Student Government Constitution

 

                                                              PREAMBLE

We, the students of Lake Forest College, acting under the authority delegated to us by the Board of Trustees, in order to foster a spirit of unity among all members of the Lake Forest community, hereby establish this Constitution for the accomplishment of these ends.

                                                                          ARTICLE I. NAME

The name of this organization shall be:

Lake Forest College Student Government

Here after referred to as the Student Government.

                                                                        ARTICLE II. OBJECT

The purpose of the Student Government shall be to coordinate, encourage, and guide student activities, provide opportunities for the exercise of student leadership and responsibility in a working democratic organization; assume such powers and perform such duties as may better the general welfare of the Student Body.  The Student Government shall do so without regard to sex, age, race, creed, color, disability, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin.

                                                 ARTICLE III. MEMBERS

Section 1. Student Body

A.    The Student Body shall consist of those persons who are registered as Lake Forest College students and who pay an activity fee.

B.     The constitutional rights and privileges of the Student Body are:

1.      The right to establish a Constitution and a Student Government.

2.      The right to elect officers of the Student Body.

3.      The right to vote in elections, repeals, recalls and on political statements of policies of the Lake Forest College Governance.

Section 2. General Assembly

A.    Hall Representatives

1.      Resident hall occupancy shall determine the number of representatives to be elected.

2.      For every 50 students in the residence hall, there shall be one representative elected.

3.      Shall serve as the voice of the students in the resident hall in which each resides.

B.     Commuter Representatives

1.      For every 50, commuter students, there shall be one representative elected.

2.      Shall serve as the voice of the commuter students.

C.     Ex-officio Representative from the Dean of the College Office.

1. Shall serve the Student Government in an advisory capacity.

D.    Duties

1.      To represent the Student Body.

2.      To promote cooperation within the Student Body.

3.      To maintain high standards of academic, social and cultural life.

4.      To represent the Student Body in its relationship with the faculty, staff and administration, coordinating the objectives of the college with those of the Student Body.

5.      To accept or reject the creation of new student organizations.

6.      The General Assembly shall have the right to veto a recommendation of the College Life Committee by a two-thirds vote.  It shall further have the right to veto decisions of the Executive Board by majority vote.

7.      The Assembly shall elect three of its members to serve on the Executive Board.

8.      All General Assembly members shall serve on at least one standing committee with reasonable attendance according to the discretion of the chair of the committee.

E.     Resignations

1.      Shall be in writing.

2.      Shall take effect at the time specified in the resignation or when received by the General Assembly if no time is specified.

F.      Attendance Policy

                  1.  A maximum of four absences will be allowed during one year, where any 

     subsequent absence will be grounds for immediate removal.

                  2.   After the fifth absence, and all subsequent absences, the representative shall be                                          subject to removal.

                  3.   Proxies will be allowed at meetings. 

      a.  A limit of four proxies will be allotted to each General Assembly member.

      b.  After the use of a fourth proxy, all following proxies will count as an 

     absence.

     c.  Proxies may not be current members of the General Assembly.

                             d.  Proxies cannot vote.

                             e.  Their presence will not count as an absence.

              f.   Proxies will not count toward the presence in a quorum.

G.    Vacancies

        1. If a position is vacant, an election for the residents in their hall shall be conducted to

         elect a new representative.

2. The same election procedures shall be followed for a vacancy as in the regular election at the beginning of the year.

                                                    ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS

Section 1. Executive Officers

            The officers of the General Assembly shall be: President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer.

Section 2. Duties

A.    The President shall:

1.      Be the chief executive officer to the General Assembly.

2.      Call and preside over General Assembly and Executive Board meetings and prepare the agendas.

3.      Serve as the formal representative of the Student Body to the administration (with emphasis on the President of the College, Office of the Dean of the Faculty and its subsidiary offices), faculty, staff and Lake Forest College community.

4.      Appoint a student or students to chair committees created within the General Assembly, with approval of the Executive Board.

5.      Serve as a voting member of the College Council.

6.      Serve as a voting member of the Board of Trustees of Lake Forest College.

7.      Ensure proper expenditure of the Student Activity Fund in conjunction with the Treasurer.

8.      Plan training sessions for officers-elect in the Spring semester.

9.      Hold at least one office hour a week between the hours of 9:00am and 7:00pm.

B.     The Vice President shall:

1.      Assume all duties of the President in the absence of the President.

2.      Serve as the formal representative of the student body to the Dean of the Students with an emphasis on student concerns and affairs.

3.      Chair the College Life Committee and only vote in the case of a tie.

4.      Chair the College Life Committee, and form focus groups, workgroups and oversee community surveys to assess student satisfaction.

