By-Laws

Name and Affiliation

The official name of this organization will be SCRA; it stands for the Student Clinical Research Association.

Purpose and Mission Statements

The purposes of SCRA are as follows:

To serve as a resource to provide organized opportunities for community-oriented volunteer efforts;

To assist members in obtaining information and knowledge regarding employment and educational opportunities in the field of clinical trials research;

To provide members of committees who will serve as student liaisons to the clinical trials research program and administration;

To build awareness in the college community, high schools, and the general public regarding the clinical trials research profession and the role and responsibilities of the clinical research professional in the clinical research industry.

Membership Information

There are two levels of membership in the SCRA organization:

            Full membership is offered to any student currently enrolled in any CTR course at $5 per semester.  These members have full voting rights upon payment of dues for the semester and are eligible to serve as officers and committee chairs.

            Supporting membership is offered to all Durham Tech students who are interested in clinical trials research associate program at $2 per semester.  These members may serve on all committees of the organization and are encouraged to participate in all of the activities sponsored by SCRA.

            Alumni membership is offered to any alumni of the CTRA program at $25 per payable in a January.  These members have full voting rights upon payment of dues for the year and are eligible to serve as officers and committee chairs.

Non-payment of dues will result in deletion from the membership list for the semester in which no dues are paid.

Officers

There are five officers for conducting business of the organization.  These officers are President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Historian.

            Election

The officers will be elected from members in good standing with the organization.

Elections will be held every summer.

Terms of Office

Officers shall assume their official duties at the end of the first meeting in September of each year.

The term of office shall be one year.

No officer can be elected for more than two consecutive terms.

No officer shall hold more than one office at a time.

Qualifications

A nominee for President or Treasurer must have been in the CTRA program for at least two consecutive semesters immediately preceding nomination or be a graduate of the program.

A nominee for Vice-President or Secretary must be enrolled in the CTRA program at the time of the nomination or be a graduate of the program.

A nominee shall be a full member in good standing with the organization.

Duties

      President

Shall serve as chief executive officer of the organization and represent the organization to the public.

Shall preside at all meetings.

Shall prepare an agenda for meeting and ensure that a notice of all meetings is posted.

Shall have the power to sign all written obligations of the organization.

Shall guide and conduct the activities of the Association in accordance with general policies of National Clinical Research National Organizations.

Shall collaborate with the Secretary and present an annual report of SCRA to the membership.

Shall perform other duties as the organization assigns.

Vice President

Shall discharge the duties of the President in that individual’s absence or a vacancy.

Shall succeed to the presidency in the event of a vacancy in the office of the President.

Shall serve as alternate representative to other organizations.

Shall perform other duties as the President assigns.

Secretary

1.  Shall record minutes of the meetings.

2.  Shall keep all permanent records of the organization.

3.  Shall compile the annual report with the assistance of the President.

Treasurer

1.  Shall be responsible for the collection of dues, fees, and other monies paid into or belonging to the organization.

2.  Shall keep full and accurate accounts of all receipts and disbursements of the SCRA.

3.  Shall have the organization’s accounts reviewed annually.

4.  Shall prepare and submit an annual financial report of the organization at the first September meeting of the SCRA.

5.  Shall serve as chair of the finance committee.

Historian

1.  Shall record by photos or other special events related to SCRA or the CTRA program (examples: fund-raisers, parties, conferences, class projects, etc.)

2.   Shall purchase films and supplies as needed after approval by the Treasurer.

3.   Shall maintain SCRA scrapbook.

        Vacancies

        In the event of vacancies, an election will be held within one month to replace that officer.  In the interim period, the President will appoint a member in good standing to conduct all necessary business of the organization.

Committees

There may be eight standing committees in the SCRA.  These committees will function to promote the purposes and missions of the organization, and will develop and follow their own standard operation procedures.

        The committees are:

                  Fundraising committee

                  By-Laws committee

                  Education and Program committee

                  Community Outreach committee

                  Recruitment and Community Awareness committee

                  Finance committee

                  Membership committee

                  Resource Network committee

Nominations and Elections

Nominations shall be made during the June meeting of the organization.  The person being nominated shall be a member in good standing with the organization.  The nominee must agree to serve.  Nominations will be open, and all eligible candidates will be informed of the opportunity to run and the duties and responsibilities of each office.

The Treasurer will hold elections during the July meeting after the confirmation of the nominees.  Elections will be conducted by the use of secret written ballots that will be distributed based on membership status at the time of the election.  A simple majority of all votes cast will determine the winner of the elections.  The CTRA program director and two students who are not in contention for the officer will count ballots.  Result will be announced at the conclusion of the meeting, and the ballots will then be destroyed with the approval of the membership.

Liaisons to the CTRA Curriculum

Members of the SCRA will serve as liaison to the CTRA program to provide student input into all curricular decisions and activities.  Student will be selected by the SCRA to serve on a variety of committees as needed and identified by the CTRA program faculty.

Responsibilities of these positions involve the gathering of information and opinion from SCRA members, attendance at committee meetings, reporting out to SCRA members, and active participation in committee discussions and decisions.

Selection of these committee liaison positions will be on a yearly basis.  There will be two representatives of SCRA on the Student Senate.  Replacements will be sought within one month if a vacancy occurs.  A CTRA faculty member will serve as an Advisor for SCRA.

FACULTY ADVISOR

The faculty advisor shall be an exempt employee of Durham Technical Community College and member of the Clinical Trials Research Associate Program faculty.  The advisor will provide counsel on matters of school policy and procedure and will act as liaison between the club and college as needed.

The faculty advisor will also provide liaison between the club and outside agencies such as the Society of Clinical Research Associates (SoCRA) and/or the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP).

Meetings

Meetings will be held on a monthly basis at a time agreed upon by a majority of SCRA members.  Times and places for all meetings shall be posted on student bulletin boards throughout the campus.

Order of Business

Except as otherwise provided, all meetings of the organization shall be governed by parliamentary rules and procedures stipulated in Roberts’ Rules of Order Newly Revised.

Ethics

The SCRA shall endorse the Code of Ethics put forth by the Society of Clinical Research Associates (SOCRA) and the Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP).

Amendments

These by-laws may be amended, repealed, or altered in whole or part by a majority vote at a duly organized meeting by the membership of the organization.