SGA Constitution

ARTICLE IV

Legislative Branch

Section 1: Name
The legislative branch of the Ithaca College Student Government Association shall henceforth be know as Student Senate.

Section 2: Membership
The membership of Student Senate shall consist of:

  1. 4 senators from each academic class, first year through senior, as determined by anticipated date of graduation as recorded by the Office of the Registrar
  2. 1 senator from each academic school, including the Division of Interdisciplinary Studies
  3. 1 transfer senator
  4. 1 senator for graduate students

The senator shall belong to the appropriate population for which they ran. Academic senators must be majors within that school. Class senators must be members of the class for which they run.

Section 3: Term of Office
Senators elected in the spring shall serve from the date of graduation until the day of graduation the following academic year. Senators elected in the fall shall serve from the date of their election to the date of graduation of that academic year.

Section 4: Senate Duties
Senators of Student Government Association shall have the following responsibilities:

  1. Be in accordance with all eligibility requirements as set forth in the Elections Act
  2. Be responsible for creating and implementing a statement of platform, which shall consist of, but is not limited to:
    1. At least one concern said senator intends to resolve
    2. An action plan for how said senator intends to resolve the issue
  3. Conduct themselves in a respectful and professional manner in meetings. Members who fail to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner are subject to removal from the function at the discretion of the Chair.
  4. Keep informed on all issues before the Senate.
  5. Relay information concerning the actions of Student Government Association to the student population.
  6. Post flyers and share minutes of meetings in areas designated by the Senate and the Communications Committee.
  7. Serve on at least one standing or or ad hoc committee unless serving on an All-College Committee approved as a substitution by the Executive Board.
  8. Adhere to all absence policies, as started in Article IV, Section 5.
  9. Senators from Academic Schools shall attend meetings with their Deans at least twice a semester, as well as holding school forums, as deemed necessary by the Executive Board and arranged by the Vice President of Academics.

Section 5: Absences

All elected senators of Student Government Association are expected to participate in all scheduled meetings with no more than two (2) unexcused absences in one semester.  Excused absences shall only be granted for observance of religious holidays, family emergencies, or required academic obligations as dictated by a professor.  The Student Body President and Chairperson must both be notified at least 24 hours in advance of the circumstances for the absence if possible, or otherwise as soon as possible.  If this notification is not made, the absence will not be excused.  In addition, two (2) late arrivals and/or early dismissals count as one (1) unexcused absence.  The first two unexcused absences will result in a warning from the Student Body President or the Chairperson.  Three absences in one semester will result in dismissal from Student Government Assocation by the Student Body President or the Chairperson.  Any member who has been dismissed shall not be eligible to serve as a member again until beginning of the following semester.

Section 6: Meetings

  1. Shall be held once a week during Fall and Spring semesters while classes are in session, unless otherwise specified by the Executive Board or by a motion of senate.
  2. Shall be presided over by the Chairperson as designated in Article VI Section 2.
  3. Shall follow Rules of Order as designated by the Ithaca College Student Government Parliamentary Procedure Manual.
  4. Special meetings may be called by the Executive Board of Student Government or upon written notification by 10% of the elected representatives of Senate submitted to the Chair.
  5. Shall be open to any interested members of the Ithaca College Community.

Section 7: Voting
  1. A quorum of 2/3 of all senators must be present at meetings for a meeting to be called to order and any voting to occur.
  2. Each elected senator of Student Government Association shall receive one vote.
  3. Officers of Student Government, Executive Board members, and interested students-at-large shall NOT vote.
  4. The President of the Student Body shall vote only in the event of a tie.

Section 8: Authority
Student Government Association shall have the authority to:
  1. Vote on any budgets brought forth by the Budget Committee if any of the following statements are true:
    • The club is not required to fundraise, as per the Treasurer’s Handbook
    • The club or organization is appealing the Budget Committee’s decision.
  2. Override any decision of a Student Government Association committee by a majority vote, with the exception of Budget Committee and Elections Committee.
  3. Override a Presidential, Executive Board, Budget Committee, Elections Committee, Chairperson or Parliamentarian of Student Government decision by a 2/3 vote.
  4. Vote to approve all Budget Committee and Elections Committee members.
  5. Vote on all budget recommendation brought forth by the Budget Committee, should the committee be unable to vote on it themselves, as stated in Article VII, Section 5.
  6. Confirm candidates for All-College Committees recommended by the appropriate Executive Board Member(s)
  7. Confirm candidates for SGA vacancies, as recommended by the Vice President of Communications.
  8. Establish and chair an Ad hoc Committee by majority vote.
  9. Initiate impeachment proceeding of any senator or non-ex-officio Executive Board member by a ¾ vote.
  10. Dismiss the Chairperson with a 2/3 vote.

Section 9: Documents
Documents passed by Student Government Association shall be divided into four (4) classes:
  1. Amendments shall be changes or addition to the constitution of the Ithaca College Student Body.
  2. Acts shall be matters of a permanent nature, and shall be binding from year to year until formally repealed by the Senate.
  3. Resolutions shall be matters of a temporary nature, and shall expire with the Senate in which they are enacted.
  4. Recommendations shall encourage action to be taken by other decision-making bodies in the Ithaca College Community, and shall only expire after the action is made, or if formally withdrawn by the Senate.

A permanent and cumulative record of all documents shall be kept on file and shall be made available to the Student Government Association or the public upon request.

Section 10: Appeals
Decisions of the Student Body President, Executive Board, Chairperson of SGA, and all SGA Committees may be appealed to Senate.

All Appeals must be presented to the Chairperson of SGA so that it may be included in the agenda for the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Senate.

Student Government Association will consider the appeal only if grounds allege that the original decision of the President, Executive Board, or Chairperson, and/or all SGA Committees, violates their rights outlined in the Ithaca College Student Handbook, and/or the Constitution of the Ithaca College Student Body.

In the event that grounds for an appeal involves personal and confidential information such as, but not limited to, grades, judicial standing, and disability, the Director of Center for Student Leadership and Involvement or his/her designee, has the authority to review all claims and provide Student Government Association with a conclusion of findings.

The Senate may override any decision of an SGA Committee (with the exception of the Budget Committee and Elections Committee) by a majority vote.

The Senate may override a Presidential, Executive Board, Budget Committee, Elections Committee, or Chairperson decision by a 2/3 vote.

Section 11: Chairperson
The Chair shall:

  1. Have a working knowledge of Parliamentary Procedure
  2. Remain completely impartial while chairing. If wishing to address an issue, the Chairperson must turn the gavel over to an executive designee.
  3. Be responsible for the preparation of the Student Government Association meeting agenda in conjunction with the President of the Student Body.
  4. Be responsible for maintaining and upholding the Ithaca College Parliamentary Procedure manual in consultation with the Vice President of Communications.
  5. Be responsible for notification of the Senate and Student Government Executive Board of special meetings and/or meeting cancellations.
  6. Be responsible for convening and chairing the Elections Committee or appointing a designee to do so.

The Chairperson shall be a non-voting representative of the Student Senate to the Executive Board and shall attend all Executive Board Meetings.
  1. After the recommendation from the President of the Student Body, nominations for Chairperson may be made by any member of the Ithaca College Student Body.
  2. No Executive Board member may be nominated.
  3. Student Senate representatives may be nominated but must resign from their current position if elected.
  4. The candidate receiving a majority vote in either the first round, or in a run-off if necessary, will be elected.
Article III         Article V