Our Constitution

THE CONSTITUTION
OF
THE NATIONAL SCIENTIFIC HONOR SOCIETY
BETA KAPPA CHI SCIENTIFIC SOCIETY, INCORPORATED

REVISED TO May 1, 2024 

ARTICLE I - NAME AND PURPOSE

Section 1. The Society shall be called the Beta Kappa Chi National Scientific Honor Society.

Section 2. The purpose of this Society shall be to encourage and advance scientific education through original investigation.

  1. the dissemination of scientific knowledge; and
  2. the stimulation of high scholarship in pure and applied science, STEM

ARTICLE II - CHAPTERS

Section 1. The Society shall consist of chapters which shall be named after the educational institutions in which they are located.

Section 2. A petition for the establishment of a chapter shall be submitted, in writing, to the Executive Secretary.

Section 3. A chapter of the Society may be established at institutions of higher learning that are approved by their regional accrediting agencies by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the assembled delegates at a national meeting. A minimum number of five members is necessary for the establishment of a chapter. A chapter that is located at an institution that loses its accreditation will be declared inactive until said accreditation is restored.

Section 4. The officers of each chapter shall be a president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, and sponsor. The sponsor of each chapter must be a college graduate who is a member of the Society.

Section 5. The acts of each chapter shall be governed by the Constitution and By-Laws of the Society. A chapter may adopt other By-Laws for its use if they do not conflict with the Constitution and By-Laws of the Society.

Section 6. Any chapter of the Society may be suspended upon a unanimous vote of the Council. A chapter may be expelled by a two-thirds vote of the assembled delegates at a national meeting.

Section 7. Chapters failing to submit a financial report or to elect some student members over a two-year period will be placed on probationary status for one year. The failure to remove this probationary status within the stated " one-year period" will result in the withdrawal of the chapter from the institution. The President, Vice-President (Provost), and Dean of an institution in which such a chapter is located will informed of these actions.

ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. The Society shall consist of members.

Section 2. The following disciplines represent the fields of activity in which one must have shown noteworthy achievement to be considered for membership in the Society: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy, Geology, Biology, Experimental and/or Clinical Psychology, Anthropology, Agriculture, Anatomy, Health Science, Aerospace and Environmental Science, Nutrition, Science Education, and Computer Science.

Section 3. The following are eligible and requirements as members in a chapter of the Society:

  1.  MEMBERSHIP ELECTIONS ELIGIBILITY AND REQUIREMENTS
     
    1. Undergraduate Requirements and Eligibility
      Any undergraduate student who ranks in the upper 20 % of his/her college class and has completed at least sixty-four semester hours of college work, including seventeen semester hours in one of the recognized disciplines, and must have a cumulative GPA of 3.3, as well as maintain at least a B in all science courses taken.
       
    2. Graduate Requirements and Eligibility.
      Any graduate student who is regularly enrolled has completed at least fifteen semester hours in one of the recognized sciences, has earned an A in at least one-third of these hours, and maintains at least a B average in the remaining two-thirds.
       
  2. GRADUATE ELECTION.

    Any chapter, by unanimous vote of its active members, may submit to the Council approval the name of persons who:
    1. Have attained a doctorate in a recognized field of Natural Science Mathematics, STEM Education, and STEM 
    2. Have attained a master's degree with at least 20 graduate hours in Science or Mathematics and published one research monograph in a recognized Science Journal.
       
  3. LIFE MEMBER ELECTION.

    Any member of the Society may be elected to life membership upon unanimous vote of the Council and upon a majority vote of the assembled delegates at a national meeting, or after ten years of active membership, with payment of a Life Membership fee of $500. A certificate of Life Membership shall be awarded to Life Members.

Section 4. Each chapter is allowed to set the dates for its initiations through its By-Laws. Immediate notification of each selected date must be given by the chapter to its regional Vice-President.

ARTICLE IV - OFFICERS

Section 1. The national officers of the Society shall be: (a) a president; (b) five Regional Vice Presidents;(c) an Executive Secretary; (d) Treasurer; (e) the Editor-in-Chief of the Bulletin; (f) Assistant Editor; (g) Archivist and Historian; (h) Student Assistant to the Executive Secretary; and (i) Student Assistant to the Editor. These officers shall be elected annually and may succeed themselves.

Section 2. The Council of Beta Kappa Chi shall consist of the fourteen national officers, the past president, if not a current national officer; and ten other members elected by the delegates at the national meeting. Five of these members shall be students, one from each region.

Section 3. All officers and the ten Council members shall be elected by ballot at the national convention.

Section 4. In the event of a tie vote for any office, the Council shall have the authority to break the tie by ballot.

