Constitution of the Student Government Association

Transcription

1 Constitution of the Student Government Association

2 Table of Contents ARTICLE I: Name 3 ARTICLE II : Purpose 3 Article III: Membership 3 ARTICLE IV : Divisions 4 ARTICLE V: Executive Officers 5 ARTICLE VI: Impeachment 5 ARTICLE VII: Finance 6 Procedures for applying for funds 7 2

3 CONSTITUTION OF THE STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION ARTICLE I Name This organization shall be known as the Student Government Association (SGA) of Wesleyan College. ARTICLE II Purpose SGA should function as a practical means to establish and maintain effective government of the college, to increase a sense of individual responsibility, to work for the common good of each student, and to increase communication between all members of the Wesleyan campus community. ARTICLE III Membership Section 1. All full-time students are eligible to be represented by the SGA. It shall be the members responsibility to cooperate with the governing documents of the organization. As members of SGA, all students have the right to: A. Be represented by their elected student government officials. B. If eligible, hold a position in any student government organization if elected. C. Voice their concerns and/or opinions to Senate. D. Be involved in all the student affairs of Wesleyan College Section 2. Membership to SGA is categorized by being on Senate, either directly-elected or by default of another elected position. (see Article IV for detailed divisions within the Senate). A. Positions directly-elected to Senate (and whose job relates solely to SGA) include Executive Board positions and Class Senators. B. Positions relating to other groups/organizations whose head official sits on SGA as a part of their job responsibilities (for the purpose of being a liaison between their group/organization and SGA). These include the four Class Presidents and the Diversity Organization Representatives (CRU, BSA, GLBAL, AXIS, LUC, and D.A.N.C.E). Section 3. All Senate members, both directly-elected to SGA (see Article III, Section 1) and 3

4 not directly-elected to SGA (see Article III, Section 2) shall have a 2.5 GPA at the time of their candidacy and must maintain at least a 2.5 GPA during their term. ARTICLE IV Divisions The SGA, though a body, can be broken into three branches: the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches. Section 1. The Executive Branch of SGA coordinates the affairs of the major groups/ organizations on campus. The Executive Branch consists of the SGA s Executive Board (see Article III, Section 2b; Article V, Section 1). Section 2. The Legislative Branch of SGA represents the concerns of the student body, and proposes legislative material to Senate. This branch consists of all voting Senate members (Senate being all SGA members minus those sitting on Executive Board, see Article V Section 1) elected by the student body, including: A. The four class Presidents B. Senators from the four classes (2 each) C. Non-Traditional Senators (2) D. Diversity Organization Representatives a. AXIS b. Council for Religious Unity (CRU) c. Black Student Alliance (BSA) d. D.A.N.C.E e. GLBAL f. Latina Unity Club (LUC) Section 3. The Judicial Branch of SGA is responsible for upholding and enforcing the approved policies of Wesleyan College. The Judicial Branch is composed of all elected officers and representatives to the Council on Judicial Affairs (CJA). All issues of student policies shall be referred to Council on Judicial Affairs. 4

5 ARTICLE V Executive Officers Section 1. The Executive Board of SGA shall consist of the elected President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Public Relations Chair. This Executive Board can take action on its own in the form of suggestions or motions to the Senate or to any other council on campus. Their basic function shall be to coordinate the affairs of the Senate and SGA as a whole. Section 2. The duties of the Executive Board are to: A. Meet weekly to plan agendas, organize initiatives, and perform duties. B. Act as a liaison between the administration, faculty, staff, and students C. Be a sounding board for student concerns D. In cases of emergency, the Executive Board may act on behalf of and with the full authority of Senate. E. Lead and manage affairs of designated SGA committees ARTICLE VI Impeachment Impeachment proceedings may be brought against any elected official at any time for abuse or neglect of office. A student or group of students wishing to present a petition or proposal for impeachment of an officer must present a written declaration of the intent with listed grievances against the officer to the President of SGA. The Executive Board (in closed session), will review the charges and, upon hearing both sides, will decide upon the validity of the charges. The accused may not vote if they holds a seat on the Executive Board. If the Executive Board finds the charges to be valid with a vote of a three-fourths (3/4) majority, then the Board will refer the charges to Senate. If less than three members of the Board are left to decide, the proceedings will go directly to Senate. Senate will hear the charges and affirm or negate the recommendation from Executive Board. If Senate finds the charges to be valid, Senate will then vote on the official s impeachment. An agreement of two-thirds (2/3) majority of Senate will be required to convict an official of impeachment charges. The accused and the accuser have the right to appeal to the Student Faculty Judicial Board (CJA). 5

