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Student Government Association Constitution

PREAMBLE

We, the students of Burlington County College, in order to form an outline through which the Associated Students of Burlington County College, hereinafter referred to as ASBCC, may register, by means of a representative and democratic governmental organization, its wishes on matters which directly concern it, do hereby establish this, the constitution, of the Student Government Association of Burlington County College, under the authority of the Board of Trustees of Burlington County College. This Constitution and By-Laws shall serve as a guide in helping the ASBCC to promote, within the College, a spirit of harmony among faculty, administration, and student leadership for students’ interest and the general welfare of our College.

ARTICLE I

NAME

The name of the organization representing the ASBCC shall be the Student Government Association of Burlington County College.

ARTICLE II

STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION

Section A - Purpose
The Student Government Association exists to promote the following:

To consult with and make recommendations to the administration on any matter affecting student welfare.
To aid in bringing about and enhancing the spirit of cooperation among students, faculty, and the administration.
To assist in the development of the college within the authority delegated to the ASBCC.
To assist in promoting understanding between the college and community.
To demonstrate the traits of good citizenship by providing experiences in democratic government.
To instill in the individual student the determination to uphold his/her own honor and that of the college.
To develop high standards of personal conduct within the student body.
To support and finance recognized activities and to promote new ideas and activities.
To inform the student body of the programs of the ASBCC.
To reflect the opinions of the ASBCC.

Section B - Membership
The Student Government Association shall include:

The Executive Board
The Senators
The Assemblymen
The Club Representatives
This board will be elected through a general election of the student body. Elections will be held on the Pemberton and Mt. Laurel campuses as well as Willingboro and Mt. Holly centers. In the event of a tie, the SGA will host a run off election.
Each club or organization will provide the SGA with one representative who has at least a GPA of 2.0 and will attend meetings the entire academic year.
Representatives may not be the President of the club or organization.
In the event that the SGA is not functioning as indicated above, the Office of Student Activities may convene a group of five students to act on behalf of the ASBCC.

Section C - Meetings

The SGA shall hold meetings bi-monthly.
Meetings will be held every other Wednesday throughout the course of the semester during the activity period. No club may hold an official meeting during this time. Clubs and organizations not sending a representative after two consecutive meetings will have their budgets frozen.
When the SGA is in normal operation all expenditures of money from the Student Government budget and Campus Activities Board budget will be approved by the SGA.
In the event the SGA is not functioning, the Director of Student Activities in conjunction with the Dean of Students or Vice-President of Financial and Administrative Services will be able to approve expenditures from each account.

ARTICLE III

Executive Board

Section A - Membership Qualifications

Any credit seeking student who possesses a 2.5 GPA at the time of elections and throughout the term. The Student Government Advisor will check the GPA of elected officers and senators at the beginning of each semester.

Section B - Meetings
1. Executive Board will meet prior to SGA meetings to set the agenda and plan operations.

Shall meet no less than once a week, when the SGA is in normal operation.

Section C - Powers and Duties
The Executive Board shall have the following powers and duties

PRESIDENT:

Shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Board and SGA meetings in an efficient and orderly manner following the Roberts Rules of Order.
Shall supervise the administration and enforcement of the rules of the SGA.
Shall be allowed to vote only to break a tie.
Shall prepare the meeting agenda and submit it to the Secretary.
Shall not hold office in another BCC Chartered Club but may be a participating member.
Shall be able to create ad hoc committees and appoint a committee chair from the Senate.
Shall be able to make an appointment to fill a vacant office, pending a majority confirmation vote of the senate.
Shall submit a report of his or her activities at Executive Board meetings.
Shall be responsible for attending all executive board and regular meetings, unless prior notice is given and is excused by the SGA Advisor.
Must participate in at least twelve (12) events during a semester

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT:

Shall assist the President of SGA in executive leadership of the SGA.
Shall in the absence of the President, assume all powers and responsibilities of the President.
Shall coordinate all committees approved or appointed by the President.
Shall coordinate all SGA bulletin boards.
Shall attend 1 (one) meeting of each committee per semester.
Shall submit a report of his or her activities at Executive Board meetings.
Shall be responsible for attending all executive board and regular meetings, unless prior notice is given to, and is excused by, SGA Advisor and President.
Shall participate in at least twelve (12) events during a semester.

