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Student Government Association Constitution and By-Laws
03:24:00 Student Government Association Constitution and By-Laws

 

  1. Introduction
    1. We, the students of Chattanooga State Community College, desiring to organize, govern and attract active participation in the affairs of the college including students, faculty and administration, do hereby establish this constitution of the Student Government Association of Chattanooga State Community College.
  2. Organization
    1. Name  -  The name of this organization shall be the Student Government Association of Chattanooga State Community College. The organization shall be designated as the SGA.
    2. Purpose - The purposes of the SGA are to promote and maintain active communication between the students, faculty and administration and to provide a means for members of the Student Body to express themselves effectively in the development and maintenance of the College programs which affect their intellectual, physical, social, economical, and spiritual welfare.
    3. Jurisdiction/Membership - Any person registered for courses at Chattanooga State Community College shall be a member of the student body and shall enjoy equal rights of suffrage as well as be subjected to the regulation of this constitution contained herein.
    4. Advisor(s) of the SGA - Faculty or staff members will serve as SGA advisor(s) and when applicable assistant advisor(s).
    5. Selection of SGA Advisor(s) - SGA Advisor(s) will be selected by a committee consisting of President of the College, President of SGA, Vice President of Student Services, Dean of Student life, Student Activities Director and SGA President Elect.
    6. Term of Office. - At the discretion of the committee or Advisor(s) upon completion of each spring semester.
    7. SGA Advisor(s) Duties:
      1. Must attend official meetings of the SGA and Club and Organizational Funding Committee or give prior notification to an SGA Executive Officer for any absences.
      2. Shall inform the SGA of Chattanooga State Community College policies and procedures.
      3. Shall assist the SGA in carrying out activities, programs, and changes in policy.
    8. Recognition of Responsibility - Any part of this Constitution or any law passed under its authorization which is in conflict with the laws of the United States of America, the State of Tennessee, any local municipality, or with any rules and regulations of the Tennessee Board of Regents or Chattanooga State Community College shall be null and void from the time of its enactment.
  3. Executive Branch
    1.  Executive power.
    2.  All executive power shall be vested in a President, who shall be assisted by the Executive Council consisting of the following:
      1. Vice President
      2. Secretary
      3. Parliamentarian
      4. Treasurer
      5. Chief Justice
    3. Officer elections/appointments.
      1. The position of the President and Vice President shall be elected in General Elections from the Student Body of Chattanooga State Community College (Article VI).
      2. All other executive council positions shall be appointed by a committee consisting of SGA President, Vice President and Advisor(s). Executive officer qualifications. To be elected as an executive officer, a student shall:
      3. Have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.5 and be enrolled at the time of election or appointment (excluding Summer Term).
      4. The position of President and Vice President must be performed by a student who is currently enrolled no less than twelve (12) credit hours, has successfully completed one semester at Chattanooga State Community College, and participated in the SGA for one full semester. (In the event there is no suitable candidate at the time of elections, then it will become an open election.)
      5. The remaining Executive Officers must be enrolled for no less than six (6) credit hours each semester.
      6. To continue serving as an Executive Officer of the SGA, the student shall maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or higher.
      7. Failure to maintain these requirements will result in removal from office.
    4. Term of office - All elected officers of the SGA shall serve for one calendar year beginning with the first day following the spring semester and ending with the last day of the subsequent spring semester.
      1. President.
      2. The President of the SGA shall be the Chief Executive of the Student Body and shall:
        1. Faithfully and diligently execute the constitution and laws of the SGA
        2. Call all SGA Executive Council Meetings and meetings of the Student Body
        3. Act as an ex-officio member of all Student Government Committees
        4. Monitor and at all times have knowledge of the progress of each initiative the SGA has sent to the College and administration for approval.
        5. Vote on SGA matters only in the event of a tie.
        6. Appoint SGA members to serve on institutional committees as deemed necessary by the Advisor(s).
        7. Shall serve as a member of the Executive Council and shall vote only in the event of a tie.
        8. Vice President of the SGA shall be the Assistant Chief Executive of the Student Body and shall
        9. Assume the duties of the President in their absence.
        10. Assist the President in performance of executive duties.
        11. Prepare an agenda no less than 24 hours prior to any SGA meeting and preside over all SGA meetings.
        12. Assist the President in upholding the SGA constitution and in executing all legislation enacted.
        13. Consult with the SGA President on the progress of all legislation sent to the college administration and keep all SGA members informed of such progress and developments.
