Print version

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE GRADUATE STUDENT ASSEMBLY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

The purposes of the Graduate Student Assembly are:

1. To represent the views of graduate students to the university community and the community at large;

2. To facilitate graduate student communication and interaction;

3. To gather and disseminate information pertinent to graduate students;

4. To conduct activities that promote the general welfare of graduate students;

5. To provide a means of assisting in the selection of graduate students members of departmental, college, and university bodies.

Article I: MEMBERSHIP

1.1. Membership in the Graduate Student Assembly is of two types: 1) representatives from graduate departments and programs and 2) representatives from registered graduate-student organizations. The Assembly shall be the judge of the legitimacy of an entity to be represented and of the credentials of the representative. The Assembly, on recommendation of the Executive Committee, may add to or delete from the list of programs and organizations eligible for representation in the Assembly.

1.2. Members of the Assembly shall be graduate students in good standing. To be in good standing a student must be enrolled in and making satisfactory progress in a program leading to a graduate degree or a post- baccalaureate professional degree at the University of Texas at Austin. Whether the graduate student is in good standing is determined in accordance with the rules of the Graduate School. Each graduate program is entitled one member of the Assembly for every one hundred graduate students, or major portion thereof, enrolled in the program. Each registered graduate student organization is entitled to one member of the Assembly. Questions concerning the number of members of the program or organization for representation in the Assembly shall be determined by the Assembly.

1.3. To be eligible for representation in the Assembly, a graduate student organization must be registered with the Dean of Students as a student organization. The organization to be represented is ordinarily centered on a particular disciplinary interest not reflected in the list of programs or on an ethnic or other grouping emblematic of the students' own backgrounds or concerns. Whether the organization is eligible for representation is a matter for consideration by the Assembly's Executive Committee and ultimately by the Assembly itself

1.4. Election of members shall take place at the discretion of the electing program or organization, and the term of office will begin at the start of the fall semester. Arrangements for the election shall be the responsibility of the graduate student group within the department or program, or in the case of a graduate student organization, of the president or chief executive officer of the organization. As many alternate members shall be selected from each constituent group as there are elected members from that group. Alternate members must meet the same qualifications as regular members and their term shall be the same. An alternate member will attend meetings of the Assembly whenever the member cannot attend, although no alternative may serve as an officer of the Assembly. In the event of the resignation, expulsion, or continuing incapacity of a member, the alternate member shall assume the full powers and responsibilities of the member on a continuing basis. Both members and alternate members may be reelected by their constituent group unless they are elected to office in the Assembly.

Article II: OFFICERS

2.1. Election of officers shall take place during the first week of April, and their term of office shall be for one year beginning in May immediately following their election. Each member of the Assembly shall have one vote and the results will be determined by a majority of those present and voting.

2.2. The elected officers of the Assembly include two Co-Chairs, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Special Events Coordinator, a Public Relations Coordinator, and an Electronic Resources Coordinator. Their duties shall be defined in the by-laws. To be eligible for election as a Co-Chair, the member must have served as a representative or as an officer during the preceding year, but during the year of service as an officer, the member may not serve as a representative of a constituent program or organization. Officers shall nevertheless be voting members of the Assembly during their year of service as officers.

2.3. The elected officers shall constitute the Executive Committee of the Assembly. The Executive Committee shall meet in advance of the regular meetings of the Assembly to set the agenda. It will perform such additional duties as are specified in this constitution or in the by-laws.

2.4. The two Co-Chairs shall jointly exercise the powers and responsibilities of the chief executive officer, as defined in the by-laws. Either may serve as presiding officer and that role will ordinarily be alternated between them. In case one Co-Chair resigns or is incapacitated, the other shall continue as sole chair of the Assembly for the remainder of the term. Should the Co-Chairs disagree on some matter within their sphere of responsibility, the issue will be settled by the Executive Committee.

2.5. A faculty adviser for the Assembly shall be chosen by a vote of the Assembly on the recommendation of the Executive Committee following consultation with the Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies. The faculty adviser shall be a non-voting member of the Assembly and of the Executive Committee.

Article III: REPRESENTATION OF GRADUATE STUDENT INTERESTS

3.1. The Graduate Student Assembly is the principal body for the representation of the interests of graduate students throughout the University. Graduate students may be represented in other university bodies and the Assembly will encourage such representation in other university bodies.

