Graduate & Professional Student Association
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING
GPSA CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS COMMITTEE MEETING 44-03
MINUTES
Monday, October 14th, 2024
9:00 AM
ONLINE MEETING:
VIRTUAL: https://unlv.zoom.us/my/gpsa.meeting.room
Passcode: GPSAUNLV
US Phone: +1 719-359-4580
Phone Code: 14888624
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE AGENDA AND PUBLIC MEETING NOTE:
PERTAINING TO VIRTUAL MEETINGS:
In accordance with the Board of Regents’ Bylaws, Title 1, Article V, Section 12, a quorum may be gained by telephonic, video, or electronic transmission provided that notice to that effect has been given.
Public Comment may be submitted via email to gpsapresident@unlv.edu. Messages received by 9:00 AM on the business day prior to the meeting may be entered into the record during the meeting. Any other public comment form submissions and/or voicemails received prior to the adjournment of the meeting will be transcribed and included in the permanent record.
Members of the public wishing to listen to the meeting may do so via: https://unlv.zoom.us/my/gpsa.meeting.room
CONTINUED:
Below is an agenda of all items scheduled to be presented and considered at the meeting. Notification is hereby provided that items on the agenda may be taken out of the order and presented, two or more agenda items may be combined for consideration, and an agenda item may be removed from the agenda or discussion relating to an item on the agenda may be delayed at any time.
Some agenda items are noted as having accompanying reference material. Copies of the reference materials that are distributed at the meeting may be requested by emailing the Executive Board at gpsa@unlv.edu.
This meeting’s agenda has been posted in accordance with NRS 241.020. Copies of the agenda and reference material will be made available as follows: 1. Digitally at the UNLV.edu/GPSA/Agendas and the Nevada Public Notice Website, 2. Physically located on the First Floor of the Lied Library at 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV, 3. Physically located in the Carol C. Harter Classroom Building Complex (CHB) at 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV.
Reasonable efforts will be made to assist and accommodate persons with a disability attending the meeting. Please email the GPSA Manager at gpsa@unlv.edu in advance so that arrangements may be made.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
Public comment will be taken during this agenda item. No action may be taken on a matter raised under this item until the matter is included on an agenda as an item on which action may be taken. Comments will be limited to three minutes per person. Persons making comment will be asked to begin by stating their name for the record and to spell their last name. The Board Chair may elect to allow additional public comment on a specific agenda item when that agenda item is being considered. In accordance with Attorney General Opinion No. 00-047, as restated in the Attorney General’s Open Meeting Law Manual, the Chair may prohibit comment if the content of that comment is a topic that is not relevant to, or within the authority of, the Body, or if the content is willfully disruptive of the meeting by being irrelevant, repetitious, slanderous, offensive, inflammatory, irrational or amounting to personal attacks or interfering with the rights of other speakers.
2024-2025 Constitution and Bylaws Committee Member
- ☑ Teresa Marie, Chair, College of Urban Affairs
- ☑ Devin Lopez, Committee Member, College of Liberal Arts
- ☑ Kevin Navarrete-Parra, College of Liberal Arts
Members-at-Large:
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Members of the Public Present:Virginia Smercina – Business Manager Bill Robinson – Faculty Advisor John Colombo – Faculty Advisor
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AGENDA
Quorum has been met.
- PUBLIC COMMENT INFORMATION ONLY
(See foregoing notation regarding public comment)
4a) The Committee will consider approval of the minutes from the 44-01 and 44-02 meetings.
Minutes will be voted on next meeting.
- REPORTS & RECOMMENDATIONS INFORMATION ONLY
5a) Chair Report
5b) GPSA Manager & Advisor
- UNFINISHED BUSINESS FOR POSSIBLE ACTION
Unfinished Business is any motion or action item that was under discussion and was postponed or moved to this meeting at the discretion of the public body as approved by the chair.
New business is any motion that is new to this meeting. All items will be for possible action unless otherwise stated.
7a) GPSA Constitutional Updates Articles I-VII FOR POSSIBLE ACTION
Chair Marie request time for discussion and possible action of the review and updates for the constitution of GPSA. 55 minutes
A motion was made to suspend Robert’s Rules of Order until 10:00 am. Motioned by Kevin, seconded by Devin. Passed unanimously.
Kevin proposed language for the Presiding Officers Pro Tempore section, which was originally based on the 25th Amendment section 3 of the US Constitution. The language was made more gender neutral.
The committee discussed the structure and functioning of their organization, particularly focusing on the roles and responsibilities of various positions. They deliberated on the process of filling vacancies, with a consensus that if an officer is absent, the positions under that officer should be temporarily filled by the next in line. They also discussed the need for clear language to avoid misinterpretation and potential power struggles. The committee agreed to maintain the current explicit structure in their constitution to avoid ambiguity and ensure smooth functioning.
The committee discussed the structure and functioning of GPSA. They deliberated on the roles of the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer, and how these roles would be filled in case of vacancies. They considered the possibility of a Council member stepping into the Secretary's position if the Secretary is unable to discharge their duties. They also discussed the scenario of a President resigning or being unable to serve, and how this would affect the Vice President's role. The committee agreed to add a clause detailing the process in case of a resignation, and considered the option of an appointment instead of a special election to maintain continuity and simplify the process.
The meeting involved President Marie and Kevin discussing the constitution of their organization. They discussed the need for a clearer process for resignation and the potential for corruption if a 'perpetuity' clause was included. They also touched on the need for a definition of 'resignation' in their constitution. Additionally, President Marie shared their experiences with organizing events and the challenges involved, such as building encampments. The conversation ended with an agreement to continue refining the constitution.
The committee discussed the process of appointing a secretary and the role's responsibilities. They agreed to change the language to include the President nominating a secretary subject to the Council's approval. They also discussed the possibility of a student without council experience taking on the secretary position. The committee then moved on to discuss the duties of the President, including representing the GPSA Council, holding regular meetings, ensuring compliance with Nevada Open Meeting Law, overseeing Executive Board Members, conducting relations with organizations outside the University of Nevada, Las Vegas system, and expressing these relations in memoranda of understanding. They also discussed the need for clarification in some of the language used.
The committee discussed the maintenance and operations of the sponsorship program, with a focus on overseeing and running the sponsorship committee. They also considered the division of sponsored funding, with Devin suggesting that the content of this division should be outlined in the bylaws. President Marie and Kevin agreed to revise the language to reflect this. The committee also discussed the potential for changes to the program and the need to remove certain language. Kevin, President Marie, and Devin discussed the need for a section in the President's role to provide oversight at all council meetings. They agreed to meet again in early November for a longer session to work on the remaining sections.
7fb) Call for New Business Items
Items for consideration at future meetings may be suggested. Discussion is limited to description and clarification of the subject matter of the item, including the reasons for the request; emergency items added at the discretion of the President (GPSA Bylaws Article IV, Sec.3).
- ANNOUNCEMENTS INFORMATION ONLY
- Next Meeting will be October 28th, 2024 @ 9:00am - PUBLIC COMMENT INFORMATION ONLY
(See foregoing notation regarding public comment)
- ADJOURNMENT FOR POSSIBLE ACTION
Adjourned at 10:00am.