The Constitution of

The Colby College Student Government Association


We, the students of Colby College, in order to enhance the student community, do hereby establish this Constitution for the Colby College Student Government Association, hereinafter SGA.


Membership shall be restricted to matriculated members of Colby College, and SGA shall be divided into three separate branches – the Executive Board, the Presidents’ Council, and the SGA committees. No student serving on SGA may serve as a Head Resident or an officer in the Student Programming Board.


The Presidents’ Council, as the representative voice of the student body, may comment on any issues it deems appropriate, particularly those that directly affect the student body. Resolutions passed by Presidents’ Council, which initiate change in student policy, shall be sent to the College Affairs Committee and will become policy after obtaining approval from the CAC. The Presidents’ Council shall make recommendations to committees, departments, administrators or other campus affiliations, but may not set College policy in and of itself. The Presidents’ Council also approves all student appointments to committees and the Executive Board.


Article I: Executive Board


  1. The Executive Board

    1. The Executive Board shall be comprised of the President, Vice President, Treasurer, Parliamentarian, and Publicity Chair;

    2. The President and Vice President can appoint up to two additional members of the Executive Board.

    3. All members of the Executive Board shall have office hours per week and publicize them.


  1. President and Vice President

    1. The President and Vice President shall serve as ex-officio, non-voting members of the Presidents’ Council, and each chair a working group.

    2. They shall both serve as student representatives to the Colby College Board of Trustees.

    3. They shall serve as ex-officio, non-voting members of all-College Committees.

    4. The President can return any motion passed by the Presidents’ Council to be brought up at the next meeting.

    5. The President is responsible for serving as the spokesperson of the SGA, overseeing SGA as a whole (including SGA Working Groups and SGA Committees) and organizing a State of the College Forum each semester.

    6. The President and Vice President are responsible for submitting a written mid-year report to the Presidents’ Council.

    7. At the beginning of the year, they must divide up the following responsibilities as evenly as possible and make it known to the Presidents’ Council for which each is responsible for:

      1. Delivering all resolutions of the Presidents’ Council to the appropriate bodies;

      2. Serving as a student representative to faculty meetings;

      3. Appointing members of the college to all-college committees and ad-hoc working groups; coordinating SGA orientation;

      4. Appointing members of the SGA to working groups, SGA committees, Executive Board and Presidents’ Council, as necessary;

      5. Coordinating SGA elections;

      6. Coordinating dorm president, class representative and Executive Board evaluations.

  2. Treasurer

    1. The Treasurer shall distribute SGA funds to clubs and organizations with the approval of the SGA Finance Committee, of which the Treasurer will serve on as the chair and a voting member.

    2. The Treasurer is responsible for holding an annual meeting for club leaders to discuss financial procedures for the year.

    3. The Treasurer is also responsible for coordinating auditing procedures of any SGA-funded club or organization, delivering monthly reports on the budget to the Presidents’ Council, and appointing members to the SGA Finance Committee.

    4. At the beginning of the academic year, the SGA Treasurer must detail how money will be allocated for that year, and his or her philosophy in distributing the budget.

    5. Clubs that anticipate spending more than $6,000, and have a past precedence of that level of spending, shall receive a budget at the beginning of each semester and must justify all spending to the SGA Finance Committee at the end of the semester.

    6. The Treasurer shall make a report to SGA on allocation of funds at least once a semester.


  1. Parliamentarian and Publicity Chair

    1. There shall be a Parliamentarian responsible for the following:

      1. They shall chair the SGA meeting.

      2. They shall establish a set of rules and present it to Presidents’ Council at the first meeting.

      3. They shall be responsible for assembling meeting agendas and setting the schedule for meetings throughout the year.

      4. They may call an informal meeting in order to facilitate discussion of a specific topic during non-scheduled meeting times.

    2. There shall be a Publicity Chair responsible for the following:

      1. They shall publicize SGA events, programs and meetings.

      2. In addition, they are responsible for informing the community when and where SGA meetings are.

      3. They shall maintain and update the SGA Website.


  1. Additional Members

    1. The President and Vice President can appoint additional members to the Executive Board as needed.

    2. The Presidents’ Council must approve each Executive Board member and position, other than President, Vice President and Treasurer.


