STUDENT SENATE Meeting of November 11, 1998 Unofficial Meeting was called to order at 7:10 PM. Roll was taken at 7:05 PM. Senators Present: Anthe (CIT)- 0, Chang (MCS)- 0, Chan-Mendez (SIA)- 2, Devine (HSS)- 0, Die (CFA)- 1, Ditterline (CIT)- 1, Ferrick (HSS)- 0, Gross (CIT)- 1, Guerra (CIT)- 1.5, Guzy (HSS)- 0, Hardjanto (SCS)- 1, , Joshi (MCS)- 2, Kalafchi (SIA)- 0.5, Koch (CIT)- 3, Markle (CIT)- 0, Mccartin (CIT)- 1, Mekala (CIT)- 1, Merry (HSS)- 0, Moskowitz (HSS)- 0, Ng (CIT)- 0.5, Phelps (SCS)- 1, Silverman (MCS)-1, Stovall (MCS)- 0, Strauss (SCS)- 0, Tassone (SCS)- 0, Tham (SIA)- 0.5, Wei (HSS)- 1, You (SIA)- 1.5 Senators Absent: Hutsko (MCS) - 1, Jones (CFA) - 1, Meier (CIT) - 2, Monroe (CIT) - 1 Approval of Minutes: Minutes for October 21 were amended and approved. Ex-Officio Reports: Activities Board (Shubo Mookerjee): If anybody is interested in getting involved in the Activities Board, please contact me. The Activities Board is divided into several committees: - Coffeehouse One of the most successful series in a long time comes to an end later this week. This fall we had these shows: 09.07 Silkworm, Dianogah, Ragazzi 09.15 Sue Garner, Les Batteries, The Johnsons 10.05 David S. ware Quartet 10.11 A Minor Forest, Melt Banana 11.04 Dub Narcotic Sound System, Bangs, Sunday Driver Last show for the fall semester: Sunday, Nov. 15 Uzeda, Paul Newman, Arab on Radar - Comedy Working on a big show early in spring - Concerts Recent shows: 10.22 Jazz Mandolin Project 11.03 Man or Astroman Upcoming events: - Saturday, Nov. 14 at 9:00pm, free Disco Biscuits - Saturday, Nov. 21 at 9:00pm in Rangos, $5/$8 Blackstar (Mosdef & Talib Tickets available at the Info desk; done in conjunction with SPIRIT - Films Thursday, 11.12, Zentropa at 10:00pm, 12:00pm Friday, 11.13, The Negotiator at 7:30pm, 10:00pm, 12:30pm Sunday, 11.15, Strange Brew at 8:00pm, 10:00pm, 12:00pm (free beverages) - Lectures Upcoming events: James Randi, The "Amazing" Randi… magician/investigator of physics phenomenon, on Wednesday, Dec. 2 at 7:00pm in DH 2315 - Political Speakers Recent events: George Sanchez… Hispanic Awareness Anna Rosmus… International festival Upcoming events: Ted Rall, a writer, cartoonist, and political humorist, is going to be speaking on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 7:30pm in McConomy Auditorium. - Special Events Leading a university wide effort along with SDC to revive "Sex Week" to be held in early February. To bring about awareness, discussion, and to celebrate gender issues, sex, and sexuality. Graduate Student Assembly (Grant Bromhal): Not present Greek Council (Cyndi Vuong): The Greek Community had a rewarding Halloween as they welcome parents and children to participate in their afternoon festivities held on the quad. Children were able to trick-or-treat within the fraternity quad area and were spooked by Panhallenic Council's table of "human organs". Thank you to the following house and organizations that participated in the event: Alpha Epsilon Pi, Delta Tau Delta, Kappa Delta Rho, Phi Kappa Theta, Theta Xi, Kappa Sigma, Sigma Nu, Sigma Tau Gamma, Sigma Phi Epsilon, Delta Delta Delta, Delta Gamma, Kappa Alpha Theta, Zeta Psi Sigma, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and the RA's and CA's of Morewood Gardens that also participated. Kappa Alpha Theta held another successfully sold-out Mr. Fraternit y last Friday, Nov.6. This year's crown went to Bryan Michaels from Phi Kappa Theta. Along with providing fun and entertainment to the campus community, they were able to raise $5,000 for the Karin Johnson Asthma Research Memorial Fund. Karin Johnson was a Carnegie Mellon student and sister of Kappa Alpha Tetha who past away in 1984 due to a fatal asthma attack. Congratulations Theta for all your hard work and dedication to the community. Coming attraction: Plans are continuing to be made for the upcoming 1999 Greek Sing. This year's Greek Sing Co-Chairs are Becky Weaver and Matt Linder. As of now, we have a total of fourteen shows signed up, four shows in the mixed division. All proceeds will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. So clear your calendar for March 13 of next year to be entertained at the Soldiers and Sailors Hall for an evening of musicals. Division of Student Affairs (Denise Fazio): There will be a University Forum taking place on Thursday, November 19 at 4:45pm in the Conan Room, UC. The topic is "Roofies, Liquid X and Special K: It happened on ER, could it happen here? A discussion about date-rape drugs". Elections-Pitt uses voting machines on their elections. Sarah and I will be at Pitt on Wednesday, Nov. 18 to look at their set up. Let me know if you want to go to. Next Tuesday, Nov. 17 there will be two meetings for the NSEP study abroad scholarship (non-western countries). A representative from NSEP will be there. It will be in Pake at 12:00pm and 4:30pm. The Study Abroad Predeparture orientation (for students planning on studying abroad in S99) has been rescheduled to Wednesday, Nov. 18 from 5-7pm in Mudge Lounge. Pizza will be served. Student Dormitory Council (Ira Fay): SDC is looking to pass a statement of discontent concerning OLR in conjunction with Senate today. The residential Blitz booth program is starting up (to sponsor floors designing, to build Blitz booths)-Contact sdc@andrew.cmu.edu if interested in helping out. Please send issues/ concerns/ questions to sdc@andrew.cmu.edu Student Body President (Sarah Gross): I would like to thank PR for the excellent radio show on Wednesday . At my office hours, one student came to me and gave some good suggestions on how we could improve things on campus, such as the perception of H&SS students and OLR. I discussed about the alcohol policy on campus with the University Student Affair Council. Nothing much happened with the Morewood Basement Project. It is coming along pretty well although there are still no vendor. I also went to the Cyert Memorial to give sympathy for the lost of her husband. Remember that the Town Meeting is going to be on Nov. 13 and 16. Lastly, there is going to be a Student Government Conference on Jan.24 in New Hampshire. Any senators who would like to come, please contact me. Please direct any questions or ideas to: sbp@andrew.cmu.edu Student Body Treasurer (given by Sarah Leu): We met