The Associated Students of Monmouth College

Section One: Constitution

I. Preamble

The student body of Monmouth College has seen cause to form a single association which will serve as the voice of the students. The objectives of this body shall be to promote student interests before faculty, staff, and administration; to maintain students’ rights and freedoms; to represent the student body of Monmouth College to local, state, national, and international bodies; to improve general student welfare; and encourage student involvement in the political process. In the hopes that by striving after these objectives we will be able to continually improve the Monmouth College community, we hereby establish the Associated Students of Monmouth College, comprised of: the Student Body Executive Board and the Student Senate, as the official governing organizations of the student body.

Article I. Purposes and Rights of Students

I. The Associated Students of Monmouth College shall be established to represent the student body of Monmouth College and to promote its interests, opinions, desires, and attitudes; moreover, the Associated Students of Monmouth College shall have the liberty to take all action necessary in the pursuit of its purposes which shall include, but not be limited to:

a. Ensuring that Monmouth College provides adequate services for all students and organizations.

b. Recognizing Associated Students of Monmouth College organizations and clubs and the respective campus activities which they provide.

c. Being responsible for the allocation of funds to College recognized clubs and organizations.

d. Serving as a liaison from the student body to the faculty, staff, administration, Board of Trustees, and the alumni of Monmouth College.

e. Maintain students’ rights and freedoms, as outlined in section II.

II. Student Bill of Rights

a. We believe that as students we have certain rights, and have accompanying responsibilities to ourselves, the academic community, and society. It shall be the purpose of this Association to work to uphold these rights and responsibilities

i. We believe that…

1. The students should have the best faculty, courses, and administration possible; towards this end, the students have the responsibility of helping to maintain an atmosphere conducive to a liberal arts education.

2. As members of the college community, the students have both the right and duty to participate responsibly in the formation of College Policy.

3. Students have the right and liberty to speak, write, organize, and otherwise advocate their beliefs or opinions in a manner which agrees with the educational atmosphere of a college.

4. Each student searching to improve the college community has the right to petition through the Associated Students of Monmouth College.

Article II. Division of Power

I. The powers to carry out the purposes and protection of the rights contained herein shall be divided to each of the following branches of government: Executive (Student Body Executive Board) and the Legislative (Student Senate). In addition to this document, each of these bodies may have by-laws which will serve to govern the actions of these separate bodies.

Article III. Executive Branch

I. Purpose

a. The executive power of the Associated Students of Monmouth College shall be vested in the Student Body Executive Board. This body shall preside over the Student Senate. The President shall be the chair of the Student Body Executive Board.

II. Student Body Executive Board

a. The Executive Board of the Associated Students of Monmouth College shall consist of the executive officers of the Student Body: President, Vice-President, Clerk, Treasurer, Parliamentarian, and the Student Body Student Affairs Officer.

b. The Parliamentarian shall serve as a non-voting member of the Student Body Executive Board.

III. Election

a. The President and Vice President shall be elected positions.

b. Anyone seeking election as President or Vice President must meet the following requirements. A candidate must be a full time student who:

i. have been a senator of the Student Senate who has attended at least 75% of Student Senate meetings that academic year (two semesters preceding the election, including the semester the election occurs within) prior to the election filing deadline, established annually by the Student Elections Commission, as certified by the Clerk.

ii. be in good academic standing, and hold at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA.

c. The President and Vice-President shall run together on a single ticket.

d. The candidate pair receiving the most votes, providing they receive at least 25% of votes cast, shall be declared the winner of the election. If the 25% minimum is not reached, a second election shall take place within one week between the top two candidate pairs.

e. The elected officers shall hold office for one academic year, with elections being held during the spring semester, one week prior to “Scots’ Day” under supervision of the Student Election Commission in order for the announcement of the new officers to take place at the honors convocation

f. The officers will be installed at the last Student Senate meeting of the spring semester and they shall assume office on the first day of classes of the fall semester.

