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Suggested
Procedures for Selecting Representatives to the Student Advisory
Committee
Introduction
The Student
Advisory Committee (SAC) to the Society of Toxicology (SOT) Council
was created to advise SOT Council and to formulate
and/or implement initiatives designed to encourage more widespread
and meaningful participation of the student membership of SOT.
Furthermore, the SAC facilitates continued participation by encouraging
student members to apply for associate member status in SOT.
The
SAC is composed of student representatives from each
regional SOT chapter. While working corporately to achieve
goals at the
national level, SAC representatives have the
responsibility of striving for the same goals within
their respective Regional
Chapters. To this end, the SAC (1) suggests
methods for selection of SAC representatives and (2)
suggests responsibilities and
activities of the representatives within each
chapter. It is hoped that these guidelines will serve
not only to help shape
the expectations that chapters have of their
representatives, but also to increase the effectiveness
of the SAC representative
position in recruitment, active participation,
and retention of the student membership in SOT.
1. Selection of SAC Representatives
Selection
of SAC representatives and duration of the representative’s
term on the committee is acknowledged
to be at the sole
discretion of the Regional Chapter. However, in the absence of established
protocols in a given Regional Chapter, the SAC suggests the
following guidelines be applied:
a.
Selection criteria
- Student
is currently enrolled in a graduate program (MS or
PhD) within the chapter.
- Student
should have or will apply for student membership
in SOT as well as in their Regional Chapter.
- Student
is expected to make their presence as SAC representative
known and become actively involved in their
Regional Chapter.
- Student
must be willing to commit to at least a 1-year
term of service.
- Student
is expected to attend the SOT Annual Meeting.
b. Chapter representative selection methods
- Nomination
from within and election by the chapter's student
membership
(via e-mail, chapter website, paper
ballot).
- Nomination
and election by the chapter's professional membership
and/or student membership.
- Appointment
by chapter officers/councilors- (Although this
approach is not entirely
representative, it may
be necessary
during times of sudden turnover).
- The
Regional Chapter President should forward the name
and contact information
of the incoming representative
to Betty Eidemiller
at SOT Headquarters.
2. Term Limits, Transition Procedures, and SAC Officer
Selection Procedure
a. Term limits
SAC representatives
are required to represent their respective Regional Chapter
on the SAC for at
least one year, with a maximum
tenure of 3 years. Officer terms begin
on May 1 of each year. The term limit for the office of secretary
is one year. Representatives
elected to the position of co-chair will
serve
in this
capacity for one year, followed by one
year as chair of SAC.
b. Procedures for incoming and departing SAC
representatives
Departing
SAC representatives and their respective chapters are encouraged
to select incoming
SAC representatives at least one
month prior to the National SOT Annual
Meeting, or on a timeframe previously used by the
Regional Chapter.
This time will serve
as an adjustment period during which
the departing SAC representative is asked to bring the incoming
representative up-to-date with
current SAC activities and goals. Although
not required, the incoming SAC representative
is
encouraged to attend
the SAC business
meeting with the active (departing) SAC
representative.
Incoming SAC representative trainees
are encouraged
to participate in
the SAC business meeting, but are not
permitted to vote. Currently, travel costs for active
SAC representatives
are subsidized by
$250 from the regional chapter matched
by $250 from SOT. Incoming SAC representatives are
encouraged to
attend the National SOT
Annual Meeting. Although travel costs
are not officially covered by SOT for incoming SAC
representatives, Regional Chapters are
encouraged to provide appropriate travel
subsidies for departing and incoming SAC representatives.
c. Procedures for SAC representatives elected
to officer positions
SAC representatives can be elected to office
positions (e.g. chair, co-chair, secretary)
after 1 year of SAC
service as a
Regional Chapter representative. During
the first 4 months in office, the SAC chair serves
as both
officer
and Regional Chapter
representative. At the end of that time,
a new Regional Chapter representative
is chosen.
SOT
provides $500
to the SAC chair
for travel to the National meeting. The
newly elected representative receives the $500
travel funds provided
jointly by the Regional
Chapter and SOT.
SAC representatives elected to secretary
and co-chair positions are expected to
continue representation of
their respective Regional
Chapters. When the SAC co-chair transitions
to the chair position, he/she no longer
officially represents
their Regional Chapter,
and a new representative must be selected
(see
b above).
3. Responsibilities and Activities of
the SAC Representatives within the
Regional Chapter
Identification of issues, concerns,
and opportunities that influence
the level
of student involvement
in SOT is a primary goal of
SAC. The SAC is better equipped to
move forward on issues most relevant
to students,
on a
national level,
by pooling concerns
and ideas revealed at the regional
level. Accordingly, action taken
by the SAC
at the national level
can facilitate student
member-oriented programs initiated
at the Regional Chapter level. With
this
in mind,
Regional
Chapters may expect the following
to be performed by their representative:
a. Student outreach
- Student
representative will develop/maintain a current list
of students/post-docs
who are members of
the local chapter.
- Student
representative will maintain frequent correspondence
with the
student membership
(preferably by e-mail).
- Student
representative will work with their
Regional Chapter
Council
to identify
pathways
for increasing
student membership
in their chapter
and encourage students
to join SOT.
- Student
representative will meet with
other students at chapter
meetings
with
the intent
of gathering
ideas and serving as
a catalyst for increased
student
involvement.
- Student
representative will work closely
with the chapter's
student
officers (if
such a structure
exists)
to plan and
implement local student
activities.
- Student
representative will attempt
to identify
student leaders
from
other institutions
within
their chapter
and
initiate a
dialogue with these
leaders to
increase
student involvement
at those institutions.
This may be
particularly useful for students
at institutions
who have not
historically
attended the
Regional
Chapter meeting.
b. Regional officer liaison
- Student
representative will update the chapter
officers on new SAC initiatives,
the position of the chapter's
students on these initiatives,
and the impact that these
initiatives may have on student involvement within the
chapter.
- Student representative
will (in the absence
of student
officers) serve as
a conduit for
dialogue between
the chapter leadership
and students. The
chapter officers should feel free
to contact
their SAC representative
to
ascertain student
input on Regional
Chapter issues.
- Student
representative will maintain contact
with the chapter's newsletter
and/or webmaster (if available)
and will provide current
announcements regarding local student and SAC
activities.
Summary
The SAC has enjoyed a successful
history of identifying
and implementing
ideas to improve
the student
experience in SOT.
Established as student leaders at the
national level,
SAC members desire
to return energy and momentum
to the Regional
Chapters. Developing
student interest
and raising student issues from the
grassroots to the
national spotlight,
and
vice versa,
will strengthen and
benefit toxicology
at all levels for years to come.
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