Table of Contents
	Student Council Members Rules and Order of Meetings Budget Rules Elections Vacancies Committees Impeachment and Removal Amendments to these Bylaws

adopted September 14, 1993
revised February 8, 2005

This organization shall be known as the Student Council of the New York University School of Medicine, hereinafter “NYUSoM”.

Its Purpose shall be:

1. To act as the official representative of the NYUSoM,
2. To provide a structure for student self-government,
3. To promote and advance the welfare of the students within the Medical Center,
4. To act as an effective liaison between the students, and the faculty and administration,
5. To sponsor and support activities, services and programs that are beneficial to NYUSoM students and the Medical Center community, and
6. To allocate and distribute funds to the student groups recognized by Student Council.

1. Student Council OfficersMembers
   1. Definitions
      1. Student Council, hereinafter “Council”
         1. Three executive officers
         2. Sixteen class officers
            1. Presidents
            2. Vice Presidents
            3. Representatives
         3. Two MD-PhD Representatives
         4. One Student Senator
         5. Senior senator
      2. Class Council Officers
         1. Class Representatives
         2. Class Vice Presidents
         3. Class Presidents
      3. Class Council Members
         1. All those members of Council who represent a particular class. For example, the second year class has fivesix class council members
         2. All members of Council of any given class are considered class members.
      4. Council Members
         1. All Class Council Members
      5. Council Officers
         1. Student Council President
         2. Student Council Past-President (Chief Advisor)
         3. Senior Advisor(s)
         4. Two MD-PhD representatives
         5. Student Senator
         6. Senior Senator
         7. Secretary (First-Year Vice-President)
         8. Treasurer (Second-Year Vice-President)
            Positions more explicitly defined, 9.7.04
      6. Appointed Members
         1. These are non-voting positions.
         2. Candidates shall be nominated by Council President.
         3. Nominees for such positions shall be invited to attend a Council Meeting. Council shall then discuss the nomination. Approval must be by majority vote. If the nominee is rejected, then Council President shall present another nomination.
            Technology Advisor reference deleted; replaced with broader “appointed members” definition, 9.7.04
         4. Nominations shall be made following the spring elections.
   2. General Requirements of Council Members
      1. Meeting Attendance
         1. Council Members shall attend all Council meetings as scheduled by the Council SecretaryPresident.
         2. Each Council Member is allowed to miss four Council meetings during any academic year. These absences bear no penalty. Absences due to clinical, academic, or other Council responsibilities do not count towards these four absences and will be considered excused.
         3. In order to be excused from a meeting, Council Member must notify Council President prior to the meeting. Council Member incurring fourth absence, hereinafter “Delinquent Council Member”, shall have the following sanctions placed on him:
            1. Following the fifth absence, Delinquent Council Member shall lose his right to complimentary tickets to Council events. This sanction takes effect automatically and does not require explicit approval of Council.
            2. Following the sixth absence, Council shall vote on whether to inform Delinquent Council Member’s class of his attendance record and future sanctions that may be imposed. This communication shall be a letter from Council President to the Delinquent Council Member's class.
            3. Following the seventh absence, Student Council shall vote on whether to order a “vote of confidence” by Delinquent Council Member’s class. If Student Council orders the vote, then the appropriate election rules committee shall conduct the vote. In order to remain in office, Delinquent Council Member must receive a “yes” vote (a vote of confidence) from fifty percent of his entire class. If this level is not reached, Delinquent Council Member shall be removed from office and the replacement process shall commence, as outlined elsewhere in the bylaws. These procedures are only applicable to sanctions involving attendance.
            4. Other sanctions including impeachment procedures are described in Section VII of these bylaws.
      2. Event Attendance
         1. Council organizes events, hereinafter “Council Events”, for members of the student body it represents, or a subset thereof.
         2. In addition to attending meetings, Council Council Members may be required to participate in Council Events, hereinafter “Required Council Member”. Council Member shall be Required Council Member, and therefore participate in Council Event, if:
            1. his help is required—including all parties and charity events; or
            2. Council Event is targeted to the class that he represents; or
            3. he is a first- or second-year student and Council Event is planned in accordance with the first- and second-year students' exam schedule.
         3. Unless circumstances do not allow, the individual or individuals organizers of Council Event, hereinafter “Event Organizer” or “Event Organizers”, must give Required Council Member two days’ notice of an upcoming event.
         4. One Event Organizer shall bear the responsibility of receiving and submitting information of Council Event, hereinafter “Event Contact”.
