Student Senate’s Constitution

STUDENT SENATE CONSTITUTION

 

PREAMBLE

 

            The primary purpose of the Student Senate shall be to lend assistance to the student body of the University through promotion of student involvement in organizational projects and campus service, the ability to allocate funds to recognized student organizations that meet specifications, and act as a liaison between the student body and campus administrators regarding matters that concern the campus community.

 

ARTICLE I

Representation

 

Section 1.  Student

            Any person currently enrolled at Missouri Southern State University is a member of the student body.

 

Section 2.  Classifications of Student

A.    Full-Time Student

            Any student currently enrolled in at least twelve (12) credit hours is a full-time student.

 

B.    Part-Time Student

            Any student currently enrolled in six (6) to eleven (11) credit hours is a part-time student.

 

C.   Distance-Learning Student

            Any student currently enrolled exclusively in courses which do not meet on campus.

 

Section 3.  Advisors

            The Director of Student Activities, and/or the Director’s representative(s), shall serve as advisor(s) to the Senate. All Senate business is subject to final approval/adjustment by the advisor(s).

 

ARTICLE II

Membership

 

Section 1.  Senate Membership

            The Student Senate shall consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Parliamentarian and twenty (20) elected Senators. There will be four (4) positions allotted for each year classification. The other positions will be elected at large with minimal regards placed on class year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Section 2.  Qualifications of Senators

Students are only eligible to become Student Senators if enrolled either full- or part-time and have attained a current cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or above. Part-time students have the opportunity to take part only in the at large election process. If a Senator has been removed from the body during a previous year, the Executive officers and advisor reserve the right to have the student fill out a different application to prove that they will be an asset to Senate as a whole for the upcoming year.

 

Section 3.  Qualifications of Executive Council

            Senators elected on Executive Council (EC) must be full-time students with a minimum 2.5 GPA and have served on Senate for at least one academic year.

 

Section 4.  Nomination of Senators

            All qualified Student Senate candidates must obtain a petition form. The nominating petition must bear the signatures of at least fifty (50) members of the student body, which must be returned to the Student Activities office. Nominations will be made by petitions only.  A petition may bear the name of only the one (1) candidate. Correctly signed petitions must be returned to the Student Services office before formal campaigning may begin. 

 

Section 5.  Election of Senators

            Any full-time or part-time student enrolled in at least six (6) credit hours at MSSU may vote in the general election. The candidates receiving the largest number of votes will be elected as Senators. Four (4) candidates from each class with the greatest number of roles will be appointed as Student Senators. The remaining positions will be chosen at large. In the case of a tie for the last apportioned seat, the duly elected Senators shall vote by secret ballot to determine the holder of the seat. The candidate receiving a simple majority of votes shall be elected.

 

Section 6.  Attendance

            A Senator will be notified by the Secretary of the Senate immediately following his/her second unexcused absence. Any Senate member shall be removed from the official roster of the Student Senate immediately following his/her third unexcused absence in a semester. An excused absence must be sent to a Student Senate advisor or the Student Senate Secretary by 5:00 p.m. on the date of the meeting. Any Senator who feels they have been unjustly counted absent may appeal the decision to the Executive Officers. If a member of Senate knows he/she will be absent for an extended period of time, the Director of Student Activities must be notified and appropriate action will resolve. Students who communicate this will not lose their seat as a Senate member, however if this is not communicated, the member will be removed permanently.

 

Section 7.  Right of Appeal

            If any Senator feels he/she has been unjustly removed or has an extenuating circumstance for failing to meet Senate requirements, he/she will have the right to appeal his/herremoval to the Student Senate. A three-fifths vote is required for reinstatement.

 

 

 

 

Section 8.  Replacement of Senators

            In the event that a vacancy occurs, a public notice of the vacancy shall be provided to the student body at the earliest possible date. 

 

ARTICLE III

Officers

 

Section 1.  Executive Officers

            The executive officers of the Student Senate shall consist of a President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The executive officers may act in lieu of the full Senate and transact Senate business during times that the Senate is not in session.

