The House of Delegates oversees and administers the work of ASDA. It accomplishes this by electing the Executive Committee and Speaker of the House, determining policies and establishing task forces. No major association action or position can be taken without approval by the House.

Who makes up the House of Delegates? 

• More than 120 delegates, two from each ASDA chapter (voting members)
• The Board of Trustees
• The Speaker of the House
• The Secretary of the House
• Invited guests

When does the House meet?
The House meets once a year at Annual Session to discuss and debate resolutions and determine initiatives. The business of the House, as scheduled by the speaker, must be comprehensible, concise and efficient. To keep things running smoothly, parliamentary procedures and the Standing Rules of the House of Delegates are used.

 

The Speaker of the House of Delegates guides the room through parliamentary procedure.

What is the election process?
On the first day the House meets, executive committee and speaker candidates address the House and present their platforms. Voting takes place on the last day of House meetings. Balloting takes place throughout the day and the president, vice presidents and speaker are announced by the close of the meeting.

 

A vote is cast for the new Executive Committee and Speaker of the House of Delegates.

 

At the close of the meeting, a new President is elected.

What are resolutions?
Delegates are also responsible for determining association policy. Policies are presented in the form of a resolution and then debated on the House floor. Resolutions can be submitted by any member and can address a number of issues but must follow a specific format. For a list of adopted resolutions, click here.

 

Students vote to adopt a resolution.

ASDA is uniquely geared to respond to the concerns of its members at the local, regional and national levels. Two delegates at each dental school chapter serve as voting members in ASDA’s House of Delegates. Their role is to voice concerns of their constituents to the House of Delegates for action in the form of resolutions.