2000 Constitution

The Constitution and By-Laws
of the Graduate Student
Government
of Princeton
University

as originally adopted, November 1, 2000

This represents the original constitution ratified in 2000. As changes
have been made to this version, go here for the current version.
You can go here for the 1999 version.

Historical Note

This Constitution was passed by the Assembly of the Graduate Student
Government on May 31, 2000. The By-Laws were passed on that date, with
the exception of Article VII which was passed on July 27, 2000, and By-Law
Article III, Clauses 5 and 7, which were amended on October 24, 2000. The
Graduate Student Body, after balloting during September and October,
ratified the Constitution on November 1, 2000 by a margin of 726 votes in
favor to 245 against. This Constitution replaced the original
Constitution of the Graduate Student Union and Graduate Student Government
(as amended) which was originally ratified in 1989.

Five amendments to the By-Laws were adopted by the GSG Assembly on
February 20, 2002, all dealing with elections. Three further amendments
were adopted March 12, 2003, dealing with appointment of Acting Officers,
abolishing runoffs in Officer elections, and changing the method of
electing CPUC representatives. Two amendments were unanimously adopted
on April 9, 2003, formally adding the Programs in Applied and
Computational Mathematics and Population Research to the list of academic
units and establishing an annual system for the transfer of budgetary
surpluses to the GSG endowment.

The Constitution

The By-Laws

Historical Note

CONSTITUTION OF THE

GRADUATE STUDENT GOVERNMENT

OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY

ARTICLE I: NAME

This organization shall be known as the Graduate
Student Government of Princeton University, henceforth abbreviated as
GSG.

ARTICLE II:
PURPOSE

The purpose of this organization is to represent
and advocate the interests of graduate students at Princeton University
(hereafter “The University”), excluding industrial action, to
provide a forum for free and open discussion of matters affecting this
community, and to provide financial and organizational support for social
events within this community.

ARTICLE III:
MEMBERSHIP

The GSG shall consist of an Assembly and an
Executive Committee. All full-time enrolled Princeton graduate students,
including degree students, non-degree students, and leave-of-absence
students who were enrolled the previous year, shall be electors of the
Assembly, and will henceforth be referred to as members of the Graduate
Student Body.

In addition, “all but dissertation” (ABD) students
(technically known as ETDCC studentsó “enrollment terminated; degree
candidacy continuing”) who are in residence in Princeton or who are
employed by their departments may continue their membership by payment of
the membership fee.

ARTICLE IV: THE
ASSEMBLY

The Assembly shall be the representative body of
the GSG. Representatives, Delegates, and Councilors shall be the members
of the Assembly.

Representatives of the Assembly are members of the Graduate Student
Body elected by and from the Academic Units of the University. Each
academic department as defined by the Registrar of the University shall be
considered an Academic Unit of the University; programs within departments
may be represented as separate Academic Units if the majority of graduate
students in those programs desire to be represented separately, subject to
the approval of the Assembly in the By-Laws. Such separate representation
may be terminated either by a majority vote of the members of that
program, or by amendment of the By-Laws. Members of interdepartmental
programs shall be represented through their department of primary
affiliation, unless the program is represented separately under this
Clause. In the event that an Academic Unit is abolished or removed by the
University or the Assembly, that Unit’s Representative shall cease to be a
member of the Assembly. In the event that a Representative ceases to be a
member of the Graduate Student Body, or in the event that the
Representative ceases to be a member of his or her constituency, that
Representative shall cease to hold his or her seat in the
Assembly.

Delegates of the Assembly are members of the Graduate Student Body
chosen by the residential communities and certain interest groups
specified in the By-Laws. Because the GSG wishes to establish a diverse
forum for communication with the many nonacademic organizations on campus
and recognizes the contributions of these organizations, Delegates shall
hold every power held by Representatives of the Assembly except the right
to vote in matters before the Assembly, including, but not limited to, the
right to move matters before the Assembly, propose amendments to such
matters, and debate. Some interest groups, as defined in the By-Laws,
shall be considered voting interest groups, and shall send voting
Delegates instead of non-voting Delegates. These voting Delegates shall
have the right to vote on all matters before the Assembly, except for
funding requests. In order to be considered a voting interest group, a
group must be so designated by By-Law and must represent a unique minority
viewpoint which is otherwise underrepresented. [Legislative Intent: The
Assembly recognizes that certain groups of individuals on campus are
likely to be underrepresented in the Assembly. The purpose of this clause
is to encourage greater participation and ensure that these individuals
are not excluded from the work of the Assembly. Each group should
represent at least 1% of the Graduate Student Body and submit to the
Parliamentary Secretary annually a list of its members.]

Councilors of the Assembly are members of the Graduate Student Body
who hold positions of trust within the GSG. Councilors shall hold every
right and privilege accorded to Delegates. Councilors may also be
Representatives or Delegates, and Councilors who are Representatives shall
exercise such rights to which they are entitled as Representatives. All
Officers of the Assembly shall be Councilors. The Assembly may, by
By-Law, confer the rank of Councilor on other persons. [Legislative
Intent: Councilors are those charged with representing the Assembly or the
Graduate Student Body to external parties or organizations.]

The duties of a Representative shall be:

to attend GSG Assembly meetings,

to bring issues and concerns from his or her constituents to the GSG
Assembly,

to post or distribute minutes of GSG Assembly meetings as necessary,

to distribute information from the GSG to his or her constituents,
and

to designate a proxy for Assembly and Committee meetings when necessary.

The duties of a Delegate shall be:

to attend GSG Assembly meetings, and

to bring issues and concerns from his or her constituents to the GSG
Assembly.
for voting delegates, to designate a proxy for Assembly and Committee
meetings when necessary.

