TANMS Student Body Bylaws

Identity and Purpose

Identity

This organization shall be known as the TANMS Student Body (henceforth referred to as “TSB” or "the students") of the Center for Translational Applications of Nanoscale Multiferroics Systems (“TANMS”
or “the center”), an Engineering Research Center (ERC) sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Purpose

The purpose of the TSB is:
  • To encourage students to network, collaborate, and build friendships outside individual research groups.
  • To facilitate an understanding of how a student’s individual project contributes to overall TANMS objectives.
  • To educate and mentor younger students according to the center’s “Cradle-to-Career” strategy.
  • To promote connections and opportunities between students and industry.

Membership

Any undergraduate, graduate student, or postdoctoral scholar who:
  • Is currently working on a TANMS project or a TANMS-affiliated project, and
  • Has worked on that project for at least three months, is considered a member of the TSB.

Student Leadership Council

This section shall describe the offices in the Student Leadership Council ("SLC") and their duties. It is recommended that the officers of the SLC come from different research groups to provide a more accurate representation of the student body.

Purpose

The purpose of the SLC is:
  • To serve as a liaison between the student community and the center administration.
  • To protect the students against administrative abuse or gross disrespect.

President and Vice President

The president and vice president shall work together to:
  • Maintain an overall vision for the students and ensure the fulfillment of its purpose,
  • Represent the students to the TANMS leadership and to the NSF,
  • Attend biweekly meetings of the TANMS leadership team,
  • Join TANMS leadership in hosting the NSF site review team,
  • Participate in Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) meetings,
  • Lead the SLC in preparing the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis,
  • Compile and distribute the SWOT survey,
  • Present SWOT analysis and lead closed-door discussions with the NSF, and
  • Organize student poster sessions.
Explanation of Roles: 
While there is significant overlap between the offices of president and vice president, the roles are meant to be distinct. The president is focused primarily with the SLC’s external affairs and represents the student body to external groups. In contrast, the vice president is focused primarily with the SLC’s internal affairs and with communication between SLC leadership and its members. The president focuses on what the center administration requires of the students; the vice president focuses on what the students require of the administration. Therefore, the campus representatives report directly to the vice president, but the other officers are under the purview of the president. Furthermore, to maintain continuity in leadership, it is recommended that the vice president step into the role of president and succeeds the incumbent president.

Campus Representatives

Each of the five campus representatives (California State University, Northridge; Cornell University; Northeastern University; University of California, Berkeley, and University of California, Los Angeles) shall:
  • Represent the students of respective campus to the Vice President and to TANMS administration,
  • Organize local students at respective campus,
  • Maintain an updated roster of TANMS students in their respective campuses, and
  • Act as a liaison to students at respective campus.

Treasurer

The treasurer shall:
  • Work with TANMS Administrative Director (AD) to distribute reimbursements,
  • Maintain accurate records of the TSB budget,
  • Create and maintain an application form for students seeking travel grants,
  • Maintain a formal protocol for recipient selection, and
  • Grant travel subsidies for students.

Event Planner

The event planner shall:
  • Direct logistics for global student events, including but not limited to student retreats, new student orientations, site visit dinners, and elections, and
  • Recruit as many students as needed to carry out their duties.

Student-Industry Liaison Officer

The student-industry liaison officer (SILO) shall:
  • Serve as a liaison between the students and the Industrial Liaison Officer ("ILO"),
  • Distribute polls to gauge student interest in industrial applications, and
  • Coordinate with the event planner for workshops, company tours, or other industry-oriented events.

Student-Education Liaison Officer

The student-education liaison officer (SELO) shall:
  • Serve as a liaison between the students and the Education Director, and
  • Coordinate the development of new modules within TANMS.

Additional Requirements:    

Since this position would benefit substantially from a thorough understanding of the mentorship system within TANMS, it is required that applicants for this role have completed (or will have completed before the start of their term) at least one quarter / semester of mentorship within TANMS.

Elections

  • TSB elections are coordinated by the event planner in January.
  • The term of each office starts after the annual review and lasts until the next election.  This gives new officers time to work with incumbent officers through the annual review process.
  • Nominations must be submitted and confirmed at least one week before the election itself.
  • A list of all candidates is distributed to all students as soon as all nominations are confirmed.
  • All students are guaranteed an anonymous vote.
  • Any officer may be removed from the office with 2/3 vote from each campus.

Conflict Resolution

Should a TANMS student encounter any unprofessional or unethical conduct, generally the ideal solution is to discuss the issue in private between the parties involved.  However, should discussion prove themselves unfruitful, a TANMS  student may appeal to another body:

  • A TANMS student may contact the Vice President regarding unprofessional or unethical conduct.  Depending on the nature of the problem, the SLC may then bring the issue to the attention of TANMS Administration.
  • If the situation is such that the student is uncomfortable contacting the Vice President, the student may contact any other member of the SLC instead.
  • If the situation is such that the student is uncomfortable contacting any of the SLC, the student may contact the center director, Greg Carman (carman@seas.ucla.edu)
  • If the situation is such that the student is uncomfortable contacting anyone in TANMS leadership, ombudspersons are available at each campus:
    • UCLA Tom Kosakowski (310) 825-7627
    • UCB Ombuds Office for Students and Postdoctoral Associates (510) 642-5754
    • Cornell Charles Walcott (607) 255-4321
    • CSUN Tom Spencer-Walters (818) 677-7819
    • Northeastern Donna Bishop (617) 373-3362