FARMINGDALE STATE COLLEGE STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION BYLAWS
Section 1.00: Executive Board 01. The President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary before placement on the ballot, the candidates must be an undergraduate with a minimum cumulative grade point averages of 2.75. Candidates for Executive office must be in good academic and social standing, according to the Farmingdale State College, Student Code of Conduct. Must have proven prior Leadership. The same criteria must also be maintained during their term of office. 02. Members of the Executive Committee are elected by a simple majority (fifty percent plus one) of votes cast for that position in the Student Government Association general elections. In the event that no candidate receives a simple majority of the votes cast, then a run-off election shall be held between the top two candidates. 03. The term of office for the elected officers shall begin at the end of the spring semester, on June 1, and shall continue until the end of the following spring semester, May 31. 04. Should seats in the Executive Branch be vacant on or before October 31st, the Student Government association shall conduct an open election to fill the vacant seat(s). 05. Should seat(s) in the Executive Branch be vacant after October 31st, the president shall fill vacant seats by appointment with a 2/3rds confirmation by the senate. 06. The President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary shall receive a stipend for the fall and spring semesters in the amount of $1000.00 per semester. 07. In the event a member of the Executive Branch is unable to complete the full term of office, stipends will be paid pro-rata. Section 1.01: Duties of the Executive Board
1.02: President 01. Shall be the Chief Executive of the Student Government Association. 02. Shall be the official representative and spokesperson of the Student Government Association both inside and outside Farmingdale State College. 03. Shall be a voting member of the Executive Committee. 04. Shall make at least one written scheduled report per semester to the Senate and the Student Body on the state of the Student Government Association. 05. Shall be a non-voting member of the Senate. 06. Shall be a member for the College Council representing the student body. 07. Shall have the power to veto any bill of the Senate, unless overridden by 2/3rds majority in the senate. 1.03: Vice President 01. Shall be the Chair and set the agenda for Senate meetings. 02. Shall be a non-voting member of the senate, and will only vote in the senate in the event of a tie. 03. Shall represent the President on occasions designated by the President. 04. Shall assume the duties of the President in her/his absence. 05. Shall be a voting member of the Executive Committee. 06. Shall assist the President in coordinating the operations of the Executive Branch. 07. Shall fulfill those powers and duties delegated to him/her by the President. 1.04: Treasurer
01. Shall be responsible for all budgetary/fiscal matters of the Student Government Association. 02. Shall be a voting member of the Executive Committee. 03. Shall participate in the preparation of the annual budget of the Student Government Association. 04. Shall be responsible for the administration of the Student Government Association budget. 05. Must submit a report on the state of the finances of the Student Government Association to be presented to the Senate at least twice each semester. Such report should also be distributed to the student body at large and college administration, and be posted on the Student Government Association web page. 06. Shall sit on the Senate Budget Committee, as an ex-officio member (non- voting member). 07. Shall make certain that a strict inventory is kept on all furniture, equipment, etc. of the Student Government Association. 08. Shall be a non-voting member of the Senate 1.05: Secretary 01. Shall be a voting member of the Executive Committee 02. Shall be a non-voting member of the Senate 03. Shall record and maintain all minutes for the Senate and Executive Committees.
04. Shall be responsible for recorded minutes to be released to students and administration according to New York State Open Meeting Law. 05. Shall be responsible for submitting all minutes for posting on the Student Government Association web page. 06. Shall be responsible for the distribution of meeting agendas one week prior to the meeting date. 07. Shall maintain an up to date list of all candidates who have run for office, along with vote totals to determine likely candidates to fill vacant positions. 1.06. Faculty or Staff Advisor 01. The Director of Student Activities will fill the role of faculty or staff advisor to the Executive Branch. 02. The Advisor shall appoint a co-advisor or advisors from staff or faculty to assist in the planning, organization, and execution of certain student activities with the approval of the SGA Executive branch. 03. Shall act in an advisory capacity to the Executive Branch. 04. Shall be a non-voting vocal member of the Executive Branch 05. The advisor retains the right to discourage any action, resolution, enactment, or amendment that is contrary to this Constitution, College policies and procedures, or that is in violation of any law whether federal, state, or municipal. 1.07: Executive Committee Meetings 01. The Executive Committee shall meet at least once every two weeks.
