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Student Government Association

Student Government Association

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Student Government Association Constitution

Preamble

We, the students of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, (as a multi-campus student body), in recognizing the need for unity and the need for an orderly form of government through which the individual voice may be expressed, do hereby accept this constitution for a democratic student government of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College.

Article I

Name:  The name of the organization shall be The Student Government Association of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College.

Article II

Purpose:  The purpose of this organization shall be to set a basic forum for student government and to strive for unity; to promote good citizenship; to carry on the business of the student body; to permit student participation in the organization and control of student affairs; to provide an official voice through which students’ opinions and actions may be carried out. A further purpose shall be to encourage in the minds of the students of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College that they are mature adults and it is expected of them to conduct themselves at all times in order to be a credit to the Association, to Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, and to the community as a whole.

Article III

Membership:  All students paying an activity fee and in good standing (See Student Behavior Standards, Student Handbook) with the college are automatically members of the Student Government Association of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College.

Article IV

Voting membership:  Voting members shall be comprised of one delegate from each academic division, one representative from each chartered student organization, and elected officers. These members shall from this time forward, be known as the Student Government Association Senate.

Duties of the Academic and Club Senators

  1. Academic Senators and Club Senators are eligible for monetary compensation in the form of a leadership scholarship paid from the student activities fees in the amount of $10 per official Senate meeting held.
  2. Attend all meetings of the Associations or Senate and express their ideas. A Senate member is subject to dismissal from the Student Government Association Senate after two unexcused absences in a semester. Absences are accepted as excused if the delegate may present a valid excuse to an advisor before the meeting.
  3. Maintain a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.0 or higher per semester during his/her term as a representative.  If his/her GPA should fall below 2.0, the delegate will be dismissed.
  4. Participate in Campus Activities and inform club members or their curriculum area of SGA activities.
  5. Actions of the Student Government Association must be voted on by a quorum consisting of the members present and approved by the Advisory Committee.
  6. The Senate will meet once each month during the college activity hour, with the Senate President having the right to call a special meeting when he/she deems it necessary.  General Business Meetings will be held using the Distance Learning Centers.
  7. Senate Committees will meet on the third Tuesday of each month at the college activity hour.

Article V

Officers and their qualifications:

  • All officers must pay the student activity fee and be in good standing with the college.
  • An officer must maintain a 2.75 GPA, while the President must maintain a 3.0. Should his/her semester GPA fall below the required GPA, he/she shall be dismissed.
  • All officers must be enrolled in at least 6 credit hours per semester seeking a diploma or degree.
    Note: These qualifications apply to Career and College Promise students desiring to hold an Officer position. To hold a position, you must be a high school Senior in Early College or Career and College Promise.

President

A second-year student and previous member of the Senate.

Vice President

A first or second-year student who attends the opposite campus of the President.

Secretary/Treasurer

A first or second-year student.

Public Information Officer (Rowan)

A student attending the Rowan campus.

Public Information Officer (Cabarrus)

A student attending one of the Cabarrus campuses.

Membership Officer

A second-year student and previous member of the Senate.

Parliamentarian

A second-year student.

Duties of Officers

President

  1. Shall preside at all meetings of the Association or Senate.
  2. Shall be an ex-officio member of all appointed Association committees.
  3. Shall lend counsel and advice where needed.
  4. Shall represent the school on all occasions, functions and relations connected with other SGA area conferences.
  5. Shall issue, read, and discuss the copy of the Student Government Association Constitution to all new Senate members.
  6. Shall attend all official Rowan-Cabarrus Community College Board of Trustee meetings as a non-voting member.
  7. Shall be an ex-officio member of the Senate during the Summer Semester if he/she is enrolled.
  8. Shall maintain 10 office hours per week including hours at both campus locations and will be eligible for the leadership scholarship in the amount of $2,400/ semester ($15.00/hour), excluding summer. Eligibility is determined by evaluation of SGA Advisors.

