Constitution -- Executive -- Georgia Tech Undergraduate Student Government

Constitution

PREAMBLE

"The Institute recognizes that students may become involved constructively in efforts of individuals and organizations to improve physical and social conditions of the Institute, to increase the effectiveness of the Institute, to increase the effectiveness of the processes of learning and development of maturity, and to create larger opportunities for self-government characterized by orderly procedures and the exercise of mature judgment."

--Statute 2.5.4 of the Georgia Institute of Technology

In order to further student interest, determine student responsibility, and to provide for necessary student participation in the governance of the Institute, we, the undergraduates of the Georgia Institute of Technology, hereby establish this Constitution in order to enhance the quality of student life at the Georgia Institute of Technology by committing ourselves to the service and involvement of our fellow students.

ARTICLE I. NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Undergraduate Student Government of the Georgia Institute of Technology.

ARTICLE II. CITIZENRY

All undergraduate students, hereafter referred to as students, the "Student Body," or as the "Undergraduate Student Body," of the Georgia Institute of Technology shall be citizens of this government.

ARTICLE III. ORGANIZATION

This government shall consist of three branches: Legislative, Executive, and Judicial.

Section 1.
The Legislative Branch shall be the Undergraduate Student Council, hereinafter referred to as the "Student Council" or the "Council."

Section 2.
The supreme judicial body shall be the Undergraduate Judiciary Cabinet, hereinafter referred to as the "Judiciary Cabinet," which along with any other lesser judicial bodies shall constitute the Judicial Branch.

Section 3.
The Executive Branch of this government shall be composed of the Undergraduate Student Body President, hereinafter referred to as "Student Body President" or "President", and the "Executive Vice-President," and those students in such offices, boards, councils, departments, committees, commissions as shall be necessary for the efficient administration of the Undergraduate Student Government, hereinafter referred to as the "Student Government."

ARTICLE IV. THE STUDENT COUNCIL (LEGISLATIVE BRANCH)

Section 1. PURPOSE
The Council shall constitute the legislative body of this government and shall have legislative authority within the limits of the Statutes, Student Conduct Code, and Rules and Regulations of the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Section 2. COMPOSITION OF REPRESENTATIVES
The Council shall be composed of representatives apportioned into the various academic departments, classes, and other such bodies of students deemed appropriate by the Student Council for representation, and elected by the constituency of each apportioned area. Students following the cooperative plan and student athletes shall also have representatives elected by their respective constituency. In addition, Council shall elect three members-at-large from the Student Body to serve as representatives.

Section 3. ELECTIONS, VACANCIES, AND ELIGIBILITY
Three members-at-large will be elected by the council to serve as representatives. All other representatives shall be elected by the Undergraduate Student Body.

Academic department and class representatives shall be elected during Spring Semester and installed before the end of Spring Semester and serve for a term of one year or until their successors are installed.
To be eligible for candidacy for or to remain in office, a student must:
1. Remain an undergraduate student throughout said term of office,
2. Be enrolled as a full-time student or Student Activity Fee paying in-town co-op during every semester of said term except Summer Semester.
3. Be in good standing, as defined by the Student Rules and Regulations of the Georgia Institute of Technology.
4. Comply with all regulations for elections and eligibility established by the Bylaws of the Undergraduate Student Government and with such regulations as may be established by the Student Council.
Furthermore, academic department representatives must remain students in the academic department from which they were elected to hold office.
If an office becomes vacant, the candidate with the next highest number of votes shall fill that office. If no other candidate is available or if the office is not filled by regular elections, the Student Body President shall have the power to appoint a representative from the appropriate constituency to fill that office with the advice and consent of the Student Council.

Section 4. CLASS OFFICERS
The Candidate for class representative from each class, receiving the highest number of votes, shall be designated as the President of that class.

