South Carolina ASDA
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Constitution
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ARTICLE 1: Name
The organization shall be known as the American Student Dental Association of the Medical University of South Carolina, College of Dental Medicine.
ARTICLE 2: Objectives
The objectives of this organization shall be the same as those of its parent organization, the American Student Dental Association.
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• Promote the welfare of dental students by educating and involving them in the social, moral and ethical obligations of the profession of dentistry and the provision of oral healthcare to all people.
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• Advocate just treatment for dental students and assist them in the event that such treatment is not afforded.
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• Represent the needs, interests and welfare of dental students to legislative and regulatory bodies and other entities that have influence on these concerns and the profession of dentistry.
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• Promote, encourage and foster lifelong involvement in organized dentistry.
• Research, organize and disseminate information important to dental students and to other organizations and individuals involved in healthcare education, practice and research.
• Promote, encourage and provide opportunities for participation in leadership development, community service, dental research and other experiences for professional development and the advancement of dentistry.
• Advocate for the improvement of dental care and its delivery to the public.
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ARTICLE 3: Membership
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Membership in this organization shall consist of the following types:
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• Active Membership – All students of the MUSC College of Dental Medicine will enroll during their first semester, and their fees shall be paid their incoming first year.
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• Predental Membership – Available to a person seeking enrollment in a predoctoral program accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation, who resides within the United States and its possessions, and who is not eligible for predoctoral membership. Upon enrollment into dental school, a predental member maintains membership status until the end of the membership year.
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ARTICLE 4: Officers and Representatives
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• The officers of this organization shall include the President, President-Elect, Treasurer, Secretary, Senior Legislative Liaison, Events Coordinator, Vendor Relations Coordinator, Predental Chair, Social Media Coordinator, Webmaster, Historian, Junior Legislative Liaison, Wellness Chair, Golf Tournament Coordinator, and Volunteer Coordinator. Each officer shall serve a term of one year.
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• Each of the four dental classes shall elect seven representatives from their respective class to serve on the Executive Committee. • The President-Elect shall be elected from the rising third year class of ASDA Executive Committee members.
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• Elections will take place in February of each year or before individual class elections – whichever occurs first. The following positions will be locked and will not be up for class elections: President, President-Elect, Treasurer, Events Coordinator, and Vendor Relations Coordinator.
• Officer transition will take place at the annual Senior Banquet.
ARTICLE 5: Executive Committee
• The committee shall consist of the officers, elected class representatives, and any person serving in a national or district level ASDA position. o Members who hold national or district level ASDA positions but do not concurrently serve as an elected class representative at the local level are encouraged to attend all Executive Committee meetings. However, these members will not serve as voting members on the Executive Committee.
• The committee shall act for the organization in an official capacity.
• A quorum shall consist of a majority of the committee.
• The committee shall be chaired by the President of the chapter and shall meet at his or her discretion.
• The minutes of all meetings, after Executive Committee approval, shall be available to the membership upon request, except in the case of fiduciary matters to be determined by the Executive Committee.
ARTICLE 6: Standing Committees
• The Standing Committees shall consist of the following:
o Advocacy
o Senior Sendoff
o Predental
o Vendor Relations
• Each Standing Committee shall be headed by a Committee Chairperson who is voted into position by the Executive Committee. The President may also appoint the Standing Committee Chairperson. The Chairperson shall choose additional members from the Executive Committee or student body at large to serve with him or her on their respective Standing Committee.
• Standing Committees shall report to the Executive Committee concerning their decisions for approval via quorum establishment.
ARTICLE 7: Amendments
• The constitution and bylaws may be amended or revised by a three-fourths vote of the Executive Committee present at meetings or by a two-thirds vote of the chapter membership present if a quorum exists.
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Bylaws
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ARTICLE 1: Duties of the Officers
A. President
• Shall chair the Executive Committee.
• Shall serve as first delegate or a position greater to the ASDA National Convention and to the ASDA regional meetings.
• Shall represent the ASDA chapter as a delegate at the annual session of the South Carolina Dental Association.
