CONSTITUTION OF THE STUDENT BODY OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER - ANSCHUTZ MEDICAL
CAMPUS
PREAMBLE
We, the students of the University of Colorado Denver - Anschutz Medical Campus
exist not only as individuals, but also as a community. The purpose of this constitution is to
unify the student community.
The Student Senate (Senate) members at the AMC exist to foster interdisciplinary
interaction and coordination among students of the AMC. This body also exists to provide
effective channels of communication among the student bodies, councils of the schools, and
programs served at the AMC, as well as to serve as spokespersons for the AMC students.
Furthermore we represent student interests and opinions to policy organizations, including
but not limited to, the Board of Regents, the State of Colorado, and the AMC.
ARTICLE I
NAME AND MEMBERSHIP
Section 1.
The name of this association shall be the University of Colorado
Denver - Anschutz Medical Campus (UCD-AMC) Student Body.
Section 2.
Membership of this organization will consist of all full time, degree
seeking students registered and paying at least, but not limited to, the
AMC Student Activity fees at the AMC.
Section 3.
This association shall be governed by a Senate consisting of
representatives from each school and program at the AMC.
Section 4.
All of the Senate Offices will be held by members of the AMC Student
Body.
Section 5.
It is the continuing policy and commitment of the AMC to provide
equal opportunity for employment for all job applicants, for the
advancement of all employees, and for the education for all students
regardless of race, religion, sex, age, national origin, handicap or
veteran status. Further, the AMC is committed to the concept of
maintaining an environment free of sexual harassment and substance
abuse. The AMC supports the concept of a Drug Free Workplace and
a Smoke Free Environment, and has instituted policies and programs
in support of theses concepts.
Complaints and inquiries should be directed to the appropriate
supervisor or administrator. Complaints and inquiries may also be
directed to the Office of Diversity and/or the Human Resources
Department.
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ARTICLE II
AUTHORITY AND POWER OF THE AMC SENATE
Section 1.
The authority of the Senate to organize and to govern is ultimately
derived from the University of Colorado Board of Regents.
Section 2.
The legislative authority of this Senate will extend to all student
matters concerning any school or class, or affecting the AMC as a
whole.
Section 3.
The Senate will be the means by which student opinion is expressed as
unified voice.
Section 4.
The Director of the Student Assistance Office shall assist the Senate in
performing clerical and research tasks as the Senate may request.
Section 5.
The Senate shall appoint delegates to appropriate conventions of
general, national, and state student organizations.
Section 6.
The Senate shall provide student representatives for all faculty and
administrative committees whose concerns are relevant to the AMC
student affairs. Only those students appointed by the Senate shall
have the power to represent the students of the AMC as a whole.
Section 7.
The Senate shall have the power to allocate funds received from the
AMC Student Activity fees.
A.
The Senate will allocate up to 30% of general student
Activity fees for the use of each class or program as outlined in
the finance committee bylaws. An additional amount, up to
10% shall be distributed according to the finance committee
bylaws. Each class/school council’s files will be housed by the
respective Dean/Designee’s Office. Complete financial records
must be surrendered by any class/school council when
requested by the AMC Senate.
B.
General Student Activity fees are to be differentiated from
specific purpose student activity fees.
C.
The Office of the Director of the Student Assistance Office will
continue to house the files for each interdisciplinary student
organization and for Senate and will provide financial reports
to the Senate at their request.
Any proposed change in the student activity fee assessment
must be approved by a 2/3 majority of the total Senate
membership before going on to the entire AMC student body
D.
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for final approval. Final approval is contingent on approval by
the Office of the Chancellor and the Board of Regents.
ARTICLE III:
Section 1.
SENATE MEMBERSHIP
Every class within the AMC will be represented by the Senate. Each
class is entitled to two (2) senators, and two (2) voting privileges, with
the exceptions of the classes whose programs require full time
externship rotations: 3rd and 4th year Medical School, 4th year
PharmD, 2nd year DPT, 3rd year CHA/PA, 4th year DNP, 4th year DS,
and any other class whose externship rotations create a hardship for
senate attendance. Each of these classes will be allowed three (3)
senators each, and each of these classes retains two (2) voting
privileges.
