CONSTITUTION OF

BRISCOE STUDENT GOVERNMENT

Adopted by the Board of Governors (2001)

 

Preamble

 

We, the students of Briscoe Residence Hall, in order to build a community dedicated to educational and social development, and create a legitimate structure for doing so, do hereby establish this constitution for Briscoe Residence Hall.  It is our hope that through this document, the diverse population residing in Briscoe Residence Hall will be adequately represented, thus improving the quality of life for all residents.

 

Article I.  Name

 

The name of the student government for this Residence Hall shall be the Briscoe Student Government, hereafter referred to as BSG.

 

Article II.  Membership

 

The membership of this organization shall be composed of all undergraduate students attending Indiana University and residing in Briscoe Residence Hall.  Officers of this organization must be members of the BSG and fulfill any requirements set forth in the RHA Constitution and Bylaws.

 

Article III.  Executive Branch

 

Section 1.  The executive power of Briscoe Residence Hall shall be vested in the Executive Board, chaired by the President of Briscoe Residence Hall. 

 

Section 2.  The President and Vice-Presidents shall be elected on a date set by the RHA Presidents Council by members of RHA, and they shall serve for a period of one year.  Should the office of President become vacant, the Executive Vice President shall become President.  Should any other office of the Executive Board become vacant, the President shall appoint a replacement, subject to the approval of Board of Governors.

 

Section 3.  The President shall appoint members of the BSG to offices created by the BSG, and to all other appropriate boards and committees.  All appointments shall be subject to approval by the Board of Governors.

 

Section 4.  The Executive Board shall consist of the following voting members:

 

President

Executive Vice President

Executive Assistant

Vice President of Finance

Vice President of Communications

Vice President of Social and Educational Programming

Vice President of Campus Involvement

Vice President of Recreational Sports and Leisure

Vice President of Environmental Management

Judicial Board Liaison

IUSA Senator

President of the Black Student Union

Director of Philanthropy

Director of Information Technology

 

Section 5.  The executive board shall meet weekly.  The President reserves the right to call special meetings of the Executive Board.

 

Section 6.  The duties and obligations of the Executive Board.

      The Executive Board shall:

 

  1. Organize and direct the efforts of the boards, committees, and members of BSG in order for them to reach their established goals.
  2. Coordinate all meetings of BSG boards and committees.
  3. Prepare the BSG budget, including the allotment of student government funds to boards, committees and individual floors, and present said budget to the Board of Governors for final approval no later than the sixth week of fall semester classes.
  4. Allocate a maximum of $100 per expense in the case of an emergency, or when a quorum is not present to vote on allocation at the BOG meeting.
  5. Attend all BSG sponsored events.
  6. Review the BSG Constitution every year.

 

 

Section 7.  Qualifications for Executive Office.

 

      All Executive Board members must:

 

  1. Maintain a GPA of 2.0 or above during their term in office, not cumulative.
  2. Be in good academic standing with the university.
  3. Be in good disciplinary standing with the university.
  4. Reside in Briscoe Residence Hall at the time of election, and during their term in office.

 

Article IV.  Legislative Branch

 

Section 1.  Board of Governors (BOG)

 

  1. The legislative body of Briscoe Quad shall be the BOG, chaired by the Executive Vice President.

 

 

  1. The BOG shall consist of:

 

    1. Voting members:  One governor from each floor of Briscoe Residence Hall.  The Executive Vice President shall vote in case of a tie.
    2. Nonvoting members:  All Executive Board members.

