College of Medicine
Class of 2015 Constitution
April 26, 2012
Article I
Name:
The name of this organization shall be the College of Medicine Class of 2015 and
hereby referred to as COM Class of 2015.
Article II
Purpose:
The primary purpose of this organization is to provide a medium through which
the needs and concerns of members of the COM Class of 2015 can be
discussed, addressed, and resolved. This organization will act as a liaison
between its members and the College of Medicine, the University of Florida, and
the Gainesville community. These goals shall be achieved through Executive
Board and class meetings as well as organizing activities including academic,
social, and community service events. This organization shall be not for profit in
nature.
Article III
Compliance Statement:
Upon approval by the Center for Student Activities and Involvement, COM Class
of 2015 shall be a registered student organization at the University of Florida.
The COM Class of 2015 shall comply with all local, state and federal laws, as
well as all University of Florida regulations, policies, and procedures.
Such
compliance includes but is not limited to the University’s regulations related to
Non-Discrimination, Hazing, Commercial Activity, and Student Leader Eligibility.
Article IV
Non-Discrimination:
COM Class of 2015 agrees to comply with the University of Florida’s Nondiscrimination Policy (Regulation 6C1-1.006).
Article V
Membership:
Membership in this organization is open to enrolled students at the University of
Florida. Non-students, spouses, faculty, and staff may be associate members;
however, they may not vote or hold office. All members and associate members
are free to leave and disassociate without fear of retribution, retaliation, or
harassment.
Article VI
Officers:
Section 1: The officers shall be Academic Chair (President), Student Advocate
(Vice President), Treasurer, AAMC Representative, Communication chair, Class
Historian, Information Technology chair, MCC Class Representative, MCC
Treasurer who will serve during MS2, two Fundraising Co-chairs, two Community
Service Co-chairs, two Social Co-chairs, two Intramural (IM) representatives, and
two Sustainability Co-chairs. These officers will form the Executive Board of this
organization. The Academic Chair (President) shall serve as the primary contact
and chairman of the board.
Section 2: Officers will hold office for one year with terms beginning and ending
in May.
Section 3: Officer Transition: New officers will be determined via election of
simple majority. Every officer shall:
• Train the new incoming officers of the College of Medicine Class of 2016 to an
adequate level in order to achieve success and continue progression of the
organization.
• Meet at least once with the incoming class’ officer within a month of elections.
• Attend a joint old and new Executive Board training session if necessary. In a
situation involving a vacant officer position/impeachment, the new officer to fill
the position will be chosen via majority vote of the Executive Board.
Section 4: Roles of the Officers:
The Academic Chair (President) will act as the official representative of the
organization and is responsible for presiding over meetings and for identifying
and addressing the needs of the members of this organization. The Academic
Chair (President) shall: • Attend monthly Curriculum Meetings. • Organize and
attend all debriefing committee meetings at the conclusion of each course.
• Monitor and support the activities and efforts of the other officers.
• Meet
regularly with Faculty Advisor(s), inform and invite when appropriate. • Organize
and execute officer transition as described in Article VI, Section 3. • Call
Executive Board meetings, make room arrangements, and notify class members
and officers. • Maintain an accurate and current version of the COM Class of
2015 Constitution.
The Student Advocate (Vice President) will address concerns, with the
assistance of the Academic Chair (President), between members of this
organization, the University of Florida, and the College of Medicine. The Student
Advocate will attend the Student Advocacy Committee meetings and act as a
representative of the class at curriculum debriefings.
The Treasurer is responsible for handling funds, whether collected or distributed,
for formal or informal events, as well as maintaining accurate records of all
financial transactions and investments. The Treasurer will submit monthly status
reports to the Executive Board.
"The AAMC Representative shall serve as liaison between this organization, the
University of Florida, and the Organization of Student Representatives regarding
AAMC issues. The AAMC Representative will attend one AAMC Conference
each year, and is responsible for bringing pertinent information back to their
class, as well as the Office of Educational Affairs. The AAMC Representative
may also serve in other capacities as requested by the Deans of the College.
The AAMC Representative will serve in this capacity for the duration of medical
school."
The Communication Chair is responsible for maintaining open communication
between members of this organization and the officers. Duties include, but are
not limited to maintenance and supervision of the listserv and posting minutes on
the class website.
