RHA &
NRHH (Golden Chapter)

National Residence Hall Honorary

NRHH Golden Panther Chapter Constitution

Article I: Name

The name of the organization shall be the Golden Panther Chapter of the National Residence Hall Honorary of Florida International University.

Article II: Purpose

The Purpose of this organization shall be to provide recognition for those students living in the residence halls who have shown outstanding service and who have provided important leadership in the advancement of residential living. The members will also act as a resource for those groups desiring information about programming and leadership in the residence halls.

Article III: Membership

  • Section I: Qualifications
    • 1. Students shall have resided in the residence halls at least two (2) semesters including the semester of selection.
    • 2. Students shall be in good academic standing with the University and shall have a minimum of a 3.0 grade point average at the time of induction.
    • 3. Students shall be in good judicial standing with Florida International University and the University’s Office of Housing and Residential Life.
    • 4. Students shall have demonstrated outstanding service and leadership in the residence halls at Florida International University.
  • Section II: Membership Clasifications
    • Total membership shall not exceed one percent (1%) of the total Housing population. The organization shall have four (4) types of members: active, inactive, alumni and honorary.
      • 1. Active members shall be defined as undergraduate students currently living in Housing at Florida International University. They shall be the only members with voting privileges.
      • 2. Inactive members are those members who no longer take an active participatory role in the chapter’s activities and meetings.
      • 3. Honorary membership is offered to faculty members, staff members or fellow students who have shown outstanding service and devotion to the interests of the residence life program. Honorary members shall have no voting privileges.
      • 4. Once active and inactive members graduate from or leave the residence hall at the institution, they become alumni. Alumni and honorary members do not count as part of the one percent (1%) cap.
      • 5. In order to be recognized at graduation through NRHH and the Honors Council, a member must be currently active or have been active as outlined in the constitution for at least one full year prior to becoming inactive. Inactive members not meeting this requirement will not be permitted to be recognized through NRHH.

Article IV: Nomination and Selection

  • Section I: Nomination
    • An unlimited number of nominations may be submitted by the Resident Assistants, Residence Hall Association (RHA) Executive Board, The Golden Panther Chapter members and the Housing Professional Staff.
  • Section II: Application Procedures
    • 1. Upon nomination, each candidate will receive a congratulatory letter from NRHH and an application package.
    • 2. The application package is to be completed by the candidate and submitted to the Selection Committee.
  • Selection III: Selection Procedures
    • Selection Committee
      • 1. The Golden Panther Chapter selection committee shall be composed of the Executive Board members of the Golden Panther Chapter.
      • 2. Honorary members shall be selected by the Selection Committee.
    • Selection Standards
      • 1. At no time shall an induction group for The Golden Panther Chapter exceed one percent (1%) of the total Housing population.
      • 2. Each candidate must have contributed outstanding service, leadership and involvement for the advancement of residential life.
      • 3. The selection committee shall receive all applications during the Spring semester for an induction to take place at the end of the Spring semester.

