Constitution and Bylaws

The Constitution and Bylaws are available for download as PDFs at the following links:
Constitution
Bylaws

Constitution of the Dell Medical School Student Body
Preamble
We, the students of The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School, in order to facilitate effective representation of our diverse interests, foster a vibrant, health-conscious school culture, and empower future physician leaders in their personal, professional and academic development, do establish and endorse this constitution for the governance of our student body.

Article I: Membership
All students currently enrolled or on approved leave at Dell Medical School are members of the Dell Medical School Student Body.

Article II: Governance
The Medical Student Senate (MSS) exists to represent and serve the Student Body. The MSS will act as a clearinghouse to facilitate student activity, student interest, student life, and professional development in support of the empathy, integrity, and humanity of the Student Body. The MSS must communicate regularly and transparently with the Student Body, and all records of the MSS must be available for inspection by the Student Body.

Section 1: Elections and Recall

The Student Body elects representatives, also known as Dellegates, by society to the MSS. The class of 2020 has elected 4 members from each society. These Dellegates’ terms will end in December of their MS2 year. That December, the class will again elect 4 members from each society. These Dellegates will serve through the end of their MS4 year.

The Class of 2021 will elect 3 members from each society, 4-6 weeks after orientation. These Dellegates’ terms will end in December of their MS2 year. That December, the class will again elect 3 members from each society. These Dellegates will serve through the end of their MS4 year.

The Classes of 2022 and beyond will elect 2 members from each society, 4-6 weeks after orientation. These Dellegates will serve through December of their MS2 year. The Classes of 2022 and beyond will again elect 2 members from each society during December of their MS2 year. These Dellegates will serve through the end of their MS4 year.

A current MSS Dellegate will be responsible for the organization and execution of all election proceedings.

Voting Eligibility: All members of the Student Body are eligible to vote in the elections for their class Dellegates.

Candidate Eligibility: All members of the Student Body in good academic and professional standing are eligible for election to the MSS.

  • Election Proceedings: There will be no formal nominations or campaigns; instead students will anonymously submit their votes. Those students receiving the most votes will be privately offered the opportunity to serve on the MSS. If a student does not wish to serve, the position will be offered to the person who received the next most votes in their society; this process will continue until all positions are filled. Only after all positions are filled will the elected Dellegates be made public.
  • Vacancies: If a Dellegate is no longer able or willing to serve for any reason, the next person on the list from that society’s original election will be offered the position privately, as described in Election Proceedings.
  • Removal from Office: In the event that a Dellegate is not fulfilling their MSS duties, an absolute two-thirds of the MSS may vote to remove that Dellegate from office. The position is filled according to the Vacancy guidelines above.

Section 2: Co-Presidents of the Student Body
Co-presidents of the Student Body are determined by society vote. They represent Dell Medical School’s entire Student Body and lead the MSS from September of their MS3 year through August of the start of their MS4 year. Before and after their presidential term they serve as Dellegates of the MSS. Each society president is the Dellegate elected with the most votes in their MS2 December election.

Exceptions to Article II, Section 2:

  • Co-presidents elected for the Class of 2020 in the MS1 election will serve through December of their MS2 year.
  • Co-presidents elected for the Class of 2020 in the MS2 election will serve an extended term from January of their MS2 year through August of their MS4 year.

Section 3: MSS Meetings
The Medical Student Senate meets no less than once per semester, as determined by need. Meeting rules of order are defined in the bylaws. A quorum is required to conduct business.

A quorum is defined as a minimum of 60% of Dellegates in attendance (rounded up to the nearest whole person) with at least one member per class present.

Article III: Committees
Students are represented on Dell Medical School committees because student input and contribution is essential in the formulation, review, and implementation of policy relating to the educational program and student life.

The MSS oversees appointment of representatives to the following committees:

  • Admissions Committee
  • C.D. Doyle Student-Run Free Clinic Committee
  • Graduate Student Assembly
  • Orientation Committee
  • Special Events Committee
  • Specialty Selection, Exploration, Matching and Oversight Committee
  • Student Conduct Committee
  • Student Handbook Committee
  • Student Wellness Committee
  • Undergraduate Medical Education Committees
  • University Student Government

Committee positions are filled annually via an application process open to the Student Body and voted on by the MSS. The MSS may establish additional standing and temporary committees.

