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CONSTITUTION
Of the
NOTHERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY
RESIDENTIAL HOUSING ASSOCIATION
Preamble
We, the students living in University Housing at Northern Kentucky University, hereafter referred to as NKU, desire to promote and maintain a spirit of unity among members, to promote positive interaction among residents, develop citizenship through self-government, and to promote self-development of individuals. We will work to provide friendship and help build a community within the Residential Village, connecting residents with the larger NKU community.
Article I
Name
The student organization for the residence halls and apartments at Northern Kentucky University shall be known as the Residential Housing Association, hereafter referred to as the RHA.
Article II
Purpose
Section 1
The purpose of RHA is to serve as a liaison between the residents, the Director of University Housing, and the staff of University Housing.
Section 2
RHA shall serve as a forum for residents to voice opinions and concerns while striving to improve the quality of residential living through programs, policy review, and diversity.
Section 3
RHA shall represent NKU at the campus, state, regional, and national levels.
Article III
Authority and Funding
Section 1
RHA receives its authority from residential students, University Housing, the Director of University Housing, and Northern Kentucky University.
Section 2
RHA receives its primary funding from University Housing.
Article IV
Membership
Section 1
Membership of this organization shall consist of residents living in University Housing. This organization shall not discriminate or withhold membership from any individual on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, disability, nationality, or sexual orientation.
Section 2
The Director, Assistant Director(s), Hall Director(s), and RHA Advisor(s) of University Housing shall be ex-officio members.
Article V
Voting
Section 1
Voting privileges in RHA meetings are restricted to members and floor/breezeway representatives who have attended the previous meeting. The Executive Board reserves the right to handle voting grievances.
Section 2
A quorum shall consist of 55% of the voting members (those members who were in attendance at the previous meeting).
Section 3
Advisors shall break any ties within Executive Board meetings.
Section 4
Executive Board can grant voting privileges to any appointed or ex-officio members as deemed necessary.
Section 5
Executive Board members are considered voting members of the general body with the exception of the President. The President shall break any ties within general body meetings.
Article VI
Officers
Section 1
The officers shall consist of the President, Vice President of Recruitment, Vice President of Programming, Secretary/Treasurer, National Communications Coordinator, and National Communications Coordinator in Training.
Section 2
The Executive Board shall be voting members, with the exception of the President. The President shall be an ex-officio member of the body. In the event of a tie, the President shall have the deciding vote.
Section 3
The Executive Board shall consist of students who are residents in University Housing apartments or residence halls through the duration of their office.
Section 4
The officers shall maintain a minimum semester GPA of 2.25 and a cumulative GPA of 2.5. If his/her cumulative GPA falls below a 2.5, he/she has the choice to step down or stay as an officer for a probationary time of one semester. In that time of one semester, his/her cumulative GPA must improve and meet the 2.5 average.
Section 5
Officers must be in good standing with the University and maintain a full class load of 12 semester hours.
Article VII
Floor/Breezeway Representatives
Section 1
There shall be at least one representative from each wing of each residence hall and at least three (3) representatives from Norse Hall and at least one from each building in the Woodcrest Apartments.
Section 2
The Executive Board shall review absences on an individual basis and simple majority of the body may replace that representative pending the recommendation of the Executive Board and approval.
Section 3
Election/selection of the floor/breezeway representatives shall take place at the first floor or breezeway meeting held by the RA. Each RA will inform the Executive Board of that selection. The floor/breezeway representative is expected to be present beginning the first meeting after his/her election/selection. In the event of a tie, there will be co-floor/breezeway representatives where all rules apply to each of the representatives.
Article VIII
Election of Officers
Section 1
Unless otherwise stated herein, all officers shall be elected at least two (2) meetings before the KARH conference. Whenever possible, elections shall be held at the last meeting of the fall semester.
Section 2
The officers shall be in transition at the beginning of the spring semester. The officers must be transitioned by the end of January. The officers shall serve a term of one year beginning with the first meeting after the KARH conference.
Section 3
Election of the officers will be by simple majority secret ballot (50% + 1 vote) of all voting members present in the body at the time of election. In case that none receives a simple majority, there will be a run-off between the top two candidates. In the case of a tie vote, the tie will be broken by the chair/President. Oral elections are allowed if a simple majority of the present membership approves through an oral vote taken by the President or chair.
