gpsa%council%agenda% rd%of%november%2013,9:00am%...

GPSA Council Agenda Saturday 23rd of November 2013, 9:00 am Domenici West, Room 3010

I. Roll Call II. Opening Business

a. Approval of the November 23, 2013 Agenda b. Approval of the October 26, 2013 Minutes c. Media & Gallery

III. Officer Reports a. President’s Report b. Council Chair’s Report c. Lobby Committee Chair’s Report

IV. Action Items a. Mandated Business

i. Approval of Executive Standing Committee Chairs 1. Elections: Wayne Thorpe

b. Standing Committees i. Legislative Steering Committee

1. LSC Report ii. Finance Committee

1. FC Business i. FA-‐013-‐008: Saudi Students Club ii. FA-‐013-‐010: Network Exploitation Security Team iii. FA-‐013-‐011: India Students Association iv. FA-‐013-‐012: Student Organization for Latin American Studies

(SOLAS) v. FA-‐013-‐013: Graduate and Professional Student Association

(GPSA) vi. FA-‐013-‐014: Graduate and Professional Student Association

(GPSA) V. Discussion Items

a. Bylaws-‐Finance Code b. Bylaws-‐Best Student Essays c. Graduate Assistantship Initiative

VI. Closing Announcements

VII. Upcoming Meetings

VIII. Adjourn

GPSA Council Minutes Saturday 26h of October 2013, 9:00 am Domenici West, Rm. 3010 Roll Call

Quorum established. Meeting called to order at 9:13 am.

Opening Business

Approval of the October 26, 2013 Agenda -Passes unanimously, October Agenda approved.

Approval of the September 28, 2013 Minutes-Passes unanimously, September Minutes approved.

Media & Gallery-Chloe Henson, The Daily Lobo; Matthew Munoz, Office of Community Relations

Guest Speakers

Mary Anne Saunders & Danielle Gilliam--Global Education Office (10 minutes for presentation and 5 minutes for Q&A). Dr. Saunders discussed UNM study abroad opportunities, advantages and funding initiatives in order garner support for a student new fee of $5.00 which will be proposed to the SFRB. The purpose of this proposed fee is to fund study abroad scholarships.

Officer Reports

President’s Report (Given by James Foty, GPSA Executive Assistant) GPSA Executive Assistant James Foty spoke on behalf of GPSA President Priscila Poliana in her absence. Foty discussed potential updates to Bursars account requested from UNM Finance & Facility Committee, Grad student tuition and fees, the Graduate Scholarship Fund, the GPSA logo redesign competition, and plans for new health and wellness facility.

Council Chair’s Report-Council Chair Maria Elena Corral announced the opening of the LFC Chair position and called for interested Reps to speak with her, announced the recommendations of LSC to table the Constitution and Bylaws changes, and discussed the formation of the Spanish grants working group in order to translate the application and descriptions of GPSA grants.

Action Items

FA-13-005: Chinese Student & Scholars Association—Qi Lu and Bokai Zu spoke on the appropriations request. Motion made by Rep. Gordon to fund appropriation request at $538. Motion passes unanimously, no abstentions. Motion made by Rep. Rush to amend approved amount to include $3 foundation charge for a total of $541.00, motion passes unanimously, no abstentions.

FA-13-006: Chinese Student & Scholars Association—Qi Lu and Bokai Zu spoke on the appropriations request. Motion made by Rep. Gordon to approve appropriation at $392.00,

seconded by Rep. Orgeron. Motion made by Rep. Davenport amend the amount to $272 by reducing food and refreshments to the LFC standing rules amount of $200. Motion to amend amount of appropriation passes with 2 oppositions and 1 abstention. Rep. Davenport motioned to amend the amount to $274.00 to include the foundation surcharge of $2, Motion to amend amount passes unanimously. Appropriation passes unanimously.

Legislative Steering Committee LSC Report –LSC Chair Jessica Marshall discussed the LSC recommendation to table

Constitutional and Bylaws revisions until next council meeting in order to allow for further revisions during a meeting of the LSC, LFC, and EFC.

Constitution and Bylaws finance code revisions—Motion made by Rep. Gordon

moves to table the revision of Constitutional and Bylaws until November’s council

meeting. Seconded by Rep. Holmen. Motion Passes unanimously, no abstentions.

LSC Appointments—Motion made by Rep. Orgeron to approve Viviane Ferreira, and Pedro S. Torres as LSC committee, seconded by Rep. Holmen. Motions passes unanimously.

Discussion Items

Spanish Grants Working Group

Closing Announcements

Rep. Orgeron discussed upcoming book drive initiated by the College of Ed during

November 2013.

Rep. Rush discussed the guidelines for the GSF scholarship

Upcoming Meetings

Next meeting to be held on November 23rd at 9 am in Domenici West Room 3010.

Adjourn

Motion to adjourn made by Rep. Gordon, seconded by Rep. Holmen, motion passes unanimously.

Meeting adjourned at 10:42 am

Attendance James Davenport (Anthropology) Christine Posner (Grad Art Association) Megan Thienel (College of Education) Mark Orgeron (College of Education) Jong Lee (College of Education) Elizabeth Boyle (College of Education) Kaitlin Coalson (College of Education) Neritza Diaz-Cruz (College of Education) Elena Friot (History)

Jeff Gordon (Law) Jessica Marshall (Law) Luke Holmen (Law) Dennis Flannigan (AGBS) Melissa Berghmans (AGBS) Sharon Garcia (AGBS) Mark Kelly (AGBS) Kristen Dorland (AGBS) Matthew Rush (Nanoscience and Microsystems) Julia Brunson (Occupational Therapy) David Liakos (Philosophy) Theadora Meulenweg (Public Administration) Mallory Fallin (Sociology) Juliana Clark (Spanish & Portuguese)

Request FC Recommendation RationaleEvent $300.00 $300.00 No changeFood and Refreshements $100.00 $50.00 Reduced to reflect 5 meetings Foundation Surcharge $0.00 $2.00 0.0050% Total Standing Surcharge Total $400.00 $352.00

Request FC Recommendation RationaleTravel and Airfare $446.00 $446.00 No changeTravel -Per Diem (Hotel/ 4 grad students per room) $228.00 $228.00 No changeTravel- PerDiem (Food @ $37 per day) $296.00 $296.00 No changeConference Fees $400.00 $400.00 No changeTravel-Mileage $76.00 $76.00 No changeFoundation Surcharge $0.00 $8.00 0.0050% Total Standing Surcharge Total $1,446.00 $1,454.00

Request FC Recommendation RationaleEvent $200.00 $100.00 ReducedFood and Refreshments $500.00 $200.00 Reduced--Exceeds standing rulesRentals--Venue $200.00 $200.00 No changeProfessional Services--Disc Jockey $250.00 $250.00 No changeFoundation Surcharge $0.00 $4.00 0.0050% Total Standing Surcharge Total $1,150.00 $754.00

Request FC Recommendation RationaleEvent $400.00 $400.00 No changeCopying Services $100.00 $100.00 No changeFoundation Surcharge $0.00 $3.00 0.0050% Total Standing Surcharge Total $500.00 $503.00

Request FC Recommendation Rationale

Network Exploitation Security Team- Conference - FA-13-010

Graduate and Professional Student Association-Executive- FA-13-013

Chair's Summary of Appropriations Requests - November - Prepared for Council Meeting

Saudi Student Club - EVENT - FA-13-008

India Student Association-Event - FA-13-011

Student Organization for Latin American Studies -Event - FA-13-012

Professional Services (Grants Stipend Increase) $400.00 $400.00 No changeProfessional Services ( FC Second Chair) $800.00 $800.00 No changeProfessional Services (Equity/ Outrach Chair) $800.00 $800.00 No changeProfessional Services (Tuition/Fees Chair) $800.00 $800.00 No changeProessional Services (Media/Transparency Chair) $800.00 $800.00 No changeProfessional Services (IT Chair) $800.00 $800.00 No changeFoundation Surcharge $0.00 $22.00 0.0050% Total Standing Surcharge Total $4,400.00 $4,422.00

Request FC Recommendation RationaleProfessional Services (Pres. Tution Remission) $1,194.00 $1,194.00 No changeProfessional Services ( PA Tution Remission) $597.00 $597.00 No changeFoundation Surcharge $5.00 $4.00 0.0050% Total Standing Surcharge Total $1,796.00 $1,800.00

General Fund 63,763.23Requested FC Recommendation

AppropriationsTotals $9,692.00 $9,285.00GF-Total $54,071.23 $54,478.23

Graduate and Professional Student Association-Executive- FA-13-014

Johnson Center is outdated, and the Student Health and Counseling building is obsolete

Johnson has adapted to many changing uses over the years, and it no longer meets national standards for student gathering and multipurpose venues. Its layout is

ventilation costs over $1 million each year to operate.

SHAC as it currently exists is inadequate to meet the current demand or basic healthcare standards. With the goal of adding student housing on campus to accommodate as many as 6,000 students, we must expand its capacity to properly serve our current and future on-campus residents.

Johnson Center is overcrowded, and students cannot access the facility

It sees 2.5 million visitors per year in 300,000 square feet of outdated and

Students are not able to use Johnson Center throughout the day because it primarily serves educational functions, not

Because of overcrowding, Johnson Center does not fully meet the needs of students

Why do we need a new Wellness

Center at UNM?

A New Wellness Center for UNM

Improved access

cardio, and will not have to compete with classes or programs for gym time.

More space and more amenitiesThe new facility will feature 170,000 square feet of NEW, non-duplicative space based upon national standards, student demand, and alternative venues not available in Johnson Center.

Proposed amenities include a leisure pool, yoga/pilates studios, a climbing wall, an indoor track, and a multipurpose gym for indoor soccer and other activities.

environment for SHAC will prepare this important health care function for future needs of students.

Larger student gathering spacesThe new facility will feature student gathering space, with healthy food amenities, entertainment options, and wireless access.

Incredible viewsThe Wellness Center will be a transparent gem on campus, allowing views into and out of the facility. An outdoor roof deck will provide a stunning vista of campus, the city, and the Sandia Mountains.

What are the

Wellness Center?Who is involved in the planning of this facility?

request of students. It is led by a representative of the Vice President for

the core planning group includes ASUNM,

Projects and our consultant team.

How is student input considered?Student input has been an integral part of planning for this facility since 2007 when this project was originally conceived. Student representatives from ASUNM and GPSA currently serve on the core planning

funded, student representatives will serve on the building committee.

about the Wellness Center Project?

below:

Student Involvement

T H E H A R T M A N A N D M A J E W S K I

DESIGN GROUP

Johnson Center is outdatedStudent Health and Counseis obsolete

Johnson has adapted to manuses over the years, and it nonational standards for studenand multipurpose venues. It

ventilation costs over $1 millito operate.

SHAC as it currently exists ismeet the current demand or healthcare standards. With adding student housing on caccommodate as many as 6,0we must expand its capacity serve our current and future residents.

Johnson Center is overcrowdstudents cannot access the f

It sees 2.5 million visitors per300,000 square feet of outda

Students are not able to use JCenter throughout the day bprimarily serves educational

Because of overcrowding, Johdoes not fully meet the need

Improved access

cardio, and will not have to compete wwith classes or programs for gym time.

More space and more amenitiesThe new facility will feature 170,000 sqquare feet of NEW, non-duplicative space baased upon national standards, student demmand, and alternative venues not available inn Johnson Center.

Proposed amenities include a leisure ppool, yoga/pilates studios, a climbing wall, aan indoor track, and a multipurpose gymm for indoor soccer and other activities.

environment for SHAC will prepare thhis important health care function for futture needs of students.

Larger student gathering spacesThe new facility will feature student gathering space, with healthy food amenities, entertainment options, andd wireless access.

Incredible viewsThe Wellness Center will be a transpaaarent gem on campus, allowing views into aand out of the facility. An outdoor roof deeck will provide a stunning vista of campuus, the city, and the Sandia Mountains.

Who is involved in the planning of this invo ve tol d i heho is ifacility?ility?

re uest of students. It is led by a ntof ud ts t f deequestrepresentative of the Vice President for f tta ve t Vta e o eeprese

the core planning group includes ASUNM, ninre plan in gror lan g gthe co

rojects and our consultant team.nd ojects n uctts oProP

w is student input considered?udow is stu enw is deHoowHtudent input has been an integral part of t inSt dent putuud inSSt

planning for this facility since 2007 when ngp annni foplla g ppppthis project was originally conceived. rojhis p ecth ojtttStudent representatives from ASUNM and entuud rS nSGPSA currently serve on the core planning A cGPP cuA

funded, student representatives will serve defufu eddon the building committee.thoo het

about the Wellness Center Project?utaba toaa

below:owb oe

T H EH E H A RA RAH TT M A NM A A N D M A J E W S K I

DESIGN GROUPGNESIGE GSIEE

A comprehensive recreation, student health and education center would

with the current trend for universities comparable to UNM to create a campus environment that is engaging, stimulating and promotes wellness and education.

that can transform the way the UNM community thinks about health and an active lifestyle. It combines the strengths of each program with the needs and

The outcome will have the potential to contribute to the quality of life at UNM within a reasonable cost model.

What is the total estimated feasibility budget for construction of the project?

Given the feedback we have received

facility as well as the needs of Student Health and Counseling, the budget could range from $58M - $71M. The goal of our future outreach sessions with students,

help determine the target budget.

How is the project being funded?The primary funding source for constructing and operating the project will be student fees. The planning team is investigating additional funding sources, but student fees will cover the majority of the project cost.

How will this impact student fees?The increase in student fees will be a result of the project scope, the amenities included, and the resulting project cost. The project team is soliciting input from all of the key constituents to provide a facility with the components that the University community wants and is willing to support.

This is to be determined depending on scope of the project and timing.

new facility fee?This determination is unique to every

Alternatives and Project HistoryThe concept of improving the quality of life on campus has been studied since 2006 by

integrating facilities to bring new focus to healthy life-styles has evolved. An

resources and can be less costly when constructed at one time. Several considerations enter into site selection. The Wellness Center, at roughly 170,000 square feet requires a site that can accommodate a large building that is adjacent to Johnson Center.

The Wellness Center could open for Fall Semester 2018 depending on funding

- Potential Bond Sale: Fall 2014- Architectural Selection: Fall 2014- Design: Fall 2014 - Spring 2016- Construction: Spring 2016 - Spring 2018

Johnson Center will remain open

continue without interruption. After the new building opens Johnson will continue to serve the needs of all the current programs housed there. In later phases, Johnson Center will gradually be renewed,

the Wellness Center.

The new building will be GreenThe UNM Wellness Center will be LEED Silver. The project will strive to be a state-of-the-art model for sustainable design that will allow the campus to reduce its carbon footprint when it renovates the existing Johnson and SHAC facilities.

What amenities do YOU want to see?

potential components that students have requested for a new Wellness Center. Visit the website on the back of this brochure to vote for your top picks!

Proposed SiteThis facility is proposed to be located directly south of Johnson Field in what is presently the A-Lot parking area. This site provides close proximity to Johnson Center and student housing. Constructing a new building here ensures that the functions currently housed at Johnson Center can continue uninterrupted during the construction process.

Future PhasesThis project provides much needed relief for the overcrowding in Johnson Center,

the facilities with which SHAC provides quality health care to students. This is just the beginning of a larger, long-term Health and Wellness Master Plan. Future phases may include: renovation and expansion for

and Sports Sciences program; major renovations to Johnson Center; and expansion of the Natatorium.

For more information about the overall campus master plan, contact UNM Planning

ComponentsProposed Site and

PhasingProject Paying for the

project

Current Project Scope

and Site

Climbing Wall Leisure Pool

Strength and Cardio Dance / Group Exercise

Multi-Activity Court

Martial Arts Studio Indoor Cycling

University of New Mexico Foundation • Two Woodward Center

700 Lomas Blvd. NE, Albuquerque, NM 87102 • 505.277.4503 • Fax 505.277.4435 • unmfund.org

Graduate & ProfessionalStudent Association (GPSA)

A check is enclosed, made payable to: UNM FoundationPlease charge $___________________ to my: American Express Discover MasterCard Visa$___________________ for ______________ monthsOne time giftI have enclosed a matching gift form from my or my spouse’s current or former employerPlease note the change of address on reverse side

YES! I want to support the Graduate Scholarship Fund

$100 $250 $500 Other $

____________________________________ ___________ Card Number Exp.Date

_________________________________________________ Signature

Please return this card with your giftin the envelope provided or give

online at: https://www.unmfund.org/fund/graduate-scholarship-fund/

{Date} {Name 1} {Name 2} {Address 1} {Address 2} {Address 3} {City, State ZIP}

Dear {First},

As President of the Graduate Professional and Student Association (GPSA) at the University of New Mexico, I would like to thank all of you who have made generous past donations to GPSA. Your financial support has helped ensure the success of graduate students. Yet, it remains a critical time for graduate students across the country and especially at UNM.

In collaboration with UNM Foundation, GPSA is looking to expand our Graduate Scholarship Fund, which has helped over 40 students graduate since 2012. However, to guarantee that this fund will continue to be there when deserving students need it, we need you.

Almost 80% of UNM’s graduate students rely on some form of financial aid – through assistantships, scholarships and/or loans. Forced cutbacks to higher education and tuition and fee increases continue to present serious financial challenges to our graduate and professional students. The price of education has doubled in ten years, and student debt is at unprecedented levels. These realities have combined to dramatically increase the need for financial aid, but traditional sources of help have remained stagnant. This is where the Graduate Scholarship Fund steps in, helping students with the support they need to graduate.

My first thought was to reach out to you, our former students. I know you remember your time here – the intellectual journey, the hard work, the lifelong connections you made – with gratitude, joy, and pride. I imagine that you will also remember the assistance you may have received, and hope that you will pledge your financial support to other deserving students by becoming a sponsor today.

Your tax-deductible donation to the Graduate Scholarship Fund will be pivotal in providing the supplemental support graduate students need to become the leaders, scholars, scientists, critical thinkers, health care professionals, and problem-solvers of tomorrow. By donating today, you can have a significant positive impact on graduate students at UNM.

We are grateful for your generosity and continued support. On behalf of all my peers and colleagues at UNM, we wish you a safe and happy holiday season.

Sincerely,

Priscila PolianaGPSA President (2013-2014)MA Candidate, Community & Regional Planning

P.S. The New Year is right around the corner; make your tax-deductible gift by December 31, 2013.

“I know you remember your time here – the intellectual journey, the hard work, the

lifelong connections you made – with gratitude, joy, and pride.”

{Name 1} {Name 2} {Address 1} {Address 2} {Address 3} {City, State ZIP} {ID}

GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDENT ASSOCIATION 1 BYLAWS 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS 3

I. Definitions 4

Section 1. Constitutional Definitions 5 Section 2. Additional Bylaws Definitions 6 Section 3. Cross-References 7

II. Membership and Organization 8 Section 1. Membership 9 Section 2. Recognized Departmental Student Associations (RDSAs) 10 Section 3. GPSA Committees 11 Section 4. Transparency and Public Notice Requirements (TPNR) 12 Section 5. Project Assistants 13 Section 6. Veto Procedure 14 Section 7. GPSA Annual Report 15 Section 8. Amendments 16

III. Resignation, Removal, and Replacement of Officers 17 Section 1. President 18 Section 2. Council Chair 19 Section 3. Court of Review Justices 20 Section 4. Resignation 21

IV. Executive Branch 22 Section 1. President 23 Section 2. Executive Committees 24 Section 3. Executive Board 25

V. Legislative Branch 26 Section 1. Council Representatives and Certified Alternates 27 Section 2. Council Chair 28 Section 3. Council Recorder 29 Section 4. Procedures for Regular and Special Meetings 30 Section 5. Proxy Privileges 31 Section 6. Legislative Standing Committees 32 Section 7. Standing Committee Procedures 33 Section 8. Ad Hoc Committees 34 Section 9. Types and Requirements of Non-Appropriative Legislation 35 Section 10. Committee Consideration of Legislation and Appropriations 36 Section 11. Council Consideration of Legislative Items 37

VI. Judicial Branch 38 Section 1. Appellate Jurisdiction 39

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Section 2. Judicial Oath of Office 40 Section 3. Code of Conduct 41 Section 4. Responsibilities 42 Section 5. Disqualification 43 Section 6. Non-judicial Activities 44 Section 7. Resignation & Seniority 45 Section 8. Pro Tempore Justice Appointments 46 Section 9. Additional Duties Required 47

VII. Finance Code 48 Section 1. Committees 49 Section 2. General Fund 50 Section 3. Annual Budget 51 Section 4. Pro-Rated Benefits (PB) Fund 52 Section 5. Appropriations 53 Section 6. Revisions 54 Section 7. Disbursement 55 Section 8. Financial Enjoinment 56

VIII. Grants Code 57 Section 1. Student Research and Allocations Committee (GPSA RESEARCH GRANT) and 58 Specialized Travel (Professional Development Grants) 59 Section 2. Graduate Research Development (New Mexico Research) Fund 60

IX. Elections Code 61 Section 1. Referenda 62 Section 2. Candidate and Voter Eligibility 63 Section 3. Notice of Elections 64 Section 4. Campaigning 65 Section 5. General Election 66 Section 6. Council Chair Election 67 Section 7. Other Types of Elections 68 Section 8. Recall Election by GPSA Membership 69 Section 9. Special Elections 70 Section 10. Elections Reporting 71 Section 11. Election Disputes 72

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I. Definitions 74

Section 1. Constitutional Definitions 75 A. Definitions in the GPSA Constitution apply to the Bylaws. 76

Section 2. Additional Bylaws Definitions 77 Academic Week: A calendar week in which the University has scheduled classes at any time between 78 Monday and Friday. A week in which no classes are held due to University closure shall not count as an 79 academic week. 80

Aggregate Elections Data Report: A report of Elections data collected in accordance with University 81 policy and state and national law, including vote counts by department, voting time, date, and locations, 82 and erroneous voting, collected in a concise manner as to allow for data analysis. 83

Annual Report: A compilation of the reports of Decision Making Bodies submitted at the end of the 84 academic year. The Annual Report is archived for the incoming government to provide long-term 85 stability and institutional memory. 86

Appropriation: A legislative item requesting money from the GPSA General Fund. 87

Complaint Limitations Period: The statute of limitations for a complaint to be submitted to the Court of 88 Review. 89

Court of Review Complaint (Complaint): A grievance contesting whether or not an act is in accordance 90 with GPSA law. 91

Credential Form: A document for the purpose of declaring an RDSA Council Representative or Certified 92 Alternate. 93

Decision Making Body: A body or individual whose selection of a course of action binds GPSA or its 94 branches which include, but are not limited to, the Executive Board, Council, and Standing and Ad Hoc 95 Committees. 96

Electronic Signature: An electronic sound, symbol, or process attached to or logically associated with a 97 record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record. 98

EFC: Executive Finance Committee[1] 99

FC: Finance Committee 100

General Research Project: A research project conducted by GPSA members which is completed 101 independent of a New Mexico State Agency. 102

Grants Application Reader: A GPSA member selected to read and score grants applications. 103

Groups, New and Inactive: A groups is defined as “new” if they have not previously been chartered 104 through the Student Activities Office or if they have not received funding from a GPSA budget process 105

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in the past. A group is defined as “inactive” if they have not received funding in the past two (2) GPSA 106 budget processes. 107

Harm to Humans or Animals: Physical, cultural, psychological, emotional, or other harm to humans or 108 animals. 109

High Priority Research Project: A research project conducted by GPSA members which is completed in 110 collaboration with a New Mexico State Agency. 111

IT: Information Technologies 112

Judicial Budget: Funding allocated for the administration of the judicial branch. 113

Judicial Oath of Office (Oath): A pledge each Justice appointee must make prior to officially assuming 114 the duties and privileges of a Court of Review Justice. 115

LFC: Legislative Finance Committee[2] 116

LSC: Legislative Steering Committee 117

Legislative Budget: Funding allocated for the administration of the legislative branch. 118

Legislative Item: An appropriation, resolution, amendment to the GPSA Constitution or Bylaws, or other 119 piece of legislation submitted for Council consideration. 120

New Mexico State Agency: An entity approved by the Grants Committee that is not a college, 121 department, or program at a public university of the State of New Mexico. 122

Non-Profit Community Organization: An entity registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with 123 the Internal Revenue Service and/or under the laws of the State of New Mexico or of an Indian tribe. 124 This organization must have a New Mexico address and must conduct a majority of its activities within 125 New Mexico. 126

Open Meeting: A meeting of any GPSA Decision Making Body with a quorum present, held for the 127 purpose of taking action, formulating policy, or discussing public business, which is open to the public. 128 Open Meetings must comply with TPNR. 129

Permanent Equipment: Items that will not be depleted at the end of a research project. 130

Pro Tempore Justice: A temporary Justice which participates in judicial proceedings when an approved 131 Justice is recused or impeached or when the Court of Review has fewer than three (3) approved Justices. 132

Proxy: A GPSA member selected to vote on behalf of a Council Representative or Certified Alternate. 133

Research: Any activity performed by members of GPSA with the intent to generate generalizable 134 knowledge that will be communicated for potential public use. This includes, but is not limited to, an 135 artistic, athletic, cultural, educational, financial, historical, humanitarian, legal, linguistic, mathematical, 136 medical, musical, occupational, political, religious, scientific, sociological, structural, technological, or 137 therapeutic investigation. 138

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SGAO: Student Government Accounting Office 139

SSA Committee: Executive Student Support and Advocacy Committee 140

Supplies and Consumables: Items that are expected to be depleted at the end of a research project. 141

Telecommunication: Use of a conference telephone or other similar communications equipment. 142

TPNR: Transparency and Public Notice Requirements; specifically the section of the Bylaws with this 143 title. 144

Veto: The process by which the President rejects a piece of legislation approved by Council. 145

Working Group: A group which at its creation by a Decision Making Body is designated as a Working 146 Group rather than an ad hoc committee and whose sole purpose is to do work in preparation for a 147 specific item(s) to be acted upon or discussed by the Decision Making Body at a later Open Meeting. 148

Section 3. Cross-References 149

A. References in this document to the GPSA Constitution shall be indicated by parentheses (). 150 B. References in this document to other parts of the Bylaws shall be indicated by brackets [] and the 151

word “Bylaws”. 152 C. An electronic copy of this document utilizing some form of linking technology should be 153

available on the GPSA website. 154 D. Regardless of the published format(s) and cross-references, the GPSA Constitution and the 155

Bylaws shall be considered distinct but related documents. 156

II. Membership and Organization 157

Section 1. Membership 158 A. Continuing graduate or professional students who paid the GPSA fee in the spring semester shall 159

be considered GPSA members during the summer semester. (I.3.A.) 160 B. Upon presentation to the GPSA Office of a written request, any member may resign from GPSA. 161

(I.3.B.) 162 1. Resignation of membership does not relinquish the obligation to pay the GPSA fee. 163 2. Persons who have resigned membership shall lose all privileges and benefits of GPSA 164

member status. 165 3. Any person who has resigned membership shall be reinstated upon presentation to the GPSA 166

Office of a written request. 167 C. GPSA may not revoke or suspend membership. 168

Section 2. Recognized Departmental Student Associations (RDSAs) 169 A. Each RDSA shall maintain chartered status with the Student Activities Center, and must be open 170

to all GPSA members in its department, school, or college. In order to be recognized by GPSA, 171 each RDSA shall: 172 1. Hold officer elections which are open to all GPSA members in that department, school, or 173

college; and 174

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2. Not charge dues as a condition for membership as a student organization. 175 a. This does not preclude an RDSA from being a campus chapter of a state, regional, or 176

national association, so long as all GPSA members in that department, school, or 177 college may participate in the student organization. 178

b. PB funds may not be used to pay state, regional, or national association dues. 179 B. Each program may be represented by only one (1) RDSA. A school or college may consolidate 180

representation under one (1) RDSA, but no more than one (1) RDSA may represent the same 181 group of GPSA members. 182 1. Upon presentation of a petition signed by at least thirty-five percent (35%) of the total 183

number of GPSA members in a program, department, school, or college, the Elections 184 Committee shall conduct an election in which the GPSA members of that program, 185 department, school, or college may vote to affirm the current RDSA or to select a new 186 organization willing to meet all requirements for an RDSA. 187

2. The election ballot shall include the choice of desired RDSA from among the current RDSA 188 and all other student organizations signed by at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the total 189 number of GPSA members in that program, department, school, or college. 190

a. A petition to be placed on the ballot as an option for RDSA must be presented to the 191 Elections Committee no less than seven (7) academic days from the receipt of the 192 petition to select an RDSA. 193

b. The petition to be placed on the ballot must include a statement above the signature 194 lines stating: “If selected, this organization will adhere to the requirements for an 195 RDSA in the GPSA Constitution and Bylaws.” 196

C. Any RDSA failing to adhere to the requirements for an RDSA in the GPSA Constitution and 197 Bylaws shall be subject to review by the Court of Review. 198 1. The request for review may be submitted by any GPSA member from that program, 199

department, school, or college or from a chartered student or professional organization of 200 which the majority of members should be represented by that RDSA. 201

2. If the RDSA fails to comply with any Court of Review order within eleven (11) academic 202 days, the Chief Justice or the highest ranked Associate Justice shall have the authority to 203 decertify that RDSA. 204

D. Programs, departments, schools, or colleges with no RDSA shall lose all privileges afforded to 205 RDSAs by GPSA until a student organization applies for recognition in accordance with the 206 GPSA Constitution and Bylaws. 207 1. RDSAs which enter non-chartered status shall be recertified upon becoming chartered. 208 2. If an RDSA is in non-chartered status when challenged by a petition to select an RDSA, it 209

must charter before being permitted to be included on the ballot. 210 3. While non-chartered, an RDSA may not receive the benefit of any privilege afforded to 211

RDSAs by GPSA. 212

Section 3. GPSA Committees 213 A. All GPSA members of, or appointments to, standing committees, ad hoc committees, or 214

University committees must be GPSA members. 215 1. No individual GPSA member shall hold more than four (4) voting positions on GPSA 216

standing committees. 217

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B. Persons appointed to positions requiring Council approval when Council is not in session may 218 serve until Council has an opportunity to consider and approve their appointment, unless 219 otherwise specified in the GPSA Constitution or Bylaws. 220

C. All GPSA standing committees shall be composed of no fewer than five (5) members. with the 221 exception of the Executive Finance Committee. [3]At least three (3) different RDSAs must be 222 represented. Each member shall count as representing only one (1) RDSA. 223

D. Each GPSA Standing Committee Chair, Ad Hoc Committee Chair, and University committee 224 appointment shall submit a written report once a semester to the head of the appropriate branch 225 of government. 226

E. Joint ad hoc committees may be created by Council. Composition or means of composition shall 227 be determined at the creation of the committee and shall include Council Representatives and 228 GPSA members who are not Council Representatives. 229

F. A Decision Making Body may generate funds independent of the budget process, and these 230 funds shall not be part of the GPSA General Fund. The Decision Making Body shall record and 231 administer these self-generated funds. The Decision Making Body shall notify the head of its 232 branch of the receipt and use of these funds and shall provide a summary for the annual report. 233 Spending of these funds will be by a majority vote of the Decision Making Body and will be 234 subject to the Conflict of Interest Bylaws. 235

G. Chair-ships for the Executive Finance Committee (EFC), Legislative Finance Committee (LFC), 236 Legislative Steering Committee (LSC), and Grants Committee must be unique separate 237 individuals. 238

H. No individual shall hold more than three standing committee chair-ships. 239 I. The President and the Council Chair are ineligible for standing committee chair-ships. 240

Section 4. Transparency and Public Notice Requirements (TPNR) 241 A. Public Notice Requirements 242

1. Unless otherwise specified in the Constitution or Bylaws, public notice shall be given no 243 fewer than twenty-four (24) hours in advance of a meeting. 244

2. Public notice shall consist of posting required documents in the GPSA Office and on the 245 GPSA website, and sending an announcement via the GPSA electronic mailing list and to the 246 Daily Lobo and any other media who have provided a written request for minutes. 247

B. Agenda Requirements 248 1. The agenda, time, date, and location of any Open Meeting must be posted in accordance with 249

the Public Notice Requirements. 250 2. The meeting agenda shall specify items as discussion items or action items. 251 3. The meeting agenda shall include time for public comment before discussion of old or new 252

business. During public comment, members of the public will be granted no fewer than three 253 (3) minutes each. 254

C. Minutes Requirements 255 1. Minutes must be taken at every Open Meeting. 256 2. Minutes must contain at least the date, time, location, type of meeting and the name of the 257

Decision Making Body; the names of all Decision Making Body members attending the 258 meeting; the names of any individuals who address the body in person; and a record of all 259 motions and decisions made and votes taken. 260

3. A draft copy of the minutes must be posted within six (6) academic days of the public 261 meeting in the GPSA Office. 262

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4. The minutes shall be approved or amended at the next meeting of that Decision Making 263 Body where a quorum of the body is present. 264

D. Transparency Requirements 265 1. A Decision Making Body may permit participation by Telecommunication. The means and 266

extent of participation must be defined by the GPSA Bylaws, or the body’s standing rules if 267 approved by a two-thirds (2/3) vote. 268

a. A member of the body may use the means permitted if it is difficult to impossible for 269 that member to attend in person. 270

b. Each member participating by Telecommunication must be able to be identified when 271 speaking. All participants must be able to hear each other at the same time, and 272 members of the public attending the meeting must be able to hear any member of the 273 body who speaks during the meeting. 274

2. Audio and video recordings must be allowed and accommodated at Open Meetings. 275 3. Open Meeting votes and, if available, voting records are public unless otherwise specified in 276

the GPSA Constitution or Bylaws. 277 4. Attendance of GPSA members and members of the public will be accommodated at all Open 278

Meetings. 279 a. Open Meetings shall be held in spaces that can accommodate all people wishing to 280

attend and listen. 281 5. The body may take action only on those agenda items announced in accordance with the 282

Agenda Requirements. 283 6. Items added to the agenda fewer than twenty four (24) hours before a meeting must be 284

discussion items only. 285 E. Working Group Requirements 286

1. Decision Making Bodies must give a thorough review of recommendations from any group 287 that is not required to provide notice of its meetings. 288

2. The Working Group cannot take action that binds a Decision Making Body or any other 289 GPSA group. 290

3. Working Groups are not required to adhere to Public Notice Requirements but are required to 291 include any interested member of the Decision Making Body. 292

4. Meetings of Working Groups, even in the event the meeting has a quorum of members of the 293 Decision Making Body, are not required to be open so long as they are acting only on the 294 item(s) specified by the Decision Making Body. 295

F. Portions of an Open Meeting may be closed on the following occasions: 296 1. Deliberations by the Court of Review. The actual administrative and adjudicatory proceeding 297

at which evidence is offered or rebutted and any final action taken as a result of the 298 proceeding shall occur in an Open Meeting. However, the deliberations of the Court of 299 Review shall be closed to the public. 300

2. Discussion and records related to personnel. Any records or discussions related to personnel 301 shall be in accordance with University policy including but not limited to Human Resources 302 requirements. 303

3. Discussion and records deemed private. Any records or discussion related to privacy rights 304 protected by University policy or local, state, or federal law shall be closed to the public. 305

G. In order to close a meeting pursuant to the exclusions contained in this section, the closure must 306 be made in an open meeting and approved by a majority vote of a quorum of the Decision 307 Making Body: 308

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1. The authority for the closure and the subject(s) to be discussed shall be stated with 309 reasonable specificity in the motion calling for the vote to close a meeting. 310

2. The vote to close that portion of the meeting of each individual member shall be recorded in 311 the minutes. 312

3. Only those subjects announced prior to closure by the Decision Making Body may be 313 discussed in the closed portion of the meeting. 314

4. Items eligible for closure shall be indicated on the Agenda of the Open Meeting as such by 315 reference to the reason why closure will be considered. 316

