Constitution

 

ARTICLE I. NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Doctoral and Graduate Students’ Organization (hereafter, “DGSO”). The name of the elected body that represents the DGSO shall be the Doctoral and Graduate Students’ Council (hereafter, “DGSC”).

ARTICLE II. PURPOSES

The purposes of the DGSC shall include but not be limited to:

• a. promoting an atmosphere of community and sociability for the commonwealth of students at the Graduate School of the Graduate School and University Center (hereafter, “The Graduate Center”);

• b. promoting the democratization of the City University of New York (hereafter, “CUNY”) in order to enable its students, faculty, and staff to participate in the important social, political, and economic decisions that affect the quality of their lives and of their community;

• c. promoting transparency and facilitating political participation by making its documents, constitution, and bylaws publicly accessible;

• d. representing the interests of and establishing and enacting policy for all Graduate Center students, making its constitution and bylaws publicly available for review;

• e. seeking reciprocal channels of communication among CUNY graduate and undergraduate students, faculty and staff, and the administration;

• f. securing voting participation in the decision-making entities that impact Graduate Center students;

• g. serving as the allocating body for Student Government Fees as a portion of all Student Activity Fees, subject to review by the Graduate Center College Association (hereafter, “College Association”);

• h. organizing and funding, via Student Activity Fee monies, Graduate Center student activities, organizations, and services such as colloquia, seminars, and other functions of general, professional, cultural, and social interest to Graduate Center.

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP

III.1. Constituency

All students registered at the Graduate Center shall be members of the DGSO.

III.2. Representatives

III.2.1. At-Large Representatives

It is the duty of the at-large representatives to discover and further the interests of Graduate Center students. To this end they shall:

• a. solicit the opinions of their constituency on student matters;

• b. inform their constituency of significant events, dates, and deadlines announced by and of actions taken by the DGSC; and

• c. attend all DGSC meetings at which they have a vote or, if unable to attend, arrange for an Alternate At-Large Representative to attend in their place.

Recommended methods of communication with constituents in execution of the above enumerated responsibilities include, but are not limited to: student meetings, including meetings of a Program Student Association; student listservs; and student portals or any digital media associated with the program’s students.

III.2.2. Program Representatives

It is the duty of the program representatives to discover and further the interests of Graduate Center students. To this end they shall:

a. solicit the opinions of their constituency on student matters;

b. inform their constituency of significant events, dates, and deadlines announced by and of actions taken by the DGSC;

c. attend all DGSC meetings at which they have a vote or, if unable to attend, arrange for an Alternate Program Representative to attend in their place;

d. authorize, in consultation with program constituents, the expenditure of any funds allocated to their programs during the fiscal year in which those funds are allocated; and

e. serve as a voting member on the program’s DGSC-recognized Program Student Association, should one exist.

Recommended methods of communication with constituents in execution of the above enumerated responsibilities include, but are not limited to: student meetings, including meetings of a Program Student Association; student listservs; and student portals or any digital media associated with the program’s students.

III.2.3. Nomination and Election of Representatives

The students of the DGSO as a whole shall elect At-Large Representatives and Alternate At-Large Representatives to the DGSC for each academic year. For every 200 members of the DGSO, or part thereof, as of March 1, there shall be up to one At-Large Representative seat and one Alternate At-Large Representative seat.

The students of each doctoral program, doctoral subprogram, and masters program or subprogram that is not affiliated with or part of a doctoral program (hereafter, all referred to as “program”), where that program is officially recognized by the Graduate Center Registrar, shall elect Program Representatives and Alternate Program Representatives to the DGSC each academic year. For each program, there shall be up to one Program Representative seat and one Alternate Program Representative seat for each 100 students or part thereof as of March 1. No seat shall exist until a nomination for it has been accepted during the nominations process, with the first acceptance creating the first seat and each additional acceptance creating the additional seat(s) up to the maximum number allowed.

After nominations have closed, students in a program without their full allocation Program Representative or Alternate Program Representative seats may create one or more seats, up to the maximum number allowed, by sending a petition to the Steering Committee with the name(s) of their pro tempore representative(s), signed by the lesser of 20 or one-quarter of the students in that program.The Officer for Governance and Membership will present the earliest-received valid position(s) to the Steering Committee as Program Representatives, up to the maximum number allowed, and petitions received following these as Alternate Program Representatives, up to the maximum number allowed. Petitions received in excess of the maximum number of additional representatives will be considered in the event of a vacancy. The Steering Committee may create At-Large Representative seats and Alternate At-Large Representative seats, up to the maximum number allowed, at its discretion, by a simple majority vote at a meeting of the Steering Committee. The creation of any seat must be ratified by the DGSC at its next Plenary meeting.

