LAHO

Organized by Louisiana residential life and housing professionals, an association named the Louisiana Association of Housing Officers was created to promote an exchange of ideas and philosophies among private and public institutions of higher education with residence hall facilities. The organization adopted this new mission statement in the fall of 2006.
Mission and Principles of the Louisiana Association of Housing Officers (further to be referred to as LAHO in this document):

The organization known as Louisiana Housing Officers (LAHO) is a membership of professionals who are dedicated to the education, professional development, and promotion of housing and residential life services at private and public institutions of higher education and learning in Louisiana.

LAHO is committed to:

· The best practices and services as outlined in the ACUHO-I standards of practice;

· Inclusion and equal opportunity for involvement of all professionals who support the promotion and advancement of housing and residential life programs, regardless of race, creed, gender, sexual orientation, political affiliation, religions/spiritual practices, etc;

· Serving as an organizational liaison between the state membership and other state, regional, and national organizations;

· Providing diverse and affordable professional development opportunities for the organizational membership;

· Providing educational and developmental opportunities to the student employees within housing and residential life programs across the state;

· Promoting the research and publication of new information, theories, practices, and services for housing and related programs;

· Continuing the growth of the organization through the use of new and advance technological methods so to provide efficient service to the membership.

Article III: Membership

Section 1. Institutional Membership - Any institution of post-secondary/higher education providing a residential housing program or facilities in Louisiana is eligible for institutional membership. Membership will entitle one vote either voice or electronically per institution, election or appointment to office, and receipt of the LAHO Newsletter.

Section 2. Membership Committee - The Membership Committee shall be charged with the responsibility of recruiting new members and assisting the Business Manager in maintaining current names and addresses of the association's membership. The Member-At-Large will chair the Membership Committee.

Article IV: Officers

Section 1. Leadership

A. The officers of LAHO shall be: President, President-Elect, Past-President, Business Manager, Newsletter Editor, SEAHO Representative, Member-At-Large, Technology Coordinator, ERA Conference Coordinator, and Research Coordinator.

B. The Executive Council shall serve as Board for the formulation and recommendation of policies to the association and shall act for the association between business meetings of the annual conference.

Section 2. President

The President shall serve as the chief executive officer of the Association and chair of the Executive Council; preside over all meetings of the Association and the Executive Council; perform all other duties as designated by the Executive Council and/or Association membership; and perform all other duties customary to such office which are not inconsistent with the Association’s Constitution. Specific duties and qualifications are listed in the Association’s Policy Manual.

Section 3. President Elect

The President-Elect shall be a member in good standing in the association for a minimum of two years. The President-Elect shall preside at all Association functions in the absence of the President; work as the liaison for the LACUSPA/LAHO Conference committee for the following year, serve as the liaison for any committee membership (LAHO members seeking committee experiences, when available, shall contact the President-Elect to be informed of committee opportunities), shadow and work closely with the current LAHO President and perform other duties as assigned. The President-Elect shall chair the elections commitments to the organization. Prior to the annual LACUSPA/LAHO annual business meeting, the President-Elect shall appoint a Nominating Committee including at least three housing professionals from different institutions; this committee shall solicit candidates from the LAHO membership for the offices of President-Elect, Newsletter Editor, ERA Conference Coordinator, and whenever the two year term positions are up for re-election. The President-Elect shall be elected at the LACUSPA/LAHO annual conference for a three-year commitment of service which includes one year in each of the offices of the Presidential Council (President-Elect, President and Past President).

Section 4. Past President

The immediate Past President shall be responsible for any LAHO awards/recognition responsibility, coordinate the Silent Auction at the Annual ERA Conference, serve as a resource and advisor to the current LAHO President, serve as the LAHO Historian, and perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned by either the President or the Governing Council. In any need of an Awards/Recognition committee, the immediate Past President will form a group of the Past-Presidents of LAHO, and shall solicit LAHO award nominations and other award/recognition needs of the organization.

Section 5. Business Manager

The Business Manager shall be a member in good standing in the association for a minimum of 2 years. The Business Manager is primarily responsible for all elements concerning the current financial standing of the organization. In addition, the Business member coordinates the agenda and publishes the minutes from all meetings. The procedures outlining the expectations for this officer are detailed in the policy book.

Section 6. Member-At-Large

The Member-At-Large shall be a member in good standing in the association and proven an active participant in LAHO business for at least a year. The Member-At-Large shall serve for a term of office of two years. The primary responsibility of the Member-At-Large is serving needs of the membership on the Executive Council and through membership surveys, assessments, and organizational evaluations and collection of feedback. When needed, the Member-At-Large will chair a membership committee. Specific duties are defined in Policy Book.

