Start a New YPS Chapter

Starting a new AAPI-YPS chapter? Congratulations! We are excited to have you on board and are looking forward to working with you during the year. We have set up this membership kit to help you start your local chapter and effectively integrate it into our national ring.

The first thing to look at is the membership checklist, which outlines the necessary steps to become an official recognized chapter. There is also a suggestions page that should help get things underway. My first piece of advice is to stay in contact with myself (the membership chair) and other nearby medical school chapters during this entire process. We can all give you lots of great ideas and options to start your new chapter. Also it will assist all of us in the greater goal of networking our South Asian medical community.

Remember membership is free and anyone can join. We ask that anyone who signs up for your local chapter also joins the national AAPI-YPS chapter (which also makes them a member of the parent AAPI organization). Joining is easy, simply have them navigate to the “Become a member” page.

This is an amazing undertaking and I applaud those of you that are willing to take on the responsibility. It is great experience and we hope it motivates you run for a national board position next year! Please keep in contact with me and let me know how things are working out. We’re here to help make your chapter a success.

Another outstanding resource is Anita Shankar (email her), president of the Houston chapter. She has great experience in not only starting a chapter, but keeping it strong.

FOLLOW THE CHECKLIST:

• Official name of your parent institution and chapter.
• Main contact person for chapter, including name, mailing address, email addresses (University Or professional email addresses preferred. No Hotmail or Yahoo accounts please!), and available phone numbers (home, pager, cell).
• All officer information in the following format:
• “Office – First M. Last – Sex – email”: Example: “President – Maneesh G. Kumar – Male – myemail@uiowa.edu“
• Local Chapter Constitution that meets the requirements under Sample AAPI-MSR Constitution as a Microsoft Word Document sent as an e-mail attachment please.
• Person chosen to be your faculty advisor (does not have to be a physician in parent AAPI or a physician in your particular institution, although both of these things would be preferred).
• Any plans for financing your chapter. (e.g. fundraising events, money from the university/HOSPITAL, private financier, etc.)
• Parent university/school procedures for BECOMING an affiliated organization of the respective parent university/school and steps taken to meet those requirements. It is not a requirement to be an official organization under your parent institution, but please try to do so as it will only make your organization stronger.
• Final Step: Please send all of the above information to the Membership Chair

I will return communication to the main contact person (check list item #2) and all the national officers with an announcement of your newly founded chapter once the checklist is complete! Good Luck!

SAMPLE CONSTITUTION:
Below is a sample constitution you may use for your new chapter. Of course, feel free to amend and edit to fit your particular chapter’s needs.

Please note the following national requirements for any new AAPI Chapter:

• Name of organization and medical institution.
• Purpose and Mission. (Article 1)
• Define eligibility membership (remember national database!) and dues, if any. (Article 2)
• A non-discriminatory statement. (Article 2)
• Officer Positions. (Article 3)
• Committees, if any.
• Rules of order in conducting business. (Article 3)
• Bylaws. (Article 4)

SAMPLE CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS

Article I: Purposes and Mission Statement

A: Purposes

• The AAPI-YPS Chapter is a local chapter of the parent organization AAPI-MSR, and will represent medical students and resident physicians of South Asian origin at aapimsrf@aapiusa.org
• The AAPI-YPS Chapter will promote, uphold, and maintain the highest standards of ethics in the practice of medicine and medical education
• The AAPI-YPS Chapter will provide a channel of networking, support, and open communication among its members, and to the national organization.
• The AAPI-YPS Chapter will actively work to represent its members and their professional needs in both political and social domains.
• The AAPI-YPS Chapter will provide non-profit group service to the community at large and host other activities by local chapter members.

B: Mission Statement

The AAPI-YPS Chapter will assist the national parent organization in promoting the professional, political, and social goals of South Asian American medical students and resident physicians.

Article II: Membership

Eligibility Requirements

• Medical student or resident physician (intern, resident, or fellow) in training at aapimsrf@aapiusa.org, who have paid the required dues of the organization.
• Membership in the national AAPI-YPS (free membership)
• Active interest in South Asian physician related issues

Discrimination.
Membership shall not be discriminated against because of race, color, gender, age, handicap, religious preference, disabilities, sexual orientation, ethnic or national origin.

Article III: Officers, Elections, and Government.

Officers

The following offices shall be held by any active member of AAPI-YPS who became a member of both the national and local AAPI chapters no later than the academic semester preceding general elections.

• President
• Vice-President
• Treasurer

Secretary

Elections
General elections are to be held anytime during the spring semester of each academic year, between March 1 and April 30, as seen fit by the previous governing board of officers.

• A general quorum or (3/4) of local AAPI-YPS members is required for elections to take place. Absentee voters do not count towards quorum.
• Absentee ballots may be accepted until midnight on the first election meeting where quorum is met. Ballots must be physically in the possession of the board and must be verified by at least two officers to be valid.

Article VI: Amendments to the Constitution.

 Proposal
Any proposal for an amendment to the Constitution shall be typewritten and shall state the Article, Section, and Paragraph to be changed, and shall be submitted to the aapimsrf@aapiusa.org AAPI-MSRF Officers.

Presentation
The AAPI-YPS Officers may change wording for clarification, but not to modify the intent, and present the new amendment, the part to be replaced and financial impact, if any, to the next Executive Committee Meeting.

Approval
After approval by three-fourths (3/4) of the voting members of the Executive Committee, proposed amendments to the Constitution are to be published by the Secretary for distribution within thirty (30) days to the general body after the vote.

Effective Date
The amendment shall take effect at the close of the next General Body Meeting at which it must obtain two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote.

CHAPTER SUGGESTIONS:
Focus on organizing events that are most interesting to/needed for your particular community

• Social mixers
• Service projects
• Mentorship (e.g. Big sib little sib)
• Conferences

Take advantage of useful resources

AAPI-MSRF

The Membership Chair is your number one resource. They will help you in any way they can, from starting a chapter to planning events. In addition the Communications Chair can help publicize events (like fundraisers or conferences) nationally. If you plan service events or a mentorship program, it would be useful to talk to the Community Service Chair. The entire board is here to help you. If you aren’t sure who to contact, contact the membership chair first and they will forward the request to the appropriate person.

AAPI Parent Organization
The parent AAPI organization can potentially be very useful to you. Many of the regions have a strong AAPI presence and the AAPI (parent group) Regional and Chapter Coordinators are eager to support YPS activities. Work with your counterparts in AAPI to discuss ideas, get speakers, plan logistics, and potentially obtain additional funding. Most, if not all, of the AAPI regions have annual events, so be aware of when the event is taking place and discuss the possibility of having an YPS event simultaneously with the regional coordinator

Other South Asian Groups
These groups can be helpful in publicity and co-sponsoring events. AAPI-YPS and NET-SAP/NET-IP have jointly sponsored conferences/events in the past, and such events may be a possibility at your school/institution. Also, do not forget about AAPI-YPS, the Young Professionals Section, may have an existing chapter in your area.

Encourage National Membership
Promoting AAPI national membership will help your local chapter by ensuring persons at your school/institution feel connected to the larger group. Membership benefits include receiving the AAPI Journal, getting discounts on AAPI sponsored conferences, and having opportunities to do service project, rotations abroad/in India among others. AAPI after all is nothing more than its members, so promoting membership is important!