UM AMSA Premed Constitution

We, the members of the American Medical Student Association, University of Miami Premedical Chapter, hereby associate ourselves to:

Provide an environment that supports the creative ideas of physicians-in-training
Promote, encourage and maintain a cohesive relationship with the students and non-student organizations of the University of Miami
Serve as a forum for discussion of health issues and develop a policy agenda for physicians-in-training
Affect change in the medical education process and to make it more responsive to the needs of students and society
Maintain its status as an independent organization
Continue its primary identity as an organization for physicians-in-training
Promote and maintain programs, which enhance the quality of health care in the community
Be financially independent and maintain a stable financial base
Continue to develop health-care leadership
Seek, develop and provide membership services to the physicians-in-training community
Increase knowledge of health information among members and the general public
Periodically re-evaluate the above purposes and ensure that they are carried out in a proper fashion

The name of this organization shall be the American Medical Student Association, University of Miami Premedical Chapter hereafter referred to as the AMSA UM Premed Chapter.

Section A: The membership of this organization will be open to all University of Miami students in Good Academic Standing who have paid their Student Activity Fee. Non-voting "Associate" or "Honorary" memberships may be extended to interested faculty, alumni, and staff members at the University of Miami.

Students enrolled at the University of Miami who are either current affiliate members of AMSA or in the process of applying to AMSA, and have paid current chapter dues shall be considered active members of the AMSA UM Premed Chapter. Members of the above named organization shall be accepted without discrimination on the basis of race, religion, national origin, disability, sex, sexual preference, age, creed, marital status, parental status or veterans status.
Furthermore, it is understood that members of the above organization will not, at any time, engage in hazing. Members shall have the right to attend all meetings and participate in all AMSA Premed Chapter-sponsored activities. "Special Events" are for active members only.

Section B: The advisor of the AMSA UM Premed Chapter shall be a full-time University of Miami administrator, faculty, or staff member. This individual shall preferably be the premedical advisor of the University of Miami or an employee of the University with medical experience and/or training. The advisor shall be a non-voting member of the executive committee. He/she must have a sincere interest and commitment to the welfare of the AMSA Premed Chapter.

Section C: The membership fees are payable yearly. If a member becomes delinquent in payment by the second Friday of December, he/she will be denied the right to vote for that school year or run for office. Any eligible member that fails to pay dues will lose membership status and benefits. The dues for membership to the AMSA Premed Chapter shall be determined by the AMSA Executive Board of the University of Miami.

Section D: Members are responsible for attending all meetings. Only in the case of an emergency, test or class, shall a member be absent. If a member has a class on all of the dates set for meetings, they can still be active only if they are active in their respective committees. Active members must attend five out of seven meetings or 70%.

Section E: Failure to comply with Article II, Section D, without having proper consent will result in a revocation of active status.

Section F: Active members must represent the committees they signed up for actively, to the satisfaction of their committee directors. If the director cannot get any response from the committee member, they will contact the Sergeant at Arms for proper disciplinary actions.

Section G: The AMSA UM Premed Chapter will write letters of recommendation to those who are in active status as mentioned in Section D. Also, a list of active members will be provided to the current premedical advisor at the University of Miami to aid them in any reports. Overall performance in the AMSA UM Premed Chapter will be the deciding factor in giving any recommendation. One can be inactive at certain times before the time applying for recommendation. If the overall performance is positive and they show continuing success, especially the term applying for, then a recommendation will be granted.

Section B: All currently enrolled students at the University who have paid their Student Activity Fee, are members of AMSA national as well as the AMSA Premed Chapter at the University of Miami for at least one semester prior to the election, are in Good Academic Standing as determined by the University of Miami, and have met with the AMSA Premed Chapter executive board to understand the details of the desired position are eligible to run for office.

Section C: The length of the term of office will extend from the officer's April swearing-in until the successive officer's installation the following April.

Section D: If any office shall become vacant except for the presidency, the president shall, at the earliest possible date thereafter, order a special election for the purposes of filling such office conducted in accordance with Article IV. The member thus elected shall immediately enter his/her duties and shall hold office until the next regular election. The vice president would assume the role as acting president if the president were to leave, merely completing the original president's term.

Section A: Nominations for officers will be received from the floor immediately before elections.

