Medical Student Council Constitution and Bylaws
Constitution
Mission Statement
The Medical Student Council will organize and advocate for medical students in order to advance our program and empower our fellow students. We will work to foster a community that supports students in a holistic approach to medical education. We will prioritize first and foremost the interest of the medical student body, from entering students to graduating students, and utilize the ideas and feedback of the medical student body in a constant effort to grow and improve. We will respect each other, the faculty and staff, and Washington State University as a whole. We will be bold, audacious, and visionary in our efforts to accomplish this mission.
Culture Statement
The medical student culture shall always be a focus of the Medical Student Council. The Medical Student Council will support and cultivate a culture as a program that respects each class’s values, building off of the foundations set by the inaugural class. The Medical Student Council affirms a culture of equity, inclusion, and collaboration, and will motivate each entering class to think consciously about their cultural values and about how this culture fits in with that of other classes and of the school at-large. We will encourage each class to hold their peers accountable to their agreed upon class values.
Article I: Name
Section 1
The name of this organization shall be the Medical Student Council. It will alternatively be referred to as the MSC or Student Council.
Article II: Purpose
Section 1
The Student Council will organize and advocate for medical students in order to advance our program and empower our fellow students. We will work to foster a community that supports students in a holistic approach to medical education. We will utilize the ideas and feedback of the medical student body in a constant effort to grow and improve. We will respect each other, the faculty and staff, and Washington State University as a whole. We will be bold, audacious, and visionary in our efforts to accomplish this mission.
Section 2
The Student Council will engage during orientation week with each entering class to facilitate the establishment of mutually decided class values. To facilitate this value setting, we will create early opportunities for fostering class culture and building camaraderie, and encourage early involvement of each entering class. We will support culture building sessions for both MS1 and MS2 classes during the academic year.
Article III: Authority
Section 1
This organization is a registered student organization at Washington State University, Spokane campus. This organization adheres to all campus policies as set forth in the Washington State University Code of Conduct and the Washington State University RSO Policy Handbook.
Section 2
This organization will establish bylaws to govern administrative and procedural matters. Bylaws shall not conflict with this constitution. Bylaws may be adopted, amended, or temporarily suspended by a majority vote present at an organization meeting where a quorum (defined at 50% of voting members) is present. Voting members are defined as the elected student members of the Student Council.
Article IV: Membership
Section 1
Membership in the organization shall be open to those regularly-enrolled in the MD program at Washington State University.
Section 2
Eligibility for membership or appointed or elected student officer positions may not be limited on the basis of race, religion, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, age, sex, gender identity, marital or parental status, citizenship, sexual orientation, range of abilities, financial means, education, or political perspective, and any other identity not here described. The organization shall have no rules or policies that discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, age, sex, gender identity, marital or parental status, citizenship, sexual orientation, range of abilities, financial means, education, or political perspective, and any other identity not here described.
The Student Council will support all medical students. We will not discriminate on the basis of Student Interest Group (SIG), Registered Student Organization (RSO), Learning Community, or on the basis of race, religion, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, age, sex, gender identity, marital or parental status, citizenship, sexual orientation, range of abilities, financial means, education, or political perspective, and any other identity not here described.
Article V: Officers
Section 1
The officers of the Student Council shall be President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Community Liaison, Clerkship Chair, Student Health and Wellness Chair, MS1 Class Representative, and AAMC Organizational Student Representatives.
Section 2
In order to run for office in the Student Council, members must be a matriculated student in good academic standing with the College of Medicine.
Section 3
While in office, officers must maintain good academic standing with the College of Medicine at all times. Good academic standing is at the discretion of the College of Medicine Office of Student Affairs.
Section 4
All officers serve for a term of 1 year. Medical Student Council officer terms are from July 1 – July 1, with the exception of Student Health and Wellness Chair, MS1 Class Representative, and AAMC Organizational Student Representatives, who will serve from October 1 – October 1.
