EnvironMED

Bylaws

Article I. Membership

Section 1. Eligibility for Membership
Membership in this student interest group is open to all students attending the WVU School of Medicine, to all students of any health profession program at the WVU Health Sciences Center, and to all undergraduate students attending West Virginia University. All members are required to be in good standing (both academically and professionally) with the university or their respective program. Exceptions will be considered by the EnvironMED leadership. All EnvironMED members shall be considered service volunteers. The term member and volunteer will be used interchangeably throughout this document.

Section 2. New Member Training Requirement
New members are welcome throughout the school year but are asked to attend at least one meeting per semester. Additionally, new members must complete all required trainings if they choose to participate in any ongoing research projects administered by EnvironMED. There will be no exceptions to this policy.

Section 3. Rights and Responsibilities of Members
Responsibilities of EnvironMED members include, but are not limited to, actively participating in EnvironMED sponsored events, attending monthly meetings, recruiting, and fundraising events. EnvironMED members have the right to participate in any and all EnvironMED sponsored events if they have met all new member training requirements. It is the responsibility of each member to render a report to the Vice President following participation in EnvironMED events.

Section 4. Resignation and Termination of Membership
Any member may resign by filing a written resignation with the Vice President. Additionally, membership can be terminated by a majority vote of EnvironMED leadership. Grounds for termination include, but are not limited to, the following:

-Reckless or dangerous behavior during green projects (e.g. intentional misuse of hospital sharps during sorting project)
-A serious or intentional violation of any law, rule, regulation, bylaw, or provision of EnvironMED or West Virginia University
-A serious or intentional violation of any state law committed while participating in an EnvironMED sponsored event or meeting

Section 5. Letters of Recommendation
EnvironMED members who have completed at least one full year of active service may request a letter of recommendation from the EnvironMED leadership. All requests for letters of recommendation must be submitted no later than three weeks prior to the deadline for which the letter is needed. It is the responsibility of the member to provide EnvironMED leadership with all instructions and guidelines for writing the requested letter. All members should be aware that EnvironMED leadership will maintain a record of member activity. This information will be reflected in all letters of recommendation written by EnvironMED leadership.

Section 6. Equal Opportunity Statement
EnvironMED does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. These activities include, but are not limited to the recruiting process, selection of volunteers, and provision of services. EnvironMED is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all its members and clients.

Article II: EnvironMED Events and Meetings

Section 1: Service Projects
EnvironMED will provide a minimum of 2 sustainability projects per year to provide opportunities for its members to actively promote environmental conservation and to ensure that the program positively impacts the community. As EnvironMED expands into other regions of the state, each regional branch will be required to provide at least 2 service projects per year in its region.

Section 2: Monthly Meetings
Meetings will be held monthly by EnvironMED leadership. In general, this meeting will take place during the second week of each month, though this is subject to change. All members will be notified of the time and place of training meetings via email. The purpose of the monthly meeting is to enable EnvironMED members to develop the understanding needed to positively impact our carbon footprint. Before any member can become involved in a service project, they must first complete the respective training and demonstrate proficiency to EnvironMED leadership. Additionally, all upcoming events will be announced during monthly training meetings.

Section 3: Annual Meetings
An annual meeting of the members shall take place in the month of April. The specific date, time and location of which will be designated by the President. During this meeting, EnvironMED leadership will provide a report of the state of the organization and any ongoing research. Additionally, members who have provided exceptional service to EnvironMED will be recognized.
Time will also be taken during this meeting to discuss plans for the future. This includes future events as well as the announcement of new leadership. All members are encouraged to attend and participate.

Section 4. Notice of Meetings and Events
Notice of all training and annual meetings shall be provided via email no later than two weeks prior to the meeting. A monthly email will be sent to all members providing a schedule of all upcoming EnvironMED events and school visits. This schedule will also be accessible by all members at any time via Google Docs.

Section 5. Other Events
In addition to HSC and Ruby Memorial Hospital, EnvironMED is intended to expand its outreach into the community through hosting informational sessions and providing programs through:

-Local and regional schools
-Local and regional health-, science-, or education-related community fairs
-Collaboration with physician office centers

As EnvironMED expands its outreach to community health fairs and local and regional science centers, new protocols will be designed to adapt the stations to these new settings.

Article III: EnvironMED Leadership

Section 1. Leadership Positions and Responsibilities

President:
-Executive Power (oversee/manage executive leaders, plan executive meetings, establish agenda for meetings and annual/semester goals, record minutes of meetings)
-Network with other similar programs
-Appoint leaders for the following year and recruit for new leaders as needed
-Develop new ideas and projects to grow the program
-Direct the annual meeting
-Develop and revise Protocol
-Ensure the other officers have the resources needed to fulfill their responsibilities.

Vice President:
-Oversee projects and deadlines
-Research coordinator (including evaluate outcome/success of the program)
-Website Manager
-Direct member meetings
-Keep meeting notes up to date on Google Drive
-The Vice president serves as acting President if the President is temporarily unavailable for meetings or events, or in the event of resignation or removal of the President.

Service Coordinator:
-Serve as liaison between executive leaders and organizations involved with each service project
-Arrange and oversee events
-Contact locations for educational presentations
-Administer questionnaires, surveys, consent forms, and assent forms during projects (e.g. sharps collection project)
-Organize the details of community outreach events
-Lead public relations activities, such as advertising and marketing (social media, flyers, newspapers, TV news reporters)

Treasurer:
-Oversee financial matters and resources/supplies
-Ensure that each program will have sufficient materials
-Develop budget
-Oversee bank account matters
-Apply for grants/scholarships
-Organize fundraising activities
-Seek out non-profit organizations and businesses for donations

Secretary:
-Take notes for all meetings
-Keep meeting minutes
-Maintain the shared google drive
-Send emails to incoming students to recruit interest
-Maintain communication between classes

Section 2. Election Process
Members who have been within the program for 1 year and are in good academic standing are allowed to submit an application to the President for a leadership position. The applications will be reviewed, and applicants will be notified by the annual meeting. The President may appoint the member to the new leadership position as he or she sees fit. If needed, the President may hold a private meeting for voting by the executive board to appoint the new leadership applicant.

Section 3. Regional Branch Officers
It is intended that EnvironMED will eventually expand its outreach into other regions of the state, initially by establishing regional officers at each of the West Virginia University School of Medicine campuses: Morgantown, Eastern, and Charleston. The leading President of EnvironMED will oversee all of the executive boards at each campus. Each campus will have a regional President and Coordinator of Schools.