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GENERAL SGA INFORMATION TABLE OF CONTENTS WELCOME LETTER 3 ELIGIBILITY/QUALIFICATION OF OFFICERS 4 TERMS OF OFFICE 4 ELECTION PROCESS 5 ELECTION RULES 6 OFFICER POSITIONS, DESCRIPTIONS, AND EXPECTATIONS 7 CANDIDATE PAPERWORK CANDIDATE CHECK LIST 9 CANDIDATE INFORMATION SHEET 10 NOMINATION FORM(S) 11-13 REMINDER OF DEADLINE 14 2
Dear Prospective SGA Officer: Welcome to a world full of opportunity! Thank you for your interest in the Student Government Officer positions at North Country Community College. As a teammate, advocate and role model in the North Country Community College Student Government Association, on the Malone, Saranac Lake, or Ticonderoga campuses, you will serve as a vital link between our students, the campus, and community. We will rely on you as a direct line of communication with your fellow students, through your high visibility, relationship building and positive interactions. In this role, you will be not only working with your peers and college officials, but also with members of the community at large. Please review all of the information carefully, and keep in mind that all nomination petitions are due to a Campus and Student Life staff member, no later than Friday, February 16, 2018. If you have any questions, please contact: Malone Bruce Kelly: bkelly@nccc.edu Saranac Lake Angela Brice: abrice@nccc.edu Ticonderoga Kim Irland: kirland@nccc.edu We would be happy to assist you in completing your application or answering any questions that you may have throughout the process. In addition, please take the opportunity to talk with your current SGA Officers about their positions to learn more about the day to day interactions and responsibilities that they have! We look forward to getting your nomination form! Best of Luck, The Campus and Student Life Team 3
Eligibility / Qualifications of Officers To be eligible for a position within the Student Government Association (SGA) students must meet certain eligibility/qualifications according to the SGA Constitution, North Country Community College (NCCC), and the State University of New York (SUNY). All officers must be enrolled as full or part time students at NCCC and must maintain a 2.0 Grade Point Average (GPA). The Student Trustee must maintain a 2.5 GPA. All officers must have an interest in the governance process and commitment to NCCC. All officers should strive for excellence in both the classroom and the College Community, and act as a role model to their peers. If the nominee is new to NCCC and has not yet earned a GPA, the student may run for the office and will be required to achieve at least a 2.0 GPA by the end of the first semester in office and maintain it for any subsequent semester(s) that s/he holds an office. Finally, in order to be eligible to run for office, all students must be in good standing, per the college s Code of Conduct. Terms of office: All officers will serve for one academic year, with the option of running for a second term if qualifications are met. The President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary assume office on June 1. For the purpose of consistency the outgoing officers will meet in an advisory role with the newly elected officers for the first two meetings following the spring elections. In accordance with the State University of New York (SUNY) Community Colleges rules and regulations the Student Trustee shall hold office from July 1 st through June 30 th. ( http://www.suny.edu/sunypp/documents.cfm 604.4 Student members of boards of trustees). 4
Election Process This section includes the Nomination Process and Election Rules to be followed throughout the process of running for a position with the SGA. 1. Nomination Process: a. Pick up a nomination form from the SGA or the SGA Advisor. b. Set-up an optional meeting with the Advisor to discuss the expectations of the position in which you are running. c. This is a two week period immediately prior to the spring and fall elections. d. Nomination must be supported by: i. 25 student signatures Saranac Lake Campus. ii. 15 student signatures Malone and Ticonderoga campuses. iii. Signatures must accompany an official SGA nomination form (See appendix a). e. Once the completed nomination form with signatures is returned the Office of Campus and Student Life, the staff will determine that the student meets the standards associated with being an SGA Officer/Student Trustee. f. Students who meet the GPA, academic, and signature requirements will be notified by a member of the Campus and Student Life Department that they can continue the election process. g. Students who do not meeting the GPA, academic, and signature requirements will also be notified that they are not eligible to continue in the student government election process. 2. Campaign Period: a. This shall be a one-week period between the time when nominations end and elections begin. b. Students develop campaign materials. c. Campaign materials must be approved by the campus SGA Advisor. d. In addition, all candidates will be informed as to where they can post their campaign materials within the campus community. i. Examples of campaign materials include: individual biography, posters, table top tents, content for the SGA website promoting elections to the student body e. Students may not campaign prior to or after the campaign period. f. The campaign must be kept within the parameters of the college s Code of Conduct. 5
