Constitution of Math Grads Board(MGB)
This constitution shall outline the purpose,
goals, and structure of the Math Grads Board.
Submitted to the membership,
Article I:
Purpose. The Math Grads
Board (MGB) exists to enrich the graduate mathematics experience at UI. MGB and
its committees shall organize and facilitate programming by and for graduate
students, while also increasing opportunities for interaction with math faculty
and undergraduate majors. A primary goal of MGB is to increase vertical
integration within the UI Math Department; MGB recognizes that graduate
students are the natural bridge between undergraduates and faculty, and seeks
to make connections whenever possible.
Article II: Membership. In no aspect of its programs shall there be
any difference in the treatment of persons on the basis of race, national
origin, color, creed, religion, sex, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation,
gender identity, or associational preference, or any other classification which
would deprive the person of consideration as an individual. The organization
will guarantee that equal opportunity and equal access to membership, programming,
facilities, and benefits shall be open to all persons.
The membership of
MGB consists exactly of the set of graduate students affiliated with the UI
Mathematics Department.
The MGB Executive
Board consists of the Chair and Vice-Chair, Social (co-)chair(s), GAUSS
(co-)chair(s), Newsletter (co-)chair(s), General Liaison, International
Liaison, and Heartland Activities Liaison.
All graduate
students enrolled in the Department of Mathematics/AMCS are automatically
members of MGB. Membership is revoked when the student is no longer enrolled at
the
Article III: Officers and Duties. The
officers of MGB shall constitute the Executive Board. The set of officers shall
consist of a Chair, a vice-chair, a General Liaison, an International Student Liaison, a Heartland
Activities Liaison, and the co-chairs of MGB committees (as of 12/3/2005, the
Social, GAUSS, and Newsletter committees).
Section 1: MGB Chair
and Vice-Chair
Purpose: The Chair
serves as the head of MGB. The vice-chair assists the chair, takes minutes at
the meetings, and distributes these minutes to the membership. The Chair and
Vice-Chair serve as
ex-officio members of all committees.
The Chair is
responsible for planning and running the monthly MGB meetings as well as any
other open meetings the Chair shall call.
The Chair has the power to convene a meeting of the Executive Board,
which may be closed to members-at-large. The Chair shall be responsible for the
integration of committees into MGB. In the event of a vacant seat on the
Executive Board (excepting Chair or vice-chair), the Chair shall appoint a replacement
to finish the term. The Chair is the only non-voting member of MGB, but shall cast
the deciding vote in the event of a tie.
The vice-chair is
responsible for taking minutes at any open meeting of MGB. Within 48 hours of
an open meeting, the vice-chair must distribute minutes to all graduate
students and post these minutes in a public location (such as the MacLean Hall
mailroom bulletin
board). The
vice-chair shall minute any meetings of the Executive Board and distribute minutes
to members within 48 hours. In the event of the Chair's temporary incapacity or
illness, the vice-chair shall serve as Chair and may appoint a temporary vice-chair.
While the MGB Chair must approve expenditures as stated in
article VI of the MGB Constitution, the MGB Vice-Chair is responsible for
financial tasks as outlined in Article VI, Section 2. The Chair and Vice Chair are responsible for
updating the MGB website as needed.
If the Chair should
resign, the vice-chair serves as Chair for the remainder of the outgoing
Chair's term. When the position of vice-chair becomes vacant, a temporary vice-chair
shall be elected at the next open meeting of MGB to serve the remainder of the
term. This temporary vice-chair must be eligible for election to the position
under the ordinary rules.
To be eligible for
election to the position of Chair or vice-chair, the student must have
previously served on the MGB executive board (this requirement is waived for
election to the 2006 Chair and vice-chair). To be eligible for this position,
the student must not plan to leave the University during calendar year of
his/her term.
Section 2: General
Liaison
Purpose: The General
Liaison shall represent MGB outside of the Mathematics department, and shall
facilitate communication with the TA union (COGS), the Graduate Student Senate
(GSS), and any other campus organization representing general graduate student
interests. Within the Department, this person acts as liaison between MGB and faculty,
administration, undergrads, post-docs, and of course other graduate students. The
Liaison shall serve as an official representative of MGB when dealing with University
administration (in conjunction with the Chair, if necessary). The Liaison is
responsible for contacting Facilities Services when necessary.
Section 3: Heartland
Activities Liaison
Purpose: The
Heartland Activities Liaison will coordinate graduate-student activities with
Heartland Mathematics Partnership(HMP)member schools in consultation with that committee.
