Download the By-Laws (PDF) for printing
Revised and Approved July 2018

Article I - Roster of Members of the General Medical Faculty

  1. Administrative Support
    1. The General Medical Faculty will receive administrative support from the School of Medicine Dean’s Office of Faculty Affairs.
  2. Roster of Members of the General Medical Faculty:
    1. A current list of the membership of the voting General Medical Faculty shall be maintained by the Office of Faculty Affairs in the School of Medicine and is available to the Chair of the General Medical Faculty.

Article II -Meetings of GMF

  1. There shall be quarterly scheduled meetings of the General Medical Faculty (GMF) to be called by the Chair during each academic year.
     
  2. Special meetings shall be called by the Chairman:
    1. Upon the receipt of a request signed by 10 members of the voting General Medical Faculty; or
       
    2. At the request of a majority of the Faculty Advisory Committee of the General Medical Faculty.
  3. Under extraordinary circumstances, the Chair, without consultation with the Faculty Advisory Committee, may call a special meeting of the General Medical Faculty, but only for the purpose of transmitting urgent information to the members. No major business may be transacted at such extraordinary meetings.
     
  4. A quorum for a meeting of the General Medical Faculty shall be 25% of the voting members of the General Medical Faculty.
     
  5. To disapprove actions of the Dean and Executive Faculty, a simple majority of the voting members of the General Medical Faculty shall be required.
     
  6. All proceedings of the General Medical Faculty shall be conducted according to Robert's Rules of Order (revised) insofar as they are not inconsistent with any provisions of the Constitution and By-Laws.
     
  7. Voting shall be by electronic ballot. An individual may request that his or her vote be cast by paper ballot.
     
  8. All proceedings shall be recorded in Minutes, which shall be approved at the next meeting, and a copy of the approved minutes will be archived in the University Archives.

Article III -Basic & Clinical Science Divisions

  1. The General Medical Faculty shall include two groups:
    1. Basic Science Faculty
       
    2. Clinical Science Faculty
  2. Membership of these groups shall be as follows:
    1. A person shall be considered to be a member of the faculty group based on their primary departmental affiliation.
       
    2. Any individual with dual areas of professional training may petition the General Medical Faculty Advisory Committee to change their membership to the other faculty group.
  3. Meetings of either of these faculty groups may be called by the Chair of the General Medical Faculty, or at the request of a majority of the General Medical Faculty Advisory Committee, or at the request of at least five faculty members of the respective faculty group, to discuss and make recommendations to the General Medical Faculty regarding matters of unique concern to that group. These meetings shall be presided over by the Chair or Vice-Chair of the General Medical Faculty.
     
  4. A quorum for these meetings shall consist of 25% of the voting members of the respective faculty group.

Article IV -Officers of GMF

  1. The officers of the General Medical Faculty shall be: a Chair, a Past-Chair, a Vice-Chair, and a Secretary-Treasurer, each of whose terms shall be for one year beginning July 1, or until a successor is installed. Selection of the Current Chair will alternate between the Basic Sciences and the Clinical Sciences. The Vice-Chair shall be the Chair for the next year. Only members of the voting General Medical Faculty shall be eligible for these offices.
    1. Chair
      1. The Chair shall preside at all regular and special meetings of the General Medical Faculty, and its Basic Science and Clinical Science Divisions, and shall be responsible for ascertaining that the plans and policies decided upon by the General Medical Faculty are executed..
         
      2. Appoint members to the ad hoc committees of the General Medical Faculty with the approval of a majority of the members of the Advisory Committee of the General Medical Faculty.
         
      3. Present recommendations of the General Medical Faculty to the Dean and the Executive Faculty, and when so directed by both the General Medical Faculty and Executive Faculty, present recommendations to the School of Medicine Dean and the University, Provost, or President.
         
      4. Present, as immediate Past-Chair, at the first regularly scheduled meeting of the General Medical Faculty, a report summarizing the major developments occurring during his/her year as Chair of the General Medical Faculty.
         
