Constitution Bylaws and Position Descriptions

Student Government Constitution and Bylaws (pdf)

By-Laws:

Article I: Election Bylaws

Candidates seeking to represent the interests of fellow students must, at all times, conduct themselves in highest esteem among peers, paying utmost regard to our professional standards of behavior. In entering oneself as a candidate for elected office, every student is expected to demonstrate the virtues and values esteemed by the Georgetown University School of Medicine community, with particular high regard to the Student Code of Professionalism (Appendix O).

  1. Any candidate in violation of the election rules is subject to disqualification from the election at the discretion of a majority of the members of an assembled Election Committee after appropriate investigation.
  2. The Election Chairperson is a Class Representative who is appointed by the Executive Council at the beginning of the school year. It is his/her duty to oversee all elections and enforce election bylaws.
  3. In the event that after all reasonable attempts a position cannot be filled, or in the event of a withdrawal, the Executive Council President may appoint a replacement member.
  4. The Election Chairperson will allow each candidate to submit a 300-word statement that will be distributed via email to the appropriate voter audience prior to the election one day in advance of opening of polls. The candidates will be listed on the poll in alphabetical order according to last name, with a photo and a written statement (required by all candidates, regardless of class), next to the candidate’s name.
  5. No more than fifty dollars ($50), or goods and services valuing in total fifty dollars, may be spent on a campaign by the candidate or any other person or organization. The Election Chairperson will, at his/her discretion, monitor and oversee the financial expenditures of all campaigns.
  6. Candidates running for Class and Executive Council positions must abide by the campaign guidelines set in the constitution. This includes:
    • Campaign material distribution in person or via email is permissible, but is limited to one email per election period per candidate.
    • Flyers and posters of any size may be used, distributed, or posted during a campaign in accordance with GUSoM posting guidelines; however, postings must be taken down and cleaned up as soon as possible after polls close. The Election Chairperson reserves the right to withhold the election results until all materials are removed.
    • Any evidence of slander, sabotage, or tampering with another candidate’s campaign material must be reported to the Elections Chairperson or Executive Committee immediately and may result in the offending party’s disqualification and may be deemed a violation of the Student Code of Professionalism.

Article II: Student Activities Bylaws

Herein is described the process for creating and removing clubs from official recognition and the structure within which they operate.

All School of Medicine clubs and organizations will exist within a Club Branch. Clubs will be placed in appropriate branches at the discretion of the Executive Council with input from the club, the leadership of each specific Club Branch, and the clubs already existing within that Branch.

A Chief Club Officer (CCO) will oversee each Club Branch, help the clubs within that branch collaborate, and oversee the funding for that Club Branch. Individuals interested in serving as CCO must submit a statement of interest to the Executive Council. The CCO’s are then appointed by the Executive Council. They will also provide monthly activity and budget updates to the Executive Vice President and Treasurer, respectively, and provide monthly reports at the Student Government meetings. If unable to attend the monthly Student Government meeting in person, CCO’s are expected to attend virtually.

The Club Branches are created and removed by the voting members of the Executive Council as they deem appropriate and necessary.

If a club wishes to switch from one Club Branch to another, they may petition the Executive Council for the right to do so, and will be allowed to do so by a majority vote among the voting members of the Executive Council. An official Activities Calendar and Club Organization Chart shall be maintained by the Vice President of the Executive Council.

  • The group will submit to the Executive Council a written mission statement along with a list of at least 12 student names that are also interested in the club and its mission.
  • The creation of the group is contingent on a majority vote of the Executive Council and all Chief Club Officers and the approval of the administration, primarily through the Office of Student Affairs.
  • New Club petitions will be accepted at the start of the new semester for every academic year, once for the Fall semester before the Student Activities Fair (typically July/August) and again for the Spring Semester (typically December/January).

  • A minimum of 1 meeting/event/speaker/presentation per semester, open to the entire GUSoM student body, with at least 12 students present.
  • Representation at the general Student Government meetings at both the beginning of the fall and the end of the spring semesters.
  • Representation at the annual Activities Fair, which typically occurs at beginning of the fall semester.
  • Any other requirements as deemed appropriate and necessary by the Chief Club Officers and as approved by majority vote of the Executive Council.

