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PPP HomeARTICLE VII. LEADERSHIP AND STRUCTURE Section 1—Qualifications of the
Officers and Trustees
All Officers and Trustees of the Association shall be
medical student members of the Association, except for the Alumni and Resident
Trustee, Premedical Trustee and Premedical Regional Directors, International
Trustee and International Programming Coordinator, at the time of their
election and during their term of office. In addition, each Regional Director
and Regional Programming Coordinator shall be an active member of a chapter
located in the established geographical region from which he/she is elected.
The Trustees shall represent all of the regions and shall not be elected on a
regional basis. The Vice President for Programming shall be an active member of
the Association and shall represent all of the regions and therefore be elected
by the House of Delegates. (2008)
Section 2—Term of Office
The term of office for all Officers, Regional
Directors, Regional Programming Coordinators, Premedical Trustee, Premedical
Regional Directors, International Trustee, International Programming
Coordinator and Vice President for Programming, shall be for one (1) year, or
until their successors are duly elected and qualified. The Secretary and Vice
President for Internal Affairs shall serve two (2) year terms such that one
Secretary shall be elected a year. None
of the above Officers or Trustees serves more than two (2) consecutive terms in
the same position. (2008)
The above Officers and Trustees shall serve for a
total of fourteen months, the final two months as Outgoing Officers and
Trustees, except for the President-Elect, who shall have a two-week in-person
transition period following his/her election. The President-Elect will assume responsibilities
as President approximately 30 days prior to the June meeting of the Board of
Trustees following his/her election. (2008)
Section 3—Training of the Officers
The American Medical Student Association will devote a day to training its elected officers in the skills they will need to successfully execute their offices. The exact content of the leadership training will be left to the discretion of the ED, the National President and the Secretary and Vice President for Internal Affairs. (2008) Section 4—Dismissal of the Officers
The
Board of Trustees (BOT) shall be empowered to dismiss from his/her position any
Officer, Trustee, Regional Director, Regional Programming Coordinator,
Premedical Trustee, Premedical Regional Director, Alumni and Resident Trustee,
International Trustee, International Programming Coordinator, Immediate Past
President (2006), or ED of the Association, who has failed to perform the
duties of his/her position, providing that the person in question shall have
the opportunity to answer the charges against him/her in writing or in person
before the BOT votes on the question of dismissal. (2005) A vote of at least
two-thirds (2/3) of the voting members of the BOT shall be necessary for such
dismissal. (2008)
With regard to the Regional Directors, the local AMSA
chapters in the region involved shall be empowered to dismiss a Regional
Director who has failed to perform his/her position, providing that the person
in question be given the opportunity to answer the charges against him/her in
writing or in person before a meeting of regional AMSA Chapter Presidents. A
vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the AMSA Chapter Presidents shall be
necessary for dismissal.
With regard to the Vice President for Programming, the
Executive Board of the Action Committees shall be empowered to dismiss the
Trustee if he/she has failed to perform his/her duty, providing the person in
question be given one warning and then, upon further complaint, the opportunity
to answer the charges against him/her in writing or in person before a meeting
of the Executive Board of the Action Committees. A vote of at least two-thirds
(2/3) of the Executive Board of the Action Committees shall be necessary for
dismissal. (2008)
The Executive Board of the Action
Committees shall be empowered to dismiss from his/her position any Action
Committee Chair or Committee Coordinator who has failed to perform the duties
of his/her position. The Officer in question must be given one written warning
and then, upon further complaint, the opportunity to answer the charges against
them in writing or in person before a meeting of the Executive Board. A vote of
at least two-thirds (2/3) of the Executive Board shall be necessary for
dismissal. The Executive Board shall fill vacant positions through appointment.
(2004)
Section 5—Rules of Succession
In the event of the inability of any Officer or
Trustee to fulfill the duties of his/her position for any reason, the vacancy
thus created shall be filled in the following manner: in the case of the
vacancy in the position of President, the Vice President for Membership shall
serve in that position for the remainder of the term; and in the case of a
vacancy in the position of Vice President for Membership, Vice President for
Finances, or Secretary or Vice President for Internal Affairs, the BOT shall
designate an individual to serve in that position for the remainder of the
term; and in the case of a vacancy in any of the positions of Regional
Director, the Board of Regional Directors, with the approval of a majority of
the Chapter Presidents in said Region, shall designate individuals who meet the
qualifications for holding said positions to serve in those positions for the
remainder of the terms. In the event of a vacancy of a Regional Programming
Coordinator, Premedical Trustee, Premedical Regional Director, Alumni and
Resident Trustee, International Trustee or International Programming
Coordinator (2003), the Board of Trustees shall designate an individual to
serve in that position for the remainder of the term. (2008)
In
the case of a vacancy of the Vice President for Programming, the remaining
members of the Executive Board of the Action Committees shall arrange to elect
a person to serve in that position for the remainder of the term. In the event
of a vacancy of an Action Committee Chair, the remaining members of the
Executive Board of the Action Committees (2004) shall designate an individual
to serve in that position for the remainder of the term.
