Constitution of the Residence Hall Association

By-Laws of The Residence Hall Association

I. Elected/Appointed Officers a. Duties of the Election Commissioner I. Update the Candidacy Application Form. II. Fill the Election Committee via appointment. III. Publicize applications beginning the second week of March. IV. Responsible for application reference checks. V. Schedule candidate interview b. Any student living on campus at the time of candidate elections, and who will be returning to the halls the following year, is eligible to run for office. c. All RHA officers must be RHA members and reside in on-campus housing facilities for the full term of office. d. The President-elect must have been involved in RHA for at least one (1) semester prior to seeking office. e. The NCC-elect must have attended at least one (1) conference prior to seeking office. f. To run for office, candidates must submit a Candidacy Application Form, with required essay(s) and references, to the Election Committee by the deadline specified each year. I. The election committee shall consist of two (2) staff members hired by Housing & Dining, and three (3) students, including the election commissioner. II. Election Committee members cannot run for office g. The election committee shall decide on the election criteria h. Interviews will be held no later than the second week of April, unless RHA Week falls during that week, in which case they can be held during the third week of April. i. The results of the interviews will be announced at the RHA General Council meeting during the last week of April.

II. Appointment Procedures a. The President shall use reasonable and equitable judgment procedures when making such appointments and may appoint such at any RHA General Council Meeting. b. The RHA General Council will endorse all appointments made by the President. A simple majority (50% +1) of those casting votes shall serve as endorsement of an appointee.

III. Removal and Vacancies a. The grounds for the removal of an individual RHA Executive Board member consists of the following: I. Failure to honorably fulfill the duties and responsibilities of the office as stated in Article IV of the By-Laws. II. Continued gross or willful neglect of the duties and responsibilities of the office. III. Failure or refusal to disclose necessary information on matters of organization business. IV. Unauthorized expenditure, misuse of organization funds, or foraging of documents. V. Misrepresentation of the organization and its officers to outside persons. VI. Conviction of a felony while in office.

Final Revision: 4/5/2018 1 VII. Being on academic probation and/or on disciplinary probation with the University. VIII. Undo or intentional interference in the organizations ability to function to complete necessary business. b. Removal Procedure I. If the charge is approved, the officer in question must be notified in writing, and any action on this shall be postponed for five school days to give the officer charged a chance to construct their defense and to allow three school days for the representatives to inform their respective halls. II. Each member of the RHA General Council will be personally notified in writing of the removal proceedings to insure the largest quorum possible. III. Each member of the RHA General Council shall be allowed time to question the officer in question. The officer will be given ample time in which to present their views and defense. IV. A two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the RHA General Council is necessary for removal of the officer. V. If the officer in question is the RHA President, the Vice-President will preside over the removal proceedings. VI. The advisor(s) may also remove any elected officer from office by following the procedures outlined in the Constitution Section 450.3.

