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Download a Resolution Template. (You'll need to use the "View Source" command in your browser after this file loads.)

How to prepare a CGS resolution

All proposed CGS resolutions must be submitted to the delegate body in writing in advance of the meeting at which they will be voted upon. The instructions on this page detail the format for such submissions. If you have any questions about this page, please contact the CGS office.

Resolutions are submitted in the form of an html file: a plain text file to which markup tags have been added. For example, an italic word is specified by adding italic tags around it: 

<i>italic</i>

Notice that tags beginning with a slash (/) mean "stop doing X". A frequent mistake is to omit or misplace the ending tag in a pair.

An html file is not created with Microsoft Word, but rather with a program known as a text editor. One such program is Notepad, which is installed by default on any Windows machine, but others are available. (Yes, it's true that Word can save files as html. The result is incompatible, however, with the way this website works.)

Acts versus Resolutions

In many areas of this site, these terms are used interchangably. The technical difference is that an act is procedural -- it amends the bylaws, sets committees, establishes a budget, etc. A resolution, on the other hand, is more content-based, typically expressing a formal opinion on the part of the Council.

Outline

Each resolution file is arranged into three parts:

Header

The header of a resolution is as follows: 

<html>
<head>
<title>number: title</title>
<style type="text/css" media="all">@import "../cgs.css";</style>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
</head>

<body>

<!--#include virtual="../header.html"-->

<div id="content">

<p class="number">number</p>
<p class="name">title</p>

<p class="author">author</p>
<p class="sponsor">sponsor</p>

You don't really have to worry about most of this -- just copy it into your html file. Notice the five fields in italic:

Content

The main body of an act or resolution consists of a set of clauses. In an act, each clause is labelled with a section number in bold: 

<p class="clause"><b>Section 1.</b> The purpose of
this act is to set the 2003-04 Standing Committees of the Council of
Graduate Students, in accordance with Article V, Section 2 of the CGS
Bylaws.</p>

Note that there is a space after the closing bold tag; each clause ends with a period.

A resolution consists of a set of WHEREAS clauses, establishing background and motivation, and a set of RESOLVED clauses, specifying the resulting opinion or action to be taken. Here's a sample resolution clause: 

<p class="clause">BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the Council of
Graduate Students advocate at all levels of the University
administration to have these fees included in the GA benefit
package.</p>

Each WHEREAS clause begins with the word "WHEREAS", written in uppercase. There is no comma after the WHEREAS. The first RESOLVED clause begins with "THEREFORE LET IT BE RESOLVED"; subsequent RESOLVED clauses begin with "LET IT BE FURTHER RESOLVED".

Resolution clauses use a relatively unusual system of punctuation, based on the fact that a resolution is effectively one long sentence. In particular:

Finally, attention must be paid to the mood of each verb in the RESOLVED clause: verbs of position are given in the active voice (e.g. "that CGS believes, supports, approves of") while verbs of action are subjunctive (e.g. "that CGS advocate for, establish, publicize").

The Ad Hoc Committee on CGS Resolutions recommends that resolutions that do not call for specific action should explicitly say why they do not. Resolutions that call for a specific action, on the other hand, should contain a RESOLVED clause that includes a deadline for reporting on the results of or the response to the resolution.

Footer

All resolutions end with the following lines; no customization is required. 

<!--#include virtual="../footer.html"-->
</div>
<!--#include file="menu-res.html"-->
</body>
</html>

Special Formatting

Bold and italic have already been covered above. Two more character styles are useful for things like bylaws amendments: <u>underlining</u> and <s>strikethrough<s>.

Bulleted lists are obtained from the following pattern: 

<ul>
<li>Academic and HR Policy
<li>Diversity and International Concerns
<li>Events
<li>Governmental Relations
<li>Outreach and Engagement
<li>Professional Development Fund
<li>Public Relations
</ul>

If you want a numbered list, use an "ol" tag pair instead of "ul".

Simple tables are coded as follows: 

<table class="res">
<tr>
<td>Graduate Programs CGS Represents:</td>
<td>108</td>
<td>Programs Represented:</td>
<td>65</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Delegate Seats on CGS:</td>
<td>153</td>
<td>Delegates Serving:</td>
<td>95</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>RGC/Senate/other Comm. Positions:</td>
<td>130</td>
<td>Number filled:</td>
<td>120</td>
</tr>
</table>

Here, each "tr" tag pair delimits a table row, and each "td" tag pair delimits the table data.

For anything more complicated, the best strategy is to find a similar act or resolution from the past year, select "View | Source" from the browser menus, and use the formatting there as a starting point. (Notice that the code for the headers and footers will be slightly different from what's given here.)

Submission

Save the resulting file with an "shtml" extension (to do this in Notepad, be sure to surround the filename you enter with quotation marks) and email it to the CGS office. Be sure to indicate whether or not you are requesting the Executive Committee's sponsorship.

A resolution must be received by the CGS office at least ten calendar days before a delegate meeting in order to be included in the materials for that meeting.
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