Sorority By-Laws and when there are exceptions
 

:confused:
Has anyone heard of a sorority "slating" committee making exceptions to their by-laws for an incoming President? My friend's daughter's sorority By-laws state that for someone to be eligible to run for President, they must be a member of the Executive Committee for a minimum of a year - they made an exception to this By-Law and selected someone who has only 3 mos of experience on the Exec Committee. Has anyone heard of this happening? Any feedback would be welcomed!

Is it possible that this is okay if the chapter adviser or someone else approves it? Have you seen the bylaws or have you just heard this to be the case? Because I wouldn't be surprised if there is a clause that states this is okay.

I am not sure about a clause, but my friend's daughter is pretty certain this is the rule. It was even discussed during her interview - they asked her about the candidate and she told them she did not know she was running for Pres because she assumed she couldn't because of the 1 yr exec comm rule. This individual told her she was running for VP. The interviewers told her they were aware of the by-laws, but were considering her any way. If rules are rules, what qualifies and individual for an exception? If you make an exception for one, what happens to the next person, and so on???

It depends on the chapter. In my chapter, the chapter advisor can approve an exception if the nominating committee wants to slate someone.

I believe they could vote to suspend the By-law, but someone should review Robert's Rules. Also, that would have to happen before the election and should get approval from whoever it is that approves the By-laws. It may just be a rumor too. Your friend's daughter should read her copy of the local and national by-laws.

Last night during Chapter, the President told them the issue would not be discussed until next week. She knew there was a lot of dissension in the house, but said they selected the best person which was approved by their Advisor. My friend's daughter is upset, not just because she didn't get the position, but rather how the situation was handled. The individual they selected was also her roommate who did not disclose she was running for Pres - she told her she was running for VP. It ended up that she got Pres (only 3 mos of Exec Comm experience) and the other roommate got VP - it sounded like it had been set for months. There was another candidate, who would have also made a good Pres, she deferred the position they slated her for because it was her last pick. I thought sisterhood was about honesty and trust, instead of deceit and manipulation? Now they have a "divided" house instead of a "united" one. I am just trying to find some fairness in this Greek process and sharing your experiences is helpful...thank you.

The "one year" phrasing could just mean that the nominee for President has served on the executive council prior to being President. I would assume that she replaced someone on executive council in order to be in her position for 3 months, but it does show that she has executive experience within the sorority. In this case, it would seem as though they acted in the spirit, not the letter of the by-laws.

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Slate just the committee's recommendation for the future executive board ... in which case each chapter member can vote for someone who was slated or for someone they believe would do a better job. I really don't see the big deal here. It is similar to a Union endorsement of a particular political candidate. The Union can give their recommendation in a public forum but it is up to the voters to ultimately make their own decisions.

Perhaps the sorority's published qualifications for President included a line such as "Any exceptions must be approved by the Chapter Advisor, Regional Director, etc." (As my sorority does.) And as to the friend not disclosing that she was running, it could very well be that she was NOT running until asked to do so by the slating committee in her VP interview.

Over the years I have served on MANY slating committees and am now in a position where I must approve the slating committees' decisions. I have seen a great many instances where it was prudent and in the best interest of the chapter involved to give approval to rule exceptions. And again, in most of these cases, the candidates needing the exception had no idea that they were being considered for President until an interview.

And KC is absolutely correct. Ultimately it comes down to a chapter vote. So in the end, if the chapter members don't want someone who has served only 3 months on Exec, they don't have to elect her.

As a parent...or the friend of a parent...I would recommend staying out of the officer selection process of any sorority.

Everyone's input has been appreciated...will wait to see what happens next week when the members get a change to vote.

It's not even her daughter, it's her friend's daughter. (supposedly)

We frequently suspend the bylaws to allow all sorts of people to initiate, pledge, participate, take EC positions, etc. However, we require a near perfect vote and we have some pretty impassioned speeches beforehand. I am sure if somebody was running for Prez, and their opponent didn't meet the criteria, they'd raise a big stink about it, especially since they'd put in the legwork and done the right things.

Sounds unusual to me.

Thomas