Student Union Constitution
Adopted by Student Union Advisory Board on February 6, 2009
Article 1. NAME Section 1.01 The name of the board shall be the Student Union Advisory Board.
Article 2. PURPOSE
Section 2.01 Purpose
(a) The Student Union Advisory Board (Referred to hereafter as the Board) will determine the role of the Student Union in the life of the campus as well as how the building is operated. The Board will have the responsibility to impact the vision, facility use and the occupants of the Student Union and will work with the Director of the Student Union in formulating and executing the above mentioned duties.
Article 3. MEMBERSHIP
Section 3.01 Membership
(a) The Board will consist of seventeen (17) members, five (5) will be voting student constituency members, three (3) will be voting at-large student members, one (1) will be a non-voting appointee of Student Media, one (1) will be a non-voting appointee from Student Activities Fee Commission, two (2) voting faculty members, two (2) voting student affairs representatives, one (1) voting business affairs representative, one (1) voting alumni representative, and the Student Union Director. The Student Union Director will be non-voting.
Section 3.02 Membership Distribution
(a) 1 student member appointed by Student Government Association
(b) 1 student member appointed by Graduate Professional Student Government
(c) 1 student member appointed by Multicultural Resource Center Student Council
(d) 1 student member appointed by Campus Activities Board
(e) 1 student member appointed by the Center for Leadership Development
(f) 3 student members chosen At-Large via an application process conducted by the Boards Selection Committee
(g) 1 student member appointed by Student Media
(h) 1 student member appointed by Student Activities Fee Commission
(i) 1 faculty member appointed by the Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
(j) 1 faculty member appointed by the Faculty Council
(k) 2 administrative representatives appointed by the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs
(l) 1 administrative representative appointed by the Vice Chancellor of Business Affairs
(m) 1 alumni representative appointed by the Alumni Association
(n) 1 Student Union Director
Section 3.03 Term of Office
(a) Students will serve twelve month terms. Non-student members will serve two year terms that will end on alternating dates. The term of office of each Board member shall begin on July 1 and end on June 30, except that the Student Union Director shall serve continuously as a member of the Board subject only to the continuation of his/her employment.
(b) Students are limited to a two year term for each appointment. Subsequent or multiple terms may be served under a new appointment through a different appointing body(s).
Section 3.04 Appointments
(a) If a constituency organization president is not able to serve on the Board they must appoint someone in their place. Student Members from various offices who may not have a President and/or leader shall be appointed by the supervisor in the office (e.g. Student Media, Multicultural Resource Center, and Center for Leadership Development). Should a constituency organization become inactive, or fail to provide an appointed representative, the Board may, at its discretion, select a substitute member through the At-large process.
(b) Constituency organization appointments will take effect at the first meeting of the new Board term.
(c) At-large members (3) will be chosen through an application process conducted in March of each year by the Boards Selection Committee comprised of the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, the Associate Vice Chancellor of Student Union, Activities, and Recreation, and the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Activities, Diversity, and Special Projects. Upon the recommendation of the Selection Committee, the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs will appoint the at-large members. If an At-Large applicant is a current officer (Chair or Vice-Chair), they must recuse themselves during any deliberation or vote upon their candidacy.
(d) At-Large members will take office no later than the first of May.
(e) All mid-term Board members shall take office at the first meeting following their selection and shall serve for the remainder of the fiscal year. (f) Anticipated vacancies for future semesters should be filled at the end of the previous semester.
Section 3.05 Eligibility
(a) Student members shall have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 upon appointment to the Board and must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 during their term of office. They must also be in good standing with the University and shall not be found guilty of violations of the Code of Student Responsibility or Code of Academic Integrity. Members must be able to serve a one year term beginning in July of the term year and be committed to the Student Union, its mission and vision.
(b) At-Large members may not serve as an officer of a major campus organization, an elected or appointed position for the Campus Activities Board, Student Media, Graduate and Professional Student Government, SGA Executive and Legislative Branch.
Section 3.06 Attendance
(a) It is expected that each member will attend all regular meetings and participate actively in committees of the Board. (b) It is expected that each member will attend all summer meetings for which they are available, as determined by the summer meeting procedure (Section 5.02.a).
(c) Two absences per semester or summer without prior notice will call for review of continued membership by the Board and notification to the respective constituency organizations president.
(d) Each Board member must find in their absence, a proxy according to Robert's Rules of Order. At-large proxies cannot be affiliated with any of the constituency organizations.