H. Members of the public shall be excused during the closed portion of an Open Meeting. 317 I. Following completion of any closed meeting, the minutes of the Open Meeting that was closed, 318

shall state that the matters discussed in the closed meeting were limited only to those specified in 319 the motion for closure 320

Section 5. Project Assistants 321 A. The GPSA annual budget or Council appropriation may allow for hiring Project Assistants. The 322

budget or appropriation shall specify the amount of FTE and branch for each Project Assistant. 323 1. The budget must include a minimum 1.0 FTE designated for the Executive Branch. 324 2. Volunteers receiving a stipend are not Project Assistants. 325

B. Filling a Project Assistant vacancy requires an open call to the GPSA membership. 326 1. The open call for applicants shall comply with the Public Notice Requirements and include 327

job description and compensation. 328 2. Each branch is responsible for selecting its Project Assistants. 329

a. For the Executive, the President shall be responsible for the open call and selection. 330 b. For the Legislative, the Council Chair shall be responsible for the open call. The 331

Council Chair shall recommend a selection for Council’s approval. 332 c. For the Judicial, the Chief Justice shall be responsible for the open call and selection. 333

3. Project Assistants must be GPSA members. 334 C. Project Assistants aid in executing the mission of GPSA. 335

1. Project Assistant duties must be in compliance with the definition of Project Assistants given 336 in the University of New Mexico catalog. 337

2. Duties may include, but are not limited to, assisting standing and ad hoc committees and 338 working on projects that serve the mission of GPSA. 339

a. For the Executive, the President shall set the duties of and supervise the Project 340 Assistant(s). 341

b. For the Legislative, Council shall set the duties of the Project Assistant(s). The Council 342 Chair shall supervise the Project Assistant(s). 343

c. For the Judicial, the Chief Justice shall set the duties of and supervise the Project 344 Assistant(s). 345

D. Project Assistant compensation shall be contracted each semester. 346 1. Project Assistants shall be paid according to the guidelines required by the Office of 347

Graduate Studies. 348 2. Project Assistants shall be offered health insurance. 349 3. Project Assistants shall be offered tuition remission equal to the amount of hours required by 350

the Office of Graduate Studies in order to maintain their eligibility for the assistantship. 351

Section 6. Veto Procedure 352

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A. Presidential Action 353 1. A copy of the legislation with signature lines for approval or veto will be sent in hard and 354

electronic copy to the President’s office within one (1) academic day of the posting of the 355 draft of the Council meeting minutes in which the legislation was passed. 356

2. The President may take action on legislation, approval or veto, within five (5) academic days 357 of the posting of the draft of the minutes. 358

a. If the President takes action, it shall be on the legislation in totum and as is. Legislation 359 shall not be vetoed by line item. 360

b. If the President does not take action within the allotted time, the legislation becomes 361 binding. 362

c. The President may take action on legislation with an Electronic Signature. 363 d. If a veto is cast, it shall be accompanied by a rationale for the veto. 364 e. The President shall send the vetoed legislation and rationale to the Council Chair 365

within the required time limit. The Council Chair shall give notice of the veto in 366 accordance with TPNR within three (3) academic days of receipt. 367

f. The Council Chair shall place the vetoed legislation on the next regular Council 368 meeting agenda as an action item. 369

B. Council Action 370 1. Vetoed legislation that cannot be acted on at a regular meeting within a session shall be 371

presented at a special meeting prior to the close of the session. 372 2. When Council considers vetoed legislation, a motion to reconsider the bill must be made and 373

seconded. 374 3. Council shall consider the vetoed legislation in the same form as sent to the President. No 375

amendments may be made in an override consideration. 376 4. If Council votes to override, the legislation becomes binding without the President’s 377

signature. 378 5. If Council fails to override the President’s veto, the legislation dies and shall not be 379

reintroduced without amendment in the same Council session. 380

Section 7. GPSA Annual Report 381 A. All Decision Making Bodies shall provide a written report to the respective branch head by the 382

first (1st) academic day after the last regular Council meeting. 383 B. The head of each branch shall compile the Branch Annual Report and forward it to the President. 384 C. The President shall compile the GPSA Annual Report to be archived in accordance with the 385

GPSA Constitution. 386

Section 8. Amendments 387 Amendments and additions to the GPSA Bylaws shall be made according to the following procedure: 388

A. Proposed Amendments shall place the amendment within the appropriate context within this 389 document, including specific numerical reference (Article, Section, and paragraph number). 390

B. Approved amendments shall take effect as soon as University Counsel approves them. 391 C. Council Chair shall submit amendments to University Counsel within three (3) academic days 392

from final approval. 393 D. Where conflicts exist between previous bylaws and a new constitutional provision, the new 394

constitutional provision will supplant the previous bylaw. 395

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III. Resignation, Removal, and Replacement of Officers 396

Section 1. President 397 A. In order to initiate a recall election, Council must follow the Constitutional process of 398

impeachment and removal. (II.1.D.1.) 399 1. When the President is removed, the Council Chair shall assume the role of acting President, 400

and the Steering Committee Chair shall assume the role of acting Council Chair. 401 2. The Elections Committee must hold a recall election within fifteen (15) academic days of the 402

removal of the President by Council. 403 a. If the GPSA membership approves the removal of the President, a special election for a 404

new President must occur within twenty (20) academic days. The removed President 405 may not run in the special election. 406

b. If the GPSA membership does not approve the removal of the President, the President 407 is reinstated immediately upon official announcement of the recall election result. This 408 President may not be removed by Council again in the same session. 409

B. If the GPSA membership initiates a recall in accordance with the Constitution, Council shall 410 verify the validity of signatures and shall deliver the petition to the Elections Committee Chair. 411 (I.1.D.2.) 412 1. Council has five (5) academic days to validate the signatures and for the Council Chair to 413

deliver the petition to the Elections Chair after its presentation at a regular Council meeting. 414 2. If invalid signatures reduce the number to fewer than the required percentage, the petition is 415

considered null and void. 416 a. If the petition is considered null and void, the Council Chair shall give notice and 417

provide a list of all invalidated signatures within five (5) academic days and in 418 accordance with TPNR. 419

b. Any invalidated party shall have the opportunity to contest the invalidation in front of 420 the Court of Review. 421

3. Upon receipt of a valid recall petition, the Elections Chair shall hold a recall election. The 422 recall election must occur within fifteen (15) academic days of the Council meeting at which 423 the petition was presented. 424

4. The President may ask the Council Chair to serve as acting President until the recall election 425 can be held. 426

5. If a recall election results in the removal of the President, the Elections Committee shall hold 427 a special election in accordance with the GPSA Constitution and Bylaws, in which the 428 removed President may not run. 429

6. If a recall election does not result in the removal of the President, the President continues to 430 serve in office, or is reinstated if the Council Chair was serving as acting President. 431

Section 2. Council Chair 432 A. If the Council Chair has resigned or been removed, that person is ineligible to run in the resultant 433

Council Chair Special Election. 434

Section 3. Court of Review Justices 435 A. Removal of a Justice must follow the impeachment and removal process in the GPSA 436

Constitution. (IV.2.C.) 437 1. The motion to consider removal may occur at the same meeting as impeachment. 438

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2. Justices may only be removed through impeachment procedures. 439 3. After a motion to consider removal has passed, the Council Chair shall call a special meeting 440

for the removal vote within ten (10) academic days. 441 4. If the Chief Justice resigns or has been impeached and is currently the subject of removal 442

proceedings, the Senior Associate Justice shall assume the duties of the Chief Justice until 443 either the reinstatement or replacement of the Chief Justice. 444

B. The Court must have at least three (3) sitting Justices in order to operate. 445 C. Replacement 446

1. If the Court has three (3) or more remaining Justices after a resignation or removal, Council 447 may decide whether or not to appoint a replacement at the next regularly scheduled Council 448 meeting. 449

2. The President shall appoint temporary replacement Justices if the Court falls below three (3) 450 members until Council approves permanent replacements. 451

Section 4. Resignation 452 A. If the President, Council Chair, or Chief Justice wishes to resign, that individual shall resign by 453

delivering a written letter, either in person or by email, to the other individuals listed above as 454 well as to the Elections Chair. Additionally, the resigning officer shall notify the members of that 455 officer’s branch. 456

B. The letter of resignation must indicate whether the resignation is effective immediately or at 457 noon on a specified date. 458

C. Resignation of a Justice prior to the end of a semester may result in the loss of the Justice’s 459 stipend at the Council’s discretion. 460

IV. Executive Branch 461

Section 1. President 462 A. Duties, Powers, and Responsibilities 463

1. The President shall be authorized and required to be one of two signatures on disbursements 464 of GPSA, except for personal reimbursements to the President which shall be signed by two 465 other authorized persons. 466

2. The President may call special elections on items of governance, policy, and fiscal impact by 467 giving notice to Council and the Elections Committee. (VI.3.A.) Special Elections shall be 468 run in accordance with the GPSA Constitution and Bylaws. 469

3. The President shall serve as an official member to the Faculty Senate Graduate Committee, 470 as authorized by the Committee. 471

4. The President shall make official announcements for open positions and appointments in the 472 Executive Branch, including job descriptions and how to apply. 473

a. Announcements shall follow TPNR. 474 b. All GPSA members shall be eligible for all appointments, unless prohibited by the 475

GPSA Constitution and Bylaws. 476 5. The President should keep open appointments for the period of no less than five (5) academic 477

days from the announcement of the open positions. 478 6. The President may remove appointments at any time. 479 7. The President shall fill any Standing Committee Chair vacancy within twenty (20) academic 480

days. 481

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8. The President shall attend or send a designee to all Council meetings, and provide to Council 482 a President’s Report on issues pertinent to GPSA and the graduate and professional student 483 community. 484

9. The President shall be responsible for the hours of operation of the GPSA Office and 485 facilities. 486

10. The President shall employ, discharge, and assign duties to all Executive Branch employees, 487 in a manner consistent with current University employee policies. 488

B. Term of Office: A President having served a term less than one year may serve a maximum of 489 one (1) additional term as President. (II.1.B.2.) 490

C. Stipend: The President’s compensation should be offered as a Graduate Assistantship in 491 accordance with Office of Graduate Studies guidelines (II.1.C.1.) 492

Section 2. Chief of Staff 493 A. Duties, Power, and Responsibility 494

1. Budget 495 The EFC shall administer the budget under the direction of the President so long as not 496

to conflict with any GPSA Constitution and Bylaws or stipulations within the budget. 497

2. As an extension of the Executive Branch, the EFC shall serve in an administrative capacity to 498 ensure and facilitate proper financial distribution to, and budget compliance from, those 499 entities which receive GPSA funding both directly and indirectly from the GPSA General 500 Fund.[4]The EFC may serve to represent any financial requests from the Executive Branch to 501 the Finance Committee, including the Annual Budget. [5] 502

503

Section 2.Section 3. Executive Committees 504 A. Executive Committee Appointments 505

1. All GPSA Executive Standing Committee Chairs require approval from Council. (II.1.A.9.) 506 2. Appointments requiring Council approval shall be sent to the LSC and placed on the Council 507

agenda. 508 B. Executive Standing Committees 509

1. Executive[6] Elections Committee 510 a. During elections, the Elections Committee as well as GPSA Decision Making Bodies 511

should try to provide for autonomy of the Committee to prevent conflict of interest and 512 bias in the elections process. 513

2. Executive Finance Committee (EFC) 514 a. The EFC shall be responsible for maintaining the financial records of GPSA which 515

shall be open for inspection by any GPSA member or committee. 516 3.2.Executive Grants Committee 517

a. Members of the Grants Committee shall conduct themselves in a manner that promotes 518 public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the grants process. 519

b. Grants Application Readers present at a Grants Committee meeting are voting 520 members. 521

4.3.Executive Lobby Committee 522

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a. The Lobby Committee shall attempt to coordinate lobbying efforts of GPSA with the 523 Associated Students of New Mexico, the Associated Students of the University of New 524 Mexico, and other organizations as deemed appropriate. 525

b. The Lobby Committee shall work with the University administration on areas of 526 common concern. 527

c. The Lobby Committee is responsible for presenting GPSA issues before appropriate 528 governmental bodies, including the New Mexico Higher Education Department (HED). 529

d. The Lobby Committee shall investigate issues of importance to the GPSA, including 530 HED funding and capital outlays recommendations to the legislature. 531

e. The Lobby Committee should compensate student lobbyists for travel and other 532 necessary expenses subject to all applicable University policies and procedures. 533

f. The Lobby Committee Chair shall give reports on Lobby Committee activities to 534 Council at least one meeting prior, one during, and one after the regularly scheduled 535 New Mexico Legislative Session. The Lobby Committee Chair shall submit written 536 reports of the same comments to the President to keep as a record. 537

g. The Lobby Committee shall prepare a platform of issues in enough time to receive 538 input from Council. 539

h. The Lobby Committee Chair shall submit the final draft of the platform to Council in 540 December. 541

5.4.Executive Programs Committee 542 a. The Programs Committee shall implement and coordinate programs that promote an 543

inclusive and supportive community for graduate and professional students. 544 b. The Programs Committee shall collaborate with the programming of other student 545

organizations as appropriate. 546 6.5.Executive Student Support and Advocacy Committee (SS+A Committee) 547

a. The SSA Committee shall maintain a list of graduate student organizations, services 548 provided, and how each can be reached, and shall post the list on the GPSA website 549 and in the GPSA Office. 550

b. The SSA Committee shall provide information to GPSA members about GPSA, 551 including volunteer and paid positions, and activities. 552

c. The SSA Committee shall coordinate support for events of interest to GPSA members, 553 as resources and time of the committee allow. 554

C. Executive Standing Committee Chairs 555 1. Composition of Executive Committees and selection of Committee Chair and members must 556

comply with the GPSA Constitution and Bylaws. 557 2. Standing Committee Chairs shall appoint the membership of the standing committees. 558 3. The Standing Committee Chair may remove members of the standing committees at any 559

time. 560 4. The Standing Committee Chair shall be responsible for submitting the committee’s reports to 561

the President in accordance to the GPSA Constitution, Bylaws, and applicable Standing 562 Rules. 563

5. The Standing Committee Chair shall hold office hours for student inquiries or provide 564 contact information available in the GPSA Office. The Chairs shall adhere to TPNR. 565

D. Executive Standing Committee Chair Stipends 566 1. Disbursement of compensation shall be subject to the fulfillment of the Chair’s obligations 567

and duties as verified by the President. 568

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2. Disbursement shall be at the end of each semester in which the Chair served. 569 E. Executive Ad Hoc Committees 570

1. These committees shall pursue issues as specified by the President. These committees shall 571 endure no longer than is necessary for performance of the duties prescribed by the President. 572

F. Annual Written Reports 573 1. The Elections Committee shall include in the GPSA Annual Report all elections reports. See 574

Elections Code [Bylaw X.Section 10IX.Section 10]. 575 2. The Finance CommitteeEFC shall include in the GPSA Annual Report all expenditures and 576

year end balances. 577 3. The Grants Committee shall include in the GPSA Annual Report all funding cycle reports. 578

See Grants Code [BylawsIX.Section 1.LVIII.Section 1.L. & IX.Section 2.LVIII.Section 2.L]. 579 4. The Lobby Committee shall include in the GPSA Annual Report results of any lobbying 580

efforts and the annual legislative platform. 581 5. The Programs Committee shall include in the GPSA Annual Report the results of any 582

fundraising efforts. 583 6. The SSA Committee shall include in the GPSA Annual Report the list of graduate student 584

organizations and resources, as well as a summary of the issues deemed most important for 585 GPSA membership, progress made, and future recommendations. 586

7. Executive ad hoc committees shall include in the GPSA Annual Report progress towards 587 their specified objective(s), and any future recommendations for the continuation of the 588 committee. 589

8. University Committee appointees shall include in the GPSA Annual Report a summary of the 590 issues of importance to GPSA considered by the committee. 591

Section 3.Section 4. Executive Board 592 A. Representation 593

1. The Executive Board shall be made up of the President and Executive Standing, Ad Hoc, and 594 Joint Committee Chairs.[7][8] 595

1.2.School or college petitions for representation on the Executive Board shall be sent to the 596 President. The petition may specify the representative. 597

2.3.The President must grant petitions from unrepresented schools or colleges. 598 3.4.If there is no specified representative named on the petition, the President shall appoint a 599

representative from that school or college. 600 4.5.The President shall designate these additional representatives to the Executive Board as 601

voting members or non-voting members. 602 5.6.The Grants Committee shall have two votes on the Executive Board. These votes shall be 603

held singly by the Chair of the Grants Committee, but shall be split in the event of co-chairs. 604 B. Duties, Powers, and Responsibilities 605

1. The Executive Board shall direct recommendations for the Council agenda to the appropriate 606 Legislative body. 607

C. Quorum 608 1. The Executive Board members may participate by Telecommunication in accordance with 609

TPNR. 610 2. Participation includes discussion, making motions, and voting. 611

V. Legislative Branch 612

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Section 1. Council Representatives and Certified Alternates 613 A. RDSAs are the sole determinants of Council Representatives 614

1. For any RDSA, its Council representative(s) must be a graduate or professional student 615 seeking completion of a degree or certificate in one (1) of its programs. 616

2. The President, the Council Chair, and Court of Review Justices may not concurrently serve 617 as Council Representatives. 618

3. Representatives need not be officers of their RDSAs. 619 4. Credential Forms will be readily accessible in the GPSA Office, on the GPSA website, and 620

through the Council Chair and Council Recorder. 621 5. It is the responsibility of RDSAs and their designated Representative(s) to ensure that 622

Credential Forms are submitted and accepted by the Council Chair. 623 6. RDSA Presidents or their designees must sign Credential Forms. 624 7. In order for a GPSA member to serve as a Representative, that member’s Credential Form 625

must be submitted to the Council Chair prior to the start of a meeting. 626 8. All Credential Forms are nullified at the end of a Council session. New credentials are 627

required at the start of each Council session. 628 B. Representative Duties 629

1. In addition to duties outlined in the GPSA Constitution, Representatives In addition to duties 630 outlined in the GPSA Constitution, Representatives serve as a link between their RDSAs, 631 students, and chartered student oganizationsorganizations[9], as sponsors of legislation and 632 advocates in Council. Council may assist RDSAs, students, and chartered student 633 organizations with the drafting of legislation. [10]Representatives may volunteer to serve on 634 legislative standing or ad hoc committees. 635

C. Certified Alternates 636 1. Certified Alternates may be chosen at will by each RDSA. The procedure for the selection of 637

Certified Alternates is left to the determination of each RDSA. 638 2. Only Certified Alternate Credential Forms approved by the Council Chair shall be accepted. 639 3. There is no limit to the number of Certified Alternates an RDSA may select. If there is more 640

than one Certified Alternate, the Certified Alternates shall be ranked by the RDSA to indicate 641 seniority of representation. Ranking will be the order in which the Certified Alternates are 642 listed by the RDSA on the Credential Form unless otherwise noted. 643

4. When serving as a Council Representative, Certified Alternates shall have the same rights 644 and privileges as a Council Representative, unless otherwise specified by GPSA law. 645

Section 2. Council Chair 646 A. Duties, Powers, and Responsibilities: 647

1. The Council Chair shall produce an agenda in accordance with GPSA Bylaws and Council 648 Standing Rules for each Council meeting. The Council Chair shall be responsible for the 649 proper distribution of an agenda at least five (5) academic days prior to each regular Council 650 meeting. 651

2. At the first meeting of the academic year, the Council Chair shall provide all Council 652 Representatives with adequate information including, but not limited to, Council rules and 653 procedures, university policies, applicable parliamentary procedures, and access to the GPSA 654 Constitution and Bylaws. 655

3. The Council Chair shall notify the Council Representatives of the Chair’s office hours at the 656 beginning of each semester. 657

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4. The Council Chair shall appoint Council Representatives to the Legislative Standing 658 Committees in accordance with the GPSA Constitution and Bylaws. 659

5. The Council Chair shall administer the Legislative Budget and will oversee legislative budget 660 proposals for the subsequent fiscal year. 661

6. The Council Chair shall be responsible for the hiring of a Council Recorder. The Council 662 Chair oversees the Recorder and is responsible for assuring that the Council Recorder carries 663 out their duties. 664

7. The Council Chair may remove the Recorder subject to University policies and procedures. 665 A replacement shall be considered for approval by Council at the first opportunity. 666

8. The Council Chair shall review all minutes. Reviewed minutes shall be included on the 667 agenda for Council approval. These minutes will be noted as “Draft” until majority approval 668 by Council. The draft documentation shall be posted in accordance with TPNR. 669

B. If the Council Chair is unable to fulfill the duties of the position, the LSC Chair shall act as Chair 670 Pro Tempore until the Council Chair can resume the position or until an election can be held to 671 determine a replacement. 672 1. If a Council Chair is acting President the Council Chair shall be considered unable to fulfill 673

the duties of the position. 674 2. If the LSC Chair is acting as Chair Pro Tempore for longer than one (1) day, the LSC shall 675

select an interim LSC Chair. 676 3. Nothing in this section shall be construed to supplant the Council Chair without adhering to 677

the impeachment and removal procedures, nor to permit the LSC to operate with an un-678 Constitutional composition. 679

Section 3. Council Recorder 680 A. The Council Recorder is selected by the Council Chair and approved by majority vote at the first 681

Council meeting of the session. 682 B. The Recorder shall be a GPSA member who is not simultaneously serving as a Council 683

Representative. 684 C. The Recorder may not serve in another paid position within GPSA, with the exception of a 685

Grants Application Reader. 686 D. Duties: 687

1. The Recorder shall assist the Council Chair with the production of all Council meeting 688 minutes. 689

2. The Recorder may assist the Council Chair with verifying the credentials of Council 690 Representatives and ensure that Credential Forms are available to RDSAs. 691

3. The Council Chair may request the assistance of the Recorder for other duties. 692 4. Compensation 693

a. The amount of compensation shall be determined through the annual budget process. 694 b. Compensation may either be in the form of a set stipend, hourly wage, or other 695

arrangement. 696

Section 4. Procedures for Regular and Special Meetings 697 A. Regular Meeting 698

1. The date and time of the first regular Council meeting of the session shall be announced by 699 the Council Chair-elect at the final Council meeting of the preceding session. 700

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2. The regularly scheduled February and March meetings shall be scheduled for one of the last 701 seven (7) calendar days of the months. 702

B. Special Meeting 703 1. Petitions for special meetings not called by the Council Chair shall be submitted to the LSC 704

Chair; the LSC Chair shall verify the validity of the petition. 705 a. Petitions shall include the agenda items for discussion and action, the signatures as 706

required by the GPSA Constitution, and the date, time, and location of the meeting. 707 b. Notice of Special Meetings shall comply with TPNR. 708

C. Notice 709 1. In addition to following GPSA Constitutional notice requirements and TPNR, notice of every 710

regular Council meeting shall be included in a legislative calendar produced and made public 711 no later than the second (2nd) Council meeting of the session. 712

a. If changes are made to the calendar, a new version should be produced no later than 713 two (2) academic days after such change. 714

D. Standing Rules 715 1. At the first Council meeting of the session, Council shall approve standing rules, which shall 716

name the parliamentary procedures that Council shall follow. 717 a. An agenda template for regular Council meetings shall be included as part of the 718

Standing Rules. 719 b. The Public Notice Requirements shall be announced by the Council Chair at the first 720

meeting of each semester of the session. 721 2. The Council’s Standing Rules apply to every Council meeting unless suspended with a two-722

thirds (2/3) vote of Council. 723

Section 5. Proxy Privileges 724 A. Proxy voting is the casting of a vote on behalf of a Council Representative. Proxy authority may 725

only be given by a validated Council Representative or Certified Alternate to another GPSA 726 Member. 727 1. Council Representatives and Certified Alternates should select a GPSA member from the 728

same RDSA to serve as Proxy. 729 B. In order to be eligible to vote in a Council meeting, a GPSA member must be a recognized 730

Representative, Certified Alternate, or Proxy. 731 1. Proxy forms must be delivered to the Council Chair before a GPSA member may serve as a 732

Proxy at a Council meeting. 733 2. When the Council Chair receives and approves a Proxy form, that GPSA member is eligible 734

to serve as a Proxy for that meeting. 735 3. The Council Chair shall keep a list of eligible Proxies for each meeting. 736 4. Proxies are eligible to vote for the specified Council meeting in which proxy privileges are 737

approved. 738 5. Proxies do not count toward quorum. 739

C. If an RDSA has more Representatives, Certified Alternates, and eligible Proxies present at a 740 Council meeting than it has votes, the voting slots shall be recognized in the following order and 741 according to rank: Representative(s), Certified Alternate(s), Proxy (ies). 742 1. A GPSA member who believes they should have voting privileges at a Council meeting may 743

bring this to the attention of the Council Chair. The Council Chair must recognize a GPSA 744 member’s right to vote prior to that member’s voting. 745

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D. If a Council Representative or Certified Alternate is in attendance at a GPSA Council meeting 746 and must leave a meeting in progress, that voting member may select a Proxy. 747 1. Representatives or Certified Alternates using a Proxy should provide written documentation 748

of their RDSA’s preferences for the publicized agenda items to the Proxy prior to 749 surrendering voting privileges to that Proxy for that meeting. 750

E. Council Representatives or Certified Alternates who miss three (3) consecutive regular Council 751 meetings forfeit the proxy privileges. 752 1. Upon attending a Council meeting, a Council Representative’s or Certified Alternate’s 753

written proxy privileges will be reinstated. 754 F. No GPSA member may hold more than two proxy votes. 755

Section 6. Legislative Standing Committees 756 A. Legislative [11]Standing Committee Chairs 757

1. Selection 758 a. Legislative [12]Standing Committee Chairs shall be selected by the Council Chair and 759

approved by a majority vote of Council at the first (1st) regular Council meeting of the 760 session. 761

b. Standing Committee Chair appointments must be approved by Council prior to 762 assuming Committee Chair duties. 763

2. Duties, Powers, Responsibilities 764 a. Each Committee Chair, in conjunction with the membership of the committee, shall 765

maintain a schedule of meetings for that Council session, to be posted in accordance 766 with TPNR. 767

3. Reports 768 a. Written Legislative Committee Chair reports shall be given once per semester to 769

Council. 770 b. At each regular Council meeting the LFC Chair shall provide a report on the GPSA 771

General Fund, the Legislative Fund account balance, and appropriations to date.[13] 772 4. Compensation 773

a. The amount of compensation shall be determined through the annual budget process. 774 b. Disbursement of compensation is subject to the fulfillment of the Committee Chair’s 775

duties as verified by the Council Chair or Council. 776 c. Disbursement shall be at the end of each semester in which the Committee Chair 777

served. 778 5. Removal 779

a. In addition to removal by the Council Chair, a Legislative Standing Committee Chair 780 may also be removed by Council with a two-thirds (2/3) vote. 781

b. If a Committee Chair is removed or resigns, the committee shall select another member 782 to serve as interim Committee Chair until a replacement is appointed by the Council 783 Chair and approved by Council. 784

c. Council shall vote whether or not the removed Chair may continue to serve as a 785 member on that committee. 786

d. If the LSC Chair is serving as the acting Council Chair, the committee shall select an 787 interim LSC Chair. 788

B. Committee Membership 789 1. Selection 790

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a. The Council Chair shall provide notice of committee membership opportunities with 791 the Agenda notice for the first Council meeting of the session. 792

b. The Council Chair should seek any interested volunteers and must consider 793 recommendations from Council for committee membership. 794

c. The Council Chair shall appoint a minimum of five (5) and no more than eight (8) 795 members for the LSC and five (5) members for the LFC legislative standing 796 committees at the first meeting of the Council session. 797

d. Approval of appointed standing committee members shall be by a majority vote of 798 Council prior to assuming duties. 799

e. Members may be added to legislative standing committees when appointed by the 800 Council Chair and approved by Council at a Council meeting, in accordance with the 801 GPSA Constitution’s composition requirements. 802

2. Removal 803 a. If a committee member violates the committee’s standing rules, that member shall be 804

removed by the Committee Chair or the Council Chair 805 b. A Representative may appeal a removal at the next regularly scheduled Council 806

meeting before the selection of a replacement. Overturning a removal requires a two-807 thirds (2/3) vote from Council. 808

c. The Council Chair may appoint replacement(s) to be approved by Council. 809 d. Council may request that the Council Chair reconstitute a committee. 810

Section 7. Standing Committee Procedures 811 A. Standing Rules 812

1. Each committee must adopt and adhere to standing rules which include, but are not limited 813 to, committee procedure, legislation requirements, and membership duties. The standing 814 rules must comply with the GPSA Constitution and Bylaws, as well as any direction 815 provided by Council. 816

2. Each committee must adopt standing rules at its first meeting of the Council session. 817 Standing rules must be approved by Council at a regularly scheduled Council meeting. 818

3. The first committee meeting shall use the adopted standing rules for an interim period until 819 rules are approved by Council. 820

4. Committees may suspend the standing rules with a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the committee. 821 Council must be notified at the meeting in which the legislation is presented that the standing 822 rules were suspended. 823

B. Timeline 824 1. Timeline 825

a. Each legislative standing committee shall conduct its first meeting between the first 826 (1st) and second (2nd) regularly scheduled Council meetings. 827

b. Legislative standing committees must meet between nine (9) and thirteen (13) 828 academic days prior to each regularly scheduled Council meeting after the August 829 meeting in which they are formed. 830

c. Items for committee review must be submitted to the appropriate Committee Chair at 831 least two (2) academic days prior to the committee meeting. Submissions received after 832 this deadline shall be considered at the following committee meeting, except for the 833 last committee meeting of the Council session. 834

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d. Committee Chairs must submit items for inclusion on the Council agenda to the 835 Council Chair at least eight (8) academic days prior to a regular Council meeting. 836

e. Supporting documentation for agenda items and committee reports must be submitted 837 to the Council Chair at least five (5) academic days prior to the Council meeting. 838

f. The Committee Chairs shall post meeting minutes at least twenty-four (24) hours in 839 advance of each regularly scheduled Council meeting. 840

Section 8. Ad Hoc Committees 841 A. Formation and Dissolution 842

1. Council shall determine the composition or means of composition of legislative ad hoc 843 committees. 844

2. Council shall approve the purpose and duration of the ad hoc committees. 845 B. Council shall determine the means for selecting ad hoc committee chairs. 846

1. Each ad hoc Committee Chair is responsible for adhering to TPNR. 847 2. Ad hoc committees must request an appropriation from Council for any operational costs that 848

the committee expects. 849

Section 9. Types and Requirements of Non-Appropriative Legislation 850 A. Constitutional amendments must be included as a discussion item at least one (1) regularly 851

scheduled Council meeting prior to the regularly scheduled Council meeting at which action may 852 be taken. 853

B. Bylaws must be included as a discussion item at least one (1) regularly scheduled Council 854 meeting prior to the regularly scheduled Council meeting at which action may be taken. Bylaws 855 require a two-thirds (2/3) vote to pass. 856

C. Resolutions require a majority vote of Council. 857

Section 10. Committee Consideration of Legislation and Appropriations 858 A. Any GPSA member, RDSA, Decision Making Body, or groups or individuals with a GPSA 859

member serving as a sponsor may submit legislation or appropriations for Council consideration. 860 This includes the Executive Board and President. Items should be submitted to the appropriate 861 Legislative Committee Chair. 862

B. Every submission must include a contact person who is responsible for the item, capable of 863 answering questions, providing additional material, and making necessary revisions. 864 1. The Committee Chair shall collect all submissions, confirm that items have been submitted to 865

the proper committee, and produce a committee agenda in accordance with TPNR. 866 2. Legislative Committee Chairs shall redirect an item submitted to the incorrect committee to 867

the appropriate party. 868 3. Legislative Committees shall facilitate each submission's adherence to the guidelines and 869

required format established by the Bylaws and standing rules. 870 4. Legislative Committees shall provide contact information for Council members and GPSA 871

leadership upon request. 872 5. Legislative Committees shall review and make recommendations on all items submitted in 873

accordance with the GPSA Constitution and Bylaws. Recommendations may include, but are 874 not limited to, suggestions for amendment, substitution, discussion, and action. 875

C. All Legislative Items are forwarded with committee recommendations to the Council Chair and 876 shall be included on the Council agenda. 877

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1. Once Legislative Committees have determined a recommendation, this Legislative Item 878 should appear on the agenda for the next regularly scheduled Council meeting. 879

a. Legislative Committees shall not unduly delay making recommendations on 880 Legislative Items. 881

2. The original Legislative Item and accompanying recommendation shall be treated as one (1) 882 agenda item. 883

3. The original Legislative Item shall not be altered by any of the Committee's 884 recommendations beyond grammar, spelling, and format until it is considered by Council. 885

4. A copy of the edited Legislative Item and accompanying recommendation as submitted to 886 Council shall be delivered to the originating party with a notice of the Council meeting in 887 which the Legislative Item will be discussed within one (1) academic day of the item being 888 forwarded to the Council Chair. 889

5. The supporting documents and recommendations may be revised by the respective legislative 890 committee up to the required deadline for supporting document submissions. The final 891 versions of the Legislative Item and supporting documents must be submitted both to the 892 Council Chair and to the originating party. 893

Section 11. Council Consideration of Legislative Items 894 A. The Council Chair shall prepare all Legislative Items and reports from legislative standing and 895

ad hoc committees and items required by the Bylaws in a single agenda. 896 1. Items identified by the Constitution and Bylaws as automatically appearing on the agenda do 897

not have to go through the committee process. 898 2. Emergency items may be added to the agenda in accordance with TPNR at the discretion of 899

the Council Chair, even if they have not gone through the committee process. 900 3. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of Council is required to allow discussion or action on emergency 901

items. 902 B. The Council Chair shall post an agenda for each regularly scheduled Council meeting no later 903

than six (6) academic days before the meeting. The Council Chair shall post supporting 904 documents no later than three (3) academic days before the meeting. Posting of agenda and 905 supporting documents must comply with TPNR. 906

C. Final order of items on the agenda is at the discretion of the Council Chair and subject to Council 907 amendment. 908

D. Within the order of business, the originating party or sponsor shall have three (3) minutes to 909 provide relevant commentary on the Legislative Item. 910

E. The applicable Legislative Committee Chair may provide information regarding their 911 committee’s recommendation at the request of the Council Chair, Council Representative, or any 912 recognized and present voting member of Council. 913

F. The Council Chair may provide basic information about emergency items. 914 G. Council is the final authority in the Legislative Branch. 915

VI. Joint Standing Committees 916

Section 1. Finance Committee (FC) 917 1. Selection 918

a. The FC shall be composed of six (6) members. 919

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i. Three (3) members, including the Chair, will be appointed by the President and 920 approved by Council. 921

ii. Three (3) members, including the Vice-Chair, will be appointed by the Council 922 Chair and approved by Council. 923

b. The FC Chair shall be approved by Council at the first regular meeting in August but 924 shall assume duties immediately upon appointment by the President. 925

2. Duties, Powers, Responsibilities 926 a. The FC shall be responsible for maintaining the financial records of GPSA which shall 927

be open for inspection by any GPSA member or committee. 928 b. The FC will serve as the recommending body for all GPSA financial allocations from 929

the General Fund. 930 c. FC Chair 931

i. The FC Chair shall administer and oversee all meetings of the FC 932 ii. The FC Chair shall not have a vote in any actions before the Finance 933

Committee, except in the case of a tie. 934 d. FC Vice-Chair. 935

i. The FC Vice-Chair shall assist the FC Chair in the duties and responsibilities of 936 the FC. 937

ii. The FC Vice-Chair shall serve as acting FC Chair in the absence of the FC 938 Chair. 939

iii. The FC Vice-Chair shall have a vote in any actions before the Finance 940 Committee. 941

e. The FC shall meet monthly after the first regularly scheduled Council meeting of the 942 fall semester until the end of the spring semester; an exception may be made for the 943 month of December, when the Council Chair, FC Chair, and FC Vice-Chair may 944 decide not to have an FC meeting due to time restrictions. 945

f. Emergency meetings may be called at the discretion of the FC Chair, FC Vice-Chair, 946 Council Chair, or by vote of Council. 947

g. The FC must adopt standing rules at its first meeting of the Council session. 948 h. FC standing rules shall be used as sole standing rules for all appropriations and budget 949

request. 950 i. Standing rules must be approved by Council at a regularly scheduled Council meeting. 951

