Constitution​​

The Biological Sciences Graduate Students' Association of the University of Calgary

April 10, 2015 (Update to position titles and description, method of changing constitution, removal of executive bymembers)

 

Article 1: Name

The name of the organization shall be "The Biological Sciences Graduate Students' Association of the University of Calgary", hereinafter referred to as the BGSA.

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Article 2: Mission

To effectively promote the intellectual, cultural, and social interests of the graduate students of the University of Calgary Department of Biological Sciences.

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Article 3: Governance

The government of the BGSA arises from, and shall always follow, the principles of democratic rule.

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Article 4: Membership

Membership includes all persons registered as full- or part-time graduate students in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Calgary. Membership is also open to graduate students in any department at the University of Calgary.

 

Article 5: Graduate Students' Association of the University of Calgary

The BGSA acknowledges and will abide by the Graduate Students' Association of the University of Calgary (GSA) By-laws and Policies.

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Article 6: The Executive

1. The Executive shall be elected by members or acclaimed if only one person seeks an office. The Executive shall act as representatives and advocates of the BGSA and its policies, shall be responsible for the administration of the affairs of the BGSA, and shall always be accountable to the membership at large. The executive is accountable towards the members and must always be acting in their best interest.

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2. The Executive of the Association shall consist of the following officers: (i) President, (ii) Vice President (VP) Internal Affairs, (iii) VP Communications, (iv) VP Finance, (v) VP Student Life, (vi) VP Events

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President

a)    The office of the President shall be open to any student who intends to remain an active member until the end of the usual term of office.

b)    The President shall chair Executive meetings.

c)    The President shall enforce observation of the Constitution.

d)    The President shall be responsible for approving any official correspondence of the BGSA with external bodies.

e)    Whenever possible the President shall provide assistance to the VP Events in the organization of BGSA events          

 

Vice President of Internal Affairs (VP Internal)

a)    The office of the VP Internal shall be open to any student who intends to remain an active member until the end of the usual term of office.

b)    The VP Internal shall ensure items and tasks voted on in meetings are executed.

c)    The VP Internal shall chair Executive meetings in the President's absence.

d)    The VP Internal shall take over the duties of the President in the event that the President is unable to perform them.

e)    Whenever possible the VP Internal shall provide assistance to the VP Events in the organization of BGSA events.       

 

Vice President of Communications (VP Communications)

a)    The office of the VP Communications shall be open to any student who intends to remain an active member until the end of the usual term of office.

b)    The VP Communications shall take minutes for each meeting of the Executive and make them available to other members of the Executive.

c)    The VP Communications shall be responsible for relaying all correspondence (i) within the Executive and (ii) from the Executive to the members.

d)    Whenever possible the VP Communications shall provide assistance to the VP Events in the organization of BGSA events.      

 

Vice President of Finances (VP Finance)

a)    The office of the VP Finance shall be open to any student who intends to remain an active member until the end of the usual term of office.

b)    The VP Finance shall prepare two financial reports per year, which shall be presented to the Executive. The reports will be presented mid-year and at the conclusion of the fiscal year.

c)    The VP Finance shall be responsible for maintaining and keeping track of the BGSA's funds, including funds in the bank account and cash box.

d)    Whenever possible the VP Finance will provide assistance to the VP Events in the organization of BGSA events.         

 

Vice President of Student life (VP Student Life)

a)    The office of the VP Student Life shall be open to any student who intends to remain active members until the end of the usual term of office.

b) The office of the VP Student Life shall be responsible for promoting events and their details to members

c)    The VP Student Life shall be responsible for tending to member interests on campus

d)    Whenever possible the VP Student Life shall provide assistance to the VP Events in the organization of BGSA events.             

 

Vice President of Events (VP Events)

a)    The office of the VP Events shall be open to any student who intends to remain active members until the end of the usual term of office.

b)    The VP Events will be responsible for overseeing the planning of events hosted by the BGSA

                  

 

4. If any elected or acclaimed office of the Executive becomes vacant, other members shall assume the duties of that office, as directed by the Executive, until such time as the vacancy is filled.

5. Any officer of the Executive may resign at any time by submitting a letter of resignation to the President or Vice President. The resigning Executive officer may not run in a by-election for the vacant office resulting from his or her resignation. An Executive officer must resign from office upon the termination of his or her registration as a Biological Sciences graduate student at the University of Calgary.

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Article 7: Election of the Executive

1. A General Election for all elected Executive offices shall be held each year during the Winter term beginning no later than twenty-one (21) days prior to the final day of the winter term classes. The term of the newly elected Executive shall begin on May 1, and shall end when the subsequent Executive assumes office the following year.

2. Procedures for elections:

a)    General elections shall take place in the Winter semester of each year. The Executive shall be responsible for choosing the date of the election. The dates of the election shall be announced no shorter than thirty (30) days in advance of the starting day of the election.

b)    Candidates must nominate themselves no later than twenty-one (21) days prior to the election date. Candidates may only run for one position on the Executive. In the event that no candidate nominates himself or herself for a position, the position shall be re-opened for nominations for an additional seven (7) day period, and candidates nominated for other positions may choose to run for the open position instead. In the event the position still has no nominees a commissioner may be appointed by the President to fill the position.

c)    Candidates must submit a written statement summarizing their campaign platforms no later than fourteen (14) days before the election. These statements will be made available to the BGSA members via D2L or another means no later than ten (10) days prior to the election.

d)    BGSA members will vote via D2L for a single candidate for the positions of President, VP Internal, VP Communications, VP Finance, VP Events and VP Student Life. Members may vote one (1) time, anytime during the seven (7) day election period.