Section 5. STUDENT COUNCIL OFFICER

Student Council Officers shall include a Chairman, a Treasurer, a Secretary, and a Financial Advisor. The Student Body President shall serve in an advisory capacity to the Council
The Executive Vice-President shall be the ex-officio Chairman. The Chairman shall have the responsibility of presiding at all Student Council meetings. In the absence of the Executive Vice-President, the Council may select a temporary Chairman.
The Treasurer of the Executive Branch shall be the ex-officio Treasurer of the Student Council. The Treasurer shall have the responsibility of keeping records of financial transactions of the Undergraduate Student Government. He or She shall not have the authority to approve or deny expenditures which are allocated in the annual budget. The Treasurer shall automatically be a member of the Joint Finance Committee.
The Secretary of the Executive Branch shall be the ex-officio Secretary of the Student Council. The Secretary shall have the responsibility of keeping minutes of all Student Council meetings and shall perform other secretarial duties which may be necessary. In the Secretary's absence, the Student Council may select a temporary Secretary.
In the Undergraduate Student Council, the Joint Finance Committee Chairman will hold the title of, and hereinafter be referred to as, the Vice-President of Finance." The Vice President of Finance shall be the Financial Advisor of the Undergraduate Student Council as well as the Graduate Student Senate, and shall advise both concerning accounts allocated jointly, the Student Activity Fee budgeting process, and any other appropriate financial matters.

Section 6. DUTIES AND LIMITATION

The Student Council shall represent the entire Undergraduate Student Body in all matters affecting student interest, and shall in cooperation, when appropriate, with the Graduate Student Senate exercise general supervision over all student activities.
The Student Council shall be responsible for calling and conducting meetings and referenda of the student body.
STUDENT ACTIVITY FEE ALLOCATIONS
The Student Council, together with the Graduate Senate, shall have the responsibility of formulating an annual budget and for recommending changes in the amount of the Student Activity Fee.

In forming such a budget or recommending such changes, both legislative bodies shall consider the recommendations of a Joint Finance committee composed of both undergraduate and graduate members, according to the relative portions of the graduate and undergraduate student bodies. However, there shall be no fewer than two (2) graduate members or two (2) undergraduate members on the Joint Finance Committee. The Chairman of the Joint Finance Committee shall be appointed by the Presidents of both the Undergraduate and Graduate Student Governments pursuant to Joint Standing Committee chairman appointment procedures outlined in Section 7 of Article V of this Constitution.
The annual student activity fee budget shall be voted upon by a division of the house by both the Undergraduate Student Council and the Graduate Student Senate. These votes shall be recorded and the totals used to calculate an Enactment Ratio, defined as such: [(number of Undergraduate Student Council affirmative votes) / (total Undergraduate Student Council votes cast) x (fraction of total student Activity Fees paid by Undergraduate Students)] + [(number of Graduate Senate Affirmative Votes) /(total Graduate Senate votes cast) x (fraction of total Student Activity Fees paid by Graduate Students)] = Enactment Ratio. The Enactment Ratio must be greater than 0.6 to pass the annual budget.
The Enactment Ratio shall be used to determine a recommendation for an increase in the amount of the Student Activity Fee; however, the Enactment Ratio must be greater than 0.75 for such.
The annual budget and changes in the amount of the Student Activity Fee must be reviewed and approved by the Student Activities Committee of the Academic Faculty and becomes effective with the approval and subsequent action of the President of the Georgia Institute of Technology.
At the end of the fiscal year, any unspent monies from organizations receiving Student Activities Fees shall be allocated to three accounts. The first twenty-five thousand shall be divided between the Undergraduate Legislative Reserve and the Graduate Legislative Reserve according to the fraction of Student Activities Fees paid by Undergraduate students and Graduate Students respectively. The legislative bodies of each government shall have the responsibility to allocating these funds.
The rest of the unspent monies will be divided equally and allocated to the Prior year account and the Capital Outlay Account. Appropriations from these two accounts shall be allocated as needed, using the same enactment ratio as for the annual budget. The enactment ratio must be greater than 0.6 to approve such allocations.

