Constitution

Preamble

We, the members of the Engineering Graduate Student Council (EGSC), do hereby establish this Constitution in order that our purpose be realized to its fullest extent. EGSC is a graduate student organization comprised of members from all of the College of Engineering departments.

Article I. Name

The name of the organization will be the Engineering Graduate Student Council, henceforth referred to as EGSC.

Article II.  Purpose

Section 1.

EGSC is established to advise the Dean on engineering graduate student issues, promote individual department events and to coordinate multi-department events, create a cohesive identity for engineering graduate students at the University of Maryland, as well as enhance graduate student life and education through social activities and professional development. EGSC shall act as the Council for all engineering graduate students.

Section 2.

EGSC understands and is committed to fulfilling its responsibilities of abiding by University of Maryland, College Park policies.

Article III. Membership

Section 1.

Members of EGSC shall be provided from their individual departments. The number of members from each department shall be based on the proportion of the engineering graduate student population. The EGSC shall make every effort to include at least one representative from each department at all times.

If the department has a graduate student association, the representative(s) can be elected from that body.  If such an association does not exist, the chair of the department can select the representative(s).

Section 2.

Active membership shall be limited to currently registered graduate students in the College of Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park.  In addition, active participation in all activities sponsored by EGSC and attendance at all meetings is required unless the activity interferes with either scholastic or financial constraints. In the event that an EGSC member is unable to attend a meeting/activity, they shall notify the Vice-President in advance of the meeting/activity.

Section 3.

EGSC openly admits students to its membership and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, personal appearance, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, or on the basis of rights secured by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

Article IV.  Officers

EGSC shall have the following officers: President, Vice-President/Secretary, Social Events Coordinator, Academic Events Coordinator, Treasurer, and Webmaster/Historian.

• The elected President shall preside at all meetings of EGSC. The President is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the Council, organizing and running meetings, and representing the Council through interactions with faculty, students, and other societies.
• The Vice-President/Secretary’s duties shall include working with and supporting the President to maintain the Council, keeping all records for the Council including meeting minutes, and maintaining the e-mail list for the Council in conjunction with the President and Faculty Advisor. In the President’s absence, the Vice-President will take on the responsibilities of the President.
• The Social Events Coordinator shall be responsible for coordinating all social events planned by the Council (i.e. coffee hours, barbeques, happy hours).
• The Academic Events Coordinator shall be responsible for coordinating all professional events planned by the Council (i.e. seminars, field trips, professional development workshops).
• The Treasurer shall keep the account balance of the Council. The Treasurer shall maintain full and complete records of the assets and liabilities of the EGSC, prepare general and event budgets, and manage the receipt and expenditure of funds.  The Treasurer shall also prepare and file financial reports as required by University, Federal, State, and local agencies.
• The Webmaster/Historian shall be responsible for maintaining and updating the Council website in a timely manner (i.e. putting meeting minutes on the web shortly after the meeting, adding special announcements, etc.).  He/She will also take photographs at organization events for publication on the website.
• The role and duties of the Faculty Advisor shall include providing counsel to the organization’s officers, and holding a Town Council meeting once a semester every year open for all graduate students to attend.

Article V. Operations

Voting Eligibility – Those members meeting all requirements of active membership as set forth in Article III shall be granted voting privileges.

• Election Process - All officers shall be elected by a majority vote of eligible voting members of EGSC.  All elections shall be held on a yearly basis during the month of May.
• Removal - Any officer of EGSC in violation of the Organization’s purpose or constitution may be removed from office by the following process:
• A written request by at least three members of the EGSC.
• Written notification to the officer of the request, asking the officer to be present at the next meeting and prepared to speak.
• A two-thirds (2/3) majority vote is necessary to remove the officer.

• Meetings - There shall be at least one meeting each month. In order for a motion to pass in the Council, a majority vote among a quorum must support the motion. A quorum shall consist of one-third of all active members.

Article VI.  Finances

EGSC will finance the activities it engages in by the following means:

• Finances from the Dean of Engineering.
• EGSC will submit a budget to the Graduate Student Government Finance Committee on an annual basis and request funding appropriate to the effective operation of the organization for each year.

Article VII. Amendments

The constitution is binding to all members of EGSC.  But the constitution is not binding unto itself.

• Any voting member of EGSC at any meeting may propose amendments to the constitution.
• The member proposing the amendment needs to have a written draft for the next regular meeting.  The amendments will be placed on the agenda for the next meeting for EGSC.
• Proposed amendments will become effective following approval from majority of voting members.

Article VIII.  Registration Renewal

EGSC will apply to the Office of Campus Programs for registration on a yearly basis one month after EGSC new officer elections.