Election Bylaws

Article 1: Position Restrictions

Section 1: Restrictions to hold position

1. The candidate must have applied or intend to apply for the housing lottery.
2. The candidate must not be an applicant to be a Resident Assistant or Apartment Assistant.
3. The candidate must currently have the minimum cumulative grade point average of a 2.5
   1. In cases where a candidate’s GPA drops below the minimum cumulative GPA of a 2.5 the candidate will be subjected to the same probationary period that is described in the Articles of the RHA Bylaws.
   2. First years are excluded from the GPA requirement until their spring semester.
4. The candidate must be in good standing with the conduct office.
5. Only returning students are eligible to run for an executive board position.
6. Candidates who are on RHA’s academic probation for the Spring semester will be allowed to run in the RHA Spring Elections
   1. If elected, members will have until the end of the Spring Semester to bring their GPA to the minimum requirement of a 2.5.
      1. Failure to do so will result in the member being removed from their position

Section 2: Position Requirements

1. Presidential Requirements
   1. The candidate must have had at least one (1) year of Executive Committee experience to be eligible for the position.
   2. Should there be no candidates with Executive board or Committee experience the election will then be open to all on-campus residents.
2. Vice President
   1. The candidate is strongly recommended to have prior Executive Committee or Executive Board experience
3. Residential Council Director
   1. The candidate is required to live on their respective campus for at least one full semester.
4. Residential Council Associate Directors
   1. The candidate is required to live on their respective campus for at least one full semester.
5. Director of University Relations
   1. **This candidate must submit a portfolio to the public relations committee and be formally interviewed to qualify for the elections race
6. All other positions (besides the NCC)
   1. The candidate is strongly recommended to have at least one semester of RHA experience prior to running
7. For NCC elections see article 7

Article 2: Letters of Intents

Section 1: Application Portion

1. The application portion will involve:
   1. Name
   2. Graduation Year
   3. Current Residence Hall
   4. Position running for
   5. Years of RHA Experience
   6. GPA
   7. Documented Misconduct History
   8. Electronic Agreement
      1. The electronic agreement will involve an agreement to live on campus, to schedule around required meetings,  and to follow the election bylaws that will be distributed along with the application.
      2. By electronically initialing this agreement the candidate promises to follow the above mentioned criteria in addition to the requirements outlined in the Constitution.
2. A breach of the electronic agreement will be dealt with at the discretion of the NCCIT, Executive President and the advisor.

Section 2: Personal Statement Portion:

1. No more than 300 words describing the candidate’s experience, who they are and why they would be best for the position.
2. The personal statement will not have specific criteria for the candidate to fulfill, it will be up to the candidate to create.
3. The personal statement will be displayed under the candidate’s name on the election website.
4. The personal statement must obey all of the campaigning bylaws described later in this document.

Section 3: Submission of the Letter of Intent

1. The letter of intent will be submitted electronically to the NCCIT following the timeline that is described later in this document.
2. No late submissions will be accepted: there will be no exceptions.

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Article 3: Campaigning Rules

Section 1: Solicitation

1. There will be no solicitation of votes
   1. Whereas a candidate will not go around and watch a voter vote for him/her.
   2. A candidate will not vote for him/herself under the name of another student.
2. There will be no soliciting door to door within the residence halls/apartments/suites.
   1. Candidates will not enter a residence hall/apartment/suite that they do not live in without an escort, who lives in the building at all times.
3. There will be no solicitation at any Rutgers University owned or operated property.

Section 2: Campaign Materials

1. All campaigning materials must be approved by the NCCIT.
2. Campaign materials may not contain any slanderous materials regarding another candidate or RHA’s history.
3. No materials can be posted in a residence hall without the permission of the hall director.
   1. Materials may be posted on a room door, if all residents of the room agree on the posting.

Section 3: Endorsements

1. No endorsements shall be made by Executive Committee members on the behalf of any of the candidates
2. There will only be one candidate per ticket.

Section 4: Facebook groups and other web media

1. Facebook groups and other web media must also be brought to the attention of and approved by the NCCIT
2. In the case of Facebook, or any other social networking site, group the NCCIT must be a member on that group.

Article 4: Write-Ins

Section 1: Write-Ins

1. It is at the discretion of the Executive Board to vote to allow write-ins on a case by case and position by position basis.
2. A write-in candidate must still obey all of the requirements outlined in Article 3 and Article 1 of this governing document
3. Should a write-in win with a majority vote, but they do not meet the requirements of Article 1 of this governing document they will be disqualified.

Article 5: Dual Positions

Section 1: Dual Positions

1. Candidates may only run for one Executive Committee position per election.
2. Candidates may not run for a hall president position and an Executive Committee/Board position during the same election.