      5. May represent the General Medical Faculty as an observer at meetings of the School of Medicine Board of Governors.
    2. Vice-Chair
      1. The Vice-Chair shall perform the duties of the Chair in the event of the latter's absence and shall assume the duties of the Chair if the Chair is unable to complete his/her term of office.
         
      2. The Vice-Chair shall chair the Nominating Committee.
         
      3. The Vice-Chair shall ensure that the By-Laws and Constitution are reviewed every five years.
    3. Secretary-Treasurer
      1. The Secretary-Treasurer shall prepare the minutes of the proceedings of each meeting of the General Medical Faculty. This shall be posted online within 30 days after the meeting. The minutes shall be approved at the beginning of each meeting.
         
      2. The Secretary-Treasurer shall prepare and distribute (with the assistance of the Office of Faculty Affairs) an agenda for all regular and special meetings of the General Medical Faculty at least one week in advance of the meeting, except as indicated in II. C.
         
      3. The Secretary-Treasurer shall, at the direction of the Chair, conduct all special correspondence of the General Medical Faculty. Electronic copies of all correspondence will be maintained in the Office of Faculty Affairs.
         
      4. The Dean’s Office of Faculty Affairs provides an annual operating budget for the General Medical Faculty meetings. The annual report on the Budget of the General Medical Faculty shall be presented by the Secretary-Treasurer at the last regular General Medical Faculty meeting of the academic year.

Article V – Representatives to the University Senate

  1. The representatives to the University Senate from the General Medical Faculty shall be elected for a term of three years.

Article VI – Representatives to the University Senate Committee on Faculty Tenure, Freedom and Responsibility

  1. The representatives to the University Senate on Faculty Tenure, Freedom and Responsibility from the General Medical Faculty shall be elected for a three-year term and may be re-elected. S/he shall have been a member of the voting General Medical Faculty for at least three years and shall have tenure.

Article VII - Standing Committees of the School of Medicine: Faculty Advisory Committee

  1. There shall be an Advisory Committee of the General Medical Faculty consisting of twelve elected members from the voting General Medical Faculty in addition to the Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, and immediate Past-Chair of the General Medical Faculty. The Chair of the General Medical Faculty shall serve as Chair of the Committee. The Dean shall meet regularly with the Advisory Committee of the General Medical Faculty to apprise them of major decisions made by the Dean and by the Executive Faculty.
    1. The functions of this Committee shall include:
      1. recommending actions to the General Medical Faculty.
         
      2. providing feedback on the agenda for meetings of the General Medical Faculty.
         
      3. consulting with the officers of the General Medical Faculty on matters of policy.
         
      4. reviewing the financial status of the Medical School with particular respect to conformity with short-and long-term goals of the Medical School.
         
    2. Membership
      1. Four members shall be elected each year for three year terms
         
      2. There shall be six members from the Basic Sciences and six from the Clinical Sciences.
         
      3. The Dean may include part time faculty as non-voting members by appointment.
         
      4. No more than two elected members shall be from the same department, except that for the purposes of this provision, a section shall have same status as a department.
         
      5. One of the elected members from the General Medical Faculty shall be a voting member from the Executive Faculty other than the Chair and immediate Past-Chair of the General Medical Faculty.

    Article VIII -Standing Committees of the School of Medicine: Grievance Committee

    1. Membership: The Grievance Committee shall elect its own Chair and function as the Executive Committee as designated in the University statement on Academic Freedom, Tenure and Responsibilities. It shall consist of the Chair of the General Medical Faculty, ex-officio, six representatives elected from the General Medical Faculty (three from Clinical and three from Basic Science Departments); and the Dean, ex-officio, or a representative appointed by him or her. The elected representatives shall serve for three-year terms. One new Basic Science member and one new Clinical Science member shall be elected each year. It is expected that a committee member who feels unable to rule objectively in a given case will withdraw from consideration of that case. The Chair of the General Medical Faculty will appoint a replacement from the respective clinical or basic science faculty.
       
    2. Jurisdiction: Matters appropriate for consideration by the Grievance Committee include, but are not limited to:
      1. Matters relating to academic freedom, tenure, and responsibilities.
         
