Constitution
We the students of Wagner College on Staten Island, New York, in order to form a more
representative, unified and responsible Student Government, to provide for close cooperation
and communication, to secure the commitment to ourselves and the Board of Trustees,
Administration, Faculty and Alumni, and to encourage participation in campus governance and
the college community, do establish this constitution.
Article 1
Introduction
Section 1- The name of this institution shall be the Wagner College Student Government
Association, hereafter referred to as SGA.
Section 2- The SGA shall represent the student body, which consists of all full-time and parttime students who are duly registered at Wagner College and shall exercise its authority through
the constitution as hereinafter provided
Section 3- The governing structure of the SGA shall consist of two distinct areas: Executive and
Legislative. No person serving in one of these areas shall exercise any power properly belonging
to the other, except as hereinafter expressly directed or permitted
Section 4- The SGA shall be the highest organization of the student community
Article II
Meetings
Section 1- Regular meetings shall consist of a joint session of the General Assembly comprised
of the Commons House, Club Congress, and the Senate and the Executive Board and loosely
adhere to guidelines outlined by Robert’s Rules.
Section 2- Regular bi-monthly meetings shall be called at the discretion of the SGA president,
and shall be announced no less than a week before to the student body and the members of the
Senate and Club Congress unless circumstances mandate otherwise.
Section 3- The Senate shall meet once per week at the discretion of the Senate President with the
approval of the Senate Committee Chairpersons and shall be announced no less than one week
before to the members of Student Senate unless circumstances mandate otherwise.
Article III
The Executive
Section 1- Membership of the Executive Board shall consist of the SGA President, the SGA
Vice-President, the Vice-President for Finance, the Vice President for Communications, the
Vice-President for Campus Events, and the Vice-President for Community Service.
1. SGA President, the SGA Vice-President, the Vice-President for Finance, and the
Vice-President for Communications shall be elected in accordance with the rules and
bylaws set out by the joint standing committee on elections of SGA. The VicePresident for Campus Events and the Vice-President for Community Service shall be
appointed by the SGA President in accordance with his powers as outlined in Article
three, section four, subsection one, line i.
2. The Advisor to the SGA may attend Executive Board meetings for purposes of
observing SGA operations. The Executive Board retains the right to hold closedsession meetings as they see fit.
Section 2- The qualifications of all Executive Board members shall be:
1.
2.
3.
4.
To be a full-time undergraduate student.
To have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0.
To be present for all General SGA meetings and all meetings of the Executive Board.
To perform all Duties and Responsibilities as outlined in Section 3, Subsections1, 2,
3, 4, 5, 6.
Section 3- The SGA Executive Board Shall have such authority and power as is necessary to
provide leadership and execution of the policies and programs of Senate and established campuswide events, but shall remain subject to the final authority of the General Assembly of Wagner
College Student Government Association, and except by Presidential Power of Veto, in no way
usurps the legislative function of the Senate and Assembly.
Section 4- Executive Officer Duties and Responsibilities
1. The Duties and responsibilities of the Student Government Association President
shall be:
a. To call all regular sessions of the SGA as required in Article II, Section 2.
b. To call all Special Sessions of the SGA as he/she sees fit.
c. To preside at all meetings of the SGA General Assembly.
d. To have the power to sign or veto legislation. Legislation that is vetoed may
be passed over by a 2/3 majority vote in the General Assembly.
e. To represent the SGA in an official ceremonial function whenever the need
shall arise.
f. To be responsible for all actions within the SGA while overseeing the full
implementation of the SGA Constitution, bylaws, and legislation.
g. To create Ad Hoc committees by Executive Order as he/she sees fit, subject to
the approval of the Senate.
h. To serve as Ex-Officio (non-voting) Member of all Senate and Program Board
Committees
i. To appoint a Vice-President for Campus Events and Vice President for
Community Service with the advice and consent of other elected executive
board members.
j. To coordinate, plan, and chair a campus-wide Town Hall Meeting at least
once a semester to address any and all campus-wide issues that may arise.
k. To chair and call a Presidents’ Council to meeting if necessary.
l. To serve the interest of the Student Body of Wagner College above all else.
