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Arkansas Tech University
Student Government Association
Constitution
As Amended March 2010
PREAMBLE
We the students of Arkansas Tech University do hereby ordain and establish this constitution for the student body of Arkansas Tech University. The purpose of this organization shall be to act as the principal governing body of the students and the association that provides services and programs to the Tech community for the betterment of the students of Arkansas Tech University.
MISSION
The Arkansas Tech University Student Government Association serves as the official student voice to the Arkansas Tech University administration. Our mission is to genuinely represent the interests of students and enhance the student decision-making process, to improve campus life through the creation and continuation if viable and effective student services, to preserve and protect the traditions of the University and to support students and student organizations in their academic and community endeavors.
Article I
The name of this organization shall be the Student Government Association, SGA, of Arkansas Tech University. All members of the Student Government Association shall be selected and serve under the conditions set forth in this constitution. The Student Government Association will consist of an Executive Board and Student Senate.
Article II
There shall be an Executive Board of the Student Government Association. General qualifications for members shall be as follows:
1. Must be a full-time student of Arkansas Tech University,
2. Must serve on SGA Senate for a full semester immediately prior to assuming office,
3. Must have on record in the Registrar’s Office a cumulative grade point of not less than 2.50,
4. Shall not be on disciplinary probation,
5. And must be a full time Arkansas Tech University Student immediately prior to assuming office.
The Executive Board of the Student Government Association shall be made up of the following positions:
1. President
2. Vice-President
3. Secretary of Finance and Administration
4. Secretary of Internal Affairs
5. Secretary of Student Development
6. Secretary of Public Relations
7. Secretary of Community Outreach
Members of the Executive Board may serve on all SGA Committees.
Section A: The executive head of the Student Government Association shall be called the President.
1. The qualifications for the President shall be as follows:
a. Shall have obtained the classification of at least a junior at the beginning of the new academic year following election,
b. And must have been a voting member of the SGA Student Senate for two semesters.
2. The duties of the President of the Student Government Association shall be as follows:
a. Shall preside over all meetings of the Student Senate of SGA and the University Standing Council Committee,
b. Shall be an official representative of the student body,
c. Shall appoint all Student Government Association committees and serve as an ex-officio member of these committees, except as otherwise provided for in this constitution,
d. Shall call meetings of the Student Government Association and the student body,
e. Shall perform duties assigned by the Student Government Association,
f. Shall be responsible for the execution of all legislation enacted by the Student Government Association,
g. All appointments made by the President shall be approved by the Executive Board and then approved by the Student Senate,
h. Shall have the right to veto any legislation passed by the Student Senate within a fourteen (14) day period, but his/her veto may be overruled by a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the Student Senate on all matters,
i. Shall vote only in the case of a tie in Student Senate meetings and University Standing Committee Council meetings,
j. Shall take any other action necessary to the performance of his/her duties and responsibilities under this constitution,
k. And shall call a meeting upon the request of 10 percent of any division (i.e. Student Senate, Executive Board, Election Commission, Budget Committee, or Judicial Committee) of the Student Government Association within forty-eight (48) hours after the time of request. If he fails to call a meeting within 48 hours, the division of the SGA making the request may meet with the SGA Executive Board.
Section B: There shall be a Vice-President of the Student Government Association.
1. The qualifications for the Vice-President shall be as follows:
a. Shall have obtained the classification of at least a junior at the beginning of the new academic year following election
b. And must have been a voting member of the SGA Student Senate for two semesters.
2. The duties of the Vice-President shall be as follows:
a. Shall perform all duties of the President upon his/her absence, failure, or refusal to act,
b. Shall succeed to the office of President upon being vacated,
c. Shall preside over the Executive Board,
d. Shall work in cooperation with the ATU Development Office in order to represent the office when necessary,
e. Shall perform all duties assigned by the President of the Student Government Association,
f. Shall be a non-voting ex-officio member of the senate,
g. And shall vote in case of a tie in the SGA Executive Board meeting.
Section C: There shall be a Secretary of Finance and Administration of the Student Government Association.
