PHARMACY COUNCIL
CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS

Pharmacy Council, the student governance body of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Texas at Austin, is committed to and strives to provide: an official voice through which student opinion may be expressed; a structured organization for student involvement within the organization and College; a means for professional and leadership development; a system for enhancing the quality and scope of pharmacy education; and the support and direction for projects related to the profession of pharmacy and related fields which benefit the University, the College, the students and the community.

ARTICLE I - ORGANIZATION

1.1 MEMBERSHIP

1.1.1 No person shall be elected to more than one Pharmacy Council position and/or office, unless approved by the Council or Executive Committee.

1.1.2 The Dean of the College of Pharmacy, or his appointed representative, shall serve as an ex-officio member of Pharmacy Council.

1.1.3 The President and one representative from each registered student organization within the College of Pharmacy shall serve on Pharmacy Council. Each organization shall have one vote.

1.1.4 Each of the first, second, and third-year classes at the Austin campus shall be allowed three voting representatives to Pharmacy Council. These Class Representatives shall be elected from the class at large. Election and qualification of these members shall be covered in Section 2.2.1.

1.1.5 The third-year classes at the El Paso and Pan American campuses shall each be allowed one voting representative to Pharmacy Council. Election and qualification of these members shall be covered in Section 2.2.2.

1.1.6 The third-year class at the San Antonio campus shall be allowed two voting representatives to Pharmacy Council. Election and qualification of these members shall be covered in Section 2.2.3.

1.1.7    Fourth-year students at each internship region shall be allowed one voting representative to Pharmacy Council. Election and qualification of these members shall be covered in Section 2.2.4.

1.1.8 At least one voting representative shall be allowed from the graduate student population of the College of Pharmacy. Election and qualification of this member shall follow that of Class Representatives, as described in Section 2.2.1.

1.1.9 A person shall not be elected to Pharmacy Council that is not in good academic standing in the College of Pharmacy during the same semester.

1.2 TERMS OF OFFICE

1.2.1 Representatives shall serve on the Council and be given all rights of the Council from their time of installment until the election of their successor as described in Article II.

1.2.2 Representatives shall be responsible for making at least bi-monthly reports to their constituency concerning the actions of Pharmacy Council. Repeated failure to perform this duty shall result in removal from office as described in Article V.

1.2.3 All members shall serve on at least one active Pharmacy Council committee during each semester of their respective terms.

1.3 VACANCY

1.3.1 Upon vacancy, the Executive Committee shall re-elect a new representative within one week if the vacancy occurs at least four weeks before the end of the semester. If a vacancy occurs with less than four weeks before the end of the semester the position may be left vacant until the next semester when an election would be normally conducted in accordance with Article 2.2. Vacancies that occur due to removal of a member by the Council under Article V fall under this section.

1.4 MEETINGS

1.4.1 Pharmacy Council shall meet at least twice each month during the fall and spring semesters. The number of meetings during the summer semester shall be determined by the Executive Committee as they deem necessary.

1.4.2 All meetings shall be open to the student body of the College of Pharmacy, who shall have the privilege of the floor upon recognition by the President.

1.4.3 Special meetings may be called by the President, or by a written request of one-half of the voting members.

1.4.4 The President shall preside over all meetings and shall vote only in the instance of a tie vote.

1.4.5 The Secretary shall take role at each regular meeting and report the number of absences to the President.

1.4.5.1 A quorum of at least one-half of the voting members shall be required to conduct any official business of Pharmacy Council.

1.4.5.2 Any member absent for one meeting without an acceptable excuse approved by the Executive Committee shall be removed from Pharmacy Council by the proceedings listed under Article V.

1.5 DUTIES OF PHARMACY COUNCIL

1.5.1 To serve as the liaison between students and administration regarding the organization and planning of events in the College and University which affect the academic and future professional welfare of the student body.

1.5.2 To enact all measures necessary and proper for the general welfare of the students in the College of Pharmacy.

1.5.3 To create any appointive office or committee it deems necessary to act in ex-officio capacity.

1.5.4 To establish and set student organization meeting schedules.

1.5.5 To coordinate student organization fundraising schedules.

1.5.6 To compile and publicly post the College's exam schedule at the beginning of each semester.

2.1 Recognized student organizations within the College of Pharmacy may elect their representatives according to their own bylaws.