A Club can be removed at the Executive Council’s and/or Office of Student Affair’s discretion if they fail to fulfill the criteria listed to remain active in Article II Section 3. Additionally, a Club can be removed by a two-thirds majority vote (consisting of the Executive Council and all Chief Club Officers) for any of the following reasons:

  • No longer active
  • Not sponsoring events or activities that actively contribute to the GUSoM student body

After said vote, a written explanation of the reason and results of the vote as well as a list of people present for the vote will be presented to the Executive Council for official record and verification.

Article III: Funding Policy Bylaws

This serves to aid student organizations and clubs in applying for recognition/funding by following the subsequent procedure:

Section One:

The Executive Council has the responsibility of distributing the money at the Council’s disposal in accordance with the goals of the Council (see Constitution Preamble). The Executive Council shall decide which guidelines it will follow, except where outlined below.

Section Two:

Each student shall be assessed a Student Activities Fee annually, to be collected by the Bursar at the beginning of each academic year. This money shall be distributed in accordance with the Council Bylaws as explained at the first student council meeting. No monies assessed by the Student Activities Fee shall be used toward the purchase of alcohol other than beer and wine, unless prior approval has been obtained from the Dean’s Office.

Section Three:

The Executive Council shall budget and allocate the funding annually. They shall allocate funds to each of the Club Branches, for school wide events, and for anything else they deem fit.

Section Four:

The Executive Council shall allocate funding to the Club Branches based on, but not limited to: prior spending, prior events and activities held, contribution to the student body, future plans and any other criteria the Executive Council deems appropriate. The budget allocations to the Club Branches will be publicly disclosed.

Section Five:

Each Chief Club Officer shall meet with all the presidents and/or treasurers of the clubs in their Club Branch at the beginning of each semester. At this meeting the Chief Club Officer will lay out the budget for the year and work with all the clubs to set up a calendar of events and provide funding as appropriate (see Section Six) for the events. In the event of difficulties or disagreements, the issue will be brought before the Executive Council for resolution. The Chief Club Officer will also accept individual requests for funding to hold events or help them coordinate through the appropriate club.

Section Six:

In considering each use of funding, the Executive Council and Chief Club Officer shall abide by the following restrictions:

  • Applications from in-house organizations and from GUSoM chapters of national organizations: shall be allowed for organizational expenses and activities exclusive of travel expenses, convention fees, donations to political/lobbyist causes, officer planning meetings. Monies will be provided such that activities are open to the student body at large and listed on the Student Event Calendar. The amount will be determined annually by the Executive Council based on level of activity, membership and previous year’s usage of allocated funds. The club must use the money as efficiently as possible and shall be in charge of determining what services they deem worthy (speaker honoraria, dinners, etc.).
  • Conference Reimbursement: Funding for conferences will be determined and allocated through the Office of Finance and Administration with review from the Office of Student Affairs. Student Government does not provide funding for conference attendance.
  • Creative Club Fund: The Executive Council will allocate a minimum of one thousand dollars ($1000.00) annually toward the support of Clubs’ efforts to host unique, collaborative events or projects that contribute meaningfully to the GUSoM student experience. These monies will supplement Clubs’ existing budgets and are to be allocated to one or more Clubs throughout the academic year via an application process deemed appropriate by the Executive Council.
  • In the event that a Student Council member seeks to solicit Student Council funding for his/her own club, that member must excuse him/herself from that portion of the funding meeting while their application for funding is reviewed.

