Remember your computer science instructor's immortal words, "Documentation is the name of the game." This applies just as much to Tau Beta Pi operations as it does to computer programs. Too much emphasis cannot be placed on the importance of keeping correspondence, files, and other chapter materials well organized. It will make the job of running the chapter easier for both you and your successors.
All official transactions and correspondence, including emails, should be printed and copied. If a letter or email has features of general interest, make several copies and send one to the national Secretary-Treasurer and your District Director. Every letter received should then be filed. Only in this way may you have a complete, two-way picture of what happened. This practice is essential for business-like operation.
If the chapter does not have suitable files, some kind of proper system should be installed without delay. The following has been found satisfactory as the beginning of a more elaborate system. A fiber or metal file box may be obtained at low cost. The box should contain a dozen or more standard manila thumb-indexed folders for 8.5" x 11" sheets. The folders should be removable and extras purchased from any book store.
The folders may be titled as follows: (1) Current Business, (2) Last Year's Business, (3) Chapter Projects, (4) Chapter Surveys, (5) Initiation Data, (6) Membership, (7) Eligibility Records, (8) etc., etc. This file is light and the president can easily carry it to meetings. Thus at all times the president has vital information at his or her fingertips. As the file becomes crowded, the oldest records are removed to more permanent quarters. At the end of each year, "Last Year's Business" is put in a folder marked "Business, 20—" and stored away; current matters are moved to "Last Year's Business," and you are ready for a new year. The membership file, with full names, email/local addresses, phone numbers, classes, dates of election, will prove invaluable. The same is said for eligibility records, which contain complete data on scholastic standing. (Always save these!)
A private chapter room is the ideal location to keep the permanent records, initiation equipment, and other materials. This room often becomes the Headquarters for the officers and a gathering place for the chapter members.
If a private chapter room is not available, suitable storage space can often be found in the office of an interested faculty member. Such chapter properties should not be left to the safe-keeping of a student member, especially during vacations. Perhaps the chair of the Advisory Board could be the regular custodian of the Tau Beta Pi ritual.
The recording secretary should have a complete up-to-date inventory of all chapter equipment and property, and the inventory might be kept in this manual. (See Bylaw V, 5.01(c).) The inventory sheet should provide a brief description of the articles listed, their locations, approximate value, and origins. Issues of THE BENT and THE BULLETIN (pdf files are on the website) for the last three years for use by your members should be included in your chapter files, as specified by Bylaw V, Sec. 5.03(a).
A file that all chapters should have is one containing the "job descriptions" for the chapter officers. You may build from the basic descriptions given in this manual on pages C-1 to C-8 to include the duties traditionally assigned to your chapter's officers. Reference to step-by-step procedures for accomplishing routine, recurring tasks will save valuable time, giving your officers more time to spend productively.
Although not required, it's a good idea to take a group photo of the chapter and preserve it in a suitable place. Many chapters use a page in the college yearbook for this purpose.
One important yearly task is the compilation of the annual Chapter Survey of activities. Including documentation of each chapter project, the survey is used as a diagnostic tool. It informs the national Headquarters of a chapter's activities and projects in order for the staff to detect possible problem areas and recognize the positive aspects of the projects for the chapter. A project is any activity not specifically required of the chapter for normal business operations that is organized with a clear goal in mind, approached in a structured manner, and conducted either in part or in its entirety by members and/or candidates of the chapter.
The Chapter Survey and project reports should be used to provide a smooth transition for both your succeeding officers and the Advisory Board. In addition, they provide factual information which is used by the Convention Awards Committee in its chapter evaluations. The survey is due, along with your senior design projects and final exams, at the end of the school term. Remember to keep a copy of the survey and project reports for your chapter files. Sample project reports by Wyoming Alpha, winner of the 2000-01 R.C. Matthews Outstanding Chapter Award are on the website.
You can prepare most of the project reports early by writing descriptions as projects are undertaken, leaving you more time for your other year-end activities.
To see the format to use in documenting your projects, refer to the Chapter Project Report on the next page. These are routinely completed by the chapters in March and should be downloaded in .pdf or MS Word format. The 1987, '96, and '99 Convention Committees on Awards offered the following guidelines:
1. Chapters should identify the target audience in each project report.
2. Chapters should indicate which projects are new and which are old.
3. Chapters should specify the total number of "person-hours" spent in planning/organizing each project and actual participation in each project. Exact data on the number of active members in each chapter project should also be provided. The 1991 Awards Committee requested that a list of participants be included with each project report. Please indicate the Project area covered. To be considered for a Project Award, your chapter must have projects in each of the five areas: Community/Liberal Culture, University/College, Profession/Engineering, Chapter/Social, and Educational/Professional Development.
4. Chapters should print the project reports, which may be duplicated and printed on a PC. Use the same format as the official report.
5. Chapters should present well detailed project summaries and relevant supplementary material in a professional manner. Chapters should not include unnecessary backup materials (e.g., agendas, minutes, etc.). However, if this information is added for archival purposes, place it in an appendix. Pertinent documentation might include photographs and letters from faculty and staff.
