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CSR Constitution

Committee of Student Representatives (CSR) Constitution

Revised September 2024

Mission Statement

The Committee of Student Representatives (CSR) is the student government of Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. CSR strives to improve student life, facilitate student-faculty interaction, refine the curriculum, and foster professional and interprofessional development. We do this by funding student organizations, collecting and organizing student feedback, and hosting various community-building events throughout the year. We aim to serve the school as reliable, trustworthy, and conscientious liaisons between students, faculty, staff, and administration, and to represent the student body with integrity.

Preamble

A committee of student representatives shall be established which shall be a sovereign body consisting of representatives from the student body of the School of Medicine.

Representation

CSR Board Positions and Details

General
  1. Elections will be held in November unless otherwise noted 
  2. Must be in the first year of education and in good standing unless otherwise specified by position description elaborated below
  3. Members will be elected by students of all years in the University, Medical Scientist Training, and College Track Programs
  4. The most recently elected board member is the primary representative. Prior members are expected to serve in an advisory capacity and to consult with the current board and administration as needed until graduation but are not expected to attend their position-related meetings. 
President
  1. Maintains periodic contact with administration, informing CSR of pertinent issues stemming from within the administration
    1. Coordinates meetings to include the Dean of the School of Medicine, Vice Dean of Medical Education, and the Associate Dean of Student Affairs on a monthly basis
  2. Serves as spokesperson for CSR and the student body
  3. Maintains communication with interclass CSR leadership on a monthly basis
  4. Coordinates organization projects and activities while keeping CSR members abreast of organization activities
  5. Writes and distributes agenda for and conducts all Deans’ Council Meetings
  6. Serves as liaison with CCLCM, PA, SODM, FPB, and Social Work student representatives
  7. Represents the medical student body on the following committees:
    1. Interprofessional Student Governance Committee
    2. President’s Round Table
    3. Graduate Student Council (as needed)
  8. Plans post-election retreat with the Vice-President
  9. Participates in Peer Handoff to inform incoming students of CSR with the Vice-President
Vice-President
  1. Oversees chairs of all committees and keeps track of registered student organizations
  2. Organizes the annual Student Organization Leaders’ Meeting
  3. Organizes the annual Activities Fair
  4. Runs all elections administered by CSR
  5. Conducts CSR board meetings
  6. Plans post-election retreat with the President
  7. Participates in Peer Handoff to inform incoming students of CSR with the President
  8. Serves as liaison with CCLCM, PA, SODM, FPB, and Social Work student representatives
  9. Assists the President on any endeavors when needed
Secretary
  1. Records and distributes minutes of CSR monthly meetings in a timely fashion
  2. Sends meeting minutes to CSR General Board and to the Tech Rep for regular posting on the CSR website
  3. Writes agendas for CSR board meetings
  4. Manages student events calendar on CSR website
  5. Organizes and maintains student organization registration
  6. Coordinates and maintains spreadsheet of all organizational projects and activities
    1. Publishes summary of ongoing projects to CSR website
Treasurer
  1. Maintains accurate, current, and complete financial records of CSR accounts
  2. Works with the student affairs office to submit reimbursement forms to CWRU accounting
  3. Approves and Records 
    1. CSR Group Approval forms
    2. CSR Group Funding Forms
  4. Distributes monetary allocations as approved by the CSR General Board
SCME Chair 
  1. Please see section 1.2.3.1.3 for more information
Social Chairs (2)
  1. Coordinates all-school social events including End-of-Block parties,  Hippo Ball, Pre-Orientation Mixers, and any other programs designed by the chairs
  2. Collaborates with Class Officers from all four University Program classes and/or College Program Representatives to organize school-wide social events
Class Officers
  1. Number
    1. Two officers from each of the four University Program classes
  2. Election
    1. First year: elected in November and assume position in January
    2. Second year: officers elected in the first year will maintain their positions until November of the following year.
