Student Clubs & Organizations Application Name of organization Graduate Student Collaborative Date 9/9/2015 The undersigned officers and members of the organization, who are applying for recognition of the organization by the college, agree: To uphold college and SUNY regulations and State and Federal law; To follow college guidelines for the use of SAF and other college funds; To maintain accurate financial records which can be available for inspection by organization members; and the Associate Director of Alumni and Student Affairs; To provide equal opportunity in the selection of members, assignment of privileges, and provision of all benefits and services to members. There will be no discrimination on the basis of race, gender, color, religion, national origin, age, disability or sexual orientation. Organization description (what is the focus and purpose of the club?) Graduate Studies is a unique learning situation that often combines scholastic and professional demands that is not typical to undergraduate studies. Graduate students encounter a variety of new challenges and expectations. Consequently, graduate students often need access to information about and a space for discussing their distinctive educational needs. In addition, the often remote scholastic environments of SUNY Empire State College School for Graduate Studies students necessitates that opportunities for social and academic interaction be afforded to them in order to generate an appreciation for the tapestry of disciplines and standpoints the institution contains. The purpose of the SUNY Empire State College- Graduate Student Collaborative is to encourage the convergence of graduate students from across SUNY Empire State College and varied disciplines so they may engage and support each other in their academic, social, and professional developments.
Leadership Information President Social Media Coordinator Name Carolyn Massey Name Lori Mould Email hachatuck@yahoo.com Email lmould.ptk@gmail.com Location Rochester, NY Location Rochester, NY Vice President Membership Coordinator Name Julian Wyllie Name Email Wyllie_Julian@yahoo.com Email Location Brooklyn, NY Location Treasurer Club Advisor Name Elenora Levin Name Rhianna Rogers Email levin8@me.com Email Rhianna.Rogers@esc.edu Location Queens, NY Location Buffalo, NY Secretary Club Co-Advisor Name Vashti Ma'at Name Meg Benke 518-866-4959 Email VashtiMaat@live.com Email Meg.Benke@esc.edu Location Amsterdam, NY Location Saratoga Springs
SUNY Empire State College- Graduate Student Collaborative Bylaws Adopted 5/28/15 Article I. Name The name of this GSC shall be SUNY Empire State College Graduate Student Collaborative, hereinafter referred to as GSC in this document. Article II. Purpose SUNY ESC-GSC, serving the Graduate Students of SUNY Empire State College, is committed to creating and sustaining a variety of experiences that encourage the graduate student community. This graduate student-led group welcomes all members of the ESC student body but is particularly focused on graduate students. Our Mission is to promote and sustain a variety of educational and cultural experiences that will encourage graduate students to broaden their knowledge, generate communal interaction, and develop a collective of scholarship amongst our diverse student body. Our Vision is to bring positive energy to a diverse population of students who are willing to share their various ideas and experiences while creating an atmosphere of cohesion. We would like to provide opportunities for social interaction and academic dialogue amongst our members. We will help bridge the gap among graduate students who often feel isolated from peers while pursuing their collegiate goals in a non-traditional environment. The GSC will be a platform from which fellow students will network, create, and engage in various academic endeavors, professional developments, and social interactions. Some ways we will do this will be by hosting mixers at the residencies where students and meet, network and share critical issues/questions with faculty and staff. We also plan to engage the online students via webinars where they too can have a way to voice their issues, concerns, ask questions about capstone projects, etc. We hope to enrich our members through the promotion of diverse disciplines and perspectives. The GSC is a SUNY Empire State College student organization that will demonstrate and foster the inclusive academic culture.
