Preamble

We, the students of the University of Pikeville, in order to further the development of the ideas, character and knowledge of our school and the development of its students; to ensure the maximum level of self-government based upon mutual respect of the students, faculty, and administration; to preserve and promote the rights, privileges and opportunities of the University of Pikeville students, with the realization that an effective and responsible student government association can best accomplish these aims, do hereby reestablish and reorganize the Student Government Association and this Constitution.

It is our hope that further understanding and cooperation between administration, faculty, and staff of the University of Pikeville and the students can be accomplished. It is also our hope that this association will promote self-confidence, leadership, and responsibility in our student community. This will strengthen the ability of the leadership of the University of Pikeville to meet the needs of the students and everyone associated with the institution.

Article I. Name

The name of this body shall be the Student Government Association of the University of Pikeville.

Article II. Membership

All students, full and part-time, who are enrolled at the University of Pikeville, are members of the association.

Article III. Purpose

The purpose of the association shall be to:

1. provide the means for the clear expression and presentation of student opinion to the administration and faculty.
2. provide a means for active involvement of student leaders in the decision-making processes at the University of Pikeville.
3. provide a forum for the resolution of disputes among individuals and/or organizations that are part of the University of Pikeville Community.
4. provide for fair campus-wide elections.
5. promote the mission of the University of Pikeville.
6. to expand and promote interest in the Student Government Association.

Article IV. Structure

The Student Government Association of the University of Pikeville shall be governed by three branches: Legislative, Judicial and Executive.

Article V. Legislative Branch

Section 1. All legislative powers of the Student Government Association of the University of Pikeville shall be vested in the Student Senate.

Section 2. The Student Senate shall have the following powers and responsibilities:

1. to pass legislation and resolutions as necessary.
2. to consider legislative proposals from the Executive Branch and from the committees of the association.
3. to consider membership of the Student Government Association of the University of Pikeville in any local, state, or national organization.
4. to approve all Executive appointments by a majority vote of the Student Senate.
5. to execute impeachments of representatives of the Student Government Association by three-fourths vote of the Student Senate.
6. to create committees as necessary and to consider action on committee recommendations.
7. to approve the budget of the Student Government Association of the University of Pikeville.
8. to override the veto of the President of the Student Government Association by a majority vote of the Student Senate.
9. to serve on committees as appointed by the President of the Student Government Association or the President of the Senate and to make reports in writing to the Senate of all committee meetings.
10. to call on the President of the Student Government Association to call meetings of the association as it deems necessary.

Section 3. The voting members of the Student Senate shall be:

1. all the officers of each class (freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior).
2. two representatives of the commuter students as elected by a campus-wide election.
3. the president of each campus club or organization recognized by the Vice President for Student Services and the Student Government Association of the University of Pikeville. However, if the president of the club or organization already holds an office in the Student Government Association, the club may elect a representative to serve on the Student Senate.
4. the President of the Senate (Student Government Association Vice President) in the case of a tie.

Section 4. Each voting member of the Student Senate:

1. must have at least a 2.5 cumulative grade-point average for two semesters prior to the beginning of his/her term of office and must be confirmed by the Registrar.
2. must not have been on social probation for two semesters prior to the beginning of his/her term of office.
3. may hold only one seat in the Student Senate at one time.
4. is required to attend ALL meetings of the Student Government Association and ALL committee meetings of which they are involved. Failure to attend three (3) meetings in which they have not previously notified the President or Vice President of the Association will constitute subjection to removal of the representative from his/her position by a majority vote of the Senate.
5. may not be a member of the Executive Cabinet or Judiciary Board (with the exception of the President of the Senate).

Section 5. The President of the Student Senate, Vice President of the Association, shall have the following powers and responsibilities:

1. to convene and preside over meetings of the Student Senate.
2. to serve as a student representative to the administration and faculty.
3. to present recommendations for the Executive Branch and from committees of the Student Senate for their consideration.
4. to serve as Vice President of the Student Government Association of the University of Pikeville and to meet the same qualifications for office as required of the President of the Association.
5. to vote in the Student Senate only to decide a tie vote.
6. to assume the powers and responsibilities of the President in case of his/her temporary or permanent absence of inability to perform his/her powers and responsibilities.
7. to appoint, along with the President of the association, members of the Senate to positions on Standing Committees of the University of Pikeville.
8. to determine the place of meetings of the Senate at the beginning of the Fall term and publicize the location to the campus community.