952 3. Reports 953 a. At each regular Council meeting the LFC Vice-Chair shall provide a report on the GPSA 954

General Fund, the Legislative Fund account balance, and appropriations to date. 955 956

4. Compensation 957 a. The amount of compensation shall be determined through the annual budget process. The 958

stipends for the FC Chair and Vice-Chair shall be equal. 959 b. Chair 960

i. Disbursement of compensation is subject to the fulfillment of the Committee 961 Chair’s duties as verified by the President. 962

c. Vice-Chair 963

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i. Disbursement of compensation is subject to the fulfillment of the Committee 964 Vice-Chair’s duties as verified by the Council Chair or Council. 965

d. Disbursement shall be at the end of each semester in which the Committee Chair and 966 Vice-Chair served. 967

5. Removal 968 a. The FC Chair and executive appointees may be removed by the President at any time. 969 b. The FC Vice-Chair and legislative appointees may be removed by the Council Chair at 970

any time or by Council with a two-thirds (2/3) vote 971 c. If the FC Chair is removed or resigns, the Vice-Chair shall serve as interim Chair and 972

assume all responsibilities and duties of Chair and Vice-Chair until a replacement is 973 appointed by the President. The interim Chair shall not have a vote in any actions 974 before the Finance Committee, except in the case of a tie. 975

6. Annual Reports 976 a. FC shall include in the GPSA Annual Report all expenditures and year end balances. 977

978

VI.VII. Judicial Branch 979

Section 1. Appellate Jurisdiction 980 A. In addition to the Court’s original jurisdiction as stated in the GPSA Constitution, the Court shall 981

also have appellate jurisdiction to hear: 982 1. All matters arising from Council activity, including, but not limited to, review of any award 983

of GPSA funds to an organization or individual for consistency with the GPSA Constitution 984 and Bylaws. 985

2. All matters arising from activities of any Executive, Legislative, and Judicial standing or ad 986 hoc committee. 987

3. All acts of the President, Council Chair, or GPSA member acting on behalf of GPSA when 988 and which the Court would not otherwise have original jurisdiction to hear. 989

Section 2. Judicial Oath of Office 990 A. No Justice shall assume the duties of that office until the Judicial Oath of Office (Oath) has been 991

administered. The Oath must be administered within ten (10) academic days of confirmation by 992 Council. 993 1. The Oath shall be administered to the Chief Justice by the President or, in the President’s 994

absence, the Council Chair and must be witnessed by a representative of either the Executive 995 or Legislative branch, so long as the witness is not a member of the branch that is 996 administering the Oath. 997

2. For all other Justices, the Oath shall be administered by the Chief Justice, and must be 998 witnessed by a representative of either the Executive or Legislative branch. 999

3. In the case that the Chief Justice is unavailable to administer the Oath, the President shall 1000 administer the Oath. In the case that the President is unavailable to administer the Oath, then 1001 the Council Chair shall administer it. In any case, the administration of the Oath must be 1002 witnessed by a member of either the Executive or Legislative branch so long as the witness is 1003 not a member of the branch that is administering the Oath. 1004

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4. The Oath will be administered with the right hand uplifted and the following words said 1005 aloud: 1006

a. “I, (name), do solemnly swear that I will uphold the laws of the Graduate and 1007 Professional Students Association of the University of New Mexico, the State of New 1008 Mexico, and the United States of America; that I will judge fairly and with no previous 1009 bias the evidence and proceedings before me, and that I will otherwise fulfill the duties 1010 and obligations of the GPSA Judiciary to the best of my ability.” 1011

5. Upon affirmation of the Oath, an affidavit will be filed attesting to the authority of the 1012 Justice. The Justice shall then assume office. 1013

Section 3. Code of Conduct 1014 A. All Justices shall establish, observe, and maintain high standards of conduct so that the integrity 1015

and independence of the judiciary may be preserved. 1016 B. Justices shall respect and comply with the law and shall conduct themselves at all times in a 1017

manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary. 1018 C. Justices shall not allow their family, social, or other relationships to influence their judicial 1019

conduct or judgment. 1020 D. Justices shall not permit those under their control to convey the impression that they are in a 1021

special position to influence the decisions of the Court. 1022

Section 4. Responsibilities 1023 A. Justices shall be faithful to the law and remain unbiased and nonpartisan. 1024 B. Justices shall maintain order and decorum in proceedings before them. 1025 C. Justices shall be patient, dignified, and courteous to those with whom they deal in an official 1026

capacity, and shall require similar conduct of those subject to their direction and control. 1027 D. Justices shall accord to every person who is involved in a proceeding, or their counsel, a full 1028

right to be heard according to law. 1029 E. Justices shall neither initiate nor consider communications from only one party of a pending or 1030

impending proceeding. 1031 F. Each Justice is charged with the duty of carefully reading and analyzing the pertinent submitted 1032

material on each case in which he or she participates. 1033 G. Justices shall abstain from public comment about a pending proceeding in the Court. This does 1034

not prohibit Justices from making public statements in the course of their official duties or from 1035 explaining for public information the procedures of the Court. 1036

H. Justices of the Court shall dispose promptly of the business of the Court. 1037 I. Each Justice of the Court shall take or initiate appropriate disciplinary measures against any 1038

other Justice for unprofessional conduct of which they become aware. 1039 J. All official decisions and opinions of the Court shall be made in writing, made available to 1040

GPSA officers, Representatives, and members, as well as the public upon request. Written 1041 opinions must become part of the official Court Record and shall be made available to the 1042 President, Council Chair, Council Representatives, and upon request to GPSA members and the 1043 public. 1044

Section 5. Disqualification 1045 A. A Justice is disqualified and shall announce recusal in any proceeding in which: 1046

1. The Justice has personal knowledge of disputed evidentiary facts concerning the proceeding. 1047

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2. The Justice or the Justice’s spouse/domestic partner, or a person related to the Justice within 1048 the third degree, by blood, marriage, or other relationship to either the Justice or the Justice’s 1049 spouse/domestic partner: 1050

a. is a party to the proceeding, or an officer, director, or trustee of a party; 1051 b. is acting as legal counsel in the proceedings; 1052 c. is known by the Justice to have an interest that could substantially affect or be affected 1053

by the outcome of the proceeding; 1054 d. is to the knowledge of the Justice likely to be a material witness in the proceeding; 1055

3. A party to the proceeding is an employee of the Justice. 1056 B. Any Justice announcing recusal from any proceeding shall notify the Chief Justice of the recusal 1057

in writing. 1058 C. If the Chief Justice must announce recusal from any proceeding, the Chief Justice shall notify the 1059

full Court of the recusal in writing. 1060

Section 6. Non-judicial Activities 1061 A. Justices may appear at a public hearing before an executive or legislative body, and may consult 1062

with an executive or legislative body official, but only on matters concerning the administration 1063 of justice. 1064

B. Justices shall not act as arbitrators or mediators except in the performance of judicial duties. 1065 C. Justices shall not accept any gift, bequest, favor, or loan other than ordinary social hospitality, if 1066

the source of said gift, bequest, favor, or loan could imply or give the appearance of influencing 1067 the decisions of the Court or otherwise give the appearance of impropriety. 1068

Section 7. Resignation & Seniority 1069 A. Should the Chief Justice resign from the Court for any reason or be the subject of impeachment 1070

proceedings, the Senior Associate Justice shall assume the duties of the Chief Justice until the 1071 President appoints and Council affirms a new Chief Justice. 1072

B. Seniority of the Associate Justices shall be determined by the date of approval of appointments, 1073 the vote order by Council, and the seniority assigned during a block vote. 1074 1. Seniority of the Associate Justices shall be assigned prior to sending the appointments to the 1075

LSC. 1076 C. Nothing in this section shall be construed to mean that the Court may operate with less than three 1077

sitting Justices. 1078 D. Members of the Court of Review shall not serve on any GPSA standing committee. 1079

Section 8. Pro Tempore Justice Appointments 1080 A. In the event that one or more Justice(s) announce recusal from any proceeding, or in the event 1081

that any Justice is the subject of an impeachment proceeding before Council, the Chief Justice 1082 shall notify the President and Council Chair of such an occurrence within three (3) academic 1083 days of receiving written notification of a Justice’s recusal. 1084

B. Within three (3) academic days of receipt of such notification from the Chief Justice, the 1085 President shall recommend a Pro Tempore Justice to Council. 1086

C. Within three (3) academic days of receiving the President’s recommendation, the Council Chair 1087 shall schedule a Special Meeting of Council in accordance with TPNR in order to consider the 1088 President’s recommendation. 1089

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D. Following recusal, a Pro Tempore Justice must be approved by Council within twenty (20) 1090 academic days of receipt of notice from the Chief Justice that a Justice has announced recusal 1091 from a proceeding before the Court. 1092

E. The Chief Justice shall stay the effected proceeding(s), informing all parties of the stay, until 1093 such time as: 1094 1. the President has recommended to Council a Pro Tempore replacement for each recused 1095

Justice, and Council has approved that recommendation; 1096 2. the Pro Tempore Justice has taken the Judicial Oath of Office; and 1097 3. an affidavit attesting to the Pro Tempore Justice’s authority has been filed. 1098

F. All Pro Tempore Justice appointments, once made, shall expire upon the termination of the 1099 matter before the Court. For the purposes of this section, “termination” means any final ruling by 1100 the Court of the matter before it, including dismissal for any reason as well as a determination of 1101 the matter on its merits. 1102

G. With the exception of those cases in which a Justice has announced recusal because 1103 impeachment proceedings have been brought against the Justice, the appointment of a Pro 1104 Tempore Justice shall not limit the recused Justice’s authority to hear other matters before the 1105 Court. 1106

Section 9. Additional Duties Required 1107 A. General Duties of the Court 1108

1. The Court shall conduct monthly meetings throughout each semester. 1109 2. The Chief Justice shall preside at all meetings of the Court, or be responsible for assigning a 1110

Justice to preside when the Chief Justice cannot attend or has announced recusal. 1111 3. The Chief Justice is responsible for publishing all rulings and decisions of the Student Court 1112

within eleven (11) academic days of decision. 1113 B. Advice to the President, Elections Chair, or Council as requested 1114

1. The President, Elections Chair, or Council may seek the advice of the Court for any matter, 1115 including, but not limited to, the constitutionality of any provision of the GPSA Bylaws, 1116 codes or rules, or the constitutionality of any act of any GPSA officer or member acting on 1117 GPSA’s behalf. 1118

2. The President or Elections Chair may request the advice of the Court by submitting a 1119 question in writing to the Court with a copy to the Council Chair. 1120

3. Council may request the advice of the Court upon a majority vote of the Representatives 1121 present at any regular or special meeting where a quorum is present. The question shall be 1122 submitted to the Court in writing with a copy to the President. 1123

4. When advice of the Court is sought, the Court may follow procedures it determines in its 1124 discretion that are suitable to effectively research and address the question presented. The 1125 Court may ask the presenter of the question for clarification of the issue. 1126

5. The Court may determine that the question presented is beyond the scope of the Court’s 1127 authority, in which case it shall so inform the President and Council Chair of such a 1128 determination. 1129

6. In any event, the Court shall issue a written Advisory Opinion to the President and Council 1130 chair within twenty (20) academic days of receipt of the written question. 1131

C. Appellate Procedure 1132 1. Jurisdiction 1133

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a. The Court shall determine if it has personal jurisdiction over all parties in hearings 1134 before the Court, whether under the Court’s original or appellate jurisdiction. 1135

b. Should the Court determine it does not have jurisdiction over a particular party for any 1136 reason, the Court shall dismiss the action without reaching the merits. 1137

c. This section does not apply to the Court’s proceedings when it has been asked to issue 1138 an Advisory Opinion. 1139

2. Hearing Procedures and Informal Dispute Resolution: 1140 a. The GPSA Court of Review encourages disputants to resolve their disputes outside of 1141

this Court. This Court is available to assist in informal proceedings should both parties 1142 consent to such dispute resolution. Procedures for informal dispute resolution are to be 1143 determined by the Court. 1144

b. Parties wishing to seek resolution to their dispute in a more formal setting may bring an 1145 action before the Court by following the established Hearing Procedures. 1146

3. Complaint Limitations Period 1147 a. In general, all actions alleging violations of the GPSA Constitution or Bylaws must be 1148

brought within twenty (20) academic days from the date of the alleged infraction. 1149 However, if the Plaintiff is unaware of the alleged infraction at the time it occurs, the 1150 Plaintiff must file the claim within eight (8) academic days from the day on which the 1151 Plaintiff learned, or should have learned, of the infraction. 1152

b. Any challenge to any action on the grounds that it has been brought after the applicable 1153 Complaint Limitations Period has run is a matter to be resolved by the Court of 1154 Review. 1155

c. Extensions of the Complaint Limitations Period may be granted only to accommodate 1156 events deemed emergencies by the Court or for other equitable reasons as determined 1157 by the Court. 1158

4. Complaint 1159 a. All matters that are not Advisory Opinion Proceedings shall be brought before the 1160

Court upon completion of a Complaint form by the Plaintiff, filed with the Court in the 1161 GPSA Office within the applicable limitations period. 1162

b. The Complaint form may be obtained from the GPSA Office. 1163 c. The Plaintiff shall serve a true and correct copy of the Complaint to any and all 1164

Defendants no more than three (3) academic days after submitting a Complaint to the 1165 Court. Service of the Complaint may be made in person, by hand delivery, by first-1166 class mail, or any other method by which the Plaintiff reasonably believes the 1167 Defendant should receive the Complaint. 1168

d. The Court has six (6) academic days to review the Complaint and determine if it is 1169 within the Court’s jurisdiction as defined in the GPSA Constitution and Bylaws, and 1170 whether all information required by the Complaint form has been submitted and is fully 1171 completed. 1172

e. If corrections are required, the Plaintiff has three (3) academic days in which to make 1173 any corrections, additions, revisions, etc., and submit an amended Complaint to the 1174 Court. The Court may grant extensions to any Plaintiff when justice so requires. 1175

f. The Plaintiff shall serve a true and correct copy of the amended Complaint on any and 1176 all Defendants within three (3) academic days of its submission to the Court. Service of 1177 the amended Complaint may be made in person, by hand delivery, by first-class mail, 1178

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or any other method by which the Plaintiff reasonably believes the Defendant should 1179 receive the amended Complaint. 1180

g. The Court will dismiss without prejudice any Complaint over which it lacks 1181 jurisdiction. The Court reserves the right to dismiss any Complaint on the grounds that 1182 the amended Complaint is incomplete and/or the time for submitting corrections has 1183 expired. 1184

5. Answer 1185 a. The Answer form may be obtained from the GPSA Office. 1186 b. On or before the fifth (5th) academic day following receipt of the Complaint (or 1187

amended Complaint), the Defendant(s) must file a completed Answer on the Court’s 1188 Answer form with the Court. 1189

c. The Defendant shall serve a true and correct copy of the Answer on any and all 1190 Plaintiffs within three (3) academic days of its submission to the Court. Service of the 1191 Answer may be made in person, by hand delivery, by first-class mail, or any other 1192 method by which the Defendant reasonably believes the Plaintiffs should receive the 1193 Answer. 1194

d. If the Court determines that the Answer form is incomplete or inaccurate, it shall be 1195 returned to the Defendant(s) who shall have three (3) academic days in which to amend 1196 the Answer form and re-submit it to the Court. 1197

e. The Defendant shall serve a true and correct copy of the amended Answer on any and 1198 all Plaintiffs within three (3) academic days of its submission to the Court. Service of 1199 the amended Answer may be made in person, by hand delivery, by first-class mail, or 1200 any other method by which the Defendant reasonably believes the Plaintiffs should 1201 receive the amended Answer. 1202

6. Pre-Hearing Guidelines 1203 a. The Court has three (3) academic days from receipt of the Answer (or amended 1204

Answer) in which to schedule a Hearing if the Court finds the case to be within the 1205 Court’s jurisdiction. 1206

b. The Hearing shall be scheduled no later than seven (7) academic days from the date of 1207 the Court’s receipt of the Defendant’s Answer or final amended Answer, unless the 1208 matter is stayed by the Chief Justice because a Justice has announced recusal, in which 1209 case a hearing shall be scheduled no later than seven (7) academic days after a Pro 1210 Tempore Justice has been appointed, approved, and assumed the Judicial Oath of 1211 Office. 1212

c. Extensions of the time allotted for submission of the Complaint (or amended 1213 Complaint), the Answer (or amended Answer), and/or scheduling of a hearing must be 1214 granted when justice so requires. 1215

7. Witnesses and Evidence 1216 a. Parties are responsible for gathering and presenting evidence and other testimony, 1217

including calling any relevant witnesses to support their case. 1218 b. Should a party be unable to find or to convince a witness to testify at the hearing, or 1219

should a party be unable to access evidence that is critical to its case after reasonable 1220 diligence in attempting to secure such witness or evidence, it may inform the Court. 1221 The Court may, in its discretion, postpone the hearing or take other remedial measures 1222 to allow the party to gather evidence necessary to its case in the interest of justice and 1223 fairness. 1224

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8. Hearing Procedures 1225 a. The Plaintiff(s), followed by the Defendant(s), shall present Opening Statements, 1226

which shall be no more than ten (10) minutes in length per party. 1227 b. The Court may ask questions of either party, if clarification is needed. 1228 c. Witnesses for both the Plaintiff(s) and Defendant(s) shall present their evidence and/or 1229

testimony. Parties shall have an opportunity to question each witness subject to the 1230 restrictions of the Court. The Court may also question the witnesses, if necessary. 1231

d. The Court reserves the right to recall any Plaintiff(s), Defendant(s), and/or Witness (es) 1232 at any time during the hearing. 1233

e. The Plaintiff(s) and the Defendant(s) shall be asked if they would like to make Closing 1234 Statements, and if they so desire, they shall be given no more than ten (10) minutes per 1235 party for a closing statement. 1236

f. The Court shall then recess to deliberate in a closed portion of a meeting. 1237 g. The Court shall issue a decision no later than fourteen (14) calendar days following the 1238

Hearing. 1239 9. Hearing Guidelines 1240

a. All Hearing proceedings must be audio recorded. 1241 b. The Court shall be allowed to recess at any time, for any reason. 1242 c. The Court may, in its discretion, admonish any Witness or party whose testimony or 1243

behavior is inconsistent or harmful to the process of justice. 1244 d. Consistent with these Procedures, the time allowed for Plaintiff(s), Defendant(s), and 1245

Witness Statements shall be decided by the Court at the beginning of the Hearing. 1246 e. Plaintiff(s) and/or Defendant(s) have the right to appear with an advisor at the Hearing. 1247

The advisor may be, but is not required to be, an attorney. However, the Plaintiff(s) and 1248 Defendant(s) are responsible for presenting their cases in their entirety. Advisors are 1249 therefore not permitted to speak or participate directly in any Hearing. 1250

f. Circumstances not described above will be resolved at the discretion of the Court. 1251 10. Procedure Guidelines 1252

a. Whenever a party is required to do some act (e.g., submit a Complaint, answer a 1253 Complaint, etc.), the time for compliance begins to run on the day that the party 1254 receives notice of the need to act. If notice is sent by mail, receipt thereof shall be 1255 presumed three (3) calendar days after the notice is mailed. 1256

b. After submission of a Complaint, it shall be kept confidential until the Defendant(s) 1257 have been properly served with the Complaint or amended Complaint. Once the 1258 Defendant(s) receive, or are presumed to have received notice, the Complaint and other 1259 Court records pertaining to the case shall be open to scrutiny, in compliance with the 1260 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. 1261

c. Circumstances not described above may be resolved at the discretion of the Court. 1262 11. Procedure for Charging a GPSA Official with Misconduct 1263

a. Allegations for charging the President, Council Chair, Council Representative, Chief 1264 Justice, Associate Justice, or other GPSA officer with official misconduct shall be 1265 made on an official Complaint form. 1266

b. Such Complaints, once filed, must be adjudicated by the Court of Review and are not 1267 subject to informal dispute resolution. 1268

c. Hearing Procedures for allegations of official misconduct shall be the same as those for 1269 any other Hearing as stated herein. 1270

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12. Fairness and Justice 1271 a. If the Court finds that any particular procedure should be amended in the interest of 1272

fairness and justice, the Court may amend or modify the Hearing Procedures so long as 1273 due process is afforded both parties. 1274

13. Further Appeal: 1275 a. With respect to the actions of the GPSA, the decision of the Court of Review shall be 1276

final. 1277 b. Nothing in the GPSA Constitution or Bylaws shall be construed as an attempt to limit 1278

any person’s or party’s rights under other applicable laws. 1279

VII.VIII. Finance Code 1280

Section 1. Committees 1281 A. Executive Finance Committee (EFC) 1282

1. As an extension of the Executive Branch, the EFC shall serve in an administrative capacity to 1283 ensure and facilitate proper financial distribution to, and budget compliance from, those 1284 entities which receive GPSA funding both directly and indirectly from the GPSA General 1285 Fund.[14] [15] 1286

2. The EFC Chair will be appointed by the GPSA President. 1287 3. Once funding allocation legislation is passed, the EFC shall administer the allocation’s 1288

distribution and regulation. [16] 1289 4. The EFC shall meet as determined by the President and EFC Chair.[17] 1290 The EFC Chair will serve as the vice chair to the Finance Committee. 1291 1. The EFC shallwill administer the Graduate Scholarship Fundserve as the chair of the 1292

Graduate Scholarship Fund and complete all duties required by that post. [18] 1293 The EFC Chair will appoint the one GPSA member to serve on the Finance Committee. 1294 The EFC Chair and the three (3) appointed GPSA members will serve as the Executive 1295

Finance Committee. 1296 5. Emergency meetings may be called at the discretion of the EFC Chair. 1297 6. The LFC Chair or Chair’s designee may serve as an ex-officio non-voting member of the 1298

EFC. 1299 B. [19]Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) 1300

1. As an extension of the Legislative Branch, the LFC shall serve as an oversight body for 1301 GPSA financial allocations from the General Fund. [20] 1302

2. The LFC shall oversee the legislative process of financial review and allocation, including 1303 the examination and review of funding requests. [21] 1304

The LFC Chair will serve as the chair of the Finance Committee. 1305 The LFC Chair will be appointed by the Council Chair and approved by the Council Chair 1306

according to Bylaws. 1307 1. The Council Chair will appoint four (4) additional representatives to serve on the Legislative 1308

Finance Committee in the manner outlined by the bylaws 1309 3. The LFC shall meet monthly after the first regularly scheduled Council meeting of the fall 1310

semester until the end of the spring semester; an exception may be made for the month of 1311 December, where the Council Chair and LFC Chair may decide not to have an LFC meeting 1312 due to time restrictions. 1313

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4. Emergency meetings may be called at the discretion of the LFC Chair, Council Chair, or by 1314 vote of the Council. 1315

5. The EFC Chair or EFC Chair’s designee may serve as an ex-officio non-voting member of 1316 the LFC.[22] 1317

Finance Committee (FC) 1318 The LFC and EFC shall both be represented on the Finance Committee (FC) which will serve 1319

as the Recommending body for all GPSA financial allocation from the General Fund.serve 1320 together in one Finance Committee. This will be the sole decision-making body concerning 1321 the annual budget and annual appropriations. 1322

The LFC Chair shall be the Finance Committee Chair. 1323 The FC Chair shall administer and oversee all meetings of the FC and 1324 The FC Chair shall not have a vote in any actions before the Finance Committee, 1325

except in the case of a tie. 1326 The EFC Chair shall be the Finance Committee Vice-Chair. 1327

The FC Vice-Chair shall act as an advisor to the FC Chair. 1328 The FC Vice-Chair shall serve as Acting FC Chair in the absence of the FC Chair. 1329 The FC Vice-Chair shall not have a vote in anyll actions items that come before the 1330

Finance Committee. In the event of co-chairs for the EFC, the co-chairs will decide 1331 which co-chair will act as FC Vice-Chair, subject to the approval of the President.” 1332

The FC will be comprised of the Executive Finance Committee members and the Legislative 1333 Finance Committee membersfour (4) LFC members excluding Chair and four (4) EFC 1334 members excluding Chair. 1335

The FC shall meet monthly after the first regularly scheduled Council meeting of the fall 1336 semester until the end of the spring semester;. an exception may be made for the month of 1337 December, where the Council Chair, FC Chair, and FC Vice-Chair may decide not to have an 1338 FC meeting due to time restrictions. 1339

Emergency meetings may be called at the discretion of the FC Chair, FC Vice-Chair, Council 1340 Chair, or by vote of the Council. 1341

7. The FC must adopt standing rules at its first meeting of the Council session. 1342 8. FC standing rules shall be used as sole standing rules for all appropriations and budget request. 1343 9. Standing rules must be approved by Council at a regularly scheduled Council meeting. 1344

1345

Section 2. General Fund 1346 A. Eligibility and Restrictions 1347

1. Allocations from the General Fund shall only be used to fund chartered student 1348 organizations, GPSA Decision Making Bodies, and applicable service entities of the 1349 University as dictated by the GPSA Constitution. 1350

a. The GPSA grant allocations are appropriated through the Grants Committee and are 1351 not restricted by this stipulation. 1352

b. Executive Committees may be allocated funding that can be further distributed to 1353 students, chartered student organizations, or other groups without stipulation from this 1354 Finance Code. 1355

2. All allocations must be spent through an account with SGAO. 1356

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3. GPSA shall base all funding considerations on the merits of the application and no request 1357 shall be entitled or disfavored based on any biases. 1358

4. In addition to spending mandated by the GPSA’s Constitution; 1359 a. No less than five thousand dollars ($5,000) shall be allocated to the Student Research 1360

Allocation Committee Endowment Fund (Student Research Grant) and five thousand 1361 dollars ($5,000) to the Specialized Travel Endowment Fund (Professional 1362 Development Grant). 1363

b. Not more than ten percent (10%) of the total GPSA annual budget shall be allocated to 1364 all GPSA standing committees. 1365

i. This shall not include the percentage of the budget allocated to the Grants 1366 Committee which, as mandated by the Constitution, is excluded from this 1367 restriction. 1368

Section 3. Annual Budget 1369 A. Annual Budget 1370

1. The Chief of StaffEFC[23] shall administer the adopted GPSA annual budget in accordance 1371 with GPSA Constitution and Bylaws and any stipulations dictated within the budget. 1372

a. As[24] administrators of the budget, the EFC should facilitate communication between 1373 entities which received funding with efforts to assist in the disbursement and 1374 expenditure of GPSA funds and applicable stipulations under the respective allocation. 1375

2. The LFC and Council shall have direct oversight of all monies disbursed through GPSA in 1376 the annual budget process by overseeing the allocation process and the annual budget 1377 hearings. 1378

3. All budgets must be based upon projected anticipated revenue for the upcoming fiscal year. 1379 4. The GPSA annual budget process is only applicable to chartered student organizations, UNM 1380

service entities, and GPSA Decision Making Bodies. 1381 5. All funds distributed through the budget process and not used by the end of the fiscal year in 1382

which they were allocated for shall revert to the GPSA General Fund unless otherwise 1383 stipulated by the GPSA Constitution and Bylaws or direction by Council. 1384

B. Annual Budget Process 1385 1. Purpose and Authority 1386

a. The GPSA budget process streamlines the allocation of GPSA fees to organizations 1387 that serve and benefit the graduate and professional student body of the University. 1388

b. The budget process is overseen by Council and the LFC, passed by Council, and 1389 approved by the President, with the final budget administered by the EFC. 1390

c. The LFC shall create and follow a budget process and, with the consent of Council, has 1391 authority to modify such procedure insofar as not violating the GPSA Constitution and 1392 Bylaws. 1393

d. The EFC shall administer the budget under the direction of the President so long as not 1394 to conflict with any GPSA Constitution and Bylaws or stipulations within the budget. 1395

2. Timeline 1396 a. By the end of the first (1st) academic week of the spring semester, the LFC, with 1397

consultation of the EFC, shall have decided upon the timeline and procedures of the 1398 annual budget process (i.e. workshops, deadlines, hearing dates, and hearing format). 1399 The LFC Chair shall coordinate with the EFC Chair to ensure that the concerns and 1400

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requests of the Executive Branch are addressed in the application and budget process. 1401 All relevant information shall be available through the GPSA Office. 1402

b. Budget workshops are to be held before the end of the fourth (4th) academic week of 1403 the spring semester. 1404

c. Budgets applications must be submitted to the GPSA Office no later than 5:00 p.m. on 1405 the fifth (5th) Friday of the spring semester. 1406

d. The EFC Chief of Staff should formulate a budget recommendation to submit to the 1407 LFC considering the current fiscal year expenditures and GPSA funding priorities 1408 within the Executive Branch. 1409

i. The EFC should aim to provide general information on both the current and 1410 proposed budget cycle which supplements the information gained through the 1411 individual hearings conducted in the annual budget process. 1412

e. The LFC shall present a final and balanced budget to Council by the March Council 1413 Meeting. 1414

f. A finalized budget must be passed by the first (1st) Friday in April. 1415 C. Annual Budget Workshops 1416

1. A minimum of two (2) GPSA budget workshops must be held during the spring semester; the 1417 LFC Chair shall be responsible for the workshops. 1418

a. The budget workshops must be advertised via the Daily Lobo, GPSA website, GPSA 1419 electronic mailing list, and other appropriate mean of notification at least two (2) 1420 academic days before the first (1st) workshop of the spring semester. 1421

2. GPSA annual budget applications must be available and presented at each workshop by the 1422 LFC Chair or EFC Vice-Chair or their designee with the guidance of SGAO. Budget packets 1423 must provide all necessary procedures and information, including the budget hearings 1424 schedule, for a group to follow to submit a complete budget application. 1425

3. All organizations, groups, or other entities requesting funding through the budget process 1426 must attend a GPSA budget workshop during the semester in which the group applies for 1427 funding. 1428

a. Failure to attend a budget workshop may will results in ineligibility for consideration 1429 for funding in the current budget process. Under extenuating circumstances, an 1430 applicant may appeal to Council for a budget hearing. 1431

b. At least one (1) of the representatives attending the budget workshop must be a 1432 graduate or professional student of the group submitting a budget request. 1433

D. Applications 1434 1. All groups requesting funding through the budget process must submit a budget application. 1435 2. All applications must adhere to SGAO guidelines and standing rules set forth by the LFC and 1436

published within the budget packet. 1437 3. The LFC, in consultation withshall inform the GPSA Office, staff, and volunteers and the 1438

EFC, and SGAO, shall determineof the acceptable method of submitting budget applications. 1439 This method shall be clearly defined in the budget packet. 1440

E. Budget Hearings 1441 1. The LFC shall, in consultation with the Council Chair and EFC, determine the times and 1442

locations of the budget hearings. This information shall be posted in the GPSA Office, 1443 SGAO, and any other locations deemed necessary by the LFC and EFC Chairs and Vice-1444 Chair and in accordance with TPNR. 1445

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2. All groups that submitted a completed budget application shall be contacted within five (5) 1446 academic days from the application deadline with notification of the hearing schedule. The 1447 LFC Chair may attempt to accommodate requests for hearing times and changes to the 1448 hearing schedule, but it is ultimately each group’s responsibility to attend a hearing at their 1449 scheduled time. 1450

3. Each group at their respective hearing time shall have an allotted speaking time to present 1451 their budget request. The LFC shall then have the opportunity to ask questions to the group 1452 and to review the request. The process and procedure of budget presentations must be 1453 included in the budget packet. 1454

4. At least one (1) GPSA member should shall be in attendance at the hearing on behalf of the 1455 organization requesting funding. 1456

5. If a group considered new or inactive fails to attend a scheduled budget hearing the group 1457 shall be limited to three hundred fifty dollars ($350). 1458

6.5.The LFC has full discretion to modifyreduce funding recommendations,request throughout 1459 the budget process s further if necessary or appropriate. 1460

7. A group the attends neither a budget workshop nor a budget hearing shall be disqualified 1461 from the budget process. 1462

8.6.The LFC shall have the authority to amend or reduce any line-item request or budget request 1463 in order to create a balanced budget. These adjustments may be made during budget hearings 1464 or in Committee deliberations without the presence of the respective group. 1465

9. The LFC or LFC Chair shall meet with the EFC or EFC Chair before the conclusion of 1466 deliberations and creation of a balanced budget to address additional concerns from the 1467 Executive Branch. 1468

F. Final Approval 1469 1. The LFC shall forward a balanced budget to Council after all budget hearings and any 1470

necessary deliberations have taken place. The LFC Chair shall present the recommendations 1471 to Council in a report thatshall includes all groups that requested funding, with each 1472 requested amount, and any amendments made by the LFC. 1473

2. Council must pass the budget with a majority vote. 1474 3. Approved budgets shall become available at the beginning of the fiscal year as dictated by 1475

SGAO. 1476 G. Funding Priorities 1477

1. Funding shall be considered on the merits of each application as demonstrated through the 1478 budget process. Consideration should include, but is not limited to: purpose of the 1479 organization, population served, history of service, public relations, quality of application, 1480 and the necessity and use of GPSA funding. 1481

2. Budget recommendations from the EFC should be given deference by the LFC when 1482 considering budget requests. 1483

H. Budget Limitations 1484 1. Groups that are not GPSA Decision Making Bodies may not receive budget funding greater 1485

than three thousand dollars ($3,000). 1486 2. New and Inactive Groups, classified as groups that have not participated in a GPSA budget 1487

process within the past two (2) years, may not receive funding greater than five hundred 1488 dollars ($500). 1489

3. Groups that primarily serve a single department or college may not receive funding greater 1490 than $500. Discretion will be given to the FC to determine the students a group serves.[25] 1491

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Section 4. Pro-Rated Benefits (PB) Fund 1492 A. The EFCSGAO[26] shall administer the disbursement of PB Funds. 1493 B. The process to receive PB Funds must be available through the GPSA Office, on the GPSA 1494

website, and any additional means as determined by the EFC. 1495 C. In order to receive pro-rated benefits, each RDSA must apply through GPSA SGAO each 1496

semester. 1497 1. An RDSA may receive unallocated PB Funds from the fall semester if a proper request is 1498

made the subsequent spring semester. 1499 D. Based on the Enrollment Report provided by the University, which indicates the number of 1500

graduate or professional students enrolled in each program, department, school, or college, 1501 SGAO will credit the proper account on fileRDSA account per SGAO Policies and Procedures. 1502

E. Any RDSA has the right to appeal the Enrollment Report provided by the University. Appeals 1503 shall be presented in writing to the EFC ChairSGAO. Appeals shall entail a name-by-name 1504 count of the department’s GPSA Members and a comparison with the University’s records. 1505

Section 5. Appropriations 1506 A. Appropriations 1507

1. GPSA appropriation requests shall be overseen by the LFC, passed by Council, and approved 1508 by the President, and administered by the EFC. 1509

2. All appropriation requests shall be submitted to the LFC Chair. The LFC Chair shall forward 1510 all requests to the EFC Chair within one (1) academic day of receipt. 1511

a. The FC Chair shall issue the committee’s agenda in accordance with GPSA bylaws and 1512 TPNR. 1513

b. The FC Chair will notify all students who are requesting appropriations at least five (5) 1514 days prior to the meeting of the meeting time and date. 1515

3. The EFC may make recommendations to the LFC on appropriation requests by means of 1516 inter-branch memorandum, public comment during the LFC meeting, or in another manner 1517 approved by the LFC Chair so long as not to conflict with GPSA Constitution, Bylaws, and 1518 resolutions passed in the current session. Recommendations are solely persuasive and shall 1519 not bind the LFC in any way. 1520 4. A GPSA member shall represent the group making the appropriation request at 1521

the FC Meeting. 1522

4. If a GPSA member is unable to attend the FC meeting in which the appropriation is being 1523 discussed the FC may choose to table the request or make a recommendation to Council. 1524

