Constitution of the Augustana Student Association

Clause 1. Be a member of the ASA.

Clause 2. Must have earned a minimum of twelve (12) academic credits which include five (5) courses must completed at Augustana College at the time of his or her election.

Clause 3. Have and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 2.50.

Clause 1. Upon a removal or resignation of the President, the Vice President shall assume the office of President until the term ends. In the event that both president and vice president positions are vacated, the Secretary will act as temporary the Senate's presiding office and, as ASA Election Commissioner, will call for a special election within two (2) weeks to elect a new President and Vice President.

Clause 2. In the event of the removal or resignation of the Vice President, the President shall recommend a new Vice President to the Senate for approval within three (3) weeks. Approval by the Senate is subject to a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote.

Clause 3. In the event that all executive positions are vacated at the same time, the Administration and Planning (A&P) Committee chair shall act as temporary presiding officer of the ASA, the ASA Senate, and the Election Commissioner. The A&P Committee chair shall call for a special election to fill the vacated offices within (2) weeks. Election procedures are specified in the ASA Election Code.

Clause 1. The ASA President may veto any legislation passed by the ASA Senate. In the event of budget-related legislation, the President may exercise a line-item veto.

Clause 2. The President shall convene an Executive Cabinet consisting of student leaders representing the Union Board of Governors, Concert and Lecture Committee, the editor of The Mirror, one male and one female intercollegiate athlete, a student representative from a major music organization, and the President of the Augustana College Congregation.

Clause 3. The President will be responsible for communicating senate actions to all established student organizations..

Clause 4. The President shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Cabinet.

Clause 5. To request reports on activity, structure, and function of all organizations receiving full or partial funding from ASA.

Clause 6. To meet with (or have committees appointed by him or her meet with) similar officers from the student associations of other colleges and universities for the purpose of negotiating agreements governing relations between ASA and these students' associations.

Clause 7. The President shall present a proposed plan of goals and objectives to the ASA Senate during the first four (4) weeks of the fall semester.

Clause 8. The President shall attend meeting of the ASA Senate and provide periodic reports from the Executive Cabinet, about and other student organizations , and about matters of interest to the Senate..

Clause 9. The President and Vice President shall have joint responsibility for making aappointment from the ASA membership to college councils, committees and task forces.

Clause 10. The President is authorized to designate an annual budget for the ASA Executive account. S/he shall prepare and present the annual budget to the Senate within the first four (4) weeks of the fall semester.

Clause 11. The President shall fulfill all other specified and implied duties, responsibilities, and obligations conferred upon the office as identified by this constitution and by-laws of the Augustana Student Association.

Clause 1. The Vice President shall serve as the Chair of the ASA Senate and shall preside at all official meetings of the Senate.

Clause 2. The Vice President may cast a vote in senate meetings only when necessary to break a tie vote.

Clause 3. The Vice president shall be responsible for developing and maintaining viable relationships with other Augustana College student organizations and, when appropriate, the student governments of other colleges and universities.

Clause 4. The Vice president shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Cabinet in the absence of or at the discretion of the President.

Clause 5. The Vice President shall fulfill all other specified and implied duties, responsibilities, and obligations conferred upon the office as identified by this constitution and by-laws of the Augustana Student Association.

Clause 1. To serve as a non-voting, ex-officio member.

Clause 2. To record the minutes of all meetings of the ASA Student Senate and to maintain records of the status of all motions and resolutions presented to the ASA Student Senate.

Clause 3. To publicize activity of the ASA Student Senate as delegated by the Executive Branch and the Personnel and Development committee.

Clause 4. To serve as election commissioner for the Spring ASA Elections.

Clause 1. In the event of the removal or resignation of a senator, the Personnel and Development Committee shall recommend a replacement to the Vice President. Approval of the recommended replacement is subject to a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote by the Senate.

Clause 2. In the event that the Vice President is unable to fulfill the duties and responsibilities as the Chair of the Senate, succession shall assumed by a senator per the following order until the position is filled: A. Chair, Administration and Planning Committee. B. Chair, Co-Curriculum Committee. C. Chair, Curriculum Committee. D. Chair, Personnel and Development Committee.

Clause 1. Be a member of the ASA.

Clause 2. Be elected by a vote of the ASA in accordance with the ASA Election Code.

Clause 3. Have and maintain a GPA of 2.0 throughout his or her term of office.

Clause 1. It shall authorize the appropriation of money from the ASA Senate account, General account, and Community Development Fund account with a (2/3) majority vote.

Clause 2. It shall work in coordination with on-campus judicial bodies in establishing rules and a code of conduct for the student body.

Clause 3. It shall create such ad hoc committees as it shall deem necessary.

Clause 4. It shall approve the constitutions and by-laws of all ASA funded student organizations.

Clause 5. It shall decide all issues arising over ASA Senate membership.

