announcements

09.06.2007

The 1st general meeting will be on Wednesday, September 12th at 7pm in Welch 2.312. Hope to see you all there!

Check the calendar for more important events.

08.20.2007

Deadline for applications through TMDSAS is October 1st.

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"The easiest thing to be in the world is you. The most difficult thing to be is what other people want you to be."

-Lou Buscaglia

Constitution and Bylaws

September 5, 2001

Constitution

ARTICLE I – NAME


SECTION I: NAME

The name of this association shall be known as the University of Texas at Austin American Student Dental Association Predental Chapter, hereafter referred to as “University of Texas ASDA” or “UT ASDA.”

ARTICLE II – MISSION AND OBJECTIVES


SECTION I: Mission Statement of the American Student Dental Association

The American Student Dental Association is a national student-run organization which protects and advances the rights, interests and welfare of students pursuing careers in dentistry. It represents students with a unified voice and provides information, education, advocacy and services. The association introduces lifelong involvement in organized dentistry, and promotes change for the betterment of the profession.

SECTION II: Objectives

The objectives of the University of Texas ASDA shall be:

  1. To provide all members with the essential qualities necessary to become a successful dentist.
  2. To provide a means by which students may participate in and communicate with the American Student Dental Association (ASDA).
  3. Our association is open to all students interested in the field of dentistry and serves as a resource to provide information about the dental field, community, service contacts, leadership experiences and social interaction.

ARTICLE III – OPERATION


SECTION I: NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION

University of Texas ASDA shall be operated as a non-profit association. An operational account for the function of the Association shall be established in accordance with University policy.

SECTION II: EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATION

University of Texas ASDA shall be operated on the basis of enhancing the education of its members.

ARTICLE IV – MEMBERSHIP


SECTION I: OPEN MEMBERSHIP

Membership shall be open to students of The University of Texas at Austin regardless of race, national origin, creed or political affiliation, sex (in accordance with Title IX), sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, or veteran’s status.

SECTION II: LIMITED MEMBERSHIP

Membership is limited to students and/or faculty of the University of Texas at Austin.

SECTION III: DUES

In addition to Article IV, Section II, members must also fulfill the following requirements:

  1. National dues shall be set by the national ASDA organization and are optional for all members excluding the officers of the club. All officers are required to join ASDA.
  2. Local dues are $70 per year or $40 per semester and are set by the UT ASDA. Only local dues must be paid in order to be considered a paid member.
  3. The national dues of this Association shall be payable by December 1 of each year.
  4. Any member whose dues are in arrears shall forfeit membership in this Association.

ARTICLE V – ORGANIZATION


SECTION I: GENERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR OFFICERS

All officers are responsible for meeting the same requirements set forth for all members including payment of dues and attendance of meetings (the President or Vice President may grant an excused absences if deemed necessary). Executive committee meetings shall be held 30 to 45 minutes prior to every general meeting unless the officer meeting is rescheduled by the President. Attendance for the executive board is mandatory at these officer meetings unless excused by the President. Also the President is entitled and expected to schedule one on one meetings with individual officers when he/ she feels that it is necessary.

SECTION II: ORGANIZATION

The governing body of University of Texas ASDA pre-dental chapter is the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall be comprised of the following positions: President, Vice President, Secretary, Webmaster, Public Relations Representative, Community Service/Social Representative, and Treasurer. The Executive Committee has the authority to appoint members to other designated offices to fulfill the work of the chapter as needed.

BYLAWS

ARTICLE I – DUTIES AND POWERS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE


