THE CONSTITUTION OF THE
UNIVERSITY STUDENT SENATE
We, the students of Valparaiso University in order to provide a place to discuss issues and have a means to take action on these issues in a positive, effective fashion, do hereby adopt this, the constitution of the Valparaiso University Student Senate, as a means and tool for governance.
ARTICLE
I The Executive Offices of the
Student Body
Section
A The President of the Student
Body
Clause 1 Qualifications:
At the beginning of the term of office the President of the Student Body shall have at least the rank of junior in the college in which enrolled. The President shall also have completed at least forty-five (45) credit hours at Valparaiso University and have and maintain a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or above. The President will also be a full time student and may not hold any other salaried position funded by student activity fees.
Clause
2 Duties:
a)
The President of the Student Body shall act in an executive and
advisory capacity.
b)
The President of the Student Body shall be a voting member of the
University Council and shall inform the University Council on matters of
student concern.
c)
The President of the Student Body shall be the chairperson of the
Executive Committee.
d)
The President of the Student Body shall have veto power over the
Student Senate within one week of any action approved by the Student Senate.
e)
The President of the Student Body shall retain the services of, but not
limited to the following: Treasurer, Assistant Treasurer, Secretary, Public
Relations Coordinator, and Parliamentarian.
f)
The President of the Student Body shall have the power to appoint ad
hoc committees.
g)
The President of the Student Body shall have the power to appoint and remove executive aides.
h)
The President of the Student Body shall have the power to call special
meetings of the Student Senate, and must if requested by five senators.
i)
The President of the Student Body shall have the power to call Open
Forum Meetings and must if requested by a majority vote of the Student Senate.
j)
The President of the Student Body shall have the power to call a
referendum and must if requested by a majority vote of the Student Senate.
k)
The President of the Student Body shall fulfill the responsibilities
granted by non-Senate organizations and appoint student officers to said
organizations if requested.
l)
The President of the Student Body shall have the power to appoint
University Council alternates.
m)
The President of the Student Body shall serve as an ex-officio,
non-voting member of all standing committees of Student Senate.
n)
The President of the Student Body shall submit a quarterly report to
the President of the University to be placed with the agenda materials for the
Quarterly Report to the Board of Directors.
Clause
3 Impeachment:
If the President of the
Student Body is charged with misconduct or
negligence of duty,
impeachment procedures shall be initiated as stated in
Article VII.
Section
B The Vice President of the
Student Body
Clause
1 Qualifications:
At the beginning of the term of office the Vice
President of the Student Body shall have at least the rank of junior in the
college in which enrolled. The Vice President shall also have completed at
least forty-five (45) credit hours at Valparaiso University and have and maintain
a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or above. The Vice President will also
be a full time student and may not hold any other salaried position funded by
student activity fees.
Clause
2 Duties:
a)
The Vice President of the Student Body shall act as the
Chairperson of the Student
Senate.
b)
The Vice President of the Student Body shall, subject to the authority
of the President of the Student Body, be responsible for the internal
operations of the Student Senate and will act in an Executive capacity to
accomplish such tasks.
c)
The Vice President of the Student Body shall be responsible for the
proper execution of the Constitution and ByLaws of the Student Senate by its
membership.
d)
The Vice President of the Student Body shall call all regular meetings
of the Student Senate.
e)
The Vice President of the Student Body shall set the agenda for all
meetings of the Student Senate.
f)
The Vice President of the Student Body shall attend at least two (2)
meetings of each of the Standing Committees per semester.
g)
The Vice President of the Student Body shall submit a quarterly report
to the President of the Student Body detailing occurrences within said time
period.
Clause
3 Impeachment:
If the Vice President of
the Student Body is charged with misconduct or
negligence of duty,
impeachment procedures shall be initiated as stated in
Article VII.
ARTICLE
II
Section
A Composition:
The Valparaiso University Student Senate shall consist of no more than twenty-five (25)-voting members chosen by the electors of their respective districts. Elections shall be carried out as set forth in Article VI.
Section
B Qualifications:
a)
All Student Senators must have maintained a cumulative grade point
average of 2.5 or above and be full time students.
b)
All Student Senators, with the exception of freshmen and transfer
students, must also have completed at least twenty-four (24) credit hours.
Section C All Student Senators must be
representative of their specific constituencies for the duration of the term of
office.
All Student
Senators must be a member of the district that they represent.
Section
D Duties:
Clause 1 All Student Senators must attend and
participate in all meetings of the Valparaiso University Student Senate and any
Standing Committees of which they are members.
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 limited to, the concerns of said district with
response to current VU issues involving Student Senate.
Clause 3 The At-Large Senators shall compile
their report from previously said reports in Clause 2 in this section.
