Article I. Purpose
Section 1: The Graduate Student Council, henceforth referred to as “the GSC,” shall constitute the official governing body of the graduate students of Brown University and the official liaison between the graduate student community and the University and the greater Providence community.
Section 2: The GSC shall be responsible for the distribution of annual student activities fees that are charged to graduate students. These funds shall be distributed as the GSC sees fit, in accordance with this Constitution, the By Laws, and the mission of the GSC to support the graduate student community.
Section 3: The GSC shall be responsible for informing the graduate student community of activities and events that directly impact them.
Section 4: The GSC shall be responsible for recognizing official graduate student groups within the graduate student community.
Section 5: The GSC shall be responsible for ensuring a graduate student voice within the University by appointing graduate student representatives to University governance boards and committees.
Section 6: The GSC shall be responsible for advocating graduate student interests to the University and the greater Providence community.
Article II. Membership and Representation
Section 1: Membership in the GSC shall include all students enrolled in Ph.D. or Masters programs within the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Brown University, who will be hereafter referred to as “graduate students.”
Section 2: Graduate students within each department shall select representative(s) according to their own procedure. Departments shall be entitled to select one representative for every forty graduate students enrolled in that department, such that departments with 1-40 graduate students shall select one representative, departments with 41-80 graduate students shall select two representatives, and so forth.
Section 3: Each departmental representative shall serve as a voting member of the GSC. Each voting member shall have one vote.
Section 4: If a department fails to select a representative, the GSC shall have the power to recognize a representative from that department.
Article III. Officers
Section 1: The GSC shall elect as its officers a President, a Vice President of Administration, a Vice President of Social Events, a Treasurer, a Secretary, and a Technology Officer.
Section 2: These officers, along with the Chancellor, shall constitute the GSC Board.
Section 3: Officers shall preside for a term of one year.
Section 4: All officers, except the President, shall have the power to initiate motions at GSC meetings. Officers shall not vote on any motion put before the GSC.
Section 5: The President shall serve as Chair of the GSC and preside at all general meetings and GSC Board meetings of the GSC. He or she shall serve as the official representative of the GSC to the University and greater Providence community. The President shall be responsible for maintaining the common vision and goals of GSC, promoting its growth and sustainability, and upholding its Constitution and By Laws.
Section 6: The Vice President of Administration shall fulfill all the duties of the President and act on his or her behalf in the absence of the President. He or she shall be responsible for overseeing graduate student representation on University Committees. The Vice President of Administration shall be in charge of selection processes for GSC awards and honors.
Section 7: The Vice President of Social Events shall coordinate and supervise all social and community service events of the GSC.
Section 8: The Treasurer shall prepare the annual budget of the GSC and manage the GSC’s University accounts and assets.
Section 9: The Secretary shall keep a record of the proceedings of each meeting of the GSC and make those minutes available to the graduate student community.
Section 10: The Technology Officer shall be responsible for maintaining the GSC webpage and overseeing all issues dealing with technology.
Section 11: Upon completion of his or her active term, the President shall remain on the GSC Board for one semester in the capacity of Chancellor. The Chancellor shall advise the officers of the GSC in accordance with the Constitution and By Laws.
Section 12: Any officer may be removed from their position by a vote of a 2/3 majority of the representatives present at a GSC meeting.
Article IV. Election of Officers
Section 1: Any graduate student shall be eligible for nomination to any office of the GSC.
Section 2: Elections shall be held once per year.
Section 3: Nominations shall be opened during the meeting prior to election of officers.
Section 4: For each office, the candidate securing a plurality of votes of the representatives present shall be elected to that office.
Section 5: All officers shall assume the duties of their office within two weeks following their election.
Section 6: If for any reason the office of President becomes vacant, the Vice President of Administration shall assume the position and duties of President, and the office of Vice President of Administration shall be vacant.
Section 7: If for any reason an office besides that of the President becomes vacant, an election shall take place at the first subsequent meeting of the GSC. An interim officer may be appointed to that position in the meantime.
Article V. Meetings
Section 1: The GSC shall meet once per month during the academic year.
Section 2: Meetings shall be open and accessible to all graduate students.
Section 3: Meetings may be scheduled, rescheduled, or cancelled by a majority vote of the GSC or at the discretion of the President.
