The faculty of Wells College with the consent of the trustees
has delegated to the student body responsibility and obligation for
establishing and administering a system of student government which should
regulate and direct activities of the student body, and which shall ensure a
community of freedom and respect for the academic and personal lives of its
members. The administration and the faculty are pledged to honor such
self-government. In order to assume individual and collective responsibility
and obligation for their own conduct and to create a community based on
self-respect and integrity, the students of Wells College have organized
themselves into a self-governing institution, known as the Wells College
Collegiate Association, and have established this Constitution.
The Collegiate Association does not discriminate, in any of its
policies or activities, on the basis of sex, gender, ability, race, religion, age, ethnic origin, or sexual
orientation.
The Executive Branch shall consist of a Cabinet and a
Student-Faculty-Administration Board (SFA Board), who shall by virtue of office
accept the responsibility to uphold the Constitution of the Collegiate
Association.
A. Duties
1. The Cabinet shall have the power to recommend
legislative proposals to Representative Council and shall be responsible for
carrying out all directives of Representative Council.
2. The Cabinet shall participate in the
appointment of student Resident Advisors.
3. The Cabinet shall make such other
appointments as are necessary and appropriate for the functioning of effective
student government.
4. The Cabinet shall be responsible for the
allocation of student fees upon recommendation of the treasurer.
B. Membership
1. The Cabinet shall consist of the officers of
the Collegiate Association. These officers shall be a president, vice
president, chair of Community Court, treasurer, corresponding secretary, and
recording secretary.
2. The student body shall elect members to serve
as the Collegiate Cabinet for the following academic year. All members of the
student body are eligible to participate in votes for Cabinet members. The
president and vice president shall be elected from the rising senior class, the
treasurer and the corresponding secretary from any class, and the recording
secretary from the rising sophomore class. The members of court elect the chair
of Community Court. All elections shall be held in the spring preceding the
term of office. Election procedures are found in the Elections Bylaws. Elected
Cabinet officials serve for a one-year term.
C. Duties of the Individual Cabinet Officers
1. The duties of the president shall be: to call
and preside at all meetings of the Cabinet and the SFA Board; to call and chair
meetings of the Collegiate Association at hir own discretion or upon petition
of 15 percent of the student body; to appoint committees (both temporary and
permanent), and to oversee the work of all officers and committees of the
association in conjunction with the other officers of the Cabinet.
2. The duties of the vice president shall be: to
prepare the agenda for meetings of the Representative Council; to call and
preside over meetings of the Representative Council; to serve on the SFA Board;
to perform the duties of the president in hir absence; and to stand as chair of
the Interhall Board.
3. The duties of the chair of Community Court
shall be: to call and preside over all hearings of the Community Court; and to
ensure that such hearings are conducted impartially and confidentially; to chair the Constitutional Review Committee
and to serve as a member of the Interhall Board.
4. The duties of the treasurer shall be: to
allocate funds to each organization specified on the Collegiate bill; to handle
all monetary transactions of the association; to prepare a budget for the
association; to examine and review the budgets of all classes, clubs, and
residence halls, and submit a formal report to the Cabinet and the treasurer of
the college at the end of the fall semester and again at the conclusion of the
spring semester; and to chair the Traditions Committee.
5. The duties of the corresponding secretary
shall be: to carry on all intra-collegiate and intercollegiate correspondence
of the Collegiate Cabinet; to chair the
Communications Board; and to assist the recording secretary whenever
necessary.
6. The duties of the recording secretary shall
be: to record the proceedings of the Cabinet, Representative Council, and the
Collegiate Association.
A. Duties
The SFA Board shall act as Advisory Board
to the Cabinet or to such of its members who feel that faculty and/or
administrative advice is needed; and it shall approve of all amendments to the
Collegiate Constitution. The dean of the college, the dean of students, and the
faculty members on this board shall serve as the official channel of communication
between the Collegiate Association, the administration, and the faculty,
respectively. The board shall settle disputed points of interpretation of the
Collegiate Constitution and Collegiate Bylaws. The board will vote on any
amendments to the Collegiate Constitution after the amendments have been
approved by the Collegiate Representative Council. Following the approval of
the SFA Board, amendments to the preamble, anti-discrimination policy, honor
code, Article I Section 2, Articles III, VII, and VIII, and Bylaw IV shall be sent to the faculty
for approval.
