Constitution
The Constitution of the Jackson School of Geosciences
Undergraduate Geological Society
ARTICLE I PURPOSE
We, the Undergraduate Geological Society (UGS) of the Jackson School of Geosciences, seek to proliferate Earth sciences education throughout the University of Texas at Austin community and the world.
UGS is the official undergraduate council of the Jackson School of Geosciences (JSG) and serves as the voice of undergraduate geosciences students in affairs outside JSG, including but not limited to industry, governance, and the university as a whole.
UGS seeks to provide a forum to build community within JSG and facilitate student, faculty, alumni, and industry interaction.
ARTICLE II MEMBERSHIP
Section 1: All current JSG undergraduate students are automatically members of the organization, to which there are no restrictions for membership. This includes but is not limited to students enrolled in the Environmental Science: Geological Science program in the Environmental Science Institute as well as the Geosystems Engineering and Hydrogeology students co-enrolled at the Cockrell School.
Section 2: Membership is open to all current undergraduate students of The Jackson School of Geosciences at The University of Texas at Austin regardless of race, national origin, creed or political affiliation, sex, gender, orientation, religion, age, disability, or veteran’s status.
Section 3: The President and Vice President are able to represent UGS at the Senate of College Councils General Assembly meetings as voting members in place of the Senate Representative.
ARTICLE III VOTING
Section 1: Each member has one vote. If current documents do not determine the issue at hand, the decision is put to a majority vote by members present. In the instance a majority vote is not achieved, the vote will be decided by a majority vote by the President, Vice President and Secretary. If two of these members are not present or a majority is not achieved, the voting decision will be made by a majority vote of present officers. If a decision cannot be made, the members abstain.
ARTICLE IV MEETINGS
Section 1: UGS meetings are generally held every other Monday at 5:00pm, but the time may vary depending on the guests or speakers that will be present. The President runs the meeting.
Section 2: Meetings follow the general structure, beginning first with officer announcements. Then, Speakers or guests will then present on a topic for thirty to forty-five minutes.
Section 3: Refreshments may be provided.
Section 4: Meetings generally conclude after the speaker has ended their talk and addressed any remaining questions.
Section 5: The President has the authority to call special meetings, including Officer Meetings.
Section 6: Officer Meetings are restricted to UGS officers, and an agenda will be available for members upon inquiry.
ARTICLE V: FINANCE
Section 1: All financial decisions regarding UGS’ council budgets are made by the President and Vice President.
Section 2: All financial decisions regarding the budget provided to UGS by the Jackson School of Geosciences are made by the officers in conjunction with the Dean of the Jackson School of Geosciences.
Section 3: Each fall semester, the UGS financial budget must be drafted and agreed upon by the majority of the officers. The budget must consist of expenditures deemed reasonable for the proper operation of UGS as deemed by the officers. It must then be submitted for approval to the UGS President, UGS sponsor/advisor, the Chairman of the Geology Department, and finally the Dean of the Jackson School of Geosciences.
Section 4: All financial decisions regarding the budget provided to UGS by the University of Texas Senate Of College Councils are made by the officers in conjunction with the Senate Financial Director.
Section 5: All UGS semester spending should thereafter be governed by the UGS financial budget and the Vice President.
ARTICLE VI: ELECTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS
Section 1: Officer nominations will take place following Spring Break.
Section 2: The election of President, Vice President, Secretary, Historian, Social Chair, Student Government Representative, Senate Representative, and Philanthropy Chair takes place annually in April.
Section 3: All candidates for elected officer positions must be members of UGS for the year in which the election is held. Each candidate is authorized to communicate with the membership before the election.
Section 4: Each candidate for elected officer positions has five minutes to present followed by three minutes of questions from the membership of UGS.
Section 5: A runoff is held between the two candidates receiving the most votes if no candidate receives a majority in an election with three or more candidates.
Section 6: A tie is broken by the outgoing President.
Section 7: The officers make all election-related decisions not explicitly addressed in the Bylaws.
Section 8: Newly elected officers will not officially take office until the end of the school year, except for the Student Government representative. All powers vested in these offices shall remain with the outgoing administration until the first meeting of the new fall semester.
Section 9: The Student Government Representative will take office as soon as they begin their term in Student Government, concurrently serving as a UGS officer alongside the old representative for the remainder of the school year.