1. President
  1. To oversee the Executive Committee and the actions of the Vice-President and subordinates.
  2. To be responsible for promoting good communication between himself and each individual officer to ensure that each officer is fulfilling his or her responsibilities. This is primarily to be done through executive and individual meetings with the officers that should be held on a regular basis.
  3. To be responsible for arranging appropriate speakers for each meeting.
  4. To acquire necessary media equipment from the Health Professions Office or delegate this responsibility to another officer or member of the organization.
  5. To oversee the actions of the officers and any other officers/committees created under his/her jurisdiction.
  6. To plan or to oversee trips to each Dental School during the spring and fall semesters.
  7. To be familiar with the Constitution of University of Texas ASDA and handle all amendment procedures when necessary.
  8. To be responsible for sending e-mails about upcoming meetings.
  9. To keep track of attendance at all the meetings or to delegate this responsibility to the most appropriate officer.
  10. To update the University of Texas ASDA folder at the Health Professions office or to delegate this responsibility to another officer or member of the organization.
  11. To act as chief liaison to other groups and organizations.
  12. To serve on the Health Professions Council of The University of Texas at Austin.
  13. To conduct the fall officer elections following the procedures outlined in BYLAWS, ARTICLE III, and to publicly recommend one of the current officers as the best candidate for presidency of the upcoming year.
  14. After the elections in the fall the president is responsible for advising the new president and vice-president for the spring semester.
2. Vice-President
  1. To aid the president in decision making and other responsibilities.
  2. To help the president promote the best communication possible between the officers in order to ensure that each officer is fulfilling his or her responsibilities.
  3. To assist the President and preside at chapter meetings in the absence or incapacity of the President.
  4. To organize general officer meeting for any members considering to run for office in the Spring.
  5. After the elections in the fall the vice-president is responsible for advising the new president and vice-president for the spring semester.
3. Secretary
  1. To be responsible for maintaining the Mentor Program.
  2. To create and order T-shirts for the current school year.
  3. To coordinate Kaplan mock DAT.
  4. To set up Kaplan discount at the beginning of the Fall Semester.
  5. After the elections in the fall the secretary is responsible for advising the new secretary for the spring semester especially concerning the mentor program.
4. Treasurer
  1. To be responsible for maintaining the finances of the University of Texas ASDA.
  2. To be responsible for maintaining a current list of paid members and giving this list out to the other officers when necessary.
  3. To provide the current list of active members to the various Dental Schools when visiting in the Spring.
  4. To be in charge of setting up transportation (unless otherwise decreed by President) and payment for all Dental School trips.
  5. After the elections in the fall the treasurer is responsible for advising the new treasurer for the spring semester especially concerning the mentor program.
5. Webmaster
  1. To maintain the University of Texas ASDA Pre-Dental Chapter web page.
    1. This web page should include an updated list of active participants in the club including members and non member with their phone numbers and email addresses.
    2. The web page should also include a calendar of upcoming events including formal and social meetings of the club.
    3. This web page should also include other things that are agreed upon by the president and the web master.
  2. After the elections in the fall the web master is responsible for advising the new web master for the spring semester.
6. Public Relations Representative
  1. To be responsible for spreading information about ASDA to other UT students through the use of flyers, signs, newspaper ads, and any other means available.
  2. To set up and be in charge of a PR committee to aid him or her with this position. This committee should include involved members who are interested in promoting information about the club to other UT students.
  3. To ensure that an ASDA table is set up at the west mall before formal meetings and manned by a representative of the PR committee. A table at the west mall should also be set up at other times as seen fit by the PR representative.
  4. To ensure that all Orientations sessions are attended by a representative of the PR committee.
  5. To ensure that all Fairs held in both the Fall and Spring Semesters are attended by a representative of the PR committee.
  6. After the elections in the fall the PR representative is responsible for advising the new PR representative for the spring semester.
7. Community Service/ Social Representative
  1. To coordinate community service activities. These activities may include but are not limited to the healthy smiles program and habitat for humanity.
  2. To coordinate all social activities.
  3. To set up the banquet at the end of the spring semester.
  4. It is recommended that the Community Service/ Social Representative form a committee under him or her to aid in these responsibilities.
  5. To coordinate the intramural sports each semester.
  6. To coordinate all fundraising activities.
  7. After the elections in the fall the Community Service/ Social Representative is responsible for advising the new Community Service/ Social Representative for the spring semester.
8. Past President

a. This officer’s primary duties are to attend the executive meeting and serve as an advisor to the new board. This officer must have been President in order to serve in this position and it would be customary for the outgoing President to retain this position.

ARTICLE II – TERM OF OFFICE


The Executive Committee shall be elected by the paid members of the club at the end of the fall semester and shall serve for the two following semesters. Each officer is also responsible to aid the newly elected officer after their terms of service for one full semester.

ARTICLE III-ELECTIONS PROCEDURES AND ELIGIBILITY

  1. Elections for offices will be held at the final meeting of the fall semester. Elected positions include: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Webmaster, Public Relations Representative, and Community Service/ Social Representative.
  2. In order to run for office a candidate must fill out an application and interview with the President and Vice-President prior to elections. The applications will be due on a date that is assigned by the President at least two weeks prior to the elections. At this time the President will set up necessary meetings with all the candidates.
  3. After interviewing all the candidates, if the President and Vice-president feel that a candidate is questionable to run for office, they have the right to bring the issue before the executive board. At this time the executive board will vote on whether or not this candidate is eligible to run for office. This process must all take place at least a week before the elections are to take place.
  4. Only those members who were an officer for that academic year are eligible to run for President of UT ASDA.
  5. Only the members who held the office of President if allowed to run for Past President.
  6. Leaders may hold no more than one elected chapter position during the term of office.
  7. Eligible voters are all paid members of the club who are present during the final meeting of the semester for chapter elections.
  8. Elections are held by secret ballot. The candidate achieving the most votes for each position shall be declared the winner.
  9. The outgoing President and all officers choosing not to run for office for the next year will count ballots. If every officer is running for an office in the next year, two active members will be assigned by the Executive Committee to aid the President in counting ballots.

