Learn about NIRSA’s proposed bylaw amendments

The NIRSA Board of Directors has approved in concept two proposed amendments to NIRSA’s bylaws for the upcoming election cycle, which will take place in January 2020.

The two proposed amendments for the 2019–2020 election cycle include a proposed amendment to Article II: Members. Section 4A – Dues and Assessments and a proposed amendment to Article VII: Assembly. The proposed red-lined language as well as the supporting rationale for both proposed amendments can be found on the NIRSA website.

The Bylaws Committee has developed a thorough member communication plan that was adopted by the NIRSA Board of Directors in August. A major piece of the communication plan is a multi-pronged approach to sharing information with members and for collecting feedback:

An educational session is being presented at each fall regional conference by a member of the NIRSA Board of Directors and supported by the Member Network Regional Representative and any attending Bylaws Committee members.
Most fall state workshops will have a presentation on the proposed bylaws given by either the Member Network Regional Representative, a member of the NIRSA Board of Directors, or a member of the Bylaws Committee.
A town hall videoconference will be presented on Wednesday, October 9 from 10:30am–11:30am PST; interested members can register for this free Zoom town hall. After the event, a link to the recorded town hall will be posted on the NIRSA website.

Members can submit feedback regarding the proposed amendments—questions, concerns, general comments—via this form. Feedback will be taken through November 1. After that date, the Bylaws Committee will meet, review all of the feedback, and make final recommendations to the NIRSA Board of Directors regarding any potential changes.

The NIRSA Board will review and consider final approval of the proposed amendments and rationale to put forward to a member vote during their December 10 Board meeting. The final proposed amendments will be communicated to members through a news article in mid-December (at least 30 days prior to the elections launch). Electronic elections that will include candidates for the NIRSA Board of Directors and the Member Network and the proposed bylaw amendments will launch on January 16 and close on January 29, 2020.

Proposed amendments to NIRSA’s bylaws are surfaced through a variety of ways, most often through various leadership groups such as the Assembly, the NIRSA Board of Directors, the Member Network, the Bylaws Committee, etc. Members are encouraged to submit their thoughts via the Intake Form to Propose a Bylaw Amendment. This form and other information about bylaws can be found on the NIRSA website. The cycle for soliciting and collecting proposed amendments is a year-round one, but annually—on June 1—any proposals in the queue at that time are moved forward for consideration during the next election cycle.