CHARTERING OF ORGANIZATIONS
The Student Council, together with the Graduate Student Senate, shall have the responsibility of granting, revoking and approving revisions to charters for all campus organizations.

No student organization whose constitution conflicts with this Constitution, the Statutes of the Georgia Institute of Technology or any local, municipal, state or federal law shall be chartered.
A charter can be revoked whenever an organization becomes inactive, violates provisions of its charter, fails to execute the functions for which the organization was formed, or conducts its activities in manner so as to bring discredit to the school or Student Body. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Student Council shall be necessary to recommend such action to the Student Activities Committee. No charter shall be revoked before the organization concerned has had an opportunity to present its case to the Student Council, or has failed to appear before the Council within two weeks after notification.
The granting, revision, and revocation of all campus organization charters shall be finalized only upon the approval of the Student Activities Committee.

The Student Council shall advise the Student Body President on all appointments (except appointment to ad-hoc Committees). A majority vote shall be necessary to approve such appointments.
The Student Council shall establish Boards, councils and committees to determine policy and implement decisions which fall within the jurisdiction of Undergraduate Student Government.
The Student Council shall establish student judiciary bodies in addition to those provided for in this Constitution, as the need arises.
The Student Council shall determine the apportionment of its own representation and establish qualifications of candidates for office.
The Student Council shall not establish any rule, or law or resolution which is in conflict with the Statutes of the Georgia Institute of Technology, or any local, municipal, state or federal law.

Section 7. RULES OF ORDER

The latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the procedure of all Student Council meetings and will be the general authority on parliamentary law for all Council matters, when not in conflict with the provisions of the Constitution or the Bylaws.
A quorum shall consist of two-thirds (2/3) of the voting membership of the Council.
Any main motion to be considered by the Student Council shall be designated as a Bill. A Bill must be passed by a majority vote of the Council, unless this Constitution or the Bylaws specify otherwise. Any rule, regulation, or governing policy established by a Bill shall be valid only for a period of three years from the date the bill is passed. An exception to this shall be changes in Bylaws or amendments to the Constitution, which shall be permanent.
The Student Body President may veto any Bill passed during any meeting of Student Council only once.

A two-thirds (2/3) vote of Student Council shall be sufficient to override the veto.
The time limitation for the veto of any Bill passed during a Council meeting other than the last regularly scheduled meeting of any session shall be contained in the Bylaws.
For any Bill passed during the last regularly scheduled meeting of any session, the Student Body President must exercise his veto power on such a bill by the end of the meeting. Once this veto is exercised, then a special meeting to consider the vetoed Bill shall be called to order immediately after the adjournment of the last scheduled Council meeting.
Any vetoed Bill becomes the first order of business at the next Student Council meeting. Before discussion of the vetoed Bill, the Student Body President must present his reasons for vetoing the Bill. Following discussion, an override vote will be taken.

Only voting members of the Council, the Student Body President, and the heads of those executive committees, departments and boards specifically defined in the Bylaws of the Student Government may introduce legislation. The head of a committee, department, or board may only introduce legislation with the prior approval of that committee or board, unless he is also a voting member of the Council.
The Student Council shall meet at an established time and place not less than once every two weeks during the academic year except during Summer semester.
All meetings of the Student Council shall be open to all members of the Undergraduate Student Body.
During Summer semester, if it is not possible to obtain a quorum and a matter of sufficient importance arises, a vote may be conducted by mail if every Council member is informed of the issue and at least two-thirds (2/3) of the members vote.

Section 8. IMPEACHMENT AND REMOVAL FROM OFFICE

If a representative neglects his duties, is convicted of a violation of the Student Conduct Code, or is accused of an action which is detrimental to the interests of the Student Body, impeachment charges may be brought against him by a three-fifth (3/5) vote of the entire Student Council.
If impeachment charges are brought against a representative, a hearing shall be held by the Student Council. The chairman of the Judiciary Cabinet shall chair the hearing proceedings and a three-fourths (3/4) vote of the entire Student Council shall be necessary to remove the official from office.

