I. NAME
The name of the organization shall be the Central Region Group on Student Affairs (CGSA) of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
II. PURPOSE
The purpose of the organization shall be to encourage communication among members of the Group on Student Affairs (GSA) in the Central Region and to provide a forum for discussion of matters to be acted upon at national GSA meetings. The activities of the CGSA shall be consistent with the GSA mission to advance medical education, and shall be responsive to the unique needs, problems, and resources of the Central Region. Specifically, the CGSA shall represent the interests of medical schools and medical students in the areas of admissions, student diversity affairs, student financial assistance, student affairs, and student records.
III. MEMBERSHIP
A. Members of the CGSA shall be of three types:
1. Institutional members who are appointed annually by the deans of medical schools which are institutional members of the AAMC (hereinafter referred to as member medical schools) and who shall serve at the pleasure of their respective deans. Each member medical school shall have five institutional members, one in each of the five GSA areas of interest and expertise: admissions, student diversity affairs, student financial assistance, student affairs, and student records. In some instances, the dean of a member medical school may appoint an additional institutional member, a member-at-large, who shall be an administrator in one of the five areas of the GSA's interest and expertise.
2. Individual members who may be either self-nominated or nominated by other GSA members. They shall be administrators who work in one or more of the five areas of GSA's interest and expertise at member medical schools.
3. Affiliate members who may be appointed:
a. by the deans of medical schools that are affiliate institutional members of the AAMC (i.e. the Canadian medical schools).
b. by the deans of medical schools that are provisional institutional members of the AAMC (i.e. newly developing schools).
B. Each medical school holding institutional membership in the CGSA within the AAMC shall be entitled to one vote. This vote shall be cast by the person designated as the voting representative by the dean of each member medical school. This vote shall represent a consensus among the members of the GSA delegation at that school.
IV. MEETINGS AND QUORUMS
A. Meetings of the CGSA membership shall be held annually in the spring and at other such times as may be appropriate (i.e. the annual AAMC meeting); notification of such meetings to members must occur at least thirty (30) days prior to the meeting date. Additional meetings may be called by the Steering Committee or by the voting representatives of 25 percent of CGSA member medical schools. A meeting may be canceled or postponed by a majority vote of the voting representatives at member medical schools, either by mail, email, or at a previous meeting.
B. To constitute a quorum, 25 percent of CGSA member medical schools must be represented as determined by a roll call. The responsibility of the voting representative from a member medical school may be transferred to another CGSA member, from that school, in the event of the absence of the voting representative.
C. Formal actions may be taken at meetings in which a quorum is present. At such meetings, decisions and actions shall be made by a majority vote of members present.
D. The CGSA Chair will conduct meetings and will make all parliamentary decisions. These decisions may be appealed by members present; a two-thirds majority of members present is needed to nullify the Chair's original decision.
V. OFFICERS AND MEMBERS-AT-LARGE
A. The CGSA officers shall include a Chair, a Chair-Elect, a Vice Chair and an Immediate Past Chair.
B. In accordance with AAMC National Group on Student Affairs rules and regulations, eligibility for CGSA offices will be limited to institutional GSA members, as defined in section III.A.1.
1. The Chair presides at regional business meetings of the CGSA and at regional meetings of the CGSA Steering Committee. The Chair, in consultation with the CGSA officers, also nominates CGSA members for vacancies on the GSA National committees and submits names for the position of GSA National Vice Chair.
2. The Chair-Elect presides in the absence of the Chair and serves as the program chair for the next spring regional conference.
3. The Vice Chair assists the Chair-Elect with plans for the next spring conference, coordinates the plans for the conference two years later and works closely with the Members-At-Large on initiatives including, but not limited to, the mentoring program.
4. The Immediate Past Chair serves as Chair of the Nominating Committee and as a member of the GSA Exemplary Service Award Committee.
C. The person selected as Vice Chair shall serve a four-year term of office under the assumption of automatic progression through the office of Vice Chair (one year), to the office of Chair-Elect (one year), to the office of Chair (one year), to the office of Immediate Past Chair (one year).
D. If a vacancy occurs during the term of office of the Chair, the Chair-Elect or the Vice Chair, each succeeding officer will advance to fill the opening, and a new interim Vice Chair will be selected by the Steering Committee of the CGSA to serve until the next spring CGSA meeting. At the spring CGSA meeting, the Nominating Committee will have the prerogative of forwarding the name of the interim Vice Chair as Chair-Elect. If a vacancy occurs during the term of office of a Member-At-Large the steering committee will appoint an interim to serve until the next election.
E. A total of four (4) Members-at-Large shall be elected for staggered two-year terms with two (2) Members-at-Large elected each year at the CGSA Spring meeting. The Member–At-Large serves on the CGSA Nomination Committee; assists in carrying out special projects of the CGSA; assists with the development of the Spring CGSA conference; provides perspective and insight to the various discussions and actions of the CGSA Steering Committee; gains insight and understanding of CGSA leadership as well as areas of interest to GSA and the Central region.
VI. ELECTIONS
A. The terms of office for the CGSA elected officials shall extend from the end of the spring CGSA business meeting, at which time they assume office, to the end of the following spring CGSA business meeting.
