Constitution & Bylaws

Approved May 22, 2003

Subject to annual revision

VISION STATEMENT

The Graduate Student Community Organization will be a leading student organization at the University of Michigan, known to every School of Education student and faculty member for providing representation, support, and communication within the School of Education Graduate Student Community.

GSCO MISSION

The mission of the Graduate Student Community Organization (GSCO) in the School of Education is to enhance both the professional and personal lives of graduate students. To accomplish this mission, the GSCO is committed to improving communication and strengthening relationships among graduate students (within and across programs), faculty, staff, and administration. The GSCO will actively pursue this mission by engaging in activities designed to do the following:

1. REPRESENT THE PERSPECTIVES AND CONCERNS OF ALL GRADUATE STUDENTS

By providing elected representatives in multiple capacities across the School of Education, the GSCO will strengthen our school community by ensuring that graduate student voices are heard.

Additionally, the GSCO will provide opportunities for graduate students to voice their concerns in a safe, supportive, constructive environment.

2. PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES TO SOCIALIZE WITH FELLOW GRADUATE STUDENTS

The GSCO will organize social events to promote the development of a connected graduate student community. These events will provide informal opportunities to network with and learn from other graduate students’ perspectives and experiences.

3. PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PROFESSIONAL AND ACADEMIC DEVELOPMENT

The GSCO will support graduate students as they navigate the academic demands of their particular programs within the School of Education. To do this, the GSCO will work to introduce new students to the School’s culture and policies, while providing enriching academic and professional development opportunities for graduate students.

The GSCO understands that success in graduate school depends in part on graduate students taking the initiative to find appropriate resources and learning opportunities to further their own development as students and professionals. It is our intent to facilitate those individual efforts by providing a supportive, interdependent network which students can utilize to be successful.

Article I

GSCO Election Responsibilities. The GSCO will conduct and oversee the election of representatives to the "leadership committee," and the internal selection of chair, secretary, and liaisons to School of Education committees. The GSCO leadership committee is responsible for providing the manner of nominating candidates and conducting the election.

Elected Representatives. Thirteen (13) representatives, elected from and by the Graduate Student Body of the School of Education, shall be members of the leadership committee of the GSCO. Two (2) representatives will be elected from each of the following programs: Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education (CSHPE), the Combined Program in Education and Psychology (CPEP), English and Education (E&E), and the Masters of Arts with Certification Program (MAC). One (1) representative shall be elected from each of the following programs in Educational Studies: Educational Foundations, Administration, Policy, and Research Methods (FAPMP); Learning Technologies and Science Education; Literacy, Language, and Learning Disabilities (including also Early Childhood and Special Education); and Teacher Education (including Curriculum Development, Math Education and Social Studies Education). Each representative shall have one full vote. In addition, OMSA will appoint one (1) representative who shall have one full vote.

Chair. A Chair will be selected from within the GSCO leadership committee during the first official meeting of a newly elected committee.

Secretary. A Secretary will be selected from within the GSCO leadership committee during the first official meeting of a newly elected committee.

Liaisons to School of Education Committees and Positions. After selecting their chair and secretary, the leadership committee will solicit volunteers from the graduate student body to fill 3 representative positions on the School of Education Executive Committee (EC), and 4 positions on the Graduate Affairs Committee (GAC]. No program should be represented more than once between the EC and GAC.

In the case that there are not enough volunteers from the student body to serve on the two committees, the chair will solicit volunteers from the leadership committee, and assign positions if necessary. Graduate students who are appointed to these positions, who are not already member of the leadership committee, must attend meetings of the GSCO in a non-voting capacity, to provide feedback to the GSCO. Committee representatives will serve for one year, and are expected to regularly update the GSCO on the concerns and events on those committees. If a committee position becomes vacant for any reason, the leadership committee will solicit a volunteer or assign a GSCO representative as described above.

Additionally, the GSCO will provide name(s), as needed, to the Dean's office, to ensure the following student positions are filled:

• OSCR (Office of Student Conflict Resolution) [one panelist for entire SOE]
• Rackham Graduate Student Forum [two reps from each program]

Sub-Committees. The leadership committee may, at its discretion, establish and disband sub-committees to address concerns within the leadership committee and the graduate student body. These committees may be created in either of the following ways:

• Through the action of the leadership committee, or
• Through the submission of a written statement and presentation at a GSCO meeting by two or more graduate students.

A majority vote of leadership committee members is required to establish a sub-committee. These sub-committees will preferably have at least one participating member who is a member of the leadership committee, but will in any case have one member who actively informs the leadership committee of the needs, activities, and concerns of the sub-committee. These sub-committees may have a pre-designated endpoint, or may be standing sub-committees intended to serve long-term needs. The leadership committee member or liaison on any sub-committee will be responsible for reporting the sub-committee's activities to the leadership committee.

