Sigma Kappa Elections Guide 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS Terms of Office 3 Election & Appointment 3 Officer Requirements 4 Letters of Intent 5 Senior Slating Committee 6 Straw Ballots 6 Slating Process 7 Election Procedure 10 Nominating Procedure 13 Election Minutes 14 Letter of Intent Template 16 Sigma Kappa Sorority Elections Guide page 2 ELECTION OF OFFICERS The Sigma Kappa Bylaws, Art. IV.B.1 states: "Each college chapter shall elect annually by ballot a President, a Vice President of Standards and Values, a Vice President of Programming, a Vice President of New Member Education, a Vice President of Membership, a Vice President of Alumnae Relations, a Vice President of Academic Excellence, a Vice President of Philanthropic Service, a Vice President of Communication and Operations, a Vice President of Finance, and a Panhellenic Delegate, with the approval of the advisory board, to serve until their successors are elected and assume office." Art.IV.B.3. adds: "Each collegiate chapter shall have a ritual chairman, sisterhood chairman, social chairman, public relations chairman, and a Sigma Kappa Triangle Correspondent. Each may be elected by the chapter or appointed by the President of the chapter with the advice of the Executive Council and the advisory board." Terms of Office The recommended term of office is one year and should follow the calendar year rather than the academic year. Other terms of office may be determined by the collegiate chapter with the approval of the advisory board supervisor (ABS). Officers remain in their roles until the end of their term or until they are removed or replaced. The time between elections and the end of the term should be used to transition the newly elected officers into their roles. Officer elections should occur in late October or early November, ensuring they are completed by November 15. Officer elections must occur prior to the registration deadline for Regional Leadership Conferences so that the elected officers are able to register. Installation should take place as close to the end of the term as possible, usually the last formal meeting of the term. Election & Appointment The following order of officers should be used in the slating and election process: Executive council: President Vice president of standards and values (VPSV) Vice president of programming (VPP) Vice president of new member education (VPNME) Vice president of membership (VPM) Vice president of alumnae relations (VPAR) Vice president of academic excellence (VPAE) Vice president of philanthropic service (VPPS) Vice president of communication and operations (VPCO) Vice president of finance (VPF) Sigma Kappa Sorority Elections Guide page 3 Panhellenic delegate Chairmen Ritual chairman Sisterhood chairman Social chairman Public Relations chairman Sigma Kappa Triangle Correspondent Other chapter-specific officers The Sigma Kappa bylaws state that only the executive council positions must be elected by ballot. Chairmen roles and other chapter-specific positions, such as additional chairmen or officers, may be appointed by the executive council with the approval of the advisory board. The chapter may choose to allow the outgoing council, incoming council, or both executive councils to appoint the appropriate positions and this should take place within one week following the election of the executive council officers. Officer Requirements In order to be slated or elected for an officer position, members must meet the following requirements: Members must be financially current, defined as having no overdue balance. Per national requirements, members holding executive council positions must have and maintain at least a 2.7 cumulative and previous term GPA. Members holding other positions must have and maintain at least a 2.5 cumulative and previous term GPA. If the chapter's GPA requirement for officers as stated in the chapter Code of Conduct is higher than the national requirements, officers should meet those minimum chapter standards. For the positions of president, vice president of standards and values, and vice president of finance, the member must be an upper classman and initiated for at least one year. For the position of Ritual chairman, the member must be initiated for at least one year. If a member would like to be considered for a position despite not meeting one or more of the listed requirements, she must request approval from the advisory board supervisor at least one week prior to the deadline for letters of intent. Letters of Intent Qualifications and eligibility, as specified in the National Policy Handbook and Sigma Kappa Bylaws, and a brief description of the duties of each position should be made available to all chapter members to review at least two weeks prior to Sigma Kappa Sorority Elections Guide page 4 elections. Members interested in specific offices/chairmanships should be asked to write a letter of intent. Letters of intent must specify: Reason for intent in the office Goals for the office Qualifications for the office Chapters are permitted to add questions and/or request additional information in the letter of intent as long as the elements listed above are included. Large chapters are encouraged to add content to the letter of intent template as necessary to further distinguish