I ASSOCIATED ENGLISH GRADUATE STUDENTS OF MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY

II STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The Associated English Graduate Students of MSU have come together to promote continued learning outside of the classroom, to enable professional development, and to facilitate the perpetuation of institutional memory. We aim to create an atmosphere of egalitarian opportunity, inclusiveness, mutual appreciation, and encouragement.

This organization will also further the mentorship of newer students by both faculty and experienced students, provide leadership opportunities, and create a venue of awards for the recognition of peer excellence.

All MSU English graduate students and faculty members are welcome to be a part of this experience.

III MEMBERSHIP

A. Membership is concurrent with admission into the graduate program of MSU’s Department of English, or enrollment in any of the classes therein, so long as the student is a part of the English Graduate Program or is an alumnus thereof.

B. DUES - There are no membership dues at this time, and it is the hope of the founders to keep it that way in the future, as it seems likely to promote exclusion, which is contrary to the stated purpose of this organization.

IV OFFICERS

While the officers have nominal titles for bureaucratic purposes, it is our goal to have the officers act as co-chairs of this organization, and share responsibility for it. While specific oversight is designated for accountability purposes, we also acknowledge significant crossover between duties, especially with regards to liaison activity.

1. OFFICES AND DUTIES

   1. President

      • Oversight/development of professional issues

      • Liaison with faculty

      • Coordination of workshops

      • Organizing resources and directing inquiries regarding professional options.

   2. Vice-President

      • Oversight/development of awards processes

      • Liaison with first year students/undergraduates

      • Continuing communication with alumni

VI OFFICERS

A. OFFICES AND DUTIES(cont.)

3. Secretary

   • Oversight/development of public relations

   • Liaison with master’s track students

   • Documentation of meetings, workshops, etc. (minutes)

   • Blog/website administration

iv. Treasurer

• Oversight/development of financial/fundraising issues

• Liaison with non-degree seeking students

• Coordination of socialization opportunities

Various duties (eg. blog/website administration) may be delegated to other members of the organization as the program grows and as is deemed appropriate.

All officers will share the responsibility of being advocates and mentors for their peers, for promoting inclusiveness and unity, and assuring that the needs of all members of the organization are being addressed. In addition, they will be responsible for developing committees to involve other group members in decision making processes, as well as encouraging mentorship between newer students and more experienced students and faculty.

2. METHOD OF SELECTION

i. A new president and vice-president will be elected in the week prior to the last week of the spring semester, excluding finals week. Their responsibilities will carry over through the summer for continuity and be in effect during the coming school year.

ii. All other officers will be elected by the second week of September each fall semester. Their responsibilities will carry over into the spring semester.

iii. Any officer may be dismissed and another election held to replace the officer if there is a 3/4 consensus among organization members that it would be in the best interest of the organization.

iv. If an officer resigns, the remaining officers will determine whether to split the officers duties amongst themselves for the remainder of the term or to hold another election.

3. TERMS OF OFFICE

All terms are for one year only.

4. ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

1. In order to be a presidential or vice-presidential nominee, the candidate must have been an active participant in the program during the previous year.

2. There must be at least one officer who is a first year student.

3. Nominees must demonstrate a willingness to fulfill the stated responsibilities of the office.

V ELECTIONS

1. Spring elections for the president will be held the next to last week of the semester (not including finals week), preceded by nominations the week before.

2. Fall elections for the other officers will be held the third week of the semester, preceded by nominations the week before.

3. No self-nomination will be permited, therefore the nominating party must identify him/herself.

4. An informal ballot box will be established for this purpose either in the GTA room or the English office, as convenience dictates.

5. Voting results will be tallied by a disinterested party such as the organization advisor and must reflect a 50% majority of the total membership of the organization.

VI MEETINGS

Meetings will be held at least once a month. All officers are expected to attend, and all other members are encouraged to attend. The time will be determined each semester according to the convenience of being able to accommodate the most schedules. Meeting times may be staggered to facilitate more attendance.

1. ORDER OF BUSINESS FOR EACH MEETING

   1. Welcome/ General Announcements

   2. Review of minutes from previous meeting

   3. Officers’ reports

   4. Committee reports

   5. Unfinished business

   6. New business

   7. Assignments (as needed)

   8. Adjournment

2. RULES OF ORDER

We will observe an informal version of Robert’s Rules of Order to conduct business and ascertain approval during meetings.

VII AMENDMENTS

1. Notice must be given of proposed amendments a minimum of three (3) days before first presentation at a meeting.

2. Amendments must be available for consideration by all members of the organization.

3. In order to approve amendments to the constitution, there must be a 2/3 consensus by all members of the organization.

4. The method of ascertaining this consensus will be either by attendance at meeting vote or by electronic vote prior to the meeting.

Like all good constitutions, this is a work in progress. As a legacy to future students, we hope it will be added to and improved. We also hope that future students will keep in mind the primary purposes of this organization as stated in section II as they make improvements, and not change it in any way that will violate the stated intent of creating a unified and inclusive atmosphere. The world is a harsh, dog-eat-dog place, and we hope that this organization, like the Graduate English Program, can be an oasis where we can safely encourage creativity over competitiveness, and excellence over exclusiveness.

Below are specific court decisions which we are required to follow in this vein, but we hope that the spirit they invoke will run deeper than the letter of the law.

VIII MANDATORY EQUAL OPPORTUNITY LEGISLATION INFORMATION

It is an unlawful discriminatory practice for an educational institution to exclude, expel, limit, or otherwise discriminate against any individual enrolled as a student in the terms, condition, and privileges of the institution because of race, religion, sex, marital status, color, age, physical handicap, or nation origin or because of mental handicap unless based on reasonable grounds…

All services of every state and local government agency shall be performed without discrimination based upon race, color, religious creed, political ideas, sex, age, marital status, physical or mental handicap, national origin, or ancestry. No state or local facility shall be used in the furtherance of any discriminatory practice, nor shall any state or local agency become a party to any agreement, arrangement, or plan which has the effect of sanctioning discriminatory practices….

No person in the United States shall, on the grounds of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program of activity receiving federal financial assistance.