final graduation, a member shall become a permanent member.
  4. A permanent member may attain active status at the discretion of the President.
Section 5: Loss of Membership.
  1. A member or initiate bringing dishonor to the society, College, or University shall be expelled or their invitation to initiate shall be revoked.
  2. A member violating Article II.2 (d) shall be expelled.
  3. A member violating Article III.5 (f) shall be expelled.
  4. The President shall inform the member under consideration for expulsion of his/her status, and shall ask for a written defense from the member at least one week before the Expulsion Meeting.
  5. At the Expulsion Meeting, a closed meeting shall be called to order, the member in question shall be absent from this meeting. The President shall submit the member's name and alleged offenses in writing to the active membership, along with any defense submitted by the member.
  6. Expulsion of a member is debatable, and the floor will be opened for discussion before a vote is taken. All discussion concerning the member in question is the private business of the membership, and shall not be repeated outside the Expulsion Meeting. Any member found violating this will be subject to loss of membership.
  7. The active membership will cast an open vote on the question of revoking membership, with the member in question absent.
  8. A 2/3 vote of the active membership shall be required to revoke membership.
Section 6: Resignation

Resignation from the group will only be considered when presented in writing in person to the President of the Epeians. The individual's name shall not be stricken from any records, but the individual shall no longer be considered a member in any form, and shall lose all membership privileges accordingly.

Article IV: Government of the Society

Section 1: Governing Body.

The governing body of the society shall be the active membership.
Section 2: Officers.
  1. The officers of the society shall be a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Social Chair, Service Chair, and Leadership Awards Chair. Other officers may be appointed by the active membership as needed.
  2. The duty of all the officers shall be to facilitate the activities of the Epeians. The following particular duties shall be required of the officers:
    1. The President shall oversee all society activities, run meetings, and be the official representative of the Epeians to other engineering societies, the College of Engineering, and the University of Michigan.
    2. The Vice President shall assist the President in his/her duties, and shall be responsible for the internal relations and the Initiation of the society. In the President's absence, the Vice-president shall assume the President's duties.
    3. The Treasurer shall be responsible for collecting fees and distributing funds. The Treasurer shall be responsible for preparing a budget for all projects and seeking funding for them.
    4. The Secretary shall keep and maintain minutes of all meetings of the society, shall keep the records and history of the society. The Secretary shall also be responsible for keeping track of alumni addresses.
    5. The Social Chair shall arrange social opportunities for members and initiates.
    6. The Service Chair shall arrange “inside” service opportunities for members and initiates as well as providing information on “outside” service opportunities.
    7. The Leadership Awards Chair shall participate in the preparation and orchestration of the College of Engineering Leaders and Honors Brunch, in collaboration with the College of Engineering Office of Student Affairs and Tau Beta Pi.
    8. Any former officer of the Epeians may serve as a Student Advisor.
  3. Officers shall serve for one term, except the Leadership Awards Chair who will be elected at the Winter semester elections and will serve for one year.
  4. Members having been active for one full semester or more are eligible to run for any office. Members having been active for less than one full semester are eligible to run for any office except President.
  5. Elections of officers shall occur directly following the Initiation Ritual or at a special meeting in the case that an office becomes vacant.
An elected member shall take office upon conclusion of a majority vote at the Initiation Ritual.
Section 3: Society Action.

All society policies and actions shall be enacted by a majority vote of the active membership present, except Constitution and Ritual changes, and loss of membership status per Article III Section 5, which shall require a 2/3 vote. All voting meetings must be announced to the active membership at least one week prior to the vote.

Article V: Meetings

Section 1: Meetings.

Meetings shall be held biweekly during Fall and Winter terms at the most convenient time and place for members.

Section 2: Open Meetings.

Meetings open to all engineering students shall be held to discuss regular business and activities of the society. A regular meeting may be closed to non-members by a majority vote of the active members present at the meeting.

Section 3: Closed Meetings.

Nomination and Election of New Members, Initiation, Officer Elections, and Expulsion Meetings shall be closed to non-members. In addition, discussion of the constitution, bylaws, and membership must be closed to non-members.

Section 4: Special Meetings.

Special meetings may be called at any time by the President or by the written request of five active members.

Article VI: Advisor
Any faculty or staff member of the University of Michigan College of Engineering is eligible to be an advisor. Upon election, the officers of the Epeians shall decide with the membership who shall be asked to serve as advisor. If the advisor is not an honorary member, then the advisor is automatically elected as the honorary member for the term.

Article VII: Amendments

Section 1: Proposal.

A proposal for an amendment to the constitution may be submitted by any active member.
Section 2: Notice.

Amendments to the constitution or bylaws must be tabled for two weeks between submission and the ratification vote.

Section 3: Ratification

Ratification of such amendments requires a 2/3 vote of the active membership. Ratified amendments will take effect upon the following academic term.

Section 4: Scope

Any issues not covered in this document shall be considered to fall under the authority of Robert's Rules of Order (Newly Revised Edition).