Section 6—Duties of the OfficersThe Officers of the Association shall be a President,
President-Elect, and Vice President for Membership, Vice President for
Finances, and Vice President for Programming, and Vice President for Internal
Affairs and Secretary. (2008) The duties of the Officers shall be as follows:
THE
PRESIDENT—The President shall be the
Senior Elected Officer of the Association, an ex-officio member of all
committees (except the Nominations Committee), and the official representative
and spokesperson for the Association. The President shall be responsible for
presiding over all meetings of the Board of Trustees and the Executive Committee.
The President shall be responsible for training the President-Elect in the
duties and responsibilities as the senior elected officer of the Association.
The President shall take a one-year leave-of-absence from his/her medical
training to serve in a full-time capacity with the Association. Remuneration in
the form of a salary is paid to the President, commensurate with 85% of the sum
received by a first-year postgraduate resident of the
The President shall not be eligible to apply for a
fulltime salaried staff position with the AMSA Association or Foundation,
including a Student Office Staff position or National President, for a period
of three (3) full years after they complete their duties. (2006)
THE PRESIDENT-ELECT—The President-Elect shall be in training for the duties and
responsibilities of the senior elected officers of the Association, a nonvoting
member of the Board of Trustees and ex-officio (nonvoting) member of the
Executive Committee. The President-Elect will have a two-week in-person
transition period during the early weeks of May following his/her election.
(2003)
THE
VICE PRESIDENT FOR MEMBERSHIP—The
Vice President for Membership shall carry out those duties and responsibilities
assigned to him/her by the Board of Trustees (BOT) or the House of Delegates
and shall be responsible for the conduct of the meetings of the BOT and the
Executive Committee in the absence of the President.
The
function and role of the Vice President for Membership encompasses the
following areas:
1. Plan
and oversee the annual Chapters Officers Conference and to have an active role
in planning additional leadership training activities throughout the year;
(2000)
2. Plan
membership recruitment activities in conjunction with the President; (2000)
3. Provide
direct leadership to a strategic priority of the association as determined by
the BOT; (2000)
4. Act as a resource for the Regional Conference Coordinators in collaboration with the respective Regional Directors and Regional Programming Coordinator; (2000) 5. In collaboration with the BOT, presiding over all meetings of the Board of Regional Directors. (2008) 6. Representing the Board of Regional Directors on the BOT. (2008)
THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR FINANCES—The Vice President for Finances (2008) shall have
final responsibility for writing the budget of the Association, and, under the
direction of the BOT, shall oversee the expenditures of the Association; serve
as the primary liaison between the BOT, regions and the chapters and the
Controller of the Association with regard to financial affairs; and prepare a
financial report for consideration by the House of Delegates at the Annual
Meeting. (2003)
THE
IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT—The role of the Immediate Past President is to ensure
continuity of the organization and its projects. The Immediate Past President
shall serve in an advisory capacity to the BOT and ED at the discretion of the
President and respect the autonomy of the newly elected officers and BOT.
(2006)
The Immediate Past President shall have the following
responsibilities:
1. To
provide guidance to the organization at the request of the President, ED, and
the BOT; (2006)
2. To
serve in an advisory capacity to the BOT at the discretion of the President;
(2006)
3. To
serve in an advisory capacity to the ED at the discretion of the President, ED,
and BOT; (2006)
4. To attend only the
November BOT meeting unless otherwise requested by the President, ED, or the
BOT; (2006)
SECRETARY—The Secretary is the first year of a two year
consecutive Secretary-Vice President for Internal Affairs role. The first year, the Secretary shall serve to
represent the entire membership of the Association to the Board of Trustees
(BOT) and shall carry out the policy of the House of Delegates (HOD) as a
member of the BOT. Following their year
as Secretary, they shall be promoted to the role of Vice President for Internal
Affairs as specified below in Article VII of the Constitution and Bylaws. The
Secretary shall be elected as specified in Article VIII of the Constitution and
Bylaws. (2008)
Each
Secretary and Vice President for Internal Affairs serves on the BOT for a
period of two total years, with one Secretary elected each year at the Annual
Meeting. (2008)
The roles and
responsibilities of the Secretary shall include the following:
1. Representation
of all AMSA members and affiliate members to the BOT.
2. The
Secretary shall serve as Vice-Chairperson of the HOD. The Vice-Chairperson
shall assume the duties of the Chairperson in the event of his/her absence or
unwillingness to perform his/her duty.