Article V: Executive Structure and Meetings

  • Section I: Officers
    • 1. Officer candidates for the Golden Panther Chapter must be in good academic, judicial and financial standing with Florida International University and the University’s Office of Housing and Residential Life.
    • 2. The officers of the chapter shall be: NRHH President, NRHH Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
  • Section II: Officer Responsibilities
    • The NRHH President shall:
      • 1. Act as the official representative of the Golden Panther Chapter of NRHH of FIU.
      • 2. Be held accountable by the chapter as a whole.
      • 3. Prepare an agenda and conduct all meetings of the Executive Board.
      • 4. Conduct elections as necessary.
      • 5. Communicate regularly with the Residence Hall Association President and attend all Legislative Board Meetings.
      • 6. Be responsible for upkeep and periodic review of the Policy Book.
      • 7. Submit an end-of-the-year progress report with one copy sent to the National Residence Hall Honorary Office and one passed to the incoming president.
      • 8. Renew the Chapter’s membership as a registered campus organization with the National Office.
    • The NRHH Vice President shall:
      • 1. Preside over all called meetings in the absence of the President.
      • 2. Assist the President in his/her duties.
      • 3. Create and oversee ad hoc committees as necessary such as Community Service and Dean’s List Gala related committees.
      • 4. Act as Parliamentarian at called meetings
      • 5. Be responsible for delivering the Of-The-Months Certificates to monthly winners.
      • 6. Oversee Of-The-Month nomination and submission process, including communicating with the Residence Hall Association NCC and SAACURH AD-NRHH as necessary.
      • 7. Oversee all campus recognition programs related to the Of-The-Month awards process.
      • 8. Serve as the NRHH liaison to the Honors Council, including attending or designating another member to attend Honors Council general meetings. The Vice President is responsible for the dissemination of Honors Council related news to the general NRHH membership body.
    • The NRHH Secretary shall:
      • 1. Preside over all called meetings in the absence of the President and Vice President.
      • 2. Take minutes at all called meetings and distribute minutes and agendas to all members, the advisor, and the RHA president.
      • 3. Tabulate the results of all elections and voting procedures
      • 4. Take attendance at all meetings
      • 5. Keep records of all members.
    • The NRHH Treasurer shall:
      • 1. Formulate a budget at the beginning of the year with the President and advisor and revise it as necessary.
      • 2. Manage all financial transactions of the chapter in conjunction with RHA Treasurer.
      • 3. Provided an itemized account of all transactions when needed.
      • 4. Submit the books for review to the active members of the chapter at the final meeting of the year.
      • 5. Collect from each initiate the membership fee.
      • 6. Coordinate the maintenance and updating of the NRHH website.
  • Section III: Election and Term of Office
    • 1. Election of officers shall be held in the Spring semester.
    • 2. The officers shall be elected by a simple majority of active and recently selected new members present.
    • 3. The term of office shall be one year.
    • 4. In the event of a resignation of an officer, an election will be held to fill the vacancy.
    • 5. Active members and recently selected new members are eligible to hold an office provided they meet the requirements set forth in Article V Section I. Officers shall assume their responsibilities immediately following Spring inductions.
    • 6. Officers elected mid-year will assume their responsibilities immediately upon election.
  • Section IV: Advisor
    • 1. The Golden Panther Chapter shall elect an Advisor(s) based on a majority vote by the chapter’s members.
    • 2. The Advisor(s) shall attend all meetings and events.
    • 3. The Golden Panther Chapter Advisor(s) shall be appointed by the Assistant Director of Residential Life and the Senior Director for Student Affairs/Residential Life.
  • Section V: Meetings
    • 1. Chapter meetings shall be held as deemed necessary by the NRHH Executive Board. Special meetings may be called by the NRHH President.
    • 2. Executive Board member attendance shall be mandatory. If an Executive Board member is absent from two (2) consecutive meetings or three (3) meetings per academic year, without a legitimate reason as deemed by the other Executive Board members in consultation with the Advisor(s), he/she may be subject to vacation of their position as determined by a two-thirds vote of active members.
    • 3. General active members’ attendance shall be mandatory. If an active member misses three (3) consecutive meetings or four (4) meetings per academic year, he/she will be deemed an inactive member.
    • 4. Alumni of any NRHH Chapter as recognized by the NRHH National Office who are currently registered students are encouraged to attend meetings, but shall have no voting rights.
  • Section VI: Of-the-Month
    • The Golden Panther Chapter shall submit at least three (3) nominations per month to recognize an employee, resident, leader, staff member and/or event from the available categories.

Article VI: Amendments to the Constitution

  • Section 1: Procedures
    • 1. Any active member may propose amendments.
    • 2. All active members must receive proposed amendments at least one week prior to the ratification vote. Bylaws may be voted upon annually, if necessary, at the meeting immediately preceding the elections meeting.
  • Section 2: Approval
    • 1. Amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws of this NRHH chapter may be made with the approval of two-thirds of the active membership present at the general business meeting where ratification of amendments will be voted on.

Article VII: Non-Discrimination Clause

The National Residence Hall Honorary shall not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, national origin, ancestry, sex, age, religion, disability, or sexual orientation in the selection of its members or in its programs.

Article VIII: University Records

The National Residence Hall Honorary shall maintain a list of current officers, their addresses, the name of the required Advisor, and the most recent amended Constitution with the Office of Residential Life.

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