The Class Historian shall:
• Create a web-based archive of photographs
throughout the year. • Assign a replacement to take photographs at events,
which the Historians cannot attend. • Create a slideshow for the end of the year
and other large events as necessary. • Take video footage when possible to be
used in slideshows.
The Information Technology Chair’s duties include: • Maintaining the class
website • Exploring new technologies and assisting in their implementation if they
facilitate class interaction and/or academic learning.
The MCC Representative will serve as the official liaison between the
organization and the Medical College Council. The representative is required to
attend meetings and maintain a dialogue between this organization and the other
colleges on major issues. The representative will also maintain the Caroline Cody
Library.
The MCC Treasurer shall be elected during MS1 and serve as treasurer-intraining for the first year. He or she will assume responsibility of managing MCC
funds, reimbursing and financing member activities, and documenting all
budgetary information during MS2. The MCC Treasurer must assist in training
his or her successor.
The Fundraising Co-chairs will organize and implement events to raise funds for
the organization. The Fundraising Co-chairs are responsible for duties that
include, but are not limited to, maintenance of the class store, product sales, and
planning at least one event per semester.
The Community Service Co-chairs will plan activities to enable members of this
organization to interact with the surrounding community. The Community Service
Co-chairs are responsible for organizing a minimum of one service event per
semester and serving as a resource for members interested in volunteering in the
Gainesville Community.
The Social Co-chairs are responsible for planning social events and recreational
activities including, but not limited to, a minimum of one event per semester.
Funds towards alcoholic beverages must be approved by the treasurer and used
in moderation.
The Intramural Representatives (IM Rep) will organize all class IM teams; help
coordinate GradCup with IM chairs from other classes, and work with the Social
Chairs in the planning of all recreational and competitive athletic activities.
The Sustainability Co-chairs will organize educational and volunteer events while
simultaneously increasing sustainability options on the UF COM campus. These
educational events will be used to discuss how medicine and sustainability are
related. Co-chairs will also plan monthly educational and volunteer projects to
allow members of the medical school classes to participate in the Gainesville
community. The Sustainability Co-Chairs will work closely with the Office of
Sustainability at the University of Florida to maintain community service
agriculture projects, recycling initiatives, and sustainable building projects.
Section 5: Executive Board: The aforementioned officers will form the Executive
Board of this organization.
Executive Board members shall tend to their
respective positions as well as contribute to the board as a whole and support its
members for the betterment of the class. The Executive Board members shall
function in unity to plan, organize and execute desired or necessary class
functions or events.
Article VII
Elections:
Section 1: Elections of new officers will take place the month of April.
Section 2: Any full club member can be nominated for any office.
Section 3: Members who are running for office must accept nomination.
Section 4: Voting will take place at a meeting in which quorum of class members
is met. Voting will be conducted via a hand vote.
Section 5: Officers shall be elected by simple majority.
Quorum must be
established prior to voting.
Section 6: If an officer resigns from office or is impeached, another officer will fill
the position as decided by the Executive Board during the interim period.
Nominations will be accepted for a permanent replacement and an election shall
be held within two weeks of the original officer’s absence. This election process
shall follow Article VII, Sections 2 - 5.
Section 7: Any member of the COM Class of 2015 is eligible to be an officer.
Article VIII
Faculty Advisor:
Section 1: The faculty advisor(s) should be one(s) whose ideals are aligned with
the organization's purpose and is/are willing to serve as a source of information
and advice for the organization. The Faculty Advisor(s) will support the club
members in fulfilling the purpose of the club and be a resource as needed.
Section 2: The position of Faculty Advisor(s) shall be chosen annually by majority
vote of the Executive Board. The Academic Chair (President) shall confirm the
acceptance of the faculty member(s). The faculty advisor’s term is at the
discretion of the COM Class of 2015.
Section 3: In case of replacement, a new Faculty Advisor will be chosen by
majority vote of the Executive Board.
The Academic Chair (President) shall
confirm the acceptance of the faculty member(s). The faculty advisor’s term is at
the discretion of the COM Class of 2015.
Article IX
Finances:
Section 1: All Executive Board officers and chairs shall submit annual budget
proposals subdivided into semesters to the Treasurer. Revisions for the second
semester should be submitted by the second Executive Board meeting of the
second semester. After budget submission, minor changes in budget allocations
can be made but must be first approved by the Treasurer and then by the
President.
