BY-LAWS

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Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Student Government Association

By-Laws

By-Law 1: Qualifications

Anyone not meeting the qualifications for an office may not run or apply for that position. If at any time, except for the exception outlined in this paragraph, an individual fails to meet any qualification for any reason, he/she must resign and must vacate his/her office. Individuals that fail to meet the semester grade qualifications indicated may continue in office on probation for one semester. If the grade is not raised to the minimum qualification in the next semester, the individual must resign and vacate the office. At any time if the cumulative GPA falls below a 2.000, the individual must resign and vacate the office.

Section 1.        Executive Officers
A. Must be registered as a student in good standing as defined by the University.
B. Must not have a major judicial sanction.
C. Must have a cumulative GPA of not less than 2.300 for an undergraduate student and not less than a 3.000 for a graduate student at the time of election and throughout his/her term of office.
D. May not hold any additional SGA position, except where allowed by the Constitution and By-Laws.

Section 2.        Standing Committee Chair
A. Must be registered as a student in good standing as defined by the University.
B. Must not have a major judicial sanction.
C. Must have a cumulative GPA of not less than 2.300 for an undergraduate student and not less than a 3.000 for a graduate student at the time of selection/election (with the exception of first semester students) and throughout his/her term of office.
D. Executive Officers that serve as Committee Chairs will need to meet the criteria for Executive Office.
E. May not be the chair of any other committee.

Section 3.        Senators
A. Must be registered as a student in good standing as defined by the University.
B. Must not have a major judicial sanction.
C. Must have a cumulative GPA of not less than 2.300 for an undergraduate student and not less than a 3.000 for a graduate student at the time of election (with the exception of first semester students) and throughout his/her term of office.
D. May not hold any other recognized SGA position, with the exception of Standing Committee Chair, Senator Pro-Tem, Student Organization Forum Chair, and CSAB Representative.

Section 4.        Justices
A. Must be registered as a student in good standing as defined by the University.
B. Must not have a major judicial sanction.
C. Must have a cumulative GPA of not less than 2.300 for an undergraduate student and not less than a 3.000 for a graduate student at the time of appointment (with the exception of first semester students) and throughout his/her term of office.
D. May not hold any recognized SGA position.

Section 5.        Representatives
A. Must be registered as a student in good standing as defined by the University.
B. Must be a member of the group he/she is representing.
C. Must not have a major judicial sanction.
D. Must have a cumulative GPA of not less than 2.000 for an undergraduate student and not less than a 3.000 for a graduate student at the time of selection (with the exception of first semester students) and throughout his/her term of office.
E. May not hold any other recognized SGA position, with the exception of Standing Committee Chair and CSAB Representative.

Section 6.        Terms of Probation
Student must participate in one or more of the following activities.
A. Meet with advisor to discuss grades weekly.
B. Meet with an academic advisor.
C. Midterm evaluation with advisor, student, and if necessary academic advisor.
D. Review time management practices and organizational responsibilities with advisor.
E. Set-up mandatory study times and keep a log with advisor.
F. Any other steps as mutually agreed upon with the advisor.

Bylaw 2: Elections

Section 1.        Executive Officer Elections
A. Executive Officers will be elected through a campus-wide election following procedures outlined in the SGA Election Code, with the exception of the Senator Pro-Tem, Student Organization Forum Chair, and the Advisor.
B. The Internal Affairs Committee shall be responsible for coordinating the election.
C. Newly elected officers, elected during the spring elections, shall be inducted and assume the responsibilities of their respective office at the last formal meeting of the spring semester.