Section 4
The President shall chair the election process, with the exception of the President's position (if he/she is seeking re-election). If the President is seeking re-election, he/she will step down from the chair's position, and the NCC will take over that part of the election process.
Section 5
Newly elected officers are required to attend the KARH conference. All executive board members wiill attend fall and spring training. All training sessions are mandatory.
Article IX
Officer Vacancies/Chain of Command
Section 1
In the event of a vacancy in the office of the President, the Vice President for Recruitment shall become the presiding officer of RHA for the remained of the year for which the previous President was elected.
Section 2
In the event of a vacancy in any other elected office of RHA, the President shall accept applications. He/She will review the applications with the Executive Board, submit them to the body upon which the awarding of the office will be pending the approval by simple majority of the body.
Section 3
All vacancies shall be filled within two weeks of the announcement of the vacancy or nominations shall be open from the floor thereafter.
Section 4
In the event that the presiding officer is unable to perform his/her duties at a given time, the chain of command will be as follows:
- Vice President of Recruitment, Retention, and Recognition
- Vice President of Programming
- Secretary/Treasurer
- National Communication Coordinator
Article X
Meetings
Section 1
The first meeting of the fall semester shall be held within the first three weeks of the semester to outline the goals for RHA.
Section 2
RHA shall meet once a week and in a place designated by the Executive Board and whenever deemed necessary by the President or by a majority vote of the body. All members must be notified at least 24 hours in advance of special meetings.
Section 3
The RHA body will have the right to vote to cancel a meeting under special circumstances one week in advance
Section 4
The Executive Board shall meet as needed; no less than bi-weekly.
Article XI
Affiliations
Section 1
The Residential Housing Association of Northern Kentucky University shall continually maintain its affiliation with the National Association of College and University Resident Halls (NACURH), thereby maintaining its regional affiliation with the Sour Atlantic Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls (SAACURH).
Section 2
The Residential Housing Association of Northern Kentucky University shall continually maintain its affiliation with the Kentucky Association of Residence Halls (KARH).
Article XII
Amendments
Amendments may be added to this constitution by a majority vote (50% + 1 vote) when deemed necessary.
BY-LAWS
of the
NOTHERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY
RESIDENTIAL HOUSING ASSOCIATION
Article I
Structure of the Organization
Section 1
Executive Board:
- Shall consist of all elected officers and appointed ex-officio members.
- The President shall chair the board.
- Shall decide if absences are excused for floor representatives, committee chairs, and all elected and appointed positions by simple majority.
- A Resident Assistant (RA) may hold an appointed ex-officio position but not an elected position.
- Shall appoint ex-officio members as deemed necessary.
- Shall represent the residential students of Northern Kentucky University properly and justly.
- Shall attend all meetings of the Executive Board and General Assembly.
Section 2
Members:
- There shall be a floor representative from each floor of the residence halls, as well as three (3) breezeway representatives from Norse Hall and at least one from each building in Woodcrest Apartments.
- Membership of this organization shall consist of residents living in University Housing and all ex-officio members.
- Ex-oficio members shall be approved by a majority vote within the Executive Board, and appointed by the President upon approval.
Article II
Duties of Officers
Section 1
The President:
- Shall preside over all general and executive board meetings.
- Shall represent RHA at all functions that require representation or appoint a representative in his/her place. The President is the official representative and spokesperson of the organization.
- Shall break all ties in votes of the general body according to Robert's Rules of Order Revised with the only exception being that the President may choose to vote for their respective floor/breezeway representative.
- Shall call special meetings when deemed necessary.
- Shall enforce and uphold the Constitution and By-Laws of the organization.
- Shall prepare an agenda for each meeting unless delegated to an appointed Chief of Staff.
- Shall chair the Executive Board.
- Shall approve chairpersons and members of all special committees.
- Shall seek the aid of the organization's Advisor in matters of administrative policy.
- Shall be an ex-officio member of all RHA committees.
- Shall maintain an active communication between him/her and the housing officials.
- Shall appoint a National Communication Coordinator (NCC) with the approval of the Advisor by the third meeting of each school year.
- Shall attend all SGA meetings.
- Shall assign duties of the ex-oficio members.
