Texas Wesleyan University Graduate Counseling Programs Honors Society

Transcription

1 Texas Wesleyan University Graduate Counseling Programs Honors Society Constitution Article I Name and Purposes 1.1 This organization is the Texas Wesleyan Counseling Honor Society. 1.2 The colors of the Society shall be Blue and Gold. 1.3 The Society exists to promote scholarship, research, professionalism, and excellence in the practice of counseling and additionally, to recognize high achievement in the pursuit of academic and clinical excellence in the profession of counseling. 1.4 This is an Academic and Professional Honor Society. 1.5 The Society will exist in perpetuity with the graduate counseling program. Article II Sponsorship 2.1 The Graduate Counseling Program will appoint a faculty sponsor to oversee the invitation of candidates and the initiation of members. Article III Membership Categories 3.1 The Texas Wesleyan Counseling Honor Society has three categories of membership. a. Associate Level: Undergraduates b. Professional Level: Graduate Students c. Alumni: Program Graduates 3.2 The Texas Wesleyan Counseling Honor Society has three statuses of membership. a. Active: Active have paid their annual dues. b. Inactive Members: Inactive members have been initiated; however, they have not paid dues for the current year c. Active Alumni: Active Alumni members have paid the annual alumni dues. 3.3 Associate and Professional members who are in active status can hold office, receive awards the Society presents, serve on Society Committees, and vote for Society officers.

2 3.4 Associate and Professional members initiated into the Texas Wesleyan Honor Society during 2008 and 2009 and Alumni who would have been eligible for initiation when they graduated will be designated as Charter Members. Texas Wesleyan Counseling Honor Society Constitution, p. 2. Article IV Membership Eligibility 4.1 The following shall be considered eligible for invitation for initiation into the Texas Wesleyan Counseling Honor Society. a. Undergraduates: students enrolled in the cooperative program with TCC leading to admission to the Graduate Counseling Program and are making progress toward a bachelor s degree and have < a semester s work to complete the degeree. b. Graduate Students: students who are enrolled in the Texas Wesleyan Graduate Counseling Program and are making progress to a master s degree who have < 12 semester hours to complete the degree. 4.2 Students must have completed the equivalent of at least one full semester of their academic work at Texas Wesleyan The following grade point averages establish eligibility for invitation for initiation into the Texas Wesleyan Counseling Honor Society. a. For the Associate Level (Undergraduates) > 3.75 in all counseling courses taken at Texas Wesleyan up to the start of the second semester of the senior year b. For the Professional Level (Graduate Students) > 3.75 for Cum Laude Level > 3.90 for Magna Cum Laude Level = 4.00 for the Summa Cum Laude Level 4.4 Semester hour totals will determine status for eligibility consideration. 4.5 All candidates for invitation to initiation must have the approval of the Graduate Counseling Program Faculty. Article V Review for Invitation to Initiation 5.1 The Texas Wesleyan Counseling Honor Society s sponsor will conduct a review of students whose semester hour totals establish them as candidates for invitation to initiation during the spring semester of each academic year; i.e., January to May. 5.2 The sponsor requests a roster of students to identify those whose academic achievement meets the criteria for consideration for invitation to membership. 5.3 The sponsor distributes this roster to all Graduate Counseling Program Faculty to consider these students for invitation to initiation in the Society. If > 2 Faculty members decline recommendation, the student becomes ineligible for invitation for initiation into the Society.