 

Section 2.  Duties of the President

            The President of the Student Senate shall preside at all meetings of the Senate and shall serve ex officio on committees on an as needed basis. The President shall have the power to call special meetings of the Senate and execute plans and programs of the Senate through appropriate action. The President shall only be able to vote in case of a tie.

 

Section 3.  Duties of the Vice President

            The Vice President of the Student Senate shall assume the duties of the President in his/her absence. The Vice President shall also chair the Vacancy Committee and preside as the head of all committee chairpersons, monitoring their progress and relevance of their actions. The Vice President shall work with the President to carry out the plans and programs of the Senate.

 

Section 4.  Duties of the Secretary

            The Secretary shall take attendance and keep an accurate record of all business transactions at all meetings of the Student Senate. The Secretary is also responsible for monitoring the absences of Senators.

 

Section 5.  Duties of the Treasurer

            The Treasurer shall chair the Senate Finance Committee and present a financial report during each meeting; this will include a statement of incomes and expenses. The Treasurer shall make available to the student body a report of the Senate’s financial transactions throughout the academic year. The Treasurer is in charge of yearly audits, a budgeting handbook, and appropriation guidelines.

 

Section 6. Duties of the Parliamentarian

            The Parliamentarian must demonstrate strong knowledge in Roberts Rules of Order and parliamentary procedure. The Parliamentarian is there to make sure meetings run smoothly and professional. The Parliamentarian will be in charge of this regulation.

 

Section 7.  Qualifications of Executive Officers

            President and Vice President Candidates must have served at least two (2) semesters on Student Senate prior to taking office. Candidates for President and Vice President must complete at least sixty (60) hours of college credit, thirty (30) of which must have been earned at Missouri Southern State University prior to taking office. Candidates for Secretary and Treasurer require one full semester on Missouri Southern Student Senate. The Parliamentarian must also have completed at least thirty (30) hours of college credit. Each Student Senate Executive Officer must be a full- or part-time student and attain a cumulative grade point average of 2.5 or above.  A distance-learning student may not hold any office.

 

Section 8.  Nomination of Executive Officers

            In order to become a candidate for a Student Senate Executive Office, a qualified student must obtain a petition form. The nominating petition must bear the signatures of at least fifty (50) members of the student body, which must be returned to the Student Activities office.  Nominations may be made by petition only. A petition may bear the name of only one candidate. Correctly signed petitions must be returned to the Student Activities Office before formal campaigning may begin.

 

Section 9.  General Election

            The general election for Student Senate Executive Officers shall be held the last week of April or first week of May. Any full- or part-time student enrolled in at least six credit hours at MSSU may vote in the general election. The candidates receiving the largest number of votes for each respective office shall be elected. Should two (2) or more candidates receive the same number of votes, and provided no other candidate receive a larger number of votes, the Student Senate shall elect one candidate by secret ballot as the first order of business at the next regular meeting, based on the candidates’ completion of a vacancy application.

 

Section 10.  Installation of Student Senate Executive Officers

            The Student Senate shall install newly elected Senate Executive Officers at the beginning of the first regularly scheduled Student Senate meeting that occurs after the election. At that time, the following oath of office shall be administered to the new officers by the Senate Advisor:

 

            “I do sincerely pledge myself to fulfill the duties of the office to which I have been elected. I will keep before me at all times the high ideals and principles of Missouri Southern State University, of which it is my obligation to exemplify and encourage. I will strive to promote and encourage an active and progressive student body. To this I pledge my determination and leadership.”

 

Section 11.  Terms of Office

            The terms of office of the Student Senate Executive Officers shall begin when they shall have stated the oath of office, as directed in Article III, Section 10, and end when the newly elected officers are sworn in.

 

Section 12.   Removal of Executive Officers

            Upon three-fourths vote of the Senate, an officer, excluding the President, as directed in Article III, Section 13, may be removed from office.