IV. Duties of the Executive Board Members and Representatives a. Duties of the President I. To call and preside at all RHA General Council, RHA Executive Board, and special meetings of RHA. II. To serve as an ex-officio member of all committees. III. To appoint officers/committee chairs not otherwise provided for in the Constitution, who shall hold office during the term of the President. IV. Annually appoint an Election Commissioner. V. Responsible for the preparation of the weekly meeting agenda. VI. Shall have line-item veto power over the annual budget. VII. Provide one leadership training activity per month to the RHA General Council. VIII. Attend the following committees, or appoint a designee who will also regularly attend RHA meetings. 1. UC Board of Directors. IX. Have a one-to-one meeting with each committee chair at least once per semester. X. Have a weekly one-to-one meeting with the advisor. XI. Have a monthly one-to-one meeting with the Director of Housing. XII. Attend all area councils at least twice per semester. XIII. Subscribe to the Humboldt Bulk mail and PACURH and NACURH list serves. XIV. Maintain four (4) office hours per week. b. Duties of the Vice-President I. To preside over the RHA General Council in the absence of the President. II. Shall chair the Legislative and Advocacy Board. III. To handle duties assigned by the RHA President. IV. Have a bi-monthly one-to-one meeting with the RHA Advisor. V. To serve as Parliamentarian at RHA General Council Meetings. VI. Coordinates RHA Week activities. VII. The person responsible for table requests in the Jolly Giant Commons (JGC). Final Revision: 4/5/2018 2 VIII. Attend the following committees, until the President of RHA can appoint a representative. 1. Student Health Advisory Committee 2. Student Recreation Center IX. Maintain four (4) office hours per week. c. Duties of the Treasurer I. To transact and record all financial affairs of the organization. II. To make financial reports to the organization at regular meetings or when requested to do so by the President. III. In the absence of the Secretary to keep the minutes of the RHA General Council and special meetings. IV. To audit all budgets of the Satellite Councils and Area Councils recognized by the General Council, at the end of each semester. V. Coordinate an instructional treasurer retreat for council treasurers each semester. VI. Maintain an inventory of RHA storages. VII. To assume the duties of the President if both President and Vice- President are absent. VIII. Board of Finance (BOF) Chair. IX. Will plan and attend monthly BOF meetings, and stay in contact with all Satellite councils and Area Council Treasures. X. Attend the following committees, until the President of RHA can appoint a representative. 1. ADAPT XI. To handle all duties assigned by the President. XII. Have a monthly one-to-one meeting with the RHA Advisor. XIII. Maintain four (4) office hours per week. d. Duties of the Secretary I. To keep minutes of all meetings of the RHA General Council. II. To call roll at the beginning of each General Council meeting. III. To distribute minutes of all General Council meetings to General Council members and appropriate members of the residence hall community and the Department of Housing and Dining Services. To save paper, this will be done via email 48 hours after the meeting is adjourned. IV. Will act as the RHA Office Manager. 1. Create and maintain an office hour schedule to be posted on the RHA office door. 2. Maintaining the cleanliness of the RHA office. V. To maintain and update a RHA General Council contact list. VI. To handle such correspondence and records as required. VII. Attend the following committees; until the President of RHA can appoint a representative. 1. Dining Committee. VIII. To handle duties such assigned by the President. IX. Will plan and attend monthly Board of Archives (BOA) meetings, and will stay in contact with all Area Councils and Satellite Councils Secretaries X. Have a monthly one-to-one meeting with the RHA Advisor. XI. Maintain four (4) office hours per week. e. Duties of the National Communications Coordinator I. Responsible for building spirit on campus. II. To be responsible for the registration and arrangements of the NACURH, PACURH, and No-Frills Conferences. 1. Delegate selection will occur five (5) weeks prior to each conference. Final Revision: 4/5/2018 3 2. Will begin delegate information meetings starting six (6) weeks prior to each conference. 3. To plan spirit and teach cheers for the conference. 4. To act in accordance with the Conference Attendance Policy, in Article IX. III. Pay yearly registration dues to NACURH. IV. To submit a report to the National Information Center (NIC) on a yearly basis. V. To maintain membership for Humboldt State University in the NACURH organization. VI. Subscribes to the Humboldt Bulk mail, and PACURH and NACURH ListServs. VII. To serve as Parliamentarian at RHA General Council Meetings. VIII. Attend the following committees, or appoint a designee who will also regularly attend RHA meetings. 1. UC Board of Directors. IX. Have a bi-monthly one-to-one meeting with the RHA Advisor during conference session. X. Maintain four (4) Office Hours per week. f. Other duties of the RHA Executive Board members. I. Duties assigned to all Executive Board members shall include: 1. Will be familiar with the RHA Constitution and By-laws. 2. Will assist the Conference Staff (Co) Chair(s) in necessary arrangements, should HSU be a conference host site. 3. Will write a minimum of five (5) OTMs per semester, per executive board member. 4. To assist Residence Life in the awareness of the Community Respect Policy through programming. 5. Promote awareness and support for RHA. 6. To assist Residence Life with Diversity Programming. 7. Will give a formal report on what they have accomplished during the previous month, as well as goals for the upcoming month to RHA General Council, starting the second week of each semester, to be set up by the RHA President. g. Duties of the RHA Advisor(s). I. Responsible for holding officers accountable for the duties assigned. II. Meet with each Executive Board member as stated under their duties. III. Attend regular RHA General Council meetings, and meetings of the RHA Executive Board. IV. Assist with the implementation of the RHA Executive Board retreats at least once per semester. V. Hold a monthly one-to-one meeting with the Assistant Director of Housing for Residence Life regarding RHA. VI. Shall be familiar with the RHA Constitution and By-laws. h. Duties of the Area Councils and Satellite Councils Chairs/Presidents and Representatives I. Attend and participate in all regular and special RHA General Council meetings. II. Report to the RHA General Council on the proceedings of the organization being represented. III. Vote at RHA General Council meetings as representatives of their respective organizations.

