Constitution
of the
Wisconsin Honorary of Involved Leaders (WHIL)
in association with the Wisconsin United Residence Hall Association (WURHA)
Ratified April 21st, 2007
Constitution Established: April 27th, 2008
Last Amended: April 30th, 2017
Article I. – Name and Authority
The members of the various university and college residence housing honoraries and governments, herein referred to as residence housing organizations, in the state of Wisconsin, in compliance and conjunction with the WURHA Constitution, do hereby establish and incorporate the Wisconsin Honorary of Involved Leaders (WHIL).
Article II – Purpose and Power
Section One Purpose
A. This subsidiary organization of WURHA shall act as a central point for information gathering and sharing to promote, coordinate, and assist residence housing honoraries and communities on all member campuses.
B. The purpose of the Wisconsin Honorary of Involved Leaders (WHIL) shall be to provide recognition for individuals who have been of outstanding service and who have provided important leadership in the advancement of the residence hall system at their respective affiliated schools.
C. WHIL within WURHA shall integrate ideas and share information of mutual interests through various communication links such as WHIL-CC interaction, annual conferences, newsletters, and list-serves; to create and improve upon individual residence housing organizations (including, but not limited to National Residence Hall Honorary Chapters, Honorary Housing Organizations, and or Housing Governing Bodies).
D. It shall recruit and provide a starting point for both new and member schools to become involved in WURHA and more specifically WHIL. WHIL will also provide a starting point and information source for all WHILs to become involved in and to form National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH) Chapters within the Great Lakes Affiliate of College and University Residence halls (GLACURH), and the National Association of College and University Residence Halls (NACURH).
Section Two Power
A. WHIL shall act as the united voice of university and college honoraries within WURHA; WHIL shall support non-member universities and colleges to join. WHIL shall serve as the voice of all member schools within WURHA for honorary chapters and those universities and colleges that choose to participate.
Article III – Membership
Section One Membership in WHIL shall consist of all universities and colleges to comply with and meet all requirements and duties of WHIL stated in the WURHA Constitution and Bylaws.
Section Two Membership in WHIL shall consist of all universities and colleges that are member schools of WURHA shall be required to pay only one affiliation fee and or dues by the WURHA annual business meeting in the Spring, the Spring Business Conference (SBC). Any member school that pays their affiliation fee and or dues, and submit a current copy of their WHIL chapter governing documents to the WHIL Chair by the SBC shall be entitled to be involved in WURHA and WHIL.
Section Three Membership entitles each organization in good standing to have one (1) voting representative position in WHIL, the Wisconsin Honorary of Involved Leaders Communications Coordinator (WHIL-CC). These members will constitute the WURHA assembly along with all Wisconsin Communications Coordinators (WCCs) by allowing each university and college within WURHA to have a voting representative within WHIL despite having a Residence Hall Honorary Chapter at their respected university or college. WHIL-CCs will be the voice of their respective university or college in all WHIL Boardroom Meetings.
Section Four Any school not paying yearly dues or submitting their WHIL chapter governing documents within two (2) hours of the start of the Fall Business Conference (FBC) will not be able to vote during any regular business meeting and WHIL boardroom meetings, but may attend the conference and business meetings without voting rights.
Section Five Any member school may withdraw from WHIL and still have their respective university or college to have a WCC to comprise the WURHA assembly. If any member school withdraws from WURHA then that university or college must understand that all dues and WURHA privileges (includes WHIL) are forfeited.
Section Six After the FBC, any non-member school may become a full member of WURHA and the subsidiary organization of WHIL once the current WURHA President receives the full amount of membership dues.
Article IV – WHIL Chapters
Section One Chapter Requirements
A. Each chapter shall have a constitution which must contain articles relating to name, purpose, membership qualification, selection procedures, officers, meetings, finances, and amendment procedures.
