Preamble

We the students at Lewis-Clark State College recognize a need for the College to honor its scholars and a student desire to contribute in a meaningful way to the enrichment of the Lewis-Clark State College campus and the community. Therefore, the LCSC Ambassador Honor Society is hereby established. This organization is created to unite service and scholastic honoraries into one effective body. .

The name of this organization under which this constitution is formed shall be:

Article III Membership

Section 1. Application for Membership
Students desiring membership in this organization must meet the following criteria:

1. Applicant must have an accumulation of over thirty (30) semester hours of college credit;

2. Applicant must be enrolled for fall semester;

3. Applicant must have an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher;

4. Applicant must express the desire to contribute to and participate in the organization's activities; this expression shall be in the form of a brief type-written essay describing why the candidate should be considered for membership in the Ambassador Honor Society. Returning members are not required to submit an essay

5. An application form must be submitted during the summer application period, by the deadline stipulated in the invitation letter.

6. Membership dues are required with the application.

7. Personalized name badges shall be provided to all members by the Lewiston Executive Committee.

8. All members are required to use his or her LC mail account for Ambassador business. Electronic mail is our most reliable means of communication.

9. All Ambassadors shall be required to keep a current, updated and accurate log of all time spent doing Ambassador-related activities. The log shall include the start and end times, dates and a description of the services or activities performed. This should follow in chronological order. This log shall be maintained to help the Vice-President resolve any discrepancy in hours.

Addendum: Acceptance into the LCSC Ambassador Honor Society is contingent upon approval of the candidate's application materials and essay, and payment of the annual dues.

Section 1a. Extension Campus Membership
LCSC students may join only the Ambassador Honor Society chapter that is present at his or her campus or his or her extension campus. If a chapter is not present at that particular campus or extension campus, see Article VI. All chapters must use the same Constitution; however, all chapter officers are elected locally and write their own chapter by-laws. These by-laws shall not supersede Articles I through VIII expressed in this Constitution.

Section 2. Member Code of Conduct
When representing the Ambassador Honor Society, whether at an event or a meeting, all members shall shall wear their personalized name badges. Clean and appropriate attire is required when representing the Ambassador Honor Society at a public event, at the event's discretion. As representatives of the Ambassador Honor Society and of the college as a whole, all members shall conduct themselves in a courteous and professional manner.

Section 3. Termination of Membership Membership in the LCSC Ambassador Honor Society shall automatically be terminated if a member's accumulated GPA falls below the required 3.0, or if a member is placed on academic or social probation by the College administration. If a former member who has been placed on academic or social probation has that probation lifted by the College administration, then that former member may request permission to rejoin the Ambassador Honor Society. This request must be made in writing to the chapter Advisor(s). The renewal of membership status is left solely to the discretion of the Advisor(s). Furthermore, membership is terminated if a member fails to renew/resubmit an Ambassador application for the following year.

Section 4. Meeting Locations
All Ambassador Honor Society meetings are to be held in wheelchair accessible locations.

Section 5. Transfer Students
Applications for students who are recognized on the data base are approved before fall semester. Applications for transfer students who meet the remainder of the criteria may be submitted as late as the 10th school day of the academic fall semester because they are not in the data base used to identify potential Ambassadors. Transfer students may submit applications to executive officers at a meeting or may mail them to the Ambassador Honor Society.

1. President
2. Vice President
3. Secretary/Treasurer

Section 2: Duties and Service Hours of Officers
All officers shall receive six volunteer service hours per semester. Each officer shall remain in office until he or she leaves the college, resigns, or is removed from office. Two of the three officers shall be line leaders for the Lewiston LCSC Commencement Ceremony in May of each year. Duties of Officers are outlined below:

Section 2a. President
The President shall preside over all regular, executive and special meetings; represent the Ambassador Honor Society in a professional manner; work closely with the officers and the committee chairpersons and give guidance; be responsible for communication to other chapters; and provide information to the Secretary at least three days before each meeting for the upcoming agenda. The President may determine (on a case-by-case basis) which events are to be approved as Ambassador events and will notify the Vice-President of authorization. The President will submit application for SUB office space annually in the spring. The President shall appoint committee chairpersons. In the absence of the President, the Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President.

