Governing policies and procedures for OMEGA RHO® International Honor Society of INFORMS.
The International Honor Society
OMEGA RHO®
Constitution Of OMEGA RHO®
Preamble
We, the members of the OMEGA RHO® International Honor Society, in order to recognize academic excellence and achievement in Operations Research and Management Science related disciplines; encourage the study of and research in these disciplines; develop collegiality among students, faculty and practitioners of these disciplines; promote public interest in these disciplines; and provide a liaison between students of these disciplines and the members of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS); do ordain and establish this Constitution and accompanying Bylaws for the government of the Society.
Article I – Name, Affiliation, Motto, Colors, and Insignia
Section 1. This International Honor Society shall be known as OMEGA RHO®.
Section 2. OMEGA RHO® shall be officially affiliated with the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) as the honor society of INFORMS. As such, OMEGA RHO® shall contract with INFORMS to provide OMEGA RHO® financial, office, and other services as shall be mutually agreed upon. As a subdivision of INFORMS, OMEGA RHO® shall submit necessary financial and other reports to the Board of INFORMS in a timely manner.
Governance of OMEGA RHO® will be maintained by the OMEGA RHO® Executive Committee and Chapter representatives. This includes all official OMEGA RHO® business, including, but not limited to, officer elections, membership selection, disbursement of all monies, and selection of OMEGA RHO® Distinguished Lecturers.
Section 3. The public motto shall be "Ad Optimum per OMEGA RHO®".
Section 4. The colors shall be Blue and Red.
Section 5. There shall be an official insignia and seal whose nature and use shall be set forth in the Bylaws.
Article II – Society Officers
Section 1. The officers of the Society shall be a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Historian, and Regional Directors. The number of regions and the regional boundaries shall be specified in the Bylaws. These officers and the two most recent Past Presidents shall constitute the Executive Committee.
Section 2. The officers shall be elected in accordance with the election process specified in the Bylaws. The Vice President shall automatically be elected to the office of President. The Vice President's succession to the office of President shall not be affected by his(her) having assumed and performed the duties of President during any portion of his(her) term as Vice President.
Section 3. Any member of the Society who is in good standing shall be eligible to hold office.
Section 4. The term of office for the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Regional Directors shall each be approximately two years, running between consecutive Fall Annual Meetings of even-numbered years. The term of office for the Historian shall be approximately six years, running over the course of three Presidential terms. Following the completion of the President's term in office, he(she) shall remain on the Executive Committee as a Past President for the next two Presidential terms.
Section 5. The duties of the officers and Past Presidents shall be set forth in the Bylaws.
Section 6. A member may hold the office of Secretary or Treasurer for at most three consecutive terms of office, at which time he(she) must leave the Executive Committee, unless he(she) becomes Vice President. A former Secretary, Treasurer, or Past President may not be a member of the Executive Committee again until one complete Presidential term has been completed from the time of the end of his(her) Secretary, Treasurer, or Past President duties.
Article III – Committees and Meetings
Section 1. The Executive Committee shall have general supervision and direction over the Society at all times.
Section 2. The Executive Committee shall meet at least once each year. Additional meetings may be called by the President or by request of at least three other members of the Executive Committee. Thirty days notice shall be given prior to any meeting of the Executive Committee.
Section 3. The Executive Committee shall, by a majority vote of Executive Committee members present at a duly constituted meeting, select persons to fill all vacancies in its membership. The necessary quorum shall be as specified in the Bylaws.
Section 4. At the expiration of their respective terms of office, the members of the Executive Committee shall each deliver to their successors all books, records, papers, and other property of the Society in their possession or under their control.
Section 5. The Executive Committee shall establish other committees and positions as necessary to conduct the business of the Society. A majority of the members of any such committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
Section 6. The Society shall hold an Annual Meeting in the Fall of every year. The meeting, whose date shall be set by the Executive Committee, shall be for the purpose of electing officers (in even-numbered years), presenting a report on the Society's status and its finances for the preceding year, providing an opportunity for ideas for future development, and such other matters as the Executive Committee may determine.