 

 

 

 

Section 13.  Succession

            In case of the President’s resignation, failure to maintain the required cumulative GPA or enrollment status, or failure to discharge duties as determined by a four-fifths vote of the Senate, the Vice President shall become President. The President shall proceed immediately to appoint a new Vice President with a three-fifths approval vote of the Senate. 

            In case of the Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, or Parliamentarian’s resignation, failure to maintain the required cumulative GPA or enrollment status or failure to discharge duties as determined by a three-fourths vote of the Senate, the Senate shall declare the vacancy filled upon appointment by the President, with three-fifths vote of the Senate. These vacancies must be filled with current Student Senate members only, with the exception of the Parliamentarian, as prescribed in Article II, Section 8 and Article V, Section 1.

 

ARTICLE IV

Elections

 

Section 1.  Election Procedure

            Ballots for each Senate election shall be prepared by the Student Activities staff. Voting for Student Senators and Student Senate Executive Officers shall require students to present their student ID card. Each Student may only vote once. The names of each candidate shall appear on the ballot. Any electoral disputes should be brought to the attention of the Director of Student Activities.

 

Section 2.  Absentee Ballot

            In the event that any full- or part-time student enrolled in at least six (6) credit hours at MSSU knows they will be absent on the day of a forthcoming election, they may apply for an absentee ballot. The ballot must be acquired from the Student ActivitiesOffice, cast and recorded at least one day preceding the election. The absentee ballots will be counted alongside the regular ballots. All absentee ballots shall be write-in ballots.

 

Section 3.  Write-In Voting

            Any student may cast a write-in vote on any Senate election by writing in the name of a student qualified for the office. A blank space shall be provided on all ballots for this purpose.

 

ARTICLE V

Order

 

Section 1.  Parliamentarian

            The first order of business following the installation of Executive Officers shall be the appointment of a Parliamentarian. The President, with three-fifths of the Senate concurring, shall appoint any full- or part-time student who has completed at least thirty hours of college credit to serve as Parliamentarian. If the Parliamentarian is not a Senator, they shall be considered a non-voting member of the Student Senate. The Parliamentarian shall ensure order is maintained during body meetings and issue opinions on the Constitution in absence of sufficient clarity, when and if such opinions are requested.

 

 

Section 2.  Quorum

            A simple majority of Senators present will constitute a quorum required for the transaction of business.

 

Section 3.  Rules and Procedures

            The Senate may determine its own rules of procedure with advisor approval. The rules obtained in Roberts’ Rules of Order Revised will govern the Senate in cases which are applicable and not explicitly inconsistent with the rules adopted by the Senate constitution or by-laws.

 

Section 4.  Open Meetings

            The meetings of the Senate shall remain open to the community. In the event that a closed session may become necessary, Senate will abide by the rules and statutes set in the Missouri Sunshine Law. These sessions will be at the digression of the Director of Student Activities.

 

ARTICLE VI

Constitutional Amendments

 

Section 1.  Proposal of Amendments

            The Senate, whenever necessary, may propose amendments to this Constitution.

 

Section 2.  Form of Amendments

            Each proposed Constitutional amendment must be listed on a separate petition. Petitions shall follow this form:

 

            “Be it resolved by the student body of Missouri Southern State University that the Student Senate Constitution be amended as follows . . .”

 

A proposed Amendment must contain the exact phrase of the original constitution and the exact change wishing to occur. It must be first approved by the Senate Advisor then shall be made available to all Senators present and voted upon the following meeting.

 

Section 3.  Vote on Amendments

            Each proposed amendment must be voted on separately by the Student Senate body. In the event of a proposed amendment being tabled, the amendment must be voted on during the school year in which they are proposed. Any amendment receiving four-fifths majority of the votes cast shall become effective immediately.

 

ARTICLE VII

Constitutional Ratification

 

Section 1.  Ratification

            If two-thirds of those voting in an election for the purpose of accepting this or any forthcoming constitution or amendment shall vote to accept it, it shall immediately supersede all other constitutions or amendments.