The Umass Amherst
Pre-Medical Society (U.M.P.S.)
Constitution

Article I: Name

The name of this student organization is The University of Massachusetts at Amherst Pre-Medical Society (U.M.P.S.).

Article II: Mission Statement

The University of Massachusetts at Amherst Pre-Medical Society is a group that aims to provide useful information, connections, and activities for those students with an interest in the pre-health sciences.

Article III: Membership

1. Membership to this group is open to all students in the 5 college community, their dependents, staff, faculty, and alumni.
2. No one shall be denied membership of this group due to their race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, or physical disabilities.
3. Only UMass undergraduate students may be eligible for voting membership, on the basis that they are fee-paying and attend at least 50% of the group meetings that are held during the semester.
4. Members may also partake in any volunteer or community service event suggested by the executive board and each event will be worth one credit, unless otherwise noted by the president. These credits can also replace attendance at one of the group meetings if a member cannot attend 50% of the group meetings for any reason. All credits are good for one semester, with the acceptation to "A-credits."
5. Promotional Volunteer Accommodation Credits or A-Credits are a specific type of credit which may carry over for multiple semesters until they are used. These credits are awarded only under specific circumstances and allow any member that may have one, free admission to any UMPS event, one free T-Shirt or sweatshirt, and will not have to pay dues for that semester.
6. Any member may remove his or her membership from the group by contacting the officer board and requesting removal.
7. Any officer in the group may resign at any time by contacting the officer board and requesting removal.

Article IV: Officers

1. The Officer Board of this group consists of: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Public Relations Chair, Volunteer Activities Chair, Social Activities Chair, Fundraising Activities Chair, and Educational Activities Chair.
2. All members of the Officer Board must be current, voting members of the group upon conclusion of a semester in good standing.
3. All group officers are elected democratically to the position during a group meeting that was announced at least two weeks prior to the election. This meeting will be held in April for positions for the following academic year; however, if an officer of the board is removed or resigns during the academic year, the group will be notified immediately of the position that is open, and once elected the new officer will take the place of the removed or resigned officer automatically.
4. The descriptions of each officers position's and responsibilities within the group are as follows:
   

1. President: The President is the chief executive officer of the group and is responsible for overseeing and maintaining the Officer Board and the group as a whole and for ensuring that the group is fulfilling their mission. He or she is responsible for the organization and running of the Officer Board meetings and is one of the two officers with signature responsibility. The President's term in office for two consecutive years.
2. Vice-President: The Vice-President supports the President in all of his or her duties and is present to fill in for the President if he or she is unavailable. He or she is responsible for taking on activities that the President delegates, which may include (but not limited to) the following: organizing a group event, finding guest speakers, and contacting persons for the group. The Vice President's term in office is for two consecutive years.
3. Secretary: The Secretary is responsible for keeping a record of minutes for all topics discussed in both group meetings and Officer Board meetings. He or she is also responsible for holding and updating the master list of all group members and for taking attendance at each meeting. The Secretary is also the main liaison between the Officer Board and the rest of the group and, as such, must e-mail all members to remind them of the group meeting dates and to give updates after each meeting occurs. The secretary's term in office is for two consecutive years.
4. Treasurer: The Treasurer is responsible for the financial affairs and activities of the group. He or she is therefore the second officer holding signature responsibility and, as such, may be required to book rooms, submit Purchase Order Requests or be present to begin group events. The Treasurer should also work closely with the Fundraising Activities Chair in order to incorporate the results of the fundraising activities into the group budget. The treasurer's term in office is for two consecutive years.
5. Public Relations Chair: The Public Relations Chair is responsible for advertising and publicizing the group and all of its events. This may include (but not limited to): designing a logo, publicizing the group in an effort to recruit new members, and making and distributing handouts and posters. The public relation chair's term in office is for one year.
6. Volunteer Activities Chair: The Volunteer Activities Chair is responsible for creating and organizing community service and volunteer events in which group members may participate. This may include (but not limited to): trips to a local hospitals, medical schools, or clinics, volunteering at local soup kitchens, or spending time at a nearby elderly home. The volunteer activities chair's term in office is for one year.
7. Social Activities Chair: The Social Activities Chair is responsible for organizing events for the group which will help to promote useful contacts in the health field and assist with networking with other Umass RSO's. Examples of such activities are a dinner with health professionals or perhaps involvement with an upcoming university health fair. The social activities chair's term in office is for one year.
8. Fundraising Activities Chair: The Fundraising Activities Chair is responsible for organizing and running activities to promote and raise money for the group. Some sample activities could be designing and selling T-shirts, selling ribbons for AIDS awareness, or selling flowers during National Breast Cancer Week. The Fundraising Activities chair is also responsible for sending out prompt thank you letters to these organizations, and keeping records of past donors. The fundraising activities chair's term in office is for one year.
9. Educational Activities Chair: The Educational Activities Chair is responsible for organizing events which provide useful information regarding medical-related educational requirements, activities and opportunities. Examples of such activities would be holding practice MCAT exams through Kaplan or providing information from the university pre-medical office on course requirements. The Educational Activities Chair is also responsible for maintaining and updating online resources for members such as the group website, Facebook, etc… The educational activities chair's term in office is for one year.
10. Formed Committees: Committees are formed in order to assist one of the officers of the board with their duties. For example a committee formed for the Fundraising Chair might assist with addressing letters, placing stamps on envelopes, etc; where as, a committee formed to assist the Social Chair might write articles and announcements for the Pre-Med Newsletter. Formed committee's are reestablished every semester.

