NGSA Constitution and Bylaws

NEUROSCIENCE GRADUATE STUDENT ASSOCIATION, UT AUSTIN CONSTITUTION

Article I. Purpose

The purpose of this organization is to provide a community in which students, post-docs, and laboratory technicians of all disciplines who share an interest in neuroscience can come together to discuss ideas and provide support for one another as they work to enhance their knowledge of the neuroscience field.

Article II: Membership

Any non-faculty individual holding a Bachelor's degree or higher in the field of neuroscience is eligible for membership in the NGSA and shall hold full membership status if desire is expressed Any non-faculty individual who is a member of the Institute for Neuroscience at UT Austin shall hold full membership privileges in the NGSA. All members of the UT Austin NGSA will hold full voting privileges in the NGSA.

Article III. Amendments

Amendments to the Constitution may be submitted at any time to the Executive Board for review and approval. The approved version of the amendment accompanied by a brief explanation of the purpose of the amendment is to be submitted by the Executive Board to the members of the NGSA for a vote. A simple majority of the voting members is required for the amendment to be ratified.

BYLAWS

Article I. Executive Board

Section 1:

The Executive Board shall consist of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Historian, INS Executive Committee Liaison, and Graduate Student Assembly Liaison.

Section 2:

All voting for officer positions shall be conducted anonymously, except in the case where an NGSA member voluntarily relinquishes his or her right to anonymity by sending an e-mail ballot to the NGSA secretary. If an NGSA member is not present for voting, and does not wish to submit an e-mail ballot, he or she may deliver a paper ballot to the NGSA secretary's UT mailbox within the allotted voting time period.

Section 3:

The Executive Board shall be nominated by and voted upon by members of the NGSA. The term of office shall be one year, beginning at the start of each spring semester, and no later than February 15th, except in the case of the GSA Liaison, which will serve a term of one year beginning at the start of each fall.

Section 4:

If any elected officer is unable to serve a full term, the remaining members of the Executive Board shall appoint a new officer.

Section 5:

Elected members of the Executive Board may be removed by a unanimous vote by all of the other members of the Executive Board. If the vote is not unanimous, but is at least 2/3 in favor, then the members of the board may introduce the matter to the membership for a ballot vote. If the vote is unanimous, the expelled officer may appeal the decision to the membership for a ballot vote. If the vote is brought before the membership, 2/3 of the voting members must vote to remove an officer from his/her position.

Section 6:

A quorum is required for any business to be voted upon. A quorum consists of all members of the Executive Board present. In the case of a tie, the Presidential vote acts as the tiebreaker.

Article II. Nominations and Elections

Section 1:

An election shall be held once every year at the start of the spring semester to fill all Executive Board positions.

Section 2:

At the meeting prior to the election, the Executive Board shall receive nominations for candidates. Nominations shall continue to be received until the day prior to Election Day. The office of the president may only receive nominations for individuals who have been a member of the NGSA for a minimum of one year. The office of Liaison shall only receive nominations for individuals who have been a member of the NGSA for a minimum of one year and who are a member of the INS graduate program.

Section 3:

Nominations shall be accepted by the office of the Secretary. The office of the Secretary will tally the nominations and produce the ballots. All nominations made by the NGSA members must be accepted, if submitted according to the above procedures. NGSA members may not refuse a nomination, but may refuse to accept an office once elected. In this case, the office will be offered to the nominee with the second highest number of votes.

Section 4:

The election process will be carried out via ballots and those members of the NGSA unable to be present for the election may submit an absentee ballot to the secretary within 7 days of the election.

Section 5:

Ballots will be tallied by the secretary and announced no more than 10 days following the election.

Article III. Duties of Officers

Section 1:

The President shall: "Preside at all meetings of the NGSA. "Prepare the agenda for all meetings. "Keep an up to date list of current NGSA members and officers. "Authorize account transactions.

Section 2:

The Vice-President shall: "Take over presidential duties in the absence of the president "Assist the president in performing any duties required. "Oversee and report on the actions of the Subcommittees.

