Judiciary Meeting — Minutes (112th Session)

Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 1SGA BYLAWSSeptember 2021Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 2

I. DUTIES OF THE SENATE

1. Scope

i. This article shall apply to all members of the Senate and corresponding advisors.ii. This section is established in concord with Article II and Article VI of the Constitution.iii. Should any part of this article be found unconstitutional, such part shall be consideredseverable and the rest of the article shall remain in effect.

2. Membership Responsibilities & Roles

i. Per the Constitution, there exists three (3) distinct types of SGA members at large:

1. Executive Board

a. Article III of the Constitution defines the responsibilities and roles of the four (4)Executive Board members.b. The Executive Secretary shall be tasked with recording how frequently each ofthe non-senate bodies within SGA (such as the PRDC) issue a report to theSenate during general body meetings. The Executive Secretary shall note if anyof these bodies are ever in violation of the GBM reporting requirements outlinedin the group’s bylaws, and, if so, should take the appropriate action detailedtherein.c. In addition, the Executive Board shall also ensure the smooth integration of newmembers – especially freshmen – into SGA.i. The Executive Board shall coordinate the production of transition

documents compiled by the Executive Branch, Standing LegislativeCommittees, and Class Councils. These documents shall be finished atthe end of every one-year term, presented to the Senate, and provided tothe next SGA.ii. The Executive Board shall also organize at least one mandatory SGAretreat per one-year term to clarify its goals and promote groupdevelopment.d. The Executive Board shall ensure regular communication with their counterpartsin the Graduate Student Organization (GRO) by meeting with the co-chairs of theGRO at the beginning of each semester. The Executive Board shall at this timeensure that committee chairs establish contact with relevant GRO executiveboard chairs.

2. Class Councils

a. Per the Constitution, there shall exist four (4) Class Councils that shall representeach of the four (4) undergraduate classes.b. Class Councils, which are comprised of one (1) Class President and six (6) ClassSenators, shall strive to:i. Understand the sentiments of their class via outreach methods (e.g.surveys).ii. Serve as primary SGA liaisons to their class by communicating what theSGA is doing.iii. Utilize proper programming to facilitate class-specific unity events.c. Class Councils shall meet weekly.d. At the first Class Council meeting, one member shall be designated to takeminutes for all Class Council meetings.

3. Class Presidents

a. Per the Constitution, four (4) Class Presidents shall be elected for every one-yearterm to serve as primary class representatives on the Senate.b. Class Presidents shall exercise general superintendence over all class affairs.c. Presidents shall serve on the Executive Board’s Class Council Task Force thatJohns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 3seeks to enhance cross-council collaboration in bringing matters of class-relatedsignificance to the attention of the Senate.i. Class Council Task Force meetings shall be called by the ExecutivePresident once a month and throughout each one-year term.d. Class Presidents shall ensure proper and regular communication between theirrespective councils and classes.e. Class Presidents shall set every Class Council meeting agenda and lead all ClassCouncil meetings.f. Class Presidents shall also be considered as Senators and perform all regularSenatorial duties.

4. Senators

a. Per the Constitution, twenty-eight (28) Senators shall be elected for everyone-year term.b. Senators participate within SGA as members of the Senate, Standing LegislativeCommittees, and Class Councils.c. Senators shall be proactive in pursuing student interests and concerns, in additionto actively lobbying relevant administrators.d. Senators shall prioritize their commitments to SGA and strive to attend allSGA-related meetings.e. Senators may be considered in bad standing if they do not fulfill theaforementioned guidelines and subsequently may be subject to an impeachmenthearing under Article IX of the Constitution.f. A representative from the SGA will be selected by the Senate to attend the GROmeetings and thereby act as a point of contact between the GRO and the SGA. Inturn, the GRO will provide an equivalent representative from their group toattend the SGA meetings.

g. Post-Election Meet and Greeti. As part of the official inauguration process of SGA, newly-elected SGArepresentatives must attend a mandatory meet and greet sessiondesigned to interface with the undergraduate student body within 7 daysafter election decisions are released.ii. The meet and greet session must be at least one hour long.iii. The meet and greet session must have all newly elected representativespresent.iv. The meet and greet session must be open to all JHU undergraduates andbe held in a space that is easily accessible to all JHU undergraduatestudents.v. Executive Vice President will be tasked with organizing the meet andgreets.vi. Meet and greet session will be widely publicized by SGA.

h. SGA Tabling Eventsi. SGA will host one tabling event every month of the school year, withprovisional exceptions to December, January, and May, as these monthstend to have less school days compared to others. Explicitly, months thatmust have a tabling event include September, October, November,February, March, and April.ii. Tabling events must be at least one hour long.iii. Tabling events must be staffed by a minimum of six SGArepresentatives, each from the four class councils, as well as two otherSGA members. A member of the Executive Board may be allowed toJohns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 4substitute one of the six SGA representatives.iv. SGA representatives must take turns tabling to ensure that as manydifferent SGA representatives as possible are participating in theseevents.v. All senators and the Executive Board must attend at least one tablingevent throughout the year.vi. Tabling events must open to all JHU undergraduate students and be heldin a space that is easily accessible to all JHU undergraduate students andpreferably, in a highly frequented area. Possible tabling areas include:

1. Breezeway
2. Brody Learning Commons and Terrace
3. Milton S. Eisenhower Library
4. Charles Commons
5. In front of Fresh Food Café
6. Levering Café and Courtyard
7. Mattin Center

vii. Tabling events must be well-publicized by all the class councils before,during, and after the events to draw in as much attendance, and futureattendance, as possible.viii. At the end of every tabling event, there must be a report submitted aboutthe event’s feedback.ix. There must be a sign-up sheet assigning placements at the beginning ofthe year, and any rooms or spaces shall be reserved as necessary, forevery month of the yearx. Once the freshmen are elected, they will be held accountable for theseabove guidelines.ii. Advisors

1. There shall exist SGA advisors who shall be resources when called upon by the SGA.

a. The SGA, in conjunction with the Office of the Dean of Student Life shallappoint one (1) SGA Advisor for the SGA at large and four (4) Class CouncilAdvisors.iii. Inclusivity and Resource Awareness Trainings and Presentations

1. To foster a positive and health community within the SGA and across campus, the SGA

shall participate in the following trainings during their term in office:a. Diversity and inclusion training from the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the

Office of Gender Equityb. SafeZone training from the Office of LGBTQ Lifec. Bystander Intervention Training from the Title IX Officed. Mental health resource training from the Counseling Centere. Student organizations or financial processes training from the Office of StudentLeadership and Involvement (SLI) or the Student Activities Commission.

2. Special Conditions

a. If time or scheduling conflicts do not permit these trainings to be completedduring the Fall Retreat, an SGA member can spread them out over the course oftheir first semester in session.b. If an SGA member received a version of one of these trainings within the lastthree years, and the training is scheduled for the Fall Retreat, they will bepermitted to exempt out of the already completed training and perform analternative activity for others who have exempted out.i. To opt out, an SGA member must provide an email, certificate, or otherJohns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 5formal documentation that they completed a training.

II. SENATE PROCEDURAL RULES

1. Scope

i. The Senate Procedural Rules shall supersede all legislation and Robert’s Rules of Order, but shallnot supersede other Bylaws or the Constitution.

2. Membership Privileges

i. Only Members of the Senate, including Executive Board officers in an ex-officio capacity shallhave speaking privileges in the Senate during the consideration of motions.

3. Attendance

i. Required

1. Attendance at Senate general body meetings, committee meetings, and Class Council

meetings is mandatory for all Senators. The Executive Vice President shall be permitted togrant a total of 12 excused absences per senator per year, with an additional 4 excusedabsences for every additional committee beyond 2 committees that the senator serves on.Senators who have 2 unexcused absences shall be subject to an impeachment vote per theConstitution. Senators who have 4 unexcused absences shall be thanked for their serviceand summarily dismissed from the SGA per the Constitution.

ii. Taking Attendance

1. A roll call shall be taken at the beginning of each Senate meeting, and recorded in the

minutes. The Executive Secretary shall be responsible for keeping track of whetherenough Senators are present when voting on legislation.

