SA Constitution

rules to maintain order

Article I. Name

Section 1: The name of this organization shall be the Student Association of Andrews Academy, Berrien Springs, Michigan.

Article II. Purposes

Section 1. The purposes of this association shall be to develop belief and practice in Seventh‑day Adventist Christian principles; develop attitudes of and practice in good citizenship; promote harmonious relations throughout the school; improve school morale; assist in the management of the school; provide a forum for student expression; provide orderly direction of school activities; and promote the general welfare of the school.

Article III. Power and Authority

Section 1: All powers of the Student Association and of the Student Council are delegated to it by the school administration. The principal has the right to veto any act of the Association or Council or to revoke any of the powers held by them. The Student Council shall transact and be responsible for the current business of the Association. The representatives shall report the actions of the Student Council to their respective classes at least once per semester.

Article IV. Membership and Organization

Section 1: All students in good standing in the academy student body, and all faculty members, are members of the Student Association.

Section 2: The Student Council shall consist of three representatives from each of the four classes: freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior; the six Student Association officers; the editor of the school paper and the editor of the school annual, ex officio; and the Student Association sponsors.

Section 3: The election of class representatives to the Council shall take place during the month of September.

Section 4: Vacancies among class representatives shall be filled by a special class election.

Article V. Qualifications for Officers and Council Members

Section 1: Any student with satisfactory citizenship and academic records is eligible for election to the Student Council as a representative of his class.

Section 2: A student must be a senior or junior during the term of office to be eligible for election as president of the Association. A student must be a senior, junior, or sophomore during the term of office to be eligible for election as any other officer of the association. The student must maintain at least an average scholastic standing.

Section 3: Any officer or class representative may be removed from his position for failure to attend meetings, failure to represent his group properly and fairly, failure to carry out his duties, for an unsatisfactory citizenship or academic record, or for any other actions which are detrimental to the welfare of the school. A student may be removed from his office or from the Council by the principal, or by a two‑thirds vote of the Council.

Article VI. Officers

Section 1: The officers of this Association shall be a President, Vice‑President for Social Activities, Vice‑President for Religious Activities, Secretary, Treasurer, and Public Relations Secretary.

Section 2: Nomination and election of officers.

a. An election committee of not more than five members, to include both students and faculty, shall be selected by the Council prior to the election.
b. It shall be the duty of the election committee to formulate and publicize rules for the election, and plan and carry out the campaign and election.
c. Students desiring to campaign for one of the offices must file their names with the chairman of the election committee for approval by the committee.
d. The election shall be held on a regular school day within twelve weeks of the end of the school year.
e. There shall be one week of campaigning immediately preceding the election date, under the direction and supervision of the election committee. Voting shall be by secret ballot in the location(s) as specified by the committee.
f. A majority of votes cast shall be required for election.
g. A tally of votes cast and announcement of winners shall be made by the election committee.

Section 3: Nomination and election of other officers. A parliamentarian shall be elected by the Council as soon as possible after the class representatives have been elected.

Section 4: Vacancies. The Student Council shall nominate and elect a successor to fill any position that may become vacant during the school year.

Article VII. Duties of Council Members and Officers

Section 1: Duties of the Council representatives shall be to:

a. Attend all meetings of the Student Council.
b. Attend meetings of committees of which they are members.
c. Give reports on Council actions to their constituencies.
d. Bring to the Council suggestions of the members of their constituencies.

Section 2: Duties of the President shall be to:

a. Preside over meetings of the Student Council and of the Student Association.
b. Use correct parliamentary procedure.
c. Appoint committee members at the direction of the Council.
d. Act as chairman of the executive committee.

Section 3: Duties of the Vice‑President for Social Activities shall be to:

a. Perform the duties of the President during any absence of the President.
b. Serve as chairman of the Social committee.

Section 4: Duties of the Vice President for Religious Activities shall be to:

a. Serve as chairman of the Religious Activities committee.
b. Provide for a devotional for each regular meeting of the Council and Association.

Section 5: Duties of the Secretary shall be to:

a. Take minutes of all official meetings of the Council and Association, and keep a written record.
b. Furnish information to the President, advisor, and committee chairman of actions which have been taken by the Council or committees.
c. Write correspondence for the Council.

Section 6: Duties of the Treasurer shall be to:

a. Work with the advisor in maintaining records of receipts and expenditures of the Association.
b. Make a monthly financial report to the Council.

Section 7: Duties of the Parliamentarian shall be to:

a. See that the Council and Association abide by parliamentary procedure and the constitution in the conduct of their meetings.
b. Assist the members in learning correct parliamentary procedure.

Section 8: Duties of the Public Relations Secretary shall be to:

a. Publish and announce actions of the Council as directed by the President.
b. Publicize actions and plans of the social and religious activities committees as directed by their respective Vice Presidents.
c. Serve as chairman of the Publicity committee.

Section 9: Officers and Council members shall serve for a term of one school year.

Article VIII. Committees

Section 1: Standing committees of the Association and Council shall be the following:

a. Executive committee, which shall consist of the officers and faculty advisor(s).
b. Social committee.
c. Religious Activities committee.
d. Public Relations committee.

Section 2: Special committees may be appointed at the direction of the Council, as necessary.

Section 3: With the exception of the executive committee, any member of the Association may be appointed to any committee, except that the chairman of each committee shall be an officer or member of the Council.

Article IX. Meetings

Section 1: The Student Council shall meet at least once a month.

Section 2: A meeting of the Student Association shall be held each semester for at least the first 15 minutes during an assembly period.

Section 3: Special meetings of the Council or Association maybe called as necessary by the President with the permission of the advisor.

Article X. Advisors

Section 1: The principal shall appoint one or more faculty members to serve as advisors to the Student Association.

Section 2: The term of office of the advisor(s) is left to the discretion of the principal.

Article XI. Adoption and Amendment

Section 1: This constitution shall be ratified by a two‑thirds majority vote of the Student Council and a simple majority of the student body.

Section 2: Amendments to the constitution may be proposed by any member of the student body, the faculty, or administration and ratified by a two‑thirds vote of the Council and a simple majority vote of the student body.

Section 3: Proposed amendments must be read to the Council at one regular meeting, be voted on by the Council at the following regular meeting, and be voted on by the student body within the following month.

Article XII. Parliamentary Authority

Section 1: Robert’s Rules of Order shall be the standard parliamentary text of this organization and shall govern all cases not otherwise covered in this constitution.


AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION

Amendment I. Interpretation of the Constitution
Section 1: The Student Affairs Committee supplemented with the Student Association president and vice presidents are empowered to interpret and uphold the constitution. (Approved May, 1986)

Amendment II. Quorum of the Student Council
Section 1: A quorum for all regular student council meetings shall be two‑thirds of the elected council members. (Approved May, 1986)

Section 2: A quorum for special meetings of the Student Council will consist of at least one representative from each of the four classes and at least fifty percent of the executive committee. These special meetings will be established during a regular meeting. (Approved May, 1986)

Amendment III. Membership of The Student Association
Section 1: All students in the Academy student body and all employed faculty members are members of the Student Association. (Approved May, 1986)

Amendment IV. Appeals Process of the Student Association
Section 1: The Student Association may appeal to the full faculty on a decision of the school administration for matters pertaining to the transaction of business of the Association. (Approved May, 1986)

Amendment V. Eligibility for an SA Officer/Candidate
Section 1: In order to be eligible for election and to hold office a student must have a current and cumulative 2.00 or higher grade point average and a good and regular citizenship standing. (Approved May, 1986)