2. The Duties and responsibilities of the Student Government Association VicePresident Shall be:
a. To preside at meetings of the SGA General Meetings and the Executive Board
in Absence of the SGA President.
b. To act as the President of the SGA Senate as per Article IV, Section 12
c. To serve as Chairperson of the standing joint committee on elections in the
Senate as per Article IV, Section 11, Subsection 1, line d, clause ii.
d. To act as general advisor to the freshman candidates for the senate during the
election process.
e. To represent the SGA in an official ceremonial function whenever the need
shall arise if the President is absent.
f. To oversee office transition for resigning members of the Senate and
Executive Board as per the impeachment process.
g. To serve the interest of the Student Body of Wagner College above all else.
3. The Duties and Responsibilities of the Vice-President for Finance shall be:
a. Serves as the Chairperson of the Finance Committee.
b. Presents an overall budget for all organizations, with the help of the Finance Committee,
based on received requests and the expected collection of the Student Activities Fee
(S.A.F.) for the upcoming fiscal year.
c. Makes recommendations on all financial matters to SGA and the Executive Board.
d. Presents a report to the SGA legislature twice a semester on the overall work of the
Finance Committee.
e. Has signing power on all checks for SGA accounts.
f. Maintains files on all financial affairs of SGA, including a detailed outline including
dates and timelines for the budget process for each fiscal year.
g. Maintains office hours as necessary to fulfill all of the responsibilities as outlined in this
section (this may exceed the required six office hours in the general by-laws).
h. Has the power to suspend a club’s budget with a majority vote of the Finance Committee.
i. Works with Wagner College Business Office to ensure accurate and quality tracking of
student organization accounts.
j. Will serve as de facto liaison to all parties requesting funding from the Student
Government Association.
k. All meetings shall be held at the discretion of the Vice-President of Finance.
l. Must have a working knowledge of the guidelines for expenditures set forth in the SGA
and Finance Committee By-Laws.
4. The Duties and Responsibilities of the Vice-President for Communications shall be:
a. To keep accurate permanent records (minutes and attendance) of all general
SGA meetings and all Executive Board meetings for the use of the SGA.
b. To preside at meetings of the General Assembly and the Executive Board in
absence of the SGA President, SGA Vice-President, and Vice-President for
Finance.
c. To keep a record of all correspondences generated through SGA.
d. To manage the records of all Member organizations as required by SGA
bylaws.
e. To distribute minutes of the general SGA meetings no later than the next SGA
meeting.
f. To serve the interest of the Student Body of Wagner College above all else.
5.
The Duties and Responsibilities of the Vice-President for Campus Events shall be:
a. To serve as the President of the Wagner College Campus Activities Board
(Hereafter referred to as WAGCAB) as per their own constitution.
b. To preside at meetings of the General Assembly and the Executive Board in
absence of the SGA President, SGA Vice-President, Vice-President for
Finance, and Vice-Presidents of Communications.
c. To follow and execute the constitution of WAGCAB, in his/her role as
president.
d. To report on the operations of WAGCAB to the SGA General Assembly and
the SGA Executive Board at all meetings of said body.
e. To work with the Office of Co-Curricular Programs (Hereafter referred to as
OCCP) to coordinate events and activities for the coming academic year.
f. To publish a calendar of coming events for distribution to the general
population of the school.
g. To serve the interest of the Student Body of Wagner College above all else.
6. The Duties and Responsibilities of the Vice President for Community Service shall
be:
a. To coordinate all community service projects within SGA.
b. To preside at meetings of the SGA General Meetings and the Executive Board
in the absence of the SGA President, SGA Vice-President, Vice-President for
Finance, Vice-President for Communications and the Vice-President for
Campus Events.
c. To oversee the completion of all community service projects that are required
of Member Organizations.
d. To assist any Member Organizations that is in need of a Community Service
placement to gain one.
e. To act as liaison with any and all Community Service Organizations that SGA
has contact with.
f. To plan and organize one campus wide community service event as mandated
by circumstance and the SGA President, to be assisted by the appropriate
bodies in the Senate.
g. To serve the interest of the Student Body of Wagner College above all else.
