Westhampton College Government Association Constitution

Approved by Student Body on November 14, 2006

Preamble

In order to promote the general welfare of the student body, to instill the convictions of self-government and democracy in each student and to foster a dynamic, academic and social atmosphere in the Westhampton College community, this constitution is hereby ordained and established.

Article I

The name of this organization shall be Westhampton College Government Association (WCGA).

Article II

All current students of Westhampton College shall be members-at-large of the association.

Article III

The purposes of the association shall be to: one, keep the spirit and traditions of Westhampton College alive; two, address the needs and concerns of the women of Westhampton College; three, effect change and implement policy that reflect students’ needs and concerns; four, encourage and help to financially support student organizations; five, facilitate communication with university staff members and administrators; six, work with the university community to promote the welfare of the student body.

Article IV

The association shall be governed by the Honor Code of the University of Richmond.

Article V

Section 1.  The members of the WCGA council shall be led by the president and shall consist of the vice president, treasurer, secretary, chairwomen of the standing committees of the senate, Honor Council chair, Judicial Council chair, Board of Elections chair, Assistant Board of Elections chair, and the class presidents.

Section 2.  The purpose of the WCGA council shall be to serve as an advisory board and to maintain active communication among the branches of the association.

 Article VI

The association shall be divided into the executive, legislative, judicial, and class government branches.

Article VII

Section 1.  The executive branch shall by called the executive cabinet and shall consist of the president, vice president, treasurer, secretary, and the Board of Elections Chair and her Assistant.

Section 2. The Executive officers of the association shall be the president, vice president, treasurer and secretary.

A. The president shall have the following duties and powers:

1. To serve from the time of her installation until her successor’s installation.

2. To call and preside over meetings of the executive cabinet and WCGA council.

3. To serve as a member of the:

a. Board of Directors, WDCE 90.1 FM.

b. Commencement Advisory Council.

c. Board of Elections Committee.

d. University of Richmond Board of Publications.

e. University of Richmond Alumni Association

f. Westhampton College Student Affairs Committee.

g. Student Organizations Budget Appropriations Committee (SOBAC).

h. The Richmond Council.

i. Emergency Resource Team.

j. The Senate.

4. To be responsible for:

a. Administration of WCGA.

b. Representing the association between regular meetings.

c. Acting for the senate in the event of an emergency when the senate cannot be convened.

d. Collaborating with the vice president in selecting the chairwomen of the standing committees, the Board of Elections chairwoman and her assistant, as well as the recipients of the senator awards.

e. Creating committees that provide for the general welfare of the association.

5. To veto legislation within 48 hours after being enacted by the senate.  This veto may be overridden by a two-thirds vote of the senate.

6. To interpret the meaning of the constitution of the association, with her decision being subject to appeal by any member of the association.  An appeal will be heard by the Honor Council.

7. To adhere to attendance policies outlined by the executive cabinet.

8. To submit a written report outlining her activities as president to the Dean of Westhampton College at end of her term.

9. To submit written reports that outline the activities of the association at the end of her term.

B. The vice president shall have the following duties and powers:

1. To serve from the time of her installation until her successor’s installation.

2. To call and preside over the meetings of senate.

3. To serve as a member of the:

a. Executive cabinet.

b. WCGA council.

c. Board of Elections Committee.

d. The Senate.

4. To be responsible for:

a. Assuming the duties of the president in her absence or at her request.

b. Serving as senate parliamentarian.  She shall know and fully understand the constitution and parliamentary procedure.

c. Collaborating with the president in selecting the chairwomen of the standing committees, the Board of Elections chairwomen and her assistant, as well as and the recipients of the Senator awards.

d. Creating special committees with the advice of the president.

5. To adhere to attendance policies outlined by the executive cabinet.

6. To submit a written report outlining her activities as vice president to the president at the middle and end of her term.

C. The Treasurer shall have the following duties and powers:

1. To serve from the time of her installation until her successor’s installation.

2. To preside over the administration of funds in accordance with the budget adopted by senate.

3. To serve as a member of the:

a. Executive cabinet.

b. WCGA council.

c. SOBAC.

d. The Senate.

4. To be responsible for:

a. Supervising and recording all financial transactions of the association and the senate.

b. Proposing a budget for the following fiscal year and submitting it to the controller after ratification by the senate.

c. Performing all duties associated with SOBAC.

