Franciscan University Student Government

By- Laws
(Original Version: Shawn Dommer, Ryan Kreager, Sarah Vyvlecka, Spring 2006)
(Most Recent Update: Elise Langlois, Sean Winkler, MaryGrace Byers, Isaac
Janney, Brendan Frederick, Spring 2022)

Article I
Positions and Duties
I. Oath of Office. The following oath of office shall be administered to all members of
Student Government by the Standing Chief Justice of the Supreme Court upon their
taking of office: “I do solemnly swear that I will selflessly defend and uphold the
Constitution of the Franciscan University Student Government, that I will discharge the
duties of my office with Virtue, and that I take this oath freely, without mental
reservation or purpose of evasion, so help me God!”
A. Senate Chair
1. The Vice President shall serve as Chair of the Senate.
2. The Chair shall preserve order and decorum, declare all votes, and rule on
any matters which occur during the operation of a meeting. Said rulings
may be overturned by a ⅔ majority of the Senate.
3. The Chair may only facilitate discussion, and may not participate in
debate.
B. Executive Staff
1. Secretary
a) The Secretary shall prepare all legislation, agendas, minutes, and
other documents as the Senate and Chair direct.
b) The Secretary shall serve as official scribe of minutes and shall
present the minutes to the Chair before each formal meeting for
their approval.
c) The Secretary shall tally all roll call Senate votes and present the
tally to the Senate Chair.
d) The Secretary shall serve as official time-keeper for all formal
debate.
2. Executive Assistant
a) The Executive Assistant shall prepare all documents as directed by
the president.
b) The Executive Assistant shall manage the digital resources of the
Student Government as directed by the president.
c) The Executive Assistant shall maintain the Student Government
website and publish all official Student Government documents to
said website.
d) The Executive Assistant shall post all official Student Government
documents to the Student Government Google Docs account.
e) The Executive Assistant shall be responsible for transferring all
information and documentation concerning the digital resources to
the newly elected president before the completion of the spring
semester.
 f) The Executive Assistant shall collaborate with the Chief Justice to
write templates for financial and by-laws bills. The Executive
Assistant shall be responsible for upkeep of said templates on the SG
computer, under the supervision of the Chief Justice.
Public Relations Liaison.
g) The Liaison shall conduct all advertising for Student Government
as directed by these By-Laws and by the Senate, President, or
Chief Justice.
h) The Liaison shall be responsible for the maintenance and updating
of all Student Government social networking accounts.
i) The Liaison shall be the official keeper of the Student Government
bulletin boards, and shall discharge all policies associated with
them.
3. Treasurer.
a) Must receive written endorsement from member of the Accounting
Faculty before appointment and confirmation. The endorsement
must be presented to the Senate.
b) The Treasurer shall be responsible for the accounting of Student
Government, maintaining the official records of all expenditures
for Student Government and its subsidiary clubs.
c) The Treasurer shall give report of the financial situation of Student
Government at each informal and formal meeting.
d) The Treasurer shall attach a copy of the Treasurer’s Report with
each copy of the minutes from each previous formal meeting. This
report shall include all revenues, expenditures, sub account
balances, and current contingency fund balance.
4. Internal Auditor
a) Must receive written endorsement from member of the Accounting
Faculty before appointment and confirmation. The endorsement
must be presented to the Senate.
b) The Internal Auditor shall be responsible for ensuring all monies
allocated are spent in a manner consistent with their allocation.
c) The Internal Auditor shall be responsible for ensuring that
Senators, Staff, and Officers are performing their duties in a timely
and consistent manner.
d) The internal auditor shall prepare a monthly bank reconciliation to
be completed no later than the end of the second full week of the
following month.
e) The Internal Auditor shall prepare a monthly report of the
following categories:
i. Effectiveness and efficiency of Student Government
activities.
ii. Reliability of the Treasurer’s Report.
iii. Compliance of Officers, Staff, and Senators with
Student Government Constitution and By-Laws.
5. Excite Ambassador
 a) The Excite Ambassador shall be responsible for meeting with
the president of Excite whenever proposed legislation indicates
collaboration between Excite and Student Government.
6. Austrian Ambassador.
a) The Austrian Ambassador shall be responsible for representing
Student Government on the Austrian campus; maintaining
correspondence with the main campus via a correspondence box;
and coordinate absentee voting during the spring semester only.
7. Austrian Consul
a) The Austrian Consul shall assist the Austrian Ambassador with the
Ambassador’s responsibilities as the Ambassador shall direct. The
Austrian Consul shall report directly to the Austria Ambassador.
C. Committees
1. Membership
a) Each committee shall be made up of at least three Senators, one of
whom shall be committee Chair, and other members of Student
Government as set forth herein.
b) Senators may never constitute a minority of the committee.
c) The Senate shall appoint the chairman of each of the
standing committees listed, by means of a secret ballot. The
process shall consist of the following:
i. At the end of the 1 st Monday Night informal
meeting after the first special election of the
Semester. If no special
election is to be held, the Senate may suspend this section
with a 2/3 vote and proceed to the election. All senators
who wish to be considered to serve as chairman for a
standing committee must be nominated and have their
nomination seconded by a different senator during “For the
Good of the Order.