ARTICLE V. EXECUTIVE BRANCH

Section 1. PURPOSE
This branch shall have authority to execute all necessary legislation and action as defined within the limits of this Constitution, the Bylaws of the Undergraduate Student Government, all legislation passed by Student Council, and the Statutes, Student Conduct Code, and Rules and Regulations of the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Section 2. ORGANIZATION
The Executive Branch shall be composed of the Student Body President, the Executive Vice-President, the Vice-President of Finance, students serving in appointments external to the Student Government, and students in offices, boards, commissions, departments, and committees which are provided for in this Constitution or in the Bylaws, or which the Student Council may establish and place under the authority of the Student Body President.

Section 3. OFFICER ELECTIONS, ELIGIBILITY, AND TERM OF OFFICE

The Student Body President and Executive Vice-President shall be elected separately by a majority vote of the Student Body. They shall be elected during Spring Semester and installed in office before the end of Spring Semester.
To be eligible to run for the office of Student Body President or Executive Vice President, a student shall have been enrolled as a full-time student for at least three (3) semesters during the two years previous to his campaign for either office, and shall have reached junior standing as determined by the Registrar's Office.
The Treasurer and Secretary shall be elected by a majority vote of the Student Council at the beginning of Fall Semester.
The Vice-President of Finance shall be appointed in a matter consistent with the selection of Joint Standing Committee Chair as defined in Section 9 of this article.
To be eligible to apply for the office of Vice-President of Finance or to run for the office of Treasurer, a student shall have reached sophomore standing as determined by the Registrar's Office.
To be eligible to run for office, or to hold an office, a student must:

Remain an undergraduate student throughout said term of office,
Be enrolled as a full-time student or Student Activity Fee paying in-town co-op during every semester of said term except Summer Semester.
Be in good standing, as defined by the Student Rules and Regulations of the Georgia Institute of Technology.
All officers shall serve for a term of one year or until their successors are installed.

Section 4. DUTIES OF THE STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT

The Student Body President shall be the spokesman for the Student Body in all Student Government affairs and in student relations with the administration.
He or She shall be the chief executive and shall be responsible for the activities of all the Executive Branch. He or She shall make all standing appointments of heads of executive bodies, of non-elected officers, and of students to serve on bodies external to Student Government. All of these appointments shall be made only with the advice and consent of the Student Council. He or She shall make appointments of chairmen of Joint Standing Committee pursuant to the procedures outlined in Section 9 of this Article.
He or She shall appoint all members of the Judiciary Cabinet with the approval of Student Council.
He or She shall appoint all undergraduate members of the Joint Finance Committee except the Student Government Treasurer, who is automatically a member.
He or She shall have the power to remove from office any student, whom he has appointed, except members of the Judiciary Cabinet or those in positions primarily responsible for trying student misconduct.
He or She shall have power to transact routine business which is in the best interest of the Student Body.
He or She shall be an ex-officio member of all executive committees and departments.
He or She shall have the power to veto one time any Bill passed by the Student Council, as prescribed in ARTICLE IV, Section 7, Paragraph D.

Section 5. DUTIES OF THE EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENT

The Executive Vice President shall act in full capacity of the Student Body President, if the Student Body President is unable to perform his duties.
He or She shall serve as Chairman of the Student Council.
He or She shall assist the Student Body President in the fulfillment of all executive duties.
He or She shall be responsible for calling meetings of the Student Council.

Section 6. DUTIES OF THE VICE-PRESIDENT OF FINANCE

The Vice-President of Finance shall be the Chairman of the Joint Finance Committee.
He or She shall be responsible for coordinating all Joint Finance Committee activity and for the requirements of a Joint Standing Committee chairman pursuant to guidelines contained in Section 7 of this Article.
He or She shall be responsible for coordinating the Joint Finance Committee in the preparation of the annual Student Activities Fee Budget.