Article II

Elections

A. General Elections. The GSCO shall hold one general election each year during the month of March.

B. Special Elections. The MAC representative to the GSCO will be selected by the incoming MAC student cohort, in a manner of their choosing, at the start of their academic cycle. The MAC representative will serve to the maximum extent possible, recognizing the unique characteristics of the MAC program.

C. Elected Representatives. Thirteen representatives shall be elected each year from and by the graduate student body of the School of Education during the general election.

1. Term. Representatives elected in March will begin their term on the first day of the spring-summer semester following their election. Their term will end on the last day of the classes of the subsequent winter semester.

2. Voters. Voters comprise the graduate student body of the School of Education.

3. Voting. Voters are eligible to cast vote(s) for their respective program representatives. For programs with only one representative, a simple majority will determine the winner. For programs with two representatives, the two nominees with the most votes will be the winners.

4. Eligibility. Candidates for representatives must be students at the Ann Arbor campus of the University of Michigan and must be active in a graduate program in the School of Education at the time of their election.

5. Election Directors. Two members of the GSCO leadership committee will volunteer to direct the election.

6. Nominations. Representatives from each academic program will be responsible for recruiting nominees from their academic program. Nominations will be submitted to the Election Director by March 1 st of each year.

7. Elections. Elections will be held during the month of March. If possible, voting will take place using existing University online systems. If this system is unavailable, other arrangements will be made.

8. Election Directors' Responsibilities. The Election Directors are responsible for ensuring that all nominees are presented on the ballot, and that the voting process functions in a fair and smooth manner. The Election Directors must be available to answer questions about the election during the voting period. They will also present the results of the election to the leadership committee.

9. Vacancy. The seat of any representative shall be declared vacant if the representative resigns, fails to enroll, leaves from the School of Education during the fall or winter academic terms, or graduates. If a vacancy arises, the chair of the GSCO will be responsible for recruiting a replacement to complete the term of the departed representative. If the chair position is vacated the leadership committee will elect a new chair from within its membership.

Article III

Membership Obligations

Obligations of the Coordinator/Chair

• Work closely with the GSCO membership to carry out the purposes and mission of the GSCO.
• Act as liaison between other student and faculty groups in the SOE and University.
• Facilitate GSCO meetings (e.g., compile agendas, facilitate shared decision-making and clarity of communication, keep membership focused on the vision and mission of the GSCO, etc.).
• Work to coordinate academic and social activities sponsored by the GSCO.
• Help keep Representatives fully informed and on-task.
• Attend all meetings of the GSCO and actively participate in events and activities sponsored by the GSCO to the extent possible.
• Provide support and help to the newly elected chair and representatives of the incoming GSCO leadership committee as they make the transition into their new roles.

Obligations of the Secretary of the GSCO

• Work closely with the Chair and Representatives to carry out the mission of the GSCO.
• Attend all meetings of the GSCO.
• Announce upcoming meetings and events through e-mail, fliers, SIGMA, memoranda, and/or the GSCO website.
• Record the meetings and distribute minutes to the Representatives.
• Facilitate the maintenance of the GSCO website.
• Work with the SEB facilities office to reserve rooms for meetings and events.
• Help facilitate events (i.e., help procure refreshments, set-up, clean-up, etc.).
• Oversee the GSCO budget and help obtain funding for the organization.
• Attend to any task, request, or obligation of the GSCO that cannot be covered by the voluntary efforts of the other representatives. In essence, if the GSCO has a task to complete, and no one volunteers to complete it, then the secretary inherits the task.
• The additional duties assigned to this position will be recognized with some degree of financial support, to be worked out with the Dean's Office from year to year.

Obligations of the Representatives

• Work together to carry out the purposes and mission of the GSCO.
• Attend all meetings of the GSCO and actively participate in events and activities sponsored by the GSCO.
• Share and disseminate information to other graduate students within the School of Education.
• Keep constituents apprised of the service positions within the School of Education to include: the Executive Committee, the Graduate Affairs Committee, the Social Justice and Educational Equity Committee, the Graduate Student Forum, and the Office of Student Conflict Resolution.
• Actively encourage the inclusion of all constituents in events and activities.
• Continually monitor the School of Education for ways to foster community and improve collegiality.

Obligations of Liaisons to School of Education Committees and Sub-Committees

• Attend meetings of the GSCO and actively participate in events and activities sponsored by the GSCO.
• Attend meetings of the appointed committee or sub-committee.
• Share information from respective committee/sub-commitee meetings with the GSCO and the graduate student body.

Article IV

This constitution shall be reviewed and ratified by the GSCO leadership committee annually. A sub-committee may be created to complete this task and present its proposed changes to the leadership committee.