The duties of a Councilor shall be:

to attend GSG Assembly meetings,

to attend meetings of any external organizations to which they are elected or appointed,

to report on said meetings and other activities according to their office or position, and

other duties as specified by By-Law.

A Representative or voting Delegate shall be considered Active if he
or she has attended one of the previous three Assembly meetings. Any
Representative or voting Delegate who fails to attend or send a proxy for
three consecutive Assembly meetings shall be subsequently considered
Inactive.

The Assembly shall not limit the number of terms which a
Representative or Delegate may serve.

Representatives and voting Delegates shall be elected annually, their
terms not to exceed fifteen months.

An individual may hold no more than one Representative or voting
Delegate seat in the Assembly at a time, nor serve as a Representative
from more than one Academic Unit at any meeting, even if one or more of
those representations is by virtue of holding a proxy.

In the event that no written membership list exists for a non-academic
constituent group, the Delegate shall be that individual who collects a
petition with the most signatures from the members of that constituency.
In the event that no petition is submitted, any member of that group
attending a particular meeting may be considered upon request to be the
Delegate of that constituency.

The Assembly, by a simple majority, may vote to vacate Inactive
seats.

The number of Representative seats shall be set by By-Law, but must in
all cases equal or exceed the number of Academic Units, and each Academic
Unit containing at least one member must have at least one Representative
seat. Seats are to be allocated annually based on figures from the
Registrar’s Office concerning the total number of graduate students in
each Academic Unit. To these totals should be added the number of
post-enrolled students who have paid their dues and joined the membership
of the Graduate Student Body. The procedure for assigning the number of
Representatives for each Academic Unit shall be:

Each Academic Unit shall be assigned one seat.

The number of students per Representative seat in each Academic Unit
shall be calculated.

If the total number of Representative seats specified by the By-Laws
has not been reached, an additional seat shall be allocated to the
Academic Unit or Units with the highest ratio of students per seat, and
steps (b) and (c) shall be repeated.

This procedure may result in the number of Representatives being
slightly higher than the number specified in the By-Laws, in the event
that more than one Academic Unit has the same number of graduate students
per seat at a given iteration of the assignment process and the number of
such Units exceeds the number of unassigned seats.

ARTICLE V: OFFICERS
OF THE GSG

The Officers of the GSG shall be: Chair,
Parliamentary Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Press Secretary,
Recording Secretary, Treasurer, and Social Chair.

The Chair shall

preside over meetings of the GSG Assembly. In the event that the Chair is absent or unable to preside for any reason, including joining actively in debate, the other officers shall preside as Acting Chair in the order in which the offices are listed above. If there is an Assistant Chair, the Assistant Chair shall succeed before the Parliamentary Secretary.

coordinate meetings of the Executive Committee.

report to the Assembly all actions of the Executive Committee since the previous Assembly meeting.

schedule and call Extraordinary Meetings of the GSG Assembly.

set the agenda for GSG Assembly meetings.

appoint other Officers as deemed necessary by the Chair, such as an Assistant Chair, with the concurrence of the Executive Committee. Such Officers as may be appointed under this Clause shall not serve on the Executive Committee by virtue of their appointment under this Clause. They shall serve as Officers at the pleasure of the Chair.

determine the legitimate holder of a position in the Assembly for the duration of an Assembly meeting at which a dispute arises and subsequently convene the Executive Committee to resolve the dispute permanently.

cast tie-breaking votes in the Assembly. In the absence of the Chair, the Acting Chair shall cast such votes.

The Parliamentary Secretary shall

serve as Parliamentarian of the Assembly.

take the roll and record votes at Assembly meetings.

maintain the record of the Constitution and By-Laws.

conduct all elections within the Assembly.

The Corresponding Secretary shall

maintain and update the GSG Web Site.

coordinate the response to official correspondence.

The Press Secretary shall

establish and maintain contacts with campus media organizations.

encourage coverage of graduate concerns and GSG activities in campus media and in local and national media when appropriate.

prepare and disseminate press releases when necessary.

The Recording Secretary shall

record minutes of the meetings of the GSG Assembly and Executive Committee and present them at the subsequent regular Assembly meeting.

maintain an organized archive of committee reports, Assembly meeting minutes, and other records.

The Treasurer shall

manage GSG financial records.

file all financial reports required of the GSG.

prepare and submit the Annual Budget to the Assembly.

summarize the previous monthís disbursements and receipts at each regular Assembly meeting.

submit a written financial report each year to be approved by the Assembly.

ensure that all financial transactions are in accordance with the Constitution and budgetary By-Laws.

The Social Chair shall

coordinate and organize GSG social events.

provide refreshments for GSG meetings as directed by the Assembly.

The terms of all Offices shall be set by By-Law but shall not exceed
fifteen months. The Assembly may, by By-Law, enact term limits on such
Offices as they consider appropriate.

Officers shall be elected annually, as directed by By-Law.

The Assembly may draft By-Laws to supplement the duties of the
Officers.

Officers shall be members of the Graduate Student Body.

ARTICLE VI: PROCEDURES OF THE ASSEMBLY

All GSG Assembly meetings shall be open to all
members of the Graduate Student Body, with the following
exceptions:

The Assembly may vote by a simple majority to restrict part of a
meeting to Assembly members, their proxies, and those required to answer
points of information. No business may be transacted during such parts of
a meeting as are closed, except as specified in VI-1(b). Closed parts of
a meeting shall not be minuted, unless the Assembly directs otherwise.
The Assembly may reopen a meeting by a simple majority.

Either the Chair or a simple majority of the Assembly may close a
meeting for the transaction of judicial business under
Article VIII of the
Constitution. The only business that may be transacted at such a meeting,
or during the closed part of such a meeting, is the specific business for
which the meeting was closed. No non-judicial business may be brought to
the floor of the Assembly while the meeting remains closed. Such meetings
shall not be minuted, unless the Assembly directs otherwise, with the
exception that the judicial decisions reached by the Assembly, if any,
must be minuted.

