I. Name
The name of the organization is the Northeast Group on Student Affairs (NEGSA) of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC).
II. Purpose
The purpose of NEGSA is to encourage communication among members of the Group on Student Affairs (GSA) in the northeast region and to provide a discussion and action forum for the membership. The activities of the NEGSA shall be consistent with the GSA mission: to advance medical education and specifically, to represent the interests of medical schools and medical students in the areas of admissions, student affairs, student financial aid, student diversity affairs, student records, and preparation for graduate medical education.
III. Membership
a. Any institutional, individual, or affiliate GSA member, who has received the permission of the dean of a northeast region medical school at which he/she holds an administrative position in one or more areas of the GSA’s interest and expertise, shall be eligible for membership in the NEGSA. The types of GSA membership are defined as follows:
• Institutional members (one each area: admissions, student affairs, student financial aid, student diversity affairs, student records) are appointed annually by the deans of medical schools and serve at the pleasure of their respective deans.
• Individual members serve in the various student affairs roles (see above) at their institutions and may be added as members of NEGSA by the school or may be self-nominated.
• Affiliate members may be appointed by the deans of medical schools that are affiliate institutional members of the AAMC (i.e., the Canadian medical schools) or by the deans of medical schools that are provisional institutional members of the AAMC (e.g., newly developing schools).
b. Only one institutional member so designated by the dean is entitled to vote per each member institution. Hereinafter this individual is referred to as the “voting representative.”
IV. Meetings and Quorums
a. Meetings of NEGSA will occur annually in the spring and at such other times as may be appropriate (e.g., the annual meetings of the AAMC). All NEGSA members shall be notified of the dates and location of regional meetings at least thirty days prior. The spring meeting may be canceled or postponed by a simple majority vote of a quorum of the voting representatives at the member institutions.
b. A majority of the voting representatives of NEGSA institutions shall constitute a quorum. A quorum will be required for voting on all actions whether in person at a meeting or via an electronic ballot.
c. Formal actions may be taken at meetings at which a quorum is present. At such meetings, decisions will be made by a simple majority vote of voting representatives present, except in the situation of modification to the NEGSA Rules and Regulations for which two-thirds ratification is needed (see VIII).
d. The order of business at all NEGSA meetings shall be under the direction of the NEGSA Chair, who will make all parliamentary decisions. The chair’s decisions may be reversed by a two-thirds majority of a quorum.
V. Officers
a. The officers of the NEGSA include a chair, chair-elect (vice-chair), secretary, treasurer, and immediate past chair. The chair shall preside at NEGSA regional meetings, NEGSA Business Meetings at annual and national meetings, and at meetings of the NEGSA Executive Committee. The Executive Committee includes the officers above and the regional committee representatives: COA, COSA, CODA, COSFA and COSR. The chair-elect shall preside in the absence of the chair, serve as program chair for the spring regional meeting and represent NEGSA for national meeting planning. The treasurer shall prepare an annual report for the spring regional meeting. All terms of office shall be for one year extending from the end of the spring meeting at which the election or appointment takes place to the end of the spring meeting held one year hence. The usual and customary procedure shall be for the treasurer to advance to the position of secretary, for the secretary to advance to the position of chair-elect and for the chair-elect to advance to the position of chair. Officers will serve NEGSA for five consecutive years.
b. No two officers may represent the same institution.
c. The NEGSA nominating committee, headed by the immediate past chair, shall provide at least two nominees annually to the membership at large for the purpose of selecting a NEGSA treasurer. Nominees will be chosen from among the institutional members and individual members of NEGSA. The names, brief biographies, photographs, and personal statements of nominees shall be mailed to all NEGSA members. One ballot containing the names of nominees provided by the nominating committee and an option for write-in candidates will be mailed to the NEGSA voting representative at each member institution. The NEGSA voting representative will vote after consultation with the full NEGSA delegation at his/her medical school. Election to the position will be by a simple majority of a quorum of voting representatives. Balloting will be completed three weeks prior to the annual spring meeting. The results of the election will be announced at the spring NEGSA business meeting and shall be recorded in the minutes of that meeting.
• If a vacancy occurs during an officer’s term of office, those officers holding positions will be advanced to fill the vacancy. An interim treasurer will be selected by the NEGSA Executive Committee within thirty days to serve until the next NEGSA business meeting, at which time the NEGSA Nominating Committee will either forward the name of the interim treasurer as a nominee and/or nominate one or two other candidates for the position of NEGSA treasurer.
Executive Committee Roles
All positions of chair, vice-chair, secretary, and treasurer and the regional representatives to national committees turn over at the April national or regional GSA meeting.
Past-Chair
- With input from two previous past chairs, if possible, solicit nominations, arrange a voting process in line with the NEGSA guidelines, and announce the election results for the position of treasurer within NEGSA.
Chair
1. Preside over NEGSA Regional Business Meetings at the National GSA meetings, at the regional NEGSA meetings and at the Annual AAMC meeting. The chair will develop the agenda, which will include the following required items:
- Review and approval of Minutes from the last meeting
- Reports from each committee representative to the National GSA Committees for NEGSA
- Committee on Admissions
- Committee on Diversity Affairs
- Committee on Student Affairs
- Committee on Student Records
- Committee on Student Financial Aid
- Treasurer’s report
Additional reports and agenda items will be included at the discretion of the chair (e.g. reports from Canadian schools, NEAAHP, NEAAHP/NEGSA Liaison committee).