with JFC to go over and finalize the budgets of all remaining organizations. Organizational reviews for undisclosed organizations found to have committed questionable activity. We are preparing for January midyear reviews for all organizations. Meetings are planned for those who have spent more than one-half of their budget in addition to the reviews. We are also about to audit two undisclosed student organizations. Standing Committee Reports: Academic Affairs (Amy Ng): First, the University Student Council is looking for more students to get involved. They want to develop a group of six students at least from each college. The On Line Registration issue will be put on hold for the moment because updating it will be only useful for next semester. AA committee is also working on the voluntary community service on campus. Campus Affairs (Neil Guzy): We are working on the survey and putting it into a report. The report will be ready within a couple of weeks. The committee is still working on the Poster Policy. We would like to add a phrase saying that if you have received funds from the Student Activities, you have to put that in the poster. The committee supports the Booksmart program, which will be further discussed later in the meeting. We are also working on the issue of campus phone. At this time, there are not enough payphones and campus phones around the campus. It would be more convenient for students if more phones are available in every building. The committee is trying to get more clocks for the classrooms and make the ones that are already available in the classrooms to work properly. Funding and Recognition (Sern Tham): F&R will be representing five special allocations later in the mee ting. We have a Re-Recognition process. If there is any organizations who have not yet applied by the end of this week and submit a constitution/bylaws and member list, they will be declared defunct. Human Resources (Jamie Chang): There is a new Senator list that Senators need to pick-up. There are six Bylaws Amendments that will be receiving their first reading today. If you have any questions, please email me at chang@andrew.cmu.edu or call x2-2695. Public Relations (Joshua Merry): The Activity Fair was last Sunday, Nov. 8. The event was not that successful. The radio show went well today. We have a couple of weeks to go and everybody is welcomed to participate. The show is on Wednesdays at 6-7pm. And, the letter-head is ready. Chair (Drew Stovall): If anybody is interested in being a Chair, please talk to me. I could give you more information about the position. Special Business: The approval of Election results will be postponed until the next meeting. Old Business: The Senate appointed Susan Leu as the sixth member of JFC. F98-011-Amendment of the Student Senate Bylaws to make Fiscal policy a separate document The motion was postponed until the next Senate meeting. F98-012-Amendment of the Student Senate Bylaws to modify Article IV: Student-Government-Administrated Organizations Motion was approved by voice vote. New Business from Committee: F98-021-Non-Funded Recognition of American Institute of Architecture Students The objectives if AIAS/CMU are: to foster an appreciation and understanding of the ideas and objectives of National AIAS and to promote and forward the same within the territory of this chapter; to emphasize and promote professional, social and fraternal aspect within years, within the School of Architecture, within the College of Fine Arts, and within the CMU campus; to foster relationships, cooperation, discourse, and unity between members of this chapter, other than AIAS chapters, local architecture professionals including AIA Pittsburgh; to enlarge chapter member understanding of the current and future scope of architectural education and practice. This organization is open to all undergraduate and graduate students of CMU. Motion was approved by voice vote. F98-022-Special Allocation to Ultimate Frisbee Club Ultimate Frisbee requests a special allocation of $2400. The Ultimate Frisbee Club applied from funding at the end of last year assuming that we would continue to function as we always have: with one team. Incredible interest in the club this year has led to multiple teams. We currently have 2 men's teams and 1 women's team. The special allocation that they are requesting will go mainly to tournament entrance fees and a small amount will go to extra discs. F&R Committee recommends a special allocation of $1800. This based on an estimate of 11 tournaments remaining in the year. The motion was approved by hand vote (22 in favor, 1 opposed). F98-023-Special Allocation to Student Alumni Relation Council During Oct. 13-16, SARC held a series of events, special guests an d giveaways to celebrate Homecoming. The total cost of Spirit Week came to slightly over $4000. They were budgeted $400 for this event, and have received an additional $1500 from the Office of Alumni Relations. Still short of some $2263.41, SARC requests a special allocation of $2000. They do have additional fundraising planned. F&R recommends a special allocation of $1500. The special allocation for SARC was changed from $1500 to $1172. Motion is approved by hand vote (19 in favor, 2 opposed). F98-024-Roll-over Account for University Rowing Club The Rowing Club would like to purchase a new boat costing some $12000. They have raised about $4000 already and they anticipate being able to raise the funds needed within the next 2 years. However, the current accounting system at CMU dictates that no balance can be carried from year to year. Therefore, what they need is a Roll Over Account. With a special account code designated within their current account, any balance left in at the end of each year would be funneled back at the start of the new year. If passed, the following rules for the roll over account will apply: 1. Any Funds that go into thatt account must not be from Student Senate. They must be from other sources and earmarked to go into the "special rollover account" at the time of deposit. Specifically, there should be no internal transfer. 