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 YOUR QUESTIONS
ANSWERED
GENERAL FACTS:
1. What is Phi Beta Lambda?
Phi Beta Lambda is a post-secondary business
Association for students with an interest in the business world.
2. Why should an individual
want to be a member of Phi Beta Lambda?
Phi Beta Lambda, unlike so many other school
organizations, is affiliated not only on a local level but also on a State and
National level. This interaction allows students to meet and compete with
students from across the State and nation as well as to attend productive
workshops that probably could not be obtained on the local level.
3. What does “allowing
student to compete” refer to?
Phi Beta Lambda offers State and National
conferences featuring among other things over 30 academic and professional
competitions for students to test their levels of knowledge.
4. When are these
conferences held and what happens at each?
On the State level, a Fall Leadership Conference
is held each year around the first of October which serves as a training ground
for local chapter officers. The State Leadership Conference, which is held in
the spring, allows students to come together and compete in academic events and
features more workshops.
On the National level, a Regional Fall Leadership
Conference is held each year in one of the States in the Southern Region and
features a number of excellent workshops as well as motivational speakers. The
National Leadership Conference is held each year for those individuals advancing
from State-level competition from across the nation, and also offers some
wonderful workshops.
At the State Fall Leadership Conference,
delegates from those schools present elect the three board representatives. At
the State Spring Leadership Conference, delegates elect the State officers for
the next year and at the National Leadership Conference, delegates elect the
next year’s National officer team.
5. What is the membership
for the State and National Association?
Kentucky Phi Beta Lambda during the 1999-2000
school year had 35 active chapters across the State with 960 members. The
National Association is composed of over 18,000 members from approximately 55
States and territories.
6. Who is eligible to be a
member?
All that is required is an interest in the
business world. Graduate students qualify for membership, but are not permitted
to compete on the State or National levels or hold office.
7. Does a student have to
be a business major in order to be a member of PBL?
The student needs only to have an interest in the
business world. Any student who attends a school with a PBL chapter, regardless
of major field of concentration may, therefore, be a member of PBL.
8. May I form a business
education organization and name it “Phi Beta Lambda” without affiliating with
the State and National Organization?
No. The bylaws of Future business Leaders of
America-Phi Beta Lambda, Inc., State: “The official emblem and insignia item
designs are described and protected from infringement by registration in the
United States Patent Office under the Trademark Act of 1946. The manufacture,
reproduction, wearing, or displaying of the emblem shall be governed by the
Board of Directors…Only members in good standing may use official emblems and
insignia.” Therefore, the words “Phi Beta Lambda” cannot be used, legally, to
identify groups not affiliated with the State and National Association of FBLA-PBL,
Inc.
9. Should I notify the
State office if my chapter is assigned a new adviser during the year?
Yes. Any time a change occurs in the
adviser position, the new adviser should immediately notify the State officials
and National office. Failure to notify proper channels could result in State
and National mailings being delayed or lost. Also, submissions such as
registration materials, if delayed in arriving, could cause your local chapter
to miss deadlines and be ineligible to attend simply because of the lack of
communication.
DUES:
1. How much are dues?
State dues are set according to the State
bylaws at $7.00. National dues are currently $10.00. These figures are subject
to change from both levels. Local dues are assessed by the local chapter based
on local requirements. Total dues are then determined by adding National,
State, and Local dues together.
2. Who do I make State and
National dues payable to and where should they be sent?
State dues should be made payable to
Kentucky Phi Beta Lambda and mailed to the State Treasurer. A sample form is
included in the State Handbook showing the format for the remittance form. In
the fall, actual forms are mailed to each chapter with the address of the State
Treasurer printed on them. Additional forms may be obtained upon request or
copies can be made by the local chapter.
National dues should be made payable to
FBLA-PBL, Inc. and mailed to the National office (1912 Association Drive,
Reston, VA 22091-1591). Each year, the National office mails out an initial
reporting form. After this form and dues are received, the National office will
mail an additional reporting form each time dues are received. If you should
happen to lose the National remittance forms, you should contact the National
office immediately. The toll free number is 1-800-FBLA-WIN.
3. When is the deadline for
membership dues?
The State deadline for dues is determined
annually based on the date of the State Leadership Conference. It is usually
two or three weeks prior to the conference corresponding with deadlines for
registration packet materials.
The National deadline for dues is April
1.
In order to receive the first issue of
“PBL Business Leader” (the National publication), initial dues must be mailed in
by October 20.
4. What is the difference
between active, non-reporting, and inactive status?
In order for a chapter to retain active
status on the State and National levels, it must meet deadlines for dues. If
initial dues are not mailed in by the respective deadlines, the chapter will be
considered inactive. Each year, until dues are received on the State and
National level, a chapter is considered to be non-reporting. On the National
level, this means not receiving National publications. The State level will
continue to mail chapter materials to both active and non-reporting chapters but
not to inactive chapters.
