THE CONSTITUTION OF THE

ORGANIZATION OF CORNELL PLANNERS

Article I:  The Organization of Cornell Planners, hereafter referred to as OCP, is not affiliated with any international, national, state, or local organization, and exists solely to serve the needs of graduate students in the Department of City and Regional Planning at Cornell University.

Article II:  OCP exists to build ties and facilitate the discussion between students and planning practitioners, both domestic and international; to provide a forum for graduate planning students in their academic and professional pursuits; to provide graduate student representation within the Department of City and Regional Planning and Cornell University; and to foster cohesion within the department through social activities, strategic planning, and information dissemination.

Article III:  Membership in OCP is automatically granted to all graduate students enrolled in a course of study within the Department of City and Regional Planning at Cornell University.  Other interested parties may be granted membership at the board’s discretion.

Article IV:  General meetings will be held every month during the academic year.  Other meetings may be called by the president or by a majority of the OCP officers.

Article V:  The Director of Graduate Studies will serve as the advisor to OCP.

Article VI:  Referendums, recalls or votes on amendments to the constitution can be called by petition of at least three officers or fifteen general members.  Votes will take place at the next general meeting.  In order to vote, there must be at least 20 members (general members and officers) present at the general meeting.  Decisions will be made by plurality vote among the members present (general members and officers).

Article VII:  All financial transactions must be approved by a majority of the officers.

Article VIII:  In the event of a tie on a referendum, recall, constitutional amendment vote, or any such vote, the OCP president will decide the outcome.

Article IV:  All officers shall be elected by a plurality vote to take place the first week of November of each year.  In extenuating circumstances, this election may be postponed at the discretion of the board, but must take place prior to January 1^st of the following Calendar year.  Only students who will be in residence on the Ithaca campus for the full term of office are eligible to serve as officers.

Title	Term of Office*	How & When Elected**
President	Calendar Year	Majority vote on election day
Vice President	Calendar Year	Majority vote on election day
Treasurer	Calendar Year	Majority vote on election day
Secretary	Calendar Year	Majority vote on election day
AAP Liaison	Calendar Year	Majority vote on election day
Faculty Liaison	Calendar Year	Majority vote on election day
External Liaison	Calendar Year	Majority vote on election day
GPSA Representative	Calendar Year	Majority vote on election day
Social Events Coordinator I	Calendar Year	Majority vote on election day
Social Events Coordinator II	Calendar Year	Majority vote on election day
CRP Connect Coordinator	Calendar Year	Majority vote on election day
Webmaster	Calendar Year	Majority vote on election day

The election process shall be conducted as follows:

• At least one week prior to the election, the outgoing board will begin accepting nominations for all officer positions. Students may nominate themselves.
• Nominated students must be informed of the number of nominations they received for each position.  A nominee does not become a candidate for office until they have formally accepted their nomination.
• Students may run for a maximum of two officer positions, and may only serve in one officer position.  In the event that the same student is elected to two positions, s/he may choose the position they prefer.
• If after the nomination and acceptance process there remain positions for which there are either no candidates or only one candidate, the nomination period will be extended while the board encourages further participation.
• In the event of a tie, the outgoing board will select the winner by plurality vote.
• If the winner for a given position chooses to fill another position, that position will go to the runner-up.  In the event that there is no runner-up to fill the position, new candidates may self-nominate.  These remaining positions will be filled by a plurality vote of the incoming board.
• If a position is vacated mid-term, a special election will be held at or before the next general meeting.  The person elected will serve the remainder of the term.

ADDENDUM: OCP OFFICERS’ RESPONSIBILITIES

President: Responsible for overall operation of OCP. Oversees twelve-member executive board, chairs all OCP meetings, maintains and promotes communication within OCP, the entire CRP student body, and with the faculty. Maintains the OCP-L and CRP-L listserves. Represents OCP to the rest of the College of Architecture, Art and Planning and the greater Cornell University community. Fills in as needed with other officer activities. Role will be a Graduate Teaching/Research Specialist (GTRS) position given that the department has funding to support it.

Vice President: Arranges Call to Action student meeting in preparation for Town Hall Meeting. Responsible for organizing and executing Town Hall Meeting. Works closely with President in fulfilling logistical or administrative tasks not covered by the Secretary. Organizes and facilitates OCP elections.

Treasurer: Maintains financial accounts and paperwork for OCP. Prepares annual budget and ensures that all OCP funding requests and reimbursements are processed. Works closely with the President on financial planning issues. Maintains healthy relationship and liaises with the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly Finance Committee (GPSAFC) routinely.

Secretary: Records minutes at OCP meetings and maintains paper and electronic files. Provides administrative support and coordination as needed across the organization. Serves as second GPSA Representative (responsibilities detailed below). The existence of this role is contingent upon the CRP program remaining large enough to merit two GPSA seats.

Faculty Liaison: Attends faculty meetings bi-weekly, or as scheduled, and represents student issues to faculty. Reports to the students on department activities and actions by faculty. Provides written reports of faculty actions at meetings. Attends Curriculum Committee meetings and reports back to OCP. Attends Petition Committee meetings as needed. Attends any extra faculty meetings that arise as schedule permits.

AAP Liaison: Represents OCP concerns to the AAP Dean’s office and reports back to OCP. Liaises with other departments within AAP.

External Liaison: Identifies and provides information to the members of OCP about planning related activities such as conferences, publications, training sessions, guest speakers, and job opportunities. Represents OCP at meetings of the Upstate NY Chapter of APA, National APA, and other planning organizations, locally and nationally, when possible.

GPSA Representative: Serves as a representative to the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GPSA) Council of Representatives for a one-year term. Represents CRP student concerns and issues to the student assembly and updates OCP members on the activities of the student assembly. Must attend meetings as scheduled by the GPSA.  

Social Event Coordinator (2): Responsible for planning, promoting, and executing the logistical operations of OCP social activities. Reserves rooms or equipment; coordinates food, beverages, and supplies; and organizes set up and take down for events. Provides schedule for annual parties to OCP board and keeps board and members updated as to when events should take place.

CRP Connect Coordinator: Plans a minimum of two events each semester, one to coincide with the National APA Conference. Updates and maintains CRP Connect Social Networks, including Facebook and LinkedIn, as well as the CRP Connect website with the help of the OCP Webmaster. Liaises with CRP alumni and connects current students with regional hub members and leaders. Works with AAP Career Services as necessary to further CRP Connect goals.  Makes yearly plans for CRP Connect events, growth, and strategic development. Expands the reach, scope, and activities of CRP Connect based on feedback and support from students and alumni. Some travel required.

Webmaster: Responsible for continuously updating the OCP website, including the events calendar. Executes website changes desired by OCP. Assists CRP Connect Coordinator with maintenance of the CRP Connect website.