MICHIGAN STATE PHYSIOLOGY SOCIETY CONSTITUTION
Article I: Declaration Name and Purpose
Section 1. The name of this organization shall be The Michigan State
University Physiology Society.
Section 2. The undergraduate students of the Department of Physiology
have created the Michigan State University Physiology Society to
realize three specific goals: Academic achievement, career
development, and diversity. This organization will strive to
provide an environment for the academic success of undergraduate
students who wish to pursue a career in the biological sciences,
specifically but not exclusively: physiology, medicine,
dentistry, nursing, veterinary, and academic research. The
Physiology Society will execute everything outlined in this
document to reach these goals.
Article II: Membership
Section 1. A person shall be considered a member of the Physiology Society and
be accorded all of the rights, privileges, responsibilities of
membership if that person is enrolled in Michigan State
University as an undergraduate and has interest in the biological
sciences. A member is also encouraged to attend all Physiology
Society General Assembly meetings, and vote on business presented
there. The organization will not discriminate on the basis of age,
color, gender, disability status, height, marital status, national
origin, political persuasion, race, religion, sexual orientation,
veteran status, or weight. Also, only MSU students may be officers
and/or voting members.
Section 2. An individual may become a member of the Physiology Society at any
point during the academic year by attending one general assembly
meeting per semester. If the individual meets the requirements of
membership outlined in the previous section, the individual will
attain membership. Once a member, that person remains in good
standing by adhering to the rules of the Society written in this
constitution.
Article III: Executive Authority
Section 1. The executive authority of the Physiology Society shall be given
to the Executive Board, which shall be composed of the President, Vice
President,
Secretary,
Treasurer,
Chairpersons,
and
Executive
Assistants. Executive Assistants shall include, but not be limited to
Vice Chairpersons.
Section 2. The positions of the Executive Board shall have terms of office
which shall last one year except Executive Assistants who will serve
at least one semester. Elections for Executive Board members (except
Executive Assistants) shall be held at the third General Assembly
meeting of Spring term. Terms for incoming officers will begin
immediately after the fourth General Assembly meeting of Spring
term. Terms of office for outgoing officers end immediately after the
fourth General Assembly meeting of Spring term.
Section 3. Nominations will be accepted for the positions of the Executive Board
(except Vice Chairpersons) at the first Spring semester meeting of
the Society. All nominations will be given or addressed to the
graduate advisor who will verify the qualifications outlined in
Article 3, Section 2. Nominations may also be accepted the day of
the elections meeting. Only members in good standing may nominate, be
nominated, or vote. Nominations need not be seconded. The elections
shall be by secret ballot collected by the graduate advisor and
counted in the presence of one additional advisor. Positions are
filled by a simple majority of the collected ballots. If a candidate
should lose in running for a position, that person may be nominated
for the next open position.
Section 4.a)The president shall have the following duties: to convene
and preside at all meetings; coordinate executive assistants;
coordinate an agenda with faculty and graduate student advisors;
oversee the performance of the executive board; keep the faculty,
graduate and staff advisors informed of all Society activities and
functions through regular meetings; represent the Physiology Society to
all groups; act as official spokesperson for the Society; oversee the
implementation, review and evaluation of the Society's constitution; and
have the ordinary duties and responsibilities for such a position as
presented by Robert's Rules of Order, except where otherwise noted by the
constitution, and assist and participate in all Physiology Society
activities.
b) The Vice President shall have the following duties: to convene and preside at
all meetings in the absence of the President; take on the permanent role, title,
and responsibilities of the President, until the end of the President's term,
should the President leave office; coordinate market and publicity activities;
coordinate the preparation for meetings and Society functions; act as a liaison
with the Physiology Faculty; activate the winter election process; assist the
President in Society activities, and assist and participate in all Physiology
Society activities.
c) The Recording Secretary shall have the following duties: attend all meetings of
the Society and record accurate minutes of the meetings, coordinate the
distribution of meeting materials, maintain Society directory, maintain Society
files, coordinate copying and documentation activities, read the minutes of the
previous meeting, and assist and participate in all Physiology Society
activities.
d) The Treasurer shall have the following duties: be responsible for the Physiology
Society's finances, keep a complete and accurate set of accounting records of
expenditures and assets of the Society, and open Society's accounts at the
beginning of the academic year. The Treasurer will also report to the Executive
Board and General Assembly the current status of the Society's accounts. With the
approval of the Executive Board, the Treasurer will allocate funds to the
committees when needed, and to other groups and Societies when purchases are
made. The Treasurer will also be responsible to seek fund-raising options,
coordinate fund-raising activities, and assist and participate in all Society
activities.
e) The Chairperson shall have the following duties: attend all Executive Board
meetings, coordinate the activities of the society, and organize and communicate
with the members of the society. The chairperson will hold at least three meetings
per semester. This position also requires that the officer coordinate, with the
Treasurer, the financial activities of the society. The chairperson will be expected
to arrange in state and out of state community service projects, as well as provide
advertisements for the society and its activites. The Chairpersons must report to
the Executive board about community functions, address specific concerns of the
society members about service/internship opportunities and refer them to other
resources, act as the spokesperson for community service projects, and attend and
participate in all Physiology Society functions.
