UMass Boston Student Government Association Constitution (T98-059)

Doc. T98-059, as amended
Passed by the Board of Trustees on June 3, 1998
Latest revision: August 23, 2006

Chapter I: Duties Of Officers

Section A: The President

The President of the Student Senate shall have all powers and restrictions given by the Constitution and Bylaws of the Student Senate.
The Senate President shall have the power of veto, requiring a 2/3 vote majority of those present and voting to overturn. A veto may be executed up to the approval of the minutes of the next scheduled meeting. After a veto has been exercised, a motion to reconsider will be laid upon the table and be considered automatically.

Section B: The Vice President

The Vice President of the Student Senate shall have all powers and restrictions given by the Constitution and Bylaws of the Student Senate.
The Vice President shall, in the absence of or at the discretion of the President, preside over all meetings of the Senate and the Executive Committee. The Vice President shall have executive authority on behalf of the Senate, subject to the approval of the President.

Section C: The Representative to the Faculty Council

The Representative to the Faculty Council shall have all powers and restrictions given by the Constitution and Bylaws of the Student Senate.
The Representative to the Faculty Council shall have executive authority on behalf of the Senate at meetings of the Faculty Council.
The Representative to the Faculty Council shall be a member of the Campus and Community Affairs Committee.

Section D: Committee Chairs

The Chairpersons of the standing committees shall have all powers and restrictions given by the Constitution and Bylaws of the Student Senate.
Chairpersons shall have executive authority on behalf of their committees, subject to ratification thereof.

Chapter II: Powers and Procedures of Standing Committees

Section A: Voting Rights

All Student Senators must participate on a standing committee.
Senators may be voting members on one standing committee, and may participate in other committees, but only with non-voting status, with the exception of Executive Committee members who may vote on one other committee. The Chairs of standing committees will vote to break ties only, and are considered voting members of their committee.
All Committees reserve the right to establish policy guidelines binding upon their members, yet subject to all laws emanating from higher authority.
All committees shall have no less than five voting members with three members constituting quorum, except on the Budget and Finance Committee where five (5) members shall constitute a quorum. Non-senators may become ex-officio non-voting members of the Academic and Student Activities and Leadership Committee or the External Affairs Committee by a majority vote of the committee and after ratification by the Senate.

Section B: The Executive Committee

The Executive Committee shall, gather and publish a current edition of the Constitution, Bylaws and Committee Policy guidelines for each new fiscal year or incoming senator.
Executive may contribute to the reviews on non-student, Student Activities and Leadership personnel. The only exception is that the Budget and Finance Committee may contribute to the review of accounting staff.
The SGA President and the Student Trustee are members of the Massachusetts Student Advisory Council.
Committee Chairs may nominate Vice Chairs of their committees, subject to the approval of their committee.

Section C: The Budget and Finance Committee

The Budget and Finance Committee (B&F) shall adhere to the following procedures in exercising it’s responsibilities:
All meetings shall adhere to the open meeting law. All meetings will be run under policies, procedures, and regulations, approved and set forth by the committee.
Budget and Finance Committee: No senator who is paid from the Student Activities Trust Fund or Revenue Cost Centers or who works for a student publication shall also sit on Budget and Finance.
The Budget and Finance Committee or the SGA President may request financial information from University administrative offices as part of their official duties. This may include, but not be limited to, contracts, budgets or detailed financial records of any part of the University of Massachusetts.
This committee shall consist of seven members including the chair, who are all Student Senators. No single college shall have more than one-half of the total number of seats of B&F. The B&F Committee will have complete responsibility for the planning and review of the budget of the Student Activities Trust Fund (SATF), and for presenting its plans and recommendations to the Student Senate.
The Chair of the Budget and Finance Committee will be responsible for keeping all Senate members informed of the operations and decisions of the Budget and Finance committee during the budgetary process.
At each meeting of the Student Senate, the Budget and Finance Committee shall present for Student Senate approval, its plan for allocations from the general contingency portion of the budget, offering brief explanations for each allocation.
The Student Senate may not amend the SATF operating budget submitted by the Budget and Finance Committee, but it may, by majority vote of those present and voting, return a line item to the Budget and Finance Committee for re-study; or the Senate may, by majority vote, send the whole budget back to the Committee for restudy.
The committee shall receive all SATF funds that are not itemized in the SATF yearly budget, and this fund shall be called the “General Contingency Fund”.
This committee shall not allocate less than 15% of the SATF yearly budget to RSO’s and centers.
All appropriations from the SATF funded account, must first be passed by the B&F Committee, and then by the Student Senate at a regularly scheduled meeting.
The Budget and Finance Committee shall receive the recommended budget for all Revenue Cost Centers from the Department of Student Activities and Leadership for approval by the Senate during the same time as the SATF Operational budget. The Budget and Finance Committee may not amend the budget submitted by Student Activities and Leadership, but it may by a majority vote of the committee send back the budget to the Department of Student Activities and Leadership for restudy. The exception to this rule is the Mass Media student newspaper. The Budget and Finance Committee may only recommend to the full Student Senate that this account be frozen if fiscal mismanagement is found.
The committee shall receive copies of all official monthly financial records on all SATF or Revenue Cost Center accounts. The committee may recommend to the Senate that an audit of the SATF or Revenue Cost Centers be conducted by the University, state or private auditors. Further the committee may authorize the payment of any costs associated with such an audit.
The committee shall regularly review all SATF and RCC expenses such as phone records, copier usage, administrative costs, etc.
The committee may recommend changes in administrative costs for any SATF funded area.
The B&F contingency fund may be used for the following only: for the purchase of items for the use of the entire RSO or Center and within the purpose of the RSO (as stated in the RSO constitution) and Center (as stated in their Charter) i.e., books or videos, magazine subscriptions, membership dues of larger organizations, learning supplies, equipment for use by all members of the RSO and Centers, etc.
A proposal for funding from the SEOC contingency fund must contain but is not limited to the following information to be considered by SEOC; the name of the sponsoring RSO or Center, the amount of funds requested, the total cost and description of the event or program, the date that the funds are needed by, the location of the event or program, and an accurate estimation on the number of people to attend and if admission is being charged and/or tickets are to be sold.
RSO Funding procedure:
1. The B&F Committee shall be responsible for the reallocation of all SATF purchased assets. The Division of Student Activities and Leadership shall notify the Committee in writing if their decision is not compliant with University policies within three business days. The Senate reserves the right to reallocate any equipment purchased from the SATF at any time. Receipt of SATF equipment is contingent upon the implicit acceptance of this policy.
2. All funding requests must contain estimated bills, statements, and all relative information to be considered.

