MAE Graduate Student Board

Section 1 - Name: 

The name of the organization shall be the Graduate Student Board (GSB) of the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) Department at the University of Virginia (UVA).

Section 2 - Mission: 

The primary purpose of the Graduate Student Board is to coordinate and oversee outreach, departmental activities, and student life in the MAE graduate program at UVA. Members of the GSB promote good morale within the department and University, as well as exemplify UVA’s core values of honor, integrity, trust, and respect.

Section 1 - Eligibility for Board Participation: 

Any student currently enrolled as a graduate student in the MAE department is eligible for participation with the GSB. After the completion of their first semester at UVA, students are eligible for election onto the Executive Council as defined in Article IV.

Section 2 - Rights of Students:

Any student eligible for GSB participation is welcome to attend any GSB meetings, introduce new topics and concerns that they wish to see discussed (even if they are outside of the predetermined agenda), and vote on any matters needing decisions as determined by the Executive Council. GSB meetings are held as a place for students to share their thoughts and opinions without fear of administrator, advisor, or departmental repercussions.

Section 3 - Participation and Expectation:

All participation in the general body GSB is voluntary. Students participating with the GSB, excluding Executive Council members, who no longer wish to actively participate in the GSB’s mission are permitted to cease involvement at any time. 

The expectation is that any participating member of the GSB will act professionally, cordially, and productively at all events. Detrimental, inappropriate, uncomfortable, or illegal conduct will result in a warning from the Executive Council, followed by notification of the Chair of the MAE Department and Director of the Graduate Program.

Section 4 - Termination: 

Any participating student of the GSB may be terminated for failing to meet the expectation. All terminations must be approved by the Chair of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Furthermore, students who are terminated may be reported to the UVA Honor Committee pending violations of the UVA Honor Code. 

Executive Council members may be impeached from their position on the Council if they are found not to be performing their duties as defined in Article IV. However, impeachment does not necessitate termination from GSB. Executive Council members who are impeached but not terminated will serve a probationary period of two consecutive terms during which they cannot be nominated for any position on the Executive Council.

Section 1 - Full Board Meetings: 

The GSB should meet twice per semester as a full board to discuss department events, concerns and further the overall GSB mission. Additional meetings may occur based on the willingness of the GSB to meet.

Section 2 - Special Meetings: 

When necessary, special meetings may be called by the President in response to extreme events in the department or UVA community that warrant a GSB response on behalf of the greater MAE graduate student body. This allows the GSB to make a quick and agile response to current events.

Section 3 - Executive Council Meetings: 

The Executive Council will meet with greater frequency than the full board, as necessary. During these meetings, the Executive Council will discuss any business specific to the productivity of the Council in continued support of the students of the MAE department.

Section 4 - Attendance of Meetings: 

All students eligible for participation with the GSB are welcome to attend any and all meetings. The Executive Council is expected to be present at all meetings. Adequate notice must be given to all MAE students before Full Board Meetings to facilitate participation.

Section 1 - Council Positions and Duties: 

The Executive Council shall be responsible for maintaining the wellbeing and values of the GSB. Council members are expected to accept and complete assignments as agreed and avoid conflicts of interest when appropriate. The Executive Council is responsible for discussing student affairs with the Chair of the MAE Department, as well as the MAE Graduate Program Director. The Executive Council is expected to maintain anonymity of the student or students who wish to alert the adults of issues within the department. The duties of each board position are defined below. In addition, members of the Executive Council must adhere to all the policies and procedures defined throughout this document.

• President - The President is responsible for organizing and planning the agenda for meetings of GSB. In addition, the President presides over meetings, encourages all members to participate in discussion, keeps meetings on task, and ensures that decisions are made in an orderly, timely, and democratic manner. The President oversees all the directives of GSB.
• Vice President - The primary duty of the Vice President is to assist the President. The Vice President will preside over meetings when the President is absent, when the President wants to debate, or when a personal motion about the President is made. The Vice President will temporarily assume the duties of the President if the President is not present or if the position of President becomes vacant. It is also the responsibility of the Vice President to take meeting minutes and send any necessary email correspondence, including meeting announcements and summaries, to the department.
• Treasurer - The Treasurer is primarily responsible for the financial stability and fundraising efforts of the GSB as well as coordinating with the MAE faculty and staff for larger fundraising initiatives. This includes outreach events occurring at the departmental and engineering school wide level throughout the year. It is the responsibility of the Treasurer to draft and maintain the budget of the GSB each term.
• Social Chair - The Social Chair is responsible for the primary planning of social events hosted by GSB. As part of their duties, they will be partially responsible for maintaining the budget and finances of GSB. There may be up to two social chairs at any given time.
• Professional Development Chair - The Professional Development Chair is responsible for the primary planning of professional development events hosted or coordinated by the GSB. As part of their duties, they will be partially responsible for maintaining the budget and finances of GSB. There may be up to two professional development chairs at any given time.
• Recruitment Chair - The Recruitment Chair is primarily responsible for directives related to the recruitment of new students to the MAE graduate programs through the faculty recruitment coordinator. This responsibility is delegated by the faculty member overseeing recruitment planning. The Recruitment Chair is responsible for coordinating the need for current graduate students during recruitment, as dictated by the faculty.
• International Student Liaison - The International Student Liaison is responsible for representing the voice of international students within the MAE department. They are a member of the GSB Executive Council and will attend both GSB Executive Council meetings and International Student Liaison Panel meetings with GESC. The international student liaison panel is composed of each engineering department's international student liaison and acts as a support system for all international students. The MAE International Student Liaison will work with SEAS, the international student office, and the MAE department to convey the needs of our international MAE student population. If this position is unfilled, it may be held by another member of the Executive Council or appointed by the Executive Council as they see fit.
• Graduate Engineering Student Council (GESC) Representative – The GESC Representative is primarily responsible for coordinating and communicating all directives of GESC with GSB. The GESC representative is expected to make decisions on the behalf of GSB while maintaining the values and missions of GSB. This person may also hold another position on position on the Executive Council.