Article 6: Time Line

Section 1: Time Line

1. Elections will be declared on a Friday.
2. One week (2 weeks for fall elections)  following the declaration of the election letters of intent will be due to the NCCIT via email Friday at 11:59 PM EST.
3. By Saturday the candidates will receive a confirmation letter from the NCCIT regarding the candidacy.
4. Campaign materials can be sent to the NCCIT for approval following the receipt of the confirmation letter.
   1. Campaign materials can be approved throughout the campaigning period.
5. Sunday at 12:00 PW EST campaigning will go live.
6. Campaigning will last until the next Tuesday.
7. Elections will take place Wednesday through Friday via the website.
8. Election results will be finalized by the Saturday following the elections.
9. Campaign materials are expected to be removed within the 24 hours following the election’s close.
10. The exact dates of the election process will vary from year to year, the days of the week, however, will stay consistent.

Article 7: National Communications Coordinator/ Director of Leadership Development Elections

Section 1: NCC/DLD Elections

1. NCC/DLD candidates must follow the campaigning guidelines and be eligible by the Executive Committee requirements.
2. The NCC/DLD elections will be run internally and the General Assembly will vote on the candidates.
3. The Election Process will be run by the Vice President
   1. Should the Vice President be running for the position it will follow the order of positions in the constitution.
4. When voting occurs by the general voting membership it will be by an anonymous paper vote.

Section 2: Timeline for the NCC Election

1. The letter of intent will be distributed the second week upon return from Winter Break.
2. The letter of intent will be due to the Vice President one week after it was distributed.
3. There will be a presentation by each of the candidates at the first General Assembly upon return from Winter Break. .
4. Elections for the position will be held the next General Assembly following the conclusion of the application period.
5. The winner of the election will be announced the evening of the voting prior to 11:59 PM EST.
   1. The winner will never be announced in General Assembly, unless candidate is running unopposed.

Section 3: The position of the NCCIT

1. Upon winning the race the candidate will then be known as the National Communications Coordinator In Training (NCCIT).
2. They will shadow the current NCC until the end of their term which is the close of the NACURH conference.
3. The NCCIT must attend the NACURH conference.
   1. They will attend  boardroom with the NCC at the conference.
4. They will be asked at the discretion of the NCC to attend the Executive Board meetings and General Assembly Meetings, should their schedule allow it.
   1. While at either meetings the NCCIT will not have its own vote.  
5. The NCCIT will be in charge of running the remaining formal elections once elected.
6. The NCCIT, should they hold another RHA position, will be able to finish their term with that position and retain the voting rights associated with that position.

Section 4: The position of DLDIT

1. Upon winning the race the candidate will then be known as the Director of Leadership Development In Training (DLDIT).
2. They will shadow the current DLD until the end of their term.
3. They will be asked at the discretion of the DLD to attend the Executive Board meetings and General Assembly Meetings, should their schedule allow it.
   1. While at either meetings the DLDIT will not have its own vote.  
4. The DLDIT, should they hold another RHA position, will be able to finish their term with that position and retain the voting rights associated with that position.

Section 4: Voting Membership — General Assembly

1. Voting members within General Assembly consist of solely one (1) President from each Hall/Apartment/Suite Council or a suitable proxy, and the Residential Council Associate Directors.
2. In the event of a tie, the group shall return to general discussion as per Parliamentary Procedure.

Article 8: Infractions

Section 1: Infractions

1. Any infraction that occurs will be brought to the attention of the Advisors, Executive President, and the NCCIT.
   1. The NCCIT, Executive President, and the Advisor will decide the consequences at their discretions.

Article 9: Probationary Period

Section 1: Probationary Period

1. All members of the Residence Hall Association must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of at least a 2.5. Members who fail to reach the cumulative GPA requirement will be subjected to a probationary period that will last for one (1) academic semester.
   1. Members that fall below the minimum requirement will be informed by the Graduate and/or Professional advisor that they are not in good academic standing and will be subject to a probationary period to increase their GPA.
   2. Members who are on academic probation within the Residence Hall Association are required to meet with their Graduate and/or Professional advisor to organize a plan of action.
   3. Summer Terms
      1. Pre-elected members who go on probation at the end of spring semester will be granted the summer to bring up their GPA
         1. If an individual succeeds in increasing their GPA during the summer, they will no longer be on probation for the fall semester
         2. If these members fail to increase their GPA by the end of the summer, they will still be granted probation for the duration of the Fall semester.
            1. Failure to reach the required GPA requirement by the end of the Fall Semester will result in the immediate removal of the member from their position.
2. Members will not be granted more than two (2) probationary periods throughout their entire time in RHA
   1. Probationary periods can not be used consecutively or within the same academic year

Section 2: Immediate Removal

1. Members who fall below a 2.25 cumulative GPA will be promptly removed from their positions and will not be granted a probationary period