The Chrome and Blue
Transcription
The Chrome and Blue
Volume 43, Issue 7 March 2012 The Chrome and Blue of Alpha Chi Sigma Charting our course By Patrick Johanns, Alpha Theta 1981, Grand Recorder “T he best thing you can do is the right thing; the next best thing you can do is the wrong thing; the worst thing you can do is nothing.” – Theodore Roosevelt At the chapter level, at the national level, you need to act. No healthy organization can afford to stop the pursuit of improvement. Where would chemistry be without the efforts of the alchemists and the chemists who followed in their footsteps? Where would our fraternity be without the efforts of our nine founders and all Brothers who came after them? Now is an especially good opportunity to pursue improvement in our brotherhood at the national level. The Bylaws of Alpha Chi Sigma state: “Each member of the Grand Chapter should send to the Grand Recorder, at least three months prior to the Conclave, brief statements of proposals they intend to recommend for Conclave action. The Grand Recorder shall summarize and send this information to all members of the Grand Chapter for consideration.” Is our organization perfect in every way? Or do you think we can do something better? It is my experience that Conclave sessions run more smoothly and accomplish more if there is legislation in the hopper before Conclave starts. Unfortunately, a substantial number of resolutions are created on the fly at Conclave. This does not give delegates time to research the issues and seek input from the Brothers they represent. Editor Patrick J. Johanns, Alpha Theta 1981 Grand Recorder [email protected] Associate Editor Teresa Clark Administrative Assistant [email protected] If you intend to make a resolution or amendment to the Constitution and Bylaws, please let me know. Next month’s issue of The Chrome and Blue will focus on Conclave, and I will incorporate the ideas I receive for this issue. Of course, change comes from more than just resolutions. It requires a vision of what you want to achieve, a commitment to the change and action. Are you willing to live the Three Objects? “Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson and Albert Einstein.” – Life’s Little Instruction Book Alpha Chi Sigma By the Numbers: More than 64,000 members 48 collegiate chapters 3 collegiate colonies 8 professional chapters 10 professional groups © 2012 Alpha Chi Sigma Fraternity The Chrome and Blue Page 2 51st Biennial Conclave updates Here’s the latest news about the 51st Biennial Conclave. Online Registration Registration is open! Nondelegates can register online. Delegates will receive registration information after their chapters submit the Notice of Delegate Election Form. Supreme Council candidates One important function of Conclave is the election of Grand Chapter officers. The Nominations Committee, chaired by Melissa Ward, Alpha Theta 1998, has submitted a list of Supreme Council nominees. The following Brothers are candidates for the Supreme Council election at Conclave: Grand Master Alchemist • Randy D. Weinstein, Alpha Kappa 1990 (current Grand Collegiate Alchemist) Grand Collegiate Alchemist • Mistti Ritter, Gamma Theta 1992 (current Grand Professional Alchemist) • Helen Webster, Alpha Rho 1994 (current Atlantic Central District Counselor) Grand Professional Alchemist • Stephanie Bates, Alpha Rho 1995 (current Washington, D.C. Professional Chapter Vice President and Secretary) • Mark Evaniak, Beta Sigma 1980 (current Grand Master of Ceremonies) • Jeffrey L. Moore, Alpha Omega 1996 (current Professional Representative) Grand Master of Ceremonies • Jonathan Wenzel, Delta 1996 (current Professional Representative) A biography and statement for each candidate is available on the website and will appear in the April issue of The Chrome and Blue. We thank each of these individuals for their willingness to serve the Fraternity. Supreme Council nomination procedure In addition to receiving nominations from the Nominations Committee, the Constitution and Bylaws allow for Grand Chapter members to nominate candidates prior to Conclave. Here is the process we will follow for nominations prior to Conclave: 1. The Nominator and Seconder will notify the Grand Recorder in writing of their nomination of a Supreme Council candidate. 2. Within three days of receipt of a nomination and seconding, the Grand Recorder will determine if the nominee is an active professional member and will contact the nominee to determine if he or she accepts the nomination. 3. Nominees whose nominations are received and accepted before Conclave will be invited to submit their vita and statement of views to be included in the Conclave binder distributed to members of the Grand Chapter at Conclave. 