Official Constitution of the Biological Sciences Student Association

I. Purpose

The primary purpose of the non-profit Biological Sciences Student Association (BSSA) is to unify biology majors through volunteering, academic, and social activities that enhance their overall experience as biology students at UCSD. We provide them with resources and support which may further their success throughout the undergraduate and graduate years and assist the transition to life beyond the degree. Additionally, the BSSA welcomes new undergraduates to the world of biology, encouraging the initiation of biological research both at UCSD and the surrounding institutions.

II. Membership Requirements

Section 1: General Membership

Undergraduate and graduate students of UCSD are eligible for membership in the Biological Sciences Student Association; this includes students who are listed as Undeclared-Biology or students currently majoring or minoring in any of the eight Division of Biology majors. Other majors including, but not limited to: Bioengineering, Physics, and Chemistry are not eligible for membership in the association. Membership does not include any annual fees, excluding those indicated for special events and/or activities.

Section II: Active Membership

  1. Requirements for Active Membership
    • a. Currently registered as a BSSA member
    • b. Attendance or participation in a minimum of 9 events per school year to receive recognition and/or award from BSSA.
  2. Membership Cards
    • a. Each general member of BSSA receives a membership card.
    • b. Cards will be available at General Body Meetings. They are also available for pickup at the Dean's Office. (Located on the 6th floor of the Natural Sciences Building.) The member must sign upon receipt of the card. If someone is picking up a membership card for a friend, please have the following information available at time of receipt.
    Write this information on the sheet in place of a signature for your friend.
    • Full Name
    • Student ID
    • E-mail Address
    • Phone #
    • c. It is the member's responsibility to take the membership card to each event he attends in order to have it stamped or initialed.
    • d. One stamp or initial by a BSSA officer will be given per event. Attendance sheets from events will be maintained as a record for future reference. With one exception, one stamp per quarter will be granted for participation in the Preuss School Program.
  3. Member Benefits

    4. a. Acquisition of 5 stamps

    • Fulfills membership requirement for eligibility to run for a BSSA board office.

    b. Acquisition of 9 stamps

    • Constitutes active membership and eligible for recognition by BSSA.

    Upon acquisition of 9 stamps, the Active Member should email the following information to BSSA at bssa@biomail.ucsd.edu:

    - Full Name
    - Student ID
    - E-mail Address
    - Phone #
    - Current Mailing Address

