Student Organizations
Brownsville Counseling Student Association and Edinburg Counseling Student Association
BCSA and ECSA are dedicated to providing leadership, advocacy and education to promote the growth and development of the counseling profession and those who are served by the organization.
The purpose of the BCSA and ECSA organization are as follows:
- Professional Development: provides a collegial home for Community & School Counseling students. Regular social events, community projects and special training seminars are scheduled by the student officers.
- Networking- Expanding Leadership Opportunities by Engaging Volunteers and Creating Purposeful Mentoring
- New Student Orientation: Introduce new students to the M.Ed. in Counseling Program along with the expectations, skills and knowledge that will encompass their studies.
- Socializing: Assembling for common purposes to include enlightenment, growth and new perspectives along with the empathy necessary to become a great counselor.
The values of the BCSA and ECSA are respect, professionalism, advocacy and social justice in different realms of unity and purpose, accountability, effective communication skills and knowledge in multicultural competencies.
Membership in BCSA and ECSA shall consist of students enrolled in the Masters program in Counseling and Guidance. The membership year begins in August and ends in July. Members may join at any time during the membership year upon paying their respective dues; however, all yearly dues of $25.00 are payable during the renewal period which is in August of every calendar year for each member regardless of individual joining periods at other times during the year.
The members and officers of BCSA and ECSA shall be selected entirely on a nondiscriminatory basis with regard to age, sex, race, religion, sexual orientation and national origin.
Meeting shall take place on the UTRGV campus or at such place and on such day and hour as the Executive Board of Directors determine. There shall be approximately four meetings scheduled during the fall semester and four meetings during the Spring semester that include a December “Christmas Social,” and in addition, a student recognition ceremony in May of each calendar year. The Executive Board of Directors will also plan and attend a retreat in June to plan the upcoming year’s workshops, activities and agendas.
Attendance certificates signed by the presenter and/or Executive Board of Directors for the different workshops offered will be issued to each member that attends said workshops. Attendances at these meetings will provide members with documentation of workshops attended for orals & practicum students’ portfolios. Faculty members reserve the right to accept or not accept these certificates.
BCSA and ECSA officers shall be elected from and by the membership at large at the yearly April meeting. Candidates should be existing members of the association and should meet the following criterion: be in good standing and have remained active in and attended at least ¾ of all meetings and participated throughout the year prior to their election and through the duration of their term in all CGSA organized activities and events. Members seeking office for the Executive Board of Directors must currently have and maintain a 3.0 GPA or higher, which will be verified by the faculty advisor. A person may be nominated with a second motion from the general members. Upon acceptance of the nomination, the candidate needs to fill out the CGSA candidate application, and name the office they intend to seek and submit the completed form to either the Election’s Chairperson appointed by the President or the President-Elect currently in office. The individual will then be placed on the election ballot. Electable positions include President-Elect (which will become president the following year), Secretary, Treasurer, and Historian.
Brownsville Counseling Student Association Officers
The term of any Executive Board of Directors shall be one academic year, beginning in August and ending in July. The maximum allowable amount of terms for any Executive Board of Directors’ office is two years with the exception of the office of the President. The President-Elect automatically ascends into the Presidential position after his or her year as President-Elect has expired. The second term for the remaining offices is contingent upon the general members’ consensus.
The Executive Board of Directors may declare a position vacant if an Executive Board of Directors member has missed two consecutive executive meetings or in case of their withdrawal from all classes. They shall also reserve the right to deem the office vacant if the elected person fails to fulfill their assigned duties, breaches the confidentiality agreement or personal misconduct that may jeopardize the integrity of the BCSA and ECSA organizations.
Any Executive Board of Directors vacancy occurring at any time may be filled by a majority vote of the Executive Board of Directors at any executive meeting. The person so elected shall serve as an Executive Board of Directors for the unexpired term of the person’s predecessor and may choose to run for the same office or another position.
The Executive Board of Directors shall have the power to make, alter, amend or repeal the bylaws of the BCSA and CGSA at any regularly scheduled executive or special meeting, with the majority of officers’ votes; thereof, where notice of such proposed action has been given in the notice of such a meeting. Subsequently, any action will be presented to the members for organizational vote.