ARTICLE I.: Organization

The name of this organization shall be Male Association of Nurses at the University of Pennsylvania. (MAN-UP)

ARTICLE II: Purpose

The purpose of MAN-UP is to provide:

1.      A forum for discussion of factors affecting male nurses as well as barriers that place undue hardship on men interested in pursue a career in nursing.

2.      A collective voice to speak out in support of men in nursing and to bring to light inadequacies in nursing education or nursing practice.

3.      Support for members academically, socially and professionally.

4.      School and campus wide educational opportunities focused on men’s health.

5.      Assistance in recruiting and retaining qualified male nursing students.

6.      Foster a spirit of collaboration with national nursing organizations.

ARTICLE III: Membership

Membership will be open to all members of the University of Pennsylvania community with an interest in the issues surrounding male nurses. A voluntary suggested contribution of $5 per academic year will be collected from those members who wish give such a donation, however monetary support is not a requirement of membership in MAN-UP.

ARTICLE IV: Officers

SECTION A

The Organization will be led by a President who will be assisted by a Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Election of these officers will take place during the spring semester at a time in which a majority of active members are able to participate. The new officers will be installed turn at the beginning of the fall term.   

SECTION B

The duties of each officer are as follows: Term limits for executive positions are for 1 year. While there is no limit on the number of years that one member may be elected to the executive board, no one person shall hold the same office two years consecutively.

PRESIDENT: The President shall preside over meetings and be responsible for the execution of all Organization functions. Meetings are held at the discretion of the President. The President has the power to delegate responsibilities at his/her discretion.

VICE PRESIDENT: The Vice President shall assist the President. The Vice President shall fulfill any and all duties of the President should s/he be unable to be present at a meeting. The Vice President is responsible for membership and voting eligibility issues.

SECRETARY: The Secretary shall be responsible for documenting attendance at MAN-UP meetings and functions. S/he shall be responsible for the taking of minutes at MAN-UP meetings and for their timely distribution to members as well as providing them to the webmaster in a timely manner for inclusion on the MAN-UP website. 

TREASURER: The Treasurer shall maintain financial records for MAN-UP. S/he shall be responsible for corresponding with the Students’ Activities Council (SAC) and attending all SAC meetings. In the event that the treasurer is unable to attend a SAC meeting, s/he must inform the other members of the board. In that occasion, any member of the board may attend in place of the treasurer.

SECTION C

Nominations for offices can come from any active member of MAN-UP. Self nominations are acceptable. Nominations must be accepted by the nominee before a name is listed on the ballot. Voting will be done at a time determined by the President during the spring semester. Voting will be conducted by the use of a secret ballot. Those members not able to attend the voting meeting will be given an opportunity to vote by returning ballot to the Faculty advisor within 48 hours of voting.

SECTION D

If it is perceived that an Officer is not fulfilling his/her duties, a member of MAN-UP must submit in writing a request to the executive board and the Faculty advisor that a special membership session take place to determine whether there is sufficient and just cause to relieve an officer from duty prior to the expiration of his/her term of office. The President and or the succeeding officer and the Faculty advisor shall preside over the special session. If it is determined that there is sufficient evidence or just cause that an officer has not fulfilled his/her duties according to the governance structure; a two-thirds (2/3) majority is required to remove the officer from office. A special election will be held within thirty days to fill vacant position.

SECTION E

Should any vacancy occur, the position will be filled by a majority vote on nominations from the floor at the next meeting of the Organization.

ARTICLE V: Meetings

Meetings will be held once a month with time and location to be determined by the President with input from the other officers. An effort will be made by the president to solicit suggested meetings times that would allow for the greatest number of active members to attend. Meetings will be held at alternative times if reasonable requests are made to the Executive Board.  Executive Board meetings will be held at the Officers’ discretion. Members will be notified about meetings via e-mail. Organizational decisions will made by majority approval of members present at the time of the decision. The meetings will be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order.

ARTICLE VI: Finances

In addition to the voluntary contributions from members, financial support will be supplemented with fundraising efforts sponsored by MAN-UP throughout the academic year. The treasurer will be responsible for managing the groups finances. The President will also have authority to act on behalf of MAN-UP in financial manners should the treasurer position be vacant or the elected treasurer be unable to act on behalf of the group.  The Treasure will have signature as well as administrative authority over the checking account.

ARTICLE VII: Amendments

Amendments to the Constitution can be introduced by any member of the constituency and will be passed by a two-thirds vote of the quorum (50 % of membership).

ARTICLE VIII: Ratification

This Constitution shall be in effect, superseding all previous Constitutions, when approved by three-fourths vote of the Organization’s membership.

ARTICLE IX: Advisor

The advisor will be a current faculty member in the School of Nursing. The opinion of the advisor will be held in high regard. The advisor will be invited to take part in all general assembly meetings as well as take place in executive meetings. The Advisor will be utilized as an important resource for the group but will not have authoritative powers beyond those granted by their role as a member of the University of Pennsylvania faculty.