Last Amended March 23, 2005

ARTICLE 1. NAME

The name of the organization shall be the Council of Graduate Students (COGS).

A. The objectives of the Council of Graduate Students shall be:

1. To promote the academic, social, and economic aims of graduate and professional students at Michigan State University .

2. To establish effective communication among graduate and professional students and create channels of communication with other student o rg anizations and with the academic and administrative units of the University.

B. The Council of Graduate Students is not a political organization and shall not endorse political issues which do not directly concern the welfare of graduate students at Michigan State University .

A. Definitions

1. Graduate Students are herein defined as Michigan State University students actively pursuing a master's, doctoral, or professional degree.

2. Constituent departments are academic units sending representatives to COGS.

B. The Council of Graduate Students represents all registered Michigan State University graduate students, hereinafter called Constituent Members of COGS.

1. Department Representatives.

2. Officers of COGS (as defined in Article 5).

3. Graduate student representatives serving on a COGS or University standing or ad-hoc committee.

4. Representatives from other student o rg anizations as specified in the COGS Bylaws.

1. Each Department Representative (or his/her recognized alternate) shall be entitled to one vote on COGS.

2. Each officer of COGS shall be entitled to one vote on COGS.

3. Committee Representatives shall be non-voting members of COGS.

4. The Council of Graduate Students shall be granted the right to delegate additional voting and non-voting seats according to the COGS Bylaws.

1. The graduate students of each constituent department shall elect or otherwise select a Department Representative and an alternate to the Council of Graduate Students.

a . The method of selection is to be determined within each department and reported to the Vice-President for Internal Affairs.

b. Each selection shall have prior public notification within each department conducting that selection.

2. Officers of COGS and committee representatives shall be elected by the Representative Members.

The Council of Graduate Students shall be organized into three divisions of activity: University Relations, Graduate Welfare, and Internal Affairs.

A . University Relations shall be concerned with matters pertaining to the quality of the educational experience for graduate students and other units of the University.

B . Graduate Welfare shall be concerned with matters pertaining to the economic and social welfare of graduate students.

C. Internal Affairs shall be concerned with matters of internal nature pertaining to membership and the continuous and efficient operation of COGS.

1. The officers of the Council of Graduate Students shall be a President, a Vice-President for Internal Affairs, a Vice- President for University Relations, a Vice-President for Graduate Welfare, a Recording Secretary, a Treasurer, and appointed positions as specified in the COGS Bylaws.

2. These officers shall comprise the Executive Board.

B. Election of Officers

1. The elections of officers shall be held during the second-to-last regularly scheduled meeting of the Spring Semester.

2. Any voting Representative Member of COGS at the time of election shall be eligible for any office. Additionally, any non-voting representative member of COGS who has attended a majority of the regularly scheduled meetings of the academic year shall be eligible for any office. No person shall be elected to more than two full terms in the same officer position.

3. A full term of office shall commence the day after the election and terminate the day of the election of officers the following year.

A . All meetings of the Representative Members of the Council of Graduate Students shall be open to the public and have prior public notification.

B. There shall be at least nine meetings of the Representative Members per academic year, including at least one during summer session.

A. All referenda required by this Constitution shall be conducted by the Council of Graduate Students in a fair and impartial manner decided upon by the members.

B. All referenda must have at least one month prior announcement in the major student news media.

C. Referenda shall not be held during the summer or during the first month of classes fall semester.

D. Upon petition of five hundred or more represented graduate students, the Council of Graduate Students shall reconsider any issue or officer.

E. Upon repetition of one thousand or more represented graduate students, a referendum shall be held on any issue or officer.

A. A majority of the graduate students voting in a referendum may authorize COGS to assess graduate students a tax of an amount specified by the referendum.

B. Any moneys collected by COGS shall be used to further the objectives of COGS as specified in Article 2.

C. Officers of COGS, Departmental Representatives, and Committee Representatives shall not receive compensation unless authorized by referendum.

A. The Constitution and Bylaws consistent with this Constitution shall be the rules of the Council of Graduate Students.

B. A motion to amend this Constitution may be made by petition of 20 percent of the Department Representatives or by a petition of 20 percent of the represented graduate students.

C. A motion to amend shall be voted upon by the Council of Graduate Students at least two weeks but not more than four weeks after said motion shall have been made.

A. This Constitution shall be declared ratified and adopted following a three-fourths affirmative vote of the Department Representatives to the Council of Graduate Students and a majority affirmative vote of graduate students voting in a referendum.

B. This Constitution shall be effective upon ratification, and the officers at this time shall be retained in their position until new officers are elected.