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Last Updated:
March 24, 2007

Amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws

Text of all of the amendments to the GSG Constitution and By-Laws that have been adopted.

I. Transfer of the Supervisory Power of Elections from the Parliamentary Secretary to the Chair of the Election Committee.

Explanatory Statement. In the event that a Parliamentary Secretary is standing for re-election, or if the Parliamentary Secretary cannot for some other reason discharge his responsibility to serve ex officio as Chair of the Election Committee, the Assembly is empowered by By-Law III-5-k to elect an Acting Parliamentary Secretary to Chair said committee. The By-Laws are ambiguous on the division of power between the Parliamentary Secretary and the Acting Parliamentary Secretary. This amendment deprives the Chair of the Committee of the title of Acting Parliamentary Secretary and clearly assigns the powers and duties necessary for the conduct of elections to the Chair of the Committee, while reserving those others to the Parliamentary Secretary. This change addresses a concern raised by the 2001 Election Committee.

Text of the Amendment:

The following changes shall be made to Article III, Clause 5 of the By-Laws:

1. In Paragraph A, the words "Parliamentary Secretary" shall be stricken and replaced by the words "Chair of the Election Committee".

2. In Paragraph H, the words "Parliamentary Secretary" shall be stricken in its first instance and replaced by "Chair of the Election Committee" but retained in the other two instances.

3. In Paragraph K, the words "an Acting Parliamentary Secretary to chair the Committee" shall be stricken and replaced by "a Chair of the Election Committee".

4. In Paragraph L, the words "Parliamentary Secretary" shall be stricken and replaced by the words "Chair of the Election Committee or any of its members".

Approved by the Assembly, February 20, 2002, by unanimous voice vote.

II. Empowerment of the Elections Committee to Communicate with the Graduate Student Body.

Explanatory Statement. During the Election of 2001, a dispute arose over whether the Election Committee might communicate directly with the Graduate Student Body, or whether such communications must be relayed through the Executive Committee, as implied by By-Law III-5-L. The 2001 Election Committee considered that members of the Executive Committee running for reelection might be biased. In 2001, the Assembly held a formal vote to empower the Election Committee to do so. This By-Law clarifies the issue and so empowers the Election Committee. This change addresses a concern raised by the 2001 Election Committee.

Text of the Amendment:

To Article III, Clause 5, Paragraph L, shall be added the following statement, at the end of that Paragraph:

"If it deems the action appropriate, the Election Committee shall have the authority to communicate this information, or any other information during the course of the campaign, to the Graduate Student Body, by any reasonable means, including electronic mass mailing. Each communication must be approved, both in the nature of its distribution and its exact wording, by a two-thirds majority of the Election Committee, although either the Executive Committee or the Assembly shall have the power, under extraordinary circumstances, to lower this requirement to the majority of the Election Committee, such change to expire after the election of Officers has been completed."

Approved by the Assembly, February 20, 2002, by unanimous voice vote.

III. Amendment to Make the Election By-Law Gender Neutral and Eliminate the Abbreviation GSB.

Explanatory Statement. The intention of the Assembly when adopting Article III, Clause 5, of the By-Laws was to make the language gender-neutral; some errors crept in and corrections are being proposed. In addition, the abbreviation GSB for Graduate Student Body is being eliminated.

Text of the amendment:

Within Article III, Clause 5 of the By-Laws, the abbreviation "GSB" shall everywhere be expanded to "Graduate Student Body".

All within Article III, Clause 5 of the Byy-Laws, the following changes shall be made:

1. In Paragraph A, "his" shall be stricken.

2. In Paragraph F, "his" shall be stricken.

Approved by the Assembly, February 20, 2002, by unanimous voice vote.

IV. Amendment to Ban Candidates from Serving on the Election Committee.

Explanatory Statement. A small loophole exists in the By-Laws to allow the Assembly to elect candidates to the Election Committee. This loophole is closed by this amendment.

Text of the amendment:

To Article III, Clause 5, Paragraph K of the By-Laws, the following statement shall be inserted between the penultimate and last sentences of that paragraph:

"No candidate shall be a member of the Election Committee. Any member of the Graduate Student Body declaring a candidacy for Executive Office by the submission of a petition shall be disqualified to serve on the Election Committee for the election for which the candidacy is declared, even if the petition is subsequently withdrawn. If a member of the Election Committee declares a candidacy or resigns from the Elections Committee, that member's seat on the Election Committee shall be immediately considered vacated. If the number of members on the Election Committee falls below three, the Executive Committee shall be empowered to fill the vacant seat or seats with any qualified member or members of the Graduate Student Body to bring the total number of members of the Election Committee to three, such member or members to serve until the Assembly is convened to fill the vacancy or vacancies by election."

Approved by the Assembly, February 20, 2002, by unanimous voice vote.

V. Amendment to Ban Candidate Statement Revisions.

Explanatory Statement. The 2001 Elections Committee recommended this change to make explicit in the By-Laws their interpretive ruling that, a revised statement being indistinguishable from a new statement, revised statements were not allowed after the deadline for the submission of candidate statements. A curious situation arose, then, in which candidates were required to submit final drafts of their statements before they knew the identities of other declared candidates. This amendment establishes a deadline for the submission of revised statements, designed to be consistent with the understanding that a revised statement is indistinguishable from a new statement, but respecting the right of a candidate to organize his campaign in a manner suited to the race in question.

Text of the amendment:

To Article III, Clause 5, Paragraph L shall be added the following statement, between the first and second sentences of that paragraph:

"At that time, the names of all qualified candidates must be made public, in order to allow the candidates to draft Candidate Statements in light of their opposition."

Between the current second and third sentences shall be inserted:

"Revised Candidate Statements may be submitted up to the deadline for submission of new statements but not thereafter."

Approved by the Assembly, February 20, 2002, by unanimous voice vote.

VI. Establishment of procedures for temporary appointment of officers.

Explanatory Statement. From time to time, an Executive Office may fall vacant. Under the procedures outlined in the existing By-Laws, the Assembly shall elect a replacement. Because it may sometimes be necessary or expedient to fill a vacancy immediately, this amendment empowers the Chair, with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee, to fill a vacancy temporarily, until such time as the Assembly shall be able to act to fill the seat, as well as establishing an order of succession to the Chair. The amendment also clarifies in some detail the procedures for Assembly by-elections and establishes the powers of the Assembly over Acting Officers created under this By-Law.

