Vanderbilt School of Medicine
Council of Class Officers Constitution
Preamble
We, the medical students of Vanderbilt University, in desiring to affirm the formation of
a student organization to represent the student body and to act for the students in matters
involving the students’ interest do hereby establish the Vanderbilt Medical Student
Association (VMSA) and adopt this constitution.
Article I
The Vanderbilt Medical Student Association (VMSA)
Section I. Name
The name of this organization is the Vanderbilt Medical Student Association
hereafter referred to as the VMSA.
Section II. Membership
All duly registered medical students of Vanderbilt University are voting
constituents of the student body.
Section III. Purpose
The purpose of the VMSA is:
a. To provide a means whereby medical students feel empowered to effectively
express their views and interests to other members of our medical community.
b. To provide a responsible and effective organization that represents the
interests and needs of all medical students in the decision-making process of
the School of Medicine and University.
c. To stimulate and provide for the development and coordination of student
organizations, activities, and services beneficial to Vanderbilt medical
students.
d. To promote the total well-being of each medical student.
Section IV. Voting
All members of the VMSA may vote in all referenda and general elections of the
VMSA.
Article II
Council of Class Officers
Section I. Composition
Membership in the Council is based on a representative scheme designed to
provide for the fair and equal representation of all Vanderbilt medical students.
Membership includes the following positions, and the number of persons required for that
1 position: President (1), Vice President (1), Secretary/Treasurer (1), and Social Chairs (3)
of each of the four classes in residence.
Section II. Duties
The Council, in accordance with this Constitution, shall:
a. Act as the representative body for the medical students in the School of Medicine,
field all questions and concerns brought to the Council by the VMSA, and act in a
manner to see these questions and concerns are dealt with appropriately.
b. Approve all regulations that are necessary to maintain and execute the purposes of
the VMSA.
c. Advise and make recommendations to the medical school administration in
addition to promoting a positive relationship between the VMSA and
administration.
d. Nominate Vanderbilt medical students to the School of Medicine and University
committees and monitor these committees through medical student
representatives as required.
e. Approve expenditures of any funds acquired by the VMSA.
Section III. Meeting
Council meetings, in accordance with this constitution, shall:
a. Meet on a monthly basis throughout the fall and spring semester.
b. Allow for special meetings to be called by the Executive President (see Article
III.1) or a majority of the members of the Council.
c. Be open to all Vanderbilt Medical Students of the VMSA upon special request to
their respective class president.
d. Include the following individuals in attendance:
i. Individual class positions:
1. President (1)
2. Vice President (1)
3. Secretary/Treasurer (1)
4. Social Chairs (3)
ii. School-wide positions held by members of senior class:
1. Chair(s) of Curriculum Committee (1-2)
2. Chair of Student Interest Groups (1)
3. Senior Honor Council Members (2)
iii. Graduate student representative (1)
iv. Members of the administration:
1. Dean of Medical School
2. Associate Dean of Medical Student Affairs
3. Senior Associate Dean for Health Sciences and Education
4. Associate Dean for Diversity
5. Assistant Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs
6. Director of Medical School Social Events
e. Various student leaders (including, but not limited to, Cadaver Ball chairs,
Careers in Medicine President, Wellness President) may attend meetings as
2 needed, at the discretion of the Executive President. These students will not
receive votes in formal petitions.
f. The Parliamentary authority at Council meetings is Roberts Rules of Order. The
Executive Vice President serves as Parliamentarian for all meetings.
Section IV. Voting
a. No proposal or resolution may be voted on unless a quorum of two-thirds of the
council is present.
b. All voting shall be done in person; no proxy votes shall be accepted.
c. Every permanent, student member on the Council of Class Officers receives one
vote, in addition to the Graduate Student Representative. Members of the
administration and temporary programming positions do not receive votes.
Article III
Executive Branch
Section I. Executive President
The VMSA President is the President of the senior class. The Executive
President:
a. Is the executive of the VMSA.
b. Administers all resolutions and legislation of the Council.
c. Serves as the official representative of VUSM to the greater Vanderbilt
community as well as all dignitaries visiting the School of Medicine.
d. Coordinates and sets the agenda for all Council meetings in conjunction
with the Executive Vice President.
e. Forms ad hoc committees as deemed necessary.
Section II. Executive Vice President
The Executive Vice President is the Vice President of the senior class. The
Executive Vice President:
a. Shall serve as acting President at the request or in the absence of the
President.
b. Serves as the President of the Honor Council, leads all eight honor council
class representatives in organizing any necessary hearings, and is in
communication with the administration regarding any infractions of academic
integrity.
c. Helps to coordinate and sets the agenda for all Council meetings in
conjunction with the Executive President.
d. Assists the Executive President in his duties.
Section III. Executive Secretary/Treasurer
The Executive Secretary/Treasurer is the Secretary/Treasurer of the senior class.
The Executive Secretary/Treasurer:
a. Shall annotate minutes and record the proceedings of each Council meeting,
and upon completion, e-mail out to the Council.
3 b. Records and keep track of voting numbers in the event of a vote.
