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- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 1
- SGA BYLAWS
- September 2021
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 2
- I. DUTIES OF THE SENATE
- 1. Scope
- i. This article shall apply to all members of the Senate and corresponding advisors.
- ii. This section is established in concord with Article II and Article VI of the Constitution.
- iii. Should any part of this article be found unconstitutional, such part shall be considered
- severable and the rest of the article shall remain in effect.
- 2. Membership Responsibilities & Roles
- i. Per the Constitution, there exists three (3) distinct types of SGA members at large:
- 1. Executive Board
- a. Article III of the Constitution defines the responsibilities and roles of the four (4)
- Executive Board members.
- b. The Executive Secretary shall be tasked with recording how frequently each of
- the non-senate bodies within SGA (such as the PRDC) issue a report to the
- Senate during general body meetings. The Executive Secretary shall note if any
- of these bodies are ever in violation of the GBM reporting requirements outlined
- in the group’s bylaws, and, if so, should take the appropriate action detailed
- therein.
- c. In addition, the Executive Board shall also ensure the smooth integration of new
- members – especially freshmen – into SGA.
- i. The Executive Board shall coordinate the production of transition
- documents compiled by the Executive Branch, Standing Legislative
- Committees, and Class Councils. These documents shall be finished at
- the end of every one-year term, presented to the Senate, and provided to
- the next SGA.
- ii. The Executive Board shall also organize at least one mandatory SGA
- retreat per one-year term to clarify its goals and promote group
- development.
- d. The Executive Board shall ensure regular communication with their counterparts
- in the Graduate Student Organization (GRO) by meeting with the co-chairs of the
- GRO at the beginning of each semester. The Executive Board shall at this time
- ensure that committee chairs establish contact with relevant GRO executive
- board chairs.
- 2. Class Councils
- a. Per the Constitution, there shall exist four (4) Class Councils that shall represent
- each of the four (4) undergraduate classes.
- b. Class Councils, which are comprised of one (1) Class President and six (6) Class
- Senators, shall strive to:
- i. Understand the sentiments of their class via outreach methods (e.g.
- surveys).
- ii. Serve as primary SGA liaisons to their class by communicating what the
- SGA is doing.
- iii. Utilize proper programming to facilitate class-specific unity events.
- c. Class Councils shall meet weekly.
- d. At the first Class Council meeting, one member shall be designated to take
- minutes for all Class Council meetings.
- 3. Class Presidents
- a. Per the Constitution, four (4) Class Presidents shall be elected for every one-year
- term to serve as primary class representatives on the Senate.
- b. Class Presidents shall exercise general superintendence over all class affairs.
- c. Presidents shall serve on the Executive Board’s Class Council Task Force that
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 3
- seeks to enhance cross-council collaboration in bringing matters of class-related
- significance to the attention of the Senate.
- i. Class Council Task Force meetings shall be called by the Executive
- President once a month and throughout each one-year term.
- d. Class Presidents shall ensure proper and regular communication between their
- respective councils and classes.
- e. Class Presidents shall set every Class Council meeting agenda and lead all Class
- Council meetings.
- f. Class Presidents shall also be considered as Senators and perform all regular
- Senatorial duties.
- 4. Senators
- a. Per the Constitution, twenty-eight (28) Senators shall be elected for every
- one-year term.
- b. Senators participate within SGA as members of the Senate, Standing Legislative
- Committees, and Class Councils.
- c. Senators shall be proactive in pursuing student interests and concerns, in addition
- to actively lobbying relevant administrators.
- d. Senators shall prioritize their commitments to SGA and strive to attend all
- SGA-related meetings.
- e. Senators may be considered in bad standing if they do not fulfill the
- aforementioned guidelines and subsequently may be subject to an impeachment
- hearing under Article IX of the Constitution.
- f. A representative from the SGA will be selected by the Senate to attend the GRO
- meetings and thereby act as a point of contact between the GRO and the SGA. In
- turn, the GRO will provide an equivalent representative from their group to
- attend the SGA meetings.
- g. Post-Election Meet and Greet
- i. As part of the official inauguration process of SGA, newly-elected SGA
- representatives must attend a mandatory meet and greet session
- designed to interface with the undergraduate student body within 7 days
- after election decisions are released.
- ii. The meet and greet session must be at least one hour long.
- iii. The meet and greet session must have all newly elected representatives
- present.
- iv. The meet and greet session must be open to all JHU undergraduates and
- be held in a space that is easily accessible to all JHU undergraduate
- students.
- v. Executive Vice President will be tasked with organizing the meet and
- greets.
- vi. Meet and greet session will be widely publicized by SGA.
- h. SGA Tabling Events
- i. SGA will host one tabling event every month of the school year, with
- provisional exceptions to December, January, and May, as these months
- tend to have less school days compared to others. Explicitly, months that
- must have a tabling event include September, October, November,
- February, March, and April.
- ii. Tabling events must be at least one hour long.
- iii. Tabling events must be staffed by a minimum of six SGA
- representatives, each from the four class councils, as well as two other
- SGA members. A member of the Executive Board may be allowed to
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 4
- substitute one of the six SGA representatives.
- iv. SGA representatives must take turns tabling to ensure that as many
- different SGA representatives as possible are participating in these
- events.
- v. All senators and the Executive Board must attend at least one tabling
- event throughout the year.
- vi. Tabling events must open to all JHU undergraduate students and be held
- in a space that is easily accessible to all JHU undergraduate students and
- preferably, in a highly frequented area. Possible tabling areas include:
- 1. Breezeway
- 2. Brody Learning Commons and Terrace
- 3. Milton S. Eisenhower Library
- 4. Charles Commons
- 5. In front of Fresh Food Café
- 6. Levering Café and Courtyard
- 7. Mattin Center
- vii. Tabling events must be well-publicized by all the class councils before,
- during, and after the events to draw in as much attendance, and future
- attendance, as possible.
- viii. At the end of every tabling event, there must be a report submitted about
- the event’s feedback.
- ix. There must be a sign-up sheet assigning placements at the beginning of
- the year, and any rooms or spaces shall be reserved as necessary, for
- every month of the year
- x. Once the freshmen are elected, they will be held accountable for these
- above guidelines.
- ii. Advisors
- 1. There shall exist SGA advisors who shall be resources when called upon by the SGA.
- a. The SGA, in conjunction with the Office of the Dean of Student Life shall
- appoint one (1) SGA Advisor for the SGA at large and four (4) Class Council
- Advisors.
- iii. Inclusivity and Resource Awareness Trainings and Presentations
- 1. To foster a positive and health community within the SGA and across campus, the SGA
- shall participate in the following trainings during their term in office:
- a. Diversity and inclusion training from the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the
- Office of Gender Equity
- b. SafeZone training from the Office of LGBTQ Life
- c. Bystander Intervention Training from the Title IX Office
- d. Mental health resource training from the Counseling Center
- e. Student organizations or financial processes training from the Office of Student
- Leadership and Involvement (SLI) or the Student Activities Commission.
- 2. Special Conditions
- a. If time or scheduling conflicts do not permit these trainings to be completed
- during the Fall Retreat, an SGA member can spread them out over the course of
- their first semester in session.
- b. If an SGA member received a version of one of these trainings within the last
- three years, and the training is scheduled for the Fall Retreat, they will be
- permitted to exempt out of the already completed training and perform an
- alternative activity for others who have exempted out.
- i. To opt out, an SGA member must provide an email, certificate, or other
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- formal documentation that they completed a training.
- II. SENATE PROCEDURAL RULES
- 1. Scope
- i. The Senate Procedural Rules shall supersede all legislation and Robert’s Rules of Order, but shall
- not supersede other Bylaws or the Constitution.
- 2. Membership Privileges
- i. Only Members of the Senate, including Executive Board officers in an ex-officio capacity shall
- have speaking privileges in the Senate during the consideration of motions.
- 3. Attendance
- i. Required
- 1. Attendance at Senate general body meetings, committee meetings, and Class Council
- meetings is mandatory for all Senators. The Executive Vice President shall be permitted to
- grant a total of 12 excused absences per senator per year, with an additional 4 excused
- absences for every additional committee beyond 2 committees that the senator serves on.
- Senators who have 2 unexcused absences shall be subject to an impeachment vote per the
- Constitution. Senators who have 4 unexcused absences shall be thanked for their service
- and summarily dismissed from the SGA per the Constitution.
- ii. Taking Attendance
- 1. A roll call shall be taken at the beginning of each Senate meeting, and recorded in the
- minutes. The Executive Secretary shall be responsible for keeping track of whether
- enough Senators are present when voting on legislation.
- 2. Members must stay for the entire meeting unless previously excused or in cases of
- emergency.
- iii. Recording Attendance
- 1. All SGA members’ attendance records shall be noted on the SGA’s website and shall be
- sent to the student body in a press release every semester.
- iv. Documenting and Verifying Absences
- 1. The Executive Secretary shall document all absences – Senate, committee, and council –
- on a spreadsheet publicly available on the SGA website. The spreadsheet shall be updated
- with absences no later than one week from the date of a meeting. If no minutes for a
- meeting are provided to the Secretary after one week, all persons required to attend the
- meeting shall be counted as absent until minutes are provided.
- a. The Chair of the Internal Affairs Committee shall maintain parallel attendance
- records to ensure that attendance records can be double-verified.
- v. One-Time Medical Leave and One-Time Family Emergency Leave
- 1. Once a school year, if an SGA member is temporarily unable to attend meetings for any
- reason verified by an accredited medical provider, they shall be permitted to take a
- medical leave of no more than two academic weeks.
- 2. Once a school year, if an SGA member is temporarily unable to attend meetings for any
- reason related to family emergency, they shall be permitted to take a family emergency
- leave of no more than two academic weeks.
- 3. These absences will come from the 12 excused absences. However, if there are more than
- 12 absences in that time, we will grant up to two weeks.
- 4. Meetings
- i. Agenda
- 1. The Executive Vice President shall set the agenda according to the needs of the SGA.
- 2. Committee reports shall consist solely of reports – any pending committee action must be
- reported in advance and dealt with later in the meeting.
- ii. Chair of Senate Meetings
- 1. The Vice President shall chair the meetings of the SGA Senate. If the Vice President
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 6
- yields the chair in accordance with proper parliamentary procedure, or is unable to attend
- a Senate meeting, the President of the Senior Class shall fulfill the duties as Chair.
- iii. Decisions of the Chair
- 1. The chair shall enforce Senate procedures as well as the Constitution and Bylaws,
- including but not limited to ruling motions or conversations out of order. A single member
- (no second is required) may contest such a decision, which is debatable but
- nonamendable, before it takes effect. A two-thirds vote of the Senate shall be necessary to
- overturn the chair’s decision.
- iv. Manner of Presiding and Yielding of the Chair
- 1. The Vice President shall preside the meeting in an orderly, objective and fair manner
- giving opportunity to all Senators to represent their views provided they maintain
- decorum. Furthermore, the Vice President shall use his or her discretion in speaking on
- issues provided he/she maintains objectivity and fairness in the manner of the meeting.
- The Vice President shall yield the chair to a successor any time the item of discussion is
- his or her confirmation, elections, impeachment, or removal.
- v. Order
- 1. The Senate shall follow the most current version of Roberts Rules of Order in its general
- body meetings, subservient to any provisions of the Constitution and Bylaws.
- vi. Moving the Motion
- 1. Following the moving of a motion and a proper second (if required), the Chair shall
- immediately state the motion to the assembly. If the motion may be discussed, the Chair
- shall immediately ask, “Is there any discussion?” and the body shall discuss the motion. If
- the motion may not be discussed, the Chair shall immediately put the motion to a vote.
- vii. Discussion on the Motion
- 1. It is in the interest of the Senate (being a deliberative assembly) to foster productive and
- persuasive speech by each member so long as it is done in an efficient manner. The author
- of the motion shall be given the opportunity to speak first in order to present the reasoning
- behind the motion. Other motions may be moved anytime during discussion. During
- debate, filibusters are not permitted.
- viii. Voting
- 1. Abstentions, used at the individual Senator’s discretion, should only be used in the rare
- case of a direct conflict of interest. Votes become final when the Chair announces the
- vote.
- ix. Straw Polls
- 1. The use of “straw poll” votes is highly discouraged.
- x. Roll Call
- 1. If there is opposition to a motion, then a roll call shall take place.
- 2. For a roll call vote, the Chair shall state the motion and then the Executive Secretary shall
- read the roll of the Senate, and each Senator shall state their vote when their name is
- called. Senators absent at the time of the vote shall be recorded as “absent” (this has no
- bearing on attendance policy but does establish presence or lack of quorum). Per the
- Constitution, all votes and discussions shall be public, except for those permitted to be
- closed by the Constitution.
- xi. Proxy Voting
- 1. Due to the deliberative nature of Senate meetings, and due to the possibility of the
- swaying of one’s opinions during a debate, proxy voting is neither permitted nor accepted.
- III. SENATE LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES
- 1. Scope
- i. This article shall apply to all committees of the Senate of the Student Government Association
- (“SGA”) and shall not extend farther than senatorial committees.
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 7
- ii. This section is established in concord with Article VI of the Johns Hopkins University
- Undergraduate Student Government Association Constitution (“The Constitution”).
- iii. Should any part of this article be found unconstitutional, such part shall be considered severable
- and the rest of the article shall remain in effect.
- 2. Types of Committees
- i. Per the Constitution, there shall exist two (2) distinct types of committees of the Senate:
- 1. Standing Legislative Committees
- a. Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate shall be established in these
- Bylaws and shall exist in perpetuity.
- b. Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate shall be established to address the
- general business of the Senate and to recommend to the Senate the adoption or
- rejection of legislation.
- c. The number of members of Standing Legislative Committees shall be at the
- discretion of the Executive Vice President when sorting Senators into
- committees, but shall allow for the efficient functioning of the committees.
- 2. Ad-hoc Committees of the Senate
- a. Ad-hoc Committees of the Senate, in accordance with the Constitution, shall be
- established by a 2/3 vote of the Senate and shall automatically expire at the end
- of the academic semester during which they were established.
- b. Ad-hoc Committees of the Senate shall be empaneled to address matters of great
- importance to the student body and may recommend that the Senate take up
- certain proposals through its regular legislative process in order to address
- specific concerns.
- c. The parameters and scope of individual ad-hoc committees shall be stipulated in
- the legislation providing for their specific establishment.
- d. The number of members of Ad-Hoc Committees of the Senate shall be provided
- for in the legislation establishing the particular committees.
- e. An SGA Long-Term Ad-Hoc Committee, appropriately abbreviated as an
- LHAC, shall be a type of ad-hoc committee, adherent to all standard terms and
- requirements of an ad-hoc committee, with the following and express exceptions:
- i. An SGA LHAC shall be established in perpetuity until a clearly
- delineated date of expiration or sunset, or until which time that the
- Senate votes by ⅔ majority to determine that the LHAC’s mandate or
- purpose has elapsed.
- ii. An SGA LHAC may include additional differences from traditional
- ad-hoc committees, provided that those differences are clearly
- delineated in the SGA LHAC’s legislative enactment act and provided
- that those differences do not violate other terms of the SGA Bylaws or
- the SGA Constitution
- 3. Membership of Committees
- a. Sorting of Senators into Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate
- i. Each member of the Senate shall serve on at least one (1) Standing
- Legislative Committee of the Senate, but may serve on more than one
- (1) at the discretion of the Executive Vice President.
- ii. Pursuant to the Constitution, the Executive Vice President shall sort
- Senators into Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate, and
- confirmation of these appointments shall require ratification by a
- plurality of the Senate.
- iii. In executing the Constitutional duty to sort Senators into committees,
- the Executive Vice President shall solicit the wishes of individual
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 8
- Senators; study their individual passions and legislative priorities; if
- prudent, consult with SGA colleagues; and shall thereafter proceed to
- sort Senators into committees at the first Senate General Body meeting
- in a manner which, in the opinion of the Vice President, will allow
- individual Senators to flourish and will best serve the students and
- community of the Johns Hopkins University.
- b. Participation of the Non-Senate Committee Members
- i. Per the Constitution, membership in all committees is open to students
- at large, subject to restrictions provided for herein these Bylaws.
- ii. Per the Constitution, members of committees who are not only duly
- serving members of the Senate may participate fully in committees with
- the express exception of voting.
- 1. Duly serving members of the Senate may participate fully in all
- aspects of the committees on which they serve, including
- voting.
- iii. Membership in certain Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate is
- restricted within these Bylaws.
- iv. Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate not herein restricted
- from doing so may appoint non-Senate members to serve on its
- committee with a 2/3 vote of the Senate members of the committee and
- a 2/3 confirmation of the Senate as a whole.
- v. Determinations of whether membership of individual Ad-hoc
- Committees of the Senate is open to students at large or restricted to
- members of the Senate shall be defined in the legislation providing for
- the establishment of the particular Ad-hoc committee.
- vi. Appointment of non-Senate members to Ad-hoc Committees of the
- Senate shall be made in the legislation providing for the establishment
- of the particular committee.
- 4. Establishment of Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate
- a. The following Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate shall be
- established.
- i. Committee on Academic Affairs
- 1. Membership
- a. The membership of the Committee on Academic
- Affairs is not inherently statutorily restricted on the
- basis of Senate membership.
- 2. Responsibilities
- a. The Committee on Academic Affairs shall be tasked
- with the following responsibilities:
- i. To deal with matters relating to Student
- Advising, the Registrar, the Academic
- Council, and other academic-related organs
- of the University to improve the academic
- atmosphere for students.
- ii. To work with administrators, including the
- Dean of the Krieger School of Arts and
- Sciences and the Dean of the Whiting School
- of Engineering, to advance academic policies
- and programs that fit the needs and desires of
- the student body.
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 9
- iii. To work with the Executive Board and the
- Senior Class Council on matters related to
- Convocation, Commencement, and other
- University academic ceremonies.
- iv. To take up other measures relating to
- academic affairs.
- ii. Committee on Civic Engagement
- 1. Membership
- a. The membership of the Committee on Civic
- Engagement is not inherently statutorily restricted on
- the basis of Senate membership.
- 2. Responsibilities
- a. The Committee on Civic Engagement shall be tasked
- with the following responsibilities:
- i. To promote matters of civic engagement,
- civic involvement and participation, civic
- activism, student activism, community
- engagement in Baltimore and beyond, and
- issues of public, political or civic concern
- that fall beyond the realm of other
- committees.
- ii. To collaborate with JHU student groups
- focused on civic engagement and aid them in
- their efforts.
- iii. To work with other Senate committees, the
- Office of Student Life, the Office of
- Multicultural Affairs, LGBTQ Life, Student
- Disability Service, the Office of Institutional
- Equity, and other relevant academic
- departments and faculty in its
- aforementioned matters of scope whenever
- applicable.
- iii. Committee on Internal Affairs
- 1. Membership
- a. The membership of the Committee on Internal Affairs
- is restricted to duly serving members of the Senate.
- b. The Executive Vice President is the President of the
- Senate and the Senate’s Parliamentarian and shall
- serve as an ex-officio member of the Committee on
- Internal Affairs.
- 2. Responsibilities
- a. The Committee on Internal Affairs shall be tasked
- with the following responsibilities:
- i. To deal with all matters related to the internal
- affairs of the Senate, with the exclusion of
- matters related to the Senate’s budget which
- are restricted to the Committee on Finance.
- ii. To deal with matters related to amendments
- of the SGA Constitution, the SGA Bylaws
- and the Senate Procedural Rules.
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 10
- iii. To deal with matters related to amendments
- of the Committee on Student Elections
- (CSE) Bylaws and other appropriate
- governing student documents, excluding
- revising the SAC Bylaws, a power which is
- reserved to the Committee on Finance, and
- the SGA Judiciary Bylaws, which are
- reserved by the Constitution to the Judiciary
- itself.
- iv. To handle all appointments of SGA officials
- as prescribed by statue, including the
- evaluation of the Executive President’s
- judicial nominees, and to recommend to the
- Senate their appointment or rejection.
- v. To help facilitate the impeachment process
- by holding proceedings to make findings of
- fact and regulation and providing an
- informed perspective to the Senate.
- vi. To conduct ethical or disciplinary hearings of
- SGA members and refer to the Senate such
- cases with its recommendations.
- vii. To deal with all other legislation that relates
- to the internal affairs of the Senate.
- iv. Committee on Finance
- 1. Membership
- a. The membership of the Committee on Finance is
- restricted to duly serving members of the Senate.
- 2. Responsibilities
- a. The Committee on Finance shall be tasked with the
- following responsibilities:
- i. To deal with the financial matters of the
- Student Government, including
- appropriations, funding procedures, and
- financial management.
- ii. To evaluate and vote on all legislation that
- allocates funds from the Senate.
- iii. To collaborate with the Committee on
- Student Organizations and the Student
- Activities Commission (SAC) to guarantee
- the success of student organizations by
- aiding groups through their grant and
- sponsorship request process.
- iv. To advise the Executive Treasurer on matters
- related to funding.