3. Collaborating
with the Vice President for Internal Affairs to ensure that AMSA’s core
documents are current and relevant through a coordinated process of review and
submission of resolutions to the HOD.
4. Collaborating
with the Vice President for Internal Affairs to maintain these core documents
through appropriate integration of newly passed resolutions and corresponding
updating/correcting of affected sections. Such changes may be done with Board
approval, so long as they are consistent with the intent of the HOD.
5. Collaborating
with the Vice President for Internal Affairs to appoint, with the approval of
the President, members of the Reference Committees, Nominations Committee and
Credentials Committee of the HOD.
6. He/she
will be responsible for communicating the most recent BOT’s plans, actions and
deliberations as specified in Article VII, Section 14, Subsection E.
Vice President for Internal Affairs—The Vice
President for Internal Affairs is the second year of a two year consecutive
Secretary-Vice President for Internal Affairs role. The Vice President for
Internal Affairs shall serve to represent the entire membership of the
Association to the BOT shall carry out the policy of the HOD as a member of the
BOT. (2008)
The roles and
responsibilities of the Vice President for Internal Affairs shall include the
following: (2001)
1. Representation
of all AMSA members and affiliate members to the BOT.
2. The
Vice President for Internal Affairs shall serve as Chairperson of the HOD and
shall be responsible for the conduct of all sessions of the HOD.
3. Collaborating
with the Secretary to ensure that AMSA’s core documents are current and
relevant through a coordinated process of review and submission of resolutions
to the HOD.
4. Collaborating
with the Secretary to maintain these core documents through appropriate
integration of newly passed resolutions and corresponding updating/correcting
of affected sections. Such changes may be done with Board approval, so long as
they are consistent with the intent of the HOD.
5. Collaborating
with the Secretary to appoint, with the approval of the President, members of
the Reference Committees, Nominations Committee and Credentials Committee of
the HOD.
Section 7—The Regional Directors
Regional Directors shall represent the interests of
their regional constituency and shall be elected from each of the geographical
regions established by the House of Delegates. The Regional Directors shall
carry out the policy of the House of Delegates as members of the Board of
Regional Directors. (2008)
The
functions of the Regional Director encompass the following general areas:
1. communication
with local chapter officers on areas of concern to medical students and on
activities of the Association;
2. coordination
of regional meetings and regional conferences;
3. coordination
of the annual membership drive on the regional level with the chapter officers
and assist chapters with fewer than five members in good standing at risk of
charter revocation; (2004)
4. formulation, development and administration of the programs for the region
determined by the members within the region;
5. representation of regional concerns to the deliberations of the Board of
Regional Directors; (2008)
6. coordination
of Delegates from the region in policy deliberations of the House of Delegates
at the Annual Meeting; and,
7. service as a resource to regional members for information about, or contact with, all levels of the organization. 8. for
two months after the election of the new Regional Directors, National Officers,
Alumni and Resident Trustees, Premedical Trustee, International Trustee and
Vice President for Programming, the outgoing Board members will assist and
orient the new Directors to their responsibilities. (2008)
9. coordination
of regional events and communication with the Regional Programming
Coordinator(s). The Regional Director shall be in charge of keeping in monthly
communication with the Regional Programming Coordinator. They shall approve the
regional project plan of the Regional Programming Coordinator, and assist
him/her with implementation of the project to local chapters. (2005)
Section 8—Regional Programming
Coordinator
For
as long as the BOT shall authorize, through funding in the budget, the
association shall have Regional Programming Coordinators (RPC). (2007) One (1)
RPC shall be elected from each of the geographical regions established by the
House of Delegates. The roles and responsibilities of the RPC shall include the
following: (2006)
1. Organize
at least one regional project that shall attempt to include all the chapters in
that region and will increase awareness of, or engagement in, one of the
strategic priorities of the Association. The RPC shall be required to submit
for approval a final proposal of their regional project to be reviewed by the
AC Executive Committee Meeting at COC. (2006)
2. Serve
on the Steering Committee of their respective regional conference. The RPCs
shall work in collaboration with the Regional Conference Coordinator, and shall
have as their primary responsibility the task of providing programming options
for the Steering Committee. The RPC is
also responsible for presenting one session at the conference, which may
include aspects of their regional project. (2006)
3. Assist
the Regional Directors in the development and maintenance of local project
databases on the national AMSA Web site. The RPC shall assist chapter officers
and the Regional Directors in entering new project information and updating the
database as necessary. (2005)
4. Perform
any regional duty mutually agreed upon with the Regional Director. The RPC
shall assist the Regional Director with relevant duties throughout the year,
and shall also assist with the end-of-the-year report. (2005)
5. Attend the June National Leadership
meeting (but not the Board of Trustees meeting) through funding from National
AMSA. The meeting shall include training and project planning to assist RPCs
with their annual tasks. The RPC also will attend COC. (2006)
6. The
Board of Trustees shall review the RPC position and evaluate its role in the
organization in terms of effectiveness to achieve assigned responsibilities,
fulfillment of members, support within the organizations infrastructure, and
cost/benefit to the goals of the organization on an annual basis and allocate
funds appropriately. (2006)
Section 9—The Alumni and Resident
Trustee
