Constitution

RULES OF ORDER FOR THE GRADUATE STUDENT GOVERNMENT OF THE SCHOOL OF ARTS & SCIENCES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

The Following Rules and By-Laws shall govern and guide the conduct of all General Body and Executive Board Members of SASGov for the 2023-2024 Academic Year:

There is to be zero tolerance of harassment or intimidation by or of any member or potential member of SASGov. Members are to treat each other with courtesy and respect in all matters.
Active participants in SASGov Committees or Executive Board may occasionally have access to private or sensitive information of members of the larger SAS community. This information is to be treated with discretion and respect, and is not to be divulged beyond the confines under which it was introduced (e.g. Finance Committee evaluations).
Members are expected to avoid ethical conflicts of interest by recusing themselves from votes or deliberations when appropriate (e.g. evaluating one’s own grant application).
Members shall not use their position for personal gain.
Executive Board Members, given their increased access to SASGov Funds and other privileges, are especially forbidden to abuse such power for personal gain or to harass any member or group of the SAS community.
All Members are expected to regularly attend General Body meetings, participate in their committees, and fulfill all duties expected of their position.
1. Executive Board members, additionally, are expected to attend the meetings of the Executive Board.
All Members are expected to make a concerted effort to address their own biases, and not to act upon them in their votes, actions, or decisions.
Members who serve on the Internal Grievance Committee are expected to act upon any received complaints, to treat each case with sensitivity, and to protect the anonymity of participants until such a time as their must be a public hearing.
In addition to the above Rules, each Individual SASGov Committee may internally adopt its own by-laws to guide and direct their own missions.

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE GRADUATE STUDENT GOVERNMENT OF THE SCHOOL OF ARTS & SCIENCES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

ARTICLE I: NAME AND PURPOSE

A. NAME

There shall be an organization known as the Graduate Student Government of the School of Arts and Sciences (SAS). This organization may otherwise be known as SASGov.

B. PURPOSE

The Graduate Student Government of the School of Arts and Sciences shall be the coordinating student body charged with respecting all graduate and professional students in the School of Arts and Sciences.
All graduate and professional students in the School of Arts and Sciences shall be members of the Graduate Student Government of the School of Arts and Sciences during their period of enrollment as a student in the University of Pennsylvania, and are encouraged to participate in all activities sponsored by SASGov.
The Graduate Student Government of the School of Arts and Sciences shall work with the student governments of the graduate and professional schools of the University, fnominate and elect graduate and professional students to the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, University committees and other bodies, and represent the concerns of graduate and professional students to the administration of the School of Arts and Sciences.
The Graduate Student Government of the School of Arts and Sciences shall monitor issues of importance to its constituents and foster a dialogue among its members for the purpose of identifying relevant issues of advocacy.
The Graduate and Professional Student Government of the School of Arts and Sciences shall sponsor academic, cultural, and social events of interest to the graduate and professional community. It shall continue to focus on programming, funding, and academic resources.

ARTICLE II: THE GENERAL BODY

A. MEMBERSHIP

The General body shall be composed of one voting Representative from each graduate group and graduate program.
Graduate groups and graduate programs are defined by the University administration. Such designations are determined jointly by the faculty and administration and approved by the Graduate Council of the Faculties.
If a graduate group or graduate program is eliminated, the members of such group or program may continue to be represented as full voting members of the General Body until there are five or less than five students remaining in the graduate group or graduate program. At that time, those students in the eliminated graduate group or graduate program shall be represented by a non-voting Representative in the General Body.

B. REPRESENTATIVES FROM NEW GRADUATE GROUPS AND PROGRAMS

New graduate groups and graduate programs may apply for membership in the General Body by sending notice of their status as a graduate group or graduate program to the Executive Board and the designation of a Representative from the graduate group or program to the General Body.
Upon approval by the Executive Board, these graduate groups and graduate programs shall be entitled to full membership in the General Body, with all of the rights and responsibilities that are attached to such recognition.
The new graduate group or graduate program must be recognized as an independent entity by the University administration.

C. REPRESENTATIVES

Each graduate group and/or graduate program shall appoint or elect, according to their own procedure, their representative to the General Body.
Representatives shall provide documentation to the Vice President of Communications that certifies their election or appointment to the General Body and their status as a duly appointed or elected representative.
Representatives shall serve as the official liaison of their graduate group or graduate program to SASGov and from SASGov to their graduate group or program.
Representatives shall attend all meetings of the General Body. Any graduate group or program which has more than two unexpected absences per semester may have its Representatives dismissed by the General Body.

Upon this dismissal of a graduate program or group's representative(s), SASGov shall contact the graduate group or graduate program from which the students were Representatives in order to seek a replacement.

Representatives shall serve efficiently on one standing committee of the General Body in order to help SASGov carry out its mission.
Representatives shall keep the Vice President of Communications appraised of their current contact information.

