Approved USG Constitution Changes

8/21/2019 Approved USG Constitution Changes

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CONSTITUTION OF THE UNDERGRADUATESTUDENT GOVERNMENTOF THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT

(Approved by the Student Body September 12, 2008 and the Board of Trustees February 27, 2008)

PREAMBLE

We, the Undergraduate Students, of the University of Connecticut, inaffirmation of our inherent rights and responsibilities as citizens who haveselected, of our own accord, membership in this University, do hereby affirm thisConstitution of the Undergraduate Student Government. In demand that ourrights and interests be advocated, we entrust their defense and protection to ourrepresentative leaders, elected on our behalf under the provisions of thisConstitution. We therefore charge all members of this student government to

passionately defend our rightful stake in the University. Recognizing the need tobalance enduring traditions with the dynamic academic and social environment,we call upon our leaders to facilitate our active partnership with the University ofConnecticut faculty, staff, administration, and Trustees. It is the will of thestudents that complacency by any party in these matters be neither respected nortolerated at this institution, and that the collective voice of the student body beheard.


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ARTICLE I Last Modified: May 1st, 2008

ARTICLE I

Powers and Responsibilities of the Undergraduate

Student Government

1) The Undergraduate Student Governmentshall be the primary recognized voice of thestudents to all audiences and shall activelypartake in the university-wide decision-making process through representation andadvocacy.

2) The right of Undergraduate StudentGovernment to communicate with theStudent Body shall not be abridged.

3) The Undergraduate Student Governmentwill ensure the observance, protection andpromotion of student rights under theStudent Bill of Rights

4) The Undergraduate Student Governmentshall reserve the right to adopt and amendits own ByLlaws.

5) The Undergraduate Student Governmentshall reserve the right to choose its ownadvisor(s).

6) The Undergraduate Student Governmentshall at all times remain accountable andaccessible to individual students and theentire Student Body at large.

7) The Undergraduate Student Governmentshall allocate student fees received under itsagency relationship with the University in afair and equitable manner in accordancewith state law.

8) The Undergraduate Student Governmentshall retain the power to take any actionswhich shall be necessary and proper forexecuting these foregoing powers andduties.

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ARTICLE III Last Modified: April 15th, 2010

ARTICLE III

Membership of the Undergraduate Student

Government

1) Membership of the Undergraduate StudentGovernment shall include: elected officer,appointed officers, and committee members.

2) Membership of the Undergraduate StudentGovernment is open only to registereddegree-seeking, fee paying, undergraduatestudents at Storrs. Failure to comply withthese criteria shall lead to automaticforfeiture of membership rights.

3) Members of the Undergraduate StudentGovernment should remain in goodacademic standing within the University.Good academic standing is defined as:Shall not be on academic probation for twoconsecutive semesters.

4) Each candidate must reside in his or herrespective constituency zone, or be amember of his or her school or college, or bea member of his or her class at the time ofelection at the time of election and mustremain so during the tenure of theirposition.

5) No Senator member shall concurrently holdpositions within more than one branch ofthe Undergraduate Student Government orbe permitted to seek election to an executiveposition, judiciary responsibility, or morethan one seat unless explicitly permitted

under the Constitution or Byl Laws.Election to a subsequent position andsubsequent acceptance shall lead to anautomatic forfeiture of the previousposition.

6) Constituencies for the UndergraduateStudent Senate shall be determined byResidential Zones and Academic Schoolsand Colleges.

a) This constituencyrepresentation system shall gointo effect prior to the 2015Spring Elections

7) Each rResidential district Zone asacknowledged by the UndergraduateStudent Government shall have at least onerepresentative.

a) Representation shall be basedon population as outlined in the

Bylaws. Districts containingmore than 750 students shall beallotted two representatives.

a)b)The total of all Residential Zoneseats shall not exceed 20 seats.

6)8)Seats shall be reserved in the Student Senatefor commuting students chosen in anelection open to all degree-seekingundergraduate students who do not residein on-campus housing. Commuters shall beguaranteed one Seat with additional Seatsallotted for each 750 registered commutingundergraduates thereafter.

9) Each academic school and college, asacknowledged by the UndergraduateStudent Government, shall have at least onerepresentative. An additionalrepresentative shall be allotted for every 750

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ARTICLE II Last Modified: April 15th, 2010

undergraduate students enrolled in a school

or college.

a) Representation shall be basedon population as outline in theBylaws.

a)b)The total of all Academic schooland college seats shall notexceed twenty-five seats.

7) Five Multiculturalism and Diversity seatsshall be reserved to represent divergentviews and promote cultural awareness.These seats shall be chosen in an electionopen to all degree-seeking undergraduate

students.

8) One seat shall be reserved for each of theclass standings, Freshmen, Sophomore,Junior and Senior to represent theirrespective classes.

9)10) Five Up to ten ex-officio, non-voting seatsshall may be filled each year by nominationof the Student Body President andconfirmation by a majority vote of theSenate.