IV. Student Body President

a. The President shall serve as chair of the Student Body Executive Board.

b. The President shall be a non-voting member of the Student Senate.

c. The President shall cast a vote in the Student Senate only in the case of a tie.

d. The President shall be responsible for representing the Associated Students of Monmouth College to the administration, Board of Trustees, Faculty Senate, and alumni of Monmouth College.

e. The President shall be the chair of the Student Senate and shall be responsible for the enforcement of the Constitution and all legislation of the Student Senate.

f. The President shall have the power to appoint Senators from the Student Senate to faculty committees with a simple majority approval of the Student Senate.

g. The President shall have the power to veto Student Senate legislation within five academic days of its passing. Such a veto can be overridden by a two-thirds majority vote of the Senate assembled at the full body meeting following the veto.

h. The President shall have the ability to create ad-hoc committees to serve the Student Senate with a majority approval of the Senate assembled.

i. The President shall appoint a Clerk, a Treasurer, a Parliamentarian, and a Student Body Student Body Student Affairs Officer. These appointments shall be made before the first meeting of the fall semester, and each must be approved at the first full body meeting by a majority of voting Student Senate members.

j. If any other executive officer is unable to complete the full term ofoffice, the President shall fill any vacancy. The appointment must then be approved by the majority of voting Student Senate members.

V. Student Body Vice President

a. In absence of the President, or in the event that the President is unable to complete a full term in office, the Vice President shall assume the office of the President.

b. The Vice President shall be a non-voting member of the Student Senate.

c. The Vice President shall assist the President in the performance of his/her duties and complete any duties assigned at the request of the President.

d. The Vice President shall have the power to appoint or remove Student Senate committee chairs with a simple majority approval of the Student Senate assembled.

e. The Vice President shall be an ex-officio member of all senate committees.

f. The Vice President shall perform any other duties required by the Associated Students of Monmouth College, unless otherwise delegated.

VI. Student Body Clerk

a. The Clerk shall perform the following tasks:

i. all correspondence

ii. take Student Senate and Student Body Executive Board minutes

iii. keep all Student Senate records

iv. track attendance of duly registered senators and associate members

v. maintain an active and updated set of reports chronicling Associated Students of Monmouth College business.

b. The Clerk shall be a non-voting member of the Student Senate.

c. The Clerk shall have copies of the Student Senate minutes available to senators and associate members one week following the previous Student Senate meeting.

d. The Clerk shall perform any other duties required by the Associated Students of Monmouth College, unless otherwise delegated.

VII. Student Body Treasurer

a. The Treasurer shall serve as the chair of the Finance Committee and as a Student Senate Representative to the Faculty Institutional Development Committee (FIDC)

b. The Treasurer shall be a non-voting member of the Student Senate.

c. The Treasurer shall keep a record of all Student Senate finances to be filed for a period of four years, and shall disburse Student Senate funds according to the guidelines outlined in Article VII of this document.

d. The Treasurer shall give the Student Senate a complete and current report of the financial activities at the first full-body meeting of every month.

e. The Treasurer shall perform any other duties required by the Associated Students of Monmouth College, unless otherwise delegated.

VIII. Student Body Parliamentarian

a. The Parliamentarian shall inform the Associated Students of Monmouth College of any infractions of the Associated Students of Monmouth College Constitution and By-Laws.

b. The Parliamentarian shall be a non-voting member of the Student Senate.

c. The Parliamentarian shall assist the Student Elections Commission in elections.

d. The Parliamentarian shall serve as sergeant-at-arms for the Associated Students of Monmouth:

i. The Parliamentarian shall assist the President with facilitating and maintaining order in weekly meetings as outlined in Robert’s Rules of Order.

ii. The Parliamentarian shall interpret the constitution and provide advice to the President.

iii. The Parliamentarian shall protect the rights of all members of the Student Senate.

iv. The Parliamentarian shall protect the rights of the student body.

IX. Student Body Student Affairs Officer

a. The Student Body Student Affairs Officer shall be responsible for bringing student concerns through the proper channels so that these concerns are made known to the faculty, administration, and staff of Monmouth College.

b. The Student Body Student Affairs Officer shall chair the Student Affairs Committee of the Student Senate.

c. The Student Body Student Affairs Officer shall be a non-voting member of the Student Senate.

d. The Student Body Student Affairs Officer shall represent the Associated Students of Monmouth College to the Student Affairs Committee of the faculty and shall be responsible for attending all the meetings of the committee.

e. The Student Body Student Affairs Officer shall perform any other duties required by the Associated Students of Monmouth College, unless otherwise delegated.