Article IV
The Legislative
Section 1- All legislative powers, except as otherwise specifically provided shall be vested in the
General Assembly of the SGA. The General Assembly shall be the one official group that shall
identify student opinion and formulate student policies.
Section 2- The General Assembly consists of three houses: the Senate elected directly by the
general population of the college and appointed by their peers, the Club Congress, made up of
appointed or elected representatives from organizations that have been granted membership in
SGA, and the Commons House, consisting of those attending a SGA General Meeting that do
not hold one of the aforementioned positions.
1. The membership of the Senate shall consist of twenty Senate seats to be apportioned five
seats for every class year.
a. Each class year’s collective representation shall be referred to as a caucus. Caucuses
may be called into separate sessions under normal guidelines as numerated in this
constitution or under special session (as called by a simple majority) to address
issues that are specific to that class year.
b. Only four seats out of the five apportioned shall be elected through the popular vote
with the fifth seat being appointed by the caucus of that class year in the fall
semester immediately following the spring elections.
2. The Membership of the Club Congress shall consist of one representative from every
fully-recognized Member Organization of SGA. All Member Organizations must have
been approved by the full assembly in accordance with their own rules and duties.
Section 3- Member Organizations shall be defined by and fulfill the following guidelines
1. Members Students attending Wagner College are free to form groups based upon
common beliefs and interests to express their views through these organizations as
permitted by their constitution and the guidelines set in the Student Bill of Rights
2. Organizations desiring to use College facilities and receive funding for their activities and
meetings must be recognized by the SGA.
3. The General Assembly has the power to grant or suspend recognition to student
organizations if they are found to be not following their mission statement outline in their
approved constitution. To become recognized, each proposed Student Organization must
file the following information with the Office of Co-Curricular Programs:
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
The name of the organization
The names of all members, titles of officers and faculty/staff advisor
The purpose of the organization
A constitution
Assembly Representatives and Alternate Representative names
4. After Student Organizations are officially recognized by the Office of Co-Curricular
Programs, each organization (including Greek organizations) must comply with the
following guidelines in order to keep their recognition and financial support (Article
Five) from the SGA:
a. Elect or appoint one Representative to attend all SGA meetings.
b. Comply with this Constitution, Student Bill of Rights and the Student Handbook.
Section 4- The Qualifications for Student Senators shall be:
1. To be a full-time undergraduate student
2. To have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0
3. A Student Senator must at all times be member of the Class Year he/she represents.
Otherwise, he/she will immediately resign or seek an opening in the appropriate caucus.
4. A Student Senator may not hold a position in any of the other bodies of the SGA General
Assembly.
5. A Student Senator must be on one of the three standing committees.
Section 5- The Qualifications for Club Congress Representatives shall be:
1. To be a full-time undergraduate student
2. To be present for all General SGA meetings
3. An Assembly Representative must at all times be member of the Member Organization
he represents. Otherwise, he/she will immediately resign and the appropriate Member
Organization shall appoint a replacement as allotted by that Member Organization
constitution and bylaws.
Section 6- The Qualifications for Commons House Assemblers shall be:
1. To be a full-time or part-time Wagner College undergraduate student.
Section 7- In all cases of vacancies in the Student Senate, except where otherwise noted in the
Constitution, a new member shall be appointed by the caucus that represents the vacant seats
year. The caucus will appoint a single Senator Chairman of the search committee of that caucus,
as confirmed by a simple majority vote of that caucus. The caucus will accept applications for a
period of time to be set by the search committee chairman. The caucus shall convene to
interview the prospective candidates at a time and place of their choosing. After interviewing all
applying candidates the caucus shall vote on the recommendation of a new senator.