  1. Administrative Assistant

    1. There shall be a paid student position of Administrative Assistant.

      1. This position is responsible for taking the minutes, keeping voting records, and recording attendance.

      2. They shall be paid for the hours during SGA meetings and outside that they work.

      3. They are not officially members of the Executive Board.


Article II.) Presidents’ Council


  1. The Presidents’ Council shall be comprised of one dorm president from each residence hall, an off-campus president, two class presidents from each class year, the President, Vice-President, Parliamentarian, other members of the Executive Board, and the Director of Campus Life.

    1. The SGA President and Vice President should invite two members of the faculty or staff to serve as advisors to the Presidents’ Council.

    2. The SGA President should invite members of other student organizations, including but not limited to Head Residents and the Student Programming Board who serve as part of the Presidents’ Council as non-voting members.

  2. Dorm Presidents

    1. Each dorm shall have one voting representative to the SGA who will be called the dorm president.

    2. Each dorm president is responsible for representing the interests and concerns of their residents to the SGA and for informing the residents of their dorm of SGA motions, programs and other information as deemed necessary by the SGA Executive Board.

    3. All dorm presidents must also attend weekly SGA meetings, write biweekly newsletters (must include name, room number and email), apply to serve on one all-college committee, and serve on one SGA working group.

    4. In cases of emergency or extreme circumstances, such as a family emergency or personal illness, the SGA President, with the aid of the current Dorm President or Class President, may appoint an interim representative to the Presidents’ Council to serve in the place of a temporarily absent Dorm President or Class President. This interim representative must be a direct constituent of the absent Dorm President or Class President and will fill only that individual’s role. The interim representative may serve a maximum of two consecutive meetings, or three total, within an academic year.


  1. Class Presidents

    1. Each class shall have two voting class presidents to the Student Government Association who shall be called the class presidents.

      1. Each class president will be responsible for representing the interests and concerns of their respective classes on the SGA and for informing their classmates of SGA motions, programs, class specific events and other information as deemed necessary by the SGA executive board.

      2. All class presidents must attend weekly SGA meetings, apply to serve on one all-college committee, and serve on one SGA Working Group.

      3. Both class presidents shall organize a class council, which should receive class feedback, plan class programs, further class identity, and enhance school spirit.

        1. First Year class presidents are responsible for planning one class dinner per semester and creating the First Year Class Council;

        2. Sophomore class presidents are responsible for planning one class dinner per semester and creating the Sophomore Class Council;

        3. Junior class presidents are responsible for planning one class dinner per semester, creating the Junior Class Council and solicit suggestions for Commencement Speaker;

        4. Senior class presidents are responsible for assisting in choosing Commencement speaker, creating a Senior Class Council, planning one class dinner per semester, and planning Senior Week.

    2. Class presidents shall, at the discretion of the Executive Board, be required to come back before school starts to assist the Executive Board.



Article III.) Meetings


  1. The rules for meetings shall be determined by the Parliamentarian, and approved at the first meeting of the Presidents’ Council, and be held biweekly.

  2. Formal meetings shall deal with motions and be under Robert’s Rules of Order.

  3. Informal meetings shall be run by the Parliamentarian and shall not have Robert’s Rules of Order.

  4. The informal meetings are meant to be brainstorming and discussion sessions.

  5. Attendance at formal meetings is mandatory (Dorm and Class Presidents are allowed two unexcused absences before being referred to the Judiciary Committee by the SGA President).

  6. Motions must be in to the Parliamentarian at least one week (7 days) before the formal meetings.


Article IV.) SGA Committees


  1. There shall be two SGA Committees that must be appointed by the first week in October – the SGA Judiciary Committee and SGA Finance Committee.

    1. Judiciary Committee

      1. The Parliamentarian shall call the SGA Judiciary Committee in order to hear disputes about elections, recalls and impeachments and their decisions are final.

      2. The committee shall be comprised of five students, who shall select their own chair, the Director of Campus Life and the SGA President and Vice President shall serve as ex-officio, non-voting members of the committee, except in impeachment cases involving them.

      3. Below is the process that the SGA Judiciary Committee should follow:

        1. In each case, the chair shall read the charges and allow the accused student or ticket to make his/her response.

        2. The committee shall then review information related to the charges, question the witnesses or the accused and then receive recommendations from the SGA President and Vice President and the Director of Campus Life.

        3. After the recommendations, non-voting members must leave and the Judiciary Committee members shall deliberate.

        4. After, they shall vote and the chair will deliver their decision to the Presidents’ Council.

        5. The hearing shall be open, but deliberations shall be private.


    1. Finance Committee

      1. In all matters related to allocations of SGA funds, the SGA Finance Committee shall convene to adjudicate the allocation and render a decision and their rulings are final.