Section Seven:

All recipients of funds will be expected to provide the Executive Council Treasurer (or his/her designate) an account of all the Student Council funds received. This shall be performed in the following manner:

  • Clubs should designate one individual to act as club treasurer, and this individual will be responsible for reporting all transactions directly with the Chief Club Officer, who reports to the Executive Council Treasurer.
  • Provisionally approved requests and receipts shall be subject to final approval by the Executive Council at the following Student Council meeting.
  • In the event that a group/individual’s spending is deemed to be out of keeping with the approved budget or over-budget, the group’s treasurer/individual will be held accountable for refunding the amount spent to the Executive Council Budget. Should this fail to occur, Executive Council may, at its discretion, undertake further action to recover these funds including, but not limited to, presentation of the discrepancy to the Dean of Students.

Section Eight:

Each Club shall keep a detailed copy of all meetings, activities, events (even if no spending occurred). This information will be recorded in a form as required by the Executive Council and sent to the Executive Council Treasurer and Vice President at the end of each semester.

Appendix A: Duties and Responsibilities of Officers

Section One:

No one Student Government member shall hold more than one elected position on the Student Government at any given time (i.e. President, Vice President, or Treasurer of the Student Government or any position in a Class Council).

Section Two: Presidents

The Executive Council President presides over the Executive Council and shall serve as the liaison and a resource among the GUSoM Student Body, Faculty, and Administration. He/she shall meet every semester with an appropriate Dean of the School of Medicine. The President is to delegate responsibilities and ensure that the operations of the Student Government are running effectively in addition to presiding over the monthly Student Government meetings. He/She should be familiar with the duties and responsibilities of the Class Councils and its members, as well as the Executive Council and its members. The Executive Council President shall ensure each Class President is operating effectively and upholding the traditional responsibilities of his/her class.

The Class Presidents lead their respective Class Councils by organizing regular meetings and delegating responsibilities to ensure that the Class Council is operating smoothly. He/She should be familiar with the duties and responsibilities of his/her respective class, including those listed below. He/She is required to hold regular Class Council meetings and to attend the monthly Student Government meetings, or find a suitable surrogate if unable. The Class President shall oversee the class’s online presence, or delegate this responsibility to another Class Council member, to ensure professional conduct at all times. He/She shall also oversee all appointed class committees, including Social Committee, Beautification Committee, and Professionalism Committee.

  • MSIV Class responsibilities include Senior Week and Match Day
  • MSIII Class responsibilities include String of Pearls
  • MSII Class responsibilities include Golden Apple and Follies
  • MSI Class responsibilities include Powder Puff Game and Golden Apple

Section Three: Vice Presidents

The Executive Council Vice President shall oversee all Clubs and Chief Club Officers as well as assist in organizing the annual Activities Fair and GUSoM Day. He/She shall also, in the absence of the Executive Council President, preside over the Executive Council and perform all the duties of the Executive Council President listed above.

The Class Vice Presidents shall coordinate with the respective Class Presidents to share duties and assist in coordinating Class Council tasks. He/She shall also, in the absence of the Class President, perform all the duties of the Class President listed above.

Section Four: Secretaries

A member of the Executive Council shall keep and post in an appropriate location all minutes of the meetings of the Student Government. This member shall also update the Student Events Calendar with schoolwide events and meetings. The Class Council Secretary is responsible for regular, appropriate correspondence between the class and its Council, ensuring proper posting of regular Class and Class Council meeting minutes. The Class Secretary shall also manage and regularly monitor the Class Council email account.

A member of the Executive Council shall edit and publish Weekly Events Calendar emails to the student body. He/She shall send monthly student council meeting reminders to the entire student body one week prior to the monthly scheduled meeting.

He/She shall also send monthly reminders to the Class Council responsible for providing food for the student council meeting one week prior to the scheduled meeting.

Section Five: Treasurers

The Executive Council Treasurer and the Class Treasurers will be responsible for managing the accounts of the Student Government and Class Councils respectively, throughout the year. He/she must make quarterly reports of the Student Council/ Class Council’s overall budget.

