Changes with the NTIDAA

The National Technical Institute of the Deaf Alumni Association (NTIDAA) met Saturday morning to discuss and vote on the newly proposed bylaws. The bylaws were revised to allow for the NTIDAA and the RIT Alumni Association to work in closer relation and to provide opportunity for both organizations. The new bylaws were accepted with seven in favor and none opposed.

During discussion, concerns were brought up pertaining to the future of the association’s leadership, as well as concerns for the change in requirements for being considered an alumnus. In addition, there was short discussion on the change to eliminate the position of treasurer, which was resolved after understanding that bylaw; the position can no longer exist in this context.

The new bylaws state that “all individuals who hold a certificate, diploma, or degree from NTID… are members of the Alumni Association." Prior to this, anyone who had attended NTID, even without graduating, was considered alumni. Those people will still be classified as alumni by a grandfather clause. In the future, the NTIDAA will grant prior students who did not graduate alumni status, but they will be labeled “special members” and will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Some opposition was apparent through concern that eliminating the opportunity for some prior students to become alumni would keep them from the NTID “family.” In response, Erin Esposito, the current vice president of the association stated, “Sometimes one of the toughest things within an organization or business is raising the bar.” She further commented that it is important to still include non-graduates, but that for the association's best interest, there must be a new way of running it.

The leadership of the association will also change to emulate what RIT’s alumni association does. This consists of a nomination and self-nomination process to elect board members and will be similar to the way Congress is run.

Other topics discussed in the executive NTIDAA meeting were the need for captioning in the Rochester area, as well as the participation in the NTIDAA picnic last Sunday, which hosted approximately 100 alumni and their families.