Senate Committees

Join a Committee!

Joining a committee is a great way to get involved with Graduate Student life on campus! While senators are required to be on a committee, any graduate student can join a committee and participate. If you’d like to learn more about what committees do and how to get involved, contact the Internal Vice President at gsointernalvp@syr.edu


Standing Committees

Standing Committees are those committees in active standing and are available for senators and graduate students to join.

AD-HOC Committees

Ad-Hoc committees are utilized as needed in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised moving forward. Ad-Hoc committees can become active/standing based on need and senate decision (Please see GSO Resolution 22.04 for more information).

Special Committees

Special committees serve to advise the senate regarding its existing legislations and preform tasks specifically assigned by the senate. (Please see GSO Resolution 23.05 for more information)

Executive Board and Committees Communication Policy

  1. There will be an Executive Board Advisory Council which will provide updates, advice,
    and recommendations to the Executive Board and other GSO committees on graduate
    students’ interests and concerns. The Executive Board Advisory Council:
    • will consist of the GSO Executive Board, and the Chairs of all GSO committees
      or appointed representative as determined by the committee. The President
      shall serve as Chair, and the Vice President of Internal Affairs shall serve as ViceChair. The Council can call additional members of the Senate into attendance
      if it deems it necessary to accomplish its purpose.
      • The appointed representative from any committee must be an active
        member of the committee it is representing and does not have to be the
        same person for each council meeting.
    • will have regular meetings on Wednesday evenings, two weeks before every
      Regular GSO Senate meeting, except the first meeting of the fall semester, to
      ensure robust communication among committees and the Executive Board.
      Any council member can request additional meetings; however, the President
      or Vice President of Internal Affairs, alone, can call additional meetings if either
      deem it necessary. The meetings will be 1 hour at maximum unless it is agreed
      upon in the meeting to extend the time. Minutes will be taken by the Recording
      Secretary and distributed to the Senate within one week of the council meeting
      to allow Senators to read the minutes before the regular Senate meeting.
    • will not have any power to enact policies, resolutions, or initiatives unless
      directed by the GSO Senate
  1. The President and Vice President of Internal Affairs shall have a minimum of one meeting per month to brief the Vice President of Internal Affairs on the affairs and advocacy of the President, should the President ever be unable to fulfil their duties.
  2. The President must extend an invitation to Chairs of GSO committees to join all special purpose advocacy, advisory, consultatory, or informational meetings with the administration that fall within that committee’s charge. In all such meetings, the President remains the primary advocate with the council member or members present for consultatory and advisory purposes. These meetings exclude regular University Senate or GSO committee meetings and regular meetings with the Board of Trustees and the Dean of the Graduate School.