Section D: The Campus and Community Affairs Committee

The Campus and Community Affairs Committee (CCA) shall adhere to the following procedures in exercising it’s responsibilities:
All meetings shall adhere to the open meeting law. All meetings will be run under policies, procedures, and regulations, approved and set forth by the committee.
CCA is the internal and external relations branch of the SGA. The scope of the CCA shall include but not be limited to the following:
1. Promoting the academic interests of the student body.
2. Recommendation of any repairs, upgrades, or adjustments to physical property deemed necessary or which would help make the campus more accessible to people with disabilities.
3. Communication between the Senate and the student body. CCA shall be responsible for working with the Student Senate in the promotion of all Senate activities and dissemination of all necessary information.
4. Dealing with problems that students bring to the Senate pertaining to the internal workings of UMass Boston provided however, issues that fall under the jurisdiction of another Senate Committee shall be excluded.
The CCA shall be responsible for recommending student membership on University or collegiate committee and governance bodies to the full Student Senate for final appointment.
1. Any member of the UMass community to the CCA may submit nominations of a student.
2. Through the CCA, the Student Senate shall be solely responsible for the appointment of all undergraduate students to all governance bodies. Provided however, collegiate governance bodies shall first be given 30 days to fill a student vacancy by a general election of the students within the college. To be valid, such an election must follow the same rules as those for Student Senators contained within the Student Senate Constitution and Bylaws.
3. CCA will ensure that student representation exists on all committees to review bids for on-campus vendors.
4. Students not confirmed through this process are not considered to be official representatives of the undergraduate student body and will not be recognized by the SGA until such time as the Student Senate has confirmed them.
The CCA shall adhere to the following procedures in exercising it responsibilities.
1. CCA shall consist of no less than eight members including the chair.
2. CCA shall be responsible for the coordination of all lobbying efforts put forth by all standing committees, ad-hoc committees and the full SGA, Student Senate officers, which are lobbying on behalf of the SGA Student Senate. To achieve this, any group who decides that they must lobby state leaders (i.e., the Governor, the Senate, or the House of Representatives), on behalf of the SGA Student Senate shall adhere to the following guidelines:
  1. A motion must be submitted to the chair of the Campus and Community Affairs Committee, soliciting the support of the SGA Student Senate on the issue at hand.
  2. The chair of the CCA shall then place a motion on the agenda of the next CCA meeting and a vote will be taken as to whether or not the issue should be brought before the SGA Executive Committee.
  3. If the CCA stands behind the lobbying effort, the motion shall be passed and the chair of the CCA shall bring the motion to the floor of the Executive Committee and recommend that it be placed on the agenda of the next full SGA Student Senate meeting. If the motion fails it shall be tabled until such time that acceptable changes are made.
  4. If and when the motion passes by a majority vote of the full SGA Student Senate and the CCA shall become active on the issue, and will work in coalition with the originators of the motion. It will be the responsibility of the CCA to ensure that the SGA Student Senate and the UMass Boston student body are well-informed as to how the lobbying effort is proceeding.
CCA shall be responsible for the registration of all standing committees, ad-hoc committees and full Student Senate officers who desire to become legislative and executive lobbyists. Furthermore, all CCA members may become registered lobbyists on behalf of the Student Senate and will be responsible for ensuring the views of the Senate, and the Student body is properly conveyed to state legislators and media outlets. The process which registers SGA members as executive and legislative lobbyists shall take place as follows:
1. A motion must be submitted to the Chair of the Campus and Community Affairs by the chair of the committee for which the officer desiring to be registered is active.
2. The motion must include the full legal name of the officer and or any other office on the said committee for which registration is being requested.
3. Once the motion is submitted, it is automatically accepted and a registration form will be completed and filed at the State House by the CCA within ten (10) working days of the original submission.
4. Once submission has been made, any documentation, which is received by the CCA from the State House will be copied and forwarded to the chair of the committee who originally put forth the motion.
CCA shall be responsible for securing contacts with both on-campus and off-campus media outlets (i.e., all local and national publications including by not limited to newspapers, television and internet communications).
All press releases made on behalf of any standing committee, ad-hoc committee, and or full SGA Student Senate, which is stated in the context of being a “Senate Press Release”, shall go through and be submitted by the CCA.The process for which making press releases on behalf of the SGA Student Senate shall be as follows:
1. The chair of the CCA will then place any statement, announcement and/or press release on the agenda of the next CCA meeting and a vote will be taken as to whether or not the issue should be recommended to the SGA Student Senate.
2. Both the issue and the CCA’s recommendation would then be submitted to the SGA Executive Committee to be placed on the SGA Student Senate agenda.
3. If and when the statement, announcement and or press release passes by a majority vote of the full Undergraduate Student Senate the CCA will then become active on the issue. They will then work in coalition with the originators of the statement, announcement, and/or press release to inform the student body through any media outlet which will facilitate the expedient release of such information.