10)11) Upon taking the Oath of Office,members shall serve until the term of theirspecific seat is specified to end barringimpeachment, removal, or resignation.

11)12) The term of all Residential or CommuterSenators shall begin following the Fallelection and shall conclude the subsequentFall. The term of all other Senators shallextend from their Spring election to thefollowing Spring.

12)13) Speaking privileges within the Senateshall be extended to the President, VicePresident and Comptroller.

13)14) Speaking privileges within the Senateshall be extended to the CommitteeChairpersons that do not simultaneouslyhold both a Senate seat and the position ofChairperson.

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ARTICLE III Last Modified: April 15th, 2010

ARTICLE III

Powers and Functions of the Student Senate

1) All legislative action shall take place in theStudent Senate.

2) The Student Senate shall have the power toissue statements and take action on behalf ofthe Student Body as the representative voiceof students.

2)3)The Student Senate shall have the power toapprove the agenda for Senate meetings andmake any alterations to the agenda bymajority vote.

3) The Student Senate shall elect a Speaker tospeak on behalf of the Senate and presideover its meetings.

4)5)4)The Student Senate shall approve all

presidential appointments, includingCommittee Chairpersons and external

appointments, by majority vote of the body.

6)5)The Student Senate shall exercise controlover its student fee revenue and shall

approve the Undergraduate StudentGovernment budget each semester.

7)6)The Student Senate shall have the power todelegate authority not herein specified toofficers and committees, and shall have thepower to supervise, overrule, remove or

replace those to whom this authority hasbeen entrusted.

7) The Student Senate shall meet at least everyother week when fall and spring classes arein session.

8) The Student Senate shall elect Senators toserve positions as the Speaker of the Senateand the Parliamentarian.

8)9)The Student Senate shall have the power toremove the Speaker of the Senate and the

Parliamentarian through a motion of noconfidence and a vote of two thirds.

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ARTICLE IV

Powers and Functions of the Senate Leadership

1) The Senate Leadership shall consist of theSpeaker of the Senate, the Deputy Speaker,

and the Parliamentarian.

2) The Senate Leadership is responsible forcarrying out the daily functions of theStudent Senate and shall play a guiding rolein the development of legislation.

2)3)The Senate Leadership shall formulate theagenda for Student Senate meetings at least48 hours prior to the commencement of ameeting of the Student Senate. In the eventof an emergency Senate being called byeither the Speaker or the ExecutiveCommittee, an agenda does not need to beprepared 48 hours in advance.

3)4)The Senate Leadership shall be responsiblefor training all members of the Student

Senate.

4)5)The Senate Leadership shall be responsiblefor ensuring that Senators fulfill theirresponsibilities in accordance with theConstitution and Bylaws.

6) The Senate Leadership shall be responsiblefor creating guidelines to bring forward toSenate that shall outline expectations andstandards that are not specified within theConstitution and its Bylaws. Theseguidelines are to be presented to Senate forapproval no later than the second Senatemeeting of the fall semester.

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ARTICLE V Last Modified: April 15th, 2010

ARTICLE IV

Powers and Functions of the Speaker of the

Student Senate

1) The Student Senate shall elect a Speaker ofthe Senate by and from the Senate at the firstmeeting of the newly-elected senate eachspring.

2) The Speaker shall serve as the officialspokesperson of the Senate. The Speakershall communicate the views of the Senateand the intent of all legislation of the Senate.

3) The Speaker of the Senate shall preside overall Senate meetingsas a neutral party. In theevent of his or her absence, inability topreside, or should he or she wish to

temporarily step down, the meeting shall beconvened Chaired by the next person inLine of Succession which shall be defined inthe Bylaws Deputy Speaker.In the event ofa recusal, the Speaker may regain the Chaironce the item of business involving therecusal has closed.

4) The Speaker shall have the ability to call aspecial session of the Senate, provideds/hehe or she provide due notice and anagenda 48 hours in advance.

5) The Speaker shall be responsible fororienting all new members of the Senate.

6) The Speaker shall be responsible forensuring that Senators fulfill theirresponsibilities under the Constitution and

By Laws in conjunction with the Sergeant-at-Arms.

7)5)In the event of death, resignation, orremoval from office, a new Speaker shallmust be elected by and from the Senate atthe next meeting of the Senate withoutoption to lay table.

8)6)The Speaker shall nominate a DeputySpeaker from a member of the seatedSenate, which must be confirmed by amajority vote of the Undergraduate StudentSenate.

9) Meetings of the Undergraduate StudentSenate should be led by a neutral party. Theline of succession for running parts ofmeetings when the Speaker wishes toparticipate in debate on an issue the chair ofthe meeting shall pass to the DeputySpeaker. If the Deputy Speaker wishes toparticipate in debate when in control of themeeting or if they have already participatedin debate on the issue on the floor then thechair of the meeting shall pass to thePresident. The Speaker shall retain their tie-breaking vote in all issues presented beforethe Student Senate, regardless of whether

they have yielded the chair. When the issuein which the Speaker (and possibly DeputySpeaker) has offered their opinion and thediscussion closed, chair of the meeting shallreturn to the Speaker.

