Constitution of the Student Government Association

CONSTITUTION OF THE LEWIS KATZ SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT TEMPLE UNIVERSITY STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION

(REVISED November 2015)

ARTICLE I -- Name and Object

Section 1. Name -- The name of this organization shall be the Lewis Katz School of Medicine Student Government Association (LKSOM SGA), hereinafter referred to as "LKSOM SGA".

Section 2. Object -- The object of LKSOM SGA shall be:

A. to act as a liaison between the individual students, the faculty, administration, and alumni of the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University;

B. to act as a liaison between individual classes and other elements of the Health Science Campus community;

C. to contribute to the welfare and education of the student body;

D. to promote activities for the academic, social, professional, and administrative welfare of the entire student body.

ARTICLE II -- Members

Section 1. Members -- LKSOM SGA shall consist of Student LKSOM SGA Officers, newly elected or reelected Class Representatives, Clinical Campus Representatives, and at least one representative from Recognized Student Organizations (RSOs).

Section 2. Membership Requirements

LKSOM SGA Executive Board, Class Officers, and Clinical Campus Representatives:

1. Absences: shall miss no more than two (2) LKSOM SGA meetings for that academic year, unless excused. The absence of a LKSOM SGA Executive Board or Class Officer is excused if that absence fulfills one (1) of the following requirements:

a. The student is on an away rotation (an away rotation is defined as one (1) for which the institution provides housing for the duration of the rotation and which requires considerable travel time from LKSOM.
b. The student is mandated to remain for the entirety of a short or long call. (Documentation required such as a note signed by a Resident or Attending Physician.)
c. The rotation mandates that a student attend sign-out, thereby detaining the student past the time of a LKSOM SGA meeting. (Documentation required such as a note signed by a Resident or Attending Physician.)
d. The student is away on interview. (Documentation required.)
e. At least four (4) class representatives per class should attend the LKSOM SGA meetings unless absences fall within the guidelines stated above (Section 2, A, 1)

2. Forced Resignation of Members

a. If any individual member of LKSOM SGA fails to meet the responsibilities of their position, LKSOM SGA may force them to resign by two-thirds (2/3) vote. Notice of the invoked forced resignation vote shall occur at least two (2) weeks in advance of such a vote.
b. LKSOM SGA Officers, Class Representatives, or any other appointed officials are expected to abide by the Lewis Katz School of Medicine Honor Code. Any individual committing such a violation can be brought before LKSOM SGA for disciplinary action as determined by LKSOM SGA.

3. Voluntary Resignation of LKSOM SGA Officers

a. Voluntary resignation of the President -- In the event of voluntary resignation of the President of LKSOM SGA, the Vice President of LKSOM SGA shall assume the position of President. An election will be open for the office of Vice president as per Article V, Section 1.
b. Voluntary resignation of the remaining LKSOM SGA Officers -- In the event of voluntary resignation of any other Officer of LKSOM SGA, an election shall be held at the earliest opportunity to fill that office for the remainder of that term, as per Article V, Section 1.

B. Recognized Student Organizations

1. Representation. Each RSO must have representation at every LKSOM SGA meeting.

a. RSOs that do not have representation at more than two (2) meetings in an academic year may be subject to a penalty of 10% of their current budget.
b. Organizations absent at two (2) meetings in a semester may be voted out of LKSOM SGA via majority vote at the subsequent LKSOM SGA meeting. E-mail notification must be made to all officers of said organization after both the first and the second absences.
c. In the event an RSO is voted out of LKSOM SGA, the organization still has the option of reapplying for LKSOM SGA membership; re-application can occur if the organization is represented at the three (3) successive LKSOM SGA meetings following the expulsion.
d. Each RSO must have first year representation at one-half (1/2) of the monthly LKSOM SGA meetings, or a total of four (4) meetings, to be documented and collected in the monthly attendance.
e. A single individual may only sign in for a maximum of 2 RSOs.

