Bylaws of the Student Body
Association of
This organization shall be called the Student Body Association of Muhlenberg College (referred to as the SBA in these Bylaws).
Subject only to the statutory regulations of the Board of
Trustees and of the Faculty, the SBA represents undergraduate students in
voicing their concerns, promoting student interests, and advocating for student
life and academic concerns at
All currently matriculated day students of
A. The only officer of the SBA shall be a President.
B. The President of the SBA must be at least a sophomore at the time of nominations and have been enrolled in the College for two full semesters.
C. The President shall serve a term of one year or until his/her successor is elected. No individual may serve more than two consecutive terms as President. A President’s term of office begins April 1.
D. The President of the SBA shall:
1. Chair all regular and special meetings of the SBA and the Student Council;
2. Serve as an ex-officio member with no voting power on all Student Council committees, but shall not serve on the Council Operations Committee;
3. Serve as and /or appoint when appropriate a student representative to the Muhlenberg College Board of Trustees, the Board of Associates, the Alumni Executive Council, and the Student Life Committee of the Board of Trustees;
4. Represent the SBA in all matters not specifically assigned by these bylaws as requested from time to time;
5. Perform all other duties prescribed in these bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the SBA.
E. A vacancy in the office of President of the SBA shall be filled with an election by the Student Body within three (3) weeks of said vacancy.
There shall be at least four (4) regular meetings per year of the SBA at such time and place as set by the SBA in the first meeting of its Student Council each semester. Meetings should occur on no less than a quarterly basis.
A. Special Meetings may be called by the President or upon the written request of five (5) members of the Student Council.
B. Members of the SBA may petition the Student Council for a Special Meeting of the SBA. The petition must contain the printed names and signatures of at least ten percent (10%) of the membership as well as identify the specific business to be discussed.
C. Except in cases of special emergency as identified by the Dean of Students Office, at least five (5) academic days’ notice shall be given to all members by telephone, in writing or electronically. The call must include the specific business to be discussed as well as the date, time and location of the meeting. No other business may be conducted at the meeting, even with the unanimous consent of those present.
In all meetings of the SBA, those members present shall constitute a quorum for conducting business.
A. The executive board of the SBA shall be called the Muhlenberg College Student Council (referred to as the Council in these Bylaws).
B. The Council shall consist of thirty-three (33) members:
1. Twenty-eight (28) class representatives of the SBA – seven (7) members from each of the four academic classes;
2. The President of the SBA;
3. The President of each of the four (4) class councils, serving as ex officio members with equal rights and responsibilities as the Class Representatives. Ex-officio members may not serve as committee chairs or run for an Executive Committee office.
C. The
advisor of the Council shall be from the Dean of Students Office.
D. A Class Representative shall serve a term of one year or until his/her successor is elected. There is no limit to the number of terms an individual may serve as a Class Representative. A Class Representative’s term of office begins with the first duly called regular meeting of Student Council after the completed election.
E. A member of the SBA going abroad for the entire year is not eligible for a Class Representative position.
F. No SBA member may hold both a Class Committee office and a Student Council Class Representative position with the exception of a Class President.
G. Student Council Class Representatives must be current members of that academic class. Members elected as class representatives shall serve a term of office for that class regardless of a change in students’ class status.
A. The officers of the Council, in rank order, shall be: President of the SBA, Vice President, Executive Secretary, Recording Secretary, and Treasurer.
B. The membership of the Council will elect the Vice President, Executive Secretary, Recording Secretary, and Treasurer at their first regular meeting.
C. Candidates for the positions of Vice-President, Executive Secretary, Recording Secretary, or Treasurer must be members of the Council at the time of nominations.
D. An officer of the Council shall serve a term of one year or until his/her successor is elected. No individual may serve more than two consecutive terms in any one office. An officer’s term of office begins in the regular meeting of the Council in which s/he is elected.
E. No member may occupy more than one office of the Council concurrently.
F. A
vacancy in any office with the exception of President shall be filled by
election within the Council from among its own members. This election will
occur at the next regular meeting of the Council after the office is vacated.