Section 6. The President Pro-tempore shall:

1. be elected by the Student Senate from among its voting membership.
2. be confirmed by a majority vote of the Senate at its first meeting each year.
3. meet the same qualifications for office as the President of the Student Government Association.
4. assume the powers and responsibilities of the President of the Student Senate (Vice President of the Association) in the case of his/her temporary or permanent inability to perform his/her powers and responsibilities.

Section 7. The Student Senate shall meet at least once a month. Special meetings may be called by the President of the Student Government Association, President of the Senate, Vice President for Student Services, or at the request of six members of the Senate.

Section 8. The President of the Student Government Association, the President of the Senate, the Chairman of the Judiciary Board, members of the Executive Cabinet, and the Vice President for Student Services shall have speaking privileges in the Senate. They may present legislation and resolutions, but may not vote, except the President of the Senate in times of a tie vote.

Section 9. In order for legislation to be passed a majority of the voting members present must come to an agreement.

Article VI. Executive Branch

Section 1. Executive powers of the Student Government Association of the University of Pikeville shall be vested in the President of the Student Government Association and the President of the Student Senate.

Section 2. The President and Vice President of the Student Government must:

1. have a 2.5 cumulative grade-point average for at least two semesters prior to the beginning of his/her term of office confirmed by the Registrar's office.
2. have a total of sixty (60) hours prior to serving.
3. have never been on social probation as verified by the Office of Student Services.
4. have been enrolled at the University of Pikeville at least two (2) semesters prior to the election.
5. have served in S.G.A. two semesters prior to the election. Serving is defined as: not missing three (3) unexcused meetings, attendance at S.G.A. functions, and preparing prescribed duties.

Section 3. The Executive Cabinet shall consist of the Student Government President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

Section 4. The Secretary and Treasurer for the Student Government Association shall be appointed by the S.G.A. President and Vice President with confirmation by the Senate.

Section 5. The Student Government President's salary is set at seven hundred dollars per semester. The salary is to be divided into two equal payments per semester. This money will come directly out of the Student Government Association's budget. The Student Government's Vice President's salary is set at six hundred dollars per semester. The same procedure for payment as that for the Student Government's President applies. No raises for the Executive Cabinet will be allowed unless just cause is seen by the Student Government Senate and the Student Government Advisor. A majority vote will be needed for passage of any monetary raises. The salaries of the S.G.A. Secretary and Treasurer shall be one hundred dollars per semester.

Section 6. The minutes will be taken, typed and filed by the Secretary. The Secretary will be supervised by the S.G.A. President and Vice President.

Section 7. The S.G.A. Treasurer shall keep a ledger of all expenses incurred by the Student Government Association, prepare Check Request Forms for the appropriate signatures, and report to the Student Senate on the status of the Student Government Association's account. The Treasurer will be supervised by the Student Government President and Vice President.

Section 8. The Student Government President and Vice President have the responsibility of coordinating a tentative calendar of events per semester. This calendar may be submitted for approval at the first S.G.A. meeting.

Section 9. Due to a continuous number of scheduled events, monies spent by the Student Government Association President or Vice President on campus do not need to be approved by the Senate. Monies pertaining to any scheduled calendar event and supplies for those events do not need to be approved.

Section 10. Purchases of any major equipment exceeding four hundred dollars must be approved by the Student Government Senate. No Student Government equipment can be sold without a Senate majority vote. Monies earned through selling equipment will go into the S.G.A. account.

Section 11. Only the Student Government President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer may sign for merchandise. Any other signatures besides the President, Vice President, Secretary, or Treasurer is deemed illegal and prosecution may take place by Unversity officials. Only President and Vice President may sign check requests.

Section 12. Appointments to committees are made by the S.G.A. President and Vice-President. Committee members must attend all designated committee meetings and submit a report to the Senate.