5. To adhere to attendance policies outlined by the executive cabinet.

6. To submit a written report outlining her activities as treasurer to the president at the middle and end of her term.

D. The secretary shall have the following duties and powers:

1. To serve from the time of her installation until her successor’s installation.

2. To preside over the accurate recording of actions taken by the association and senate.

3. To serve as a member of the:

a. Executive cabinet.

b. WCGA council.

c. The senate.

4. To be responsible for:

a. Completing necessary correspondence for the association.

b. Maintaining records of attendance for senate and enforcing the attendance policy.

c. Providing publicity for WCGA sponsored events.

d. Serving or appointing someone to serve as senate historian whose duties and powers include:

i. Clipping and saving relevant articles, taking photos and completing the WCGA scrapbook upon completion of the term.

ii. Updating the WCGA website as necessary.

iii. Maintaining WCGA advertising places, including the precinct on the second floor of the Tyler Haynes Commons.

5. To adhere to attendance policies outlined by the executive cabinet.

6. To submit a written report outlining her activities as secretary to the president at the middle and end of her term.

Article VIII

Section 1.  The legislative branch shall be called the Senate, and the officers of the Senate shall be the executive officers of the association.

Section 2.  The Senate shall comprise 30 members: six senators from each class (voting), the four executive officers of the association (non-voting) and the Board of Elections chairwoman and her Assistant (non-voting).

A. A Westhampton College dean shall serve as an advisor and as a non-voting member of the senate.

B. Should an officer or Senator have extenuating circumstances that preclude her from fulfilling her duties, she shall submit a written explanation of her situation to the executive cabinet.  The executive cabinet shall then decide on the appropriate course of action.

Section 3.  The duties and powers of senators shall be:

A. To serve from the time of her installation until the next senators are installed.

B. To serve as a member of:

1. The committee to which she is assigned.

2. The Senate.

C. To be responsible for:

1. Addressing student concerns as brought to the attention of the association.

2. Authorizing the dispersal of funds to officially recognized campus organizations.

3. Approving recommendations for expenditures that are not internally allocated through the senate budget.

4. Approving or amending the WCGA budget that is submitted by the treasurer.

5. Proposing policies and legislation as well as making recommendations to the administration, faculty and campus organizations concerning student life.

D. To adhere to attendance policies outlined by executive cabinet of the Association.

Section 4.  The senate shall abide by the following legislative process in conducting business.

A. Each senator shall have one vote.  Voting procedures for the senate shall be determined by the executive officers of the association.

B. Proposals must be introduced by a member of the university community.

C. Official motions must be introduced by a voting member of the Senate.

D. Two-thirds of the voting members of Senate shall constitute a quorum.

E. Any proposal presented to Senate that receives approval from two-thirds of the voting members shall pass.  However, the president of the association has the power to veto legislation within 48 hours of the senate's action.  If vetoed by the president, a two-thirds vote of the Senate shall be necessary to override the President's veto.

F. The dean of the college and the president of the university shall have absolute veto over any measure enacted by the Senate.  However, this veto must be announced within 120 hours of the senate's action.

Section 5.  The senate shall be divided into standing committees, which most effectively uphold the purpose of the association.

A. Committee chairwomen shall be appointed through an application and interview process conducted by the president and vice president of the association.  Their duties and powers include:

1. To serve from the time of appointment until the end of their current term.

2. To call and preside over weekly meetings of their committee.

3. To serve as members of:

a. WCGA council.

b. The committee to which they are assigned.

c. The senate.

4. To be responsible for:

a. Leading committee members in planning the events and activities sponsored by the committee for which they are responsible.

b. Reporting their committees’ activities at weekly senate meetings.

c. Representing her committee when the committee cannot be convened.

5. To adhere to attendance policies outlined by the executive cabinet.

6. To submit a written report outlining her activities as committee chairwoman to the president at the middle and end of her term.

Article IX

Section 1.  The judicial branch shall consist of the Honor Council and Judicial Council.

Section 2.  The Westhampton College Honor Council shall operate as outlined in the Honor Code Statutes of the University of Richmond.

A. The duties of the Honor Council chairwomen shall be:

1. To serve a one-year term from March to March.

2. To call and preside over all meetings of the Honor Council.

3. To serve as a member of the:

            a. WCGA council.

            b. Board of Elections Committee.

            c. Westhampton College Student Affairs Committee

4. To be responsible for:

a. Conducting an Honor Council procedures program for the new and transfer students during both orientations.

b. Conducting a training program for new members of the Honor Council.

c. Organizing Proclamation Night.

d. Serving as the official spokesperson of her council regarding any hearings over which she presides.

e. Representing her council, or select a representative to serve in her place, at the weekly meetings of the legislative branch.

f. Being present pre and post academic year in the event of a violation.

g. Being present upon the retrieval of election results involving the executive, legislative and class governing branches of the association.

