Constitution Revised January 2018

Transcription

1 Constitution Revised January 2018

2 I. What is SGA? Student Government Association (SGA) is the governing body of the clubs and organizations at Southern Vermont College. We also work to translate the students feedback to make SVC the best campus for everyone. SGA is the avenue to relay student experiences and concerns to administration to ensure SVC develops and changes with their students. SGA is comprised of six senators and four executive board members: a President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. As a member of SGA you will help plan SGA events and programs, guide clubs with any of their needs in fulfilling requirements, and presenting ideas to the administration of SVC on where students believe improvement needs to be made. SGA, like all other clubs and organizations, has an advisor who attends meetings and helps to guide and provide insight to SGA s members. Audrey Ames, Coordinator of Student Engagement, serves as SGA s advisor to provide a direct line to the Dean of Students and SVC administration, faculty, and staff. II. Clubs and Organizations Clubs and Organizations will have to follow the duties that SGA has laid out, as well as, actively stay in communication with SGA. This includes: Whether or not the club or organization is active. Who is the President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. Their Constitution, and any updates to it. The programs they would like to host. Approval of the program, if you need funding, permission to fundraise, and if you need any help planning. A. Club and Organizations Requirements As a club or organization you are required to have at least two programs each semester. In the end of the spring semester you will be given a new SGA member to report to in the fall. The club must hold an election to decide who will hold the executive board positions in the fall, and contact SGA on who those people are. 1

3 You will need to stay in contact with your appointed SGA member through a weekly meeting to update them on what your club is doing. The SGA member will report this back to the rest of SGA during our weekly meetings. In following these requirements you will be considered an active club. If you would like to receive a budget line for your club within the SGA budget please see the requirements in the Clubs/Organizations Budget Line section. B. To Become a Club In order to become a club or organization, you must get approval from SGA. To establish a club or organization you must start with four members (President, VP, Treasurer, and Secretary), have a constitution, a meeting time, and an approved advisor. These are required for when you apply to be a club or organization using this application form. The advisor for each club must be reviewed and approved by SGA. III. Electoral Process In the end of November/beginning of December there will be an election open to first years and anyone wishing to fill any empty spots. During April of the Spring Semester there will be an executive board election. Anyone that meets the requirements can run for an executive board position. The election will be held at the second to last meeting of the spring semester. The new members must attend the remaining meetings for that semester. A. General Election a. Everyone must complete the petition for election sent out 1-2 weeks prior to the election. b. The election will be held for 24 hours c. Those with the highest votes will be elected into SGA, and will sit as a Senator. They can run for an E-board position in the spring. 2

4 IV. B. Executive Board Elections a. For anyone wanting a position on the Executive Board they must tell what position they want and prepare a speech or presentation. This speech/presentation must outline why they want the position, what skills they have that makes them the best candidate for that position, and what they hope to accomplish in that position. C. Requirements for E-board Positions and Senators a. A SGA member that wishes to have a spot on the Executive board must fulfill the requirements for that position. i. President: Must have served at least one full year as a senator or higher, must have a minimum GPA of 2.75, and must be in and stay in good student conduct. ii. Vice President: Must have served at least one full year as a senator or higher, must have a minimum GPA of 2.75, and must be in and stay in good student conduct. iii. Treasurer: Must have served at least one full semester as a senator, must have a minimum GPA of 2.75, and must be in and stay in good student conduct. iv. Secretary: Must have served at least one full semester as a senator, must have a minimum GPA of 2.75, and must be in and stay in good student conduct. v. Senators: Must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 and must be in and stay in good student conduct. Roles of the Executive Board A. President The role of the SGA President, primarily, is to be a liaison for the campus and voice for the student body. The President is given the responsibility to run, schedule and make the agenda for each meeting. Appoint the SGA contacts for clubs and organizations, as well as, appoint the SGA contacts for each division at the school. B. Vice President The role of the SGA Vice President is primarily to run the Clubs and Organizations under SGA. They make sure the appointed members keep in contact with clubs and organizations. They will also work with the Treasurer to monitor funding for clubs. When a funding request comes in, it is the duty of the Vice President to present it to SGA. 3

5 If the President is no longer able to fulfill their duties as President, the Vice President will take their place as President. As well, if the President will be absent from a SGA meeting it is the duty of the Vice President to run the meeting. C. Treasurer The role of the Treasurer is to manage the SGA budget overall. The Treasurer must keep track of all funding and fundraising requests that are granted to clubs by SGA. They must also monitor the funding and expenses of SGA through programs and other expenses. D. Secretary The role of the Secretary is to take each meeting s minutes and post them so that anyone who wasn t at the meeting is filled in. They must also take attendance at the beginning of each meeting. The secretary is responsible for relaying to the President if there will be an absence. They will need to keep track of each member's absences, and report to the President if someone violates attendance policies. V. Attendance Policy A. Mandatory Attendance 1. Each member is allowed two unexcused absences per semester, after the first absence Secretary will inform them that they have one left, after the third, the removal from office process will begin 2. An excused absence circumstance: a) Illness b) Academic requirements c) Personal/Family matters d) Athletes: for a game 3. If member will be tardy or need to leave early, must let the Secretary know 24 hours in advance 4. If you need to miss a meeting you must inform the Secretary about it at least 24 hours before the meeting 5. Attendance will be taken at every meeting by the Secretary. 4

6 VI. Funding A. Who can receive funding? 1. Those that can receive funding from SGA are: a) Clubs and Organizations b) Students: with individual need who are active members in a club. When the funding pertains to something within the club. (ex. If a club is going to a competition or conference and a student is unable to fully pay for his or herself to go) B. Funding Request Process 1. sga@svc.edu in order to receive the funding request form. Please specify if you are a club/organization or a student to receive the correct form. 2. Request needs to be put in at least two weeks before the funding is needed. 3. Once the form is received by SGA it will be evaluated by the Executive Board, then brought to the next SGA meeting to be voted on. C. Clubs/Organizations Guaranteed Funding 1. As an active club or organization you are able to apply to have a personal budget within the SGA budget. In order to be eligible for the budget line you must meet the general Clubs and Organizations requirements and this criteria: a) Must be an active club for at least two years. b) Must apply for a budget line. This will include applying through the form (to receive form please sga@svc.edu ). As well as have a plan for the year of how you will be using the funds in the budget line 2. You must re-apply for the budget line each year. The steps to reapply are as follows: a) Must provide a plan for that year with how much you need and how you will be using those funds 5

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