Text of the amendment:

Paragraph J of Clause 5 of Article III of the By-Laws, shall be deleted, and the remaining clauses of Article III that follow shall be appropriately re-lettered.

From Clause 7, Paragraph C, the words "until the new election is decided" shall be stricken.

A new clause, numbered 8, shall be added to Article III, and it shall run thusly:

8. Vacancies.

    a. Definition of Vacancies. A vacancy in an Office shall be deemed to occur when any Officer resigns, loses a recall election, is removed by the Assembly, or ceases to be a member of the Graduate Student Body.

    b. Vacancies through Suspensions. If an Officer has been suspended in Office, and until such time as the suspension terminates or the Assembly appoints an Interim Officer, that Office shall be considered vacant.

    c. Notification of Vacancies. The Parliamentary Secretary shall notify the Assembly immediately of a vacancy in any Office. Should the Office of Parliamentary Secretary fall vacant, the Chair shall notify the Assembly.

    d. Vacancy in the Office of Chair. Should the Office of Chair fall vacant, the Officer highest on the list of Officers specified in Article V of the Constitution who is able and willing to accept the powers and duties of Chair shall serve as Acting Chair, without relinquishing his or her own Office, upon notifying the Executive Committee of his or her acceptance of the position of Acting Chair, except that if the Chair has appointed an Assistant Chair with the concurrence of the Executive Committee, and that Assistant Chair is qualified to be Chair, then the Assistant Chair shall succeed before the Parliamentary Secretary, and except that any Acting Officer shall not succeed before a properly elected or appointed Officer. Should none of these Officers qualify, the longest-serving qualified representative of the Assembly shall serve as Acting Chair. The Acting Chair shall continue in Office while qualified and until a Chair qualifies or a prior-entitled person qualifies to the position of Acting Chair. No person shall acquire a vote on the Executive Committee by virtue of serving as Acting Chair except when, due to vacancies, no regularly chosen Officers serve on the Executive Committee.

    d. Vacancies in Other Offices. Should a vacancy occur in any Office created by the Constitution except for the Office of Chair, then the Chair shall have the authority, if he or she deems it necessary or expedient, to appoint an Acting Officer, with the advice and consent of the Executive Committee. Said Acting Officer shall serve while qualified at the pleasure of the Chair and until the vacancy is filled by the Assembly or by a general election. Said Acting Officer shall discharge all of the duties of the vacant Office but shall be without vote on the Executive Committee unless no regularly chosen Officers serve on the Executive Committee and shall be ineligible to succeed as Acting Chair under Paragraph (c) unless no properly elected or appointed Officers qualify. The Chair shall promptly communicate to the Assembly the appointment of any Acting Officer.

    e. Judicial Procedure for Acting Officers. Acting Officers shall be liable for trial or appeal before the Assembly as Officers, and the Assembly shall have full powers of censure, suspension, removal, recall, or ban on holding Office, over any Acting Officers. This clause shall not be interpreted to deprive the Assembly of any other power they may possess with regard to Acting Officers.

    f. Qualification of Acting Officers. No person shall be qualified to serve as an Acting Officer who shall not be a member of the Graduate Student Body or who shall be banned from that Office by the Assembly. An Officer or Acting Officer who shall have been removed from Office previously by the Assembly, or via losing a recall election, shall be unqualified and ineligible to serve in that Office as Acting Officer, unless the Assembly, by a simple majority vote, shall remove such disqualification. Acting Officers in service shall be disqualified by resignation, suspension, removal, recall, ceasing to be a member of the Graduate Student Body, or at the pleasure of the Chair.

    g. Filling of Vacancies. When an Office falls vacant except through suspension of an Officer, the Assembly may elect a new Officer to fill the vacant Office. If a vacancy occurs through suspension, the Assembly may elect an Interim Officer to serve for the duration of said suspension. Officers elected in this manner by the Assembly shall be considered regular Officers and they shall discharge the full powers and duties of their Offices as if they had been elected or appointed in the regular way. An Officer appointed in this manner shall serve for the remainder of the then-current term of Office, except Interim Officers shall serve for the duration of the suspension, or the remainder of the then-current term of Office, whichever terminates first. The Assembly may elect an Officer to fill a vacancy at the next Assembly meeting after the vacancy is announced, provided that the vacancy continues and no Officer has been elected to fill the Office in the intervening time. The Assembly shall be empowered to leave an Office vacant, or delay an election to a subsequent or extraordinary meeting, should they deem it appropriate, but the Chair shall give the Assembly an opportunity to fill an Office by election at any Assembly meeting that occurs while an Office is vacant, unless the Assembly has directed otherwise or the meeting is an extraordinary meeting called for other business.

    h. Conduct of By-Elections. The Parliamentary Secretary shall preside, unless that office is vacant or he or she is a candidate for the Office being filled, in which case the Chair shall preside unless similarly excluded, in which case the Assembly shall elect one or more Election Proctors to preside and supervise the election. Any member of the Graduate Student Body may nominate any qualified member of the Graduate Student Body, who shall, upon acceptance of the nomination, become a candidate. Candidates shall be given an opportunity to speak, or communicate in any other manner deemed appropriate by the presiding officer, to the Assembly before the vote. Voting shall be by voice vote, unless an objection is heard by the presiding officer; in the event of an objection, the by-election and any other by-election scheduled for that day shall be conducted by secret ballot. The results of the by-election shall be announced, as well as the number of votes won by each candidate if the vote was held by secret ballot, and this information shall be entered into the record. 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 be considered approved only if he or she receives more approvals than disapprovals. In the event of a tie vote, the Chair (or Acting Chair) shall be empowered to break the tie.

    i. Accession to Office. An Officer or Interim Officer elected at a by-election shall take office immediately upon his or her election. An Officer elected at a general election to fill an vacant Office shall take Office immediately upon certification of the election by the Assembly and serve out the remainder of the term, if any, of his or her predecessor, before starting his or her own term.

Approved by the Assembly, March 12, 2003, by show of hands.

VII. Abolition of runoff elections and establishment of a first-past-the-post system for election of officers.

Explanatory Statement. The procedures for holding runoff elections for offices are unclear and time-consuming. This amendment replaces the system of runoff elections with a first-past-the-post system.

Text of the Amendment.