    3. Third and fourth years: CSR President and Vice-President who served during their first and second year become class officers for their class in the third and fourth years
    4. In the event that the CSR President or Vice-President cannot fulfill their roles as class officers, the current CSR board will appoint a class officer
  3. Duties 
    1. Acts as Graduate Student Council representatives and attend Graduate Professional monthly meetings
    2. Represents class-specific concerns to CSR, including notifying the board about upcoming class-specific events
    3. Updates the class regarding CSR and GSC priorities and updates on a monthly basis
    4. Design and distribute merchandise to the classes
Alumni Board Student Representative
  1. Number
    1. One representative from the first-year class
  2. Role
    1. Serves as liaison to the Office of Alumni Affairs and sits as a member of the Alumni Board of Trustees for the entirety of medical school enrollment.
    2. Join and engage in Alumni Board of Trustee committees
    3. Organizes and enhances Alumni Weekend plans in the fall
    4. Integrate and promote alumni networking platform, MedConnect, into Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine culture.
Diversity Affairs Representative
  1. Number
    1. One representative from the first year class
  2. Role
    1. Acts as a converging point for all student groups relating to diversity as well as events and movements occurring in the larger CWRU and Cleveland communities. 
    2. Serves as an advocate for students of all backgrounds 
    3. Serves as a liaison between students and administration to communicate concerns about diversity
    4. Collaborates with SCME Diversity Representative with monthly meetings
    5. Serves as point of contact for the Medical Alumni Board on diversity-related issues
    6. Coordinates initiatives of diversity groups (including but not limited to SNMA/LMSA and Case Med Pride) to maximize joint programming, serve a variety of diverse groups, and bring the needs and concerns of these groups to administrators as needed
    7. Distributes an interprofessional monthly newsletter (Zebra Hoofbeats) to serve as an educational resource about upcoming diversity topics 
    8. Works with a faculty member or administrator on the Introduction to Diversity Orientation Session by providing feedback and guidance on content and delivery
    9. Serves as the Diversity Action Council Chair, overseeing and assisting each of its working groups: Admissions, Curriculum, Professional Development, and Community Building
Community Service Representatives
  1. Number
    1. One representative from the first year class
  2. Role
    1. Compiles and announces resources and opportunities for medical student community service
  3. Connects medical students to community-led volunteering organizations and advocacy initiatives. 
  4. Organizes regular community service projects, such as bimonthly blood drives
Technology Representative
  1. Number
    1. One representative from the first year class
  2. Role
    1. Maintains CSR website, including calendar, photos, and documents
    2. Updates group leader info to the CSR website
    3. Works with Director of Center for Advancement of Medical Learning, Director of Administrative Computing, and SCME chair to coordinate technological aspects of class feedback, assessment, and curricular materials
    4. Addresses listserv issues as necessary
    5. Maintains control of the credentials to the registrar account with the other CSR members.
AAMC-OSR (Organization of Student Representatives) Primary Representatives
  1. Elected for a four-year (University Program) term
  2. Role
    1. Serves as liaison between CWRU SOM and American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC), thus representing the student body on a national level, this includes: bringing AAMC resources to the attention of various classes; bringing attention to issues at CWRU and conferring with our colleagues at other medical schools; conducting research on student body issues, and presenting research as appropriate at regional and national conferences. 
    2. Candidates not elected will become Alternate Representatives, up to three. If there are open spots, the Primary Representative will choose up to three Alternate Representatives to be approved by the CSR General Board
    3. In collaboration with the CCLCM AAMC-OSR representative, organizes the nomination process of a faculty member for the annual Arnold P. Gold Humanism in Medicine Award in May
    4. Primary Reps vote for, and are eligible to run for, national positions on the OSR Administrative Board at the AAMC’s Annual Meeting held in Washington DC in November

