Rules and By-Laws of the Graduate Assembly

Elected members of the Graduate Assembly will number approximately thirty-five faculty representatives, apportioned among the colleges and schools as detailed in No. 2 below. Terms of the faculty representatives will be for three years, one-third of each (or as near as possible) being elected each year. The elections shall take place annually in the Spring. Faculty members are limited to two consecutive terms on the Assembly.
Additionally, in order to facilitate communication and cooperation with the Faculty Council, the Chair (or designated alternate) of the Faculty Council shall be appointed to a one-year term, with voting rights, on the Graduate Assembly and shall serve on the Agenda Committee.

Six graduate students will be chosen for one-year terms of membership on the Graduate Assembly. Graduate student representatives will be selected by the officers or executive committee of a graduate student organization or association recognized by the Assembly as representing graduate student interests on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin. The Dean of the Graduate School or the Dean's designee will serve as a faculty adviser for the organization or association so recognized. In the absence of a recognized representative graduate student organization or association, the Dean of the Graduate School, in consultation with the officers of the Graduate Assembly, will select the graduate student representatives to the Assembly. A list of graduate student representatives will be submitted to the Graduate School at least two weeks prior to the first Assembly meeting of the school year.

This includes the School of Architecture, the Red McCombs School of Business, the Moody College of Communication, the College of Education, the Cockrell School of Engineering, the College of Fine Arts, the Jackson School of Geosciences, the School of Information, the College of Liberal Arts, the College of Natural Sciences, the School of Nursing, the College of Pharmacy, the Steve Hicks School of Social Work, and Dell Medical School. The remaining seats will be apportioned using the Huntington-Hill method, capped so that no college or school has more than six seats, based on the population of each college or school. The population of a college or school is the number of faculty members whose primary Graduate Studies Committee membership is in that college or school, plus the total number of graduate students enrolled in that college or school.

No member will be entitled to more than one vote even though that member holds a joint appointment or serves on more than one Graduate Studies Committee; the member's vote will be cast in the college or school of the member's principal appointment. No one in a retirement status (including modified service and phased retirement) may be elected to the Assembly.

the President, the Executive Vice President and Provost, the Dean of the Graduate School and Senior Vice Provost for Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, the Vice President for Research, and the deans of the schools and colleges in which graduate degrees are offered. The School of Law will also be represented by one ex-officio member, selected by the dean of the school. Ex officio members are not eligible for election as voting members.

If the Chair should cease to be a member of the Graduate Assembly or resign as Chair, the Chair-Elect shall immediately succeed as the Chair, select a Nominating Committee to provide nominations for a new Chair-Elect, and hold an election at the next meeting of the Graduate Assembly. If the Chair-Elect shall cease to be a member of the Graduate Assembly or resign as Chair-Elect, the Chair shall select a Nominating Committee to provide nominations for a new Chair-Elect and hold an election at the next meeting of the Graduate Assembly. If both the Chair and the Chair-Elect should cease simultaneously to be members of the Graduate Assembly or resign their positions, the remaining Chairs of the Standing Committees shall serve as a Nominating Committee for both positions and an election for both positions shall be held at the next meeting of the Graduate Assembly.

Each year in the Spring, the Assembly will elect a Chair-Elect who will serve in that capacity, and also will serve on the Academic Committee for one year; in the ensuing year the Chair-Elect will serve as the Chair. Prior to the Spring election of the Chair-Elect, the Current Chair shall appoint a five-person Nominating Committee to suggest nominees for the Chair-Elect, made up of the Chair, the Chair-Elect, and three members of the Assembly. Nominations may also come from members of the Graduate Assembly at least one week before the election. If the term of a Chair-Elect expires before he or she has served as Chair, the member's term shall be extended one year to allow the member to serve as Chair.

The Chair will automatically become a member of the Faculty Council Executive Committee.

The Chair shall appoint one member of the Graduate Assembly for a one-year term as an ex officio member of the C12 Responsibilities, Rights, and Welfare of Graduate Student Academic Employees Committee, a committee of the General Faculty.

