I. Legislative Committees

1. Committee Structure and Procedures
   1. This section shall apply to all committees within the Student Government Association.
   2. The following committees are established: Finance, Appointments and Evaluations, Academic Affairs, Student Services, and Campus Safety and Development
   3. The Finance and Appointments and Evaluations committees shall consist of five members, and the Finance Committee shall also include the Executive Treasurer as a non-voting member with all other rights and privileges.
   4. The remaining committees shall consist of six to seven members
   5. All SGA Senate members must serve on one committee but may serve on at most two permanent committees as a full, voting member at the discretion of the Executive Vice President.
   6. All committees except the Finance and Appointments and Evaluations committees may have non-SGA, non-voting members, at the discretion of the committees.
2. Committee Chairmen
   1. Election
   2. Each committee, upon its first meeting, shall elect a chairman from among themselves, in accordance with the following procedure

i. Those wishing to be chairman shall make a speech not to exceed 2 minutes, describing why they are qualified to be chairman.

ii. Voting shall then proceed, with each Senator’s vote individually recorded.

1. If there is a dispute as to the counting of the votes, the SGA Secretary shall serve as the official recorder of the meeting.

iii. The Senator with a plurality of the votes shall be elected as Chairman

1. If no Senator receives a plurality, then the Executive Vice President shall cast a tie breaking vote and choose the committee Chairman.

1. 1. Duties

i. Committee chairmen shall

1. Create the agenda for each meeting

2. Take minutes

a. Send a copy of the minutes to the SGA Secretary in a timely manner

3. Issue a committee report at the general SGA meeting

4. Meet with the SGA President every other week to report about the operation of the committee

1. Meetings
   1. Each committee shall meet no less than once per week, on a different day than the general SGA Senate meeting (unless they have already met once during that week).
   2. Each committee shall operate according to a plurality vote system – more members must vote in the affirmative than the negative to pass a motion.

i. A tie brings the matter before the Senate with no recommendation in favor or against,

1. 1. Committee actions, unless otherwise specified, must be ratified by the Senate before they take effect.
   2. Each committee shall develop its own procedures, ratified by a majority vote of the Senate, to conduct its business.
   3. All committee meetings shall be open to the public, except when discussing personnel matters.

i. Voting MUST take place in public, discussion may be in private, but actual votes must be individually recorded, per the constitution.

1. Finance Committee
2. Appointments and Evaluations Committee
3. Academic Affairs Committee
4. Student Services Committee
5. Campus Safety and Development Committee

II. Senate Meetings

1. Procedures
   1. Senate meetings shall follow the procedures outlined in the “SGA Senate Procedural Rules” document.
   2. Senate rules can be suspended by a 2/3 vote.
2. Frequency
   1. The Senate shall meet at least once per week during the Academic year
3. Quorum
   1. Quorum for a meeting shall consist of no less than 2/3 of the total present membership of the Senate, plus the Chair.
4. Absence Policy
   1. Excused absences consist of health issues, family emergencies, or other legitimate reasons as decided by the Vice President.
   2. The vice president can only grant up to three excused absences for one senator in any given year, regardless of reason.
   3. Lateness to general body meeting will be counted as 1/3 of an absence.
   4. Committee absence will be counted as 1/3 of a meeting absence. Excuses can be granted by the committee chair at his or her discretion.
   5. Class Council absence will be counted as 1/3 of a meeting absence. Excuses can be granted by the Class Council President at his or her discretion.
5. Chair
   1. The Executive Vice President shall chair all SGA Senate meetings, except as otherwise stated in the Procedural Rules.

