CONSTITUTION OF BETA ALPHA PSI & ACCOUNTING SOCIETY

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH (CSULB)

Article I. Name of Organization: The name of this organization shall be ​Beta Alpha
Psi & Accounting Society (BAP&AS).

Article II. Statement of Purpose:

Section 1. We, the members of Beta Alpha Psi & Accounting Society, in our
mission to be responsive to the needs of the dynamic accounting
profession, shall encourage and foster the ideals of professional
excellence in the field of accountancy.

Section 2. To promote ethical leadership and academic achievement, and to

cultivate civic responsibility.

Section 3. To provide students opportunities for association and interaction

with the faculty and administration of CSULB and with the
members of the community.

Article III. Authority:

Section 1. This organization is a recognized student organization at California

State University, Long Beach and is bound by all campus policies
as set forth in the CSULB Campus Regulations Handbook
(​www.csulb.edu/regs​).

Section 2. This organization is affiliated with the national accounting honors

organization, Beta Alpha Psi.

Section 3. This organization may establish Standing Rules to govern

administrative and procedural matters (such as time and location of
meetings, etc.). Standing Rules shall not conflict with this
constitution and bylaws. Standing Rules may be adopted,
amended, or temporarily suspended by a majority vote present at
an organization meeting where a quorum of the voting membership
is present (advance notice is not required).

Section 4. The rules contained in the most recent version of ​Robert’s Rules of
Order, Newly Revised​ shall be the parliamentary authority for this
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organization and shall govern in all cases to which they are
applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws
and any special rules of order the organization may adopt.

Article IV. Membership:

Section 1. Eligibility for membership or appointed or elected student officer

positions shall not be limited on the basis of race, religion, national
origin, ethnicity, color, age, gender, gender identity/expression,
marital status veteran status, citizenship, sexual orientation, or
disability. The organization shall have no rules, policies, or
practices that discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national
origin, ethnicity, color, age, gender, gender identity/expression,
marital status veteran status, citizenship, sexual orientation, or
disability.

Section 2. Membership in the organization shall be open to all those regularly

enrolled CSULB students who are interested in membership. Each
regular member has equal rights and privileges.

Section 3. By California State University policy, no more than 20 percent of

the membership shall be individuals who are not CSULB students
(e.g., faculty, staff, community members, students at other
colleges, etc.). Such members have all membership privileges
except for the right to vote or hold office.

Section 4​. For the organization to be recognized by CSULB a minimum of

five (5) matriculated CSULB students (who are currently enrolled
in at least one class) need to be regular members.

Article V. Officers:

Section 1. The elected officers of the Executive Board shall be the President,
Vice President, Director of Records, Treasurer, Director of
Professional Development, Director of Accounting Society,
Director of Correspondence, and Associate Treasurer.

Section 2. Qualifications necessary to hold office in this organization are as

follows:

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To be eligible for and to hold any organization officer position, candidates must meet the
minimum requirements stated in the CSULB Campus Regulations
(​www.csulb.edu/regs​).

A candidate for​ ​office must be carrying a minimum of six (6) undergraduate units or three (3)
graduate units of regular university credit per semester at CSULB.

All student representatives must be matriculated at the university, maintaining a minimum

overall, on-campus cumulative 2.5 grade point average (GPA) at
all times, and a 2.5 GPA in every semester while in office, and in
the semester prior to running for office, and not be on probation of
any kind.

Undergraduate students are allowed to earn a maximum of 150 semester units or 125 percent of
the units required for a specific baccalaureate degree objective,
whichever is greater. Graduate and credential students are allowed
to earn a maximum of 50 semester units or 167 percent of the units
required for the graduate or credential objective, whichever is
greater. Students holding over that number of units will no longer
be eligible.

Article VI. Meetings:

Section 1. Regular meetings shall be scheduled at least twice a week by the

executive board with feedback from the membership.

Section 2. Special meetings may be called by the President. All members

must be given a minimum of 48-hour notice, weekends and
holidays excluded, prior to the meeting time.

Section 3. Business cannot be conducted unless quorum of the voting

membership is present.

Article VII. Executive Board:

Section 1. The elected officers shall constitute the executive board of the
organization and each shall have one vote. The advisor(s) shall be
ex-officio, non-voting members.

Section 2. The Executive Board shall meet no less than once a month during
the academic year.
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Section 3. All members/officers who plan on purchasing supplies or services

(any monetary amount) must receive prior approval for the
transaction and subsequent reimbursements at least 48 hours in
advance. All transactions over $50 must also receive prior approval
from the President at least 48 hours in advance.

Section 4. The Executive Board shall serve as a planning committee.