By-Law Article III, Paragraph 5, Clause D shall be deleted and replaced with:

"Determination of Winner. The winner of an election shall be that candidate who receives the greatest number of votes. Should there be a tie, with more than one candidate receiving an equivalent number of votes, and that number being the highest received by any candidate, the Assembly shall be empowered to break the tie. The Assembly, acting under this clause, shall vote by secret ballot at its next meeting following the election. The Election Committee shall tally the votes, and the Chair of the GSG shall be empowered to break a tie in the Assembly balloting."

By-Law Article III, Paragraph 5, Clause G shall be deleted, and the subsequent clauses of that paragraph re-lettered.

Approved by the Assembly, March 12, 2003, by show of hands.

VIII. Alteration of CPUC Election System to Comply with the CPUC Charter

Explanatory Statement. When the GSG By-Laws were originally adopted, the Assembly was under the impression that the clause in the CPUC Charter that requires that of the seven graduate CPUC members, "each division must be represented by at least one member", had been repealed. That clause has not been repealed, and this amendment alters the GSG By-Laws to come into compliance with the CPUC by-laws in this respect. It also replaces the current ranking system with a multiple-transferable vote system. This system will appear identical (or very similar) to the voter, but the tallying of votes will be done in such a way to give greater weight to the lower-ranked votes of voters voting for less popular candidates. The system is essentially single transferable vote with a multiseat constituency and a majority quota, with several rounds.

Text of the amendment:

By-Law Article V, Paragraph 1, Clause A, shall be deleted.

By-Law Article V, Paragraph 1, Clause E, which currently reads:

"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."

shall be amended to read:

"The Assembly shall elect such number of members of the Council of the Princeton University Community as the Council empowers the Graduate Student Government to elect, save the number who shall serve ex officio. The Chair shall conduct the elections with the assistance of the Parliamentary Secretary. The Chair and Parliamentary Secretary shall serve ex officio. Election shall be by voice vote if and only if (1) the number of candidates is equal to or less than the number of representatives to be elected, (2) the election of all candidates would result in representation of all four divisions of the University within the graduate student delegation to the Council, including those members serving ex officio, and (3) no member of the Assembly objects to a voice vote. Otherwise, election shall be by secret ballot. Voting by secret ballot shall be according to the method of the multiple transferable vote. Each Representative shall cast a ballot containing a rank-ordered listing of candidates, from most preferred to least preferred, and including such candidates (not necessarily all) as the Representative deems appropriate. Through the voting process, the Assembly shall collectively place each candidate in a ranked position on the List from which members of the Council shall be determined. Tallying of votes shall be an iterative process. Before votes are tallied, the Chair shall be placed first on the List and the Parliamentary Secretary shall be placed second on the List. Then, the first iteration of tallying shall occur. During this iteration, the first-preference votes on each ballot shall be tallied for each candidate. If a candidate receives a majority of first preference votes, that candidate shall be deemed elected to the List and shall take the third place on the List. If no candidate receives a majority, then the candidate with the least votes shall be eliminated (from that iteration only) and the votes for that candidate reallocated to the uneliminated candidate receiving the highest preference on each ballot for the eliminated candidate. This process shall occur until one candidate achieves a majority. If there is a tie for candidate to be eliminated, all such tied candidates shall be eliminated unless doing so would eliminate all candidates in the iteration, in which case the Chair shall exercise his or her power to break ties by choosing one candidate to be eliminated but shall not announce this choice publically, only notifying the Parliamentary Secretary. Once a candidate has been elected to the List, that candidate shall be stricken from each ballot. Candidates eliminated during the previous iteration shall once again be candidates. In the second iteration, which shall be for the fourth place on the List, the top ranked non-stricken candidate votes on each ballot shall be counted. The process shall be repeated until each candidate shall have been placed on the List. Once the list has been completed, the top candidate on the List from each of the four divisions of the University shall be deemed elected, and the remaining seats in the graduate delegation shall be filled by those remaining on the List, starting from the top of the list and continuing until all seats are filled."

Clause F, which reads:

"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."

shall be replaced by:

"In the event of a vacancy in the graduate student delegation to the Council, the candidate next on the List whose election would not violate the principle that all four divisions of the University must be represented in the graduate student delegation to the Council shall be deemed elected. In order to assure that no seat in the delegation shall remain vacant for want of candidates, the Executive Committee shall be empowered to add names to the bottom of the List at any time."

The clauses in By-Law Article V, Paragraph 1 shall be re-lettered in order from (a).

Approved by the Assembly, March 12, 2003, by show of hands.

IX. Recognition of Programs

Explanatory Statement. The GSG Constitution grants representation in the Assembly to all departments and separate representation to all programs recognized in the By-Laws. By custom, the Program in Applied and Computational Math, the History of Science Program, and the Office of Population Research have had seats in the Assembly. It has come to the attention of the Executive Committee that none of these entities are actually departments. This amendment grants these programs official recognition and the right to send representatives to the Assembly, basically confirming the de facto state of affairs.

Text of the Amendment.

To By-Law Article I, Paragraph 3, shall be added, in the list of academic programs recognized as separate academic units, in alphabetical order, Applied and Computational Mathematics and Population Research.

Approved by the Assembly, by show of hands, unanimously, on April 9, 2003.

X. Movement of Surplus Funds to the Endowment.

Explanatory Statement. The GSG has been running budgetary surpluses for a number of years. Three years ago, the Assembly voted to establish a GSG endowment, an investment fund invested in the Princeton University endowment. Although Princeton usually requires an initial investment of $50,000 from student organizations to establish endowments, the rules were waived in honor of the centennial of the Graduate School, and the GSG endowment was established with $2000. The purpose of the creation of this endowment was twofold: (1) to invest surplus revenues in one of the world's best investments, the Princeton University endowment, rather than allowing them to sit in our University account, which bears no interest, and (2) to provide an increasing revenue stream for future years, given the difficulty of raising GSG dues. The endowment grows at the rate of growth of the University investments and pays 4.5% per annum in dividends. The Executive Committee wishes to create a system whereby the Assembly is encouraged to spend GSG funds in a given year, but, if these funds go unspent, the funds should be invested where they will aid the long-term financial stability of the organization. Therefore, it is proposed that if the continuing surplus in any given year exceeds 25% of the annual budget from the previous year, half of the outstanding surplus shall be automatically transferred into the endowment unless the Assembly directs otherwise. This will give the Assembly a strong motivation to spend its budget on social events and co-sponsorship ("use it or lose it") while ensuring that, if the Assembly fails to spend its dues money in a given year, a significant portion of the surplus is directed to the long-term financial welfare of the GSG. The clause allowing the Assembly to block the transfer of funds will give the Assembly a second chance to designate the funds in question for a worthy end. Nothing in this amendment prevents the Assembly from putting additional funds in the endowment in a given year if they so choose.

