News letter

THE CONSTITUTION
OF
RAJASTHAN MEDICAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, INC.

ARTICLE I
NAME

The name of this Association shall be RAJASTHAN MEDICAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, INC., hereinafter referred to as the Association or RAJMAAI.

ARTICLE II
PURPOSE

SECTION I:

To promote research and dissemination of knowledge by members in the field of medicine or other health professions to the public at large.

SECTION II:

To support medical and mental health services to the communities at large in the USA and in India, especially in the state of Rajasthan.

SECTION III:

To raise funds and provide equipment and educational materials to health care facilities.

SECTION IV:

To plan, promote and provide a forum for communication and seminars for exchange of ideas amongst physicians and health-related professionals.

SECTION V:

To encourage professionals and students in the health field to achieve their goals by providing scholarships, grants and awards.

SECTION VI:

To encourage cultural and social activities amongst the members of RAJMAAI.

ARTICLE III
MEMBERSHI

SECTION 1:

(A) LIFE MEMBER

A graduate or post-graduate of any medical college from the state of Rajasthan, a medical student or medical graduate who is of Rajasthan heritage, or a physician serving in Rajasthan who pays a one time membership fee. Life members are exempt from annual membership dues.

(B) MEMBER

Any medical graduate who neither attended a Rajasthan medical college nor is of Rajasthan heritage, who supports the objectives of RAJMAAI. Associate Members do not pay dues.

(D) HONORARY MEMBER

The Executive Committee may invite any person whose research or contribution is of exceptional quality and who is supportive of the Association to be an Honorary Member.

(E) PATRON

The Executive Committee may appoint a patron from time to time for their outstanding contributions to the cause of RAJMAAI.

(F) BOARD OF TRUSTEES

RAJMAAI shall elect a Board of Trustees to as further outlined in Article VII herein.

SECTION II:

(A) Procedure for Admission – Applications to be a Life Member or Member of RAJMAAI should be submitted to the Executive Committee for review and approval.

(B) Authority to confer Associate Membership, Honorary Membership, and the status of Patron rests with the Executive Committee.

SECTION III: RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF MEMBERS

(A) Members who pay dues (Life Members and Members) are eligible to vote and to hold elective office. They shall abide by the By-laws.

(B) Non-paying members (Honorary and Associate Members) and Patrons are not eligible to vote and their attendance at a meeting shall not determine a quorum.

SECTION IV: DUES

All members except Honorary Members, Associate Members and Patrons shall be responsible for payment of such dues as fixed by the Executive Committee from time to time.

SECTION V: TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP

A Member may terminate their membership by resignation. The Executive Committee may terminate membership for non payment of dues or reasons define in Section VI below.

SECTION VI: DISCIPLINE

The Executive Committee may, by the concurrence of majority of its members censure, suspend or expel any member for conduct which in the opinion of the Executive Committee is unprofessional, unethical, or inconsistent with the Association’s purposes. The member charged will be served with a written notice of the charges and the member may request for a hearing in writing of the charges. The hearing shall be conducted before such person or in such manner, as the Executive Committee may decide in consonance with the constitution or by-laws.

SECTION VII:

Any member suspended, expelled or dropped from membership may be reinstated by majority of the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE IV
OFFICERS

SECTION I:

The executive committee shall consist of officers: the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and no less than twenty (20) members at large.

SECTION II: NOMINATING COMMITTEE AND NOMINATIONS

(A) The nominating Committee chairman and members not less than five (5) shall be appointed by the President in consultation with the Executive Committee.

(B) Nomination of the executive committee will be made by the nominating committee and all candidates for elective office will have to be dues paying members who have been in good standing for at least one (1) year.

(C) Nominations can also be made by one member proposing and seconded by two members in good standing for more than one year by March 30th, on nomination forms. Nomination forms can be downloaded from the RAJMAAI web site or obtained from the office of RAJMAAI.

(D) Nominated members will be advised of their nomination by April 30th. They have the right to withdraw from nomination, in writing which must be delivered to the nominating Committee by May 15th. Ballots shall be mailed by June 30th.

SECTION III:

Election of officers shall be conducted by mail ballot.

SECTION IV:

(A) All newly elected officers shall assume their respective office at the close of the annual meeting or prior to September 1st whichever is earlier and shall continue in office for two (2) years.

(B) If the office of the President shall become vacant, the Vice President shall assume such office. If for any reason, the accession of the Vice President becomes impossible, a successor to the office of the President shall be appointed by the Executive Committee for the remainder of the unexpired term of the President and/or until the next election.

SECTION V: DUTIES

(A) The President shall preside at all the meetings of the Association. He/she shall also communicate with the Board of Trustees, members of the Association and the Executive Committee such matters and make suggestions as may, in his opinion, tend to promote the usefulness of the Association and shall perform such other duties as are necessarily incident to the office of the President.