Section 13. Executive appointments should be presented to the Senate for confirmation at the last Senate meeting of the academic year so that the slate of officers be in place during the summer and beginning of the fall term.

Section 14. The President has the power of veto when he/she deems necessary. However, a veto may be overridden by a two-thirds vote of the Senate.

Article VII. Judicial Branch

Section 1. All Judiciary powers of the Student Government Association shall be vested in the Judiciary Board.

Section 2. The Judiciary Board shall have the following powers and duties:

1. to decide disputes among organizations.
2. to review and to act upon all cases referred to it by students.
3. to supervise campus-wide elections.
4. to keep a record of all cases brought before them.
5. to review any decision of the Senate.

Section 3. The Judiciary Board shall be composed of a chairperson who shall be at least a first-semester Junior (meaning 60 credit hours) at the time he/she assumes the office. He/she is to be appointed as chairperson by the President and Vice President of the Student Government Association with confirmation by the Student Senate. The Judiciary Board shall also consist of three other members of the association also appointed by the President and Vice President of the Student Government Association with confirmation of the Senate and two faculty members elected by the faculty of the University of Pikeville. Each person has a voting privilege in the Judiciary Board.

Section 4. No student shall serve as a member of the Judiciary Board if he/she has been on social probation either of the two semesters immediately prior to his/her assuming office. Anyone serving who has violated the conduct rules of the University of Pikeville so extensively would be detrimental to the Judiciary Board and what it stands for.

Section 5. To be a member of the Judiciary Board a student must be a full-time student (12 hours) and must have a 2.5 grade-point average overall.

Section 6. To serve on the Judiciary Board, a student must be either a Sophomore, Junior, or Senior (all by hours) at the time he/she assumes office.

Section 7. The Judiciary Board Chairperson will call and approve all Judiciary Board meetings.

Section 8. Decisions of the Judiciary Board will be final with a majority vote.

Section 9. The Judiciary Board Chairperson will swear in all new members with the following pledge by each member:

“I ____________________ understand the office of the University of Pikeville Judicial Board is one of high esteem. I swear to uphold this position and the Constitution of the University of Pikeville Student Government Association with honesty, confidence, and trustworthiness to the best of my abilities, so help me God.”

Section 10. The Judiciary Board shall meet at least twice each semester.

Section 11. A student or students may appeal to the Judiciary Board on actions or decisions made by the faculty, administration, or other University personnel.

Section 12. The student has one week after the decision of the accuser to appeal (in writing) to the Judiciary Board.

Section 13. The student(s) shall appeal in writing giving reasons and decisions of why the appeal is being made. The student must include name(s) of the accuser, those involved in the incident(s) and all witnesses.

Section 14. The Judiciary Board Chairperson will designate a time for a meeting within 3 days after receiving an appeal. All members of the Judiciary Board, the accused, the accuser, and all persons involved, including witnesses, must attend the hearing called by the Judiciary Board.

Section 15. It is the duty of the Judiciary Board Chairperson to contact all persons involved.

Section 16. The Judiciary Board shall hear all evidence from each side and with a majority vote come to a decision on the appealed matter.

Section 17. The Judiciary Board’s decision will be final and binding and may not be appealed again to the Judiciary Board.

Section 18. Judiciary Board members must attend all meetings of the Student Senate. In the case of three (3) or more absences, the cabinet may call for a replacement or appoint an interim member.

Article VIII. Elections

Section 1. Members of the student body who desire to be candidates for an executive position on the Student Government Association shall apply to the Vice President for Student Services for academic and social approval.

Section 2. In the final election, the candidate receiving the highest number of votes for President and Vice President of the Student Government Association shall be declared the winners.

Section 3. In the final election, the candidate receiving the highest number of votes for his respective group for a seat on the Student Senate shall be declared the winner.

Section 4. All members of the Student Body (full time and part time) shall be entitled to one vote in all elections.