Article IV. Basic Financial Responsibilities
The MSS will be responsible for the allocation of funds from the Student Affairs office to eligible student organizations as determined by an annually established budget and as outlined in the bylaws. All expenditures not budgeted will be submitted to and must be approved by the MSS as described in the bylaws.

Article V. Amendments and Bylaws
Section 1: Constitution Amendments
Students may propose amendments to the constitution at any time. The number of students required on a petition must be at least 10% of the Student Body.

The proposed amendment must be brought to the attention of the MSS via written or electronic communication and must include the text of the original article, the text of the proposed amendment, and the concrete reason the amendment is necessary. The MSS may ratify the amendment by a two-thirds vote of the entire MSS. If they do not ratify it, the MSS must refer the proposed amendment to a Student Body vote. Petitions received by the MSS must be voted on or referred to the Student Body within two months.

In the case of a Student Body vote, all proposed amendments must be submitted to the Student Body via written or electronic communication at least one week prior to the vote. An amendment must receive two-thirds of all votes cast in order to be ratified by the Student Body and will take effect immediately upon ratification. All members of the Student Body are entitled to vote on any proposed amendment submitted to the Student Body.

Section 2: Bylaw Creation and Amendments
Rules and regulations governing the operations and proceedings of the MSS that are not explicitly stated in the constitution may be contained in written bylaws. The purpose of bylaws is to allow the MSS flexibility to determine what aspects of its operations and proceedings are important enough to codify apart from the constitution. Any vote on bylaw creation or amendments requires a quorum of the MSS.

A bylaw or bylaw amendment must be proposed and discussed at an official meeting of the MSS. It may be proposed by any individual member of the MSS. A proposed bylaw must include its subject, the concrete reason the bylaw is necessary, and the text of the bylaw itself. A bylaw amendment must include the text of the original bylaw, the text of the proposed amendment, and the concrete reason the bylaw amendment is necessary.

All formal comments on the proposed bylaw or bylaw amendment must be addressed within an MSS meeting. The bylaw or bylaw amendment may be sent to committee for revisions or held for vote at the next meeting. Call for vote may not occur at the meeting in which the bylaw or bylaw amendment is initially proposed. Bylaws or bylaw amendments must be approved by a majority of all MSS members.

Article VI. Ratification
This constitution must receive approval from two-thirds of all votes cast in order to be ratified by the Student Body. The full text of the constitution will be provided to the Student Body at least one week prior to the close of the vote. It will become effective immediately upon ratification.

Bylaws of the Dell Medical School Student Senate
Bylaw I — Senate Election Protocol (Approved on 11/27/17)
Purpose: This bylaw is intended to help clarify the election process.

A.  The December election will be held by secret ballot via electronic survey sent by the Student Affairs office the first weekend in December. The secret ballot will be open from Friday at 5 PM to Monday at 8 AM.

B.  Each class member may submit their rankings one (1) time. The ranking will result in the following casting of votes and be stated in the secret ballot:

Class of 2020 Class of 2021 Class of 2022 and Beyond
1st Rank = 6 votes 1st Rank = 5 votes 1st Rank = 4 votes
2nd Rank = 5 votes 2nd Rank = 4 votes 2nd Rank = 3 votes
3rd Rank = 4 votes 3rd Rank = 3 votes 3rd Rank = 2 votes
4th Rank = 3 votes 4th Rank = 2 votes 4th Rank = 1 vote
5th Rank = 2 votes 5th Rank = 1 vote
6th Rank = 1 vote

C.  Each society president is the Dellegate elected with the most votes in their MS2 December election. These students will be privately offered the opportunity to serve as a Co-President by Student Affairs. If a student does not wish to serve, the position will be offered to the person who received the next most votes in their society; this process will continue until Co-President positions are filled. Anyone who does not wish to serve as Co-President can still be offered a position as a general Senate Dellegate.

D.  Those students receiving the most votes after the Co-Presidents will be privately offered the opportunity to serve on the Senate by Student Affairs. If a student does not wish to serve, the position will be offered to the person who received the next most votes in their society; this process will continue until all positions are filled. Only after all positions are filled will the elected Dellegates be made public.

