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Statutes to the Constitution of the Vanderbilt Student Government

Table of Contents

Title 1 – Cabinet Organization

Title 2 – Senate Organization

Title 3 - Committee Organization

Title 4 - Freshmen Leaders Program Rules

Title 5 - Election Rules and Regulations

Title 6 - Budget Rules and Regulations

Title 7 - Student Finance Committee

Revision History

Last Updated:          September 6, 2011

11-12-04          SPC Resolution To Adopt New Constitution and Statutes

(Gleiser, Murphy, Pedinoff, Meyer, Batra, Scholl, Neely, McKittrick, Marden, Escamilla, Schriber, Topping)

11-12-07          Establishment of Attendance Rules for Senate Members

(Hooks, O’Neill, Meyer, Manard, Head)
Cabinet Organization

1.1. Overall Cabinet Duties

1.1.1.      The Cabinet shall be composed of the officers listed in the VSG Constitution including:

A. Chief of Staff

B. Treasurer

C. Attorney General

1.1.2.      The Cabinet shall also include the following positions, which shall be appointed by the Student Body President and confirmed by the Senate:

A. Deputy Chief of Staff

B. Director of First Year Relations

C. Co-Chairs of First Year Relations

D. Director of Public Relations

E. Director of Technology

  1. F. Director of Special Events

G. General Secretary

H. Executive Assistant

1.1.3.      Cabinet Officers are responsible for maintaining internal operations of VSG but are encouraged to take part in external capacities to further the VSG agenda.

1.2. Chief of Staff

1.2.1.      As written in the Constitution, The duties of the Chief of Staff shall be to

  1. A. To oversee the VSG cabinet.
  2. B. To manage and oversee the VSG budget.
  3. C. To serve as the chief representative of the Cabinet on the Executive Board.

D. Provide resources and information to enable cabinet officers to perform their administrative tasks

1.3. Treasurer

1.3.1.      The duties of the Treasurer shall be to administer and maintain the budget and oversee all spending transactions. The treasurer shall:

A. Organize and propose the annual budget with the Student Body President within the first month of the Fall Term

B. Keep a running record of the budget and expenses of all VSG accounts

C. Maintain the VSG Procurement Card (P-Card) and maintain PO and 1180 Disbursements

D. Work with VSG Financial Advisors and the Executive Board to monitor financial issues and process VSG operational and capital spending

E. Keep records of purchases and accompanying paperwork

  1. F. Follow up with organizations receiving VSG Co-sponsorship funds to ensure the transfer of funds

G. Manage and approve reimbursement requests

H. Give monthly budget reports to the VSG Senate

1.4. Attorney General

1.4.1.      The duties of the Attorney General shall be to:

A. Serve as chief parliamentarian of VSG

B. Oversee all elections in accordance with these statutes

C. Attend all Senate meetings to enforce decorum and advise the Speakers on parliamentary procedure and voting matters

D. Serve as custodian of the VSG Constitution and Statutes

1.4.2. The Attorney General shall release vote counts for all candidates of every VSG election and voting records of all legislative VSG sessions; which shall be posted on the VSG website no later than 24 hours  after the election or voting session ends.

1.4.3.      In cases of Constitutional or procedural ambiguity, the Attorney General shall,   after consulting Robert’s Rules of Order and VSG advisors, be solely responsible for interpreting the governing documents and reaching a final decision, which shall serve as precedent until specifically addressed by the Senate or a future Attorney General.

1.4.4.      The Attorney General shall appoint and oversee an Election Commission which will be responsible for overseeing elections, enumerated further in Statutes 5.1.1 – 5.1.5.

1.5. Deputy Chief of Staff

1.5.1.      The duties of the Deputy Chief of Staff shall be to:

A. Aid the Chief of Staff with management of the Cabinet as well as other special projects, events, and policy initiatives.

B. Fulfill the duties of the Chief of Staff when necessary, including being available for all VSG Executive Board meetings in the absence of the Chief of Staff.

C. Stand in for other Cabinet officers in their absence, particularly the Secretary.

D. Research Executive Board initiatives, incorporating data from university departments, Vanderbilt’s peer institutions, and other sources as needed.

1.6. Director of First Year Relations

1.6.1.      The duties of the Director of First Year Relations shall be to:

A. Oversee the First Year Leaders Program and House Advisory Councils

B. Coordinate leadership development and programming opportunities for first-year students on behalf of Vanderbilt Student Government.

C. Serve as a assisting liaison to the Student Body President between Vanderbilt Student Government and the Commons.

1.7. Co-Chairs of First Year Relations

1.7.1.      The duties of the Co-Chairs of FYLP shall be to:

A. Develop strong working relationships with first-year student leaders, particularly members of the First-Year Leaders Program and the Commons House Presidents.

B. Collaborate with Commons stakeholders to direct VSG’s first-year programming efforts in a manner that best complements ongoing Commons-wide and House-based events and initiatives

C. Assist in programming support and leadership development efforts as directed by the Director of First-Year Relations.

D. Lead other initiatives that fall within the purview of the Co-Chairs of FYLP as seen fit by the Director of First-Year Relations

1.8. Director of Public Relations

1.8.1.      The duties of the Director of Public Relations shall be to:

A. Manage publicity for all VSG events

B. Promote VSG to the Student Body and Vanderbilt Community

C. Manage all VSG relations with student media in conjunction with the Student Body President

D. Maintain the VSG calendar of events

1.9. Director of Technology

1.9.1.      The duties of the Director of Technology shall be to:

A. Maintain and update the VSG website

B. Maintain the VSG email listserves

C. Maintain the VSG office computers, networks, and printers

D. Sit as an ex-officio member of the Student Services and Technology Committee

E. Maintain all VSG online services under the supervision of the Student Services and Technology Committee and the Executive Board

