Section 1 – Purpose and Formation

A. The Purpose of the Council shall be to legislate for the betterment of the entire graduate, professional, and adult student body of Loyola University Chicago, and to bring concerns of individual Institutes and Schools to the attention of the University Senate and the University

B. All Schools and Institutes shall have two seats.

C. Each member of the Council’s constituents shall be defined as the population of students enrolled in a program within the Institute or School said member represents.

Section 2 – Membership and Voting

A. Membership on the Council shall be divided among each of the University’s Institutes and Professional Schools, including the Graduate School; the Institute of Pastoral Studies; the School of Business; the School of Communication; the School of Continuing and Professional Studies; the School of Education; the School of Law; the School of Medicine; the School of Nursing; the School of Social Work; the School of Health Sciences and Public Health; the School of Environmental Sustainability; and any other current or future graduate Institutes or Schools as the University may create.

B. Each member of the Council shall have one vote.

C. The Council may appoint ad hoc liaisons as needed. They shall hold no voting privileges.

D. Members of the Council shall have the following responsibilities:

1. Attend Council meetings.

2. Vote conscientiously on issues reflecting the interests of their constituents.

3. Disseminate information to students through the administration or student representative body of their Institute or School.

4. Serve as an active member of a Council committee.

5. Represent the student community by bringing issues that have emerged as concerns among their constituents to the attention of the Council.

E. Proxies and Vacancies

1. A member of the Council may assign their vote to a valid proxy from within their Institute or School by notifying the Chair or Co-Chairs at least 48 hours prior to the meeting in which the vote will take place.

2. A seat shall be considered vacant if:

i. A member voluntarily vacates their seat, or

ii. A member, who has already been provided adequate warning by the Chair or Co-Chairs after one (1) absence per semester without excuse from the Chair or Co-Chairs, fails to attend or assign a proxy to a meeting without excuse from the Chair or Co-Chairs a second time during the same semester.

3. Vacant seats shall be nominated by each Institute or School’s respective administration, student government body, or current Council member of the Institute or School.

Section 3 – Meetings and Internal Governance

A. A meeting is defined as a set time established by the Officers of the Council conducted either in person, by video conference, or both.

B. There shall be no less than four (4) Council meetings each academic semester. The Chair or Co-Chairs shall convene extraordinary meetings of the Council upon the petition to the Chair or Co-Chairs of five (5) members of the Council.

C. Quorum, required to conduct official business, shall be a majority of the voting members of the Council.

D. A main purpose of Council meetings is to discuss and vote on matters that come before the Council in person or via video conference. However, voting may be conducted in the manner most convenient to the Council, such as voting via video conference, Sakai, email, third-party online survey, or other methods, as long as the methods are conducted transparently, honestly, and in good faith. These alternative voting methods shall only be utilized if voting during meetings in person or via video conference is unfeasible.

A. The Council shall have the power to elect the Officers of the Council. The Officers may include a Chair and Vice-Chair or two (2) Co-Chairs, determined by the voting members of the Council during the election. Any candidate for Chair, Vice-Chair, or Co-Chair must be in good academic and disciplinary standing with the University.

B. The Officers of the Council shall be elected by a simple majority vote no later than the end of the Spring semester. If there is no candidate for the position of Chair, the election shall be postponed until the first meeting of the Fall semester. The Vice-Chair and any additional officers may be elected at the same time as the Chair or Co-Chairs, or during the first meeting of the Fall semester.

C. Elections shall be facilitated by the sitting Chair or Co-Chairs. The Chair or Co-Chairs shall take nominations and conduct the election. If no candidate for a given position receives a majority vote in the first ballot, a run-off between the two leading candidates shall be used to determine the officer.

D. The Chair or Co-Chairs shall have the following Roles and Duties:

1. Serve as Executive Officer(s) for the Council, which includes serving as the ex officio and non-voting member of all committees, and be responsible for the execution of all decisions of the Council.

