Student Life > Student Government Association > Constitution of the Student Government Association

Constitution of the Student Government Association

Revised March 2009

Article I

Mission Statement
The Student Government Association shall be established in order to represent and serve the diverse student body of Daytona State College. The SGA shall promote the development of leadership and organizational skills, provide a medium of communication between students and administration, and facilitate and assist with clubs, services and other activities throughout the college community.

Article II

Eligibility
To be eligible for a position on the Executive Board or as Senator, a student must be currently enrolled in at least two college, online, Bachelor’s program, or certificate classes at the given campus that they will represent. If and only if a position has not been elected, the open position can be pursued by a currently enrolled college credit, online, Bachelor’s program, or certificate student at any campus. A Daytona State College cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher must be maintained while in the SGA. A student must also be in good standing with Daytona State College. If elected, the student must maintain these requirements for the duration of his or her term of office. If the officer fails to maintain the GPA requirement of 2.5, the officer will be placed on a probationary period for the next semester that they are enrolled. This probationary period includes a midterm progress report which must show a 2.5 or higher.If the GPA does not improve, the officer will no longer be eligible to hold office. The probationary period will include a mid-term academic progress check. If the academic progress is satisfactory, the senator will no longer be on probation. If unsatisfactory, the senator will no longer be eligible to hold office. Any student who is seeking an Executive Board Position must have completed 12 credit hours at Daytona State College, a letter of recommendation from a Daytona State college faculty member, and a completed candidate application. Any student who is seeking a Student Representative position must complete an application, maintain a GPA of 2.0, and be in good standing with the college. Any Students entering Daytona State College from high school may seek a senate positions on a probationary period, with voting rights.

Section 1.1
Non-Discrimination

The Student Government Association shall in no way discriminate regardless of sex, race, religion, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, or marital status.The Student Government Association adheres to all federal and state laws regarding equal access/equal opportunity.

Article III

Section 1.1
Officers and Their Respective Duties

Each Student Government Officer shall have an individual title with specific duties to assist in the functioning of the SGA as a whole, and shall be responsible for organizing and participating on committees to assist the administration of these duties.All Student Government Officers shall use Robert’s Rules of Order, as a guide, and have a good working knowledge of the SGA Constitution, Bylaws, and Standing Rules of Order.The titles and responsibilities shall be as follows:

Executive Officer Positions

President: The President shall be responsible for ensuring that proper procedure is followed and shall conduct all meetings of the SGA with a nonpartisan view.

In addition, the President shall:

• Act as the official liaison between the SGA and Daytona State Faculty and Administration and shall be responsible for communication and coordination of activities between the two.
• The President shall inform the SGA members of any important dates that require the Board to be present.
• The president shall review all SGA documents and sign all financial documents.
• The President shall make appointments to fill any student vacancies on the board or other positions as deemed necessary by the board.
• The President can only vote in the case of a tie vote.
• He or she shall perform such other duties as outline in the bylaws and standing rules of order.

Executive Vice President: The Executive Vice President shall act as a direct liaison between Branch Campus Vice Presidents and the SGA.

• In the event that the President leaves office for any reason, the Executive Vice President will become President with all duties and privileges held in that office
  • He or She shall act as the official spokesperson in the absence of the President at any time, place, or situation.
  • The Executive Vice President shall review all SGA documents and sign all financial documents in the absence of the President.
  • The new President shall appoint a replacement Executive Vice President.
• The Executive President shall facilitate and supervise activities and duties of all members of the SGA.
• The Executive Vice President shall be responsible for overseeing all projects approved by the entire SGA body.
• The Executive Vice President will also be the person for any Election Committees that occur throughout the officer’s term of service.
• The Executive Vice President shall maintain and organize a committee to handle the election of E-Board and Senators’ positions, count ballots, announce results, and maintain equality throughout the election process.
• He or she shall perform such other duties as outlined by the bylaws and standing rules of order

Executive Secretary: The Secretary shall be responsible for recording the roll and minutes at all SGA meetings, and shall receive all correspondence addresses to SGA

• The Secretary shall maintain all official documents and records of the SGA.
• The individual has the right to call a meeting to order in the absence of the President and Executive Vice President until the election of a chairman pro term..
• The Secretary shall post copies of the minutes at predetermined locations and distribute them to all branch campuses, no later than the next SGA meeting.
• The Secretary shall keep records of votes if called “recording of votes” by any SGA board member.
• He or she shall perform all other duties as outlined in the bylaws and standing rules of order.

