Campus Life
Upward Bound - Student Government Association
Constitution of the Student Government Association Preamble:
We, the students of the Upward Bound program of Lincoln Memorial University, do hereby establish this constitution for the Upward Bound program Student Government at Lincoln Memorial University. It shall derive its powers and responsibilities from the Upward Bound program. This constitution shall provide the student body with an effective means of self-government which shall be consistent with the policies of the program and the institution. The Student Government, through the efforts of its members and with the aid from the administration, shall promote cooperation between the students and administration of Upward Bound in solving problems pertaining to the general interest of the students.
Article I: Name
Section I: The name of this organization shall and will be known as the Student
Government Association (SGA) of Upward Bound.
Section II: The members of this organization shall be known as Upward
Bounders.
Article II: Purpose
Section 1: To act as a representative body to express the ideas, requests, and
desires of the students of the Upward Bound Program of Lincoln
Memorial University.
Section 2: To provide for the realization of the objectives enumerated in the
Preamble.
Section 3: To promote the democratic method in order to provide equal
opportunities for all students.
Section 4: To preserve and create worthwhile rules and regulations.
Section 5: To encourage the inclusion of students in considering Upward Bound
policies and affairs.
Section 6: To act as a body to advise in the administrating of punitive actions for
infringement of regulations.
Article III: Membership
Section 1: All students who are enrolled in the Upward Bound program of
Lincoln Memorial University shall be members of the Student
Government.
Section 2: To qualify for an elected position in the SGA one must be enrolled in
Upward Bound and must have at least a 2.5 grade point average,
based on a 4.0 scale.
Article IV: Duties of Members
Section 1: To consider and advise upon cases of discipline submitted to the
Student Government. Section 2: To formulate regulations governing the privileges of the students in
conformity with established regulations relative to student activities,
and to see that such regulations are enforced.
Article V: Officers
Section 1: The officers of the organization shall be President, Vice-President,
Secretary and two representatives from each residence halls.
Section 2: Elected officers of the SGA can be elected for consecutive terms with
the exception of the office of the President, who can serve only one
year.
Article VI: Election Process
Section 1: The election of new officers shall take place during the second week
of the summer Upward Bound program.
Section 2: Candidates shall be chosen in light of their qualifications and ability
to do the job. The nominating process shall consist of: a. Any student wishing to run for an office in SGA will give his/her name to the counselor prior to the nominating meeting. b. A special group meeting will be called to nominate additional candidates for each office.
Section 3: Candidates will be required to give a speech prior to the elections with
the exception of the representatives.
Section 4: Voting shall be by secret ballot.
Section 5: Officers shall be elected by the simple majority of the persons voting.
Section 6: The following guidelines will be adhered to during the election of
officers: a. Voting in all SGA elections is limited to Upward Bound students. b. Elections for Executive Council members will be open to all Upward Bound students. c. Residence hall representatives will be elected by a vote of students in that residence hall. d. In the event of a tie, a special election for only those tying candidates, will be held within three academic days of the original election. e. Ballots marked improperly will be voided. f. Election results will be given at the end of group meeting or recreation that same day. g. Any candidate wishing a recount must submit his/her request in writing to the SGA advisor within twenty-four hours of the posting of the election results.
Article VII: Meetings of Executive and Legislative Branch
Section 1: Meetings shall be held once a week in the summer session.
Section 2: Special meetings shall be called by the President at any time he/she
deems necessary.
Section 3: A majority vote of the officers is sufficient to pass a motion.
Article VIII: The Executive Branch
Section 1: The Executive Branch shall be called the Executive Council.
Section 2: The Executive Council shall consist of the following three officers: 1. President 2. Vice-President 3. Secretary
Section 3: Powers and responsibilities of the Executive Council will be as
follows:
1. Executive Council: a. The Executive Council shall have the authority to review each piece of proposed legislation and recommend specific changes prior to its being presented to the SGA membership. b. The Executive Council shall perform such other duties as shall be called for by the Constitution. c. The Executive Council in conjunction with the legislative branch shall plan and coordinate all activities for the year-end banquet. d. In cases of extreme emergency when the President and Vice-President are unavailable, the UB counselor may make immediate decisions on important matters that normally would be taken before SGA Executive Council.
2. President: a. The President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of the SGA and will be the chief spokesperson for all SGA activities and dealings. b. The President shall preside over all meetings of the SGA and of the Executive Council. c. The President may appoint (in writing) individuals to serve periodically as official spokesperson for the SGA d. The President, all other SGA officials, and representatives shall serve in office from his/her date of induction to the end of the summer program. e. The President has the right to yield the chair to the Vice-President during an official meeting to openly make known his/her feelings about any matter before the members, or other reason that he/she sees fit. The President shall reassume the chair once the item of business under discussion is completed. f. The President shall have the authority to assign additional duties to Executive Council members.
3. Vice-President: a. The Vice-President shall serve as the President, if the President, is absent, with full powers and responsibilities of the office. b. The Vice-President shall become President of the SGA in the event that the President is unable to complete the full term of office. c. The Vice-President shall be responsible for transmitting and presenting bills and/or resolutions passed by the SGA to the appropriate Upward Bound Staff for their consideration. This shall be done within two (2) days after the bill or resolution is passed by the SGA Executive Council. d. The Vice-President shall notify the SGA of the actions taken on the bills or resolutions by the Upward Bound staff.