2.2 Class Representatives shall be elected in the following manner:

2.2.1 No later than two weeks after the beginning of each academic semester, at a time to be determined by the Executive Committee, Pharmacy Council representatives shall appear in classes which are required courses and announce elections to be held during the next class meeting. These representatives shall return at this time, accept nominations, and conduct elections by secret ballot or hand vote. Representatives must be in good academic standing at the time of election and shall serve for one semester.

2.2.2 Third-year students assigned to the El Paso and Pan American campuses shall each elect one student from their region who will serve as a their Pharmacy Council representative. Elections will be held at the end of the summer semester between these students' second and third years. Representatives must be in good academic standing at the time of election and shall serve for two semesters.

2.2.3 Third-year students assigned to the San Antonio campus shall elect two students from their region who will serve as their Pharmacy Council representatives. Elections will be held at the end of the fall semester of these students' third year. Representatives must be in good academic standing at the time of election and shall serve for one semester.

2.2.4 Fourth-year students assigned to each internship region shall elect one site coordinator who will serve as a Pharmacy Council representative. Elections will be held at the end of these students' third year. Fourth-year representatives shall serve one full year from the time of election through graduation.

2.3 Officers shall be elected during the spring semester at a time to be determined by the Executive Committee, unless otherwise stated under Article III.

3.1 The officers of Pharmacy Council shall be: the President, the President-elect, the Vice-President, the Financial Director, the Secretary, the Senate Representative, and the Student Government Representative.

3.1.1 Each officer shall be nominated and elected based on majority vote by the student body.

3.1.2 Each officer shall by officially installed at the last Pharmacy Council meetion of the spring semester.

3.1.3 With the exception of the President, if any of these officers cannot fulfill their full term of office, a new officer shall be elected from the current membership to serve the remainder of that term.

3.1.4 In the event the President for any reason is permanently unable to perform or cannot fulfill the term of the office then the Vice-President shall automatically succeed to the office of the President for the remaining portion of the unexpired term. In the summer semester, the President-elect shall succeed to the term to which he or she would have succeeded in due course.

3.1.5 If the position of the President-elect becomes vacant due to succession to the position of President then a VP-at-Large may be appointed by the Pharmacy Council through a special meeting of the Council for the remainder of the unexpired term of the President-elect as described in 3.3.1 and such other duties as needed until a new President-elect is elected during the spring semester at a time to be determined by the Executive Committee.

3.2 DUTIES OF THE PRESIDENT

3.2.1 The President shall:

3.2.1.1 Serve as the Chief Executive Officer of Pharmacy Council.

3.2.1.2 Serve as the Chair of the Executive Committee.

3.2.1.3 Conduct and preside over all meetings of the Council.

3.2.1.4 Represent the College of Pharmacy at all meetings of the University of Texas Senate of College Councils.

3.2.1.5 Abide by the duties of the Senate of College Councils and serve on the Presidents Committee.

3.2.1.6 Serve as an ex-officio member of Pharmacy Council committees and ad-hoc committees when needed.

3.2.1.7 Attend to all needs and requirements of the Council.

3.3 DUTIES OF THE PRESIDENT-ELECT

3.3.1 The President-elect shall:

3.3.1.1 Assist the President with assigned responsibilities.

3.3.1.2 Perform any and all duties properly incumbent on the Chief Executive Officer in the absence of the President.

3.3.1.3 Conduct and preside over all meetings of the Council in the absence of the President.

3.3.1.4 Serve as an ex-officio member of Pharmacy Council committees and ad-hoc committees when needed.

3.3.1.5 Succeed automatically to the office of President in the event the President is unable to complete the term of office or fulfill the duties of President.

3.3.2 The President-elect shall be elected at the end of the fall semester and shall serve under this capacity until their official installment as President at the last Pharmacy Council meeting of the spring semester.