- v. Committee on Health, Safety, and Sustainability
- 1. Membership
- a. The membership of the Committee on Health, Safety,
- and Sustainability is not inherently statutorily
- restricted on the basis of Senate membership.
- 2. Responsibilities
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 11
- a. The Committee on Health, Safety, and Sustainability
- shall be tasked with the following responsibilities:
- i. To deal with matters pertaining to the health
- and safety of the student body.
- ii. To take up measures related to sustainability
- and facilities, as applicable to the Johns
- Hopkins community.
- iii. To work with Campus Safety and Security,
- Student Life, Health and Wellness Center
- administrators, and other University officials
- to advocate and ensure the health, safety, and
- well-being of students.
- iv. To work with the Recycling Center and the
- Office of Sustainability to advance
- sustainable practices. To work with the Vice
- President for Facilities and Real Estate as
- well as other University administrators to
- advance the interests of the student body
- with respect to real estate, buildings and
- grounds, auxiliary services, facilities, and
- related matters.
- vi. Committee on Student Organizations
- 1. Membership
- a. The membership of the Committee on Student
- Organizations is restricted to a minimum of ten, duly
- serving members of the Senate.
- b. The Executive Treasurer is the Chairman of the SAC
- and shall serve as an ex-officio member of the
- Committee on Student Organizations.
- 2. Responsibilities
- a. The Committee on Student Organizations shall be
- tasked with the following responsibilities:
- i. To conduct hearings with leaders of proposed
- student organizations to evaluate and
- determine their recognition status within the
- SGA.
- ii. To work to ensure inter-organizational
- collaboration among the clubs, groups, and
- organizations of the undergraduate
- population at Hopkins.
- iii. To work with student organizations to
- advance their goals and to help facilitate their
- continued success.
- iv. To work with other organs of the SGA,
- including the SAC and the CMC, to ensure
- and promote the success of student
- organizations.
- v. To ensure that University resources,
- including usage of the Hopkins logos,
- funding, facilities and other resources are
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 12
- used only by approved student groups and
- that such resources are distributed fairly and
- utilized responsibly.
- vi. To ensure that approved student
- organizations remain in good standing with
- the SGA and the University, and to
- recommend corrective actions to the Senate
- when groups violate SGA, University, local,
- state, and/or federal rules, regulations, and/or
- laws.
- vii. To establish protocols for applying to be an
- approved student organization and
- regulations governing the types and
- standards of such organizations.
- viii. To work with University officials, including
- the Coordinator for Student Organizations;
- the Associate Dean of Student Engagement;
- administrators of programs housing student
- organizations such as the Office of
- Multicultural Affairs, the Interfaith Center,
- the Department of Athletics and Recreation,
- the Center for Social Concern, the
- Homewood Arts Programs, and the Digital
- Media Center; and other University
- personnel, to advance collaboration and
- standardization of expectations for student
- organizations.
- ix. To take up other measures relating to student
- organizations.
- vii. Committee on Student Services
- 1. Membership
- a. The membership of the Committee on Student
- Services is not inherently statutorily restricted on the
- basis of Senate membership.
- 2. Responsibilities
- a. The Committee on Student Services shall be tasked
- with the following responsibilities:
- i. To evaluate proposals for SGA sponsorship
- of events.
- ii. To work to provide SGA-sponsored services
- to fill needs that the University
- administration cannot or will not provide.
- iii. To work towards improving existing services
- available to students.
- iv. To work with student organizations, the
- University, and businesses to advance the
- aforementioned responsibilities.
- v. To take up other measures relating to student
- services.
- 5. Chairs and Vice-Chairs of the Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 13
- a. Chairs and Vice-Chairs
- i. The Internal Affairs Committee and Finance Committee shall each have
- two chairs automatically.
- ii. Every other standing and ad-hoc committee shall have one chair and
- one vice chair.
- b. Selection of the Chair
- i. The Executive Vice President, as President of the Senate, shall schedule
- and preside over the first meeting of each Standing Legislative
- Committee in order to facilitate, and until, the election of the
- committee’s chair.
- ii. Within one (1) week of the Senate’s first General Body meeting, each
- Standing Legislative Committee of the Senate shall meet to elect its
- Chair or co-chair.
- iii. At this first committee meeting, the Executive Vice President shall call
- to order the committee. The Executive Vice President shall then ask for
- secret paper ballot nominations of committee members to serve as chair
- of the committee. Only duly serving members of the Senate may be
- nominated as committee chairs. Individuals may not serve as chair of
- more than one (1) committee, or as the chair of a committee if they are
- the vice-chair for another committee.
- iv. Upon collecting the nominations, the Executive Vice President shall
- read the nomination aloud and ask each nominee if he or she would like
- to perform the service of committee chair.
- v. Those responding in the affirmative shall each give short speeches
- outlining their qualifications and priorities.
- vi. Without a discussion, each Senate member on the committee shall then
- cast a vote for the chair by confidential paper ballot.
- vii. Any candidate receiving a plurality of votes will then be installed as
- committee chair or co-chair and will be sworn in by the Executive Vice
- President.
- viii. The Executive Vice President and Executive Treasurer, in their
- respective roles as ex-officio members of the Internal Affairs
- Committee and of the Finance Committee, shall also serve as respective
- ex-officio co-chairs of those committees.
- ix. If no candidate receives a plurality, the Executive Vice President shall
- cast a tie breaking vote.
- x. The Committee Chair’s term of office shall extend for the term of the
- Senate.
- c. Selection of the Vice-Chair
- i. The Chair of the Committee (excluding the Internal Affairs and Finance
- committees) must nominate a Vice-Chair for their committee upon their
- election as chair or at the following committee meeting.
- ii. The Vice-Chair of a committee must be a duly elected SGA Senator and
- must be an official member of the committee for which they are a
- Vice-Chair.
- iii. The Vice-Chair must not be the Chair or Vice Chair of another
- committee.
- iv. After the Chair submits their nomination of a Vice-Chair to their
- committee, the committee members must approve the selection with a
- 2/3rds vote.
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 14
- 6. Chairs of the Ad-hoc Committees of the Senate
- a. The legislation providing for the establishment of the particular ad-hoc
- committee shall designate a chair.
- b. The term of the Chair of an Ad-hoc Committee of the Senate shall expire when
- the term of the committee itself expires at the end of the semester.
- 7. Responsibilities of Committee Chairs
- a. Chairs of Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate and Ad-hoc
- Committees of the Senate shall having the following responsibilities:
- i. To issue a committee report at General Body meetings, informing the
- Senate of relevant projects and actions of the committee and its
- members.
- ii. To submit legislation with recommendations to the Executive Vice
- President and Executive Secretary.
- iii. To create the agenda for each committee meeting and publish these
- agendas to the Senate.
- iv. To appoint a member of the respective committee to take the minutes of
- each meeting.
- v. To send a copy of the committee minutes to the Executive Secretary in a
- timely manner.
- vi. To meet regularly with the Executive Board to report on committee
- operations.
- vii. To perform certain other functions as situations necessitate.
- viii. To maintain suggestion boxes as needed to provide for the needs of the
- student body
- 1. It shall be the duty of the chair of the SSC to appoint
- committee members to gather the suggestions left in the boxes.
- 2. To report on the contents of the suggestion boxes bi-weekly at
- SGA general body meetings.
- b. Co-chairs of the Finance and Internal Affairs Committees and Chairs and Vice
- Chairs of Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate and Ad-hoc
- Committees of the Senate shall having the following additional responsibilities:
- i. By the end of September, co-chairs/chair and vice chair must submit a
- cooperation plan to the Executive Vice President detailing an agreement
- between each co-chair/ chair vice chair on how they plan to work
- cooperatively to run their committee
- 1. Plans must include but are not limited to:
- a. Means of communication and response time
- b. Workflow in terms of planning committee meetings
- and projects
- c. Means of conflict resolution
- d. Limited-use Mental Health and Academic Stress
- related provisions under which responsibilities can
- temporarily be waived
- 2. The requirement to have a plan can be waived if both
- co-chairs/the chair and vice chair sign a waiver or otherwise
- inform the Executive Vice President stating that they do not
- feel the need to have a cooperation plan.
- a. If a cooperation plan is waived, a co-chair/chair or
- vice chair has the right to request a cooperation plan
- at any point throughout the year.
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 15
- b. Requests must be sent in an email to the Executive
- Vice President and their co-chair/chair or vice chair,
- and cooperation plans must be created and submitted
- to the Executive Vice President within 10 days of the
- request.
- 3. The Executive Vice President may reject any cooperation plan
- deemed to be insufficient. Rejections can be overturned by a
- 4/5ths vote of the committee that the agreement applies to.
- 4. For cooperation plans concerning the Internal Affairs
- Committee, the Executive President shall fill the role of the
- Executive Vice President in the processes outlined in this
- section of the Bylaws.
- 5. Cooperation plans must be shared with senate committee
- members.
- 6. Cooperation plans may not be changed without the approval of
- the Executive Vice President.
- 7. Failure to follow the rules within this section of the Bylaws is a
- formal violation of the Bylaws, and may lead to the
- consequences associated with such.
- 8. Both co-chairs/chair and vice-chair must express their approval
- of the cooperation plan in writing or email to the Executive
- Vice President.
- 9. If cooperation plans are not submitted and are not waived, the
- co-chairs/chair and vice chair shall be automatically removed
- and a new election for co-chairs/chair or vice chair will be
- held.
- 10. If one co-chair/chair or vice chair believes that it was not
- possible for them to submit a cooperation plan because the
- other co-chair/chair or vice chair refused to cooperate, they
- may petition the Judiciary to rule on the question of whether
- failure to submit a cooperative plan was solely or mostly by the
- fault of one of the co-chairs/chair or vice chair. If they rule that
- to be the case, the co-chair/chair or vice chair who was ruled to
- have been mostly or completely responsible for the failure to
- produce a mutually-agreed upon cooperative plan shall be
- removed as committee chair.
- a. After chair removal, the committee must take a vote
- to appoint a new chair.
- i. The removed chair may not participate in
- committee chair-related deliberations or vote
- on matters concerning committee chairs after
- their removal, and may not become the chair
- of any committee through the end of their
- term.
- ii. The vice chair shall not automatically
- become the chair if the chair is removed
- through this process, but may run in the chair
- election.
- b. After Vice Chair removal, the Chair shall appoint a
- new Vice Chair, subject to committee approval
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 16
- c. Vice-Chairs of Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate and Ad-Hoc
- Committees shall have the following responsibilities:
- i. Vice-Chairs shall fulfill the duties of the chair whenever they are not
- present at meetings or otherwise unavailable. They must fulfill all the
- responsibilities of the chair when the chair is on leave or absent at a
- meeting, and highlighted duties include:
- 1. Chairing committee meetings when the chair is absent
- 2. Updating the Senate on committee activities during GBM
- when the chair is absent
- ii. Vice-Chairs shall assist the Chairs in all their duties as agreed upon
- between the Chair, the Vice-Chair, and the committee at large.
- 8. Committee Meetings
- a. The Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate shall be required to regularly
- meet at least once every two (2) weeks, with the expressed exception of the
- Committee on Finance and the Committee on Internal Affairs, which shall meet
- as needed at the discretion of the Committee Co-Chairs.
- b. The Chairs of Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate that are required to
- meet regularly shall, at the first committee meeting of the term, discuss with
- committee members potential times to meet at least once every two (2) weeks.
- c. During the first meeting of every Standing Legislative Committee of the Senate,
- the Chairs – if they choose – shall designate one committee member to take
- minutes during every committee meeting, otherwise they themselves shall take
- the minutes.
- d. In accordance with the Constitution, any student is welcome to observe any
- committee meetings.
- e. Committees may, in accordance with the Constitution, close meetings to discuss
- sensitive personnel matters by a 2/3 vote of the committee. However, all voting
- must take place in public with individual votes recorded as prescribed by Senate
- rules and legislation.
- f. Any member of the three SGA branches is welcome to attend committee
- meetings, even those closed by the committee itself.
- 9. Removal of Chairs or Members of a Committee of the Senate
- a. The Chair of a Standing Legislative Committee of the Senate or an Ad-hoc
- Committee of the Senate may be removed by a ¾ vote of the committee itself, or
- by a 2/3 vote of the Senate as a whole.
- b. A member of a committee may only be removed by a ¾ vote of the Senate as a
- whole.
- c. If a Committee chooses to remove a chair by a 2/3 vote of the Committee itself,
- they must abide by the following procedures.
- i. A senate member of a committee must submit the signatures of at least
- 1/2 of the senate members of the committee calling for the removal of
- the committee chair to the Executive Vice President.
- 1. When there is an odd amount of senators in the committee, the
- number of signatures required shall be rounded up.
- ii. The Executive Vice President shall convene a meeting no later than 2
- weeks after the receipt of the signatures calling for the removal of a
- committee chair to hear arguments for and against chair removal and to
- hold a vote to remove the chair.
- iii. At a minimum, the chair under consideration for removal must be
- allowed the opportunity to speak, and a senator calling for the chair’s
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 17
- removal must be allowed an equal opportunity to speak. Speaking order
- should be determined by some form of chance.
- iv. After speeches from the chair under consideration and from an accuser,
- senate members of the committee shall enter into deliberations. The
- chair under consideration of removal must not be present for
- deliberations. After deliberations have concluded, senate members of
- the committee must vote by secret ballot on whether to remove the
- chair. The chair under consideration for removal cannot participate in
- this ballot.
- v. If the chair is removed, they shall be thanked for their service and
- downgraded to a regular senate member of the committee.
- vi. Upon removal of a single chair of a committee, the Executive Vice
- President shall hold an election for a new chair no later than one week
- after the removal of the original chair.
- 1. The Vice-Chair shall not automatically succeed the Chair in the
- case of Chair removal by Committee or Senate vote, but may
- run in the election to replace the chair.
- vii. The removed chair may not run in the chair election held to determine
- their replacement.
- viii. The Executive Vice President cannot be removed from the Internal
- Affairs Committee and the Executive Treasurer cannot be removed from
- the Finance Committee.
- d. Removal of the chair of a committee, or of a member of the committee, done by
- the full senate, shall proceed in identical fashion to impeachment proceedings as
- prescribed by the Constitution and further expounded upon by supporting
- statutes.
- e. Vice-Chairs may be removed by the Chair of a committee in consultation and
- with the consent of the Executive Board.
- i. In order to remove a Vice-Chair, the Chair of a committee must submit
- in writing/email why they feel that they require a new Vice-Chair to the
- Executive President and Vice President.
- ii. Upon receiving the request to remove a Vice-Chair, the Executive Board
- shall convene separate meetings with the Chair and Vice Chair of the
- committee to further discuss the issue, and may convene a meeting with
- the Chair and Vice Chair if desired.
- iii. If the Executive Board determines that whatever the Chair believes
- necessitates the removal of the Vice Chair cannot be resolved, the
- Executive Board shall consent to the removal of the Vice Chair and the
- Chair shall appoint a new Vice Chair.
- 1. The Executive Board should generally defer to the judgement
- of the Chair
- iv. The Chair of a committee may also remove a Vice-Chair by submitting
- written notice to the members of the committee of why they want to
- remove the Vice-Chair.
- 1. The committee shall then vote on the removal of the
- Vice-Chair, with a 2/3rds vote required to remove the
- Vice-Chair.
- f. Any member of the Senate who is impeached in accordance with the Constitution
- and relieved from the duties of the Senate are thus automatically removed from
- all Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate and Ad-hoc Committees of the
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 18
- Senate.
- g. Chairs and Vice-Chairs of Committees may resign from Committee leadership
- positions.
- i. If the Chair resigns, the Vice-Chair shall temporarily serve as Chair
- until new Chair elections can be held under the procedures described
- above.
- ii. If the Vice-Chair resigns, the Chair shall appoint a new Vice-Chair.
- iii. Notices of resignation of Committee leadership must be sent to the
- Executive Vice President.
- 10. Committee Vacancies
- a. Any vacancies within Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate or Ad-hoc
- Committees of the Senate created by the departure of a member of the Senate
- shall be filled by the Executive Vice President and confirmed by a plurality of the
- Senate.
- b. Any vacancies within Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate or Ad-hoc
- Committees of the Senate created by the departure of a non-member of the
- Senate shall be left vacant unless filled by Senate legislation.
- IV. LEGISLATION OF THE SENATE
- 1. Scope
- i. This article shall apply to all legislation taken up by the Legislative Branch of the SGA.
- ii. Should any part of this article be found unconstitutional, such part shall be considered severable
- and the rest of the article shall remain in effect.
- 2. Process
- i. Legislation shall be written by any member of the Legislative or Executive Branches of SGA. ii.
- Legislation shall take one of two forms:
- 1. A bill, which formally enacts a law within the scope defined by the Constitution; or
- 2. A resolution, which formally declares the opinion of the Senate and thus the Student
- Body.
- ii. Legislation shall require and document the presence of:
- 1. At least one (1) introducer (also known as an author or composer);
- 2. At least two (2) co-sponsors of the Legislative Branch who are not introducers;
- iii. Legislation shall be written in any mainstream serif font (Times New Roman, Palatino, Garamond,
- Baskerville, etc.) and, by precedent, be headed with the round, golden-blue seal of the SGA.
- iv. Upon receiving sponsorship of at least two (2) members of the Legislative Branch, the original
- sponsor of the Bill or Resolution shall submit the legislation to the Executive Vice President.
- v. The Executive Vice President shall then forward the legislation to the appropriate Committee Chair
- for the committee’s consideration and alert the Senate of the received legislation and its committee
- hearing date.
- vi. All legislation must be considered by a Committee of the Senate before being considered by the
- Senate itself. In the most exceptional of cases, the Executive Vice President shall be empowered to
- waive this requirement in order to allow the Senate to directly address pressing matters.
- vii. Once legislation is referred to a Committee of the Senate, the Committee shall deliberate and vote
- upon a recommendation to the Senate for the legislation’s adoption or rejection. A plurality vote
- shall be necessary to recommend legislation’s adoption or rejection, or to undertake other
- committee actions. A committee may also elect to advance legislation to the Senate with no
- recommendation, if after significant deliberation, the committee elects to do so. A tie vote within a
- committee brings the legislation before the Senate with no recommendation.
- 1. Upon passage in committee, legislation may be amended by mutual agreement of the
- committee chair and the legislation’s introducer so long as the amendment does not alter
- the intention of the bill.
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 19
- viii. All legislation, pursuant to the Constitution, must be adopted by the full Senate. A Committee
- alone is not empowered to take any direct action other than to recommend and refer action to the
- Senate as a whole.
- ix. Upon receiving the recommendation of a Committee of the Senate, the Executive Vice President
- shall introduce the legislation to the Senate and call upon its original sponsor to discuss its merits
- and field questions from the Senate.
- x. The legislation shall then be deliberated upon, pursuant to the Senate’s rules and procedures, and
- the Senate shall eventually vote for the legislation’s adoption or rejection.
- xi. If the Senate votes to adopt the legislation, the Executive Vice President shall affix the Seal of the
- Senate to the legislation. The Executive President, Executive Vice President, Executive Treasurer
- and Executive Secretary will then place their signatures at the bottom of the legislation so as to
- confirm its adoption. The legislation will then have the full force and effect of law.
- 1. For ceremonial purposes, the introducer(s) and co-sponsors shall have the right to sign the
- legislation as well.
- xii. If the Senate votes to reject the legislation, the Executive Vice President shall indicate its rejection
- and place their signature at the bottom so as to confirm its rejection. The Executive Vice President
- shall not affix the Seal of the Senate to rejected legislation.
- V. STUDENT ACTIVITIES COMMISSION
- 1. General Policies
- i. The Student Activities Commission, hereafter referred to as SAC, shall be a subsidiary of the SGA
- Finance Committee.
- 1. In the event that there are 8 or less members in the Finance Committee, then all Finance
- Committee members shall be voting members of SAC.
- 2. In the event that there are more than 8 members in the Finance Committee, at each
- convening of SAC, it shall be the responsibility of the Executive Treasurer to ensure that
- no more than 8 Finance Committee members attend as voting members.
- a. In the event that there are more than 8 Finance Committee members interested in
- attending a SAC meeting as a voting member, the Executive Treasurer shall
- allow the first 8 members who RSVP for the SAC meeting to attend as voting
- members.
- 3. All Finance Committee members are required to attend any SAC meeting regardless of
- whether or not they are a voting member for said meeting.
- 4. All funding decisions will be passed by a simple majority.
- ii. The SAC shall be comprised of eight voting Commissioners, appointed by the SGA Executive
- Treasurer and confirmed by a majority vote of the Senate.
- iii. All SAC Commissioners and finance committee members shall be eligible to 1 vote in every
- decision.
- 1. The SGA Executive Treasurer shall only vote in the case of a tie.
- 2. Any person at a SAC meeting who is a part of an organization that submitted a grant, shall
- be asked to leave while the committee discusses the grant and will be unable to vote on
- said grant.
- 3. All votes shall be a simple majority vote
- iv. The SGA Executive Treasurer shall chair the SAC.
- v. All student groups recognized by the SGA will be eligible for funding from the SAC including
- monthly grants; however groups which receive annual funding from another source will not be
- eligible for an annual allocation.
