Find a chapter

Start a chapter

Calendar

Report forms

Chapter assistance

Service ideas

Fundraising ideas

Publicity help

Technology help

Reading is Leading project ideas

Membership and selection help

Mortar Board Week planning

Virtual Book Drive

Chapter FAQ

Chat with Mortar Board

Networking
INK newsletter

Handbooks and guides

Spotlight chapters

Advisor resources

 

Mortar Board chapter FAQ

Click the question mark to see the answer.

What are the Chapter Minimum Standards?

Chapter Minimum Standards are established as part of the Bylaws (Article VI, Section 1.22).

The following list of standards is essential for minimum chapter operations.  Officers should refer to the Mortar Board chapter operational handbooks and guides for the required information and deadlines.  Chapters must:

1. Select new members on the basis of distinguished ability and achievement in scholarship, leadership and service, in accordance with established procedures.
   
2. Submit the Chapter Planning Calendar and the Membership Recruitment and Selection Plan (MRSP) according to published deadlines.
   
3. Prior to tapping, send the names and qualifications of candidates to the National Office on the Official Membership Report for verification.
   
4. Tap new members before the end of the school year.
   
5. Hold an orientation program prior to initiation for those tapped.
   
6. Hold an initiation ceremony for new members. 
   
7. Collect the national fees associated with membership prior to initiation. Submit all membership and chapter fees together with the Official Membership Report to the National Office. 
   
8. Elect new chapter officers before the end of the school year.  The outgoing chapter officers in cooperation with the advisor(s) shall orient the new officers before the end of the school year. All officers are to receive, maintain and pass on a manual of pertinent information for that office.
   
9. Hold regular and frequent meetings (a minimum of once a month during the school year).
   
10. Establish a participation policy.
    
11. Have at least one advisor.  It is recommended that a chapter have more than one (1) and that advisors serve for a minimum of two (2) years to aid in continuity of chapter operations.
    
12. Submit an annual report, including a financial report (and appropriate IRS forms, if necessary) to the National Office by the end of the school year. If a chapter’s annual income exceeds the minimum threshold set by the Internal Revenue Service, the chapter must comply with the reporting requirements and copy the National Office on all correspondence.
    
13. Send a delegate to the conference(s). 
    
14. Develop and implement programs related to the ideals of scholarship, leadership and service that encourage collaborations between the chapter and other student organizations, alumni, other Mortar Board chapters or the community at-large.
    
15. Develop and implement programs related the National Project, Reading is Leading.

Successful chapters will go beyond the minimum list above.  The Mortar Board chapter operational handbooks and guides include recommendations for chapter development.

Chapter reports, reporting deadlines for membership, chapter operations and maintenance of tax exempt status will be established by the National Council.  The listing of the required reports and optional reports is published in the Mortar Board chapter operational handbooks and guides.

Can I have a sample of ____?
The National Office provides templates and examples of many different documents that might be useful for your chapter. Samples and templates for topics related to the membership selection process are located here.

Visit the handbooks and guides page to see all of Mortar Board’s publications, many of which contain sample documents, or request templates by e-mailing mbforum@mortarboard.org.

How can I know when our chapter’s forms are due?
For a complete calendar of due dates for all pertinent chapter forms (including required forms and some optional forms), please click here or view the list.

We have a chapter member who never shows up or is not pulling their weight, and we feel it is unfair to our other chapter members who work very hard.  What can we do?
It is unfortunate when any member of an organization chooses to not participate fully.  First, try to talk with the person about why they are not participating; perhaps they have a class or work conflict.  If your chapter cannot establish contact with the person or the person does not have a valid excuse for not participating, and your chapter feels strongly enough about taking action, you have two options.  First, you could ask the person to resign their membership in Mortar Board.  Or, you could go through the process of removing them from the chapter.  Both of these policies are outlined in our Bylaws.

How will my chapter receive membership pins, certificates and membership booklets? Do I have to order them?
Once your chapter's Official Membership Report is submitted, a package containing all of the necessary materials for tapping, initiation and orientation will be shipped to your chapter's primary mailing address, typically the senior advisor. This package contains:

• Informational Mortar Board brochures
• Member Guides for new initiates, to be used as a part of orientation
• A merchandise brochure for new members and chapters who may choose to order items for new initiates
• An Initiation Ceremony Booklet to assist with initiation preparation
• Mortar Board’s Bylaws, the Society's official governing documents
• Membership certificates for each selected member, with names printed as they were reported to the National Office on the OMR
• Official Mortar Board pins for each new initiate

What is a Chapter Citation?
Chapter Citations are given to individuals whom a chapter wishes to honor for one reason or another.  Oftentimes these individuals have given generously to the Mortar Board chapter in some way.  If you would like to present someone with a chapter citation, please contact Megan at the National Office.

I am having problems with the OMR or another online form.  HELP!
While making forms electronic often makes them easier to submit and process, there are sometimes glitches.  If you encounter a problem while submitting your Official Membership Report, Chapter Financial Report, or other online form, please call the National Office at 1-800-989-6266 so that we may assist you.  We also recommend using Internet Explorer as sometimes our forms have functionality problems with Firefox and Netscape.