Clause 4 All Student Senators shall hold and
maintain a minimum number of office hours, a number that is set by the Vice
President of the Student Body.
Clause
5 Impeachment:
If a Student Senator is charged with misconduct or
negligence of duty, impeachment procedures shall be initiated as stated in
Article VII.
Clause
6 Resignation
A Student Senator who wishes to resign his/her
respective position at any time may on two conditions:
a) The Student Senator submits a formal letter of
resignation to the Student Body Vice President.
b) The Student Senator has informed the Screening
Committee of the vacancy that his/her resignation will make.
Section E No Senator shall simultaneously serve in any executive
role set forth in Article I or any executive role set forth in the Bylaws. This shall not prevent Senators from properly
serving on the Executive Committee. No
Senator may simultaneously hold more than a single seat in the Student
Senate. No Senator may ever serve in a
capacity such that it would afford the Senator an ability to cast multiple
votes in a single plenary meeting or in a meeting of a Student Senate
committee.
ARTICLE
III The Powers of the
Section A The Valparaiso University Student Senate
shall have the power to regulate, coordinate, and discipline the functioning of
any activity, organization or concern delegated to the Student Body in Article
III of the Instrument for Internal Governance of Valparaiso University.
Section B The Valparaiso University Student Senate
shall have the power to establish and maintain committees and organizations in
order to best serve the needs and interests of the Student Body of the
University.
Section C The Valparaiso University Student
Senate shall have the power to draft proposals and make recommendations that
are out of its specific jurisdiction. The President of the Student Body shall
present such proposals to the University Council or appropriate body.
Section D The Valparaiso University Student
Senate shall have the power to propose or recommend the specific action or
general principle to any member of the University community, with the exception
of the Board of Directors. Such proposals shall be sent through the President
of the University.
Section E The Valparaiso University Student
Senate shall have the power to override a veto of the President of the Student
Body by a two-thirds affirmative vote of the entire Senate.
Section F The Valparaiso University Student
Senate shall have the power to make and amend its own Constitution and ByLaws.
ARTICLE IV Meetings of the
Section A The Valparaiso University Student
Senate shall hold regular meetings, at least biweekly, throughout the academic
calendar year. Such meetings shall be open to all members of the Student Body.
If it is deemed necessary to close a regular meeting of the Valparaiso
University Student Senate, it may be closed to a proper motion and a two-thirds
vote.
Section B 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 chairperson.
Quorum must be maintained for the extent of any meeting.
Section C At least two-thirds of all voting
members must be present to constitute a quorum at a special meeting, which is
called by the President of the Student Body.
Voting membership does not include the chairperson. Quorum must be maintained for the extent of
any meeting.
Section D Voting
Clause 1 Voting members are defined in Article
II, Section A. The Chair shall serve as
a nonvoting member of the committee, except in the case of a tie.
Clause 2 Majority
(a)
Voting is defined among the voting members present as the explicit definition
of “yea” or “nay,” and thereby excludes abstentions of those voting members
present and the explicit input of those voting members not present.
(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.
ARTICLE V Finances of the
Section A The Student Senate is authorized by the
University Board of Directors to collect a fee of one (1) percent from the base
tuition of the
Section B The accounts of the Student Senate
shall be in the name of Valparaiso University Student Senate and monies shall
be deposited only to the accounts of the Student Senate.
Section C The budget of Student Senate shall be
formulated for each academic year the preceding spring semester based on
projected student fees. The budget must also be ratified during the spring
semester. Modifications to the budget due to the actual amount of student fees
will be made in the fall semester of the budgeted academic year.
Section D The Student Senate financial policies
with regards to the recognized organizations will be determined in the ByLaws
pertaining to said policies enacted by the Student Senate.
Section E The Finance Committee of the Student
Senate shall review the status and amount of the Student Activity Fee every
four years. Changes in policy must receive final approval from the University
Board of Directors.
ARTICLE VI Elections of the
Section A The elections of the Student Senate
shall be run and regulated in the manner set forth in the Elections Code
appended to the ByLaws. Amendments to the Elections Codes shall follow the
procedure outlined in Article IX of the Constitution.
Section B The Student Senate shall appoint a
committee every two years to review the existing districts and representation
in the Student Senate, in the Fall of every even numbered year.
Section C Any vacated office, with the
exception of the Office of the President of the Student Body and the Office of
the Vice President of the Student Body, shall be filled following the procedure
outlined in the Duties of the Screening Committee.
Section D In the case of a vacancy of an
Executive Office of the Student Body, the office shall be filled in accordance
to the procedures outlined in Article VIII of the Constitution of the
Valparaiso University Student Senate.
