THE
BYLAWS TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE
BYLAW I
Section A Each
year, a total of twenty-five (25) students shall be elected as voting members
of the Student Senate, according to the following districts:
At
Large 4 Greek 1
Arts
and Sciences 1 Freshman 2
College
of Nursing 1 Senior 2
Minority
(no distinction) 3 International Student 1
*Residence
Hall 3
Off-Campus/Commuter Student 1
* one of which must be a freshman
Section B At
or before the Spring Organizational Meeting, to be held after elections are
completed in April, eleven (11) students shall be elected by a majority vote of
the Student Senate to serve one-year University Council terms.
Section C Qualifications
Clause 1 a) All Student Senators must have and
maintain a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or better and be
full-time students at
b) Student Senators, with the
exception of freshman and transfer students, must also have completed at least
twenty-four (24) credit hours.
Clause 2 All
Student Senators must be representative of their specific constituencies for
the duration of their term in office.
Clause 3 Senators
shall approach Senate business with regard to their constituents over other
affiliations or connections with organizations.
If connections to organizations are strong enough to interfere with
impartiality, it is their duty to inform the Senate of their position.
Section D Duties
Clause 1 Student
Senators will attend and participate in all meetings of the Student Senate and
any Student Senate sub-committee of which they are a member.
Clause 2 The
Senator(s) of each district, excluding At-Large, shall prepare and submit a
quarterly constituency report in writing, which will include, but not be
limited to, the concerns of said district with respect to current VU issues involving
Student Senate.
Clause 3 The
At-Large Senators shall compile their report from previously said reports in
Clause 2 of this section.
Clause 4 All
Student Senators shall hold and maintain scheduled office hours.
BYLAW II EXECUTIVE OFFICES OF THE STUDENT SENATE
Section A The
Executive Treasurer of the Student Senate
Clause 1 Qualifications
At
the beginning of the Term of Office, the Executive Treasurer shall have
completed at least forty-five (45) credit hours with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or
better, and have completed six or more credit hours in Accounting with a GPA of
3.0 or higher in the first six hours of Accounting. The Executive Treasurer shall be a registered
Accounting or Finance Major. The Executive Treasurer shall hold no other salaried
position funded by Student Activity Fees.
Clause 2 Duties
a)
The
Executive Treasurer shall keep a full record of all incomes and expenditures of
the Student Senate and shall be held accountable for all transactions.
b)
The
Executive Treasurer shall make no disbursements from the general treasury
except as authorized by the Student Senate.
c)
The
Executive Treasurer shall be responsible for preparing a financial report,
consisting of all allocated and remaining Special Appropriations funds and
presenting it to the Student Senate on a quarterly basis.
d)
The
Executive Treasurer shall make written budget reports to the heads of the
campus Media, Budgeted, and Allocated organizations regarding the budgetary
records of the Media, Budgeted, and Allocated organizations on an as-needed
basis.
e)
The
Executive Treasurer shall perform the duties outlined in the Budget Rollover
Program Guidelines.
f)
The Executive Treasurer shall report all line-item shifts
to Senate at the next plenary meeting after the submission.
g)
The
Executive Treasurer shall perform any other duties of a financial nature
assigned by the President or Vice President of the Student Body, subject to the
authority of the President of the Student Body.
h)
The
Executive Treasurer shall be responsible for contracting an independent audit
for each fiscal year and for presenting the audit report to the Assistant
Provost for Student Affairs and the University Business Manager.
i)
The
outgoing Executive Treasurer shall transfer the duties of office and the books
during the last quarter of the academic year to the incoming Executive
Treasurer.
j)
The
Executive Treasurer shall serve as a voting member of the Executive Committee.
Clause 3 The
Executive Treasurer of the Student Senate shall carry out the duties of the
office according to the following procedures:
a)
The
Executive Treasurer shall draw no checks unless the amount is supported by
appropriate vouchers, or for reimbursement of the petty cash fund of the
organizations desiring funds, supported by a bill.
b)
The
Executive Treasurer shall make no disbursements from the general treasury
except as provided by the budget approved by the Student Senate and those
special cases outlined in Bylaw XV, Section E.
Auditors shall be instructed to charge all unauthorized payments against
the salary of the Treasurer.
Section B The Assistant Treasurer of the Student
Senate
Clause 1 Qualifications
At
the beginning of the Term of Office, the Assistant Treasurer shall have
completed at least forty-five (45) credit hours with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or
better, and have completed six or more credit hours in Accounting with a GPA of
3.0 or higher in the first six hours of Accounting. The Assistant Treasurer shall be a registered
Accounting or Finance Major. The Assistant Treasurer shall hold no other
salaried position funded by Student Activity Fees. The Assistant Treasurer shall be in a
position to be qualified to be the Executive Treasurer in the year after being
the Assistant Treasurer.