Section E: The Student Events and Organizations Committee

Student Events and Organizations Committee: No officer of a Recognized Student Organization shall also sit on Student Events and Organizations Committee. No Senator who works for a Center shall also sit on the SEOC Committee.
All meetings shall adhere to the open meeting law. All meetings will be run under policies, procedures, and regulations, approved and set forth by the committee.
The Student Event and Organizations Committee shall adhere to the following procedures in exercising its responsibilities.
SEOC is responsible for the oversight of the Student Arts and Events Council, Recognized Student Organizations (RSO’s), and Student Centers. Further, complimentary passes or tickets to any events requiring an admission charge shall not be waived for anyone without prior authorizations from the full Student Senate. SEOC members shall have access to all rooms of organizations which it oversees within 24 hours of notifying the organization.
SEOC is responsible for the allocations and use of RSO’s and centers’ space and determines the hours of operation for RSO’s. The minimum allowable hours of operation should conform to those of the library.
RSO’s formation procedure. SEOC shall be responsible for the approval of all RSO’s. The procedure for the formation or re-approval of an RSO will be the following:
1. A prospective RSO must pick up a RSO Activation packet from the Student Activities and Leadership Office. When a student group is forming a new RSO, they must write a constitution, which must be passed by a 2/3 majority of the proposed membership. A sample constitution is contained within the RSO activation packet. The constitution must be submitted with the other club paperwork for approval by SEOC. After SEOC’s decision to activate the RSO, notification will be given to the student acting as the proposed RSO’s liaison to SEOC. If the SEOC does not approve the constitution, SEOC must contact the submitting organization within three academic days in writing with the reason for denial. This action will also be reported at the next SGA meeting.
2. The RSO fills in the minimum fifteen (15) names on the membership list and receives the amount deposited per the club’s constitution as membership dues. The club may have any member of the UMass Boston community as a member of the club, but at least fifteen of the activating members must be UMass Boston undergraduate students. Each member on the membership form also must list their student identification number as proof of their undergraduate status.
3. After the membership list is filled in and the constitution is approved by the prospective RSO, the club must then elect officers whose contact addresses must be listed as officers and submitted to SEOC.
4. The president of the new organization must sign a document stating that he/she understands the hazing policy on this campus. The president is responsible for all equipment stored in the RSO office.
5. All the paperwork aforementioned must be submitted to SEOC by the date which has been established by the committee chair which will be posted in the activation packets. SEOC has the right to extend the due date at their discretion. SEOC may not move the due date up after the first week of the fall or spring semesters. SEOC may delegate the collection of these materials to the advisor to RSO’s, who would then compile and maintain said records for the committee.
6. An already established RSO must do all of the aforementioned with the exception of the approval of the constitution. The RSO must submit a copy of this pre-approved constitution dated and signed and also an updated officers list with their paperwork. No RSO will be activated unless all paperwork is submitted by the designated dates established by the SEOC. Any prospective RSO failing to turn in the necessary paperwork will be not able to register as an RSO.
SEOC directive regarding RSO’s. SEOC will be responsible for ensuring the following directives are being enforced. SEOC has the right to recommend the denial of re-approval of an RSO or to refuse funding to an RSO that violates the following directives.
No student can be the treasurer or president of more than one RSO. Each president and treasurer (or the equivalent positions) of all the RSO’s must be held by different people.
During the semester breaks, all RSO’s are allowed access to their RSO space.
No two RSO’s can have more than a 20% membership crossover and be activated.
All RSO’s reactivate on a yearly basis, by submitting an officers list, membership list and a new hazing form at the beginning of the fall semester.