4. Secretary: a. The Secretary shall record and report the minutes of each meeting of the SGA. b. The Secretary shall be responsible for handling all official correspondence of the SGA. c. The Secretary shall be responsible for delivering relevant SGA business material to the appropriate members of the Upward Bound staff. d. The Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining the files and records of the SGA. e. The Secretary shall work closely with the Vice-President to keep an accurate log of all bills and/or resolutions passed by the SGA.
Article IX: The Legislative Branch
Section 1: The Legislative Branch will consist of two (2) duly elected
representatives from each of the residence halls. a. Representatives shall have the power to speak and act for their constituents. b. Representatives may introduce bills and resolutions for consideration by the SGA or any matter pertaining to the interests of the Upward Bound student community. Bills and resolutions must be submitted to the Executive Council, for inclusion on the SGA agenda. Copies of any bills or resolutions presented by the representatives will be introduced by the secretary at the SGA meeting. c. Representatives are required to act as a liaison between the Executive Council and constituents of the residence halls during floor meetings. d. Representatives are expected to assist the Executive Council in carrying out activities that are approved by the SGA. Section 2: Regular meetings of the SGA will be held weekly on a set day, at a set place and at a set time; to be established by the SGA. Special meetings can be called by the President, Vice-President and/or advisor(s) to resolve emergency issues.
Section 3: Business shall be conducted by the SGA unless a quorum is present.
Section 4: Serving in conjunction with the Executive Council, the Legislature Branch shall plan and coordinate all activities for the year-end banquet.
Article X: The Judicial Branch
Section 1: The involvement of the SGA in the Judicial system of the Upward Bound program shall consist of their participation in the Judicial Council. The Judicial Council shall operate as an appeals body in cases involving Upward Bound students. The Judicial Council will hear objectives to decisions reached by the Upward Bound Staff; both as to the facts of the case and also as the appropriateness of the punishment applied.
Section 2: The Judicial Council shall consist of the following: a. Director of Upward Bound b. An Advisor. c. A Peer Mentor. d. SGA President. e. A representative from the residence hall.
Section 3: Procedures to be followed during the judicial procedure are as follows: a. The Director of Upward Bound will preside at the council meeting. b. Residence hall representatives are notified at the time of elections that they might have to serve on the Judicial Council. c. The choice of the representative and tutor counselor to serve on the Judicial Council will be left to the discretion of the director and the counselor. d. In cases heard by the Judicial Council, a decision will be reached by a majority vote of the Judicial Council present at the hearing. This decision will be presented to the proper authority as a recommendation.
Section 4: The Student Advocate:
A faculty member shall be designated to serve as a Student Advocate to help students prepare their cases for hearings before the Upward Bound Staff. The Student Advocate should be someone who is both familiar with the workings of the appeals system and interested in helping a student prepares his/her appeal.
Article XI: Attendance Requirements of SGA Officers
Section 1: All Executive Council members and Representatives are required to
attend all regular Student Government meetings.
Section 2: If a member cannot attend a meeting, he/she must notify the President within 24 hours of the Student Government meeting.
Section 3: Only emergency situations will be considered an excused absence from Student Government meetings.
Section 4: Forfeiture of his/her office will be assessed in writing on any Student Government member who has one unexcused absence per office term (one summer).
Section 5: All representatives are required to be on time for the meetings and anyone arriving more than five (5) minutes late will be counted as absent.
Section 6: The Vice-President will be responsible for investigating all cases involving forfeiture of an office in SGA.
Article XII: General and Special Elections
Section 1: The SGA will hold one general election and, if necessary, special elections each year as follow: 1. A summer general election shall be held within the first two weeks of the summer program. 2. If vacancies occur during the summer year, a special election will be held.
Article XIII: Amending and Abolishing the Constitution
Section 1: The Constitution of the Student Government Association of the Upward Bound program may in whole or in part be amended or abolished by the following procedure: 1. A proposal to amend or abolish any or all sections of the Constitution must be presented to the SGA. The change must then be approved by three-fourths majority of all SGA members. A simple majority vote of this membership will be sufficient to affect the passage of an amendment. 2. The ratified proposal must then be submitted to the Upward Bound staff for their approval. 3. The proposal is placed on the ballot of the next general election and must pass by three-fourths majority of the votes cast by the students of the Upward Bound program.
Article XIV: Referendum, Initiative, and Recall.
Section 1: A petition and/or show of hands of three-fourths of the total membership are mandatory for the president or organization to take action toward the said demand. The president or organization is not bound by the petition to give any particular decision regarding the matter in question; however, some type of immediate action is expected.
Section 2: A petition of four-fifths of the total membership is needed to consider the reversal of a decision by the president or organization.
Section 3: A written petition for the recall of any officer must be signed by four-fifths of the total membership and state specific grounds for removal. This will make it mandatory to call a special election. The election will be set by a pending officer to elect or act upon this petition (in case of a tie in the recall of an office, the Upward Bound staff will have the final decision).
Section 4: The Constitution shall become effective if it is ratified by a majority of two-thirds quorum of the Upward Bound student body.
Upward Bound
Lincoln Memorial University
6965 Cumberland Gap Parkway
Harrogate, TN 37752
Phone: 423.869.6373
