Association of Graduate Students in Psychology

Association of Graduate Students in Psychology: Constitution

Effective September 20,2001 amended June 1, 2005

Section 1: Introduction

AGSIP is a student-run association which:

• represents and promotes graduate student interests at both the Departmental and University level;
• acts to improve the educational, occupational, and professional environment for graduate students in the Department of psychology;
• organizes and funds social events in order to foster a sense of community among graduate students within the Department and to increase communication between graduate students, faculty and staff.

Section 2: Membership

All graduate students within the Department of Psychology at Queen's University are members of AGSIP, with all the rights and responsibilities pertaining thereto. Upon graduation or withdrawal from the programme, membership is automatically revoked at the end of the academic term.

Section 3: Election of Officers

(3.1) Any member of AGSIP may be nominated for the position of executive officer or representative.

(3.2) Nominees shall be voted in at the Annual General Meeting in May.

(3.3) The Vice President shall recruit nominations for these positions prior to the end of the fiscal year. Nominations from the floor will also be considered at the General Meeting. In the event that there are more than one (1) nominations for a given position, all nominees will be given the opportunity to address the Membership at the general meeting and a secret ballot vote will be conducted. Otherwise, the slate of representatives will be presented to the General Membership for approval and a vote will be taken by a show of hands.

(3.4) All Executive members and committee representatives will begin their terms on June 1^st, in accordance with AGSIP's fiscal year, and shall serve for twelve (12) months.

(3.5) Under normal circumstances, executive officers do not serve in a given position for more than twenty-four (24) months.

(3.6) In the event that an Officer resigns from office prior to the end of his/her term, the Vice President shall solicit nominations for the vacant position from the General Membership. Nominations must be ratified by a vote of the General Membership.

(3.7) Under exceptional circumstances, an Officer may be removed from office prior to the end

of his/her term according to the following procedure:

1. A motion of non-confidence, outlining the reasons for removal, shall be brought forward to a meeting of the General Membership in accordance with Section 6 of this document.
2. At the ensuing meeting of the General Membership, arguments shall be presented for and against the motion by representatives for both sides, prior to a vote being taken.
3. A vote on the motion will be taken by secret ballot. A simple majority (including proxy votes) is required in order for the motion to be carried, in which case, the Officer shall be relieved of duties immediately.

Section 4: Executive Body

(4.1) The Executive Body is directly accountable to the General Membership. (4.2) The Executive is responsible for:

1. conducting the day-to-day running of the association, including financial business, in a manner consistent with the mandate described in Section 1 of this document and in accordance with policies laid down by the General Membership;
2. addressing any concerns or issues regarding departmental policy or student welfare which may, from time to time, be brought to their attention.

(4.3) The Executive shall consist of five (5) voting positions: President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Social Coordinators (2). In the event that a position is shared between two (2) people, the position shall still be allocated only one (1) vote on the Executive.

(4.4) Executive Duties

(4.4.a) President:

The major role of the President is to represent and voice the concerns of all graduate students in the Department of Psychology. To do this, the President communicates with the Head of the Department as well as other members of the faculty. The President must be aware of student concerns and be sensitive to student morale.

The President is also responsible for monitoring, coordinating, and facilitating the activities of other AGSIP officers. The President is responsible for calling and chairing Executive and General meetings. The President is a member of the Tenure and Appointments Committee and is responsible for surveying graduate student opinion regarding all hiring and promotion decisions.

The President is full member of the Executive. The President does not normally exercise his/her voting rights; however, in the event of a tie vote among other Executive members,

the President shall cast the deciding vote.

(4.4.b) Vice President:

In broad terms, the role of the Vice President is to assist the President in carrying out his/her responsibilities. The Vice President is a full member of the Executive.

The VP shall chair meetings in the absence of the President and, in the event that the President is unable to fulfill his/her duties, the VP shall assume the role of President for the remainder of the term of office. Occasionally, the VP may also be required to attend committee meetings as a replacement for representatives who are unable to attend.

The VP is responsible for organizing and chairing all fundraising initiatives. The VP is also responsible for carrying out course evaluations at the end of each academic term.

The VP shall submit an annual report at the annual general meeting in May.

(4.4.c) Treasurer:

The Treasurer is responsible for conducting the day-to-day financial business of the Association in accordance with policies laid down by the General Membership. The Treasurer is a full member of the Executive.