2. Application Process. Any RSO requesting admission to LKSOM SGA as a voting member shall follow the procedure outlined below:

a. Eligibility -- The structure and functions of the RSO shall represent the social, educational, and/or the professional aspects of the students of Lewis Katz School of Medicine.
b. A representative shall present a written and verbal petition to LKSOM SGA stating the purpose of their organization. Said organization must serve or meet an unmet need of the LKSOM student body. Said organization must show that there is sufficient membership willing to take an active and ongoing part of the organization. Following the petition, a representative must attend four (4) more successive meetings.
c. Once these requirements have been met, LKSOM SGA shall discuss the proposal. A vote shall be taken following the close of the discussion. The organization will be granted membership only on approval of two thirds (2/3) of LKSOM SGA.

3. Restarting an Inactive Organization. Any RSO requesting admission to LKSOM SGA as a voting member shall follow the procedure outlined below:

a. Eligibility: Groups inactive for less than 4 full years are eligible to be restarted within the following construct. Any group attempting to be restarted after that time must follow the general application process found above. The structure and functions of the RSO shall continue to represent the social, educational, and/or the professional aspects of the students of Lewis Katz School of Medicine.
b. A representative shall present a written and verbal petition to LKSOM SGA stating the purpose of the organization. Said organization must serve or meet an unmet need of the LKSOM student body. Said organization must show that there is sufficient membership willing to take an active and ongoing part in the organization. Following the petition, a representative must attend two (2) more successive meetings.
c. Once these requirements have been met, LKSOM SGA shall discuss the proposal. A vote shall be taken following the close of the discussion. The organization will be granted membership only on approval of two thirds (2/3) of LKSOM SGA.

ARTICLE III - Voting

Section 1. Privileges

A. Officers -- The Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Webmaster, and Community Service Chair shall each receive one (1) vote.

The President shall only receive a vote in the event of a tie.

B. Class Representatives -- Each class shall have no more than four (4) votes.

C. Clinical Campus Representatives -- Each representative shall receive one (1) vote

D. RSOs -- Each organization shall have one (1) vote.

E. Each individual shall hold no more than one (1) vote.

F. Suspension of voting privileges -- The voting privileges of any member may be suspended if they fail to meet the responsibilities of membership to LKSOM SGA as stated in Article II, Section 2.

G. In the event that a class representative of the General Assembly cannot be present due to an excused absence, (s)he may request an absentee ballot. These ballots will be distributed by the SGA Executive Board on an individual basis, and must be received by the time of voting. The GA will be notified when absentee ballots are distributed and counted towards a vote.

Section 2. Procedure -- Voting shall be conducted in an open fashion unless any member requests a secret vote.

A. Quorum -- A quorum shall be considered a meeting of 2/3 voting members of LKSOM SGA as determined by Article II, Section 1.

B. Motions -- Any individual present at a LKSOM SGA meeting may make a motion. A motion must be seconded by another individual at the meeting to be considered for a vote.

C. Approval -- A simple majority of the voting members present has the capacity to pass or reject any motion brought before LKSOM SGA unless otherwise indicated in the constitution. An Executive Board Member (President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Webmaster, or Community Service Chair) of LKSOM SGA shall count the votes.

D. In the event of a secret vote, a nonvoting member of LKSOM SGA shall be appointed by LKSOM SGA to assist in the counting of ballots.

ARTICLE IV - LKSOM SGA Executive Board, Class Officers and Clinical Campus Representatives

Section 1. Enumeration -- The six (6) LKSOM SGA Executive Board Officers shall be designated as President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Webmaster, and Community Service Chair. The Class Officers are enumerated in ARTICLE V, Section 2.

A. LKSOM SGA Officers shall: 1) act as LKSOM SGA liaisons to the LKSOM student body and to all other organizations; 2) perform any other duties listed within this Constitution; 3) attend meetings as requested by the Deans’ Office, Administration, Faculty and Alumni Association; 4) organize LKSOM SGA events (e.g. social functions, fund-raisers, community service projects); 5) promote attendance and early involvement of the incoming first year class through email and in person announcements which welcome and encourage their participation and advise them of student government leadership opportunities (including the attendance requirement to run for Executive Board).