2. Members must stay for the entire meeting unless previously excused or in cases of

emergency.

iii. Recording Attendance

1. All SGA members’ attendance records shall be noted on the SGA’s website and shall be

sent to the student body in a press release every semester.

iv. Documenting and Verifying Absences

1. The Executive Secretary shall document all absences – Senate, committee, and council –

on a spreadsheet publicly available on the SGA website. The spreadsheet shall be updatedwith absences no later than one week from the date of a meeting. If no minutes for ameeting are provided to the Secretary after one week, all persons required to attend themeeting shall be counted as absent until minutes are provided.a. The Chair of the Internal Affairs Committee shall maintain parallel attendancerecords to ensure that attendance records can be double-verified.

v. One-Time Medical Leave and One-Time Family Emergency Leave

1. Once a school year, if an SGA member is temporarily unable to attend meetings for any

reason verified by an accredited medical provider, they shall be permitted to take amedical leave of no more than two academic weeks.

2. Once a school year, if an SGA member is temporarily unable to attend meetings for any

reason related to family emergency, they shall be permitted to take a family emergencyleave of no more than two academic weeks.

3. These absences will come from the 12 excused absences. However, if there are more than

12 absences in that time, we will grant up to two weeks.

4. Meetings

i. Agenda

1. The Executive Vice President shall set the agenda according to the needs of the SGA.
2. Committee reports shall consist solely of reports – any pending committee action must be

reported in advance and dealt with later in the meeting.

ii. Chair of Senate Meetings

1. The Vice President shall chair the meetings of the SGA Senate. If the Vice President

Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 6yields the chair in accordance with proper parliamentary procedure, or is unable to attenda Senate meeting, the President of the Senior Class shall fulfill the duties as Chair.iii. Decisions of the Chair

1. The chair shall enforce Senate procedures as well as the Constitution and Bylaws,

including but not limited to ruling motions or conversations out of order. A single member(no second is required) may contest such a decision, which is debatable butnonamendable, before it takes effect. A two-thirds vote of the Senate shall be necessary tooverturn the chair’s decision.iv. Manner of Presiding and Yielding of the Chair

1. The Vice President shall preside the meeting in an orderly, objective and fair manner

giving opportunity to all Senators to represent their views provided they maintaindecorum. Furthermore, the Vice President shall use his or her discretion in speaking onissues provided he/she maintains objectivity and fairness in the manner of the meeting.The Vice President shall yield the chair to a successor any time the item of discussion ishis or her confirmation, elections, impeachment, or removal.v. Order

1. The Senate shall follow the most current version of Roberts Rules of Order in its general

body meetings, subservient to any provisions of the Constitution and Bylaws.

vi. Moving the Motion

1. Following the moving of a motion and a proper second (if required), the Chair shall

immediately state the motion to the assembly. If the motion may be discussed, the Chairshall immediately ask, “Is there any discussion?” and the body shall discuss the motion. Ifthe motion may not be discussed, the Chair shall immediately put the motion to a vote.vii. Discussion on the Motion

1. It is in the interest of the Senate (being a deliberative assembly) to foster productive and

persuasive speech by each member so long as it is done in an efficient manner. The authorof the motion shall be given the opportunity to speak first in order to present the reasoningbehind the motion. Other motions may be moved anytime during discussion. Duringdebate, filibusters are not permitted.viii. Voting

1. Abstentions, used at the individual Senator’s discretion, should only be used in the rare

case of a direct conflict of interest. Votes become final when the Chair announces thevote.

ix. Straw Polls

1. The use of “straw poll” votes is highly discouraged.

x. Roll Call

1. If there is opposition to a motion, then a roll call shall take place.
2. For a roll call vote, the Chair shall state the motion and then the Executive Secretary shall

read the roll of the Senate, and each Senator shall state their vote when their name iscalled. Senators absent at the time of the vote shall be recorded as “absent” (this has nobearing on attendance policy but does establish presence or lack of quorum). Per theConstitution, all votes and discussions shall be public, except for those permitted to beclosed by the Constitution.

xi. Proxy Voting

1. Due to the deliberative nature of Senate meetings, and due to the possibility of the

swaying of one’s opinions during a debate, proxy voting is neither permitted nor accepted.

III. SENATE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES

1. Scope

i. This article shall apply to all committees of the Senate of the Student Government Association(“SGA”) and shall not extend farther than senatorial committees.Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 7ii. This section is established in concord with Article VI of the Johns Hopkins UniversityUndergraduate Student Government Association Constitution (“The Constitution”).iii. Should any part of this article be found unconstitutional, such part shall be considered severableand the rest of the article shall remain in effect.

2. Types of Committees

i. Per the Constitution, there shall exist two (2) distinct types of committees of the Senate:

1. Standing Legislative Committees

a. Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate shall be established in theseBylaws and shall exist in perpetuity.b. Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate shall be established to address thegeneral business of the Senate and to recommend to the Senate the adoption orrejection of legislation.c. The number of members of Standing Legislative Committees shall be at thediscretion of the Executive Vice President when sorting Senators intocommittees, but shall allow for the efficient functioning of the committees.

2. Ad-hoc Committees of the Senate

a. Ad-hoc Committees of the Senate, in accordance with the Constitution, shall beestablished by a 2/3 vote of the Senate and shall automatically expire at the endof the academic semester during which they were established.b. Ad-hoc Committees of the Senate shall be empaneled to address matters of greatimportance to the student body and may recommend that the Senate take upcertain proposals through its regular legislative process in order to addressspecific concerns.c. The parameters and scope of individual ad-hoc committees shall be stipulated inthe legislation providing for their specific establishment.d. The number of members of Ad-Hoc Committees of the Senate shall be providedfor in the legislation establishing the particular committees.e. An SGA Long-Term Ad-Hoc Committee, appropriately abbreviated as anLHAC, shall be a type of ad-hoc committee, adherent to all standard terms andrequirements of an ad-hoc committee, with the following and express exceptions:i. An SGA LHAC shall be established in perpetuity until a clearlydelineated date of expiration or sunset, or until which time that theSenate votes by ⅔ majority to determine that the LHAC’s mandate orpurpose has elapsed.ii. An SGA LHAC may include additional differences from traditionalad-hoc committees, provided that those differences are clearlydelineated in the SGA LHAC’s legislative enactment act and providedthat those differences do not violate other terms of the SGA Bylaws or

the SGA Constitution

3. Membership of Committees

a. Sorting of Senators into Standing Legislative Committees of the Senatei. Each member of the Senate shall serve on at least one (1) StandingLegislative Committee of the Senate, but may serve on more than one(1) at the discretion of the Executive Vice President.ii. Pursuant to the Constitution, the Executive Vice President shall sort

Senators into Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate, andconfirmation of these appointments shall require ratification by aplurality of the Senate.iii. In executing the Constitutional duty to sort Senators into committees,the Executive Vice President shall solicit the wishes of individualJohns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 8Senators; study their individual passions and legislative priorities; ifprudent, consult with SGA colleagues; and shall thereafter proceed tosort Senators into committees at the first Senate General Body meetingin a manner which, in the opinion of the Vice President, will allowindividual Senators to flourish and will best serve the students andcommunity of the Johns Hopkins University.

b. Participation of the Non-Senate Committee Membersi. Per the Constitution, membership in all committees is open to studentsat large, subject to restrictions provided for herein these Bylaws.ii. Per the Constitution, members of committees who are not only dulyserving members of the Senate may participate fully in committees withthe express exception of voting.

1. Duly serving members of the Senate may participate fully in all

aspects of the committees on which they serve, includingvoting.iii. Membership in certain Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate isrestricted within these Bylaws.iv. Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate not herein restrictedfrom doing so may appoint non-Senate members to serve on itscommittee with a 2/3 vote of the Senate members of the committee anda 2/3 confirmation of the Senate as a whole.v. Determinations of whether membership of individual Ad-hocCommittees of the Senate is open to students at large or restricted tomembers of the Senate shall be defined in the legislation providing forthe establishment of the particular Ad-hoc committee.vi. Appointment of non-Senate members to Ad-hoc Committees of theSenate shall be made in the legislation providing for the establishmentof the particular committee.

4. Establishment of Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate

a. The following Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate shall beestablished.

i. Committee on Academic Affairs

1. Membership

a. The membership of the Committee on AcademicAffairs is not inherently statutorily restricted on thebasis of Senate membership.