candidates as much as possible. It is recommended that letters of intent be completed electronically and submitted via email to the advisory board supervisor. All letters of intent should be collected by the advisory board supervisor and then distributed to the chapter at least one week prior to elections. It is recommended that the letters be posted to the chapter GINsystem files so that all members are able to access them conveniently. Letters of intent should not be hidden from members or reserved only for the use of the slating committee. Only private member information, such as GPA and any amount of finances owed, may be redacted from the letters. If letters are received by members who are not eligible under the circumstances listed above and have not received approval from the advisory board supervisor, the president should notify the member, so they do not expect to be slated. The letter(s) should not be shared with the chapter. Senior Slating Committee The president and advisory board supervisor should work together to organize a senior slating committee at least two weeks prior to elections. The senior slating committee is composed of the advisory board supervisor and seniors graduating in December through August who have not previously participated in the slating process. If a senior member is on a leave of absence (LOA) during the term of elections, she is not eligible to be on the slating committee. The president is not a part of the slating committee unless she happens to be a senior and is selected to serve on the committee. Members of the slating committee must be financially current, defined as having no overdue balance. Chapters may also consider academic standing in an effort to help narrow down the seniors eligible for committee membership. In chapters with 15 or more eligible seniors, a committee of up to 10 of the seniors should be organized using the following process: All seniors should be given the explicit opportunity to express interest in serving on the slating committee. If 10 or fewer seniors are interested, the committee should consist of the members who expressed interest and Sigma Kappa Sorority Elections Guide page 5 financially current. If more than 10 seniors are interested, the president and advisory board supervisor should decide on a committee size between five and 10 members. All seniors should vote on the slating committee members by ranking or selecting their preferred representatives. The slating committee elected by the senior members should be presented to the chapter and approved by the chapter with a majority vote. The names of the committee members should not be kept confidential. If there are fewer than 15 eligible seniors in the chapter, no vote is needed. Straw Ballots The straw ballot is an opportunity for all members to propose the candidates they believe are capable of holding the respective offices. Straw balloting is NOT an official selection of a candidate or a mode of election, but a method of gauging the opinion of the majority of the chapter members and gathering suggestions. The slating committee will use the information collected in the straw ballots to organize the slate. The straw ballot must list every position, including those that are not elected by ballot, and allow members to select or write in the member they believe would serve best in the role as well as a reason for their choice. Including the reason for the nomination is not required for the member. The members who submitted letters of intent and are eligible for election may be listed under those positions on the ballot for quick selection and/or reference, but a write-in option must be available for each position as well. Straw ballots may be submitted via electronic forms, such as Google Forms. Straw ballots must be collected and tabulated by the advisory board supervisor. No chapter member, including the president, may have access to the straw ballots. However, the straw ballots should be used by the slating committee in the slating process as defined below. Slating Process The senior slating committee should meet with the advisory board supervisor, preferably within the 24 hours prior to elections. The advisory board supervisor facilitates the slating process and the chapter president should not be present unless she happens to be serving on the slating committee. If the president is on the slating committee, she holds no specific role in the process; she simply serves just as any other member would. Chapter members who are academically or financially ineligible to hold office should be reviewed and available for quick reference. The advisory board supervisor should have a current academic report to verify grade eligibility and a Sigma Kappa Sorority Elections Guide page 6 list of the members in financial arrears, defined as having any overdue balance. All members of the slating committee should keep the information discussed in the strictest confidence. This should be clearly communicated to all members of the committee before they begin the slating process. If a member of the slating committee breaches confidentiality of the slate or the committee's discussion, she should be removed from the committee immediately and referred to the standards council. The committee should use the straw ballots and letters of intent to formulate