Nominations for At-Large Representatives and Program Representatives, as well as Alternate At-Large Representatives and Alternate Program Representatives, shall open on the first business day of February and notice shall be sent to DGSO members at least three business days in advance. Any DGSO member may nominate any DGSO member as an At-Large Representative or Alternate At-Large Representative, including themself. Each DGSO member may make nominations for Program Representative(s) and Alternate Program Representative(s) of the program in which they are enrolled and may nominate only those DGSO members who are enrolled in that program, including themself. All nominations shall be submitted in writing.

The nomination period shall be closed as of midnight on the first business day of March. Upon the close of nominations, the list of applicants will be submitted to the Office of Student Affairs for certification of matriculation, good academic standing, and eligibility to serve (henceforth, “certification” of eligibility). All eligible nominees shall be notified of their nomination within five business days of certifiation and shall be presumed to accept nomination unless they decline nomination in writing. All nominees who are ineligible to serve will be notified of such by the DGSC.

Any At-Large Representative nominee from a program without nominees for its Program Representative(s) shall be a presumptive nominee for Program Representative, which they can accept or decline. Any alternate representative nominee for a seat without nominees for its corresponding representative shall be a presumptive nominee for the corresponding representative seat, which they can accept or decline. If an individual is nominated for multiple positions and they accept multiple nominations, their name shall appear on all ballots for which they accept nomination.

Separate ballots shall be prepared for Program Representatives and Alternate Program Representatives in each program and for At-Large Representatives and At-Large Alternate Representatives. Ballots shall only be prepared in cases where seats are available. The election of DGSC representatives and alternate representatives shall be conducted through any verifiable and time-stamped medium accepted by a simple majority vote of the Steering Committee. All ballots must be sent by midnight of the first business day in April, and the election period shall be closed at midnight on the first business day in May. Ballots submitted after this time shall be considered invalid.

Each member of the DGSO shall be allowed a number of votes for Program Representative(s) that is equal to the total number of Program Representative seats in their program. Each member of the DGSO shall be allowed a number of votes for Alternate Program Representative(s) that is equal to the total number of Alternate Program Representative seats in their program. Each member of the DGSO shall be allowed a number of votes for At-Large Representatives that is as close as possible to, without exceeding, one-quarter of the total number of At-Large Representative seats in the election concerned. Each member of the DGSO shall be allowed a number of votes for Alternate At-Large Representatives that is as close as possible to, without exceeding, one-quarter of the total number of Alternate At-Large Representative seats in the election concerned. Write-in votes shall be allowed on any ballot. If an individual is nominated for multiple positions, the votes received for any of those positions shall not count towards the other positions under any circumstances.

Ballots shall be counted in the following order:

1. Program Representative ballots - Programs shall have as their representatives those nominees who received the most votes for Program Representative, up to the total number of available Program Representative seats. Each member of the DGSO who has won an election for Program Representative in this election shall not be eligible to be an At-Large Representative or an alternate representative and shall be removed from the list nominees for those positions.
2. At-Large Representative ballots - The At-Large Representatives shall be those nominees who received the most votes for At-Large Representative, up to the total number of available At-Large Representative seats. Each member of the DGSO who has won an election for At-Large Representative in this election shall not be eligible to be an alternate representative and shall be removed from the list nominees for those positions.
3. Alternate Program Representative ballots - Programs shall have as their alternate representatives those nominees who received the most votes for Alternate Program Representative, in order of number of votes received, up to the total number of available Alternate Program Representative seats.
4. The remaining Alternate Program Representative seats, up to the maximum number allowed, shall be filled by the nominees for Program Representative who received the next highest number of votes, in order of number of votes received.
5. Alternate At-Large Representative ballots - The Alternate At-Large Representatives shall be those nominees who received the most votes for Alternate At-Large Representative, in order of number of votes received, up to the total number of available Alternate At-Large Representative seats.
6. The remaining Alternate At-Large Representative seats, up to the maximum number allowed, shall be filled by the nominees for Alternate At-Large Representative who received the next highest number of votes, in order of number of votes received.

In the event that one or more representative seats remains vacant after this process, if there is a corresponding alternate representative elected for such a seat, then said corresponding alternate representative(s) with the highest number of votes shall be considered to hold the representative seat(s) in the interim, and shall be counted towards the total membership.

Tied votes in elections for Program and At-Large Representatives and Alternate Representatives shall be decided by the Steering Committee, which shall first ask the tied candidates to decide among themselves who shall serve and, lacking consensus among or response from all candidates, shall draw names in a chance lottery from those candidates who have responded but not declined.

