PALMA: Professional Association of for Medical School Access Constitution and By Laws

Transcription

1 PALMA: Professional Association of for Medical School Access Constitution and By Laws ARTICLE I: NAME & PURPOSE Section A: Name The name of this club shall be PALMA which stand for Professional Association of for Medical School Access. Section B: National Affiliation PALMA is not nationally affiliated with any other chapters of PALMA however, we do work closely with LMSA: the Latino Medical Student Association. Section C: Purpose The purpose of this club shall be: 1. To learn about and participate in the community, especially in the area of healthcare. 2. To ensure that our members, especially those from underrepresented demographics are able to succeed and pursue careers in the healthcare field 3. To create leaders and advocates for our community 4. To provide a support system for members ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP & DUES Section A: Eligibility Membership shall be open to any and all students studying at a college level of education. Membership is granted upon payment of the dues as outlined in Section C and with regular participation and involvement in organization events and activities. Section B: Dues Dues shall be $10 if attend and pay on first general body meeting or $15 per semester. ARTICLE III: OFFICERS Section A: Officers All members of the Professional Association of Latinos for Medical School Access are eligible to become Officers of the student organization after completing one term of active membership, and if they are in good standing as defined by the student organization policies and/or bylaws. Members of the Professional Association of Latinos for Medical School Access can become Officers before they have completed one term of active membership if there are any vacancies; however, these active members may not hold the Officer position of

2 Co Chair. All officer positions must be filled every term unless due to extenuating circumstances. The officers shall be two Chief Executive Officers, one Chief Operating Officer, one Chief Financial Officer, one Chair of Volunteer Affairs, and one Chair of Public Affairs. Section B: Eligibility Officers must be actively involved in PALMA, meaning they must have held the highest level of membership, and must have assisted at least one previous officer in his or her duties at least once. Subsection I. In the case of Chief Executive Officer, prospective applicants must have previously held a spot on the executive board for a year. Section C: Election The officers of the chapter shall be elected for an entire year as decided by the student organization. All officers must be elected by April 10th for the upcoming term. Nominations shall be submitted to the executive board one week prior to elections. The general member body may also submit names on the day of elections. Officers shall take office at the last regular meeting of the term. Officers will be elected by a majority vote of those general members present at an official meeting. Section D: Term The officers shall serve for one year and their term of office shall begin at the commencement of the fall semester. Section E: Vacancy If a vacancy occurs, the executive board may hold a special election to fill the open spot. Subsection I. In the case of an unexpected leave of any of the executive board positions, an executive board election shall be held to fill the position. Any other openings or resulting openings, will open to a general body election. Section F: Absence If an absence is to arise, the absent executive board member must find another executive board member to take on their responsibilities and inform the rest of the board. If an absence is unexcused, the guilty party shall be fined $5 to be turned in to the Chief Financial Officer two weeks after the fine. ARTICLE IV: DUTIES OF OFFICERS Section A: Chief Executive Officers (2): Make an agenda for each executive meeting that includes the positions, states the time, length and location of the meeting Plan and lead meetings Reach out to speakers Facilitate communication between members of the club and within the executive board

3 Get to know members Come to agreement with other CEO on all decisions Decide who heads meetings if neither CEO can do it Coordinate with all Exec Board members on their respective duties Section B: Chief Operating Officer (1) Reserve room for executive board meetings and general meetings Take attendance at meetings Manage club account Take minutes at executive and general body meetings Work with CFO, Chair of Public Affairs, and Chair of Volunteer Affairs to keep track of member participation (ie, dues paid, attendance at socials, volunteer events, etc.) Must be an organized person who will keep track of deadlines Section C: Chief Financial Officer (1) Keep track of PALMA budget including but not limited to: member dues, PALMA s bank account, scholarships, and grants Write grants and submit them at the earliest possible time In charge of financing activities (ie, pay for food, supplies, etc.) Must know, or be willing to learn, how to write grants and know where to find them Section D: Chair of Volunteer Affairs (1) Maintain established volunteer participation at Dr. Tellez s events, Touched Twice, Hope Clinic Seek additional volunteer opportunities every semester Be aware of events in the Madison community Coordinate logistics of volunteer events (transportation, etc.) Keep a volunteer sign up spreadsheet throughout the semester, with new tabs per event Keep a calendar of upcoming volunteer events and send out invitations of attendance to the general body Send weekly s to general body regarding upcoming volunteer events and include volunteer sign up spreadsheet Section E: Chair of Public Affairs (1) Publicize PALMA Recruit new PALMA members Plan fundraising events Must be present at Student Org Fair, Mercado Latino, and other recruiting events Responsible of keeping track of PALMA poster and other recruiting materials

