This section presents an overview of the internal structure of the GSO including the General Assembly, Senate, Executive Board and Suborganizations as well as the duties of the members of each subdivision. Further information can also be found in the GSO Constitution. The GSO’s relationships with other bodies (such as campus-wide committees, other University institutions and external third parties) are presented in other sections.


I. GENERAL ASSEMBLY/GRADUATE STUDENTS' ASSEMBLY
The General Assembly is the supreme body of graduate students.

> General meetings can be called by graduate students or the Executive Board, among other
reasons, to rescind an action of the Senate, to present amendments to the constitutions, and to seek the opinion of the graduate student body on controversial issues confronted by the GSO.

> The call for a general meeting by non-Executive Board members must be addressed to the
Executive Board along with a written petition signed by at least fifty graduate students.
The Executive Board will then set a date for the general meeting, notify members of the
Senate and the graduate student body and make the necessary logistic arrangements. Actions of the Senate may be rescinded by a majority vote of those present at a general meeting, as long as fifty students minimum are present.


II. GSO SENATE
The Senate is the representative and decision-making body of the GSO. The Senate approves budget allocations, amendments, charters, expenditures, statements and oversees other GSO related activities. The Senate meets bi-weekly during the academic year and meetings are scheduled at the beginning of each semester to accommodate as best as possible the schedules of attending Senate members. Decisions concerning the graduate student community at large are made by majority votes of the quorum as prescribed in the constitution. Any and all graduate students are welcome to attend Senate meetings and bring to the table issues they believe should be addressed by the Senate. Voting capacities in the Senate, however, are restricted by the regulations stated below.

Voting members of the Senate include the following:

> Representatives from all departments or programs (herein referred to as ‘departmental
organizations’) offering a graduate degree. Representatives (herein referred to as ‘Senators’)
are elected by their respective department/program constituents. One senator is required for
each 75 full-time enrollments or portions thereof.

> The Sociocultural and Multicultural Assembly (SCMA), composed of all non-departmental
organizations chartered by the GSO, appoints seven voting representatives to the Senate. The Graduate Vice President for Multicultural Affairs (GVPMA) is responsible for overseeing
this process of appointment.

Senators obtain voting member status within the Senate by registering with the GSO Vice President. To ensure the voting status of Senate or SCMA members, each departmental and nondepartmental organization is required to submit a “List of Officers” form no later than the second week of each Fall Semester subsequent to each organization’s internal election. Hardcopies of this form are available in the GSO Office, and can also be downloaded from the GSO website.

Non-voting members of the Senate include:

> Representatives serving on various University-wide committees and GSO internal
committees, the representative to the Binghamton University Council, and graduate and
undergraduate students invited by the Senate.


III. EXECUTIVE BOARD
The Executive Board is responsible for running the day-to-day operations of the GSO. It is composed of the following members who serve a one-year term:

A. Officers elected in the GSO General Elections:

1. The President, who oversees general GSO activities, serves as liaison between the
graduate students and the administration, and acts as chair of the Senate;

2. The Vice President, who assumes the duties of the President when the President is
absent or unable to fulfill her/his duties as defined in the GSO Constitution. The Vice
President fulfills other specific duties as described in the Constitution, including chairing
the Constitution, By-Laws and Chartering Committee, and co-chairing the Elections
Committee with the Chief Elections Officer;

3. The Treasurer, who is responsible for the management and record keeping of the GSO
funds;

B. Officers appointed by the GSO:

4. The Graduate Vice President for Multicultural Affairs (GVPMA), who is elected by a
committee of members from the SCMA and who assumes the responsibility of
organizing and coordinating matters related to multicultural activities, communication,
and exchange;

5. Other officers as appointed by the President and approved by the Senate according to the
By-laws. Currently, these include an Assistant to the President who is a voting member
of the Executive Board.