III. Class Presidents

1. Duties
   1. Class Presidents shall:

i. Meet with members of their class

ii. Ensure proper communication between their class council and members of their class

iii. Serve on the Class Council Task Force

iv. Perform all regular Senatorial duties

IV. Student Activities Commission

A. The Student Activities Commission, also known as the SAC, shall hereby be created as a subsidiary group of the Student Government Association

B. The SAC shall be tasked with providing funding for approved student groups classified into the following five categories

1. 1. Culture
   2. Performing Arts
   3. Publications and Journals
   4. Special Interest and Hobby
   5. Religious and Spiritual
2. The SAC shall be comprised of 10 voting members
   1. 5 shall be members of the SGA Finance Committee
   2. 5 Liaisons shall be elected by a popular vote of the SAC General Assembly, consisting of all approved SAC groups.

i. The elected member must be a member of the student group falling under the category that he represents

1. The SGA Executive Treasurer shall chair the SAC but shall only vote when a tie exists.
2. Quorum shall be set at ½ of the membership plus one of the SAC.
3. The Rules and Regulations regarding funding shall be approved by the SAC and then by a majority vote of the SGA Senate.
4. Acts of the SAC are appealable to SGA Senate, which shall overturn a decision of the SAC by a 2/3 simple majority vote.
5. Decisions of the SGA Senate are final regarding funding matters, appealable only to the SGA Judiciary, upon constitutional or other violations-related grounds.

V. Vacancies

1. Senatorial Vacancy
   1. In the case of senatorial vacancy, the remaining members of the class shall choose a new senator, following a process that they deem to be fair and balanced
   2. Voting to confirm a new senator shall follow the plurality scheme, the candidate receiving the most votes shall be elected.
   3. Once chosen, no further action is required by the Senate to approve a new senator, so long as he meets all the requirements set forth in the constitution
2. Class Presidential Vacancy
   1. In the case of a Class Presidential vacancy, the remaining members of the class shall choose a new President from among themselves, following a process that they deem to be fair and balanced
   2. Voting to confirm a new class president shall follow the plurality scheme, the candidate receiving the most votes shall be elected.
   3. Once chosen, no further action is required by the Senate to approve a new class president, so long as he meets all the requirements set forth in the constitution.

VI. Miscellaneous (NOTE: THIS SECTION EFFECTIVE FALL 2010)

1. Student groups may not disallow any member the right to vote with regard to race, color, creed, religion, national or ethic origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, citizenship, or handicap. This requirement may be waived in circumstances in which an individual group has a specific reason—related to the impending graduation of group members—as to why members set to graduate in the academic year following the election should not be allowed to vote in a group election. If the group wishes to waive this requirement, they must present a case to the SGA Appointments and Evaluations Committee explaining why graduating members should not be allowed to vote in an election. If the SGA rules in the group’s favor, then the class of graduating members will not be allowed to vote. The disallowance of graduating members, if approved, must apply to every member of the group, without exception, who is to graduate in the semester following the election. Any alterations to this section shall require a ¾ vote of the total membership of the SGA Senate

VII. Executive Treasurer (NOTE: THIS SECTION EFFECTIVE FALL 2011)

1. The duties of the Executive Treasurer of the SGA shall be:
   1. To report all SGA financial transactions, not including SAC transactions, at all SGA full body meetings
   2. To work with the SGA Finance Committee to create a competitive application process for SAC liaisons and to run effective SAC meetings
   3. To report all student groups approved for SAC funding grants at the most recent SAC meeting, but not specific financial numbers
   4. To publish and co-manage a specific page of the SGA’s website reserved to the information aforementioned in the SGA bylaws, section VII, subsections 1.i and 1.iii, with the SGA Finance Committee
   5. To ensure that Article 4, subsection 4.05a of the SGA Constitution is upheld to its fullest extent
   6. To publish the yearlong SGA budget to the SGA website, and to publicly report any deficits and surpluses at the end of each semester
   7. To attend all Finance Committee meetings as a non-voting member and offer advice and counsel for all committee members.
2. The duties of the Executive Treasurer shall not be exclusively bound to those listed under Section VII, subsection 1, of the SGA bylaws, but may include other duties as necessary.
3. The Executive Treasurer shall be subject to the same rules of attendance as all Finance Committee members.