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SGA Constitution and By-Laws

CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS
EASTERN MENNONITE UNIVERSITY
Student Government Association

Article I: Statement of Purpose

The Student Government Association (hereinafter “SGA”) of Eastern Mennonite University (hereinafter “EMU”) is tasked to accomplish the following purposes:

  1. To represent and advocate for undergraduate students in addressing student and institutional concerns and participating in shared governance.
  2. To foster responsible student leadership grounded in accountability to EMU values of academic excellence, peace and justice, and active faith.
  3. To strengthen communication and collaboration among students, faculty, staff, administration, and the broader Harrisonburg community.
  4. To promote the well-being, inclusion, and overall improvement of University life, actively opposing discrimination, prejudice, and violence against students or student groups.

Article II: SGA Membership

Section 1. All full and part-time undergraduate students of EMU in good standing with the University are eligible to run for SGA Senate and Executive Team. If such a student is elected as a senator or executive officer, they are considered an SGA “member” and part of the “Senate.”

Section 2. All members of SGA have the right and responsibility to actively listen to diverse concerns across the Student Body, bring those concerns to SGA, and work for change in a responsible manner. 

Section 3. All members of SGA have the right to access the meeting minutes, agendas, and records of SGA. 

Section 4. SGA does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any legally protected status in any of its school administered programs. 

Article III: Organization

Section 1. Executive Team.

  1. The Executive Team is composed of the:
    1. President or Co-Presidents
    2. Vice President
    3. Marketing Coordinator
    4. Treasurer
  1. Duties and Powers of the Executive Team as a whole
    1. To oversee SGA meetings and their agendas
    2. To present issues and agenda items to the Senate and recommend action
    3. To oversee or delegate oversight of action to address short-term concerns
    4. To schedule and supervise elections of executive officers and senators
    5. To make budget allocation recommendations to the Senate
    6. To enforce the constitution of SGA
    7. To provide adequate orientation for incoming officers and senators
    8. To be a liaison between administration, faculty, staff, and students
    9. To oversee the SGA email inbox and all of its outgoing communication.
    10. To present the decisions and discussions of the Senate to the students, faculty, and administration.
  1. Qualifications
    1. Executive officers of SGA must be in at least their second semester at EMU when they serve on the Executive Team.
    2. All executive officers must be full or part-time undergraduate students of EMU and must be in good standing with the University.
    3. The President or Co-Presidents may not serve in more than one additional major student leadership role (listed below)
      1. Club President
      2. Hall Director
      3. Executive Royal Ambassador
      4. Common Grounds Manager
      5. Athletic Team Captain
      6. Stage Manager, Student Director
      7. Student Chaplain
    4. Qualifications may be waived by a two-thirds vote of the Senate.
  1. Duties and Powers specific to each executive officer
    1. Presidents or Co-Presidents
      1. To ensure all shared duties and responsibilities of the Executive Team listed in Section B above are properly delegated and implemented
      2. To call all meetings, prepare agendas, and preside as chairperson of the Senate
      3. To hold the power to veto any action taken by the Senate. In the event of Co-Presidents, both must affirm the veto, or it is void
      4. To be members of EMU’s Academic Council
      5. To call special meetings of the Senate and/or meetings of the Executive Team
      6. To maintain SGA files located in the SGA Executive and Senate Google Drives in collaboration with the Marketing Coordinator
      7. To present the decisions of the Senate, in addition to student updates, to the students, faculty, and administration through weekly emails to campus
      8. To serve as Student Representatives, with privileges of discussion, to the Board of Trustees, with duties including:
        1. Write a report updating the Board on Senate actions and campus life each semester
        2. Attend the fall Board meeting in-person to represent the Student Body and provide updates to the Board
      9. To oversee the SGA email and write responses, in collaboration with the other members of the Executive Team. 
    2. Vice President
      1. To perform the duties of the President or Co-Presidents upon absence or request of the President(s)
      2. To generally aid the Executive Team in fulfilling responsibilities
      3. To appoint or serve as leader of the Union of Student Organizations (USO)
    3. Marketing Coordinator
      1. To serve as recording secretary of the Senate and be responsible for documentation of meeting minutes
      2. To serve in the absence of the President and the Vice President to assume the same powers and responsibilities and to appoint a secretary pro tempore when serving as president.
      3. To be responsible for all marketing and publicity of SGA and related events
      4. To be responsible for the SGA website, social media content, and TV, or to delegate responsibilities as needed
      5. To create all promotional material for SGA
    4. Treasurer
      1. To prepare a budget proposal, along with the advisor, for the allocation of SGA monies, particularly funds from the Student Activity Fee
      2. To present the SGA budget for the Senate approval upon completion
      3. To establish and maintain an accurate system of bookkeeping
      4. To open the books for observation upon request of members
  1. Elections of executive officers
    1. Candidates 
      1. A candidate must fill out the interest form along with their platform in order to be placed on the ballot.
      2. The Senate will strive to ensure at least one candidate for each executive office.
    2. Election
      1. The names of all candidates for executive offices must appear on the same ballot.
      2. Elections of the executive officers of SGA must take place by the end of the first week of April.
      3. The election is by secret ballot.
      4. The candidate receiving the majority of the votes cast will be declared elected.
      5. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote, a runoff election between the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes will be held the following week.
    3. Terms of Office
      1. The term of office will be one year and one month, which will begin in April and terminate at the end of the next academic year.
      2. Any executive officer of SGA may be dismissed from office by a two-thirds vote of the Student Body, where at least 100 students vote, or by a three-fourths vote of the Senate.
      3. Vacancy will be filled by a special election to be conducted no later than two weeks after the time of vacancy unless a regular election is upcoming within one month. The requirements may be waived in the case of a special election to fill a vacancy.
      4. A resignation must be submitted in writing to the Student Life Representatives two weeks before the resignation is to go into effect and must be approved by a three-fourths vote of the Senate.

