THE CONSTITUTION OF THE STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION OF LAMAR UNIVERSITY

PREAMBLE

We, the students of Lamar University, in order to provide an officially recognized student government that is a representative of student organizations as well as individual students and serves to identify and represent the students' interest by promoting responsible student participation in the overall policy and decision-making process of the University; to enhance the quality and scope of education and student life at the University; to provide the official voice through which student opinion may be expressed; to study student problems and make appropriate recommendation(s); to facilitate communication between and among all University and civic arenas, the student body, and to advance the general welfare of the student body do hereby adopt and establish this constitution.

Article I. Name

Section I. This organization shall be officially known as the Student Government Association of Lamar University, hereinafter referred to as SGA.

Article II. Purposes

Section I. The purposes of this organization shall be as outlined in the Preamble of this Constitution.

Article III. Organization

Section I. The SGA shall represent its membership, the Student Body, which consists of all full-time and part-time students who are duly registered at Lamar University, and shall exercise its authority through the Constitution as hereinafter provided.

Section II. The governing structure of the SGA shall consist of three distinct branches: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. No student may concurrently serve in both the Judicial and any other branch.

Article IV. Qualifications of Members

Section I. To become a candidate, to hold office, or to represent the SGA, a student must comply with the Lamar University Policy for Eligibility for Extracurricular Activities and with the eligibility requirements of the office as set in the By-laws.

Article V. Executive Branch

Section I. All executive powers shall be vested in the Executive Branch of the SGA.

Section II. The Executive Branch shall consist of the President, the Vice President, the Secretary/Treasurer, the Executive Committee, and the Election Commission.

Section III. The Executive Branch officers shall assume office June 1. The officers shall hold office for one complete year or until a successor is installed. From the day of inauguration to June 1 the newly elected Executive Officers are to be referred to as Executive "Elect".

Section IV. The chief executive officer shall be the President, who shall be elected by the student body during the annual general election as specified in the By-laws.

Section V. A candidate for the office of President must be a full-time Lamar University student as defined by Lamar University, and shall have completed a minimum of forty-five (45) semester hours of academic credits at the time of filing for office. The candidate must have been enrolled at Lamar University at least one year (two long semesters shall count as one year and two summer sessions shall count as one long semester) prior to the date of filing.

Section VI. The Vice President shall be elected by the student body during the annual general election as specified in the By-laws.

Section VII. A candidate for the office of Vice President must be a full-time Lamar University student as defined by Lamar University, and shall have completed a minimum of thirty (30) semester hours of academic credits at the time of filing for office. The candidate must have been enrolled at Lamar University at least one year (two long semesters shall count as one year and two summer sessions shall count as one long semester) prior to the date of filing.

Section VIII. The Secretary/Treasurer shall be elected by the student body during the annual general election as specified in the By-laws. To be a candidate for the office of Secretary/Treasurer a student must have completed 12 hours. The candidate must have completed one long semester at Lamar University immediately prior to the semester of their election.

Section IX. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Executive Officers and the committee chairpersons and shall perform such duties as defined in the By-laws.

Section X. The Election Commission shall uphold the SGA Election Rules. The Division of Student Affairs and Strategic Initiatives shall serve as administration to all SGA elections as defined in the By-laws.

Article VI. Legislative Branch

Section I. The legislative body of the Student Government Association shall consist of two houses.

Section II. The upper house shall be known as the Senate with membership of College Senators, Class Senators, and other members as designated by the By-laws.

Section III. The lower house shall be known as the House of Representatives with membership as designated in the By-laws.

Section IV. Term limits for College Senators shall be two academic years, and term limits for other Senators and Representatives shall be one academic year.

Section V. All legislation and other duties as outlined in the By-laws shall originate in either house. Upon affirmation by both houses, legislation shall pass and be forwarded to the President of the Student Body.

Section VI. A candidate for Senator must be a full-time Lamar University student as defined by Lamar University, and must meet the minimum university requirements to hold office.

Section VII. A candidate for Representative must be a full-time Lamar University student as defined by Lamar University, and must meet the minimum university requirements to hold office.

