CONSTITUTION OF THE
STUDENT HEALTH LAW ORGANIZATION


Article I - Name

Section 1    The name of this organization shall be the Student Health Law Organization (SHLO) at the University of Washington.

Article II - Purpose

Section 1     It shall be the purpose of this organization to (1) promote and support the study of health related law and (2) to provide valuable resources for its members with regards to career opportunities and professional development.

Article III - Membership

Section 1     The membership of this organization shall consist of any regularly enrolled professional student at the University of Washington School of Law.  Law students have voting privileges and will comprise the majority of the SHLO membership.
 
Section 2    University staff and faculty, other non-law University of Washington students, and non-University persons may hold associate membership status in the SHLO.  These members do not have voting privileges, nor may non-law students hold Executive Board positions or chair any SHLO committees.   

Article IV - Officers

Section 1    The officers of this organization shall consist of one (1) president, one (1) vice president, one (1) secretary, one (1) treasurer, two (2) 1L representatives, and two (2) 3L representatives, and (3) general directors.

Section 2    All members shall be eligible for any office, except that class representatives must be members of the class they represent.

Section 3    Each officer, except the 1L Representative, shall be elected during the spring quarter by the SHLO membership.  The term of each officer commences on July 1, of the year elected and runs for a full academic year.

Section 4    An elected officer may resign during his or her term.  An officer may be removed from his or her office, for cause.  The removal of an officer requires a majority recommendation of the executive board members present at a special meeting, and upon confirmation of this recommendation by a majority of the members present at a general meeting.

Article V - Elections

Section 1    Elections to fill positions shall be held in the spring of each academic year.  SHLO members shall be given at least two weeks advance notification of elections.  The notifications will include a description of the offices available to run for, and shall solicit names or nominations of persons to run for the various positions.  The general notification can be sent out through the Condon Crier and may also be posted on bulletin boards.  The current officers shall have the responsibility of providing such notification.  Once the nominations are received, the executive board shall contact the nominees and obtain their consent to have their names on the general ballot.  If no consent is given, the nominee’s name will be removed from the ballot.

Section 2    Vacant offices shall be filled through supplemental elections, following the procedures in Section 3 of this Article.  If such procedures are deemed to be overly time consuming or not in the interest of the organization, the president, with the advice and consent of the officers and membership, may appoint an individual to assume duties of vacant offices to the end of the current term.

Section 3    Voting shall be conducted under the supervision of the vice president and secretary.  Ballots shall be prepared by the election supervisors, and made available to the membership.  The election supervisors shall declare a deadline for nomination and ballot submissions.  Immediately after the deadline passes, the election supervisors shall count and recount all submissions independently.  In consultation, the election supervisors will declare the winner.  Any unopposed candidate must capture no less than fifty (50) percent of the ballots.

Article VI - Meetings

Section 1    Executive Board meetings shall be held as necessary.  The Secretary has the responsibility of providing notification of meetings to Board officers.  A quorum of the majority of the Board members is necessary to transact business at an executive meeting, and a majority vote of Board Officers present is necessary to pass a Board resolution.  The President or Vice President may call a special emergency meeting if action is needed within 48 hours.  When school is not in session, Executive Board meetings may be held by special oral or written notice.

Section 2    General SHLO membership meetings shall be held on a regular basis.  The Secretary should notify members of planned meetings at least one week in advance.  Notice shall be sent out through the Condon Crier, E-mail, bulletin boards, and mailboxes if necessary.  SHLO meetings are open to all students, staff and faculty.  


Article VIII - Executive Board

Section 1    Management of this organization shall be vested in a board of directors, which shall consist of all officers.  The Board, with final approval of the president, shall notify the membership of the dates, times, and places of all meetings.  The secretary shall then submit an agenda to the membership and the president for approval.  Meetings shall be held at any interval acceptable to the membership.  The Executive Board, from time to time, may, by necessity, appoint standing or ad hoc committees to explore issues of concern to the membership.  Such committees shall report to the Board.

Article IX - Constitutional Amendments

Section 1    The Constitution may be amended by a majority recommendation of the Executive Board members present, and upon confirmation by a majority of the members present at a general membership meeting.

Section 2:    Any member of the organization may propose a constitutional amendment either in writing or orally at a general membership meeting.