Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Bylaws Updated 11-19-19
Bylaws Updated 11-19-19
A. To assume responsibility for contributing to nursing education in order to provide for the
highest quality of health care.
B. To provide programs representative of fundamental interests and concerns to nursing
students.
C. To aid in the development of the whole person, including his/her professional role and his/her
responsibility for health care of people in all walks of life.
A. To have direct input into standards of nursing education and influence the education process.
B. To influence health care, nursing education, and practice through legislative activities as
appropriate.
C. To promote and encourage participation in community affairs and activities towards health
care and the resolution of related social issues.
D. To represent nursing students to the consumer, to institutions, and to other
organizations.
E. To promote and encourage students' participation in interdisciplinary activities.
F. To promote and encourage recruitment efforts, participation in student activities, and
educational opportunities regardless of a person's race, color, creed, national origin, ethnicity,
age, gender, marital status, lifestyle, disability or economic status.
G. To promote and encourage collaborative relationships with nursing and health related
organizations.
H. To inform and advise the nursing student of his/her rights and responsibilities.
Active and associate NSNA membership may be extended six months beyond graduation
from a student's program in nursing, providing membership was renewed while the student
was enrolled in a nursing program.
Section 1.
A. The Annual NSNA dues for active and associate members shall be $25 per member
($20 per new member), plus $20 state ($15 for new member) and $25 (2 semesters) $20
(one semester) school dues, payable for the appropriate dues year. The dues year for
membership shall be a period of twelve consecutive months.
B. The annual NSNA dues for active and associate members joining for two years shall be
$50 per member, plus $30 state and $50 school dues, payable for the appropriate dues years.
The dues years for these members shall be a period of twenty-four consecutive months.
C. The DUSNA Board of Directors shall have the authority to change membership dues,
providing such dues do not exceed the amounts set in these bylaws.
D. National and state dues shall be payable directly to NSNA. NSNA shall remit to each
state constituent the dues received on behalf of the constituent. NSNA shall not collect nor
remit school chapter dues.
E. Any member who fails to pay current school dues shall forfeit all privileges of
membership.
Section 1. Composition
A. The Board of Directors will consist of: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer,
Legislative Coordinator, Service Chair, Social Chair, Publicity Chair, Fundraising Chair, and
Recruitment/Webmaster Chair.
Section 2. Responsibilities
Section 3. Eligibility
. Any active member shall be eligible to serve as an officer.
President
1. Shall preside at all meetings of this association, represent DUSNA in all matters
relating to the association, perform all other duties pertaining to the office and
represent this association in all matters to the CAUSP, SNAP, PSNA, NSNA, and
other professional and student organizations.
2. Shall serve as chairperson of the Board of Directors.
3. Shall be a junior or senior in the Duquesne School of Nursing.
4. Appoint committees and their chairpersons, subject to the approval of the Board of
Directors, and make other appointments as necessary
5. Shall serve as ex-officio member of all DUSNA committees.
6. Shall facilitate collaborative efforts between NSNA Director responsible for our
region, SNAP Regional Coordinator responsible for our region, and amongst other
SNAP chapters.
7. Shall serve on the finance committee alongside the Vice President and Treasurer.
B. Vice President
1. Shall assume responsibility of the office of President in the event of the vacancy
occurring in the office until the next regular election.
2. Shall preside at meetings in the absence of the President.
3. Shall assist the President as delegated and act as advisor to the President.
4. Shall be a junior or senior in the Duquesne School of Nursing.
5. Shall organize convention plans and serve as a representative at conventions.
6. Shall be responsible for maintaining and improving upon the DUSNA mentorship
program.
7. Shall be responsible for submitting and delegating award applications to the Board
of Directors as well as submitting annual NSNA constituency application.
8. Shall serve on the finance committee alongside the President and Treasurer.
C. Secretary
1. Shall record, distribute, and keep a permanent record of minutes from all meetings as
directed by the President.
2. Shall forward minutes to SNAP board as well as the names and addresses of all
officers and committee chairpersons after their election or appointment.
3. Shall create and update a DUSNA membership list.
4. Shall take attendance at every DUSNA meeting and activity.
5. Shall convey all announcements through e-mail regarding meetings and activities.
D. Treasurer
1. Shall formulate an annual budget of DUSNA’s expected income and
expenditures.
2. Shall prepare financial reports submitted at the monthly Board of Directors
Meeting.
3. Shall keep a permanent record of all dues received from members and any other
income and expenses.
4. Shall act as a liaison to the Student Government Association for financial issues.
5. Shall coordinate funds for all SNAP and NSNA conventions and activities.
6. Shall remit payment for approved debits according to the following:
a) Disbursement of Funds
1. Requests for disbursement of funds shall be made in writing to
the Board of Directors.
2. Upon approval the treasurer will issue checks for those requests
approved.
3. No funds will be disbursed without prior approval.
4. No funds will be disbursed without prior approval.
7. Shall serve as the chair of the finance committee alongside the President and Vice
President.
a) Committee Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
1. Allocation of DUSNA’s funds.
2. Approval of emergent decisions regarding all finances.
3. Proposal of all new expenditures, travel expenses,
and changes to budget.
E. Legislative Coordinator
1. Shall inform DUSNA members about the resolution process and current political
and legislative issues that affect nursing students and the nursing profession.
2. Shall oversee the resolution writing process and chair the resolutions committee.
3. Shall organize plans for SNAP’s Step-by-Step Capitol Hill Day.
4. Shall be responsible for amending DUSNA’s bylaws and policies.
F. Service Chair
1. Shall be responsible for coordinating community and volunteer projects for the
membership to take part in.
2. Shall be responsible for all communications with service project coordinators and
representatives.