5. Each Executive Committee, as well as each GPSA Decision Making Body which has its own 1525 SGAO account, shall be considered an individual group request as well as each GPSA 1526 Decision Making Body which has its own SGAO account. 1527

6.5.Individual graduate and professional students, chartered student organizations, and GPSA 1528 Committees shall be eligible for appropriation funding. 1529

6. Funding Limitations 1530 Student Travel 1531

Student travel eligible for Professional Development Grant (PDG) or Student 1532 Research Grant (SRG) is not eligible for student travel appropriations. 1533

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[27]Travel will not be funded at a rate higher than that of the Professional 1534 Development Grant. 1535

a. Other funding restrictions are determined through standing rules createdadopted by the 1536 FC. 1537

Section 6. Revisions 1538 A. Groups may submit a request to make line-item transfers of GPSA funds within their budget. 1539 B. All requests must be submitted to SGAO for review before they may be considered. 1540 C. A revision must be approved by consent of both the LFC Chair and Vice-Chairand EFC Chairs. 1541

1. In the event of division over the approval of the revision, the Council Chair shall be 1542 consulted and decide the division. 1543

2. When Council is not in sessionIn the event of vacancy, the President and the Council Chair 1544 shall be responsible for approving revisions and the Grants Chair shall be consulted and 1545 decide the division. 1546

Section 7. Disbursement 1547 A.D. The EFCSGAO shall administer the disbursement of GPSA funds once allocations have been 1548

approved by Council. 1549 B. Allocation funding will be available for disbursement once it is processed by SGAO. 1550

C.E. All funding allocations must follow the rules and guidelines set forth by SGAO. Groups 1551 allocated GPSA funding shall be responsible for ensuring that they are in compliance with these 1552 policies. 1553

D.F. Monies allocated by GPSA shall be limited to line-item provisions as stipulated by the approved 1554 funding request. 1555

E.G. The E[28]FC, in administering GPSA allocations, should make concerted efforts to communicate 1556 with GPSA entities and organizations receiving GPSA funding in order to facilitate cooperation 1557 and ensure compliance with any applicable rules or stipulations that are coupled with the 1558 funding. 1559

Section 8.Section 7. Financial Enjoinment 1560 A. Failure to adhere to the GPSA Constitution and Bylaws, applicable stipulations attached to 1561

funding allocations, SGAO guidelines, or University policy may result in an enjoinment of 1562 spending privileges of GPSA funding until the violation has been corrected. 1563

B. An action of enjoinment must should be presented to the [29]LFC for a recommendation before it 1564 may be considered by Council. 1565

C. The LFC Chair shall report to Council on the proposed enjoinment and the group at question 1566 shall be allotted a five (5) minute speaking privilege as a rebuttal. 1567

D. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of Council is necessary for approval of an enjoinment of the group’s 1568 GPSA funds. 1569

E. The Council Chair must notify the enjoined group no later than five (5) academic days after 1570 action by Council. The Council Chair must notify the EFC Chair of an enjoinment no later than 1571 two (2) academic days after action by Council. 1572 1. Notification shall be sent to the officer’s email addresses on file in SGAO. 1573 2. Such notification shall include the reason for the action as well as the actions required of the 1574

group for funding to be resumed in a timely fashion. 1575 3. Funds enjoined for the remainder of the fiscal year will revert to the GPSA General Fund. 1576

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F. Acts of Financial Enjoinment may be appealed to the Court of Review. The appeal must be filed 1577 within four (4) calendar weeks from the act of enjoinment by Council. 1578

VIII.IX. Grants Code 1579

Section 1. Student Research and Allocations Committee (GPSA RESEARCH GRANT) and Specialized 1580 Travel (Professional Development Grants) 1581

A. Funding History 1582 1. The Professional Development Grant and its quasi-endowment were established in 2004 with 1583

$220,000 from the UNM Provost’s office. 1584 2. The GPSA RESEARCH Grant and its quasi-endowment were established in 1996 with 1585

$14,000 in student fees and $14,000 from the UNM Provost’s office as requested by the 1586 GPSA. 1587

3. The quasi-endowments are held by a University foundation on behalf of GPSA. Each year 1588 the spending allowance from the endowments funds grant activity. 1589

4. Additional GPSA RESEARCH GRANT and Professional Development Grant funding may 1590 be determined through the annual budget process and augmented by appropriations from 1591 Council. 1592

B. Activities Funded 1593 1. The GPSA RESEARCH GRANT funds the development and dissemination of research 1594

including travel for research-related purposes. GPSA RESEARCH GRANT will also fund 1595 any travel or supply expenses incurred in the development or dissemination of original work. 1596

a. Acceptable GPSA RESEARCH GRANT costs include: 1597 i. Software not available in UNM computer pods or to which the student does not 1598

have free access. 1599 ii. Airfare, registration, hotel, shuttle fees, taxi fares, presentation materials and per 1600

diem in accordance with UNM policy. Travel must be outside of Albuquerque. 1601 Current policy and mileage rates can be found in the University Business 1602 Policies and Procedures Manual, Policy 4030. 1603

iii. Supplies, consumables and printing costs necessary for development and 1604 dissemination of research and not readily supplied by the applicant’s 1605 department. 1606

b. Unacceptable GPSA RESEARCH GRANT costs include: 1607 i. Salaries, tuition or binding. 1608

ii. Organization fees or conference social functions. 1609 iii. Travel, room or board for any event whose purpose is not the development or 1610

dissemination of student's research. 1611 2. The Professional Development Grant funds travel expenses that further the professional and 1612

career development of students. 1613 a. Acceptable Professional Development Grant costs include: 1614

i. Travel costs to interviews, clinicals, workshops, job fairs, auditions, mock trials 1615 and other career or professional events where the student is not presenting or 1616 conducting research. Costs can include airfare, registration costs, hotel, shuttle 1617 fees, taxi fares, presentation materials and per diem in accordance with UNM 1618 policy. Travel must be outside of Albuquerque. Current policy and mileage rates 1619

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can be found in the University Business Policies and Procedures Manual, Policy 1620 4030. 1621

b. Unacceptable Professional Development Grant costs include: 1622 i. Travel to present research. 1623

ii. Any activity that could be funded by GPSA RESEARCH GRANT. 1624 C. Amount of Funding 1625

1. GPSA RESEARCH Grants can fund up to $500 per student per year. 1626 2. Professional Development Grants can fund up to $500 per student per year. 1627 3. A year refers to the period between June 1 and May 31. 1628 4. See [Bylaws IX.Section 1.E.8VIII.Section 1.E.8] for activity funding periods and see 1629

[Bylaws IX.Section 1.D.1VIII.Section 1.D.1]. for application submission deadlines. 1630 D. Deadlines 1631

1. The deadline for submission of applications will be noon (12 p.m.) on the fifth (5th) Friday 1632 of the fall and spring semesters and noon (12 p.m.) of the second (2nd) Friday of the summer 1633 semester. No late applications will be accepted. In the event of unforeseen or extraordinary 1634 circumstances, the GPSA RESEARCH GRANT/Professional Development Grant Chair may 1635 establish a new application deadline. Notice of any change to the deadline shall be posted in 1636 accordance with Public Notice Requirements. 1637

2. Awarded funds must be claimed within ninety (90) days of the award notification. Otherwise 1638 funds will revert back to the committee to disseminate in the next funding cycle [Bylaws 1639 IX.Section 1.N.1VIII.Section 1.N.1]. 1640

3. Appeals of award decisions must occur within twenty-one (21) calendar days of the letter of 1641 notification [Bylaws IX.Section 1.M.1VIII.Section 1.M.1]. 1642

E. Applicant Eligibility 1643 1. Only GPSA members may receive grant funding. 1644 2. Grants Chairs, committee members and grant readers are ineligible to apply for any grants. 1645

However, an GPSA RESEARCH GRANT reader may apply for a Professional Development 1646 Grant and vice versa. 1647

3. Grants Committee members must notify Grants Chairs when they apply for a grant. 1648 4. A GPSA Research Grant reader may apply for a Professional Development Grant and vice 1649

versa. 1650 5. An applicant may submit only one application per semester for each grant. 1651 6. Each application may be made for one allowable event or activity. 1652 7. An applicant is only eligible for the remaining amount of funding for GPSA RESEARCH 1653

GRANT or Professional Development Grant if the applicant has not yet been awarded the 1654 full amount in section [Bylaws IX.Section 1.CVIII.Section 1.C]. of GPSA RESEARCH 1655 GRANT or Professional Development Grant funding per year. Per year means per summer-1656 fall-spring funding cycle. 1657

8. The event or activity for which funds are sought must occur within the next, current or 1658 previous funding period. 1659

a. The fall funding period is from August 15 to December 31. 1660 b. The spring funding period is from January 1 to May 31. 1661 c. The summer funding period is from June 1 to August 14. 1662

F. Application Requirements 1663 1. Applications must be submitted before the deadline, according to the deadlines in section 1664

[Bylaws IX.Section 1.DVIII.Section 1.D]. 1665

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2. Applications must be for activities taking place in the current, previous or next funding 1666 period, according to section [Bylaws IX.Section 1.E.8VIII.Section 1.E.8]. 1667

3. Submission must occur through the online application system. The Grants Chair(s) must 1668 accommodate students with circumstances that prevent or prohibit their use of the online 1669 system. If a method of accommodation for circumstances not concerning disabilities cannot 1670 be agreed upon by the applicant and the chair, the applicant can appeal [Bylaws IX.Section 1671 1.MVIII.Section 1.M]. Students with disabilities will be accommodated through 1672 recommendations by the Accessibility Resource Center. 1673

4. Applications must be the original words of the student and not the words of any other person. 1674 If an applicant uses another person’s words then they must be in quotation marks. Unquoted 1675 words in a proposal are expected to be the applicant’s own, original writing. 1676

5. A complete GPSA RESEARCH GRANT/Professional Development Grant application 1677 includes 1678

a. The completed HTML fields of the online GPSA RESEARCH GRANT/Professional 1679 Development Grant application 1680

b. An activity proposal submitted through the online system and not to exceed seven 1681 hundred (700) words. 1682

c. An activity budget submitted through the online system. 1683 d. A letter of recommendation through the online system. 1684

6. No materials besides those listed in [Bylaws IX.Section 1.F.5VIII.Section 1.F.5] shall be 1685 accepted. 1686

7. Applications must adhere to the online instructions. 1687 8. At the discretion of the GPSA RESEARCH GRANT/Professional Development Grant Chair, 1688

applications may not be read if the requirements outlined in [Bylaws IX.Section 1689 1.FVIII.Section 1.F] are not met. The applicant may always appeal [Bylaws IX.Section 1690 1.MVIII.Section 1.M] 1691

G. Applicant Workshops and Outreach 1692 1. The Grants Committee must conduct at least two (2) applicant workshops for each funding 1693

cycle. The workshops must be advertised on the GPSA electronic mailing list and website. 1694 2. The Grants Committee shall follow workshop curriculum guidelines on the GPSA website. 1695

The committee may post updates to this curriculum. 1696 3. The Grants Committee will make a good faith attempt to contact departments without a 1697

single successful applicant from the previous year to advertise the grants and offer 1698 departmental workshops. These outreach efforts and results will be included in an April 1699 report to Council. 1700

4. The Grants Committee will advertise the available grants at least twenty-one (21) calendar 1701 days before the deadlines on the GPSA website and electronic mailing list. Other 1702 advertisement is encouraged. 1703

H. Application Readers 1704 1. Readers of grants must be GPSA members. 1705 2. Readers cannot read for any grant for which they have also applied in the same semester. 1706 3. Readers will be compensated for their work with a stipend. 1707 4. Readers must attend a training once in each June 1 to May 31 cycle before reading 1708

applications. The Grants Chair may require re-training at their discretion. The Grants Chair 1709 shall follow training curriculum guidelines on the GPSA website. The committee may make 1710 updates to this curriculum. 1711

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5. Readers must be selected in an open call to the GPSA membership, e.g. via the electronic 1712 mailing list. 1713

I. Application Scoring 1714 1. The application will be read and scored by three (3) readers. 1715 2. Applications will be read by readers from a different department than the applicant. 1716 3. Applicants and readers will self-identify within one (1) of five (5) perspectives. Applications 1717

will be read by at least one reader inside their perspective and at least one (1) reader outside 1718 of their perspective. The perspectives are: 1719

a. Quantitative - Methodologically and/or theoretically based in measurable, numerical, 1720 and/or empirical information, data, and/or phenomena. 1721

b. Qualitative - Methodologically and/or theoretically based in describing and 1722 investigating phenomena via various methods. It is context-specific and fundamentally 1723 interpretive. 1724

c. Critical - Theoretically based in interrogating and contesting power dynamics. It is 1725 often invested in researching and accounting for histories and enduring practices of 1726 oppression and resistance. 1727

d. Creative - Engages in performative and/or artistic processes and/or products. 1728 e. Applied - Implies the acquisition and/or development of professional or vocational 1729

skills. 1730 4. Changes to scoring criteria beyond those required in the Bylaws must be approved by a two-1731

thirds (2/3) vote of the Grants Committee. Applications shall be scored according to the 1732 criteria online which are posted one month prior to the application deadlines. 1733

5. The scoring criteria categories and minimum weighting for GPSA RESEARCH 1734 GRANT/Professional Development Grant must include: 1735

a. Technical merit: twenty percent (20%) 1736 b. Proposal composition: twenty percent (20%) 1737 c. Benefits: thirty-five percent (35%) 1738 d. Budget: twenty percent (20%) 1739

6. Raw scores of the readers will be normalized by multiplying by the average of all reader 1740 scores and dividing by the average of the individual reader’s scores. 1741

7. When the difference between the high and low normalized scores for an application exceeds 1742 twenty-five percent (25%) of the total possible score, two (2) additional readers will evaluate 1743 the proposal. From these five (5) normalized scores, the highest and lowest will be dropped, 1744 and the three (3) remaining scores will be accepted regardless of the spread between them. 1745

J. Application Funding Procedure 1746 1. Funds shall be allocated in percentages according to the semester totals from the averages of 1747

the previous year. For example, if there were two hundred fifty (250) applications in the 1748 previous year, with fifty (50) applications for the summer and one hundred (100) each for the 1749 fall and spring, then funds should be allocated as twenty percent (20%), forty percent (40%), 1750 forty percent (40%) of the anticipated grants money. Furthermore, the Grants Chair(s) shall 1751 set aside monies from the semester funds to be able to afford accepting one (1) appeal in the 1752 summer or two (2) appeals in each the fall and spring. If appeals are not granted, this money 1753 will roll over into the next funding cycle. 1754

2. For GPSA RESEARCH GRANT, from the total amount of money for the funding cycle, 1755 outlined in [Bylaws IX.Section 1.J.1VIII.Section 1.J.1], the committee shall award funds 1756

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according to the rank ordering of normalized [Bylaws IX.Section 1.I.6VIII.Section 1.I.6] 1757 scores. 1758

a. The top twenty percent (20%) of GPSA RESEARCH GRANT applications will be 1759 eligible for full funding of the amount requested, up to the maximum in [Bylaws 1760 IX.Section 1.CVIII.Section 1.C]. 1761

b. The second (2nd) twenty percent (20%) will be eligible for eighty percent (80%) of the 1762 amount requested. 1763

c. The next ten percent (10%) will be eligible for sixty percent (60%) of the amount 1764 requested. 1765

d. The lower fifty percent (50%) will not be eligible for funding. 1766 e. If funds are not available to award all the eligible applications as outlined above, 1767

awards will be made to the highest ranked proposals until all money has been 1768 exhausted, excepting money withheld to fund appeals, as provided in [Bylaws 1769 IX.Section 1.J.1VIII.Section 1.J.1] Alternatively, additional money may be sought 1770 from Council by the Grants Chair(s). 1771

f. Remaining funds shall remain in the endowment. 1772 3. For Professional Development Grant, from the total amount of money for the funding cycle 1773

outlined in [Bylaws IX.Section 1.J.1VIII.Section 1.J.1], the committee shall award one 1774 hundred percent (100%) of the requested funds according to the rank ordering of normalized 1775 [Bylaws IX.Section 1.I.6VIII.Section 1.I.6] scores until all money has been exhausted, 1776 excepting money withheld to fund appeals, as provided in section [Bylaws IX.Section 1777 1.J.1VIII.Section 1.J.1]Alternatively, additional money may be sought from Council by the 1778 Grants Chair(s). 1779

4. Funds not claimed within the ninety (90) day limit [Bylaws IX.Section 1.D.2VIII.Section 1780 1.D.2] revert to the grant accounts unless the original allocation for an activity was made 1781 specifically for a time period which extends beyond the ninety (90) day limit or unless the 1782 recipient requests and is granted an extension in writing. 1783

K. Records 1784 1. The committee shall keep records of: 1785

a. all applications. 1786 b. scores and score comment sheets. 1787 c. a database of cover sheet information (such as name, email, department and requested 1788

amount) and score results. 1789 d. a separate record of who was awarded at what amount and when it was awarded. 1790

2. All records should be in non-obsolete digital format, passed on to the next Grants Chair(s) 1791 and kept for a minimum of five years. 1792

3. All applicants will have access to their files and scores but not to the applications of others, 1793 in accordance with applicable state and federal law. 1794

L. Reports 1795 1. The committee shall compose a report for each funding cycle. 1796

a. The report shall contain the total amount of GPSA RESEARCH GRANT and 1797 Professional Development Grant allocations. 1798

b. The report shall contain a breakdown of awards and applications by college, school, or 1799 department. 1800

c. The report shall provide details of the total allocation and the balance. 1801 d. The report shall also include all appeals, decisions, and results. 1802

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M. Appeals 1803 1. To appeal any decision made by the Grants Chair(s) or committee, a written request must be 1804

received by the GPSA RESEARCH GRANT/Professional Development Grant committee 1805 within twenty one (21) calendar days from the date on the notification letter. 1806

2. The appeal must stipulate on what grounds the appeal is based. 1807 3. No late applications will be accepted. Therefore, appeal on those grounds will not be heard. 1808 4. An applicant making an appeal may request a meeting with all readers. If a reader is 1809

unwilling or unable to meet with the applicant, the reader will need to provide a written 1810 response to an applicant’s reasons for appeal. 1811

5. The GPSA RESEARCH GRANT/Professional Development Grant committee will review 1812 the request for an appeal within two (2) weeks of its receipt. Applicants are entitled to attend 1813 and speak at their appeal review. The review may be delayed beyond the two (2) week 1814 deadline if the applicant cannot attend. 1815

6. If the committee votes that the appeal is valid, the committee shall decide a course of action 1816 to resolve the appeal. If the reasons for the appeal are found to be invalid, no change in 1817 funding or scoring will be granted. 1818

7. Any applicant dissatisfied with the results of an appeal to the GPSA RESEARCH 1819 GRANT/Professional Development Grant committee may file a final appeal to the GPSA 1820 Council within two (2) weeks of receiving the GPSA RESEARCH GRANT/Professional 1821 Development Grant committee decision. The decision of the GPSA Council will be 1822 considered final. No further appeal will be granted. 1823

8. The Grants Committee will maintain an appeal guideline on the GPSA website. 1824 N. Claiming Awards 1825

1. Grants monies will be distributed on a direct grant basis. 1826 2. To claim a grant, a recipient must return a signed award form, provided online, to the GPSA 1827

Office within the ninety (90) day [Bylaws IX.Section 1.D.2VIII.Section 1.D.2] limit. 1828

Section 2. Graduate Research Development (New Mexico Research) Fund 1829 A. Funding History 1830

1. The New Mexico Research quasi-endowment began with funding allocated to the GPSA by 1831 the New Mexico State Legislature in 2000. New Mexico Research grants assist with larger 1832 projects that require substantial funding and are aimed at encouraging UNM students to work 1833 on research with state agencies or in areas that directly benefit the state of New Mexico. 1834

2. The quasi-endowment is held by a University foundation on behalf of GPSA. Each year a 1835 small spending allowance from the endowment, along with substantial contributions from 1836 New Mexico State Legislature allocations, funds grants activity. 1837

B. Activities Funded 1838 1. The New Mexico Research grant funds the development of research, including travel for 1839

research related purposes. 1840 2. Acceptable New Mexico Research costs include: 1841

a. Permanent equipment not available from the applicant(s)’ UNM Department, or not 1842 otherwise available for use by the applicant(s). 1843

b. Computer software not available at the UNM computer pods or at the applicant(s)’ 1844 UNM Department, or not otherwise available for use by the applicant(s). 1845

c. Room, board, and travel expenses to and from research facilities or field sites outside 1846 of Albuquerque. 1847

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d. Supplies and consumables necessary for the research project and not readily supplied 1848 by the applicant(s)’ UNM Department or not otherwise available for use by the 1849 applicant(s). 1850

e. Transcription expenses. 1851 f. Research projects commenced within the fiscal year, July 1 through June 30. 1852

3. Unacceptable New Mexico Research costs include: 1853 a. Salaries or stipends, except for the New Mexico Research Chair, Vice-Chair and 1854

Committee Members. 1855 b. Travel expenses or other fees associated with a conference. 1856 c. Travel, room and board expenses for workshops, schools, clinicals or other travel that 1857

does not directly aid in the creation of student research 1858 d. The purchase of computers. 1859 e. Tuition and supplies/books for classes. 1860 f. Any publication or subscription costs. 1861 g. Any research project that involves, or may involve, excessive or unreasonable harm to 1862

humans or animals. See [Bylaws IX.Section 2.F.6VIII.Section 2.F.6]. 1863 C. Amount of Funding 1864

1. High Priority Research Project Grants will be awarded a maximum of five thousand dollars 1865 ($5,000) for each research project. 1866

2. General Research Project Grants will be awarded a maximum of three thousand dollars 1867 ($3,000) for each research project. 1868

3. The maximum amounts are for individual research projects regardless of the number of 1869 graduate or professional students working on the project. 1870

4. The total amount awarded shall not exceed the total amount requested in the application. 1871 5. The maximum amount awarded to an individual, based on the total of the applications to 1872

which they are signatory, is five thousand dollars ($5,000) per year (July 1 to June 30). 1873 6. No individual can receive New Mexico Research funding more than three times. 1874

D. Deadlines 1875 1. All applications for New Mexico Research grants must be received by the GPSA by a date 1876

and time to be announced by the New Mexico Research Committee Chair no later than the 1877 regularly scheduled October Council Meeting. In the event of unforeseen or extraordinary 1878 circumstances, the New Mexico Research Chair may establish a new application deadline. 1879 Notice of any change to the deadline shall be posted in accordance with The Public Notice 1880 Requirements. 1881

2. Late applications will not be considered for funding. 1882 3. Awarded funds must be claimed by the June 30 following award notification. Otherwise 1883

funds will revert back to the committee to disseminate in the next funding cycle. See [Bylaws 1884 IX.Section 2.N.1VIII.Section 2.N.1]. 1885

4. Appeals of award decisions must occur within twenty one (21) calendar days of the letter of 1886 notification. See [Bylaws IX.Section 2.MVIII.Section 2.M]. 1887

E. Applicant Eligibility 1888 1. A member of GPSA enrolled, at the time of application and through the completion date of 1889

the research project, at the University of New Mexico. 1890 2. A GPSA member of GPSA not serving on the GPSA Court of Review, as New Mexico 1891

Research Chair or as a New Mexico Research reader. 1892

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3. FOR HIGH PRIORITY RESEARCH PROJECT GRANTS ONLY: Members of GPSA 1893 collaborating with a New Mexico State Agency. 1894

4. The research activity for which funds are sought must occur between July 1 and June 30 for 1895 the current funding cycle. 1896


[Bylaws IX.Section 2.DVIII.Section 2.D]. 1899 2. Applications must be for activities taking place in the current funding period according to 1900

section [Bylaws IX.Section 2.E.4VIII.Section 2.E.4]. 1901 3. Submission must occur through the online application system. The Grants Chair(s) must 1902

accommodate students with circumstances that prevent or prohibit their use of the online 1903 system. Students with disabilities will be accommodated through recommendations by the 1904 Accessibility Resource Center. If a method of accommodation, for circumstances not 1905 concerning disabilities, cannot be agreed upon by the applicant and the chair, the applicant 1906 can appeal, see [Bylaws IX.Section 2.MVIII.Section 2.M]. 1907

4. Applications must be the original words of the student and not the words of any other person. 1908 If an applicant uses another person’s words then they must be in quotation marks. Unquoted 1909 words in a proposal are expected to be the applicant’s own, original writing 1910

5. All applicant(s) may apply for either a High Priority Research Project Grant or a General 1911 Research Project Grant, but may not apply for both for a single project. 1912

6. For activities involving humans, animals, or hazardous materials: 1913 a. All research projects that involve human or animal subjects or participants must, prior 1914

to the distribution of funding, be reviewed and approved by the Human Research 1915 Review Committee (HRRC), an Institutional Review Board (IRB), the Institutional 1916 Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), or by another entity empowered by the 1917 University of New Mexico for such purposes. 1918

b. All research projects that involve the use of biohazardous materials or chemicals must 1919 be reviewed and approved, prior to the distribution of funding, by the Biosafety 1920 Committee or by another entity empowered by the University of New Mexico for such 1921 purposes. 1922

c. Approval of a research project by any of the entities described in subsections a or b 1923 above shall not be determinative of whether or not a research project involves 1924 excessive or unreasonable harm to humans or animals. 1925

7. Proposal 1926 a. Each application must include a proposal identifying the following areas: 1927

i. Description of the research project. 1928 ii. Activity is introduced, given adequate background and put into the context of 1929

the field. 1930 iii. Student's academic interests are explained. 1931 iv. Relationship of specific activity to degree is explained. 1932 v. Methodology. 1933

vi. Significance of the project on the applicant(s) career. 1934 vii. Significance of the project to the University of New Mexico. 1935

viii. Significance of the project to New Mexico’s communities. 1936 ix. Significance of the project to New Mexico’s rural communities. 1937

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x. FOR HIGH PRIORITY GRANTS ONLY: Description of the collaboration with 1938 a New Mexico State Agency. 1939

xi. FOR GENERAL GRANTS COLLABORATING WITH NON –PROFIT 1940 COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS ONLY: Description of the collaboration 1941 with a non-profit community organization. 1942

b. All proposals shall be written in language easily understandable by graduate or 1943 professional students in any college or school. All technical terms shall be defined and 1944 explained. 1945

c. FOR GENERAL GRANTS ONLY: The maximum word count for each proposal shall 1946 be seven hundred (700) words. 1947

d. FOR HIGH PRIORITY GRANTS ONLY: The maximum word count for each 1948 proposal shall one thousand, one hundred (1100) words. 1949

8. Letter(s) of Support 1950 a. All applications must include one (1) letter of support from a faculty member familiar 1951

with the applicant(s)’ research project 1952 b. HIGH PRIORITY GRANTS ONLY: Each application for High Priority Grants must 1953

also submit one (1) letter of support from a member in the collaborating New Mexico 1954 State Agency. 1955

c. FOR GENERAL GRANTS COLLABORATING WITH NON-PROFIT 1956 COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS: Each application may also include one (1) letter 1957 of support from a member in the collaborating non-profit community organization. 1958

9. Itemized Budget 1959 a. Each application for funding must include a reasonable itemized budget for the 1960

research project that includes the following: 1961 i. Total budget for the research project. 1962

ii. Line items that will be funded with New Mexico Research grant money must be 1963 clearly indicated. 1964

iii. All sources of funding for the research project, including all amounts requested, 1965 but not yet awarded, from any other funding source must be listed for each line 1966 item. 1967

iv. Detailed information on all equipment, travel costs, supplies and consumables; 1968 including airlines, make and model numbers, hotel and motel names, rates, sizes 1969 and weights etc. 1970

b. Any proposed expenditures may be explained in text accompanying the itemized 1971 budget. 1972

c. Itemized budgets indicating New Mexico Research funded items that are unacceptable 1973 New Mexico Research costs shall be reduced by the amount indicated on the itemized 1974 budget. 1975

d. The New Mexico Research Chair, at that person’s discretion, may request of the 1976 principal applicant the submission of a new itemized budget for review. The applicant 1977 will be given five (5) academic days following notification to submit the new itemized 1978 budget to the GPSA Office. Failure by the principal applicant to turn in a new itemized 1979 budget will be grounds to disqualify the application from review. 1980

10. No materials besides the online application itself and those listed in [Bylaws IX.Section 1981 2.F.7VIII.Section 2.F.7-9]. shall be accepted. 1982

11. Applications must adhere to the online instructions. 1983

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12. At the discretion of the New Mexico Research Chair, applications may be disqualified if the 1984 requirements outlined in [Bylaws IX.Section 2.FVIII.Section 2.F] are not met. The applicant 1985 may always appeal [Bylaws IX.Section 2.MVIII.Section 2.M]. 1986




single successful applicant from the previous year to advertise the grants and offer 1993 departmental workshops. These outreach efforts and results will be included in the April 1994 report to Council. 1995

4. The Grants Committee will advertise the available grants at least twenty one (21) calendar 1996 days before the deadlines on the GPSA website and electronic mailing list. Other 1997 advertisement is encouraged. 1998

H. Application Readers 1999 1. Readers of grants must be GPSA members. 2000 2. Readers cannot read for any grant for which they have also applied in the same semester. 2001 3. Readers will be compensated for their work with a stipend. 2002 4. Readers must attend a training once in each cycle before reading applications. The Grants 2003

Chair(s) may require re-training at their discretion. The Grants Chair(s) shall follow training 2004 curriculum guidelines on the GPSA website. The committee may make updates to this 2005 curriculum. 2006


I. Application Scoring 2009 1. An application will be read and scored by three (3) readers. 2010 2. Applications will be read by readers from a different department than the applicant. 2011 3. Applicants and readers will self-identify within one (1) of five (5) disciplines. Applications 2012

will be read by at least one (1) reader inside their perspective and at least one (1) reader 2013 outside of their perspective. The perspectives are: 2014





skills. 2025 4. Applications shall be scored according to the criteria online, posted at least one (1) month 2026

prior to the application deadlines. Score criteria changes must be approved by a two-thirds 2027 (2/3) vote from the Grants Committee, but may not be changed in the month prior to the 2028 application deadline. 2029

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5. The criteria for New Mexico Research scoring must include 2030 a. Description of the research project, five (5) points. 2031 b. Activity is introduced, given adequate background and put into the context of the field, 2032

five (5) points. 2033 c. Student's academic interests are explained, five (5) points. 2034 d. Relationship of specific activity to degree is explained, five (5) points. 2035 e. Language in the proposal is easily understandable by graduate and professional 2036

students in any college or school and all technical terms are defined and explained, ten 2037 (10) points. 2038

f. Methodology: Are the research project fundamentals and procedures sufficient to 2039 ensure project success?, ten (10) points. 2040

g. Student Benefits: Project will result in graduate/professional student development 2041 appropriate to the applicant's stage in career, ten (10) points. 2042

h. UNM Benefits: Research project benefits UNM, ten (10) points. 2043 i. Budget shows source of funding for each line item, five (5) points. 2044 j. Budget is well researched and complete for project, five (5) points. 2045 k. Does the project directly impact New Mexico's communities?, ten (10) points. 2046 l. Does the project significantly impact New Mexico's communities?, ten (10) points. 2047 m. Does the project directly and significantly impact New Mexico's rural 2048

communities?, ten (10) points. 2049 n. Degree of support demonstrated in the letter from UNM faculty, ten (10) points. 2050 o. FOR HIGH PRIORITY APPLICATIONS ONLY: Description of the collaboration 2051

with a New Mexico State Agency, twenty (20) points. 2052 p. FOR HIGH PRIORITY APPLICATIONS ONLY: Degree of support demonstrated in 2053

the letter from the New Mexico State Agency, ten (10) points. 2054 q. FOR GENERAL GRANTS COLLABORATING WITH A NON-PROFIT 2055

COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION: Description of the collaboration with a non-profit 2056 community organization, five (5) optional points. 2057

r. FOR GENERAL GRANTS COLLABORATING WITH A NON-PROFIT 2058 COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION: Degree of support demonstrated in the letter from 2059 the non-profit community organization, five (5) points. 2060

6. The scoring criteria above shall be the only criteria considered in scoring New Mexico 2061 Research applications. 2062



J. Funding Procedures 2069 1. New Mexico Research Total Budget 2070

a. The GPSA President shall recommend and the GPSA Council shall approve the total 2071 amount allocated each year for the New Mexico Research Funding Process. 2072

b. No more than ten percent (10%) of the total amount allocated annually may be used for 2073 administrative expenses. 2074

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c. No less than two percent (2%) of the total amount allocated annually shall be set aside 2075 for the appeals process. 2076

d. The New Mexico Research Chair shall recommend and the Grants Committee shall 2077 approve the total amounts allocated annually for administrative expenses, appeals, and 2078 for High Priority and General Research Project Grants. 2079

i. The annual stipend of the New Mexico Research Chair shall be recommended 2080 by the GPSA President and approved by the GPSA Council. This stipend shall 2081 be no less than one percent (1%), and no more than three percent (3%), of the 2082 total amount allocated for the New Mexico Research process during the current 2083 fiscal year, but shall not exceed two thousand dollars ($2,000). 2084

2. Funding Applications 2085 a. If funds are not available to fully fund the applications as outlined below, the awards 2086

will be made to the highest ranked proposals until all money has been exhausted. 2087 b. High Priority: The total awarded to all High Priority applications shall not exceed half 2088

(1/2) of the overall amount awarded in the New Mexico Research process. High 2089 Priority applications will be fully funded, starting with the highest scoring application 2090

c. General Priority: The total awarded to all General Priority applications shall not exceed 2091 the remaining amount to be awarded in the New Mexico Research process after the 2092 High Priority grants are awarded. 2093

d. The lower fifty percent (50%) of High Priority and the lower fifty percent (50%) of 2094 General Priority applications will not be eligible for funding. 2095

e. Remaining funds shall remain in the endowment. 2096 K. Records 2097

1. The Grants Committee shall keep records of: 2098 a. all applications. 2099 b. scores and score comment sheets. 2100 c. a database of cover sheet information (such as name, email, department and requested 2101


2. All records should be in non-obsolete digital format, passed on to the next Grants Chair(s) 2104 and kept for a minimum of five (5) years. 2105



a. The report shall contain the total amount of GPSA RESEARCH GRANT, Professional 2110 Development Grant, and New Mexico Research grant allocations. 2111




received by the New Mexico Research committee within twenty-one (21) calendar days from 2118 the date on the notification letter. 2119

2. The appeal must stipulate on what grounds the appeal is based. 2120

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3. No late applications will be accepted. Therefore, appeal on those grounds will not be heard. 2121 4. An applicant making an appeal may request a meeting with all readers. If a reader is 2122


5. The Grants Committee will review the request for an appeal within fourteen (14) calendar 2125 days of its receipt. Applicants are entitled to attend and speak at their appeal review. The 2126 review may be delayed beyond the deadline if the applicant cannot attend. 2127


7. Any applicant dissatisfied with the results of an appeal to the Grants Committee may file a 2131 final appeal to Council within ten (10) academic days of receiving the Grants Committee 2132 decision. The decision of the GPSA Council will be considered final. No further appeal will 2133 be granted. 2134

8. The Grants Committee will maintain an appeal guideline on the GPSA website. 2135 N. Claiming Awards, Budget Revisions and Funding Extensions 2136

1. To claim a grant, a recipient must return to the GPSA Office before June 30 [Bylaws 2137 IX.Section 2.D.3VIII.Section 2.D.3]: 2138

a. An award form, provided online. 2139 b. Original receipts of the expenditures. 2140 c. Original proposal and budget. 2141

