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18 lines added, 16 removed
Constitution of the
Student Government Association at the Johns Hopkins University
- Ratified: April 1st, 2026
+ Ratified: September 15th, 2026
**Table of Contents**
... 155 unchanged lines
*Section Four: Attendance*
- 1. Attendance at Senate and Committee meetings is required of senators, and excused absences shall be granted at the discretion of the chair of the meeting for extenuating circumstances.
- 1. If the member misses a total of 4 unexcused meetings per semester, they are automatically removed from the SGA.
- 2. Attendance at another SGA event beyond the required Senate and Committee meetings can be required by the President of the Senate, but this requirement can be overturned by a ⅔ vote of the Senate. Further, in such cases, legitimate, previously held time conflicts shall be accommodated with an excused absence.
+ 1. Specific attendance policies, including but not limited to, maximum number of and categories absences will be prescribed by the procedure established in the Senate Bylaws.
*Section Five: Special Rules*
... 48 unchanged lines
*Section Two: Ad-hoc Committees*
The Senate may, by a 2/3 vote, convene ad-hoc committees to deal with matters of great importance. Such committees will expire at the end of an academic semester.
- **Article VII: Caucuses**
+ **Article VII: Caucus Senators**
- 1. Caucuses shall be established by the Senate for representation of a defined body of students with unique challenges and perspectives, and which are currently represented by a cohort of student organizations. The number and type of caucuses shall be outlined in the bylaws; as such, a caucus can be proposed through a bylaws amendment.
- 2. A Bylaws amendment establishing a Caucus shall include procedures for internal elections of a Chair for situations in which the Chair position is not eligible for a school-wide election, and for when vacancies in the role arise. Chairs must be confirmed by a majority vote of the Senate.
- 3. Any bylaws amendment which seeks to establish a caucus shall be accompanied with a non-legislative addendum outlining the following:
- 1. Purpose of the caucus.
- 2. Goals of the caucus.
- 3. The first Chair of the Caucus.
- 4. Why there is a need for this caucus on campus.
- 5. The signatures of at least 50 interested individuals.
- 4. Caucus membership is open to all Homewood undergraduate students, including current SGA members.
- 5. The Caucus shall be chaired by the representative elected by a school-wide election as defined by Article IV Section 1, with one chair for each caucus. If the Caucus is not yet eligible for a school-wide election as defined by Article IV Section 1, the Caucus shall be chaired by the potential first Chair defined in the non-legislative addendum of the establishing legislation.
- 6. 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.
+ 1. Caucus Senators shall be established for the purpose of representing defined bodies of students with unique challenges, perspectives, or identities, and which are currently represented by a cohort of student organizations.
+ 2. The number and type of Caucus Senator positions shall be outlined in the Bylaws; as such, a Caucus Senator position may be proposed through a Bylaws amendment.
+ 3. Any Bylaws amendment establishing a Caucus Senator position shall be accompanied by a non-legislative addendum outlining:
+ 1. The first Senator representing the caucus.
+ 2. The purpose of representing the particular group.
+ 3. The goals of representation.
+ 4. Why representation is needed on campus.
+ 5. The signatures of at least 40 interested individuals from the undergraduate student body.
+ 4. Caucus Senator positions are open to all Homewood undergraduate students, including current SGA members.
+ 5. Caucus Senators shall be elected by a school-wide election as defined in Article IV Section 1\.
+ 6. Caucus Senators are expected to maintain active engagement with their Representation Group as defined in the Bylaws.
**Article VIII: Removal Procedures and Vacancies**
*Section One: Recall*
... 46 unchanged lines
**Article IX: Constitutional Amendments**
1. This Constitution may be amended by a ¾ vote of the entire membership of the Senate.
+ 1. Any Senator may introduce legislation to amend the Constitution of the SGA by submitting a bill to the President of the Senate as described in the bylaws.
+ 2. Once introduced to the Senate, the legislation shall go through first reading. If passed by ¾ vote of the Senate who are present, it shall go through committee review as described in the bylaws. The proposed amendment shall proceed to second reading at the GBM immediately following first reading, unless tabled, even if the committee does not review the bill.
+ 3. Committee review may be waived only by unanimous consent to discharge by the membership of the Senate who are present.
+ 4. Following committee review or discharge, the bill will go through second reading and shall require a ¾ vote of the entire membership of the Senate to become law.
2. Semantic Amendments (amendments related to incorrect grammar, terminology, or specifying acronyms) may be made by the Internal Affairs without a Senate vote. The Internal Affairs Committee will notify the Senate of these changes.