EGSA at Illinois

The official name of the organization is the Entomological Graduate Students’ Association, commonly referred to as EGSA.

Article II: Purpose, Aim, and Functions

The existence of EGSA is based on the motivations to heighten the awareness and importance of the arthropod world to the non-entomology community (COMMUNITY OUTREACH), supplement the academic experience of its Members and Affiliates (ACADEMICS), empower its Members with representation to and information from the entomology department faculty and Graduate Student Advisory Committee (GSAC REPRESENTATION), provide and/or endorse a positive social environment for Members and Affiliates to solidify a network of communication within the entomological community (SOCIAL FUNCTION).

Article III: Membership

Official membership status (Member) is reserved for graduate students in the department of entomology. Members have the exclusive privilege of holding an EGSA office and voting for the offices of EGSA. All entomology departmental issues are also restricted to Members. Participation is encouraged from students outside the entomology department on an affiliate membership basis (Affiliate). Affiliates are bestowed with all other privileges and responsibilities of association with EGSA. Members and Affiliates combined will be referred to as the Body of EGSA.

Article IV: Officers

EGSA shall be made up of three elected officials:

1) President
a) Provide vision and leadership.
b) Organize meetings.
c) Manage the committees.
d) Be the official voice of EGSA.

2) Treasurer
a) Handle EGSA accounts.
b) Make and balance the budget.
c) Disperse the funds as needed with cash or vouchers.
d) Handle SORF applications.
e) Attend the university-required treasurer and SORF
meetings.

3) Secretary
a) Write, distribute and keep copies of meeting minutes.
b) Manage the EGSA bulletin board outside the Ent. office.
c) organize the election of officials for the next year.

Additionally, the following committees shall be headed by a volunteer chair. If there are no volunteers for a particular committee, the space remains empty and nothing may be done which would ordinarily fall within that committee’s jurisdiction. If there is more than one volunteer for chairmanship a majority vote (run-off if necessary) of all present members at the appropriate EGSA meeting shall determine the chair.
Committees are then filled by anyone who volunteers. Committees shall have the power to arrange their own meetings outside EGSA, formulate proposals (subject to presidential approval), and enact any such approved plans.

4) Representative committee
i) Choose a faculty representative to attend faculty meetings, give a report to the secretary, who will then publish it in an EGSA minutes.
ii) Choose a representative to attend GSAC meetings.
iii) Formulate any graduate student concerns which then can be discussed with the rest of EGSA and may be presented to the faculty by the faculty representative or the department head by the president

5) Academic committee
i) Organize Bug-O-Lunch seminars, discussion groups, journal clubs, etc.
ii) Organize field trips.
iii) Support students in any other academic affairs.
iv) Organize Linean Games team and manage its buzzers.

6) Community Outreach Committee
i) IFFF
ii) Insect Expo
iii) Quad Day
iv) School visits

7) Social Committee
i) Halloween party
ii) Lunch Bunch

Article V: Elections

Elections will take place at the end of the spring semester for terms running from Summer Session I to Summer Session I, are to be overseen by the current secretary, and will proceed as follows:
– Three weeks before finals EGSA members interested in running for office should contact the Secretary.
– On the Friday before the last week of class, the Secretary will announce the candidates for each office via email to the Membership and by posting them on the EGSA bulletin board.
– Membership may cast their votes to the Secretary via email until the last day of classes.
– In the event that no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast, a run off election between two candidates receiving the most votes will take place. Such a run off election will be announced by the Secretary to the Membership on Reading Day, and EGSA Members will have until the end of the second day of finals to cast votes in the run off election.
– Election results will be announced via e-mail and bulletin board posting the day after voting is completed.
-The final act of exiting officers is to make sure that all records associated with their office are up to date. The updated records should be both put on file in the departmental office and passed along to the newly elected officer. Passage of this material is the responsibility of the current and elected officers, and may proceed as they see fit. It is recommended, however, that this be done in person in order to provide a forum for passing on ideas, concerns and experience.
-In the event that the Secretary/Treasurer is a candidate for office, a Member shall be selected by the President to act as pollster to avoid any conflict of interest.

Article VI: Meetings

Option 1: Meetings are to be held on a biweekly basis, at a time determined to be convenient for the greatest number of members as per the schedule of each semester.The notice given for meeting times, places, and relevant issues will be no less than one week.

***** EGSA Bylaws *****

A. Parliamentary authority and procedure will be guided by Robert’s Rules of Order.

B. Any spending of EGSA funds is subject to unanimous approval of the president, treasurer, and the appropriate committee chair.

C. Official EGSA decision-making shall be made only through the unanimous consent of the president and the appropriate committee (majority vote within the committee).

D. No independent posting is allowed on the EGSA bulletin board. Give any postings to the EGSA Secretary who will post it for you.

E. A Web page will be constructed and maintained by a committee chairperson with only this task.