Student
Government
Association
Constitution
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Student Government Association Constitution
ARTICLE I – Name
Student Government Association at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus
(IUPUC) (hereafter referred to as SGA)
ARTICLE II – Mission
Section 1: Mission Statement
SGA Representatives are mentors, leaders, and problem solvers. We are here to serve
the students.
Section 2: Purpose
The SGA works to enhance students’ university experience. Representatives
serve as advocates for student causes to university leadership and ensure that
students’ voices are heard.
The goals of the organization include but are not limited to:
Events: Promote events on campus to other students and communities; assist with
all preparation.
Service: Sponsor and/or participate in charitable events in the region throughout the
year. This benefits IUPUC as well as the communities in which we serve.
Leadership Development and Student Advocacy: Provide the foundation for
SGA students to use their education in a leadership role and share ideas and
concerns with each other and university administration.
Section 3: Statement to Abide by All University Policies
The SGA will abide by all University and campus policies in accordance with the
IUPUC Rules and Regulations.
ARTICLE III – Membership
SGA will elect three representatives from each IUPUC division, four At-Large
representatives, and two representatives from Purdue College of Technology. No
person will be excluded from the right to participate in the election on the basis of
age, race, color, sex, religion, national or ethnic origin, veteran status, sexual
orientation or physical disability. All representatives must remember they serve a
constituent group, their division.
Additional students may participate in SGA activities; however, they will not be
voting members.
Section 1: Representative Rights
Members have the right to nominate and vote for members of the executive
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Student Government Association Constitution
committee, to receive any and all publications and notices of general meetings of the
association, and to participate in activities held in the name of and for the group.
Section 2: Member Requirements Each representative of SGA must maintain a
minimum GPA of 2.5 and be in good standing with IUPUC. Each representative must
be enrolled in a minimum of six (6) credit hours during both the fall and spring
semesters.
Section 3: Attendance
Attendance is required at all meetings. If a representative intends to be absent,
he/she must contact the President and the Advisor. If the President must miss a
meeting, he/she must contact the Vice President and the Faculty/Staff Advisor. If a
representative misses two consecutive meetings without notification, he/she is
subject to removal from the SGA.
Incoming members of SGA, after being duly notified, will be required to attend a
minimum of 50% of summer meetings. Representatives who miss more than 50% of
Summer meetings will be eligible for removal during the first meeting of the Fall
semester.
All members who do not attend the first meeting of Summer Session I and/or Fall
Semester without notification will be administratively withdrawn from the SGA.
ARTICLE IV – Structure
Section 1: Officers
The SGA will serve as the sounding board of communication between the IUPUC
student body and IUPUC administrators. Offices of the SGA will include: President,
Vice President, Treasurer and Secretary. All executive committee positions will be
elected by the voting members of the SGA.
The offices of the association will be elected as the first item of business for each
newly seated Student Government Association. This will be accomplished no later
than the end of the spring semester for the academic year prior to the term for which
the newly seated SGA is to serve.
Section 2: Eligibility to Hold Office
To be eligible for the office of President and/or Vice President, a representative must
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Student Government Association Constitution
have served in this SGA for a minimum of two semesters prior to seeking the
position and must maintain a minimum of a 3.0 GPA.
To be eligible for the office of Secretary and/or Treasurer, a representative must be
a member in good standing in SGA.
Section 3: Responsibilities
President: The President will call all meetings to order and preside over all meetings
and other officers. He/She is responsible for fulfilling the mission of the SGA. The
President will represent SGA at the quarterly IUPUC Board of Advisors and IUPUC
Alumni Association Board. The President will also serve as a representative and
voting member to the IUPUC Faculty Senate sub-committee, Student Affairs. If the
President cannot attend these meetings due to class schedule, he/she must appoint
someone to attend in his/her absence. Responsibilities also include, but are not
limited to: upholding the constitution, and contacting delinquent members and their
appropriate division heads.
Vice President: The Vice President will serve as the President when he/she is not
present and will assume all the duties and responsibilities of that office. The Vice
President will also assume any officers’ responsibility when an officer is absent from
regular meetings or events. The VP will serve as a representative and voting member
to the IUPUC Faculty Senate sub-committee, Student Affairs. If the Vice President
cannot attend this meeting due to class schedule, he/she must appoint someone to
attend in his/her absence. The Vice President provides direct oversight to SGA’s Event
Coordinator. The Vice President will serve as the Parliamentarian for the SGA – keeping
all members and visitors on task and in align with the meeting agenda. Other roles of
the parliamentarian include timekeeping for all meetings and the authority to remove
unruly members and/or visitors from the meetings.
