By-Laws
for the Phi Lambda Sigma Beta Gamma Chapter
at
the University of Washington
Article I – Name
Section 1 The name of this organization shall be Phi Lambda Sigma
Society (PLS) Beta Gamma Chapter at the University of Washington School of
Pharmacy (UWSOP). It shall be known as a pharmacy leadership society.
Article II – Purpose
Section 1 The purpose of the Society shall be the encouragement,
recognition, and promotion of leadership in pharmacy. Special attention shall be given to the development of leadership
qualities.
Article III – Affiliations
Section 1 This organization is affiliated with the National Phi
Lambda Sigma Society and all other PLS chapters at other schools and colleges
of pharmacy.
Article IV – Eligibility for Membership
The following shall be deemed eligible for election to
active membership in the Society.
Persons to be considered for membership must have complied
with the following conditions:
(a) They
shall be actively involved in advancing the profession of pharmacy through demonstrated
leadership in local, state and national professional pharmacy organizations.
(b) They
shall possess a high degree of professionalism upon entrance to the Society, as
well as the capability to maintain this professionalism throughout their
membership in the Society.
Section 1 Collegiate
Membership
Those student pharmacists, men and women, who have
demonstrated dedicated service and leadership in the advancement of pharmacy
and are of high moral and ethical character.
(a) They
shall have completed one professional year of scholastic work applicable toward
the PharmD.
(b) They
shall maintain a School of Pharmacy Cumulative Professional GPA of 2.00 or
above.
Section 2 Faculty
Membership
Those members of the staff, faculty and administration of
the University of Washington School of Pharmacy (UWSOP) who are initiated by
the Beta Gamma Chapter or were formerly initiated and presently serve as staff,
faculty or administrators at UWSOP.
Section 3 Alumni Membership
Those members of the Society who were initiated during
their collegiate enrollment.
Section 4 Honorary
Membership
Those individuals who have demonstrated dedication,
leadership, and service to the profession of pharmacy, including those members
pursuing degrees in pharmaceutical sciences.
Article V – Election of Members
Section
1 The
election of new members shall occur annually, preferably in the spring of each
year.
Section
2 PLS
membership shall not exceed 20% of a class.
Section 3 Individuals
shall become members of the Society upon complying with membership
requirements, election by the collegiate members of the Beta Gamma Chapter,
payment of initiation fees, and being duly initiated.
Section
4 Application
Process
(a)
UWSOP students,
faculty, staff, administrators and honorary members seeking membership in PLS
shall complete a PLS Membership Application. The Beta Gamma Officers shall make the application available
at least 3 weeks prior to the application deadline.
(b)
The application shall
solicit information about current and previous leadership experience in the
form of listed experience/positions of leadership and a 500 word essay.
(c)
An effort shall be
made for 60% of the collegiate membership to participate in selecting members. At the minimum, at least 2 non-PLS
Officer collegiate members must be involved in selecting members.
(d)
The names on the
applications shall be removed and each application given a number. The applications shall be distributed
to the collegiate members to individually review and score on an Application
Score Sheet. A maximum of 4 points
may be awarded to Section A. A
maximum of 7 points may be awarded to Essay Question #1: ÒIn your opinion, what
are the characteristics of a leader and how do you fit these characteristics?Ó A maximum of 9 points may be awarded to
Essay Question #2: ÒWhile you have been a student at UWSOP, how have your
experiences fostered your growth as a leader in the profession of pharmacy?Ó The maximum achievable score is 20.
(e)
The Beta Gamma
Officers shall calculate the average score out of 20 for each applicant. Those applicants who achieve a score of
15 or greater shall be offered membership in the Society.
(f)
Applicants who achieve
an average score of 14 or less and at least one score of 15 or greater shall be
discussed by the members present at the scoring meeting to determine if the
applicant shall be admitted. An
affirmative vote by 2/3 of the members present shall confer admittance.
(g)
Applicants who achieve
an average score of 14 or less and no score of 15 or greater will not be
discussed by the members present at the scoring meeting and the applicant will
not be offered admittance into the Society.
(h)
In the event that more
than 20% of the students from one class score 15 or higher, the applicant(s)
with the lowest score(s) shall be removed until only 20% of the class remains. In the event of tied scores, the
members present at the scoring meeting shall decide who shall be offered
membership in the Society.
