Notice of a Proposed Constitutional Amendment: Updates to the Representative Council Bylaws to Reflect Importance of Holding RepCo Positions
This is to serve as a notice that a constitutional election is taking place from March 24th through 28th. The voting will take place at the end of the Google form sent out for Plenary voting. These amendments advocate for changing Representative Council Bylaws to improve the functioning of the council. The details of the amendment and the changes it will create can be found below.
Proposed By: ‘24-25 Plenary Committee Co-Heads Nora Williamson and Abby Champlin; ‘24-25 SGA EBoard; ‘24-25 Constitution Review Committee Head Maia Tsalik
Summary: This series of constitutional amendments aims to encourage active participation from all members of SGA’s Representative Council regarding budget and Plenary meetings. These are written with the goal of supporting Bryn Mawr’s Repco and SGA’s missions by addressing prior issues regarding reaching quorum and including a range of students’ perspectives and voices. The purpose of the Representative Council is to serve as the main voting body of Bryn Mawr’s Self-Government Association and represent the views of the larger student body. The Representative Council is made up of students representing different groups, committees, and elected positions in order to involve as many voices and opinions as possible. However, when Repco can’t meet quorum, it fails in its goal to involve student voices to the highest extent possible. This amendment will implement consequences for missing a certain number of RepCo meetings without appointing a proxy, clarify and strengthen rules regarding meeting quorum, and restrict the number of proxy votes a person can hold. Should this amendment pass, these changes will be added to the SGA Constitution immediately.
Whereas, as outlined in the SGA Constitution Article IV, Section I, Subsection E:1
As representatives of the student body, members of the Representative Council…. each assembly member is expected to attend their respective meetings.
Whereas, as outlined in the SGA Constitution Article VI, Section 1, Subsection A:1
The Representative Council shall act as the Voting Body of the Assembly and SGA. Representatives shall attend and participate in the Representative Council meetings. Representatives will vote on behalf of the representative’s constituents in Representative Council meetings… Representatives shall participate in achieving the Representative Council’s long and short-term goals.
Whereas, one of the SGA Vice President’s responsibilities is outlined in the SGA Constitution Article V, Section 1, Subsection C:1
Checking in with the members of Representative Council at least once per semester to ensure they are performing their duties as set forth by the Constitution.
Whereas, ⅔ of RepCo must attend and vote in SGA meetings that pertain to and affect nearly all, if not all, students at Bryn Mawr College (SGA Budget Meeting and Repco Plenary Meeting).1
Whereas, in past years, such meetings have failed to reach quorum in a timely manner due to a lack of Repco attendance.
Whereas, in past years, Repco meetings have involved individual members holding upwards of five votes due to proxy assignments, which goes against the intention of Repco to represent a breadth of Bryn Mawr undergraduates’ views and interests.
Whereas, in past years, Repco meetings have involved the changing of proxy voters to the extent that quorum must be recounted and re-assessed, prolonging meeting times and contributing to disorganization of such meetings.
Be it resolved, changes will be made to the current bylaws regarding Repco’s roles and duties to ensure that the Representative Council serves as a more accurate and balanced representation of the student body as a whole’s interests.
Be it resolved, changes will be made to the current bylaws regarding Repco’s roles and duties to make Repco meetings more efficient, organized, and successful in passing decisions that affect the student body as a whole.
Be it resolved, the subsequent amendments/additions to the SGA Constitution will be implemented by the ‘25-26 academic year (changes marked in red)
Article VI, Section 2, Subsection A:
The Affinity of Multicultural Organizations Leaders will participate in the Representative Council. Each year, the Eboard, with coordination from the Chair of Social Justice and Equity, will update the list of all AMOs to ensure all AMO leaders are included in Repco votes. Each academic year, the Eboard, with coordination from the Chair of Social Justice and Equity, will update the list of all AMOs and contact AMO leaders to assess if they wish to be included in Repco for the given year, and update the list of Repco votes accordingly.
Article VI, Section 6, Subsection C:
All members of Repco must be notified via email at the beginning of each semester that they hold a Repco position and are expected to fulfill the duties associated with said position. All Repco positions include the obligation to attend two SGA meetings per semester: the SGA Budget Meeting and Repco Plenary Meeting.
All meetings of the Representative Council shall be publicly announced and the agenda posted three days in advance. All members of the Representative Council must be emailed notifying them of a Repco meeting one week in advance of the meeting.
Article VI, Section 7, Subsection A:
All members of the Representative Council, except the Executive Board, shall have one vote per position held, not exceeding two votes per member.
Article VI, Section 7, Subsection B:
An absentee vote on a specific previously announced question may be submitted in writing to the Secretary of SGA 24 hours prior to the meeting at which the vote is to be taken, on the condition that significant changes in the question have not been made. Otherwise, the absentee vote shall not be counted in the final tally. Neither a proxy nor an absentee vote shall be counted as being present.
A proxy voter may be assigned for a Repco meeting by any member of the Representative Council, as long as the member alerts the EBoard to who their proxy shall be more than 24 hours in advance of the Repco meeting. No one person may hold greater than two proxy votes at a given Repco meeting (such that if this proxy voter holds two Repco positions, they may not hold more than four votes).
Article VI, Section 6, Subsection A:
The Representative Council must vote to ratify its Bylaws each year, and are encouraged to review and debate any non-functional elements.
A time limit of 30 minutes will be maintained for reaching quorum at every Repco meeting. If quorum is attained and later lost, a time limit of 15 minutes will be established to regain quorum. If after 15 minutes quorum has not been reached, the attendees will be dismissed and the Repco meeting must be rescheduled to a new time within a week of the original meeting time.
A time limit of 3 hours will be maintained for any given Repco meeting duration. Once a Repco meeting has lasted 2 hours, the EBoard shall call for a vote to extend the time limit or end the meeting at 3 hours and reconvene within a week of the original meeting to continue addressing the issue(s) at hand.
Article VI, Section 7, Subsection D: Removal of a Representative Council Member
If a member of the Representative Council fails to attend or assign a proxy for both Repco meetings in a given semester, they will be removed from their Repco position and a new SGA Assembly member will be assigned to fill this position the following semester. Leaving a Repco meeting prior to the halfway point of it will count as an absence against the Repco member.
1https://sga.blogs.brynmawr.edu/files/2024/07/Constitution20April20E2809824.pdf.pdf