Student Conference ByLaws |
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Article II. Functions
Article III. Members
Article IV. Officers
Article V. The Steering Committee
Article VI. Meeting
Article VII. Committee
Article VIII. Elections
Article IX. Parliamentary Authority
Article X. Voting
Article XI. Legislative Organization
Article XII. Amendment of ByLaws
Article I. Name
The name of this organization shall be The Student Conference of the Lehman College Senate. It shall be referred to by the short title “Conference”.
Article II. Functions
The function of this organization shall be to:
1. Provide a forum for discussion of, and taking positions on, college or public issues as the representative organization of the student body of Lehman College.
2. Ascertain opinions on matters, which are the concern of the Lehman College Senate.
Article III. Members
1. The student members of the Lehman College Senate shall constitute the membership of the Conference.
2. The Conference shall fill any vacancy among the student members of the Lehman College Senate by:
a. seating candidates for the Senate who did not obtain sufficient student votes in the last election.
b. The unsuccessful candidate shall be seated in the order in which they obtain votes in
that election; in the case of tie votes, they shall be seated in alphabetical order.
3. The Conference shall serve as judge of the qualifications of its own members.
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Article IV. Officers
1. The officers of the Conference shall be Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary, Treasurer, Publicity Officer, and Office Manager. The five underlined shall compose the Steering Committee.
2. At the first regular meeting of the Conference held in June, a Steering Committee of five members shall be elected. The membership shall consist of the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Treasurer, and two members who shall be chosen by the Conference through open nominations and election.
3. The Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Conference shall be chosen at the first regular meeting held in June through open nominations and elections. The Conference shall also choose one additional member of the Conference to be its Secretary who will be nonvoting member of the Steering Committee.
4. These officers shall perform the duties described by these bylaws and by the parliamentary authority adopted by the organization.
5. The officers shall serve for the tenure of the particular Conference which has elected them or until their successors are chosen, and their term shall begin June 1
6. No member shall hold more than one office at a time.
7. In the case that a vacancy exists on the Steering Committee, notice shall be given to all members and the vacancy filled at the next meeting. However, in the event of death, resignation, or removal from office, the Vice-Chairman shall succeed to the Chairmanship of the Conference. Should the Vice-chairman be unable to serve as Chairman, the Treasurer shall serve in that office as Chairman Pro-term He shall then serve as Chairman Pro-term until confirmed as chairman or a new chairman is selected by the full Conference called together for specifically this purpose.
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Article V. The Steering Committee
1. The officers of the organization shall constitute the Steering Committee.
2. The Chairman of the Steering Committee shall have the power to act on the behalf of the Conference on urgent matters when an emergency session of the Conference cannot be convened. All such decisions must be submitted for approval or rejection by the Conference at the first meeting following the decision. Such meeting must be held within five school days of the day the decision was made.
3. No member of the Steering committee may serve also on the CASA. Executive Committee.
Article VI. Meeting
1. The first meeting of the organization shall be held on a day and time decided upon by the members of the organization at its first regular meeting. The Conference shall meet at least once a month during the Academic Year.
2. Special meetings can be called by the Chairman or the Steering Committee and shall be called upon the written request of six (6) members of the organization. The purpose of the meeting shall be stated in the call. Except in cases of emergency, at least two- (2) day’s notice shall be given.
3. Members present at any regular or special meeting for which at least two (2) days prior written notice is given shall constitute a quorum.
4. All meetings of the organization shall be open to all members of Lehman College community who shall subject to the will of the Organization have full speaking rights.
5. Though no specific attendance requirements exists for the Conference meetings, the following was adopted by the academic Senate on December 22, 1971:
WHEREAS: One of the principal duties of a student senator is to be resent at meetings of the Academic Senate, and
WHEREAS: So far this year, we have had an unacceptable absentee rate at Senate and meetings, and
WHEREAS: The Student Conference has no mechanism at present to insure that the interests of the student body are fully represented by its elected representatives,
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED:
1. That any student senator who misses three or more regularly scheduled meetings of the Academic Senate during a term (September –May) of that Senate will be assumed to have resigned, and
2. Further, that after a student has been absent for his third Senate meeting, he shall be informed in writing that the Conference assumes him to have resigned.
3. In this case, the individual will have an opportunity to appeal his assumed resignation at the next meeting of the Student Conference, which body will then, by a majority vote, decide whether or not to accept his appeal.
4. This resolution shall become effective upon the date of its approval by the Academic Senate, and will not be construed to be necessity of regular attendance and the risk of what amounts to an impeachment for lack of attendance.
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Article VII. Committee
1.A Committee on Committees composed of one student representative from each Student-Faculty Committee of the Senate shall prepare reports on the activity of the Senate Committees for the Information of the members of the Conference. It shall be the duty of this committee to make recommendations for the coordination of the activities of the various Senate Committees.
2.A CASA Committee composed of four representatives of the Conference to CASA shall prepare reports on the activities of CASA for the information of the members of the Conference.
3.A publicity Committee composed of five members shall be chosen by the Conference. It shall be the duty of this committee to keep the students of the college informed about the activities of the Organization.
4.A The Conference shall choose a Committee on Academic Departments composed of two representatives of each of the Academic Groups. It shall be the duty of this committee to assist student organizers in the various Academic Departments in furthering the rights and power of the students in departmental decision-making. This committee shall make recommendation to the Conference on matters pertaining to student rights and powers in the Academic Departments.
5.A Committee on Faculty Personnel composed of five members shall be chosen by the Conference. It shall be the duty of this committee to make specific proposals for obtaining effective student participation in matters relating to the hiring and firing, and promotion of faculty members.
6. Such other committees, standing or special, shall be appointed by the Conference from time to time as it deems necessary to carry on the work of the Organization.
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Article VIII. Elections
1. The Conference shall request CASA to implement election by mail ballot, under guidelines established by the Conference, for elections to the Senate.
2. The Conference shall itself administer internal and committee elections, as well as all referenda.
3. The Conference reserves the right to proceed with elections to Senate memberships via the established Board of Elections procedures.
Article IX. Parliamentary Authority
The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, revised shall govern the Conference in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws. Any special rules of order of the Organization shall adopt the Constitution of the Lehman College Academic Senate, or the Bylaws of the Board of Higher Education.
Article X. Voting
1. All voting in the Student Conference on main motions shall be done in an open and non-secretive manner by a roll call vote, except in those cases in which the majority of the members feelthat a fair and unprejudiced vote cannot be held without a secret ballot.
2. All open balloting shall be recorded by the Secretary, with the name of each senator and the way that each senator votes (pro, con, or abstention) being recorded into the official minutes.
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Article XI. Legislative Organization
1. On call of the Chairman or the Student Conference, the Conference shall move into a Committee of the Whole, either during the course of regular or special Conference meetings, or during meetings of the Lehman College Senate.
2. The Committee of the Whole shall discuss, plan, and carry out legislative policies of the Committee and of the Conference. Individual members of the Conference are not bound to participate or follow the actions of the Committee with regard to their vote or stand on issues before them.
3. The Chairman of the Conference shall chair all meetings of the Committee, except during meetings of the Lehman College Senate.
4. The Chairman shall select two Floor Whips, with approval of the Conference, who may in turn appoint Majority and Minority Handlers for particular issues.
5. The Floor Whips are answerable and subjected to removal or suspension by the Chairman with approval of the full conference.
Article XII. Amendment of Bylaws These Bylaws can be amended at any meeting of the Conference by a two-thirds vote, provided that the amendment has been submitted in writing at a previous regular meeting.
Adopted March 16, 1971.
Amended to November 16, 1972.
Further amended to October 23, 1974.
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