By-Laws

Article I. Meetings

Section A.

Attendance of meetings by all current voting membership shall be mandatory. In the event that a member must miss a meeting for any foreseeable reason the following must occur:

1. Every member must notify via email the President of the BOG of his/her absence 2 calendar days prior to the meeting, unless an emergency or illness arises.
2. It is at the discretion of the President to accept or decline the excuse from the member.
3. The member may appeal the decision of the president to the Executive Committee in writing.
4. The Executive Committee may overturn the decision of the President by a 2/3 vote of all current voting membership.
5. Any member that has three or more unexcused absences in any one academic year shall be asked to resign by the President.

In the event that a member is unable to fulfill responsibilities, a proxy may be requested.

1. A majority of the BOG must approve a proxy.
2. A proxy may serve for no more than one semester in any given academic year.
3. The BOG member for whom a proxy is granted must remain involved with the BOG.
4. In the event a proxy is not granted, the member must resign, or fulfill his/her duties.
5. A proxy will have regular voting rights.

Section B.

Business of the BOG shall be conducted in the following order:

1. All matters brought before the BOG for consideration shall be routinely submitted to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee shall then refer matters to the proper committee, if necessary. The committee will bring its recommendations to the Executive Committee for action by the BOG. The Executive Committee will present its recommendation to the BOG for final consideration and action. The order of business shall be as follows:
   1. Approval of agenda
   2. Approval of minutes
   3. President's report
   4. Director's report
   5. Committee reports
   6. Other reports
   7. Old business
   8. New business
   9. Announcements
   10. Good of the order

Section C.

All business of the BOG shall be conducted according to Roberts' Rules, except as modified by the BOG. All present voting members of the BOG must vote on every question called before the BOG, except when excused by the BOG. All meetings of the BOG shall be open to the public unless a simple majority of the BOG votes to hold a closed session. The BOG shall remain mindful that it is in our best interest to be an open body.

Section D.

Minutes shall be kept at all meetings of the BOG. Minutes shall be taken by SUA Office Manager, or their designee.

Article II. Officers of the Student Unions & Activities Board of Governors

Section A.

The officers of the BOG shall be comprised of the president, vice president and all standing-committee chairs.

Section B.

The officers of the BOG, except the MPAC President, shall be elected by the current voting membership at the second to last meeting of the academic year. Newly elected officers will preside over the BOG at the final meeting of the current academic year and shall hold office for one calendar year. Elections shall follow the subsequent procedure:

1. Nominations (nominees must be present or have accepted in writing)
2. 2 minute introduction by each nominee
3. 1 minute of questions for each nominee
4. BOG discussion of all nominees
5. All elections shall be conducted by secret ballot, which are then counted by designee(s) of the President
6. MPAC President shall be selected according to MPAC's established procedure.

Section C.

Officers of the BOG must be student members.

Section D.

The duties of the respective officers shall be as follows:

1. The President of the BOG shall:
   • Be the spokesperson for the BOG
   • Work with the Director in handling all external communications
   • Be responsible for running all Board meetings, should have basic knowledge of Roberts' Rules
   • Be able to actively engage the entire board in discussion of issues and involvement on committees
   • Be responsible to express views and opinions of the entire BOG, with the understanding that his/her own personal opinions/views should not bias the outcome of any board decisions
   • Serve as a liaison between the administration and the BOG
   • Serve as a liaison between other student organizations and the BOG
   • Be responsible for reading and responding to student union issues in the MN Daily
   • Be comfortable with public speaking
   • Attend weekly Executive Committee meetings
   • Attend weekly meetings with the Director of SUA
   • Be flexible with schedule and ready to attend meetings on short notice
   • Attend all BOG meetings
2. The Vice President shall:
   • Be responsible for running all Executive Committee meetings
   • Oversee BOG committees to make sure work is completed and issues are addressed in a timely manner
   • Handle internal board communication with committee chairs and the BOG
   • Represent the BOG and/or runs BOG meetings in the absence of the President
   • Attend weekly Executive Committee meetings
   • Be flexible with schedule
   • Attend all BOG meetings
3. The Communications Chair shall:
   • Be responsible for meeting regularly with their advisor
   • Hold regular meetings with their committee members
   • Be responsible for accomplishing the tasks assigned to the committee
   • Attend Executive Committee meetings
4. The Finance Committee chair shall:
   • Be responsible for meeting regularly with their advisor
   • Hold regular meetings with their committee members
   • Be responsible for accomplishing the tasks assigned to the committee
   • Attend Executive Committee meetings
5. The Policies Committee chair shall:
   • Be responsible for meeting regularly with their advisor
   • Hold regular meetings with their committee members
   • Be responsible for accomplishing the tasks assigned to the committee
   • Attend Executive Committee meetings
6. The MPAC President shall:
   • Be responsible for meeting regularly with their advisor
   • Hold regular meetings with their committee members
   • Be responsible for accomplishing the tasks assigned to the committee
   • Attend Executive Committee meetings

Article III. Removal

Section A.

In the event that a member of the BOG shall call for the removal of another member or of an officer, the following shall take place:

1. The member(s) shall in writing explain just cause that the officer or member should be removed and will have the right to present the issue to the full BOG for action.
2. The officer or member in question has the right to appeal the claim, and a right to speak in defense of him/herself.
3. The question can be called for a vote. It takes a 2/3 vote of all current voting members to remove any member or officer.
4. A seven-day minimum will be in place between the motion to remove and the vote to remove a BOG member.
5. In the event that the president is removed, the vice president shall take over all duties of the former president, and the space of vice president shall be called before the BOG for election.
6. All other vacancies shall be called before the BOG for election.
7. If an officer is removed, s/he also loses general BOG membership.