B. The Nominating Committee (as defined in section VII. E) of the CGSA will provide a minimum of two names annually to the membership for the purpose of selecting a Vice Chair. Self- nominations will be accepted by the Nominating Committee. Regarding each candidate, the names, biographical information, and goals and purposes for his/her tenure as an officer will be publicized in advance of the fall business meeting and subsequent election.
C. All voting for Vice Chair shall be cast by the voting institutional representative by either written or electronic balloting. Biographical information regarding each candidate shall be provided to the CGSA membership in advance of the AAMC annual meeting. Ballots shall be made available to voting representatives who will vote after consultation with the full CGSA delegation at their medical school. Results of the election will be reported to the CGSA Chair no later than February 1 prior to the spring business meeting. Results of the election shall be publicly announced at the spring business meeting.
D. Election to the CGSA Steering Committee of two Members-At-Large for two-year terms shall be held annually at the CGSA spring business meeting with voting by institutional and individual members of the CGSA present at the meeting.
E. Elections for Members-At-Large will be decided by simple majority vote. In the event of a tie, members present at the spring business meeting shall re-vote immediately to break the tie.
VII. COMMITTEES
A. Standing committees of the CGSA shall include a Steering Committee and a Nominating Committee. Other standing committees may be appointed by the Chair in consultation with the Steering Committee. The standing committees and their functions shall be reviewed annually by the Steering Committee, and those committees no longer needed may be dissolved by the Chair in consultation with the Steering Committee.
B. The Steering Committee shall consist of the regional officers of the CGSA and four Members- At-Large with staggered two-year terms. The Steering Committee will also include the CGSA representatives to the GSA National Committees (COA, COSDA, COSA, COSR, COSFA), the Chair of the Central Region Organization of Student Representatives or designee, and the Executive Secretary/Treasurer of the CGSA. Ex-Officio, non-voting members, of the CGSA Steering Committee will include Chairs of any existing Ad Hoc Committees, and any CGSA members serving as GSA National Committee Chairs.
C. The CGSA Steering Committee shall have the normal duties of an executive committee and shall be responsible for the planning and implementation of CGSA programs at the CGSA regional conference and the GSA national conference. When planning conferences, the Steering Committee shall determine program content and scheduling after soliciting advice from and discussing with representatives of related groups that may meet in conjunction with the CGSA (i.e., The Central Association of Advisors for the Health Professions, the Central Region Organization of Student Representatives, the Central Region Group on Educational Affairs, and other GSA Regions). The Steering Committee shall determine the site and date of each spring regional conference and may appoint a member of the CGSA from a host school (or each of the co-host schools) to serve as the co-planner for the conference.
D. To assist in operations of the CGSA, the Steering Committee will appoint a member of the CGSA to the position of Executive Secretary/Treasurer for a term of three years. The Executive Secretary/Treasurer will serve as the treasurer for the CGSA and will be responsible for taking minutes during regional meetings, maintaining CGSA records and the membership mailing address list and email address list, and performing other duties as requested.
E. The Nominating Committee shall consist of the four Members at-Large for the Steering Committee and shall be chaired by the Past Chair who shall vote only to break a tie.
F. The Nominating Committee shall solicit nominations from the membership and shall work with the CGSA Chair to conduct an orderly election process to fill the position of Vice Chair and the Member-At-Large positions on the CGSA Steering Committee and to fill other vacant positions as needed. They shall also serve as the CGSA Outstanding Service Award Screening Committee and bring the names of finalists to the CGSA Steering Committee for selection of award recipients.
G. Ad hoc committees may be appointed by the Chair of the CGSA Steering Committee acting on advice of either the CGSA Steering Committee or the CGSA membership as appropriate. The function and structure of ad hoc committees shall take into consideration the function and structure of existing GSA National Committees and, specifically, the areas of interest as delineated in the Purpose of the CGSA.
VIII. FINANCES
A. The CGSA Steering Committee, in consultation with the AAMC Meetings Department, will determine the registration fees and any special function fees for the regional spring conference based on consideration of funds needed to meet expenses.
B. All contracts must be reviewed by the CGSA Chair. Any non-budgeted expenses must be approved by the Chair before being reimbursed by the Secretary/Treasurer. Other anticipated and routine expenses may be reimbursed by the Secretary/Treasurer, and must be detailed in the annual Secretary/Treasurer's report.
C. Financial resources of the CGSA may not personally benefit its members or constituents.
IX. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
Robert's Rules of Order shall be the authoritative source for all items not specifically discussed in these Rules and Regulations.
X. AMENDMENTS TO RULES AND REGULATIONS
Subject to approval of the GSA Steering Committee, these Rules and Regulations may be amended by either written or electronic ballot cast by the institutional voting representatives specifying the proposed change. A two-thirds majority of ballots received thirty (30) days following ballot distribution will be required to amend, provided that the total number of votes cast for the changes constitute a majority of the voting representatives.
Adopted 1982; Revised: 1986; 1988; 1991; 1997; 2000; 2004; 2014
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