2. Responsibilities

a. The Committee on Academic Affairs shall be taskedwith the following responsibilities:i. To deal with matters relating to Student

Advising, the Registrar, the AcademicCouncil, and other academic-related organsof the University to improve the academicatmosphere for students.ii. To work with administrators, including the

Dean of the Krieger School of Arts and

Sciences and the Dean of the Whiting Schoolof Engineering, to advance academic policiesand programs that fit the needs and desires ofthe student body.Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 9iii. To work with the Executive Board and the

Senior Class Council on matters related to

Convocation, Commencement, and otherUniversity academic ceremonies.iv. To take up other measures relating toacademic affairs.

ii. Committee on Civic Engagement

1. Membership

a. The membership of the Committee on CivicEngagement is not inherently statutorily restricted onthe basis of Senate membership.

2. Responsibilities

a. The Committee on Civic Engagement shall be taskedwith the following responsibilities:i. To promote matters of civic engagement,civic involvement and participation, civicactivism, student activism, communityengagement in Baltimore and beyond, andissues of public, political or civic concernthat fall beyond the realm of othercommittees.ii. To collaborate with JHU student groupsfocused on civic engagement and aid them intheir efforts.iii. To work with other Senate committees, the

Office of Student Life, the Office of

Multicultural Affairs, LGBTQ Life, Student

Disability Service, the Office of InstitutionalEquity, and other relevant academicdepartments and faculty in itsaforementioned matters of scope wheneverapplicable.

iii. Committee on Internal Affairs

1. Membership

a. The membership of the Committee on Internal Affairsis restricted to duly serving members of the Senate.b. The Executive Vice President is the President of theSenate and the Senate’s Parliamentarian and shallserve as an ex-officio member of the Committee onInternal Affairs.

2. Responsibilities

a. The Committee on Internal Affairs shall be taskedwith the following responsibilities:i. To deal with all matters related to the internalaffairs of the Senate, with the exclusion ofmatters related to the Senate’s budget whichare restricted to the Committee on Finance.

ii. To deal with matters related to amendments

of the SGA Constitution, the SGA Bylawsand the Senate Procedural Rules.Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 10

iii. To deal with matters related to amendments

of the Committee on Student Elections(CSE) Bylaws and other appropriategoverning student documents, excludingrevising the SAC Bylaws, a power which is

reserved to the Committee on Finance, andthe SGA Judiciary Bylaws, which are

reserved by the Constitution to the Judiciaryitself.iv. To handle all appointments of SGA officialsas prescribed by statue, including the

evaluation of the Executive President’sjudicial nominees, and to recommend to theSenate their appointment or rejection.v. To help facilitate the impeachment processby holding proceedings to make findings offact and regulation and providing aninformed perspective to the Senate.vi. To conduct ethical or disciplinary hearings ofSGA members and refer to the Senate suchcases with its recommendations.vii. To deal with all other legislation that relatesto the internal affairs of the Senate.

iv. Committee on Finance

1. Membership

a. The membership of the Committee on Finance isrestricted to duly serving members of the Senate.

2. Responsibilities

a. The Committee on Finance shall be tasked with thefollowing responsibilities:i. To deal with the financial matters of the

Student Government, includingappropriations, funding procedures, andfinancial management.ii. To evaluate and vote on all legislation thatallocates funds from the Senate.iii. To collaborate with the Committee on

Student Organizations and the Student

Activities Commission (SAC) to guaranteethe success of student organizations byaiding groups through their grant andsponsorship request process.iv. To advise the Executive Treasurer on mattersrelated to funding.

v. Committee on Health, Safety, and Sustainability

1. Membership

a. The membership of the Committee on Health, Safety,and Sustainability is not inherently statutorilyrestricted on the basis of Senate membership.

2. Responsibilities

Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 11

a. The Committee on Health, Safety, and Sustainabilityshall be tasked with the following responsibilities:i. To deal with matters pertaining to the healthand safety of the student body.ii. To take up measures related to sustainabilityand facilities, as applicable to the JohnsHopkins community.iii. To work with Campus Safety and Security,

Student Life, Health and Wellness Centeradministrators, and other University officialsto advocate and ensure the health, safety, andwell-being of students.iv. To work with the Recycling Center and the

Office of Sustainability to advancesustainable practices. To work with the Vice

President for Facilities and Real Estate aswell as other University administrators toadvance the interests of the student bodywith respect to real estate, buildings andgrounds, auxiliary services, facilities, andrelated matters.

vi. Committee on Student Organizations

1. Membership

a. The membership of the Committee on StudentOrganizations is restricted to a minimum of ten, dulyserving members of the Senate.b. The Executive Treasurer is the Chairman of the SACand shall serve as an ex-officio member of theCommittee on Student Organizations.

2. Responsibilities

a. The Committee on Student Organizations shall betasked with the following responsibilities:i. To conduct hearings with leaders of proposedstudent organizations to evaluate anddetermine their recognition status within theSGA.ii. To work to ensure inter-organizationalcollaboration among the clubs, groups, andorganizations of the undergraduatepopulation at Hopkins.iii. To work with student organizations toadvance their goals and to help facilitate theircontinued success.iv. To work with other organs of the SGA,including the SAC and the CMC, to ensureand promote the success of studentorganizations.v. To ensure that University resources,including usage of the Hopkins logos,funding, facilities and other resources areJohns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 12used only by approved student groups andthat such resources are distributed fairly andutilized responsibly.vi. To ensure that approved studentorganizations remain in good standing with

the SGA and the University, and torecommend corrective actions to the Senatewhen groups violate SGA, University, local,state, and/or federal rules, regulations, and/orlaws.vii. To establish protocols for applying to be anapproved student organization andregulations governing the types andstandards of such organizations.viii. To work with University officials, including

the Coordinator for Student Organizations;

the Associate Dean of Student Engagement;administrators of programs housing studentorganizations such as the Office of

Multicultural Affairs, the Interfaith Center,

the Department of Athletics and Recreation,

the Center for Social Concern, the

Homewood Arts Programs, and the Digital

Media Center; and other Universitypersonnel, to advance collaboration andstandardization of expectations for studentorganizations.ix. To take up other measures relating to studentorganizations.

vii. Committee on Student Services

1. Membership

a. The membership of the Committee on StudentServices is not inherently statutorily restricted on thebasis of Senate membership.

2. Responsibilities

a. The Committee on Student Services shall be taskedwith the following responsibilities:i. To evaluate proposals for SGA sponsorshipof events.ii. To work to provide SGA-sponsored servicesto fill needs that the Universityadministration cannot or will not provide.iii. To work towards improving existing servicesavailable to students.iv. To work with student organizations, theUniversity, and businesses to advance theaforementioned responsibilities.v. To take up other measures relating to studentservices.

5. Chairs and Vice-Chairs of the Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate

Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 13

a. Chairs and Vice-Chairsi. The Internal Affairs Committee and Finance Committee shall each havetwo chairs automatically.ii. Every other standing and ad-hoc committee shall have one chair andone vice chair.b. Selection of the Chairi. The Executive Vice President, as President of the Senate, shall scheduleand preside over the first meeting of each Standing LegislativeCommittee in order to facilitate, and until, the election of thecommittee’s chair.ii. Within one (1) week of the Senate’s first General Body meeting, eachStanding Legislative Committee of the Senate shall meet to elect itsChair or co-chair.iii. At this first committee meeting, the Executive Vice President shall callto order the committee. The Executive Vice President shall then ask forsecret paper ballot nominations of committee members to serve as chairof the committee. Only duly serving members of the Senate may benominated as committee chairs. Individuals may not serve as chair ofmore than one (1) committee, or as the chair of a committee if they arethe vice-chair for another committee.iv. Upon collecting the nominations, the Executive Vice President shallread the nomination aloud and ask each nominee if he or she would liketo perform the service of committee chair.v. Those responding in the affirmative shall each give short speechesoutlining their qualifications and priorities.vi. Without a discussion, each Senate member on the committee shall thencast a vote for the chair by confidential paper ballot.vii. Any candidate receiving a plurality of votes will then be installed ascommittee chair or co-chair and will be sworn in by the Executive VicePresident.

viii. The Executive Vice President and Executive Treasurer, in theirrespective roles as ex-officio members of the Internal AffairsCommittee and of the Finance Committee, shall also serve as respectiveex-officio co-chairs of those committees.ix. If no candidate receives a plurality, the Executive Vice President shallcast a tie breaking vote.x. The Committee Chair’s term of office shall extend for the term of theSenate.c. Selection of the Vice-Chairi. The Chair of the Committee (excluding the Internal Affairs and Financecommittees) must nominate a Vice-Chair for their committee upon theirelection as chair or at the following committee meeting.ii. The Vice-Chair of a committee must be a duly elected SGA Senator andmust be an official member of the committee for which they are aVice-Chair.iii. The Vice-Chair must not be the Chair or Vice Chair of anothercommittee.iv. After the Chair submits their nomination of a Vice-Chair to theircommittee, the committee members must approve the selection with a2/3rds vote.Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 14

6. Chairs of the Ad-hoc Committees of the Senate

a. The legislation providing for the establishment of the particular ad-hoccommittee shall designate a chair.b. The term of the Chair of an Ad-hoc Committee of the Senate shall expire whenthe term of the committee itself expires at the end of the semester.