3.2. When graduate student representatives are to be included in such bodies as the Faculty Council, the Graduate Assembly, standing committees of the faculty, ad hoc committees appointed by the President, etc., the Graduate Student Assembly shall stand ready to select graduate students for membership in such groups or to recommend graduate students to the appointing body for the inclusion in such bodies.

3.3. When the Graduate Student Assembly is invited to select the graduate student representatives on the Graduate Assembly and the Faculty Council, this representative group will include at least one of the co-chairs of the Graduate Student Assembly.

3.4. Persons selected as graduate student representatives on the Faculty Council, the Graduate Assembly, the Senate of College Councils, and the Student Assembly of the Student Government may serve during their terms of office as ex officio non-voting members of the Graduate Student Assembly.

3.5. The President of the Student Government and the Chair of the Senate of College Councils may serve during their terms of office as non-voting ex-officio members of the Graduate Student Assembly.

Article IV: MEETINGS AND PROCEDURES

4.1. The Assembly is a recognized student organization of the University of Texas at Austin and its Co-Chairs shall be responsible for ensuring that recognition of the Assembly by the Dean of Students is maintained.

4.2. Regular meetings of the Assembly shall be held monthly during the academic year. Special meetings may be called by either of the Co-Chairs, or upon a written petition of five members of the Assembly, or upon a written petition from at least ten graduate students in good standing. Such petitions must be submitted to a member of the Executive Committee and the decision whether to hold a special meeting may be made either by the Executive Committee or by the Co-Chairs.

4.3. The work of the Assembly shall be carried out through ad hoc committees whose responsibility will be to examine issues affecting graduate students and to bring any other matters to the Assembly for discussion and disposition. Ad hoc committees will be convened on the recommendation of the Co-Chairs and will be chaired by a member of the Executive Committee. Additional members of these committees will be selected from the Assembly.

4.4. The Executive Committee is charged with coordinating the work of any ad hoc committees and with setting the agenda for Assembly meetings. These and other preparatory tasks of the Executive Committee shall be conducted prior to each regular meeting of the Assembly.

4.5. Proposals for action by the Assembly may be originated by any member of the Assembly, by any ad hoc committee of the Assembly, or on petition of ten or more graduate students in good standing. All proposals must be filed with the Secretary and reviewed by the Executive Committee. If approved by the Executive Committee, the proposal will be referred to the Assembly.

4.6. Ordinarily no matter may be presented to the Assembly for action unless it has been discussed at a previous Assembly meeting. Any member may present a proposal for discussion at any meeting and the Assembly may by a majority vote of those present agree to consider for action a matter on the agenda not previously discussed. The Assembly may by a two-thirds vote of the entire membership agree to consider for action a matter not mentioned on the agenda.

4.7. The quorum for the conduct of ordinary business shall be a majority of the members of the Assembly. When an action is put to a vote, each voting member shall have one vote. Votes shall ordinarily be made by a show of hands, but a roll call or a secret ballot shall be taken at the request of any three members of the Assembly. A secret ballot shall consist of a written yea or nay on ballot papers distributed by the secretary. The result shall be reported by the secretary and verified by another officer. The secretary will take appropriate steps to preserve the anonymity of the voters when a secret ballot is conducted.

Article V: AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS

5.1. This constitution may be amended by vote of the Assembly at a regular or special meeting provided notice of a proposal to amend the constitution, and the complete text of the proposed amendment, shall have been distributed to all members of the Assembly at least ten days before the meeting at which it is to be considered.

5.2..When an amendment to the constitution is to be considered, the Co-Chairs shall consult with the faculty advisor and the Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies regarding the effect of the proposed amendment. The quorum for action shall be two-thirds of the total membership, representing at least five of the recognized schools and colleges of the University.

5.3. Changes in the bylaws of the Assembly may be considered at any regular meeting of the Assembly provided a notice and the appropriate text has been distributed to all members of the Assembly at least ten days prior to the meeting. The Co-Chairs shall consult with the faculty advisor and the Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies regarding the effect of the change. The quorum for consideration of a change in the bylaws shall be a majority of the voting members of the Assembly.

Ratified on March 31, 1994
Amended on April 6, 1998
Amended on October 6, 2003
Amended on March 2, 2004