The name of this organization shall be the Medical Student Council.
The organization is a student organization at The University of Arizona.
The objectives of the organization shall be to:
A. Enhance communications within the entire student body of the College of Medicine.
B. Identify student concerns and act as representative of those concerns.
C. Actively implement change in areas of student concern.
D. Facilitate communication and coordinate activities between student members and different committees.
E. Serve as liaison between students, faculty, and administration.
F. Actively seek and disburse funds available to students and student groups.
G. Inform students of current events, upcoming issues and potential problems.
.
A. Any student at The University of Arizona College of Medicine is eligible to be an active member and may hold office.
B. Non-students may act as associate members, but may not vote or hold office.
C. The voting membership of Medical Student Council shall include
1. Four Executive Officers:
a. Chairperson
b. Vice-Chairperson
c. Treasurer
d. Secretary
e. Treasurer-Elect
2. One designated member per class from each College of Medicine Committee
3. One designated member per Approved Student Organizations. (see III B)
4. Two Class Representatives per class.
D. The Medical Student Council general membership shall consist of the voting members, all officers of Approved Student Organizations and all other student members of College of Medicine Committees.
E. Other Medical Student Council committees will be formed at the discretion of the Executive Committee.
F. The Senior Associate Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs shall be the official College of Medicine advisor to the Medical Student Council and will serve as a non-voting member of the Executive Committee.
G. Approved Student Organizations
H. College of Medicine Committees with Student Members
A. Election of Officers.
1. The officers of this organization are chairperson, vice-chairperson, treasurer, treasurer-elect, and secretary.
2. The Medical Student Council shall take responsibility for the election of representatives from each class and for representation on College of Medicine committees. General elections shall be held in the spring for the upcoming 2nd, 3rd, and 4th year classes, and in the fall for the new 1st year class. Prior to the election, information regarding the available positions shall be posted, following which there will be a nominating period. At the end of this period, the Council shall conduct the elections with separate ballots provided for each class. All medical students will be eligible to vote. A majority of votes will constitute a victory. In event of a tie, those involved will participate in a runoff. If the runoff results in another tie, the election will be resolved at the discretion of the Executive Board.
3. Officers will assume office for the period of one year, unless otherwise noted.
B. Special Elections or Selection
1. Admissions Committee
a. The names of all students interested in serving on the Admissions Committee shall be selected by the Nominating Committee and then submitted to the Dean. These results will not be made public.
b. The final selection will then be made by the Dean.
2. Committee of Nine- students are elected from the 2nd-, 3rd-, and 4th-year classes only
3. Organization for Student Representative- students are elected from 2nd-year class every other year.
C. Terms of Office- The term of office for all positions is one year, except as noted below.
1. Class representatives - Term of office shall be one year during the 1st and 2nd years and two years during the 3rd and 4th years.
2. Admissions, Library Advisory, Organization for Student Representative, Phoenix Liaisons-Term of office shall be two years.
4. Curriculum, Student Progress and Yearbook Committees - Term of office shall be four years.
D. Recall of Officers.
Any elected representative not fulfilling his/her obligation to the student body may be dismissed by a special recall vote. In order to initiate such a vote, a petition in support of such, bearing the signatures of 25% of the members of the class involved, must be presented to the Student Council. The Council shall then hold a special recall election. If 2/3 of the members of the class vote to recall, that representative shall be officially dismissed from his/her position. The Council shall then hold a new election to fill the position.
Constitutional ratification and amending requires 2/3 vote of the voting Medical Student Council.
This is a not-for-profit organization.
This organization shall not discriminate on the basis of age, color, ethnicity, gender, national origin, disability or handicap, race, religion, sexual orientation, Vietnam Era veteran status. This policy will include, but is not limited to, recruiting, membership, organization activities or opportunities to hold office.
ARTICLE VIII - Financial Obligations
A specific member or members, designated by this organization shall be responsible for payment in full of all debts accumulated by the organization not covered by funds on deposit.
This organization will not conspire to engage in hazing, participate in hazing, or commit any act that causes or is likely to cause bodily danger, physical harm, or personal degradation or disgrace resulting in physical or mental harm to any fellow student or person attending the institution.
This organization shall comply with all University and campus policies and regulations and local, state, and federal laws
I. Positions and Responsibilities
1. Chairperson oversees all aspects of student government, including bi-weekly assembly meetings, executive council meetings, elections, Fall Clubs Fair, and student social events. The chair will assist with planning the Annual Halloween Party, 1st and 2nd Year Party, and Spring Family Day. The officer shall also be responsible for coordinating events and communication with the College of Medicine Administration and Associated Students of the University of Arizona (ASUA).
2. Vice-Chairperson has the responsibility to maintain the Medical Student Council Constitution, including revisions and the integrity of Council and Student Body to it. The officer will be responsible for communication between active clubs and Medical Student Council, as well as maintaining a current list of the active clubs. The Vice-chair will also assist with student social events. The officer shall preside at all meetings the Chair is unable to attend.
