Members Approve New Membership Category Names & New Categories

After approving a change to the Society’s bylaws, voting Members now refer to themselves as ASHI Certified Inspectors. With the same vote, they changed the Candidate category to ASHI Associate, and formalized an Associate with Logo Use Privileges category.

The vote, which closed on January 29 and was certified by the Bylaws Committee on January 31, drew responses from 1,360 voting Members — exceeding the 30 percent required.

Changing membership names and establishing the Associate with Logo Use as a formal category was approved by 1,082 Members or 79.7 percent.

Throughout its 31-year history, the Society has used a variety of names to signify the achievements of its membership. These most recent changes accomplish the dual goals of recognizing the high level of achievements attained by Members, now ASHI Certified Inspectors, (250 inspections and two exams), while making membership more appealing to those who join ASHI, now as Associates rather than Candidates.

Requirements have not changed, just the category names. Most importantly, removing the term Member as a membership category will allow all who belong to the Society to call themselves members of ASHI.

ASHI Certified Inspectors and ASHI Associates with Logo Use Privileges can begin using the revised logos immediately. They can be downloaded from the ASHI Web site’s Members only extranet in the ASHI Experience section.

ASHI staff will begin updating brochures and the ASHI Web site to phase out materials that use outdated terms. Integrating these changes over time, rather than immediately, will help ASHI to better manage the budget.

The first step in changing to the new membership category names will take place on the Web site, and it’s anticipated it will be complete by mid-year.

Changes to printed material will take longer, as updating occurs when current supplies are exhausted and brochures and pamphlets come up for reprinting.

The new membership categories will appear on next year’s badges.

Of course, members are encouraged to immediately begin using the new designations on their Web sites and in printed material.

Download the new logos at www.ashi.org/members/ashidocs/logo.asp. (You must be logged in as a member.)

—————————————————————————–
Membership
Category
Names
Effective
Immediately
Requirements remain the same

ASHI Certified Inspector (previously ASHI Member)
ASHI Associate with logo
use privileges (Official approval for previous Candidate with logo use
privileges category)
ASHI Associate (previously ASHI Candidate)
ASHI Retired Member (unchanged)
ASHI Affiliate Member (unchanged)
Allied Professional(new)
—————————————————————————–

Allied Professional category added

In addition to the changes to excising categories, a new one was added, Allied Professional. This allows non-home inspectors to join ASHI as individuals. The category will accommodate instructors, writers, municipal inspectors and others who are in partnership with the home inspection profession, but do not qualify for the inspector-level membership categories because they do not perform home inspections.

• Creating the Allied Professionals category was approved by 1,095 Members or 80.6 percent.

Additional changes to bylaws approved

To bring the Bylaws into consistency with the ASHI Code of Ethics, Section 2.1.2 was enhanced to better explain what an ASHI member can do as far as repairs, replacements and enhancements in the 12 months following the inspection of a home.

Finally, the membership voted to allow the current Board Alternate to run for a Director position in a change to Section 5.5. Previously, the Board Alternate was unable to do so.

• Modifying Section 2.1.2 to be consistent with the Code of Ethics was approved by 1,298 Members or 95.6 percent.

•  Modifying Section 5.5 to allow the current Board Alternate to run for a Director Position was approved by 1,244 or 92.4 percent of the Members.

For more information, contact Dick Bennett, staff liaison to the Bylaws Committee, at richardb@ashi.org.

Following every ASHI board meeting, Report Out, a recap of the Board’s activities, is posted on ASHI’s Members Only Extranet in the ASHI publications section.
The January 2007 recap includes the following motions from two committees that were passed.

• Chapter Relations Committee ASHI Policy and Procedures pertaining to chapters now reads as follows:

a. All chapters, new and existing, shall adopt chapter bylaws and/or maintain a chapter policy manual listing operating rules and procedures.

b. New chapters shall submit draft bylaws to ASHI staff and legal counsel for review, approval and conformity to ASHI Policy and Bylaws prior to their adoption by the chapter.  

c. Existing chapters, if they have not already done so, shall submit their bylaws to ASHI staff and legal counsel for review, approval and conformity to ASHI Policy and Bylaws.  

d. All amendments to chapter bylaws require approval by ASHI staff and legal counsel.  

b. Chapter business meetings shall be governed according to Robert’s Rules of Order except where inconsistent with the chapter’s bylaws.  

c. No chapter bylaw, rule or procedure shall be in actual or implied conflict with ASHI Bylaws or Policies.  

d. All requirements contained in ASHI’s Bylaws or Board
directives pertaining to chapters shall be included in the
chapter’s bylaws, rules or procedures.  

B. Membership Committee

• A Task Force will conduct a thorough review of ASHI’s Membership Renewal Credit (MRC) program and present its findings and recommendations at the April 2007 Board meeting.

• The Standards and Technical Committees will investigate the use of thermographic imaging in the home inspection process with a report back to the Board of Directors at the next board meeting.