NJCHA Bylaws

ARTICLE I: NAME

The Association shall be known as the New Jersey College Health Association (NJCHA).

ARTICLE II: PURPOSE

Section 1. Mission

The mission of the New Jersey College Health Association is to serve as a professional organization for individuals who provide health-related services to all members of the higher education community and to serve as a mechanism by which Health Services and their respective institutions can improve the health of those they serve.

Section 2. Vision

1. To foster high-quality standards of health care that are responsive to the needs of the higher education community.
2. To provide continuing education, information, sharing, knowledge, and support to college health professionals.
3. To provide channels of communication for the Association and its members with the Mid-Atlantic College Health Association, the American College Health Association and other appropriate health organizations.

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP

Membership in NJCHA shall be open to anyone with an interest in college health and who has paid the annual dues. There shall be two (2) categories of membership: (1) institutional and (2) individual.

Category 1. Institutional Membership

Institutional membership shall be open to any institution of higher education in New Jersey. Upon payment of institutional membership dues, each member institution shall designate one individual to be its representative of the Member institution (RMI). This individual must be employed by the institution to provide health services to its students. The representative shall become an “individual regular member” of the New Jersey College Health Association and is accorded all privileges of individual regular membership in the Association.

Category 2. Individual Membership

Individual membership shall be of four (4) types: (a) regular, (b) emeritus, (c) associate, and (d) corporate.

(a) Regular membership shall be open to individuals employed by an institution of higher education in the State of New Jersey to provide health-related services to its students. A regular member shall be eligible to vote, nominate annual award and election candidates, join the NJCHA listserv, and hold office in the New Jersey College Health Association. Benefits also include reduced registration fees for meetings. Institutional membership includes one (1) individual regular membership.

(b) Emeritus membership shall be open to any individual member who is no longer eligible for regular membership provided the member has held office in the New Jersey College Health Association and has made significant contributions to the field of college health. All emeritus memberships will be selected by the Executive Board and ratified by vote of the membership. Dues will be waived for emeritus members; however, they are accorded all other privileges of regular membership except holding office in the New Jersey College Health Association.

(c) Associate membership shall be open to anyone who is not eligible for regular membership. Associate members may not vote, hold office in the New Jersey College Health Association, or nominate election candidates. However, they can nominate award candidates (the awards candidate must be a regular member of NJCHA) and may attend general meetings at the membership rate. They may also join the NJCHA listserv and have permission to access to the members-only section of the NJCHA website upon application to and approval of the president of NJCHA.

(d) Corporate membership shall be open to health and business organizations that may wish to support and cooperate with the Association in furtherance of its objectives. All corporate membership applications must be approved by the Executive Board. Corporate members may designate representatives who may attend general meetings of the New Jersey College Health Association at no additional cost. However, corporate members may not vote, hold office in the New Jersey College Health Association, nominate annual award or election candidates, join the NJCHA listserv, or have access to the members-only section of the NJCHA website.

ARTICLE IV: DUES AND ASSETS

The Executive Board will set annual dues for the Association. The general membership will vote on all dues changes at the general membership meeting immediately following any proposed change. In the event of the dissolution of the Association, its assets shall be distributed for one or more of the exempt purposes specified in Section 501 (c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code as from time to time amended.

ARTICLE V: EXECUTIVE BOARD

Section 1. Officers and Terms of Office

The officers of the Association shall be President, Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, and Treasurer. These officers comprise the Executive Board. The officers shall serve for two (2) years or until their successors are elected and assume office. Past-Presidents of NJCHA shall be considered members of the Executive Board and be allowed to participate in meetings but will serve as non-voting members.

Section 2. Eligibility

Each of the officers shall be a individual regular member or Representative of the Member Institution (RMI) during the term of office.