All RSO constitutional changes must be passed by SEOC. SEOC may request that a RSO rewrite their constitution in case of major changes.
Every RSO must have at least a treasurer and president. These officers retain signatory power over the RSO’s funds. A minimum of one signature is necessary to sign off on their funds. No RSO will be allowed to activate unless both the President and Treasurer have attended the fiscal orientation provided by Student Activities and Leadership Department.
No RSO may discriminate against students desiring to join their RSO. All RSO’s are open to the whole undergraduate UMass Boston community. All meetings and events held by RSO’s must be open to anyone wishing to attend. Discrimination is defined as those restrictions placed on individuals designed to restrict some groups from joining. This includes discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, religion, race and ability.
Any RSO found not to be in compliance of directives #21 - #27 will be subjected to the noted penalties.
1. 1st offense – a written warning will be issued. Copies of same will be sent to the Director of Student Activities and Leadership, Chief Officer of Student Activities and Leadership, RSO’s Advisor, the RSO in question, and Student Senate.
2. 2nd offense - Loss of club privileges (room, and or copies, and or mailbox, etc.)
3. 3rd offense – revocation of club status for up to one academic year
  To overturn the decision of SEOC, a 2/3 vote in the affirmative of the full Student Senate.
Student Centers. SEOC primarily oversee the student support centers under the Student Government umbrella of organizations.
To form a center, a charter must be submitted to SEOC. All charters of already established and proposed centers must be submitted to SEOC by December 1st of that academic year to be ratified by SEOC. The approval or denial for a charter must be reported for action by SEOC at the next meeting of the full Student Senate.
Each center will have within its organization one center coordinator, assistant coordinator, and one SEOC liaison.
The Student Activities and Leadership Department advisor to the centers will be responsible for the convening and facilitating all hiring interviews, with such interviews to be convened on campus at the center for which the hiring is being done.
The hiring board for all centers shall consist of one full-time staff person of the Student Activities and Leadership Department, a member of SEOC, and the faculty/staff advisor from the relevant academic area.
Role of Center Advisors. The role of newly appointed advisors to Student centers holding the signatory power over student center accounts and expenditures must agree to and understand that:
1. His/her role is strictly advisory in nature and signatory oversight in terms of University and state fiscal policies. The advisor should review all expenditure requests by the center Coordinator and shall process them subject to their compliance with University Policies and Procedures and the mission of the student center.
2. The new advisors shall in no way interfere with the students’ consensus or ideology put forth in the charters of the student centers and their student constituencies setting of center agendas. The responsibility for the agenda and activities of the student center and its staff shall reflect the will of the student constituency and the Student Center coordinator.
3. No financial transactions involving student center funds may be authorized without written consent of the student center coordinator and/or appropriate SGA representative. This applies to all equipment, facilities, and usage of center space.
4. If a student centers funding resides in a non-Student Activities Trust Fund account, it shall be implicit that any department receiving SATF funds shall work with the SGA to provide regular documentation on financial transactions and records.
5. Any recommendation for the hiring and firing of center coordinators will be forwarded as a recommendation to the designated branch on the SGA for final approval.
6. All powers and oversight given to student center advisors can be at any time revoked by the SGA if these guidelines are not adhered to as determined solely by the SGA. Student center coordinators may petition the SGA for a change in their advisor.
7. It shall be implicitly agreed upon and understood that Student center advisor agree to the above terms in carrying out their responsibilities. These terms are subject to change at any time by the SGA and shall be binding on all parties. Advisors shall receive a copy of the appropriate student centers charter, a copy of these Bylaws, and notification of any changes in these documents.

