ASMCC

The Constitution of the Associated Students of Mesa Community College (ASMCC)

Amended January 2006 - see also By-Laws here

** Note: This is the newest copy that Maricopa Legal District Office has on File**

PREAMBLE

We, the Students of Mesa Community College, in order to form a democratic student union; to serve Student interests; to provide for the advancement of the College Community; to build a progressive institution, a proactive student body, and innovative educational environment; hereby establish this constitution.

MISSION

The Students of Mesa Community College unite to serve student interests through building a proactive student body.

ARTICLE I NAME

This organization shall be known as the Associated Students of Mesa Community College (hereafter referred to as “ASMCC”) of the Maricopa County Community College District.

ARTICLE II PURPOSE

The primary purposes of this organization shall be:

SECTION 1

Work to advance the needs and interests of Mesa Community College (hereafter referred to as “MCC”) students by promoting and maintaining a democratic form of student government. ASMCC shall strive to work with students, staff, faculty, and administration to accomplish this goal.

SECTION 2

Develop, facilitate, and support programs that will further the intellectual, social, physical, personal and leadership development of MCC Students.

SECTION 3

Develop communication with all enrolled students in order to provide them with pertinent information and services.

SECTION 4

Encourage and support high standards of student achievement.

ARTICLE III MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1

Membership shall not be limited by age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, physical or mental disability, medical condition, ancestry, marital status, or citizenship.

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SECTION 2

Any student enrolled at any MCC campus shall be considered a member of ASMCC.

SECTION 3

All AMCC members shall be eligible to vote in all regular and special ASMCC elections.

ARTICLE IV EXECUTIVE BRANCH

The management and administration of ASMCC shall be vested in the Executive Branch, which shall appoint any necessary staff and shall maintain student administration as hereinafter provided.

SECTION 1 EXECUTIVE BOARD

The Executive Board shall maintain the necessary standards by using initiative and effective management of available resources, such that the Executive Board fulfills its obligations to the membership of ASMCC.

A. MEMBERSHIP

1. The Executive Board shall consist of the President, Executive Vice President, Vice President of Communications, and Vice President of Fiscal Affairs as voting members.

2. One non-voting faculty/staff advisor appointed by the College President and approved by the Executive Board.

3. Executive Board members shall not serve as an officer of any MCC sponsored club, organization, or special interest group.

B. POWERS AND DUTIES

1. Management of the Executive Branch shall be vested in the Executive

Board, who shall utilize staff and resources, and maintain student administration.

2. The Executive Board shall have the power to make decisions on behalf of ASMCC, except where such a decision is specifically given to another ASMCC officer or assembly.

3. The Executive Board shall convene whenever called upon by an Executive Board Officer of ASMCC, the Director of Student Life and Leadership, the Dean of Student Services, the Vice President of Student Services, or the College President.

4. Stewardship over the Associated Students Executive Board account shall rest with the Executive Board, in cooperation with the Office of Student Life and Leadership.

5. The members of the Executive Board shall maintain office hours on a weekly basis.

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C. EXECUTIVE OFFICERS’ POWERS AND DUTIES

PRESIDENT

1. Shall be the official representative and spokesperson for ASMCC.

2. Shall preside at and conduct al Executive Board meetings.

3. Shall serve as an ex-officio member of all ASMCC committees.

4. Shall preside at and conduct all cabinet meetings.

5. Shall have the power to create and appoint any committee deemed

necessary by the Executive board.

6. Shall supervise all business activities of ASMCC.

7. Shall establish and maintain good communication with the Administration and faculty.

8. Shall develop agendas for the Executive Board and Cabinet.

9. May delegate powers except where such delegation is expressly prohibited by this Constitution, the Statutory Law, or the current Bylaws.

10. Shall have other powers as stated or described elsewhere in this

Constitution, the Statutory Law, or the Bylaws.

11. Shall appoint Executive Officers in the event of their vacancy, subject to the approval of the Executive Board and the Student Senate.

12. Shall appoint Commissioners as stipulated in this Constitution, the

Statutory Law, and in the Bylaws, with recommendations of that Commission’s Chair.

