Article I Mission Statement / Statement of Purpose

GradRoots Constitution, revised April 2016

Article I Mission Statement / Statement of Purpose

GradRoots' purpose is to support the academic and professional development of graduate students in the School of Natural Resources. Specific activities to achieve this purpose include supporting the development ofan information-sharing network ofgraduate students in Natural Resources by sponsoring speakers, and promoting graduate student interests. GradRoots will be the formally recognized representative of School of Environment and Natural Resources Graduate Students for purposes ofSchool, College and University committees. In all official announcements and advertisements for events the first two lines ofthe foregoing GradRoots mission statement shall be included in the announcement. This organization and its members shall not discriminate against any individual(s) for reasons of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Article II Membership

Membership in GradRoots shall extend to all currently enrolled graduate students in School of Environment and Natural Resources (SENR), including those in Environmental and Science Graduate Program (ESGP), Masters of Environment and Natural Resources (MENR), and Rural Sociology (RS). Other requests for membership shall be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the GradRoots Executive Committee. Membership is inherent with enrollment in SENR, and membership status is removed upon unenrollment (graduation, dismissal from the graduate program, or other circumstances).

A member may be involuntarily removed from the organization if s/he engages in behavior that is in violation of the OSU Student Code of Conduct or that is a cause for dismissal from the Graduate Program. This behavior includes but is not limited to: harassing another member, stealing funds, being disrespectful or disruptive, misrepresenting the organization or its purpose, and conducting him/herself in a general unethical manner.

Gradroots and its members shall not discriminate against any individual(s) for reasons of age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status.

Article III Officers / Cabinet

A. In order to effectively address administrative issues,officers shall be elected and they shall have specific duties as follows:

Chair: Preside over meetings, coordinate activities of the Officers, advertise events and meetings, be acting owner of listserv.

Co-Chair: Preside over meetings when Chair is unable to attend, act as official spokesperson for the group to the press and the University.

Secretary: Establish active members list, take attendance at meetings, prepare minutes of meetings, prepare agenda with the assistance of the Chair and Executive Committee. A permanent notebook shall be established for a record ofall minutes and votes cast.

Treasurer: Monitor and report on budget activities, act as fiscal agent for the group, prepare and maintain a ledger, identify potential funding sources.

Social/Communications Coordinator: Coordinate all social events and forward all info on social events to Treasurer, Communications and general membership.

B. In order to accomplish long term strategic goals of the group an Executive Committee shall be formed. Membership shall consist of all active officers. This committee shall meet regularly and will be charged with developing meeting agendas and identifying major issues for the group. This committee will also strive to further defineGradRoots' relationship to the University at large and will work to establish relationships with the School and Environment and Natural Resources undergraduate student groups.

C. Process for removing officers: If the executive committee or a member finds fault with a current officer, the executive committee will meet without the said officer to discuss and determine whether or not to bring a vote to the general members regarding said officer’s continuation in his/her post. Such vote will need to pass with a two-thirds majority and a special election will be held to fill the position should the vote pass.

Article III Meetings

Meetings shall be designated in advance as official or as unofficial. An officer must be present to preside overall official meetings or any meeting where a vote is called on official business. If the chair is absent any officer may preside over the meeting by agreement of the parties involved. Any official meeting requiring a vote shall be announced to the membership at least one week in advance of the meeting on the listserve and posted on the official GradRoots bulletin board in Kottman Hall lobby. A quorum shall consist of five or more members, including at least one officer. Inasmuch as is possible, all formal business, voting, spending and strategic planning shall take place at regular meetings; however, three or more officers may decide issues where time is of the essence and the larger membership cannot be assembled. This provision shall be invoked only in extreme circumstance.

Article IV Parliamentary Procedure

Relaxed Robert's Rules shall be followed at all official meetings in order to efficiently use time and to efficiently dispose of business. The Chair shall call the meeting to order promptly at the scheduled start time and shall adjourn the meeting when all business has been addressed.

The following general agenda shall guide regular meetings:

1. Call to Order

2. Approval of Previous Minutes

3. Old Business

4. Committee Reports

5. New Business

6. Adjournment

Article V Amendments

This Constitution may be amended by a simple majority of members present at any regular, official meeting as per relaxed Robert's Rules of Order.

Article VI Elections and Voting

Voting at Meetings: All votes shall be tallied by the Secretary and entered into the official minutes. A record of votes shall be kept by the Secretary that shall be accessible at all times by the membership with reasonable notice to the Secretary. Chair: Nominations for chair shall be accepted at the first official meeting of Spring Quarter and all votes for chair shall be cast at the final official meeting for Spring Quarter. The votes shall be tallied at this meeting and the chair for the following academic year will be announced. Eligibility: The Chair shall be at least a second year SENR student in good standing with some exposure to student leadership at the college level. Co-Chair: Nominations for co-chair shall be accepted during Autumn Quarter and all votes for co-chair shall be cast prior to the beginning of Winter Quarter. Eligibility: The co-chair shall be a first year SENR student in good standing that has intentions on progressing to the position of Chair the following year.

Amendment 1: Passed 11.12.2009

All mention of the “School of Natural Resources” shall hereby be amended to “the School of Environment and Natural Resources” to reflect an official title change of the academic home of GradRoots.

Amendment 2: Passed 11.4.2010

As long as funds are available and there exists adequate student interest, GradRoots,via SENR funds, will fund one intramural team per quarter, so long as that team is comprised of at least 50% GradRoots members.

Amendment 3: Passed 11.3.2011

The constitution shall be updated to include procedures regarding membership selection, membership removal, and officer removal necessary for approval by the Student Organization Department of The Ohio Union.