Article VIII. Succession of Officers:

Section 1. In the event of permanent incapacitation, resignation, or removal,

the line of temporary succession shall be as follows: President,
Vice President, Director of Records, Treasurer, Director of
Professional Development, Director of Accounting Society,
Director of Correspondence, and Associate Treasurer.

Section 2. Upon the vacancy of the Presidency, the Vice President shall
permanently resume the position.

Section 3. Upon the vacancy of the Treasurer, the Associate Treasurer shall
resume the position if they have BAP member status. If the
Associate Treasurer is currently a BAP candidate, a BAP member
shall be nominated and elected to the Treasurer position.

Section 4. Upon the vacancy of any other offices, a new candidate shall be
nominated and elected at the next regular or special meeting.

Article IX. Code of Conduct:

Section 1. This organization shall comply with Title 5, Section 41301,

Standards for Student Conduct, as stated in the CSULB Campus
Regulations (www.csulb.edu/regs) 

Article X. Hazing Prohibition:

Section 1. This organization shall prohibit all members and officers from
engaging in hazing or committing any act that injures, degrades or
disgraces any fellow student.
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Section 2. "Hazing" means any method of initiation or pre-initiation into a

student organization or student body, whether or not the
organization or body is officially recognized by an educational
institution, which is likely to cause serious bodily injury to any
former, current, or prospective student of any school, community
college, college, university, or other educational institution in this
state. The term "hazing" does not include customary athletic events
or school-sanctioned events.

Article XI. Method to Amend and Renew the Constitution:

Section 1. Proposed constitutional amendments made by a member shall be

presented to the organization, in writing, one meeting before it may
be voted upon.

Section 2. Voting of amendments cannot be conducted unless quorum of the

voting membership is present.

Section 3. Approval by two-thirds of the voting membership shall pass a

proposed amendment with the exception that, if a proposed
amendment is related to membership standards for Beta Alpha Psi,
then only the Beta Alpha Psi members will vote on the
amendment.

Section 3. Significant changes/amendments must be submitted to the Office

of Student Life and Development within 30 days.

Section 4. Approval by the University through the Office of Student Life and
Development is needed to change the constitution to ensure
compliance with Chancellor Office, Campus, and Legal
requirements.

Section 5. Constitutions must be renewed with the University every 5 years.

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BYLAWS OF BETA ALPHA PSI & ACCOUNTING SOCIETY

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH (CSULB)

Bylaw I. Membership:

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Section 1. There shall be three types of membership in the organization: Beta
Alpha Psi candidate, Beta Alpha Psi member, and Accounting
Society member.

Section 2. To become a Beta Alpha Psi candidate, the student must pay the
candidate dues and meet the following minimum requirements:

● have declared a concentration in accounting, finance, or

information systems (or have stated an intention to declare a
concentration in accounting, finance, or information systems);

● candidates declaring a concentration in finance, or information

systems must verify co-membership with major related
organization as stated in the contract set forth by the Director of
Records;

● have completed, in addition to two years of collegiate courses, at

least one upper level course beyond the business core (for transfer
students, the most recent qualifying course must be at the initiating
institution or another AACSB or EQUIS accredited institution); 

● have attained a cumulative grade average in upper level courses, in

their declared area of concentration, beyond the business core of at
least 3.0 (where A is equal to 4.0) or the equivalent; and 

● have attained at least a cumulative grade average of 3.2, or 

● have attained at least a 3.25 cumulative grade average on the most

recently completed 30 semester hours; 

Section 3. Membership in Beta Alpha Psi shall be limited to those persons of

good moral character who have achieved scholastic excellence in
the fields of accounting, finance, or information systems; who have
been initiated according to the official membership ceremony; and
who are in good standing.

Section 4. To become an Accounting Society member, a student shall

complete the Membership Application Form, join the Beta Alpha
Psi & Accounting Society BeachSync page, and submit the
semester dues.

Section 5. Any member of the CSULB faculty and staff who has rendered
outstanding service to the organization may be conferred with
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honorary membership by receiving a majority vote of the
organization. Honorary members are ex-officio, non-voting
members.

Section 8​. Members shall be required to attend at least 20 hours of the

organization’s regularly scheduled meetings or events per semester
in order to maintain good standing membership with voting rights.

Bylaw II. Dues:

There shall be specific membership dues for Beta Alpha Psi
Candidates, Beta Alpha Psi Members, and Accounting Society
Members. Membership dues shall be recommended by the
Executive Board and voted upon by the membership.