Section 10: The new President and two other new officers shall undergo diversity training as required by the Dean of Students.
ARTICLE VII DUTIES OF OFFICERS
Section 1: Officers are expected to attend General Meetings and Officer Meetings. If they will be unable to attend a meeting due to extenuating circumstances or scheduling conflicts they are responsible for notifying the President or Vice President as soon as possible. All officers will be expected to fulfill their duties and will review the constitution for potential amendments every two years.
Section 2: Vacant Offices may be filled by members nominated from the floor at General Meetings. Elections may proceed at the General Meeting. The nominee with the most votes will be elected to office for the duration of the term.
Section 3: The President shall be responsible for presiding over General Meetings and Officer Meetings. The President shall be responsible for overseeing the planning of meetings and events every semester. In order to fulfill this responsibility the President may delegate the organizational tasks to other officers as necessary. The President shall also be expected to attend Senate of College Councils meetings as a voting power. Additionally, the President shall serve as a liaison between the internal and external affairs of the Jackson School. The President will also have monthly meetings with the Dean of the Jackson School to share updates and legislation.
Section 4: The Vice President shall be responsible for managing the funds and the budget each semester. In the absence of the President, the Vice President shall also fulfill the duties of the President. The Vice President shall also be expected to attend Senate meetings as the Financial Director. The Vice President is also responsible for Faculty-Alumni relations and may create events such as alumni luncheons. The Vice President may also delegate organizational tasks to other officers as necessary. The Vice President also serves as a representative of UGS on the GeoWeek committee. The Vice President is also responsible for scheduling lectures and speakers for UGS meetings.
Section 5: The Student Government Representative shall attend Student Government meetings. The Student Government Representative shall also be responsible for fulfilling the duties assigned by the Student Government. The Student Government Representative shall serve as the liaison between UGS and the University as a whole.
Section 6: The Senate Representative shall attend Senate of College Council meetings and serve to relay information between the Senate and the members of UGS. The Senate Representative shall also be responsible for fulfilling the duties assigned by the Senate of College Councils.
Section 7: The Historian shall be responsible for taking pictures at events and meetings. The Historian shall maintain and update the pictures of events in the glass showcase in the Jackson School building designated for use by UGS. The Historian may also create a scrapbook for the office and send pictures to the Secretary for addition to the website.
Section 8: The Secretary shall be responsible for recording minutes at Officer Meetings and announcements at General Meetings. The Secretary shall also be responsible for promoting General Meetings via email and the electronic screens throughout the Jackson School building. The Secretary shall also be in charge of maintaining UGS’ social media and website.
Section 9: The Social Chair shall be responsible for planning, organizing, and promoting social events hosted by the organization. The Social Chair shall also serve on the GeoWeek committee. Section 11: The Philanthropy Chair shall be responsible for the promotion of giving back to the community with a focus on values central to UGS including, but not limited to, organizing various volunteer events with a focus on minimizing human impact on the environment, fundraising for our philanthropy, GEOFORCE, and building a community of geoscientists that work together for a common cause. The Philanthropy Chair also serves as a representative of UGS on the GeoWeek committee.
ARTICLE VIII LEGISLATION
Section 1: UGS members may propose resolutions or amendments to the constitution. Amendments and resolutions must be sponsored by a UGS officer to be heard at an officer meeting.
Section 2: Upon proposing a resolution or making suggested changes to this document, the author(s) or sponsor(s) shall propose a vote on the alterations. Legislation will only pass in the event of a two-thirds majority vote of approval from UGS officers. After approval from the UGS officers, the legislation will be heard in the next general body meeting and will pass in the event of a simple majority vote of approval from all members present. Legislation takes effect immediately following ratification unless otherwise stated on the legislation.
Section 3: Legislation will be written in the same format as listed in the University of Texas Student Government Code of Rules and Procedures Article IV.
Written January 2009
UGS OFFICERS: Eric Anderson, Tim Shin, Jessica Schubert, Kristin Volman,
Leigh Owens, Kevin Pelton, Dava Provine, David Tovar, and Nick Murphy
Amended April 2016 by Danny Anderson and James Che
UGS OFFICERS: Julie Gonzalez, Rose Palermo, Amanda Fillip, Rosie Fryer,
Danny Anderson, James Che, Maddie Bishop, Zehao Xue, Jessica Valdez, and Saloni Tandon