1. The duties of the Secretary of Finance and Administration shall be as follows:
a. Shall keep a record of all expenditures and income of the Student Government Association,
b. Shall present monthly written statements at the first Student Senate meeting of each month regarding income balances of the Student Government Association accounts,
c. Shall be prepared to present the accounts for inspection upon request of any member of the University community,
d. Shall make a final written statement to the Student Senate at the end of each semester comprised of monthly written statements including a semester balance sheet. The final written statements shall be presented at the first joint meeting of the outgoing and incoming Student Senate at the end of the spring semester. This statement shall be placed in the permanent SGA files,
e. Shall maintain typed accounts of the proceedings of the Student Senate and Executive Board meetings,
f. And shall have prepared for all meetings a typed copy of previous Student Senate and Executive Board minutes and current agenda and other specified materials.
g. Shall be a voting member of the SGA Executive Board,
h. Shall be a non-voting ex-officio member of the senate,
Section D: There shall be a Secretary of Internal Affairs of Student Government Association.
1. The duties of the Secretary of Internal Affairs shall be as follows:
a. Shall be the chairman of the Election Commission as defined in Article IV,
b. Shall have final authority of interpretation of this constitution unless overruled by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Student Senate in favor of other interpretations,
c. Shall call roll at Student Senate Meetings and determine quorum at Student Senate Meetings,
d. Shall receive and present all absentee excuses to the Executive Board for approval or disapproval and keep the Secretary Finance and Administration informed of Executive decisions,
e. Shall keep all ballots and election results on file for up to one year following that election,
f. Shall maintain records of all amendments passed by the Student Senate. Amendments within the previous five years shall be recorded in the Constitution following the by-laws section. Amendments older than five years shall be kept in a permanent continuous history file. The date the amendment was passed by the Student Senate and a short explanation of the reasoning behind the amendment must be included in all amendment records,
g. And shall be versed in parliamentary procedure as set forth by the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.
h. Shall be a voting member of the Executive Board,
i. Shall be a non-voting ex-officio member of the Student Senate,
Section E: There shall be a Secretary of Student Development of Student Government Association.
1. The duties of the Secretary of Development shall be as follows:
a. Shall oversee all planning and implementing of homecoming events,
b. And shall be responsible for coordinating the spring Leadership Conference for each ATU registered student organizations.
c. Shall be a voting member of the Executive Board,
d. Shall be a non-voting ex-officio member of the Student Senate,
Section F: There shall be a Secretary of Public Relations of the Student Government Association.
1. The duties of the Secretary of Public Relations shall be as follows:
a. Shall be in charge of marketing for SGA,
b. Shall coordinate the Student Discount Program,
c. Shall be the second official representative to all Board of Trustees Meetings; in the Advisor’s absence, the President has the authority to appoint an appropriate member of the Student Government Association to attend in his/her absence,
d. Shall work in areas of public relations and external affairs pertaining to SGA,
e. And shall submit information pertaining to SGA for release through the media.
f. Shall be a voting member of the Executive Board,
g. Shall be a non-voting ex-officio member of the Student Senate
Section G: There shall be a Secretary of Community Outreach appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Board and Student Senate of Student Government Association.
1. The duties of the Secretary of Community Outreach shall be as follows:
a. Shall provide information on volunteer opportunities for all students,
b. Shall be required to coordinate at least two (2) service projects a semester,
c. And shall be able to advise a student organization who seeks information about community service.
d. Shall be a voting member of the Executive Board,
e. Shall be a non-voting ex-officio member of the Student Senate,
Article III
There shall be a Student Senate of the Student Government Association of Arkansas Tech University.
Section A: The Student Senate will have the following duties:
1. Those responsibilities stated in the preamble of this constitution,
2. To approve or disapprove the constitution of any new student organization, subject to review by the Vice-President of Student Services,
3. To approve or disapprove all committees appointed by the President of SGA, and appointees requested by the administration to standing administration committees,
4. To take appropriate action necessary for the execution of the responsibilities vested by this constitution,
5. Shall attend all Student Senate Meetings and SGA Executive Board mandated events,
6. And serve on two (2) SGA Standing Committees.
Section B: In accordance with its function as a legislative body, the Student Senate shall use four (4) types of legislation: by-laws, enactments, resolutions, and petitions.