Section 2.        Senate Elections
A. Members of the Senate shall be elected by their respective constituencies. At-Large Senators will be elected by the entire campus.
B. The candidates receiving the most votes will be declared the winner.
In the event of a tie, a run-off election will be held at a later date.
C. A General Spring Election shall be held for all senate positions, except those for the Freshman Class.
D. A General Fall Election shall be held to fill Freshman Class Senate positions and all vacancies on the Senate.
E. In the event that there are vacancies after the Fall Elections, the Executive Committee shall appoint students to those positions by Executive Decision, providing they are a member of the constituency they will represent, they meet the qualifications outlined in By-Law 1, and they are ratified by the General Assembly.
F. The Internal Affairs Committee shall be responsible for coordinating the election.
G. Newly elected senators, elected during the spring elections, shall be inducted and assume the responsibilities of their respective office at the last formal meeting of the spring semester.

Section 3.        Senator Pro-Tem and Student Organization Forum Chair Elections
A. ELECTIONS SHALL BE HELD IN A GENERAL ASSEMBLY
MEETING.
B. Any member of SGA, meeting the qualifications set-forth in By-Law 1, is eligible to be a candidate. Grade and Judicial Record will be confirmed prior to the candidate's installation as an officer.
C. The following steps and rules shall be enforced for all Senator Pro-Tem and Student Organization Forum Chair elections.
1. Bids for office must be made in advance to the SGA Vice President. Floor nominations may not be made unless there are no candidates for a specific office. Someone who is elected through a floor nomination, not meeting qualifications will not be installed and will forfeit the ability to run for another position. A candidate must either be present at their election or have notified the SGA Vice President of his/her expected absence at least one week in advance of said election in order to be eligible to run.
2. Each candidate will be invited to address the General Assembly, in a speech limited to three minutes, in alphabetical order by the candidates last name. If the candidate is absent, he/she may designate someone to speak on his/her behalf.
3. All candidates for the same position shall be compelled to leave the room during each candidate’s presentation and question period.
4. Following each presentation, the members of General Assembly may ask bid-specific questions of the candidate. A time limit of ten minutes is set by the SGA Vice President (or designee), with an option to extend.
a. Each member of the General Assembly may ask no more than two questions. All follow-up questions must be kept to the point.
b. Only after the first-time speakers list has been exhausted, may second-time speakers ask questions.
c. The SGA Vice President may rule any question out of order that is inappropriate or dilatory.
5. Observers who are not members of the General Assembly shall be permitted to remain in the room at all times during the elections. Observers may speak or ask questions only when yielded the floor by a member of the General Assembly. Yielding will count as a speaking opportunity for that member of the General Assembly. Observers will not vote.
6. After all candidates have made presentations, general bid-specific discussion of the candidates will begin. Discussion will follow one and/or more of the following formats.
a. Pro/Con-Pro/Con is a series of brief, non-opinionated statements that relate to a particular bid. This is a good format for quickly drawing our positives and negatives about a certain bid. The statements must be bid specific (related to the bid or the presentation). Pro/Con ends after a double pro or con.
b. Compare/Contrast-Compare/Contrast is a five (5) minute period where comparisons can be made between the bids up for consideration. General comments with respect to one particular bid should wait until the General Discussion time. This time can be extended.
c. General Discussion-General Discussion when member of the General Assembly may state their opinions as they relate to the facts presented in the bids. This time is also open for comparisons, but comments should remain relatively objective and to the point.
d. Regardless of format, all discussion must pertinent to something within the bid presentation. Outside information should not be used in determining any of the bids. Repetition and restating should be avoided at all costs.
7. All candidates for the office being elected will be required to leave the room during the discussion period.
8. Discussion of candidates will have a time limit of ten minutes, with an option to extend.
a. Only after the first-time speakers list has been exhausted, may second time speakers make comments.
b. Members of the General Assembly may only make two comments, each being not more than two minutes in length.
c. No member of the General Assembly may be on the active speaker’s list twice. However, this speaker’s list shall not take precedence over a motion to close discussions.
d. The SGA Vice President may rule any comment out of order that is inappropriate or dilatory. All rules and procedures as set out in Robert’s Rules of Order shall be followed in dealing with members who are ruled out of order.
9. Voting shall take place by secret ballot, according to a roll-call system.
10. Only voting members of the General Assembly may cast ballots.
a. Valid votes shall be:
1. The name of the candidate.
2. No Confidence, which shall be defined as a vote against a candidate (may only be used when there is one candidate).
3. Abstain, which shall count towards quorum, but neither as a vote for or against the candidate.
b. A majority vote is necessary for election.
1. If no candidates receive a majority, a run-off will then be held among the top-two candidates, whereby a simple majority is all that will be needed to win the office. The unsuccessful candidate(s) will be notified and may return to their seat.
2. If no confidence receives a majority, the General Assembly may resume debate, vote again, or leave the office vacant until another candidate can be identified.
11. All persons present during the election shall be expected to conduct themselves with appropriate decorum fitting a business election of the Student Government Association.
12. Misconduct shall include, but not limited to:
a. Failure to obey the directive of the SGA Vice President.
b. Excessive talking or otherwise disrupting discussion.
c. Personal Attacks of any candidate or member of the General Assembly.
d. Any comment or question that is not bid-specific.
13. Any non-member of the General Assembly who is being
disruptive or otherwise interfering with the elections may be removed from the room at the discretion of the SGA Vice President or Parliamentarian.
14. Any member of the General Assembly who is being disruptive or otherwise interfering with the elections may be removed from the room by a two-thirds vote of the General Assembly.
15. Should quorum be lost due to the ejection of a member of the General Assembly, proceedings shall continue.
16. No candidate for election shall vote in an election in which they are a candidate.

