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Preamble
In order to provide effective participation of students in college governance, to act for the students in matters involving the students’ interests, to help maintain a high quality of life on campus, and to work with the administration, staff and faculty to build and preserve a learning community, the students of Millsaps College do hereby establish this Constitution.
Article I. General Organization
A. Membership and Rights
- All Millsaps students who pay the student activity fee.
- All members shall have full right to vote in Student Body Association elections.
- All members may choose to pursue all elected or appointed positions of student government, but for Articles II & III, Sections 4.
B. Jurisdiction
- All apportionment of Student Body Association funds consistent with the policies of Millsaps College; administration and Board of Trustees;
- Any and all areas of student activities, concerns and needs as delegated by the Board of Trustees.
C. Government
- The government of the Student Body Association shall be executed by the Student Body Association Executive Board, the Student Senate and the Judicial Council.
- The Decisions of the Senate shall be under the title of SBA.
Article II. The Executive Board
A. Members and Functions
1. President
- a). Presides as chairperson over Senate meetings;
- b). Administers all resolutions and legislation of the Senate;
- c). Forms all ad hoc committees as deemed necessary;
- d). Appoints all ad hoc committee chairpersons subject to approval of the Senate;
- e). Appoints administrative assistants as deemed necessary;
- f). Acts as the official host and representative of the students to all dignitaries and student groups visiting on campus;
- h). May remove any presidential appointee as deemed necessary;
- i). Delegate’s additional authority or issues direction to members of standing, special, and/or ad-hoc committees;
- j). Acts as the official representative of the Student Body Association to various campus groups and organizations;
- k). Performs all other duties as specified in the Student Body Association Bylaws and statutes;
- l). Serves as ex-officio member of the Board of Trustees;
- m). Attends faculty meetings when invited by one or more faculty members and the invitation is approved by the Dean;
- n). Appoints one student ex-officio member to each of the following Board of Trustees’ committees: Academic Affairs, Student Life, and Business Affairs; students meeting the Senate’s approval will serve a term of one full academic year;
- o). Directs and administers general policy of the Student Body Association Officers;
- p). Shall not vote in Senate except in the case of a tie.
- q). Has the power to rule on questions arising from ambiguities and errors within the Constitution. The President shall issue a written decision within two weeks of the receipt of a written request (by any member of the Student Body Association) for a decision in a matter. This decision may be appealed to the Judicial Council.
- r). Will serve as chairperson and have full authority over the SBA Executive Cabinet
- The Executive Cabinet will be tailored to the President himself.
- It shall be comprised of formal or informal advisors of the President’s choosing.
- The SBA Secretary serves as Chief of Staff of the Cabinet members.
2. First Vice President
- a). Serves as ex-officio member of all Senate Committees;
- b). Shall vote as a member of the Senate;
- c). Shall accumulate student applications for all Senate Committees;
- d). Shall develop and plan all SBA retreats and banquets;
- e). Shall serve as a liaison between the SBA and the Alumnae Council;
- f). Shall succeed the President if he/she cannot fulfill his/her duties.
3. Second Vice President
- a). Shall oversee all SBA elections;
- b). Shall accumulate applications for and nominations by SBA Officers for the All-College Council, the Publications Board, the Honor Council, the Judicial Council and the SAPS Programming Board. He/she will then present the Honor Council, Judicial Council and SAPS Programming Board nominees to the Senate for appointment/approval;
- c). Shall chair all interviewing/selection committees for the Publications Board, the Honor Council, the Judicial Council and the SAPS Programming Board.
- d). Shall serve as Chairman of the Socializing Activities and Programming for Students (SAPS) board;
- e). Shall vote as a member of the Senate;
- f). Shall succeed the First Vice President if he/she cannot fulfill his/her duties.
