CONSTITUTION

OF THE

GRADUATE ASSOCIATION FOR

STUDENTS OF PERFORMANCE

ADOPTED FEBRUARY 9, 2011

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Adopted 9 February 2011

P REAMBLE
We, the members of the Graduate Association for Students of Performance, do hereby establish this
Constitution, in order that our purpose be realized to its fullest extent.

A RTICLE 1: N AME AND P URPOSE

1.1

Name
The name of the organization shall be the Graduate Association for Students of Performance
(GASP).

1.2 Purpose
1.2.A GASP is established for the purpose of providing a graduate student service organization
for the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies (School) at the University of
Maryland, College Park.
1.2.B GASP is committed to improving the quality of education and life of graduate students in
the School by:
1. Encouraging collaborative activities between students in each of the degree programs
offered by the School so as to establish and foster a vibrant graduate student
community.
2. Participating in the shared governance of the School by serving as a deliberative body
in which students from each of the degree programs offered by the School may share
their concerns and work together to develop and propose solutions to the Schools
administrators.
3. Developing and sponsoring programming designed for graduate students in the
School, as well as encouraging artistically enriching collaborations among School
students, and between the School students and the overall university population.
4. Supporting academic, production, or social events and activities sponsored by the
School, University, or related student organizations (such as U.T.A.S, the
Undergraduate Theatre Artists Society) that accord with the purpose and scope of
GASP as defined in this Constitution.
1.2.C GASP commits itself to abiding by all University of Maryland, College Park policies.

A RTICLE 2: M EMBERSHIP AND R ESPONSIBILITIES

2.1

Membership

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2.1.A All currently enrolled full-time and part-time graduate students in the School are
automatically members of GASP. There is no fee required for membership.
2.2.B GASP General Meetings are open to all persons officially connected with the University
of Maryland, College Park, including faculty, staff, and registered students.
2.2.C Voting privileges shall be restricted to graduate student members of GASP.
2.2.D For the purposes of selecting officers and ensuring the needs of all students in the School
can be effectively communicated to and addressed by the organization, GASP
membership shall be divided into four constituencies, corresponding to the degree
programs offered by the School:
1. MFA in Dance (Dance)
2. MFA in Performance (Performance)
3. MFA in Theatre Design (Design)
4. MA/PhD in Theatre and Performance Studies (MA/PhD)
2.3

Responsibilities
2.3.A General Meetings of GASP shall include all four constituencies, and shall occur a
minimum of once per semester. Additional General Meetings may be scheduled as
needed, and may be called by the Executive Committee, in accordance with Article 4.1.C.
Individual constituencies shall hold regular meetings throughout the academic year in a
manner determined by each Program Representative, as dealt with in Article 3.1.B.
2.3.B Quorum for General Meetings of the organization shall be one-third of the total voting
membership of GASP.
2.3.C Individual constituencies shall meet regularly throughout the year to discuss issues of
importance to those constituencies, as well to as the entire School. These meetings shall
occur in a manner, and on a schedule, determined by the Program Representative for each
constituency (see Article 3.1.B).
2.3.D Members of GASP shall be responsible for selecting all officers of the organization, as
well as appointing representatives to School committees, as established in Article 3.
2.3.E Members of GASP shall generate organization initiatives, and set priorities for each
academic year.
2.3.F GASP members and officers shall collaborate with administrators of the School to
advance the organizations purpose and goals.

2.4

Nondiscrimination Clause

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GASP does not restrict membership or discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, sexual
orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, personal appearance, age, national
origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability, or on the basis of rights secured by the
First Amendment of the United States Constitution. (For definitions of personal appearance and
sexual orientation, see the Universitys Code of Human Relations (Code).

A RTICLE 3: O FFICERS AND A PPOINTEES

3.1

GASP shall be governed by the following Officers, as selected by the procedures established in
Article 5. Officers must be currently enrolled graduate students in the School.
3.1.A President
GASP shall elect a President, who shall preside over all General Meetings of the
organization. The President shall serve as chair of the Executive Committee, and shall
only vote at General Meetings in the case that his/her vote is required to break a tie. The
President shall meet regularly with the Schools Director of Graduate Studies, and other
such members of the Schools administration as necessary to ensure consistent and
productive communication between the two bodies. The President shall not be an
advocate for the specific interests of his/her constituency, but shall represent all members
and constituencies of the School in an impartial fashion.
3.1.B Program Representatives
Each constituency shall elect a Program Representative to serve on the Executive
Committee, in accordance with Article 5.3. Program Representatives shall be responsible
for calling and chairing all meetings of their respective constituencies, which should
occur regularly throughout the academic year, and they shall communicate the concerns
and proposals of their constituencies to other members of the Executive Committee.
They shall exercise the same voting rights as other members of GASP. For the purpose
of registration with the Office of Campus Programs, Program Representatives shall be
classified as Vice Presidents. No individual may serve as both a Program
Representative and President of the organization.
3.1.C Secretary/Treasurer
GASP shall elect a Secretary/Treasurer, whose responsibilities include keeping minutes
of each General Meeting, maintaining the organizations finances as established in Article
6, and conducting the organizations elections, as described in Article 5. The
Secretary/Treasurer shall also assist in the administration of the Executive Committee,
but shall not be a voting member.

