Vice President Workload February 13th, 2024
While the Vice President assists the President…
…the work of the Vice President is not limited to being the President’s assistant
What does the Vice President do?
Constitutional Duties (SGA Constitution Article III §1.1) The Student Body Vice President… Shall assist the President in all their duties; Shall succeed the President in case of their impeachment; Shall accompany the Student Body President to meetings with administrators when necessary; Shall ensure the President’s Cabinet and the Senate are making progress towards the goals set at the beginning of the administration
Constitutional Duties (SGA Constitution Article VII §6) If a caucus fails to meet the membership requirement by the end of fall break as scheduled by the Registrar for the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences/Whiting School of Engineering, the Caucus Representative will be required to meet with the Student Body Vice President and SGA advisor to develop a strategy for increasing student interest and engagement with the caucus. If the caucus is below the membership requirement by the end of Spring Break, the Caucus Representative shall be required to meet with the Student Body Vice President and SGA advisor to develop a strategy for increasing student interest and engagement with the caucus.
Duties Prescribed by the Bylaws SGA Bylaws of the Senate Article III §3.2.1.2 §3.2.1.2.4: Fosters community within the Senate §3.2.1.2.5 Collaborates with the Student Body President, the Chair of Programming, and the SGA advisor to organize semesterly retreats §3.2.1.2.6 Assists new members with writing legislation §3.2.1.2.7 Fosters communication with the governing bodies of other divisions of the University §3.2.1.2.8 Within the first month of each Senator’s or Cabinet Member’s term, uses campaign material, a form, and/or discussion with the member to determine their primary short- and long-term goals for their term in SGA.
Duties Prescribed by the Bylaws SGA Bylaws of the Senate Article III §3.2.1.2 §3.2.1.2.9 Regularly references legislative and non-legislative work of each member to determine if they are making progress towards their goals. §3.2.1.2.9.1 This must be done at least once a month, but the Vice President is encouraged to check on different members throughout the month rather than examining every member at the same time. §3.2.1.2.9.2 The Vice President may work with the Student Body Secretary to create an organizational system to track and document each member’s goals and progress. §3.2.1.2.9.3 If a member does not seem to be working towards their goals, the Vice President shall contact the member to either meet with them or to connect them to another member of SGA who would be more capable of supporting the member. §3.2.1.2.9.4 If the member is still not making progress towards their goals after two months, the Vice President shall set up a meeting with themselves, an advisor of SGA, and any other relevant SGA members to determine how best to support the member.
Workload 6hrs of recurring meetings per week (1hr Cabinet + 1hr Exec/Advisor + 1hr 1:1 Advisor + 30m 1:1 President + 2hr GBM + 1hr IA Committee biweekly) 1-3 hrs of prep work 3-5hrs of administrator meetings 2-5 hrs of prep work 1-3hr emails + teams communications 1-2hrs CSAC 1-2 hrs meetings with other SGA members Low intensity week: 15hrs High intensity week: 26hrs
Workload 6hrs of recurring meetings per week (1hr Cabinet + 1hr Exec/Advisor + 1hr 1:1 Advisor + 30m 1:1 President + 2hr GBM + 1hr IA Committee biweekly) 1-3 hrs of prep work 3-5hrs of administrator meetings 2-5 hrs of prep work 1-3hr emails + teams communications 1-2hrs CSAC 3+ hrs meetings with other SGA members Appointment of Chief Advisor More time and help for Caucus senators More time to check in with other members of SGA Higher quality work output
Suggested steps: Legislative branch Confirm a Chief Advisor to the Vice President Greater senate engagement with initiative planning and development Contributing to meeting agendas & pre-reading of materials provided by administrators for GBM presentations Since Teams is not the preferred communication method by most legislative members of SGA, is there a better way of contacting legislative SGA members? Mission planning with returning members of SGA regarding the priorities of the 112th SGA Proactive outreach to the executive branch by senators: Who need admin + faculty + cross-institutional connections Who would like help with initiative ideation Who have event programming ideas Who have ideas to increase the transparency/accessibility of SGA or any of its branches
Suggested steps: Executive branch Greater executive engagement with the Senate More attendance by executive members to Senate committee meetings when their expertise would be useful in achieving that committee’s goals Better responsiveness Ask the legislative branch what they would like the executive branch to focus on each week (i.e. allow the Senate to generate 1+ cabinet meeting agenda items each GBM) Inviting Senators to attend parts of cabinet meetings/executive-advisor meetings when their expertise would be useful in achieving the cabinet’s goals Proactive outreach to the legislative branch by executives: Who have meetings with admin + faculty + cross-institutional affiliates Who have updates for the Senate or future plans that the Senate can be part of Who have information that is not otherwise confidential but have not yet informed the Senate