NECHA

The organization will be known as the New England College Health Association (NECHA), a voluntary, non-profit affiliate in Region V of the American College Health Association (ACHA).  NECHA is comprised of members from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont.  NECHA has been incorporated in the state of Maryland since May 2008 as a 501(C) (3).

Section 1.  The mission of NECHA is to serve as a professional organization for individuals who provide health care and programs to members of the higher education community and to be a mechanism by which institutions of higher education and their health services programs improve the health of those they serve.

Section 2.  We will accomplish our mission through providing networking, educational opportunities, support and advocacy for a diverse group of professionals who provide health care, health promotion, disease prevention, and support healthy lifestyle choices for college and university communities. NECHA members are integral to the academic mission of their institutions and play a vital role in the well being of society.

The purpose and goals of the affiliates of the American College Health Association are as follows:

Section 1.  Individual Membership

1. Membership in NECHA is obtained when an individual from the NECHA jurisdiction joins ACHA as an individual member.  Categories of individual membership are: (1) regular, (2) student, (3) associate and (4) emeritus.
   1. Regular Membership shall be open to anyone  a) providing health services to students of an institution of higher education, or b) on the staff of an institution of higher education.
   2. Student Membership is open to individuals who are students at a Recognized college or university and not employed as a “professional or civil service employee” at the health service.
   3. Associate Membership shall be open to anyone who is not eligible for regular membership. Associate members are not eligible to be on NECHA committees.
   4. Emeritus Membership will be open to any individual member in good standing at the time of retirement provided the member has held such individual membership status in ACHA for at least five years  immediately preceding retirement.
2. Privileges.
   • A regular member, upon payment of dues, shall be eligible to vote and hold office in NECHA.
   • A student member shall have one vote in a NECHA election and may hold office as the student representative on the NECHA Board.
   • An associate member may neither vote nor hold office in NECHA.
   • Emeritus members may, on payment of individual dues, have the privileges of the class of membership to which they belonged prior to becoming emeritus.

Section  2. Dues.

NECHA is a united affiliate member of ACHA.  As a result, ACHA members within the jurisdiction of a united member affiliate receive concurrent membership in the affiliate organization at no additional cost. NECHA receives a designated portion of the ACHA membership dues from members within the NECHA jurisdiction.

Section 3. Fiscal Year.

The fiscal year for NECHA is January 1 to December 31.

Section 1.  The officers of NECHA will be the Past-President, President, President-Elect, and a Secretary-Treasurer (or a Secretary and a Treasurer).  Officers must be individual regular members of ACHA and NECHA. The secretary and treasurer shall be elected for a one-year term at the annual meeting and will take office immediately after being elected.  The President-Elect will assume the office of the President and the President the office of Past-President at the conclusion of the annual meeting.  The officers of NECHA shall comprise the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors.

Section 2. The duties of each officer shall include, but not be limited to, the following with additional tasks as assigned by ACHA or the NECHA Board of Directors:

1. The President shall provide leadership for NECHA.  He/she shall:
   • Represent the constituents’ concerns both regionally and nationally;
   • Conduct the annual NECHA Business Meeting;
   • Organize, coordinate, and conduct regular and special meetings of the Board of Directors;
   • Assist the President-Elect/Program Chair with planning the annual meeting;
   • Assist the Secretary-Treasurer (or Secretary and Treasurer);
   • Appoint Nominating and Awards Committees with the Past President as the chair;
   • Communicate regularly with the NECHA membership;
   • Communicate with ACHA;
   • Attend the Affiliate Officers’ ACHA Board Meeting;
   • Chair the ACHA New Affiliate Professional Award Committee.
2. The President-elect shall provide support and assistance to the President and the Board of Directors and be available to assume the Presidency at the Annual Meeting, following the term as President Elect. He/she shall:
   • Serve as Program Chair to plan, organize, and coordinate the Annual NECHA Meeting;
   • Attend the Affiliate Officers’ ACHA Board Meeting;
   • Assume the President’s responsibilities in his/her absence;
   • Represent the constituents’ concerns both regionally and nationally.
3. The Past-President shall provide advice and assistance to the President and the Board of Directors. He/she shall:
   • Chair the Nominating Awards and Grant Committees;
   • Represent the constituents’ concerns both regionally and nationally.
4. The Secretary shall support the Board and membership. He/she shall:
   • Prepare, distribute, and maintain the minutes of each meeting of the Board;
   • Prepare and present for approval the minutes of the Annual Meeting;
   • Oversee all general correspondence and maintenance of files and supplies.
5. The Treasurer shall oversee the financial operations. He/she shall be responsible for:
   • Maintenance of financial records reflecting receipts, disbursement, and accurate account balances;
   • Managing the assets of the organization;
   • Coordinating the development, Board approval, and execution of a fiscal year budget;
   • Reporting financial status to Board at its meetings and to the membership at the Annual Meeting;
   • Completing the Internal Revenue Report for the Association and submitting it to ACHA according to ACHA guidelines.

