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Article I. Student Senate Meetings
A. Meetings of the Senate shall be held at the hour and place designated by the Secretary.
B. The President shall have the authority to change the regular meeting date when such date falls on a holiday or at a time of special campus or community activity.
Article II. Parliamentary Authority
A. In the conduction of Senate meetings, the Robert Rules of Order shall be followed except as otherwise provided by the Constitution or these Bylaws.
B. If deemed necessary, the Officers of the SBA shall appoint, from the Senate, a parliamentarian to rule on issues of parliamentary procedure within Senate meetings. The parliamentarian may be a voting member of the Senate and shall succeed the position of Secretary should that vacancy arise.
Article III. Order of Business
The order of business to be followed at meetings, unless deemed otherwise by the officers of the SBA, shall be as follows:
A. Call to Order
B. Roll Call
C. Reading of Minutes
D. Officer Reports
- Executive Director of Programming
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Second Vice President
- First Vice President
- President
- SBA Advisor Report
E. Committee Reports
1. Standing:Finance
- Admissions
- Diversity
- Campus Services
- Community Outreach
- Campus Safety
- Academic Affairs
2. Special:
3. Ad-Hoc
G. Unfinished Business
H. New Business
I. Special Orders of Business
J. Voluntary Remarks
K. Adjournment
Article IV. Senate Committees
A. Standing: Each Senator will be assigned to one standing committee, along with any other Millsaps student who applies to be assigned to a standing committee.
1. Finance
a). Composition
- Chair(s) under the authority of the Treasurer and the Senate who shall oversee the work of this committee.
- Members to be appointed by the Treasurer with approval of the First Vice-President.
b). Meetings shall be called by the Treasurer.
c). Responsibilities include aiding the Treasurer in budget planning or otherwise managing matters pertaining to the financial well-being of the Senate, including budget requests from student organizations.
d). This committee will develop, research, write and sponsor legislation pertaining to the committee for the betterment of the College.
2. Diversity
a). Composition
- Chair(s) under the authority of the First Vice President and the Senate who shall oversee the work of this committee.
- Chair(s) and members to be appointed by the First Vice President.
- Membership shall be open to any representative of any student organization deemed by the chairperson to promote diversity.
b). Meetings shall be scheduled weekly to be held before the regular weekly meeting of the Senate, or otherwise, under the discretion of the chair or First Vice President.
c). Finances shall be planned by the First Vice President with approval of the Treasurer.
d). Responsibilities shall include helping student organizations organize and execute campus programs that promote diversity, attending or otherwise facilitating meetings of MCA Diversity, and working with the Director of Multicultural Affairs to ensure campus diversity is protected.
e). This committee will develop, research, write and sponsor legislation pertaining to the committee for the betterment of the College.
3. Campus Services
a). Composition
- Chair(s) under the authority of the First Vice President and the Senate who shall oversee the work of this committee.
- Members will be placed on a sub-committee concerned with one of the following: a) dining services, b) environmental awareness, c) campus maintenance
- Chair(s) and members to be appointed by the First Vice President.
- This committee will act in an advisory position to the Vice President of Campus Services.
b). Meetings shall be scheduled weekly to be held before the regular weekly meeting of the Senate, or otherwise, under the discretion of the chair or First Vice President.
c). Finances shall be planned by the First Vice President with approval of the Treasurer.
d). Responsibilities shall include advising the Senate with concerns relating to the structural, dining, or environmental aspects of the campus. Furthermore, the Committee acts as a developer of plans to aid in the fixing of problems by scheduling “Walk-Arounds”, Campus Clean Ups, developing energy saving strategies, engaging with the student body concerning recycling, water conservation, and pollution. The subcommittee concerned with dining services will schedule periodic meetings with Valley Food Services representatives to discuss student concerns as they pertain to dining services. They will also maintain a “Suggestions Box” to be placed in the Caf’. The Committee will also receive e-mails addressed to suggestions@millsaps.edu and will either address the concern amongst themselves or forward the e-mail to the appropriate Senate Committee or Executive Board member. The Committee shall also plan and advertise the Senate Christmas / Spring Parties.
e). This committee will develop, research, write and sponsor legislation pertaining to the committee for the betterment of the College.