Extraordinary meetings are called by the Chair when the Chair
determines that there is urgent business to be conducted by the Assembly.
The only business which may be transacted at an Extraordinary Meeting is
the business for which the meeting was called.

A quorum of the Assembly shall consist of a majority of Active
Representative seats.

When necessary for order, meetings shall be conducted by the rules of
Parliamentary procedure as described in Robertís Rules of Order, unless
otherwise specified by By-Law.

The Assembly may decide during an Assembly meeting, by a simple
majority, to hold a vote on any manner of business between Assembly
meetings by e-mail or a similar means, or establish regular procedures for
such votes by By-Law. A quorum for such a vote shall be a majority of
Active and Inactive seats.

The Assembly may establish such committees as are deemed necessary and
may establish their mandates and procedures. Committees may be composed
partially or entirely of members of the Graduate Student Body who are not
members of the Assembly.

The Assembly shall have the sole power to ratify the Annual Budget and
approve expenditures, including expenditures which fall outside the
budget.

Resolutions and Statutes may be passed by a simple majority of those
Representatives present.

An absent Representative, Delegate, or Councilor, may appoint a proxy
from amongst the Graduate Student Body, and the proxy shall exercise all
the rights and responsibilities of that member in the meeting for which he
or she was designated a proxy.

The Assembly may adopt By-Laws to supplement this Constitution. A
By-Law or amendment to a By-Law may be enacted by a vote of two-thirds of
the Active and Inactive seats of the Assembly at the meeting after which
it was introduced. No By-Law may be adopted which contradicts this
Constitution.

The Graduate Student Body may propose and adopt amendments to the
By-Laws by the same procedure, outlined in Article XI, by which they may
adopt amendments to this Constitution.

ARTICLE VII: THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

The Executive Committee shall consist of the
Officers of the GSG, as defined by Clause 1 of Article V.

The charge of the Executive Committee shall be set by the
Constitution, the By-Laws, and the Assembly.

The Chair shall report at each regular meeting on the recent
activities of the Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee shall initiate action to fill vacant seats of
the Assembly.

The Executive Committee shall represent the Assembly in the interim
between Assembly meetings.

The Executive Committee shall be collectively responsible for the
physical offices and property of the organization, if any. No blame or
responsibility shall be attached to the Executive Committee or any member
thereof if physical property of the GSG is stolen or misused through no
fault of theirs.

ARTICLE VIII: JUDICIAL PROCEEDINGS

Disputes with regard to the interpretation of the
GSG Constitution or By-Laws, the determination of the legitimate holder of
Representative seats, Delegate seats, Councilor positions, or other
positions subject to GSG oversight, or any formal charges of negligence,
incompetence, or malfeasance brought against a Representative, Delegate,
Councilor, or holder of another position subject to GSG oversight shall be
adjudicated according to the procedures in this Article.

Under regular circumstances, all such disputes will be heard by the
Executive Committee, which, by simple majority, shall have the authority
to

determine the legitimate holder of a Representative seat, Delegate seat, Councilor position, or other position subject to GSG oversight.

issue a formal Interpretation of any By-Law or portion of the Constitution in question.

issue a formal Order to a member of the GSG in resolution of the matter.

recommend to the Assembly the expulsion of a Representative, Delegate, or Councilor.

recommend to the Assembly the exercise of any power of oversight, such as censure or recall, it may possess with respect to the accused.

dismiss the case without action.

All such actions by the Executive Committee shall be reported to the Assembly at the next Assembly meeting. The Executive Committee may, by simple majority, establish such procedures for the conduct of its hearings as it sees fit. The procedures shall be recorded by the Recording Secretary.

Charges against members of the Executive Committee, or against the
entire Executive Committee, shall proceed directly to appeal without
hearing by the Executive Committee.

Appeals will be heard by the full Assembly in the following cases:

the Executive Committee has recommended the expulsion of a Representative, Delegate, or Councilor;

the Executive Committee has recommended the exercise, by the Assembly, of any other power of oversight it may possess, such as censure or recall, with respect to the accused;

charges have been brought against members of the Executive Committee, or against the entire Executive Committee; or

the Assembly votes, by simple majority, to review the matter.

The Assembly shall have the authority to resolve matters considered under Clause 4 of this Article and may, by a two-thirds majority of Active seats:

censure an Officer;

suspend an Officer for a definite period of time and appoint an Interim Officer;

remove an Officer and vacate his or her Office; or

ban an Officer from holding Office again or remove such a ban.

The Assembly shall have the authority to follow or ignore the recommendation of the Executive Committee and may, by a two-thirds majority of Active seats:

expel a Representative, Delegate, or Councilor.

censure a Representative, Delegate, or Councilor.

ban a member of the Assembly from serving in the Assembly or remove such a ban.

The Assembly shall have the authority to override an Executive Committee decision on a judicial matter and may, by a two-thirds majority of Active seats:

determine the legitimate holder of a Representative seat, Delegate seat, non-Officer Councilor position, or other position subject to GSG oversight.

issue a formal Interpretation of any By-Law or portion of the Constitution in question.

issue a formal Order to a member of the GSG in resolution of the matter, or revise or rescind the Executive Committee’s Order.

dismiss the case without action.

Under regular circumstances, the GSG Chair shall preside over appeals
before the Assembly. If charges have been brought against the Chair, or
if the Chair wishes to take a non-neutral position in the case, the appeal
shall be presided over by the Parliamentary Secretary. If charges have
been brought against both the Chair and the Parliamentary Secretary or
against the entire Executive Committee, or if the Assembly, by a
two-thirds majority of Active seats, decides the action is warranted, the
Assembly shall elect one of its members Inquisitor to preside over the
appeal.