Executive Treasurer:The treasurer of SGA shall be responsible for maintaining the treasury of SGA.

• The officer shall prepare SGA yearly budget proposals for submission to the Director of Student Activities.
• The officer shall assist clubs in preparing requisitions for submission to SGA.
• The Treasurer must also sign all financial documents.
• He or she shall perform such other duties as outlined in the bylaws and standing rules of order.

Vice President (4) of Branch Campuses: Each one of the branch campuses Vice Presidents shall serve as liaisons between their respective the branch campus senators and the Daytona Beach Campus and work closely with the branch campus senators to help in the planning of activities and events.

These Vice Presidents shall include:

(1) Flagler/Palm Coast
(2) South
(3) West.
(4) Deltona

• The Vice President must take one or more classes on the campus they are representing to ensure that branch campus students are receiving adequate services on that campus.
• The Vice President shall be responsible for overseeing all projects on that campus, and shall report directly to the Executive Vice President.
• The Vice President is responsible for distributing flyers, minutes, and general information to their campus.
• The Branch Campus Vice Presidents are members of the Executive Board and should none of the other executive officers be present, than the Branch campus Vice Presidents shall perform the duties of President in the order of West, South, Flagler/Palm Coast, Deltona.
• He or she shall perform such other duties as outlined in the bylaws and by the Campus Deans.

Senator Positions

Senator of Activities:The Senator of Activities shall be responsible for working with the President and Executive Vice President in drafting and implementing ideas for events and activities that represent the student bodies’ needs and ideas.

• The senator of Activities shall assist the Student Activities Department in planning and coordinating student activities.
• The Senator will work closely with campus clubs and help them plan campus activities.
• He or she shall perform such other duties as outlined in the bylaws and standing rules of order.

Senator of Public Relations: The Senator of Public Relations shall be responsible for promoting awareness and involvement between the SGA and the off-and-on campus communities.

• The senator shall encourage student involvement in local community services, cultural events, and similar areas of interest.
• The senator shall act as a liaison between the SGA and the Marketing Department, and In-Motion for coordination and communication.
• He or she shall perform such other duties as outlined in the bylaws and standing rules of order.

Senator of Athletics: The Senator of Athletics shall serve as the liaison between the SGA and the Athletics department, coordinating activities between the two.

• The senator shall encourage student participation in campus athletic programs, such as the Intramural department, and represent student interests.
• The senator is responsible for representing or appointing someone to represent the Athletic Committee.
• He or she shall perform such other duties as outlined in the bylaws and standing rules of order.

Senator of Academic Affairs and Student Services:This Senator shall evaluate and act as an advocate for students’ interests in services being offered by departments such as Food Services, Security, the Bookstore, Counseling Center, Physical Plant, and Disabled Student Services to ensure that the needs of the students are properly met.

• The Senator is responsible for representing or appointing a student to the Academic Standards Committee.
• The Senator shall also be responsible for representing student interests in matters concerning curriculum, tutoring, grading resources, student faculty relations, tuition, and financial aid.
• He or she shall perform such duties as outlined in the bylaws and standing rules of order.

Parliamentarian:The Parliamentarian shall advise officers on procedures, may question business transactions to ensure that proper procedures are followed, serve as a consultant to the chair, and state rulings of controversial votes and elections.

• The officer will act impartially and officially with Robert’s Rules of Order to ensure proper parliamentarian procedure is followed in all meetings of the SGA.
• The Parliamentarian shall advise the presiding officer when serious errors occur, but the responsibility for the decisions rest with the chairman.
• The Parliamentarian shall be a non-voting member of the SGA, appointed by the President or Acting President of the SGA.
• The Parliamentarian shall act as Sergeant of Arms at each SGA meeting.
• He or she shall perform such other duties as outlined in the bylaws and the standing rules of order.