Election Rules 1. Elections: a. All NCCC Students paying activity fees are eligible to vote in general student elections at the campus and/or site on which they are enrolled for the majority of their classes. For this election, voting by ballot will take place on Monday February 26,2018 and Tuesday February 27, 2018 on each campus. 2. Supervision: a. Will be organized by the advisor and any SGA officer not pursuing re-election. b. For the positions of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer and Student Trustee elections will take place during the late spring approximately four weeks prior to graduation. c. For the position of Senators elections will take place approximately two weeks after the start of the fall semester. d. Elections will be held in a public location recognized as a student gathering area. i. Ballots cannot leave this location ii. If ballots are being conducted electronically, all students will have the opportunity to vote ONCE during the election period. If this route is taken, all students within the NCCC Community will be notified, no less than one (1) week prior to the slated election dates. e. Voting: i. Voting will be by secret ballot. ii. Students are allowed to vote electronically through the designated voting site, should all campuses agree to go this route. iii. Each student is allowed to vote one (1) time either in person or on-line. 3. Results: a. All results will be tabulated by the SGA advisor(s) and a minimum of one (1) current SGA member and the candidate with the largest number of votes will be the winner. b. Tabulation and results will be confirmed through the Office of Student Life and the Dean of Students. Their decision on election matters is final. 6
Officer Positions, Descriptions and Expectations 1. President a. Head of SGA Executive Branch. b. Chairs all SGA meetings and maintains parliamentary procedures. c. Voting member of NCCC Association. d. Delegates responsibilities to other SGA officers. e. Main liaison between the students, faculty, and administration. f. Responsible for recognizing and organizing current issues and assigning them to the appropriate committee or executive officer. g. Main spokesperson and representative of the entire study body. 2. Vice President a. Assists the President. b. Serves as the President in the absence of the elected President. c. Head of Advisory Council. d. Presides over monthly Advisory Council Meetings. e. Oversees clubs or organizations which are recognized by SGA and assures that they adhere to the rules and regulations as derived from the SGA constitution and the Club constitution. 3. Treasurer a. Keeps accurate financial records of all accounts of the SGA. b. Works closely with the Executive Director of the NCCC Association. c. Presents weekly financial report to SGA. d. Presents weekly bills to SGA. e. Responsible for the issuance of purchase orders utilizing SGA funds and for budget submissions and revisions. 4. Secretary a. Takes minutes of SGA meetings. b. Presents previous minutes at SGA meetings. c. Assists the President in the development of an SGA meeting agenda. d. Handles all correspondences necessary for the functioning of SGA. e. Responsible for SGA mailings. 5. Senator a. Represent the student body interest on the Executive Branch. b. Assist the Executive Branch officials with their duties c. Assist the Vice President in overseeing the Advisory Council 7
6. Student Trustee a. Student representative to the NCCC Board of Trustees. b. Represents all campus/extension sites and is elected through an all-college election. c. Advisory in nature to the SGA Executive Branch. d. Should also be accessible to the student body as a whole in order to become familiar with the concerns and issues that face students. e. When casting his/her votes during Board of Trustee meetings, the Student Trustee's vote should be intelligent and should speak for the students. i. The Board of Trustees meets once a month. It is through these meetings and the Student Trustee that the student body has their most vocal means of relaying student needs and concerns. f. Is a voting member of the NCCC Association Inc. i. The NCCC Association meets once a month. g. Will attend all Board of Trustees and Association meetings. i. BOT policy that no member may miss more than 3 meetings in a school year (September-August). h. Serve on other college committees as appropriate and defined by the Board of Trustees, President or Dean of Students. 8