1.10. Director of Special Events

1.10.1.  The duties of the Director of Special Events shall be to:

A. Plan and implement catering for VSG events

B. Plan and Implement Desserts with Kirkland

C. Assist the Chief of Staff in planning and implementing VSG Movie Nights

D. Be the liason for VSG in planning involvement in Homecoming Activities

E. Assist VSG members and committees in implementing their VSG events

1.11. General Secretary

1.11.1.  The duties of the General Secretary shall be to:

A. Take and keep accurate minutes of the proceedings of the VSG Executive Board, VSG Senate, including voting records and attendance of members

B. Prepare reports for the VSG Executive Board

C. Attend all VSG meetings

D. Maintain the VSG office

E. Any other general administrative duties as determined by the VSG Executive Board

1.12. Executive Assistant

1.12.1.  The duties of the Executive Assistant shall be to:

A. Play a supporting role for the members of the Executive Board and the Cabinet

B. Assist in Programming and Managerial Tasks

C. Accomplish objectives not formally assigned to other officers in VSG

D. Assist the Student Body President with any tasks necessary to achieve his or her agenda

2. Senate

2.1. Composition of the Senate

2.1.1.      The Senate shall be composed of twenty-nine voting Senators with representation from Residential and Academic areas

2.1.2.      The Speaker of the Senate shall serve as the presiding officer of the Senate and coordinate all of its activities, as prescribed by Article II Section III of the Constitution.

A. The Speaker of the Senate shall also serve as the chief representative of the Senate on the Executive Board

B. The Speaker of the Senate shall vote on senatorial resolutions in the event of a tie

2.1.3.      There shall be 17 Residential Senators

A. There shall be ten voting senators elected from the Commons, with each Senator being the House Advisory Council President from their respective house

B. There shall be one senator elected from each of the following upper-classmen areas:

2.1.3.B.1.     Towers I & II

2.1.3.B.2.     Towers III & IV

2.1.3.B.3.     Highland Quad

2.1.3.B.4.     Kissam Quad

2.1.3.B.5.     Alumni Lawn Area

2.1.3.B.6.     Branscomb Quad

2.1.3.B.7.     Off Campus and Greek Housing

2.1.4.      There shall be 12 Academic Senators

A. First Year students are not eligible to run for Academic Senator

B. There shall be five Academic Senators elected from the College of Arts and Science

C. There shall be one Academic Senator elected from each of the following:

2.1.4.C.1.     Peabody College

2.1.4.C.2.     The Blair School

2.1.4.C.3.     The Engineering School

D. There shall be four Academic Senators elected as Presidents of each of the four College Councils.

2.1.4.D.1.    College Council Presidents must be subject to the same running eligibility as other Senate candidates

2.1.4.D.2.    College Council Presidents shall not serve as Committee Co-Chairs and are charged with the day-to-day responsibility of running their respective school councils.

2.1.5.      All Senators and Council Presidents shall be subject to the same minimum GPA requirements and criteria for membership as all other officers of VSG as prescribed in the Constitution, Article I Section III.

2.2. Senate Election Timeline

2.2.1.      Senators should be elected no later then six weeks after the beginning of the Fall Term, by simple majority as prescribed in the Constitution, Article IV Section II.

2.2.2.      The Attorney General and Student Body President shall set the date of the election by the end of the Spring Term. The Attorney General will be responsible for outlining campaigning periods and the election timeline by end of Spring Term.

2.2.3.      All members of the Senate shall be elected on the same day.

2.3. Senate Election Voter Eligibility

2.3.1.      Any undergraduate student at Vanderbilt University can participate in voting in senatorial elections as prescribed by Article IV, Section II of the Constitution.

2.3.2.      Students may only vote for the Residential Senator positions in the area in which they currently reside

2.3.3.      Students may only vote for the Academic Senator of their respective school

2.3.4.      Students may only vote in their respective College Council Presidential race.

2.4. Committee Co Chair Selections

2.4.1.      Each VSG Standing Committee is to be co-chaired by a representative from the Senate as prescribed in the constitution, Article V Section I.

2.4.2.      Co-Chairs are to be appointed by the Executive Board and approved or denied by a simple majority vote by the standing Senate

2.4.3.      Senatorial Co-Chairs are to be selected and appointed no later then three weeks after the Senatorial election

2.4.4.      All Senators who are not serving as Co-Chairs will be required to serve on a Committee as prescribed by Article IV Section III of the Constitution

2.4.5.      College Council Presidents shall not serve as Committee Co-Chairs. They may elect to serve on a committee provided participation does not interfere with their duties of running their respective College Councils

2.5. Notification of Pending Resolutions

2.5.1.      All voting and non-voting members of the Senate shall receive an electronic copy of any pending resolutions at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to the commencement of the meeting at which they are to be presented.

2.5.2.      All resolutions are to be submitted electronically to the Speaker of the Senate no less than thirty-six (36) hours prior to the commencement of the meeting at which they are to be presented.

2.6. Permissible Voting Methods

2.6.1.      Votes in the VSG Senate shall consist of only three (3) types: aye (affirmative), nay (negative), or abstain. An ‘aye’ vote shall indicate approval, ‘nay’ disapproval, and ‘abstain’ shall indicate a preference to not pass judgment on the motion. If a member deviates from these approved types of vote, the Attorney General shall request a clarification of the voting intentions of the body member.

