Undergraduate Student Association

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SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

Undergraduate Student Association Constitution

 
Founded September 1, 1912

Approved April 2001

Amended February 3, 2003

Approved April 18, 2003 

Amended March 19, 2007

Approved April 2, 2007

Approved October 2, 2009

ARTICLE 1. NAME 

The name of this organization shall be the Undergraduate Student Association.  

ARTICLE 2. PURPOSE 

The basic goals of the Undergraduate Student Association of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, here after referred to as the Association, are: to unite in strong community those students who wish to promote the social, academic, cultural, and professional interests of the members; to build a close, secure unity of action and cooperation in matters of mutual interest; to maintain a close relationship between students, faculty, and administration; and to make the Association a vital factor in College activities.   

The Association shall not discriminate, or promote any form of discrimination, on basis of race, gender, religion, national origin, age, handicap, sexual orientation, marital or veteran's status in any program, activity, or service.   

To meet its goals, the Association seeks to foster a true professional spirit among the student body, promote the individual welfare of every member, promote the interests of the College through its activities, and use its collective resources and organizational power to assure that the student body is allowed both the privilege of, and the responsibility for, involvement in all aspects of the College that are relevant to the students. To this end, the following constitution of the Undergraduate Student Association of the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry is hereby ordained and established.  

The Undergraduate Student Association shall serve as an advocate for student sentiment and needs by advising and cooperating with the Administration and Faculty on all administrative, curricular, and instructional affairs that pertain to, or are of concern to, the students. 

ARTICLE 3. MEMBERSHIP 

Section 1. All undergraduate, matriculated, fee-paying students of the College registered at the Syracuse campus shall be members.  

Section 2. Voting privileges at Association meetings shall be reserved for Undergraduate Student Association Executive and Senate body members.  

ARTICLE 4. UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT ASSOCIATION OFFICERS

Section 1. The governing body of the Undergraduate Student Association shall consist of an Executive body and a Senate body.  

Section 2. The governing body of the Undergraduate Student Association will be comprised of the following members:

1. Executive Officers: 14
2. Senators: 20 (5 per Class Affiliation) and 2 Per Major (Majors as determined by registrar)

Section 3.  

1. The Executive body of the Association shall consist of the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, Programming Co-Chairs (2), Board of Trustees Representative, ESF/SU Liaisons (2), Marketing and Recruitment Committee Chairperson, Senior Class Chair, Junior Class Chair, Sophomore Class Chair and the First Year Class Chair.
2. The Senate body of the Association shall consist of five senators representing each class level. Class Affiliation will be determined by credit hours in accordance with the College Registrar. In addition, there will be two senators representing each major regardless of class affiliation. The number of major-specific senators will be determined by the number of official majors endorsed by the College Registrar.

Section 4.

Qualification of Executive Officer Nominees:

1. Presidential candidates shall have a SUNY ESF cumulative and semester grade point average of at least a 2.2 and must not be on academic or disciplinary probation at the end of the semester preceding elections.
2. The remaining officers of the Association shall have a SUNY ESF cumulative and semester grade point average of at least a 2.000 and must not be on academic or disciplinary probation at the end of the semester preceding elections.
3. All nominees for officer positions shall be undergraduate students, with the exception of nominees for the Student Member of the Board of Trustees, which may also include graduate students.
4. All first semester students (First Year or Transfers) shall be allowed to run for office and their GPA eligibility shall be evaluated upon completion of their first semester.

Section 5.

Qualifications for Senate Nominees:

1. To be eligible for nomination, a student must have a SUNY ESF cumulative and semester grade point average of at least a 2.000 and must not be on academic or disciplinary probation at the end of the semester preceding elections.
2. All nominees must be undergraduate students and may only run for a position in the curriculum and/ or class standing in which they are enrolled.
3. All first semester students (First Year or Transfers) shall be allowed to run for office and their GPA eligibility shall be evaluated upon completion of their first semester.

ARTICLE 5. MEETINGS OF THE UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT ASSOCIATION 

Section 1. Meetings of the Undergraduate Student Association shall be held weekly, except during vacation or examination periods. Special or emergency meetings may be called at the discretion of the President. 

Section 2. All meetings shall be guided by the rules of Parliamentary Law. A copy of ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDER shall be kept by the parliamentarian of the council, and all business not otherwise governed by this Constitution and Bylaws shall be guided by the rules established.  

Section 3. Any member of the Association may attend meetings of the Undergraduate Student Association. Said attendance does not include the right to vote (See Article 3, Section 2). The gallery/spectators may be cleared at the discretion of the President.  

Section 4. Funded clubs and organizations are required to attend 3 Undergraduate Student Association meetings each semester. Non-funded organizations are strongly encouraged to attend Undergraduate Student Association meetings.   

Section 5. The governing body of the Undergraduate Student Association shall be required to attend all Undergraduate Student Association meetings, including any special or emergency meetings as called by the President.  

Section 6. The governing members of the Undergraduate Student Association are required to help sell USA Event tickets each year.  

Section 7. The governing members of the Undergraduate Student Association are required to participate in community service projects each semester totaling a minimum of five hours.   

Section 8. Three unexcused absences, from any of these responsibilities, during an academic year shall constitute a violation of Article 5, Section 5. With a two-thirds approval of the voting Undergraduate Student Association members present, the violating member may be relieved of their position in the Undergraduate Student Association. 

Section 9. Excuses for absence must be submitted in written form and presented to the President or Secretary of the Association prior to the meeting for which the excuse is requested, unless the absence is due to illness.  

Section 10. Officers in violation of attendance rules and facing dismissal shall be given the opportunity to present mitigating circumstances to Undergraduate Student Association one week following the third absence. 

Section 11. The Executive Body of the Association shall meet at least 2 times per semester to review the goals set by the Association.

ARTICLE 6. ADOPTION AND AMENDMENTS 

Section 1. A simple majority vote of at least one third of the student body is needed to adopt the constitution.  

Section 2. Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed as motions by any Undergraduate Student Association Governing Body member present during an Undergraduate Student Association meeting. A vote of two-thirds majority of the Undergraduate Student Association present is required for the motion to pass and to become an official amendment proposal.  

Section 3. Any member of the student body may propose amendments to the Constitution, but if a proposed amendment does not receive a two-thirds majority vote of the governing body of the Undergraduate Student Association present, it may still be presented to the Association in a general referendum. This is accomplished through a petition submitted to the Vice President of the Undergraduate Student Association in favor of bringing the proposed amendments before the Association. The petition must be signed by at least 150 members of the Association.  

Section 4. All proposed amendments to this Constitution must be posted on the public bulletin boards, publicized in the student newspaper and student activities e-mail, and on the College website at least two weeks prior to voting on the amendments. One week after the proposed amendments are posted, an open meeting of the student body will be held to discuss the amendments. 

Section 5. Following the two-week period of publicity, approval of proposed amendments occurs by a simple majority vote of one third of the student body.  

Section 6. Amendments shall be formulated by the Constitution Review Committee.