RESIDENT STUDENT ASSOCIATION BY-LAWS
Approved by the Association Senate, these shall be the Resident Student Association By-Laws. These by-laws will replace all prior legislative code for the Resident Student Association. This legislation will be a part of the Administrative Code. It will be effective seven days after being agreed to by the Senate and the President of the Student Government Association. It may be amended by the same procedure.
There shall be a Resident Student Association (hereinafter the Association), as a subordinate body, representing the issues and concerns specific to students living in university owned housing (hereinafter Residents) within the Student Government Association and to other campus offices and organizations in the matters affecting the university owned housing and their residents.
The mission of the Association shall be as follows:
The Association is fully subject to the Association Constitution and had only the authority granted it by the Senate and the President of the Student Government Association in this Act as it may be amended from time to time. The Association decisions will be made by a simple majority of the members present at a meeting when a quorum is present.
All residents shall be members of the Association by virtue of their residency in university owned housing and are entitled to vote in all elections for which they are eligible. Active members shall be elected Representatives and Executives, and appointed Delegates. The allowance for a Resident Assistant to be an active member of the Association is at the discretion of the Executive in office during the specific election or appointment.
Voting members shall be elected Representatives and Executives. They shall be able to vote in their community’s Council meetings, all Association General meetings, on Association committees to which they are appointed. In all meetings each executive and representative shall have one vote, with the exception of the president. In the event of a tie, the president breaks the tie. Members must be present to vote. No votes taken outside of a meeting shall be official except when done so as stipulated in the Association policies. A simple majority shall make decisions and official statements of opinion, except in cases where a higher number is required.
There shall be Councils each consisting of five Representatives elected from and by the residents within the scope of each of the recognized Councils under the provisions of the election rules provided. The Association Executive is responsible for determining the number of Councils and scope of each. Together, with the Association Executive, they shall work to carry out the Association mission within their scope. For each Council, the Representatives shall each hold the following positions: President, Vice President of Administration (VPA), Vice President of Programming (VPP), Treasurer, and Secretary.
Each Representative elected shall serve from the announcement of the results of the election until the conclusion of the following spring semester.
There shall also be Delegates, appointed by the Council’s Representatives from sections of the scope as determined by the Executive. Delegates shall support members of the Council and the Association in their operations.
The Councils shall meet in a regular place and at regular times throughout the academic year, at least once every full week except finals week, and at the call of their President or a majority of their members. These meetings shall be promoted as open to the student body, specifically to the residents within its scope.
In addition, the General Body of executives and representatives shall meet in a regular place and at regular times throughout the academic year, at least once every two full weeks except finals week, and at the call of the Association Executive or a majority of the General Body members. These meetings shall be promoted as open to the student body, specifically the residents.
The Association shall establish standing committees to conduct its business. Special committees may be formed as necessary. When any item of business is referred to any committee, the Association Executive shall specify what the committee is authorized to do. Committees may be instructed to research a question and recommend a course of action to the Association. Committees may be authorized to make decisions on behalf of the Association without further approval within certain limits set by the Association Executive at the time of referral. Committees may be authorized or instructed to perform the actions necessary to implement the Association policy.
The Association shall have sole power to discipline its members for disorderly conduct during a meeting, for actions that tend to discredit or reflect poorly upon the Association at any time, or for failure to complete any duties of their office. For Representatives, with the agreement of four-fifths of the total council membership at the time it may expel a member. Formal reprimand short of removal requires the agreement of two-thirds of the same total current membership. No disciplinary proceedings or reviews of removal from office will be undertaken until notice is given to the person involved and the specific procedures that include at a minimum an official warning have been determined and communicated to all parties.
Representatives and Delegates are expected to actively support the Association Executive in carrying out the mission of the Association. The individual responsibilities of the Council Representatives shall be as follows:
President:
· Attend all specified Association meetings
· Oversee all Council operations.
· Work closely with the Council and it’s Advisor(s).
Vice President of Administration:
· Attend all specified Association meetings
· Serve as acting Council President in the absence of the Council President.
· Coordinate the Of the Month's (OTMs) for the community.
· Work directly to address Resident concerns presented to the Council.
