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2008 Meetings September 9 Website info: Please contact umkcsna@umkc.edu with comments. Last modified 10/01/2008 |
SNA Constitution CONSTITUTION UMKC SCHOOL OF NURSING STUDENT NURSES ASSOCIATION Amended March 1, 2005 Revised December 17, 2007 & January 7, 2008 Approved by SGA March 11, 2008
ARTICLE I: NAME The name of this organization shall be called the Student Nurses Association of the University of Missouri- Kansas City School of Nursing, hereafter referred to as SNA.
ARTICLE II: PURPOSE The purpose of this organization shall be:
A. To provide an organized body through which nursing students can be informed of current health care events, campus news and events, nursing program changes, and a voice in program decision making.
B. To provide representatives for professional committees.
C. To efficiently disburse authorized budgeted and raised funds according to the nursing student’s interest.
D. To create an opportunity in which BSN, MSN, NP and PhD students can interact outside of an educational setting through organized social events.
ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP
Membership shall be open to all duly enrolled UMKC students. Membership and activities are open to all currently enrolled students regardless of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, disability, or Vietnam era veteran’s status. All full-time and part-time nursing students at UMKC School of Nursing are automatically members of the Student Nurses Association. There shall be no mandatory attendance or participation of membership in SNA.
ARTICLE IV: MEETINGS A. General meetings shall be held at least once a month at times and places designated by the SNA executive board. Quorum should constitute majority executive members and at least 10 voting members.
B. All meetings shall be presided by the President or Vice President (in the absence of the President).
C. Special meetings may be called at anytime by the President or Vice President. Every member of SNA shall be notified at least 24 hours prior to the time of the special meeting. Quorum should consist of executive members and general members.
D. All members present at any general meeting have the right to vote or abstain from issues being voted on by the organization.
ARTICLE V: COMMITTEES A. The following committees shall have appropriated student member representation; representatives are required to attend all meetings as scheduled. Representatives should serve as a liaison between faculty, staff, and students.
- Activity Program Council (one graduate, one undergraduate) - Faculty Assembly (one graduate member, one undergraduate) - Curriculum Committee (one pre-licensure or BSN completion) - Student Affairs (one graduate, one undergraduate) - Tri-Council (Dean/SNA/Alumni/Lambda Phi) (SNA president) - Student Government Association (President and one member of SNA based on availability) - Student Discipline/Grievance Panel (member of executive board) - Faculty steering (one graduate, one undergraduate)
B. Representatives for the committees listed above will be chosen by vote at the first general meeting. Committees that do not have a voted or an appointed representative after the first general meeting will be assigned to executive board members at the next executive board meeting.
ARTICLE VI: OFFICERS SECTION 1: A. Officers of this organization must be chosen in an election format open to all current members. Every effort will be made to notify all members of said election and, further, to reasonably accommodate the needs of all members desiring to participate.
B. Officers must meet minimum eligibility requirements, including a cumulative GPA of 2.5 and six credit hours of current enrollment, and must not be on student conduct disciplinary or honor code probation. The requirement to be enrolled in six credit hours will be waived for Doctoral students who have completed their formal degree course work, have passed their comprehensive or matriculation examination, and are continuously enrolled in at least one hour of research in the Fall and Spring semesters.
C. Potential candidates must have accumulated 12 hours of credit at UMKC before filing for office.
SECTION 2: A. SNA shall be governed by a four member executive committee. Members of the committee shall include: President, Vice-President, Secretary and Treasurer. All members of SNA meeting requirements (see Section 1A) are eligible for elected office.
B. Elections of the officers, by the nursing student body, shall be held prior to the end of the spring semester of each school year with the term of office to begin and include the following academic year.
C. Efforts shall be made to ensure equal representation between undergraduate, graduate and doctoral nursing students.
SECTION 3: A. All elected officers of the executive committee shall be expected to hold their positions and faithfully discharge the duties of said positions until the end of their term in office.
B. In the event an officer of the executive committee is unable to complete his/her term in office, a special election shall be held to fill the vacant position as soon as possible. In the interim, the President may appoint someone to fill the office until a special election is held.
C.
Appointed
positions are expected to attend all general meetings as well as executive board
meetings. Absence is to be reported to any officer as soon as absence is
determined; absences should not exceed more than three per school year.
SECTION 4: A. Each officer shall be elected by a simple majority of balloted votes cast for each office.
B. In the event of a tie, successive balloting will be conducted until one candidate receives simple majority.
SECTION 5: A. The president shall be responsible for presiding over all meetings, or may delegate the act of presiding to the Vice President of the executive board, as necessary. In addition the President shall: 1. Attend all Tri-Council meetings of UMKC School of Nursing 2. Attend all SGA meetings as a senator unless delegated to another SNA member 3. Act as a liaison to administrators, faculty and staff through the close working relationship with the Faculty Advisor(s). 4. Administer and authorize the budget for SNA in conjunction with other executive members. 5. Prepare agendas for all meetings and disseminate to the executive board at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled meetings. 6. Serve on committees as a representative to assure coordination with faculty and students.