Final Revision: 4/5/2018 4 IV. Submit in writing requests for action (i.e. table requests, resolutions, etc.) on the part of the RHA General Council, to the appropriate RHA officer, in a timely manner. V. Assume duties as requested by the RHA President.

V. Area/ Satellite Councils a. Definitions I. A Standing Committee under the RHA will be defined as a programming body that does not define itself directly as a council, shall be defined as a board. For future voting definition, standing committees shall not have voting rights at RHA General Council. II. A Satellite Council under the RHA will be defined as a council whose main purpose is to assist in special interests and programming within RHA. For future voting definition, satellite councils will have voting rights at RHA General Council. III. An Area Council under the RHA will be defined as a direct representative of a living area within Housing. For future voting definition, area councils will have voting rights at RHA General Council. IV. The RHA President shall appoint all other Committees (i.e. those involving campus spirit, etc.) on an ad-hoc basis. b. Standing Committees I. The Executive Board. 1. The Executive Board shall consist of the RHA President, Vice- President, Treasurer, Secretary and National Communications Coordinator, and Election Commissioner when appointed. A. The Executive Board shall have all the powers of RHA General Council to transact business during those times when RHA General Council is not in full session, such as summer and vacation periods. In the case that there is not a complete Executive Board (i.e. open positions in the Executive Board), then the standing members of the Executive Board can perform such transactions. II. The Board of Finance. 1. The sole responsibility for presenting the RHA General Council with a preliminary budget shall reside with the Board of Finance. A. The Board of Finance shall require each Area/ Satellite Councils, including NRHH, to submit a budget request. B. The Board of Finance shall hold public hearings of programs identified by the Board of Finance. The chair of each shall be notified of the date, time and place of said hearing. C. The Board of Finance shall submit a preliminary budget to the RHA General Council during the regularly scheduled RHA General Council meeting the week after Spring Break. i. The preliminary budget shall include an unallocated line item. ii. Copies of the preliminary budget shall be furnished to all who submitted a budget request. D. The RHA General Council shall vote on the budget during the third regularly scheduled RHA General Council meeting after Spring Break. E. The final budget shall be submitted to the Director and Associate Director of Housing for review. Final Revision: 4/5/2018 5 2. The sole responsibility for fundraising into the general fund shall reside with the Board of Finance. 3. Shall assist the Treasurer with inventory responsibilities. 4. Will have monthly meetings. III. The Board of Archives. 1. Shall assist the RHA Secretary in creating, maintaining, and updating a contact list of all Area/Satellite councils. 2. Maintain and update all records deemed necessary for the continuation of a record of RHA legislation, programs, policy, and procedure. 3. Assist in the process of transition reports for all Area/ Satellite Councils 4. Will have monthly meetings. IV. Legislative and Advocacy Board 1. All area/satellite council Vice Presidents shall assist RHA Vice President in writing, reviewing and proposal of legislation to the RHA General Council. 2. Shall annually update and review the RHA Constitution and By- laws, and administer the update and revision of area and satellite council constitutions. 3. All meetings of the Legislative and Advocacy Board shall be open to all residents, unless a closed-session is necessary. 4. Shall inform students of their rights as residents on campus. 5. Shall promote voter registration, and assist in publicizing elections. c. Satellite Councils I. The Residence Programming Board (RPB). 1. The RPB shall commit itself to providing quality educational, diversity, social and community service programming to the residents. 2. The RPB shall make every effort to ensure that traditional residence hall programming be preserved and passed on for future residents to enjoy. II. Residence Official Board of Technology (ROBOT) 1. Maintaining and updating the RHA website that entails. RHA General Council. 2. Acting as an advisor to all RHA affiliated interested parties in regards to technological assistance. 3. Acting as an open forum to all residents. 4. Responsible for delegating the use of the sound system, including training responsibilities and maintenance. III. Residents of Culture Council (ROCC) 1. Duties of the Residents of Culture Council shall include serving as an open forum to discuss diversity issues. 2. Assist RHA General Council with diversity programming. 3. Strive for unity amongst people of diverse backgrounds within the residence halls. IV. The Family 1. The Family shall serve as a safe space for residents. 2. Serve as a safe space to educate peers in the residence halls of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender issues and other issues pertaining to gender and sexuality. 3. The Family shall assist RHA Executives in safe space programming. Final Revision: 4/5/2018 6 V. N.A.K.E.D for Mental Health 1. Duties of N.A.K.E.D for Mental Health shall include serving as a safe space/open forum for discussing mental health issues. 2. N.A.K.E.D for Mental Health shall assist RHA Executive in mental health issue programming. VI. Residence Life Student Staff 1. Duties for Residence Life Student Staff shall include creating a forum for the student staff of the Humboldt State University Department of Housing and Residence Life. 2. Serve as a resource and outlet to create positive change, provide a structure for student staff input into major department decisions, and to support and recognize fellow staff monthly creative appreciation. VII. National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH) 1. NRHH is a nationally recognized organization under the National Association of College and University Residence Halls (NACURH). 2. NRHH focuses on recognizing residents through Of The Month (OTM) / Of The Year (OTY) awards. 3. Provide service based programming for residents. 4. Provide scholastic based programming for residents. 5. Shall elect a representative known as the NRHH NCC to go to the regional conferences, PACURH, No Frills, and NACURH. 6. For future voting definition, NRHH will be defined as an Area Council, holding two voting member in the RHA General Council. VIII. Duties of all Satellite and Area Councils. 1. On a monthly basis will electronically send The Executive Board programming reports on programs run monthly by Satellite and Areas Council. 2. Satellite and Area Councils will be responsible for filling out and sending copies of Dinning Request forms to both the Advisor(s) of RHA as well as the Executive Treasure of RHA. 3. Will be responsible for having their Treasures and Secretaries attend, respectively the Board of Finance (BOF) and Board of Archive (BOA) meetings. 4. Will be responsible for having for the following; Area Councils having 2 representatives (President/President designee and representative) to RHA General Council meetings, and Satellite Council having 1 representative to RHA meetings. 5. Each Area Council President (or designee) as well as one representative attend RHA meetings and will have voting rights. 6. Each Satellite Council will have one representative to attend RHA General Council meetings and this member will have voting rights.