D. GENERAL BODY MEETINGS

The general body shall meet on the first Tuesday following the second Monday in September and every two weeks thereafter. It shall also meet on the call of the President, three members of the Executive Board, or by petition of one-quarter of its members.
1. The Executive Board may, with the approval of the General Body, alter the regular meeting schedule of SASGov.
Meeting of the General Body shall be limited to ninety minutes.

Meetings may be extended by a vote of two-thirds of SASGov members present.

Meetings shall be conducted in accordance with the most recently published edition of Robert's Rules of Order, Revised, and other such rules as contained in this Constitution. The Executive Board may appoint a parliamentarian.

When there is evidently no opposition to a motion, the formality of voting can be avoided by asking if there is any objection to the proposed action, and if there is none, announcing the result. This is known as general consent.

A single objection means that general consent has not been given, in which case the usual requirements of a motion, a second, a debate, and a majority vote become necessary.

A General Body meeting does not exist without a quorum. A quorum shall exist when a majority of the Representatives and three members of the Executive Board are present.
Meetings shall be open to all members of the public. Any graduate student from the School of Arts and Sciences who is not a member of the General Body may participate in its discussions. Members of the public may participate in discussions only at the invitation of the President. When two-thirds of the General Body votes in the affirmative, it shall meet in closed session.
The Vice President of Communications shall, at the beginning of the academic semester, notify all graduate group or program representatives of all scheduled meeting dates.

In the spring semester, this communication shall also include the scheduled dates for the elections of next year’s Executive Board and GAPSA Representatives.

When it is necessary for the General Body to meet in a special session, the President shall give no fewer than three days notice of the time and place of such a session to its members.
The President shall distribute a tentative agenda to the General Body no less than twenty-four hours prior to a regularly scheduled meeting. Information regarding matters to be put to a vote, including draft resolutions where applicable, will be distributed to the General Body no less than twenty-four hours prior to a meeting.

Email is an acceptable mode of communication with the General Body.

The text of any proposed amendments to this Constitution shall be distributed to the General Body no less than five days prior to the meeting at which it will be introduced. This shall allow for committees and the Executive Board to meet at least once, if required, between a General Body meeting and the distribution of any amendments.
Minutes from General Body meetings shall be posted on the SASGov website as soon as practical after their approval.
At the final meeting of the spring semester, members of the General Body shall be encouraged to bring their potential successors from their respective graduate groups to ensure continuity.

B. VOTING

Each graduate group or program shall have one vote in all matters.
Members of the Executive Board, except for the President, shall not vote on the approval of the budget and in elections for members of the Executive Board. Otherwise, each Executive Board member shall have one vote in all matters.
The President shall vote only when the General Body is equally divided.
In order to pass the General Body, a motion must receive a simple majority of the votes cast.
Motions to suspend the rules or to deviate from the standard procedure of the General Body must receive two-thirds of the votes cast in order to be approved.
School Representatives and members of the Executive Board with voting privileges may select a proxy to participate on their behalf in a General Body meeting with full voting and other rights, provided that notice is given to the Vice President of Communications no less than one hour in advance of the meeting.

Notice may be given by email, and the Vice President of Communications will announce any recognized proxies at the beginning of the General Body meeting.
The exception to this is in the case of meetings wherein the Budget is approved or in the case that elections to the Executive Board are being held, in which case twenty-four hour notice of proxies are required.

C. NON-VOTING SEATS

The General Body may add non-voting seats when it deems such seats necessary.
Non-voting members of the General Body shall not count towards quorum.
Non-voting members may not make or second motions. They may speak and otherwise participate in meetings.
Non-voting members may remain in General Body meetings during a closed session.

ARTICLE III: COMMITTEES OF THE GENERAL BODY 3

A. STANDING COMMITTEES

A standing committee may be formed upon the initiative of a member of the Executive Board, the Executive Board as a whole, or a majority of the General Body.
The General Body shall have four standing committees:

The Committee on Administration and Policy shall be chaired by the Vice President of Policy and is responsible for all academic and student life issues related to graduate and professional students of the School of Arts and Sciences in their life at the University.
The Finance Committee shall be co-chaired by the Vice President of Finance and the Vice President of Financial Operations and is responsible for managing the financial affairs of the General Body, including the funding for individual graduate groups and graduate programs.
The Public Affairs Committee shall be chaired by the Vice President of Public Affairs and is responsible for marketing and public relations for the General Body as well as the coordination of academic and career development programs. The Public Affairs Committee may also grant (an) award(s) to members of the University or of the community at large who deserve SAS recognition for contributions in mentoring, teaching, etc.
The Social Activities Committee shall be chaired by the Vice President of Social Affairs and is responsible for the coordination of social programs as well as cultural, athletic, and community service events. The Social Activities Committee shall arrange at least two (2) events per semester.