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ARTICLE V Last Modified: April 15th, 2010

10) The Speaker shall be responsible for creatingguidelines to bring forward to Senate thatshall outline expectations and standards thatare not specified within the Constitutionand its By Laws. These guidelines are to bepresented to Senate for approval no laterthan the second Senate meeting of the fallsemester.

11) The Speaker shall be responsible forcollecting letters of intent and nominatingthe Chairperson and members of the

Nomination Committee. This

Committees membership must be namedno later than the third Senate of the Fall

Semester and vacant positions filled on as

needed basis for the remainder of the

academic year.

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ARTICLE VI Last Modified: April 15th, 2010

ARTICLE VI

Powers and Functions of the

ParliamentarianSergeant-at-Arms

1) The student Senate shall elect aParliamentarianSergeant-at-Arms by andfrom the Senate at the first meeting of thenewly-elected senate each fallspringfollowing the election of the Speaker of theSenate.

2) The ParliamentarianSergeant-at-Arms shallserve to maintain order and as themonitoring mechanism of theUndergraduate Student Government toensure fulfillment of the requirements of theconstitution, bylaws, and guidelines.

3) The Parliamentarian Sergeant-at-Arms shallreport their findings to the StudentSpeakerof the Senate and the SenateLeadershipExecutive branch.

4) The ParliamentarianSergeant-at-Arms shallseek punitive measures against violations ofthe constitution, by laws, and guidelines asnecessary.

5) The ParliamentarianSergeant-at-Arms shallonly be allowed to seek punitive measuresthrough the normal channels provided inthe constitution, bylaws, and guidelines.

6) In the event of death, resignation, removalfrom office or vacancy of theParliamentarianSergeant-at-Arms, a newappointment shall be elected by and fromthe Senate at the next meeting of the Senate.

7) The position of ParliamentarianSergeant-at-Arms serves as a monitor and aid inupholding the governing documents thatcause the Undergraduate StudentGovernment to function. and is given thespecial honor of uphold the values and

memory of former members of theUndergraduate Student Government whohave passed while students of theUniversity of Connecticut.

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ARTICLE VII Last Modified: April 15th, 2010

ARTICLE VIII

Powers and Functions of the Executive Branch

1) The Executive Branch shall consist of thePresident, Vice President, Comptroller, andStanding Committee Chairs and any

additional personnel which the Presidentmay enlist using his powers as thePresident.

2) The Executive Branch shall be responsiblefor carrying out the daily operations of the

student government and implementing theConstitution, Byl Laws, and legislation ofthe Undergraduate Student Government.

3) No member of the Executive Branch shallsimultaneously hold a position in either theSenate or Judiciary with the exception ofthose explicitly provided for under theConstitution and Byl Laws.

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ARTICLE VIII Last Modified: April 15th, 2010

ARTICLE VIII

Powers and Functions of the President of the

Student Body

1) The President of the Student Body shall bethe official spokesperson of the StudentBody.

2) The President shall deliver a State of theCampus address in a special session duringeach semester.

3) The President shall attend all meetings ofthe Senate, but shall not be permitted tovote.

4) The President shall be required to sign alllegislation passed by the Senate withinseven days of its passage. Within the sevendays, the president may veto said legislationby alerting the Speaker of the Senate in

writing. Legislation shall be returned to theSenate, and with a vote of two thirds2/3, theveto of the President may be overridden.Should the President fail to sign or vetowithin seven days, the legislation shall beconsidered enacted.

5) The President shall nominate Senators toChair and serve on the Nominationscommittee by the third Senate of the Fall inorder to present recommendations to fillvacancies in the Judiciary. Committeemembers and Judicial appointments mustbe confirmed by the Student Senate with atwo-thirds majority. appoint two Justices to

the Judiciary with confirmation of a 2/3vote by Senate at the end of the presidentialterm in the Spring. Any additionalappointments shall be based solely on thenumber of vacancies that may rest in the

Judiciary and shall occur as otherwise statedin the Constitution and By Laws.

6) The President shall appoint five up to ten ex-officioSenators with the confirmation of eachby a majority vote of the Senate.

7) The President shall appoint all standingCommittee Chairpersons with theconfirmation of each by a majority vote ofthe Senate.

8) The President shall appoint all vacancies toexternal committees with the confirmationof a majority of the Senate.

