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CEVE-GSA CONSTITUTION

Purpose
Membership
Executive Committee
Faculty Advisor
Finances
Voting and Elections


Purpose

  1. To foster better professional and personal relationships among students and between students and faculty members.
  2. To provide a forum for concerns, both professional and personal, about graduate student life.
  3. To foster professional growth through the following:
    • Mentoring
    • Recruitment
    • Affiliate/Internship relationships

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Membership

  1. A General Member shall be any current graduate student (enrolled in a post bachelor graduate program) at Rice University interested in Civil and Environmental Engineering.
  2. An Alumni Member shall be any graduated General Member.
  3. A Voting Member shall be any General Member who has been accepted into the CEVE Department or is advised by a professor in the CEVE Department and who has not passed their oral thesis defense.

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Executive Committee

The CEVE-GSA will be governed by an Executive Committee elected by the Voting Members.

To run for office on the executive council, one must be a Voting Member who is actively involved with CEVE-GSA as determined by the current Executive Committee. Two persons may be elected to one office with equal responsibility as deemed necessary by the Executive Committee at the time of election. The offices and corresponding duties shall be as follows:

  1. Chair
    • Leads Executive Committee Meetings
    • Attends Graduate Committee and Faculty Meetings
    • Acts as a liaison between the faculty and the students
    • Leads General Meetings in the Assistant Chair's absence

  2. Assistant Chair
    • Leads General meetings
    • Acts as the contact person for the CEVE-GSA
    • Leads Executive Meetings in the Chair's absence
    • Represents CEVE at GSA meetings and reports back to the department
    • Distributes GSA e-mails
    • Recruits speakers for and organizes the twice a month CEVE Breakfast Club

  3. Treasurer
    • Heads the Finance Committee
    • Composes a Yearly Budget
    • Manages funds
    • Raises funds (when necessary)

  4. Webmaster
    • Maintains CEVE-GSA Webpage
    • Handles publicity for all CEVE-GSA events, handouts, fliers etc.

  5. Social Chair
    • Facilitate social gatherings, barbeques and happy hours.
    • Must be TIPS certified.

  6. Affiliate
    • Acts as a liaison between the CEVE-GSA and outside industrial/academic institutions
    • Organizes the industrial and the academic contacts through composing/managing the Contact Database

  7. Outreach Chair (Intended for a first year graduate student)
    • Leads the incoming student mentor program
    • Organizes CEVE Recruitment Weekend
    • Works to promote Rice Civil and Environmental service projects in the Houston community.

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Faculty Advisor

  1. The Faculty Advisor shall be any member of the Faculty or Adjunct Faculty of the CEVE Department chosen by the Executive Committee.
  2. The purpose of the faculty advisor shall be as follows:
    • To give advice and guidance to the organization
    • To provide consistency by facilitating the transition of officers from year to year

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Finances

  1. The Treasurer shall oversee all financial matters.
  2. Expenditures of less than $50 shall be authorized by both the Treasurer and the Chair (Assistant Chair in the Chair’s absence).
  3. Expenditures of more than $50 must be agreed upon by a 3/4 vote of the Executive Committee.

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Voting and Elections

  1. Only Voting Members shall be allowed to vote.
  2. A passing vote on general matters shall be a simple majority of members present at the General Meeting (early voting shall be permitted by e-mailing or other official notification before meeting).
  3. Constitutional Amendments shall be presented at the Executive Committee Meetings and require a ¾ majority of the Executive Committee to pass.
  4. Elections shall be held at least 3 weeks prior to the last day of exams of spring semester for all offices in the Executive Committee with the exception of the Outreach Chair, who shall be elected in October, opening it to first year students.
  5. Elected officers shall assume office three weeks after the election, allowing for a transition period.








Last modified: 01/29/2006.








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