Section 8- The Student Senators will develop and sign with the Executive Board and the SGA
Advisor a contract outlining expectations and duties of them at the beginning of their term.
Failure to comply with duties outlined in the contract will result in immediate removal unless
extreme circumstances mandate otherwise.
Section 9- An impeachment of a Student Senator or Assembly Representative may be initiated
under the same rules as the impeachment of Executive Officers, with the provisos given, under
Article VI.
Section 10- The Student Senate shall represent the student body by exercising the power to:
1. Identify student attitudes and formulate student positions.
2. Promote the welfare of the student body.
3. Act as a liaison between the student body and the College Administration, facilitating a
smoother flow of information between said groups.
4. Establish, by a simple majority vote of its members present and voting, such additional
temporary standing committees as are needed to perform its necessary and proper
functions beyond those listed within this constitution.
5. Establish, by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of its members present and voting, such additional
full standing committees as are needed to perform its necessary and proper functions
beyond those listed within this constitution.
6. Establish such special committees as are needed to perform its necessary and proper
functions.
7. Elect such internal officers it deems necessary and which are not provided for in this
constitution.
8. Block legislation by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the membership of the Student
Government Association General Assembly.
9. Call, with a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the membership of the Student Senate, any
member of the student body before the Student Senate for an inquiry to establish and
clarify information as pertaining to the Senate.
10. Establish such by laws and procedures as are necessary for the proper functioning of the
Student Senate by two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present and voting.
11. Take all action, which shall be necessary and proper for exercising the foregoing powers,
and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the SGA Student Senate.
12. Table any issue before the General Assembly in order to form an investigative committee
to see how the issue before the General Assembly shall affect the general populous of the
college. If one Senator calls for investigative tabling, that Senator must gain the second of
at least one (1) further member of the Senate to continue the table. The issue shall be
returned to the floor at the next General Assembly meeting. If this tabling is overridden it
may be returned by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote at the next following Senate meeting.
13. To label derelict Member Organizations inactive when deemed necessary and proper by a
simple majority vote.
14. The Student Senate may call special sessions of the General Assembly. The special
session must be called by the SGA President (as outlined in Article III, section 4,
subsection 1, line b) and held within three (3) class days upon delivery of the petition,
allowing time for proper notification of the Senators unless otherwise stated in the
petition.
15. Impeach Executive Officers, its own members and members of the Club Congress as
outlined in Impeachment procedures in Article VII of this constitution.
16. Override the President's veto by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Senate present and voting at
any meeting of the Senate but no longer then two Senate meetings after the veto.
17. Approve presidential appointments by a simple majority vote.
18. To serve the interest of the Student Body of Wagner College above all else.
Section 11- The Club Congress shall represent the student body by exercising the power to:
1. Represent the wishes and opinions of the member organizations that they have been
selected to represent.
2. Promote the welfare of the member organizations that they represent.
3. To be the primary body to participate in the recognition of new campus organizations and
the apportionment of new seats to the Club Congress as to better represent the views and
interests of the student body.
4. Elect such internal officers it deems necessary and which are not provided for in this
constitution.
5. To report to their member organizations on the decisions, announcements and events that
SGA has announced.
6. To vote on any issue that may arise with each representative of the Club Congress having
one vote counting as two.
7. To override a Senate table by two-thirds (2/3) majority vote.
8. Take all action, which shall be necessary and proper for exercising the foregoing powers,
and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the SGA General Assembly.
9. Act as jury in the case of Impeachment of SGA officers as outlined in the impeachment
process (Article VII).
10. Override the President's veto by two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Club Congress and Senate
present and voting within two (2) general assembly meetings after the veto.
11. To serve the interest of the Student Body of Wagner College above all else.
Section 12- Those that make up the Commons House at a SGA General Meeting have the right
to:
1. To listen and speak on any issue that arises.
2. To vote on any issue that may arise with each member of the Commons House having
one vote counting as one.
