Constitution of the Undergraduate Assembly
Revised by Referenda Vote on April 4, 2005

Preamble:

In order to provide a means for responsible and effective participation in the organization and control of the affairs of the University, we do hereby establish this Constitution for the Undergraduate Assembly of the University of Pennsylvania.


Article I - Membership:

  1. All full-time undergraduates at the University of Pennsylvania shall be eligible for membership in all organs of the Undergraduate Assembly (UA).


Article II - The Undergraduate Assembly

  1. The UA shall be an elective body consisting of thirty-three undergraduates from mutually exclusive constituencies: the freshman class, the College of Arts and Sciences, the School of Nursing, the Wharton School, and the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.
    1. The number of seats for each constituency shall be calculated by the Nominations and Elections Committee before the end of the fall semester preceding the spring elections.
    2. Representation shall be on a proportional basis based upon enrollments in the fall term. Size of the constituencies shall be as follows:
      1. Each constituency shall be guaranteed at least one seat.
      2. Seats shall be allocated by the equal proportions method, resulting in a listing of the constituencies according to a priority value--calculated by dividing the population of each constituency by the geometric mean of its current and next seats--that assigns seats 6 through 33.
  2. The function of the UA shall be to provide an opportunity for its members to discuss and express their views upon any matter which they deem of general University interest and to make recommendations and pass resolutions with respect thereto.
    1. The UA shall speak as the one representative voice of the undergraduates on affairs of concern to undergraduates.
    2. All meetings of the UA shall be open to all members of the undergraduate community.
      1. The UA reserves the right to go into a members-only executive session during executive board elections to discuss the candidates confidentially without the candidates present.
  3. There will be an Executive Board of the UA consisting of the Chairperson, the Vice Chairperson, the Vice Chairperson of External Affairs, the Treasure, and the Secretary.
    1. The Executive Board is charged with setting UA meeting agendas and discussing internal and external issues related to the UA.
    2. The Executive Board is selected by the membership of the UA during the transition meeting conducted by the Nominations and Elections Committee.
    3. A member may not serve as Chairperson for two consecutive terms.
    4. The Executive Board has the right to invite anyone to meetings as well as reserves the right to establish charges for the body.
  4. There will be a Steering Committee of the UA consisting of the Chairperson, the Vice Chairperson, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and the Vice Chair of External Affairs. In addition, the Chairperson of the Steering Committee of the Student Activities Council, the Chairperson of the Nominations and Elections Committee, the Chairperson of the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education, the President of the Social Planning and Events Committee, and the Presidents of the four respective Class Boards shall serve as voting members of the Steering Committee of the UA.
    1. The Steering Committee of the Assembly may select members of the University Community to serve as additional members of the Steering Committee.
    2. The Steering Committee of the UA shall be empowered to set the agenda for meetings of the UA (subject to restrictions as detailed elsewhere in this Constitution).
    3. The Steering Committee of the UA shall periodically review the work of the University Council representatives and all undergraduate members of the University Committees and Task Forces. The UA Steering Committee shall be empowered to request the presence of the aforementioned representatives for consultation or review at Steering Committee and UA meetings. The Steering Committee shall further be empowered to initiate the recall of any University Council representative or University Committee member.
    4. The UA may overrule any Steering Committee resolution by a majority of those present.
    5. Steering should meet after every two UA meetings.
  5. The UA shall meet at least twice a month during the fall and spring semesters. A meeting may be called by the Chairperson, by the Steering Committee, or by a petition clearly stating the reasons for the meeting signed by either twenty-five percent of the members of the UA or twenty-five full-time undergraduates.
    1. Except in extraordinary circumstances, the time and place of the meeting shall be publicly posted at least forty-eight hours prior to the meeting.
    2. Meetings of the Undergraduate Assembly should be conducted by Robert's Rules of Order.
    3. Quorum for a meeting of the UA shall be fifty percent of its current membership.
    4. The UA shall make such By-Laws as are necessary for its own proceedings subject only to such restrictions as are detailed in this Constitution.
    5. The UA must conduct an open forum at least once per year where undergraduates can directly address any of their concerns.
  6. All members of the UA, other than the representatives of the freshman class, shall serve terms of one year, commencing with the designated UA transition meeting held sometime between the end of the spring UA elections and the end of the spring semester. Representatives of the freshman class shall serve from the day of their election in the fall until the UA transition meeting in the spring. The UA Steering Committee in office before the spring elections shall determine the precise date of the UA transition meeting within the time limits stated above.
    1. The term for seats held by UA members on University Council follows the same guidelines as aforementioned in Article II, Section F.
    2. The UA shall make such By-Laws as are necessary for the allocation of the University Council seats.
    3. The outgoing chair of the UA must give "A State of the UA Address" to the new UA.
  7. Vacancies on the UA shall be filled by the appointment of the next highest vote-getter from the previous election in the constituency where the vacancy exists. If the entire list of candidates is exhausted, the NEC will conduct a special election to fill the vacant seat. The processes for replacement shall be subject to time constraints as outlined in the By-Laws.
  8. The UA shall establish an attendance policy for all meetings, including general body meetings, committee meetings, and University Council meetings.
  9. In addition, the UA has the right to establish any By-Laws that are necessary to improve the effectiveness of the body. These By-Laws must be established in accordance to the UA constitution, and will serve as supplemental guidelines for the organization. All By-Laws must be passed by at least 2/3 of the UA.