ARTICLE IV: ELECTIONS FOR THE EXECUTIVE BOARD

A. ELECTIONS

The General Body shall elect the Executive Board from the constituents of SASGov each spring by a simple majority vote. Any graduate or professional student in the School of Arts and Sciences may run for an Executive Board office.
Elections for the Executive Board shall be held no sooner than the second meeting in March and no later than the second meeting in April.
The date of the election shall be announced at the previous meeting, and each School Representative shall have ten days written notice of the election.
Individuals may hold only one Executive Board position concurrently. Current members of the Executive Board may run for another Executive Board position. They must resign their current position upon their election to a new office.
No member of the Executive Board shall simultaneously serve as a Representative.
The General Body shall be given no fewer than ten days notice of a special election to fill a vacancy on the Executive Board.
The Vice President of Communications and two impartial witnesses shall oversee the elections process.
The Vice President of Communications shall conduct an annual review of the election rules.
The rules governing the conduct of elections to the Executive Board shall be Appendix A of this Constitution.

ARTICLE V: THE EXECUTIVE BOARD

The Executive Board shall consist of the following positions: President, Vice President of Policy, Vice President of Communications, Vice President of Finance, Vice President of Financial Operations, Vice President of Public Affairs, and Vice President of Social Affairs.

A. GENERAL RESPONSIBILITIES

The term of office of members of the Executive Board shall be one year, beginning on May 15 of the year in which they are elected and ending one year thereafter.
The Executive Board shall meet bi-weekly.
Attendance at Executive Board meetings is mandatory for all of its members.

Therefore, the meetings shall be scheduled at a time convenient to all members.

Members of the Executive Board shall participate in relevant meetings with the President and officials of the School of Arts & Sciences.
Members of the General Body may attend and speak at meetings of the Executive Board. However, upon a two-thirds vote of all Executive Board members, the Executive Board shall meet in closed session. The minutes from every Executive Board meeting shall be posted on the SASGov website as soon as practical after they are approved.
Whenever feasible, a schedule of Executive Board meetings should be set at the beginning of each semester. However, the President or any two members of the Executive Board may call a meeting at any time, provided they give all members at least twenty-four hours notice.

If the Executive Board must meet at short notice, and not all members can attend a meeting, then a quorum shall exist when at least two-thirds of the Executive--or no less than five members-- are present. However, if a vote is called for in such a meeting, members who were not present shall be given at least twenty-four hours (unless the Executive Board votes to extend) from the circulation of the minutes to cast their vote. Email is an acceptable form of communication for this. If a member does not cast a vote within this time, then they shall be judged to have abstained.
Members of the Executive Board may designate a proxy to uphold their vote. Proxies must be communicated to all members of the Executive Board.

The Executive Board may adopt resolutions when it is impractical for the General Body to act. In such a case, a resolution must receive the affirmative votes of a majority of all Executive Board members.

Any resolution approved by the Executive Board in such a situation shall be forwarded to the General Body for its approval or rejection at its next meeting. If it is not approved, then the Executive Board’s prior action shall be considered null and void.

Any member of the Executive Board may, with the advice and consent of the General Body, appoint a deputy who shall serve at his or her discretion.
The Executive Board shall provide to the General Body, in January and April, a public report summarizing its work throughout the academic year.
At the end of the spring semester, following elections of the new Executive Board, but prior to termination of the outgoing Executive Board’s term of office, both Incoming and Outgoing Boards shall meet for an Executive Board Transition Meeting.

This meeting shall be an opportunity for the outgoing Executive Board to advise on the year ahead, make recommendations to the incoming board, and to conclude any outstanding business.

Subject to the approval of the General Body, Executive Board members shall receive a stipend for services performed during their year in office. This stipend is awarded to cover academic and business expenses, and to compensate for the fact that Executive Board members are unable to apply for SASGov funding opportunities, such as travel grants and discretionary funding, for the duration of their term.

In the spring of each academic year—no later than the last General Body meeting prior to the Executive Board elections—the outgoing Executive Board will propose the stipend level for the following year. Only members of the Board who do not intend to run for the following year may take part in the determination or presentation of this amount.

The General Body will vote to approve or amend this amount. If approved, this amount will be a fixed budget allocation for the following year—much as Merit Funds are fixed—and will be included in the provisionary budget presented by the outgoing VP of Finance, and in the proposed budget presented to the General Body in the fall of the following academic year.
Should there be no outgoing Executive Board members eligible to recommend the stipend for the following year (e.g. all Executive Board members are running for a position), then the stipend recommendation will default to that of the previous year.

Following the approval of the stipend amount in the spring, the executive board stipend may be adjusted due to unforeseen circumstances (e.g. the creation of a new position, a drastic change in revenue or expenses, etc.); however, it must be changed as an independent budget amendment, requiring its own motion, discussion, and a 2/3 majority of the General Body to pass.

