SNA Bylaws

Bylaws of the
Student Nurses’ Association of
Northern Arizona University

Contents

Article I: Name
Article II: Purpose/Function
Article III: Members
Article IV: Voting
Article V: Officers
Article VI: Duties of Officers
Article VII: Committees
Article VIII: Meetings

Article I: Name

The name of the organization shall be Student Nurses’ Association of Northern Arizona University, hereafter referred to as the SNA of NAU.

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Article II: Purpose/Function

It shall be the purpose of the SNA of NAU to:

1. Assume responsibility for contributing to nursing education in order to provide for the highest quality health care.
2. Provide programs representative of fundamental and current professional interest and concerns.
3. Aid in the development of the whole person, and his/her professional role, and his/her responsibility for the health care of people in diverse communities.

The function of SNA of NAU shall include the following:

1. To have direct input into standards of nursing education and influence the education process.
2. To influence health care, nursing education and practice through legislative activities as appropriate.
3. To promote and encourage participation in community affairs and activities towards improved health care and the resolution of related social issues.
4. To represent nursing students to the consumer, to institutions, and other organizations.
5. To promote and encourage student’s participation in interdisciplinary activities.
6. To promote and encourage recruitment efforts, participation in student activities, and educational opportunities regardless of person’s race, color, creed, sex, lifestyle, national origin, age, or economic status.
7. To promote and encourage collaborative relationships with nursing and related health organizations.

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Article III: Members

Section A: Membership is open to any enrolled student at Northern Arizona University who may be:

1. Active members:
   1. Students enrolled in the nursing professional educational program at Northern Arizona University leading to licensure as a registered nurse.
   2. Registered nurses enrolled in Northern Arizona University’s RN to BSN articulation program.
   3. Active members shall have all the privileges of membership.


2. Associate members:
   1. Pre-nursing students, including registered nurses, enrolled at Northern Arizona University pre-nursing program designed as preparation for the entrance into the nursing program at Northern Arizona University.
   2. Associate members shall have all of the privileges of membership, except the right to hold office as President or Vice President at state and national levels.

Section B: The fiscal year of the SNA of NAU shall be from February 1 to February 1. The amount of annual dues shall be determined each year by the vote of the members. Dues shall not be required except for students desiring membership in the National Student Nurses’ Association (NSNA).

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Article IV: Voting

Section A: A quorum will be attendance of voting of ten (10) members.

Section B: Each member in good standing may vote.

Section C: Proxy votes are allowed. Two letters must be written; one letter must be sent to the Vice President before the meeting, and the other must be presented at the meeting by an appointed member.

Section D: All expenditures of $100.00 or more must be approved by the voting membership. Legislation, bills, proposals, position statements, etc. must also be approved by the voting membership. A majority vote is needed for approval to take place. The method of vote shall be decided by the membership.

Section E: The President has the right to veto any vote made by the membership. A two-thirds (2/3) vote by the membership is need to override said veto.

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Article V: Officers

Section A: The SNA of NAU shall have a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, *Newsletter Editor, *Historian, and a Faculty Advisor.

Section B: All officers must be members of the SNA of NAU and the National Student Nurses’ Association (NSNA).

Section C: All officers must be currently enrolled students at Northern Arizona University and must be registered for a minimum of seven (7) credit hours.

Section D: The term of office shall be from *April to April, prior to Reading Week and/or Finals week.

Section E Election of officers shall be held annually in *April, and the new officers will assume office at the time of election. At least two (2) weeks notice shall be given before the election meeting. Nominations shall be initiated from the floor or ballot. Elections will be done by ballot. The person receiving the majority vote will be elected.

Section F: To help assure representation from each class, the President is to be a member of the Senior or Junior class, the Vice President is to be a member of the Junior class, the Secretary is to be a member of the Sophomore class, and the Treasurer is to be a member of the Sophomore class as designated by the School of Nursing of Northern Arizona University.

Section G: Any officer may be removed from office in the SNA of NAU by two-thirds (2/3) vote of membership. A written notice of charges must be presented to said officer prior to a vote of the membership. An opportunity must be provided to the officer for rebuttal of said charges. Any officer removed may appeal to the membership. Said officer shall be considered reinstated with two-thirds (2/3) approval of the members of the SNA of NAU.

Section H: Resigning officers must submit a written resignation letter to the Executive Board for approval. The President will then appoint a member in good standing to replace the resigning official with the approval of the Executive Board.