The College of Nursing will have two (2) representatives from the
junior BSN class. In addition, there will be four (4) at-large
representatives elected to represent all other nursing students.
The Basic Sciences Graduate School is allowed to send five (5)
representatives and one liaison from the Graduate Student Council to
meet the Senate attendance requirement. All six shall have voting
privileges.
The Colorado School of Public Health will have one (1) representative
and, when called upon, this senator will serve on the finance
committee.
Any Senator elected to an officer position with voting privileges (all
officers except President, see Art. IV, Sect. 3), shall automatically
become re-elected as one of the two voting representatives from said
Senator’s respective class during their time in office.
Section 2.
All nominations and elections for the positions of senator shall be in a
manner determined by the individual constituencies. All senators
shall be elected by the 2nd Senate meeting of the current academic
year, terms to last one year (June 1 – May 31).
Section 3.
Upon petition of 25% of a senator’s constituency, an election for recall
of that senator shall be held no less than one week nor more than two
weeks from the date of presentation of the petition to a Vice-President
of the Senate. If two-third of those voting, or a majority of the
constituency (whichever is smaller) shall vote for recall, the senator is
recalled.
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Section 4.
Continued membership in the Senate is dependent on attendance.
Each Senator will be allowed three (3) absences per year. The only
excused absences will be the result of required clinical rotations or
clinical attendance that directly conflict with scheduled Senate
meetings. After three (3) unexcused absences (including illness,
vacation, etc.), the Senator will be removed as described in Article III,
Section 5.
Section 5.
Senators may be removed from office when in violation of attendance
policy by the recommendation of the Executive Committee. The
Executive Committee will then notify the respective class of the
vacancy, and a new Senator will be elected immediately.
Section 6.
Liaison positions for each of the school/program councils will be
allowed. One (1) liaison per senator shall be a current member of the
respective school/program. These liaison positions will not have
regular Senator voting privileges, nor shall they be required to
participate in Senate activities. However, in the absence of any
respective school/program’s Senators, the Liaisons may vote.
ARTICLE IV:
OFFICERS OF THE SENATE
Section 1.
Officers of the Senate shall be President, Vice-President for Student
Life and Academic Affairs, Vice-President for Philanthropy, VicePresident for Finance, Vice-President for Legislative Affairs, Vice
President for Communications, and Vice President for Diversity.
Only Senators who have served at least one year on Senate may be
elected to an officer position. Officers shall be paid a small
honorarium for performance of their duties.
Section 2.
Officers elect for the Presidency and Vice-Presidencies shall be chosen
before the May Board of Regents meeting from the membership of the
Senate, by majority ballot. The President-elect and Vice-Presidentselect shall take office June 1 prior to the academic year.
Section 3.
President – duties shall be:
A.
To be the chief executive officer of the Senate.
B.
The President shall be considered for quorum, but shall be
non-voting unless to break a tie.
C.
To preside over the meetings of the Senate.
D.
To prepare, with the assistance of the Vice-President for
Finance and interested Senators, a budget to be approved by
the Senate.
E.
To report all matters of concern from the Student Body to the
Intercampus Student Forum to be presented at the Board of
Regents Meetings.
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F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
To be a member of, and attend all Chancellor’s Executive
Committee meetings or shared governance meetings.
To be a member of, and attend all Intercampus Student Forum
meetings.
To present a monthly report of his/her activities to the Senate.
To designate the Vice-President of Communications to preside
over Senate meetings in the President’s absence.
To perform other duties required by the office.
Section 4.
Vice-President for Student Life and Academic/Student Affairs
– duties shall be:
A.
To act as chairperson of the Student Life and
Academic/Student Affairs Committee as described in the bylaws.
B.
To co-chair the Student Academic Services fee committee with
the AMC Associate Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs
C.