4. Community Outreach
a). Composition
- Chair(s) under the authority of the First Vice President and the Senate who shall oversee the work of this committee.
- Chair(s) and members to be appointed by the First Vice President.
b). Meetings shall be scheduled weekly to be held before the regular weekly meeting of the Senate, or otherwise, under the discretion of the chair or First Vice President.
c). Finances shall be planned by the First Vice President with approval of the Treasurer.
d). Responsibilities shall include communicating and planning and/or participating in important philanthropic events on and off campus on behalf of the SBA and shall be responsible for planning and advertising the SBA Carnival, as well as coordinating a Millsaps Buddy Walk. This committee will also participate in the Millsaps “1 Campus, 1 Community” project.
e). This committee will develop, research, write and sponsor legislation pertaining to the committee for the betterment of the College.
5. Campus Safety
a). Composition
- Chair(s) under the authority of the 1st Vice President and Senate who shall oversee the work of this committee.
- Chair(s) and members to be appointed by the First Vice President.
- At least one representative from Millsaps Campus Safety.
b). Meetings shall be scheduled weekly to be held before the regular weekly meeting of the Senate, or otherwise, under the discretion of the chair or First Vice President.
c). Ticket appeals shall be schedule by the chair and the representative from Millsaps Campus Safety and all student shall be made aware of these schedulings.
d). Finances shall be planned by the First Vice President with the approval of the Treasurer.
e). Responsibilities include advising the Senate on regulations and laws pertaining to security issues; this Committees acts as a liaison between the SBA and Millsaps Campus Safety. It also presides over hearings for ticket appeals. The Committee holds three ticket appeals hearings per semester, plans and advertises Security Forum, and will help in re-striping parking lots.
f). This committee will develop, research, write and sponsor legislation pertaining to the committee for the betterment of the College.
6. Academic Affairs
a). Composition
- Chair(s) under the authority of the First Vice President and the Senate who shall oversee the work of this committee.
- Chair(s) and members to be appointed by the First Vice President.
b). Meetings shall be scheduled weekly to be held before the regular weekly meeting of the Senate, or otherwise, under the discretion of the chair or First Vice President.
c). Finances shall be planned by the First Vice President with approval of the Treasurer.
d). Responsibilities include planning “Lunch with the Deans” events, planning a “Faculty Appreciation Day,” working with the Millsaps – Wilson Library staff to provide the campus with the best library experience possible.
e). This committee will develop, research, write and sponsor legislation pertaining to the committee for the betterment of the College.
B. Special: Only Senators are assigned to the special committees; every Senator may serve on every special committee.
1. Admissions
a). Composition
- Liaison(s) under the authority of the First Vice President and the Senate who shall oversee the work of this committee.
- Liaison(s) to be appointed by the First Vice President.
- Liaison(s) shall not necessarily be a staff member of admissions.
b). Meetings shall be called by the liaison(s) and/or the First Vice President.
c). Finances shall be planned by the First Vice President with approval of the Treasurer.
d). Responsibilities include being a link between Senate and Admissions, organizing Senate involvement with recruitment, notifying Senators of prospective student events, and will assist in the various Admissions Days.
e). This committee will operate on behalf of Senate with Admissions for the betterment of the College.
C. Ad-Hoc: Only Senators are assigned to the ad-hoc committees; the SBA President will assign ad-hoc committee assignments.
D. All Committees shall have new duties and/or responsibilities added to their list of goals when deemed necessary by their chair/Liaison and/or the First Vice President.
Article V. Elections
A. SBA sanctioned elections will include, but not limited to, Senate, SBA Officers, Homecoming Court & Queen, All College Council, and Millsaps Most Distinguished Man and Woman. (Only seniors will be eligible for Most Distinguished Man and Woman).
B. Powers of Second Vice President
- To enforce all rules and regulations established by the Constitution and these Bylaws of the Student Body Association;
- To issue and collect statements of intent from candidates and to judge the legitimacy of candidates according to established qualifications;
- To set dates of elections;
- To hear all complaints brought forth by candidates;
- To suspend certain election rules when the present situation merits such a suspension.
