On-line Constitution
The Constitution of the North Carolina
Housing Officers
Revised October 2000
The name of this association will be the North Carolina Housing Officers.
Organized in 1973 by North Carolina housing professionals, an association
named the North Carolina Housing Officers was created to promote an exchange of
ideas and philosophies among private and public institutions with residence hall
programs. The organization adopted this new mission statement in the fall of
2002.
Mission and Principles of the Association of North Carolina Housing Officers (NCHO)
The Association of North Carolina Housing Officers (NCHO) is an organization
dedicated to the education and professional development of housing and residence
life staff at private and public institutions of higher education and learning
in North Carolina.
NCHO is committed to:
· Promoting the student affairs and housing profession.
· Providing affordable professional development opportunities.
· Promoting the standards established by ACUHO-I.
· Serving as a liaison between the members and other state, regional and
national organizations.
· The philosophies of non-discrimination, equal opportunity and equal access to
services, participation and leadership within the organization.
· Facilitating the pursuit and exchange of new information, theories, practices
and delivery of housing and related services.
· Furthering the use of technology to provide efficient and timely service to
members.
Section 1. Institutional Membership - Any institution of post-secondary
education providing a residential housing program in North Carolina is
eligible for institutional membership. Membership will entitle one vote either
voice or electronically per institution, election or appointment to office,
and receipt of the NCHO Newsletter.
Section 2. Membership Committee - The Membership Committee shall be charged
with the responsibility of recruiting new members and assisting the Business
Manager in maintaining current names and addresses of the association's
membership. The Member-At-Large will chair the Membership Committee.
A. The officers of NCHO shall be: President, President-Elect, Past-President, Business Manager, Newsletter Editor, Program Chair, SEAHO Representative, Annual Conference Chair, Member-At-Large, Small College and University Representative, Graduate Student Representative, NCARH Liaison, Human Relations Chair, and Technology Coordinator.
B. The Executive Council of NCHO shall consist of the officers of the organization, and the following non-voting members: the Chairs of all committees.
C. The Executive Council shall serve as Board for the formulation and recommendation of policies to the association and shall act for the association between business meetings of the annual conference.
The President shall serve as the chief executive officer of the Association and chair of the Executive Council; preside over all meetings of the Association and the Executive Council; perform all other duties as designated by the Executive Council and/or Association membership; and perform all other duties customary to such office which are not inconsistent with the Association’s Constitution. Specific duties and qualifications are listed in the Association’s Policy Manual.
The President-Elect shall be a member in good standing in the association for a minimum of three years. The President-Elect shall preside at all Association functions in the absence of the President; coordinate election process, work to secure conference site and chair for the following year, serve as the Committee Membership Liaison. Members seeking committee experiences shall contact the President-Elect to be informed of committee opportunities, shadow and work closely with the current NCHO President and perform other duties as assigned. The President-Elect shall be elected at the annual conference for a three-year commitment of service which includes one year in each of the offices of President-Elect, President and Past President.
The immediate Past President shall serve as chair the Awards/Recognition Committee, coordinate the Silent Auction at the Annual Conference, serve as a resource and advisor to the current NCHO President, serve as the NCHO Historian, and perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned by either the President or the Governing Council. The Awards/Recognition committee, which is comprised of the Past-Presidents of NCHO, shall solicit NCHO Service Award nominations, nominations for the Dan Wooten Award, and other award/recognition needs of the organization.
The Business Manager shall be a member in good standing in the association for a minimum of 2 years The Business Manager is primarily responsible for all elements concerning the current financial standing of the organization. In addition, the Business member coordinates the agenda and publishes the minutes from all meetings. The following procedures outlining the expectations for this officer are detailed in the policy book.
The Member-At-Large shall be a member in good standing in the association and a past member of the Executive Council. The Member-At-Large shall serve for a term of office of two years. The Member-At-Large primary responsibility is serving needs of the membership on the Executive Council and thru the Membership committee. Specific duties are defined in Policy Book.
The SEAHO Representative shall be a member in good standing in the association for a minimum of three years. This person must have several years of significant involvement in NCHO prior to running for this position. The SEAHO Representative first responsibility is to chair the state caucus meeting at the next SEAHO Conference. The SEAHO Representative shall serve a term of office for two years and will transition his/her elected replacement at his/her last SEAHO Conference. The SEAHO Representative will represent NCHO at all SEAHO Executive meeting including annual conference and mid-year meeting. Other duties are outlined in Policy Book.
The Newsletter Editor shall be a member in good standing in the
association. The Newsletter Editor shall serve for a term of office of
two years. The newsletter Editor is responsible for producing the Associations
Newsletter, Signpost. Details of production and other duties are outlined in
the policy book.