III. Board Positions and Duties

  • President
    • Must be an active member
    • Must be current board member
    • Must be a junior or higher standing while serving as president
    • Leads in planning annual program of activities and events for the association
    • Serves as Executive Officer of association and chairs all officer, general, and special association meetings
    • Represents the association to other campus and community organizations and entities
    • Presides over election of officers and ensures the smooth transition of information and materials to the newly elected officers for the upcoming academic year
    • Makes decisions for the association that do not require discussion/voting by the officers or general membership
  • Vice-President
    • Must be an active member
    • Must be current board member
    • Must be of sophomore or higher standing while serving as vice president
    • Assist the president with necessary duties, including committee chairmanships
    • Organizes special programs, as needed, including a fall Student to Student Orientation Q&A; What I Wish I Had Known Senior Panel; quarterly Beyond the
      Degree Follow up Programs
  • Secretary
    • Must be an active member
    • Keeps accurate and complete minutes of all officer meetings
    • Prepares and disseminates officer roster (names, email addresses and phone numbers)
    • After approval of the president, distributes meeting minutes via e-mail to bssa_officers alias in a timely manner.
    • Is responsible for association correspondence
    • Responds to non-membership questions sent to BSSA via bssa@biomail.ucsd.edu alias in a timely manner
    • Arranges for the orderly transfer of association records to the incoming secretary
    • Organizes at least one event during the academic year, e.g., Beyond the Classroom lunchtime faculty-student meeting; movie night, study session, etc.
  • Treasurer
    • Must be an active member
    • Oversees the annual budget plan for the association in conjunction with the Dean's Office staff
    • Reviews quarterly running record of expenditures by individual program, event, or activity and notifies president of over spending or possible inappropriate spending
    • Represents the association to SOLO; fills out necessary SOLO forms to obtain SOLO funding for association activities; provides SOLO with required documentation
    • Arranges for an orderly transfer of all association financial records to incoming treasurer
    • Organizes at least one event during the academic year, e.g., Beyond the Classroom lunchtime faculty-student meeting; movie night, study session, etc.
  • Volunteer Chair
    • Must be an active member
    • Serves as volunteer liaison between the association and all UCSD biology majors and minors, other UCSD groups, other schools and the community in regard to
    • volunteer opportunities such as mentoring and tutoring at Preuss and other local middle and high schools. Where appropriate, promotes joint volunteer projects with
      other campus groups
    • Encouraged to recruit and oversee a volunteer committee of at least 2-3 people
    • Promotes volunteering to association members and all biology students
    • With assistance of committee members, organizes and informs membership of volunteer opportunities throughout the year
    • Maintains accurate records of students who participate in the various organized association volunteer programs, for possible recognition by association
      and the Division
  • Social Activities Chair
    • Must be an active member
    • Encouraged to recruit and oversee a volunteer committee of at least 2-3 people
    • With the assistance of the committee members, develops and organizes quarterly social events, including, but not limited to: student/faculty/grad, movie nights,
      and special interest events such as zoo trips, Padres games, attending the opera or theater, etc.
    • Icebreakers at GBM and officer meetings
    • Promotes high spirits and enthusiasm of the BSSA membership
  • Transfer Student Representative
    • Must be an active member
    • A transfer student is preferred for this position.
    • Serves as a liaison between association and biology majors who are transfer students
    • Encouraged to recruit and oversee a volunteer committee of at least 2-3 people
    • With the assistance of the committee members, identifies transfer student interests, concerns, and opinions for input and decision making by the BSSA officer board.
    • In conjunction with the Freshman Rep/Mentor-Mentee Chair, organizes the annual fall freshman / transfer student reception preceding the fall BSSA general body meeting.
    • In conjunction with the membership chair, organizes one member/transfer student event each quarter.
  • Marketing and Communications Chair
    • Must be an active member
    • Encouraged to recruit and oversee a volunteer committee of at least 2-3 people
    • With the assistance of the committee members, photographs and documents each BSSA event; maintains BSSA image gallery and posts photos on website in a timely manner
    • With assistance of committee members, prepares, photocopies, and distributes appropriate flyers to promotion association events
    • With assistance of committee members and other officers and their committees, chalks in classrooms to promote upcoming events
    • Assists with the general promotion of the association to UCSD biology majors and minors, faculty, staff, other campus entities, and the wider community
    • Is responsible for maintaining the association website and updating information about association events and programs in a timely manner (NOTE: knowledge of website design or software is not necessary for this position)
    • Prepares photo montage of year's activities for display at the Senior Reception in June and for tabling events organized by the Membership Chair during the year
  • Membership Chair
    • Must be an active member
    • Recruits and oversees a membership committee of at least 2-3 people
    • With assistance of the committee members, coordinates BSSA booth at each tabling events, including, but not limited to: Fall Festival on the Green, Open House,
    • ungod Festival, and Admit Day, HMP3 fall event
    • Recruits and schedules individuals to table at events during specific times
    • Makes presentations about the association to other organizations, e.g., HMP3 tabling event in the fall
    • Processes membership forms: adds names to BSSA membership database, moderates bssa-members-l@ucsd.edu mailman listserv.
    • Reviews new membership forms for ideas, suggestions, areas of interest and notifies appropriate officer of students' interests
    • Acknowledges new members via a "Welcome" email
    • Responds to membership questions sent to BSSA via bssa@biomail.ucsd.edu
    • In conjunction with transfer student representative, organizes one member/transfer student event each quarter.
    • Promotes membership to biology majors and minors through advertising in publications such as the Guardian and other appropriate means
  • Membership Chair
    • Must be an active member
    • Recruits and oversees a freshman events / mentoring committee of at least 2-3 people
    • With assistance of the committee, organizes and maintains the mentor/mentee program, pairing individuals and organizing quarterly get-togethers
    • With assistance of the committee, organizes an early fall Freshman Speed Greeting event to help biology freshmen meet one another
    • Organizes one other type of event during the academic year, e.g., BTC, movie night, study session, etc.
  • Senior Events Chair
    • Must be an active member
    • Recruits and oversees senior events/BTD program committee of at least 2-3 people
    • With assistance of committee members, organizes quarterly Beyond the Degree programs, identifying topics and panelists, inviting speakers, setting up meeting room
    • and handling other logistics, etc. and follow up.
    • With assistance of the committee members, organizes the annual Graduating Senior Reception.

IV. Attendance Policies

Article I. Board Meetings

Section A:
All board members are required to attend monthly board meetings. Failure to attend one meeting without prior notice of their absence with a plausible excuse will result in a warning.