 

  1. The duties and obligations of the BOG shall be to:

 

    1. Meet every other week.
    2. Make decisions that effect the living environment of Briscoe Residence Hall which reflect the needs, desires, and opinions of the students residing in Briscoe.
    3. Approve the Briscoe budget prepared by the Executive Board.
    4. Further allocate monies from the General Fund as expenses occur, or as they are requested and approved by the BOG.
    5. Approve appointments made by the President.
    6. Form committees when issues arise that warrant further research or discussion.
  1.  Attendance to all BOG meeting/activities is required.  In the event of an absence, a fine of five (5) dollars will be billed to the represented floor and floor funds will be frozen. The BOG meeting shall be run according to Robert’s Rules of Order.
  2. Voting
    1. A quorum of simple majority of the voting members of the BOG must be present for a vote to occur.
    2. All voting by the BOG shall occur by role call of hand voting, unless a request for a closed vote is made and approved.
    3. A simple majority of those present shall carry the vote on all issues brought to a vote.
    4. Proxies shall be included when determining quorum, and shall take part in any voting procedures.
  3. Approval of Legislation

The Executive Vice President shall present all legislation approved by BOG to the President.  Within three school days of its passage, if the President approves, he/she shall sign it, and it shall be a Law; otherwise he/she shall return it along with his/her objections to the BOG.  The BOG shall reconsider the legislation at its next regular meeting, and may be two-thirds vote approve the original legislation, in which case it shall be a Law.  If the President does not return the legislation to the BOG by its next regular meeting, it shall become a Law.

 

Article V.  Floor Government

 

Section 1.  The executive power of each floor shall be vested in the Floor Council, chaired by the floor Governor.

 

Section 2.  The Floor Council shall consist of:

 

       Governor

       Vice Governor of social and Educational Programming

       Communications Representative

       Recreational Sports Representative

       Environmental Management Representative

 

Section 3.  The duties and obligations of the Floor Council.

 

      The Floor Council shall:

 

A.     Consult with the Resident Assistant (R.A.) Advisor to coordinate floor meetings and activities.

B.     Coordinate floor meetings to be held a minimum of once a month.

C.     Keep floor residents informed of Briscoe and floor activities.

D.    Assist floor residents in planning activities.

E.     Obtain floor approval for expenditures exceeding $15.

F.      Floor council shall meet monthly.

 

Section 4.  Any vacancies in Floor Council positions shall be filled by special floor election.

 

Article VI.  Board of Communications

 

Section 1.  The Board of Communications shall be chaired by the Vice President of Communications, and shall consist of him/her and the Vice-Governor of Communications from each floor.

 

Section 2.  The duties and obligations of the Board of Communications shall be to:

A.     Meet every month.

B.     Compile and publish a monthly Briscoe newsletter for distribution in Briscoe Residence Hall.

C.     Assist with advertisement of all BSG sponsored events.

D.    Publicize activities and announcements of the BOG, RHA, or other university organizations as needed.

 

Section 3.  The Vice President of Communications reserves the right to request that the Vice President of Finance freeze floor funds until the representative begins to attend meetings or until the Vice President of Communications see fit.

 

Article VII.  Board of Recreational Sports and Leisure

 

Section 1.  The Board of Recreational Sports and Leisure shall be chaired by the Vice President of Recreational Sports and Leisure, and shall consist of him/her and the Vice-Governor of Recreational Sports and Leisure from each floor.

 

Section 2.  The duties and obligations of the Board of Recreational Sports and Leisure shall be to:

A.     Meet every month.

B.     Coordinate recreational sports activities for Briscoe Residence Hall in coordination with HPER/SRSC and other campus groups.

C.     Provide leisure activities for the residents of Briscoe.

Section 3.  The Vice President of Recreational Sports and Leisure reserves the right to request that the Vice President of Finance freeze the floor funds until the representative begins to attend meetings or until the Vice President of Recreational Sports and Leisure sees fit.

 

Article VIII.  Board of Vice Governors

 

Section 1.  The Board of Vice Governors shall be chaired by the Vice President of Social and Educational Programming, co-chaired by the Vice President of Campus Involvement, and shall consist of him/her and the Vice-Governor from each floor.