7. Responsibilities of Committee Chairs

a. Chairs of Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate and Ad-hocCommittees of the Senate shall having the following responsibilities:i. To issue a committee report at General Body meetings, informing theSenate of relevant projects and actions of the committee and itsmembers.ii. To submit legislation with recommendations to the Executive VicePresident and Executive Secretary.iii. To create the agenda for each committee meeting and publish theseagendas to the Senate.iv. To appoint a member of the respective committee to take the minutes ofeach meeting.v. To send a copy of the committee minutes to the Executive Secretary in atimely manner.vi. To meet regularly with the Executive Board to report on committeeoperations.vii. To perform certain other functions as situations necessitate.viii. To maintain suggestion boxes as needed to provide for the needs of thestudent body

1. It shall be the duty of the chair of the SSC to appoint

committee members to gather the suggestions left in the boxes.

2. To report on the contents of the suggestion boxes bi-weekly at

SGA general body meetings.b. Co-chairs of the Finance and Internal Affairs Committees and Chairs and Vice

Chairs of Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate and Ad-hocCommittees of the Senate shall having the following additional responsibilities:i. By the end of September, co-chairs/chair and vice chair must submit acooperation plan to the Executive Vice President detailing an agreementbetween each co-chair/ chair vice chair on how they plan to workcooperatively to run their committee

1. Plans must include but are not limited to:

a. Means of communication and response timeb. Workflow in terms of planning committee meetingsand projects

c. Means of conflict resolution

d. Limited-use Mental Health and Academic Stressrelated provisions under which responsibilities cantemporarily be waived

2. The requirement to have a plan can be waived if both

co-chairs/the chair and vice chair sign a waiver or otherwiseinform the Executive Vice President stating that they do notfeel the need to have a cooperation plan.a. If a cooperation plan is waived, a co-chair/chair orvice chair has the right to request a cooperation planat any point throughout the year.Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 15b. Requests must be sent in an email to the ExecutiveVice President and their co-chair/chair or vice chair,and cooperation plans must be created and submitted

to the Executive Vice President within 10 days of therequest.

3. The Executive Vice President may reject any cooperation plan

deemed to be insufficient. Rejections can be overturned by a4/5ths vote of the committee that the agreement applies to.

4. For cooperation plans concerning the Internal Affairs

Committee, the Executive President shall fill the role of theExecutive Vice President in the processes outlined in thissection of the Bylaws.

5. Cooperation plans must be shared with senate committee

members.

6. Cooperation plans may not be changed without the approval of

the Executive Vice President.

7. Failure to follow the rules within this section of the Bylaws is a

formal violation of the Bylaws, and may lead to theconsequences associated with such.

8. Both co-chairs/chair and vice-chair must express their approval

of the cooperation plan in writing or email to the ExecutiveVice President.

9. If cooperation plans are not submitted and are not waived, the

co-chairs/chair and vice chair shall be automatically removedand a new election for co-chairs/chair or vice chair will beheld.

10. If one co-chair/chair or vice chair believes that it was not

possible for them to submit a cooperation plan because theother co-chair/chair or vice chair refused to cooperate, theymay petition the Judiciary to rule on the question of whetherfailure to submit a cooperative plan was solely or mostly by thefault of one of the co-chairs/chair or vice chair. If they rule thatto be the case, the co-chair/chair or vice chair who was ruled tohave been mostly or completely responsible for the failure toproduce a mutually-agreed upon cooperative plan shall beremoved as committee chair.a. After chair removal, the committee must take a voteto appoint a new chair.i. The removed chair may not participate incommittee chair-related deliberations or voteon matters concerning committee chairs aftertheir removal, and may not become the chairof any committee through the end of theirterm.ii. The vice chair shall not automaticallybecome the chair if the chair is removedthrough this process, but may run in the chairelection.b. After Vice Chair removal, the Chair shall appoint anew Vice Chair, subject to committee approvalJohns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 16

c. Vice-Chairs of Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate and Ad-HocCommittees shall have the following responsibilities:i. Vice-Chairs shall fulfill the duties of the chair whenever they are notpresent at meetings or otherwise unavailable. They must fulfill all theresponsibilities of the chair when the chair is on leave or absent at ameeting, and highlighted duties include:

1. Chairing committee meetings when the chair is absent
2. Updating the Senate on committee activities during GBM

when the chair is absentii. Vice-Chairs shall assist the Chairs in all their duties as agreed uponbetween the Chair, the Vice-Chair, and the committee at large.

8. Committee Meetings

a. The Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate shall be required to regularlymeet at least once every two (2) weeks, with the expressed exception of theCommittee on Finance and the Committee on Internal Affairs, which shall meetas needed at the discretion of the Committee Co-Chairs.b. The Chairs of Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate that are required tomeet regularly shall, at the first committee meeting of the term, discuss withcommittee members potential times to meet at least once every two (2) weeks.c. During the first meeting of every Standing Legislative Committee of the Senate,the Chairs – if they choose – shall designate one committee member to takeminutes during every committee meeting, otherwise they themselves shall takethe minutes.d. In accordance with the Constitution, any student is welcome to observe anycommittee meetings.e. Committees may, in accordance with the Constitution, close meetings to discusssensitive personnel matters by a 2/3 vote of the committee. However, all votingmust take place in public with individual votes recorded as prescribed by Senaterules and legislation.f. Any member of the three SGA branches is welcome to attend committeemeetings, even those closed by the committee itself.

9. Removal of Chairs or Members of a Committee of the Senate

a. The Chair of a Standing Legislative Committee of the Senate or an Ad-hocCommittee of the Senate may be removed by a ¾ vote of the committee itself, orby a 2/3 vote of the Senate as a whole.b. A member of a committee may only be removed by a ¾ vote of the Senate as awhole.c. If a Committee chooses to remove a chair by a 2/3 vote of the Committee itself,they must abide by the following procedures.i. A senate member of a committee must submit the signatures of at least1/2 of the senate members of the committee calling for the removal ofthe committee chair to the Executive Vice President.

1. When there is an odd amount of senators in the committee, the

number of signatures required shall be rounded up.ii. The Executive Vice President shall convene a meeting no later than 2weeks after the receipt of the signatures calling for the removal of acommittee chair to hear arguments for and against chair removal and tohold a vote to remove the chair.iii. At a minimum, the chair under consideration for removal must beallowed the opportunity to speak, and a senator calling for the chair’sJohns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 17removal must be allowed an equal opportunity to speak. Speaking ordershould be determined by some form of chance.iv. After speeches from the chair under consideration and from an accuser,senate members of the committee shall enter into deliberations. Thechair under consideration of removal must not be present fordeliberations. After deliberations have concluded, senate members ofthe committee must vote by secret ballot on whether to remove thechair. The chair under consideration for removal cannot participate inthis ballot.v. If the chair is removed, they shall be thanked for their service anddowngraded to a regular senate member of the committee.vi. Upon removal of a single chair of a committee, the Executive VicePresident shall hold an election for a new chair no later than one weekafter the removal of the original chair.