      2. The SGA Finance Committee’s purpose exists to provide a fair and equitable outcome for the disbursement of SGA funds.

      3. The committee is comprised of four students (one from each class), chosen by the SGA Treasurer through an application process, and the SGA Treasurer, who shall serve as chair; each student of the committee, except the Treasurer, shall be a member of a different class (one First Year, one sophomore, one junior and one senior), and the Presidents’ Council shall approve the appointments.

      4. At the beginning of each academic school year, the SGA Finance Committee shall determine the proper procedure for processing requests for funding.

      5. Below is the process that the SGA Finance Committee should follow:

        1. All clubs, organizations wishing to receive funding for an event should fill out a Student Organization Funding Proposal form and submit it to the SGA Treasurer;

        2. After receipt of the form, the SGA Finance Committee will meet with the applying student organization’s representative;

        3. The Committee will decide whether or not to fund an event by majority vote;

        4. The SGA Treasurer will inform the applicant of the SGA Finance Committee’s decision.

          1. Allocations to clubs for spring break trips must be approved by Presidents’ Council; clubs should turn in their budget proposals at least 30 days before spring break.


Article V.) Relationship with College


  1. Student Representation on Committees

    1. Every all-college committee shall have student representatives, appointed by either the President or Vice President of SGA.

    2. Either the SGA President or Vice President shall conduct an open application process, in which each student has the same chance as another to be appointed to all-college committees.

    3. At least one member of SGA shall serve as a voting member of every all-college committee.

  2. Trustee Representation

    1. The SGA President and Vice-President shall serve as representatives to the Colby College Board of Trustees.

    2. The President and Vice President shall be invited to serve as members of the Student Affairs Committee and Educational Policy Committee of the Board of Trustees, respectively.

    3. The Vice President of Student Affairs shall decide additional student representation.

  3. Relationship with CAC

    1. All policy issues voted affirmative by Presidents’ Council to the College Affairs Committee are to be forwarded to the President of the Student Government Association by the Secretary of the College Affairs Committee, to be discussed by the Presidents’ Council.

    2. The Presidents’ Council may take the following courses of action on these issues:

      1. Waive the right to make a recommendation;

      2. Concur with the recommendation of the College Affairs Committee;

      3. Dissent with the College Affairs Committee.

    3. In the event that Presidents' Council dissents with the College Affairs Committee, the SGA Parliamentarian will call for the formation of a conference committee.

    4. The SGA President will appoint three voting members of Presidents’ Council, who share the dissenting opinion, to serve on the conference committee, and the Chair of the College Affairs Committee will appoint three members of the College Affairs Committee to serve.

    5. If a compromise is reached, it will be forwarded to the Dean of Students for action.

    6. If the conference committee cannot reach a compromise, or if the Dean declines to accept the compromise, the SGA President and the Dean will negotiate.

    7. If they are unable to resolve the issue, they will ask the President of the College to rule on it.


Article VI.) Elections


  1. General Rules

    1. The incumbent SGA President and Vice President are responsible for coordinating all elections and scheduling all election events.

    2. President and Vice President, Treasurer, Dorm President, and Class President elections will take place two weeks before spring break. Elections for First Year Class Representatives shall happen the third week in September.

    3. Campaigning must not begin before the date and time designated by the incumbent President and Vice President and may continue throughout the voting period.

    4. Additionally, for any SGA election there shall be no campaigning in academic buildings, negative campaigning, or candidates coercing students to vote for them (i.e. standing behind students while they are voting or forcing a laptop on students and asking them to vote). Any of these actions will result in automatic disqualification from the election.

    5. All voting must occur online and the voting window must be 48 hours. In order to win any election a candidate must have a majority of the votes cast. In the event that no candidate wins a majority in an election a run-off will take place between the two tickets with the most votes.

    6. There must always be a write-in option in the initial voting round but never in the run-off.

  2. President and Vice President Elections

    1. The SGA President and Vice President will run as a joint ticket. Each ticket will be able to put up 5 22” by 28” posters, two full sheet sized banners, write a platform to be published in the Echo during election week, create a 5 minute video to be shown in Pulver during election week, use all threads of the General Announcements, create a campaign website, create a Facebook group, chalk with the prior approval of the office of Campus Life, wear and distribute campaign apparel (such as T-shirts), and participate in a formal debate.

