SCJ NATIONAL BYLAWS

Article I—Name
The name of this Society, or any part thereof, or derivation there from, may be employed only in connection with the official activities of a chapter of the organization which has active status, or of the national organization. Special permission for the use of the name may be applied for and granted by the National Council.

Article II—Rules of Order
The Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall govern the conduct of the Society’s business.

Article III—Finances

Section 1—Each Active Chapter shall remit to the National Executive Director the initiation fee which has been authorized for the respective class of membership, hereinafter defined under Fees.

Section 2—Each group petitioning for the establishment of a chapter shall remit with its petition the chapter charter fee, hereinafter defined under Fees.

Section 3—Each member of a petitioning group shall remit to the National Executive Director the authorized initiation fee described under Fees and upon formal initiation they shall be designated as chapter charter members.

Section 4—All members initiated into the Society shall complete the Report of Initiation form which is supplied by the National Council to the chapter or the petitioning group. This report is to be made out in duplicate, original copy to be sent to the National Executive Director and other copy to be kept with the local Chapter’s records.

Section 5—Chapter officers shall procure, through the National Executive Director only, all insignia and membership certificates, said official equipment to be controlled by an official designated jeweler.

Section 6—Fees: Membership Initiation Fees and Chapter Charter Fees

(a) Each Active Chapter shall remit to the National Executive Director the active membership fee as set by the National Council for each member initiated into the Society by the local chapter.

(b) Each petitioning group shall remit with its petition a chapter charter fee, which shall be determined by the National Council and assessed at the time of granting a chapter charter to a successful petitioning group. The National Executive Director shall, upon the approval of a National Convention when in session, or of the poll of local chapters when not in session, cause to be issued to the petitioning group an official embossed framed Chapter Charter Certificate.

(c) Each petitioning group shall remit fees to the National Executive Director for each of the members who are to constitute the personnel of the new chapter, and these new members shall be known as Chapter Charter Members. In case of new chapters, charter membership may be held open for six months in order to include individual membership in this group.

(d) Each local chapter has the authority to assess its own dues.

(e) Each Active Chapter shall remit to the National Executive Director the honorary membership fee determined by the National Council for each such membership conferred upon a qualified individual by the local chapter.

Article IV—Affiliation
A member in good standing may affiliate with any chapter by expressing a desire in writing and by obtaining from the chapter of original jurisdiction permission to transfer membership. A transferring member shall be admitted to all privileges of the chapter of the new affiliation. Notification of such transfer of affiliation shall be sent to the National Executive Director.

Article V—Restriction of Chapter Membership

Section 1—The National Council has the sole power to override the provisions of Article II of the Constitution of this Society and regulate the size of any active chapter. To take such action a two-thirds vote of the National Council members present at a meeting is required.

Section 2—Initiation of new members shall not take place until after the chapter has remitted to the National Executive Director the stipulated initiation fee for each candidate.

Article VI—Nominations and Elections of National Council Members

Section 1—Nominations for the offices of the National Council shall be made by a convention committee appointed by the National President or National Council Member presiding at the National Convention.

Section 2—Members of the National Council shall be elected by a plurality vote of the National Convention in regular session.

Section 3—Vacancies in the National Council may be filled by a two-thirds vote of the National Council at any meeting and the appointee shall hold office until the next National Convention.

Article VII—Delegates to the National Convention
Delegates to the National Convention shall be elected by the local chapter which they are to represent in the National Convention and the name or names of the two official delegates certified by the National Executive Director.

Article VIII—Special Conventions

Section 1—Special conventions shall be called by the National Council upon the written request of one-half of the active chapters, and shall be called at least one month prior to the date the special convention is to be held. No business other than that mentioned in the call shall originate in a special convention.

Section 2—A quorum in a special convention shall be in effect the same as in a regular biennial convention.

Section 3—When a special convention is called, a canvass shall be made by the National Executive Director to ensure a quorum being present.

Article IX—Voting

Section 1—Each official delegate to the National Convention shall be entitled to one vote, as is each member of National Council, except where a chapter is represented by a single delegate, in which case said delegate is entitled to two votes, both of which are to be cast by the delegate.

Section 2—A plurality vote shall decide all questions unless otherwise specifically ordered by a prior plurality vote.

Article X—Chapter Charter Petitions

Section 1—The two copies of the official chapter charter petition, together with all supplementary data, shall be sent by the petitioning group direct to the National Executive Director.

