Section 5–Procedures and Internal Structure of the Student Council
- Within one month following the start of its term, the Office of Student Affairs shall convene an organizational meeting. At this meeting the executive officers and members of the Student Council shall be sworn. As soon thereafter as it is convenient, the Student Council shall meet to fill any vacant or unfilled position within the Council, confirm the appointment of the members of its committees, and schedule the remainder of the Student Council’s regular monthly meetings.
- Student Council shall hold a minimum of three summer meetings to conduct any official council business. All qualifying members will be eligible to vote during the summer meetings. The first meeting during the summer will be used for special elections to fill any vacancies or unfilled positions within Student Government. Approval of students and Student Council members to the College Council, or college-wide committees will be voted on. Candidates for college-wide committees must submit a cover letter, resume, and unofficial transcript. These materials must then be submitted to the Dean of Students for review. The Vice President of Enrollment Management or his or her designee must certify the members on college-wide committees after being vetted by the Dean of Students. Within the first week of the fall semester, the Vice President of the Student Council must supply a completed list of all approved members on the college-wide committees to the Dean of Students. In the absence of the Vice President, the President must take the responsibility and supply a completed list of all approved committee members to the Dean of Students with the meeting minutes attached.
- Once its organization has been completed, the Student Council shall hold at least one regular meeting every month until the expiration of its term. These regular monthly meeting be held during community hour or any other time convenient to all. The times and dates of the regular monthly meetings may be changed by a vote of the permanent Steering Committee of the Student Council, provided that at least two weeks’ notice is given of such changes.
- The Steering Committee is comprised of the president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, chairperson of the permanent Committee on Clubs, chairperson of the permanent Committee on Graduate and Evening Services, and the chairperson of the permanent Club Planning Committee. The Steering Committee has the power to create the agenda for Student Council and hear committee chair reports.
- Special meetings of the Student Council may be held upon written notification from the Student Council President. All special meeting notifications must be sent at least 48 hours in advance with an agenda to Student Council. They shall also be convened upon a documented petition of a majority of the members of the Student Council.
- During its meetings, the Student Council shall strictly adhere to its agenda as specified further in Section 7 of this Article. In the case of the regular monthly meetings, the agenda shall be established by the Student Council’s Steering Committee. Whenever possible, the Steering Committee shall also establish the agenda for any special meetings called by the Student Council President. If the Steering Committee does not establish an agenda, the president may establish the agenda. Special meetings convened as the result of a petition with signatures of the majority (half plus one) of the Student Council, shall be governed by the agenda contained in the petition.
- Meetings of the Student Council shall be open in their entirety to all students, members of the faculty, members of the administration, and other interested individuals. The advisor shall have the right to attend and address all meetings of the Student Council and its committees.
- The date, time, and place of all regular Student Council meetings shall be conspicuously advertised through the College media at least two weeks before the meeting takes place and a schedule of all regular meetings shall be available to students at the Student Council’s office. Due notice of special meetings shall be given whenever possible.
- Every individual serving on the Student Council, with the exception of the president, shall be qualified to cast one vote at Student Council meetings. Members of the Student Council under suspension shall not be considered qualified to vote.
- A quorum of the Student Council shall consist of the majority (half plus one member) of all the members of the Student Council qualified to vote.
- No resolution shall be passed by the Student Council unless it shall have received at least a majority of the votes of qualified members present and voting. However, should a resolution or an amendment to a resolution be vetoed by the Student Council President, it must receive the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the qualified members of the Student Council to pass. Procedural motions, however, shall never require more than a simple majority to pass.
- The Student Council President, whenever present, shall preside at Student Council meetings. In his or her absence, the vice president, treasurer, or secretary of the Student Council shall preside in that order of precedence. Should there be no qualified executive officer present; the Student Council may designate one of its other members to preside.
The presiding officer shall not be allowed to vote at meetings of the Student Council except to break ties, provided that the presiding officer shall always be free to cast his or her veto. The presiding officers of all committees of the Student Council, however, shall have the right to vote.
Subject to the provisions of this Charter and such rules as the Student Council may wish to provide for itself, Robert’s Rules of Order, newly revised, shall govern parliamentary procedure at Student Council meetings.