General Studies Lounge

Constitution
Preamble
Article I. Name
Article II. Membership and Duties
Article III. GSSC Authority, Officer Duties and Terms of Office
Article IV. Offices of the GSSC
Article V. Budget of the GSSC
Article VI. Committees
Article VII. Elections, Nominations, and Succession
Article VIII. Impeachment and Resignations
Article IX. Meetings and Voting Procedures
Article X. Supremacy of the Constitution
Article XI. Amendments and Bylaws
Article XII. Ratification
By Laws

General Studies Student Council Constitution

Preamble

We the General Studies Student Council shall represent the diverse undergraduate population of the School of General Studies by pursuing academic, political, social and administrative initiatives of interest to the student body and shall act as a liaison between the student body and the General Studies administration, the larger university community and other individuals and organizations.

Article I. Name

The name of this governing body shall be the General Studies Student Council; hereafter referred to as the GSSC.

Article II. Membership and Duties

1. The GSSC shall be comprised of the following elected officers:

• Student Body President
• Vice President of Policy
• Vice President of Student Life
• Vice President of Finance
• Vice President of Communications
• University Senator*
• Social Chair
• Academic Affairs and Committee on Instruction Representative*
• Alumni Affairs and Center for Career Education Representative
• Student Services Representative
• Senior Class President
• Junior Class President
• Sophomore Class President
• First Year Class President
• Parent’s Representative
• Working Students’ Representative
• International Students Representative
• Delegates At-Large (5 members)
• Senior Class Vice President
• Junior Class Vice President
• Sophomore Class Vice President
• First Year Class Vice President

* These positions both fall under the jurisdiction of two governing bodies. Though elected by the General Studies student body, and impeachable by a two-thirds majority vote from a quorum of the GSSC, they may only be removed from the Senate or C.O.I. by a vote from that body. Please see Article VII, Section 2.

Article III. GSSC Authority, Officer Duties and Terms of Office

1. To be eligible to hold a GSSC office one must

• a. Be a General Studies student in good standing with the General Studies Dean of Students Office.
• b. Have and maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of at least 2.5.
• c. Remain enrolled in one class each term they are in office (excluding summer).

2. In order to carry out its mission, the GSSC will have the authority and responsibility to

• a. Formulate the budget of the GSSC, according to the provisions outlined in
• Article V: Budget of the GSSC.
• b. Distribute earmarked funds from the Student Life fee.
• c. Express its will through resolutions.
• d. Issue reports, including but not limited to the meeting minutes, to the General Studies student body on council activities and efforts.
• e. Establish committees.

3. In addition to their individual duties, all GSSC officers shall

• a. Be expected to provide a report of their specific activities at the weekly GSSC meeting.
• b. Form relationships with the appropriate members of the other student governing bodies of Columbia University.
• c. Attend all council meetings and all meetings relevant to position.

• i. If a member must miss a meeting s/he shall contact the Vice President of Communications, barring unforeseen emergencies, at least one day in advance in order to be considered excused.
• ii. A member may not have unexcused absences from two consecutive meetings, or miss five meetings during the course of the academic year. In the event that a member violates this policy, the Vice President of Communications will make additional attempts to contact the individual. If, following these attempts, the absences are not excused, the council will begin impeachment hearings.
• iii. If a council member is absent from a GSSC meeting, s/he shall submit a written report to the rest of council prior to the meeting, when possible.
• iv. If a council member is absent from a meeting relevant to her/his position, that member will obtain all necessary information to keep the GSSC updated.

• d. Be responsible for the publicity of events that fall under the jurisdiction of their office.
• e. Help the transition of future council members by providing advice and important contacts to new members, and if necessary by planning and allocating funds for events that occur after their term in office.

4. The University Senator shall serve a term of two years; all other officers of the GSSC shall serve one-year terms.
5. No GSSC officer may simultaneously hold two elected offices within the GSSC.
6. The Student Body President, the Vice President of Policy, the Vice President of Student Life, the Vice President Finance, and the Vice President of Communications shall form the Executive Board of the GSSC. The Executive Board shall:

• a. Set council meeting agendas
• b. Mediate inter-council conflicts
• c. Serve in an advisory role to the rest of the GSSC
• d. Maintain a discretionary fund, the size of which will be determined by the rest of the council at the beginning of the year. Additionally, no money may be spent from this fund contrary to a GSSC decision in that same year.
• f. -----------------------

• i. The E-board will distribute minutes of its weekly meetings held with the DOS advisor to all council members.
• ii. In order to protect the identities of the parties under deliberation, particularly when the business in question is of a sensitive nature, the e-board will report about the case being heard in general terms, and disclose no specific information.

• g. ----------------------

• i. If performance of a council member does not meet the standards of the e-board, the e-board has the responsibility to speak to the council member and agree with the council member on a course of action whereby the council member will fulfill his or her responsibilities.
• ii. If the e-board sees no progress to this affect, the e-board is to give the council member a choice: make the matter public before council for deliberation, or step down from his or her position.
• iii. If the issue was brought to council, and the council member remains performing below expectations, he or she will be asked to step down or undergo impeachment hearings.
• iv. If council is not in session for more than one week, the e-board is to give the candidate the choice whether to open the issue to council deliberation via email, or relinquish his or her responsibilities to an acting council member chosen by the e-board who will assume his or her responsibilities. This acting member must be later confirmed or replaced by council.
• v. All actions having to do with relinquishment of responsibilities, decisions by the e-board and the council member in question, or any other issues pertinent to this matter of a sensitive nature, must be summarized in writing and signed by the issuing parties. 

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