Responsibilities may include coordinating undergraduate ``shadows,'' graduate
student speaking engagements, mentoring experiences, and recruitment panels;
additional responsibilities may be added to suit the needs of HMP. This Liaison
must be a graduate-student member of the HMP committee and as such is appointed
by the head of said Committee, rather than elected by a vote of MGB.
Section 4:
International Student Liaison
Purpose: The
International Student Liaison shall be responsible for representing the needs
and concerns of international graduate students in UI Math. The Liaison will be
familiar with visa procedures, English-proficiency testing, and other issues of
specific concern to students of other nationalities. The Liaison shall be
concerned with integrating international graduate students into the social and
intellectual fabric of the department.
Section 5: GAUSS
Committee
Purpose: GAUSS
(Graduate and Undergraduate Student Seminar) is a weekly lecture series by,
for, and catering to the interests of mathematics graduate students and undergraduate
mathematics majors. The chairs of the committee shall organize a schedule of
weekly colloquia fitting these requirements. Choice of speakers and topics is
at the discretion of the chairs, but should be informed by the desires of
students. GAUSS talks shall be publicized via email to math faculty, graduate
students, and undergraduates; the seminars shall also be listed in the department's
weekly schedule of talks.
Section 6:
Newsletter Committee
Purpose: The
Newsletter Committee puts together a monthly newsletter intended for the graduate
students. The newsletter will inform students about current news and upcoming
events while also providing general information about the graduate student experience
The chairs are
responsible for coordinating the newsletter; they may delegate any amount of
writing, photography, editing, layout, distribution, and any other tasks. The
finished newsletter is distributed to graduate students, postdocs,
and faculty; copies for undergraduates are made available in Muhly Lounge, and the file will be available on the
department web page.
Section 7: Social Committee
Purpose: The Social
Committee oversees the semi-annual department picnics, securing funding from
the Department and promoting the events. Other social activities may be organized
at the discretion of the (co)-chairs. The
Social committee will also host one
``Math Tea'' per
month.
Section 8: Creating
New Committees
New committees or liaisons may be proposed by any member at
any open meeting of the MGB in the form of a “new committee amendment” to the
Constitution. This amendment shall follow all amendment procedures with the
additional requirement that at least
two votes are required for ratification of the amendment: one to approve the
existence of the committee and another to choose the number of chairs. At the
discretion of the chair, more aspects of the amendment may be voted on
separately.
Article IV: Meetings. MGB will hold monthly at-large meetings the dates of which
will be scheduled by the Executive Board at the beginning of each semester with
the goal of promoting optimal attendance. Additional
open meetings may occur at the discretion of the Chair, who must give a minimum
of seven days' notice for such a meeting. Individual committees may hold other
meetings at the discretion of their chairs.
A quorum is present
at an at-large meeting if at least two non-executive members of MGB are in
attendance. Any action of MGB will be decided by a simple majority vote of
members present at an open meeting; the Chair will vote only in the event of a
tie.
Committees may
choose their own decision-making structure; these require only the approval of
the (co-)chair(s).
Article V: Elections. MGB
Chair, MGB vice-chair, Committee Chairs, and the General and International
Liaisons shall be elected annually to serve calendar-year terms; students are eligible
for office if and only if they plan to continue their mathematics graduate
study at
It is the
responsibility of the Chair to tabulate all votes; the Chair shall vote only in
the event of a tie. If the Chair runs for another office, s/he shall
temporarily step down and appoint the vice-chair to serve as chair during that
vote. The vote totals shall not be publicly announced.
Individuals may
assume only one MGB executive office per year.
Offices and chairs may not be shared. The Newsletter, Social, and GAUSS
committees are to be co-chaired by two individuals. Each member of MGB shall
vote for two individuals for these offices; the candidates with the top two
vote totals shall be the new co-chairs. Candidates may campaign together, but
names shall not be in any way joined on the ballot.
No one may be
elected to consecutive terms as Chair or vice-chair. However, Chair and
vice-chair may run for any office other than their current role. No other term
limits shall exist.
Article VI: Finances.
Section 1: Fees
MGB may charge a fee for participation in optional activities but may not levy a
membership fee. Any proposal to levy a fee for an activity must be read at two
consecutive meetings of MGB and must be approved by 2/3 of the members present
at the second meeting.
Section 2: Cash Management
As stated in Article III, Section 1, the MGB Vice-Chair is
responsible for all financial responsibilities including maintenance of
financial records, completion of any financial paperwork, and depositing of all
monies collected in the name of MGB at the
Section 3: Dissolution
Upon dissolution, state money and mandatory student fees
revert back to the granting organization. Group fees should be divided as
stated in the Constitution and carried out by the dissolving group's members
and officers. If the group has dissolved and group fees have not been divided
as stated in the Constitution by five years from the last account activity, monies
in the group's 00 account will revert to an account specified for this purpose
within UISG. These funds will then be available for distribution through SABAC
guidelines in compliance with
Article VII: Ratification. This constitution shall be ratified upon
acceptance by at least 75% of the mathematics graduate students attending an
open meeting whose announced agenda includes ratification of the constitution.
