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f. The motto will be developed.
g. The insignia will be the Society's letters, written in Greek capital
letters as background and "Pi Alpha" written in script over
them.
h. Certificates will be developed and numbered sequentially.
Article II. General Considerations
Section 1. General Considerations
a. Pi Alpha will be under the direction of the PAEA Pi Alpha National
Honor Society Advisory Committee, herein referred to as the "Advisory
Committee." The function and influence of the Society depends upon
the wisdom with which members are inducted. Candidates are selected for
membership based on membership criteria outlined below.
b. Individual chapters, through their members, including
alumni and faculty, shall establish procedures to apply the national criteria
for election of new members. Each candidate shall be voted upon separately
at a meeting of members convened for that purpose or by mail. Election
for induction shall require a majority vote of those in attendance.
c. No candidate shall be denied election because of race,
color, creed, ethnic origin, income, age, gender, sexual orientation,
or any other characteristic prohibited by the Equal Opportunity and Affirmative
Action laws of the state in which the chapter exists.
d. The decision of a physician assistant program to become
a Pi Alpha chapter will be voluntary. There will be a one-time of $200
paid by each program that chooses to participate in the national Pi Alpha
Society. Individual programs will thereafter pay only a per inductee fee
to cover the costs of certificate, cord, pin, and shipping and handling.
This fee will be determined by the Advisory Committee in conjunction with
the PAEA Finance Committee. Acceptance of application for chapter membership
will result in permanent membership. Any chapter wishing to terminate
its charter may do so by providing three months advance notice in writing
to the Advisory Committee. Chapter membership fees will not be refunded.
Reactivation of a terminated member's charter will require reapplication
and the repayment of the chapter membership fee.
Article III. Membership
Section 1. PA Student Memberships
a. Physician assistant students who have excelled academically
and in research, publishing, community/professional service, or leadership
activities are eligible for nomination for membership. Academic excellence
is defined as having a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of
3.5 on a 4.0 scale at the time of nomination. This GPA is a minimal requirement
and is to be based on the GPA earned during the professional phase of
the program only. Demonstrated excellence in research, publishing, community/professional
service, or leadership activities is to be weighed in addition to GPA.
GPA alone is not an indication for induction. Only PA students attending
a program accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education
for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA) are eligible for induction.
b. Nominations within chapters shall be limited to those
students who are in the last year of the professional phase in their respective
PA programs. The deadline for submission of nominations to the Advisory
Committee by chapters will be two months prior to the nominee's graduation.
The total number of nominees elected shall not exceed fifteen percent
of the total number in the class expected to graduate. A student's nomination
can be withdrawn by program faculty after submission, should the nominee
fail to maintain the nomination requirements between the time of nomination
and graduation.
c. The nomination for membership of PA students in programs
with non-traditional methods of grading (e.g., pass/fail, satisfactory/unsatisfactory,
or programs not able to give an overall GPA or class rank for each student,
etc.) will be based on the individual chapter's method of meeting the
criteria established in Article III, Section 1, Paragraph a.
d. A candidate shall not be inducted as a member of the
Society until the program's fees to the national Pi Alpha office have
been paid. There will be no charge to the student inductee. Non-student
inductees' costs will be assumed by the chapter or individual inductee.
Section 2. Alumni Memberships
a. The provision for election by each chapter of alumni
and faculty members each year provides a means to recognize and honor
individuals who have distinguished themselves in their professional careers.
b. Alumni: Chapters may nominate and induct alumni for
each year the chapter had a graduating class. The nominating criteria
should be the same as those for current graduates.
Section 3. Faculty Memberships
a. Faculty: Full-time physician assistant program faculty
who have been with a PA program at least three years and who have fulfilled
the criteria of distinguished scholarship, as well as leadership or service
to a physician assistant program or the profession are eligible for nomination
to the Society.
Section 4. Honorary Membership
a. Individuals (PA or non-PA) who have rendered distinguished scholarship,
as well as leadership or professional service to the PA profession, and
those who are not eligible for election through other means are eligible
for consideration with honorary status. Induction is limited to one honorary
member per graduating class.
Section 5. Payment for Induction of Non-students
(Alumni, Faculty, and Honorary members)
a. Fees incurred for any inductee other than students will be absorbed
by the PA program or individual. Only the cost for student inductees will
be included in the fees for individual chapters.
Article IV. ORGANIZATION AND CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION
Section 1. The Structure
of the PAEA National Physician Assistant Honor Society Advisory Committee
a. The Advisory Committee will be appointed by the Physician
Assistant Education Association Board of Directors.
b. The general management of the Society shall be vested in the Advisory
Committee. The Advisory Committee shall conduct the business of the national
Society of Pi Alpha.
Section 2. Officers
a. The officers shall be the Chair, Secretary/Treasurer, and three council
members at large. All officers will have voting privileges.
Section 3. Support Staff
a. The national office shall employ administrative staff and be chosen
by PAEA.
