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University of Oregon Women in Graduate Science Bylaws

Amended May 2017

 

Table of contents

  1. Mission statement
  2. Membership
  3. Officers of the Executive Council
  4. Scholarships
  5. Donations
  6. UOWGS Executive Council Resource List
  7. Plan of Action for Extraordinary Circumstances
  8. Sponsorship or endorsement

  1. Mission Statement

    2. The Women in Graduate Science (UOWGS) organization at the University of Oregon strives for gender equality by focusing on the professional development of women in all disciplines of science to enable them to become successful contributors to their fields. This mission is accomplished by informative workshops, inspirational speakers, and a community outreach program. In addition, the organization provides social support for women scientists at the University of Oregon, and offers financial support with yearly scholarships. UOWGS invites all who encourage and support the advancement of women in science to become members and to help in our work towards an inclusive science community. UOWGS is supported by the University of Oregon Graduate School, generous donors, fundraising events, and member dues.

  2. Membership
    • Eligibility:
      • Anyone who supports the mission of UOWGS is eligible for membership.
    • Fall and Spring term, members will meet to discuss the current state of the group, as well as future and potential activities.
    • Privileges and Responsibilities
      • Voting: Each member is entitled to vote once in annual elections.
      • Privileges: Each member is entitled to all services of the organization, including voting rights and eligibility for scholarships and awards. Graduate student members are also eligible to hold executive officer positions.
      • Participation: Each member is entitled to participate in all organizational events, including, but not limited to: event subcommittees, membership meetings, outreach events, professional development seminars and workshops, and social events.
      • Open Meetings: All members are invited to attend quarterly open meetings of the Executive Council (held once every term, during school year). The first and last ten minutes of the meeting will be reserved for member comments. Members are welcome to observe the entire meeting, but it will be closed for comments outside of the above allotted times.
      • Responsibilities: Pay dues annually as follows
        • $5 Graduate Students/Undergraduates/Post-Docs/Staff
        • $25 Faculty/Professional/Administration
    • Honorary Membership:
      • Honorary membership will be given to any donors or other highly involved individuals (as approved by the Executive Council).
      • Honorary membership includes invitations to all events, including the membership celebration.
      • Honorary members do not hold voting privileges.
  3. Officers of the Executive Council
    • Elections:
      • To be held once a year in June. The timeline for elections should be as follows, starting on Monday nearest the beginning of the month. Dates for 2017 are given in parentheses below. These may vary slightly, but the given timeline should remain consistent.
        • Day after Memorial Day (May 30th) – Deadline for nominations for returning positions required from previous Executive Council members (i.e. President, Treasurer, and Social Chair).
        • Last Wednesday in May/First Wednesday in June (May 31st) – If there is more than one candidate for any of the required returning positions (see above), the ballot for those positions will be sent out at this time.
        • First Monday in June (June 5th) – General call for nominations for all other Executive Council positions will be sent out via email. Deadline for voting on the returning positions, if a ballot was required.
        • Second Monday in June (June 12th) – Deadline for turning in nominations for the non-returning Executive Council positions.
        • Third Monday in June (June 19th) – The slate of candidates will be publicized based on nominations received. If there was not more than one candidate for any of the returning officer positions, returning officer candidates will be included in this candidate slate. Individuals who ran for returning officer positions and were not successful are allowed to nominate themselves for another position, to be included on this candidate slate.
        • Fourth Monday in June (June 26th) – Voting closes on this day. Election results will be announced this week (the last week of June).
        • A special election may be held for positions that were not filled or for extenuating circumstances (such as a tied position). There should be no more than one week from publicizing the slate to voting date.
      • President, Treasurer and Social Chair should be chosen from a previous Executive Council.
        • In the event that this requirement cannot be met, applicants who have been active participants in several UOWGS events would be considered.
      • All interested parties shall self-nominate by sending a statement of interest to the current president of UOWGS, or the officer coordinating the elections, in the event that the president is running again or is otherwise unable to coordinate the elections.
      • A majority vote of the voting member body elects the member into the Executive Council position.
      • In cases of ambiguity, the current Executive Council must act to ensure that positions are filled and resolve any conflicts.
      • Voting will be conducted using Google Forms or a similar anonymizing system.
      • In the event that a position cannot be filled by elections (and/or an officer is leaving their position early), the remaining officers of the Executive Council will redistribute the duties of that chair accordingly.
    • Executive Council Duties:
      • General duties of officers of the executive council:
      • Attend monthly executive council meetings.
      • Review the organization’s bylaws at the first and last meeting of each year (late August/early September & June).
      • Review long term goals (i.e. 5 year plans) for UOWGS at the first and last meeting of each year.
      • Establish a schedule of events for the upcoming year at the first officers' meeting.
      • CC all communications regarding the group to the UOWGS email.
      • Update the Officers' calendar to include all upcoming events (via Gmail).
      • Keep relevant electronic documents folder in Gmail updated.
      • During any meeting, any officer can bring an item under discussion to a vote for decision.
      • Notify Executive Council of any other board positions held.
      • Job descriptions are included but not limited to the bullets under each position.
      • Time commitments vary between positions.
      • Subcommittees should be utilized, as much as possible, to enable more member involvement and to more evenly distribute the duties of the organization
        •

