Skip to main content

ASGO Constitution

Article I: NAME

Title: Art Student Graduate Organization (ASGO)

Article II: AFFILIATIONS

Section 1.

ASGO is affiliated with the UNC-CH Department of Art and Art History and is subject to its rules and regulations.

Section 2.

ASGO is subject to the rules and regulations of the Graduate and Professional Student Federation at UNC-CH.

Article III: PURPOSE

ASGO exists to further the professional and intellectual development of graduate-level art history and studio art students.

Our objectives include:

  1. Promoting clear communication between the Department of Art and Art History graduate-student body and the Department of Art and Art History faculty.
  2. Creating ties between the Department of Art and Art History graduate-student body and other UNC- CH departments, academic institutions, and the community at large.
  3. Providing opportunities for professional and intellectual development for graduate-level art history and studio-art students via the Symposium Committee and Professional Development Committee.
  4. Providing a network of professional, intellectual, and social support for graduate- level art history and studio-art students.

Article IV: MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Active Members

Members of ASGO are part-time or full-time students enrolled in the UNC-CH Graduate School Department of Art and Art History or the dual-degree MSLS/MA (Master of Science in Library Science/MA Art History) and MSIS/MA (Master of Science in Information Science/MA Art History) programs. Graduate students do not have to be in residence to join ASGO. Only currently enrolled UNC-CH students can be active members with the right to vote and hold office.

Section 2. Membership Rules of Order

This organization abides by UNC-Chapel Hill’s Non-Discrimination Policy for Student Organizations, which states the following:

Membership and participation in the organization must be open to all students without regard to age, race, color, national origin, disability, religious status or historic religious affiliation, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression.

Membership and participation in the organization must also be open without regard to gender, unless exempt under Title IX.

Student organizations that select their members on the basis of commitment to a set of beliefs (e.g., religious or political beliefs) may limit membership and participation in the organization to students who, upon individual inquiry, affirm that they support the organization’s goals and agree with its beliefs, so long as no student is excluded from membership or participation on the basis of his or her age, race, color, national origin, disability, religious status or historic religious affiliation, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or, unless exempt under Title IX, gender.

Section 3. Qualifications for all levels of membership

Officers and chairs of ASGO must be full-time graduate students enrolled in the UNC- CH Department of Art and Art History or the dual-degree MSLS/MA and MSIS/MA programs. ASGO officers and chairs must be in residence during their term. Graduate students are eligible for the officer positions of Co-President, Treasurer, Faculty Liaison, and Social Chair after one year of enrollment. Graduate students shall be eligible for all other officer and chair positions regardless of the length of their enrollment.

ASGO members may be part-time or full-time graduate students enrolled in the UNC-CH Department of Art and Art History or the dual-degree MSLS/MA and MSIS/MA programs. Graduate students do not have to be in residence to join ASGO.

Section 4. Rights and privileges accorded to each level of membership

ASGO members hold the following rights and privileges: all members of ASGO receive one vote on every collective decision. They are accorded the right to request additions to the agenda, propose projects, activities, and committees, and join standing committees of their choosing. ASGO members may serve as committee chairs with the approval of ASGO officers.

ASGO officers hold the following rights and privileges: they may apply for funds on behalf of ASGO from the department, graduate school, or outside funding sources; they may lead committees as committee-chairs and appoint committee chairs and members to achieve approved activities; they may serve as liaisons between Department of Art and Art History graduate students and faculty; they may call meetings of the whole of ASGO or individual committees; and they may accept and approve agenda items and facilitate meetings.

ASGO committee chairs hold the following rights and privileges: they may apply for funds on behalf of their ASGO committee from the department, graduate school, or outside funding sources; they may lead committees and appoint committee members to achieve approved activities; they may serve as liaisons between their committee and Art

Department faculty; they may call ASGO committee meetings; and they may accept and approve agenda items and facilitate ASGO committee meetings.

Section 5. Policies and procedures for the removal of a member or officer

To remove an ASGO member or officer, the following procedure must occur: there must be majority approval of a quorum of ASGO officers (2/3 of the ASGO officers must be present). Removal meetings must be called by ASGO officers and held in-person.

Adequate written notice to that person (7 days minimum) is required before officially removing them from the organization.

Article V: ADVISOR

Section 1.

The ASGO advisor must be a full-time faculty or staff member of UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC Hospitals, or an affiliated department; an emeritus UNC-Chapel Hill faculty or staff member; a UNC-CH retiree with affiliate status; or a campus minister. The advisor does not have the right to vote.

Section 2.

The ASGO faculty advisor will be chosen by vote during the ASGO election meeting. The faculty advisor must be approved by fifty percent of voters who attend the election meeting via a raise of hands. Their term will last one calendar year, from May to the following May. The ASGO advisor will be the first line of communication when ASGO requires assistance, resources, or advice from the department, and will serve as a liaison between the Department of Art and ASGO. The ASGO advisor will also advise activities of ASGO committees.