Text of the amendment.

To By-Law Article IV shall be added a new paragraph:

4. The Endowment. The Assembly shall be empowered to establish and maintain endowments or investment funds for the benefit of the Graduate Student Government and the Graduate Student Body, within the framework of such regulations as Princeton University may establish.

    a. Annual Income. The Annual Income from such an endowment shall constitute part of the annual budget.

    b. Investment of Surpluses. If the continuing surplus of the GSG at the end of a given fiscal year amounts to more than one-quarter of the total GSG budget from that fiscal year, the Treasurer shall announce the fact to the Assembly within two months of the close of the fiscal year; two months following such an announcement, the Treasurer shall invest one-half of the amount of the continuing surplus from the close of the previous fiscal year in the GSG endowment or such part of the endowment as the Treasurer deems advisable, unless the Assembly directs otherwise in the intervening time.

    c. Donations. Within the framework of regulations established by Princeton University, the GSG and its Officers may solicit and accept donations for specific projects and for the endowment.

Approved by the Assembly, by show of hands, unanimously, on April 9, 2003.

XI. Recognition of the History of Science Program

Explanatory Statement. The GSG Constitution grants representation in the Assembly to all departments and separate representation to all programs recognized in the By-Laws. By custom, the Program in Applied and Computational Math, the History of Science Program, and the Office of Population Research all had seats in the Assembly of the Graduate Student Union and Graduate Student Government under the previous constitution. These seats were, due to a misunderstanding, eliminated upon the ratification of the new Constitution in 2000. The seats of the Program in Applied and Computational Mathematics and the Program in Population Research had their seats formally reestablished by Amendment IX on April 9, 2003.The History of Science seat, then being vacant, was not reestablished. The History of Science Program petitioned for reestablishment of separate representation in October 2003.

Text of the Amendment. To By-Law Article I, Paragraph 3, shall be added to the list of academic programs recognized as separate academic units, in alphabetical order, History of Science.

Approved by the Assembly, by show of hands, unanimously, on November 12, 2003.

XII. Revised By-Laws for Officers and Elections

Explanatory Statement. The experience of four popular elections has proven that the GSG's election by-laws are far from perfect. As the result of successive amendments, several clauses are incompatible and the remainder are often difficult to interpret; some clauses are a permanent invitation to controversy, others cannot be enforced wisely. As it is desirable to have simple, clear and consistent by-laws, Article III of the By-Laws shall be amended.

For reference, these changes are based on the proposed amendments sent to Assembly on April 11, 2005 with the following changes: 1. Use of Recall Option 1; 2. Inclusion of Lior Silberman's Amendments 3.d.i. and "7.1.i" (which actually applies to 7.c.i.) (note, amendment 6.i was not included); 3. Addition of 6.g.3.d. "by lots" as per Anita Adhitya's friendly amendment; 4. Replaced "Succession to the Chair" with "Succession to the Office of Chair" in 7.c.i, as per Jack Tinsley's friendly amendment. For more information on this amendment, please refer to the GSG Assembly minutes of April 13, 2005.

Text of the amendment.

* To the duties of the Chair, in Clause 2, it shall be added: "Ordinarily, the Chair shall serve as an ex officio member of the Council of the Princeton University Community, as specified in Clause 1 of Article V of these By-Laws." and "None." shall be removed.

* To the duties of the Parliamentary Secretary, in Clause 2, it shall be added: "Ordinarily, the Parliamentary Secretary shall serve as an ex officio member of the Council of the Princeton University Community, as specified in Clause 1 of Article V of these By-Laws."

Moreover, clauses 3 thru 8 shall be stricken and replaced by:

  1. Guiding Principles for Election.
    1. Nominations. Any member of the Graduate Student Body may nominate any member of the Graduate Student Body for any Office up for election. No seconds are required.
    2. Qualifications for Candidacy.
      1. Only members of the Graduate Student Body are eligible to be nominated for or to be a candidate for an Office. No person shall be eligible to be nominated for or to be a candidate for an Office if they would not be qualified to hold said Office for any other reason specified in the GSG By-Laws or Constitution (e.g., Paragraph (m) of Clause 5 of this Article, Clause 8 of this Article, etc.)
      2. In the case of Balloting by the Graduate Student Body as described in Clause 5, the Election Committee as defined in Clause 5 (a) shall determine whether or not a nominee/candidate is qualified on these grounds. In the case of Balloting by the Assembly as described in Clause 6, the Parliamentary Secretary shall determine whether or not a nominee/candidate is qualified on these grounds. The above parties may consult any University offices as needed to determine nominee/candidate qualifications.
      3. No person or committee shall be allowed to disqualify a nominee/candidate for any other reason.
    3. Prohibition on Multiple Candidacies. If more than one Executive Office is to appear on the same ballot, no one may be simultaneously a candidate for more than one such Office.
    4. Accession to Office.
      1. Except in the case of vacancies discussed in Paragraph (f) of Clause 7, newly elected Officers shall take office upon adjournment of the meeting at which their election was held or certified, for a term of office of one year. Should an Office not be filled, the incumbent Officer, if there is one, and while qualified and willing, shall hold Office for the beginning of the new term, that is, until a newly elected Officer takes Office or the Assembly decides to vacate the Office.
      2. Should a sitting Executive Officer be elected to different Executive Office, he or she shall be deemed to vacate their current Office upon accession to their newly elected Office.

  2. Annual Officer Elections. Every year, all Executive Offices will be filled anew by a popular election by the Graduate Student Body, using the procedures detailed in Clause 5 of this Article. In addition, the following deadlines shall apply to their respective items in Clause 5: (1) the Election Committee shall be created before the end of December; (2) the Election Plan shall be approved by the Assembly before the end of January; (3) the outcomes of this balloting shall be certified by the Assembly before the end of March.