Officer attendance will be recorded by the Secretary.

Section B:
After a second unexcused absence, the said board member will be placed on probation. The said board member, the President and advisor will meet to explain attendance policies and potential termination.

Section C:
A third unexcused absence will result in immediate termination of board duties.

Section D:
At least half of board members must be present for meeting to be official.

Article II. Events

Section A:
All board members must organize a minimum of one event per quarter, attend a minimum of two events per quarter (in addition to your own events), and participate in a minimum of one tabling event per year.

Section B:
Events include, but are not limited to: Beyond the Classroom student/faculty lunches, Mentor/Mentee events, general body meetings, receptions (freshman/transfer and senior), and Beyond the Degree seminars.

Section C:
Tabling events include, but are not limited to: Fall Festival on the Green, Open House, Admit Day, and Sun God Festival.

Section D:
Attendance by members and officers at events will be recorded by event leader and reported to the Marketing and Communications Chair via the share drive.

Failure to attend the minimum amount of events per quarter will result in the same action as stated for board meetings.

V. Event Descriptions

A. General Body Meetings:

General Body Meetings are held once per quarter, during the first or second week. Officers conduct the meetings and inform the members of future events.
Members may form committees headed by an officer to discuss event planning. The Fall General Body Meeting welcomes new members; Winter and Spring
General Body Meetings may feature guest speakers.

B. Freshman/Transfer Reception:

The Freshman/Transfer Reception is held the second full week of the quarter at which we introduce new biology students to the Biological Sciences Student Association.
This event gives the new students an opportunity to meet and socialize with other incoming biology students.

C. Beyond the Classroom Student/Faculty Luncheons:

Student/Faculty Luncheons are held three times a quarter. Professors are invited from a particular biology field to have lunch with 10-15 students. Students sign up on
a first come, first serve basis, and if a student fails to attend the lunch, they will be noted and denied future attendance at luncheons.

D. Senior Reception:

The Senior Reception is held on the weekend of graduation ceremonies. The annual tradition of "Margaritas and Guacamole" proceeds with Latin music and appropriate decor.
An award ceremony honors the dean, the division, and the graduating seniors. Graduating seniors, faculty, and alumni are invited to attend the reception via e-mail.

E. Beyond the Degree:

Beyond the Degree seminars are held twice per quarter. One series of seminars provides students with an opportunity to learn about various career options from a panel of alumni, faculty, or other successful individuals in the biology field. A second series will feature student panelists discussing admissions to professional and graduate schools.

F. Mentor/Mentee events:

Mentor/Mentee program events help ease the transition to UCSD for freshmen and transfer students. Mentors and mentees meet at an orientation and continue interacting via e-mail, individual meetings, and quarterly events. Mentors are interviewed each spring prior to their year of mentorship. Mentees are invited to participate in the program during the beginning of fall quarter.

G. Test Success Panels

Each quarter, one event will be held that focuses on test-taking tips for particular entrance exams, including but not limited to MCAT, DAT, OAT, LSAT, GMAT, and GRE.

In addition to the above events, general membership (tabling) and social events are held as necessary throughout the year.

VI. Committees

Article I. Formation

Section A:
Committees may be formed by any current board member. It is the responsibility of said board member to assimilate members of their committee, either at General Body Meetings via sign-up sheets or via e-mail.

Section B:
The duty of recording meeting minutes should be assigned to a committee member and committee-meeting minutes should be recorded at each meeting.

Article II. Responsibilities

Section A:
It is the duty of the committees to contact other board members for publicity (i.e. Public Relations chair).

Section B:
Committees vote on all decisions for their event, and the committee chair acts as a liaison at board meetings.

VII. Meeting Ordinance

Article I. Order of Meetings

Section A:
Meetings will be run strictly on the agenda. Old business/reports are discussed first.

Section B:

In order to keep things running smoothly, discussion topics should not be brought up out of order and only addressed in its allotted time.

Section C:
New business/open discussions not in the agenda can be addressed at the end of the meeting.

Article II. Motions

Section A:
General motions must be seconded, then discussed and voted on, if necessary.

Section B:
Motions for amendments to the constitution can be addressed and discussed but no voting will take place until the next meeting, thereby giving time to review the amendment in question.

Section C:
Officers that are not present at the following board meeting will be disenfranchised.

Article III. Voting

Majority vote is needed during all types of voting.