Article VIII: Amendments.
Section 1: Amendment
Procedures
An amendment to this constitution must be proposed at an open meeting of the MGB. A simple majority must vote to consider the amendment. The proposed amendment shall be written either by the member proposing consideration or a member of the MGB Executive Board and must include each deletion and addition necessary throughout the constitution. The amendment shall be emailed to all members and posted in a public place (currently the mailroom bulletin board) for at least one week prior to the next open meeting. At that next open meeting, 3/4 of the members attending must vote to ratify the amendment. The constitution will then be edited appropriately, and a copy of the amendment as it was ratified shall be included in Section 2 of this Article. All amendments or changes to this Constitution must be submitted to the UISG Student Organization Liaison for approval.
Section 2: Ratified
Amendments
Amendment 1: Proposed
Article III, Section 1
“…In the event of the Chair's temporary incapacity or illness, the vice-chair shall serve as Chair and may appoint a temporary vice-chair.
While the MGB Chair must approve expenditures as stated in article VI of the MGB Constitution, the MGB Vice-Chair is responsible for financial tasks as outlined in Article VI, Section 2. The Chair and Vice Chair are responsible for updating the MGB website as needed.”
Article III, Section 8
“New committees or liaisons may be
proposed by any member at any open meeting of the MGB in the form of a “new committee amendment” to the Constitution. The
chair shall open the floor for discussion of the office at that meeting. The
membership may vote to create the office at the next open meeting of MGB. This amendment shall follow all amendment
procedures with the additional requirement that at least two votes are
required to create a new committee for
ratification of the amendment: one to approve the existence of the
committee and another to choose the number of chairs. At the discretion of the chair, more votes aspects of the amendment may be voted on
separately may occur at the discretion of the chair.”
Article IV
“MGB will hold an monthly at-large meetings immediately following the first
GAUSS lecture of each month the
dates of which will be scheduled by the Executive Board at the beginning of
each semester with the goal of promoting optimal attendance. Additional
open meetings may occur…”
Article VI
“Section 1: Fees
The membership may choose to collect
funds to support MGB endeavors. The proposal to levy a fee must be read at two
consecutive meetings of MGB, and must be approved by 2/3of the members present
at the second meeting. MGB may charge a fee for participation in certain
optional activities but may not levy
a membership fee. Any proposal to levy a
fee for an activity must be read at two consecutive meetings of MGB and must be
approved by 2/3 of the members present at the second meeting.
Section
2: Cash Management
As
stated in Article III, Section 1, the MGB Vice-Chair is responsible for all
financial responsibilities including maintenance of financial records,
completion of any financial paperwork, and depositing of all monies collected
in the name of MGB at the Committee
co-chairs are responsible for securing and disbursing funds for their
committee's activities. The Chair shall authorize expenditures when the
of funds have been collected from the membership and funds obtained from the
Section 3: Dissolution
Upon dissolution, state money and
mandatory student fees revert back to the granting organization. Group fees
should be divided as stated in the Constitution and carried out by the
dissolving group's members and officers. If the group has dissolved and group
fees have not been divided as stated in the Constitution by five years from the
last account activity, monies in the group's 00 account will revert to an
account specified for this purpose within UISG. These funds will then be
available for distribution through SABAC guidelines in compliance with
Article VII
“Article VII VIII: Amendments
Section
1: Amendment Procedures
An amendment to this constitution must
be proposed at an open meeting of the MGB. A simple majority must vote to
consider the amendment. The proposed amendment
shall be written either by the member proposing consideration or a member of
the MGB Executive Board and must include each deletion and addition necessary
throughout the constitution. The proposed amendment shall be emailed
to all members and posted in a public place (currently the mailroom bulleting board) for at least one week
prior to the next open meeting. At that next open meeting, 75% 3/4 of the members attending must vote
to ratify the amendment. The constitution will then be edited
appropriately, and a copy of the amendment as it was ratified shall be included
in Section 2 of this article. Note that All amendments or changes to
this Constitution must be submitted to the UISG Student Organization Liaison
for approval.
Section
2: Ratified Amendments
Article VIII
“Article VIII VII: Ratification. This constitution
shall be ratified upon acceptance by at least 75% of the mathematics graduate
students attending an open meeting whose announced agenda includes ratification
of the constitution.”