B. The President shall: 1) organize and conduct both monthly and emergency LKSOM SGA meetings; 2) circulate meeting agendas via the listserv before the meeting; 3) communicating regularly throughout each month with each Class President and SGA members, as appropriate.

C. The Vice President shall: 1) perform the duties of the President in the temporary absence of the President; 2) review the Constitution each semester and, if necessary, form a review committee (see Article VIII, Section 3); 3) address all inquiries regarding the Constitution, including all questions regarding attendance requirements.

D. The Treasurer shall: 1) organize the budget and present it to LKSOM SGA (see Article VIII, Section 2); 2) make monthly reports to LKSOM SGA regarding the current account balance for both LKSOM SGA as a whole and for each RSO; 3) Keep track of receipts that have been submitted but not yet reimbursed, and include these totals in the monthly reports to LKSOM SGA; 4) let LKSOM SGA members know if they have reimbursements that have been ready for them for weeks; 5) request and receive written budget proposals for the Budget Committee from all organizations funded by LKSOM SGA (see Article VIII, Section 2); 6) advocate for additional funds from both University and other sources; 7) address all budgetary concerns; and 8) act as an advocate for LKSOM SGA members in all budgetary matters, as appropriate.

E. The Secretary shall: 1) record attendance and minutes for all LKSOM SGA meetings; 2) distribute minutes for each LKSOM SGA meeting via the list serve and issue attendance advisories to absent members/RSOs; 3) schedule trimonthly meetings between the administration and student representatives to discuss any issues within the school; 4) assign a student representative for each administration/representative meeting to take and distribute meeting minutes; 5) advertise LKSOM SGA meetings by placing flyers prominently within the medical school and by sending notifications via the list server; 6) Work with the Deans’ Office to ensure that posting rules are enforced and bulletin boards updated; 7) provide an updated Constitution after the May meeting to the Deans’ Office for inclusion in the Student Handbook.

F. The Webmaster shall: 1) Work with administration to maintain the online version of the student handbook; 2) Maintain a database of the newly elected RSO officers, their e-mail addresses, and telephone numbers for monthly list serve distribution and provide an updated list in May to both the Deans’ Office (for organizing Orientation) and to the LKSOM SGA members; 3) Maintain and make accessible online, an updated calendar of all events taking place on the Health Sciences Campus.

G. The Community Service Chair shall: 1) Oversee all SGA sponsored community service events; 2) Communicate with administration as point person for service events; 3) Serve as liaison between community and LKSOM; 4) Keep record of service site contact information; 5) Encourage all RSO to participate in at least one service event per year.

H. Class Officers shall serve their respective classes and the LKSOM student body as a whole.

The collective efforts of each class’s officers must include (but should not be limited to): 1) organizing and presenting class and LKSOM SGA activities, 2) organizing and holding class elections (see Article V, Section 2), 3) serving on LKSOM SGA committees as needed, 4) fulfilling other duties enumerated in the LKSOM SGA Constitution, 5) acting as liaisons between their class and others at LKSOM (including the administration, LKSOM SGA, other classes, etc.), 6) advertising LKSOM SGA activities to their classmates and encouraging class participation in LKSOM SGA organization community service events and programs.
Class Officers shall report each month to their Class President, who will confer and present a monthly report to the LKSOM SGA President prior to each monthly meeting. This report of activities and duties will be reviewed at each monthly LKSOM SGA meeting.

I. Clinical campus representatives shall serve their clinical campus and student body as a whole and act as liaison between the clinical campus and LKSOM main campus.