3. To call a Constitutional Referendum by petition of two hundred (200) signatures as
outlined in Article VIII, Section 5.
4. To propose legislation to be voted on by the General Assembly.
Section 13- The committee structure of the Student Senate shall be established as herein
provided:
1. The full standing committees of the Student Senate and their areas of responsibility shall
be as follows:
a. Committee on Academics, Legislation and Student Rights shall be responsible for
areas concerning scholastic regulations, academic innovation, Senate rules, election
rules, and disciplinary action concerning Senators and Officers, for the validity of
and constitutionality of any legislation presented to the Student Senate, and shall be
b.
c.
d.
e.
responsible for receiving and investigating and student grievances related to the
Student Bill of Rights.
Committee on Student Life and Public Relations shall be responsible for
programming events that endeavors to prospective students, student publications,
campus-wide events and planning, general campus-wide services such as housing
and food services, public relations with the student body, including, but not limited
to, the posting of advertisements and announcements on designated areas.
Committee on Volunteer Service and Community Relations shall be responsible for
all activities that shall endeavor to create links between the college and groups
operating in the surrounding community, to be advocates for the student body with
these groups, to promote a healthy and supportive campus environment, to engage
the student body in volunteer service projects that shall
Committee on Chartwells shall be responsible for all issues regarding dining
services
The standing joint-committees of the congress and there areas of responsibility shall
be as follows:
i. Committee on Student Government Finance shall be responsible for
approving allocations of funds to member organizations and to the student
government in general. The committee shall be chaired by the Vice-President
for Finance and made up of any three (3) Student Senators and any 2 members
of the assembly.
2. The Chairperson of each standing committee, except where otherwise noted in this
Constitution, shall be a Student Senator recommended to the SGA President with a
simple majority and approved of by the SGA President. Rejected committee chairs can
pass over this rejection by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of Senators present and voting
at a Senate meeting, except where otherwise noted in this Constitution.
3. Committee and subcommittee membership shall be open to all students who are duly
elected or appointed except where otherwise noted in this constitution.
4. The Committee Chairperson may establish such subcommittees, as he/she deems
necessary and proper and shall appoint the subcommittee chairmen.
5. The Committee Chairperson shall have the authority to appoint such legislative assistants,
as he/she deems necessary.
6. The 3-committee chairpersons shall together form the Executive Leadership Committee.
This Committee shall have the following duties and responsibilities:
a. To elect, from among their number, a Senate President should the Senate President
not be present at the start of a meeting of the student government senate
b. To initiate all processes of formal impeachment as outlined in Article VII.
Section 14- The Student Senate President shall have the following authorities and duties:
1. To regulate the areas of responsibility of a Student Senate standing committee, as
approved by majority votes of the full standing committee chairpersons.
2. To declare a quorum and to call to order each meeting of the Student Senate.
3. To cast tie-breaking votes when the need arises.
Section 15- One-half of the voting members shall constitute a quorum, where the quorum will be
set by the last Senate meeting of the spring semester. The Senate President shall be responsible
for calling members present. No business shall be transacted without the presence of a quorum.
Section 16- All meetings of the Student Senate shall be open to the public unless the Student
Senate enters into closed sessions by two-thirds (2/3) consent and votes by two-thirds (2/3)
majority to clear the galleries.
Article V
Financial Guidelines
Section 1- In order to qualify for any of the following positions the individual must meet all
requirements set forth in the SGA Constitution. The Vice-President of Finance shall be responsible for
the selection of any and all members, and may remove members at his discretion with the advice and
consent of the SGA President.
1. Three senators shall be appointed of any year or caucus to serve.
2. Each senator shall have one vote in all finance committee hearings with the exception of the
class president who will only vote to break a tie. The results of the vote will remain confidential
unless specifically required by the SGA President.