B. All chapter constitutions shall be subject to the provisions of the WHIL Constitution; its By-Laws and amendments; and amendments to the WURHA Constitution and By-Laws.
Article V – WHIL Chapter Membership
Section One The minimum requirements for induction into a WHIL chapter shall be: The person shall be a student living in the residence halls at the time of selection. The person shall have exhibited outstanding leadership and service to the residence hall system. The person shall have a grade point average minimum of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale.
Section Two The total active membership of a chapter may include up to, but not more than, 1% of the total
Residence Hall population that year, or 20 members, whichever is larger. The total 1% membership does not include alumni or honorary members. One percent (1%) will be determined by the number of students living on-campus that the school submits to the WURHA WHIL Chair on their affiliation form. Active members are defined as inducted undergraduate students living on-campus. Graduate students living on-campus may be active at their school’s discretion. The 1% membership cap shall include all members who have been inducted and live on campus regardless of their level of participation in chapter activities. Upon request, the WHIL Chair may exempt a chapter from this requirement, to be limited to the chapter’s next induction ceremony at which time they must return to their membership cap.
Section Three An active member of a chapter, who permanently leaves the residence hall system, or is no longer a student, shall become an alumni member. Exceptions include temporary leaves such as, but not limited to, co-ops, internships, or study abroad. When a member leaves the residence hall system, they must submit a letter to the chapter as to whether the leave is temporary or permanent. When a member submits a notice of temporary leave, they must indicate the duration of their leave to the chapter. If a member who has submitted a notice of permanent leave returns to the residence halls and the chapter membership cap has been reached, the chapter shall contact the WHIL Chair to request a temporary increase in their capacity until the next membership drive, at which time the chapter size must return to its correct membership capacity. In this case, the returning member will not receive voting rights until a position becomes available within the chapter.
Chapters may choose to induct “Honorary Members.” This membership designation is used
to recognize people including, but not limited to, housing personnel, instructors, college or university staff and those who have demonstrated outstanding support and service to the residence hall students. Individuals who could qualify for active membership, apart from graduating seniors, cannot be inducted as an “honorary member.” The number of honorary members a chapter shall be able to induct per academic year, will not exceed ten percent of the chapter’s membership cap.
Section Four Membership shall be chosen as prescribed in the chapter constitution, or the chapter By-Laws.
Article VI – WHIL Affiliation
Section One Affiliation
A. Yearly dues for WHIL will be ten (10) dollars for any institution in the State of Wisconsin wishing to be affiliated. This fee can be paid in conjunction with the WURHA affiliation fee at time of payment.
B. Shall submit a current copy of their WHIL or NRHH Chapter governing documents to the WHIL Chair.
C. Yearly dues and governing documents are due to the WHIL Chair by the SBC. All institutions shall be entitled to be involved in WHIL by following the affiliation guidelines stated in the WHIL Constitution.
Article VII – Committees
Section One OTM Committee
A. The WHIL Chair shall facilitate selection of all WURHA OTMs.
B. WURHA OTMs shall be selected by a committee of no fewer than three individuals selected by the WHIL Chair. The selection committee may be made up of members of the WHIL Chair’s host school, but need not be, though all members of the selection committee must attend member schools in good standing.
C. WURHA OTM submissions may be made by any member school in good standing, regardless of whether they have established a chapter of WHIL (NRHH).
Article VIII – Of the Month (OTM) Awards
Section One OTM Awards
A. OTM Awards recognize outstanding contributions to a member school’s campus. OTMs are selected each month and given to the candidate who best exemplifies the nature of the category.
B. WURHA OTMs will be awarded each month in all categories recognized by the WHIL Chair of the Wisconsin Honorary of Involved Leaders. Category requirements will follow all guidelines recognized by the Wisconsin Honorary of Involved Leaders and the NACURH Services and Recognition Office (NSRO) of the National Residence Hall Honorary.