The efforts of the clinical campus representatives must include (but should not be limited to): 1) organizing and presenting class and LKSOM SGA activities, 2) serving on LKSOM SGA committees as needed, 4) fulfilling other duties enumerated in the LKSOM SGA Constitution, 5) acting as liaisons between their class and others at LKSOM and respective clinical campus (including the administration, LKSOM SGA, other classes, etc.), 6) advertising LKSOM SGA activities to their classmates and encouraging class participation in LKSOM SGA organization community service events and programs.
Clinical campus representatives shall present a monthly report to the LKSOM SGA President prior to each monthly meeting. This report of activities and duties will be reviewed at each monthly LKSOM SGA meeting.

Section 3. Term of Office -- Officers of LKSOM SGA shall serve for a term of one (1) year following election or until the next officer election. Except in the case of emergency or special elections, the ordinary term of Executive Board members shall span from June 1 through May 31 of the Academic Year.

ARTICLE V - Elections

Section 1. LKSOM SGA Officers

A. Eligibility

President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Webmaster, and Community Service Chair. Any 1st year student wishing to run for an executive board position must have attended at least one (1) SGA meeting in the fall and two meetings in the spring. Any 2nd or third year student wishing to run for an executive board position must have attended at least two (2) meetings in the fall and two (2) meetings in the spring.
Any eligible student may be nominated or nominate him/herself.
Each candidate shall be required to make a speech of no more than three (3) minutes including questions. In the event that the candidate cannot attend the meeting, (s)he shall send a written speech to be read by a designated proxy. After the speeches there shall be no discussion.
Voting shall be conducted as per Article III. Newly elected Class Representatives/, and newly elected club representatives are not eligible to vote. The candidate with the highest number of votes shall be elected to that office. The other candidates may then run for the remaining offices for which they are eligible.
Any student who misses more than two (2) LKSOM SGA meetings during an academic year because of responsibilities at an away rotation, or at a rotation where Temple has deemed it necessary to provide living accommodations, can count the missed meetings as attended for the purposes of eligibility for election to the offices of President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary and Webmaster. These meetings cannot be counted as attended meetings for any other purpose.
Election of LKSOM SGA Officers shall be held at the April meeting. New officers shall sit with the outgoing officers at the May meeting, but may only vote if they are representing an organization.

Section 2. Class Representatives

A. Eligibility -- Any member of a class, regardless of assigned clinical campus, shall be eligible to run unless that person was a Class Representative for the current academic year, in which case the same policy as in Article V, Section 1.A.1 applies as stated above.
B. Procedure

Elections of Class Officers shall be conducted by the Honor Board
Attendance records for each candidate must be verified with the Secretary prior to the production of the ballot (Article II, Section 2).
1. Elections for the rising three classes shall be scheduled to occur at least one (1) week before the first Wednesday of May.
2. Elections for the newly arrived 1st year class shall be scheduled to occur within the first two (2) weeks of October, following a Monday Doctoring. This will be scheduled in coordination with the Doctoring faculty.
Separate elections shall be held for Class President, Class Representative, and Community Service Representative. Students may run for one (1), two (2) or three (3) class positions.
Each candidate for class office shall submit at least one (1) written statement of no more than seventy-five (75) words with their choice(s) of position(s). This statement is due no later than ten (10) days before the election. At least one (1) week prior to the election, these statements shall be posted prominently in the medical school building and e-mailed to the class. These statements shall also be included on the ballot, along with the candidate’s student ID photo.
Candidates shall each address their class. Each candidate’s address shall last no more than two (2) minutes.
The order of election will be as follows: 1) Class President 2) Community Service 3) Class Representative. The student with the highest number of votes for Presidency shall be elected to that office. The student with the highest number of votes for Community Service Representative shall be elected to that position. The students with the three (3) highest numbers of votes for Class Representatives shall be elected to those positions.
The process of election will proceed as follows:
1. Electronic polls for Class President will be open for 48 hours following the speeches. The results will be announced. The student with highest number of votes will be removed from voting for the Community Service and Class Representative
2. Electronic polls for Community Service will open at the conclusion of the Class president poll and will remain open for 48 hours. The results will be announced. The student with the highest number of votes will be removed from the voting for Class Representative
3. The Class Representative electronic poll will open at the conclusion of the Community Service poll and will be open for 48 hours.
4. In the event that a paper poll is conducted, voting for all positions will take place on the same day, preferably, but not exclusively, following a Doctoring session.