5. Is there a minimum
number of members required for a chapter to remain active?
No. In order for a chapter to remain
active, a chapter needs only one member. For organizational purposes, a chapter
should try to at least maintain enough members to fill basic offices needed for
efficient functioning.
LEADERSHIP CONFERENCES:
1. Is it possible to change
the date of the Fall Leadership Conference and the State Leadership Conference
when they conflict with the school calendar?
Dates for Fall Leadership Conferences and
State Leadership Conferences are determined far in advance because of
restrictions on dates, locations, and conference plans. Moreover, due to the
large number of conference attendees, changing plans would become even more
impractical. Conference date selections are based on selecting times that will
be most convenient for the largest percentage of chapters.
2. Who is recommended to
attend these conferences, and is there a limit to the number of representatives
a chapter may send?
The Fall Leadership conference is geared
toward training local officers for their duties during the year. Workshops and
sessions are also provided for interested members; consequently, all members
that are interested are encouraged to attend. The Spring Leadership Conference
is designed for those who wish to compete; but again, workshops and sessions are
also very beneficial for non-competitors.
There is no limit to the number of
representatives that a chapter may send to either conference. In fact, the
local chapter would benefit if every member chose to attend each of these
conferences.
There is no limit to the number of
representatives that a chapter may send to either of the State-sponsored
conferences, the Southern Region Fall Leadership Conference, or National
Leadership Conference.
3. How is the number of
voting delegates determined for each chapter?
The number of voting delegates is
determined by the number of paid members in each chapter. On both the State
level and National level, the number of voting delegates is as follows:
Under 50 members – 2 voting delegates
50 - 100 members -- 3 voting delegates
Over 100 members – 4 voting delegates
4. At the Fall and Spring
Conferences, is it possible for a member who is a candidate for State office to
be a voting delegate?
Yes, this dual role is possible.
5. How many members from
each chapter may compete in an event?
If your chapter has at least 60 members,
they may enter three members in each competitive event with the exception of the
restricted events below. If your chapter has 60 or less members, they may enter
two persons in each of the non-restrictive events.
The restricted events include
Parliamentary Procedure and Business Decision Making which allow only two teams
per chapter. Due to facility restrictions, only one member from each chapter
may enter the Job Interview, Machine Transcription, Word Processing, Impromptu
Speaking, Public Speaking, and Computer Applications events. Each chapter may
submit one member for the Who’s Who Award in addition to a State Officer.
6. Is it permissible for
members who already have a degree to compete in State and National competition?
Students who have not yet received their
Bachelor’s degrees and will remain undergraduate students through December of
the current year will be eligible for competition.
7. Who is eligible to
attend the National Leadership Conference?
The National Leadership conference is
open to all PBL members and advisers who are in good standing, and who pay the
Conference registration fee.
PUBLICATIONS:
1. When will I receive my
event guidelines this year?
New guidelines are NOT printed every
year; however, the guidelines are updated and are mailed to the chapters when
updates occur. Any chapter that does not have a copy of the even guidelines
should contact the State Executive Secretary, State Chair, or State Adviser.
When necessary, the event guidelines will be revised, reprinted, and mailed to
all active chapters.
2. What information and
materials are available from the PBL State office?
The Kentucky State Newsletter – the
official State newsletter published by the State Reporter. This publication is
usually distributed two or four times yearly depending on time and budget
constraints.
Kentucky PBL State Handbook – a guide to
Kentucky PBL that serves as the State equivalent of the National Handbook.
PBL recruitment brochures – updated yearly and
distributed to local chapters. Additional copies may be obtained from a State
office or by direct duplication.
Information material concerning State Conferences
– mailed out prior to each of the State conferences with material concerning
conference activities and registration materials.
Periodic updates from State Board Members –
information from the State level notifying local chapters about events happening
at both the Local and State levels of Kentucky PBL.
3 What information and
materials are available from the National Office?
“PBL Business Leader” – the primary PBL member
publication which is sent to all PBL members and advisers three times a year.
This publication provides insightful articles on careers and business trends
geared toward the post-secondary membership, updated information on National
programs, and news of local chapter activities.
“The Hotline” – the newsletter for
advisers which is mailed four times a year.
The Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta
Lambda Handbook is distributed to all new chapters and to all active chapters
when a revised handbook is published.
Updates on competitive events are mailed when
event guidelines are altered on the National level.
Membership Reporting Forms which are
mailed to all local chapters.
Materials available that may be ordered from the
National Office’s published list of supplies. These items consist of various
chapter materials (some at minimal cost) that can aid in chapter planning.
4 Where can I obtain
official PBL insignia, PBL stationery, banners, and jewelry?
The official PBL logo and insignia are
protected by patent and can be sold only through authorized vendors.
The authorized vendor is FBLA-PBL
Marketplace.
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