Our Bylaws

ARTICLE I

Name

Section 1. Name. The name of this Association shall be the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association, hereafter referred to as “National NSSLHA.”

Section 2. Professional Affiliation.

National NSSLHA recognizes the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) as the official professional organization for empowering and supporting audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and speech, language, and hearing scientists. The ASHA-appointed National NSSLHA Board of Directors is responsible for safeguarding National NSSLHA and promoting the well-being of the organization through its ultimate legal accountability and fiduciary authority for National NSSLHA. National NSSLHA and ASHA have an Operating Agreement that further defines the relationship between the two associations.

ARTICLE II

Purposes

The purposes of National NSSLHA shall be:

1. To encourage study of communication sciences and disorders (CSD).
2. To provide services and resources to students studying CSD.
3. To be a source of information to prepare students and pre-professionals for practice in CSD.
4. To provide leadership development opportunities and a vehicle for student representation in matters of professional concern (e.g., advocacy).
5. To support the individual and collective interests of National NSSLHA members and local NSSLHA chapters.

ARTICLE III

Members

Section 1. Classifications. There shall be one class of membership: National NSSLHA membership. National NSSLHA membership is available to any individual who meets the eligibility requirements as stated in Section 2 of this article. National NSSLHA members are affiliates of ASHA. In addition, National NSSLHA members may also hold membership in a local NSSLHA chapter.

Section 2. Eligibility.

1. Full- or part-time students (undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, graduate, or doctoral students) who intend to pursue careers in the discipline of CSD (including audiology; speech-language pathology; speech, language, and hearing sciences; or audiology or speech-language pathology assistantship).
2. Members may not hold the ASHA Certificates of Clinical Competence (CCC).
3. Members may not hold membership for more than 10 years.
4. Members may hold other professional certifications in another association as long as they are in good standing in a CSD program.

Section 3. Dues. The annual dues for membership shall be determined by the National NSSLHA Executive Council.

Section 4. Termination of Membership. National NSSLHA membership shall be terminated automatically if the member

1. becomes an ASHA member;
2. receives the ASHA CCC;
3. loses full- or part-time student status in a CSD program (including CSD preprofessional programs); or
4. fails to pay National NSSLHA membership dues in a timely manner as defined in the National NSSLHA Policies and Procedures.

ARTICLE IV

Chapters and Regions

Section 1. Chapters.

1. Authority. The National NSSLHA Executive Council has the authority to recognize local chapters as being affiliated with National NSSLHA. Recognition shall be granted and maintained by standards set by the Executive Council. Local NSSLHA chapters shall serve as recognized entities of National NSSLHA for managing matters appropriately handled at the local level and for managing matters prescribed in these bylaws.
2. Eligibility. Local NSSLHA chapter recognition is available to entities within the United States with purposes and membership requirements that are consistent with the purposes and membership requirements as outlined in these bylaws.
3. Affiliation Relationship.
   1. Local NSSLHA chapters are separately incorporated organizations, and each shall operate in a manner consistent with its own individual organizational bylaws and applicable provisions of these bylaws.
   2. To be recognized and maintain affiliation as a chapter within National NSSLHA’s organizational structure, each local NSSLHA chapter must abide by the terms of National NSSLHA’s national chapter affiliation agreement.
   3. Local NSSLHA chapters shall reaffiliate with National NSSLHA each academic year.
4. Composition. Local NSSLHA chapters shall meet all of the following criteria for composition:
   1. The Chapter Advisor is an ASHA member in good standing.
   2. The President, Vice President, and/or co-Presidents are National NSSLHA Members.
   3. A local chapter (a) may have members who are solely members of the local chapter and not National NSSLHA members and (b) can determine its scope of membership.
5. Purpose. Local NSSLHA chapters shall provide services, resources, and support to CSD students and are encouraged to promote National NSSLHA membership, programs, and activities.
6. Removal of Affiliation. An affiliated local NSSLHA chapter may lose its affiliation status by not reaffiliating annually with National NSSLHA or by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Council.

Section 2. Regions.

1. Composition. Four regions shall serve as official territories of National NSSLHA. Existing matters in each region shall be handled by the respective Vice President for Student State Officers. The four regions are as follows:
   • • Central: IL, IN, IA, KS, MO, MI, MN, NE, ND, OK, SD, TX, WI
     • Northeastern: CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, OH, NH, NJ, NY, PA, PR, RI, VT
     • Southern: AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV
     • Western: AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, NM, OR, UT, WA, WY

ARTICLE V

Executive Council

Section 1. Officers. The National NSSLHA Executive Council shall consist of the following 12 graduate or doctoral student members, plus a National Advisor as a nonvoting member:

• President
• President-Elect
• Vice President for Finance
• Vice President for Academic Affairs
• Vice President for Audiology Programming
• Vice President for Speech-Language Pathology Programming
• Vice President for Government Affairs and Public Policy
• Vice President for Planning
• Vice President for Student State Officers, Central Region
• Vice President for Student State Officers, Northeastern Region
• Vice President for Student State Officers, Southern Region
• Vice President for Student State Officers, Western Region

Section 2. Power and Authority.