5.      Serve as a voting member of the Board of Trustees of Lake Forest College.

6.      Attend the Residence Life Advisory Committee.

7.      Hold at least one office hour a week between the hours of 9:00am and 7:00pm.

C.     The Secretary shall:

1.      Record the minutes of the General Assembly and Executive Board meetings.

2.      Facilitate communication between the Executive Board and the Representatives.

3.      Post the minutes outside the General Assembly office as well as online and ensure that every member, all campus offices and departments receive a copy of the weekly minutes.

4.      Record attendance at every General Assembly and executive board meeting.

5.      Maintain the General Assembly web-site.

6.      Hold at least one office hour a week between the hours of 9:00am and 7:00pm.

D.    The Treasurer shall:

1.      Be responsible for the day-to-day oversight of the Student Activity Fund.

2.      Keep a current file of all organizational transactions.

3.      Oversee the Budget Allocation Process.

4.      Prepare a budget proposal in conjunction with the Treasurer-elect, to be presented to the General Assembly during the Budget Hearings.

5.      Hold at least one office hour a week between the hours of 9:00am and 7:00pm.

Section 3. Term of Office

A.    Elected officials shall hold their position for one academic year.

B.     Officers may run for re-election if they meet all qualifications.

C.     Officers shall be elected from the Student Body.

Section 4. Qualifications

A.    General Assembly candidates seeking office must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 and must maintain this minimum average for their term in office.

B.     All candidates for office must be in good disciplinary standing according to the Dean of Students

C.     All candidates for office must have been an LFC student for 2 semesters prior to holding office.

D.    Candidates must receive the approval of the Executive Board based on the following requirements:

1.      Have attended at least 8 of all General Assembly meetings in the year prior to the submission of petitions

2.      Individuals who do not meet the criteria in D.1. may appeal to the General Assembly, a 2/3 vote shall approve a prospective candidate.

E.     Any student who has been removed from either the General Assembly or the Executive Committee shall not be able to run for Executive Board that year.

Section 5. Vacancies

A.    In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, the Vice President shall become President

B.     In the event there is a vacancy in an office other than the President, the Executive Board shall nominate an appointee to fill the vacancy. 

1.   The appointee must meet the qualifications as listed in Article IV Section 4.

2.   The Executive Committee may appeal on behalf of the appointee if s/he does not meet the specified qualifications.

3.   The General Assembly shall vote 2/3 to confirm.

                                                   ARTICLE V. ELECTIONS

Section 1. Election Procedures for Representatives

A.    All representatives shall be elected by ballot.

B.     The Election committee will hold elections by the third full week of the fall term.

C.     Candidates must follow all Campaign regulations as explained in the standing rules.

D.    The candidate who receives the most votes shall be elected.

E.     The election results shall be publicly posted.

Section 2. Election Procedures for Executive Officers

A.    The election will take place in the Spring semester.

B.     All candidates must submit a petition with signatures from at least 10% of the currently enrolled students along with a platform, to be published in a school publication, to the Office of Leadership and Community Involvement before the candidates’ names are put on a ballot. These requirements must be met two weeks before the election.

C.     There will be a two-week campaign period, all candidates may campaign actively or passively until the first day of the election.

D.    Candidates shall have the opportunity to discuss their ideas at the Election Debate held one week before the election begins.

E.     The election will be held for two consecutive schooldays.

F.      Candidates must follow all Campaign regulations as explained in the standing rules.

G.    The candidate who receives the most votes shall be elected.

                                                   ARTICLE VI. MEETINGS

Section 1. Regular Meetings

A.    The General Assembly shall meet weekly during each academic year at a reasonable time        and public place on campus designated by the Executive Board.

B.     Meetings are open to all members of the Lake Forest College Community.

Section 2. Special Meetings

           Special meetings of the General Assembly may be called upon a 24-hour notice to all members            of the Student Government by the President or by any four members of the Student Government.              Failure to attend will not be counted against attendance. 

Section 3. Executive Board Meetings

A.    The Executive Board shall meet at least once a week up to the discretion of the members.

               B.  These meetings are only open to members of the Executive Board unless pre-cleared by                      members of the Board.

Section 4. Quorum

A.    The quorum of the General Assembly meetings shall be 3/5 of the members.

B.     The quorum of the Executive Board shall be 3/5 members.

C.     In the absence of a quorum at meetings, the meeting can continue but no official action can be taken on any issue.

