HACU Membership Frequently Asked Questions1. What type of institutions can join HACU?For national membership (U.S. and Puerto Rico), any non-profit 501(c)(3) institution of higher education, either college or university, is eligible to join HACU. For-profit institutions of higher education (in the U.S. and Puerto Rico), companies, foundations, and community-based organizations are ineligible to join. These organizations however may consider partnering with HACU or donating to Friends of HACU. Contact HACU’s Development Department for more information on these opportunities at aesquivel@hacu.net. International institutions of higher education must meet the eligibility requirements listed in question #3. 2. Can individuals join HACU?Yes, if you are a faculty or staff person at an institution of higher learning, you are eligible to join HACU. The Faculty & Staff Caucus is an individual membership and is not transferable to another person. 3. Is my institution a member of HACU?HACU has five categories of membership and these listings are located on our Web site. For national members located in the U.S., check all levels of affiliation (Hispanic-Serving Institution or HSI, Associate, Partner). If your institution is a national member located in Puerto Rico, your institution will be listed in the HSI listing. HACU’s institutional membership definitions are as follows: Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) - a non-profit, accredited college, university or system, where total Hispanic enrollment constitutes a minimum of 25% of the total enrollment. Click here for more information about HACU and Federal HSI definitions. Associate Member Institution - a non-profit, accredited college, university or system, where total Hispanic enrollment constitutes at least 10 percent of the total enrollment, or a minimum of 1,000 Hispanic students enrolled. Partner Institution - a non-profit, accredited college, university or system, where total Hispanic enrollment constitutes less than 10 percent of the total enrollment. International Member - an institution of higher education in Latin America and Spain that documents that it is a legally constituted entity authorized to operate in its country according to the rules and regulations required by its government. Hispanic-Serving School District (HSSD) - a K-12 school district, where total Hispanic enrollment constitutes a minimum of 25% of the total district enrollment. See question #9 for membership enrollment statistics requirements. 4. If my institution is not a member or I’d like to join the Faculty and Staff Caucus, what is the application process?On-line membership applications can be found at Members/New Member Application. Institutions can join HACU using the Institutional Membership Application. Individuals can join by using the Faculty and Staff Caucus Membership Application. HACU will review and approve your application within approximately five working days from submission. If there are any questions regarding your application, HACU will contact the HACU Contact and/or President (institutional membership) or the individual applying for Caucus membership. For institutional membership, an invoice will be automatically sent via e-mail to the President and HACU Contact. For Caucus membership, the individual applying for membership will be e-mailed the invoice directly. 5. What is HACU’s membership year?HACU’s membership year is normally January 1 through December 31. 6. Where can I find membership dues rates?The dues sheet is located on HACU’s Web site under Members/Membership Dues. Membership dues are published a few months prior to the start of the calendar year. Please base your payment on the official invoice submitted to you after the application or renewal approval. Do not base your dues on previous year’s invoices or applications. 7. What payment methods are available to pay for membership dues?Payment options include: credit card, check, purchase order, and wire transfer (international members only). Upon approval of your membership application, our on-line system automatically sends identical invoices to both the President and HACU Contact for institutional membership or directly to the Faculty and Staff Caucus member for individual membership. 8. Which individuals are requested on the institutional membership application?HACU maintains several contacts for each member institution, which may include:
*Not all contacts are maintained for all member categories. 9. What type of enrollment statistics are required during the institutional membership application or renewal process?For national members (U.S. and Puerto Rico), your institution’s undergraduate, graduate, and total enrollment statistics and the number of Hispanic students in each of these categories for the Fall prior to the membership year will be required. For example, the 2009 membership year application will request enrollment statistics for Fall 2008. “Total Enrollment” is defined as including full-time and part-time students whether at the undergraduate or graduate level (including professional schools) of the institution, or both (headcount, for-credit students). International members will be asked to provide total enrollment statistics for their institution and the date, month, year of these statistics They will also be asked to list their institution’s three principal areas of study and the total enrollment in each of these programs. Hispanic-Serving School Districts will be asked to provide total enrollment statistics at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels, as well as the number of Hispanic students at each of these categories for the Fall prior to the membership year being applying for by the district. 