Section B: Officers will be elected by all active members in attendance, voting directly by secret ballot. However, if there is only one nominee for an office, a vocal vote shall be held for that instance. Otherwise, all ballots shall be counted by the current, non-running AMSA UM Premed Chapter Executive Board and tallied, along with the adviser and/or non-returning senior that is an active AMSA Premed member. Run-off elections shall be held if a majority is not cast for any one candidate. The candidate with a plurality shall be the officer-elect, until later installed into the respective office.

Section C: Elections will be held during a December meeting of the AMSA Premed Chapter, unless a special election is called for in order to replace any officer(s) that might have resigned (except for the President).

Section A: The officers shall perform the duties stated below, under penalty of disciplinary action and/or impeachment. The executive board shall facilitate annual goals to the general members.

Preside at all general membership and special meetings
Appoint committees and serve as ex-officio (non-voting) of said committees
Assist the treasurer in the preparation of a budget for his or her term of office by the first Monday in February
Supervise and oversee the efficient, daily operations of the organization
Serve as a chapter delegate to the Premedical Caucus at AMSA's National Annual Convention each March (or select a surrogate if he/she chooses not to attend).

Present a budget and a tentative schedule of suggested fundraising activities for the financing of the chapter with approval needed by the president and the executive committee to the membership by November 1
See to the day-to-day expenditures of the chapter
File annually for Student Activity Fee Allocation Committee (SAFAC) funding
Submit application to SAFAC for emergency funding when necessary and/or as directed by the AMSA Premed Chapter President
Make sure the chapter does not assess any liabilities
Oversee the fund-raising committee on behalf of the chapter
See to the best of his/her abilities, along with the AMSA Premed adviser and executive board, that money used on behalf of the chapter is used wisely and in a manner which suits the purposes of the chapter

Keep a written record of all meetings (general membership meetings, executive, etc.) in order to provide the chapter with a record of issues discussed, problems posed, ideas raised and of the people who participated in the group discussion for benefit of the chapter and its members
Recite or resummarize the record of minutes for approval by the membership
Keep a current list of active members
Record minutes to be distributed to members
In case of absence, have a substitute appointed that day by any member of the executive board

Call all local premedical chapter meetings to order, and shall adjourn each said meeting
See to it that all activities taken by the chapter are in accordance with the bylaws of the constitution
See to it that all members are given the chance to speak and to be heard at general membership meetings
Supervise elections and see that they are carried out as set forth in the bylaws in a fair and just manner
According to Article III, Section G, notify those members who have been inactive and call them to verify their active status. If certain members continue to have problems, they need to be notified that they are inactive.

Section B: All finances shall be controlled by the president and treasurer, along with the advisor. There must be a budget each year as proposed by Article V, Section A, sub-sections a and c. All funds must be spent on organizational purposes only. The transfer of power of controlling all funds shall be done one week after the new officer has been appointed.

Section C: Officers retain voting rights. However, the president votes only in the event of a tie.

Article VI: Directors (Committeee Chairpersons)

Section A: The duties of the AMSA UM Premed Chapter Directors shall be to attend all committee chairpersons meetings and hold the office in the best interest of the organization. This specifically includes:

Section B: Any director can be removed of his/her position if the executive board comes to at least a vote of two-thirds (2/3). A replacement will be appointed immediately, if the position needs to be filled.

Section C: Out-going directors will choose candidates to fill the positions, who will then be interviewed by members of the executive board. All candidates may be denied the position, the search may continue. The number of Directors is dependent upon the number of active committees created each year by the executive board.

Section A: Regular meetings will be held from September through April; the place and hour to be determined by the AMSA UM Premed Chapter officers.

Section B: Special meetings may be called the Executive Board, or the AMSA UM Premed Chapter advisor.

Section D: Quorum for general membership, annual election and special meetings shall be those active members present, provided proper notice is given, as defined in the AMSA UM Premed Chapter bylaws. A quorum for officer meetings shall consist of 50 percent of the voting members, at least three (3) members.

