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University of Nebraska–Lincoln

School of Natural Resources

Graduate Student Association

Constitution


April 16, 2004

ARTICLE I : Name

Section I. The official name of the organization shall be the School of Natural Resources Graduate Student Association (SNRGSA) of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.

ARTICLE II : Purpose

Section I. The purpose of the organization shall be to serve as a representative body for the graduate students in the School of Natural Resources, to promote a closer relationship within the graduate student community, to serve as a channel of communication between graduate students, faculty and staff, and to foster professional development.

ARTICLE III : Membership

Section I. Membership shall be open to all students currently enrolled in the Graduate College and whose major advisor is a member of the School of Natural Resources.

Section II. This organization does not discriminate in the selection of members or appointments when discrimination is defined as denying individuals membership or appointment on the basis of gender, age, disability, race, color, religion, marital status, veteran’s status, national or ethnic origin, or sexual orientation.

Section III. SNRGSA shall consist of at least five currently enrolled student members. Non-students will be allowed to participate in any student organization activity, but will not be a voting member, or an elected or appointed officer of said organization. A non-student is someone who is not currently enrolled at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln for the Fall or Spring Semester.

Section IV. Members shall not be required to pay any dues to the Association.

ARTICLE IV : Officers

Section I. The officers of SNRGSA shall consist of a Chairperson, Co-chairperson, Secretary/Treasurer, Graduate committee representative, Events committee chairperson, and all other SNRGSA committee chairpersons.

Section II. The following duties and powers are given to each officer:

  1. The Chairperson shall preside at all meetings of the SNRGSA; call special meetings of the SNRGSA Board; appoint all Chairpersons and Members to special committees of the Association and of the Board; execute the laws of the Association; organize the first meeting of the newly elected officers; and cast a tie breaking vote if needed.
     
  2. The Co-chairperson of the Association shall act as the Chairperson in the event of the Chairperson's incapacity or absence; and act as interim Chairperson, should the Chairperson's seat become permanently vacated, until the officers elect a new Chairperson.
     
  3. The Secretary/Treasurer shall take minutes at regularly scheduled meetings; and provide a budget report at each monthly meeting.
     
  4. The Graduate committee representative shall be responsible for attending faculty meetings and reporting back to the SNRGSA.
     
  5. The Events committee chairperson shall be responsible for organizing social events, including professional development and social gatherings.

Section III. All officers shall be elected by the SNRGSA body according to the following rules:

  1. In order to qualify for officership one must fulfill the membership requirements as stated in ARTICLE III.
     
  2. Outgoing officers shall nominate the next year’s officers. Nominations should be representative of the various disciplines in the School of Natural Resources.
     
  3. Elections for new officers shall be held at the April meeting of the year in which the new term begins.
     
  4. Officers begin their term in office in April and serve one year.

Section IV. Should vacancies occur prior to the completion of a term in office, the officers shall elect a replacement for the remainder of the term.

Section V. Impeachment proceedings may be brought against an officer for consistent failure to fulfill the duties and responsibilities required of the office. Evidence of such failure may be presented by any member of the SNRGSA.

ARTICLE V : Organizational Structure

Section I. The SNRGSA shall have a Board, consisting of officers as stated in Article IV, Section I.

Section II. The SNRGSA Board is responsible for implementing the goals set forth in Article II of the SNRGSA.

Section III. There will be one standing committee, the Events Committee, which will be responsible for arranging social and professional development events. Other committees may be established by the SNRGSA Board to handle special events or ongoing projects. The exact roles and duties of these committees are to be established by the SNRGSA Board. Committee Chairs are to work with and report to the SNRGSA Board.

Section IV. Committees appointed by the SNRGSA Board shall adhere to the following:

  1. Committee membership is open to any interested member of the SNRGSA.
     
  2. Committees shall meet at the discretion of the Committee Chairs.
     
  3. Committee Chairs are required to attend regularly scheduled SNRGSA Board meetings and report on their committees’ activities.
     