G. The Vice-President shall:
1. Assume the duties of the President of the SBA in his/her absence;
2. Serve as the President Pro Tempore of the incoming first year class until the office is filled;
3. Chair all regular and special meetings of the Council Operations Committee;
4. Serve as a member ex-officio of the Campus Committee on Student Life (CCSL);
5. Coordinate all Student Council appointments to Faculty or College Committees as requested by the Council;
6. Perform all other duties prescribed in these bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the SBA.
H. The Executive Secretary shall:
1. Send out to the membership a notice of each meeting and conduct the general correspondence of the SBA in all cases where such function is not proper to other offices or to committees;
2. Notify the campus community of all business and activities of the Council though the use of campus media, flyers, posters, etc;
3. Serve as sergeant-at-arms in all meetings, assisting the chairperson of the meeting in establishing and maintaining order at her/his request;
4. Notify officers, committee members, and delegates of their election or appointment, furnish committees with whatever documents are required for the performance of their duties, and to have on hand at each meeting a list of all existing committees and their members;
5. Keep on file all committee reports;
6. Perform all other duties prescribed in these bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the SBA.
I. The Recording Secretary shall:
1. Keep a record of all the proceedings of the Council;
2. Prepare, prior to each meeting, an order of business for the use of the presiding officer, showing the exact order, under the correct headings, all matters known in advance that are due to come up and, if applicable, the times for which they are set;
3. Keep the Council’s official membership roll and call the roll where it is required;
4. Document all absences and report them to the Council for action;
5. Maintain record book(s) in which the bylaws, special rules of order, standing rules, and minutes are entered, with any amendments to these documents properly recorded, and to have the current record book(s) on hand at every meeting;
6. Make the minutes and records available to members upon request;
7. Perform all other duties prescribed in these bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the SBA.
J. The Treasurer shall:
1. Keep track of all funds of the Council and shall act as keeper of the books;
2. Oversee the distribution of SBA funds and shall make financial reports at each regular meeting of the Council and the SBA;
3. Chair the Finance Committee;
4. Perform all other duties prescribed in these bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the SBA.
The Council shall manage the affairs of the SBA between meetings of the members. Responsibilities of the Council shall include the following:
A. Participating in the formulation and ratification of rules, codes and regulations affecting the membership of the Council;
B. Appointing all student representatives to Faculty committees as the Faculty or Administration shall request in writing;
C. Allocating available funds to student organizations recognized by the College;
D. Representing the interests and needs of members in all other instances where student representation is requested or required and is not specifically delegated other campus groups.
A. Regular
meetings of the Council will be held weekly on Thursdays in the third floor
conference room of the
B. Special meetings of the Council may be called by the President of the SBA or upon the written request of five (5) members of the Council. The purpose of the meeting shall be stated in the call. Except in cases of emergency as identified by the Dean of Students Office, at least five (5) days’ notice shall be given to all members by telephone, in writing, or electronic means.
C. In all regular and special meetings of the Student Council, the quorum shall be defined as the presence of a majority of the members.
A. Committee Participation Requirement. Members must serve on at least two (2) Student Council Standing Committee.
B. Academic Standing Requirement. All members must hold at least a 2.00 cumulative grade point average throughout their term of office.
C. Attendance Requirement. Members of Student Council are expected to attend all regular meetings of the Student Council.
1. If a member misses more then one-half of a regular meeting, s/he will incur an absence.
2. If a member misses more then 15 minutes of a meeting, but less then half of the meeting, s/he will incur a half absence.
3. If a member misses a committee meeting without consent from the committee head, s/he will incur and absence.
4. The Recording Secretary will be responsible for documenting all absences and reporting them to the Council for action.
D. Removal. A Class Representative and a Class President may be removed from the Council for any of the following reasons:
1. Attendance
a. Any member of the Council with three recorded absences during his/her term of office may be removed from the Council by a two-thirds majority vote of those members present and voting.
b. Any member of the Council with six recorded absences shall automatically be removed from the Student Council roll and his/her position declared “vacant”.
2. Academic. Any representative failing to maintain a minimum 2.00 cumulative grade point average, as determined by the advisors to the Student Council on a semesterly basis, shall automatically be removed from the Student Council roll and his/her position declared “vacant.”
E. Resignation. Class Representatives or Class Council Officers may resign by submitting the request in writing to the Student Council Recording Secretary. A resignation is effected upon majority acceptance by the Student Council at a regular meeting subsequent to the receipt of the resignation.
F. Vacancies
1. Vacancies
in Class Representative positions occurring during the
fall semester of the academic year, or following the spring general elections
and before the close of the academic year shall be filled by election. If the vacancy occurs in the spring semester
before the spring general elections, the vacancy shall remain until the regular spring general elections are held.
2. Vacancies created by Class Representatives studying abroad for a
single semester shall be filled by an election within the Council for Interim
Representatives. Interim Representatives
shall have equal rights and responsibilities as a Class Representative. Interim
Representatives shall relinquish their position at the end of the semester or
at the General Elections. The Class Council with Class Representatives going
abroad shall be responsible for bringing multiple nominees for the Interim
Representative position(s) to the Council.
The officers of the Council will also serve as the members of its Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee shall manage the affairs of the SBA and the Council during those times when it is unrealistic to convene either group, or in an emergency situation as identified by the Dean of Students Office.
