|
Article I
The name of this organization shall be the Student Government Assembly
(SGA) of McDaniel College.
Article II
Section 1. The Student Government Assembly shall hold the following
subject to this Constitution and Bylaws:
A) All undergraduate students, by virtue of their registration with
McDaniel College, shall be subject to this constitution and its bylaws.
B) All undergraduate student entities and/or organizations, by virtue
of their charter and/or registration with McDaniel College;
Section 2. Any undergraduate student or student entity subject
to this constitution may petition action from the Student Government
Assembly.
Article III
Section 1. All undergraduate students, by virtue of their registration
with McDaniel College, shall be subject to this constitution and its
bylaws.
Section 2. The Student Government Assembly hereby recognizes that
every McDaniel College undergraduate student is entitled to attend all
open SGA meetings.
Article IV
Section 1. The powers and responsibilities for the Student Government
Assembly are as follows:
A) Serve as a forum for all undergraduate students and members of
the college community;
B) Enact appropriate legislation considered necessary by the constituent
concerns of the Student Government Assembly;
C) Provide for the compilation, publication, and general consent
of legislation enacted by the Student Government Assembly, and approved
by the President of the Student Government Assembly:
1. By submitting enacted legislation to the Dean of Student
Affairs of McDaniel College within ten (10) days of its enactment for
final consent, when appropriate;
2. By taking the appropriate action needed to carry out legislation
upon the final consent of the statute or proclamation;
D) Take final action on the budget of the Student Government Assembly
and vote on and pass by a majority vote of the voting Officers, the
yearly allocations budget, as submitted by the Treasurer;
E) Enact, by majority vote, special acts requiring action by individuals
or groups;
F) Have the power to override any veto by the Student Government
Assembly President by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the voting members
of the Student Government Assembly;
G) Impeach the Student Government Assembly Officers, both elected
and appointed, and hold Officers to standards of decorum;
H) Propose, by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the voting Officers, constitutional
amendments; and
I) Hold student organizations accountable for financial and general
support they receive from the Student Government Assembly.
Article V
Section 1. The Student Government Assembly shall consist of four
(4) executive officers: the President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and
Secretary. In addition to the Executive Officers, sixteen (16) Legislative
Officers will comprise the body of the Student Government Assembly.
The Legislative Members will consist of four (4) class presidents and
three (3) representatives from each class.
Section 2. All executive powers of the Student Government Assembly
shall be vested in the President of the Student Government Assembly,
assisted by the Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary, and such administrative
officers as the President shall appoint.
Article VI
Section 1. The duties and responsibilities
of the Executive Officers shall consist of the following:
A) Plan the year's activities, establish the overall policy and
goals of the Student Government Assembly, and to formulate the agenda
for each Student Government Assembly meeting;
B) Interpret the Constitution of the Student Government Assembly
and render appropriate decisions related to the Constitution;
C) Provide for the free expression of all Western Maryland College
students in order to promote appropriate legislation;
D) Advise one of the standing committees
E) Maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average while in office;
and
F) Maintain an information calender on a monthly basis.
Section 2. The powers and responsibilities of the Executive Officers
shall be the following:
A) The President shall:
1. Serve as the official representative of the student
body opinion and sentiment to the faculty, administration, and Board
of Trustees of Western Maryland College;
2. Preside over the Executive Officers' meetings and report any
action recommended or taken by the Executive Officers to the Legislative
Officers at the Student Government Assembly meetings;
3. Administer and enforce all statutes and proclamations of the
Student Government Assembly and its Constitution;
4. Convene and preside over the Student Government Assembly and
hold members of the SGA to standards of decorum;
5. Make recommendations for legislation to the Student Government
Assembly;
6. Call special meetings of the Executive Officers or Student
Government Assembly Committees and, when necessary,Summer Session;
7. Call and preside over one Open Forum every semester;
8. Establish the meeting times and rules of procedure for the
Executive Officers and Student Government Assembly, with the concurrence
of the Executive Officers;
9. Have the power to vote in cases in which the vote will either
break or create a tie;
10. Have the power to veto or sign acts of the Student Government
Assembly provided that he/she exercises such power within ten (10)
days of passage of the Student Government Assembly after which the
acts are enacted; and
11. Delegate any authority for whose exercise the Student Government
Assembly shall not have provided.