  3. Balloting by the Graduate Student Body The following procedures and schedule shall be in force for popular elections.
    1. Election Committee.
      2. The Assembly shall appoint an Election Committee, charged with holding a free, fair, and well-publicized election in accordance with these By-Laws and the Election Plan.
      1. Membership. No one shall serve on the committee who is not a member of the Graduate Student Body or who has accepted or intends to accept a nomination for an Office up for popular election. Should a member of the committee accept such a nomination, or nominate himself or herself, his or her membership in the committee shall be immediately and irrevocably rescinded.
      2. Numbers. Until the certification of the election, the committee shall have at least five members (including the chair) at all times. Each committee member shall be approved by the Assembly by a simple majority vote. The Assembly may also add and remove members at any time, but not a chair serving ex officio, by a simple majority. Should the number of members fall below five, the committee chair shall be empowered to appoint enough qualified persons to bring the membership up to five, those persons to serve until the Assembly fills the vacancies or the committee is dissolved. In the event that the Assembly fails to appoint five members, the committee shall still be formed and the election process shall proceed. However, the committee chair shall recruit additional members by publicizing the open seats to the Graduate Student Body.
      3. Chair. Until the certification of the election, the Parliamentary Secretary shall serve ex officio as chair of the committee, except if not qualified for membership in the committee, not willing to serve, or suspended as Parliamentary Secretary. Should such an exception occur upon creation of the committee, then the Assembly shall appoint a committee chair. Should the position of committee chair fall vacant afterward, be it due to the occurrence of such an exception or to any other reason, then the Executive Committee shall appoint a committee chair to serve until the Assembly appoints a new committee chair or the committee is dissolved.
      4. Post-election membership. After the certification of the election, the newly elected Parliamentary Secretary, if there is one, shall not replace the then-current committee chair. Rather, and until the committee is dissolved, the committee membership, as well as the chair, shall not change except due to resignation or a decision of the Assembly.
    2. Election Plan. The Election Committee shall prepare an Election Plan satisfying the requirements of these By-Laws and including a detailed schedule, a description of how the election is to be executed, and a specification of the method of receipt of nominations. The committee shall submit the plan to the Assembly, in writing, for discussion, at least a week in advance of a meeting of the Assembly. The Assembly may amend the plan, and the Assembly should approve a final plan. However, if no plan is approved by the Assembly by the end of the meeting, the plan submitted by the committee, including any Asssembly approved amendments, shall be considered approved by the consent of the Assembly and shall have such force as if it were approved by the Assembly. The approved plan shall be made available for public view by the committee within 72 hours after it was approved. The Election Committee shall not change the approved Election Plan without the approval of the Assembly and shall follow the approved Election Plan; in particular, deadlines specified in the plan may not be moved without the prior approval of the Assembly by a simple majorty vote, such a vote to be held either at a meeting of the Assembly or over e-mail. The Graduate Student Body shall be notified of any such extension, and the new deadline must be at least 24 hours after such notification.
    3. Communication.
      1. The Election Committee shall have the authority to communicate to the Graduate Student Body any information related to the election, by any reasonable means including electronic mass mailing. Each communication must be approved, both in the nature of its distribution and the exact wording, by a two-thirds majority of the committee. Under extraordinary circumstances, the Assembly or the Executive Committee can lower this majority to a simple majority, such change to expire after the committee is dissolved.
      2. The Election Committee shall maintain an archive of their internal electronic communications. At any time after balloting has closed, the Election Committee must permit any member of the Assembly to read said archive in full, should a member make such a request. At any time after balloting has closed, any interested member of the Assembly must also be given access to read any emails sent to or from any official Election Commitee account.
    4. Nominations. Nominations shall be submitted to the Election Committee. The deadline for nominations shall be no less than two weeks after the Election Plan is made public. Within 48 hours after the nomination deadline, the committee shall inform each nominee of all Offices for which he or she was nominated, and for each of those Offices, whether they deem him or her qualified as described in Paragraph (b) of Clause 3 and the identities of the other nominees. A two-thirds majority of the committee shall be needed to deem a nominee not qualified per Paragraph (b) of Clause 3 of this Article, in which case they shall advise the nominee of the fact and of the date when the Assembly will consider the case.
    5. Declaration of Candidancy and Candidate Statements.
      1. A nominee may accept a nomination for an Office by submitting a candidate statement to the Election Committee, whereupon he or she shall become a candidate for that Office. A nominee may also accept a nomination by informing the Election Committee of his or her acceptance of the nomination without submitting a candidate statement.
      2. Nominees may not accept nominations conditionally. Instructions from the nominee to the Election Committee may consist only of (a) the Office for which the candidate is accepting a nomination, and (b) which statement should be used for their candidacy.
      3. The deadline for acceptance of nominations and for submission of candidate statements shall be the same for all nominees and shall be no earlier than one week after all nominees were informed by the Election Committee of their nominations. Any candidate may submit revised candidate statements up to that same deadline. After this deadline, no candidacies or revised statements shall be accepted.
      4. Should a candidate submit several statements for the same Office and not provide further instructions, it shall be presumed that only the statement submitted last is to be considered. Should a candidate submit statements for multiple Offices and not provide further instructions, but for which he or she is otherwise qualified, it shall be presumed that only the statement submitted last is to be considered, and that the candidate is implicitly declining his or her nomination to all other Offices. Once the deadline for submission of candidate statements has past, the statements and candidacies thus discarded shall not be reconsidered under any circumstances.
      5. Should a two-thirds majority of the committee consider the content or nature of a candidate statement or portions thereof to be unlawful or against University Policies, they shall advise the candidate of the fact and of the date when the Assembly will consider the case, but that shall not be grounds to void the candidacy. The Election Committee shall be empowered to consult with University Counsel directly or indirectly for guidance in such decisions.
    6. List of Candidates.
      1. After the deadline for submission of candidate statements, the Election Committee shall report in a meeting of the Assembly on all candidates for each Office and if any candidates were deemed not qualified. A simple majority of Active seats in the Assembly may overrule the committee's decision on candidates' qualifications. The Assembly's sole task in this regard is as a fact finding body. In other words, the Assembly may not, under any circumstances, reinstate a candidate who it finds is, as a matter of fact, not qualified under Paragraph (b) of Clause 3.
      2. On the same occasion, the committee shall report to the Assembly on any candidate statements or portions thereof that the committee deems unlawful or against University Policy in its content or nature and state the nature of the violation. The candidate shall have the right to circulate the statement in the Assembly. Even if discussing the case in closed session, the proceedings shall be recorded in the minutes but the statement shall not be quoted therein. A simple majority of the Assembly shall be needed to uphold the committee's opinion that any such statement or portion is unlawful or against University Policy, unless a quorum is not present, in which case the committee's decision shall stand provisionally.
      3. The list of qualified candidates, as it stands at the end of the meeting, shall be final and shall be deemed approved by the consent of the Assembly and shall have the same force as if approved by the Assembly. No more candidacies may be added to that list.
    7. Posting of Candidate Statements The list of candidates and the relevant candidate statements (with the portions deemed unlawful or against University Policy excised) shall be made available to the members of the Graduate Student Body by the Election Committee after the final list of candidates is approved and no less than two weeks before the opening of the polls.
    8. Withdrawals. After the list of candidates is approved by the Assembly, withdrawals submitted to the Election Committee by the candidate shall take effect if not cancelled by the candidate within 24 hours from the time the candidate initiated contact with the Election Committee to report their withdrawal (e.g., time and date that an email was sent). If that period expires after the opening of the polls or after the committee deems it infeasible to change the ballot, then the request for withdrawal shall be ignored. Once in effect, withdrawals are final and the ballot shall be changed accordingly.
    9. Universal Suffrage and Secrecy of the Ballots
      1. All members of the Graduate Student Body shall be eligible to vote. The Election Committee is empowered to consult with any University Offices it deems appropriate to verify individual voter eligibility.
      2. A two-thirds majority of the Election Committee shall have the authority to reject voter eligibility. No one shall be denied the right to vote on grounds other than not being a member of the Graduate Student Body. When reporting the outcomes of the election, the committee shall also report how many persons disputed the committee's decision on their eligibility.
      3. The secrecy of the ballots shall be scrupulously respected. Only the committee chair may have or grant access to any individually identifiable information, and only insofar and to as few people (who must be held in confidence and may not divulge that information any further) as may be absolutely necessary for the performance of duty.
    10. Quorum. For each Office on the ballot, quorum shall be met if the number of voters is at least 10% of the number of enrolled graduate students (e.g. as reported by the Graduate School or the Office of the Registrar), either at the start of the semester at which the election takes place or at the start of the academic year, whichever the Election Committee, at its own discretion, finds easier to determine.
    11. Ballot. For each Office with at least one candidate, the ballot will list all candidates as well as the option "None of the above". Write-in votes shall not be allowed. Offices for which there are no candidates shall not appear on the ballot. For each Office on the ballot, each voter may either abstain, choose exactly one candidate, or choose "None of the above". For each Office, should the voter choose more than one option or submit a write-in vote, that vote shall not be counted.
    12. Void Elections. For each Office, if there are no candidates, if quorum is not met, or if irregularities preclude the determination of a winner, then the election for that Office shall be void.
    13. Disqualification from Office. For each Office for which the election was not void, any candidate receiving fewer votes than "None of the Above" (excluding abstentions and discarded ballots) shall be disqualified from holding that Office until the next Annual Officer Elections.
    14. Determination of the Winner.
      1. For each Office for which the election was not void, the winner shall be the candidate with the highest number of votes, among those who were not disqualified in Paragraph (m) of this Clause. Should there be no such candidates, then there shall be no winner, and paragraph (p) of this Clause shall apply.
      2. If two or more candidates tie for the greatest number of votes, then the Assembly shall certify the tie as described in Paragraph (o) of this Clause. The tie shall then be resolved at the same meeting at which the election is certified via Balloting by the Assembly as described in Paragraphs (c-h) of Clause 6, and only those candidates tied for the lead shall be candidates for the Assembly run-off.
    15. Certification. The Assembly shall certify the outcome of the election following a report by the Election Committee.
      1. The Election Committee shall report on the outcomes of the election for each Office on the ballot, including vote counts, and what, if any, discrepancies arose; whether quorum was met, and, if not, how this was determined; whether they deem any race of the election void and why; the identity of the winner or whether there was a tie; whether any candidates were disqualified from holding the Office in question and why; and whether any potential voter was not permitted to vote and why.
      2. The outcomes of the election, as reported by the Election Committee, shall be certified by the Assembly. The Assembly may, by a simple majority vote, reserve the right to choose to certify each race separately. The Assembly may, by a simple majority vote, reinstate the results of a race deemed to be void by the committee. The Assembly may, by a two-thirds vote, void an election deemed valid by the committee, but only if the Assembly holds both (1) that the election was not conducted in a fair manner or that there were irregularities in the balloting and (2) that the extent of the unfairness or irregularity was such that the outcome of the election was affected or is in doubt.
      3. All votes related to the certification shall be voice votes, unless an objection is heard by the Chair or unless such a vote or an election was held by secret ballot on the same day, in which case a secret ballot shall be held. The Assembly shall not hold such votes in closed session. All candidates shall have the right to be present during such votes, and, if applicable, to observe the counting of ballots for such votes.
      4. The outcomes as certified by the Assembly, including any non-void vote counts and any Assembly votes to break ties, shall be made public within one week of the certification and recorded in the minutes.
    16. Balloting by the Assembly. The Assembly shall conduct a ballot for each Office for which the election was void or there was no winner or winners. Such balloting shall be held no later than the regular meeting after the certification of such outcome and use the procedures in Clause 6 of this Article.
    17. Dissolution of the Election Committee. The Election Committee shall be dissolved at the end of the second regular Assembly meeting after the certification of the election upon delivering a final report with recommendations on the election, or on the date scheduled in the Election Plan, whichever comes first.