Clause 2 Duties
a)
The
Assistant Treasurer shall act as the apprentice of and is accountable to the
Executive Treasurer
b)
The
Assistant Treasurer shall maintain the past records of the Executive Treasurer.
c)
The
Assistant Treasurer shall perform any other duties of a financial nature
assigned by the Executive Treasurer, President, or Vice President of the
Student Body, subject to the authority of the President of the Student Body.
d)
The
Assistant Treasurer shall serve as a non-voting, ex-officio member of the Executive Committee.
Section C The Executive Secretary of the Student
Senate
Clause 1 Qualifications
At the beginning of the Term of Office, the Executive Secretary shall
have completed at least twenty-four (24) credit hours with a cumulative GPA of
2.5 or better. The Executive Secretary
shall hold no other salaried position funded by Student Activity Fees.
Clause 2 Duties
a)
The
Executive Secretary shall keep the minutes of all meetings of the Student
Senate. The Executive Secretary shall
also distribute said minutes to all members of the Student Senate.
b)
The
Executive Secretary shall notify all members of the Student Senate of all
regular and special meetings of the Student Senate, informing them of the time
and place of such meetings.
c)
The
Executive Secretary shall keep an accurate record of attendance and inform any
member of Student Senate requesting such information.
d)
The
Executive Secretary shall be responsible for management, repair, and control of
all Student Senate property and shall keep a record of the location of all
property at all times.
e)
The
Executive Secretary shall perform any other duties of a secretarial nature
assigned by the President or Vice President of the Student Body, subject to the
authority of the President of the Student Body.
f)
The
Executive Secretary shall keep the Student Senate Archives, consisting of all
past minutes of Student Senate meetings and other documents. Appropriate records should be distributed to
the appropriate source.
g)
The
Executive Secretary shall conduct administrative tasks germane to office
organization, filing, photocopying, computer-related tasks appropriate to
official record-keeping, and other office-related tasks, as deemed necessary by
the Executive Committee.
h)
The
Executive Secretary shall serve as a voting member of the Student Senate
Executive Committee.
Section D The Public Relations Coordinator of the
Student Senate
Clause 1 Qualifications
At the beginning of the term of office, the Public Relations
Coordinator shall have completed at least twenty-four (24) credit hours at
Clause 2 Duties
a)
The
Public Relations Coordinator shall act as a liaison between the Student Senate
and the Student Body. In order to carry
out this duty, he or she shall have access to all documents of the Student
Senate and its subcommittees.
b)
The
Public Relations Coordinator shall gather all information necessary to assess
the issues and concerns of the Student Body.
c)
The
Public Relations Coordinator shall report at least biweekly to the Student
Senate as to the issues and concerns of the Student Body.
d)
The
Public Relations Coordinator shall disseminate information to the Student Body
by any means necessary to inform the Student Body of Student Senate actions,
events, policies, and anything else that may satisfy the Student Body’s
concerns.
e)
The
Public Relations Coordinator shall serve as a voting member of the Student
Senate Executive Committee.
f)
The
Public Relations Coordinator shall perform any other duties assigned by the
President or Vice President of the Student Body, subject to the authority of
the Student Body President.
Section E The Parliamentarian of the Student
Senate
Clause 1 Qualifications
At the beginning of the Term of Office, the Parliamentarian of the
Student Senate shall have completed at least twenty-four (24) credit hours at
Clause 2 Duties
a)
The
Parliamentarian shall advise the Student Senate on the correct operating
procedures according to Robert’s Rules of Order and those documents
which govern the operation of Student Senate.
b)
The
Parliamentarian shall be available to lend assistance to members of the Student
Senate wishing to discuss points of parliamentary procedure.
c)
The
Parliamentarian shall perform any other duties assigned by the President or
Vice President of the Student Body, subject to the authority of the President
of the Student Body.
d)
The
Parliamentarian shall serve as a voting member of the Student Senate Executive.
Section F If
an Executive Officer of the Student Senate is charged with misconduct or
negligence of duty, impeachment procedures shall be initiated as stated in the
Constitution of the Valparaiso University Student Senate, Article VII.
BYLAW III OATHS
OF OFFICE
Section A Before
any person taking a salaried executive position of the Student Senate, listed
in Bylaw II or Article I of the Constitution,
may take office, he or she shall take the following oath: “I, (name of
officeholder), do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of
(name of position) of Valparaiso University, and will to the best of my
ability, preserve, protect, and defend the interests of the Valparaiso Student
Senate and the Student Body of Valparaiso University.”