The Assembly may establish, by By-Law, such procedures for the conduct
of its hearings as it sees fit.

ARTICLE IX: THE BUDGET

All expenditures must be approved by the
Assembly.

The Assembly shall approve an Annual Budget.

The Annual Budget must be balanced such that the anticipated
expenditures shall not exceed the anticipated income.

Expenditures beyond those approved in the budget must be individually
approved by the Assembly.

A record of expenditures shall be open to inspection by any member of
the Graduate Student Body.

The Assembly may appoint an Auditor.

The GSG is a non-profit organization. [Legislative Intent: The State
of New Jersey requests proof of non-profit status, ideally to be supplied
by the Constitution of the organization in question, before granting
approval for event liquor licenses and other similar matters.]

The GSG shall not provide assistance, financial or otherwise, to any
political cause. [Legislative Intent: Funding political causes jeopardizes
our tax-exempt status.]

ARTICLE X: FEES

A five-dollar annual fee shall be assessed to all
graduate students who are enrolled full-time and are in residence, and
collected from such qualified others as wish to join under the provisions
of Clause III-2.

The income from this fee will be used to help fulfill the purpose of
the GSG. The uses of the proceeds from this fee include, but are not
limited to, GSG operating and communications costs, GSG events and
activities, and support of other organizations and events that address
graduate concerns.

This article is amendable only under the conditions prescribed by
Clause XI-6.

ARTICLE XI: AMENDMENT

An amendment to this Constitution may be submitted
for consideration either by a majority of the Assembly or a petition
signed by at least 10% of the Graduate Student Body.

Any submitted amendment must be presented in writing at a meeting of
the Assembly and must be publicized by the GSG to the Graduate Student
Body at least one week prior to a vote on it.

An amendment shall be deemed accepted if either

it is approved by a two-thirds vote of all Representative seats, or

it is approved in a referendum presented to all members of the Graduate Student Body and receives the approval of a majority of those voting, which majority must be equal to or greater than one-third of those eligible to vote.

If an amendment is submitted through a petition and the Assembly does
not ratify it, the amendment must be referred to a referendum of the
Graduate Student Body. The Assembly may, by a simple majority, refer any
other proposed amendment to a referendum.

Sections II, IV-2, IV-3, IV-4, IV-10, IV-13, IX-5, and XI of this
Constitution shall be amendable only by referendum.

Any proposed change in Article X or this Clause must be presented in a
referendum to all members of the Graduate Student Body. For the change to
be adopted, three-fifths of those voting must approve the amendment, and
that three-fifths must be greater than or equal to one-third of those
eligible to vote.

ARTICLE XII: RATIFICATION AND TRANSITION

Ratification of this Constitution shall
require:

a two-thirds majority of all Active Assembly seats as the Assembly is constituted prior to the ratification of this Constitution, and

approval by a referendum of the Graduate Student Body, in which a majority shall approve this Constitution, and that majority shall be equal to or greater than one-third of the Graduate Student Body.

Ratification of a Constitution to replace this Constitution shall
require similar approval to that described in Clause 1 of this
Article.

The current members of the Assembly shall remain in office until their
existing terms expire.

The current Officers shall remain in office until new elections are
held. The current Web page Administrator shall become Corresponding
Secretary; and the current Representative Secretary shall become
Parliamentary Secretary.

All old statutes passed by the existing Assembly, such as do not
contradict this Constitution, shall remain in effect until repealed or
replaced.

Such By-Laws as the Assembly shall approve, to come into effect upon
the approval of this Constitution, shall come into effect at the time of
the ratification of this Constitution.

The GSG is the successor organization to the former Graduate Student
Union, and assumes all responsibilities and commitments of the former
Graduate Student Union. The GSG is not a labor union, and shall not
participate in or lend support to industrial action.
[Legislative Intent:Legislative Intent: “support” for purposes of this clause constitutes
monetary, material, or organizational support, the Assembly being free to
express support, through statements of opinion or encouragement, in its
capacity to represent and advocate the interests of the Graduate Student
Body, as it sees fit. “Industrial action” constitutes protected union
activities as defined by the National Labor Relations Act, and any other
applicable law, in which material involvement by the GSG, in legal status
an administrative unit of the employer (Princeton University; cf. GSG’s
inheritance of non-profit status and resultant University prohibition, as
a condition for recognition as a student organization, on disbursement of
funds to outside organizations (qv. Rights, Rules, & Responsibilities II /
“Use of University Monies (Including Student Fees)”)) may constitute
illegal assistance and support (or, in the case of organizational support,
domination) to a labor union by an employer under Section 8(a)(2) of that
Act. ]

By-Laws Of The

Graduate Student Government

Of Princeton University

ARTICLE I: ASSEMBLY

Size.

The Assembly of the GSG shall consist of a number
of Representatives equal to the number of departments and recognized
programs.

Apportionment.

Apportionment of seats in the Assembly shall
take place by January 1 and shall take effect at the regular meeting during the month of February.

Recognized Programs.

The following academic programs are
recognized as separate Academic Units: Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences, and Plasma Physics.

Organizations sending Delegates to the Assembly.

The
following Interest Groups shall have the right to send one Delegate each
to the Assembly: the Council of International
Graduate Students and the Association of Chinese
Students and Scholars at Princeton University. The communities in the
following residential complexes shall have the right to send one Delegate
each to the Assembly: the Graduate College, the Butler Apartments, the
Lawrence Apartments, the Hibben/Magie Apartments, the Millstone
Apartments, and Off-Campus Student Housing. The Black Graduate Caucus and
the Women’s Center shall each send a voting Delegate to the Assembly.

Conferral of Councilor Status.

Councilor status shall be
conferred on graduate student representatives to the Council of the Princeton University Community.