Article IV – Chapters
Section 1. A Chapter of the Society may be chartered and established in any college or university that grants baccalaureate or higher degrees. The college or university must have a sufficient set of degree programs or courses to qualify as programs and courses in operations research or management science as deemed acceptable by the Executive Committee. The college or university must be accredited by an appropriate national or regional accrediting agency.
Section 2. Each Chapter shall adopt its own Constitution and Bylaws which shall conform to the provisions of this Constitution and Bylaws.
Section 3. Each Chapter shall elect new members and officers annually and, within 14 days thereafter, the newly-elected Chapter Secretary shall notify the Society Secretary of the results of the election. Each Chapter shall have, as one of its officers, a Faculty Advisor who shall be responsible for the conduct and well-being of said Chapter.
Section 4. The Executive Committee of the Society shall have the power to place on probation, suspend, or dissolve any Chapter whenever the welfare of the Society will be served by such action. However, no Chapter will be placed on probation, suspended or dissolved without the privilege of presenting its case before a meeting of the Executive Committee.
Section 5. Any Chapter which fails to hold an election of officers during a two-year period may be declared inactive. An inactive Chapter may apply for reactivation by requesting reactivation with the Executive Committee as outlined in the Bylaws. Any Chapter which fails to hold an election of officers during a five-year period may be dropped from the Society.
Section 6. Any Chapter which is on probation, suspended, or declared inactive will not be entitled to any voting privileges for Society business while it is in that status.
Section 7. Any two or more colleges or universities, each of which would qualify for establishment of an OMEGA RHO Chapter, may form a joint Chapter with a faculty advisor from each college or university, subject to approval by the Executive Committee.
Article V – Membership
Section 1. Any person of good character who meets the requirements set forth in the Bylaws of the Society shall be eligible for membership in the Society – provided, however, that a Chapter may establish more stringent membership requirements for its members. Election to membership shall be irrespective of membership in or affiliation with other organizations and associations.
Section 2. There shall be four classes of members, as follows:
(1) Member – An individual chosen from among the students of the institution according to the criteria and methods set forth in the respective Bylaws of the Society and the Chapter representing that institution.
(2) Faculty Member – An individual chosen from an institution's faculty who is actively involved in teaching or research of Operations Research or Management Science related disciplines.
(3) Honorary Member – A person who has made conspicuous contributions to Operations Research and Management Science related disciplines, or has provided leadership and support for the advancement of' such disciplines.
(4) Alumni Member – An individual who joined OMEGA RHO® as a Member and has graduated or an individual who joined OMEGA RHO as a Faculty Member and has left the faculty from which he(she) was elected.
Election to Honorary Membership shall be made only by the Executive Committee of the Society; however, nominations may be submitted to the Executive Committee by any Chapter. Election shall be by a majority vote of the Executive Committee members present at a meeting of the Executive Committee.
The term "member" or "membership", when printed without an initial capital letter in the Constitution and Bylaws of the Society, will refer to Members, Faculty Members, Honorary Members, and Alumni Members. Chapters may further classify their members – for example, so as to distinguish those who are currently on campus from those who are not. Such added classification may help clarify Chapter election procedures, mailing and notification requirements, and other specifications listed in the Chapter's Constitution and Bylaws.
Section 3. Members and Faculty Members shall be elected by individual Chapters in accordance with the procedures specified in such Chapters' Constitutions and Bylaws.
Section 4. No person shall be considered a member of this Society until he(she) has been initiated in accordance with the initiatory procedures outlined in the Bylaws and paid the applicable initiation fee to the Society.
Section 5. For an institution where there is no OMEGA RHO® Chapter, the President of OMEGA RHO® is empowered to elect persons to OMEGA RHO® membership in accordance with the OMEGA RHO® membership requirements stated in the Bylaws.
Article VI – Fees and Assessments
Section 1. The amount of the Society's initiation fee shall be established by the Executive Committee. Any annual fee for membership may also be established by the Executive Committee.
Section 2. Special assessments may be levied upon the members of the Society or upon the Chapters by the Executive Committee with the approval of a majority of the Chapters.
Article VII – Amendments to the Constitution
This Constitution may be amended by the affirmative vote of three-fourths of the active Chapters voting with at least three-fifths of the active Chapters participating.