 

Section 2.  The duties and obligations of the Board of Vice Governors shall be to:

A.     Meet weekly.

B.     Coordinate social, cultural, community service, and educational programs for the residents of Briscoe.

C.     Sponsor a minimum of one (1) Quad wide program per semester.

 

Section 3.  The Vice President of Social and Educational Programming and Vice President of Campus Involvement may request that the Vice President of finance freeze the floor funds until the representative begins to attend meetings or until the Vice Presidents see fit.

 

Article IX.  Board of Environmental Management

 

Section 1.  The Board of Environmental Management shall be chaired by the Vice President of Environmental Management, and shall consist of him/her and the environmental representative from each floor.

 

Section 2.  The duties and obligations of the Board of Environmental Management shall be to:

1.      Meet every monthly.

2.      Promote current environmental issues.

3.      Educate residents on proper procedure for the Briscoe recycling program.

4.      Work with Housing Manager to promote responsible use of the residence hall.

5.      Raise community awareness about Earth Day.

6.      Submit a monthly written report to Briscoe newsletter.

 

Section 3.  The Vice President of Environmental Management request that the Vice President of Finance freeze the floor funds until the representative begins to attend meetings or until the Vice President of Environmental Management sees fit.

 

Article X.  Referendum

 

Section 1.  In the event that there is a change in the BSG policies, or other decisions regarding issues being discussed by the BOG, the residents of Briscoe Residence Hall reserve the right to call a referendum.  A referendum is a special vote conducted by the BOG in order to determine the majority opinion of Briscoe Residence Hall, and act accordingly.

 

Section 2.  Five percent of the residents of Briscoe Residence Hall may petition to the BOG for a referendum or two-thirds of the voting members of BOG may request a referendum to obtain more information prior to making a decision.

 

Section 3.  A referendum shall be passed by two-thirds of those who vote in the referendum.

 

Article XI.  Impeachment

 

Section 1. Members of the Executive Board, who fail to fulfill the obligations of their respective office, or abuse the privileges of their position, may be removed from office by a two-thirds vote of the BOG.

 

Section 2.  Any member of the BOG may make the request for a vote to remove a voting Executive Board member from office.

 

Section 3.  The President and the Coordinator working in collaboration may make the request for a vote to remove a voting Executive Board member or Governor from office.

 

Section 4.  A floor may vote, in a floor meeting to impeach any floor officer from office.

 

Section 5.  Floor R.A.’s reserve the right to approach new floor officers as they see fit.

 

Article XII.  Amendments

 

Section 1.  Amendments to this Constitution may be initiated be any resident in Briscoe and shall be presented to the BOG.  Upon approval of two-thirds of BOG, it shall be publicized in Briscoe for one week and submitted to the residents within one month.  Upon approval of two-thirds of the residents voting, the amendment shall become part of this Constitution.

 

Ratified:  10/12/98

 

 

 

 

 

BRISCOE RESIDENCE HALL BYLAWS

Article 1.  The Executive Branch

 

Section 1.

A.     All members must attend Executive Board meetings as called by the      President.  Meetings should be held on a weekly basis to ensure that progress is made towards the established goals of BSG.

 

B.      The voting members of Executive Board will hold office hours, on a rotating basis, totaling no less than ten (10) a week.  The Executive Assistant is responsible for posting these times around Briscoe.

 

C.     The Executive Board shall compile a list of and advertise the availability of those items available to rent from BSG, during scheduled office hours.

 

Section 2.  Duties and Responsibilities of Executive Board members.

 

A.     President

 

The BSG President shall:

 

1.      Lead BSG in the formation of a comprehensive academic, cultural, educational, athletic, political, recreational, and social program designed to best meet the needs, desires, and opinions of the residents in Briscoe.

2.      Operate and enforce all policies of the Executive Board.

3.      Represent BSG as a voting member of RHA President’s Council.

4.      Attend all Center functions where a member of Executive Board is needed.

5.      Coordinate and preside over Executive Board meetings.

6.      Report all important information concerning BSG, RHA and President’s Council at BOG meetings.

7.      Send a BSG representative to meetings and functions he/she is unable to attend.

8.      Serve as an ex-officio member of committees until chairperson is selected (This duty shared with Executive Vice President.)

