Constitution

Preambles

The Student Government of Lafayette College operates under the authority and through the recognition of the Faculty. Student Government shall operate in ways consistent with the basic delegation of Faculty responsibility and in ways consistent with the Charter of the College, the Statutes of the College, and with such other controlling documents as the Statement on the Rights and Responsibilities of Students.

The Student Government shall provide a forum for the voicing of students’ concerns on matters related to the welfare of the College in general and to the welfare of the student body in particular. The Student Government shall serve as the official medium of communication for the student body on matters which, in the opinion of Student Government, should receive the attention of the Faculty, Administration, the Board of Trustees or any combination thereof.

Article I: Name

This organization shall be known as the Student Government of Lafayette College.

Article II: Purpose and Function

The Student Government is the representative governing body of the undergraduates of Lafayette College. In addition to providing a forum for the free exchange of ideas on matters of general concern to the College community and to communicating such concerns as the Student Government deems desirable to appropriate college agencies, the Student Government shall:

A. Supervise the extracurricular life of the student body to the extent that the Faculty has itself been delegated authority to do so;
B. Supervise the general operation of student organizations by
  1. granting recognition to organizations whose purposes are in accord with Article IV of the Statement on Rights and Responsibilities of Students and whose College resource requirements can be met within the facilities of the College and budget limitations of the Student Government;
  2. apportioning to recognized organizations funds allocated for that purpose by the College budget;
  3. superintending the dissolution of organizations when the need arises;
C. Supervise student elections;
D. Nominate or choose student members of Standing Committees of the Board of Trustees or of the Faculty in ways acceptable to the parent bodies;
E. Enforce the rules which it enacts and other College regulations which are explicitly within its jurisdiction;
F. Represent the student body to outside agencies;
G. Have authority
  1. to initiate and enact changes in the Code of Conduct for implemen-tation after review by the Faculty and the Board of Trustees;
  2. to propose amendments to the Statement on Rights and Responsi-bilities of Students for concurring action by the Faculty and the Board of Trustees;
  3. to establish committees, assign their responsibilities, and appoint their membership, and to create whatever other internal organizations it deems necessary for carrying out the purposes stated in this Constitution;
  4. to make recommendations to appropriate deciding bodies on any matters relating to the general welfare of the student body;
  5. to recall student members of Faculty Committees if they have an unsatisfactory attendance record at their respective Faculty Committee meetings.

 

Article III: Student Government Relation to Faculty

Section 1: Suspension of Student Government Action
A. The Faculty may suspend any action of Student Government which it judges to lie outside the authority of that organization or to be detrimental to the best interests of the College. Suspended actions shall be returned to Student Government for reconsideration.
B. To carry out the provisions of Article III, Section 1A, the Dean of Students shall act as the agent of the Faculty, reviewing all actions of Student Government and deciding whether any should be suspended or reviewed by the entire Faculty. He shall report actions of the Student Government to the Faculty when appropriate, and he shall report actions which have been suspended to the next regular meeting of the faculty for suitable action at that meeting or the next regular meeting.

Section 2: Instructions to Committees
A. The Student Government or its Executive Committee shall have the right to ask the Faculty to direct any of its committees to provide information, undertake studies, prepare recommendations, or perform other appropriate duties.
B. The Faculty or its Chair and Clerk jointly shall have the right to ask the Student Government to direct any of its committees to provide information, undertake studies, prepare recommendations, or perform other appropriate duties.

Section 3: Joint Committees
The Student Government and Faculty may, at such time that it is acceptable to both bodies, establish joint committees of the Student Government and the Faculty.

Article IV: Organization and Procedures

Section 1: Meetings
A. Regular meetings of the Student Government shall be held weekly throughout the College year. A regular meeting may be cancelled provided a motion from a representative is passed by two-thirds of the Student Government present and voting at a regular meeting.
B. Special meetings may be called by the President or one-third of the membership petitioning the President in writing.


Section 2: Quorum
A majority of the regular membership shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of all business of the Student Government.