Article IV. Committees of the Student Unions & Activities Board of Governors

Section A.

There shall be the following standing committees of the BOG:

1. Executive Committee
   The committee shall be comprised of the president, vice president, all standing-committee chairs, and the director of SUA, who is ex-officio/non-voting.
   
   Role of the Executive Committee shall be as follows:
   • See all business prior to presentation to the BOG.
   • Appoint members to committees. All appointments shall be subject to approval by the BOG.
   • Establish the agenda of the BOG.
   • Refer items to the standing committees as deemed appropriate.
   • Call for reports and recommendations from the committees in a fashion, which maintains the effective functioning of the BOG.
   • Select from its membership official representatives to the University bodies, agencies, organizations and other governing bodies.
   • Act for the BOG during intervals between meetings, and report any actions taken to the BOG for approval if necessary at its next regular meeting.
2. Communications Committee
   
   Role of the Communications Committee:
   • Shall be responsible for communications of internal and external affairs with the direction of the president (external) and vice president (internal).
   • Shall be responsible for BOG events.
3. Finance Committee
   
   Role of the Finance Committee:
   • Responsible for the organization of the fees presentation
   • Shall provide the BOG with financial overviews at the beginning of fall and spring semesters.
   • Shall review financial documents and issues.
   • Oversee relationships with retail and auxiliary service tenants.
4. Policy Committee
   
   Role of the Policy Committee:
   • Shall review policy matters and make recommendations to the BOG.
   • Shall recommend to BOG allocation of student organization office space.
5. MPAC
   
   Role of the MPAC Committee:
   1. Shall plan, coordinate, and initiate programs for SUA on both the Minneapolis and St. Paul campuses.
   2. Follow its own established operating procedures, which are approved by the BOG yearly.

Section B.

The following guidelines apply to the committees of the BOG.

1. Manner of Appointment: Membership of committees shall be at the discretion of the Executive Committee. While the Executive Committee will make all effort to allow members to serve on the specific committee in which their interests lies, all committees shall be balanced to meet the needs of the BOG.
2. Ad-Hoc Committees: Ad-Hoc Committees of the BOG shall be executed at the discretion of the BOG to plan and execute programs and consider special issues. Chairpersons and members of the Ad-Hoc committees may be chosen by the Executive Committee. All members of an Ad-Hoc committee will be voting members within that Ad-Hoc committee.
3. Membership: As much as possible, membership on committees shall be balanced such that at least one person from the Minneapolis and one from St. Paul shall be present on each of the standing committees of the BOG. Diversity within the group should also be attempted as much as possible. Meetings: Standing committees of the BOG shall meet bimonthly, opposite the BOG general body meetings, to discuss business relevant to the respective committee, during the academic year. If this time does not work for committee members, individual committees may arrange for an alternate meeting time so long as it is agreeable to that committee's members.
4. Order of business: Each committee must provide an oral report of business conducted within each committee, and report to the Executive Committee prior to the next BOG meeting. All recommendations shall be included within the report, and the Executive Committee shall review the processes and business presented. There may be many exchanges of business between the two committees, on a given topic at the discretion of the Executive Committee. When the Executive Committee feels proper investigation and due process have been given to a particular topic, it will be forwarded to the BOG for final action.

Article V. Email Use

Section 1. Definition

Email will be considered an acceptable method for committee discussion when it is not feasible for the group to meet in person and time constraints demand timely action. The committee may vote via email if called for by the committee chair. All committee members, the advisor, President, and VP must be included or copied on all related emails.

Section 2. Voting

In regard to voting, the following procedure will be in place:

1. Response time will be a minimum of two U of M business days.
2. Committee recommendations will be referred to the Executive Committee.
3. If one committee member objects to using email, a vote will not be conducted online. Objections must be raised within two business days of email receipt.

Section 3. General Discussion

General discussion is welcome when sent to all BOG members and advisors.

Section 4. Executive Use

If an Executive meeting cannot be called, proof of an attempt to set a meeting time must be provided before an email meeting takes place.

Article VI. Membership

Section A.

1. Appointing bodies must be provided four weeks notice every Spring semester to fill their seats for the following school year.
2. Appointing bodies must be provided three weeks notice during the academic school year for vacancies before the BOG may appoint the position itself.

Section B.

1. Conflict of interest. On a motion pertaining to a group in which a member is involved, the BOG member must abstain his/her vote.

Article VII. Budget

Section A.

1. The capital, operating, and bond repayment budgets of the BOG shall represent Coffman Memorial Union, the St. Paul Student Center and the West Bank Facilities.
2. The BOG shall be given a complete written evaluation of finances at the second meeting of each semester.
3. The Finance Committee shall aid in the preparation of budgets, and any financial tasks pertaining to SUA.
4. The BOG shall give final approval of all budgets and fiscal policies during each fiscal year.

Article VIII. Amendments

Section A.

The following process may amend these by-laws:

1. Proposed changes to the by-laws shall be provided in writing to the Executive Committee.
2. The Executive Committee shall review the proposed by-laws changes and bring them forward to the BOG. By-laws must be approved by 2/3rds of current voting members.

Ratified by 2/3rds of the BOG on 03/25/04.