The Biomedical Engineering Society Constitution

University of Michigan - Dearborn Chapter

2024 - 2025
 Preamble

The primary objective of the Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) Student Chapter at the
University of Michigan-Dearborn is to facilitate the efforts of both the undergraduate and
graduate students of the BENG program (or those interested) in their professional development
and academic pursuits. Members of the organization will work collectively to provide students
with insight regarding curriculum options, research opportunities, and employment prospects. In
addition, these events will inform the university community of the significance of biomedical
engineering and raise awareness of the opportunities that exist within it.

Article I. Name and History

This organization shall be known as the University of Michigan-Dearborn BMES Student

Chapter, hereinafter called the “chapter” which shall have been granted a charter by the
Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES). The chapter was founded on October 15th, 2011 by
Mohammad Ali Al-Ameen, Mohamad Mahmoud, and Mohamed Khachab.

Article II. Purpose

Section I:
The purpose of this organization shall be:
1. To be a resource for students interested in Biomedical Engineering (Bioengineering)
2. To promote student interest in Biomedical Engineering
3. Further improve the quality of the Bioengineering Program at the University of
Michigan-Dearborn by: (a) Matching students with mentors to assist with concerns about
program content and curriculum, (b) present workshops to provide advice about
curriculum options, selecting courses and investigating graduate programs, (c) providing
opportunities for students to discuss with alumni about employment after graduation, and
(d) promote student/faculty interaction.
4. To promote high school students’ interests in Biomedical Engineering and encourage
them to join our program at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
5. To provide opportunities for student delegates to attend national BMES conferences and
meetings.
6. To promote awareness of career opportunities in different industries and internships.
7. To foster broad student interest and participation in activities by providing leadership,
programs, and service.
8. To assist students in developing skills and leadership abilities.
9. To organize social events, special events and gatherings for students.

Clause I: All activities and functions of the organization must be legal under University, local,
state, and federal laws.
 Article III. Non-Discrimination Clause

The University of Michigan-Dearborn BMES Student Chapter is committed to a policy of equal

opportunity for all person and does not discriminate on basis of race, color, national origin, age,
marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion,
height, weight, or veteran status.

Article IV. Membership

Section I:
Any person who is a registered student enrolled in any undergraduate college curriculum which
culminates in a bachelor’s or associate’s degree, or in any graduate level degree program which
will enhance professional competence, and who is also a student member in good standing of
BMES is eligible for membership in the student chapter. Recruitment happens throughout the
whole year, whenever a student wishes, they are able to join BMES.

Clause I:
All members of the student chapter are subject to the Constitution and Bylaws of the Biomedical
Engineering Society.

Section II:
A. Members shall be required to pay dues once each semester to remain an official member.
1. Dues will be decided yearly by the executive board after discussion with the faculty
advisor.
2. In addition to the student chapter dues, the dues required by the National Biomedical
Engineering Society will be implemented for students who would like to become
registered as a student member of the national chapter. Our chapter will register the
student for them.
B. Any person described in part A also has the alternative option not to become a member, in
which the person is not subject to the rights and privileges of student members of BMES, but is
informed of chapter events.
C. The executive board will decide yearly if the chapter has enough funds to pay for up to 10
national BMES memberships.
D. The Executive Board will annually determine whether the chapter has sufficient funds to send
its E-Board members to BMES Nationals. The E-Board will determine the amount of money that
the chapter can allocate for this purpose.
E. Hazing will not be used as a condition of membership in this organization.
F. Any member that does not follow the Constitution and Bylaws of the Biomedical Engineering
Society is subject to being removed and their membership be revoked.
G. Members have a right to request to remove another member and the board will look further
into the situation. The board will meet and discuss the reasons for removal of the member along
with the consequences, if any, for their actions. An appeal process does not exist, unless the
board decides otherwise. A membership will not be reinstated if the removed member did not
abide by the Constitution.

Section III:
A. In addition to fulfilling the membership requirements described above, active membership
status can be achieved by fulfilling the following:
1. Participate in at least 5 hours of BMES activities (must consist of more than one event
and one of the events must be for community service) in a given academic year.
2. Attend the elections meeting held at the end of the Winter semester.