                                                   ARTICLE VII. EXECUTIVE BOARD

Section 1. Composition

A.    The President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer of the Student Government.

B.     Three Representatives elected by the General Assembly.

C.     One Student appointed by the Student Government President with the consent of the other three Executive Officers.

D.    An ex-officio representative of the Office of Student Affairs.

Section 2. Duties

A.    Administers the affairs of Student Government.

B.     Determines the on going goals, priorities and philosophy of the Student Government, subject to the approval of the General Assembly.

C.     Recommends students to the President of the College to serve on the following Trustee committees: Academic Affairs Committee, Athletics Committee, Budget and Audit Committee, Property and Operations Committee and Student Affairs Committee.

D.    Appoints students to the following governance committees: Environmental Issues and Concerns Committee, Enrollment Committee, Academic Resources and Review Committee, Curricular Policies Committee, Library Information Technology Committee.

E.     Appoints one student to the College Life Committee.

F.      Appoints students to fill any vacancies, which may occur in these committees. 

G.    If a General Assembly delegate to the Executive Board resigns, is removed, it is the duty of the Executive Board to insure the General Assembly appoints a successor no more than two weeks after the position becomes vacant.

H.    To allocate the Student Activity Fee Fund to all recognized organizations on campus.

I.       Has the oversight, within the framework of the College Governance System, of student affairs and the supervision of student organizations and allocated funds.

J.       Reports its actions to the General Assembly.

                                                     ARTICLE VIII. COMMITTEES

Section 1. Standing Committees

A.    Standing Committees shall be chaired by an officer of the Student Government.

B.     Standing Committees include but are not limited to Community Outreach, Social Life, Public Relations, and Budget and Audit to be chaired by the President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer respectively.

C.     Standing committees will meet at least once a month and report back to the General Assembly. 

D.    Should the creation of new standing committees be necessary, the Executive Board shall establish such committees, pending the approval of the General Assembly by a majority vote.

E.     The secretary shall also serve as the chair of the Elections Committee in the spring.

      1.   The Elections Committee will publicize elections, prepare petitions and schedule volunteers             at the voting booth, and handle confidential materials and the results of the election.

      2.  If the secretary cannot fulfill this duty, s/he will pass the duties on to another executive board           

           member or General Assembly representative who is not running for office.

Section 2. Trustee and Governance Committees, College Life Committee and College Council

            Delegates and appointed members of all Trustee and Governance Committees, College Life            Committee, as well as College Council shall report to the General Assembly after every meeting. 

Section 3. Special Committees

A.    The Executive Board shall establish special committees, as it deems necessary for the effective operation of the Student Government, pending approval of the General Assembly by a majority vote.

B.     The details and descriptions of such committees shall be outlined in the standing rules.

                                      ARTICLE IX. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The Rules contained in the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the Student Government in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with this Constitution and any special rules of order the Student Government may adopt.

                                                ARTICLE X. AMENDMENTS

The Constitution may be amended through the following process:

A.    A proposal is presented to the General Assembly.

B.     A 2/3 vote of the General Assembly is needed to approve the proposal.

C.     After the General Assembly approves the proposal, the proposal must be posted for the LFC community in each residence hall, in commons, and any other location deemed appropriate by the General Assembly. 

D.    A special election is held for the entire Student Body.

E.     The Constitution shall be amended by a 2/3 vote of the total votes cast by the Student Body.

                                           ARTICLE XI. REMOVAL FROM OFFICE

Section 1. Representatives

A.    A Representative may be removed by their constituency for dereliction of duty as specified in Article III.

      1.  An election for removal shall be held when 25% of a Representative’s constituency            demands such action, by submitting a petition to the General Assembly.

      2.  The Representative shall be removed when a 2/3 vote of the total population of the             residence hall is in favor of their removal.

B.      The General Assembly may also remove a Representative for dereliction of duty as specified in Article III.

      1.  A 2/3 vote of the General Assembly must approve the removal.

C.     If a Representative is removed, an election for the residents in their hall shall be conducted to elect a new representative.

D.    The same election procedures shall be followed after a removal as in the regular election at the beginning of the year.

Section 2. Officers

A.    An officer may be removed from their office for dereliction of duty as specified in Article IV.

B.     The process will be the following:

1.      A student or group of students may submit a petition with signatures of 25% of the Student Body to the Office of Leadership and Community Involvement.

2.      The Director of LCI must then announce the petition (keeping the names of the petitioners confidential), bringing the General Assembly to an immediate suspension with the removal process being the only order of business. 

3.      A 2/3 vote of the General Assembly shall constitute removal.

4.      The Student Body shall not vote to remove.

This Constitution was last revised April 6th, 2005.