Proposed Constitution Change
[These constitution changes shall be enacted during the
start of the spring 2009 elections.]
The proposed changes would change the current college/school senate representation system to a senate system made up of 12 senators at-large representing all students. One of the 12 senators would be a graduate student. Please read below for actual details.
Article VI: Section 1:
Strike “senators-at-Large” and “of the various colleges and schools at Northern Arizona University.”
Article VI: Section 2:
Sub-Section B shall read:
Senators shall be elected by the members of ASNAU. Each member of ASNAU shall cast no more than two (2) votes for Senate elections. A member of ASNAU cannot cast two (2) votes for the same candidate.
Strike sub-sections C, E, E(1), and F.
Sub-section D shall be re-lettered to C
Sub-section D shall read:
The ASNAU Senate shall consist of twelve (12) elected members of the Northern Arizona University Flagstaff campus at large. Of the 12 elected members, one (1) will be guaranteed for a graduate student of the Northern Arizona University Flagstaff Mountain Campus. Senators shall have declared majors or pre-majors within their respective colleges or stand-alone schools. Each college senator must resign his or her position if he or she withdraws there from and causes a violation of sub-section E.
Sub-section E shall read:
Senators shall consist of elected members from no less than three (3) colleges or stand-alone schools based on the elected member’s major. No more than five (5) Senators may be from the same college or stand-alone school.
Sub-section F shall read:
One (1) of the twelve (12) senators will be a graduate senator representing the graduate college and his or her college will not count towards the requirement of sub-section E.
Sub-section G shall read:
In the event the top twelve (12) elected senators, based on popular vote, do not fulfill sub-section E, the elections commission along with a student life advisor shall determine which candidate(s) will be awarded Senate seats in order to fulfill sub-section E. Students with the highest number of votes shall be awarded vacant seats as long as sub-section E is met.
Article XVI: Section 2:
Strike Sub-section (c)(1), (c)(1)a, and (c)(1)b.
Strike Sub-section D
Section E shall be re-lettered to D.
Section F shall be re-lettered to E.
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Current ASNAU Constitution Sections that would change
The legislative branch shall be comprised of the Senate and all staff and personnel directly responsible to them.
Section 1: The Structure of the Senate
The Senate shall consist of a Chair, Vice-Chair, Senators-at-Large, Senators of the various colleges and schools at Northern Arizona University, a Clerk, and a Parliamentarian.
Section 2: Membership
A. The Vice President of Academic Affairs shall serve as Chair of the Senate.
B. Senators-at-Large shall be elected by the members of ASNAU.
C. College senators shall have declared majors or pre-majors within their respective colleges or schools and shall be elected by the students within their respective colleges or schools. Each college senator must resign his or her position if he or she withdraws there from. College senators shall be elected from all colleges recognized by the university administration. If there is an academic unit that is not contained in a college (e.g. a school that stands alone), they shall have representation as well.
D. The Senate Clerk and Parliamentarian shall not possess Senate rights and shall only be permitted to discuss issues relating to their respective duties.
E. The number of Senators-at-Large shall be determined by the following system. If there are:
1-3,000 students enrolled at all NAU campuses, there shall be one Senator-at-Large to represent them;
3,001-6,000 students enrolled, two (2) Senators-at-Large;
6,001-9,000 students enrolled, three (3) Senators-at-Large;
9,001-12,000 students enrolled, four (4) Senators-at-Large;
12,001-15,000 students enrolled, five (5) Senators-at-Large;
15,001-18,000 students enrolled, six (6) Senators-at-Large; etc.
1. For the purpose of Sub-Section C, in a college with drastically different disciplines that requires more than one senator, those senators in office are hereby given the responsibility to divide representation accordingly.
F. The number of College Senators representing the students in each college or school shall be determined by the following system. If there are:
1-1,800 students enrolled in the college or school, there shall be one (1) College Senator to represent them;
1,801-2,700 students enrolled, two (2) senators;
2,701-3,600 students enrolled, three (3) senators; etc.
The Senate shall:
A. Represent the constituent groups by which they were elected.
B. Hold regular meetings.
C. Initiate any business outlined in the agenda for a particular meeting.
D. Approve all budget expenditures over $500 before said expenditures may be disbursed.
1. Expenditures in Section D shall include staff programming, equipment, and other general expenditures, but not including operating expenditures, salary expenditures, student wage expenditures, work study expenditures, or employee related expenditures
2. All expenditures must be presented in a report before the Senate. Failure to present fiscal information/requests on required budget expenditures shall result in disciplinary action.
E. Approve any and all contracts or agreements for the governing body ASNAU.
F. Approve those clubs and organizations requesting recognition and recommend them to the Dean of Students.
G. Oversee any and all committees operating under the jurisdiction of the Senate.
H. Confirm those appointments made by the Executive Council and the President.
1. The Vice Chair must be approved by the Senate by a majority vote.
I. Override any presidential veto with two-thirds (2/3) vote in favor of an override.
J. Select from its voting membership a Vice Chair, who shall serve as acting Chair in the case of either a temporary absence or the removal of the Vice President of Academic Affairs. The Vice Chair shall act as Chair of the Senate until a permanent replacement is found, pursuant to Article XIV, Section 2, of this Constitution.
A Senate may formulate or nullify any committees, as it deems necessary.
Section 5: Quorum
A quorum of the Senate shall consist of a majority of its voting members. In the case of a special session, a quorum shall consist of two-thirds (2/3) of the voting membership.
ARTICLE XVI: Vacancies
Section 2: Vacancy Procedures
A. In the case of a temporary absence of the President, the Vice President of Student Affairs shall act as the President or, if also absent, the Vice President of Academic Affairs, or if also absent, the Vice Chair of the Senate. In the event that all of these individuals are absent simultaneously, the President shall appoint a Senator to temporarily represent him or her.
B. In the case of a permanent vacancy of all three executive positions, a special election shall be held under the direction of the Elections Commission. The Senate, by a two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote, shall select from its membership a person to act as the President until a permanent replacement has been inducted.
C. In the event of a vacancy in either the ASNAU Executive Council (excluding the president) or ASNAU Senate, the ASNAU President shall appoint a replacement with a two-thirds (2/3) approval of the ASNAU Senate.
1. Vacancies that occur at any point in the year may be replaced by appointments; however, if more than one person wishes to seek appointment to a position, a special election shall be held during the academic year.
a. A special election shall not be held if the number of persons seeking appointment drops to one
b. If the president does not wish or declines to appoint a qualifying candidate, a special election shall be held.
D. If more than twenty-four (24) percent of the ASNAU Senate seats are vacant, there shall be a special election for Senate seats.
E. All ASNAU elected officials taking office after the general election shall serve in that office for the remainder of the term.
F. All vacancies for Executive, Senate, and Staff positions must be advertised to the entire student body within five (5) days of vacancy, unless prohibited by the university academic calendar