SGA 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, disability, sexual orientation 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, doordain 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 thereinafter 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. 

Section 5.

The Student Representative on the Board of Trustees shall not a position in the Executive Branch of Student Government Association.

Section 6.

Members may participate in a Study Abroad Experience under the condition that they meet the requirements outlined in Article IX, Section 7 of the Student Government Association By-Laws.

Article IV - Executive Branch

Section 1.

The Executive Branch shall consist of the President, Vice President, Executive Secretary, Chief Justice, and Chief Financial Officer.

Section 2.

The Executive Branch, with the exception of Chief Justice and Chief Financial Officer, shall be elected by the student body according to the processes outlined in the Electoral Act, following the determination of candidacy through an interview process.

Section 3.

The qualifications to hold office in the Executive Branch shall be as follows:

• 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.

• Must have documented collegiate leadership experience. 

• Must not concurrently hold office in another branch of SGA. 

• 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. The Internal Affairs Committee will be the body responsible for determining if an exception is granted.

• All candidates for Executive Council positions (including President) must undergo an interview and be approved before their names are placed on the ballot. There is no limit on how many may run, but all must be interviewed before their name may be added to the ballot.  

• Must submit one (1) letter of recommendation from a faculty member, staff member, or campus organizational advisor at Austin Peay State University. The letter must be written specifically for the position the candidate is seeking and should address the candidate’s leadership abilities, professionalism, and suitability for serving in that Executive Branch position.

• The SGA President shall be elected in a standalone election during the Spring semester.

• Following the conclusion of the Presidential election, a second election shall be held for the positions of Vice President, Secretary, Chief Justice, and Chief Financial Officer.

• Individuals who run for President and do not win may run for any of the remaining Executive Council positions in the subsequent election.

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 their vote will create an affirmative or denying decision related to the current issue being voted on.

Section 2.

The Senate shall be comprised of a total of thirty (30) senators elected by the Student Body. Additionally, ten (10) freshman students shall be selected via interview by the Executive Council and comprise the Freshman Council which shall have voting privileges.

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.

Senate legislation may be postponed indefinitely, but not when the senator for the corresponding legislation is absent. In the event that a Senator for a corresponding legislation is absent from the meeting where the legislation is postponed, they must be directly contacted by the Executive Secretary to be informed of what has occurred and their right to debate for their legislation by pulling the motion off the table.

Section 5.

The qualifications to hold office in the Legislative Branch shall be as follows:

• Must be classified as a full-time student in good standing with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.75 as computed and recorded by the Office of the Registrar at the time of elections. Freshman Council members must have graduated high school with a GPA of at least 2.75 on a 4.0 scale. If the candidate is elected, they must still have 2.75 cumulative grade point average upon assuming office. Additionally, Senators must maintain a 2.75 cumulative grade point average during their tenure in office.

• Must not concurrently hold office in another branch of SGA.

• No student who held an office in the Student Government Association in the previous term and failed to meet the requirements of the position shall be eligible to hold office on the next term.

Senators elected in the Fall shall serve a term beginning one (1) day following Spring Commencement and ending after the conclusion of next year’s Spring Commencement. All Senators will be officially sworn in by the Chief Justice at the first regularly held meeting of the Senate after their election.

Article VI 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 Chief 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 Chief Justice shall be as follows:

• Must be classified as a full-time student in good standing with a cumulative grade point average of at least a 3.0 as computed and recorded by the Office of the Registrar.

• Must have documented collegiate leadership experience.

• Must not concurrently hold office in another branch of SGA.

• Must have at least two (2) full semesters of experience serving in any branch of SGA before assuming office. Exception may be made for Senators and Justices appointed during the semester.

Section 6.

The Chief Justice and Associate Chief 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:

• Must be classified as a full-time student in good standing with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.75 as computed and recorded by the Office of the Registrar.

• Must not concurrently hold office in another branch of SGA

Section 8.

Justices shall serve a term of one (1) year beginning on the day following the Spring Commencement Ceremony and ending following the subsequent Spring Commencement.