(a) A Senator shall be considered for no more than one
committee chairmanship.
(b) No Senator may nominate themselves.
ii. The Chief Justice shall compose a list of candidates for
chair of each of the standing committees and administer a
secret ballot consist of those candidates on the following
Wednesday Formal Meeting.
iii. In the result of a tie, the Senate Majority leader would
break the tie.
d) If the Senate does not select a chairman for each of the standing
committees by the third Monday night informal meeting of the
semester after a special election, then the Senate Majority Leader
shall appoint senators to fill such vacancies.
2. Senate Majority Leader
a. The Senate shall elect a majority leader
i. This process shall consist of the following:
 1. At the end of the first informal meeting of the semester, or
upon a vacancy of the position, all senators who wish to be
considered to serve as Majority leader must be nominated
and have their nomination seconded by a different senator.
2. The candidate shall not nominate themselves.
3. This process shall take place during the “For the Good of
the Order” section of the meeting.
4. The Chief Justice shall compose a list of candidates for
Majority Leader and administer a secret ballot consisting of
those candidates on the following Wednesday formal
meeting.
5. In the event of a tie, the Chair of the Senate would break
the tie.
6. If the senate does not elect a Majority Leader by the third
Monday informal meeting with a full Senate or after a
vacancy, the Chair of the Senate shall appoint a Senator to
fill the vacancy.
b. The Majority leaders responsibilities are:
i. To voice the concerns of the Senate to the Executive.
ii. To appoint the members (not including the chairman) of
the standing committees in consultation with the Vice
President and committee chairs
iii. To remove the members of the standing committees.
1. The Majority Leader shall only remove a committee
chairman if the chair has demonstrated a neglect of
responsibilities.
iv. To collect reports from committee chairs to ensure they
are fulfilling their responsibilities
v. In conjunction with the President, Vice President, and
Chief Justice, to train new senators to ensure they are aware
of their powers, duties, and responsibilities,
c. The Majority Leader can be removed by the senate with a motion
of no confidence if the motion is presented at the Wednesday
morning formal meeting during “For the Good of the Order” and
announced at the previous Monday night informal meeting. The
motion shall pass if the majority of senators vote in favor of it.
3. Duties
a) Each committee shall meet in compliance with their
respective outlined duties.
b) The committee shall meet whenever the committee chair
deems necessary.
c) Any individual may be invited to appear before a
committee. d) Committee meetings shall be open to any
elected member of Student Government, and said member
shall be allowed to participate, without voting rights, in the
meeting.
 e) The committee Chair shall appoint a committee member as
Secretary who shall record the minutes and present them at the
next formal meeting.
f) Committees shall have the power to amend bills via simple
majority vote, provided a quorum is present.
g) The committee chair shall submit a written report to the
senate at the next informal senate meeting following the
committee meeting.
i. This written report shall contain the business of
the meeting, including the progress that has been
made, and the upcoming agenda.
ii. This written report shall be included in the
minutes for the record upon majority approval of
the Senate.
iii. For the first report of the semester, the Chair
shall also submit at least one defined goal for the
committee business for that semester.
4. Standing Committees
a) Finance
i. The Finance committee shall evaluate and provide
recommendations on all non-budgetary monetary
legislation from the Senate.
ii. The Treasurer shall be an ex-officio of this committee.
iii. This committee shall meet the first week after
Committee chair elections or on the first week of the
semester and the 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th weeks
of the semester.
b) Student Welfare
i. The Student Welfare committee shall gather information on
and prioritize the concerns of the student body, and make
recommendations to the Senate on such concerns.
ii. The Executive Assistant shall be an ex-officio member of
this committee.
iii. This committee shall meet every week beginning after
committee chair elections or during the first week of
the spring academic semester.
c) Development
i. The Development committee shall be responsible for aiding
the development of and collaboration with student clubs,
promotion of Student Government programs, and
establishing and sustaining services for the Student Body.
ii. The Secretary shall be an ex-officio member of this
committee.
iii. This committee shall meet every week beginning after
committee chair elections or during the first week of
the spring academic semester.
 d) Rules and Order
i. The Rules and Order committee shall be responsible for
revisions to the Student Government Constitution and
By-Laws, and approval of Student Government sponsored
Club constitutions.
ii. One Justice shall be an ex-officio member of this
committee.
iii. This committee shall meet every week beginning after
committee chair elections or during the first week of
the spring academic semester.
e) Outreach
i. The Outreach committee shall promote the vision of
Franciscan University beyond the bounds of campus via
campus-community joint efforts and events.
ii. The Public Relations Liaison shall be an ex-officio member
of this committee.
iii. This committee shall meet every week beginning after
committee chair elections or during the first week of
the spring academic semester.