        14. Shall serve as a member of the Executive Council with one vote.
    5. Secretary.
      1. Shall keep a record of minutes of all SGA meetings and secure a copy for the SGA Advisor(s) and the President within 48 hours of the meeting.
      2. Shall keep a record of the SGA membership and call role at each meeting.
      3. Shall post all SGA notices authorized by the President.
      4. Shall compile and maintain a history of SGA activities.
      5. Shall administer all correspondence necessary for the proper business functions of the organization.
      6. Shall act as general Office Manager of the SGA office, and perform all duties entitled to that position.
      7. Shall attend all Club and Organizational Funding Committee Meetings be responsible for the committee meeting minutes and keep all SGA and committee members informed of progress and developments.
      8. Shall serve as a member of the Executive Council with one vote.
    6. Parliamentarian
      1. Shall be responsible for the orderly conduct of business during the SGA meetings.
      2. Shall be knowledgeable of and advise the SGA of parliamentary procedures according to Robert’s Rules of Order.
      3. Shall notify members of their voting status.
      4. Shall coordinate a parliamentary procedure workshop prior to the appointment of officers and the first SGA meeting of the fall semester for the SGA members and student organization officers.
      5. Shall serve as coordinator of SGA Elections Committee providing that he/she will not be a candidate for that election.
      6. Shall coordinate activities for attending the Tennessee Intercollegiate State Legislature.
      7. Shall serve as a member of the Executive Council with one vote.
      8. Shall serve as TISL Head Delegate and coordinate all TISL activities at the college or appoint a designee to perform these duties.
    7. Treasurer
      1. Shall consult Advisor(s) on financial activities.
      2. Shall report on financial activities during SGA meetings as needed and provide financial reports to the President, Advisor(s) or anyone requesting such information upon the Advisor(s) approval.
      3. Shall be knowledgeable of and adhere to standards of the Chattanooga State Community College Business Office.
      4. Shall prepare Club and Organizational Funding Committee Packets three weeks prior to the committee meeting.
      5. Shall chair the Club and Organizational Funding Committee and vote only in the event of a tie.
    8. Chief Justice
      1. Shall represent the Student Body for traffic appeals.
      2. Shall be the student representative on judicial issues that arise on campus.
      3. Shall work with the Judicial Officer and Security.
      4. Shall serve as a member of the Executive Council with one vote.
  4. SGA Membership.
    1. Membership - In order to be a voting member of SGA a student shall:
      1. Have a 2.0 GPA
      2. Must attend two consecutive meetings before gaining voting rights.
      3. After gaining voting rights, must consistently attend seventy-five percent (75%) of the meetings per semester.
    2. Representatives - (4-Dayton, East, Kimball, Sequatchie) The Representatives of offcampus locations shall be the major representative for the Student Body for each campus and shall:
      1. Assist the SGA Vice President in upholding the SGA constitution and in executing all legislation enacted.
      2. Attend a minimum of one meeting per month of the SGA at the main campus and report on the developments at their campus.
      3. Must maintain during their term at least three (3) credit hours of the required Six (6) at their campus location.
      4. Shall adhere to the general rules of membership and voting as stated in Article III, Section 1 wherever possible.
  5. Procedures
    1. Meetings:
      1. Shall be held at least twice monthly during the fall and spring semesters.
      2. Shall be publicized with schedule and agenda no less than twenty-four (24) hours prior to the meeting
      3. Shall be based on Robert’s Rules of Order.
    2. Special Meetings
      1. Be called by the SGA President or Vice President as necessary, or,
      2. Be called by the request of a simple majority of the SGA membership.
      3. Be publicized with schedule and agenda no less than twenty-four (24) hours in advance.
    3.  Voting Procedures
      1. Quorum. - A quorum must be present to conduct business. A quorum shall be defined as a simple majority (50 percent + 1) of the voting members of SGA and shall be announced by the Parliamentarian immediately after attendance is taken and before any business is conducted.
      2. Resolutions - Resolutions are to be considered SGA opinion and shall not reflect an alternation/addition to policy. The Procedure for approval of a resolution is as follows.
        1. Must be presented in its entirety before the SGA.
        2. Must be entered into the SGA minutes.
        3. Must be approved by a majority vote of the SGA.
    4. Bills.
      1. Bills shall be considered SGA law and reflect an alternation/addition to policy. Bills approved by the SGA must be approved by the administration of the college solely for the purpose of adhering to the laws of the United States of America and the State of Tennessee, or with any rules or regulations of the Tennessee Board of Regents or CSTCC. The procedure for the approval of a bill is as follows.