- 1. The SAC will not consider grants submitted by individual students or groups not
- recognized by the SGA.
- 2. Class Councils will be eligible for monthly grant funds.
- vi. The SGA Treasurer shall have the right with approval of a ⅔ majority vote of the Senate to remove
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 20
- any member of SAC.
- 1. The collective SAC body (including both commissioners and Finance Committee
- Members) can request the removal of a commissioner by a ⅔ vote to then be approved by
- a ⅔ majority vote of the Senate.
- vii. The SAC will evaluate grant proposals based on the following four criteria:
- 1. The SAC Funding Guidelines
- 2. Feasibility
- 3. Impact
- 4. other funding sources that the club is receiving for the proposal.
- viii. The SAC shall be responsible for maintaining a set of funding policies and caps by which all
- decisions shall be based. These will be set annually and approved or amended by the Senate in the
- month prior to reregistration. In addition, they must publish these policies and caps to the student
- body once approved by the Senate.
- ix. SAC has the right to revoke funding by a ⅔ majority vote of the SAC for violation of SAC
- funding guidelines or policies.
- x. SAC is responsible to provide budgets and balances to student organizations if requested.
- xi. The Senate can overturn any decision of the SAC by a ⅔ majority vote.
- xii. The chair of the finance committee will be required to provide bi-weekly updates to the Senate on
- all decisions made by SAC in addition to the regular updates of the treasurer.
- 2. Annual Grants
- i. Annual appropriation decisions shall be made by the SAC within one month of the completion of
- reregistration.
- ii. Organizations will not be eligible for annual grants if they receive annual funding outside of SAC.
- iii. Organizations that have been recognized or reestablished shall not be eligible for annual
- allocations until the following school year. This includes organizations recognized or reestablished
- in the fall semester.
- 1. This will exclude governing boards, who will become eligible for annual grants
- immediately upon recognition.
- iv. The Treasurer can then, if necessary, apply a universally proportional cut across all groups to
- ensure that the given amount is equal to the amount available to give out.
- v. The final annual budget allocations will require Senate confirmation by a majority vote.
- 1. The allocations must be submitted a minimum of 10 days prior to the vote.
- 2. The Senate has the right to amend any budget on the floor by a majority vote.
- vi. Neither the SAC nor SGA shall publish the annual allocations.
- vii. Should any student organization fall into debt with their University account, they will immediately
- become ineligible for all SAC funding including both the annual allocation and monthly grants
- until there is a positive or zero balance in their account.
- 1. SAC must notify organizations in the deficit at least 30 days prior to the annual allocation
- process to allow the organizations to correct it before allocations.
- 3. Monthly Grants
- i. The SAC shall meet bi-weekly (once every other week) during the fall and spring semester starting
- in October based on a schedule set at the start of the semester to discuss monthly budget requests.
- ii. Organizations are eligible for monthly grants immediately upon SGA recognition.
- iii. Each meeting will be given a maximum budget set as the total amount of money in the monthly
- grant account divided by the number of meetings in the school year.
- 1. Any unused funds from previous meetings will be redistributed to all following meetings.
- iv. In order for a meeting to commence, a majority of SAC must be present.
- v. A single group cannot receive more than 40% of the meeting budget.
- 4. Recruitment Procedures
- i. Each year, the executive treasurer will be responsible for filling any vacancies left open by
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 21
- members who have either graduated or given up their duties on the SAC.
- ii. The recruiting process shall be divided into three parts
- 1. An application designed to gauge interest in and knowledge of the body
- 2. An interview with the treasurer and SAC board members
- 3. Confirmation from a majority vote of the Senate.
- iii. SAC membership should be based on the merit of the individual and should be justifiable to the
- SGA Senate for confirmation.
- iv. All appointments made by the SGA Treasurer shall have to be approved by the SGA Senate by a
- simple majority.
- VI. SENATE VACANCIES
- 1. In the event of any vacancy, the vacancy shall be announced to the relevant constituents through an email
- that includes a notification of the process and/or application by which the position shall be filled.
- 2. Senatorial Vacancy
- i. In the case of a Senatorial vacancy, the remaining members of the Class Council shall choose a
- new Senator, following the process herein prescribed subject to any constitutional restrictions.
- 1. The Class President shall immediately assemble the Class Council and inform them of the
- vacancy.
- 2. The Class Council shall then collectively draft an application to fill the vacant seat.
- 3. This application shall then be disseminated to every member of the class within seven (7)
- business days of the vacancy being created. Business days shall refer to all days when
- University classes are held on the Homewood campus.
- 4. The Class Council shall then conduct interviews of any candidates it deems qualified for
- the position. These interviews must conclude within seven (7) business days of the
- dissemination of the applications.
- 5. Within two (2) business days of these interviews, the Class Council must vote on
- candidates. Voting to confirm a new senator shall follow the plurality scheme; the
- candidate receiving the most votes shall be nominated by the Class Council to fill the seat.
- ii. The Senate shall then, in accordance with the Constitution, vote to confirm or reject the Class
- Council’s nominee.
- iii. If the Senate votes to reject the nominee, the Class Council shall immediately convene again to
- either vote on one of the other candidates or restart the entire process.
- iv. The relevant Class President and the Executive Board shall keep the Student Body informed of
- any decisions throughout this process.
- 3. Class Presidential Vacancy
- i. In the case of a Class Presidential vacancy, the remaining members of the Class Council shall
- choose a new President from among themselves, following the process herein prescribed subject to
- any constitutional restrictions.
- 1. The Executive Vice President shall immediately assembly the Class Council and inform
- them of the vacancy.
- 2. The Class Council shall then collectively gather secret paper ballot nominations of Class
- Council members to fill the vacant seat from within the Council itself.
- 3. Upon collecting the nominations, the Executive Vice President shall read the nomination
- aloud and ask each nominee if he or she would like to perform the service of Class
- President.
- 4. Those responding in the affirmative shall each give short speeches outlining their
- qualifications and priorities at the next Class Council meeting (within five business days
- of the vacancy being created).
- 5. Without discussion, each council member – including the outgoing Class President – shall
- then cast a vote for Class President by roll call vote.
- 6. Voting to confirm a new Class President shall follow the plurality scheme; the candidate
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 22
- receiving the most votes shall be elected.
- a. If a tie occurs, a second vote shall be held.
- b. If another tie occurs, successive elections will occur until a President is selected.
- ii. Once nominated by the Class Council, the nominee must face a confirmation vote by the Senate at
- its next meeting.
- VII. COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING COMMISSION
- 1. The Communications and Marketing Commission, hereafter referred to as the CMC, shall be a subsidiary
- group of the Student Government Association organized within the Office of the Executive Secretary.
- 2. The CMC shall operate according to a set of CMC Bylaws set by the Senate.
- 3. The CMC shall be tasked with all matters related to the marketing and promotion of the SGA, including but
- not limited to: social media management, website maintenance and construction, and graphic design.
- 4. The CMC shall be comprised of at least five voting Communications and Marketing Aides, appointed by
- the SGA Executive Secretary with the advice and consent of two-thirds of the Senate.
- i. In the event of a vacancy, the SGA Executive Secretary may appoint replacement members as
- outlined in the preceding section or may divide responsibilities among the remaining CMC
- members.
- 5. The SGA Executive Secretary shall chair the CMC but shall only vote when a tie exists.
- 6. Quorum shall be set at half plus one of the membership of CMC.
- 7. The Senate shall, under the Constitution, retain its oversight prerogatives over the CMC.
- VIII. POLICY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
- 1. The Policy Research and Development Commission, hereafter referred to as PRDC, shall be a subsidiary
- group of the Student Government Association organized within the Office of the Executive Vice President.
- 2. The PRDC shall operate according to a set of PRDC Bylaws, which shall elaborate on matters not
- delineated here. The PRDC Bylaws shall be set by the Senate.
- 3. The PRDC shall be comprised of at least five voting Policy Advisors, appointed by the SGA Executive Vice
- President with the advice and consent of two-thirds of the Senate.
- i. At the discretion of the Executive Vice President, a Policy Advisor may be promoted to a “Senior
- Policy Advisor of [area of expertise]” if said Policy Advisor has a specific portfolio of area of
- issues on which they are uniquely capable, experienced, or qualified to advise the SGA.
- ii. In the event of a vacancy, the SGA Executive Vice President may appoint replacement members or
- may divide responsibilities among the remaining PRDC Policy Advisors.
- 4. The PRDC shall be tasked with:
- i. Service to and Collaboration with Additional SGA Organs
- 1. The Senate, committees, class councils, the SAC, the CMC, the Judiciary and the CSE
- may request that the PRDC conduct research on an issue on their behalf.
- ii. Service to and Collaboration with JHU Student Organizations
- 1. Undergraduate student organizations may request the aid of the PRDC in conducting
- policy research, development, and statistical analysis in their own activities.
- 2. The PRDC is expected to prioritize reports requested by the SGA, then focus on reports
- for student organizations.
- iii. Conducting policy research and development on behalf of the SGA.
- 1. Harnessing advanced research tools to execute its duties, including but not limited to:
- a. Articles obtained from accredited academic institutions or publications
- b. Government reports or publications
- c. Documents in the JHU Sheridan Libraries Special Collections and Archives
- d. Computer code (Java, C, C+, Python, R, MatLab, etc.)
- e. ArcGIS
- f. Stata
- g. SPSS
- h. ERDAS
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 23
- i. ENVI
- iv. Publishing Reports
- 1. The PRDC shall have the ability to make reports to the Senate and other organs of the
- SGA based on its research. The PRDC shall make at least 1 report to the Senate every
- semester.
- 2. The PRDC shall produce and publish publicly at least 2 policy reports per semester.
- 3. The PRDC shall have the ability to send reports to the University administration.
- 4. Reports may include a recommended course of action if and only if the recommended
- course of action is (a) supported by the data in the report and (b) the recommended course
- of action has been formally endorsed by the Senate through motion or formal resolution.
- v. The SGA Executive Vice President shall chair the PRDC but shall only vote when a tie exists.
- vi. Quorum shall be set at half plus one of the membership of the PRDC.
- vii. The Senate shall, under the Constitution, retain its oversight prerogatives over the PRDC.
- IX. STUDENT GROUPS
- 1. Scope
- i. This article shall apply to all dealings with current and proposed student organizations by the
- Committee on Student Organizations and the SGA Senate.
- ii. Should any part of this article be found unconstitutional, such part shall be considered severable
- and the rest of the article shall remain in effect.
- 2. Recognition of Proposed Student Organizations
- i. The SGA Senate has, under the Constitution, jurisdiction over the appointment process of new
- student organizations.
- ii. The Committee on Student Organizations shall receive applications for proposed student
- organizations and determine, along with the Coordinator of Student Organizations, which Category
- these groups fall under.
- 1. All JHU student organizations currently categorized as: Academic and Research, Center
- for Social Concern, Dean of Student Life Charter Organizations, Sports Clubs and
- Fraternity and Sorority Life will be eligible for additional recognition by SGA and thus
- eligible for SAC monthly grants.
- a. For annual grant eligibility, they must drop their recognition outside of SGA.
- 2. They will be reviewed and confirmed by a majority vote of the Committee on Student
- Organizations on a rolling basis.
- iii. The Committee on Student Organizations shall conduct hearings with the Coordinator of Student
- Organizations and leaders of proposed groups to evaluate the uniqueness and feasibility of their
- mission, the establishment of a longitudinal organizational structure, the level of risk and their
- contribution to on-campus student life.
- iv. The Committee on Student Organizations shall vote on whether to recognize the existence and
- provide funding for proposed student organizations. Committee quorum and a simple majority is
- required for the committee’s determination to be in effect.
- 1. The Committee’s decision shall be referred to the Coordinator of Student Organizations,
- by the end of the academic term at which the application was submitted, to finalize the
- new group registration process.
- 2. The Committee’s decision shall be referred to the SGA Treasurer and the Student
- Activities Commission to give new organizations access to start-up funds and student
- group grants.
- v. A decision to recognize or deny a proposed student organization by the Committee on Student
- Organizations can be appealed by any SGA Senator with a simple majority vote, at which point
- the General Body will evaluate the proposed student organization and vote on a final determination
- of its recognition.
- 3. Current Student Organizations
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 24
- i. The SGA Senate is, under the Constitution, empowered to pass legislation governing student
- groups.
- ii. All student organizations recognized by the SGA Senate shall undergo a yearly review of their
- operations by the Committee on Student Organizations, upon which their yearly budget grant from
- SAC shall be contingent.
- iii. A decision to revoke recognition of an existing student organization by the Committee on Student
- Organizations can be appealed by any SGA Senator with a simple majority vote, at which point
- the General Body will evaluate the student organization and vote on a final determination of its
- recognition.
- iv. Student groups may not disallow any member the right to vote with regard to race, color, creed,
- religion, national or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, citizenship, or
- handicap. This requirement may be waived in circumstances in which an individual group has a
- specific reason – related to the impending graduation of group members – as to why members set
- to graduate in the academic year following the election should not be allowed to vote in a group
- election.
- 1. If the group wishes to waive this requirement, they must present a case to the SGA Senate
- explaining why graduating members should not be allowed to vote in an election. If the
- SGA rules in the group’s favor, then the class of graduating members will not be allowed
- to vote. The disallowance of graduating members, if approved, must apply to every
- member of the group, without exception, who is to graduate in the semester following the
- election.
- v. Student groups must ensure that all students have the right to express their chosen pronoun, chosen
- name, and gender identity in all documents, programs, and material.
- vi. All laws passed by the SGA governing approved student organizations shall be compiled into a
- singular document and sent to the leaders of the student organization at the beginning of each
- school year.
- vii. All Senators should be paired with a set number of student organizations, with Senators belonging
- to the Committee on Student Organizations taking on 3-4 organizations more than those not on the
- committee. Upon the inauguration of freshmen senators, they shall be assigned to a number of
- organizations equal to that of other senators. The senator originally assigned to that organization
- shall be retained as an advisor to the freshman senator.
- 1. The procedures for pairing shall be the duty and discretion of the Chair(s) of the CSO and
- shall take place by mid-July at the earliest.
- 2. No Senator should be paired with an organization that would constitute a conflict of
- interest.
- viii. The senators shall act as a point of contact for the student organizations that they are paired with
- and should be in regular communication.
- 1. The senators shall be responsible for first contacting their paired student organizations
- within the week following the pairings of the Senators to organizations.
- ix. The senators should help guide their student organizations to the correct sources of information or
- committee.
- 4. Student and Student Organization Application Updates
- i. The SGA shall strive to keep students and student organizations apprised of the status of their
- applications to itself or its constituent bodies – including committees, class councils, the SAC, and
- the CMC.
- 1. For applications requiring two or more weeks to approve or deny, the following measures
- shall be used to maintain these channels of communication:
- a. Students shall have the right to request an update on their application’s progress
- every two weeks, even if a final outcome cannot be provided at that time.
- b. For each application process, the SGA shall publish an estimated timeline with
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 25
- general stages and timeframes on the process of approval and denial, as well as
- relevant points of contacts, on the SGA website.
- i. The SGA shall email the aforementioned timeline to all application
- submissions’ authors.
- X. INSTITUTIONAL MEMORY
- 1. Records
- i. Public Disclosure
- 1. All SGA records shall be presented to the public in an online JHBox that is accessible in
- less than 2 clicks from the SGA website homepage or 4 clicks from the SGA’s social
- media pages.
- a. Any SGA document deliberated in the public sphere – legislation, minutes, and
- working documents – shall be placed into JHBox within a week of creation.
- ii. Freedom of Information
- 1. Any JHU undergraduate’s request for SGA information sent to HopkinsGroups or the
- SGA website shall be honored within a week of request, and if information cannot be
- provided, a legitimate legal, or personal privacy-related reason shall be provided in
- writing. Denied requests may be appealed to the Judiciary. All requests, fulfilled or
- denied, shall be listed in the SGA public records.
- iii. Longevity
- 1. At the end of every academic year, the Internal Affairs Committee shall store all of SGA’s
- digital records for protection in a secondary technological archive. The records shall be
- housed in the SGA Office.
- iv. Minutes
- 1. Minutes shall, at the very least, always include the following:
- a. The date, time, and location of a meeting.
- b. Those present at and absent from a SGA meeting, including whether the absence
- is excused or unexcused.
- c. Any guests in attendance at the meeting.
- d. The matters discussed in a meeting.
- e. The main ideas discussed within each matter.
- f. The major points or motions raised during the meeting.
- g. All votes made during the meeting, conditional upon a final bill vote being
- executed by roll call, each senator’s vote will be recorded.
- 2. Minutes shall be made available to the Executive Secretary no later than a week from the
- meeting at which they were recorded. Failure to send minutes shall be noted on the SGA
- website.
- 3. Worklog
- a. An SGA work log shall be created at the beginning of the school year, no later
- than the first General Body Meeting, by the Executive Secretary of SGA. The
- SGA work log shall be made accessible on the SGA website.
- b. It shall be the responsibility of the Executive Secretary to ensure that the work
- log is continually updated by SGA members and posted on the SGA website. It is
- encouraged that individual SGA members fill out the log.
- c. The SGA work log shall compile all the legislation, non-legislative projects,
- roles, and responsibilities of individual SGA members.
- d. An example SGA work log was created in March [link]. This format can be used
- as a template.
- XI. INTERNAL ACCOUNTABILITY
- 1. Impeachment
- i. Impeachment shall be defined as the reprimand of a member by no less than a 2/3 vote of the
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 26
- Senate for any legitimate reason outlined in the Constitution and/or Bylaws.
- ii. Any impeachment may be appealed to the Judiciary within seven (7) days.
- iii. A mark of impeachment shall be made in the public record and this mark shall be kept on the
- record until the end of the semester, at which time the impeachment shall be lifted.
- 2. Removal
- i. Removal shall be defined as the removal of an SGA member from their office by the processes
- outlined in the Constitution and/or Bylaws. If removed, the removal shall be noted in the public
- record and the SGA member shall be stripped of all titles and privileges.
- XII. SUPREMACY
- 1. The Constitution, these Bylaws, and the Senate Procedural Rules herein prescribed shall supersede
- legislation of the Senate and shall retain supremacy, in conjunction with the Constitution, over any other
- SGA laws and governing documents of subsidiary bodies and student organizations.
- 2. Should any part of these Bylaws be ruled unconstitutional, such part shall be considered severable and the
- rest of the document shall remain valid and enforceable.
- XIII. AMENDMENTS AND RATIFICATION
- 1. These Bylaws, unless specified below, may only be amended and ratified by a two-thirds vote of the entire
- membership of the Senate.
- 2. Semantic Amendments
- i. Amendments related to incorrect grammar or specifying acronyms may be made by the Internal
- Affairs without a Senate vote.
- 1. Internal Affairs Committee will notify the Senate of these changes.
- XIV. CAUCUSES
- 1. Formation
- i. In order to form a caucus, the following criteria must be met:
- 1. Formation must be initiated by an SGA Senate member
- 2. Submission of a bill establishing a caucus that contains the following:
- a. Rules for caucus (granted that they do not supercede the general guidelines of
- caucuses)
- b. Purpose of the caucus
- c. Goals of the caucus
- d. Why there is a need for this caucus on campus
- e. List of at least 10 interested individuals
- f. List of at least 3 potential partner student organizations
- 3. Caucuses must be approved by a 2/3rds vote of the Senate
- 2. Leadership:
- i. Each caucus must have, at a minimum, a Chair and a Vice-Chair
- 1. The Chair of the caucus must be an elected member of the Senate or the Executive Board.
- 2. The Vice Chair must be a member of the Senate, the Executive Board, an Executive Board
- Commission, a former SGA elected member, or a non-senate member of a standing
- committee.
- ii. The Chair of the caucus shall be responsible for the following duties:
- 1. The Chair shall serve as the chief executive officer of the caucus.
- 2. The Chair shall be the official spokesperson of the caucus.
- 3. The Chair shall preside at and lead all meetings of the caucus and shall prepare the
- meeting agendas.
- 4. The Chair shall coordinate elections within their caucus by the end of September.
- 5. The Chair shall be responsible for overseeing all administrative duties for the caucus.
- 6. The chair shall also be responsible for ensuring that there is a Caucus page on the SGA
- website that contains leadership information and all meeting minutes.
- iii. The Vice Chair shall be responsible for the following duties:
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 27
- 1. Record detailed minutes at all meetings for the caucus and shall keep them on file.
- 2. The Vice Chair shall manage any and all internal and external organizational
- correspondence, as requested by the Chair.
- 3. The Vice Chair shall maintain all membership records for the caucus, including updating
- the roster and member attendance sheet.
- 4. The Vice Chair shall be responsible for reserving rooms and spaces for all meetings and
- events.
- 5. In the event that the Chair is unable to lead meetings or fulfill other administrative
- responsibilities, the Vice Chair shall step in momentarily as their proxy.
- 6. Upon resignation of the Chair of a caucus, the Vice-Chair shall serve as interim chair until
- new elections are held.