This happens at the same time the Chair-Elect is elected. The Secretary must be a member of a Graduate Studies Committee and a member of the Assembly.

In particular, the Secretary shall take detailed minutes of each Assembly meeting and maintain a detailed record of actions taken by the Assembly.

Additional meetings may be called by a vote of the Administrative Committee (see Section 14) or a written request of five members of the Graduate Assembly.

Unless, by majority vote of the Assembly in attendance, the Assembly decides to go into executive session.

The agenda of the Assembly and the minutes of its previous meeting shall be distributed in advance to all members of the Graduate Assembly and posted on the Graduate Assembly website.

This includes all matters having to do with the academic character of the graduate program of The University of Texas at Austin. In particular, however, it is charged with the following:

1. determining minimum criteria for admission and continuation,
2. approving new graduate programs, and evaluating existing graduate programs at the request of the Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies,
3. recommending the abolition or substantial modification of existing graduate programs,
4. setting policy concerning student programs and student welfare, including teaching and research appointments, and
5. setting policy concerning graduate student support.

In addition, the Graduate Assembly may advise the deans of the colleges or schools, the Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies, and the Vice President for Research on research support policies and other matters it deems appropriate or on which advice is requested by any of the above.

The function of these committees is to consider proposed legislation and bring any other matters to the Assembly for discussion and vote at its regular meetings. The committees and areas of responsibility of each are as follows:

1. Administrative Committee
   1. Flow of work of the Assembly
   2. Relations with the Graduate School and the Administration
   3. Graduate Catalog
   4. Rules and regulations for Teaching Assistants and Assistant Instructors
   5. Student workloads
   6. Student financial support
   7. Rules and procedures for the Graduate Assembly
   8. Elections
2. Academic Committee
   1. Quality of graduate programs
   2. Evaluation of existing graduate programs
   3. Development and adoption of new graduate programs
   4. Abolition or substantial modification of existing graduate programs
   5. Student programs
   6. Faculty work loads
3. Admission and Enrollment Committee
   1. Minimum standards for admission of students to the Graduate School as candidates for the Master's degree and the doctoral degree, and as non-degree candidates
   2. Minimum standards for admission to the doctoral degree for continuing students admitted for a lower degree
   3. Management of enrollment
   4. Continuation of graduate students

New members of the Graduate Assembly will be asked to rank order their preferences for Administrative Committee, Academic Committee, Admission and Enrollment Committee, and no committee assignment. The incoming Chair of the Assembly, in consultation with the Secretary and support staff in the Graduate School, will appoint the committees. 

Committees may vary in size, but, in addition to faculty members of the Assembly, each will include:

1. At least one student
2. The Chair of the Assembly (ex officio)
3. The Secretary of the Assembly (ex officio)
4. The Dean of the Graduate School and Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, or a designated representative (ex officio)

Committee appointments will be for three years unless the member makes a written request to the Chair to change to another committee. All members, including ex-officio, will have one vote. Except for ex-officio appointments, members may serve on only one of the three Assembly committees at any one time. In special cases, a member may be asked to serve on an ad hoc committee for a particular purpose. Not all members of such ad hoc committees need be members of the parent committee or members of the Assembly. Ad hoc committee reports will be brought to the parent committee. A committee may delegate work to a subcommittee.

The nominations will be announced in the last full meeting before the meeting in which the election will occur. The full Assembly will vote on the Committee Chairs through an anonymous election at or before the final Assembly meeting of the year.

The Chair of the Assembly, the Chair-Elect, the chairs of the three standing committees, the Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies, a representative of the Faculty Council, and representatives of the Graduate School make up the Agenda Committee.

any voting or ex-officio member of the Assembly, any standing or special committee of the Assembly, or the petition of five or more members of the Graduate Studies Committees. All proposals must be filed with the Secretary.

A quorum is one-third of the voting membership. A quorum is assumed to be present unless otherwise suggested. Upon demand of three voting members, a record vote shall be taken.