Section 5. The duties of the officers are as follows:

  1. President: The President shall perform the usual functions of this office, including chairing the Council and presiding at all business meetings of the convention.
  2.  Vice President: Each Vice-President shall represent the Society in one of the five regions. In the event of a vacancy in the Presidency, the Council shall elect one of the Vice-Presidents to serve the unexpired term.
  3. The Executive Secretary shall perform the usual duties of that office and shall
    1. keep a record of all chapter activities on forms provided by himself;
    2. cause to be published in the Society's Bulletin the names of the new initiates once each year;
    3. issue receipts for all monies received from members of the chapters for certificates, charters, keys, and subscription fees;
    4. keep an accurate record of all monies of the Society and shall report and forward all monies immediately to the treasurer;
    5. be the custodian of the Seal and the Archives of the Society; and
    6. in consultation with the president and treasurer, shall plan and direct the affairs of the Society, subject to the approval of the Council. If a vacancy occurs in this office, the Council of the Society shall elect a new executive secretary to serve for the unexpired term.
  4. The Treasurer shall keep an accurate record of all monies of the Society and is responsible for having an approved budget and drawing down funds from investments for functionality of the Society with approval from the President and executive Secretary and shall
    1. deposit all monies in a bank to the credit of the Beta Kappa Chi Scientific Society, with his/her signature as the sole disbursing officer; and
    2.  submit financial statements every two months to the president and executive secretary, and a financial report to the general membership at each national meeting. Withdrawals of monies shall be made only upon written authorization of the President. If a vacancy occurs in office, the Council shall elect a new treasurer to fill the unexpired term and shall certify to the bank that a new treasurer has been elected
  5. The Editor-in-Chief of Beta Kappa Chi Bulletin shall be Chairman of the Board of Editors, and with said Board of Editors, have charge of the publication of the Bulletin of the Society. If the office of editor-in-chief becomes vacant, a member of the Board of Editors will be chosen by the Council to fill the unexpired term of the editor-in-chief. The editor-in-chief shall submit to the Council annually a list of at least fifteen names from which at least ten may be chosen to constitute the Board of Editors. It is, however, within the authority of the Council to substitute any other names it desires within the limit of ten to the Board of Editors.
  6. The Assistant Editor shall assist the editor-in-chief of the Beta Kappa Chi Bulletin and perform such duties as assigned by the editor.
  7. The Archivist and Historian shall preserve and maintain the historical records of the Society. He shall also write and revise the official history of Beta Kappa Chi.
  8. The student assistant to the executive secretary shall serve as a liaison between individual student members of BKX, student regional officers, and the executive secretary of BKX; (II) keep a record of the location of graduate members and new inductees of BKX; (III) be encouraged to attend regional and national meetings. The student assistant to the editor shall
    1. obtain information on jobs and awards and submit these items to the editor for publication;
    2. receive the minutes from student sessions of the national conference of BKX for publication in the Bulletin;
    3. communicate various noteworthy chapter activities for publication in the Bulletin
    4.  be encouraged to attend regional and national meetings.
  9. The student regional council member shall
    1. have a list of each chapter president in his region and communicate with these individuals;
    2.  assist in planning the regional conferences; be encouraged to attend all regional and national meetings.

Section 6 All officers, the President, Executive Secretary, Editor, and Treasurer and travel to the National meeting and the Association of College Honor Meeting shall be approved. Society covers all travel expenses. The annual Stipend for Officers shall be $2500. Note these are unpaid positions and require time outside our scholarly academic duties. This compensation is for dedicated leadership and time.

ARTICLE V - NATIONAL MEETINGS

Section 1. The Council of the Beta Kappa Chi Scientific Society shall plan for a national meeting at least annually. At least one of the sessions of each of these meetings shall be devoted to the dissemination of scientific knowledge to the public. The Council shall handle all matters pertaining to standing committees.

Section 2. The national meeting shall be composed of the members of the National Council and of one or more delegates from each chapter in good standing. Each Chapter represented shall have one vote, and each member of the National Council shall have one vote. In the absence of any elected delegate or proxy representing any active chapter, the national meeting shall have the power to seat as the delegate from said chapter any chapter member who may attend the national meeting. In the event such a substitution is made, and the regular delegate or proxy then arrives, the said delegate or proxy shall assume his rights and privileges as delegate or proxy.

Section 3. Delegates or proxies from a majority of the active chapters entitled to representation by delegates shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business at any session of the national meeting.

ARTICLE VI- AMENDMENTS

 Proposed amendments to the Constitution of Beta Kappa Chi shall be submitted through the executive secretary to the Council whereby, upon a majority vote, the amendments shall be submitted to the various chapters of Beta Kappa Chi six months prior to the national meeting. If a majority of the active chapters of the Society are represented by delegates, a majority vote of the assembled delegates will be necessary for approval of the proposed amendment.