Elections

. Elections for Representatives from each Academic
Unit shall take place in each academic year after the apportionment of
seats and before the regular February meeting, unless an Academic Unit
determines that it wishes to hold its elections at another time. The
procedures of elections for each Academic Unit shall be determined by the
graduate student members of that Academic Unit but in no case shall
persons banned by the Assembly from sitting in the Assembly be elected.
The Parliamentary Secretary shall notify the Graduate Student Body of the
upcoming elections after the apportionment of seats. Academic Units
choosing a different time for elections must notify the Parliamentary
Secretary of the time of their annual elections. If an Academic Unit
loses a seat during reapportionment but has chosen to conduct its
elections at a different time, the Representatives from that Academic Unit
shall select one of their members to relinquish his or her seat; that
member shall become a non-voting Delegate for the duration of his or her
term. If an Academic Unit holding its elections at a different time gains a seat during reapportionment, that Academic Unit shall be notified by the Parliamentary Secretary that it shall send more Representatives whose terms shall expire at the same time as the other Representatives sent by that Academic Unit.

ARTICLE II: PROCEDURES OF THE ASSEMBLY

Announcement and Agenda.

An announcement of and a general agenda for each meeting shall be publicly posted at least two days before the meeting.

Proxies.

Proxies must be submitted in writing, such as by
e-mail, to the Parliamentary Secretary, or, in his or her absence, the
Chair, or they shall not be valid.

Votes Between Meetings.

The Executive Committee may call
for
a vote of the Assembly between regular Assembly meetings to decide matters it deems to be time-sensitive.

ARTICLE III: OFFICERS

Term Limits.

There shall be no term limits placed on
any Offices.

Additional Officer Duties.

The following Officers shall have the following additional duties:

Chair

. None.

Parliamentary Secretary

. The Parliamentary Secretary shall maintain a mailing list of all members of the Assembly.

Corresponding Secretary

. The Corresponding Secretary shall draft such correspondence as the Assembly may require.

Press Secretary

. The Press Secretary shall compose and distribute such newsletters as the Assembly may require.

Recording Secretary

. The Recording Secretary shall keep an

organized record of official correspondence, and review GSG financial

records annually, reporting his or her findings to the Executive

Committee.

Treasurer

. None.

Social Chair

. None.

Timing of Elections.

Elections for Officers of the
Assembly shall occur during the month of March before the end of
the the March GSG Assembly meeting.

Nominations.

Any member of the Graduate Student Body may
nominate any member of the Graduate Student Body for any office. No seconds are required.

Election Procedures.

Method of Elections. Officers shall be elected in a vote by
the members of the Graduate Student Body, according to the method of the
secret ballot, except when votes are administered using the internet or a
similar means where this method is prohibitively difficult for the
Assembly. In that event, only the Parliamentary Secretary may have access
to the knowledge of how any GSB member voted, and may not divulge that
information, except as absolutely necessary for the performance of his
duty, and to as few people, who must in turn be held in confidence, as
possible.

Quorum for Elections. For an Officer election to be valid, at
least 10% of the members of the GSB must vote. If this quorum is not
reached for any of the Offices, those Offices that did not have a valid
election will be elected by the GSG Assembly at the next Assembly meeting.
The existing Officers shall continue to hold their Offices until new
Officers are elected in a valid election. [Legislative Intent:
the Constitution specifies that an Officer’s term can be no more than
15 months]

Universal Suffrage. All members of the Graduate Student Body,
including all enrolled and dues-paying post-enrolled graduate students,
shall be eligible to vote.

Elections between three or more people. In the event there are
more than two people running for a particular Office, the winner of the
election shall be that candidate that receives more than 50% of the votes.
If no candidate has 50% of the votes, a runoff election shall be held
between the two candidates receiving the most votes, and the winner shall
be that candidate that receives more than 50% of the votes.

Uncontested Races. In the event that there is only one
candidate for a particular Office, the vote shall be to approve or
disapprove of that candidate’s election to the Office. The candidate
shall be elected to the Office if he or she receives more approvals than
disapprovals. If more than 10% of the Graduate Student Body votes, and the
candidate receives a majority of approving votes, that candidate shall be
elected. If more than 10% of the Graduate Student Body votes, with a
majority voting against, that candidate shall be disqualified from the
office in question for one year and the Assembly shall act as if there had
been no candidate. Should the 10% quorum not be reached, the Assembly
shall treat the office under the standard procedures for an invalid
election. In cases of disqualification from uncontested races, the
Assembly shall elect a representative under the terms of clause (h)
below.

Vacant Races. In the event that no person is nominated for an
Office by the deadline, the existing Officer will continue to hold his
Office until a new election can be held by the Assembly shall elect a
representative under the terms of clause (h) below.

Tie Votes. In the event that the top two candidates in an
election for an Office have an equal number of ballots cast in their
favor, the Assembly shall be empowered to break the tie by a simple
majority vote.

Balloting by the Assembly. In the event the Assembly must
elect its Officers, the following procedure shall apply: The Parliamentary
Secretary shall conduct elections for Officers of the Assembly by voice
vote, unless an objection is heard by a member of the Assembly. In the
event of an objection, the elections for all remaining positions shall
take place by secret ballot. The Chair and the Parliamentary Secretary
shall count ballots. In the event that one or both are running for
re-election, other Officers may stand in as Acting Chair or Acting
Parliamentary Secretary for the duration of the elections, or the Assembly
may elect one or more Election Proctors. The results of the election
shall be announced, as well as the number of votes won by each candidate.
If only one candidate is seeking a particular Office, members of the
Assembly shall be given the opportunity to vote to approve or disapprove
that candidate’s election. That candidate shall be considered approved if
he or she receives more approvals than disapprovals. If the candidate
receives more disapprovals than approvals and the members voting represent
a quorum, then the candidate shall not be elected. In the event of a tie
vote, the Chair shall be empowered to break the tie.