- To meet with candidates to explain election rules and procedures and polling area decorum as well as rules for solicitation.
- Enforce the following criteria to the candidates and to disqualify those who fail to meet these qualifications.
- a). The candidate may not use more than thirty signs to solicit the campaign.
- b). The candidate must attend the mandatory candidate meeting or if unable to attend, he/she notifies the Second Vice President 24 hours before the meeting and makes alternate plans to receive candidate information.
- c). The candidate must not use any signs larger than a standard poster board, including but notlimited to sidewalk chalk and clusters of signs larger than previously designated size.
- d). The candidate shall not make use of email by means of mailing lists or campus wide lists to solicit his campaign - including mailings sent by other people.
- No disqualification from an election may occur without the consultation of the Second Vice President.
C.Voting
- Millsaps students shall vote on-line with voting software provided by the SBA/College.
- The Second Vice President must email/display the web address, to vote, during elections.
- The Second Vice President is in charge of the maintenance of all on-line voting software and passwords.
D. Polling Times
- Polls shall be open a minimum of six hours in run-off elections and twelve hours in general elections.
E. Write-In Ballots
- In any general election, it shall be permissible for any qualified voter to write the name of a student on the ballot. This act shall indicate that the voter is casting the vote for that written name appearing on the ballot.
F. Procedure
- Candidates running in elections held by the SBA must submit a statement of intent. These statements must include:
- a). Name that is to appear on the ballot
- b). Candidate’s campus mailing address
- c). Candidate’s telephone number
- d). Candidate’s username
- e). Candidate’s classification
- f). Office/position which the candidate seeks
- g). signature of candidate stating that he/she has read and understood all elections rules and will comply with them or risk disqualification
- No person may be a candidate for more than one office in any election.
- Each candidate shall meet with the Second Vice President who will inform the candidates of their responsibilities and it shall be the duty of the candidate to read and obey these regulations.
- Elections will be held with all qualified candidates’ names on the ballot in alphabetical order by position, and the voters shall vote for the number of positions available.
- The candidate with the greatest number of votes shall be considered the winner with the exception of the following elections: SBA Officers and Millsaps Most Distinguished Man and Woman.
- a). In an election for an SBA Officer or for Millsaps Most Distinguished Man and Woman in which no one receives a majority of the votes, a run-off will be held between the two candidates with the highest number of votes.
- b). In the event of a tie during run-offs, the candidates will go before the Senate for a deciding vote.
- Posting of election results shall include only the names of the winning candidates. The Second Vice President will provide a copy of the results including names, number of votes, and percentages to any candidate who requests it.
- In all general elections, only those students who are undergraduates, full-time, and in good financial standing may cast a ballot. A list of qualified voters shall be present on the ballot.
- Each voter must present a current Millsaps’ I.D. for verification to the poll worker. This will serve as a form of registration if the on-line voting software is unavailable to a student.
G. Violations
- All students shall comply with the rules and policies for elections as stated by the SBA Constitution, Bylaws and Second Vice President. All students shall be responsible for any campaigning on their behalf. This responsibility shall include enforcing the election rules and policies to any President shall provide a written warning to the student who violates, or whose campaign violates the rules and policies of the elections, which shall include instructions for eliminating the violation(s). If the violation(s) occur again, or are not dealt with as instructed in the warning, the Second Vice President shall disqualify the student, and a written letter of disqualification shall be issued stating the reason(s).
- Any candidate wishing to protest the election must file a written petition declaring this intent and the grounds for the protest within seventy-two hours of the closing of the polls. This petition must be submitted to the Second Vice President in writing and a recount may be requested in this petition.
- Petitions will be heard without delay by the Second Vice President in consultation with the officers and judgment passed. Any violations of the rules, regulations, or procedures established shall constitute grounds for holding a new election or for the disqualification of a candidate.
- Candidates who have been disqualified may submit a written appeal to the Second Vice President and the appeal will be decided on before the election.