Article III. Membership A. Members: 1. GSC membership shall be free and open to SUNY Empire State College students and alumni, but a particular focus of the organization will be related to graduate students and graduate alumni. 2. Interested students or alumni can join at any time B. Privileges and Responsibilities of Membership: 1. Voting: Each member is entitled to one vote per item brought forward for voting. 2. Privileges: Each member shall be entitled to all services of the GSC. 3. Participation: Each member is welcome to participate in all SUNY ESC-GSC events and general membership meetings. 4. Responsibilities: Each member shall participate in some way in a minimum of (1) event during the academic year. Participation is defined as attending meetings, GSC events and/or corresponding with SUNY ESC-GSC data collection (answering surveys, questionnaires or email discussions). Article IV. Membership Meetings GSC shall be governed by an Executive Board comprised of elected officers (see Article V) as well as an Executive Committee (see Article VI). A. The business meetings of the membership may be held once a month or at the Executive Committee s discretion. Officers are expected to come 45 minutes prior to meetings to discuss topics. Notification of this meeting shall be made 7-14 days prior to aforementioned meeting. B. The President/Vice President of the SUNY ESC-GSC may request a meeting as necessary with consultation of the academic advisor(s). C. Quorum: At all meetings of the SUNY ESC-GSC, a quorum shall be considered met if the President or Vice-President and one half plus one of the executive board, the executive committee, and the general Graduate Student Association membership are present. Article V. Officers (Executive Board) A. Titles: SUNY ESC-GSC shall have the following officers elected from the current membership: 1. President 2. Vice-President 3. Secretary 4. Treasurer 5. Membership Coordinator 6. Social Media Administrator (optional position) 7. Academic Facilitators (not an elected position)
B. Qualifications 1. Executive Board members must be in good academic standing, maintaining a GPA of 3.0 or above. 2. Executive Board Members should be available to represent SUNY ESC-GSC at various events and meetings across the state. 3. Executive Board members need to have proficient communication, interpersonal, and technological skills to effectively interact with association members, college faculty and staff, and represent the association. 4. Executive Board members must be prepared to speak publicly as a representative of the SUNY ESC-GSC and about topics and issues relevant to the association. C. Duties of Officers: 1. Officers are expected to attend all GSC meetings. Consecutive absences may be cause for removal from the Executive Board dependent on circumstances as per Vacancies and Removal Article V-E. In addition, officers are expected to attend events sponsored by SUNY ESC-GSC and make an effort to support other events sponsored by SUNY Empire State College and/or the Alumni Association as appropriate. 2. The President shall preside at meetings where in attendance and responsible for appointing all standing, special, and ad-hoc committees, upon consultation of the academic facilitator and shall perform such other duties as usually required of this office. The President of the SUNY ESC-GSC shall be an ex-officio member of all committees. The President shall also act as Liaison to the Academic Facilitator for SUNY ESC-GSC. 3. The Vice-President shall act in the absence of the President in all capacities as listed above and shall assist in conducting the business of the SUNY ESC-GSC. 4. The Secretary shall be responsible for taking minutes at meetings where in attendance. In instances where the secretary cannot be present a member of the Executive Board or Executive Committee shall fill in for note taking responsibilities. The Secretary forwarding to the Executive Board and Executive Committee and be responsible for formal correspondence such as, but not limited to, thank you notes, formal letters on behalf of the GSC and handling correspondence in consultation with the Academic Facilitator. 5. The Treasurer shall work with the Academic Facilitator to oversee the handling of all GSC monies. Responsibilities include payment of debts, receipt of income, and advising the Association of its fiscal standing. The Treasurer shall prepare a written report to be presented at each Association meeting. 6. The Social Media Administrator (Article V) shall be responsible for the creation and/or maintenance of social media According to ESC college club guidelines. cif this position is not filled the President, shall appoint an interim Social Media Administrator. Responsibilities also include being in consultation with the Academic Facilitator regarding the posting of content generated by SUNY ESC and/or the SUNY ESC Alumni Association. The Social Media Administrator will work with the Executive Board, Executive Committee, and/or Ad-Hoc Committees as needed, to
keep social media current and relevant to the Association s mission and vision. The Social Media Administrator will advise the Association on social media issues. 7. The Membership Coordinator will raise awareness about the Graduate Student Association and be available to answer questions about the association. If this position is not filled, the President shall appoint an interim Membership Coordinator. Responsibilities include working with the Social Media Administrator to generate informational posts about the association. The Membership Coordinator will also attend various ESC events to explain the objective of the association and its services. The Membership Coordinator will responsible for creating written and technological advertisements and informational handouts. The Membership Coordinator will not disseminate material before having approval from the association president or vice president as well as the advisor. The Membership Coordinator will organize members and enter them on club s membership data base, which will be made available to the president and vice president. 8. The Academic Facilitator shall advise the Association in a professional/academic capacity. Such advisement includes: a) Provide support and interpretation of College Policy and Procedures. b) Provide news and Information of interest to the Association s mission and vision and communicate what information generated by the College and/or Alumni Association relevant to SUNY ESC-GSC. c) Making connections within the local College community and with faculty, staff and other students across SUNY Empire State College. d) Academic Facilitator will work with the Treasurer to oversee the fiscal operations of SUNY ESC-GSC in accordance with College Policies. e) Academic Facilitator shall act in an advisory and consultative capacity to the Executive Board and Executive Committee and at no time shall act unilaterally without the approval of the Executive Board and Executive Committee. Academic Facilitator shall act within the scope of the Association s Mission and Vision Statements. D. Elections, Nominations and Terms of Office: 1. Officer nominations will be accepted by the current Executive Board (Article V) from any member in good standing of SUNY ESC-GSC. An Ad Hoc Nominating Committee will be formed for elections. However, candidates must formally accept their nomination. Applications will be posted on website and are completed on-line. 2. Nominations will be accepted until March 31st. Nominations forms will (be) available on the GSC website and must be submitted by March 31 st. 3. Candidates will be given the opportunity to prepare a statement regarding their nomination for distribution to the SUNY ESC-GSC Membership for consideration.
