UTAH STUDENT PHARMACISTS ALLIANCE Constitution and Bylaws Ratified September 29th, 2010 ARTICLE I- NAME The name of this organization shall be Utah Student Pharmacists Alliance (USPA) The Utah Student Pharmacists Alliance is a non-profit organization. ARTICLE II- PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVES The purpose of USPA is to foster the professional development of student pharmacists; to enhance learning of the pharmaceutical sciences; to promote career development; and to facilitate cooperation and integration among the various student pharmacy organizations at the University of Utah. The objectives of USPA are: 1- To promote the profession of pharmacy and the role of pharmacists in the American health care system. 2- To provide information to students about career options in all areas of pharmacy including: hospital and health systems; chain store; community and independent; government and armed services; pharmaceutical manufacturing and distribution; and academic and educational. 3- To encourage student involvement in national and state professional pharmacy organizations and to encourage students to remain involved in these organizations after graduation. 4- To sponsor and organize educational and service programs to strengthen student s clinical knowledge, professional, business and leadership abilities. 5- To educate the public about health care issues and the pharmacists role in providing services to manage and control these issues. 6- To promote pharmaceutical research and the acquisition and dissemination of new pharmacy based knowledge. ARTICLE III- MEMBERSHIP QUALIFICATIONS 1- The active members of USPA shall consist of: full time graduate students enrolled in the school of pharmacy in good academic standing that submit an application to the USPA membership committee, pay the required dues, and support the purpose and objectives of 1
USPA. Active membership is discontinued upon graduation or upon loss of academic standing at the School of Pharmacy. Only active members are allowed to hold an elected office within USPA. 2- Associate members of USPA shall consist of any full-time students enrolled in any college or university within the state of Utah who submit an application to the USPA membership committee, pay the required dues, and support the purpose and objectives of USPA. Associate members are entitled to all of the benefits of active members except that they cannot hold elected office. University of Utah policies apply to all prospective members without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, or status as a disabled individual. Religion, sexual orientation, and status as a disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam era also are protected under nondiscrimination and equal opportunity policies. SECTION 3 1- The USPA executive committee may choose to offer an Honorary Membership in USPA. This membership category allows recognition of faculty members, preceptors, practitioners, or any individual whose contributions to the profession of pharmacy merit recognition. 2- The process for attaining Honorary Membership shall be: a- An active or associate member of USPA will submit an individual for nomination to the USPA Executive Committee. The nomination must describe the reasoning for the nomination. b- After unanimous agreement by the Executive Committee, the nomination will be presented at the next chapter meeting for a vote by the membership. c- A unanimous vote of the members present is required to grant Honorary Membership. d- A mutually agreed upon meeting will be established to recognize the approved nominee. ARTICLE IV- MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS The following national professional organizations will be included in USPA as founding members. a-the Academy of Student Pharmacists/American Pharmacists Association b-the American Society of Health System Pharmacists Student Society c-the National Community Pharmacists Association Student Society d-the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy The following state organizations will be included in USPA as founding 2
SECTION 3 members. a-the Utah Pharmacists Association b-the Utah Society of Health System Pharmacists Additional professional organizations may be added to USPA provided they share the purpose and objectives of USPA. The process for adding a professional organization to USPA is: a- An active or associate member of USPA will submit an organization for nomination to the USPA Executive Committee. The nomination must describe how the new organization shares the purpose and objectives of USPA. b- After unanimous agreement by the Executive Committee, the nomination will be presented at the next chapter meeting for a vote by the membership. c-a unanimous vote of the members present is required to grant membership to the professional organization. ARTICLE V- OFFICERS The officers for USPA shall be: a- President b- President-elect c-secretary d-treasurer e-vice-president for Membership f-vice-president for Public Relations g-vice-president for Student Affairs h-historian The Executive Committee for USPA shall consist of the officers for USPA and the President and President-elect for each of the member national professional organizations. In this body, the authority for the governance and general operation of USPA shall be vested. Business shall be conducted by a majority vote of the quorum present at Executive Committee meetings. A faculty advisor will also serve as an ex-officio member of the Executive Committee. If new national professional organizations are granted membership as defined in ARTICLE IV, SECTION 3, the President and President-elect of the new professional organization will become members of the Executive Committee. ARTICLE VI- DUTIES OF OFFICERS a- President. The President shall be the chief elected officer of USPA, shall preside at all meetings, shall chair the Executive committee, shall call special meetings, shall 3