2. At the end of each fiscal year, all accounts will be zeroed. However, the amount that is left in the "special roll-over account" will be returned into that account at the beginning of the next fiscal year. 3. This account will be closed immediately after the purchase of the boat is made. Motion was approved by voice vote. F98-025-Implementation of BOOKSMART Represented by Robb Moskowitz, BOOKSMART is an online, web-based book auction that is proposed to be hosted by Student Senate on the new Senate PC. Implementation of BOOKSMART will mean hosting the program on the Senate PC, and spending almost $900. $60 will go to buy a server-based email program, and the rest will go entirely into marketing BOOKSMART. Motion was approved by hand vote (19 in favor, 4 opposed). *First reading of the six Bylaws Amendments F98-015-Amendment of the Student Senate Bylaws to Modify Article I to Clarify Purpose and Scope and the Constitution of the Student Body to Reserve a Common Power Whereas the structure of Article I is illogical and unwieldy, and Whereas changes in Student Government have modified Student Senate's place in Student Government, and Whereas these changes have caused modifications in the Student Senate Bylaws, and Whereas these changes require clarification of the purpose and scope of Student Senate, and Whereas a collateral change to the Constitution of the Student Body needs to be made in order to reserve jointly to Student Senate and the Graduate Student Assembly the power to break ties in executive elections, Resolved, by the Fall 1998 session of Student Senate, to strike Article I, sections I, II, and III of the Student Senate Bylaws; and insert the following article before Article I, with the proviso that the amendments shall not take effect until the conclusion of the session and that necessary renumbering shall be effected: I. Purpose and Scope A. The function of these Bylaws is to establish structures and operating procedures for those undergraduate institutions created in the Constitution of the Student Body B. Any dispute between these Bylaws and the Constitution shall be settled in favor of the Constitution, which is the supreme document of the Student Body of Carnegie Mellon University C. Duties of the Student Senate 1. Meet at least once each complete month of the academic year, with none of these meetings being held during the final exam periods or vacations 2. Make available all records of its proceedings to the campus community 3. Break a tie in any undergraduate election by a majority vote D. Powers of Student Senate. Student Senate may: 1. Appropriate and approve the expenditures of all funds under the sole control of the Student Senate 2. With the Graduate Student Assembly, appropriate and approve the expenditures of all funds under the joint control of the two bodies as prescribed in the Constitution of the Student Body of Carnegie Mellon University 3. Grant, revoke, and modify recognition of student organizations 4. Override a Presidential veto by a two-thirds (2/3) vote at the regular Student Senate meeting following the Chair's reading of the veto 5. Enact and enforce legislation aimed at accomplishing the objectives of the Student Body, as stated in the Constitution of the Student Body of Carnegie Mellon University and insert a new number 4 (four) in Article V, section III, subsection D of the Constitution of the Student Body to read: "Ties for the President and Treasurer of the Student Body shall be broken by a two-thirds (2/3) vote, each, of Student Senate and the Graduate Student Assembly." F98-016-Amendment of the Student Senate Bylaws to Clarify Membership in Student Senate and Simplify Article I by Creating a New Article II Whereas the structure of Article I is illogical and unwieldy, and Whereas changes in Student Government have modified Student Senate's place in Student Government, and Whereas these changes have caused modifications in the Student Senate Bylaws, and Whereas these changes and changes in the workings of Student Senate necessitate clarifications of the current text of the Bylaws, and Whereas additional changes in the University have rendered portions of the Bylaws outmoded or awkward, Resolved, by the Fall 1998 session of Student Senate, to strike Article I, sections V, XI, and XII of the Student Senate Bylaws; insert as a subsection E into Article I, section VI the text of Article I, section XI, subsection A; and insert the following article before Article I, with the proviso that the amendments shall not take effect until the conclusion of the session and that necessary renumbering shall be effected: Membership A. Representation 1. The Undergraduate Student Body shall be divided into the following constituencies: a. Carnegie Institute of Technology b. College of Fine Arts c. College of Humanities and Social Sciences d. School of Industrial Administration e. Mellon College of Science f. School of Computer Science g. Bachelor of Humanities and Arts/Miscellaneous Students 2. A member of the Undergraduate Student Body shall be classified as a constituent in one (1) of the above listed constituencies in accordance with his home college at Carnegie Mellon University, as ascertained from the university registrar 3. Any member of the Undergraduate Student Body who does not fall under the auspices of constituencies a through g listed above shall be classified into constituency g, Bachelor of Humanities and Arts/Miscellaneous Students 4. Undergraduates entering an integrated graduate program at Carnegie Mellon University may represent their undergraduate constituency during the initial year of the program 5. Each constituency shall be represented either by one (1) senator or by one (1) senator for every one-hundred forty (140) constituents or fraction thereof, whichever is greater. B. Student Senators 1. Student Senators shall normally be elected by a plurality vote of the members of their respective constituencies. The only exception to this shall be the filling of vacant Student Senate seats. 