Section F: The Student Arts and Events Council

The Student Arts and Events Council (SAEC) shall adhere to the following procedures in exercising its responsibilities.
The Council shall carry out its responsibilities while receiving advice from the Advisor to SAEC. No University official or staff employee will attempt to restrict or otherwise define the operation of the SAEC without prior consultation with the entire Student Senate except insofar as those operations would not conform to University guidelines and/or the laws of the Commonwealth.
The Student Arts and Events Council supersedes any previous programming body and is the only duly authorized programming body empowered by the Student Senate to execute the conception, planning and implementation of student based programs. This board will be funded from the Student Activities Trust Fund (SATF) and SATF revenue based accounts. The Student Senate shall ultimately be responsible for the development of an annual budget, which will include an annual calendar of major and minor campus events, and the Harbor Art Gallery.
The fiscal officer of the Student Arts and Events Council shall meet at least every two weeks with the Student Events and Organizations Committee of the Student Senate for the purpose of budget verification and program reports. If SEOC determines that funds are being mismanaged or misappropriated, SEOC shall make such a report at the next full Senate meeting. A majority vote by the Student Senate may freeze the Student Arts and Events Council account(s) until the matter has been dealt with by the Student Senate.
The Student Arts and Events Council shall operate year-round. Summer operations will proceed under the same Bylaws as in the academic year and with the limitations contained in the Student Government Association Constitution of University of Massachusetts at Boston.
This board will be funded from the Student Activities Trust Fund (SATF) and SATF revenue based accounts.
This Council shall consist of up to three members. The Council shall be comprised of a fiscal officer, a publicity officer, and a liaison to the Student Centers. The remaining members will constitute general programming membership. All members are expected to contribute to the general programming of the Council.
The Harbor Art Gallery Director shall be an ex-officio member of the SAEC.
The SAEC and Harbor Art Gallery Director hiring board will consist of the Advisor to SAEC, a member of SEOC, and Executive Committee member of the Student Senate. The results of the applicant screen process undertaken by the Student Events and Organizations Committee of the Student Senate will be forwarded to the hiring board. Though the student members of the hiring committee do not have a direct vote in hiring, they will participate in the hiring process by giving their recommendations to the Advisor to SAEC who is to be hired. The Advisor to SAEC will act accordingly to the recommendations of the Executive Committee to the Student Senate.
All Council members shall receive a detailed job description of the Student Arts and Events Council and their responsibilities. Failure to perform the duties prescribed will result in an unfavorable employment report(s) from the SEOC and/or the Executive Committee forwarded to the Business Manager who is required to take action.
All positions on the Student Arts and Events Council are paid positions, funded by the SATF revenue based accounts. If a Council member has work-study, it will be used. If 03 funding is necessary, it will be paid for in this manner. Likewise if a Council member’s work study runs out, 03 funding will be made available. Pay may be commensurate with experience. No member shall work more than 20 hours a week. 03 funding is contingent upon the availability of funds as determined by the B & F Committee. The Council members must adhere to the rules of the Payroll Department of the Department of Student Activities and Leadership. Unused funds shall be returned every semester to the SATF.
The Student Senate shall appoint a Student Arts and Events Council member to the position of fiscal officer of SAEC. The fiscal officer duly appointed shall be the only Council member to possess signatory power over expenditures. All expenditures shall be allocated by the fiscal office in conjunction with the Advisor to SAEC. The signatures of the fiscal officer and the Advisor to SAEC will be required for moneys to be expended. In absence of the Advisor to SAEC, expenditures may be co-signed by the Coordinator of Fiscal Affairs. Co-signatures as delineated above are required for encumbrance and expenditure of SATF and SATF revenue funds for programming authorized by the Council. The fiscal office shall act in accordance with the majority vote of the Council.
The Student Arts and Events Council shall act in a manner which facilitates successful wide-ranging and special focus programming for the entire student body; it shall review proposals without prejudice; and initiate effective programming that will advance the artistic, cultural, and social experiences of all students. Events that do not meet university guidelines and/or the laws of the Commonwealth shall not be funded.
A rotating chair shall preside over SAEC meetings. The chair will be an SAEC member.

Chapter III: Elections

Section A: Elections Task Force Ad-Hoc Committee

The Elections Task Force Ad-Hoc Committee, as appointed at the last full Senate meeting of the fall session by the Student Senate along with recommendations from the Executive Committee, oversees elections procedures within Chapter Two of the Bylaws. No member shall sit on the ETFAC who is a candidate running for election.

Section B: Funding for Elections

The Student Senate will allocate to the Elections Task Force Ad-Hoc Committee funds sufficient to cover the expenses of the election process. The amount shall be decided upon by the Elections Task Force Ad-Hoc Committee and the Budget and Finance Committee prior to each election process.

Section C: Announcements

Elections for Student Government and Student Trustee shall officially be announced on the first day after the add/drop period ends in the spring semester.
Announcements shall be made in the campus newspaper, and in general posting. The announcements will include the following information:
1. Where and how to become a candidate.
2. The number of seats available per college.
3. Brief description of the positions available.

Section D: Nominations

The nomination period will begin at least ten (10) class days after the first announcements are made.
The nomination period shall be open for at least ten (10) class days.
Nominees shall have to meet the requirements set in the Student Government Constitution article V.
At least two (2) class days shall be given for verification of all candidates. All ineligible candidates shall be notified by the Elections Task Force Ad-Hoc Committee or a staff member appointed by Student Activities and Leadership in the most expedient manner possible. This will be followed up by a mailing to the candidate.

Section E: Campaigning

The campaign period shall begin on the first class day following the completion of verification of all nominees.
The campaign period shall be no longer than ten (10) class days. During this period, there shall be at least two (2) open debates/forums for all the candidates.
Referendum campaigning: The campaign period for referendum questions shall begin on the first class day following verification of candidates. Campaigning shall begin when candidates are eligible to campaign.
The campaign period for referendum questions shall be no longer than five (5) class days. Referendum campaigning shall not overwhelm individual campaigning.
The Elections Task Force Ad Hoc Committee shall work with the campus newspaper in order to put out the traditional election edition of the student newspaper, whose focus shall be the candidates and the issues of the elections.
Standard University posting policies will regulate the display of campaign related materials around campus.
The Elections Task Force Ad-Hoc Committee, as appointed at the last full Senate meeting of the fall session by the Student Senate along with recommendations from the Executive Committee, oversees elections procedures within Chapter Two of the Bylaws. No member shall sit on the ETFAC who is a candidate running for election.

