Davidson College: Philanthropic Society: By-Laws

BY-LAWS
of the
PHILANTHROPIC SOCIETY of DAVIDSON COLLEGE 1837
revised 1989

ARTICLE I: Meetings
ARTICLE II: Votes
ARTICLE III: Election of Officers
ARTICLE IV: Duties of Officers
President
Vice-President
Secretary
Treasurer
Supervisors
Critics
ARTICLE V: Committees
ARTICLE I: Meetings

ARTICLE II: Votes

The will of the Society on all questions must be expressed by vote, which must be taken by ballot, viva-voce, rising, roll call, or according as the rules direct.

The will of the Society must be expressed by ballot in voting for election of all officers of the Society and the two Marshals; in deciding the degree of punishment when a member on trial, or under impeachment, has been found guilty; in granting a request to resign, a diploma, or the loan of money to members.

Votes on all other questions must be given viva-voce. Votes on all resolutions, motions, etc., shall be taken in the same way, as being most convenient. But if the President be uncertain as to the result of the vote, or any member differ with him in regard to the decision, he may order the "ayes" to rise and be counted and then the "nays," or he may order a roll call.

Tabulation of ballots

The President may appoint from the membership of the Society a teller to help the Secretary tabulate ballots.

When a vote is taken by ballot, if no decision results from the first ballot, the persons or measures receiving the two highest numbers of votes shall be announced from the chair, and a second ballot must decide. No vote shall be counted unless it be for one or the other of the two.

Any vote considered improper or indecent by the teller and Secretary must not be read or counted. In voting on propositions for membership the form shall be "yes" or "no."

On any question decided by ballot, every member of the Society shall be permitted a vote. Any member necessarily detained from the Hall may send his vote on that question, enclosed in a sealed envelope, addressed to the Secretary and certified to by the bearer. Such a proxy vote, meeting these conditions, shall require a two-thirds vote.

In all cases not provided for by Law, the vote of the simple majority shall be considered as the will of the house, except in cases of adjournment,which shall require a two-thirds vote.

The President shall have no vote except in case of a tie, and then he shall cast the deciding vote. On any question decided by ballot, the President shall have no vote.

ARTICLE III: Election of Officers

Officers shall be elected to serve during one collegiate year, and the election shall be held during the latter half of the second semester.

The date elections are to be held must be announced in a regular meeting at least two weeks prior to the elections. Elections may be held during a regular meeting or, if it be the will of the Society, during a special (called) meeting.

All officers must be elected separately, in the order of precedence, each by a majority of the votes cast. If it be the will of the Society, a single candidate for an office may be voted in by acclamation.

Marshals for the Society may be voted on by the Society in the manner prescribed for officers, or, at the discretion of the President in consultation with the House, may be appointed by the President. Marshals are not considered officers and do not fall into the order of precedence. Officers may, however, serve as Marshals.

The Society may, by a unanimous vote at the time of the election, suspend clauses relating to the graduating class of an officer.

ARTICLE IV: Duties of Officers

In performing the duties required of him by the Constitution, each officer shall be guided by the following regulations

The President

The President, who shall be elected from the rising Senior class, shall have the power to impose fines; put questions to the House; appoint committees not otherwise provided for; announce officially the results of all votes on elections; fill vacancies temporarily; grant permission to speak, retire, move seats, etc.; decide, for the time being, all differences of construction of the Constitution and Laws (such decision being subject to appeal to the Judiciary Committee); call members to order for any violation of law, for unbecoming language, or breach of decorum; and adjourn meetings.

He shall be required to affix his signature to the records of the meetings over which he shall preside. He must also sign all diplomas.

He shall not, while in the chair, make or second any motion or resolution, nor take part in any debate. But if he deem it necessary, he may call the Vice-President to the chair, or, if he be absent, some other suitable person, and take the floor, when he may enjoy all the privileges of debate.

He may at any time inspect the books of any officer and call attention of the Society to negligence in any department.

He shall, on taking his seat, deliver an inaugural address, which may be put on file in the Archives; and on retiring he shall inaugurate the new President according to the forms prescribed by Law.

The dignity of his office shall exempt him from fines, but for incompetency he may by a three-fourths vote, be requested to resign, and for abuse of power he may be impeached and removed from office. If his offence be aggravated, he may, by a three-fourths vote of the house, be rendered ever afterwards ineligible to any post of honor and shall not be granted a diploma. The dignity of his office shall exempt him from fines, but for incompetency he may by a three-fourths vote, be requested to resign, and for abuse of power he may be impeached and removed from office. If his offence be aggravated, he may, by a three-fourths vote of the house, be rendered ever afterwards ineligible to any post of honor and shall not be granted a diploma.