2. Attendance a. If a Student Senator misses, in one (1) session, two (2) regular meetings of Student Senate, the Chair must notify that Student Senator that if he misses another meeting during that session, that he shall be removed from office. b. If a Student Senator misses, in one (1) session, two (2) regular meetings of the standing internal committee to which he is assigned, the committee chair shall notify that Student Senator that if he misses another regular committee meeting during that session, that the committee chair shall notify the Chair of Student Senate, who shall remove the offending Student Senator. c. Alternates and absence counting (1) An alternate is a member of the Student Senator's constituency who is not a member of Student Senate and is designated in advance via a memo to the Chair of Student Senate by the Student Senator to sit in for him at a Student Senate regular meeting or at a meeting of his assigned standing internal committee. (2) An alternate has the parliamentary privileges of a Student Senator. (3) A Student Senator may send an alternate no more than twice (2) each month, once to a regular Student Senate meeting and once to a meeting of his assigned standing internal committee. (4) A meeting at which neither the Student Senator nor his designated alternate appears shall count as one (1) absence. (5) A meeting at which the Student Senator, or his designated alternate, appears but is not present at the beginning of committee reports shall count as one-half (½) absence. (6) A meeting at which the Student Senator, or his designated alternate, appears but is not present at the beginning of Points of Discussion shall count as one-half (½) absence. (7) Should a Student Senator's standing internal committee assignment change during a session of Student Senate, his attendance record shall follow him to his new committee. 3. If a Student Senator changes constituencies after he is elected, he shall serve the remainder of the current session in the constituency from which he was elected. C. Members-at-large 1. A Member-at-large shall be a non-voting member of Student Senate and one of its internal committees, functioning to bring additional views to Student Senate. 2. Members-at-large may be nominated by any Student Senator during the New Business portion of any regular Student Senate meeting. Approval of a Member-at-large shall require a majority vote. 3. Attendance a. If a Member-at-large misses four (4) regular meetings of Student Senate in one session, the Chair must notify that member-at-large that if he misses one more meeting during that session, he shall be removed from office. b. Absence counting (1) A meeting at which a member-at-large does not appear shall count as one (1) absence. (2) If a member-at-large misses four (4) regular meetings of the standing internal committee to which he is assigned in one (1) session, the committee Chair shall notify that member-at-large that if he misses another meeting during that session, the committee Chair shall notify the Chair of Student Senate, who shall remove the offending member-at-large. (3) A meeting at which a member-at-large appears but is not present at the beginning of committee reports shall count as one-half (1/2) absence. (4) A meeting at which a member-at-large appears but is not present at the beginning of Points of Discussion shall count as one-half (1/2) absence. c. Members-at-large possess no parliamentary rights, but the rights to: (1) call for the orders of the day; (2) raise a point of order; (3) raise a question of privilege; (4) raise a point of information; (5) raise a point of parliamentary inquiry; (6) and speak in debate. D. Ex-officio members 1. The following shall be ex-officio members of Student Senate: a. President of the Student Body b. Treasurer of the Student Body c. Faculty Senate representative d. Student Affairs representative e. Greek Council representative f. Student Dormitory Council representative g. Graduate Student Assembly representative h. Activities Board representative 2. Ex-officio members shall hold the parliamentary privileges of a Member-at-large. 3. Ex-officio members shall each be given a period during Student Senate meetings to present reports to Student Senate. E. Removal 1. Any Senator may be impeached by either of the following methods: a. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of Student Senate b. Petition (1) A petition containing the printed names, signatures, and Carnegie Mellon e-mail addresses of either one-hundred (100) members or one-quarter (¼) of the Senator's constituency shall be sufficient to initiate impeachment hearings (2) The Executive Committee shall validate any such petition within one (1) week of its submission. 2. Removal of Senators a. After receiving a request for impeachment, the Chair of Student Senate shall announce the impeachment request, along with the reasons for the impeachment, at the first regular Student Senate meeting occurring at least one (1) week after receipt of the impeachment request. In the event that the request names the Chair of Student Senate, the President of the Student Body shall handle the impeachment request. b. Impeachment hearings shall take place at the first regular meeting following the announcement of the request for impeachment, at which three-fourths (3/4) of the Student Senators are present. c. A three-fourths (3/4) vote of the Senators present at the impeachment hearing shall be sufficient to remove the Senator from office. d. A removed Senator is not eligible to hold any Student Government position for a period of one (1) year from the date of removal from office. 3. A Member-at-large may be removed at any regular Student Senate meeting by a majority vote, but is not subject to subsection 4, above. F. Vacant Student Senate Seats 1. Should a Student Senate seat become vacant, the Chair of Student Senate shall announce this vacancy along with the deadline for receipt of petitions to fill the seat during announcements at the Student Senate meeting at which the seat becomes vacant. 2. To be considered for a vacant seat, a member of the Undergraduate Student Body must: a. Be a member of the constituency represented by the vacant seat b. Submit a valid petition (1) A valid petition shall contain the printed names, signatures, and Carnegie Mellon e-mail addresses of twenty-five (25) members or one-quarter (¼) of the candidate's constituency. Late petitions shall not be accepted (2) Any one (1) signature may appear on as many petitions as there are vacant seats for that constituency; if the signature appears on more than that number of petitions, it is invalid on all petitions (3) The Executive Committee of Student Senate shall validate all petitions received on time within five (5) school days of submission. If at least two members of the Executive Committee agree that a petition is not valid, then that petition is not valid. 