Rules and Regulations:
| Introduction | Prior to Convention |
| Candidate Campaign Material | Candidate
Campaign Booth |
| Candidate Caucus |
|
Candidate Finalists in the Academic Marketplace |
| Candidate Finalists' Speeches | Election/Polling Process |
Five International Officers will be elected during the 92nd Annual Convention:
- International President
- Division I Vice President
- Division II Vice President
- Division III Vice President
- Division IV Vice President
The Annual Convention will be held April 8-10, 2010, at the Walt Disney Swan and Dolphin Resort® in Orlando, Florida. One voting delegate will be appointed to represent each chapter in attendance at the Annual Convention. Each voting delegate will be entitled to one vote in each of the five officer elections. Thus, all voting delegates may vote in all five elections.
A Phi Theta Kappa member may be a candidate for International Office only once (as stated in Chapter I, Section 2B of the Society's International Constitution and Bylaws).
The campaign for International Office is intended to be a fun, educational and rewarding experience for every candidate. To ensure the accomplishment of this goal, rules and regulations have been established. Any violation may result in a candidate being disqualified from the campaign. Violations should be reported immediately to Dean of Service Learning Jennifer Stanford or to another Headquarters staff member.
Prior to the Annual Convention:
Many candidates choose to appoint a campaign manager to assist them in preparing for the International Officer Campaign. It is not a Headquarters requirement that each candidate has a campaign manager; however, if one is appointed, he/she must be a provisional or active member of Phi Theta Kappa (enrolled in a two-year college). An alumni member or former International Officer may not serve in this leadership position. Furthermore, a member may only serve once as a campaign manager. It is acceptable, however, for alumni and former International Officers to support the candidate as a member of the campaign team.
It is acceptable for chapter advisors to serve on a candidate's campaign team. However, Regional Coordinators are STRONGLY DISCOURAGED from serving on a campaign team.
Phi Theta Kappa Headquarters strongly discourages mass communication about a member's candidacy prior to the Annual Convention in order to maintain as much equity, objectivity and fairness in the campaign as possible and to keep campaign costs to a minimum. While it is not encouraged, candidate applicants are NOT prohibited from communicating with members throughout the Society regarding their intentions to run for International Office. This should be interpreted to mean that candidates (or any representative of the candidate) may distribute any campaign materials, letters, email messages, etc. prior to the Annual Convention in Orlando, Florida.
Although Headquarters does not monitor pre-Convention campaigning, candidates are cautioned to keep campaign costs to a minimum. It's dedication, not dollars, that makes you a strong candidate!
Regional primaries are prohibited. If a region has more than one candidate seeking the same International Office, the region may not hold a contest to determine which one will proceed to the Annual Convention.
Regions are allowed to feature information about International Officer candidate(s) on their website and/or in their newsletter. Candidates for International Office may give a brief speech at their regional convention as long as each candidate from the region is given equal time.
Any member who is considering a campaign for International Office is STRONGLY DISCOURAGED from attending regional meetings outside his/her region. Traveling to other regions can be costly and it is Headquarters' intention to prevent the campaign from becoming cost-prohibitive. Any candidate applicant who attends another region's meeting may NOT be introduced as a candidate and may NOT give a presentation or speech.
By Friday, March 12, 2010, Headquarters will send each candidate applicant a list of all candidate applicants' names and email addresses. Candidates may correspond with one another prior to the Annual Convention. However, candidates are cautioned to keep communications to a minimum out of respect for all candidates during this very busy time. DO NOT add candidates to a mailing list without their permission.
By Friday, March 26, 2010, Phi Theta Kappa Headquarters will post photos and essays of each candidate applicant on the official Phi Theta Kappa Convention website at http://convention.ptk.org.
Candidates for International Office may NOT be nominated by their Regional Coordinator to serve as Convention Flag Bearers during the Convention's Opening Ceremonies. Candidates are also NOT allowed to serve as Educational Forum or Honors in Action Academy presenters at the Annual Convention, and may not perform on stage in a solo or small-group performance.
Phi Theta Kappa reserves the right to extend the application deadline if a race is uncontested.
Candidates may NOT switch offices after the application deadline unless a race is uncontested.
Rules and Regulations: Candidate Campaign Material
Only ONE distributable information piece may be used by each candidate. No other items may be distributed. The "distributable information piece" may be a brochure, newsletter or flier of any size which will be distributed to delegates at the Annual Convention. The item should contain the candidate's name, office he/she is seeking, and information about the candidate (e.g., his/her qualifications for International Office, awards received, chapter/regional offices held, etc.). Please use recycled paper for printed matter if possible.
