Revisions submitted 10/10/06
Approved 11/16/06
Article 1
Name
The name of this organization
shall be the Engineering Graduate Students Association of the University
of California at Los Angeles, hereinafter referred to as EGSA.
Article II
Objectives
The objectives of this organization
shall be:
Section 1: To encourage professionalism
among engineers, including technical excellence and high ethics.
Section 2: To encourage the
participation of engineers in civic, cultural, and educational aspects
of society.
Section 3: To promote understanding
of and to improve the relationships between the engineering graduate students
and the University in general and the Henry Samueli School of Engineering
and Applied Science (HSSEAS), hereinafter referred to as the School, in
particular.
Section 4: To represent Engineering
Graduate Students in the campus-wide Graduate Student Association (GSA)
by serving as one of GSA's Councils.
Article III
Membership
Section 1: Every registered
student with graduate status in the School shall be considered a member
in good standing in this organization.
Section 2: The seven (7) departments
of the School (Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil and Environmental
Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science
and Engineering, and Mechanical, Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering) shall
be represented by EGSA.
Article IV
Governance
Section 1: The governing body of EGSA will comprise of the officially elected
officers, hereinafter referred to as the Executive Board.
Section 2: The executive Board comprises of Executive Officers, which are
currently President, Vice President Internal, Vice President External,
Secretary, Treasurer, Events Coordinator, Public Information Coordinator, and
Webmaster.
Section 3: The Executive Board will schedule to meet no less than once per
week and meet as often as required to oversee all activities and issues
pertaining to EGSA.
Section 4: A quorum for the Executive board Meeting shall be defined by the
attendance of no less than half the number of Executive Board Members.
Section 5: An EGSA Town Hall Meeting, also referred to as the General Body
Meeting, shall be held regularly in order to sense the general mood of the
engineering graduate student population with respect to issues of interests,
obtain feedbacks, suggestions, and discuss any concerns.
Section 6: A quorum for the Town Hall Meeting shall be defined by the
attendance of no less than thirty (30) people.
Section 7: EGSA Executive Board Meeting minutes shall be made available to
the EGSA members.
Section 8: Any EGSA member may bring up any issue or concern or referendum
before the executive board or the Town Hall Meeting.
Section 9: The EGSA Executive Board shall appoint all graduate Student
Representatives to EGSA, School, GSA, and University committees. If there are
two or more nominees for any position, the most appropriate candidate will be
chosen at the discretion of the Executive Board.
Section 10: President, Vice President Internal, and Vice President External
shall not act as the president of any other student group or association in the
School.
Section 11: All Executive Officers, Appointees, and Student Representatives
shall serve until the end of the academic year for which they have been elected
or appointed and may continue to serve until a successor is elected or
appointed, provided membership in EGSA is maintained according to Article III.
If any of the Executive Officers is no longer able to fulfill his/her role, the
Executive Board shall have the powers to appoint a temporary replacement until
the next EGSA Town Hall Meeting. A simple majority in an EGSA Town Hall Meeting
shall appoint a permanent replacement after calling for nominations for the
vacant position.
Section 12: An Executive Officer may be impeached upon majority vote of the
Executive Board. Upon impeachment, at the next EGSA Townhall, the officer who
motioned for impeachment may state the case for removal from office. The
impeached officer may then rebut any such claims against and state a case for
wrongful charges. The impeached officer will then be removed from office by a
simple majority vote at EGSA Townhall.
Article V
Finances
Section 1: The EGSA Executive Board shall approve the expenditure of all EGSA
funds with a simple majority vote of the Executive Board as long as the
expenditure does not exceed $1,000. If the expenditure is more than $1,000, a
simple majority vote at a Town Hall Meeting or in an officially sanctioned EGSA
election is required for approval.
Section 2: A simple majority of the Executive Board may veto any expenditure
of the EGSA funds, if they deem such expenditure to be in violation of the rules
and regulations associated with the mandatory student government fee.
Section 3: A veto by the Executive Board on any expenditure may be appealed
to the EGSA Town Hall Meeting or placed on an officially sanctioned EGSA
election ballot and may be overturned by a simple majority vote of the
participating EGSA members as long as the expenditure request does not exceed
$1,000.
Article VI
Elections
Section 1: All positions on the EGSA Executive Board shall be elected by the
EGSA General Body.
Section 2: Any EGSA member may be nominated for the Executive Board by any
other member of EGSA with the approval of the nominated member. Individuals may
nominate themselves.