Section 3. Clinical Campus Representatives

A. Eligibility -- Any member of the class assigned to go to a specific clinical campus shall be eligible to run for the position at the clinical campus unless that person already holds a position of Class Representative.

B. Procedure

Elections of Class Officers shall be conducted by the Honor Board
Attendance records for each candidate must be verified with the Secretary prior to the production of the ballot (Article II, Section 2).
1. Elections for Clinical Campus Representative to St. Luke's and Philadelphia campuses for the rising second year class shall be scheduled to occur at least one (1) week before the first Wednesday of May.
2. Elections for Clinical Campus Representative to St. Luke's, West Penn, Geisinger and Philadelphia campuses for the rising third year class shall be scheduled to occur at least one (1) week before the first Wednesday of May.
Each candidate for clinical campus representative shall submit a written statement of no more than seventy-five (75) words. This statement is due no later than ten (10) days before the election. At least one (1) week prior to the election, these statements shall be posted prominently in the medical school building and e-mailed to the clinical campus students. These statements shall also be included on the ballot, along with the candidate’s student ID photo.
Candidates shall each address their respective clinical campus classmates. Each candidate’s address shall last no more than two (2) minutes. These speeches shall occur at either a class meeting, immediately after a lecture, or at any time deemed appropriate by the Honor Board’s Election Committee
Should no student run for the position of clinical campus representative to a specific campus, that position will be left open until the following year.

Section 4. RSOs -- Elections shall be conducted as outlined by the constitution of each organization.

ARTICLE VI -- Meetings

Section 1. LKSOM SGA shall meet at 5:15pm on the first Wednesday of each month from September to May. If a meeting is held at another time, absences will not be counted against members unless, at least one (1) week prior, two (2) e-mail notices are sent to members and notices are prominently placed in the medical school (e.g. elevators, doors to stairways, bulletin boards).

Section 2. The last LKSOM SGA meeting shall be attended by both outgoing and newly elected members of LKSOM SGA.

ARTICLE VII -- Budget

Section 1. Eligibility

A. In order to be eligible for funding, an organization must be a RSO.

B. Organizations recognized within two (2) years will not have to reapply for LKSOM SGA organization status. Dormant organizations (inactive for 1 year without budget) will be allowed no more than $100 for starting budget.

Section 2. Budget Allocation

A. LKSOM SGA will approve a budget for the current academic year as outlined in Article VIII, Section 2.

B. Requisition and reimbursement of allocated funds shall follow current guidelines available through the Budget Committee and in the Office of Student Affairs.

C. It is required that receipts for reimbursement be copied in triplicate, with one copy for the University Office which reimburses, one

ARTICLE VIII – Committees

All of the SGA committees will be formed at the same time, early in the fall semester. During the SGA meeting at which the new 1st year representatives are first present, each class representative member will rank, in order of preference (#1 - #6), his/her choices for the committee on which they would like to sit. Each class representative must fill out a ranking sheet. Any other SGA member may volunteer to fill out a ranking sheet as well. The executive board will review the rankings and allocate committee positions based on preference. In the event that there are more SGA members than committee positions, then the remaining SGA members will serve as ‘alternates,’ to be used in the event of a conflict of interest (i.e. someone sitting on the Curriculum Committee Selection Committee decides they want to be on the Curriculum Committee itself).

Section 1. Admissions Board Selection Committee

A. The selection committee shall consist of current student members of the Admissions Committee and three (3) members of LKSOM SGA. Members of the selection committee are not eligible to apply for a position on the Admissions Board that year.