- a. Eligibility rules of interim chairmanship shall follow that of Vice Chair and not
- Chair.
- iv. Each caucus may specify additional leadership roles in their Caucus Rules Bill.
- v. Leadership Election Procedures:
- 1. The Chair and Vice-Chair of the caucus must be elected by the SGA Senate in a General
- Body Meeting.
- a. This must be completed within one month of the approval of a caucus
- 2. In order to run for a leadership position, a candidate must be nominated by a Senator
- during the General Body Meeting in which the election shall take place.
- a. Incumbent Chairs or Vice-Chairs in the Caucus for which the election is for, may
- not nominate candidates for either position.
- 3. Each candidate must speak for up to five minutes on why they should be elected to the
- position they are running for.
- a. If there is only one candidate nominated for a position, the Senate shall move
- directly into voting procedure for the nominee.
- b. If there are multiple candidates, after the speeches, Senators may motion for a
- Q&A, a Moderated Caucus, or to move into voting procedure.
- i. If there are no motions for a moderated caucus or a Q&A, the Senate
- shall move directly into voting procedure for the position being
- discussed.
- c. After speeches and optional discussion, the Senate shall move into voting
- procedure.
- 4. A candidate for a position must win a majority of the votes to obtain the position they are
- running for.
- a. If there are more than two candidates and neither gets a majority of the vote, the
- Senate shall move into a second round of voting, with the candidate who got the
- least votes in the prior round of voting taken out of consideration for the position.
- b. This process shall continue until a candidate gets a majority of the vote.
- 5. Elections for each position shall be held during one of the first three General Body
- Meetings of each year’s Senate. New elections shall be held during the academic year
- upon the resignation of the Chair or Vice-Chair of the caucus, or upon the receipt of the
- signatures of 2/3rds of the Senate.
- a. Upon resignation of Chair or Vice-Chair, new elections must be held within two
- weeks of resignation. If the resignation occurs during a time in which the next
- GBM is farther than two weeks away (for example, during winter break), the
- election shall be carried out at the next GBM.
- b. Between the resignation of the Chair and the election of a new chair, the Vice
- Chair will serve as interim Chair, and the caucus will vote on a temporary
- replacement for the Vice Chair.
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 28
- i. Upon resignation of the Vice Chair, the chair will determine who will
- serve as interim Vice Chair until a new election can be held.
- 3. Powers and Responsibilities of Caucuses
- i. Caucuses shall work to advance, represent the needs and concerns of, and promote greater equality
- for the community that they represent.
- ii. Actions that caucuses are authorized to carry out include without Senate Approval include:
- 1. Endorsing, suggesting, or otherwise encouraging legislation aimed to help the
- constituency they represent
- 2. Reviewing and providing feedback on whether legislation passed by SGA is as inclusive
- of and mindful to the needs of the constituency they represent as possible.
- 3. Acting as a safe space for the constituency they represent, and providing meaningful
- opportunities for the constituency they represent to convene and discuss pertinent issues.
- 4. Holding General Body Meetings with interested students and interested student groups to
- discuss whatever issues are deemed relevant by the caucus.
- 5. Running a Social Media Account
- 6. Any actions not included in this list require further action before the caucus may carry
- them out, which shall be described within these bylaws.
- iii. Events and Initiatives
- 1. There are two routes for initiatives to be approved:
- a. In order to work on events and initiatives, caucuses can present their initiative to
- a GBM (to ensure awareness within the Senate)
- i. Any relevant legislative committees can comment / provide feedback
- ii. 2 A simple majority vote within the Senate can approve the
- event/initiative
- b. Alternatively, a caucus initiative can partner with a specific legislative committee
- i. A committee simple majority vote can approve said initiative/event
- 4. Internal Rules
- i. Caucuses shall define their structure, operating rules, and any other leadership not specified by
- these bylaws by creating an annual Caucus rules bill that must be approved by the Senate every
- academic year.
- 1. Annual Caucus Rules bills shall be approved by a majority vote of the Senate by end of
- September at the latest.
- 2. Rules Bills must stay within the structure provided in these bylaws, and may not outline
- any responsibilities, leadership election procedures, or anything else that contradicts these
- bylaws.
- 3. Rules Bills should include a potential caucus logo if applicable
- 4. Annual Rules Bills must be posted publicly on the SGA website. The Caucus shall not be
- allowed to carry out any of its responsibilities and shall be considered null and void until
- the Rules Bill is posted on the website.
- 5. Membership
- i. Caucus membership shall be open to all interested students of any background or demographic, in
- accordance with our Constitution
- 1. Caucuses may further define in their Rules bill the specifics of “membership” within their
- caucus
- XV. GOVERNING BOARDS
- 1. Governing Boards will be subcommittees of the CSO and fall under the CSO’s jurisdiction.
- 2. Governing Boards shall be reappointed following SGA elections in the spring.
- 3. There will be a governing board for each category of organizations under the SGA.
- i. FSL organizations and sports clubs will be exempt from governing boards.
- 4. Governing Boards shall be composed of 5 members: Chair, Secretary, Representative to the CSO, and 2
- Johns Hopkins Student Government Association Bylaws – September 2021 – Page 29
- general members.
- i. The MLC will have an independent process to appoint four of its governing board positions,
- separate from the process outlined in these bylaws. The fifth and final representative of the MLC
- governing board will be appointed by the CSO, in collaboration with and consultation of the MLC
- executive board, by the process described in these bylaws.
- 1. The MLC may choose to opt-out of this process annually by informing the CSO. Should
- they opt out, the positions will be filled as outlined in these bylaws.
- ii. The position of representative to the CSO will be specifically applied to, but the Chair and
- secretary will be chosen by the governing board from themselves.
- iii. The representative to the CSO will be a non-voting member of the CSO.
- 5. The governing board members will be chosen by an application and interview process with the CSO and
- confirmed by a simple majority of the Senate.
- i. To be a member of a governing board, you must be a member of an executive board of an
- organization under the governing board’s jurisdiction.
- ii. The MLC process for selection of four of its governing board positions is independent and
- specified by Section XIV: Governing Boards 4.a.
- 6. Decisions made within a governing board shall be made by a simple majority with each member being
- entitled to one vote.
- 7. Organizations will be required to be under the governing board of their primary categorization.
- i. Organizations will have the option to opt-in to an additional governing board with the approval of
- the governing board they wish to be added under.
- 8. Governing boards have the right to pass and send recommendations to the CSO, given that they have
- reached a majority-approved decision to do so.
- 9. The CSO can overturn any decision made by governing boards by a ⅔ vote.
- 10. A member of any governing board can be removed by ⅔ vote of the Senate at the recommendation of a
- simple majority vote of the CSO.
- 11. Governing boards shall have a meeting with all executive members under their jurisdiction twice a semester.
- 12. Governing board members should provide logistical support to organizations under them to the best of their
- ability
- 13. Regular updates about organizations under them shall be provided to the CSO.
+ **BYLAWS OF THE SENATE**
+
+ **OF THE**
+
+ **STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION**
+
+ **AT**
+
+ **JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY**
+
+ *Last Updated November 2023*
+
+ **ARTICLE 1\. TITLE AND PURPOSE**
+
+ ***ARTICLE 1, SECTION 1\.*** These Bylaws of the Student Government Association, also referred to as the Bylaws, enacted pursuant to Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution of the Student Government Association at Johns Hopkins University, contains all regulations currently and permanently affecting the Student Government Association.
+
+ **ARTICLE 2\. SUPREMACY**
+
+ ***ARTICLE 2, SECTION 1\.*** The Constitution, these Bylaws, and the Senate Procedural Rules, respectively, shall supersede legislation of the Senate and shall retain supremacy, in conjunction with the Constitution, over any other SGA laws and governing documents of subsidiary bodies and student organizations.
+
+ ***ARTICLE 2, SECTION 2\.*** Should any part of these Bylaws be ruled unconstitutional, such part shall be considered severable and the rest of the document shall remain valid and enforceable.
+
+ **ARTICLE 3\. THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH**
+
+ ***ARTICLE 3, SECTION 1\. STRUCTURE OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH***
+
+ 3.1.1 Article III of the Constitution describes the structure and basic roles of the members of the Executive Branch.
+
+ **3.1.2 EXECUTIVE COMMISSIONS**
+
+ ***3.1.2.1 COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING COMMISSION***
+
+ 3.1.2.1.1 The Communications and Marketing Commission, hereafter referred to as the CMC, shall be a subsidiary group of the Student Government Association organized within the office of and chaired by the Director of Social Affairs.
+
+ 3.1.2.1.2 The CMC shall operate according to a set of CMC Bylaws set by the Senate.
+
+ 3.1.2.1.3 MEMBERSHIP
+
+ > > > > > > 3.1.2.1.3.1 The CMC shall be comprised of at least five voting Communications and Marketing Aides.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.1.2.1.3.2 The Director of Social Affairs shall chair the CMC but shall only vote when a tie exists.
+
+ 3.1.2.1.4 RESPONSIBILITIES
+ 3.1.2.1.4.1 The CMC shall be tasked with all matters related to the marketing and promotion of the SGA, including but not limited to:
+ 3.1.2.1.4.1.1 Social media management.
+
+ 3.1.2.1.4.1.2 Website maintenance and construction.
+
+ 3.1.2.1.4.1.3 Graphic design.
+
+ 3.1.2.1.5 The Senate shall, under the Constitution, retain its oversight prerogatives over the CMC.
+
+ ***3.1.2.2 POLICY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION***
+
+ 3.1.2.2.1 The Policy Research and Development Commission, hereafter referred to as PRDC, shall be a subsidiary group of the Student Government Association organized within the Office of and chaired by the Director of Research.
+
+ 3.1.2.2.2 MEMBERSHIP
+
+ 3.1.2.2.2.1 The PRDC shall be comprised of at least five voting Policy Advisors, appointed by the Director of Research with the advice and consent of two-thirds of the Senate.
+
+ 3.1.2.2.2.2 At the discretion of the Director of Research, a Policy Advisor may be promoted to “Senior Policy Advisor of \[area of expertise\]” if said Policy Advisor has a specific portfolio of area of issues on which they are uniquely capable, experienced, or qualified to advise the SGA. 3.1.2.2.2.3 The Director of Research shall chair the PRDC but shall only vote when a tie exists.
+
+ 3.1.2.2.3 RESPONSIBILITIES
+
+ > > > > > > 3.1.2.2.3.1 Conducting research on an issue on the behalf of any organ of the SGA.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.1.2.2.3.2 Aiding undergraduate student organizations in conducting policy research, development, and statistical analysis in their own activities.
+
+ 3.1.2.2.3.2.1 The PRDC is expected to prioritize reports requested by the SGA, then focus on reports for student organizations.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.1.2.2.3.3 Producing at least 2 policy reports per semester, which shall be published publicly with the majority consent of the Senate.
+
+ 3.1.2.2.3.3.1 The PRDC may choose to refer reports to the Student Body President with a recommendation of sending the report to relevant administrators.
+
+ 3.1.2.2.3.3.2 Reports may include a recommended course of action if and only if the recommended course of action is supported by the data in the report.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.1.2.2.3.4 Harnessing advanced research tools to execute its duties, including but not limited to:
+
+ 3.1.2.2.3.4.1 Articles obtained from accredited academic institutions or publications.
+
+ 3.1.2.2.3.4.2 Government reports or publications.
+
+ 3.1.2.2.3.4.3 Documents in the JHU Sheridan Libraries Special Collections and Archives
+
+ 3.1.2.2.3.4.4 Computer code (Java, C, C+, Python, R, MatLab, etc.).
+
+ 3.1.2.2.3.4.5 ArcGIS.
+
+ 3.1.2.2.3.4.6 Stata.
+
+ 3.1.2.2.3.4.7 SPSS.
+
+ 3.1.2.2.3.4.8 ERDAS.
+
+ 3.1.2.2.3.4.9 ENVI.
+
+ 3.1.2.2.4 The Senate shall, under the Constitution, retain its oversight prerogatives over the PRDC.
+
+ ***3.1.2.3 STUDENT ACTIVITIES COMMISSION***
+
+ 3.1.2.3.1 The Student Activities Commission, hereafter referred to as SAC, shall be a subsidiary of the SGA Finance Committee
+
+ chaired by the SGA Treasurer.
+
+ 3.1.2.3.2 MEMBERSHIP
+
+ 3.1.2.3.2.1 The SAC shall be comprised of eight (8) voting Commissioners.
+
+ 3.1.2.3.2.2 At each convening of SAC, it shall be the responsibility of the Executive Treasurer to ensure that no more than 8 Finance Committee members attend as voting members.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.1.2.3.2.2.1 In the event that there are more than 8 Finance Committee members interested in attending a SAC meeting as a voting member, the Executive Treasurer shall allow the first 8 members who RSVP for the SAC meeting to attend as voting members.
+
+ 3.1.2.3.2.3 All Finance Committee members are required to attend any SAC meeting regardless of whether or not they are a voting member for said meeting.
+
+ 3.1.2.3.2.4 The SGA Treasurer shall have the right with approval of a two-thirds majority vote of the Senate to remove any member of SAC.
+
+ 3.1.2.3.2.4.1 The collective SAC body (including both commissioners and Finance Committee Members) can request the removal of a commissioner by a two-thirds vote to then be approved by a two-thirds majority vote of the Senate.
+
+ 3.1.2.3.3 VOTING
+
+ 3.1.2.3.3.1 All SAC Commissioners and voting finance committee members shall be eligible to 1 vote in every decision.
+
+ 3.1.2.3.3.2 The SGA Executive Treasurer shall only vote in the case of a tie.
+
+ 3.1.2.3.3.3 Any person at a SAC meeting who is a part of an organization that submitted a grant, shall be asked to leave while the committee discusses the grant and will be unable to vote on said grant.
+
+ 3.1.2.3.3.4 All votes shall be a simple majority vote.
+
+ 3.1.2.3.3.5 The Senate can overturn any decision of the SAC by a two-thirds majority vote.
+
+ 3.1.2.3.4 RESPONSIBILITIES
+
+ > > > > > > 3.1.2.3.4.1 The SAC will evaluate grant proposals based on the following four criteria:
+
+ > > > > > > 3.1.2.3.4.1.1 The SAC Funding Guidelines.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.1.2.3.4.1.2 Feasibility.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.1.2.3.4.1.3 Impact.
+
+ 3.1.2.3.4.1.4 Other funding sources that the club is receiving for the proposal.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.1.2.3.4.2 The SAC shall be responsible for maintaining a set of funding policies and caps by which all decisions shall be based. These will be set annually and approved or amended by the Senate in the month prior to reregistration. In addition, they must publish these policies and caps to the student body once approved by the Senate.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.1.2.3.4.3 SAC has the right to revoke funding by a two-thirds majority vote of the SAC for violation of SAC funding guidelines or policies.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.1.2.3.4.4 SAC is responsible to provide budgets and balances to student organizations if requested.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.1.2.3.4.5 The chair of the finance committee will be required to provide bi-weekly updates to the Senate on all decisions made by SAC in addition to the regular updates of the treasurer.
+
+ ***3.1.2.4 RECRUITMENT PROCEDURES***
+
+ 3.1.2.4.1 Upon creation of a vacancy, whether through graduation, resignation, or removal, the Chair of the Commission will be responsible for filling the open position as soon as possible. 3.1.2.4.2 The recruiting process shall be divided into three parts:
+
+ > > > > > > 3.1.2.4.2.1 An application designed to gauge interest in and knowledge of the body 3.1.2.4.2.2 An interview with the Chair and sitting Commissioners.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.1.2.4.2.3 Confirmation from a majority vote of the Senate.
+
+ 3.1.2.4.3 Commission membership should be based on the merit of the individual and should be justifiable to the SGA Senate for confirmation.
+
+ 3.1.2.4.4 All appointments made by the Chair shall be approved by the SGA Senate by a simple majority.
+
+ ***ARTICLE 3, SECTION 2\. RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH***
+
+ **3.2.1 THE STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT AND THEIR CABINET**
+
+ ***3.2.1.1 STUDENT BODY PRESIDENT***
+
+ 3.2.1.1.1 Serves as the Spokesperson of SGA.
+
+ 3.2.1.1.2 Organizes and attends meetings with Administrators.
+
+ 3.2.1.1.3 Executes acts of the Senate, particularly by sending Resolutions to Administrators.
+
+ 3.2.1.1.4 Chairs and manages their Cabinet.
+
+ 3.2.1.1.5 Ensures regular communication with their counterparts in the Graduate Student Organization (GRO) by meeting with the co-chairs of the GRO at the beginning of each semester.
+
+ 3.2.1.1.6 Ensures the smooth integration of new members – especially freshmen – into SGA.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.1.6.1 The outgoing Student Body President shall coordinate the production of transition documents compiled by the Executive Branch, Standing Legislative Committees, and Class Councils. These documents shall be finished at the end of every one-year term, presented to the Senate, and provided to the next SGA.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.1.6.2 The Student Body President, in collaboration with the Vice President and Chair of Programming, shall organize at least one mandatory SGA retreat per semester to clarify its goals and promote group development.
+
+ ***3.2.1.2 STUDENT BODY VICE PRESIDENT***
+
+ 3.2.1.2.1 Assists the President in all their duties.
+
+ 3.2.1.2.2 Succeeds the President in case of their impeachment or resignation.
+
+ 3.2.1.2.3 Accompanies the Student Body President to meetings with administrators when necessary.
+
+ 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 (e.g., GRO, CSAC, JHUC).
+
+ 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.
+
+ 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.
+
+ ***3.2.1.3 SECRETARY***
+
+ 3.2.1.3.1 Records how frequently each of the non-senate bodies within SGA (such as the PRDC) issue a report to the Senate during general body meetings and notifies the Chair of the body if they are not in compliance.
+
+ 3.2.1.3.2 Serves as the primary recordkeeper for SGA.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.3.2.1 Stores all of SGA’s digital records for protection in a secondary technological archive at the end of every year.
+
+ 3.2.1.3.2.1.1 Ensures that the Leadership Engagement and Experiential Development (LEED) Office and the JHU Libraries have copies of all records.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.3.3 Takes minutes at every Senate and Cabinet meeting, or designates someone to do so in their absence.
+
+ 3.2.1.3.3.1 Minutes shall, at the very least, always include the following:
+
+ 3.2.1.3.3.1.1 The date, time, and location of a meeting.
+
+ 3.2.1.3.3.1.2 Those present at and absent from a SGA meeting, including whether the absence is excused or unexcused.
+
+ 3.2.1.3.3.1.3 Any guests in attendance at the meeting.
+
+ 3.2.1.3.3.1.4 The matters discussed in a meeting.
+
+ 3.2.1.3.3.1.5 The main ideas discussed within each matter.
+
+ 3.2.1.3.3.1.6 The major points or motions raised during the meeting.
+
+ 3.2.1.3.3.1.7 All votes made during the meeting, and, if possible via roll call or electronic voting, each senator’s vote will be recorded.
+
+ 3.2.1.3.3.2 Minutes shall be made available to the Secretary no later than a week from the meeting at which they were recorded. Failure to send minutes shall be noted on the SGA website.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.3.4 Creates and maintains internal SGA infrastructure.
+
+ ***3.2.1.4 TREASURER***
+
+ 3.2.1.4.1 Submitting all purchase requests on behalf of the Senate.
+
+ 3.2.1.4.2 Chairing, appointing, and managing the Student Activities Commission.
+
+ 3.2.1.4.3 Co-Chairing the Committee on Finance and meeting regularly with the Chair of the Committee on Student Organizations.
+
+ 3.2.1.4.4 Assisting new Senators with understanding financial policies and HopkinsGroups financial processes.
+
+ 3.2.1.4.5 Shall work with the Finance Committee to formulate an annual budget for the SGA.
+
+ 3.2.1.4.6 Shall assist with the funding of student groups.
+
+ 3.2.1.4.7 Shall act as the financial officer of the SGA, keeping all of its ledgers and coordinating with the Finance Committee.
+
+ 3.2.1.4.8 Works alongside the Student Body Chair of Programming and the Chair of RSOs as the liaison for communication between RSOs and LEED, assisting with questions regarding RSO finances, registration, and event creation.
+
+ ***3.2.1.5 DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS***
+
+ 3.2.1.5.1 Chairing, appointing, and managing the Communications and Marketing Commission.
+
+ 3.2.1.5.2 Maintaining all SGA email lists via HopkinsGroups and serving as the point of contact for all SGA communications.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.5.2.1 Monitoring the SGA email and social media notifications.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.5.2.2 Reviewing school-wide emails.
+
+ 3.2.1.5.3 Presents records provided by the Secretary and meeting chairs to the public in an online format that is accessible in less than 2 clicks from the SGA website homepage or 4 clicks from the SGA’s social media pages.
+
+ 3.2.1.5.4 Places any SGA document deliberated in the public sphere – legislation, minutes, and working documents – into public space within a week of receipt from the Secretary.
