IHC Definition
Article I - Prologue
The Interhouse Committee of the California Institute of Technology shall exist for the purpose of providing a liaison and common meeting ground between the Student Houses of said Institute, providing a forum for resolving disputes between the Student Houses, providing a communication for solution of common problems concerning said Student Houses. In accordance with ASCIT Resolution V, the IHC recognizes its existence as a body entirely separate from the corporation.
Article II - Structure
Section 1.
The voting members of the Interhouse Committee shall be the presidents of the seven Student Houses and the chancellor of Avery or their duly constituted alternates. The president, chancellor, or alternate representative from each house must be an undergraduate student.
Section 2.
The Chairman of the Interhouse Committee shall be the duly elected IHC Chairman, a general officer of the Associated Students of the California Institute of Technology, Inc. For purposes of definition, duty, election, and eligibility of this officer, the Interhouse Committee shall refer to the By-laws and Resolutions of said Corporation, as approved by the Board of Directors of said Corporation on May 23, 1966, and as affixed to the official copy of this definition. (See the ASCIT Bylaws, Article IV, Section 6.)
Section 3.
The Secretary of the Interhouse Committee shall be appointed by the Committee after all eight Houses have elected new presidents and those presidents have taken office. The procedure of candidature for this nomination shall be at the discretion of the appointing Interhouse Committee.
Section 4.
The duties of the Interhouse Committee Secretary shall be to preside over the Committee in the absence of the Chairman, to keep minutes of the proceedings of all meetings of the committee, to maintain the IHC website, to keep a running file of all business correspondence and minutes of the Committee.
Section 5.
Meetings of the Interhouse Committee shall be upon call of the Chairman or upon joint petition of any two voting members.
Section 6.
A quorum of the Interhouse Committee shall be five voting members. No meeting of the committee with less than a quorum in attendance shall be considered official, nor shall any minutes be published for such a meeting. No meeting shall begin without a quorum present. No action of the Interhouse Committee shall be considered official or binding on the members unless approved by at least five voting members.
Section 7.
The House president or representative to the Interhouse Committee must be chosen by means of a house-wide election, which is the responsibility of the House. The Interhouse Committee can in no other way direct, influence, or restrict the choosing of said president or representative.
Section 8.
The incumbent House presidents or representatives shall remain on the Interhouse Committee until at most one week after the last new House president is elected, at which point the incumbents will jointly turn over to their successors. No internal house affairs shall be affected by this rule.
Section 9.
Any voting member of the Interhouse Committee may be recalled by a three-fourths vote of the Interhouse Committee. In the event of a successful recall of a voting member, a house-wide election for a new House representative to IHC will take place within two weeks, which is the responsibility of the House. If the recalled voting member is a house president, the IHC does not recall their presidential role. The successor will take office immediately upon election.
Article III - Jurisdiction and Duties
Section 1.
The Interhouse Committee shall have jurisdiction only over all matters that concern the Student Houses collectively, but in no case shall it exercise any jurisdiction over any matter which is exclusively the concern of a single House. In matters which concern Interhouse athletics and the Discobolus competition, the Interhouse Committee shall exercise joint authority with the Athletic Department, as provided in the rules governing these competitions.
Section 2.
The Interhouse Committee shall specifically perform the following duties:
- It shall oversee and direct the freshman visitation (rotation) program. It shall try and punish any reported violations of the visitation (rotation) rules as established by the Committee.
- It shall work with the Athletic Department to ensure smooth operation of the Interhouse and Discobolus sports programs.
- It shall represent the Student House governments to the Administration on matters concerning the Houses collectively.
- It shall serve as a means of discussion and solution of problems common to the houses.
Section 3.
In the matters of Rotation, the Interhouse Committee may enact punishments for tried Rotation rule violations with three-fourths vote. Potential consequences for violators or violating houses include warnings from the president or IHC, removal from participation in picks list decisions, removal from future rotation events (including rotation dinners, desserts, and house events), and removal of a house pick from the house list.
Article IV - Legislation
Section 1.
Amendments to this Definition shall be presented at a meeting of the Interhouse Committee. If the Executive Committee of seven Houses approve said amendment subsequent to this meeting, it shall be passed. If not, the amendment may be presented again one month later, after which the approval of the Executive Committee of six Houses shall be sufficient for passage.
Section 2.
Resolutions concerning matters of policy may be added to this Definition upon approval of six voting members of the Interhouse Committee and shall be binding upon future committees unless revoked by a vote of six voting members.
Section 3.
This definition shall be considered legal when ratified by all eight houses.
Article V - Official Copies
The Chairman of the Interhouse Committee shall be responsible for keeping an official copy of this definition with all amendments, resolutions, and changes noted therein. The Chairman shall keep attached to this official Definition a copy of the By-laws and Resolutions of the Associated Students of the California Institute of Technology, Inc. (ASCIT), recognized by the Committee as official with regard to the IHC Chairman, and a copy of the Interhouse and Dicobolus sports rules as currently accepted by the Interhouse Committee and the Athletics Department.