X. Recall of Executive Officers

a. The recall of elected Student Body Executive Board Officers may be brought about by a petition of the Student Elections Commission containing at least a 2/3 majority of signatures from the Student Body. The recall must pass by a 2/3 vote of the senate for approval.

Article IV. Legislative Branch

I. Student Senate

a. The legislative powers of the Associated Students of Monmouth College shall be vested in the Senators of the Student Senate.

II. Membership and Voting Allotment

a. The following groups will be allowed to have voting Senators on the Student Senate:

i. The hall councils of all the residence halls owned and operated by Monmouth College

ii. All theme houses owned and operated by Monmouth College, collectively.

iii. All commuter students, collectively.

iv. All other Associated Students of Monmouth College recognized organizations, including fraternities and sororities.

b. The above groups shall receive voting allotments in the following manner: One senator/vote for the first 39 members and an additional vote/senator if the group has 40 or more members.

c. A senator, at the beginning of his/her term must provide the Student Body Clerk and the Parliamentarian with the following: a list of members and Executive Board Members of the organization, and a current constitution, by the convening of the second full body meeting before voting privileges will be instated. Residence Halls, Theme Houses, Commuter Students, Fraternities, and Sororities do not need to submit a constitution.

d. To maintain voting privileges, an organization’s enrollment must remain at or above ten (10) members. If the enrollment falls below ten (10), the organization will have the duration of three consecutive semesters to meet this minimum requirement before termination of recognition is considered. An organization can seek re-recognition by submitting an updated member list to the Clerk and Parliamentarian.

e. If an organization, through its Senator, is absent from four meetings without valid excuse (to be determined by the President) and prior agreement from the Student Body Executive Board, the organization shall also lose their vote for the year.

f. Two un-excused absences (as outlined above) from Student Senate meetings during the semester will result in a Senator’s removal from Student Senate for the remainder of the semester.

g. If a Senator is removed from Student Senate, an organization has the right to replace that Senator with a newly chosen person before the next Student Senate meeting.

h. At the start of each semester, the Clerk shall release a report detailing the number of votes each group has been allotted for the year based on the previously stated criteria.

i. If a Senator has an un-excused (as outlined in part e) absence at the previous full body meeting, that Senator will forfeit their right to vote at the next full body meeting.

III. Senators

a. Each Senator shall have one vote in the Student Senate.

b. Each Senator must be registered as a full-time student at Monmouth College.

c. Organizations are strongly discouraged from switching senators, however if for some reason your normal senator cannot attend, the Clerk must be notified 24 hours in advance of their replacement.

d. Each Senator must serve on at least one standing or ad-hoc committee

IV. Associate Members

a. Any student of Monmouth College may be considered an Associate Member of the Student Senate.

b. Associated Members are eligible to serve on committees and their opinions are welcome.

c. Associate Members may propose legislation to the Student Senate, with a Senator co-sponsoring the bill.

d. The purpose of Associate Membership is to broaden the Student Senate’s base of input.

e. Associate Members shall be non-voting members.

f. Associate Members must report to the Clerk before the convening of every meeting for attendance purposes.

V. Student Senate Meetings

a. The Student Senate shall meet at least once every two weeks.

b. Special sessions may be called by the President, or by the petition of a simple majority of Student Senate Senators.

c. A simple majority (50%+1) of the total available membership plus three of the executive board officers shall constitute quorum. Business cannot be conducted without the presence of a quorum.

VI. Initiative and Referendum

a. Legislation may be proposed by any Senator, or any Associate Member with the support of a Senator, at any full body Student Senate meeting.

b. Legislation shall be ratified upon the approval of a majority vote of Student Senate voting members.

c. A Student Body referendum shall be conducted at the request of a simple majority vote of the Student Senate.

d. A referendum shall become effective when approved by a majority of those voting in an election.