The National NSSLHA Executive Council governs over National NSSLHA’s programmatic and administrative policies and establishes operating policies, the strategic plan, and the budget.

Section 3. Executive Committee

The President, President-Elect, Vice President for Finance, and National Advisor shall constitute the Executive Committee.

1. The Executive Committee shall report all of its actions to the Executive Council.
2. The Executive Committee shall exercise the authority of the Executive Council between meetings of the Executive Council but only to the extent:
   1. That it is necessary to take action on unanticipated business that requires action between Executive Council meetings;
   2. That the action taken is not contrary to the instructions of the Executive Council; and
   3. That actions are authorized in the National NSSLHA Policies and Procedures.
3. The Executive Committee shall serve as the nominating committee for all elections.

Section 4. Selection and Term of Office

1. Applications for vacant positions shall be submitted by applicants and reviewed by the Executive Committee.
2. Each applicant must be a National NSSLHA member.
3. Each applicant must not hold a national executive leadership position in another national CSD-related student organization.
4. The Executive Committee shall review all applications and compose a slate to be presented to the Executive Council for voting.
5. The term of each office, with the exception of the President and President-Elect, shall be 2 years. Start dates for the terms of office shall be determined as outlined in the National NSSLHA Policies and Procedures. The President-Elect shall serve 1 year and shall then become the President in the second and final year.
6. Individuals may serve only one 2-year term on the Executive Council.

Section 5. Vacancy. If there is a vacancy in the office of the President, then the President-Elect shall automatically fill the position for the remainder of the term. If there is a vacancy in the office of the President-Elect, or in any vice-presidential position, then the Executive Committee shall fill the position through an appointment process with Executive Council approval.

Section 6. Removal. Any officer may be removed from office as prescribed in the National NSSLHA Policies and Procedures. This includes removal for nonattendance at meetings or failure to participate in Executive Council votes, discussions, and other matters that arise between meetings.

Section 7. National Advisor. The National Advisor shall be selected by the National NSSLHA Executive Council to serve for 3 years, and their term of office shall run concurrently with the term of the National Advisor position on the ASHA Board of Directors. The NSSLHA National Advisor must be a certified member of ASHA and must be a NSSLHA advisor or co-advisor of a local NSSLHA chapter. The term shall begin on January 1. Individuals may serve only one 3-year term as a National Advisor.

ARTICLE VI

Meetings

1. The Executive Council shall meet at least once annually, as determined by the Executive Council. A majority of voting members of the Executive Council shall constitute a quorum. All officers, except the National Advisor, shall have voting rights on the Executive Council. Special meetings of the National NSSLHA Executive Council may be called by the President, and such meetings shall be called upon the written request of three members of the Executive Council, with notice given at least 24 hours before the meeting.
2. All National NSSLHA entities may conduct business by electronic or nonelectronic means as prescribed in the National NSSLHA Policies and Procedures.
3. Meetings of the Executive Council may occur electronically or in person.

ARTICLE VII

NSSLHA Board of Directors

Section 1. Composition. The members of the NSSLHA Board of Directors shall be as follows:

1. ASHA President, who shall serve as National NSSLHA Board President
2. NSSLHA National Advisor, who shall serve as National NSSLHA Board Vice President
3. ASHA Vice President for Academic Affairs in Audiology
4. ASHA Vice President for Academic Affairs in Speech-Language Pathology
5. National NSSLHA President
6. National NSSLHA President-Elect
7. National NSSLHA Vice President for Finance
8. ASHA Chief Executive Officer, who shall serve as National NSSLHA Board Treasurer
9. ASHA Chief Staff Officer liaison to National NSSLHA, who shall serve as National NSSLHA Board Secretary

Section 2. Power and Authority. The National NSSLHA Board of Directors is the single governing body of National NSSLHA and shall actively promote the objectives of National NSSLHA, operating in accordance with policies established by these bylaws and by authority of the ASHA Board of Directors. The ASHA-appointed National NSSLHA Board of Directors shall be responsible for safeguarding National NSSLHA and promoting the well-being of the organization through its ultimate legal accountability and financial authority for National NSSLHA.

Section 3. Duties.The National NSSLHA Board of Directors shall manage the legal and fiduciary affairs of the organization. Programmatic responsibility for National NSSLHA is delegated to the National NSSLHA Executive Council.

Section 4. Term of Office.The term of office on the National NSSLHA Board of Directors shall coincide with the length of time that an individual holds the position described in Section 1 of this article.

Section 5. Vacancy.If a vacancy occurs, the successor to the office, as listed in Section 1 of this article, shall fill that vacancy. A vacancy in the position of NSSLHA National Advisor shall be filled by the National NSSLHA Executive Council.