      2. Complaints relative to dismissal of non-tenured faculty (but excluding the non-renewal of an appointment of non-tenured faculty, for which there exists no right to grieve).
         
      3. Complaints against faculty alleging a violation of the Tulane Equal Opportunity / Anti-Discrimination Policies.
    3. Procedure: The procedure for dealing with faculty grievances as outlined under B (1) and B (2), above shall be as follows:
      1. Informal Resolution: Prior to submission of a written complaint, the faculty member should attempt to resolve the matter through negotiation with the appropriate party or immediate superior (e.g., Section Chief, Department Chair or Dean). If negotiation is unsuccessful, the faculty member may take the matter to the next in authority (e.g., Department Chair, Dean or the Provost).
         
      2. Complaint and Gatekeeping: If the matter cannot be informally resolved, the aggrieved faculty member shall then submit the complaint, in writing and with specific details on its basis to the Chair of the General Medical Faculty, who may refer the matter to the Grievance Committee. The Chair of the General Medical Faculty will not refer grievances to the committee unless the procedure outlined in C (1) above has been followed. If the complaint appears to be frivolous, the Chair of the General Medical Faculty may decline to transmit the matter to the Grievance Committee and will notify the aggrieved faculty member of the decision within a reasonable time period (barring exceptional circumstances, within five business days). If the aggrieved does not agree with the decision, the aggrieved faculty shall then be entitled to a review following a written request to the Chair of the Grievance Committee within five business days. The Grievance Committee may, in its sole discretion, override the decision of the Chair of the General Medical Faculty and further review.
         
      3. Hearing: In case of complaints or grievances, the Grievance Committee may decide to hold a hearing, or decide that a case does not warrant a formal hearing. If the Grievance Committee decides that a hearing is warranted, the hearing should be conducted in a timely manner (generally, within 30 calendar days following receipt of the complaint, barring extenuating circumstances). Attorneys may not participate in the hearing or advocate for the parties in the process.
         
      4. Grievance Documentation:The parties may submit documents and information regarding the grievance. Documents submitted regarding the grievance should be shared with the parties and the Grievance Committee within a reasonable time before the hearing. This is not a legal process, and the rules of evidence and discovery do not apply. The process will be guided, at the Chair’s direction, by notions of fairness and reason.
         
      5. Voting/Report: The Grievance Committee shall decide the merits of the complaint and, where appropriate, recommend remedial actions or sanctions. All findings and recommendations by the Grievance Committee shall be decided by a vote of two-thirds of the members of the Grievance Committee. The Chair of the Grievance Committee or his or her designee shall reduce to writing the findings and recommendations of the Grievance Committee and send the report to the Dean. The report should include the facts upon which the Committee’s decision is based. The report should be signed by the Grievance Committee members. In the event that two-thirds consensus cannot be reached, the grievance will be referred to the Dean of Tulane University School of Medicine for decision. All deliberations of the committee are, by nature, confidential.
         
      6. Notice of Grievance Committee Findings: The Chair of the Grievance Committee shall, within a reasonably prompt period of time, send to the aggrieved faculty and the Dean a written notice describing the Grievance Committee’s findings and recommendations.
         
      7. Sanction/Remedial Measures Implementation: If sanctions or remedial measures are implemented by the responsible Tulane supervisor (i.e., the Dean or Department Chair) as a result of the Grievance Committee’s findings, the responsible supervisor should provide prompt notice of same to affected personnel, on a need to know basis. Sanctions or remedial measures should be implemented within a reasonably prompt period of time.
         