B) The Vice-President shall:
1. Assume the responsibilities of the President in his/her
absence or upon his/her request;
2. Coordinate all committees and serve as an ex-officio member
of all committees;
3. Assist the President in enforcing all Student Government Assembly
policies and perform such responsibilities as the President shall
prescribe;
4. Oversee the development of leadership within the Student Government
Assembly and any other areas deemed appropriate by the President;
and
5. Interpret the Constitution during meetings of the Student Government
Assembly.
C) The Treasurer shall:
1. Record and conduct all financial transactions of the
Student Government Assembly;
2. Coordinate the preparation of the yearly allocationsbudget
to be approved by the Student Government Assembly;
3. File a monthly written financial statement to the Student Government
Assembly;
4. Issue verbal financial reports at all Executive Officers' and
Student Government Assembly meetings;
5. Oversee the counting of all election and voting results. In
cases where his/her potential status is affected by the outcome of
the voting, the Dean of Student Affairs, in concurrent discretion
with the President, shall appoint another officer; and
6. Provide for the annual auditing of the books each academic
year by an independent person.
D) The Secretary shall:
1. Record the minutes and take role at the Executive Officers'
meetings, Student Government Assembly meetings, Open Forums and any
other meetings as called by the President;
2. Maintain a record of all official proceedings and correspondence
of the Student Government Assembly;
3. Prepare and distribute copies of minutes, notification of Student
Government Assembly meetings, or any other related correspondence,
to all Executive and Legislative Officers, campus media, and the Dean
of Student Affairs;
4. Assist the Executive Officers in maintaining the files of the
Student Government Assembly;
5. Be notified by any Student Government Assembly member who will
be unable to attend a scheduled meeting or function in accordance
with the Attendance Policy; and
6. Draft a letter of warning after any member of the Student Government
Assembly accumulates one unexcused absence.
|
Article VII
Section 1. The duties and responsibilities
of the Legislative Officers shall be the following:
A) Report to their constituents, thereby promoting representative
accountability:
1. Report to their individual classes at the respective
class meetings;
2. Class meetings shall be scheduled at the discretion of the
Class Presidents;
B) Serve as members of the standing committee, provided each committee
consists of one representative from each class. The Chairperson of each
standing committee shall be one of the Class Presidents under advisement
by one of the Executive Officers;
C) Maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average while in office.
Section 2. The Student Government Assembly
Standing Committees shall be formed under each of the Student Government
concerns: Academic, Campus Life, Public Relations, and Social.
A) The Academic Committee shall:
1. Establish communication with the Academic Deans and
Faculty;
2. Introduce legislation concerning academic issues to the Student
Government Assembly; and
3. Provide for the introduction of appropriate legislation to
achieve said responsibilities.
B) The Campus Life Committee shall:
1. Provide for and protect the rights and responsibilities
of all McDaniel College students;
2. Establish and facilitate communications with Residence Life
and the Office of College Activities;
3. Establish and facilitate communication with auxiliary services;
and
4. Provide for the introduction of appropriate legislation to
achieve said responsibilities.
C) The Public Relations Committee shall:
1. Develop effective and efficient communication with the
college community through various media;
2. Promote campus-wide Student Government Assembly events; and
3. Provide for the introduction of appropriate legislation to
achieve said responsibilities;
D) The Social Committee shall:
1. Coordinate internal and external social functions; and
2. Provide for the introduction of appropriate legislation to
achieve said responsibilities.
Article VIII
Section 1. All undergraduate students of the college community shall
not be denied or abridged the right to vote in the elections and referenda
of the Student Government Assembly. Furthermore, undergraduate students
of the college community shall not be denied or abridged the right to
hold office provided the criteria stipulated in this document and its
bylaws are upheld.
Section 2. The elections of members of the Student Government Assembly
shall be in accordance with the following:
A) Executive Officers of the Student Government Assembly shall be
elected by a majority of the students voting in the annual spring elections
and presided over by the Senior Class President, Senior Class Legislative
Officers, and Executive Officers with Senior Class standing.
B) Executive Officers will be elected one week prior to the elections
of Legislative Officers. The elections of the Legislative Officers shall
be administered by the newly elected executive officers in conjunction
with the current members who have senior class standing.