Section Six: External Affairs Chair

The Executive Council External Affairs Chair will be the liaison for GUSOM for different Graduate schools within Georgetown and in the DMV area (i.e. GW, Howard, etc.). This position should work closely with the Executive Council President to fulfill the following responsibilities: attend and coordinate with the GradGov council members at their monthly meetings, advocate and champion initiatives as they pertain to the GUSOM student body at external meetings, plan socials/ volunteering/ events with other Georgetown graduate programs and colleges in the DMV area, manage GUSOM Executive Councils appearance within the greater community, monitor and post to the Executive Council Twitter, Facebook, etc., accounts, and whatever else the Executive Council and Chair deems fit as an added responsibility.

Appendix B: Standing Committees

The Executive Council or Class Council shall appoint student representatives to the following standing GUSoM Committees:

  • Professionalism and Ethics Committee appointed from each class by the voting Class Council members of that class.
  • Student Medical Education Committee (SMEC) elected from each class by popular vote, comprised of 4 members of the MSI and MSII classes and 6 members from the MSIII and MSIV. Two members from the MSII class shall chair SMEC. They will ensure appropriate student representation at every GUSoM Committee on Medical Education (COME) meeting throughout the academic year.
  • Beautification Committee appointed from each class by the voting Class Council members of that class. Typically this committee is overseen by the Vice Presidents of each designated Council.
  • Wellness Committee is composed of two elected Wellness Chairs from each Class Council and appointed members as deemed fit by the committee.
  • Election Committee appointed by the Executive Council in accordance with item 2 of the Election Bylaws.
  • String of Pearls appointed from MSIII class by the voting MSIII Class Council members.
  • Golden Apple Committee appointed from MS-I and MSII classes by the voting Class Council members in collaboration with Student Affairs.
  • Orientation Committee appointed from MSI class by the voting MSI Class Council members.
  • PowderPuff Committee appointed from MSI class by the voting MSI Class Council members.

The number of positions available on each standing committee from a particular class shall be determined at the discretion of the voting members of the respective Class Council, but shall not be zero. Deference shall be given to the filling of standing committee positions as indicated above, but in the event of any standing committee position remaining vacant after a reasonable time following elections, the Executive Council shall have the power to appoint representative(s) from the respective class to that position.

The Executive Council shall also have the power to appoint student representatives to newly created or ad hoc committees of the Student Government.

All Standing Committee chairs or their designee are required to report to the Student Government at the monthly meetings.

The Professionalism Committee shall operate under the GUSoM Code of Professionalism as adopted by the Executive Council on behalf of the student body.

The Beautification Committee shall seek approval from the Dean of the School of Medicine and the Executive Council before renovating or implementing any permanent change to the GUSoM. Chairs of this committee will speak to the GUSoM Parent’s Council biannually, as deemed appropriate by the Dean of Medical Education and/or the Student Government President.

Membership on Committees is open to all full-time medical students in good academic standing.

Prior to the appointment by any one Class Council of any Standing Committee positions, the newly elected voting Class Council shall request interest in appointment from persons wishing to fill these appointed positions by whatever means the Class Council deems appropriate. This request of intent of interest shall be adequately publicized to all members of the class by the voting Class Council members. If these conditions are not met, the Executive Council has the authority to require that additional intent of interest be sought prior to filling of appointed positions. Should any conflict arise, the Executive Council shall act as mediator by popular vote, steered by the President. Each voting Class Council may, at its discretion, require position statements from potential appointees.

Appendix C: GUSoM Traditions

The following are recognized annual traditions of the GUSoM, upheld by the Executive Council in conjunction with Class Councils:

  • Welcome Back BBQ – in August, co-sponsored by Executive Council, Learning Societies and GSMP
  • Activities Fair – in August, sponsored by Executive Council
  • Powderpuff – in October/November, sponsored by M1 Class Council
  • Past Medical Histories – in both fall and spring semesters, sponsored by Executive Council
  • Winter Informal – in January, co-sponsored by Student Government and Learning Societies
  • Golden Apple – in April, sponsored by M2 Class Council and M1 Class Council
  • String of Pearls – in April, sponsored by M3 Class Council
  • Follies – in April, sponsored by M2 Class Council
  • GUSoM Day of Service – in April, co-sponsored by Executive Council and Learning Societies
  • Senior Week – in May, sponsored and paid for by M4 Class Council

