Bemidji State University Student Association Constitution March, 2008

Section 1: The governing body of the BSUSA shall be the Student Senate. The business of the Student Senate shall be conducted in accordance with the policies of BSU, MnSCU, and all local, state and federal laws.

Section 2:

The BSUSA Student Senate shall have the following structure:

Section 3: Members

No person shall be discriminated against with regards to race, sex, color, creed, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, and sexual orientation.

The Student Senate shall consist of a President, Vice President, Office Manager, University Liaison, four (4) Committee Chairs, and twenty (20) Senators.

The Student Senate Cabinet shall consist of the President, Vice President, Office Manager, University Liaison, Committee Chairs, Minnesota State University Student Association (MSUSA) Campus Representative, MSUSA Diversity Representative, and any other position at the discretion of the cabinet.

The Student Senate shall also select an advisor who is a member of the faculty or staff.

 

Section 4: Application and Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for election or appointment, as well as continued service as a Senator or cabinet member, a candidate must:

Be a member of the BSUSA;

Maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 2.25 on a 4 point scale;

Maintain a status of at least six semester credits for undergraduate students or three semester credits for graduate students for their entire term of office;

Not be on academic or disciplinary probation at BSU;

B) Should any candidate for any Senate position not meet the above stated requirements, they shall not be appointed or placed on the ballot, nor shall any vote for them be counted as valid.

C) In order to run for President or Vice President, the candidate must have done at lease two of the following prior to the election date:

1) Attended at least five (5) Student Senate meetings

2) Attend at least one (1) MSUSA conference

3) Served on a BSUSA Student Senate Committee for at least five (5) meetings

D) Should any member of the Student Senate fail to meet these requirements or be discovered to not have met the requirements at the time of their election or appointment, they shall be automatically be removed from their Student Senate position upon notice from the Student Senate Advisor.

Section 5: Policies

The Student Senate may propose regulations, create services, initiate activity or policy, enforce compliance, petition particular action by appropriate authority, and adopt resolutions.

The Student Senate may use Cabinet or committees to develop proposals or recommend modifications to University regulations pertaining to, but not limited to: housing, conduct, student mass media, the student union, the assessment of student fees, and the expenditure guidelines and budgets for student fee supported operations.

The Student Senate shall also have the opportunity to make recommendations prior to final action on, or implementation of, University policy decisions and procedures.

Any Student Senate action requiring University response shall be forwarded to the President within five (5) days. The Student Senate President shall request the University President to respond in writing to the Student Senate within a specified period amount of time.

The Student Senate shall have the authority to establish and fund Student Senate staff and other positions as set forth in its bylaws.

The Student Senate shall have the authority to designate representatives to the MSUSA. These representatives shall have the power of making recommendations and casting the necessary votes at the MSUSA conferences.

Section 6:

The duties and powers of the BSUSA Student Senate members shall be:

President and Vice President

The following duties shall be performed by both the President and Vice President:

Act as the official representatives of the BSUSA and the Student Senate.

Be a member of cabinet.

Maintain a minimum of twelve (12) weekly office hours, four (4) of which must be scheduled.

Appoint cabinet positions.

The following duties will be divided up between the President and Vice President at the start of each academic year:

1) Approve emergency expenditures and inform the Student Senate of these expenditures

2) Maintain regular contact with the Union Director or his/her designee.

3) Serve as the representative of BSU on the MSUSA Board of Directors, option to proxy to any senate-approved student.

4) Excuse senators from meetings and inform the Office Manager of excused absences.

Preside over and conduct Student Senate meetings in accordance to Robert’s Rule of Order: Newly Revised.

Maintain regular contact with the Vice President of Student Development and Enrollment.

Maintain regular contact with the President of the University.

B) Committee Chairs:

1) Hold weekly committee meetings and post meeting times.

2) Preside over committee meetings as a voting member.

3) Assign and coordinate sub-committees to fulfill specific purposes.

4) Act as a spokesperson for the committee to the Student Senate and the public.

5) Complete committee reports and post them.

6) Maintain a minimum of six (6) office hours per week, three (3) of which are scheduled.

7) Report weekly committee meeting attendance to the Office Manager.

8) Be a voting member of the Student Senate.

9) Be a member of cabinet.

10) Represent the BSUSA.

11) Keep University students informed of the activities and issues of the Student Senate.

12) Inform the President or Vice President in advance of any absence from a Student Senate meeting.

13) Attend at least one (1) MSUSA conference during their term of office.

University Liaison

Recommend student representatives for pertinent University committees to the Student Senate President for appointment.

Appoint Senators into Student Senate committees.

Be a member of cabinet.

Be a voting member of the Student Senate

Be an active voice by spreading the word of the Student Senate and encouraging other students to become involved.

Represent the BSUSA.

Attend at least one (1) MSUSA conference during their term of office.

Office Manager

Attend the Student Senate meetings.

Take attendance and minutes at weekly Student Senate meetings.

Handle and catalog Student Senate bills and resolutions.

Report on the Student Senate budget at Student Senate meetings.

Make recommendations to the Student Senate regarding expenditures.

Meet regularly with the Student Senate Advisor to track the Student Senate budget.

Formulate a draft budget and present it to the cabinet for consultation and a recommendation and present a final draft to the Student Senate for majority approval.

Report all expenditures to the Student Senate.

Work with staff in maintaining the Student Senate accounting records.

This position is not a voting member of the Student Senate.

Prepare the agenda for each Student Senate meeting.

Student Senator:

Represent the BSUSA.

Keep University students informed of the activities and issues of the Student Senate.

Act as a voting member of the Student Senate.

Maintain at least one (1) posted office hour per week.

Attend their assigned committee meeting every week.

Inform the President or Vice President in advance of any absence from a Student Senate meeting and their Committee Chair of any absence of a committee meeting.

Attend at least one (1) MSUSA conference during their term of office.

Cabinet:

Advise the President and Vice President on how to best represent the BSUSA especially in the specific areas of Student Senate that each member is responsible for.

Responsible for determining stipends, assuring accountability, conducting evaluations, and addressing personnel issues.

Keep all members of the Student Senate informed and advise them about issues in their specific areas of the Student Senate.

Appoint all projects/concerns that are brought to the Student Senate to appropriate committees.

Advisor:

Attend the weekly Student Senate meetings.

Be aware of University policies and advise the Student Senate of these policies when needed.

Be aware of and offer advice on bills and resolutions that are produced by the Student Senate.

Meet on a regular basis with the President and Vice President to discuss Student Senate issues and be available to all Student Senate members for questions.

Work with the Office Manager to keep the budget balanced, sign off on all applicable paperwork, and pay bills in a timely fashion.

University Committee Student Representatives:

Represent the BSUSA.

Keep the Student Senate informed of the issues and activities of their committee via a report as needed or requested.

Attend their scheduled University Committee meetings and be knowledgeable of current issues.