Chapter 1: General Rules and Procedures

1.01 Definitions
  1. The Graduate Student Senate shall also be referred to as “GSS."
  2. Graduate and professional students shall be referred to as “graduate students.”
  3. The term “voting members” refers to the Executive Officers, Senators, Commissioners, and Department Representatives.
  4. This document, Rules and Procedures of Graduate Student Senate, shall also be referred to as the R&P.
  5. General body meetings shall also be referred to as “GBM”
  6. The R&P committee shall also be referred to as the “Governance Committee”

1.02 Amendments to the Constitution
  1. Amendments to the Constitution must follow Article X Section A of the Constitution.
  2. GSS shall examine and reaffirm this Constitution every five years, beginning in the 2005-2006 academic year.
  3. Amendments to the Constitution shall be initiated by GSS or by petition of at least one hundred Ohio University graduate students.
  4. Proposed amendments shall be presented via resolution and posted for public review at least four days prior to the meeting at which they are to be considered.
  5. Proposed amendments shall be adopted by a concurrence of two-thirds of the total voting membership of GSS.

1.03 Suspension of the Rules and Procedures
  1. With the approval of the voting members, the Senate may suspend a portion of the R&P for a period lasting not more than one full academic term. A proposal to suspend a portion of the R&P shall be presented in writing to the Chair of the Governance Committee. With the assent of a majority of the committee, a resolution to adopt the proposal shall be presented at a general body meeting.
  2. For suspension of any part of the R&P for a single meeting, a call may be made by any body member and seconded to call for a roll call vote for a suspension for part of the R&P to last for the duration of a single general body meeting.
  3. If the rules are suspended for R&P 9.02, then R&P 9.05 (a) and (e) will automatically be suspended for the same duration of time.

1.04 Rules of Order
  1. Meetings of the GSS shall be conducted with reference to the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised as interpreted by the presiding officer and consistent with the GSS Constitution and R&P.
  2. A basic guide to Robert’s Rules is located at the end of this document under Appendix A.
  3. Upon concurrence of two-thirds of voting members, voting during the second meeting of the academic year, Senate may designate a parliamentary guide other than the most current Robert's Rules of Order.
  4. An agenda shall be created and distributed for each meeting by the presiding officer for that meeting in accordance with R&P 9.08.