Vice President of Programming:
· Attend all specified Association meetings
· Coordinate programming efforts for the Council, focusing on community service, educational, and social programming.
· Carry out programming procedures as stipulated in the Association policies
Secretary:
· Attend all specified Association meetings
· Take minutes for all meetings and distribute to Council members in a timely manner.
· Keeping attendance at all meetings.
· Maintain a regular means of communication to the residents within the Council’s scope.
· Administer the approval of minutes at the beginning of each meeting.
Treasurer:
· Attend all specified Association meetings
· Work directly with Treasurer of the Association in order to carry out the financial affairs of the Association.
Delegate:
· Attend all specified Association meetings
· Support the Council in its operations.
Section 2.04: Speaking
for the residents.
The Association’s Executive and Representatives shall have the authority to speak for the residents on issues that impact the quality of resident life. The Association may do so by the adoption of resolutions or statements of opinion or policy. The Association may take any reasonable action not herein prohibited that seems beneficial to the residents.
The Association may not provide for compensation for its Representatives other than reimbursements for approved, official functions or reasonable out-of-pocket expenses relating to approved activity.
There shall be a President, Vice President, National Communications Coordinator (NCC), Treasurer, and Secretary, who together shall be the Association Executive. The Executive shall be elected prior to the completion of the spring semester under the election policies provided. They shall serve from the completion of that same spring semester until the completion of the following spring semester.
No person shall be elected a member of the Association Executive who is not a resident within university owned housing during his or her term and has not been a student for at least one semester. If after the term has began a member of the Executive moves out of university owned housing for any reason, that person will by default be removed from the Executive and a replacement appointed to their position by the remainder of the Executive.
The President shall have the following responsibilities:
· Be the official the Association representative to the Association, University administration, faculty, staff, and to the larger student community.
· Keep in contact with all Councils as may be authorized.
· At the beginning of his/her term, examine the Association mission and goals and revise or change them as seen fit by the Executive.
· At the beginning of his/her term, consult with the advisor and SGA Executive on long-range goals.
· Conduct the Association Executive and General meetings.
· Advise Councils in the course of their responsibilities. These duties may be delegated to other qualified students as needed.
· Appoint any temporary committees or commissions to investigate issues, propose courses of action, or execute policy that is deemed a concern of residents as may be necessary.
· Manage/Oversee other the Association Executives and maintain communication outside of meetings.
· Represent the Association as deemed necessary in any committee pertinent to the resident community
· Be responsible for the unity of the Association and its members
· Appoint liaisons in conjunction with the Vice President
· Attend the CAACURH, NACURH, and Mini No Frills conferences.
If the President of the Association is removed from office or resigns, the Vice President shall become President if she/he desires to assume the position.
The Vice President shall have the following responsibilities:
·
Attend all specified Association meetings
The Secretary shall have the following responsibilities:
· Attend all specified Association meetings
The Treasurer shall have the following responsibilities:
· Attend all specified Association meetings
The National Communications Coordinator shall have the following responsibilities:
· Attend all specified Association meetings
With the agreement of four-fifths of the Executives, the Executive at the time may expel a member. Formal reprimand short of removal requires the agreement of two-thirds of the same total current membership. No disciplinary proceedings or reviews of removal from office will be undertaken until notice is given to the person involved and the specific procedures that include at a minimum an official warning have been determined and communicated to all parties. Any officer of the Association may resign the indicating the intention to do so in writing to the President and Advisor. Such resignation shall take effect two weeks from the date of the notice of resignation. In the event of a vacancy of any office, other than the President, the remaining voting members of the Association shall elect, by a majority vote, a new officer form the membership of the Association.
The Association may
establish and enforce rules for the conduct of all elections.
The Association shall maintain a manual of policies and procedures. It shall govern and guide the Association members in Association business and activity.
The Association will have one or more Advisors appointed by the Director of Residence Life in cooperation with the Association to perform the functions that are called for in the Association Constitution. The role of the Advisor(s) is to provide guidance in leadership and program development. The Advisor(s) shall support communication between students and university administrators.
The Association shall seek a cooperative and mutually beneficial relationship with the office of residence life because of the similar goals to provide a quality living environment through programming and leadership development opportunities.