Senate Rules Associated Students of Eastern New Mexico University Revised October 2006 Revised September 2008 Revised August 2010 Revised April 2014

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1 Senate Rules Associated Students of Eastern New Mexico University Revised October 2006 Revised September 2008 Revised August 2010 Revised April 2014 Title I. Officers: The officers of the Senate shall be: President of the Senate, President Pro- Tempore, Floor Leader, Floor Whip, Parliamentarian, Senate Liaison, and Secretary of the The duties and responsibilities of the President of the Senate: 1. To preside over the 2. To act as coordinator between the Board of Directors and the 3. To appoint all standing committee members and committee chairpersons with the approval of the Senate by majority vote. 4. To cause removal, with the consent of the Senate gallery of any persons creating a disturbance which is detrimental to the operation of the 5. To refer all proposed legislation to the Senate for approval. 6. To appoint Senate advisor(s) to the Senate and its committees, with the approval of Senate, in accordance with Title IV of these rules. 7. To call a special meeting of the Senate when necessary. 8. To present all Senate legislation to the appropriate channels for action. 9. To serve as chairperson of the Senate Council. 10. To appoint a Senate Secretary. 11. To set the agenda of the 12. To excuse Senate members from meetings. 13. To make any necessary appointments, with a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the Senate, to fill vacancies within the The appointed Senator shall be from the appropriate area of the University for the position. 14. To appoint a Senate Parliamentarian. 15. To appoint a President Pro-Tempore of the Senate with a majority approval of the 16. To conduct Senate elections for the positions of Floor Leader, Floor Whip, and (except for Summer Senate) Senate Liaison to the Faculty 17. To vote in the event of a tie within the The duties and responsibilities of the President Pro-Tempore shall be: 1

2 1. To act as presiding officer in the absence of, or when requested by, the President of the 2. To assume all duties and responsibilities of the President of the in case of his/her absence. 3. To have completed no less than forty-five (45) hours of academic credit and where possible have at least one (1) year of experience in the 4. To serve as a member of the Senate Council. 5. To assist the ASENMU Board of Directors Meetings. 6. To attend the ASENMU Board of Directors Meetings. 7. To be subject to removal by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the Article III. The duties and responsibilities of the Floor Leader shall be: 1. To make motions and enter into debate to expedite the business of the 2. To be the presiding officer of the Senate in the absence of both the President and President Pro-Tempore. 3. To serve as a member of the Senate Council. 4. To be subject to removal by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the Article IV. The duties and responsibilities of the Floor Whip shall be: 1. To second motions made by the Floor Leader which have been made to expedite the business of the 2. To act as Floor Leader in his/her the absence. 3. To serve as a member of the Senate Council. 4. To be subject to removal by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Article V. The duties and responsibilities of the Parliamentarian shall be: 1. To rule upon parliamentary questions when requested by the President. 2. To serve as a member of the Senate Council. 3. To be subject to removal by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Article VI. The duties and responsibilities of the Senate Liaison to the Faculty Senate shall be: 1. To attend all meetings of the Faculty Senate and to make a report to the Student Senate of what transpired during each meeting. 2. To serve as liaison between ASENMU and ENMU Faculty 3. To attend the ASENMU Board of Directors meetings and report on the actions of the Faculty 4. To serve as a member of the Senate Council. 5. To be subject to removal by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the 2

3 Article VII. The duties and responsibilities of the Secretary of the Senate shall be: 1. To act as secretary to the 2. To record all proceedings of the Senate in session in the form of minutes. 3. To compile all Bills, Resolutions, and Memorials which are duly passed into the ASENMU Senate Statute book. 4. To provide all Senators, Senate Advisors, or appropriate entities with typed, legible, copies of all proposed legislation, minutes, and reports. 5. To maintain the Senate office. 6. To assist anyone inquiring as to the current status of legislation, vote of Senators and absence record of Senators by providing this information in a timely manner. 7. Ensure that legislation is numbered in the order that it arrives in the Senate office. 8. Ensure that the current budget is placed on the agenda each week. Title II. Committees: SECTION I. The following standing committee s procedures are hereby created for the use within the Associated Student The chairperson of a standing committee shall: 1. Be appointed by the President of the Senate with majority approval of the 2. Once appointed, be subject to removal by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the 3. Conduct an election for Vice Chairperson and Secretary to the committee at the first committee meeting. 4. Be responsible for the proper conduct of business assigned to the committee. 5. Grant speaking privileges to non-members of the committee with majority approval of the committee. 6. Be responsible for presenting and explaining all committee recommendations of all business sent to the committee by the 7. Be responsible for setting the agenda of the committee. 8. Be responsible for reporting on all committee activities to the 9. Create with Senate approval any sub-committees necessary to the function of said committee, and to appoint the chairperson and members of said committee. 10. To serve as a member of the Senate Council. 3

