Approved 10/83
Revised 12/7/92
Revised 2/7/97

Article I: Name

The name of this organization shall be the "Nursing Student Association of Binghamton University."

Article II: Purpose

1. To promote professional development of students interested in Nursing as a profession.

2. To promote community involvement of the membership.

3. To bring professional issues in Nursing to the attention of all University students, faculty, and staff.

4. To provide an arena for expression for all students interested in Nursing as a profession.

5. To promote and encourage student participation in organization-sponsored activities.

6. To promote collaborative relationships with other professional organizations.

Article III: Membership

1. General Membership: all students interested in Nursing as a profession are voting members of the organization.

2. Executive Committee: There will be an elected Executive Committee consisting of President, Vice president, Secretary, Treasurer, Student Advocate, and at least one, preferably two elected representatives per class.

Article IV: Executive Committee

1. Legal Powers of the Executive Committee:
a. The Executive Committee will execute the will of the organization.

2. If a member of the Executive Committee misses more than two consecutive meetings or a total of three in a semester, she or he will forfeit the office unless exempt by special vote.

3. In the case of a vacancy of an elected officer, a new election shall be held.

4. Four-fifths of the Executive Committee member must be undergraduate students. The Treasurer must be an undergraduate student.

Article V: Officers

1. The President shall:
a. Preside over all meetings.
b. Call special meetings.
c. Ensure that the organization adhere to the constitution and by-laws.
d. Recommend a replacement to the membership to be voted upon at the net membership meeting in the event that a member of the Executive Committee is unable to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of the office.
e. Serve as representative on the Decker School of Nursing Council Committee, or designate an alternate representative from the Executive Committee.
f. Be enrolled in the upper division of the Decker School of Nursing.

2. The Vice President shall:
a. Assume the duties of the President in the absence of the President.
b. Serve as a representative on the Decker School of Nursing Council Committee, or designate an alternate representative from the Executive Committee.
c. Be enrolled in the upper division of the Decker School of Nursing.

3. The Secretary shall:
a. Assume the duties of the President in the absence of the President and Vice President.
b. Assume responsibility of keeping a record of the proceedings for each meeting.
c. Publish and post a record of each meeting in a prominent place within seven days of the meeting.
d. Assume responsibility for the correspondence of the organization.

4. The Treasurer shall:
a. Assume the duties of the President in the absence of the President, Vice President and Secretary.
b. Maintain permanent records of all income and expenditures of the organization.
c. Adhere to the requirements (i.e. examination) of the Student Association.
d. Assure that the Treasurer's records are available to any member of this organization and the Student Association upon request.
e. Provide a report on the financial status and transactions of the organization at each meeting.
f. Serve as chair of the Budget Committee.

5. The Advocate Shall:
a. Act as the parliamentarian at meetings.
b. Act as public relations coordinator of the organization.

Article VI: Meetings

1. Regular meetings shall be held at least every two weeks when classes are in session on the day and time designated by the majority of the Executive Committee.

2. All active members and Executive Committee member may vote at meetings.

3. The President may vote only to break a tie.

4. Meetings shall be open to all members.

5. Meetings shall be open to faculty and/or staff upon invitation or request.

6. Robert's Rules of Order will be used to conduct meetings.

Article VII: Amendments

1. To amend this constitution an amendment must be reviewed and debated during at least two consecutive meetings.

2. For an amendment to be approved, a majority of the Executive Committee must be present and the amendment must be approved by ¾ of the members present.

Article VIII: Grievance Clause

1. Procedure:
a. Preliminary conference: In the event a member wishes to initiate a grievance, the member shall inform in writing the involved party ad the Executive Committee prior to initiation of a grievance. The member shall attempt to settle an issue directly with the person or persons involved. This member shall attempt to settle an issue directly with the person or persons involved. This must occur within two weeks of the situation leading to the complaint. If the issue remains unresolved the individual may file a grievance with the Executive Committee within one month of the incident.
b. Hearings: The complaint shall be heard by all Executive Committee members for purpose of mediation. This is to review the grievance for process and procedure. A written compliant shall be filed with the NSA Executive Committee and copies will be given to all parties involved. A hearing will be scheduled within two weeks of the filing of the grievance. Minutes of all hearings shall be filed with the NSA Executive Committee and copies will be given to all parties involved. A hearing will be scheduled within two weeks of the filing of the grievance. Minutes of all hearings shall be taken and available to either party. The President is the chair of the hearings. If the President is unavailable the Vice President shall prevail as chair of the hearing. If the President is directly involved the Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, etc. will assume these roles.
c. Decisions: Decisions regarding the hearing will take no longer than two weeks after the official hearing by the Executive Committee.
d. Appeals: Appeals by either party to the grievance shall be based only on matters of procedure and prejudice. The appeal shall be made in writing with copies to all parties and the Executive Committee within two weeks of the receipt of the decision.
e. Records of Grievance: Any minutes of the hearing proceeding and documents related to the hearing and grievance shall be kept on file with the Secretary. Only the parties to the grievance shall have access to the file.

BY-LAWS

Article I: Elections

1. The President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Advocate, sophomore, junior and senior Class Representatives for the next academic year shall be elected by April 15 at a meeting, which is well publicized. A joint meeting called by the current President shall take place two weeks after elections. The new officers shall take office on commencement day.

2. The freshman representatives shall be elected by October 1.

3. Annual class elections shall be determined by majority votes of the general membership. If there is one election in which three or more members run for the same office and none receives a majority, there shall be a vote between the two members receiving the highest number of votes.

4. A meeting must be held before the third week in September.

Article II: Standing Committees

1. The Executive Committee shall:
a. Having the duties and powers given to promote the purposes and intent of the "Nursing Student Association of Binghamton University."

2. The Activities Committee shall:
a. Arrange for programs on professional nursing issues for the organization.
b. Assume responsibility for projects which are proposed by members of the organization and which are approved by ¾ of the members of the Executive Committee.

3. The Budget Committee shall:
a. After consultation with Executive and Activities Committees and other interested members, propose a budget for the organization.
b. Present the proposed budget to the Executive Committee.
c. Present the proposed budget to the Student Association.
d. Have the Treasurer serve as Budget Committee chair.

4. The Elections Committee shall:
a. Consist of at least one student in the Decker School of Nursing, chosen from each of the freshman, sophomore, junior and senior classes.
b. Conduct the election for the organization and insure that all positions are filled.
c. Hold elections prior to April 15 for President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Advocate and sophomore, junior, senior Class Representatives. Freshman class representatives are to be elected by October 1.
1) Notice of elections MUST be posted.
2) The office of President MUST be filled by a member of the senior class. The office of Vice President may be filled by a member of the senior or junior class. The office of Treasurer, Secretary and Advocate may be filled by any member of the organization.

Article III: Amending the By-Laws

1. To amend the by-laws, an amendment shall be reviewed and debated at two meetings in the same semester. For the amendment to be approved, a majority of the members present at the second meeting shall vote affirmatively on the amendment. Any member can present an amendment to the by-laws at a membership meeting.