3. Treasurer/Treasurer Elect will balance the student government budget, create a funding request ballot for each general assembly meeting, and oversee distribution of funds to clubs and individuals once approved. The treasurer elect will assist the treasurer in his/her responsibilities.
4. Secretary attends all meetings and is in charge of taking minutes, posting information, and keeping track of attendance.
5. Class Representatives will report to their respective classes at least once per month on the activities of Student Council and determine the concerns of their classmates. They will then report the concerns of their classmates to the Student Council. They will also be in charge of planning the annual College of Medicine Halloween Party in the fall.
B. Standing Committees- There are several possible Standing Committees, whose existence may vary on an annual basis. The Standing Committee members are elected from the general membership of the Student Council unless otherwise indicated. The Chairperson of each committee must be a voting member of Student Council. The Standing Committees include, but are not limited to the following:
1. Activities and Fund Raising Committee shall consist of six members. This committee is responsible for organizing events of interest to all four classes of the medical student body.
2. Budget Committee shall consist of at least a chairperson and three additional members selected from the voting members. The Treasurer shall be the chairperson of this committee. The duties of this committee shall include the evaluation and prioritization of all funding requests, except those from Standing Committees, prior to presentation to the Council at-large. In addition, this Committee shall be responsible for the evaluation and management of the current year's budget and the creation of the budget proposal for the upcoming year.
3. Community Outreach Committee shall consist of an unlimited number of members. The members may be any U of A medical student. One member must be a representative of Commitment to Underserved People. This committee shall provide opportunities for the community to get to know the College of Medicine, and for the medical student body to provide service to the community. Events may include CPR training, health fairs, high school health seminars, etc.
4. Current Events Committee shall consist of an unlimited number of members. The duties of this committee are to inform the medical student body of current events, upcoming issues and potential problems of interest to medical students. Topics of interest may include national meetings that students can attend, summer job opportunities, scholarship information, etc.
5. Executive Committee shall consist of the Executive Officers, including the class representatives, and the Associate Dean of Student Affairs, who is a non-voting member. This committee is directly responsible for the administrative details of the Medical Student Council.
6. Speakers Committee shall consist of between four and eight members. The members shall be representatives from the approved student organizations. The main duty of this committee shall be to coordinate student organizations in regard to hosting appearances by outside speakers. The committee may sponsor speakers independently or it may co-sponsor speakers with other student organizations.
C. College of Medicine Committees
1. The Admissions Committee is composed of 12 voting members, including four students (two first year, two second year), four clinicians four basic scientists, and one non-voting chairperson. Each of the student members is granted full voting privileges of the Committee in determining the class of accepted applicants for the upcoming year. The Committee's work starts in late November and runs through mid-March. The procedure generally followed by the Committee is to have weekly meetings of approximately four hours duration, during which individual applications are presented to the whole Committee for discussion. In addition to the formal meeting, there are four subcommittees made up of three members (one student, one clinician, and basic scientist) which hold meetings on a weekly basis to decide which applicants, from their section of the alphabet (i.e., S-Z), will be brought up for discussion. It is the individual Committee member who must be responsible for reviewing all the applications in his/her section of the alphabet, so that he/she may be able to critically review decisions made in the subcommittee and full Committee meetings. The time required for reviewing applications varies, but averages about nine hours per week. All materials discussed are held confidential. Due to the confidential nature of the Admissions Committee, student representatives will not be required to participate in Student Council activities.
(removed Committee of nine)
2. The Honor Code Committee is responsible for investigating and making recommendations regarding alleged violations of the Honor Code. This Committee is made up of two medical students and one alternate from each class, and two members of the College of Medicine faculty, one from a basic science department, and one from a clinical science department. Student representation shall be elected by each class and faculty representatives shall be elected by College of Medicine faculty. One of the three student members from each class serves as an alternate, able to participate and vote if the regular representative is unable to attend. Terms of both student and faculty members shall be one calendar year. The Committee is available to students and encourages students to approach members should any problem regarding the Code of Scholastic Conduct arises. Confidentiality is assured and your cooperation is appreciated.
3. The primary concern of the Curriculum Committee is the curriculum of the College of Medicine. This consists of a continual evaluation of the existing curriculum, with an eye toward further development and refinement. The Curriculum Committee and its various subcommittees consider all aspects of the curriculum in both the basic science and clinical years. The authority of the Committee includes making modifications to curricular requirements, rearrangements of course scheduling, and evaluations of student petitions for specialized educational experiences. The Committee is composed of 21 members, at least six clinical faculty, at least six basic science faculty, four student members (one from each class), one at-large student member (elected every four years from the first year class) and a representative of the Dean's office. Each member has an equal vote. Meetings are held the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month at 4:30 PM and generally last one and one-half hours.
4. The Honors and Awards Committee is comprised of six elected faculty members and four elected student members (one from each class). The primary concern shall be to review the student files in order to evaluate performance, according to the Committee's criteria, and to choose students for the predetermined awards. As a member of this Committee, the student will be reviewing confidential files and discretion will be absolutely imperative.