Section B Before
any person taking a position of Senator of the Valparaiso Student Senate may
take office, he or she shall take the following oath:
I,
________________________, as a duly appointed representative of the student
body and
·
Act in
the interest of and as a representative of/advocate for
·
Represent
my constituents to the best of my ability,
·
Cooperate
and communicate with Student Senate as a group,
·
Promote
activism and involvement on campus,
·
Communicate
and interact with all constituents whenever possible,
·
Respect
parliamentary procedure, meeting protocol and the opinions of others,
·
Be
proactive in resolving conflicts, opening dialogues and researching issues,
·
Interact
with campus faculty, staff, and the community at large,
·
Expand
horizons of knowledge, both for myself and my constituents,
·
Educate
the student body to understand issues from all perspectives,
·
Perform
office hours productively and regularly,
·
Serve
effectively on all assigned Senate committees,
·
Responsibly
allocate funds to recognized campus organizations, and
·
Perform
all duties to the best of my ability at all times.
I take this oath with all sincerity and respect as to my position and its
responsibility to the students, faculty, staff, administrators, and community
of
BYLAW IV SALARIES
Section A Salaries
above $100 shall be paid per quarter, and all others shall be paid per
semester.
Section B Salaried
positions include the following. Annual
salaries shall be set at the discretion of the Student Senate, at or above the
following minimums.
President
of the Student Body $2000
Vice
President of the Student Body $1800
Executive
Treasurer $1600
Assistant
Treasurer $800
Executive
Secretary $300
Public
Relations Coordinator $300
Parliamentarian $150
Finance
Chair $500
Administration
Chair $200
Screening
Chair $100
Elections
Chair $100
COM
Chair $100
COR
Chair $100
Card
Chair $150
Pilot
Chair $100
VUSSOLISA
Chair $50
BYLAW V – COMMITTEES
OF THE STUDENT SENATE
Section A The
standing Committees of Residence, Media, Elections, Grievance, Screening,
Finance, and Administration as enumerated in the several Bylaws following, must
follow the rules set forth in this Bylaw.
Section B Removal of and
Instatement of Members of Committee
Clause 1 Any
Chair may be removed from his or her respective Chair position upon the request
of two voting members of that committee and by a vote of two-thirds by
Senate. The Chair may not vote in the
matter of his or her removal. In this
fashion, the Chair shall be removed from the Chairmanship, but shall remain on
the Committee. The then ex-Chair would
have to be considered with regard to Clause 2 for full removal from the
Committee.
Clause 2 Any
voting member who is also a member of Senate may be removed from committee upon
the request of the Chair and any voting member of the committee or upon the
request of two voting members of the committee.
Requests for removal must then be approved by a simple majority of
Senate. No member may submit a request
against him or her self.
Clause 3 Any
voting member who is not a member of Senate may be removed from the committee
upon the request of the Chair and any voting member of the committee or two
voting members of the committee and a simple majority vote by Senate.
Clause 4 Any
non-voting member who is not ex-officio
may be removed in the like manner to a voting member. If the member is ex-officio, he or she cannot rightly be removed from the
committee. The Chair may request, with a
majority vote of Senate, that the ex-officio
member be unable to exercise the prerogative to attend meetings.
Clause 5 Any
member of a committee who had previously been removed from a Chair position can
be reinstated to the Chair position by a unanimous vote of the Committee.
Clause 6 Any
person who had previously been removed from a committee may be reinstated to
that committee by a nomination by the Chair and a two-thirds vote of Senate.
Clause 7 Any
vacancy on any committee shall be filled by a nomination by the Chair and a
majority vote of Senate.
BYLAW VI THE
STUDENT SENATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Section A Membership
Clause 1 Voting Members
The
President of the Student Body
The
Vice President of the Student Body
The
Executive Treasurer of the Student Senate
The
Executive Secretary of the Student Senate
The
Public Relations Coordinator of the Student Senate
The
Parliamentarian of the Student Senate
The Finance Committee Chair
The Administration Committee Chair
The Screening Committee Chair
The Committee on Media Chair
The Committee on Residence Chair
Clause 2 Ex-Officio, Non Voting Members
Student
Senator Advisor(s)
Assistant
Treasurer
One
At-Large Senator
Clause 3 The
at-large senators will attend on a rotating basis to make constituency reports.
Section B Duties
Clause 1 The
Executive Committee shall meet prior to each Student Senate meeting to receive
reports from Standing Committees and perform all other activities which fall
under the Executive Committee’s jurisdiction as defined by Robert’s Rules of
Order.
Clause 2 The
Student Senate, except when meeting in plenary session, delegates its advisory
and legislative functions to the Executive Committee.
Clause 3 The
Executive Committee shall have the power to administer, coordinate and regulate
the standing committees of the Student Senate, as well as all other committees
established under its jurisdiction. The
Executive Committee may modify any action of the standing committees and all
other committees established under its jurisdiction.
