Your Group Constitution
Updated January 18, 2004
This Constitution details the operating procedures of the Pediatric and Adolescent
Interest Group (PAIG). The Constitution of PAIG was drafted in September 2005.
ARTICLE I: Statement of Purpose
Section 1-The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine organization known as PAIG
is established to:
a. Promote awareness of the importance of providing care to pediatric and
adolescent patients.
b. Provide a venue for all students to interact with pediatric and adolescent
physicians and to learn more about career choices available in the field.
c. Establish opportunities for students to volunteer medically and non-medically
with children.
ARTICLE II: Meetings
Section 1 - PAIG will hold at least two general meetings per academic semester.
Section 2 - Meetings will consist of discussion of news, events and topics related
to PAIG.
ARTICLE III: Membership
Section 1 - Students of PittMed who have expressed interest in the organization and
attended at least 1 event during the academic year.
Section 2 - PAIG membership will not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, economic
status, religion, sexual orientation or national origin.
ARTICLE IV: The Executive Board of PAIG
Section 1 - The following officers shall constitute the Executive Board of PAIG:
a. President
b. Co-President
c Vice President
d Treasurer
e Secretary
It is not necessary for all positions to be filled as long as responsibilities are being
covered by the Executive Board.
Section 2 - Permanent positions or offices can be created or deleted by amending the
Constitution.
Section 3 - 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 PAIG.
ARTICLE V: Election
Section 1 - In April of each academic year, a general meeting will held for election of
new officers for the upcoming academic year. The Executive Board will
determine the exact date of the election meeting and notify all active members of
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Your Group Constitution
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PAIG at least two (2) weeks in advance. Nominations will be accepted from the
announcement of the meeting to the actual elections.
Section 2 - Eligibility:
a. Candidates must have been active members for at least a semester.
b. Only active members shall be eligible to vote in elections.
c. Any active member in PAIG can make self-nominations by submitting a
statement of purpose.
Section 3 – Procedures:
a. each candidate shall have one (1) minute to speak on his or her behalf.
b. any candidates endorsing other candidates are disqualified.
c. nominations for a position shall be taken until the start of speeches by
candidates.
Section 4 - 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 5 - The terms of all officers shall be one academic year.
Section 6 - In case of vacancy of any office, a special election shall be held if it is
necessary to fill the position.
Section 7 - 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 VI - Responsibilities of the Executive Board of PAIG
Section 1 - All officers shall exercise supervision of activities and shall be responsible
for the general operation of the organization.
Section 2 - The Co-Presidents shall serve as chairpersons of meetings and be
responsible for the undertaking and organization of all activities. In addition, one
or both of the Co-Presidents shall represent PAIG to the Student Executive
Council (SEC).
Section 3 - It is the responsibility of the executive board members to fund raise and
attend all meetings.
ARTICLE VII- Impeachment of Officers
Section 1 - The procedure for impeaching an officer shall be as follows:
The impeachment may be initiated by a petition with the signatures of at least
one-third of the active members. An active member must submit the petition to
the Executive Board. The hearing must be held within two weeks after the
petition is submitted. During the hearing the charges and/or the reasons for the
impeachment of the officer shall be stated. The accused officer (or an authorized
representative) shall have the right to address the related issues in the hearing.
After the hearing, a vote by active members is held. A two-third-quorum vote is
required for impeachment.
Section 2 - An impeached officer may be removed from office by a separate voting of
active members. A three-fourths vote of active members is required for removal
of the impeached officer. No officer shall be removed from office without formal
impeachment.
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Section 3 - The vote of removal shall follow immediately after the vote of impeachment.
ARTICLE VIII - Amendment of the Constitution
Section 1 - Proposal of amending the Constitution may be initiated by two-thirds of the
active members or by one-half of the Executive Board. The proposed
amendment shall be discussed in a general meeting.
Section 2 - Announcement of a meeting during which amendments would be discussed
must be made at least two (2) weeks in advance.
Section 3 - A three-fourth vote at the general body shall be required to ratify the
amendment to the Constitution.
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