         5. Required Council Member may be excused from Council Event if two day’s notice is given to Event Contact.
         6. A record of all absences for events and meetings shall be kept by Council Secretary.
      3. Prior Notification and Labeling to Avoid Conflicts-of-Interest
         1. Any public activity organized by Council member and aimed at medical students and not funded by Council shall be clearly labeled as “not a Student Council event”, herein “Non–Student Council Activity”
         2. Council Member shall inform Council before undertaking any Non–Student Council Activity.
         3. Council reserves the right to choose to forbid the organization of Non–Student Council Activity by Council Member by majority vote if it decides that there is an irreconcilable conflict-of-interest between Non–Student Council Activity and Council Member’s responsibility to the student body.
   3. Specific Requirements of Council Members
      1. Student Council President
         1. Student Council President, hereinafter “President”, serves as the Chair of Student Council meetings. As such, President is responsible for setting the agenda for each meeting.
         2. President shall schedule all Council meetings at times and dates that allow for as many Council Members to attend as possible, make all the necessary arrangements for these meetings.
            Duty moved from Secretary to President, 9.7.04
         3. Student Council President represents the Council to the New York University Medical Center, hereinafter “Medical Center”, administration and faculty, as well as to the New York University main campus. Student Council President serves as a representative to the Medical Center Intercouncil Coordinating Committee and as a Medical Student Representative to the University Committee on Student Life. Student Council President may offer these posts to other Council members.
         4. President shall lead Council in the establishment of goals and priorities, oversee its communications to the Medical Center administration and faculty as appropriate, and see that Council efforts are coordinated to attain results efficiently.
         5. Student Council President shall appoint a fourth-year student to chair the Clinical Correlations Program.
      2. Student Council Past-President
         1. Student Council Past-President, hereinafter “Past-President” is the prior year's Student Council President and lends temporal continuity Council. Past-President advises President, as well as Student Council on all issues which may arise.
         2. Past-President serves as a representative to the Medical Center Intercouncil Coordinating Committee. This committee position may be offered to another Council member who is in his third- or fourth-year and has served on Council for at least one year previously.
         3. Past-President shall act as Chair of the Student Council Meeting in the event of President’s absence.
      3. Senior Advisor
         1. Senior Advisor is any past–Council President currently enrolled who chooses to accept this position.
         2. Senior Advisor shall serve as the primary member of the Student Abuse Committee.
         3. Senior Advisor shall assist the Fourth-Year Class President and Fourth-Year Class Representatives in their duties.
      4. Class Presidents
         1. Class Presidents shall organize class-specific, academically-oriented projects, programs and events. This includes, but is not limited to:
            1. organizing housing and clerkship lotteries,
            2. scheduling class meetings with members of the Dean’s office,
            3. and forming class-specific advisory committees to faculty departments when requested such as selecting
               1. Course Liaisons and
               2. members of Basic Science Subcommittee of Curriculum Committee
               
               Committees explicitly defined, 9.7.04
         2. Class Presidents represents their respective classes to Council, faculty, and administration of the Medical Center.
         3. Class Presidents organizes and chairs their respective class meetings.
         4. Second-Year Class President shall represent the first-year class until a First-Year Class President is elected.
         5. The Clinical Correlations Program shall be chaired by the Fourth-Year Class President or Designee thereof.
      5. All Class Vice-Presidents
         1. Assist Class Presidents
         2. First-Year Class Vice-President
            1. First Year Class Vice-President shall serve as the Student Council Secretary, hereinafter “Secretary”
            2. Secretary shall take minutes at all Council Meetings and is responsible for disseminating them to all Council members in a timely manner.
            3. Secretary shall be responsible for disseminating any agendas, documents, or other information to Council Members in a timely manner.
            4. Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining both a chronological and subject file of Council activities and correspondence. These records shall remain the property of Student Council at the conclusion of Secretary’s term.
            5. Secretary shall be Chair of MD-PhD Elections Rules Committee (ERC)
            6. Secretary shall oversee tours for interviewing medical students.
            7. Secretary shall act as manager of the Student Council office.
            8. Secretary shall be Editor-in-Chief of the Student Mental Status, the Student Council newsletter.
               Duties removed due removal thereof in practice, 9.7.04
         3. Second-Year Class Vice-President
            1. At the beginning of the academic year, Second-Year Class Vice-President shall work in concert with Council, Student Clubs, and the Office of the Deans to develop the Council budget for that year, in accordance with the Budget section of these bylaws.