3.3.3 The office shall be open to any Austin Pharmacy Council member or previous member.

3.4 DUTIES OF THE VICE-PRESIDENT

3.4.1 The Vice-President shall:

3.4.1.1 Coordinate the membership of all Pharmacy Council committees and serve as an ex-officio member of each.

3.4.1.2 Report regularly to the Executive Committee the status and activities of all Pharmacy Council committees.

3.4.1.3 Assist the President with assigned responsibilities and executive decisions.

3.4.1.4 Limit debate on a motion to two minutes per member as recognized by the President.

3.4.2 The office shall be open to any Austin Pharmacy Council member, or previous member, other than the President of any other recognized student organization within the College of Pharmacy.

3.5 DUTIES OF THE FINANCIAL DIRECTOR

3.5.1 The Financial Director shall:

3.5.1.1 Serve as the Chief Financial Officer of Pharmacy Council.

3.5.1.2 Serve as the Chair of the Committee on Finance.

3.5.1.3 Maintain and balance the three bank accounts of the Council:

3.4.1.3.1 The 29 account - from the Senate of College Councils
3.4.1.3.2 The 30 account - from the Pharmaceutical Foundation
3.4.1.3.3 The checking account.

3.5.1.4 The President may, at all times, inspect and verify the books and accounts of Pharmacy Council kept by the Financial Director.

3.5.1.5 Represent the College of Pharmacy at meetings of the University of Texas Senate of College Councils.

3.5.1.6 Abide by the duties of the Senate of College Councils and serve on the Finance Committee.

3.5.1.7 Abide by the duties of Pharmacy Council and serve on at least one Pharmacy Council committee.

3.5.1.8 Assist the President and Vice-President in executive decisions and responsibilities.

3.5.2 The office shall be open to any Austin Pharmacy Council member, or previous member, other than the President of any other recognized student organization within the College of Pharmacy.

3.6 DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY

3.6.1 The Secretary shall:

3.6.1.1 Record and make available to the students and faculty of the College of Pharmacy the minutes of Pharmacy Council meetings.

3.6.1.2 Take roll at all regular meetings and report to the President whether a quorum is present to conduct any official business.

3.6.1.3 Be responsible to compose and post a comprehensive calendar of events of all the professional organizations.

3.6.1.4 Be responsible to publicly post the Constitution and Bylaws of Pharmacy Council at the beginning of each semester.

3.6.1.5 Compile and provide to the students and faculty of the College of Pharmacy a newsletter-style report of all Pharmacy Council events at the end of each semester.

3.6.1.6 Abide by the duties of Pharmacy Council and serve on at least one Pharmacy Council committee.

3.6.1.7 Shall perform those duties generally devolving upon the office.

3.7 DUTIES OF THE SENATE REPRESENTATIVE

3.7.1 The Senate Representative shall:

3.7.1.1 Report to the Council the relevant activities of the University of Texas Senate of College Councils.

3.7.1.2 Report all pertinent information regarding Senate legislation and allow Pharmacy Council to vote on any of the appropriate bills.

3.7.1.3 Abide by the duties of the Senate of College Councils and serve on at least one Senate committee.

3.7.1.4 Abide by the duties of Pharmacy Council and serve on at least one Pharmacy Council committee.

3.7.1.5 Assist with the coordination of the Texas Excellence Teaching Awards for the College of Pharmacy.

3.8 DUTIES OF THE STUDENT GOVERNMENT REPRESETATIVE

3.8.1 The Student Government Representative shall:

3.8.1.1 Report to the Council the relevant activities of the University of Texas Student Government.

3.8.1.2 Report all pertinent information regarding Student Government legislation and allow Pharmacy Council to vote on any of the appropriate bills.

3.8.1.3 Abide by the duties of Pharmacy Council and serve on at least one Pharmacy Council committee.

4.1 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

4.1.1 The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, the President-elect, the Vice-President, the Financial Director, the Secretary, the Senate Representative, the Student Government Representative, and the Faculty Advisor. The Faculty Advisor shall serve in ex-officio capacity and the President shall serve as its Chair.

4.1.2 The Executive Committee shall appoint the Committee Chairs.

4.1.3 The Executive Committee may form committees and appoint members to these committees as they deem necessary and appropriate.

4.2 COMMITTEE ON FINANCE

4.2.1 The Committee on Finance shall consist of the President, the President-elect, the Vice-President, the Financial Director, and the Faculty Advisor. The Faculty Advisor shall serve in ex-officio capacity and the Financial Director shall serve as its Chair.