        1. Must be presented in its entirety before the SGA
        2. Must be entered into the SGA minutes.
        3. Must be approved by a majority vote of the SGA.
        4. Must be approved or vetoed by the SGA President within one week of SGA approval, or shall be automatically forwarded to the college administration as approved by the SGA.
        5. Must be signed by the college administration within two weeks after Presidential approval or forfeiture of such right.
        6. The SGA President may line item-veto any bill or resolution. If a bill is vetoed, the SGA President shall announce the veto and distribute the announcement to all SGA members.
        7. The SGA may override a SGA Presidential veto by a two-thirds vote within two weeks of the announcement of the veto, or the bill cannot be passed.
    5. Removal from Office.
      1. Executive council members may be removed from office by a committee consisting of SGA President, Vice President and Advisor(s) for unsatisfactory performance of duties, if one of these officers is the subject of removal, the advisor shall appoint another SGA member to serve on the committee instead Vacated Positions
    6. Vacated Positions.
      1. Positions within the SGA which become vacated during the prescribed term of office will be filled as follows:
        1. President - The Vice President will assume the duties and responsibilities of the President in the event that they become unable to complete their term in office.
        2. Vice President - In the event that the Vice President position becomes vacant the SGA will call for nominations. Nominees will be interviewed by a committee consisting of Executive Council and Advisor(s) and must be approved by a majority vote of the SGA members.
        3. SGA Officers. - A committee consisting of President, Vice President, and Advisor(s) may appoint a qualified individual to any other SGA position that is vacant.
  6.  Club and organizational funding committee.
    1.  1. Club and organizational Funding Committee.
    2. The Club and Organizational Funding Committee is charged with the distribution of funds from the SGA Activity fee which are allocated by the executive council prior to the first meeting of the Club and Organizational Funding Committee in the fall semester of each academic year.
      1. The Club and Organizational Funding Committee will consist of the SGA Treasurer, who will vote only in the event of a tie, SGA Secretary, non-voting, SGA Advisor(s), non-voting, and one voting representative from each officially recognized club.
      2. The Treasurer shall chair the SGA Club and Organizational Funding Committee.
      3. The Treasurer shall have packets available three weeks prior to the committee meeting.
      4. The Club and Organizational Funding Committee shall meet at least twice in the fall and twice in the spring of each academic year.
    3.  Funds Distribution and Requirements
      1.  Funds can only be distributed to an officially recognized club or organization as determined by the Dean of Student Life.
      2. All clubs and organizations must submit an SGA Club and Organizational Funding Committee Packet including a detailed budget with any foreseeable expenditure.
      3. The Club and Organizational Funding Committee shall distribute funds from the Student Government Activity Fee as allocated by the executive council. The Club and Organizational Funding Committee may fund only:
        1. General operating expenses of clubs and organizations.
        2. Programs, projects, or events with the intent to benefit students.
        3. Conferences, lectures, seminars, or other student activities where it can be established that participation can benefit students.
        4. All allocation requests shall be presented to the Club and Organizational Funding Committee Chair in written form, by completing the Club and Organizational Funding Committee Packet no less than one week in advance of the Club and Organizational Funding Committee meeting.
        5. Student clubs that fail to submit the packet and the budget shall have no new funds allocated to them until their forms are completed.
        6. Forms submitted after the due date may not be immediately reviewed.
        7.  Clubs and organizations may only request an operating budget at the first committee meeting during the fall semester of each year.
        8. When spending allocated funds, all Clubs and Organizations must adhere to the guidelines set forth by the SGA, CSTCC Business Office and the Student Activities Coordinator.
        9. Once funds are approved, all required paperwork must be submitted no less than four weeks prior to when funds are needed.
        10. A detailed financial report must be submitted from anyone who receives funds from the committee. This report must include the following:
        11. An annual operating budget report that must be submitted by the end of the Spring Semester.
        12. All follow-up paperwork for each expenditure deemed necessary by the CSTCC Business office
        13. A report detailing expenses for special events, which must be submitted no later than three weeks after the event, occurs.
        14. Failure to complete all requirements in Article V, Section 2, Subsection J may result in suspension of all further funding.
  7. Procedures and Liability
    1. All meetings of the Business and Finance Committee shall be open to the Chattanooga State campus community.
    2. Detailed minutes from each committee meeting must be submitted to the SGA executive council by the secretary no later than one week following each committee meeting. The SGA secretary shall be responsible for ensuring that these minutes are prepared accordingly.