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

1. Shall assist the President in the performance of the duties of that office.

2. Shall serve as a member of the Executive Board, and the Student Senate.

3. Shall serve as an ex-officio member of the Cabinet.

4. Shall preside as Chair and conduct all Senate meetings unless the duty is delegated to a Chair Pro Tem.

5. Shall develop agendas for Student Senate meetings.

6. Shall assume the duties of the President during his/her absence and shall succeed to that office should it become vacant.

7. Shall serve on campus committees as appointed by the President.

8. Shall perform other duties as assigned.

VICE PRESIDENT OF COMMUNICATIONS

1. Shall record the minutes of the Executive Board and Student Senate meetings.

2. Shall ensure that office files for the minutes of the Executive Board, Cabinet, and Student Senate meetings are maintained.

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3. Shall ensure that copies of all minutes are sent to the following: College President, Dean of Student and Community Service, Director of Student Leadership, Cabinet members, Executive Board members.

4. Shall distribute copies of all Executive Board and Senate Meeting minutes to the following: College President, Vice President of Student Services, Dean of Student Services, the Director if Student Life and Leadership, Cabinet Members, and Executive Board Members.

5. Shall ensure that all ASMCC files and materials are organized and maintained in a professional and useful manner.

6. Shall be responsible for matters deemed necessary by the President.

7. Shall serve as a member of the Executive Board and the Student Senate.

8. Shall serve as an ex-officio member of Cabinet.

9. Shall perform other duties as assigned.

VICE PRESIDENT OF FISCAL AFFAIRS

1. Shall manage all budgets related to ASMCC.

2. Shall notify, within 5 business days, all organizations that are allocated ASMCC funds.

3. Shall present regular ASMCC fiscal reports to the Senate and to any Senator upon request.

4. Shall serve as a member of the Executive Board and the Student Senate.

5. Shall serve on campus committees as appointed by the President.

6. Shall serve as an ex-officio member of the Cabinet.

7. Shall assist in drafting ASMCC budget proposals in cooperation with the Executive Board.

8. Shall perform other duties as assigned.

A. Elected or appointed officers shall hold office starting from the day after Commencement to the day of Commencement of the following year.

SECTION 2 CABINET

The Cabinet shall assist the Executive Board in fulfilling its duties in the management and running of ASMCC.

A. MEMBERSHIP

1. The Cabinet shall consist of all Commission Chairs.

2. Cabinet members shall not serve as officers of an ASMCC sponsored Club or Organization.

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B. POWERS AND DUTIES

The Cabinet shall:

1. Assist the Executive Board in fulfilling its obligations to ASMCC members.

2. Develop goals and objectives set forth by the Student Senate and Executive Board.

3. Form committees, as necessary, to expedite the accomplishment of goals and objectives.

4. Present findings and make proposals to the Executive Board and Student Senate, or any other body deemed necessary.

C. MEETINGS

1. The Cabinet shall meet when necessary to resolve business, with the minimum of one meeting every two weeks.

2. Meetings shall be conducted in an informal manner, with the Chair invoking Robert’s Rule of Order if necessary to maintain order.

D. PRESIDING OFFICER

1. The President of ASMCC shall preside over and conduct all Cabinet meetings.

2. The Chair shall be responsible for coordinating the efforts of the Cabinet.

3. A Chair Pro Tem shall be appointed by the ASMCC President in her/his absence.

SECTION 3 COMMISSIONS

A. MEMBERSHIP

Commissions shall consist of Commissioners appointed by the ASMCC

President, subject to the approval of the Executive Board upon

recommendation from the Commission Chairs.

B. POWERS AND DUTIES

Commissioners, under the direction of the Executive Board, shall assist in the management and running of ASMCC in the capacity of that Commission.

C. PRESIDING OFFICER

The ASMCC President shall appoint a Chair of each commission, subject to the approval of the Student Senate, and the Executive Board.

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ARTICLE V JUDICIAL BRANCH

Judicial powers of ASMCC shall be delegated to the Student Court. The Judicial

Branch shall have original jurisdiction over grievances of ASMCC members

arising under this Constitution, the Statutory Law, and Bylaws. In addition, the Judicial Branch shall have appellate jurisdiction to review decisions of the Election Committee.

SECTION 1 STUDENT COURT

A. MEMBERSHIP

1. The Student Court shall consist of five ASMCC students to act as

Justices, appointed each year by the President of ASMCC with the approval

of the Senate.

