Michigan Region

Any chapter in the Region may nominate any chapter member in good standing with that chapter for a Regional office. A chapter may not nominate more than one candidate for each Regional office. A chapter in good standing with the Region is one which has met HQ requirements for good standing.

There are four Regional offices to be filled. A candidate must be willing to fulfill the duties of the office and be enrolled in at least one college-level credit course at his/her community college for the duration of the year in which he or she was elected to office. No one may be elected to a Regional office more than once. All terms are for one year and the officer must remain in good standing with his/her chapter for the duration ("good standing" means the officer must meet the chapter's "maintenance" gpa). Article V, Sec. 3B of the Michigan Regional By-laws reads: "Candidates must be nominated by their chapter, and their names should be received in writing by the Regional Coordinator one week prior to the Regional Convention; however, nominations may be accepted at the Convention during the first general session."

The elected Regional offices are:

• President: presides at Regional meetings and chairs the Executive Board
• Vice President: stands in for the president as necessary and assumes other duties
• Secretary/Treasurer: assists the VP in taking roll at meetings, takes minutes at meetings, creates the Regional Directory, and, when feasible, assists the Coordinator with the maintenance of the treasury and its records
• Public Relations/Historian Officer: keeps a record of the Regional year and produces the Regional Newsletter at least quarterly.  Maintains a chapter picture page/history for the Region. Is probably the official moderator of the miptk-chapters and MIRegion-Board list serves.

     Please see the By-Laws for a fuller description of the officer responsibilities.

All officers help run Regional meetings and serve as Regional representatives and speakers at various chapter functions during the year. Regional officers should be prepared to attend the three official Regional meetings during their year in office, an Officer Orientation, and possibly a few other general officer meetings, including some on-line. Generally, officers have no costs at official Regional events except for travel and an occasional meal, for which they may use some of their official expenditure allowance, currently $200. In addition, it is expected that Regional officers will attend the International Honors Institute, for which they receive a tuition (but not travel) scholarship. Currently, Regional officers also receive a stipend of $400 for travel to the International Convention, which they are strongly encouraged to attend.  (This IC allowance is subject to an annual vote of the Region and can be received only if the officer attends the IC.)

All officers should occasionally be available to visit chapters as guests for such events as

Orientations, Inductions, and so forth, to be observers, to give advice, or to speak on the International Honors Study Topic or the Service Project or Leadership. (If elected, the candidate agrees to present three speeches on these three topics at the Orientation.) The chapter inviting the officer to speak or visit the chapter should provide a stipend to cover the officer’s costs. Please Note:  Because of occasional Regional Officer meetings, these speaking engagements, and the Officer Orientation, it is strongly recommended that all officer candidates have a reliable method of transportation at their command!

Regional officer candidates should return the enclosed form to the Regional Coordinator by May 14, 2007.  Candidates should prepare a three minute speech on the 2006-08 Honors Study Topic (“Gold, Gods and Glory:  The Global Struggle for Power”) to be delivered on the morning of Saturday, May 19; they should also be prepared to answer three or four Phi Theta Kappa-related questions posed by the current officers after their speeches.  Each candidate will be given a table for campaign materials during Saturday’s Political Rally.  Candidates may not distribute campaign materials at other times during the Convention except for a limited number of supporters when they make their declaration of candidacy to the host chapter. (Further explanation will be provided at the mandatory Candidate Orientation on Friday evening, May 18.)  The Michigan Region does not limit the amount (except prior to the Political Rally) or kind of campaign material distributed, but please use common sense and good taste.  Remember:  Phi Theta Kappans are intelligent folk!

To prepare for the questions the current officers might ask, candidates should read the International Constitution, the Michigan By-Laws, a Chapter Resource Manual and an Officer’s Manual before the Convention, and be at least somewhat cognizant of the material therein.  Some questions might simply be judgment questions to determine how well a candidate can think and react in a spontaneous fashion; for instance, a candidate might be asked what famous historical person he/she most admires or most would have liked to be…or what he/she would do if he/she witnessed a fellow officer picking his/her nose in public. Some might relate to Phi Theta Kappa history.

Each chapter will be asked to designate one member as its voting delegate.  This person will vote for the entire chapter, but should consult the chapter members for their input.  Members should share their viewpoints of the candidates with the voting delegate.  A simple majority of votes cast determines the winner.  Ties require a run-off vote.  The officer candidates themselves vote for the Sherman Award (the candidate who best represents the values of Phi Theta Kappa).  The winner receives two free registrations to the next Regional Convention.

Questions?  Call Tom Obee at 810-989-5587 or e-mail at tobee@sc4.edu or mail to St. Clair County Community College, 323 Erie St., P.O. Box 5015, Port Huron, MI 48061-5015.