4. Nominations from the Grand Chapter received and accepted before March 30 will be invited to submit their vita and statement of views to be included in the April issue of The Chrome and Blue, which also will include the nominees from the Nominations Committee. Campus housing The University of Iowa residence halls are substancefree environments. The University of Iowa Department of Housing strictly enforces this policy, and there is a zerotolerance rule during summer conferences. Anyone who is asked to leave the residence hall due to a violation of this university policy will not be reimbursed for Conclave expenses. The University of Iowa requests that all Conclave attendees review the university’s summer 2012 Guidebook prior to arriving for Conclave. Delegate elections An official Call to Conclave and a Notice of Delegate Election Form has been sent to all professional and collegiate chapters. The election form is due to the National Office by April 16. More information When it becomes available, we’ll post the latest news and information on the Conclave page on the national website. The Chrome and Blue Page 3 Reminder: Complete the required alcohol awareness training Last fall, Alpha Chi Sigma introduced our Alcohol Awareness Training policy. Each academic year, all of your chapter’s members and current pledges are required to complete alcohol awareness training. The training sign-in sheet is due June 30. As of March 21, the following chapters have not turned in their sign-in sheets: • • • • • • • • Alpha Rho Sigma Tau Alpha Beta Alpha Epsilon Alpha Kappa Alpha Sigma • • • • • • • • • • • • Beta Gamma Beta Eta Beta Nu Beta Tau Beta Phi Beta Chi Gamma Beta Gamma Eta Gamma Iota Gamma Omicron Gamma Pi Gamma Tau If you have any questions about this new policy, contact your District Counselor, Grand Collegiate Alchemist Randy Weinstein, Grand Master Alchemist Jennifer Showerman or the National Office. Have you ordered your graduation medallions? Don’t forget to order graduation medallions for Brothers graduating from your chapter this spring. The medallions are $12 each, including shipping and handling. To order, send a check made out to Alpha Chi Sigma to the National Office or call (800) ALCHEMY to use a credit card. Please provide a mailing address where the medallion should be shipped. The Chrome and Blue Page 4 Alpha Chi Sigma luncheon at ACS meeting Luncheon at ACS meeting Brothers attending the 243rd American Chemical Society National Meeting and Exposition in San Diego, Calif., are cordially invited to the traditional Alpha Chi Sigma social luncheon on Tuesday, March 27, starting at 11:30 a.m. The luncheon is an opportunity to chat with Brothers from around the nation. Please join us at Buster’s Beach House and Longboard Bar, a five-minute walk from the convention center along the marina. Or park in Seaport Village, a popular shopping and dining district. Attendees will enjoy the casual surfinspired atmosphere and food, overlooking San Diego Bay. The price is $25 per person, payable at the luncheon. Collegiate members are invited to attend for free as guests of the Fraternity. Guests of Brothers also are welcome. Register for the luncheon at the Alpha Chi Sigma table or contact Grand Professional Alchemist Mistti Ritter. Tuesday, March 27 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Buster’s Beach House and Longboard Bar 807 W. Harbor Dr. San Diego, Calif. (619) 233-4300 On-site ACS national meeting contact OA Gary Anderson Alpha Eta 1962 Cell (304) 634-1921 Don’t lose your tax-exempt status Small tax-exempt organizations whose gross receipts are normally $25,000 or less are not required to file Form 990 or Form 990-EZ, Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. Instead, these small tax-exempt organizations are required to file annually an electronic Form 990-N with the IRS. The form is easy to complete. All you need is the following information about your organization: • • • • • • • • Employer identification number (EIN) Tax year Legal name and mailing address Any other names the organization uses Name and address of a principal officer Website address, if the organization has one Confirmation that the organization’s annual gross receipts are normally $25,000 or less If applicable, a statement that the organization has terminated or is terminating (going out of business) Get more information from the IRS. The e-postcard is due each year by the 15th day of the fifth month after the close of your tax year. For Alpha Chi Sigma, our tax year ends on Dec. 31, so your e-postcard is due by May 15 each year. Don’t put Alpha Chi Sigma’s or your chapter’s tax-exempt status in jeopardy! The Chrome and Blue Page 5 Collegiate chapter reminders Collegiate chapter reports The National Office will e-mail the collegiate chapter registers the week of April 9. corrections as needed. Your changes or approval is due to the National Office by June 29. The registers will be e-mailed to reporters with a copy to master alchemists and treasurers. Please review your chapter’s register carefully and make any additions or Professional Branch Induction Professional Branch Induction (PBI) transfers a member from the collegiate branch to the professional branch. Collegiate chapters should send their PBI forms to the National Office, even if you don’t have a Professional Induction Ceremony. If your chapter is having a ceremony, submit your PBI form at least two weeks prior to the ceremony. If your chapter would like to hold a Professional Induction Ceremony in addition to or instead of a Professional Recognition Ceremony, contact your local professional chapter or professional group, district counselor or Grand Master of Ceremonies Mark Evaniak for assistance. Collegiate Professional Activities Poster Session at Conclave As a professional chemistry fraternity, professional activities are vital to our mission. The poster session allows chapters to show off their activities and share ideas. This poster session also is the basis for the Hutchison Award for the best collegiate chapter for professional activities. Colonies and professional chapters are not eligible for the award but still are welcome to present posters at the session. The professional representatives judge the posters and then choose the Hutchison Award recipient. Here are some hints for preparing your chapter’s poster: 1. Professional activities are chemistry related (those that advance the second object: “To strive for the advancement of chemistry both as a science and as a profession.”) Service activities that are not chemistry related and are purely so- cial activities may be included on the poster but do not count toward the award. 