Kappa Pi

Kappa Pi International Art Fraternity (Greek: ΚΠ)

Kappa Pi is an international honorary art fraternity with the purpose of uniting artists who care about art in its role in life. This fraternity bonds conscientious artists together to form a unit which is influential in the art department as well as the community.

Requirements

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.

If one meets these minimum requirements then he/she is eligible for membership in Kappa Pi. Students may be selected for membership in Kappa Pi by the following ways:

Through nominations by several faculty members of the art department and/or
Portfolio review

If you are starting a new or reactivated chapter, a portfolio committee made up of the chapter advisers and one or more art department faculty members could review a student portfolio of five or more works. The next year the portfolio committee could be made up of two chapter advisers, or faculty members and three or more student Kappa Pi members (usually chapter officers). Portfolio evaluation criteria could include ratings on the quality of work, content, craftsmanship and the presentation of each work. This portfolio evaluation criteria should be passed on to the student before the portfolio is submitted.

Art history majors are chosen mainly on their academic standing. Each chapter can decide how new members are selected.

Faculty Sponsors

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.

Roster

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.

Initiation Ceremony

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.

Chapter Bylaws

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 blanket bylaws 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.

Chapter Meetings

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.

Membership

The fiscal year for Kappa Pi is from September 1 to May 31 of any year. Initiates in the fall will, of course, receive more benefits than those being initiated in the late spring. Initiations can be held at any time during the fiscal year, at the discretion of the university art department and chapter sponsors. Kappa Pi publications, The Sketch Pad in the fall and The Sketch Book in the spring, will be sent to all active members, initiates, alumni and associate members upon payment of annual dues. Faculty Sponsors, Honorary Members and Patrons receive complimentary copies of the publication each year.

Membership Levels

Active Members

$10.00 annual dues. Active members are those students who have previously paid an initiation fee and have been inducted into a chapter. To remain in an active status, students and officers pay this annual fee at the beginning of each school year (September).

Initiates

$25.00 paid only once. Those students new to the organization and who are being inducted into the chapter will pay $25.00 their first year. Initiates will receive a membership certificate, pin, and the publications. The $25.00 fee is considered as initiation and first year dues.

Faculty

$10.00 annually. Any faculty member wishing to hold membership will be considered active upon payment of $10.00 dues annually. No initiation fee is required.

Faculty Sponsors

No dues are required. A limit of two faculty members to act as sponsors is requested to facilitate communication between local and international offices. Sponsors are requested to supervise all reports to the international office to insure accuracy.

Alumni

$10.00 annually. This category includes members of the organization who have received their degree but who wish to remain in touch with Kappa Pi.

Associate Membership

$25.00 initiation; $10.00 annually. Community persons or educational faculty other than art can receive membership with a local chapter by following the same procedures as a student initiate: $25.00 upon initiation and $10.00 after the first year.

Honorary Membership

No dues required. Given to Nationally and Internationally recognized artists/craftsmen. Names are presented to the president and Board for vote.

Patron

No dues are required. This title is bestowed upon any person or community group who makes a significant gift to a local chapter. A certificate is made available for presentation.

Life Membership

$100.00, paid only once. Contributions are made to the International Scholarship Endowment. The Life Member receives a special certificate and all publications. (Tax deductible)

Charter Fee

$50.00 paid only once.

Chapter Reactivation Fee

$10.00.