Constitution Changes

General Changes

Various formatting changes, general rewording, and spelling/grammar corrections.
Updated wording concerning Senate voting to provide for “true abstentions.”

Preamble

Formatting changes and clarifying wordy/unnecessary phrases.
Updated to reflect current University policy while maintaining Student Government's prohibition on gender identity-based discrimination.

1: Article I Membership & Organization

Section B. Organization

Empowers Government bodies to appoint their own advisors through two-thirds (2/3) majority vote.

2: Article II Legislative Branch

Section A. Powers and Responsibilities

The Government will only pay for community services used by students and their families.
Contracts shall not exceed a term length of (4) academic years, effective for contracts signed after April 6, 2026.

Section B. Membership

Updates language concerning Senate constituencies to reflect current constituencies.

Section C. Senate Officers

Removing outdated practice.

Section F. Rules Committee

Requires the formation of the Rules Committee by the end of the first session.

Section G. Finance Committee

Requires the formation of the Finance Committee by the end of the first session.

Section H. Impeachment

Clarifies that the Senate may impeach those outside its own membership, as is standard practice.

3. Article III Executive Branch

Section A. Powers and Responsibilities

Clarifies that the Executive may not veto internal actions of the Senate, such as the seating of a new senator.
Better defines the scope of executive orders and creates expiration dates for such orders.
Updates language regarding the seating of committees.

Section B. Cabinet

Changing wording from Treasurer to Finance Director to reflect current Government practices and titles.
Changing wording from Secretary to Chief of Staff to reflect current Government practices and titles.
Clarifying that all cabinet seats must be established with the Senate’s approval and removes practice of interim cabinet members.

Section C. Succession

Adds clarifying language to succession procedures to reflect current practices in case of missing individuals.

4. Article IV Judicial Branch

Section B. Justices

Removes outdated practices.

5. Article V Elections

Section A. Qualification for Office

Allows the presiding officer of Senate to swear in new senators in the absence of the Chief Justice.

Section C. Special Elections

Lowers the signatures required for an initiative from two thousand (2,000) to seven hundred and fifty (750).
Changes the signatures required to recall a Government official from ten percent (10%) of the student body to three quarters (¾) of students who voted in that official’s election.

Section D. Inauguration

The Election Commission decides the date of inauguration.

6. Article VI Student Fees Committee Representatives

Specifies that the Senate representative to the Fee Committee shall be voting.
Requires that the Government provide students with opportunities for input regarding fees.
Sets an expectation of reasonable transparency regarding requested fees.

7. Article VII Access to Information

N/A

8. Article VIII Powers of the Student Body

N/A

9. Article IX Conflicts of Interest

Prohibits members of the Government from influencing matters in which they would receive a personal benefit.
Prohibits the candidates from taking gifts, funds, and other privileges.
Floor amendment: extending the above requirement to cover advisors.
Requires the disclosure of conflicts of interest.
Reaffirms “true abstentions” in the context of conflicts of interest.
Closes a loophole through which candidates may commit violations.

10. Article X Provision for Amending this Constitution

Lowers the signatures required for special elections from two thousand (2,000) to seven hundred and fifty (750).

11. Article XI Ratification and Implementation

N/A

12. Article XII Required University Policy Statements

Adds the right of the government to remove our advisors