+
+ 3.2.1.5.5 Responds to and honors any JHU undergraduate’s request for SGA information sent to HopkinsGroups or the SGA email within a week of request, and if information cannot be provided, a legitimate legal, or personal privacy-related reason shall be provided in writing.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.5.5.1 Denied requests may be appealed to the Judiciary Board.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.5.5.2 All requests, fulfilled or denied, shall be listed in the SGA public records.
+
+ ***3.2.1.6 DIRECTOR OF RESEARCH***
+
+ 3.2.1.6.1 Chairing, appointing, and managing the Policy Research and Development Commission.
+
+ 3.2.1.6.2 Referring policy reports to the Student Body President to deliver to relevant administration if applicable.
+
+ 3.2.1.6.3 Ensuring creation of reports for each tabling event.
+
+ ***3.2.1.7 STUDENT BODY CHAIR OF PROGRAMMING***
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.7.1 Heads the Committee on Programming and presents all bills regarding SGA Events, including but not limited to Tabling Events, Workshops, Retreats, meet and greets, and general events.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.7.1.1 The Chair of Programming will lead the organization for S.I.F Presence, Meet-and-Greets and Semesterly Retreats.
+
+ 3.2.1.7.1.1.1 Organizes SGA Tabling Events
+
+ 3.2.1.7.1.1.1.1 SGA will host one tabling event every month of the school year, with provisional exceptions to December, January, and May, as these months tend to have fewer school days compared to others. Explicitly, months that must have a tabling event include September, October, November, February, March, and April.
+
+ 3.2.1.7.1.1.1.2 Tabling events must be at least one hour long.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.7.8.2 Tabling events must be at least one hour long.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.7.1.1.1.3 Tabling events must be staffed by a minimum of four members from the SGA Committee on Programming, alongside four members from the Committee in charge of tabling that session.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.7.1.1.1.4 Each tabling session will be led by either a Committee or Class Council \- each class council must host one tabling session per academic school year, partnered with the Committee of Programming.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.7.8.5 Tabling events must open to all JHU undergraduate students and be held in a space that is easily accessible to all JHU undergraduate students and preferably, in a highly frequented area. Possible tabling areas include:
+
+ 3.2.1.7.8.5.1 Breezeway.
+
+ 3.2.1.7.8.5.2 Brody Learning Commons and Tyler Terrace.
+
+ 3.2.1.7.8.5.3 Milton S. Eisenhower Library.
+
+ 3.2.1.7.8.5.4 Charles Commons.
+
+ 3.2.1.7.8.5.5 In front of Hopkins Café.
+
+ 3.2.1.7.8.5.6 Levering Café and Courtyard.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.7.8.6 Tabling events must be well-publicized by all the class councils before, during, and after the events to draw in as much attendance, and future attendance, as possible.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.7.8.7 At the end of every tabling event, there must be a report submitted about the event’s feedback by the Director of Research to the Senate.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.7.8.8 At the beginning of each semester, the Student Body President shall organize a sign-up sheet, reserve an event space, and arrange any purchases for every month of the semester.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.7.8.9 Once the freshmen are elected, they will be held accountable for these above guidelines.
+
+ 3.2.1.7.1.1.2 Organizes the Post-Election Meet and Greet
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.7.1.1.2.1 As part of the official inauguration process of SGA, newly-elected SGA representatives must attend a mandatory meet and greet session designed to interface with the undergraduate student body within 14 days after election decisions are released.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.7.1.1.2.2 The meet and greet session must be at least one hour long.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.7.1.1.2.3 The meet and greet session must have all newly elected representatives present.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.7.1.1.2.4 The meet and greet session must be open to all JHU undergraduates and be held in a space that is easily accessible to all JHU undergraduate students.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.7.1.1.2.5 Meet and greet sessions will be widely publicized by SGA.
+
+ 3.2.1.7.2 Chairing, appointing, and managing the Committee on Programming
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.7.2.1 The Student Body Chair of Programming shall have the freedom to appoint additional officers to the Office of Programming at the Chair’s discretion.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.7.2.2 Within the first month of each Programming Council member’s term, uses campaign material, a form, and/or discussion with the member to determine their primary short- and long-term plans for their term in SGA.
+
+ 3.2.1.7.3 Collaborates with the Student Body Treasurer to create a budget for the administrative year.
+
+ 3.2.1.7.4 Collaborates with the Student Body President, Student Body Vice President, and SGA Advisors to organize semesterly retreats.
+
+ 3.2.1.7.5 Collaborates with the Director of Research to ensure the creation, dissemination, and preservation of reports for each tabling event.
+
+ 3.2.1.7.6 Collaborates with other student organizations and school governance bodies to create co-sponsored events that will either enhance campus life or promote the common good of all Homewood undergraduate students.
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.7.6.1 Student organizations hoping to collaborate with SGA and other members of SGA must first meet with the Student Body Chair of Programming and the Student Body Treasurer before a funding bill is presented at first reading
+
+ > > > > > > 3.2.1.7.6.2 It is the responsibility of the Student Body Chair of Programming to establish co-sponsorship rules with the Student Body Treasurer and send them to student organizations before funding is delivered.
+
+ 3.2.1.7.7 Works alongside the Student Body Treasurer and the Chair of RSOs as the liaison for communication between RSOs and LEED, assisting with questions regarding RSO finances, registration, and event creation.
+
+ **ARTICLE 4\. THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH**
+
+ ***ARTICLE 4, SECTION 1\. STRUCTURE OF THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH***
+
+ **4.1.1 SENATORS**
+
+ ***4.1.1.1 Per the Constitution, the following Senators shall be elected for every one year term.***
+
+ 4.1.1.1.1 Five Class Senators from each graduating class.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.1.1.1.1 These five Class Senators shall include one Class President, who shall serve as the primary class representative for purposes of communication with students and administrators.
+
+ 4.1.1.1.2 Seven Academic Senators from the Krieger School and Five Academic Senators from the Whiting school.
+
+ 4.1.1.1.3 One Student Organization Senator from each category of student organizations SGA recognizes.
+
+ 4.1.1.1.4 One Caucus Senator for each SGA Caucus, as defined in the Constitution.
+
+ 4.1.1.2 Senators participate within SGA as members of the Senate and Standing Legislative Committees.
+
+ 4.1.1.3 Senators shall be proactive in pursuing student interests and concerns in addition to actively lobbying relevant administrators.
+
+ 4.1.1.4 Senators shall prioritize their commitments to SGA and strive to attend all SGA-related meetings.
+
+ 4.1.1.5 Senators may be considered in bad standing if they do not fulfill the aforementioned guidelines and subsequently may be subject to an impeachment hearing under Article IX of the Constitution.
+
+ 4.1.1.6 ACADEMIC SENATORS
+
+ 4.1.1.6.1 75% of Academic Senators (9 out of the 12\) must be on the Committee of Academic Affairs, without distinction of school affiliation. The decision for which academic senators are on the Committee of Academic Affairs will be made by the President of the Senate. This law will go into effect in the 2024-2025 school year.
+
+ 4.1.1.6.2 Of the Academic Senators on the Committee of Academic Affairs, 2 of them must be from the Whiting School of Engineering and 3 of them must be from the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences. This law will go into effect in the 2024-2025 school year.
+
+ 4.1.1.6.3 All Academic Senators are required to meet with their respective academic vice deans (KSAS, Whiting) at least twice a year for the purpose of discussing student affairs.
+
+ 4.1.1.6.4 Each academic senators should at minimum meet with vice deans twice a year, with the first meeting to discuss goals for the upcoming year and the last meeting to report progress and update the new senators about ongoing initiatives.
+
+ 4.1.1.6.5 Academic Senators should work on distinct goals as the Committee on Academic Affairs. Academic Senator goals should be catered to their respective schools problems. Academic senators should focus on department specific problems, communication within the school, faculty and general Advising offices within the school, and/or course evaluations.
+
+ **4.1.2 LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES OF THE SENATE**
+
+ ***4.1.2.1 STANDING LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES***
+
+ 4.1.2.1.1 Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate shall be established in these Bylaws and shall exist in perpetuity.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.2 Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate shall be established to address the general business of the Senate and to recommend to the Senate the adoption or rejection of legislation.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.3 The number of members of Standing Legislative Committees shall be at the discretion of the President of the Senate when sorting Senators into committees, but shall allow for the efficient functioning of the committees.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.1.3.1 The Committee on Finance and Committee on Student Organizations shall each have at least 14 members.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4 The following Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate shall be established:
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.1 COMMITTEE ON ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.1.1 Deals with matters relating to Student Advising, the Registrar, the Academic Council, and other academic-related organs of the University to improve the academic atmosphere for students.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.1.2 Works with administrators, including the Dean of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and the Dean of the Whiting School of Engineering, to advance academic policies and programs that fit the needs and desires of the student body.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.1.3 Works with the Executive Board and the Senior Class Council on matters related to Convocation, Commencement, and other University academic ceremonies.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.1.4 Takes up other measures relating to academic affairs.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.1.5 Works on goals of importance pertaining to all students of the undergraduate academic wings within the University, namely Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and the Whiting School of Engineering.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.1.6 The vice chair of the Committee on Academic Affairs will assist the chair of Academic Affairs and also act as a liaison between the Committee on Academic Affairs and the Academic Senators.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.1.6.1 The vice chair will be elected by the Committee on Academic Affairs.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.1.6.2 The vice chair will be responsible for the sharing of information and knowledge transfer between the Committee and the Academic Senators.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.1.6.3 The vice chair will ensure that the goals of the Academic Senators are represented fairly for the Committee on Academic Affairs.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.1.4.2 COMMITTEE ON CIVIC ENGAGEMENT
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.2.1 Promotes matters of civic engagement, civic involvement and participation, civic activism, student activism, community engagement in Baltimore and beyond, and issues of public, political or civic concern that fall beyond the realm of other committees.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.2.2 Collaborates with JHU student groups focused on civic engagement and aid them in their efforts.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.2.3 Works with other Senate committees, the Office of Student Life, the Office of Multicultural Affairs, LGBTQ Life, Student Disability Service, the Office of Institutional Equity, and other relevant academic departments and faculty in its aforementioned matters of scope whenever applicable.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.1.4.3 COMMITTEE ON FINANCE
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.1.4.3.1 Membership
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.3.1.1 The membership of the Committee on Finance is restricted to duly serving members of the Senate.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.3.1.2 The Executive Treasurer is the Chairman of the SAC and shall serve as an ex-officio member of the Committee on Finance.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.3.2 Responsibilities
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.3.1 To deal with all financial matters of the Student Government Association, including appropriations, funding procedures, and financial management.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.3.2 To evaluate and vote on all legislation of allocating funds from the senate, that is sent to the Finance Committee by the Sunday immediately preceding the General Body Meeting by the time set by the Rules Bill.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.3.3 To have the ability to approve any funding allocations from the Senate’s budget that are equal to or less than five-hundred dollars if the general body does not meet in two consecutive weeks.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.3.4 To review and approve the SAC Bylaws and criteria for funding student organizations updated by the SAC.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.3.5 To collaborate with the Committee on Student Organizations and the SAC to guarantee the success of student organizations by aiding groups through their grant and sponsorship request process.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.3.6 To inform student organizations of available funding resources, including but not limited to grants from the SAC, external grants and sponsorships from the Senate. 4.1.2.1.4.3.7 To advise the Executive Treasurer on matters related to funding.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.3.8 To appoint at least one Senator serving on the Committee on Finance to attend each meeting of the Student Activities Commission as a non-voting, ex-officio participant.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.1.4.4 COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, SAFETY, AND SUSTAINABILITY
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.4.1 Deals with matters pertaining to the health and safety of the student body.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.4.2 To take up measures related to sustainability and facilities, as applicable to the Johns Hopkins community.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.4.3 Works with Campus Safety and Security, Student Life, Health and Wellness Center administrators, and other University officials to advocate and ensure the health, safety, and well-being of students.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.4.4 Works with the Recycling Center and the Office of Sustainability to advance sustainable practices. To work with the Vice President for Facilities and Real Estate as well as other University administrators to advance the interests of the student body with respect to real estate, buildings and grounds, auxiliary services, facilities, and related matters.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.1.4.5 COMMITTEE ON INTERNAL AFFAIRS
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.5.1 The Vice President, in their capacity as President of the Senate, and the Parliamentarian shall serve as ex-officio members of the Committee on Internal Affairs, voting only in the case of a tie, unless the Parliamentarian is a Senator of SGA, in which case they will have a standard say and can vote on the committee.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.5.2 Deals with all matters related to the internal affairs of the Senate, with the exclusion of matters related to the Senate’s budget which are restricted to the Committee on Finance.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.5.3 Deals with matters related to amendments of the SGA Constitution, the SGA Bylaws and the Senate Procedural Rules.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.5.4 Deals with matters related to amendments of the Committee on Student Elections (CSE) Bylaws and other appropriate governing student documents, excluding revising the SAC Bylaws, a power which is reserved to the Committee on Finance, and the SGA Judiciary Bylaws, which are reserved by the Constitution to the Judiciary itself.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.5.5 Handles all appointments of SGA officials as prescribed by statute, including the evaluation of the Executive President’s judicial nominees, and to recommend to the Senate their appointment or rejection.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.5.6 Helps facilitate the impeachment process by holding proceedings to make findings of fact and regulation and providing an informed perspective to the Senate.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.5.7 Conducts ethical or disciplinary hearings of SGA members and refers to the Senate such cases with its recommendations.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.5.8 Deals with all other legislation that relates to the internal affairs of the Senate.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.1.4.6 COMMITTEE ON STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.6.1 To conduct hearings with leaders of proposed student organizations to evaluate and determine their funding eligibility and recognition status within the SGA.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.6.2 Works to ensure inter-organizational collaboration among the clubs, groups, and organizations of the undergraduate population at Hopkins.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.6.3 Works with student organizations to advance their goals and to help facilitate their continued success.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.6.4 Works with other organs of the SGA, including the SAC and the CMC, to ensure and promote the success of student organizations.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.6.5 Ensures that University resources, including usage of the Hopkins logos, funding, facilities and other resources are used only by approved student groups and that such resources are distributed fairly and utilized responsibly.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.6.6 Ensures that approved student organizations remain in good standing with the SGA and the University, and to recommend corrective actions to the Senate when groups violate SGA, University, local, state, and/or federal rules, regulations, and/or laws.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.6.7 Establishes protocols for applying to be an approved student organization and regulations governing the types and standards of such organizations.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.6.8 Works with University officials, including the Coordinator for Student Organizations; the Associate Dean of Student Engagement; administrators of programs housing student organizations such as the Office of Multicultural Affairs, the Interfaith Center, the Department of Athletics and Recreation, the Center for Social Concern, the Homewood Arts Programs, and the Digital Media Center; and other University personnel, to advance collaboration and standardization of expectations for student organizations.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.6.9 Takes up other measures relating to student organizations.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.1.4.7 COMMITTEE ON STUDENT SERVICES
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.7.1 Evaluates proposals for SGA sponsorship of events.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.7.2 Works to provide SGA-sponsored services to fill needs that the University administration cannot or will not provide.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.7.3 Works towards improving existing services available to students.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.7.4 Works with student organizations, the University, and businesses to advance the aforementioned responsibilities.
+
+ 4.1.2.1.4.7.5 Takes up other measures relating to student services.
+
+ ***4.1.2.2 AD-HOC LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES***
+
+ 4.1.2.2.1 Ad-hoc Committees of the Senate, in accordance with the Constitution, shall be established by a two-thirds vote of the Senate and shall automatically expire at the end of the academic semester during which they were established.
+
+ 4.1.2.2.2 Ad-hoc Committees of the Senate shall be empaneled to address matters of great importance to the student body and may recommend that the Senate take up certain proposals through its regular legislative process in order to address specific concerns.
+
+ 4.1.2.2.3 The parameters and scope of individual ad-hoc committees shall be stipulated in the legislation providing for their specific establishment.
+
+ 4.1.2.2.4 The number of members of Ad-Hoc Committees of the Senate shall be provided for in the legislation establishing the particular committees.
+
+ 4.1.2.2.5 An SGA Long-Term Ad-Hoc Committee, appropriately abbreviated as an LAHC, shall be a type of ad-hoc committee, adherent to all standard terms and requirements of an ad-hoc committee, with the following and express exceptions:
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.2.5.1 An SGA LAHC shall be established in perpetuity until a clearly delineated date of expiration or sunset, or until which time that the Senate votes by two-thirds majority to determine that the LAHC’s mandate or purpose has elapsed.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.2.5.2 An SGA LAHC may include additional differences from traditional ad-hoc committees, provided that those differences are clearly delineated in the SGA LAHC’s legislative enactment act and provided that those differences do not violate other terms of the SGA Bylaws or the SGA Constitution.
+
+ ***4.1.2.3 MEMBERSHIP OF COMMITTEES***
+
+ 4.1.2.3.1 SORTING OF SENATORS INTO STANDING LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES OF THE SENATE
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.3.1.1 Pursuant to the Constitution, the President of the Senate shall sort Senators into Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate, and confirmation of these appointments shall require ratification by a plurality of the Senate.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.3.1.2 In executing the Constitutional duty to sort Senators into committees, the President of the Senate shall solicit the wishes and availabilities of individual Senators; study their individual passions and legislative priorities; if prudent, consult with SGA colleagues; and shall thereafter proceed to sort Senators into committees at the second Senate General Body Meeting in a manner which, in the opinion of the President of the Senate, will allow individual Senators to flourish and will best serve the students and community of the Johns Hopkins University.
+
+ 4.1.2.3.1.2.1 Within 24 hours of the election of the Committee Chairs at the first Senate Meeting, each Committee Chair will inform the President of the Senate of a meeting time for the following semester. These meeting times will be visible on the form used by the President of the Senate to solicit the wishes of each Senator. If a Senator is unable to attend the designated time for any committee, they shall indicate so on the form.
+
+ 4.1.2.3.1.2.2 To best serve their student organization constituent group, each Student Organization Senator must serve on either the Committee on Finance or the Committee on Student Organizations.
+
+ 4.1.2.3.1.2.2.1 At the discretion of the President of Senate, this requirement can be waived if the Student Organization Senator cannot attend either committee’s meeting times. To accommodate, the RSO Senator is expected to be active with the virtual tasks provided and in greater communication with the Chair of their respective committee.
+
+ 4.1.2.3.2 COMMITTEE VACANCIES
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.3.2.1 Any vacancies within Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate or Ad-hoc Committees of the Senate created by the departure of a member of the Senate shall be filled by the President of the Senate and confirmed by a plurality of the Senate.
+
+ ***4.1.2.4 LEADERSHIP OF COMMITTEES***
+
+ 4.1.2.4.1 CHAIRS AND VICE CHAIRS
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.1.1 The Internal Affairs Committee and Finance Committee shall each have two chairs automatically.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.1.2 Every other standing and ad-hoc committee shall have one chair and one vice chair.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.2 SELECTION OF THE CHAIR
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.2.1 At the first Senate Meeting of the year, the President of the Senate shall preside over elections for the chair of each Standing Legislative Committee.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.2.1.1 If a chair of a Standing Legislative Committee shall resign before a vice chair or non-executive co-chair of the respective committee has been selected, the new chair shall be elected through the procedure described by 4.1.2.4.2.1.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.2.2 At this Senate Meeting, the President of the Senate public nominations of Senate members to serve as chair of the committee.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.2.2.1 Individuals may not serve as chair of more than one (1) committee, as the chair of a committee if they are the vice chair for another committee, or as the chair of a committee if they are the chair of a caucus.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.2.3 Upon hearing the nomination, the President of the Senate shall ask each nominee if they would like to perform the service of committee chair.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.2.4 Those responding in the affirmative shall each give short speeches of no more than 3 minutes outlining their qualifications and priorities.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.2.5 Without a discussion, each Senate member shall then cast a vote for the chair by confidential paper ballot or another confidential voting method.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.2.6 Any candidate shall be required to win an absolute majority vote of all Senators duly elected to be installed as committee chair or co-chair and will be sworn in by the President of the Senate.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.2.6.1 In the case of an election consisting of only 2 candidates that didn’t win an absolute majority vote, the Senate shall repeat the elections for the committee chair until an absolute majority can be reached by 1 candidate.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.2.6.2 In the case of an election consisting of more than 2 candidates that didn’t win an absolute majority vote, the candidate that won the least amount of votes shall be removed as a candidate for their respective committee chair, and any candidate that wishes to drop out as a candidate shall be allowed to rescind their name as a candidate. Another vote shall take place and the process described above shall continue until either there are 2 candidates remaining or a candidate wins an absolute majority of the vote.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.2.6.3 If no candidate receives an absolute majority due to a tie, the President of the Senate shall cast a tie-breaking vote.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.2.6.4 In the event that there are 2 candidates that have not won an absolute majority vote for the committee chair after 2 rounds of voting, any Senator may move to reduce the absolute majority vote needed to a plurality vote needed, which shall require a simple majority vote of the Senate to pass.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.2.7 The Student Body Vice President and Student Body Treasurer, in their respective roles as ex-officio members of the Internal Affairs Committee and of the Finance Committee, shall also serve as respective ex-officio co-chairs of those committees.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.2.8 The Committee Chair’s term of office shall extend for the term of the Senate.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.3 SELECTION OF THE VICE CHAIR
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.3.1 The Chair of the Committee (excluding the Internal Affairs and Finance committees) must nominate a Vice Chair for their committee upon their election as chair or at the following committee meeting.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.3.2 The Vice Chair of a committee must be a duly elected SGA Senator and must be an official member of the committee for which they are a Vice Chair.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.3.3 The Vice Chair must not be the Chair or Vice Chair of another committee.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.3.4 After the Chair submits their nomination of a Vice Chair to their committee, the committee members must approve the selection with a two-thirds vote.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.4 Chairs of the Ad-hoc Committees of the Senate
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.4.1 The legislation providing for the establishment of the particular ad-hoc committee shall designate a chair.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.4.2 The term of the Chair of an Ad-hoc Committee of the Senate shall expire when the term of the committee itself expires at the end of the semester.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.5 RESPONSIBILITIES OF COMMITTEE CHAIRS
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.5.1 Chairs of Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate and Ad-hoc Committees of the Senate shall having the following responsibilities:
+
+ 4.1.2.4.5.1.1 To issue a committee report at General Body meetings, informing the Senate of projects or activities of the committee for which Senate awareness is essential to the success of the committee or the Senate.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.5.1.2 To submit a weekly press release to the Director of Communications by the Saturday at 12:00 PM EST before each GBM containing updates on goals and activities of the committee or any changes to committee goals.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.5.1.3 To submit reports on reviewed legislation to the President of the Senate and Secretary. For the content of these reports, see 4.2.3 Legislative Process.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.5.1.4 To create the agenda for each committee meeting and publish these agendas to the Senate.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.5.1.5 To appoint a member of the respective committee to take the minutes of each meeting.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.5.1.6 To send a copy of the committee minutes and attendance to the Secretary within 48 hours of each meeting.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.5.1.7 To perform certain other functions as situations necessitate.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.5.1.8 To maintain suggestion boxes as needed to provide for the needs of the student body.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.5.2 In addition to the above responsibilities, chairs of the Committee on Finance and Committee on Student Organizations will have at minimum monthly coordination meetings outside of their respective committee meetings.