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Article VI: Duties of Officers

Section A: President

The President shall:

1. Serve as the Chief Executive officer of the SNA of NAU and preside at all meetings of the association;
2. Coordinate all committee activity and appoint all committee chairs with the approval of the Executive Board of SNA of NAU;
3. Prepare agendas for all Executive Board meetings *and association meetings and provide these agendas to the Secretary prior to the meeting(s) of SNA of NAU.
4. Direct the budget to the SNA of NAU with the approval of the Executive Board;
5. Be ex-officio member of all committees except the nominating and election committee;
6. *Work with Student Life and ASNAU;
7. *Act as a contact person for the National Student Nurses’ Association (NSNA) and the Student Nurses’ Association of Arizona (SNAAz).

Section B: Vice President

The Vice President shall:

1. Serve as the parliamentarian for the SNA of NAU;
2. Assume the duties of the President should the office become vacant or in the absence of the President;
3. Maintain the Constitution and its Bylaws and keep them current;
4. Serve as the program committee chair.
5. *Responsible for responding to SNA of NAU emails.

Section C: Secretary

The Secretary shall:

1. Be responsible for keeping minutes of all meetings and the meetings of the Executive Board;
2. Provide a copy of the minutes for each officer, *for the association at the next meeting, and for the SNA of NAU file;
3. Maintain a complete and accurate account and file of all SNA of NAU activities;
4. *Be responsible for posting signs of upcoming meetings or events;
5. *Writes all Thank-you notes to other correspondence between the association and other groups and/or individuals.

Section D: Treasurer

The Treasurer shall:

1. Make a quarterly report containing a list of all receipts and disbursements and the location of property represented in the figures;
2. Present *financial information/bank summary to the general members at each general meeting;
3. Maintain a current record of all financial transactions of SNA of NAU;
4. Provide a copy of the quarterly reports for each officer of the SNA of NAU;
5. Maintain a budget and a permanent record to be kept in the file of SNA of NAU;
6. Serve as the fundraising committee chair, *and is responsible for the setting up of fundraising activities;
7. *Reimburses those members/officers with a receipt of some sort of proof of purchase.

Section E: *Historian

The Historian shall:

1. Be responsible for updating SNA of NAU Activities Board in the student lounge a minimum of three (3) times per semester;
2. Maintain a scrapbook of SNA of NAU activities (newspaper clippings, photos, etc.)

Section F: Advisor

The Advisor shall:

1. Assist the group in their execution of roles and responsibilities;
2. Provide feedback to the organization regarding its operation and functioning;
3. Serve as resource for alternatives with regards to decision making of ideas;
4. Be aware of any and all procedures and regulations affecting the group and assist the organization in adhering to them;
5. Provide advice upon request and share knowledge, expertise, and experience with the group;
6. Be a non-voting member of the Executive Committee, but should attend the meetings of the organization.

Section G: It shall be the responsibility of the Executive Board to maintain one delegate at all ASNAU meetings that are required in order to be eligible to receive the allotted money form ASNAU, *and on delegate to all Nursing Faculty meetings.

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Article VII: Committees

Section A: The Nomination and Election committee chair shall be a general member of SNA of NAU not currently an Executive officer and will not be eligible to run for office. The Nomination and Election committee chair shall be appointed approximately one month prior to elections by the Executive Board.

Section B: The Nomination and Election committee will collect and confirm ballots, administer elections, count ballots, and present the results to the general membership immediately after the election.

Section C: The Program committee shall be chaired by the Vice President of SNA of NAU. The committee shall be responsible for planning events for general membership meetings and other SNA of NAU activities such as community services and social events.

Section D: The Fundraising committee shall be chaired by the Treasurer of SNA of NAU. The committee shall be responsible for organizing and directing fundraising activities to keep a minimum balance of $200.00.

Section E: The committee chairs will take volunteers or appoint committee members as necessary.

Section F: Additional committees will be established by the membership and Executive Board as deemed necessary to carry on the work of the association.

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Article VIII: Meetings

Section A: General membership meetings shall be held monthly.

Section B: At least seven (7) days notice shall be given for each regular business meeting of the organization.

Section C: Special or emergency meetings may be called with less than three (3) days notice by the Executive Board.

Section D: The meetings shall include a quorum, order of business, and disposition of minutes.

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