The objects and purposes to which the Graduate Student Council ("GSC" or "Council") is dedicated are as follows:
Membership in the Graduate Student Council is open to all fully registered GSAS students in residence.
Students in advanced degree programs will automatically be members of the GSC unless they decline their membership in writing by waiving the annual Graduate Student Council Fee.
Special students are not automatically members, but may petition for membership through the GSAS Special Students Office.
The Graduate Student Council shall consist of those students of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences elected or appointed as representatives to the Council by their respective division, department, committee, or program.
Each division, department, or committee associated with the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (as listed in the GSAS Handbook) is entitled to direct representation on the Graduate Student Council. There shall be no more than three representatives per department. The number of representatives accorded to any division, department, or committee shall be dependent upon its total number of students registered within the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences; programs with 1-35 students are entitled to submit one representative; 36-70 students, two representatives; more than 70 students, three representatives.
Representatives shall serve as voting members of the Graduate Student Council. Each representative, shall receive a single vote in the Council session. Representatives shall represent the concerns of their constituencies before the Council and communicate the proceedings of the Council to their constituencies. Although representatives bear particular responsibilities to the graduate students of their division, they shall also represent the interest of students in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at-large.
If a representative is unable to attend a meeting of the Council, he or she shall appoint a graduate student of that department as proxy, and shall provide the proxy with a signed statement of acknowledgment to that effect. Following the acceptance of the statement by the Chair, the proxy shall assume all duties and privileges of the representative for the duration of the meeting.
Each division, department, or committee shall be responsible for coordinating its own procedures for selecting representatives. The Elections Committee shall inform all divisions, departments, and committees not currently represented on the Council of the opening of nominations. Selection procedures shall be as determined by the graduate students of the division, department, or committee.
Representatives shall serve a term of office concurrent with the academic year. New representatives shall take office at the first meeting of the fall term and remain in office until the beginning of the next fall term.
ARTICLE IV. MEETINGS
Meetings of the Graduate Student Council shall be held once a month while courses are in session. Meetings may be scheduled, rescheduled, or cancelled by vote of the Council or at the discretion of the President.
A quorum shall include at least one representative from at least one-third of all GSAS graduate programs with currently enrolled students.
Meetings will follow parliamentary procedure as defined in the By Laws. A motion may be proposed by any member of the Council, with the exception of the Chair. A motion may be seconded by any member of the council, with the exception of the Chair and the member proposing the action. Any duly seconded motion shall be passed upon receiving the affirmation of a majority of the members present, and shall be otherwise defeated. Each representative, with the exception of the Chair, may cast one vote. The Chair may not cast a vote.
The elected officers of the Graduate Student Council shall be the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Social Officer, who shall serve as official representitives of the Council.
The President shall serve as Chair of the Graduate Student Council and shall preside at all of its meetings. He or she shall sit as a member of the Committee on Graduate Education, ex-officio. He or she shall serve as the official representative of the Council, and shall have ultimate responsibility for the proper observance of all responsibilities delegated to members of the Graduate Student Council or of any committee thereof.
The VicePresident shall serve as acting chair of the Graduate Student Council in the absence of the President, and during such time assume all the duties of that office. He or she shall assist the President in the proper observance of all responsibilities delegated to the members of the Graduate Student Council or any committee thereof. The Vice President shall have the responsibility for regular Council responsibilities including the selection of GSAS Commencement marshals.
The Secretary shall keep a record of the proceeding of all meetings of the Council, and shall distribute copies of that record to all representatives before the next meeting of the Council. He or she shall be responsible for all other correspondence of the Council. He or she shall maintain a current file of all minutes of the meetings of the council, together with any additional documentation of interest to the Council. The Secretary shall keep a current list of the membership of the Graduate Student Council and its representatives to all internal and external committees, and shall inform the chairs of such bodies following selection of those representatives.
The Treasurer shall serve as Chair of the Budget and FundingCommittee. He or she shall keep a full account of money expended and received, and shall make a report of such account at such time as the Council may desire. He or she will coordinate University-administered receipts and all expenditures and financial responsibilites of the Council. He or she shall have charge of all accounts managed by the Council.