            2. Second-Year Class Vice-President shall monitor all the incoming and outgoing moneys and balance the Council checking account on a monthly basis. All records shall be kept as the property of Council at the end of his term.
            3. Second-Year Class Vice-President shall present financial reports to Council as necessary.
      6. Class Representatives
         1. Class Representatives shall be responsible for the planning, organizing, and executing of various social events for their respective classes.
         2. Class Representatives shall assist their respective Class President.
         3. Class Representatives shall be responsible for developing and monitoring their respective class budget.
         4. Second-year Class Representatives
            1. At the beginning of each semester, Second-Year Class Representatives shall maintain a calendar for Student Club and Class Events. develop, with other class representatives, a combined all-school calendar of events. This calendar shall include all exam dates, the dates of major switches of third and forth year rotations, University Events, and school and class specific events. It is with this calendar in mind that the second year Class Representative is responsible for the planning, organization, and execution of various social events that will involve the whole student body. These include parties, mixers with other schools, and study breaks.
            2. Second year Class Representative is responsible for monitoring the social budget of Student Council Activity Budget.
            3. The second year Class Representatives are responsible for coordinating incoming student orientation. They can offer this responsibility to any member of the second year class.
         5. First-year Class Representatives
            1. One of the First-Year Class Representatives shall serve as the alternative representative to the Student Senators Council (SSC), and the Senate, hereinafter “Alternate Senator”. The First-Year Class Representatives may choose amongst themselves who will serve as the Senator and alternate, provided that the selection is made at the beginning of the academic year and remains in effect the entire year.
            2. Alternate Senator is also a member of the NYU School of Medicine Committee on Student Life. This position can be offered to another interested Council Member.
            3. First-Year Representatives shall assist the Second Year Class Representatives in the duties listed in I.C.8 of these bylaws.
      7. MD-PhD Representatives
         1. MD-PhD Representatives shall represent the needs of MD-PhD students to the Student Council, faculty, and administration.
         2. MD-PhD Representatives can serve consecutive terms.
      8. Senator
         1. Senator shall take minutes at Council Meetings in the absence of Secretary.
         2. One of the second year Class Representatives will serve as the Senator, shall representing the School of Medicine Student Council to the University Committee on Student Life (UCSL), the Student Senators Council (SSC), and the Senate.
         3. Senator shall be responsible for publicizing all NYU inter-school events
      9. Senior Senator
         1. Senior Senator is the prior year's Senator and advises the current Senator and Council on issues relating to relations with the NYU Main Campus.
         2. Senior Senator shall represent Council as the alternate to the University Committee on Student Life (UCSL), the Student Senator Council (SSC), and the University Senate.
2. Rules and Order of Meetings
   1. Schedule of Meetings
      1. Council shall meet weekly, subject to Council consensus, during the academic year at a place and time set by Chair of the Student Council President.
      2. Council shall meet during the summer as deemed necessary by the ChairPresident.
      3. Special meetings can be called by the ChairPresident or by not less than twenty-five per cent of Council Members.
      4. Notice stating the place and time of meetings of the Student Council shall be delivered to each member of Student Council prior to the commencement of the school year. The secretary shall notify all members individually of any changes in the schedule.
   2. Meeting Openness
      1. Council meetings shall be open to the general student body at large.
      2. At Chair’s discretion or by a majority vote, a meeting or a portion of a meeting may be deemed closed to the general student body.
      3. Chair has the power to recognize non–Council Council members as speakers and to limit their scope of discussion.
      4. By majority vote, Council can overturn Chair’s decision on these matters. Administration and faculty members may address Council if they are put on the agenda in advance.
      5. Chairing the Meeting
         1. President of the Student Council shall chair all Student Council meetings.
         2. In his absence, the Past-President shall act as Chair of the meeting.
         3. In the absence of both President and Past-President, a Council Member to be designated by President shall act as Chair.
   3. Quorum
      1. Meetings may be conducted without quorum, but quorum is required when voting on any subject matter (e.g., club proposals, budgets, amendments to bylaws).
      2. The following Council Members must be present in order to constitute quorum:
         1. at least two members of the first-year class First-Year Class Council Members (if meeting occurs after their officers are elected),
         2. at least two voting members of the Second Year class (excluding Council President), and
         3. at least five voting Members of any of the Third- or Fourth-Year, or MD-PhD Classes
   4. Reporting
      1. Council shall report to the student body at large by posting its minutes publicly.
      2. Council shall make reports to the Student body at large by memorandum, letter, or newsletter, as appropriate and necessary.