Article V: Committees

1. Committee positions are open to all active members (see Article III) of the Umass Pre-Medical Society.
2. The President is the sole person with the authority to appoint chairs of any given formed committee.
3. Each of the Chairs in the Officer Board may request a committee to be formed, with assigned group members, by asking the officer board.
4. Committees are formed when an officer of the board requests that a committee be formed, or when the president deems it is necessary.

Article VI: Elections

1. Any candidate wishing to be nominated for an open officer position for the following year must write and send the Officer Board an e-mail statement of intent detailing the individual's reasons for applying for the position. Upon approval by the Officer Board, this candidate is nominated and may present this statement to the group during the election meeting.
2. During the election meeting, each nominated member for each position has the option of presenting his or her statement to the entire group. If he or she can not be present at the meeting, then he or she must contact the Officer Board. In this case, the nominated member will have a statement read to the group.
3. During the election meeting and after all statements have been offered by the nominated members, a ballot is distributed to all members and to the Officer Board. The ballot will include all nominated members for each open position and will be private. These ballots are then collected and tallied first by the President, and secondly by the Secretary. The results are then declared to the entire group at the following group meeting and through a group e-mail.

Article VII: Meetings

1. Meetings involving the entire group are held about twice a month, the exact dates being decided upon by the Officer Board. The President may also call special meetings involving the entire group when he or she feels it necessary.
2. The Officer Board will have private meetings at least one week before and given group meeting, unless otherwise decided by the President. These meeting will be held to discuss matters of group policy, events, officer updates, and other concerns or business.
3. The President chairs all meetings of the group and the Officer Board, except for individual committee meetings. In the absence of the President, the Vice-President chairs the meeting.
4. No meetings will occur during University holidays or during Final Exam periods.

Article VIII: Resolving Member Disputes

1. Each member in the group will not be denied the constitutional rights of freedom of speech and expression, and may voice their opinion on any group-related topic during a group meeting as long as they do so in a collective and appropriate matter.
2. Group members may cite any grievances by contacting the Officer Board via e-mail and submitting written documentation detailing the dispute or problem. The President will decide on a solution to the problem and will, if necessary or requested, mediate the dispute.
3. If a member of the Officer Board is involved in the dispute, this member shall not be present at the meeting and the remaining members of the Board will decide upon the outcome of the situation.

Article IX: Removal of an Officer or Committee Chair

1. Any Board member who does not fulfill his or her officer responsibilities, as described above, may be eligible for removal.
2. Any Board member who misses 2 or more Board meetings for unexcused reasons or more than 25% of group meetings may be eligible for removal. The President may approve a reason for an officer's absence, if notified by the officer, and this absence may be excused and not count against the officer.
3. If an Activities Chair of the group fails to conduct at least two committee meetings per month, unless otherwise excused by the President, than he or she may be eligible for removal.
4. Any officer that does not conduct themselves in a proper manner, fails to reply to e-mails sent by other officers of the executive board without reply within 10 days, or is disrespectful to a fellow officer will receive one strike and a private meeting with president will be held to discuss the officer's actions. Upon that officer's second offense the officer will be suspended of their duties immediately and a private executive board meeting will be held to decide upon the officer's punishment or removal. Strikes will remain for that officer's entire term in office regardless of the term's length.
5. To decide whether an officer is to be removed, the President will chair a Board meeting, having already asked the officer under consideration not to attend. This meeting must be announced to the Board at least one week in advance and all other officers but the one in question must be present to vote. All officers will have the opportunity to speak for or against the officer in question before a decision is agreed upon. All of the officers will then vote for or against the officer, using a private ballot. The results will be tallied by the President and then by the Vice-President and the results will be announced to the officers. The President is responsible for contacting the officer in question with the results of the Board's vote. If the President is the officer under consideration for removal then the Vice President will chair the meting and the Vice President and Secretary will tally the votes. The Vice President will then be responsible for contacting the President with the Officer Board's decision.
6. If the President or Vice-President is removed from office, then another Board member will have the option to take the position. All candidates must be nominated by another Board member and must make a statement detailing his or her qualifications for the position. The Board members will then vote using a private ballot. That officer's old position will then become available to any qualifying group member and elections will be held as detailed in article VI.
7. If an officer, besides the President or Vice-President, is removed from office, then elections will be held with the entire group voting. The voting procedure and candidate requirements will be the same as the above-mentioned procedure and the requirements for yearly elections (Article VI).
8. Any committee chair that fails to reply promptly to e-mails or fails to communicate with the Activities chair, with no excuse, for longer than 10 days will be removed immediately from the committee and the next member on the sign-up sheet will be appointed. If no other members are available on the sign-up sheet the group will be notified and the first member to respond will receive the position. The President may excuse any committee chair after review of the situation present.

Article X: Amendments

1. Any group member may propose an amendment to this constitution by submitting the proposal in writing to the President or Secretary.
2. Any proposal that is submitted will then be discussed and decided upon by the Officer Board at the next meeting. The decision will be based on a two thirds vote of quorum of officers using a private ballot. The result of the discussion will then be relayed to the entire group at its next meeting and through e-mail.