4 11. To submit a report at the end of each semester of the committee s activities. Membership of the standing committee shall be subject to the following: 1. All members shall be appointed by the President of the Senate with the majority approval of the 2. All standing committees shall consist of at least five (5) Senators. 3. Only members of said committees shall have the voting privileges of that committee. 4. No Senator may serve on more than one committee at a time unless one of those committees is the Senate Council. 5. The committee may recommend to the Senate removal of any member for excessive committee absences. The member shall be removed from the committee and the Senate by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the SECTION II. The following standard committees are hereby created for the use within the Associated Student A standing committee shall be created and henceforth referred to as the Rules Committee, for the following purposes: 1. To ensure that Senate Rules and procedures are followed. 2. To conduct a hearing called for by the President of the Senate or a majority vote of the Senate of any appointee, advisor, or member of the Senate for violation of the Senate Rules. 3. To conduct a hearing called for by a majority vote of the Senate of any official of the Associated Students for violation of the ASENMU Constitution or committee/executive Board bylaws. 4. To conduct confirmation hearings on any executive appointees called for by a majority vote of the Senate to make recommendations to the Senate prior to a vote by the 5. To bring expulsion proceedings against any of the ASENMU Officers, appointees or faculty advisors after a hearing has been conducted. 6. To consider and make recommendations to the Senate on proposed legislation concerning changes of the ASENMU constitution or Executive Board bylaws. 7. To process constitutions under the approved criteria for new organizations on this campus, and submit them to the Senate for approval upon referral from Student Affairs. 8. To consider such proposed legislation referred to it by the President of the Senate for study and recommendation. 4

5 9. To review the constitutions and/or bylaws of any student organization upon receiving a written request which details the complaint or complaints to be investigated. A special standing committee shall be created and henceforth be referred to as the Senate Council, consisting of President of the Senate, President Pro-Tempore, Floor Leader, Floor Whip, Senate Liaison to the Faculty Senate, Chairperson to the Standing Committees, and the Parliamentarian for the following purposes: 1. To make recommendations on the preparation of the agenda of the Senate prior to the meeting in which the agenda is to be used. 2. To aid the President of the Senate in providing information to the University and the community on Senate activities. 3. To make recommendations on the approval by Senate of all appointed members of the Board of Directors members and Supreme Court appointees. 4. To provide periodic insight reports on any significant trend noted by its members or indicated by its investigations. Title III. SENATE FLOOR RULES The following rules are hereby created for use in the ASENMU Senate: Article III. Article IV. Rules of Order shall govern the Senate in all matters not covered by the standing rules and order of the A quorum shall consist of two-thirds (2/3) of those duly appointed and elected Senators who have been sworn into office at the time of the meeting. Vacant positions shall be excluded from the calculation of the quorum. No Senate business may be considered without a quorum. Voting in absentia. A Senator may cast his/her vote on any upcoming issue or item of legislation by voting in absentia. The vote must be presented to the President of the Senate in writing and must be sealed in an envelope no later than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the meeting at which the legislation or issue is to be voted on. However, if the issue or item of legislation is amended or altered in any way, the vote becomes invalid. Votes cast in absentia shall not be considered in the calculation of a quorum. No member may speak for more than five (5) minutes on any question or more than two (2) minutes on any amendment to the question except as provided by this article. The sponsor to each bill or question shall have 5

6 five (5) minutes to open debate. Any member desiring to speak for more than his/her allotted time shall be accorded this privilege upon a majority vote approval from the Article V. Article VI. Article VII. Article VIII. Article IX. Every Senator shall be given the right of explanation of his/her vote after the voting has been completed. No Senator is or can be required to explain his/her vote at any time. Rights of explanation shall not exceed three (3) minutes and Senators shall be further permitted to have his/her written explanation, not to exceed fifty (50) words, included in the official Senate minutes. Any Senator accruing a total of three (3) excused or two (2) unexcused absences per academic year from any meetings of the Senate, its sanctioned, mandatory activities, or it committees shall be subject to removal from their position by the President of the An absence may be considered excused if the current President of the Senate, or the current Senate Secretary, is notified of the absence at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to the next Senate meeting, activity, or committee. The only exception to this rule comes in the case of an emergency, as will be decided by the current President of the The procedure of passing the gavel is that the President of the Senate will call the President Pro-Tempore or next succeeding officer to the Chair prior to discussion. At that time, the officer will assume the duties of the Chair. The President of the Senate will then be allowed to take part in the discussion and vote on the matter at hand. After the conclusion of the vote, the officer will return the gavel and the Chair to the President of the The Senate and its committees shall require the testimony of any individual for informational and investigative purposes. This shall be done through the use of a Senate Resolution, which has been duly passed by the The procedure for the legislative passing of Bills, Resolutions, and Memorials shall be as follows: 1. Senators must submit proposed legislation, in writing and following the standard Senate format, to the President of the Senate no later than 4 p.m. on the Monday before the meeting in which it will be presented to the Senate for its first reading. 2. The designated Senator shall read the proposed legislation for the first time at the next Senate meeting. 3. Authors of proposed legislation are required to attend the committee hearings. 6

