Student Senate Constitution

THE CONSTITUTION OF THE ILLINOIS COLLEGE STUDENT SENATE

Preamble

In an effort to promote self-government and to best voice our opinions and concerns, as well as resolve the issues affecting our campus, we, the students of Illinois College, with the authority and endorsement of the Board of Trustees and the President of the College, do form the Illinois College Student Senate as our government entity.

Article I – Name of Organization

Section 1

The name of the student government at Illinois College shall be The Illinois College Student Senate.

Article II – Membership of Student Senate

Section 1

Membership of Student Senate shall be open to all elected students of Illinois College who are full time students in good academic standing and good disciplinary standing as prescribed by the Registrar and the Dean of Students Office.

Section 2

Students shall represent the class in which they were designated upon enrollment at Illinois College. Fifth-year, Sixth-year, etc. students shall represent the senior class.

Section 3

Members shall be elected for one academic year.

Section 4

There shall be no limits on the number of terms served by a member of the Student Senate.

Section 5

The Student Senate shall have two advisors from the college act as non-voting members.

  1.  The Dean of Students of Illinois College shall serve as one of the advisors to the Student Senate.
  2.  A member of the Faculty of Illinois College shall serve as one of the advisors to the Student Senate.
  3.  Upon a vacancy in the position of Faculty Advisor to the Student Senate, the President will form an Advisor Search ad hoc Committee.
  4.  To be considered by the Student Senate for said position, a Faculty member must display proficiency or have experience in the areas of government or leadership.

iii.  Any nominee to this position must be approved of by a two-thirds majority vote.

  1.  The Faculty Advisor will serve a term of two years. After a two-year term, the Student Senate shall choose whether or not to re-elect the Faculty Advisor by a two-thirds majority vote.
  2.  The Faculty Advisor can be removed from their position by a two-thirds majority vote.

Section 6

If a member fails to meet their obligations in the Student Senate, he or she shall be removed by the President.

Section 7

A member of the Student Senate may be removed by a two-thirds majority of the Student Senate.

Section 8

If a vacancy should arise in the Student Senate, the Chair of the class who lost the Class Senator is responsible for filling the vacant seat.

  1.  The Class Chair will first offer the position to the first runner-up of the respective class’s last General Election. Should that person turn down the offer, the Class Chair will offer the position to the second runner-up and so on.
  2.  Should none of the runner-ups accept the offer to fill the empty position, the Class Chair will then ask for applications for the position from the entire class body. The Class Chair, along with his or her Class Senators, will then nominate an individual from the candidates to be approved of by a majority vote of the Student Senate.
  3.  If none of the runner-ups accept the offer to fill the empty position and no one from the class applies to the position, it shall be the President’s duty to find and nominate a person to fill the empty seat.

Article III – Executive Officers

Section 1

  1.  The President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary shall compose the Executive Board of Student Senate.
  2.  All executive officers shall have served at least one academic year on the Student Senate prior to serving on the Executive Board.

Section 2

  1.  The President and Vice President shall jointly be elected to a one academic year term by the student body.
  2.  The President and Vice President may not hold office in their respective classes.
  3.  The Treasurer and Secretary shall be appointed to the Executive Board by the President with the approval of the Student Senate by a majority vote.  
  4.  The Treasurer and Secretary shall retain their elected class position and their vote as a member of the Student Senate.

Section 3

The President shall:

  1.  Act as the chief executive officer of the Student Senate.
  2.  Be responsible for organizing and presiding over meetings of the Executive Board, Student Senate, and any other events.
  3.  Serve as the chief representative of the Student Senate and the student body to the administration, the Board of Trustees, and outside organizations.
  4.  Serve as a non-voting member on all Student Senate committees, standing and ad hoc.
  5.  Appoint all members of ad hoc committees.
  6.  Appoint Student Senate standing Committee Chairs as well as Student Senate Class Chairs.  
  7.  Oversee the student/faculty committee nomination and selection process.
  8.  Has the authority to sign checks issued by the Student Senate, along with one of the advisors.
  9.  Create and present the budget of the Student Senate, alongside the Treasurer.
  10.  Nominate two eligible members to serve as the Treasurer and Secretary from within the Student Senate to be voted upon and approved by the Student Senate.
  11.  In the case of a tie vote in the Student Senate, the President shall cast the deciding vote.