Section 2b. Vice-President
The Vice-President shall attend all regular, executive, and special meetings. The Vice-President shall record all events and participants in those events for graduation and/or credit requirements; keep track of all hours earned by Chapter members; and may determine (on a case-by-case basis) which events are to be approved as Ambassador events. In the absence of the President, the Vice- President shall assume the duties of the President.

Section 2c. Secretary/Treasurer
The Secretary/Treasurer shall attend all regular, executive, and special meetings and keep accurate records; provide copies of minutes (including regular, executive, and special) to the Advisors, President, Vice-President, and minutes record book. The Secretary shall reserve rooms and prepare agenda for each upcoming meeting. The Secretary shall post only regular meeting minutes on the designated bulletin board. The Secretary/Treasurer is responsible for documenting member attendance at each meeting. These hours shall then be submitted to the Vice-President prior to the next regularly scheduled Ambassador meeting, or in the case of the last meeting of the semester, by the end of that semester. The Secretary/Treasurer may determine (on a case-by-case basis) which events are to be approved as Ambassador events and will notify the Vice-President of authorization.

Section 2d. Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall consist of the President(s), the Vice-President, and the Secretary/Treasurer. This committee shall hold meetings with the organization's Advisor(s) throughout the year to outline the activities and agenda items to be presented to the membership for discussion.

Section 3: Advisor(s)
The Advisor(s) shall be selected from the faculty or professional staff by the Office of the Provost. In the event that the Ambassadors recognize a need for either more Advisors or the replacement of an Advisor, a two-thirds majority vote, by the Ambassador membership at a regularly scheduled meeting, is needed to initiate a formal request to the Office of the Provost. The President, Vice- President and the Secretary/Treasurer shall arrange a meeting with the Office of the Provost to make the formal request for change. Advisor's duties shall include education, leadership and liaison. The Advisor shall serve until resignation from the post, or by removal by the Office of the Provost.

Section 4. Resignation and Removal of Officers
An officer may remove himself or herself from an office by notice to the President.In the event of a President’s resignation, notice will be given to an Advisor.Any officer may be removed from office by a two-thirds majority vote of the membership attending a regularly scheduled meeting. All members shall be notified a week in advance that an officer recall vote is to be taken. The Communication Committee Chairperson shall be responsible for this notification. In the event of an officer's resignation or removal, a new officer shall be elected for that position as soon as possible by the election process according to Section 7. In the event no nominations are received, the President of the academic year for which this officer is to serve shall appoint a new officer.

Section 6a. Failure of Chairperson to Fulfill Obligations
If in the unlikely event a committee chairperson has failed to fulfill his or her duties and obligations as a committee chairperson, the Executive Committee has the authority to relieve (at their discretion) the chairperson of his or her duties.  If after consultation with that committee chairperson, the Executive Committee deems the chairperson has not fulfilled his or her duties, they may vote for chairperson’s removal.  For a chairperson to be relieved of duty, the Executive Committee must have unanimous consent in voting.  The Executive Committee has, at its discretion, the ability to deny the chairperson his or her six chairperson hours for that semester in which the chairperson failed to fulfill his or her duties.  The Executive Committee shall not be able to remove a committee chairperson after the semester in which the committee chairperson has served is over and the final hours for the semester have been tallied and approved by the Vice-President. 

Section 6b. Chairperson Assistants
Chairpersons may have Assistants who work with them on events. These Assistants may be awarded volunteer service hours appropriate to their time commitments at the discretion of the Executive Committee.

Section 7. Election Process
All elected positions in each of the Ambassador Honor Society chapters shall be elected by majority vote.

Section 7a. Voting Procedure
Any active Ambassador may vote in an election. In the event of a tie vote, the Executive Committee shall, at their discretion, determine the outcome of the tie.

Ambassadors may, at their option, choose to earn an Ambassador Honor Society Graduation Tassel and/or earn Student Development Credit.  An Ambassador is not required to pursue an Ambassador tassel or student development credit, although they are encouraged to do so. 