3. VICE PRESIDENT OF STUDENT CONCERNS

Shall chair the Student Concerns Committee.
Shall oversee collection and review of all student concerns.
Shall prepare a report of addressed concerns at least once a semester, and present said report to the Senate.
Shall submit a report of his or her activities at Executive Board meetings.
Shall be responsible for attending all executive board and regular meetings, unless prior notice is given to, and is excused by, SGA Advisor and President.
Shall participate in at least twelve (12) events during a semester.

4. VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS:

Shall post agendas for SGA Meetings.
Shall keep minutes, including attendance, at Executive and SGA Meetings.
Shall make available minutes of SGA meetings within five (5) business days to each member of the Executive Board, Senate, President of the College, Director of Student Activities, and other advisors.
Shall post minutes on SGA bulleting board.
Shall be responsible for all official correspondence.
Shall have charge of all official records and papers of Executive Board and SGA.
Shall keep record of all activities of SGA.
Shall chair the Service Committee.
Shall submit a report of his or her activities at Executive Board meetings.
Shall be responsible for attending all executive board and regular meetings, unless prior notice is given, and is excused by, the SGA Advisor and President.
Shall participate in at least twelve (12) events during a semester.

5. VICE PRSIDENT OF FINANCE:

Shall be responsible for and keep a record of all SGA funds and financial records.
Shall submit position of SGA budget on a monthly basis.
Shall be financial advisor to clubs and organizations.
Shall chair the Finance Committee and serve as a non-voting, ex-officio member.
Shall chair the Fundraising Committee.
Shall submit a report his or her of activities at Executive Board meetings.
Shall be responsible for attending all executive board and regular meetings, unless prior notice is given, and is excused by, the SGA advisor and president.
Shall participate in at least twelve (12) events during a semester.

VICE PRESIDENT OF PROGRAMMING:

Shall be charged with the duties of maintaining and overseeing activities of the Campus Activities Board.
Shall chair the Campus Activites Board (CAB).
Shall submit yearly budget to SGA by the second Tuesday of March.
Shall submit tentative calendar to CAB for approval before setting any matter into motion. The CAB and the Office of Student Activities must approve all events.
Shall insure that events and related matters are accomplished in timely manner.
Shall have all contracts signed by the Director of Student Activities.
Shall submit a report of his or her activities at Executive Board meetings.
Shall be responsible for attending all executive board and regular meetings, unless prior notice is given, and is excused by, the SGA advisor and president.
Shall participate in at least twelve (12) events during a semester.

Section D - PRESENTATION:

The President shall be the primary representative of the SGA. However, any member of the Executive Board may represent SGA in matters requiring an executive officer.
The President or Vice President of Finance shall approve check request forms for SGA.

ARTICLE IV

SENATORS

Section A - Membership Qualifications

Any credit seeking student possessing a high school diploma or equivalent and possessing a 2.25 GPA at the time of elections, may be elected Senator at Large. If GPA falls below 2.25, the student will be relieved of his or her duties.
The Student Government Advisor will check the GPA of elected officers and senators at the beginning of each semester.
Senators will be made up of elected and appointed members of the student body.
When Senator positions are available following elections, any student of the college who has a GPA of 2.25 or greater, and has served at least two SGA meetings as an Assemblymen is eligible for a Presidential appointment to a Senator position, pending Senate confirmation.
Representation from the general BCC student body will not exceed the ratio of one student for every 300 students or portion thereof of students registered for classes by the 10th day count of the fall semester.