1. The Vice-Chair shall not automatically succeed the Chair in the

case of Chair removal by Committee or Senate vote, but mayrun in the election to replace the chair.vii. The removed chair may not run in the chair election held to determinetheir replacement.viii. The Executive Vice President cannot be removed from the InternalAffairs Committee and the Executive Treasurer cannot be removed fromthe Finance Committee.d. Removal of the chair of a committee, or of a member of the committee, done bythe full senate, shall proceed in identical fashion to impeachment proceedings asprescribed by the Constitution and further expounded upon by supportingstatutes.e. Vice-Chairs may be removed by the Chair of a committee in consultation andwith the consent of the Executive Board.i. In order to remove a Vice-Chair, the Chair of a committee must submitin writing/email why they feel that they require a new Vice-Chair to theExecutive President and Vice President.ii. Upon receiving the request to remove a Vice-Chair, the Executive Boardshall convene separate meetings with the Chair and Vice Chair of thecommittee to further discuss the issue, and may convene a meeting withthe Chair and Vice Chair if desired.iii. If the Executive Board determines that whatever the Chair believesnecessitates the removal of the Vice Chair cannot be resolved, theExecutive Board shall consent to the removal of the Vice Chair and theChair shall appoint a new Vice Chair.

1. The Executive Board should generally defer to the judgement

of the Chairiv. The Chair of a committee may also remove a Vice-Chair by submittingwritten notice to the members of the committee of why they want toremove the Vice-Chair.

1. The committee shall then vote on the removal of the

Vice-Chair, with a 2/3rds vote required to remove theVice-Chair.f. Any member of the Senate who is impeached in accordance with the Constitutionand relieved from the duties of the Senate are thus automatically removed fromall Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate and Ad-hoc Committees of theJohns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 18Senate.g. Chairs and Vice-Chairs of Committees may resign from Committee leadershippositions.i. If the Chair resigns, the Vice-Chair shall temporarily serve as Chairuntil new Chair elections can be held under the procedures describedabove.ii. If the Vice-Chair resigns, the Chair shall appoint a new Vice-Chair.iii. Notices of resignation of Committee leadership must be sent to theExecutive Vice President.

10. Committee Vacancies

a. Any vacancies within Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate or Ad-hocCommittees of the Senate created by the departure of a member of the Senateshall be filled by the Executive Vice President and confirmed by a plurality of theSenate.b. Any vacancies within Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate or Ad-hocCommittees of the Senate created by the departure of a non-member of theSenate shall be left vacant unless filled by Senate legislation.

IV. LEGISLATION OF THE SENATE

1. Scope

i. This article shall apply to all legislation taken up by the Legislative Branch of the SGA.ii. Should any part of this article be found unconstitutional, such part shall be considered severableand the rest of the article shall remain in effect.

2. Process

i. Legislation shall be written by any member of the Legislative or Executive Branches of SGA. ii.Legislation shall take one of two forms:

1. A bill, which formally enacts a law within the scope defined by the Constitution; or
2. A resolution, which formally declares the opinion of the Senate and thus the Student

Body.ii. Legislation shall require and document the presence of:

1. At least one (1) introducer (also known as an author or composer);
2. At least two (2) co-sponsors of the Legislative Branch who are not introducers;

iii. Legislation shall be written in any mainstream serif font (Times New Roman, Palatino, Garamond,Baskerville, etc.) and, by precedent, be headed with the round, golden-blue seal of the SGA.iv. Upon receiving sponsorship of at least two (2) members of the Legislative Branch, the originalsponsor of the Bill or Resolution shall submit the legislation to the Executive Vice President.v. The Executive Vice President shall then forward the legislation to the appropriate Committee Chairfor the committee’s consideration and alert the Senate of the received legislation and its committeehearing date.vi. All legislation must be considered by a Committee of the Senate before being considered by theSenate itself. In the most exceptional of cases, the Executive Vice President shall be empowered towaive this requirement in order to allow the Senate to directly address pressing matters.vii. Once legislation is referred to a Committee of the Senate, the Committee shall deliberate and voteupon a recommendation to the Senate for the legislation’s adoption or rejection. A plurality voteshall be necessary to recommend legislation’s adoption or rejection, or to undertake othercommittee actions. A committee may also elect to advance legislation to the Senate with norecommendation, if after significant deliberation, the committee elects to do so. A tie vote within acommittee brings the legislation before the Senate with no recommendation.

1. Upon passage in committee, legislation may be amended by mutual agreement of the

committee chair and the legislation’s introducer so long as the amendment does not alterthe intention of the bill.Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 19viii. All legislation, pursuant to the Constitution, must be adopted by the full Senate. A Committeealone is not empowered to take any direct action other than to recommend and refer action to theSenate as a whole.ix. Upon receiving the recommendation of a Committee of the Senate, the Executive Vice Presidentshall introduce the legislation to the Senate and call upon its original sponsor to discuss its meritsand field questions from the Senate.x. The legislation shall then be deliberated upon, pursuant to the Senate’s rules and procedures, andthe Senate shall eventually vote for the legislation’s adoption or rejection.xi. If the Senate votes to adopt the legislation, the Executive Vice President shall affix the Seal of theSenate to the legislation. The Executive President, Executive Vice President, Executive Treasurerand Executive Secretary will then place their signatures at the bottom of the legislation so as toconfirm its adoption. The legislation will then have the full force and effect of law.

1. For ceremonial purposes, the introducer(s) and co-sponsors shall have the right to sign the

legislation as well.xii. If the Senate votes to reject the legislation, the Executive Vice President shall indicate its rejectionand place their signature at the bottom so as to confirm its rejection. The Executive Vice Presidentshall not affix the Seal of the Senate to rejected legislation.

V. STUDENT ACTIVITIES COMMISSION

1. General Policies

i. The Student Activities Commission, hereafter referred to as SAC, shall be a subsidiary of the SGAFinance Committee.

1. In the event that there are 8 or less members in the Finance Committee, then all Finance

Committee members shall be voting members of SAC.

2. In the event that there are more than 8 members in the Finance Committee, at each

convening of SAC, it shall be the responsibility of the Executive Treasurer to ensure thatno more than 8 Finance Committee members attend as voting members.a. In the event that there are more than 8 Finance Committee members interested inattending a SAC meeting as a voting member, the Executive Treasurer shallallow the first 8 members who RSVP for the SAC meeting to attend as votingmembers.

3. All Finance Committee members are required to attend any SAC meeting regardless of

whether or not they are a voting member for said meeting.

4. All funding decisions will be passed by a simple majority.

ii. The SAC shall be comprised of eight voting Commissioners, appointed by the SGA ExecutiveTreasurer and confirmed by a majority vote of the Senate.iii. All SAC Commissioners and finance committee members shall be eligible to 1 vote in everydecision.

1. The SGA Executive Treasurer shall only vote in the case of a tie.
2. Any person at a SAC meeting who is a part of an organization that submitted a grant, shall

be asked to leave while the committee discusses the grant and will be unable to vote onsaid grant.

3. All votes shall be a simple majority vote

iv. The SGA Executive Treasurer shall chair the SAC.v. All student groups recognized by the SGA will be eligible for funding from the SAC includingmonthly grants; however groups which receive annual funding from another source will not beeligible for an annual allocation.

1. The SAC will not consider grants submitted by individual students or groups not

recognized by the SGA.

2. Class Councils will be eligible for monthly grant funds.

vi. The SGA Treasurer shall have the right with approval of a ⅔ majority vote of the Senate to removeJohns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 20any member of SAC.

1. The collective SAC body (including both commissioners and Finance Committee

Members) can request the removal of a commissioner by a ⅔ vote to then be approved bya ⅔ majority vote of the Senate.vii. The SAC will evaluate grant proposals based on the following four criteria:

1. The SAC Funding Guidelines
2. Feasibility
3. Impact
4. other funding sources that the club is receiving for the proposal.

viii. The SAC shall be responsible for maintaining a set of funding policies and caps by which alldecisions shall be based. These will be set annually and approved or amended by the Senate in themonth prior to reregistration. In addition, they must publish these policies and caps to the studentbody once approved by the Senate.ix. SAC has the right to revoke funding by a ⅔ majority vote of the SAC for violation of SACfunding guidelines or policies.x. SAC is responsible to provide budgets and balances to student organizations if requested.xi. The Senate can overturn any decision of the SAC by a ⅔ majority vote.xii. The chair of the finance committee will be required to provide bi-weekly updates to the Senate onall decisions made by SAC in addition to the regular updates of the treasurer.

2. Annual Grants

i. Annual appropriation decisions shall be made by the SAC within one month of the completion ofreregistration.ii. Organizations will not be eligible for annual grants if they receive annual funding outside of SAC.iii. Organizations that have been recognized or reestablished shall not be eligible for annualallocations until the following school year. This includes organizations recognized or reestablishedin the fall semester.