Section 5
Any officer who, during the term of their office, ceases to be a voting member, or fails to maintain their status as a matriculated College of Medicine student in good academic and disciplinary standing, shall be removed from their office and a replacement shall be elected.
Article VI: Meetings
Section 1
Regular meetings shall be held weekly at the discretion of the President during the academic year.
Section 2
Special meetings may be called by the President or a majority of the Student Council. All members must be given a minimum of 24 hours notice via email prior to the meeting time.
Section 3
Business in which minutes are taken and official voting occurs may not be conducted unless a quorum of the membership is present. A quorum for this organization is defined as a simple majority of the voting membership.
Section 4
Members must be present in-person or by virtual meeting (video conference, etc.) in order to vote.
Section 5
In order to vote, a member must be in good standing. To be “in good standing,” a member must be in good academic standing with the College of Medicine. Additionally, members must not have had any disciplinary actions taken against them for violation of the Code of Conduct within the past 3 months.
Section 6
Absences from Student Council meetings may be excused or unexcused. An excused absence is defined as an absence with 24 hour advance notice, given to the Secretary, that includes a valid reason for the absence. Valid reasons include personal or family health emergencies, adverse weather precluding transportation, scholastic or academic time conflicts, or any other reason that is deemed by the Student Council to meet criteria for excused absence on a case-by-case basis. Unexcused absences are defined as any absence from an official Student Council meeting without notice.
Attendance at less than 80% of all scheduled Student Council meetings by any Student Council member in a given term, regardless of absence status, may result in automatic review of the member’s attendance during a Student Council meeting. This may result in removal of the member from the Student Council with majority vote. Occurrence of an unexcused absence by any member of the Student Council may result in a review of the absence during the next scheduled Student Council meeting.
The only exception to this rule is for the Third and Fourth year AAMC Organizational Student Representatives. Third and Fourth year representatives are only required to attend when clinic schedule permits, but should attend as often as available. In the case that they cannot make a meeting, the Clerkship Chair will reach out to the clerkship representatives to gather feedback and address any concerns.
Article VII: University Advisor
Section 1
The Medical Student Council shall have a University Advisor who will be the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs for the College of Medicine. The Advisor will fulfill the responsibilities specified in the Washington State University RSO Policy Handbook.
Article VIII: Finances
Section 1
Finances and Student Activities and Fees Committee applications should be completed by the Treasurer.
Section 2
Student Council finances will come from the College of Medicine Student Affairs budget (including FN057 and state funding) and from WSU Spokane Services and Activities (S&A) RSO budget.
Section 3
Items for which Student Council finances are spent should represent the culture and mission of the Medical Student Council. A comprehensive annual budget should be agreed upon by Student Council officers-elect prior to the beginning of their terms according to the due date set by College of Medicine Student Affairs (07/01).
Article IX: Discipline of Members
Section 1
All members of the Student Council are expected to uphold the rules and regulations of the Washington State University Code of Conduct and adhere to the policies and procedures set forth in the Washington State University RSO Policy Handbook.
Section 2
Members that violate the Student Code of Conduct and Washington State University RSO Policy Handbook may face disciplinary action, including but not limited to revocation of membership status or reporting to the Washington State University administration.
Section 3
If at any time this discipline of members article is not sufficient to resolve issues and the issues remains outside of conduct or academic standards outlined in the Bylaws and constitution, a removal from office process may be started in conjunction with Washington State University Standards and under supervision from the College of Medicine Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. If a member is removed from their office a replacement shall be elected.
Article X: Non-Discrimination
Section 1
The Student Council will support all medical students. We will not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, ancestry, ethnicity, age, sex, gender identity, marital or parental status, citizenship, sexual orientation, range of abilities, financial means, education, or political perspective, and any other identity not here described.
Article XI: Amendments
Section 1
Proposed amendments to this constitution shall be presented to the membership, in writing, at a meeting prior to the meeting where the amendment will be voted upon. The Studen Council shall review and make recommendations on all bylaw revisions prior to consideration by the membership.