Section 2.  Requirements for the Ambassador Graduation Tassel

To earn the Ambassador Honor Society Tassel (to be worn on the mortarboard at graduation) an Ambassador must volunteer no less than six service hours in each of two separate semesters.   Ambassadors must obtain at least three volunteer service hours at LCSC sponsored events each semester.  The remaining hours may be completed through community service.  The Executive Committee chooses what will be considered "scheduled events" for each semester.  If an Ambassador is unable to work those scheduled events, the Ambassador may choose to serve his or her service hours at other campus or community events.  However, for an Ambassador to receive service hours at "non-scheduled events," the Ambassador must obtain approval from one of the three officers prior to volunteering at those events.   A current application form must be on file before any service hours may be earned.   Hours for which one is being paid, volunteering for another organization, or receiving college credits (other than Ambassador Honor Society credit) cannot be used for these service hours.   Time spent in Ambassador meetings cannot be used for tassel service hours.   Because the Ambassadors provide services for campus and community events that depend on these services, it is crucial that a commitment to participate is honored.  If one cannot fulfill a commitment, it is the responsibility of that person to find another Ambassador who can substitute. 

Section 2a.  Scheduled Events

Scheduled events are defined as:  those events taking place in or around the community or campus that the executive committee has chosen for that designation.  Ambassadors may volunteer at any scheduled event to gain tassel or credit hours. 

Section 2b. Non-Scheduled Events

Non-scheduled events are defined as:  those events taking place in or around the community or campus that the one of the three officers has approved for that designation.   It is the prerogative of one of the three officers to determine which events can be approved as non-scheduled events for earning service or credit hours.

Section 2c.  Policy Regarding Non-Scheduled Events

Ambassadors who get special activities approved as non-scheduled events by one of the three officers must have his or her service or credit hours verified by a third party presiding over the event.  This verification must be offered in writing to the Vice-President no later than two weeks from the date on which that event occurred, or by the end of the semester, whichever comes first.   

Section 2d.  Service Hours for Online Students

Ambassadors who physically reside while enrolled 100 miles or more from the Lewiston or Coeur d’Alene Campus may participate in completing service hours by volunteering at LCSC Outreach Centers in their area or by creating a proposal detailing his or her activity to meet the six hour per semester requirement.  The proposal shall be submitted to the Executive Committee for approval prior to participation in the activity.

Section 2e. Sevice Hour Eligibility for Returning or Previous Graduate Ambassador

Ambassadors who have left prior to graduating and return or whom have graduated and not walked with a tassel will retain their service hours as eligible hours to receive a tassel at the time they walk. Ambassadors whom have walked earning a degree with a tassel and return are deemed to have used their service hours and shall complete hours as specified in Article V Participation, Section 2 Requirements for the Ambassador Graduation Tassel.

Section 3.   Student Development Credit

Ambassadors may earn credit hours for a student development practicum entitled "SD280, Section 01 - Ambassador Honor Society."  The purpose of this practicum is to develop, within those participating in the Ambassador Honor Society, stronger skills in the following areas:  1) Leadership, 2) Communication, 3) Initiative, 4) Cooperative Learning, and 5) Cooperative Task Accomplishment.  There are certain expectations and responsibilities that are asked of Ambassadors as they fulfill required service hours.  These include honoring commitments for services and conducting oneself always in a professional manner.  

Section 3a.  Requirements for Student Development Credit 

Ambassadors can earn from one to three hours of Student Development credit, graded on a pass/fail basis, for performing additional hours.  Service hours, or credit hours, are hours volunteered at or for designated campus and community events.  Hours for which one is being paid, volunteering for another organization, or for which one receives college credit (other than Ambassador Honor Society credit) cannot be counted as service or credit hours.   Ambassadors may count Ambassador Honor Society meeting times and all hours spent related to Ambassador Honor Society activities.  An Ambassador must volunteer forty-five hours for each credit earned.   All hours shall be submitted to the Vice-President.   Ambassadors wanting to earn credit shall maintain a weekly log of hours earned, to be submitted to either the Staff Advisor or the Faculty Advisor.  This log shall include the start and end times, dates, and a description of the service or activities performed.   All hours for student development credit shall be submitted by the end of each semester and a current application form must be on file.  Because the Ambassador Honor Society provides services for campus and community events that depend on these services, it is crucial that a commitment to participate is honored.  If one cannot fulfill a commitment, it is the responsibility of that person to find a substitute Ambassador.   Any Executive Committee Member, Liaison Committee Member, or Advisor for the organization can explain in more detail how these hours may be earned.   As prerequisite for the course, 25 hours (of the 45 hour total) must be completed prior to enrollment.   Hours earned for credit must be earned during one academic calendar year.  The course may be taken only during spring semester.   Ambassadors at the LCSC Extension campuses shall submit logs to the Chapter Liaison Ambassador or the Liaison Vice-President.   To enroll for these credits, an Ambassador must have approval and a signature of either the Staff Advisor or the Faculty Advisor, prior to registration; in Coeur d'Alene, the signature of the Coeur d'Alene Faculty Advisor is required.   