Ordinarily, no matter may be presented to the Graduate Assembly for action unless it has previously been considered, and a recommendation presented thereon, by one of the standing committees. The agenda of the meeting shall include not only an appropriate notice of matters to be considered or acted upon but also the supporting data and documents necessary to an understanding of and decision on the matters to be presented.

The Assembly may, by a two-thirds vote of those present, agree to consider for action a matter not listed on the agenda.

These classifications are defined in HoP 9-1240. The classification is subject to review by the Assembly.

When the Graduate Assembly approves major legislation, the Secretary shall distribute summaries of it to members of each Graduate Studies Committee and a copy of the complete document to all deans and departmental chairs to whom it directly pertains.

If, within 14 days (holidays and official vacation periods excluded) of the Secretary's distribution of the legislation, ten members of Graduate Studies Committees file with the Secretary a formal protest of the action, stating their reasons therefore, the Assembly shall reconsider its action promptly.

Members of the Graduate Studies Committees filing these protests may appear to present other arguments concerning the legislation. If, within that same 14-day period, thirty members of the Graduate Studies Committees file with the Secretary a formal protest of the action and request that the Graduate Studies Committees be convened to consider the matter, then the Dean of the Graduate School and Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and the Secretary shall promptly convene a plenary meeting of the Graduate Studies Committees to consider the major legislation and the protests.

If the members of the Graduate Studies Committees in attendance approve the major legislation, either with or without amendments, the Secretary shall transmit the approved Legislation to the Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School and Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs for such additional approvals and action as may be necessary.

Members of the Graduate Studies Committees may take final action on the matter, or they may refer the matter back to the Graduate Assembly for final action. If fewer than 105 members are in attendance at the meeting, no action may be taken and, in that case, the matter is automatically referred back to the Graduate Assembly for final disposition. The Assembly shall then promptly reconsider the matter, taking account of the protests that have been filed; if it determines upon reconsideration to approve the major legislation, either with or without amendments, the Secretary shall forthwith transmit the legislation to the Dean of the Graduate School and Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs for such additional approvals and action as may be necessary.

Both major and minor legislation, when adopted by the Assembly, are transmitted by the Dean of the Graduate School and Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs with his or her recommendation to the Executive Vice President and Provost. The legislation takes effect when final administrative approval has been given.

If the Secretary or the Assembly, by a two-thirds vote, declares the legislation to be emergency legislation, it becomes effective immediately upon the approval of the Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School and Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, subject to appropriate administrative review.

Each Member of the Graduate Studies Committee shall be invited to nominate two members of the Graduate Studies Committees from within that member's own group. No member of a Committee on Graduate Studies is eligible for nomination if another member of the same committee is presently serving an unexpired term on the Assembly. The nominations shall be tallied by the Secretary and the names of those with the greatest number of nominations entered on the final ballot. The final ballot for each group shall contain twice as many names as there are seats to be filled. However, the Secretary shall increase the number of names as necessary to ensure that the ballot contains the names of two persons from each School or College within the group that is not already represented by a sitting member whose term is not then expiring. No more than two names of individuals from the same Graduate Studies Committee shall appear on the final ballot.

Only Members of Graduate Studies Committees are eligible to vote. Members of the Graduate Studies Committees of a college or school vote only to elect the representatives of their own college or school. Each voter will vote for as many individuals as there are vacancies to be filled.

If, when all votes have been counted, there is within the group any school or college that would not have an elected member, either sitting or just elected, the Secretary shall first declare elected the nominee from the unrepresented school or college who received the most votes, and then fill the remaining seats.

Vacancies shall be filled from the original panel in the order of the preferential ranking in the election of the member whose seat is being filled. A leave of absence for more than one semester, in the case of an elective position, shall create a vacancy.

No member of the Graduate Assembly may have more than two unexcused absences in any academic year. If a member exceeds this limit, that member's position will be declared vacant and the individual who received the next higher number of votes in that group in the original election will be appointed to fill the remainder of the member's term.