the slate, considering the chapter positions in order. In order of position, the slating committee will: Read names of members who submitted letters of intent for the position. Read straw ballot results and significant write-in suggestions for the position. Ask for other nominations from the slating committee. Check the academic status and financial standing for nominated members. Discuss all possible nominations. Choose slated member with a majority affirmative vote of the committee; method of voting is at the discretion of the advisory board supervisor. Develop and record reasons for nominating the slated member as well as reasons for not nominating any other members who submitted letters of intent for the position. These reasons can be used as pros and cons during the election of officers. Slating committee members should be reminded that points made in discussion of candidates should be relevant to the position and should not be redundant. The advisory board supervisor should keep discussion from becoming too extensive or irrelevant. The purpose of the straw ballot is to assist the slating committee in organizing a slate that the chapter generally supports. The slating committee will be able to understand the preferences of the chapter through the straw ballots and, as a result, will make informed nominations. The slating committee may contradict the straw ballot results if they feel it is in the best interest of the chapter, but it is recommended that the committee strongly and seriously consider the candidates who are supported by the chapter as evidenced in the straw ballots. While letters of intent should be highly encouraged and strongly considered by the committee, members who have not submitted a letter of intent may be slated for any given role. The committee should place priority on members who submitted at least one letter of intent, even if it was not for the role they are considering. The slate should be recorded by a member of the committee or the advisory board supervisor and should include: The slated member Sigma Kappa Sorority Elections Guide page 7 The reason for the committee's nomination Reasons for not slating any other members who submitted letters of intent for the position The committee should slate nominations for all chapter positions, even if the chapter does not elect chairmen by ballot. The slate for the appointed positions should be used by the executive council when making the appointments. In an effort to develop the best possible slate, the committee might need to discuss certain officer positions and candidates for them out of order from the official order of elections. Ideally, the committee should refrain from making decisions about any position until all other positions before it are finalized. A member may not be slated for more than one position unless the committee intends on the member actually holding both positions. This should only occur in chapters in which members often hold more than one position due to chapter size, generally chapters with approximately 40 or fewer members. The advisory board supervisor must approve the slate before contacting any of the nominated candidates. The committee may establish a full slate and then obtain approval or get approval for each individual position before contacting the slated member and moving on to the next position. Each slated candidate must be called, in order of position, to be notified of the slating committee's nomination and verbally accept it. If a member does not accept the slate nomination, the committee must find a replacement candidate to slate. The committee must make a decision about the replacement and call the new candidate to accept the nomination before moving on to calling other nominated members. Any member of the slating committee may call to inform members of their nomination, but the committee should consider asking one or two members who show professionalism and tact to make the calls. When calling members to inform them of their nominations, the slating committee member should adhere to the following general outline: State her name and explain that she is calling on behalf of the slating committee. Inform the member of the position for which she has been slated. Explain the reasons the committee has slated her. Ask if the member accepts the nomination. Inform the member that the nomination should be kept in the strictest confidence, regardless of whether she accepts the nomination. If a slated member discloses that she has been slated, she should be removed from the slate and not elected for a position. If time allows, the committee should reconvene and slate another member. If time does not allow, nominations should be taken from the floor. Sigma Kappa Sorority Elections Guide page 8 Prior to the beginning of elections, the president should call for a vote to determine whether nominations from the floor for members who did not submit a letter of intent will be allowed. If the chapter has received ample letters of intent and the committee was able to fill the slate easily, the chapter should consider restricting nominations from the floor to members who submitted at least one letter of intent. If the chapter has not received many letters of intent and the committee struggled to fill the slate, the chapter should consider allowing all