  4. Committee chairs are responsible for taking minutes of all committee meetings. These minutes shall be kept with all other organization records, and shall be made available to any interested members.

ARTICLE VI : Advisors

Section I. In order to qualify for advisorship, the individual must be Academic/Administrative or Managerial Professional faculty-staff of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Section II. The advisor and co-advisor will be selected by the SNRGSA through nominations made by the Board of the Association. Acceptance of the nomination is voluntary. Persons who do not wish to act as advisors will not be considered.

Section III. Length of term for an advisor shall be left to the discretion of the advisor and the members of the SNRGSA. The length of the term for the co advisor is one year with the option of re-appointment at the end of the term. The terms of advisor and co-advisor shall begin in April. If an advisor wishes to relinquish the position or if the SNRGSA board members determine a new advisor is needed, then a new advisor will be selected based on nominees by the organization’s board members and the willingness of nominees to participate in the position.

ARTICLE VII : Rules of Procedure

Section I. All students who meet membership requirements (ARTICLE III) are strongly encouraged to attend all meetings held by the SNRGSA. Although, attendance is not required, voting rights are conferred to all members of the Association and failure to attend meetings forfeits one’s right to vote, unless a proxy vote is arranged.

Section II. A minimum of two meetings will be held each year at a specified time and place. Other meetings may be arranged as needed throughout the year and notice of the meeting shall be given at least two weeks prior. Business to be discussed at the meetings will loosely follow procedure according to Robert’s Rules of Order. Members of the association who are not able to attend a meeting may submit motions to a current member of the Board one week before the meeting.

Section III. A quorum will consist of at least 5 individuals, of which no fewer than 2 must be officers. A quorum must be present in order to vote on motions put before the Board. If a quorum is not present, all business requiring votes shall be tabled until the next meeting.

Section IV. The minutes of the proceedings shall be recorded by the SNRGSA’s Secretary (ARTICLE IV, Section VII),

Section V. In the event of a conflict over proper procedure, the Board shall meet to determine and execute a process of resolution.

ARTICLE VIII : Finance

Section I. Dues will not be charged to the membership of the organization.

Section II. Sources of organizational funding will include voluntary sources such as member or faculty/staff monetary donations and applications for funding may be submitted to the the School of Natural Resources, Association of Students of the University of Nebraska (ASUN), Fund Allocation Committee (FAC) of the University Program Council (UPC), and other organizations that may serve as a funding source for specified purposes. Fundraising activities will be conducted in accordance with the University of Nebraska’s not-for-profit status and any policies and/or procedures pertinent to fundraising activities as outlined in the NU Book.

Section III. Organization moneys will be handled by the Student Organization Financial Services regardless of source.

Section IV. No part of the net earning of the Association shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to, its members, trustees, officers, or other private persons, except that the organization shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered. The organization shall not carry on any activities not permitted to be carried on by any organization exempt from federal income tax under Section 501 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (or the corresponding provision of any future United States Internal Revenue Laws).

ARTICLE IX : Amendments

Section I. Amendments to the SNRGSA constitution may be made by petition to the board. A petition for amendment, signed by at least 5% of the current active SNRGSA membership and authored by at least 2 SNRGSA members in good standing, may be submitted to the board at any time. The board must then allow 30 days for review of the proposed amendment by the membership of the SNRGSA. After the mandatory 30 day review period, the amendment may be ratified at the monthly meeting of the SNRGSA by a 2/3 majority vote of the SNRGSA membership present at the monthly meeting.

Section II. Any amendment to the constitution will be subject to review and approval or rejection by ASUN, who holds veto authority over the amendment process. In cases where the amendment is rejected by ASUN, revisions of the amendment may be submitted to the SNRGSA board for additional review.

ARTICLE X : Ratification

The constitution is subject to the review and ratification by ASUN and may be rejected for revision.

ARTICLE XI : Date

This constitution was ratified by ASUN and is effective as of ____________.