Constitution of The New Hampshire Association of National Honor Societies (2005)
ARTICLE I: NAME AND PURPOSE
Section 1. This association will be known as The New Hampshire Association of National Honor Societies.
Section 2. The purpose of this organization will be:
A. To create an enthusiasm for scholarship, to stimulate a desire to render service, to promote leadership, and to develop character in the students of the secondary schools in New Hampshire;
B. To advance the work of the National Honor Society.
ARTICLE II: GENERAL CONTROL
Section 1. The primary control of this organization will be vested in:
A. The executive committee;
B. State meetings of voting delegates elected annually or semiannually from the chapters of the National Honor Society in New Hampshire;
C. All faculty advisors attending said meetings.
Section 2. The local chapters of The New Hampshire Association of National Honor Societies will organize into seven regional divisions under the jurisdiction of the executive committee.
Section 3. The seven regional divisions will be the Seacoast Region, the Southern Region, the Central Region, the Monadnock Region, the Western Region, the Lakes Region, and the North Country Region.
Section 4. Each region will elect one regional delegate from their divisions to represent the region on the executive committee.
ARTICLE III: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Section 1. The executive committee will carry on the business of the organization between annual or semiannual meetings and serve as the program committee.
Section 2. The membership of the executive committee will include:
A. The Executive Committee will be made up of 14 voting student state officers;
B. The board of Directors is made up of three chapter advisors, with two alternates. Any School may hold a position on the board. The Board of Directors' purpose is to aid in official business to the State Advisor and the Executive Committee.;
C. The executive Committee will include two voting state advisors of the state officers. The state Advisors have final ruling over any tied votes.;
D. The presence of at least one state advisor is mandatory at all voting sessions.
Section 3. The executive committee will plan the annual or semiannual state conventions consisting of:
A. Three voting delegates from each chapter, preferably the President, Vice-President and Secretary, who transact all official business at the convention business meetings, will be attendees at the annual and semi-annual state conventions.
B. The convention delegates, who are all members of the National Honor Society who wish to attend a state convention.
Section 4. The officers of the NHA-NHS will consist of an elected President, Vice-President, secretary, public relations officer, historian, parliamentarian, and seven regional delegates.
Section 5. The term of the office will be one year, effective following the last executive committee meeting of the current school year.
Section 6. It will be the duty of the president to:
A. Preside at all meetings of the association and executive committee;
B. Represent the association at all public occasions;
C. Appoint all necessary committees;
D. Serve as an ex-officio member of all committees;
E. Be thoroughly familiar with this constitution and Robert’s Rule of Order, Revised.
Section 7. It will be the duty of the vice-president to:
A. Perform the duties of the president in his/her absence;
B. Coordinate all activities of all committees;
C. Perform the duties delegated to his/her office by the president;
D. Oversee publication of the NHS Newsletter, The Torch.
Section 8. It will be the duty of the secretary to:
A. Keep the minutes of all meetings at the annual or semiannual conventions;
B. Keep the minutes of each executive committee meeting;
C. Be responsible for all correspondence of the association;
D. Preserve, as directed by the executive committee, all records of the association;
E. Take roll call of the chapters present at all conventions.
Section 9. It will be the duty of the public relations officer to:
A. Write all news releases before and after all conventions;
B. Arrange for the greetings and directing of all workshop presenters at conventions;
C. Coordinate regional delegates.
Section 10. It will be the duty of the historian to:
A. Collect and maintain historical records of each NHS state-related meeting or event;
B. Maintain open lines of communication with the editors of the NHS newsletter, The Torch, and submit current photographs of members at various events;
C. Coordinate the slide show of pictures to be presented at the state convention;
Section 11. It will be the duty of the regional delegate to:
A. Represent dutifully the regional membership of the National Honor Society;
B. Be a liaison member between the schools in his/her district and the executive committee;
C. Fulfill delegated responsibilities;
D. Organize a minimum of one regional meeting a year.
Section 12. All officers must:
A. It will be the responsibility of the Parliamentarian to:
- Be Knowledgeable with all by-laws and the Robinson's Rules of Order.
- One must oversee the operations of the organization. Especially the actions
taken by the President and the State advisor to see that all actions are
properly executed.
- Note: It is recommended that the state parliamentarian position is appointed
to a student who is from the same school as the state advisor.
B. Have been non-voting delegates to the annual or semiannual spring convention, except for regional delegates;
C. Have written permission from their faculty advisor or principal to hold office;
D. Have their advisor’s commitment to help them fulfill their responsibilities;
E. Obtain this written permission prior to the last executive committee meeting of the school year in which they are elected.
Section 13. A candidate’s nomination for office:
A. Must be submitted in writing to the faculty executive secretary at least one week before the business meeting of the spring convention is called to order;
B. May not exceed the stated limit of two candidates from each school;
C. May be made from the floor in the event that there are fewer than two candidates for a position, providing the conditions outlined in Article III, Section 11 are met.
Section 14. A candidate who has filed for office:
A. May not run for another office.
B. May not be nominated for another office from the floor.
Section 15. No school will have more than two members on the Executive Committee (Parliamentarian is exempt from this rule)
Section 16.
* The election of the treasurer, secretary, historian, public relations
officer and parliamentarian will be by simple majority of voting delegates.
If no candidate receives a majority on the first ballot, the two candidates
receiving the largest number of votes will run in a second ballot. All other
candidates will be eliminated.
* The election of the President and Vice-President will be by simple majority
of voting delegates however, students interested in running for one of these
positions must run for both. The person with the highest vote is offered
the position they would prefer. The person with the second highest vote
will fill in the vacant office.
Section 17. Vacancies occurring in a student office will be filled by the
decision of the executive committee.