Vice-President

  1. Shall assume all the duties of the President in his/her absence.
  2. Shall assist SGA advisors in planning and implementing campus events.
  3. Shall be an ex-officio member of all appointed association committees.
  4. Shall assist the President in planning the agenda for each Student Government Association meeting. He/she shall issue a copy of the agenda to all delegates and officers.
  5. Shall maintain 7 office hours per week and will be eligible for the leadership scholarship in the amount of $1,680/semester ($15.00/hour) excluding summer. Eligibility is determined by the evaluation of SGA Advisors.

Secretary/Treasurer

  1. Shall keep minutes of all Association and Senate meetings and place these in a permanent SGA file.  Shall issue a copy of these minutes to all delegates and officers on request and coordinate the posting of these minutes on the SGA Website for all students to review.
  2. Shall be responsible for Association correspondence.
  3. Shall keep an accurate record of all Association correspondence and business.
  4. Shall prepare, prior to each meeting, an order of business for use by the presiding officer, showing in exact order, under each heading, all the matters known in advance that are due to come up.
  5. Shall keep an accurate record of all finances of the Association and place these records in a permanent file.
  6. Shall present a semester financial report and annual financial report.
  7. Shall maintain 5 office hours per week and will be eligible for the leadership scholarship in the amount of $1,200/semester ($15.00/hour) excluding summer. Eligibility is determined by evaluation of SGA Advisors.

Membership Officer  (Over Council Membership)

  1. Is responsible for contacting each curriculum head for a one and/or two year student to fill Senate membership.
  2. Is responsible for keeping accurate records of each Senate member’s phone and school schedule.
  3. Is responsible for contacting Senate members after an unexcused absence.
  4. Shall after two unexcused absences, be responsible for replacing the delegate with a new Senate member.
  5. Shall keep the Association’s official membership roll and to call the roll where it is required.
  6. Shall maintain 5 office hours per week and will be eligible for the leadership scholarship in the amount of $1,200/semester ($15.00/hour) excluding summer. Eligibility is determined by evaluation of SGA Advisors.

Parliamentarian

  1. Shall acquaint all new Senate members with proper parliamentary procedures at each meeting.
  2. Is responsible for maintaining Robert’s Rules of Order at all meetings.
  3. Is responsible for parliamentary procedures and knowledge of such.
  4. Is responsible for educating other members as to how each meeting shall be conducted.
  5. Shall maintain 5 office hours per week and will be eligible for the leadership scholarship in the amount of $1,200/semester ($15.00/hour) excluding summer. Eligibility is determined by evaluation of SGA Advisors.

Public Information Officer: Rowan

  1. Shall be responsible for coordinating information with all parties within the faculty, Administration, and student body.
  2. Is responsible for creating publications through the RCCC graphics department.
  3. Is responsible for publicizing functions at the school two weeks prior of upcoming events.
  4. Shall maintain 5 office hours per week and will be eligible for the leadership scholarship in the amount of $1,200/semester ($15.00/hour) excluding summer. Eligibility is determined by evaluation of SGA Advisors.

Public Information Officer: Cabarrus

  1. Is responsible for publicizing functions at the school at least two weeks prior of upcoming events.
  2. Shall be responsible for coordinating efforts with the Rowan Public Relations Officer.
  3. Shall maintain 5 office hours per week and will be eligible for the leadership scholarship in the amount of $1,200/semester ($15.00/hour) excluding summer. Eligibility is determined by evaluation of SGA Advisors.

All officers are required to write a summary of all activities during their term of office with advisory notes on problems and suggestions of improvements to be made.

Article VI

Nomination of Officers: The President, Public Information Officers, Membership Officer, Secretary/Treasurer and Parliamentarian are to be nominated before the last four weeks of the Spring semester. The Vice President shall be nominated by the third week of the Fall semester.  Applications must be submitted to the SGA Advisors by the specified date.