Section 7. JOINT STANDING COMMITTEES

DEFINITION
A Joint Standing Committee of the Student Government Association shall be a committee statutorily composed of both undergraduate and graduate members with a statutory responsibility to both the Undergraduate Student Government and the Graduate Student Government.
CHAIRMAN
1. The Chairperson of the Joint Standing Committee will be appointed by the President of the Student Body of larger population with the advice of the President of the Student Body of smaller population.
2. The person appointed as Chairman of the Joint Standing Committee shall be approved by both the Undergraduate Student Council and Graduate Student Senate with the following Enactment Ratio:
  [ (# Undergrad votes yes)/(# Undergrad votes cast) x (proportion Undergrad students)] + [(# Grad votes yes)/(# Grad votes cast) X (proportion of Grad students)].
  The Enactment Ratio must be 0.5 or higher for approval.
3. There shall be no restriction placed on candidates for the position of Chairman of a Joint Standing Committee based on the candidate's classification as Undergraduate or Graduate.
ESTABLISHMENT
A Joint Standing Committee may be established by approval of both the Undergraduate Student Council and Graduate Student Senate using the Enactment Ratio in Section 2 provided the Enactment Ratio is 2/3 or higher. Standing committees of the Undergraduate Student Council or Graduate Student Senate may be changed to Joint Standing Committees provided that the appropriate statutory composition and responsibility requirements of the committee are changed in the Bylaws and the Chairman is appointed and approved via Paragraph B of this section.
AUTOMATIC JOINT STANDING COMMITTEE
Upon ratification of this Article and Section, the Joint Finance Committee shall become a Joint Standing Committee of the Student Government Association.

Section 8. IMPEACHMENT AND REMOVAL FROM OFFICE

If either the Student Body President or Executive Vice-President neglects his duties, is convicted of a violation of the Student Conduct Code, or is accused of action which is detrimental to the interests of the Student Body, impeachment charges may be brought against him by a three-fifth (3/5) vote of the entire Student Council.
If impeachment charges are brought against either the Student Body President or Executive Vice-President, a hearing shall be held by the Student Council. The chairman of the Judiciary Cabinet shall chair the hearing proceedings and a three-fourths (3/4) vote of the entire Student Council shall be necessary to remove either official from office.
The Treasurer and Secretary can be removed from their respective offices by a two-thirds (2/3) vote. Their term shall be for one year or until their successors are installed.

Section 9. FILLING VACANCIES

Should a vacancy occur in the office of Student Body President, then the Executive Vice-President shall assume the said office.
Should a vacancy occur in the office of the Executive Vice-President, then the Student Council shall elect, by a majority vote, a successor to that office.

ARTICLE VI. JUDICIAL BRANCH

Section 1. ORGANIZATION
The Undergraduate Judiciary Cabinet shall be the supreme judicial body of the Undergraduate Student Government. Lesser courts, established by the Student Council as needed, shall constitute the remainder of this branch.

Section 2. POWERS OF THE JUDICIARY CABINET
The Judiciary Cabinet shall have the responsibility of reviewing all non-academic violations of the Student Conduct Code of the Georgia Institute of Technology. The Judiciary Cabinet shall also have the authority to interpret this Constitution, the Bylaws, and all policies, codes and legislation adopted by the Student Government. The Judiciary Cabinet shall also have authority to determine the constitutionality of the actions of the other two branches.

Section 3. APPELLATE JURISDICTION
The Judiciary Cabinet shall have appellate jurisdiction over all lower courts and judicial bodies which the Student Council may establish, and shall serve as an appeals court for cases, which have been referred to the Dean of Students by other judicial bodies.

Section 4. MEMBERSHIP AND ELIGIBILITY

The Judiciary Cabinet shall be composed of a Chairman, ten (10) Justices, and a maximum of three (3) Alternate Justices, appointed as needed by the Student Body President with the advice and consent of the Student Council.
A student must have reached at least Sophomore standing to be eligible for appointment as a Justice and at least Junior standing to be eligible for appointment as Chairman. Once in office, a Justice shall serve until he or she graduates, unless he resigns or is impeached.
No Justice may concurrently serve in an appointed or elected office in the Executive Branch or Legislative Branch.
No Justice may concurrently serve as a voting member of a student judicial body other than the Undergraduate Judiciary Cabinet.