Section 3b.  Incomplete Policy for SD280, Section 01

An incomplete can be granted only if 75% of the hours are fulfilled (34 hours per credit) and if there is a documented family or medical emergency.        

Section 3c.  Disability Accommodation

If course adaptations or accommodations are needed because of a disability or if a member has emergency medical information that needs to be known, the member should  consult with an Ambassador Advisor. 

Section 1.   Forming an LCSC Ambassador Honor Society Chapter

Ambassadors at LCSC extension campuses must elect an extension Liaison Committee for their campus.   The purpose of this is to create a fully functioning extension Chapter of the LCSC Ambassador Honor Society in that locale.  If an extension Liaison Committee cannot be formed, a single extension Liaison Ambassador should be elected for that chapter.  All liaison members' acceptance is contingent upon approval by the Executive Committee.   

Section 2.  The Chapter Liaison Committee/Chapter Liaison Ambassador

Extension campus Ambassadors should elect a Liaison President, Liaison Vice-President and Liaison Secretary.  These members will make up the Chapter Liaison Committee.  If an extension campus has less than three members and cannot make a Chapter Liaison Committee, a single Chapter Liaison Ambassador must be elected by the Chapter.  This Chapter Liaison Ambassador must fulfill all the duties of the Liaison President, Liaison Vice-President and Liaison Secretary in accordance to their definitions listed below. 

Section 3.    Duties and Service Hours for Liaison Officers

All Liaison officers will receive six hours of volunteer service hours for each semester they serve.  Each officer shall remain in office until he or she leaves the college, resigns, or is removed from office.  The duties of the Liaison Officers are as follows:

Section 3a.  Liaison President 

The Liaison President shall preside over all regular and special meetings; represent the Ambassador Honor Society in a professional manner; serve as a liaison between the Chapter members, the Advisor(s) and the Executive Committee; work closely with officers and committee chairpersons and give guidance; request assistance from Advisor(s) and the Executive Committee as needed; provide information to the Liaison Secretary at least one week before meetings for the upcoming agenda; and make formal funding requests from the Lewiston Chapter President.  The Liaison President shall work with the extension campus administration in securing a campus bulletin board or a portion of a bulletin board  for exclusive Ambassador use; this bulletin board must be available to the Ambassadors throughout the year.   In the absence of the Liaison President, the Liaison Vice-President shall assume the duties of the Liaison President.

Section 3b. Liaison Vice-President

The Liaison Vice-President shall record all events and participants in those events for graduation tassel and/or credit requirements; keep track of all hours earned by Chapter members;  and may determine (on a case-by-case basis) which events on their campus or in their community are to be approved as Ambassador events.   The Liaison Vice-President shall turn these hours in to the Lewiston Chapter Vice-President no later than  the following dates:  December 15 for all members, April 1 for graduates, April 15 for all other members.  In the absence of the Liaison President, the Liaison Vice-President shall assume the duties of the Liaison President.

Section 3c. Liaison Secretary

The Liaison Secretary shall attend all meetings and keep accurate records; shall provide copies of minutes (including regular and special) to the Chapter Advisor(s), Liaison President, Liaison Vice-President, the Lewiston Chapter Secretary, the Chapter minutes record book and the Chapter bulletin board;  after consultation with the Liaison President, reserve a room and prepare agenda for upcoming meetings.  The Liaison Secretary shall be responsible for documenting member attendance at each meeting.  These hours are to be submitted to the Liaison Vice-President prior to the next regularly scheduled Ambassador meeting, or in the case of the last meeting, by the end of the semester. 

