The Emory University Medical Student Senate Bylaws

Article I – Purpose, Scope and Conflicts

These bylaws shall serve as the standard operating procedures and policies of the Emory University Medical Student Senate (MSS) and its Executive Board. The scope of these bylaws applies to all activities of the MSS, including but not limited to General Assembly, committee and Executive Board meetings; funding and chartering of divisional student groups; and elections. The Constitution shall take precedence over the bylaws in the case of any conflict between the two documents.

Article II – Roles of MSS Members

Section 1: Meeting attendance policy

1. All MSS members are expected to attend each monthly meeting of the General Assembly, with the exception of the following excused absences:

   1. Leaving town for official academic purposes (e.g. boards studying and away rotations)

   2. Member’s official class vacation period includes a meeting date 

   3. Clinical rotation schedule that conflicts with meeting time (e.g.labor & delivery nights, medicine night call)

   4. Illness

2. Any MSS member who is unable to attend a meeting in-person for any of the reasons above, but is still able, should make every effort to attend virtually. 

3. All MSS members are expected to attend emergency/special meetings of the General Assembly called by the office of President if there is no pre-existing conflict with the meeting time. Absences from emergency/special meetings of the General Assembly called by the office of President do not count toward the absence total.

4. In all cases of absence, including the aforementioned exceptions, members must notify the Secretary in advance of the meeting and provide a reason for the absence. 

5. Any member not present at a meeting shall have no vote on proceedings occurring during that meeting. Proxy voting shall not be permitted, except for correspondence votes on urgent questions that arise between meetings.

6. Any member who has accrued two (2) unexcused absences in the member’s current term shall be notified of such by the Secretary and informed of the potential consequences for further absences. After three (3) unexcused absences, the Executive Board may choose to initiate impeachment proceedings after taking into consideration the circumstances involved with each absence. 

Section 2: Meeting participation

All MSS members are expected to participate in all aspects of meeting business, including adding relevant discussion points to debates and voting in all decisions during the meeting. Members are further expected to comply with the meeting rules set forth in Article III of these bylaws.

Section 3: Duties and Powers of Executive Board members

1. Members serving in the office of President shall:

• Preside over meetings, count and announce final tally of votes at the General Assembly

• Promote the long-range goals of MSS and propose mechanisms by which these goals shall be achieved

• Represent the interests of the medical student body at Dean’s meetings, GSGA divisional leadership meetings and during negotiations with outside vendors 

• Convene a special session of the General Assembly and create ad hoc committees as required to accomplish the goals of the MSS and appoint members to these committees

• Facilitate decisions and settle disputes not addressed by the MSS Constitution or Bylaws

• Oversee the annual transition of MSS senators and education of the incoming class about their role in MSS

• Oversee the representatives to the GSGA, University Senate and Allied Health, including receiving regular reports from these representatives regarding the business conducted by those bodies

• Delegate any presidential power or responsibility on a case-by-case basis as required to best achieve the goals of MSS
  
  

2. Members serving in the office of Vice President for Administration shall:

• Assume the responsibilities of the office of President in the event of absence or incapacity

• Oversee and administer the process of chartering medical student organizations divisionally 

• Serve as the primary point of contact with Emory’s Student Involvement, Leadership and Transition (SILT) on all issues regarding an organization’s charter status 

• Maintain the list of active student organizations, as defined in the bylaws below, for purposes of annual budgeting

• Upkeep and consider proposals of amendment to MSS administrative documents as needed.

• Oversee the Admin Committee for the duration of its existence, including receiving regular reports from this committee regarding conducted business, and acting as liaison between the committee and MSS executive board
  
  

3. Members serving in the office of Vice President for Communications shall:

• Ensure regular, clear and consistent communication from the MSS to the medical student body

• Maintain the MSS website and keep its content current

• Develop and maintain other means of communication to students, faculty or administration as needed to the achieve the goals of the MSS

• Oversee the Events Committee for the duration of its existence, including receiving regular reports from this committee regarding conducted business, and acting as liaison between the committee and MSS executive board
  
  

4. Members serving in the office of Treasurer shall:

• Oversee the financial health and stability of the MSS

• Coordinate food/drink for MSS meetings, up to $125 for food and non-alcoholic beverages for MSS meetings. Up to $100 for food in low attendance months.

• Keep precise records of all monetary requests and transactions involving MSS funds

• Prepare a report in advance of each General Assembly meeting reflecting the overall financial status of the organization as well as any relevant updates on new policies, procedures or urgent financial issues

• Oversee the annual budgeting process for MSS and its subsidiary student organizations

• Audit any organization that receives MSS funding, at the request of the Executive Board, and report the findings to the General Assembly

• Attend and represent the interests of the medical student body at GSGA finance committee meetings and any other meetings involving the financial status of the MSS and its organizations

• Submit financial reports as requested by the President or Vice President for Administration and report any urgent financial problems directly to the President and Vice President for Administration in a timely manner

• Oversee the Finance Committee for the duration of its existence, including receiving regular reports from this committee regarding conducted business, and acting as liaison between the committee and MSS executive board
  
  