Clause 6. It shall have the authority to rescind the voting privileges of any ASA Student Senator for reasons of non-attendance. Each succeeding ASA Student Senate shall have the right to determine specific attendance requirements.

Clause 7. It shall have the option of overriding any presidential veto or line item veto with a vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the body of the Senate.

Clause 1. Be a member of the ASA.

Clause 2. Be elected by a vote of the ASA in accordance with the ASA Election Code

Clause 3. Have and maintain a GPA of 2.0 throughout his or her term of office.

Clause 4. Must have held a position on the ASA student senate, held and executive office, or been an active at-large member of the A&P committee, as deemed by the Election Commissioner.

Clause 5. To fufill all qualifications, duties and responsibilities of an ASA Student Senator.

Clause 6. To manage the ASA Senate account, General account, Executive account and Community Development Fund account. The Treasurer shall maintain all purchase order books and handle all account transactions for the aforementioned accounts.

Clause 7. To prepare reports on the financial position of the ASA and to provide said reports to the Student Senate in written and/or verbal form.

Clause 8. To inform all organizations that petition funds from the ASA of the amount of their appropriation.

Clause 9. To maintain information on the status of all organizations receiving partial or full funding from the ASA and to make such information available to the ASA Student Senate and the ASA President.

Clause 10. To supervise ASA funded organizations' account balances and send each organization a statement of their account at the beginning, middle and end of each semester. It is the responsibility of the Treasurer to ensure that organizations are not allowed to accrue a debt.

Clause 11. To act as the chair of the Administration and Planning committee and perform duties of said office.

Clause 12. To fulfill all duties, responsibilities, and obligations conferred upon the office by the ASA.

Clause 1: All committees of this part shall be open to members selected from the ASA at large who do not hold positions on the ASA Student Senate or on the Executive Staff of the ASA President. These at large committee members are appointed by the Personnel and Development Committee, subject to approval by both the ASA Student Senate and the ASA President. These members' terms will run concurrent with those of the elected ASA Student Senators.

Clause 2. There shall be a minimum of four Student Senators assigned to each committee of the ASA Student Senate by the President of the Senate, subject to the approval of the ASA Student Senate. Each ASA Student Senator shall hold only one concurrent committee assignment.

Clause 3. The President of the Senate shall have the power to select the chairpersons of each of the four permanent standing committees of the ASA Student Senate. The committee chairperson must be a senator.

Clause 1. Matters may be referred to a committee at the discretion of the President of the Senate.

Clause 2. All matters referred to committees shall remain in committee until a recommendation is made, unless the President of the Senate inquires about such matters, at which point the committee shall provide the requested information.

Clause 3. All recommendations shall take the form of a motion. If a committee decides that no action is necessary, it shall make a report of "No recommendation" to the ASA Senate.

Clause 4. The ASA Senate, by a two-thirds (2/3) vote, can call out of committee any matter currently under consideration.

Clause 1. It should review, discuss, and advise the ASA Senate on matters pertaining to the General Budget of the ASA.

Clause 2. It shall hold spring budget hearings concerning general budget proposals following the spring elections by or within the third post-election week.

Clause 3. The outgoing A&P Committee chair is recommended to serve as a non-voting advisor and mediator during the spring budget hearings to provide continuity and stability.

Clause 4. It shall review, discuss, and advise the ASA Student Senate on amendments to the ASA Constitution, By-laws, Election Code, and other governing documents.

Clause 5. It shall review, discuss, and advise the ASA Senate on resolutions emanating from the ASA Executive Cabinet.

Clause 6. Upon the request of the ASA Student Senate or the ASA President, it may review, discuss, and advise the ASA on any pertinent matter.

Clause 1. It shall examine and review the social fabric of the Augustana College community and that of the community of Sioux Falls and recommend changes that may enhance the social life of the Augustana College student.

Clause 2. It shall examine and review the non-academic concerns of the students and recommend changes to ameliorate these concerns.

Clause 3. It shall review, discuss, and advise the ASA Student Senate on resolutions emanating from the Northside (NSC) and Southside (SSC) Councils.

Clause 4. One member of the Co-Curriculum Committee shall serve on the Faculty Co-Curriculum Council..

Clause 5. Its members shall serve on task forces or committees that deal with non-curricular issues of student life.

Clause 1. It shall represent the students' interest in the curricular affairs of the College.

Clause 2. It shall better the academic aspect of the Augustana College student by acting as a mediator between students and the college administration.

Clause 3. It shall have the option to administer course and faculty evaluations.

Clause 4. It shall have the option to provide a student-advising program to assist fellow students with registration.

Clause 5. It shall strive to inform the students of the value of the Liberal Arts curriculum at Augustana College.

Clause 6. It shall have the option to administer a faculty recognition award in the spring semester of the academic calender, taking nominations form the student body.

Clause 7. One member of the Curriculum Committee shall serve on the Faculty Curriculum Council.