Section B - Powers and Duties

Senators-at-Large

Shall attend all SGA meetings. Senators who miss two (2) consecutive or three (3) non-consecutive meetings are subject to removal from office, as outlined in the by-laws, unless excused in advance by the SGA President.
Shall attend all assigned committee meetings unless excused by the committee chair.
Shall participate in no less than eight (8) events during a semester.
Shall serve on the committee designated by the Executive Vice President.
Shall upon request submit a report to SGA about committee meetings.
Shall represent the interests of the ASBCC through actions and services.

ARTICLE V

ASSEMBLYMEN

Any student of the college who has a GPA of 2.0 or greater, presenting a petition

with twenty-five (25) student signatures with one (1) faculty or staff signature, and receives approval by the Senate shall be appointed to an Assemblymen position.

Shall not vote at SGA meetings.
Shall attend all SGA meetings. Assemblymen who miss three (3) consecutive or four (4) non-consecutive meetings are subject to removal from office, as outlined in the by-laws, unless excused in advance by the SGA President.
Shall participate in no less than five (5) SGA events during the semester.
Shall serve as a voting member on their designated committee.
Shall serve as a student representative at college functions and as a SGA volunteer.

ARTICLE VI

CLUB REPRESENTATIVES

An officer of a club or a member designated by the club may be their official representative to the SGA.
A person may represent multiple clubs provided that they are a designated representative or officer of each club.
Each club shall submit a list of officers and approved representative(s) to the SGA Vice President of Communications by the start of the semester or two (2) weeks after club formation.
May not vote at SGA meetings.
A representative from each club must attend every SGA meeting. A club representative may not miss two (2) consecutive SGA meetings. If this occurs the club’s budget will be frozen. Excused absences may be granted from individual meetings or for a semester by the Director of Student Activities in advance.

ARTICLE VII

COUNCILS AND COMMITTEES

Section A - Campus Activities Board (C.A.B)

Purpose

To provide a larger involvement in campus life and leadership skills to chairs and members, while planning and facilitating student events. The Campus Activities Board shall sponsor and coordinate educational, cultural, and social activities for the benefit of day and evening students of Burlington County College throughout the year.

Membership

Vice President of Programming will act as the Chairman of this committee.
Programming Board and Committee Chairs are assigned by the Vice President of Programming.
Appointed Senators and Assemblymen.
Any member of the college community may volunteer their services to this committee.

Meetings

Shall hold meetings bi-weekly, unless otherwise directed by the Vice President of Programming.
All appointed Senators and Assemblymen must attend committee meetings.
Programming will be the function of the Student Activities Office in conjunction with interested students in the event the Campus Activities Board is not functioning.

Section B - Finance Committee

Purpose

The Finance Committee shall recommend the allocation of funds to all sanctioned clubs and organizations, subject to the approval of the college Vice-President of Financial and Administrative Services.

Membership

Vice President of Finance will act as chair of this committee.
Director of Student Activities or his/her designee.
Public Events Committee Chairperson or his/her designee.
Four (4) students, who are not members of any BCC club or organization, shall be appointed by Vice President of Finance and approved by Executive Board.

Meetings

The Finance Committee shall hold one (1) meeting at the start of the fall semester in order to review budgets for the year.
The Finance Committee shall hold monthly meetings in the spring semester, dates to be determined at the meeting in the fall semester.
The Finance Committee shall hold one (1) Instructional Budget meeting for clubs and organizations by March.
The Finance Committee shall accept budget requests and justifications from clubs and organizations by First Tuesday in April.

Section C - Student Concerns Committee

Purpose

To provide an avenue for students to voice concerns and opinions, to work to improve student life through addressing concerns in an effective manner, and to advocate for students.

Membership

Vice President of Student Concerns will act as Chairman of this committee.
Chairs are to be appointed by Vice President of Student Concerns.
Appointed Senators and Assemblymen.
Any member of the college community may volunteer their services to this committee.

Meetings

Shall hold meetings bi-monthly with additional meetings held as needed or as directed by the Vice President of Student Concerns.
All appointed Senators and Assemblymen must attend committee meetings.