5. Members serving in the office of Secretary shall:

• Keep accurate attendance at all General Assembly meetings and report any significant delinquencies or discrepancies to the President

• Take comprehensive minutes at each General Assembly meeting and make them available to the medical student body within one week

• Keep a record of all votes cast and make them available to the medical student body within one week, except those cast by secret ballot

• Compile a record of MSS business during each term and transfer this to the newly elected Executive Board at the end of the term

• Draft and send any formal communications on behalf of the MSS as directed by the Executive Board

• Notify the members of the MSS of upcoming meeting dates and times

• Oversee the Concerns Committee for the duration of its existence, including receiving regular reports from this committee regarding conducted business, and acting as liaison between the committee and MSS executive board

• Serve as liaison to forward and follow up on curricular concerns with the Student Curriculum Committee

6. Members serving in the office of Elections Chair shall:

• Notify the members of the student body of upcoming elections either directly or through collaboration with the class presidents

• Organize and facilitate all elections for class-wide and MSS positions

• Maintain an unbiased stance on elections

• Conduct referendums petitioned by the student body or MSS general assembly

• Oversee the process of recall and reelection of an MSS senator. In the event where the election chair is being recalled, the president shall oversee the process of recall.

• Oversee the Mentorship Committee for the duration of its existence, including receiving regular reports from this committee regarding conducted business, and acting as liaison between the committee and MSS executive board

In addition to the duties and powers outlined above for each Executive Board office, further duties and powers of any Executive Board position may be added by amendment of this section.

Article III - General Assembly Meetings

Section 1: Meeting schedule and notification

General Assembly meetings shall be held monthly in accordance with the Constitution. The date and time of each meeting shall be set by the Executive Board no less than two (2) months in advance of that meeting.

Meeting dates shall be communicated to all MSS members as they are set and shall be placed on the MSS website. A reminder about each meeting shall be communicated to both MSS members and the medical student body by the Secretary at least once before each meeting no less than two (2) weeks in advance of each meeting. At the end of each meeting, the date of the next scheduled meeting will be communicated to the General Assembly.

Meetings may be rescheduled by the Executive Board provided there is at least one (1) week remaining before the previously scheduled meeting; the new date and time shall be communicated to the General Assembly and approved by simple majority and the medical student body immediately.

Each Senator shall be notified at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to any special meetings.  Each Senator shall be informed of the reason for the meeting and the Business transacted at the special meeting shall be limited to that mentioned in the notification. All special meetings must have the option for members to attend and vote virtually.

Section 2: Meeting Agenda

The agenda items for each regular meeting shall be set by the President and communicated to the General Assembly no later than 24 hours before the meeting. At minimum, each regular meeting agenda must include:

1. Report on the status of MSS financial accounts by the Treasurer or Treasurer’s delegate

2. Consideration of any individual or group having submitted a complete funding request or charter request (including the type and amount of funding requested, and valid constitution and membership roster for charter requests) at least 72 hours before the meeting

3. Consideration of any committee chair wishing to provide a report on the activities of the committee

4. Solicitation of and consideration of any new business raised by any General Assembly member

Emergency/special meetings of the General Assembly are exempt from these agenda requirements.

Section 3: Meeting Procedures

1. The President or President’s delegate shall preside over each meeting and is responsible for the orderly conduct of all components of the meeting, including recognizing speakers, entertaining motions, monitoring votes and ending discussion on any matters not requiring a vote.

2. Each member of the General Assembly wishing to speak must raise a hand and be recognized by the presiding officer in order to speak. Precedence in speaking order will be given to members who have not yet spoken or have spoken fewer times than other members.

3. At least two General Assembly members must speak on a given question before any motions may be made. All motions must be seconded in order to proceed, and all seconded motions must result in a vote or call for unanimous consent unless the motion is explicitly retracted by the original member.

4. If a motion to vote or a motion to table discussion is made and seconded, a simple majority of the General Assembly is required for the matter to pass or be tabled, respectively. Motions for unanimous consent are also permitted on any matter not relating to amendment of the Constitution or bylaws.

5. Because of the usual scope of MSS meetings, formal adherence to Robert’s Rules of Order is not required. However, for evaluation of any non-standard motions or contentious items relating to meeting procedures, Robert’s Rules of Order shall take precedence. If there is a conflict between Robert’s Rules of Order and these bylaws, the bylaws shall take precedence.

6. The MSS shall prohibit the use of the secret ballot, except for the election of MSS executive board, special closed meetings, and impeachment proceedings. 

7. A hand vote will be used on simple majority votes and all subsidiary motions unless opposed by a member of the MSS, in which case a recorded vote will be required. Additionally, a recorded vote shall be required for all financial or chartering requests. 

Article IV – Chartering

Section 1: Eligibility for a Charter

Medical student organizations seeking a charter should meet the following requirements:

1. Represent a unique mission within the MSS Division.

2. Align with the mission and objectives of Emory University and the School of Medicine.

3. Demonstrate activities (at least one event open to the School of Medicine study body) within the past year. If not, must have plans in place within two months from the time of application, supported by a proposed plan, budget and if applicable, funding request.