Clause 4 All
actions of the Executive Committee made pursuant to Clauses 1, 2 and 3 of this
article may be modified by the Student Senate during the next plenary meeting
or vetoed by the President of the Student Body within one week of its passage.
Clause 5 The
Executive Committee shall assume any duties or responsibilities left
unfulfilled by the vacancy of an executive office of the student body.
Clause 6 At
least fifty-one (51) percent of all voting members and the chair must be
present to constitute a quorum at a meeting during the academic year. Voting membership does not include the
chair. Quorum must be maintained for the
extent of any committee meeting.
Clause 7 At
least fifty-one (51) percent of the filled voting membership must respond to
the solicitation of a vote by the chair to constitute a quorum for a vote
outside the academic year
Clause 8 Voting
(a)
Voting
is defined among the majority of the voting membership present as the explicit
definition of “yea” or “nay,” and thereby counts abstaining parties in the
majority calculation but excludes those voting members not present from the
majority calculation.
(b)
A simple
majority is defined upon the explicit agreement of more than 50% of those
voting, which does not include those abstaining from the vote.
(c)
A 2/3
majority is defined upon the explicit agreement of more than 2/3 of those
voting, which does not include those abstaining from the vote.
(d)
In like
form, therefore, all other majority definitions are defined accordingly.
(e)
For a
vote to be valid, at least 50% of present voting members must vote.
BYLAW VII ADVISORY COMMITTEES
Section A Information Technology Student Advisory
Committee (ITSAC)
Clause 1 The
Chair of ITSAC shall be a current Student Senator, shall be selected by the
Senate in the fall semester, and shall have the following duties:
a) The Chair of ITSAC shall schedule meetings of
the committee on a monthly basis. These meetings shall be with the members of
the committee and the CIO (Chief Information Officer) of
b) The Chair of ITSAC and the CIO may setup two
subcommittees of ITSAC known as external and internal.
c) If the subcommittees are formed, the Chair of
ITSAC and the CIO shall appoint chairs of these subcommittees who report back
to them.
d) The Chair of ITSAC shall report to the Senate
about relevant committee affairs when necessary.
Clause 2 Membership
The
ITSAC shall be made up of eight (8) total members, including the Chair and the
CIO. The other six members shall be selected by the Screening Committee and
approved by the Student Senate. One of the additional six members shall be a
Student Senator. The President of the Student Body shall serve as an ex-officio, non-voting member of the
committee.
Clause 3 Duties
The committee shall have the following
duties:
a)
Represent
the entire Student Body of Valparaiso University.
b)
Gather
student feedback through surveys, polls, and the like.
c)
Help
seek solutions to issues involving IT at
d)
Review,
discuss, and advise IT concerning student complaints brought to the attention
of the committee.
f)
Propose
direction for IT.
g)
Make
recommendations for IT policies.
h)
Guide
efforts of IT to fulfill needs of the Student Body.
Clause 4 Subcommittees
External Subcommittee
a)
The
external subcommittee shall be concerned directly with IT-related affairs in
the Student Body.
b)
The
members of this committee shall be concerned with broader IT issues rather than
specific technical solutions to those issues.
c)
The chair
of this subcommittee shall give a report to the Chair at the biweekly meeting.
d)
This
subcommittee shall meet at least once per month.
Internal Subcommittee
a)
The
internal subcommittee shall be concerned directly with specific IT problems.
b)
The
members of this committee shall be concerned with the specific technical
solutions to IT issues.
c)
The
chair of this subcommittee shall give a report to the Chair at the biweekly
meeting.
d)
This
subcommittee shall meet at least once per month.
Section B
Clause 1 Membership
a)
The
Health Center Advisory Committee shall consist of seven members, one of which
must be a Student Senator who has been chosen by the Student Senate.
b)
The
committee shall consist of at least one freshman, one sophomore, one junior, and one senior. A chair shall be appointed internally by the
committee.
c)
Each
member, with the exception of the Student Senator, shall be selected by the
Health Center Director and the current committee members, and shall serve on
the committee for the remainder of the school year. At the beginning of the fall semester, the
Student Senator shall contact the members of the committee from the previous
year, who shall meet to select students to fill the open positions on the
committee. Open positions on the
committee are created should committee members graduate, or discontinue
membership from one year to the next.
d)
Should a
student choose to terminate membership on the committee
midyear, the committee shall select a new member to serve for the remainder of the school year.
e)
The
number of committee members representing health professional fields shall be at
the discretion of the committee.
Clause 2 Duties
a)
The HCAC
shall represent student concerns to the Student Senate and the University
Administration, in correspondence with the American College Health Association
guidelines.
b)
Advise
the Health Center Director in the functioning and continued improvement of the