Section A: The standing committees of this shall be run in the best interest, as the need arises, of the chapter and include:

Section B: Temporary committees shall organize certain events throughout the year, and may include:

The Fundraising committee must seek projects to finance the chapter
The Public Relations committee shall promote and publicize the chapter
The Projects/Activities committee will work closely with the vice president and shall present a tentative calendar of suggested activities
The Physician/Medical Student Shadowing committee shall work with the AMSA at the University of Miami Medical School in order to maximize members' exposure to medical practitioners, as well as keep a database of all contacts
The speakers committee shall recruit guest speakers to address the chapter
New committees can be appointed at any time by the executive committee, via a two-thirds (2/3) vote

The American Medical Student Association,University of Miami Premedical Chapter is affiliated with the national American Medical Student Association. The AMSA UM Premed Chapter is governed by AMSA laws and its own. The AMSA UM Premed Chapter is free to govern itself under the guidelines set forth. The AMSA UM Premed Chapter at the University of Miami will meet with AMSA once a year at the Annual Convention. The American Medical Student Association is located at the following address:

The latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order: Newly Revised shall be used in all situations not covered by the provisions of this constitution.

Section A: This constitution may be amended at any general membership meeting of the organization by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the active members present, provided that the amendment proposed had been submitted in writing to the AMSA UM Premed Chapter president and posted in a conspicuous location for at least two (2) weeks prior to the meeting. All amendments, additions and/or deletions to the constitution of the above named organization shall be adopted only after a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the active members present.

Additional articles and amendments may be included only if they are in consonance with the University of Miami and AMSA regulations and policies. These must be filed with COSO and the AMSA Premed national office within ten (10) school days of adoption.

Section B: Amendments are to be presented to the Committee on Student Organizations (COSO) at the University of Miami for final approval prior to implementation.

Section A: Any member may be automatically dismissed from the AMSA UM Premed Chapter if they declare Academic Bankruptcy, withdraw or are expelled from the University of Miami, or violate the Honor Code as determined by the University of Miami Honor Council. Active members must have paid their Student Activity Fee.

Section B: Members may receive an expulsion hearing from the AMSA Premed Chapter Executive Board if they exhibit behavior unbecoming of an AMSA UM Premed Chapter member. This is to be determined in an Expulsion Process conducted by the AMSA Premed Chapter Board with supervision by the Advisor as follows:

To begin the dismissal process, three-fourths (3/4) of the Executive Board must agree by direct, secret ballot to conduct an expulsion meeting
The Expulsee, Advisor, and all Executive Board members must be notified of the expulsion meeting to be held within two to four weeks of the decision to expel while classes are in session
The moderator of the expulsion meeting will be the President of the AMSA UM Premed Chapter
Three-fourths (3/4) of the executive board must be present for the expulsion to commence
Each side of the Expulsion Proceedings will present their case to the Executive Board
The board members may ask questions of each side
The participants in the Expulsion Process leave the meeting while the Executive Board discusses the pros and cons
A vote of three-fourths (3/4) of the Executive Board members present at the Expulsion Meeting is sufficient for permanent dismissal from the AMSA UM Premed Chapter

Section A: To begin the impeachment process, either two-thirds (2/3) of the Executive Board must agree or two-thirds (2/3) of the General Membership Body must sign a petition to ask for impeachment.

Section B: The Impeachee, Directors, Executive Board, and general membership must be notified of the impeachment meeting to be held within two to four weeks (2 to 4) of the decision to impeach while classes are in session.

Section C: The moderator of the impeachment meeting will be the president of the organization, unless the charges are brought against him/her. In such a situation, the Vice-President shall moderate. The moderator cannot be the Impeachee or the Impeacher.

Section D: Three-fourths (3/4) of the active membership must be present for the impeachment to commence.

Section E: Each side of the impeachment Proceedings will present their case to the General Membership Body. The General Membership Body may ask questions of each side.

Section F: The participants in the Impeachment Process leave the meeting while the General Membership Body discusses the pros and cons.

Section G: A vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the members present at the Impeachment Meeting is sufficient for Impeachment.

Section A: This organization may be dissolved after dissolution is approved by the officers and by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of its active members present, provided that a notice of the vote on dissolution is furnished to the members at least sixty (60) days prior to the vote.

Section B: This organization will have its officers notify the Committee on Student Organizations (COSO), in writing, of its dissolution and the procedure used to dissolve. The officers will also have to provide information in compliance with Section A.

Section C: Upon dissolution the offices will use the assets of the organization to pay all obligations and expenses of the organization, including those arising from dissolution and distribution. The balance, if any, will insofar as possible be distributed equally among the contributing factors. All unspent University of Miami funds, including those allocated by SAFAC, shall revert back to SAFAC. All privately obtained funds shall be donated to a non-profit organization.