B. Selection of student representatives shall be made each year from the applicants in the second-year class. Applicants must submit essays stating their qualifications for the position and be interviewed. From here, Admissions Director must approve final decision.

Section 2. Budget Committee

A. The Budget Committee shall consist of the Student LKSOM SGA Treasurer and volunteers who have attended at least two (2) LKSOM SGA meetings in the current academic year. Both the treasurer elect and the treasurer shall attend the April meeting.

B. Of amount allocated to Student Government from Student Affairs, the Budget Committee will allocate a certain % to be given directly to each class for their representatives to use at their discretion. The remaining funds will be a general reserve for recognized student organizations to apply for as the year progresses and needs arise.

C. The purpose of the Budget Committee is to establish criteria for determining allocation of funds. Reflecting this role, the Budget Committee may choose to use the following guidelines:

Activities that enhance the medical education of Temple medical students.
Activities that positively reflect upon Lewis Katz School of Medicine.
Activities that promote application and/or enrollment at Lewis Katz School of Medicine.
Activities that contribute in a significant way to the health care of others.
Number of LKSOM SGA meetings at which a member of the organization was present.
Activities planned for the next academic year by the organization’s newly elected officers.
Whether the organization has completed the activities it had planned for the current academic year (or has reasonable and substantial plans to complete those activities before the end of the academic year).

D. Recognized student organizations must submit a detailed request for funding at least three weeks prior to event to the SGA Executive Board. From here, funding will be given based on criteria in Section 2, Paragraph C and as funding permits.

E. Treasurer will report to SGA funding of events at each monthly meeting.

Section 3. Bylaws Committee -- This Committee shall be formed when necessary at the request of the Vice President or other members of LKSOM SGA and shall consist of LKSOM SGA members. LKSOM SGA must approve the formation of this committee.

Section 4. Curriculum Committee

A. The student body, in an election, shall select one (1) First Year student to serve a two (2) year term, beginning his/her sophomore year.

B. All applicants shall submit an essay and be reviewed by the Class.

C. The Dean of Curriculum will have the final approval of the selected student.

D. The selected student may attend Curriculum Committee meetings during his/her first year, but may not have voting privileges.

Section 5. Representative to the Academic Block Directors' Committee

A. The first and second year class shall each select one (1) student, by election, in the beginning of the year.

B. All applicants shall submit an essay and be reviewed by the Class.

C. The Dean of Curriculum will have the final approval of the selected student.

D. The selected student may attend academic block directors' meetings, but may not have voting privileges.

Section 6. Representative to the Clinical Rotation Directors' Committee

A. The third and fourth year class shall each select one (1) student, by election, in the beginning of the year.

B. All applicants shall submit an essay and be reviewed by the Class.

C. The Dean of Curriculum will have the final approval of the selected student.

D. The selected student may attend clinical rotation directors' meetings, but may not have voting privileges.

Section 7. Teaching Evaluation Subcommittee

A. The student body, via an election held by class representatives, shall select one (1) medical student to serve a one (1) year term with possible reappointment for one (1) additional year. All applicants shall submit an essay

B. The Dean of Curriculum will have final approval of the selected student.

Section 8. Student Promotion, Appeal and Grievance Committee

A. The Committee shall select one (1) first-year student to serve a two (2) year term beginning in the sophomore year. All applicants shall submit an essay and be interviewed by the Committee.

B. The Dean of Student Affairs will have final approval of the selected student.

ARTICLE IX - Amendments

Section 1. Amendments

A. The by-laws may be amended by the vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the voting members of LKSOM SGA.

B. An amendment to the Constitution and by-Laws of LKSOM SGA goes into effect immediately upon its adoption by two-thirds (2/3) vote.

C. All proposed amendments will be submitted to the Vice-President (section 2, C) for review and presentation to the LKSOM SGA.

Lewis Katz School of Medicine

Constitution of the Student Government Association

Constitution of the Student Government Association

Temple UniversityLewis Katz School of Medicine

Temple University
Lewis Katz School of Medicine