Supplemental Information: Student Government Officer Position Details

Executive Council President:

The President is responsible for overseeing the Student Government at GUSoM and serving as the primary liaison between administration and the student body. As such, he/she should maintain regular contact with the Deans’ Offices. He/She is a voting member of the Executive Council and must conduct all monthly Executive Council and Student Government meetings. He/She should prepare an agenda for each meeting and inform voting members prior to the meeting if voting will occur. The President should oversee and work closely with all members of the Executive Council in addition to assisting the Class Councils and coordinating with the Learning Societies, ensuring the continuation of the traditions listed in Appendix C.

Executive Council Vice President:

The Vice President is a voting member of Executive Council and must attend all monthly Executive Council and Student Government meetings. The Vice President should assist with any tasks charged to the President and any Executive

Council-sponsored events. The Vice President will work closely with Chief Club Officers, acquiring monthly check-ins prior to Student Council meetings. The Vice President will also take a leadership role in organizing the annual Activities Fair and GUSoM Day of Service.

Executive Council Treasurer:

The Student Government Treasurer serves on the Executive Council as a voting member. The Student Government Treasurer oversees the distribution of funds to all student Clubs and Organizations under the management of the Executive Council. The Student Government Treasurer should remain in close communication with the treasurers of each club and the Chief Club Officers to ensure proper use and allocation of funding. Finally, the Treasurer will manage the general Executive Council budget in sponsorship of school-wide events as well as allocation of Creative Club funding.

Executive Council Secretary:

A member of the Executive Council shall keep and post in an appropriate location all minutes of the meetings of the Student Government. This member shall also update the Student Events Calendar with schoolwide events and meetings. This member will also edit and publish the Weekly Event emails to the student body. He/She shall send monthly student council meeting reminders to the entire student body one week prior to the monthly scheduled meeting. He/She shall also send monthly reminders to the Class Council responsible for providing food for the student council meeting one week prior to the scheduled meeting.

Executive External Affairs Chair:

The Executive External Affairs Chair is a voting member of the Executive Council. They will work closely with the Executive Council President to oversee, build and maintain good relations with external organizations such as GradGov, other Georgetown Graduate programs (i.e. Law, Business, etc.), and colleges in the DMV area. They will also act as a liaison for other class councils/social committees that would like to host events with outside programs and work closely with the Executive Council Vice President to help connect GUSOM clubs/organizations to affiliated clubs/organizations at other colleges as needed. Events coordinated by this position specifically should be open to the entire GUSOM student body with a minimum of one event hosted once per the academic year unless outside factors limit this possibility (e.g. COVID, etc.).

Class Representative:

Each Class Representative will serve as a voting member of the GUSoM Student Government Executive Council as well as a voting member of his/her respective Class Council. The Class Representatives are required to attend all Student Government meetings. At the onset of each term, the Executive Council will determine how to distribute the following Class Representative responsibilities:

  • Class Elections
  • Weekly Student Events Email
  • Student Events Calendar
  • Webmaster
  • Student Government Meeting Minutes
  • Executive Council Events (including Activities Fair, Winter Informal, GUSoM Day)
  • Manage Social Media accounts (e.g. Executive Council, Class Council, etc.)

Chief Club Officers (CCO):

Each Chief Club Officer (CCO) oversees a specific Club Branch and is responsible for coordinating collaboration among the clubs within that branch as well as overseeing the funding for the Club Branch. CCO’s shall meet – either in person or via email – with all the presidents and/or treasurers of the clubs in their Club Branch at the beginning of each semester. At this meeting the Chief Club Officer will lay out the budget for the year and work with all the clubs to set up a calendar of events and provide funding as appropriate (see Section Six) for the events. CCO’s will provide monthly activity and budget updates to the Executive Vice President and Treasurer, respectively, and provide monthly reports on their Club Branch activities at the Student Government meetings. If unable to attend the monthly Student Government meeting in person, CCO’s are expected to attend virtually.

