TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
STUDENT FINANCE CENTER
MEMORIAL STUDENT CENTER

CONSTITUTION OF THE OCEANOGRAPHY GRADUATE COUNCIL

27 October 2005

Article I

NAME

The name of the organization is the Oceanography Graduate Council, hereinafter referred to as the OGC.

Article II

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this organization are:

         a)       To promote the unity and welfare of the graduate students in the Department of Oceanography at Texas A&M University;

         b)       To further the intellectual, political, cultural, and social interests of the oceanography graduate students;

         c)       To promote academic and social interaction among the faculty and students in the Department of Oceanography;

         d)       To represent the oceanography graduate students within and without the University.

Article III

MEMBERSHIP

Section 1.      All students pursuing graduate study within the Texas A&M Department of Oceanography are members of the OGC. Membership is contingent to the graduate student status therefore can only be revoked when student status is terminated or by procedure outlined in Article VII.

Section 2.      The OGC may, for good reason confer honorary membership on any person.     

Article IV

OFFICERS AND REPRESENTATIVES

Section 1.    The officers shall be elected according to Article VI.  The duties of these officers shall be those usually performed by such officers, including the following:

President:             To call and chair meetings, to act as official spokesperson for the OGC in all matters, and to represent the OGC on the Faculty Committees.

Vice-President:      To assume the duties of the President in his/her absence or as otherwise designated by the President, and to take charge of course evaluations.

Secretary:             To record and post, as necessary, the minutes of all meetings, to perform all needed correspondence of the OGC, and to take charge of the records, the student handbook, and information to new students.

Treasurer:              To deal with all monetary matters of the OGC and to provide a report of the organization's finances at the general meetings and at the meetings of the OGC representatives.

Section 2.      The section representatives shall be elected according to Article VI.  The duties of these representatives shall be to act as a liaison between the OGC membership of their perspective section and the OGC officers.  In addition, they shall assume the role of an election official in the weeks prior to an election by ensuring the following:

         a)       The names of all members of their perspective section interested in running for an elected position are made public before the election;

         b)       All elections are held in a fair and equitable manner

Section 3.      The President, with approval of a majority of the representatives, may appoint a Social Director, Newsletter Editor(s), a Representative to the Faculty Committee, Representative to the Graduate Student Council, and a Representative to the Geosciences Graduate Council, and shall have the power to appoint members to any standing or temporary committees deemed necessary by representatives.

Article V

REQUIREMENTS FOR OFFICERS

Section 1.      The representatives of the OGC, to be eligible to be elected to office, and to hold office, shall fulfill the following requirements:

         a)       Have at least a 3.00 Cumulative grade point ratio and at least a 3.00 grade point ratio in the semester immediately prior to the election/appointment, the semester of election/appointment and the semesters during the term of office.  In order for this provision to be met, at least six hours must have been taken for that semester.  In one limited circumstance, summer hours may be applied to this provision.  In order for summer coursework to qualify toward a grade point ratio prior to election/appointment, at least six hours must have been taken during the course of either the full or two summer session(s);

         b)       Be in good standing with the university and enrolled in at least six credit hours (unless fewer credits are required to graduate in the spring and fall semester) during the term of office;

         c)       Be ineligible to hold an office should the student fail to maintain the requirements as prescribed in (a) and (b).

Section 2.      To be eligible to run for President, an individual must have served as a representative of the OGC for a minimum of one semester.

Article VI

NOMINATION AND ELECTION OF REPRESENTATIVES

Section 1.      All representatives shall be elected annually during the month of April. The President-elect shall call a General Meeting and/or a Representative Meeting at the beginning of September of the same year. The new officers and representatives will assume their offices at this meeting, and the President shall make appointments in accordance with Article IV, Section 3.

Section 2.      The President shall specify the exact week of the general election at least two (2) weeks before the election and notice that the election is to be held shall be posted at least two (2) weeks before the election.

Section 3.      At the general election, the four (4) officers and two (2) representatives from each of the five (5) sections shall be elected by a plurality of the students in each respective section.  The five (5) sections are identified as biological, chemical, geological, physical, and Galveston.

Section 4.      OGC members wishing to have their names placed in nomination shall inform their section representative of their intent to run for a representative post.  The section representatives are then responsible to act in accordance with Article IV, Section 2.  Candidates may also be nominated during the election.

Section 5.      At the general election, the faculty advisor will be responsible for counting the ballots and ensuring a fair election.

Section 6.      At the general election, a minimum four (4) at-large representatives will be elected by plurality vote of the general membership present to make a minimum total of fourteen (14) representatives.

Section 7.      If any of the five (5) sections fails to elect its two (2) representatives, a new election will be held during the month of September to make a minimum total of fourteen (14) representatives.

Section 8.      At the general election, the executive positions will be elected by majority vote of the general membership present.  The four (4) executive positions are President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

Section 9.      If, during the school year, a representative position becomes vacant for any reason, the President shall call a special election in the section concerned to elect a new representative.  The procedures for a special election shall be the same as those for a general election.