4. Treasurer
- a). Serves as the chair of the Finance Committee;
- b). Receives and evaluates, along with the Finance Committee, all Budget requests from groups requesting funds and submits a comprehensive budget proposal to the Senate;
- c). Informs all campus groups of proper budgeting and expenditure procedures and assists these groups in all budget related matters;
- d). Facilitates the requisition procedure with the Business Office to ensure that all financial transactions of the SBA are performed in a professional manner;
- e). Keeps current and accurate records of SBA expenditures;
- f). Evaluates special requests for the funds from General Account;
- g). Shall vote as a member of the Senate;
- h). Shall be present and assist in signing the major contracts of the Bobashela and any other organizations where the SBA is a major source of financial support;
- i). Shall succeed the Second Vice President if he/she is unable to fulfill those duties.
5. Secretary
- a). Records the minutes of each Senate meeting and oversees the distribution of these minutes to the Senators and the Millsaps Community;
- b). Posts the hour and meeting place of all Senate meetings;
- c). Shall vote as a member of the Senate;
- d). Serves as Chief of office operations and Chief of Staff of the Executive Cabinet;
- e). Shall succeed the Treasurer if he/she cannot fulfill those duties.
B. Election and Term of Office
1. Each officer shall be elected at large from the Student Body Association.
2. All terms of the SBA Officers shall be concurrent with the calendar year beginning with the spring semester and concluding with the close of the fall semester. An inauguration ceremony shall be conducted by the SBA Officers after the new officers have been elected.
3. If an Officer is removed from his/her position, for any reason, his/her privilege to run for any SBA position will be suspended for one year, starting with the date of removal.
Impeachment
a). Grounds for removal of an Officer:
- Breach of faith with the Student Body Association;
- Not carrying out specific obligations of the office;
- Not carrying out general obligations as a member of the Student Body Association or the Executive Board.
- b). A majority of the Senate shall be required before a formal impeachment shall be brought before the Student Body Association.
- c). Three-fourths of the Senate must find an officer guilty of charges before recommending removal by the Student Body Association.
- d). The officer shall then be subject to removal by a majority of those voting in a special election.
- e). A new officer shall be elected within two weeks after removal or after any vacancy occurs.
Article III. The Student Senate
A. Members
1. Elections and Terms of Office
- a). One member shall be the President of the Student Body Association Officers. The President shall serve as chairman of the Senate and shall cast a vote only in the case of a tie.
- b). Four members shall be the First Vice President, the Second Vice President, the Treasurer and the Secretary of the Student Body Association. They shall vote and have equal status as members of the Senate.
- c) Members of the Senate, Senators, shall be elected by general election from the various resident districts. The resident districts shall be as follows:
District 1 - Franklin Hall
District 2 - Bacot Hall
District 3 - Sanderson Hall
District 4 - Ezelle Hall
District 5 - Galloway Hall
District 6 - Goodman House
District 7 - Greek Row
District 8 - New South Hall
District 9 - Campus Wide
District 10 - Independent
District 11 - Off Campus
District 12 - Off Campus Independent
- d). To determine the number of Senators from the resident districts, the number of residents in that district shall be multiplied by twenty-two. The result shall then be divided by the total college enrollment. Each district shall be entitled to the number of senators equal to the result of said division. Each resident district shall have a minimum of one representative. In the event that this fails to apportion the total number of seats, the remaining seats shall be distributed singularly to the districts in descending order based on the size of their respective remainder after the aforementioned division. An accurate account of the numbers of the students in each district shall be obtained from the College to determine apportionment.
- e). Eight Senators shall be elected by a campus-wide general election.
- f). Two Senators shall be elected by independent students.
1). District 10’s Senator will be elected by independents whose residence is on campus. District 12’s Senator will be elected by independents whose residence is off campus. This guarantee of two positions does not exclude the right of an independent student to run for any other position on the Senate (District 1-10).
- g). A Student Body Association member shall qualify for one Senate position either for his or her resident district or the general campus-wide election. A letter of intent shall be required, stating district, if applicable. The letter of intent shall be submitted to the Second Vice President.