CANDIDATE CHECKLIST To ensure that your election packet is successfully completed, we strongly encourage you to use this checklist as you complete your materials and attend sessions. SGA Candidate/Nomination Form Checklist (check off as items are completed): Pick Up a Read all of the election/nomination materials and I understand what is expected of me as a candidate, and the officer position I would like to run for Speak with a member of the Campus and Life Team, or a current SGA Officer on my campus about the position I would like to run for, if I had any questions. Make sure all of my information in my election packet is typed or neatly printed. Think about why I would like to run for SGA, and how I will make a difference within the campus community, and how I will advocate for my peers Acquire the appropriate number of signatures needed to run for an officer position on my specific campus (twenty-five (25) for Saranac Lake, fifteen (15) for Malone and Ticonderoga) I have neatly written, or typed my biography that needs to be submitted with my nomination packet I have begun to work on and think about my campaign materials, but will not post anything until I get the official approval from a Student Life Staff Member to campaign. I have submitted my application to the Campus and Student Life Office and/or one of the professional staff members by Friday February 16, 2018: Malone Bruce Kelly: bkelly@nccc.edu Saranac Lake Angela Brice: abrice@nccc.edu Ticonderoga Kim Irland: kirland@nccc.edu Once my nomination is approved, campaign from February 17 until February 23, 2018 Wait for the election results to come in Please keep this page for your records and personal use to help you throughout the process! All required paperwork to run, must be turned in to the Office of Student Life. 9
(Please Print or type in black ink): Name: NCCC ID # Gender: Male Female Other: Choose Not to Identify: Date of Birth: Local Address Local Phone # Current Class Year NCCC e-mail Major (Your NCCC email will be our only means of communication via email) Anticipated Grad. Year / Semester Cumulative grade point average (based on NCCC classes only): Student Government Association position you are running for: President Secretary Vice-President Treasurer Senator If elected to the position checked above, I would like to: Please provide us with a short biography that will be displayed for students to get to know you better: (Please use additional paper and/or type your response and submit it with the additional paperwork) 10
Saranac Lake Nomination Form Candidate Name: Date: Student Government Association position you are running for: Secretary Senator (2 positions) Before having students read the following statement and sign in support of your candidacy, please make sure you are telling them why you are running for an officer position in Student Government: We, the undersigned, are currently attending North Country Community College and support the above nominee in his/her effort to run for a Student Government Association officer position for the 2017-2018 academic year. Name ID Number Graduation Year Signature Ex. Jill Kennedy 27411222 2020 Jill Kennedy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 11
Malone Nomination Form *Branch Campus nominees in Malone and Ticonderoga need only obtain 15 signatures as indicated in the SGA Constitution. Candidate Name: Date: Student Government Association position you are running for: Treasurer Senator (1) Before having students read the following statement and sign in support of your candidacy, please make sure you are telling them why you are running for an officer position in Student Government: We, the undersigned, are currently attending North Country Community College and support the above nominee in his/her effort to run for a Student Government Association officer position for the 2017-2018 academic year. Name ID Number Graduation Year Signature Ex. Jill Kennedy 27411222 2020 Jill Kennedy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 12
Ticonderoga Nomination Form *Branch Campus nominees in Malone and Ticonderoga need only obtain 15 signatures as indicated in the SGA Constitution. Candidate Name: Date: Student Government Association position you are running for: Vice-President Secretary Senator Before having students read the following statement and sign in support of your candidacy, please make sure you are telling them why you are running for an officer position in Student Government: We, the undersigned, are currently attending North Country Community College and support the above nominee in his/her effort to run for a Student Government Association officer position for the 2017-2018 academic year. Name ID Number Graduation Year Signature Ex. Jill Kennedy 27411222 2020 Jill Kennedy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 13
The following are due no later than 4:30PM on Friday February 16, 2018: Candidate Information Sheet Biography Nomination Form with needed signatures Please submit ALL paperwork to a Campus and Student Life Staff Member. 14