1. By-laws shall deal exclusively with structure, function, and responsibilities of Student Government Association,
2. Enactments shall deal with those legislative proposals that need not be sanctioned by any higher authority than the SGA and which create programs, service, projects, and/or initiate action,
3. Resolutions shall deal with any subject that SGA wishes to speak on and make public its opinions,
4. And petitions shall deal with matters needing the sanction of higher or equal authority.
Section C: Legislation shall be passed as follows:
1. Quorum is defined as 66% percent of the voting members of the currently filled positions,
2. Passage of all resolutions, enactments and petitions shall be by a simple majority of the quorum,
3. And passage of by-laws to this constitution shall be by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the quorum.
Section D: Student Senate members shall meet the following general qualifications:
1. Shall be full-time students of Arkansas Tech University and
2. Must have on record in the Registrar’s Office a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.25.a. High school grade point average (cumulative) shall be used to determine the eligibility of candidates who have not yet completed one (1) full semester of college-level work.
3. Shall not be on disciplinary probation.
Section E: The Student Senate shall be made up of the following voting positions:
1. There shall be one (1) senator from each of the seven (7) academic colleges of Arkansas Tech University,
2. There shall be three (3) senators from each class,
a. The senior class senator receiving the most votes shall serve on the Commencement Committee.
3. There shall be eight (8) senators at large,
Article IV
Section A: There shall be an Election Commission of the SGA. The SGA Secretary of Internal Affairs shall be chair of the Election Commission.
1. Membership:
a. The Election Commission shall consist of the SGA Executive Board,
b. And any member of the Commission who is in an election himself shall be replaced by a member of the Student Senate, appointed by the Secretary of Internal Affairs and approved by the Election Commission.
2. Duties of the Election Commission shall be as follows:
a. Proper execution of all by-laws and constitutional provisions concerning all SGA and Publication Office elections,
b. Execution of all duties assigned to it by the SGA President or Arkansas Tech University,
c. And shall establish specific guidelines pertaining to the election of candidates, including campaign rules and penalties, which shall be given to each candidate.
3. Dates for elections shall be set by the Election Commission within the following limits:
a. Freshman elections shall be held during the third or fourth week of each fall semester.
b. Elections for other SGA members shall be held during the spring semester for the following academic year.
c. Election dates for Homecoming shall be set by the Election Commission.
4. All voting and tabulation shall be done according to these conditions:
a. Only those students enrolled at Arkansas Tech University at the time of the election may vote (ID must be presented).
b. The Election Commission shall establish one central voting place each election date.
c. Election Results shall be determined as follows:
i. For each executive position, the winner shall be determined by a simple majority (50) percent plus one (1) of the votes cast for that office. In the event there is not a majority, there shall be a runoff election as set by the Election Commission between the top two candidates to determine the winner of the race.
ii. For each senatorial position, the winner(s) shall be determined by a simple plurality of votes cast.
iii. Homecoming election results will be determined by simple plurality.
d. Any candidate in any race has the right to request a recount through proper application to the Judicial Committee within forty eight (48) hours of the election results.
Section B: University Standing Committees of Student Government Association:
1. There shall be an organization called the University Standing Committee Council, whose membership shall consist of:
a. Two (2) student members of the Admissions, Academic Standards, and Student Honors Committee,
b. Two (2) student members of the Athletic Committee,
c. Two (2) student members of the Library, Instructional Materials Equipment Committee,
d. Two (2) student members of the Curriculum Committee,
e. One (1) student member of the General Education Committee,
f. Three (3) student members of Student Affairs Committee,
g. Four (4) student members of the Student Personnel Committee,
h. One (1) member of the Commencement Committee,
i. Three (3) students members of the Guidance and Counseling Committee,
j. Two (2) student members of the Human Relations Committee,
k. And five (5) student members of the Academic Appeals Committee.
2. All student members of the University Standing Committees shall be appointed by the Student Government Association President, approved by the Executive Board and ratified by a majority vote of the Student Senate.
3. Qualifications for University Standing Committees are to be as follows:
a. Must be a full-time student at Arkansas Tech,
b. And must have a reasonable knowledge of appointed area.