10. If I want to renew my membership, what is the renewal process?Renewal notifications via regular mail and email are sent approximately two months (November) prior to the start of the new membership year (January 1). For institutional renewals, the President and HACU Contact receive this notification. Institutions can renew their membership online using the Institutional Renewal Application. Only the President’s or HACU Contact’s user names and passwords are authorized to renew their institution’s membership. Existing member contacts data will populate the institutional renewal application and can be updated as necessary. However, enrollment statistics will be blank and must be updated for the renewal to be processed. Faculty and Staff Caucus members can renew their membership using the Caucus Renewal Application. Caucus members’ user names and passwords authorize them to renew their membership. Existing member contact data will populate their renewal application and can be updated as necessary. 11. How do I retrieve my password if I’ve lost it?You can request a Password Reminder from HACU’s Web site under Members/Member Login Info. Enter your user name, leave the password field blank and click on the “Login” button. A red message will appear saying your password is being emailed to you. If you do not receive your password, please contact the Membership Department, to double check your e-mail address on file to make sure what we have is correct. 12. What if I’ve forgotten my user name?User names and passwords are sent via e-mail to all institutional contacts and Caucus members upon approval of their membership. Your user name is also located on your HACU Member Card. If you can’t locate your user name or did not receive your HACU Member Card, contact our Membership Department at memberinfo@hacu.net. 13. As one of the contacts at my institution or as a Caucus member, can I update my own individual profile?Yes. You can visit HACU’s Web site at Update Your Individual Profile. You will need your user name and password to login, so please have these available. You will not be allowed to change your name or the name of your institution during the update. If these have changed, please contact our Membership Department at memberinfo@hacu.net. 14. Some of the contacts at my institution have changed or my institution’s general information has changed. What is the on-line process to update this information?Only the President or HACU Contact’s user names and passwords can modify the member institution’s profile at Update Your Institutional Profile, e.g., add or remove contacts at the member institution, or edit general institutional information. Presidents and HACU Contacts, however, cannot remove themselves as contacts. For instance, if there is a new President, the current President can not login with his/her user name and replace him/herself with a new President. In this instance, the HACU Contact could make this change or the President’s staff person could contact the Membership Department to make the change. Likewise, the HACU Contact cannot login and remove him/herself. You are not allowed to change your name, the name of your institution, or enrollment statistics during updates. If these have changed, please contact the Membership Department at memberinfo@hacu.net. 15. If my institution is a HACU member and I want to be one of the contacts, what can I do?A fixed number of contacts is maintained per member institution and only the President and HACU Contact can add or remove these. You will need to contact your President or HACU Contact and request that you replace one of the contacts that HACU currently maintains with your institution. You can also consider joining HACU’s Faculty and Staff Caucus, which is available to individuals at HACU-member and non-member institutions. 16. What are some of the additional benefits of Caucus membership?All Caucus members receive an additional discount on the already reduced member rate to attend HACU conference and events. They also receive their own copy of HACU’s Membership Directory, a subscription to The Voice, and e-mail updates regarding advocacy, grants and contracts, student programs, internships and scholarships. 17. Can I purchase or rent HACU’s membership addresses?Yes, the Merchandise Order Form is available on HACU’s Web site under HACU Members/Member Addresses. You may submit the completed form to HACU with payment to receive a list of our members. Payment is required in full before the order is processed. The contact information provided for purchased lists include: name, title, institution mailing address, telephone and fax numbers. An additional discount is available for addresses purchased by HACU members. 18. I am interested in learning more about Hispanic-Serving School Districts, whom can I contact?If you have questions or would like information on our Hispanic-Serving School Districts (HSSD) affiliation, please contact Jeanette Morales, Member & Affiliate Programs Manager, at 210-576-3220 or jmorales@hacu.net. If you have further questions, please contact HACU’s Membership Department at:Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities (HACU) |