2. Chapters are encouraged to provide the following information: a. Chapter designation (Greek letter) and name of your school b. Pictures c. Description of the event d. Number of chapter members (and pledges, if appropriate) involved e. If non-members are involved (such as the Boy Scout merit badge program) and the number of non-member participants f. If this is a regular (annual, semi-annual, monthly, etc.) event, how long the chapter has been organizing the event 3. Factors considered in the award selection include: a. Number of events b. Diversity of events (All other things being equal, four different types of events are better than four instances of the same type of event.) c. Number of active members and pledges involved (Overall chapter size will be taken into account when evaluating this factor: 15 members involved from a chapter with 20 is better than 20 members involved from a chapter with 60.) d. Public impact e. Originality and innovation (We like to see new types of events or novel ways of doing events.) f. Longevity of events g. Appearance of the poster It is recommended that your chapter finish its poster before coming to Conclave, because there is little time to prepare one during the week. For more information, contact Susan Shuping, Epsilon 1991. The Chrome and Blue Page 6 What you need to know about Star Chapter criteria To qualify for the One-Star Chapter Award, a chapter each academic year beginning July 1 and ending June 30 must: • • Return all pledge and initiation reports and fees to the National Office on time. Initiate a minimum of eight or 1/3 of the number of current active collegiate members (reported in the preceding year’s Active Collegiate Member Register). • • • Conduct two major service or professional activities. The report submitted to the National Office must include a description of the activity, the date, the number of Brothers involved and the estimated total number of people involved. Submit an officer list within two weeks of each election. Submit the following reports by June 30 each year: • • • • Star Chapter Annual Report of Chapter Activities Audit/Financial Statement Charter, Ritual and Regalia Inspection (CRRI) Report Active Collegiate Member Register To qualify for the Three-Star Chapter Award, a chapter each academic year beginning July 1 and ending June 30 must: • • • Satisfy all of the requirements for the One-Star Chapter Award. Maintain a chapter Web page, which must include: • Information about pledging and membership • A current calendar of events • The current chapter and officer contact information • Professional and service activities • An active link to the National Web site Plus accomplish any four of the following: • Increase active collegiate members by 5 percent (based on the preceding year’s Active Collegiate Member Register). • Conduct two additional major professional or service activities. • • • • • • Conduct two alumnirelated activities. Conduct one additional major professional or service activity and one alumni-related activity. Submit a Professional Branch Induction Report. Submit one or more nominations for a National fraternity recognition award (such as the Scholar Award, the Ronald T. Pflaum Outstanding Chapter Advisor Award and the John R. Kuebler Award). Submit a Chapter Plan for the year. Maintain and submit a current copy of the chapter’s bylaws to the National Office. See the history of the Star Chapter Awards or call the National Office at (800) ALCHEMY. The Chrome and Blue Page 7 Thumbs up! Thumbs down! As of March 21, the following chapters submitted initiation paperwork and/or payments on time for spring 2012. Thank you and keep up the good work! As of March 21, the following chapters have initiation paperwork and/or payments pending from fall 2011. Please contact the National Office if you have any questions. • • • Gamma Delta Gamma Theta • Gamma Upsilon Alpha Pi • Beta Phi (spring 2011) Each Thursday afternoon, the current versions of the active logs and delinquency list are posted on the national website. Be sure to check the website each week and let us know if our records are not up to date. Get a quote and the Fraternity benefits In the first 12 months of our partnership with GEICO, Alpha Chi Sigma received a 4.8 percent response rate from our members. This means that 1,789 of our 37,000 members obtained a quote from GEICO. This is very good, as GEICO generally anticipates a 3 percent response. Of those getting a quote, 400 people (22.4 percent) switched to GEICO. Some of our members benefited from lower cost auto insurance, but all of us benefited from the requests for quotes. In 2011, our Fraternity received more than $24,000 from GEICO. This is how it works: • We receive $10 from each auto insurance quote, whether insurance is purchased or not. • We receive $2,500 annually in event sponsorship. We recieve other money for quotes on campers, apartments, motorcycles and home insurance. grams and services otherwise increasingly would fall on the shoulders of the collegiate branch. This money was a bright spot in our budget last year. Professional contributions were lower than anticipated, and the burden of supporting the costs of providing pro- You can apply for a