Section 3: Any EGSA member may have an appeal measure for an Executive Board
expenditure veto placed on an EGSA election ballot if such a request is
submitted in person in hardcopy at an Executive Board meeting prior to the end
of that election’s nomination period. Such a measure shall pass in accordance
with Article V, Section 1.
Section 4: Officially sanctioned EGSA elections shall occur as follows:
a) The election of the Executive Officers of EGSA shall be conducted by
secret ballot in each spring quarter.
b) If any Executive Officer position is unfilled at the start of the fall
quarter, an election by secret ballot shall be conducted for all such
positions.
c) Any remaining positions shall be filled in accordance with Article IV,
Section 11.
Section 5: No Executive Officer may hold more than one (1) Executive
Office.
Section 6: The EGSA Town Meeting shall authorize a special election for any
Executive Officer or appointed EGSA representative upon receipt of a recall
petition signed by one hundred (100) members of EGSA.
Article VII
Duties and Responsibilities
of Officers and Representatives
Section 1: The Executive Officers shall have the following duties:
a) The President shall serve as the Chairperson of the EGSA Town Hall
Meeting, regulate the voting and nomination proceedings, and act as the official
spokesperson for engineering graduate students. The President’s vote shall act
as tie-breaker at EGSA Executive Board sessions.
b) The Vice President Internal shall be responsible for all academically
oriented programs of EGSA, as well as activities instantiated by bodies outside
of EGSA with implications to the EGSA General Body, including attendance at the
meetings of the HSSEAS Executive Committee, and serve as the Vice Chairperson
for the EGSA Townhall Meeting. Vice President Internal is to assume the duties
of the President and to represent the EGSA should the President become
incapacitated.
c) The Vice President External shall assist the President as necessary and
serve as a liaison to all other graduate student groups on campus, including the
GSA Forum. Vice President External shall also appoint representatives to other
executive boards and bodies requiring EGSA representation and act as their
liaison to the EGSA Executive Board.
d) The Secretary is responsible for preparing the agenda for all EGSA
meetings in coordination with the President, take minutes at all EGSA meetings
and provide the minutes to the Officers and the EGSA members.
e) The Treasurer is responsible for managing all accounts of the EGSA and
maintaining the ledger.
f) The Events Coordinator is responsible for planning and coordinating events
as described in Article II, Section 2.
g) The Public Information Coordinator is responsible for preparing press
releases and advertisements pertaining to EGSA events, as well as keeping the
EGSA Bulletin Board updated.
h) The Webmaster is responsible for maintaining and updating the EGSA
website.
Section 2: EGSA Appointees and Student Representatives must keep the EGSA
Executive Board apprised of all activities pertinent to EGSA and attend EGSA
Executive Board Meetings and Town Hall Meetings when requested to do so by an
Executive Officer.
Section 3: Elected and appointed EGSA positions may receive stipends. The
level of stipends shall be approved as part of the annual EGSA budget. Awards
for stipended positions shall be distributed at the end of each quarter. If a
stipended position is held for less than the whole of a quarter, the award for
that quarter shall be granted pro rata.
Article VIII
Activities and Voting
Section 1: This organization shall engage only in such activities that are
consistent with Article II as interpreted by the Executive Board.
Section 2: No EGSA member shall have more than one vote in EGSA meetings.
Section 3: A simple majority vote approves all motions, resolutions and
proposed expenditures, except that two-thirds (2/3) vote is required to petition
the removal of an Executive Officer. The petition is to be approved by a simple
majority in an EGSA Town Hall Meeting.
Section 4: The parliamentary authority for meetings of the EGSA Council shall
be Roberts Rules of Order, Revised except as herein provided.
Article IX
External Responsibilities
Section 1: As stated in Article II, Section 4, EGSA serves as one of the GSA
Councils. As such, EGSA has certain external responsibilities, which are
delineated below.
Section 2: The Executive Board shall appoint all necessary representatives to
all other GSA executive bodies and boards which mandate representation from
EGSA.
Section 3: The Executive Officers should strongly encourage and promote the
involvement of EGSA members in University committees and the GSA Central
Administration.
Article X
Ratification and Amendments
Section 1: This Constitution shall become effective immediately upon its
ratification by two-thirds (2/3) majority of EGSA members during Town Hall
Meeting.
Section 2: Amendments to this Constitution may be initiated by any member of
EGSA. Such amendments must be noticed in written draft form at a Town Hall
Meeting and voted upon at the next Town Meeting or officially sanctioned
election. The Amendment shall be adopted upon a two-thirds (2/3) affirmative
vote of the Town Hall Meeting or election.
Section 3: Nothing in this Constitution shall violate the Constitution and
Codes of the GSA, or the rules governing student activities of the
University.
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