Secretary: The Secretary is responsible for taking all meeting minutes and posting
them to the OnCourse site prior to the next meeting date. If he/she is unable to attend
a meeting, he/she must contact the President and the Vice President and request that
the Vice President fulfill the secretary’s position for that meeting.
Treasurer: The Treasurer will maintain all financial records and accounts in the
Student SGA treasury. He/She maintains an excel worksheet that will be used as a
report at all meetings. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to: chairing the
funding request committee; reporting monthly as to the status of funds in the
treasury; depositing fundwith the Director of Student Affairs; communicating to all
student organizations on their funding status.
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Student Government Association Constitution
Section 4: Events Committee
The Events Committee will be led by the Events’ Coordinator. This position will be
nominated by the Vice President. The Vice President will bring potential candidates to the
entire government to be voted on for approval. The Events Coordinator will report
directly to the Vice President. Their duties will include coordinating events, completing
necessary paperwork, and making sure the events run smoothly. If the Events
Coordinator is unable to fulfill their position, the role will be fulfilled by the Vice President
and other executive officers until a replacement is identified. The Vice President is not
required to fill the Events Coordinator position once it has been vacated, but they are
required to fulfill the responsibilities if the position is not filled. The Events Coordinator
will chair a subcommittee of the office of Vice President.
Section 5: Terms of Service
Officers of the SGA are elected to a one year term.
Elected officers may serve a maximum of three terms in the position of President or
Vice President.
The SGA calendar year will be as follows: beginning the first day of Summer
Session 1 through the last day of the Spring Semester
Section 6: Impeachment and Removal of Executive Officers
Officers may be impeached for malfeasance, misfeasance or nonfeasance of duties.
Any SGA representative has the right to call for a vote of impeachment of SGA officers.
To call for a vote of impeachment, a representative must submit a charge letter to the
Director of Student Affairs. Within 72 hours of receiving the letter, the Director of
Student Affairs must notify the SGA of the charges, must present copies of all charges to
the accused, and shall make them available upon request to all other representatives.
A hearing must be held no sooner than 72 hours and no later than two (2) weeks after
SGA is made aware of the charges.
A vote of Impeachment requires a 2/3 majority vote of all eligible representatives.
Section 7: Vacancies
In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, the Vice President shall assume
that office for the remainder of the Presidential term. If the office of Vice President
should happen to be vacant at the same time as that of the President, the Secretary
shall assume the office of President for the remainder of the Presidential term,
followed by the Student Government Treasurer, in that order. The individual, who has
become acting President for the remainder of the Presidential term, shall then appoint
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Student Government Association Constitution
a new Vice President from within the ranks of the Student Government Association. All
other officer vacancies not previously addressed will be voted upon by the members.
ARTICLE V – Faculty/Staff Advisor
The Director of Student Affairs or her/his designee will be the advisor of the Student
Government Association. The advisor will provide guidance and assist in facilitating
communications with the school’s administration and other community leaders. The
advisor will be a full-time university employee.
The advisor will be called upon to provide advice and counsel to the group. The advisor
has the power to veto any decision made by the SGA if he/she believes it is not
representative of IUPUC or harms the reputation of the university in any way. The
advisor will be invited to and must be informed of all SGA meetings.
ARTICLE VI – Elections
Section 1: Election Process
All SGA members, including current officers are eligible to vote in Student
Government Association elections. All registered IUPUC students are eligible to
vote in Student Government Association elections.
1. The last week of February, potential new members will be required to declare their
candidacy potential election to SGA by nominating themselves. The first week of
March, approved candidates will be contacted of their candidacy via e-mail. Seven
(7) days prior to the election, candidates will be allowed to campaign. Campaigning
will last one week. IUPUC students will vote as early as the first week of April and
no later than the last week of April.
*This timeline is subject to change as needed based on the IUPUC spring calendar.
2. Candidates found campaigning prior to the prescribed campaign period will be
found in violation of the elections and could be subject to removal from the ballot.
3. There will be designated polling locations provided on campus that are clearly
marked and easily accessible.
