American Medical Student Associate Constitution
Revised 2010
This Constitution details the operating procedures for the American Medical Student
Association (AMSA). This Constitution serves to outline and supplement National
AMSA’s Constitution and Bylaws, Structure, Functions and Internal Policy, and
Preamble, Purpose and Principles (PPP) for the University of Pittsburgh’s chapter of
AMSA. Any discrepancies or questions will be deferred to the National Constitution and
Bylaws, Structure, Function and Internal Policy, and PPP.
Article I.
Statement of Purpose
Section 1.01 The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine chapter of the American
Medical Student Association (AMSA) is established to:
a.
Be committed to the improvement of health care and health care-delivery
to all people
b.
Promote the active improvement of medical education
c.
Involve its members in the social, moral and ethical obligations of the
profession of medicine
d.
Work to ensure that medicine reflects the diversity of society, with
diversity including but not limited to differences in age, culture,
race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender and disability
e.
Provide a venue for all students to volunteer in the community
f.
Foster medical student well-being and social support
Article II.
Meetings
Section 2.01
AMSA will hold at least three general meetings per academic year
a.
Meetings will occur once after recruitment at the beginning of each
academic year and once before each election
Section 2.02
AMSA
Meetings will consist of discussion of news, events and topics related to
Article III.
Membership
Section 3.01 Active membership: Full time students who are students of the University
of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and are members of National AMSA
Section 3.02 AMSA membership will not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color
religion, sexual orientation or national origin.
Section 3.03 The quorum required to vote on matters related to AMSA in general
meetings is a full, functioning Executive Board and Operating Board.
Article IV.
The Executive Board of AMSA
Section 4.01 The following officers shall constitute the Executive Board of the
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine AMSA chapter:
a.
President
b.
Vice-President
c.
Treasurer
d.
Secretary
e.
Recruitment Chair
Section 4.02
Constitution
Permanent positions or officers can be created or deleted by amending the
Section 4.03 Temporary positions or offices can be created or deleted at the discretion
of the Executive Board. The procedure of creating temporary positions and officers shall
be determined by the Bylaws of the Association
Article V.
The Operating Board of AMSA
Section 5.01 The following officers shall constitute the Operating Board of the
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine AMSA Chapter and serve as Chapter
Liaisons for Action Committees to National AMSA
a.
Action Committee Chairs
i.
At least one for each of the following:
a) Medical Professionalism
b) Race, Ethnicity, Culture and Health
c) Wellness and Student Life
d) Global Health
e) Gender, Children and Sexuality
f) Community and Public Health
g) IFMSA
b.
Legislative Representative
Section 5.02
Constitution
Permanent positions or offices can be created or deleted by amending the
Section 5.03 Temporary positions or offices can be created or deleted at the discretion
of the Executive Board. The procedure of creating temporary positions and offices shall
be determined by the Bylaws of the Association
Article VI
Elections
Section 6.01 In January or February of each academic year, a general meeting will be
held for election of new officers for the upcoming year. The Executive Board will
determine the exact date of election meeting and notify all active members of AMSA at
least one (1) week in advance. Nominations will be accepted from the announcement of
the meeting to the actual elections.
Section 6.02
a.
b.
c.
Eligibility
Candidates must be active members for at least a semester
Only active members shall be eligible to vote in elections
Nominations can be made by any active member of AMSA. Secondary
nominations by another active member must be made for that candidate to
be eligible for election
Section 6.03 In September of each year, Operating Board will hold elections for cochairs from the first year class. The executive board will determine the exact date of the
election meeting and notify all active members of AMSA at least one (1) week in
advance. Nominations will be accepted from the announcement of the meeting to the
actual elections
Section 6.04
a.
Section 6.05
a.
b.
c.
d.
Eligibility
Members of the first year class are eligible for the following co-chair
positions:
i. Medical Professionalism
ii. Race, Ethnicity, Culture and Health
iii. Wellness and Student Life
iv. Global Health
v. Gender and Sexuality
vi. Community and Public Health
vii. IFMSA
viii. Legislative Representative
Procedures
Each candidate shall have two (2) Minutes to speak on their behalf
Any candidates endorsing other candidates are disqualified
The elections shall proceed in the following order: President, VP,
Treasurer, Secretary, Recruitment Chair
Nominations for a position shall be taken until the start of speeches by
candidates
Section 6.07 If there is only one candidate for any of the elections, active members will
vote to approve the candidate. A plurality of votes is necessary to win the position
Section 6.08 The terms of all Executive Board officers and Operating Board members
shall be on the academic year.