Section 3:

The Treasurer shall: "Update and keep organized banking records of the NGSA. "Authorize account transactions for the NGSA, including deposits and withdrawals. In the case of withdrawls, the accounts spent must be voted on and approved by the membership by a simple majority before authorization can be given . "Prepare an annual fiscal report at the end of each fall semester "Work closely with the Fundraising and Social Committees for budgeting money for events and merchandise and keeping records of monies raised during fundraising events.

Section 4:

The Secretary shall: "Record, distribute, and file minutes for all meetings of the Executive Board and the NGSA proper. "Receive and maintain records of correspondence. "Handle ballots for all voting, count, and announce results. "Take roll at all meetings.

Section 5:

The Historian shall: "Act as webmaster. "Keep an updated calendar of events both online and in paper format. "Arrange for photo-documentation of NGSA activities. "Organize and update a file of all NGSA events, meetings, fundraising activities and any other activities.

Section 6:

The Fundraising Officer shall: "Oversee a committee dedicated to raising money for the NGSA. "Encourage and propose new ideas for raising funds to the Executive Board and the NGSA proper. "Oversee the planning and execution of fundraisers once they are approved by the NGSA proper " Research potential grants and oversee applications for grant money.

Section 7:

The INS Executive Committee Liaison shall: "Act as a liaison to the Executive Committee of the Institute for Neuroscience. This includes attending all INS Executive Committee meetings, conveying information from INS students to the Executive Committee and relaying information from the Executive Committee to the NGSA Executive Board.

Section 8:

The GSA Liaison shall: "Act as a liaison to the Graduate Student Association at UT Austin, including attending all meetings and relaying information between the NGSA and GSA members.

Article IV. Committees

Section 1:

There shall be the following committees: Executive Board Social Committee Fundraising Committee Information Committee

Section 2:

The Social Committee Chair shall: "Oversee a committee dedicates to planning events for the NGSA. This may include volunteer activities, socials, parties, etc. "Encourage and propose new ideas for social events to the Executive Board and the NGSA proper. "Oversee the planning and execution of events once they are approved by the NGSA proper.

Section 3:

The Fundraising Committee Chair shall hold the position of the fundraising officer.

Section 4:

The Information Committee Chair shall: "Assist in the planning of all other events. "Oversee a committee dedicated to keeping the NGSA informed of issues concerning the students (i.e. health care, budget cuts, fellowship opportunities, etc.). "Coordinate meeting times, places, and people for NGSA members wanting to give practice talks, poster critiques, or any other academic assistance. " Organize and keep up to date exam library.

Section 5:

Any NGSA member may volunteer to be a committee chair.

Section 6:

Any member of the NGSA in good standing may serve on any committee.

Section 7:

There are no limitations to how many committees a member may serve on.

Section 8:

A minimum of three NGSA members will constitute a committee.

Section 9:

Other committees may be created as deemed necessary by the Executive Board. This may be accomplished via an amendment to the Bylaws as per the guidelines in Chapter: Bylaws, Article VII.

Article V. Meetings

Section 1:

NGSA meetings will be held at a minimum of once per month. The Executive Board, at the start of each term, will decide on a date and time for all meetings to take place during that term.

Section 2:

The Executive Board shall meet at a minimum of once per month to review past activities and plan future activities. Executive Board meetings shall be open to all members of the NGSA. These meetings may be planned at the discretion of the Executive Board.

Article VI. Annual Report

Section 1:

The Executive Board shall prepare an Annual Report, including the activities and financial status of the NGSA for the previous fiscal year. This shall be done at the end of each fall semester.

Article VII. Amendments

Section 1:

Amendments to the bylaws may be submitted at any time to the Executive Board for review. The final version of the amendment is to be submitted by the Executive Board to the NGSA members for approval by ballot vote. A simple majority is required to ratify an amendment.

Article VIII. Constitution Accessibility

Section 1:

The constitution will be available in written form to any NGSA members by request to the Historian. One official version of the constitution, signed and dated by the Executive Board, will be archived with the office of Historian. A new signed and dated constitution must be archived within one month of all new amendments.

Section 2:

The constitution will be available for viewing or downloading on the NGSA website. Changes to the constitution must be added to the online version within two months of all new amendments. This will be carried out by the office of Historian.