National Residence Hall Honorary Constitution
Gina M. Vanacore Chapter
Stony Brook University
Article I: Name
The name of this organization shall be the Gina M. Vanacore Chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary, here after referred to as NRHH.
Article II: Statement of Non-Discrimination
NRHH shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation, handicap or age in any of its policies, procedures, selection, practices or membership
Article III: Organization and Membership
This organization shall consist of five types of membership: Active, Silent Active, Non-Active, Alumni and Honorary. The General Body shall consist of Active Members.
Section A: Qualifications
1. Shall reside in the residence halls during the semester of selection.
2. Shall be a student in good judicial standing with the Department of Campus Residences and Stony Brook University.
3. Undergraduate members shall have a minimum of a 2.75 cumulative GPA.
4. Graduate members shall have a minimum of a 3.2 cumulative GPA.
5. Shall have demonstrated outstanding service and leadership in the residence halls at Stony Brook University
Section B: Types of Membership
1. Active Membership
a. Must currently reside in the Undergraduate or Graduate residence halls of Stony Brook University.
b. Undergraduate members must have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 or higher and must maintain this GPA throughout their membership in the organization.
c. Graduate members must have a cumulative GPA of 3.2 in order to retain active status.
d. Failure to meet GPA requirements shall result in Non-Active membership until GPA meets membership standards.
e. Fulfills responsibilities as outlined by the NRHH Executive Board.
2. Silent Active Membership
a. Active Members who have valid scheduling conflicts, as determined by the executive board, preventing attendance at General Body meetings. Must attend monthly meetings with head of committee or the President.
b. Must fulfill all requirements of Active Members.
c. Shall be calculated in determining 1% capacity.
3. Non Active Membership
a. Active Members who have not maintained the GPA as specified in Article III. Section B 1 of this constitution.
b. Active Members who have not fulfilled responsibilities of membership for one consecutive semester.
c. Shall not have voting privileges.
d. Shall be reinstated to Active Membership when GPA requirement is re-established.
e. Active Members who have temporarily left the residence hall system for such reasons as, but not limited to, internships or study abroad.
f. Shall be calculated in determining 1% capacity.
4. Alumni Membership
a. Members of NRHH who have graduated.
b. Members who no longer reside in the Undergraduate or Graduate residence halls of Stony Brook University.
5. Honorary Membership
a. Must show outstanding leadership and service within the Stony Brook University residence halls.
b. Consists of faculty and staff, and graduating seniors. Graduating seniors must submit an application to the selection committee chair for induction as stated in article IV: Section B: Section and Induction.
c. Chosen by the Selection Committee during the selection process.
d. Must be approved by a simple majority of the general body and alumni members present at a scheduled meeting or by the Selection Committee.
6. Honor Cords shall be determined by the Executive Board for all active, silent active, and nonactive members to be given for graduation. History of new inductees shall be reported and a rubric for honor cord eligibility will be produced. If then, the rubric will be used for the eligibility of receiving an honor cord.
Section C: Membership Capacity
1. General Body membership into NRHH is limited to the top 1% of the total resident population at Stony Brook University as determined by the Department of Campus Residences.
2. The number of Honorary members inducted per academic year shall not exceed ten percent of the NRHH membership cap.
3. There is no limit on the number of Alumni and Honorary members recognized by NRHH.
4. Any student who is a member of an NRHH Chapter at another NACURH NRHH affiliated school shall automatically be declared a member of the Gina M. Vanacore chapter of NRHH and shall assume the membership type as outlined in this constitution.
Section D: The NRHH Executive Board
The officers of NRHH shall be the President, Vice-President, Secretary/Recording Treasurer, OTM Coordinator, Recognition Coordinator and Public Relations. No Executive officer shall have a vote in General Body matters.
Section E: NRHH Advisor(s)
The advisor(s) shall be appointed by the Department of Campus Residences.
Article IV: Induction of New Members
Section A: Nomination
1. An unlimited number of nominations may be submitted by any member of the NRHH General Body, Resident Assistants, Residence Hall Association (RHA) Executive Board, Residence Hall Directors, and any Residence Life staff member.
2. All student OTM nominees will automatically receive a nomination into NRHH.
Section B: Selection and Induction
1. Upon nomination, each candidate will receive a congratulatory letter from NRHH and an application. The application package is to be completed by the candidate and submitted to the Selection Committee.
2. The selection of new nominees shall be concluded by the first General Body meeting in March.
3. Inductions shall take place no later than the last week of April for the following academic year.
Article VI – Executive Board
The officers of NRHH shall be the President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, OTM Coordinator, Recognition Coordinator and Public Relations. No executive officer shall have voting rights except in the event of a tie or in the event that quorum of the general body is not met.
Section A: Qualifications
1. Must be an Active Member or Silent Active member of NRHH for one year with the exception of the President and Vice-President who must have been Active Members for one year.
2. Conflict of interest prevents a Stony Brook University Resident Assistants from being a Residence Hall Association Executive Board Member, therefore, the NRHH President shall not be a Resident Assistant.
3. Whereas the Vice-President assumes the office of the President in the event of a vacancy, and the President shall not be a Resident Assistant, the Vice-President shall also not be a Resident Assistant.
Section B: Duties and Responsibilities
1. President
a. Shall hold four (4) office hours a week in the RHA/NRHH Office.
b. Shall meet weekly with the NRHH advisor(s).
c. Shall preside over all executive and special meetings
d. Shall represent NRHH to RHA and serve on the RHA executive board and uphold all duties and responsibilities there-of.
e. Shall serve as the primary liaison to the regional and national NRHH officers.
f. Shall ensure NRHH maintains good standing with NEACURH, NACURH, and Stony Brook University.
g. Shall uphold the constitution
h. Shall appoint, remove or oversee committee chairs. This duty can be delegated to another Executive Board officer at the discretion of the President.
i. Shall attend regional and national boardroom meetings. This duty can be delegated to another Executive Board officer at the discretion of the President.
j. Maintain delegated section of NRHH Blackboard.
