As proposed Monday, 29 January 2007.

Whereas the position of Archivist has been vacant for several years and many of duties of the Archivist have been substantially accomplished by the Office of Assemblies, and;

Whereas other Graduate and Professional student government groups utilize a previous leader as an advisor to their respective body to improve institutional memory, and;

Whereas in previous years there has been an apparent need for mentorship of the new Graduate and Professional Student Assembly leadership and;

Whereas the advice and institutional memory from previous leaders has proved valuable for the GPSA to conduct its business.;

Be it therefore resolved that the Graduate & Professional Student Assembly Charter be changed in the following manner

5.6 Archivist Counsel to the Assembly
The GPSA shall appoint an Archivist. It shall be the responsibility of the Archivist to keep track of GPSA history and precedents, aid in bringing this information to the attention of the GPSA and Council of Representatives, help maintain active files of past minutes, agendas, committee reports, and other relevant documents in the assemblies office, and assist the Secretary with the maintenance of records.

The GPSA shall on the request of the newly elected executive committee (President, Vice President, Secretary) elect a Counsel to the Assembly. The Counsel to the Assembly will help maintain continuity of the GPSA’s agenda between administrations and keep track of GPSA history and precedents. Only a previous President or Vice President may run for the position of Counsel to the Assembly. The Counsel to the Assembly shall serve as an ex-officio member of the Executive Committee and the Operations and Staffing Committee. The Counsel to the Assembly shall not be charged with performing any tasks other than advising the Assembly and the Executives unless the Counsel feels that it is his or her role to take on that task. Election of the Counsel to the Assembly will follow the same procedure as the election of officers upon the majority request of the President, Vice President and the Secretary or two thirds of the voting body. The Counsel to the Assembly is not required to hold a seat on the Assembly or be a representative from his or her field. This position may remain vacant if a suitable candidate is not found.

Be it further resolved that this resolution be sent to David Skorton, President of Cornell University; Peggy Beach, Director of the Office of Assemblies; Kent Hubbell, Dean of Students; and Allison Power, Dean of the Graduate School.

Respectfully submitted,

Michael Walsh
Vice-President, Graduate & Professional Student Assembly
January 29, 2007