      President: Serves one year, plus three months aiding and teaching the new President.

      • Conduct the monthly meetings of the Executive Council.
      • Aid in the organization of each chair’s duties for the betterment of the organization as a whole.
      • Prepare presentations and documentation of progress reports for groups contributing funding to UOWGS in conjunction with the Treasurer
      • Act as liaison with the Graduate School
        • Attend quarterly meetings with the Graduate School (Fall-Spring).
      • Act as liaison with the UO Foundation
      • Attend ASUO quarterly meetings with Treasurer.
      • Monitor and oversee email accounts (2017: uoregon.wgs@gmail.com and uowgs@uoregon.edu).
      • Organize and run bi-annual membership meetings (Fall and Spring terms).
      • Organize and oversee annual officer elections (See Elections above).
        • Any officer not reapplying may assist the president.

      Treasurer: Serves one year, plus three months aiding and teaching the new Treasurer.

      • Special note: Treasurer may not hold a position handling finances for another student group.
      • Prepare a budget for the coming year.
      • Hold a yearly meeting in the fall with the current and former President and former Treasurer to review the coming year’s budget. Keep organized records of all spending and fundraising and manage all financial accounts belonging to the organization.
        • Monitor and keep track of all financial paperwork and index reports.
        • Collect and deposit membership dues.
        • Distribute funds from various accounts, as approved by the rest of the Executive Council.
        • Gather, prepare, and manage documents for all UOWGS events and reimbursements.
        • Maintain relationships with Chemistry personnel and the Graduate School regarding use of our various indexes, spending reports, etc.
      • Provide a detailed expenditure report quarterly at a meeting of the Executive Council.Prepare presentations and documentation of progress reports for groups contributing funding to UOWGS, in conjunction with the President.
      • Assist the Funding Chair in the preparation of any grant or fellowship applications.
      • With the JUMP! Director, interface with ASUO to manage JUMP! finances, including attending ASUO quarterly meetings and preparing the ASUO budget request annually in the fall.

      Social Chair: Serves one year, plus three months aiding and teaching the new social chair

      • Plan and oversee social events, including but not limited to:
        • Yearly recruiting event (Membership Drive) (Fall quarter)
        • Interdisciplinary Science Hour (Year round, at least 1 per term)
        • Annual Generations Luncheon (Early spring quarter)
        • Annual Membership Celebration (Late spring quarter or early summer quarter)
      • Head any committees associated with aforementioned activities.

      Outreach Co-Chair: Serves one year (prefer two-year commitment)

      • Organize activities with K-12 and undergraduate students to promote the betterment of women in science and to promote science education.
      • Plan and facilitate science curriculum.
      • Recruit and organize volunteers for outreach events, and head any sub-committees associated with outreach activities.
      • Maintain relationships with local schools, groups on campus, and community partners.
      • Outreach activities historically planned, organized, and facilitated include: Undergraduate outreach event (Fall quarter), Chemistry SAIL camp (last week of July – planning begins in January).
      • Outreach activities historically participated in include: Science Factory Girls’ Science Adventure Days, Mad Duck Science Fridays, WISE, SPICE Science Open House, Ophelia’s Place science workshop series, and StemBox development.

