Indiana University of Pennsylvania - Safety Sciences Department

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Rho Sigma Kappa - IUP Alpha Chapter

Overview

In 1993, the Alpha Chapter of Rho Sigma Kappa was inaugurated at IUP. This honor society recognizes exemplary performance in the safety sciences. Membership is based on nomination by program faculty and requires completion of at least 15 credits in the major, meeting minimum grade point averages, as well as other evidence of superior performance. Typically, only between five and ten percent of safety sciences students qualify for membership in Rho Sigma Kappa

Eligibility

Membership in Rho Sigma Kappa shall be open to individuals without regard to race, color, creed, handicap, gender or national origin. Members shall be selected based upon the following rules for eligibility:

Undergraduate students are eligible for membership as early as their Junior year. To be eligible, undergraduate students must have successfully completed 57 semester hours which must include at least 15 credit hours of Safety Sciences courses. Students must have a cumulative overall grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and a 3.2 grade point average in all safety and health classes. Selection is based on academic achievement, leadership, character and professional involvement.
Graduate students are eligible for membership upon completion of 12 semester hours of graduate work (or its equivalent) and have a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.
Faculty and professional safety and health practitioners may be elected as faculty members and honorary members respectively, having proven themselves outstanding professionals in the field.

Officers

	The officers of this organization shall include the President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.

	Election of Officers: The officers of Rho Sigma Kappa shall be elected by a majority vote at a meeting of this organization held during the spring term. Officers shall serve for the following school year. To be eligible for nomination as an officer, a student must be currently enrolled in good standing at IUP and have two (2) semesters remaining at IUP prior to graduation.
	Duties and powers of Officers: The President shall preside at meetings, initiate the formulation of organizational objectives for each year, establish committees to carry out organizational activities and appoint committee chairpersons as necessary. The President shall chair the Executive Committee. The Vice President shall assume the duties of the President whenever deemed necessary by the Executive Committee and shall serve as a member of the Executive Committee. The Vice President shall also manage the nomination process and oversee the selection of new members. The Secretary shall record the minutes of all meetings of this organization, execute all organizational correspondence and shall keep a roster of all present and past members of Rho Sigma Kappa. The Secretary serves as a member of the Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall collect all membership dues, shall manage the financial affairs of the organization and at times designated by the Executive Committee shall prepare a financial statement which properly reports the complete financial state of Rho Sigma Kappa. The Treasurer also serves on the Executive Committee.
	Advisor: The advisor to Rho Sigma Kappa must be a faculty member of the organization and will serve as an Ex-Officio member of the Executive Committee. The advisor will serve as a mentor and consultant to the officers of Rho Sigma Kappa as needed. The advisor for the alpha chapter at IUP is Dr. Rhodes. She can be reached at lhrhodes@grove.iup.edu.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee plus appointed Committee Chairs manage the activities of Rho Sigma Kappa. The Executive Committee is empowered to replace any officer of Rho Sigma Kappa but this may only occur following a majority vote of the entire committee. The Executive Committee will select and may select to change Faculty Advisors whenever needed. The Executive Committee should meet at least monthly during the Spring and Fall school terms.

Financial Obligation

The annual dues established for charter members is $5.00. The annual dues to be paid by each student member inducted thereafter shall be $10.00. Honorary members and professional members shall not be assessed dues.
If the annual dues are not paid, the members of Rho Sigma Kappa will vote on removal from membership. The Executive Committee shall contact the individual to inform them of his/her removal from the society.

Removal from Membership

Members whose conduct is found to have violated professionalism standards may be removed from membership with a 2/3 vote of the current members. The Executive Committee must review the circumstances of said conduct and allow the member in question a hearing to discuss these circumstances. The Executive Committee must, through a majority vote, bring a recommendation for removal-from-membership and present this to the membership at a business meeting.
Recommendation for removal of professional members shall be reviewed
by the Executive Committees to be followed by a 2/3 vote of all officers from existing chapters.

Meetings

Official business of Rho Sigma Kappa is to be conducted at business meetings. These meetings must be announced and publicized. Although attendance is not mandatory. To take formal action on such matters as dues increases or disciplinary action requires that a business meeting be held.

The quorum necessary to conduct a business meeting is 50% of the currently enrolled student membership.

Correspondence regarding this site should be sent to its maintainer, Lon Ferguson, <ferguson@iup.edu> . Please see IUP's statement regarding pages that do not officially represent the university.