members to be nominated from the floor. During elections, the slating committee is expected to uphold the slate. Slating committee members have an individual vote, but not an individual voice; a member of the committee may vote in contradiction of the slate, but she may not nominate other members off the floor, express a con for a slated member, or express a pro for a non-slated member in any given role. Election Procedure The election of officers should occur in the new business portion of a formal chapter meeting. If the chapter has new members at the time of the election, they should not be excluded from the election process. Every effort should be made to hold elections after Initiation so that all members are able to fully participate. If elections take place during Inspiration Week, the new members may be present for the entire chapter meeting. If it is not possible to hold elections during Inspiration Week or following Initiation, the new members should be escorted into the chapter room for only the new business portion of the meeting and then escorted out of the room following the new business portion of the meeting. The vice president of communication and operations should be responsible for escorting the new members in and out of the room and placing them behind the already seated members at the base of the formation. The complete slate should be distributed or posted for all members to easily see and reference throughout the election process. The president should allow ample time for the chapter members to review and process the slate before proceeding with voting. Only chapter members in good financial standing, defined as having no overdue balance, are allowed to vote. The slating committee should first make a motion to accept the entire slate as presented. If the motion passes with a majority secret written ballot, the slated members are elected into their respective positions. If the motion does not pass, the chapter proceeds with voting on each officer individually, in order. The individual officer election process is as follows for each position: The president opens the floor for nominations. Sigma Kappa Sorority Elections Guide page 9 A member of the slating committee formally nominates the slated member; the slated member should always be the first nomination. Nominations from the floor are solicited by the president. All nominated members accept or decline their nomination. Academic and financial standing are checked for all nominated members. Voting is by voice if only one member is nominated. If there is more than one nomination, all nominated members leave the room for discussion. The chapter enters pro-con-con-pro discussion, beginning with the slated member. In the discussion, a slating committee member presents the first pro for the slated member. For nominations made from the floor, a slating committee member presents the first con for any non-slated members. If the member nominated submitted a letter of intent but was not slated, the slating committee member reads the reason for not slating the member; if the member did not submit a letter of intent, the con should be that the member did not show interest in chapter leadership. Discussion should be limited to two minutes per candidate, equating to 30 seconds for each member to speak. Nominated members return to the meeting room, as they must have the opportunity to vote. Voting is by secret written ballot if more than one member is nominated and ballots are tallied by advisors. In the event no advisors are available, the president should select four seniors to collect and count the votes. If two or more candidates are nominated, a majority (50 percent + 1) is necessary to elect. If there are more than two candidates and none reaches a majority, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and the chapter re-votes on the remaining candidates; this process may be repeated until only two candidates remain, and a majority is reached. If there are two candidates and there is an exact tie, the president should re-open discussion for a brief period in the same pro-con- con-pro format as before and then vote again. Abstentions reduce the chapter's ability to reach a majority for a candidate. They should be discouraged by the president. If an officer is elected by a nomination from the floor instead of the slate, she must have approval of the advisory board supervisor before installation. Sigma Kappa Sorority Elections Guide page 10 Notes on the election procedure If the chapter does not pass the slate as a whole and moves into individual election, a member who has been slated for any given position may also run off the floor for another position regardless of the order those positions fall in. For example, a member slated for the position of vice president of standards and values may run off the floor for the position of president. The order of election does not restrict nominations from the floor. During pro-con-con-pro discussion, there do not have to be any cons. If no chapter members volunteer themselves to present a con at the appropriate time in the discussion, the president should move on to another pro. The discussion must always end with a pro. All discussion must remain confidential, and should not be shared with the candidates at any point during or after the conclusion