Bylaw III. Discipline of Members:

Section 1​. In the event that a member is suspected of misconduct and/or is

suspected by violating the terms of the Constitution and Bylaws of
this organization, the organization may initiate an internal process
to suspend, terminate, or continue membership of the accused.

Section 2​. Notice of misconduct or violation must be submitted in writing to

the Executive Board and signed by 5 voting members.

Section 3. The member in question shall be given written notice at least 72

hours prior to a meeting with Executive Board and Faculty
Advisor(s).

Section 4​. After meeting with the member in question, Executive Board and
Faculty Advisor(s) shall determine an appropriate sanction –
suspension of membership, termination of membership, or no
sanction needed.

Section 5​. It is strongly recommended that the Executive Board seek advising
from the Advisor, the Office of Student Life and Development,
and/or the Office of Student Conduct and Ethical Development.

Bylaw III. Officers:

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Section 1. The President shall preside at all meetings of the organization.
They shall be the official spokesperson of the organization,
representing policies, views, and opinions of the organization in its
relations with the campus and community at large. They shall
have such further powers and duties as may be prescribed by the
organization.

Section 2. The Vice President shall preside at the organization meetings in the
absence of the President. They shall perform all legal duties
assigned to them by the President. They shall notify all members
of the organization meetings. The Vice President is responsible for
scheduling the Speaking Engagement presentations and Firm
Tours throughout the semester.

Section 2. The Director of Accounting Society shall be in charge of the

semester’s major events, such as Meet the Firms and Awards &
Initiation Banquet.

Section 3. The Treasurer shall handle all financial affairs and budgeting of the
organization, maintaining all necessary accounting records. Said
records shall be maintained in accordance with generally accepted
accounting principles. They shall maintain bank accounts in the
organization's name, requiring signatures of the Treasurer and
President for authorized disbursements. Accounting Society does
not maintain a separate bank account.

Section 3. The Associate Treasurer shall assist the Treasurer in their duties in
preparation to be ready if elected as Treasurer in the following
semester. The Associate Treasurer is primarily responsible for
organizing food and beverages for the organization’s events and
meetings throughout the semester.

Section 4. The Director of Records shall take minutes at all meetings of the
organization, keep these on file and submit required copies to all
organization members. They shall keep a record of attendance at
all organization events. They shall also act as historian and shall
maintain all records of the organization.

Section 5. The Director of Correspondence shall ensure the organization

maintains good relations with professionals and alumni. They shall
update and maintain an alumni database and create a monthly
alumni newsletter.

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Section 6. The Director of Professional Development shall create workshops
and other events to provide resources to students in gaining
professional soft skills.

Section 7. In the event that an elected officer is unable to fulfill their term of
office, there shall be an election to fill the vacancy at the next
regular meeting or at a special meeting. Any eligible member,
including those already holding office, may be nominated for a
vacant office. However, an executive officer may hold only one
position at a time.

Section 8. Officers may be recalled from office for cause. To initiate a recall
election, a petition signed by one-third of the total number of
voting members must be submitted at a regular meeting and a
recall vote shall be taken at the next regular meeting. The officer
subject to recall shall be given written notice of the recall at least
72 hours prior to the meeting at which the recall vote will be held
and shall be given an opportunity to provide a defense. A
two-thirds vote of the voting membership is required to remove an
officer.

Section 9. Officers shall assume office at the Initiation and Awards Banquet.
The term of office for the officers of the organization shall be for
one academic semester. No officer is allowed to hold the same
office for more than two consecutive terms.

Bylaw IV. Advisors:

Section 1. There shall be one or more advisors appointed from the faculty or
administration of the Accountancy Department.

Section 2. The organization shall appoint an individual employed as a faculty

or staff member at CSULB to serve as the university advisor to this
organization. Auxiliary staff and student assistants are not eligible
to serve as advisors. The advisor shall fulfill the responsibilities
specified in the Faculty/Staff Advisor Acceptance of
Responsibility Form. Advisors shall serve on an academic year
basis or until their successor has been selected.

Section 3. The advisors shall serve a term of one year and will have the
opportunity to volunteer or be appointed by the organization each
year.
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Section 4.​ The advisor(s) shall be ex-officio, non-voting member(s).

Bylaw V. Committees:

Section 1. The President shall have the authority to establish committees to

further the purposes of the organization.

Section 2. The Executive Board shall appoint the chairpersons and members
of all committees.

Bylaw VI. Quorum:

Section 1. The percentage of voting members that constitutes a quorum shall

be fifty percent plus one.

Section 2. In voting, a majority of voting members shall consist of more than

fifty percent of those voting.

Section 3. There must be a quorum in order for any official vote or election to
occur.