Section Two Timeline
A. WURHA OTMs shall be due to the WHIL Chair by 11:59 pm on the 10th day of the month following the month of nomination (i.e. January OTMs are due on February 10th at 11:59 pm).
B. The Recognition Committee shall be selected by a committee of no fewer than three individuals selected by the WHIL Chair. The Recognition Committee may be made up of members of the WHIL Chair’s host school, but need not be, though all members of the Recognition Committee must attend member schools in good standing.
Section Three Selection Committee
A. OTM Awards shall be voted on by members of the OTM Committee, refer to Article VII Section One.
Section Four Categories
A. Advisor: Any individual who directly advises a residence life organization and has made outstanding contributions to the organization(s). The individual may be the main advisor or the graduate advisor.
B. Community Service Program: A service or philanthropic program that benefits a group, charity, or other organization. This could include drives, fundraising, charity runs and/or book fairs, or other specific events. The program should focus on the importance of the residents giving back to their broader communities in which they live.
C. Diversity Program: A program that promotes and educates about diversity and understanding. This program illustrates the importance of promoting diversity in the residence halls as well as embracing diversity in the everyday lives of the residents.
D. Educational Program: A program meant to educate residents about a topic, issue, or idea. Programs nominated in this category can range from academic success programming learning a new skill or promoting global citizenship.
E. Executive Board Member: This category recognizes the outstanding contributions of an Executive Board member of a member school’s residence life organization and the work of the board member within the Executive Board and across residence halls on their campus.
F. First Year Student: Any first-year student leader (freshman, transfer student, non-traditional, etc.) who excels in adapting to a new environment within their residence hall and taking an active role in their communities and positively impacting those around them. Submissions in this category may emphasize academics, leadership, involvement, contributions to community, floor, hall, residence life organizations, etc. Individuals that would be eligible for nomination in any other category are ineligible for nomination in the First-Year Student Category.
G. Institution Faculty/Staff: Individuals who aid students in their academics, which includes professors, instructors, teaching assistants, counselors, and other academic affairs staff. This category is intended to recognize institutional faculty who have contributed to the residence life community both in and out of the classroom.
H. Organization: Any organization that has actively contributed to the student leadership, recognition, or other aspects of residence life during the month of nomination This is for recognition of the organization, and not just the accomplishments of a few members. Emphasis should be placed on the successes of the organization as well as how they have helped the campus in general and the residence life community.
I. Resident Assistant: Any individual within a residence hall student staff who has worked with/impacted residents on their floor or in their hall, gone above and beyond the duties of their job, supporting residents in the communities in which they work, supported their residence life organizations, and/or made outstanding contributions to the hall in which they work during the month of nomination The OTM should focus on the nominee’s accomplishments within the RA role, but may also include other roles or responsibilities taken on during the month of nomination, such as supporting the above-mentioned organizations.
J. Residential Community: Any residential community, such as wings, halls, floor, complexes, etc. This award should emphasize what this community has done as well as how it has supported others (both within and outside their community). This community being recognized must not be an official campus organization. It should illustrate what brings a group of individuals together and how they worked together as a group to accomplish their goals during the month of nomination Communities that would be eligible for nomination in any other category are ineligible for nomination in the Community category.
K. Residence Life Professional Staff: Individuals who aid residents within the housing campus community. This category is intended to recognize the Residence Life Faculty/Staff who are not eligible for the Resident Assistant category and how have made contributions to the residence life community.
L. Passive Program: Any program that does not require anyone to actively run it for people to participate in it This category is intended to recognize residential programming that occurs through bulletin boards, newsletters, pamphlets, etc.
M. Social Program: Any social program that focuses on resident interaction and their ability to meet new people and socialize. Programs in this category can range from being a floor social program to a campus wide program.
N. Spotlight: Anything that does not fall under any of the other categories that you feel is worthy of a Of the Month recognition. Individuals or groups that would be eligible for nomination in any other category are ineligible for nomination in the Spotlight category.