Procedural Review. In the event that a majority of Officers
must be elected by the Assembly for two consecutive years, the Assembly
must vote to reaffirm BL III.5 by a 2/3rds vote of Active and Inactive
seats. If the Assembly fails to reaffirm this By-Law, it shall revert to
read thusly:5. Balloting. The Parliamentary Secretary shall conduct
elections for Officers of the Assembly by voice vote, unless an objection
is heard by the Chair. In the event of an objection, the elections for
all remaining positions shall take place by secret ballot. The Chair and
the Parliamentary Secretary shall count ballots. In the event that one or
both are running for re-election, other Officers may stand in as Acting
Chair or Acting Parliamentary Secretary for the duration of the elections,
or the Assembly may elect one or more Election Proctors. The results of
the election shall be announced, as well as the number of votes won by
each candidate. If only one candidate is seeking a particular Office,
members of the Assembly shall be given the opportunity to vote to approve
or disapprove that candidate’s election, and that candidate shall only be
considered approved if he receives more approvals than disapprovals. In
the event of a tie vote, the Chair shall be empowered to break the tie.

Ineligibility to hold Office. In the event an Officer ceases
to be eligible to hold his or her Office, such as for reasons of ceasing
to be a member of the GSB, losing a recall election, or death, that Office
shall be immediately vacated. The Assembly shall then elect a replacement
for the remainder of the term under clause (h).

Election Committee. An Election Committee shall be formed by
the Assembly to execute Officer Elections. The charge of the Election
Committee shall be to ensure that the Graduate Student Body is as informed
as reasonably possible about the election, to design the means of holding
the election and report its plan to the Assembly for approval, and to
conduct a free and fair election. The Parliamentary Secretary shall serve
as chair of this committee ex officio, except in the event that he
or she is running for re-election, in which case the Assembly shall elect
an Acting Parliamentary Secretary to chair the Committee. The Assembly
shall elect at least 2 other members of the Graduate Student Body to serve
on this Committee. The Election Committee shall be disbanded once all of
the Offices are filled with newly elected Officers.

Deadline for Nominations. All nominations for Offices must be
received by the Parliamentary Secretary no less than 3 weeks before the
date of the election. Candidate statements must be received 18 days
before the date of the election. The Executive Committee shall be
responsible for informing the Graduate Student Body of the upcoming
elections and the deadline for nominations.

Posting of Candidate Statements. The position statements
submitted by candidates, or the web address of those statements, shall be
distributed to the members of the GSB no less than 2 weeks before the date
of the election.

Campaign Limitations. No candidate shall spend more than $30
on his or her campaign. For accounting purposes, copies or printouts on
free departmental printers or copiers shall be assessed at 7 cents per
copy. There shall be no campaigning until three weeks prior to an
election. Campaigning shall be defined to include flyering or sending a
message to more than 5 people encouraging them to vote for a candidate or
candidates. There shall be no campaigning on the day or days of the
election. If the rules on spending are exceeded by less than $20, then
there shall be no further campaigning on behalf of the candidate. If the
rules on spending are exceeded by $20 or more, then the candidate shall be
disqualified from the election. On other matters related to campaigning,
the Election Committee has the authority to discipline candidates for
violations of the rules, including the authority to disqualify candidates
for violation of the rules. Decisions of the Elections Committee shall be
made by a two-thirds majority and may only be overturned by a two-thirds
vote of the Assembly.

Posting of Election Results. The Results of Officer elections
shall be posted either prominently on the GSG Webpage or on posters around
campus no later than 1 week after the close of voting. If this time limit
is not met, the Assembly shall appoint another member of the GSB to count
the votes and post the results, and this appointee shall also have one
week to announce the results. If this fails, the Assembly shall allow any
willing members of the GSB to count the votes, after ensuring that any
information identifying the GSB member that cast a particular vote is
removed.

Term of Office.

New officers shall take office at the next
regular meeting following their election. Their terms of office shall be one year.

Recall of Officers.

Recall by the Graduate Student Body. The Graduate Student Body
may require a recall election for any Office to be held at any time by
submitting a petition specifying the Office in question signed by 10% of
the Graduate Student Body. For a petition to be valid, each signature
shall be accompanying by the printed name and department of the signee, as
well as the date of the signature.

Recall by the Assembly. The Assembly may require a recall
election for an Office by a two-thirds vote of Active seats.

Nature of Recall Elections. Recall elections shall be to
approve or disapprove the Officer’s remaining in Office, and the quorum
for this vote shall be the same as for a regular election. If the Officer
receives more disapprovals than approvals, a new election shall be held to
fill the Office, and the Office will be vacant until the new election is
decided.

ARTICLE IV: THE BUDGET

Timing of the Annual Budget.

The Annual Budget shall be presented by the Treasurer in October.

Limitation on Expenditures Covered by the Budget.

Any
expenditure related solely to one item or event that exceeds 5% of the GSG budget for a given year must be brought before the Assembly for separate approval, even if the expenditure is to come from one of the allocations of the approved Annual Budget. A vote on such items shall be announced at least two days before the presentation of those items to the Assembly.

Notification of Budgetary Requests.

Any request for funding
brought to the Assembly must be given to the Treasurer at least one week before the Assembly meeting at which it is to be discussed or it shall not be eligible for consideration. The Assembly may waive this rule by a vote of two-thirds of those present.

ARTICLE V: POSTS WITHIN GSG APPOINTMENT

Council of the Princeton University Community.

The GSG Assembly shall elect such representatives to the Council of the Princeton University Community, hereafter Graduate U-Councilors, as the GSG is empowered to elect.

The Chair of the GSG and the Parliamentary Secretary shall both serve ex officio on the Council of the Princeton University Community.