2.6.2.      Passage of motions, resolutions, et cetera shall be determined based upon the total number of voting members physically present, regardless of the member’s vote. Duly recognized proxies shall also be included in the total number of members present, and it is the duty of a proxy to honor the voting intentions of the member for whom he/she is voting. In the case of a vote to ‘abstain,’ the vote shall count toward neither the affirmative nor negative total, but shall still count towards the member count.

2.7. Attendance

2.7.1      All Senate members are required to attend all regularly scheduled meetings. An excused absence may be obtained from the Speaker of the Senate, if necessary. If a member’s attendance record comes into question, including an extensive use of proxies, the Speaker of the Senate shall request that the Attorney General initiate an investigation into the conduct of the member and begin the procedure listed in Article VIII, Section I.

2.8 Documentation of Senate Sessions

2.8.1 The General Secretary shall take detailed minutes of the proceedings of the VSG Senate including debate of any resolutions, significant motions, voting records, and upcoming events as prescribed by their duties in Statute 1.11.1.

2.8.2 The General Secretary and the Director of Public Relations shall publish these minutes         to the VSG website within 24 hours of the legislative session.


3. VSG Committee Structure and Functioning

3.1. Standing Committees

3.1.1.      Security, Student Services and Technology, Campus Services, Athletics, Organizational Relations, Community Service, and Environmental Affairs shall all be standing committees as governed by Article V of the Constitution.

3.2. Student Services and Technology

3.2.1.      There shall be a Student Services and Technology Committee, whose duties shall include:

3.2.1.1.            Overseeing the Commodore Express Shuttles Program

3.2.1.2.            Overseeing the Airport Shuttles Program

3.2.1.3.            Voicing student concerns regarding all technology issues

3.2.2.      The membership of this committee shall include:

3.2.2.1.            One senator who shall serve as co-chair

3.2.2.2.            One at-large member of the student body who shall serve as co-chair

3.2.2.3.            A number of students as appointed by the Executive Board

3.2.2.4.            The Director of Technology as an ex-officio member

3.3. Campus Services Committee

3.3.1.      There shall be a Campus Services Committee, whose duties shall include:

3.3.1.1.            Overseeing all VSG activities regarding dining issues

3.3.1.2.            Overseeing all VSG activities regarding the Bookstore

3.3.1.3.            Overseeing all VSG activities regarding the Mailroom

3.3.1.4.            Overseeing all VSG activities regarding the Card Office

3.3.1.5.            Overseeing all VSG activities regarding building amenities

3.3.1.6.            Overseeing all VSG activities regarding Munchie Marts

3.3.1.7.            Voicing student concerns regarding any other on-campus services

3.3.2.      The membership of this committee shall include:

3.3.2.1.            One senator who shall serve as co-chair

3.3.2.2.            One at-large member of the student body who shall serve as co-chair

3.3.2.3.            A number of students as appointed by the Executive Board, who may or may not serve as Department Chairs

 

3.4. Security Committee

3.4.1.      There shall be a Security Committee, whose duties shall include:

3.4.1.1.            Serving as VSG’s Liaison to the Office of Traffic and Parking

3.4.1.2.            Serving as VSG’s Liaison to Vanderbilt University Police Department

3.4.1.3.            Overseeing all VSG activities regarding campus safety and security

3.4.1.4.            Overseeing all VSG activities regarding the VandyVans program

3.4.1.5.            Overseeing all VSG activities regarding residential card access policy

3.4.2.      The membership of this committee shall include:

3.4.2.1.            One senator who shall serve as co-chair

3.4.2.2.            One at-large member of the student body who shall serve as co-chair

3.4.2.3.            A number of students as appointed by the Executive Board

3.5. Athletics Committee

3.5.1.      There shall be an Athletics Committee, whose duties shall include:

3.5.1.1.            Serving as VSG’s Liaison to the Student Athlete Advisory Council

3.5.1.2.            Serving as VSG’s Liaison to Vandy Fanatics

3.5.1.3.            Serving as VSG’s Liaison to the Athletic Stakeholders.

3.5.1.4.            Overseeing all VSG activities regarding athletics and athletes

3.5.1.5.            Overseeing all VSG activities regarding tailgating

3.5.1.6.            Overseeing all VSG activities regarding the Student Recreation Center

3.5.2.      The membership of this committee shall include:

3.5.2.1.            One senator who shall serve as co-chair

3.5.2.2.            One at-large member of the student body who shall serve as co-chair

3.5.2.3.            A number of students as appointed by the Executive Board

3.6. Community Service Committee

3.6.1.      There shall be a Community Committee, whose duties shall include:

3.6.1.1.            Serving as VSG’s Liaison to campus community service groups and the Office of Active Citizenship and Service

3.6.1.2.            Organizing all of VSG’s community service events

3.6.1.3.            Overseeing VSG’s Angel Tree event

3.6.1.4.            Overseeing VSG’s Community Service Outreach Days

3.6.2.      The membership of this committee shall include:

3.6.2.1.            One senator who shall serve as co-chair

3.6.2.2.            One at-large member of the student body who shall serve as co-chair

3.6.2.3.            A number of students as appointed by the Executive Board

3.7. Organizational Relations Committee

3.7.1.      There shall be an Organizational Relations Committee, whose duties shall include:

3.7.1.1.            Discussion of issues affecting VSG and campus life

3.7.1.2.            Serving as VSG’s liaison to undergraduate student organizations in general

3.7.2.      The membership of this committee shall include:

3.7.2.1.            The Speaker of the Senate, who shall serve as co-chair.

3.7.2.2.            One at-large member of the student body who shall serve as co-chair

3.7.2.3.            A number of students as appointed by the Executive Board

3.8. Environmental Affairs

3.8.1.      There shall be an Environmental Affairs Committee whose duties shall include:

3.8.1.1.            Overseeing the sustainability needs and priorities on campus

3.8.1.2.            Serving as VSG’s liaison to the Sustainability and Environmental Management Office

3.8.1.3.            Serving as VSG’s liaison to all campus environmental groups

3.8.1.4.            Developing, coordinating, and promoting recycling efforts, energy conservation, and the proposed phases of Think Gold, Act Green with the members of the Think Gold, Act Green Coalition