02. The President may also call meetings, whenever any member deems necessary, providing that those meetings adhere to the New York State Open Meetings Law. 03. Quorum is necessary for all Committee meetings to be official. Quorum shall be defined as a simple majority of elected seats. 04. All meeting of the Executive Committee must adhere to the New York State Open Meetings Law. Section 2.00: Legislative Branch The Legislative Branch shall consist of the Senate and the House of Representatives. 2.01: Senate 01. Senators must be an undergraduate student, with minimum cumulative grade point averages of 2.5. Candidates for Senate office must be in good academic and social standing, according to the Farmingdale State College, Student Code of Conduct. The same criteria must also be maintained during their term of office. 02. Senators shall be elected before Spring Commencement for the next academic year. The term of a Senator shall be from June 1st until May 31st of the following academic year. The Senate Leader shall serve until the beginning of the following fall semester when a new Senate Leader is elected. 03. Senators who have filled vacancies shall serve until May 31st. 04. Prospective Senators must intend to be a student of the College for the full school year during the term of office.
05. Senators receiving the highest total number of votes from their constituency shall be elected to the Senate. 06. Should Senate seats be vacant on or before October 31st, the Student Government association shall conduct an open election to fill the vacant seat(s). 07. Should the seat(s) be vacant after October 31st, vacant seats will be filled by the next candidate on the initial ballot with the next highest number of votes. 08. Students elected to serve as Senators for the Student Government Association shall receive a semester stipend for the fall and spring semesters in the amount of $500.00 per semester. 09. In the event a member of the student Senate is unable to complete the full term of office, stipends will be paid pro-rata. 2.02: Duties of the Student Senate 01. Shall have the power to initiate and act upon legislation for the general welfare of the membership of the Student Government Association. 02. Shall have the power to investigate and act upon all policies and procedures that affect the membership of the Student Government Association. 03. Shall have the power to act upon recommended legislation from the Executive Council and all committees under the jurisdiction of the Student Government Association. 04. Shall have the power to establish boards and committees to aid in legislative processes.
05. Shall participate in the functions and responsibilities of the Senate including, but not limited to, Senate meetings, and standing committees. 06. Voting members of the Senate must serve on at least one of the standing committees for the duration of their term. 07. Shall approve or disapprove clubs/organizations requests for additional funding, taking into account relevant recommendations from the Budget Committee. All additional funding requests must first go to the Budget Committee, which then makes recommendations to the Senate whether to approve or disapprove. 08. Shall review and approve, by two-thirds vote of the Senate, the budget of the Student Government Association. (12 senate seats) 09. Shall create ad hoc positions, task forces, and committees to take action on issues of importance to students. 10. Shall have the power to override vetoes submitted by the president with a 2/3 vote of those Senators present and voting. 11. Vetoes must be overridden within three (3) regularly scheduled meetings upon receipt of one, otherwise they remain in effect. 12. Every bill which shall have passed the Senate shall, before it becomes a law, be presented to the President following the adjournment of the Senate meeting which passed it; if he/she approve, they may sign it; but if not, it may be returned with his/her objections, to the Senate, who shall enter the objections at large on their journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If any bill shall not be vetoed by the President by its next scheduled meeting of the semester, the same shall be a law, in like manner as if he/she had signed it, unless the Senate by their adjournment
prevent its veto, in which case it shall not be a law. The Senate may override a Presidential veto of legislation by a two-thirds vote of those elected. This must be done within two consecutive meetings after the veto has been announced. The vetoed bill will appear under old business on the agenda, with Presidential Veto Exercised next to it. 2.03: Powers and Duties of the Student Senate Members 2.04: Vice President 01. Shall chair the meetings of the Student Senate. 02. Shall provide reports from the Executive branch to Student Senate. 03. Shall only vote in the senate in the event of a tie. 2.05: Senate Leader 01. Shall call and preside over the meetings of the Student Senate, in the absence of the vice-president. 02. The Senate Leader will be chosen from among the 18 senators, and shall be a voting member in the Student Senate. 03. Shall appoint with the Student Senate approval, Senators to various committee s boards and other departments as deemed necessary by him or her as prescribed in legislation. 04. Shall coordinate the administrative functions of the Student Senate at the behest of the Vice President.