Section 18. When a student holding state office, in the opinion of the executive secretary and the financial secretary, fails to fulfill the responsibilities of office, the executive and the financial secretary have authority, after due process, to remove the student member of the executive committee. The vacancy on the executive committee will be filled according to Section 16 of Article III.
ARTICLE IV: FACULTY ADVISERS
Section 1: There will be two faculty advisors chosen from the State of New Hampshire. A member of the State's School District must hold one position. Any member of the community may hold the other position.
Section 2. All advisors and members of the Board of Directors must be in agreement over the issue of stipend. The agreement should be reviewed annually at the spring conference.
Section 3. The term of Faculty Executive Council should be renewed every two years.
Section 4. The duties of the Board of Directors are:
A. To be willing and able to conduct the advisor's meeting at the State Convention.
B. Should help coordinate all association activities with regards to conventions, and assist the state officers with their work.
C. Serve as the consultant on the activities of the National Honor Societies within the state;
D. Turn over all records to the executive committee at the expiration of term of office;
E. Audit the financial secretary’s report in June of each year;
F. Serve as the parliamentarian for all association meetings or appoint one for a specific meeting;
G. This statement has been removed from this area and delegated to the responsibility of the Parliamentarian in Article III, Section 12.
H.The duties of the faculty financial secretary will be to:
a. Keep an accurate record of all association receipts and expenditures;
b. Give an accounting of the association’s financial status to the executive committee upon request and at the expiration of his/her term of office;
c. Present a financial report at each annual or semiannual convention;
d. Make sure that official funds are used to pay promptly all routine expenses of the association and to pay expenses of the executive committee, faculty executive secretary and state officers in conducting affairs of the association as deemed appropriate by the executive committee;
Section 5. The term of faculty financial secretary will be one year, and
he/she may be reelected at the advisors’ meeting at the annual spring
convention.
Section 6. The duties of the faculty financial secretary will be to:
A. Keep an accurate record of all association receipts and expenditures;
B. Give an accounting of the association’s financial status to the executive committee upon request and at the expiration of his/her term of office;
C. Present a financial report at each annual or semiannual convention;
D. Make sure that official funds are used to pay promptly all routine expenses of the association and to pay expenses of the executive committee, faculty executive secretary and state officers in conducting affairs of the association as deemed appropriate by the executive committee;
Section 7. Vacancies occurring in the office of faculty executive secretary or faculty financial secretary before a term has expired will be filled by the executive committee until the next annual or semiannual convention, at which time the office will be filled in the regular manner.This statement now applies to the Board of Directors, not the faculty executive secretary or the faculty financial secretary.
ARTICLE V: MEETINGS
Section 1. There will be meetings of the executive committee at times and places to be decided by the committee itself.
Section 2. All annual or semiannual conventions will be held:
A. During the fall and/or spring of the school year;
B. At places selected by the executive committee.
Section 3. Special state meetings may be called by:
A. The executive committee and the Board of Directors.
B. A request by one-third or more of all chapters of the National Honor Societies in New Hampshire who are members in good standing of the NHA-NHS, providing one of these chapters offers to host the meeting.
Section 4. Each school sending convention delegates will be assessed a registration fee proportional to the number of delegates present per school to defray convention expenses.
ARTICLE VI: DUES
Section 1.Each chapter of the National Honor Society in New Hampshire will be assessed annual state dues at a rate determined by the executive board. Dues must be paid prior to the start of the first statewide convention. Any chapter having an increase in membership during the school year may be assessed an additional fee, at the rate determined by the executive board. No candidates or voting delegates will be accepted for positions unless their chapter has paid all dues;
A. A member of the state's office will not be removed from the position if the school has not paid its dues unless it is in the best interest of the organization.
B. The Board of Directors and the State Advisors, at the Spring Conference, will evaluate fees for each chapter annually.
C. It is the responsibility of the state officers to introduce and help organize an annual state fundraiser. By implicating a state-wide fundraiser, the chapter's state dues may be wavered.
Section 2. Annual dues will be set a minimum of thirty days prior to the state convention.
ARTICLE VII: ADMINISTRATION
Section 1. All activities of this association must be in agreement with the policies and regulations established by the National Council of the National Honor Societies and the New Hampshire School Principals’ Association. The administration of these policies and regulations will be through the National Secretary of the National Honor Societies and/or the faculty executive secretary and faculty financial secretary of the executive committee.
ARTICLE VIII: AMENDMENTS
Section 1. The constitution may be amended at any regular state convention of the New Hampshire Association of the National Honor Society Chapters if:
A. Notice of the proposed amendment has been sent to the president and/or secretary at least one week before the convention, and;
B. The amendment is approved by three voting delegates from each invited school in attendance at the convention.
Section 2. All amendments will become effective one week after passage of said amendment unless declared null and void by the National Secretary.
ARTICLE IX: RATIFICATION
Section 1. This constitution is subject to the approval of the executive committee before it becomes effective.
Section 2. When this constitution becomes effective, it will be subject to review by, and automatic acceptance of, the amendments of the National Secretary and the National Committee of the National Honor Society.
Section 3. This constitution will go into effect when it is ratified by a majority of the voting delegates at the annual or semiannual convention. Thereafter, any new chapters ratifying this constitution will be eligible to become a member of the state association.
Section 4. No society ratifying this constitution will retain or add any Greek letters to the title of its organization.
Section 5. When this constitution becomes effective, any previous constitution will become invalid.
ARTICLE X: DISCIPLINE
Section 1. If an elected member is expelled from their local chapter for any reason, that member is automatically expelled from the state National Honor Society as well. It is the duty of the executive council to appoint a member to fill the position within ten school days.
Section 2. If an elected region representative is expelled from their local chapter for any reason, it is the duty of the school from which that member is from to find another member to fill the vacated position within ten school days.