Article VII. Judicial Branch

Section I. The judicial power of the Student Government Association shall be vested in the Supreme Court consisting of one Chief Justice and four Associate Justices.

Section II. Qualifications

I. Members of the Supreme Court shall be appointed by the President of the Student Government Association upon concurrence of a two-thirds majority vote of all Senators present and in good standing of the Senate.
II. Each member of the Supreme Court must have completed at least two long semesters as a full-time student at Lamar University prior to the semester of assuming office.
III. Each member of the Supreme Court must meet the minimum university standards as set forth by the By-laws.
IV. Each member of the Supreme Court must be classified as a full-time student at the time of appointment and during the term of office, unless it is during that Justice's final semester before receiving a Lamar University degree.

Section IV. Powers and Duties of the Supreme Court and Term of Office

I. The Chief Justice shall serve until his/her graduation, as long as he/she remains in good standing with the university.
II. An Associate Justice shall serve until his/her graduation, as long as he/she remains in good standing with the university.
III. In the instance of a vacancy of the position of Chief Justice or of a court member, the vacancy shall be filled through Presidential appointment with approval of the Student Senate with a two-thirds (2/3) vote as set forth in the By-laws.
IV. The Supreme Court shall be the interpreter of the Student Government Association Constitution, By-Laws, and the Election Code within the Lamar University Student Body.
V. The Chief Justice will act as chairperson of this court and shall have the responsibility to set meetings, be available to students, and deliver a report to the President of the Student Government Association within one week of a question brought forth to the court.
VI. All other duties and powers shall be followed according to the SGA By-laws.

Article VIII. Finances

Section I. A financial report shall be given at the end of each semester by the President to the Student Government Association.

Article IX. Advisors

Section I. The Lamar University Student Government Association may have three Lamar University employee advisors as defined in the By-laws.

Article X. By-laws

Section I. The Student Government Association By-laws shall be those rules clarifying, edifying, and governing the implementation and operation of the SGA Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches and their memberships, as well as any SGA committee and its respective membership. These By-laws may not rescind, negate, or conflict with any part of the Constitution or its amendments, or any policy or procedure set by the Texas State University System, Lamar University, or local, state, and national governments.

Section II. By-laws must be introduced and voted upon for approval by a two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of a quorum of the voting membership of the Student Senate.

Article XI. Constitutional Amendments

Section I. Amendments to this constitution shall require an affirmation of two-thirds (2/3) of a quorum of the voting membership of the Student Senate present at a regularly scheduled Student Senate meeting, endorsement by the President of the University, and thereafter the approval of a majority of students participating in a Public Constitutional referendum. All approved amendments shall be incorporated into the body of the Constitution in the appropriate place. Any proposed amendment, together with the parts of the Constitution affected, shall be published in the school newspaper and other outlets (e.g. website, LUHub, and emails) at least one week prior to the election for that amendment.

Article XII. Proposed Constitutions

Section I. A proposed new Constitution must originate in the Student Senate and be recommended by two-thirds (2/3) of its total voting membership and published at least two (2) weeks before it shall be submitted to the members of the SGA.

Section II. A new Constitution may also be proposed if it originates with a constitutional commission, consisting of no fewer than eight (8) members. Such a commission must be established by the Student Senate on petition of a number of students equal to thirty (30) percent of the total number of ballots cast in the last general election.

Section III. A proposed Constitution initiated by either of the above procedures will be ratified upon receiving a majority of the ballots cast at the next general election, or at a special election called by the Student Senate.

Article XIII. Ratification

Section I. All previous SGA Constitutions are null and void.

Section II. All SGA policies, rules, and procedures as defined by the Constitution and By-laws shall be followed in good faith by the members of the SGA.

Section III. All officials elected under the requirements of the previous Constitution, which this Constitution supersedes, shall remain in their corresponding offices and exercise their corresponding duties and responsibilities as set forth in this Constitution and by-laws until their terms of office expire.

Section IV. This Constitution stands approved by the Student Senate as of April 2014 and by the Student Body as of April 2014, and shall be effective upon the signature and endorsement of the President of the University.