Article VIII – Bylaws
The Bylaws of the Society may be adopted, annulled, or amended by an affirmative vote of at least three-fourths of the members of the Executive Committee present at any meeting of the Committee. The Executive Committee shall have the authority to interpret the Bylaws.
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The International Honor Society
OMEGA RHO®
Bylaws of OMEGA RHO®
Bylaw 1 – Duties of the President
The President shall serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the Society, preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee, and perform such other duties as usually pertain to this office.
Bylaw 2 – Duties of the Vice-President
The Vice-President, in the absence, disability, or death of the President, shall become acting President, assuming, for the time, the functions, duties, and prerogatives of said office. Such service shall not affect the succession of the Vice President to the office of President for the next term.
Bylaw 3 – Duties of the Secretary
The Secretary shall attend to the correspondence incident to the working of the Society.
Bylaw 4 – Duties of the Treasurer
The Treasurer shall act as custodian of all monies in the possession of the Society, oversee and monitor their disbursement by the INFORMS staff as directed by the Executive Committee, provide financial reports to the membership at the Annual Meetings, and provide financial reports as requested by the Executive Committee.
Bylaw 5 – Duties of the Historian
The Historian shall take such duties as he(she) may consider necessary or as the Executive Committee may direct to preserve and disseminate material of historical significance to the Society.
Bylaw 6 – Duties of the Regional Directors
The Regional Directors, in addition to serving as officers of the Society and as members of the Executive Committee, shall serve as the primary liaison with existing and potential Chapters in their respective regions. They shall also assume such other duties as may be assigned them by the Executive Committee.
The eight regions are:
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Northeastern
North America
United States:
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Southeastern
North America
United States:
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Connecticut
Maine
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Vermont
Canada:
New Brunswick
Newfoundland and
Labrador
Nova Scotia
Ontario
Prince Edward Island
Quebec
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Alabama
Delaware
District of Columbia
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Maryland
Mississippi
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
Virginia
West Virginia
U.S. Territory:
Puerto Rico
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Central
North America
United States:
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Western
North America
United States:
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Arkansas
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Louisiana
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Nebraska
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
South Dakota
Texas
Wisconsin
Canada:
Manitoba
Mexico
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Alaska
Arizona
California
Colorado
Hawaii
Idaho
Montana
Nevada
New Mexico
Oregon
Utah
Washington
Wyoming
Canada:
Alberta
British Columbia
Saskatchewan
Canadian Territories:
Northwest Territories
Yukon
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Africa
Asia-Pacific
Central and South America
Europe
Bylaw 7 – Duties of the Past Presidents
The Past Presidents shall provide advice and counsel to the Society officers and shall perform such specific duties as requested by the Executive Committee.
Bylaw 8 – The Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall meet at least once each year at such places as shall be chosen by the members of the Executive Committee. A quorum shall require the presence of at least four members of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee may also transact business by electronic mail, ground mail, telegram, conference telephone call, facsimile transmission, or by combination of these or any other means of communication that allows for all Executive Committee members to participate.
Votes by proxy shall not be permitted in any deliberations of the Executive Committee. Further, no member of the Executive Committee may send an alternate to vote in his(her) place at any meeting of the Executive Committee.
Bylaw 9 – Election of Society Officers
The President shall appoint a Nominating Committee of no fewer than three OMEGA RHO® members, one of them being the Vice-President, who shall serve as Chair of the Nominating Committee, for the purpose of preparing a slate of candidates for those offices to be filled by election at the next Annual Meeting of the Society. The slate of candidates prepared by the Nominating Committee shall then be submitted to the Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee will then submit the slate of candidates to each Chapter and also list the slate of candidates on the internet on the OMEGA RHO® internet home page connected to the INFORMS internet home page.
Election of officers shall take place at the Annual Meeting of the Society during even-numbered years. At this meeting, Chapter representatives may submit additional nominations. Election to office shall be by a vote of the Chapter representatives present at the Annual Meeting, where each Chapter shall be entitled to be represented by one of its members. A majority of those voters present at the Annual Meeting is sufficient to elect. Votes by proxy for any Chapter not represented at the meeting shall not be permitted.