3. If no petition is received before the deadline set by the Chair, the announcement process as detailed above shall be executed again 4. If more than one (1) petition is received and validated, Student Senate shall install one of the validated petitioners in the seat by a majority vote F98-017-Amendment of the Student Senate Bylaws to Clarify Them, More Accurately Reflect Student Senate's Current Workings, and to Introduce Improved Structures for the Operation of Student Senate Whereas the current Student Senate Bylaws inaccurately reflect some procedures traditionally carried out within Student Senate, and Whereas the current Student Senate Bylaws also allow for some procedures and positions not traditionally honored within Student Senate, and Whereas electronic voting and other bylaws could improve the functioning of committees, and Whereas more explicit guidelines would help committees to run more smoothly and routinely, Resolved, by the Fall 1998 session of Student Senate, to strike Article I, sections IV, VI, and IX of the Student Senate Bylaws, and insert the following before Article I, with the proviso that the amendments shall not take effect until the conclusion of the session and that necessary renumbering shall be effected: III. Structure A. Student Senate shall divide itself into the following standing internal committees: 1. Academic Affairs Committee 2. Campus Affairs Committee 3. Funding and Recognition Committee 4. Public Relations Committee 5. Internal Affairs Committee B. Chair of Student Senate 1. The Chair shall be elected from the voting membership of Student Senate by a majority vote of Student Senate at the first regular meeting of every session, or at the first meeting at which the Chair is declared vacant, and shall serve for the remainder of the session. 2. The Chair shall not be a regular member of any standing internal committee. 3. Duties of the Chair: a. Appoint clerks to Student Senate b. Assign Student Senators and Members-at-large to standing internal committees, pending the approval of a majority of the Executive Committee of Student Senate. c. Schedule regular meetings of Student Senate and of the Executive Committee of Student Senate. d. Determine the order of business for regular meetings of Student Senate and of the Executive Committee of Student Senate. e. Preside over all regular Student Senate meetings and meetings of the Executive Committee of Student Senate f. Appoint a parliamentarian to Student Senate, who if a member of Student Senate, shall retain his full parliamentary privileges g. Be an ex-officio of all standing internal committees. 4. Powers of the Chair. The Chair may: a. Form ad hoc committees of Student Senate with the approval of the Executive Committee of Student Senate. b. Remove Student Senators for violation of the attendance requirements c. Remove Members-at-large for violation of the attendance requirements d. Appoint an acting committee chair for a standing internal committee, in the event of a vacancy in the chair of that committee, until Student Senate duly elects a new chair e. Nominate a Vice Chair from the voting membership of Student Senate C. Vice Chair of Student Senate 1. A majority vote of Student Senate shall be required to approve the nomination, after which the Vice Chair shall serve during the remainder of the Chair's term. 2. The Vice Chair shall not be a regular member of a standing internal committee and shall be a non-voting member of the Executive Committee of Student Senate. 3. Duties of the Vice Chair a. Act as the Chair at any Student Senate meeting at which the Chair is not present. b. Serve as acting Chair of Student Senate in the event that the Chair's position is vacant, until a new Chair is elected. c. Assist the Chair with Student Senate matters as deemed necessary by the Chair. d. Decide which standing internal committee shall assume responsibility for matters not assigned to a particular committee by Student Senate. e. Coordinate inter-committee transfers on matters requiring the action of more than one committee. f. Report to the Student Senate the failure of a standing internal committee to act upon matters assigned to it. g. Be an ex-officio member of all standing internal committees. D. Chairs of Standing Committee 1. The Chairs of the standing internal committees shall be Student Senators and shall be elected by a majority vote of Student Senate at the first regular meeting of every session and at the first regular Student Senate meeting at which a chair's position is vacant. 2. Duties of the chairs of standing internal committees: a. Keep a current record of attendance at committee meetings and submit these records to the Chair of Student Senate upon request. b. Provide a written report of activities of the committee during the session to the Chair of Student Senate at the last Student Senate meeting of the session. c. Schedule regular meetings of the committee. d. Determine the order of business for the meetings of the committee. e. Appoint a Vice Chair to act in the absence of the Chair. f. Report committee activities to Student Senate at regular meetings. E. Sergeant at Arms 1. The Sergeant at Arms shall be elected from among the membership of Student Senate 2. Duties of the Sergeant at Arms a) Care for and maintain the physical properties and office of Student Senate, including the joint properties of student organizations b) Acquire meeting places for Student Senate, its committees, and its events, upon the request of any chair c) Attend all meetings of Student Senate and assist the Chair in maintaining order in the chambers F. Removal of Internally Elected Officials 1. The internally elected officials of Student Senate may be removed for incompetence or apathy. 2. To initiate removal proceedings, a petition signed by at least one-half (½) of Student Senators shall be presented to the President of the Student Body asking for removal of an elected official from that official's elected post. 3. At the regular Student Senate meeting immediately following presentation of the petition, Senate shall vote on removal of the official. Removal of the Chair of Student Senate or a Chair of a standing internal committee shall require a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Student Senators present. 