+
+ > > > > > >
+
+ > > > > > >
+
+ 4.1.2.4.6 REMOVAL OF CHAIRS
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.6.1 The Chair of a Standing Legislative Committee of the Senate or an Ad-hoc Committee of the Senate may be removed by a ¾ vote of the committee itself, or by a two-thirds vote of the Senate as a whole.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.6.2 A member of a committee may only be removed by a ¾ vote of the Senate as a whole.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.6.3 If a Committee chooses to remove a chair by a two-thirds vote of the Committee itself, they must abide by the following procedures.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.6.3.1 A senate member of a committee must submit the signatures of at least ½ of the senate members of the committee calling for the removal of the committee chair to the President of the Senate.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.6.3.1.1 When there is an odd number of senators in the committee, the number of signatures required shall be rounded up.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.6.3.2 The President of the Senate shall convene a meeting no later than 2 weeks after the receipt of the signatures calling for the removal of a committee chair to hear arguments for and against chair removal and to hold a vote to remove the chair.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.6.3.3 At a minimum, the chair under consideration for removal must be allowed the opportunity to speak, and a senator calling for the chair’s removal must be allowed an equal opportunity to speak. Speaking order should be determined by some form of chance.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.6.3.4 After speeches from the chair under consideration and from an accuser, senate members of the committee shall enter into deliberations. The chair under consideration of removal must not be present for deliberations. After deliberations have concluded, senate members of the committee must vote by secret ballot on whether to remove the chair. The chair under consideration for removal cannot participate in this ballot.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.6.3.5 If the chair is removed, they shall be thanked for their service and downgraded to a regular senate member of the committee.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.6.3.6 Upon removal of a single chair of a committee, the President of the Senate shall hold an election for a new chair no later than one week after the removal of the original chair.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.6.3.6.1 The Vice Chair shall not automatically succeed the Chair in the case of Chair removal by Committee or Senate vote, but may run in the election to replace the chair.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.6.3.7 The removed chair may not run in the chair election held to determine their replacement. 4.1.2.4.6.3.8 The Vice President cannot be removed from the Internal Affairs Committee and the Treasurer cannot be removed from the Finance Committee.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.6.4 Removal of the chair of a committee, or of a member of the committee, done by the full senate, shall proceed in identical fashion to impeachment proceedings as prescribed by the Constitution and further expounded upon by supporting statutes.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.6.5 Vice Chairs may be removed by the Chair of a committee in consultation and with the consent of the Student Body President and their Cabinet.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.6.5.1 In order to remove a Vice Chair, the Chair of a committee must submit in writing/email why they feel that they require a new Vice Chair to the President and President of the Senate.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.6.5.2 Upon receiving the request to remove a Vice Chair, the Student Body President and their Cabinet shall convene separate meetings with the Chair and Vice Chair of the committee to further discuss the issue, and may convene a meeting with the Chair and Vice Chair if desired.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.6.5.3 If the Student Body President and their Cabinet determines that whatever the Chair believes necessitates the removal of the Vice Chair cannot be resolved, they shall consent to the removal of the Vice Chair and the Chair shall appoint a new Vice Chair.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.6.5.3.1 The Student Body President and their Cabinet should generally defer to the judgment of the Chair.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.6.5.4 The Chair of a committee may also remove a Vice Chair by submitting written notice to the members of the committee of why they want to remove the Vice Chair.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.6.5.4.1 The committee shall then vote on the removal of the Vice Chair, with a two-thirds vote required to remove the Vice Chair.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.6.6 Any member of the Senate who is impeached in accordance with the Constitution and relieved from the duties of the Senate are thus automatically removed from all Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate and Ad-hoc Committees of the Senate.
+
+ 4.1.2.4.7 Chairs and Vice Chairs of Committees may resign from Committee leadership positions.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.7.1 If the Chair resigns, the Vice Chair shall temporarily serve as Chair until new Chair elections can be held under the procedures described above.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.7.2 If the Vice Chair resigns, the Chair shall appoint a new Vice Chair.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.4.7.3 Notices of resignation of Committee leadership must be sent to the President of the Senate.
+
+ ***4.1.2.5 COMMITTEE MEETINGS***
+
+ 4.1.2.5.1 The Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate shall be required to regularly meet at least once every two (2) weeks.
+
+ 4.1.2.5.2 The Chairs of Standing Legislative Committees of the Senate shall, within 48 hours of their election at the first Senate Meeting, determine a meeting time for the Fall semester. Chairs will notify the President of the Senate and their committee members of a Spring semester meeting time at least 2 weeks before registration for the Spring semester begins.
+
+ 4.1.2.5.3 Committee members shall take into account the committee meeting time when determining their class schedule for Spring semester and will resign from the committee if there are unavoidable conflicts, with the option to join a different committee in its place.
+
+ 4.1.2.5.4 During the first meeting of every Standing Legislative Committee of the Senate, the Chairs – if they choose – shall designate one committee member to take minutes during every committee meeting, otherwise they themselves shall take the minutes.
+
+ 4.1.2.5.5 In accordance with the Constitution, any student is welcome to observe any committee meetings.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.2.5.5.1 Committees may, in accordance with the Constitution, close meetings to discuss sensitive personnel matters by a two-thirds vote of the committee. However, all voting must take place in public with individual votes recorded as prescribed by Senate rules and legislation.
+
+ 4.1.2.5.6 Any member of the three SGA branches is welcome to attend committee meetings, even those closed by the committee itself.
+
+ **4.1.3 CAUCUSES OF THE SENATE**
+
+ ***4.1.3.1 FORMATION OF CAUCUSES***
+
+ 4.1.3.1.1 In order to form a caucus, the following criteria must be met:
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.1.1.1 Formation must be initiated by an SGA Senate member.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.1.1.2 Submission of a bill establishing a caucus that contains the following:
+
+ 4.1.3.1.1.2.1 Rules for caucus (granted that they do not supersede the general guidelines of caucuses).
+
+ 4.1.3.1.1.2.2 Purpose of the caucus.
+
+ 4.1.3.1.1.2.3 Goals of the caucus.
+
+ 4.1.3.1.1.2.4 Why there is a need for this caucus on campus.
+
+ 4.1.3.1.1.2.5 List of at least 10 interested individuals.
+
+ 4.1.3.1.1.2.6 List of at least 3 potential partner student organizations.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.1.1.3 Caucuses must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the Senate.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.1.1.4 Following the approval of a Caucus by the Senate, it shall become active with the election of a Chair at the next student-body-wide Senate election.
+
+ ***4.1.3.2 CAUCUS LEADERSHIP***
+
+ 4.1.3.2.1 Each caucus must have a Chair and a Vice Chair.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.2.1.1 The Chair will be the Caucus Senator elected for the Caucus by the student body.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.2.1.2 The Chair of the caucus shall be responsible for the following duties:
+
+ 4.1.3.2.1.2.1 The Chair shall serve as the chief executive officer of the caucus.
+
+ 4.1.3.2.1.2.2 The Chair shall be the official spokesperson of the caucus.
+
+ 4.1.3.2.1.2.3 The Chair shall preside at and lead all meetings of the caucus and shall prepare the meeting agendas and questions at the end of each meeting minutes document to facilitate asynchronous participation.
+
+ 4.1.3.2.1.2.4 The Chair shall organize a caucus meeting at least once a month during the academic year.
+
+ 4.1.3.2.1.2.5 The Chair shall be responsible for overseeing all administrative duties for the caucus.
+
+ 4.1.3.2.1.2.6 The chair shall also be responsible for ensuring that there is a Caucus page on the SGA website that contains leadership information and all meeting minutes.
+
+ 4.1.3.2.1.2.7 The Chair shall be responsible for reserving rooms and spaces for all meetings and events.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.2.1.3 The Vice Chair shall be responsible for the following duties:
+
+ 4.1.3.2.1.3.1 Record detailed minutes at all meetings for the caucus and shall keep them on file.
+
+ 4.1.3.2.1.3.2 The Vice Chair shall manage any and all internal and external organizational correspondence, as requested by the Chair.
+
+ 4.1.3.2.1.3.3 The Vice Chair shall maintain all membership records for the caucus, including updating the roster and member attendance sheet.
+
+ 4.1.3.2.1.3.4 In the event that the Chair is unable to lead meetings or fulfill other administrative responsibilities, the Vice Chair shall step in momentarily as their proxy.
+
+ 4.1.3.2.2 SELECTION OF THE VICE CHAIR
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.2.2.1 The Chair of the Caucus must nominate a Vice Chair for their caucus within the first two meetings of the Caucus.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.2.2.2 After the Chair submits their nomination of a Vice Chair to their caucus, the caucus members must approve the selection with a two-thirds vote.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.2.2.3 At the Senate Meeting following the Caucus’s approval of the Vice Chair, the Chair shall present their nomination of Vice Chair to the Senate which must approve the nomination by a two-thirds vote.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.2.2.4 Following a vacancy in the caucus vice chair position, the above procedure shall be repeated.
+
+ ***4.1.3.3 POWERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF CAUCUSES***
+
+ 4.1.3.3.1 Caucuses shall work to advance, represent the needs and concerns of, and promote greater equality for the community that they represent. Specifically, they shall do this by:
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.3.1.1 Endorsing, suggesting, or otherwise encouraging legislation aimed to help the constituency they represent.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.3.1.2 Reviewing and providing feedback on whether legislation passed by SGA is as inclusive of and mindful to the needs of the constituency they represent as possible.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.3.1.3 Acting as a safe space for the constituency they represent, and providing meaningful opportunities for the constituency they represent to convene and discuss pertinent issues.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.3.1.4 Holding General Body Meetings with interested students and interested student groups to discuss whatever issues are deemed relevant by the caucus.
+
+ 4.1.3.3.2 EVENTS AND INITIATIVES
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.3.2.1 There are two routes for initiatives that require the public use of SGA’s name to be approved:
+
+ 4.1.3.3.2.1.1 In order to work on events and initiatives, caucuses can present their initiative to a GBM (to ensure awareness within the Senate).
+
+ 4.1.3.3.3.1.1.1 Any relevant legislative committees can comment / provide feedback.
+
+ 4.1.3.3.3.1.1.2 A simple majority vote within the Senate can approve the event/initiative.
+
+ 4.1.3.3.3.1.2 Alternatively, a caucus initiative can partner with a specific legislative committee.
+
+ 4.1.3.3.3.1.2.1 A committee simple majority vote can approve said initiative/event.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.3.2.2 The Caucus Chair, in their capacity as a Senator, may introduce any necessary funding bills to the Senate.
+
+ ***4.1.3.4 CAUCUS MEMBERSHIP***
+
+ 4.1.3.4.1 Caucus membership shall be open to all interested students of any background or demographic, accordance with our Constitution.
+
+ 4.1.3.4.2 A member of a caucus shall be defined as any student who attends a meeting with the caucus or provides feedback on questions posed in meeting minutes.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.4.2.1 Attending a caucus meeting includes caucus meetings, meetings between the caucus and administrators, or Senate meetings as a representative of the caucus.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.4.2.2 Feedback on questions posed in meeting minutes shall be in the form of a comment on the meeting minute document.
+
+ 4.1.3.4.3 In accordance with the constitution, caucuses are expected to maintain a membership of at least 10 Homewood undergraduate students in addition to members of SGA. Caucus membership shall be defined in the Bylaws.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.4.3.1 If a caucus fails to meet the membership requirement by the 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.
+
+ 4.1.3.4.3.1.1 If the caucus has still not met the membership requirement by the end of the Fall Recess (colloquially known as “Thanksgiving Break”), the respective Caucus Representative will be thanked for their services and dismissed. The search for their successor shall begin immediately after.
+
+ 4.1.3.4.3.1.2 The section above shall not take effect if the caucus has met the ten-member threshold during the Fall semester but falls below it before the Fall Recess.
+
+ 4.1.3.4.3.1.3 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.
+
+ ***4.1.3.5 LIST OF ACTIVE CAUCUSES***
+
+ 4.1.3.6.1 The following list contains currently active caucuses and can be updated by the Committee on Internal Affairs at any time with the condition that they must update the “List last updated” clause and that the Chair of the Committee on Internal Affairs must include the update in their next GBM update:
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.6.1.1 Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi-American Caucus.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.6.1.2 Black Caucus.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.6.1.3 Caucus on Disability.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.6.1.4 First-Generation/Limited Income Caucus.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.6.1.5 Hispanic/Latinx Caucus.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.6.1.6 Women and Gender Minorities Caucus.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.3.6.1.7 List last updated: 04/18/2023.
+
+ **4.1.4 SENATORIAL VACANCIES**
+
+ ***4.1.4.1 POST-ELECTORAL VACANCIES***
+
+ 4.1.4.1.1 A vacancy is designated as “Post-electoral” if it is identified after electoral results for the next SGA session (except for freshman Senators) have been published and before the next SGA session has been inaugurated.
+
+ 4.1.4.1.2 CSE will hold a special election as defined in their constitution for the Post-electoral vacancies.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.4.1.2.1 If a senatorial position is still vacant following the special election, the vacancy will become either “Regular session” or “Special” depending on the circumstances.
+
+ ***4.1.4.2 REGULAR SESSION VACANCIES***
+
+ 4.1.4.2.1 A vacancy is designated as “Regular session” if it occurs outside of the timeframe specified for post-electoral vacancies and does not fit the criteria for special vacancies.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.2 The President of the Senate will notify the respective Senator/Class President as soon as they receive confirmation of the vacancy from the Student Body President.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.3 Regular session vacancies will be broken up into the following categories: RSO Representatives, Caucus Chairs, Class Representatives, School Representatives, and Class Programming Councils.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.4 RSO REPRESENTATIVES
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.4.2.4.1 Within 48 hours of notification of the vacancy from the President of the Senate, the Chair of the Committee on Student Organizations will send out an email to the presidents/co-presidents and treasurers/co-treasurers of all RSOs under the category represented by the vacant position, informing them of the vacancy with a description of the role and SGA requirements with an application form.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.4.2.4.2 Each RSO president/team of co-presidents may nominate up to two interested students, including but not limited to the leadership of that RSO. The applicants will submit a short bio and why they are interested in the role.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.4.2.4.3 All Senators will have access to all of the applicants’ responses prior to the start of the voting period. No applicants will be added after the voting period begins.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.4.2.4.4 The secret vote will be administered by the Vice President of the Senate during the next GBM. The Vice President of the Senate is encouraged to use instant runoff voting to pick an applicant to fill the role if there are more than 2 applicants.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.4.2.4.5 This entire process must be completed (defined as the candidate being voted on by the Senate, which is separate from the selection of the applicant) by the third GBM after the vacancy is announced by the President of the Senate.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.5 CAUCUS CHAIRS
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.4.2.5.1 Within 48 hours of notification of the vacancy from the President of the Senate, the Vice Chair of the respective Caucus will notify the entire membership of the Caucus, informing them of the vacancy with a description of the role and SGA requirements.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.5.1.1 If no Vice Chair exists, then the President of the Senate will take the steps described above.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.5.2 Within 48 hours of notification of the vacancy from the President of the Senate, the Vice Chair of the Caucus will notify the president/co-presidents and treasurer/ co-treasurers of the respective umbrella advocacy organizations listed in the subsections of this section and ask them to share information about the vacancy with their organization’s membership.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.5.2.1 If no Vice Chair exists, then the President of the Senate will take the steps described above.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.5.2.2 Asian, Pacific Islander, and Desi American Caucus: Inter-Asian Council (IAC).
+
+ 4.1.4.2.5.2.3 Black Caucus: African Students Association (ASA), Black Student Union (BSU).
+
+ 4.1.4.2.5.2.4 Disability Caucus: Advocates for Disability Awareness (ADA), Student Disability Services (SDS).
+
+ 4.1.4.2.5.2.4.1 The contact for SDS will be the Senior Director of Student Disability Services at Homewood and Executive Director of Student Disability Services.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.5.2.5 First-Generation, Limited-Income Caucus: Johns Hopkins Underrepresented in Medical Professions (JUMP), Hop-In.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.5.2.6 Hispanic/Latinx Caucus: Latino Estudiantil (OLÉ).
+
+ 4.1.4.2.5.2.7 Women and Gender Minorities Caucus: Diverse Sexuality and Gender Alliance (DSAGA), Sexual Assault Resource Unit (SARU).
+
+ 4.1.4.2.5.2.8 List last updated: April 5, 2023\.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.5.3 The Caucus will meet and hold a vote to advance one of their members who is not currently in SGA or another student whom they believe to be qualified and is not currently in SGA to be confirmed as Chair by the entire Senate at the next GBM.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.5.4 This entire process must be completed (defined as the candidate being voted on by the Senate) by the third GBM after the vacancy is announced by the President of the Senate.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.5.5 The Committee on Internal Affairs is empowered to make edits to 4.1.4.2.5.1.2 and subsections at the behest of a Caucus without Senate approval, with the condition that they must update the “List last updated” clause and that the Chair of the Committee on Internal Affairs must include the update in their next GBM update.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.4.2.6 CLASS REPRESENTATIVES
+
+ 4.1.4.2.6.1 Class Senator Vacancy
+
+ 4.1.4.2.6.1.1 Within 48 hours of notification of the vacancy from the President of the Senate, the President of the respective Class Council will send out an email to their entire class informing them of the vacancy with a description of the role and SGA requirements with an application form.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.6.1.2 The Class President and Class Senators for the respective Class will convene and review the applications for the position.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.6.1.3 Optionally, the Class President and Class Senators may decide to hold a round of interviews by majority vote if they deem it necessary to identify the best candidate.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.6.1.4 This entire process must be completed (defined as the candidate being voted on by the Senate) by the third GBM after the vacancy is announced by the President of the Senate.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.6.2 Class President Vacancy
+
+ 4.1.4.2.6.2.1 Within 48 hours of notification of the vacancy from the President of the Senate, the remaining Class Senators shall set a meeting time no later than 7 days after the time of the notification to meet and elect a new Class President from among their ranks by majority vote.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.6.2.2 All of the remaining Class Senators are empowered to ask the Vice President of the Senate to serve as a neutral administrator of a secret vote.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.6.2.2.1 If the Vice President of the Senate is one of the remaining Class Senators, they may ask the SGA advisor to serve as a neutral administrator.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.6.2.3 After the a new Class President is chosen through this mechanism and has been successfully voted on by the Senate at the first GBM after they have been selected, the start time of that GBM shall serve as the start of the 48 hours of notification for the Class Senator vacancy their succession leaves.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.6.2.4 If no successor has been chosen by 7 days after the time of notification, the position will become open to the entire graduation class to run for and a special election will be proctored by CSE.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.6.2.4.1 Current Senators of any representative background in the correct graduation class will be empowered to run for the position without risk of losing their current position by doing so.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.7 SCHOOL REPRESENTATIVES
+
+ 4.1.4.2.7.1 Within 48 hours of notification of the vacancy from the President of the Senate, the Chair of the Committee on Academic Affairs will send out an email to the entire undergraduate membership of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) or Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) informing them of the vacancy with a description of the role and SGA requirements with an application form. The school emailed depends on the vacancy.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.7.2 The remaining KSAS/WSE School Senators will convene and review the applications for the position.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.7.3 Optionally, the School Senators may decide to hold a round of interviews by majority vote if they deem it necessary to identify the best candidate.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.7.4 This entire process must be completed (defined as the candidate being voted on by the Senate) by the third GBM after the vacancy is announced by the President of the Senate.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.4.2.8 FAILED CONFIRMATION
+
+ 4.1.4.2.8.1 In the event that a prospective Senator/Class President is not confirmed by the Senate, the Senate may choose, by majority vote, to have CSE proctor a special election for the position.