3 5.4 The sponsor prepares a final roster of the students who meet the academic achievement standards for invitation to initiation and who have received faculty recommendation and submits it to the Graduate Counseling Program Head for approval. Texas Wesleyan Counseling Honor Society Constitution, p The Graduate Counseling Program Head can remove any student from the roster of students of candidacy for initiation. 5.6 The Graduate Counseling Program Head sends the roster of students eligible to be candidates for initiation to the Dean, School of Education for approval. 5.7 The Dean, School of Education can remove any student from the roster of students of candidacy for initiation. Article VI Initiation 6.1 The sponsor s all students eligible by both academic achievement and faculty recommendation to notify them they are candidates for initiation into the Texas Wesleyan Counseling Honor Society. The sponsor follows the with a formal invitation to join the Society. 6.2 Candidates have 2 weeks to accept or decline the invitation and pay the initiation fee. 6.3 Candidates become Honor Society members during an initiation ceremony to recognize their achievement. The Society invites all Departmental and University Faculty as guests. Candidates can invite guests as well. 6.4 The Initiation Ceremony occurs between April 1 st and April 20 th each year. 6.5 The Faculty Sponsor in consultation with the Graduate Counseling Program Faculty specifies the ritual of the initiation ceremony. 6.6 Each candidate who is initiated into the Society will receive the following: a. Society pin b. Society certificate of membership c. Honor cord for commencement exercise 6.7 Each active member is eligible to wear an honor cord recognizing his or her achievement at his or her graduation. 6.8 The Graduate Counseling Program will maintain an honor roll of members by level of honor and year. initiated in the Graduate Counseling Program offices. Article VII Finance 7.1 The Texas Wesleyan Counseling Honor Society is self-supporting through the dues of its members. The Society also accepts gifts that enable sponsorship of activities related to the mission of the Society. 7.2 Each candidate pays a $40 Initiation Fee when he or she accepts the invitation to become a member of the Society. This fee includes annual dues for the first year and cost of recognition items he or she receives at initiation.

4 Texas Wesleyan Counseling Honor Society Constitution, p Each member can maintain active alumnus or alumna membership that will provide continuing information on the Society, its new members, Counseling Program developments, and activities related to the Society s mission. The dues to maintain active status as an alumnus or alumna is $15 per year. 7.4 If the Texas Wesleyan Counseling Honor Society ceases to exist as a functional organization, all funds in the organization s treasury will be donated to the School of Education as an unrestricted gift. Article VIII Officers 8.1 The Texas Wesleyan Counseling Honor Society has two officers: a. A President b. A Treasurer 8.2 All active members at the Professional Level may serve as officers for the Society. 8.3 The President and the Secretary-Treasurer shall hold office for the Society s Academic Year: June through May. 8.4 The President performs the following duties. a. Serves as the Society s Chief Executive Officer b. Presides at any Society meetings c. Appoints chairs for any ad hoc committees for which the Society determines a need 8.5 The Secretary-Treasurer performs the following duties. a. Maintains minutes of each meeting. b. Monitors and reports on the status and financial activities of the Society c. Presents a financial report at each Society meeting. Article IX Related Professional Activities 9.1 Each year, the Texas Wesleyan Counseling Honors Society will host an Honors Symposium in the fall, typically in October or November. 9.2 The Society will determine the focus of the upcoming fall s symposium each February. The goal for the Symposium is to provide a venue for activities such as the following. A. Student Presentations B. Faculty Presentations C. Discussion Groups D. Speaker E. Practical training in the counseling and school counseling professions 9.3 The President, in consultation with the Faculty Sponsor and Graduate Counseling Department Head, will appoint an ad hoc committee to plan the Symposium.

5 Texas Wesleyan Counseling Honor Society Constitution, p. 4. Article X Changing the Constitution 10.1 The members of the Texas Wesleyan Counseling Honor Society can change this constitution Any active Professional Level member can request or recommend a constitutional change The Texas Wesleyan Counseling Honor Society uses the following procedure to change the constitution. A. The professional member or members requesting the change submit the change in writing to the president. B. The president notifies the Faculty Sponsor of the requested change. C. The Faculty Sponsor reviews the requested change with the Counseling Program Director. If the Program Director approves, the requested change will be considered by the membership. D. The President notifies, by the active members that a member or members have requested a change in the constitution, and simultaneously provides each member with a copy of the requested change, and announces the date of the vote regarding the change. E. The vote occurs no earlier than two weeks and no later than three weeks from the date the President notifies the members. F. The President and Secretary-Treasurer count the votes with the Faculty Sponsor observing. G. A change in the constitution requires approval of sixty per cent of the active members. H. The President and the Faculty Sponsor notify the Director of the Program of the results. I. Approved constitutional changes take effect at the start of the semester immediately subsequent to the semester in which approval occurred.