B. REMOVAL OF A MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD

A member of the Executive Board who is found to be in violation of this Constitution or the Rules of the Graduate Student Government of the School or Arts and Sciences may be removed upon a vote of two-thirds of the General Body at any meeting, provided that the member whose conduct is in question has been given fourteen days written notice stating the violation or violations and has been granted an opportunity to be heard.
Just cause, ex., malfeasance, misfeasance, or nonfeasance, must be shown in any case involving the removal of a member of the Executive Board.

ARTICLE VI: EXECUTIVE BOARD POSITIONS

A. PRESIDENT

The Executive Board shall include a President who shall lead the General Body and Executive Board on all matters. The President shall be present at all General Body and Executive Board meetings.
The President shall be the primary SASGov representative to all School of Arts and Sciences and College of General Studies administration and personnel, and shall attend all meetings with such personnel as necessary and appropriate.
The President, in conjunction with the Executive Board, shall devise and implement annual goals and strategies for fulfilling the SASGov mission.
The President shall organize, motivate, and empower student volunteers in support of all SASGov projects, initiatives and events.
The President shall delegate such responsibilities as appropriate to other members of the Executive Board.
If the President is unable to execute the duties of his or her office, the Vice President of Policy shall act as Interim President until a special election can be held at a subsequent General Body meeting. If the Vice President of Policy is unable or unwilling to serve as Interim President, the Vice President of Finance shall serve as Interim President until the special election.

B. VICE PRESIDENT OF POLICY

The Executive Board shall include a Vice President of Policy, who along with the President shall serve as a representative of School of Arts and Sciences’ graduate and professional students across the University.
The Vice President of Policy shall monitor and evaluate federal, state, local, University and School of Arts and Sciences policies that are of concern to graduate and professional students and bring them to the attention of the General Body.
The Vice President of Policy shall recruit and recommend graduate and professional student candidates to the General Body for election to the University committees and other bodies.
The Vice President of Policy shall act as Interim President when the President is absent or otherwise unavailable.
If the President is no longer able to serve, the Vice President of Policy shall act as Interim President until a special election can be held at a subsequent General Body meeting.
The Vice President of Policy shall chair the Administration and Policy Committee.

C. VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

The Executive Board shall include a Vice President of Communications who shall record the minutes of all Executive Board and General Body meetings and report those minutes to each body as soon as possible.
The Vice President of Communications shall serve as the primary School Representative to the General Assembly of the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GAPSA).
The Vice President of Communications shall maintain a record of all SASGov proceedings and keep on file all resolutions approved by the General Body.
The Vice President of Communications shall monitor, screen, and disseminate all SASGov email communications.
The Vice President of Communications shall verify the certification of Representatives, and recruit members from graduate groups and programs that have not sent a representative to SASGov by the second meeting of the year.

D. VICE PRESIDENT OF FINANCE

The Executive Board shall include a Vice President of Finance who shall be responsible for all budget issues. The Vice President of Finance shall maintain accurate and current financial reports and records.
The Vice President of Finance shall present to the Executive Board a final, detailed budgetary and expenditure report for the prior academic year no later than the first day of December in each academic year. This report shall remain on file with the Executive Board and shall be available for review by any member of the General Body.
It shall be the responsibility of the Vice President of Finance to prepare a copy of the annual SASGov budget for the Graduate Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences as necessary.
The Vice President of Finance shall budget, allocate, and monitor funds dispersed under the auspices of funding policies established by SASGov.
The Vice President of Finance may spend SASGov funds over the summer and into the following academic year until the second general meeting when the annual budget is approved in a manner consistent with the provisional budget and with the approval of a majority of the Executive Board.
The Vice President of Finance shall oversee, evaluate, and process all applications for grants distributed by the General Body, including individual funding and group/event funding. Any additional recurring grants may be assigned to the Vice President of Finance to manage at the discretion of the Executive Board.
The Vice President of Finance shall administer the Funding for Graduate Groups and Graduate Programs as Described in Article VII.B of the Constitution.
The Vice President of Finance shall chair the Finance Committee.

E. VICE PRESIDENT OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS

The Executive Board shall include a Vice President of Public Affairs who shall work with school newspapers and other publications to promote the communication of information between SASGov and graduate and professional students in the School of Arts and Sciences; graduate groups and graduate programs; and academic, administrative, and student life departments in the University and the School of Arts and Sciences.
The Vice President of Public Affairs shall manage the SASGov website, social media and ticketing platform accounts.
The Vice President of Public Affairs shall maintain current information, on the SASGov website, including the current contact information for all members of the General Body and upcoming SASGov Programs.
The Vice President of Public Affairs shall devise, implement, and monitor SASGov advertising, public relations, and communications initiatives.
The Vice President of Public Affairs shall devise, implement, and monitor academic and career development programs.
The Vice President of Public Affairs shall share responsibility for organizing SASGov’s role in welcoming incoming graduate students at a reception at the beginning of the academic year.
The Vice President of Public Affairs shall chair the Public Affairs Committee.

