Constitution of the Philosophy Students’ Association
Approved by SSC Oct 13, 2010; Ratified on Nov 10, 2010

View PDF of PSA Constitution here

I. Name and Purpose
The name of this organization shall be the Philosophy Students’ Association.
The name of the highest elected body that represents students in the PhD/MA
Program in Philosophy shall be the Student Steering Committee (hereafter,
“SSC”). The purposes of the SSC shall include but not be limited to:
1. acting as the student representatives to the program’s Executive Committee;
2. promoting an atmosphere of community and sociability for the welfare of
students in the philosophy program;
3. representing the interests of and establishing and enacting policy for students
in the philosophy program;
4. hearing the reports of student representatives to all program standing committees,
Graduate Council, and the Doctoral Students’ Council (hereafter,
“DSC”);
5. soliciting nominations for and appointing students to vacant seats on program
standing committees and Graduate Council;
6. organizing and funding, in coordination with program standing committees,
activities and events of general, professional, and social interest to
students in the philosophy program;
7. acting as a formal channel of communication between the DSC and students
in the philosophy program.
 
II. Membership
A. Voting Membership
The voting membership of the SSC shall be composed of five representatives,
with four elected by and from the students in the program and the fifth, exofficio
representative being the DSC Program Representative receiving the highest
number of votes. In the case that no DSC Program Representative is elected,
a fifth student shall be elected by and from the students in the program.
B. Alternates
There shall be two alternate representatives who are ex-officio members of the
SSC, with voice but without vote. If one voting member of the SSC is absent,
the first alternate shall have a vote, unless he/she is absent, in which case the
second alternate shall have a vote. If two or more voting members of the SSC
are absent, then the first and second alternate, if present, shall have one vote
each.
C. Non-Voting Membership
The non-voting membership of the SSC shall include, ex-officio, all student
representatives to program standing committees, all student representatives to
Graduate Council, and all other DSC Program Representatives. Non-voting
members shall have voice at all meetings.
D. Elections
The election of the DSC Program Representative(s) shall take place each spring
under the supervision of the DSC. The election of the other four representatives
and student representatives to program standing committees and Graduate
Council shall take place each spring under the supervision of the student
representatives to the Elections Committee.
Nominations for representatives shall open by midnight on March 15, and notice
shall be sent to all students in the program at least three days in advance.
Any student in the program may nominate any other student in the program,
including him or herself. All nominations shall be submitted in writing. The
nomination period shall be closed as of midnight on April 1. Students shall
be notified of their nomination within three days and shall be presumed to
accept nomination unless they decline nomination in writing by midnight on
April 10. Elections shall be conducted through any verifiable and time-stamped
medium accepted by a simple majority vote of the SSC. Separate ballots shall be
prepared for each committee, and write-in votes shall be allowed on any ballot.
All ballots must be sent by midnight on April 15, and the election period shall
be closed at midnight on April 30. Ballots submitted after this time shall be
considered invalid.
The student representatives to each committee shall be those nominees who
received the most votes for in that election, with the total number of representatives
not to exceed the total number of seats for that committee. If a
student is nominated on several ballots, the votes received on one ballot shall
not count towards the other(s). Tied votes shall be decided by the Elections
Committee, which shall first ask the tied candidates to decide among themselves
who shall serve and, lacking consensus among or response from all candidates,
shall draw names in a chance lottery. Students shall be notified of their election
within three days and shall be presumed to accept election unless they decline
in writing by midnight on May 5. In the election for SSC, the runners-up with
the highest and next-highest numbers of votes shall be the first and second
alternates, respectively.
E. Tenure
The tenure of representatives shall be July 1 to June 30 of the following year.
The tenures of all committee members and officers shall be co-terminous with
their positions as representatives.
F. Replacement Due to Vacancy
Whenever a seat is vacated due to reasons other than the natural end of a term,
the student who received the next highest number of votes in the preceding
elections for the vacant seat shall be asked to serve out the remainder of the
term. This method shall be carried out until a candidate accepts the position or
until the list is exhausted, in which case the SSC shall appoint a representative
by a simple majority vote.
G. Recall
The DSC Program Representative(s) shall be subject to recall according to
the procedures enumerated in the DSC Constitution. The other four voting
representatives and two alternates of the SSC are subject to recall from the
SSC, either by a signed petition of two-thirds of the students in the program or
a three-quarters majority vote of the SSC. A representative cannot be recalled
unless he or she has been notified in writing at least five business days before
the presentation of the petition to the SSC or before the meeting at which the
motion may be entertained. All student representatives to program standing
committees and Graduate Council are subject to recall from their respective
committees by the same procedure.
 
III. Officers
The representatives-elect shall constitute the Student Steering Committee-Elect
(hereafter, “SSCE”) and convene by May 31 of each year to elect a chairperson
by and from the voting membership of the SSCE. The duties of the chairperson
shall include but not be limited to:
1. convening and presiding over all meetings of the SSC or, in the case of
absence, appointing a designee from among the voting membership;
2. implementing policies and decisions of the SSC and acting as principal
spokesperson for students in the program;
3. reporting to the SSC all affirmative actions he/she has taken to implement
the policies and decisions of the SSC; and
4. maintaining accurate lists of all student representatives to program standing
committees, Graduate Council, and the DSC.
 
IV. Meetings
The SSC shall hold one meeting each month except in January, June, July, and
August. At the beginning of each meeting, an SSC member who is not the chair
shall be designated as the secretary of that meeting with the consent of the
majority of the voting members. All meetings shall be governed by the most
recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised and comply with New
York State Open Meetings Law and Freedom of Information Law. All members
of the public may attend any meeting of the association without vote and also
without voice unless so recognized to speak by the chair. Members of the public
may not attend portions of meetings conducted in a legitimate executive session
unless so authorized by the chair.
 
V. Amendments
A proposed amendment to this constitutionmay be considered by the SSC upon
written presentation to it by any voting member thereof. Written notice of the
proposed amendment shall be sent to every voting member at least ten business
days before the meeting at which it is to be considered. An amendment may
be passed by a two-thirds majority vote. Any amendment adopted by the SSC
shall be distributed to students in the program for ratification. The amendment
shall be considered ratified unless rejected by a simple majority vote, with at
least 10% of the students in the program responding within 20 business days of
distribution.