H. Millsaps Most Distinguished Man and Woman
1. Qualifications
- a). must be a Senior
- b). must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better
- c). must be nominated by five students and one faculty member.
I. Homecoming Court
1. The Millsaps College Homecoming Court shall consist of eight female members of the Millsaps College Student Body Association. Five members of the Court shall be seniors; one shall be a junior; one shall be a sophomore; and one shall be a freshman. The Homecoming Queen shall be selected from among the five senior members of the court.
a). Nomination Procedure
- Any two members of the Millsaps Student Body Association may nominate any female member of the Student Body Association as a candidate for Homecoming Court maid by submitting a letter of intent to the Second Vice President of the Student Body Association.
- Letters of intent must contain the signatures of the two nominating persons and the signature of the nominated person.
b). Election Process
- Each academic class will elect the respective number of representatives. The female candidates receiving the highest percentage of a class-wide vote will be designated as the Homecoming Court.
- In the case of a tie, there will be an extra slot allocated on the court for the candidates involved in the tie.
- After the election of the court, a run off election will be held with the five senior court members. The person receiving the highest number of votes during the run off shall be the Queen. Only those who are elected to the court shall be eligible for Queen.
c). Announcement of the Court and Queen
- The Homecoming Queen shall be announced during the half time festivities of the Millsaps College Homecoming Football Game. The Second Vice President is responsible for the submission of the name of the queen to the Office of the Sports Information Director for the announcement.
- The Second Vice President is charged with the responsibility of not revealing the name of the Queen prior to the announcement.
J. All College Council
1. Members
- a). Four Student Representatives on behalf of the whole of the Millsaps community
- b). One seat must be filled by an independent, this guarantee of one seat does not exclude the right of an independent student to run for the other seats on the council.
2. Qualifications
- a). Any member of the SBA is eligible to run and if elected will serve on the All College Council until the next election the following year.
3. Elections will be held at the end of the Spring Semester and members will become active at the Fall meeting of the All College Council.
K. Senate Awards
1. The Senate will vote in April, each year, on four SBA Awards to be awarded at the Student Life Awards ceremony.
2. The awards and criteria are as follows:
- a.) SBA Leader of the Year - must be a senior who displays the best leadership character in the SBA, has shown devotion to the SBA during their Millsaps career and is a role model for present and future Senators, Officers, and Judicial Council members. The winner is voted on by the entire Senate and given a $250 cash award.
- b). Outstanding Senator Award - any member of the SBA senate who went above the duties and responsibilities of a senator for the betterment of the senate; one who has consistently developed significant legislation, shown leadership, and given service. The winner is voted on by the entire Senate and given a $250 cash award.
- c). Senate Committee of the Year Award - recognizes the members of the Senate committee that has been active in producing significant legislation and activities for the improvement or change of the Millsaps College campus community. The winner is chosen by Executive Board.
- d). Outstanding Non-Senator Committee Member - must be a non-senate member of a Senate Committee who has shown consistent devotion to the Committee’s goals and has contributed greatly to the activities of the committee. Nominee is presented by Committee chairperson, and winner is voted on by entire Senate. This award will only be given in those years when Committee chairpersons feel that a nomination is warranted.
Article VI. Approval of Expenditures
A. Any expenditure of SBA funds in the excess of $250.00 shall be reported to the Senate.
B. To request funds a recognized organization must send a written request to the Finance Committee two weeks before the end of the semester to receive reimbursement for these funds, organizations/groups should present all receipts and a written description of the funds spent to the Treasurer.
C. Once the requesting organization head/treasurer has turned in their receipts and the explanation of the receipts, the Treasurer will contact them with how to get their money. For all amounts below $100.00, the responsible person will receive an accounts payable voucher in their box that they can take to the business office to get their money. For all amounts over $100.00 the responsible person(s) will receive a check in their mailbox from Millsaps College.
D. Any active group on campus including organizations recognized but not allocated money in the SBA Budget may request funding from the SBA in the form of a new proposal. A certain amount of the SBA Budget will be allocated each year for such proposals.
Article VII. Amendments
A. These articles may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate.
B. Also under Article VI of the Millsaps College SBA Constitution.
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