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JHU SGA Constitution- April 2023

Guiding / Constitution · 111th session · dated April 11, 2023 · updated April 22, 2023

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Constitution of theStudent Government Association at Johns Hopkins UniversityRatified: April 11, 2023Table of Contents✔ Preamble✔ Article I: Bill of Rights✔ Article II: Name, Authority, and Membership✔ Article III: Executive Branch✔ Article IV: Legislative Branch✔ Article V: Judicial Branch✔ Article VI: Standing and Ad-Hoc Committees✔ Article VII: Caucuses✔ Article VIII: Removal Procedures and Vacancies✔ Article IX: AmendmentsPreambleWe, the Undergraduates of the Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and the G.W.C.Whiting School of Engineering, realizing the necessity for student self-governance andunderstanding the importance of strengthening student unity, representing student interests, andproviding a forum for the exchange of ideas, hereby establish this Constitution.

Article I: Bill of RightsAll persons enrolled as undergraduates in the Homewood Divisions of the Zanvyl KriegerSchool of Arts and Sciences and the G.W.C. Whiting School of Engineering have equal rights asstudents under this Constitution, as do persons who may be extended such status by the StudentGovernment Association.

  1. The SGA will not restrict membership and/or activity by reason of age, citizenship,

disability, gender, race, religion, political affiliation, or sexual orientation.

  1. Students have a right to run or to be appointed to the SGA, provided that they shall be

an undergraduate student in the Homewood Divisions of the Zanvyl Krieger School ofArts and Sciences or the G.W.C. Whiting School of Engineering throughout thefollowing term of office.

  1. Students have a right to attend all meetings of the SGA, and all minutes and proceedings

of the SGA shall be open to student inspection, except those deemed secure by a closedsession motion by the Senate.

  1. Students have a right to free speech in all matters relating to the SGA. The spirit of this

sentiment shall be extended to all student activities on the Homewood campus.

Article II: Name, Authority, and Membership

Section One: NameThe official governing body of the Homewood Undergraduates shall be referred toas the Student Government Association at Johns Hopkins University (SGA).

Section Two: PurposeThe purpose of the SGA is to protect and improve the rights, opportunities, and quality of lifefor every Homewood undergraduate student at the Johns Hopkins University.

Section Three: Authority and Supremacy

  1. The authority of SGA is derived from the students of the Johns Hopkins University and

collectively recognized by the University President and other administrators.

  1. This Constitution, Bylaws, and Senate Procedural Rules Bill shall govern the SGA.
  2. This Constitution shall supersede all other governing devices of student organizations,

commissions, and committees.

  1. The SGA shall be the principal representative body of the undergraduates of the Krieger

and Whiting Schools.

  1. No student group within the jurisdiction of the SGA shall enact a constitution, bylaws, or

any legislation which conflicts or supersedes the authority of the SGA.

Section Four: Membership

  1. The SGA shall be composed of the legislative branch, executive branch, and

judicial branch.

  1. No student may serve as a member of more than one branch, except in the case of

Class Programming Councils.

  1. A student may run for or be appointed to an office, provided that they maintain a 2.5

overall GPA and are an undergraduate student in the Homewood Divisions of the ZanvylKrieger School of Arts and Sciences or the G.W.C. Whiting School of Engineeringthroughout their term of office.

  1. Terms of Student Senate and Executive Branch members shall end on the date of the

annual inauguration ceremony of the new SGA, and the terms of their successors shallthen begin.

Article III: Executive Branch

Section One: Structure and Basic ResponsibilitiesThe Executive Branch shall serve as the internal governing body of the SGA. All executivepower shall be invested in the Executive Branch. Such power involves day-to-day affairs of theSGA and carrying out the instructions of the Senate. All members of the Executive Branch serveas non-voting ex-officio members of the Senate. The Executive Branch shall be composed of theHomewood Undergraduate Student Body President, hereafter referred to as the Student BodyPresident, and the President’s Cabinet. The Student Body President shall serve as thespokesperson of the Undergraduate Student Body at Homewood and faithfully execute acts ofthe Senate.The Student Body President shall have a President’s Cabinet to advise them on all mattersrelated to the Student Government Association. In addition to advising the Student BodyPresident through regular meetings, the President’s Cabinet shall have the followingresponsibilities:

  1. Student Body Vice President

a. Shall assist the President in all their duties.b. Shall succeed the President in case of their impeachment orresignation.c. Shall accompany the Student Body President to meetings withadministrators when necessary.d. Shall ensure the President’s Cabinet and the Senate are makingprogress towards the goals set at the beginning of the administration.