Clause 1. It shall recommend apointments for vacant ASA Student Senate seats, subject to a two-thirds (2/3) vote of approval by the Senate. It shall also appoint three at large members to each Senate standing committee, subject to a two-thirds (2/3) vote of approval by the Senate.

Clause 2. It shall be responsible for the selection of the Union Board of Governors (UBG) Head Governor(s) and the chairs of Concert and Lecture, New Student Orientation (NSO), and Viking Days. The selection process shall include an application and interview with the committee. The Director of Student Activities shall serve as a voting ex-officio member of the selection process for all positions, and the current leaders of each organization shall be voting ex-officio members of the selection process for their respective organizations. The past and/or present faculty NSS director and one NSO group leader shall also be voting ex-officio members of the NSO Co-Chair selection process. These positions will be filled at the discretion of the committee when qualified applicants are available.

Clause 3. It shall develop and implement strategies to raise the student body's awareness of ASA Senate goals and activities and to raise the Senate's awareness of constituent concerns. This may include, but is not limited to, publicizing meetings, actions taken, and events at the request of the ASA Executives or other standing committees of the Senate.

Clause 4. It shall help current students develop lasting relations with the college. This shall be facilitated through close communication with the Alumni Relations Director.

Clause 1. The ASA President.

Clause 2. The ASA Vice President.

Clause 3. The Chairpersons of the four standing committees of the ASA Student Senate.

Clause 1. The Chairperson of the Administration and- Planning Committee shall act as the Chairperson of the Budgetary Arbitration Committee.

Clause 2. The Chairperson of the Budgetary Arbitration Committee shall exercise the power to vote only in the event of a tie vote of the Budgetary Arbitration Committee.

Clause 3. All members of the Budgetary Arbitration Committee must be present at the meeting(s) of the Budgetary Arbitration Committee in order for business to be transacted.

Clause 4. Any decision made by the Budgetary Arbitration Committee shall be considered final.

Clause 1. The Budgetary Arbitration Committee shall convene within five (5) school days after the failed override vote should the ASA Student Senate fail to override any Presidential vetoes on the General Budget.

Clause 2. In the event of unforeseen circumstances, the Budgetary Arbitration Committee shall have the power to postpone said meetings for a period not to exceed five (5) school days.

Clause 3. The organizations whose budgets are involved in budgetary arbitration shall be presented with the ASA President's rationale for his or her veto and shall have the right to present at the arbitration hearing on their respective budget to provide defense for said budget.

Clause 1. Meetings of the ASA may be held at the discretion of the ASA Student Senate or the ASA President. Meetings may also be called by a petition of ten (10) percent of the total ASA membership.

Clause 2. Quorum. Twenty (20) percent of the ASA membership constitutes a quorum for transacting business at all meetings of the ASA.

Clause 3. A student forum may be held during the Fall Semester of each academic year upon the recommendation of the ASA Student Senate or upon the petition of ten (10) percent of the ASA. A. This forum shall be open to all members of the ASA with no quorum necessary. B. Resolutions emanating from this forum will be made formal legislative action as determined by the ASA Student Senate no later than one month after said forum.

Clause 1. Frequency of meetings. The ASA Student Senate shall meet as a body at least once a month according to the schedule determined by the ASA Student Senate at the beginning of each semester and shall meet at other times at the decision of the President of the Senate.

Clause 2. Quorum. Two-thirds (2/3) of the filled voting positions of the ASA Student Senate shall constitute a quorum for transacting business.

Clause 1. An official accusation for the impeachment of any Executive Officer of the ASA or ASA Student Senator shall be made before the ASA Student Senate two (2) weeks prior to impeachment hearings. ASA Student Senators may bring formal accusation against officers of the ASA and members of the ASA Student Senate. Any member of the ASA may also bring formal accusation against any officer of the ASA. However, accusation of an ASA Student Senator for the ASA at large must come from the electorate, which he or she represents, with the duties formerly granted to the ASA now being granted to the appropriate electorate.

Clause 2. At the impeachment hearing, which shall be held two (2) weeks following the accusation, the accused shall be given ample time to present his or her case.

Clause 3. The highest-ranking officer of the ASA who is present shall chair the impeachment hearing. The impeachment hearing cannot be a part of a regular meeting of the ASA Student Senate; a special meeting of the ASA Student Senate must be held.

Clause 4. The accused shall not be considered a member of the quorum or be eligible for chairperson.

Clause 5. After the accused has presented his or her case, he or she shall be allowed to remain present and defend himself or herself during the ensuing discussion by the ASA Student Senate.

Clause 6. The Chair shall terminate discussion after a member of the quorum has called the question. Following the acceptance of the question, the accused shall be excused from further proceedings.

Clause 7. Upon exclusion of the accused, no more discussion shall take place, and a secret ballot shall be taken.

Clause 8. Impeachment of the accused will require a three-fourths (3/4) majority vote of the ASA Student Senate in favor of impeachment.