F. VICE PRESIDENT OF SOCIAL AFFAIRS

The Executive Board shall include a Vice President of Social Affairs who shall be responsible for coordinating SASGov sponsored athletic, cultural, social, and special events. These may include and are not limited to films, receptions, social events, speakers, and any other such events that may arise.
The Vice President of Social Affairs shall work closely with the Vice President of Finance to manage the social budget and shall make periodic, detailed expenditure reports to the Vice President of Finance and Executive Board.
The Vice President of Social Affairs shall share responsibility for organizing SASGov’s role in welcoming incoming graduate students at a reception at the beginning of the academic year.
The Vice President of Social Events shall chair the Social Affairs Committee.

G. VICE PRESIDENT OF OPERATIONS

The Vice President of Operations shall coordinate room reservations, happy hour reservations, catering for meetings, and other logistical tasks associated with having a meeting.
The Vice President of Operations shall arrange purchase order (PO) payments for all meetings and associated happy hour food/drink through the business office.
The Vice President of Operations shall facilitate and monitor any online meeting attendance via Zoom.
The Vice President of Operations shall be responsible for maintaining attendance during General Body meetings.
The Vice President of Operations shall be responsible for registering all happy hours with the Office of Community Care.

ARTICLE VII: BUDGET AND FINANCE

A. THE BUDGET

At the final Executive Board meeting of the spring semester, the outgoing and incoming Vice Presidents for Finance shall represent a provisional budget for the next academic year to the Executive Board.
Prior to the second scheduled General Body meeting of the fall semester, the Vice President of Finance shall propose a final budget to be approved by the General Body. No SASGov funds may be spent after that date without General Body approval of a budget.

In the event that the Executive Board cannot act with its complete authority due to vacancy, incapacity, or unresolved grievances that deal with the positions of the Executive Board, the process for proposing and approving the final budget may be extended to the third meeting of the academic year.

Upon a two-thirds vote, the General Body may amend the budget at any time.
The budget shall provide the funds necessary for the operations of the General Body and for such other activities as the General Body may decide in accordance with its purpose and mission.
The Executive Board shall establish two deadlines per semester by which graduate groups and graduate programs shall submit merit funding requests.

B. FUNDING FOR GRADUATE GROUPS AND GRADUATE PROGRAMS

Merit Funding

Only those graduate groups and graduate programs whose representatives have no more than 2 General Body meeting absences in the previous semester shall be eligible to apply for merit funding. In the case of new graduate groups and programs joining SASGov, merit funding will be available only after the completion of one semester without more than 2 absences.
Graduate groups and graduate programs shall be eligible for merit funding based on the number of students in the graduate group or graduate program. The following annual caps shall apply:

Graduate groups and graduate programs with 1 to 50 students shall be eligible to receive up to $300 per year for merit requests.
Graduate groups and graduate programs with 51 to 100 students shall be eligible to receive up to $500 per year for merit requests.
Graduate groups and graduate programs with more than 101 students shall be eligible to receive up to $750 per year for merit requests.

ARTICLE VIII: REPRESENTATIVES TO THE GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDENT ASSEMBLY AND THE GRADUATE COUNCIL OF THE FACULTIES

A. THE GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDENT ASSEMBLY (Amended on March 23rd, 2023)

The General Assembly shall elect graduate students from the School of Arts and Sciences to serve as School Representatives to the General Assembly of the Graduate and Professional School Assembly (GAPSA).
The Vice President of Communications shall serve ex officio as a Representative to GAPSA, and shall therefore attend each GAPSA meeting and report on their relevant activities, initiatives, and programs to the SASGov General Body.
School Representatives are not required to be SASGov Representatives.

SAS School Representatives to GAPSA who are not members of the SASGov General Body shall be required to attend at least three meetings per semester of either the SASgov General Body or the Executive Board and must attend GAPSA GA meetings twice a month, serve on the GAPSA research council and an additional GAPSA committee as required in accordance with GAPSA’s constitution.
Representatives to GAPSA shall advocate for graduate students in the School of Arts & Sciences in GAPSA and shall report on the activities of GAPSA to the SASGov General Body.

Elections for the SAS Representatives to GAPSA will take place following the GAPSA Executive Board elections in the spring semester. If not all positions are filled, then a further round of elections will be held in the second meeting of the following fall semester.
The rules governing the conduct of elections to GAPSA shall be Appendix B.
Representatives who dutifully fulfill the roles as described in Article VIII.A.3.2 will receive compensation equaling $500 by no later than the conclusion of the Spring semester of their service. Representatives who do not fulfill the roles as described by this clause will be compensated at the discretion of the SASGov executive board.