   5. Meeting Procedures
      1. All speakers shall be recognized by the Chair
      2. Any Council Member of the Student Council may invoke Robert’s Rules of Order during a Student Council meeting. The Chair shall then follow Robert’s Rules on the point at hand unless the rule in question is clearly and unequivocally contradicted by a section of these bylaws.
   6. Order of Business
      1. The minutes from the most recent meeting of Council shall be reviewed, amended, and accepted at the commencement of the subsequent meeting. They will be posted on the Student Council bulletin board or website.
      2. Following the acceptance of the minutes, the order of business shall be reports from the officers and committees, unfinished business, and new business. Any changes to the order of business following the acceptance of the minutes shall be determined by vote.
   7. Voting
      1. Council Members shall be entitled to one vote each.
      2. The Council President shall only vote in the event of a tie. Written proxy can be given in the event of an excused absence. In the event of an emergency, verbal proxy will be accepted. Any member of Student Council can call for a vote. The call must be approved by a two-thirds (2/3) of the attending members.
      3. All decisions shall be made by plurality vote. Plurality vote is hereby defined as not including abstentions in the total count.
      4. Student Council Secretary shall count, record, and publish the vote. If a division of assembly is called before the vote is taken, each member's vote will be recorded and published in the minutes.
   8. Re-Voting on an Issue
      1. Any specific vote by Council can be reopened by a plurality vote.
3. Budget Rules
   1. Books and Records
      1. Council shall keep correct and complete books and records of accounts.
      2. Council shall keep minutes of the proceedings of its meetings, which shall be posted for both the members of Council and the student body.
      3. All books and records of Council may be inspected by any Council Member for any proper purpose at any reasonable time.
   2. Student Groups and Organizations
      1. Recognition
         1. Council has the authority to sanction new student groups and organizations, hereinafter “Student Group” or “Student Organizations” as described in the “NYUSoM Guide to Student Organizations”.
         2. Council has the authority to declare any Student Organization defunct pursuant to the “NYUSoM Guide to Student Organizations”.Any Student Group that does not apply for funding from the Student Council for one year shall be considered “defunct”, hereinafter “Defunct Organization” and must reapply for sanction. Before sanction can be made for a Student Organization or Defunct Organization, the founder(s) of Student Organization, hereinafter “Founder”, must have already had a (non-Student Council funded) pilot meeting, hereinafter and in practice “Interest Meeting”, to determine student interest. Founder must also provide proof of student attendance as well as student interest.
         3. No Student Group or Student Organization shall receive funding through Council unless that its constitution, charter, bylaws, or mission statement has been approved by Council. In order to receive funding, Student Group or Student Organization activities must be:
            1. open to all students,
            2. advertised extensively over campus, and
            3. relevant in terms of the nature of the club or provide a community service
         4. Student Council will also help sponsor club activities. These include, but are not limited to:
            1. relevant cultural parties
            2. community service programs
            3. lectures (All Student Clubs and Student Organizations must provide Student Council Treasurer with the name of the speaker and the title of the lecture at least two weeks prior to the event. Failure to do so may result in cancellation of the IOI or funding for that event.)
            4. recreational events (sports club, etc.)
         
         Moved to “NYUSoM Guide to Student Organizations”, 9.7.04
      2. Fiscal Year
         1. The fiscal year of Council shall coincide with the academic year of NYU School of Medicine.
      3. Funding
         1. All approved Student Organizations are eligible to apply for funding through Council pursuant to the “NYUSoM Guide to Student Organizations”.
         2. Council Treasurer shall present both the Student Group and Student Organization’s budget requests and his recommended funding decisions to Council for approvalthe following: Student Organizations, Class, and Council Budgets.
         3. After Council has approved the budget, it shall be submitted to the Deans’ Office.Council shall approve its budget during the first quarter of the fiscal year, and subsequently submit it to the Dean’s Office.
         4. Should the Student Council–approved budget not meet the approval of the Deans' Office, the budget shall be remanded tothe Council for adjustments.
         5. Budgetary adjustments to the overall budget shall be made at the discretion of Council Treasurer. The adjusted budget shall be presented to Council for two-thirds approval, and subsequent to that, to the Dean’s Office for final approval.