3.8.1.5.            Expanding the Think Gold, Act Green Coalition

3.8.2.      The membership of this committee shall include:

3.8.2.1.            One senator who shall serve as co-chair

3.8.2.2.            One at-large member of the student body who shall serve as co-chair

3.8.2.3.            A number of students as appointed by the Executive Board

3.9. Ad Hoc Committees

3.9.1.      The VSG President may form ad hoc committees at any time according to the guidelines set forth in Article V of the Constitution.

3.10. Governance

3.10.1.  The committees shall be directly responsible to the Executive Vice President

3.10.2.  Committees will be filled, except for the senator who shall serve as co-chair, according to procedures established by the Executive Vice President and approved by a majority of the Executive Board.

3.10.3.  The Executive Vice President shall facilitate an application process for Senatorial Co-Chair positions including a written application and an oral interview conducted no later then three weeks after the Senatorial election.

3.10.4.  The Executive Vice President in conjunction with the Speaker of the Senate shall propose a slate of senatorial co-chair pairings to be voted for approval by simple majority of the Executive Board

3.10.4.1.        In the event of a tie, the Student Body President shall cast the deciding vote

3.11 Publication of Committee Updates
3.11.1 Committee Co-Chairs shall publish monthly committee updates on the VSG website for all standing and ad hoc committees by the first legislative session following the end of a month.

4. First Year Leaders Program

4.1. VSG Program

4.1.1.      The First-Year Leaders Program of the Vanderbilt Student Government shall act as a Standing Program that reports directly to the Chief of Staff. The First-Year Leaders Program of Vanderbilt Student Government shall be hereafter referred to as CommonDores.

4.2. Purposes and Objectives

4.2.1.      The purposes and objectives of CommonDores shall be:

A.  To empower and engage first year students;

B.  To prepare first year students to lead at Vanderbilt; specifically in VSG;

C.  To develop character and leadership aptitude;

D.  To serve as a focus group for Vanderbilt Administration.

  1. To teach Freshman Leaders how to plan and implement a Vanderbilt program.

4.3. Co-Chairs

4.3.1.      Appointment

A.  Two Co-Chairs shall be appointed by the Student Body President and approved by a simple majority vote along with the Cabinet

4.3.2.      Co-Chairs will report to the Director of First Year Relations who reports to the Chief of Staff

4.4. Members

4.4.1.      There will be fifty members in CommonDores.

A.  Twenty members will be selected At Large and appointed by the First Year team of VSG alongside the Deans of the Commons office

B.  Thirty members will be the elected House Advisory Council Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Secretaries

4.4.2.      Selection of At Large Members

A.  After Senate elections in the fall, the co-chairs will begin accepting applications.  All first year students are eligible to apply.

B.  Co-chairs will set up interviews for each applicant.

C.  The twenty At Large members shall be selected and notified no later then three weeks after Fall Senate Elections.

4.4.3.      The duties of the CommonDores members shall include:

A.  To attend the First Year VSG Retreat;

B.  To plan and implement the FYLP Project/Event during the fall semester and spring semester;

C.  To report monthly to the Dean’s Council and the Common’s Council;

D.  To complete ten VSG Committee hours to one or any combination of the six VSG Committees;

  1. To send three members to each Senate Meeting on a rotating basis.

4.5. Budget

4.5.1.      FYLP ‘s budget will be allocated from the First Year Relations Budget of Vanderbilt Student Government, to be set before the Fall Term.

5. Election Rules and Regulations

5.1. The Election Commission

5.1.1.      All Elections shall be supervised by a five-member Election Commission, composed of:

  1. One Permanent Member who shall be the Attorney General unless:
    1. i. The Attorney General is a Candidate for Office
    2. ii. The Attorney General is deemed unreasonably biased by the Executive Board.  In such an instance, the Executive Board must select a new member of the Elections Commission by simple majority to supervise the event at an appropriate time prior to the final election.
    3. Four at-large members who shall be appointed by the Attorney General and subject to approval by simple majority of the Senate

5.1.2.      The Election Commission shall have the following duties:

  1. Power to interpret the Constitution and Statutes relating to actions made by candidates

  1. Establish clear campaigning rules which are consistent with the guidelines and rules prescribed by the VSG Constitution and Statutes, which must be presented to the Executive Board no less then one week prior to the election general interest meeting.

  1. Rule exclusively regarding campaign violations and determine appropriate sanctions if rules are violated

  1. Assist the Attorney General in the event of investigations surrounding possible Removal from Office as prescribed in the Constitution, Article VIII Sections I and II.

5.1.3.      Membership Requirements of the Elections Commission:

  1. Members of the current Executive Board shall not be a part of the Election Commission

  1. Members of the Elections Commission are subject to the same responsibilities and requirements as other officers of VSG, including the minimum GPA rules prescribed by the Constitution

  1. Members of the Election Commission shall be permitted to hold other positions within VSG provided that participation does not prevent their ability to perform their duties

  1. Members of the Election Commission shall not be candidates nor be permitted to support candidates

5.1.4.      Selections and Term Limits for Election Commission Members:

  1. The Election Commission’s at-large members shall be selected no less than five weeks before the General Elections in either term

  1. There shall be no term limits to serving in the Election Commission and all at-large members must reapply each term

5.1.5.      Removal from the Election Commission

  1. Should an Election Commission member reach a vote of non confidence or experience failure of either the duties of office or requirements of eligibility, he or she will be subject to the same removal process enumerated to other VSG Appointed Officials in the Constitution, Article VIII, Section II.
  2. Should the individual in question be the permanent Attorney General, it shall be treated as a failure of duty by the Attorney General and subject to the investigation procedures outlined in the VSG Constitution, Article VIII Section II Clause 1b.