A. Special meetings of the Executive Committee may be called by the President or upon the written request of two (2) members of the Executive Committee or the Dean of Students. The purpose of the meeting shall be stated in the call. Except in cases of emergency, at least two (2) days’ notice shall be given to all members by telephone, in writing, or electronic means.
B. In all meetings of the Executive Committee, the quorum shall be defined as the presence of a majority of the members, one being the acting President of the SBA.
A. Candidates for elected positions must be current members of the SBA.
B. Candidates for Class Representative must be current members of that academic class. A member elected as a class representative shall serve a term of office for that class regardless of a change in the student’s academic class status.
C. Candidates for any office of the Council must be current members of the Council.
D. Candidates
are not eligible for office if currently serving disciplinary suspension or expulsion.
Candidates on disciplinary probation may participate in elections pending the
approval of the Dean of Students’ Office.
A. All elections will be conducted by ballot.
B. The elections of Vice President, Executive Secretary, Recording Secretary, and Treasurer shall be conducted in order of rank and by secret ballot. If there is only one candidate for these offices, the Council may dispense with the ballot and affirm the candidate viva voce.
C. If there is more than one candidate for any elected office candidates will draw lots for placement on the ballot.
D. A majority vote is required to elect. A majority is defined as receiving more than half of the votes, including illegal ballots, cast by legal voters. If no candidate receives a majority vote of members present and voting, there shall be another election of the top two vote recipients.
There shall be the following Standing Committees: Academics, Athletics, Campus and Community Affairs, Campus Safety, Council Operations, Dining Services, Finance.
A. Each committee shall consist of a chairman and at least two members, appointed by the President of the SBA and approved by the Council.
B. Committee members shall serve for a term of one year, to correspond with that of their office.
C. No member shall serve as committee chairman to more than one committee concurrently.
D. The Finance Committee and the Council Operations Committee are held in executive session.
E. Any member of the SBA may serve on a Council committee with the exception of the Council Operations Committee. The President of the SBA may only attend a meeting of the Council Operations Committee when invited by the Committee.
F. The Academic Committee shall serve as an ambassador for the Student Body in order to keep its concerns and opinions known to the faculty and staff of the College. Through mixers and other campus wide events, it plans to keep the connection open between the Student Body and the faculty.
G. The Athletic Committee shall sponsor programs to create awareness and grant acknowledgement to athletes and their achievements. It also raises funds to support and promote school spirit and enthusiasm.
H. The Campus and Community Affairs Committee shall serve to build positive relationships through communication and active involvement between the Muhlenberg community and the surrounding neighborhoods. It aims to keep the Student Body well-informed of pertinent and valuable information, activities, community service, and Student Body issues.
I. The Campus Safety Committee shall voice the students concerns to the Muhlenberg College Department of Campus Safety. The committee is also the liaison between the Student Body and the Campus Safety officers. The committee addresses school issues involving alcohol and drug use and keeps the Student Body informed of how abuse of these substances affects an individual and the community.
J. The Council Operations Committee shall govern the Council during the times between meetings. The committee handles problems that occur during meetings of the Council. It is a neutral body that also runs all Student Body elections.
K. The Dining Services Committee shall relaying student complaints, concerns, suggestions, and compliments to Wood Services, as well as implementing and/or correcting food concerns and venues throughout the entire campus.
L. The
Finance Committee shall be responsible for recommending an allocation of each
semester’s Student Activities Fee for Student Council-funded organizations,
clubs and events. The Finance Committee is designed to monitor all financial
transactions or groups under its jurisdiction. The Finance Committee serves as
a recommending body to the Council which in turns makes the final decision on
all expenditures and allocations.
A. There will be four Class Councils: First Year Class Council, Sophomore Class Council, Junior Class Council, and Senior Class Council.
B. Each Class Council will be comprised of four (4) officers and the seven (7) Class Representatives elected by the SBA to represent that class.
C. Members of the SBA from each academic class will elect annually a slate of officers for a Class Council. The officers of each Class Council will be, in rank order, President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.
D. A Class Council Officer shall serve a term of one year or until his/her successor is elected. There is no limit to the number of terms an individual may serve as a Class Council Officer. A Class Council Officer’s term of office begins immediately upon election.
E. The President of each Class Council will serve as its chairman.
F. No SBA member may hold both a Class Committee office and a Class Representative position with the exception of the Class President.
Such other committees, standing or special (ad hoc), shall be appointed by the President as the SBA or the Council deem appropriate to carry on the work of the SBA.
The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the SBA in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order the SBA may adopt.
These bylaws may be amended at any regular or special meeting of the SBA by a two-thirds vote providing the amendment has been submitted to the Student Council Operations Committee and reported to the members at a previous regular or special meeting.