VI. Tabling Procedure a. All tabling in the JGC will follow these procedures: I. An email to the RHA President by the Thursday prior to the General Council meeting, so that it can be placed on the agenda. II. A representative must attend the RHA General Council meeting at which the request will be voted upon. III. Tabling requests are approved by a simple majority (50% +1) of the RHA General Council voting members present. IV. While tabling, the following guidelines are in effect: 1. A tabling representative must always be present at the table. Final Revision: 4/5/2018 7 2. Leaving the table to solicit students is prohibited. V. It is the responsibility of the table representative to return the area to its original condition upon completion of the tabling session.

VII. Meetings a. RHA General Council meetings will be held weekly on Monday at 6:00 pm, in the Mad River Room. b. The secretary will call roll of all voting members at the beginning of all RHA General Council meetings. I. A proxy is needed if a voting member is absent II. The proxy must be a member of that -Council. c. Any voting member may miss no more than two (2) unexcused General Council meetings per semester without sending a proxy. Failure to do so will result in the loss of position. d. A special meeting of the General Council may be called at any time that the President receives a petition signed by 50 % of the RHA General Council members. e. The parliamentary authority of this organization shall be Robert’s Rules of Order. It is with understanding of all members of the RHA General Council that a loose translation of Robert’s Rules of Order will be used during all meetings.

VIII. Initiative and Referendum a. Petition initiative and referendum shall be initiated by a petition signed by a majority (50% +1) of the Residence Hall Association General Council representatives and submitted to the council advisor(s). b. Procedure: I. When a duly authorized petition is received, the RHA President shall schedule a secret ballot vote to be held within two weeks of receipt of the petition. c. Validation: I. A ¾ majority of the voting General Council members present must vote to approve the petition in order for it to pass. Any petition so passed shall become effective on a date designated by the General Council.

IX. Authority a. These By-Laws are based on the Authority of the Constitution of the Residence Hall Association of Humboldt State University, and nothing herein shall be construed in violation thereof. b. Proposed Amendments: I. Amendments to these By-Laws shall be made in the form of a petition. Any RHA member may present such a petition to the President. c. Procedure: I. The RHA General Council shall call a secret ballot election two weeks after the petition has been announced at a regular scheduled council meeting. At least two announcements of the time and place of the election must appear in the residence hall communities before balloting on the petition takes place. d. Validation: I. To be adopted, the petition for amendment must receive at least ¾ majority of the voting members present at a regular council meeting. Upon approval by the membership (the Residence Hall Association General Council) the amendment shall go into effect immediately.

Final Revision: 4/5/2018 8