The Vice-President

The Vice-President shall be chosen from the rising Junior class, the time of election and term of office being the same as that of the President.

In the absence of the President, the Vice-President shall assume all the responsibilities, prerogatives, and duties of that officer.

He, sanctioned by the Society and in consultation with the President, shallarrange for programs and speakers for regular meetings.

He shall preside over the Committee of the Whole House.

He shall be ax-officio chairman of the Query Committee.

He, at the expiration of his term of office, shall report to the Society concerning the general proceedings and condition of the Society during his term of office.

The Secretary

The Secretary shall be chosen from the rising Sophomore class, the time of election and term of office being the same as that of the President.

He shall call roll at the opening of every meeting and mark all absentees. He shall carefully notice the proceedings and read a synopsis of them to the Society at the opening of the following meeting. Corrections may then be made and when approved the minutes shall be carefully transcribed into the minute book.

He shall keep a correct catalog of the regular and honorary members.

He shall keep the Archives. All reports and inaugural addresses made to the Society shall be kept in the archives in a neat and orderly manual (see Article XV).

He shall be chairman of the Membership Committee.

He shall hand in to the Treasurer a monthly account of the fines imposed, when necessary, and also of those excused by the President, annexing to each fine the date at which it was imposed or excused.

The Secretary shall be excused from the payment of the annual membership fee if he has satisfactorily fulfilled his duties during the year.

The Treasurer

The Treasurer shall be chosen from the rising Junior class, the time of election and term of office being the same as that of the President.

All accounts acknowledged by the Society as correct must be settled by the Treasurer. Ordinary expenses are borne by the Society on request of the President, the Treasurer, or the Agent, without the approval of the House.
He alone shall make all necessary purchases for the Society not provided for by special committee; he must endorse all accounts as correct before presenting them to the Society.

He shall also, after receiving the report from the Secretary of the Society, cancel such fines as have been excused and enter the others in his book. At the next meeting he shall notify all members who have fines standing against them in his book. At the same time he shall report to the President such fines and dues as are required by law to be doubled.

At the expiration of his term of office, he shall make a general report of the business transacted by him during the year. On the same day he shall surrender into the hand of his successor the funds, books, and papers that pertain to his office, and his report shall be deposited in the archives.

He shall be ex-officio chairman of the Finance Committee.

The Supervisors

The Supervisors shall be chosen from the rising Senior and Junior classes, respectively, the time of their election and term of office being the same as that of the President.

The First Supervisor shall have charge over the right, and the Second Supervisor over the left side of the house.

They shall report all members coming in after the roll call as being late. They shall also make note of any infraction of the laws during the meeting, and shall report them to the House before the meeting be adjourned. The First Supervisor shall serve as ex-officio Chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

The Critics

The Critics shall be chosen from the rising Senior and Junior classes, respectively, the time of their election and term of office being the same as that of the President.

The Critics shall take their seats, the First Critic to the right, and the Second Critic to the left, of the President. The First Critic shall notice attentively the performance of regular exercises and, when called on, shall make such criticisms, or appoint a member to make such criticisms, as he may think proper.

After criticisms have been offered by the First Critic, the President may call for criticism by the house, when any member may criticize the performance.

At the expiration of his term of office, the First Critic may read to the Society an address touching the general proceedings and conditions of the Society, during the administration with which he was connected. The Second Critic shall assist the First Critic in the performance of his duties, and shall perform such duties as may be assigned to him by the House.

At the expiration of his term of office, the Second Critic may read to the Society an address on the manner in which the books of the Secretary, Treasurer, and Committees have been kept. He shall pay special attention to neatness and exactness. He may criticize the condition and appearance of the Hall and Archives and may suggest improvements.

ARTICLE V: Committees

General Rules for Committees

No member appointed on a committee can be excused except by the President, who shall judge the validity of the excuse. Any member of the committee being found negligent of duty shall be removed by the President and his place filled by one more worthy.

If any member of a committee absent himself from the meeting, after being duly notified, he shall be reported by the chairman for neglect of duty. No standing committee can be forced to report except at the time required by law, but a special committee, unless appointed for a special time, may be called on for a report at any time.

Any business on which the Society is not prepared to take immediate action may be referred for a definite period of time to a special committee appointed by the President which shall report at the expiration thereof£ If the report be not satisfactory, the Society may recommit the business to the same or another committee.