5. To adhere to attendance policies outlined by the WCGA council.

6. To submit a written report outlining her activities as Honor Council chairwomen to the president and her faculty/staff advisor at the end of her term.

B. The duties of the Honor Council members shall be:

1. To serve terms from August until May.  New members may be asked to observe proceedings from the time of their selection to the end of that year.

2. To know, uphold, and fully understand the statutes, and procedures of the Honor Council.

3. To serve as:

a. Voting members of the Honor Council.

b. University or accused counsel when called upon by the chairwoman.

c. Hearing board members in order to determine decisions of guilt and provide proper sanctions for Honor Council violations.

4. To be responsible for:

a. Participating in orientation by proctoring Honor Code tests.

b. Being present pre and post academic year in the event of a violation.

c. Providing the university community with ongoing honor education to the student body.

5. To adhere to attendance policies outlined by the Westhampton College Honor Council chairwoman.

C. Honor Council appeals shall go before the university appellate Honor Council.

Section 3.  The Westhampton College Judicial Council shall operate as outlined in the constitution and bylaws of the Judicial Council of the University of Richmond.

A. The duties of the Judicial Council chairwoman shall be:

1. To serve a one-year term from April to April.

2. To call and preside over all meetings and hearings of the Judicial Council.

3. To serve as a member of the:

a. WCGA Council.

b. Board of Elections Committee.

c. Westhampton College Student Affairs Committee.

4. To be responsible for:

a. Conducting a Judicial Council procedures program for the new and transfer students during both orientations.

b. Conducting a training program for new members of the Judicial Council.

c. Serving as the official spokeswomen of her council regarding any open hearings over which she presides.

d. Representing her council, or selecting a representative to serve in her place, at the weekly meetings of the legislative branch.

e. Being present upon the retrieval of election results involving the executive, legislative and class governing branches of the association.

5. To adhere to attendance policies outlined by the WCGA council.

6. To submit a written report outlining her activities as Judicial Council chairwoman to the president and her faculty/staff advisor at the end of her term.

B. The duties of the Judicial Council members shall be:

1. To serve a one year term from April to April.  New members-in-training may be asked to observe proceedings from the time of their selection until the end of that year.

2. To know, uphold and fully understand the statutes, procedures and sanctions of the Judicial Council.

3. To serve as:

a. Voting members of the Judicial Council.

b. Investigators for hearings when called upon by the chairwoman.

c. Hearing board members when called upon by the chairwoman in order to determine decisions of responsibility and to provide proper sanctions for judicial violations.

4. To be responsible for providing ongoing judicial education to the student body.

5. To adhere to attendance policies outlined by the Westhampton College Judicial Council chairwoman

Article X

Section 1.  The class governing branch includes the presidents of the first, second, third and fourth-year classes and their respective class cabinets.

A. The duties and powers of each class president shall be:

1. To serve from the time of her installation until the conclusion of that academic year.

2. To call and preside over class cabinet meetings.

3. To uphold Westhampton traditions while acknowledging the tradition of progress.

4. To represent her cabinet:

a. As a member on WCGA council.

b. At weekly meetings of the legislative branch.

5. To be responsible for:

a. The selection process for class cabinet positions.

b. Internal cabinet appointments.

c. Creating committees and events that uphold the values of Westhampton College and meet the needs of her class.

d. Maintaining Westhampton class traditions.

e. Representing her class, or selecting a representative to serve in her place, at the weekly meetings of the legislative branch.

6. To adhere to attendance policies outlined by WCGA council.

7. To submit a written report outlining her activities as class president to the president and her faculty/staff advisor at the end of her term.

B. Each class cabinet shall consist of women from that class who shall be appointed by the respective class president.

1. The size of the class cabinet is left to the discretion of both the president and her faculty/staff advisor, but is capped as 20.

2. Selection for cabinet positions is based on a combination of an application and an interview.

a. The elected president shall create an application for her class cabinet.  This application must be made available by the second Monday following her installment.

b. Each president must complete her respective class cabinet selection by the fourth week after her election.

c. Class presidents must submit a list of all of their class cabinet members to president of the association by the fourth week after the election, in order for their selection to be ratified by the senate.