Election of Officers: These positions are chosen in a campus-wide election by majority vote. The election is to be held within two weeks following the nomination. If necessary, a run-off election between the two candidates having the highest number of votes will be held after the initial balloting.

Guidelines for voting

  1. All students who pay an activity fee may vote.
  2. No delegate at the ballot box may wear anything or carry anything that endorses any particular candidate, or make remarks that may influence the vote.
  3. Voting students must identify themselves by signing their name or Student ID number on a student manifest. Ballots will only be given to students who have followed these guidelines.
  4. Members of the S.G.A. Senate will be responsible for monitoring the ballot box.
  5. Votes will be tallied by a student representative and a staff or faculty advisor.

Term of Office

President will be installed into office at the end of Spring semester and his/her term shall end at the close of Spring semester one year hence. He/she will remain as an ex-officio member of the Senate during the Summer semester following his/her term of office to assist the new President during transition. All other officers are installed in the Fall semester and will remain in office until the end of Spring semester.

Installation of Officers

The oath of office shall be administered to the officers during the first month of Fall semester.

Oath of Office

The oath shall be administered by the President of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College or his/her designee.

Dismissal or Resignation of an Officer

The President’s office is to be filled by the Vice President. In case any other offices are vacated due dismissal or resignation, the SGA Senate shall be charged with filling the vacant office with a member from the existing group of SGA delegates within two (2) Senate meetings.

Article VII

Impeachment procedures:  Upon receiving written complaint against any Senate member, the SGA Advisor shall form a committee of students and advisory committee members to investigate and determine if such actions warrant the calling of that member before the entire Senate for disciplinary actions.

The charges for which a member may be dismissed are as follows. Dismissal requires two-thirds of the SGA Senate present and voting.

  1. More than two unexcused absences at Association and Senate meetings. Absences are accepted as excused if the officer presents a valid excuse to an Advisor before the meeting.
  2. Repeatedly not completing duties assigned (including scheduled office hours).
  3. Embarrassing the Student Government Association through personal actions or spoken words.
  4. Lack of attendance at Senate sponsored activities.

Article VIII

Club Responsibilities

  1. Clubs must submit charter materials by October 15 to be eligible for active status. Each club must submit a current club constitution, a list of club officers and advisors, an annual club budget and planned campus service and community service projects for the year. See forms on the SGA website. Failure to do so will result in revocation of Club Charter.
  2. A club shall have a president or designated representative elected by October 15 to serve as the club senator. The Club Senator will be eligible for the Leadership Scholarship in the amount of $15 per official Association and Senate Meeting. A club Senator must be present at every SGA General Business Meeting. The absence of a Club Senator at two consecutive SGA monthly meetings will result in revocation of Club Charter.

Article IX

Advisory Committee: The Advisory Committee shall consist of five members of the Faculty-Administration. These members shall be one member appointed by the President of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College, one member appointed by the Faculty, two members appointed by SGA officers, and one advisor from Student Services.

Duties of the Advisory Committee

  1. The Student Services Advisor shall review agenda items prior to submission to the Association’s Senate membership.
  2. The advisor from Student Services shall be responsible for checking the academic standing of the Senate membership and elected officers and supply any needed information from Student Services that the Association may need.
  3. Upon receiving a written complaint against any Senate Member, Advisory Committee members will investigate evidence of actions to determine if that member should be called before the entire senate for possible dismissal.

Article X

This constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote cast by the present members of the SGA Senate and a written acceptance of the administration of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College. Amendments may be proposed by: (1) the Executive Council, (2) a committee appointed by the Executive Council for such actions, or (3) petition from 20% of the student body.

Article XI

The constitution is ratified by a two-thirds vote cast by the members of the Student Government Association Senate and written acceptance of the Administration of Rowan-Cabarrus Community College.

Article XII

Robert’s Rules of Order shall guide all parliamentary actions where the same is not covered by this constitution.