3.2

A General Election for all posts enumerated in this article shall occur each spring semester. Terms
of office shall be one full calendar year (spring semester/spring semester), or until the next

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General Election. However, if an Officer is unable to fulfill his or her duties, s/he may resign the
position, or may be removed from the position by a two-thirds majority vote of the total present
and voting GASP membership at a General Meeting. In the case of a vacancy in an Officer
position, the organization shall fill the position according to the procedures outlined in Article 5.2.
3.3

No person shall be elected to the same Office more than twice, and no person shall hold office for
more than two full terms. An officer who serves a partial term due to the resignation of his/her
predecessor or any other extenuating circumstances will only be eligible to serve one additional
full term and may not exceed the two full term limit by having served a partial term.

3.4

The organization shall appoint members to serve on committees of the School, as enumerated in
Article 3.4.D.
3.4.A Such appointees shall be currently enrolled graduate students within the School. Unless
mandated by the Schools Plan of Organization, each appointment shall be open to any
member of GASP, regardless of constituency. Every effort should be made to ensure that
each constituency has members participating in the shared governance structure of the
School.
3.4.B Appointments shall normally be made in the spring semester, or at the first General
Meeting of the academic year, in accordance with the procedures set forth in Article 5.3.
3.4.C In such cases as an appointee resigns, or a new position opens up, the Executive
Committee shall be permitted to provisionally appoint a member of the organization to
serve until the next General Meeting, at which time any such provisional appointments
shall be subject to review by the membership.
3.4.D In accordance with the Plan of Organization of the School, positions to which GASP shall
appoint members, and requirements for the constituencies of those members, are as
follows:
1. Programs Courses Curriculum (PCC) Graduate Committee: one graduate student
from any constituency
2. PCC Undergraduate Committee: one graduate student from any constituency
3. International Initiatives Committee: one graduate student from any constituency,
provided the position is not reserved for a graduate assistant
4. Season Selection (Theatre): one graduate student from the Design, Performance, or
MA/PhD constituencies
5. Performance Selection (Dance): one graduate student from the Dance constituency
6. New Initiatives: one graduate student from any constituency
7. Committee of the Whole: two graduate students, one from the Design, Performance,
or MA/PhD constituencies; and one from the Dance constituency
3.4.E GASP shall appoint two members of the organization to attend faculty meetings, one
from the Design, Performance, or MA/PhD constituencies; and one from the Dance
constituency.

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A RTICLE 4: C OMMITTEES
4.1 Executive Committee
4.1.A The Executive Committee consists of the President and the four Program
Representatives. The Secretary/Treasurer shall assist in the administration of the
committee, but shall not vote.
4.1.B The Executive Committee shall be responsible for developing short and long term goals
for the organization, with the consultation of the entire membership, and for ensuring that
GASP fulfills its purpose as set forth in this Constitution.
4.1.C The Executive Committee shall set the schedule of General Meetings for the
organization, and shall be responsible for creating the agenda for each General Meeting.
The Executive Committee, by a simple majority of its present and voting members, may
call additional General Meetings of the organization, as necessary.
4.1.D The Executive Committee shall be responsible for appointing the membership of any
standing committee, as well as any ad hoc committees created between General Meetings
of the organization, subject to the provisions set forth in Article 4.4.
4.1.E The Executive Committee shall be empowered to act on behalf of the organization in
such cases as the need for timely action prohibits the convening of a General Meeting.
Such actions must fall within the scope of the organizations purpose as established in
this Constitution.
4.1.F The Executive Committee shall present a report detailing its activities at each General
Meeting.
4.2

Artistic Initiatives Committee

4.2.A The Artistic Initiatives Committee (AIC) shall be responsible for exploring and creating
opportunities for graduate students from across the School to collaborate on
performances, productions, etc.
4.2.B The AIC may elect its own chair from among its membership, as well as any other
positions, such as secretary, deemed necessary to ensure the smooth and efficient
functioning of the committee.
4.2.C The membership of the committee shall consist of a minimum of 5 members of GASP,
and must include at least one member from each constituency. The appointee to the New
Initiatives Committee of the School shall also serve as an ex-officio member of AIC.
Additional members may be added as necessary.
4.2.D Quorum for the committee shall be 5 members.