Articles on the most interesting projects may appear in THE BENT. There is no need to wait until the end of the chapter year to submit summaries of your unique projects for publication. They may be sent anytime along with photos (color glossies are preferred for optimal reproduction).
The Convention of Tau Beta Pi is the legislative body of the Association and the final court of appeals in matters of interpretation of the Constitution and Bylaws and of discipline. It elects the Executive Council and grants new chapters. The Convention is made up of one delegate from each of the collegiate and alumnus chapters, the members of the Council, and national officers. The event is financed by assessment on the new initiates of each chapter in the previous year and by investment earnings of the Convention Fund.
Chapters are urged to send their presidents as delegates, who are the logical officers to implement the many fine ideas discussed at the meeting.
In February, the Secretary-Treasurer sends to every chapter, in care of its president, a call for the election and reporting of its delegate and alternate. An official credentials blank is included with this letter; and it must be completed, signed, and the lower half returned to the national Headquarters. The delegate retains the upper half for presentation at Convention registration.
In July, the Secretary-Treasurer sends to all known delegates the first major letter about the Convention, which presents the agenda, explains how expenses are met, and contains information about travel/hotel arrangements. It requests that information for each additional member planning to attend should be submitted on-line.
Additional Advisors and student representatives are encouraged to attend the Convention with the official delegate. Most of their additional expenses must be borne by the individuals or chapters themselves; however, some funds from the national organization are available for on-site expenses of Advisors and 20% reimbursement of certain air travel expenses of one alternate per chapte. Convention charges are kept to a minimum to encourage attendance.
During the summer, committee assignments are made by the Secretary-Treasurer, and committee members are instructed by letter of their duties. Background information for any other committee is available upon request.
In August, the Secretary-Treasurer sends information about the
Chapter Development program of the Convention. This consists of:
o The Tau Beta Pi Convention display, where the
history and national programs are presented.
o District Meetings, where all chapters meet by
Districts to exchange ideas and plan the year's intra-District activities and;
o Interactive Chapter Exchange, where
representatives of chapters with similar characteristics discuss their unique
problems;
In August, the Secretary-Treasurer sends the final letter of
information with last-minute data on the agenda and final
travel instructions. Each attendee is asked to submit a Travel Plan
on-line.
Finally, two weeks after the Convention, the official minutes are mailed to all delegates who are to use them in reporting the Convention to their chapters, as required by the national Bylaws.
The national Convention of Tau Beta Pi is held annually each October. A measure of its importance to the Association is its cost: total expenses range from $117,000 to $240,000, depending upon location. These figures include the expenses of the collegiate chapter delegates only, not of alternate delegates, chapter Advisors, alumnus-chapter delegates, and national officers.
Decisions as to future Convention sites are made by the Convention itself three years in advance (Const. Art. III, Sec. 2(i)). Most Conventions have been held near the "centroid" of Tau Beta Pi's chapters (which is in Illinois) in order to minimize delegate travel expenses. Most delegates travel to Conventions by air, and their allowable travel expenses are stated in Bylaw I, Sec. 1.06. On-site delegate expenses are lower if the Convention Headquarters is a campus facility rather than a commercial hotel. Tau Beta Pi prefers a campus location not only because costs generally are lower but also because the atmosphere is more to our liking. However, our group is too large for most campuses.
It is an honor to be selected as Convention host. The host chapter must expend a great deal of time and energy, through its members, on the work of planning and conducting the meeting; but it need not spend a penny of its own money. Blood, sweat, and tears — but no cash! The Convention is completely self-supporting. This is not to say that donations are unacceptable from host institutions, local industry, and nearby alumni; but they need not be solicited.
If your chapter is interested in becoming a Convention host, you should consider the following factors:
Benefits to the Host Chapter. Besides providing the utmost in service to Tau Beta Pi, a host chapter advances the interests of its institution and community in a major way. A Convention means that approximately 450 people, most of them outstanding engineering students from 225 colleges, will get a close look at the host school. This is a valuable public-relations opportunity for the institution. And all of the host chapter's members have the unique chance of attending a Tau Beta Pi national Convention.
Responsibilities of the Host Chapter. The host chapter must have the support and cooperation of its Advisory Board, dean of engineering, and its institution's administrative officials. Even a small chapter, augmented by its fall electees, probably has enough members to get the job done. Two or more chapters working together as joint hosts may provide additional manpower. Your District Directors can provide advice and assistance.
A Convention site must have housing, meeting, dining, and transportation facilities for some 430 out-of-town Tau Bates. The largest meal function is the final banquet where the out-of-towners are joined by the host chapter's own members and initiates, local alumni, and guests. The total attendance at this major function can range from 450 to 600. Other Convention meal functions require facilities only for the out-of-town group plus perhaps 25 local people. Meeting room requirements range from full-business-session groups of 400 to small committees and seminar groups. Up to 16 simultaneous small meeting rooms are required. Housing must be available for all out-of-towners; typically, about 220 rooms are required, most of them accommodating two delegates, some for three persons, and a few singles for the handicapped or those with special health problems.