         6. Council Treasurer and Council President shall be responsible for ensuring that the Dean’s Office is informed of any known additional groups or extraordinary circumstances thatfunctions which may require additional funding during the academic year. Council Treasurer and Council President shall make every possible effort to ensure an adequate appropriation is made from the Medical Center to Student Council and the student groups and organizations.
         7. Council funds cannot be used to provide food or gifts to non-medical students as part of community service activities. All funds allocated for such activities must be used for the sole purpose of allowing medical students to participate in the community service.
         8. Council funds are intended to benefit NYUSoM students. Funds benefiting non-medical students either from Council directly or by Student Organization require approval by Council.
         9. Rules governing recognizing, functioning, and regulation of Student Organizations are found in “NYUSoM Guide to Student Organizations”.Further details about the formation of clubs and the applying for funds will be made available to to clubs through the Online Club Guide.
         10. Student Council Treasurer, hereinafter “Council Treasurer”, shall deliver to the treasurer of each existing Student Group and Student Organization, general guidelines on how to formulate a budget at least one month prior to the start of the academic year. The budget protocol is only a guideline which may be amended by the Treasurer as circumstances change.
         11. Council Treasurer shall accept proposed budgets from recognized Student Groups and Student Organizations until the end of the third week of the fall term. From these budgets, Council Treasurer shall review the funding applications of each student group or organization and recommend to Council the amount of funding each Student Group and Student Organization should receive for the academic year.
         12. In determining the amount of funding for each Student Group and Student Organization, Council Treasurer shall consider:
             1. the projects and programs proposed by that student group or organization and the impact of those projects and programs on the medical school community and the student group organization for the current academic year and
             2. the financial status of the student group or organization from the previous year if it is not a new group or organization. This shall involve a review of:
                1. the funding request application from the student group or organization from the previous academic year
                2. the amount budgeted to the student group or organization from the previous year
                3. the quantity and quality of the activities and projects implemented in the previous year, and
                4. the actual amount the student group or organization expended to realize the proposed projects or programs from the previous year.
         13. Council does not directly fund expenses incurred by a Student Group and Student Organization in attending conferences. Conferences attended by a Student Group and Student Organization shall be funded directly through a request to the Dean’s Office by the Student Group and Student Organization wishing to be funded for such expenses.
         14. After final approval of the budget, Student Groups and Student Organizations may incur indebtedness for expenses in accordance with the approved budget. Moneys may only be expended on items, activities, projects, etc. as allocated in Council-approved budgets. Expenses may not be reimbursed by Council if funds are spent in non-accordance with Student Group and Student Organization budgets.
         15. Reimbursements shall be made to the individual student, group or organization following the submission of a reimbursement form and the pertinent receipts to the Council Treasurer.
         16. Parties seeking reimbursement for expenditures without receipts shall submit in writing to the Council Treasurer an itemization of expenses incurred after consulting with Council Treasurer. The party shall present the case to Council and the extent to which the above-mentioned party will be reimbursed shall be decided.
         17. The extent to which expenditures required to be made by Student Group or Student Organization and to be funded by Council prior to its budget approval by Council shall be voted on by Council.
         18. In the case where a Student Group or Student Organization has reason to believe that it would exceed their budget, it must notify Council in writing in advance. Council has the right to decide not to reimburse a student club or organization if it spent its money negligently (i.e. in non-accordance with it's budget)
         19. In the case where a Student Group or Student Organization wishes to be reimbursed for expenditures above and beyond their budget, it must submit in writing to Council the reasons that necessitate such expenditure. The extent of reimbursement shall be decided upon by council.
         20. To guarantee funding, each Student Group or Student Organization must register its meetings with Council as per current Council protocol. The time and place of the meeting shall be entered and placed in the care of the secretary that makes room reservations.
         21. All checks written out by Council must be countersigned. At least one signature must be that of the Council President or Council Treasurer . The two Second-Year Class Representatives may sign as the second signatures.
      4. Funding Appeal Process
         1. Any Student Group or Student Organization has the right to appeal funding decisions made by Council by written appeal to Council.
      
      Moved to “NYUSoM Guide to Student Organizations”, 9.7.04
4. Elections
   1. Election Rules Committee, hereinafter “ERC”
      1. Members of ERC
         1. Chairman of ERC shall be next-highest year's Class President or his or her appointee from Council. The MD-PhD Elections shall be chaired by Council Secretary.