5. The Library Advisory Committee includes as its members: the AHSC Library Director, the Committee Chair (appointed by the Dean of the COM), one faculty representative and two student representatives from each of the Health Sciences: Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. The Committee acts in an advisory capability to the AHSC Library Director regarding library policies and other issues related to the operation of the Library. Committee members represent their constituencies regarding library matters and may bring any issues of concern to the Committee for review and discussion. The AHSC Library Director reviews current issues with the Committee for their information and to obtain their advice and suggested recommendations. Meetings are usually scheduled on a quarterly basis.
(removed SBS and PCM committee)
6. The Student Progress Committee, comprised of eight elected faculty members and four elected students (one from each class), serves to monitor and evaluate student performance. The Committee reviews the record of each student at least once a year, in order to a) identify performance problems early, and b) recommend actions for those who fail a course (or courses). Committee meetings are scheduled monthly, but held only as necessary; special meetings are called to discuss issues requiring immediate attention. Also, representatives are ex-officio members of the Student Affairs Group Committee which helps plan the first year orientation and retreats, peer counseling programs, etc.
II. Meetings
A. Meetings shall convene twice a month during the academic year.
B. The Chairperson shall set the agenda and preside at all meetings. In the Chairperson’s absence the Vice-Chairperson shall preside.
C. The Secretary will be in charge of having minutes taken, posted on bulletin boards, and kept on record. He/she will also maintain a record of council members at every meeting by circulating an attendance sheet. Attendance records will be posted with the minutes.
D. A quorum shall consist of ten voting members.
E. A simple majority of those voting members present is required to decide issues except as noted elsewhere.
F. All meetings shall be open unless a specific closed session is deemed necessary by voting members.
G. If necessary, a designated student member of every College of Medicine Committee, every Approved Student Organization, and every Standing Committee will make a report at each Student Council meeting. Representatives to the Admissions Committee are excluded from this rule and are not required to attend Student Council meetings.
H. Resolutions indicating the Student Council's position on issues affecting the student body shall be presented to College of Medicine Student Council.
III. Student Organizations and Student Representatives
A. Approval or reapplication of student organizations requires:
1. Written statement of purpose and organization
2. Service to some segment of the student body.
3. Student Council will vote on approval.
(removal of previous #2)
B. A Club/Committee Representative may represent more than one club at a meeting, but shall only vote once.
C. If a representative of a club has been absent for two meetings in a semester, the Secretary will notify the club in writing (email or letter) a warning that if they are absent from one additional meeting, they will lose voting and funding request privileges for the remainder of the academic semester. Any club not present for 60% of meetings in two consecutive semesters will be removed from the active list of clubs. Their club must reapply to be recognized by Medical Student Council. (see III A for application process)
D. Any student group not fulfilling their obligations to the student body, as deemed by this Executive Student Council, can have its voting privileges revoked. Breach of confidence is direct cause for dismissal.
A. The Treasurer/Treasurer elect and/or Budget Committee will manage all funding requests and will evaluate and prioritize them before presentation to the Council at large.
B. Deadline dates for funding requests will be submitted one week in advance of meeting or by the discretion of the Treasurer/Treasurer elect. These dates will be posted and announced to the student body.
C. All funding requests must be presented to the Treasurer/Treasurer elect and/or the Budget Committee prior to the deadline date. Each funding request must include the following:
1. An explanation of the purpose of the request.
2. An estimated itemized budget.
3. Students traveling to national or scientific organization meetings (e.g., AMA or AMSA) will submit a written summary of events and a list of those individuals in attendance, within two academic weeks of the event, to be posted on the student council or respective student organization bulletin board for the general student body.
4. A list of specific students expected to receive funding.
D. As a precedent each year, the Executive Board will select a maximum amount to be granted per year for individual travel (including travel to club conferences). The board will also select a maximum amount to be granted per year for club activities including lunch talks, speakers, and events, but excluding conference travel or fund raising.
E. Voting members of Council will write in a dollar amount on funding requests, not to exceed the total dollar amount requested. The average amount, with 1 highest and 1 lowest vote dropped, will be allocated to the requester.
F. After approval of the request, monies will be awarded when the appropriate receipts have been submitted to the Assistant to the Associate Dean of Student Affairs. and, in the appropriate instances, a presentation has been given or a date firmly established.
G. In the case of immediate need, funding may be made available subject to approval by a 3/4 majority vote of the Executive Student Council. The amount of this funding shall not exceed $300 per request and total funds subject to this discretion shall not exceed 10% of the total operational student council budget.
H. It is the general orientation of the Student Council that funds are granted for events which involve the majority of the Student Body or expenses which are incurred in outside learning experiences (i.e., workshops, conferences, etc.). Most departments have funds specifically for presentation of research papers.
I. General Student Council funds may be used to fund events and services that are open to and serve the entire student body as deemed appropriate and approved by a majority of the Medical Student Council.