Each candidate is required to provide a sketch or rough draft of his/her distributable information piece for approval along with the Candidate Application Packet. The Candidate Application Packet MUST BE RECEIVED at Headquarters by February 24, 2010. A final draft of the information piece must be submitted for final approval no later then March 24, 2010. DO NOT PRINT mass quantities of your campaign information piece until you have received FINAL approval from Headquarters.
Candidates are prohibited from using quotations or statements of endorsement from Phi Theta Kappa Headquarters staff members, current International Officers, Regional Coordinators, the Board of Directors or Alumni Advisory Council representatives in their campaign materials, including their campaign booths in the Academic Marketplace.
While it is acceptable to include photos of Regional Coordinators in their campaign materials, candidates may NOT use photos or images of Headquarters staff members, current International Officers, the Board of Directors or Alumni Advisory Council representatives in any of their campaign materials, including the campaign booth.
Do NOT use any copyrighted images or slogans based on, or parodies of, commercial advertising in your campaign materials. Original materials should be used primarily, although you may adapt well-known adages or quotes to fit your campaign. Because the Convention will be held at the Walt Disney World Resort®, we want to especially emphasize that no Disney characters or logos can be used in any way on any campaign material, nor can Disney accessories, such as stuffed toys or t-shirts, be used to promote a candidate's campaign. All Disney characters, live and animated, are protected by copyright and Disney makes no exceptions. A candidate who disregards this and chooses to bring Disney-related campaign material will not be allowed to display or distribute it. This applies to slightly altered facsimiles of Disney characters that proliferate on the Internet. The Phi Theta Kappa Convention logo is also copyrighted and cannot be used by candidates in any of their campaign materials. It is acceptable to use the Phi Theta Kappa Key, Crest and Seal.
In an effort to make the campaign process less commercial and more professional, please note that an attachment to the "distributable information piece" is NOT ALLOWED. Candidates may not distribute "theme oriented" pieces such as buttons, edible items, rulers, pencils, key chains, stamps, etc.
By limiting each candidate to the use of only one distributable information piece, it is the goal of Headquarters to keep campaign costs to a minimal amount. This rule is intended to instill a greater sense of equality into the campaign process and to encourage more members from chapters with financial constraints to run for International Office.
The information piece may only be distributed INSIDE the Academic Marketplace when the candidate booth is manned. When the campaign booth is unmanned, the campaign information piece SHOULD NOT be left in a stack that may be picked up by delegates. The information piece must be secured to the table if left on display while the booth is unmanned.
Approximately 750 copies of the campaign information piece should be sufficient.
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Candidates and/or campaign workers may NOT distribute materials OUTSIDE the Marketplace at any time. On Saturday, campaign material may be distributed ONLY from the candidate's table inside the Marketplace.
No campaign promotional materials are allowed to be posted on hotel or convention center property (walls, doors, ceilings, pillars, windows, light poles, etc.). This policy is strictly enforced to reduce the possibility of liability ramifications resulting from damage to hotel/convention center property. Please note this policy includes the restriction of ALL types of wall posters since these would greatly detract from the aesthetic appearance of the hotel and convention center.
T-shirts and/or campaign costumes worn by the candidate and/or campaign workers are acceptable. However, no more than 20 campaign workers may wear campaign costumes. This includes campaign buttons, decals, t-shirts, hats, etc. Campaign workers may begin to wear costumes upon arrival at Convention.
Rules and Regulations: Candidate Campaign Booth
Each candidate will be given one 6-foot table to serve as the campaign booth, and candidates may add any booth decorations in good taste. Decoration of the campaign booth is left to the imagination and discretion of the candidates, but displays behind the booth may not be higher than 8 feet tall. The table height is 30 inches. The depth of the booth cannot exceed 6 feet. Please note that balloons are not allowed.
Campaign booths need not be elaborate. One table and tablecloth are supplied by Headquarters. All other supplies must be provided by the candidate. Remember, it is dedication, not dollars, that makes a winner!
Due to rigid union regulations and fire codes, table spaces will not be equipped with electrical outlets. Candidates are prohibited from using electrically or battery operated devices in their campaign table spaces. However, it is acceptable for battery-operated devices to be used as part of the campaign costume as long as it does not create excessive noise.
Booth spaces will be assigned alphabetically by last name within offices sought (i.e., all presidential candidate booths will be located in the same section. A presidential candidate whose last name begins with "A" would be assigned the first space in the row of presidential candidate booths, and so forth...). In previous years, candidates have been successful regardless of their booth location. Candidates with last names from A to Z have been elected.
Candidates must respect the booth spaces of other candidates. Do not campaign in front of other candidates' booths.
No campaign materials are allowed to be posted on the hotel and convention center property inside or outside the Academic Marketplace. However, a candidate is allowed to bring corkboards, easels or other surfaces on which they can post campaign materials behind his/her booth.
