There is a Graduate Association of Students in Philosophy, (GASP), run by the graduate students. The organization, though not an official part of the Department, has close liaison, through its officers, with the Department. It supplies representatives to Departmental meetings and serves as an intermediary between the Department and the graduate student body. It also carries on a variety of activities of its own independently of the Department, such as sponsoring colloquia, gripe sessions, lectures, information sessions, etc.
Two graduate students in philosophy, elected by the Graduate Association of Students in Philosophy, shall be invited to sit in on meetings of the Department as graduate student representatives. One alternate shall also be elected to sit in for either of the elected representatives who might be absent. These two students shall be allowed one vote each.
One of these students shall serve on the Admission and Awards Committee. The student shall have a vote on the admission of new students and on awards to new students. He or she shall have no vote on awards to students already enrolled in the Department. Note: all decisions by the Committee and all information with respect to student records, etc., are strictly confidential.
Students may not sit in on those meetings or portions of meetings at which preliminary or other examination preparation or results are discussed.
The students will not have a vote or be members of the promotions and tenure committee, and they will not have a vote in the hiring of new staff. However in cases of tenure, promotion, and the hiring of new staff, the Department will request that the student representatives, by the appropriate means, query those students who have had appropriate contact with the faculty member or prospective faculty member, and prepare an appropriate evaluation which summarizes the general student appraisal of the individual in question. Such appraisals will be taken into serious account by the members of the Department charged with weighing all appropriate information and arriving at a decision. "Although the graduate student representatives will not be allowed to vote on the hiring of new faculty members, they will be invited to attend those meetings (or portions of meetings) at which decisions relating to hiring are made, and to partake in the department's deliberations." "The faculty may, by majority vote, exclude graduate student representatives from being present at final discussion and voting on candidates for faculty positions." (April 23, 1976)
Article I. The Official name of our organization will be "Graduate Association of Students in Philosophy" or GASP.
Article II. The membership of GASP will consist of all graduate students usually enrolled in philosophy courses.
Article III. (Officers)
1. The officers of GASP will consist of a President, Vice-President, and Treasurer.
2. At the last regular meeting of GASP during the Spring term, officers for the following year will be elected by a simple majority of members present and voting.
3. A new officer, to replace one that has resigned or has been removed, may be elected by a simple majority of members present and voting at a regular meeting.
4. Any officer may be removed from office for serious failure to carry out the duties upon an affirmative vote of three-fourths of the members present and voting at a regular meeting.
5. Duties of the Officers
A. The President and Vice-President will serve as GASP representatives to departmental faculty committees and perform other duties as determined by that body. The Treasurer will serve as alternate representative.
B. The President, with the assistance and cooperation of the other officers, will be responsible for planning the meetings of GASP, securing speakers and setting the agenda.
C. The President will have a choice in which department committee s/he will serve as representative, either the Academic Planning Committee or the Awards and Admissions Committee. The President will report back to GASP any relevant information from the departmental meetings as well as information from the committee s/he serves on. The President will also be the one to call/run GASP meetings.
D. The Vice-President will then serve as representative on the remaining committee. The Vice-President will report back to GASP any relevant information from the committee s/he serves on. The Vice-President will also be responsible for taking minutes at the GASP meetings.
E. The Treasurer will serve as Director of the GASP Colloquia and so will be responsible for planning the colloquiums (e.g. securing speakers, setting dates, etc.). Further, the Treasurer will be the GASP representative to GPA (Graduate and Professional Association) and so will be responsible for attending these meetings and will bring relevant information to GASP and relate/represent to GPA the interests of GASP.
Article IV. The members of all committees, temporary and permanent, will be selected by the President of the GASP with the cooperation of the officers.
Article V. Regular meetings of GASP will be held at least once each month school is in session except the summer months, and will be announced well in advance.
Article VI. All substantive questions, except those involving amendments to these Guidelines, will be decided by a simple majority of those members present and voting at regular meetings, or by a simple majority of those voting when the vote is conducted by mail. But amendments to these Guidelines shall require a two-thirds majority of those present and voting in a regular meeting, or two-thirds majority of members voting by mail ballot. Which procedure will be used shall be determined by a simple majority of those present and voting in a regular meeting.
Article VII. These Guidelines will go into effect upon their approval by two-thirds of the members present at a regular meeting.
Adopted by GASP: October 11, 1971
Auslegung: A Journal of Philosophy shall be administered by the editorial staff at the University of Kansas. The editor of the journal shall be nominated by the editorial staff; the nomination shall be subject to approval by a simple majority vote of GASP. Normally a person must have at least six months experience working on Auslegung to be nominated for editor. Responsibility for securing such funding as is needed shall lie with the GASP officers and the editorial staff. The editorial policy for Auslegung shall be that, at the discretion of the editors, essays shall be selected for publication solely on the basis of philosophical merit and not on the basis of any philosophical (or other) interest or bias. The essay(s) chosen as Robinson Essay Contest winner(s) under normal circumstances shall be published in the regular fall issue of Auslegung following the time of its (their) selection. In any case, the essays will be considered for publication in Auslegung. The titles, contents, and authors of essays submitted but not selected for publication in the journal shall be kept confidential by the editors. At least two issues of the journal shall be published each academic year, depending on available funds.