Elections for the remaining seats shall occur at the last regular meeting of the Assembly before April 30 of each year and be publicized at least one month in advance. Nominations for posts and statements of candidacy shall be collected by the Parliamentary Secretary, who shall make public the list of candidates and any one position statement, not exceeding 500 words in length, a candidate wishes to include. Three days before the meeting of the Assembly, the Parliamentary Secretary shall distribute the list of candidates and position statements to members of the Assembly, and solicit proxy votes from any Representatives unable to attend the meeting. If desired, a Representative may submit a write-in vote; however, if the write-in candidate fails to declare candidacy before or at the meeting, that vote shall be disqualified. A Representative may send a proxy to cast his or her vote. In this case, the Representative must notify the Parliamentary Secretary of the proxyís identity no less than twenty-four (24) hours before the meeting, or else provide the proxy with a signed statement of said proxy power to bring to the meeting.

In no way shall the GSG restrict who may stand for election, or limit the number of terms a graduate student may serve as a member of the Council, providing that only those graduate students who will be enrolled in the Graduate School for the following academic year are eligible to stand for election. [Legislative Intent: The restriction to enrolled graduate students is required by the CPUC Charter.]

Elected graduate U-Councilors shall serve a term of one year, to begin at the beginning of the succeeding academic year.

In elections for Graduate U-Councilors, all Representatives of the Assembly shall vote. Election shall be by voice vote, or, in the event of objection or contest, by secret ballot. The Chair shall conduct the elections with the assistance of the Parliamentary Secretary. In the case of a vote by secret ballot where there are more than five candidates or in the case of proxy votes submitted by email as above, voting shall be according to the following procedure: each Representative shall vote for up to five candidates, rank-ordered on the ballot from most preferred on the top to least preferred on the bottom. Then, the votes will be tallied, with only the most-preferred votes counted; the candidate with the most votes will then receive a seat, and all votes for that candidate shall be crossed off the ballots. The highest remaining vote on each individual ballot shall become the newly most-preferred vote on that ballot. Then the votes will be tallied again, with only the newly most-preferred votes counted, and again the candidate with the most votes shall receive a seat and have all votes for him crossed off the ballots. This process will continue until five seats have been awarded. If there are five or fewer candidates, Representatives will vote “approve” or “disapprove” for each candidate, and all candidates receiving a majority of “approve” votes out of the votes cast shall be deemed elected.

In the case of a vacancy after the elections, or should one arise during the academic year, elections according to the above procedure shall be held for the vacancy as soon as is practical. If, and only if, no candidates come forward, the Executive Committee may fill the seat by appointment.

Immediately following the Assembly meeting at which the Graduate U-Councilors are elected, the Parliamentary Secretary shall convene a meeting of the graduate members of the Council in order to elect the two members of the Executive Committee of the CPUC. The Chair of the GSG shall ordinarily serve ex officio on the Executive Committee, and be deemed elected by acclamation unless objected to by three of the graduate members of the Council. [Legislative Intent: The CPUC Charter requires us to provide for such an objection.] The Parliamentary Secretary will then solicit nominations for the remaining post. Election shall be by voice vote if the election is uncontested, by secret ballot otherwise. The Parliamentary Secretary shall not vote except in the case of a tie, in which case the Parliamentary Secretary will cast the tie-breaking vote. Ordinarily, the Parliamentary Secretary shall not be eligible for election to the Executive Committee; however, if no other member of the Council wishes the post, the Parliamentary Secretary shall be considered elected to the Executive Committee by acclamation. In the case that the Chair was objected to by three graduate members of the Council, the Parliamentary Secretary shall solicit nominations for both posts. The Chair may be re-nominated for a position in this case. If exactly two nominations are made, those two candidates shall be deemed elected to the Executive Committee by acclamation; otherwise, election shall be by secret ballot, with each member of the Council casting a vote for one candidate. The candidates with the most and second-most votes shall then be deemed elected to the Executive Committee. The Parliamentary Secretary may be nominated for a position, but shall become ineligible should this result in more than two candidates nominated for a post. As soon as this business is concluded, the Parliamentary Secretary shall adjourn the meeting and report the results to the Assembly.

Graduate student members of the Council of the Princeton University Community shall attend all meetings of the Council of the Princeton University Community and the GSG Assembly.

The Assembly shall be able to recall graduate student members of the Council of the Princeton University Community by a two-thirds vote of active Assembly seats.

Other Committees.

Members of other external committees shall be appointed by a simple majority of the Assembly. In the event that there is insufficient time to appoint a member to an external committee by this process, the Chair shall be empowered to appoint members of such committees with the concurrence of the Executive Committee.

ARTICLE VI. JUDICIAL PROCEDURE OF THE ASSEMBLY

Inquisitor.

In the event that the Assembly is conducting a discussion of overriding the ruling of the Executive Committee on a judicial matter, or investigating a member or members of the Executive Committee, the Assembly may, by a two-thirds majority of Active seats, decide to elect a member of the Assembly other than the Chair to preside as Inquisitor and serve as Acting Chair. If both the Chair and Parliamentary Secretary are under investigation, the decision to appoint an Inquisitor shall only require a simple majority. Once the decision is made to appoint an Inquisitor, the election shall be by secret ballot, and the member of the Assembly with the greatest number of votes shall be deemed elected. The Inquisitor shall cast a tie-breaking vote, as the Chair would normally.

Prosecutor.

If no single person is responsible for bringing
charges against the accused, the Assembly may elect a Prosecutor by the same procedure as they may elect an Inquisitor.

Written Accusation.

All charges of malfeasance or
negligence
brought against an individual or group of individuals, hereafter the Accused, shall be presented in writing before the Assembly and to the accused.

Speedy Trial.

The Accused shall have the right to a speedy
trial, to take place not more than one month after the original complaint is brought to the attention of the Assembly. Notwithstanding this, the Accused may ask for not more than three days to prepare a defense.