Section 5. Installation of all executive officers shall be held at the last S.G.A. meeting or the S.G.A. banquet, whichever the officers desire. Thus the time will be set by the Student Government President and Vice President before he/she enters on the election of his/her office, he or she shall take the following oath:

“I do solemnly swear that I will perform to the best of my ability all the duties pertaining to the office of President or Vice-President of the Student Government Association of the University of Pikeville and that I will do my best to uphold the honor, honesty, and dignity worthy of such an office. I also swear to uphold the Constitution of the University of Pikeville

Section 6. All persons running for class officer positions (President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer) will submit their names to the Office of Student Services for approval. All class elections, including Freshman, will have at least one week to campaign. The Student Government Judiciary Board will take charge of the election and see that ballots are printed. The winning officers from each class shall be the S.G.A. representatives in the Senate.

Section 7. The requirements for class officer are: a student must be a member of the class he or she represents (he/she may be part-time or full-time) and he/she must be attending the University of Pikeville, and have a 2.5 grade point average for the prior two semesters, excluding Freshman.

Section 8. SGA Executive Cabinet members and Judicary Board members are not eligible for election as class officers.

Section 9. Participation on the Homecoming shall be open to all students. A court of four (4) - Senior couples, three (3) - Junior couples, two (2) - Sophomore couples and one (1) - Freshmen couple candidates shall be elected as attendants. A Senior candidate, whether two-year or four-year status, shall be elected queen. (Two-year degrees will be considered senior status). Candidates may only run one time for a class.

Section 10. All ballots of any election must be kept at least one month after each election.

Article IX. Clubs and Organizations

Section 1. No campus organization may be formed without the approval of the Vice President for Student Services and the S.G.A. Senate. Proposals for new clubs and organizations should be submitted to the Vice President for Student Services and the President of the Student Government Association for review. Proposals should be submitted one week prior to the regularly scheduled Senate meeting.

Section 2. Monies that are allocated to individual clubs or organizations must be approved by a majority of the Senate.

Section 3. A representative from each club or organization is required to attend every Senate meeting and present a report to the Senate. A club that is unrepresented at three (3) Senate meetings in an academic year is subject to revocation by a majority vote of the Senate.

Section 4. Any press releases drafted by clubs or organizations must be approved by both the Executive Cabinet and the University of Pikeville Office of Advancement.

Article X. Initiative

Section 1. The student body has the power to petition under this constitution and directly to enact or reject such legislation at campus wide elections.

Section 2. An initiative petition to propose legislation under the Constitution must contain the signature of forty percent of the qualified student voters. This petition shall then be filed with the President of the Senate. If the petition is not passed at the first session of the Senate after the filing then the petition comes before the Senate where it must pass by two-thirds vote. If it passes, the petition goes before the student body for a vote.

Section 3. A majority of qualified student voters shall be required to pass such legislation.

Article XI. Referendum

Section 1. A referendum petition against any legislation passed by the Student Senate shall be filed with the President of the Senate within two weeks of the session at which the legislation was enacted. To be valid, the petition must be signed by a majority of the qualified voters. After approving and filing this petition, it shall be submitted to the qualified student voters within one month of such filing.

Section 2. Legislation shall be sustained by a majority of the qualified student voters.

Article XII. Impeachment

Section 1. The Senate shall have power of impeachment over any office of Student Government.

Section 2. Any individual being considered for impeachment must be contacted by the Senate one week prior to the meeting. The reasons for impeachment and the accusing individuals must be listed. This allows the individual being accused adequate time for defense.

Section 3. Appeals of impeachments may be made to the Judicial Board, and their decision is final.

Section 4. Embezzlement, misrepresentation, and failure to attend shall be grounds for impeachment.

Section 5. In case of impeachment or resignation of the President or Vice¬President, repayment of salaries may be requested by the Senate. Repayment of salaries, if any, will be fair and just according to time left to serve in his/her office. A majority vote of the Senate and approval by the faculty advisor are needed for payment of reimbursement.

Article XIII. Amendments

Section 1. Amendments must be proposed by members of the Executive cabinet.

Section 2. Amendments must be approved by three-fourths of voting members present in the Senate and are not subject to Presidential veto.

Adopted by the Student Senate in April 2005.