The Human Relations Chair must be a member in good standing in the
association. The Human Relations Chair shall serve for a term of two years.
The Human Relations primary responsibility is to ensure that the Association and
the annual conference are inviting of diversity responsible to human relations
issues. Specific duties are included in the policy book.
Section 10. Graduate Student Representative
The Graduate Student Representative shall be a member in good standing in the association who fulfills the following definition of a graduate student: an individual who is enrolled in either a masters or higher-level degree program, either full-time or part-time, and does not have more than 4 years of full-time experience in Student Affairs or Residence Life. The Graduate Student Representative shall serve for a term of one year. The main role of the Graduate Student Representative is to support and encourage graduate students that work in the areas of Student Affairs and Residence Life to become active participants in NCHO activities. Other responsibilities are outlined in the Policy Book.
The Small College and University Representative shall be a member in good standing in the association representing an institution with a capacity not to exceed 2,000 beds. The Small College and University Representative shall have at least two years of experience at the institution s/he is representing, or two years of experience at a small college. The Small College and University Representative shall serve for a term of two years. The Small College and University Representative should be able to articulate issues facing the housing/residence life profession at small colleges. Other duties are defined in policy manual.
The Technology Coordinator shall be a member in good standing with the association. The Technology Coordinator shall serve for two years. The Technology coordinator should have a high level of knowledge and access to appropriate technology to maintain the association’s web-page and listserv. Other responsibilities are outlined in the Policy Book.
The Program Chair shall be a member in good standing with the association and shall be a past member of the Program Committee. The Program Chair’s term of office shall be for one year. The Program Chair shall work closely with the annual conference chair and committee to coordinate and implement a quality professional development program for the annual conference. The Program Chair will preside over the Program Committee and specific responsibilities are outlined in the policy manual.
The Annual Conference Chair shall be a member in good standing in the association. The Annual Conference Chair shall serve a term of one year beginning at the end of the annual conference and continuing through the evaluation process of the following conference. The Annual Conference Chair will preside over the conference committee and will work closely with the Program Chair/Committee to provide a quality professional conference. Specific position responsibilities are outlined in policy manual.
The NCARH Liaison shall be a member in good standing in the association and should have experience in advising his/her institution's residence hall association (et. al.). The NCARH Liaison shall serve for a term of two years usually beginning in November and serving through two consecutive NCARH and NCHO conferences. This position will be selected by the State Board of Directors of NCARH at their Annual Fall Summit or at the next NCARH NCC meeting if a mid-term vacancy is created. The term of advising will begin at the close of the annual SAACURH Conference. Specific duties for this position are in the Policy Book.
All NCHO members shall have an equal opportunity to be nominated for vacant
elected/selected Executive Council positions (President-Elect, Business
Manager, SEAHO Representative, Member-At-Large, Graduate Student
Representative, Small College and University Representative, and Human
Relations Chair). Given the nature of the positions and institutional support
required, those holding the Newsletter Editor, Program Chair, and Technology
Coordinator will be selected by the Executive Council and approved by the
membership at Annual Conference.
All interested members, in good standing, may self-nominate or be nominated by
a colleague. Nominations will be submitted to the president-elect. If the
member accepts the nomination, the member/candidate shall submit a statement
of intent and experience by the published deadline. Each member/candidate will
be introduced to the electorate body during the business meeting at the annual
conference. Voting will take place by secret ballot (one vote per institution)
and a candidate will need a simple majority vote (50% + 1) to be elected to
the position. Officer selections will be announced to the association at the
Closing Luncheon at the annual conference.
Article VI: Leadership
Vacancies
If a vacancy comes to exist in any Executive Council office, the Executive Council shall decide, with majority vote, the appropriate course of action and/or appoint a replacement for a term designated by the Executive Council.
Article VII: Bids to Host
Annual Conference
The Bid Process for the annual conference is outlined in the Policy Book. Conference Host Site shall be selected as outlined and voted on by the Executive Council.
All proposed changes to the NCHO Constitution shall be brought to the membership at the annual conference for a vote (one vote per institution). Proposed revisions shall be put forth by the Executive Council in writing and distributed to individuals attending the annual conference. A majority vote from those in attendance at the Business Meeting of the annual conference is required for passage.
The NCHO Policy book is an extension of the
organization’s constitution. It contains the policies and procedures for the day
to day operations of the organization. Detailed Executive Council job
descriptions, election information, financial policies, organizational forms,
Executive Council voting procedures, annual conference guidelines and other such
information are included in this document. The document is to be maintained by
the President and updated as needed. Changes to the policy book may be done so
by a 2/3 majority vote by the executive council. Changes to the policy book will
be reported to the membership via email, posted on the website and included in
the President’s report at the end of his/her term.