4. Upon a successful vote to remove an official, the office shall immediately be declared vacant. Any elected official may resign by submitting his resignation to the Chair of Student Senate, who must notify Student Senate of the resignation at the next meeting of Student Senate. H. Student Senate Standing Internal Committees 1. Membership a. Except as contradicted in these Bylaws, all Student Senators and Members-at-large shall be a regular member of exactly one standing internal committee of Student Senate. b. All regular members of a standing internal committee are permitted to vote on matters addressed in that committee. c. Only regular members of a committee are counted toward quorum. 2. Committee Selection a. Following each election, each Student Senator and Member-at-large shall indicate their preference for committee assignments, in order of preference. b. The size of the committees shall be determined by the Chair of the Student Senate in consultation with the chairs of the standing internal committees. c. The Chair of Student Senate shall determine committee assignments from the list of preferences and the recommendations of the members of the Executive Committee of Student Senate. d. A Member-at-large may not be a member of the Funding and Recognition Committee. 3. Rules of Standing Internal Committees a. Committees may ratify their own rules, subject to these Bylaws and the consent of Student Senate b. Each committee shall fix regular weekly meeting times for the transaction of business before the committee c. Each meeting of a committee, or any subcommittee thereof, including meetings to conduct hearings, shall be open to the public, except in the case of the Funding and Recognition Committee, which may close a meeting to the public by a majority vote of the members present. d. All business before committees of Student Senate at the end of one session shall be resumed at the commencement of the next session e. Committees may conduct business electronically upon agreement of all committee members. Voting shall occur via e-mail in the following method: (1) The chair shall send legislation to each committee member, with a uniquely identifying subject (2) Each member shall cast his vote by sending it to an e-mail address specified in the body of the message and utilizing the same subject line used to identify the legislation. Failure to cast a vote is synonymous with absence from a regular committee meeting. (3) Each member shall register his vote as "Yes, I vote in favor of the legislation"; "No, I vote against the legislation"; or "I abstain" by submitting only such text in the body of the vote message (4) After a two (2) school-day period, the chair shall count the votes and report the results via e-mail to the members of the committee and the Chair of Student Senate, including in the message a listing of the individual votes of each member (5) There shall then follow a two (2) school-day protest period, in which committee members may dispute the validity of the vote attributed to them by submitting a written protest to the committee chair 4. Duties of the Academic Affairs Committee a. Propose legislation concerning the academic welfare of the Student Body b. Announce to Student Senate any changes or proposed changes in academic policy c. Designate a representative to the University Academic Calendar Committee d. Function as the liaison to the University Education Council, the Associate Deans Council, and Enrollment Services e. Take responsibility for any business charged to it by Student Senate 5. Duties of the Campus Affairs Committee a. Propose legislation concerning the campus environment as it relates to the Student Body b. Announce to Student Senate any changes or proposed changes in auxiliary services c. Function as the liaison to the Division of Student Affairs d. Maintain the Poster Policy e. Be responsible to review and suggest amendments to the policies contained in the Student Handbook and act as the liaison between Student Senate and Faculty Senate on university policy amendments passed by Student Senate f. Take responsibility for any business charged to it by Student Senate 6. Duties of the Funding and Recognition Committee a. Make recommendations to Student Senate on the funding and recognition of student organizations within the guidelines set forth by Student Senate in these Bylaws b. Recommend only those expenditures that are justified by their contributions to the Student Body. The committee shall give priority to expenditures for which there is no source of funds other than the Activities Fee. Mere permissibility under Student Senate Fiscal Policy does not justify an expenditure. c. Conduct annual reviews of the recognized organizations to see if they are within the bounds of these Bylaws and the Constitution of the Student Body d. Make at least five (5) nominations for membership in the Joint Funding Committee at the initial election each semester e. Maintain the Student Senate Fiscal Policy f. Take responsibility for any business charged to it by Student Senate 7. Powers of the Funding and Recognition Committee. The Funding and Recognition Committee may: a. Review all budgetary categories of any organization b. Through the Chair of the Funding and Recognition Committee: (1) Freeze accounts. Within one (1) week of freezing any funds, the Chair of the Funding and Recognition Committee shall notify the Funding and Recognition Committee. (2) Schedule an audit and collect inventories (3) Subpoena financial records involving funds allocated by Student Senate 8. Duties of the Public Relations Committee a. Publicize all Student Senate activities, including elections and Student Senate vacancies b. Plan and coordinate Student Senate involvement in special events such as the Activities Fair, Homecoming, and Spring Carnival c. Take responsibility for any business charged to it by Student Senate 9. Duties of the Internal Affairs Committee a. Plan and coordinate educational workshops and seminars for Student Senate and its standing internal committees b. Maintain records of Student Senate transactions over the course of each session c. Ensure that the Sergeant at Arms maintains the Student Senate office in a clean and orderly condition