2. Vice President
a. Shall hold two (2) office hours a week in the RHA/NRHH Office.
b. Shall meet bi-weekly with the NRHH advisor(s).
c. Shall act in capacity of the President in his/her absence.
d. Shall preside over General Body meetings.
e. Shall Coordinate the selection process and chair the Selection Committee.
f. Shall coordinate the constitutional revision process.
g. Maintain delegated section of NRHH Blackboard.
3. Secretary/Recording Treasurer
a. Shall hold two (2) office hours a week in the RHA/NRHH Office.
b. Shall meet bi-weekly with the NRHH advisors(s).
c. Shall maintain all NRHH correspondences.
d. Shall take minutes at all Executive Board and General Body meetings, and making them available to all members and advisors.
e. Shall maintain an accurate listing of all members and their status.
f. Shall take attendance at all Executive Board and General Body meetings
g. Shall maintain all membership records.
h. Shall develop and maintain the NRHH budget.
i. Shall submit allocation requests and expenditure records to the RHA Treasurer.
j. Shall be the coordinator the main sections of the NRHH Blackboard.
4. OTM Coordinator
a. Shall hold two (2) office hours a week in the RHA/NRHH Office.
b. Shall meet bi-weekly with the NRHH advisor(s).
c. Shall coordinate the OTM process.
d. Shall submit chapter OTM winners to the regional level.
e. Shall serve as the chair for the OTM committee.
5. Recognition Coordinator
a. Shall hold two (2) office hours a week in the RHA/NRHH Office.
b. Shall meet bi-weekly with the NRHH advisor(s).
c. Shall coordinate recognition efforts outside of the OTM process.
d. Shall sit on the OTM Committee
6. Public Relations
a. Shall hold two (2) office hours a week in the RHA/NRHH Office.
b. Shall meet bi-weekly with the NRHH advisor(s).
c. Shall advertise and maintain all publicity responsibilities of the Chapter
d. Shall facilitate the relations between NRHH and other student organizations
e. Shall help lead the recruitment process.
Section C: Election of Officers
1. The election process shall commence at the first General Body meeting in March. Elections shall take place at the first General Body meeting in April. Elections shall be conducted by secret ballet and overseen by the NRHH advisor(s).
2. Elections shall take place in the following order: President, Vice-President, Secretary/Recording Treasurer, OTM Coordinator, Recognition Coordinator, and Public Relations.
3. Should no qualified candidate accept a nomination for an office, the election for that office shall move to the end of the process.
4. Officers must be elected by
Section D: Vacancy of Office
1. Should the office of the President become vacant, the Vice President shall assume the office of the President.
2. In the event of a vacancy in any other position, the Executive Board shall delegate the duties and responsibilities of that office until a member has been appointed to assume the vacant office.
3. The NRHH Executive Board shall appoint a new General Body member to the vacant office.
4. Appointments must be approved by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the General Body present, quorum being met.
Article VII – Committees
Section A: Selection Committee
1. Shall be chaired by the Vice-President.
2. Shall be represented by members of the General Body who wish to participate on the committee.
3. Shall evaluate the applications of potential inductees being admitted into NRHH.
Section B: OTM Committee
1. Shall be chaired by the OTM Coordinator.
2. Shall determine monthly winners of OTM for each category.
3. Shall be represented by members of the General Body who wish to participate on the committee.
Section C: Ad Hoc Committees
1. Ad hoc committees shall be created as the Executive Board deems necessary and appropriate for NRHH.
2. The chair of established committees will be determined by the President.
3. Committees will meet for a designated period of time as determined by the Executive Board.
Article VIII – Meeting Procedures
Meetings shall be run in accordance with the basic tenants of Robert’s Rules of Order (most recent edition)
Section A: Executive Board Meetings
1. The NRHH Executive Board shall meet on a weekly basis during the academic
Fall and Spring Semester.
2. Meetings shall be held on a day and time as determined by the Executive
Board.
3. Meetings shall be run in accordance with the basic tenants Robert’s Rules of Order (most recent edition).
Section B: General Body Meetings
1. The NRHH General Body shall meet on a monthly basis during the academic
Fall and Spring Semester.
2. Meetings shall be held on a day and time as determined by the Executive
Board.
3. Meetings shall be run in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order (most
recent edition).
4. Special meetings may be called by the Executive Board on an as-needed basis
but with a minimum of one week notice to the General Body.
Section C: Quorum
1. Quorum for the NRHH Executive Board shall be constituted by a two-thirds
(2/3) presence of the recognized Executive seats.
2. Quorum for the General Body shall be constituted as 30% of active members, excluding the President.
3. Quorum for business conducted via the internet shall be constituted as One-Half (1/2) of the general body, active and silent active, and the executive board, excluding the president.
Article IX – Amendments
1. Amendments must be submitted to the Executive Board in writing one (1)
week prior to voting by the General Body.
2. Amendments to the constitution may be adopted by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the General Body, quorum being met.
Article X – Affiliation
NRHH shall remain in good standing with the National Office of The National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH) and the National Association of College and University Residence Halls (NACURH).
Article XI – Constitution
This constitution shall supercede all previous constitutions of the Gina M. Vanacore Chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary. This constitution shall be ratified by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of the NRHH General Body
Induction classes prior to 2008 must retain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 and any previous judiciary situations will not prevent the member from holding active membership.
This constitution shall be reviewed annually by the NRHH Executive Board.
Revised: Spring 2008dd