Section 2
Constitution amendments require approval by a simple majority of the voting members present at a regular meeting where a quorum is present. The amendment shall be effective immediately unless otherwise stipulated in the amendment.
Section 3
A copy of any amendments to this constitution must be submitted to Washington State University within two weeks after adoption.
Bylaws
Section I: The Officers of the Medical Student Council Shall be the:
- President
- Vice President
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Community Liaison
- Clerkship Chair
- Student Health and Wellness Chair
- MS1 Class Representative
- (4) AAMC Organizational Student Representatives, one for each entering class
- (1) First year representative
- (1) Second year representative
- (1) Third year representative
- (1) Fourth year representative
Section II: Powers and Duties of the Officers
President
The duties of the President shall be to represent the Student Council and student body to College of Medicine faculty and staff, prioritize communication within and to the student body, and constantly advocate for a positive culture.
The President shall also sit on the Dean’s Cabinet and attend regular meetings of the Dean’s Cabinet. If absent from a meeting, the President shall provide a brief report to the Dean in advance of the meeting summarizing current student sentiment. The president may designate another officer to attend in their absence.
The President is responsible for facilitating all Student Council meetings. This includes but is not limited to disseminating the agenda, creating an efficient and inclusive meeting, and ensuring the meeting ends and begins on-time.The president may designate another officer to facilitate in their absence.
The President will liaison with the Vice Dean for Research in order to facilitate current efforts in expanding research opportunities to the student body.
Vice President
The duties of the Vice President shall include support of the President in their essential duties as-needed and in the event that the President is unable to fulfill their duties at any given time, the Vice President shall assume all duties of the President for the time needed.
The Vice President shall oversee all Task Forces within the school.
The Vice President is also responsible for bi-weekly meetings with the Associate Dean for Curriculum and Associate Dean for Accreditation, Assessment and Evaluation.
The Vice President shall meet monthly with the Student Committee Representatives and communicate committee updates to the Student Council.
Secretary
The Secretary shall take minutes at official Student Council meetings and post said minutes to a forum accessible to the student body.
Meeting Minutes will be approved via simple majority vote at the beginning of each subsequent meeting, after an opportunity for feedback has been given. Once approved, the Secretary shall coordinate with Student Affairs to have the minutes published to the Student Affairs website.
The duties of the Secretary shall also include, but are not limited to, scheduling meetings, reserving rooms for meetings, generally handling logistical requests, creating and distributing organizational and logistical aids and support to the student body, and supporting and contributing to Student Council tasks and projects such as the Student Council Newsletter.
Treasurer
The Treasurer shall manage all finances within Student Council. The Treasurer will also assist Student Interest Groups and Registered Student Organizations with financial issues and budget planning.
The Treasurer shall keep a detailed budget of all funding and expenditures throughout the year, and present updates to Student Council at least once per academic term.
The Treasurer shall utilize the Director of Financial Education in the Office of Student Affairs as a point of contact for any questions regarding Student Council finances.
The Treasurer shall be responsible for overseeing and maintaining the Borrow Program.
The Treasurer shall monitor any funding or borrow request forms on a monthly basis, and present applicants to the Student Council for review.
Community Liaison
The Community Liaison will meet once per term with the Associate Dean for Land Grant Mission and Community Engagement to facilitate and grow relationships between College of Medicine and the Spokane Community. The Community Liaison will seek to increase opportunities for medical students to engage and serve within the WSU and Spokane Community.
The Community Liaison will regularly communicate with the Vice Dean for Alumni Engagement with the goal of supporting the current efforts to explore, expand, and engage alumni relationships with the College of Medicine and WSU Campuses and Community.
The Community Liaison will coordinate regularly scheduled attendance of the medical student ASWSUHS Senators at Student Council meetings. The Senators will be expected to debrief the Student Council on matters relevant to ASWSUHS Senate meetings and affairs pertaining to all areas of College of Medicine and the WSU Spokane campus. The Community Liaison will work to increase interprofessional collaboration on the WSU Spokane campus.