Bylaw 10 – Establishing Chapters
Any ten or more persons from a college or university, who are properly qualified for membership, may apply for a Chapter charter. Application forms may be obtained from the Secretary of the Society or from the appropriate Regional Director. Every application for a charter shall include the names of the applicants, grouped by prospective status (Member or Faculty Member); the resumes or curriculum vita of the prospective Faculty Members; a draft of the Chapter Constitution and Bylaws; and information about the curricula in Operations Research and Management Science related disciplines at the academic institution and unit(s) (department, school, etc.) where the Chapter will be established. The application must be endorsed in writing by the president or academic vice president of the institution and the appropriate academic administrative officer(s) of the unit(s) where the Chapter will be established.
Only one OMEGA RHO Chapter may be chartered for a college or university. Applications for charters shall be sent to the President of the Society and, when all application materials have been verified to be complete, submitted to the Executive Committee.
Should the President find any information missing – or find the proposed Chapter Constitution and Bylaws not in conformity with the Society's Constitution and Bylaws – he(she) shall notify the applicants why their application is not to be forwarded to the Executive Committee at that time. The applicants may then alter their application and supporting documents accordingly or request their transmittal to the Executive Committee without alteration.
The Executive Committee shall act upon the application no later than the next meeting following receipt of the application and the supporting information and may choose to act upon the application earlier by any other means of communication. The Executive Committee – by a majority vote of those Executive Committee members voting – may either approve, reject, or require alteration and resubmission of any application.
Neither OMEGA RHO nor the Executive Committee, by granting a charter to any Chapter, assumes any liability or responsibility for any obligations of any kind incurred by such Chapter.
Bylaw 11 – Reactivating Chapters
A Chapter that has been declared inactive may apply for reactivation by submitting the following materials to the President for consideration by the Executive Committee:
(1) A list of newly-elected student officers, Faculty Advisor, and OMEGA RHO® Faculty Members.
(2) Verification that the college or university has retained a sufficient set of degree programs or courses to qualify as programs and courses in operations research or management science as deemed acceptable by the Executive Committee.
(3) Verification of institutional accreditation by an appropriate national or regional accrediting agency.
The Executive Committee shall act upon the application for reactivation no later than the next meeting following receipt of the application and the supporting information and may choose to act upon the application earlier by any other means of communication. Upon receipt of this material, the Executive Committee – by a majority vote of those Executive Committee members voting – may either approve, reject, or require alteration and resubmission of any application for reactivation.
Bylaw 12 – Membership Qualifications
Section 1. An undergraduate student shall be a member in good standing of an accredited institution, in a Department granting a baccalaureate degree in an Operations Research or Management Science related discipline or have taken a minimal set of courses consistent with a degree in an Operations Research or Management Science related discipline as determined by the local Chapter or Executive Committee; must rank in the top 25% of his(her) class at his(her) institution; and shall have completed at least five semesters or seven quarters of his(her) curricular requirements.
Section 2. A graduate student shall be a member in good standing of an accredited institution which grants a graduate degree in an Operations Research or Management Science related discipline or have taken a minimal set of courses consistent with a degree in an Operations Research or Management Science related discipline as determined by the local Chapter or Executive Committee; must have at least a 3.5 grade point average on a 4.0 scale in all graduate courses; shall have no failures in any graduate courses for the degree he(she) is currently pursuing; and shall have completed at least one-third of the credits required for a Master's Degree.
Section 3. Students and faculty at an institution where there is no OMEGA RHO® Chapter may apply for membership in OMEGA RHO by verifying the following information to the President of OMEGA RHO®, who is empowered to elect such persons to membership:
(1) Any person of good character who has met the requirements set forth in Section 1 or Section 2 of this Bylaw of the Society or in Article V, Section 2(2) of the Society’s Constitution shall be eligible to apply for membership in the Society.
(2) A student applicant must be a matriculating student at a college or university that grants baccalaureate or higher degrees. The college or university must have a sufficient set of degree programs or courses to qualify as programs and courses in operations research or management science as deemed acceptable by the Executive Committee. The college or university must be accredited by an appropriate national or regional accrediting agency.