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4.2.E The AIC shall meet at minimum once per semester, and shall prepare a report of its
activities to be presented at all of the regularly scheduled General Meetings.
4.3

GASP may create ad hoc committees as necessary. Such committees shall be created at General
Meetings by a motion which includes the committee membership, a specific charge, and any
reporting deadlines as appropriate. The motion may include the appointment of a specific chair,
or the selection of a chair may be left to the committee itself.

4.4

The Executive Committee may create ad hoc committees between General Meetings of the
organization as necessary. In such cases, the Executive Committee shall be responsible for
appointing the committee membership, and creating a specific charge. The Executive Committee
may appoint a chair, or leave the selection of a chair to the committee itself. Such ad hoc
committees shall be required to present a report on their activities at the next General Meeting of
the organization.

4.5

Any ad hoc committees created under the provisions in Article 4.4 may be dissolved or modified
by the organization at its next General Meeting.

A RTICLE 5: E LECTIONS AND A PPOINTMENTS

5.1

General Elections
5.1.A Each spring semester, the GASP shall hold a general election for officers to serve the
following academic year.
5.1.B The elections process shall be organized and conducted by the Elections Administrator,
who is normally the Secretary/Treasurer. No individual who is a candidate for office may
serve as Elections Administrator, subject to the following provisions:
(i).

In such cases as the Secretary/Treasurer position is vacant, or the current

Secretary/Treasurer is a candidate for office, a Program Representative who is not
a candidate shall serve as Elections Administrator.

(ii).

Should the Secretary/Treasurer be ineligible for reasons specified in (i) and all
incumbent Program Representatives be candidates, the Program Representatives
shall jointly serve as Elections Administrator.

5.1.C The Elections Administrator shall send to all active graduate students in the School an
announcement that details the open positions and duties of the positions and solicits
nominations. The announcement must include a timeline for the general election that
includes a nomination period and an election period, each lasting a minimum of 7
business days.
5.1.D Following the close of the nomination period, the Elections Administrator shall announce

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the candidates for the general election.

5.1.E Once the ballot of candidates is finalized, the Elections Administrator shall announce the
start of the general election period. Voting shall be open to all currently enrolled graduate
students in the School, and shall be conducted electronically. Once the election period is
closed, the Elections Administrator shall tally the votes received, and announce the
winner of the general election. A simple majority of votes cast shall be required to
declare a winner.
5.2

Midterm Elections
5.2.A

5.3

Representative Elections
5.3.A

5.4

In the event of a vacancy in any of the elected positions described in Article 3, the
Elections Administrator shall announce and conduct an election according to the
procedures detailed in Article 5.1.

Each constituency in the School shall be responsible for electing its own Program
Representative. Elections shall take place in the spring semester according to the
procedures set forth in Article 5.1, with the following exceptions:
(i)

The Secretary/Treasurer shall serve as Elections Administrator, unless s/he be a

candidate for Program Representative in the constituency in which the election is
occurring.

(ii)

Should the Secretary/Treasurer be ineligible, the current Program Representatives

in the other three constituencies shall jointly serve as Elections Administrator.

(iii)

Voting privileges shall be restricted to members of the relevant constituency.

Appointments
5.4.A

Appointees to School committees shall be made each spring semester, or whenever

vacancies arise. The Secretary/Treasurer shall announce and fill any vacancies according
to the procedures set forth in Article 5.1.

A RTICLE 6: F INANCES
The Secretary/Treasurer shall be responsible for all monetary affairs of GASP, including budget
records or requests submitted to the Graduate Student Government, the School, or other official
university representatives or organizations.

A RTICLE 7: A MENDMENTS

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Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed by any organization member. Amendments

require a two-thirds majority of the total membership of GASP, and may be approved via e-mail.

A RTICLE 8: S UPERSESSION
8.1

Upon adoption, this Constitution supersedes all previous constitutions of any graduate student
organization of any unit now belonging to the School.

8.2

All appointees serving at the time of the adoption of this Constitution shall have the option of
continuing until the end of their terms. Should they choose to resign, replacements shall be
appointed according to the procedures set forth in Article 5.1.

Date of Adoption by Referendum: 9 February 2011

(Graduate Association for Students of Performance was formerly known as the Graduate Council Association
for Students of Theatre.)