4. Create a constitution which includes a statement of purpose and the anti-discrimination clause from the Emory University School of Medicine Student Handbook as followed: “Emory cannot and will not tolerate discrimination against or harassment of any individual or group based upon race, color, religion, sex, ethnic or national origin, gender, genetic information, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran’s status, political orientation or beliefs, or any factor that is a prohibited consideration under applicable law.”

5. Provide the names of a president, treasurer, one other officer, and an Emory faculty advisor

6. Provide the names and Emory ID numbers of at least ten (10) members. Membership must be open and available to all School of Medicine students and may not violate the non-discrimination clause (see IV.1.4)

Section 2: Process for Acquiring a Charter

Medical student organizations seeking a charter who have met the above eligibility criterias should complete the following steps:

1. Notify the MSS VP of Admin of their intention to apply for a student organization charter by providing the constitution and rosters of officer, advisor, and members outlined in Article IV, Section 1.4-6. 

2. Once the above documents are approved, the organization will send a representative to the designated MSS meeting to present the club’s mission and eligibility outlined in Article IV, Section 1.1-3. 

3. After the standard meeting procedural discussion (Article III, Section 3), a simple majority vote from the general body will be required for the approval of a MSS charter.

4. To complete the chartering process, the student organization must fulfill all associated annual requirements laid out by Emory Student Involvement, Leadership, and Transitions (SILT), including but not limited to registration of an online student organization portal, attend officers compliance training and set up financial accounts with Emory Student Governance Services (SGS) accordingly.

Once all of these steps are completed, the organization will receive a chartering letter from SILT confirming its status with Emory University. 

Thereafter, an organization will maintain its charter status insofar as it complies with all of the eligibility criteria listed in Section 1 of this Article and the annual SILT requirements listed in Section 2.4. Failure to do so may result in a loss of chartering status and the organization will have to repeat the above process in order to be re-chartered. 

Section 3: Activity Status of a Student Organization

Each year, the MSS VP of Administration, along with help from the MSS VP of Communication and the MSS Treasurer, will be responsible for maintaining a log of each organization’s activity status. An organization will be deemed as “active”, regardless of its chartering status if it meets all of the following requirements:

1. Have a current leadership and at least 10 Emory School of Medicine student members

2. Respond to annual student organization census survey distributed by the Office of Admissions and/or by the MSS VP’s of Communication and Administration. 

3. Demonstrate sustainability and a record of contribution to the Emory community. Exceptional circumstances notwithstanding, active student organizations will have held a minimum of 2 events over the last 12 months.

Article V – Committees

Section 1: Creation and types of committees

In order to facilitate more significant investigation, planning or discussion of topics than is feasible during General Assembly sessions, the President may propose and name a committee. Committees may be established as one of two types:

1. Standing committee – establishment requires a simple majority vote of the General Assembly and exists in perpetuity unless deauthorized by a simple majority vote of the General Assembly or if the committee has had fewer than two (2) members for a period of six (6) months or more

2. Ad hoc committee – ceases to exist at the end of a time period specified at the time of its creation or after achieving a set of objectives specified at the time of its creation (e.g. Election Reform Committee is disbanded after a new elections policy is enacted). The President can establish Ad hoc committees without a vote of the General Assembly. 

Section 2: Committee membership

1. Each committee must consist of two members at minimum and must have a committee chair who are responsible for organizing and facilitating committee meetings, achieving committee goals and presenting committee reports at General Assembly meetings. The MSS President may require that a committee be chaired by a designated member of the Executive board, including the President.
   
   

2. After the establishment of a committee, either by appointment of the MSS President or by General Assembly vote, any members may join the committee and can do so at any time by notifying the Secretary. The members who have joined the committee must select a chair, if not already specified by the President, within one (1) week following the formation of the committee. Otherwise, the MSS president will designate a member of the committee to serve as the chair.
   
   

3. A member wishing to leave a committee or relinquish the role of chair may do so at any time by notifying the Secretary. In the event if a chair role becomes vacant, the remaining committee members and the President are in charge of filling the vacancy within one week of its vacancy.
   
   

4. Each MSS Senator must be an active member of at least one standing committee. Class Presidents, Class VP’s, GSGA, Allied Health, University Senate Reps are encouraged to join a committee but are exempted from the requirement. 

Article VI – Budget Policy

Please see MSS Budget Policy page for the complete Budget Policy

Article VII – Elections

Elections for MSS Executive Board officers will be held each April, in accordance with the MSS Appendix to the campus-wide GSGA election code. All elections are for a one-year term commencing immediately following the meeting. Any MSS member other than a class President or Vice President may self nominate for any Executive Board position until the beginning of the April meeting. The President (or designee) shall preside over the election process, in consultation with the MSS Election Chair. A simple majority vote of MSS members present at the April meeting is sufficient for the election of Executive Board officers.

Article VIII – Amendment

Members of the General Assembly may propose amendments to these bylaws at any time and submit them to the Executive Board to distribute to the General Assembly. After a review period of no less than seven days, the General Assembly shall discuss the amendment and then vote, with a simple majority of members present required for the measure to proceed. Newly enacted amendments will go into effect immediately and be updated on the MSS website as quickly as reasonably possible.