Section 4. Chair
a. The Chair shall serve a three-year term and be responsible for overseeing
the activities of the Society, appointing all subcommittees, and performing
such duties as usually pertain to the office of Chair. The Chair will
be responsible for generating and presenting annual reports to the PAEA
Board of Directors. The Chair may serve no more than two consecutive terms.
Section 5. Secretary/Treasurer
a. The Secretary/Treasurer shall be appointed by PAEA to serve for a term
of two years. The Secretary/Treasurer shall, in conjunction with the PAEA
support staff, perform the usual duties of said officer, including but
not limited to overseeing a complete record of all members and their addresses
and other data that the Advisory Committee may require. This person shall
work with national staff to present an annual written report of the financial
standing of the Society that includes a detailed statement of all monies
received and expended during the preceding year.
Section 6. Installation of Officers
a. The officers will be installed at the time of their appointment.
Section 7. Members at Large
a. There will be three members at large: two PA program graduates and
one PA student. The student member will be the current SAAAPA student
member at large to PAEA and have voting privileges.
Section 8. Meetings of the Advisory Committee
a. The Advisory Committee will meet at the PAEA Semiannual Meeting. It
will also be convened quarterly by the Chair in January, April, July,
October, and/or at other times deemed appropriate to vote on applications
and other issues as determined by the Advisory Committee. It may conduct
business by correspondence, including facsimile transmission, conference
calls, teleconference, and electronic mail. Votes taken at these meetings
shall be binding. A record shall be kept of the Council's action, and
a report thereof shall be made to the next annual meeting of the Advisory
Committee.
Section 9. Removal of Officers/Filling of Vacancies
a. The Advisory Committee shall be empowered to remove officers for cause.
The PAEA Board of Directors will fill vacancies.
Article V. NEW CHAPTERS
Section 1. Application for Membership
a. A chapter may be chartered at an institution with a physician assistant
program accredited by the ARC-PA. An application signed by the program
director and by at least two full-time members of the PA program faculty
shall be sent to the Advisory Committee. If the application is approved
by the Advisory Committee, a charter shall be granted.
Article VI. CHAPTER ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION
Section 1. The individual PA program will decide the extent to which
it will develop its chapter and structure. This extent will be determined
by the members comprising each program's chapter faculty for each individual
program.
Section 2. Structure of Chapter
a. Chapter Council. Each chapter will have a Chapter Council consisting
of faculty, program director, and other members appointed at the discretion
of the Chapter Council's chair. The Chapter Council will communicate with
the Advisory Committee and is the sole responsible governing body at the
chapter level. The Chapter Council is responsible for payment of chapter
dues, the creation of a list of nominees for membership according to these
by-laws, submission of nominees' names to the Advisory Committee in a
timely fashion, arranging for induction of new members, and other appropriate
business.
b. Future development of Pi Alpha will include national
meetings and other organized activities to be determined by the Advisory
Committee, in conjunction with PAEA, as Pi Alpha develops. Such meetings
would occur concurrently with the PAEA Semiannual Meetings.
Article VII. SUSPENSION AND WITHDRAWAL OF CHARTER
Section 1. Suspension and
Withdrawal
a. The charter of any Pi Alpha chapter may be suspended by a majority
vote of the Advisory Committee of Pi Alpha. Suspensions are considered
for violations of the bylaws. During such suspension the chapter shall
not elect or induct new members. The Advisory Committee may reinstate
a chapter by the same mechanism.
Section 2. Procedure
a. An investigation convincing the Advisory Committee that such action
is desirable and a majority vote of the Advisory Committee to that effect
is required.
b. Formal declaration by the Chair of suspension or withdrawal of the
charter shall be made upon the recommendation of the Advisory Committee.
c. Any chapter that remains inactive for five years will be so notified
and disenfranchised following the expiration of a one-year grace period
in which the given chapter may consider and implement reactivation. Further,
the charter of a chapter in an institution that loses its ARC- PA accreditation
will be invalidated and the chapter cannot elect new members. Inactivity
of a chapter will be determined by the Advisory Committee of Pi Alpha.
Article VIII. AMENDMENT TO BYLAWS
Section 1. Procedure
a. Proposals for amendment of the bylaws shall be submitted through the
chair to the Advisory Committee at least ninety days before the next annual
or other meeting of the Advisory Committee. A majority vote in favor shall
be necessary to adopt any amendment to the bylaws.
Article IX. OTHER PROVISIONS
Section 1. Fees and Dues
a. The initiation fee to the Society will be established by the Advisory
Committee and may change from time to time as may be deemed necessary.
b. Annual sustaining dues (per inductee fees) shall be sent to PAEA.
Section 2. Fiscal Policy
a. The Advisory Committee must approve an annual budget.
b. The fiscal year shall extend from July 1 to June 30.
Section 3. Development
a. Development of a Pi Alpha Web site by PAEA, in conjunction with the
Advisory Committee, will occur. It will contain chapter news, membership
information and applications, and other pertinent information.
b. Future Pi Alpha development will occur as membership increases.
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