Duties of Officers

President
The President shall preside at all meetings and shall call special meetings at the request of not less than five members or whenever he/she deems it necessary. Chapter activities of previous years should be reviewed by the President so that he/she has a full understanding of what has gone on in the past and profits by the knowledge of successes and failures. The President should confer with the faculty advisor and other faculty members to explore plans and ideas.

Plans for the ensuing year should then be formulated. The President, in collaboration with other officers and the faculty advisor, should make an outline of what he/she believes would be a good program. This potential program should be discussed with other chapter officers, the faculty advisor, and other members of the faculty.

Finally, a meeting of all members of the chapter should be called to discuss the plans proposed by the officers. This meeting should develop a definite program of meetings and activities for the year.

Securing the grades of the junior and senior students who are eligible for membership is another important duty of the President. This can be done either personally or through the appropriate faculty representative. The prospective member list must be accurate.

The President should also determine faculty members and graduate school students that are not members of HKN. These persons should be invited to join HKN and need not go through the pledge activities.

Care must be taken to honor all confidences that are required in reviewing this information. No use should be made of such lists other than the one for which they are intended.

The President presides at the election of members and should see to it that each candidate has every consideration due. The President personally should notify successful candidates of their election and send formal invitations to each candidate. Most importantly, the President should work with the HKN headquarters to provide a database of successful candidates in a timely manner. The HKN headquarters will send further information to the candidates encouraging them to join. The President and the officers should personally meet with each candidate and encourage them to become a member.

The President should preside at the Induction Ritual and should sign all membership certificates. It is essential that the President learn the Ritual and ensure that it is professionally conducted.

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Vice President
The Vice President assists the President in developing plans for the year. The Vice President assumes the duties of the President in his/her absence. He/she should take responsibility for the details of the programs for meetings, such as securing speakers and seeing that the arrangements for meetings are in place. The Vice President is often placed in charge of all pledge activities. The Vice President should take charge of the preparation of the room for the Induction Ritual, secure the necessary equipment, and see that all is in readiness beforehand. The Vice President shall perform any other duties that may be delegated to him/her by the President.

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Recording Secretary
The Recording Secretary's responsibilities include keeping a record of all meetings and issuing notices for special meetings. A suitable book should be provided to keep a record of the meetings of the chapter. The Recording Secretary should enter the minutes, names of all in attendance, motions made, and actions taken in this book. Also, when a speaker appears during a program or activity, his/her name and connection should be noted, as well as the subject and remarks on how the presentation was received. The Recording Secretary shall perform all other duties assigned to him/her by the President.

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Corresponding Secretary
All correspondence with HKN headquarters is, in general, conducted by the Corresponding Secretary. It is his/her duty to confer with the President of the chapter in all matters that concern HKN headquarters to ensure that action is taken and to report back to headquarters without delay. Securing membership certificates and keys (if desired) for the elected members in time for the induction is an important duty of the Corresponding Secretary. The Corresponding Secretary signs the membership certificates.

Notice should be given to HKN headquarters of all officers when elected. A list of these officers, including their college addresses, phone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses are to be provided on the Notice of Election of Officers form and promptly mailed with approval signatures by the President and the Faculty Advisor to HKN headquarters.

Ballots taken on national HKN affairs, such as officer elections or changes to the Constitution, should be transmitted to the Executive Director at HKN headquarters immediately after the meeting during which the vote was taken.

All other correspondence, including that with other chapters, is handled by the Corresponding Secretary.

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Web Correspondent
Some chapters elect a Web Correspondent, although these responsibilities might also be delegated to the Corresponding Secretary. The principle responsibility of this officer is to post chapter activity information to the HKN Web Site. He/She should post the names of all officers and the Faculty Advisor as soon as the autumn term begins. As soon as possible, a summary of the chapter's activity plan for the year also should be submitted. Changes to the plan are permissible as the year progresses. For each major activity, a summary article should be written and submitted. Photographs can be included as a part of the article.

The Web Correspondent should also act as the publicity agent of the chapter. He/She should provide chapter news to the university and local newspapers. Where activities of a member are such that they will interest persons in his/her home town, suitable articles should be prepared and furnished to the relevant newspapers. Proper mention of Eta Kappa Nu should be made without the appearance of advertising the organization. When new members are pledged or inducted, and when new officers are elected, these are always acceptable subjects for news items in the college and home-town papers of each inductee and new officer.

The local newspapers are usually willing to publish news items about their citizens in college. Election of one of their sons or daughters to Eta Kappa Nu is news of interest to their readers. If your college has a public relations staff, they may assist you.

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Treasurer
As fiscal officer of the chapter, the Treasurer is responsible for the chapter's funds. The Treasurer is required by the Constitution to collect all dues and fees for induction, local dues if charged, any assessments that may be levied for any purpose and for any enterprises such as dinners, mixers, and other activities that are conducted by the chapter.

The Treasurer shall pay out funds for any purpose only on the order of the chapter. Checks should be cosigned by the President or the Faculty Advisor. This is very important, as it is otherwise impossible to maintain fiduciary control of the chapter's finances. No variation from this procedure should be permitted.

So that there is no difficulty in presenting proper reports of these activities, the Treasurer should keep records in which all financial transactions are entered. A balance should be kept for the inspection of the chapter at any meeting or when it is requested by the President. The Treasurer should see to it that all college requirements governing the handling of funds by student organizations are complied with, particularly those regarding the method of making payments, keeping records, and conducting audits.

The IRS requires that all chapters with Employee Identification Numbers (EIN or Tax-ID number) as subordinates of Eta Kappa Nu HQ report their finances annually. Chapters grossing less than $25,000 annually (July 1 – June 30) - IEEE can file on your behalf. Complete the information on the Chapter Report. Chapters grossing more than $25,000 annually (July 1 – June 30) must file a 990. The deadline is October 1 to file the appropriate report. Details will be sent to all chapters after July 1 each year. Failure to comply could result in losing non-profit status.

The Treasurer should also handle any other duties of any sort that are delegated to him/her by the President.

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Faculty Advisor
The Department Chair usually designates the HKN Faculty Advisor, who provides the needed stability and continuity that greatly helps a chapter to be successful year after year. The Faculty Advisor serves as a liaison officer between the chapter and the college.

He/She should give advice to the officers and guide them in their necessary decision-making, rather than outrightly directing the affairs of the chapter.

According to the Constitution, the Faculty Advisor shall be a member of Eta Kappa Nu and a faculty member in electrical and/or computer engineering of the school in which the chapter is located.

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