(3) An applicant will not be considered a member of this Society until he(she) has been initiated in accordance with the initiatory procedures outlined in the Bylaws and has paid the applicable initiation fee to the Society.
Bylaw 13 – Initiation Procedures
Section 1. For Chapters performing a membership induction ceremony, the following OMEGA RHO® Oath is to be read by the officiating officer. Its reading, and acceptance by the initiates, marks their official membership in OMEGA RHO® and in the Chapter into which they are thereby inducted.
The OMEGA RHO Oath
The objectives of the OMEGA RHO® International Honor Society are to encourage the study of Operations Research and Management Science related disciplines and to recognize academic excellence and leadership potential in these areas. You have been selected for membership on this basis. Do you subscribe to the objectives of OMEGA RHO® and do you promise to promote, to the best of your ability, the ideals of OMEGA RHO® to all persons regardless of their affiliation with OMEGA RHO® or any other organization? If so, answer: I do.
Section 2. For Chapters that do not perform a membership induction ceremony, for initiates that cannot attend a membership induction ceremony, and for initiates who are becoming members of OMEGA RHO® at a college or university that does not have a Chapter, acceptance of the OMEGA RHO® Oath may be verified by signing and returning the following to the Chapter’s Faculty Advisor or, for initiates at colleges or universities without an OMEGA RHO® Chapter, the President of OMEGA RHO®.
Printed Name:___________________________________________
Signature:______________________________________________
Date:__________________________________________________
University:______________________________________________
Bylaw 14 – Certificate of Membership
A certificate of membership approved by the Executive Committee shall be issued to each member upon receipt of the initiation fee. There shall be no fee for Faculty or Honorary Members.
Bylaw 15 – Insignia
The insignia of the Society may be used by all members (Members, Faculty Members, Honorary Members, and Alumni Members), Chapters, and the Executive Committee for official OMEGA RHO® business and activities. The Executive Committee retains the right to deny use of the insignia if it is deemed to be inappropriately displayed or employed. The insignia of the Society shall be a circle enclosing four elements:
(1) The projection of a truncated saddle surface.
(2) A vertical arrow, centrally located with its base at the bottom of the circle, and its head at the saddle point of the surface. The shaft of the arrow shall taper by narrowing from a wide base to a narrow tip.
(3) The Greek capital letters, Omega and Rho, shall be situated on each side of the arrow with their tops level with the base of the arrow head and their bottoms approximately at the midpoint of the arrow.
(4) The motto shall be place in an arc inside the top of the circle and concentric with the circle.
Bylaw 16 – Seal
The seal of the Society may be used by all members (Members, Faculty Members, Honorary Members, and Alumni Members), Chapters, and the Executive Committee for official OMEGA RHO® business and activities. The Executive Committee retains the right to deny use of the seal if it is deemed to be inappropriately displayed or employed. The seal shall be of the same design as the insignia, with the circle and the saddle surface depicted in blue, the arrow and the motto in red, and OMEGA RHO® in black.
Bylaw 17 – Finances
No money shall be expended by any officer or member for Society purposes unless authorized by the Executive Committee.
Bylaw 18 – Parliamentary Procedures
In all parliamentary situations not specified in the Society's Constitution and Bylaws, the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order will be applied.
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The OMEGA RHO® International Honor Society Constitution and Bylaws went through major updates December 12, 1984 and again on October 27, 1998 when OMEGA RHO® officially became an INFORMS Subdivision.
OMEGA RHO Constitution and Bylaws Committee, October, 1998:
David F. Rogers, Chair
Yupo Chan
Saul I. Gass
Richard M. Soland
Minor Revisions:
October 24, 2004 – Modification to Bylaw 10 “Establishing Chapters” to guarantee that applications for Chapters are endorsed in writing by the president or academic vice president of the institution and the appropriate academic administrative officer(s) of the unit(s) where the Chapter is housed.
November 5, 2006 – Modification to Bylaw 6 “Duties of the Regional Directors” to add directors for Africa and Central and South America and to change “Asian” to “Asia-Pacific” and “European” to ”Europe”.