9) The President shall have the power toappoint ad-hoc committees with a writtencharge and finite timeline. Ad-hoccommittees where the President does notgive a date of dissolution shall dissolute atthe end of the establishing Presidents term.be assumed to have the finite timeline of theterm of the president who established saidcommittee. Any Eestablished ad-hoccommittees with dissolution dates outsidethe term of the President who establishedthem shall maybe subject to re-approval bythe new administration through a writtencharge. All findings and work of establishedad-hock committees must be reported to theExecutive Committee and the Student

Senate. If the new President chooses not tohave the committee continue, they maywrite an executive charge to end the ad-hoccommittee and ask them to report theirfindings at the next Senate meeting or hand

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ARTICLE VIII Last Modified: April 15th, 2010

over the progress they made to the

Executive Committee.

a) Requests for decision may be referred tothe Judiciary by a majority vote of theSenate, and a hearing panel shall hearthe case with the exception of a requestfor decision on an executive order.Requests for decision on an executiveorder after receiving a majority vote ofthe Senate shall be heard by thecurrently seated Justices and theSpeaker of the Senate, or the DeputySpeaker if the Speaker refuses, wouldrepresent the senate on their behalf.

b) If there is a conflict of interest thatwould reasonably hold a member of theJudiciary from rendering an objectivedecision, a temporary proxy may standin for said conflict holder, confirmed bya majority vote of the other actingJustices prior to the hearing

10) The President shall preside over meetings ofthe Executive Committee.

11) The President shall have the power to call aspecial session of the Executive Committeeshould a situation requiring immediateaction arise at any time.

12) The President shall retain signature powerover all student government accounts.

13) The President shall hire and terminate allpaid employees, with the consent of 2/3 ofthe Executive Committee. The Presidentshall supervise and evaluate, in writing, allpaid student government employees.

14)13) The President shall assist theComptroller in the development andpresentation of a budget to the Senate eachsemester.

15)14) The President shall have the power toenforce all binding documents within the

Undergraduate Student Government andmay exercise his or her authority to ensurethat all officers, employees, committeemembers, and volunteers of theUndergraduate Student Government abideby those binding documents through meansof executive order(s). The Senate mayrequest a decision on the constitutionality ofan executive order by majority vote, whichwould be heard by the full Judiciary. TheSpeaker of the Senate, or Deputy Speaker ifthe Speaker refuses, would represent thesenate on their behalf.

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ARTICLE VIIIX Last Modified: April 15th, 2010

ARTICLE VIIIX

Powers and Functions of the Vice President

1) The Vice President shall assist the Presidentin fulfilling all duties and responsibilities ofthe Executive.

2) The Vice President shall oversee the dailyoperation of the Undergraduate StudentGovernment and its office, includingestablishing and maintaining office policy.Changes to office policy must be reported tothe Executive Committee.

3) The Vice President shall supervise, evaluate,hire, and terminate all paid, unpaid

employees and work-study employeesies.All hiring and terminating mustshall beapproved by two-thirds ofreported to theExecutive Committee.

4) In the event of the Presidents absence, theVice President shall chair the meetings ofthe Executive Committee.

5) The Vice President shall attend all meetingsof the Student Senate, but shall not bepermitted to vote.

6) In the event of death, resignation or removalfrom office of the President, the VicePresident shall succeed the President.

7) In the event of death, resignation or removalfrom office of the Vice President, a new VicePresident shall be nominated by thePresident and confirmed by a majority ofthe Senate.

8) The Vice President shall be the executiveliaison to all ex-officio Senators.

9) The Vice President shall serve as Historianfor the Undergraduate Student Government.

10) It shall be the duty of the Vice President toretain current senators, volunteers, work-studies, and interns.

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ARTICLE IX Last Modified: April 21st, 2010

ARTICLE IX

Powers and Functions of the Comptroller

1) The Comptroller shall oversee all financialmatters of the organization and shall ensurethat all expenditures of the UndergraduateStudent Government are in accordance withUndergraduate Student Government policyand any applicable laws and regulations.

2) The Comptroller shall exercise signaturepower over all Undergraduate StudentGovernment accounts and shall have theability to financially commit theorganization, approve expenditures andsign contracts on behalf of the organization.

The Comptroller may relinquish his or herpower to the President or the Vice Presidentin the event that he or she is unavailable tosign.

3) The Comptroller shall be required to sign orrefuse all requests for expenditures withinseven days of receipt. In the event that theComptroller refuses to sign, the Comptrollermust notify the requesting party, theExecutive Committee and the Senate inwriting within seven days. This refusal mustbe accompanied by a policy or law that theUndergraduate Student Government isrequired to follow and included in the

written statement of refusal. If theComptrollers refusal to sign is to beoverturned, a case must be filed with theJudiciary by an undergraduate studentagainst the reasoning put forth by the

Comptroller. Upon the finding of theJudiciary the Comptrollers decision is eitherupheld, returned to Senate or funded in full.If the Comptrollers signature is over turnedin such a way, the Vice President must signin place of the Comptroller.