Section 3.  Vacancies in office which occur between annual meetings will be filled as follows:  If the office of President becomes vacant, the President-elect will assume the office of President for the remainder of the term and will continue as President for the subsequent year.  If the office of President-elect becomes vacant, the Board of Directors shall appoint an interim who shall serve until the next annual meeting at which time an election for President shall be held.  Vacancies in the Secretary-Treasurer (or Secretary and Treasurer) offices will be filled by action of the Board of Directors until the next annual meeting.  Should a Past-President be unable to serve, a recent Past-President shall be appointed with approval of the Board of Directors.

Section 1.  There will be a Board of Directors comprised of the officers; the Regional Representative to ACHA five Members-at-Large, who will serve two year terms; and Student Representatives, who will serve two year terms.

Section 2. Members at Large

1. Shall be elected at the annual meeting to serve a two-year term.  They should represent the diversity of college health.
2. Vacancies remain unfilled until nomination and election at the next annual meeting.
3. May serve multiple terms if nominated and elected.
4. Shall represent the Association and constituents’ concerns both regionally and nationally.
5. If the vacancy occurs prior to the first board meeting of the calendar year, the individual who received the next highest number of votes would be offered the board position which continues down the voting roster. If the individual declines, the position remains vacant until the next election.

Section 3. ACHA Regional Representative – Region V – New England and New York State College Health Associations

The principal function of Regional Representative is to provide a communication link between members and affiliates in their region and the leadership of the Association.  Regional Representatives shall serve as an official representative of ACHA leadership at meetings of the affiliate organizations when requested by the President or Board of Directors.  Regional Representatives are responsible for presenting discussion items for regional affiliate leadership and other members in their regions to the Board of Directors.  Lastly, Regional Representatives are responsible for appointing a regional member to the Nominating Committee who will serve a concurrent two-year term with each Regional Representative.  Additional duties may be assigned by the Board of Directors.

1.  Election of Regional Representative – The regular individual and student members in each region shall elect a Regional Representative to the Board of Directors from a slate chosen by the Nominating Committee. Each region’s member on the Nominating Committee shall be principally responsible for soliciting candidates from their region.
2. The Regional Representative is elected to serve as a member of the Board of Directors for two years.
3. Qualifications of the Regional Representative:
   1. Regular individual member during entire term in office
   2. Regular individual member for at least three years prior to election
   3. Demonstrated leadership in Association activities at the affiliate, regional, or national level
4. In the event of a vacancy in the position of Regional Representative, the President shall appoint a person to fill the remainder of the term from a list provided by the Nominating Committee.  The Nominating Committee shall provide a list to the President that includes one or more individuals.

Section 4. Student Representatives

1. Each President Elect will nominate 1 (one) student representative for a two-year term, when available.  The Board shall consider and approve the nomination.
2. Vacancies may be filled through consensus of the Board.
3. Will provide input to the Board and represent the interest of students both regionally and nationally.

Section 5. A NECHA Administrative Director may be appointed at the discretion of the Board to serve as a non-voting Ex-Officio member.  The President, President-Elect, and Treasurer acting on behalf of the Board may contract with said individual who would be compensated from the NECHA operating budget.

Section 6.  The Board of Directors will transact the business of NECHA in the interim between annual meetings of the membership and will report at each annual meeting.

Section 1. Standing Committees

1. Nominating Committee   shall propose a slate of officers and members at large, in accordance with Article IX Section 1. It shall be comprised of at least three members, chaired by the Past President.
2. Awards Committee shall receive nominations for the President’s Award and the Louise Gazzara Award and make recommendations to the Board of Directors for approval.  It shall be comprised of at least three members, chaired by the Past President.
3. Grant Committee shall include at least 3 board members and the winner of the past award and will be chaired by the past president.

Section 2. The President, with the approval of the Board of Directors, will appoint such other committees as are needed to promote the affairs of NECHA.

Section 1.  There will be an annual meeting at a time and place selected by the Board of Directors.

Section 2.  Special meetings may be called as deemed necessary by the Board of Directors.

Section 1.  Officers and other members of the Board of Directors with the exception of Student Representatives will be elected by the membership at the annual meeting.  A Nominating Committee chaired by a Past President and appointed by the President will prepare and publish a slate of nominations at least twenty-four hours before the annual business meeting.  Nominations may also be made from the floor at the annual business meeting.

Section 2.  A majority of members present and voting shall elect.  In the event there is more than one nominee for a single office, voting will be by ballot; a majority of the votes cast being necessary to elect.  In case of three or more nominees, if one nominee fails to receive a majority of the votes cast, the nominee receiving the lowest number of votes will be eliminated and a new ballot taken.

In the absence of any provision to the contrary in the Bylaws, all meetings of NECHA will be governed by the current edition of ROBERTS RULES OF ORDER.

Amendments to these Bylaws may be adopted by a two-thirds vote of the members present and voting at any annual meeting, provided that notice of any proposed amendments will have been presented, in writing, to the membership at least three weeks prior to the annual meeting.

Upon dissolution of this organization, all assets remaining after payment of debts or provision therefore will be distributed to the ACHA or to other organizations exempt from federal income tax, as described in Section 501(C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.