All committees shall have the liberty of holding their meetings in the Hall behind closed doors.

Committees shall not hold their meetings at times that will conflict with the regular meetings of the Society except by special order of the President. Standing committees are not required to meet regularly unless it is felt to be necessary, as determined by the President in consultation with the House. They shall meet when matters coming under their jurisdiction arise in the workings of the Society.

The Judiciary Committee

The Judiciary Committee shall be appointed by the President. It shall consist, in addition to the First Supervisor, of three members, from at least two different classes. The First Supervisor will serve as chairman. It shall be this committee's business to consider and discuss all resolutions to alter or amend the Constitution or By-Laws.

It must consider and answer within two weeks from the time of presentation all written appeals from the decision of the President, in cases of fines and construction of the Constitution or Laws. Such appeals, unless written and addressed to the "Chairman of the Judiciary Committee," within one week after the President's decision, shall not be acted on. It shall be within the jurisdiction of this committee to try impeachments, and to hear requests for resignation.

The chairman of this committee shall keep a concise account of all its proceedings in a suitable manner. All decisions of this committee in regard to fines or construction of the Constitution or Laws shall be read by the chairman as the report of the committee at the next meeting of the Society, and this report shall be incorporated into the minutes.

The Query Committee

The Query Committee shall be appointed by the President. It shall consist of the Vice-Pr esident, the Second Critic, and a member of the House.

It shall be the duty of this committee to assist the Vice-President in obtaining speakers and programs for the Society, both for regular meetings and special occasions. Duties concerning various aspects of programming and planning for the Society may also be assigned to it at the discretion of the President.

The Finance Committee

The Finance Committee shall consist of the Treasurer as chairman, and two members appointed by the President from the membership at large.

It shall be the duty of this committee to consider any extraordinary expenditures proposed by the Society, and to decide upon the ability of the Society to make such allotment of funds.

The committee shall decide when, because of extraordinary circumstances, a member may be excused from paying membership dues.

The Membership Committee

The Membership Committee shall consist of the Secretary as chairman, the Second Supervisor, and an additional member appointed by the President.

It shall be the duty of this committee to advise the Society about matters related to membership in the Society, especially recruitment of new members and the suitability of nominees for membership.

ARTICLE VI: Order of Business

a. House called to order.
b. Reading from the Bible and prayer (optional).
c. Roll call.
d. Reading and correction of the minutes.
e. Comments for the benefit of the Society.
f. Special exercises:

i. Election and induction of members.
ii. Election of officers.
iii. Installation of Officers.

a) Reports by outgoing officers.
b) Inauguration ceremony. g. Program (Committee of the Whole House).
h. Business:

i. Old Business.

ii. Reports of Standing Committees.

iii. New Business.

iv. Reports of Special Committees.

v. Treasurer's report.

vi. Supervisor's report.

vii. Adjournment with prayer (optional) and singing of the Alma Mater.

2. Called Meeting:

a. House called to order.
b. Reading from the Bible and prayer (optional).
c. Roll call.
d. Reading and correction of minutes.
e. Announcement of the object of the meeting.
f. Necessary business, motions, resolutions, etc.
g. Reports of Special Committees.
h. Supervisor's report.
i. Adjournment with prayer (optional) and singing of the Alma Mater.

3. Commencement Meeting:

a. House called to order.
b. Reading from the Bible and prayer (optional).
c. Roll call.
d. Reading and correction of minutes.
e. Graduation ceremony and presentation of diplomas.
£ Reports of Special Committees.
g. Necessary business, motions, resolutions, etc.
h. Remarks from visiting members and alumni.
i. Supervisor's report.
j. Adjournment with prayer (optional) and singing of the Alma Mater

ARTICLE VII: Rules of Order

All questions of order shall be decided by the President without debate, and any member when called out of order by him shall immediately take his seat, if ordered to do so.

Every member on rising from his seat shall, before making any remarks whatever, addresses the presiding officer as "Mr. [or Madame] President," who shall call him by name, that the House may take notice of who it is that speaks. No member shall address the President from his seat, or in an angry or unbecoming manner. In the case of a dispute the President shall decide who has the right to claim the floor. And no member may interrupt the speaker unless he obtain, through the President, his permission to do so. Such a liberty cannot be claimed as a right, and should be asked only in the case of extreme necessity.

No member shall address the chair while another member has the floor; nor shall he be allowed to come to the chair while the floor is occupied. If he does this, he may be excused by the President only on the plea of necessity. There shall be no moving about in the Hall under any circumstances while the floor is occupied.