2. Present minutes of the NEGSA business meeting at the GSA business meeting Assist chair-elect as key member of the planning committee for the national/regional meetings.
3. Determine the need for and timing of all executive committee meetings., Communicate important updates and meeting notifications and solicit input from NEGSA membership.
4. Communicate the minutes to the NEGSA leadership when received from the secretary.
5. Ensure that institutional voting representatives and institutional representatives to committees review school membership lists on an annual basis and mentor and train officers on all responsibilities of their positions.
6. Review Rule and Regulations at least once over the year with the membership to see if any changes should be suggested.
7. Submit the annual report to AAMC staff in July Attend the GSA Leadership meetings over two days at the AAMC in Washington, DC in July.
8. Sign all contracts presented by the Treasurer for any and all NEGSA expenses.
9. The chair, in consultation with the Executive Committee, nominates new representatives to national committees for terms of 3 years.
Vice-Chair
1. Responsible for representing the Executive Committee in planning the regional and national meetings.
2. Will represent the Chair if the Chair is unable to fulfill any assigned duties.
3. Participate in all Executive Committee meetings.
4. Will chair the Outstanding Service Award Committee.
Secretary
1. Act as a key member of the planning committee for the regional/national meetings under the direction of the Vice-Chair.
2. Record minutes from all business meetings and prepare them for the chair and Executive Committee within 2 weeks of the meeting.
3. Participate in all Executive Committee meetings.
Treasurer
1. Act as a key member of the planning committee for the regional/national meetings under the direction of the Vice-Chair.
2. Keep an up-to-date accounting of all NEGSA funds and manage accounts payable and accounts receivable transactions.
3. Present financial report of NEGSA at all business meetings.
4. Participate in all Executive Committee meetings.
Intergroup Liaisons
Four non-officer liaisons to professional development groups Group on Educational Affairs (GEA), Group on Residency Affairs (GRA), Group on Regional Medical Campuses (GRMC) and Northeast Association of Advisors for the Health Professions will participate as Executive Committee Members. These individuals will be appointed by the NEGSA Officers and terms will be indefinite. A call for interested individual meetings will be made prior to the spring meeting. Applicants will submit a CV and a statement of interest in the position. Intergroup liaisons will:
1. Liaison with the respective professional development group and inform the Executive Committee on hot topics.
2. Share information with the respective professional development group.
3. Participate in all Executive Committee Meetings.
Representatives of NGSA to National Committees
1. Represent NEGSA members to the national GSA committees and communicate minutes from national committee meetings at the NEGSA business meetings.
2. Attend the AAMC leadership meetings in July in Washington, DC.
3. Participate in all Executive Committee meetings.
Committees
a. Committees of the NEGSA shall include the Executive Committee, the Nominating Committee, and any ad hoc committees deemed necessary by the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall include the four officers of the NEGSA, the immediate past- chair, the regional representatives to COSA, COA, CODA, COSR, COSFA, and the chair of the Northeast Organization of Student Representatives (NEOSR), or a designee.
b. The Nominating Committee shall consist of the immediate past-chair and two additional past-chairs, if possible. They solicit nominations from the membership and work with the chair to conduct an orderly election process to fill vacant positions as needed. They also forward to the GSA Nominating Committee nominees for the position of GSA vice-chair, Additional committees may be appointed by the chair with the approval of the Executive Committee.
c. The Outstanding Service Award Committee is chaired by the Chair-Elect. This committee facilitates the call for nominations process and conducts the initial screening of submissions for the Outstanding Service Award. Once screened, this committee will submit three to four finalists for review to the Steering Committee for selection of award recipients.
d. Chairs of such committees shall be institutional or individual GSA members appointed by the chair of the NEGSA with the consultation of the Executive Committee.
e. Members of committees shall be appointed by the chair of each committee or by the chair of the NEGSA. Committee members may be institutional, individual, or affiliate members of GSA or NEOSR representatives.
f. The Chair of NEGSA nominates representatives to GSA Committees in consultation with the Executive Committee. Minutes shall be kept of all committee meetings and circulated to committee members and to others appropriately concerned.
g. All committees are advisory to the NEGSA Executive Committee. Accordingly, they shall obtain approval for any major projects from the NGSA Executive Committee and, as appropriate, from the GSA Steering Committee or the AAMC.
VI. Finances
a. Under usual circumstances, registration fees will cover the cost of the regional meeting. A surcharge, to be decided by the Executive Committee, may be assessed to support additional programs that have been formally presented to and approved by the NGSA membership.
b. All expenses must be approved and contracts signed by the chair.
c. No resources of the organization may accrue to the financial benefit of any of its members.
VII. Parliamentary Rules
For matters not covered in these rules and regulations, the parliamentary authority shall be Roberts’ Rules of Order.
VIII. Modifications to Rules and Regulations
Any modifications to the NEGSA Rules and Regulations require approval by two-thirds of the quorum, within 30 days of the initiation of balloting. A quorum is defined as a simple majority of the northeast institutional voting representatives.