2. No member of the Executive Board, Cabinet, or the Student Senate

shall be a member of the Student Court, unless there is an unavailability or

vacancy of Justices and the Senate (by 2/3 majority vote in the affirmative)

declares an emergency that warrants an immediate attention of the Student

Court.

3. The five Justices shall elect, by a majority vote, a member of the Student

Court to act as Chief Justice to represent the Court for the duration of the

academic year.

ARTICLE VI LEGISLATIVE BRANCH

The Student Senate shall represent the voice of the ASMCC student membership,

and shall ensure that the wishes of the ASMCC membership are propagated.

SECTION 1 STUDENT SENATE

The legislative and specified fiscal power of ASMCC shall be vested in the

student senate.

A. MEMBERSHIP

1. The voting membership of the Student Senate shall consist of:

a. The President, Executive Vice President, Vice President of

Communications and the Vice President of Fiscal Affairs.

b. Commission Chair of each Commission.

c. One Club designated Senator from each ASMCC recognized clubs or campus organizations.

i. One alternate Senator per club may be designated and recognized as a voting member in the absence of the designated Senator.

d. Independent Senators

Seats shall be available for Independent Senators:

i. Students may not be members of MCC student clubs, campus organizations, or special interests groups.

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ii. The number of Independent Senate seats available shall be one-

quarter (25%) of the total Senate membership at the beginning of the

semester.

iii. Independent Senators shall be confirmed by the Senate.

e. One faculty/staff advisor appointed by the College President and approved by the Senate as a Senator of ASMCC.

B. POWERS AND DUTIES

1. The legislative power of ASMCC shall be vested with the ASMCC Student Senate subject to the ASMCC President’s line item veto, which may be overridden by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote in the affirmative of the Senate.

2. The Student Senate shall hold fiscal responsibility over the Associate Student Activities account and may conduct hearings for budget requests.

3. The Student Senate shall have the ability to create, revise and amend

bylaws that govern Senate Procedure and ASMCC activities.

4. The Student Senate shall assume whatever additional responsibilities

it deems necessary to fulfill its obligation to students provided that

those responsibilities are not specifically assigned to another organization, and are not in violation of the ASMCC Constitution, Bylaws and MCCD Statutory Law.

5. The Student Senate shall pass no legislation that is inconsistent with this Constitution, as interpreted by the Student Court.

C. MEETINGS

1. The Senate shall meet at least once every two weeks during the academic year, not to coincide with Executive Board or Cabinet meetings at a publicly announced time and place.

2. A quorum of fifty percent plus one (50% + 1) of the total Senate membership shall be in attendance before official business may be conducted.

D. PRESIDING OFFICER

1. The Executive Vice President shall chair the senate.

2. The Executive Vice President shall designate a Chair Pro Tem to preside in the absence of the Chair.

E. PROCEDURE

1. The Presiding Officer of the Senate may consult with the Faculty/Staff Advisor or the Student Life and Leadership representative to the Student Senate as necessary on parliamentary questions.

2. Robert’s Rule of Order simplified will be the parliamentary resource of the Senate.

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3. All senate meetings shall be open to all students, faculty, staff and

administration.

4. The Senate shall not approve official business pertaining to the Associated Students Activities account without the presence of the voting faculty/staff advisor or the Student Life and Leadership representative to the Senate.

ARTICLE VII PRESIDENTS’ COUNCIL

The Presidents’ Council shall promote unity and communication between

individually recognized ASMCC clubs, and to provide feedback to the

Executive Board on collective and individual needs of these clubs.

SECTION 1 MEMBERSHIP

A. The Presidents’ Council shall be compromised of the ASMCC President

and the Presidents or appointed representative, of each ASMCC recognized

club or each meeting. A minimum of two meetings per semester is required,

which will not coincide with the Executive Board, Cabinet or Student Senate meetings.

SECTION 2 POWER AND DUTIES

A. The President’s council shall act as a roundtable advisory forum on campus

club and organization affairs.

B.The Presidents’ Council shall pass no legislation or hold any control over any other body.