The Student Committee on Medical Education (SCME)

  1. Role
    1. Collects feedback from students
    2. Organizes and consolidates feedback with recommendations for top-priority issues in the following domains:
      1. Current Block material
      2. Structure (Block 7)
      3. Foundations of Clinical Medicine (Block 8)
      4. Years 3 and 4
    3. Attends SCME meetings directed by SCME Chair
    4. Attends monthly meetings with Office of Curricular Affairs and Block leaders as directed by SCME Chair
  2. Structure
    1. Each currently enrolled academic year of the University Program shall have an independently operating SCME board
    2. Each class shall elect its SCME chair and SCME representatives in September of the first year. These representatives will hold their positions throughout their four years
    3. Each SCME board will be responsible for collecting feedback and representing the constituents’ needs/opinions in its current year of study
  3. Elected members of each SCME Board
    1. SCME Chair
      1. Numbers
        1. One SCME Chair shall lead the SCME board for his/her University Program class
    2. Election
      1. Elected in September of the first year, holding the position for the duration of their time enrolled in CWRU SOM.
      2. A vacancy in this role shall be filled by a current SCME Representative who is elected by SCME Representatives of the same year.
    3. Duties of the SCME Chair
      1. Sends end-of-block reports to administrators
      2. Coordinates design team meetings with Office of Curricular Affairs and Block Leaders to exchange progress reports on student-generated feedback
      3. Oversees regular collection of student feedback
      4. Leads SCME meetings and organizes agendas
      5. Sits in on the Committee on Medical Education (CME) meetings
      6. Coordinates SCME representation to the Curriculum Monitoring Council (CMC)
      7. Sits on the Faculty Council
      8. Updates the “SCME Minutes” page on the CSR Webpage
SCME Members
  1. Number
    1. Seven Board Members from the University Program MD or MSTP track, and one SCME Diversity Affairs Representative, make up the SCME Board.
  2. Election
    1. Elected in September of their first year to serve on their class SCME Board for the duration of their medical education.
    2. Vacancies shall be filled by appointment by the SCME Chair
  3. Role
    1. Organizes and consolidate feedback with recommendations for top-priority issues in the following domains:
      1. Current Block material
      2. Structure (Block 7)
      3. Foundations of Clinical Medicine (Block 8)
      4. Years 3 and 4
    2. Each SCME Board Member, including the SCME Chair and excluding the SCME Diversity Representative, will be assigned one of eight Blocks for which they will attend Design Team meetings and assess block content based on student feedback.
    3. Assists SCME Chair with compilation of end-of-block reports
    4. Attends meetings as directed by SCME Chair
SCME Diversity Affairs Representative
  1. Number
    1. One representative from the first year class
  2. Election
    1. First year: elected in September to serve on a joint first and second year board until January of the following year
    2. Vacancy shall be filled by appointment by the SCME Chair
  3. Role
    1. Assess issues related to diversity in the curriculum through personal observations and student feedback. Work with faculty and curriculum designers to address concerns.
    2. Serve as an advocate for students of all backgrounds. Communicate the students’ curricular concerns to school leadership through continuous collaboration. 
    3. Be a student leader for the Curriculum Development in Diversity Education, a zero-credit pre-clinical elective for students conducting projects in medical education related to diversity, during the second-year. 
    4. Attend SCME meetings as part of the board to provide diversity perspective on curriculum initiatives
    5. Collaborate with CSR Diversity Rep via regular meetings
    6. Meet regularly and develop an ongoing relationship with SNMA/LMSA, Case Med Pride, and other diverse student groups to bring their needs and concerns to curriculum administrators as needed. 
      1. Includes concerns with curriculum content and with faculty members
    7. Attend regular Block Leader meetings as needed to provide direct feedback on diversity initiatives run by faculty
      1. Attend relevant design team meetings as needed

Election Procedures

  1. General Board Positions are open to all eligible first-year students
  2. In the event that no eligible members are running for a position the position will be open to all first-year students
  3. The Vice-President oversees all processes and actively solicits participation
  4. Open positions and descriptions must be posted two weeks in advance of election on the CSR website
  5. Personal statements from candidates should be posted to the election site
  6. Elections are run over a 5-day period
  7. Elections are decided by ranked-choice voting; in the event of a tie, a runoff election must be held
  8. In the event that positions are unfilled, the CSR President will appoint candidates with approval of the CSR Board
  9. All enrolled students in the University, Medical Scientist Training, and College Track Programs are eligible to vote in all elections