Section F: Voting

The voting period shall begin not later than three (3) class days after the end of the campaign period.
The voting period shall last at least three (5) class days.
There shall be no campaigning within twenty-five (25) feet of polls. The polls shall have one staff and one student present at all times.
Every matriculated undergraduate student who is recorded by the Registrar’s Office is entitled to vote. Valid student identification is required.
The student may vote on:
1. Senate seats from his/her college only
2. The Student Trustee
3. All referenda questions
Write-in candidacies are permitted.
Four (4) percent of the representative college vote is needed in order to be recognized as a Senator of that college.
No University trust fund or grant moneys or items purchased by said funds may be used by a candidate to influence his/her candidacy or any other candidacy.
Any dispute concerning the election must be submitted in writing to the Student Election Coordinator within twenty-four (24) hours of any alleged infraction and is subject to arbitration by the Department of Student Activities and Leadership and the Executive Committee.

Section G: Electronic Tabulations

All tabulations will come directly from an appointed Information Technology representative that will oversee implementation and maintenance of the voting program.
Tabulations shall take place immediately following the election period.
The names of newly elected officials shall be posted within two (2) class days after the end of the tabulations in the Student Activities and Leadership Office.
All candidates shall be notified by the Elections Task Force Ad-Hoc Committee, or a staff member appointed by Student Activities and Leadership in the most expedient manner possible, by electronic mail or postal mail, if necessary, and the results shall be posted in the campus newspaper and on the official SGA website. Detailed results shall be available in the Student Activities and Leadership office for interested parties.
The format for tabulations will be:
1. Total number of votes
2. Number of votes per college
3. Names of candidates and number of votes received
4. Referenda questions and the options
5. Number of votes on each option
The Executive committee shall notify the SGA as soon as possible of the results.

Section H: Paper Ballot Tabulations

Tabulations of all votes shall be done by the Elections Task Force Ad-Hoc Committee, Student Activities and Leadership personnel, members of the Executive Committee, and one (1) other University personnel.
Tabulations shall take place immediately following the election period.
The names of newly elected officials shall be posted within two (2) class days after the end of the tabulations in the Student Activities and Leadership Office.
All candidates shall be notified by the Elections Task Force Ad-Hoc Committee, or a staff member appointed by Student Activities and Leadership in the most expedient manner possible, by electronic mail or postal mail, if necessary, and the results shall be posted in the campus newspaper. Detailed results shall be available in the Student Activities and Leadership office for interested parties.
The format for tabulations will be:
1. Total number of votes
2. Number of votes per college
3. Names of candidates and number of votes received
4. Referenda questions and the options
5. Number of votes on each option
The Executive committee shall notify the SGA as soon as possible of the results.

Section I: Special Elections

The Student Government shall call for special elections in cases of:
1. Vacancy in the Student Trustee Office
2. Any situation deemed as an emergency by vote of the Student Senate.
The Student Senate shall call for a special election by a 2/3 vote of the full Student Senate.
Announcements for special elections will occur at the earliest possible time.
Special elections will follow the same procedure as listed above with the following exceptions:
1. The nomination period shall begin at least five (5) class days after the first announcements.
2. The nomination period shall be at least five (5) class days.
3. The campaign period shall be at least five (5) class days.

Section J: Election of Student Trustee

The election of the Student Trustee will follow the above mentioned procedure where it applies except in cases where it conflicts with the Student and Trustee Election Policy of the Board of Trustees of the University of Massachusetts.

Chapter IV: Membership

Section A: Seating of Members

A vacancy on the Student Senate shall be filled until the next election by the Student Senate.
All new members, prior to being seated, shall be required to attend a mandatory orientation to be overseen by the Student Senate Advisor, the current members or representatives of the Executive Committee, and/or the Elections Task Force Ad-Hoc Committee.
1. Funding for orientation will be allocated through the Budget and Finance Committee in the form of a written proposal from the Elections Task Force Committee.
2. The purpose of the orientation is to familiarize incoming senators with the policies and procedures of the SGA so all will be knowledgeable. Orientation will be no less than a 1 (one) day period to accommodate all incoming senators. The SGA proficiency exam will encompass a more in-depth knowledge of the SGA policies and proceedings to prepare Senators for their leadership roles.
3. All pertinent materials, including Robert’s Rules of Order, shall be given to all Senate candidates at the end of the verification period, prior to elections. This will allow ample time for study on the part of any prospective examinees.

Section B: Attendance

Any member of the Student Senate who is absent, without excuse, for two (2) consecutive regular meetings or a total of three (3) meetings per academic semester, or six (6) meetings per academic year will be dismissed unless a valid reason has been submitted to the President of the SGA for approval prior to the absence. Summer sessions that are missed shall count as half (1/2) absences.
A valid reason shall be submitted in writing to the President of the SGA no later than the Monday prior to the next regular SGA meeting in order to be excused.
The President of the SGA shall decide if the reason given is valid. If the absentee questions the decision of the President of the SGA, then the Absentee has the right to petition the Executive Committee for reconsideration.
Valid reasons should be as specific as possible and include the following in addition to the discretion of the President of the SGA:
1. Personal or family related medical emergencies
2. Family related emergencies
3. Emergency work obligations
4. Personal problems
5. Midterm or final exams
If, for circumstances beyond one’s control, a Senator cannot submit a reason at the prescribed time, the Senator should make every attempt to inform the President of his/her absence by any means possible before the schedule meeting. If the Senator cannot notify the President before the meeting, for said reasons, a written reason must be submitted to the President of SAG as soon as possible in order to determine if the absence will be excused.
If the reason for the absence is determined to be “invalid” or if these procedures are ignore by the absentee, the absence shall count as an unexcused absence.
Exceptional attendance conditions:
1. Chairpersons of any committee (standing or ad-hoc) shall not be allowed any unexcused absence, nor are any SGA officials such as the Student Trustee, the Senate President, and the Vice President. Valid excuses in writing for these positions are the only acceptable response to absence.
2. Chairpersons of standing committees are required to attend meetings of the Executive committee, with no allowance for unexcused absences, under penalty of removal from that committee’s chair.
3. All SGA officials mentioned here have the option of arranging for an acceptable substitute who works regularly with the absentee official, such as a member of the absent chairperson’s committee, and must be fully briefed on scheduled business. The President shall determine if these conditions are met.
If the President, Vice President, or Student Trustee cannot attend a scheduled meeting they must notify the executive committee three days prior to absence.

