BYLAWS OF THE EGSA

I: Tax Exemption
II:Agenda and Support Documents for Council Meetings
III: Department Representation
IV: Election, Succession, and Duties of Officers
V: Fiscal Accountability
VI: Passage of Special Legislation

I. Tax Exemption
(This Bylaw is required to qualify for Federal Income Tax exemption under IRC (c) (3) and should not be changed except to conform with changes in the Internal Revenue Law)

A. No part of the net earnings of the Engineering Graduate Student Association shall inure to private shareholders or individual members.

B. In the event of the dissolution of this EGSA, the assets of the EGSA shall be transferred to the School of Engineering at UCSC, for providing financial aid to UCSC graduate students.

II. Agenda and Support Documents for Council Meetings

A. The Chair shall furnish a copy of the agenda and of all documents to be considered or voted on at a Council meeting to each Council member before the meetings.

B. Items not on the agenda at a Council meeting may be added to the agenda if so voted by a majority of Council members present. A separate vote is required for each new item. Recall of council members and changes bin bylaws are exceptions and may not be added to the agenda in this fashion.

C. No business shall be voted upon at a Council meeting unless it has been placed on the agenda according to Bylaw II A or II B.

D. The Council may specify, upon majority vote, the items for the next agenda.

III. Department Representation

A. There shall be one representative from each graduate program within the School of Engineering.

B. The Executive Committee of the EGSA may declare a representative invalid if it is not presented at two consecutive EGSA meetings.

IV. Election, Succession, and Duties of Officers

A. EGSA officers will be elected at the second meeting of the Fall Quarter of any given year. In the event that any office is not filled at that time, elections will be held at each subsequent meeting until it is filled.

B. In the event of a vacancy in the Council Officers (due to registration, recall, etc.,) the Officer next in line for that office will assume the responsibilities according to the following order of succession: President, Secretary, Treasurer. As a matter of course, the other Officers would be expected to help with the added duties. The vacancy must be filled as soon as possible in keeping with Bylaw IV.A.

C. Upon a two-week written notice from the Executive Committee to the Council, the Council may vote to remove any EGSA officer from office. The two-week written notice must contain an exhaustive justification for the recommendation for removal from office. Upon a majority vote of the Council, the officer is removed.

D. EGSA shall be in charge of convoking elections for the Engineering Department Representatives. The EGSA shall inform students about upcoming elections at least one week in advance. Students interested in the representative position shall contact the EGSA council. The EGSA council shall inform students of the candidates. Representatives election shall follow the same procedure in Bylaw IV.A.

E. Officer Duties

1. The President shall be the chief executive officer and official representative of the GSA, and promote communication within the Council and act as prime point of contact between the Council and the campus administration. The President is expected to attend meetings of the Academic Senate Committee, the Graduate Council as a GSA representative. The President is expected to implement various policies and decisions made by the GSA Council, and may make recommendations to the Council for necessary actions.

2. The Secretary shall be the recorder of all EGSA meeting minutes and shall be responsible for preparing and distributing the EGSA Council meeting notices and agendas. The Secretary also serves as the editor and collector of articles for the EGSA newsletter. Also, the Secretary maintains the information about EGSA activities appearing in the EGSA directory online.

3. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the EGSA finances and oversees preparation and execution of the budget.

V. Fiscal Accountability

A. By the last Council meting in the Spring Quarter, the Secretary-Treasurer shall present a budget to the Council, with all line items displayed for the following year.

B. The Treasurer shall explain all budgetary items to the Council.

C. Upon approval of the Council, the budget becomes GSA policy.

D. Any changes in the budget shall be approved by the Council.

E. The Council may subject the GSA to an audit.

VI. Passage of Special Legislation

A. In calculating percentage needed for passage of special legislation, e.g., bylaws, amendments, and placing items on the ballot, the base for the percentage shall be more than 50% of the council.