VIII. Financial By-laws

Article I. Statement of Financial Goals and Policies

Section A:
The Biological Sciences Student Association (BSSA) should allocate its funds to projects that target the Biological Sciences undergraduates.
BSSA Executive Board will focus its attention on activities that directly benefit the Biological Sciences undergraduates. The purpose of these By-laws is to ensure that BSSA will allocate its funds fairly and without bias.

Article II. Responsibilities of the Treasurer

  • The Treasurer shall work in conjunction with the committee requesting money to make allocation recommendations to the Executive Board.
  • Shall ensure that committees comply with Financial By-laws.
  • Shall work to inform the Executive Board, and Committees about the funding process.
  • Shall notify committees about the status of their funding requests.
  • Shall take charge of Quarterly Budget Allocations. A timeline for handling Quarterly Budget Allocations may appear as follows:
    • Second Week (2nd): Remind all Committee Chairs of the budget allocated for that Quarter.
    • Eighth Week (8th): collect additional budget request forms and receipts from past events.
  • At the end of the term, shall provide a detailed financial report to the Executive Board, including a record of all expenditures throughout the term of office,
    any requests that have not yet been voted upon by BSSA, any outstanding Post-Event Reports, and the final monetary amounts remaining with each account at that time.

Article IV. Funding Procedures

Section A: Submitting of an Additional Funding Request

  • To qualify for additional BSSA funding, a committee must file an Additional Funding Request form with the Treasurer two weeks prior to the event, or in an amount of time deemed reasonable by the Executive Board.
  • The chair of the committee should be present at the Executive Board meeting. Failure to do so may result in either a postponement or denial of funding.
  • After a committee has been notified by the Treasurer on the status of its funding request, the committee is responsible to pick up any allocation from the Dean's Office.

Section B: Processing an Additional Funding Request

  • The Treasurer, President, and Vice President must review all additional funding requests for the purpose of making a recommendation to the Executive Board.
  • Any additional funding requests for a specific item of funding that results in the total requested additional funds being one hundred dollars ($100) or more must also be reviewed by the BSSA Advisor for additional recommendation to the Executive Board.
  • When voting, the Executive Board shall consider any recommendations given by the Treasurer or the BSSA Advisor.
  • All additional funding requests require the approval of a majority vote of Executive Board. If the Treasurer or the BSSA Advisor recommend not to fund a request, approval of funding shall require a two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote.
  • The Treasurer shall notify the committee of the action taken by the Executive Board regarding its additional funding request.

Section C: Reimbursement Policies

1. Three Purchase Methods

    • VISA
    • Biology Department Recharge Account
    • Personal Expenditure to be Reimbursed as Described Below

2. A reimbursement form must be submitted to the Treasurer along with the original receipt. The committee shall keep a copy of the receipt for its own record.

3. Method of payment shall be indicated clearly on the reimbursement form.

4. Submission of the reimbursement form shall be turned in to the Dean's Office, Treasurer's tray, within two weeks after the event. Failure to do so may result
in the delay of the reimbursement process or disqualification for the reimbursement.

Section D: Requirements of any committee receiving funding from BSSA

1. The committee must submit a follow-up report evaluating the event within seven (7) days of the event. Failure to do so may result in the suspension of
any future funding to the committee

2. If the event is canceled, the fund will be carried over to the following term.

Section E: Failure to Follow Procedures

1. Failure to follow stated policies and procedures will result in cancellation of funding, and will be considered when future funding is requested.

IX. Election Procedures

Article I. Term

Section A:
The maximum term of office for the same position is two years.

Section B:
Officers must be present throughout the year and cannot be absent for more than a quarter.

Article II. Nominations

Section A:
Call for elections will be made during Week 7 of Winter Quarter.

Section B:
Nominations will be accepted until 11:59pm on Friday of Week 10 during Winter Quarter.

Section C:
Each board member will screen eligibility of applicants for their respective position prior to elections. Eligibility includes current BSSA member and must have obtained 5 event stamps or initials by Friday of Week 10 of Winter Quarter.

Article III. Election Meeting

Section A:
The nominee will film a brief speech and will be accessed online by members during election, in addition to the nomination paragraph.

Article IV. Voting

Section A:
Majority vote will declare the winner.

Section B:
In the event of a tie, current board officers will vote.

Section C:
If an elected officer decides to forfeit his/her position, then the first runner up will assume the office. In the case that there is no runner up, an additional election will be held for that position.