Section C: Removal from Office

All student senators are subject to removal from a Senate committee, as a Senate liaison, or from the Senate altogether, by a vote of no confidence.
A vote of no confidence shall be defined as a vote in favor of removal by a 2/3 majority of members present and voting on whose agenda the item has appeared.
Any standing committee which presents a vote of no confidence against an officer, or committee member, must submit a written report to the Executive Committee for SGA action.

Chapter V: Procedures of Meetings and Records

Section A: Agendas

The Executive Committee will set the agenda for all meetings.
At the last regular meeting of the academic semester the SGA shall determine a meeting schedule for the following semester.
The agenda of regularly scheduled SGA meetings, including all appropriate documents and minutes shall be prepared and posted by the appropriate committees three calendar days in advance of the next regular meeting.
All formal motions not appearing on the published agenda will require a majority vote to be added to the agenda, and will be added as emergency business. All emergency business shall require a 2/3 vote to pass said motion, along with a second reading at the next full Senate meeting, which must pass by a majority vote.
The format of agendas when published shall be:
1. Title, including the name of the body
2. Date, time, and location of meeting
3. Order of business, including call to order; approval of the agenda; approval of old minutes; old business; new business; setting of date and time for the next meeting; and adjournment.
By a vote of majority of committee members present at any committee meetings (all Standing and ad-hoc), action item(s) may be placed on a consent agenda for regular Senate meetings. Any item so designated as a consent agenda item by the committee shall be so designated in the agenda of the regular Senate meetings. Unless any voting Senator objects to the inclusion of an item on the consent agenda by notifying the Presidents and the Committee Chair before the Senate meeting, all items designated as consent agenda items shall be included in the consent agenda for approval by a single vote of the Student Senate without discussion of individual items.

Section B: Minutes

The minutes of all SGA meetings, including all appropriate documents, agendas and minutes shall be prepared, distributed and posted by the appropriate committees no later than three calendar days before the next general assembly.
SGA minutes shall adhere to the following format:
1. Title, including the name of the body
2. Date, time and location of the meeting
3. Attendance: those present and voting; those absent (including the number of consecutive absences and that Senator’s total for the semester, i.e. “john Doe (1, 2); those present and non-voting.
4. Order of business, including resultant tallies if votes and a synopsis of all notable points of debate, as well as any emergency business or new business in addition to the published agenda
5. All resolve-upon actions with any amendments noted
6. All action voted down
Responsibility for transcribing meetings of the full Student Senate shall fall upon the Vice President; however, the Vice President may designate someone to transcribe them, from tape to written copy. The Vice President shall be responsible for distributing said minutes no later than three calendar days before the next general assembly.

Sections C: The SGA Filing System

All agendas, minutes, proposals, documents, letters and memos produced or receives by the members of the SGA shall be stored on file in the Senate Office.
All files for the active calendar year shall be kept in the drawers of the appropriate committee desk, maintained by the chair, vice chair, or by an appointed committee member, with the Executive Committee storing material on behalf of the full Senate.
The responsibility for collecting and filing all documents for the Official Senate records shall for to the Executive Committee, which may retain a paid secretary for all such work.

Section D: The Senate Secretary

The Senate Secretary shall work no less than six hours per week. Funds from work-study are to be used in preference to 03 funds.
Office hours will be set and fixed and can only be during the operating hours of the Office of Student Activities and Leadership. These hours shall include meetings of the full Senate and the Executive Committee, but not necessarily any other committees, standing or ad-hoc.
The responsibilities of the Secretary shall include:
1. The taking of attendance at al meetings of the Senate and Executive Committee.
2. The compiling, copying and distributing of Senate agendas, and those of all other committees at their request.
3. The typing of final drafts handwritten by Senators, such as letters, memos and legislation, which pertain to Senate business, and are in all other respects complete.
4. The copying and distribution of all such Senate material, at the author’s specification, including interdepartmental and other mailings.
5. The posting of all public statements and agendas from the Senate and its committees, for which the Secretary shall be given a key to the locked glass bulletin boards.
6. The supervision and upkeep of the Senate files.
In no way shall any of the preceding duties be construed as to allow creative work of any kind by the Senate Secretary, such as: the drafting of legislative proposals; the writing of letters, memos or papers on any Senator’s behalf; and the lobbying of any person, be it over the phone or face-to-face.