Section 2: No purchases using organization funds shall be made without the prior
consent of the Treasurer. Reimbursement, if necessary, shall be submitted in a
timely manner to the Treasurer with valid proof of purchase (i.e., receipt and
invoice). All reimbursements are subject to approval by the Treasurer and
Executive Board.
Section 3: Investments • If interested in engaging in investment opportunities with
class funds, the treasurer shall first submit an investment proposal to the
Executive Board. • The Executive Board shall then discuss and vote on the
investment proposal. Proposal can be approved by a majority vote. • No margin
trading, options, futures, single stock or other speculative investments will be
made.
Section 4: Dues: The COM Class of 2015 shall collect dues as part of
membership. Due fees shall not exceed $300 per year.
Article X
Dissolution of Organization:
In the event this organization dissolves, all monies left in the treasury, after
outstanding debts and claims have been paid and excess dues have been
distributed to organization members, shall be donated to the “Equal Access
Clinic.”
Article XI
Meetings
Section 1: All officers are required to attend meetings called by the Academic
Chair (President), and arrive on time. If an officer needs to miss a meeting, they
shall inform the E-board by written notice at least 24 hours in advance. If the
officer misses or arrives late to two meetings, without prior notification, the officer
shall come before the board to present their case after which the E-board will
vote on a course of action.
Section 2: Quorum shall be obtained to formally vote. Quorum shall be defined
as majority plus one of members for class meetings and 2/3 of the officers for
Executive Board meetings.
Section 3: Executive Board meetings shall be held at a minimum of once per
month. Executive Board meetings shall be held as an open session allowing all
members to attend. There shall be an optional closed session afterwards if
deemed necessary by the Executive Board.
Section 4: Additional meetings may be convened at any full member's request.
Section 5: General member meetings shall be convened whenever deemed
necessary by the Executive Board including but not limited to the election of
officers. Quorum must be attained for all votes pertaining to the organization.
Section 6: Removal from Office:
1.A.
The removal of an officer can occur for failure of an officer to fulfill the
requirements set forth in this Constitution.
2.B.
Any full member may bring forth a motion to remove an officer at any
Executive Board meeting.
3.C.
The individual in question shall have the opportunity to verbally defend
himself/herself at the time of the motion.
4.D.
Pro/con debate and/or discussion shall take place; not exceeding ten
minutes.
5.E.
Vote shall be via secret ballot.
6.F.
Motion to remove an officer will pass with a 2/3 Executive Board vote.
7.G. Upon the passage of a 2/3 vote of the Executive Board, the motion will be
passed as a referendum to remove the officer from the office of the UF COM
Class of 2015. The referendum will pass upon a 2/3 majority vote of a quorum of
the UF COM Class of 2015.
Article XI
Debriefing Committees:
Section 1: The duties of the debriefing committee will be to meet with the faculty
and related advisors to review and evaluate the quality of the respective course.
The debriefing committees shall be formed in conjunction with the Office of
Medical Education. The Academic Chair (President) and Student Advocate (Vice
President) are responsible for coordinating times of debriefings with the Office of
Medical Education, forming the committees in a timely manner, and ensuring the
attendance of the committee members to their respective debriefing.
Section 2: Each debriefing committee shall consist of the Academic Chair
(President), Student Advocate (Vice President), two permanent debriefing
committee members, and four randomly selected members of COM Class of
2015. All class members will be selected to serve on a debriefing committee over
the course of four years.
Section 3: The two permanent debriefing committee members will be reelected at
the end of the academic year for the following year.
Article XII
Committees:
Committees may be formed at any time according to the needs of this
organization. Each committee will consist of volunteers. The chairperson of that
committee shall be appointed by the Executive Board. The chairperson shall
serve until the project for which the committee was formed is completed. It is the
responsibility of the chairperson to report, to the Executive Board and to the rest
of the organization, the progress of the committee.
Article XIII
Authority:
This organization shall conform to the regulations prescribed by the Student
Guide and other laws and rules governing the University of Florida and its
students. Hazing is, by all means, prohibited.
Article XIV
Amendments:
Any member of this organization may suggest amendments to this Constitution.
Initial submission and discussion will be limited to the Executive Board. A 2/3
consensus of the officers will bring the issue to a meeting of full members. A 2/3majority vote of members present at an authorized business meeting is
necessary for approval.