Section 3.07 Non-Discrimination
(a) In keeping with UNC Charlottes policy of non-discrimination, the Board does not discriminate on the basis of ability/disability, age, culture, ethnicity, gender, language, race, religion, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status.
Article 4. OFFICERS OF THE BOARD
Section 4.01 Officers of the Board
(a) The officers of the Board shall be Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, and Executive Secretary. The Chair and Vice Chairpersons are limited to two terms in their respective offices. One non-student board member will serve as the Executive Secretary of the board. These officers shall be known as the Executive Committee.
Section 4.02 Methods of Selection
(a) The Chairperson shall be elected by a majority of the voting membership in a secret ballot from among the student members of the Board during a meeting no later than the first day of May. The Chairperson must have served at minimum one prior term on the Board and shall be selected as an At-Large member. The Chairperson may not concurrently be an executive officer in one of the constituencies represented on the Board.
(b) The Vice Chairperson shall be elected by a majority of the voting membership in a secret ballot from among the student members of the Board during the first non-summer meeting of the new Board term.
Section 4.03 Removal of Officers
(a) Any officer of the Board may, for cause, at any regular meeting of the Board, or any special meeting of the Board called for the purpose, be removed from office by the vote of not less than two-thirds of the directors present after quorum is reached. Written notice of the time, place and object of the meeting shall be given, in the manner prescribed in this Constitution to the members of the Board and to the officer(s) against whom charges are to be presented. Such officer(s) shall, at the same time, be informed of the nature of the charges to be preferred against them, and at such meeting shall have the opportunity to be heard in person.
Article 5. MEETINGS
Section 5.01 Meetings
(a) The Board shall meet on a regular schedule. The specific day and time for the Regular Meetings will be established by the Student Union Director in consultation with the Chairperson. The meetings shall be scheduled so as to accommodate as many members of the Board as possible. Meetings should be held once or twice per month during the fall and spring semester on Fridays from 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM.
Section 5.02 Summer Meetings
(a) The Student Union Director will determine the number of members who will not be available during the summer. The count of those available will constitute the seated number of members upon which summer quorum will be based.
(b) The Student Union Director, in consultation with the Chairperson, will propose a summer schedule of meetings. The Board will approve such schedule and determine whether it will include virtual attendance (telephone, email, or both) and/or virtual voting (email and/or web).
Section 5.03 Special Meetings
(a) Special meetings of the Board shall be called by the Chairperson if one-fourth of the membership of the Board submits and signs such a request in writing. The Chairperson shall give notice of the time, place, and exact purpose of the meeting no less than 48 hours in advance of the scheduled time for the Special Meeting.
(b) The only item or items permitted on the agenda of a special meeting shall be those for which the special meeting was specifically called. Except as otherwise provided in this Constitution, all Special Meetings of the Board shall be open to the public.
Section 5.04 Retreats
(a) During each Session of the Board, an Orientation Retreat shall be held in the month of September, the specific days and times to be scheduled by the Student Union Director to accommodate as many Members of the Board as possible. (b) By an affirmative vote of not less than two-thirds of the Voting Members, the Board may schedule additional Retreats.
(c) No action may be taken at Retreats
Section 5.05 Agenda and Supporting Materials
(a) The Student Union Director, at the direction of the Chairperson, shall prepare an agenda and supporting materials for each Regular Meeting of the Board to be sent out not later than Two (2) days before the scheduled meeting. At the meeting, the order of the items on the agenda may be changed or items may be deleted by a majority vote, except that items that of the agenda that require Board action shall be added only upon an affirmative vote of not less than two thirds of the Voting Members unless that action is merely to elect a Board officer, in which case such action must be added to the agenda.
Section 5.06 Minutes
(a) Minutes shall be prepared for each Regular and Special Meeting of the Board and be distributed to each Member. At each Regular Meeting of the Board, the minutes of all preceding meetings not yet approved shall be presented for approval.
(b) A complete set of the minutes shall be maintained by the Student Union Director and shall be available for viewing by the public, subject to the other provisions of this Constitution. An additional set of minutes shall be digitally archived annually and shall be kept in a safe place.
(c) The Secretary of the Board shall record all actions taken by the Board in Executive Session, and those records shall be kept by the Student Union Director separate from the minutes of the public meetings, and shall be available to all Members of the Board. The record of action taken by the Board in Executive Session shall be available to the public only upon an affirmative vote of not less than two-thirds of the Voting Members of the Board.