Section 2. Senate.

  1. The membership of the Senate consists of:
    1. The Executive Team
    2. Senators
  2. Duties and Powers of the Senate
    1. To attend and participate in weekly meetings of the Senate
    2. To be an active member of EMU’s campus and engage with the diverse Student Body in order to give voice to and advocate for their concerns
    3. To bring concerns to Senate meetings and recommend legislation to the Senate
    4. To vote on SGA actions including, but not limited to:
      1. The allocation of funds from the Student Activity Fee throughout the year and the approval of the annual SGA budget
      2. The approval of new clubs, their constitutions, and any amendments thereafter
      3. Actions taken on behalf of the Senate for the betterment of the Student Body
    5. To be members of institutional committees, attend meetings of their respective committees, and act as a liaison between the Senate and the committee
    6. To make recommendations to faculty, staff, and/or administration
    7. To have the power to override a presidential veto by a two-thirds vote
  3. Qualifications
    1. All senators must be full or part-time undergraduate students of EMU and must be in good standing with the University at the time of their elections.
    2. Qualifications may be waived by a two-thirds vote of the Senate.
  4. Election of senators
    1. Appointment
      1. The Executive Team has the power to determine the number of senators to be elected for each constituency basing this appointment upon the number of residents on and off campus. It is recommended that anywhere from 13-20 senators make up the Senate during a given term. It is also recommended that a diversity of demographics and involvement are represented in the Senate in order to reflect the Student Body. 
    2. Candidates 
      1. Nominations for candidates for senators must be made by means of completing an interest form along with submitting a platform that will be placed on the ballot. 
    3. Election
      1. Fall Senate elections are recommended to take place through a two-phase system. The first election should take place in the Spring semester of the previous academic year leaving a few Senate seats open for incoming First-Years. A secondary election should be held before the third Tuesday of September during the Fall semester to fill remaining vacancies.
      2. An election may be held during the Fall semester to fill any vacant Senate positions for the Spring semester.
      3. If there are fewer than 13 senators during a semester, a special election may be held to fill those vacancies. 
      4. The elections are to be conducted by secret ballot.
      5. No absentee ballots can be accepted.
      6. The candidates receiving the highest number of votes are to be declared elected.
    4. Terms of office
      1. The term of office for senators begins on the first day of classes. Those elected in the early fall or early spring will begin their term of office immediately following the election. 
      2. Any Senator may be dismissed from office by a two-thirds vote of the Student Body where at least 100 students vote, or by a three-fourths vote of the Senate. 
      3. A record of attendance to Senate meetings showing four unapproved absences within a semester or three consecutive unapproved absences for any one Senate member means automatic dismissal from office. An absence is defined by missing at least 50% of the meeting; approved absences are determined by the President or Co-Presidents. This requirement may be waived in special cases by a three-fourths vote of the Senate.
      4. A resignation must be submitted in writing to the Executive Team or to one of the Student Life Representatives two weeks before the resignation is to go into effect and must be approved by a three-fourths vote of the Senate.
  5. Rules affecting Senate meetings
    1. The Senate meets weekly throughout the academic year at a time and place designated by the Executive Team, but additional meetings of the Senate can be called by the Executive Team or upon petition by one-half of the members of the Senate.
    2. In order to vote on matters within Senate meetings, a quorum must be present. A majority of the members of the Senate constitutes a quorum. 
    3. Senate meetings are to be open to any student, administrative or faculty member, or other interested person for observation and/or expression. 
    4. Meeting and specific discussion topics can be facilitated through any manner deemed helpful by the Executive Team. At any point in a Senate meeting, a Senator can challenge the facilitation tool(s) picked by the Executive Team and Robert’s Rules of Order will be used to determine how the Senate wishes to proceed. Some helpful facilitation tools include:
      1. Robert’s Rules of Order
      2. Martha’s Rules of Order
      3. Circle Processes
      4. World Cafe