+
+ 4.1.4.2.8.2 If the Senate does not motion for a special election, the start time of that GBM shall serve as the start of the 48 hours of notification for the vacancy and the process will begin anew.
+
+ ***4.1.4.3 SPECIAL VACANCIES***
+
+ 4.1.4.3.1 A vacancy is designated as “Special” if it meets one of the following criteria:
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.4.3.1.1 Less than a quorum of the selecting body exists for that position. This is defined as half of the maximum membership plus one. For caucuses, quorum will be defined as the constitutionally mandated minimum number of members for that caucus to be recognized. The standing quorum for each selection group is listed below:
+
+ 4.1.4.3.1.1.1 RSO Representatives: 24 Senators/Class Presidents.
+
+ 4.1.4.3.1.1.2 Caucus Chairs: 20 members of the respective caucus.
+
+ 4.1.4.3.1.1.3 Class Representatives: 3 Class Senators/Class Presidents of the respective Class.
+
+ 4.1.4.3.1.1.4 School Representatives:
+
+ 4.1.4.3.1.1.4.1 WSE: 3 WSE Senators
+
+ 4.1.4.3.1.1.4.2 KSAS: 4 KSAS Senators
+
+ 4.1.4.3.1.1.5 The Committee on Internal Affairs is empowered to edit the numbers reported for quorum under §4.1.4.3.1.1 without a Senate vote if any of the populations of senators or caucuses change. The Chair of the Committee on Internal Affairs will include the change in their next GBM update.
+
+ 4.1.4.3.1.1.6 If the selecting body lacks quorum, CSE will hold a special election for all the vacant positions in the selection body.
+
+ 4.1.4.3.1.1.7 In the case of there being fewer than 24 members in the entire Senate, CSE will hold a special election for all vacant Senate positions.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.4.3.1.2 Vacancies occur in the current Senate within two weeks of the first electoral info session for the next Senate and before the next Senate’s inauguration.
+
+ 4.1.4.3.1.2.1 The non-incumbent(s) who receive the most votes for the currently vacant position(s) they are running for will be invited to immediately assume their
+
+ position(s), subject to a confirmation vote.
+
+ 4.1.4.3.1.2.2 If they refuse, the position(s) will remain vacant until their formal term begins.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.4.3.1.3 A new, elected position in the Senate is created.
+
+ 4.1.4.3.1.3.1 CSE will hold a special election for the new position if the new position is created before January 1st of the election year.
+
+ ***4.1.4.4 PROCEDURE FOR PROCESS DEVIATIONS***
+
+ 4.1.4.4.1 A Senator may request deviations from the confirmation process for a certain position by a two-thirds vote of the entire Senate. All intended deviations must be presented in advance.
+
+ 4.1.4.4.2 If a Senator intends to request deviations, they must notify the President of the Senate within 48 hours of notification of the vacancy.
+
+ 4.1.4.4.3 The start time of the GBM at which process deviations are requested and approved or denied shall serve as the start of the 48 hours of notification.
+
+ 4.1.4.4.4 Senators may also modify any part of the bylaws that govern the vacancy process by a two-thirds vote of the entire Senate in the same fashion as any other bylaws amendment.
+
+ ***4.1.4.5 EXTENSIONS***
+
+ 4.1.4.5.1 Extensions may be granted on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the President of the Senate. Requests for extensions must be made before the deadline, and all requests for extensions will be given a provisory 24 hour extension if they are not to be granted in full.
+
+ 4.1.4.5.2 The maximum length of an extension that may be granted is 7 days or 1 additional GBM, whichever is longer. If the extension necessary due to circumstances is longer than a week/1 GBM, CSE will hold a special election for the position.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.4.5.2.1 An exception to this rule is when a University break overlaps with the vacancy filling schedule. These breaks are Summer Break, Fall Break, Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break, Intercession, and Spring Break.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.4.5.2.2 For the purposes of these §4.1.4.5.2.1, the start of Winter Break shall be recognized as the first reading day of the Fall semester.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.4.5.2.3 For the purposes of §4.1.4.5.2.1, the entirety of Intercession shall be recognized as a break period.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.4.5.2.4 For the purposes of §4.1.4.5.2.1, the start of Summer Break shall be recognized as the first reading day of the Spring Semester.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.4.5.2.5 In the cases outlined by §4.1.4.5.2.1, an extension equal to the duration of the break plus any weekend days directly adjacent to the break shall be provided given that the Senators do not purposefully delay the process to qualify for a break extension.
+
+ ***4.1.4.6 RESPONSIBILITIES***
+
+ 4.1.4.6.1 The President of the Senate is tasked with ensuring that notification of the vacancy is fully and clearly communicated to the respective group that will be voting on the position’s replacement at their earliest possible convenience.
+
+ 4.1.4.6.2 The Vice President of the Senate is tasked with overseeing and administering the vote and secret vote for the vacancies when necessary and confidentially responding to issues raised about the process.
+
+ 4.1.4.6.3 Both the President of the Senate and Vice President of the Senate are responsible for ensuring that deadlines are met and that the timeline is strictly adhered to. Disciplinary marks will be given out for failures to adhere to the timeline.
+
+ 4.1.4.6.4 The selection group is responsible for recruiting, identifying, and electing qualified applicants.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.4.6.4.1 If no students have applied for the position by the deadline the selection group has set for applications, the selection group will be thanked for their service and disbanded.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.1.4.6.4.2 In such a situation, the President of the Senate and Vice President of the Senate will work with the Student Body President and Student Body Vice President to engage student interest in the role and then will open up the search for a replacement at a later date of the President of the Senate’s choosing.
+
+ ***4.1.4.7 COMPLAINTS***
+
+ 4.1.4.7.1 If a member of SGA or applying student has complaints about the fairness of the process, especially related to improper/unapproved deviations from the procedure prescribed by the bylaws herein or SGA Constitution, they are empowered to confidentially bring their concerns to the Chair of Internal Affairs, the Vice President of the Senate, or the SGA Judiciary Board.
+
+ **4.1.5 PROGRAMMING COUNCIL VACANCIES**
+
+ 4.1.5.1 The Chair of Programming will notify the remaining members of the respective Class Programming Council as soon as they receive confirmation of the vacancy from the Student Body President.
+
+ ***4.1.5.2 CHAIR VACANCY***
+
+ 4.1.5.2.1 In the event that the position of Chair of a Class Programming Council is vacant, the Treasurer of the respective Programming Council will be offered the opportunity to ascend to the role of Chair.
+
+ 4.1.5.2.2 Should the Treasurer decline or not reply within 48 hours, the Chair position will be offered to the Secretary of the respective Programming Council.
+
+ 4.1.5.2.3 Should the Secretary decline or not reply within 48 hours, the Chair of Programming will meet with the remaining members of the Class Council, as well as the ex officio members of the Class Council (the respective Class Senators and Class President) to create an application form for the position.
+
+ ***4.1.5.3 TREASURER VACANCY***
+
+ 4.1.5.3.1 In the event that the position of Treasurer of a Class Programming Council is vacant, the Chair of Programming will meet with the remaining members of the Class Council, as well as the ex officio members of the Class Council (the respective Class Senators and Class President) to create an application form for the position.
+
+ ***4.1.5.4 SECRETARY VACANCY***
+
+ 4.1.5.4.1 In the event that the position of Secretary of a Class Programming Council is vacant, the Chair of Programming will meet with the remaining members of the Class Council, as well as the ex officio members of the Class Council (the respective Class Senators and Class President) to create an application form for the position.
+
+ ***4.1.5.5 SPECIAL VACANCIES***
+
+ 4.1.5.5.1 In the event that all elected positions in a Programming Council are vacant, a special election shall be held by CSE to fill the Programming Council.
+
+ **4.1.6 ELECTIONS FOR SENATORIAL LEADERSHIP POSITIONS**
+
+ ***4.1.6.1 PRESIDENT AND VICE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE***
+
+ 4.1.6.1.1 For the elections of the President and Vice President, an absolute majority of all Senators duly elected shall be required for any candidate to be chosen as President or Vice President of the Senate
+
+ 4.1.6.1.2 In the case of an election consisting of more than 2 candidates that didn’t win an absolute majority vote, the candidate that won the least amount of votes shall be removed as a candidate for their respective position, and any candidate that wishes to drop out as a candidate shall be allowed to rescind their name as a candidate. Another vote shall take place and the process described above shall continue until either there are 2 candidates remaining or a candidate wins an absolute majority of the vote.
+
+ 4.1.6.1.3 In the case of an election consisting of only 2 candidates that didn’t win an absolute majority vote, the Senate shall repeat the elections for the President or the Vice President of the Senate until an absolute majority can be reached by 1 candidate.
+
+ 4.1.6.1.4 In the event that there are 2 candidates that have not won an absolute majority vote for President or Vice President of the Senate after 2 rounds of voting, any Senator may move to reduce the absolute majority vote needed to a plurality vote needed, which shall require a simple majority vote of the Senate to pass.
+
+ ***4.1.6.2 VICE PRESIDENT PRO-TEMPORE***
+
+ 4.1.6.2.1 Should the elected president of the senate request a Vice President Pro-Tempore, they can add a plurality vote for this position to the agenda following the electoral process outlined in 4.1.6.1.2 through 4.1.6.1.4.
+
+ 4.1.6.2.2 The order of succession for presiding officer over the senate meeting shall follow President of the Senate, Vice President of the Senate, then Vice President Pro-Tempore respectively.
+
+ 4.1.6.2.3 The Vice President Pro-Tempore must be a duly elected member of the senate.
+
+ ***ARTICLE 4, SECTION 2\. LEGISLATION OF THE SENATE***
+
+ 4.2.1 Legislation shall be written by any elected member of SGA.
+
+ 4.2.2 Legislation shall take one of two forms:
+
+ 4.2.2.1 A bill, which formally enacts a law within the scope defined by the Constitution; or
+
+ 4.2.2.2 A resolution, which formally declares the opinion of the Senate and thus the Student Body.
+
+ **4.2.3 LEGISLATIVE PROCESS**
+
+ 4.2.3.1 Legislation shall require and document the presence of:
+
+ 4.2.3.1.1 At least one (1) *introducer* (also known as an *author* or *composer*);
+
+ 4.2.3.1.2 At least two (2) *co-sponsors* who are elected members of SGA and are not introducers;
+
+ 4.2.3.2 Legislation shall be written according to the accessibility guidelines in Article 5 and, by precedent, be headed with the seal of the SGA.
+
+ 4.2.3.3 Upon two (2) co-sponsors, the introducer of the Bill or Resolution shall submit the legislation to the President of the Senate.
+
+ 4.2.3.4 The President of the Senate shall then add the legislation to the next Senate Meeting agenda under the first reading section.
+
+ 4.2.3.4.1 During the first reading of legislation, the legislation is briefly explained and the Senate votes to send the legislation to the Committee.
+
+ 4.2.3.4.2 During the first reading, debate may take place but cannot extend past 10 minutes. Debate during the first reading should focus on the purpose of the bill, major issues for the committee to discuss, and any overarching ideas of the bill, not small details. Nevertheless, topics of debate are not restricted by this clause.
+
+ 4.2.3.5 Once legislation is referred to a Committee of the Senate, the Committee shall deliberate and vote upon a recommendation to the Senate for the legislation’s adoption or rejection. The Committee will then prepare a report containing the Committee’s recommendation, majority and minority opinions of the Committee, and a description of any amendments made in Committee.
+
+ 4.2.3.5.1 A plurality vote shall be necessary to recommend legislation’s adoption or rejection, or to undertake other committee actions.
+
+ 4.2.3.5.2 A committee may also elect to advance legislation to the Senate with no recommendation, if after significant deliberation, the committee elects to do so.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.2.3.5.2.1 A tie vote within a committee brings the legislation before the Senate with no recommendation.
+
+ 4.2.3.5.3 If the committee does not vote on the bill, it can not advance beyond the committee.
+
+ 4.2.3.6 After passage by a committee, the President of the Senate will add the legislation to the next Senate Meeting agenda under the second reading section.
+
+ 4.2.3.6.1 Bills cannot have committee consideration waived, unless by a Motion to Discharge Committee, in which case a 2/3 vote is needed to pass the motion.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.2.3.6.1.1 A Motion to Discharge Committee must be placed on the Agenda by the President of the Senate if the bill is time-constrained or is a pressing matter of utmost urgency. However, the President of the Senate must give their reasoning to the Senate as to why committee consideration of the bill should be waived and the Senate shall be allowed to debate the Motion to Discharge Committee before voting on the motion, which shall require a simple majority vote only when placed on the Agenda. No Senator can bring a Motion to Discharge Committee without it being on the agenda.
+
+ 4.2.3.7 Upon receiving the report of a Committee of the Senate, the Vice President shall introduce the legislation to the Senate and call upon its introducer to discuss its merits and field questions from the Senate, and call upon the Committee chair to present their report.
+
+ 4.2.3.8 The legislation shall then be deliberated upon, pursuant to the Senate’s rules and procedures, and the Senate shall eventually vote for the legislation’s adoption or rejection.
+
+ 4.2.3.8.1 If the Senate votes to adopt the legislation, the President of the Senate shall affix the Seal of the Senate to the legislation. The Student Body President, President of the Senate, Student Body Vice President, Student Body Secretary, Student Body Treasurer, and Chair of Programming will then place their signatures at the bottom of the legislation so as to confirm its adoption. The legislation will then have the full force and effect of law.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.2.3.8.1.1 For ceremonial purposes, the introducer(s) and co-sponsors shall have the right to sign the legislation as well.
+
+ 4.2.3.8.2 If the Senate votes to reject the legislation, the President of the Senate shall indicate its rejection and place their signature at the bottom so as to confirm its rejection. The President of the Senate shall not affix the Seal of the Senate to rejected legislation.
+
+ 4.2.4 All legislation, pursuant to the Constitution, must be adopted by the full Senate. A Committee alone is not empowered to take any direct action other than to recommend and refer action to the Senate as a whole.
+
+ ***ARTICLE 4, SECTION 3\. PROCEDURAL RULES OF THE SENATE***
+
+ **4.3.1 MEETINGS**
+
+ ***4.3.1.1 AGENDA OF SENATE MEETINGS***
+
+ 4.3.1.1.1 The President of the Senate shall set the agenda according to the needs of the SGA.
+
+ 4.3.1.1.2 Committee reports shall consist solely of reports – any pending committee action must be reported in advance and dealt with later in the meeting.
+
+ ***4.3.1.2 CHAIR OF SENATE MEETINGS***
+
+ 4.3.1.2.1 The Chair of a meeting shall also be referred to as the Presiding Officer of that meeting.
+
+ 4.3.1.2.2 The President of the Senate shall chair the meetings of the SGA Senate.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.1.2.2.1 If the Vice President yields the chair in accordance with proper parliamentary procedure, or is unable to attend a Senate meeting, the Vice President of the Senate shall fulfill the duties as Chair.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.1.2.2.2 DECISIONS OF THE CHAIR
+
+ 4.3.1.2.2.2.1 The chair shall enforce Senate procedures as well as the Constitution and Bylaws, including but not limited to ruling motions or conversations out of order.
+
+ 4.3.1.2.2.2.2 A single member (no second is required) may contest such a decision, which is debatable but non-amendable, before it takes effect.
+
+ 4.3.1.2.2.2.3 A two-thirds vote of the Senate shall be necessary to overturn the chair’s decision.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.1.2.2.3 MANNER OF PRESIDING AND YIELDING OF THE CHAIR
+
+ 4.3.1.2.2.3.1 The Presiding Officer shall preside the meeting in an orderly, objective and fair manner giving opportunity to all Senators to represent their views provided they maintain decorum. The Presiding Officer shall use his or her discretion in speaking on issues provided they maintain objectivity and fairness in the manner of the meeting.
+
+ 4.3.1.2.2.3.2 The Presiding Officer shall yield the chair to a successor any time theitem of discussion is his or her confirmation, elections, impeachment, or removal.
+
+ ***4.3.1.3 ORDER***
+
+ 4.3.1.3.1 The Senate shall follow the most current version of Robert’s Rules of Order in its general body meetings, subservient to any provisions of the SGA Constitution, Bylaws, or Senate Procedural Rules Bill.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.1.3.1.1 The Parliamentarian shall be tasked with ensuring the Senate follows Robert’s Rules of Order and advise the President of the Senate on how to act.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.1.3.1.2 The Parliamentarian’s role shall be an advisory role to the President of the Senate and to the Senate as a whole, and the President of the Senate shall be tasked with enforcing the rules of proper procedure and any advice made of it from the Parliamentarian.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.1.3.1.3 The Senate may override any ruling made by the Parliamentarian with a 2/3 vote.
+
+ 4.3.1.3.2 The Chair of the meeting shall be the only one who can bring the meeting to order. No other member can move to start the GBM, as per Robert’s Rules of Order.
+
+ 4.3.1.3.3 Moving the Motion
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.1.3.3.1 Following the moving of a motion and a proper second (if required), the Chair shall immediately state the motion to the assembly. If the motion may be discussed, the Chair shall immediately ask, “Is there any discussion?” and the body shall discuss the motion. If the motion may not be discussed, the Chair shall immediately put the motion to a vote.
+
+ 4.3.1.3.4 Discussion on the Motion
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.1.3.4.1 It is in the interest of the Senate (being a deliberative assembly) to foster productive and persuasive speech by each member so long as it is done in an efficient manner. The author of the motion shall be given the opportunity to speak first in order to present the reasoning behind the motion. Other motions may be moved anytime during discussion.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.1.3.4.2 During debate, filibusters are not permitted.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.1.3.4.3 The types of debate permitted are followed as such: Q\&A, Moderated Caucus, and Round Robin
+
+ 4.3.1.3.4.3.1 Q\&A shall require a definitive time for when the motion will expire and a definitive speaking time for how long members can speak. During a Q\&A, members are allowed to ask questions to the speaker(s) present and answer questions, if they have an answer.
+
+ 4.3.1.3.4.3.2 Moderated Caucus shall require a definitive time for when the motion will expire but not require a definitive speaking time. The Chair shall decide for how long a member may speak. During a Moderated Caucus, members are allowed to speak on the debated topic at hand.
+
+ 4.3.1.3.4.3.3 During a Round Robin, members are asked to give their brief opinion on the topic at hand with speaking times at the Chair’s discretion. Members shall be called in alphabetical order or as ordered on the SGA roster. Non-voting members are only allowed to speak at the Chair’s discretion.
+
+ 4.3.1.3.5 Voting
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.1.3.5.1 Abstentions, used at the individual Senator’s discretion, should only be used in the rare case of a direct conflict of interest.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.1.3.5.2 Votes become final when the Chair announces the vote.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.1.3.5.3 The use of “straw poll” votes is highly discouraged.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.1.3.5.4 Per the Constitution, all votes and discussions shall be public, except for those permitted to be closed by the Constitution.
+
+ 4.3.1.3.5.4.1 Per the Constitution, the Motion to Rescind or Expunge from Minutes shall be prohibited.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.1.3.4.6 Proxy Voting
+
+ 4.3.1.3.4.6.1 Due to the deliberative nature of Senate meetings, and due to the possibility of the swaying of one’s opinions during a debate, proxy voting is neither permitted nor accepted.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.1.3.5.6 Motions to change the voting method shall require only a second to be passed and a vote on the motion will not be needed.
+
+ 4.3.1.3.5.6.1 If a member wishes to challenge the motion for changing the voting method that has been passed, they may move for Reconsideration of the motion, at which the meeting will take a standard vote on the motion and shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.1.3.5.7 A motion to vote shall not be necessary unless debate happens on the item or motion, or the item in question is a bill or resolution.
+
+ 4.3.1.3.6 If the case of an emergency, the Chair shall have the power to recess the meeting subject to the call of the Chair.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.1.3.6.1 Any member can challenge the Chair’s decision to recess by appealing the Chair’s decision, at which time a vote will immediately commence on appealing the Chair’s decision, and the Chair’s decision can be overturned with a 2/3 vote.
