Article One: Name
The name of this organization will be the English Graduate Students
Association (EGSA) of the University of Missouri, Columbia.
Article Two: Purposes
The purposes of this organization are:
a. To enhance communication among English graduate students and between
students and faculty and to provide a social arena for that purpose;
b. To provide a cultural service to students and the public;
c. To promote the professional development of graduate students by
aiding them in developing the knowledge and skills necessary to function
as professionals in teaching, scholarship, and related professions;
d. To pursue aggressively opportunities to advance the professional
and political position of English graduate students.
Article Three: Membership
Section 1
All resident graduate students actively enrolled in a masters or doctoral
degree program in English at the University of Missouri-Columbia are
considered to be members of the English Graduate Students Association.
Section 2
Membership will not be denied for reasons of race, religion, color,
age, gender, sexual orientation, national origin, handicap, or veterans
status.
Section 3
The EGSA executive board will be voted into office by the membership
as described in Article 1 of the By-laws. Only EGSA members (as
defined in Article Three, Section 1) may serve on the EGSA executive
board.
Article Four: Executive
Section 1
The executive of EGSA will be vested in a president, assisted by a vice-president.
Section 2
The legislative power of EGSA will be vested in the EGSA executive board
and the other active members.
Section 3
The executive board will consist of the president, the vice-president,
the secretary, the treasurer, the mediator, the social chair, and the
cultural chair.
Article Five: Legislative Voting Procedures
Section 1
Amendments to this constitution may be adopted at any regular meeting by a two-thirds vote of the EGSA members present, provided that notice of the proposed amendment was presented at the previous regular meeting or that the written text of the proposed amendment was placed in members mailboxes at least a week prior to the meeting at which the vote is to be taken. Amendments are subject to approval by the Organization Research Group (ORG).
Section 2
Motions made at regular meetings that do not represent amendments to
the Constitution or changes in the By-laws of this Association will
be considered to be passed if they receive a simple majority of votes
cast by members present at the meeting.
Section 3
If the executive board of the Association deems it necessary, or if
so moved and seconded by the members present at a meeting, an issue
may be referred to the EGSA members through a mail ballot. The
EGSA secretary will prepare and distribute such ballots to all EGSA
members and will report on the tally of the votes before the next scheduled
meeting. The measure will be considered passed if it receives
a simple majority of those ballots submitted to the EGSA secretary.
BY-LAWS
Article One: Election Policy and Procedures
Section 1
All officers and committee representatives must have been enrolled at UMC for at least two semesters before they may assume office. No one may hold the office of president for more than one term unless it is discovered at the end of the nomination process that the office is not being sought by another active EGSA member. At that time, the incumbent may submit her or his name for that position once again. No one may hold more than one Executive Board position in a single academic school year. One may hold more than one non-Executive Board position, though candidates are strongly encouraged to ensure that this does not cause a scheduling conflict.
Section 2
Officers will be elected each April in two rounds of voting. The first round will elect the executive board; the second will elect all other officers. Nomination ballots will be distributed by the vice president to all EGSA members for a vote on a Monday with voting closing on the subsequent Friday at 5 PM. Nominees will be contacted by the vice president prior to the final vote to allow them to accept or decline any nominations. Voting on finalized nominees will take place Monday-Wednesday at 5 PM following the week of nominations. Ballots will be counted by the vice president with the assistance of the secretary. In the case of a run-off, voting will take place the following two days (Thursday-Friday at 5 PM).
Section 3
The term of office will extend for one year, from August 1 after the
election to the August 1 of the following year.
Section 4
Vacancies in office will be filled at the meeting next ensuing after
the vacancy occurs. Vacancies will be filled following the same procedure
as annual elections.
Section 5
Nominations for officers and committee representatives will be accepted
by the vice president from the EGSA members. Voting will be conducted
by mail ballot. The vice president will supervise the writing,
distributing, and tallying of the ballots.
Section 6
All officers will be elected by plurality.
Article Two: Powers and Duties of Officers
Section 1: President
a. The president of this organization will preside at all meetings
of the organization.
b. The president will act as the representative of this organization
before other groups and as a liaison to the faculty.
c. The president may make appointments to non-executive committees
and subcommittees with the approval of the executive board.
d. The president will appoint the following officers with the
advice and consent of the EGSA membership:
1) Computer Representatives. One or two computer representatives
will maintain the departmental computers reserved for graduate student
use, serve as the contact persons for hardware or software problems.
The computer representatives are required to have knowledge of and
skill in using both IBM and Macintosh hardware and software. The
computer representatives will be appointed at the beginning of the
EGSA presidents term.
2) EGSA Conference Co-Chairs. Two or three EGSA Conference co-chairs
will plan and make all necessary arrangements for the annual EGSA
Conference. The Conference co-chairs for the following year
will be appointed within one month after the present years' conference
by the EGSA President in office at that time.
3) Fundraising co-chairs. One EGSA book sale chair and one EGSA auction chair.
4) Website coordinator. One website coordinator will maintain the EGSA website. This includes the upkeep of graduate student profiles.
Section 2: Vice-President
a.The vice-president will preside over meetings of the organization
during the absence of the president.
b. The vice-president will assist the president in his or her duties
as head of the organization and as its representative.
c. The vice-president will assume the duties and responsibilities
of the president if for any reason the president is no longer able
to serve.
d. The vice-president will supervise elections of EGSA officers
and committee representatives.
