Important Documents

Download the by-laws: Senate-by-laws.doc

Senate By-Laws

Bylaws
The Senate of the
Associated Students of Occidental College

Article I – Name

The name of this organization shall be the Senate of the Associated Students of Occidental College, hereinafter referred to as the Senate.

Article II – Purpose

The object and purpose of the Senate shall be to serve as a voice for the student body, support students and their activities, identify and act on student needs, approve funding for recognized clubs and organizations, act upon legislation proposed by the General Assembly, and approve an annual budget for the Student Services.

Article III – Members

Section 1. Membership.

The Senate shall comprise thirteen members consisting of two senators from each of the four academic classes, four senators from the ASOC membership at large, and a student body president.

Section 2. Eligibility for membership.

A. Candidates for officer positions and the officers themselves must be enrolled as full-time students and paying the Associated Student fee during the respective term of office or appointment. Senators must have a minimum GPA requirement of 2.4 and the President a 2.8 and meet any additional eligibility rules established by the College.

B. Candidates for the office of Academic Class Senator must be members of that academic class.

C. Candidates for the office of Academic Class Senator must present to the Elections Director a nominating petition with the signatures of twenty ASOC members in their current academic class.

D. Candidates for the office of Campus-Wide Senator and Student Body President must present to the Elections Director a nominating petition with the signatures of forty ASOC members who will remain ASOC members during the candidate’s expected term in office.

Section 3. Election to the Senate.

A. Annual Senate Elections

Elections for sophomore, junior, and senior Academic Class Senators, Campus-Wide Senators, and the Student Body President shall be held annually no later than two weeks before the last day of classes of the spring semester. Senators and the President shall be elected by ballot to serve for one year. Their term of office shall begin on the last academic day of the spring semester. A plurality vote shall elect.

Only members of the ASOC from an academic class, as determined by the College registrar or on appeal to the Student Life Coordinator, shall be eligible to elect Senators for that academic class.
All ASOC members shall be eligible to elect Campus-Wide Senators and the Student Body President.

Elections for the Freshman Class Senators shall take place annually as early as possible, but no later than the third week of the fall semester. Senators shall be elected by ballot to serve until the end of the academic year. Their term of office shall begin with the first meeting of the Senate after election. A plurality vote shall elect.

B. Challenged senate seats.

An individual Senator may be challenged during semester elections by any ASOC member who meets the eligibility criteria established for the seat in Section 2 and completes the following petition process.

To challenge a Campus-Wide Senator, the challenger must submit a petition signed by one hundred and sixty ASOC members.
To challenge an Academic Class Senator, the challenger must submit a petition signed by eighty ASOC members in the challenger’s academic class.
Blank petitions shall be distributed to the challenger by the Student Life Coordinator, who shall verify that the challenged Senator’s name appears on each petition.

The challenged Senator’s name shall appear on the ballot along with the names of any challengers.

Section 4. Term of membership.

Elected members of the ASOC may not simultaneously serve in more than one elected position, or in an elected position and as a student services department head.

Section 5. Attendance.

A. Senators shall attend all Senate meetings, General Assembly meetings, and budgetary hearings.

B. Sanctions for members who do not attend the required meetings shall be specified in the Senate House Rules.

Section 6. Vacancies.

A. Resignation.

A Senator may resign in good standing by sending a letter of resignation to the Student Body President one week in advance of relinquishing his or her duties.
The President may resign in good standing by submitting a letter of resignation to the Senate and the Student Life Coordinator two weeks in advance of relinquishing his or her duties.

B. Removal. A Senator or the Student Body President may be removed from membership:

One week after a change in academic or disciplinary status causes the Senator or President to no longer be eligible for membership.
In other instances specified in the Senate House Rules

In any of these instances, the individual up for removal shall have the right to speak in his or her defense prior to the removal vote.
Senators shall not be removed from membership by any vote less than 2/3 of the Senate. A Senator shall not be denied the right to vote in the matter of his or her own removal.
The Student Body President shall not be removed from membership by any vote less than 3/4 of the Senate.

C. Filling vacancies.

If there are fewer than ten weeks remaining in the Senator’s term, the President shall appoint an individual for the unexpired term of office subject to the approval of Senate. Approval shall be given by a simple majority vote.
If there are more than ten weeks remaining in the Senator’s term, a special election shall be held within two weeks.

Section 7. Voting.

Each Senator shall be entitled to one vote at Senate meetings. The President shall not have a vote.

Article IV – Officers

Section 1. Officers.

A. Elected officers. The elected officers of the Senate shall be the Student Body President, four Campus-Wide Senators, and eight Class Senators.

B. Appointed officers. Additional officers may be appointed to assist the Senate in its duties. One Chief of Staff and one Elections Director shall be appointed by the majority of the Senate, and whose term shall not exceed one year. Other officers may be appointed as necessary.

Section 2. Duties of elected officers.

A. The President

The President shall:

Be the chief executive officer of the Senate.
Chair all meetings of the Senate.
Have the power to appoint special committees contingent to the approval of the Senate.
Serve as the ex-officio member of all Senate meetings.
Attend all meetings of the Senate, the General Assembly, and the Honor Board.
Attend training sessions.
Be responsible for informing the student body of Senate actions and decisions.
Serve as the ASOC liaison to the Dean of Students, the Dean of the College, and the President of the College.
Perform other relevant duties as assigned by the Senate;
Be a nonvoting member of the Senate, responsible for leading discussion.
Set the agenda and send it out to the Senate at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.
meet with the Student Life Coordinator regularly.