Section 2- The general guidelines for clubs and organizations to obtain a budget are as follows:
1. All Clubs will have to apply to with Vice-President of Finance and the Finance Committee to be
an “SGA Recognized Club” or an “SGA Budgeted Club”
a. SGA Recognized Club: These organizations are those that do not wish to apply for a
budget for the semester. All newly formed clubs will automatically fall into this category,
after which they will be invited to apply for a budget at the full discretion of the President of
SGA and the V.P. of Finance. Any and all requirements of clubs, including community
service requirements and attendance at meetings, will apply to these clubs.
b. SGA Budgeted Club: These organizations are those that wish to request a budget for the
desired semester. Any and all requirements of clubs, including community service
requirements and attendance at meetings, will apply to these clubs.
2. All clubs that have been recognized by the Student Government Association, have applied to be a
Student Government Budgeted Club and are in good standing with the Office of Co-Curricular
Activities and the Office of the Dean of Wagner College shall receive a general operational budget to
be set by the Vice-President of Finance at the start of each term.
3. Further funds will be disseminated based upon the requests of student organizations and shall only
be allotted if the expenditure shall benefit the whole of Wagner College and shall be open to the
entire campus.
4. The Finance Committee Chair reserves the authority to set all timelines and dollar amounts for the
budgeting process based on a semester-to-semester, budget-to-budget evaluation.
Section 3- All clubs and organizations can allocate their operational budgets as they see fit. The only
restrictions placed on the expenditure of operational budget shall be that no item purchased by any
student organization shall be alcoholic, narcotic, drug-related, pornographic, or of a nature that would be
embarrassing to the college at large and the Student Government as a whole.
1. The Vice-President of Finance shall be the final arbiter of this clause
2. Further funds must be used on events and programs that are designed to benefit and are open to
the entire campus. No exclusionary events shall be funded by the student government association
under any circumstances.
3. Events
a. On Campus Events: Any and all events that a club plans on having during the academic
year should be allocated for. Food at events will not exceed more than fifteen (15) dollars
per person per event and must first offer the account to the contracted campus dining
services provider. The Student Activities Fund will not subsidize the cost of food at
regular or Executive Board meetings (unless spent out of operational budgets).
b. Off Campus Events: Must follow general rules stated above, but food at events will not
exceed more than twenty five (25) dollars per person per event.
c. advertising for the event is covered under the cost of the event
4. Co-Sponsorship: The inclusion of a co-sponsorship for an event shall be taken into
consideration by the committee as a positive and the committee is encouraged to allot extra funds
for such an event.
5. Budgets are to be split into two sections: Fall and Spring semesters. Funds that are not used in
the fall semester can not be reallocated into the spring semester via a budget revision.
6. Any monies that have been allocated but not spent from the spring semester will not roll-over
into the following fiscal year
Section 4- All reports and accounting for club budgets are as follows:
1. All parties dealing with any of the above mentioned financial guidelines must make a
presentation to the Finance Committee once per semester.
2. All clubs must maintain budget revisions through computer software or other materials at the
discretion of the Finance Committee. They must present these items to the Finance
Committee upon request.
Section 5- Failure to follow guidelines will lead to audits and/or penalties to the club/organization at the
discretion of the finance committee and its members. The Finance Committee reserves the right to audit
any club/organization at any time at the discretion of the Vice-President of Finance and Student
Government Association President.
Section 6- No reimbursements shall be more than Five-hundred (500) dollars total per reimbursement,
unless other arrangements are fully discussed with the Finance Committee Chair prior to spending the
funds in question.
Section 7- The Penalties for Culb’s Actions are as follows:
1. Any club who is found to have misused any monies will be forced to pay back the money out
of their club’s budget or future club budgets and shall lose their budget for two (2) semesters
pending full investigation by the SGA and Deans Office.
2. If a club misses more than three General Assembly meetings in an academic year where their
presence is requested, and forgoing excused absences by the Vice-President of
Communications, their funds will be suspended for no less than one semester.
3. If a club has lost their budget to any action that might result in loss of budget, they are not
considered excused from the above clause and shall still be required to attend meetings for
any further budget consideration.