e)    The candidate receiving the most votes for each Executive office shall be elected to that office. In the case of a tie, a forum may be held where the candidates involved in the tie will have an opportunity to answer questions from the BGSA members. A re-vote shall be held with only the candidates involved in the tie on the ballot.

f)     In the event that only a single eligible candidate has nominated himself or herself at the nomination deadline, this position will be filled by acclamation, as per GSA regulations.

g)    The names of the successful candidates for each position shall be made public at the earliest opportunity, and a written report including election tallies, numbers of spoiled ballots, and any irregularities that may have taken place will be submitted to the Executive.

h)    Elected officers shall have a term of one (1) year, beginning May 1.

i)      Should a vacancy in an elected Executive office arise following an election or during the usual term of office the BGSA may hold a by-election according to the same procedure as the General election, with the vote occurring as soon as possible after the vacancy arises, while still providing time for candidates to campaign. In the mean time, members of the Executive and commissioners shall perform the duties of the vacant office.

j)      The term of office for the Executives elected in a by-election shall commence immediately after the by-election, and lasts until the next regular Executive is installed.

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Article 8: The Commissioners

1. Commissioners are members of the BGSA who attend the meetings of the Executive. Their purpose is to support the Executive and aid in event planning and decision-making. They also serve as representatives of the general membership to the Executive. The BGSA shall have up to nine (9) commissioners at any time, and there should be at least one (1) commissioner from each of the clusters of Biological Sciences. If possible, based on the candidates applying, the commissioner positions will be distributed so that representation of the clusters corresponds to the population of graduate students belonging to each cluster.

2. Interested individuals may apply to the Executive at the beginning of Spring, Fall, or Winter terms. The Executive shall choose commissioners based on the need for commissioners and the skills each commissioner has to offer. Selected commissioners are expected to attend at least 60% of meetings of the Executive, and may serve for a maximum of one year before re-applying for the position.

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Article 9: Meetings of the Executive

1. The purpose of these meetings is for the Executive to organize events, finances, and other business.

2. Meeting procedures:

a)    Meetings shall be called by the President or Vice President.

b)    Meetings shall take place a minimum of once per month.

c)    Members of the Executive are expected to attend all meetings, or notify the President of an expected absence before a meeting and provide the reason for absence.

3. Voting procedures:

a)    If a casual consensus is not reached by the Executive regarding any decision during meetings a vote shall be held. A casual consensus occurs when no members present at the meeting object to the proposed decision.

b)    The President shall state the options to be voted on then shall ask each member of the Executive to raise his or her hand in response to one option. An individual must be present to vote. The Secretary shall be responsible for keeping track of votes. Individuals may abstain from voting.

c)    Commissioners cannot vote, but may voice their opinions to voting members prior to the vote taking place.

d)    The option that receives the greatest number of votes shall be the option that is executed.

e)    In case of a tie, a re-vote shall be held with only the two tying options available for voting. If a tie still exists, the President's vote shall be taken as the winning option.

4. Votes for removing a member of the Executive or Commissioner from office:

a)    In the event the Executive feels an Executive member or commissioner is not performing his or her duties and/or is not acting appropriately while representing the BGSA, a vote can be held to remove him or her from office.

b)    A meeting of the Executive shall be held, at which the vote takes place. Only individuals present may vote. The individual in question shall not be present.

c)    Individuals may vote "yes" or "no" to the question, "Should this individual be removed from his or her office"? Abstentions are permitted.

d)    The vote must be unanimous "yes" (with no abstentions) in order for the individual to be removed from office.

e) If the members decide that the executive is not appropriately serving their interests, a referendum may be held in order to replace any or all members of the executive. To hold such a referendum the members must obtain support (in the form of a signed petition to the executive) from one third of all members.  At this point an election must be held for any contested position.

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Article 10: Open Meetings for all BGSA Members

Meeting procedures:

a)    Meetings shall be called by the President or VP Internal Affairs.

b)    These meetings are open to all members of the BGSA. Their purpose is to allow members the opportunity to give suggestions and feedback to the Executive.

c)    The date, time, and location of the meeting shall be announced to all members of the BGSA a minimum of twenty-one (21) days in advance of the event.

d)    Open meetings shall occur at least twice per year.

e)    All members of the Executive shall attend open meetings unless prevented from doing so by conflicts with classes or teaching assistantships.

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Article 11: Finances

The Executive shall have the power to invest monies in the name of and on behalf of the BGSA while having due regard for the security of such investment.

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Article 12: Amending and Creating Official BGSA Documents

1. Proposals to amend the Constitution or By-Laws must be submitted, in writing, to the Executive. The Executive shall ensure that the wording of each duly proposed amendment is clear and unambiguous.

a)   Amendments to the Constitution or By-Laws shall receive first reading (for information) at any meeting of the Executive. No vote shall be taken at this meeting regarding any of the amendments; the purpose is to receive input to help generate final versions of the amendments.

b)    Amendments to the Constitution or By-Laws shall receive second reading at the next meeting of the Executive. This reading is for ratification of the amendments, and requires a minimum two-thirds vote by the Executive.

c) Ratification by members. Once passed by the executive, for full ratification the changes must pass referendum by the members. For this purpose a vote will be set up on D2L. The members must be given two (2) weeks notice of the date of the vote and text of the changes to the constitution or by-laws. The voting period must be two (2) days, and must be adequately advertised to members. In order to be ratified there must be ten (10) percent voter turnout and requires a minimum of fifty percent of the vote.

d) Once ratified, all changes must be announced to the members.