Interim Arrangements.

The Assembly may suspend an Officer
for
a period of no more than one month leading up to the trial date, pending
an investigation. During that time, that Officer may not exercise any
duties of his or her Office. The Assembly may not suspend membership in
the
Assembly. The Executive Committee may, under extraordinary circumstances, vote to suspend an Officer until the time of the next Assembly meeting, by a two-thirds majority.

Provision of Extraordinary Meetings.

The Assembly may
exercise its judicial powers either during regular meetings or at Extraordinary Meetings called for this purpose.

Right to Defense.

The Accused shall have the right to speak
in his or her defense and the right to choose not to speak in his or
her own
defense.
The Accused shall have the right to question his or her accuser or
accusers, but he or she shall not be compelled to answer questions.

Testimony.

The Accused shall have the same opportunity for
compelling testimony as his or her accusers. All members of the Assembly
and
holders of positions of trust within the GSG, with the exception of the Accused, shall be bound by duty to provide relevant testimony if asked. The Assembly may call and question witnesses if it desires. In all cases, the accuser or person designated as Prosecutor may question the witness first, the Accused second, and the Assembly last. There shall be no reexamination of witnesses without the consent of the Assembly. During the period in which the Assembly has the right to examine witnesses, neither the Accused nor the Prosecutor shall have any right to examine witnesses that they may have by virtue of being members of the Assembly.

Order of Business.

In investigations relating to the
conduct
of an individual, the following order of business shall be observed:

The accuser or person designated as Prosecutor by the Assembly shall present the accusation.

The Accused shall have the opportunity of entering a plea.

The accuser or Prosecutor shall make a clear and concise presentation of facts, not to exceed fifteen minutes in length. The Assembly may extend this time limit, but a similar extension shall apply to the accused.

The Accused shall have the opportunity to respond in a reply not to exceed fifteen minutes in length.

The accuser may call witnesses.

The Accused may call witnesses.

The Assembly may call witnesses.

The Accused shall have an opportunity to make a final statement, not to exceed five minutes in length.

The Assembly may debate the charges subject to the standard rules of parliamentary procedure.

The Assembly may dismiss charges and therefore end judicial proceedings by a simple majority at any time. The Assembly may, by a two-thirds vote, move to close the examination of witnesses or the final debate.

Removal of Officers.

If any Officer is removed by the Assembly, the Office shall immediately be considered vacant.

Procedural Motions.

A quorum for examination of witnesses
and procedural motions shall be a majority of Active seats.

ARTICLE VII: CONDUCT OF REFERENDA

Publicity of Votes on Referenda Items.

In the event that

the Assembly votes to submit any matter, including amendments to the

Constitution, to a public referendum, the votes of the members of the

Assembly shall be made public.

Information Packets.

A packet of information shall be

assembled and made public. The packet shall be in three parts:

The first part shall be a factual information section,
designed to explain to the voter what is being considered and
provide unbiased answers to anticipated questions. It shall be
written by a person or committee designated by the Assembly and
shall be approved by a majority of the Assembly.
The second part shall present the case for approval of the
matter in question. All those who voted “aye” in the Assembly
shall constitute a committee and report a document to the
Assembly, which the committee shall approve by a majority vote.
The third part shall present the case for disapproval of the
matter in question. All those who voted “nay” in the Assembly
shall constitute a committee and report a document to the
Assembly, which the committee shall approve by a majority vote.

The Assembly, by a simple majority, may place a limit on the length of
each section, provided that the limits on the second and third parts shall
be equal and large enough to allow for complete and adequate explanation
of the views of each side. Those who abstained shall not be considered
part of either committee established in parts (b) or (c) of this clause.
Those who cease to be members of the Assembly between the time of the vote
and the time of the presentation of committee reports shall not vote on
the committee reports, nor shall members who enter the Assembly during
this time, except that members entering the Assembly shall vote on the
report established in part (a) of this clause. Any member of the either
committee established in parts (b) and (c) of this clause may resign from
that committee and not be counted among its number, but may not join the
other committee. Whichever case of parts (b) or (c) of this clause
attains a majority in the Assembly shall come first when the arguments are
published. In the event that the matter of a referendum passes the
Assembly by a vote greater than eighty-five percent in favor, the Assembly
may waive the section described in part (c) of this clause by a two-thirds
vote of those present, or may designate a person or persons to write this
section, subject to the approval of the Assembly.

Referendum Committee.

The Assembly shall establish a

Referendum Committee to run the referendum and report back the result.

The Parliamentary Secretary, in his or her capacity as supervisor of

elections, shall serve as Chair of the Referendum Committee. The

Committee shall consist of no less than three members, including the

Chair, all of whom must be members of the Graduate Student Body.

Forced Referenda.

In the event that a petition is delivered

to the Assembly which would have the effect of forcing a referendum, the

Assembly shall vote on the matter at the next Assembly meeting after the

meeting at which the petition was submitted. The Assembly shall first

vote on the ratification of the matter, provided that it is a matter which

may be settled without a referendum; should it be ratified, the matter

will be considered passed, and no referendum shall be held. Should it be

defeated, the vote on the Assembly ratification of the matter shall be

used for the purpose of formation of the committees outlined in Paragraph

2. If the matter requires a referendum, the Assembly shall hold a similar

vote on approval of the matter, and both those in favor and opposed shall

go on record, and the committees outlined in Paragraph 2 shall be formed

based on the result of this vote.

Secrecy of Ballots.

Referenda shall be conducted by means

of the secret ballot.

Reporting of Results.

The aggregate results of referenda

shall be publically available.

2000 Constitution

The Constitution and By-Laws of the Graduate Student Government of Princeton University

The Constitution and By-Laws
of the Graduate Student
Government
of Princeton
University