We are 107 days away from the 2018 National Convention in Phoenix, Arizona. That means that we are 107 days away from debating and voting upon decisions that will impact our Fraternity at the 2018 Grand Chapter.
Did you know that every Chapter is constitutionally required to send one Delegate to Grand Chapter? The National Constitution states….
“Article V: Grand Chapter, Section 3: Chapter Delegates: Each Collegiate Chapter and Alumni Chapter of Phi Sigma Pi shall be required to send one (1) official Delegate to each meeting of the Grand Chapter. Each Collegiate and Alumni Chapter may also designate one (1) Alternate Delegate, who may assume the rights and responsibilities of the official Delegate as necessary. All official Delegates must be selected and reported to the National Office no later than two weeks prior to the scheduled Grand Chapter Meeting. Chapters shall be responsible for the Grand Chapter registration and other fees for the attendance of the official Delegate.”
Your Chapter’s Delegate will be representing your Chapter as we debate and vote upon amendments to the Constitution as well as the 2018-2020 National Council elections - that’s serious stuff! So how should your Chapter decide who to send as your Delegate? Here are three suggestions:
Ask your Chapter President. As the leader of your Chapter, your President is a great choice for this role. You may even decide before Officer elections that whoever is voted as President will be your Delegate for that year (just make sure the nominees know).- Ask last year’s Alternate. Many Chapters use a rotating system where the Alternate from last year then becomes the Delegate for this year - but in this system you would still need to choose another Alternate!
- Ask for nominees and take it to a Chapter vote. There are no stipulations on who in your Chapter can be your Delegate. Ask your Chapter Members to submit their nominations if they would like to go and have the Chapter vote on who will serve as Delegate and who will serve as Alternate (optional).
Pro Tip: It’s highly recommended that your Delegate be a Member who will be returning to campus in the Fall. This way they can report back and share all of things that happened and everything they learned during Convention.
Don’t forget about that last part of Article V, Section 3: “Chapters shall be responsible for the Grand Chapter registration and other fees for the attendance of the official Delegate.” It is not the responsibility of the Delegate to pay for their registration and transportation to National Convention, but rather the responsibility of the Chapter.
We’ve decided on our Delegate - what now?? Now it’s time to register! Your Delegate will have to fill out personal information including allergies and emergency contact, so it’s important that they register themselves. You can share Chapter payment information with them or send a check to the National Office.
If you have questions about registering your Delegate, contact the National Office at (717) 299-4710 or convention@phisigmapi.org.
Important National Convention Resources
- 2018 National Convention Registration
- 2018 National Convention Registration Packet
- 2018 - 2020 National Council Nominees
- NC18 Programming Highlights
- NC18 Where We’re Going and How to Get There
All Collegiate Members who register for National Convention in the month of April will be entered to win a $50 SouthWest Airlines gift card that they can put towards their flight. They say the best time to book a US domestic flight is three months out, making this the perfect time to book!