B. Membership
The board shall consist of the dean of the
college, the dean of students, three faculty members elected to the Academic
Standing and Advising Committee of the faculty, four students elected at large
(two rising juniors and two rising sophomores), the Collegiate president, and
the Collegiate vice president. The students-at-large will be elected in the
spring, to serve for the following academic year only.
C. Procedures
1. The Collegiate president shall act as chair
of the board, and a member-at-large shall record the minutes.
2. Decisions shall carry upon a two-thirds
majority vote of those present.
3. The board shall meet at the request of the
Cabinet, the Representative Council, the administration, or any member of the
faculty on the board.
4. Eight members constitute a quorum of which
there must be at least three students, one faculty member and one member of the
administration.
Article II.
Legislative Branch
All Wells College students are members of the Collegiate
Association. When necessary, meetings of the full Collegiate Association may be
called by the Collegiate president or by petition of 15 percent of the student
body. Motions shall carry with a two-thirds of the student body. In general
practice, the Representative Council serves as the rule-making body of the
Collegiate Association. The Representative Council shall consist solely of
elected representatives.
The Representative Council shall function as the representative
body of the Collegiate Association. It may initiate legislative proposals and
recommend changes of administration and faculty policies to the Student-Faculty
Administration Board. It shall enact all Collegiate Rules
necessary to implement the goals of the association as stated in the preamble
to the constitution, subject only to the approval of the SFA Board. It shall
act upon petitions to establish recognized organizations as directed by Bylaw IIIA of this Article. It shall
have the power to dissolve such organizations which are established.
Voting members
of the Representative Council shall consist of the:
1. Cabinet = 1 vote.
2. One representative elected in the fall from
each dorm/floor in Main.
3. One representative or one alternate
representative from each Collegiate-sponsored club or organization to be
selected by hir club or organization.
4. A representative to the Representative Council
may only serve as the representative for one club or organization.
A. The Representative Council
The Representative Council shall meet at
the discretion of the vice president of the association, but in no case fewer
than eight times per academic year; an agenda shall be prepared and posted on
the Collegiate bulletin board at least 24 hours in advance of meetings;
proceedings shall be open to the entire student body; and individual students
may be heard upon acceptance of their request to appear on the agenda.
B. Motions
Motions may be passed by a two-thirds vote
provided a quorum is present and voting. A quorum is half-plus one.
C. Attendance
Each group which has a voting member on
Representative Council must have a representative present at every Collegiate
meeting. If the elected representative cannot attend a meeting, ze is
responsible for finding a replacement, and a member of Collegiate Cabinet must
be notified of the change before the meeting. An officer of the club or
organization may attend in place of the elected representative or elected
alternate.
If a group fails to have a member in
attendance at a Collegiate meeting, the group will be penalized by losing 5% of
its semester budget allotment for each unexcused absence. Also, Collegiate will
deduct 5% from the total budget allotted to the group for the next semester
after the group’s budget has been determined. The money received from such
deductions will go into the general pool of funds from which money is allotted
to all Collegiate-funded organizations.
Article III.
The Judiciary Branch
The Judiciary Branch shall
consist of the Community Court, the Appeals Board, and the faculty of the
college.
Section
1. The Community Court
A. Duties
The Community Court meets upon the request of a member of the student body, faculty, staff, or the administration, to hear and decide cases of alleged violations of Community Honor as defined by the Collegiate Constitution and Collegiate Rules of Wells College.
B. Membership
The Court is composed of seven students
(three seniors, two juniors, and two sophomores), two members of the faculty and two staff members. Three alternate
members (one from the sophomore, junior, and senior classes) will be elected in
the fall. These alternates will be informed of the date and time of all
hearings. They will be expected to be available to sit in on a case if quorum
is not met by the original court members. This alternate position will be held
for the remainder of their college careers. A quorum shall consist of seven members of the court, one of whom shall be a faculty member and one of whom shall be a staff member. An
incoming senior and two incoming sophomores are elected each spring to serve
for the remainder of their college careers. One faculty member is selected each
spring by the faculty board in compliance with the faculty handbook and serves
a two-year term. One staff member and is
elected by the Staff community each year to serve a two year term. Neither
a student, staff member, nor faculty
member may simultaneously serve on the Appeals Board. The chair and assistant
chair are elected by the court. The dean of students shall act as adviser to
Community Court solely for the purpose of providing training and consultation
on procedural matters.