In the case of newly inaugurated programs, the Steering Committee shall issue a call for nominations for Program Representative and Alternate Program Representative to all students in the affected program during that program’s first semester, which shall remain open for ten business days. Should one or more students than the number of available seats accept nomination for Program Representative or Alternate Program Representative, the Steering Committee shall conduct a special election of students in the program for the given position. The election shall remain open for ten business days and the person(s) receiving the most votes shall be the duly elected representative(s) and alternate representative(s). Ballots shall be counted in the same manner as the annual election for DGSC representatives. If no nominations are made after ten business days, then the seat shall be dissolved with the understanding that it can be recreated by petition as outlined above, and the dissolution shall be reported at the next Plenary and Steering Committee meetings.

III.2.4. Alternate Representatives

An alternate representative is considered an ex-officio non-voting member of the DGSC, with all rights of a DGSC member, including the right to serve on committees as a DGSC representative, attend executive sessions of the DGSC, and serve as an officer of the DGSC, and becomes a voting member in the absence or vacancy of their corresponding representative(s), counting towards a quorum in their place. A representative may not also be an alternate representative. For roles with more than one alternate representative, alternate representatives will be listed in order of priority, e.g. first alternate representative, second alternate representative, etc. An individual may be elected as both an Alternate Program Representative and an Alternate At-Large Representative, but may not attend in place of two different representatives simultaneously, and in the event that said individual is the corresponding alternate representative for both roles at a given meeting, their role as an Alternate Program Representative shall take precedence over their role as Alternate At-Large Representative, and the next available Alternate At-Large Representative shall serve at the meeting, if available.

III.3. Officers

The duties of each DGSC Steering Officer shall include but not be limited to:

• a. chairing Plenary and Steering Committee meetings on a rotating basis with no one member acting as chair for two consecutive meetings, unless agreeable to a majority of those present; and
• b. taking minutes at Plenary and Steering Committee meetings on a rotating basis.

III.3.1. The Co-Chair for Student Affairs

The duties of the Co-Chair for Student Affairs shall include but not be limited to:

• a. supervising non-financial matters of Chartered Organizations;

• b. acting as the primary liaison to the DGSO;

• c. acting as ombudsperson for all DGSC affiliates; and

• d. serving as a non-voting ex-officio member of every affiliate and committee of the DGSC unless otherwise elected, appointed, or specified.

III.3.2. The Co-Chair for Communications

The duties of the Co-Chair for Communications shall include but not be limited to:

• a. acting as official spokesperson of the DGSC;

• b. reporting to the DGSC relevant activities of the CUNY Board of Trustees, Graduate Council, Council of Executive Officers, President’s Cabinet, and all other entities that affect Graduate Center students;

• c. recording minutes in the absence of a designated minute-taker;

• d. keeping and organizing the minutes, correspondence, reports, and all other non-financial records of the DGSC;

• e. furnishing, at request, any available non-financial records of the DGSC within five business days; and

• f. serving as a non-voting ex-officio member of every affiliate and committee of the DGSC unless otherwise elected, appointed, or specified.

III.3.3. The Co-Chair for Business

The duties of the Co-Chair for Business shall include but not be limited to:

• a. collecting and depositing all monies into the Treasury;

• b. processing all valid requests within ten business days;

• c. supervising the DGSC office;

• d. reporting to the DGSC relevant financial activities of all bodies that affect Graduate Center students;

• e. keeping and preparing all financial records of the DGSO;

• f. furnishing, at request, any available financial records of the DGSO within five business days;

• g. preparing a preliminary proposal for the annual budget of the DGSO; and

• h. serving as a non-voting ex-officio member of every affiliate and committee of the DGSC unless otherwise elected, appointed, or specified.

III.3.4. University Student Senate Delegate

The duties of the University Student Senate (hereafter, “USS”) Delegate shall include but not be limited to:

a. representing the interests of the DGSO at USS meetings;
b. reporting to the DGSC relevant activities of USS;
c. chairing the University Student Senate Advisory Committee;
d. attempting to represent the interests of the DGSO at Board of Trustees Meetings and, if they are a representative on the Board of Trustees or on its Committees, representing the interests of the DGSO insofar as they do not conflict with the interests of their constituency; and
e. reporting to the DGSC relevant activities of the Board of Trustees.

III.3.5. University Faculty Senate Liaison

The duties of the University Faculty Senate (hereafter, “UFS”) Liaison shall include but not be limited to:

a. attempting to express the interests of the DGSO at UFS meetings and, if they are a UFS Senator, representing the interests of the DGSO at UFS meetings insofar as they do not conflict with the interests of their constituency;
b. reporting to the DGSC relevant activities of UFS;
c. representing the DGSO and/or lobbying on its behalf at city and state government bodies.