ARTICLE IV-UNEXPIRED TERMS

  1. In the event of a vacancy, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Webmaster, Public Relations Representative and Community Service/Social Representative, in that order, will succeed the President for the remainder of the term. The resulting Executive Committee vacancy shall be appointed by the new President, with the majority approval by the Executive Committee.
  2. All other office and committee vacancies will be filled by appointment by the President with the majority approval of the Executive Committee.
  3. All replacement appointments will end at the conclusion of the existing term.

ARTICLE V-REMOVAL FROM OFFICE

  1. An officer can be removed from office for:
    1. Failing to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of the position specified in the UT ASDA pre-dental chapter Constitution and Bylaws or in the official position description.
    2. Infringement of any of these bylaws.
    3. Commitment of an act discreditable to the profession of Dentistry.
  2. If any of the above conditions exist, the removal procedure is as follows:
    1. Notification and counseling: the person will be given the opportunity to resign or meet specific requirements to fulfill his or her duties as determined by the Executive Committee.
    2. A probationary period of 30 days to correct the problems and complete unfulfilled duties, after which time the officer will receive written notification of removal from office.
    3. A two-thirds majority vote of the Executive Committee is required for removal from office.

ARTICLE VI-MEETINGS


SECTION I: GENERAL MEETINGS

The Executive Committee will schedule general meetings for each semester. They will be held on Wednesdays, usually every other week. Holidays and special events or circumstances may change the scheduling.

SECTION II: OFFICER MEETINGS
Executive committee meetings shall be held 30 to 45 minutes prior to every general meeting unless the officer meeting is rescheduled by the President. Attendance for the executive board is mandatory at these officer meetings unless excused by the President. Also the President is entitled and expected to schedule one on one meetings with individual officers when he/ she feels that it is necessary.

ARTICLE VII – COMMITTEES


SECTION I: EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The Executive Committee consists of the elected officers outlined in BYLAWS, ARTICLE I including the executive advisor.

SECTION II: SPECIAL COMMITTEES

The President may appoint special committees for special projects and/or tasks under the supervision of the appropriate officer. Special committees are recommended for both PR and social/ community service.

ARTICLE VIII – INITIAL APPROVAL AND SUBSEQUENT AMENDMENTS


SECTION I: INITIAL APPROVAL

Initial approval of this Constitution will require a two-thirds majority of the Executive Committee followed by a two-thirds majority vote of active members of UT ASDA to be passed.

SECTION II: AMENDMENTS
  1. At least one meetings notice of a proposed amendment to this Constitution shall be given to all active members and the Executive Committee. Each individual amendment must be handled in this manner. Amendments to the constitution shall be passed individually and not as a group.
  2. Amendments shall require a two-thirds majority of the Executive Committee followed by a two-thirds majority vote of the active members of the organization to be passed.
  3. Any paid member may present amendment proposals to the Executive Committee for voting.

ARTICLE IX – DISSOLUTION


SECTION I: DISSOLVING THE CONSTITUTION OR ORGANIZATION

A two-thirds majority of the Executive Committee followed by a two-thirds majority vote of the active members of the organization is required to dissolve this Constitution of University of Texas ASDA.

SECTION II: DISBURSEMENT OF FUNDS

If University of Texas ASDA is dissolved by the procedure outlined in ARTICLE VIII, SECTION I, all funds of the organization both in the student organization bank account and any not already deposited will be evenly dispersed among all active members, minus that spent paying outstanding debts or necessary reimbursements.

Attendance Amendment


Purpose: The purpose of this amendment is to provide a method for accurately representing the attendance and participation of an ASDA member. The intent is to do this without providing a prejudice against those who have paid semester/annual dues and do not choose to be active.

Proposed Bylaw Amendment:

Article X:


Attendance will be taken by an executive board member at each meeting or ASDA event. If a member attends four meetings and one community service or social of the scheduled semester meetings and events, that member will be considered a “PAID/ACTIVE” member of Texas ASDA. If a member does not attend four meetings and one community service or social of the scheduled meetings and events, that member will be considered a “PAID” member of ASDA. A current list of the standing of each member will be available at each meeting. The list will also be shared with parties outside of ASDA upon request. The “Election Meeting” will be considered a mandatory meeting and “PAID/ACTIVE” status will not be granted to a member if they do not attend. However, the President will have the power to overrule and grant “PAID/ACTIVE” status to a member at his or her own discretion.

National recognition achieved on: August 8, 2000