- h). In the event that a Senate seat becomes available in the Fall semester, the SBA President will appoint a new Senator. This person shall serve until the end of the appointed term. One special election shall be held in the beginning of the Spring semester to replace any empty seats vacated during Winter Break. If any seats become available in the Spring semester, the SBA President will appoint a new Senator. This person shall serve until the end of the appointed term.
2. Each Senator shall be allowed two absences per semester. Should any Senator miss more than two regular and/or emergency meetings a semester, that Senator will automatically be removed from the Senate.
3. Senators not present during roll call, but present at the remainder of the meeting will be marked by the secretary as tardy. The accumulation of two tardies will be equivalent to one Senate absence.
4. If a person is removed from a Senate position or a Senate-elect position, for any reason, his privilege to run for any SBA position will be suspended for one year, starting with the date of removal.
5. Impeachment
- a). Grounds for removal of a Senator:
1). Breach of faith with the Student Body Association;
2). Not carrying out specific obligations of office position;
3). Not carrying out general obligations as a member of the Student Body Association or to the SBA officers.
- b). A majority of the Senate shall be required before a formal impeachment shall be brought before the Student Body Association.
- c). Three-fourths of the Senate must find a Senator guilty of charges before recommending removal by the Student Body Association.
- d). The Senator shall then be subject to removal by a majority of those voting in a special election.
- e). A new Senator shall be appointed within one week after removal or after any vacancy occurs.
B. Powers and Jurisdiction
1. The Senate shall exercise legislative power over those areas of collegiate activity that are the responsibility of students.
2. The Senate shall serve as spokesman for the Student Body Association on all matters of student concern.
C. Senate Committees
1. Delegation of Powers
- a). The consideration of any matters within the jurisdiction of the Senate may be delegated to committees which shall be responsible to the Senate.
- b). Such committees shall be of three types: standing, special and ad hoc.
- c). It shall be the duty of each committee to advise the Senate on matters within its scope of interest. Each committee shall have executive powers only as defined by the Bylaws or by special action of the Senate.
2. Appointments and Terms of Committees
- a). Chairs and members of all committees shall be chosen by the First Vice President subject to approval by the Senate.
- b). The notices of appointment shall include definitions of the duties and powers of the respective committees.
- c). The tenure of an ad-hoc ends within the completion of its assignment.
- d). The tenure of standing committees ends at the completion of the academic year.
3. Personnel
- a). Unless otherwise restricted, any member of the Student Body Association may be appointed to a standing Senate committee.
4. Reports
- a). An ad-hoc committee shall make a report to the Senate on the completion of its assignment.
- b). Standing and special committees shall present an annual written report in April to the Senate.
- c). Committee chairs shall take attendance at all committee meetings and report absences to the First Vice President and Secretary. An absence from a committee meeting shall count as one tardy, and two tardies shall count as one absence.
D. Senate Meetings
1. Regular Meetings: The Senate shall meet weekly during the fall and spring semesters unless, in the judgment of the chairperson and the Secretary, there is insufficient business to be considered at the scheduled meetings.
2. Emergency Meetings: Special meetings of the Senate shall be called by the Secretary at the direction of the chairperson, at the direction of the Senate, on the request of seven members addressed to the secretary, or at the request of the President of the College. If the Secretary vacates office, a special meeting may be called by the chairperson or Parliamentarian, who shall serve as acting secretary until a replacement is elected.
3. Two-thirds of all voting Senate members shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
4. Meetings of the Senate shall be open to any members of the college community. Visitors shall not have the privilege of the floor except with majority consent of the senate.
5. Decisions of the Senate shall be made known to the college community.
Article IV. The Millsaps Judicial Council
A. Members
1. Nine voting members shall be appointed as follows: two faculty members appointed by the Vice President and Dean of the College with the approval of the President; one administrative staff member appointed by the President; eight student members appointed by a committee chaired by the Second Vice President. This committee shall be composed of three Judicial Council members and two Student Body Association Officers and students appointed to this committee shall be confirmed by the Senate.