2. Significant revisions to an applicant’s budget must be approved by the Grants Committee 2142 Chair. Submission of the revised budget, a memo explaining the need for the revision and all 2143 the material in [Bylaws IX.Section 2.N.1VIII.Section 2.N.1]. is necessary. The committee 2144 shall make a decision within fourteen (14) calendar days of receiving the revision request. 2145

3. Funding period extensions beyond the funding year [Bylaws IX.Section 2.D.3VIII.Section 2146 2.D.3] may be requested in writing and granted at the committee's discretion within fourteen 2147 (14) calendar days of receiving the request. 2148

IX.X. Elections Code 2149

Section 1. Referenda 2150 A. All referendum items are submitted to the Elections Committee via the Elections Chair or the 2151

GPSA Office. (VIII.A-B.) 2152 B. The party submitting the referendum item shall identify its level of authority as one of the 2153

following: Constitution, Bylaws, Resolution, or Election. 2154 C. The ballot shall preserve the language in which referendum items are submitted. 2155

Section 2. Candidate and Voter Eligibility 2156 A. An eligible candidate for the office of President or Council Chair shall be a GPSA member. 2157

1. Candidates file for an election by turning in completed Candidacy Forms to the GPSA Office 2158 by 5:00 p.m. on the Wednesday of the third (3rd) academic week prior to the election. 2159

a. Candidacy Forms shall entail an autobiography, an eligibility form, an application for 2160 candidacy, and a campaign contributions statement. 2161

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b. Candidacy Forms shall be forwarded immediately to the Student Activities Center for 2162 certification. A list of certified candidates will be posted in accordance with the Public 2163 Notice Requirements. 2164

c. The Elections Committee shall determine eligibility and announce candidates by 5:00 2165 p.m. the academic day following the application deadline. Candidates shall be 2166 considered valid if the proper forms were completed and all eligibility requirements 2167 were met. 2168

2. A candidate is ineligible to run for President or Council Chair if winning the election would 2169 result in holding both offices for any period of time. 2170

B. An eligible voter for an election must be a GPSA member. Voters may cast only one vote per 2171 item in a given election. 2172 1. The Elections Committee shall arrange for a list of GPSA member NetIDs to be obtained 2173

from the Registrar’s Office and delivered to Information Technologies (IT). 2174

Section 3. Notice of Elections 2175 A. Notice of all elections entails at least one (1) advertisement in the Daily Lobo, no later than 2176

fifteen (15) academic days prior to the election for candidates and no later than five (5) academic 2177 days prior to the election for ballot items sent to the GPSA electronic mailing list. 2178

B. The Elections Committee will use a UNM email account and set up an elections electronic 2179 mailing list through IT during the first (1st) week of September and of February. 2180

C. The Elections Committee shall issue a “Call for Candidates and Ballot Items” no fewer than five 2181 (5) academic weeks prior to the general election. The Call for Candidates and Ballot Items shall 2182 include a list of elected offices in GPSA and procedures for submitting items to the ballot via 2183 Council or referendum. This notice shall be posted according to the Public Notice Requirements 2184 along with an advertisement posted in the Daily Lobo. 2185 1. The written notice shall also include any steps necessary for a student to vote. 2186 2. This notice must be one quarter (1/4) of a page advertisement appearing for three (3) 2187

consecutive issues of the Daily Lobo. Once published, this information may not be changed 2188 or altered except to correct any errors in printing. 2189

3. Any correction of printing errors shall be printed in three (3) consecutive issues of the Daily 2190 Lobo. 2191

D. The Elections Committee shall publish on the last regularly scheduled academic day prior to a 2192 General or Special Election at least one (1) full-page advertisement in the Daily Lobo. 2193 1. This advertisement shall carry personal, professional, and/or platform information for 2194

candidates, information regarding amendments, and any other items to be voted upon in the 2195 election. 2196

2. The full text of Constitutional Amendments shall be included. If the text is larger than one 2197 quarter (1/4) page, a summary shall be included as well as notice of how to obtain complete 2198 text. 2199

3. The advertisement shall include the method and hours of electronic voting. 2200 4. Special Elections may have a half (1/2) page advertisement. 2201

E. Notice of candidate forums shall be advertised in the Daily Lobo at least two (2) academic days 2202 prior to the beginning of at least the first (1st) forum. This advertisement shall indicate the 2203 names of the candidates and the location and time of the forum. 2204 1. The format of candidate forums will be determined by the Elections Committee and 2205

distributed to the candidates one (1) academic day prior to the forum(s). 2206

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F. Notice of a Recall Election must occur within five (5) academic days of notice to the Elections 2207 Committee from Council. 2208 1. The written notice shall also include any steps necessary for a student to vote. 2209 2. This notice will be a quarter (1/4) page advertisement appearing for three (3) consecutive 2210

issues of the Daily Lobo. Once published, this information may not be changed or altered 2211 except to correct any errors in printing. 2212


G. Notice of a Special Election for Presidential Replacement shall be given within three (3) 2215 academic days of a recall election in which a President has been removed. 2216 1. Notice shall include instructions for running for President, the application deadline, and any 2217

steps necessary for a student to vote. 2218 2. This notice will be one quarter (1/4) of a page advertisement appearing for three (3) 2219



H. Notice of a Special Election by Referendum shall be given within ten (10) academic days after 2224 the Elections Committee has verified a petition. 2225 1. Notice shall include any steps necessary for a student to vote. 2226 2. This notice will be one quarter (1/4) of a page advertisement appearing for three (3) 2227



Section 4. Campaigning 2232 A. Candidates shall conduct campaigns in a manner which abides by university and GPSA policies 2233

and guidelines in their pursuit of office. Members of the Elections Committee shall refrain from 2234 actions that would show favoritism for or have a negative effect against any candidate or issue 2235 that might appear on the ballot. 2236

B. Candidates shall submit, along with the Candidacy Forms, a list of authorized campaign 2237 committee members that may act on their behalf. Any changes to this list should be updated with 2238 the Elections Committee. 2239

C. Candidates shall sign the Campaign Contribution Statement: “All funds received and spent will 2240 be from members of the UNM GPSA and no other sources.” This form shall be submitted as part 2241 of the Candidacy Forms. 2242

D. Candidates shall submit an itemized accounting of all expenditures incurred by the candidate in 2243 the pursuit of office before 5:00 p.m. on the closing day of the election. 2244

E. All candidates shall refrain from using GPSA resources in pursuit of office (including, but not 2245 limited to: funds, staff, email addresses, printing, electronic mailing lists, and office space). 2246

F. If any group decides to establish a physical polling location, campaigning is not allowed within 2247 twenty-five (25) feet of the physical polling location. Campaigning includes, but is not limited 2248 to, signs, fliers, and campaigners. Polling locations, if any, should be placed in areas with 2249 minimal distractions. 2250

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Section 5. General Election 2251 A. The election shall take place Monday through Thursday of the first (1st) full academic week of 2252

April, unless otherwise decided by Council. The electronic voting shall begin at 8:00 a.m. on the 2253 first (1st) day and end at 5:00 p.m. on the last day of the election. 2254

B. Any ballot items included in the election shall be approved by Council at the regularly scheduled 2255 March meeting or through referenda. (VIII) 2256

C. Elections shall be conducted electronically and use a computer- or phone-based system that is 2257 managed by IT. 2258

D. Ballots and Polling: 2259 1. Ballots shall have a randomly ordered list of candidates and clear instructions for marking 2260

and submitting one’s vote. Provision for write-in votes shall be included on the ballot. Only 2261 cast ballots meeting these requirements shall be counted. Votes cast on partially completed 2262 ballots shall be counted. 2263

2. All ballot items shall appear on the ballot with the language received by the Elections 2264 Committee. 2265

3. Polling: Voters must log in with the user name and password on record with the Registrar’s 2266 Office to cast a ballot. 2267

E. Two (2) members of the Elections Committee shall retrieve the final vote count from the 2268 electronic voting system. 2269

F. The candidate elected to office shall be determined by a plurality of votes cast and each other 2270 ballot item shall be determined by a majority of votes cast on each item. 2271

G. Should the plurality winner of the GPSA General Election be declared ineligible or unable to 2272 assume office for any reason before the certification of the election results, or in the case of a tie, 2273 or if the Elections Committee votes not to certify an election, a special Council meeting shall be 2274 called so that a Special Election can be scheduled. 2275

H. The Elections Committee shall approve the results of a General Election after it has been 2276 determined to have been conducted in accordance with the GPSA Constitution and Bylaws. 2277

Section 6. Council Chair Election 2278 A. Only Council Representatives with credentials on file twenty (20) academic days prior to the 2279

Council meeting at which the Council Chair election will be held are eligible to vote in the 2280 election. 2281

B. The Election Committee shall prepare a sign-in roster of eligible voters. 2282 C. Ballots shall have a randomly ordered list of candidates and clear instructions for marking and 2283

submitting one’s vote. Provision for write-in votes shall be included on the ballot. Only cast 2284 ballots meeting these requirements shall be counted. 2285 1. Voting shall be conducted by secret ballot and individual voting results by Council 2286

Representatives are not to be recorded. 2287 D. The Election shall proceed as follows: 2288

1. The current Council Chair shall forward all valid proxies to the Elections Committee Chair or 2289 the Elections Committee designee before balloting begins. 2290

2. The President shall call and preside over the Council Chair election. In the President’s 2291 absence, an individual who is not a Council Representative, Certified Alternate, or 2292 recognized Proxy shall preside over the election. 2293

3. Each candidate shall give a speech, no longer than five (5) minutes, and shall have up to five 2294 (5) minutes to answer questions posed by Council. The order of the speeches shall be 2295

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determined randomly by the Elections Committee. Candidates do not have to leave the room 2296 throughout the election. 2297

4. When all of the speeches have concluded, the Elections Committee shall inspect and verify 2298 that the ballot box is empty and secured. 2299

5. Any of the candidates who are Council Representatives shall be called forward first to sign 2300 for and cast a ballot. They shall then retire to the back of the room and no more campaigning 2301 shall be allowed. 2302

6. The remaining voters shall be called forward according to the alphabetical listing of their 2303 RDSAs. Upon signing in, each voter shall receive and cast a ballot into the ballot box. 2304

7. After the name of the last voter has been called, the names of voters who did not come 2305 forward will be repeated. Five (5) minutes after the last name has been called, the vote 2306 counting shall begin. 2307

E. Vote Counting 2308 1. Only the members of the Elections Committee shall open the ballot box, determine the 2309

validity of ballots cast, tally the ballots cast, and certify the election results. 2310 a. A discrepancy between the number of ballots cast and the number of signed voters may 2311

be grounds for disqualification of the box of ballots. 2312 2. The election of the Council Chair shall be decided by a plurality of the votes cast. Should the 2313

winner of the Council Chair Election be declared ineligible or unable to assume office for 2314 any reason, or in the case of a tie, or if the Elections Committee votes not to certify the 2315 election, the Elections Committee shall notify Council before the end of the meeting. Council 2316 can vote to repeat the process or determine another course of action. The results of an 2317 election shall be determined by the end of the Council meeting. 2318

Section 7. Other Types of Elections 2319 A. Recall Elections 2320

1. A recall election is defined as the vote for recall of the President and is the result of one or 2321 more of the following conditions: 2322

a. Petition by GPSA members in accordance with the GPSA Constitution. 2323 b. Successful vote of removal by Council. 2324

B. Special Elections 2325 1. A Special Election shall take place in any of the following circumstances: 2326

a. Resignation of the President or Council Chair. 2327 b. Successful recall vote resulting in removal of the President. 2328 c. Successful Council vote of removal of the Council Chair. 2329 d. In a Presidential election, if the election is not certified, the winner is declared 2330

ineligible or unable to assume duties, or there is a tie. 2331 e. Granting of a petition submitted to a Council meeting for a Special Issue vote by the 2332

GPSA body. Only items granted on the petition shall be allowed on the ballot. 2333 f. Special Elections follow General Election rules except where noted. 2334

Section 8. Recall Election by GPSA Membership 2335 A. Upon receipt of the recall petition or a Council vote of removal, the Elections Committee shall 2336

initiate a recall election. (II.1.D.2.a.i.) 2337

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1. When the President is removed in a Recall Election due to a petition received after the 2338 regularly scheduled March Council meeting, no Special Election for Presidential 2339 Replacement is required. 2340

2. The Recall Election should occur by electronic voting over two (2) consecutive academic 2341 days. 2342

a. Voting shall open at 8:00 a.m. of the first day of the election and close at 5:00 p.m. on 2343 the following day. 2344

b. The Elections Committee shall approve the results of a GPSA election after it has been 2345 determined that all provisions of the current GPSA Constitution and Bylaws were 2346 followed. 2347

Section 9. Special Elections 2348 A. Special Elections shall take place between three (3) and four (4) academic weeks after the 2349

Council meeting, Presidential declaration, or referendum that created the Special Election, unless 2350 otherwise noted. 2351 1. No Special Elections shall be held between the last day of the spring semester and the 2352

regularly scheduled October Council meeting. 2353 2. The Special Election must occur by electronic voting over two (2) consecutive academic 2354

days. 2355 3. Voting shall open at 8:00 a.m. of the first (1st) day of the election and close at 5:00 p.m. on 2356

the second (2nd) day of the election. 2357 4. The Elections Committee shall approve the results of a GPSA election after it has been 2358

determined that all provisions of the currently published Election Code, Bylaws, and 2359 Constitution were followed and any challenge(s) was (were) resolved. 2360

5. Special Council Chair Elections shall take place at the Council meeting following the 2361 Council meeting at which the Election was created and shall follow the procedures of the 2362 Council Chair Election. 2363

6. Referendum petitions for Special Elections shall be delivered to the Elections Committee. 2364 a. The Elections Committee has five (5) academic days to validate the petition after it 2365

petition has been received. 2366 b. A special election by referendum shall occur within fifteen (15) academic days of the 2367

approval of the petition. 2368

Section 10. Elections Reporting 2369 A. Reports Following Each Election 2370

1. The results of all elections shall be reported in accordance with the Public Notice 2371 Requirements by 12:00 p.m. of the academic day following the end of the election. 2372

2. Elections data will be disaggregated from unique identifiers, including student names and 2373 departments. 2374

3. Complications with voting, including but not limited to, casting ballots, vote counting, the 2375 electronic voting system, and determination of eligibility shall be included with elections 2376 reporting. 2377

B. Annual Report 2378 1. The Annual Report shall include all expenditures and income for the Elections Committee 2379

and each report following an election. 2380

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2. On behalf of GPSA, the Elections Committee shall request that IT compile an Aggregated 2381 Elections Data Report. If IT provides this report, it shall be included in the Annual Report. 2382

3. Results for each item shall be reported by Department. 2383 a. Departments with less than ten (10) students voting must be pooled together in order to 2384

protect the privacy of individual voters. A note shall indicate which departments are 2385 pooled together and the number of voters from each department, but not a breakdown 2386 of votes by department. 2387

Section 11. Election Disputes 2388 A. An election may be challenged by any GPSA member to the Court of Review. Challenges 2389

include, but are not limited to, voter fraud, improper notification, improper conduct of members 2390 of the Elections Committee, candidate misconduct, or an unsound voting system. 2391

B. Challenges must be be formatted as Court of Review Complaints and submitted in writing 2392 within five (5) academic days of the reporting of the election results. 2393

C. The Court of Review may consolidate challenges as it deems appropriate. 2394 D. If the Court of Review determines that a challenge is valid, the Court may decertify an election 2395

or impose a remedy as deemed appropriate. If an election is decertified, a special Council 2396 meeting shall be called so that a Special Election can be scheduled. 2397

E. The Court of Review must render its decision within fifteen (15) academic days following the 2398 last day of the election in question. 2399

GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDENT ASSOCIATION 1 BYLAWS 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS 3

I. Definitions 4

Section 1. Constitutional Definitions 5 Section 2. Additional Bylaws Definitions 6 Section 3. Cross-References 7

II. Membership and Organization 8 Section 1. Membership 9 Section 2. Recognized Departmental Student Associations (RDSAs) 10 Section 3. GPSA Committees 11 Section 4. Transparency and Public Notice Requirements (TPNR) 12 Section 5. Project Assistants 13 Section 6. Veto Procedure 14 Section 7. GPSA Annual Report 15 Section 8. Amendments 16

III. Resignation, Removal, and Replacement of Officers 17 Section 1. President 18 Section 2. Council Chair 19 Section 3. Court of Review Justices 20 Section 4. Resignation 21

IV. Executive Branch 22 Section 1. President 23 Section 2. Executive Committees 24 Section 3. Executive Board 25

V. Legislative Branch 26 Section 1. Council Representatives and Certified Alternates 27 Section 2. Council Chair 28 Section 3. Council Recorder 29 Section 4. Procedures for Regular and Special Meetings 30 Section 5. Proxy Privileges 31 Section 6. Legislative Standing Committees 32 Section 7. Standing Committee Procedures 33 Section 8. Ad Hoc Committees 34 Section 9. Types and Requirements of Non-Appropriative Legislation 35 Section 10. Committee Consideration of Legislation and Appropriations 36 Section 11. Council Consideration of Legislative Items 37

VI. Judicial Branch 38 Section 1. Appellate Jurisdiction 39

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Section 2. Judicial Oath of Office 40 Section 3. Code of Conduct 41 Section 4. Responsibilities 42 Section 5. Disqualification 43 Section 6. Non-judicial Activities 44 Section 7. Resignation & Seniority 45 Section 8. Pro Tempore Justice Appointments 46 Section 9. Additional Duties Required 47

VII. Finance Code 48 Section 1. Committees 49 Section 2. General Fund 50 Section 3. Annual Budget 51 Section 4. Pro-Rated Benefits (PB) Fund 52 Section 5. Appropriations 53 Section 6. Revisions 54 Section 7. Disbursement 55 Section 8. Financial Enjoinment 56

VIII. Grants Code 57 Section 1. Student Research and Allocations Committee (GPSA RESEARCH GRANT) and 58 Specialized Travel (Professional Development Grants) 59 Section 2. Graduate Research Development (New Mexico Research) Fund 60

IX. Elections Code 61 Section 1. Referenda 62 Section 2. Candidate and Voter Eligibility 63 Section 3. Notice of Elections 64 Section 4. Campaigning 65 Section 5. General Election 66 Section 6. Council Chair Election 67 Section 7. Other Types of Elections 68 Section 8. Recall Election by GPSA Membership 69 Section 9. Special Elections 70 Section 10. Elections Reporting 71 Section 11. Election Disputes 72

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I. Definitions 74

Section 1. Constitutional Definitions 75 A. Definitions in the GPSA Constitution apply to the Bylaws. 76

Section 2. Additional Bylaws Definitions 77 Academic Week: A calendar week in which the University has scheduled classes at any time between 78 Monday and Friday. A week in which no classes are held due to University closure shall not count as an 79 academic week. 80

Aggregate Elections Data Report: A report of Elections data collected in accordance with University 81 policy and state and national law, including vote counts by department, voting time, date, and locations, 82 and erroneous voting, collected in a concise manner as to allow for data analysis. 83

Annual Report: A compilation of the reports of Decision Making Bodies submitted at the end of the 84 academic year. The Annual Report is archived for the incoming government to provide long-term 85 stability and institutional memory. 86

Appropriation: A legislative item requesting money from the GPSA General Fund. 87

Complaint Limitations Period: The statute of limitations for a complaint to be submitted to the Court of 88 Review. 89

Court of Review Complaint (Complaint): A grievance contesting whether or not an act is in accordance 90 with GPSA law. 91

Credential Form: A document for the purpose of declaring an RDSA Council Representative or Certified 92 Alternate. 93

Decision Making Body: A body or individual whose selection of a course of action binds GPSA or its 94 branches which include, but are not limited to, the Executive Board, Council, and Standing and Ad Hoc 95 Committees. 96

Electronic Signature: An electronic sound, symbol, or process attached to or logically associated with a 97 record and executed or adopted by a person with the intent to sign the record. 98

EFC: Executive Finance Committee 99

General Research Project: A research project conducted by GPSA members which is completed 100 independent of a New Mexico State Agency. 101

Grants Application Reader: A GPSA member selected to read and score grants applications. 102

Groups, New and Inactive: A groups is defined as “new” if they have not previously been chartered 103 through the Student Activities Office or if they have not received funding from a GPSA budget process 104 in the past. A group is defined as “inactive” if they have not received funding in the past two (2) GPSA 105 budget processes. 106

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Harm to Humans or Animals: Physical, cultural, psychological, emotional, or other harm to humans or 107 animals. 108

High Priority Research Project: A research project conducted by GPSA members which is completed in 109 collaboration with a New Mexico State Agency. 110

IT: Information Technologies 111

Judicial Budget: Funding allocated for the administration of the judicial branch. 112

Judicial Oath of Office (Oath): A pledge each Justice appointee must make prior to officially assuming 113 the duties and privileges of a Court of Review Justice. 114

LFC: Legislative Finance Committee 115

LSC: Legislative Steering Committee 116

Legislative Budget: Funding allocated for the administration of the legislative branch. 117

Legislative Item: An appropriation, resolution, amendment to the GPSA Constitution or Bylaws, or other 118 piece of legislation submitted for Council consideration. 119

New Mexico State Agency: An entity approved by the Grants Committee that is not a college, 120 department, or program at a public university of the State of New Mexico. 121

Non-Profit Community Organization: An entity registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with 122 the Internal Revenue Service and/or under the laws of the State of New Mexico or of an Indian tribe. 123 This organization must have a New Mexico address and must conduct a majority of its activities within 124 New Mexico. 125

Open Meeting: A meeting of any GPSA Decision Making Body with a quorum present, held for the 126 purpose of taking action, formulating policy, or discussing public business, which is open to the public. 127 Open Meetings must comply with TPNR. 128

Permanent Equipment: Items that will not be depleted at the end of a research project. 129

Pro Tempore Justice: A temporary Justice which participates in judicial proceedings when an approved 130 Justice is recused or impeached or when the Court of Review has fewer than three (3) approved Justices. 131

Proxy: A GPSA member selected to vote on behalf of a Council Representative or Certified Alternate. 132

Research: Any activity performed by members of GPSA with the intent to generate generalizable 133 knowledge that will be communicated for potential public use. This includes, but is not limited to, an 134 artistic, athletic, cultural, educational, financial, historical, humanitarian, legal, linguistic, mathematical, 135 medical, musical, occupational, political, religious, scientific, sociological, structural, technological, or 136 therapeutic investigation. 137

SSA Committee: Executive Student Support and Advocacy Committee 138

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Supplies and Consumables: Items that are expected to be depleted at the end of a research project. 139

Telecommunication: Use of a conference telephone or other similar communications equipment. 140

TPNR: Transparency and Public Notice Requirements; specifically the section of the Bylaws with this 141 title. 142

Veto: The process by which the President rejects a piece of legislation approved by Council. 143

Working Group: A group which at its creation by a Decision Making Body is designated as a Working 144 Group rather than an ad hoc committee and whose sole purpose is to do work in preparation for a 145 specific item(s) to be acted upon or discussed by the Decision Making Body at a later Open Meeting. 146

Section 3. Cross-References 147

A. References in this document to the GPSA Constitution shall be indicated by parentheses (). 148 B. References in this document to other parts of the Bylaws shall be indicated by brackets [] and the 149

word “Bylaws”. 150 C. An electronic copy of this document utilizing some form of linking technology should be 151

available on the GPSA website. 152 D. Regardless of the published format(s) and cross-references, the GPSA Constitution and the 153

Bylaws shall be considered distinct but related documents. 154

II. Membership and Organization 155

Section 1. Membership 156 A. Continuing graduate or professional students who paid the GPSA fee in the spring semester shall 157

be considered GPSA members during the summer semester. (I.3.A.) 158 B. Upon presentation to the GPSA Office of a written request, any member may resign from GPSA. 159

(I.3.B.) 160 1. Resignation of membership does not relinquish the obligation to pay the GPSA fee. 161 2. Persons who have resigned membership shall lose all privileges and benefits of GPSA 162

member status. 163 3. Any person who has resigned membership shall be reinstated upon presentation to the GPSA 164

Office of a written request. 165 C. GPSA may not revoke or suspend membership. 166

Section 2. Recognized Departmental Student Associations (RDSAs) 167 A. Each RDSA shall maintain chartered status with the Student Activities Center, and must be open 168

to all GPSA members in its department, school, or college. In order to be recognized by GPSA, 169 each RDSA shall: 170 1. Hold officer elections which are open to all GPSA members in that department, school, or 171

college; and 172 2. Not charge dues as a condition for membership as a student organization. 173

a. This does not preclude an RDSA from being a campus chapter of a state, regional, or 174 national association, so long as all GPSA members in that department, school, or 175 college may participate in the student organization. 176

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b. PB funds may not be used to pay state, regional, or national association dues. 177 B. Each program may be represented by only one (1) RDSA. A school or college may consolidate 178

representation under one (1) RDSA, but no more than one (1) RDSA may represent the same 179 group of GPSA members. 180 1. Upon presentation of a petition signed by at least thirty-five percent (35%) of the total 181

number of GPSA members in a program, department, school, or college, the Elections 182 Committee shall conduct an election in which the GPSA members of that program, 183 department, school, or college may vote to affirm the current RDSA or to select a new 184 organization willing to meet all requirements for an RDSA. 185

2. The election ballot shall include the choice of desired RDSA from among the current RDSA 186 and all other student organizations signed by at least twenty-five percent (25%) of the total 187 number of GPSA members in that program, department, school, or college. 188

a. A petition to be placed on the ballot as an option for RDSA must be presented to the 189 Elections Committee no less than seven (7) academic days from the receipt of the 190 petition to select an RDSA. 191

b. The petition to be placed on the ballot must include a statement above the signature 192 lines stating: “If selected, this organization will adhere to the requirements for an 193 RDSA in the GPSA Constitution and Bylaws.” 194

C. Any RDSA failing to adhere to the requirements for an RDSA in the GPSA Constitution and 195 Bylaws shall be subject to review by the Court of Review. 196 1. The request for review may be submitted by any GPSA member from that program, 197

department, school, or college or from a chartered student or professional organization of 198 which the majority of members should be represented by that RDSA. 199

2. If the RDSA fails to comply with any Court of Review order within eleven (11) academic 200 days, the Chief Justice or the highest ranked Associate Justice shall have the authority to 201 decertify that RDSA. 202

D. Programs, departments, schools, or colleges with no RDSA shall lose all privileges afforded to 203 RDSAs by GPSA until a student organization applies for recognition in accordance with the 204 GPSA Constitution and Bylaws. 205 1. RDSAs which enter non-chartered status shall be recertified upon becoming chartered. 206 2. If an RDSA is in non-chartered status when challenged by a petition to select an RDSA, it 207

must charter before being permitted to be included on the ballot. 208 3. While non-chartered, an RDSA may not receive the benefit of any privilege afforded to 209

RDSAs by GPSA. 210

Section 3. GPSA Committees 211 A. All GPSA members of, or appointments to, standing committees, ad hoc committees, or 212

University committees must be GPSA members. 213 1. No individual GPSA member shall hold more than four (4) voting positions on GPSA 214

standing committees. 215 B. Persons appointed to positions requiring Council approval when Council is not in session may 216

serve until Council has an opportunity to consider and approve their appointment, unless 217 otherwise specified in the GPSA Constitution or Bylaws. 218

C. All GPSA standing committees shall be composed of no fewer than five (5) members. At least 219 three (3) different RDSAs must be represented. Each member shall count as representing only 220 one (1) RDSA. 221

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D. Each GPSA Standing Committee Chair, Ad Hoc Committee Chair, and University committee 222 appointment shall submit a written report once a semester to the head of the appropriate branch 223 of government. 224

E. Joint ad hoc committees may be created by Council. Composition or means of composition shall 225 be determined at the creation of the committee and shall include Council Representatives and 226 GPSA members who are not Council Representatives. 227

F. A Decision Making Body may generate funds independent of the budget process, and these 228 funds shall not be part of the GPSA General Fund. The Decision Making Body shall record and 229 administer these self-generated funds. The Decision Making Body shall notify the head of its 230 branch of the receipt and use of these funds and shall provide a summary for the annual report. 231 Spending of these funds will be by a majority vote of the Decision Making Body and will be 232 subject to the Conflict of Interest Bylaws. 233

G. Chair-ships for the Executive Finance Committee (EFC), Legislative Finance Committee (LFC), 234 Legislative Steering Committee (LSC), and Grants Committee must be unique individuals. 235

H. No individual shall hold more than three standing committee chair-ships. 236 I. The President and the Council Chair are ineligible for standing committee chair-ships. 237

Section 4. Transparency and Public Notice Requirements (TPNR) 238 A. Public Notice Requirements 239

1. Unless otherwise specified in the Constitution or Bylaws, public notice shall be given no 240 fewer than twenty-four (24) hours in advance of a meeting. 241

2. Public notice shall consist of posting required documents in the GPSA Office and on the 242 GPSA website, and sending an announcement via the GPSA electronic mailing list and to the 243 Daily Lobo and any other media who have provided a written request for minutes. 244

B. Agenda Requirements 245 1. The agenda, time, date, and location of any Open Meeting must be posted in accordance with 246

the Public Notice Requirements. 247 2. The meeting agenda shall specify items as discussion items or action items. 248 3. The meeting agenda shall include time for public comment before discussion of old or new 249

business. During public comment, members of the public will be granted no fewer than three 250 (3) minutes each. 251

C. Minutes Requirements 252 1. Minutes must be taken at every Open Meeting. 253 2. Minutes must contain at least the date, time, location, type of meeting and the name of the 254

Decision Making Body; the names of all Decision Making Body members attending the 255 meeting; the names of any individuals who address the body in person; and a record of all 256 motions and decisions made and votes taken. 257

3. A draft copy of the minutes must be posted within six (6) academic days of the public 258 meeting in the GPSA Office. 259

4. The minutes shall be approved or amended at the next meeting of that Decision Making 260 Body where a quorum of the body is present. 261

D. Transparency Requirements 262 1. A Decision Making Body may permit participation by Telecommunication. The means and 263

extent of participation must be defined by the GPSA Bylaws, or the body’s standing rules if 264 approved by a two-thirds (2/3) vote. 265

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a. A member of the body may use the means permitted if it is difficult to impossible for 266 that member to attend in person. 267

b. Each member participating by Telecommunication must be able to be identified when 268 speaking. All participants must be able to hear each other at the same time, and 269 members of the public attending the meeting must be able to hear any member of the 270 body who speaks during the meeting. 271

2. Audio and video recordings must be allowed and accommodated at Open Meetings. 272 3. Open Meeting votes and, if available, voting records are public unless otherwise specified in 273

the GPSA Constitution or Bylaws. 274 4. Attendance of GPSA members and members of the public will be accommodated at all Open 275

Meetings. 276 a. Open Meetings shall be held in spaces that can accommodate all people wishing to 277

attend and listen. 278 5. The body may take action only on those agenda items announced in accordance with the 279

Agenda Requirements. 280 6. Items added to the agenda fewer than twenty four (24) hours before a meeting must be 281

discussion items only. 282 E. Working Group Requirements 283

1. Decision Making Bodies must give a thorough review of recommendations from any group 284 that is not required to provide notice of its meetings. 285

2. The Working Group cannot take action that binds a Decision Making Body or any other 286 GPSA group. 287

3. Working Groups are not required to adhere to Public Notice Requirements but are required to 288 include any interested member of the Decision Making Body. 289

4. Meetings of Working Groups, even in the event the meeting has a quorum of members of the 290 Decision Making Body, are not required to be open so long as they are acting only on the 291 item(s) specified by the Decision Making Body. 292

F. Portions of an Open Meeting may be closed on the following occasions: 293 1. Deliberations by the Court of Review. The actual administrative and adjudicatory proceeding 294

at which evidence is offered or rebutted and any final action taken as a result of the 295 proceeding shall occur in an Open Meeting. However, the deliberations of the Court of 296 Review shall be closed to the public. 297

2. Discussion and records related to personnel. Any records or discussions related to personnel 298 shall be in accordance with University policy including but not limited to Human Resources 299 requirements. 300

3. Discussion and records deemed private. Any records or discussion related to privacy rights 301 protected by University policy or local, state, or federal law shall be closed to the public. 302

G. In order to close a meeting pursuant to the exclusions contained in this section, the closure must 303 be made in an open meeting and approved by a majority vote of a quorum of the Decision 304 Making Body: 305 1. The authority for the closure and the subject(s) to be discussed shall be stated with 306

reasonable specificity in the motion calling for the vote to close a meeting. 307 2. The vote to close that portion of the meeting of each individual member shall be recorded in 308

the minutes. 309 3. Only those subjects announced prior to closure by the Decision Making Body may be 310

discussed in the closed portion of the meeting. 311

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4. Items eligible for closure shall be indicated on the Agenda of the Open Meeting as such by 312 reference to the reason why closure will be considered. 313

H. Members of the public shall be excused during the closed portion of an Open Meeting. 314 I. Following completion of any closed meeting, the minutes of the Open Meeting that was closed, 315

shall state that the matters discussed in the closed meeting were limited only to those specified in 316 the motion for closure 317

Section 5. Project Assistants 318 A. The GPSA annual budget or Council appropriation may allow for hiring Project Assistants. The 319

budget or appropriation shall specify the amount of FTE and branch for each Project Assistant. 320 1. The budget must include a minimum 1.0 FTE designated for the Executive Branch. 321 2. Volunteers receiving a stipend are not Project Assistants. 322

B. Filling a Project Assistant vacancy requires an open call to the GPSA membership. 323 1. The open call for applicants shall comply with the Public Notice Requirements and include 324

job description and compensation. 325 2. Each branch is responsible for selecting its Project Assistants. 326

a. For the Executive, the President shall be responsible for the open call and selection. 327 b. For the Legislative, the Council Chair shall be responsible for the open call. The 328

Council Chair shall recommend a selection for Council’s approval. 329 c. For the Judicial, the Chief Justice shall be responsible for the open call and selection. 330

3. Project Assistants must be GPSA members. 331 C. Project Assistants aid in executing the mission of GPSA. 332

1. Project Assistant duties must be in compliance with the definition of Project Assistants given 333 in the University of New Mexico catalog. 334

2. Duties may include, but are not limited to, assisting standing and ad hoc committees and 335 working on projects that serve the mission of GPSA. 336

a. For the Executive, the President shall set the duties of and supervise the Project 337 Assistant(s). 338

b. For the Legislative, Council shall set the duties of the Project Assistant(s). The Council 339 Chair shall supervise the Project Assistant(s). 340

c. For the Judicial, the Chief Justice shall set the duties of and supervise the Project 341 Assistant(s). 342

D. Project Assistant compensation shall be contracted each semester. 343 1. Project Assistants shall be paid according to the guidelines required by the Office of 344

Graduate Studies. 345 2. Project Assistants shall be offered health insurance. 346 3. Project Assistants shall be offered tuition remission equal to the amount of hours required by 347

the Office of Graduate Studies in order to maintain their eligibility for the assistantship. 348

Section 6. Veto Procedure 349 A. Presidential Action 350

1. A copy of the legislation with signature lines for approval or veto will be sent in hard and 351 electronic copy to the President’s office within one (1) academic day of the posting of the 352 draft of the Council meeting minutes in which the legislation was passed. 353

2. The President may take action on legislation, approval or veto, within five (5) academic days 354 of the posting of the draft of the minutes. 355

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a. If the President takes action, it shall be on the legislation in totum and as is. Legislation 356 shall not be vetoed by line item. 357

b. If the President does not take action within the allotted time, the legislation becomes 358 binding. 359

c. The President may take action on legislation with an Electronic Signature. 360 d. If a veto is cast, it shall be accompanied by a rationale for the veto. 361 e. The President shall send the vetoed legislation and rationale to the Council Chair 362

within the required time limit. The Council Chair shall give notice of the veto in 363 accordance with TPNR within three (3) academic days of receipt. 364

f. The Council Chair shall place the vetoed legislation on the next regular Council 365 meeting agenda as an action item. 366