Section 4.        Times for Elections
A. Executive Officer Elections shall be held in the spring, prior to the
Spring Banquet, with sufficient time to elect Senator Pro-Tem, Student Organization Forum Chair, and to appoint Standing Committee Chairs being allotted.

B. Senate Elections for all positions will be held in the spring along with Executive Officer Elections. Freshman Senate Elections and elections for any vacant seats will be held in the fall by September 30.

C. Senator Pro-Tem and Student Organization Forum Chair elections will be held within two (2) weeks of the announcement of the Spring Election winners.

D. The Standing Committee Chairs shall be appointed in the spring following elections and before the spring banquet.

Section 5         Amendments to this By-Law
No amendments to this By-Law may be passed less than two weeks prior to, or during any scheduled elections.

Section 6         Senator of the Semester Awards
A. Shall be awarded to one senator per semester.
B. Nominations and selection should be made prior to the second to the last SGA meeting of each semester.
C. Candidates for Senator of the Semester will be nominated by the General Assembly. All senators are eligible for nomination including the SOFC Chair and Senator Pro-Tem. After nominations are made the general assembly will cast their votes using a secret ballot that will be collected and counted by the president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer and/or advisor. Counting of the votes requires two people, one person to count the votes and one to verify. In the event of a tie a runoff election shall be held immediately using the secret ballot method.

Section 7         Alcario Gabriel Castillo Alvarado Outstanding SGA Member Award
A. Shall be awarded to one member of the general assembly, to include non- elected and appointed committee members, per academic year.
B. Nominations and selection should be made prior to the second to the last SGA meeting of the spring semester.
C. Members of the General Assembly will nominate candidates for the Alcario Gabriel Castillo Alvarado Outstanding SGA Member Award. After nominations are made the general assembly will cast their votes using a secret ballot that will be collected and counted by the president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer and/or advisor. Counting of the votes requires two people, one person to count the votes and one to verify. In the event of a tie a runoff election shall be held immediately using the secret ballot method.