Class President:

The Class President is responsible for coordinating the Class Council and serving as a liaison for the class to the Executive Council. He/She should hold regular meetings with the Class Council. The Class President shall organize the election or appointments of and oversee the function of the appropriate class committees as outlined in appendix B. He/She should oversee the class’s online presence, or delegate this responsibility to another Class Council member, to ensure professional conduct at all times. The Class President should attend the monthly Student Government meetings and give a brief report on class activities, finding a suitable surrogate if unable to do so. Upper-classmen Class Presidents are responsible for training and assisting the Class Presidents in classes below them to ensure continuity of Class events and traditions.

Class Vice President:

The Class Vice President should assist the Class President with any items charged to the Class Council. The Vice President is expected to attend all regular Class Council meetings and is traditionally head of the Beautification Committee. If the Class President cannot attend the monthly Student Government meetings, the Vice President is expected to represent the class.

Class Treasurer:

The Class Treasurer is responsible for maintaining the Class Council budget. The Treasurer should coordinate with the Class President, Vice President and the Executive Council Treasurer with budget information and questions. The Class Treasurer is also expected to attend all regular Class Council meetings.

Class Secretary:

The Class Secretary will serve as a liaison from the Class Council to the entire class. He/She should oversee and regularly monitor the Class Council email account, as well as record and make available minutes for both Class meetings and Class Council meetings. The Class Secretary is also expected to attend all regular Class Council meetings.

Class Wellness Chairs:

The Class Wellness Chairs (2 per class) will serve as a liaison to promote and advocate for student health and wellness that should encompass multiple factors of health such as mental, physical, environmental, social, financial, and nutrition among others as deemed necessary. This position should work closely with other class wellness chairs, appoint members to the committee, and will work closely with the Dean/Office of Student Wellbeing.

Beautification Committee members:

Beautification Committee members work with Executive Council, Class Councils, and Dean’s Office to improve the aesthetics of the School of Medicine. This includes but is not limited to maintaining the Caduceus lounge by weekly cleanings and gathering student opinions for renovation projects.

Wellness Committee Members:

The Wellness Committee is responsible for organizing and launching initiatives that promote wellness in the GUSOM student body, working closely with the Deans/Office of Student Wellbeing. This committee should meet regularly and host events that are either for the whole school or targeted for the needs of each class. This committee should work closely with others such as Beautification and Social to coordinate events that promote well-being, especially as they relate to the multifaceted aspects of student health promoted by the committee (subject to change): mental, physical, environmental, social, financial, and nutritional. Lastly, this committee should reevaluate and track their programming to measure outcomes.

Social Committee members:

The Social Committee is responsible for organizing regular events for each class to attend. Committee members are expected to meet regularly and create a diverse array of events, including alcohol-free events, which will appeal to a variety of members in each class. They should also work with the Social Committee members of other classes in order to develop events that cater to several classes within GUSoM.

Professionalism Committee members:

The primary role of the Professionalism Committee is to work toward the continued professionalism and responsible development of members of each class in collaboration with the Office of Student Affairs. This includes sending email reminders on professional behavior and dress, how to communicate with professors and attending physicians, reminders about HIPAA, and professionalism both online and at university-sponsored events. Additional suggested duties include participation in curriculum reform and organizing speakers to address issues in professionalism.

Student Faculty Liaisons (SFL):

SFL’s serve as the liaison between classes and professors for everything from exam concerns to scheduling changes. SFL’s should strive to improve student life by facilitating communication with faculty, which includes reaching out to each course/module/clerkship director at the start of each block to introduce themselves and establish a line of communication.

Student Medical Education Committee (SMEC) members:

SMEC members are the student voice for curriculum change and improvement. No fewer than one SMEC member from each class will attend the Committee on Medical Education and Preclinical Advisory Committee meetings (with Faculty and Deans to discuss curriculum and school issues) each month. Additionally, SMEC members from all four classes will meet regularly, and at least one upper-classmen and one lower-classmen SMEC member shall attend the monthly Student Government meetings to brief the student body on Committee progress.