B. THE GRADUATE COUNCIL OF FACULTIES

The President of SASGov, or a presidential appointee, shall be nominated for appointment by the Deputy Provost to serve as a member of the Graduate Council of the Faculties, in the event that the Chair of the Research Council is not a member of the School of Arts and Sciences.

ARTICLE IX: STATEMENT OF NON-DISCRIMINATION

A. SASGov shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age disability or status as a veteran or disabled person in its membership, the administration of its programs, acticities, and its nomination policies and procedures.

ARTICLE X: AMENDMENTS

A. AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION

In order to be adopted a proposed amendment to this Constitution must receive two-thirds of the votes cast.

ARTICLE XI: RATIFICATION

A. RATIFICATION OF THE CONSTITUTION

The approval of two-thirds of the representatives of the Graduate Student Associations Council from the School of Arts and Sciences present shall be necessary for the ratification of this Constitution.
This Constitution shall take effect on May 1, 2007.

AMENDMENT I: QUORUM 9

The General Body shall be defined as all graduate group or program representatives who have submitted their paperwork to the Vice President of Communications by the third General Body meeting of each semester. A General Body meeting does not exist without a quorum.
A quorum shall exist when one-half of the General Body – not to be below 20 representatives – and at least three members of the Executive Board are present. This number will be established by the Vice President of Communications at the third General Body meeting of every semester. Graduate Group representatives who submit their paperwork after this date will be able to vote in all SASGov matters, though their paperwork will not be counted in quorum calculations until the next semester. For the first two meetings of each semester, quorum shall be defined as one-half of the average attendance from the previous semester.
Amendment passed by the SASGov General Body on 1st April, 2008.

AMENDMENT II: GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE ADDITION TO ARTICLE VIII: COMMITTEES

A. GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE

There are three seats on the Grievance Committee of the Graduate Division of the School of Arts and Sciences that are reserved for graduate students.
The Vice President of Policy of SASGov shall be appointed to one of these seats ex officio.
The Executive Board shall interview graduate students in the School of Arts and Sciences to fill the two remaining seats on the Grievance Committee and recommend candidates to the Executive Board and General Body.
The General Body shall vote to confirm candidates for the two remaining seats as soon as possible each fall.
Amendment passed by the SASGov General Body 21st April, 2009.

AMENDMENT III: RULES OF ORDER

All members of the SASGov General Body and Executive Board are expected to adhere to the SASGov Rules of Order.

The Rules of Order Shall be the Responsibility of the Vice President of Communications to maintain and make accessible.
The Rules of Order that SASGov shall operate under will be approved by the outgoing General Body at the last meeting of the spring semester

Proposed changes to the Rules of Order must be submitted at least 24 hours in advance of this meeting, and be approved by a simple majority vote.
Alterations to the Rules of Order outside of this meeting require a ⅔ majority approval of the General Body.

The Rules of Order should be presented by the Vice President of Communications to the General Body at the first meeting of the year.

AMENDMENT IV: INTERNAL GRIEVANCE PROCEDURES

In the event that a grievance is to be brought against a member of the Executive Board, the following procedure is to be followed:

No later than the second General Body meeting of the year, the President will seek no fewer than two members from the General Body to serve as Voluntary Reporters.

Voluntary Reporters must be confirmed by a simple majority vote of the General Body.
It is the responsibility of the Vice President of Public Affairs to publicize the Voluntary Reporters and their contact information on the website.

To initiate a complaint against a member of the Executive Board, at least three General Body members or two Executive Board members must bring a complaint either to a neutral third member of the Executive Board or to one of the Voluntary Reporters.
Once an Executive Board member or Voluntary Reporter receives a complaint, they are responsible for calling an Ad Hoc Internal Grievance Committee, of which they shall serve as Chair.

The Chair shall email the General Body announcing that a complaint has been received, and that a Committee must be formed, seeking volunteers to serve on the Ad Hoc Committee.
The Committee will consist of the Chair, at least one neutral member of the Executive Board (if the Chair is not from the Executive Board), at least one General Body member from each of the largest Committees (Social, Finance, and Policy), and a fourth member of the General Body from any committee.

Once formed, the Committee will first hear the initial complainants, who will formally give their complaint and solicit possible resolutions.

From this point, the committee will determine the next steps on whether to move forward with the procedure, to attempt mediation, conduct an investigation, or to recommend sanctions.

As its most serious measure, the Committee may initiate impeachment proceedings against the Executive Board member in question, which will proceed according to the steps laid out in Amendment IV.B.

Impeachment

If a member of the Executive Board is found to be in violation of either the SASGov Constitution or the SASGov Rules of Order, then the Internal Grievance Committee may recommend and initiate impeachment proceedings.
If the Internal Grievance Committee recommends impeachment, then a special session of the General Body is to be scheduled, no less than one and no more than three weeks after the determination.

For this meeting, quorum will be defined as 2/3 of the regularly seated General Body members, and no one may hold more than a single proxy.