In the absence of the community court
chair, leadership of the court shall be as follows: 1) assistant chair, 2) the
chair’s designee, 3) a student appointment from the dean of students. Any
appointments to the position of chair are strictly pro tempore.
If the board is unable to hear and decide
a case due to a lack of quorum, and if the chair determines that the case
cannot be postponed until the board reconvenes, the chair of the board, or in
hir absence the pro tempore chair
chosen by the above succession of leadership, shall designate members of the
board pro tempore in order to decide
such a case. Any pro tem appointments
will maintain the required proportion of student and faculty members. In
designating members pro tem, the
chair or acting chair will seek the approval of the majority of the remaining
court members on campus.
C. Procedures
1. All proceedings of the Community Court shall
be kept confidential. The court meets within 24-48 hours to handle all cases,
unless extenuating circumstances require that special provisions be made or the
defendant wishes to waive hir right to a hearing within 24-48 hours. In such
cases the defendant may waive hir right to a hearing within 24 hours by signing
such statements in the presence of the chair of the court. All members of the court are notified of the time and place of
all hearings but are not informed of the nature of the case until the hearing.
The defendant shall be notified in writing at least 24 hours before hir hearing
and at that time shall again be given the reasons for the hearing. Failure to
appear after the second notice of hearing entails automatic suspension until
the defendant presents hirself to the court.
2. Any student reported for a violation of
Community Honor has three options: 1) Ze may have a hearing before the court.
2) Ze may withdraw from the college. Should the student elect to withdraw from
the college, ze will leave campus within 48 hours after declaring hir intention
to withdraw. 3) In cases where the ostensible violation has, in the judgment of
the administration, a medical cause, ze may on medical grounds, either withdraw
or be granted a leave of absence. Administrative officers of the college are
obligated to inform the court of all such withdrawals and leaves of absence.
3. The student has the right to counsel of hir
choice from the student body, the faculty, or the administration of the
college. The exception to this is the dean of students, or in hir absence, the
assistant dean of students for residential life, both of whom may act as an
adviser to Community Court on procedural questions. Ze must have counsel in
appeal of a case where the penalty is suspension or expulsion. The role of
counsel shall be to assure fairness while upholding the obligation to honor the
Collegiate system of government. The student shall have the right to testify,
and to confront all witnesses against hir, and to present evidence on hir own
behalf. The student has the right to remain silent on any question without the
presumption of guilt. All of those summoned by the court must appear; failure
to do so shall be considered Contempt of Court. If, in the judgment of the
chair of the court, there are not extenuating circumstances involved in the
failure to appear before the court, those involved will be subject to a fine of
$75.00 for Contempt of Court.
4. At the time that the defendant turns hirself
in to the chair of the court or is sought out by the chair if ze is turned in
by a witness against the defendant of the alleged violation, the following
procedure will be followed:
(a) The chair will state the charge as stated in
the constitution, and the exact charge of the witness against the defendant.
The defendant and the chair, or the assistant chair in hir absence, will both
sign a statement stating the charges against the defendant and the defendant’s
rights.
(b) The chair will read to the defendant hir rights
as stated under Judicial Procedures in the Collegiate Constitution.
(c) The chair and the defendant will then set the
date and time of the hearing after consultation with the witness against the
defendant.
(d) The chair will ask the defendant and witness
against the defendant for the names of individuals ze would like to serve as
witnesses for the hearing. The chair or assistant chair will then contact these
individuals directly and inform them of the time and place of the hearing.
(e) The assistant chair of court may assist the
chair in organizing the case.
(f) Upon receiving written notification from the
chair of court that you are to be a defendant, plaintiff, or witness on a
Community Court hearing, you must sign a statement which verifies that you
received the proper advance notification.
(g) If the defendant has not waived hir right
to a hearing within 24-48 hours, the chair must receive all statements from the
defendant, the plaintiff, and all of their individual witnesses no later than
12 hours before the time the trial is scheduled to begin. The chair must sign,
date, and include the time received on all statements presented to hir.