Section 2—The National Council shall review and approve or deny all petitions submitted by petitioning groups.

Article XI—Property and Insignia

Section 1—All property, such as charters, roll of honor, insignia, paraphernalia and chapter records shall be considered as owned by the Society, and control of such property shall be vested in the National Council.

Section 2—The official membership key or pin shall be manufactured exclusively by one official jeweler, who shall be chosen by the national council. This key or pin, the property of the Society, is given to the member in trust.

Section 3—No insignia or certificate of membership shall be issued to a member until the report of initiation form is executed in duplicate, the original copy of which is to be sent to the National Executive Director, the local chapter retaining the carbon copy for its chapter files. A supply of this form is furnished to the local chapter by the National Executive Director.

Section 4—A chapter roll is to be kept by the local chapter on an engrossed form which is supplied to the local chapter by the national Executive Director. This roll of honor is to be signed by the newly initiated candidates at the time of the initiation as provided in the initiation ritual. One copy of the form is to be signed and kept by the local chapter. Reference is made herewith to the instruction in the initiation ritual.

Section 5—Each newly initiated member shall receive a pin or key, certificate of membership, press card and handbook.

Article XII—Publications

Section 1—The national First Vice-President shall oversee the editing and issuance of the Society handbook, which shall contain pertinent data upon all phases of the Society. New editions shall be published as necessary. The handbooks shall be furnished to each individual member at the time of initiation. Chapters shall indicate to the National Executive Director how many copies are needed to supply each candidate for initiation with a copy.

Section 2—The Collegiate Journalist

(a) The Collegiate Journalist, the magazine of the Society, shall be published on the SCJ Website (www.scj.us/tcj). The magazine shall contain materials relating to college journalism and journalism in general.

(b) The editor of the magazine and webmaster shall be chosen by the National Council and shall stay in that position until the council decides to replace him or her.

(c) The National First Vice-President shall serve in an ex-officio capacity on the editorial board of the magazine. The magazine editor will be responsible to the National First Vice-President, who, in turn, shall be responsible to the National Council.

(d) The editor of The Collegiate Journalist shall be encouraged to solicit articles from all chapters, as well as from experts in various facets of journalism, to be published in the magazine.

(e) No one chapter shall have a monopoly over submission of articles to The Collegiate Journalist.

(f) Should circumstances arise that the magazine editor be unable to fulfill the obligation, it shall then become the responsibility of the national First Vice-President to serve as interim editor until a suitable replacement can be found by the National Council.

Section 3—SCJ Newsletter
A monthly newsletter, The Reporter, shall be published by the office of the Executive Director, assisted by students, or whomever, at the discretion of the Executive Director. The newsletter shall contain timely information of interest to chapters and members, including contests, awards, chapter activities, etc.

Article XIII—Chapter Bylaws
The local chapters may adopt bylaws suited to the individual chapter needs, subject to the provision that they shall not be inconsistent with the National Constitution and Bylaws. The Society Handbook shall present to the local chapters approved local chapter bylaws which are recommended for general use. Bylaws which are proposed for adoption by local chapters shall be submitted to the National Executive Director for approval.

Article XIV—Chapter Designation
Active chapters shall be designated by the names of the institutions where they are established.

Article XV—Ritual and Symbols

Section 1—No person may become a member of this Society except by initiation and as provided in the ritual of initiation.

Section 2—Chapters shall signify their individual establishment by observing in some manner the day on which the chapter was granted a charter and the founding day of the Society.

Section 3—Prior to the initiation ritual, initiates will receive a copy of the Society for Collegiate Journalists’ National Constitution and Bylaws and will be required to have reviewed the content thereof.

Section 4—Members present at the initiation ritual will stand and recite the pledge with the new initiates.

Article XVI—Inactive Chapters
A chapter shall be designated as inactive when it has failed to initiate new members and failed to notify the National Executive Director within a three-calendar-year period. Such chapters will not be eligible for participation in the affairs of the Society until at least four initiates are taken, as a group, into the local chapter.

Article XVII—Student Press Law Center
The Society for Collegiate Journalists enthusiastically supports the work and efforts of the Student Press Law Center through monetary contributions and other assistance. The Society urges individual chapters to subscribe to publications of the SPLC and to make chapter monetary contributions to help sustain its programs.

Article XVIII—Ethics
The Society for Collegiate Journalists endorses the following Code of Ethics developed by The Society of Professional Journalists.

