Are you a current student seeking to build your leadership skills? Are you a university faculty member looking to build your students’ skills in the CEPH-required competency of Advocacy?

Then create a student/alumni NAPHSA Chapter at your public health school or program!

Students and members of NAPHSA can form a chapter at their public health school or program. NAPHSA encourages local chapters as a means of advancing its mission, increasing membership and preparing individuals for leadership roles on the national level. The following guide provides information on the process of forming chapters.

(Adapted from https://www.aaphd.org/establishing-and-organizing-a-local-chapter AND https://academyhealth.org/page/student-chapter-toolkit)

Why Create a Chapter?

It’s much easier to get the attention of a policy maker if you are a constituent–if you are registered to vote in their district. It’s also easier to make change on the local or state level. Local chapters serve as a venue for members to get together, exchange views, and organize social activities, and build a strong voice for public health in their community. Local chapters can help build community and boost strength in numbers, and create a supportive group to help with building confidence when speaking up in meetings with elected officials and in other venues. A school or program-based chapter builds community between students and alumni who share the identity of having attended the same public health degree program.

And, most importantly, a local organization is aware of and sensitive to the needs that are unique to every community. For these reasons, the creation of a local chapter would make sense and provide value to public health students and alums.

What You Need To Get Started

Starting a chapter is not a difficult process, but it is a process which requires commitment. It requires public health students who agree with NAPHSA’s mission and wish to take a proactive role accomplishing the mission. Without this commitment an effective chapter cannot exist.

Steps in getting started

Contact the national association. Inform the leaders that you are interested in forming a local chapter of NAPHSA.

1. Get two or three people who share your enthusiasm and goals to assist you in the creation of the local chapter. These members may be the founding officers of the new chapter.
2. Contact classmates, alumni, and professors in your school or program and ask them to participate in the formation of the new chapter.
3. If needed, register your organization with your school/programs Student Life or Dean of Students or other administrative office to be an official registered student group on campus.
4. Decide upon a structure.
   1. The Officers: What officers you will have and who they will be.(Recommended officers: President, Vice President, Treasurer.)Dues: A chapter is not designed to make money, but you will need funds for organizing, events, meeting expenses and so forth. NAPHSA asks local chapters to donate a suggested minimum of $100 towards the national association. Individual students/alums can also join for free, with a suggested individual membership donation of $5. All student/alumni members are encouraged to join the NAPHSA email list.By-laws: Review the national chapter’s by-laws. A sample set of local chapter by-laws is available for guidance (email us at info@naphsa.org to receive them).The initial goals of the chapter: What do you want to accomplish for your first year? Develop your MISSION statement.
   1. Set-up a system for record keeping and accounting.
      At a minimum you will need to track member contact information, dues received and owed, expenses

What To Do, Once You Are Started

1. Hold an organizing and recruiting meeting. Invite everyone who may be interested. If possible, use your school’s alumni directory or LinkedIn group to reach out to alums who might be interested.  At the meeting be prepared to:
   1. Sign up new members to both the local chapter and the national association.
   1. Discuss the organization’s mission and goals.
   1. Disseminate a schedule of events, or to at least receive suggestions.
   1. Recruit members for committees and specific activities.
   1. Most importantly: Generate enthusiasm for the new local chapter.
2. Secure a faculty advisor (for student chapters) and get a commitment from the university.
3. Open your bank account, if needed. Student chapters will need to become recognized as a student organization by their college or university. Then a bank account may be set up through the school.
4. Designate a location (s) for your meetings. The location will depend upon the type of meetings you will be holding. Generally locations are easy to arrange, such as small meeting rooms at hotels or banquet rooms at a restaurant. For student chapters you may find locations within the University to hold meetings or hold them on Zoom, Google Meet etc.
5. Publish a schedule of events.

Activities

The chapter exists to do things. It is important the chapter has a mix of activities and a structure to its activities. Current chapters engage in the following activities:

1. Advocacy training. All public health students and graduates have free access to the Columbia Public Health Advocacy Academy and we strongly recommend student leaders to take part in the full course.
2. Advocacy events. We ask student chapters to organize at least one Lobby Day visit to their member of the State House of Representatives and their US Senators each year, to advocate for public health funding.
3. Social Events can encourage professional networking and provide organizational cohesiveness.

Forms, Documents & Supplies

Consider creating a database of members using Google Sheets or other free online tools. Be sure to keep the database secure. Key information to maintain includes each member’s name, email, graduation date, and if possible, their electoral district.

You can also create a Google drive to maintain materials so you can reuse them, such as flyers or publicity materials, policy documents, training materials, newsletters etc.

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Student Chapter Requirements

Official status will be granted to those student chapters that comply with the following requirements and guidelines.

1. Be located at school, program, college or university offering at least one public health degree at any level (associate, bachelor, master or doctoral).

2. Submit an initial chapter application to NAPHSA’s Membership team.

• Chapter application consists of application form, chapter membership roster, draft chapter bylaws, and a plan of activities for the academic year.

3. Submit a 1-2 page annual report and membership roster to NAPHSA. The annual report should cover a summary of chapter meetings and activities, list of chapter officers, amendment to bylaws (if any), and a plan of activities for the coming academic year.

4. Prepare and maintain bylaws (and subsequent amendments) to be reviewed and approved, in advance, by NAPHSA. Bylaws should be generally consistent with the model bylaws provided by NAPHSA.

5. Have at least 5 members.

6. Have a faculty advisor.

7. All chapters are strongly encouraged to seek recognition from the college or university as a registered student organization. This often provides the chapter with additional university-funded resources.

8. Prepare a brief plan of activities for the next academic year. The plan of activities should be submitted with the chapter’s annual report. In addition, chapters are strongly encouraged to:  Elect a slate of at least three officers annually.  Meet at least twice each academic year. 

Use of NAPHSA Logo and Name: Official NAPHSA student chapters are authorized to use the NAPHSA name and logo on materials for the recruitment of new members to their chapter and to promote their events to the campus community.

Financial Responsibility NAPHSA assumes no financial, administrative, or legal responsibility for student chapters.