6 ARTICLE VII Finance Section 1. Funding for all SGA activities will come from students activity fees. A student must pay the student activity fees in order to receive funding from SGA. The incoming SGA President, all current seniors on senate, & the Director of Student Involvement and Leadership shall be responsible for reviewing annual budget requests and allocating funds to the various councils, organizations, and publications of SGA. It is the responsibility of these councils, organizations, and publications to submit budget proposals each spring for the annual budget hearings. Section 2. In order to receive funding from SGA, all councils, organizations and publications must have an approved constitution that is kept on file with the Director of Student Involvement and Leadership. The following councils, organizations, and publications receive their funding from SGA. Any rules and regulations should adhere to the Constitution of the SGA and the Student Handbook. A. SGA Senate B. Campus Activities Board (CAB) C. Council on Judicial Affairs (CJA) D. Council on Religious Unity (CRU) E. STUNT F. The four classes G. Non-Traditional Students Section 3. Any organizations recognized by SGA and any individual(s) may request money from the SGA Non-Allotted Fund. A. Non-Allotted Proposals are accepted weekly by the Senate. Non-Allotted proposals should be submitted to the Treasurer of SGA for review via , and completed by midnight two days prior to the designated SGA Senate meeting (i.e. done by Saturday at midnight for Monday Senate Meetings) B. All proposals must be submitted two weeks prior to the event in order to receive funds. C. To view detailed procedure for requesting non-allotted funds please refer to the SGA Senate Bylaws. D. All proposals to Senate must be accompanied by documentation supporting the itemized list of a. Expenses with total cost of the trip and a total cost per capita, i.e. conference brochures, b. Quoted travel expenses, etc. 6

7 E. All money granted must be used appropriately according to the itemized list given to SGA. a. This number includes tax and therefore any money not used should be returned to SGA. b. Receipts for all expenditures are due to the Director of Student Involvement and Leadership no later than seven days after the event. The receipts should be accompanied with an itemized expense report. F. The SGA Treasurer will update the Senate weekly on the use of granted Non-Allotted Funds G. An informed representative must be present on the day the proposal is addressed in SGA. a. Voting will not take place if there is no representative. However, no more than five representatives per organization will be recognized per meeting. Extenuating circumstances will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. H. If you are a person listed as a recipient or trying to receive funds on a proposal and you have voting privileges on SGA, you must abstain from voting on that proposal. I. If applying for reimbursement of costs after a trip, the application must include: a. the purpose of the trip, destination, dates of travel, who attended, a description of how funds were used, and b. a description of receipts and other monies used for the trip. J. No student shall receive funding for more than three trips or receive money in excess of $700 ($350 per semester) per year from Senate. All recognized clubs and organizations are required to fund at least 20% of all proposed trips. Any individual student requesting funds from SGA must attempt fundraising prior to the submission of the proposal, or agree to subsidize at least 20% of the travel cost. Procedures for applying for funds Requesting and Receiving Funds from SGA * If you have ANY questions about this process, please let SGA know and they will help you or refer to the handout that is located in Student Affairs or on WesPortal. If you are requesting money before a trip/event : 1. Complete the proposal. (If you want money for a trip/event during the academic year, fill out the proposal for Non-Allotted. If you want money for a trip/event during the summer, fill out the proposal for Summer Conference.) 2. Print a copy of the proposal for your records. (An expense report will also be part of the proposal, but that will be turned in after your 7

8 trip/event.) 3. the proposal to the SGA Treasurer. 4. Come to the meeting at which your proposal will be voted upon. (You will be notified of the date by . You must be present when SGA votes on your proposal.) 5. Once you have been approved, you must fill out the funds request form and have it signed by the Treasurer or President of SGA. (It s best to do this right after the meeting.) 6 Turn in this form to the Director of Student Involvement and Leadership. You have two weeks to turn this in or the money will return to the Non-Allotted Fund. (This form will then be processed and you should have your funds within approximately two weeks.) 7. After your trip, you have one week to fill out the expense report and return it to the Director of Student Involvement and Leadership If you are requesting after a trip/event: 1. Complete the proposal AND expense report. (If you want money for a trip/event during the academic year, fill out the proposal for Non-Allotted. If you want money for a trip/event during the summer, fill out the proposal for Summer Conference.) 2. Print a copy of the proposal and expense report for your records. 3. the proposal to the SGA Treasurer. 4. Come to the meeting at which your proposal will be voted upon. (You will be notified of the date by . You must be present when SGA votes on your proposal.) 5. Once you have been approved, you must fill out the funds request form and have it signed by the Treasurer or President of SGA. (It s best to do this right after the meeting.) 6. Turn in this form, the expense report, AND your receipts to the Director of Student Involvement and Leadership in Student Affairs. (This form will then be processed and you should have your funds within approximately two weeks.) 8