Contents:
Preamble
Article I – The Society: Name, Purpose
Article II – The Council: Role, Composition, Meeting, Elections
Article III – Council Posts
Article IV – Membership: Eligibility, Fees, Benefits, Records
Article V – Events & Activities
Declaration
Preamble:
“We the Members of Mentis, in order to promote an increasing awareness of all issues pertaining to the health and study of the human mind have gathered to combine our efforts in order to accomplish this goal under the scientific guidance of our academic forefathers: Avicenna, Pinel, Kraeplin, Pavlov, Wundt, Freud, Jung and all those who have come before. We hereby ordain and establish this Constitution for St George’s Mental Health Awareness Society, hereby to be known as Mentis.”
Article I – The Society
Section 1 – Name
1.1 The Society’s name shall be Mentis
Section 2 – Purpose
2.1 The promotion of awareness of issues relating to the wellbeing of the human mind.
2.1.1 To educate the members of Mentis regarding Mental Health Issues (inc. Psychiatric Disorders, Personality Disorders, Culture-bound Syndromes and all issues pertaining to Psychiatry and the Practise of Psychiatric Medicine.)
2.1.2 To educate the members of the Public regarding Mental Health Issues (inc. Psychiatric Disorders, Personality Disorders, Culture-bound Syndromes and all issues pertaining to Psychiatry and the Practise of Psychiatric Medicine.)
2.1.3 To promote exploration of Mental Health Issues in Scientific and Medical Research amongst members.
2.2 The promotion of awareness of issues relating to the study of the human mind.
2.2.1 To educate the members of Mentis regarding normal and abnormal Human Psychology (inc. Behaviourism, Cognitivism, Psychoanalysis and all issues pertaining to the study of the human mind and the practise of it & Psychological Medicine.)
2.2.2 To educate the members of the Public regarding normal and abnormal Human Psychology (inc. Behaviourism, Cognitivism, Psychoanalysis and all issues pertaining to the study of the human mind and the practise of it & Psychological Medicine.)
2.2.3 To promote exploration of the study of the human mind amongst members.
Article II – The Council
Section 1 – Role
1.1 The Governing Council of Mentis is hereby vested by the Constitution all powers and capacity to act as the decision making body of the society with full authority and responsibility towards its members.
Section 2 – Composition
2.1 The Council shall consist of persons holding these specific roles:
2.1.1 President
2.1.2 Vice-President
2.1.3 Secretary
2.1.4 Events Organiser
2.1.5 Liaison Officer
2.1.6 Treasurer
2.1.7 3 Senior Members without posts
Section 3 – Meeting
3.1 The Council is responsible for the calling of meetings whenever it is deemed necessary by its members as listed in Section 2.1 and/or when it is pre-determined in a previous meeting.
Section 4 – Elections
4.1 The Members of the Governing Council shall be made up of existing members of the Society and a new Council shall be appointed for each academic year at the end of the previous Council’s tenure.
4.2 An election shall be held before each Annual General Meeting where every member of the Society will have a fair and equal opportunity to run for any desired Post.
4.3 Previous Post holders are required to relinquish their posts for 1 academic year before they are allowed to run again unless there are no suitable new candidates running; then s/he may run for a Post which was not previously held.
4.4 Previous Post holders may stay on in advisory roles if they are invited to do so by the new Governing Council however, only 3 such positions exist and preference shall be given to new candidates.
4.5 Candidates running for Posts must prove their merit and commitment during a day determined before the AGM where a Q&A session which shall be open to all members of the Society will be held. After EVERY candidate has had an opportunity to present their proposals, the Elections shall be held via popular vote by a secret ballot where every Society member present except those running for Posts shall cast a vote.
Article III – Council Posts
Section 1 – President
The President is effectively the Chairperson of the Council and shall be responsible for the overall running of the Society. S/he shall be responsible for the smooth running and organisation of any event organised by the Society along with the Events Organiser unless s/he chooses to delegate the role to another more suitable person. S/he is to ensure that the other members of the Council fulfil their responsibilities. S/he shall ensure that the Society and its members adhere to standards set by the Students Union as well as ensuring that the Constitution is upheld and made readily available to any who seeks to review it. S/he shall also be responsible for taking action in order to resolve any conflict that arises amongst the Council members and/or the other members of the Society.
Section 2 – Vice-president
The Vice-president shall act as the assistant to the President and in circumstances where/when the President is not present, s/he shall automatically assume the role and responsibilities of the President. In circumstances where there is conflict between any other member and the President, the Vice-president shall be responsible for resolving said conflict.
Section 3 – Secretary
The Secretary shall be responsible for producing documentations for Council meetings (agendas and minutes) as well as serve as the communications officer in charge of contacting Society members, updating Society websites and ensuring that all members (and assets of the Society) are up to date with the current Society activities. To this end s/he shall be responsible for compiling a current list of Society members with their contact information.
Section 4 – Events Organiser
The Events Organiser shall be responsible for the logistics of events that are to be held which include the creation of suitable advertising strategies for said events. S/he with the Liaison Officer shall be responsible for contacting and maintaining correspondence with interested parties for events to be held. S/he shall also be responsible for organising any social events for members of the Society.