Section D - Fundraising Committee

Purpose

To support and to facilitate fundraising initiatives for the Student Government Association as well as offering project ideas to clubs and other campus organizations on behalf of the Burlington County College student body.

Membership

The Vice President of Finance will act as chairman of this committee.
Chairs are to be appointed by the Vice President of Finance.
Appointed Senators and Assemblymen.
Any member of the college community may volunteer their services to this committee.

Meetings

Meetings will be held at a minimum of once a month unless otherwise directed by the Vice President of Finance. Additional meetings will be held as needed based on the progress of fundraising tasks.
All appointed Senators and Assemblymen must attend committee meetings.

Section E - Service Committee

Purpose

To provide support services to the communities within Burlington County, as well as to the college community. To identify the needs of the people, and find avenues with which to meet those needs, and to promote the spirit of volunteerism in the college community.

Membership

The Vice President of Communications will act as the Chairman of this committee.
Any club or individual acting on behalf of a club may become members of this committee.
Appointed Senators and Assemblymen.
Any member of the college community may volunteer their services to this committee.

Meetings

Meetings will be held at a minimum of once a month unless otherwise directed by the Vice President of Communications. Additional meetings will be held as needed based on the progress of service efforts.
All appointed senators and Assemblymen must attend committee meetings.

ARTICLE VIII

AMENDMENTS

Section A - Procedure

A Senator proposing an amendment must provide written documentation, of said amendment, to the Executive Board at least one (1) week prior to the proposal.
The proposed amendment must be introduced at a regular meeting of the SGA by one of the senators, and copies of the proposed amendment shall be distributed to all members of the SGA.
At the next meeting, after the introduction of the amendment, the SGA shall vote to approve or reject it.
If approved by the SGA, the proposed amendment shall be publicly posted, on the SGA bulletin board, at least one week prior to vote.
The ASBCC will vote on the proposed amendment within two (2) weeks of the posting date.
Only Executive Board Officers, excluding the President, elected senators and elected club representatives will vote on issues.

ARTICLE IX

RATIFICATION OF CONSTITUTION

Section A - PROCEDURE

The proposed document shall be presented to the President of the College for review and approval.
Ratification shall be proposed and voted on at a special meeting of the ASBCC called by the SGA.
The Constitution shall be declared ratified after having been approved by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of all ASBCC member present at the ASBCC meeting.
The Election Committee shall supervise such voting and judge the returns.
The ratified Constitution shall be presented to the Board of Trustees, if necessary.
The new Constitution shall take effect upon ratification.

The GPA Requirements for all offices will remain at 2.0 until the start of the 2008-2009 elections.

Approved, Signed, and Dated by BCC President

Date ratified by the ASBCC, __14_March 2007__

BY-LAWS

ARTICLE I

MEETING RULES AND REGULATIONS

The rules contained in the current edition of Roberts Rules of Order shall govern meetings of the SGA.

Quorum shall be a simple majority of all voting Senators and Executive Board members.

The Executive Board shall meet at least once prior to every regularly scheduled SGA meeting.

The Vice President of Communications shall post all SGA meetings on the SGA bulletin board, at least two (2) days prior to the meeting.

Meetings shall be open for members of the college community to attend and discuss issues.

Only Executive Board Members and Senators shall vote on issues.

If a general student vote is needed, the Executive Board shall call a special meeting of the ASBCC. The majority of all members present shall constitute a quorum for general student vote.

All matters requiring a vote of the SGA must be brought up at an SGA meeting. These matters shall be proposed via a motion. Seconding, discussion, and voting shall follow. There shall be no deviation from this procedure.

A majority of voting members requesting an emergency meeting shall be sufficient cause to call a meeting.

Special Meetings

Any board, council, or committee shall hold special meetings called by the chairperson of the respective board, council, or committee or by a majority of said board, council or committee.

Two (2) business days (received) notice must be given by telephone, mail, or SGA mailbox.

The specific matter(s) to be considered at the special meeting shall be stated in the notice and no other matter(s) will be considered at that time, except with the consent of all members present at such meetings.