5.2. The Student Body President

5.2.1.      Elections for Student Body President shall be on a ticket system and voters will be able to select between teams of paired Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates.

Body President)

5.2.2.  Elections shall be held during the spring semester. The dates of the election shall be determined by the Attorney General within the following parameters:

  1. A preliminary interest meeting be held no more than 2 weeks before the candidate declaration meeting in order to explain procedures, rules, and expectations regarding the Student Body President and Executive Vice President electoral process.
  2. The candidates declaration meeting is to be held the Sunday preceding Spring Break
  3. Campaigning will begin officially at 8:00am the morning after Spring Break
  4. The primary, should it be necessary, shall take place from 8:00am Thursday through 12:00 noon on Friday.
  5. The general election shall take place the following week from 8:00am Tuesday through 12:00 noon Wednesday.
  6. The entirety of the general campaigning period shall not last more then 1.5 weeks.

5.2.3.      Elections shall be supervised by the the Election Commission

5.2.4.      The Student Body President shall live in university housing at all times during his/her term of office.

5.2.5.      The election for Student Body President and Executive Vice President shall be the only school-wide election

5.3. Election Petitions

5.3.1.      All candidates for elected offices in VSG shall submit a petition to the Attorney General by the specified date prior to the elections.  All petitions shall require the following information pertaining to the petitioner:

  1. Name
  2. Campus Address
  3. Phone Number
  4. Class at Vanderbilt
  5. Place of Residence
  6. Signatures as provided in 5.3.2

5.3.2.      The following number of signatures of fully enrolled undergraduate Vanderbilt students shall be required:

  1. For Student Body President and running mate tickets: 200 signatures
  2. For Academic Senators: 100 signatures from members of the candidate’s respective schools
  3. For Council Presidents: 100 signatures from members of the Council President candidate’s school, except for candidates for Blair Council President, who shall gather 50 signatures from members of the Blair School of Music
  4. For Residential Senators: 25 signatures from residents of the candidate’s area.  This does not apply to the Greek/Off-Campus Residential Senator, who shall collect 10 signatures from residents of Greek and off-campus housing.
  5. For elected Commons House Advisory Council positions: 25 signatures from members of the candidate’s residence hall

5.3.3.        All candidates must submit a list of the members on their campaign team to the Election Commission anytime between the end of the Candidate Declaration Meeting and the Petition submission deadline.

5.4. Campaign Finance

5.4.1.      Total campaign expenditures shall not exceed:

  1. For Student Body President and Vice President ticket: $500
  2. For Speaker of the Senate: $25
  3. For Academic Senators and Council Presidents: $100
  4. For Residential Senators: $50
  5. For Commons House Advisory Council positions: $25

5.4.2.      Campaign contributions may come from personal funds and/or from contributions from fully enrolled Vanderbilt undergraduate students.

5.4.3.     The candidate may contribute the entirety of his/her allotted expenditure with his/her own money

5.4.4.      The candidate may solicit any portion of this personal sum from Vanderbilt undergraduate students. The names of all benefactors and the amount donated must be reported within a time period specified by the Election Commission.

5.4.5.      All campaign materials shall be purchased at market value; that is, an advertised price which is available to all other candidates.

5.4.6.      All receipts for campaign materials and a summary of campaign funding must be submitted by a date specified by the Election Commission. Reported information must include:

  1. The source of all donations or purchases
  2. The quantity of goods purchased
  3. The purchase price
  4. The brand name of any products
  5. All receipts

5.5. Campaign Regulations

5.5.1.      Campaigns shall strive to uphold the standards and values of the Vanderbilt community.

5.5.2.      No campaigning shall take place prior to the campaign phases as designated by the Attorney General.

5.5.3.      During both the Primary and General Election Campaign Phases, candidates are permitted to distribute and display buttons, send personalized emails, advertise on websites, conduct verbal campaigning and speeches, display posters and banners, distribute campaign materials such as brochures, pamphlets, and letters.  This campaigning shall be subject to all university regulations.

5.5.4.      Verbal campaigning is defined as the specific solicitation of votes.  It excludes the creation of a campaign team.  Creation of a campaign team prior to the beginning of a campaigning period is subject to the following regulations and must follow the procedure outlined in Statute 5.6, Election Procedures.

5.5.4.1  Campaign teams shall consist of no more than 10 Vanderbilt undergraduate students

5.5.4.2  Campaign team members shall be allowed to assist the candidate in the decision-making process and have the primary responsibility of actively contributing to the content of a campaign (i.e. platform, website, PR, slogans). They shall not be allowed to participate in public verbal campaigning or soliciting of endorsements until the official campaigning period begins.

5.5.4.3  Candidates shall be personally responsible for any campaign or election violations resulting from the actions of campaign team members. The candidates and their campaign teams are subject to the rules and regulations enumerated throughout Section 5 of the VSG Statutes.

5.5.4.4  Individuals who are not one of a candidate’s campaign team members may assist with the sole purpose of designing or constructing campaign PR (i.e. painting banners) beginning with the candidate declaration meeting but shall not be allowed to contribute or be privy to the content or decision-making processes of a campaign until the official campaigning period begins.