To oversee the activities of other Senate committees which
address the issues of student life and/or academic affairs,
including regular meetings with the Associate Vice Chancellor
of Academic Affairs of UCD-AMC
D.
To perform other duties required by the office.
Section 5.
Vice-President for Philanthropy – duties shall be:
A.
To act as chairperson of the Philanthropy Committee as
described in the by-laws.
B.
To oversee the activities of the Philanthropy Committee.
C.
To oversee the distribution of philanthropic information to the
HSC Student Body.
D.
To perform other duties required by the office.
Section 6.
Vice-President for Finance – duties shall be:
A.
To act as chairperson of the Finance Committee as described
in the by-laws.
B.
To be responsible for all funds received and dispersed by the
Senate.
C.
To present regular financial statements to the Senate.
D.
To oversee the activities of the Senate Committees which
address student financial matters.
E.
To collect and maintain information relevant to students
concerning the financial activities of the AMC, which shall
include meetings with the Associate Vice Chancellor of Finance
and Administration of UCD-AMC, as needed.
F.
To perform other duties required by the office.
Section 7.
Vice President for Legislative Affairs – duties shall be:
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A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
To act as chairperson of the Legislative Affairs Committee as
described in the by-laws.
To oversee the activities of the Legislative Affairs committee.
To oversee the distribution of pertinent legislative updates to
the AMC Student Body.
To serve, or appoint a Legislative Committee member, as the
Representative at Large to the Intercampus Student Forum.
To perform other duties as required by the office.
Section 8.
Vice President for Communication – duties shall be:
A.
Create and maintain a master email list for AMC Senate
within 3 weeks of the first Senate meeting.
B.
Distribute the agenda (prepared by the President) to all
Senators at least 3 days before each Senate meeting.
C.
Record and distribute the minutes of each Senate meeting to all
Senators within one week following each meeting.
D.
Perform office duties such as mailings, and distribution of
emails received from the Senate website in a timely manner .
E.
As needed, write and submit Senate works for the AMC online newspaper.
F.
Keep up to date bulletin boards dedicated to Senate use – for
all Senate committee announcements and activities, as well as
other topics of interest to students of the Health Sciences
Campuses.
G.
To attend any meetings of the President in the event the
President cannot attend
H.
To perform other duties as required by the office.
Section 9.
Vice-President for Diversity – duties shall be:
A. To serve as liaison between AMC Student Senate and the various
campus student groups.
B. Work with prospective student groups looking to be recognized by
Student Senate.
C. To serve, or appoint a Diversity Committee member as the
Student Senate representative on the Office of Diversity’s Student
Advisory Committee.
D. Serve as liaison to the office of the Vice Provost for Diversity and
Inclusion.
E. To create or co-sponsor events that enhance diversity and
inclusion at the AMC.
F. To work with the Office of Diversity to enhance recruitment of
students of diverse backgrounds to AMC.
G. To encourage diversity in the Student Senate.
H. To perform other duties as required by the office.
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Section 10.
In the event of a vacancy in any of the offices established by this
Constitution, the vacancy shall be filled by majority vote of those
senators present at the next regular meeting of the Senate.
Section 11.
Officers may be removed from their offices upon a vote for removal
by two-thirds of the total Senate membership.
ARTICLE V:
COMMITTEES
Section 1.
The Senate shall conduct its business, in part, through standing and
special committees as it may deem necessary.
Section 2.
Standing committees shall include the Executive Committee, Student
Life and Academic Affairs Committee, Philanthropy Committee,
Finance Committee, Legislative Affairs Committee, Communications
Committee, the Diversity Committee.
Section 3.
Executive Committee
A.
The Executive Committee shall consist of all elected officers of
Senate.
B.
The purpose of this Committee is to initiate and assist in the
execution of the official business of the AMC Senate. This
committee will be the Bylaws Committee as well as the
Elections Committee for the AMC Senate.
C.
The chairperson shall be the President.
D.
The committee shall meet as needed.
Section 4.