D. Duties of Student Government Members
1. Each member of Student Government shall be required to attend every
informal meeting, formal meeting, and office hours. All committee
members shall be required to attend committee meetings. Any absence
must be excused in advance by the Chair of the Senate or the committee
Chair. Tardiness exceeding ten minutes shall be considered an unexcused
absence, unless a satisfactory explanation is made to the Chair of the
Senate.
2. As a sworn member of Student Government, each Senator must act with
decorum and humility during meetings. While such mutual respect is
expected of all Student Government members, the Senate shall be held to the
highest standard, as they are representatives of the student body.
3. A member of Student Government may be suspended from the following
formal meeting, with no voting rights in the case of Senators, in the
following cases:
a) Two unexcused absences in a single semester. Missing two
unexcused office hours in a single semester constitutes a single
unexcused absence.
b) Flagrantly inappropriate behavior.
4. Each Senator shall be in charge of sponsoring at least one Student
Government sponsored club or organization and will be required to attend
at least one meeting of the sponsored club or organization, or meet with an
officer of the sponsored club or organization, at least once per semester.
5. A member of the executive staff shall provide a written response to a
written concern directed to the official student government email no later than
two business days from when the concern was filed.
 Article II
Rules of Order
I. The agenda of each formal meeting shall be posted on the Student Government website.
II. Minutes and Treasurer’s Report
A. The minutes and Treasurer’s Report shall be distributed by the Secretary at the
informal meeting following each formal meeting.
B. The minutes shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
1. Names of absent members, marked excused or unexcused.
2. Names of members making motions, motion made, and action taken by
the Senate.
3. Names of all Senate bills and brief description.
4. Voting record of each bill, by name in cases of roll call votes.
5. Any comments or announcements made by Student Government
members.
6. Names and affiliation or purpose of appearance of all agents.
7. Comments of all agents.
C. Order of Formal Meetings
1. Distribution of Documents. Prior to the opening of each meeting, the
Secretary shall distribute the agenda to any Student Government members
present.
2. Call to Order. The Chair shall call the Senate to order and ask any Student
Government member to lead the Senate in prayer.
3. Approval of Minutes and Treasurer’s Report. The minutes previously
distributed shall be open to amendment, as well as approval of the
Treasurer’s Report.
4. Treasurer’s Report. The Treasurer shall report the current expenditures of
Student Government, along with the current amount in the contingency
fund and any other pertinent financial information.
5. Secretary’s Report. The Secretary shall report all current information
regarding executive actions.
6. Committees’ Reports. Any Committee Chair deeming it necessary shall
report current information and updates to the Senate.
7. Legislation. All legislation shall be considered, with untabling of bills
being allowed at any time in this process.
8. President’s Comments. The President shall give any comments deemed
necessary on current actions or issues.
9. Advisor’s Comment. The advisor of Student Government shall give
comment as deemed necessary, as well as make any announcements
pertinent to relations between the University administration and Student
Government.
10. For the Good of the Order. Any member of Student Government may give
comment to improve the order of Student Government, or draw issues of
order to the fore.
11. Announcements. Any member of Student Government may make
announcements pertinent to Student Government business.
12. Adjournment. The Chair shall adjourn the meeting. If the meeting is a
 regularly scheduled meeting occuring at 11:00 am and if it is in progress at
11:50 am, all business under consideration and any remaining business
shall be immediately tabled. The Senate shall proceed to the agenda items
specified in [II.C.8-11]. If said items are still in progress at 11:55 am, the
meeting shall be automatically adjourned at that time and all remaining
agenda items shall be skipped.
a) This rule may be suspended and the meeting may be extended by a
⅔ vote of the Senate.
D. Voting
1. Passage of all Senate bills shall require a simple majority of the Senate.
2. A vocal vote shall be taken with a motion to ‘previous question’. Upon the
request of the Chair or any Senator, a roll call vote may be taken either after
or in place of a vocal vote. If a roll call vote is requested, the voting shall be
in order of seniority, with Graduate Senators voting first, followed by Senior
Senators, Junior Senators, Sophomore Senators and Freshman Senators.
a. An objection to a motion to ‘previous question’ may be voiced by
a Senator as stipulated in Roberts’ Rules. Any objection made
will be received by the Senate Chair. Depending on it’s nature,
the Senate Chair may sustain or overrule the objection.
b. If an objection is raised and sustained by the Senate Chair, the
standing motion the ‘previous question’ is nulled even if there is a
sufficient second and conversation on the bill may continue.
3. Absentee voting is prohibited.
4. All Senators present are required to cast a vote each time a vote is called.
5. Voting possibilities shall consist of ‘aye’,’nay’, and ‘abstain’. a) An ‘aye’
vote is a vote in favor of the motion at hand.
b) A ‘nay’ vote is a vote against the motion at hand.
c) An ‘abstain’ vote is a position of non-choice by a Senator,
constituting neither assent nor dissent on the issue.
i. An abstention shall not be counted in the member count of
the motion at hand; the majority shall be determined from
the total number of ‘aye’ and ‘nay’ votes.
