Austin Peay State University
Student Government Association
Constitution
PREAMBLE
We, the students of Austin Peay State
University (APSU), in order to promote a democratic student government
in which no student shall be denied equal rights for the reason of race,
nationality, gender, religion, age, sexual preference or any political
belief that does not advocate the radical overthrow of the U.S.
Constitution; in order to promote character and initiative through the
responsibilities of an effective organization; and to promote
cooperation in solving problems of general interest to the student body,
faculty, staff and administration, do ordain and establish this
Constitution.
Article I
Name
The name of this organization shall be the
STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION of the student body of APSU and shall be
referred hereinafter in this Constitution as SGA.
Article II
Purpose
The purpose of the SGA of APSU is to be the
voice of all students by connecting students to other students, faculty,
staff, and administration in order to improve the quality of student
life and strengthen the APSU community. As the voice of the students, we
listen to and help articulate the ideas and issues of the students of
APSU.
Article III
Membership
Section 1.
The SGA shall consist of three branches of
government: Executive, Legislative and Judicial.
Section 2.
All registered students, adhering to the
guidelines of this section, of APSU shall be considered members of SGA
and shall elect representatives from the student body to the Legislative
and Executive Branches in accordance with the provisions of this
Constitution its associated By-Laws and Standing Rules.
Section 3.
Membership in a branch of SGA shall be open
to any APSU student meeting the qualifications outlined in this
Constitution, its associated By-Laws and Standing Rules.
Section 4.
To be considered a member of SGA, a student
must pay the SGA Fee.
Article IV
Executive Branch
Section 1.
The Executive Branch shall consist of the
President, Vice President and Executive Secretary.
Section 2.
The Executive Branch shall be elected by the
student body according to the processes outlined in the Electoral Act.
Section 3.
The qualifications to hold office in the
Executive Branch shall be as follows:
A. Must be classified as a full-time
student in good standing with a cumulative grade point average of at
least 3.0 as computed and
recorded by the Office of the Registrar.
B. Must have documented collegiate
leadership experience.
C. Must not concurrently hold office in
another branch of SGA.
D. Must have served in any branch of SGA
at APSU for two full Clarksville campus semesters before assuming
office. Exceptions may be granted for Senators and Justices
appointed during the academic year.
Section 4.
The officers of the Executive Branch shall
serve a term of one calendar year beginning on the day following the
Spring Commencement Ceremony.
Article V
Legislative Branch
Section 1.
The Legislative Branch shall consist of the
Senate, and shall be presided over by the Vice President, who shall only
have voting rights in the event that his or her vote will create an
affirmative or denying decision related to the current issue being voted
on.
Section 2.
The Senate shall be comprised of Senators
representing each academic college and each classification based on the
total number of hours earned in accordance with the SGA Constitution.
Senators seeking office in the Spring shall be elected according to the
number of hours they will have earned at the conclusion of the current
spring semester. Senators elected in the fall will be elected
based on the number of hours they have earned at the beginning of the
current fall semester.
Section 3.
Senate seats shall be apportioned according
to the Electoral Act, and Senators shall be elected by the student body
according to the Electoral Act.
Section 4.
Meetings of the Senate shall conform to the
most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, provided these
Rules do not conflict with the SGA Constitution, its By-Laws and
Standing Rules, wherein the aforementioned documents shall supersede
these Rules.
Section 5.
The qualifications to hold office in the
Legislative Branch shall be as follows:
A. Must be classified as a full-time
student in good standing with a cumulative grade point average of at
least 2.5 as computed and recorded by the Office of the Registrar at
the time of elections. If the candidate is elected, he/she
must still have 2.5 cumulative grade point average upon assuming
office. Additionally, Senators must maintain a 2.5 cumulative
grade point average during their tenure in office.
B. Must not concurrently hold office in
another branch of SGA.
C. Senators must be a constituent of the academic college or
classification that he/she is seeking.
Section 6.
Senators elected in the Spring shall serve a
term beginning one (1) day following Spring Commencement and ending
after the conclusion of next year’s Spring Commencement. Senators
elected in the Fall shall serve a term beginning on the day that
senatorial election results are ratified. Their term shall end following
the conclusion of the subsequent Spring Commencement. All Senators will
be officially sworn in by the Chief Justice at the first regularly held
meeting of the Senate.
Article V1
Judicial Branch
Section 1.
The Student Tribunal shall serve as the
Judicial Branch, and shall be presided over by the Chief Justice.
Section 2.
Voting membership in the Student Tribunal
shall consist of one (1) Chief Justice, one (1) Associate Justice, and
five (5) Justices.
Section 3.
The Student Tribunal shall interpret and
enforce the SGA Constitution, its By-Laws and Standing Rules.
Section 4.
The Student Tribunal shall be selected by a
Senate approved committee.
Section 5.
The qualifications to hold office as Chief
Justice or Associate Justice shall be as follows:
A. Must be classified as a full-time
student in good standing with a cumulative grade point average of at
least 3.0 as computed and recorded by the Office of the Registrar.
B. Must have documented collegiate
leadership experience.
C. Must not concurrently hold office in
another branch of SGA.
D. Must have at least two (2) full
semesters of experience serving in any branch of SGA before assuming
office. Exceptions may be made for Senators and Justices
appointed during the semester.
Section 6.
The Chief Justice and Associate Justice
shall serve a term of one (1) year beginning on the day following the
Spring Commencement Ceremony and ending following the subsequent Spring
Commencement .
Section 7.
The qualifications to hold office as Justice
shall be as follows:
A. Must be classified as a full-time
student in good standing with a cumulative grade point average of at
least 2.5 as computed and recorded by the Office of the Registrar.
B. Must not concurrently hold office in
another branch of SGA.
Section 8.
Justices shall serve a term beginning on the
day that senatorial election results are ratified and end on the day of
the subsequent senatorial election results ratification. This term
shall be approximately one calendar year.
Article VII
Elections & Referenda
Section 1.
The SGA shall conduct all elections provided
for in the SGA Constitution, its By-Laws and Standing Rules.
Section 2.
Elections and referenda of SGA shall conform
to the Electoral Act, provided these procedures do not conflict with the
SGA Constitution, By-Laws and/or Standing Rules.
Article VIII
Amendments
Section 1.
Amendments to the SGA Constitution shall be
made under the following provisions executed in sequence:
A. Initiation of amendments shall be made
by the Senate or by the Executive Branch. Amendments shall be
submitted to the Senate at a regular meeting.
B. Action on proposed amendments shall be
delayed until at least the next regular meeting of the Senate, where
two-thirds (2/3) of the Senators in attendance must approve the
amendment.
C. Ratification of amendments shall be
sufficient upon approval of two-thirds (2/3) of the Senate and a
subsequent two-thirds approval (2/3) of the Tribunal.
Article IX
Waiving
Section 1.
No Article, Section, Subsection, or part of
the SGA Constitution may be waived.
Updated
January 30, 2008
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