5.5.5.      Reservations or scheduling made for verbal campaigning and speeches, including presence at campus organization meetings can only be made once campaigning has officially begun.

5.5.6.      Websites utilized for publicizing a campaign may be constructed prior to the Primary Phase; however, the URL address may not be advertised prior to the Primary Phase.

5.5.7.      Signs and banners must be displayed in accordance with the policies of the Office of Housing and Residential Education

5.5.8.      Candidates may not use university-maintained listservs to publicize any campaign effort. Student organizations are exempt from this clause and may use listservs.  Generic emails are permitted provided that each address is typed individually.

5.5.9.      The mass mailing of paper literature to campus mailboxes is permitted; however, distribution of campaign material must adhere to university policy as stated in the Student Handbook.

5.5.10.  Door-to-door solicitation and promotion or distribution of literature in the houses is strictly prohibited. Campaign supporters may display materials on their own room doors.

5.5.11.  All campaign material must be removed within 48 hours of the announcement of the election results. Failure to do so will result in referral to the Office of Housing and Residential Education.

5.5.12:  In the event of a re-vote, candidates will be permitted to continue to

campaign given the following parameters:

5.5.12.1   Candidates may not exceed budget constraints elaborated within the VSG Statute 5.4, Campaign Finance.

5.5.12.2   Candidates will still be held to the rules, regulations, and procedures outlined in VSG Statutes 5.4, 5.5, 5.6.

5.5.13:     In the event of a re-vote, candidates shall not solicit the endorsement of, nor campaign with, an individual who was just elected during the same election cycle

5.5.14  There shall be no negative campaigning tolerated by any associated member of the electoral process, including candidates and campaign teams.

For the purposes of VSG elections, negative campaigning shall be defined as:

-Remarks or attacks about a candidate’s personal character

-Baseless and factually inaccurate allegations about a candidate’s character, experiences, or capabilities

-Incorrect insinuations based upon a statement or experience

Factual statements about a candidate’s record or platform are allowable so long as they comply with the above criteria of an unacceptable action.

Factually established remarks that may be portrayed as negative but relate to the position and its related competencies are allowable, so long as they meet the above standards prohibiting assaults on a candidate’s character.

 

5.6. Election Procedures

5.6.1.      Within one week before each of the general elections for VSG President and Vice President, Senators, and School Council members there shall be a primary election.

  1. In a primary election, an eligible voter may vote for as many candidates as there are positions to be filled.
  2. In each race, a number equal to twice as many candidates as there are positions to be filled shall advance to the General Election based on vote totals.

5.6.2.      In the event that the number of candidates or tickets running is equal to or less than the number of elected positions available, the General Election shall be held on the date originally scheduled for, and the Primary Election shall be forgone.

5.6.3.      The Attorney General will release vote counts for all candidates of every VSG election.

5.6.4.      If a re-vote is deemed necessary, the Election Commission shall schedule a new election to take place within two weeks of the election in question.  The new ballot will consist of the same candidates as that of the old one, with the exception of those disqualified by the Election Commission.

5.6.5.      The date at which the newly-elected President is inaugurated shall be decided upon by the Attorney General, and must be no sooner than two weeks after the final election and no later then the end of classes during Spring Term.

5.6.6.      Each VSG primary election shall run from 8 am on Thursday the week of the election to 12 noon on Friday the week prior to the General election.

5.6.7.      Each VSG General Election shall take place the Tuesday following the primary the week of the election, beginning at 8am and running until 12 noon on Wednesday.

5.6.8:     Write-in candidates, if receiving a plurality of the votes cast, must reach a threshold of the number of signatures required to be placed on that position’s ballots as enumerated in the Statutes 5.3.2.

5.6.9:      Write-in candidates must turn in campaign budgets within 24 hours of being notified of and are subject to Campaign Regulations, Procedures, and Violations as written in the VSG Statutes 5.5, 5.6, 5.7 as well as the VSG requirements for membership enumerated in the Constitution Article I Section III.

5.6.10:    Those positions unfilled by either the ballot or write-in process will be subject to an application and interview process in accordance with VSG precedence and overseen by the VSG Executive Board and the Election Commission.

5.6.11:    In the event of an exact tie, the Attorney General will facilitate and schedule a new election to take place within 2 weeks of the election in question and the ballot shall contain only those candidates who tied; and,

 

 

5.7. Campaign and Election Violations

5.7.1.  Any action deemed in violation of the election rules, regulations, or procedures by the Election Commission within the campaign and election period shall be dealt with as a campaign violation.

5.7.2.  Violations of election regulations shall be grounds for filing a complaint against a candidate, subject to the following rules:

  1. Complaints may be filed by any undergraduate student.
  2. All complaints must be submitted to the Election Commission in written form within 24 hours of discovery of the violation and within 30 minutes of the election polls closing.
  3. Direct appeal to the media regarding a violation shall itself constitute a campaign violation.

5.7.3. Violations of election rules or regulations that are demonstrated to have been performed with intent shall be considered major violations.

5.7.3.1 Any violation before the official campaign period begins will be presumed with intent, and therefore considered a major violation.

5.7.3.2 Any violation committed by a candidate or a member of their official campaign team consisting of individuals on file with the Election Commission shall be presumed with intent, and therefore considered a major violation.

5.7.3.3 Major violations will be punished with the minimum standard of removal or restriction of campaigning privileges and with the maximum penalty of candidate disqualification.

5.7.4. Violations considered to be performed without intent or with negligence shall be considered minor violations.

5.7.4.1  Minor violations shall carry the maximum penalty of removal or restriction of campaigning privileges.

5.7.5     All violations will be handled on an individual basis by the Election Commission. There shall be no “strike” system and all penalties shall abide by the above standards.  Possible penalties for campaign violations include a re-vote, suspension of campaign activities, removal of campaign materials, candidate disqualification, or any other penalty deemed appropriate by the Election Commission.

