Constitution of the Graduate Student Caucus

I. Name

The group shall be known as the Graduate Student Caucus (GSC) of the Classical Association of Canada (CAC).

II. Purpose

The purpose of the GSC shall be to connect and support graduate students in Classics and Ancient History across Canada, and to represent their interests in the CAC. The GSC shall also support student involvement in the broader academic community, especially at the CAC. The GSC shall meet at the Annual Meeting of the CAC, and encourage on-line discussions among graduate students, as well as regional events for graduate students.

III. Membership

All student members in good standing of the CAC shall be considered members of the GSC. However, the group shall work on behalf of all graduate students in Classics and Ancient History in Canada, and shall welcome the involvement and input of all interested students (especially in on-line discussions).

IV. Language

The GSC shall be a bilingual (English and French) organization, and shall strive to meet the needs of both linguistic groups.

V. Annual Meeting

The GSC shall hold an annual meeting at the CAC annual meeting.

VI. Executive

The executive committee of the GSC shall include the Chair, Co-Chair, Secretary-Treasurer, and Communications officer.

The executive shall have at least one anglophone and one francophone member. If at any time either linguistic group is not represented on the executive a linguistic liaison officer from that unrepresented group shall be elected or appointed as described in VIb. The linguistic liaison officer shall be considered a member of the executive committee.

a. Terms of office

The co-chair shall be elected for two years, and will succeed to the office of chair in his/her second year.

If the chair cannot complete his/her term, the Co-Chair shall take his/her place, and a temporary Co-Chair shall be appointed by the executive, and shall hold the office until the next Annual Meeting of the GSC.

If the co-chair cannot continue into his/her second year of office, a chair shall be selected by the following means:

i. Members of the previous year’s executive may stand for election as chair.

ii. Failing that, the previous year’s chair may stay in office for a third year.

iii. Failing that, a new chair shall be elected for a one year term.

All other executive officers shall be elected for a one-year term. If any member of the executive other than the chair is unable to complete his or her term, the chair and executive may appoint a replacement for the remainder of his or her term.

b. Elections

Elections shall be held at the GSC annual meeting, to be held at the CAC annual meeting.

A call for nominations shall be made over the listserv, two months before the CAC annual meeting. Those interested in serving should contact the executive, and shall be invited to introduce themselves over the listserv. Nominations may also be made at the Annual Meeting.

Elections shall be conducted by secret ballot at the Annual Meeting.

If, following the elections for executive position a member from either official linguistic group has not been elected to the executive committee, a member from that unrepresented group may stand for election as liaison officer.

If executive positions are left unfilled at the annual meeting, the executive may appoint members to complete the executive committee.

c. Duties of executive officers

The executive committee shall meet at least four times during the year: once at the CAC annual meeting, and three times by conference call (in the first week of September, November, and once between January and the annual meeting). The newly executive should set dates for meetings as soon as possible after the annual meeting.

i. Chair

The chair shall convene and chair executive meetings, and chair the annual meeting of the GSC. The chair will also serve as the graduate student representative on the CAC Council. The chair will attend the council meetings throughout the year (normally in November and February) in Toronto, as well as the two CAC Council meetings and the CAC AGM at the CAC annual conference (in May). The chair will report the GSC’s activities to the CAC council and represent graduate student concerns at these meetings.

ii. Co-Chair

The co-chair shall assist with the duties of the chair. The co-chair shall also organize, in consultation with the executive, the annual meeting of GSC. The co-chair will also attend the CAC AGM and second CAC Council meeting at the CAC annual conference in May.

iii. Secretary-Treasurer

The secretary-treasurer shall record minutes at the annual meeting of the GSC, and at executive meetings, and shall circulate the minutes among the executive. The secretary shall also maintain an archive (in digital form) of minutes and other written materials, and shall pass this archive on to his/her successor. The secretary-treasurer shall also be in charge of the finances of the GSC.

iv. Communications Officer

The communications officer shall be responsible for communication with the membership of the GSC (for instance through a website and listserv), and with graduate departments as needed. In September, the communications officer shall contact graduate directors, to encourage new graduate students to join the Caucus and listserv. The communications officer shall also maintain contact with the regional representatives. Where possible, the communications officer should be comfortable sending and receiving communications in both English and French. The Communications Office will attend to keeping the email list for the listserv up to date by communicating with the GSC chair and the Treasurer of the CAC.

v. Linguistic Liaison Officer

The linguistic liaison officer shall help ensure that the GSC is able to communicate with and meet the needs of the linguistic group not otherwise represented on the GSC executive committee. The liaison officer shall help to communicate with members of the unrepresented linguistic group and ensure that all official communications and documents are translated into the appropriate language. The liaison officer shall also represent their linguistic group at meetings of the executive committee.

vi. Representative on the CAC Women’s Network Executive

There will be a GSC Representative on the Executive of the CAC Women’s Network. This representative will fulfill this executive role as per the expectations set out by the Women’s Network constitution. The representative will be elected each year at the GSC’s AGM.

vii. Adjunct Regional Representative Committee

In addition to the executive, a committee of regional representatives shall be elected at the Annual Meeting. One member may stand for election from each of the following regions, for a one-year term: the Maritimes, Quebec, Ontario, the Prairies, and British Columbia, and international (when an international candidate is willing/able). The regional representatives shall meet with the executive at the CAC annual meeting, and shall be available for the executive to consult about regional interests. They are also encouraged to plan regional events, or find other ways of supporting graduate students in their region, and shall be supported by the executive in such endeavours. If the annual meeting fails to elect a representative for a given region, the executive may appoint one, especially for regions that are not already represented on the executive.

viii. Amendments to the constitution

Proposed amendments to the constitution may be submitted to the executive at least two months before the GSC annual meeting, and shall be publicized by the executive over the listserv at least one month before the annual meeting. They shall be presented at the annual meeting, and must pass by a two-thirds majority of members attending the meeting.