(d) Minutes of the final Board meeting of the Session, along with any minutes of preceding meetings as yet unapproved, shall be approved upon review and attested to by the Secretary of the Board holding office at the end of that Session.
(e) When the proceedings of the Board have been electronically recorded to assist in the preparation of the minutes, the Student Union Director shall retain those recordings until the minutes of those meetings have been approved.
Section 5.07 Quorum
(a) A simple majority of the voting members of the Board shall constitute a quorum necessary to conduct constitutional business at a regular meeting or to hold a special meeting, except as otherwise provided for herein. A smaller number may receive reports and declare an adjournment.
(b) A simple majority of seated Board members shall constitute a quorum necessary to conduct constitutional business at a summer meeting or to hold a special meeting, except as otherwise provided for herein. A smaller number may receive reports and declare an adjournment. The minimum number of Board members needed to achieve quorum during the summer is seven.
(c) At a meeting of the Board duly called to order, action may be taken only when a quorum is present. It is the responsibility of the Chairperson to determine that a quorum is present prior to calling for a vote on any matter.
(d) A quorum must consist of a majority of voting student members.
Section 5.08 Exercise of the Vote
(a) Except as provided elsewhere in this Constitution, action shall be taken by an affirmative vote of a simple majority of the Members of the Board entitled to vote on such an action.
Section 5.09 Order of Business
(a) Unless modified by the Board, the order of business shall be as follows:
i) Approval of Agenda
ii) Approval of Minutes
iii) Items of Information
iv) Report from the Union Director
v) Reports from Standing Committees
vi) Reports from Special Committees
vii) Old Business
viii) New Business
ix) Comments
x) Announcements
Section 5.10 Open Meetings
(a) It shall be the general policy of the Board to keep all meetings open to the press and public, except as specified below.
Section 5.11 Executive Session
(a) The portion of meeting as described below may be closed to the public and press:
(i) A meeting where the rights of an individual(s) are discussed in an adjudicatory setting, including dismissal, tenure, promotion, sanction and investigation of charges;
(ii) A meeting where contractual negotiations are in process;
(iii) A meeting where law suits, other legal negotiations, and acquisition of real property are considered;
(iv) A meeting directly relating to campus security or to the safety of students or staff;
(v) A meeting where matters which, if discussed in public would be likely to affect adversely the reputation of any person, such as decisions on appointment or dismissal of an employee or officer, or to hear testimony on a complaint lodged against an employee or officer to determine its validity, but no final action may be taken at a closed session.
(b) Only Board or Committee Members may be present during Executive Sessions, except that the Chairperson may rule permissible the presence of any other person as may be required to facilitate the discussion. At any time during Executive Session, any Board member may move to terminate the Executive Session on the grounds that:
(i) The topic under consideration is of sufficient concern to the general public as to warrant an open hearing;
(ii) The topic under consideration does not fall under any of the classifications enumerated in Article 5, Section 5.10(a) above.
Section 5.12 Rules of Procedures
(a) The rules and definitions contained in Roberts Rules of Order Newly Revised, or its latest edition, shall govern the proceedings at and the conduct of the meetings of the Board in all cases which are not governed by this Constitution.
Article 6. AMENDMENTS
Section 6.01 Amendments
(a) This Constitution may only be amended at any Regular Meeting of the Board by the affirmative vote of not less than two-thirds of the Membership of the Board entitled to vote on such an amendment, provided that notice of any proposed amendment, including a draft thereof, shall have been given at the Regular Meeting of the Board next preceding the meeting at which such amendment is voted upon.
Article 7. DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES
Section 7.01 Disciplinary Procedures
(a) Upon receiving a recommendation from the Executive Committee, or at its own discretion, the Board may elect to censure or remove a Member under the following circumstances:
(i) For failing to participate satisfactorily in the work of the Board or its committees and when the Board so determines that such a failure is inexcusable and impedes the ability of the Board to conduct its business thoroughly and efficiently;
(ii) For a breach of any of his/her fiduciary duties as a Member;
(iii) For breach of any of the duties and responsibilities of Board membership as specified in this Constitution;
(iv) For failing to meet the attendance requirements in Article 3 without cause; or
(v) For breach of Executive Session confidentiality.
Section 7.02 Voting in Censure or Removal Actions
(a) A Member may be censured or removed by the affirmative vote of not less than two-thirds of the Members of the Board entitled to vote on such matters.
