Selection of membership for Kappa Pi can be done in several ways. A common way is through the submission of a portfolio of at least five pieces of work. This portfolio is evaluated by a committee of faculty members and students. Each individual chapter should determine who sits on the portfolio committee. In some chapters, there is not a portfolio review rather the faculty nominate and vote on students for membership in Kappa Pi.

Nationally the requirements for membership are the completion of 12 semester hours of art courses, a 3.0 GPA in art courses (on a 4.0 scale) and a 2.0 overall GPA. These are the minimum requirements. Each chapter has the option of upgrading these requirements. Students who do not meet the requirements may become associate members with no voting rights.

Two faculty sponsors are suggested as the departmental liaisons between the chapter, the art department and the international office. The names of these sponsors are submitted along with the names of the members, but sponsors are not required to pay dues. Sponsors are entitled to all Kappa Pi benefits such as magazines, pins, certificates, etc.

The roster form should be sent to the executive office. This form should include the names of the officers, members, new initiate members and e-mail addresses of the chapter president and sponsors. The Kappa Pi membership year runs from September 1 to May 31. The initiation fee for new members is $25.00 (this includes the dues for the first year) and dues for returning members is $10.00. One check or money order for the dues and fees should be sent to the international office along with the roster form. The faculty sponsors should also sign this form.

After the roster form, dues and initiation fee are received at the international office, the new member certificates and pins will be sent to the chapter sponsor via priority mail. Any overnight or second day delivery will be billed to the chapter.

The initiation ceremony is included in the purple Constitution and Ritual booklet. Regarding the initiation for new or reactivated chapters, you may choose to elect officers for the current year and have these offers perform the ritual. They would be considered initiated by virtue of performing the ceremony. A second option would be to allow the faculty members, alumni, and/or administration to perform the ritual for you.

The international office does require that bylaws be written by individual chapters. Each chapter is unique and could conceivably need different governing laws as determined by the international bylaws. Each chapter should identify their own methods for selecting members as mentioned earlier. Some chapters alter the academic requirements to a higher standard than the international level, or may adjust membership status to suit their needs. At no point can the bylaws be less than the standards determined by International. Because of this, the vast majority of chapters operate under the ìblanket bylawsî of the fraternity.

This ensures that they are performing up to our level, and also offers a structure to use as guidelines. If significant changes are made to the bylaws provided by the fraternity, it is necessary to send a copy to the international office for executive approval.

Some chapters meet once a month, while others may meet every week. Some chapters help out at monthly art department exhibitions and other department functions, sponsor museum trips, host regional high school exhibitions, and assist with art programs at local elementary and high schools. You may refer to the chapter news section in The Sketch Book for other ideas.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any other questions.