Statements will only be valid if signed immediately by the chair. Any statement
submitted less than 12 hours before the case will be invalid and that
individual involved will be disqualified from the hearing. Lack of statements
from the plaintiff or the defendant will result in Contempt of Court.
If the defendant waives hir right to a
hearing within 24-48 hours, the chair of court must receive all statements no
later than 48 hours before the hearing is scheduled to begin. The chair must
sign, date, and include the time received on all statements presented to hir.
Statements will only be valid if immediately signed by the chair. Any statement
received less than 48 hours before the case by anyone will incur the penalties
previously stated above.
5. All hearings by the court shall be
tape-recorded to provide a verbatim record of all proceedings, excluding
deliberations of the court. After three years the tapes shall be destroyed, but
a synopsis, written by the chair of court, including the names of those
involved in the hearing, the charge, and the decision, including the rationale
for it, shall be maintained for seven years after the hearing.
6. A
member of the court having a special interest in a case before it, disqualifies
hirself from the case. All decisions carry upon a two-thirds vote of the court,
provided a quorum is present. Decisions of guilty or not guilty shall be
determined by a preponderance of the evidence. A decision of acquittal may only
be reached when there is a failure to meet a two-thirds vote. Decision of
acquittal is final.
7. The chair of the Community Court immediately
informs all present at the hearing of the decisions of the court. In cases of
suspension or expulsion, the student must leave campus within 48 hours unless
the case is appealed.
8. The defendant and hir counsel, the witness
against the defendant and hir counsel, and the faculty member(s) involved
(present only in an academic case) shall receive written notice of the outcome
(includes student name) within 24 hours after the end of the hearing.
9. Right to Appeal:
(a) In the event that the Community Court finds the
defendant guilty of the charge or charges brought against hir, ze must be
informed of hir right to appeal.
(b) Should the defendant wish to appeal the
decision of Community Court, ze must indicate hir intent in writing to the
chair of the Appeals Board within 48 hours of receiving the written decision
from the Community Court.
(c) A decision of the Community Court may be
appealed, if in the defendant’s judgment:
(1) Hir right to due process or to timely
adjudication has been violated.
(2) The penalty assessed is cruel or unusual.
(3) New evidence should be considered.
(4) The decision was not warranted by the
evidence.
10. The student body shall be informed of all
judicial decisions within 24 hours after the end of the hearing by posted
notice on the Community Court Board. This notice shall preserve the anonymity
of the student.
11. The faculty shall be informed of all
judicial decisions involving academic cases. Such notice shall be made by board
notice (does not include student’s name) sent to the secretary of the faculty
within 24 hours after the end of the hearing. This notice shall preserve the
anonymity of the student. Any notices will be announced during faculty
meetings.
12. The dean of the college, the dean of
students, and the president shall be informed immediately after the hearing no
matter what the hour, of all decisions involving suspension or expulsion.
13. (a) Official
charges must be filed within one month of witnessing an alleged violation or
admission of a violation. A hearing may occur up to one year after the charges
are filed.
(b) Self-reported
violations that are reported later than one year after occurrence of the
violation shall not result in a hearing.
14. Short College Breaks: Alleged violations
of the Honor Code discovered during college breaks shall be heard within the
first week of resumption of classes provided the defendant and plaintiff have
returned to campus.
15. Long College Breaks: Any alleged violation
reported or discovered during the fall examination period or the grading period
thereafter, will be heard during the first week of the following spring
semester. The chair of the court shall notify the defendant and plaintiff of
the pending case in writing and ask them to submit a written statement to hir
of their involvement in the case. This statement should be mailed to the chair
within one week of notification of the pending case. The statement may be
revised with counsel upon the student’s return to campus but both statements
will be admissible as evidence. In the letter of notification, the chair will
ask if either party has any witnesses. If names of witnesses are given, the
chair will also request a written statement from these individuals.
Court members are expected to remain
accessible for one week following the exam period of the spring semester
(Senior Week) in case alleged violations are discovered during this time. In
the case that the defendant is a senior, a hearing will take place during this
week.
If the student(s) involved are not seniors
and have left campus for the summer break, they will be notified by the chair
of the pending case following the procedure outlined above. The hearing will
take place within the first week of the fall semester. Written statements in
the case of witnesses in the senior class will be taken at the time of report
and will be admissible as evidence.