B. Campus-wide and Class Senators.

Each Senator shall:

Have the power to cast one vote.
Be eligible to serve on committees designated by the Senate or in senator positions of committees formed in the General Assembly.
Serve as liaisons and representatives to constituents.
Attend all Senate and General Assembly meetings per semester.
Perform other duties as assigned by the president, or senate.
Attend training sessions.
Be responsible for informing the student body of Senate actions and decisions.
Have the power to motion for a vote from the senate to approve a referendum vote of the student body on improperly blocked resolutions;
Have the power to oversee the budget.

Section 3. Duties of appointed officers.

A. Chief of Staff

The Chief of Staff shall:

Attend all Senate meetings and be responsible for keeping accurate minutes of them.
Make available a copy of the minutes at least 24 hours prior to the next senate meeting.
Be invited to all executive and training sessions.
Serve on the Senate Public Relations Committee.
Perform other duties as assigned by the Senate.

B. Elections Director

The Elections Director shall:

Oversee all ASOC elections in a fair, objective, and balanced manner.
Organize, oversee, and head the elections committee.
Work with advisor to set up the voting website.
Be appointed by the Senate within the first two weeks of the academic year and serve for one year.
Be responsible for keeping elections within the allocated budget.
Perform other duties as assigned by the senate or the Student Life Coordinator.

Section 4. Election and appointment of officers.

A. Elected officers. The senate shall be elected annually by ballot during the ASOC General Elections.

B. Appointed officers. Appointed officers may be appointed at any time by the Senate and shall take office immediately upon notification of appointment. The term of office for appointed officers shall be determined by the senate, but in no case shall the term exceed twelve months. Vacancies in appointed offices shall be filled by the president with a majority confirmation of the Senate.

Section 5. Terms of Office.

A. Multiple terms. No member may serve more than two consecutive terms in the office of the president.

Article V – Meetings

Section 1. Regular Senate Meetings.

Regular meetings shall be held weekly during the fall and spring academic semesters, unless otherwise ordered by the Senate. Except in cases of emergency, the President shall give at least five days’ notice to Senators by telephone, in writing, or electronic means for regular meetings. Regular meetings shall not conflict with duly called General Assembly meetings.

Section 2. Special Senate Meetings.

Special meetings may be called by the President or upon written request of four members of the Senate. The purpose of the meeting shall be stated in the notice.

A. Special Session

Meetings are open to the public.
There will be no voting, and no committees shall be formed.
No Senator may send a proxy.
Time and location will be mutually agreed upon by the Senate.
Will not be used for training and staff development.

B. Training and Staff Development

May occur only with consent or recommendation of advisor.
Discussion shall be limited to personal development and improving knowledge of constitution and its bylaws.
Are closed to the public, but public will have access to the agenda.
There will be no voting and no committees shall be formed.

Section 3. Quorum.

A quorum for regular meetings and any special meetings shall be two-thirds of the members.

Section 4. Voting.

Votes on resolutions, the budget, or funding proposal shall require a majority vote of the members present, excluding members who abstain. Members who abstain shall not count against the quorum.

Article VI – Committees

There shall be two permanent standing committees: Public Relations and Finance. The Senate may appoint other standing committees as deemed necessary to carry on the work of the Senate.

Section 1. Public Relations Committee.

The Public Relations Committee shall be responsible for publicizing and promoting Senate meetings, issues, and events.

Section 2. Finance Committee.

The Finance Committee shall be responsible for accepting and reviewing all funding requests, making a funding recommendation to the Senate on each request, at each Senate meeting and reconciling the discretionary budgets on a weekly basis. The first portion of the each Finance Committee meeting shall be open for visitors. The committee shall consist of two rotating senators as well as one of two designated Co-Chairs that serve as liaisons to the ASOC Finance Coordinator.

A. Co-Chairs. One Co-Chair will be at each Funding Committee meeting. The Co-Chairs are also responsible for presenting each week’s funding suggestions at the Senate Meeting to be voted on and distributing allocation amounts to those who have requested funding each week. The Co-Chairs shall be Senators, and their selection shall be confirmed by a majority vote of the Senate at its first meeting of the year.

Article VII – Parliamentary Authority

Rules governing the Senate shall be specified in the Senate House Rules, in all cases in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws.

Article VII – Amendments

Section 1. Proposal.

To be valid, any amendment to these bylaws must be approved by the Senate and the General Assembly.

A. Members may propose an amendment to these bylaws at any regular or special meeting of the Senate. Amendments shall not be voted on in the Senate less than five days after being proposed. The proposal must include the complete text of the proposed amendment. A properly presented amendment requires two-thirds vote for passage in the Senate.

B. Approved amendments shall be referred to the General Assembly for final approval. Assembly membership must receive notice of the meeting at which the amendment will be reviewed at least seven (7) days prior to the meeting. A properly present amendment requires a majority vote for passage in the General Assembly.

Section 2. Effective date of amendments.

Amendments to these bylaws shall take effect at the adjournment of the General Assembly meeting at which they are adopted unless otherwise provided.

Adopted 1/30/06.