      8. Appeal Rights: The aggrieved faculty has the right to appeal decisions to the Faculty Tenure, Freedom, and Responsibility Committee, which is a sub-committee of the University Senate.
    4. Alleged Violations of Tulane’s Equal Opportunity/Anti-discrimination Policies: The procedure for dealing with grievances against faculty as outlined under B (3), above shall be as follows: Complaints against faculty alleging a violation of the Tulane Equal Opportunity / Anti-Discrimination Policies shall be governed by Tulane’s Equal Opportunity/Anti-Discrimination Policies and/or guidance provided by Tulane’s Office of Institutional Equity
       
    5. Confidentiality: All deliberations of the Grievance Committee are, by nature, confidential.

    Article IX -Standing Committees of the School of Medicine: Nominating Committee

    1.  In the first quarter of each year, the Dean or his or her designee shall inform the Nominating Committee of positions to become vacant in the Standing Committees and establish criteria for membership. The Nominating Committee shall propose at least two nominees for each position, with the exception of the Admissions Committee and the Student Professionalism and Promotion Committee positions, to be filled and transmit the list of nominees to the Dean or his or her designee.
      1. Membership
        1. The General Medical Faculty will establish the Committee of six elected members by July 1 of each academic year.
           
        2. The Committee shall consist of seven members to include three elected from the Basic Sciences and three elected from the Clinical Sciences; chaired by the Vice-Chair of the General Medical Faculty. Members will be elected for a three-year staggered term (i.e. three members will be elected yearly). A faculty member may serve only two consecutive terms.
      2. Functions of the Committee
        1. The Committee shall propose at least two nominees for each position to be filled either as an officer, member of the Faculty Advisory Committee of the General Medical Faculty, Grievance Committee, Curriculum Committee, Personnel and Honors Committee, Representative to the University Senate, and Representative to the Senate Committee on Faculty, Tenure, Freedom, and Responsibility or the subcommittees of the Senate.
           
        2. The list of nominees for each position shall be made known to the General Medical Faculty prior to May 15, and the Nominating Committee shall solicit further names from the General Medical Faculty at this time.
           
        3. Additional nominations for these posts may be made from the floor at the fourth quarterly meeting. Nominations from the floor must be accompanied by an assurance that the nominee will serve if elected.
      3. Quorum
        1. A quorum shall be 50% of the members of the committee.

        Article X -Standing Committees of the Executive Faculty

        1. These standing committees shall report to the Dean and the Executive Faculty.
          1. Admissions Committee
             
          2. Student Professionalism and Promotion Committee
             
          3. Personnel and Honors Committee
            Standing committees may be added to this list or deleted from it by the Dean with the consent of the Executive Faculty.  
        2. Membership
          Membership of all the Standing Committees of the Executive Faculty shall be determined according to the following procedures: The structure of each committee shall be determined initially by the Dean, in consultation with the Executive Faculty, with regard to providing appropriate representation of Basic and Clinical Science interests. With the exception of the Admissions Committee and the Student Professionalism and Promotion Committee, the term for faculty members on standing committees shall be for three-years and will be staggered to ensure continuity. Faculty completing an elected term will be eligible for reelection for one consecutive elected term. After completing the second consecutive term, elected faculty are not eligible for reelection to the same committee for a period of three years. Depending on the needs of the committee and the School, faculty may be appointed by the Dean or his/her designee to standing committees for renewable three-year terms. Each year, in the first quarter, the Dean or his/her designee shall present to the Executive Faculty and to the Nominating Committee of the General Medical Faculty a list of positions to become vacant in the Standing Committees of the Executive Faculty. Potential nominees can be proposed by Departmental Chairs, the Chairs of the Standing Committees, or by other members of the General Medical Faculty. All nominees identified shall be reviewed by the Dean for his/her consideration.
           
        3. Admissions Committee
          1. Membership
            The Admissions Committee consists of four components:
            1. Screeners: The sole responsibility of the screeners is to review every applicant to Tulane University School of Medicine and decide who will be invited for an interview. The screeners are select individuals from the admissions review committee and select admissions senior staff members.
               
            2. Interviewers: The sole responsibility of the interviewers is to conduct interviews and submit narrative and numerical interview reports. This group consists of approximately 80 faculty and staff members and 50 medical students. Each applicant has three interviews, one of which is conducted by a faculty/staff member.
               