2.06: Faculty or Staff Adviser 01. The Director of Student Activities will fill the role of faculty or staff advisor to the senate. 02. Shall act in an advisory capacity to the Student Senate. 03. Shall be a non-voting member of the Student Senate. 04. The advisor retains the right to discourage any action, resolution, enactment, or amendment that is contrary to this Constitution, College policies and procedures, or that is in violation of any law whether federal, state, or municipal. 2.07: Secretary of the Executive Branch 01. Shall be a non-voting member of the Student Senate. 02. Shall be responsible for keeping the minutes of Student Senate meetings and distributing to all branches of government. 03. Shall be responsible for recorded minutes to be released to students and administration according to New York State Open Meeting Law. 04. Shall be responsible for submitting all minutes for posting on the Student Government Association web page. 05. Shall be responsible for the distribution of meeting agendas one week prior to the meeting date. 2.08: Meetings
01. The Student Senate shall meet at least twice per month during fall and spring semesters 02. Additional meetings may be called by the Senate Leader or at the request of a majority of the senators. 03. In order for the Student Senate to conduct business at properly called Student Senate meetings a quorum of senators must be present. In order to make quorum a majority of the constitutionally set number of Senators must be present at the meeting. (12 senators must be present) 04. The Senate Leader shall be annually elected by the second Senate meeting of the fall semester by a simple majority vote of filled seats. The Senate Leader shall be elected from among the current Senators. 05. The Vice President of the Student Government Association, will act as Chair, and shall preside over the Senate. The Chair may only vote to break a tie. In the absence of the Chair, the Senate Leader shall preside over the Senate. 06. All meetings shall be held in accordance with the New York State Open Meetings Law. 2.09: Vacancies Vacancies in the Student Senate shall be filled as follows: 01. Should seats be vacant in the Senate on or before October 31st, the Student Government association shall conduct an open election to fill the vacant seat(s).
02. Should the seat(s) be vacant after October 31st, vacant seats will be filled by the next candidate on the initial ballot with the next highest number of votes. 2.10: Senate Standing Committees 01. The Senate has the right to establish committees as they deem appropriate. Standing committees are permanent with full senate participation with committee reports issues at general senate meetings. 02. Committees may include, but are not limited to the following: i. Committee for Internal Audit: This committee primarily handles internal SGA affairs including, but not limited to, the Constitution, the Bylaws and Audits. ii. Public Affairs Committee: This committee primarily handles Public Relations from SGA to and from the campus community, to include Town Halls and Social Media outreach. iii. Campus Life and Student Affairs Committee: This committee is responsible for all interactions between the campus and the SGA, pertaining to student life at FSC, to include but not limited to, Food Services, Residence Life, Commuter Life, cultural affairs; student constitutional rights and civil liberties, and Traffic and Safety issues. iv. Financial, and Organizational Affairs Committee: The primary connection between student organizations and the SGA. This committee oversees all budgetary requirements and procedures; salaries of SGA employees, and ensures that organizations are upholding their governing documents and are in accordance with all school guidelines.
2.11 The Farmingdale State College Student Government Association budget shall be planned and written by the Financial, and Organizational Affairs Committee. 01. The Financial, and Organizational Affairs Committee shall be comprised of five (5) voting members of the Senate, who have been confirmed by the Senate with a majority vote. (11 seats) 02. The Treasurer of SGA, may advise the Finance Committee during its deliberations (a sixth member), but shall have no vote. 03. The Financial, and Organizational Affairs Committee shall, after consultation with all student clubs and organizations entitled to funding under this constitution, prepare and submit the budget for the SGA to the Senate in the Spring semester (for the next academic year). 04. The Senate shall approve the budget by majority no later than the 2 nd week in March, before sending the budget to the SGA President for approval. 05. The Senate may override a veto of the budget by the president by a 2/3rds vote of all voting members. 06. Once approved by the SGA the budget shall be approved/certified by the Vice President of Student Affairs. 07. Once approved, the Treasurer shall disburse any, and all funds, and only those funds, authorized by the budget approved by the Senate. 08. The Treasurer shall maintain all proper books and records pertaining to the expenditure of funds from the SGA budget and, with the SECRETARY, publish the same for public inspection on the SGA website and in the treasurer s office.