IV. GSO SUBORGANIZATIONS
There are two types of suborganizations: Departmental and Nondepartmental suborganizations.

A. Departmental Organizations
Each department, school or program that offers a graduate degree has its respective graduate student organization. These organizations serve to promote department/program-based interests and social activities as well as to ensure that graduate students are represented at the department and university levels in various decision-making processes (for more details, see Section V). All enrolled graduate students are automatically members of their respective departmental GSO suborganizations. Funds to these organizations are allocated by the GSO according to the number of enrolled students within each department/program. (For guidelines on how to elect suborganization officers, please see the Election Guidelines leaflet).

B. Nondepartmental (GSO Chartered/ Sociocultural/ Multicultural) Organizations
These GSO suborganizations serve to promote the sociocultural and multicultural diversity
of the graduate student body at SUNY-Binghamton. One representative from each these
organizations together comprise the Sociocultural and Multicultural Assembly (SCMA),
which is chaired by the GVPMA. Any group of twenty-five or more graduate students has the right to submit a charter for a nondepartmental organization to the GSO Constitution, By-laws, and Chartering Committee (detailed information concerning chartering requests, active/inactive/temporary chartered organizations are found in the Chartering Guidelines leaflet). Nondepartmental organizations are not guaranteed GSO funding and funds that are
allocated to these organizations are generally determined by activities carried out in previous
years. The activities of Nondepartmental organizations cannot be member-exclusive and must be open to the graduate student community. In order to avoid a 10% reduction in future
budgets, these organizations are encouraged to have at least one event per semester that is
open to the public and is properly advertised through the GSO.


V. ROLE OF GSO SUBORGANIZATIONS AND REPRESENTATIVES TO THE SENATE
GSO suborganizations concern themselves with representation and empowerment. They must aim to represent the interests and needs of their constituents at the departmental/school level, and at the GSO and university levels. They must also empower their constituents in a way that guarantees involvement in department/school affairs and in the shaping and implementation of any policies that may affect them directly or indirectly. To this effect, members of GSO suborganizations must focus on the following points:

> GSO suborganizations should work on making sure that all departments and schools have
graduate student representatives with voting power on their decision-making boards (such
as in departmental/faculty meetings, hiring committees, future planning committees, etc.).
Students should be consulted on all aspects of changes of policies that the department or
school might be implementing.

> Suborganizations should elect senators that are able to attend all GSO Senate meetings
throughout the academic year and act as liaisons between the GSO and their respective
organizations’ constituents. As such, senators are expected to 1) bring to the attention of the
Senate any issue that concerns graduate student life and/or would require the concerted
efforts of the graduate student community on campus, and 2) to communicate issues that are
being discussed in GSO Senate on behalf of the graduate community to members of their
own organizations.

> GSO suborganizations should also elect, appoint, or volunteer students to fill GSO
committees (Elections, Budget, Grievance, etc.) and university-wide committees or boards
(Harpur College Council, Faculty Senate, Transportation Committee, etc.).

> While GSO suborganizations function in a self-sufficient manner, they also have to
participate in GSO activities and take on their fair share in the overall representation of
graduate students (such as in the GSO senate, GSO committees, and university-wide
committees). If suborganizations encounter any problem in their department or school they
need to inform the Senate and ask it and the GSO Executive Board, as well as other sub-
organizations, for advice, assistance, and support. Cooperation is necessary between sub-
organizations and the support of other graduate students is vital since some departments
may be able to share their unique experiences with other departments. Cooperation forms a
network of more organized student power pockets that can give graduate students across
the campus a say in decision-making processes. Sub-organizations should also be able to
mobilize to support the GSO in its efforts of representing and empowering all students
university-wide.

> Sub-organization meetings should be held regularly and with advance notice to all
constituents in order for students to 1) inform each other of what is happening at the
department and university levels; 2) share concerns and attempt to resolve problems; 3)
make decisions through a general vote for representational issues (department, GSO,
university, etc.) and for the allocation of its own monies. All decisions have to be voted upon
by the body of graduate students of the department or school (those who show up at a
meeting, as long as advance notice has been posted and communicated to all students).