  1. Student Body Secretary

a. Shall be responsible for the creation and maintenance of internal SGAinfrastructure.b. Shall keep detailed minutes of each meeting and shall take a roll callof attendance and votes.c. Shall be responsible for all record-keeping in SGA.d. Shall have the power to appoint an Assistant Secretary, subject to theconfirmation of a ⅔ vote of the Senate.i. The Assistant Secretary shall assist the Secretary in fulfillingtheir duties, although the Executive Secretary shall have thefinal say in all secretarial matters.

  1. Student Body Treasurer

a. Shall work with the Finance Committee to formulate an annual budget for theSGA.b. Shall assist with the funding of student groups.c. Shall act as the financial officer of the SGA, keeping all of its ledgersand coordinating with the Finance Committee.

  1. Director of Communications

a. Shall appoint and chair the Communications and Marketing Commission,composed as outlined in the Bylaws, which will be tasked with all mattersrelated to the marketing and promotion of the SGA, including but notlimited toi. Social media management.ii. Website maintenance and construction.iii. Graphic design.b. Shall be responsible for maintenance of all SGA email lists and shall serveas the point of contact for all SGA communications.

  1. Director of Research

a. Shall appoint and chair the Policy Research and Development Commission,composed as outlined in the Bylaws, which willi. Provide background research and policy advisement to senators at theirrequest.ii. Compose policy reports to be published with the majority consent of theSenate.b. Shall refer policy reports to the Student Body President to deliver to relevantadministration if applicable.

  1. Chair of Programming

a. Shall oversee the Executive Team of SGA’s Class Programming Councils –which are tasked with providing regular programming and class-specific events.These councils will not be members of the President’s Cabinet.i. Class Programming Councils shall be led by an Executive Teamconsisting of a Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer, elected via a class-wideelection.

  1. Elections for the Class Programming Council Executive Teams

shall be administered by the CSE, with roles given to those whoreceive the greatest plurality of votes.

  1. One’s class is determined using the institutional “student

classification” definition, not one’s graduation year. For instance, astudent who entered the university in 2019, but is graduating in2022, would still be considered a junior for the purpose of SGA2021-2022 elections.

  1. Additional members of each Class Programming Council can be

appointed by the three-person Class Programming Councilexecutive team, subject to confirmation by a majority of theSenate.b. Shall facilitate collaboration both amongst the Class Programming Councils andamongst other programming bodies.The Student Body President shall appoint the Director of Social Affairs and Director of Researchand have the freedom to appoint additional cabinet members at their discretion with the majorityconsent of the senate. All other positions of the Cabinet shall be elected by the student bodythrough an election administered by the CSE.While Directors, the Chair of Programming, and the Class Programming Council ExecutiveTeams are considered members of the Executive Branch, appointed members on theCommissions and Councils they oversee are not. As such, these members remain eligible forpositions in other SGA branches.

Article IV: Legislative Branch

Section One: StructureThe Legislative Branch shall be composed of the Student Senate and shall meet at least oncea week during the fall and spring semesters.The Senate shall be comprised of the following representatives, elected from amongst theirconstituent groups:

  1. Five Class Senators from each graduating class, totalling twenty class representatives.

a. One of these representatives, who shall be the primary class representative andmust run as a separate position on the ballot, shall be chosen by a classwideelection for “Class President”. This position remains that of a Senator for theintent of the Senate.b. The remaining four representatives shall be chosen by a concurrent classwideelection for “Class Senators”.c. Class representatives may serve as non-voting ex-officio members of theirClass Programming Council if they so choose.

  1. Seven Academic Senators from the Krieger School and Five Academic Senators from

the Whiting school, totaling twelve representatives.

  1. One Senator from each category of student organizations SGA recognizes, elected

from amongst the student body, totalling nine representatives.