Section 2
The Vice-President of Recruitment, Retention, and Recognition:
- Shall perform the duties of the President in the absence of the President.
- Shall assist the President in his/her duties.
- Shall work with the Executive Board to create and implement both a fall and a spring recruitment and retention plan to be accomplished at the end of each semester.
- Shall work with the Advisor to plan a leadership retreat for the organization each semester.
- Shall work with Resident Assistants in the recruitment and approve of floor and breezeway representatives.
- Shall oversee, along with the Advisor, the general publicity for the organization (fall recruitment, floor/breezeway representatives, elections, general information).
- Shall be responsible for or delegate the responsibility of recognition of individuals both within the organization and the Village. The plan for recognition shall be decided by the executive board each year, with the approval of the general assembly.
- Shall assist floor/breezeway representatives in fulfilling their duties and serve as an informational resource for them.
- Shall be responsible for roll-call and attendance records.
Section 3
The Vice-President of Programming:
- Shall perform the duties of the President in the absence of the President and Vice-President of Recruitment, Retention, and Recognition.
- Shall assist the President in his/her duties.
- Shall work with the Executive Board to create and implement a programming calendar for the year. The plan will be presented and voted on by the end of the third meeting of each fall semester.
- Shall serve as an ex-officio member of all event committees.
- Shall serve as a resource of programming information for event chairpersons.
- Shall be responsible for the reservation/scheduling of rooms for meetings and events.
- Shall oversee, along with the Advisor, the publicity of all RHA programs.
- Shall be responsible for publicizing the general programming calendar to the University Village.
- Shall compile a general RHA calendar for the year.
Section 4
Secretary/Treasurer:
- Shall perform the duties of the President in the absence of the President and Vice-President of Recruitment, Retention, and Recognition, and the Vice-President of Programming.
- Shall be responsible for the recording and distribution of the minutes and be able to produce financial records from each RHA meeting.
- Shall be responsible for assuring the RHA of an inventory of needed supplies.
- Shall prepare and submit any needed budgets.
- Shall be responsible for keeping accurate and organized files of RHA events, programs, fundraisers, and meetings.
- Shall be responsible for the bulletin board that is designated for RHA.
- Shall be responsible for the timely distribution of RHA business and information through an RHA listserv.
- Shall report at regular meetings the current balances and all recent expenditures and receipts, keeping financial records updated.
Section 5
National Communication Coordinator (NCC):
- Shall function as the NCC and attend business meetings for the Kentucky Association of Residence Halls (KARH), the South Atlantic Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls (SAACURH), the National Association of College and University Residence Halls (NACURH), and No Frills.
- Shall be responsible for communication with other schools within the state, region, and nation (maintain membership to the various listservs).
- Shall be responsible for keeping RHA informed of what is going on at other schools within the state, region, and nation.
- Shall recruit and prepare the delegation for all conferences attended.
- Shall be responsible for registering the delegation for conferences in a timely manner.
- Shall be knowledgeable about parliamentary procedures, as presented in Robert's Rules of Order Revised and responsible for education the general assembly in basic parliamentary procedure.
- Shall serve as the parliamentarian during general assembly meetings.
Section 6
National Communications Cooridinator in Training (NCC-IT)
- Shall function as the NCC-IT and attend business meetings for the Kentucly Association of Residence Halls (KARH), the South Atlantic Affiliation of College and University Residence Halls (SAACURH), and the National Association of College and University Residence Halls (NACURH), and No Frills.
- Shall be the secondary person responsible for communication with other schools within the state, region, and nation (maintain membership to the various listservs).
- Shall be the secondary person responsible for keeping RHA informed of what is going on at other schools within the state, region, and nation.
- Shall assist the NCC with recruiting and preparing the delegation for all conferences attended.
- Shall assist with registering the delegation for conferences in a timely manner.
- Shall be knowledgeable about parlimentary procedures, as presented in Roberts Rules of Order Revised, and responsible for educating the general assembly in basic parliamentary procedure.
- Shall be a voting member of the executive board.
- Shall be responsible for the planning or delegating of roll call and spirit items.
- Shall serve as primary NCC for recruiting, registering, and preparing the delegation for the Kentucky Association of Residence Halls Conference (KARH).