4. Failure to turn in forms to the Vice-President of Community Service on time shall result in
the suspension of their funds for no less than one semester.
5. If a club has lost their budget to any action that might result in loss of budget, they are not
considered excused from the above clause and shall still be required to turn in community
service forms for any further budget consideration.
6. Any time a club has failed to follow the any stated SGA guidelines, the Finance Committee
may choose through a majority vote to suspend or revoke all funding, at the discretion of the
Vice-President of Finance.
Section8- The budget process is as follows:
1. Before the second week of the semester the Vice-President of Finance will have sent out a letter
to all clubs and organization informing them of the budgeting timeline.
2. The Vice-President of Finance reserves the right to set all timelines and change the budgeting
process at any point in time based on a year-to-year evaluation, with the agreement of the Finance
Committee. The following are guidelines to the budgeting process and need not be followed exactly
as stated:
a. By the 4th week of the academic year, all budgets should be submitted to the
Finance Committee.
b. By the 5th week of the academic year presentations will start, in which each club
will present the budget that they wish to receive to the Finance Committee.
Presentation will be no longer than 15min.
c. The 6th week of the academic year, the Finance Committee will meet with SGA
President and present the budgets for the SGA. The SGA President must receive the
projected budget forty-eight (48) hours before the next SGA meeting.
3. Clubs and organizations may need to revise their budget after the monies have been allocated for
the semester. These new and revised budgets must be followed by a “Letter of Rationale”.
Section 9- If at any time a club or organization does not agree with the decision of the Finance
Committee, they may appeal that decision within one week to the Finance Committee. If the club or
organization again does not agree with the ruling of Finance Committee, they may appeal to the
Executive Board of the Student Government Association. The Executive Board’s decision will be final.
Article VI
Recognition of Student Organizations
Section 1- SGA must approve each new student organization (academic and social), club, forum,
religious or political group, etc.. This approval may only occur after the potential new group has
submitted its constitution, a list of 10 members (with respective Student ID#), and name of
advisor to the SGA President.
Section 2- Upon approval by the SGA President, the new group will be placed on the General
Assembly meeting agenda and therein must be officially approved by the General Assembly’s
2/3 majority vote .
Section 3- If approved by 2/3 majority vote of the Club Congress, the organization
representatives must meet with the Director of Co-Curricular Programs within 1 week.
Article VII
Elections
Section 1- Presidential Elections shall be held no later than 60 days prior to the last day of the
spring semester. The weeks following the remaining Executive Board and senate shall hold their
elections. All elections shall be held in a manner to be decided by the bylaws that shall be set
down by the Student Government Senate in coordination with the Senate President and the SGA
President.
Section 2- Special Elections shall be held no later then one month after they are called for, at the
earliest possible convenience of the President of SGA and the President of the Senate.
Section 3- Any and all changes to the election process must be presented before and passed by a
2/3rds majority of the General Assembly.
Article VIII
Impeachment
Section 1- All elected and appointed student members of SGA shall be liable to removal from
office through the impeachment process.
Section 2- Any member of the student body eligible to vote in a Student Government
Association election shall be empowered to levy charges of impeachment.
Section 3- Impeachment charges shall consist only of dereliction of duty, gross inefficiency, or
malfeasance.
Section 4- The accused shall be granted all rights of due process including, but not limited to: a
fair and speedy trial; the right to counsel, prepare a defense; the confrontation and presentation of
witnesses.
Section 5- To impeach any elected or appointed Officer, Senator, or Senate approved position,
10% of the appropriate constituency or a simple majority of the senate must bring a petition to
the Senate stating the charges and calling for impeachment. The petition is then given to the
Senate Students Academic Legislation and Right Committee, when feasible, to initiate action.
Section 6- The Committee will inform the accused of the petition and the charges to be brought
against him. Within three Senate meetings after the presentation of the petition of the Committee,
the trial shall be put on the General Assembly agenda.
