GSEC By-Laws

(adopted May 4, 2018; amended July 6, 2022)

Membership

  1. There will be 11 voting members of Graduate Student Employment Committee (GSEC). Nine (9) of voting members will be graduate students and two (2) of voting members will be faculty members.
  2. The Dean of the Graduate College will select a non-voting chair(s) of GSEC. The chair(s) of GSEC must be an administrator or faculty member of the University of Iowa (UI).
  3. All graduate student members of GSEC must be currently, or have recently been, a graduate assistant.
  4. All graduate student members of GSEC will remain eligible to serve on GSEC for up to 3 years.
  5. All faculty member terms will be 3 years.
  6. A serious effort will be made to ensure the membership of GSEC is diverse, inclusive and as representative of the graduate student body as possible including by race, ethnicity, socio-economic status, family/kinship arrangement, gender, sexual orientation, and academic program.
  7. Officers and delegates to Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG), Graduate Student Senate (GSS), and Campaign to Organize Graduate Students (COGS), who are not voting members of GSEC, will be considered ex-officio members. They do not have voting rights, but they may and are encouraged to attend meetings.

Recruitment and Nomination

  1. Three of the nine graduate student seats on GSEC will be reserved for active members of UE Local 896 - COGS. The three active COGS members will be selected by COGS and must be approved by GPSG before they become voting members of GSEC.
  2. GSS will recommend three graduate student nominees to GSEC. These nominees will proceed to GPSG for approval. The three GSS nominees must be approved by GPSG before they become voting members of GSEC.
  3. GPSG will recommend the remaining three graduate student appointees to GSEC.
  4. Faculty senate will elect and appoint the two faculty representatives to GSEC.

Committee Proceedings

  1. The conduct of the GSEC meetings will follow Robert’s Rules of Order.
  2. All mass communications from GSEC, including e-mails, notices with information about their benefits, website information, etc. should be approved by a majority of the committee. No changes may be made without notifying the whole committee and seeking a majority approval.
  3. GSEC is not a public forum. However, guests are welcome and encouraged to attend GSEC meetings. A majority of GSEC members may vote to meet in closed session at any full GSEC meeting.
  4. GSEC may hold public forums or conduct surveys so that graduate students may voice their concerns. GSEC also reserves the right to invite guests to attend full GSEC meetings.

Transparency

  1. GSEC must have a university e-mail address through which committee correspondence is conducted.
  2. GSEC’s communications through mass emails must be posted on the GSEC website.
  3. The approved minutes of GSEC meetings must be posted as soon as possible following each GSEC meeting.
  4. All proposals on employee rights and benefits submitted to GSEC by any institution(s) (e.g. department, organization, etc.), or by any voting member(s) of GSEC, must be posted on the GSEC website. All proposals will include the name(s) of the proposer(s).
  5. Organizations, departments, associations, or other entities may submit feedback through a webform on GSEC’s website.
  6. All recommendations to be submitted by GSEC to the University administration should be submitted to GSS, GPSG and COGS for their endorsement or rejection.
  7. All changes to graduate employee benefits or conditions of employment should be sent to all graduate and professional students, to all directors of graduate study, and to all department executive officers following approval by the University administration.

Amendments

  1. These bylaws may be amended at any full GSEC meeting with a simple majority.