- Shall be appointed by the NCC and advisor then approved by the executive board.
- Shall fulfill the duties of the NCC if he or she is unable or unavailable to do so.
- Shall attend at least one state and one regional or national conference before taking the position of NCC or Co-NCC.
- Shall be nominated by the NCC and approved by the executive board.
Article III
Floor/Breezeway Representatives
Section 1
Responsibilities:
- Shall attend all meetings of the Residential Housing Association (RHA) general assembly with absences being reviewed on an individual basis by the executive board.
- Shall report the proceedings of regular RHA meetings to their respective floors/breezeways.
- Shall serve on a standing committee or (co)chair at least one RHA event or program throughout the year.
- Shall attend a monthly floor representative meeting with the executive board.
Article IV
Resigning Positions
Section 1
If, for any reason, an officer cannot continue to serve his/her term for the entire term of the office, he/she may voluntarily request that the position be brought to the body for re-election.
Section 2
Resignation must be submitted, in writing, to the Executive Board 24 hours prior to the meeting in which he/she plans to resign.
Article V
Impeachment of Officers
Section 1
Impeachment proceedings will begin after the officer has been petitioned by at least two-thirds of the voting body. The petition must be submitted to the RHA Advisor(s).
Section 2
Grounds for Impeachment may include any of the following:
- Accumulation of two unexcused absences in one semester.
- Failure to fulfill the duties of the office.
- Failure to maintain qualifications of the office.
- Failure to actively participate in RHA programs.
Section 3
Procedure:
- The RHA President shall run impeachment proceedings. If the President is the one being impeached, the NCC shall run the proceedings.
- Impeachment hearings shall be announced one week in advance. Both sides may present views, with the originator of the petition going first. Each party must be notified of the time and place of the hearing at least ten business days prior to the hearing. The hearing will be conducted even if a party is absent. Failure to appear constitutes a waiver of rights in the hearing.
- The officer shall be impeached and removed by two-thirds vote by secret ballot by the voting body.
- The impeached officer has the right to appeal to the Director of University Housing, the Associate Director for Resident Life, and the RHA Advisor. The above panel's decision is final.
Article VI
Budgeting
Section 1
The Treasurer will be responsible for preparing an annual budget for RHA, with the assistance of the Advisor, to be evaluated each semester.
Section 2
The body will receive a copy of the budget one week before it is to be voted on. The voting members shall approve or amend the budget by simple majority. The budget, for the following year, should be prepared by the end of the academic year for approval.
Section 3
The budget will be representative of all programs, conferences, and events expected for the year. The budget shall not allocate more than 85% of the funds received from the Department of University Housing.
Section 4
The Contingency Fund, a part of the budget set aside in reserve, shall consist of the 15% of the non-allocated funds for which no use will be specified. All allocated funds for programs that are not used for said programs will become part of the Contingency Fund. Money from the Contingency Fund shall be allocated as deemed necessary by the Executive Board.
Section 5
No more than ten percent (10%) of the semester funds shall be disbursed before a budget is approved.
Section 6
An agreed upon amount shall be set aside for conference expenses. An amount the Executive Board agrees upon shall be set aside for conference expenses.
Article VII
Committees
Section 1
Special Committees shall include all temporary committees as deemed necessary by the Executive Board.
Section 2
Absences of the committee chairs shall be reviewed on an individual basis by the Executive Board.
Section 3
Committee chairs shall attend a monthly meeting.
Article VIII
Amendments to the by-laws
Section 1
Proposed amendments to the By-laws of RHA must be submitted in writing to the President who will distribute typed copies to the RHA members. At the following meeting, the President will read the amendment out loud and it will be open for discussion and when discussion is closed, it will be voted on.
Section 2
Amendments may be added to this constitution by a majority vote of the general body
Article IX
Advisor Responsibilities
Section 1
The Advisor:
- Shall attend at least 2 general body meetings per month.
- Shall attend all Executive Board meetings.
- Shall attend all conferences.
- Shall act as a resource for Housing policies.
- Shall have regularly scheduled one-on-one advising sessions with the members of the Executive Board.
- Shall serve in a mentoring role to members in the organization.
- Shall serve as an ex-oficio member to the general body and executive board.
- Shall break all ties within the Executive Board meetings.
