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Article I

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 and Aerospace 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 IT Director.

Section 3

The Executive Board will schedule to meet no less than once per month 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 elections nomination period. Such a measure shall pass in accordance with Article V, Section 1.

Section 4

Officially sanctioned EGSA elections shall occur as follows:

  1. The election of the Executive Officers of EGSA shall be conducted by secret ballot in each spring quarter.

  2. 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.

  3. 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:

  1. 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 Presidential vote shall act as tie-breaker at EGSA Executive Board sessions.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. The Treasurer is responsible for managing all accounts of the EGSA and maintaining the ledger.

  6. The Events Coordinator is responsible for planning and coordinating events as described in Article II, Section 2.

  7. 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.

  8. The IT Director is responsible for maintaining and updating the EGSA website and provide support for any IT-related issue that arises.

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.

© 2011 – EGSA at UCLA