4. The SGA President will chair all University Standing Council Committee meetings.
5. The time and frequency of all joint University Standing Committee meetings will be specified by the SGA President at the beginning of each semester.
Section C: There shall be a Judicial Committee of the Student Government Association.
1. Membership on this committee shall be as follows:
a. Members will be appointed at the beginning of each fall semester.
b. Members will be appointed by the SGA President and approved by the Executive Board and Student Senate.
c. There shall be five (5) members: two (2) members shall be from the student body at large, one (1) shall be from Student Senate, and two (2) shall be from faculty.
d. No faculty member who is associated with SGA shall serve on this committee.
e. No person who is involved with a complaint shall serve on this committee.
f. Any committee member, who for any reason cannot serve on this committee, shall be replaced.
2. The duties of the Judicial Committee shall be as follows:
a. This committee shall review all complaints connected with any phase of student government.
b. This committee shall be responsible for reviewing complaints and for gathering pertinent information about said complaints.
c. The decisions of this committee shall be final.
d. The committee may not veto Student Senate legislation.
e. The Judicial Committee may not assess fines.
f. This committee will not handle impeachment trials of members of the Student Senate or SGA Executive Board.
g. All hearings of this committee shall be open to the public unless otherwise specified by the chairman.
Article V
Section A: The Student Government Association shall be composed of members of the student body elected or appointed according to the provisions of this constitution and by-laws.
Section B: Tenure of members of the SGA will be as follows:
1. Those elected at the annual spring elections shall assume office at a joint meeting of the old and new SGA Student Senate at the first meeting after the spring election. The new Student Senate will have a term of twelve (12) months.
2. Those elected at the fall elections or appointed to fill a vacancy shall assume duties immediately for the remainder of the academic year.
Section C: Vacancies occurring within the SGA shall be filled as follows:
1. The Executive Board will be responsible for determining the existence of an Executive Board vacancy.
2. Only those students meeting qualifications for the vacant positions as set forth in Article II and Article III, Section D, shall be considered for position.
3. Any position not filled in the spring elections shall be opened up in the fall elections in conjunction with freshman senator elections.
4. All vacancies in Student Senate positions after the fall general elections will be ratified by a majority vote of the Student Senate.
a. There shall be no rearranging and appointing of senators in their positions by the President or the Executive Board to fill vacancies within the Student Senate. Only Primary vacant positions can be appointed by the Executive Board and approved by the Student Senate. A primary vacant position is defined as a position that becomes vacant when the Senator who previously held that position no longer serves on the Student Senate. Any position that becomes vacant simply by rearranging a Student Senate member to another Student Senate position is considered a secondary vacant position, and is therefore not permissible.
5. Any vacancies in the Executive Board shall be filled as follows:
a. A vacancy in the office of President shall be filled by the Vice-President.
b. Vacancies in the positions of Vice-President, Secretary of Finance and Administration, Secretary of Internal Affairs, Secretary of Student Development, and Secretary of Public Relations approved by the Executive Board and ratified by a majority vote of the Student Senate.
c. Vacancies in the positions of Secretary of Community Outreach shall be filled by appointment by the SGA President with approval of the Executive Board and ratified by a majority vote of the Student Senate.
6. Any vacancy in the University Standing Committees shall be filled by appointment by the SGA President with the approval of the Executive Board and ratified by a majority vote of the Student Senate.
7. The procedure to fill vacancies in the Student Senate, Executive Board and Committee Chairpersons is as follows:
a. Applicants submit an application.
b. Applicants for Student Senate vacancies are submitted to the Student Senate for review and approval. Applicants for Executive Board vacancies are submitted to the Executive Board for review and approval.
Article VI
Section A: Impeachment of the members of Executive Board of the SGA.
1. The members of the Executive Board may be impeached on any of the following charges:
a. Misplacing or misuse of SGA funds,
b. Usurpation of the powers of the SGA,
c. Any personal conduct tending to cause disrespect to SGA,
d. Or incompetence in office.