4. Campaigning will not be allowed within 15 feet of the designated voting location.
5. Election results will be certified by the Director of Student Affairs and university
Information Technology personnel.
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Student Government Association Constitution
6. Election results, including the percentage of votes each candidate received, will
be reported via e-mail to all faculty, staff and students the week following elections.
In the result of a tie, there will be one (1) run-off election. A seat will remain vacant
if after one (1) run-off election, no candidate receives a majority vote (i.e. a second
tie).
Section 2: Election Rules
Active Campaigning will only be allowed during the week leading up to the elections. No
flyers, buttons, or other campaign materials can be passed out or posted at any other
time.
Facebook and Twitter status updates that encourage others to vote for specific
candidates will be considered “campaign materials” and are prohibited except during
the active campaign period.
All campaigning activities that take place at IUPUC during active campaigning and
during campaign season, will have the following guidelines and procedures:
Passing or Handing out of Material Provisions: The passing out or handing out of
literature, fliers, posters, advertisements, or any other material is permissible in
outside/exterior common areas, except the doorways of classrooms and offices.
Fliers/Posters Provisions: The following are exemptions to the standard provisions are
only allowed during special events: Fliers must be no larger than 24" x
34" in size. A total of ten (10) poster size fliers can be placed on all permissible posting
boards. Posting on Division boards requires the written permission of the
Program Assistant for that Division. Posting in unapproved areas will result in a
campaign violation and could result in having your name removed from the ballot.
Free-Standing Signs Provisions: The following are exemptions to the standard Policy are
allowed during special events and are permissible, beginning three (3) calendar days
prior to the special event, and must be removed within 48 hours after the ending date
of the event. The maximum number of free-standing signs that can be placed per
student listen (10) A Signs/Sandwich Boards/Tee Pees, and ten (10) Stake Signs. Freestanding signs can be placed on campus for a maximum of five (5) calendar days.
All signs must be removed within 48 hours after the date of the event. The placement
of free-standing signs is permissible only on the grass areas of campus.
All other provisions as outlined in the policy, except for the exemptions provided in this
section, are applicable during special events. Failure to adhere to any provision as
outlined in the special events section will result in immediate removal of all materials,
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Student Government Association Constitution
and the appropriate action being taken by the University.
ARTICLE VII – Finances
Section 1: Funding Source and Allocation
All funding will be provided through the Student Activities Fund. Each year the
Assistant Director of Student Involvement and Director of Student Affairs will allocate
the amount allotted to the association.
Any fundraising activity must be in compliance with IUPUC’s fundraising guidelines
that have been approved by Indiana University.
All SGA funding allocation decisions will be made in accordance with IUPUC
policy and SGA funding guidelines.
Section 2: Accounting and Annual Report
Income and expenses will be monitored by the Director of Finance, the SGA
Treasurer and SGA Advisor. A balance spreadsheet and statement of cash flows
will be available at every meeting for review by the SGA officers and members
and the Director of Finance. This information will be presented as an Annual
Report to the university as required to fund student organizations. The SGA will
observe the fiscal year of university, which is July 1 through June 30.
ARTICLE VIII – Meetings
SGA will meet weekly during the Fall/Spring semesters. Frequency of meetings
occurring during the Summer terms will be determined by a vote during the first
mandatory meeting of Summer Session 1. Meeting occurrence, dates/times, and
locations are subject to change based on SGA member availability.
ARTICLE IX – Rules of Order
The President and the other officers will determine how meeting policies
and procedures are conducted. As a guide, Robert’s Rules of Order Newly
Revised (www.robertsrules.com) may be used as a reference.
ARTICLE X – Amendments
The SGA Constitution may be amended at any time during the academic school year.
All proposed amendments to the Constitution must be in writing, voted on by the
active SGA membership and approved by a 2/3 majority vote of those votes cast
during the meeting.
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Student Government Association Constitution
The proposed amendment will be posted on the SGA web site for a minimum of two
weeks prior to the vote. Upon adoption, a copy of the amendment will be made
available through the SGA OnCourse page.
Amended January 18, 2012
Article I amended August 6, 2014
Article II amended August 6, 2014
Article III amended August 6, 2014
Article IV amended August 6, 2014
Article V amended August 6, 2014
Article VI amended August 6, 2014
Article VII amended August 6, 2014
Article VIII amended August 6, 2014
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