We, the Biomedical Graduate Education (BGE) graduate students of the Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC), in order to promote graduate student interests, serve as a liaison between the student body, the administration, and the faculty of the University; and create opportunities for BGE graduate students to develop professionally, socially, and academically; do decree and establish this Constitution for the Medical Center Graduate Student Organization (MCGSO).

a. The purpose of the MCGSO shall be:

1. To serve as the official representative of the Biomedical Graduate Education (BGE) graduate student body to Georgetown University’s administration and faculty with regard to all matters pertaining to the MCGSO.
2. To promote interaction between students, faculty, and the administration.
3. To promote student awareness of issues and policies pertinent to the MCGSO.
4. To consider and act upon matters of concern brought to its attention by individual students, one or more departmental programs, or the student body at large.
5. To seek out and retain funds it deems necessary and useful to carry out its purposes.
6. To serve as a means by which effective communication is achieved between years and between the student body and other organizations.
7. To make the student body aware of pertinent awards, and determine nominations and/or recipients as outlined by the specific awards.

ARTICLE II. MEMBERSHIP AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Membership

a. All graduate students matriculated in the Biomedical Graduate Education (BGE) programs of Georgetown University are members of the MCGSO.

2. General Responsibilities

a. It is the responsibility of the MCGSO Executive Board and the program Representatives, to advocate for the interests of the student body and provide updates to the student body of their respective departments.

3. Executive Board

a. The MCGSO Executive Board is composed of elected officers and filled by student members of the MCGSO, consisting of a President, Vice President, Vice President of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Treasurer, Communications Officer, Secretary, Website and Social Media Chair, Student Services and Advocacy Liaison, and Grants Officers.

b. President

1. The President must be a rising 2^nd, 3^rd, or 4^th year PhD student.
2. It is the responsibility of the President to set the agenda at each MCGSO meeting. The aim of this agenda is to provide a forum where issues and concerns of any and all MCGSO student members can be voiced and addressed by the student body in a timely manner.
3. The President oversees distribution of MCGSO-related grants.
4. The President is responsible for appointing non-elected officers.
5. The President will also serve as liaison for the BGE Graduate Advisory Committee (GAC), Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) Research Committee, and GradGov.

c. Vice President

1. The Vice President must be a PhD student.
2. It is the responsibility of the Vice President to attend all MCGSO meetings and to assist the President as necessary.

d. Vice President of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI)

1. The Vice President of EDI must be a PhD student.
2. MCGSO’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) mission
   1. The Georgetown University experience is centered on the Jesuit values which encompass “Cura Personalis’ and ‘Diversity,’ which translate into care for a person’s spiritual, social and physical well-being, as well as for the caring of our diverse community as a whole. Our goal is to provide students of all backgrounds a safe and constructive space to share experiences and suggestions on how to better those experiences within the realm of Georgetown. We aim to foster an environment of education and awareness in support of our underrepresented graduate students through new programming.
3. It is the responsibility of the Vice President of EDI to coordinate EDI-related community events for the BGE student body.

e. Treasurer

1. The Treasurer must be a PhD student.
2. It is the responsibility of the Treasurer to manage the funds accorded to the MCGSO from the BGE Office.

f. Communications Officer

1. The Communications Officer must be a PhD student.
2. It is the responsibility of the Communications Officer to distribute any information regarding MCGSO events to the student body.
3. The Communications Officer is also the MCGSO liaison to the GradGov.

g. Outreach Coordinator

1. There may be up to two Outreach Coordinators and is open to any BGE student.
2. It is the responsibility of the Outreach Coordinator to lead the organization of community education and enrichment programs that involve both the general public, including, but not limited to, K-12 students.

h. Secretary

1. The Secretary is open to any BGE student.
2. The Secretary shall take meeting notes and assist any member of the Executive board with logistical tasks involved with, including, but not limited to, MCGSO-related event planning.

i. Website and Social Media Chair

1. The Website and Social Media Chair is open to any BGE student.
2. It is the responsibility of the Website and Social Media Chair to maintain the MCGSO website and all social media presence.
3. The Website and Social Media Chair will work closely with the Communications Officer.

j. Student Services and Advocacy Liaison

1. The Student Services and Advocacy Liaison is open to any BGE student.
2. It is the responsibility of the Student Services and Advocacy Liaison to inform students of the resources available to them (i.e., career services, workshops, health coverage, family services, parking, etc.) and to work with faculty and administration to promote grad student needs.
3. The Student Services and Advocacy Liaison must actively collect student concerns and suggestions in order to communicate them to the MCGSO Executive Board so the issues may be discussed and presented to faculty and administration tactfully and through the proper channels.

k. Grants Officer

1. There may be up to two Grants Officers, and they must be a PhD student.
   1. The Grants Officer must have started thesis research and have attended a grant workshop course.
   2. In conjunction with the MCGSO President, the Grants Officer is responsible for scheduling and presiding over meetings for the purpose of discussing or allocating funds for Professional Development Grants and/or Student Research Grants Programs.
   3. Grants Officers are responsible for collecting all MCGSO Professional Development Grant and Student Research Grant Program applications, processing them for approval, and working with the President, MCGSO Treasurer, and BGE Office to initiate the awards process.