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:

• 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.

• 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.

• Ratification of amendments shall be sufficient upon approval of two (2/3) of the Senate and a subsequent two-thirds approval (2/3) of the Tribunal, excluding the senator presenting said amendments to uphold the integrity of fairness and security upheld by the Student Government Association.

Article IX Waivers

Section 1

No Article, Section, Subsection, or part of the SGA Constitution may be waived.

Article XII Major Events

Section 1. General

Major Events are events sponsored by the Student Government Association that are defined under this article. Any other events sponsored by SGA that are not defined under this article need not follow the procedures set forth in this article and are therefore not classified as Major Events.

SGA shall have the following Major Events:

1. Mud Bowl

   • Mudbowl shall be the responsibility of the Mud Bowl Committee, comprised of comprised of one-third of the Senate and one-third of the Tribunal, chaired by the SGA Chief Justice.

2. F.L.E.X. SGA Training

3. G.H.O.S.T. (Greater Opportunities for Safe Trick-or-Treating)

   • G.H.O.S.T. shall be the responsibility of the G.H.O.S.T. Committee, comprised of one-third of the Senate and one-third of the Tribunal, as per the chair’s discretion, chaired by the SGA Vice President.

4. Community Service Event

   • Community Service Event shall be the responsibility of the Community Service Committee, comprised of one-third of the Senate and one-third of the Tribunal, as per the chair’s discretion, chaired by the SGA Chief Financial Officer

5. Springtacular

   • The Springtacular shall be the responsibility of the Springtacular Committee, comprised of one-third of the Senate and one-third of the Tribunal, chaired by the SGA President.

6. Co-Sponsored Event with a Resource or Cultural Center: 2 in Fall Semester and 2 in Spring Semester

   • The Co-Sponsored Event with a Resource or Cultural Center shall be the responsibility of the Senate Liaisons and the Executive Council.  

Each member of the SGA Senate and the SGA Tribunal must serve on at least one of the following Major Event Committees:

• Mud Bowl Committee
• G.H.O.S.T. Committee
• Community Service Committee
• The Springtacular Committee
• Co-Sponsored Event with a Resource or Cultural Center Committee

A member of a Major Event Committee who is not fulfilling their responsibilities will be reported to the chair of Internal Affairs.

Section 2. Procedures of Major Events

Mandatory attendance of Major Events shall be enforced for all SGA members.

Failure to attend a Major Event will result in two (2) absences to be placed on the SGA member’s record.

An absence shall be considered excused under extreme circumstances only. The validity of absences shall be determined in accordance with the Standing Rules.

The projected dates of Major Events shall be brought to the attention of SGA members at the earliest possibility.

The time frame of which Major Events are to be staffed shall be brought to the attention of SGA members by the Executive Committee within no less than two (2) weeks of the Major Event.

The appropriate amount of time that an SGA member must work to “attend” an event shall be determined by the Executive Committee. This amount of time shall be brought to the attention of SGA members within no less than two (2) weeks of the Major Event.

Section 3. Additions to Major Events

An event that will require mandatory attendance must be added to this article.

A new Major Event shall be added to this article during a regular Senate meeting by a senator or Executive Committee member.

New Major Events shall be voted on by the Senate and passed with a majority vote before being added to the by-laws.

ARTICLE IX - Self-Assessed Student Fees

Section 1. Approval by Student Body

Any proposal to levy, amend, repeal, or otherwise regulate the SGA fee which affects the entire Student Body must be approved by a majority of the members of the Student Body voting in the Fall or Spring Primary Election.

Section 2. Procedure to Place Assessment on Ballot

Any such proposal may be sent to the Student Body only in either of the following ways:

1. By approval of two-thirds (2/3) of the members present and voting of the SGA Senate; or

2. By petition signed by ten percent (10%) of the membership of the Student Body presented to the SGA President.

Section 3. Regulatory Compliance

Any such proposal must comply with Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) B-060(VII) and Tennessee Code Annotated (TCA) 49-8-109(b).