Senators (4) of Branch Campuses: The Senator for each Branch Campus shall report directly to the Branch Campus Vice President and work closely together on projects for that campus and shall plan activities and events to benefit students on the campus he or she represents.

These Senators include:

(1) Flagler/Palm Coast,
(2) South,
(3) West.
(4) Deltona

• Branch Senators must take at least one or more classes on the campus they are representing.
• He or she shall perform such other duties as outlined in the bylaws and standing rules of order.

Section 2
Nominations and Elections

Section 2.1: Elections for all SGA positions will be held in the spring of each year.Students intending to run for any student SGA position shall submit an application and a petition signed by fifty students including the last four digits of their social security number or I.D. number, to the Election Committee Person.

Section 2.2:All officers will be available for re-election every Spring Semester. If an SGA member chooses to stay in his or her office for another term, they must go through the formal election process.

Section 2.3: Any student wishing to seek an SGA Position must meet and comply with the following criteria:

1. Must have a Daytona State Grade Point Average of 2.5 or better.
2. Must be currently enrolled, and in good standing with Daytona State.
3. Enrolled in at least six credit hours at Daytona State.
4. Attend at least 2 consecutive weekly SGA meetings prior to election.
5. Obtain given amount of student signatures and last 4 digits of ID# as stated in Section 2.1.
6. Attend all pre-election activities. (Students attending class are excused).
7. Must show all receipts for campaigning expenses. (Not to exceed $100).
8. No candidate may use school materials or copying equipment. Any Daytona State online resources, web pages and/or any software owned by the college cannot be used for campaigning.
9. Candidates are encouraged to be creative, and expected to use good judgment. Any candidates found defacing other candidates campaigning materials will be immediately disqualified.
10. No campaigning will take place within 100ft. of voting polls during the voting period.
11. All campaigning materials are to be removed within 5 days following the elections.
12. Any candidates’ grievances regarding the election process must be filed with the elections’ chair within 2 weeks of the elections.

Candidates must meet all of the above criteria or he or she will be in violation of the constitution and will be disqualified.

Section 3.1
Terms of Office

The term of office for all SGA members shall be one academic year barring any unforeseen circumstances such as resignation or impeachment.

Article IV

Section 1.1
Organization of Board

The Student Government Association shall consist of four branches:

1. A board comprised up to 17 students elected or appointed by the student body of Daytona State.
2. Student Committees organized by the SGA.
3. Council of Administrative Committee Representatives recommended by the SGA to serve on Administrative Committees.
4. The Executive Board, which consists of the President, Vice Presidents, Treasurer and Secretary.

Section 2.1
SGA Meetings

The SGA shall hold weekly meetings to be held at the Daytona Beach Campus, Building 130, Room # 154 at a date and time agreed upon by majority vote by the SGA Board. In addition the Main and Branch Campuses will exchange their agendas and minutes in order to stay informed about each campus’s events and proposals.

Article V

Section 1.1
Amendments

This Constitution and its bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the SGA. All amendments must be submitted by writing to the President or Executive Vice President and the entire SGA at the time of the meeting to be voted upon. Upon its approval, the amendment must be signed by the majority of the SGA to be ratified. If the amendment is approved, the person(s) submitting it must ensure that the changes are incorporated into the constitution by the following SGA meeting. Once the new Constitution is voted upon and approved by majority vote, it becomes active that very moment.

Daytona State College. 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd. Daytona Beach, Florida 32114 - (386) 506-3000

Daytona State College prohibits discrimination and assures equal access, equal educational opportunity and equal employment opportunity to all persons regardless of age, ancestry, belief, color, disability, ethnicity, genetic information, gender, marital status, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sex, and veteran status. Our pledge covers recruitment, admission, registration, financial help, counseling, advising, course offerings, extracurricular programs, facilities, health services, athletics, employment and its privileges and benefits. To obtain more information about the College's equal access and equal opportunity policies, procedures and practices, please telephone Dr. Job B. Clement, Chair of the Equity committee, at (386) 506-3403, or write to him at: 1200 W. International Speedway Blvd. Daytona Beach, Fl. 32114