Secretary Working Group

The Secretary Group tackles two extremely important tasks: amending and updating the PostdocNet’s current statutes and facilitating the election procedure for all of the institutes with External Representatives.

Statutes

The PostdocNet Statutes (link the statutes) are the founding document of the PostdocNet. They are crucial in defining the purpose for our existence, the ideals we embody, and the procedures and protocols by which we act as individuals and a collective to promote PostdocNet-worthy causes. Throughout a network’s lifespan, the statutes must be updated and changed to exemplify the current and future goals of our network while upholding our legacy. This task is given to the Secretary Group every year, combing over every word of our statutes to simplify, clarify, and update existing sections while adding or removing items to highlight changes in our purpose. The statutes must be voted on at the General Meeting every year, and it is the jurisdiction of the Secretary Group to present the updated statutes to the congregation of external representatives and explain the rationale behind every change. This is a very important task, and the Secretary Group does not take this lightly!

Elections

Every year, each institute in the PostdocNet must vote on the External Representative for their institute and we have several institutes that join our network throughout the calendar year. This requires there to be about 1-2 elections taking place across the PostdocNet each week, which can be a lot to handle! Luckily, that’s where the Secretary Group comes in. We have curated an Election Package for each institute, making it simple and easy for them to run their elections, but this package always needs updating to make sure that institutes have the information and tools necessary to run a smooth and official election. As well, we are always in contact with institutes letting them know when the next election will be and if they need any assistance. These emails take a lot of work, but they are vital to making sure we have adequate and fair representation in the PostdocNet.