Section 2 - Nomination and Election:

Nominations for the positions on the Executive Council will be accepted from any student in the MAE department. Individuals may nominate themselves for any position on the board. An individual may remove their name from nomination of any position they do not wish to serve. Nominations will be held over a one-week period, concluding just prior to elections. Elections will be held after recruitment weekend concludes in the Spring Semester, no later than April 15th. Elections will be facilitated by the outgoing Executive Council.

Section 3 - Term Periods:

Each council member will serve a term of one year upon being elected to the Executive Council. Upon completion of the term period, board members may be nominated for another position on the board or run for election to the same position.

Section 4 - Vacancies: 

Any vacancies on the Executive Council must be filled within one month of the creation of the vacancy. Qualified candidates will be recommended by students in the MAE department and be elected by a majority vote of the GSB. Elected members of a vacancy will conclude the remainder of the term created by the vacancy.

Section 5 - Academic Prerequisite: 

No students may run for a position or serve on the Executive Council while on academic probation. Students who go on academic probation while serving as a member of the Executive Council will be relieved of their duties on the Executive Council for the duration of their term. This vacancy will then be filled according to Section 4. Students on academic probation will still be allowed to contribute during Full Board Meetings of GSB.

These bylaws may be amended, when necessary, by a two-thirds majority of the Executive Council. Proposed amendments can be submitted by any member of GSB and must be submitted to the President to be discussed at meetings of GSB.

Amendment 1 - Presidential Nominations: 

To be eligible to be elected President of the Executive Council you must have served at least one year on the Executive Council and be in compliance with expectations outlined in Article II, Section 3 of this Constitution. If no such person accepts the nomination, the outgoing Executive Council may vote to allow a person that has not yet served to accept a nomination for President. (Amendment approved February 10, 2020)

Amendment 2 - Addition of International Student Liaison: 

The International Student Liaison is responsible for representing the voice of international students within the MAE department. They are a member of the GSB Executive Council and will attend both GSB Executive Council meetings and International Student Liaison Panel meetings with GESC. The international student liaison panel is composed of each engineering department's international student liaison and acts as a support system for all international students. The MAE International Student Liaison will work with SEAS, the international student office, and the MAE department to convey the needs of our international MAE student population. If this position is unfilled, it may be held by another member of the Executive Council or appointed by the Executive Council as they see fit. (Amendment approved September 30, 2020)

Amendment 3 - Moving Elections to End of March: 

Elections no later than February 1 are not conducive to producing the best Recruitment Weekend possible, as this event happens mid-February to early-March. As such, the period for election of the MAE GSB Executive Council will be moved from January to the end of March, with the new council being elected no later than April 15. This will allow one Executive Council to plan and execute Recruitment Weekend, while still allowing for a smooth transition of the Executive Council as the Spring Semester does not end until May. This timeline has been updated in the Constitution: Article IV, Section 2 - Nomination and Election. (Amendment approved December 16, 2020)

Amendment 4 - Addition of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Chair to Executive Council: 

The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Chair represents graduate student interests in terms of departmental structure, policies, climate, culture, and composition. Each chair can identify their own priorities in terms of goals and initiatives, but are encouraged to reflect upon initiatives of previous DEI efforts, as well as current opinion of the graduate student body in defining those goals. The DEI chair is a member of the GSB Executive Council and shall attend both GSB Executive Council meetings and MAE DEI Council meetings. The DEI chair shall attend department-level DEI town halls and may be asked to participate in SEAS-level DEI meetings. The DEI chair is also encouraged to actively engage with the graduate student body and participate in DEI initiatives. (Amendment approved September 28, 2021)