No member shall ask permission to speak to another, change seat, or retire until after the reading and adoption of the minutes. Except in case of absolute necessity, not more than four members shall be allowed to retire and be absent from the hall contemporaneously. Permission to speak to another member shall not be granted for longer than three minutes. Members who retire from the Hall must return within fifteen minutes.

No motion, resolution, or amendment shall be debated until seconded.

When a question is under debate, no motion shall be received, but (1) to adjourn, (2) to lay the motion on the table, (3) to amend, (4) to withdraw a motion, (5) to suspend a rule of order, (6) to reconsider. These are privileged motions, and take precedence in the order in which they are arranged. With the exception of a motion to amend and to suspend a rule of order, they shall be decided without debate.

If the author of a motion accept an amendment offered to it (a "friendly amendment") the motion as amended shall be voted on. If he reject it and the amendment receive a second, the amendment must be voted on before the original motion. A motion having been duly seconded can only be withdrawn by the author, with the consent of his second.

When the private interest of any member is immediately concerned in any motion, resolution, or petition, the President must request him to retire from the Hall. He shall then retire and not return till he has been officially informed that the question is settled. Before being requested to retire, however, the President shall order the motion, resolution, or petition to be read in his hearing, and ask if he has anything to say in regard to it. The member may then be heard in his own behalf, but must retire before any remarks are offered by the house.

Rules of order not specifically provided for herein should follow the standard procedure in Robert's Rules of Order or a similar accepted work.

ARTICLE VIII: Ceremonies

Inauguration Ceremony:

The inauguration of a President is set within the regular meeting (see Article VI, Section 1). The outgoing President shall come into the chair, strike three times with the gavel and say, "The house will come to order." He shall then proceed to the roll call, the scripture reading and the prayer (optional), and then to the reading and approval of the minutes. Any reports from outgoing officers follow.

After this the outgoing President has the Vice-President to conduct the President-elect to the rostrum. The outgoing President rises, and with him the whole house. The President advances to meet the President-elect. Then is read this prayer (unless under certain circumstances the President wish to omit it): Deliver us, O Lord, in all our doings with thy gracious favor, and further us by Thy continued help, that all in our works begun, continued, and ended in Thee, we may glorify Thy Holy Name and finally by Thy mercy obtain everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Then the outgoing President shall read to the President-elect the duties of his office as found in the By-Laws, after which he shall ask the President-elect these three questions:

"Do you promise faithfully and impartially to perform the duties and charges required of the office which you assume?"

"Will you uphold the Society's spirit of friendship and fellowship as described in the Preamble to the Constitution?"

"Will you enforce the Laws, promote order, and maintain the dignity of the Society, so far as you shall be able?"

These answered in the affirmative, the ax-President shall deliver up the Constitution and the gavel and leave the rostrum, and with the new President the old officers shall continue to the end of the meeting.

Initiation Ceremony:

The conductor (appointed by the President for the ceremony) shall present the members to be inducted before the rostrum The President shall then read the following prayer (unless under special circumstances he wish to omit it): We beseech Thee, Almighty God, to bless us and to grant that good learning may flourish and abound and wisdom increase amongst us, through Him who is the source of all wisdom, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Then the President shall read the Preamble to the Constitution of the Society and ask the following questions:

"Do you of your own free will wish to become a member of this Society?" (Answer: "I do.")

"Is it your purpose to honor its Laws and to advance its interests so long as you shall continue therein?" (Answer: "yes.")

"Will you henceforth seek and follow after all good learning and true knowledge?" (Answer: I will."')

Then the President shall say to each of them generally, "I extend to you the right hand of fellowship." Then he shall invite the members of the Society to come forward and congratulate the new members.

Graduation Ceremony:

The order of the meeting shall be as described in Article VI, Section 3 of these By- Laws. This meeting shall normally be the last meeting of the collegiate year.

Before the meeting begins, the diplomas, having been inscribed with the names of the graduates, signed by the President and Secretary, and the seal of the Society having been affixed, will be placed in alphabetical order, face down, on a table before the rostrum.

At the proper time in the meeting, the President shall come down to the table where the diplomas lay. He may then choose to make remarks about the activities of the Society in the past year, or any such remarks as he may deem appropriate.

Then the President shall ask the Vice-President to read the translation of the Society's diploma.

The President then will call out the name of each graduate, and as each graduate comes forward the President will hand him his diploma and shake his hand.

