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We the residence hall students of Ball State University, in order to bridge communication with other campus organizations, provide a representative voice for all residents, unify and improve the living conditions of the residence halls, establish this Constitution for the Residence Hall Association of Ball State University.
Article One: Name
Section One: The name of this organization shall be the Residence Hall Association of Ball State University, hereafter referred to as RHA.
Article Two: Purpose and Responsibility
Section One: The purpose of the organization shall be as follows:
A. To receive and disseminate information from the residence halls at Ball State University.
B. To serve as a forum of exchange for ideas, issues, and opinions of the residence hall community.
C. To support and encourage positive community growth in the residence halls.
D. To be a liaison between the residents of Ball State University and the Office of Housing and Residence Life.
E. To sponsor and provide campus programming in order to benefit residence hall students.
F. To uphold and promote policies regarding student organizations at Ball State University.
G. To adhere and respect the policies established by the Office of Housing and Residence Life.
H. To encourage academic growth.
Article Three: Membership
Section One: The voting membership of the organization shall be one (1) official representative selected by each hall in accordance with the hall’s constitution.
Section Two: Voting members shall not be Resident Assistants or Multicultural Advisors during their term of office.
Section Three: All voting members must live in the residence hall or bi-hall community they represent.
Section Four: All other students living in Ball State residence halls are non-voting members of RHA and are encouraged to attend all General Assembly meetings and participate in committees.
Section Five: RHA does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, religion, color, national origin, physical or mental disability, health impairment, age, status as a Vietnam era veteran, or sexual orientation.
Article Four: Responsibility of Voting Members
Section One: It is the responsibility of all voting members of RHA or designated proxies to attend all RHA General Assembly meetings and all assigned committee meetings.
Section Two: It is also the responsibility of all voting members:
A. To represent and vote according to the interests of their respective hall.
B. To act in the best interest of the entire residence hall community.
C. To review, and, if necessary, propose changes to the minutes of General Assembly meetings.
Section Three: All RHA representatives must serve on at least one (1) of the standing committees.
Article Five: Executive Board
Section One: The Executive Board shall consist of the eight (8)/nine (9) executive officers and standing committee directors.
Section Two: The Executive Board shall plan each General Assembly meeting.
Section Three: The meetings of the Executive Board shall be held each week at a specific time set at the beginning of each semester.
Section Four The Executive Board shall be non-voting members of RHA.
Section Five: Executive Board members shall not be Resident Assistants or Multicultural Advisors during their term of office.
Section Six: If all duties are met to satisfaction, the officer in question shall receive their stipend of a
pre-determined amount decided upon by the Office of Housing and Residence Life.
Section Seven: Executive Board members shall maintain a cumulative 2.3 GPA during their term of office.
Section Eight: All Executive Board members shall serve a minimum of two (2) hours per week at a regular scheduled time in the RHA office.
Article Six: Executive Officers and Standing Committee Directors
Section One: The executive officers of this organization shall be:
A. President
B. Vice President
C. National Communications Coordinator/Hoosier Communications Coordinator (NCC/HCC)
D. Secretary
E. Treasurer
F. Activities Director
G. Issues and Facilities Director
H. Public Relations Director
I. Webmaster
J. National Communications Coordinator/Hoosier Communications Coordinator Elect (NCC/HCC Elect)
Section Two: Elected Positions
A. All elected officers may only hold one (1) elected RHA position at any time during their time of office.
B. Elected positions in other on-campus organizations (this includes SAT, NRHH, Hall Councils, etc.) will be evaluated by the Executive Board of RHA and the advisors on a case by case basis.
Section Three: The general duties of the executive officers shall be to attend and actively contribute to all RHA Executive Board, General Assembly, and designated committee meetings, if applicable.
Section Four: Succession and Resignation
A. If the Presidency is vacant, the Vice President shall become President. In the occurrence of a vacated executive office other than the Presidency and NCC/HCC, an election shall be held for that vacancy as described in the Elections Code.
B. If the NCC/HCC position is vacant, the NCC/HCC Elect shall serve as the NCC/HCC. In the circumstance there is no NCC/HCC Elect at the time of the resignation of the NCC/HCC, there shall be an election for the vacant executive position as described in the Elections Code.
C. In the event of a vacated office, the Executive Board shall fulfill the duties of that office until the position is filled.
Article Seven: Advisors
Section One: The duties and responsibilities of the advisors shall be:
A. To act as a resource for all committee work.
B. To act as a resource person to RHA.
C. To serve as an ex-officio member of the Executive Board.
Section Two: An Assistant Director of Housing and Residence Life shall be a permanent advisor to RHA, and serve as its primary advisor.
Section Three: The Director of Housing and Residence Life can remove an advisor with a unanimous vote from the Executive Board.
Section Four: At any time during the academic year an advisor can be removed by the Executive Board with consent of the primary advisor.
Section Five: Upon the resignation of an advisor, the Assistant Director of Housing and Residence
Life shall accept letters of intent from any Residence Hall Director, Assistant Residence Hall Director, or Resident Manager and conduct elections in the usual manner.
Section Six: The number of additional advisors will be at the discretion of the primary advisor.
Article Eight: Resolutions and Motions
Section One: A resolution or motion is passed when the appropriate majority of the voting representatives cast his/her vote in favor of that resolution or motion.
Section Two: The President has the authority to veto a resolution or motion based on constitutionality, legality, or general welfare of the body.
Section Three: If a resolution or motion is not approved by the President, the voting representatives have the power to override the President’s decision with a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the voting representatives, except in cases where the motion or resolution has been determined unconstitutional or illegal.
Article Nine: Elections
Section One: The RHA Elections procedures will be stated in the official RHA Elections Code.
Article Ten: Amendments
Section One: Amendments may be proposed in writing by any voting member of the organization as well as any Executive Board member and must be submitted to the President before the Executive Board meeting prior to its presentation at a General Assembly meeting.
Section Two: The amendment will be presented at the next General Assembly meeting.
Section Three: A vote of three-fourths (¾) of the voting membership is required to amend the Constitution.
Article Eleven: Bylaws
Section One: RHA shall be empowered to adopt such Bylaws and regulations as deemed necessary for carrying out its functions through the procedures established in the Constitution, provided such Bylaws and regulations do not conflict with the Constitution.
Section Two: Amendments to the Bylaws can be made with an affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) by the voting membership present at any General Assembly meeting.
Section Three: The Bylaws shall go into effect upon adoption of this document.
Article Twelve: Ratification
Section One: This Constitution shall become effective upon ratification by three-fourths (¾) of the voting membership.
Article Thirteen: Parliamentary Procedure
Section One: RHA shall follow the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, unless they somehow conflict with another section of the governing documents.