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National Honor Society/National Technical Honor Society Purpose: The purpose of these organizations shall be to create enthusiasm for scholarship, to stimulate a desire to render service, to promote leadership, and to develop character in the students of secondary schools. Obligations of NHS or NTHS Membership: The national constitution delineates seven formal obligations of membership, the first of which is as much a duty of the chapter as it is a member obligation. Article VIII, Section 4 indicates that all members must be inducted at a special ceremony to become active members of the chapter. One remains in the condition of being a "successfully selected candidate" (i.e., not a member) until this ceremony is undertaken. The following list outlines additional member obligations as delineated in the national constitution: - Dues (Article IV, Section 3): Members may be asked to pay annual chapter dues. The authentic inability of a member or his/her family to pay such financial obligations will not be the reason for the disciplining or dismissal of any member. Note: Dues are not a required function for any chapter, but if established by the chapter, become an obligation of all members.
- Maintaining standards (Article VIII, Section 1): Once selected and inducted, all members are expected to maintain the standards by which they were selected. The implication here is that members are well informed about those standards, as published in the description of the local selection process. Annual reminders for students and parents delivered through the script of the chapter's induction ceremony are helpful.
- Meetings (Article XIII, Section 1): A schedule of chapter meetings should be developed and well publicized. Chapter officers should work closely with the adviser to see that the agendas for all meetings are well thought out and planned. Chapters may require members to attend these meetings. Develop policies for excused and unexcused absences using local school attendance guidelines as a model.
- Chapter service projects (Article XIV, Sections 1 & 2): All chapters are required to sponsor a chapter service project in which all members participate (Section 2), assuming that the project meets the criteria as outlined in the constitution (Section 3). However, GCIT Chapter officers offer multiple projects during the year from which members can choose in order to fulfill this obligation.
- Individual service projects (Article XIV, Section 4): In addition to the chapter service project noted above, members are to engage in additional service according to their own talents and interests. Failure to do so may result in dismissal from the organizations. It is mandatory that all members achieve 40 hours of community service; any additional hours that members may acquire do not carry over to the next year. If a member fails to complete the mandatory hours they could be dismissed from the society. Also, any member not reaching the organizations goal of 40 hours will lose graduation privileges, which include wearing the following honored items: NHS/NTHS tassel, stole, medallion, and cord.
- Additional Obligations (Article XVI, Section 2): If additional obligations exist for members of the chapter, such obligations should be included on a separate list of member obligations shared regularly with members and their parents, or should be spelled out in the chapter bylaws for all members to see. It is recommended that a set of these bylaws be presented to each member annually or included in the chapter's member handbook as a reminder of these and all member obligations.
Discipline and Dismissal: There are three general areas considered when looking at the actions of chapter members: - Are they maintaining the standards by which they were selected?
- Are they fulfilling the obligations of membership as delineated above and in the chapter guidelines?
- Are they complying with school rules and the law?
- Have students remained suspension free?
If the answer is "No" to any of these questions, then the Advisors and Committee members have the right to take action for dismissal for any member.
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