D. Penalties
1. Academic penalties may be imposed by the
Community Court or by the Appeals Board. These penalties may include, but are
not limited to:
(a) Failure of all or part of the course involved,
with the approval of the instructor.
(b) Probation: placement of student on
Academic Conduct Probation for a period to be determined by the court upon
approval of the Academic Standing and Advising Committee.
(c) Suspension for up to 30 weeks.
(d) Suspension with no transfer of credits
earned at another institution while under suspension.
(e) Expulsion.
(f) Fines or appropriate work assignments.
2. Residential penalties may be imposed by
Community Court. Some examples of penalties are:
(a) A letter of warning to be placed on file in
the Community Court’s file and/or the Dean of Students Office.
(b) Fines or appropriate work assignments.
(c) Probation.
(d) Removal from the residence hall (after
consultation with the Interhall Board).
(e) Suspension.
(f) Expulsion.
3. Previous convictions shall be taken into
serious consideration in the assessing of penalties.
4. A student who fails to observe the sentence
imposed by the Community Court shall be brought before the court for another
hearing and shall be subject to further penalty by the court.
E. Documentation
All records of Wells disciplinary
proceedings shall be kept confidential. A verbatim record (tape) shall be kept
of all cases for three years. The chair of the court shall keep files on all
students who come before the court. The files of students found guilty shall be
kept for the duration of their academic careers at Wells. The files of students
found not guilty will be destroyed. A written file of the hearing shall also be
kept for seven years after the hearing.
This file shall include all statements by all parties, copies of the
evidence submitted in the case, the posted community notice, and a written
summary of the case prepared by the chair.
This summary shall include the following:
1. The allegation or charge – in the words of the
plaintiff and as covered in the constitution.
2. A set of facts that describe the violation
including date, time, and individuals involved.
3. The names of those present at the hearing –
court members, counsels, witnesses, etc.
4. The date and manner of notification of the
defendant.
5. The witnesses and the nature of their
testimony.
6. The decision.
A summary of all major cases shall be kept
permanently, exclusive of names, for reference and precedent.
Court files shall be kept in the locked
court filing cabinet in the Collegiate Office. Only the chair of the court
shall have access to these files.
Section 2.
The Appeals Board
A. Membership
The Appeals Board shall be comprised of the
dean of the college, four faculty members, including two regular and two
alternate members, and four students, including two regular and two alternate
members. Terms shall run for two years with staggered terms. The faculty and
students should each elect one regular and one alternate member each year. The
student member and alternate shall be chosen from the junior class to assure
that the board will be comprised of two juniors and two seniors or one regular
and one alternate member from each class. Those elected to the board should be
available for one week after the last final exam of the spring semester. The
chair shall be elected from the student and faculty members of the board. Members of the Community Court are not
eligible to sit on the Appeals Board.
In the absence of the Appeals Board chair,
leadership of the board shall be as follows: 1) the chair’s designee, 2) a
student appointed by the dean of the college. Any appointments made to the
Appeals Board are strictly on a pro
tempore basis only.
If the board is unable to hear and decide a
case due to a lack of quorum, and if the chair determines that the case cannot
be postponed until the board reconvenes, the chair of the board, or in hir
absence the pro tempore chair, shall
designate members of the board pro
tempore in order to decide such a case. Any pro tem appointments will maintain the required proportion of
student and faculty members. In designating members pro tempore, the chair or acting chair will seek the approval of
the majority of the remaining board members on campus.
B. Right to Appeal
1. In the event that the Community Court finds
the student guilty of the charge or charges brought against hir, ze must be
informed of hir right to appeal.
2. Should the defendant wish to appeal the
decision of the Community Court, ze must indicate hir intent in writing to the
chair of the Appeals Board within 48 hours of receiving the written decision
from Community Court.
3. A decision of Community Court may be appealed,
if in the defendant’s judgment:
(a) Hir right to due process or to timely adjudication
has been violated.
(b) The
penalty assessed is cruel or unusual.
(c) New evidence should be considered.
(d) The
decision was not warranted by the evidence.
C. Procedures
1. Upon receipt of a letter of intent to appeal,
the chair of the board must call a meeting of the board to meet within five
days from the time of receipt of such a letter, not including any intervening
official college vacation periods.