Section 5 – Liaison Officer
The Liaison Officer shall be the responsible party when dealing with correspondence or any other form of communication with interested parties, organisations and etc outside and within the Medical School. S/he shall be responsible for promoting the Society to potential interested parties and shall also be responsible for all communications and interactions with the Student Union.
Section 6 – Treasurer
The Treasurer shall be responsible for all financial matters of the Society whatever they may be. S/he shall also be responsible for the collection of monies for any events relating to the Society if applicable. S/he shall also be responsible for collecting membership fees if applicable.
Section 7 – Senior Members without posts
There shall be 3 senior members without posts on the Council who shall serve in advisory roles. They shall have a vote in any Council matter and if need be, assigned specific tasks by the President or the Council if said tasks cannot be performed by any of the previously mentioned persons.
Section 8 – Veto
The power of veto is available to all members of the Council however only 2 vetoes can be called in 1 academic year; i.e. an existing Council can only call for veto twice in its term. A veto must be justified and if abused, the Council member who exercised his/her right to veto shall be ejected from the Council for the remainder of his/her term.
Section 9 – Terms in Office
The Council shall serve its term in 1 academic year, starting on the 1st of August and ending on the 31st of July the following year.
Section 10 – Resignation/Removal from Council
Any member of the Council who is found to be have jeopardised the integrity and future of the Society and/or act in such a way that is unacceptable or irresponsible by the Society or the Medical School shall be removed by a majority vote. The member who is to be removed shall have an opportunity to defend him/herself via an address to the rest of the Council. Such a person is to be barred from serving in the Council indefinitely. If a Council member chooses to resign, his/her position shall be awarded to a Senior Member without post whose seat in the Council shall in turn remain empty until the end of term. If all 3 Senior Members have been awarded posts and another Council member chooses to resign, a normal member shall be appointed by the Council to serve out the remainder of the term.
Section 10 – Meeting Attendance
All council members are required to attend AGMs and every meeting called by the Council. Apologies are required to be sent to either the Secretary or the President with a viable explanation for absence at least 24 hours before the meeting is set to begin.
Article IV – Membership
Section 1 – Eligibility
1.1 All students of St George’s University of London are eligible to become a member of the Society.
1.2 Memberships shall last for 1 academic year and renewals are to take place every year.
1.3 Honorary Lifetime Membership may be awarded to alumni who remain active in the Society after graduation and/or to any individual who has contributed a tremendous amount to the Society. An Honorary Lifetime Membership is permanent and cannot be revoked.
Section 2 – Fees
1.1 Annual membership fee shall be set at £3 per member.
Section 3 – Benefits
1.1 Every member shall be ensured free entrance to any event held by the Society if an entrance charge is enacted.
1.2 Every member has a right to vote and to stand for elections.
1.3 Every member has a right to use any service provided by the Society free of charge.
Section 4 – Records
1.1 A record shall be kept of every existing member of the Society; past, present and future.
1.2 The Secretary shall be responsible for keeping and updating the membership record.
Article V – Events & Activities
Section 1 – Permanent Events to be held every academic year
1.1 Fresher’s Fair
1.1.1 The Society shall be involved in the Fresher’s Fair in order to recruit new members.
1.2 Annual General Meeting
1.2.1 The Council shall call for an AGM where all members of the society shall be invited and encouraged to attend.
1.2.2 The handover to the new Council shall take place during the AGM.
1.2.3 Handover Portfolios for new Council members are to be made ready and handed over during the AGM.
1.3 Elections
1.3.1 Elections shall be held before an AGM is called.
1.3.2 Results of the elections shall be made known before the AGM.
1.3.3 Refer to Article II Section 4 for further details.
1.4 OSCE Revision
1.4.1 Psychiatry OSCE revision and Mock Psychiatry OSCE stations shall be arranged by the Society for all members and medical students of SGUL.
1.5 Careers Fair
1.5.1 A Psychiatry Careers Fair shall be arranged by the Society with the assistance of interested parties from the Undergraduate Education Committee.
Section 2 – Other Events
2.1 Any member of the Society can propose an event related to Mental Health and Psychology (refer to Article I Section 2) to be organised and hosted by the Society.
2.2 Proposals are to be brought forward to the Events Organiser who shall help the proposing team to set up and design the event to be put forward to the rest of the Council to be approved. The lead proposer and his/her team shall take charge to put together the event and run it with full assistance from the Council.
2.3 The Council shall endeavour to host as many relevant events as possible which include and are not limited to: lectures, excursions, symposia, debates, workshops, elective opportunities, social gatherings, charity events, etc.
2.4 The Society shall also work together with other similar societies in other medical schools to host shared events and host nationwide campaigns organised by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and charity organisations with a focus on Mental Health, e.g. Mind, etc.
2.5 The Society shall aim to promote the good name and reputation of St George’s University of London as an established institution of higher intellectual pursuits amongst its peers and rivals.
Declaration
We, the Governing Council of Mentis declare that our Society shall hereby abide by this Constitution, put to paper on the 13th of May 2009.
(President)
(Vice-president)
(Secretary)
(Events Organiser)
(Liaison Officer)
(Treasurer)
(Senior Member)
(Senior Member)
(Senior Member)
I declare that this Constitution has been ratified by SGSU and Mentis is hereby recognized by SGSU
SGSU Sports/Societies Officer
SGSU General Secretary
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