VII. Standing Committees

a. The standing committees of the Student Senate are: Student Affairs, Finance, Academic Affairs, Special Events, Housing, Illinois Board of Higher Education-Student Advisory Committee, and Food Service.

i. Student Affairs Committee

1. Membership

a. There shall be no limit to the number of members who may serve on the Student Affairs Committee.

b. Any Monmouth College student is eligible to serve as a member of this committee.

2. Duties

a. The Student Affairs Committee shall discuss all matters concerning student life at Monmouth College and shall serve as a forum in which students may express their concerns, complaints, issues, and suggestions concerning their experience as Monmouth College students.

b. The Student Affairs Committee shall make the views of the Student Body, regarding student life at Monmouth College, known to the Student Affairs Committee of the Faculty Senate, and the Dean of Students office.

ii. Academic Affairs Committee

1. Membership

a. There shall be no limit to the number of members who may serve on the Academic Affairs Committee.

b. Any Monmouth College student is eligible to serve as a member of this committee.

2. Duties

a. The Academic Affairs Committee shall discuss all matters pertaining to academic life at Monmouth College including, but not limited to:

i. Grading procedure.

ii. Formation of syllabi.

iii. Formation of the school calendar.

iv. Requirements for degree.

v. Maximum class limits.

vi. Any other matter relevant to academic life at Monmouth College.

b. The Academic Affairs Committee shall make the views of the Student Body, regarding academic life at Monmouth College, known to the Curriculum Committee and the Admissions and Academic Studies Committee of the Faculty Senate.

iii. Special Events Committee

1. Membership

a. There shall be no limit to the number of members who may serve on the Special Events Committee.

b. Any Monmouth College students are eligible to serve as a member of this committee.

2. Duties

a. The Special Events Committees shall help to organize and execute all events sponsored by the Student Senate including, but not limited to:

i. Scots’ Eve

ii. Scots’ Day

b. The Special Events Committee shall send a representative to the Association for Student Activities Programming (ASAP).

c. The Special Events Committee shall work together with ASAP in order to plan and execute the events of Scots’ Eve and Scots’ Day.

iv. Housing Committee

1. Membership

a. There shall be no limit to the number of members who may serve on the Housing Committee.

b. Any Monmouth College students are eligible to serve as a member of this committee.

2. Duties

a. The Housing Committee shall discuss all matters pertaining to residence life at Monmouth College.

b. The committee shall make known to the Office of Student Affairs any recommendations the committee shall form.

v. Illinois Board of Higher Education-Student Advisory Committee

1. Membership

a. Each fall, the Student Senate shall select one student and one student alternate to serve as the representative on behalf of Monmouth College to the Illinois Board of Higher Education-Student Advisory Committee.

b. Both the representative and the alternate shall be chosen by a simple majority of voting Student Senate members at a full-body meeting.

2. Duties

a. The duties of the representative shall be to represent Monmouth College at all meetings of the Illinois Board of Higher Education-Student Advisory Committee.

b. The Student Senate shall fund all expenses within reason for these meetings; however the representatives must submit funding requests to the senate in each cycle.

c. The representative must maintain a 2.5 cumulative GPA.

vi. Food Service Committee

1. Membership

a. There shall be no limit to the number of members who may serve on the Food Service Committee.

b. Any Monmouth College students are eligible to serve as a member of this committee.

2. Duties

a. The Food Service Committee shall discuss all matters pertaining to the food service at Monmouth College.

b. The committee shall make known, and work with, the Director of Food Service in an attempt to progress the overall quality of food.

vii. Finance Committee

1. Membership

a. The Treasurer shall recruit a pool of students to draw from for the committee during each cycle. Each cycle the committee shall consist of:

i. A Chair (the Student Body Treasurer) who advises the committee, but does not vote, unless in the case of a tie.

ii. Three Student Senate members who vote, drawn from the pool.

iii. Two “At Large” members (students not involved with student government) who also vote, drawn from the pool.

b. All appointments are to be made by the treasurer.

c. All members of the Finance Committee must remain unbiased and have the best interest of all student organizations as well as Student Senate in mind when allotting money.

d. Within two weeks of the first Student Senate meeting, the Treasurer shall submit to the Executive Board a list of the proposed Finance Committee. A simple majority vote by the Executive Board will approve the Committee. As a sign that the committee has been approved, each member of the Executive Board will sign the list. If the list is not approved, the Treasurer will have three days to repeat the process.