      JUMP! Chair: Serves one year (prefer former JUMP! mentor/mentorship experience)

      • Main UOWGS coordinator for JUMP!.
      • Oversee JUMP! email: jump@uoregon.edu and uowgs.jump@gmail.com.
      • Coordinate with other leadership within the JUMP! program.
      • Liaison with other graduate student groups on campus.
      • Work with Outreach Co-Chairs for appropriate events.

      Seminar Chair: Serves one year.

      • Identify and invite appropriate speakers and workshop leaders (collectively referred to as speakers) who share in the goal of promoting women in science.
        • Solicitation of ideas for speakers from the Executive Council or members is encouraged.
        • Minimum of one speaker per term, as funding permits.
      • Communication with the invited speaker should be cc’ed to the UOWGS email for records.
      • Work with travel agent on travel details, such as flights, hotel, rental cars, taxis, visitor parking passes, etc. for speakers, as necessary.
        • Work with Treasurer to determine proper form of payment of each item (e.g. which index to charge).
      • Provide speaker with any forms required for reimbursement, with the help of the Treasurer.
        • Follow up with speaker to ensure payment or reimbursement is received in a timely manner (cc Treasurer and UOWGS on any emails).
      • Work with Public and Alumni Relations Chair to ensure a room is booked for seminars and workshops and to organize PR materials.
      • Plan refreshments for seminar and workshop events.
      • Ensure thank you notes from the Executive Council are sent to speakers in a timely manner.

      Public and Alumni Relations Chair: Serves one year.

      • Create/post flyers (using Adobe Illustrator or similar software) and send emails to advertise the upcoming speakers or events.
      • Contact all science departments with news of upcoming events.
      • Serve as liaison with department recruiters to arrange the availability of information regarding UOWGS to new and/or potential students.
      • Maintain our presence in social media (i.e. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn).
      • Maintain organized and up-to-date contact lists for undergraduates, graduates, alumni, and various departments
      • Reserve rooms for seminar events.
      • Organize bi-annual alumni newsletter with the help of the executive council.
        • Newsletters to be made before the Winter Benefit and before the summer Members’ Celebration.

      Funding Chair: Serves one year (full time)

      • Coordinate annual winter UOWGS Benefit.
      • Organize and administrate over fundraisers for UOWGS.
      • Apply for grants and fellowships (on and off campus) on behalf of UOWGS, with help from the Treasurer.
      • Assist Treasurer in ASUO budget proposal.
      • Attend monthly GSAB meetings and report to Executive Council.
        • If Funding Chair is unfilled, these duties will fall to the Recorder.
      • Cultivate various campus and community relationships (i.e. ASUO).

      Recorder Chair: Serves one year.

      • Schedule monthly meetings of the executive council and prepare an agenda for the meeting. Notify officers one week before a meeting with time, location, and call for agenda.
      • Keep record of officer commitments between meetings and update the agenda to reflect these commitments.
      • Record minutes at meetings and post to Google Drive for review by the Executive Council within a week after each meeting and send a copy of the minutes to the Executive Council at least one day prior to the next meeting.
      • Collect and maintain contact lists/list-serves regularly through Google, including but not limited to:
        • Executive Council Officers
        • Full and Honorary Members
        • Events Emails
        • Alumni (annual call in June)
      • Compile online payments for dues and fundraising efforts in Google Drive for review with the Treasurer.

      Webmaster: Serves one year.

      • Organize and update our professional website (uowgs.com).
      • Manage the collection and organization of pictures for the website.
      • Create and organize submission forms when required (e.g.: annual benefit tickets, donations, and dues payments).