III.3.6. At-Large Steering Officers

At-Large Steering Officers shall be responsible for overseeing one of six domains enumerated in the DGSC Bylaws to which they have been appointed by a simple majority vote of the Steering Committee Elect, with the recognition that these positions are not exclusive domains but rather a division of labor in a cooperative effort.

III.3.7. Nomination and Election of Officers

The representatives-elect shall constitute the Doctoral and Graduate Students’ Council Elect (DGSCE) and elect their officers within four weeks of their own election. The officers shall be nominated and elected in the following order:

• a. The Co-Chair for Student Affairs,
• b. The Co-Chair for Communications,
• c. The Co-Chair for Business,
• d. The USS Delegate,
• e. The UFS Liaison, and then
• f. Six At-Large Steering Officers.

In the first five cases above, the person receiving the most votes shall be the duly elected officer. In the case of At-Large Steering Officers, the six persons receiving the most votes shall be the duly elected officers.

The election results for the offices of Co-Chair for Student Affairs and Co-Chair for Communications shall not be announced until after the election for the office of Co-Chair for Business. In the event that one person receives the highest number of votes in two or more elections for officers, they shall be deemed the winner of the election for which they received the highest number of votes, and the other office(s) shall pass to the candidate(s) with the next highest number of votes in the election(s) for those office(s), or, in the case of exhaustion of candidates, a new election shall be held. In the event of a tie in any officer election, a run-off shall be held between the candidates who received the highest number of votes. If all but one of the candidates does not concede and the run-off also results in a tie, then the tie will be resolved by chance lottery. In the event that two or more co-chairs-elect are from the same program, a run-off election shall be held between them, and the office of the loser of the run-off shall pass to the candidate with the next highest number of voteS in the election for that office or, in the case of exhaustion of candidates, a new election shall be held.

The presumptive UFS Liaison nominees, who may accept or decline nomination, shall be any DGSO members elected as UFS Senators. If there are no DGSO members elected as UFS Senators, any member of the DGSC may be nominated. If the UFS Liaison is not a member of DGSCE, then they shall hold an ex-officio at-large seat, with voice and vote. If the UFS Liaison is already a member of the DGSCE, then that at-large seat shall be considered vacant.

In the event that more than three of the eleven officers are from the same program, one or more at-large steering officers-elect from those programs shall be removed in the order of ascending number of votes in the election for the office of At-Large Steering Officer, and their offices shall pass to the candidates with the next highest number of votes in the election for the office of At-Large Steering Officer or, in the case of exhaustion of candidates, an election for the vacant seat(s) shall be held.

III.3.8. Relationship of the Co-Chairs

Each co-chair shall be primarily responsible for the position to which they have been elected; however, these positions do not have exclusive domains but are rather a division of labor in a cooperative effort.

Although the co-chairs are intended to act in a balanced and cooperative manner, it is recognized that unusual circumstances may arise which would make a more rigidly hierarchical organization preferable. To that end, the DGSC retains the option to establish clearly delineated duties and functions for each of the co-chairs in such hierarchical organization as the DGSC shall consider necessary. This option may only be invoked at a Plenary meeting with quorum present. Quorum must be counted before the option is invoked and the motion to invoke this option shall only be open for discussion if moved by at least three members of the DGSC, only one of whom may be a member of the Steering or Executive Committees. Both the option itself and any reorganization decided upon by discussion of the DGSC must pass by at least three-fifths majority vote; any such reorganization shall expire June 30.

III.3.9 Relationship of University Student Senate Delegate and University Faculty Senate Liaison

Both USS Delegate and UFS Liaison shall be primarily responsible for the position to which they have been elected; however, they may coordinate their externally-focused efforts on behalf of the DGSO as needed.

ARTICLE IV. COMMITTEES

IV.1. Executive Committee

IV.1.1. Membership

The Executive Committee shall consist of the Co-Chair for Student Affairs, the Co-Chair for Communications, the Co-Chair for Business, the USS Delegate, and the UFS Liaison.

IV.1.2. Duties of the Executive Committee

The Executive Committee shall:

• a. make decisions on a day-to-day basis for the DGSC as per the policies established and actions taken by the Steering Committee and the DGSC and be subject to review by these bodies;

• b. consult and seek the advice of the Steering Committee on the Executive Committee members’ duties;

• c. establish or disestablish whatever ad-hoc committees are deemed necessary to discharge its responsibilities;

• d. interface with faculty, staff, and administration;

• e. prepare agendas for Plenary and Steering Committee meetings; and
• f. facilitate the voting process on DGSO referenda as deemed necessary by either the DGSO or the DGSC, based on the provisions provided below.

IV.2. Steering Committee

IV.2.1 Membership

The Steering Committee shall have eleven voting members, consisting of the Executive Committee members and the six At-Large Steering Officers.