appoint, in consultation with the Executive Committee, various committees and the chairpersons for those committees. The President shall perform other duties as the Executive committee shall direct or that customarily pertain to the office of President. b- President-elect. The President-elect shall assume the responsibilities of the President in his or her absence or incapacity, and shall succeed to the office of President upon completion of the term as President-elect. He or she shall assist the President in all of the activities of the chapter. The President-elect shall chair the Conventions Committee. c- Secretary. The Secretary shall conduct all official correspondence under the direction of the President. The Secretary shall keep a record of the minutes of each meeting of the organization to be read and approved by its members at the next scheduled meeting of the body. The secretary shall submit all reports and applications for recognition for any of the member national professional organizations. The secretary shall maintain a readily retrievable record of all programs, projects and other related activities. d- Treasurer. The treasurer shall maintain all financial records for the organization in readily retrievable form and shall be accountable for all financial transactions within the organization. The treasurer shall provide reports on the status of the treasury to the Executive Committee at least quarterly. The treasurer shall chair the Fund-raising Committee. e- Vice-President for Membership. The vice-president for membership shall organize and promote the membership drive for USPA. The vice-president for membership shall submit completed membership applications to the national professional organizations and fees to the treasurer and shall prepare a list of members to be used to facilitate officer elections. The vice-president for membership shall chair the Membership Committee. f- Vice-President for Public Relations. The vice-president for public relations is responsible for promoting upcoming events and for chairing the Public Relations Committee. g- Vice-President for Student Affairs. The vice-president for student affairs is responsible to orient incoming first-year graduate pharmacy students, recruit cochairs and volunteers for committees and patient care projects, serve as a liaison between the Executive Committee and the Student Advisory Committee (SAC) representative for each pharmacy class and the Associated Students of the University of Utah (ASUU) elected representatives from the College of Pharmacy, and shall chair the Community Service Committee. h- Historian. The Historian is responsible for documenting and recording all USPA events. The historian shall coordinate with the presidents of each National organization to assist in preparing yearly reports. The faculty advisor shall be present and participate in all meetings of USPA if possible. SECTION 3 A vacancy in any of the previous offices, excluding the President, shall be filled within two 4
weeks, by Executive Committee appointment. The appointed individual shall complete the designee s term of office. In case of a vacancy of the President, the President-elect shall assume the office of President and a new President-elect will be appointed by the Executive Committee. The appointed President-elect will not assume the office of President at the end of the term, but a new President-elect shall be chosen during the annual elections. SECTION 4 The term of office shall be one year, coinciding with the USPA year as defined in ARTICLE X,. SECTION 5 A vacancy in any office other than that of President will be appointed by a two-thirds vote of the Executive Committee. SECTION 6 An officer who fails to meet the responsibilities of his or her position may be removed from office by two-thirds vote of the executive committee. ARTICLE VII- ELECTION OF OFFICERS The chapter officers shall be elected annually. The election procedure shall be as follows 1- The current President shall call a special meeting two weeks before the new officers are to be announced, at which time, nominations for President-elect, Secretary, Treasurer, Vice-President for Membership, and Vice-President for Public Relations will be made. Each of the member national professional organizations shall then separate and receive nominations for President-elect and such other officers as they see fit 2- Campaigning candidates may campaign via the following methods if they choose to do so. Week one is intended for submission and approval of materials and campaigning. Week two is intended for continued campaigning and voting. A. Campaign material submission and approval: Following the nomination meeting, candidates will have 5 days to submit campaign materials to respective organization leadership for approval. Once the 5 day submission period has passed, candidates may not submit further information. i. Candidates may submit a photograph and position statement about themselves and why they feel they are appropriate for the nominated position, not to exceed 500 words, to the USPA secretary. Submissions will be compiled and sent, upon approval, to the pharmacy student body in one e-mail from the USPA secretary 5
after the 5 day submission period. Candidates may not solicit students via e-mail or other electronic resources. ii. Candidates may make campaign posters to hang in approved areas of HSEB and Skaggs. Posters are not to exceed a quantity of 12 or 11 x 14 inches in size, must not contain offensive/crude material, and must be approved by the current officers of the individual organizations and at least one faculty advisor. Approved posters may be hung in approved areas of HSEB and Skaggs hall during the campaign and voting periods and must be removed no later than 2 days after polling closes. B. Classroom Announcements: a. Candidates may make classroom announcements with the following guidelines: i. Candidate must make arrangements with the course instructor prior to the day they wish to speak to that class. ii. Only one announcement per candidate may be made to each class (P1,P2,P3). iii. No additional campaign materials may be distributed. iv. Announcement must not exceed 2 minutes in length or significantly interrupt instructor s class time. C. Inappropriate or unprofessional materials or behavior from a candidate may be cause for disqualification. Disciplinary action will be at the discretion of the USPA officers and faculty advisors. 3- Ballots shall be prepared and shall be sent either electronically or by mail to all USPA members listing the candidates for office. A voting list shall be kept to ensure that no member may vote more than once. The voting period shall begin 1 week after the nomination meeting, and last for 7 days. 4-A plurality vote of the members voting will be required to elect an officer. If there is a tie, lots will be chosen to determine the outcome. 5-A meeting shall be held as soon as possible after the voting has ended to announce the outcome of the election. The oath of office will be administered to all incoming officers by the outgoing President of USPA and will be witnessed by the membership of USPA. 6-Only USPA members shall be allowed to cast a vote in the election The newly elected officers shall take office at the beginning of the USPA year as defined in ARTICLE X,. ARTICLE VIII- DUES USPA dues shall be determined by a two-thirds majority vote of the Executive Committee. Membership dues will be a flat fee to be added to the national dues of the first professional organization a member chooses to join. 6