1. This will exclude governing boards, who will become eligible for annual grants

immediately upon recognition.iv. The Treasurer can then, if necessary, apply a universally proportional cut across all groups toensure that the given amount is equal to the amount available to give out.v. The final annual budget allocations will require Senate confirmation by a majority vote.

1. The allocations must be submitted a minimum of 10 days prior to the vote.
2. The Senate has the right to amend any budget on the floor by a majority vote.

vi. Neither the SAC nor SGA shall publish the annual allocations.vii. Should any student organization fall into debt with their University account, they will immediatelybecome ineligible for all SAC funding including both the annual allocation and monthly grantsuntil there is a positive or zero balance in their account.

1. SAC must notify organizations in the deficit at least 30 days prior to the annual allocation

process to allow the organizations to correct it before allocations.

3. Monthly Grants

i. The SAC shall meet bi-weekly (once every other week) during the fall and spring semester startingin October based on a schedule set at the start of the semester to discuss monthly budget requests.ii. Organizations are eligible for monthly grants immediately upon SGA recognition.iii. Each meeting will be given a maximum budget set as the total amount of money in the monthlygrant account divided by the number of meetings in the school year.

1. Any unused funds from previous meetings will be redistributed to all following meetings.

iv. In order for a meeting to commence, a majority of SAC must be present.v. A single group cannot receive more than 40% of the meeting budget.

4. Recruitment Procedures

i. Each year, the executive treasurer will be responsible for filling any vacancies left open byJohns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 21members who have either graduated or given up their duties on the SAC.ii. The recruiting process shall be divided into three parts

1. An application designed to gauge interest in and knowledge of the body
2. An interview with the treasurer and SAC board members
3. Confirmation from a majority vote of the Senate.

iii. SAC membership should be based on the merit of the individual and should be justifiable to theSGA Senate for confirmation.iv. All appointments made by the SGA Treasurer shall have to be approved by the SGA Senate by asimple majority.

VI. SENATE VACANCIES

1. In the event of any vacancy, the vacancy shall be announced to the relevant constituents through an email

that includes a notification of the process and/or application by which the position shall be filled.

2. Senatorial Vacancy

i. In the case of a Senatorial vacancy, the remaining members of the Class Council shall choose anew Senator, following the process herein prescribed subject to any constitutional restrictions.

1. The Class President shall immediately assemble the Class Council and inform them of the

vacancy.

2. The Class Council shall then collectively draft an application to fill the vacant seat.
3. This application shall then be disseminated to every member of the class within seven (7)

business days of the vacancy being created. Business days shall refer to all days whenUniversity classes are held on the Homewood campus.

4. The Class Council shall then conduct interviews of any candidates it deems qualified for

the position. These interviews must conclude within seven (7) business days of thedissemination of the applications.

5. Within two (2) business days of these interviews, the Class Council must vote on

candidates. Voting to confirm a new senator shall follow the plurality scheme; thecandidate receiving the most votes shall be nominated by the Class Council to fill the seat.ii. The Senate shall then, in accordance with the Constitution, vote to confirm or reject the ClassCouncil’s nominee.iii. If the Senate votes to reject the nominee, the Class Council shall immediately convene again toeither vote on one of the other candidates or restart the entire process.iv. The relevant Class President and the Executive Board shall keep the Student Body informed ofany decisions throughout this process.

3. Class Presidential Vacancy

i. In the case of a Class Presidential vacancy, the remaining members of the Class Council shallchoose a new President from among themselves, following the process herein prescribed subject toany constitutional restrictions.

1. The Executive Vice President shall immediately assembly the Class Council and inform

them of the vacancy.

2. The Class Council shall then collectively gather secret paper ballot nominations of Class

Council members to fill the vacant seat from within the Council itself.

3. Upon collecting the nominations, the Executive Vice President shall read the nomination

aloud and ask each nominee if he or she would like to perform the service of ClassPresident.

4. Those responding in the affirmative shall each give short speeches outlining their

qualifications and priorities at the next Class Council meeting (within five business daysof the vacancy being created).

5. Without discussion, each council member – including the outgoing Class President – shall

then cast a vote for Class President by roll call vote.

6. Voting to confirm a new Class President shall follow the plurality scheme; the candidate

Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 22receiving the most votes shall be elected.a. If a tie occurs, a second vote shall be held.b. If another tie occurs, successive elections will occur until a President is selected.ii. Once nominated by the Class Council, the nominee must face a confirmation vote by the Senate atits next meeting.

VII. COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING COMMISSION

1. The Communications and Marketing Commission, hereafter referred to as the CMC, shall be a subsidiary

group of the Student Government Association organized within the Office of the Executive Secretary.

2. The CMC shall operate according to a set of CMC Bylaws set by the Senate.
3. The CMC shall be tasked with all matters related to the marketing and promotion of the SGA, including but

not limited to: social media management, website maintenance and construction, and graphic design.

4. The CMC shall be comprised of at least five voting Communications and Marketing Aides, appointed by

the SGA Executive Secretary with the advice and consent of two-thirds of the Senate.i. In the event of a vacancy, the SGA Executive Secretary may appoint replacement members asoutlined in the preceding section or may divide responsibilities among the remaining CMCmembers.

5. The SGA Executive Secretary shall chair the CMC but shall only vote when a tie exists.
6. Quorum shall be set at half plus one of the membership of CMC.
7. The Senate shall, under the Constitution, retain its oversight prerogatives over the CMC.

VIII. POLICY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION

1. The Policy Research and Development Commission, hereafter referred to as PRDC, shall be a subsidiary

group of the Student Government Association organized within the Office of the Executive Vice President.

2. The PRDC shall operate according to a set of PRDC Bylaws, which shall elaborate on matters not

delineated here. The PRDC Bylaws shall be set by the Senate.

3. The PRDC shall be comprised of at least five voting Policy Advisors, appointed by the SGA Executive Vice

President with the advice and consent of two-thirds of the Senate.i. At the discretion of the Executive Vice President, a Policy Advisor may be promoted to a “SeniorPolicy Advisor of [area of expertise]” if said Policy Advisor has a specific portfolio of area ofissues on which they are uniquely capable, experienced, or qualified to advise the SGA.ii. In the event of a vacancy, the SGA Executive Vice President may appoint replacement members ormay divide responsibilities among the remaining PRDC Policy Advisors.

4. The PRDC shall be tasked with:

i. Service to and Collaboration with Additional SGA Organs

1. The Senate, committees, class councils, the SAC, the CMC, the Judiciary and the CSE

may request that the PRDC conduct research on an issue on their behalf.ii. Service to and Collaboration with JHU Student Organizations

1. Undergraduate student organizations may request the aid of the PRDC in conducting

policy research, development, and statistical analysis in their own activities.

2. The PRDC is expected to prioritize reports requested by the SGA, then focus on reports

for student organizations.iii. Conducting policy research and development on behalf of the SGA.

1. Harnessing advanced research tools to execute its duties, including but not limited to:

a. Articles obtained from accredited academic institutions or publicationsb. Government reports or publications

c. Documents in the JHU Sheridan Libraries Special Collections and Archivesd. Computer code (Java, C, C+, Python, R, MatLab, etc.)

e. ArcGISf. Stata

g. SPSS

h. ERDASJohns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 23

i. ENVI

iv. Publishing Reports

1. The PRDC shall have the ability to make reports to the Senate and other organs of the

SGA based on its research. The PRDC shall make at least 1 report to the Senate everysemester.

2. The PRDC shall produce and publish publicly at least 2 policy reports per semester.
3. The PRDC shall have the ability to send reports to the University administration.
4. Reports may include a recommended course of action if and only if the recommended

course of action is (a) supported by the data in the report and (b) the recommended courseof action has been formally endorsed by the Senate through motion or formal resolution.v. The SGA Executive Vice President shall chair the PRDC but shall only vote when a tie exists.vi. Quorum shall be set at half plus one of the membership of the PRDC.vii. The Senate shall, under the Constitution, retain its oversight prerogatives over the PRDC.

IX. STUDENT GROUPS

1. Scope

i. This article shall apply to all dealings with current and proposed student organizations by theCommittee on Student Organizations and the SGA Senate.ii. Should any part of this article be found unconstitutional, such part shall be considered severableand the rest of the article shall remain in effect.

