CSSA at HMS By-Law (draft) :

CSSA at Harvard Medical School (HMS) is a non-profit, non-political club which represents all the Chinese Scholars, post-docs, and scientists who study and work at HMS and its affiliated hospitals and institutions. It is the only such organization authorized by Harvard Medical School. This organization was founded in early 2007 after being approved by the names committee in HMS and is affiliated to Office of Basic Sciences and Graduate Studies.

All members in this club join of their own free will. Members associates with Harvard Medical School (HMS), Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM), Harvard Scholl of Public Health (HSPH), and their affiliated hospitals, including, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), Children's Hospital Boston (CHB), Dana-Farber Cancer Institute(DFCI), Joslin Diabetes Center, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), etc.. However, membership is not excluded to scholars from other institutions.

This by-law was created in order to make our objectives clear. It allows each member to be aware of his or her responsibilities. It will enable our club to function efficiently and ensure its longevity. Ultimately, this will allow us to serve the local community in a better way.

1. Core Values:

The core values of CSSA at HMS are dedicated to making contributions towards the prosperity of our motherland as well as the local community. We also aim to create a platform for communication, cooperation, and development among our members, as well as establishing a bridge between China, and US.

2. Membership:

All Members that join this club do so in accordance with the organization’s core values and mission. They comply with the club’s by-law and responsibly carry out their duties as members. All members in this club must have legally attained residence in the United States. In addition, those seeking membership must be free of a criminal record. All members must comply with decisions made by the elected board and advisory committee. All club events must be in compliance with the Office of Basic Sciences and Graduate Studies at HMS.

(1) Advisory Committee(5-10 members)

The Advisory Committee must be comprised of present or past scholars at HMS and its affiliates or elites who have made a significant contribution to the Chinese scientific community. The Advisory Committee will aid the board in efficiently managing the organization. In light of a disagreement, the Advisory Committee will form a temporary committee that will serve to mediate between the opposing factions. In order for a new member to be added to the Advisory Committee, the elected board members and current Advisory Committee members must reach a majority consensus.

(2) The Board

All decisions made by the board may not arise from the sole decision of the president. The president must be elected to his or her position. Once taken the duty, the president should organize, lead, and coordinate the routine events of the organization. In addition to the office of the president, there must be a co-president. The co-president of a new board must be a member of the immediately preceding board elected by the board members of the immediately preceding board. The co-president should oversee the election committee ensuring a seamless transition between boards. After elections are completed, the co-president will oversee and assist the new board throughout its tenure. If the current president is unable to fulfill his or her duties, the co-president can serve in his or her stead until a new president is elected. All board members, other than the president and co-president, will hold the positions of vice-presidents. The role of the vice-presidents is to assist the president in organizing, leading, and coordinating the events of the organization.

In addition to serving as vice president, board members may also serve as treasurer, secretary, website officer, career development officer, lifestyle officer, and liaison, etc.

(3) Rules regarding Board Meetings

The Board should hold meetings at least once per month. These meetings should entail discussion of past events and future plans. The state of the budget should also be reported at these meetings. Each member of the board should make it his or her duty to attend all meetings. If a member accrues six absences during his or her appointment to the board, he or she will be asked to resign from the position. The president should preside over each meeting, ensuring that order is maintained. All decisions during board meetings will be passed by majority vote. All board members have a responsibility to represent and uphold the standards of this club as well as raise funds to further our goals. Any news regarding the club must be relayed to the public by the president via our email list serve or our organization website.

(4) Procedure regarding Election and Officer Transition

(i) The election must be held in May of each year. The election committee must be comprised of three current board members. The co-president must be one of these three members. The co-president should be responsible for overseeing the election committee and the smooth transition of boards. At time of election, the current board members may not vote in deciding the president of the new board unless they would like to be considered for the new board. The current board president may not serve on the new board.

(ii) Any member of the club or community who would like to be considered as a candidate for the new board should send a Curriculum Vitae and a proposal for club advancement to the election committee. There can be a maximum of fourteen new board members during any given term, thus, if the number of candidates is less than or equal to fourteen, then all candidates will be selected for the new board. If the number of candidates exceeds fourteen, all members of the organization will vote for fourteen members from their candidate pool.

(iii) The president will be selected from the newly elected board members. This selection will be overseen by the election committee and decided by a majority vote among the new board members. If there is an equal number of affirmative and negative votes, then the co-president will hold the deciding votes.

(iv) The public announcement of the new board members should be done by the immediately preceding president before July 1st. The new board members should assume their positions on July 1st of each year. The co-president is responsible for relaying information regarding the selection of a new board to the Office of Basic Sciences and Graduate Studies at Harvard Medical School and introducing the new board to other local Chinese clubs.

(v) In a situation where the president is incapable of serving the club in a satisfactory manner, but refuses to resign, the board may decide to relieve him or her of the position by majority vote. If the president is voted out of office, the co-president must serve as president until the election of a new president. The co-president must ensure that a new president is elected within one month.

(5) No member of the board may use club resources or funds to pursue personal goals.

(6) If any member of the board is unable to fulfill his or her responsibilities, a resignation letter should be sent to the president. The president must then relay this information to the rest of the board. If a member of the board does not abide by the laws of the country or the organizational by-law, he or she can be voted out of the club by a majority vote.

(7) Any person who is a registered member of Harvard Medical School or its affiliates is eligible for the membership in this organization. Any person who is a registered member of other institutes is eligible for the membership in this organization as well. All members of this organization are expected to abide by its by-laws and contribute to its continued success.

(8) This by-law is not subject to change with transitioning of board. If deemed necessary, changes can only be made by unanimous vote of the current board members.

(9) This by-law is not inclusive of all possible situations and thus is subject to interpretation by the current board. However, any decisions made by the current board must not directly oppose the by-law.