Student Life and Academic/Student Affairs Committee
A.
The purpose of this committee is to (1) plan and implement all
social activities sponsored by the AMC Senate for the Student
body and (2) perform duties pertaining to advocacy for
improvements to the student academic environment, create
and oversee subcommittees pertaining to academic affairs or
student life issues as directed by the senate, and gather student
opinion regarding proposed changes to the academic
environment or student life issues.
B.
The chairperson shall be the Vice-President for Student Life
and Academic/Student Affairs.
C.
The Committee shall meet as needed.
Section 5.
Philanthropy Committee
A.
The purpose of the committee is to organize and implement
fundraising activities/events for philanthropic organizations as
voted on by the committee.
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B.
C.
D.
To provide information for all AMC students interested in
participating in philanthropic ventures throughout the State of
Colorado.
The Vice-President for Philanthropy shall be the chair of the
Committee.
The committee shall meet as needed.
Section 6.
Finance Committee
A.
The purpose of the committee is to insure financial
accountability for the Senate in the administration of student
moneys.
B.
The chairperson shall be the Vice-President for Finance.
C.
The committee shall meet as needed.
Section 7.
Legislative Affairs Committee
A.
The purpose of the committee is to evaluate current Legislation
proposed for higher education, and take action as needed or
requested by the student body.
B.
The Vice-President for Legislative Affairs shall chair the
committee.
C.
The committee shall meet as needed.
Section 8.
Communications Committee
A. The purpose of this committee is to maintain effective
communication of Senate activities between Senate members as
well as the entire AMC student body.
B. The Vice-President for Communications shall chair the committee.
C. The committee shall meet as needed.
Section 9.
Diversity Committee
A. The purpose of this committee is to encourage diversity on the
AMC.
B. The Vice-President for Diversity shall chair the committee.
C. The committee shall meet as needed.
Section 10.
With the exception of the Executive Committee, members of the
Senate committees need not be members of the Senate. All committees
shall have at least one Senator as a member. Chairpersons of Senate
Committees must be elected officers elected by the simple majority of
Senate members.
Section 10.
Each committee shall prepare a report of its activities as deemed
necessary.
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ARTICLE VI:
MEETING OF THE SENATE
Section 1.
There shall be a regular meeting of the Senate at least twice monthly.
Section 2.
Special meetings may be called by the President or by petition of ten
members of the Senate to the Vice-President of Communications at
any time.
Section 3.
All meetings will be open to the public, including special meetings.
Section 4.
The first Senate meeting of the academic year shall be on the Monday
following Labor Day. The Executive Committee will schedule the
remainder of the meetings for the year to take place on the 2nd and 4th
Mondays of each month, and have said schedule available to Senate
members by the second Senate meeting of the year.
Section 5.
A quorum is attained when a minimum of 60 percent of the total
elected Senate membership(or their designated liaisons) is present or
elected Senator votes are represented by absentee ballot. Senate
membership shall be determined no later than one month after
matriculation.
ARTICLE VII:
PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
Section 1.
The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall
govern the Senate in all cases to which they are applicable, and in
which they are consistent with this Constitution.
Section 2.
By-laws
A.
The by-laws under which committees act shall not supersede
standards set by this Constitution.
B.
By-laws must be approved and changed by a two-thirds vote of
the Senate.
ARTICLE VIII:
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS & STUDENT BODY
REFERENDUMS
Section 1.
Any AMC student may initiate an amendment to this constitution or
referendum through a petition signed by 15 percent of the total AMC
student body.
Section 2.
An amendment to this constitution or a referendum must receive the
affirmative vote of three-fourths majority of a AMC Senate quorum
for approval.
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Section 3.
This constitution shall become effective October 13, 2008 pending
approval of the Board of Regents. This revised constitution shall
remain in effect until ratified, revised, or rejected by the student body
of the AMC or by the Board of Regents.
Section 4.
When ratified, this constitution shall supersede all previous AMC
student body constitutional documents.
AMC Student Senate Constitution
2008
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Amended November 10,