C. The duties of the members of the Class Cabinet shall be:

1. To serve from their times of installation until the end of the academic year.

2. To serve as resources and liaisons for the student concerns and needs of their respective classes.

3. To help the president with her duties.

4. To adhere to attendance policies outlined by her class president.

Article XI

Section 1.  Elections

A. The Board of Elections chairwoman shall have the following duties and powers:

1. To serve from her installment until the following installment.

2. To chair the Board of Elections Committee.

3. To serve as a member of the:

a. Executive cabinet.

b. WCGA council.

4. To be responsible for:

a. Organizing the candidates’ application process and any events outlined in the Board of Elections guidelines.

b. Supervising and enforcing election guidelines.

c. Tabulating and revealing of votes.

d. Informing all candidates of and publishing the election results.

e. Arranging special run-off elections in the event of extenuating circumstances.

f. Representing the Board of Elections Committee at the weekly meetings of the legislative branch.

5. To exempt herself from any election during the year in which she is chairwoman.

6. To adhere to the attendance policies outlined by executive cabinet.

7. To submit a written report outlining her activities as Board of Elections chairwoman to the president at the end of her term.

            B. Board of Elections chairwoman assistant

1. To serve from the time of installation as Board of Elections chairwoman assistant until her installation as Board of Elections chairwoman.

2. To serve as a member of the:

a. Executive cabinet.

b. WCGA council.

c. Board of Elections Committee.

3. To be responsible for:

a. Assisting the Board of Elections chairwoman with her duties.

b. Representing the Board of Elections Committee at the weekly meetings of the legislative branch.

4. To exempt herself from any election during the year in which she is assisting the Board of Elections chairwoman.

5. To adhere to the attendance policies outlined by executive cabinet.

C. The ex-officio (voting) members of the Board of Elections Committee shall be the Board of Elections chairwoman and her assistant, the Honor Council chairwoman, Judicial Council chairwoman, and one senior senator.  The non ex-officio (non-voting) members of the Board of Elections Committee are the association’s president and vice president.  This committee will have the following duties and powers:

1. Inform any candidate of alleged election guideline violations against her.

2. Meet with accuser of violation and require her or him to submit a written statement.

3. Meet with the accused candidate and require her to submit a written statement.  This is the candidate’s opportunity to claim innocence or guilt.

4. Discuss alleged violation in committee and then determine innocence or guilt. 

5. From time of alleged violation report, the committee has three days to convene and then three days to make a final decision.  On the sixth day after the report, the Board of Election chairwoman must inform all parties involved of the final decision.

6. An accused candidate may appeal the Board of Elections Committee’s final decision with the Westhampton College dean.

7. All Board of Elections Committee activity is open to the public; therefore, all parties involved and committee members are allowed to discuss the events of guideline violation reports, meetings and decisions with the public.

Section 2.  The elected positions of WCGA shall be determined in the first, second and third-ballot elections.

A. All candidates in first, second and third-ballot elections must be students enrolled in Westhampton College.

B. Class standing shall be determined by year of entry, not by the number of credits earned.

C. First-ballot

1. The positions on the first-ballot shall be president, vice president, treasurer, and secretary of the association.

2. Candidate eligibility and requirements are as follows:

a. To run for a WCGA executive position, a student must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.3.

b. To be eligible to run for president, vice president, treasurer and secretary, a student must attend at least one senate meeting and one executive cabinet meeting during the month preceding Election Day.

c. To be eligible to run for President, a student must be a rising senior according to university housing policy and must have served at least one term as a WCGA senator, Class President, Honor or Judicial Council Chair, or WCGA executive officer.

d. c. To be eligible to run for Vice-President, a student must be a rising junior or senior according to university housing policy and must have served at least one term as a WCGA senator, Class President, Honor or Judicial Council Chair, or WCGA executive officer.

D. Second-ballot

1. The positions on the second-ballot shall be a rising second, third, and fourth-year class president, and six rising second, third, and fourth-year senators.

2. Candidate eligibility and requirements are as follows:

a. To run for a senate or class president position, a student must have a cumulative GPA of at least 2.3.

b. To run for class president, a student must meet with the current class president who holds the office for which she plans to run during the one month prior to Election Day and attend one class cabinet meeting during the one month preceding Election Day.

c. To run for senate, a student must attend at least one senate meeting during the one month prior to Election Day.

E. Third-ballot

1. The positions on the third-ballot shall be the first-year class president and six first-year senators.

2. Candidate eligibility and requirements are as follows:

a. To be eligible to run for class president, a student must meet with a WCGA member who served as a first-year class president. If that is not possible, she must meet with the sophomore class president. She must also attend one class cabinet meeting during the month preceding Election Day.

b. To be eligible to run for senate, a student must attend at least one senate meeting during the month preceding Election Day.