Preamble
Members of the Society of Professional Journalists believe that public enlightenment is the forerunner of justice and the foundation of democracy. The duty of the journalist is to further those ends by seeking truth and providing a fair and comprehensive account of events and issues. Conscientious journalists from all media and specialities strive to serve the public with thoroughness and honesty. Professional integrity is the cornerstone of a journalist’s credibility. Members of the Society share a dedication to ethical behavior and adopt this code to declare the Society’s principles and standards of practice.

Section 1—Seek Truth and Report It
Journalists should be honest, fair, and courageous in gathering, reporting, and interpreting information.
Journalists should:

(a) Test the accuracy of information from all sources and exercise care to avoid inadvertent error. Deliberate distortion is never permissible.
(b) Diligently seek out subjects of news stories to give them the opportunity to respond to allegations of wrongdoing.
(c) Identify sources whenever feasible. The public is entitled to as much information as possible on sources’ reliability.
(d) Always question sources’ motives before promising anonymity. Clarify conditions attached to any promise made in exchange for information. Keep promises.
(e) Make certain that headlines, news teases, and promotional material, photos, video, audio, graphics, sound bites, and quotations do not misrepresent. They should not oversimplify or highlight incidents out of context.
(f) Never distort the content of news photos or video. Image enhancement for technical clarity is always permissible. Label montages and photo illustrations.
(g) Avoid misleading re-enactments or staged news events.
(h) Avoid undercover or other surreptitious methods of gathering information except when traditional open methods will not yield information vital to the public.
(i) Never plagiarize.
(j) Tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of the human experience boldly, even when it is unpopular to do so.
(k) Examine their own cultural values and avoid imposing those values on others.
(l) Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, or social status.
(m) Support the open exchange of views, even views they find repugnant.
(n) Give voice to the voiceless; official and unofficial sources of information can be equally valid.
(o) Distinguish between advocacy and news reporting. Analysis and commentary should be labeled and not misrepresent fact or context.
(p) Distinguish news from advertising and shun hybrids that blur the lines between the two.
(q) Recognize a special obligation to ensure that the public’s business is conducted in the open and that government records are open to inspection.

Section 2—Freedom of the Press
Ethical journalists treat sources, subjects and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect. Journalists should:

(a) Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage. Use special sensitivity when dealing with children and inexperienced sources or subjects.
(b) Be sensitive when seeking or using interviews or photographs of those affected by tragedy or grief.
(c) Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance.
(d) Recognize that private people have a greater right to control information about themselves than do public officials and others who seek power, influence, or attention. Only an overriding public need can justify intrusion into anyone’s privacy.
(e) Show good taste. Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity.
(f) Be cautious about identifying juvenile suspects or victims of sex crimes,
(g) Be judicious about naming criminal suspects before formal filing of charges, and
(h) Balance a criminal suspect’s fair trial rights with the public’s right to be informed.

Section 3—Ethics
Journalists must be free of obligation to any interest other than the public’s right to know the truth.
Journalists should:

(a) Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived.
(b) Remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility.
(c) Refuse gifts, favors, fees, free travel, and special treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement, public office, and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity.
(d) Disclose unavoidable conflicts.
(e) Be vigilant and courageous about holding those with power accountable.
(f) Deny favored treatment to advertisers and special interests and resist their pressure to influence news coverage.
(g) Be wary of sources offering information for favors or money; avoid bidding for news.

Section 4—Be Accountable
Journalists are accountable to their readers, listeners, viewers, and each other.
Journalists should:

(a) Clarify and explain news coverage and invite dialogue with the public over journalistic conduct.
(b) Encourage the public to voice grievances against the news media.
(c) Admit mistakes and correct them promptly.
(d) Expose unethical practices of journalists and the news media.
(e) Abide by the same high standards to which they hold others.

(Adopted 1926; revised 1973, 1984, 1987, 1996, 1998)

Article IXX—Mail Ballots
If, in the judgment of the National Council, an issue of great significance to the Society arises, a proposal pertaining thereto may be voted by a mail ballot. To pass, such a proposal must receive a two-thirds majority of the active chapters voting within a specified 20-day period.

Article XX—Amendments

Section 1—All proposed amendments to the Bylaws shall be submitted in writing to the National Executive Director.

Section 2—Upon receipt of the proposed amendment or amendments, the National Executive Director shall submit these to the members of the National Council for consideration and deliberation, and the action taken and/or recommended shall be made known to the assembly delegates at the National Convention. If the amendments are to be considered, then they shall be submitted for action.

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