Bylaw 3: Vacancy Bylaws

Section 1.        Vacancies
A. Individuals wishing to vacate their positions shall give notice in the form of a letter of resignation to the SGA President. The letter of resignation shall include the effective date of resignation. Upon receiving the letter of resignation, the President shall notify General Assembly within two (2) academic weeks of receipt of the letter, but at least 2 weeks before the effective date of the resignation if possible.
B. Individuals not meeting criteria set forth in By-Law 1 shall immediately tender his/her resignation, effective immediately.
C. If the individual is a member of the Executive Committee (with the exception of the Senator Pro-Tem, the Student Organization Forum Chair, or Advisor), a special election shall be held within three weeks after the General Assembly is notified of a resignation of an Executive Committee Member.
D. If no candidate is elected or if the vacancy occurs after the Fall Semester election, then the Executive Committee shall appoint a person that meets the following criteria;
1. Meets SGA qualifications stipulated in By-Laws and the Constitution for holding that position.
2. Senate appointments must be a member of the constituency they will represent.
3. These appointments shall be ratified by a 2/3 majority vote of the General Assembly.
4. All appointments should be made within four (4) regular meetings of the General Assembly.

Bylaw 4: Committee Responsibilities and Organization

Section 1.        The Committees of the SGA General Assembly shall have the following structures and responsibilities.
A. Academic Affairs Committee:
1. Shall be chaired by a Senator.
2. Shall consist of at least one senator from each college.
3. Shall handle matters pertaining to the academic policies and procedures of the University.
4. Shall promote academic relationships between the students, faculty, and administrators.
5. Shall ensure that instructors are evaluated on performance.
6. Shall review and make recommendations on matters forwarded by the General Assembly or President.
7. Shall review and make recommendations on policies and procedures related to academic affairs.
8. Shall survey students to determine issues on an annual basis.
9. Shall meet at least once a semester with the University Provost.

B. External Affairs Committee:
1. Shall be chaired by a senator.
2. Shall coordinate all SGA publicity and advertising.
3. Shall review and make recommendations on matters of SGA public relations policies and procedures.
4. Shall be responsible for matters concerning the relationship between SGA and other campus entities and the community.
5. Shall coordinate all service projects associated with SGA.
6. Shall work closely with Office of Public Affairs.
7. Shall develop press releases with regard to SGA activities.
8. Shall research and communicate to SGA all state and federal legislation pertaining to higher education.
9. Shall attend the Student Organization Forum at least once each semester.

C. Facilities Committee
1. Shall review and make recommendations on policies and procedures relating to the facilities of Texas A&M-Kingsville.
2. Shall survey students to help determine priorities and issues as they relate to University facilities.
3. Shall meet with Associate Vice President of Support Services at least once each semester.

D. Financial Affairs Committee
1. Shall be chaired by the SGA Treasurer.
2. Shall review and make recommendations on policies and procedures related to SGA finances.
3. Shall facilitate communication among and serve as a resource for student organizations with regards to money.
4. Shall assist with Student Organization Funding Committee.
5. Shall meet at least once each semester with the Vice President of Finance and Development.
6. Shall coordinate forums with regard to Student Fees.

E. Internal Affairs Committee:
1. Shall be chaired by the Senator Pro-Tem.
2. Shall review and make recommendation on policies and procedures relating to the internal affairs of the SGA.
3. Facilitate an internal evaluation of the organization and its officers.
4. Facilitate the training for SGA members on the subject of
parliamentary procedure.
5. Shall review and make recommendations on matters of qualifications and standards of the SGA.
6. Shall assist and facilitate the spring and fall elections.
7. Shall assist and facilitate any student body referendums.
8. Shall assist and facilitate Homecoming elections.
9. Shall review and make recommendations on matters forwarded by the General Assembly or SGA President.
10. Shall create, maintain, and review General Assembly House Rules.

F. Leadership Development Committee:
1. Shall consist of any interested members of the SGA.
2. Shall review and make recommendations on matters of leadership development.
3. Coordinate the fall and spring SGA Training and Retreats, Family Weekend activities with assistance of the Programs Committee, and other leadership activities as they arise.
4. Shall identify Student Government and/or Leadership workshops for SGA members to attend.
5. Shall coordinate attendance at any SGA or Leadership workshops.
6. Shall review and make recommendations on matters forwarded by the General Assembly or SGA President.

