CompBio Discussions Group

 

CONSTITUTION

Preamble

The members of the Regional Student Group of India [RSG-India] which is affiliated to the Student Council (SC) of the International Society of Computational Biology [ISCB] came up with a novel initiative to form the CompBio Discussions Group at host University to nurture the upcoming generation of Bioinformatics researchers; We the student members hereby set out the following constitution for ourselves to be followed by all, in our activities with regards to the group.


Article 1: General information

A) Name

The name of the group shall be "CompBio Discussions Group".
B) Mission Statement
The mission of the group is to promote active interaction among the members of the group thereby enhancing the exchange of ideas and opportunities in the field of Bioinformatics.
C) Head Quarters
The CompBio Discussions group would be based in the Bioinformatics Division of School of Biotechnology, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering [SBCBE] at VIT University, Vellore, India.
D) Management
  • The CompBio Discussions Group shall function as a semi-autonomous body under the aegis of RSG-India Group. The President of RSG-India will be an honorary member of the Executive Committee [EC].
  • On behalf of host University, the Faculty Coordinator of RSG-India will be an honorary member of the Executive Committee [EC].
  • All administrative as well as policy decisions will be taken by the Executive Committee's approval only.
  • All decisions of the Executive Committee [EC] shall be deemed final for all purposes.
  • Refer Article 3 for more information on Executive Committee [EC].
E) Core values
The CompBio Discussions group is a platform for highly motivated students who are interested in learning and sharing information on their field of expertise with their colleagues. Our core values include but not limited to: a. HIGHEST DEGREE OF PROFFESIONALISM 1) To be successful as a group. 2) To keep the interest of the group ahead of personal benefits 3) Constantly supporting new bold ways of benefiting ever greater number of members. b. STRONG COMMUNICATION AND INTERCATION 1) Presenting research, ideas and innovations during the meetings. 2) Healthy debate sessions after the presentation by the speakers 3) Suggesting modifications or alternate ideas. c. ADVOCACY FOR ISSUES OF STUDENT INVESTIGATORS 1) Representation of Student interests at the level of policy making at VIT University 2) Communication with Professors and lecturers of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology d. INTELLECTUAL LEADERSHIP 1) Organization/management of student led events. 2) To invite Professors and Companies to discuss their research ideas.

Article 2: Membership

All students of Bioinformatics division are eligible to become members of the CompBio Discussions Group provided they are a member of RSG-India. Faculty and Alumni (outgoing leaders) would have the status of honorary members.

Article 3: Executive Committee [EC]

The CompBio Discussions Group shall have an Executive committee consisting of the following members:
  • Faculty Coordinator (Honorary Lead member)
  • President, RSG-India Group (Honorary)
  • Student Chair Person ( Nominated from RSG-India Core Committee)
  • Manager
  • Liaison to RSG-India Core Committee
A) Responsibilities of the Executive Committee:
  • Shall be collectively responsible for the activities of the group.
  • Shall have Executive Committee meetings once every month.
  • Shall be responsible for chairing the regular meetings.
  • Shall take policy decisions.
  • Shall nominate the future leaders.
  • Shall carry out amendment of the constitution once the need arises.
  • Shall take decisions on any disciplinary issues with respect to the members and the meetings.
B) Irrespective of the above duties all members of the Executive Committee shall have the following responsibilities attached to their office:

Faculty Coordinator

  • Shall preside over the Executive Committee Meetings.
  • Shall coordinate the activities of all Executive Committee members.
  • Shall take care of all administrative issues at VIT University.
  • Shall be a signatory on all official documents including on the annual report.

President, RSG-India Group

  • Shall preside over the Executive Committee Meetings in the absence of the Faculty Coordinator.
  • Shall propose the dates for the Executive Committee meetings.
  • Shall nominate the Student Chair Person of the group.
  • Shall coordinate the activities of the Student Chair Person

Student Chair Person

  • Shall preside over the general group meetings.
  • Shall assist the Faculty Coordinator on administrative issues.
  • Shall nominate the Liaison to RSG-India Core Committee.
  • Shall coordinate the activities of the manager.
  • Shall be in charge of organizing Student led events and workshops.

Manager

  • Shall maintain the calendar of the group.
  • Shall coordinate with the speakers and finalize the dates of their presentation.
  • Shall coordinate the activities of the Liaison to RSG-India Core Committee.
  • Shall form the annual report.
  • Shall assist the Chair Person in organizing student led events and workshops.

Liaison to RSG-India

  • Shall maintain the minutes of the meeting.
  • Shall update the RSG-India Core Committee of the proceedings.
  • Shall assist the Manager in his/her activities.
  • Shall maintain the head count of each meeting.

Article 4: Meetings

  • The general meetings shall take place every fortnight.
  • The dates of the meetings shall be finalized in consensus with all the members.
  • The agenda of the subsequent meeting shall be released during the course of an ongoing meeting.
  • The meetings shall last for a period of one hour except for unusual circumstances.[30 minutes presentation + 15 minutes discussion +15 minutes agenda]
  • The Speaker and the topic of the presentation shall be informed in the agenda.
  • The manager shall coordinate with the speakers and facilitate the presentation.
  • Discussions and debate sessions shall take place after the presentation is over.

Article 5: Leadership

  • All decisions regarding the leadership lie with the Executive Committee [EC].
  • All office bearers of the Executive Committee with due exception of the President, RSG-India must be physically present in VIT University.
  • The office of Student Chair, Manager, RSG-India Liaison shall not be occupied by a single student for more than 1 [one] calendar year under any circumstances.
  • The office of the Student Chair Person shall be nominated by the President, RSG-India followed by the approval of the Executive Committee.
  • The office of the RSG-India Liaison shall be nominated by the Student Chair Person followed by the approval of the Executive Committee.
  • The office of the Manager shall be the only elected position of the group.

Article 6: Impeachment

  • Any member of the group, on disciplinary grounds may be permanently/temporarily removed from the group by a recommendation from not less than 50% of the members followed by the approval of the Executive Committee.
  • A member found guilty of professional misconduct may be permanently removed by the Executive Committee without consulting the group members.
  • Any member of the Executive committee found guilty of operational/Professional misconduct may be removed from the office following an approval of the Faculty Coordinator and the President of RSG-India.
  • The Faculty Coordinator and The President of RSG-India being honorary members are immune to Article-6 of the Constitution.
  • The approval of the Executive Committee shall in this regard be deemed final for all purposes.

Article 7: Amendment

  • The constitution can be amended by a recommendation of not less than 67% of the members of the group followed by the approval of the Executive Committee.
  • A recommendation may be considered as approved only if 3 out of 5 members of the Executive Committee voice their support which must include the two honorary members [The Faculty Coordinator and The President, RSG-India].

© 2016 rsg-india.