Bylaw VII. Elections:

Section 1. Elections will be held once each academic semester. The date of
the election will be established​ ​by the President.

Section 2. A special nomination meeting, which may be part of a regularly

scheduled chapter meeting, will be held for the purpose of the
nomination of nominees for officer positions. Notice must be given
to all members at least one week before officer nominations are to
be held. It is highly recommended that nominees be present to
accept their nomination. ​In the event that an interested candidate
cannot attend the nomination meeting, they must provide a
handwritten note to the current President to confirm their interest
in which specific position(s). This candidate must still be
nominated by someone present at the nomination meeting.

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Section 3. The officer nominees will each be required to

1. Interview the current officer that holds the position for
which they are running,
2. Discuss why they are running and what they would like to
accomplish with the current President,
3. Write a one-page essay outlining why they are running and
what they would like to accomplish, and
4. Make a campaign speech on Election Day.
Section 4. All nominees must be able to attend Election Day and the Awards
& Initiation Banquet. If a nominee is unable to attend Election Day
due to a medical emergency or death in the family, they will be
allowed to submit a video speech (waist and above). If an officer is
unable to attend the Awards & Initiation Banquet due to a medical
emergency, death in the family, or other unexpected emergencies,
they will be initiated at a special meeting (members and alumni
will be invited) called upon by the current/outgoing Executive
Board. All evidence (i.e., doctor’s notes, death certificates or
funeral pictures, accident pictures, etc.) must be provided in
writing to the current President prior to the nomination meeting or
as soon as possible.

Section 5. Current Accounting Society members are only eligible to run for
Director of Correspondence and Director of Accounting Society.
For those current Accounting Society members who will be
pledging in the next semester, they will be eligible also to run for
Director of Professional Development and Associate Treasurer. All
Beta Alpha Psi members and Beta Alpha Psi candidates are
eligible to run for all officer positions.

Section 6. Accounting Society members may vote only for the officer
positions held by Accounting Society members: Director of
Accounting Society, Director of Correspondence, and Associate
Treasurer. The Associate Treasurer may be a member of
Accounting Society, but must be at least a candidate of Beta Alpha
Psi to be eligible for nomination.

Section 7. Beta Alpha Psi members and Beta Alpha Psi candidates that will
be initiated at banquet are eligible to vote for all officer positions.

Section 8. Online voting may be conducted only with the use of a web-based
platform approved by the Office of Student Life and Development.
The online ballot access information will be sent via email to the
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email addresses of eligible voting members according to the
organization’s records and shall include:
1) Voting instructions for the online web-based platform.
2) Offices which candidates are seeking, and the number of
vacant positions open for that office.
3) Names of candidates listed and the office for which they are
running.
4) Candidate photos and statements, if provided by candidates. No
changes will be made to photos or statements once the voting
begins.

Online voting may also be used to conduct voting of matters other than
officer elections and which are consistent with the Constitution and
Bylaws of this organization.

The amount of submitted online votes must meet quorum requirements.

Online voting must be administered and managed by the organization’s faculty advisor(s).

If the faculty advisor is unavailable, another member of the Accountancy faculty or staff may be
asked to fill in.

Section 9. There must be a quorum in order for any official vote or election to
occur.

Section 10. Each ballot will include the option: “I decline to vote for this
officer position.” This is available for members who choose not to
vote for any officer nominees during the election. This option does
not count towards the voting results.

Section 11. A majority of all votes cast in the election shall be necessary to
elect. If no candidate receives a majority, a run-off election shall
be held between the two candidates receiving the largest number of
votes.

Section 12. The ballots shall be tallied on campus by the faculty advisor. If the
faculty advisor is unavailable, another member of the Accountancy
faculty or staff may be asked to fill in. Winners shall be announced
via email and website once all officer positions are finalized.

Bylaw VIII. Method to Amend the Bylaws:

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Section 1. Proposed bylaw amendments made by a member shall be
presented to the organization, in writing, one meeting before it may
be voted upon.

Section 2. Voting of amendments cannot be conducted unless quorum of the

voting membership is present.

Section 3. Approval by two-thirds of the voting membership shall pass a

proposed amendment with the exception that, if a proposed
amendment is related to membership standards for Beta Alpha Psi,
then only the Beta Alpha Psi members will vote on the amendment
as required by the national organization.

Section 4. Significant changes/amendments must be submitted to the Office

of Student Life and Development within 30 days.

Section 5. Approval by the University, through the Office of Student Life and
Development is needed to change the bylaws to ensure compliance
with Chancellor Office, Campus, and Legal requirements.

Section 6. Bylaws must be renewed with the University every 5 years.

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