Individual candidates may NOT offer any form of "door prizes" or food items at their campaign tables. Only one pre-approved distributable information piece may be given away.
To avoid overcrowding, candidates and campaign team members are not allowed to campaign at the entrances to the Academic Marketplace.
Candidates are responsible for removing decorations and materials from their campaign tables and for cleaning their assigned table spaces. All candidates' booth spaces must be cleared on Saturday, April 10.
Rules and Regulations: Candidate Caucus
Executive Director Rod Risley will conduct an interview with each candidate via videoconference prior to the Annual Convention. The Caucus interviews will be posted to the Convention website at http://convention.ptk.org and shown in the Walt Disney Swan and Dolphin Hotel Rooms via closed-circuit television.
The questions posed by Mr. Risley generally relate to Phi Theta Kappa programs, opinions on current events, etc. and are NOT revealed prior to the interview.
In order to conduct this interview via videoconference, candidates must have access to the following: a) a computer; b) high-speed Internet connection; c) a webcam; and d) telephone (headset preferred). If you do not have access to the items listed above, please contact Jennifer Stanford at jennifer.stanford@ptk.org or 601.984.3532.
The videoconferences will be scheduled on three different days to accommodate candidate applicants' schedules. Interviews will be scheduled between the hours of 1:00 pm - 6:00 pm Central Time on Tuesday, March 9; Wednesday, March 10; and Thursday, March 11. Each interview with Mr. Risley will be approximately 5 minutes in length, but applicants should allow at least one hour in their schedules in case of technical difficulties. A time to test the videoconference set-up will be announced.
Candidates are NOT allowed to have props or notecards during the caucus videoconference.
Candidates should wear professional business attire for the videoconference. Your Golden Key membership pin is also recommended.
Rules and Regulations: Conversations with the Candidate Finalists in the Academic Marketplace
Candidate Finalists are required to campaign a final time on Saturday, April 10, at their campaign booths in the Academic Marketplace. This will provide a final one-on-one campaign opportunity.
Only the candidate finalist and his/her campaign manager may be stationed at the booth.
A candidate may distribute remaining copies of his/her information piece.
All campaign booth items must be completely removed by 1:30 pm on Saturday. Neither Phi Theta Kappa nor the hotel will be responsible for items left in the Academic Marketplace after that time.
Rules and Regulations: Candidate Finalists' Speeches - the Honors Study Topic Speech
The top ten candidates from Friday's election (two from each officer race) shall become "candidate finalists" and will present speeches on the 2010-2011 Honors Study Topic, "The Democratization of Information: Power, Peril and Promise."
The candidate finalists' speeches will be presented during the Third General Session on Saturday, April 10.
This speech MUST NOT be presented as a "campaign speech." Instead it should be presented as an opportunity to speak on the Honors Study Topic. When preparing their Honors Study Topic speeches, candidates should refer to the new Honors Program Guide, which will be available online in January 2010 at www.ptk.org/honors/guide.
It is expected the content of the speech will be the work of the candidate; however, each candidate is encouraged to seek assistance from fellow members, advisors, and instructors in preparing for the Honors Study Topic speech.
All Honors Study Topic speeches are limited to THREE minutes and are strictly timed; time begins with the candidate's first utterance. After two minutes and thirty seconds, a candidate will be given a signal that only thirty seconds remain. Candidates will not be allowed to continue after three minutes. Candidates should remember to allow for audience reactions (applause, laughter, etc.) when practicing the timing of their speeches.
Props brought on stage by the candidate only may be used in giving speeches; however, additional audio/visual equipment such as PowerPoint, videos, or sound equipment is prohibited. A microphone and podium will be provided.
Speeches begin with Division I Vice Presidential candidates and conclude with International Presidential candidates.
Rules and Regulations: Election/Polling Process
The first election takes place on Friday, April 9. The top two candidates in each race are announced at the end of the Second General Session on Friday. The run-off election is held on Saturday, April 10.
Voting delegates cast a vote in each of the five International Officer races. Only active members of active chapters may serve as voting delegates at the Annual Convention. Neither alumni members nor chapter advisors may serve as a voting delegate for the chapter.
Campaigning is not permitted during the polling process. Candidates are not permitted to be within 100 feet of the entrance to the polls during the hours of polling. The only exception to this rule is if the candidate is the ONLY member representative of the chapter at the Convention and is therefore serving as the chapter's voting delegate.
The vote-counting process is monitored by at least one non-partisan Society constituent (e.g., an alumnus) AND at least one person who is NOT affiliated with Phi Theta Kappa.
Election results are posted on Phi Theta Kappa's website (www.ptk.org) within two weeks following the Annual Convention.
If you have any questions regarding the campaign rules, please contact Jennifer Stanford at 601.984.3532.
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