(i)
Applicants not elected
into the Society may re-apply the following year.
(j)
The Beta Gamma
Officers shall notify the elected and non-elected applicants within three weeks
of the application deadline.
(k)
The Secretary shall,
upon election of new members, forward to the National Office Membership Request
Forms provided for that purpose by the National Office.
Article VI – Repealing A Selection Decision
Section 1 Applicants
not selected into the Society may repeal the decision through the following
process:
(a)
Applicant shall submit
a written appeal to the PLS President or Secretary within 1 week of being
notified of the election results.
(b)
In the written appeal
the applicant shall describe the reason for appealing, why their selection
should be re-considered and how the applicant could improve their application.
(c)
Upon receipt of a
written appeal, the Beta Gamma Officers and Advisor shall meet to discuss the
appeal and formulate a decision.
(d)
Within 2 weeks of
receiving the written appeal, the PLS President shall issue a written response
to the applicant outlining the decision of the PLS Officers and Advisor.
(e)
An applicant may
appeal one time per election cycle
Article VII --Initiation
Section 1 An
Initiation Ceremony shall be held following elections before the end of Spring
quarter.
(a)
Initiation shall be in
accordance with the Official Ritual of the Society
(b)
A membership
certificate and a key pin shall be given to each member after being duly
initiated
Section
2 Initiation
of new Officers shall occur at the Initiation Ceremony
Article VIII -- Revocation of Membership
Section 1 Membership
in the Society may be revoked at any time by the Beta Gamma Chapter or the PLS
National Executive Committee for proven behavior that is in conflict with the
goals and purposes of PLS. Just
cause must be established and due process must be followed. The following steps are recommended to
ensure the memberÕs rights and privacy are protected:
(a)
Confidential
investigation by a committee--appointed preferably by the Beta Gamma Chapter
Advisor, but as necessary, by the PLS National Executive Committee.
(b)
Report of committee
exonerating or preferring specific charges.
(c)
Formal notification to
the accused member.
(d)
Formal hearing.
(e)
Recommendation of the
committee to the Beta Gamma Chapter, or as applicable, to the PLS National
Executive Committee.
(f)
Notification of the
outcome to the accused member by the Beta Gama Chapter or PLS National
Executive Committee.
Section 2 Revocation
of membership shall be determined at a meeting of the Beta Gamma Chapter
collegiate members by at least 2/3 votes for revocation, or by 2/3 votes of the
PLS National Executive Committee.
Section 3 The
PLS National Executive Committee shall be provided a summary of the revocation
documenting the revoked member, describing just cause and due process, the
number of members present, the number of active members in the chapter, the
votes for revocation, the votes against revocation, and the date the membership
was revoked.
Article IX -- Officers
Section 1 The Elected Officers of the Beta Gamma Chapter shall
consist of:
(a)
President (3rd
year student only)
Duties include:
1.
Act as a liaison
between the Beta Gamma Chapter and the national PLS office
2.
Represent PLS at
quarterly UWSOP Student Representative Meetings
3.
Arrange and preside
over quarterly chapter meetings
4.
Submit nominations for
awards as decided upon by the chapter, which may include Chapter Member of the Year,
PLS Outstanding Chapter Advisor, and PLS Founders Award, etc.
5.
Write and submit
annual Chapter Reporting Form, due July 31st
6.
Maintain By-laws and
respond to proposed by-laws changes
7.
Arrange and chair membership
application form scoring meeting
8.
Hold Officer Election
9.
Appoint Officers to
vacant offices
10.
Appoint Leadership
Challenge Coordinator
11.
Oversee membership
application appeal process
12.
Help plan PLS Beta
Gamma events held on campus
(b)
Secretary (3rd
year student only)
Duties include:
1.
Take notes at chapter
meetings and email a copy of the minutes to chapter members
2.
Maintain the website
or section of UWSOP website (when built)
3.
Update officer
contacts and membership roster yearly
4.
Submit forms to the
national office, including Membership Materials form and Notice of Election of
Chapter officers
5.
Advertise and make PLS
Application available in the Spring
6.
Help plan PLS Beta
Gamma events held on campus
(c)
Treasurer (3rd
or 4th year student)
Duties
1.