An Alumni and Resident Trustee shall be elected to
serve on the Board of Trustees and shall be both a resident and alum of the
Association. The Trustee shall represent all alumni and residents of the
Association in all matters relating to participation in Association programs
and membership. The Alumni and Resident Trustee shall be elected as specified
in Article VIII of the Constitution and Bylaws. (2008)
The Alumni and Resident Trustee shall be responsible
for coordinating, with the National Office, the activities of the Association’s
Resident membership, and shall act as a liaison between the Board of Trustees
and the Resident Network (2003). The Alumni and Resident Trustee will organize,
with approval of the Board of Trustees, the Resident Caucus. The Alumni and
Resident Trustee shall be responsible for ensuring continuity of communication
and programming involving resident and physician members of AMSA, AMSA Alumni
and the medical community at large. (2008)
Section 10—The Premedical Trustee
and Premedical Regional Directors
Representatives
of the premedical membership shall be elected to coordinate activities of the
premedical membership along with the National President. The Premedical Trustee
will organize, with approval of the Board of Trustees, the Premedical Caucus.
The Premedical Trustee and the Premedical Regional Directors, of which there
shall be a number equal to the number of regions with the exception of Region
X, which shall have two (2) Premedical Regional Directors (2007), shall be
elected as specified in Article VIII Section 4 of the Constitution and
Bylaws. The Premedical Trustee shall
serve as a voting member (2007) of the Board of Trustees (BOT), and a
Premedical Regional Director shall serve as an ex-officio member in the absence
of the Premedical Trustee. (2006)
The
Premedical Trustee shall have the following functions:
1. Assistance
of chapters petitioning to be chartered at the National Convention; (2006)
2. Regular
communication with the President, Vice President for Membership, Treasurer,
STAL, JTAL, and the Premedical Regional Directors by attending the BOT
meetings, facilitating monthly conference calls with the Premedical Regional
Directors a week in advance, and returning emails within one week of receipt,
(2006)
3. Representation
of the concerns of premedical student membership and leadership to the BOT;
(2006)
4. Collaboration
with the Premedical Regional Directors to: provide leadership training at the
Chapter Officers Conference and with media uses such as the chapter officers
list serve and Premed AMSA Web site; develop and maintain premedical chapters
through consistent presence via emails and telephone calls; promote and nurture
multiple local chapter collaborations including medical chapters; encourage
chapter visit requests; distribute needed funds to chapters and chapter
members; and provide premedical programming at Regional Conferences. (2006)
5. Guidance
and support of member projects including, but not limited to premedical
conferences; AMSA-based research and posters; and institutes and internships;
(2006)
6. Development
of premedical programming at the National Convention in conjunction with the
convention theme and current concerns of premedical members. (2006)
The Premedical Regional
Directors shall have the following functions:
1. Development
and maintenance of the premedical chapters and assistance of chapters with
fewer than five members in good standing at risk of charter revocation; (2006)
2. Regular
communication with the Premedical Trustee by attending the monthly conference
call; providing an informal report of regional activities and chapter
statistics monthly via email prior to each conference call; and submitting a
formal report of their region on October 15 and on January 15; (2006)
3. Representation
of the concerns of premedical student membership and leadership to the
Premedical Caucus; (2006)
4. Collaboration
with the Premedical Trustee to: provide leadership training at the Chapter
Officers Conference and with media uses such as the chapter officers listserve
and Premed AMSA Web site; develop and maintain premedical chapters through
consistent presence via emails and telephone calls; promote and nurture
multiple local chapter collaborations including medical chapters; encourage
chapter visit requests; distribute needed funds to chapters and chapter
members; and provide premedical programming at Regional Conferences. (2006)
5. Development
of premedical programming at their regional conference in conjunction with the
conference theme and current concerns of premedical members. (2006)
6. Dissemination
of information pertaining to Premed AMSA and premedical students and promoting
discussion via the premed list serve with two Premedical Regional Directors
assigned to the listserve a month at a time. (2006)
Section 11—The Premedical
Representative (2004)
The
Premedical Representative shall represent the premedical membership on each
Action Committee and Interest Group. This position shall be limited to one (1)
premed member per Action Committee or Interest Group that shall be elected at
the annual Convention and will serve a one-year term. The functions of the
Premedical Representative include, but are not limited to:
1. informing the premedical membership of Action Committee
or Interest Group events and/or projects via posting to the AMSA premed
listserve at least quarterly; (2004)
2. representing the concerns of the premedical membership
to the Action Committee Chair or Interest Group Coordinator and working with
the Chair/Coordinator to deal with premedical member needs; (2004)
3. completing a resource-based project to be developed in
conjunction with the Action Committee Chair or Interest Group Coordinator;
(2005)
4. in conjunction with the Action Committee Chair or
Interest Group Coordinator, submit a section of an annual report to the House
of Delegates for consideration on a “For Information Only” basis detailing the
Representative’s projects and activities. (2005)
5. The Premedical Representative shall, upon successful
presentation of their resource-based project (as assessed by the DSP and the AC
Chair/Coordinator) and receipt of their year-end report, receive a waiver of
their registration fee for the AMSA National Convention, but they are not
required to attend. (2008)
6. The Premedical Representative shall be fully funded to
attend the November meeting of the Action Committees with the AC Coordinators.