         2. Two additional members of ERC chosen by and from Council, neither of whom may be running for office at that election.
      2. Jurisdiction of the ERC
         1. ERC shall have sole and final jurisdiction over the matters pertaining to conduction, supervision, organization, and certification of results as is consistent with the rules and regulations detailed in these bylaws.
      3. Power and Authority of the ERC
         1. ERC shall be vested with all powers and authority necessary to carry out the functions of the ERC.
         2. Any voter complaint not delineated below requiring a decision shall be decided by the Chairman of ERC. All such decisions may be appealed and overturned by the full ERC.
         3. All decisions of ERC shall be final and binding.
   2. Elected Student Council Offices open to each Class Year
      1. First-Year Positions
         1. Class President
         2. Vice-President
         3. Two Representatives
      2. Second-Year Positions
         1. Class President
         2. Vice-President
         3. Two Representatives
         4. Council President
         5. Senator
            Position added, 9.7.04
      3. Third-Year Positions
         1. Class President
         2. Vice-President
         3. Two Representatives
         4. Past-President
      4. Fourth-Year Positions
         1. Class President
         2. Vice-President
         3. Two Representatives
         4. Two Senior Advisors
      5. MD-PhD Positions
         1. Two MD-PhD Representatives
   3. Candidate Eligibility

      1. Nominations
         1. Candidate running for First-, Second-, Third-, or Fourth-Year Class Positions shall be nominated by turning in a nomination form containing his name, position sought, and the signatures of twenty-five class members of the class he wishes to represent by the date set by ERC with the advice of the Council Officers.
         2. Candidate running for MD-PhD Positions may be nominated by notifying the chair of the MD-PhD ERC of his intention to run for office before the date set by the Chair of ERC.
      2. Enrollment
         1. Candidate must be a full-time student of NYUSoM
         2. Candidate must be duly nominated as described in IV.D.1
      3. MD-PhD Positions
         1. Candidate must have completed the first two years of medical school.
         2. Candidate must be full-time students of New York University School of Medicine.
         3. Candidate must be duly nominated as described in IV.D.2
         4. At least one MD/PhD representative elected to Council must be in his research period. In the event that the two Candidates receiving the greatest number of votes are both in their clinical years, the first position shall be filled by the candidate in his clinical years receiving the greatest number of votes. The second position shall be awarded to the candidate currently in his lab years who has received the greatest number of votes among fellow candidates in the research period.
         
         No benefit was seen restricting candidates to having at least one be in his research year; concerns regarding availabilities due to schedules and knowledge of issues could be discussed during campaigning without excluding any candidates based solely on year, 9.7.04
   4. Scheduling of Elections
      1. Each class shall schedule its own election (prior to May 1stApril 1) subject to availability of its respective ERC.
   5. Terms
      1. All offices turn over at 12:01 a.m. midnight on April 1May 1st, or at the call to order of the first full council meeting after the election, whichever is later.
   6. Eligibility of Voters
      1. Only members of the class for which Candidate is running to represent, hereinafter “Voter” or “Voters”, may vote for said Candidate. For MD-PhD elections, all MD-PhD students may vote.
   7. Quorum
      1. If less than 50 per cent of the class or MD-PhD Program submit a valid ballot, election quorum will not be met and the election shall be considered “null and void”.A quorum of at least 50% of the class (or MD/PhD program) shall be present for voting to proceed.
   8. Absentee Ballots
      1. Absentee Ballots may not be used for MD elections.
      2. Absentee Ballots may be used for MD-PhD elections at the sole discretion of the ERC.
   9. CampaigningSpeeches
      1. Speeches
      1. The order of speeches will be determined by lottery
      2. Speeches will be limited to 5 minutes but may be extended by ERC Chair upon request.
      2. Candidates may campaign using available media, pursuant to rules set forth by ERC and signed at nomination.
      3. Candidates who break any rules set forth by ERC and signed at nomination shall be subject to disqualification.
         Campaigning defined, pursuant to rules in nomination forms, 9.7.04
   10. Balloting Procedure
       1. In an election of n Candidates, Voters shall rank candidates from 1 to n with “1”’s being the most preferred Candidate.
       2. The votes shall be totaled according to the sum of the value of the ranks with the lowest sum’s being the winner.
       3. All votes from Voter for a single race shall be invalid if Voter does not rank all or all but one of the candidates running for that position. If the invalidated number of ballots could have made the difference in the election results, regardless of what the invalid votes were, then that election shall be declared “null and void” and rescheduled after Council has met to amend the election rules, if necessary.