4) The Comptroller shall be familiar with thebookkeeping system of the UndergraduateStudent Government and with the status ofall accounts so that the Comptroller mayinform any Senator, student, or other partyof the same. The Comptroller may review

the operation of the bookkeeping office andshall report any irregularities to the StudentSenate and the Executive Committee.

5) The Comptroller, with the assistance of thePresident, shall develop and present thebudget to Senate for approval each semesterfor the subsequent semester.

6) The Comptroller shall assist the President inany fiscally related responsibilities that thePresident deems necessary.

7) The Comptroller shall attend all meetings ofthe Student Senate, but shall not be

permitted to vote.

8) In the event of death, resignation, removalfrom office or vacancy of the Comptroller, a

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ARTICLE IX Last Modified: April 21st, 2010

new Comptroller shall be elected by the

Senate at the next meeting of the Senate.

9) The Comptroller is responsible for thecreation of fiscally related policy for theUndergraduate Student Government.

a) The creation or amending of suchpolicy must be submitted to theExecutive Committee for approvaland then approved by the Senate by atwo-thirds2/3smajority.

ARTICLE XI

Powers and Functions of the Executive Committee

1) The Executive Committee shall becomposed of the President, Vice President,Comptroller, the Speaker of the Senate,Chief Justice, and the chairpersons of eachstanding committee. The Chief Justice shallserve the Executive Committee in a non-voting capacity.

2) The Executive Committee shall consider theagenda proposed for Student Senatemeetings by the Speaker of the Senate atleast 48 hours prior to the commencement ofa meeting of the Student Senate. Exclusionof proposed items or inclusion of new itemson the agenda shall require approval of 2/3of the Committee In the event of anemergency Senate being called by either theSpeaker or the Executive Committee, anagenda does not need to be prepared 48hours in advance.

3) The Executive Committee shall have thepower to call special or emergency StudentSenate meetings in accordance withConnecticut State laws and regulations, insuch case the Speaker shall have theresponsibility of providing an agenda 6hours in advance.

4) The Executive Committee shall confirm thehiring and termination of all paid employeesby a two-thirds2/3- majority vote. Allinstances of hiring and terminating in thismanner shall be reported to Senate at itsnext meeting.

5) The Executive Committee shall discussissues of primary significance to the StudentBody and may delegate or recommend acourse of action to a standing or ad-hoccommittee or to the Student Senate.

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ARTICLE XII Last Modified: April 15th, 2010

ARTICLE XII

Powers and Functions of Committees and

Chairpersons

1) Each standing committee shall have aCommittee Chairperson appointed by thePresident and confirmed by the Senate.Chairpersons may, but are not required to,simultaneously hold both a Senate seat andthe position of Chairperson.

2) Committee Chairpersons shall have thepower to appoint and remove the membersof their respective committees.

3) The Committee Chairpersons shall serve asthe presiding officer at their respectivecommittee meetings.

4) The Committee Chairpersons shall beresponsible for overseeing the work of all

their respective committee activities andprojects.

5) The Committee Chairpersons shall beresponsible for reporting the status of theirrespective committee to the members of theUndergraduate Student Government andthe University community. At the lastSenate meeting of each semester, CommitteeChairpersons shall issue a written semester-end report summarizing theaccomplishments, challenges, activities, andfuture goals of their respective committees.

6) Each Committee shall be required to submitits guidelines and operating procedures tothe Senate for consideration and approvalby a 2/3-two-thirds majority at thebeginning of each academic year.

7) The Committee Chairpersons shall appointa Vice Chairperson to assist in the dispersalof Committee responsibilities. Theappointed Vice Chairperson may chaircommittee meetings in the absence of theChairperson or if the Chairperson wishes totemporarily step down for either a part of orthe entire meeting. The Vice Chairpersonshall serve as a member of the ExecutiveCommittee in the Chairpersons absence.

8) Standing committees shall have establishedtimes and days of the week for committeemeetings.

9) Committee Chairpersons that do notsimultaneously hold a Senate seat and theposition of Chairperson shall attend allmeetings of the Student Senate, but shall notbe permitted to vote.

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ARTICLE XIII Last Modified: April 21st, 2010

ARTICLE XIII

Powers and Functions of the Judiciary

1) The Judiciary shall serve to provideinterpretation of the Undergraduate Studentgovernment Constitution, Byl Laws, policiesand procedures and shall address and

resolve ethical disputes and allegedviolations of the Student Body Constitution,Byl Laws, policies and procedures related tothe Senate and the Executive.

2) The Judiciary shall consist of five Justices.The five Justices shall be nominated by theNomination Committee to the StudentSenate no earlier than eight weeks into theSpring Semester and no later than thesecond to last Senate of the Spring semesterto serve a one-year term, beginning at theSenate Meeting in which the elected SpringPositions take the oath of office.