7 4. The proposed legislation will then be opened to the Senate, and amendments from the floor will be permitted at this time. 5. The Senate may choose to table proposed legislation. 6. All appropriations bills must be voted on by a roll call vote of the Senate and the results included in the official minutes. 7. Upon passage by the Senate, all legislation will be sent to the ASENMU President for approval or veto. 8. All legislation remaining in committee at the close of Spring Senate shall be referred to Summer Article X. Article XI. Article XII. Senators who desire to leave Senate meetings before the adjournment must request permission from the President of the Senate before the meeting begins. The order of Business for the Senate shall be determined by the President of the Senate and Senate Council. The following rules are hereby created for all non-senators wishing to address the Senate: 1. Non-Associated Students of Eastern New Mexico University must be approved by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the After being recognized by the Senate, the President of the Senate may recognize the same non-asenmu person if there are no objections from the 2. Non-Senate members but members of ASENMU may be recognized by the President if there are no objections from the If there are objections from the Senate, a majority vote is needed to recognize that person. 3. All Non-Senators shall be bound by the same rules of procedure as the Senators. Article XV. The following membership qualifications are hereby created for the Associated Student 1. The Senate shall consist of the Vice President of ASENMU, who will act as President of the Senate, and Senators, elected during the regular academic year or appointed as freshmen intern members. 2. All Senators shall be duly elected to office by their area representation unless appointed by the President of the Senate to fill a vacancy as stated in these rules. 3. The Senate shall be the judge of its own members in all cases of expulsion and qualifications. 4. Any Senator shall forfeit his/her seat for the following causes: a. A change of major that results in the Senator no longer being enrolled in the area he/she represents. 7

8 b. Failure to maintain a 2.0 grade point average. 5. Any member of the Associated Student Senate expelled or removed may forfeit, petition the Supreme Court for reinstatement or take any other action he/she deems necessary. TITLE IV: SENATE ADVISORS Senate advisors should be appointed from the following areas: 1. One (1) from the faculty-at-large (optional). 2. One (1) from Student Affairs to act as liaison and to advise the Senate as soon as possible of any and all proposed changes in University policy affecting students. During Senate meetings, Senate Advisors shall: 1. Be subject to all applicable areas of the Senate Rules. 2. Hold ex-officio, non-voting status. 3. Be given time at each meeting to present discussion before adjournment. TITLE V: SUMMER SENATE RULES 1. The Summer Senate shall consist of the Vice President of ASENMU, who will act as President of the Senate, and nine (9) Summer Senators, elected at-large during the regular academic year. 2. The term of Summer Senators shall be from the end of the Spring semester until the regular Fall Senate is elected and seated. 3. The Summer Senate shall operate under these established rules except as noted below: a. President of the Senate shall be the only officer of Summer b. The Summer Senate shall have no formal standing committees unless deemed otherwise by the President of the 4. The Summer Senate shall at its last regular meeting prepare a report in conjunction with the ASENMU during the summer and shall be presented to the regular Senate in the fall. TITLE VI: DEFINITIONS AND ATTACHMENTS Definitions of Senate Legislation 1. Legislation of the Senate The act of giving or enacting laws (Bills) Resolutions and/or Memorials. 2. Bill A Senate Bill is a formal draft of law presented to the Senate for enactment over which the Senate and/or ASENMU has primary authority. These include appropriations, rules for conducting 8

9 ASENMU business, Code of Elections, Code of Publications, ASENMU Constitution, Senate Rules, etc 3. Resolution A Senate Resolution is a formal draft for enactment over matters which the Senate and/or ASENMU does not have primary authority. This action does not constitute a statue of law, but rather the opinions of the Senate or its intention. Subsequent action upon the resolution may have the force of law. Other examples might be: an expression of opinion, a recommendation, a request to alter rules or regulations over which the Senate or ASENMU does not have primary authority, or a vote of censure. 4. Memorial A Senate Memorial is a document presented to the Senate by one (1) or more individuals containing a petition or expression of thanks or gratitude. Ratification of the ASENMU Senate Rules: Let it be known that the Associated Students of Eastern New Mexico University Senate confirmed the revised Senate Rules by majority vote on 04/08/2014. The President of ASENMU herby ratifies the Senate Rules into law on 04/08/2014; Ratified on 04/08/2014 by ASENMU President Justin Aguilar 9

GENERAL BYLAWS OF THE STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION ST. PETERSBURG COLLEGE, SEMINOLE CAMPUS

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