The Chair of the Internal Grievance Committee will present the findings and recommendations of the Committee.

The Executive Board member in question will be allowed to stay in the room during the presentation of the Chair’s case and recommendation, and following the Chair’s presentation may make a rebuttal, but will be asked to leave during discussion. They may be called back in for additional questioning.
The Chair will be given up to five minutes to present their case, and the accused Executive Board member will likewise have 5 minutes to present their rebuttal, followed by 5 minutes of questioning, subject to extension by a 1/3 vote of the General Body.

The Chair and original complainants may stay in the room during discussion.

Upon completion of discussion, the General Body will vote to impeach the accused. If 2/3 of the General Body support the impeachment and find the accused in violation of either the SASGov Constitution or Rules of Order, then the Executive Board member will be removed.

If the accused is not found guilty, the General Body may still vote to enforce or recommend sanctions against the Executive Board member, and these shall be pursuant to a simple majority vote.

AMENDMENT V: VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

RATIFIED 21ST OCTOBER, 2019

The Vice President of Communications shall distribute a tentative agenda to the General Body no less than 24 hours prior to a regularly scheduled meeting. Information regarding matters to be put to a vote, including draft resolutions where applicable, will be distributed to the General Body no less than 24 hours prior to a meeting. Proposed constitutional amendments will be distributed to the General Body no less than five days prior to a meeting.
Email is an acceptable form of communication.

AMENDMENT VI: QUORUM

RATIFIED 21ST OCTOBER, 2019

The General Body shall be defined as all graduate group or program representatives who are recognized by the Vice President of Communications by the third General Body meeting of each semester. A General Body meeting does not exist without a quorum.
A quorum shall exist when one-half of the recognized departments in the General Body and at least four members of the Executive Board are present. This number will be established by the Vice President of Communications at the third General Body meeting of every semester. Graduate Group representatives who submit their paperwork after this date will be able to vote in all SASGov matters, though their presence will not be counted in quorum calculations until the next semester. For the first two meetings of each semester, quorum shall be defined as one-half of the average attendance from the previous semester.

AMENDMENT VII: POLICY COMMITTEE

RATIFIED 21ST OCTOBER, 2019

In the event that there should be grammatical, formatting, or spelling errors in the constitution of the School of Arts and Sciences Graduate Student Government (SASGov), the following procedure may be followed:

Errors will be reported to the Policy Committee through the Vice President of Policy.
Email is an acceptable form of communication.
The Policy Committee members may review the grammatical, spelling, or formatting errors and adjust as necessary.

The Policy Committee will review the constitution for such errors once each academic year in the fall semester.
All changes to the constitution shall be logged to note the date of the change, reason for change, and the author of the change.

AMENDMENT VIII: ANTI-HARRASSMENT AND DISCRIMINATION POLICY

RATIFIED 18TH NOVEMBER, 2019

SASGov is an inclusive organization which derives strength from the diversity of its members. Therefore, SASGov shall not tolerate discrimination on the basis of identity, including but not limited to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, status of parent or caregiver, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, age, disability, or status as a veteran or disabled person in its membership, the administration of its programs, activities, and its nomination policies and procedures. SASGov shall adopt a zero tolerance policy for any form of discrimination and treat all incidents seriously. Any person found to have discriminated against another will face internal disciplinary action including dismissal from meetings and events.
Discrimination includes but is not limited to verbal or physical conduct that denigrates or shows hostility toward an individual because of categories of identity listed above.
SASGov reserves the right to withhold funding from groups or individuals that do not adhere to this non-discrimination policy and/or the non-discrimination policies of the University of Pennsylvania.
All SASGov members and executives shall remain mindful of socio-economic status as a barrier to access when conducting themselves and planning events related to and funded by SASGov.