09. Since, according to SUNY policy all expenditures and disbursements of SGA funds are subject to the approval of the College President or his designee, all disbursements by the treasurer or any officer of SGA must be certified by the Vice President for Student Affairs or his/her designee. This certification shall take place BEFORE any services, products, or contracts for same are engaged or requested from any vendor or provider of services and BEFORE the fiscal agent (ASC) is requested to pay for same. 2.12: House of Representatives 2.11: Structure 01. Shall Consist of Representatives from Farmingdale State College Student Government Association Funded Clubs and Organizations. 02. Representative must be an undergraduate student, with minimum cumulative grade point averages of 2.5. Candidates for the Representative office must be in good academic and social standing, according to the Farmingdale State College, Student Code of Conduct. The same criteria must also be maintained during their term of office. 03. Representative shall be nominated before Spring Commencement for the next academic year. The term of a Representative shall be from June 1st until May 31st of the following academic year. The Speaker of the House shall serve until the beginning of the following fall semester when a new Speaker of the House is elected. 04. Representative who have filled vacancies shall serve until May 31st. 05. Prospective Representative must intend to be a student of the College for the full school year during the term of office.
06. Representative being nominated, by the Executive Board of their club or organizations shall be elected to the House. 07. Should a Representatives seats be vacant on or before October 31st, the Club/Organization shall conduct an open election to fill the vacant seat(s). 08. Should the seat(s) be vacant after October 31st, vacant seats will be filled by the next candidate on the initial ballot with the next highest number of votes. 2.12: Duties of the House of Representatives 01. Shall have the power to initiate legislation for the general welfare of the membership of the student body. 02. Shall have the power to present, and recommend legislation to the Senate to be voted and acted upon, to be made law. 03. Shall participate in the functions and responsibilities of the Legislative branch including, but not limited to, meetings, and standing committees. 04. Voting members of the House must vote to the interest of their club or organization and the overall well-being of the student body at large. 05. Shall create ad hoc positions, task forces, and committees to act on issues of importance to students. 06. Every bill which shall have passed the House shall, before it is transmitted to the senate, shall be presented to the Vice President following the adjournment of the House meeting which passed it; if he/she approve, they may add it to the Senate agenda; but if not, it may be returned with his/her objections, to the House, who shall enter the objections at large on their journal, and proceed to reconsider it.
2.13: Powers and Duties of the House of Representatives Members 2.14. Speaker of the House 01. Shall chair the meetings of the House of Representatives. 02. Shall provide reports and legislation to and from the Executive branch and Student Senate. 03. Shall only vote in the House in the event of a tie. 04. Shall have voting ability in the Senate. The vote must be the will of the House, and not the will of the Speaker. 2.15: Speaker Pro Tempore 01. Shall call and preside over the meetings of the House of Representatives, in the absence of the Speaker. 02. The Speaker pro tempore will be appointed by the Speaker of the House, after nominations from a 2/3rd majority of the Representatives, and shall be a voting member in the House of Representatives. 03. Shall coordinate the administrative functions of the House of Representatives. 2.16: Faculty or Staff Adviser 01. The Director of Student Activities will fill the role of faculty or staff advisor to the House. 02. Shall act in an advisory capacity to the House of Representatives. 03. Shall be a non-voting member of the House of Representatives.