2. Recognition of Proposed Student Organizations

i. The SGA Senate has, under the Constitution, jurisdiction over the appointment process of newstudent organizations.ii. The Committee on Student Organizations shall receive applications for proposed studentorganizations and determine, along with the Coordinator of Student Organizations, which Categorythese groups fall under.

1. All JHU student organizations currently categorized as: Academic and Research, Center

for Social Concern, Dean of Student Life Charter Organizations, Sports Clubs andFraternity and Sorority Life will be eligible for additional recognition by SGA and thuseligible for SAC monthly grants.a. For annual grant eligibility, they must drop their recognition outside of SGA.

2. They will be reviewed and confirmed by a majority vote of the Committee on Student

Organizations on a rolling basis.iii. The Committee on Student Organizations shall conduct hearings with the Coordinator of StudentOrganizations and leaders of proposed groups to evaluate the uniqueness and feasibility of theirmission, the establishment of a longitudinal organizational structure, the level of risk and theircontribution to on-campus student life.iv. The Committee on Student Organizations shall vote on whether to recognize the existence andprovide funding for proposed student organizations. Committee quorum and a simple majority isrequired for the committee’s determination to be in effect.

1. The Committee’s decision shall be referred to the Coordinator of Student Organizations,

by the end of the academic term at which the application was submitted, to finalize thenew group registration process.

2. The Committee’s decision shall be referred to the SGA Treasurer and the Student

Activities Commission to give new organizations access to start-up funds and studentgroup grants.v. A decision to recognize or deny a proposed student organization by the Committee on StudentOrganizations can be appealed by any SGA Senator with a simple majority vote, at which pointthe General Body will evaluate the proposed student organization and vote on a final determinationof its recognition.

3. Current Student Organizations

Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 24i. The SGA Senate is, under the Constitution, empowered to pass legislation governing studentgroups.ii. All student organizations recognized by the SGA Senate shall undergo a yearly review of theiroperations by the Committee on Student Organizations, upon which their yearly budget grant fromSAC shall be contingent.iii. A decision to revoke recognition of an existing student organization by the Committee on StudentOrganizations can be appealed by any SGA Senator with a simple majority vote, at which pointthe General Body will evaluate the student organization and vote on a final determination of itsrecognition.iv. Student groups may not disallow any member the right to vote with regard to race, color, creed,religion, national or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, citizenship, orhandicap. This requirement may be waived in circumstances in which an individual group has aspecific reason – related to the impending graduation of group members – as to why members setto graduate in the academic year following the election should not be allowed to vote in a groupelection.

1. If the group wishes to waive this requirement, they must present a case to the SGA Senate

explaining why graduating members should not be allowed to vote in an election. If theSGA rules in the group’s favor, then the class of graduating members will not be allowedto vote. The disallowance of graduating members, if approved, must apply to everymember of the group, without exception, who is to graduate in the semester following theelection.v. Student groups must ensure that all students have the right to express their chosen pronoun, chosenname, and gender identity in all documents, programs, and material.vi. All laws passed by the SGA governing approved student organizations shall be compiled into asingular document and sent to the leaders of the student organization at the beginning of eachschool year.vii. All Senators should be paired with a set number of student organizations, with Senators belongingto the Committee on Student Organizations taking on 3-4 organizations more than those not on thecommittee. Upon the inauguration of freshmen senators, they shall be assigned to a number oforganizations equal to that of other senators. The senator originally assigned to that organizationshall be retained as an advisor to the freshman senator.

1. The procedures for pairing shall be the duty and discretion of the Chair(s) of the CSO and

shall take place by mid-July at the earliest.

2. No Senator should be paired with an organization that would constitute a conflict of

interest.viii. The senators shall act as a point of contact for the student organizations that they are paired withand should be in regular communication.

1. The senators shall be responsible for first contacting their paired student organizations

within the week following the pairings of the Senators to organizations.ix. The senators should help guide their student organizations to the correct sources of information orcommittee.

4. Student and Student Organization Application Updates

i. The SGA shall strive to keep students and student organizations apprised of the status of theirapplications to itself or its constituent bodies – including committees, class councils, the SAC, andthe CMC.

1. For applications requiring two or more weeks to approve or deny, the following measures

shall be used to maintain these channels of communication:a. Students shall have the right to request an update on their application’s progressevery two weeks, even if a final outcome cannot be provided at that time.b. For each application process, the SGA shall publish an estimated timeline withJohns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 25general stages and timeframes on the process of approval and denial, as well asrelevant points of contacts, on the SGA website.i. The SGA shall email the aforementioned timeline to all applicationsubmissions’ authors.

X. INSTITUTIONAL MEMORY

1. Records

i. Public Disclosure

1. All SGA records shall be presented to the public in an online JHBox that is accessible in

less than 2 clicks from the SGA website homepage or 4 clicks from the SGA’s socialmedia pages.a. Any SGA document deliberated in the public sphere – legislation, minutes, andworking documents – shall be placed into JHBox within a week of creation.

ii. Freedom of Information

1. Any JHU undergraduate’s request for SGA information sent to HopkinsGroups or the

SGA website shall be honored within a week of request, and if information cannot beprovided, a legitimate legal, or personal privacy-related reason shall be provided inwriting. Denied requests may be appealed to the Judiciary. All requests, fulfilled ordenied, shall be listed in the SGA public records.iii. Longevity

1. At the end of every academic year, the Internal Affairs Committee shall store all of SGA’s

digital records for protection in a secondary technological archive. The records shall behoused in the SGA Office.iv. Minutes

1. Minutes shall, at the very least, always include the following:

a. The date, time, and location of a meeting.b. Those present at and absent from a SGA meeting, including whether the absenceis excused or unexcused.c. Any guests in attendance at the meeting.d. The matters discussed in a meeting.e. The main ideas discussed within each matter.f. The major points or motions raised during the meeting.g. All votes made during the meeting, conditional upon a final bill vote beingexecuted by roll call, each senator’s vote will be recorded.

2. Minutes shall be made available to the Executive Secretary no later than a week from the

meeting at which they were recorded. Failure to send minutes shall be noted on the SGAwebsite.

3. Worklog

a. An SGA work log shall be created at the beginning of the school year, no laterthan the first General Body Meeting, by the Executive Secretary of SGA. TheSGA work log shall be made accessible on the SGA website.b. It shall be the responsibility of the Executive Secretary to ensure that the worklog is continually updated by SGA members and posted on the SGA website. It isencouraged that individual SGA members fill out the log.c. The SGA work log shall compile all the legislation, non-legislative projects,roles, and responsibilities of individual SGA members.d. An example SGA work log was created in March [link]. This format can be usedas a template.

XI. INTERNAL ACCOUNTABILITY

1. Impeachment

i. Impeachment shall be defined as the reprimand of a member by no less than a 2/3 vote of theJohns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 26Senate for any legitimate reason outlined in the Constitution and/or Bylaws.ii. Any impeachment may be appealed to the Judiciary within seven (7) days.iii. A mark of impeachment shall be made in the public record and this mark shall be kept on therecord until the end of the semester, at which time the impeachment shall be lifted.

2. Removal

i. Removal shall be defined as the removal of an SGA member from their office by the processesoutlined in the Constitution and/or Bylaws. If removed, the removal shall be noted in the publicrecord and the SGA member shall be stripped of all titles and privileges.

XII. SUPREMACY

1. The Constitution, these Bylaws, and the Senate Procedural Rules herein prescribed shall supersede

legislation of the Senate and shall retain supremacy, in conjunction with the Constitution, over any otherSGA laws and governing documents of subsidiary bodies and student organizations.

2. Should any part of these Bylaws be ruled unconstitutional, such part shall be considered severable and the

rest of the document shall remain valid and enforceable.XIII. AMENDMENTS AND RATIFICATION

1. These Bylaws, unless specified below, may only be amended and ratified by a two-thirds vote of the entire

membership of the Senate.

2. Semantic Amendments

i. Amendments related to incorrect grammar or specifying acronyms may be made by the InternalAffairs without a Senate vote.

