OSR Rules and Regulations

Download OSR Rules and Regulations (PDF, 6 pages)

I. Name

The name of the organization shall be the "Organization of Student Representatives" (hereinafter referred to as the OSR) of the Association of American Medical Colleges (hereinafter referred to as the AAMC).

II. Purpose

The purposes of the OSR shall be as follows:

• To provide a forum through which medical students can communicate among themselves and with other persons and groups interested in medical education, research, and patient care.
• To accurately assess and represent the views and interests of all medical students in leadership activities of the AAMC.
• To regularly communicate the activities and discussions within the academic medicine community to all medical students.
• To advance the development of leadership skills among medical students.

III. Membership

OSR representatives shall be of two types: OSR Institutional Representatives, who are medical students enrolled and active in schools with full institutional membership in the AAMC and OSR Associate Representatives, who are medical students enrolled in Canadian medical schools.

OSR Institutional and Associate Representatives shall be of two types: An OSR Primary Representative ("OSR Primary Representative"), who is selected by his/her medical school to monitor activities at his/her institution, represent student opinion to the OSR Administrative Board ("Ad Board"), and relay national OSR and AAMC priorities to the students and staff of his/her institution. Three OSR Alternate Representatives ("OSR Alternate Representatives"), who are selected by their medical school to assist the OSR Primary Representative in carrying out his/her responsibilities.

OSR Representatives shall be selected by a process that is appropriate to the governance of each institution. This process should include student input, such as a vote of the student body. Institutions should structure the selection of OSR Primary and Alternate Representatives such that medical students from all class years and medical students at institutional satellite or branch campuses are adequately represented. Each OSR Institutional and Associate Representative must be certified by the dean (or his/her designee) of his/her school to the AAMC-OSR Executive Secretary.

Each full AAMC institutional member medical school has the right to cast one vote at OSR meetings; that vote is cast by the OSR Institutional Primary Representative, or, in the OSR Institutional Primary Representative's absence, by an OSR Institutional Alternate Representative. OSR Associate Representatives do not have voting privileges.

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IV. OSR Officers and Administrative Board

The elected national officers of the OSR include:

The OSR National Chair, whose duties are to:

• Set the agenda for the OSR Ad Board.
• Direct long-term planning for the OSR.
• Preside over OSR Ad Board and OSR National Business Meetings.
• Appoint, in consultation with the OSR Ad Board, the chair and members of all OSR committees.
• Serve as an ex-officio member, without vote, on all OSR committees.
• Appoint OSR liaisons to the Group on Educational Affairs (GEA) and Group on Student Affairs (GSA) Steering Committees and to other AAMC and external committees that invite the OSR to have a student representative.
• Communicate all actions and recommendations adopted by the OSR to the Chair of the AAMC Council of Deans (COD) and the student member of the AAMC Board of Directors. .

The OSR National Chair Elect, whose duties are to:

• Preside or otherwise serve in the absence of the OSR National Chair.
• Succeed the OSR National Chair in that office at the completion of his/her term of office.
• If the OSR National Chair-Elect succeeds the OSR National Chair before the expiration of the Chair's term of office, such service shall not disqualify the Chair Elect from subsequently serving a full term as Chair.
• Assist the OSR National Chair, as requested, in the planning and implementation of OSR activities and projects.
• Chair the OSR Annual Meeting Program Planning Committee.

The OSR Immediate Past National Chair, whose duties are to:

• Ensure that projects and items requiring approval that were initiated during his/her term of office as OSR National Chair are completed.
• Chair the OSR Nominating Committee.

Five OSR National Delegates, whose duties are to:

• Collaborate on OSR projects and initiatives.
• Serve on the OSR Annual Meeting Program Planning Committee.

Terms of Office

The term of office for all OSR national officers shall be for one year. The OSR National Chair Elect progresses through the offices of Chair Elect, Chair, and Immediate Past Chair, for a three-year commitment. All OSR national officers shall serve until their successors are elected. The OSR National Chair-Elect and the OSR National Delegates are elected annually at the time of the AAMC Annual Meeting.

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Vacancies

If a vacancy occurs during the OSR National Chair's term of office, the OSR National Chair Elect will be advanced to fill the vacancy. The OSR National Chair Elect will complete his/her predecessor's term of office and then complete his/her own terms of office as Chair and Immediate Past Chair.

If a vacancy occurs during the OSR National Chair Elect's term of office, the OSR Ad Board will elect, by a simple majority vote, from among OSR Ad Board members, a new OSR National Chair Elect, who will serve in that capacity until the OSR Business Meeting at the next AAMC Annual Meeting, at which time nominations will be solicited and elections held for the positions of both OSR National Chair and OSR National Chair Elect.

If a vacancy occurs during an OSR National Delegate's term of office, the remaining members of the OSR Ad Board will elect, by a simple majority vote, from among the OSR Institutional Primary Representatives, a new OSR National Delegate, who will complete his/her predecessor's term of office.