(2008)
Section 12—The International
Trustee and International Programming Coordinator
The
International Trustee and the International Programming Coordinator shall be
elected in a manner set forth in the Bylaws. The International Trustee shall
serve as a member of the Board of Trustees.
1. The International Trustee shall be responsible for
coordinating, with the other members of the national leadership, the activities
of the Association’s international membership. (2004)
2. The International Programming Coordinator shall be
responsible for maintaining accurate membership records for international
chapters, assisting chapters with fewer than five members in good standing at
risk of charter revocation, and disseminating information from the Action
Committees and Interest Groups to the international chapters. (2004)
Section 13—The Board of Trustees
A. The Board of Trustees
(BOT) of the Association shall be composed of the President, Vice President for
Membership, Vice President of Finance, Vice President of Internal Affairs, Vice
President of Programming, Secretary, Premedical Trustee, International Trustee,
Alumni and Resident Trustee, and The New Physician Magazine Student
Editor, all of whom are voting members of the BOT. In addition, the Immediate
Past President, the ED, and other individuals designated as such by the BOT
shall serve as ex-officio, nonvoting members. The BOT shall be responsible for
carrying out such duties and responsibilities as may be designated in this
Constitution and Bylaws of the Association.
B. The BOT will meet a
minimum of four times per annum. The first, for information and training
shortly after the Annual Meeting; the second, shortly thereafter to plan
activities and projects for the coming year; a minimum of once in the mid-year
to check on progress; and once at year’s end. Emergency meetings of the
BOT may be called by a majority of the members
of the Board.
C. The BOT shall have
charge of the property and financial affairs of the Association and shall
perform such duties as are prescribed by law for trustees of corporations and
as may be prescribed by this Constitution and Bylaws. It will be the
responsibility of the BOT to see that the policy determined by the HOD is
carried out and interpreted correctly, and that the Association is responsive
to local chapters.
D. The BOT shall bear
the responsibility of assuring the HOD and the Membership-at-Large that it is
functioning responsibly: that it is carrying out and interpreting the
Association’s policy in light of the sentiment of the Membership-at-Large and
the HOD. This function will be accomplished by the preparation of a report by
the Secretary within two weeks following each meeting or substantive action of
the BOT outlining the BOT’s plans, actions and deliberations. This report shall
be titled “Board of Trustees Action Report” and shall be disseminated to the
membership at-large through electronic mail, on the AMSA Web site, and/or
through an official Association publication. (2008)
E. The Board of
Trustees shall not amend or change AMSA’s Constitution and Bylaws section by
creating interim policy of the Association. The Board of Trustees shall be
authorized by a 2/3 vote to create new policies in the Internal Affairs and
Principles section of the PPP if timely issues arise between meetings of the
House of Delegates. Creation of and implementation of interim policy in
Principles shall occur in consultation with the appropriate national leadership
and student office staff. The passing of any interim policy of the Association
shall be voted on at the next House of Delegates meeting for official adoption
in the PPP. (2007)
F. The
functions of the Board of Trustees also include the following areas:
1. serve
as members of any other committees and/or task forces as appropriate; (2008)
2. supervision
of all fiscal affairs of the Association; (2008)
3. approval
and justification of all income solicited for the Association; (2008)
4. supervision
of all expenditures; (2008)
5. preparation
of budgetary priorities; (2008)
6. compilation
of reimbursement guidelines for expenses incurred in activities related to the
Association (2008)
7. resolution
of disputes which may arise in reimbursements of staff and students; and,
(2008)
8. preparation
of an annual financial report, which shall include income and expenditures for
the current and previous fiscal years. The report shall be in an easily
understandable form with special itemization of National Officer, Regional
Directors, Regional Conference and Action Committee budgets. This financial
statement shall be published in one of the official publications of the
Association, which circulates to the Membership-at-Large, between thirty and
sixty days prior to the Annual Meeting. This statement shall also be included
in the Delegates Handbook at the Annual Meeting. (2008)
Section
14—The Board of Regional Directors (2008)
A. The Board of Regional Directors is
charged with supporting the chapters of the Association. This includes:
a. The
recruitment and engagement of the membership through the coordination and
dissemination of materials and communications from the national office and
professional staff.
