Lee College Student Government Association By-Laws


Article I – Mission Statement

To promote student activities and student presence on campus, and to act as the student voice, mediating between students and campus administration.

Article II – Membership

Section 1 – Who are Members. Membership in the SGA consists of active and provisional members.
A.      Active Members - Each officially sanctioned club shall be able to have only two representatives and these representatives shall be considered active members. An active member of the SGA shall be a student who has met and maintained the requirements as started in Article 2, Section 2. Active members shall be the only members with the right to vote. Two officers of each executive board shall also be considered active members. A member of an executive board, who is not voting on behalf of their executive board, may represent and vote for another student club, but only if another member of that club is present and voting in the general senate assembly.

B.      Provisional Members ¬– Provisional membership will be granted to men and women who have attended one SGA meeting. Provisional members shall be entitled to all the privileges of full membership, except the right to vote.

Section 2 – Eligibility of Active Membership. To be an active member in the SGA a student must meet the following requirements:

A.      Be enrolled in Lee College.
B.      Adhere to school conduct code and possess recognized qualities of citizenship.
C.      Be selected as a representative of their club, as per their club by-laws.

Section 3 – Eligibility of Officially Sanctioned Clubs. A club must meet the following requirements to be considered an officially sanctioned club.

A.      Have two formally trained officers, as per State Bill 2639.
B.      Attend five SGA meetings, if the club is older than a single semester.
C.      Have submitted three sets of minutes from official club meetings to the student activities director, from the previous semester, if the club existed at that time.

Section 4- Eligibility of Officially Sanctioned Clubs to Receive Funds for Conventions and or Workshops.
A.   Upon returning, they must provide a formal report regarding the convention and or workshop inclusive of hard copy material to shared with the senate and executive board.

Section 5 – Executive Boards. An executive board is a student organization, recognized by the SGA, and formed for a specific oversight function. They are not required to have a general membership.

Article III – Advisor

Section 1 – The advisor shall be responsible for the guidance of activities.

Section 2 – The advisor shall oversee the completion of the annual report.

Section 3 -  The advisor shall not be a voting member.

Section 4 -  The advisor shall be responsible for coordinating financial activities,
                approving fund requests, and reviewing financial statements.
Section 5 – The SGA executive board may request that the advisor assume the
responsibilities of an empty board position, until such time that the
position is filled. The advisor is not required to accept.

Article IV – Officers

Section 1 – The SGA shall have the following officers (in order of rank) on its
executive board: President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary, Parliamentarian, and Public Relations.
A.      Terms of Office. Each officer shall serve a two-semester term.
B.      Election to Office.
1)      All candidates for office must have attended a minimum of two meetings of the general assembly of the SGA, completed 12 hours, be currently enrolled in 6 hours, and have a 2.0 cumulative GPA

2)      Election times shall be set by the current SGA executive board.
3)      The inauguration of each officer shall be held after the new officers are elected.
4)      Nominations from the floor shall be closed the meeting prior to elections.
5)      In case of an officer’s resignation or removal, an election shall be held to elect a new officer. Nominations shall be made from the floor and will be made at the first meeting following the resignation of the officer. The election shall be held the meeting following the nomination.

C.      Removal from Office. An officer may be removed from office in any one of the following circumstances.
1)      He/she is no longer a member of the SGA.
2)      Three-fourths of the active members request by petition that any such officer be removed.
3)      Another officer begins impeachment proceedings, as outlined in Robert’s Rules of Order.
D.      Executive Board. The SGA executive board shall consist of the elected officers.

Section 2 – Duties of Officers.  The duties of the SGA officers are as follows:
A.      President
1)      Preside over all business meetings.
2)      Vote only in case of a tie.
3)      Present business to the organization.
4)      Represent the organization at all times.
5)      Develop goals for the organization with the help of the advisor and other members.
6)      Responsible for implementing the organization’s social activities.
7)      Assisting the organization’s advisor in coordinating travel.
8)      Responsible for the overseeing of any SGA-sponsored activities for the campus and/or community.
9)      Serve on the President’s Council.
10)     Chair the Student Leadership Council
B.      Vice-President
1)      Perform all duties of the president in the event of the President’s absence.
2)      Serve on the Planning Committee.
C.      Treasurer
1)      Maintain the club’s bank account.
2)      Receive and deposit all funds.
3)      Keep a financial record, which shall be reviewed annually before the office is relinquished.
4)      Present a financial report at each meeting.
5)      Place all records in the official record book at the end of the semester.
D.      Secretary
1)      Take minutes of the meetings.
2)      Read minutes of meetings as required.
3)      Keep a full record of club functions.
4)      Contact members about meetings and club activities.
5)      Place all records in the official record book at the end of the semester.

E.      Parliamentarian.
1)      Serve as Sergeant at Arms at the meetings.
2)      Enforce the use of Robert’s Rules of Order at all meetings.
3)      Have final say on questions of parliamentary procedure.
4)      Chair the By-Laws committee.
5)      See to it that the By-Laws are never suspended.
F.      Public Relations.
1)      Prepare posters and leaflets to promote the SGA and their activities.
2)      Assist the secretary in keeping records.
3)      Maintain a relationship with other organizations and faculty on campus.
4)      Prepare the SGA Scrapbook at the end of the Spring semester.

Article V – Meetings

Section 1 – All business meetings shall follow the general agenda:
Order of Business
Call to Order
Roll Call
Reading of the Minutes (if requested)
Officer Reports
Committee Reports
Old Business
New Business
Open Forum
Adjournment
Section 2 – The current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern all business meetings.

Section 3 – Times and dates of business meetings shall be set by the officers.

Article VI – Committees

Section 1 – The President shall select the chair of the committees, except when previously defined, and the chair shall select the members of the committees from the current or provisional members.

Section 2 – A verbal report of all committee meetings shall be given at each meeting of the general assembly.

Article VII – Finances

Section 1 – Sources of funds shall include but not be limited to the following:
A.      Fundraising projects voted on by a majority of the active members or by approval of the Executive Board.
B.      Budgetary grants from Lee College.
C.      Gifts or donations.

Section 2 – Financial records of the chapter shall be reviewed annually by the Advisor.

Article VIII – By-Laws

Section 1 – By-laws shall be passed by a simple majority of the active members.

Section 2 – The Executive Board shall do interpretations of the by-laws with a two-thirds majority of the board.

Section 3 – The Secretary and the Parliamentarian shall keep a permanent record of all by-laws on file.

Article IX – Amendments

The by-laws shall be amended by a vote of two-thirds of the active members present at any regular meeting, provided that the proposed amendment has been presented at a previous meeting.




Article X – Quorum

Section 1 – Quorum shall be met if seven clubs are represented. If quorum is not met, then announcements can be made, but no other business is to be conducted or discussed.

Section 2 – If during the course of a meeting quorum is lost for any reason, the chair shall declare that quorum has been lost, and no further business can be done.

Section 3 – Members of executive boards do not count towards quorum, either as members or the board itself, or as members of another club.

Standing Rules

Note – These standing rules can be suspended; they are the only part of these By-Laws that can be suspended. If new standing rules are presented, then they can be voted on for approval at the same meeting that they were presented.

A – If there is a proposal for money, then it is to be voted on at the general assembly following the meeting it was presented at.

B – An advisor, administrator, or faculty member cannot speak, outside of open forum, unless specifically called on by the chair.