4. A slate of nominees will be created for all nominated candidates and sent to the (entire) SUNY ESC-GSC membership fourteen (14) days prior to the April voting session. 5. Voting shall occur at the April voting session and in accordance with Article IV- Section C. 6. Newly elected officer(s) will take office the following September. 7. All officers are elected by a simple majority vote of association SUNY ESC-GSC members in good standing. 8. Newly elected officers may join the Executive Committee (Article VI) to become acquainted with the association s governing body. 9. Officers shall serve a term of one (1) academic year. Officers may serve multiple terms as long as they formally run for election each year and are a student in good standing and engaged in the GSC. 10. Voting shall be done by ballot. Association members unable to attend a meeting may request an alternate ballot, which may include paper, digital or online survey software. Ballots must be received by the Academic Facilitator prior to the agreed upon date of the voting session. E. Vacancies and Removal 1. A vacancy in the Office of the President shall be filled by the Vice-President unless he or she is unable to serve, at which time the vacancy shall be filled by election and in accordance with Article V-Section D. 2. A vacancy in the Vice-President position shall be filled by election (article V-Section D). 3. A vacancy in another other officer positions within the GSC shall be filled by election (Article V-Section D). 4. Any officer, including the President, may be removed from his or her office or suspended from office by a vote of two-thirds of the members at a regular meeting. Removal or suspension should be made with cause, documentable reason and in compliance with College policy and SUNY ESC-GSC By-laws. The person under consideration shall be given an opportunity to be heard at the meeting with sufficient notice of the proposed removal and/or suspension: the person under consideration shall not be counted in determining the presence of a quorum whether or not the required two-thirds vote has been obtained. Upon a vote of removal and/or suspension of the President, the Vice-President shall preside at the meeting. If there are concerns about the Advisor to the GSC, these will be addressed with college alumni and student relations office staff. Article VI. Executive Committee The Executive Committee shall work with the Executive Board in the governing of SUNY ESC-GSC. The initial Executive Committee shall be comprised of SUNY ESC-GSC Charter Members who participated in the creation of SUNY ESC-GSC. The Executive Committee shall not exceed (10)
members not including the (4-6) Officers. This committee may be dissolved, following the guidelines in Article IV: D. 1. Responsibilities of the Executive Committee include: a) Regular attendance at GSC Meetings. b) Working with the Executive Board to contribute to the growth of SUNY ESC- GSC as well as participating in the following: the planning of events, discussion of issues and the contribution of ideas relevant to said Association. c) Bringing information and graduate student concerns to the attention of SUNY ESC-GSC. d) Attend as many SUNY ESC-GSC events as feasible. 2. Future members of the Executive Committee shall be voted in by the membership from nominations submitted to the Executive Board. Nominated members must be in good standing with the Association. Members in good standing may express interest in self-nomination to the Executive Committee. 3. To maintain stability of the governing body the following policies shall be followed: a) Terms of (1) year or (2) years shall be recognized. Charter members will be asked to choose a term length. Executive Committee Members may elect to run for another term by submitting a nomination to a current member of the Executive Board. b) When openings on the Committee occur, subsequently appointed members assume the initial term of an outgoing member. In the event of multiple vacancies, newly appointed members will be allowed to choose a term length in the order they appeared on the ballot. c) Length of time that someone can be inactive, without cause, can be no more than one term or 15 consecutive weeks. Article VII. Sub-Committees 1. The President, subject to the approval of SUNY ESC-GSC and in consultation with the Academic Advisor, shall appoint such standing, special, or ad hoc committees as may be required by the By-laws. Sub-committee Chairpersons shall be appointed by the President in consultation with the Academic Advisor and will be responsible to SUNY ESC-GSC.