Section 3. Responsibilities

Each Executive Board Officer, in addition to the duties listed in Article VI, shall attend all Executive Board and General Meetings unless excused by the President. If more than one (1) unexcused Executive Board and one (1) unexcused General Meeting are missed, the position shall be deemed vacated and shall be filled in accordance with Article V, Section 6. Board members unable to attend a meeting shall notify the President prior to the meeting date.

Section 4. Election

Officers shall be elected at the spring meeting. The Elections Committee, appointed by the President, shall prepare and publish a slate of candidates to be presented to the membership at least three (3) weeks prior to the spring meeting. Voting shall be by electronic ballot with a majority of the votes cast being necessary to elect. In the case of three (3) or more nominees, if one (1) nominee fails to receive a majority of votes cast, the nominee receiving the lowest number of votes shall be eliminated from consideration and a new ballot taken.

Section 5. Installation

The officers of the Association shall assume their duties following the business meeting of the spring meeting at which they were elected.

Section 6. Vacancies

Vacancies in office, which occur between scheduled elections, shall be filled as follows:
If the office of the President becomes vacant, the Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President for the remainder of the term. If the office of the Vice-President, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary or Treasurer becomes vacant, the President shall appoint a replacement subject to the approval of the membership.

ARTICLE VI: DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS

Section 1. President

1. Prepares agenda for and chairs all general and executive board meeting of the Association.
2. Maintains communication with the membership and with other organizations.
3. Appoints members to all standing and ad hoc committees and assures that the committees execute their respective charges.

Section 2. Vice-President

1. Fulfills the duties of the President in her/his absence.
2. Is responsible for program planning and obtaining continuing education credits for the general meetings.

Section 3. Recording Secretary

1. Records and transcribes the minutes of all meetings of the Association.
2. Circulates the minutes of the general meetings to the membership.
3. Maintains the Association’s documents.
4. Functions as Archivist for the Association.

Section 4. Corresponding Secretary

1. Handles all correspondence for the Association.
2. Prepares the membership/application brochure and distributes it to all persons in the NJCHA directory.
3. Edits and updates the NJCHA website as needed
4. Disseminates emails on upcoming general meetings, and other communications as directed by the President.

Section 5. Treasurer

1. Prepares an annual budget in consultation with the Executive Board and arranges for periodical audit.
2. Oversees the collection, accounting, and disbursement of all moneys of the Association and maintains records of all transactions.
3. Conducts all banking transactions.
4. Maintains a record of paid memberships and prepares a list of college health professionals/visitors registered to attend general meetings.

ARTICLE VII: COMMITTEES

Standing and ad hoc committees promote the Mission and Goals of the Association. Committee members are appointed by the President. Standing Committees are:

1. Elections Committee
2. Awards Committee

Ad Hoc committees are those committees representing activities of major interest to the Association. Ad hoc committees shall be designated by the President to fulfill a specific need of major interest. The President shall be an ex officio member of all committees.

ARTICLE VIII: MEETINGS

Section 1. Frequency

1. Two (2) to three (3) general membership meetings shall be held during each academic year.
   2. All other meetings shall be held at the discretion of the Board.

Section 2. Quorum

A quorum shall be constituted by a minimum of ten (10) members who are present and eligible to vote, including at least one (1) member of the executive board.

Section 3. Host College

General meetings will be rotated among colleges that have volunteered to serve as host. An attempt will be made to select one college from each of the north, central and southern areas of the state during each academic year. Anyone interested in hosting a general meeting may contact a member of the executive board or indicate their desire to serve as host on the evaluation form for the spring meeting.

ARTICLE IX: AUTHORITY

Roberts Rules of Order shall govern the Association in all cases in which they are applicable and in which they are not in conflict with these Bylaws.

ARTICLE X: AMENDMENTS

These Bylaws shall be reviewed annually and revised as needed. The Executive Board will review and present amendments to the membership. The members have the authority to amend the bylaws of the Association with a two-thirds majority of votes cast.

Proposed amendments must be presented to the voting members three (3) weeks prior to the vote.