Bylaws for the Boston College English Graduate Colloquium

Committee Selection
The Executive Committee for the Graduate Colloquium will consist of five committee members, all of whom must be graduate students, enrolled in the Boston College Department of English for the academic year in which the Colloquia series is to take place. Two of these members shall be enrolled in the Masters Program and three members shall be enrolled in the Doctoral Program.

Selection of Members from the Masters Program
The two committee membership positions allotted to representatives from the Masters Program shall include two students in the second year of the Program,
and they shall be selected in a process determined by the current Masters Program director and the outgoing Masters Representatives. Each of these members will serve on the Colloquium Committee for one academic year.’s representatives to the Graduate Student Association. Whenever possible, it is the Committee’s preference that the Masters Representatives are selected by an open election process coordinated by the Masters Program director.

If for any reason, the Committee is unable to secure two representatives from the Masters Program, the Committee members may choose a new member from amongst the other second year Masters students, and in collaboration with the Masters Program Director.

Selection of Members from the Doctoral Program
The three committee membership positions allotted to representatives from the Doctoral program shall include one first year doctoral student, one second year doctoral student, and one third year doctoral student for the year in which the Colloquia series is to take place. In order to foster continuity and to capitalize on the experience of committee members, each member will serve for three years, or through the end of his or her third year, whichever occurs first. Before the first Colloquium of each academic year, the committee will send out by mail or e-mail a letter to all incoming first year doctoral students informing them of the duties involved in Committee membership and of the process for choosing a new committee members from the incoming class. If more than one eligible student expresses an interest in serving on the Committee, the Committee will then solicit a brief letter of interest from each candidate, explaining the reasons for his or her interest in serving and providing a summary of any relevant experience. The Committee shall specify a reasonable deadline for receipt of any letter of interest.

Once the deadline has passed, the Committee will make available copies of the letters of interest from eligible students to all currently enrolled students in the English Doctoral Program. All doctoral students enrolled in the program for the current academic year will be invited to vote on the candidates for committee member from among those eligible students who submitted a letter of interest. Each vote shall count equally, and the student who garners the most votes shall become the next committee member. In the event of a tie, the Committee will choose between the candidates with the most number of votes. The Committee is authorized to run all elections by e-mail.

If for any reason, the Committee is unable to secure a representative from the first, second, and/or third year classes, the Committee members may choose a new member from amongst the other classes of the doctoral program. That member shall be able to serve through the end of his or her third year.

Removal from the Committee
Any Committee member may voluntarily remove him or herself from the Committee at any time. A committee member may be involuntarily removed only by a majority vote of the full Committee with approval from the Director of the M.A. program and the Director of the Ph.D. program. Vacancies on the Committee, whether of first, second, or third year members, will be filled as soon as is practicable in accordance with the invitation and election processes outlined above.

* These Bylaws will become effective as of academic year 2004-2005