2.17: Secretary of the House of Representatives 01. Shall be nominated from amongst the Representatives 02. Shall be a voting member of the House of Representatives. 03. Shall be responsible for keeping the minutes of House of Representatives meetings, and distributing to all branches of government. 04. Shall be responsible for recorded minutes to be released to students and administration per New York State Open Meeting Law. 05. Shall be responsible for submitting all minutes for posting on the Student Government Association web page. 06. Shall be responsible for the distribution of meeting agendas one week prior to the meeting date. 2.18: Meetings 01. The House of Representatives shall meet at least once per month during fall and spring semesters 02. Additional meetings may be called by the Speaker of the House, or at the request of a majority of the Representatives. 03. In order for the House of Representatives to conduct business at properly a called, House of Representatives meetings a quorum of Representatives must be present. To make quorum a majority of the constitutionally set number of Representatives must be present at the meeting. (This number is to be set according to the number of clubs represented at the time.)
2.19: Elections 01. The Speaker pro tempore, shall be annually elected by the second House meeting of the fall semester by a simple majority vote of filled seats. The Speaker pro tempore shall be elected from among the current Representatives. 02. A Senator nominated by the 2/3 vote of the Senate body, will act as Speaker, and shall preside over the House of Representatives. The Speaker may only vote to break a tie. In the absence of the Speaker, the Speaker pro tempore shall preside over the House. 03. All meetings shall be held in accordance with the New York State Open Meetings Law. 2.20: Vacancies Vacancies in the House of Representatives shall be filled as follows: 01. Should seats be vacant in the House on or before October 31st, the Student Government association shall put forth a mandate to the representing club or organization to nominate and fill the vacant seat. 02. Should the seat(s) be vacant after October 31st, vacant seats will be filled by the next candidate nominated by the perspective club or organization. Section 3.00: Judicial branch 01. The Judicial Branch shall be known as the Judiciary. 02. The judiciary shall consist of one court (SGA Supreme Court)
3.01: Membership and Appointment of the Judicial Branch 01. The President shall nominate and appoint the Justices subject to confirmation by a 2/3rd majority vote of the Senate (11 senators). 02. Appointments should be made before the Spring Commencement for the next academic year, by June 1st. 03. In addition to the Chief Justice, there shall be four Associate Justices. 3.02: Criteria for the Judges: 01. The Justices shall be undergraduate students with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 at the time of nomination and during their term of office. Candidates shall be at a minimum in his or her, Junior year. Candidates for Judiciary must be in good academic and social standing, according to the Farmingdale State College, Student Code of Conduct. 3.04: Duties and Powers of the Judicial Branch 3.05: Chief Justice 01. The Chief Justice shall serve as the Chair for all meetings and functions of the Judicial Branch. 02. The Chief Justice shall be a voting member of the Judicial Branch. 03. The Chief Justice shall be responsible for writing the official decisions or assigning to another justice the writing of official decisions for any cases brought forward to the Court. 04. The Chief Justice shall be the spokesperson of the Judicial Branch.
05. The Chief Justice shall be responsible for correspondence and notification for all actions of the Judicial Branch. 06. The Chief Justice shall work with the Student Government President or their designee to organize and schedule all trainings necessary for the effective functioning of the Judicial Branch. 07. Once a month the Chief Justice shall attend a Student Government Association Senate meeting to report on the actions of the Judicial Branch. 3.06: Supreme Court 01. The Supreme Court shall have jurisdiction over all interpretations of this Constitution. 02. The Supreme Court shall have jurisdiction over all matters arising of impeachment of Senate members and Executive Council members, and all matters between the Executive Committee and the Senate. 03. The Supreme Court shall have the power to review any legislation brought before it in order to determine whether or not it is in accordance with this Constitution and school policy. The Supreme Court s decision on any legislation, policy or procedure is final. Section 4.00: Impeachment 01. An Executive Committee member may only be impeached by a 2/3rd vote of all members and have to face the charges in the Supreme Court.