9.      Chair BOG when Executive Vice President is not present.

10.  Train and assist in the orientation of the newly elected President.

11.  Keep all BSG Documents for the Briscoe Archives.

12.  Consult with the Resident Manager and Assistant Resident Manager on a regular basis.

 

 

 

B.     Executive Vice President

 

The BSG Executive Vice President shall:

 

1.      Coordinate and preside over Briscoe Board of Governors meetings.

2.      Serve as an ex-officio member of committees until a chairperson is selected (This duty is shared with the President.)

3.      Attend all Briscoe Board of Governors functions.

4.      Become President in the event of a leave of absence, resignation, or impeachment of the current President.

5.      Train and assist in the orientation of the newly elected Executive Vice President.

6.      Keep all BSG Documents for the Briscoe Archives.

7.      Consult with the Assistant Resident Manager and R.A. advisor on a regular basis.

 

C.     Vice President of Communications

 

The Vice President of Communications shall:

           

1.      Coordinate all meetings of the Board of Communications, comprised of the Communications Representative from each floor (see Constitution Article VI.)

2.      Report all important information concerning the Board of Communications at BOG meetings.

3.      Keep all BSG Documents for the Briscoe Archives.

4.      Train and assist in the orientation of the newly elected Vice President of Communications.

 

D.    Vice President of Finance

 

The Vice President of Finance shall:

 

1.      Keep accurate records of BSG funds.

2.      Make deposits and authorize payment of all legitimate BSG expenses through the Student Organization Account office.

3.      Oversee the financial status of all floors of Briscoe Residence Hall.

4.      Bill and collect all missed meeting charges issued to BSG members.

5.      Keep all BSG Documents for the Briscoe Archives.

6.      Train and assist in the orientation of the newly elected Vice President of Finance.

 

E.     Vice President of Recreational Sports and Leisure

 

The Vice President of Recreational Sports and Leisure shall:

 

1.      Coordinate all meetings of the Recreational Sports and Leisure, comprised of the Recreational Sports and Leisure Reps. from each floor.

2.      Submit a monthly update of Board activities to the Briscoe newsletter.

3.      Report all important information concerning Board of Recreational Sports and Leisure activities at BOG meetings.

4.      Represent Briscoe in RHA Recreational Sports meetings.

5.      Keep all BSG Documents for the Briscoe Archives.

6.      Train and assist in the orientation of the newly elected Vice President of Recreational Sports and Leisure.

 

F.      Vice President of Social and Educational Programming

 

The Vice President of Social and Educational Programming shall:

 

1.      Coordinate all meetings of the Board of Vice Governors (BOVG), comprised of the Vice-Governor of Social and Educational Programming of each floor, with the VP of Campus Involvement.

2.      Report all important information regarding BOVG activities at BOG meetings.

3.      Keep all BSG documents for the Briscoe Archives.

4.      Train and assist in the orientation of the newly elected Vice President of Social and Educational Programming.

 

 

G.    Vice President of Environmental Management

 

The Vice President of Environmental Management shall:

 

1.      Coordinate meetings of the Board of Environmental Management comprised of the Environmental Management Reps. from each floor.

2.      Report all important information regarding environmental affairs at the Board of Governor meetings.

3.      Keep all BSG Documents for the Briscoe Archives.

4.      Train and assist in the orientation of the newly elected Vice President of Environmental Management.

 

H.    Vice President of Campus Involvement

 

The Vice President of Campus Involvement shall:

 

1.      Assist the Vice President of Social and Educational Programming with all BOVG responsibilities

2.      Report all important information regarding campus wide activities at BOG meetings.

3.      Keep all BSG Documents for the Briscoe Archives.

4.      Train and assist in the orientation of the newly elected Vice President of Campus Involvement.

 

I.       Executive Assistant

 

The Executive Assistant shall:

 

1.      Record minutes at BOG and Executive Board meetings, and distribute these minutes at the following meeting for corrections and final approval by the BOG.