6. Following a vote, a Senator may request the floor to explain their vote,
limited to one minute.
7. Any Senator who is the primary beneficiary of a bill must abstain from
voting on said legislation, unless said bill is for a Student Government
expenditure.
E. Decorum
1. No individual shall use profanity
2. If a Senator wishes to speak, they shall raise their hand and await
recognition by the Chair. Upon recognition, the Senator shall have the
floor for no more than three minutes.
3. The floor shall always be yielded back to the Chair.
4. All comments shall be confined to the question at hand.
5. If any member transgresses the Rules of Order, any Senate member or the
Chair may call them to order. The Chair may then ask the person to
 explain their transgression.
6. The Chair, or a majority vote of the Senate, may expel and Student
Government member from a meeting for disorderly conduct.
F. Agents
1. Any individual desiring to appear before the Senate shall make written
application to the Chair no less than one day before the formal meeting.
The speech of said individual shall run no more than three minutes.
2. The President of the University shall have standing invitation to address
the Senate at any time.
3. The Chair may, at their discretion, recognize any person from the gallery
to speak, limited to three minutes.
4. Any Senator may recognize a person from the gallery to speak- limited to
three minutes- who has formal connection to the current matter or
legislation at hand and is authorized to speak on behalf of a party
benefiting from said matter or legislation.

Article III
Legislative Process

I. Definition of Legislation
A. A bill shall be a draft of law presented to the Senate for passage.
B. Each bill shall embrace one subject.
C. Special Legislation
1. A confirmation expresses the Senate’s formal approval or disapproval of a
Presidential nominee, or the approval or disapproval of a Presidential
action.
2. A Memorial Resolution honors an individual or organization for
exceptional performance.
3. An Advisory Resolution requests action be taken by the University.
4. A Presidential Petition proposes action to be taken by the Senate on behalf
of the President.
a) The President shall be allowed three minutes to address the Senate
at the first formal insertion of the bill to explain the petition, but
may not participate in formal debate.
D. Only Senators may sponsor and present bills to the Senate, except for the
following types of legislation:
1. Special legislation defined under [Article III. Sec I. Sub C.], which may be
sponsored and presented to the Senate by the President.
2. Proposed amendments to the By-Laws, which may be sponsored and
presented to the Senate by Justices.
II. Order of Passage
A. Insertion
1. All legislation must arise in committee before the informal meeting to
discuss, research and amend the bill as necessary. The committee shall
vote on the bill and said vote will constitute recommendation to the senate
2. A sponsoring Senatoris required to be present at the committee meeting at
 which their bill is being discussed.
. 3. A bill seeking passage must be submitted to the Secretary.
4. The Secretary, with the approval of the President, shall establish a deadline
for submitting legislation. Said deadline may not exceed 24 hours before
the informal meeting at which the bill will be considered. Bills not
submitted before said deadline shall not be considered by the Senate until
the next informal meeting, unless a Senator makes a motion to insert a bill
into the agenda and the motion is passed by a majority vote.
5. The Secretary shall give the bill the next sequential number and add it to
the agenda of the informal and formal meetings.
6. If the bill is for non-budgetary expenditures the Secretary shall submit the
bill to the Chair for pre-hearing review.
7. The Secretary shall duplicate the bill and pass it out to the Senate at the
informal meeting.
B. Pre-Hearing Review
1. The Chair shall review all bills for non-budgetary expenditures before the
informal meeting to determine if they attempt to meet all the criteria laid
out in [Article VI. Sec III. Sub D.].
2. If a bill does not attempt to meet said criteria nor provides reasoning why it
does not the Chair shall notify its sponsor(s) before the informal meeting
at which it is scheduled to be read.
C. Informal Hearing
1. The bill shall then be discussed at the informal meeting.
2. If the Chair has determined that the bill is inadequate under [Article III.
Sec II. Sub B.] and [Article VI. Sec III. Sub D.], the Chair shall verbally
state its reasoning and the bill shall automatically be tabled. A
determination of inadequacy by the Chair may be overturned by a ⅔
majority of the Senate. A motion to overturn this determination is
debatable. If said decision is overturned, the bill shall be discussed.
3. The Senate Chair shall send the bill to the appropriate committee
following the discussion for amendment or recommendation.
4. A sponsoring Senator and one representative of the club, group, entity, or
individual to whom the bill applies must be present for the bill to be
debated. If they are not, the bill shall be postponed until the next informal
meeting.
D. Formal Hearing and Vote
1. At the formal meeting, a committee member shall read the bill, along with
any amendments, to the senate.
2. At the subsequent formal meeting, a committee member shall read the bill,
along with any amendments and their recommendation on the bill to the
Senate.