The Community Liaison will regularly communicate with the Dean for Health Equity and Inclusion with the goal of increasing diversity and inclusion at College of Medicine.
Clerkship Chair
Interactions with Learning Community Liaisons will be facilitated by Student Council Clerkship Chair. The role will be to facilitate information and student concerns from each learning community as they appear and host at least one meeting with all LCL’s per term. The Clerkship Chair will encourage collaboration between the campus-specific MS1-MS4 LCLs.
The Clerkship Chair is to act as a resource and connection to represent student concerns within each learning community alongside the student feedback channel and direct contact with ADCE’s and campus teams.
The Clerkship Chair will work with the Clerkship Assessment and Curriculum leads to support and advocate for improvements to the student academic experience.
The Clerkship Chair will strive to maintain connection, community, and communication among the clinical campuses and the pre-clerkship and clerkship years.
Student Health and Wellness Chair
The Student Health and Wellness Chair will act as the Chairperson for the College of Medicine Social Committee. Duties of the Student Health and Wellness Chair include, but are not limited to: recruiting student involvement in Social Committee, providing direction and support in the planning of social events, and communicating Social Committee updates to Student Council and the Office of Student Affairs.
The Student Health and Wellness Chair will also seek to promote general medical student wellness by communicating directly with the Director for Student Wellness, the WSU Spokane Campus Diversity Center, WSU Spokane Counseling Services, and any other relevant resources to provide wellness-centered information and/or events to the student body.
The Student Health and Wellness Chair will be held by an MS1.
MS1 Class Representative
The MS1 Class Representative will collaborate with the First Year Organizational Student Representative (OSR) to represent the ideas, opinions, and needs of the first year student body to Student Council and Administration.
The MS1 Class Representative will support and contribute to Student Council tasks and projects that foster culture and belonging within the MS1 cohort.
The MS1 Class Representative will be responsible for gathering information and feedback from their class to bring forth to Student Council meetings.
AAMC Organizational Student Representatives
General Roles
- All OSR representatives are voting members of the Student Council.
- One OSR representative per entering class, with annual elections and the option of reelection.
- There is one primary OSR for the College of Medicine — the MS2 OSR is the primary OSR and OSR voting member at OSR conferences.
- Before any conference is attended, OSRs are to hear student input (i.e. hold a Town Hall, etc.) and discuss representation of the student body.
- After any conference is attended, OSRs are to provide a written report to the Student Council and the student body.
Representative By Year
- Each year’s representative will represent the ideas, opinions, and needs of their class’s student body to the Student Council and the AAMC
- First year representative represents first year students
- Second year representative represents second year students
- Third year representative represents third year students
- Fourth year representative represents third year students
- Each year’s representative will represent the ideas, opinions, and needs of the Student Council and student body to the AAMC.
Section III: Qualifications necessary to hold office in the Medical Student Council are as follows
Washington State University policies require that, to be eligible for office, candidates must be in good academic and disciplinary standing and regularly enrolled students at Washington State University. Additionally, students must be enrolled in the MD program.
No member may hold more than one office.
Section IV: Regular Elections
Elections for the positions of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Community Liaison, and Clerkship Chair will proceed with the following timeline:
- Before Winter break
- Current Student Council holds information session about the Student Council election process and commitment with MS1s
- Second week of January
- MS1 students nominate themselves to run for office.
- By the end of January
- Formal Student Council Officer elections will occur.
- First week of February
- New officers-elect enter a “transition period.” This includes attending Student Council meetings, receiving direct training from their second-year counterparts, and gaining an understanding of day-to-day function of the Student Council.
- Beginning of July
- Outgoing Student Council members become non-voting members and Student Council-elect members become the new official Student Council voting members.
This timeline is subject to change at the discretion of the current Student Council.