Roles and responsibilities of the Treasurer include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Maintaining AGSIP's account books;
• Making bank deposits as required;
• Drawing up a budget, in cooperation with other Exec members, for approval by the general membership at the Annual General Meeting;
• Submitting monthly reports to the Executive, specifying current bank balance, accounts payable, and updated expenditures;
• Submitting a report to the Annual General Meeting, in May, estimating year-to-date income and expenditures;
• Providing orientation for the incoming Treasurer, and forwarding all records, files, and information to him/her at the end of the fiscal year;
• Preparing financial statements and a Year End Report to the incoming Executive no later than July 1 following the end of his/her term

(4.4.d) Secretary:

The Secretary's primary role is to take minutes at all Executive and general meetings and to facilitate communication between Executive members, Committee Representatives, and General Membership. The Secretary is a full member of the Executive.

Roles and responsibilities of the Secretary include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Maintaining the AGSIP bulletin board;
• Drawing up agenda for all meetings, in cooperation with other Executive members;
• Circulating agenda and minutes;
• Maintaining and updating AGSIP's files;
• Assisting the President with official correspondence

(4.4.e) Social Coordinators:

The Social Coordinators are responsible for organizing the orientation of incoming students and coordinating a variety of social and sports events throughout the year. Organization of particular events may be delegated to other interested students who wish to be involved, but these individuals shall be advised and supervised by the Social Coordinators. The Social Coordinators are full members of the Executive, but only have one voting position.

The Social Coordinators work with the Treasurer to ensure that social expenditures conform as closely as possible to the budget adopted by the General Membership at the start of the fiscal year.

The Social Coordinators shall submit one annual report to the AGM in May.

(4.5) Meetings of the Executive Body

(4.5.a) The Executive shall meet at least once monthly.

(4.5.b) Executive meetings are not open meetings. However, individuals other than Executive members may request or be invited to attend if they have views or information pertinent to the issues being discussed. Executive members shall be available to students at all times to hear any concerns or suggestions they have. In some cases, the Executive may request a written submission outlining the particulars of the student's concerns. These concerns shall be addressed at the following Executive meeting and the students shall be informed in a timely fashion of what action, if any, the Executive has chosen to take.

(4.5.c) Executive decisions may be appealed by any member of the General Membership by addressing the issue to a meeting of the General Membership. At least one- week notice shall be given to the General Membership and to the Executive of any motion to appeal or amend an Executive decision.

(4.5.d) In order to promote a teamwork approach to the running of the Association, all AGSIP Executive members shall, upon request, fully disclose to other members of the Executive any and all documentation and actions related to their duties.

(4.5.e) A formal record of all Executive meetings shall be kept by the Secretary. These minutes shall be formally reviewed, amended as needed, and adopted at the following meeting. A copy of the latest Executive minutes shall be posted on the AGSIP bulletin board.

Section 5: AGSIP Committee Representatives

As of May, 1997, the Department has designated the following committee positions for AGSIP representatives:

• Departmental Committee: 2 representatives
• Graduate Committee: 2 representatives
• Clinical Committee: 3 representatives
• Clinical Academic Subcommittee: 2 representatives
• BBCS Committee: 2 representatives
• Social Committee: 2 representatives
• Developmental Committee: 2 representatives
• Animal Advisory: 1 representative (preferably a graduate student working on the fourth floor)
• Ethics Committee: 1 representatives
• Distinguished Lecturer Series Committee: 1 representative

Duties of the various Committees are laid out in the Departmental handbook, which is available from the main office.

In addition, AGSIP has designated the following committee positions for AGSIP representatives:

• Teaching Assistant Representative: 1 representative
• SGPS Representative: 1 representative

Committee Representatives shall keep the President informed of their activities.

Section 6: General Meetings

(6.1)    Meetings of the General Membership shall be held no less than once a year. A meeting shall be held in May of each year, for the purposes of adopting a budget for the upcoming year and electing new members to the Executive and to the various departmental committees on which AGSIP has representation.

(6.2)    General meetings are normally called by the President of the association, but may also be called in extraordinary circumstances by and 3 members simply by serving notice to the General Membership and to the executive.

(6.3)    Quorum is defined as the number of members actually present at the meeting. Votes by proxy shall not be included. A quorum of ten (10) members, not including the Chair, is required in order to adopt or amend any association policy, excepting any policy outlined in this document. For amendments to the Constitution, a quorum of no less than twenty- five (25) members is required.

(6.4)    At least 2 weeks notice shall be given to the General Membership of any general meeting.