Computer Science Graduate Student Association

CSGSA Constitution

CSGSA Constitution

ARTICLE I. Name

The name of this organization shall be the Computer Science Graduate Student Association.

ARTICLE II. Goals

The goals of this association shall be to:

  1. Provide graduate students in the Department of Computer Science with the means to express their opinions and address issues which affect them directly, as well as broader policies which deal with the department as a whole. Promote and enhance interaction among students, faculty, and staff.
  2. Foster a climate in which all graduate students in the department feel a sense of community and belonging.
  3. Work to enhance the reputation and prestige of the Department of Computer Science at the local, national, and international levels.

ARTICLE III. Membership
 

Section I. Membership requirements

Membership shall be open to all Computer Science graduate students.

Section II. Voting members

A voting member is defined as any Computer Science graduate student who is currently enrolled in the University.

Section III. Attendance

CSGSA members are encouraged to attend at all CSGSA meetings and CSGSA-sponsored events.

ARTICLE IV. Officers

Section I. Requirements for Officers

The Officers of the Computer Science Graduate Students Association must meet the following requirements:

  1. Be in good standing with the University and be enrolled in at least six credit hours during a regular semester during the term of office.
  2. Have at least a 3.0 overall GPR at the time of their election and post at least a 2.5 GPR for the preceding regular semester.
  3. Attend all regular meetings, except under extenuating circumstances.
  4. Be a voting member.
  5. Be subject to removal from office by the organization should the officer fail to meet the requirements as prescribed in (1), (2), (3), and (4) above.

Section II Officers and Duties

Officers

  • President - shall preside over regular and business meetings, coordinate group activities, and communicate with the officers and the advisor.
  • Vice-President - shall assist the president and preside over meetings in the absence of the president.
  • Secretary - shall record minutes at all business meetings and maintain attendance records. The secretary shall also maintain the membership roster.
  • Treasurer - shall collect and pay bills, and oversee other monetary transactions including fund-raising. In addition, shall prepare the annual budget, and maintain a ledger of all of the association's financial activity
  • Internal/External Affairs - shall be a liason between the student reps and the CSGSA officers, will ensure that there is a student rep for each committee, will provide regular summaries of committee activities to the CSGSA officers, will coordinate the acquisition of information (e.g. student feedback, CSGSA policies, CSGSA officer opinions) as needed by the reps and will track meeting attendance and provide replacements if needed.
  • Communication - shall assist in maintaining public the image of our organization to graduate student and others. In addition, shall be responsible for maintaining the CSGSA web page and for providing publicity for all CSGSA-sponsored events.
  • Social - shall be responsible for the overall planning and coordination for all CSGSA-sponsored social events.
  • Former President - shall provide assistance and consultation to CSGSA Officers as directed by the president.
  • Student Representatives on Committees - shall be the eyes, ears, and voice of the graduate student body on the respective committee.

      Student representatives should
      - regularly attend committee meetings
      - provide timely meeting minutes to the Internal/External Affairs Officer
      - make informed votes on important issues, initiating the acquisition of student feedback if necessary
      - notify the Internal/External Affairs Officer if a replacement for a meeting is needed
      - NOT be required to disseminate information directly to the students about committee activities (which is the responsibility of the committee chairs)

Duties

The CSGSA will accomplish its goals and objectives by creating and assigning responsibilities to functionally-oriented subcommittees. All CSGSA officers will be expected to serve as coordinators for one or more of these subcommittees

Section III. Election Process

Elections shall be held at the end of each academic school year (i.e., the end of the spring semester). Elections will be administered by a graduate student appointed by the Department Head. This election administrator must not be a candidate for any of the CSGSA offices. Prior to the election, the election administrator shall solicit nominations from the voting members. All nominated officers shall be listed on the ballot, which will be distributed by email to all voting members.

Elected Officers will serve a full one-year term (Summer, Fall, and Spring). Any officers elected to fill vacant positions during the academic year will serve until the next full election. Officers shall be selected only by voting members (see Article III, Section II). Newly elected officers shall assume the responsibilities of their offices upon notification of voting results by the current president.

Section IV. Removal of an Officer

An officer failing to meet the requirements stated in Article IV, Section I shall be removed from office.. An election to fill the vacancy will be held immediately and will be conducted in accordance with Article IV, Section III

ARTICLE V. Meetings

Section I. Scheduled Meetings

Business meetings shall be held at least monthly, excluding semester breaks.

Section II. Official Business

At least three officers must be present at business meetings in order to conduct official business.

 

ARTICLE VI. Finances

Section I. Dues

No dues will be collected from members. Computer Science Graduate Students are, by default, members. Any Graduate Computer Science Student may attend business meetings and participate in the organization?s activities.

Section II. Monies

All monies belonging to this organization shall be deposited and disbursed through a bank account established for this organization at the MSC Student Finance Center and/or the Fiscal Office. All funds must be deposited within 24 hours after collection. The advisor to the organization must approve and sign each expenditure before payment.


 

ARTICLE VII. Amendments and Revision

This constitution may be revised at any time by a two-thirds vote of the voting-members that choose to vote in an email referendum. The proposed revised constitution will first be distributed by email to all voting members and will posted on the CSGSA Bulletin Board. After allowing seven days for review by graduate students, an email referendum on the constitutional revisions will be conducted.