2. Appoint chairs of standing committees and non-elected officers with the consent of the Council

3. Consult with and advise Staff and Administration on matters of concern to the graduate student body.

4. Schedule and chair no less than four (4) meetings per semester.

5. Create an agenda in cooperation with Committee Chairs, Council members and other parties for each meeting.

6. Ensure all vacant seats on the Council are filled.

7. Meet once during the Fall semester with all Institutional and School student representative bodies to increase the awareness of the Council on campus.

8. Contact all Institutional and School administrations and student representative bodies prior to the end of the Spring semester to select representative(s) for vacant seats, if any.

E. The Vice-Chair or Co-Chairs shall have the following Roles and Duties:

1. Assume the duties of the Chair of the Council in the event of absence or resignation of the Chair.

2. Prepare and distribute, or delegate the task, of taking and keeping minutes at each Council meeting.

3. Monitor the enforcement of Council by-laws.

4. Verify quorum at each meeting and notify the Chair when quorum is reached or lost.

F. The Chairs of each standing committee shall:

1. Schedule meetings for the committee.

2. Create, keep, and distribute a written record of all committee business.

3. Have the power to create subcommittees to focus on special topics, with the consent of either the Chair and/or the Council.

G. Impeachment of an Officer or Council Member

1. Any voting member of the Council may charge an officer with neglect of duties or disrespecting the office, or charge a Council member with neglect of duties, by presenting a formal charge before the Council. A majority vote shall determine whether a hearing will occur.

2. Impeachment HearingsThe call for a Hearing shall constitute impeachment.

i. The call for a Hearing shall constitute impeachment.
ii. The Hearing shall be closed, or public, at the wishes of the accused.
iii. The Hearing shall take place at an emergency Council meeting within seven (7) days.
iv. The member bringing the charges will have five (5) minutes to present the charges, and the accused shall have five (5) minutes to present their defense.
v. The Council shall have fifteen (15) minutes to debate, at the end of which a secret-ballot vote shall immediately occur to determine if the officer or member is to be removed. A simple majority is required to remove the officer or member. The Chair or Co-Chairs shall oversee the counting of the ballots and summarily destroy the ballots after the vote is announced. In the event the Chair or a Co-Chair is the member bringing the charges, the Vice-Chair or other Co-Chair shall assume these duties. In the event the Chair or a Co-Chair is the accused, and the Vice-Chair or other Co-Chair is bringing the charges, the Chair of the Standing Committee on Advocacy shall assume these duties.

A. Membership on all Standing Committees shall be open to any members of the Council. All Standing Committee members must remain in good academic and disciplinary standing with the University or are subject to removal by their Institute or School.

B. The Council shall establish membership in all Standing Committees for the Academic Year no later than the second meeting of the Fall semester.

C. The Council may establish ad-hoc committees at any time with a simple majority vote. These committees will cease to exist at the first meeting of the following Fall Semester.

D. A Committee Chair will be assigned by the Chair of the Council and approved by the remaining Council members.

E. All Committees shall keep records of their proceedings and attendance of members.

F. The Advocacy Committee shall:

1. Investigate professional, graduate, and adult student concerns brought to the attention of the Council by contact with administrators and students, as appropriate.
2. Propose the best course of action with regards to a student concern.
3. Formulate Council policies with regard to general student issues

G. The Service Committee shall:

1. Investigate and develop opportunities for community service in furtherance of the University’s Jesuit mission.
2. Promote and advertise service opportunities to the student body as a whole.
3. Coordinate across Institutes and Schools to encourage broad student involvement.

H. The Events Committee shall:

1. Organize and run at least one (1) Council social event per semester.
2. Create a calendar of events for each semester by the second meeting of the semester and submit it to Council approval.

I. The Finance Committee shall:

1. Oversee cash flow and other money management issues.
2. Receive and receipt all moneys due to GPAC.
3. Prepare needed budgets for approval by the Council.
4. Perform other duties assigned by the Council.

The Council establishes these by-laws by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote.

Amendments to these by-laws may be presented by any member of the Council and approved by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote.

At no time may these by-laws contradict the Student Code of Conduct or policies governing student organizations set forth by the University.