   11. “Null and Void” Elections
       1. The proceedings of elections considered “null and void” shall be presented to Council by ERC.
       2. Council shall make arrangements and changes to hold the election again.
       3. In the interim, Council position in question by the “null and void” election shall remain filled as is.
       
       “Null and void” elections, definition and contingency procedures, 9.7.04
   12. Results
       1. Election results maywill be released to the individual candidates if:
          1. all Candidates for a position agree to the release of the numerical results by signing a release authorization included on their nomination petition and,
          2. all Candidates specifically request results.
       2. Election results may be released to Voter when if:
          1. both conditions in (1) above are met and,
          2. Voter specifically requests results.
          
          Added clause to release results to voters, only if specifically requested; openness of elections were to be maintained, while not compromising privacy; dissemination of results by parties other than Council discussed, discouraged but not specifically disallowed due to difficulty in enforcement, 9.7.04
       3. Election Ballots and tabulated results shall be kept by the Chair of ERC for at least one year.
5. Vacancies
   1. Permanent Vacancies
      1. Any Council Member who causes a permanent vacancy due to his death, resignation, removal, disqualification or otherwise, hereinafter “Vacator”, of may be replaced as follows:
         1. If the permanent vacancy occurs within two months of the next election date of Vacator’s position, then the position mayshall Appointee may refuse appointment, 9.7.04 be filled by an appointment by Council subject to unanimous confirmation from remaining, non-candidate,Council Members within the Vacator’s class.
            1. All Class Council Members must be present at the confirmation meeting or register a proxy.
            2. Any appointment must be made within one week of when the vacancy occurred.
            3. If Vacator’s position is filled by Council Member, resulting in a new vacancy, this newly vacant position shall be filled pursuant to the same rules as any vacancy as described herein.
         2. If the permanent vacancy occurs more than two months from the next election date of Vacator’s position, then the position shall be automatically opened to a class election to be run as delineated in the Elections section of these bylaws.
            1. If no one chooses to run for Vacator’s position, the position shall be subject to appointment as delineated above.
            2. Any candidate for the Vacator’s position must resign any Council office he currently holds. That position shall be put up for election concurrently with the original Vacator’s position.
      2. The replacement shall run the remaining term of the Vacator, at the end of which, the position shall be subject to regular election rules.
      3. Any committee position Vacator held shall be turned back over to Council to be reappointed in the manner prescribed.
   2. Temporary Vacancies
      1. Any Council member may be granted an excused leave of absence thereby maintaining proxy voting rights by decision of Presidentthe chair (subject to appeal) upon receipt of a written request for such a status.
6. Committees of Student CounciL, hereinafter “Committee”
   1. Applicability
      1. Committee rules apply to Council committees and any New York University School of Medicine committees with open student membership
   2. Membership
      1. Members of Committee, hereinafter “Committee Member”, must be full-time students of NYU School of Medicine.
      2. Committees without a Council Member shall be assigned one, hereinafter “Council Committee Liaison”, who will update Council monthly on Committee's efforts.
   3. Responsibilities
      1. A “Statement of Purpose” that delineates the purpose of Committee's existence and clearly states its goals shall be kept on record and submitted to Council by the Council President with advice from students on pre-existing committees.
      2. Committee Member shall present a written report to Council by January 15th and a second by May 1stApril 1, or, if necessary, upon request by any Council Member. These written reports shall describe the goals of that committee and that committee's actions towards fulfilling them.
   4. Positions
      1. Unless otherwise stated, Committee Member positions shall run from the date of establishment through the end of the academic year.
   5. Elections
      1. For Committee Member positions available to all four medical school class year students, Council shall advertise all available positions to the student body–at-large.
      2. Each candidate shall submit a written statement of interest. For all position, Council shall make appointments by vote. If one of the potential officers is a member of Council, that same member cannot take part in the voting for his own approval.
      3. For Committee Member positions that specify a member from a particular class, Class Council shall conduct the selection process and make the appointment by vote. Class Council shall follow all the procedures and protocols outlined above for school-wide positions.
7. Impeachment and Removal
   1. Definition
      1. Any Council Member is subject to removal from office.
      2. Hereinafter, “impeachment” shall be defined as the call for removal of a Council Member.
   2. Criteria for Initiation of Impeachment of Required Council Member
      1. Incurring two consecutive unexcused missed absences,
      2. Incurring unexcused absences for over twenty-five percent of Council Events projected at the beginning of each semester,
      3. Non-attendance of seven Council meetings, or
      4. Neglect or abuse of the responsibilities of his office as defined in these bylaws
      
      Criteria for Impeachment Initiation defined, 9.7.04
   3. Procedure
      1. Council may consider impeachment of Required Council Member if:
         1. he incurs two consecutive unexcused missed absences; or
         2. he incurs unexcused absences for over twenty-five percent of Council Events projected at the beginning of each semester.