IV.2.2. Duties of the Steering Committee

The Steering Committee shall:

• a. make interim decisions for the DGSO as per the policies established by the DGSC and be subject to review by the DGSC;

• b. set policy when timely action is required, such emergency policy being consistent with established DGSC policy, and be subject to review at subsequent Plenary meetings;

• c. hear the reports of all DGSC committees and take actions in accordance with the purposes of the DGSC, making public such actions through the Co-Chair for Communications;

• d. review the structure and operations of the DGSO and make recommendations to the DGSC;

• e. advise the Graduate Center President and Provost and the CUNY Chancellor on all matters concerning Graduate Center students;

• f. on the initiative of any of its members, review general and program policies on student discipline and procedures for implementing these policies, to establish internal DGSC disciplinary policy and procedure;

• g. establish or disestablish whatever ad-hoc committees are deemed necessary to discharge its responsibilities;

• h. recommend an annual DGSO budget to the DGSC in consultation with the appropriate committees and based on the budget proposal submitted by the Co-Chair for Business;

• i. conduct the election of DGSC representatives subject to review by the Graduate School Student Elections Review Committee (SERC);

• j. invite nominations and appoint members of the DGSO to committees;

• k. convene Plenary meetings and the meeting of the DGSCE for election of its officers;

• l. select, at its first meeting or as soon as possible thereafter, the DGSC members to serve on the Graduate Council and its Committees, as specified by the Bylaws of the Graduate Council;

• m. review its actions for the year and submit a report to the President of the Graduate Center, making this report public through the Co-Chair for Communications.

IV.3. Standing Committees

The DGSC shall have other standing committees as established in its Bylaws, which shall specify the purposes, membership, and duties of each committee, including the person to convene the first meeting. Unless otherwise specified, the committee shall elect its own chair, who shall submit an annual report on the activities of the committee no later than the May Plenary meeting of each year. This report shall be deposited with the Co-Chair for Communications no later than June 30.

IV.4. Ad-Hoc Committees

The purposes and membership of ad-hoc committees shall be specified at the time of their formation as well as the person to convene the first meeting. All ad-hoc committees shall expire on June 30 unless otherwise renewed. Unless otherwise specified, the committee shall elect its own chair, who shall submit an annual report on the activities of the committee no later than the May Plenary meeting of each year. This report shall be deposited with the Co-Chair for Communications no later than June 30.

IV.5. Sub-Committees

Each standing and ad-hoc committee shall have the power to create sub-committees for investigation, advocacy, and policy-making pertaining to any issue within the committee’s purview. Membership in sub-committees shall be limited to the members of the committee that establishes them. The committee shall appoint a sub-committee chair from among the members of the sub-committee. The chair of the committee shall serve as a non-voting ex-officio member of all its sub-committees unless otherwise elected, appointed, or specified. All sub-committees shall expire on June 30 unless renewed. Sub-committees and their members shall be subject to all provisions of the committees that create them. Each sub-committee chair shall submit an annual report to their respective committee chair at least ten business days before the May Plenary meeting, and that report will be included in the committee’s annual report.

ARTICLE V. TENURE, VACANCY, AND RECALL

V.1. Tenure

The tenure of representatives to the DGSC shall be July 1 to June 30 of the following year. The tenures of committee members and officers shall be coterminous with their positions as representatives. All representatives, committee members, and elected or appointed representatives to external bodies must maintain a certification of eligibility throughout their tenure.

V.2. Replacement Due to Vacancy

V.2.1. Representatives and Alternate Representatives

Whenever a representative or alternate representative seat is vacated due to reasons other than the natural end of a term, the Steering Committee shall attempt to fill the vacant seat within 20 business days by following these procedures in the listed order. In all cases, the choice of the newly designated representative shall be reported to the DGSC, and the filling of the vacancy shall be subject to ratification by a simple majority vote of the DGSC.

• a. In the case of a representative seat, if there is a corresponding alternate representative, the alternate representative with the highest priority shall be asked to serve out the remainder of the term as a representative. This method shall be carried out until a member accepts the position or until the list is exhausted. Until the seat(s) is/are filled, the corresponding alternate representative(s) with the highest priority shall be considered to hold the representative seat(s) in the interim, and shall be counted towards the total membership.
• b. Following certification of eligibility by the Office of Student Affairs, the DGSO member who received the next highest number of votes in the preceding elections for the vacant seat shall be asked to serve out the remainder of the term. This method shall be carried out until a member accepts the position or until the list is exhausted.