2. A vacancy in a Sub-Committee Chairperson position shall be filled by appointment of the President in consultation with the Academic Advisor of SUNY ESC-GSC with input from the outgoing Committee Chairperson if available. 3. Members of sub-committees shall serve in a voluntary capacity. Article VIII. Ad Hoc Committees 1. The composition of ad-hoc committees shall be determined by the SUNY ESC-GSC President pending approval by a majority vote of the Executive Board and after consultation with the GSC Academic Facilitators. 2. The ad-hoc committee chair will be appointed by the SUNY ESC-GSC President. 3. The ad-hoc committee chair and the SUNY ESC-GSC president must provide a written report of committee progress and/or findings to be included in the agenda for each regularly scheduled SUNY ESC-GSC meeting. This summary shall be sent to the President 24 hours prior to the GSC Meeting. Article VIII. Parliamentary Authority The rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order, Revised, (http://www.rulesonline.com/) shall govern SUNY ESC-GSC in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the By-laws or the special rules of order of the SUNY ESC-GSC and the policies and procedures of SUNY Empire State College. Article IX. Finances Current finances for SUNY ESC-GSC are allocated through the ESC Student Activity Fee. The President and treasurer will meet to establish budget for academic year and the budget will be approved by the Executive Committee for submission, after consultation with the GSC Academic Facilitators All expenders require authorization with electronic signatures or verbal approval from both the President and Treasurer after consultation with the GSC Academic Facilitators. If this provision is used, an email will be sent out to all members of the Executive Committee and to the Academic Advisor explaining the charge, and why it was time critical. A full accounting and discussion will be an automatic part of the next executive committee meeting Financial Reports: The Treasurer will file quarterly financial statements-in quadruples- with the College. One of those will be a formal financial statement. The other three will simply be a copy of the revenue and expenses incurred since the last report. Where the treasurer keeps the account
active on a spread sheet, providing a copy of the spread sheet will be considered in compliance, when this method is used the treasurer will also file this with the formal financial statement. *The college (SUNY ESC-GSC) shall maintain a record of the financial statements and spread sheets for public inspection. If anyone requests a copy of these records from ESC or SUNY ESC-GSC; they shall be provided as any other records would be provided in compliance with NYS Public Officers Law relating to Freedom of Information Laws (FOIL) Article X. Meeting Minutes The meeting minutes shall include a copy of the agenda, a list of the current members of the Executive Committee, a list of members in attendance. All votes shall be recorded, so there is a record of who voted and what their vote entailed. This paperwork shall be provided no later than ten (10) business days following the meeting. *The college (ESC-NFC) shall maintain a record of the meeting minutes and agendas for public inspection. If anyone requests a copy of these records from ESC or ESC-NFC they shall be provided as any other records would be provided in compliance with NYS Public Officers Law relating to Freedom of Information (FOIL). Article XI. Dissolving the GSC If in the future it becomes necessary to dissolve the group Option 1: This will require a 90% + 1 of the entire Executive Committee and a 2nd vote of 2/3 + 1 of the entire group. If this passes as soon as the College is notified of the passage the group will end as per ESC rules. If this vote does not pass it will be considered a vote of NO confidence in the Executive Board and elections for ALL positions will be scheduled to take place within 30 business days. Option 2: If the members as a whole want to dissolve the group or call for a vote of no confidence; 40% of the active members is required (voting shall be in compliance to option 2 above) for a vote to dissolve 90% is required if this vote is not achieved but a vote of 2/3 +1 is reached it shall constitute a vote of no confidence. If this rule is called for because of no confidence 2/3 + 1 is required for passage. See option 1 for approved vote of no confidence.
We agree to notify the Office of Alumni and Student Relations in writing when the organization dissolves. Article XI. Amendments These By-laws may be amended by a vote of two-thirds of the members of SUNY ESC-GSC present at any Association meeting or at a special closed graduate student only meeting, with the exception of the Academic Advisor, called for that purpose. The membership shall be notified of adopted by-law amendments within 30 days by the most feasible means. Article XII. - Conduct Policies and Procedures of SUNY ESC supersede SUNY ESC-GSC By-laws as applicable. We agree to uphold in the conduct of our affairs all regulations of the college and the State University of New York.