new quote every 90 days. Every member (with a car) could potentially give $40 to the Fraternity without spending a dime of their own money. • Get your quote today and help your fraternity! Take 15 minutes to apply for a quote. You might save some money, but the Fraternity certainly will get some money.. The Chrome and Blue Page 8 Meet the Erie District By Sean Pawlowski, Erie District Counselor Greetings from the Erie District! The Erie District recently had its District Conclave, and it was an extremely successful meeting. About 40 Brothers from the region descended upon Gamma Tau Chapter at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. The day was well spent covering topics from district news to a deep discussion amongst the Brothers about initiation. After the close of the meeting, the Chicago Pro Chapter graciously held a PIC for graduating seniors within the Erie District. Congratulations to the 19 new professional members! The day wrapped up with a nice dinner at a local restaurant. This chapter was founded in 1906 and is the elder statesman of the Erie District. The Brothers from this chapter make a yearly trip to Washington, D.C. to take part in the USA Science and Engineering Expo. This chapter is very skilled at fundraising and planning strong rush events. The chapter’s master alchemist is Megan Witzke. Gamma Tau Chapter is located at Indiana University of Pennsylvania in Indiana, Pa. This chapter was Gamma Chapter is located at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. founded in 2006 along with two other chapters that along with Gamma Chapter would become the Erie District. Gamma Tau Brothers plan a Wyvern Hunt every year to help their pledges learn more about the Fraternity, science and their chapter. Gamma Tau also holds some great fundraisers, including a donut sale for breakfast and a grilled cheese sale for lunch. Every year during National Chemistry Week, Gamma Tau hosts chemistry demonstrations on the IUP campus. The chapter’s master alchemist is Tyler Machovina. Gamma Upsilon Chapter is located at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa. This chapter also was founded in 2006. Gamma Upsilon has the distinction of holding an outdoor initiation in the spring semester every year. This chapter’s Brothers are very active in service, including assisting during the Chemistry Department’s Science Preview Day, judging the Pittsburgh Science Fair at Heinz Field, performing Duquesnefest. The chapter’s master alchemist is Katie Kenes. Gamma Phi Chapter is located at the University at Buffalo in Buffalo, N.Y. This chapter was founded in 2010 and was added to the Erie District last summer. This chapter’s Brothers have embraced the new district whole heartedly. A chapter started predominantly by graduate students, this chapter’s demographics now skew more to undergraduates. The Brothers are very active in the department and the university. The chapter’s master alchemist is Barbara Casavant. Contact EDC Sean Pawlowski. demonstrations for National Chemistry Week and making liquid nitrogen ice cream for Attention, professional chapters! Each professional chapter should submit an officer list, a member list and an annual activities report to the National Office by March 31. Member lists were sent to chapter presidents and secretaries on Jan. 25. And don’t forget to elect your Conclave delegate. Then submit the Notice of Delegate Election form to the National Office by April 16. The Chrome and Blue Page 9 Calendar March May 23 Initiations at Gamma Delta and Gamma Chi Chapters. 25 Initiations at Beta Chi Chapter and Widener Colony. 1 District counselor recommendations due to the Grand Collegiate Alchemist. 27 Alpha Chi Sigma luncheon at American Chemical Society Meeting in San Diego, Calif. 5 Initiation at Mu Chapter. 15 Conclave registration fee increases from $90 to $110. 31 Initiations at Pi, Alpha Beta, Beta Nu, Beta Pi, Gamma Theta, Gamma Upsilon and Gamma Phi Chapters. 31 Professional chapter reports due to National Office. April 6 Initiations at Epsilon and Gamma Beta Chapters. 7 Initiations at Sigma and Alpha Omega Chapters. 13 Initiations at Gamma Zeta and Gamma Eta Chapters. 14 Initiations at Beta, Gamma, Zeta, Rho, Alpha Upsilon, Beta Eta, Beta Psi and Gamma Phi Chapters. 14 Gamma Psi Chapter installation at the University of Toledo. 16 Notice of Conclave Delegate Election Form due to National Office. 21 Initiations at Alpha, Alpha Theta, Beta Delta, Gamma Xi, Gamma Omicron and Gamma Tau Chapters. 22 Initiation at Alpha Kappa Chapter. 28 Initiations at Alpha Epsilon and Gamma Iota Chapters and Rhode Island Colony. June 15 Grand Chapter biennial reports due to National Office. 29 Conclave delegates’ flight itineraries due to National Office. 29 Star Chapter items (officer list, annual report, audit, CRRI, member register, PBI form, chapter plan, bylaws, newsletter) due to National Office. July 1 Conclave registration fee increases from $110 to $140. 1 The last day that Conclave housing is guaranteed for attendees. 24-29 51st Biennial Conclave at the University of Iowa. Alpha Chi Sigma Fraternity 2141 N. Franklin Road Indianapolis, IN 46219 (800) ALCHEMY [email protected] The Chrome and Blue is a newsletter published monthly during the academic year primarily for collegiate chapter officers and district counselors. It also provides information useful to the rest of the Grand Chapter and to any interested brothers. It serves to communicate news, reminders and updates in a timely manner.
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