C) The term of office for a Student Government Assembly member shall
be one year beginning two weeks before the last day of classes.
Section 3. The Members of the Student Government Assembly shall
abide by the following qualifications:
A) Members of the Student Government Assembly shall be full time
undergraduate students matriculated and registered;
B) Members shall be in good academic standing; and
C) The Executive Officers of the Student Government Assembly shall
have attained at least junior status by the first full semester of their
term.
Article IX
Section 1. Every elected official of the Student Government Assembly
is subject, herein provided, to recall by legal voters of the McDaniel
College Community:
A) The student or students demanding recall shall set forth in a
petition the reasons of the demand for recall;
B) If the elected official in question offers his or her resignation,
it shall be accepted and take effect on the day it is offered, and the
vacancy shall be filled as provided by the Student Government Assembly.
If he or she does not resign within fifteen (15) days, an election will
be held to determine whether the people will recall the officer; and
C) On the recall ballot there shall be printed the reasons for the
demand of recall in regards to the officer in question. No such petition
for recall shall be valid until he or she has actually held office for
at least one month:
1. The number of signatures required for a petition of
recall is as follows:
a. Pertaining to the recall of Executive Officers of
the Student Government Assembly, no fewer than ten percent (10%) of
the student body; and
b. Pertaining to the recall of the Legislative Officers, no
fewer than ten (10%) of the total number of enrollment of the respective
class.
Section 2. Members may be removed for impeachable offenses under
the following procedure:
A) The impeachment hearing for an attendance policy violation shall
be conducted by the Executive Officers and the Dean of Student Affairs.
B) Any elected Executive or Legislative Officer may be removed by
the Student Government Assembly by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Student
Government Assembly after receiving the second impeachment warning letter
from the Dean of Student Affairs.
Section 3. Vacancies of the Student Government Assembly shall be
filled by the following procedure:
A) Upon the vacancy of an Executive Office in the Student Government
Assembly, the President of the Student Government Assembly shall appoint
an acting Executive Officer, pending approval of the Student Government
Assembly, within two weeks. If the Presidency is vacant, the Vice-President
will assume the duties of the Presidency and a new Vice-President will
be elected;
B) Upon the vacancy of a Legislative Office in the Student Government
Assembly, the respective Class Officers shall appoint an acting Legislative
Officers pending approval by the class representatives until another
election is held; and
C) The election results may be consulted for the next highest vote-getter
who will then assume the vacant position in any of the above cases if
a sufficient candidate cannot be found.
Article X
Section 1. The presence of two-thirds (2/3) of the Student Government
Assembly shall constitute a quorum and must be present to conduct official
business.
Section 2. All Student Government Assembly members shall not be
absent in excess of two (2) regular meetings per semester.
A) An excused absence shall be recorded when a member gives proper
notification to the Secretary twenty-four (24) hours prior to the meeting.
1. Exceptions for the individual officers may be granted
at the concurrent discretion of the Executive Officers if requested
twenty-four (24) hours prior to the meeting.
2. Excused absences include field trips, illness, athletic games,
a death in the family, and one personal day (per semester).
B) After one (1) unexcused absence, a warning letter of impeachment
will be issued by the Secretary.
C) Upon a second unexcused absence, a second letter will be issued
by the Dean of Student Affairs and the impeachment process will commence.
Article XI
Section 1. Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed by a
two-thirds (2/3) vote of the voting members of the Student Government
Assembly, or by a petition of two-thirds (2/3) of the student body.
Section 2. Amendments to this Constitution shall be proposed by
two-thirds of the voting members of the Student Government Assembly.
Ratification of an amendment must receive the support of two-thirds
of the voting members of the Student Government Assembly in order for
passage.
Article XII
Section 1. This Constitution shall become effective immediately
after it has been approved by two-thirds (2/3) majority of the Student
Government Assembly.
Section 2. Upon ratification of this document the students of McDaniel
College, the faculty, administration, and Board of Trustees shall be
asked to assume the responsibility for review of the Constitution. At
their discretion, all sentiments and concerns shall be expressed to
the Student Government Assembly by no later than the first day of the
semester following ratification. On this day, the Constitution of the
Student Government Assembly shall be considered hereinafter as a contract
between the students of McDaniel College and the rest of the College
Community.
Ratified March 2, 1998
|