2. The Director of Residence Life shall serve in a non-voting advisory capacity.
3. The Judicial Council shall be chosen in the Spring term of each year. Terms of office shall be as follows: faculty members, two members for a one-year term each; student members, seven students each for a one-year term, one student for a two-year term.
4. The Council shall choose a chairperson, vice-chairperson and secretary from the student membership.
5. The Council may choose a judicial liaison, that is not part of the Council, to advise any student of his rights before a council hearing.
B. Jurisdiction of Powers
1. The Judicial Council shall generally have jurisdiction over student disciplinary cases except in the following areas: cases involving extreme psychological and/or emotional problems which will be determined by and handled by the Dean of Students. In such cases the Dean of Students will inform the members of the Judicial Council of the reason for the determination; cases involving academic cheating, plagiarism or unruly behavior in the class room shall be determined and handled through the Office of the Vice President and Dean of the College and/or by the Honor Council; all disciplinary actions taken by the Office of Student Life on behalf of the Judicial Council and/or in lieu of a formal hearing shall be reported to the members of the Judicial Council by the Director of Residence Life.
2. The Judicial Council shall NOT have jurisdiction over offenses committed outside the college campus except those which occur during participation in a college activity or in an activity affiliated with Millsaps College.
3. The Judicial Council shall have the authority to levy appropriate monetary fines, service hours, alcohol classes as well as other sanctions.
4. The President of the College has prerogative of review in all matters of student discipline. The authority of the President to assume jurisdiction in cases of student discipline is reserved for those instances where, in his/her judgment, the best interests of the College would be served.
5. The Judicial Council has the power of review over decisions of the President of the Student Body Association concerning questions arising from constitutional interpretation and procedure. Any decision made by the SBA President may be overturned by a majority vote of quorum of Judicial Council and replaced by the Judicial Council’s own decision. The Judicial Council can refuse to hear any case by a majority vote and the President’s decision will then be final.
6. The Judicial Council may suggest amendments or present decisions in writing to the Senate concerning presidential review, the Constitution or the Bylaws.
7. The Judicial Council should review, periodically, the Constitution and Bylaws as recommended in writing by the Senate and SBA Officers.
8. The Judicial Council shall have the authority to reopen cases due to the appearance of additional evidence.
C. Appeals
1. Decisions rendered by the Judicial Council may be appealed to the Dean of Students. Decisions rendered by a Student Life administrator may be appealed to the Judicial Council.
2. Any decision rendered by the Judicial Council and/or an administrator which involves a recommendation of suspension or expulsion from the college will be reviewed by the Dean of Students.
D. Procedures of the Millsaps Judicial Council
1. The chairperson of the Judicial Council shall have plenary authority to control the conduct of persons in the council chambers and is subject to being overruled by a majority of the other members present.
2. When deemed necessary, the chairman or a member of the Student Life staff shall have the power to appoint an examiner to investigate the facts of a case, to present the case to the council, and to examine witnesses.
3. The Judicial Council shall establish rules and bylaws for the conduct of council hearings, subject to review of the Senate.
4. Any member of the Millsaps College community may bring charges against a member of the Student Body Association.
E. Relations to College Policy
1. Each member of the Millsaps Judicial Council is obligated to enforce the disciplinary regulations of the Student Body Association.
2. Each student is bound by honor to display proper conduct in the community and before the Council. Sanctions for refusal to cooperate with the Judicial Council may result in the recommendation of a hold on next semester registration or refusal of graduation in the case of students in their last semesters.
Article V. Conflicts of Interests
A. No member of the Student Body Association shall hold more than one of the following offices at any one time: Senator, Judicial Council member, Honor Council member, Student Body Association Officer or Editor of a chartered Student Body Association publication.
Article VI. Amendment
A. An amendment may be introduced only by a Senator. The proposed amendment must then receive a two-thirds majority vote of the Senate in order to pass.
B. An amendment shall become effective upon ratification by a majority vote in a Student Body Association election.
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