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Constitution and Bylaws

Constitution and Bylaws

HISTORY & PURPOSE

The Plant Sciences Graduate Student Council (PSGSC) was founded in 2000 by combining the graduate student councils of horticulture, agronomy, and plant breeding and plant genetics (PBPG). The PSGSC was created to foster enhanced communication and promote more social interaction among the graduate students of horticulture, agronomy, and PBPG, including those not located in the Moore / Horticulture / Plant Sciences Building. The PSGSC has since expanded to include graduate students from a wider range of disciplines, including Plant Pathology, Botany, Integrative Biology, Entomology, and Soil Science – all which are related to classical plant biology and agronomy.

 PSGSC has four primary goals:

  • To develop community amongst graduate students in plant science fields at UW-Madison, spread across different graduate training programs;
  • To foster awareness and education of plant science within the UW and beyond;
  • To host events designed to encourage fellowship and scholarship amongst graduate students training to be professionals in plant science fields and create awareness of resources for professional development;
  • To be an avenue of communication between graduate students, their respective training programs, and home departments. 

PSGSC Events and Responsibilities:

  • Organize and host an annual Plant Sciences Symposium with an opportunity to invite students across the country, as well as professionals across academia, industry, government, and similar sectors.
  • Manage a community gathering and snack space in Moore Hall/Horticulture/Plant Sciences, also known as the “Candy Cart”;
  • Optional Community Events/Spaces:
    • Host 1 social event per month during the Fall and Spring semesters;
    • Host 1 professional development event per Fall and Spring semester;
    • Host 1 volunteer event per Fall and Spring semester;
    • In all events, members of PSGSC should aspire to be open and amenable in their communications with graduate students from different cultures and backgrounds, across the continental United States and countries abroad – in an effort to celebrate diversity and inclusion and learn from each other.
    • All events, if appropriate, are open but not limited to community members.

ARTICLE I
MEMBERSHIP

  1. MEMBERSHIP. A “community member” is any current graduate students enrolled in a graduate training program at the University of Wisconsin -Madison, including but not limited to Agronomy, Horticulture, Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics, Plant Pathology, Botany, Integrative Biology, Agroecology, Entomology, and Soil Science. All community members are welcome to participate in PSGSC events . 
  2. DUES. There are no dues required for membership at any level in this organization.

ARTICLE II
FINANCE

  1. FISCAL YEAR. The fiscal year of the PSGSC shall be from January 1 to December 31, inclusive.
  2. CHECKS. All checks issued on behalf of the PSGSC shall be issued by approval of the President, Vice President, or Treasurer.
  3. PAYMENTS. All payments due to the PSGSC shall be made to the Treasurer, who shall record them.
  4. ACCOUNTS. The PSGSC will conduct all banking using the savings and checking accounts under the council name.

ARTICLE III
ELECTION OF BOARD MEMBERS

  1. TIMELINE FOR ELECTION.
    1. TIMEFRAME. Nominations and elections of future PSGSC board members who wish to serve the following calendar year will be completed after the annual symposium in the current year, by the community members who wish to participate.
    2. NOMINATION. Nominations for PSGSC board members for the following calendar year will occur at least one month before the current board’s term ends (e.g. December of the current service year).
    3. ELECTION. Election of board members will occur three weeks before the current board members’ terms ends, preferably before Finals Weeks of the Fall semester of the current academic year.
    4. TIE BREAKERS. Tie breakers will occur two weeks before the current board members’ terms end, or as quickly as possible before the calendar year ends.
    5. TRANSITION BETWEEN NEW AND OLD BOARD MEMBERS.  Transition between new and old board members will occur during January of the following calendar at the latest, to be determined by the incoming and outgoing board members. 
  2. NOMINATION. Any community member of PSGSC is allowed to nominate a fellow community member, current board member, or oneself to serve in their respective training program position or an executive position for the following calendar year. The council positions based on the graduate training groups mentioned in History & Purpose are as follows:  President, Vice President, Treasurer, Academic and Social Chair, Agroecology Representative, Agronomy Representative, Botany Representative, Entomology Representative, Horticulture Representative, Integrative Biology Representative, Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics Representative, Plant Pathology Representative, and Soil Science Representative. Additional board member positions may be added for programs in line with the mission of this organization.  A graduate student can be nominated for more than one position; however, that graduate student can only serve in one of the board member positions if he/she is elected to both positions. To be eligible for nomination and position of President, the nominee must have been an officer in a previous year. Current board members may not intentionally serve in the same position for consecutive years. 
  3. ELECTION. Each community member will be allowed one vote per board member position.  Votes will be submitted anonymously via Google Form.  Election to a board member position will be determined by which candidate receives the most votes.
  4. TIE BREAKERS. In the case of a tie between two candidates the members will be allowed to revote for that position.  A new ballot will be given to members with the candidates involved in the tie and the same election rules stated in Article II Section 3 will apply.
  5. VACANT/UNCONTESTED POSITIONS. If there are no nominations for a position, the President and current board member shall reach out to students in the specified training program to encourage a nomination. A call should be made to graduate students for the nomination and election of a current graduate student, to replace the previous board member in the new calendar year. If the call is not answered, the board member can continue to serve for up to one additional calendar year – for a total of two years service. At which point, if a replacement is not found, and there are still no candidates, the position, at the discretion of the council, can be filled by an unsuccessful candidate from a different representative position. This board member shall be called, “PSGSC Representative” and help with communication to the unrepresented department(s) and PSGSC event planning. If, after these efforts, the position is not filled, the role will lie vacant for one year until a participating graduate student is nominated and elected. 
  6. TRANSITION BETWEEN NEW AND OLD BOARD MEMBERS. It is the responsibility of each board member to inform the new board member of their specific roles and duties a minimum of 1 time via a transition meeting.  It is also the responsibility of each board member to provide any necessary documents for the position. 