(B) In the event of the absence or disability of the president, the Vice President shall act in his place.

(C) The Secretary shall attend all meetings, keep minutes of meetings, and give notice of any and all meetings of the Association.

(D) The Executive Committee and the various committees, shall keep records of their activities, shall conduct the correspondence of the Association and keep records of the Association.

(E) The Treasurer shall collect, receive, disburse and account for all sums of money due or belonging to the Association. He/she shall also furnish the necessary information about the financial transactions of the Association to appropriate authorities. He/she shall collect necessary financial records from the chapters.

SECTION VI: DISCIPLINE

Any officer of the Association who does not attend three (3) consecutive meetings of the Executive Committee without satisfactory explanation to the Executive Committee may be expelled by the Executive Committee from his elected office. The expelled officer may still continue to be a member.

ARTICLE V
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

SECTION I:

The administrative affairs of the Association will be governed by the Executive Committee.

SECTION II: ELECTION OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

General membership shall elect the Executive Committee by ballot as described in Article IV of these By-laws.

SECTION III: TENURE

The tenure of the elected members shall be two (2) years. The tenure of the ex-officio members shall be one (1) year.

SECTION IV: VACANCIES

Vacancies occurring in any year among the elected members may be filled by the Executive Committee for the remainder of the term.

SECTION V: FUNCTION OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

(A) Except as otherwise provided in the constitution and by-laws, the Executive Committee shall have control and management of the affairs of the Association.

(B) The Executive Committee shall decide upon the qualifications and eligibility of any applicant for membership. The President may establish different Committees and appoint chairpersons in concurrence with the Executive Committee.

SECTION VI: QUORUM

At a meeting of the Executive Committee six (6) members shall constitute a quorum.

SECTION VII: ACTION BY THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

At meetings of the Executive Committee resolutions adopted by a majority of those present shall be binding upon and constitute the action of the Executive Committee. Records shall be kept of the action taken by the Executive Committee and such action shall be reported to the Association at its annual meeting, or communicated with the membership in an appropriate manner and in a reasonable time frame.

ARTICLE VI
CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS: AMENDMENTS

SECTION I: AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS

A proposed amendment to the constitution by any member shall be sent to the secretary at least three (3) months before the date of the general body meeting in which it is to be considered and must be signed by at least ten (10) members. The secretary shall submit the proposed changes to the By-laws Committee which will submit its recommendation to the Executive Committee for disposition, and the Executive Committee shall inform the general membership at least two (2) weeks before the meeting at which it is to be considered. A vote of two-thirds of the regular members present at such meeting shall be necessary for the adoption of any amendments.

SECTION II DISSOLUTION OF THE ASSOCIATION

If for any reason this Association is dissolved, its assets will be transferred to a health-related non-profit organization involved in health-related fields in Rajasthan, as voted by the majority of the Board of Trustees members.

SECTION III: LIFE MEMBERSHIP DUES

The life membership dues of the Association shall be kept in a separate account and only the income generated may be used to meet the expenses of the organization. The principal amount is not to be used for any purpose except at the time of dissolution of the organization, where it may be donated to a non-profit organization as defined in Section II above.

ARTICLE VII
BOARD OF TRUSTEES

SECTION I: NUMBER OF TRUSTEES

There shall be twelve (12) elected members of the Board of Trustees and each one will serve a six-year term. In the initial election of the trustees four (4) shall serve for a term of six (6) years, another four (4) shall serve for a term of four (4) years and four (4) shall serve for a term of two (2) years.

SECTION II: TERM OF THE TRUSTEE

Every two (2) years, four (4) Board members shall retire after having served their term and new trustees shall assume the office.

SECTION III: NOMINATION OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

The Executive Committee shall elect the Board of Trustees by majority vote. The outgoing President of the Association shall automatically become a member of the Board of Trustees to serve until replacement by the next outgoing president.

SECTION IV: ELECTION OF CHAIRPERSON BOARD OF TRUSTEES

The members of the Board of Trustees shall elect their own Chairperson.

SECTION V: DUTIES

The Board of Trustees shall meet at least twice a year and they shall help raise funds for the organization and act as fiduciaries. If any vacancy arises, the vacant spot shall be filled by appointment by the Executive Committee, till the next election. The Board of Trustees has the power to suspend any elected official on recommendation from the Executive Committee for non-performance of their duties.

SECTION VI: QUORUM

At each meeting of the Board of Trustees five (5) members shall constitute a quorum.

SECTION VII: ARBITRATION

Any dispute initiated from members of the organization will be subject only to arbitration. No personal law suits can be filed against the elected and/or appointed office bearers of the organization.

Approved at Annual General Body meeting.

Atlantic City, New Jersey, August, 2006