B. Council Action 367 1. Vetoed legislation that cannot be acted on at a regular meeting within a session shall be 368

presented at a special meeting prior to the close of the session. 369 2. When Council considers vetoed legislation, a motion to reconsider the bill must be made and 370

seconded. 371 3. Council shall consider the vetoed legislation in the same form as sent to the President. No 372

amendments may be made in an override consideration. 373 4. If Council votes to override, the legislation becomes binding without the President’s 374

signature. 375 5. If Council fails to override the President’s veto, the legislation dies and shall not be 376

reintroduced without amendment in the same Council session. 377

Section 7. GPSA Annual Report 378 A. All Decision Making Bodies shall provide a written report to the respective branch head by the 379

first (1st) academic day after the last regular Council meeting. 380 B. The head of each branch shall compile the Branch Annual Report and forward it to the President. 381 C. The President shall compile the GPSA Annual Report to be archived in accordance with the 382

GPSA Constitution. 383

Section 8. Amendments 384 Amendments and additions to the GPSA Bylaws shall be made according to the following procedure: 385

A. Proposed Amendments shall place the amendment within the appropriate context within this 386 document, including specific numerical reference (Article, Section, and paragraph number). 387

B. Approved amendments shall take effect as soon as University Counsel approves them. 388 C. Council Chair shall submit amendments to University Counsel within three (3) academic days 389

from final approval. 390 D. Where conflicts exist between previous bylaws and a new constitutional provision, the new 391

constitutional provision will supplant the previous bylaw. 392

III. Resignation, Removal, and Replacement of Officers 393

Section 1. President 394 A. In order to initiate a recall election, Council must follow the Constitutional process of 395

impeachment and removal. (II.1.D.1.) 396

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1. When the President is removed, the Council Chair shall assume the role of acting President, 397 and the Steering Committee Chair shall assume the role of acting Council Chair. 398

2. The Elections Committee must hold a recall election within fifteen (15) academic days of the 399 removal of the President by Council. 400

a. If the GPSA membership approves the removal of the President, a special election for a 401 new President must occur within twenty (20) academic days. The removed President 402 may not run in the special election. 403

b. If the GPSA membership does not approve the removal of the President, the President 404 is reinstated immediately upon official announcement of the recall election result. This 405 President may not be removed by Council again in the same session. 406

B. If the GPSA membership initiates a recall in accordance with the Constitution, Council shall 407 verify the validity of signatures and shall deliver the petition to the Elections Committee Chair. 408 (I.1.D.2.) 409 1. Council has five (5) academic days to validate the signatures and for the Council Chair to 410

deliver the petition to the Elections Chair after its presentation at a regular Council meeting. 411 2. If invalid signatures reduce the number to fewer than the required percentage, the petition is 412

considered null and void. 413 a. If the petition is considered null and void, the Council Chair shall give notice and 414

provide a list of all invalidated signatures within five (5) academic days and in 415 accordance with TPNR. 416

b. Any invalidated party shall have the opportunity to contest the invalidation in front of 417 the Court of Review. 418

3. Upon receipt of a valid recall petition, the Elections Chair shall hold a recall election. The 419 recall election must occur within fifteen (15) academic days of the Council meeting at which 420 the petition was presented. 421

4. The President may ask the Council Chair to serve as acting President until the recall election 422 can be held. 423

5. If a recall election results in the removal of the President, the Elections Committee shall hold 424 a special election in accordance with the GPSA Constitution and Bylaws, in which the 425 removed President may not run. 426

6. If a recall election does not result in the removal of the President, the President continues to 427 serve in office, or is reinstated if the Council Chair was serving as acting President. 428

Section 2. Council Chair 429 A. If the Council Chair has resigned or been removed, that person is ineligible to run in the resultant 430

Council Chair Special Election. 431

Section 3. Court of Review Justices 432 A. Removal of a Justice must follow the impeachment and removal process in the GPSA 433

Constitution. (IV.2.C.) 434 1. The motion to consider removal may occur at the same meeting as impeachment. 435 2. Justices may only be removed through impeachment procedures. 436 3. After a motion to consider removal has passed, the Council Chair shall call a special meeting 437

for the removal vote within ten (10) academic days. 438

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4. If the Chief Justice resigns or has been impeached and is currently the subject of removal 439 proceedings, the Senior Associate Justice shall assume the duties of the Chief Justice until 440 either the reinstatement or replacement of the Chief Justice. 441

B. The Court must have at least three (3) sitting Justices in order to operate. 442 C. Replacement 443

1. If the Court has three (3) or more remaining Justices after a resignation or removal, Council 444 may decide whether or not to appoint a replacement at the next regularly scheduled Council 445 meeting. 446

2. The President shall appoint temporary replacement Justices if the Court falls below three (3) 447 members until Council approves permanent replacements. 448

Section 4. Resignation 449 A. If the President, Council Chair, or Chief Justice wishes to resign, that individual shall resign by 450

delivering a written letter, either in person or by email, to the other individuals listed above as 451 well as to the Elections Chair. Additionally, the resigning officer shall notify the members of that 452 officer’s branch. 453

B. The letter of resignation must indicate whether the resignation is effective immediately or at 454 noon on a specified date. 455

C. Resignation of a Justice prior to the end of a semester may result in the loss of the Justice’s 456 stipend at the Council’s discretion. 457

IV. Executive Branch 458

Section 1. President 459 A. Duties, Powers, and Responsibilities 460

1. The President shall be authorized and required to be one of two signatures on disbursements 461 of GPSA, except for personal reimbursements to the President which shall be signed by two 462 other authorized persons. 463

2. The President may call special elections on items of governance, policy, and fiscal impact by 464 giving notice to Council and the Elections Committee. (VI.3.A.) Special Elections shall be 465 run in accordance with the GPSA Constitution and Bylaws. 466

3. The President shall serve as an official member to the Faculty Senate Graduate Committee, 467 as authorized by the Committee. 468

4. The President shall make official announcements for open positions and appointments in the 469 Executive Branch, including job descriptions and how to apply. 470

a. Announcements shall follow TPNR. 471 b. All GPSA members shall be eligible for all appointments, unless prohibited by the 472

GPSA Constitution and Bylaws. 473 5. The President should keep open appointments for the period of no less than five (5) academic 474

days from the announcement of the open positions. 475 6. The President may remove appointments at any time. 476 7. The President shall fill any Standing Committee Chair vacancy within twenty (20) academic 477

days. 478 8. The President shall attend or send a designee to all Council meetings, and provide to Council 479

a President’s Report on issues pertinent to GPSA and the graduate and professional student 480 community. 481

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9. The President shall be responsible for the hours of operation of the GPSA Office and 482 facilities. 483

10. The President shall employ, discharge, and assign duties to all Executive Branch employees, 484 in a manner consistent with current University employee policies. 485

B. Term of Office: A President having served a term less than one year may serve a maximum of 486 one (1) additional term as President. (II.1.B.2.) 487

C. Stipend: The President’s compensation should be offered as a Graduate Assistantship in 488 accordance with Office of Graduate Studies guidelines (II.1.C.1.) 489

Section 2. Executive Committees 490 A. Executive Committee Appointments 491

1. All GPSA Executive Standing Committee Chairs require approval from Council. (II.1.A.9.) 492 2. Appointments requiring Council approval shall be sent to the LSC and placed on the Council 493

agenda. 494 B. Executive Standing Committees 495

1. Executive Elections Committee 496 a. During elections, the Elections Committee as well as GPSA Decision Making Bodies 497

should try to provide for autonomy of the Committee to prevent conflict of interest and 498 bias in the elections process. 499

2. Executive Finance Committee (EFC) 500 a. The EFC shall be responsible for maintaining the financial records of GPSA which 501

shall be open for inspection by any GPSA member or committee. 502 3. Executive Grants Committee 503

a. Members of the Grants Committee shall conduct themselves in a manner that promotes 504 public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the grants process. 505

b. Grants Application Readers present at a Grants Committee meeting are voting 506 members. 507

4. Executive Lobby Committee 508 a. The Lobby Committee shall attempt to coordinate lobbying efforts of GPSA with the 509

Associated Students of New Mexico, the Associated Students of the University of New 510 Mexico, and other organizations as deemed appropriate. 511

b. The Lobby Committee shall work with the University administration on areas of 512 common concern. 513

c. The Lobby Committee is responsible for presenting GPSA issues before appropriate 514 governmental bodies, including the New Mexico Higher Education Department (HED). 515

d. The Lobby Committee shall investigate issues of importance to the GPSA, including 516 HED funding and capital outlays recommendations to the legislature. 517

e. The Lobby Committee should compensate student lobbyists for travel and other 518 necessary expenses subject to all applicable University policies and procedures. 519

f. The Lobby Committee Chair shall give reports on Lobby Committee activities to 520 Council at least one meeting prior, one during, and one after the regularly scheduled 521 New Mexico Legislative Session. The Lobby Committee Chair shall submit written 522 reports of the same comments to the President to keep as a record. 523

g. The Lobby Committee shall prepare a platform of issues in enough time to receive 524 input from Council. 525

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h. The Lobby Committee Chair shall submit the final draft of the platform to Council in 526 December. 527

5. Executive Programs Committee 528 a. The Programs Committee shall implement and coordinate programs that promote an 529

inclusive and supportive community for graduate and professional students. 530 b. The Programs Committee shall collaborate with the programming of other student 531

organizations as appropriate. 532 6. Executive Student Support and Advocacy Committee (SSA Committee) 533

a. The SSA Committee shall maintain a list of graduate student organizations, services 534 provided, and how each can be reached, and shall post the list on the GPSA website 535 and in the GPSA Office. 536

b. The SSA Committee shall provide information to GPSA members about GPSA, 537 including volunteer and paid positions, and activities. 538

c. The SSA Committee shall coordinate support for events of interest to GPSA members, 539 as resources and time of the committee allow. 540

C. Executive Standing Committee Chairs 541 1. Composition of Executive Committees and selection of Committee Chair and members must 542

comply with the GPSA Constitution and Bylaws. 543 2. Standing Committee Chairs shall appoint the membership of the standing committees. 544 3. The Standing Committee Chair may remove members of the standing committees at any 545

time. 546 4. The Standing Committee Chair shall be responsible for submitting the committee’s reports to 547

the President in accordance to the GPSA Constitution, Bylaws, and applicable Standing 548 Rules. 549

5. The Standing Committee Chair shall hold office hours for student inquiries or provide 550 contact information available in the GPSA Office. The Chairs shall adhere to TPNR. 551

D. Executive Standing Committee Chair Stipends 552 1. Disbursement of compensation shall be subject to the fulfillment of the Chair’s obligations 553

and duties as verified by the President. 554 2. Disbursement shall be at the end of each semester in which the Chair served. 555

E. Executive Ad Hoc Committees 556 1. These committees shall pursue issues as specified by the President. These committees shall 557

endure no longer than is necessary for performance of the duties prescribed by the President. 558 F. Annual Written Reports 559

1. The Elections Committee shall include in the GPSA Annual Report all elections reports. See 560 Elections Code [Bylaw IX.Section 10]. 561

2. The EFC shall include in the GPSA Annual Report all expenditures and year end balances. 562 3. The Grants Committee shall include in the GPSA Annual Report all funding cycle reports. 563

See Grants Code [BylawsVIII.Section 1.L. & VIII.Section 2.L]. 564 4. The Lobby Committee shall include in the GPSA Annual Report results of any lobbying 565

efforts and the annual legislative platform. 566 5. The Programs Committee shall include in the GPSA Annual Report the results of any 567

fundraising efforts. 568 6. The SSA Committee shall include in the GPSA Annual Report the list of graduate student 569

organizations and resources, as well as a summary of the issues deemed most important for 570 GPSA membership, progress made, and future recommendations. 571

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7. Executive ad hoc committees shall include in the GPSA Annual Report progress towards 572 their specified objective(s), and any future recommendations for the continuation of the 573 committee. 574

8. University Committee appointees shall include in the GPSA Annual Report a summary of the 575 issues of importance to GPSA considered by the committee. 576

Section 3. Executive Board 577 A. Representation 578

1. School or college petitions for representation on the Executive Board shall be sent to the 579 President. The petition may specify the representative. 580

2. The President must grant petitions from unrepresented schools or colleges. 581 3. If there is no specified representative named on the petition, the President shall appoint a 582

representative from that school or college. 583 4. The President shall designate these additional representatives to the Executive Board as 584

voting members or non-voting members. 585 5. The Grants Committee shall have two votes on the Executive Board. These votes shall be 586

held singly by the Chair of the Grants Committee, but shall be split in the event of co-chairs. 587 B. Duties, Powers, and Responsibilities 588

1. The Executive Board shall direct recommendations for the Council agenda to the appropriate 589 Legislative body. 590

C. Quorum 591 1. The Executive Board members may participate by Telecommunication in accordance with 592

TPNR. 593 2. Participation includes discussion, making motions, and voting. 594

V. Legislative Branch 595

Section 1. Council Representatives and Certified Alternates 596 A. RDSAs are the sole determinants of Council Representatives 597

1. For any RDSA, its Council representative(s) must be a graduate or professional student 598 seeking completion of a degree or certificate in one (1) of its programs. 599

2. The President, the Council Chair, and Court of Review Justices may not concurrently serve 600 as Council Representatives. 601

3. Representatives need not be officers of their RDSAs. 602 4. Credential Forms will be readily accessible in the GPSA Office, on the GPSA website, and 603

through the Council Chair and Council Recorder. 604 5. It is the responsibility of RDSAs and their designated Representative(s) to ensure that 605

Credential Forms are submitted and accepted by the Council Chair. 606 6. RDSA Presidents or their designees must sign Credential Forms. 607 7. In order for a GPSA member to serve as a Representative, that member’s Credential Form 608

must be submitted to the Council Chair prior to the start of a meeting. 609 8. All Credential Forms are nullified at the end of a Council session. New credentials are 610

required at the start of each Council session. 611 B. Representative Duties 612

1. In addition to duties outlined in the GPSA Constitution, Representatives In addition to duties 613 outlined in the GPSA Constitution, Representatives serve as a link between their RDSAs, 614

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students, and chartered student oganizations, as sponsors of legislation and advocates in 615 Council. Council may assist RDSAs, students, and chartered student organizations with the 616 drafting of legislation.Representatives may volunteer to serve on legislative standing or ad 617 hoc committees. 618

C. Certified Alternates 619 1. Certified Alternates may be chosen at will by each RDSA. The procedure for the selection of 620

Certified Alternates is left to the determination of each RDSA. 621 2. Only Certified Alternate Credential Forms approved by the Council Chair shall be accepted. 622 3. There is no limit to the number of Certified Alternates an RDSA may select. If there is more 623

than one Certified Alternate, the Certified Alternates shall be ranked by the RDSA to indicate 624 seniority of representation. Ranking will be the order in which the Certified Alternates are 625 listed by the RDSA on the Credential Form unless otherwise noted. 626

4. When serving as a Council Representative, Certified Alternates shall have the same rights 627 and privileges as a Council Representative, unless otherwise specified by GPSA law. 628

Section 2. Council Chair 629 A. Duties, Powers, and Responsibilities: 630

1. The Council Chair shall produce an agenda in accordance with GPSA Bylaws and Council 631 Standing Rules for each Council meeting. The Council Chair shall be responsible for the 632 proper distribution of an agenda at least five (5) academic days prior to each regular Council 633 meeting. 634

2. At the first meeting of the academic year, the Council Chair shall provide all Council 635 Representatives with adequate information including, but not limited to, Council rules and 636 procedures, university policies, applicable parliamentary procedures, and access to the GPSA 637 Constitution and Bylaws. 638

3. The Council Chair shall notify the Council Representatives of the Chair’s office hours at the 639 beginning of each semester. 640

4. The Council Chair shall appoint Council Representatives to the Legislative Standing 641 Committees in accordance with the GPSA Constitution and Bylaws. 642

5. The Council Chair shall administer the Legislative Budget and will oversee legislative budget 643 proposals for the subsequent fiscal year. 644

6. The Council Chair shall be responsible for the hiring of a Council Recorder. The Council 645 Chair oversees the Recorder and is responsible for assuring that the Council Recorder carries 646 out their duties. 647

7. The Council Chair may remove the Recorder subject to University policies and procedures. 648 A replacement shall be considered for approval by Council at the first opportunity. 649

8. The Council Chair shall review all minutes. Reviewed minutes shall be included on the 650 agenda for Council approval. These minutes will be noted as “Draft” until majority approval 651 by Council. The draft documentation shall be posted in accordance with TPNR. 652

B. If the Council Chair is unable to fulfill the duties of the position, the LSC Chair shall act as Chair 653 Pro Tempore until the Council Chair can resume the position or until an election can be held to 654 determine a replacement. 655 1. If a Council Chair is acting President the Council Chair shall be considered unable to fulfill 656

the duties of the position. 657 2. If the LSC Chair is acting as Chair Pro Tempore for longer than one (1) day, the LSC shall 658

select an interim LSC Chair. 659

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3. Nothing in this section shall be construed to supplant the Council Chair without adhering to 660 the impeachment and removal procedures, nor to permit the LSC to operate with an un-661 Constitutional composition. 662

Section 3. Council Recorder 663 A. The Council Recorder is selected by the Council Chair and approved by majority vote at the first 664

Council meeting of the session. 665 B. The Recorder shall be a GPSA member who is not simultaneously serving as a Council 666

Representative. 667 C. The Recorder may not serve in another paid position within GPSA, with the exception of a 668

Grants Application Reader. 669 D. Duties: 670

1. The Recorder shall assist the Council Chair with the production of all Council meeting 671 minutes. 672

2. The Recorder may assist the Council Chair with verifying the credentials of Council 673 Representatives and ensure that Credential Forms are available to RDSAs. 674

3. The Council Chair may request the assistance of the Recorder for other duties. 675 4. Compensation 676

a. The amount of compensation shall be determined through the annual budget process. 677 b. Compensation may either be in the form of a set stipend, hourly wage, or other 678

arrangement. 679

Section 4. Procedures for Regular and Special Meetings 680 A. Regular Meeting 681

1. The date and time of the first regular Council meeting of the session shall be announced by 682 the Council Chair-elect at the final Council meeting of the preceding session. 683

2. The regularly scheduled February and March meetings shall be scheduled for one of the last 684 seven (7) calendar days of the months. 685

B. Special Meeting 686 1. Petitions for special meetings not called by the Council Chair shall be submitted to the LSC 687

Chair; the LSC Chair shall verify the validity of the petition. 688 a. Petitions shall include the agenda items for discussion and action, the signatures as 689

required by the GPSA Constitution, and the date, time, and location of the meeting. 690 b. Notice of Special Meetings shall comply with TPNR. 691

C. Notice 692 1. In addition to following GPSA Constitutional notice requirements and TPNR, notice of every 693

regular Council meeting shall be included in a legislative calendar produced and made public 694 no later than the second (2nd) Council meeting of the session. 695

a. If changes are made to the calendar, a new version should be produced no later than 696 two (2) academic days after such change. 697

D. Standing Rules 698 1. At the first Council meeting of the session, Council shall approve standing rules, which shall 699

name the parliamentary procedures that Council shall follow. 700 a. An agenda template for regular Council meetings shall be included as part of the 701

Standing Rules. 702

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b. The Public Notice Requirements shall be announced by the Council Chair at the first 703 meeting of each semester of the session. 704

2. The Council’s Standing Rules apply to every Council meeting unless suspended with a two-705 thirds (2/3) vote of Council. 706

Section 5. Proxy Privileges 707 A. Proxy voting is the casting of a vote on behalf of a Council Representative. Proxy authority may 708

only be given by a validated Council Representative or Certified Alternate to another GPSA 709 Member. 710 1. Council Representatives and Certified Alternates should select a GPSA member from the 711

same RDSA to serve as Proxy. 712 B. In order to be eligible to vote in a Council meeting, a GPSA member must be a recognized 713

Representative, Certified Alternate, or Proxy. 714 1. Proxy forms must be delivered to the Council Chair before a GPSA member may serve as a 715

Proxy at a Council meeting. 716 2. When the Council Chair receives and approves a Proxy form, that GPSA member is eligible 717

to serve as a Proxy for that meeting. 718 3. The Council Chair shall keep a list of eligible Proxies for each meeting. 719 4. Proxies are eligible to vote for the specified Council meeting in which proxy privileges are 720

approved. 721 5. Proxies do not count toward quorum. 722

C. If an RDSA has more Representatives, Certified Alternates, and eligible Proxies present at a 723 Council meeting than it has votes, the voting slots shall be recognized in the following order and 724 according to rank: Representative(s), Certified Alternate(s), Proxy (ies). 725 1. A GPSA member who believes they should have voting privileges at a Council meeting may 726

bring this to the attention of the Council Chair. The Council Chair must recognize a GPSA 727 member’s right to vote prior to that member’s voting. 728

D. If a Council Representative or Certified Alternate is in attendance at a GPSA Council meeting 729 and must leave a meeting in progress, that voting member may select a Proxy. 730 1. Representatives or Certified Alternates using a Proxy should provide written documentation 731

of their RDSA’s preferences for the publicized agenda items to the Proxy prior to 732 surrendering voting privileges to that Proxy for that meeting. 733

E. Council Representatives or Certified Alternates who miss three (3) consecutive regular Council 734 meetings forfeit the proxy privileges. 735 1. Upon attending a Council meeting, a Council Representative’s or Certified Alternate’s 736

written proxy privileges will be reinstated. 737 F. No GPSA member may hold more than two proxy votes. 738

Section 6. Legislative Standing Committees 739 A. Standing Committee Chairs 740

1. Selection 741 a. Standing Committee Chairs shall be selected by the Council Chair and approved by a 742

majority vote of Council at the first (1st) regular Council meeting of the session. 743 b. Standing Committee Chair appointments must be approved by Council prior to 744

assuming Committee Chair duties. 745 2. Duties, Powers, Responsibilities 746

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a. Each Committee Chair, in conjunction with the membership of the committee, shall 747 maintain a schedule of meetings for that Council session, to be posted in accordance 748 with TPNR. 749

3. Reports 750 a. Written Legislative Committee Chair reports shall be given once per semester to 751

Council. 752 b. At each regular Council meeting the LFC Chair shall provide a report on the GPSA 753

General Fund, the Legislative Fund account balance, and appropriations to date. 754 4. Compensation 755

a. The amount of compensation shall be determined through the annual budget process. 756 b. Disbursement of compensation is subject to the fulfillment of the Committee Chair’s 757

duties as verified by the Council Chair or Council. 758 c. Disbursement shall be at the end of each semester in which the Committee Chair 759

served. 760 5. Removal 761

a. In addition to removal by the Council Chair, a Legislative Standing Committee Chair 762 may also be removed by Council with a two-thirds (2/3) vote. 763

b. If a Committee Chair is removed or resigns, the committee shall select another member 764 to serve as interim Committee Chair until a replacement is appointed by the Council 765 Chair and approved by Council. 766

c. Council shall vote whether or not the removed Chair may continue to serve as a 767 member on that committee. 768

d. If the LSC Chair is serving as the acting Council Chair, the committee shall select an 769 interim LSC Chair. 770

B. Committee Membership 771 1. Selection 772

a. The Council Chair shall provide notice of committee membership opportunities with 773 the Agenda notice for the first Council meeting of the session. 774

b. The Council Chair should seek any interested volunteers and must consider 775 recommendations from Council for committee membership. 776

c. The Council Chair shall appoint a minimum of five (5) and no more than eight (8) 777 members for each standing committee at the first meeting of the Council session. 778

d. Approval of appointed standing committee members shall be by a majority vote of 779 Council prior to assuming duties. 780

e. Members may be added to legislative standing committees when appointed by the 781 Council Chair and approved by Council at a Council meeting, in accordance with the 782 GPSA Constitution’s composition requirements. 783

2. Removal 784 a. If a committee member violates the committee’s standing rules, that member shall be 785

removed by the Committee Chair or the Council Chair 786 b. A Representative may appeal a removal at the next regularly scheduled Council 787

meeting before the selection of a replacement. Overturning a removal requires a two-788 thirds (2/3) vote from Council. 789

c. The Council Chair may appoint replacement(s) to be approved by Council. 790 d. Council may request that the Council Chair reconstitute a committee. 791

Section 7. Standing Committee Procedures 792

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A. Standing Rules 793 1. Each committee must adopt and adhere to standing rules which include, but are not limited 794

to, committee procedure, legislation requirements, and membership duties. The standing 795 rules must comply with the GPSA Constitution and Bylaws, as well as any direction 796 provided by Council. 797

2. Each committee must adopt standing rules at its first meeting of the Council session. 798 Standing rules must be approved by Council at a regularly scheduled Council meeting. 799

3. The first committee meeting shall use the adopted standing rules for an interim period until 800 rules are approved by Council. 801

4. Committees may suspend the standing rules with a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the committee. 802 Council must be notified at the meeting in which the legislation is presented that the standing 803 rules were suspended. 804

B. Timeline 805 1. Timeline 806

a. Each legislative standing committee shall conduct its first meeting between the first 807 (1st) and second (2nd) regularly scheduled Council meetings. 808

b. Legislative standing committees must meet between nine (9) and thirteen (13) 809 academic days prior to each regularly scheduled Council meeting after the August 810 meeting in which they are formed. 811

c. Items for committee review must be submitted to the appropriate Committee Chair at 812 least two (2) academic days prior to the committee meeting. Submissions received after 813 this deadline shall be considered at the following committee meeting, except for the 814 last committee meeting of the Council session. 815

d. Committee Chairs must submit items for inclusion on the Council agenda to the 816 Council Chair at least eight (8) academic days prior to a regular Council meeting. 817

e. Supporting documentation for agenda items and committee reports must be submitted 818 to the Council Chair at least five (5) academic days prior to the Council meeting. 819

f. The Committee Chairs shall post meeting minutes at least twenty-four (24) hours in 820 advance of each regularly scheduled Council meeting. 821

Section 8. Ad Hoc Committees 822 A. Formation and Dissolution 823

1. Council shall determine the composition or means of composition of legislative ad hoc 824 committees. 825

2. Council shall approve the purpose and duration of the ad hoc committees. 826 B. Council shall determine the means for selecting ad hoc committee chairs. 827

1. Each ad hoc Committee Chair is responsible for adhering to TPNR. 828 2. Ad hoc committees must request an appropriation from Council for any operational costs that 829

the committee expects. 830

Section 9. Types and Requirements of Non-Appropriative Legislation 831 A. Constitutional amendments must be included as a discussion item at least one (1) regularly 832

scheduled Council meeting prior to the regularly scheduled Council meeting at which action may 833 be taken. 834

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B. Bylaws must be included as a discussion item at least one (1) regularly scheduled Council 835 meeting prior to the regularly scheduled Council meeting at which action may be taken. Bylaws 836 require a two-thirds (2/3) vote to pass. 837

C. Resolutions require a majority vote of Council. 838

Section 10. Committee Consideration of Legislation and Appropriations 839 A. Any GPSA member, RDSA, Decision Making Body, or groups or individuals with a GPSA 840

member serving as a sponsor may submit legislation or appropriations for Council consideration. 841 This includes the Executive Board and President. Items should be submitted to the appropriate 842 Legislative Committee Chair. 843

B. Every submission must include a contact person who is responsible for the item, capable of 844 answering questions, providing additional material, and making necessary revisions. 845 1. The Committee Chair shall collect all submissions, confirm that items have been submitted to 846

the proper committee, and produce a committee agenda in accordance with TPNR. 847 2. Legislative Committee Chairs shall redirect an item submitted to the incorrect committee to 848

the appropriate party. 849 3. Legislative Committees shall facilitate each submission's adherence to the guidelines and 850

required format established by the Bylaws and standing rules. 851 4. Legislative Committees shall provide contact information for Council members and GPSA 852

leadership upon request. 853 5. Legislative Committees shall review and make recommendations on all items submitted in 854

accordance with the GPSA Constitution and Bylaws. Recommendations may include, but are 855 not limited to, suggestions for amendment, substitution, discussion, and action. 856

C. All Legislative Items are forwarded with committee recommendations to the Council Chair and 857 shall be included on the Council agenda. 858 1. Once Legislative Committees have determined a recommendation, this Legislative Item 859

should appear on the agenda for the next regularly scheduled Council meeting. 860 a. Legislative Committees shall not unduly delay making recommendations on 861

Legislative Items. 862 2. The original Legislative Item and accompanying recommendation shall be treated as one (1) 863

agenda item. 864 3. The original Legislative Item shall not be altered by any of the Committee's 865

recommendations beyond grammar, spelling, and format until it is considered by Council. 866 4. A copy of the edited Legislative Item and accompanying recommendation as submitted to 867

Council shall be delivered to the originating party with a notice of the Council meeting in 868 which the Legislative Item will be discussed within one (1) academic day of the item being 869 forwarded to the Council Chair. 870

5. The supporting documents and recommendations may be revised by the respective legislative 871 committee up to the required deadline for supporting document submissions. The final 872 versions of the Legislative Item and supporting documents must be submitted both to the 873 Council Chair and to the originating party. 874

Section 11. Council Consideration of Legislative Items 875 A. The Council Chair shall prepare all Legislative Items and reports from legislative standing and 876

ad hoc committees and items required by the Bylaws in a single agenda. 877

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1. Items identified by the Constitution and Bylaws as automatically appearing on the agenda do 878 not have to go through the committee process. 879

2. Emergency items may be added to the agenda in accordance with TPNR at the discretion of 880 the Council Chair, even if they have not gone through the committee process. 881

3. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of Council is required to allow discussion or action on emergency 882 items. 883

B. The Council Chair shall post an agenda for each regularly scheduled Council meeting no later 884 than six (6) academic days before the meeting. The Council Chair shall post supporting 885 documents no later than three (3) academic days before the meeting. Posting of agenda and 886 supporting documents must comply with TPNR. 887

C. Final order of items on the agenda is at the discretion of the Council Chair and subject to Council 888 amendment. 889

D. Within the order of business, the originating party or sponsor shall have three (3) minutes to 890 provide relevant commentary on the Legislative Item. 891

E. The applicable Legislative Committee Chair may provide information regarding their 892 committee’s recommendation at the request of the Council Chair, Council Representative, or any 893 recognized and present voting member of Council. 894

F. The Council Chair may provide basic information about emergency items. 895 G. Council is the final authority in the Legislative Branch. 896

VI. Judicial Branch 897

Section 1. Appellate Jurisdiction 898 A. In addition to the Court’s original jurisdiction as stated in the GPSA Constitution, the Court shall 899

also have appellate jurisdiction to hear: 900 1. All matters arising from Council activity, including, but not limited to, review of any award 901

of GPSA funds to an organization or individual for consistency with the GPSA Constitution 902 and Bylaws. 903

2. All matters arising from activities of any Executive, Legislative, and Judicial standing or ad 904 hoc committee. 905

3. All acts of the President, Council Chair, or GPSA member acting on behalf of GPSA when 906 and which the Court would not otherwise have original jurisdiction to hear. 907

Section 2. Judicial Oath of Office 908 A. No Justice shall assume the duties of that office until the Judicial Oath of Office (Oath) has been 909

administered. The Oath must be administered within ten (10) academic days of confirmation by 910 Council. 911 1. The Oath shall be administered to the Chief Justice by the President or, in the President’s 912

absence, the Council Chair and must be witnessed by a representative of either the Executive 913 or Legislative branch, so long as the witness is not a member of the branch that is 914 administering the Oath. 915

2. For all other Justices, the Oath shall be administered by the Chief Justice, and must be 916 witnessed by a representative of either the Executive or Legislative branch. 917

3. In the case that the Chief Justice is unavailable to administer the Oath, the President shall 918 administer the Oath. In the case that the President is unavailable to administer the Oath, then 919 the Council Chair shall administer it. In any case, the administration of the Oath must be 920

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witnessed by a member of either the Executive or Legislative branch so long as the witness is 921 not a member of the branch that is administering the Oath. 922

4. The Oath will be administered with the right hand uplifted and the following words said 923 aloud: 924

a. “I, (name), do solemnly swear that I will uphold the laws of the Graduate and 925 Professional Students Association of the University of New Mexico, the State of New 926 Mexico, and the United States of America; that I will judge fairly and with no previous 927 bias the evidence and proceedings before me, and that I will otherwise fulfill the duties 928 and obligations of the GPSA Judiciary to the best of my ability.” 929

5. Upon affirmation of the Oath, an affidavit will be filed attesting to the authority of the 930 Justice. The Justice shall then assume office. 931

Section 3. Code of Conduct 932 A. All Justices shall establish, observe, and maintain high standards of conduct so that the integrity 933

and independence of the judiciary may be preserved. 934 B. Justices shall respect and comply with the law and shall conduct themselves at all times in a 935

manner that promotes public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the judiciary. 936 C. Justices shall not allow their family, social, or other relationships to influence their judicial 937

conduct or judgment. 938 D. Justices shall not permit those under their control to convey the impression that they are in a 939

special position to influence the decisions of the Court. 940

Section 4. Responsibilities 941 A. Justices shall be faithful to the law and remain unbiased and nonpartisan. 942 B. Justices shall maintain order and decorum in proceedings before them. 943 C. Justices shall be patient, dignified, and courteous to those with whom they deal in an official 944

capacity, and shall require similar conduct of those subject to their direction and control. 945 D. Justices shall accord to every person who is involved in a proceeding, or their counsel, a full 946

right to be heard according to law. 947 E. Justices shall neither initiate nor consider communications from only one party of a pending or 948

impending proceeding. 949 F. Each Justice is charged with the duty of carefully reading and analyzing the pertinent submitted 950

material on each case in which he or she participates. 951 G. Justices shall abstain from public comment about a pending proceeding in the Court. This does 952

not prohibit Justices from making public statements in the course of their official duties or from 953 explaining for public information the procedures of the Court. 954

H. Justices of the Court shall dispose promptly of the business of the Court. 955 I. Each Justice of the Court shall take or initiate appropriate disciplinary measures against any 956

other Justice for unprofessional conduct of which they become aware. 957 J. All official decisions and opinions of the Court shall be made in writing, made available to 958

GPSA officers, Representatives, and members, as well as the public upon request. Written 959 opinions must become part of the official Court Record and shall be made available to the 960 President, Council Chair, Council Representatives, and upon request to GPSA members and the 961 public. 962

Section 5. Disqualification 963

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A. A Justice is disqualified and shall announce recusal in any proceeding in which: 964 1. The Justice has personal knowledge of disputed evidentiary facts concerning the proceeding. 965 2. The Justice or the Justice’s spouse/domestic partner, or a person related to the Justice within 966

the third degree, by blood, marriage, or other relationship to either the Justice or the Justice’s 967 spouse/domestic partner: 968

a. is a party to the proceeding, or an officer, director, or trustee of a party; 969 b. is acting as legal counsel in the proceedings; 970 c. is known by the Justice to have an interest that could substantially affect or be affected 971

by the outcome of the proceeding; 972 d. is to the knowledge of the Justice likely to be a material witness in the proceeding; 973

3. A party to the proceeding is an employee of the Justice. 974 B. Any Justice announcing recusal from any proceeding shall notify the Chief Justice of the recusal 975

in writing. 976 C. If the Chief Justice must announce recusal from any proceeding, the Chief Justice shall notify the 977

full Court of the recusal in writing. 978

Section 6. Non-judicial Activities 979 A. Justices may appear at a public hearing before an executive or legislative body, and may consult 980

with an executive or legislative body official, but only on matters concerning the administration 981 of justice. 982

B. Justices shall not act as arbitrators or mediators except in the performance of judicial duties. 983 C. Justices shall not accept any gift, bequest, favor, or loan other than ordinary social hospitality, if 984

the source of said gift, bequest, favor, or loan could imply or give the appearance of influencing 985 the decisions of the Court or otherwise give the appearance of impropriety. 986