The Social Officer shall serve as Chair of the Social Committee. He or she shall organize and conduct a program of social activities benefiting students of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and to promote such activities among graduate students at-large. He or she shall coordinate social activities with the staff of Dudley House.
The Executive Committee of the Graduate Student Council shall consist of the Officers of the Council, the four at-large representatives as voting members. Appointed coordinators shall seve as non-voting members of the Executive Committee.
One representative from each of the three division of the Graduate School (Humanities, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences) and one representative from the Division of Medical Science shall be elected to serve as members of the Executive Committee. Election of at large representatives will follow the same procedure as the election of officers (Article VIII).
Members of the Executive Committee shall carry out the wishes of the Council between regular Council meetings and pursue the agenda approved by the Council. The Executive Committee shall meet regularly with the GSAS Administration and other University officials. The Executive Committee shall have the authority to fill vacancies in any position of the Council as stipulated in the Constitution.
The Executive Committee will be chaired by the President of the Council, who shall only vote in the case of a tie. The Executive Committee may meet both in person or by electronic mail. At least one half of the Executive Committee must be present for a quorum. A majority of the voting members must approve a motion of the Executive Committee for it to be passed. Except as noted, the Executive Committee will follow the same rules and procedures as the Council as a whole.
The Parliamentarian/Ombuds Coordinator shall be appointed by the President and approved by the Executive Committee to be sure that the Council Constitution and By Laws are upheld. He or she shall also assure that the legislation approved by the Council is carried out by the officers and Executive Committee.
The Information Coordinator shall be appointed by the President and approved by the Executive Committee. He or she shall be responsible for the information exchange and publicity of the Council, including the Council world wide web pages, electronic mailing list, electronic mail aliases, etc.
Additional appointed positions may be created by vote of the Council and insertion into the By Laws (i.e., Constitutional amendments are not required).
If, for any reason, a vacancy occurs in an appointed position, nominations for that position shall be opened immediately by the President, and the vacancy shall be filled at any time by majority vote of the Executive Committee
Each officer of the Council may, at his or her discretion, appoint a staff to assist in the performance of his or her duties. Staff members shall not be required to be Council representatives.
Individuals serving in appointed positions may be removed from office for dereliction of duties or abuse of power by majority vote of the Executive Committee.
The Elections Committee shall be chaired by the Parliamentarian/Ombus Coordinator and shall have the responsibility of overseeing the election of officers and committee representatives.
Nominations for officers of the council shall be opened on March 1. All members (i.e., not only elected representatives) are eligible for nomination to any office of the Council. All nominations shall be delivered to the Elections Committee.
The term of office for Council officers shall run from June 1 — May 31. All officers shall assume office on June 1 following the election, with the exception of officers elected to fill vacancies existing on or after June 1, who will assume office immediately.
No member may serve as President of the Council for more than two consecutive terms. No member may serve as any officer of the Council for more than three consecutive terms.
Election of officers for the following year shall take place by secret ballot at the April meeting as the first item of business. Each representative (as defined in Article III, Section 2) currently in office and in attendance shall be entitled to cast one vote. To be elected, a candidate must receive a majority of the votes cast . If no candidate receives a majority, a runoff shall be held between the candidates receiving the greatest number of votes. In the event of a tie, a second ballot shall be required. If a tie remains after the second ballot, the President shall decide the outcome of the election.
If, for any reason (including change in student status), a vacancy occurs in the office of President, the Vice President shall become the President and the office of Vice President shall be considered vacant. If the office of Vice President is also vacant, the line of succession shall follow in the order of positions as listed in Article V.
If, for any reason (including change in student status), a vacancy occurs in an elected office other than President, the President shall inform the representatives and members of the vacancy and nominations for that office shall be opened immediately . If such a vacancy would cause hardship on Council, the Executive Committee may select an interim officer until the next Council meeting.
An officer can be removed from office for abuse of power or dereliction of duties.
Any member of the Council shall be able to initiate recall procedures by providing a petition signed by at least one-fifth of current representatives to the Parliamentarian/Ombuds Coordinator, who shall verify the signatures. Such a petition must specify the reasons for the recall.
The subject of the recall shall have the opportunity to be notified of the charges and have the right to defend him/herself before the Council. He/she may further include a written defense to accompany the validated recall petition when it is distributed to the representatives.