G. Operations Committee
1. Shall review and make recommendations on policies and procedures relating to the operations of Texas A&M-Kingsville.
2. Shall survey students to help determine priorities and issues as they relate to University operations.
3. Shall meet with Associate Vice President of Support Services at least once each semester.
4. Shall meet with the Director of Life Services and Wellness at least once each semester.
5. Shall review and make recommendations on policies and procedures relating to student health at Texas A&M-Kingsville.
6. Shall review and make recommendations on policies and procedures relating to safety at Texas A&M-Kingsville.
7. Shall meet at least once each semester with the Chief of Police.

H. Programming Committee:
1. Shall coordinate all campus wide programming sponsored by SGA.
2. Plan and implement programs of interest and value for all communities within Texas A&M-Kingsville.
3. Shall review and make recommendations on program policies and procedures of Texas A&M-Kingsville.
4. Shall review and make recommendations on matters forwarded by the General Assembly or SGA President.
5. Shall identify issues for students and promote programs which will better those issues.

I. Student Affairs Committee:
1. Shall be chaired by a senator.
2. Shall review and make recommendations on policies and procedures relating to Student Affairs of Texas A&M-Kingsville.
3. Shall survey students to help determine priorities and issues as they relate to student affairs.
4. Shall meet with Associate Vice President of Student Affairs at least once each semester.
5. Shall meet with the Dean of Students at least once each semester.
6. Shall review and make recommendations on policies and procedures relating to student affairs at Texas A&M-Kingsville.
7. Shall review and make recommendations on policies and procedures relating to the bookstore, dining halls, and residence halls.
8. Shall review and make recommendations on matters forwarded by the General Assembly or SGA President.

J. Student Organization Forum
1. Shall be chaired by the Student Organization Forum Chair.
2. Shall consist of one representative from every registered student organization.
3. Shall review and make recommendations on matters forwarded by the General Assembly or SGA President.
4. Shall provide an opportunity for student organizations to interact with one another and to promote their upcoming activities.
5. Shall be used to share important information as it relates to student organizations.
6. Shall be used as an open forum for students as need arises.
7. Shall formulate issues to be taken to the General Assembly.

K. Student Appeals and Advocacy Committee
1. Shall consist of at least six (6) students.
2. Shall consist of at least one (1) staff member.
3. Shall hear all appeals related to parking tickets received by students.
4. Shall meet weekly.
5. Shall work closely with the SGA Office Assistant and the Student Activities Administrative Assistants.
6. Shall meet at least once a semester with the Chief of Police.
7. Shall propose any changes to the traffic appeal process.
8. Shall work closely with the Dean of Students.
9. Shall provide students with the services and information needed to resolve grievances.
10. Shall make recommendations to improve the grievance process.
11. Shall review and make recommendations on matters forwarded by the General Assembly or SGA President.

L. San Antonio System Center Committee
1. Shall be chaired by a System Center senator.
2. Shall consist of at least one representative of each college present at the System Center.
3. Shall handle all matters pertaining to all policies of the System Center.
4. Shall promote positive relationships between the students, faculty and administrators.
5. Shall ensure that instructors are evaluated on performance.
6. Shall review and make recommendations on matters forwarded by the General Assembly and SGA President.
7. Shall review and make recommendations on policies and procedures related to academic affairs and student affairs.
8. Shall meet fortnightly with the SGA Executive Board.
9. Shall meet regularly with the Executive Director of the System Center.

M. Spirit, Traditions and Campus Morale Committee
1. Shall be chaired by a senator.
2. Shall consist of seats for the Campus Activities Board, Interfraternity Council, Intersorority Council, Residence Hall Association, The South Texan, International Student Council, Aggie Club, Engineering Student Council, Student Athlete Advisory Committee, Marching Band and any other members of the student body.
3. The chair of the committee shall sit on the university Spirit and Traditions Committee.
4. Shall be responsible for creating and maintaining traditions on campus.
5. Shall make recommendations on improving campus morale.
6. Shall make recommendations on improving school spirit.
7. Shall conduct a survey at least once a semester to assess the condition of the student body morale.
8. Shall oversee the Spirit and Traditions budget of the Student Government Association.
9. Shall review and make recommendations on matters forwarded by the General Assembly or SGA President.