3. Shall encourage membership to take part in community service activities.
4. Shall record members that participate in service events.
G. Social Chair
1. Shall be responsible for coordinating all social activities for the membership to
take part in.
2. Shall be responsible for coordinating any arrangements needed for the planned
activity.
3. Shall encourage membership to take part in social activities.
4. Shall record members that participate in social events.
H. Publicity Chair
1. Shall take pictures at various DUSNA, SNAP, and NSNA activities.
2. Shall create flyers for DUSNA meetings and activities.
3. Shall be responsible for creating/updating the DUSNA scrapbook and bulletin
board.
I. Fundraising Chair
1. Shall be responsible for coordinating with all vendors and sales representatives.
2. Shall present ideas and design options to the membership for fundraisers.
3. Shall be responsible for keeping inventory of all current DUSNA merchandise.
4. Shall be responsible for keeping a record of, ordering, and distributing all
fundraising materials to membership.
J. Recruitment/Webmaster Chair.
1. Shall work with the web manager of the School of Nursing to update the DUSNA
website.
2. Shall be responsible for maintaining any webpages related to DUSNA, i.e.
Campuslink
3. Shall encourage nursing students to join DUSNA through means that they see fit,
i.e. Tabling, speaking in classes, attending freshmore meeting.
A. In the event that an elected or appointed Board member has failed to perform his/her
specified duties, has failed to maintain their NSNA membership, or is in poor academic
standing, the Board of Directors shall have the power by three-quarters (3/4) vote to
declare the office of an elected or appointed position vacant. In the event that an elected or
appointed Board member misses two meetings with no excuse during term of office, the
position shall be declared vacant.
B. In the event of the vacancy in the office of both President and Vice-President, the SNAP
Board of Directors shall appoint a new President from within the Board of Directors as soon
as possible. This is the only time the Board of Directors can function as a voting body
without the presence of the President or Vice President.
C. An officer may also be removed from office by a plurality vote of the members of the
Board of Directors present at a meeting called for that purpose if that officer is deemed
negligent in the functions of that office as stated in these bylaws.
D. Prior notification of two weeks shall be given to the individual in question and a
special Board of Directors meeting shall be held to review the circumstances.
A. The President, with three-fourths vote of the Board of Directors may create board
positions with a complete job description and appoint qualified persons to those positions
as deemed necessary.
Section 1. Advisors
A. Two members of the Duquesne University School of Nursing faculty shall serve as faculty
advisor and assistant advisor to DUSNA.
A. Meeting dates, location, and times shall be set by the Board of Directors.
B. The President shall have the authority to convene a special meeting as is
deemed necessary and shall notify the general membership of such meeting, location,
and time.
C. The privilege of making motions and voting shall be limited to the voting body. A
voting member shall have one vote in any election or on any question.
D. All meetings of DUSNA shall be open to the public.
Section 2. Quorum
Section 1. Appointments
A. Committee chair appointments shall be made by the Board of Directors and shall be
deemed standing committees unless otherwise stated at time of appointment.
B. Committee members shall be appointed by the committee chairperson or selected by the
Board of Directors from a group of volunteers.
Section 2. Responsibility
A. All committees shall be responsible to the Board of Directors for reporting committee
activities on a regular basis and shall, upon direction of the Board of Directors, report the
same information to the general membership.
ARTICLE X. DELEGATES
A. To serve as spokesperson for this association at the annual state and national
conventions.
B. Present to the state and national organizations all proposed resolutions or amendments to
bylaws or policies proposed by this association.
C. Keep informed as to all current and proposed resolutions at the state and national
levels and report information to membership at regularly scheduled meetings.
D. Make available to members, updates, explanations, and copies of current and
proposed state and national resolutions.
A. School constituents:
1. DUSNA, when recognized as an official NSNA constituent, shall be entitled to
one voting delegate and alternate at the NSNA House of Delegates, and in
addition, shall be entitled to one voting delegate and alternate for every 50
members.
2. The DUSNA delegate(s) and alternate shall be a member(s) in good standing in the
chapter and shall be selected and/or elected by members of the school chapter at a
proper meeting according to chapter bylaws. The school association may designate
an alternate delegate for each delegate by one of the following two mechanisms:
a. Selection and/or election by members of the school chapter
according to chapter bylaws; or
b. Written authorization to the State Board of Directors requesting them to
appoint a member of the State Board to act as a state- appointed
alternate for their school chapter.
c. School chapters shall approve the appointment.
d. The State Board of Directors shall verify that any state appointed
alternate is a member in good standing of the NSNA and the state
association.
3. A school chapter must have a selected and/or elected delegate present at the NSNA
Convention in order to have a state-appointed alternate seated in the House of Delegates.
All alternates, whether school selected or state-appointed, shall have the same privileges as
an elected delegate when seated in the House.
4. The school association shall be entitled to delegates according to the number of members
in good standing in NSNA. Delegates shall be computed on the basis of the number of
members in each constituent as evidenced by the annual dues received by NSNA on a date
eight weeks prior to the annual meeting.
A. Amendments to the Bylaws may be made with a 2/3 vote of those present and voting at a
membership meeting provided that notice of proposed amendments has been sent to members at
least four weeks prior to the meeting. Only proper amendments submitted in writing and carrying
the proponent's signature will be considered.
B. Amendments to these bylaws shall be effective immediately upon approval by the
membership.
C. Amendments to the bylaws of SNAP or NSNA adopted at their respective annual meeting,
which directly relate to the business of DUSNA in the areas of conformity, shall automatically and
immediately be incorporated into the bylaws of DUSNA.
Section 1. All meetings of this association shall be conducted according to the parliamentary law
as set forth in Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised where the rules apply and are not in
conflict with these bylaws.