  1. A Chair of each SGA Caucus shall be elected from amongst the student body, and be a

Senator in the Senate, if the following conditions are met:a. The caucus must have been established in the SGA Bylaws prior to January 1stof the election year.b. The caucus must remain in existence at the time of elections.Representatives shall be chosen by raw vote total within each election (i.e. the top fiverepresentatives from each school are chosen).The Legislative Branch shall also have the authority to appoint a Senate Parliamentarian withthe majority consent of the Senate. The Senate Parliamentarian shall be tasked with knowingand maintaining the Senate’s adherence to Robert’s Rules of Order and all governingdocuments of the SGA. The President of the Senate shall oversee this appointment process.

Section Two: Presiding OfficerThe President and Vice President of the Senate shall be elected from amongst itsmembers at the first Senate meeting following inauguration.

  1. The President of the Senate shall preside over the meeting except in their absence or

recusal, in which case the Vice President of the Senate shall chair the meeting. Thechair of the meeting is hereafter referred to as the Presiding Officer.

  1. The Vice President of the Senate shall be charged with facilitating communication

between SGA positions and with fostering community amongst the membership.

  1. In both cases, the election for President and Vice President of the Senate shall be

facilitated by the Student Body President or, in their absence, the next position in theline of succession outlined in Article VIII Section Six.

  1. At any time, a senator can motion for the re-election of the President or Vice President

of the Senate. In such cases, the President of the Senate shall be granted five minutesto give their position on the matter. Thereafter, a vote to enable re-election shall behad amongst the Senate, facilitated by a JHU staff member. If the majority consent ofthe Senate for a re-election is reached, such an election shall take place through thesame procedure as outlined in Section Two Part 3.

  1. The Presiding Officer shall have a vote in matters of the Senate only when a tie exists.
  2. After their election, the President of the Senate shall serve as a non-voting ex-officio

member of the President’s Cabinet, and shall have the following roles andresponsibilities:a. Shall preside over the Senate and set its agenda.b. Shall review legislation prior to adding it to the agenda.c. Shall refer legislation to the appropriate committee.

Section Three: Basic ResponsibilitiesEach senator shall have equal authority to cast votes and to introduce legislation duringmeetings of the Senate. No senator shall be restricted in their work on the basis of theconstituent group from which they were elected.

  1. All legislative power shall be invested in the Senate.
  2. The Senate shall pass an annual Senate Procedural Rules Bill to govern special rules

of each administration.

  1. The Senate shall have jurisdiction over but not limited to: the appointment process

of groups and finance, constitutional affairs, student life, and academic affairs.

Section Four: Attendance

  1. Attendance at Senate and Committee meetings is required of senators, and excused

absences shall be granted at the discretion of the chair of the meeting for extenuatingcircumstances.a. If a member of the SGA misses 2 unexcused meetings per semester, they areautomatically subject to impeachment.b. If the member misses a total of 4 unexcused meetings per semester, they areautomatically removed from the SGA.

  1. Attendance at another SGA event beyond the required Senate and Committee meetings

can be required by the President of the Senate, but this requirement can be overturned bya ⅔ vote of the Senate.a. Further, in such cases, legitimate, previously held time conflicts shall beaccommodated with an excused absence.

Section Five: Special Rules

  1. Proxy voting is not allowed; members must be physically present in meetings in order

to vote.

  1. All SGA meetings are open to the public except meetings that are closed by 2/3 (two

thirds) of the Senate.

  1. The Senate, in the spirit of open meetings, shall keep all votes public and shall only enter

Closed Session to deliberate upon Impeachment and other sensitive matters deemednecessary by the Senate.

  1. All documents, minutes, and proceedings of the Senate shall be open to the public

for inspection, except those from closed meetings.

  1. The Senate shall follow the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order to facilitate

efficient communication in Senate General Body Meetings, unless suspended by a ⅔vote of the Senate.

Article V: Judicial Branch

Section One: StructureThe Judicial Branch shall have jurisdiction on all matters relating to the SGA, includingSGA-approved groups and their internal disputes.

  1. Judicial shall be an independent branch, composed of:
  2. The Judiciary Board, which shall be composed of five Justices, who shall

elect a Chief Justice amongst them.a. Provided that Justices remain undergraduates of KSAS or WSE, theyshall serve their term until resignation.b. Appointments to the Judiciary Board shall be proposed by the StudentBody President, upon the advice of the Senate, and subject to theapproval of 2/3 (two-thirds) of the Senate.