ARTICLE IX- COMMITTEES Standing and Special committees of USPA may be created by action of any regular or special meeting, or at the action of the Executive Committee between meetings. The President shall appoint, with the approval of the Executive Committee, the following standing committees, and other such committees, as he or she may deem necessary. Members shall serve for one calendar year in this capacity or until their successors are appointed by the new President. 1-Conventions Committee 2-Fund-raising Committee 3-Membership Committee 4-Public Relations Committee 5-Community Service Committee 6-Programs Committee 7-Policy Committee SECTION 3 The areas of interest covered by these committees are as follows: 1- Conventions Committee is responsible for promoting the annual and semi-annual conventions for all member professional organizations. They will also work to arrange affordable transportation and housing options for students wishing to attend and will work with the Fund-raising committee to procure money to defray these expenses when possible.. If the President-Elect or President of the appropriate student organization is unable to attend the designated annual or semi-annual convention, the committee will convene to determine who, if anybody should attend. This committee is chaired by the USPA President-elect. 2- Fund-raising Committee is responsible for organizing new programs for raising money for USPA. This committee shall be chaired by the USPA treasurer. 3- Membership Committee is responsible to promote USPA and to encourage students to join and participate in USPA and to distribute and collect membership applications. This committee is chaired by the USPA Vice-President for Membership. 4- Public Relations Committee is responsible to promote meetings, activities and events associated with or sponsored by USPA and for coordinating a monthly newsletter. This committee is chaired by the Vice-President for Public Relations. 5- Community Service Committee is responsible for organizing health care events for the school and the surrounding community. Operation Diabetes, Operation Immunization and Operation Heartburn Awareness are examples of the types of programs run by this committee. This committee is chaired by the Vice-President for Student Affairs. 6- Programs Committee is responsible for setting up speakers, panels, and programs for the 7
students on campus to enhance their knowledge of pharmacy issues. This committee chair is appointed by the USPA President with the approval of the USPA Executive Committee. The President-elect for each of the member national professional organizations shall be a member of this committee. 7- Policy Committee is responsible to formulate legislative, academic and professional recommendations and standards to fulfill the purpose and objectives of USPA. This committee chair is appointed by the USPA President with the approval of the USPA Executive Committee. The President for each of the member national professional organizations shall be a member of this committee. ARTICLE X- GENERAL GUIDELINES The business of USPA shall be conducted by members who have met the qualification for membership defined in Article III, Section 1 of the Bylaws. The USPA year is from April 1 to March 31. All reports and records must be completed by the end of the USPA year. SECTION 3 USPA shall hold a regular meeting of all members at least monthly at such time and place as the Executive Committee shall determine. SECTION 4 The President shall determine the order of business at any meeting, subject to approval by the Executive Committee and Standing Committee chairpersons. SECTION 5 A quorum of members required to conduct business shall be forty members. A quorum of Executive Committee members required to conduct business shall be seven members of the Executive Committee. SECTION 6 Robert s Rules of Order, latest revision, shall be the parliamentary authority with respect to all procedures not specified otherwise in these bylaws. SECTION 7 Good academic standing shall be defined as maintaining a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00 in the core and elective professional and/or graduate classes. Any 8
disciplinary action from the college in violation of the Academic Integrity policy of the college including: cheating; misrepresentation of one s work; plagiarism; and fabrication or falsification of any document; will result in a loss of good academic standing. SECTION 8 The Oath of Office for USPA officers and Executive Committee members shall be: I will uphold the standards and ideals upon which this Society is based. I will strive to fulfill and promote the purpose and objectives of USPA in my professional and academic career. I will honor the office to which I have been elected and will be an example of the profession of pharmacy to other students and to the community at large. The Oath shall be administered by having the newly elected officers stand while the oath is read. Each officer shall then say, I will. ARTICLE XI- AMENDMENTS 1- These bylaws may be amended at any regular general membership meeting by a twothirds majority vote of the quorum present. These bylaws may also be amended by electronic ballot. Ballots will be distributed to all members. A two-thirds majority vote of electronic ballots received is required for amendment. Two or more members shall present any proposed changes to the President in writing at least two weeks prior to a regularly scheduled meeting. The President shall schedule the amendment as an item of new business at the next regularly scheduled meeting. 2- Amendments so adopted shall become effective immediately and these changes shall be added to the USPA bylaws. The date of bylaws shall be noted on each revised copy. ARTICLE XII- LIAISONS The Executive Committee shall appoint liaisons as required to fulfill the needs of the national organizations. The liaisons include but are not limited to those listed in ARTICLE XII,. Liaisons to the Executive Committee include: A- International Pharmaceutical Students Federation (IPSF) B- Student Advocate/SPAN Coordinator C- ASUU Liaison D- Health Sciences Student Council (HSSC) E- P1 Liaison 9