B. The Vice-President shall: 1. Preside at meetings designated by the President 2. Evaluate and modify SNA constitution yearly and write appropriate updates and bylaws in conjunction with other executive board members. 3. Serve on committees as a representative to assure coordination with faculty and students. 4. Attend all SGA meetings as a senator unless delegated to another SNA member
C. The Secretary shall: 1. Record minutes from each meeting and have ready for approval and disseminate 24 hours prior to meeting date. After approval, approved minutes should be made available to nursing student body within 2 weeks. 2. Manage SNA email account and disperse emails to appropriate executive members. 3. Update SNA website with assistance of designated computer service representative. 4. Serve on committees as a representative to assure coordination with faculty and students.
D. The Treasurer shall: 1. Obtain yearly account balance and make budget in conjunction with executive board. 2. Be responsible for depositing money from fundraising sales. 3. Provide funds for meetings and events (i.e. obtain credit card from designated administrative staff. 4. Keep SNA financial accounts up to date at all times and provide a current report at each meeting. 5. Be responsible in the distribution of funds as designated by executive board. 6. Serve on committees as a representative to assure coordination with faculty and students.
ARTICLE VII: APPOINTED EXECUTIVE BOARD POSITIONS SECTION 1: A. In order to fulfill the purpose of the student nurses association the following standing positions have been formed. The following positions are appointed by elected officers and each have a vote. - Parliamentarian - Social - Public Relations - Fundraising - Election - Community (Optional)
B. SNA members may volunteer for the positions listed above, but will ultimately be appointed by the executive officers. In the event that more than one SNA member volunteers for the same position, said volunteers may be voted to serve conjointly and/or on a rotational basis whichever is appropriate to the particular position.
C. Appointed positions are expected to attend all general meetings as well as executive board meetings. Absence is to be reported to any officer as soon as absence is determined; absences should not exceed more than five per school year. Positions may send a proxy in their place for any meetings and this will not count as an absence.
D. Any appointed position may be removed for sufficient cause. Sufficient cause consists of any one or more of the following: malfeasance of office, violation of duly enacted regulations, or violation of other legislation of the SNA. This must be determined by at least 3/4th vote of the executive officers. In the event of a tie, the faculty advisor(s) shall make the tie breaking vote.
SECTION 2: A. The parliamentarian advises officers, committees, and other members of SNA on matters of parliamentary procedure.
B. The social position is responsible for coordinating and implementing at least 2 social events per semester (fall & spring)
C. Public relations is responsible for all communication with general members about planned events; also responsible for collaboration with Volker campus for campus wide events. (i.e. SGA & APC) Collaboration can mean attending monthly meetings and/or sending e-mail about Volker campus events.
D. Fundraising is responsible for coordinating and implementing at least 1 fundraising event per semester (fall & spring)
E. Election is responsible for coordinating and implementing elections for SNA officers. Also responsible for coordinating a yearly voter registration event.
F. Community is responsible for coordinating and implementing at least 1 community service event per semester.
ARTICLE VIII: ADVISOR 1. The advisor for this organization shall be decided upon by the executive officers of the organization. The advisor must be a UMKC faculty or staff member.
2. A qualified faculty, staff or community member(s) must be selected for the membership as an advisor. The faculty advisor to SNA shall be a non-voting member of the organization’s executive board, however in the event of a tie for an appointed executive board position, the faculty advisor will make the tie breaking vote.
3. In the event the faculty advisor is unable to attend an executive board meeting, the faculty advisor will notify his/her alternate.
4. In the event a faculty advisor or alternate is unable to attend two consecutive board meetings, it shall remain the discretion of the executive council to select another faculty member by majority vote to serve for the remainder of the current academic year.
5. Advisors serve as a liaison between faculty, staff and students. Advisors provide guidance and leadership in decision making process. Advisors also facilitate yearly review and/or amendments of the constitution.
ARTICLE IX: FINANCES 1. The SNA budget is comprised of activity fees from each student enrolled in the School of Nursing.
2. Disbursement of finances shall be in accordance to University standards and in conjunction with student needs as decided on by the executive board.
3. Paying dues is not a mandatory requirement to be considered a member of this organization.
4. The books of account shall be kept up-to-date and open to the inspection of the University auditor.
ARTICLE X: HAZING Hazing is strictly prohibited in the State of Missouri and by the University. Hazing is defined as any willful act, occurring on or off the campus of an educational institution, directed against a student or a prospective member of an organization operating under the sanction of an educational institution, that recklessly endangers the mental or physical admission into or continued membership in any such organization.
Acts of hazing include, but are not limited to:
Hazing is a class C Felony
ARTICLE XI: IMPEACHMENT A. A petition must be signed by 100 SNA members in order for the impeachment process to begin.
B. After the petition has been brought forward, a special meeting will be called and all SNA members shall be notified 72 hours with information about the time and the place of the special meeting.
C. A three-fourths majority vote of the SNA taken at the special meeting shall be required for impeachment.
ARTICLE XII: AMENDMENTS All proposed amendments and /or revisions to this Constitution shall be submitted in writing to the executive board. Ratification of these proposed amendments/revisions will be by a simple majority vote of the executive board and members present at the following scheduled SNA meeting.
It is further understood that if this organization desires at any time in the future to change in any way the provisions of this constitution, that before such action is taken, the organization will submit for approval to the Student Government Association and the Student Life Office every detail of the desired changes to be made.
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