2. Duties

a. Members of the Finance Committee shall assist the Treasurer in the distribution of funds over the course of the academic year. There will be at least three funding cycles throughout the academic year.

3. Distribution of Funds

a. By the second Student Senate full-body meeting of the year, the Committee shall send funding applications to every recognized organization and set a deadline for their return.

b. At the Student Senate meeting following the allocation of funds from the first applications, there must be a new application deadline set in time, so that funds may be allocated before the semester has ended.

c. At the second full-body meeting of Student Senate in the Spring semester, new applications shall be distributed and a deadline set for their return.

d. An organization cannot apply for further funding and/or will lose money already allocated to them (if the event has not taken place) from Student Senate if the organization loses Student Senate recognition.

Article V. Student Elections Commission

I. Duties

a. The Student Elections Commission shall conduct all elections under the auspices of the Student Body Executive Board.

b. Certification of election results shall be conducted by an independent auditing body comprised of two senators, two Student Elections Commission members, a member of the executive board who is not running for office, and the Parliamentarian.

c. The Student Elections Commission chairman shall be appointed by the President and confirmed by the Student Senate by the second general meeting of the new academic year.

d. The remaining four members of the Student Elections Commission shall be appointed from the general membership, via an application process to be conducted by the chairman of the Student Elections Commission and the Associated Students of Monmouth College Vice-President.

e. Once selected, the appointees shall be confirmed by the Executive Board prior to the 3rd meeting of the year.

f. Prior to the first election or referendum of the year, the Student Elections Commission will develop campaign rules and regulations governing the elections for that year.

i. All election rules and regulations must be approved by the Student Senate with a 2/3 majority vote of the body.

g. The Student Elections Commission shall conduct all Student Body elections.

h. The Student Elections Commission will investigate all charges of election irregularities.

i. The Student Elections Commission may void an election or referendum, following such investigations.

ii. Following the voidance of an election the Student Elections Commission must begin a new election within one week of the voidance.

Article VI. Recognition of Organizations

I. Constitutions

a. An organization seeking recognition by the Associated Students of Monmouth College must first submit a constitution containing the criteria listed below to the Executive Board:

i. Explanation of the reason for the group and its goals.

ii. Method for recognizing membership.

iii. All organizations must have membership open to all those in the Student Body, unless it is an hon orary society which has its own admissions rules.

iv. Description of officers and their duties.

v. Procedure for electing/recall of officers.

II. Approval

a. Once the Student Body Executive Board has reviewed and approved the new constitution, a simple majority vote of the Senate assembled will allow a group’s recognition by the Associated Students of Monmouth College.

b. Associated Students of Monmouth College recognition allows an organization the following rights:

i. A voting seat on the Student Senate

c. After approval is received from the Student Senate, an organization may seek Monmouth College recognition with approval from:

i. the Student Affairs Committee of the Faculty

ii. followed by the Faculty to solidify recognition as an official Monmouth College Student Organization.

1. College recognition allows an organization the following rights:

a. Right to use “Monmouth College” in their organization title.

b. Right to petition the Student Senate for monies

c. Right to sponsor functions on campus

d. Right to use and reserve college facilities

e. Right to schedule events on the college calendar

III. Organizational Constitution Amendment Procedures

a. If an Associated Students of Monmouth College recognized organization amends its constitution, it must re-submit the amended constitution to the Student Body Executive Board.

b. The amended constitution must then be approved by the Student Body Executive Board on behalf of the Student Senate.

c. The amended constitution must then be submitted to the Faculty Student Affairs Committee for final approval of the new constitution.

IV. Existing Organization Recognition

a. All organizations currently recognized by the Associated Students of Monmouth College and the Faculty are grandfathered into the Association at the time this constitution goes into effect.

V. Revocation of Associated Students of Monmouth Organization Recognition

a. If the Student Senate finds the actions of a group improper (in general opposition to the welfare of the College and its students), their recognition may be renounced by submitting a petition bearing the signatures of three-fourths of the Student Senate voting body to the Executive Board for review.