Section 6. Meetings and Decisions. The National NSSLHA Board of Directors shall meet at least annually to approve the National NSSLHA budget and to review National NSSLHA’s Form 990. The meeting shall be called by the National NSSLHA Board President. Special meetings of the National NSSLHA Board of Directors may be called by the National NSSLHA Board President and shall be called upon the written request of at least three members of the National NSSLHA Board of Directors, with the call given at least 24 hours before the meeting. Meetings of the National NSSLHA Board of Directors can occur electronically or in person. All actions and decisions of the National NSSLHA Board of Directors must be made in writing and by a majority vote of the National NSSLHA Board of Directors.

Section 7. Dissolution. The National NSSLHA Executive Council and the ASHA Board of Directors can request the dissolution of the National NSSLHA Board of Directors in writing per the current ASHA–NSSLHA Operating Agreement.

Article VIII

Student State Officers

Section 1. Responsibilities. Up to two Student State Officers (SSOs), an Audiology Student State Officer (AUD SSO) and a Speech-Language Pathology Student State Officer (SLP SSO) shall be appointed to serve the local chapters in their respective state. In addition, SSOs shall identify and discuss issues of concern to National NSSLHA Members and provide advice to the Vice Presidents for Student State Officers in their region. The SSOs shall not make any public statement or take positions on behalf of National NSSLHA or the National NSSLHA Executive Council without having obtained approval from the NSSLHA Executive Council. Each SSO shall have the following responsibilities:

1. Provide guidance to local chapters on NSSLHA matters.
2. Identify, analyze, discuss, and prioritize issues of concern of National NSSLHA members and local NSSLHA chapters.
3. Advise the Vice Presidents for Student State Officers on issues that need to be considered as NSSLHA engages in planning to advance the purposes of National NSSLHA.
4. Provide advice to the Vice Presidents for Student State Officers on issues related to and brought forth by the SSOs.
5. Promote National NSSLHA programs within their state and be the state liaison to the National NSSLHA Vice Presidents for Student State Officers.

Section 2. Composition. Each state shall have a student representative who is a National NSSLHA member as described in Article III.

Section 3. Representation.

1. All SSOs must be National NSSLHA Members in good standing.
2. For the AUD SSO, there shall be one student, who may be an audiology doctoral student or undergraduate student, from each state, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.
3. For the SLP SSO, there shall be one student, who may be an SLP graduate student or undergraduate student, from each state, Washington D.C., and Puerto Rico.

Section 4. Selection and Term of Office.

1. Applications shall be accepted from students within a state where there is an open SSO position for that state. Applicants must be National NSSLHA members in good standing and must attend a university program within the state that they are representing. If no applicant meets these requirements, then the Vice Presidents for Student State Officers may select an applicant outside of the state.
2. The Vice Presidents for Student State Officers shall review all applications and propose a slate of appointments to the Executive Council for approval annually.
3. SSOs shall be appointed to a 1-year term. Start dates for the terms of office shall be determined in the National NSSLHA Policies and Procedures.
4. SSOs may serve up to two 1-year terms at the discretion of the Executive Council.

Section 5. Vacancy. Any SSO vacancies shall be selected by the Vice Presidents for Student State Officers and the Executive Council via the formal appointment process as described in Article VIII, Section 4.

Section 6. Removal. Any SSO member may be removed from service as prescribed in the National NSSLHA Policies and Procedures. This includes removal due to lack of participation.

ARTICLE IX

Discrimination

National NSSLHA shall not discriminate on the basis of age; citizenship; disability; ethnicity; gender; gender expression; gender identity; genetic information; national origin, including culture, language, dialect, and accent; race; religion; sex; sexual orientation; or veteran status. All programs and activities of National NSSLHA shall be conducted in furtherance of this policy.

ARTICLE X

National Office

National NSSLHA shall maintain a National Office that shall (a) constitute a permanent repository for NSSLHA records and (b) carry out the procedures and policies of National NSSLHA under the direction of the Executive Council.

ARTICLE XI

Committees

The National NSSLHA Executive Council may (a) establish and dissolve standing committees, special committees, and other entities necessary to conduct National NSSLHA’s business and (b) designate and change their charges as well as determine their size, member qualifications, and terms. The National NSSLHA President, with approval of two-thirds majority of the NSSLHA Executive Council, shall appoint all committee chairs and members.

ARTICLE XII

Parliamentary Authority

The rules contained in the most current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern National NSSLHA in all cases to which these rules are applicable and in a manner in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order that National NSSLHA may adopt.

ARTICLE XIII

Amendment of Bylaws

Any National NSSLHA Member or chapter advisor may send proposed amendments of these bylaws to the NSSLHA National Advisor and/or the National NSSLHA President. These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the NSSLHA Executive Council, provided that the amendment was submitted in writing to the Executive Council members in conjunction with the call to the meeting. Any amendment to these bylaws must receive a majority vote of the National NSSLHA Board of Directors before it becomes effective. In the event of a tie vote, the NSSLHA National Advisor shall make the decision based on National NSSLHA’s best interests.