5.7.6.  All decisions made by the Election Commission regarding election matters are final.

5.7.7.   All candidates involved in the particular election shall be informed of a ruling by the Election Commission regarding any competitor in the election immediately following the notification to the candidate responsible for improper actions or behaviors.

5.7.8.   The Election Commission shall keep historical records of all investigated actions and behaviors and their associated responses/actions for future Election Commissions to use throughout the duration of their term(s).

5.8 Endorsements in the Presidential Election

5.8.1. Any individual or student organization who wishes to endorse must fill out and sign a form declaring their endorsement.

5.8.2. Organizational endorsements must specify the method in which the endorsement was decided (i.e. general body vote, executive committee, etc). Forms claiming an organizational endorsement must bear the signatures of the President and Vice President of the organization.

5.8.3. A paper copy of the form must be submitted to the Election Commission and will not be made available until the campaign period begins.

5.8.4. Candidates will not be permitted to publicize endorsements until confirmation from the Attorney General is received that the Election Commission has processed the form.

5.8.5. The Attorney General and Election Commission shall keep the Endorsement forms on file for the duration of the election and shall be made available to any member of the student body upon request.

5.8.6. Endorsements shall be restricted to individuals eligible to vote in the election.

5.8.7. Candidates publishing a web-page of any individual endorsements must include the following disclaimer to be visibly published at the top of the page: “All individual endorsements reflect a person’s personal views, and not the views of their organizations.”


6. Budget and Finance Rules

6.1. Revenue

6.1.1.      VSG will take in revenue from the portion of the housing fee previously allocated for Interhall. 

6.1.2.      VSG will take in revenue from the portion of the budget of the Director of Student Governance that was previously allocated for SGA. 

6.2. Budget Procedure

6.2.1.      The VSG Budget shall be set prior to the beginning of the fall semester by the Treasurer and the Executive Board.

6.2.2.      It will be approved or denied by simple majority vote of the Senate at the first legislative session following the Fall election.

6.3. Budget Allocations

6.3.1.      Budgets will be allocated to the Executive Board, Members of Cabinet, Committees, School Councils, and Residential Areas for Programming

  1. Executive Board expenditures shall be signed off by the Student Body President and shall include non-cabinet or committee Programming Funds, General Operations funds, and all unassigned funds

  1. Cabinet Budget Expenditures shall be signed off by the Chief of Staff.

  1. Committee Budget Expenditures shall be signed off by the Executive Vice President

  1. School Council Budget Expenditures shall be signed off by the President of the respective School Council

  1. Residential Programming budget expenditures shall be signed off by the Speaker of the Senate

6.3.2.      All budgetary matters are subject to the approval of the Executive Board before being processed by the Treasurer

6.3.3.      The Treasurer shall be responsible for maintaining the VSG Procurement Card and setting policies about the process of requesting expenditures from all budgetary allocations in the VSG budget.

6.4. Co-sponsorships

6.4.1.      Student organizations must complete the co-sponsorship application and submit it to the Executive Vice President.

6.4.2.      Upon completion, the Executive Board will vote on the co-sponsorship.

  1. Funds transferred to other student organizations for the purpose of co-sponsorship will come from the Executive Board’s budget.

6.5. Additional Funds

6.5.1.      Any branch of VSG that exceeds its budget and requires more money will submit an Additional Funds Request to the Student Body President.

6.5.2.      The Executive Board will vote on the application.

6.5.3.      Funds transferred to another VSG account for this purpose will come from the Executive Board’s budget.

6.6. Publication of the Budget

6.6.1        The treasurer shall send the proposed VSG budget to student media and members of the senate no less than 24 hours before its proposal in the VSG senate, in             accordance with VSG Statute 2.5.

6.6.2        The published VSG budget shall include examples of services and programming performed by each enumerated area of the budge

6.6.3        The VSG budget shall be made available on the VSG website within 24 hours of it being approved

6.6.4        VSG shall maintain a record of VSG budgets from previous years, all of which shall be available on VSG’s website.

6.6.5        Additionally, copies of the proposed and approved VSG budgets shall be made available to any member of the student body upon request.

7. The Student Finance Committee

7.1. Name of the Committee

7.1.1.      The name of this commit shall be the Student Finance Committee of Vanderbilt University.

7.2. Membership and Proxy Designation

7.2.1.      The Student Finance Committee shall be composed of the following:

  1. The AcFee Committee Chair, (appointed by the Student Body President no later than October 1 of the academic year in which the Chair will serve) who with respect to the AcFee Committee shall:
  1. Preside over all AcFee Committee meetings
  1. Be a non-voting member, except in the event of a tie
  1. Solicit applications from the student body to fill such positions as are allocated to them
  1. The ten co-chairs of the five subcommittees, each with one vote

7.3. Subcommittees

7.3.1.      There shall be five subcommittees, which shall include:

  1. The Special Interests Subcommittee
  1. The Service Subcommittee
  1. The Arts Subcommittee
  1. The Cultural Subcommittee
  1. The Programming Subcommittee

7.3.2.      The membership of each subcommittee shall include:

  1. One VSG member as co-chair
  1. One at-large student as co-chair
  1. At least four members, with one vote each
  1. One professional or graduate student, designated by the Dean of Students office, with one vote
  1. One faculty representative or Dean of Students staff member, as designated by the Dean of Students office, with one vote

7.3.3        The Student Finance Committee Chair select the Co-Chairs for each subcommittee by October 31st of the academic year in which they are to serve.

