Delta Omega By-Laws

(VOTED: July 26th, 2021)

Article I: Name

The name of this organization shall be the Delta Omega Honorary Society, Omega Chapter of the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, hereafter referred to as Delta Omega (DO).

Article II: Objectives

The objective of DO shall be to encourage and recognize excellence in practice, research, education, and academic achievement in the field of public health amongst members of The Milken Institute School of Public Health (hereafter referred to as GWSPH).

Article III: Executive Board and Officers

Section 1. The Executive Board shall:

Oversee the business of DO. The Executive Board is delegated full power and responsibility for the oversight of DO.

Section 2. Titles

The oversight of DO shall be the responsibility of an Executive Board, which will consist of its current officers and the immediate past president.
The officers of the chapter shall consist of:
- President,
- Vice President,
- Past President,
- Secretary,
- Student Associations Liaison,
- Director of Member Engagement,
- MPH@GWU Liaison,
- MHA@GWU Liaison,
- Program Director,
- Members-At-Large,
- Chapter Advisor, and
- GWSPH Alumni Ex-officio
The officers of the chapter will be responsible for all duties as identified in Article III Section 3.
The voting rights of officers are explained in Article III Section 3.
The Executive Board shall create Member-At-Large positions with the concurrence of the members. There shall not be more than three Member-At-Large members at any given time.

Section 3. Duties

A. The President shall:

Administer and be responsible for the general activities of DO.
Preside at all business sessions of DO.
Serve as delegate or designate an alternate to represent the Omega Chapter at the National DO meeting.
Communicate Omega Chapter updates to the GWSPH webmaster.
Have one vote; except in the situation of tie, the President can cast one additional vote.
Serve for a minimum one year as President.
Serve for one year as Past President after completion of the term as President.

B. The Vice President shall:

Support the President in all activities.
Assume the duties of the President in his or her absence.
Have one vote.
Manage email communications.
Serve for one year as Vice President.
Serve for one year as President after completion of the one-year term as Vice President.

C. The Past President shall:

Support the President and Vice President in all activities assigned by the President.
Work closely with Director of Member Engagement on outreach activities.
Have one vote.
Serve for one year as Past President after completion of the one-year term as President.

D. The Secretary shall:

Be responsible for oversight of all official records of DO.
Review and approve Minutes of all Executive Board meetings.
Monitor the DO e-mail on a regular basis with the President and Vice President.
Communicate with the DO members on a regular basis through the Listserv.
Perform other related duties as assigned by the President and Vice-President.
Have one vote.
Serve for two years.

E. The Program Director shall:

Manage logistics for DO sponsored events, including the annual DO career panel event, new member induction ceremony, and any other events.
Maintain up-to-date financial records for DO.
Be responsible for preparation of annual budget in consultation with the Executive Board.
Explore funding opportunities and compete for grants.
Fulfill all grant obligations instructed by the funding source.
Perform other related duties as requested by the President in administering the activities of DO.
Have one vote.
Serve for two years.

F. The Student Associations Liaison shall:

Serve as a liaison between the Public Health Student Associations, the Public Health Alumni Association (PHAA), Office of Alumni Engagement, GWSPH Career Services, and DO.
Have one vote only if the Liaison is also a DO member.
Serve for two years.

G. Director of Member Engagement shall:

Manage DO social media accounts (i.e., Facebook)
Manage DO professional network sites (i.e., LinkedIn)
Send quarterly DO newsletter to members.
Have one vote.
Serve for two years.

H. MPH@GWU Liaison shall:

Serve as a liaison between MPH@GWU program and DO, providing key consultation regarding engagement.
Have one vote.
Serve for two years.

I. MHA@GWU Liason shall:

Serve as a liaison between MHA@GWU program and DO, providing key consultation regarding engagement.
Have one vote.
Serve for two years.

J. Member-At-Large:

Conduct duties related to special projects authorized by the Executive Board.
Be a DO Member.
Have one vote.
Serve for one year.

K. Chapter Advisor shall:

Serve as an advisor and historian to the Executive Board.
Serve as a liaison between DO Executive Board and GWSPH faculty.
Be a DO Member.
Have one vote.
Coordinate the selection of new members annually.
Serve as long as remains a full-time faculty member of GWSPH.

Section 4. Meetings and Quorum

Meetings of the Executive Board shall be called by the President or by a simple majority of its membership.
There shall be a monthly meeting on a day mutually agreed upon by the Executive Board.
A simple majority of the Executive Board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
No Board member may vote by proxy.