ARTICLE VIII MCC CAMPUS CLUB, ORGANIZATIONS AND SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS

The students of Mesa Community College shall have the option of formulating

campus-sponsored clubs, organizations and special interest groups. Ultimate

sanction shall rest with the College President. All campus clubs, organizations and

special interest groups are subject to the operational requirements as established

by MCC and Maricopa Community College District policies. All Student clubs and

organizations and special interest groups shall be established and maintained through

the Office of Student Life and Leadership, with the approval of the Dean of Student

Services, the Vice President of Student Services, and the President of MCC. Student

clubs, organizations and special interest groups that desire affiliation with ASMCC

shall adhere to the requirements stipulated in the ASMCC Bylaws.

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ARTICLE IX IMPEACHMENT AND DISMISSAL

Articles of impeachment must be drafted and may only be brought forth by

members of the Senate against any Executive Officer, Commissioner, Justice,

Senator, or any appointed or elected official of ASMCC. Impeachment is defined as

bringing accusation of misconduct in office. Dismissal is defined as the removal of

an impeached official.

SECTION 1 IMPEACHMENT

A. Impeachment proceedings shall supersede all other Senate business.

B. Impeachment proceedings shall not exceed 16 school days.

C. The Senate may form a committee to investigate all charges of impeachment.

The findings of the committee shall be presented to the Senate.

D. A 2/3 majority vote in the affirmative of the full Senate membership

shall approve impeachment.

E. Impeached Justices may not serve in their own dismissal trials.

SECTION 2 DISMISSAL FROM OFFICE

The dismissal of an impeached official shall be determined by a trial in the Student Court.

A. The Student Court, upon review of the Senate findings, shall determine if there are sufficient grounds to dismiss the impeached official.

B. Within two weeks of the Senate’s vote to impeach, the Student Court shall issue a judgment for or against dismissal.

C. Should the Senate decide against the Student Court’s rulings for dismissal of an impeached official, the Senate on a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote in the affirmative, can overrule the Student Court’s decision.

D. Should the Senate decide in favor of the Student Court’s ruling for dismissal, then the Senate on a majority (50%+1) vote in the affirmative shall accept the Student Court’s decision.

E. The Senate vote is final.

ARTICLE X REFERENDUM AND INITIATIVE

SECTION 1 REFERENDUM

The Student Senate may refer any proposed legislation to the ASMCC membership. A majority (50%+1) vote in the affirmative of ASMCC members voting is required for passage.

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SECTION 2 INITIATIVE

A. Any member of ASMCC may petition for initiative measures. Such a petition must be signed by no less then one-quarter (1/4) of the number of ASMCC members that voted in the prior General Election.

B. The petition shall be presented to the Judicial Commission who will validate the initiative signatures, and will authorize a Special Election within 30 days of receiving such a petition. An extension on Special Elections may be granted by a 2/3 majority vote of the Senate. A majority (50%+1) vote in the affirmative of those ASMCC members voting shall be required for passage.

C. ASMCC budgetary matters shall not be subject to referendum or initiative.

ARTICLE XI BYLAWS

The Student Senate may enact, amend, or repeal bylaws. Bylaws shall be established to include additional rules, provisions, and regulations of ASMCC. Unless otherwise stated, Bylaws passed by the Senate shall not expire.

ARTICLE XII AMENDMENTS

SECTION 1

Amendments to this Constitution shall be initiated by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote in the affirmative of the total membership of the Senate.

SECTION 2

Upon affirmative vote of an amendment by the Senate, the Executive Board shall schedule a special election within 30 days of the vote but in no case less than two weeks after the vote.

A. The Executive Board shall send a copy of the proposed Amendment to the appropriate Dean or designee of the college who will be responsible for submitting any constitutional change to the President of the college for transmittal to the Governing Board General Counsel.

B. The Executive Board shall publish a notice of Special Election in the college newspaper at least two weeks prior to the election.

SECTION 3

Unless otherwise stated in the amendment, amendments shall become effective upon approval. Acceptance by a majority (50%+1) vote in the affirmative of those ASMCC members voting, in the Special Election, shall constitute approval.

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ARTICLE XIII RATIFICATION

This Constitution shall have full force and effect following passage by the majority of those students voting in a campus-wide election. This Constitution shall supersede and repeal all previous ASMCC Constitutions and Bylaws.

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Please contact ASMCC for comments or corrections email phone: 480-461-7278