At the next meeting of the Council, the petition will be presented by those initiating it (or their designate(s)) and the subject of the recall given the opportunity to defend him/herself. After a period of questions, the Elections Committee shall hold a recall election in which each repreentative present is afforded one vote. If two-thirds of those representatives present vote for recall, the office will be declared vacant.
The subject of a recall shall lose their vote in the Executive Committee while the recall procedures are pending. If the President is the subject, he or she shall pass the role of Chair of the Council and Executive Committee to the Vice President while the recall procedures are pending.
The Graduate Student Council shall have several standing committees:
• Budget and Funding Committee: 5 members plus Treasurer, as ex officio chair and having the responsibility for awarding funds for student organizations and for proposing and overseeing the annual budget of the Council
• Constitutional/By Laws Committee: unlimited membership, chaired by the Parliamentarian/Ombuds Coordinator and having the responsibility for overseeing Council procedure and recommending any structural changes to enhance the efficiency of the Council
• Election Committee: 5 members, chaired by the Parliamentarian/Ombuds Coordinator and having the resposibility for overseeing the elections of the Council
• Graduate Student Health Advisory Committee: unlimited membership and with the responsibility for addressing the health concerns of GSAS students and communicating with University Health Services or other University officials in this regard
• Social Committee: unlimited membership with Social Officer as ex officio chair and having the responsibility for planning and organizing the social activities of the Council in communication with the staff of Dudley House
The Council may establish ad hoc commitees at any time by majority vote of the Council or of the Executive Committee. Ad Hoc committees shall have the same legitimacy of standing committees, but may be disbanded by majority vote of the Council or of the Executive Committee or upon completion of duties.
The Graduate Student Council shall appoint representatives to internal Council and external Faculty and University committees.
All members (i.e., not only elected representatives) are eligible to serve on internal and external committees.
Members must communicate their interest in serving on an internal or external committee when nominations are opened and/or a vacancy occurs. Committee representatives will be elected by majority vote of the Council. Interim committee representatives may be approved by the Executive Committee under the recommendation of the President and subject to the approval of the Council.
Representatives to committees shall report to the Council on the activities of their committee and represent the concerns of GSAS students to that committee. Representatives must attend all meetings of their committee. All absences must be reported to and approved in advance by the President of the Council
Representatives who do not uphold their duties are subject to recall by majority vote of the Council or Executive Committee.
The Budget and FundingCommittee shall be responsible for preparing the budget for all Council activities preceding the academic year in which the budget shall take effect. All proposed budgets must be balanced.
The Treasurer shall keep a record of all receipts and expenditures of the Council over the course of the year and report on finances to the Council each month.
The Budget and Funding Committee shall be further charged with providing support for the basic operating and programming expenses of GSAS student organizations
The Executive Committee or Council may approve the creation of paid staff positions where appropriate and as enumerated in the By Laws.
The Council shall have an accompanying statement of By Laws which shall serve as the operational document of the Council.
The By Laws shall be adopted by a majority vote of the representatives present.
The By Laws may be amended in the following manner. An amendment may be proposed by any representative to the Council as a duly seconded motion. If the motion is passed by the vote of the majority of the Council members present, the secretary shall then submit a text of the proposed amendment to all the members of the Council. Ratification by one-half of the representatives in attendance shall be required for adoption. Ratification shall be in writing, and shall be completed at the next meeting of the Council.
Individual statements of the By Laws may be teporarilly suspended by a vote of two-thirds of the representatives of the Council in attendance at a meeting. This suspension shall only be in effect until the beginning of the next meeting of the Council.
This Constitution may be amended in the following manner. An amendment may be proposed by any representative to the Council as a duly seconded motion. If the motion is passed by the vote of the majority of the Council members present, the secretary shall then submit a text of the proposed amendment to all the members of the Council. Ratification by two-thirds of the representatives in attendance shall be required for adoption. Ratification shall be in writing, and shall be completed by the second Council meeting after the proposal of the amendment.
This Constitution shall be effective immediately upon passage.
|
Graduate Student Council: gsc@hcs.harvard.edu Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University |
Page last updated: 28 April 1999, 10:09:11 AM. |