3. If either a sponsoring Senator or member of the committee responsible for
the bill, and at least one authorized representative of the bill’s interest, are
not present, the bill shall be automatically tabled.
4. Ten minutes shall be allotted at the formal meeting for discussion of the
bill.
 5. Lobbying, defined as influencing policy and/or decision making, is limited
to the Senate at formal meetings. All other individuals may only give
points of information.
6. The bill may be tabled for any amount of time, or until certain stipulations
are met, by a majority vote of the Senate.
7. After discussion, the bill shall be determined by a vote.
E. Presidential Approval and Veto Procedure
1. If the bill is passed, it shall be given over to the president for approval or
veto. If veto power is exercised by the President, it must be exercised
within five days; lack of decision shall be considered approval.
Furthermore, the president must inform the Senate of any veto at the next
informal meeting.
2. The overturning of a veto must take place at the next formal meeting after
the presidential veto is announced.
a) The Chair must recognize a motion to consider the veto.
b) Only Senators may participate in debate on the veto.
c) A ⅔ majority of the Senate shall be required to overturn a veto. If
the legislation originally required a ⅔ majority for passage, a ¾
majority shall be required to overturn the veto unless otherwise
noted.
F. Austrian Exception
1. [Article III. Sec II. Sub B. Line 2] and [Article III. Sec II. Sub D. Line 1]
shall not apply to the confirmation bills for individuals being appointed to
serve in Austria.

Article IV
Election Code
I. Officials
A. The Supreme Court shall be responsible for all election procedures.
B. The Supreme Court may temporarily create any positions they deem necessary for
effective execution of the elections.
C. The Chief Justice shall have final power and responsibility over all election
proceedings.
D. Candidates or individuals campaigning for candidates may not serve as election
officials.
II. Process
A. Obtaining Candidacy
1. Any member of the student body seeking to run for and be names as a
candidate on the election ballot shall file a letter of intent with the current
Chief Justice no later than one week prior to the election.
a. If a member of the student body intends on running for office past
the deadline, he or she shall file a letter of intent with the current
Chief Justice no later than 24 hours prior to the polling booth
opening. Any member of the student body who does so will not be
named as a candidate on the ballot but may still obtain candidacy
as a write-in candidate.
 b. A write-in candidate will still be expected to follow election code
procedures. If a member violates election code procedures, his or
her candidacy will be rendered invalid.
2. Those individuals seeking the offices of President and Vice President shall
run as teams, and be elected as such.
3. Undergraduate student seeking office must be enrolled as a degree-seeking
undergraduate student taking at least 9 credit hours.
4. Individuals seeking office must be enrolled in at least 9 undergraduate or 6
graduate credit hours in the semester of candidacy.
5. All individuals seeking candidacy must attend a meeting held by the
election officials to explain the election code. The Chief Justice shall
provide each candidate with an official notice of candidacy upon
completion of said meeting.
B. Campaign Materials and Campaigning
1. No candidate may post materials until they have obtained official
candidacy.
2. All materials must be in good taste in compliance with University policy.
3. No materials shall be placed in the Student Government offices. 4.
Unauthorized destruction, defacement, or removal of campaign materials
is prohibited. If the offender is a candidate or acts with the candidate’s
consent, said candidate is disqualified.
5. No campaign materials or campaigning shall be allowed on or in the
building housing the ballot box on election day.
C. Polling
1. The polling both shall be open from 9:00 am until 4:30 pm on election
day.
2. The polling booth shall be staffed by at least two election officials at all
times, with at least one of said officials being a Justice.
3. Proof of identification shall be required of all voters.
4. No absentee voting shall occur, excepting members of the Student Body
currently enrolled at the Austrian campus during the spring semester.
D. Tabulation of Votes
1. Only the Supreme Court Justices may participate in tabulation. 2. If a
voter casts more votes for a particular position than allowed, their vote(s)
in that particular position shall be disqualified.
3. The candidate(s) with the greatest number of votes shall be declared the
winner(s). When more than one position is available for a particular voting
category, the candidate(s) with the next highest number of votes shall also
be declared the winner(s) until all positions are filled.
4. In the case of a tie, the Senate shall decide the winner by secret ballot. 5.
The election results shall be publicly posted no later than 11:59 pm on the
second say following the election.
E. Infractions of Rules
1. Any member of the Student Body may file a formal complaint against any
candidate or the election staff for infraction of the rules.
2. Complaints may be filled at any time during the election process, or up to
 one week after election results are posted.
3. The Rules and Order Committee shall assess the validity of all complaints
and render a decision. The decision may be appealed to the Supreme
Court.
4. Fines may be levied against individuals who transgress the election code.
a) Placing campaign materials in a prohibited area shall carry a fine
of $10 per item.
b) Failure to remove campaign materials shall carry a fine of $3 per
item
c) To ensure collection of fines, if an individual wins the election said
individual shall not take office before said fines are paid. Failure to
pay fines the first week of the following semester shall constitute
malfeasance.