2. A quorum shall consist of five members of the
board. In the event that a regular faculty or student member may not sit
because of special knowledge or of involvement in the case, the alternate from
the same election year shall sit in the regular member’s place. In the event
that the alternate from the same election year must also disqualify hirself,
the remaining alternate will sit. In the event that the dean of the college
must disqualify hirself, hir designee from the Office of the Dean of the
College shall sit in the place of the absent dean. Should a board member who is
the elected chair disqualify hirself, the board sitting in appeal shall elect a
chair pro tempore from among the
faculty or student members.
3. All proceedings of the meeting shall be held
in the strictest of confidence.
4. The appellant has the right to appear before
the board with counsel: counsel shall
be a student, a faculty member, or an administrator currently attending or
employed by Wells College. The appellant has the right to call witnesses.
5. The board must
call the chair of the Community Court and may
call other such witnesses deemed appropriate.
6. All decisions to the Appeals Board to override
a Community Court decision must have at least three of five members present in
agreement.
7. Upon completion of the hearing, the board
shall render a decision in writing to the appellant within 24 hours.
8. The board may remand the case to Community
Court for reconsideration; Community Court shall act within 48 hours.
D. Penalties
1. The board may sustain or deny the findings of
Community Court.
2. The board may decrease or eliminate any or all
penalties assessed by Community Court, but it may in no case increase
penalties.
E. Decisions
The decisions of the board are final, except
in-so-far as the defendant may make a final appeal to the president of the
college in cases in which the penalty involves suspension or expulsion from the
college. Such appeal shall be made within 48 hours of the receipt by the
appellant of a written decision from the board.
The president shall render a decision in
writing to the appellant within seven days of personal receipt of a notice of
appeal based on review of all relevant materials. The president may:
1. Sustain a decision.
2. Decrease or eliminate penalties, but in no
case increase penalties.
F. Confidentiality
While maintaining confidentiality the board
and, where appropriate, the president of the college, shall report final
actions on all such cases to the faculty at its next regular meeting. Students
shall be notified by posted notice on the Community Court board.
G. Record Keeping
1. All hearings of the board shall be
electronically taped.
2. After three years, the tapes shall be
destroyed, but a synopsis, written by the chair of the board or the chair pro tempore, where appropriate,
outlining the reasons for appeal, the names and basic arguments of the
appellant and all witnesses, and the decision, including the rationale for it
shall be kept in the Dean of Students Office for seven years. Access to the records shall be limited to
the president, the administrative members of the board, and the current chair
of the board.
3. In cases in which final appeal is made to the
president of the college, the president shall keep a written record of the
reasons for the appeal, all of the material presented for consideration, the
decision, and the reasons for the decision. Such records will be kept in the
Office of the President of the college for seven years.
Article IV.
Residential Government
The Interhall Board consists of voting
members: the Assistant Dean of Students for Residential Life, the Vice President
of Collegiate (as the chair and secretary), one resident advisor from each
residence hall and two from Main Building, and the Community Court Chair.
The board meets to discuss and
initiate changes in residential regulations and administrative regulations that
directly effect residence hall life as well as discuss and initiate room
changes. All changes coming from the Interhall Board concerning residential
regulations must be approved by the Assistant Dean of Students for Residential
Life and the Housing Committee.
Additionally, the Interhall Board shall make recommendations to the
Assistant Dean of Students for Residential Life in regards to Resident Assistant
applicants.
The
board meets at the discretion of the chair or upon the request of any one of
the senior resident advisers on the board or the director of residence life.
The board meets no fewer than six times a year. The members are notified of
full board meetings in advance.
No
member of the Interhall Board may serve on Housing committee.
Article V.
Class Government
Each class shall elect a president, a vice president, a
secretary, and a treasurer in the spring for the upcoming academic year. By
virtue of hir office, an elected official accepts the responsibility to uphold
the Constitution of the Collegiate Association. Elections for such offices
shall be held annually. Duties of the office are as follows: the president
shall govern the class and call all class meetings; the vice president shall be
responsible for social events and shall assume the duties of the president in
hir absence; the treasurer shall manage class finances and sit on the
Traditions Committee; the secretary shall be responsible for communication with
the class. The sophomore class secretary shall also be secretary to the
Traditions Committee.
Article VI.