Assistance from the National Headquarters. A comprehensive Convention handbook is given to chapters whose invitations have been accepted. It contains detailed answers to many questions, and it outlines the procedures which have been found desirable through the experiences of previous host chapters. The Convention arrangements chair is the student member of the host chapter who is the chief planner and liaison with Headquarters. He or she will attend, at Tau Beta Pi expense, the Convention immediately preceding the one which his or her chapter will host to observe the details of the national meeting. The Secretary-Treasurer and Assistant Secretary-Treasurer communicate weekly with the host chapter's key people and are always ready to answer questions and give assistance. They visit the host chapter in the spring prior to the Convention and spend two days reviewing facilities and nailing down all logistical details.
Submitting an Invitation. Chapter invitations for a national Convention should be sent by June 1 to the Secretary-Treasurer who will refer them to the next Convention Site Committee. Invitations should be in the form of a letter and should verify by endorsement the support of the chapter's Advisory Board and school administrators. Additional letters of support may be included along with illustrative material on the facilities planned for our use. Proposals may be accompanied by slides, photographs, and advertising brochures. In 1999, the Executive Council decided to reimburse the travel and on-site expenses of one alternate delegate of a chapter presenting a formal invitation.
Several chapter invitations may be extended, but only one can be chosen for any year. The Site Committee interviews representatives of each inviting chapter and makes its recommendation to the entire Convention. The Convention then votes to select a site. Tau Beta Pi is deeply grateful to all chapters which submit invitations.
The 1956 Convention established an annual Outstanding Chapter Award to encourage high-grade work by the chapters in both routine and special affairs. In 1978, shortly after Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus R. C. Matthews died, the award was named in his honor by the Executive Council. Winners are now known as the R. C. Matthews Outstanding Chapters. Rules for the competition, adopted by the Convention, are as follows:
I. The annual award shall be based on:
A. Internal and external chapter projects and activities; and
B. The accuracy, completeness, and promptness of chapter reports to Headquarters.
II. The Secretary-Treasurer and Assistant Secretary-Treasurer shall comprise a pre-judging committee. They will choose approximately ten chapters whose names shall be submitted to the final judging committee at the Convention according to the following criteria:
A. A report concerning the accuracy, completeness, and promptness of chapter reports to the national Headquarters.
B. A report concerning the extent and quality of chapter projects and activities evaluated in relation to the number of eligible candidates.
C. A Chapter Survey of reasonable length consisting of a concise description of pertinent chapter activities, including the official Tau Beta Pi Chapter Survey report.
III. A final judging committee, comprised of Convention delegates appointed by the Secretary-Treasurer, shall select the R. C. Matthews Outstanding Chapter and give honorable mentions as it deems appropriate.
A. The committee shall consist of delegates from various sized chapters, from various parts of the country, and from schools of different types (i.e., commuter, residential, university, institutes of technology). No member of the committee should be affiliated with any of the chapters competing for the award after the pre-judging.
B. The committee shall be provided with the materials described in Section II above and may eliminate from consideration any chapter whose Chapter Survey is deemed inappropriate in length or content. The committee will meet in closed session with all material and proceedings considered confidential. The advisor to the committee shall be a national officer not involved in the pre-judging.
IV. The award:
A. Shall consist of a suitably inscribed bronze plaque; honorable mentions shall be appropriately engrossed and mounted certificates.
B. The winners shall be announced annually at the Convention, with appropriate ceremony, and the awards shall be prepared and delivered to them as soon as possible by the Secretary-Treasurer.
C. The winning chapter and the honorable mentions shall be reported in THE BENT and THE BULLETIN to pay honor to them and to encourage other chapters to perform with excellence.
The 1971 Convention established an annual Most Improved Chapter Award, based on significant chapter improvements in the areas below. The 1983 Convention named the award in honor of Secretary-Treasurer Emeritus Nagel.
1. Quality and promptness of reports to the national Headquarters.
2. Chapter financial status.
3. Chapter activities and projects.
4. Ratio of the number of candidates initiated to the total number of candidates elected according to chapter standards.
These criteria will be judged from the Chapter Survey and a report written by the chapter enumerating its improvements.
The Secretary-Treasurer and Assistant Secretary-Treasurer shall comprise a pre-judging committee to choose approximately ten chapters whose names shall be submitted to the Convention Awards Committee.
The Convention Awards Committee will determine the winner and appropriate honorable mentions by comparing the present year's survey and chapter report with those of the previous two years.
The award and the honorable mentions shall consist of appropriately engrossed and mounted certificates.
The winners shall be announced annually at the Convention, with appropriate ceremony, and the awards shall be prepared and delivered to them as soon as possible by the Secretary-Treasurer.
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