3) From amongst themselves, the Justices shallselect a Chief Justice to coordinate theactions of the court. The Chief Justice shallserve as the spokesperson of the Judiciary toall internal and external audiences. Anyother appointments to the Judiciary shall behandled as laid out in the Constitution andBy Laws. The Chief Justice may select aDeputy Chief Justice from the Judiciary toaid the Chief Justice in coordinating theactions of the court.

4) Justices shall be aware of the studentgovernment Constitution, Byl Laws, andpolicies, Roberts Rules of Order, the

Student Conduct Code and all applicablelocal, state and federal statutes. TheJudiciary shall also ensure studentgovernment compliance with local, stateand federal law.

5) The Judiciary shall coordinate and overseeall Undergraduate Student Governmentelections.

6) Justices shall train incoming justices beforethe close of the Spring Semester.

7)6)The Judiciary shall collaborate with andassist the peer judicial boards establishedunder the Student Conduct Code whereappropriate.

8)7)At least one Justice shall be expected toattend each Senate meeting and StandingCommittee meeting, in a non-votingcapacity, to provide Constitutional andprocedural interpretation if called upon.

a) Should there be a perceived violation ofany governing document, the Justice atthe committee meeting will inform themember running the meeting of theconcern and if it is necessary, inform theParliamentarianSergeant-at-Arms forpossible follow-up. Should a case arisefrom informing theParliamentarianSergeant-at-Arms, theinforming Justice would recusethemselves from the opinion and atemporary Justice may be selected bythe remaining Justices for the purpose ofwriting the opinion should the Courtwish to do so.

b)

Should there be a number of sittingJustices that is less than the number ofStanding Committees, the Justices shallmake reasonable effort to ensure that allStanding Committees have some form

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of Judicial reference or contact should aJustice not be available.

9)8)Justices shall provide due process under thefollowing processes:

a) Requests for decision regardingthe constitutionality of anExecutive Order may bereferred to the Judiciary by amajority vote of the Senate, andthe cases shall be heard by ahearing panel.

b) Any undergraduate studentmay also refer a case or appeal,requesting, in writing, adecision from the Judiciaryregarding a topic which isreasonable for the Judiciary toissue an opinion or decisionupon. In such cases, the bodyshall determine by a majorityvote of its full membership,whether to hear the request.

c) In instances where the Judiciaryrefuses a request, the refusalshall be returned, in writing,within five business days of

receiving the request. In allother instances, proceedingsshall commence no sooner thanthree business days and no laterthan seven business daysfollowing written notification ofall concerned parties.

d) Hearing panels shall becomposed of three justices,formed on a rotational basiscoordinated by the Chief Justice.Should the Chief Justice need torecuse themselves from a case,they may still coordinate the

remaining Justices that will hearthe case.

e) Appeals regarding a Judicialcase shall be brought before a

complete panel of all fivejustices. Two justices mustagree to hear an appeal in whichthe Judiciary has already ruledand a majority of the fullmembership shall be required tooverturn a previously rendereddecision.

f) All decisions of the court,including its rules of procedure,shall be made public, in writing,and recorded for futureguidance except in cases where

confidentiality applies.

g) Justices shall be expected tomaintain impartiality andfairness at all times, holdingthemselves to the higheststandards of accountability.Justices shall recuse themselvesin cases where a conflict ofinterest is present.

h) Should the court need to replacea justice for the purpose ofquorum, a temporaryreplacement may be selected bythe Judiciary. The replacementjustice must be approved by allremaining justices and his/herservice shall expire at thecompletion of the hearing.

10)9) In the event that there are lessthan five Justices occupying theJudiciary, the Nominating Committeeshall make reasonable effort to fill theempty seats with adequate nominees.

11) In the event that no Justice seats arecurrently filled, an emergency Senate

session shall be called with the only

order of business to fill a seat on the

Judiciary. During this session the Vice

President or designated party in the

event of a conflict of interest, shall act as

judicial reference. The only time in

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which the Nomination Committees

charge of appointing a Justice shall be

temporarily suspended shall be if the

Nomination Committee does not have a

nomination to put forth during that

Senate, in which case the Speaker would

ask for nominations during that Senate

in its place and confirmed by a majority

vote of Senate. The Vice-President

would read the Oath of Office to the

newly appointed Justice and this Justice

shall act as the Chief Justice.

12) The Chief Justice shall be responsible forcreating a timeline of topics each

semester that the Judiciary will discuss

amongst itself that relates to the

organization and the documents that

govern it. The Judiciary will issue a per

curiam opinion on the topics of concern

and these opinions will be presented to

the Executive Committee and Senate for

review.

13) The Chief Justice shall be responsible forcreating guidelines regarding the format

of Judicial hearings, this procedure mustbe accepted by a majority of the sitting

Justices in order to be enacted.

14) The Chief Justice shall be responsible forcoordinating the Judiciary with the Vice

President and Speaker regarding topics

to aid in orienting new members.

