Lily Huynh/The Cougar
This article was updated Feb. 26 at 11:20 a.m.
This morning, Feb. 25, students received an email detailing the voting process for the new Constitution of the Student Government Association.
Voting will begin Feb. 26 at 12:00 a.m. and will run till Feb. 27 at 11:59 p.m. Students can vote using the following link.
“The current document has become outdated, inconsistent and in some cases ineffective in addressing the evolving needs of the student body,” the email read. “The updated version is designed to enhance transparency, efficiency and overall student engagement in our governance.”
After weeks under a mandate, the SGA finally passed the new constitution on Feb. 12.
Here’s a breakdown of the most important updates:
Expanded powers for the branches
The constitution outlines the legislative, executive and judicial branches, with changes across all three.
The Legislative branch
The powers and duties of the Speaker of the Senate have been more clearly defined.
A new role, the Legislative Chief of Staff, has been introduced. Responsibilities include coordination of the legislative branch, record keeping and meeting minutes and voting and documentation responsibilities.
The Senate representation has been adjusted. While the college Senate seats remain the same, the procedure for appointing At-Large Senators now reflects election results.
Senate vacancies are now addressed through a more structured and democratic process, eliminating political party-based appointments..
The Executive branch
The document now consists of a new explicit line of succession for the presidency.
The President now has the authority to appoint cabinet members. Cabinet appointments must receive the advice and consent of a majority of the Senate. If the Senate rejects a nominee, the President will have to select a new candidate.
If the Chief Justice position remains vacant for more than 28 days, the president has the authority to nominate a current Associate Justice for the position.
The Attorney General is nominated by the sitting Attorney General or, if no nomination is made within 14 days, by the Chief Justice. The nominee must receive the advice and consent of the president.
The vice president has the primary authority to nominate members to fill vacancies on University Committees. If a University Committee position remains vacant for more than 28 days after the Fall semester begins, both the president and the speaker of the senate individually gain the power to nominate members to fill such vacancies.
Apart from appointments, the new constitution gives the president the power to remove cabinet members without the approval of the Senate. However, the Senate can pass a resolution requesting a review.
The President also has the explicit power to assign tasks to other executive members.
The Judicial branch
The Judicial branch remains largely unchanged, but there are some expansions on the duties of different roles and procedural details.
The new version requires all Court rulings to be published publicly to all students, promoting transparency.
Changes in election procedures
The Election Commission’s powers have been expanded on to ensure more clarity. There is a greater oversight of student government elections now.
The new constitution ensures transparency by mandating that election records need to be made public for all.
Changes in impeachment and amendment processes
The impeachment process has been restructured for clarity, including more detailed procedures for bringing impeachment charges and a clarification on required voting numbers for removal.
To ensure a more systematic approach to constitution changes, the amendment process has been updated. The updates can be seen regarding the timing and validity of amendments.
University policy adjustments
The anti-hazing and non-discrimination policies have been reinforced in the new Constitution.
To ensure that the SGA aligns with all legal standards, the document now explicitly talks about compliance with federal and state laws, like Title IX and Civil Rights Act.
Students can find more about the new Constitution here.