AMENDMENT IX: EXECUTIVE BOARD RESTRUCTURING

RATIFIED 4TH APRIL, 2024

Article V of the School of Arts and Sciences Graduate Student Government (SASGov) shall be amended to consist of the following positions: President, Vice President of Policy, Vice President of Communications, Vice President of Finance, Vice President of Operations, Vice President of Public Affairs and Vice President of Social Affairs.
Given recent challenges in filling the position of Vice President of Communications, the position’s role as GAPSA representative and coordinator of all meeting logistics has become viewed as too high of a workload when compared to the other Executive Board Positions.
The responsibilities of Vice President of Communications under Article VI shall be amended as follows:
1. The Vice President of Communications shall serve as the primary SASGov representative to the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GAPSA).
2. The Vice President of Communications shall maintain a record of all SASGov proceedings and keep on file all resolutions approved by the General Body.
3. The Vice President of Communications shall monitor, screen, and disseminate all SASGov email communications.
4. The Vice President of Communications shall verify the certification of Representatives, and recruit members from graduate groups and programs that have not sent a representative to SASGov by the second meeting of the year.
Due to recent budget cuts to SASGov and loss of multiple grant offerings, the roles for the Vice president of Finance and Vice President of Financial Operations have less to manage and Article VI shall be restructured as proposed below.
1. The Vice President of Finance shall be responsible for all budgetary matters, including (but not limited to) record keeping, generation of budget reports, and fund management/disbursement.
2. The Vice President of Finance shall oversee, evaluate, and process all applications for grants distributed by the General Body, including individual funding and group/event funding.
3. The Vice President of Finance shall chair the Finance Committee.
The Vice President of Financial Operations shall be renamed as the Vice President of Operations and shall have the following responsibilities.
1. The Vice President of Operations shall coordinate room reservations, happy hour reservations, catering for meetings, and other logistical tasks associated with having a meeting.
2. The Vice President of Operations shall arrange purchase order (PO) payments for all meetings and associated happy hour food/drink through the business office.
3. The Vice President of Operations shall facilitate and monitor any online meeting attendance via Zoom.
4. The Vice President of Operations shall be responsible for maintaining attendance during General Body meetings.
5. The Vice President of Operations shall be responsible for registering all happy hours with the Office of Community Care.

EXECUTIVE BOARD ELECTION RULES (APPENDIX A)

I. EXECUTIVE ELECTIONS

Elections for the Executive Board will be announced to both the General Body and the School at least 2 weeks (14 days) before elections will be held. At that point, nominations shall be solicited.
The election meeting shall be open to members of the school at large, who may participate in the discussion; however, only members of the SASGov General Body may vote on candidates.

II. NOMINATIONS

Nominations made before the elections meeting should be submitted to the Vice President of Communications, via email.
Nominations may be made by the nominee or a third party. In the case where the nomination is made by a third party, the nominee must agree to run for the position.
Nominations may be made at the elections meeting for any given office. Nominations for an office will be cut off right before the vote for that office is held.

III. RUNNING THE ELECTIONS FOR THE EXECUTIVE BOARD

Elections for the SASGove executive body shall be run by the Vice President of Communications, unless the current office holder is running for an Executive Body position. In such a situation, the Vice President of Communications may designate another member of the current Executive Board to run the elections.
Positions shall be voted on in the following order:

President
Vice President of Policy
Vice President of Communications
Vice President of Finance
Vice President of Public Affairs
Vice President of Social Affairs
Vice President of Operations

After nominations for a position are closed, each candidate shall be given a three- minute period in which to discuss their candidacy, to be followed by a three-minute question and answer period. No other candidates for the position may be in the room at this time. After all candidates have spoken, all candidates will leave the room and the body shall have an open period to discuss the candidates. At the close of the discussion, voting will take place via paper ballot. Only SASGov-recognized department representatives are allowed to cast a vote, with department getting one vote.

The current Executive Board may not vote, but may take part in the discussion if directly asked for their opinion by a member of the general body.

After the voting window closes, the Vice President of Communications and two impartial witnesses identified by the Vice President of Communications will review and count the votes, and then the Vice President of Communications will announce the results of the election to the general body.

The Vice President of Communications should identify and contact the two impartial witnesses before the voting window opens.
Quorum will be established based on a simple majority of the general body quorum established by the third meeting of the current semester.

Should any candidate not win a position, they are welcome to run again for any other position that remains to be filled.

GAPSA REPRESENTATIVES ELECTION RULES (APPENDIX B)

The Vice President of Communications will monitor the election.
Elections will be announced at least ten days before elections are held to both the General Body and the School. At that point nominations will be solicited.

The election meeting shall be open to members of the School at large, who may participate in discussion. However, only members of the SASGov General Body may vote.

Nominations

Nominations made before the elections meeting should be submitted to the Vice President of Communications
Nominations may be made by the nominee or by a third party. In the case where the nomination is made by a third party, the nominee must agree to run for the position.
Nominations may be made at the election meeting. Nominations will remain open until the moment the election procedure begins.

The election procedure will take place as follows:

Candidates will be invited to deliver brief, one minute speeches to the General Body, followed by a brief question round where each candidate may be asked up to three questions, with additional questions allowed with simple majority vote of the General Body.
Candidates shall not be in the room at the same time.
Following all candidates’ speeches and questions, the General Body shall be allowed a discussion period of up to five minutes, subject to extension by a simple majority vote.
Upon the end of discussion, ballots will be distributed to all voting members of the General Body. Members will select their top choices for Representatives to GAPSA.
The Vice President of Communications, with at least one impartial reviewer and one other member of the Executive Board, shall tally the ballots, and the candidates will be ordered by number of votes received. The positions will be filled in descending order until all available GAPSA Representative positions are filled.

For any meetings of the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly that may occur before elections can be held, or a special election in the case of a sudden vacancy, the President may appoint temporary representatives to GAPSA.