• Shall serve as College of Dental Medicine student liaison to the college and university administration.
• If needed, may appoint chairs and members to all committees, those standing and those not otherwise provided for.
• Shall be ex-officio member of all committees.
• Shall call meetings of the Executive Committee.
• Shall perform such other duties as usually pertain to the office.
• Shall chair the Gold Crown Committee.
B. President-Elect
• Shall serve as second delegate or a position greater to the ASDA National Convention and to ASDA district meetings.
• Shall represent the association as an alternate delegate at the Annual Session of the South Carolina Dental Association.
• Shall assist the President in performing their duties.
• Shall automatically become President at the conclusion of his or her predecessor’s term.
• Shall chair the Executive Committee in the absence of the President.
• Shall perform all other designated duties of the President in his or her absence or with his or her consent.
• Shall oversee all officer positions and assist when requested.
• Shall plan Light and Loupe Fair each fall semester.
• Shall ensure blogposts are submitted within 2 weeks of the event.
• Shall update and maintain the GoogleDrive and Calendar.
• Shall coordinate the Vendor Fair and obtain sponsors accordingly.
C. Treasurer
• Shall be responsible for any financial matters as deemed necessary by the Executive Committee.
• Shall publish a financial report at the end of the summer, fall and spring semesters to be submitted to the Executive Committee for review. The financial report shall include all profits, losses, and expenditures from the previous semester.
• Shall be responsible for the collection of dues.
• Shall perform other such duties as usually pertain to the office.
• Shall consult with National ASDA as to the taxes for the calendar year
D. Secretary
• Shall be responsible for any official documents as deemed necessary by the Executive Committee.
• Shall be responsible for taking minutes at meetings and distributing them within 48 hours after approval by the Executive Committee.
• Shall submit the updated chapter roster for the national office records.
• Shall perform other such duties as usually pertain to the office. E. Senior Legislative Liaison
• Shall serve as the chairperson of the Advocacy Standing Committee and shall perform all national, state, and local duties therein.
• Shall attend monthly SCDA meetings.
• Shall plan and organize State Lobby Day in the spring semester.
F. Events Coordinator
• Shall plan the following yearly ASDA events including, but not limited to the following: Freshman Welcome Party, First Post Gross Celebration, Friendsgiving, and Senior Banquet.
• Shall assist the first year class with the annual Halloween party.
• Shall assist the second year class with the annual Snow Ball.
• Shall chair the Senior Banquet Standing Committee.
G. Vendor Relations Coordinator
• Shall plan, coordinate and see through all ASDA Lunch and Learn events.
H. Predental Chair(s)
• Shall plan the annual Predental Day.
• Shall serve as a point of contact for predental students in regards to MUSC ASDA and national ASDA.
I. Social Media Coordinator
• Shall monitor all social media accounts including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
• Shall keep southcarolinaasda.com updated in a timely manner.
J. Historian
• Shall gather photo and video footage, when applicable, from every ASDA affiliated event and upload them to the google drive within a reasonable time period after each event.
K. Junior Legislative Liaison
• Shall assist the Senior Legislative Liaison with all national, state, and local advocacy issues therin.
• The Junior Legislative Liaison does not automatically assume the role of Senior Legislative Liaison for the next year’s officers.
L. Wellness Chair
• Shall plan wellness initiatives.
• Shall notify chapter of wellness events in the community.
M. Golf Tournament Coordinator
• Shall plan the Prophy Cup event in the fall semester.
• Shall plan the Alumni Golf Tournament in conjunction with MUSC Alumni Weekend in the spring.
N. Volunteer Coordinator
• Shall plan one philanthropic volunteer event per semester.
• Shall coordinate ASDA’s Week of Service.
ARTICLE 2: Duties of the Standing Committees
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A. Lunch and Learn
• It shall be the duty of the committee to assist and facilitate all lunch and learns at the discretion of the Vendor Relations Chair.
B. Advocacy
• It shall be the duty of the committee to plan and organize all national ADPAC and state DenPAC drives in coordination with the American Dental Association and the South Carolina Dental Association.