• c. In the case of a representative seat, following certification of eligibility by the Office of Student Affairs, the DGSO member who received the next highest number of votes in the preceding election for the corresponding alternate representative seat shall be asked to serve out the remainder of the term. This method shall be carried out until a member accepts the position or until the list is exhausted.
• d. In the case of an alternate representative seat, following certification of eligibility by the Office of Student Affairs, the DGSO member who received the next highest number of votes in the preceding election for the corresponding representative seat shall be asked to serve out the remainder of the term. This method shall be carried out until a member accepts the position or until the list is exhausted.
• e. In the case of a Program Representative or Alternate Program Representative seat, the Steering Committee shall issue a call for nominations to all students in the affected program, which shall remain open for ten business days. All nominees shall be submitted to the Office of Student Affairs for certification of eligibility and notified in the same manner as the annual nomination for DGSC representatives. Should one or more students than the number of available seats accept nomination, the Steering Committee shall conduct a special election of students in the program, with ballots counted in the same manner as the annual election for DGSC representatives. The election shall remain open for ten business days and the person(s) receiving the most votes shall be the duly elected representative(s) and alternate representative(s). If no nominations are made after ten business days, then the seat(s) shall be dissolved with the understanding that it can be recreated by petition as outlined above, and the dissolution shall be reported at the next Plenary and Steering Committee meetings.

• f. In the case of an At-Large Representative or Alternate At-Large Representative seat, the Steering Committee shall appoint a representative.

V.2.2. Officers

Whenever an officer position or other DGSC-elected position to an external body is vacated due to reasons other than the natural end of a term, the Executive Committee shall appoint a replacement, whose appointment shall lapse at the next scheduled Plenary meeting when an election shall be held.

V.2.3. Committee Members

Whenever a committee position, with the exception of the Executive and Steering Committees, is vacated due to reasons other than the natural end of a term, the Steering Committee shall appoint a replacement by a simple majority vote. This appointment shall be announced at the next Plenary meeting.

V.3. Recall

V.3.1. Representatives

DGSC representatives are subject to recall by their respective constituencies. Upon the presentation to a member of the Executive Committee of a petition signed by two-thirds of the representative’s constituency requesting the recall of said representative, that representative shall be recalled, the Executive Committee shall notify the representative in writing within five business days of receipt of the petition, and their recall shall be reported at the following Plenary meeting.

DGSC representatives may also be recalled by a three-quarters majority vote of the DGSC. A representative cannot move to recall another representative unless they notify that representative in writing, copied to a member of the Executive Committee, at least five business days before the Plenary meeting at which the motion may be entertained.

Any representative who fails to attend a regular Plenary meeting without arranging for a corresponding alternate representative to attend in their place or whose vote is not accounted for at a given Plenary meeting shall receive a written notice indicating that a second consecutive absence will lead to their being recalled, with all corresponding alternates included in the correspondence,

Any representative who fails to attend two consecutive regular Plenary meetings without arranging for a corresponding alternate representative attending in their place or whose vote is not accounted for at a given Plenary meeting shall be automatically recalled. This removal may be appealed to the Steering Committee, who may grant the appeal at their discretion by a simple majority vote at the next meeting of the Steering Committee. This shall be reported at the next Plenary and Steering Committee meetings.

V.3.2. Officers

Any DGSC officer who fails to attend two consecutive regular Plenary meetings shall be automatically recalled from their role as an officer. This removal may be appealed to the Executive Committee, who may grant the appeal at their discretion by a simple majority vote at a special meeting of the Executive Committee. This shall be reported at the next Plenary and Steering Committee meetings.

All DGSC officers or other DGSC-elected representatives to external bodies may be recalled from office on an individual basis by a two-thirds majority vote of the DGSC. A recall motion for a particular office shall not be voted upon until seconded by at least five DGSC members from the floor. A representative cannot move to recall an officer or other DGSC-elected representative to an external body unless they notify that officer in writing, copied the Executive Committee, at least five business days before the Plenary meeting at which the motion may be entertained.

V.3.3. Committee Members

Any non-ex-officio committee members, with the exception of the Executive and Steering Committees, may be removed by a two-thirds majority vote of the Steering Committee, provided they have been notified in writing of their pending removal at least five business days before the meeting at which the vote shall take place. Removals shall be reported at the next Plenary meeting.

ARTICLE VI. MEETINGS

VI.1. Regular Meetings

VI.1.1. Plenary

The DGSC shall hold one Plenary meeting each month except in the months of January, June, July, and August.

VI.1.2. Executive Committee

The Executive Committee shall hold at least one meeting each semester.

VI.1.3. Steering Committee

The Steering Committee must hold at least one meeting each month except in the months of January, June, July, and August.

In addition, after the meeting of the DGSCE, prior to their tenure, the outgoing Steering Committee shall convene a meeting of the newly elected Steering Committee that shall be considered the first meeting of the incoming Steering Committee, for the purposes of forming the initial membership of committees and assigning roles to the newly elected Officers.