of the meeting. Chapter members should be reminded that points made in pro-con-con- pro discussion of candidates should be relevant to the responsibilities and function of the position and should not be redundant. Personal grievances are not considered a relevant part of a pro-con-con-pro discussion. Discussion should also be intentional as to not directly negate a statement made previously. The president should stop any discussion that has already been stated or that is not valid to the matter at hand. Example A: One member states as a con that a nominated candidate had a personal conflict with another member. The president should ask that this information not be considered because it is not related to the candidate's ability to perform in the role or to represent the chapter well. The president may ask for a new con, if there are any. Example B: A member states as a con that a nominated candidate is struggling academically. A second member states as a separate con that the nominated candidate may not have time to dedicate to the position because she is trying to focus on her schoolwork. These cons are essentially the same information. The president may state that the cons are redundant and ask for a new con, if there are any. Example C: A member states as a pro that a nominated candidate for the position of president is a wonderful representation of Sigma Kappa on campus and that she has positive relationships with many other groups and organizations. A second member states as a con that she is concerned the candidate would not have time to dedicate to the role because she is over-involved on campus. There is no other con from the chapter. A third member states as a pro that the candidate is very organized and has looked forward to this Sigma Kappa Sorority Elections Guide page 11 role since, she joined the chapter. This is positive and relevant discussion that should be welcomed. The entire election process should occur in one formal meeting and should never be split between multiple meetings. There is no specific time limit for the election process, but the president should make every effort to facilitate an efficient meeting. Nominating Procedure PRESIDENT: "The floor is open for nominations for the office of ." " SLATING COMMITTEE MEMBER: "The slating committee nominates for the office of " PRESIDENT: "Are there any other nominations?" "Hearing none, we will vote on the nominee for the office of . has been nominated for the office of , all those in favor signify by saying 'aye.' Opposed, 'no.' Sister is the new . Congratulations." OR "Sister has been nominated. Sister , do you accept the nomination? Are there any further nominations for ? If not, nominations are closed." PRESIDENT: "Would those nominated please leave the room?" "Would the nominator of Sister please speak in her favor?" "Is there a con for Sister ?" (If none, move to the pro.) "Is there another con for Sister ?" "To close discussion, we must end on a pro for Sister ." " PRESIDENT: "Please escort the nominees back into the room. Please vote for your choice for the office of ." . PRESIDENT: "Sister is the new . Congratulations." Election Minutes If the officer slate is passed as a whole, the vote should be recorded in the chapter minutes as follows: Sigma Kappa Sorority Elections Guide page 12 Sister moved to elect the slated officers as presented by the senior sating committee. Seconded. The motion was carried by a majority affirmative secret written ballot vote. President - (name) Vice President of Standards and Values - (name) Vice President of Programming - (name) Vice President of New Member Education - (name) Vice President of Membership - (name) Vice President of Alumnae Relations - (name) Vice President of Academic Excellence - (name) Vice President of Philanthropic Service - (name) Vice President of Communication and Operations - (name) Vice President of Finance - (name) Panhellenic Delegate - (name) *Note: The following positions should be included in the meeting minutes only if they are elected Ritual Chairman - (name) Sisterhood Chairman - (name) Social Chairman - (name) Public Relations Chairman - (name) Continuous Open Bidding Chairman - (name) Triangle Correspondent - (name) *Note: Other chapter-specific officers should be listed following the positions above if they are elected If officers are elected individually, the votes should be recorded in the chapter minutes as follows: Sister opened the floor for nominations for the role of . The slating committee nominated Sister . Sister nominated Sister . Sister accepted the nomination. (Repeat for each nomination) In a majority affirmative secret written ballot vote, sister was elected into the role of . Note: Discussion is not included in meeting minutes for elections. Sigma Kappa Sorority Elections Guide page 13 Sigma Kappa Sorority . Elections Guide page 14 SIGMA KAPPA Live with Heart Letter of Intent Name: Date graduating: Position of interest: Why are you interested in this position? What ideas do you have for this position? What are your qualifications for this position? Sigma Kappa Sorority Elections Guide . page 15 SIGMA KAPPA Live with Heart 695 Pro-Med Lane, Suite 300 Carmel, IN 46032-5323 317-872-3275 f: 317-872-0716 e: info@sigmakappa.org www.sigmakappa.org Sigma Kappa Sorority Elections Guide . page 16