Description:SGA Body of the Senate
About the Committee
Article IV: Student Senate
Section 1 - Membership
The primary legislative body governing this organization shall be the Senate. It shall consist of the following members:
A. The President of the SGA, who shall be the Chair of the Student Senate. The Chair shall vote only when it affects the outcome.
1. If the President is absent, he/she may designate any voting member of the Senate to be a substitute chair for the duration of the meeting.
2. If no substitute chair is designated, the default substitute shall be the Vice President.
B. The non-voting member of the Student Senate shall be the Parliamentarian.
C. The voting members of the Student Senate shall be all Senators and the following Executive Officers: Vice President, Director of Legislative Affairs, Director of Finance, Director of Clubs and Organizations, Director of Activities, and Secretary-Historian.
Section 2 - Duties and Powers
The Senate shall be vested with all legislative powers of the Student Government Association. All actions taken by the Senate are empowered and limited by the policies of Bakersfield College.
A. The Senate shall have the following duties:
1. To work to effectively represent the Student Body in the Participatory Governance process;
2. To allocate funds for SGA business and events;
3. To hear and discuss issues and concerns that are relevant to the Student Body;
4. To receive oral reports on participatory governance and SGA committees.
B. The Senate shall be able to produce, deliberate on, and possibly approve the following types of legislation, so long as the legislation does not conflict with College, District, State, or Federal regulations and/or policies:
1. Resolutions, which require a simple majority vote (50% + 1) to pass, address legislation for the general welfare of the Association and do not conflict with the Constitution of the SGA or any of its associated Codes.
2. Recommendations, which require a simple majority vote to pass, address matters not under the purview of the Student Government Association. They may be passed to bring a certain desired action of the SGA to the attention of College, District, State, or Federal personnel.
3. Senate Codes, which require a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote to pass, alter, or nullify, establish formal policy in areas not explained or covered by the Constitution.
C. The Senate shall have the power to:
1. Make appropriations from the funds of the Student Government Association as stipulated in the Code on Finance and the Bylaws;
2. Determine general policies of the Student Government Association;
3. Make appointments where applicable;
4. Charter campus clubs and organizations as prescribed in the Bylaws and the Senate Code on Clubs and Organizations;
5. Override the President's veto by two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of its total membership;
6. Override decisions of the Judicial Review Board by two-thirds (2/3) vote of its total membership, except in cases of constitutional interpretation;
7. Create and dissolve Senate committees, with the exception of constitutionally mandated Standing Committees;
8. Draft and amend the Senate Codes and attach to these maximum or minimum penalties of violations thereof;
9. Remove any Senator from office by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of the total voting membership of the Senate, with the written approval of the SGA Advisor. No Senator shall be removed from office by this method before they are given an opportunity to address the Senate in an open meeting. Any member of the Senate, including members of the Executive Branch, may be removed from office by a Recall vote from the Student Body.
D. No Student Government Association body besides the Senate shall have the powers listed above. Only the Senate can produce legislation, allocate funds, and create Committees.
Section 3 - Meetings
A. The Senate shall meet at least once each week during the Fall and Spring semesters, not including the first week of the Semester, Spring Break, or the week of Final Exams. The Senate shall also meet at least twice during the Summer and Winter Breaks.
B. Special meetings shall be called by the President upon the written request of any twenty-five percent (25%) of the members of the Senate. Special meetings may also be called at any time by the President upon twenty-four (24) hours written notice to each Senate member.
C. All meetings of the Senate shall be conducted according to parliamentary law as set forth in the most current edition of Robert's Rules of Order: Simplified and Applied.
D. The Senate may only conduct official business in the presence of the SGA Advisor or his/her designee.