OSR Regional Officers

Each of the four AAMC regions shall elect the following regional officers to the OSR: one OSR Regional Chair, whose duties are to represent issues of regional interest and concern to the OSR Ad Board and to plan the OSR spring regional meeting program; and five OSR Regional Delegates, whose duties are to collaborate on OSR regional projects and initiatives and to assist the OSR Regional Chair in planning the OSR spring regional meeting program.

Terms of Office

The terms of office of OSR regional officers shall be for one year.OSR regional officers are elected annually at the time of the OSR spring regional meetings. The terms of office of OSR Regional Chairs extend from the conclusion of the AAMC Annual Meeting in one year to the conclusion of the AAMC Annual Meeting in the following year. The terms of office of OSR Regional Delegates extend from the conclusion of the OSR spring regional meetings in one year to the conclusion of the OSR spring regional meetings in the following year.

Vacancies

If a vacancy occurs during an OSR Regional Chair's term of office, the OSR Ad Board will elect, by a simple majority vote, from among OSR Institutional Primary Representatives in that region, a new OSR Regional Chair, who will complete his/her predecessor's term of office. If a vacancy occurs during an OSR Regional Delegate's term of office, the OSR Regional Chair, in consultation with the remaining OSR Regional Delegates in that region, will select, from among the OSR Institutional Primary or Alternate Representatives in that region, a new OSR Regional Delegate, who will complete his/her predecessor's term of office.

OSR Administrative Board

There shall be an OSR Administrative Board (Ad Board) composed of the OSR national officers and regional chairs that shall act as an executive committee to manage the affairs of the OSR and to take any necessary interim action on behalf of the OSR that may be required. The terms of office of OSR national and regional officers on the OSR Ad Board shall extend from the end of the AAMC Annual Meeting in one year through the AAMC Annual Meeting in the following year.

Vacancies

Any member of the OSR Ad Board who is absent from two consecutive OSR Ad Board meetings will be considered as having vacated that position. The vacancy will be filled in accord with established policies and procedures for filling the specific position vacated.

Any member of the OSR Ad Board who is unable to carry out the responsibilities of the position to which he/she was elected is expected to resign from that position. The vacancy will be filled in accord with established policies and procedures for filling the specific position vacated.

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Eligibility to Hold OSR National and Regional Offices

All nominees for OSR national and regional offices must be enrolled in schools with full institutional membership in the AAMC and meet the following qualifications:

• For OSR National Chair and OSR National Chair Elect positions, candidates must be certified as an OSR Institutional Primary Representative at the time of nomination and retain that position throughout his/her term.
• For OSR National Delegate positions, candidates must be certified as an OSR Institutional Primary Representative within one month after election to office and retain that position throughout his/her term.
• For OSR Regional Chair positions, candidates must be certified as an OSR Institutional Primary Representative at least one month before the start of his/her term of office and retain that position throughout his/her term.
• For OSR Regional Delegate positions, candidates must be certified as an OSR Institutional Primary or Alternate Representative within one month after his/her election to office and retain that position throughout his/her term.
• The OSR National Chair, in consultation with OSR Ad Board, may make reasonable accommodations in these policies to permit the processing of certification forms and for transfers of office among past, present, and future OSR elected officers. In no instance shall such accommodations permit two or more representatives from the same institution to hold positions on the OSR Ad Board simultaneously.
• OSR Associate Representatives are not eligible to be nominated for OSR national or regional offices.

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Election Procedures

The OSR Ad Board shall establish and distribute annually to each OSR Primary and Alternate Representative appropriate procedures for the nomination and election of all OSR national and regional officers.

Removal of OSR Officers

Any OSR officer may be removed from office by a vote of at least three fourths of the members of the OSR Ad Board. If the officer in question is a member of the OSR Ad Board, then that officer will not be permitted to vote on this matter and his/her vote will not be counted when determining the number of votes required for removal from office.

OSR Executive Secretary

The AAMC-OSR Executive Secretary shall be appointed by the AAMC President to provide general strategic guidance to the OSR and OSR Ad Board as well as coordinate and direct OSR activities and projects. The OSR Executive Secretary shall also coordinate the provision of appropriate staff support for administrative and procedural matters. Contact with related outside organizations outside of the OSRR and/or the AAMC shall be coordinated with the Executive Secretary.

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V. OSR Committees

The OSR Nominating Committee shall be composed of not fewer than four (4) OSR Ad Board members, with due regard for regional representation. The Nominating Committee recommends to the OSR National Chair, the appointment of liaisons to the AAMC and other committees that invite the OSR to have a student representative. The OSR Immediate Past National Chair serves as chair of the Nominating Committee.

The OSR National Chair, in consultation with the OSR Ad Board, can establish standing and ad hoc committees to carry out important business of the OSR, develop charges for the work of the committees, and appoint the chairs and members of those committees.

VI. Representation on the AAMC Assembly

The OSR is authorized twelve (12) seats on the AAMC Assembly. Representatives of the OSR to the Assembly shall be determined according to the following priority: the OSR National Chair, the OSR National Chair-Elect, OSR Ad Board members, or other OSR Institutional Primary Representatives selected by the OSR Ad Board.