            3. Review Committee: The sole responsibility of the Review Committee is to decide who will be offered admission, offered a spot on the waitlist or not offered admission to Tulane University School of Medicine. Twenty faculty members, two senior staff members, and 10 medical students serve as the review committee.
               
            4. Special Groups Sub-Committee: The sole responsibility of this committee is to advise the review committee on admission’s decisions of select applicant groups. These select applicant groups are early decision, early assurance, and waitlist applicants. The committee consists of members of the review committee.
               
            5. The current chair of the committee is the Assistant Dean of Admissions and is appointed by the Dean of Tulane University School of Medicine.
               
            6. Membership will consist of faculty, staff, and students who represent the diversity of Tulane University School of Medicine. Faculty members will constitute a majority of voting members on the committee. All members are appointed and serve one-year terms with the possibility for renewal.
          2. Function:
            1. The Admissions Committee will review and evaluate all applicants to Tulane University School of Medicine leading to a degree of Doctor of Medicine (MD).
               
            2. The Admissions Committee is responsible for and has the sole authority to evaluate applicants and select matriculates to Tulane University School of Medicine.
        4.  Student Professionalism and Promotion Committee
          1. Membership
            1. The Student Professionalism and Promotion Committee is appointed annually by the Dean of the School of Medicine.
               
            2. The Committee will be comprised of basic and clinical faculty actively involved in the assessment of medical students. The individuals are typically but not exclusively course directors. All members are appointed and serve one-year terms with the possibility for renewal.
               
            3. Three student voting members shall be included: the Chair of the Honor Board, the President of Medical Student Government, and the President of the Senior Class.
               
            4. The Committee Chair is appointed annually by the Dean and must be a full-time faculty member in the School of Medicine.
               
            5. The Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs serves an advisory ex officio role on the committee without vote.
               
            6. The Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, the Assistant Dean for Admissions. the Director of Student Support and Wellness, the Manager of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, and the Director of the Office of Medical Education shall serve ex officio.
               
            7. Other members of the faculty may serve as invited guests if approved by the Chair of the Committee.
               
            8. Members with conflicts of interest are required to recuse themselves whenever appropriate.
          2. Function
            1. The Committee is an Advisory Committee to the Executive Faculty.
               
            2. The Committee evaluates student performance in all courses and rotations.
               
            3. Evaluates student performance on licensing exams.
               
            4. Identifies students with academic difficulties and proposes assistance and remediation for them.
               
            5. Reviews reported student breaches in professional behavior and recommends appropriate action to the Executive Faculty.
               
            6. Reviews all students for promotion and graduation and makes recommendations to the Executive Faculty regarding promotion, graduation, course or rotation repeat, and dismissal.
               
            7. Deliberations of the Committee are by nature held in strict confidence.
          3. Quorum
            1. A Committee Quorum is defined as a majority of voting members.
        5. Personnel and Honors Committee
          1. Membership
            1. Of the twelve members of the Personnel and Honors Committee, six will be appointed by the dean or his/her designee and six will be elected by the General Medical Faculty. The six members to be elected will be tenured senior faculty members (Associate or Full Professors), three from Basic Science and three from Clinical Science Departments.
          2. Function
            1. The Personnel and Honors Committee reviews all School of Medicine faculty appointments, promotions, three-year reviews and tenure decisions presented by departments in the School of Medicine and makes recommendations to the Executive Faculty.
               
            2. No voting member of the Executive Faculty shall be a member of the Personnel & Honors Committee. The Personnel and Honors Committee shall elect its own chair and vice chair. The candidates for chair and vice chair must be willing to serve.
          3. Quorum
            1. A Quorum of the Committee shall be 50% of the voting members of the Committee.

          Article XI: Curriculum Committee

          1. Curriculum Committee
            1. Membership
              1. The ex officio members are the Vice Dean for Academic Affairs, who serves as the Chair; the Senior Associate Dean for Student Affairs and Admissions; the Senior Associate Dean for Public Health; the Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education; and the Director of Office of Medical Education. Other members of the Dean’s staff may be appointed as ex-officio members. Twelve at-large voting members shall be elected from the General Medical Faculty (6 Clinical Science and 6 Basic Science faculty); in addition, two faculty shall be appointed by the Chair. The president of the Owl Club, one student each from the Sophomore, Junior, and Senior classes, the senior class member of the Organization of Student Representatives (OSR), and the Director of the Foundations in Medicine Program shall be voting members. The Chair can appoint other non-voting members who participate in curriculum management (e.g., resource librarian, others).
                 