Section 10.    Additional requirements to these procedures may be imposed by a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the representatives.

Article VII

REMOVAL OF REPRESENTATIVES AND MEMBERS

Section 1.      Any representative or member shall be removed by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of the representatives or membership respectively.

Section 2.      Notice of intent to remove any representative or member must be placed in the minutes of the meeting immediately preceding the one at which removal will be considered.  Written notice must be given the representative or member to be charged at least 48 hours before the meeting.

Section 3.    Upon notice to any representative or member regarding the removal from office or OGC respectively, the representative or member shall have the opportunity to rebut the charges against them for removal.

Section4.      Missing three or more consecutive meetings by a representative shall constitute a removal offense, unless the representative has a reasonable excuse for missing the meetings. A warning notice will be given to a representative who misses two consecutive meetings.

Section 5.    A representative or member may also be removed if actions by that representative or member is deemed by three-fourths (3/4) of all members to be contrary to the Texas A&M University Student Conduct Code (Student rule 24).

Section 6.      If a representative or member is removed, he/she becomes ineligible to run for representative or officer in the following general election.

 

Article VIII

ADVISORS

Section 1.      The advisor(s) to the OGC shall be a Texas A&M University employee as defined by the Human Resources Department.  The advisor(s) will be a faculty member, professional or associate staff member, or graduate assistant.  The advisor(s) will be familiar with the activities of the organization and have (or be willing to obtain) an appropriate level of experience, resources, and knowledge related to those activities and the mission of the organization.

Section 2.      The advisor(s) should regularly attend executive as well as general meetings and be available outside those meetings for advice and consultation related to the operation of OGC.

Section 3.      The advisor(s) will assist OGC in the development of goals and objectives for the academic year and will assist in event planning and facilitation.  When necessary, the advisor(s) will be willing to attend events as identified through the planning process.

Section 4.      The advisor(s) will be aware of OGC's financial status by review of statements from the Student Organization Finance Center (SOFC) and approval of expenditures.

Section 5.      The advisor(s) will be aware of the University Student Rules and will assist OGC with adherence to these expectations.

Section 6.      If the advisor(s) is no longer willing and/or able to fulfill the responsibilities, they will formally communicate this to OGC and the Department of Student Activities in writing.  OGC will then determine the appropriate course of action for replacing the advisor(s).

Article IX

MEETINGS

Section 1.      There shall be no fewer than three (3) General Meetings of the OGC each year: one during fall semester, one before the April election, and one during the summer.

Section 2.      Notice of all General Meetings shall be given at least seven (7) days in advance of the meeting.

Section 3.      Meetings may be called at the discretion of the President and are required to be called within one week after presentation to the President from the membership a petition containing the names of five (5) members who request a meeting.

Section 4.      A quorum for General Meetings shall consist of fifteen percent (15%) of the active members of the OGC at the time of the meeting.

Section 5.      Regular meetings of the representatives of the OGC shall be held at least bi-monthly during the entire calendar year.

Section 6.      A quorum for Representative Meetings shall consist of four (4) representatives, at least two (2) of whom shall be executive officers

Section 7.      Notice shall be given at least 48 hours prior to representative meetings.

Section 8.      Special meetings may be called by the President at any time.

Section 9.      All meetings shall be chaired by the President, who shall be guided by Robert's Rule of Order.

Article X

HANDLING OF ORGANIZATION'S MONEY

Section 1.      All monies belonging to the OGC shall be deposited and disbursed though a bank account established for the OGC at the Student Organization Finance Center and/or the Fiscal Office.  All funds must be deposited within 24 hours after collection.  The advisor to the OGC must approve and sign each expenditure before payment.

Section 2.      Allocations of said monies shall be accomplished through the treasurer with a majority vote of the representatives present.

Section 3.      Small sums less than or equal to $50.00 (fifty dollars) may be allocated by agreement of at least two (2) of the following officers:  President, Vice-President, or Treasurer.  Any one (1) of the executive officers may veto any such expenditure.

Article XI

RATIFICATION AND AMENDMENT

Section 1.      Ratification of this constitution shall be effective upon a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the membership present and voting at a meeting of the general membership.

Section 2.      Amendments to this constitution may be proposed by either a majority of the representatives voting or by petition from the membership, said petition requiring the signatures of ten (10) members of the general membership.

Section 3.      Upon proposal of an amendment to this constitution as per Article X, Section 2, the President shall initiate a referendum within two weeks of said proposal to determine whether the constitution shall be amended as proposed.

Section 4.      Amendments to this constitution must be approved by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the active membership, reviewed annually, and subject to the approval of the Department of Student Activities.

Section 5.      Notice of a referendum shall be prominently posted for one week prior to the balloting.

Section 6.      This constitution must be reviewed at least once a year and be resubmitted to the Student Activities Office for approval.