  1. The Committee on Student Elections (CSE), which shall be composed of

seven members who shall elect a Chairperson amongst them. The CSE shallbe responsible for facilitating elections for all elected SGA roles.a. Appointments to the CSE shall be proposed by the Judiciary, upon theadvice of the senate, and subject to the approval of 2/3 (two-thirds) of theSenate.b. Current SGA members are ineligible to be members of the CSE.c. CSE members shall serve for one academic year.

  1. Membership of the Judicial Branch is detailed in Article 2, Section

4: Membership

  1. Resignations of Judicial Branch members shall follow the details in Article VIII.

Section Two: Basic Responsibilities

  1. The Judicial Branch shall operate according to its own Rules and Guidelines.
  2. The Judiciary Board shall be responsible for interpreting the Constitution and Bylaws,

enforcing election procedures, and serve as the final avenue of appeal for all mattersrelating to the SGA.

  1. The CSE shall operate according to its own Constitution and Election Rules and shall be

free from SGA interference during election periods.a. Such rules may limit free speech rights of candidates during election periods, butnot in a manner that disrupts a campaign atmosphere.b. The SGA Judiciary Board shall handle appeals of CSE decisions.

Section Three: Attendance

  1. Attendance at Judiciary Board meetings is required of Justices and attendance at CSE

meetings is required of CSE members. Excused absences shall be granted at thediscretion of the chair of the meeting for extenuating circumstances.a. If a member of the SGA misses 2 unexcused meetings per semester, they areautomatically subject to impeachment.b. If the member misses a total of 4 unexcused meetings per semester, they areautomatically removed from the SGA.

Section Four: Judicial Branch Decisions

  1. Decisions made by the Judicial Branch on matters relating to the Senate, Executive

Branch, or election procedures may be encouraged for reconsideration by either a⅔ vote from the Senate or from a petition containing signatures from 15% of theHomewood undergraduate student body.

Article VI: Standing and Ad-Hoc Committees

Section One: Standing Committees

  1. Each committee shall choose its chair by a procedure established in the Bylaws.
  2. The number and type of committees of the Senate shall be established in the Bylaws.
  3. The duties and responsibilities of these committees shall be established in the

Bylaws.

  1. Committee meetings shall be open to students at large, unless closed by a ⅔ vote of the

committee.

  1. Committees, as per the Bylaws, may submit recommendations to the full Senate.

Such recommendations are not binding themselves, and must be approved or deniedby the body.

  1. The President of the Senate shall, at the second Senate meeting, following the

Bylaws, sort Senators into committees subject to confirmation by the Senate.

Section Two: Ad-hoc Committees

  1. The Senate may, by a 2/3 vote, convene ad-hoc committees to deal with matters of great

importance. Such committees will expire at the end of an academic semester.

Article VII: Caucuses

  1. Caucuses shall be established by the Senate for representation of a defined body of

students with unique challenges and perspectives, and which are currently represented bya cohort of student organizations. The number and type of caucuses shall be outlined inthe bylaws; as such, a caucus can be proposed through a bylaws amendment.

  1. A bylaws amendment establishing a Caucus shall include procedures for internal

elections of a Chair for situations in which the Chair position is not eligible for aschool-wide election, and for when vacancies in the role arise. Chairs must be confirmedby a majority vote of the Senate.

  1. Any bylaws amendment which seeks to establish a caucus shall be accompanied with a

non-legislative addendum outlining the following:a. Purpose of the caucus.b. Goals of the caucus.c. The first Chair of the Caucus.d. Why there is a need for this caucus on campus.e. The signatures of at least 50 interested individuals.

  1. Caucus membership is open to all Homewood undergraduate students, including current

SGA members.

  1. The Caucus shall be chaired by the representative elected by a school-wide election as

defined by Article IV Section 1, with one chair for each caucus.a. If the Caucus is not yet eligible for a school-wide election as defined by ArticleIV Section 1, the Caucus shall be chaired by the potential first Chair defined inthe non-legislative addendum of the establishing legislation.