2. The members of the Executive Board may be impeached by the following procedures:
a. A majority vote of the members of the Student Senate as a result of a petition signed by at least three hundred (300) members of the student body at large shall be sufficient to bring an Executive Board member to trial before the Student Senate.
b. The Secretary of Internal Affairs shall act as chairman while members of the Executive Board other than the Secretary of Internal Affairs are being tried on the impeachment charges.
c. It requires the votes of three-fourths (3/4) of the members of the Student Senate.
d. The Secretary of Internal Affairs may be removed from office on impeachment charges by the above procedure with the Vice-President presiding.
Section B: Impeachment of the Representatives to the Student Senate of the SGA.
1. A representative to the Student Senate may be impeached on any of the charges in which the Executive Board of the Student Senate is liable.
2. A representative may be impeached by the same procedure as that of the Executive Board members.
3. A petition signed by two hundred (200) members of the student body shall be sufficient to bring him to trial before the Student Senate.
Section C: The Student Senate must remove from office any voting member who has two (2) unexcused absences in any one semester, or has been expelled from one committee because of absences.
1. Any member absent from a meeting must submit to the Secretary of Internal Affairs within one (1) week his/her reason(s) for being absent in order to be considered for excuse. Failure to turn in an excuse constitutes an unexcused absence.
2. An Executive Board majority vote can accept a sound or reasonable excuse to remove any absence from records of the Secretary of Finance and Administration.
3. Any member absent from a committee meeting must submit to the chairperson of that committee within one week his/her reason for his/her absence to be approved by the chairperson.
4. Any committee member shall be expelled from a committee for having two (2) unexcused absences unless arrangements have made with the chairperson.
Section D: In accordance with the aforementioned absence policy, any member tardy to a meeting must submit to the Secretary of Internal Affairs within one week his/her reason(s) for being tardy in order to be considered for excuse. Failure to submit reasons constitutes an unexcused tardy.
1. Three (3) unexcused tardies constitutes one (1) absence.
2. These absences will be considered in accordance with Article VI Section C.
Article VII
Section A: The President, Vice-President, Secretary of Finance and Administration, Secretary of Internal Affairs, Secretary of Student Development, Secretary of Public Relations, and Secretary of Community Outreach of the Student Government Association shall receive payment for their duties in the form of stipends.
Section B: The amount of stipend for the executive officers shall be recommended by the outgoing SGA Executive Board.
1. The recommendation of the executive board shall come before the Student Senate before spring elections. The recommendation shall require a majority vote of the Student Senate for approval.
2. Stipends shall come from the SGA General Budget and will be handled by the Student Services and the Student Accounts Offices.
Article VIII
Section A: Revisions for this constitution shall be ratified as follows:
1. The SGA Student Senate shall propose a constitutional revision with the approval of two thirds (2/3) of its quorum.
2. A two-thirds (2/3) majority of the votes cast by the student body at a regular or special election shall put this constitution in effect.
Section B: This constitution shall be amended by the following procedures:
1. An amendment may be proposed by either one of the following procedures:
a. By a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Student Senate.
b. Upon the petition of one hundred fifty (150) students.
2. A proposed amendment will be ratified:
a. At any regular student election or at a special election called for that purpose at least five (5) days after publication of the proposal in the campus media.
b. By a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the votes cast by the student body.
By-Laws
By-laws are an extension, in detail, of the laws stated in the Constitution. The by-laws are operating rules and procedures of the Student Government Association of Arkansas Tech University.
Article I - Standing Committees
A. Standing Committees may be added or deleted by the following procedure.
1. Before any committee, however formed, can become a committee it must first exist as an ad hoc committee for a minimum tenure of one year.
2. Recommendations for the advance or withdrawal of standing committee status to or from any SGA committee should be directed to the Executive Board for consideration.
3. Status changes approved by the Executive Board shall be brought to the Student Senate for ratification. A two thirds majority will be required for passage.
Article II - Finances
1. All Student Government Association funds shall be placed into Arkansas Tech University accounts.
2. Each line item amount must be approved by the Executive Board and the Student Senate each semester.
3. The Secretary of Finance and Administration of the Student Government Association will be responsible for the budget, and will make monthly budget reports to the Executive Board and to the Student Senate.
4. There shall be at least one person responsible for each account as set up by the budget committee. This person, or persons, must present a copy of the account ledger to the treasurer for the monthly report. The ledger copy must be received by the Treasurer by the 10th day of the following month.