Bylaw 5: Removal from Office

This by-law has been written to put into place a mechanism to remove an individual from office should the need arise. The Student Government Association of Texas A&M-Kingsville is an educational organization. As such, it is understandable that people will make mistakes from time to time and there may be varying degrees of commitment to the organization. Unfortunately, at times, commitment levels fall below a minimum expectation or there is a lapse in judgment that warrants action. Given these working tenants, it should be rare to have to forcefully remove someone from office and this by-law should be used as a last resort only after confronting the individual directly and confronting the individual with the presence of his/her advisor. Either of these courses of action are desirable and will be more developmental and educational. However, should these actions have no effect, it may become necessary to remove an individual from office. It should also be noted that the following process cannot be used if the individual in office fails to meet the requirement to run for office and hold a position, per Bylaw 1, Section 1-4. If an individual fails to meet Bylaw 1, there is no process, and the individual must immediately resign.

Section 1.        Grounds for Removal from Office

A. An individual may be removed from office providing there has been:
1. Documented confrontation with the individual(s) involved.
2. Documented confrontation with the individual(s) with advisor present.
3. An opportunity for the individual to resign.

B. Causes for removal from office include, but are not limited to:
1. Neglect of duties.
2. Intentional breach of the SGA Constitution and/or By-Laws.
3. Actions that reflect negatively on the SGA, but which may not constitute neglect of duties or a breach of the SGA Constitution and/or By-Laws.

Section 2.        Any student shall have the right to initiate impeachment proceedings against any Senator, any Officer, or Justice if they fail to meet the duties as prescribed in this Constitution and By-Laws or if they are engaged in behavior that is detrimental to the SGA, Texas A&M-Kingsville, or its students. It will require 250 signatures to be presented to the SGA General Assembly and it will require documentation that a meeting transpired between the official being charged, the individual making the charges and the SGA Advisor. In the event it is the SGA Advisor being charged, the meeting should involve the Dean of Students. During this meeting specific charges must be presented in writing.

Section 3. Should this meeting reach an impasse, impeachment proceedings will move forward by the matter being placed on the SGA General Assembly Agenda. When the matter comes to the table, both the individual preferring charges and the charged official shall have an opportunity to state his/her case and to answer questions.

Section 4. Impeachment shall require a ¾ majority vote of the General Assembly.

Section 5. The Judicial Court shall rule on all impeachments by the Student Senate. If the Judicial Court does not rule to support the impeachment, the official shall remain in office. If the impeachment is upheld, the official shall vacate his/her office immediately.

By-Law 6: Oath of Office

Candidates elected to any position in the Student Government Association shall take the following Oath of Office:

I, (State Your Full Name), / Knowing the duties of my office / as set forth in the Constitution and By-Laws / of the Student Government Association / of Texas A&M University-Kingsville, / do hereby swear / to execute faithfully / the duties of my position. / To the best of my ability, / I will protect and defend / the Constitution and By-Laws / of the Student Government Association / of Texas A&M University-Kingsville.

By-Law 7: Organization Approval Guidelines

Section 1. When seeking approval by the Student Government Association, organizations must meet the following guidelines:
1. Must present a statement of purpose which is consistent with the philosophy of the University.
2. Must operate in a manner consistent with the mission and goals of the University and the governing documents of the organization.
3. Must have at least one designated faculty or staff advisor, who must be an A&M – Kingsville employee as defined by the Human Resources Department, and who must advise at a level consistent with the categorization of the organization.
4. Officers of the student organization must be currently enrolled students at Texas A&M University – Kingsville
5. The Student Activities Office must be provided with a current officers listing each semester
6. A copy of the group’s current constitution must also be on file with the Student Activities Office.
7. The organization must be in good standing with the University, including full compliance with any conditions, stipulations, or restrictions placed upon organization recognition.