Section 4

The Vice President shall:

  1.  Fulfill the duties of the President in the President’s absence.
  2.  Appoint, with the respective Committee Chairs, all members of standing committees.
  3.  Coordinate the activities of Student Senate standing committees.
  4.  Serve as a non-voting member on any Student Senate committee upon the request of a Committee Chair or the President.
  5.  Enforce any conduct policies adopted by the Student Senate.
  6.  Act as the chief Parliamentarian of the Student Senate.
  7.  Assist the first-year class during their class meetings.
  8.  Perform any other tasks as assigned by the President and the Student Senate.
  9.  Retain his or her vote in the Student Senate.

Section 5

The Treasurer shall

  1.  Record, monitor, and organize the expenses and revenues of the Student Senate.
  2.  Inform the Student Senate bi-weekly of all account balances in the Student Senate accounts.
  3.  Serve as chair the Finance Committee.
  4.  Has the authority to sign checks issued by the Student Senate, along with one of the advisors.
  5.  Create and present the budget of the Student Senate, alongside the President.
  6.  Ensure that the Student Senate abides by the Student Senate Finance Policies.
  7.  Perform any other tasks as requested by the President and the Student Senate.

Section 6

The Secretary shall

  1.  Supply detailed minutes of the proceedings of the Student Senate meetings.
  2.  Keep an accurate file of all the Student Senate activities.
  3.  Prepare and supply copies of the Student Senate meeting materials.
  4.  Record the attendance of all members of the Student Senate according to the Student Senate Attendance Policy.
  5.  Notify all students and Student Senate members of any meeting at least twenty-four hours prior to that meeting.
  6.  Announce to campus all Student Senate affiliated meetings.
  7.  Perform any other tasks as requested by the President and the Student Senate.

Section 7

  1.  Any member of the Executive Board can be removed from their Executive position by a two-thirds vote of the Student Senate.
  2.  If removed, a Treasurer or Secretary shall continue to serve in the office to which they were elected by their class, unless subsequently removed from that role by an additional two-thirds vote of the Student Senate.

Section 8

  1.  In the event of a vacancy on the Executive Board, the President shall appoint a replacement who shall be confirmed by the Student Senate by a majority vote.
  2.  If the office of President is vacant, the Vice President shall become President and shall nominate a new Vice President which Student Senate shall confirm by a majority vote.
  3.  If both offices become vacant, Student Senate may vote to elect a new President from within the current Student Senate.  The new President shall nominate a new Vice President which Student Senate shall confirm by a majority vote.

 

Article IV– Meetings, Conduct, and Procedure

Section 1

  1.  Student Senate, as a whole, shall meet every other week, with the exception of weeks interrupted by holidays or breaks.
  2.  The President shall set the date and time of Student Senate meetings each semester and shall notify all members at the start of each semester.

Section 2

Student Senate meetings shall be open and announced to the entire Illinois College community. Individuals not associated with the college may attend at the consent of the President.

Section 3

No member of Student Senate shall be permitted to vote unless they are present at the meeting. No proxy or write-in votes shall be allowed. No member shall have more than one vote.

Section 4

A majority of all voting members must be present at a meeting for Student Senate to conduct business.

Section 5

  1.  Any member of Student Senate may petition for a special meeting of Student Senate to discuss one or more specific items of business. The petition should be made in writing to the President. If approved by the Executive Board, the special meeting shall occur within seventy-two (72) hours and Student Senate members should be given at least forty-eight (48) hours notice before the scheduled time of the meeting.
  2.  Attendance at a special meeting is mandatory for all members.

Section 6

  1.  Resolutions are for the purpose of advocacy and/or action.
  2. All voting members of Student Senate may write and propose a resolution
  3. All resolutions are required to be submitted to the Leadership Council. At the Leadership Council’s discretion, a resolution submitted must be forwarded to any committee.
  4. All new resolutions must be passed by a majority roll call vote.
  5. After passing a resolution, said resolution will become Senate law.
  6. Repealing an old resolution requires two-thirds roll call vote; resolution must specifically repeal previous resolution.
  7. Roll call voting options are as follows:
  1. Yea
  2. Nay
  3. Abstain from voting
  4. Abstain from the order of voting

Article V – Leadership Council

Section 1

The President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Public Relations Committee Chair, College and External Affairs Committee Chair, and the Student Faculty Committee Liaison shall compose the Leadership Council of the Student Senate.

Section 2

This Council will meet once a week at a time and day set by the President.

Section 3

The Council serves as a line of communications between the Executive Board and the Committee Chairs so that Student Senate may run more efficiently.

Section 4

The quorum for this council will consist of a majority of the Executive Board as well as a majority of the three Committee Chairs.  

Article VI – Committees

Section 1

Student Senate shall contain three standing committees. These shall be the College and External Affairs Committee, Finance Committee, and the Public Relations Committee.