We are having trouble finding out the upper 35 percent GPA of our junior class/ establishing our chapter’s GPA standard.  What should we do?
In order to obtain the upper 35th percentile GPA of your junior class (the cut-off number your chapter should be using for membership), you need to contact the registrar at your college or university.  This person is in charge of keeping all student records and should be able to release this number to you.  While some schools will also assist you by giving you the names of all students who meet that GPA or even sending out e-mails on behalf of your chapter, some will not due to privacy laws.  If you are having difficulty with your school releasing this number to you, please contact Megan at the National Office.  Please note that our Constitution and Bylaws require that you use the GPA figure that represents the upper 35th percentile of your junior class or a 3.0 for your chapter GPA standard, whichever figure is HIGHER.

Where can I get a list of alumni from my chapter or alums that live in my area?
The National Office is able to do ZIP code searches and provide you with the contact information of alumni either from your chapter or who live in your area (or both).  Please e-mail mortarboard@mortarboard.org with the ZIP codes you would like lists for, or phone in your request by calling the National Office at 1-800-989-6266 ext. 103.

I am trying to access my chapter’s information and forms online, and I am being asked for a chapter passcode.  What is that?
No forms currently require a passcode. If you are getting this message, you may be trying to access a form that no longer exists. Please visit www.mortarboard.org/forms for the updated versions of the forms you need. If you have any questions, please contact your section coordinator or the National Office at 1-800-989-6266.

My chapter is looking for programming ideas for fundraising, community service, or other events.  Do you have any suggestions?
Visit the chapter help pages of this Web site to see extensive listings of programming information for a variety of chapter activities including service and fundraising. For additional guidance, please view the various handouts and presentations from the annual Mortar Board National Conference could provide guidance.

It is also helpful to view award-winning projects from other chapters across the country:

• 2008-2009 Project Excellence Award recipients and project descriptions
• 2007-2008 Project Excellence Award recipients and project descriptions
• 2006-2007 Project Excellence Award recipients and project descriptions

I have heard that our chapter is tax-exempt.  What does this mean for us and how do I get proof of our status?
All Mortar Board chapters are exempt from federal income tax.  Most states accept this status and exempt chapters from state tax as well.  If you need specific proof of your chapter’s tax exempt status, including your federal tax ID ("EIN") number, please contact the National Office.

Having an EIN number and affiliation with national Mortar Board comes with responsibilities.  Your chapter must file the annual Chapter Finance Report each spring to maintain nonprofit status with the IRS.  Additionally, if your chapter has more than $25,000 of income during the year, you must file additional paperwork with the IRS.  Assistance for this specialized type of reporting is available from the National Office.

If your chapter is not yet tax-exempt, be sure to file with the IRS and record your EIN number with the National Office. 

How do I set up my nationally-provided chapter e-mail address? What is it?

Each Mortar Board chapter is given its own mortarboard.org e-mail address that can be accessed through Mortar Board's own Google Mail (Gmail) application. A complete list of chapter e-mail addresses is available here. Your e-mail password may have been passed down to you from a previous chapter officer or advisor, but if you are unable to locate it, please contact the National Office at mortarboard@mortarboard.org or 1-800-989-6266.

All chapters are required to consistently log in to their Google account and regularly check e-mail.

• Log in at http://chapter.mortarboard.org
• Insert your username and password for your chapter e-mail address
• Use this e-mail address to collect membership applications, send out chapter minutes, contact potential members and more.

Message forwarding

Interested in forwarding your Mortar Board mail to another address? Simply navigate to “Settings” and click on the “Forwarding and POP/IMAP” tab to redirect messages to a different e-mail address.

Outlook and Blackberry compatibility

• Download Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook
  Google Apps Sync for Microsoft Outlook is a plugin that provides high fidelity contacts, calendar and e-mail synchronization.
• Download Google Apps Connector for BlackBerry Enterprise Server
  Google Apps Connector is a software component that installs on BlackBerry Enterprise Server (BES) and integrates the Google Apps messaging suite with BES, letting you use built-in BlackBerry applications to access your Google Apps e-mail, calendar and contacts.

Take advantage of the other great Google services available to your chapter

• Google Sites – Use this free application to quickly create and publish a site for your Mortar Board chapter.
• Google Docs – Help with chapter transition from year to year by uploading important documents, minutes and reports to pass onto subsequent chapter officers.
• Google Calendar – Subscribe to Mortar Board’s national calendar to see important deadlines and reminders, and store your chapter’s upcoming meetings, campuswide events and activities in one safe and easy-to-access place.
• Google Talk – Call or send instant messages to your contacts, Mortar Board’s leaders, friends from the Mortar Board National Conference or more by downloading Google Talk or using the Google Talk Gadget.

What award opportunities exist for chapters?

There are many award opportunities for collegiate chapters. You can view a complete list of award opportunities here.

What is the conference fee?

Annually, the Mortar Board National Council announces the conference fee six months prior to the national conference. Each chapter is required to pay this fee, which is set at $225 for the 2011 Mortar Board National Conference. The fee helps to defray a portion (less than half) of the annual Mortar Board National Conference expenses. Donations, partnerships and support from the Mortar Board National Foundation, along with this fee, cover transportation, meal, hotel and programming costs for one official delegate from each chapter.

What is the national membership fee?
The national dues are $75 for each collegiate initiate. The local chapter may also charge additional fees for operational purposes.

Don't see your answer here? Try the membership FAQ page or contact the Mortar Board National Office by phone at 1-800-989-6266 or by e-mail at mortarboard@mortarboard.org for further assistance.