Responsibilities and roles of EPHEA Committee members
Responsibilities and general duties of office bearers and committee members (ordinary members)
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The general responsibilities of the EPHEA Executive Committee is to manage the affairs of the Association on behalf of members. The EPHEA Executive Committee has power to perform a range of activities under the Association’s Constitution for the proper management of the affairs of the Association.
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A term of office will be at least one year.
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Each member of the committee is, subject to the constitution, to hold office until the conclusion of the annual general meeting following the date of the member’s election, but is eligible for re-election.
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All Executive Committee members should ensure they have the support of their tertiary institution and must be eligible equity practitioners.
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The Executive Committee meets about 4 times a year (usually by teleconference) and hosts Annual General Meeting (AGM) where members will meet in person or via teleconference.
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All Executive members will contribute to EPHEA’s strategy planning, setting agendas, advocacy activities, public policy monitoring and administrative duties as well as any additional duties as outlined if undertaking office bearer roles.
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The Executive members work with the host institution to provide guidance and support for the EPHEA bi-ennial conference.
Specific roles of office bearers
President and Vice-President
The president will have background in either staff or student equity and will advocate on behalf of the Executive Committee and members appropriately. If expertise is staff equity they will most commonly interact with WGEA and other related organisations. If expertise is in student equity they will liaise with the Department of Education and the National Centre for Student Equity in Higher Education. This may include a position on the NCSEHE’s Advisory Board. t is desirable to have the President and Vice-President to have expertise in different areas.
Treasurer
It is the duty of the treasurer of the Association to ensure that all money due to the Association is collected and received and that all payments authorised by the Association are made, and that accounts are kept showing the financial affairs of the Association, including full details of all receipts and expenditure connected with the activities of the Association in line with incorporation guidelines under the Office of Fair Trading NSW.
The Treasurer provides a report at each meeting, manages the bank accounts of the organisation and any necessary tax or audit concerns as they arise. The Treasurer works closely with the Secretary, Membership Officer and Public Officer to ensure that the membership database is up-to-date and ensure that members are invoiced at the appropriate time for their fees.
Secretary
The Secretary is responsible for receipting incoming membership applications for consideration by the Committee. The Secretary sets up teleconferences for meeting, drafts agendas and takes minutes.
It is the duty of the secretary to keep records and minutes of all appointments of office-bearers and members of the committee; the names of members of the committee present at a committee meeting or a general meeting, and all proceedings at committee meetings and general meetings.
Membership Officer
The Membership Officer is responsible for processing incoming membership applications, managing the membership database and the membership email list. The Membership Officer, Treasurer, Secretary and Public Officer work closely to ensure that the membership database is up-to-date and ensure that members are invoiced at the appropriate time for their fees.
Ordinary members
Ordinary members with expertise in staff or student equity are encouraged and are asked to contribute support to office bearers or take on additional areas of responsibility as they arise.
In particular EPHEA is keen to include Ordinary members with expertise in particular widening participation, Disability Services, LGBTIQ issues, Indigenous issues, Maori and Pasifika issues in either NZ and/or Australian context, cultural diversity, gender equity and anti-discrimination.
If you have particular skills in administration, finance, web maintenance and development, social media, research, writing of submissions and funding applications, or strategic management skills, these will be welcomed on the Executive Committee.
Other roles
Public Officer
The Public Officer is not a member of the Committee and is not elected. This appointment is legally required by the NSW Associations Act. The Public Officer is the official point of contact for the incorporated association, and must reside in NSW, where EPHEA is incorporated. The Public Officer is responsible for:
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ensuring that EPHEA complies with all requirements of the Associations Incorporation Act 2009
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lodgment of official reports with NSW Fair Trading
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acting as the official contact for the association
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custody of all records, books and other documents relating to the association
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ensuring the membership register is kept up to date, and making it available to members as per the Constitution.