02. An Executive Committee member who has been impeached shall be tried in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court can remove the Executive Council member by a three-quarters vote of its filled seats. 03. A Senate member may only be impeached by a three-quarters vote of the filled seats of the Executive Committee and have to face the charges in the Supreme Court. 04. A Senate member who has been impeached shall be tried in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court can remove the Senate member by a 2/3rd vote of all members and have to face the charges in the Supreme Court. 05. A House member may only be impeached by a three-quarters vote of the filled seats of the Executive Committee and must face the charges in the Supreme Court. 06. A House member who has been impeached shall be tried in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court can remove the House member by a 2/3rd vote of all members and must face the charges in the Supreme Court. Section 5.00: Board of Elections 01. The Director of Student Activities shall chair the Board of Elections, and will appoint two faculty/or staff members and two students to the Board of Elections. 02. Candidates interested in running for position in the Student Government Association of Farmingdale State College, Executive Board and Senate offices, shall obtain an elections packet from the Director of Student Activities.
5.01: Candidates who wish to have their names placed on the ballot: 01. Must be a student at Farmingdale State College. 02. Must have completed one semester of college at FSC 03. Must be in good academic and social standing according to the Farmingdale State College Student Code of Conduct. 04. Candidates must submit a petition to the Student Government Association signed by 100 students. Any candidate receiving signatures from 100 students shall have their name placed on the election ballot. Duplicated and illegible signatures will not be counted. 05. Candidates who wish to run for any Student Government Association position must obtain signatures from the officer or school representative, they are running to replace, after attending 50% (i.e. two of four) scheduled meetings during the election season. 06. Any student running for an Executive Board position must have prior proven Leadership experience. 07. Any Student who desires to be in the Student Government Association Executive Board shall not be an Executive Board member of any other Club/Organization. 08. Candidates may run for one specific office. At no time may a candidate run for two or more positions. 09. All candidate who choose to have their name on the ballot must agree to keeping regular, posted SGA office hours - three (3) to five (5) hours a week - approved by the SGA Advisor.
10. All candidate who choose to have their name on the ballot must agree to attend all meetings, conferences and training during the semester and during the summer session after your election. 11. Any student who, in the past, was impeached, terminated, or resigned, due to misconduct in another Student Government position is not eligible to run for any Student Government Executive or Senate position 5.02: Duties of the Board of Elections 01. Shall insure that a final list of all eligible candidates will be present on a ballot. 02. Shall determine that all ballots have been approved by the Vice President of Student Affairs. 03. Shall oversee and run all Student Government elections, referendums, and constitutional amendment votes. 04. Shall enforce and effectuate all Student Government Association rules, regulations, requirements for all student government elections. 05. Shall have the power to hold any Student Government Association special election referendum, or constitutional vote at a more appropriate time as prescribed. 5.03: Meetings of the Board of Elections 01. The Board of Elections must meet at least once during the fall and spring semesters. 02. All election results must be certified by the Vice President of Student Affairs and the Board of Elections.
Section 6.00: Clubs and Organizations In order to obtain Student Activity Fee funding, student clubs and organizations must be recognized and registered through the Office of Student Activities. 01. The process for club recognition shall be obtained from the policies described in the Student Activities Manual. 02. All student clubs and organizations must follow the policies and procedures in the Student Activities Manual. 03. A list of club officers and advisors of each club must be on file in the Student Activities office. APPENDIX Use of Funds: Activity Fee monies shall be used only for support of the following programs as stated in the University Board of Trustees Guidelines. a. Programs of cultural and educational enrichment b. Recreational and social activities c. Tutorial programs d. Intramural athletic programs e. Student publications and other media f. Funding of recognized clubs g. Insurance to conduct programs h. Administration of programs
i. Transportation in support of these programs j. Student services to supplement or add to those provided by the university k. Remuneration and reimbursement of reasonable and necessary travel expenses in accordance with state guidelines to students for services to student government Campus based scholarships, fellowships and grant programs, provided the funds are administered by the campus or a campus affiliated organization l. Payments for contractual services provided by non-profit organizations to the extent that such services are in aid of an approved student activity during the budget year and which activity serves the purposes set for the above and provided further that such payments may not be exclusively for the general corporate purposes of such organization m. Salaries for professional non-student employees of the student government to the extent that they are consistent with hiring practices and compensation rates of other campus affiliated organizations n. Charitable donations to a non-profit organization; provided, however that such donations may be funded only from the proceeds of a fundraiser held by a recognized student organization