Voting Procedures

  1. Voting procedure
    1. President/presiding officer is not a voting member, except in the event of a tie
    2. A quorum of greater than half of the members of CSR in the first and second year classes must be established
    3. Funding issues that are raised by the Treasurer will be decided by a simple majority
    4. Each member may vote one of three ways: for, against, or abstain
    5. There are only two possibilities for the outcome of a vote: approved or defeated
    6. A 4/5 majority of all members is required to amend this constitution at any time
  2. Vote of confidence
    1. A member of CSR may be the subject of a motion by a CSR member to hold a Vote of confidence to determine if that member has been fulfilling his/her duties
    2. The vote will be held during the meeting following that in which the motion is made, so as to allow the member in question to prepare a defense
    3. The member in question will be allowed to defend their position; the length of the defense will be at the discretion of the Vice-President
    4. The Vice-President will preside over the vote unless they are the subject of the Vote of confidence; in that case, the secretary will preside over the proceedings
    5. The Vote of confidence will be conducted via secret ballot
    6. If less than 1/3 of CSR votes in confidence of the member in question, that member must relinquish his/her position
    7. A general election will then be held to fill the vacancy left by that member
    8. CSR members can be the subject of a vote of confidence, and if they are deemed delinquent in their duties, shall be forced to resign from that position
      1. If such an official was elected to an additional CSR position in the general election, they may continue to serve CSR in that capacity
      2. If such an official did not hold an elected CSR position, they may no longer serve on CSR
  3. Constitutional Revision
    1. The contents and accuracy of the CSR Constitution shall be reviewed on a yearly basis at which time any necessary revisions or updates will be made
    2. Members of the board or student body may propose revisions to the CSR constitution at any time.  See Section 3.1.6. for voting procedure.  The voting body will be the CSR members excluding the member who proposed the revision.

Student Group Registration and Funding

  1. Each student group must have a minimum of two leaders, with a yearly re-institution application process.
  2. Each group must have a minimum of ten student members.
  3. Each student group must have a faculty advisor from CWRU/University Hospitals, Cleveland Clinic, MetroHealth, or the Cleveland VA.
  4. Each student group must reapply with each change of leadership for CSR Group status and receive confirmation of group status to be eligible for funding. This is subject to the approval of the CSR board.
  5. Each group is entitled to 100 dollars of funding for an event benefiting the student body with attendance of fifty people or less, or 150 dollars for such an event of fifty people or more for the duration of funding availability
  6. Collaborative events hosted by two or more approved student groups are entitled to 150 dollars of funding for an event benefiting the student body with attendance of fifty people or less, or 180 dollars for such an event of fifty people or more for the duration of funding availability.
  7.  Additional requests are subject to special approval by the CSR general board (vote by simple majority).
    1. The request must be made at least one week from the date of the event through a formal written letter addressed to the CSR board detailing the purpose of the event, the use of the funding, and benefit to the student body.
    2. The vote will remain open for four to five days after funding is requested.
  8. Registered interest groups are eligible (but not entitled to) for up to three approvals totaling no more than $450 per semester
  9. Groups that have not received funding will receive priority over groups that have already received funding.
  10. CSR will not approve groups applying for Group status if the mission of the prospective group  is similar or identical to that of an existing group.This is at the discretion of the current CSR board. 
  11. CSR reserves the right to deny funding or reduce the amount of funding granted due to
    1. Insufficient funds
    2. Funding requests that do not meeting funding criteria
    3. Funding requests that do not follow established procedures
  12. Award criteria
    1. Potential benefit to the current and future student population of CWRU School of Medicine
    2. Has a clear connection to medicine or medical student life
    3. Includes/invites/is open to the entire school of medicine
    4. Student groups will have a chance to justify in the application process that their event has a clear connection to medicine or medical student life.
    5. Events charging admission to students will not be funded, unless the cost of the ticket goes directly towards a specific philanthropy or charity
  13. Retroactive funding will not be granted.

Individual Funding

  1. Individuals must be a current medical student in good standing at the CWRU School of Medicine in the University, Medical Scientist Training, or College Track Programs to be eligible to receive funding.
  2. Individuals must apply for funding before the day of the event.
  3. Individuals are eligible (not entitled to) for a maximum of either $50 of funding for study materials or $100 for conferences per semester based on financial need. Individual funding requests will be approved and processed directly by the office of student affairs.
  4. Funding for individuals will be provided until allocated funds are exhausted for the semester.
    1. Reimbursements are made on a first-come-first serve basis and reimbursements for second conferences will only be made after reimbursements for all students requesting funding for a first conference have been made.
    2. Reconsiderations of previously denied funding requests will be given the same priority as new funding requests.
  5. CSR reserves the right to deny funding or reduce the amount of funding granted.  Reasons why funding may be denied or reduced include (but are not limited to):
    1. Insufficient funds.
    2. Funding requests do not meet funding award criteria or do not qualify as a unique request.
    3. Funding request procedures are not met.
  6. Retroactive funding will not be granted.