SENATORS: DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
Excerpt from the Constitution of the Graduate and
Professional Student Senate, University of Southern California
SECTION 3 | SENATE
3.1 Responsibilities
3.1.1 Establishing Policies and Procedures
The Senate establishes the policies and procedures for GPSS through the following responsibilities to:
- Serve as a forum for graduate and professional student interaction
- Elect the GPSS Executive Board
- Approve the GPSS budget
- Make resolutions expressing graduate and professional student concern
- Amend the Constitution and Bylaws in a judicious manner.
- Designate a proxy to attend Senate and committee meetings in the event the regular senator(s) is/are unable to attend.
- Serve on at least one GPSS standing committee or University-wide committee.
3.1.2 Failure to Perform Duties
Senators who repeatedly fail to perform their duties or abuse their office for personal ends may be removed by two-thirds vote of the Senate. A senator must be given notice of an intended motion of removal at least four days before the meeting where the vote will be held. Senators may also be removed by the constituencies that elected them, according to the procedures of the constituency.
3.2 Membership
The GPSS Senate consists of both voting members and ex officio members. Members must be currently registered USC graduate or professional students.
3.2.1 Voting Members
Voting members will consist of Senators from each of the Schools (Business, Cinema, Fine Arts, etc.) and each of the Letters, Arts & Sciences departments. The Senators from each School/LAS department will be determined according to the following: 1 Senator for every 2% of the graduate and Professional student body. The number of Senators for the third largest School/LAS department determines the cap on the number of Senators for the largest School/LAS department; the largest School/LAS department cannot exceed that of the third largest School/LAS department.
3.2.2 Ex Officio Members
Ex officio members include the following:
- All members of the Executive Board
- Graduate Student in Residence
- Student Affairs Advisor
Ex officio members are not entitled to vote in Senate meetings, except the President/Chair who may vote only to break a tie. Ex officio members may not serve in any function as an individual graduate student, but instead must stay neutral as a representative of GPSS. Ex officio members may not serve as a proxy for an absent voting member.
3.2.3 Ad Hoc Members
Ad Hoc members are permanent representatives from recognized organizations oriented toward graduate and professional students. Organizations must petition the Senate and be approved by a majority vote of the Senate in order to be granted Ad Hoc membership. Ad Hoc members are not entitled to vote in Senate meetings.
3.3 Elections
3.3.1 Timeline
- Nominations for all senators shall open on the first Monday in February.
3.3.2 Structure
- Senators shall be responsible for coordinating the election within their department or school.
- The Elections & Recruitment Chair shall inform all departments and schools not currently represented on the Senate of the opening of nominations.
- Selection procedures shall be determined by the graduate students of the department or school, but, in any case, selection shall be completed by the end of the spring semester.
- If a senator's seat remains vacant after the end of the spring semester, the Executive Board of the GPSS shall initiate action to fill the seat, such as informing members of the department or school of the vacancy and encouraging those eligible to run.
- Newly elected senators shall take office after the April meeting of the Senate. Retiring senators shall leave office immediately after the April meeting of the Senate.
- The Senate may nullify a departmental or school election if it has reason to believe that the election was conducted unfairly.
3.4 Senate Meetings
3.4.1 Quorum
Quorum is one-half of the total number of Senators from USC-recognized student body organizations representing their school/department.
3.4.2 Voting
A simple majority of the members present at the Senate meeting is required to pass a Resolution or Bylaw Amendment.
- A two-thirds vote of the members present at the Senate meeting is required to pass a Constitutional Amendment. Notice of a proposed amendment must be given one Senate meeting prior to the meeting when the vote will be taken.
3.4.3 Meeting structure
- The Senate will meet at least once a month during the Fall and Spring semesters. At least one meeting a semester must take place on the Health Sciences Campus.
- At the request of five Senators, a meeting will be run according to Robert's Rules of Order.
- All meetings will be open to the public. Any graduate or professional student may speak at a meeting.
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