b. Empowering
chapter officers through application of the resources available throughout the
national leadership
c. Collaborating
with the Director of Student Programming and Vice President for Membership to
support the Regional Conferences
d. Developing
and executing the Chapter Officers Conference programming as directed by the
Vice President for Membership
e. Developing
and executing regional programming in collaboration with the Regional
Programming Coordinators, Action Committees, Interests Groups, Task Forces, and
other programming leaders as needed.
f. Recommending,
through the Vice President for Membership, which Board of Trustee actions would
enhance the effectiveness of the Board of Regional Directors.
g. Advise
the Board of Trustees on matters which pertain to AMSA resource allocation and
planning to best support chapters, recruitment and regional programming.
B. The
Vice President for Membership shall chair the Board of Regional Directors. The Vice President for Membership shall serve
as a non-voting member of the Board of Regional Directors except in cases of a
tie. The Vice President for Membership
shall represent the Board of Regional Directors on the Board of Trustees.
C. One
(1) Director from Regions I, IV, V, VI, VII and IX, and two (2) Co-Directors
from Regions II, III, VIII and X shall be invited to each of the Board of
Regional Directors meetings. Each Regional Director or Co-Director will be
financed by the national budget, and each Regional Director or Co-Director will
have a single vote on the Board of Regional Directors.
Section 15—Action Committees
Action Committees represent the long-term, ongoing and overall priorities of the Association. The programming work of AMSA’s Action Committees will be separated into issue based Committees and functional Teams. There shall be six Committees of the Association: Community and Environmental Health; Culture of Medicine; Gender and Sexuality; Global Health; Race, Ethnicity and Culture in Health; and Student Life. In addition, coordinators from the above committees will serve on four functional Teams: Education, Grassroots Leadership, Humanism in Medicine and Policy. The Education, Humanism in Medicine and Policy Teams will be led by Action Committee Chairs, while the Grassroots Leadership Team will be led by the Director of Student Programming. Restructuring of the Action Committees shall occur no more frequently than reevaluation of our external Strategic Priorities. (2008) The members of each Committee with the aid and advice
of the Committee Chairs and the Board of Trustees shall set the agenda of such
committees. Their purpose shall be to implement the policy of the House of
Delegates and the Association in each area. They shall carry out projects,
distribute information, and aid in policy development for each area. They shall
operate under the leadership of Action Committee Chairs, who shall report to
the Board of Trustees at each meeting and to the House of Delegates at the
Annual Meeting. (1997) (1999) (2001) Chairpeople for Action Committees and
Committee Coordinators shall be chosen as set forth in Article VIII, Section 10
of the Constitution and Bylaws. (2005)
Section
16—Vice President for Programming
One representative shall be elected to
the Board of Trustees from the Action Committees and Issue Response Groups. The
Vice President for Programming shall act as a liaison between the Board of
Trustees and the Action Committees. The Vice President for Programming shall
also represent the interests of the Action Committees as well as those of the
general membership involved in the Action Committees and other initiatives.
(2008)
This Trustee shall serve as a member of
the Board of Directors of the AMSA Foundation.
The Vice President for Programming
shall:
1. Plan
and coordinate all meetings of the Executive Board of the Action Committees,
through conference calls or in person. (2001)
2. Communicate
regularly with the Action Committee Chairs, Director of Student Programming
(DSP), the President, Secretary, and Regional Programming Coordinator. (2008)
3. Assist
all Committees in staying within their budgets as well as preparing budgets for
the Vice President for Finances to consider in the following year. (2008)
4. Facilitate
and encourage communications of the Action Committees with the membership
through innovative uses of media such as listserves, the AMSA Web site, AMSA
Focus, etc. (2001)
5. Coordinate
Action Committee chair participation in the Chapter Officers Conference and the
Regional Conferences. (2001)
6. Offer
input for meeting agendas to the DSP and the President, who respectively are
responsible for constructing the agendas for the meetings of the Board of
Trustees and the Action Committees.
7. Co-facilitate
meetings of the Action Committees whenever possible and appropriate, while the
DSP will lead the two national office meetings, since the Vice President for
Programming must spend much time with the BOT. (2008)
8. Facilitate
meetings of the Action Committee leadership throughout the year, including the
elections of new Chairs and Committee Coordinators at the Annual Meeting.