2.      Take attendance at BOG meetings and inform the Vice President of Finance of absent members.

3.      Order BSG supplies and keep an accurate inventory of all items in the Student Government Office.

4.      Be responsible for BSG correspondence.

5.      Keep all BSG Documents for the Briscoe Archives.

6.      Maintain and have accurate records of all BSG Officers.

7.      Train and assist in the orientation of the newly elected Executive Assistant.

 

J.      President of Briscoe Black Student Union

 

The President of the Briscoe Black Student Union (BSU) shall:

 

1.      Act as a liaison between BSU and BSG.

2.      Report all important information concerning BSU activities at BOG meetings.

3.      Keep all BSG/BSU Documents for the Briscoe Archives.

 

K.    IUSA Senator

 

The IUSA (Indiana University Student Association) Senator shall:

 

1.      Act as a liaison between IUSA and BSG.

2.      Report all important information concerning IUSA activities at BOG meetings.

3.      Keep all BSG/IUSA Documents for the Briscoe Activities.

 

L.     Briscoe Wellness Center Liaison

 

The Briscoe Wellness Center Liaison shall:

 

1.      Act as a liaison between Briscoe Wellness Center (BWC) and BSG.

2.      Report all important information concerning BWC activities at BOG meetings.

3.      Keep all BSG/BWC Documents for the Briscoe Archives.

 

M.  Judicial Board Liaison

 

The Judicial Board Liaison shall:

 

1.      Act as a liaison between the Briscoe J-Board and BSG.

2.      Report all important information concerning J-Board activities at BOG meetings.

3.      Keep all BSG/J-Board Documents for the Briscoe Archives.

 

N.    Director of Information Technology

 

The Director of Information Technology shall:

 

1.      Keep the web site for Herman T. Briscoe Quadrangle updated.

2.      Work closely with the Vice-President of Communications, thus ensuring the exchange of information between the two.

3.      If needed, the Director of Information Technology shall assist the Vice-President of Communications with their tasks.

 

O.    Director of Philanthropy

 

The Director of Philanthropy shall:

 

1.      Attend all RHA meetings concerning Philanthropy, or if unable to attend, send a proxy.

2.      Report and advertise in Briscoe Quadrangle all important information regarding campus wide philanthropic events.

3.   Coordinate Philanthropic programs within Briscoe Quadrangle.

 

Article II.  Legislative Branch

 

Section 1.  General

           

A.     All members must attend BOG meetings as called by the President.  Meetings should be held every other week to ensure that progress is made towards the established goals of BSG.

B.     The BOG shall reserve the right to call upon candidates for appointed positions to appear in person at BOG to answer questions of the BOG before being considered for approval.

C.     All groups petitioning for and/or currently receiving funding from the BSG must report to the BOG as requested by the BOG.

 

Section 2.  Duties and Responsibilities of Floor Officers

 

A.     Governor

 

The Governor shall:

 

1.      Attend all meetings or functions of the BOG, or send a proxy in his/her absence, in order to communicate the needs, desires and opinions of the floor.

2.      Serve on a minimum of one BOG committee.

3.      Coordinate monthly meetings of the Floor Council in order to share information, prepare floor meeting agendas, and organize activities.

4.      Attend all training sessions as called by the Vice President of Finance, or the Student Organization Accounts office, for floor accounts.