Section 5. The President may appoint, in consultation with the Vice-President and
Graduate Advisor, additional Executive Assistant who shall execute such
functions and duties as designated by the President.
Section 6. All Executive Board members, and Executive Assistants shall submit
reports detailing their terms of office, emphasizing both positive and
negative points. These Officer term reports shall be given to the
Advisors two weeks after elections or one week after leaving office. They
will also maintain records throughout their terms of office.
Section 7. The President or Vice President, in failing to maintain membership
in good standing or failing to execute the duties and responsibilities of
office, may be removed by a 2/3 vote of the Physiology Society General
Assembly. Such a removal vote may not occur until one meeting after
removal proceedings have been initiated.
Section 8. All other Executive Board members and Executive Assistants, in
failing to maintain membership in good standing or failing to execute the
duties and responsibilities of office, may be removed by a council of the
President, Vice President, and Faculty, Graduate, and Staff Advisors.
Committee chairs may also be removed by a 2/3 vote of their committee with
approval of the above removal council.
Section 9. Should any Executive Board member leave office before the regularly
scheduled elections, the President may appoint, in consultation with
the Vice President and the Graduate Student Advisor, replacement
members who will serve in office until the next regularly scheduled
elections.
Article IV: Advisors
Section 1. The Physiology Society shall also have advisors/liaisons
from the Physiology Department faculty and staff, who shall aid
and guide the assembly to the best of his/her ability.
Selection and term of office shall be designated by the
Physiology Society Executive Board. These advisors are expected
to attend all General Assembly meetings.
Article V: Operating Procedures
Section 1. The Physiology Society General Assembly shall conduct at
least five meetings per semester during the academic year
excluding Summer session. The time and place of these
meetings will be designated by the Vice President and the
Executive Board. Special meetings may be called by the
President or by a majority vote of the General Assembly.
Section 2. The Executive Board will meet at least five times per
semester during the academic year excluding Spring/Summer term.
These meetings should be the week of, or before, the General
Assembly meetings. The time and place of these meetings will be
designated by the Vice President and the Executive Board.
Special meetings may be called by the President or faculty
Advisor.
Section 3. Quorum shall be considered as a simple majority of the
attending voting members of the General Assembly, all
Executive Board members present, and at least one Advisor.
Section 4. Quorum may be waived by the Executive Board and an Advisor. Quorum may
only be waived if attendance is greater than 1/4 of the membership.
Section 5: Section 5. Meetings shall be governed by Robert's Rules of Order, but at
the discretion of the President.
Section 6. Any business brought before the General Assembly may not be voted upon by
the Executive Board or any Advisors, only General Assembly votes are
valid. In the event of a tie, the final decision may be made by the
President (except for elections). Election ties will be broken by a
second vote. Votes will be tallied by the Secretary and Vice President
(except for elections).
Section 7. All actions taken by this Society shall be in accordance with both
Spartan Life Student Handbook and the Student Society Handbook of
Michigan State University.
Section 8. Executive Board Attendance Policy
a) One chairperson, and member of the executive board must attend each
meeting.
b) If a member of the executive board cannot attend a meeting, (s)he is to
call both an advisor and the president to explain why.
c) If each executive position or chairperson is not represented at
three (3) meetings per semester, that person will be removed from
his/her position.
Article VII: Amendments and Ratification
Section 1. Amendments to this document may be initiated by any member of the
Society, as well as any Faculty, or Staff Advisor of the Physiology
Society.
Section 2. The constitutional change may be initiated by submitting to the
Executive Board and Advisors a petition which shall include the
article, section number, and rationale for the change. After the
Executive Board has approved the petition, the amendment may be
proposed to the Physiology General Assembly for ratification. The
proposed amendment must be approved by a 2/3 vote of the voting
members of the Assembly.
Section 3. This constitution shall be ratified upon approval by a simple
majority of votes cast by the Physiology Society membership. This
document will be presented to the Department of Physiology Faculty,
and the Michigan State University Department of Student Life for
recognition.
-Drafted by the Michigan State University Physiology
Society’s Executive Board in January, 2006:
President- Lauren Kriger
Vice president- Amanda O’steen
Treasurer- Eric Bryante
Secretary- Matthew Pattyn
Public Relations/community service chairperson- Brittany
Sherman
Website Director- Ryan Hop