E.  In the event of a tie, the person with the most 1st place rankings will win. If needed, the next comparison will be 2nd place rankings, 3rd place rankings, 4th place rankings, 5th place rankings, and 6th place rankings. In the event that there is still a tie, a runoff election will be conducted by Student Affairs.

F.  The new Dellegates will begin serving on January 1.

Bylaw II — Senate Orientation (Approved on 11/27/17)
Purpose: This bylaw is intended to help incoming Senate members transition into the Senate. It is also intended to balance the institutional knowledge of prior Senate members while also protecting and respecting the time of the former Senate members during the time of transition.

A.  A Senate Orientation meeting shall be conducted in-person, led by the current or outgoing Co-Presidents, for all new Senate members at least three (3) days prior to the first Senate meeting following their election.

B.  The Senate Orientation meeting may also be attended by any outgoing Senate members who will no longer be serving on the Senate.

C.  The Senate Orientation meeting should be preceded by an email containing the following attachments:

  • Copy of the Dell Medical School Student Body Constitution & Bylaws.
  • Senate Goings-On: This should include highlights from the previous year and/or ongoing discussions where the new members will be expected to play a role in the discussion or voting.
  • List of all current Dellegates and their contact information.
  • List of Task Forces, their missions, and members of each.
  • List of upcoming meeting dates.
  • List of important dates outside of meetings, which may include Senate Social, to be planned within the first thirty (30) days of the new Dellegates election.
  • Copy of the last three (3) Senate meeting minutes.
  • Agenda for the upcoming Senate meeting.
  • Access to the Senate Google Drive.
  • Training on procedural elements of Senate meetings (submitting agenda items, etc.)

D.  Outgoing Senate members will make themselves available either in-person or via email to the incoming Senate members for a minimum of thirty (30) days following the Senate Orientation meeting. Outgoing Senate members may make themselves available for additional time at their discretion.

Bylaw III — Updated Dellegate Attendance Bylaw (Approved on 12/3/2019)
Purpose: This bylaw is intended to support full contribution of all Dellegates. 

A. Dellegate Absence Notifications

  • Dellegates should notify the Co-Presidents as far in advance as possible if they will be missing a meeting and the reason for missing the meeting when appropriate. If it is known in advance that quorum will not be met, then the Co-Presidents will reschedule the meeting to a time when a quorum can be met. 
  • A Dellegate-attendance problem occurs if any of the following conditions exist in regard to a Dellegate’s attendance to Senate meetings:
    1. The member has two unexcused absences in a row or any absence without proper notification (“notification” means the member communicates, in writing, at least one day in advance to a Co-President before the upcoming meeting to indicate they would be absent from the upcoming meeting).
    2. The member has four excused absences in a row unless otherwise approved by the Co-Presidents. (For example, if the Dellegate must miss three meetings in a row due to rotation schedules or other school-related obligations.)
    3. The member misses one third of the total number of Senate meetings in a twelve-month period, or 8 excused absences in a 12 month period. (Assuming approximately 24 meetings per year, missing 8 meetings would qualify as a Dellegate-attendance problem)

B. Dellegate Virtual Attendance

  • If a Dellegate is unable to attend a Senate Meeting in person, they are able to virtually call-in via telephone or video call and this will not count toward their absence count.
  • A Dellegate member is allowed to attend a Senate Meeting virtually no more than twice a semester. After two virtual call-ins, virtual call-ins will count towards the Dellegate’s absence count unless previous arrangements have been made with the Co-Presidents. 
  • If a Dellegate-attendance problem exists, the Co-Presidents will contact the Dellegate per section C.

C. Suggested Response to a Dellegate-Attendance Problem

  • If a Dellegate-attendance problem exists, the Co-Presidents will promptly contact the Dellegate to discuss the problem and discuss whether to terminate the Dellegate’s term per Article 2, Section 1: The Removal of Office Clause of the Constitution. 
  • If the Co-presidents decide to terminate the Dellegate member’s position or the Dellegate decides to resign their position, the vacancy will be filled per Section 1: Elections and Recall of the Constitution.
  • If the Co-presidents and Dellegate do not come to a consensus about termination or resignation, the Co-presidents will notify The Senate to discuss the circumstances surrounding the absences and vote on whether or not to terminate that Dellegate’s term per Article 2, Section 1: The Removal of Office Clause.