4. Program Representatives

a. There may be up to two Program Representatives per BGE program.

b. Program representatives serve as liaisons between the MCGSO Executive Board and BGE programs.

c. All program representatives must attend monthly MCGSO meetings.

1. When a representative cannot attend a meeting, they are expected to report any new business to the President before the meeting and/or assign a proxy to another student representative from their department/program.
2. If a program representative fails to fulfill the responsibilities of their position, the Executive Board may remove the representative from their position by unanimous vote.

d. Each BGE program must have an active Program Representative for their program to be eligible for Professional Development Grants and Student Research Grant Programs.

5. Term Limit

a. Terms of office shall commence at the first meeting of the academic year and continue for one year. There are no term limits for any position except for the President, who shall serve for a maximum of two terms.

ARTICLE III. ELECTIONS

1. Eligibility

a. Eligible BGE students wishing to be considered for elected Executive Board positions are to be nominated during the announced nomination period at the beginning of the academic year.

b. If the sitting President is running, then the sitting MCGSO Executive Board elects the Election Supervisor.

1. The Election Supervisor must be a current BGE student and cannot be a candidate in the election.
2. The Election Supervisor is responsible for conducting the election, including soliciting and collecting nominations, creating the ballot, and tabulating the votes.

2. Nominations

a. At or prior to the first MCGSO general student body meeting of each academic year, there shall be a call to nominate students for the Executive Board.

b. Candidates may nominate themselves or be nominated by a 3^rd party.

1. If a candidate is nominated by someone other than themselves, they will be notified by the election supervisor before the election and may decline the nomination.

c. All accepted nominations must submit a statement regarding why they are seeking their position at the election meeting

d. If the nominee has not been an active member of MCGSO for at least one year, they are required to meet briefly with either the current President or Vice President.

3. Voting

a. Voting shall take place during the voting period after closing the nomination period, but before the end of September.

b. Members of the MCGSO will vote anonymously during the voting period.

c. MCGSO student members will cast one vote for each Executive Board position.

d. Votes for the President will be counted first. The candidate with the greatest number of presidential votes will be elected as President.

e. Votes for the other positions will be counted after the elected President is confirmed. The winning Presidential candidate will be removed from contention in the other race. The ranking for voting following president will be from highest to lowest: President, Vice President, Vice President of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Treasurer, Communications Officer, Secretary, Website and Social Media Chair, Student Services and Advocacy Liaison, Grants Officers.

f. After the close of voting, any elected position that remains vacant shall be filled by appointment by the President.

4. Appointed Positions

a. Vacant Executive Board positions will be appointed by the President.

b. Program Representative positions are filled by appointment from the Executive Board.

ARTICLE IV. MEETINGS

1. Schedule

a. The President shall schedule and hold regular monthly meetings for the BGE student body.

2. Quorum

a. One-quarter of the student body representatives shall constitute a quorum for all regular business.

b. The Executive Board shall be present at the monthly BGE student body meetings.

ARTICLE V: IMPEACHMENT

a. Appointed officers and elected officials are impeachable.

1. Procedure

a. Any member of the MCGSO student body who begins an action of impeachment against another member must submit in writing the reasons for the proposed impeachment to the highest-ranking elected official not named in the impeachment. That official must notify the named individual within 24 hours.

b. The member in question shall have the option of appearing before the student body at the next scheduled meeting. The member making the impeachment charge must also be present and be prepared to present his or her reasons for proposing impeachment. The accused member shall be given the right to present arguments in his or her own defense.

c. For the purposes of impeachment, a majority vote of program representatives at the meeting is required to end debate and to call for a vote.

d. A vote to impeach requires two-thirds of the members present to pass.

e. If a vote to impeach passes, the officer is immediately removed from office.

f. Automatic impeachment may occur of an elected official if the elected official has failed to appear at 2 consecutive MCGSO meetings.

ARTICLE VI: VACANCIES

a. Vacancy of an elected official shall be filled by the highest-ranking official on the Executive Board.

b. Vacancies during the term of office of any other position shall be filled at the earliest time possible by appointment of the President.

c. Any officer wishing to step down from their position must notify the President in writing.

ARTICLE VII: AMENDMENTS

a. Any MCGSO member may propose an amendment. All proposed amendments to this Constitution, in order to be considered, must be submitted in writing to the President. They reserve the right to appoint an ad hoc committee to facilitate reviewing and presentation of the new amendments to the student body.

b. All proposed amendments to this constitution, in order to take effect, must be passed by a majority vote of Program Representatives.

Click here to download the MCGSO Constitution.