Chapter VI: Amendments

Section A: Amendments

All Bylaw proposals shall be submitted to the Executive Committee.
Bylaws presented for action that has not been reviewed by the Executive Committee shall be referred to that committee by the SGA.
The Executive Committee shall present its recommendations on the agenda for the following SGA meeting.
The Student Senate shall adopt, amend or rescind the Bylaws of the SGA by a 2/3 vote of those present and voting at a meeting where the proposed action has appeared on a published agenda.
A second reading on passage of bylaw business shall not be waived.
All Bylaw proposals are submitted to Executive. Executive shall vote on the proposed Bylaw changes and whether to forward its recommendations to the full Senate.

Chapter VII: Policy On Ethics

Section A: Conduct

Senators in the course of their duties, in accordance with the policy of the University of Massachusetts Boston and applicable federal and state laws, shall strive to overcome the handicaps of racism, sexism, and other forms of discrimination, intolerance and prejudice in the course of their duties.
Whenever a Senator is ruled out of order two times during a meeting, s/he shall be asked by the President to leave the meeting voluntarily. If this is refused, a motion to eject the Senator may be taken from the floor, requiring majority passage. Should the Senator resist such an order, campus security may be called to enforce it. Additionally, a motion to call a Vote of Expulsion may be brought against the Senator, but only during the meeting from which s/he was ejected. Determination of Expulsion shall be by 2/3 vote of those present and voting at the next regular meeting, in which it will appear under Special Business with emergency status. In the event that either no vote of expulsion is called for of that it fails to pass, all subsequent ejections of that Senator from future Senate meetings shall automatically bring a Vote of Expulsion.

Section B: Records of Activities

All Senators will be required to give a list of all their University-wide activities (i.e. work, administration committees, clubs, etc.) to the Executive Committee and submit updates as needed.
All Senate committees, both standing and ad-hoc, must keep written minutes of meetings on file for any one to review. Upon request in writing, copies of the minutes shall be forwarded to the requesting party within ten (10) business days.
Any senator who sits on a University-wide committee shall give committee reports to the Senate, and keep in contact with all relevant Senate committees, whenever possible.

Section C: Committee Regulations

Election Committee: No Senator who sits on the Election Committee shall work on campaigns in elections run by the Student Senate.

Section D: Public Statements

Whereas the Student Senate is a deliberative assembly, a group that debates and decides on common action, no senator shall use the name of the Student Senate in the media, in conversation with University employees and vendors or in any public statement with out the Senate’s prior approval. Senators may, however, state that they are members of this organization if they make it clear that they are expressing their own views.

Section E: Voting

No Senator who is paid out of Student Activities Trust Fund or by any other University funds shall vote on matters relating to his/her job whether in committee or in the full Senate. SEOC members shall not vote on matters relating to Registered Student Organizations to which they belong.
No Senator shall make motions on behalf of their SATF, RSO, or RCC funded job. Senators may only speak on motions relevant to their employment when explaining how the proposed motion would affect their work and why.

Section F: Enforcement

Any SGA member who feels the Policy on Ethics has been violated shall inform the Executive Committee within fourteen (14) calendar days of when the alleged infraction occurred.
The Executive Committee will review complaints at its next meeting. Complaints must be dated, typed, or legibly written, include date of alleged infraction, be signed by the member of the SGA and must be delivered in a sealed envelope.
1. If the complaint is found not to be warranted initially, then the complainant will be notified of non-action by the Committee.
2. If the Committee finds merit in the written lodged complaint to warrant further review, then both the accused and the complainant will be notified in writing. The Committee will draft said notification immediately following the discussion, and the chair will be responsible for ensuring that the memorandums get into the appropriate Senate mailboxes. Both parties will be notified and invited to the next Executive committee meeting, which will be held in executive session to discuss the charges. The committee will be convened as soon as possible. If the complaint cannot be resolved in Committee, then the Committee will recommend to the full Senate the formation on a five-member ad-hoc judiciary committee. If three of the five members of the Ad-Hoc Judiciary Committee decide that the Senator in question did not abide by this document, the Ad-Hoc Judiciary Committee shall assign a number of absences, depending on the severity of the infraction, to be counted as an actual absence(s) in accordance with Chapter four (4), Section B, of the Senate Bylaws.
For improper external relations, Senators may be asked to retract their statements. Senators have the right to attend the Ad-Hoc Judiciary Committee meeting in which they are charged and a written statement explaining the committee’s decision shall be sent to the President, the Chair of the Ad-hoc Judiciary Committee and to the Senator in question.
The decision of the Ad-Hoc Judiciary Committee can be appealed to the President at the next regularly scheduled meeting after the meeting when the Ad-Hoc Judiciary Committee announces its decision. A two-thirds vote is needed to override the decision of the chair.

Section G: Amendments

No amendment to this chapter can be enforced ex post facto.

Doc. T98-059, as amended | Student Government Association Constitution, Boston
Passed by the Board of Trustees on June 3, 1998
Revised:
August 23, 2006