  1. Caucuses must maintain a membership of 10 Homewood undergraduate students to

maintain status as an SGA body. Caucus membership shall be defined in the Bylaws.a. If a caucus fails to meet the membership requirement by the last day of classes ofa semester, that caucus will be considered to hold advisory status and theSecretary shall notify the Caucus Representative of their new status. A caucusmay be removed from probation by meeting the membership requirement for asemester. If a caucus does not meet the membership requirement by the end oftheir second consecutive semester on probation, the Caucus will be consideredinactive and the Secretary shall notify the Caucus Representative of their newstatus.b. In such cases, the portion of the bylaws which established the Caucus shall beconsidered null and void. The Caucus Representative shall remain an ex-officiomember of the Senate, with no voting power, until such time as their Caucus isreestablished by legislative action.

Article VIII: Removal Procedures and Vacancies

Section One: Recall

  1. The CSE shall hold a recall election for any SGA member upon receipt of a petition

that contains an at least 50-word justification for recall and the signatures of no lessthan ⅓ of students eligible to vote for the position in question.

  1. The recall election shall be held within two weeks of the CSE’s receipt of the recall

petition.

  1. All students eligible to vote in an election for the position in question shall be eligible

to vote in the recall election.

  1. A majority vote in said election may remove the representative from office.

Section Two: Resignation

  1. Any member of the SGA may resign by submitting a statement of resignation to the

Student Body President.

Section Three: Removal

  1. Impeachments may be carried out for serious breaches of the Constitution and Bylaws,

breaches of University, local, state, and federal laws or for a lack of good behavior.

  1. Charges of impeachment against any member of the SGA shall be brought in the

following ways:a. Any member of SGA may introduce impeachment charges, provided that theycollect the signatures of at least one-third of the Senate membership and presentthem to the President of the Senate at a meeting of the Senate.b. Upon receipt of said document, an impeachment hearing shall be scheduled atleast one week after the receipt of charges, and no later than three weeks later.

Section Four: Impeachment Process

  1. Members with clear conflicts of interest are asked to recuse themselves from

impeachment proceedings.

  1. Impeachment hearings shall be closed, and the accused shall have time to provide their

defense. At no point shall the accused take part in any deliberation whatsoever.

  1. After the accused has left the room, the Senate shall deliberate and then vote to

remove the member in question.

  1. Secret ballots shall be used, with no identifying marks. The election shall be administered

by a JHU staff member.

  1. A 2/3 vote of the entire Senate is needed to remove the member. If in the affirmative, the

member shall be thanked for their service and dismissed.

Section Five: Senatorial Vacancy

  1. Vacancies in the Senate shall be filled by a process administered by the President of the

Senate and Vice President of the Senate as designated by the SGA Bylaws.

  1. In the case of a vacancy in the President of the Senate position, the Vice President of the

Senate shall ascend to the role and an election for Vice President of the Senate heldamongst the Senate members as previously outlined. The remaining Senatorial vacancyshall be filled by a process as designated by the SGA Bylaws.

Section Six: Executive Branch Vacancy

  1. The Student Body President shall be succeeded in the order in which the Executive

positions are outlined in Article III Section One.

  1. In the case of a vacancy in any other elected executive position that is not a Class

Programming Council position, the Student Body President shall propose three currentmembers of the legislative branch, and the Senate shall, by secret ballot, choose one tofill the vacancy. The Senatorial vacancy shall then be filled by the process outlined in

Article VIII Section Five.

  1. In the case of vacancies on the Class Programming Council Executive Team, the Chair of

Programming, in conjunction with the remaining members of the Council’s ExecutiveTeam, shall solicit applications from the affected class and present a nominee to theSenate for confirmation.

Section Seven: Judicial Branch Vacancy

  1. In the case of a vacancy in the Judiciary Board, the Senate shall solicit applications

within three days and then follow the regular appointment process.

  1. In the case of a vacancy in the CSE, the Judiciary Board shall solicit applications through

the regular process outlined in Article V. Once received, the Senate shall then considerthose applications at the first General Body Meeting following application receipt thatoccurs outside of an election period.

Article IX: Constitutional Amendments

  1. This Constitution may be amended by a ¾ vote of the Senate.
  2. Semantic Amendments

a. Amendments related to incorrect grammar, terminology, or specifyingacronyms may be made by the Internal Affairs without a Senate vote.i. Internal Affairs Committee will notify the Senate of these changes.