ARTICLE IV
BOARD REQUIREMENTS

  1. ELIGIBILITY: All board members are required to be community members of the PSGSC.  This requirement implies that all board members are required to be current graduate students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison studying a plant science related discipline.
  2. BOARD: There shall be thirteen board members of the PSGSC, who will serve a one-year term, beginning January 1 and ending December 31.
  3. TERM: Board terms are the full calendar year. By serving on the PSGSC, board members are expected to honor their commitment of service. If unexpected circumstances arise or major life events, a board member must submit a formal letter of resignation to the President, Vice President, and Treasurer.

ARTICLE V
BOARD MEMBER RESPONSIBILITIES

  • ALL BOARD MEMBERS
  1. Attend regular PSGSC meetings. 
  2. Share updates from respective programs, including any initiatives, changes to the program, new student arrivals, activities, and seminars, etc.
  3. Send a weekly email with appropriate information to be included in the digest (events, snack room, etc).
  4. Contact new graduate students to inform them about the PSGSC and welcome them to the program.
  5. Plan, advertise for, and lead at least one PSGSC sponsored event (social, professional development, or outreach) in the year.
  6. Take an active role in the planning and execution of the Annual Symposium.
  7. Participate in Meeting Minutes rotation.
  • PRESIDENT
    1. Schedule and facilitate regular board meetings.
    2. Run or delegate social media pages (Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook) in coordination with the Student Engagement Chair.
    3. Form committees to address the goals of the organization.
    4. Serve as the main point of contact and coordinator for the Annual Symposium. 
    5. Represent plant sciences graduate students on campus.
    6. Assist in graduate student recruitment where feasible.
    7. Keep up social and networking events for members.
  • VICE PRESIDENT
    1. Support and aid the President in daily activities.
    2. Help update and maintain the PSGSC website.
    3. Remain in contact with board members.
    4. Foster camaraderie by facilitating participation and inclusion of graduate students outside of the original Moore Hall/Plant Sciences training programs in Agronomy, Horticulture, and Plant Breeding & Plant Genetics. 
    5. Assemble and distribute weekly digest or announcements in conjunction with the President.
  • TREASURER
    1. Maintain the bank accounts.
    2. Maintain an organized log of council expenditures.
    3. Empty out and deposit funds from the candy cart.
    4. Manage Candy Cart prices and price sheets.
    5. Maintain the Costco membership. 
    6. Budget for and distribute funds for PSGSC sponsored events.
    7. Analyze financial statements and inform other board members on the state of PSGSC financial accounts.
    8. Create invoices and assist in grant applications for symposium planning.
  • STUDENT ENGAGEMENT CHAIR
    1. Identify topics of interest for members and create space to explore these topics – e.g. educational trips, building industry connections, hold formal or informal journal discussions. 
    2. Organize events for members to build community and engage with one another – e.g. walks, lunches, coffee hours, etc.
    3. Help facilitate Social Media postings. 
    4. Enlist other PSGSC board members to fulfill student engagement.
  • AGROECOLOGY REPRESENTATIVE
    1. Attend monthly Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences department meetings, if applicable.
    2. Share important updates about the program during PSGSC meetings.
  • AGRONOMY REPRESENTATIVE
    1. Attend monthly Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences Department meetings and share important updates with the PSGSC.
    2. Encouraged to be involved in departmental committees and initiatives.
    3. Coordinate with PBPG and Horticulture representatives to assist with Seminar tasks (coffee, etc.), if applicable
  • BOTANY REPRESENTATIVE
    1. Attend monthly Botany department meetings and share important updates with PSGSC. 
    2. Forward PSGSC emails to the Botany Graduate Student Listserv. 
    3. Help orchestrate the semesterly PSGSC hosted FAC with FAC-czar. 
  • HORTICULTURE REPRESENTATIVE
    1. Attend monthly Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences (PAS) department meetings and share important updates with the PSGSC.
    2. Coordinate with Agronomy and PBPG representatives to assist with Seminar tasks (coffee, etc), if applicable. 
  • INTEGRATIVE BIOLOGY REPRESENTATIVE
    1. Help, if applicable, with the semesterly PSGSC sponsored FAC. 
  • PLANT BREEDING & PLANT GENETICS REPRESENTATIVE
    1. Attend PBPG program meetings and Plant and Agroecosystem Sciences (PAS) department meetings to share important updates with the PSGSC.
    2. Keep a record of “Blue Books” and other resources from past students in the Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics program  that contain recollections and memories of past preliminary exams.
    3. Organize refreshments (coffee, tea, and snacks) for Plant Breeding & Plant Genetics Seminar. Can coordinate with Agronomy and Horticulture representatives for assistance with Seminar tasks, if applicable. 
  • PLANT PATHOLOGY REPRESENTATIVE
    1. Attend Plant Pathology department meetings and/or speak with the head of the plant pathology graduate council (PPGC) to discuss important updates from the plant pathology department meeting. Share important updates with PSGSC.
    2. Be a point of contact for plant pathology graduate students and postdocs about all upcoming events in PSGSC.
  • ENTOMOLOGY REPRESENTATIVE 
    1. Attend monthly Entomology Graduate Student Association (EGSA) meetings where information from faculty and committee meetings is relayed. Share updates from the PSGSC.
  • SOIL SCIENCE REPRESENTATIVE
    1.  Attend Soil Science department meetings or speak with the soil science graduate student representative about what is discussed at department meetings.
    2. Forward emails from PSGSC to the Soil Sciences Graduate Student Listserv.
    3. Open the Jackson Turner Commons for socials and coffee hours if rotations occur.