Article VII. Associated Students of Monmouth College Funding Allocation

I. Process

a. The Allocation of funds should be an open process, available for the scrutiny of the student body, which benefit from allocation.

II. General Fund

a. The General Fund shall be maintained by Student Senate. The General Fund allocation process shall be determined by the finance committee, upon the approval of the Student Senate. General Fund monies shall be disbursed to organizations for general support and other areas not covered by the other funding boards.

i. Only student organizations recognized by the college are eligible for funding. The funding policy and deadlines can be obtained from the treasurer.

ii. In order for a recognized organization to receive funding from the Senate, it must have a current Senator in good standing (detailed in IV.II.c, f, and i).

iii. All applications must be turned in by the deadlines set by the treasurer.

iv. After completing the application and turning it in to the treasurer, each organization must set up a meeting with the Finance Board Committee. Appointments will be made on a first come first serve basis.

v. During funding cycle meetings, only the President and Treasurer (or their designees) may attend for their organization.

vi. The decision of the Committee will take place after the formal interview.

vii. Completion of the application does not guarantee funding.

viii. The Finance Committee can deny money to any group that is not in the best interest of Monmouth College.

ix. Student Senate shall not fund group or organization debt, group paraphernalia (group t-shirts, pins, etc.).

x. Funds that are allocated from Student Senate must only be used for the event/purchase requested for, i.e. group formal, campus sponsored event, organization conference.

xi. Organizations that receive funds must use the funds during the cycle in which they are requested as determined by the Finance Committee. Any funds not used by the deadline set by the Finance Committee for each group are added back into the Student Senate fund and are to be reallocated during the next cycle.

xii. There will be at least three cycles in which money will be allotted. One cycle must take place at the end of the spring semester for the following fall.

xiii. All receipts, bills, and statements, must be given to the Student Body Treasurer within ten (10) days after the event occurs. Failure to do so will result in the loss of reimbursement and/or future funding.

xiv. The final cycle at the end of the year will be for groups who want to apply for funding for the following academic year. The guidelines are:

1. The event must take place in the first thirty (30) days of the new school year.

2. The amount of funding to be allocated for the special session in April shall be at the discretion of the Student Senate Finance Committee.

Article VIII. By-Laws

I. The By-Laws shall consist of regulations governing each of the bodies outlined above. These By-Laws shall be established as each branch/division deems necessary, and must be approved by a 2/3 vote of the voting members of each division.

Article IX. Amendments

I. Amendments must be introduced by submitting to the Clerk a petition bearing the signatures of at least thirty five percent (35%) of the Student Body including the text of the proposed amendment.

II. Proposed amendments must then be ratified by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the Student Senate voting members at a Student Senate Meeting.

III. Any amendment to this document must be ratified by a majority approval of the Faculty at a meeting of the Faculty, assembled.

Article X. Caveat

I. The most current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall be referred to when questions of procedure are not contained herein; however, this constitution shall always have precedence over Robert’s Rules of Order.

Associated Students of Monmouth College
Section Two: By-Laws

I. Purpose

a. These bylaws shall serve as rules for the governing of meetings of the Associated Students of Monmouth College.

II. Parliamentary Conduct

a. Unless special considerations are contained herein, all proceedings of the Associated Students of Monmouth College shall be presided over under the auspices of Robert’s Rules of Order.

III. Order of Business

a. General assembly meetings of the Senate shall be conducted in the following order of business:

i. Call to Order

ii. Roll Call

iii. Approval of Minutes from the Last Meeting

iv. Additions or Corrections to the Minutes

v. Officer Reports

vi. Committee Break-outs

vii. Committee Reports

viii. Old Business

ix. New Business

x. Announcements

xi. Adjournment

b. General assemblies of the Executive Board shall be presided over by the Student Body President with an order of business determined by the President.

IV. Amendments to the By-Laws

a. Amendments can be made to these by-laws by proposing an amendment to the senate, and must then be read at the subsequent meeting where it will become effecting following its passing by a 2/3 vote of the senate.

Last Updated: January 18, 2007