    2. No other form of campaigning whatsoever is allowed and the sum of all campaign expenditures may not exceed $80.

  3. Treasurer Elections

    1. Candidates for SGA Treasurer may put up 5 22” by 28” posters, one full sheet sized banners, write a platform to be published in the Echo during election week, use all threads of the General Announcements, create a campaign website, create a facebook group, and chalk with prior approval of campus life.

    2. No other form of campaigning whatsoever is allowed and the sum of all campaign expenditures may not exceed $40.

  4. Class Presidents

    1. The two Class Presidents for each class will run as a joint ticket, except First Years who shall run individually, but may campaign together.

    2. Each ticket will be able to put up 5 22” by 28” posters, write a platform to be published in the Echo during election week, use all threads of the General Announcements, create a campaign website, create a facebook group, chalk with the prior approval of the office of Campus Life, and wear and distribute campaign apparel (such as T-shirts).

    3. No other form of campaigning whatsoever is allowed and the sum of all campaign expenditures may not exceed $40.

  5. Dorm Presidents

    1. Dorm Presidents candidates must inhabit the Residence Hall in which they are seeking the dorm presidency and are only allowed to campaign within 50’ of their dorm.

    2. Each candidate will be able to put up 5 22” by 28” posters, use only the General Announcement thread specific to their dorm, create a campaign website, create a facebook group, chalk with the prior approval of the office of Campus Life, and wear and distribute campaign apparel (such as T-shirts).

    3. No other form of campaigning whatsoever is allowed and the sum of all campaign expenditures may not exceed $40.


Article VII.) Code of Ethics


  1. All members of SGA shall sign the following Code of Ethics before the first meeting of Presidents’ Council.

  2. Below is the SGA Code of Ethics:


SGA Code of Ethics


The Student Government Association of Colby College is committed to initiate positive change and, through the Presidents’ Council, to provide a forum for the gathering and expression of ideas and concerns from all students. As campus leaders and role models for the student body, we are dedicated to increased campus unity and school spirit; to full and open communication and explanation of events, issues, and proposals for change in College policy; and to the accessibility of views from all students.


The members of the SGA Executive Board and the Presidents’ Council have a responsibility to the student body to uphold the SGA Constitution, to adhere to all rules and regulations of the College as outlined in the Student Handbook, and to be an active and positive member of the Colby Community.


Each member must always maintain the integrity of the SGA. Members will at all times be conscious of their status as representatives of the student body, and will avoid involvement in, or remove themselves from, situations which may tend to lessen the perceived credibility of the SGA. We realize that we are equally accountable for our actions under the aforementioned guidelines of conduct. Members are responsible to their constituents and to the student body as a whole.


I, in good faith, promise to honor the prestige of the office I hold. Recognizing the unusual nature of resources available to me, I promise to neither participate in nor have knowledge of inappropriate use of the resources and privileges granted to me through my position.


My signature below indicates that I have read the above statement. I understand that should my actions result in a review by the SGA Judiciary Committee, all records pertaining to the incident in question will be released, in confidence, to the SGA Judiciary Committee.


Article VIII.) Recall, Referenda, Amendments and Bylaws


  1. Recall

    1. Any elected or appointed student government member may be removed from office if recalled by the Presidents’ Council for either of the following reasons – 1) Failure to perform duties as outlined in the Constitution or 2) Violation of College rules, including the misuse of SGA funds.

    2. Additionally, academic or disciplinary probation may be considered grounds for an SGA Judiciary Committee review, upon recommendation by the Dean of Students.

    3. Complaints may come from any member of the Presidents’ Council against a student government leader in the form of a resolution for an Article of Impeachment against a representative; or by a Petition of Impeachment with stated grounds written at the top and signed by two thirds of the constituency of that official. Complaints against any student government leader should be sent to the SGA Judiciary Committee Chair.

    4. Upon receipt of either an Article of Impeachment from a voting Presidents’ Council member, a Petition of Impeachment from the constituency, or a request for review from the Dean of Students, the Judiciary Committee Chair will convene the SGA Judiciary Committee.

    5. The Judiciary Committee will meet and conduct an investigation. At the next meeting of the Presidents’ Council, or at a special meeting called at the discretion of the Parliamentarian, the Judiciary Committee’s findings and recommendation(s) will be presented in the form of a motion sponsored by the Chair of the Judiciary Committee.