At the conclusion of the presentation of the diplomas the President shall invite the members to congratulate the graduates.

ARTICLE IX: Membership

Any person who is a student of Davidson College may be nominated to be a regular member of this Society.

The process of becoming a member shall be as follows:

A person who has attended three regular meetings of the Society as a guest may be nominated by a member at the third meeting or anytime thereafter. The nomination may be by letter to the Secretary and/or during the appropriate time in a regular meeting (during "new business").

Either at the time of nomination, or at a regular meeting soon after the nomination, the nominee will be asked to stand before the Society and givehis or her reasons for desiring to become a member. Then the members ofthe Society may ask questions of the nominee as they see fit.This having been accomplished, the nominee and all guests of the Society will be asked to leave the Hall while the Society makes its decision. Then a motion shall be made to accept or reject the nominee. After discussion, voting will be taken by ballot as described in Article II. If the nominee is accepted, induction may follow immediately or at the next convenient regular meeting.

ARTICLE X: Requirements for Graduation

As prerequisite to being graduated from the Society, the member must be in good standing, viz., regular attendance at meetings, payment of fines and dues, and general support and enthusiasm for the purposes of the Society. Serious breaches in any of these areas shall be ruled upon by the Judiciary Committee.

Every member of the Society shall at some time during the term of his membership, normally during the Senior year, be required to present to the Society an address, termed a diplomate, on some subject of general interest. The address will be accepted or rejected by the Society by ballot vote.

Every member must also during his term of membership respond to and/or vote on such an address by another member.

Diplomas shall be awarded at the Commencement meeting of the Society to those members who have satisfied the conditions named above, and who have completed their college course.

ARTICLE XI: Impeachment and Trial

Any officer of the Society shall be liable to impeachment or trial who is guilty of habitual neglect of duty, abuse of power, immoral indulgences, contempt of authority, intentional disrespect to the House, electioneering for any post of honor within the gift of the Society, for dishonesty, and for any gross violation of the Constitution or Laws.

Charges having been brought, the Treasurer shall within one week draw up the charges formally, and present a copy of the s~me to the accused. He shall then request a meeting of the Judiciary Committee. The chairman of this Committee shall summon the accused to appear and to name any friend to assist him in his defense. If this summons is not obeyed, the chairman shall have power to appoint some member of the Society to defend the accused. He shall then appoint some time within two weeks thereafter for the trial.

All witnesses shall be examined in the presence of the Judiciary Committee. After the examination is closed, all except those immediately connected with the trial shall be required to withdraw. First the Treasurer shall be heard on behalf of the Society, then the assistant of the accused, then the Agent, then the accused. Only one speech shall be allowed to each. The Committee shall then decide on each charge separately, and announce the result to the Society at the next meeting. It may also report any circumstances that tend to modify the guilt.

The Society shall then determine the punishment, which shall either be a vote of censure, reprimand from the presiding officer, or removal from office and subsequent ineligibility to hold office. In the decision no motion or discussion will be allowed.

ARTICLE XII: Resignation, Suspension, and Expulsion

Resignation:

All requests to resign from membership in the Society must first be presented in writing to the President, who shall, within one week, duly consider and present it to the Society, with a recommendation to grant or refuse it. The Society may then vote, or may opt first to have the member requesting to resign give his reasons for his request. The request can be granted only by a two-thirds vote of the House.

No member shall seek to resign while trial or impeachment is pending against him. Before a resignation is approved all debts to the Society must be cleared through the Treasurer.

Suspension and Expulsion:

Members accused of gross negligence or wrongdoing in the Society may be tried by the same procedure as officers under impeachment. Punishment may be either suspension for a set amount of time, during which he or she may have no rights or privileges of membership (though he or she may attend meetings), or expulsion from the Society.

No one may rejoin the Society unless he go through the normal procedures and receive a unanimous vote for membership.

ARTICLE XIII: Dues and Fees:

The annual membership fee shall be determined by the Society in consultation with the Treasurer. The fee may be paid in one sum or divided equally among the terms of the collegiate year, as is most convenient for each member.

No member who joins during the course of the year shall be liable for any fees due before he or she was initiated.

In case of necessity or special need the Society can vote to access itself a special fee.

ARTICLE XIV: Fines

The following offenses shall be subject to fine as specified at the discretion of the President:

One dollar fines:

--for refusing to attend a trial or impeachment when summoned as a witness.

--for refusing to answer any question the chairman of the Judiciary Committee decides is pertinent and proper for a witness to answer.

