Magister

The Magister is the chief executive officer of the Inn, and supervises and directs the work of the other officers.  

The Magister serves as the official representative of the Inn at all official functions both inside and outside the law community. As chief liaison officer with International Headquarters, the Magister is responsible for seeing that deadlines set by the Executive Director for various reports and forms are met. The Magister may delegate various responsibilities to other officers and members of the Inn.  Presiding at all meetings of the Inn, the Magister conducts them in accordance with parliamentary procedure. It is the duty of the Magister to appoint a Parliamentarian selected from the general membership or elected officers of the Inn. The Parliamentarian advises the Inn on all procedural matters including the interpretation of Bylaws and parliamentary rules. A passing familiarity with Robert's Rules of Order is helpful.  The Magister is required to call general meetings in the fall and spring terms as provided by the Inn Bylaws. Whenever the Magister deems it necessary, a special meeting may be called of the general membership or the executive board. Unless otherwise provided, all committee chairpersons and any ad hoc committees are appointed by the Magister, with the advice and consent of the executive board.

The Magister appoints the Benchers for conducting the Ritual and presides at all initiations. As a practical matter, if faculty and alumni members are present for the Ritual, as they should be, the Magister may ask one of these individuals to serve as Chancellor.  Magisters are responsible for conducting initiation ceremonies in a serious manner so that old and new members alike may participate in a meaningful ceremony. In 1979, at the 44th General Convention, delegates recommended that a short narrative be read to all initiates to acquaint them with the history of the Fraternity. It is the duty of the Magister to select a member (usually the Historian) to read this narrative at some point prior to the Initiation ceremony.  The following forms are to be filed at International Headquarters by the Magister on the dates requested by the Executive Director: Balfour Scholarship nominees - fall term; International Exchange Award nominees - fall term; Request for Certificates of Merit - within 2 weeks of election of new officers; and the Bylaws/Amendments to Bylaws of Inn - within 2 weeks of adoption. SPECIAL NOTE: Certificates of Recognition may be requested for outstanding Faculty Advisors and Alumni at any time. In addition, International Graduate and Inn of the Year forms are to be filed with the Province President each Spring, and materials pertaining to the Fraternity's Biennial Convention when requested.

Vice Magister

The Bylaws of an Inn may provide for a Vice Magister. The Vice Magister succeeds to the office of Magister in the event of death, resignation, or permanent disability of the Magister.

If the Magister is temporarily disabled, the Vice Magister performs the duties of the Magister in the interim. If the office of the Magister is vacant, or if the Magister is absent, the Vice Magister temporarily fills the duties of that office. 

An executive board meeting may be called for the purpose of naming a Vice Magister to the position of acting Magister. This meeting is called and chaired by the Clerk. The Vice Magister must receive a majority vote of the executive board to be named acting Magister. The acting Magister holds office until the Magister's return, the next regular election, or until a special meeting is held, if such is deemed necessary. Normally, the Vice Magister is elevated in office to the position of Magister if this individual's performance has been satisfactory. The position of Vice Magister thus becomes a learning position and should be used accordingly.

The Vice Magister alternately serves as chairperson at meetings of the general membership and executive board. This officer is the membership coordinator of the Inn; co-chairperson, with the Clerk, of the membership committee; and an ex-officio member of all committees.

An increasing number of Inns at law schools having both day and night divisions find it useful to create a position of "Night Vice Magister" in order to provide a direct line of communication to night law students. In addition, some of these Inns alternate membership meetings in order that both day and night students have an opportunity to participate in the activities of their Inn.

Clerk

The Clerk keeps a permanent written account of the proceedings of the Inn and attends to its correspondence.

The records of this officer are the only true, accurate and impartial account of the minutes of each meeting of the general membership and the executive board. When necessary, the Clerk calls and chairs an executive board meeting for the purpose of naming a Vice Magister to the position of acting Magister. Official correspondence handled by the Clerk includes any communication with Council members and the Executive Director.  The Clerk also posts and sends all notices to members and alumni.  The Clerk is responsible for the regular filing of Form H. Each Inn shall schedule only one election each academic year to be held on or before the first Tuesday in April and shall immediately report the election results to the Province President and International Headquarters. The complete, timely, and accurate filing of Form H is absolutely essential as it is the form most often used by Province Presidents and International Headquarters when contacting Inn officers. Always include email addresses and telephone numbers for each officer.  Another responsibility of the Clerk is to keep an accurate roster of the Inn. This roll or list of members with current addresses is updated with each succeeding initiation.

Exchequer

The Exchequer, who is in charge of the finances of the Inn, collects and disburses all money, and maintains accurate records of financial transactions. The Exchequer also has custody of and is responsible for any Inn property.

A specific financial duty of this officer is to collect all initiation fees in advance of the initiation date and forward these to the Executive Director at International Headquarters immediately after the initiation ceremony. All such fees must be accompanied by Forms F: Individual Initiation Report and one Form G: Exchequer's Initiation Remittance Sheet. See sample forms in Appendix. Another duty of the Exchequer is to carefully review all Forms F submitted by initiates to ensure that the information is accurate and complete. When checking these forms, it is important to note that signatures of both an Inn officer and the initiate are required; the correct date of birth has been entered; the Inn name and date of initiation have been supplied; and, above all, that information has been clearly printed or typed. The Constitution requires that all fees be forwarded to International Headquarters within thirty days of initiation, although it is highly recommended that fees be forwarded immediately after the initiation. After collection of all initiation fees, the Exchequer deposits the individual fees into the account of the Inn, and writes a single Inn check* for the total of these fees. Forms F, one Form G, and a check for the total amount are then sent to International Headquarters. The jewelry options (tie tack, key, key pin, sterling silver cuff links) are available upon request from International Headquarters; all orders must be prepaid. International Headquarters notifies the Magister of the price structure for jewelry at the beginning of the academic year. The Fraternity has a merchandising program offering t-shirts, sweatshirts, golf shirts, etc. imprinted with its logo. Details are available from International Headquarters and on our website at www.phideltaphi.org.

In the event that the Magister is absent, and the Inn has no Vice Magister, the Exchequer will preside at meetings. Unless an Inn has income or expenditures in excess of $25,000, the Exchequer does not have to file an Internal Revenue Form 990. If you receive any correspondence from the Internal Revenue Service, contact the Executive Director immediately for clarification and assistance. The Exchequer also will spend an appropriate amount of time acquainting the incoming Exchequer with official duties, such as those relevant to banking procedures and the filing of initiations with Headquarters.

* Please do not send individual checks.

Historian

The Historian maintains records containing the personal history and addresses of all Active, Barrister and Honorary members of the Inn.

The Historian cooperates with the Clerk in maintaining close alumni relations. Another duty is to safely preserve a history of the Inn. At some point prior to each initiation ceremony (usually just prior to commencement of the Ritual), the Historian reads to all initiates the narrative history provided by International Headquarters. Upon request, the Historian submits articles for online publication on the Fraternity's website. Publicity concerning a local Inn's activities, when reported on the website, serves as a valuable tool for recruiting new members. Submitted articles should be concise accounts of recent Inn activities or news relating to members of the Inn. Submissions may be accompanied by photographs pertaining to the article. All articles are subject to editing due to a limited amount of space available.