A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT
CREATING EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS AND MAKING OTHER CHANGES

A.B. 1

BE IT ENACTED by the Graduate Student Assembly at The University of Texas at Austin

Section I: The following amendments shall be made to the Constitution of the Graduate Student Assembly.

Article II: OFFICERS

2.2. The elected officers of the Assembly include two Co-Chairs, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Special Events Coordinator, a Publications 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.

2.5. 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 President Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies. The faculty adviser shall be a non-voting number member of the Assembly and of the Executive Committee.

Article III: REPRESENTATION OF GRADUATE STUDENT INTERESTS

3.4. Persons selected as graduate student representatives on the Faculty Council, the Graduate Assembly, the Cabinet Senate of College Councils, and the Student Senate Assembly of the Student Association 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 V: AMENDMENT OF THE CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS

5.2. When an amendment to the constitution is to be considered, the Co-Chairs shall consult with the faculty advisor and the Vice President 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 President 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.

Section II: The following amendments shall be made to the Bylaws of the Graduate Student Assembly.

Bylaw 3: DUTIES OF OFFICERS

3.1 Co-Chairs of the Assembly. The Co-Chairs of the Assembly shall: Preside at meetings of the Assembly. Initiate and coordinate Assembly elections and other actions. Create ad hoc committees of the Assembly, when necessary, and appoint the chairs of these committees. With the Treasurer, prepare an annual budget. Preside at meetings of the Executive Committee. Facilitate communication among organizations of graduate students. Facilitate cooperation between the Assembly, graduate students and administrators in the departments, in the graduate and professional schools, and in the university offices. Represent the Assembly at all appropriate meetings and events. Represent the Assembly to the Faculty Council, the Graduate Assembly, and other university standing or ad hoc committees as necessary. Coordinate with the Student Government and Senate of College Councils through the Student Governance Coordinating Council, and attend Student Government and Senate of College Councils meetings as necessary. Act as Assembly parliamentarians, and provide a final word of interpretation in matters concerning the Constitution and By-Laws.

3.2 Secretary. The Secretary of the Assembly shall: Make all necessary arrangements and reservations for the meetings of the Assembly and announce the time, location and agenda of meetings to all Members of the Assembly. Maintain and distribute an accurate roster of the membership of the Assembly and the current listing of graduate student organizations, associations and councils. Record the attendance at the meetings. Determine and announce all vacancies in membership and facilitate the filling of these positions. Produce the minutes of Assembly meetings and make copies available to all Assembly members. Handle Assembly correspondence as necessary. Keep and maintain the files of all Assembly business. Be responsible for maintaining an accurate and updated copy of the Constitution and By-Laws and providing such to new Members. Attend Executive Committee meetings. Present reports of office activity at the general Assembly meeting.

3.3 Treasurer. The Treasurer of the Assembly shall: Keep accurate records of all financial transactions of the Assembly. Be prepared to report the financial status of the Assembly. Represent the Assembly in all matters involving the finances of the Assembly. Assist the Co-Chairs in creating the annual budget for the Assembly. Maintain supplies for official Assembly business and the Assembly office. Attend Executive Committee meetings. Present reports of office activity at the general Assembly meetings.

3.4 Special Events Coordinator. The Special Events Coordinator shall: Attend the Executive Committee meetings. Present a summary of office activity to the Executive Committee meeting. Present proposals for the agenda of Assembly meetings. Present reports of office activity at the general Asembly Assembly meetings. Coordinate room reservations, refreshments, and other logistical arrangements for Assembly events including lectures, parties, and Graduate and Professional Student Week Activities. Assist with travel plans for visiting speakers.

3.5 Publications Public Relations Coordinator. The Publications Public Relations Coordinator shall: Attend the Executive Committee meetings. Present a summary of office activity to the Executive Committee meeting. Present proposals for the agenda of Assembly meetings. Present reports of office activity at the general Assembly meetings. Edit the Assembly newsletter. Coordinate publication of publication of posters, brochures, advertisements, and other Assembly materials. Coordinate publicity, media correspondence, and other public relations activities for the Assembly.

3.6 Electronic Resources Coordinator. The Electronic Resources Coordinator shall: Attend the Executive Committee meetings. Present a summary of office activity to the Executive Committee meeting. Present proposals for the agenda of Assembly meetings. Present reports of office activity at the general Assembly meetings. Manage the Asembly Assembly e-mail listserv and other e-mail lists. Maintain the Assembly World Wide Web home page. Maintain all electronic hardware and software owned by the Assembly.

Bylaw 7: PROCEDURES

7.1 Format of Regular Meetings of the Assembly. The format for meetings of the Assembly shall be as follows: 1. Call to Order, 2. Verification of attendance, 3. Adoption of minutes, 4. Guests, 5. Reports of ex-officio members, 4. 6. Reports of officers, 5. 7. Reports of university committee representatives, 6. 8. Reports of ad hoc committees, 7. 9. Unfinished business, 8. 10. New business, 9. 11. Announcements, 12. Adjournment.

Section III: Rationale

First, minor changes to grammar and typographical errors assist in making the constitution and bylaws professional and easier to read.

Second, several student governance and administrative units have changed their name or title over the past couple of years. The Constitution and Bylaws should be made to reflect these changes in an effort to more easily identify and work with these units.

Third, we have increasingly worked with the Senate of College Councils and Student Government. It is our hope that that the Senate of College Councils and the Student Government recognize the Co-Chairs of the Graduate Student Assembly as ex-officio members. In addition we hope that the Chair of the Senate of College Councils and the President of the Student Government will attend our meetings as ex-officio members and that the co-chairs will attend their meetings as ex-officio members. Having all three UT student governance groups giving reports at each other's meeting helps to better address issues facing the respective bodies.

Fourth, the role of Publications Coordinator has expanded in recent years. A person is needed to coordinate publicity and public relations efforts on behalf of the Graduate Student Assembly. A clearer title for this position should be Public Relations Coordinator.

Authored By: Erik Malmberg (Electronic Resources Coordinator)

Sponsored By: Ginger Gossman (Public Relations Coordinator), Erik Malmberg (Electronic Resources Coordinator)

Adopted: October 6, 2003