Section 7.03 Disciplinary Procedures
(a) All disciplinary actions shall be undertaken in Executive Session and shall be held in accordance with generally accepted standards of procedural fairness, including prior written notice of the complaint, an opportunity to be heard, and an opportunity to inquire of the complainant(s) and anyone addressing the Board relative to the complaints. If prior written notice has been given and a hearing has been placed on the agenda, the Board may take disciplinary action without the Member's presence or participation.
(b) Censure may be accompanied by a written warning addressed to the Member, notification of the Members appointing authority, withholding of part or all of the Members stipend, and/or suspension or discontinuation of any other of the Members Board related privileges.
(c) The Board, by two-thirds majority, may immediately and temporarily suspend any member reasonably suspected of disclosure of confidential information from Executive Session and access to Executive Session notes in advance of any formal disciplinary action as specified in this Constitution.
Section 7.04 Notification of Appointing Authority
(a) The Student Union Director shall notify that Members appointing authority and shall report the result of disciplinary action taken with regard to a Member, and the reasons in confidence within ten working days of the action by the Board.
Article 8. COMMITTEES
Section 8.01 Committees
(a) Each member is expected to serve on at least one subcommittee during their time of service.
(b) Committee Chairs will be appointed by the Chairperson of the Board at the beginning of the Fall Semester. Only student Board members may serve as Committee Chairs.
(c) The Chair and Vice Chairpersons may not serve as the Chair of a standing committee, but will serve as At-Large Members of all committees.
Section 8.02 Reservation of Powers
(a) As to committees, unless otherwise specifically delegated, authority to act on all matters is reserved to the Board, and the duty of each committee shall be only to consider and to make recommendations to the Board upon matters referred to it.
Section 8.03 Union Services
(a) The Committee on Union Services shall make recommendations to the Board regarding:
(i) The use of space and facilities in the Union, including but not limited to space allocations, space reservations, building and service hours, and general facilities utilization (such as leafleting, vending of publications, solicitation of contributions, display of banners, flags) or other such devices within or upon the Union building.
(ii) The planning, development, and construction of facilities under the control of the Student Union;
(iii) New services and significant changes to continuing services which may be offered by the Student Union;
(iv) The termination of services offered by the Student Union; and
(v) The assessment of customer satisfaction with goods and services offered by the Student Union; and
(vi) The oversight of the Student Unions image.
(b) The committee shall maintain an on-going relationship with the Campus Activities Board (CAB), University Bookstore, Dining Services, and retail shops as the means of ensuring that an appropriate level of service is offered in the Student Union. This committee will provide input and feedback; they will not dictate programs or service methods.
Section 8.04 Policy and Finance
(a) The Policy and Finance committee will make revisions to old and approve/recommend new policies and procedures related to the Student Union. It will recommend to the Board budget items pertaining to the Student Union, relative to fees, rentals, retail services income and expenses, food service, bookstore, recreational services, and educational services.
Section 8.05 Staff Development
(a) The Staff Development committee will work closely with the full time staff training team to develop effective and cooperative training for student employees of the Student Union. The members will be integral parts in constructing the annual fall training and January refresher training for all student staff members in the building.
(b) The committee will also evaluate and make recommendations on student staff structure as well as full time staff needs if necessary.
(c) The Staff Development committee will be in charge of making sure areas of the Student Union are staffed properly by making recommendations to the Director of the Student Union.
Section 8.06 Executive
(a) The Executive Committee acts for the Advisory Board between regularly scheduled Board meetings or when it is not practical or feasible for the Board to meet provided however, that the committee shall not:
(i) Fill vacancies on the board;
(ii) Amend or repeal this Constitution or adopt a new Constitution;
(iii) Amend, rescind, or make an exception to a Board Policy or adopt a new Board Policy; or
(iv) Appoint any member to any committee of the Board except temporary appointments to the Executive Committee subject to approval by the full Board at its next meeting.
(b) Any decisions or actions taken by the Executive Committee shall be reported to the Board at its next regular meeting, and are subject to Board approval.
(c) The Executive Committee is responsible for establishing the agenda for each board meeting and for the annual Advisory Board retreat.
(d) It shall serve as the Boards Conduct Committee. This responsibility entails the investigation of any report of any Board Members misconduct. On finding of proper basis for further action, the Conduct Committee shall make recommendations to the Board for Censure or Removal from the Board.
Section 8.07 Special (Ad-Hoc)
(a) Special (Ad-Hoc) Committees may be appointed by the Board with such powers and duties as the Board may determine, provided that no Special Committee shall be created to act upon any matter within the responsibilities of a Standing Committee. A Special Committee shall act only during the Session in which it is appointed.