5. Disqualification of candidates may occur in cases of gross and willing
infraction of the election code.
F. Assumption of Office
1. Officials elected in the fall semester shall assume office at the next formal
meeting.
2. Officials elected in the spring semester shall not assume their position
until the last formal meeting of the semester.
3. Justices of the Supreme Court shall hold their offices until the
President-elect appoints new Justices and they are confirmed, or until the
last class day of the current semester, whichever is shorter.
4. During the time between election and assumption of office, officer-elect
individuals shall be required to attend all meetings so that they might
become acclimated to Student Government procedures.
5. It shall be the responsibility of all outgoing elected officials and appointed
officials to acclimate new officials and their staff, and provide all
documentation possible to encourage continuity.
G. Filling of Vacancies
1. Should a minority of vacancies occur any time between the fall elections
and two weeks prior to the spring elections, those positions shall be filled
as follows:
a) The position shall be publicly advertised for no less than seven
days.
b) All persons seeking the vacant position shall submit a letter of
intent to the Vice President at least one day prior to the formal
meeting of election.
c) At the formal meeting of election, candidates shall be brought
before the Senate, given time to speak on their behalf, and
questioned by the Senate as deemed necessary.
d) The Senate shall vote by secret ballot, administered by the Chief
Justice.
e) The winner(s) shall be the candidate(s) with the most votes.
f) In the event of a tie, the Vice President shall cast a vote.
2. Filling of Presidential Vacancies
 a) In the case that the president’s vacancy is prolonged but not
permanent, the Vice President shall assume the duties of President
and shall appoint a pro-tem to preside over the Senate during said
absence. If the absence exceeds that of 2 weeks, the pro-tem will
need ⅔ approval by the Senate to continue acting in the vacancy of
the office.
b) The pro-tem, as acting chair of the Senate, necessarily follows the
duties of the Vice President as outlined by the by-laws.
c) In the case that the president’s vacancy is permanent, the current
president will appoint a pro-tem to preside in office until a new
Vice President is approved by the Senate. If a new Vice President
is not approved by the Senate within 2 weeks, the pro-tem will
need ⅔ approval by the Senate to continue acting in the vacancy of
the office.

Article V
Sponsored Club Policy
I. Purpose. The principles of subsidiarity and mutual respect shall govern the relationship of
Student Government to its sponsored clubs and organizations, thus respecting their initiative,
freedom, and responsibility. These clubs have a symbiotic relationship with Student
Government, and represent Student Government by proxy in their activities and initiatives.
Their subsidiarity and self-determination to Franciscan University. II. Requirements of a
Sponsored Club
A. All clubs must conform to the mission of Franciscan University and the
established guidelines of the University.
B. Clubs are to be operated by students, functioning by the voluntary activity and
initiative of students.
C. Clubs shall not fulfill any function or duty otherwise considered to be the
responsibility of the administration, faculty, or staff of Franciscan University. III.
Constitutions
A. Club constitutions shall contain at least the following articles. Articles shall be
properly titled Article II, Article III, etc. except in the case of Article I:
1. Article I, Name. The Name of the Organization
2. Article II, Purpose. State the purpose, aims, and functions of the club.
3. Article III, Membership. State the membership requirements, limitations,
and admittance procedure.
4. Article IV, Officers and Duties. State the officers, their duties,
requirements, terms of office, manner of election, and procedure for
removal.
5. Article V, Funding. State sources of funding.
6. Article VI, Amendment procedure. State the requirements for amending
the constitution.
7. Article VII, Ratification. State the requirements for adopting the
constitution.
IV. Club Approval
A. Proposals for club approval shall take the form of a bill.
 B. In addition to normal findings, an approval bill shall include the full text of the
club constitution. If said constitution is not attached to the bill, said bill shall
not
be inserted on the agenda by the Secretary, The Secretary shall duplicate the
constitution with the approval bill.
C. The Rules and Order Committee shall ensure that the constitution of the club
conforms to the guidelines specified in [V.C.] and shall base its recommendation
conformity of the constitution to these criteria and its internal consistency.
D. A vote on approval for a club shall not occur until the Vice President of Student
Life has approved the constitution.
E. The approval or removal of a club shall require a ⅔ vote of the Senate.

Article VI
Financial Process
I. Funding Criterion. All funding requests shall be evaluated based on the following
criteria:
A. Number of students served.
B. Number of students involved.
C. Quality and quantity of student participation.
D. Previous record of requesting entity.
E. Efforts of entity to independently generate funds.
F. Total amount of funds available to the mission of the entity.
G. Conformity of expenditure to the mission of the entity.
H. Conformity of expenditure to the mission statement of the University.
I. Reasonable conformity to market prices.
II. Budget Process
A. Budgetary Requirements
1. Student Government shall set a budget each semester, including all
foreseeable expenditures of Student Government and its clubs.