--for failure to pay in full fees and fines before the last meeting each year.

--for failure of an officer to report at the proper time.

Fifty cent fines:

Twenty-five cent fines:

--for calling another member by name or indulging in any personal remark in debate.

--for interrupting a speaker without first getting the President's permission.

--for addressing the President from seat.

--for communicating with another member without permission from the President.

--for throwing in the Hall.

--for absence from a meeting of the Judiciary Committee after being notified.

Ten cent fines:

--for entering or leaving the Hall with a hat on.

--for asking for recognition before approval of the minutes.

--for not addressing the President when rising to make remarks.

--for passing between the President and a speaker.

--for changing seat without permission from the President.

--for unbecoming position.

--for laughing so as to be heard by the Supervisor.

--for unnecessary noise.

--for smoking, spitting on the floor, reading, eating, chewing, or abusing furniture in the Hall.

--for not returning to the Hall in fifteen minutes after retiring and one cent additional for every minute he is out over that time.

For any breach of law or order not provided for in the above specifications, the President shall be empowered to impose a fine not less than ten cents, nor more than five dollars.

The fine as result of a trial shall not be less than twenty-five cents, nor more than ten dollars.

ARTICLE XV: Records and Archives

Copies of the Constitution and By-Laws are to be preserved in the Secretary's desk in the Hall and in the College Library, where they may be referred to whenever occasion arises. Each member shall be provided with his or her own copy of the Constitution and By-laws, for personal reference.

The book of minutes and the membership book shall be kept in the Secretary~s desk, and updated as often as needed.

The Archives of the Society are to be kept by the Secretary, and may include such items as notices for meetings, invitations, addresses, and reports before the Society. From time to time, at least once a year, such papers deemed worthy of perpetual preservation shall be donated to the Davidson College Archives in the College Library for the Philanthropic Society files there. A set of meeting notices shall always be included in these papers.

Appendix A

TRANSLATION OF THE PHILANTHROPIC SOCIETY DIPLOMA

THE PHILANTHROPIC SOCIETY
IN DAVIDSON COLLEGE
TO ALL WHO SHALL READ THIS LETTER
GREETING

Since this our society has been purposely designed for the promotion of learning and for the diligent cultivation of all good arts; since, also, it has taken its beginning and growth from mutual friendship and good will; and since is a worthy young man or woman], not only blameless in morals [but also] bound to us by all the bonds of friendship, and one who has attained the position of Bachelor in Liberal Arts in the aforesaid college,

Therefore we desire that he [or she] be honored by this mark of our respect and from henceforth be considered and recognized as our brother [or sister] and companion, wherever he [or she] may be.

Of which let this parchment, strengthened by our signatures and ratified by the seal of our society, be a testimony.

Given in Philanthropic Hall the Ides of August, this year of our Lord 19_

President

[seal]

Secretary

[translation by Dr. Mary Beaty, March, 1989]

Appendix B

PRINCIPLES OF THE 1989 REVISION OF THE CONSTITUTION

AND BY-LAWS

For several years prior to this revision, concern had been expressed over the need for a thoroughly revised Constitution and By-Laws that would better serve a modern Society while still retaining the historical significance of the documents. An attempt at such a revision was made but left incomplete in 1985. The current revision was undertaken in February. John David Ramsey '87 prepared a draft revision based on the partially-revised 1983 version of the 1837 Constitution. This was presented to the Society, thoroughly discussed, and accepted unanimously, with minor changes, on April 16, 1989. This procedure was done according to Article VI of the Constitution, with the active membership of the Society taking the place of the Judiciary Committee.

The principles of the revision are as follows:

The Constitution and By-Laws are valuable both as historical and functional documents. These two aspects of the document were kept constantly in mind during the revision process. The revision seeks to retain the historical nature of the documents (especially in terms of use of language, governmental principles, and the spirit of the original document) while updating them for use well into the 21st century.

The document was carefully streamlined, deleting certain sections which had no use to the modern Society and only served to confuse or obscure the running of the Society. Various processes and methods (e.g., the process of becoming a member) were simplified to a degree to better suit the now-traditional size of the Society, which is much smaller than the Society of the 19th century, for which the Constitution and By-Laws were originally written. In the same spirit, the documents were reorganized slightly to provide a more logical sense of progression.

3. Language throughout the document was made as sex-inclusive as possible. However, changes were not made which would damage the style of the original documents, or make them unnecessarily stilted. It is recognized that from the standpoint of historical linguistics (if not in modern usage), both "he" and "man" are sex-inclusive terms.