Dismissal
from Elected Office
A finding by Community Court of failure of a Collegiate, or
class officer, or a finding by the SFA Board of failure of a Community Court
member to uphold the standards and principles of the Collegiate Association
will entail automatic dismissal from office. Unless otherwise stated in this
constitution, the Collegiate officers determine the responsibilities of each
elected office upon approval of the Representative Council.
Article VII.
Amendment of the Constitution
Amendments of the Constitution must be approved by the
Representative Council and the SFA Board. Amendments to the preamble,
anti-discrimination policy, honor code, Article I Section 2, Articles III, VII,
and VIII, and Bylaw III shall require the further approval of the faculty.
Amendments shall take effect immediately upon approval.
Article VIII.
Ratification
This constitution shall become effective when it is approved by
members of the Collegiate Association in a balloting to be held for that
purpose, provided: that the balloting takes place no less than one week after
presentation of this constitution to the association; that it receives a simple
majority of the votes cast; and that it meets the approval of the faculty.
Collegiate
Bylaws
I. Elections
A. Elections
Committee
One elections manager shall be elected
each spring from the sophomore and/or the freshman class to serve a two-year
term. The elections managers shall schedule all regular elections and shall
also serve on CRC. In the fall, by the completion of the first week of classes,
representatives will be elected to
serve on the committee. No fewer than five and no more than twenty students may
serve on the committee.
When an election manager is a candidate in
an election, the Election Committee appoints one of its members to act as a
manager for that election.
The duties of the Election Committee are:
1. To encourage all students to vote.
2. To work at the election area for a designated
time period.
3. To be present at the close of the polls and to
participate in the counting process.
4. To abide by the election procedures and to
maintain confidentiality in election results.
5. To attend all scheduled Election Committee
meetings.
B. General Procedure
All nominations for student offices are
self-nominations. All nominations must be held open for a minimum of three
days. If within that time only one student nominates hirself, that student will
run unopposed on the ballot. In the event that no one nominates hirself, the
nomination shall be held open for a second time. After the second round of
nominations, if the position is still unfilled, Collegiate Cabinet shall appoint
a student to fill the position.
All nominations must be posted on the
Collegiate bulletin board by the election managers 48 hours prior to the
opening of the election. A self-nomination shall consist of an essay, on an 8
1/2 x 11 white sheet of paper, which must include:
1. Candidate’s name, class, and desired position.
2. Candidate’s qualifications for desired
position.
3. Candidate’s signature.
The back of the form should have listed the candidate’s phone
number and a proxy’s name and phone number.
Inclusion of a photo of the candidate is
recommended. Any essay mentioning the names of other candidates (for the
desired position or any other position) is inadmissible. Any essay that does
not follow this format is subject to rejection by the election managers and
will not be placed on the Elections Board. Managers must make all rejections
known to the candidate in question in writing within 12 hours after the close
of nomination. The candidate will be given an additional 12 hours to resubmit
an acceptable essay if ze chooses to do so. The candidate may appeal the
decision of the election managers to the Collegiate Cabinet by notifying the
Collegiate president in writing of hir desire to appeal. If hir essay is not
approved by Cabinet, the candidate may take hir case to Community Court on the
grounds of procedural error.
Nominations for Collegiate president and vice president open at 1 a.m. on the Monday of the third full week of classes in February and are open until 1 a.m. on Thursday. For one week after nominations close, candidates have the right to express their platform by means of open forums. Campaigning, however, is not allowed (this includes posters, pins, buttons, etc.). Elections will be held the second Thursday after nominations close. After nominations close, and during this week of discussion, at least two days before the election, speeches must be given by the candidates at Representative Council. Nominations for Collegiate Cabinet (treasurer, recording secretary, corresponding secretary, but not Community Court Chair) shall open the third full week of April and shall follow the same election guidelines as the elections for Collegiate president and vice president. All Collegiate officers, as well as all other elected positions, shall be elected by a simple majority of all votes cast for that office. In the absence of a majority, a run-off election between the two candidates with the highest number of votes will take place. If no majority is reached during the run-off, the election is declared void and nominations are opened a second time. If no majority is reached in the run-off of the second election, the position goes to Collegiate Cabinet for appointment. The ballot box will be set up in the south wing of the dining hall at 8 a.m. on the morning of an election, and the polls stay open,