15) The Chief Justice shall be responsible forensuring that all legislation that affects

the Constitution or By Laws is included

into each respective document correctly

and is responsible for issuing an

updated version of each document

within five business days of any such

change to the President and the Speaker.

16) The Judiciary will serve to act as aresource for any legislation coming

forward by accepting pieces of

legislation at the authors request and

the Court will consider such an action a

question of constitutionality of the

document unless otherwise specified by

the author.

17)10) The Chief Justice shall beresponsible for compiling a set of

guidelines that will be presented to

Senate for confirmation regarding any

duties related to the functioning of the

Judiciary which is not laid out in the

Constitution and By Laws.

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ARTICLE XIVII Last Modified: April 15th, 2010

ARTICLE XIVII

Powers and Functions of the Chief Justice

1) The Judiciary shall select a Chief Justicefrom amongst themselves to coordinate theactions of the court.

2) The Chief Justice shall serve as thespokesperson of the Judiciary to all internaland external audiences

3) The Chief Justice may select a Deputy ChiefJustice from the Judiciary to aid the ChiefJustice in coordinating the actions of thecourt.

4) The Chief Justice shall be responsible fororienting and training all Justices.

5) The Chief Justice shall be responsible forcreating a timeline of topics each semester

that the Judiciary will discuss amongst itself

that relates to the organization and the

documents that govern it. The Judiciary will

issue a per curiam opinion on the topics of

concern and these opinions will be

presented to the Executive Committee and

Senate for review.

6) The Chief Justice shall be responsible forcreating guidelines regarding the format of

Judicial hearings, this procedure must be

accepted by a majority of the sitting Justices

in order to be enacted.

7) The Chief Justice shall be responsible forcoordinating the Judiciary with the Vice

President and Speaker regarding topics to

aid in orienting new members.

8) The Chief Justice shall be responsible forensuring that all legislation that affects the

Constitution or Bylaws is included into each

respective document correctly and is

responsible for issuing an updated version

of each document within five business days

of any such change to the President and the

Speaker.

9) The Judiciary will serve to act as a resourcefor any legislation coming forward by

accepting pieces of legislation at the authors

request and the Court will consider such anaction a question of constitutionality of the

document unless otherwise specified by the

author.

10) The Chief Justice shall be responsible forcompiling a set of guidelines that will bepresented to Senate for confirmationregarding any duties related to thefunctioning of the Judiciary which is not laidout in the Constitution and Bylaws.

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ARTICLE XVII Last Modified: April 15th, 2010

ARTICLE XV

Election Procedures of the Undergraduate Student

Government

1) The elections of all Academic Senators,Multicultural and Diversity Senators, andExecutive Officers shall be conducted atleast four weeks prior to the end of SpringSemester. The elections of all ResidentialZone, Commuter and ClassSenators shall beconducted no later than three weeksfollowing the first day of classes of the FallSemester.

2) All degree-seeking, undergraduate studentsat Storrs shall be able to cast one vote foreach open seat in his or/her residentialzonearea and,one vote for each seat open inhis or/ her academic school orcollegedivision, one vote for each openMulticulturalism and Diversity seat, and

one vote for an open class seat should oneexist. All degree-seeking, undergraduatecommuting students shall be able to cast oneballot for each open commuter seat.

3) All degree-seeking, undergraduate studentsat Storrs shall, in addition, cast one vote forthe Presidential/Vice Presidential ballot aswell as the Comptroller ballot.

4) All degree-seeking undergraduate studentsat Storrs shall cast one vote for each openelected Judiciary position.

5) Once confirmed by the Judiciary, the resultsof the Undergraduate Student Bodyelections shall remain in effect until the nextgeneral elections, barring resignation,removal or death.

6) Elected Senators, applicable appointed andelected Executive Officers, and appointedJustices and applicable appointed Executivepositions shall be sworn in by the previousyears Chief Justice at the last meeting of theSenate of the spring academic year or thefirst Student Senate meeting following anyelections, general or special, and anyappointments.. Elected Senators andapplicable appointed and elected ExecutiveOfficers shall be sworn in by the Chief

Justice at the first meeting of the Senatefollowing the fall general election. Membersof the Undergraduate Student Governmentelected to vacant seats in special electionsshall be sworn in by the Chief Justice at thefirst meeting of the Senate following thespecial election.

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ARTICLE XIVI Last Modified: April 15th, 2010

ARTICLE XIVI

Impeachment and Removal from the

Undergraduate Student Government

1) Articles of impeachment shall be consideredby the Judiciary only when substantialevidence indicates that a Member hasdemonstrated malfeasance of duties andresponsibilities or violated theUndergraduate Student GovernmentConstitution and Byl Laws.

2) Articles of impeachment shall be brought tothe Senate only after a majority vote of theentire Judiciary affirms that the chargeswarrant consideration of removal by theStudent Senate unless otherwise specified.Decisions of the Judiciary to commenceimpeachment proceedings shall not besubject to appeal.