  4. Balloting by the Assembly Balloting by the Assembly shall be held according to the following procedures.
    1. Communication. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for publicizing the election to the Graduate Student Body at least three weeks in advance of the balloting.
    2. Nominations and Candidacies. There is no deadline for nominations. Nominations shall be accepted prior to and at the meeting for which the vote is scheduled. If a nomination is submitted at least three days in advance of the meeting for which the balloting is scheduled, the Parliamentary Secretary, or, in his or her absence, the Chair, shall inform the nominee of the nomination and the election procedures, no later than two days before the meeting.
    3. Presiding Officer and Election Proctors.
      1. Being a candidate for the election shall constitute inability to preside over the election. The Parliamentary Secretary shall normally preside over elections as specified by the Constitution (Article V, Clause 3, Paragraph d). If he or she is disqualified from being the presiding officer, the highest available officer as listed in Clause 1 of Article V of the Constitution shall preside. If no one may preside under that Clause who is not a candidate, then the Assembly shall appoint an eligible Presiding Officer.
      2. The Assembly shall appoint three Election Proctors to count ballots, one of whom shall be the Presiding Officer mentioned above. No one shall be a proctor who is not a member of the Graduate Student Body or who has declared or intends to declare a candidacy in the election.
    4. Candidate Statements. Candidates or their proxies shall be given an opportunity to speak to the Assembly, or communicate in any other manner deemed appropriate by the presiding officer, before the vote.
    5. Openness of the Proceedings. A secret ballot shall be held, and the Election Proctors shall be responsible for counting ballots. The Assembly shall not elect Officers in closed session. All candidates shall have the right to observe the election and the counting of ballots. The vote counts as well as the results of the election shall be announced and recorded in the minutes.
    6. Balloting All candidacies must be declared before the balloting starts. Elections will be decided using the "Instant Runoff" method. For each Office, each member of the Assembly may either (a) choose "None of the Above", or (b) order the candidates by their preference. Electors must be informed that they need not rank all candidates, and that only those candidates the elector wants in Office should be ranked.
    7. Determination of the Winner. After all ballots have been collected, the following procedure shall be used to determine the winner. The Election Proctors shall first tally the percentage of all ballots cast that chose "None of the Above". For each candidate, the Proctors will determine the fraction of ALL ballots (including those cast for "None of the Above") that include the candidate at any preference level; this quantity shall be called the candidates "Approval Fraction". Any candidate whose Approval Fraction is less than the fraction of "None of the Above" ballots will be eliminated from contention from Office. If no candidate remains, then there shall be no winner. If only one candidate remains, that candidate is declared the winner. If two or more candidates remain, the following iterative process will determine the winner:
      1. For each ballot, one vote shall be awarded to the most preferred candidate that remains in contention, with the highest preference determined by that ballot. The number of votes for each candidate shall be tallied accordingly. Throughout this paragraph (6.g), any reference to the number of "votes" for a candidate refers to this number tallied.
      2. If at this point any candidate has received more than 50% of votes (EXCLUDING ballots cast for "None of the Above" and ballots that do not contain any remaining candidates) that candidate shall be declared the winner.
      3. If only two candidates remain and each has exactly 50% of the vote, the tie will be broken in the following order:
        1. the candidate with the greater number of '1' votes (i.e., original first preference votes prior to the elimination of any candidates) shall be the winner;
        2. the candidate with the higher Approval Fraction shall be the winner;
        3. decision by the Chair; if Chair is unavailable, tie is broken by highest remaining Officer in Clause 1 of Article V of the Constitution. Under no circumstances shall either person remaining in the tie be empowered to break the tie;
        4. by lots.
      4. If three or more candidates remain, but no candidate has received more than 50% of the vote, the candidate who receives the lowest number of votes is eliminated from contention, and the process returns to step (i) of this Paragraph. If two or more candidates tie for the lowest number of votes, the eliminated candidate shall be chosen via the tiebreakers outlined in in Paragraph (h) of this Clause. Exactly one candidate shall be eliminated in each iteration of this process.
    8. Tiebreakers for Eliminated Candidates. If two or more candidates tie per 6.g.iv for the lowest number of votes in an IRV iteration, the tie shall be broken by the following sequence. If two or more candidates remain tied for the bottom at any stage of these tiebreakers, all other candidates will pass through to the next IRV iteration, and only the candidates tied for the bottom of that stage will proceed through to the next stage of these tiebreakers.
      1. Candidate with lowest Approval Fraction shall be eliminated.
      2. Candidate with fewest number of '1' votes (i.e., original first preference votes prior to the elimination of any candidates) shall be eliminated.
      3. Candidate to eliminate is chosen by lot.
    9. Election of Disqualified Candidates. Within one month of the election of an Officer per this clause, if said Officer is found to be not qualified for Office per Paragraph (b) of Clause 3 of this Article, he or she shall be immediately suspended and subject to a Judicial Proceeding at the next Assembly meeting.