Section 4.  Chapter Liaison Advisor(s)

The Chapter Liaison Advisor(s) shall be selected from the faculty or professional staff by the Office of the Provost.  In the event that the Ambassadors recognize a need for either more Advisors or the replacement of an Advisor,  a two-thirds majority vote,  by the Ambassador Honor Society membership at a regularly scheduled meeting, is needed to initiate a formal request to the Office of the Provost.   The Liaison President,  Liaison Vice-President and the Liaison Secretary/Treasurer shall arrange a meeting with the Office of the Provost to make the formal request for change.  Advisor's duties shall include education, leadership and liaison.  The Advisor(s) shall serve until resignation from the post, or by removal by the Office of the Provost. 

Section 5.  Resignation and Removal of Liaison Officers

A liaison officer may remove himself or herself from an office by notice to the Liaison President.  In the event of a Liaison President’s resignation, notice will be given to an Liaison Advisor.   Any liaison officer may be removed from office by resignation or by a two-thirds majority vote of the membership attending a regularly scheduled meeting.   All members shall be notified a week in advance that an officer recall vote is to be taken.  The Communication Committee Chairperson shall be responsible for doing this notification.   In the event of an officer's resignation or removal, a new officer must be elected for that position as soon as possible by the election process.  In the event no nominations are received, the Liaison President of the academic year for which this officer is to serve shall appoint a new officer. . 

Section 6.  Standing,  Annual Event, and Special Events Committee for the Chapter

See Article IV, Section 5, and Article VII, Section 1.  Extension campuses shall be responsible for the duties of the Standing Committees described herein. 

Section 7.  Chapter Chairpersons: Definitions and Responsibilities

See Article IV, Section 6. 

Section 7a.  Failure of a Chapter Chairperson to Fulfill Obligations.

If in the unlikely event a committee chairperson has failed to fulfill his or her duties and obligations as a committee chairperson, the Liaison Committee has the authority to relieve (at their discretion) the chairperson of his or her duties.  If after consultation with that committee chairperson, the Liaison Committee deems the chairperson has not fulfilled his or her duties, they may vote for chairperson removal.  For a chairperson to be relieved of duty, the Liaison Committee must have unanimous consent in voting.  The Liaison Committee has at its discretion, the ability to deny the chairperson his or her six chairperson-hours for that semester in which the chairperson failed to fulfill his or her duties.  The Liaison Committee shall not be able to remove a committee chairperson after the semester in which the committee chairperson has served is over and the final hours for the semester have been tallied and approved by the Liaison Vice-President.  

Section 8.  Chairperson Assistants

Liaison chairpersons may have assistants who work with them on events.  These assistants may be awarded volunteer service hours appropriate to their time commitments at the discretion of the Liaison Committee. 

The following committees are required every semester, at the Lewiston Chapter and at all extension chapters. The chairpersons for these Committees shall post all information pertinent to their committee on the Ambassador bulletin board.

This committee shall submit informational articles to the campus/extension campus newspaper and city/regional newspapers about the LCSC Ambassador Honor Society throughout the semester. At the start of every semester, an informational article must be written to the aforementioned newspapers, explaining who the Ambassadors are, what they do, and the membership requirements. This article is meant to explain the organization and attract potential members. Subsequent articles are to provide greater campus visibility for the Ambassador Honor Society membership and organization. This committee requires one chairperson.

Section 1b. Communication Committee

This committee shall contact all Ambassadors by electronic mail and/or telephone to inform them of upcoming meetings, events and any other item which the Advisor(s), Executive Committee, or the Liaison Committee wish to be passed on to the general membership of the Ambassadors. This committee requires one chairperson.

Section 1c.  Marketing Committee

This committee shall contact divisions, campus offices, and other on campus organization seeking service opportunities for members to earn his or her required service hours.  As a representative of Ambassador Honor Society, this chairperson must be approved by the entire Executive Committee prior to commencing duties.

Section 1d. Bulletin Board/Flier Committee

This committee shall place flyers and/or posters on all allowable campus bulletin boards and other allowable posting areas. These flyers and/or posters must be posted at least two weeks before the upcoming meeting/event, and outdated flyers/posters must be removed no later than one week after the meeting/event has occurred. This committee shall also be responsible for decorating and maintaining the campus Ambassador bulletin board on a monthly basis. This committee requires one chairperson.

Section 1e.  T-Shirts Committee

This committee shall solicit orders for Ambassador Honor Society t-shirts, collect the money for them, see that  an order is placed and that the items are paid for;  this committee shall also distributes ordered items to members.  This committee requires one chairperson .