Section 5. DUTIES OF THE CHIEF JUSTICE

The Chief Justice shall serve as the primary spokesman and contact for the Judiciary Cabinet.
He or She shall organize regular meetings of Justices.
He or She shall prepare practice cases for the Judiciary Cabinet.
He or She shall appoint a Treasurer of the Undergraduate Judiciary Cabinet.
He or She shall oversee, coordinate, and mediate trial proceedings, and shall maintain fairness and consistency during such proceedings.
He or She shall keep record of all policies and procedures governing trial proceedings.
He or She shall organize as necessary the recruiting process for new justices, and shall submit a list of recommended candidates to the Student Body President.
He or She shall be the judiciary cabinet member to have and to grant access to records of previous cases, trials, hearing, or proceedings.

Section 6. IMPEACHMENT

If any member of the Judiciary Cabinet neglects his duties, is convicted of a violation of the Student Conduct Code, or is accused of action which is detrimental to the interests of the Student Body, impeachment charges may be brought against him by a three-fifths (3/5) vote of the entire Student Council.
If impeachment charges are brought against a member of the Judiciary Cabinet, a hearing shall be held by the Student Council. The Executive Vice-President shall chair the hearing proceeding and a three-fourths (3/4) vote of the entire Student Council shall be necessary to remove an official from office.

ARTICLE VII. BYLAWS

Section 1. PURPOSE
The Student Council shall establish a set of rules, which shall be known as the Bylaws of the Undergraduate Student Government. The Bylaws shall be a lesser authority than this Constitution and shall establish further guidelines for the Student Government.

Section 2. RATIFICATION
The Bylaws shall be ratified by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the entire membership of the Student Council. Furthermore, approval of the Student Activities Committee of the Academic Faculty shall be necessary for final ratification.

Section 3. AMENDMENTS
A two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Council shall be required to amend the Bylaws, provided notice has been given of the proposed amendment(s) at the previous Council meeting. Furthermore, approval by the Academic Senate, via the Student Activities Committee of the Academic Faculty shall be necessary to finalize the revision. However, final approval from the Academic Senate shall not be necessary for the Bylaws amendments to be acted upon.

Section 4.
The Bylaws may be waived by a two-thirds (2/3) vote at any Student Council meeting.

ARTICLE VIII. RATIFICATION, AMENDMENTS, REFERENDUMS, RECALL AND INITIATIVE

Section 1. RATIFICATION
This Constitution shall become effective when the following criteria are satisfied:

Two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the votes cast by the Student Body in a special election.
Approval of the Academic Senate via the Student Activities Committee.

Section 2. AMENDMENTS
Amendments to the Constitution may be proposed by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Student Council, or by a petition of ten percent (10%) of the Student Body directed to the Student Body President. Amendments become part of this Constitution upon ratification by two-thirds (2/3) of the votes cast in a special election for undergraduate students, which the President of the Student Body shall call, provided the proposed amendments have been published in the Technique at least one week prior to the vote by the Student Body and further provided that the amendments be approved by the Academic Senate, via the Student Activities Committee.

Section 3. REFERENDUMS
A referendum on any undergraduate question may be called by a petition signed by at least ten percent (10%) of the student body, or by a majority vote of the Student Council. A referendum vote by the student body must be carried by a majority of the students voting.

Section 4. RECALL
A recall election for any elected member of the Legislative Branch or Executive Branch may be called by a petition signed by at least ten percent (10%) of his electing constituency. A special election shall then be held in which the electing constituency shall vote on whether or not to maintain that member or officer in his position. A recall vote must be carried by a majority of the students voting.

Section 5. INITIATIVE
An initiative on any question may be called by a petition signed by at least ten percent (10%) of the student body. The Student Council must consider the initiated question and vote on the initiated question.