Section 4: Representation from 1/2 of the departments of the Graduate School shall constitute a quorum.
Section 5: The GSC shall consider all motions brought before it by individual members. Motions, except those otherwise specified in this Constitution or the By Laws, may be passed by approval of the majority of voting members present.
Article VI. Finances
Section 1: The annual revenue of the GSC shall include monies from student activities fees collected from each graduate student at the beginning of the academic year.
Section 2: A minimum reserve of monies should be maintained in the Graduate Student Council’s accounts.
Section 3: At the first GSC meeting of the academic year, the Treasurer shall present a report of the previous fiscal year’s budget, revenues, and expenses.
Section 4: At the first GSC meetings of the academic year, the Treasurer shall submit a budget of expected revenues and proposed expenses for approval by a vote of the majority of the representatives present. The proposed budget shall be made publicly available before the first meeting.
Section 5: Each department recognized as part of the Graduate School at Brown University shall be entitled to receive a departmental rebate from the GSC to help fund one or more events or activities involving the department’s graduate students as requested by a majority of the graduate students in that department. The departmental rebate may be issued to each department only once per fiscal year.
Section 6: Upon majority vote of the representatives present at any meeting, the GSC shall provide funds from the revenues specified in the budget to support events or activities that are of interest to the graduate student body or graduate student groups.
Section 7: As long as a minimum reserve of monies is maintained, the GSC may provide grants from its carry-over funds to support proposals that will have a lasting impact upon the graduate student body. Such grants shall require approval by a 2/3 majority of representatives present at a GSC meeting.
Section 8: In an emergent situation, reserve monies may be spent if approval of a 2/3 majority of representatives present at the next GSC meeting is secured, or if approval of a 2/3 majority of the officers is secured, after disseminating the critical information to the representatives.
Section 9: Financial procedures outlined in the sections above shall be detailed in the By Laws.
Article VII. External Committees
Section 1: The GSC shall elect graduate student representatives to University committees, referred to as “external committees.”
Section 2: The candidate receiving a plurality of votes shall serve as the representative on that committee.
Section 3: If a position on an external committee must be filled before the next meeting of the GSC, the GSC Board shall appoint a representative to that committee.
Section 4: The term of service on external committees shall be determined by that committee’s charge or at the preference of the representative.
Section 5: Representatives to external committees shall deliver a report at a GSC meeting at least once per academic year.
Section 6: A representative may be removed from service on an external committee by approval of a 2/3 majority of the voting members present at a GSC meeting.
Article VIII. Referenda
Section 1: Upon petition of 5% of the graduate student population, who must represent at least half of the departments recognized by the graduate school, any motion or any amendment to the Constitution shall be presented by the GSC to the graduate student body for approval or rejection by the majority of those voting.
Section 2: The results of the referendum shall be binding.
Article IX. By Laws
Section 1: The GSC shall adhere to a set of By Laws, which detail the operating procedures of the GSC.
Section 2: The By Laws shall be adopted by approval of a 2/3 majority of the representatives present at a meeting of the GSC.
Section 3: The By Laws may be amended by approval of a 2/3 majority of the representatives present at a meeting of the GSC.
Section 4: Proposed amendments to the By Laws shall be made available to all voting members at least one week prior to the vote.
Section 5: The By Laws and any subsequent amendments shall be binding immediately upon passage.
Article X. Amendments
Section 1: The Constitution may be amended by approval of a 2/3 majority of the representatives present at two consecutive meetings of the GSC.
Section 2: Proposed amendments shall be made available to all voting members at least one week prior to the second vote.
Section 3: Amendments to the constitution shall be binding immediately upon passage at the second consecutive meeting.
Article XI. Adoption
Section 1: Adoption of a new constitution shall follow the same procedure as amendments to the Constitution as stated above in Article X, Section 1.
Section 2: This Constitution shall be binding immediately upon passage at the second consecutive meeting.
Section 3: This Constitution shall supersede all previous constitutions.
Article XII. Equal Opportunity
The GSC shall support and abide by all Brown University Equal Opportunity guidelines, and shall never discriminate against any person because of race, color, religion, age, national or ethnic origin, disability, status as a veteran, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or sex, except where sex is a bona fide occupational qualification.