Section 6.09
a.
In case of vacancy of any office:
A written statement must be submitted from candidates.
b.
The candidate must be approved by a majority vote of the active Executive
Board and Operating board.
Section 6.10 Winning the office position is defined as a majority vote. If a clear
majority vote is not received based on the combination of ballots, a run-off election
between the top two candidates will take place.
Article VII.
Responsibilities of the Executive Board of AMSA
Section 7.01 All officers shall exercise supervision of activities and shall be responsible
for the general operation of the Association. However, a two-thirds vote of the Operating
Board shall have a right to override any decision of the Executive Board
a.
A general meeting of all AMSA members may be called in order to file a
formal complaint against any decision of the Executive and Operating
Board.
b.
A majority vote of all attending members will override the decision of the
Executive and Operating Board.
Section 7.02 The Executive Board shall ensure AMSA maintains active organization
standing in the University of Pittsburgh through the Student Organization Resource
Center (SORC)
Section 7.03 The President shall serve as the chairperson of the Executive Board
meetings and be responsible for the undertaking and activities. In addition, the President
shall represent the Association to the Student Executive Council (SEC).
Section 7.04 The Vice-President shall serve as the supervisor of all committees created
by the Executive Board and supervisor of Orientation Week activities. In the absence of
the President, the Vice-President shall serve as the chairperson at the SEC meetings.
Section 7.05 The Secretary shall record and be custodian of minutes of the general
meetings and the Executive Board. The Secretary shall also maintain permanent records
of the minutes, correspondence and other documents in good order for reference at any
time
Section 7.06 The Treasurer shall be responsible for the receipts and reimbursements of
all monetary transactions of the AMSA. The treasurer shall maintain a proper
bookkeeping system of all receipts and expenditures in an organized manner of reference
at any time.
Section 7.07 The Recruitment Chair shall assist the Vice-President in the planning and
organization of orientation week activities with special emphasis on new member
engagement.
Article VIII
Responsibilities of the Operating Board of AMSA
Section 8.01 The responsibilities of the Chapter Liaisons for Action Committees
a.
Serve as the focal point for information gathering and distribution to the
local chapter of information concerning the national and local activities of the
Action Committees
b.
Subscribe to the appropriate Action Committee listserv to receive all
updates concerning the activities of the Action Committees
c.
Regularly peruse the information available on the AMSA web site and
distributing and promoting the information at the local level
d.
Become familiar with the activities, projects and policies of the Action
Committees
Section 8.02 The responsibilities of the Legislative Representative
a.
Serves as the primary contact for the Legislative Affairs Director and
other National Leaders who address legislative issues on the national, state and
local levels.
b.
Distribution of information relative to all aspects of legislation received
from the national office to members of the Association and other medical students
c.
Serve as the focal point for communicating all pertinent legislative
proposals introduced at the local and state level to the national office
d.
Facilitate activity of members of the Association at the chapter level
relative to legislation proposed at the national, state and local level
Article IX
Impeachment of Officers
Section 9.01 A warning shall be issued in writing by the Executive Board when any
officer of AMSA is unable to fulfill the corresponding responsibilities. If the situation is
not improved, the officer may be impeached after a hearing. No officer shall be
impeached without a warning from the Executive Board
Section 9.02
The procedure for impeaching an officer shall be as follows:
a. The impeachment may be initiated by a petition with the signatures of at least
one-third of the active members.
b. The petition must be submitted to the Executive Board by an active member
c. The hearing must be held within two weeks after the petition is submitted
1. During the hearing, the charges and/or the reasons for the
impeachment of the officer shall be stated
2. The accused officer (or an authorized representative) shall have the
right to address the related issues in the hearing
d. After the hearing a voting by active members is held. A two-third vote of the
Executive Board and Operating Board is required for impeachment.
Section 9.03 An impeached officer may be removed from office by a separate voting of
the full Executive Board and Operating Board. A three-fourth vote of active Executive
Board and Operating Board is required for removal of the impeached officer. No officer
shall be removed from office without formal impeachment
Section 9.04 The vote of removal shall follow immediately after the vote of
impeachment
Article X
Amendment of the Constitution
Section 10.01 Proposal of amending the Constitution may be initiated by two-third vote
of the Executive Board
Section 10.02 A two-thirds majority vote by the Executive Board shall be required to
ratify the amendment to the Constitution