Article VII: MEETINGS

Section 1. Business Meetings

Meetings of ASGO will be held at least twice in each semester, with times and location arranged by the ASGO Co-Presidents. Committee meetings will be decided at the discretion of ASGO committee chairs. If needed, non-voting business may be conducted via email or other electronic formats agreed upon by the committee. The first meeting of the year must be held within three full weeks of the fall semester. All meetings must be announced via email to entire graduate Department of Art and Art History student body at least 72 hours in advance and must be held on campus or via Zoom. A quorum will consist of 5 members for normal circumstances. Allocation of funds exceeding $100 and intercession to the faculty on behalf of the ASGO constituency require fifty percent approval of respondents, but this approval may be granted in person or via email any time in the two weeks after the announcement.

Section 2. Executive Board Meetings

Executive board meetings will be held at the discretion of ASGO officers on an as- needed basis. Officers will arrange the time and place.

Article VIII: EXECUTIVE BOARD

Section 1. Officers

ASGO includes the following officer positions: Co-Presidents, Treasurer, Secretary, Faculty Liaison, Lecture Committee Representative, Digital Coordinator, GPSF Representative(s), and Social Chair(s). All major officers of the organization must be full-time, registered students of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in the Department of Art or the dual-degree MSLS/MA and MSIS/MA programs with a minimum of a 2.5 cumulative GPA. They must also plan to be in residence in North Carolina during their term. In addition to these requirements, Co-Presidents, Treasurer, Faculty Liaison, and Social Chair(s) must be in at least their second year of enrollment. ASGO officers may not serve more than two terms in the same position, consecutive or non-consecutive. In most cases, ASGO officers may hold up to one officer position and one committee chair position at the same time. The GPSF Representative is the only ASGO officer who can hold up to two ASGO officer positions and one committee chair position per term. There must always be two Co-Presidents. There may be up to two Social Chairs during the same term. Other than Co-Presidents and Social Chair(s), all other ASGO officer positions include only one officer.

ASGO also includes the following committee-chair positions: Symposium Committee Chairs and Professional Development Chairs. ASGO committee chairs are volunteers and not officers. Committee chairs must be full-time, registered graduate students of UNC- CH in the Department of Art or the dual-degree MSLS/MA and MSIS/MA programs and must be in residence in North Carolina during their term. There may be up to two Symposium Committee Chairs and two Professional Development Chairs.

Section 2. Duties of Officers

President(s): call ASGO business meetings and executive-board meetings and accept and approve agenda items; act as liaisons between the Department of Art and Art History graduate-student body and faculty; act as liaisons between ASGO and other academic departments within and outside UNC-CH; and receive and respond to inquiries about ASGO. The Co-Presidents coordinate all other ASGO officers and committees and plan the annual ASGO orientation with the Department of Art and Art History Student Services Administrative Manager. There must be two Co-Presidents at all times.

Secretary: takes notes during ASGO meetings and distributes them via email and the ASGO Sakai no later than one week after the meeting. The Secretary is also responsible for maintaining the ASGO calendar, including adding all mandatory department events, and for facilitating the election process.

Treasurer: manages financial accounts and provides statements of fiscal standing to the executive board upon request. The Treasurer is responsible for presenting receipts to the department for reimbursement on behalf of ASGO members and for coordinating and approving budgets (including grant and funding applications). The treasurer must update the ASGO Constitution and Bylaws annually and on an as-needed basis.

Faculty Liaison: attends all meetings with the faculty graduate committee. The Faculty Liaison acts as a liaison between the graduate students and faculty members, bringing confidential issues or problems graduate students have to the attention of the faculty.

Lecture Committee Representative: attends all meetings with the faculty lecture committee. The Lecture Committee Representative assists in the selection of invited speakers, including the McLeod and Mildred Riggins Lectureship in Art.

Digital Coordinator: updates digital archives for ASGO (such as successful grant proposals and lists of graduate fellowships), and circulates pertinent information that is stored digitally. The Digital Coordinator should submit changes to the ASGO information on the Department of Art and Art Historywebsite as needed. The Digital Coordinator also maintains and updates ASGO’s social media presence with events and announcements.

GPSF Representative: represents ASGO at GPSF meetings and ensures that ASGO members are kept up-to-date on graduate school general affairs. The GPSF Representative is the only ASGO officer position that may hold up to two ASGO officer positions per term.

Social Chair(s): shares responsibility with the secretary for maintaining events on the ASGO calendar and is the contact person and coordinator for social events, including volunteer activities. The Social Chair also helps integrate newly enrolled and prospective students into ASGO.

Duties of Committee Chairs:

Symposium Committee Chair(s): Symposium Chairs plan and oversee the annual graduate student symposium (typically held in the spring semester) and the symposium committee. Symposium Chairs also plan and coordinate all scholarly talks hosted by ASGO.

Professional Development Committee Chair(s): plans and executes informational workshops for graduate students on topics of interest to ASGO members, including grant writing, fellowship and post-doctoral applications, resume building, presentation skills, and teaching skills. The committee is expected to be in close contact with the faculty and invite them to share their expertise in these matters. The committee also builds partnerships between ASGO and the North Carolina Museum of Art, the Nasher Museum of Art, and the Ackland Art Museum.

