CONSTITUTION

Updated: October 7, 2026

Article I: Purpose/Mission Statement

The purpose of Tau Beta Pi is to recognize and promote leadership, excellence, innovation, and ethics in the profession of engineering through membership in its honor society. MIT Tau Beta Pi is the Massachusetts Beta Chapter of the national Tau Beta Pi organization.

Article II: Membership

1. Tau Beta Pi is an engineering honor society for undergraduate and graduate students. All MIT students are eligible for membership. Undergraduate students are invited to become candidates of Tau Beta Pi based on their academic qualifications once each semester. Juniors who rank in the top eighth of their class and seniors who rank in the top fifth of their class are invited to become candidates for membership in Tau Beta Pi. Candidates are selected by the chapter members based on their exemplary character and the completion of the eligibility requirements (service hours, personal essay, recommendation letter, and event attendance). Candidates will become members after attending the initiation ceremony. Initiation will take place at the end of eligibility cycle, which lasts approximately one semester.
2. The organization’s membership will at all times consist of at least 10 MIT students and be more than half MIT students.
3. The organization shall not discriminate based on any characteristic listed in the MIT Nondiscrimination Policy for membership, officer position, or in any other aspect.
4. The initiation fee for Tau Beta Pi is $60. This fee must be paid before an eligible student can be initiated. There will be exceptions made for students who cannot afford these dues.
5. If a member is found to be harmful to the chapter or to an individual’s health or wellbeing, they can be removed through a ⅔ vote of current members.
6. The Executive Board reserves the right to revoke the membership or officer position of any member, by a two-thirds majority vote, for non-conduct related reasons. All conduct-related complaints should be referred to the appropriate channel(s) for resolution, including, without limitation, the Institute Discrimination & Harassment Response (IDHR) Office, the Committee on Discipline (COD), and the Student Organizations, Leadership and Engagement (SOLE) Office.

Article III: Officers

Only MIT students are eligible to serve as officers in the organization. The executive board of the organization must include at least one president and one treasurer (or corresponding positions) and each officer role must be held by a distinct MIT student, meaning one student cannot serve as both president and treasurer simultaneously.

1. This organization will have the following executive officers:
   1. President
      1. Oversees all activities of the group
      2. Serves as liaison between the MIT chapter and Nationals
      3. Meets with officers to ensure the group runs smoothly
   2. Vice President
      1. Supports the president in his or her duties
      2. Leads meetings in president's absence
   3. Corresponding Secretary/Eligible Chair
      1. Oversees the eligibility process for eligible members
      2. Prepares all reports to be sent to nationals
   4. Recording Secretary/Historian
      1. Attends and takes notes at all meetings
      2. Documents TBP events through photos
   5. Treasurer
      1. Monitors and manages all financial responsibilities including budgets and reimbursements
      2. Works with SAO through reimbursement procedures
2. Officer eligibility
   1. All officers of this organization must be distinct persons who are current MIT students.
   2. Officers may be re­elected to the same position in consecutive elections.
3. Elections:
   1. Elections of officers shall occur after initiation.
   2. Any member of this organization is eligible to run for office.
   3. Quorum for elections is one­half of all active members of the group.
   4. Any member is elected if he or she wins a majority of the voting members.
   5. If more than two people are running and no one wins a majority, then ranked choice voting is used.
   6. The term of office runs from one election to the subsequent election.
4. Removal: Officers may be removed by a two­thirds vote of the members.

Article IV: Meetings

1. Meetings shall be held at least once every year.
2. Meetings shall be presided over by the president, unless he or she is absent, and in that case the vice president shall preside.
3. All decisions shall be made by a majority vote of all members present.
4. Quorum for a meeting shall be one­quarter of the members of the organization.

Article V: Amendments

1. Amendments shall be presented by any member of the organization.
2. Amendments shall be passed by a two­thirds voted of the members present.
3. Quorum for amending this constitution shall be one­half of all members of the organization.
4. In no event shall any proposed amendment conflict with ASA guidelines, policies, or other MIT policies.

Article VI: ASA Governance Clause

Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society agrees to abide by the policies and guidelines of the Association of Student Activities (ASA), its Executive Board, as well as the MIT Mind and Hand Book and the MIT Student Organization Handbook, all as may be subject to change from time to time. This Constitution, amendments to it, and the Bylaws of this organization shall be subject to review by the ASA Executive Board, to ensure that they are in accordance with the aforementioned policies and guidelines.