  5. Vacancies and Suspensions
    1. Definitions.
      1. Vacancies. A vacancy shall be deemed to occur in an Executive Office when the Officer resigns, is removed by recall procedures, is removed by the Assembly, or otherwise ceases to qualify for that Office. Suspension of an Officer (Paragraph (b) of Clause 6 of Article VIII of the Constitution) causes a vacancy which can be filled by an Interim Officer.
      2. Interim Officers. Officers elected on a temporary basis for the duration of a suspension shall be termed Interim Officers and shall be equivalent to regular Officers for all purposes other than the duration of their tenure in Office.
      3. Acting Officers. Individuals appointed by the Chair or Acting Chair who occupy a vacant Office until an election fills said Office. The Office is still vacant while an Acting Officer is fulfilling duties for said Office.
    2. Notification of Vacancies. The Parliamentary Secretary shall promptly notify the Assembly of any vacancy occurring in the interim between Assembly meetings. Should the Office of Parliamentary Secretary fall vacant, the Chair shall notify the Assembly.
    3. Vacancies in the Office of Chair.
      1. Succession to the Office of Chair. Should the Office of Chair become vacant in the interim between Assembly meetings, the first person in the following line of succession who is qualified and willing shall serve as Acting Chair, without relinquishing his or her Office, upon notifying the Executive Committee of his or her acceptance of the position. The line of succession shall be as follows, but currently-suspended Officers shall be excluded in any capacity whatsoever: the Officers listed in Clause 1 of Article V of the Constitution; any Acting Officers in the order in which their Offices are listed in said Clause; and all Representatives in decreasing order of current continuous service as a Representative. Should two or more Representatives have an equal length of current continuous service, the tie shall be settled by lot. Additional Officers appointed under Paragraph (f) of Clause 2 of Article V of the Constitution shall not succeed by virtue of their appointment as such, an Assistant's Chair function to preside over meetings of the Assembly (per Paragraph (a) of that Clause) notwithstanding.
      2. Powers of Acting Chair. An Acting Chair appointed under subparagraph (c-i) of this Clause shall be a member of the Executive Committee and shall discharge the powers and duties of the Chair, with the only exception that he or she shall acquire the Chair's vote in the Executive Committee only when no elected Officers serve in the Executive Committee. The Acting Chair shall continue to serve while qualified and until a Chair is elected or a prior-entitled person qualifies to the position of Acting Chair (e.g., upon the lifting of suspension of an Officer who is higher in the ordinary line of succession). In no case shall the Acting Chair have more than one vote on the Executive Committee.
    4. Vacancies in Other Offices. Should a vacancy occur in any Executive Office other than the Office of Chair, then the Chair shall have the authority to appoint an Acting Officer under Paragraph (f) of Clause 2 of Article V of the Constitution to discharge the duties of that Office while the Office is vacant. Only if no elected Officers serve in the Executive Committee shall such Acting Officers be members of the Executive Committee and have a vote there by virtue of being Acting Officers. In no case, however, shall a person have more than one vote on the Executive Committee. The Chair shall promptly communicate to the Assembly the appointment of any Acting Officer.
    5. Filling of Vacancies. When an Office is vacant, or a vacancy is anticipated, the Chair shall give the Assembly an opportunity to fill it with a by-election at each regular Assembly meeting, subject to any requirements for advanced advertisement of the election, unless the Assembly has directed otherwise (e.g. to leave the Office vacant). By-elections shall be held under the procedures of Clause 6 of this Article. Officers thus elected shall be considered regular Officers and they shall discharge the full powers and duties of their Offices. If the vacancy did not occur through suspension, the Officer elected to fill the vacancy shall serve for the remainder of the then-current term of Office. If the vacancy occurred through suspension, then the Officer elected to fill the vacancy shall serve as an Interim Officer for the duration of said suspension. This Paragraph shall not be construed so as to restrict the judicial powers of the Assembly.
    6. Accession to Office. Officers elected to fill a vacancy shall take office immediately upon their election. Officers elected to fill a specified anticipated vacancy shall take office immediately upon the occurrence of that vacancy.