d. Ensure that each Student Senator is provided with the most up-to-date version of these Bylaws, Constitution of the Student Body, and other rules of Student Senate e. Consider legislation, petitions, and other matters relating to the following subjects: (1) Student Senate Bylaws, the Constitution of the Student Body, and non-specific rules and regulations; (2) corrupt practices within Student Government; (3) credentials and qualifications of members of Student Senate, contested elections, and acceptance of incompatible offices; (4) elections generally, including the election of the President, Vice President, and Members of the Senate; (5) meetings of the Senate and attendance of Members; (6) Presidential succession; (7) recesses and adjournments. f. Take responsibility for any business charged to it by Student Senate Very Terse Synopsis: This amendment is based upon the text found in Article I, sections IV, VI, and IX of the current Bylaws. There are a lot of changes to the text. Please compare carefully. Renaming of Human Resources to "Internal Affairs" B.3.a: "a secretary" to "clerks" B.3.f: added parliamentarian appointment duty (see next) B.4: removed parliamentarian appointment power B.4.b, c: removed absolute references to other portions of the Bylaws B.4.d: added to codify standing tradition on appointment of acting chairs B.4.e: removed "pending..."; the same information is stated under the Vice Chair C.1: changed vote to majority; there is no reason to require the Vice Chair to have a supermajority when the Chair does not E: added new office of Sergeant at Arms to support the need for a doorman and assume some scattered duties in Senate G: brought over from current XI H.3: added help improve the workings of committees H.3.a: allows committees to write their own rules (may help with knowledge transfer) H.3.b: sets how often committees must meet (currently, all committees do this) H.3.c: makes committee meeting, with an exception for Funding and Recognition, open H.3.d: common sense rule on business carrying between sessions H.3.e: rules on electronic voting in committees (possibly a first step to electronic voting in full Senate) H.4.c,d: changes based on how the structure of administration has changed H.5.c,d,e: changes based on how the structure of administration has changed and changes in Senate H.6.b: removed Article III reference H.6.c: added "and Constitution of the Student Body" H.6.d,e: derived from changes in the structure of Student Government H.8: removed paragraphs 3 and 4 in current Bylaws (3 went to S@A, 4 went to CA) H.9: removed paragraph 4 in current Bylaws (see previous) H.9.c: added in for Sergeant at Arms H.9.e: delineates specific legislation that IA should deal with (most of which HR does or would deal with anyway) F98-018-Amendment of the Student Senate Bylaws to Simplify Article I via Creation a New Article IV Whereas the structure of Article I is illogical and unwieldy, and Whereas these problems can be remedied through restructuring the Bylaws, Resolved, by the Fall 1998 session of Student Senate, to strike Article I, section VIII of the Student Senate Bylaws and insert the text before Article I as Article IV, with the proviso that the amendment shall not take effect until the conclusion of the session and that necessary renumbering shall be effected. F98-019--Amendment of the Student Senate Bylaws to Clarify the Introduction of Legislation into Student Senate, Create Procedures Concerning Quorums, and Simplify Article I by Creating a New Article V Whereas some legislation has been poorly introduced into Student Senate, and Whereas the Bylaws have not disallowed this, and Whereas Student Senate has had problems in the past with losing quorum, and Whereas there were no procedures to deal with this problem, and Whereas the structure of Article I is illogical and unwieldy, Resolved, by the Fall 1998 session of Student Senate, to strike Article I, section VII of the Student Senate Bylaws; and insert the following article before Article I, with the proviso that the amendments shall not take effect until the conclusion of the session and that necessary renumbering shall be effected: V. Meetings A. Special meetings 1. Only the Student Body President may call a special meeting of Student Senate. 2. The President must give notice of a special meeting at least seventy-two (72) hours prior to the designated meeting time. 3. Absences shall not be counted in special meetings. B. Conduct of Business 1. Except where contradicted in these Bylaws, Student Senate shall conduct business in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised. 2. Introduction of legislation a. Legislation which has already been approved by a committee of Student Senate may be acted upon by Student Senate at the next regular meeting. b. Legislation which has not passed through a standing internal committee of Student Senate may not be acted upon during the Student Senate meeting in which it is introduced unless a motion to act immediately upon the legislation carries by a two-thirds (2/3) vote. c. All motions and amendments shall be reduced to writing, if desired by the Chair or by any Senator, and shall be read before the same shall be debated. d. It shall not be in order to consider any proposed committee amendment which contains any significant matter not within the jurisdiction of the committee proposing such amendment e. The Funding and Recognition Committee shall not report an appropriation bill proposing new or general legislation, and if such an appropriation bill is reported to the Senate, a point of order may be made against the bill, and if the point is sustained, the bill shall be recommitted to the Funding and Recognition Committee. 