Section 2

Each of the three committees shall be led by a Chair to be appointed by the President. The Chair of each committee will be responsible for appointing a Vice Chair.

Section 3

A chair may be removed by a two-thirds vote of his or her committee. In the event that the chair is removed, the President and Vice President shall appoint a replacement from within the committee.

Section 4

The responsibilities of a Committee Chair are as follows:

  1.  Schedule at least one committee meeting on the weeks that Student Senate does not convene.
  2.  Serve as the presiding officer of all of their respective committee meetings.
  3.  Personally make sure that the responsibilities of his or her committee are carried out faithfully.
  4.  Submit required documentation of all committee efforts to designated persons.
  5.  Compile a yearly record of all documentation to pass down to his or her predecessor.
  6.  Attend Leadership Council meetings regularly.

Section 5

With the exception of the President and Vice President, all members of the Student Senate shall serve on one of the three standing committees, each being comprised of eight (8) members.

Section 6

The Finance Committee shall:

  1.  Budget all student activity funds.
  2.  Be in charge of the Allocation process.
  3.  Order and conduct audits of Student Activity-Fee funds as it sees fit.
  4.  Present the annual budget.
  5.  Ensure that both the Student Senate and student organizations abide by the Finance Bylaws.
  6.  Act as the liaison between Student Senate and student organizations.
  7. Coordinate with student organizations in the implementation of their ideas in which the Student Senate can lend its resources and help in any way as deemed necessary.
  8. Coordinate with the other standing committees in the case they host events requiring funding.
  9. Maintain and develop business relations within the community.
  10. Communicate with student organizations regarding the status of their allocation requests.

Section 7

The College and External Affairs Committee shall:

  1. Serve as an advocate for students with regard to dining standards and policies.
  2. Work as an advocate for residents in residence halls, in conjunction with the Office of Residence Life, to improve and maintain conditions of the residence halls.
  3. Work to improve the campus life of students at Illinois College.
  4. Communicate regularly with the Office of Admissions to ensure tours, and other information given to prospective, and admitted students properly reflect the campus.
  5. Advocate and develop initiatives for issues (political, social, campus-related, etc.) that Student Senate would like to undertake.
  6. Maintain relations with Faculty Senate, and the Illinois College chapter of the American Association of University Professors in order for Student Senate to work with these bodies on issues pertaining to the wellbeing of the College.
  7. Review changes in College policy (academic, attendance, tuition, etc.), and take action as deemed appropriate.
  8. Engage with the student body to determine what issues are currently relevant to campus through any means the committee decides.
  9. Work, in conjunction with the Student Senate Student-Faculty Committee Liaison, who is a permanent member of this committee, to ensure students are fully engaged and included in Student-Faculty committee meetings.
  10. Ensure the wellbeing of registered student organizations on campus.
  11. Serve as the liaison between Student Senate and greek-lettered organizations on campus, and advocate for them.

Section 8

The Public Relations Committee shall:

  1.  Work to improve relations and dialogue between the student body and the Student Senate.
  2.  Educate the student body about Student Senate activities through advertising, promoting, and any other means necessary to reach students.
  3.  Hold elections on the dates and times set by the Executive Board.
  4.  Handle Faculty and Staff Member of the Month Award.
  5.  Update the Connect2 as well as any of the social media pages.
  6.  Oversee various resources and tools used by Student Senate.
  7. Update the Student Senate on any events of which an organization requests Student Senate involvement and make recommendations on how the Student Senate may assist them.
  8. Plan and implement any event sponsored by the Student Senate, on behalf of the Student Senate, with a budget that shall be approved by the President and Treasurer per a case-by-case basis.
  9. Issue, in conjunction with the President of Student Senate, communications to the student body and campus community regarding important changes on campus.
  10. Maintain and update the various platforms that Student Senate currently uses to communicate with the student body and campus community.

Section 9

  1.  All committees shall update their work to the Student Senate.
  2.  All committees shall perform tasks assigned to them by the Executive Board.
  3.  All committees have the authority to review and make recommendations on legislation as a committee before the Student Senate, if that legislation falls under their area of responsibility.

Section 10

  1.  The President, with the approval of the Student Senate, shall have the power to create ad hoc committees and appoint members to serve on those committees.
  2.  Ad hoc committees cease to exist at the end of the academic year, though they may be recreated at the start of the next year.
  3.  The President shall serve as or appoint the chair of any ad hoc committees.

Article VII – Class Senators

Section 1

Each class shall elect six Class Senators to represent their interests and concerns within the Student Senate.

Section 2

The Student Senate President shall appoint one Class Chair of each class from among the six members of each class with the approval of the Executive Board.