2. Only Student Government and its recognized clubs shall be eligible for
allocation of funds through said Student Government budget.
3. The budget may not exceed income of Student Government for the
coming semester.
B. The budget shall be submitted as a bill the semester prior to the semester of usage.
C. A Budget Committee shall be created each semester, consisting of the Finance
Committee and the Vice President. The President shall serve as an ex-officio member.
D. Budget
1. The Budget Committee shall distribute budget request forms to the clubs
by Wednesday of the eighth full week of classes. Said forms shall require
the names and contact information of tentative officers for the upcoming
semester.
2. Clubs shall have until Wednesday of the ninth full week of classes to return
the budget request forms with a typed detailed budget for their club.
a) Failure to submit a completed budget request form by the
established deadline will exclude a club from eligibility for
 allocation within the budget. Student Government shall be exempt
from the requirement to provide a list of tentative officers.
b) The Chair of the Budget Committee shall transfer a copy of all
budget request forms to the Chair of Development by Monday of
the eleventh full week of classes.
c) The Chair of Development shall transfer all budget request forms
to the Coordinator of Student Leadership Development by
Wednesday of the eleventh full week of classes.
3. All clubs seeking stipend allocations shall send a list of their stipend
positions, with amounts, to the troubadour for publishing no later than the
budget request deadline.
4. By the end of the tenth full week of classes,the Budget Committee shall
convene and establish an initial budget. This budget shall then be
distributed to the clubs, who shall have at least two days to submit a
revised budget based on their initial allocation, and to the Senate.
5. The budgetary bill shall not be subject to [Art III. Sec II. Sub D.] of these
By-Laws (Committee Hearing)
E. The budget shall be put forth as a bill no later than the third to last week of
Student Government meetings in a given semester.
F. The budget shall require a ⅔ majority for passage.
G. The President, in addition to normal veto power, shall have the power of line-item
veto for the budgetary bill. Any overturning of said veto(es) shall require a ⅔ majority
of the Senate. Any overturning of said veto(es) must take place by the end of the
second formal meeting after the presidential veto is announced. III. Non-Budgetary
Expenditures
A. Any club, organization, or individual who has expenses which were not allocated
for in the budget may seek funding from Student Government in the form of a
bill.
B. Any sponsored club holding an event using Student Government funds shall be
required to complete and submit an event review form within one week of their
event.
C. No Student Government-funded organization shall be allowed to hold an account
outside the Student Governments accounts.
D. Bills for non-budgetary expenditures shall answer at least the following questions
or a reason why the answers are lacking their findings. The bill’s sponsor shall be
responsible for including the answers in the findings:
1. Breakdown of costs by item.
2. Entity fundraising attempts if requested allocation is over $200.
3. Total cost of activity beyond what Student Government is being requested
to pay. Entity/entities paying the difference between requested amount and
cost, if any. Amount participants are being expected to contribute.
4. For events:
a) Date.
b) Location.
c) Time.
d) Number of students who are expected to attend.
 e) Intended means of advertisement.
5. The names and a very short biography of any speakers.
6. Expected benefit to entity including how it will help the entity fulfill its
mission.
7. Expected benefit to the student body.
8. Reallocations. In addition to [Art VI. Sec III. Sub D.], reallocation bills
shall include the item from which funds are being reallocated and the
method by which said item was originally allocated for (either budget or
bill name and number).
E. Any bill allocating funds solely to Student Government, and not a club,
organization, or individual, shall require a ⅔ majority for passage and a ¾
majority for the overturning of a veto.
IV. Enforcement
A. If specifically allocated funds are misused by any club, organization, or
individual, the President may recall the funds and/or place the organization on
probation. If said actions are taken, they must be ratified by a majority vote in the
Senate.
B. The terms of financial probation shall be determined by the Rules and Order
Committee with the recommendation of the President.
C. The Vice President, President, Treasurer, or Internal Auditor may fine clubs
according to the rules of the financial process. While no confirmation by the
Senate is needed, a ⅔ majority of the Senate may overturn the fine.
D. FIne charged to a club shall be determined by the executive branch member
levying the fine, but may not exceed the club’s budget.
V. Financial Regulatory Standards
A. The President in consultation with the Treasurer and Internal Auditor shall
write an executive order outlining all financial processes for student
government in keeping with the accepted financial processes of the
university and approved by the student government advisors and the vice
president of finance.
B. All amendments to the financial policies of the student government must be
approved by the student government president, advisors and the Vice
President of Finance.

Article VII
The Supreme Court
I. During a meeting, any member of Student Government may ask any justice for an
interpretation of the Constitution and by-laws of a proposed action of Student
Government or one of its subsidiaries. This advice shall not be considered binding or as
the opinion of the Court.
II. Supreme Court Filing and Ruling
A. To bring a case before the Court an individual or entity shall provide a written
statement of its grievance.
