1. What is the overall structure and duties of
the SGA?
The Student Government Association mimics the federal
government in terms of structure. It is composed of
an Executive Branch, a Legislative Branch and a Judicial
Branch.
The Executive Branch is elected by the student body
every Spring. There are 5 members elected by the entire
student body. These include the President, Executive
Vice President, Financial Vice President, Academic Vice
President and Administrative Vice President. In addition
the Presidents of the Black Student Alliance and the
International Student Federation serve on the Executive
Branch
The Legislative Branch is composed of the Senate. The
Senate is elected by the student body and represent
all 13 colleges and schools, residents of every hall
and apartment complex and commuters. In addition, there
are Senators representing the BSA, ISF and First-year
students. The Senate meets every Wednesday night in
the Knight's Room of Pius XII Library to create and
debate pending legislation concerning all aspects of
student life.
Twice a year, the Senate gathers together the Presidents
of all Chartered Student Organizations for advocacy
sessions. During this time, the Presidents have an opportunity
to bring forth any concerns they may have with their
organizations and the Senate receives input on what
the agenda for the remainder of the semester should
be.
The Judicial Branch is a new addition to SGA. The Chief
Jusitce and eight Associate Justices serve on the Residence
Life Judicial Board, the Damage Appeals Board and the
University Conduct Board. Members of the judicial branch
review student conduct and issue sanctions based on
the information provided.
2. Who are your Executive Branch officers and what
are their duties?
The Student Government Association features an
Executive Branch of seven officers: President, Executive
Vice President, Academic Vice President, Financial Vice
President, Administrative Vice President, Black Student
Alliance President, and International Student Federation
President.
Their duties are as follows:
President: The President chairs Student
Senate meetings. The President has veto power over all
legislation that can be overridden by two-thirds vote
of the senate. The President also oversees the management
of the office. The President makes appointments to University-wide
committees and seats the Association’s committees.
The President also serves as a member of the President’s
Coordinating Council.
Executive Vice President: The Executive
Vice President votes in the case of a tie in the senate.
The EVP is also the president's designated proxy. Finally,
the EVP chairs the House of Governors, is in charge
of policing the Association's committees, and chairs
the Committee for Extrenal Affairs. Also under the EVP
is the charge of conducting annual charter reviews and
maintaining an accurate list of CSOs and their officers.
Academic Vice President: The Academic
Vice President is chair of the Academic Affairs Committee
and coordinates the SGA's semesterly Faculty Course
Ratings program.
Financial Vice President: The Financial
Vice President is chair of the Finance Committee which
recommends all Annual and spot funding allocations to
the Senate. The FVP is also in charge of the internal
budget and functions as treasurer for the organization.
Administrative Vice President: The
Administrative Vice President is in charge of taking
minutes at all meetings, and is chair of the Committee
for Internal Affairs. The CIA presides over the confirmation
of all open positions on Senate. The Administrative
Vice President also serves as the point of contact for
all press releases and all outreach programs.
Black Student Alliance President:
The Black Student Alliance President is the elected
president of the BSA. He/She is a voting member of the
Executive Board.
International Student Federation President:
The International Student Federation President is the
elected president of the ISF. He/She is a voting member
of the Executive Board.
3. How does the ASSLU SGA receive its funding?
The ASSLU SGA receives its funding from the Student
Government Activity Fee of $45/student/semester.
Monies collected from the fee should be in excess of
$35,000. With that $500,000 we fund over one hundred student
groups, the campus radio station and the campus programming
board.