Section 7. Resignation & Seniority 987 A. Should the Chief Justice resign from the Court for any reason or be the subject of impeachment 988

proceedings, the Senior Associate Justice shall assume the duties of the Chief Justice until the 989 President appoints and Council affirms a new Chief Justice. 990

B. Seniority of the Associate Justices shall be determined by the date of approval of appointments, 991 the vote order by Council, and the seniority assigned during a block vote. 992 1. Seniority of the Associate Justices shall be assigned prior to sending the appointments to the 993

LSC. 994 C. Nothing in this section shall be construed to mean that the Court may operate with less than three 995

sitting Justices. 996 D. Members of the Court of Review shall not serve on any GPSA standing committee. 997

Section 8. Pro Tempore Justice Appointments 998 A. In the event that one or more Justice(s) announce recusal from any proceeding, or in the event 999

that any Justice is the subject of an impeachment proceeding before Council, the Chief Justice 1000 shall notify the President and Council Chair of such an occurrence within three (3) academic 1001 days of receiving written notification of a Justice’s recusal. 1002

B. Within three (3) academic days of receipt of such notification from the Chief Justice, the 1003 President shall recommend a Pro Tempore Justice to Council. 1004

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C. Within three (3) academic days of receiving the President’s recommendation, the Council Chair 1005 shall schedule a Special Meeting of Council in accordance with TPNR in order to consider the 1006 President’s recommendation. 1007

D. Following recusal, a Pro Tempore Justice must be approved by Council within twenty (20) 1008 academic days of receipt of notice from the Chief Justice that a Justice has announced recusal 1009 from a proceeding before the Court. 1010

E. The Chief Justice shall stay the effected proceeding(s), informing all parties of the stay, until 1011 such time as: 1012 1. the President has recommended to Council a Pro Tempore replacement for each recused 1013

Justice, and Council has approved that recommendation; 1014 2. the Pro Tempore Justice has taken the Judicial Oath of Office; and 1015 3. an affidavit attesting to the Pro Tempore Justice’s authority has been filed. 1016

F. All Pro Tempore Justice appointments, once made, shall expire upon the termination of the 1017 matter before the Court. For the purposes of this section, “termination” means any final ruling by 1018 the Court of the matter before it, including dismissal for any reason as well as a determination of 1019 the matter on its merits. 1020

G. With the exception of those cases in which a Justice has announced recusal because 1021 impeachment proceedings have been brought against the Justice, the appointment of a Pro 1022 Tempore Justice shall not limit the recused Justice’s authority to hear other matters before the 1023 Court. 1024

Section 9. Additional Duties Required 1025 A. General Duties of the Court 1026

1. The Court shall conduct monthly meetings throughout each semester. 1027 2. The Chief Justice shall preside at all meetings of the Court, or be responsible for assigning a 1028

Justice to preside when the Chief Justice cannot attend or has announced recusal. 1029 3. The Chief Justice is responsible for publishing all rulings and decisions of the Student Court 1030

within eleven (11) academic days of decision. 1031 B. Advice to the President, Elections Chair, or Council as requested 1032

1. The President, Elections Chair, or Council may seek the advice of the Court for any matter, 1033 including, but not limited to, the constitutionality of any provision of the GPSA Bylaws, 1034 codes or rules, or the constitutionality of any act of any GPSA officer or member acting on 1035 GPSA’s behalf. 1036

2. The President or Elections Chair may request the advice of the Court by submitting a 1037 question in writing to the Court with a copy to the Council Chair. 1038

3. Council may request the advice of the Court upon a majority vote of the Representatives 1039 present at any regular or special meeting where a quorum is present. The question shall be 1040 submitted to the Court in writing with a copy to the President. 1041

4. When advice of the Court is sought, the Court may follow procedures it determines in its 1042 discretion that are suitable to effectively research and address the question presented. The 1043 Court may ask the presenter of the question for clarification of the issue. 1044

5. The Court may determine that the question presented is beyond the scope of the Court’s 1045 authority, in which case it shall so inform the President and Council Chair of such a 1046 determination. 1047

6. In any event, the Court shall issue a written Advisory Opinion to the President and Council 1048 chair within twenty (20) academic days of receipt of the written question. 1049

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C. Appellate Procedure 1050 1. Jurisdiction 1051

a. The Court shall determine if it has personal jurisdiction over all parties in hearings 1052 before the Court, whether under the Court’s original or appellate jurisdiction. 1053

b. Should the Court determine it does not have jurisdiction over a particular party for any 1054 reason, the Court shall dismiss the action without reaching the merits. 1055

c. This section does not apply to the Court’s proceedings when it has been asked to issue 1056 an Advisory Opinion. 1057

2. Hearing Procedures and Informal Dispute Resolution: 1058 a. The GPSA Court of Review encourages disputants to resolve their disputes outside of 1059

this Court. This Court is available to assist in informal proceedings should both parties 1060 consent to such dispute resolution. Procedures for informal dispute resolution are to be 1061 determined by the Court. 1062

b. Parties wishing to seek resolution to their dispute in a more formal setting may bring an 1063 action before the Court by following the established Hearing Procedures. 1064

3. Complaint Limitations Period 1065 a. In general, all actions alleging violations of the GPSA Constitution or Bylaws must be 1066

brought within twenty (20) academic days from the date of the alleged infraction. 1067 However, if the Plaintiff is unaware of the alleged infraction at the time it occurs, the 1068 Plaintiff must file the claim within eight (8) academic days from the day on which the 1069 Plaintiff learned, or should have learned, of the infraction. 1070

b. Any challenge to any action on the grounds that it has been brought after the applicable 1071 Complaint Limitations Period has run is a matter to be resolved by the Court of 1072 Review. 1073

c. Extensions of the Complaint Limitations Period may be granted only to accommodate 1074 events deemed emergencies by the Court or for other equitable reasons as determined 1075 by the Court. 1076

4. Complaint 1077 a. All matters that are not Advisory Opinion Proceedings shall be brought before the 1078

Court upon completion of a Complaint form by the Plaintiff, filed with the Court in the 1079 GPSA Office within the applicable limitations period. 1080

b. The Complaint form may be obtained from the GPSA Office. 1081 c. The Plaintiff shall serve a true and correct copy of the Complaint to any and all 1082

Defendants no more than three (3) academic days after submitting a Complaint to the 1083 Court. Service of the Complaint may be made in person, by hand delivery, by first-1084 class mail, or any other method by which the Plaintiff reasonably believes the 1085 Defendant should receive the Complaint. 1086

d. The Court has six (6) academic days to review the Complaint and determine if it is 1087 within the Court’s jurisdiction as defined in the GPSA Constitution and Bylaws, and 1088 whether all information required by the Complaint form has been submitted and is fully 1089 completed. 1090

e. If corrections are required, the Plaintiff has three (3) academic days in which to make 1091 any corrections, additions, revisions, etc., and submit an amended Complaint to the 1092 Court. The Court may grant extensions to any Plaintiff when justice so requires. 1093

f. The Plaintiff shall serve a true and correct copy of the amended Complaint on any and 1094 all Defendants within three (3) academic days of its submission to the Court. Service of 1095

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the amended Complaint may be made in person, by hand delivery, by first-class mail, 1096 or any other method by which the Plaintiff reasonably believes the Defendant should 1097 receive the amended Complaint. 1098

g. The Court will dismiss without prejudice any Complaint over which it lacks 1099 jurisdiction. The Court reserves the right to dismiss any Complaint on the grounds that 1100 the amended Complaint is incomplete and/or the time for submitting corrections has 1101 expired. 1102

5. Answer 1103 a. The Answer form may be obtained from the GPSA Office. 1104 b. On or before the fifth (5th) academic day following receipt of the Complaint (or 1105

amended Complaint), the Defendant(s) must file a completed Answer on the Court’s 1106 Answer form with the Court. 1107

c. The Defendant shall serve a true and correct copy of the Answer on any and all 1108 Plaintiffs within three (3) academic days of its submission to the Court. Service of the 1109 Answer may be made in person, by hand delivery, by first-class mail, or any other 1110 method by which the Defendant reasonably believes the Plaintiffs should receive the 1111 Answer. 1112

d. If the Court determines that the Answer form is incomplete or inaccurate, it shall be 1113 returned to the Defendant(s) who shall have three (3) academic days in which to amend 1114 the Answer form and re-submit it to the Court. 1115

e. The Defendant shall serve a true and correct copy of the amended Answer on any and 1116 all Plaintiffs within three (3) academic days of its submission to the Court. Service of 1117 the amended Answer may be made in person, by hand delivery, by first-class mail, or 1118 any other method by which the Defendant reasonably believes the Plaintiffs should 1119 receive the amended Answer. 1120

6. Pre-Hearing Guidelines 1121 a. The Court has three (3) academic days from receipt of the Answer (or amended 1122

Answer) in which to schedule a Hearing if the Court finds the case to be within the 1123 Court’s jurisdiction. 1124

b. The Hearing shall be scheduled no later than seven (7) academic days from the date of 1125 the Court’s receipt of the Defendant’s Answer or final amended Answer, unless the 1126 matter is stayed by the Chief Justice because a Justice has announced recusal, in which 1127 case a hearing shall be scheduled no later than seven (7) academic days after a Pro 1128 Tempore Justice has been appointed, approved, and assumed the Judicial Oath of 1129 Office. 1130

c. Extensions of the time allotted for submission of the Complaint (or amended 1131 Complaint), the Answer (or amended Answer), and/or scheduling of a hearing must be 1132 granted when justice so requires. 1133

7. Witnesses and Evidence 1134 a. Parties are responsible for gathering and presenting evidence and other testimony, 1135

including calling any relevant witnesses to support their case. 1136 b. Should a party be unable to find or to convince a witness to testify at the hearing, or 1137

should a party be unable to access evidence that is critical to its case after reasonable 1138 diligence in attempting to secure such witness or evidence, it may inform the Court. 1139 The Court may, in its discretion, postpone the hearing or take other remedial measures 1140

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to allow the party to gather evidence necessary to its case in the interest of justice and 1141 fairness. 1142

8. Hearing Procedures 1143 a. The Plaintiff(s), followed by the Defendant(s), shall present Opening Statements, 1144

which shall be no more than ten (10) minutes in length per party. 1145 b. The Court may ask questions of either party, if clarification is needed. 1146 c. Witnesses for both the Plaintiff(s) and Defendant(s) shall present their evidence and/or 1147

testimony. Parties shall have an opportunity to question each witness subject to the 1148 restrictions of the Court. The Court may also question the witnesses, if necessary. 1149

d. The Court reserves the right to recall any Plaintiff(s), Defendant(s), and/or Witness (es) 1150 at any time during the hearing. 1151

e. The Plaintiff(s) and the Defendant(s) shall be asked if they would like to make Closing 1152 Statements, and if they so desire, they shall be given no more than ten (10) minutes per 1153 party for a closing statement. 1154

f. The Court shall then recess to deliberate in a closed portion of a meeting. 1155 g. The Court shall issue a decision no later than fourteen (14) calendar days following the 1156

Hearing. 1157 9. Hearing Guidelines 1158

a. All Hearing proceedings must be audio recorded. 1159 b. The Court shall be allowed to recess at any time, for any reason. 1160 c. The Court may, in its discretion, admonish any Witness or party whose testimony or 1161

behavior is inconsistent or harmful to the process of justice. 1162 d. Consistent with these Procedures, the time allowed for Plaintiff(s), Defendant(s), and 1163

Witness Statements shall be decided by the Court at the beginning of the Hearing. 1164 e. Plaintiff(s) and/or Defendant(s) have the right to appear with an advisor at the Hearing. 1165

The advisor may be, but is not required to be, an attorney. However, the Plaintiff(s) and 1166 Defendant(s) are responsible for presenting their cases in their entirety. Advisors are 1167 therefore not permitted to speak or participate directly in any Hearing. 1168

f. Circumstances not described above will be resolved at the discretion of the Court. 1169 10. Procedure Guidelines 1170

a. Whenever a party is required to do some act (e.g., submit a Complaint, answer a 1171 Complaint, etc.), the time for compliance begins to run on the day that the party 1172 receives notice of the need to act. If notice is sent by mail, receipt thereof shall be 1173 presumed three (3) calendar days after the notice is mailed. 1174

b. After submission of a Complaint, it shall be kept confidential until the Defendant(s) 1175 have been properly served with the Complaint or amended Complaint. Once the 1176 Defendant(s) receive, or are presumed to have received notice, the Complaint and other 1177 Court records pertaining to the case shall be open to scrutiny, in compliance with the 1178 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. 1179

c. Circumstances not described above may be resolved at the discretion of the Court. 1180 11. Procedure for Charging a GPSA Official with Misconduct 1181

a. Allegations for charging the President, Council Chair, Council Representative, Chief 1182 Justice, Associate Justice, or other GPSA officer with official misconduct shall be 1183 made on an official Complaint form. 1184

b. Such Complaints, once filed, must be adjudicated by the Court of Review and are not 1185 subject to informal dispute resolution. 1186

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c. Hearing Procedures for allegations of official misconduct shall be the same as those for 1187 any other Hearing as stated herein. 1188

12. Fairness and Justice 1189 a. If the Court finds that any particular procedure should be amended in the interest of 1190

fairness and justice, the Court may amend or modify the Hearing Procedures so long as 1191 due process is afforded both parties. 1192

13. Further Appeal: 1193 a. With respect to the actions of the GPSA, the decision of the Court of Review shall be 1194

final. 1195 b. Nothing in the GPSA Constitution or Bylaws shall be construed as an attempt to limit 1196

any person’s or party’s rights under other applicable laws. 1197

VII. Finance Code 1198

Section 1. Committees 1199 A. Executive Finance Committee (EFC) 1200

1. As an extension of the Executive Branch, the EFC shall serve in an administrative capacity to 1201 ensure and facilitate proper financial distribution to, and budget compliance from, those 1202 entities which receive GPSA funding both directly and indirectly from the GPSA General 1203 Fund. 1204

2. Once funding allocation legislation is passed, the EFC shall administer the allocation’s 1205 distribution and regulation. 1206

3. The EFC shall meet as determined by the President and EFC Chair. 1207 4. Emergency meetings may be called at the discretion of the EFC Chair. 1208 5. The LFC Chair or Chair’s designee may serve as an ex-officio non-voting member of the 1209

EFC. 1210 B. Legislative Finance Committee (LFC) 1211

1. As an extension of the Legislative Branch, the LFC shall serve as an oversight body for 1212 GPSA financial allocations from the General Fund. 1213

2. The LFC shall oversee the legislative process of financial review and allocation, including 1214 the examination and review of funding requests. 1215

3. The LFC shall meet monthly after the first regularly scheduled Council meeting of the fall 1216 semester until the end of the spring semester; an exception may be made for the month of 1217 December, where the Council Chair and LFC Chair may decide not to have an LFC meeting 1218 due to time restrictions. 1219

4. Emergency meetings may be called at the discretion of the LFC Chair, Council Chair, or by 1220 vote of the Council. 1221

5. The EFC Chair or EFC Chair’s designee may serve as an ex-officio non-voting member of 1222 the LFC. 1223

Section 2. General Fund 1224 A. Eligibility and Restrictions 1225

1. Allocations from the General Fund shall only be used to fund chartered student 1226 organizations, GPSA Decision Making Bodies, and applicable service entities of the 1227 University as dictated by the GPSA Constitution. 1228

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a. The GPSA grant allocations are appropriated through the Grants Committee and are 1229 not restricted by this stipulation. 1230

b. Executive Committees may be allocated funding that can be further distributed to 1231 students, chartered student organizations, or other groups without stipulation from this 1232 Finance Code. 1233

2. All allocations must be spent through an account with SGAO. 1234 3. GPSA shall base all funding considerations on the merits of the application and no request 1235

shall be entitled or disfavored based on any biases. 1236 4. In addition to spending mandated by the GPSA’s Constitution; 1237

a. No less than five thousand dollars ($5,000) shall be allocated to the Student Research 1238 Allocation Committee Endowment Fund and five thousand dollars ($5,000) to the 1239 Specialized Travel Endowment Fund. 1240

b. Not more than ten percent (10%) of the total GPSA annual budget shall be allocated to 1241 all GPSA standing committees. 1242

i. This shall not include the percentage of the budget allocated to the Grants 1243 Committee which, as mandated by the Constitution, is excluded from this 1244 restriction. 1245

c. No less than one percent (1%) and no more than one-and-a-half-percent (1.5%) of the 1246 total annual GPSA budget shall be allocated to the UNM Student Publications Board, 1247 to be distributed between Best Student Essays and Conceptions Southwest as the 1248 Student Publications Board deems appropriate. 1249

Section 3. Annual Budget 1250 A. Annual Budget 1251

1. The EFC shall administer the adopted GPSA annual budget in accordance with GPSA 1252 Constitution and Bylaws and any stipulations dictated within the budget. 1253

a. As administrators of the budget, the EFC should facilitate communication between 1254 entities which received funding with efforts to assist in the disbursement and 1255 expenditure of GPSA funds and applicable stipulations under the respective allocation. 1256

2. The LFC and Council shall have direct oversight of all monies disbursed through GPSA in 1257 the annual budget process by overseeing the allocation process and the annual budget 1258 hearings. 1259

3. All budgets must be based upon projected anticipated revenue for the upcoming fiscal year. 1260 4. The GPSA annual budget process is only applicable to chartered student organizations, UNM 1261

service entities, and GPSA Decision Making Bodies. 1262 5. All funds distributed through the budget process and not used by the end of the fiscal year in 1263

which they were allocated for shall revert to the GPSA General Fund unless otherwise 1264 stipulated by the GPSA Constitution and Bylaws or direction by Council. 1265

B. Annual Budget Process 1266 1. Purpose and Authority 1267

a. The GPSA budget process streamlines the allocation of GPSA fees to organizations 1268 that serve and benefit the graduate and professional student body of the University. 1269

b. The budget process is overseen by Council and the LFC, passed by Council, and 1270 approved by the President, with the final budget administered by the EFC. 1271

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c. The LFC shall create and follow a budget process and, with the consent of Council, has 1272 authority to modify such procedure insofar as not violating the GPSA Constitution and 1273 Bylaws. 1274

d. The EFC shall administer the budget under the direction of the President so long as not 1275 to conflict with any GPSA Constitution and Bylaws or stipulations within the budget. 1276

2. Timeline 1277 a. By the end of the first (1st) academic week of the spring semester, the LFC, with 1278

consultation of the EFC, shall have decided upon the timeline and procedures of the 1279 annual budget process (i.e. workshops, deadlines, hearing dates, and hearing format). 1280 The LFC Chair shall coordinate with the EFC Chair to ensure that the concerns and 1281 requests of the Executive Branch are addressed in the application and budget process. 1282 All relevant information shall be available through the GPSA Office. 1283

b. Budget workshops are to be held before the end of the fourth (4th) academic week of 1284 the spring semester. 1285

c. Budgets applications must be submitted to the GPSA Office no later than 5:00 p.m. on 1286 the fifth (5th) Friday of the spring semester. 1287

d. The EFC should formulate a budget recommendation to submit to the LFC considering 1288 the current fiscal year expenditures and GPSA funding priorities within the Executive 1289 Branch. 1290

i. The EFC should aim to provide general information on both the current and 1291 proposed budget cycle which supplements the information gained through the 1292 individual hearings conducted in the annual budget process. 1293

e. The LFC shall present a final and balanced budget to Council by the March Council 1294 Meeting. 1295

f. A finalized budget must be passed by the first (1st) Friday in April. 1296 C. Annual Budget Workshops 1297

1. A minimum of two (2) GPSA budget workshops must be held during the spring semester; the 1298 LFC Chair shall be responsible for the workshops. 1299

a. The budget workshops must be advertised via the Daily Lobo, GPSA website, GPSA 1300 electronic mailing list, and other appropriate mean of notification at least two (2) 1301 academic days before the first (1st) workshop of the spring semester. 1302

2. GPSA annual budget applications must be available and presented at each workshop by the 1303 LFC or EFC Chair or their designee with the guidance of SGAO. Budget packets must 1304 provide all necessary procedures and information, including the budget hearings schedule, 1305 for a group to follow to submit a complete budget application. 1306

3. All organizations, groups, or other entities requesting funding through the budget process 1307 must attend a GPSA budget workshop during the semester in which the group applies for 1308 funding. 1309

a. Failure to attend a budget workshop may result in ineligibility for consideration for 1310 funding in the current budget process. 1311

b. At least one (1) of the representatives attending the budget workshop must be a 1312 graduate or professional student of the group submitting a budget request. 1313

D. Applications 1314 1. All groups requesting funding through the budget process must submit a budget application. 1315 2. All applications must adhere to SGAO guidelines and standing rules set forth by the LFC and 1316

published within the budget packet. 1317

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3. The LFC, in consultation with the GPSA Office, staff, and volunteers and the EFC, shall 1318 determine the acceptable method of submitting budget applications. This method shall be 1319 clearly defined in the budget packet. 1320

E. Budget Hearings 1321 1. The LFC shall, in consultation with the Council Chair and EFC, determine the times and 1322

locations of the budget hearings. This information shall be posted in the GPSA Office, 1323 SGAO, and any other locations deemed necessary by the LFC and EFC Chairs and in 1324 accordance with TPNR. 1325

2. All groups that submitted a completed budget application shall be contacted within five (5) 1326 academic days from the application deadline with notification of the hearing schedule. The 1327 LFC Chair may attempt to accommodate requests for hearing times and changes to the 1328 hearing schedule, but it is ultimately each group’s responsibility to attend a hearing at their 1329 scheduled time. 1330

3. Each group at their respective hearing time shall have an allotted speaking time to present 1331 their budget request. The LFC shall then have the opportunity to ask questions to the group 1332 and to review the request. The process and procedure of budget presentations must be 1333 included in the budget packet. 1334

4. At least one (1) GPSA member should be in attendance at the hearing on behalf of the 1335 organization requesting funding. 1336

5. If a group considered new or inactive fails to attend a scheduled budget hearing the group 1337 shall be limited to three hundred fifty dollars ($350). 1338

6. The LFC has full discretion to reduce funding requests further if necessary or appropriate. 1339 7. A group the attends neither a budget workshop nor a budget hearing shall be disqualified 1340

from the budget process. 1341 8. The LFC shall have the authority to amend or reduce any line-item request or budget request 1342

in order to create a balanced budget. These adjustments may be made during budget hearings 1343 or in Committee deliberations without the presence of the respective group. 1344

9. The LFC or LFC Chair shall meet with the EFC or EFC Chair before the conclusion of 1345 deliberations and creation of a balanced budget to address additional concerns from the 1346 Executive Branch. 1347

F. Final Approval 1348 1. The LFC shall forward a balanced budget to Council after all budget hearings and any 1349

necessary deliberations have taken place. The LFC Chair shall present the recommendations 1350 to Council in a report that includes all groups that requested funding with each requested 1351 amount and any amendments made by the LFC. 1352

2. Council must pass the budget with a majority vote. 1353 3. Approved budgets shall become available at the beginning of the fiscal year as dictated by 1354

SGAO. 1355 G. Funding Priorities 1356

1. Funding shall be considered on the merits of each application as demonstrated through the 1357 budget process. Consideration should include, but is not limited to: purpose of the 1358 organization, population served, history of service, public relations, quality of application, 1359 and the necessity and use of GPSA funding. 1360

2. Budget recommendations from the EFC should be given deference by the LFC when 1361 considering budget requests. 1362

H. Budget Limitations 1363

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1. Groups that are not GPSA Decision Making Bodies may not receive budget funding greater 1364 than three thousand dollars ($3,000). 1365

2. New and Inactive Groups, classified as groups that have not participated in a GPSA budget 1366 process within the past two (2) years, may not receive funding greater than five hundred 1367 dollars ($500). 1368

Section 4. Pro-Rated Benefits (PB) Fund 1369 A. The EFC shall administer the disbursement of PB Funds. 1370 B. The process to receive PB Funds must be available through the GPSA Office and any additional 1371

means as determined by the EFC. 1372 C. In order to receive pro-rated benefits, each RDSA must apply through GPSA each semester. 1373

1. An RDSA may receive unallocated PB Funds from the fall semester if a proper request is 1374 made the subsequent spring semester. 1375

D. Based on the Enrollment Report provided by the University, which indicates the number of 1376 graduate or professional students enrolled in each program, department, school, or college, 1377 SGAO will credit the proper account on file. 1378

E. Any RDSA has the right to appeal the Enrollment Report provided by the University. Appeals 1379 shall be presented in writing to the EFC Chair. Appeals shall entail a name-by-name count of the 1380 department’s GPSA Members and a comparison with the University’s records. 1381

Section 5. Appropriations 1382 A. Appropriations 1383

1. GPSA appropriation requests shall be overseen by the LFC, passed by Council, approved by 1384 the President, and administered by the EFC. 1385

2. All appropriation requests shall be submitted to the LFC Chair. The LFC Chair shall forward 1386 all requests to the EFC Chair within one (1) academic day of receipt. 1387

3. The EFC may make recommendations to the LFC on appropriation requests by means of 1388 inter-branch memorandum, public comment during the LFC meeting, or in another manner 1389 approved by the LFC Chair so long as not to conflict with GPSA Constitution, Bylaws, and 1390 resolutions passed in the current session. Recommendations are solely persuasive and shall 1391 not bind the LFC in any way. 1392

4. Each Executive Committee shall be considered an individual group request as well as each 1393 GPSA Decision Making Body which has its own SGAO account. 1394

5. Individual graduate and professional students, chartered student organizations and GPSA 1395 Committees shall be eligible for appropriation funding. 1396

Section 6. Revisions 1397 A. Groups may submit a request to make line-item transfers of GPSA funds within their budget. 1398 B. All requests must be submitted to SGAO for review before they may be considered. 1399 C. A revision must be approved by consent of both the LFC and EFC Chairs. 1400

1. In the event of division over the approval of the revision, the Council Chair shall be 1401 consulted and decide the division. 1402

2. When Council is not in session, the President and the Council Chair shall be responsible for 1403 approving revisions and the Grants Chair shall be consulted and decide the division. 1404

Section 7. Disbursement 1405

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A. The EFC shall administer the disbursement of GPSA funds once allocations have been approved 1406 by Council. 1407

B. Allocation funding will be available for disbursement once it is processed by SGAO. 1408 C. All funding allocations must follow the rules and guidelines set forth by SGAO. Groups 1409

allocated GPSA funding shall be responsible for ensuring that they are in compliance with these 1410 policies. 1411

D. Monies allocated by GPSA shall be limited to line-item provisions as stipulated by the approved 1412 funding request. 1413

E. The EFC, in administering GPSA allocations, should make concerted efforts to communicate 1414 with GPSA entities and organizations receiving GPSA funding in order to facilitate cooperation 1415 and ensure compliance with any applicable rules or stipulations that are coupled with the 1416 funding. 1417

Section 8. Financial Enjoinment 1418 A. Failure to adhere to the GPSA Constitution and Bylaws, applicable stipulations attached to 1419

funding allocations, SGAO guidelines, or University policy may result in an enjoinment of 1420 spending privileges of GPSA funding until the violation has been corrected. 1421

B. An action of enjoinment must be presented to the LFC for a recommendation before it may be 1422 considered by Council. 1423

C. The LFC Chair shall report to Council on the proposed enjoinment and the group at question 1424 shall be allotted a five (5) minute speaking privilege as a rebuttal. 1425

D. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of Council is necessary for approval of an enjoinment of the group’s 1426 GPSA funds. 1427

E. The Council Chair must notify the enjoined group no later than five (5) academic days after 1428 action by Council. The Council Chair must notify the EFC Chair of an enjoinment no later than 1429 two (2) academic days after action by Council. 1430 1. Notification shall be sent to the officers email addresses on file in SGAO. 1431 2. Such notification shall include the reason for the action as well as the actions required of the 1432

group for funding to be resumed in a timely fashion. 1433 3. Funds enjoined for the remainder of the fiscal year will revert to the GPSA General Fund. 1434

F. Acts of Financial Enjoinment may be appealed to the Court of Review. The appeal must be filed 1435 within four (4) calendar weeks from the act of enjoinment by Council. 1436

VIII. Grants Code 1437

Section 1. Student Research and Allocations Committee (GPSA RESEARCH GRANT) and Specialized 1438 Travel (Professional Development Grants) 1439

A. Funding History 1440 1. The Professional Development Grant and its quasi-endowment were established in 2004 with 1441

$220,000 from the UNM Provost’s office. 1442 2. The GPSA RESEARCH Grant and its quasi-endowment were established in 1996 with 1443

$14,000 in student fees and $14,000 from the UNM Provost’s office as requested by the 1444 GPSA. 1445

3. The quasi-endowments are held by a University foundation on behalf of GPSA. Each year 1446 the spending allowance from the endowments funds grant activity. 1447

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4. Additional GPSA RESEARCH GRANT and Professional Development Grant funding may 1448 be determined through the annual budget process and augmented by appropriations from 1449 Council. 1450

B. Activities Funded 1451 1. The GPSA RESEARCH GRANT funds the development and dissemination of research 1452

including travel for research-related purposes. GPSA RESEARCH GRANT will also fund 1453 any travel or supply expenses incurred in the development or dissemination of original work. 1454

a. Acceptable GPSA RESEARCH GRANT costs include: 1455 i. Software not available in UNM computer pods or to which the student does not 1456

have free access. 1457 ii. Airfare, registration, hotel, shuttle fees, taxi fares, presentation materials and per 1458

diem in accordance with UNM policy. Travel must be outside of Albuquerque. 1459 Current policy and mileage rates can be found in the University Business 1460 Policies and Procedures Manual, Policy 4030. 1461

iii. Supplies, consumables and printing costs necessary for development and 1462 dissemination of research and not readily supplied by the applicant’s 1463 department. 1464

b. Unacceptable GPSA RESEARCH GRANT costs include: 1465 i. Salaries, tuition or binding. 1466

ii. Organization fees or conference social functions. 1467 iii. Travel, room or board for any event whose purpose is not the development or 1468

dissemination of student's research. 1469 2. The Professional Development Grant funds travel expenses that further the professional and 1470

career development of students. 1471 a. Acceptable Professional Development Grant costs include: 1472

i. Travel costs to interviews, clinicals, workshops, job fairs, auditions, mock trials 1473 and other career or professional events where the student is not presenting or 1474 conducting research. Costs can include airfare, registration costs, hotel, shuttle 1475 fees, taxi fares, presentation materials and per diem in accordance with UNM 1476 policy. Travel must be outside of Albuquerque. Current policy and mileage rates 1477 can be found in the University Business Policies and Procedures Manual, Policy 1478 4030. 1479

b. Unacceptable Professional Development Grant costs include: 1480 i. Travel to present research. 1481

ii. Any activity that could be funded by GPSA RESEARCH GRANT. 1482 C. Amount of Funding 1483

1. GPSA RESEARCH Grants can fund up to $500 per student per year. 1484 2. Professional Development Grants can fund up to $500 per student per year. 1485 3. A year refers to the period between June 1 and May 31. 1486 4. See [Bylaws VIII.Section 1.E.8] for activity funding periods and see [Bylaws VIII.Section 1487

1.D.1]. for application submission deadlines. 1488 D. Deadlines 1489

1. The deadline for submission of applications will be noon (12 p.m.) on the fifth (5th) Friday 1490 of the fall and spring semesters and noon (12 p.m.) of the second (2nd) Friday of the summer 1491 semester. No late applications will be accepted. In the event of unforeseen or extraordinary 1492 circumstances, the GPSA RESEARCH GRANT/Professional Development Grant Chair may 1493

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establish a new application deadline. Notice of any change to the deadline shall be posted in 1494 accordance with Public Notice Requirements. 1495

2. Awarded funds must be claimed within ninety (90) days of the award notification. Otherwise 1496 funds will revert back to the committee to disseminate in the next funding cycle [Bylaws 1497 VIII.Section 1.N.1]. 1498

3. Appeals of award decisions must occur within twenty-one (21) calendar days of the letter of 1499 notification [Bylaws VIII.Section 1.M.1]. 1500

E. Applicant Eligibility 1501 1. Only GPSA members may receive grant funding. 1502 2. Grants Chairs, committee members and grant readers are ineligible to apply for any grants. 1503

However, an GPSA RESEARCH GRANT reader may apply for a Professional Development 1504 Grant and vice versa. 1505

3. Grants Committee members must notify Grants Chairs when they apply for a grant. 1506 4. A GPSA Research Grant reader may apply for a Professional Development Grant and vice 1507

versa. 1508 5. An applicant may submit only one application per semester for each grant. 1509 6. Each application may be made for one allowable event or activity. 1510 7. An applicant is only eligible for the remaining amount of funding for GPSA RESEARCH 1511

GRANT or Professional Development Grant if the applicant has not yet been awarded the 1512 full amount in section [Bylaws VIII.Section 1.C]. of GPSA RESEARCH GRANT or 1513 Professional Development Grant funding per year. Per year means per summer-fall-spring 1514 funding cycle. 1515

8. The event or activity for which funds are sought must occur within the next, current or 1516 previous funding period. 1517

a. The fall funding period is from August 15 to December 31. 1518 b. The spring funding period is from January 1 to May 31. 1519 c. The summer funding period is from June 1 to August 14. 1520


[Bylaws VIII.Section 1.D]. 1523 2. Applications must be for activities taking place in the current, previous or next funding 1524

period, according to section [Bylaws VIII.Section 1.E.8]. 1525 3. Submission must occur through the online application system. The Grants Chair(s) must 1526

accommodate students with circumstances that prevent or prohibit their use of the online 1527 system. If a method of accommodation for circumstances not concerning disabilities cannot 1528 be agreed upon by the applicant and the chair, the applicant can appeal [Bylaws VIII.Section 1529 1.M]. Students with disabilities will be accommodated through recommendations by the 1530 Accessibility Resource Center. 1531

4. Applications must be the original words of the student and not the words of any other person. 1532 If an applicant uses another person’s words then they must be in quotation marks. Unquoted 1533 words in a proposal are expected to be the applicant’s own, original writing. 1534

5. A complete GPSA RESEARCH GRANT/Professional Development Grant application 1535 includes 1536

a. The completed HTML fields of the online GPSA RESEARCH GRANT/Professional 1537 Development Grant application 1538

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b. An activity proposal submitted through the online system and not to exceed seven 1539 hundred (700) words. 1540

c. An activity budget submitted through the online system. 1541 d. A letter of recommendation through the online system. 1542

6. No materials besides those listed in [Bylaws VIII.Section 1.F.5] shall be accepted. 1543 7. Applications must adhere to the online instructions. 1544 8. At the discretion of the GPSA RESEARCH GRANT/Professional Development Grant Chair, 1545

applications may not be read if the requirements outlined in [Bylaws VIII.Section 1.F] are 1546 not met. The applicant may always appeal [Bylaws VIII.Section 1.M] 1547




single successful applicant from the previous year to advertise the grants and offer 1554 departmental workshops. These outreach efforts and results will be included in an April 1555 report to Council. 1556

4. The Grants Committee will advertise the available grants at least twenty-one (21) calendar 1557 days before the deadlines on the GPSA website and electronic mailing list. Other 1558 advertisement is encouraged. 1559

H. Application Readers 1560 1. Readers of grants must be GPSA members. 1561 2. Readers cannot read for any grant for which they have also applied in the same semester. 1562 3. Readers will be compensated for their work with a stipend. 1563 4. Readers must attend a training once in each June 1 to May 31 cycle before reading 1564

applications. The Grants Chair may require re-training at their discretion. The Grants Chair 1565 shall follow training curriculum guidelines on the GPSA website. The committee may make 1566 updates to this curriculum. 1567


I. Application Scoring 1570 1. The application will be read and scored by three (3) readers. 1571 2. Applications will be read by readers from a different department than the applicant. 1572 3. Applicants and readers will self-identify within one (1) of five (5) perspectives. Applications 1573

will be read by at least one reader inside their perspective and at least one (1) reader outside 1574 of their perspective. The perspectives are: 1575




d. Creative - Engages in performative and/or artistic processes and/or products. 1584