VII. Meetings, Quorums, and Parliamentary Procedure

1. Regular national meetings of the OSR shall be held each year in conjunction with the fall AAMC Annual Meeting and at other times as designated by the OSR Ad Board.
2. OSR regional meetings take place each spring, usually in conjunction with regional meetings of the AAMC Group on Student Affairs.
3. Special meetings may be called by the OSR National Chair upon a majority vote of the OSR Ad Board, with approval of the AAMC President, provided at least 30 days notice is given to the OSR Institutional Primary Representative at each medical school.
4. Fifty percent of OSR voting representatives attending a regularly scheduled meeting or conference that includes a business meeting shall constitute a quorum at the OSR's business meeting.
5. Formal actions may be taken and elections held only at meetings at which a quorum is present. At such meetings, decisions will be made by a simple majority of those OSR Institutional Primary Representatives present and voting.
6. In the conduct of meetings, the order of business shall be under the direction of the Chair who shall make all parliamentary decisions. Such decisions may be reversed by two-thirds majority of the voting members present and voting. Actions and elections may be held by electronic ballot using tools suitable for this purpose provided by AAMC. In each such case, the forwarding communication shall specify the date and time when the balloting shall close. Where actions or elections are taken by electronic ballot, the decision will be determined by a majority of votes cast within the specified timeframe.
7. OSR meetings may be designated as open or closed. Attendance at closed meetings is limited to members and persons specifically invited. The OSR Ad Board may, from time to time, invite, as guests, representatives from other appropriate medical student organizations.
8. The Ad Board shall meet in person or by conference call. Conference calls or electronic communication may be used to conduct business of the Ad Board and may be used, when practical, in place of other regular meetings.
9. The OSR Ad Board may take actions and create policies on behalf of the OSR by a simple majority vote of OSR Ad Board members present at a meeting, except where OSR or AAMC policy provides more restrictive guidance. Fifty percent of the Ad Board will constitute a quorum. Decisions will be made by a majority vote or consensus.
10. All actions of the OSR Ad Board must conform to AAMC bylaws and policy.
11. Public statements or statements of policy by the OSR Ad Board require prior review and approval of the AAMC President or Board of Directors.

VIII. Operation and Liaison Relationships

The OSR shall report to the AAMC COD and shall relate to all three Councils of the AAMC and the Organization of Resident Representatives, as well as the AAMC Board of Directors. The OSR shall also be represented at AAMC Leadership Forum meetings by five Administrative Board members to be determined by the OSR Chair.

Creation of OSR committees and any major actions of the OSR may be subject to review and approval by the Chair of the AAMC-COD. The OSR National Chair, on the recommendation of the OSR Nominating Committee and in consultation with the OSR Ad Board, may appoint one or more of the members of the OSR Ad Board to serve as liaison(s) to (an)other medical student organization(s), provided that the liaison(s) inform(s) other OSR Ad Board members of the agenda(s) for such meetings, seek(s) guidance from the OSR Ad Board about issues under discussion, and submit(s) a written report to the Ad Board of meeting content and outcomes.

The OSR National Chair, on the recommendation of the OSR Nominating Committee and in consultation with the OSR Ad Board, may appoint medical students from AAMC-member institutions as liaisons to AAMC and other committees that invite the OSR to have a student representative.

Appointment of liaisons to these committees is for a one-year term, renewable annually for a maximum of three years. The duties of the OSR liaisons to AAMC and other committees are as follows:

• To seek guidance regarding committee agenda items from OSR Ad Board members and the AAMC-OSR Executive Secretary prior to all committee meetings.
• To submit regular written reports to the OSR Ad Board through the AAMC-OSR Executive Secretary regarding all committee meetings and activities.
• The OSR Ad Board shall establish and distribute annually appropriate procedures and eligibility criteria for the nomination and selection of all OSR liaisons.

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IX. Adoption and Amendments

These Rules and Regulations shall be adopted and may be altered, repealed, or amended, by a two-thirds vote of the OSR Institutional Primary Representatives present (or via electronic e-mail) at any general meeting of OSR representatives, provided that the total number of the votes cast for the changes constitutes a majority of the OSR Institutional Primary Representatives. The Rules and Regulations of the OSR are subject to approval by the AAMC Board of Directors.

Appendix:
Adopted by the Organization of Student Representatives October 28, 1971
Approved by the Council of Deans October 29, 1971
Revised and Approved by the 1995-96 OSR Administrative Board September 18, 1996
Revised and Approved by the 2001-02 OSR Administrative Board September 16, 2002
Approved by the AAMC Executive Council February 19, 2003
Revised and Approved by the 2004-05 OSR Administrative Board September 13, 2005
Approved by the AAMC Executive Council February 16, 2006
Revised and Approved by the 2008-2009 OSR Administrative Board August 18, 2009
Approved by the AAMC Board of Directors September 17, 2009

The Organization of Student Representatives was established with the adoption of the Association of American Medical Colleges Bylaw Revisions of February 13, 1971.

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