      At-will positions:

      At the inaugural meeting with all officers, former and those taking office, there will be two at-will positions that are assigned to an existing officer. These positions will be elected through self-nomination and majority vote of all officers present.

      • Vice President
        • Works closely with the President
        • Takes on leadership role if, for whatever reason, the President is unable or unwilling to perform a designated task.
      • JUMP! Co-chair
    • Sub-Committees:
      • Any full member is allowed to be on a committee run by a chair from the Executive Council.
      • The committee members are required to aid the chair with their duties.
      • Meetings will be held with the chair, as necessary.
      • Subcommittees are required for the following events and are encouraged for any events where one is deemed necessary by those organizing it.
  4. Scholarships
    • A Scholarship Subcommittee will be assembled in October will oversee scholarships and will consist of 3 officers and 2 members. The subcommittee will decide on a point person. Subcommittee members must not be applying for any scholarships. The duties of the Scholarship Subcommittee include:
      • Review application forms with the Scholarship Subcomittee and vote on any proposed changes each year prior to the start of the application process.
      • In the event that a new award is added, the Graduate School, as well as the Foundation, must approve the description of the award and the award process the scholarship by December.
      • Collect and organize all application materials, make necessary copies, and distribute to the chosen review committee members for evaluation, along with a cover letter.
      • All documents needed for scholarships: instructions to review committee and evaluation sheets for review committee members. Any changes in these documents must be voted on by the Scholarship Subcommittee.
      • Compile the results of the scholarship review committee.
      • Begin scholarship advertisement late winter/early spring quarter. Applications should be submitted in April, and students should be notified no later than June 1st.
    • The review committee must consist of at least three science faculty or post-doc members, ideally in different departments.
      • Committee can be chosen from those who previously served, but new committee members are preferred.
      • If a reviewer’s student(s) apply for an award, that reviewer’s comments will not be included in the review.
      • A 4th reviewer, outside the sciences is recommended (i.e. someone from the Graduate School).
    • Scholarships must be submitted in hard copy by 3pm on the due date to the Chemistry office UOWGS mailbox. In the case of extenuating circumstances, application materials may be sent to scholarships.uowgs@gmail.com. This email will only be accessible by the Scholarship Subcommittee and the password will be changed with the inauguration of the new Scholarship Subcommittee every year.
    • Records of applicants should be updated on Google Drive (application materials must be destroyed after all Scholarships are announced).
  5. Donations
    • All donations to UOWGS should be made through the UO Foundation
    • All donation requests for money from UOWGS should follow the protocol below:
      • In the event of a donation request, individuals or groups requesting money must submit a formal written request for how they align with our mission statement and how they will use the money, if it is donated.
      • Donation requests must be approved by a majority vote of the Executive Council.
      • Donations must total no more than $500 per year. Each individual or group may not receive more than $250 per year.
  6. UOWGS Executive Council Resource List
    • A list of individuals to be used as resources under varying circumstances will be maintained in the Presidents folder within the Google Drive.
    • This list should be reviewed and modified as needed but not less than once per year.
  7. Plan of Action for Extraordinary Circumstances
    • A meeting of all officers (excluding any officer than may be the subject of said meeting) must be called before any discussions with an outside party.
      • Any officer may call a meeting of the Executive Council by emailing the other officers. The subject line must indicate that this meeting is confidential and clearly state the issue to be addressed.
      • If the subject is an officer or member, that officer or member should be made aware of the meeting as soon as practical.
    • In the event of time sensitive circumstances, officers are given a courtesy 24 hours to respond to the sent email before a meeting time and location will be decided.
    • An appropriate plan of action must be agreed on with a two-thirds affirmative vote of all Executive Council officers, except any officer directly implicated.
    • If the President is the implicated officer, the Vice President will take over as the leader of UOWGS.
    • UOWGS is non-partisan organization. If, however, an outside organization requests the public support of UOWGS, the organization may do so only under the following circumstances:
      • The group requesting support must be clearly and fully aligned with the UOWGS mission statement.
      • In ambiguous situations, support would be granted only if there was a two-thirds affirmative vote by the Executive Council.

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