7.4. Proxy Designation

7.4.1.      Members of the Student Finance Committee may not appoint a proxy to serve in his/her place at any time.

7.5. Quorum

7.5.1.      A quorum of two thirds of the voting members of the Student Finance Committee and its subcommittees shall be necessary for any official business to be undertaken.

7.6. Details of Voting

7.6.1.      A majority is defined as more than half of those members casting a vote.

7.6.2.      Two-thirds is defined as more than two-thirds of those members casting a vote.

7.6.3.      Unanimous is defined as all of those members casting a vote.

7.6.4.      Abstentions shall not be permitted.

7.7. Powers of the Student Finance Committee

7.7.1.      The powers of the Student Finance Committee shall be:

  1. To allocate funding from Student Activity Fees to campus organizations
  1. To decide the eligibility of organizations for Activity Fee funding according to funding guidelines established in this document
  1. To allocate the Activity Fee Contingency Fund

7.8. Powers of the Student Finance Subcommittees

7.8.1.      The powers of the Student Finance Subcommittees shall be:

  1. To set organizational presentation times on an annual basis
  1. To review any and all documents pertaining to a petitioning student organization’s funding request
  1. To request and maintain budget information for groups petitioning for annual allocations or contingency funds
  1. To recommend the freezing of the account of any student organization which uses funds not in accordance with the Student Finance Committee’s policies or which fails to submit budgetary information required by the Student Finance Committee

7.9. Duties of the Student Finance Committee and Subcommittees

7.9.1.      The duties of the Student Finance Committee and Subcommittees are:

  1. To hear on an annual basis requests for funding from official recognized organizations meeting the funding criteria.
  1. To hear on a continual basis requests for portions of the Activity Fee Contingency Fund from officially recognized organizations meeting the criteria for such funding
  1. To act at all times as stewards of student activities fees, and to act in the best interest of the student body.

7.10. The Activity Fee Allocation Process

7.10.1.  The Student Finance Committee Chair shall perform the following duties prior to the annual allocation of student Activity Fee money:

  1. Collect proposed budgets form organizations desiring funding form the Student Finance Committee
  1. Remove all organizations requesting money from the Student Finance Committee but not meeting the criteria from consideration
  1. Classify all organizations desiring funding into one of the five subcommittee categories.
  1. Consult with the Dean of Students office and the Student Finance Committee Advisor in allocating monies to departments and programs not subject to Student Finance Committee deliberations
  1. Write a summary of the Student Finance Committee’s allocation recommendations and submit it to the Dean of Students office for approval
  1. Notify, along with the Student Finance Committee Advisor, the petitioning groups of the allocation decisions upon approval by the Dean of Students office
  1. Inform the press of the Student Finance Committee’s allocation decisions upon approval by the Dean of Students office and Provost
  1. Ensure that all revised budgets remain on file with the Student Finance Committee

7.10.2.  Procedure for Activity Fee Allocation

  1. The AcFee Chair and Dean of Students Office shall allot a given percentage of the total activity fee amount to each subcommittee for distribution to its assigned category.
  1. Members of the Student Finance Committee may not serve as the petitioning representative of any group seeking funding but may remain present during interviews for groups of which they are a member. They are not permitted to ask questions during the interview. Furthermore, they are not permitted to be present during the corresponding deliberation and voting.
  1. Petitioning organizations will attend an interview with the Student Finance Subcommittee to which they are assigned, not to exceed the time limit set annually by the committee.
  1. Upon completion of presentations, the Student Finance Subcommittees will hold closed sessions to allocate funds to organizations by a simple majority vote.
  1. Members of the Student Finance Committee or Subcommittees who are members of petitioning organizations must excuse themselves from deliberations and voting concerning that organization.
  1. After the Subcommittees have determined their recommendations, the subcommittee co-chairs will submit their recommendations to the Student Finance Committee, which shall have final oversight over the recommendations before they are presented to the Dean of Students office.
  1. The recommendation for funding allocations is presented by the Student Finance Committee Chair to the Dean of Students office and Provost for final approval.
  1. Appeals of the Student Finance Committee’s decisions should be made in writing and delivered to the Dean of Students office within one week of notification. A representative of the Dean of Students office will decide on the merit of the appeal and award any additional funding from the Activity Fee reserve.

7.10.3.  Criteria for Funding

  1. The AcFee Chair and the Dean of Students Office determine funding eligibility on an annual basis.
  1. A funding eligibility outline will be released by the AcFee Chair in conjunction with the application on an annual basis.

7.11. The Activity Fee Contingency Fund

7.11.1.  Definition of the Contingency Fund

  1. The Student Finance Committee shall, during the Spring allocation of funds, set aside a small amount of funds, amounting to no more than one percent of the total Activity Fee budget, for the student finance Contingency Fund.

  1. The Student Finance Committee Contingency Fund shall be used for new student groups not registered at the time of spring allocation or previously unanticipated programming needs for existing groups, all according to the student finance funding criteria.

7.11.2.  Procedure for Activity Fee Contingency Fund allocation

  1. The AcFee Chair and the Dean of Students office will determine the process by which contingency funds are allocated on an annual basis.

7.12. Amendments and Ratification

7.12.1.  A majority vote in the VSG Senate is necessary for amendment of this title of the VSG Statutes. The Dean of Students Office has final oversight of the revision of these statutes and the Student Activity Fee.  Any resolution to amend this title of the VSG Statutes shall be subject to the approval or veto of the Dean of Students.

[Last updated on January 25, 2012 by Attorney General Lucas Scholl thru passage of Resolution S 2011-2012-13 Regarding Election Violations]

 

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