Section 3.  The election guidelines shall be proposed by the Board of Elections chairwoman and ratified by the legislative branch a month prior to each election.

Article XII

Section 1.  Resignation of an executive officer

A. The officer shall submit her written resignation to the president of the association and the WCGA advisor(s).  If the resigning officer is the president, the vice president shall assume the president’s role in resignation proceedings.

B. The president shall appoint an officer from the senate to assume the position of the resigning officer until the next election.  The appointed officer shall be approved by a two-thirds majority in a closed session of the senate and filling the resulting vacancy in the senate shall be left to the discretion of the president.

Section 2.  Resignation of a senator or class president

A.  The senator or class president shall submit her written resignation to the president of the association and the WCGA advisor(s).

B. A vacancy in the senate during the year shall be filled by the candidate from the same class who was not elected to one of the six senate positions but received the next highest percentage of votes in the most recent second or third-ballot elections.  A vacancy in the class president position shall be filled by the candidate who received the greatest percentage of votes but was not elected in the most recent second or third-ballot elections.  If such an individual does not exist for the senate or class president position, a special election will be held for that senate or class president position only.  If there is a vacancy for a senate or class president position prior to second-ballot elections in the spring semester and no candidate exists on the corresponding ballot, the vacancy may be left at the discretion of the president.

Section 3.  Resignation of a judicial branch chairwoman

A. A judicial branch chairwoman shall submit her written resignation to the president of the association

B. A new chairwoman shall be selected by the members of the respective council.

Article XIII

Section 1.  The following offenses shall constitute cause for impeachment:

A. Violating an oath of office or failure to fulfill duties of an office in a manner that jeopardizes the welfare of a student or the student body.

B. Negligence or misuse of powers.

C. Unauthorized use of funds.

Section 2.  The impeachment council

A. The members of the impeachment council shall be the president of the association, who will serve as chairwoman, the vice president, two members of the Honor Council, one of whom is a senior, and the dean, who will be a non-voting member.

B. The impeachment council shall have the following duties and powers:

1. To hear all impeachment cases referred by the senate.

2. To remove the accused from office, issue a sanction, or find the accused innocent.

Section 3.  The impeachment council shall abide by the following procedures:

A. To impeach a member of the WCGA council and/or a senator, a petition stating the charges against the officer by the party making the charge shall be brought before a closed meeting of the senate.

B. For the impeachment process to continue, the petition must be accepted by a two-thirds vote of the entire senate.  If the petition is accepted, a member of senate shall be appointed to investigate the charges with the assistance of a Judicial Council member.

C. The investigation will be presented to the impeachment council in a hearing-like process.  The procedures of the impeachment council shall be the same as those of the Judicial Council as outlined in its constitution except a permanent record of the proceedings will not be maintained.

D. If found responsible, the accused will have the opportunity to resign from office within 72 hours of the delivery of the verdict; otherwise, she will be removed from office by a public statement of the impeachment council.

E. If the impeachment council decides to remove the officer, the same process will be followed as in the case of a resignation.

Section 4.  Special cases

A. In all cases where a member of the impeachment council is accused, the chairwoman will appoint someone from among the members of the Honor Council or Judicial Council to perform the duties of the accused.

B. In cases where a senator is accused, she will not be allowed to vote in the closed meeting of the senate.

C. If the president of the association is accused or has a conflict of interest, the vice president shall take the position of chair of the impeachment council.  If any other members of the council have a conflict of interest, the chair shall appoint someone from among the members of the Honor Council or Judicial Council to perform her duties.

Section 5.  All impeachment proceedings shall be considered confidential, and all individuals involved in the impeachment proceedings are responsible for maintaining silence.

Article XIV

Section 1.  A proposed amendment may be introduced by any member of the senate and shall require a two-thirds vote of the membership of senate for approval.

Section 2.  If approved by the senate, the proposed amendment shall be presented to the president of the association for approval.

A. The president of the association has 48 hours in which to veto the proposed amendment.  If vetoed by the president, the proposed amendment shall be returned to senate for debate.  A two-thirds vote of the senate shall be required to override the president's veto and to send the proposed amendment to the student body for a vote.

B. If approved by the president, the proposed amendment shall be presented to the student body for a vote.

Section 3.  A majority of the vote’s casts by members of the Association must approve the amendment in order for it to be adopted.