Constitution
Kentucky Alliance of Pharmacy Students
Joseph Fink, BSPharm, J.D.; Aaron Cook, PharmD.; Amy Nicholas, PharmD.; and Karen Blumenschein, PharmD. - Advisors
Revised 06/09/08
CONSTITUTION
PreambleWe hereby constitute “The Kentucky Alliance of Pharmacy Students”, the culmination of a merger between the Kentucky chapter of the American Pharmacists Association – Academy of Student Pharmacists, the Kentucky Student Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and the National Community Pharmacists Association.Our mission is to promote the growth of pharmacy students into practitioners characterized by a commitment to patient care, service, ethical behavior, and continuous personal and professional improvement.Article I: General ProvisionsSection 1. Name: This organization shall be known as the “Kentucky Alliance of Pharmacy Students” (the “Alliance” or “KAPS”).Section 2. Affiliation: The Alliance is constitutionally affiliated with the Kentucky Pharmacists Association (KPhA) and the Kentucky Society of Health-System Pharmacists (KSHP). The Alliance shall be affiliated with the American Pharmacists Association – Academy of Student Pharmacists (APhA-ASP), the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP), and the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA).Section 3. Non-profit status: The Alliance shall operate as a non-profit organization.Section 4. University of Kentucky rules: The Alliance and its officers shall abide by the applicable rules and policies of the University of Kentucky pertaining to student organizations.Section 5. “Majority” rule: In all cases, except where specified to the contrary, a majority shall mean a majority of votes cast by the membership in attendance.Section 6. “Official business”: Action on official business of the Alliance shall require a quorum of the active membership as defined in the Bylaws. “Official business” includes, but is not limited to: (1) election of officers; (2) Amendments to the Constitution or Bylaws; and (3) policy relating to the allocation or distribution of Alliance assests.Article II: MembershipSection 1. Eligibility: All students enrolled in the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy or majors are eligible for membership in the Alliance. Undergraduate pre-pharmacy students are eligible for membership in APhA-ASP. Membership is open to all students without regard to race, creed, sex, sexual orientation, national origin or disability.Section 2. Initiation and continuation of membership: Membership in the Alliance shall be initiated and continued by the submission of an application to an officer of the Alliance along with required membership dues.Section 3. Membership of officers: All Alliance officers (as defined by Article III) shall be members of KAPS, KPhA, KSHP, APhA-ASP, ASHP, and NCPA.Section 4. Voting status: Each member who has met his or her full financial obligation (as dues), shall be entitled to one vote in the Alliance.Article III: OfficersSection 1. Definition: The Executive Committee includes the officers of the Kentucky Alliance of Pharmacy Students and is the following:Chair of the Board, Chair-Elect, Director of Committees, Corresponding Secretary, Recording Secretary, Treasurer, KPhA/APhA Academy President & President-Elect, KSHP/ASHP Academy President & President-Elect, NCPA Student Chapter President & President-Elect. This group constitutes the “Executive Committee” of the Alliance.Section 2. Requirements: Officers must be students in good standing at the University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy and must be registered for a minimum of 12 credits.Section 3. Nominations: Open nominations for officer positions shall be taken prior to elections according to the nature of the election (see Section 4 of this Article). Nominations may be made in written form.Section 4. Elections: Elections are classified and held as follows:Regular “Spring” elections: Regular elections shall be held during the spring semester of the academic year. Regular elections shall be announced to the membership at least two weeks prior to election date. Applications for office shall be made available to interested candidates two weeks prior to election date. Applications will be due one week prior to election date. The Executive Committee shall meet within 24 hours of application deadline to discuss and slate two candidates per available office. Slated candidates shall be notified within 24 hours of selection. Those candidates who completed the application process but were not slated by the Executive Committee have the opportunity to be nominated from the floor when elections are held.Special elections: Special elections shall be held as deemed necessary by the Executive Committee. Special elections shall be announced at least one week in advance of the election. Nominations for these elections shall be taken during the week prior to the day of the election.Section 5. Term of office: Offices of Director of Committees, Corresponding Secretary, Recording Secretary, and Treasurer shall be held for the term of one year, with the exception of the Chair-Elect and the President-Elects of each Academy who will be elected for two terms. First term he/she will serve as the Elect and the second term as the Chairman of the Board or the President of their respective Academies. In the event of the replacement of an officer, the member who replaces that officer will hold the position until the next regular election.Section 6. Inability to fulfill term: If, for any reason an officer is unable to fulfill a full term of office, the membership shall elect another member to fulfill the term via “special election” process (Section 4 of this Article).Section 7. Removal of officers: Officers are subject to removal by fellow members of the Alliance for due cause (for example, violation of the Constitution or Bylaws) via a process outlined in the Bylaws.Section 8. Duties of Officers: The duties of KAPS officers are as follows:Alliance Chairman of the Board: The Alliance Chairman of the Board shall have executive authority of the Alliance. He or she shall preside over all meetings of the Alliance. He or she shall serve as chair of the Executive committee and shall create such committees, in collaborative agreement with the Executive committee, as needed to conduct Alliance business. He or she shall represent the Alliance along with the Academy Presidents to the KPhA and KSHP Board of Directors. Responsibilities include overseeing orientation and student participation in the Alliance, and suggested attendance at professional meetings at the state, regional and national level.Alliance Chair-Elect: The Chair-Elect shall be responsible for carrying out the duties of the Chairman of the Board in his or her absence. Responsibilities include membership and other special service projects deemed necessary by the Executive committee.Recording Secretary: The Recording Secretary shall record, maintain, and distribute the minutes of all