Section IV. Committees
Medical student committees will be established as necessary to accomplish those
goals and projects deemed appropriate by the student body and/or Council of Class
Officers. Any member of the VMSA can serve on any committee.
Article IV
Individual Class Responsibilities
Section I. President
Responsibilities of the President include:
a. Representing their class to the administration and faculty.
b. Organizing class events in conjunction with other class officers.
c. Acting as a motivator to recruit classmates to participate in medical
school-sponsored events that occur throughout the year.
d. Managing class conflicts that arise throughout the year and responding
appropriately to any issues brought forth by a classmate.
Section II. Vice President
Responsibilities of the Vice President include:
a. Coordinating service activities and providing classmates with
opportunities to become involved in their surrounding communities.
b. Acting as a liaison between their class and the greater Nashville
community.
c. Being available to assist the President in class matters or events.
Section III. Secretary/Treasurer
Responsibilities of the Secretary/Treasurer include:
a. Collecting and organizing class dues, in addition to managing the class
bank account, which includes reimbursing members of the class for
expenses involving class events, pending initial approval to spend
class funds.
b. Communicating to their respective class important messages regarding
class matters and relevant announcements from the Council meetings.
Section IV. Social Chairs
Responsibilities of the Social Chairs include:
a. Organizing events that involve all members of their respective class.
b. Organizing their class’ school-wide event.
Article V.
Judicial Branch
Section I. Designation of Power
4 All judicial powers of the VMSA shall be vested in a court system composed of
the Honor Council, Dean, and Appellate Review Board.
Section II. Jurisdiction
a. The Honor Council shall have original jurisdiction over all violations of academic
nature.
b. The Dean shall have original jurisdiction over all non-academic disciplinary
matters.
c. The Appellate Review Board shall act as the supreme judicial body at Vanderbilt
University and rule on all appeals from the Honor Council or Dean.
Article VI.
Formal Petitions
Section I. Population Served
Any member of the VMSA is entitled and encouraged to bring formal petitions to
the Council of Class Officers. Any student has the right to bring forth an issue they feel
should be addressed.
Section II. Process
If any member of the VMSA has a formal petition they feel needs to be addressed
by the Council of Class Officers, they shall complete the following steps to formally
initiate the process:
a) Obtain a Formal Petition to the Class Council (FPCC) document and
complete the document accordingly.
b) Upon completion, he/she shall bring the FPCC to his/her respective Class
President.
c) Upon receipt of the FPCC, the respective Class President will bring forth the
formal petition to the Executive President to discuss the matter, prior to the
next Council meeting.
d) If the respective Class President and the Executive President feel the petition
warrants action, they deem the issue Necessary for a Vote.
e) The formal petition will be presented to all six administrative members of the
Council (see Article II, Section 2.d.iii). The six administrators will read the
FPCC and make a recommendation. This recommendation will include the
following:
i. A recommendation on the formal petition, articulating where
the administration stands with respect to the issue.
ii. A ruling on whether the formal petition needs to be further
approved by the Undergraduate Medical Education Committee
(UMEC) after it has been approved by the Council.
f) Upon review by the administrative members of the Council, the formal
petition goes to a vote at the Council of Class Officers. All student members
have one vote in all official rulings. The administrative members of the
Council do not have a vote in these Council matters.
5 g) For a vote to ensue, two-thirds of the Council of Class Officers are required to
be in attendance. Upon such action, a two-thirds majority of the present
members of the Council shall be required to pass the vote.
h) If the vote passes and does not need UMEC approval, it shall take effect
immediately.
i) If the vote passes and does need UMEC approval, it will go directly to the
UMEC to be voted on.
j) If the formal petition is rejected by the Council, it is denied and may be
brought up again in the next meeting through the aforementioned process.
Article VII.
Removal from Office and Vacancies
Section I. Consideration
The removal from office of any elected member of the Council is to be considered
by the Council upon submission of an FPCC.
Section II. Initiation
There are two possible ways to initiate the removal of a class officer:
a) Twenty percent of a specific class’ members can sign an FPCC and bring it to
the Council.
b) A simple majority of the Council can initiate the removal.
Section III. Execution
There is only one way an officer removal can be completed:
a) Three-quarters of the specific class of that officer, the same group of students
that voted the officer into power, shall be required to officially remove an
officer from power.
Section III. Vacancies
All vacancies of elected members of the Council shall be filled by an election by
the member’s class to be held within four weeks of the vacancy.