  6. Recall Procedures. Any Executive Officer may be recalled or removed through either Assembly-initiated Judicial Proceedings, or via a petition submitted to the Assembly by the Graduate Student Body.
    1. Petition Standards. For the petition to be valid, each page containing signatures must state that the purpose of the petition is to attempt to remove the Officer(s) from his or her Office, and must also clearly state the name of the Officer(s) in question and the charge against said Officer(s). Each signature must be signed in ink, and must be accompanied by the printed name and department of the signee, as well as the date of the signature. Furthermore, a signature date must be within four months of the meeting at which the petition is to be presented for that signature to be valid. The petition must be submitted for validation at least two weeks before the Assembly meeting at which the petition is to be considered. The Officer subject to recall as well as the person responsible for validating the petition shall have one week to review the petition. The petition must be sent to the Assembly no less than one week prior to the meeting at which the recall is to take place.
    2. Validating the Petition Responsibility of validating the petition and its signatures per the rules of Paragraph (a) of this Clause shall rest with the first available person who is not threatened with recall, in the following order: Parliamentary Secretary, Officers as listed in order in Clause 1 of Article V of the Constitution, any Acting Officers in the order in which their Offices are listed in said Clause; and all Representatives in decreasing order of current continuous service as a Representative. Should two or more Representatives have an equal length of current continuous service, the tie shall be settled by lot. Signatures shall be considered valid by default. Failure to properly count and validate signatures may be considered grounds for removal from Office and/or Assembly via Judicial Proceedings against the person validating the petition. The Officer(s) in question for recall shall be allowed to view the petition and protest signatures to the person validating the petition. Also, the Assembly may inspect the full petition or a photocopy thereof at any meetings at which the petition is being considered.
    3. Recall Decision. If the petition is deemed valid, the Assembly shall take one of two actions at the next Assembly meeting, depending on the number of vaild signatures on the petition.
      1. If at least 10% of the Graduate Student Body -- as determined using the same methods in Paragraph (j) of Clause 5 of this Article -- has signed the petition, then the Assembly shall hold a separate Judicial Proceeding as outlined in the Constitution and By-Laws. The charges brought against the Officer(s) shall include the charges listed on the petition. If the Officer in question for recall is not removed or suspended by the Judicial Proceeding, the Officer(s) shall stay in Office and shall not be subject to another recall vote under this subparagraph (c-i) for the next four regular Assembly meetings.
      2. If at least two-thirds of the Graduate Student Body -- as determined using the same methods in Paragraph (j) of Clause 5 of this Article --has signed the petition, then the Officer(s) in question shall be removed from Office immediately.

        Before a petition against any Officer(s) can be considered under this subparagraph (c-ii), petitioners (i.e. those organizing the petition drive) must first submit a petition against said Officer(s) for the Assembly's consideration under subparagraph (c-i) of this Clause. If petitioners fail to remove the Officer(s) under subparagraph (c-i) and intend to use the option under subparagraph (c-ii) at a later date, they must inform the Executive Committee of their intent at any time after the Assembly's decision at the (c-i) Judicial Proceedings. At that time, they must also supply a written statement of the specific charges against said Officers. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for publicly posting a response by the accused Officer(s) to the charges within one week of being informed of petitioner's intent. This may include a statement by the accused on the GSG website and/or a clear link to the minutes at which the (c-i) Judicial Proceedings were held. A signature for a (c-ii) petition will be deemed valid only if it is dated after the Executive Committee has informed petitioners of the location of the accused Officer(s) response, or within one week after petitioners informed the Executive Committee of their intent, whichever comes first. [Legislative intent: Failure of the Executive Committee to post a response within the one week timeframe can not slow petitioners progress or invalidate the petition process.] Furthermore, any page including signatures for a (c-ii) petition must include verbatim the exact written charges submitted to the Executive Committee upon notification of petitioners intent, and must also inform potential signatories where the Executive Committee has posted the accused Officer(s) response to the petition. [Legislative intent: This option (c-ii) is intended as a last resort, if the Assembly is acting contrary to a clear majority of the Graduate Student Body. Thus the number of signatures required is intentionally high. Safeguards are added to help prevent misleading petitions from being circulated or false charges from being made.]

Approved by the Assembly, by show of hands, unanimously, on April 13, 2005.

XIII. GSG Fee Increase.

Explanatory Statement: This amendment increases the annual fee from $5 to $10.

Text of the Amendment:

Modify Article X, clause 1 of the Constitution as follows:

Change “five-dollar” to “ten-dollar”.

Approved by referendum submitted to the graduate student body during the elections in March 2006, receiving 756 approves out of 1236 votes.