general Alliance meetings as well as any appropriate committee meetings. He/she shall be responsible for maintaining record of attendance at all chapter meetings, committee meetings, and KAPS activities for the purpose of point allocation.Corresponding Secretary: He or she shall be responsible for preparing correspondence to the national and state affiliations on a regular basis, and shall maintain the chapter webpage, updating it regularly. He/she shall be responsible for the distribution of State and National Associations publications to all alliance members.Treasurer: The Treasurer shall make all collections of dues and other monies, and provide receipts for the same. The treasurer shall furnish a written report of all financial transactions at each meeting. The treasurer is responsible for the completion of all appropriate tax forms. He or she is responsible for working with the Academy Presidents for the distribution of membership dues to the appropriate national and state organizations.Academy Presidents: The Academy Presidents are responsible for two-way communication between the Alliance, KPhA, APhA, KSHP, ASHP, and NCPA providing updates to the Alliance members on a regular basis. He or she shall coordinate attendance at KPhA, APhA, KSHP, ASHP, and NCPA meetings and functions. He or she shall oversee the annual Patient Counseling Competition, Clinical Skills Competition, or the Business Plan Competition. He or she shall submit any and all chapter reports to State and National associations.Article IV: AdvisorsSection 1. General: The Alliance shall be advised and counseled by Advisors in a number deemed appropriate by University Dean of the of Kentucky College of Pharmacy and endorsed by the Executive Committee (in consultation with Alliance membership, KPhA and KSHP).Section 2. Requirements: The Advisors to the Alliance shall be College of Pharmacy faculty members, staff members or pharmacists who are members of at least one of the affiliated associations (associations being KPhA, KSHP, APhA-ASP, ASHP, and NCPA). The advisors shall be non-voting members of the Executive Committee and all other Alliance committees. The preferable length of term is at least two years, with the option for reappointment if mutually agreeable.Section 3. Selection: As needed, the Executive Committee shall recommend Advisors to the Dean of the College of Pharmacy.Article V: CommitteesSection 1. Creation and size: The Chairman of the Board, with the counsel of the Executive Committee, shall appoint such committees as required for the business of the Alliance. Committees shall consist of as many members as the Executive Committee deems necessary or appropriate.Section 2. Director of Committees: The Director of Committees (DOC) has the responsibility to advise and stimulate Committee Heads & Chairs to initiate the work of each committee. The DOC monitors each committee and reports their progress back to the Executive Committee.Section 3. Committee Heads & Chairs: Committee Chairs shall be appointed by the Executive Committee by a 2/3 vote with a quorum present. Committee Chairs may be replaced for due cause by a 2/3 vote with a quorum present of the Executive Committee.Section 4. Responsibilities of Committee Heads & Chairs: Committee Heads & Chairs are responsible for writing their own event reports for committee meetings and events. These reports should be submitted to the Director of Committees within one week of the meeting or event. Committee Heads & Chairs will all attend a monthly meeting of the Executive Committee and the Committee Heads & Chairs. Committee Heads & Chairs may be asked to attend Executive Committee Meetings as needed.Article VI: MeetingsSection 1. General: General membership meetings may be called by the Chairman of the Board or by a majority vote of the Executive Committee by giving notice to all members within 24 hours of meeting.Section 2. Frequency: General membership meetings of the Alliance shall occur at least once a month during the University of Kentucky academic year. Timing of these meetings, as well as those of the Executive Committee, shall meet all applicable state and national requirements.Article VII: Financial MattersSection 1. Monetary gain: The Alliance shall not provide monetary gain to its officers, advisors, or membership.Section 2. Reimbursement: Members seeking reimbursement for purchases related to professional or business activities of the Alliance must submit receipts to the Treasurer as soon as possible after the purchase. Expenses over $50 need to be pre-approved by the Executive Committee.Section 3. Expenditures: All Alliance expenditures above and beyond normal operations, as defined by the Executive Committee, shall be proposed at a meeting of the general membership and shall be subject to a 2/3 vote with a quorum present.Article VIII: AmendmentsSection 1. Proposed Amendments to the Constitution: Amendments to the Constitution may be proposed in writing by any member during any regular meeting. At such time (provided a quorum is present), a preliminary vote of approval may be taken. If preliminarily approved, the Executive Committee shall meet to discuss the preliminary approval of the proposal to render an Executive Committee opinion to the Alliance at the second vote. The proposition will then be resubmitted at the next regular meeting at which a quorum is present. If approved a second time, the proposal becomes effective immediately. Proposals that fail to be approved at either step may be resubmitted; resubmitted proposals that have previously failed at the second step shall be subject to the two step approval process.Section 2. Presentation to KPhA and KSHP Board of Directors: All amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws may be presented to the Board of Directors of KPhA and KSHP.Article IX: BylawsSection 1. Proposed additions, modifications, or delections: Changes to the Bylaws of this organization may be proposed in writing by any member to any member of the Executive Committee during any regular meeting. Voting on the proposed addition, modification, or deletion shall occur at the next regular meeting. A quorum as defined in the Bylaws must be present for voting. Proposals shall be accepted or rejected by a 2/3 vote of all active members present.Article X: DissolutionSection 1. 2/3 vote: Dissolution of the Alliance requires a 2/3 vote of the entire active membership.Section 2. Distribution of assets in the event of dissolution: In the event of a vote to disestablish the Alliance, financial assets shall be distributed so as to first rectify all liabilities of the organization; any remaining assets shall be distributed to students in the form of College of Pharmacy scholarships (or other appropriate means), formed in consultation with the College Board, the Dean of the College of Pharmacy and other appropriate parties. In the event of dissolution, any applicable University policy related to transmission or use of organizational funds shall be followed.