In the event that an overlap occurs, the Executive Board will decide which meeting will be held and which will be cancelled. The Executive Board will announce a time and date for the rescheduling of the cancelled meeting.

Official meetings of the SGA and Executive Board must have a member of the Student Activities staff present.

ARTICLE II

ANNUAL BANQUET

The Vice President of Programming shall chair and appoint members, from the Executive Board and Senate without exceeding ten (10) members a planning committee for this banquet.

This banquet is held to recognize the service of the members of the SGA and all other student leaders and to celebrate the year’s accomplishments.

ARTICLE III

RESIGNATION

Resignation from the SGA may be accomplished by submitting a hand written or typed statement announcing the resignation of the Officer, Senator, Assemblymen, or Club Representative signed and dated by the individual. The resignation shall be read aloud and made part of the SGA minutes at the next official meeting.

ARTICLE IV

IMPEACHMENT

1. Grounds for Impeachment - A member may be charged with impeachment and relieved of office if:

The member does not fulfill his/her responsibilities to the ASBCC in accordance with the Constitution.
The Member does not satisfy the attendance requirements for their office.
The member is found in violation of Student Code of Conduct while representing ASBCC on or off campus.
The member is found guilty of a crime.

2. Procedures for Impeachment

Charges may be brought upon a member of the SGA by any member of the ASBCC.
Upon allegation of charges, the SGA will form a committee of no less than one (1) Senator, one (1) Executive Board Member and the SGA advisor to review the alleged charges. If allegations are verified, by a majority of the aforementioned committee, the committee will provide written notification of the charges to the Executive Board and to the charged member by certified return mail.
Charged members will provide a written statement of their defense to the Executive Board within one (1) week of receipt of charges.
The Executive Board must make a recommendation of action, within one (1) week of receiving the charged member’s defense, in writing to the SGA. Meanwhile, charged members may be suspended from all SGA duties, upon recommendation from the Executive Board.
The recommendation of the Executive Board must be read at the next official SGA meeting and a motion will be entertained.
The SGA will hear all sides of the charges and vote on actions one (1) week after the Executive Board recommendation.

ARTICLE V

VACANCIES

In the instance of a Presidential vacancy the Executive Vice President will assume all powers and duties of the office of President. In the event that the offices President and Executive Vice President are vacant a special election from within the Senate, Assembly, and Executive Board will occur. This special election will be presided over by the Director of Student Activities.
To fill a vacant officer’s position, the Executive Board shall elect a member from the Executive Board or SGA.
To fill a vacant Senator’s position, the President shall appoint a candidate from the Assembly with a confirmation vote of the Senate.
All voting done in conjunction with filling a vacancy may be done by secret ballot.
All candidates must meet the requirements outlined in the ASBCC Constitution and By-Laws.

ARTICLE VI

ELECTIONS

Elections of all Student Government officer and senators will occur during the Spring Semester.
The election process will include one week of student sign ups for positions, one week of campaigning, and one week of elections.
Elections will be held on all major Burlington County College campuses including Pemberton, Mt. Laurel, Willingboro, and Mt. Holly.
Only Burlington County College students are eligible to vote in the SGA elections. One vote per student. Students must present identification and a signature to participate in the election.
Elections must be held in enough time to conduct both a shared power meeting and a meeting of the newly elected officers before the end of the semester.
Open positions will include: President, Executive Vice President, Vice President of Student Concerns, Vice President of Communications, Vice President of Finance, Vice President of Programming, and Senator. As stated in the Constitution under Article IV, Section A, Number 5: Representation from the general student body will not exceed the ratio of one student for every 300 students or portion thereof of students registered for classes by the 10th day count of the fall semester.

ARTICLE VII

AMENDMENTS

Any member of the ASBCC may propose an amendment to these By-Laws. All proposed amendments to this document will be considered by the SGA. All proposed amendments will be voted upon by the SGA after adequate discussion. The amended document will be presented to the SGA Executive Board for approval as well as to the President of the College, and the Board of Trustees, if necessary.