5. All Check requests must follow Arkansas Tech University Accounting Office procedures.
6. Check requests sent to the Arkansas Tech University Accounting Office must be accompanied by appropriate documentation of all expenditures.
Article III - Budget Committee
1. The Executive Board shall be members of the Budget Committee.
2. Duties:
a. The proposed budget shall be approved by the second Executive Board meeting following the start of each semester.
b. The proposed budget shall be submitted to the Student Senate for approval by two-thirds of the quorum. The budget must be presented to the Student Senate on or before the third Student Senate meeting of each semester.
c. The Budget Committee shall make recommendations on any proposed budget changes. Any such change must be ratified by a two-thirds vote of Student Senate.
Article IV - Candidate Procedures
1. The procedures for announcing candidacy for Student Government Association and publication offices shall be as follows:
a. Petitions of the candidates shall be submitted to the Election Commission of the Student Government Association, which shall set the date for such.
b. The petitions shall contain the candidate’s name, the office for which the candidate desires to run, and the signatures of at least twenty-five (25) full-time students at Arkansas Tech who are from the body which the candidate is seeking to represent.
c. All write-in candidates must submit their petitions at least three (3) days prior to the date of the election. Write-in candidates must meet all qualifications pertaining to the office for which they are running, as outlined in the Student Government Association Constitution.
Article V - Publications
1. The editor of the official University newspaper, Arka Tech, shall be chosen from the student body by the Publications Committee.
2. The editors of the official University yearbook, the Agricola, shall be chosen from the student body by the Publications Committee.
Article VI - Advisor
There shall be a Student Government Association Advisor appointed by the Vice-President of Student Services.
Article VII - Meeting Procedures
First and Second readings shall be applied upon Student Senate request or discretion, according to the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.
Amendments
11-11-2005 The Student Government Association Constitution was amended by special election on November 11, 2005, with 59 votes out of 63 cast in favor of abolishing the Historian/Reporter position. This amended the entire Article II Section I and parts of Article II part 2 section 9, Article V Section C 3b, and Article VII Section A.
04-10-2006 This Constitution was amended by special election on April 10, 2006, with 65 votes out of 70 casts in favor of changing representation from twelve (12) senators at large to five (5) senators at large and one senator from each academic school. This amended Article III Section E Part 2.
04-16-2008 This Constitution was amended by the general election on April 16, 2008, with 77 votes out of 85 cast in favor of adding Article II Section E Part 2. g. Shall maintain records of all previous amendments passed by the Senate. Amendments within the previous five years shall be recorded in the Constitution following the by-laws section. Amendments older than five years shall be kept in a permanent continuous history file. The date the amendment was passed by the Student Senate and a short explanation of the reasoning behind the amendment must be included in all amendment records.
04-16-2008 This Constitution was amended by the general election on April 16, 2008, with 54 votes out of 58 cast in favor of adding Article V Section C: Part 2. a. There shall be no rearranging and appointing of senators in their positions by the President or the Executive Committee to fill vacancies within the Student Senate. Only Primary vacant positions can be appointed by the Executive Committee and approved by the Student Senate. A primary vacant position is defined as a position that becomes vacant when the Senator who previously held that position no longer serves on the Student Senate. Any position that becomes vacant simply by rearranging a Student Senate member to another Student Senate position is considered a secondary vacant position, and is therefore not permissible.
09-11-2008 This Constitution was amended by the general election on September 11, 2008, with 41 votes out of 42 cast in favor of adding Article VI Section D. in accordance with the aforementioned absence policy, any member tardy to a meeting must submit to the Parliamentarian within one week his/her reason(s) for being tardy in order to be considered for excuse. Failure to submit reasons constitutes an unexcused tardy. 1. Three (3) unexcused tardies constitutes one (1) absence. 2. These absences will be considered in accordance with Article VI Section C.
09-11-2008 This Constitution was amended by the general election on September 14,2008, with 39 votes of 40 cast in favor of amending Article III Section E. Part 4 by adding the words: of the voting members of the currently filled positions.
04-15-2009 This Constitution was amended by the general election on April 15, 2009 with 151 votes of 155 cast in favor of correcting gender and grammatical errors