5.      Keep accurate minutes at all floor meetings, and post them in appropriate areas of his/her floor.

 

B.     Vice Governor of Social and Educational Programming

 

The Vice-Governor of Social and Educational Programming shall:

 

1.      Attend all meetings and functions of the BOVG, or send a proxy in his/her absence.

2.  Assist with programming on their floor.

 

C.     Communication Representative

 

The Communications Representative shall:

 

1.      Attend all meetings and functions of the Board of Communications or send a proxy in his/her absence.

2.      Post monthly Briscoe newsletters and BSG publicity in appropriate areas of his/her floor.

3.      Seek floor input for Briscoe newsletter.

 

D.    Environmental Management Representative

 

The Environmental Management Representative shall:

 

1.      Coordinate environmental programs on his/her floor.

2.      Promote recycling projects on his/her floor.

3.      Serve on the center Board of Environmental Management, or send a proxy in his/her absence.

4.      Promote responsible use of his/her floor.

 

 

 

 

 

E.     Recreational Sports and Leisure Representative

 

The Recreational Sports and Leisure Representative shall:

 

1.      Attend all meetings and functions of the Board of Recreational Sports and Leisure, or send a proxy in his/her absence.

2.      Coordinate floor intramural and other leisure activities, as desired, by floor residents.

 

Section 3.  Board of Governors Committees

 

A.     Elections Committee

 

1.      The Elections Committee is chaired by the Elections Commissioner as appointed by the President and approved by the BOG, and is composed of no less than three (3) and no more than five (5) members of BSG.

2.      The Elections Committee shall:

 

a.       Conduct Briscoe Executive Board elections, as scheduled by RHA.

b.      Announce and advertise for the Briscoe Executive Board elections, and provide applications and descriptions of available positions to interested.

c.       Provide information to all applicants concerning campaign rules and regulations.

d.      Conduct and run all RHA elections.

 

 

C.  Briscoe Improvements Committee

 

1.      The Briscoe Improvements Committee is chaired by a governor as appointed by the President and approved by the BOG.

2.      The Briscoe Improvements Committee shall determine desired physical improvements of Briscoe Residence Hall, and act to effect change in those areas.

 

 

Article III.  Community Council

 

Section 1.  The Community Council shall consist of:

 

A.     Voting members: Residence Manager, Assistant Residence Manager, Dining Service Manager, Briscoe Residence Hall President, Gucker Tower student representative, Shoemaker Tower student representative CUE, ADPE, and the Academic Support Center Representative.

B.     Student representatives shall be appointed by the Executive Board, as approved by BOG.

 

Section 2.  The Community Council shall be every other week and as needed.

 

Section 3.  The duties and obligations of the Community Council shall be to:

 

A.     Bring about policies and physical improvements in the facilities of Briscoe Residence Hall.

B.     Communicate pertinent information to the residents of Briscoe Residence Hall.

C.     Report the activities of the Community Council at BOG meetings.

 

Article IV.  Judicial Board

 

Section 1.  The Briscoe Judicial Board, a peer board that hears student disciplinary cases and determines responsibility, shall consist of:  two (2) student Chairpersons, 12-16 student representatives who reside in Briscoe Residence Hall, and one (1) residence life staff members who act in a strictly advisory capacity.  There must be a quorum of six (6) to hold a meeting.

 

Section 2.  Judicial Board Selection

 

A.     The Chairperson and other members of Briscoe Judicial Board shall be selected in an interview process conducted by the Judicial Board advisor, the Briscoe President, and a current Judicial Board member.  Appointments are for one academic year, with an option to be re-appointed for a second year.

B.     Interviews will be held in the spring of the school year to select a quorum of vive members for the following academic year.

C.     Additional interviews will be held in the fall of the year, in order to allow students new to Briscoe Residence Hall the opportunity to serve on the Board.

 

Section 3.  The duties and obligations of the Briscoe Judicial Board shall be to:

 

A.     Attend fall training sessions as provided by the Judicial Board advisor and the Office of Student Ethics.

B.     Meet weekly to hear cases of students charged with Center, RHA, and University violations.

C.     Decide upon appropriate sanctions for those students found responsible for said violations.

D.     Guarantee confidentiality and fair judicial conference, consistent with the goal of education the residents of Briscoe Residence Center.

 

Article V.  Amendments

 

Section 1.  The bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the Briscoe BOG.  Formal review and recommendations for the bylaws should be conducted by the executive board, and any interested parties, on a yearly basis.

 

Ratified:  3/6/01