3) Articles of impeachment pertaining to anelected justice shall be brought to theExecutive Committee for consideration andnot the Judiciary. An affirmative vote oftwo-thirds of the Executive Committee shallbe required for the consideration of removalby the Student Senate at its next meeting.Decisions of the Executive Committee tocommence impeachment proceedings on aJustice shall not be subject to appeals.

4) It shall be the responsibility of the person orpersons filing the articles of impeachment topresent the articles before a meeting of theStudent Senate. The member who is subject

to the charged impeachment shall benotified in writing at least 36 hours prior tothe meeting of the Student Senate at whichaction shall be considered and shall have theopportunity to defend himself/herself

against all charges at that meeting. It shallrequire the affirmative vote of two-thirds ofall present and voting members of theStudent Senate to remove an electedSenator, Executive Officer or Justice.

5) Any Senator with unexcused absences shallbe notified in writing by any member of theSenate Leadership. Senators who are absentand unexcused from two or moreUndergraduate Student Senate meetings peracademic semester may be removed fromoffice by unanimous vote from the SenateLeadership. After one unexcused absence,the Speaker or Deputy Speaker acting ontheir behalf shall issue a written warning tothe Senator of their one unexcused absence.

Following a second unexcused absence, theSenator shall be notified in writing of theirremoval from office. The Speaker shallnotify the Senate at the next senate meeting.The Senate may object the decision and hasthe right to overturn the decision by a two-thirds majority. The Senate, upon their firstsenate meeting following the removal shallbe notified by the Speaker or DeputySpeaker on their behalf at which time theSenate reserves the right to overturn theremoval by a 2/3 majority vote.

6) The positive petition requesting the removalof a Senator by 50% plus one of the Senators

constituency shall be grounds for thecommencement of impeachmentproceedings at the next Senate meetingwithout requiring review by the Judiciary.The party whom collected the signatures

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ARTICLE XVI Last Modified: August 30th, 2007

shall act as the complainant plaintiff in the

manner.

7) Executive appointees and Committee Chairsmay be removed from their post by the

Senate with the affirmative vote of two -

thirds of all present and voting members ofthe Student Senate.

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ARTICLE XVI Last Modified: August 30th, 2007

ARTICLE XVII

Successions and Vacancies from the

Undergraduate Student Government

1) A member of the same constituency shall filla vacancy among elected student Senators.

The replacement shall be elected by amajority of voting fee-paying,undergraduate students from within therespective constituency during a specialelection coordinated by the Judiciary.

2) In the event of resignation, removal ordeath, the order of succession to the Student

Body Presidency shall be the Vice President,the Speaker of the Student Senate, and theComptroller, respectively.

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ARTICLE XVIII Last Modified: August 30th, 2007

ARTICLE XVIII

Parliamentary Authority

1) The rules contained in the current edition ofRoberts Rules of Order Newly Revised shallgovern the organization in all cases to whichthey are applicable and in which they arenot inconsistent with the Constitution or itsByl Laws. The Student Senate by two-thirdsvote may alter or amend these rules.

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ARTICLE XIXVII Last Modified: April 15th, 2010

ARTICLE XIXVII

Amendments and Byl Laws to the Undergraduate

Student Government Constitution

1) Any student may propose amendmentsto this Constitution through theExecutive Committee. An amendment,so proposed, approved by a two-thirdsvote of the Student Senate shall bepresented to the full membership of theUndergraduate Student Body for areferendum at the next Student Senateelection. Unless otherwise stated, uponapproval of a majority of the StudentBody and the University Of ConnecticutBoard Of Trustees or their proxy shouldone exist, every amendment shall beimmediately enacted.

2) The Undergraduate StudentGovernment shall maintain its Byl Lawsas an appendix to the Constitution.These Byl Laws may be amended by avote of two-thirds of all members of theStudent Senate present and voting.

3) Every four years, beginning in the fall2005, an ad-hoc committee shall beconvened with the explicit task ofreviewing the Constitution of theUndergraduate Student Government,proposing amendments, modificationsand revision as necessary.

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ARTICLE XXVIII Last Modified: April 15th, 2010

ARTICLE XXVIII

Enabling Clause of the Undergraduate Student

Government

1) The provisions of this Constitution and itsByl Laws related to elections shallimmediately replace the existingConstitution of the Undergraduate StudentGovernment upon the approval of theUndergraduate Student Body and theUniversity Of Connecticut Board OfTrustees or their proxy should one exist.For the purposes of the first spring electionfollowing ratification, oversight and conductof the elections shall be coordinated by thecurrent Elections Committee. All remainingprovisions shall replace the existingConstitution and Byl Laws upon thecompletion of the spring UndergraduateStudent Government election. Thelegislation adopted under that document,which is not superseded by this Constitutionand its Byl Laws or amendments, shallremain enacted for a period of one year.

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Approved USG Constitution Changes

Documents

Transcript of Approved USG Constitution Changes