+
+ 4.3.1.3.7 Suspension of Rules
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.1.3.7.1 The assembly can adopt a motion to Suspend the Rules interfering with the proposed action—provided that the proposal is not in conflict with the Constitution.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.1.3.7.2 When business is pending, Suspend the Rules takes precedence over any motion if it is for a purpose connected with that motion.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.1.3.7.3 Can be applied to any rule of the assembly except those in the Constitution.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.1.3.7.4 Must be seconded.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.1.3.7.5 Requires a vote equivalent to two-thirds of the entire membership of the Senate, regardless of attendance. In any case, no rule protecting a minority of a particular size can be suspended in the face of a negative vote as large as the minority protected by the rule.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.1.3.7.6 In making the incidental motion to Suspend the Rules, the particular rule or rules to be suspended are not mentioned; but the motion must state its specific purpose, and its adoption permits nothing else to be done under the suspension.
+
+ 4.3.1.3.7.6.1 The rules are unsuspended upon the completion of the specific purpose, as determined by the chair.
+
+ 4.3.1.3.7.6.2 The rules can be unsuspended at any time with a majority vote following a motion to Unsuspend the Rules.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.1.3.7.7 If a motion to Suspend the Rules is adopted and its object is to allow consideration of business that could not otherwise have been considered at the time, the chair immediately recognizes the member who moved the suspension of the rules, to make the appropriate motion that will bring up the desired business. Or, if no further motion is necessary (for example, if the two motions were combined as indicated above, or if the question is one that was postponed), the chair announces the business as pending.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.1.3.7.8 Rules protecting a basic right of the individual member cannot be suspended. Rules protecting absentees cannot be suspended, even by unanimous consent or an actual unanimous vote, because the absentees do not consent to such suspension.
+
+ **4.3.2 MEMBERSHIP PRIVILEGES**
+
+ 4.3.2.1 Only Members of the Senate, including Executive Board officers in an ex-officio capacity shall have speaking privileges when the meeting is in session, with the exception of speaking privileges granted by the Rules Bill for certain sections of the meeting.
+
+ 4.3.2.1.1 Non-Members of the Senate shall have speaking privileges in the Senate at the discretion of the chair, to be signaled with a hand raise.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.2.1.1.1 The Senate can appeal the decision to grant or not grant speaking privileges with a motion, a second, and a majority vote.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.2.1.1.2 Any signaling by non-members must be non-disruptive, as determined by the chair.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.2.1.1.3 The chair may prohibit any signaling for any period of time at their discretion.
+
+ 4.3.2.1.1.3.1 The Senate can appeal the decision with a motion, a second, and a majority vote.”
+
+ 4.3.2.1.2 The chair can withdraw speaking privileges at their discretion 4.3.2.1.2.1 The Senate can appeal the decision to grant or not grant speaking privileges with a motion, a second, and a majority vote.
+
+ **4.3.3 ATTENDANCE**
+
+ ***4.3.3.1 REQUIRED***
+
+ 4.3.3.1.1 Attendance at Senate General Body Meetings and Committee meetings is mandatory for all legislative Senators.
+
+ 4.3.3.1.2 Attendance at Senate General Body Meetings, Executive Cabinet meetings, and advisor meetings is mandatory for the Student Body President, Student Body Vice President, Student Body Secretary, Student Body Treasurer, and Student Body Chair of Programming.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.3.1.2.1 The Student Body Treasurer is required to attend Finance Committee meetings.
+
+ 4.3.3.1.3 Attendance at Executive Cabinet meetings is required for all Cabinet members.
+
+ 4.3.3.1.4 Attendance at Class Programming Council meetings is required for all members of a respective Class Programming Council, with the exception that attendance shall be optional for members of the Class Council who are also legislative Senators.
+
+ 4.3.3.1.5 Attendance by at least one Johns Hopkins University staff member who serves as the advisor to SGA at-large at GBMs is mandatory. The SGA reserves the right to petition the Dean of Students to appoint a new SGA advisor upon absences by the designated advisor.
+
+ 4.3.3.1.6 At the discretion of the Student Body President or the President of the Senate, meetings with administrators on behalf of SGA that conflict with other SGA meetings may be recognized ahead of the meeting such that the member is not given an absence.
+
+ ***4.3.3.2 EXCUSED ABSENCES***
+
+ 4.3.3.2.1 The President of the Senate shall be permitted to grant a total of 8 excused absences to a member of SGA per academic semester (where the meetings that occur at the end of Spring are counted in the Fall semester of SGA), with an additional 4 excused absences for every additional committee beyond 1 committee that the member of SGA serves on.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.3.2.1.1 All unexcused absences will be counted in totaling the number of excused absences a member of SGA has been granted.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.3.2.1.2 If a member of SGA reaches half of the maximum number of excused absences, they will be informed of their attendance status by the Student Body Secretary.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.3.2.1.3 If a member of SGA exceeds the maximum number of excused absences, they will be thanked for their service and summarily dismissed from SGA. Senators who have 2 unexcused absences shall be subject to a required meeting with the Executive Board and the Advisor followed by the impeachment vote per the Constitution. Senators who have 4 unexcused absences shall be thanked for their service and summarily dismissed from SGA per the Constitution.
+
+ 4.3.3.1.2 Attendance at another SGA event beyond the required Senate and Committee meetings can be required by the President of the Senate and Student Body President.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.3.1.2.1 This requirement can be overturned by a two-thirds vote of the Senate.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.3.1.2.2 In such cases, legitimate, previously held time conflicts shall be accommodated with an excused absence.
+
+ ***4.3.3.3 TAKING ATTENDANCE***
+
+ 4.3.3.3.1 Roll call shall be taken no later than 5 minutes after the start of each Senate GBM and be recorded in the minutes. This roll call shall be counted for half of the attendance of each GBM.
+
+ 4.3.3.3.2 Roll call shall be taken at the end of each Senate GBM and be recorded in the minutes. This roll call shall be counted for half of the attendance of each GBM.
+
+ 4.3.3.3.3 Members must stay for the entire meeting unless previously excused or in cases of emergency.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.3.3.3.1 For the duration of the 111th Senate of SGA only, members who have communicated scheduling conflicts to the President of the Senate before the start time of the GBM shall be excused to leave at 9:00 p.m. with full attendance.
+
+ ***4.3.3.5 RECORDING ATTENDANCE***
+
+ 4.3.3.5.1 All SGA members’ attendance records shall be noted on the SGA’s website and shall be sent to the student body in a press release every semester.
+
+ 4.3.3.5.2 The general body meeting attendances shall be recorded by the Student Body Secretary, who have the authority to delegate the task to another member of the Senate (e.g. Vice President of the Senate) if necessary.
+
+ 4.3.3.5.3 The Student Body Secretary shall have the authority to set a deadline for when all SGA group leaders must submit their groups’ attendances.
+
+ ***4.3.3.6 DOCUMENTING AND VERIFYING ABSENCES***
+ 4.3.3.6.1 The Secretary shall document all absences – Senate, committee, and council– on a spreadsheet publicly available on the SGA website. The spreadsheet shall be updated with absences no later than one week from the date of a meeting. If no minutes for a meeting are provided to the Secretary after one week, all persons required to attend the meeting shall be counted as absent until minutes are provided.
+
+ ***4.3.3.7 ONE-TIME MEDICAL LEAVE AND ONE-TIME FAMILY EMERGENCY LEAVE***
+
+ 4.3.3.7.1 Once a school year, if an SGA member is temporarily unable to attend meetings for any reason verified by an accredited medical provider, they shall be permitted to take a medical leave of no more than two academic weeks.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.3.7.1.1 During the duration of a medical leave, the SGA member shall not accumulate excused or unexcused absences.
+
+ 4.3.3.7.2 Once a school year, if an SGA member is temporarily unable to attend meetings for any reason related to family emergency, they shall be permitted to take a family emergency leave of no more than two academic weeks.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.3.7.2.1 During the duration of a family emergency leave, the SGA member shall not accumulate excused or unexcused absences.
+
+ 4.3.3.7.3 Senators must do their best to communicate as soon as possible with the executive board, so that they can be applied retroactively.
+
+ ***4.3.3.7 ATTENDANCE INCENTIVES***
+
+ 4.3.3.7.1 The Student Body President and President of the Senate shall be empowered to recognize the performance of certain duties on behalf of SGA with attendance incentives
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.3.7.1.2 Any event after 10/1/2023 that is eligible for receiving attendance incentives shall be announced publicly to the Senate.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.3.7.1.3 Events that satisfy attendance incentives prior to 10/1/2023 may be retroactively recognized.
+
+ 4.3.3.7.2 The specific attendance incentive shall be the following:
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.3.7.2.1 The attendance incentive shall be the de-escalation of no more than 1 unexcused absence to the same number of excused absences, or the removal of no more than 1 excused absence.
+
+ 4.3.3.7.2.1.1 If the member of SGA has 0.5 or more unexcused absences, they cannot use an attendance incentive to remove excused absences until they have had all of their unexcused absences de-escalated.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.3.7.2.2 The Student Body President and President of the Senate shall be able to define the duration of attendance or performance of duties required to receive an attendance incentive.
+
+ > > > > > > 4.3.3.7.2.3 The installment of an attendance incentive may be overturned by a ⅔ majority vote of the senate.
+
+ **ARTICLE 5\. ACCESSIBILITY**
+
+ ***ARTICLE 5, SECTION 1\. SGA VIRTUAL CONTENT STANDARDS***
+
+ 5.1.1 These standards will apply to all digital content produced by SGA for both external and internal use.
+
+ **5.1.2 ACCESSIBLE DOCUMENTS**
+
+ 5.1.2.1 All documents produced by SGA, including legislation, must meet the following guidelines:
+
+ 5.1.2.1.1 Provide alternative text for visual content.
+
+ 5.1.2.1.2 Ensure high contrast (a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text) between the background color and foreground except in images where alternative text is provided.
+
+ > > > > > > 5.1.2.1.2.1 Online tools can be used to [calculate the contrast ratio](https://webaim.org/resources/contrastchecker/) and determine if it meets accessibility guidelines for various font formats including large texts.
+
+ 5.1.2.1.3 Use accessible text options. This document recommends Georgia or Verdana as a typeface with no smaller than 14 point font.
+
+ 5.1.2.1.4 Strive for a Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level of approximately 9 or lower after names or titles are removed.
+
+ > > > > > > 5.1.2.1.4.1 Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level can be calculated by enabling readability statistics in Microsoft Word’s “Proofing” settings, or by using a [third party tool](https://goodcalculators.com/flesch-kincaid-calculator/).
+
+ 5.1.2.1.5 Use headings that follow a logical order.
+
+ 5.1.2.1.6 Ensure that data is presented according to above WCAG guidelines.
+
+ **5.1.3 SOCIAL MEDIA AND WEBSITE**
+
+ 5.1.3.1 All content published on SGA social media platforms or the SGA website must meet the following guidelines:
+
+ 5.1.3.1.1 Provide alternative text for non-text content.
+
+ 5.1.3.1.2 Provide captions for pre-recorded audio content.
+
+ 5.1.3.1.3 Explain graphical content through text.
+
+ 5.1.3.1.4 Ensure background audio in audio content is at least 20 decibels lower than foreground content.
+
+ 5.1.3.1.5 Use accessible text options. This document recommends Georgia or Verdana as a typeface with no smaller than 14-point font.
+
+ 5.1.3.1.6 Strive for a Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level of approximately 9 or lower after names or titles are removed.
+
+ > > > > > > 5.1.3.1.6.1 Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level can be calculated by enabling readability statistics in Microsoft Word’s “Proofing” settings, or by using a [third party tool](https://goodcalculators.com/flesch-kincaid-calculator/).
+
+ ***ARTICLE 5, SECTION 2\. SGA EVENT STANDARDS***
+
+ 5.2.1 All events hosted by the SGA must meet the following guidelines:
+
+ 5.2.1.1 All private and public events held on- or off-campus must be in physically accessible locations.
+
+ 5.2.1.1.1 Use the [Accessibility Map](https://www.jhu.edu/assets/uploads/2022/08/JHU-Accessibility-Map.pdf) created by SDS to determine the accessibility of an on-campus location.
+
+ > > > > > > 5.2.1.1.1.1 Locations directly accessible through an accessible building entrance on an ADA-compliant pathway are preferred.
+
+ > > > > > > 5.2.1.1.1.2 If the location is not on the same level as an accessible building entrance, elevator(s) must be available.
+
+ 5.2.1.1.2 Communicate with event coordinators of off-campus venues to ensure accessibility.
+
+ 5.2.1.2 Use adequate clear signage around the venue to direct attendees to your event and to accessible pathways/entrances.
+
+ 5.2.1.3 Events must be planned in an inclusive and accessible way, including cognitive accessibility. These procedures vary but may include:
+
+ 5.2.1.3.1 Distributing event details at least 48 hours in advance of the event and before any deadline for cancellation. Event details may include:
+
+ > > > > > > 5.2.1.3.1.1 Itinerary.
+
+ > > > > > > 5.2.1.3.1.2 Location.
+
+ > > > > > > 5.2.1.3.1.2.1 Accessible transportation options.
+
+ > > > > > > 5.2.1.3.1.3 List of discussion topics or presentation material.
+
+ > > > > > > 5.2.1.3.1.4 Menu.
+
+ > > > > > > 5.2.1.3.1.5 Expectations of attendees.
+
+ > > > > > > 5.2.1.3.1.6 Content and/or health warnings.
+
+ > > > > > > 5.2.1.3.1.7 Method of requesting accommodations.
+
+ 5.2.1.3.2 Providing space and time for guests to take breaks. This is particularly important when the event includes sensory stimulation, emotional labor, and/or physical or mental exertion.
+
+ 5.2.1.3.3 Providing multiple methods of participating in activities such as feedback gathering or discussion. This is particularly important when time spent on the activity is limited.
+
+ 5.2.1.3.4 Allowing a pause for processing between topics or when asking for questions.
+
+ > > > > > > 5.2.1.3.4.1 Consider allowing questions throughout/after the event rather than only during discussion.
+
+ > > > > > > 5.2.1.3.4.2 Providing adequate and diverse seating for all attendees.
+
+ > > > > > > 5.2.1.3.4.3 Providing printed copies of digital material.
+
+ > > > > > > 5.2.1.3.4.4 Ensuring that the physical space can accommodate mobility aids and service animals.
+
+ > > > > > > 5.2.1.3.4.5 Providing live transcription or ASL interpretation.
+
+ > > > > > > 5.2.1.3.4.6 Providing adequate lighting, electrical outlets, and microphones.
+
+ ***ARTICLE 5, SECTION 3\. SGA PROCEDURE STANDARDS***
+
+ **5.3.1 ACCOMMODATION REQUESTS**
+
+ 5.3.1.1 Accommodation requests may be made for any SGA event, policy, or procedure.
+
+ 5.3.1.2 Information on how to request accommodations should be easily visible when registering for an event. Event communications and advertisement should also include a clear method to request accommodations.
+
+ 5.3.1.3 To request an accommodation regarding wider-SGA policies and procedures, an individual can contact the Student Body Vice President.
+
+ 5.3.1.4 This information must be available on the SGA website and in communications about joining SGA.
+
+ 5.3.1.5 To ensure confidentiality, accommodation requests will be made through an SGA advisor. The SGA advisor will work with SDS to confirm that the accommodation is reasonable and inform SGA on what accommodations to implement.
+
+ 5.3.1.5.1 The identity of the requesting individual will only be shared with SGA members as needed for the implementation of the accommodation.
+
+ 5.3.1.6 Confidentiality of accommodations must be maintained. This includes during and after any events.
+
+ **ARTICLE 6\. STUDENT GROUPS**
+
+ ***ARTICLE 6, SECTION 1\. SCOPE***
+
+ 6.1.1 This article shall apply to all dealings with current and proposed student organizations by the Committee on Student Organizations and the SGA Senate.
+
+ 6.1.2 Should any part of this article be found unconstitutional, such part shall be considered severable and the rest of the article shall remain in effect.
+
+ ***ARTICLE 6, SECTION 2\. RECOGNITION OF PROPOSED STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS***
+
+ 6.2.1 The SGA Senate has, under the Constitution, jurisdiction over the appointment process of new student organizations.
+
+ 6.2.2 The Committee on Student Organizations shall receive applications for proposed student organizations and determine, along with the Coordinator of Student Organizations, which Category these groups fall under.
+
+ 6.2.2.1 All JHU student organizations currently categorized as: Academic and Research, Center for Social Concern, Dean of Student Life Charter Organizations, Sports Clubs and Fraternity and Sorority Life will be eligible for additional recognition by the SGA as a group “not eligible for semesterly allocations”, allowing such groups granted this classification to be eligible for SAC event funding applications. For annual semesterly grant eligibility, they must drop their recognition outside of SGA.
+
+ 6.2.2.2 They will be reviewed and confirmed by a majority vote of the Committee on Student Organizations on a rolling basis.
+
+ 6.2.3 The Committee on Student Organizations shall conduct hearings with the Coordinator of Student Organizations and leaders of proposed groups to evaluate the uniqueness and feasibility of their mission, the establishment of a longitudinal organizational structure, the level of risk, the necessity of funding within their organization, and their contribution to on-campus student life.
+
+ 6.2.4 The Committee on Student Organizations shall vote on whether to recognize the existence and provide funding for proposed student organizations. Committee quorum and a simple majority is required for the committee’s determination to be in effect.
+
+ 6.2.4.1 The Committee’s decision shall be referred to the Coordinator of Student Organizations, by the end of the academic term at which the application was submitted, to finalize the new group registration process.
+
+ 6.2.4.2 The Committee’s decision shall be referred to the SGA Treasurer and the Student Activities Commission to give new organizations access to start-up funds and student group grants.
+
+ 6.2.5 A decision to recognize or deny a proposed student organization by the Committee on Student Organizations can be appealed by any SGA Senator with a simple majority vote, at which point the General Body will evaluate the proposed student organization and vote on a final determination of its recognition.
+
+ ***ARTICLE 6, SECTION 3\. CURRENT STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS***
+
+ 6.3.1 The SGA Senate is, under the Constitution, empowered to pass legislation governing student groups.
+
+ 6.3.2 All student organizations recognized as funded organizations by the SGA Senate shall undergo a yearly review of their operations by the Committee on Student Organizations, upon which their eligibility for semesterly allocations from SAC shall be contingent.
+
+ 6.3.3 A decision to revoke recognition of an existing student organization by the Committee on Student Organizations can be appealed by any SGA Senator with a simple majority vote, at which point the General Body will evaluate the student organization and vote on a final determination of its recognition.
+
+ 6.3.4 Student groups may not disallow any member the right to vote with regard to race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, citizenship, or disability status. This requirement may be waived in circumstances in which an individual group has a specific reason – related to the impending graduation of group members – as to why members set to graduate in the academic year following the election should not be allowed to vote in a group election.
+
+ 6.3.4.1 If the group wishes to waive this requirement, they must present a case to the SGA Senate explaining why graduating members should not be allowed to vote in an election. If the SGA rules in the group’s favor, then the class of graduating members will not be allowed to vote. The disallowance of graduating members, if approved, must apply to every member of the group, without exception, who is to graduate in the semester following the election.
+
+ 6.3.5 Student groups must ensure that all students have the right to express their chosen pronoun, chosen name, and gender identity in all documents, programs, and material.
+
+ 6.3.6 All laws passed by the SGA governing approved student organizations shall be compiled into a singular document and sent to the leaders of the student organization at the beginning of each school year.
+
+ ***ARTICLE 6, SECTION 4\. STUDENT AND STUDENT ORGANIZATION APPLICATION UPDATES***
+
+ 6.4.1 The SGA shall strive to keep students and student organizations apprised of the status of their applications to itself or its constituent bodies – including committees, class councils, the SAC, and the CMC.
+
+ 6.4.1.1 For applications requiring two or more weeks to approve or deny, the following measures shall be used to maintain these channels of communication:
+
+ 6.4.1.1.1 Students shall have the right to request an update on their application’s progress every two weeks, even if a final outcome cannot be provided at that time.
+
+ 6.4.1.1.2 For each application process, the SGA shall publish an estimated timeline with general stages and timeframes on the process of approval and denial, as well as relevant points of contacts, on the SGA website.
+
+ > > > > > > 6.4.1.1.2.1 The SGA shall email the aforementioned timeline to all application submissions’ authors.
+
+ **ARTICLE 7\. ADVISORS**
+
+ ***ARTICLE 7, SECTION 1\.*** There shall exist SGA advisors who shall be resources when called upon by the SGA.
+
+ ***ARTICLE 7, SECTION 2\.*** The SGA, in conjunction with the Office of the Dean of Student Life shall appoint one (1) SGA Advisor for the SGA at large, one (1) Class Council Advisor for each council, one (1) Finance advisor for the Committee on Finance, and one (1) Student Organizations Advisor for the Committee on Student Organizations.
+
+ **ARTICLE 8\. AMENDMENTS AND RATIFICATION**
+
+ ***ARTICLE 8, SECTION 1\.*** These Bylaws, unless specified below, may only be amended and ratified by a two-thirds vote of the entire membership of the Senate.
+
+ ***ARTICLE 8, SECTION 2\. SEMANTIC AMENDMENTS***
+
+ 8.2.1 Amendments that do not change the intention of a line in the Bylaws may be made by the Internal Affairs without a Senate vote.
+
+ 8.2.1.1 The Internal Affairs Committee will notify the Senate of these changes.