ARTICLE VI
HAZING

  1. All forms of hazing shall be prohibited.
  2. Hazing is defined as any action taken or situation created intentionally to produce mental or physical discomfort, embarrassment, harassment, or ridicule. Such activities and situations include, but are not limited to: creation of excessive fatigue; physical and psychological shocks; wearing apparel in public which is conspicuous and not normally in good taste; engaging in public stunts and jokes; moral degradation and humiliation in games or activities; and any other activities which are not consistent with the regulations and policies of the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

ARTICLE VII
RULES OF ORDER

  1. The PSGSC and its board members shall be governed by Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised except in matters specifically provided for in the Bylaws.

ARTICLE VIII
AMENDING THE CONSTITUTION & BYLAWS

  1. Amendments to this constitution and by-laws shall be initiated within any elected council at any point throughout the council’s term. A subcommittee of elected officers shall review necessary changes before presenting the elected council and all included student members a proposed document for comment and subsequent approval.
    1. The proposed document shall be discussed by the currently elected council on a timeframe proposed by the subcommittee. Once this document is approved it shall be moved to the broader council members.
    2. The proposed document will be presented to all council members for feedback.
      1. A feedback form with questions related to each amendment will be provided.
      2. The proposed document will be formatted as a pdf with line numbers for easy reference in the feedback process.
      3. All council members shall have a set deadline of 1 week from receipt of the proposed document to provide feedback.
    3. Once the feedback deadline has passed, the subcommittee shall make any final changes before presenting a final draft to the currently elected council.
    4. Elected council members shall have 1 week to review the final document before a vote is called. The vote will be held synchronously, either in person, virtually, or in a hybrid format and each amendment or change proposed as a separate motion and voted on individually in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order. Once all amendments have been passed, a final vote for the entire document will be called.
      1. A quorum for the vote shall be defined as ⅔ of the current elected council members and to pass all amendments must receive a simple majority.
        1. Example: if there are 12 currently elected council officers quorum is defined as 8 officers and for an amendment or motion to pass it must receive an ‘aye’ vote from 7 officers.
  2. Amendments to this constitution and bylaws shall be implemented directly in the document and outlined in ARTICLE IX, with the most recent amendment listed first.

2015 Amendments

                                                                                                                               2023 Amendments

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