VI.1.4. Standing and Ad-Hoc Committees

Standing and ad-hoc committees shall hold at least two meetings each semester.

VI.2. Special Meetings

Special meetings of the DGSC or any of its committees may be called by a written petition presented to a member of the Executive Committee stating the issue to be discussed and bearing the signature of either the three co-chairs, a simple majority of the Steering Committee, one-fifth of the representatives to the DGSC, or 2% of the members of the DGSO.

A member of the Executive Committee shall convene the special meeting within ten business days of receipt of the petition. Within seven calendar days, that member shall both send an agenda to each member of the respective body for which the meeting has been called and make public notice of the meeting through the Co-Chair for Communications.

VI.3. Compliance with the New York State Open Meetings Law and Freedom of Information Law

The DGSC shall comply with New York State Open Meetings Law and Freedom of Information Law, including but not limited to having those in charge of calling each meeting send an agenda and draft minutes of the previous meeting to each member of the respective body and the Co-Chair for Communications at least seven calendar days before the meeting. Agendas shall be made public through the Co-Chair for Communications at least seven calendar days before each meeting. Draft minutes shall, likewise, be sent to each member of the respective body and the Co-Chair for Communications and made public through the Co-Chair for Communications no more than seven calendar days after the meeting takes place. These minutes shall indicate, but not be limited to, those voting members present and absent, the time the meeting was called to order, and the time the meeting was adjourned, and the minutes shall also chronicle each passing or failing motion, the person who made the motion, the person who seconded the motion if the motion was seconded, and the outcome of the vote on the motion if a vote was taken. All members of the public may attend any meeting of the DGSC without vote and also without voice unless so recognized to speak by the chair. Members of the public may not attend portions of meetings conducted in a legitimate executive session unless so authorized by the chair.

VI.4. Quorum

At any meeting of the DGSC, a quorum shall consist of a simple majority of the voting seats including one co-chair, with the exception of Steering Committee meetings at which a quorum shall consist of two-thirds of the committee including one co-chair.

VI.5. Parliamentary Procedure

The most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall govern all DGSC meetings when applicable and consistent with this constitution and the DGSC Bylaws.

VI.6. Arranging for an Alternate Representative

In the event that a representative is unable to attend a Plenary meeting, it shall be their responsibility to arrange for an alternate representative to attend in their place with at least two business days’ notice.

In the case of a Program Representative, they shall contact the Alternate Program Representatives of their program in writing, to indicate that they will not be in attendance at a given Plenary meeting, and shall include the Executive Committee and the Officer for Governance and Membership in this correspondence.

In the case of an At-Large Representative, they shall contact the Executive Committee and the Officer for Governance and Membership in writing, to indicate that they will not be in attendance at a given Plenary meeting, and that the DGSC should contact the list of Alternate At-Large Representatives, to arrange for one to attend in their place.

If an alternate representative is in attendance in the absence of their corresponding representative, then the attendance will be counted, regardless of whether a request was made in writing to the Executive Committee, and the alternate representative(s) with the highest priority will be eligible to vote, but the representative will still be counted as absent for the purposes of recall. A representative may appeal this absence to the Steering Committee, who may grant the appeal at their discretion by a simple majority vote at the next meeting of the Steering Committee.

ARTICLE VII. REFERENDA

VII.1

It is the right of the members of the DGSO to call a referendum vote on any issue or legislation that the members deem appropriate. An issue will be placed on the next regular DGSO election ballot if a petition bearing the valid signatures of 5% of the membership of the DGSO or 10% of the DGSO if the referendum is on the Student Activity Fee, a simple majority of the Steering Committee, or a simple majority of the DGSC representatives is submitted to the Executive Committee on or before March 15. If the petition states that an immediate vote is necessary, a special referendum ballot will be sent to all DGSO members within 20 business days of receipt of any petition calling both for a referendum and for an immediate vote. Such a request for an immediate vote must be clearly specified in the required petition. Approval of a referendum will require a majority affirmative vote with not less than 10% of the members of the DGSO voting within 20 business days.

VII.2

A referendum proposing changes in the student activity fee shall be initiated by a petition of at least ten (10) percent of the appropriate student body and voted upon in conjunction with student government elections.

1. Where a referendum seeks to earmark student activity fees for a specific purpose or organization without changing the total student activity fee, the results of the referendum shall be sent to the college association for implementation.
2. Where a referendum seeks to earmark student activity fees for a specific purpose or organization by changing the total student activity fee, the results of such referendum shall be sent to the board by the president of the college together with his/her recommendation.
3. At the initiation of a petition of at least ten (10) percent of the appropriate student body, the college president may schedule a student referendum at a convenient time other than in conjunction with student government elections.
4. Where the referendum seeks to affect the use or amount of student activity fees in the college purposes fund, the results of the referendum shall be sent to the board by the college president together with his/her recommendation.