Section 3. Faculty, Staff, and Student Life Representatives.

  1. The faculty, staff, and Student Life representatives (hereinafter referred to as “Representatives”) consist of:
  1. One Student Life director who has oversight of Clubs & Orgs
  2. The head of the Student Life department
  3. One faculty representative
  4. One staff/administration representative
  1. Appointment of Representatives
  1. The Student Life director and the head of the Student Life department serve as representatives in SGA as part of their job. Their representation in SGA remains as long as they hold their position unless dismissed from office (See point 4).
  2. The faculty and staff representatives are invited to serve annually. The Executive Team, with input from senators, will choose the faculty and staff representatives in the spring prior to their year of service.
  3. Terms of office for faculty and staff representatives will coincide with the school year – beginning on the first day of classes of Fall Semester and ending on the last day of classes of Spring Semester.
  4. Any Representative may be dismissed from office by a two-thirds vote of the Student Body, where at least 100 students vote, or by a three-fourths vote of the Senate.
  1. General Duties and Powers of Representatives – Representatives serve as ex-officio advisors to SGA. They provide institutional perspective, facilitate communication between SGA and University governance bodies, mentor student leaders, and assist in navigating university policies and procedures. Representatives may participate in discussion but shall not vote. Specific duties and powers of each representative include:
  1. The Student Life director serves as the official Advisor to SGA (as a club itself) and meets regularly with the SGA Exec team. 
  2. The head of Student Life serves as the official connection to EMU Administration, representing SGA and the needs and rights of students at EMU. The Student Life head also meets regularly with the SGA Exec team to enhance collaboration and connection with EMU Administration.
  3. Faculty and staff representatives act in an advisory role to the Senate (in addition to the Student Life representatives) offering guidance, and making the Senate aware of how decisions may affect faculty and staff and looking for opportunities for cooperation and collaboration.
  4. All Representatives are to be familiar with the institutional structure and processes of EMU and be familiar with Robert’s Rules of Order.

Section 4. Student Body. 

  1. Membership of the Student Body consists of:
  1. All full-time and part-time undergraduate students currently enrolled at EMU (including the Lancaster, PA instructional site).
  1. Powers of the Student Body:
  1. Run for SGA Senator or Executive positions
  2. Elect SGA senators and executive officers
  3. Attend weekly SGA Senate meetings
  4. Sign and submit petitions asking for SGA’s support regarding changes to an aspect of EMU’s policy or practice 
  5. If students wish to challenge a ruling of the Senate, they may submit a petition signed by 10 percent of the Student Body, and the matter will, within one week, be submitted to a vote of the Student Body. A two-thirds majority vote of at least 100 students overrules the decision of the Senate.
  1. Limitations of the Student Body:
  1. Non-Senator or non-Executive students may not vote in SGA Senate meetings.
  2. Non-Senator or non-Executive students presenting a matter to the Senate may be asked to step out of the meeting to allow the Senate to discuss matters freely. All meeting minutes with details of the conversation are available to all students through the EMU website.

Article IV: Constitution Edits

Section 1. Proposal

  1. Edits to this constitution may be proposed by any member of the Senate or by a petition bearing the signatures of 10 percent of the Student Body.

Section 2. Adoption

  1. The proposed edits must first be approved by a two-thirds majority vote by the Senate.
  2. Then, the proposed edits must be posted for public notice at least two weeks prior to their being voted upon by the Student Body.
  3. Next, a two-thirds majority vote of the Student Body, where at least 100 students vote, is required for the adoption of the proposed edits.
  4. Finally, the President of the University and the President’s Cabinet must approve the proposed edits. 

Revised and updated April 20, 2026

Approved by President’s Cabinet  April 22,2026