Section 3

The Class Chair shall:

  1.  Act as the chief representative of his or her class.
  2.  Preside over class meetings.
  3.  Report to the Student Senate regarding class activities.
  4.  Manage revenues and expenses of the class.
  5.  Submit a report to the Vice President, upon request, stating class activities, fundraising, expenses, and account balances.

Section 4

The Class Vice Chair shall

  1.  Carry out the responsibilities of the Class Chair if he/she is unable to.
  2.  Assume the office of Class Chair should it become vacant.
  3.  Improve relations between Class Senators and their respective class.
  4.  Perform all other duties requested by the Class Chair and the President.
  5.  Keep minutes of class meetings.

Section 5

The Class Senators shall

  1.  Attend all class meetings.
  2.  Attend all of their respective committee meetings.
  3.  Actively listen to fellow members of their class to identify issues that should be brought to Student Senate’s attention.
  4.  Be in charge of promoting class fundraisers and activities.
  5.  Perform all duties requested by the Class Chair and the Student Senate President.
  6.  Manage, raise, and expend class funds in conjunction with the Class Chair.

Article VIII– Elections

Section 1

  1.  Two elections shall be held in the Spring semester at some point between spring break and the last meeting of the Student Senate.
  2.          The first election will be the Presidential Election, which will be for the selection of a

President and Vice President of the Student Senate and will be decided by a majority vote of the entire student body.

  1.          The second election, taking place no later than seven days after the Presidential

Election, will be for the selection of the six Class Senators for each of the Sophomore, Junior, and Senior classes and will be decided by a majority vote of their respective classes.

Section 2

  1.  One election shall be held in the Fall semester, within the first month of the academic year, for the incoming Freshman class.
  2.          This election will be for the selection of the six Class Senators for the Freshman class.
  3.          These six individuals will be selected by a majority vote of their class.

Section 3

  1.  Voting in elections shall be open to all current students of Illinois College.
  2.  Students may only cast votes in their class elections and the Presidential Election.
  3. A student’s class shall be that with which they entered the College.
  4. Fifth and Sixth year students are to vote with the senior class in the General Election.

iii. Each student shall have only one vote.

Section 4

Candidates for a position are not permitted to loiter or campaign within fifteen feet of a polling place.

Article IX – Constitutional Amendments

Section 1

The Student Senate, whenever two-thirds of all voting members deem it necessary, may amend or rewrite this Constitution.

Section 2

An amendment may be voted upon by the Student Senate in the first full Student Senate meeting following the meeting in which the amendment was proposed.

Section 3

Constitutional amendments shall go into effect the moment that it is approved.

Article X – Transfer of Power and Oaths

Section 1

The newly elected members of Student Senate will take office at the start of the new Student Senate year at a meeting which will take place sometime in April.

Section 2

At this meeting, the new President shall nominate his or her choice for Treasurer and Secretary to be confirmed by a majority of the newly elected Student Senate.

Section 3

  1.  The beginning of the first meeting of the new Student Senate year will comprise of the administering of the Presidential Oath of Office to the incoming President by the outgoing President.
  2.  If a President is re-elected, then the oath will be administered by one of Student Senate’s advisors.
  3.  The Presidential Oath of Office will be as follows:

“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the Illinois College Student Senate, and will, to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend its Constitution.”

 

Submitted to Student Senate on behalf of the Ad Hoc Constitution Committee in February 2015.

Jacob Franke ‘15                                                           Dan Lewis ‘16

Koert Brown ‘15                                                          Bradley Franke ‘16

Nathan Zimmerman ‘16                                           Noah Yantis ‘18

Christian Flores ‘18                                                  Sierra McDonald ‘17

                                       Jovanny Nava ‘16

Amendment submitted to Student Senate on behalf of the Ad Hoc Constitution Committee in December 2016 (SR 16-14).

Alexis Foster ‘18                                                           Noah Yantis ‘18

James Hills ‘18                                                             Austin Phillips ‘19

McAbraham Appiah-Kubi ‘20                                   Scott Pantier ‘17

Ronald Hoagland ‘19                                                 Allison McNamara ‘18

                                     Quinton Wadkins ‘17

Amendments submitted to Student Senate on behalf of the Ad Hoc Constitution Committee during the 2017-2018 academic year: SR 17-8, SR 17-21, SR 17-30, and SR 17-40.

Joshua Condon 19’                                                    McAbraham Appiah-Kubi 20’

Samantha Hurst 19’                                                 Kaleigh DeNardo 21’

Sergio Pena 21’                                                         James Hills 18’

Michael Shereda 19’                                                Adam Herdman 18’

                                      Austin Phillips 19’