(2001)
9. Communicate
as necessary with other national leaders, but especially with the Premedical
Trustee and Alumni and Resident Trustee in order to stimulate Action Committee
work with these two groups of members. (2008)
10. Communicate
as necessary with the Legislative Affairs Director in order to stimulate an
activist/health policy component within each Action Committee. (2001)
11. Review
the PPP yearly and facilitate the writing of resolutions to correct and update
AMSA policies. (2001)
12. Provide a report
within two weeks following each meeting or substantive action of the Executive
Board of the Action Committees to the membership-at-large. (2003)
13.
Work with the
Secretary and Vice President for Internal Affairs and Action Committee Chairs
to disseminate information about Action Committees and Interest Groups to the
Regional Programming Coordinator. (2008)
Section 17—Executive Board of the
Action Committees
The Action Committee Chairs, Vice President for
Programming and Director of Student Programming shall form an Executive Board
for the purpose of administration of Action Committees. It shall oversee the
performance of all Action Committees, Issue Response Groups and Interest
Groups; budget appropriate funds for the completion of projects, and undertake
strategic planning for future issues as necessary for the Action Committees,
Issue Response Groups and Interest Groups.
Section 18—The Executive Director
The Executive Director (ED) shall be appointed by a
joint commission of the Board of Trustees and the Board of Directors of the
AMSA Foundation, and shall serve as the chief administrative officer of the
Association. He/she shall have supervision of its administrative, membership
and business personnel and direct the operations of the offices of the
Association.
The ED shall prepare an annual budget for review by
the Board of Trustees. The ED shall undergo an annual performance review that
will be conducted by representatives of the Board of Trustees. The ED shall
attend the annual convention and the meetings of the Board of Trustees and the
Board of Trustees and shall ensure that minutes of these meetings shall be
prepared and distributed to the members of the Board of Trustees and shall
perform such other duties as may be designated in this Constitution or in the
Bylaws or by the Board of Trustees of the Association.
Section 19—Student Office Staff
For
each year that the Board of Trustees (BOT) authorizes, as indicated by
allocated funding through the annual budget, the Association shall have Student
Office Staff (SOS) positions outlined below. (2007) SOS shall be medical
student members of AMSA in good standing that work in the National Office
full-time for a period of one year. The positions described below, and any
other SOS position created by the BOT, shall be filled by an application
process. Applications for each of the positions will be solicited in the fall
and winter of the prior year. Candidates for the SOS positions must be medical
students in good standing. The position will be selected by a committee
composed of the ED, the National President, the SOS currently holding the
position, a member(s) of the AC Executive Committee appointed by the AC
Executive Committee, and a full-time AMSA or AMSA Foundation staff member
designated by the ED. The selection shall occur prior to the deadline for
submitting a rank-list to the National Residency Matching Program. To accept
the SOS position, the candidate must be a member of the Association. (2006) If
a SOS position will likely not be funded for the upcoming fiscal year, the BOT
will make every effort to inform potential applicants early, prior to the
application deadline. (2007)
In the event that a suitable medical student applicant
is not located, the Board of Trustees shall establish eligibility guidelines
and requirements for additional applications. (2006)
The ED shall be empowered to dismiss any SOS member in
cases of gross misconduct, abusive behavior toward other office staff, and
other serious violations of AMSA workplace rules. The same codes of conduct for
acceptable workplace conduct shall be used for the SOS as shall be used for all
other staff members of the AMSA Association/Foundation. The ED shall report
failures of the SOS to perform their duties to the Board of Trustees, who are
required to act on the notice. (2006)
The Board of Trustees shall also be empowered to
recommend to the ED that any SOS member be dismissed in cases of gross
misconduct and/or failure to perform the duties of the position. In the case of
failure to perform duties, the SOS in question shall be given the opportunity
to address the concerns in writing or in person to the Board of Trustees. A
vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the voting members of the Board of
Trustees shall be necessary for such a motion to dismiss a member of the SOS.
(2006)
In case of resignation, dismissal or otherwise
permanent incapacitation of a SOS member, the ED and the President are
empowered to select a new SOS member from the medical student membership of the
organization through an application process. (2006)
The roles and responsibilities of the student office staff members are described below:
1. The Legislative Affairs Director
The Legislative Affairs Director (LAD) shall be
responsible for representing the public policy concerns of the Association to
the legislative branches of the government of the
The LAD will educate the membership on health policy
and legislative issues, represent the Association to federal and local
legislative bodies, advocate for the Association’s positions in other policy
arenas, and train the membership in the legislative process. General functions
of the LAD include, but are not limited to:
1. serve
as the primary Association contact for all health policy and legislative
issues; (2003)
2. educate
and train the membership in health policy issues and the legislative process
through lobby days to coincide with the Annual Meeting in the
3. maintain,
through the Legislative Affairs Office, a health policy internship program
available to Association members for the purpose of directly training medical
students in the federal legislative process. (2003)
The LAD shall take a one-year leave of absence from
his/her medical training to serve in a full-time capacity with the Association.
