Constitution

The Medical Sciences Society Constitution

Article I – Name and Affiliation

Name 

  1. The official name of this organization shall be the Medical Sciences Society.

Affiliation

  1. The Medical Sciences Society is not affiliated with any national organization, it is local to the University Park Campus and is affiliated with the College of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences.

Article II – Mission Statement

  1. The Medical Sciences Society unites students from all majors who want to explore careers in the medical field. Through a wide variety of events, such as lab tours, panels, and hands-on experiments, we foster a community of members across majors and support students in their journey to their future careers. Our organization also connects students with resources and opportunities in research, clinical settings, and volunteering.

Article III – Membership

  1. Any Graduate or Undergraduate student at Penn State University Park is eligible to join the Medical Sciences Society.
  2. An accurate listing of our members must be maintained on OrgCentral, with a minimum of 10 student members 
  3. Only University Park student members are eligible to hold officer positions, solicit funds, and vote. Faculty/Staff, Alumni, or Community members are not permitted to make decisions on behalf of the organization, solicit funds, or vote
  4. RSOs, following the University’s Non-Discrimination Policy, will not discriminate in membership based on any protected class outlined in PSU Policy AD91 

New Members and Recruitment

  1. All new members will be given full disclosure during recruitment, including but not limited to:
    • New Membership Manual (if applicable)
    • Schedule of New Member Events and Activities (if applicable)
    • A list of responsibilities
    • A copy of the University Hazing policy, prescribed by Policies and Rules for Student Organizations
    • All members reserve the right to refrain from participating in any activities without consequence, based upon personal/religious beliefs, personal values, or moral reserve as defined by the member.
    • All interaction/activity between members and/or new members will be limited to guidelines stated by university policy, as well as local, state, and federal laws.

Non-Hazing Compliance Statement

  1. The Medical Sciences Society and The Pennsylvania State University does not tolerate hazing. Hazing is prohibited for any University-recognized or sanctioned organization, student, or other person associated with an organization operating under the sanction of or recognized by the University. 
  2. Organizations or individuals found responsible for hazing under this Policy, whether occurring on or off campus, will be subject to disciplinary action by the University, and may also face criminal charges under state law, including The Timothy J. Piazza Antihazing Law, 18. Pa. C.S. § 2801, et seq.
  3. Annually, the Medical Sciences Society will share the University Hazing Policy with the entire membership, prescribed by Policies and Rules for Student Organizations.

Membership Conduct

  1. In the case of violations of constitution policies and/or a conflict between members, the highest-ranking officer not involved in the instance, with assistance from the RSO Advisor (and/or Student Leadership and Involvement staff), will facilitate a mediated conversation
  2. The mediation will occur outside of a normal RSO meeting; include opportunities for both parties to speak; allow facilitation of a resolution between members
  3. Membership may be removed if a member is found to violate any proceedings or fails to meet membership criteria outlined above
  4. The officers shall take reasonable steps to maintain the confidentiality of non-public information shared by members in dispute resolution processes and membership removal proceedings. If an individual is removed from membership, the officers may advise the general membership that the individual is no longer a member of the organization.
  5. Officer removal/replacement is outlined in the Officers section

Article IV – Officers 

Executive Officers

Co-President - Internal Communications (President)

  1. Facilitates communication between members, officers, and advisors
  2. Responsible for general body meeting activities
  3. Creates slideshows for general body meetings
  4. Evaluate the efficiency of executive member participation and collaboration towards a common goal 

Co-President - External Communications (Vice President)

  1. Facilitates communication between other clubs, volunteer organizations, and hosts for prospective events
  2. Creates flyers for events
  3. Manages attendance and email reminders for events
  4. Execute tasks to match the goals created by the internal co-president

Membership Director

  1. Send out all information on all platforms. The caption will be created by the interim PR chair while the flyers will be created by the co-presidents.
  2. Print and hang flyers on campus
  3. Create one fun event this semester- a social, activity, or a combined meeting with another club- and use the opportunity to recruit members
  4. Answer any DMs or questions on GroupMe
  5. Foster community between executive members and general body members- encourage interaction at meetings and events

Treasurer

  1. Keep financial records updated and accurate 
  2. Balance the Medical Sciences Society's financial transactions and all accounts with Penn State Associated Student Activities (ASA account) 