4.2.2 The Committee on Finance shall prepare the two budgets of Pharmacy Council for the forthcoming year.

4.2.2.1 The Senate of College Councils budget must be prepared and submitted to the Senate Financial Director for approval.

4.2.2.2 The Pharmaceutical Foundation budget must be prepared and submitted to the College of Pharmacy's Assistant Dean for Student Affairs for approval.

4.3 PHARMACY COUNCIL COMMITTEES

4.3.1 The Committee Chair position for all Pharmacy Council committees shall be open to the student body of the College of Pharmacy. Interested persons shall submit an application to the Executive Committee who shall then review and select the Committee Chairs.

4.3.1.1 Committee Chairs selected by the Executive Committee must be in good academic standing at the time of selection.

4.3.1.2 Committee Chairs that choose to select Subcommittee Chairs must submit all nominations to the Executive Committee for approval.

4.3.1.3 Voting privileges shall apply only to Committee Chairs elected to Pharmacy Council by the methods outlined in Article II.

4.3.1.4 Committee Chairs shall report the status and activities of their committees to the Vice-President at a minimum of every two weeks while active.

4.3.1.5 Committee Chairs shall attend all regular meetings of the Council and be prepared to report the status of their committee's activities.

4.3.2 In the event that a committee is formed that will not achieve its stated purpose during the semester of formation, the Committee Chair appointed may continue to serve in the capacity of Chair until the committee achieves its stated purpose.

4.3.2.1 Any Committee Chair serving under this condition shall continue to attend all regular meetings of the Council and report weekly to the Vice-President the status of their committee.

4.3.2.2 Voting privileges apply to a Chair serving in this capacity only during those semesters in which they are elected to Pharmacy Council by the methods outlined in Article II.

5.1 Any member of Pharmacy Council may be removed from office under the rules, regulations and procedures outlined under this Article.

5.2 CAUSES FOR REMOVAL

5.2.1 Failure to abide by the duties and responsibilities of the elected position outlined by this Constitution and Bylaws.

5.2.2 Failure to attend all general meetings of Pharmacy Council.

5.2.3 Failure to act professionally and appropriately while holding an elected Pharmacy Council position.

5.3 REMOVAL OF MEMBERS

5.3.1 By three-fourths vote of the total voting membership of the Council.

5.3.2 By a petition drafted and signed by the number of students equal to two-thirds of the total population of the constituency from which the representative has been elected.

5.3.2.1 Such a petition for recall must be completed within fourteen days of submission of the draft to the Council.

5.3.2.2 If a sufficient number of names have not been gathered within this period, a new petition may not be submitted to the Council until a period of two weeks has passed.

6.1 Constitutional amendments may be proposed by any member of the Council or by the student body at large.

6.1.1 All such proposals shall be presented to the Executive Committee of Pharmacy Council for review. The Executive Committee shall then vote on a recommendation to accept or reject the proposed amendments.

6.1.2 The proposed amendments, the Executive Committee's recommendations, and all parts of the Constitution and Bylaws affected, shall then be presented to the Council at the next general meeting. Debate and discussion shall be permitted at this time, followed by an Amendment Election to be held within three weeks.

6.2 Constitutional initiative may be exercised by the student body upon petition of a number of students equal to thirty percent of the total enrollment of the College of Pharmacy. Upon presentation of the petition to Pharmacy Council, the Council shall order an Amendment Election to be held within three weeks.

6.3 AMENDMENT ELECTION

6.3.1 Any proposed amendment, together with the parts of the Constitution and Bylaws affected, shall be made available to the students of the College of Pharmacy at least one week prior to the election.

6.3.2 A proposed amendment to this or a new Constitution and Bylaws shall become binding after receiving a two-thirds majority of the total voting membership of the Council, and a simple majority of the ballots cast by the student body of the College of Pharmacy.

6.3.3 Pharmacy Council shall act as the election commission and shall supervise the balloting.

Return to Top

7.1 This Constitution and Bylaws supersedes all previous Constitutions and Bylaws of Pharmacy Council and shall take immediate effect once ratified by the student body of the College of Pharmacy.

Approved: September 2005

Return to Top