Section 1f.  Clubs and Organization Committee

This committee will represent Ambassador Honor Society at all required meetings of the Club and Organization Council.  This committee will provide a report at each general Ambassador Honor Society meeting of the Club and Organization Council meeting(s).  This committee requires one chairperson.

Section 1g.  Refreshment Committee

This committee will provide refreshments and beverages for all general meetings.  This committee will determine the type of refreshments and beverages to be served.  This committee requires one chairperson.

Section 1. Amendments
Amendments may be added to the Constitution. The Lewiston Chapter President is responsible for notifying all extension chapters of voting procedures.

Section 1a. Proposal
Proposals to the Constitution may be submitted by a petition signed by one-quarter of the total membership to the Executive Committee prior to any regularly scheduled Executive Committee meeting for due process.  The Executive Committee shall present the proposal to the membership according to Article VIII, Section 1b and 1c.

Section 1b. Announcement of Constitutional Change
An announcement of the proposed constitutional changes shall be sent to all members by e-mail fourteen days prior to the first general membership monthly meeting; copies of the proposed changes shall be attached to the announcement e-mail and available in the Ambassador Honor Society Office.

Section 1c. Voting Procedure
Amendments to the Constitution shall be voted upon at a regularly scheduled general membership meeting and shall be ratified by a majority of the votes cast in that election.  All extension campus members are invited to vote in person or by email to the Lewiston Chapter President prior to the second general membership meeting.   Any current Ambassador member may vote in an election.  In the event of a tie vote, the Executive Committee shall, at their discretion, determine the outcome of the tie.

Section 2. By-Laws
Bylaws are laws that are chapter-specific and do not amend the body of the Constitution, as the constitution stands alone as a document. No by-law may supersede any precedent set forth in this Constitution.

Any Chapter may write its own by-laws, but all propositions for by-laws shall be presented to the Executive Committee (Lewiston campus chapter) or the chapter's Liaison Committee before being introduced to the general membership of Ambassadors.  After being presented to that Chapter's Committee, a proposed bylaw shall be announced fourteen(14) days by e-mail to the membership and placed on the agenda for the next regularly scheduled Ambassador meetings.  All merits and demerits, of a proposed by-law, shall  be discussed in an open forum at any two separate Ambassador meetings, after which time it shall be voted on.   Any tie shall be decided by the Chapter's Advisor(s).

* * * *Heretofore concludes the Constitution of the LCSC Ambassador Honor Society* * * *

Section 1.  Special Events Committees 

Special Events Committees include but are not limited to the following:

Section 1a.  Health Fair Committee (Spring Semester only) 

This committee shall work closely with Student Health Services. The responsibilities include but are not limited to: corresponding with Student Health Services regularly, ascertaining any assistance needed for the Health Fair, and identifying Ambassadors to help with the event.

One committee chairperson is needed and this chairperson will receive six volunteer service hours for the semester.

This committee shall work closely with the Lewis-Clark Center for Arts and History Director.  The responsibilities include but are not limited to:  ascertaining any assistance needed for Arts and History Center events and identifying Ambassadors to help with these events.  The committee shall provide refreshments (if allowed by the Arts and History Center) to make profits for the Ambassador Honor Society, and shall provide ushering and monitoring as needed for events scheduled by the Arts and History Center.  One committee chairperson is needed and this chairperson will receive six volunteer service hours for the semester.

This committee honors graduating seniors at an evening party and awards graduates with tassels and a certificate of Ambassador membership.   This committee also determines what food items are needed and organizes the activities for this event.  This committee requires one chairperson. This committee chairperson shall receive six volunteer service hours for the spring semester.

This committee shall work under the direction of the LCSC faculty person who organizes the LCSC Commencement Ceremony in carrying out the commencement ceremony and the rehearsal for this ceremony.  This includes handing out honors cords at the rehearsal and serving as ushers and flag bearers for the ceremony itself. One chairperson is required. This committee chairperson shall receive six volunteer service hours for the spring semester.  

Section 1e.  Christmas Party Committee (Fall Semester only)

This committee offers a festive end of semester gathering for members to interact and socialize.  This committee determines what food items are needed and organizes the activities for this event.  This committee requires one chairperson. The committee chairperson shall receive six volunteer service hours for the fall semester.