ARTICLE VII Impeachment
Section A Definition:
Clause 1 If a voting member of the Student Senate feels that one of the Executive Officers or Student Senators is guilty of misconduct or negligence of duty, that member shall initiate the impeachment procedures outlined in the following.
Clause 2 For
all senators and executive, negligence includes, but is not limited to, three
(3) absences per semester from regular Student Senate meetings, excessive
absences from Standing Committee meetings, subcommittee meetings, Senate
Retreats, Senate Summits, or abuse of power of one’s office.
Clause 3 For
the office of President of the Student Body, negligence shall include all
offenses listed in clause 2 in addition to excessive absences from University
Council meetings.
Section B Procedure
Clause 1 Charges must be submitted in writing
to the Vice President of the Student Body at least forty-eight (48) hours
before the charges are formally presented to the Student Senate.
Clause 2 If the Vice President of the Student
Body is accused of misconduct or negligence of duty, the Student Senate shall
elect a Senator or Executive Committee member to serve as chairperson at all
subsequent meetings concerning the impeachment.
Clause 3 Within forty-eight (48) hours of
being informed in writing, the Vice President of the Student Body shall:
a)
Call a meeting of the Grievance Committee, which is to be elected
from Student senators each year at the Fall Organizational
Meeting.
b)
Personally inform the accused.
Clause
4 All impeachment procedures
shall be conducted in closed sessions.
Clause
5 Within one (1) week, the
Grievance Committee shall gather the facts of
the charges and submit a resolution in writing to
the Student Senate regarding the membership status of the individual charged.
Clause
6 A three-fourths affirmative
vote of the entire voting membership of the
Student Senate shall be necessary to find an
individual guilty of misconduct or negligence of duty.
Clause
7 If the accused is a voting
member of Senate, that individual must abstain
from voting on his or her
pending case.
Section C If
a member of Student Senate is found guilty of misconduct or negligence of duty,
that member shall be immediately removed from office and shall be ineligible to
run for any Student Senate position and student offices on University Council
in the future. Executive and Plenary officers removed from office shall forfeit
all forthcoming salary at the time of removal from office.
ARTICLE VIII Successions of Powers
Section A In the event that the President of the
Student Body is determined to be unfit for office per Article I, Section A,
Clause 1, or Article VII of the Constitution of the Valparaiso University Student
Senate or resigns from office, the duties shall be assumed by the Vice
President of the Student Body.
Section B In the event of the absence of the Vice
President of the Student Body due to assumption of the Presidential duties or
if determined to be unfit for office per Article I, Section B, Clause 1 or
Article VII of the Constitution of the Valparaiso University Student Senate, or
resignation, a member of the voting body of the Student Senate Executive
Officers shall be elected Student Senate chair pro tem of the Student Senate.
Section C Any remaining duties of the Vice
President shall be assumed by the Student senate Executive Committee per ByLaw
II, Section B, Clause 5.
ARTICLE IX Amendments
to the Constitution
Section A Seven-eighths affirmative vote in a
single meeting is required to approve amendments to the Constitution. Student
Senators must be given at least seven (7) days written notice prior to voting
on proposed amendments to the Constitution and proposed amendments must be
presented and read aloud to Student Senate at least seven (7) days prior to be
voted on.
Section B Amendments can also be made by a
majority of affirmative votes cast by at least one-third of the Student Body in
a referendum called by the President of the Student Body upon receipt of a
petition bearing at least one-sixth of the Student Body.
Section C All amendments shall be validated when
ratified by the President of the University or when not formally vetoed within
three (3) weeks of the date received in the President’s office.
ARTICLE X Non-Discrimination Policy
Section A The Valparaiso University Student
Senate, consistent with its efforts to foster an environment of respect for the
dignity and worth of all members of the University student community, prohibits
unlawful discrimination and harassment by all students. The Valparaiso
University Student Senate reaffirms its commitment to maintaining an academic
and working environment, which is fair, respectful, and free from unlawful
discrimination and harassment. To these ends the following policy has been
adopted: It is the policy of the Valparaiso University Student Senate to
prohibit unlawful discrimination on the basis of gender, disability, race,
color, age, sexual orientation or national origin in administering its various
programs and policies.
ARTICLE XI Adoption
This Constitution shall become operative
immediately upon ratification by the Valparaiso University Student Senate and
the signatures of the following persons, each representing his/her appropriate
source of power.
____________________________
The President of the University
____________________________
The Associate Provost for Student Affairs
____________________________
The President of the Student Body
____________________________
The Vice President of the Student Body
Revised: 4/18/94
4/10/95
4/24/95
7/10/96
9/20/97
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5/3/99
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5/7/01
4/29/02
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9/05/07