Daily Archives: 19 December 2011

What is included in the MGA Operations Manual for Counselors?

(Section 9.7; Paragraph C) At each Student Branch there shall be a Branch Counselor who shall be an IEEE member teaching in IEEE designated fields.

1. The appropriate Section Chair, based upon the recommendation of the Student members of the Branch, and in accordance with the practices for the establishment of other student organizations at the educational institution involved, shall appoint the Counselor.
2. The appointment or reappointment shall normally be for two years.
3. Each Branch Counselor is charged with promoting the welfare of IEEE at the institution, particularly in matters relating to student activities.

Which is the proper procedure of a Counselor Appointment?

1. The Institution selects the Counselor according to its internal practices and after the recommendation of the Student Branch members
2. The Institution should notify the Section about the change:
   1. The email should be sent by the prior Counselor, the Department Head or the current Student Branch Chair to the appropriate Section Chair
   2. The email should include in CC everyone mentioned above as well as the new Counselor
3. The Section verifies that the selected Counselor that was chosen by the Institution is an IEEE member in good standing and a member of the Institution, and forwards the assignment to the vTools

Is the Section able to select and appoint a Counselor directly?

No, the Section can not select the next Counselor. As Student Branches are special IEEE Organizational Units that include the collaboration between IEEE and educational institutions, the Institutions are responsible for selecting the Counselor of their hosting Student Branch.

Why is the Section responsible for appointing the Counselor if selected by the Institution?

The Institution is not an IEEE Organizational Unit, which means it can not make direct assignments in an external organization. The Section is selected as the closest to the Institution IEEE Organizational Unit which is led by professional members. Thus, the Counselor selection is made by the Institution, and the Section ensures that an IEEE member is assigned to this position. The Section is also responsible for ensuring that all Student Branches have a Counselor appointed, and in case they don’t, it should contact them to select one.

Can the vTools update be done by other IEEE Organizational Units?

The vTools update can be also done internally through the Student Branch or through Region if requested. In any case, the Institution and the hosted Student Branch are still responsible to notify the Section about these changes.

Which is the proper duration of a Counselor’s term? How many times can a Counselor be reappointed?

According to the MGA Operations Manual, the Counselor is appointed or reappointed for a two years term. Exceptions for longer terms can be made only by request of the Institution and approval of the Section, and up to a six years term. There is no limit for the times a Counselor can be reappointed. Yet, it is strongly recommended by the Region to follow the usual IEEE rotation procedure and not to exceed ten years in the Counselor’s position.

I have noticed in vTools that some Counselors are assigned with a term more than six years. What is happening?

Having as main goal to solidify Student Branches after their foundation, the first-ever Counselor is signed in vTools with a ten years term. Yet, the Institution is still able to request and proceed with a new Counselor appointment in any time after the normal two years term.

What about the Advisors appointment for Student Branch Chapters / Affinity Groups?

No specific appointment procedure is accommodated by the MGA Operations Manual for Advisors of Student Branch Chapters / Affinity Groups. As a Student Branch Chapter / Affinity Group should operate similar to a Committee of the Student Branch, it is strongly recommended by the Region to follow a similar procedure for Advisors appointment with the responsibilities of the Section Chair to be transferred to the respective Student Branch Counselor. The proposed procedure can be summarized as follows:

1. The Institution selects the Advisor according to its internal practices and after the recommendation of the Student Branch Chapter / Affinity Group members
2. The Institution should notify the Student Branch Counselor about the change:
   1. The email should be sent by the prior Advisor, the Department Head or the current Student Branch Chapter / Affinity Group Chair to the respective Student Branch Counselor
   2. The email should include in CC everyone mentioned above as well as the new Advisor
3. The Student Branch Counselor verifies that the selected Advisor that was chosen by the Institution is an IEEE member in good standing, a member of the Institution, as well as a member of the affiliated Society / Council / Affinity Group, and forwards the assignment to the vTools