    6. The Chair of the Judiciary Committee may not vote on the matter. The Presidents’ Council will deliberate the motion brought forward by the Chair of the Judiciary Committee.

    7. The Presidents’ Council will, by a roll call vote, accept or reject the motion brought forward by the Chair of the Judiciary Committee.

    8. Sanctions may include, but not be limited to, a letter of censure, reprimand, loss of office and privileges accompanying the position, and loss of office with a recommended review by the Colby College Judicial Board.

    9. Members of the Presidents’ Council are subject to automatic removal from office after two unexcused absences from Presidents’ Council. A student who is removed or resigns from his/her position will lose all privileges connected with that position. Absences will be excused at the discretion of the SGA Parliamentarian. The SGA President may request that a member of Presidents’ Council be removed by the SGA Judiciary Committee for a.) Two unexcused absences b.) Not fulfilling a constitutional duty or c.) Serious school infractions. The Parliamentarian has final authority in determining the criterion for an excused absence and will report violations to the SGA President.

    10. A special election shall be held within three weeks to replace removed members. In the case of the removal of the SGA President and Vice President, an interim President shall be elected from within Presidents’ Council.


  1. Referenda and Amendments

    1. A constitutional referendum may be called by a majority vote of the Presidents' Council or by a petition of two hundred (200) members of the student body to consider amendments.

      1. If procedural questions arise, they should be referred to the bylaws rather than amendment to the Constitution.

    2. Once proposed, a constitutional referendum must be approved by one of two methods.  

    3. It must be accepted by a unanimous vote of Presidents Council members.  

    4. Or, it must be published with copies posted across campus at least seven (7) days prior to the vote and must be voted on by the student body in a special vote conducted by the SGA Vice-President no later than twenty-one (21) days after the publication.

      1. Posting of the amendment must include the proposed amendment and, where appropriate, the current provision being amended.

    5. Ratification requires a two-thirds (2/3rds) majority vote in favor of the amendment(s) with at one half (1/2) of the student body voting.


  1. Bylaws

    1. This Constitution maintains the framework for Colby's SGA yet procedural mechanisms are necessary and will come in the form of SGA bylaws that are passed by Presidents' Council as they deem necessary.

    2. Bylaws need a majority vote for approval. Records of their existence shall be kept by the SGA Secretary and sent to the Director of Campus Life and the Dean of Students.

    3. Bylaws should be presented to the newly elected officers at their first meeting in the spring.

      1. All bylaws will be numbered according to the year in which they were created and the order in which they were passed (ex., 96-01, 96-02, etc.).

    4. The bylaws will directly succeed the Constitution of the Colby College Student Government Association in all records.



Bylaws:


03-02 At least one member of a new club must present the club's constitution to the Presidents' Council at one of the bi-monthly meetings before receiving funds from the SGA budget. The Presidents' Council will vote to accept or reject the new club based upon the presentation.


05-02 All members of Presidents' Council shall be made aware of proposed appointments to all College committees one week prior to the first meeting of the year. A uniform application process, regardless of whether the applicant is a PC member or a student at large, shall be used when examining each applicant’s qualifications.


08-01: The President, Vice President, Treasurer, Parliamentarian, Publicity Chair and other Executive Board members shall receive a stipend to be determined by the previous year’s Presidents’ Council. The Administrative Assistant shall receive a stipend, also to be determined by the previous year’s Presidents’ Council.


The President and Vice President shall receive the first and second room draw picks in their class.


The total amount that is allowed for stipends is $12,000.


08-02: The Residence Hall Association (RHA) of each dorm is composed of its Dorm President, Head Resident(s), faculty/staff associates in residence, and a number of additional residents of the dorm. Dorm Presidents should work with their Head Residents and other dorm members to establish their dorm’s RHA. The Residence Hall Association is charged with creating an environment within the dorm that supports the growth and learning of all residents. It is both a governing body in place to deal with issues that arise within the dorm (such as dorm damage, observation of quiet hours, etc.) and a programming body to plan and help Head Residents implement at least one dorm social event each semester as well as assisting them in planning other events. The RHA is responsible for creating and upholding community standards and fostering dorm unity and pride.


08-03: No First Year is allowed to run in the fall elections for Dorm President, unless nobody else in the dorm runs. They may then run as a write in candidate. First Years may be appointed to the position.


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