    3. The Treasurer shall prepare a report detailing all funds allocated by the Club and Organizational Funding Committee, including exact amounts, who the funds were allocated to, and the purpose the funds were requested. This report shall be submitted to the secretary no more than one week prior to the meeting of the SGA Club and Organizational Funding Committee and should be attached to the minutes.
    4. The SGA shall not be liable for any contract or agreement made between a club or organization and an outside vendor without prior approval from the committee.
    5. All allocations of funds that are not expended by the end of the Spring semester will be forfeited and returned to the SGA general fund to be redistributed as deemed necessary under the direction of the SGA executive council.
    6. There will be no allocation to cover debts incurred by any club or organization prior to the request for funds.

  8.  Election Procedures

    1. Election Committee
      1. The Election Committee Chairperson shall be the current Parliamentarian. If the SGA Parliamentarian plans to run in the election, the SGA President will appoint a SGA Officer who will not be a candidate in the upcoming election.
      2. The Election Committee shall be comprised of at least one elected officer of the SGA from the main campus and one who will not be running in the election. Nominations will be taken from the floor at the last meeting of the SGA for the spring semester. The nominated members of the Election Committee must be affirmed by the SGA membership present and voting.
    2. The Election Committee shall:
      1. Make all necessary arrangements for the elections. This includes distribution of candidate petitions, room reservations, campaign rules, preparation of ballots, confirming candidate eligibility, staffing of polls, etc.
      2. Announce the date and time that the candidate petitions are due.
      3. Make all necessary arrangements for candidate forums. This includes scheduling room reservations, publicizing, etc.
      4. Announce the day that official candidate campaigning may begin.
      5. eConduct an Election Workshop for all SGA candidates.
      6. Investigate all questions/protests relating to the elections and determine resolutions or actions needed.
      7. Have the power, as a committee, to disqualify a candidate who does not adhere to the publicized election rules.
      8. Supervise all election procedures and approve any exceptions as needed.
      9. Announce official results of the election
    3. Election Dates.
      1. The SGA Election will be scheduled for the second Wednesday and Thursday in April. This date can only be changed by a majority vote of the SGA present and voting; provided there is just cause for such a change.
        1. Elections Procedures.
        2. No person shall be allowed to have his/her name appear on the ballot for any office to which he/she does not meet the qualifications.
      2. Election petitions shall be available six (6) weeks prior to the elections and must be submitted to the Election Committee three (3) weeks prior to the election.
      3. A candidate for an elected SGA position must submit an official SGA petition with fifty signatures of CSTCC students by the established deadline.
      4. The Election Committee shall review all petitions and notify the candidates that they may begin official campaigning on the day selected by the Election Committee. Any campaigning prior to this date may result in disqualification of the candidate.
      5. There will be no campaigning on the established Election Days inside the building where the elections are being held.
      6. The ballots shall be turned over to the Vice President of Student Services for counting. The current chairperson of the Election Committee shall assist in the counting and tallying process.
      7. The candidate for each position who receives the greatest number of votes shall be considered the winner. (In the event of a tie, a run-off election may be held within one week of the election to determine the winner).
      8. Write-in candidates must meet eligibility requirements in order to be considered for a position. In addition, the write-in candidate must inform the election committee of higher willingness to be considered for the position
  9. Amendments
    1. Constitutional Amendments
      1. This constitution may be amended.
    2. Amendment Process
      1. The amending procedure shall be as follows:
      2. The SGA shall have the power to initiate the amending process by a two-thirds majority vote on all proposed amendments.
      3. All proposed amendments passed by the SGA must be ratified by a simple majority.
      4. Upon approval by the SGA, all amendments shall be considered henceforth a part of this Constitution.
  10. By-Laws.
    1. In the event that an immense disproportion of committee members becomes evident, the President of SGA shall have the power to step in and transfer committee members from one committee to another. This is to ensure that all committees are adequately staffed. The following shall be the method for such transfers:
      1. 1. First and foremost by soliciting volunteers.
      2. 2. Selecting members, in conjunction with the board/committee coordinator/chair
      3. 3. Randomly choosing members

Approved: Executive Staff, 05/20/09
Approved: President’s Cabinet, 05/20/09
Approved: President, 05/20/09
Reviewed and Revised by: Student Affairs, 03/27/09