      2. Impeachment
         1. Of Class Council Officers by Class Council Members
            1. Impeachment may be initiated against a Class Council Officer by any of the officer's fellow Class Council Members.
            2. Class Council Member(s) initiating the impeachment shall submit a written letter to Council President informing him of the intention to seek removal of a member of the Council. This letter must be signed by the initiator and at least one other Class Council Member.
         2. Of Class Council Officers by Class Student Body
            1. Impeachment may be initiated against any or all of its Class Council Officers by a Class.
            2. Class initiating impeachment shall submit a petition to Council President informing him of the intention to seek removal of the Council Officers. This petition must be signed by at least one-third of the Class.
         3. Of Council President, Past-President, Senior Advisor, MD-PhD Representatives, or Student Senator by Council Members
            1. Impeachment may be initiated against Officers named in the title of this section by any Council Member.
            2. Council Member initiating impeachment shall submit a written letter to Council President as described above. This letter must be signed by at least one other Council Member. If impeachment is initiated against Council President, then the letter shall be submitted to Past-President, who will then assume all the duties of President pertaining to the impeachment and removal proceedings. Hereinafter it is implied that the Past-President shall replace the Council President under such circumstances.
         4. Of Council President, Past-President, Senior Advisor, or Student Senator by Student Body
            1. Impeachment may be initiated against Officers named in the title of this section by the Student Body.
            2. Student Body shall submit a petition to the Council President informing him of the intention to seek removal. The petition must be signed by at least fifteen per cent of the Student Body.
         5. Of MD-PhD Representative by MD-PhD Students in their Research Years
            1. Impeachment may be initiated against MD-PhD Representative by MD-PhD students in their research years.
            2. MD-PhD students in their research years shall submit a petition to Council President informing him of the intention to seek removal. The petition must be signed by at least fifteen per cent of the MD-PhD students in their research years.
               Any MD-PhD Student may initiate impeachment against his representative, 9.7.04
      3. Notification and Response of the Accused Officer
         1. Council President shall notify the accused officer of the movement for impeachment within twenty-four hours of receipt of the impeachment letter or petition.
         2. Council President shall request a written response from the accused officer at this time (optional on the part of the accused officer). If the accused officer chooses to submit a response letter, he must do so within one week after receipt of notification from Council President of the impeachment letter.
         3. Council President shall forward copies of the impeachment letter and any response letter from the accused officer to all members of Council within forty-eight hours of receipt of the response letter along with a memo from Council President setting a meeting time for the hearing, which must be within one week from the date of the distribution of the letters and the President's memo to the Council members.
      4. Removal Hearing
         1. Removal Hearing shall not be held unless there is quorum.
         2. At Removal Hearing all Council Members who signed the impeachment letter or up to three representatives from the Class members who signed the Class Petition for Impeachment must present their case to Council.
            Removed confusion between Class Representative and representative of the class, i.e. any member of the class, 9.7.04
         3. The accused shall have the opportunity to present his case. Both parties may bring witnesses, evidence, and representation to the hearing and shall be given opportunity for rebuttal.
         4. Removal hearing shall be closed to the general student body.
         5. After both parties have been heard, a vote will be taken by all Council Members present, by secret ballot, to decide whether the accused officer shall be removed from office.
            1. A two-thirds majority of members present shall be required to reach a decision.
            2. No proxy voting shall be permitted.
      5. Confidentiality
         1. All proceedings regarding the impeachment and removal hearing shall be kept strictly confidential by all Council Members.
         2. After the decision is made, Council may issue a statement summarizing the impeachment and removal proceedings to the Student Body and/or the Administration, as deemed necessary.
      6. New Evidence
         1. Removal or non-removal from office shall be binding unless new evidence is brought to light.
         2. New evidence shall be presented to Council in the presence of a quorum.
         3. After hearing the new evidence, Council may decide by a two-thirds majority to schedule a new hearing.
8. Amendments to these Bylaws
   1. Any amendment to these bylaws must be approved by a two-thirds vote.
   2. Proposed amendments to these bylaws must be submitted to the Council at least one week before the vote.