Article VII
Student Organization Funding
Section I. Procedure of Initial Meeting
The allotment of funds from the University to student organizations shall be
completed according to the following procedures:
a) Each organization submits five items in order to be eligible for funding:
i. Mission statement and goals for upcoming year
ii. Membership number
6 iii. A copy of last year’s proposed budget
iv. A copy of last year’s actual budget
v. A proposal for the current year’s budget
b) The four class Presidents and the Director of Medical School Events are
present at the meeting. The group will evaluate each student organization
based on the following criteria, and allocate funds accordingly:
i. Activity
1. Efforts by organization to fulfill their mission and
provide relevant services and events to the VUSM
student body.
ii. Size
1. Number of individual members of the organization.
2. Number of individuals who benefit and/or participate in
the group’s events and/or services.
iii. Last year’s budget adherence
1. How well the group adhered to their proposed budget
from the previous year.
c) Based on these three criteria, each student organization will be divided into
four tiers, and each tier will receive a predetermined amount of money.
i. Level I (very active)
ii. Level II (active)
iii. Level III (mildly active)
iv. New organizations (first year)
d) Only 80% of total funds for student organizations will be divided up in this
initial meeting. The remaining 20% of the funds will be allocated at a meeting
at the end of first semester based on an incentive basis.
Section II. Procedure of Mid-Year Meeting
The allotment of the remaining 20% of student funding from the university to
student organizations shall be completed according to the following procedures:
a) As stated, at the end of first semester, the remaining 20% of student funding
will be divided up to student groups who submit a mid-year application for
funding, meant to reward active and fiscally responsible groups.
b) To complete a mid-year application for funding, a student organization must
submit:
i. Budget for past semester
ii. Initial proposed budget submitted at beginning of year
iii. Review of past semester
iv. Plans and goals for upcoming semester
c) The aforementioned group of Presidents and Director of Medical School
Events will allot the remaining 20% of funding based on the following
criteria:
i. Adherence to initial budget
ii. Adherence to event goals
iii. Adherence to overall mission
iv. Activity (see Article VII Section I.b.i)
7 v. Size (see Article VII Section I.b.ii)
d) Appeals will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis directly to four class
Presidents and the Director of Medical School Events.
e) Once all funds are allocated, each student organization will submit receipts of
expenditures, and the spent money will be subtracted from their allotted
amount accordingly. All funds left over at the end of the year will be returned
to the Student Activity Fund.
f) Separate from University money, any organization that raised funds through
means of their own may spend these funds as they see fit during the current
fiscal year.
Article VIII
Protocol for the Creation of a New Student Organization
Section I. Submission of Application
Students who propose a new organization to be recognized by the School of
Medicine will be instructed to complete an application.
a) Applications shall include the following information:
i. Organization name
ii. Mission statement
iii. Specific organization goals
iv. Proposed leadership structure
v. Faculty advisor
vi. Proposed yearly budget
vii. Statement of need
b) The Statement of Need must include the following information:
i. Deficiencies in campus life addressed by the group’s creation
ii. Explanation of how novel organization will seek to fill a niche(s)
presently unmet by current student groups
c) Applications will be submitted to the Associate Dean of Students.
d) Students may meet with the Associate Dean of Students at any point during the
process to discuss their application.
Section II. Review of Application
Once the Associate Dean of Students has received all portions of the application,
the Student Organizations Ratification Subcommittee shall review the document. The
following are the responsibilities of this group, hereafter referred to as The Subcommittee.
a) The Subcommittee will consist of the elected presidents of the four medical school
classes plus one additional student member to be appointed by the presidents.
b) The Subcommittee will meet once near the midpoint of each semester to review
previously submitted applications. At that time, a representative from the
proposed organization will have to opportunity to meet with The Subcommittee in
order to give a brief presentation or answer questions.
c) The Subcommittee will evaluate all applications based on the following criteria:
i. Potential benefit to student life
ii. Feasibility of the organization’s goals
8 iii. Relevance of Statement of Need
iv. Organization of leadership structure
v. Fiscal responsibility and soundness of budget (if applicable)
d) The Subcommittee will then submit a written recommendation to the Associate
Dean of Students.
Section III. Approval or Denial of Application
Final rulings regarding the approval or denial for official recognition by the
School of Medicine will be made by the Associate Dean of Students.
a) This decision will be made within two weeks after the Subcommittee’s written
recommendation has been submitted.
b) If the student organization is approved:
a. The organization will be informed of their formal recognition status
b. Approval will be communicated to the Office of Special Programs
c. Approved organizations will be entitled to submit a proposal during
the initial budgetary meeting of the following academic year
i. Organizations accepted after the initial budgetary meeting of
the year will not be eligible to receive funding for over the
course of that academic year
c) If the student organization is denied:
a. A formal letter will be composed for the organization outlining reasons
for denial
b. A representative from the proposed organization will be allowed to
schedule a meeting with The Subcommittee to discuss their
recommendation.
c. The organization will be given an opportunity to re-apply for approval
during the following academic school year
Article IX
Amendments
Section I. Consideration
For an amendment to be made to the constitution, the student/faculty must submit
an FPCC.
Section II. Initiation
There are two possible ways an amendment to the constitution can be initiated
and brought to the council:
a) Twenty percent of a specific class’ population can sign an FPCC to bring forth the
amendment to the constitution.
b) A simple majority of the class council can initiate the amendment.
Section III. Execution
There is only one way an amendment can be made to the constitution:
a) Two-thirds of the VMSA must approve the amendment for the amendment to be
added to the constitution.
9 Article X
Ratification
A simple majority vote by the VMSA shall be required for ratification of this
constitution.
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