Commuter Council - Constitution

The following is the Commuter Council Constitution voted on and approved by the Commuter Council Executive Board.

COMMUTER COUNCIL CONSTITUTION

Article I. Name
This organization shall be known as the Commuter Council. An independent non-academic organization established and operated by and for St. John Fisher College students.

Article II. Purpose
The Commuter Council is created as a representative body through which Commuters can present their views, problems and needs to school officials. The Commuter Council seeks to meet the social needs of commuters as well as create a unified campus to which all students are recognized.

Article III. Membership

          Section 1. The Council shall be composed of no more then seven (7) elected members.

         Section 2. The Council is open to all students registered at St. John Fisher College.

          Section3. The Council shall elect, by majority vote, the offices of President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Director of Social Affairs and two (2) Events Coordinators. All officers of the Commuter Council must be full-time students and must maintain the requirements of good academic standing as outlined in the St. John Fisher College Bulletin. The president must be a commuter student and the remaining board members may be either a commuter or resident student.

Article IV. Officers

Section 1. Duties
All board members will work together as a single entity to serve the needs of the commuting students. All officers will share equal authority and rights pertaining to all maters of the council. All final decisions will be made by a majority vote by the board members.

President:

Spokesperson who represents the Council.
In the result of a split vote by the board, the president will make the final decision.
Organizes meeting times; keeping all members up to date on current decisions, issues, etc.
Coordinates officers’ efforts.
Enforces policy of the constitution
Serves on the Council of Presidents.

Vice President:

Substitutes for the President at meetings if necessary.
Works with the President on constructing the agenda for meetings.
Takes on the duties of President when absent.
Can call meeting in the absence of the President.

Secretary:

Responsible for all correspondence
Responsible for reserving any college space needed by the Council.
Overseeing of filing/files
Contacts appropriate personnel about office supplies and documents.
- (Example: tax exempt forms, mailing labels and etc.)

Treasurer:

Makes all monetary requests from the Bursar’s office, turns in necessary receipts.
Accounts for all funds.
Formulates budget with the board.
Advises Council on current budget standings.
Oversees the finances of the board.

2 Events Coordinators:

Researches ideas for social events and presents findings at board meetings including an estimate of cost.
The coordinators are responsible for planning all the events for each semester as agreed upon by the board.
Both coordinators will divide the workload fairly and appropriately between each of them with the approval of the board.
The coordinators may appoint another board member to perform their duties for an event if both coordinators are unable to complete their duties for personal or schedule reasons.
Plans and assists in the development of Council sponsored events.

Director of Social Affairs:

Responsible for the publicity of Council sponsored events and meetings.
Maintaining Blackboard and/or the Council’s website.
Takes on the duties of the Secretary when the Secretary is absent at board and general meetings.

Section 2 Removal from Office
Grounds for impeachment shall be negligence of duty, or any action performed by an elected member of the government that is considered a direct violation of the Constitution. [Any action performed by a member of the Council that is grounds for Impeachment by the Commuter Council.] Impeachment will be conducted by a 2/3-majority vote of the board and the advisor. The advisor must be given a seven (7) day notice before the vote.

Section 3 Filling a Vacancy
In the event of resignation, impeachment, or lack of candidates, a vacancy should be filled by a unanimous vote of all appointed board members.

Article V. Advisor

Attends both board and general meetings when possible.
Advise board members on college rules and regulations.
Works with the treasurer on financial matters.

Article VI. Elections

    Section 1
Elections will be held the first week of April at the general meeting.

    Section 2 Eligibility
All full time students in good academic standings are eligible for all positions except president, for which only commuter students are eligible.

Section 3
Interested students must fill out and submit an application to the board by an appointed deadline to be decided on by the board. This places them on the ballot.

Section 4
Elections will be held during the meeting of the 1st week of April. Candidates will be voted in by the majority of the members present at the meeting.

Article VII. Finances

Section 1. Budget
          The budget of the Commuter Council is determined by the Office of Campus Life as a percentage of the total student activities fee. All financial matters will be conducted in accordance with St. John Fisher College policies.

Section 2. Events
          The board is responsible for determining the anticipated cost of each event and allocating funds effectively.

Article VIII. Ratification

Constitution will be ratified based on the unanimous vote of the Commuter Council Executive Board

Article IX. Anti-Hazing Policy

The Commuter Council will adhere to the St. John Fisher College’s Anti-Hazing Policy as stated in the Student Handbook.