Section 3: Secretary
a. The secretary will record accurate minutes of any meeting of the
organization and post a copy for all interested members to read.
b. The secretary will notify the organization members of meetings.
c. The secretary will provide the advisor of the organization and
the English Department Chair with a list of executive officers and
committee representatives each semester.
d. The secretary will supervise voting on legislative issues in those
cases in which mail ballots are deemed appropriate.
e. The secretary will aid the vice president in the tallying of EGSA member election ballots.
Section 4: Treasurer
a. The treasurer will keep a complete record of the financial business
of the organization.
b. The treasurer will be responsible for the disbursement of funds
necessary for the operation of the organization and its functions.
c. The treasurer will present a financial report at each meeting
of the organization.
d. The treasurer will supervise the disbursement of grants from the EGSA Professionalization Fund in accordance with fund guidelines.
Section 5: Mediator
When asked to do so, this officer mediates disputes between graduate
students and professors. The mediator weighs the graduate students
complaint and decides if it merits consideration; if it does, the
mediator writes a letter to the professor explaining the problem and
asking that the professor respond either in writing or agree to a
meeting with the mediator. Following the professors response, the
mediator will ask whether the student is satisfied with the answer.
If the student is satisfied, the matter will be dropped; if not, the
student may request that the mediator set up a meeting with both the
student and the professor to mediate the problem to the satisfaction
of both sides. If mediation does not prove successful, and if the
student wishes to pursue the matter, the mediator will refer the dispute
to the Director of Graduate Studies of the English department for
final resolution, unless the Director is involved in the dispute,
in which case the grievance will go to the Department Chair. The mediator
should keep a written file of the dispute throughout the mediation
process for use of the Director of Graduate Studies.
Section 6: Social Chair
The social chair will arrange for all social functions of the organization in cooperation with the president and the executive board members. This chair should report plans and activities at each meeting of the organization. It is recommended that the social chair appoint two to three committee members, selected from active EGSA members, to assist in the planning and hosting the events/activities offered. One of these appointees will administer the EGSA Kung-Fu Sunshine Fund.
Section 7: Cultural Chair
The cultural chair will arrange for all cultural presentations and functions of the organization in cooperation with the president and the executive board members. The cultural chair will also assist the faculty members responsible for the Department's Colloquium series. This chair should report plans and activities at each meeting of the organization. It is recommended that the cultural chair appoint two to three committee members, selected from active EGSA members, to assist in the planning and hosting of events/activities offered.
Section 8: Graduate Student Association Representatives
Two elected representatives will represent the English Graduate Students
Association at Graduate Student Association meetings. They should
report on their activities and findings at each meeting of the
organization.
Section 9: Graduate Studies Committee Representatives
Two elected representatives will attend all meetings of the Graduate
Studies Committee and report on their activities and findings at each
meeting of the organization.
Section 10: Undergraduate Studies Committee Representatives
Two elected representatives will attend all meetings of the Undergraduate
Studies Committee and report on their activities and findings at each
meeting of the organization. One representative will be designated
to attend the Composition subcommittee of the Undergraduate Studies
Committee.
Section 12: Graduate Professional Council Representatives
Two elected representatives will attend all meetings of the Graduate
Professional Council and report on their activities and findings at
each meeting of the organization.
Section 13: New Student Liaison
The New Student Liaison is elected in April, but s/he serves for a year beginning the following January. The NSL's first duty is to serve on the PhD admissions committee for literature, folklore, critical theory, linguistics, rhetoric and composition, and African Diaspora Studies applicants as a full voting member. After acceptance letters have been sent, the NSL in cooperation with the EGSA President contacts the potential students to offer assistance with campus visits. After the incoming class is confirmed, the NSL assists the graduate office staff in compiling a relocation packet and assigns a graduate student mentor to each incoming student. The NSL assists the Director of Graduate Studies in organizing a faculty/mentor/protégé reception generally scheduled the weekend before fall classes begin. The NSL remains in contact with the incoming class through the end of the calendar year to assist them with filing their paperwork with the graduate school and registering for winter classes. The NSL also assists the DGS in planning the Spring Welcome Event by arranging meetings, meals, and overnight stays for visiting students with current students in similar fields of study.
Section 14
Executive officers and committee representatives may be removed from
office by resignation, by a majority vote of the executive board,
upon three unexcused absences from the regular and executive board
meetings as determined by the executive board, or by a three-fourths
vote of the active membership. An executive officer may not
be impeached unless a motion has been made at a previous meeting.
Article Three: Executive Board
Section 1
The executive board will meet when called by the president.
Section 2
A quorum of the executive board will be a majority of the members of
the executive board.
Article Four: Advisor
The Director of Graduate Studies of the English Department during the
executive boards term will be designated advisor to EGSA.
Article Five: Meetings
Section 1
Regular meetings of the entire active membership will be held at least
once a month during the fall and winter semesters on Tuesday at 3:40
pm (when this time does not conflict with scheduled faculty meetings)
as designated by the president.
Section 2
Meetings of the executive board will be held at least once during each
semester (fall, winter, summer), as designated by the president.
Section 3
Emergency meetings may be called by the executive board at the request
of the president.
Article Seven: Parliamentary Authority
EGSA will follow parliamentary procedures, usages, and practices as
stated in Roberts Rules of Order Revised if there are no conditions
to the contrary in the Constitution or in these By-laws and if a plurality
of the active membership should not deem otherwise in a particular case.
Article Eight: Amendments
Amendments to the By-laws may be presented at any meeting by any member
of the organization and may be passed at the next business meeting by
a majority of the members present.
Revised: April 6, 2007