Maintain records of
the PLS bank account
2.
Write checks for
expenses such as room reservations, supplies, etc.
3.
Collect checks when
needed for new member fees, ordering graduation cords, etc.
4.
Coordinate ordering
graduation cords for 3rd year members, to be received prior to the end of
spring quarter 3rd year
5.
Coordinate ordering
pins and certificates for the Initiation Ceremony
6.
Help plan PLS Beta
Gamma events held on campus
Section 2 The
Appointed Officers of the Beta Gamma Chapter shall consist of:
(a)
Leadership Challenge Coordinator (3rd or 4th year student)
Duties
1.
Write a proposal for a
$1000 leadership challenge grant* to carry out a project promoting leadership.
(may recruit other PLS members and/or UWSOP students to help)
*Some years the PLS Officers may decide not to submit a leadership
challenge grant.
2.
Obtain a letter of
support by the Dean of the School of Pharmacy, which must accompany the
application.
3.
Submit the above
proposal to the National PLS office by January 31st.
4.
Design a poster
describing the proposed leadership challenge project (NTE 2Õx3Õ), to be displayed
at the PLS meeting that occurs at the APhA Annual Meeting.
5.
Help plan PLS Beta
Gamma events held on campus
Section 3 Officers
shall be collegiate members.
Section 4 Term of office is one year, commencing at the Initiation Ceremony
of new members and Officers.
Section 5 Election of Officers
(a)
After newly elected members have
been notified of membership in PLS, the President shall solicit interest in
elected Officer positions.
(b)
The President shall conduct an
online election, officers shall be elected by majority vote of current and
newly elected collegiate members.
(c)
The President shall announce the
results of the election to the current and newly elected collegiate members within three days of
the close of the ballot.
(d)
Vacancies in elected officer
positions shall be filled by appointment of the outgoing President.
(e)
Newly elected Officers shall be
initiated at the Initiation Ceremony
Section 6 The
newly elected president shall appoint a Leadership Challenge Coordinator
Section 7 The
outgoing Secretary shall report to the National Office by June 1 the names and
addresses of the new Beta Gamma Chapter Officers.
Section 8 Vacancies
created during a term of office shall be filled by appointment of the
President.
(a)
The Secretary shall report to the
National Office any changes in names or addresses of chapter officers within
thirty (30) days of the change occurring.
Section 9 Removal
of an Officer will occur if:
1.
The officer fails to complete
his/her duties
2.
The officer fails to follow
University of Washington policies for registered student organizations
3.
The officer fails to meet, or
loses, eligibility criteria for membership.
Section 10 Removal
of an Officer requires affirmative 2/3 of the vote of the collegiate members
Article X – Meetings
Section 1 The
Beta Gamma Chapter shall meet quarterly, with additional meetings as necessary.
Article XI – Advisors
Section 1 There
shall be one University of Washington School of Pharmacy faculty advisor, the
advisor shall be a member ex officio with no voting privileges.
Section 2 The
advisor shall be recruited by the Officers and confirmed by majority vote of
the collegiate members.
Article XII – Membership Fee/Dues
Section 1 The
National membership-initiation fee shall be established by vote of the PLS
National Executive Committee.
(a)
The National
membership-initiation fee shall be paid by newly elected members prior to the
Initiation Ceremony
(b)
The National
membership-initiation fee shall cover the cost of:
(i)
Certificate of
Membership
(ii)
National business
expenses
(iii)
Official insignia (key
pin)
(iv)
Engraving of the key
pin at the discretion of the Executive Committee.
Section 2 The
Officers may assess Chapter dues with approval by majority vote of the
collegiate members.
(a)
Collegiate, Faculty
and Alumni members shall pay chapter dues
Article XIII – Amendments
Section 1 Proposed
amendments to the PLS Beta Gamma Chapter By-Laws may be presented to the
President in writing at any time during the year. The President shall electronically distribute proposed amendments
to all collegiate members.
Section 2 Amendments
to the by-laws shall require an affirmative vote of 2/3 of the collegiate
members. Voting shall be done
electronically.
Section 3 The
member proposing the amendment may request the proposed amendment be discussed
at the next Beta Gamma Chapter Meeting.
Article XIV – Quorum
Section 1 A
quorum shall not exist at Chapter meetings.