Constitution 2006-2007
• I. The organization described herein shall be called the Graduate Education Association (G.E.A.) of the College of William & Mary.
• II. The purpose of the Graduate Education Association will be: to foster social and academic interaction among the graduate education students at the College of William & Mary; to advance the interests of graduate education students at the College; to provide opportunities for the dissemination of ideas of educational interest to the academic community and the surrounding town; and to assist in governing in matters of discipline and honor violations (dealing with graduate education students) within the School of Education.
• III. Membership in the Graduate Education Association shall be open to any person enrolled as a graduate student or unclassified (post-baccalaureate) students in the School of Education . All members of the Graduate Education Association shall be voting members.
• IV. The Graduate Education Association shall be governed by an Executive Council elected by the Graduate Education Association. The officers of the Graduate Education Association shall be: the chairperson, the vice-chairperson, the secretary, and the treasurer with the possibility of additional officers when deemed necessary by the Graduate Education Association.
• The duties of the chairperson shall be:
• To preside over all meetings of the Graduate Education Association
• To attend any special meetings as the designated Graduated Education Association representative or to appoint as necessary Graduate Education Association representatives.
• To call any Graduate Education Association meetings as deemed necessary.
• To meet on a regular basis with the various constituents of the GEA at the College and within the community.
• To sit on the Graduate Student Council.
• The duties of the vice-chairperson shall be:
• To perform the duties of the chairperson in the event that the chairperson resigns, is incapacitated, or otherwise fails to fulfill his/her duties.
• To organize and oversee the standing committees of the Graduate Education Association.
• To preside over any meetings of the standing committee chairpersons and to call these meetings as deemed necessary.
• To oversee the election process.
• To oversee a yearly review of the GEA Constitution.
• To create necessary committees at the start of each academic year.
• To sit on the Graduate Student Council.
• The duties of the secretary shall be:
• To take minutes at all the meetings of the Graduate Education Association.
• To secure a list of the School of Education students' names at the beginning of each academic year and to produce an up-to-date directory of the graduate education students.
• To see that graduate students are informed of the ongoing business of the Graduate Education Association or any specific functions or projects.
• To handle the necessary Association correspondence.
• Send website updates to the Graduate School of Education.
• The duties of the treasurer shall be:
• To allocate funds for any Graduate Education Association projects or functions.
• To provide a statement on finances at each meeting of the Graduate Education Association.
• To prepare the Graduate Education Association budget for the coming academic year and prepare and necessary information and figures needed by the finance committee and the Board of Student Affairs.
• To be responsible for the administration of any reimbursements made to appropriate Graduate Education Association members, including mini-grants.
• The duties of the Honor Council chairperson shall be:
• To preside over any formal hearing involving Honor Code violations. The Chief Justice will select necessary persons from the Honor Council to serve on these hearings.
• To preside over the Honor Council. The Chief Justice will select Honor Council members, determine the procedures for removal of Honor Council members, and establish the qualifications for membership on the Council. The Chief Justice will coordinate the training of the Council's members.
• To educate graduate students and faculty members in the School of Education on the policies and procedures of the Honor Council. The Chief Justice will establish a community of trust within the School of Education . The Chief Justice will see that graduate students and faculty members are informed of any changes in the policies and procedures of the Honor Code.
• To serve as a member of the Council of Chairs. The Chief Justice will attend any special meetings related to Honor as called by the Dean of Students at the College of William and Mary.
• To call any Honor Council meetings as deemed necessary.
• The duties of the social chairperson:
• To organize GEA social and networking events
• To promote collegiality among the various disciplines within the School of Education and other graduate and professional schools at the College of William & Mary.
• To distribute a weekly email to the GEA listserv containing information regarding GEA events, pertinent events at the College and surrounding community, the business of the GEA and any other information deemed appropriate.
• The social chairperson may organize a committee comprising of other GEA executive board members and GEA members in order to assist in the planning and execution of GEA events.
• V. The election procedure for the Executive Council officers shall beheld each spring semester.
• The election procedure will be supervised by the vice-chairperson in the following manner:
• Elections shall be conducted each Spring Semester no earlier than March 1 st and no later than March 31 st . The term of office will be for one year. Election Day shall be determined no later than February 1 st .
• Nominations will be taken for each office and posted two weeks prior to Election Day.
• Elections will take place on a designated and publicized day with a manned voting table/or via online voting system. Officers will be determined by a simple majority vote. In the case of a tie vote, a run-off will be held with another manned voting table/or via online voting system.
• If the vice-chairperson of the GEA is nominated for another position on the GEA executive board the standing executive board will appoint a member to count and record the election results. The replacement can but does not need to be a member of the standing executive committee.
• A formal transition of officers shall occur between April 1 st and April 30 th .
• Replacement of an Executive Council position during the course of the year:
• If the need arises to fill and executive council position during the course of the year, nominations and elections will take place at a designated Graduate Education Association meeting.
• An officer may be removed from office if a formal written complaint is lodged with the chairperson and a 2/3 majority vote of the Graduate Education Association chooses to remove the officer.
• VI. The Graduate Education Association committees shall be organized at the discretion of the Graduate Education Association executive board. The potential committees shall be as follows: a social committee, an orientation committee, an educational programming committee, a public relations committee, and a finance committee.
• The committee chairpersons shall be appointed by the vice-chairperson of the Graduate Education Association with the approval of the Executive Council.
• The social committee shall be responsible for the organization of any social functions with any other graduate associations at William & Mary.
• The orientation committee shall be responsible for the organization of orientation for new graduate education students. The focus of orientation will be not only on practical information concerning the School of Education , the William & Mary community and the Williamsburg community but also integration with other graduate education students.
• The educational programming committee shall be responsible for developing opportunities of ideas of the educational interest to the academic community and the surrounding town. This committee will also be responsible for the selection of journals to be subscribed to by the Graduate Education Association.
• The public relations committee shall be responsible for the publicity of the Graduate Education Association and the organization of any activities involving the William & Mary community.
• The finance committee shall be responsible for assisting the treasurer in preparing the annual budget and allocation of the of the Graduate Education Association funds. The finance committee will also be responsible for the publicity of funds available for Graduate Education Association members for conferences, dissertations and other related educational opportunities.
• VII. Meetings of the Graduate Education Association shall be a minimum of once per semester when the School of Education is in regular session, or as deemed necessary by the chairperson. Meetings will be held at a standard time and place determined each fall and spring semester by the Executive Council and committee chairpersons. Graduate Education Association shall follow correct parliamentary procedure.
• VIII. Meetings of the Graduate Education Association executive board shall be a minimum of two meetings per month when the School of Education is in regular session, or as deemed necessary by the chairperson. Meetings will be held at a standard time and place determined each fall and spring semester by the Executive Council and committee chairpersons.
• IX. If deemed necessary and voted on by a 2/3 majority vote by the Graduate Education Association, dues may be collected at the beginning of either semester. (This would change the voting procedures and membership requirements, etc.)
• X. The Constitution of the Graduate Education Association shall be re-ratified and if need be, amended on an annual basis no more than four weeks after the newly elected officers take office. Amendments must be proposed at least one Graduate Education Association meeting prior to being voted upon. If necessary, the Constitution may also be amended during the course of the year by a 3/4 majority vote of the Graduate Education Association members.
Revised: January 28, 2006 by Eric Eickhoff, Vice-Chairperson of the GEA
Adopted: February 9, 2006 by a 6-0 Vote