Student Council Bylaws

Article VI: Student Government

Section 1: The Council shall oversee in a general way the performance of student government in all classes.

Section 2: Each class shall elect, by the procedure outlined in Sections 5 and 6, the following class officials: President, two Curriculum Representatives, one Ethics Committee Representative and three Student Council Representatives. In addition, the first, second, and third year classes shall each elect one Alumni Council Representative.

Section 3: The following stipulations shall apply to all Student Council elections:
A: Candidates may only run for one position.
B: Candidates must run independently (i.e., not as part of a ticket.)
C: In the event of an inadequate number of candidates for a said position, power of appointment shall rest with the newly elected president of affected class, subject to approval by the Council.
D: The Student Council will be responsible for the organization and execution of elections, without placing responsibility on the Office of Student Affairs or the Office of Educational Affairs.

Section 4: Each class shall retain the option of appointing more than one representative/official to such positions as it deems necessary to properly conduct class business (with the exception of President, Ethics Committee Representative, and Student Council Representatives.)

Section 5: Election Process: Election of class officials shall proceed by the following mechanism:
A: Nominations will be accepted for at least two weeks in an open fashion, and will be closed twenty-four hours before the time of the election.
B: Individuals nominated for positions shall have an opportunity to withdraw their names from balloting.
C: Voting shall take place on a day in which the entire class shall ideally have an opportunity to participate (see Section 7).
D: Participation by at least 65% of the class shall be required for an election to be considered valid for the first two years, and at least 50% for elections in which 3rd and 4th year students are voting.
E: The nominee receiving a plurality of the votes cast in a valid election shall be the official, provided there is a margin of two votes. In this event, a run-off will be held between the candidates involved. Clarification: In this case, a margin of two votes should be taken to mean MORE THAN TWO VOTES such that if Candidate A has 42 votes and Candidate B has 40 votes, a run-off is in order. I this event, a run-off will be held between the candidates involved.
F: In the event of a run-off, the two candidates will be notified and their interest in the office in question will be re-affirmed. The run-off will then be announced with the posting of the election results. The run-off will be held in conjunction with the next test date available. Until the run-off results become available, the incumbent officer will continue to perform the duties of said office. If either or both of the candidates already occupy an office within the Student Government they are expected to continue to perform their duties, however, they should not take advantage of their office as an opportunity to campaign.
G: Any disputes involving class elections shall be resolved by the Council, whose decision shall be final and binding on all parties.
H: The Council reserves the right to invalidate any election results for reasons including, but not limited to, violation of election guidelines and/or etiquette.

Section 6: Terms of office for all officials and representatives shall be for one year or part thereof with a uniform termination on April 30th of each year except for the fourth year officials who shall hold office through Commencement Day.

Section 7: The general timetable for elections for each class shall be as follows, with specific dates decided by each class every year with the approval of the Council.
A: Fourth year class officials: Nominations accepted February, and finished by March of the third year with elections to take place by the end of March on the day of a class meeting.
B: Third and second year class officials: Nominations accepted in March of the second and first years, with elections to take place on the exam date in March for each class.
C: First year class officials: Nominations accepted in late September of the first year with elections to take place on the day of the first examination for the whole class in October, before the first Student Council Funding Meeting in early October.

Section 8: A member (or members) of the Council shall be appointed to oversee the election in each class.

Section 9: Each class shall retain the right to establish such committees it deems necessary to conduct the business of the class with the following committees required to be formed by the indicated class:
A: Commencement Committee-fourth year class.
B: Yearbook Committee-fourth year class.

Section 10: The duties of each class officer and committee shall be those indicated by their respective titles (see Article III) and as follows:
A: The SC President shall supervise all class business and representation, chair all committees with the exception of the Yearbook Committee, and serve as the principal liaison between his or her class and the Administration.
B: Representatives to all Committees will present the opinion of their class during the appropriate business of their committee. The only exceptions to this shall be the Representative to the Ethics and Student Evaluations and Promotion Committees.
C: Commencement Committee: Coordinates activities associated with Commencement and other fourth year activities.
D: Yearbook Committee:
1. The third year class president shall select a yearbook editor from the third year class at the time of elections are held in March or April.
2. The editor's term shall run from time of appointment until the yearbooks are completed, which may not be until after Commencement the following year.
3. Th editor shall be responsible for all aspects of yearbook production and may assemble a staff to achieve this end.
4. The editors shall provide information about yearbook production to the succeeding class' editor.
5. The editor or a delegate shall report to the Council on the finances of the yearbook twice a year.
E: Grievance Committee: Shall assist students who have complaints or problems involving the Medical School and shall work with the Administration to seek a fair and just resolution for such complaints and problems. The committee will be comprised of class officers and other representatives form the class as deemed necessary by the members of the committee.