Section 7- A prosecutor shall be appointed by the SGA President, with advice and consent of the
Senate, in the interest of the Student Government Association. This prosecutor may not be the
accused. The Prosecutor elected may step down if they cannot conscientiously fulfill this duty,
and in such case, the President with advice and consent of the Senate shall appoint another
prosecutor. The Student Government Association President will act as presiding officer unless he
is the accused. In such case, the Vice-President will preside over the meeting. In any case where
the President is the accused, and there is a need to appoint a prosecutor, the Vice-President will
make the appointment with the advice and consent of the Senate.
Section 8- Conviction requires a 2/3 vote of the Assembly present and voting. Conviction carries
with it the automatic penalty of removal from the office and the rights and privileges thereof.
Article IX
Amendments
Section 1- Amendments to the Constitution shall require a favorable vote of at least two-thirds
(2/3) of the members of the SGA General Assembly voting in a Constitutional Referendum.
Section 2- Upon ratification of a Constitutional Amendment(s), the Amendment(s) shall be
incorporated into the Student Government Association Constitution forthright.
Section 3- Students have the right to understand proposed legislation including but not limited to
this Constitution or any new constitution. If there is any confusion, a motion to table a vote on
the proposed legislation can be made until the next General SGA Meeting.
Section 4- A Constitutional Referendum petition will call an election of the entire campus. A
Constitutional Referendum may pass with a simple majority of the voting student body. In the
event of a Constitutional Referendum passing by majority of the voting student body, a pure
democratic meeting of students will be called to define a new constitution. This meeting will be
chaired by original petitioners.
Article X
Student Bill of Rights
Section 1- The following articles fall within the parameters outlined in the Wagner College
Student Handbook, as well as set forth expectations of the Wagner Community. The following
shall not be denied to any student of Wagner College. Therefore, the Student Bill of Rights is as
follows:
1. Every student has the right to freely propose and pursue ideas, including but not limited
to peaceful assembly, petitions, and protests of grievances.
2. The student body shall have the right to participate in an open forum (i.e. Town Hall
Meeting) at least once a semester in which any and all issues can be brought to the
administration’s attention.
3. Every student shall be treated in a respectful manner in any and all communications with
college faculty and staff.
4. Students have the right to expect unambiguous and parsimonious processes in regards to
all offices of Wagner College.
5. Requests, questions, and trepidations of students shall be addressed within a timely
fashion by the concerned and appropriate college faculty and staff.
6. Each student at Wagner College has the right to receive thorough and accurate advising
in matters of their educational options.
7. Wagner College shall strive to provide a safe campus and community for all students,
especially in regards to housing and campus security.
8. The student body has the right to expect healthy options in the matter of food and
nutrition.
9. Students shall not be subject to disciplinary processes in regards to off-campus events
that are not sponsored by the College unless their actions relate to the security of the
campus community or deface the name of the Institution.
10. Wagner College shall make every effort to provide students with direct access to
adequate and up-to-date resource materials for their educational needs, including but not
limited to books, periodicals, and technology.
11. All students are granted the right to participate in any club or organization, as well as
campus activities, without regard towards ethnicity, creed, ability, age, and/or sexual
orientation.
12. Students have the right to organize and serve on the Student Government Association,
which will work closely with Wagner College in an effort to assure the included rights
will not be overlooked.
Section 2- It must be noted that future situations cannot possibly be foreseen and the above
listing of rights is not comprehensive. In addition, it is here chronicled that students must do
their part to guarantee their rights are granted during interactions with any and all members of
the Wagner College community. Amendments and alterations may be considered and will take
effect if approved by two-thirds majority of the General Assembly, Club Congress, SGA Senate
and Executive Board.
Article XI
Ratification
Section 1- Ratification of this Constitution shall require a simple majority vote of the members
of the General Assembly present and voting at a meeting, and the approval of the SGA President
and the Wagner College Administration.
Section 2- Upon the ratification of this Constitution all other previous Wagner College Student
Government Constitutions shall be null and void.
Revised April 2012