Section 3: Parliamentary Procedure
The rules contained in the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern all cases in the action of the Student Government to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the Student Government Constitution and By-Laws.

Section 4: By-Laws
The Student Government shall have the power to write By-Laws to effect the purposes of the Constitution.

Section 5: Legislative Functions
A motion involving change in established policy or of significance to the Student Government, shall not be voted on until a meeting held at least 24 hours following that meeting at which the motion is presented or unless notice of intent to propose such a motion is made at least four days in writing to each Regular and Associate Member before the meeting. This rule may be suspended by the unanimous vote of the Student Government present and voting.

Article V: Membership Composition

Regular representatives: The Student Government shall have fifteen (15) Regular Representatives. Five (5) shall be elected from the Freshman class, five (5) shall be elected from the Sophomore class, and five (5) shall be elected from the Junior class. All representatives will be elected from the full-time students of Lafayette College. All of the Regular Representatives shall have the right to vote.

Article VI: Election of Representatives

Section 1: Eligibility
All full-time day students who are not on academic or disciplinary probation shall be eligible to become candidates for Student Government.

Section 2: Time of Election of Regular Representatives
Election of Student Government Representatives shall take place the Monday and Tuesday of the second week in November.

Section 3: Transition Period
After the election of a new Student Government in the first semester of an academic year, the previous Student Government Representatives shall retain their position until the end of the first semester, during which time two (2) regular meetings must be held. Within the course of these meetings the newly elected representatives shall become familiar with the procedure and organization of Student Government. With the beginning of the spring semester, the new Student Government Representatives will assume their positions.

Section 4: Term
The term of office shall extend to the end of the transition period in the fall semester of the following academic year.

Section 5: Constituencies
It shall be required that all voting members of Student Government, including the President, shall inform and consult their constituencies at least two (2) times a semester, and when deemed additionally needed by the President.

Section 6: Vacancies
A vacancy on Student Government shall be filled by a general election of the Student Body. Procedures shall be outlined in the By-Laws.

Article VII: Election of Officers

Section 1: Eligibility
A. All Sophomores and Juniors who are full-time students and are not on academic or disciplinary probation at Lafayette College and have been elected as a representative in the general election of that year, are eligible to become candidates for President and Vice-President of Student Government. If a student falls out of status of good standing, that person shall forfeit his/her position and a vacancy shall be declared.
B. Only regular representatives of Student Government are eligible to become candidates for Secretary of Student Government.

Section 2: Time of Election of Officers
A. A General Election of Student Government President and Vice-President shall take place the Monday and Tuesday of the fourth week in November.
B. The Secretary shall be elected by the newly elected Regular Representatives during the transition period.

Section 3: Vacancies and Succession
A. Should the office of the President be vacant, the Vice-president shall become the President and assume all of the responsibilities of that office.
B. Should the office of any of the remaining officers become vacant, the Student Government shall fill that office from its ranks by majority vote.

Article VIII: Committees

Section 1: Standing Committees
The Student Government may form Standing Committees, as provided in the By-Laws, to aid in the effective workings of the Student Government.
Section 2: Ad hoc Committees
The President may appoint such ad hoc committees for a specific purpose as he/she deems necessary.

Article IX: Amendments


Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed by a Representative of the Student Government at a regular meeting using the following procedure:

A. At the meeting where the Amendment is proposed a period of discussion shall follow.
B. The Amendment shall be referred to the appropriate committee for study.
C. At the next regular meeting, following the meeting where the Amendment was proposed, the committee shall present the Amendment with the committee’s recommendations. A period of general discussion shall follow, after which the Amendment shall lay over until the next regular meeting.
D. At the next regular meeting, the second meeting from that at which the Amendment was originally proposed, a discussion period shall be followed by a vote.
E. An Amendment shall require a three-fourths affirmative vote of all the voting Representatives of Student Government and the approval of the Faculty for it to be enacted.
Article X: Ratification

This Constitution shall be adopted by the affirmative vote of three-fourths of the Regular Representatives of Student Government and the affirmative vote of the Faculty of Lafayette College.

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