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e. Applied - Implies the acquisition and/or development of professional or vocational 1585 skills. 1586

4. Changes to scoring criteria beyond those required in the Bylaws must be approved by a two-1587 thirds (2/3) vote of the Grants Committee. Applications shall be scored according to the 1588 criteria online which are posted one month prior to the application deadlines. 1589

5. The scoring criteria categories and minimum weighting for GPSA RESEARCH 1590 GRANT/Professional Development Grant must include: 1591

a. Technical merit: twenty percent (20%) 1592 b. Proposal composition: twenty percent (20%) 1593 c. Benefits: thirty-five percent (35%) 1594 d. Budget: twenty percent (20%) 1595



J. Application Funding Procedure 1602 1. Funds shall be allocated in percentages according to the semester totals from the averages of 1603

the previous year. For example, if there were two hundred fifty (250) applications in the 1604 previous year, with fifty (50) applications for the summer and one hundred (100) each for the 1605 fall and spring, then funds should be allocated as twenty percent (20%), forty percent (40%), 1606 forty percent (40%) of the anticipated grants money. Furthermore, the Grants Chair(s) shall 1607 set aside monies from the semester funds to be able to afford accepting one (1) appeal in the 1608 summer or two (2) appeals in each the fall and spring. If appeals are not granted, this money 1609 will roll over into the next funding cycle. 1610

2. For GPSA RESEARCH GRANT, from the total amount of money for the funding cycle, 1611 outlined in [Bylaws VIII.Section 1.J.1], the committee shall award funds according to the 1612 rank ordering of normalized [Bylaws VIII.Section 1.I.6] scores. 1613

a. The top twenty percent (20%) of GPSA RESEARCH GRANT applications will be 1614 eligible for full funding of the amount requested, up to the maximum in [Bylaws 1615 VIII.Section 1.C]. 1616

b. The second (2nd) twenty percent (20%) will be eligible for eighty percent (80%) of the 1617 amount requested. 1618

c. The next ten percent (10%) will be eligible for sixty percent (60%) of the amount 1619 requested. 1620

d. The lower fifty percent (50%) will not be eligible for funding. 1621 e. If funds are not available to award all the eligible applications as outlined above, 1622

awards will be made to the highest ranked proposals until all money has been 1623 exhausted, excepting money withheld to fund appeals, as provided in [Bylaws 1624 VIII.Section 1.J.1] Alternatively, additional money may be sought from Council by the 1625 Grants Chair(s). 1626

f. Remaining funds shall remain in the endowment. 1627 3. For Professional Development Grant, from the total amount of money for the funding cycle 1628

outlined in [Bylaws VIII.Section 1.J.1], the committee shall award one hundred percent 1629 (100%) of the requested funds according to the rank ordering of normalized [Bylaws 1630

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VIII.Section 1.I.6] scores until all money has been exhausted, excepting money withheld to 1631 fund appeals, as provided in section [Bylaws VIII.Section 1.J.1]Alternatively, additional 1632 money may be sought from Council by the Grants Chair(s). 1633

4. Funds not claimed within the ninety (90) day limit [Bylaws VIII.Section 1.D.2] revert to the 1634 grant accounts unless the original allocation for an activity was made specifically for a time 1635 period which extends beyond the ninety (90) day limit or unless the recipient requests and is 1636 granted an extension in writing. 1637

K. Records 1638 1. The committee shall keep records of: 1639



2. All records should be in non-obsolete digital format, passed on to the next Grants Chair(s) 1645 and kept for a minimum of five years. 1646



a. The report shall contain the total amount of GPSA RESEARCH GRANT and 1651 Professional Development Grant allocations. 1652




received by the GPSA RESEARCH GRANT/Professional Development Grant committee 1659 within twenty one (21) calendar days from the date on the notification letter. 1660



5. The GPSA RESEARCH GRANT/Professional Development Grant committee will review 1666 the request for an appeal within two (2) weeks of its receipt. Applicants are entitled to attend 1667 and speak at their appeal review. The review may be delayed beyond the two (2) week 1668 deadline if the applicant cannot attend. 1669


7. Any applicant dissatisfied with the results of an appeal to the GPSA RESEARCH 1673 GRANT/Professional Development Grant committee may file a final appeal to the GPSA 1674 Council within two (2) weeks of receiving the GPSA RESEARCH GRANT/Professional 1675

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Development Grant committee decision. The decision of the GPSA Council will be 1676 considered final. No further appeal will be granted. 1677

8. The Grants Committee will maintain an appeal guideline on the GPSA website. 1678 N. Claiming Awards 1679

1. Grants monies will be distributed on a direct grant basis. 1680 2. To claim a grant, a recipient must return a signed award form, provided online, to the GPSA 1681

Office within the ninety (90) day [Bylaws VIII.Section 1.D.2] limit. 1682

Section 2. Graduate Research Development (New Mexico Research) Fund 1683 A. Funding History 1684

1. The New Mexico Research quasi-endowment began with funding allocated to the GPSA by 1685 the New Mexico State Legislature in 2000. New Mexico Research grants assist with larger 1686 projects that require substantial funding and are aimed at encouraging UNM students to work 1687 on research with state agencies or in areas that directly benefit the state of New Mexico. 1688

2. The quasi-endowment is held by a University foundation on behalf of GPSA. Each year a 1689 small spending allowance from the endowment, along with substantial contributions from 1690 New Mexico State Legislature allocations, funds grants activity. 1691

B. Activities Funded 1692 1. The New Mexico Research grant funds the development of research, including travel for 1693

research related purposes. 1694 2. Acceptable New Mexico Research costs include: 1695

a. Permanent equipment not available from the applicant(s)’ UNM Department, or not 1696 otherwise available for use by the applicant(s). 1697

b. Computer software not available at the UNM computer pods or at the applicant(s)’ 1698 UNM Department, or not otherwise available for use by the applicant(s). 1699

c. Room, board, and travel expenses to and from research facilities or field sites outside 1700 of Albuquerque. 1701

d. Supplies and consumables necessary for the research project and not readily supplied 1702 by the applicant(s)’ UNM Department or not otherwise available for use by the 1703 applicant(s). 1704

e. Transcription expenses. 1705 f. Research projects commenced within the fiscal year, July 1 through June 30. 1706

3. Unacceptable New Mexico Research costs include: 1707 a. Salaries or stipends, except for the New Mexico Research Chair, Vice-Chair and 1708

Committee Members. 1709 b. Travel expenses or other fees associated with a conference. 1710 c. Travel, room and board expenses for workshops, schools, clinicals or other travel that 1711

does not directly aid in the creation of student research 1712 d. The purchase of computers. 1713 e. Tuition and supplies/books for classes. 1714 f. Any publication or subscription costs. 1715 g. Any research project that involves, or may involve, excessive or unreasonable harm to 1716

humans or animals. See [Bylaws VIII.Section 2.F.6]. 1717 C. Amount of Funding 1718

1. High Priority Research Project Grants will be awarded a maximum of five thousand dollars 1719 ($5,000) for each research project. 1720

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2. General Research Project Grants will be awarded a maximum of three thousand dollars 1721 ($3,000) for each research project. 1722

3. The maximum amounts are for individual research projects regardless of the number of 1723 graduate or professional students working on the project. 1724

4. The total amount awarded shall not exceed the total amount requested in the application. 1725 5. The maximum amount awarded to an individual, based on the total of the applications to 1726

which they are signatory, is five thousand dollars ($5,000) per year (July 1 to June 30). 1727 6. No individual can receive New Mexico Research funding more than three times. 1728

D. Deadlines 1729 1. All applications for New Mexico Research grants must be received by the GPSA by a date 1730

and time to be announced by the New Mexico Research Committee Chair no later than the 1731 regularly scheduled October Council Meeting. In the event of unforeseen or extraordinary 1732 circumstances, the New Mexico Research Chair may establish a new application deadline. 1733 Notice of any change to the deadline shall be posted in accordance with The Public Notice 1734 Requirements. 1735

2. Late applications will not be considered for funding. 1736 3. Awarded funds must be claimed by the June 30 following award notification. Otherwise 1737

funds will revert back to the committee to disseminate in the next funding cycle. See [Bylaws 1738 VIII.Section 2.N.1]. 1739

4. Appeals of award decisions must occur within twenty one (21) calendar days of the letter of 1740 notification. See [Bylaws VIII.Section 2.M]. 1741

E. Applicant Eligibility 1742 1. A member of GPSA enrolled, at the time of application and through the completion date of 1743

the research project, at the University of New Mexico. 1744 2. A GPSA member of GPSA not serving on the GPSA Court of Review, as New Mexico 1745

Research Chair or as a New Mexico Research reader. 1746 3. FOR HIGH PRIORITY RESEARCH PROJECT GRANTS ONLY: Members of GPSA 1747

collaborating with a New Mexico State Agency. 1748 4. The research activity for which funds are sought must occur between July 1 and June 30 for 1749

the current funding cycle. 1750 F. Application Requirements 1751

1. Applications must be submitted before the deadline, according to the deadlines in section 1752 [Bylaws VIII.Section 2.D]. 1753

2. Applications must be for activities taking place in the current funding period according to 1754 section [Bylaws VIII.Section 2.E.4]. 1755

3. Submission must occur through the online application system. The Grants Chair(s) must 1756 accommodate students with circumstances that prevent or prohibit their use of the online 1757 system. Students with disabilities will be accommodated through recommendations by the 1758 Accessibility Resource Center. If a method of accommodation, for circumstances not 1759 concerning disabilities, cannot be agreed upon by the applicant and the chair, the applicant 1760 can appeal, see [Bylaws VIII.Section 2.M]. 1761

4. Applications must be the original words of the student and not the words of any other person. 1762 If an applicant uses another person’s words then they must be in quotation marks. Unquoted 1763 words in a proposal are expected to be the applicant’s own, original writing 1764

5. All applicant(s) may apply for either a High Priority Research Project Grant or a General 1765 Research Project Grant, but may not apply for both for a single project. 1766

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6. For activities involving humans, animals, or hazardous materials: 1767 a. All research projects that involve human or animal subjects or participants must, prior 1768

to the distribution of funding, be reviewed and approved by the Human Research 1769 Review Committee (HRRC), an Institutional Review Board (IRB), the Institutional 1770 Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), or by another entity empowered by the 1771 University of New Mexico for such purposes. 1772

b. All research projects that involve the use of biohazardous materials or chemicals must 1773 be reviewed and approved, prior to the distribution of funding, by the Biosafety 1774 Committee or by another entity empowered by the University of New Mexico for such 1775 purposes. 1776

c. Approval of a research project by any of the entities described in subsections a or b 1777 above shall not be determinative of whether or not a research project involves 1778 excessive or unreasonable harm to humans or animals. 1779

7. Proposal 1780 a. Each application must include a proposal identifying the following areas: 1781

i. Description of the research project. 1782 ii. Activity is introduced, given adequate background and put into the context of 1783

the field. 1784 iii. Student's academic interests are explained. 1785 iv. Relationship of specific activity to degree is explained. 1786 v. Methodology. 1787

vi. Significance of the project on the applicant(s) career. 1788 vii. Significance of the project to the University of New Mexico. 1789

viii. Significance of the project to New Mexico’s communities. 1790 ix. Significance of the project to New Mexico’s rural communities. 1791 x. FOR HIGH PRIORITY GRANTS ONLY: Description of the collaboration with 1792

a New Mexico State Agency. 1793 xi. FOR GENERAL GRANTS COLLABORATING WITH NON –PROFIT 1794

COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS ONLY: Description of the collaboration 1795 with a non-profit community organization. 1796

b. All proposals shall be written in language easily understandable by graduate or 1797 professional students in any college or school. All technical terms shall be defined and 1798 explained. 1799

c. FOR GENERAL GRANTS ONLY: The maximum word count for each proposal shall 1800 be seven hundred (700) words. 1801

d. FOR HIGH PRIORITY GRANTS ONLY: The maximum word count for each 1802 proposal shall one thousand, one hundred (1100) words. 1803

8. Letter(s) of Support 1804 a. All applications must include one (1) letter of support from a faculty member familiar 1805

with the applicant(s)’ research project 1806 b. HIGH PRIORITY GRANTS ONLY: Each application for High Priority Grants must 1807

also submit one (1) letter of support from a member in the collaborating New Mexico 1808 State Agency. 1809

c. FOR GENERAL GRANTS COLLABORATING WITH NON-PROFIT 1810 COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS: Each application may also include one (1) letter 1811 of support from a member in the collaborating non-profit community organization. 1812

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9. Itemized Budget 1813 a. Each application for funding must include a reasonable itemized budget for the 1814

research project that includes the following: 1815 i. Total budget for the research project. 1816

ii. Line items that will be funded with New Mexico Research grant money must be 1817 clearly indicated. 1818

iii. All sources of funding for the research project, including all amounts requested, 1819 but not yet awarded, from any other funding source must be listed for each line 1820 item. 1821

iv. Detailed information on all equipment, travel costs, supplies and consumables; 1822 including airlines, make and model numbers, hotel and motel names, rates, sizes 1823 and weights etc. 1824

b. Any proposed expenditures may be explained in text accompanying the itemized 1825 budget. 1826

c. Itemized budgets indicating New Mexico Research funded items that are unacceptable 1827 New Mexico Research costs shall be reduced by the amount indicated on the itemized 1828 budget. 1829

d. The New Mexico Research Chair, at that person’s discretion, may request of the 1830 principal applicant the submission of a new itemized budget for review. The applicant 1831 will be given five (5) academic days following notification to submit the new itemized 1832 budget to the GPSA Office. Failure by the principal applicant to turn in a new itemized 1833 budget will be grounds to disqualify the application from review. 1834

10. No materials besides the online application itself and those listed in [Bylaws VIII.Section 1835 2.F.7-9]. shall be accepted. 1836

11. Applications must adhere to the online instructions. 1837 12. At the discretion of the New Mexico Research Chair, applications may be disqualified if the 1838

requirements outlined in [Bylaws VIII.Section 2.F] are not met. The applicant may always 1839 appeal [Bylaws VIII.Section 2.M]. 1840




single successful applicant from the previous year to advertise the grants and offer 1847 departmental workshops. These outreach efforts and results will be included in the April 1848 report to Council. 1849

4. The Grants Committee will advertise the available grants at least twenty one (21) calendar 1850 days before the deadlines on the GPSA website and electronic mailing list. Other 1851 advertisement is encouraged. 1852

H. Application Readers 1853 1. Readers of grants must be GPSA members. 1854 2. Readers cannot read for any grant for which they have also applied in the same semester. 1855 3. Readers will be compensated for their work with a stipend. 1856 4. Readers must attend a training once in each cycle before reading applications. The Grants 1857

Chair(s) may require re-training at their discretion. The Grants Chair(s) shall follow training 1858

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curriculum guidelines on the GPSA website. The committee may make updates to this 1859 curriculum. 1860


I. Application Scoring 1863 1. An application will be read and scored by three (3) readers. 1864 2. Applications will be read by readers from a different department than the applicant. 1865 3. Applicants and readers will self-identify within one (1) of five (5) disciplines. Applications 1866

will be read by at least one (1) reader inside their perspective and at least one (1) reader 1867 outside of their perspective. The perspectives are: 1868





skills. 1879 4. Applications shall be scored according to the criteria online, posted at least one (1) month 1880

prior to the application deadlines. Score criteria changes must be approved by a two-thirds 1881 (2/3) vote from the Grants Committee, but may not be changed in the month prior to the 1882 application deadline. 1883

5. The criteria for New Mexico Research scoring must include 1884 a. Description of the research project, five (5) points. 1885 b. Activity is introduced, given adequate background and put into the context of the field, 1886

five (5) points. 1887 c. Student's academic interests are explained, five (5) points. 1888 d. Relationship of specific activity to degree is explained, five (5) points. 1889 e. Language in the proposal is easily understandable by graduate and professional 1890

students in any college or school and all technical terms are defined and explained, ten 1891 (10) points. 1892

f. Methodology: Are the research project fundamentals and procedures sufficient to 1893 ensure project success?, ten (10) points. 1894

g. Student Benefits: Project will result in graduate/professional student development 1895 appropriate to the applicant's stage in career, ten (10) points. 1896

h. UNM Benefits: Research project benefits UNM, ten (10) points. 1897 i. Budget shows source of funding for each line item, five (5) points. 1898 j. Budget is well researched and complete for project, five (5) points. 1899 k. Does the project directly impact New Mexico's communities?, ten (10) points. 1900 l. Does the project significantly impact New Mexico's communities?, ten (10) points. 1901 m. Does the project directly and significantly impact New Mexico's rural 1902

communities?, ten (10) points. 1903 n. Degree of support demonstrated in the letter from UNM faculty, ten (10) points. 1904

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o. FOR HIGH PRIORITY APPLICATIONS ONLY: Description of the collaboration 1905 with a New Mexico State Agency, twenty (20) points. 1906

p. FOR HIGH PRIORITY APPLICATIONS ONLY: Degree of support demonstrated in 1907 the letter from the New Mexico State Agency, ten (10) points. 1908

q. FOR GENERAL GRANTS COLLABORATING WITH A NON-PROFIT 1909 COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION: Description of the collaboration with a non-profit 1910 community organization, five (5) optional points. 1911

r. FOR GENERAL GRANTS COLLABORATING WITH A NON-PROFIT 1912 COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION: Degree of support demonstrated in the letter from 1913 the non-profit community organization, five (5) points. 1914

6. The scoring criteria above shall be the only criteria considered in scoring New Mexico 1915 Research applications. 1916



J. Funding Procedures 1923 1. New Mexico Research Total Budget 1924

a. The GPSA President shall recommend and the GPSA Council shall approve the total 1925 amount allocated each year for the New Mexico Research Funding Process. 1926

b. No more than ten percent (10%) of the total amount allocated annually may be used for 1927 administrative expenses. 1928

c. No less than two percent (2%) of the total amount allocated annually shall be set aside 1929 for the appeals process. 1930

d. The New Mexico Research Chair shall recommend and the Grants Committee shall 1931 approve the total amounts allocated annually for administrative expenses, appeals, and 1932 for High Priority and General Research Project Grants. 1933

i. The annual stipend of the New Mexico Research Chair shall be recommended 1934 by the GPSA President and approved by the GPSA Council. This stipend shall 1935 be no less than one percent (1%), and no more than three percent (3%), of the 1936 total amount allocated for the New Mexico Research process during the current 1937 fiscal year, but shall not exceed two thousand dollars ($2,000). 1938

2. Funding Applications 1939 a. If funds are not available to fully fund the applications as outlined below, the awards 1940

will be made to the highest ranked proposals until all money has been exhausted. 1941 b. High Priority: The total awarded to all High Priority applications shall not exceed half 1942

(1/2) of the overall amount awarded in the New Mexico Research process. High 1943 Priority applications will be fully funded, starting with the highest scoring application 1944

c. General Priority: The total awarded to all General Priority applications shall not exceed 1945 the remaining amount to be awarded in the New Mexico Research process after the 1946 High Priority grants are awarded. 1947

d. The lower fifty percent (50%) of High Priority and the lower fifty percent (50%) of 1948 General Priority applications will not be eligible for funding. 1949

e. Remaining funds shall remain in the endowment. 1950

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K. Records 1951 1. The Grants Committee shall keep records of: 1952



2. All records should be in non-obsolete digital format, passed on to the next Grants Chair(s) 1958 and kept for a minimum of five (5) years. 1959



a. The report shall contain the total amount of GPSA RESEARCH GRANT, Professional 1964 Development Grant, and New Mexico Research grant allocations. 1965




received by the New Mexico Research committee within twenty-one (21) calendar days from 1972 the date on the notification letter. 1973



5. The Grants Committee will review the request for an appeal within fourteen (14) calendar 1979 days of its receipt. Applicants are entitled to attend and speak at their appeal review. The 1980 review may be delayed beyond the deadline if the applicant cannot attend. 1981


7. Any applicant dissatisfied with the results of an appeal to the Grants Committee may file a 1985 final appeal to Council within ten (10) academic days of receiving the Grants Committee 1986 decision. The decision of the GPSA Council will be considered final. No further appeal will 1987 be granted. 1988

8. The Grants Committee will maintain an appeal guideline on the GPSA website. 1989 N. Claiming Awards, Budget Revisions and Funding Extensions 1990

1. To claim a grant, a recipient must return to the GPSA Office before June 30 [Bylaws 1991 VIII.Section 2.D.3]: 1992

a. An award form, provided online. 1993 b. Original receipts of the expenditures. 1994 c. Original proposal and budget. 1995

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2. Significant revisions to an applicant’s budget must be approved by the Grants Committee 1996 Chair. Submission of the revised budget, a memo explaining the need for the revision and all 1997 the material in [Bylaws VIII.Section 2.N.1]. is necessary. The committee shall make a 1998 decision within fourteen (14) calendar days of receiving the revision request. 1999

3. Funding period extensions beyond the funding year [Bylaws VIII.Section 2.D.3] may be 2000 requested in writing and granted at the committee's discretion within fourteen (14) calendar 2001 days of receiving the request. 2002

IX. Elections Code 2003

Section 1. Referenda 2004 A. All referendum items are submitted to the Elections Committee via the Elections Chair or the 2005

GPSA Office. (VIII.A-B.) 2006 B. The party submitting the referendum item shall identify its level of authority as one of the 2007

following: Constitution, Bylaws, Resolution, or Election. 2008 C. The ballot shall preserve the language in which referendum items are submitted. 2009

Section 2. Candidate and Voter Eligibility 2010 A. An eligible candidate for the office of President or Council Chair shall be a GPSA member. 2011

1. Candidates file for an election by turning in completed Candidacy Forms to the GPSA Office 2012 by 5:00 p.m. on the Wednesday of the third (3rd) academic week prior to the election. 2013

a. Candidacy Forms shall entail an autobiography, an eligibility form, an application for 2014 candidacy, and a campaign contributions statement. 2015

b. Candidacy Forms shall be forwarded immediately to the Student Activities Center for 2016 certification. A list of certified candidates will be posted in accordance with the Public 2017 Notice Requirements. 2018

c. The Elections Committee shall determine eligibility and announce candidates by 5:00 2019 p.m. the academic day following the application deadline. Candidates shall be 2020 considered valid if the proper forms were completed and all eligibility requirements 2021 were met. 2022

2. A candidate is ineligible to run for President or Council Chair if winning the election would 2023 result in holding both offices for any period of time. 2024

B. An eligible voter for an election must be a GPSA member. Voters may cast only one vote per 2025 item in a given election. 2026 1. The Elections Committee shall arrange for a list of GPSA member NetIDs to be obtained 2027

from the Registrar’s Office and delivered to Information Technologies (IT). 2028

Section 3. Notice of Elections 2029 A. Notice of all elections entails at least one (1) advertisement in the Daily Lobo, no later than 2030

fifteen (15) academic days prior to the election for candidates and no later than five (5) academic 2031 days prior to the election for ballot items sent to the GPSA electronic mailing list. 2032

B. The Elections Committee will use a UNM email account and set up an elections electronic 2033 mailing list through IT during the first (1st) week of September and of February. 2034

C. The Elections Committee shall issue a “Call for Candidates and Ballot Items” no fewer than five 2035 (5) academic weeks prior to the general election. The Call for Candidates and Ballot Items shall 2036 include a list of elected offices in GPSA and procedures for submitting items to the ballot via 2037

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Council or referendum. This notice shall be posted according to the Public Notice Requirements 2038 along with an advertisement posted in the Daily Lobo. 2039 1. The written notice shall also include any steps necessary for a student to vote. 2040 2. This notice must be one quarter (1/4) of a page advertisement appearing for three (3) 2041



D. The Elections Committee shall publish on the last regularly scheduled academic day prior to a 2046 General or Special Election at least one (1) full-page advertisement in the Daily Lobo. 2047 1. This advertisement shall carry personal, professional, and/or platform information for 2048

candidates, information regarding amendments, and any other items to be voted upon in the 2049 election. 2050

2. The full text of Constitutional Amendments shall be included. If the text is larger than one 2051 quarter (1/4) page, a summary shall be included as well as notice of how to obtain complete 2052 text. 2053

3. The advertisement shall include the method and hours of electronic voting. 2054 4. Special Elections may have a half (1/2) page advertisement. 2055

E. Notice of candidate forums shall be advertised in the Daily Lobo at least two (2) academic days 2056 prior to the beginning of at least the first (1st) forum. This advertisement shall indicate the 2057 names of the candidates and the location and time of the forum. 2058 1. The format of candidate forums will be determined by the Elections Committee and 2059

distributed to the candidates one (1) academic day prior to the forum(s). 2060 F. Notice of a Recall Election must occur within five (5) academic days of notice to the Elections 2061

Committee from Council. 2062 1. The written notice shall also include any steps necessary for a student to vote. 2063 2. This notice will be a quarter (1/4) page advertisement appearing for three (3) consecutive 2064

issues of the Daily Lobo. Once published, this information may not be changed or altered 2065 except to correct any errors in printing. 2066


G. Notice of a Special Election for Presidential Replacement shall be given within three (3) 2069 academic days of a recall election in which a President has been removed. 2070 1. Notice shall include instructions for running for President, the application deadline, and any 2071

steps necessary for a student to vote. 2072 2. This notice will be one quarter (1/4) of a page advertisement appearing for three (3) 2073



H. Notice of a Special Election by Referendum shall be given within ten (10) academic days after 2078 the Elections Committee has verified a petition. 2079 1. Notice shall include any steps necessary for a student to vote. 2080 2. This notice will be one quarter (1/4) of a page advertisement appearing for three (3) 2081


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Section 4. Campaigning 2086 A. Candidates shall conduct campaigns in a manner which abides by university and GPSA policies 2087

and guidelines in their pursuit of office. Members of the Elections Committee shall refrain from 2088 actions that would show favoritism for or have a negative effect against any candidate or issue 2089 that might appear on the ballot. 2090

B. Candidates shall submit, along with the Candidacy Forms, a list of authorized campaign 2091 committee members that may act on their behalf. Any changes to this list should be updated with 2092 the Elections Committee. 2093

C. Candidates shall sign the Campaign Contribution Statement: “All funds received and spent will 2094 be from members of the UNM GPSA and no other sources.” This form shall be submitted as part 2095 of the Candidacy Forms. 2096

D. Candidates shall submit an itemized accounting of all expenditures incurred by the candidate in 2097 the pursuit of office before 5:00 p.m. on the closing day of the election. 2098

E. All candidates shall refrain from using GPSA resources in pursuit of office (including, but not 2099 limited to: funds, staff, email addresses, printing, electronic mailing lists, and office space). 2100

F. If any group decides to establish a physical polling location, campaigning is not allowed within 2101 twenty-five (25) feet of the physical polling location. Campaigning includes, but is not limited 2102 to, signs, fliers, and campaigners. Polling locations, if any, should be placed in areas with 2103 minimal distractions. 2104

Section 5. General Election 2105 A. The election shall take place Monday through Thursday of the first (1st) full academic week of 2106

April, unless otherwise decided by Council. The electronic voting shall begin at 8:00 a.m. on the 2107 first (1st) day and end at 5:00 p.m. on the last day of the election. 2108

B. Any ballot items included in the election shall be approved by Council at the regularly scheduled 2109 March meeting or through referenda. (VIII) 2110

C. Elections shall be conducted electronically and use a computer- or phone-based system that is 2111 managed by IT. 2112

D. Ballots and Polling: 2113 1. Ballots shall have a randomly ordered list of candidates and clear instructions for marking 2114

and submitting one’s vote. Provision for write-in votes shall be included on the ballot. Only 2115 cast ballots meeting these requirements shall be counted. Votes cast on partially completed 2116 ballots shall be counted. 2117

2. All ballot items shall appear on the ballot with the language received by the Elections 2118 Committee. 2119

3. Polling: Voters must log in with the user name and password on record with the Registrar’s 2120 Office to cast a ballot. 2121

E. Two (2) members of the Elections Committee shall retrieve the final vote count from the 2122 electronic voting system. 2123

F. The candidate elected to office shall be determined by a plurality of votes cast and each other 2124 ballot item shall be determined by a majority of votes cast on each item. 2125

G. Should the plurality winner of the GPSA General Election be declared ineligible or unable to 2126 assume office for any reason before the certification of the election results, or in the case of a tie, 2127

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or if the Elections Committee votes not to certify an election, a special Council meeting shall be 2128 called so that a Special Election can be scheduled. 2129

H. The Elections Committee shall approve the results of a General Election after it has been 2130 determined to have been conducted in accordance with the GPSA Constitution and Bylaws. 2131

Section 6. Council Chair Election 2132 A. Only Council Representatives with credentials on file twenty (20) academic days prior to the 2133

Council meeting at which the Council Chair election will be held are eligible to vote in the 2134 election. 2135

B. The Election Committee shall prepare a sign-in roster of eligible voters. 2136 C. Ballots shall have a randomly ordered list of candidates and clear instructions for marking and 2137

submitting one’s vote. Provision for write-in votes shall be included on the ballot. Only cast 2138 ballots meeting these requirements shall be counted. 2139 1. Voting shall be conducted by secret ballot and individual voting results by Council 2140

Representatives are not to be recorded. 2141 D. The Election shall proceed as follows: 2142

1. The current Council Chair shall forward all valid proxies to the Elections Committee Chair or 2143 the Elections Committee designee before balloting begins. 2144

2. The President shall call and preside over the Council Chair election. In the President’s 2145 absence, an individual who is not a Council Representative, Certified Alternate, or 2146 recognized Proxy shall preside over the election. 2147

3. Each candidate shall give a speech, no longer than five (5) minutes, and shall have up to five 2148 (5) minutes to answer questions posed by Council. The order of the speeches shall be 2149 determined randomly by the Elections Committee. Candidates do not have to leave the room 2150 throughout the election. 2151

4. When all of the speeches have concluded, the Elections Committee shall inspect and verify 2152 that the ballot box is empty and secured. 2153

5. Any of the candidates who are Council Representatives shall be called forward first to sign 2154 for and cast a ballot. They shall then retire to the back of the room and no more campaigning 2155 shall be allowed. 2156

6. The remaining voters shall be called forward according to the alphabetical listing of their 2157 RDSAs. Upon signing in, each voter shall receive and cast a ballot into the ballot box. 2158

7. After the name of the last voter has been called, the names of voters who did not come 2159 forward will be repeated. Five (5) minutes after the last name has been called, the vote 2160 counting shall begin. 2161

E. Vote Counting 2162 1. Only the members of the Elections Committee shall open the ballot box, determine the 2163

validity of ballots cast, tally the ballots cast, and certify the election results. 2164 a. A discrepancy between the number of ballots cast and the number of signed voters may 2165

be grounds for disqualification of the box of ballots. 2166 2. The election of the Council Chair shall be decided by a plurality of the votes cast. Should the 2167

winner of the Council Chair Election be declared ineligible or unable to assume office for 2168 any reason, or in the case of a tie, or if the Elections Committee votes not to certify the 2169 election, the Elections Committee shall notify Council before the end of the meeting. Council 2170 can vote to repeat the process or determine another course of action. The results of an 2171 election shall be determined by the end of the Council meeting. 2172

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Section 7. Other Types of Elections 2173 A. Recall Elections 2174

1. A recall election is defined as the vote for recall of the President and is the result of one or 2175 more of the following conditions: 2176

a. Petition by GPSA members in accordance with the GPSA Constitution. 2177 b. Successful vote of removal by Council. 2178

B. Special Elections 2179 1. A Special Election shall take place in any of the following circumstances: 2180

a. Resignation of the President or Council Chair. 2181 b. Successful recall vote resulting in removal of the President. 2182 c. Successful Council vote of removal of the Council Chair. 2183 d. In a Presidential election, if the election is not certified, the winner is declared 2184

ineligible or unable to assume duties, or there is a tie. 2185 e. Granting of a petition submitted to a Council meeting for a Special Issue vote by the 2186

GPSA body. Only items granted on the petition shall be allowed on the ballot. 2187 f. Special Elections follow General Election rules except where noted. 2188

Section 8. Recall Election by GPSA Membership 2189 A. Upon receipt of the recall petition or a Council vote of removal, the Elections Committee shall 2190

initiate a recall election. (II.1.D.2.a.i.) 2191 1. When the President is removed in a Recall Election due to a petition received after the 2192

regularly scheduled March Council meeting, no Special Election for Presidential 2193 Replacement is required. 2194

2. The Recall Election should occur by electronic voting over two (2) consecutive academic 2195 days. 2196

a. Voting shall open at 8:00 a.m. of the first day of the election and close at 5:00 p.m. on 2197 the following day. 2198

b. The Elections Committee shall approve the results of a GPSA election after it has been 2199 determined that all provisions of the current GPSA Constitution and Bylaws were 2200 followed. 2201

Section 9. Special Elections 2202 A. Special Elections shall take place between three (3) and four (4) academic weeks after the 2203

Council meeting, Presidential declaration, or referendum that created the Special Election, unless 2204 otherwise noted. 2205 1. No Special Elections shall be held between the last day of the spring semester and the 2206

regularly scheduled October Council meeting. 2207 2. The Special Election must occur by electronic voting over two (2) consecutive academic 2208

days. 2209 3. Voting shall open at 8:00 a.m. of the first (1st) day of the election and close at 5:00 p.m. on 2210

the second (2nd) day of the election. 2211 4. The Elections Committee shall approve the results of a GPSA election after it has been 2212

determined that all provisions of the currently published Election Code, Bylaws, and 2213 Constitution were followed and any challenge(s) was (were) resolved. 2214

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5. Special Council Chair Elections shall take place at the Council meeting following the 2215 Council meeting at which the Election was created and shall follow the procedures of the 2216 Council Chair Election. 2217

6. Referendum petitions for Special Elections shall be delivered to the Elections Committee. 2218 a. The Elections Committee has five (5) academic days to validate the petition after it 2219

petition has been received. 2220 b. A special election by referendum shall occur within fifteen (15) academic days of the 2221

approval of the petition. 2222

Section 10. Elections Reporting 2223 A. Reports Following Each Election 2224

1. The results of all elections shall be reported in accordance with the Public Notice 2225 Requirements by 12:00 p.m. of the academic day following the end of the election. 2226

2. Elections data will be disaggregated from unique identifiers, including student names and 2227 departments. 2228

3. Complications with voting, including but not limited to, casting ballots, vote counting, the 2229 electronic voting system, and determination of eligibility shall be included with elections 2230 reporting. 2231

B. Annual Report 2232 1. The Annual Report shall include all expenditures and income for the Elections Committee 2233

and each report following an election. 2234 2. On behalf of GPSA, the Elections Committee shall request that IT compile an Aggregated 2235

Elections Data Report. If IT provides this report, it shall be included in the Annual Report. 2236 3. Results for each item shall be reported by Department. 2237

a. Departments with less than ten (10) students voting must be pooled together in order to 2238 protect the privacy of individual voters. A note shall indicate which departments are 2239 pooled together and the number of voters from each department, but not a breakdown 2240 of votes by department. 2241

Section 11. Election Disputes 2242 A. An election may be challenged by any GPSA member to the Court of Review. Challenges 2243

include, but are not limited to, voter fraud, improper notification, improper conduct of members 2244 of the Elections Committee, candidate misconduct, or an unsound voting system. 2245

B. Challenges must be be formatted as Court of Review Complaints and submitted in writing 2246 within five (5) academic days of the reporting of the election results. 2247

C. The Court of Review may consolidate challenges as it deems appropriate. 2248 D. If the Court of Review determines that a challenge is valid, the Court may decertify an election 2249

or impose a remedy as deemed appropriate. If an election is decertified, a special Council 2250 meeting shall be called so that a Special Election can be scheduled. 2251

E. The Court of Review must render its decision within fifteen (15) academic days following the 2252 last day of the election in question. 2253

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