Article V. Officers

Section I:
The Executive Board of this organization shall be composed of a
University faculty sponsor and the elected officers including the President(s), Vice-
President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Professional Development Chair.

A. The responsibilities of the Executive Board is but not limited to:

1. President:
a. Oversee all society operations.
b. Responsible for Regulatory University issues.
c. Communicate with the Engineering Department and industry contacts.
d. Prepare an agenda and hold all regular and officer meetings.
e. Oversee the organization of BMES annual meeting sponsorship.
f. Responsible for public relations, publicity, and promotion of the organization’s
activities.
g. Work with the Faculty Advisor and society national office in all council and
society matters.
h. Assist any other officer and member with their duties.
i. The President shall hold ultimate approval powers of all executive board
decisions, but can be overruled by a three-fourth majority vote of the board.
2. Vice President
a. Recruit student members and encourage participation.
b. Ensure the website is up to date.
c. Create monthly event calendars.
d. In charge of planning outreach events.
e. Assist President with organizational responsibilities.
f. Shall be the presiding officer in the absence of the President.
3. Treasurer
a. Monitor budget and spending
b. Responsible for keeping a financial record of the chapter.
c. Control bank account activity
d. Seek funding resources, which might include corporate sponsorship opportunities
and fund-raising.
e. Disbursement of money upon request from the President.
4. Secretary
a. Reserve rooms for all events.
 b. Take weekly meeting notes (minutes) and Email them to all members
c. Responsible for posting notices and reminders for all general and special events of
the chapter via Email and other communication tools.
d. Keep track of membership database and active member status of members.
e. Maintain the BMES chapter website and social media accounts.

5. Professional Development Chair

a. Planning professional development events for members
b. Communicating with faculty, alumni, and companies about research, internships
and job opportunities
c. Continually update upcoming events, event signups, home page highlights,
multimedia, etc.
d. Organize a minimum of two outreach events in the academic year
e. Help other members in their duties if needed

B. All Executive Board members are required to maintain active status as outlined in Article IV
Section II.
C. All Executive Board members are required to plan and carry out at least one event per
academic year.

Article VI. Operations

Section I: Election
A. Requirements
1. The same person may hold no position for two terms in a row unless the position would
otherwise remain vacant.
2. To run for President the candidate must be a current officer.
3. To run for any other officer position the candidate must be a current active member with
interest in BMES activities.
4. If there are no candidates from the active member pool for an officer position, non-active
members are then considered.
5. An officer can not hold more than one position concurrently, unless otherwise, the
position would remain vacant.
6. To run for an officer position, the candidate must be enrolled at the University of
Michigan-Dearborn for at least two terms (semester).
7. To run for an officer position, the candidate must be enrolled in an undergraduate or
graduate program at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
B. Procedure
1. A brief description of the position to be voted upon will be given by the incumbent.
2. Organization elections will be announced during general body meetings and members
will have two weeks to decide if they will run for a position in office, decide on what they
would bring to the position, and then two weeks to be able to vote.
3. Members can nominate fellow members or themselves, for any of the positions through
an online application.
4. A meeting will then be held with the potential candidate and President/Vice President.
 5. The existing E-board will vote on the candidates for the position based on qualifications.
6. Elections will take place on Victorslink at the end of the Winter semester
7. The new officers are elected into office by a majority vote in the ballot.
8. In the case of a tie, the faculty advisor will be consulted.
9. Because elections are done through an online poll, members do not have to be present
during voting and have to have their decision by the deadline set up by the board.
C. Voting Rights
1. Membership for Victorslink will be closed one day before voting begins, to avoid bias
votes.
2. Only student members who are active and in good standing are eligible to vote.
3. In the case of a tie, the faculty advisor will be consulted.

Section II: Term period

New officers shall take office at the beginning of the spring semester (May) and continue
through the end of the winter semester (April) of the following year. An exception is when an
officer is appointed by the president in the mid-term to replace a removal or resignation, in which
case the term will start after the time of election and end the winter semester of the following
year (same ending time as with all other officers).