Remuneration in the form of a salary is paid to the LAD, commensurate with 85%
of the sum received by a first-year postgraduate resident in the
1. developing,
with the input and cooperation of the National President, the ED and the
outgoing LAD, a Legislative Agenda to present to the Board of Trustees at the
June Board meeting; and, (2003)
2. reporting
to the Board of Trustees at each Board meeting by presenting a detailed report
on the state of the Legislative Agenda. (2003)
The LAD’s performance will be evaluated by the ED and Board of Trustees at the November Board meeting. (2003)
The
American Medical Student Association will develop and sponsor at least one
Political Leadership Institute (PLI), administered and executed by the LAD.
Each PLI will consist of medical students who apply through a competitive
application process. They will be trained in political leadership, the exact
content of which will be determined by the LAD. Funding for the PLI will
consist of funding for materials, communications and a few speakers. Travel
will be funded by each participant’s school and housing will be provided at the
AMSA properties. (2006)
The
LAD shall not be eligible to apply for a fulltime appointed salaried
staff position with the AMSA Association or Foundation, including a Student
Office Staff position, for a period of three (3) full years after they complete
their duties. (2006)
2. Director
of Student Programming
One member shall be chosen to coordinate the Action
Committees and initiatives of the membership.
The duties of the Director of Student Programming
(DSP) shall include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. To
act as chair of all Issue Response Groups and oversee their administration,
budgets and operations. (2001)
2. To oversee the Interest Groups and to help coordinate access to the Internet, newsletters, or other resources deemed necessary for the dissemination of information. (2001) 3. To
act along with the Secretary to represent the Interest Groups to the Board of
Trustees. (2001)
4. To coordinate programming at the Annual Meeting with the Action Committees, Interest Groups and on other topics as deemed necessary. (2001) 5. To
act as the national resource for the Action Committees, Interest Groups, and
for projects and initiatives on the local level including soliciting and
obtaining resources for projects, coordinating fundraising, advertising and
other programming areas in order to help these groups achieve their programming
goals. (2001)
6. To
coordinate the training of and communication with local chapter members to help
organize independent projects on the local level. (2001)
7. To
work with the Regional Directors and Action Committee leadership to create a
database of active projects that occur at each local chapter. (2001)
8. To
aid in the distribution of information through newsletters, listserves and The
New Physician about Action Committee and Interest Group projects as well as
other opportunities and deadlines of which the membership should be aware.
(2001)
9. To represent the
interests of the Action Committees and Interest Groups to the membership as a
whole. (2001)
10. To report to the
Board of Trustees both orally and in writing on the status of Issue Response
Groups and initiatives (Strategic Priorities) that are being coordinated by the
DSP. (2001)
11. To work with AMSA
Regional Conference Coordinators to facilitate their training in planning,
organizing, and executing their Regional Conference and to act as a resource
through this process. (2001)
12. To plan and
facilitate, along with the Vice President for Programming, the June and
November Action Committee Planning Meetings. (2001)
13. To
coordinate the application for, and administration of the AMSA liaisons with
input from the relevant Action Committee Leadership. (2001)
The
DSP’s performance will be evaluated by the ED and Board of Trustees at the
November Board meeting. (2003)
The
DSP shall take a one-year leave of absence from his/her medical training to
serve in a full-time capacity with the Association. Remuneration in the form of a salary is paid
to the Director of Student Programming commensurate with 85% of the sum
received by a first-year postgraduate residency in the
The
DSP shall not be eligible to apply for a fulltime appointed salaried
staff position with the AMSA Association or Foundation, including a Student
Office Staff position, for a period of three (3) full years after they complete
their duties. (2006)
3. Jack
Rutledge Fellow
One member shall be chosen to lead initiatives
directly related to AMSA’s Strategic Priorities and shall serve as AMSA’s
expert on grass roots organizing and coalition building.
The Jack Rutledge Fellow (JRF)
shall take a one-year leave of absence from his/her medical training to serve
in a full-time capacity with the Association. Remuneration in the form of a salary is paid to the Jack Rutledge Fellow,
commensurate with 85% of the sum received by a first-year postgraduate resident
in the
The JRF’s performance will be
evaluated by the ED and the Board of Trustees at the November Board Meeting.
The general function and work of the JRF shall include but not be limited to
the following:
The JRF will focus on AMSA’s Strategic Priorities, primarily on Universal Health Care (UHC). Work on |