Section 5. Vacancies

If, before the expiration of the term for which the President is elected, the individual should become incapacitated or otherwise unable to serve, the Vice President shall succeed to the office vacated for the unexpired portion of the term. Further, if the Vice President is unable to succeed to the Presidency, the Board shall select from its body a person to serve as Interim President for the unexpired portion of the term. Vacancies in the office of other positions shall be filled by appointment of the Board for the unexpired portion of the term.

Section 6. Resignation and Removal of Board Members

A board member or officer may elect to resign at any time during a term of office.
Absence without good cause from three consecutive meetings may constitute resignation and the vacancy shall be filled as provided for in these By-laws.

A board member or officer may be removed by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of board members present at any scheduled meeting, provided the intent to consider removal was submitted in writing to all board members at least three weeks prior to the date of such scheduled meeting.

Section 7. Elections and Terms of Officers

Officers shall be elected by members of Omega Chapter of DO. A call for nominations will be sent to all members by email in June. Election will be conducted by email or internet voting modes in June. The term of office for officers is 1 July through 30 June. Existing Board members may re-run for any position on the board.

Article IV: Membership

There shall be five (5) categories of membership in DO. An ad hoc committee consisting of DO faculty members will elect new DO graduate and baccalaureate student members. Any DO member can serve in an ad-hoc committee to elect alumni members and honorary members and any DO member other than faculty can participate in the committee to select new DO faculty members.

A. GWSPH Graduate Student Membership: Graduate student members shall be chosen with due regard to their scholarly attainments and honorary character of DO. A maximum of ten percent (10%) of graduating graduate students shall be elected to membership in any one year. Those elected shall be from the upper twenty-five percent (25%) in class standing and have demonstrated real or potential qualities of leadership in public health. Regardless of program, students must apply during the same academic year of their application. Meaning applicants in the spring must have been full-time students during the same spring semester or prior fall semester. Students in the MPH@GWU program will be treated the same as traditional graduate student applicants. Transfer students will also be treated the same; however, GPA calculations will only include coursework taken at GWSPH. Credit hours, however, can include all coursework hours regardless of completion location.

Graduate student applicants must be from the upper twenty-five percent (25%) in class standing (based on completion of at least 31 graduate credits if a master’s student and 40 graduate credits if a doctoral student). In addition to academic excellence, applicants must also have demonstrated leadership or potential leadership qualities in public health practice, including research policy, advocacy and other activities. Graduate students may nominate themselves by submitting a nomination package that includes: one letter of recommendation reflecting each of the above criteria; a one-page personal statement; and a resume or curriculum vitae. Letter of recommendation need not be from a DO member.

B. GWU Baccalaureate Student Associate Membership: A maximum of ten percent (10%) of the graduating baccalaureate students shall be elected to membership in one year. Those elected shall be from the upper twenty percent (20%) in class standing and have demonstrated real or potential qualities of leadership in public health in addition to academic excellence. The total student group from which the selections are made shall include only persons who are candidates for a baccalaureate degree in public health, exercise science or athletic training during the current or previous academic year.

Baccalaureate student applicants must demonstrate leadership qualities in professional and community activities within the field of public health practice, including research policy, advocacy and other activities. Students may nominate themselves by submitting a nomination package that includes: one letter of recommendation reflecting each of the above criteria; a one-page personal statement; and a resume or curriculum vitae. Letter of recommendation need not be from a DO member.

C. GWSPH Alumni Membership: Alumni must demonstrate leadership in professional and community activities within the field of public health that serves as a model for future graduates of the school. Alumni members must have at least three (3) years of full-time professional experience related to public health and may not be eligible for nomination within one year of graduation. The selection committee generally focuses most on accomplishments and activities since graduation, so very recent graduates will not typically be competitive. Nomination must be made by a current DO member. Alumni may submit a nomination package including one letter of recommendation/nomination from a current DO member; a one-page personal statement describing professional and community activities; and a resume or curriculum vitae. Maximum of 10 alumni can be inducted per year.

D. GWSPH Faculty Membership: Full-time faculty members are evaluated based on outstanding public health performance in teaching, research, and community service and leadership within and outside of the GWSPH. Nomination must be made by a current DO member. Faculty members may submit a nomination package including one letter of recommendation/nomination from a current DO member; and curriculum vitae. The total number of faculty members elected in any one year may be up to three percent (3%) of the full-time faculty.

E. Honorary Membership: In any one year, DO may nominate one individual (who is not a student, alumnus, or faculty member) as an honorary member. This membership shall be limited, and shall be conferred only upon persons possessing exceptional qualifications who have attained a meritorious distinction in the field of Public Health.

Article V: Amendments

These By-laws may be amended in whole or in part by a simple majority vote of the Executive Committee members present at its meeting or by mail or email. Copies of the By-laws shall be available at all meetings and shall be posted on the DO website. The chapter By-laws shall be changed based on the changes of the National DO office.