Article III - Undergraduate Assembly Committees

  1. UA committees may consist of both members of the UA and other undergraduates, but may consist of no less than two members of the UA.
    1. The UA shall be empowered to create and fund such UA committees as it deems necessary.
    2. UA committees may summarize their conclusions in draft statements of policy which, if submitted to the UA Executive Board, must be considered and acted upon by the UA within thirty academic days of their submission.
  2. The UA reserves the right to establish workgroups and task forces in order to consider specific issues.


Article IV - The Student Activities Council (SAC)

  1. The Student Activities Council is a body delegated the authority to recognize non-governance activities and fund their programs by means, and under rules of its own choosing, subject only to such restrictions as are contained in the UA Constitution.
  2. SAC shall operate from the funds provided after the groups directly funded through the UA activities have removed their budgets as provided in Article X.


Article V - The Nominations and Elections Committee (NEC)

  1. The Nominations and Elections Committee receives partial funding from and works closely with the UA. Any undergraduates except representatives on the UA and the University Standing Committees may become members of the NEC. The UC Steering Representative of the UA shall serve as an ex-officio member to the NEC.
    1. The NEC shall appoint all undergraduate representatives on Council committees, School committees, Trustee committees, Presidential committees, Provost committees, ad-hoc committees and all other committees on which undergraduates sit. All appointments are for one year and are renewable.
    2. Any appointment made by NEC can be revoked at any time by a two-thirds vote of the UA.
    3. NEC shall run all UA and University Council elections and referenda. The fall freshman election shall be held no later than six and one half weeks after the beginning of the fall semester. The spring election shall be held at least two weeks before the beginning of the finals period in the spring semester.


Article VI – The Student Committee on Undergraduate Education (SCUE)

  1. The Student Committee on Undergraduate Education is a group of undergraduates focused on enhancing the academic facets if the undergraduate community. SCUE receives its funding through the UA and works directly with the UA to address academic-related issues.


Article VII – The Social Planning and Events Committee (SPEC)

  1. The Social Planning and Events Committee is designed to provide social programming and coordinate special events for the entire undergraduate community. SPEC receives funding from the UA and works closely with the UA to improve the quality of life for undergraduates. Any undergraduate may become a member of SPEC.


Article VIII – The Class Boards

  1. Class Boards for each undergraduate class should be popularly elected to provide social programming to instill a sense of class and school spirit, unity and pride, and break through social barriers.
    1. The NEC shall determine the way in which the Class Boards are elected, however, such elections should be performed in conjunction with UA elections.
  2. The Class Boards shall consist of a Class President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President of Corporate Sponsorship and at least one representative from each undergraduate school.


Article IX - Referenda

  1. The referendum is the highest decision making instrument of the student government and may be used to challenge any decision of any organ of the UA.
  2. Decisions made by a valid referendum voids any conflicting decisions of any organ of the Undergraduate Assembly and may be overturned only by subsequent referendum. No action of a referendum shall be construed to limit the function of any committee or work group except as explicitly stated.
  3. Referenda shall be administered and validated by the Nominations and Elections Committee (NEC)
    1. No referendum shall be validated without voter participation levels of at least 15% of the undergraduates currently enrolled, based on figures obtained from the registrar.
    2. Other regulations and procedures for referenda and elections shall be determined by the Nominations and Elections Committee with the advice and consent of the UA.
  4. Referenda may be called by a two-thirds vote of the UA or by the presentation of a petition with signatures from 200 undergraduates.


Article X - Finances

  1. The Undergraduate Assembly is responsible for funding itself, its committees, and the branches of student government. These organizations include SCUE, SPEC, NEC, Class Boards, and SAC.
  2. The UA Budget Committee shall prepare the governance budget for presentation to the UA Steering Committee and the entire University Community by March 1st of each year. The other branches of student government shall prepare recommendations for submission to the UA by February 15th. Final authority to determine the governance budget shall rest with the UA, which must finalize its allocations by the commencement of Spring Break.
  3. The Treasurer of the UA shall sit as a member of the SAC Executive Board. SAC shall choose other members of its board according to rules of its own making.
  4. A Budget Committee of the UA shall be formed each spring following the election of the new UA. It shall consist of the Treasurer of the UA and two other members of the UA.
    1. The Budget Committee shall oversee the funds of the UA. It shall assist in the preparation of the annual budget, the consideration of all budget requests, and shall periodically audit the records of the UA and all of its constituent parts.
    2. Any recognized committee or work group wishing funding must first submit a detailed budget to the Budget Committee. The Budget Committee shall conduct such interviews and investigations into the proposed budget as are necessary for the preparation of a recommendation to the UA. The proposed budget shall then be presented to the UA together with the recommendations of the Budget Committee. The UA shall first consider the recommendation of the Budget Committee and then an appeal by the committee or work group requesting funds.
  5. The UA shall have an explicit set of By-Laws devoted to the application and allocation of funds for the UA. The UA as well as all groups requesting funds must strictly adhere to theses By-laws.


Article XI - Amendments

  1. This Constitution shall be amended or superseded only by an absolute majority of those undergraduates voting in a referendum in which at least twenty-percent of the current undergraduates enrolled shall participate.
  2. Such a referendum shall be administered and called as detailed in Article IX.