B. When a case is brought before the Court, the Court shall dismiss or decide the
case and shall publish a written opinion explaining its decision within eight days. C.
Publication of said opinion is to be constructed as distributing the opinion to the
 Senate at the next formal meeting; distributing said opinion to all contending parties;
and permanently filing the opinion as described in Article VI, Section 5, Subsection
B of the Student Government Constitution.
III. Maintenance of the By-Laws
A. The Court shall be responsible for maintaining a current version of the By-Laws
of Student Government on the Student Government computer.
B. The Court shall have the power to maintain proper bulleting and internal reference
within the By-Laws document without formal amendment.
C. Internal references within the By-Laws shall continue referring to the same
substantive provisions unless explicitly amended.
D. The Court shall inform the Senate of all updates that were made at the next formal
meeting.
E. The Chief Justice shall be responsible for ensuring the maintenance of the
By-Laws.
IV. Bill Templates
A. The Chief Justice shall be responsible for writing and maintaining templates for
financial and by-laws bills. Said templates shall be designed to ensure that the
criteria in [Art VI. Sec III. Sub D] for financial bills and in [Art IX. Sec II.] for
by-laws bills are easily met.
Article VIII
Removal and Impeachment Procedure
I. A Student Government member may only be removed for malfeasance, misfeasance, or
nonfeasance.
II. Removal Procedure
A. Any Senator may seek the removal of a Justice, an Executive Officer, an
Executive Staff member, or another Senator.
B. Said Senator must submit the formal charge in writing to the Chief Justice, the
Chair of the Senate, and the Secretary.
C. The Secretary shall duplicate and transmit the exact text of the charged to the
individual being charged and shall distribute said charges to the Senate at the next
informal meeting.
D. Removal charges will be debated as the last item of business at said informal
meeting.
E. At the subsequent formal meeting removal charges will be again debated as the
last item of business. The Executive Branch shall be allowed to lobby in the case
of impeachment of an Executive Branch shall be allowed to lobby in the case of
impeachment of an Executive Branch member at the formal hearing of said
individual. After debate, the Chair shall take a roll call vote to determine if
charged individual is removed.
F. The Senate may close removal proceedings to the public.
G. The Chief Justice shall occupy the Chair of the Senate for the impeachment of an
Executive Branch official or staff member
.
Article IX
By-Laws Amendment Procedure
 I. All amendments to the Student Government By-Laws shall take the form of a bill. A.
The amendment shall be included in the bill text.
B. The bill text of an amendment bill shall include two columns:
1. The left-hand column shall contain the current text of the section of the
By-Laws which has been proposed for amendment.
2. The right-hand column shall include the new text proposed as a
replacement for the current text.
II. All amendment bills shall be introduced, debated informally, referred to committee,
debated formally, and voted on following the same procedure as normal legislation.
A. The only notice which must be given to the student body for proposed
amendments shall be the Formal Meeting agenda published by the Secretary. B. No
notice must be given to Student Government members of a proposed amendment to
the By-Laws prior to the informal meeting at which it will be debated.
C. No notice must be given to Student Government members or the student body in
Austria.
D. The Secretary shall notify all clubs of proposed amendments to Article V,
Sponsored Club Policy.
E. Senators and Justices may introduce/sponsor amendment bills. Only senators may
vote on final passage.
III. Amendments to the By-Laws shall require a ⅔ majority for passage and a ¾ majority for
overturning a veto.
IV. Amendments to the By-Laws shall take effect according to which Article they amend and
following the procedures for said article as laid out below:
A. Amendments to Article I, Positions and Duties; Article II, Rules and Order; and
Article III, Legislative Process, shall take effect after the conclusion of the
meeting which said amendments were passed,
B. Amendments to Article IV, Election Code, shall take effect following the spring
election of the year in which they are passed. If they are passed after the spring
election they shall take effect after conclusion of meeting at which said
amendments were passed. This subsection shall not apply in case of a complete
revision and replacement of Article IV.
C. Amendments to Article V, Sponsored Club Policy, shall take effect after the
conclusion of the meeting at which said amendments were passed. All Student
Government-approved clubs shall be notified by the Secretary of the passage of
an amendment to Article V.
D. Amendments to Article VI, Financial Process shall take effect before the financial
process begins, or if proposed during the financial process shall take effect at the
end of the academic year.
E. Amendments to Article VII, Supreme Court, or Article VIII, Removal and Impeachment
Procedures, shall take effect at the end of the academic year. F. Amendments to Article IX,
By-Laws Amendment Procedure, shall take effect after conclusion of meeting at which said
amendments were passed, except in the case of amendments to [Art IX. Sec IV. Sub B.], [Art
IX. Sec IV. Sub F.], which shall take effect following the same procedure as amendments to
Article IV. V. Article VII shall not apply in the case of a revision to the By-Laws. The
definition of “a revision” used defined in Robert’s Rules of Order shall apply to this section.