GSA By-Laws

I. NAME.

The name of this organization shall be the Botany and Plant Pathology Graduate Student Association.


II. PURPOSES

The purpose of this organization shall be:

  1. To represent graduate student opinion in an organized fashion at the department, college, school, or university level,
  2. To assist the faculty in departmental matters,
  3. To provide graduate student representation for university-wide student organizations when needed,
  4. To select graduate student representatives for departmental, college, school, or university committees as needed,
  5. To provide assistance to and orientation for new graduate students and their families,
  6. To promote social activities for the students, staff, and faculty of the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology,
  7. To assist in promoting participation in intramural and intradepartmental sports and recreation activities,
  8. To promote the presentation of student research at professional meetings by appropriately providing travel grants to graduate students,
  9. To participate in other affairs as deemed appropriate by the members.

III. MEMBERSHIP

All graduate students in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology who are registered for a minimum of 3 credit hours, shall be voting members of the GSA.

Amendment: Full membership shall be extended to specifically include those students who are working in laboratories in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, and whose major professors have their primary appointment in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, but who are obtaining degrees through the Genetics program, the Plant Physiology program, the Molecular and Cellular Biology program, or in other interdisciplinary programs. [Passed 8 November 1990 by unanimous decision.] Undergraduate majors and post-doctoral students in Botany and Plant Pathology, and students in other departments who are working in laboratories in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology and whose professors have their primary appointment in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, may participate as non-voting members. [Passed 29 April 1993]


IV. OFFICERS

  1. Elected officers shall be the President, the Vice-President, the Treasurer, and the Secretary. The President, Vice-President, and the Treasurer shall comprise the Executive Committee and shall be authorized signers on GSA accounts.
  2. The duties of the President shall be to: 

(a) moderate meetings of the Association, 

(b) serve as the chair of the Executive Committee, 

(c) call special meetings in concurrence with the other members of the Executive Committee.

3. The duties of the Vice President shall be:

(a) perform the duties of the President in his/her absence,

(b) assist the President in the performance of his/her duties. The Vice President shall become the President should a vacancy occur during the term of office. The Vice-President is the student representative at departmental faculty meetings. He/She should attend all meetings and report back on issues that concern students.

4. The duties of the Treasurer shall be:

(a) to deposit funds and write checks on Association accounts as needed by the GSA,

(b) maintain records of Association financial transactions and prepare a financial report to the GSA no later than January 31 of each year,

(c) to be a member of the Travel Grant Committee. [Passed 29 April 1993.]

5. The duties of the Secretary shall be: (a) record the minutes of each meeting, (b) publish agenda of each meeting in advance, and (c) handle any correspondence or other communication related to GSA business.


V. ELECTIONS

  1. Elections of the officers shall be held at an Association meeting during the month of May. Newly elected officers shall assume their duties immediately following the meeting at which they are elected and continue through to the following May elections.
  2. Special elections will be held at the earliest possible opportunity to fill vacancies or unexpired terms of the Vice President or the Secretary-Treasurer.3. Recall of any officer may be requested by a majority vote at any official meeting. If the motion for a recall vote passes, the agenda shall be postponed and the meeting adjourned. A subsequent official meeting for such a vote shall be held within a period of not less than seven nor more than fourteen days after the motion for a recall vote was passed. A 2/3 vote at this meeting is required for removal of the officer.

VI. MEETINGS

  1. At least one regular meeting shall be held each term (Fall, Winter, Spring), and a meeting shall be held during the Summer Term if enough students are able to attend.
  2. Special meetings for discussion, urgent business, or elections may be held at any time.3. All meetings shall be scheduled and agenda items prepared by the Executive Committee. The agenda shall include any items requested by any member. Notice of the meetings and proposed agenda will be published or posted at least four school days prior to such meetings.4 Robert's Rules of Order Revised shall be loosely interpreted and used as a parliamentary guide for meetings. Exceptions shall be made as indicated within these by-laws.5. A majority shall be interpreted as a simple majority of voting members present at a given meeting or vote.

VII. COMMITTEES

Standing committees and ad hoc committees shall be established by the Executive Committee and/or the Association membership. The Executive Committee shall appoint committee chairmen by majority vote, except where the committee has been established and the chair selected by a majority vote at an Association meeting.


VIII. FACULTY ADVISER

A faculty adviser may be selected each year at the Spring election to act as an Association adviser and as an ex-officio member of the Executive Committee. IX. AMENDMENTS The by-laws may be amended by a 2/3 vote of the Association members present at an official meeting. The agenda shall include any amendments to be considered at that meeting.X. TRAVEL GRANTS The GSA has funds available to assist graduate students in presenting their research at professional meetings and conferences. There are two sources of funds for travel grants: money raised from coffee/tea sales, T-shirt sales, and other sources which is deposited in the GSA general account at the OSU Federal Credit Union, and money available from a travel fund managed by the OSU Foundation. The latter is generated from an endowment, also managed by the OSU Foundation, which was opened by the GSA in 1977.

Contributions - Contributions to the Botany - GSA Travel Fund (OSU Foundation spendable account) will be accepted from any source and will become part of the general fund unless the funds are designated for an individual(s), these monies will not be considered as part of the general fund. Any individual receiving specifically designated travel funds will be ineligible to receive general fund grant monies, except as modified by Criterion #6. In all cases of specially designated travel funds, the student receiving those funds shall notify the Treasurer to insure that these monies are not spent as part of the general fund.

Faculty Adviser - A faculty adviser will be appointed by the GSA for a three-year term in order to provide continuity to the program, and to ensure that the guidelines of this document be followed. The faculty adviser will aid in the procurement of funds and advise in their dispersal.

Change of Officers - Immediately after the May elections, the OSU Foundation and the OSU Federal Credit Union shall be notified of the new Executive Officers, who shall become the new authorized signers on all accounts. The old officers will relinquish these responsibilities.

Travel Grant Financing - A financial report will be made by the Treasurer to the GSA annually (no later than 31 January). At this time, the GSA will decide how much money , if any (over a minimum operating cost of $500), will be transferred from the general account at the OSU Federal Credit Union to the OSU Foundation endowment account. On the basis of the financial status of the OSU Foundation spendable account and the general account at the OSU Federal Credit Union, the Executive Committee (with the approval of the GSA) will decide annually the amount of money available for travel grants, and the number of granting periods this money will be available.

Evaluation of Travel Grants - The evaluation of travel grant applications shall be performed by a Travel Grant Committee. This committee shall consist of an Executive Committee-appointed non-interest group of four voting members of the GSA. The Treasurer shall be one of the members of the committee, unless he/she has a travel grant application pending. Members of the Travel Grant Committee should be from a variety of scientific disciplines. One member of the committee shall be appointed Chairperson of the Committee. The Chairperson shall be responsible for distributing application forms, receiving completed applications, and for convening committee meetings. The committee will meet to evaluate pending applications immediately after application deadlines. The committee shall decide how travel grants will be allocated from the funds available to the GSA.

Changes in Procedure - Any changes in the operating procedure as here stated must be performed under the process of amendment provided in Section IX of the GSA by-laws.