1. Internal Affairs Committee will notify the Senate of these changes.

XIV. CAUCUSES

1. Formation

i. In order to form a caucus, the following criteria must be met:

1. Formation must be initiated by an SGA Senate member
2. Submission of a bill establishing a caucus that contains the following:

a. Rules for caucus (granted that they do not supercede the general guidelines ofcaucuses)b. Purpose of the caucusc. Goals of the caucusd. Why there is a need for this caucus on campuse. List of at least 10 interested individualsf. List of at least 3 potential partner student organizations

3. Caucuses must be approved by a 2/3rds vote of the Senate
2. Leadership:

i. Each caucus must have, at a minimum, a Chair and a Vice-Chair

1. The Chair of the caucus must be an elected member of the Senate or the Executive Board.
2. The Vice Chair must be a member of the Senate, the Executive Board, an Executive Board

Commission, a former SGA elected member, or a non-senate member of a standingcommittee.ii. The Chair of the caucus shall be responsible for the following duties:

1. The Chair shall serve as the chief executive officer of the caucus.
2. The Chair shall be the official spokesperson of the caucus.
3. The Chair shall preside at and lead all meetings of the caucus and shall prepare the

meeting agendas.

4. The Chair shall coordinate elections within their caucus by the end of September.
5. The Chair shall be responsible for overseeing all administrative duties for the caucus.
6. The chair shall also be responsible for ensuring that there is a Caucus page on the SGA

website that contains leadership information and all meeting minutes.iii. The Vice Chair shall be responsible for the following duties:Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 27

1. Record detailed minutes at all meetings for the caucus and shall keep them on file.
2. The Vice Chair shall manage any and all internal and external organizational

correspondence, as requested by the Chair.

3. The Vice Chair shall maintain all membership records for the caucus, including updating

the roster and member attendance sheet.

4. The Vice Chair shall be responsible for reserving rooms and spaces for all meetings and

events.

5. In the event that the Chair is unable to lead meetings or fulfill other administrative

responsibilities, the Vice Chair shall step in momentarily as their proxy.

6. Upon resignation of the Chair of a caucus, the Vice-Chair shall serve as interim chair until

new elections are held.a. Eligibility rules of interim chairmanship shall follow that of Vice Chair and notChair.iv. Each caucus may specify additional leadership roles in their Caucus Rules Bill.

v. Leadership Election Procedures:

1. The Chair and Vice-Chair of the caucus must be elected by the SGA Senate in a General

Body Meeting.a. This must be completed within one month of the approval of a caucus

2. In order to run for a leadership position, a candidate must be nominated by a Senator

during the General Body Meeting in which the election shall take place.a. Incumbent Chairs or Vice-Chairs in the Caucus for which the election is for, maynot nominate candidates for either position.

3. Each candidate must speak for up to five minutes on why they should be elected to the

position they are running for.a. If there is only one candidate nominated for a position, the Senate shall movedirectly into voting procedure for the nominee.b. If there are multiple candidates, after the speeches, Senators may motion for aQ&A, a Moderated Caucus, or to move into voting procedure.i. If there are no motions for a moderated caucus or a Q&A, the Senateshall move directly into voting procedure for the position beingdiscussed.c. After speeches and optional discussion, the Senate shall move into votingprocedure.

4. A candidate for a position must win a majority of the votes to obtain the position they are

running for.a. If there are more than two candidates and neither gets a majority of the vote, theSenate shall move into a second round of voting, with the candidate who got theleast votes in the prior round of voting taken out of consideration for the position.b. This process shall continue until a candidate gets a majority of the vote.

5. Elections for each position shall be held during one of the first three General Body

Meetings of each year’s Senate. New elections shall be held during the academic yearupon the resignation of the Chair or Vice-Chair of the caucus, or upon the receipt of thesignatures of 2/3rds of the Senate.a. Upon resignation of Chair or Vice-Chair, new elections must be held within twoweeks of resignation. If the resignation occurs during a time in which the nextGBM is farther than two weeks away (for example, during winter break), theelection shall be carried out at the next GBM.b. Between the resignation of the Chair and the election of a new chair, the ViceChair will serve as interim Chair, and the caucus will vote on a temporaryreplacement for the Vice Chair.Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 28i. Upon resignation of the Vice Chair, the chair will determine who willserve as interim Vice Chair until a new election can be held.

3. Powers and Responsibilities of Caucuses

i. Caucuses shall work to advance, represent the needs and concerns of, and promote greater equalityfor the community that they represent.ii. Actions that caucuses are authorized to carry out include without Senate Approval include:

1. Endorsing, suggesting, or otherwise encouraging legislation aimed to help the

constituency they represent

2. Reviewing and providing feedback on whether legislation passed by SGA is as inclusive

of and mindful to the needs of the constituency they represent as possible.

3. Acting as a safe space for the constituency they represent, and providing meaningful

opportunities for the constituency they represent to convene and discuss pertinent issues.

4. Holding General Body Meetings with interested students and interested student groups to

discuss whatever issues are deemed relevant by the caucus.

5. Running a Social Media Account
6. Any actions not included in this list require further action before the caucus may carry

them out, which shall be described within these bylaws.

iii. Events and Initiatives

1. There are two routes for initiatives to be approved:

a. In order to work on events and initiatives, caucuses can present their initiative toa GBM (to ensure awareness within the Senate)i. Any relevant legislative committees can comment / provide feedbackii. 2 A simple majority vote within the Senate can approve theevent/initiativeb. Alternatively, a caucus initiative can partner with a specific legislative committeei. A committee simple majority vote can approve said initiative/event

4. Internal Rules

i. Caucuses shall define their structure, operating rules, and any other leadership not specified bythese bylaws by creating an annual Caucus rules bill that must be approved by the Senate everyacademic year.

1. Annual Caucus Rules bills shall be approved by a majority vote of the Senate by end of

September at the latest.

2. Rules Bills must stay within the structure provided in these bylaws, and may not outline

any responsibilities, leadership election procedures, or anything else that contradicts thesebylaws.

3. Rules Bills should include a potential caucus logo if applicable
4. Annual Rules Bills must be posted publicly on the SGA website. The Caucus shall not be

allowed to carry out any of its responsibilities and shall be considered null and void untilthe Rules Bill is posted on the website.

5. Membership

i. Caucus membership shall be open to all interested students of any background or demographic, inaccordance with our Constitution

1. Caucuses may further define in their Rules bill the specifics of “membership” within their

caucusXV. GOVERNING BOARDS

1. Governing Boards will be subcommittees of the CSO and fall under the CSO’s jurisdiction.
2. Governing Boards shall be reappointed following SGA elections in the spring.
3. There will be a governing board for each category of organizations under the SGA.

i. FSL organizations and sports clubs will be exempt from governing boards.

4. Governing Boards shall be composed of 5 members: Chair, Secretary, Representative to the CSO, and 2

Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 29general members.i. The MLC will have an independent process to appoint four of its governing board positions,separate from the process outlined in these bylaws. The fifth and final representative of the MLCgoverning board will be appointed by the CSO, in collaboration with and consultation of the MLCexecutive board, by the process described in these bylaws.

1. The MLC may choose to opt-out of this process annually by informing the CSO. Should

they opt out, the positions will be filled as outlined in these bylaws.ii. The position of representative to the CSO will be specifically applied to, but the Chair andsecretary will be chosen by the governing board from themselves.iii. The representative to the CSO will be a non-voting member of the CSO.

5. The governing board members will be chosen by an application and interview process with the CSO and

confirmed by a simple majority of the Senate.i. To be a member of a governing board, you must be a member of an executive board of anorganization under the governing board’s jurisdiction.ii. The MLC process for selection of four of its governing board positions is independent andspecified by Section XIV: Governing Boards 4.a.

6. Decisions made within a governing board shall be made by a simple majority with each member being

entitled to one vote.

7. Organizations will be required to be under the governing board of their primary categorization.

i. Organizations will have the option to opt-in to an additional governing board with the approval ofthe governing board they wish to be added under.

8. Governing boards have the right to pass and send recommendations to the CSO, given that they have

reached a majority-approved decision to do so.

9. The CSO can overturn any decision made by governing boards by a ⅔ vote.
10. A member of any governing board can be removed by ⅔ vote of the Senate at the recommendation of a

simple majority vote of the CSO.

11. Governing boards shall have a meeting with all executive members under their jurisdiction twice a semester.
12. Governing board members should provide logistical support to organizations under them to the best of their

ability

13. Regular updates about organizations under them shall be provided to the CSO.