              2. Other faculty members that are part of the Dean’s staff may be appointed at the Dean’s discretion to serve as ex officio members.
                 
              3. The Chair votes only in the case of a tie.
                 
              4. Elected faculty are for a term of three years and may be renewed once. If an elected member is unable to complete his/her term, the Chair of the General Medical Faculty, with the consent of a majority of the Faculty Advisory Committee, shall name an interim member to fill out the term at the pleasure of the Chair.
                 
              5. Student terms can be from one to three years and the term will be determined by the Constitution of the Medical Student Body, Tulane University School of Medicine.
            2. Function
              1. The Curriculum Committee oversees the medical education program as a whole and has responsibility for the overall design, management, integration, evaluation, and enhancement of a coherent and coordinated medical curriculum.
                 
              2. The Committee provides a forum for faculty discussion of curricular issues.
                 
              3. The Committee is not advisory and reports directly to the Dean of the School of Medicine.
            3. Quorum
              1. A Quorum of the Committee shall be 50% of the regular voting members.

            XII. Basic & Clinical Science Councils

            1. There shall be two major councils:
              1. the Basic Science Council
                 
              2. the Clinical Science Council
            2. These councils shall be advisory to the Dean and Executive Faculty on manners pertaining to their constituent departments, and they shall elect their own Chair.
               
            3. The Councils shall be composed of the Basic and Clinical Science Chairs, respectively, and with the consent of the Dean, any other persons they may wish to invite. The Dean shall be an ex-officio member of the Councils.
               
            4. Biomedical Sciences Program
              The Biomedical Sciences Steering Committee shall be advisory to the Dean and Executive Faculty on all major policy decisions affecting the Graduate Programs in the Biomedical Sciences of the Medical School. The Committee will make recommendations to the Dean on admission requirements, recruitment, financial aid, curriculum and program development.
               
            5. Assistant Dean for Biomedical Sciences reports to the Dean and serves as the Director of the Biomedical Sciences Program. The Dean may appoint a co-director(s) who reports to the Assistant Dean for Biomedical Sciences. The Assistant Dean for the Biomedical Sciences and the co-director(s) shall be ex-officio members of the Biomedical Sciences Steering Committee
               
            6. The Biomedical Sciences Steering Committee shall be composed of one member elected or appointed from each Basic Science department or program in the Medical School, one clinical department representative who is appointed for a one-year term by the clinical department chairs on a rotating basis, and one representative from the Tulane National Primate Research Center.

            Article XIII –Elections

            1. Officers of the General Medical Faculty, the Standing Committees of the General Medical Faculty, Representatives to the University Senate and the University Senate Standing Subcommittees shall be elected by majority vote of the voting members of the General Medical Faculty prior to July 1st.
               
            2. If a committee member position, filled from the General Medical Faculty, falls vacant before the end of the three-year term, the Chair of the General Medical Faculty, with the consent of a majority of the Faculty Advisory Committee, shall name an interim member to serve until the next election.
               
            3. Election of members of the Personnel and Honors Committee.: The process for nominating and electing members of the Personnel and Honors Committee will be the same as in Section X:(E), and Section XIII: (A). The term will be for three years.
               
            4. Election of members of the Curriculum Committee:
              1. Elected faculty are for a term of three years and may be renewed once. If an elected member is unable to complete his/her term, the Chair of the General Medical Faculty, with the consent of a majority of the Faculty Advisory Committee, shall name an interim member to fill out the term at the pleasure of the Chair. Student terms can be from one to three years and the term will be determined by the Constitution of the Medical Student Body, Tulane University School of Medicine.

Revised and Approved July 2018