Officers shall be elected by a plurality vote. In the case of a tie, a runoff election will take place between the top candidates. In the case of a re-tie, re-voting will occur again. This process will continue for a third time.
In the event of an officer stepping down or being released from the Student Council, resolution will be obtained with the advisement of the Assistant Dean for Student Affairs. If a member is removed from their office a replacement shall be elected.
Section V: Student Health and Wellness Chair Election
Chair position election will take place by the second week of September each year, with the goal of having a chair in place by October 1st.
The Student Health and Wellness Chair is a one-term position, held solely by an MS1 each year.
Section VI: MS1 Representative Election
Representative position election will take place by the second week of September each year with the goal of having representatives in place by October 1st.
The MS1 Representative is a one-term position, held solely by an MS1 each year.
Section VII: OSR Elections
Representative position elections will take place by the second week of September each year with the goal of having representatives in place by October 1st.
Standing representatives will be up for re-election each year. They are able to run for a consecutive year at this time, if they choose to do so, with the knowledge that someone may choose to run against them.
Special elections will commence if an OSR steps down or is removed from their position for any reason at any point during their term.
Section VIII: University Advisor
The Advisor shall fulfill the responsibilities specified in the Washington State University RSO Policy Handbook. Advisors shall serve on an academic year basis or until their successor has been selected.
The Advisor shall participate in the Student Health Advisor training/recertification process yearly if it is offered by the school.
Section IX: Meetings and Voting
Regular meetings shall be scheduled weekly during the academic year.
Special meetings may be called by the President or a majority of the Student Council. All members must be given a minimum of 24 hours’ notice via email prior to the meeting time.
Business meetings in which minutes are taken and official voting occurs may not be conducted unless a quorum of the membership is present. A quorum for this organization is defined as a simple majority of the voting membership.
Members must be present in-person or by virtual meeting (video conference, etc.) in order to vote. Absentee or proxy voting (except for by digital attendance) is not permitted.
In order to vote, a member must be in good standing. To be “in good standing,” a member must have, have met attendance requirements, and must be in good academic standing with the College of Medicine. Additionally, members must not have had any disciplinary actions taken against them for violation of the Code of Conduct within the past 3 months.
Any officer who, during the term of their office, ceases to be a voting member, or fails to maintain their status as a matriculated College of Medicine student in good academic and disciplinary standing shall be removed from their office and a replacement shall be elected.
Section X: Special Committees
Special committees or Task Forces may be established by the Student Council and shall perform such duties as defined in their establishment.
The Student Council shall appoint, and may remove, committee members and a Chairperson for each committee.
Section XI: Advisory Board
Following the length of their term, any member of the Student Council can opt in to anAdvisory Board position for future Student Council engagement.
Members of the Advisory Board will have no voting rights and will act only as advisors to the current Student Council.
The current Student Council will facilitate all engagement with this Advisory Board and their advice shall only be solicited when needed.
Section XII: Non-Hazing Clause
The laws of the state of Washington concerning hazing shall be observed as stated in WAC 504-26-206.
Any action or activity consistent with hazing according to WAC 504-26-206, including but not limited to the information linked above, are explicitly prohibited by the organization.
Section XIII: Vacancy of Office
In the event of an officer stepping down or being released from Student Council, a resolution will be obtained and a replacement shall be elected at the discretion of the Student Council.
If a Student Council member is elected to another position in the upcoming Student Council year, they will resign from their current position starting July 1st to begin their new position.
The Student Council team will carry out the vacant position’s duties to the best of their ability if another position is not elected.
Section XIV: Amendments
Proposed amendments to these bylaws shall be presented to the membership, in writing, one meeting prior to the meeting where the amendment will be voted upon. The Student Council and/or Bylaws Committee shall review and make recommendations on all bylaws revisions prior to consideration by the membership.
Bylaw amendments require approval by a majority of the voting members present at a regular meeting. The amendment shall be effective immediately unless otherwise stipulated in the amendment.