ARTICLE I – Powers and Duties of Officers

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Section I. Officers/General Body members

The powers and duties of this office shall be to:

a. Represent their respective committees at all RGSA meetings

b. Bring concerns or issues pertaining to the Roanoke graduate community to RGSA meetings

c. Attend all general body meetings

d. Serve as a voting member at general body meetings

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Section II. Expressed Responsibilities

In addition, officers are responsible to:

a. Uphold and defend the RGSA Constitution

b. Train all newly elected offices for the next term

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Section III. Implied Responsibilities

Each office shall also be obligated to take on other duties unwritten within these by-laws, but which may come into existence at a certain time which are consistent with the stated purpose of the Chair. The person in office shall also assist any other person in office when it is needed, and to collaborate with members of the graduate student body of Virginia Tech living and/or working in Roanoke consistent with the purpose of the RGSA.

 

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ARTICLE II – Voting Procedures and Measures​

Section I. Voting Procedures

Votes may be taken in person by a show of hands or a roll-call, and may be taken electronically by any service agreed to unanimously by the Executive Board. Electronic votes must be held open for at least one week. To be considered valid, a vote must reach Quorum, defined as three times the size of the Executive Board.

 

Section II. Elections

Elections shall be overseen by the Executive Chair and Special Delegate and reviewed by the Faculty Advisor. A simple majority is required for elections, and voting for elections shall take place by secret ballot. To be elected into office, an individual must earn more votes than there are abstentions of votes for the office. For offices that can be held by one or two individuals it will be determined prior to the creation of the ballots by the individuals overseeing the election the number of individuals who will hold the office. The number will be stated on the ballot. In this case of multiple persons holding the offices the candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall be elected. Should the case occur that there is not a clear fulfillment of one or two positions for Chairship, the Executive Chair will cast a determining vote for each contested position. Only candidates that have submitted a formal application for a specified position shall be considered for elections; no write-in will be accepted.

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Members of the RGSA may be placed on the ballot by expressing interest to the individuals overseeing the election. Elections shall take place four weeks after the end of the Virginia Tech exam period of the spring Semester, and terms shall begin four weeks after the close of election and end at the beginning of the next term.

 

If a candidate cannot be found for an office during the nomination period, the outgoing Executive Board may appoint a candidate to fill the position.

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Section III. Resolutions

Resolutions are formal statements of the will of RGSA. Resolutions will be proposed consistent with the format identified in the appendix of these Bylaws. Resolutions must be proposed at RGSA General Body meetings. Any member of the RGSA General Body may sponsor and submit Resolutions to the RGSA Executive Board for deliberation at the upcoming General Body meeting, and Resolutions must be sponsored by at least one RGSA Committee. Resolutions of Impeachment may be proposed without a sponsoring committee. All Resolutions submitted at least one week prior to an RGSA General Body meeting shall be placed on the agenda for the meeting. Late submission shall be allowed by the RGSA Executive Board’s discretion.

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At the General Body meeting at which a Resolution is introduced, it shall be debated and read to the General Body. The full text of the Resolution shall be made available to all members of the RGSA. The reading may be waived by a simple majority vote of all in attendance. Debate shall begin with the opportunity for the individual proposing the Resolution to advocate for the Resolution to pass.

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At any time, an individual may call for a vote to table the Resolution so that it may be discussed and debated at the following General Body meeting. The vote to table a Resolution shall require a majority of votes to pass, and shall not require Quorum. A Resolution may only be tabled once, and Resolutions to Impeach may not be tabled.

 

At any time an individual may move for the RGSA to take up a Resolution. The vote to take up a Resolution shall require a simple majority of votes to pass, and shall not require Quorum. At this point, amendments may be introduced. The Chair or Co-Chairs of the sponsoring Committee will then produce a final version of the Resolution.

 

A vote may then be taken to pass the final version of the Resolution. This vote will require Quorum, and may be taken electronically and even after the close of the General Body meeting. This vote will require a simple majority to pass. If the Resolution fails, it may be proposed with amendments as a new Resolution at the next General Body meeting.