• It shall be the duty of the committee to plan and organize the ASDA chapter’s involvement in ADA Dentist and Student Lobby Day and State Lobby Day.
• It shall be the duty of the committee to recruit and establish student membership in the aforementioned political organizations.
• It shall be the duty of the committee to consult with the South Carolina Dental Association and coordinate the ASDA chapter’s involvement with SCDA sanctioned committees and events.
• The committee shall be chaired by the chapter Senior Legislative Liaison. The Junior Legislative Liaison will assist the Senior Legislative Liaison in all responsibilities.
• The committee shall consist of at least one member who will assume the role of chapter Legislative Liaison the following year to ensure a complete understanding of committee duties and activities.
C. Senior Sendoff
• It shall be the duty of the Events Coordinator, with the help of the Senior Banquet Standing Committee, to plan and organize the annual senior banquet to be held soon before the conclusion of the Spring academic semester.
D. Predental
• It shall be the duty of the Predental Chair(s), with the help of the Predental Standing Committee, to plan and organize the annual Predental Day event.
Article 3: Election of Officers and Representatives
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• Terms span from the conclusion of Senior Banquet until the conclusion of Senior Banquet the following year. Elections are to be held at the beginning of February or before individual class elections.
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• The officers and Standing Committee Chairpersons shall be nominated from the appropriate dental class representatives.
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• Each of the four dental classes shall elect seven representatives from their respective class.
Locked Positions:
• Of the rising third year Executive Committee members, any may choose to run for President-Elect. The President-Elect shall be voted upon within the Executive Committee. An Executive Committee meeting will be held, and the student body shall be invited. Attendance for the student body is not mandatory, and lunch is not provided to them. Only one candidate may be in the room during the meeting at a time. After speeches, questions, and an open discussion between non-candidate Executive Committee members and their representative members of the student body, each voting member of the Executive Committee shall cast their vote. If a candidate is also a voting member, they may vote. No voting by proxy is allowed. One must be physically present at the meeting to cast a vote. The majority wins. In the event of a tie, the Executive Committee will re-vote on those candidates.
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• The Treasurer shall be elected every academic year by a majority vote of the Executive Committee. Any Executive Committee member is eligible for the position.
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• The Vendor Relations Coordinator shall be elected every academic year by a majority vote of the Executive Committee. Any Executive Committee member is eligible for the position.
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• The Events Coordinator shall be elected every academic year by a majority vote of the Executive Committee. Any Executive Committee member is eligible for the position.
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• In the event a member of the Executive Committee who is not holding one of the seven class representative positions (i.e. only serving on District 4 or holding a National ASDA position) is elected to a locked position, this member will not replace a class representative. The election of seven additional representatives from his or her class is appropriate.
Additional positions:
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• Following class elections, these officers should be elected from the Executive Committee:, Secretary, Senior Legislative Liaison, Predental Chair, Social Media Coordinator, Webmaster, Historian, Junior Legislative Liaison, Wellness Chair, Golf Tournament Coordinator, and Volunteer Coordinator. Each officer shall serve a term of one year. The position is open to any Executive Committee member from the rising second, third, or fourth year classes.
ARTICLE 4: Dues
• Dues shall be set in concordance with national ASDA dues policy and may be amended by Executive Committee vote.
• Dues shall be automatically collected when first year students begin their academic enrollment.
ARTICLE 5: Academic Advisor
• There shall be one faculty advisor, who shall be annually elected or re-elected by the Executive Committee. The duties of the faculty advisor shall be to consult and advise on all decisions and activities of the chapter.
ARTICLE 6: Code of Ethics
• The conduct of this chapter’s leadership and members shall be governed by the Medical University of South Carolina Honor Code.
ARTICLE 7: Financial Disclosure
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• As previously stated, the Treasurer shall present a financial report at the conclusion of every semester to the Executive Committee, which shall include all profits, losses and expenditures from the previous semester.
Reviewed and approved – February 16, 2020