ARTICLE VIII. FINANCIAL AUTHORITY AND POLICIES

VIII.1. Financial Accountability

The financial actions of the DGSC shall abide by The City University Handbook for the Control and Accountability of Student Activity Fees.

VIII.2. Authorization

The signatures of the Co-Chair for Business and one other member of the Steering Committee on any payment request shall authorize the Graduate Center Office of Finance and Administration to make payments.

VIII.3. Student Activity Fee

It is the right of DGSO members to request changes in the level of the Student Activity Fee by means of a referendum.

VIII.4. Budgeting

The fiscal year of the DGSO shall run from July 1 to June 30 of the following year. After consulting relevant affiliates and committees of the DGSC, the Co-Chair for Business shall present a budget proposal for the following fiscal year to the Steering Committee by its March meeting of the current year. The Steering Committee shall propose a budget for the following fiscal year to the DGSC by the April Plenary meeting. The DGSC shall approve a budget for the following fiscal year by June 1 of the current fiscal year or by October 1 of the next fiscal year. The current budget shall be in effect until the new budget is passed. Budgeted expenditures may not exceed estimated income.

VIII.4.1. Surplus Funds

If the Co-Chair for Business projects a surplus of funds for the end of the fiscal year, the Steering Committee shall present a proposal for expending these funds to the DGSC no later than the May Plenary meeting of each year. This proposal must be approved by a simple majority vote of the DGSC. If no proposal is approved, the funds shall be budgeted as carryover revenues for the following fiscal year.

VIII.4.2. Stipends and Wages

All paid positions within the DGSO, including all employees and officers receiving either stipends or wages shall be categorized in the DGSC Bylaws and known as the “DGSO Stipend and Wage Schedule.” The stipends and wages paid by the DGSO shall be based on the classifications defined in this schedule. Any changes in either the classification of positions or in the level of payment shall take effect during the following year and be included in the budget for the following year.

VIII.4.3. Reserve Fund for Contingencies

The DGSO shall maintain a Reserve Fund for Contingencies, known simply as the “Reserve Fund,” at a level equivalent to 5% of the annual operating income of the DGSO. This fund shall be used to cover end of fiscal year deficits, and large unexpected expenditures of a legal or contractual basis. No more than one-third may be used for this purpose in a single fiscal year. If additional funds are needed to cover deficits, they must be budgeted as expenditures in the following fiscal year. Should the fund drop below the mandated level, the DGSC shall either allocate sufficient monies to return the fund to its mandated level immediately or allocate a minimum of 1% of the annual operating income each year until the mandated level is achieved. All expenditures from this fund must be approved by a simple majority vote of the DGSC.

VIII.4.4. Reserve Fund for Special Purposes

The DGSO shall maintain a Reserve Fund for Special Purposes, known simply as the “Special Purposes Fund,” at a level of at least 10% of the annual operating income of the DGSO. This fund shall be used to cover major expenditures and initiatives in excess of normal expenditures. Should the fund drop below the mandated level, the DGSC shall either allocate sufficient monies to return the fund to the mandated level immediately or allocate a minimum of 1% of the annual operating income each year until the mandated level is achieved. All expenditures from this fund must be approved by a simple majority vote of the DGSC.

VIII.4.5. Steering Committee Discretionary Fund

To further the fulfillment of the responsibilities of the Steering Committee, the DGSC shall budget no less than 2% of the DGSO’s annual operating income for discretionary spending. All expenditures from this account must be approved by a simple majority vote of the Steering Committee before the funds are disbursed. All expenditures in excess of 10% of the fund as of July 1 shall be reported to the DGSC at the next Plenary meeting.

ARTICLE IX. AMENDMENTS

IX.1. Amendments to the Constitution

A suggested amendment to this constitution may be considered for proposal by the DGSC upon written presentation to it by any member thereof. Written notice of the suggested amendment shall be sent to every member of the DGSC at least ten business days before the Plenary meeting at which its proposal is to be considered. The suggested amendment may be proposed by a two-thirds majority vote at a Plenary meeting. Any amendment proposed by the DGSC shall be distributed to DGSO members for ratification. The amendment shall be considered ratified by a simple majority vote, with at least 10% of the DGSO responding within 20 business days of distribution.

IX.2. Amendments to the Bylaws

A proposed amendment to the DGSC Bylaws shall first be read at a Plenary meeting. At the following Plenary meeting, the proposed amendment shall be considered and may be ratified by a simple majority vote