Section III: Vacancy in the office of Board members

In the event of a vacancy of the President’s office, the Vice-President shall succeed to the
presidency and appoint a replacement to the vacated office. There is no appeal for officer
vacancies. If any of the other positions become vacant at any point during the term, elections for
that office shall be held within two weeks following the same procedure as stated in Article VI. If
that vacancy is failed to be filled, the responsibilities of that office shall temporarily be divided
among the remaining e-board.

Section IV: Awards/Sponsorship

A. Students presenting their research work have a priority in getting funding from the chapter
resources.
B. BMES Senior Design Sponsorship is awarded to projects that are BENG/BME related and
are selected based on an application/pitch process which is voted upon by the entire chapter via
an anonymous poll. The amount awarded is decided on prior to the application process and is
reviewed by the faculty advisor. The project poster must contain the University of
Michigan-Dearborn BMES Student Chapter logo, and must be listed under Sponsors.

Article VII. Meetings

Section I: General Body Meetings

The chapter shall hold regular monthly meetings each month during the school year, with the
exact date determined by the officers. Anyone can attend the meeting, members as well as
students who would like to join the Biomedical Engineering Society. Only active members who
are in good standing are capable of voting.

Section II:
At least three members of the Executive board shall be present at each
general meeting of the organization. Robert's Rules of Order will be used to conduct meetings.

Section III:
Notice of all meetings shall be posted on the Biomedical Engineering (or other appropriate)
Bulletin Board at least seven days prior to the date of the meeting, and may be further
publicized in any manner the E-board deems necessary and proper.

Article VIII. Removal of Membership & Executive Board Members

Section I: Dismissal of Chapter Members

Failure to comply with rules and regulations outlined in Article IV. Section I can result in removal
from the chapter population by a two-thirds vote of the board.

Section II: Removal of Executive Board Members

If an officer is not performing the tasks outlined in Article V, another officer or member of the
chapter can call for the removal of the officer. The reasons for the removal must be clearly stated
in writing and be submitted to the executive board for discussion, which is open to all members
for attendance. The officer in question has the opportunity to make a defense during this
discussion. The decision for the removal will be made upon agreement by all members of the
executive board (except the officer in question). The new officer will be appointed by the
President and follow operations of Article VI section I. The previously removed officer is able to
run for the executive board after a one term gap.

Article IX. Faculty Advisor

Section I:
A. The Faculty Advisor shall be appointed annually by the Chapter.
B. The Faculty Advisor must be an Associate member, Member, or Senior member of the
Society. They shall serve the chapter and the BMES as an intermediary and resource person.
C. An advisor will remain for as long as the advisor would like to.
D. An advisor will not be removed, only replaced.
E. In the event that an advisor resigns, a new advisor will be elected within 14 academic days.

Article X. ByLaws and Amendments

Section I:
The president shall have the authority to appoint special committees to deal
with matters pertaining to the operation and activity of the chapter.

Section II:
The constitution may be amended by a three-fourths vote of the members present at any regular
or special meeting provided written notice of the proposed amendment has been posted on the
Biomedical Engineering Bulletin Board at least seven days prior to the meeting. Upon passage,
an amendment should be submitted to the Society national office and the University of
Michigan-Dearborn Office of Student Life.

Section III:
An amendment can be proposed at any time throughout the academic year. Amendment timelines
will vary depending on the severity of the issue.

Section IV: Amendments take effect when they are made.

Article XI. Finances

Members shall be required to pay dues once each semester to remain an official member.
a. Dues will be decided yearly by the executive board with the discussion with the
faculty advisor.
b. There are no refunds on dues.
c. There is no exemption from paying dues.
d. The executive board has authority to spend the organization’s money.
e. Limitations on spending funds will be determined by the president.
f. All necessary documentation and procedures will be passed down from outgoing
to incoming officers.

Article XII. Ratification and Empowerment

“This constitution must be reviewed by the organization leadership and the Office of Student
Life once every three years.”
Approval from the Office of Student Life, Faculty Advisor, and executive board is needed to
implement the constitution. The constitution will go into effect after approval.

The Constitution was created on October 15th, 2011

Prior Revisions:
9/25/14
4/10/15
4/8/16
3/29/17
9/20/20
07/07/22
05/09/2023

Last Revised: 04/25/2024