Section 7. SEAHO Representative

The SEAHO Representative shall be a member in good standing in the association for a minimum of two years. This person must have several years of significant involvement in LAHO prior to running for this position. The SEAHO Representative first responsibility is to chair the state caucus meeting at the next SEAHO Conference. The SEAHO Representative shall serve a term of office for two years and will transition his or her elected replacement at his or her last SEAHO Conference (following the fall election of a new Representative). The SEAHO Representative will represent LAHO at all SEAHO Executive meeting including annual conference and mid-year meeting. Other duties are outlined in Policy Book.

Section 8. Newsletter Editor

The Newsletter Editor shall be a member in good standing in the association. The Newsletter Editor shall serve for a term of office of one year. The newsletter Editor is responsible for producing the Associations Newsletter, Signpost. Details of production and other duties are outlined in the policy book.

Section 9. Technology Coordinator

The Technology Coordinator shall be a member in good standing with the association. The Technology Coordinator shall serve a term of two years. The Technology coordinator should have a high level of knowledge and access to appropriate technology to maintain the association’s web-page and listserv. Other responsibilities are outlined in the Policy Book.

Section 10. ERA Conference Coordinator

The ERA Conference Coordinator shall be a member in good standing in the association. The ERA Conference Coordinator shall serve a term of one year. The ERA Conference Coordinator will preside over the preparations for the annual ERA conference and will work closely with the Executive Council to provide a quality experience for the students attending. Specific position responsibilities are outlined in policy manual.

Section 11. Research Coordinator

The Research Coordinator shall be a member in good standing in the association. The Research Coordinator shall serve for a term of office of one year. The following procedures outline the expectations/responsibilities for this officer:

· Send out a survey/questionnaire to all Chief Housing Officers (CHOs) in the state with questions regarding practices at their own institution.

· Follow up with CHOs and collect responses to the survey/questionnaire.

· Compile responses and send out LAHO Summary of State Practices and Procedures

Article V: Selection of LAHO Executive Council Officers

All LAHO members shall have an equal opportunity to be nominated for vacant elected/selected Executive Council positions (President-Elect, Business Manager, SEAHO Representative, Member-At-Large, ERA Conference Coordinator, Newsletter Editor, and Research Coordinator). Given the nature of the positions and institutional support required, those holding the position of Technology Coordinator will be selected by the Executive Council and approved by the membership at Annual Conference.

All interested members, in good standing, may self-nominate or be nominated by a colleague. Nominations will be submitted to the President-Elect. If the member accepts the nomination, the member/candidate shall submit a statement of intent and experience by the published deadline. Each member/candidate will be introduced to the electorate body during the business meeting at the annual conference. Voting will take place by secret ballot (one vote per institution) and a candidate will need a simple majority vote (50% + 1) to be elected to the position. Officer selections will be announced to the association at the closing of the LAHO business meeting at the annual LACUSPA/LAHO conference.

Article VI: Leadership Vacancies

If a vacancy comes to exist in any Executive Council office, the Executive Council shall decide, with majority vote, the appropriate course of action and/or appoint a replacement for a term designated by the Executive Council.

Article VII: Constitutional Changes

All proposed changes to the LAHO Constitution shall be brought to the membership at the LACUSPA/LAHO annual conference for a vote (one vote per institution). Proposed revisions shall be put forth by the Executive Council in writing and distributed to individuals attending the LACUSPA/LAHO annual conference. A majority vote from those in attendance at the Business Meeting of the annual conference is required for passage. For Constitutional revisions needing immediate attention, an electronic vote may be administered by the current LAHO President at any time during the year, or at the ERA annual conference (if attendance offers quorum).

Article VIII- Types of Activities to be Operated

LAHO will plan and present the ERA annual conference, do business at the LACUSPA/LAHO annual conference, hold various professional development opportunities for the membership, offer awards and recognition opportunities for the membership, and such other activities as may be determined to be of service to its member institutions.

Article IX: LAHO Policy Book

The LAHO Policy book is an extension of the organization’s constitution. It contains the policies and procedures for the daily operations and responsibilities of the organization. Detailed Executive Council job descriptions, election information, financial policies, organizational forms, Executive Council voting procedures, annual conference guidelines and other such information are included in this document. The document is to be maintained by the President and updated as needed. Changes to the policy book may be done so by a 2/3 majority vote by the Executive Council. Changes to the policy book will be reported to the membership via email, posted on the website and included in the President’s report at the end of his or her term.

Article X- Dissolution

In the event of the dissolution of LAHO, the property, funds and all other assets after liquidating and indebtedness, will be turned over to SEAHO.

Updated & Accepted on March 19, 2011

By the voting membership of LAHO and the LAHO Executive Committee

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