Section 3. Election of Officers

Elections will be held in the last month of the spring semester. Elections will determine the officers who shall assume their positions upon election, beginning in May and ending in May of the following year. In the case of a vacancy, the ASGO President(s) can appoint an officer to finish the remainder of the term. Graduate students must be eligible for the office to which they are appointed. Requirements for the nomination of candidates are as follows: officers may hold the same position again, but positions cannot be held for more than two terms, consecutive or non-consecutive. Graduate students are eligible for the officer positions of Co-President, Treasurer, Faculty Liaison, Social Chair after one year of enrollment. Graduate students shall be eligible for all other officer positions regardless of the length of their enrollment. Nominations for officers will be solicited and circulated via email at least two weeks before elections. Nominees may provide a statement of no more than two hundred words to the Secretary for distribution. Officers must be approved by fifty percent of voters who attend the election meeting via anonymous ballot. Chairs are volunteer positions and are not voted in during election meetings. ASGO officers must formally approve chair positions by a majority vote of the executive board. ASGO chairs must be full-time, enrolled graduate students in the UNC- CH Department of Art and Art History or the dual-degree MSLS/MA and MSIS/MA programs. Chairs must be in residence in North Carolina during their term.

Section 4. Removal of officers

To remove an ASGO member, chair, or officer, the following procedure must occur: there must be majority approval of a quorum of ASGO officers (2/3 of the ASGO officers must be present). Removal meetings must be called by ASGO officers and held in- person. Adequate written notice to that person (7 days minimum) is required before officially removing them from the organization.

Article IX: ELECTIONS

Section 1. Officers

The ASGO Co-Presidents, Treasurer, Faculty Liaison, Lecture Committee Representative, Digital Coordinator, GPSF Representative, and Social Chair(s) will be selected by the membership. Their terms will last one year. ASGO officers may hold the same office a maximum of two years.

Section 2. Nominating Procedures

Nominations for officers and chairs will be solicited and circulated via email at least two weeks before elections.

Section 3. How to present qualifications and how/when elections will take place

Nominees may provide a statement of no more than two hundred words to the secretary for distribution at least seventy-two hours before the election meeting. Elections will be held at an election meeting during the last month of the spring semester via anonymous ballot. Officers must be approved by fifty percent of voters who attend the election meeting.

Section 4. Run-off procedures

Should a run-off be necessary, current officers will determine the time and place of a second election.

Article X: COMMITTEES/DIVISIONS

Symposium Committee: comprised of the Graduate Symposium Committee Chair(s) and volunteer committee members who are current ASGO members. The Symposium Committee helps the chair(s) plan the annual graduate student symposium (typically held in the spring semester) and all other scholarly presentations invited and hosted by ASGO. Committee members’ duties include: nominating and choosing a symposium theme, composing and sending the call-for-papers, reviewing symposium proposals, selecting symposium candidates, nominating and choosing keynote speakers, helping coordinate the schedule of the symposium, all other activities needed to ensure the symposium’s success, and activities needed to invite and host scholars. The Symposium Committee invites graduate students from a variety of disciplines to present their research at a structured, academic panel. Keynote speakers are usually academic faculty members with research that coincides with the symposium’s theme. The Symposium committee may, at its discretion, invite and host scholars to discuss their research.

Professional Development Committee: comprised of the Professional Development Committee Chair(s) and volunteer committee members who are current ASGO members. The Professional Development Committee plans and executes informational workshops for graduate students on topics of interest to ASGO members, including grant writing, fellowship and post-doctoral applications, resume building, presentation skills, teaching skills, etc. The committee is expected to be in close contact with the Department of Art faculty and invite them and other professionals to share their expertise in these matters.

Article XI: FUNDS

ASGO currently has no standing funds. Monies required must be accumulated through grants, petition to the department, fundraising or other external means. Funds secured by committees for projects must be used only for the approved projects and petitions to the department for funding must be made through the executive board and in order to be reimbursed for funds by ASGO, expenses must be pre-approved and a receipt must be presented to the Treasurer. Members are encouraged to apply outside the department for funding, but the executive board must vet all applications submitted in ASGO’s name.

Article XII: RATIFICATION

This constitution will be approved by fifty percent of responding membership given a response time of 2 weeks.

Article XIII: AMENDMENTS

The constitution may be amended at any regular business meeting of the organization by a two-thirds vote of active membership, provided the amendment has been submitted to members in writing at least one week prior to the business meeting. The ASGO Treasurer is responsible for updating Constitutional amendments after final approval by the executive board.

Article XIV: BYLAWS

During the 2020 – 2021 academic year ASGO business meetings will be held at least four times a semester. Elections will be held in the last month of the spring semester.

Amendments to the bylaws may be submitted at any regular ASGO meeting and require two-thirds approval for ratification. The ASGO Treasurer is responsible for updating bylaws after final approval by the executive board.

Article XV: PARLIMENTRAY PROCEDURES

Any ASGO member may submit agenda items for discussion, but they must be submitted at least seventy-two hours prior to the meeting. Suggestions received after that time will be included in the following meeting.

Issues that arise between meetings may be settled via email notice and vote at executive board’s discretion.

Last Updated: Fall 2021