Senate
of the
Student Government Association
of
The Johns Hopkins University
{ S. Bill 23-24, XX }
A Bill Establishing A Formal Student-Athlete Caucus
Introduced By: 2025 Class Senator Molly Kuzmaconsidered this 23 day of January in the Year 2024
Sponsored By: WSE Academic Senator Angela Sadlowski,Special Interest and Hobby Senator Will Leger, AndWSE Senator Sabour Shaik
Referred to the senate by __________ which recommends its _____ by a vote of _ to _.
Be it enacted by the Senate of the Student Government Association of The Johns Hopkins University assembled that:
SECTION 1. TITLE.
This Act may be referred to as the “Student Athlete Caucus Bill”
SECTION 2. DEFINITIONS.a. SGA — The term “SGA” shall refer to the Student Government Association of The Johns Hopkins University.b. JHU, Hopkins — The terms “JHU” and “Hopkins” shall refer to Johns Hopkins University.c. Student Athlete — The term “Student Athlete” shall refer to individuals currently participating in organized sports as recognized by The Johns Hopkins University.d. SAAC — The term “SAAC” shall refer to The Johns Hopkins University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
SECTION 3. FINDINGS, PURPOSES, AND INTEREST
- Findings
- The need for a Student Athlete Caucus- Approximately 22 NCAA DIII athletic teams and 2 NCAA DI teams exist on campus.- The university hosts over 700 student athletes who contribute significantly to the campus community.- Student athletes face unique challenges and opportunities that may differ from those of the general student body.- Establishing a caucus will provide a dedicated platform to address the concerns and interests of this substantial student population.
- At the moment of consideration, ten individuals have expressed interest in forming the Student Athlete Caucus.
b. Purposesi. Establish a caucus that will make campus and SGA student athletes feel supported and acknowledged- Acting as a simple point of contact for student athlete-related concerns.- Representing student athletes to all administration.- Reviewing and discussing student athlete-related legislation.- Informing the senate on how initiatives may impact student athletes.- Curating and disseminating information that benefits student athletes.- Providing general support for student athletes.- Recognizing and addressing the unique challenges faced by student athletes, including balancing academic and athletic commitments.- Serving as a liaison between the Student Athlete Caucus and the SAAC to enhance collaboration and communication.- Improving visibility and school spirit.
c. Interested Individuals
- i.Molly Kuzma
- ii.Angela Sadlowski
- iii.Sabour Shaik
- iv.Will Leger
- v.Sun Moon
- vi.Jackson Morris
- vii.Nasreen Naqvi
- viii.Ryan Chou
- ix.Resham Talwar
- x.Annie Huang
- xi.Rachel Allison
- xii.Eleni Alvarez
- xiii.Natalie Boquist
- xiv.Cooper Brotherton
- xv.Aisling Callahan
- xvi.Adriana Catalano
- xvii.Cameron Coletti
- xviii.Sarah Conant
- xix.Isis Diaz
- xx.Katherine Forsburg
- xxi.Amelia Giles
- xxii.Paloma Hancock
- xxiii.Rebecca Herrick
xxiv. Callie Jonesxxv. Emma Kotharixxvi. Jenna Langexxvii. Natasha Lewisxxviii. Viviana Lixxix. Sofia Lovuoloxxx. Amaiah McIntoshxxxi. Kaitlin Nessxxxii. Isabelle Nobilixxxiii. Caitlin O’Hehirxxxiv. Katharine Priuxxxv. Triya Royxxxvi. Ana Gabriela Santosxxxvii. Harrinee Senthilkumarxxxviii. Mackenzie Settonxxxix. Lily Shethxl. Jamie Stelnikxli. Isabella Stenhousexlii. Sara Stephensonxliii. Isabella Tasserxliv. Lydia Tolericoxlv. Lily Trembaxlvi. Diana Valentinixlvii. Anna Warmackxlviii. Adrian Archerxlix. Zachary Martin
l. Tommy Li
d. Potential Partner Student Organizations
- i.SAAC
- ii.The Flock
- iii.Pep Band at JHU
SECTION 4. Rules of the Caucusa. Name
- i.The name of the Caucus shall be the “Student Athlete Caucus”
b. Membership
- i.Open to all undergraduates currently enrolled in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences or the Whiting School of Engineering.
- ii.All eligible students who
- Contribute to discussions of the Caucus- Register as a member on the JHU student group portalwill be considered members of the Caucus.
- iii.New members may join the Caucus at any point in the year.
- iv.An accurate roster of all members of the Caucus will be kept on the SGA contact list each year.
c. Responsibilities
- i.Senate members of the caucus are responsible for:- Writing and sponsoring legislation to advance the interests of the Caucus.- Liaising with SGA committees that are most relevant to caucus initiatives.- Voting to endorse legislation and approve leadership candidates.- Acting as a voice for the Caucus in SGA Senate General Body Meetings.
- ii.All members of the caucus are responsible for:- Providing feedback on legislation produced by senators of the Caucus.- Providing feedback on legislation produced outside of the Caucus as requested by Senate members.- Contributing to discussion surrounding endorsing legislation and other events and initiatives.- Bringing new ideas for events or initiatives to the Caucus.- Attending General Body Meetings of the Caucus.
d. Leadership
- i.The Caucus will follow all guidelines for chairs and vice-chairs set forth in Section XIV of the SGA Bylaws, with the following additions:- The first Chair of the Caucus will be Molly Kuzma.-Before nomination to the SGA Senate in a General Body Meeting, candidates for a chair or vice-chair position must be approved by a majority vote of the Caucus. Multiple candidates may be approved.- Any nominated candidate who has not been approved by the Caucus must reject their nomination.- The chair or vice-chair may be asked to resign upon receipt of signatures of ⅔ of the Caucus membership. If they refuse, the Caucus may solicit signatures from the SGA Senate to force their removal.
e. Meetings
- i.The Caucus will meet once a month during the academic year at a minimum to discuss goals and action plans for the upcoming month and review initiatives from the previous month.
- ii.All meetings and meeting minutes will be open to the public.
- iii.The Caucus must make every reasonable effort to ensure that meetings, discussions, and records of the Caucus are accessible to all.- Any caucus member can request an accommodation at any time by communicating with the Caucus Vice-Chair.- All requests for accommodations must be implemented by the Vice-Chair except for with valid reason (i.e., technological limitations).
- iv.The Student Athlete Caucus will abide by the SGA Constitution and will not restrict membership “on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, personal appearance, age, national origin, political affiliation, physical or mental disability or on the basis of the exercise of rights secured by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution … [or on the] basis of citizenship status or socioeconomic status.”
f. Further rules may be added in the annual Caucus Rules Bill provided they do not contradict the rules set forth above and the guidelines in Section XIV of the SGA Bylaws.
SECTION 5. SEVERABILITY.
Should any provision of this Act, an amendment made by this Act, or the application of such provision or amendment to any person or circumstance be held to be unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act, the amendments made by this Act, and the application of such provision or amendment to any person or circumstances shall not be affected thereby.
The Bill hereby PASSES/FAILS by a vote of X to X with X abstentions.
Upon passage, we have hereunto set our hands and caused the seal of the Senate to be affixed to this bill indicating the Senate’s assent and thus officially designated the bill’s adoption as law.