 

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ARTICLE III – Impeachment

Section I. Judicial Panelists

At the beginning of each academic year, 5 volunteers will be named as Judicial Panelists. These Judicial Panelists shall be RGSA General Body members not on the Executive Board. These names shall be announced at the first General Body meeting of the term, and if a Judicial Panelist steps down, their replacement must be announced at the following General Body meeting. Each Judicial Panelist must represent a different year in their graduate program (e.g., first year, second year).

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Section II. Initiation of Impeachment

To initiate Impeachment, an RGSA member will submit a Proposal to Investigate to the Judicial panel. This Proposal must document observation that the person in question has misused the power of their office; has failed to fulfill the duties of their office; has failed to meet or maintain the requirements for eligibility for their office; or has otherwise acted in violation of the RGSA Constitution. Furthermore, the Proposal to Investigate must reflect either attempts to remediate the behavior or that the behavior has been so egregious that remediation is not appropriate.

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Section III. Special Investigator

The panel will then appoint a Special Investigator, not on the panel and impartial to all parties, to investigate the claims made in the Proposal to Impeach and to prepare a written report of the Investigation. This appointment must be unanimous. The panel must notify the party under investigation of the investigation, and the party under investigation may choose to voluntarily resign to end the investigation. The party under investigation may request review of the investigation and report by the Faculty Advisor or the University Ombudsperson. To prepare their report, the special investigator may rely on any information, including meeting minutes, attendances, and statements from any RGSA member regarding the matter at hand. Any individual may decline to give statements. This report must be completed with due expediency.

 

Section III. Panel Review and Impeachment

The panel will review the Special Investigator’s report. The panel will then evaluate that there is a clear and compelling case that the grounds for impeachment and removal have been met. By this standard, the panel will take a vote to Impeach the executive board member under investigation. If a simple majority of the panel supports Impeachment, the individual under investigation shall be Impeached.

 

Section IV. Presentation to the General Body

At the next General Body meeting, the Judicial Panel shall introduce the investigation. The Special Investigator shall present their report to the General Body. The Impeached party shall have the opportunity to respond to the findings of the Special Investigator and to answer questions from the General Body.

 

Section IV. Vote to Remove from Office

After the Impeached party has been given the opportunity to respond, a vote will be taken immediately by secret ballot to remove the Impeached party from office. To succeed, this vote requires a two-thirds majority of those in attendance.

 

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ARTICLE IV - Allegiance

The organization shall abide by all policies of Virginia Tech.

 

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ARTICLE V - Changes to the By-Laws

All changes to the by-laws need to be proposed by at least one member of the Executive Board and approved by the General Body in a two-thirds majority vote, which shall require Quorum.

 

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APPENDIX

The Appendix to the RGSA Bylaws shall contain only information supplemental to the Bylaws proper, and shall not contradict the RGSA Constitution or the RGSA bylaws. If such contradictions exist, the RGSA Constitution and the RGSA Bylaws shall supersede. Revision to these appendices shall not require approval from the general body of the RGSA, but shall require documentation and notification.

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Appendix A. Format of Resolutions

Resolutions shall be formatted consistent with the RGSA Constitution and Bylaws. They shall include:

a. A name, in the format “Resolution to ______”

b. A numeral designation, “RGSA XXXX-XX: YY”, where XXXX-XX indicates academic year (e.g., 2020-21) and YY indicates the number of the resolution in the order in which it has been proposed for the year.

c. The names of the sponsoring RGSA Committee, except in the case of Resolutions to Impeach, which do not require committee sponsorship.

d. The effective date of the Resolution.

e. One or more “WHEREAS” statements succinctly presenting the background and reasons behind the Resolution.

f. One or more “RESOLVED” statements succinctly presenting the action to represent the will of RGSA.

g. One or more “Recommendation” statements succinctly stating the motion on which RGSA General Body Members shall vote (e.g., “Recommendation that the Resolution to ________ be approved.”)

h. The resolutions may contain one or more attachments, designated as “Attachment A:______”.