4 Coordinate with CEOs in forming partnerships with other student orgs Plan and organize social events Keep a social sign up spreadsheet throughout the semester, with new tabs per event Expectations of All Attend weekly executive board meetings (between 1 and hours long) Update the executive board folder and position folder with documents pertaining to work being done within the position Show up to all meetings and events Show up on time, meaning early Get to know and form professional relationships with all members Be flexible and able to cover for others if necessary Keep group communication professional and focused on issue being discussed Keep expectations of each other explicit (ie, hold everyone accountable for their respective duties) Mentor other PALMA members to become good executive board leaders ARTICLE V: MEETINGS Section A: Meetings Regular meetings shall be held monthly during the regular school year. Section B: Special Meeting Special meetings may be called by the executive board as deemed necessary. Section C: Quorum A quorum shall consist of two thirds (2/3) of the membership of current and/or previous members. In quorums it will still be possible to hold votes, discussions, and events with executive board approval. Section D: Parliamentary Authority PALMA Executive Rules, shall govern this club in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws. ARTICLE VI: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Section A: Responsibility Management of this club shall be vested in an Executive Committee responsible to the entire membership to uphold these bylaws. Section B: Membership This committee shall consist of the officers as listed in Article III and the faculty advisor. Section C: Executive Meetings Mandatory executive meeting shall be held once every week during the regular school year.

5 ARTICLE VII: ADVISOR Section A: Selection If available, there shall be a faculty/staff advisor(s) who shall be selected, if necessary, by the executive board. Section B: Duties The responsibilities of the faculty advisor shall be to: club. Maintain an awareness of the activities and programs sponsored by the student Meet on a regular basis with the leader of the student club to discuss upcoming meetings, long range plans, goals, and problems of the club. Attend regular meetings, executive board meetings as often as schedule allows. Assist in the orientation of new officers. Explain and clarify campus policy and procedures that apply to the club. Maintain contact with the Student Life Office. Provide direction in the area of parliamentary procedure, meeting facilitation, group building, goal setting, and program planning. Assist the club treasurer in monitoring expenditures, fundraising activities, and corporate sponsorship to maintain an accurate and up to date account ledger. Inform club members of those factors that constitute unacceptable behavior on the part of the club members, and the possible consequence of said behaviors. ARTICLE VIII: COMMITTEES Section A: Program Committee If members and or the executive board chooses to do so, a program committee composed of members of the executive board, led by the Chief Operating Officer and at least three other members may be appointed by the executive board before the end of spring semester, whose duty shall be to assist in the overall program of the club, where the executive board or Chief Operating Officer feel necessary. Section B: Other committees Other committees germane to the club that may be created include finance, publicity, membership, professional relations, social, etc. Section C: Special Committees The Chief Executive Officers shall have the authority to appoint any special committees, with the approval of the Executive Board, from time to time as need demands.

6 ARTICLE IX: AMENDMENTS Section A: Selection These bylaws may be amended by a two thirds (2/3) majority vote of the chapter membership, or by a two thirds (2/3) vote by the Executive Board. Section B: Notice All members shall receive advance notice of the proposed amendment at least five days before the meeting. [The time may be extended to the following meeting.]