Secretary 

  1. Keep accurate history and records of the Medical Sciences Society activities and meetings
  2. Write and distribute meeting minutes for each executive board and general body meeting, utilizing the Medical Sciences Society tools for attendance and documents
  3. Create and distribute an email newsletter discussing upcoming events for the club and what events we completed since the last newsletter
  4. Keep an accurate listing of members on the dues spreadsheet, teams, the email list, and discover
  5. Create an attendance form for each meeting, linked to a spreadsheet, and put it into the slides prior to each meeting
  6. Maintain the main club document which holds links to all relevant webpages

 Election of Officers

Term of Office

  1. Each Executive Officer position shall be elected once every academic year in the Fall Semester 
  2. The incoming officers shall serve from the Fall semester to the fall semester of the following academic year 

Election Procedure

  1. Elections shall be conducted electronically no later than the last week of classes in the Spring Semester preceding the beginning of term of office. Elections shall be conducted through a vote of all members present during the announced election meeting
  2. No one involved in conducting the elections may be an official candidate

Officer Removal

  1. If an officer is at-risk of removal for violating organizational policies or culture, or a failure to complete their duties, the other members of the executive board will have a meeting and vote on the status on the officer. If the officer is voted to be removed, one of the other executive members will have a meeting with the Officer to let them know of their at-risk status prior to removal and outline immediate and sustainable changes that must occur to maintain an officer position. These changes must be implemented and sustained for 2 weeks to avoid removal. If one of the co-presidents is the officer at risk of removal, the other co-president and advisor will meet with the co-president.
  2. If the changes are not met or sustained, the internal co-president will notify them of their removal. If the internal co-president is the officer at risk of removal, the external co-president will notify them.

Officer Replacement

  1. If an officer needs to step down or has been removed outside of regular election time, the Medical Sciences Society Executive Board will either decide to place someone in an Interim position or re-elect the officer. 

Article V – Operating Procedure

Meetings

  1. A general body meeting of the Medical Sciences Society shall be held no less than monthly and no more than weekly. 
  2. Adequate advance notice must be given to all student members.

Decision-Making Process

  1. The Executive Board shall put-to-vote any decisions being made concerning the general membership of the Medical Sciences Society to the membership / executive leaders.
  2. A Majority vote of all members (or exec) present constitutes a passing vote

Amending the Constitution and Bylaws

  1. Amendments to this document may be made at any time by a simple majority of the Executive Board or General membership. / The constitution will be reviewed annually
  2. Amendments must pass an affirmative vote following the Decision-Making process above and be presented to the entire membership
  3. All amendments must be submitted and approved by the Student Leadership and Involvement Office as an updated constitution to ensure compliance with university regulations
  4. Constitution Renewals are due to the Student Leadership and Involvement Office every 2 years but may be submitted sooner. Student Leadership and Involvement will contact RSO leadership at the time of renewal

Article VI – Advisors

Requirements of the Faculty/Staff Advisor

  1. The advisor must be a full-time faculty/staff member on the University Park Campus, selected by the Executive Board
  2. If our organization has a Co-Advisor, that advisor may be a University Park Campus faculty/staff member, or a current Graduate Assistant (GA) or Graduate Teaching Assistant (TA), or a Non-PSU Community member affiliated with your organization
  3. Co-Advisors are not required

Duties of the Faculty/Staff Advisor 

  1. The advisor shall be available to mentor the students in the general membership and assist them with procedures when necessary
  2. Advisors/Co-Advisors do not have voting rights
  3. Advisors/Co-Advisors may not conduct business on behalf of the organization

Article VII – Financial Statement

Finances

  1. All organizational funds will be deposited and handled exclusively through the Associated Student Activities (ASA) office in HUB 240
  2. The RSO will not have an off-campus bank account

Funding 

  1. The dues for members of the Medical Sciences Society shall be no more than ten dollars a semester to be collected by the second meeting after the Involvement Fair 
  2. The Medical Sciences Society will hold fundraisers at a minimum of once a semester to bring in additional funding on top of dues to be used to further our mission
  3. The Medical Sciences Society will submit for UPAC (University Park Allocation Committee) funding at least 40 academic days in advance of any planned activities

Article VIII – Enabling Clause 

  1. This Constitution was reviewed and ratified by the Executive Board on June 29th, 2025, at a regular body meeting 
  2. The entire membership and Executive Board have reviewed and agree to this document