3. Voting a. There shall be exactly four (4) distinct voting methods used by Student Senate. They are listed below in order of greatest precedence to lowest precedence: (1) Roll call vote (2) Hand vote (3) Voice vote (4) Acclamation (unanimous consent) b. The Chair of Student Senate normally determines the manner of voting. However, if a Student Senator calls for a greater precedent method of voting for an individual question, that method must be used. If multiple requests are received, the request with the greatest precedence shall be honored. c. A Senator shall decline to vote, in committee or on the floor, on any matter when he believes that his voting on such a matter would be a conflict of interest C. Quorums 1. A quorum of Student Senate shall be defined as more than half of the seated voting Senators 2. If, at any time during a meeting of the Senate, a question shall be raised by any Senator as to the presence of a quorum, the Chair shall forthwith direct the Secretary to call the roll and shall announce the result, and these proceedings shall be without debate 3. If, at some point during a meeting, it is found that a quorum is no longer present, a quasi committee of the whole may be convened, without a quorum, to debate business and report to the next meeting. The report of the committee shall be a special order for the next meeting. 4. If a Senator leaves a meeting, with no clear intention of returning, without the express permission of the Chair of Student Senate or of the Student Senate, and a quorum of the Student Senate is subsequently lost, that Senator shall be considered to be absent for the entire meeting Terse Synopsis of Changes: This is based upon Article I, section VII. References are to the proposed. Section A: Exactly the same Section B 2.c: Reduction of motions to writing avoids misunderstandings and delays in proceeding 2.d: Disallowing amendments from committees which have no jurisdiction over the original legislation stops poorly framed amendments 2.e: No legislation in appropriation bills stops the tying of funding to forcing irrelevant actions by an organization 3.b: Added wording to make highest precedent method the method for voting 4.c: Allows Senators to decline voting on the basis of conflict of interest Section C New rules and procedures concerning quorums 1: Definition of quorum 2: How to handle when a Senator makes a point that there is not quorum. Currently, how is up to the Chair. 3: Allows the convening of a quasi committee of the whole to allow the diminished body to continue discussion. 4: Tags Senators who leave meetings early without an excuse with an absence. F98-020-Amendment of the Student Senate Bylaws to Clarify the Submission of a Restraining Petition, Create a Procedure for Popular Reconsideration, and Simplify Article I by Creating a New Article VI Whereas the procedure for submitting a restraining petition can be ambiguous, and Whereas there currently is no method to compel Student Senate to reconsider a question, and Whereas the structure of Article I is illogical and unwieldy, Resolved, by the Fall 1998 session of Student Senate, to strike Article I, section X of the Student Senate Bylaws; and insert the following article before Article I, with the proviso that the amendments shall not take effect until the conclusion of the session and that necessary renumbering shall be effected: VI. Student Body Directives A. The Undergraduate Student Body can force Student Senate to act on any matter by submitting a new issue petition in the form of a main motion. 1. A new issue petition must contain the signatures, printed names, and phone numbers of at least fifty (50) members of the Undergraduate Student Body. The Executive Committee of Student Senate shall have one (1) week from receipt of the petition to validate that petition. 2. Once the petition has been validated, Student Senate must consider the question put forth in the petition. The question must be considered within two (2) weeks of petition validation. B. The Undergraduate Student Body can compel Student Senate to reconsider any legislative vote taken within the previous thirty (30) days by submitting a reconsideration petition, which must contain the printed names, signatures, and phone numbers or email addresses of at least five (5) percent of the Activities Fee-paying members of the Undergraduate Student Body. The Executive Committee of Student Senate shall have one (1) week from the receipt of the petition to validate that petition. Upon such validation, reconsideration of the vote shall become a special order at the next Student Senate meeting. C. The Undergraduate Student Body can rescind legislation passed by Student Senate by submitting a restraining petition 1. A restraining petition must contain the printed names, signatures, and Carnegie Mellon e-mail addresses of at least ten (10) percent of the Activities Fee-paying members of the Undergraduate Student Body. 2. A restraining petition must be submitted within ten (10) school days of the passage of the legislation. 3. The Executive Committee of Student Senate shall have one (1) week from the receipt of the petition to validate that petition 4. Should the petition be valid, the legislation then must be considered by the Undergraduate Student Body in a referendum 5. The results of the referendum shall be binding if at least fifteen (15) percent of the members of the Undergraduate Student Body vote on the referendum 6. A majority vote in the referendum shall be sufficient to rescind legislation passed by Student Senate Brief Synopsis This amendment is based upon Article I, section X. References are to the proposed. A: Exactly the same. B: Popular reconsideration. This is another way that students can voice their displeasure with Senate, but is less strenuous than the process to rescind legislation. C: The text has been broken-up slightly, and some of it has been reworked to make the meaning less ambiguous and to make it easier to understand. Also, as for vacancy petitions, the requirement has been changed to "Carnegie Mellon e-mail addresses" from "phone numbers or email addresses." New Business: The OLR Resolution was approved by voice vote. Points of Discussion: The issue of compensation for Student Government Officials was discussed. Sen. Ng: Student Government should be more active and involved on campus. Sarah Gross: The town meeting is on Nov. 13 and 16. I hope all of the Senators can attend the meetings and help to maintain the discussion at the meeting to be at a manageable level. Announcements: Keith Rothschild: No organization is allowed to have any cash. You could use your own money first and then get a reimbursement afterwards. Denise Fazio: The Student Affairs does hold cash at the office for any organizations that need immediate cash for some events. Meeting adjourned at 9:50pm by voice vote. Respectfully Submitted, Paula Rumli