Bylaws

Composition

1. The President, Executive Vice President, Vice President of External Affairs, Vice President of Finance and Vice President of University Affairs of the Associated Students. (Revised 4/17/02)
2. The President of the University or duly appointed representative
3. The Chairperson of the University Senate or duly appointed representative.
4. One (1) student representative for every one thousand five hundred (1,500) students or a major part thereof officially enrolled as majors in each academic college. Students with undeclared majors shall be similarly apportioned and shall be entitled to at least one (1) representative (seat) who will hold a position called the Unclassified Studies Association. (Revised 4/26/00)
5. One additional voting position will be selected by each of the following SDSU student organizations, exclusively: (Revised 11/30/94)
   1. Andres Bonifacio Samahan (Filipino-American Student Organization). (Revised 4/26/00)
   2. Afrikan Student Union (ASU).
   3. Asian Pacific Student Alliance (APSA). (Revised 11/29/95)
   4. Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Student Union (LGBTSU)(Revised 11/19/97)
   5. Movimiento Estudiantíl Chicano de Aztlán (MEChA).
   6. Native American Student Alliance (NASA). (Revised 11/29/95)
   7. Residence Hall Association (RHA).
   8. Andrea O'Donnell Women's Resource Center (WRC). (Revised 4/24/96)
   9. Inter Fraternity Council (IFC) (Revised 4/26/00)
   10. Panhellenic Association (Revised 4/26/00)
   11. Association of Chicana Activists (AChA) (Revised 4/26/00)
   12. International Students Association (Revised 5/16/01)
   13. Honor's Council (Revised 5/16/01)
   14. Jewish Student Union (Revised 5/16/01)
   15. United Sorority and Fraternity Council (USFC) (Added 4/23/03)
   16. The President of the Graduate Student Association (GSA), elected by procedures outlined in the Graduate Student Association Charter. (Added 4/18/07)
6. Additional seats to the A.S. Council may be added provided that the organization meets the criteria and follows the process outlined in A.S. Council, Section 29, Council Seat Appointment Criteria of the A.S. Bylaws and is then approved by A.S. Council. (Revised 05/13/98)

7. Student Organizations Represented on A.S. Council (Revised 5/17/95)

   All current charters and/or bylaws of student organizations having representation on A.S. Council shall be kept on file in the A.S. Government Affairs Office.

   The bylaws or charter of each student organization represented on the A.S. Council shall include a provision on how the Council representative is elected.

8. Filling Student Organization Vacancies

   Until a new representative has been elected by the organization, a member appointed by the President or Chairperson of the affected organization, may participate on A.S. Council, in an ex-officio, non-voting capacity.

   The affected organization must submit documentation approving the election of their new representative.

9. Complaints Against Student Organizations (Revised 05/13/98)

   Complaints of Bylaws or Code violations by a student organization will be reviewed at a special hearing of the Rules Committee.

   If the complaint is valid, Rules Committee, pending approval by A.S. Council, will recommend action. (Revised 05/13/98)

10. Apportionment of Major-Specific Seats (Revised 11/17/04)

    1. Reapportionment of the major-specific seats specified in A.S. Council, Section 28(d), Composition of these Bylaws shall be conducted annually by the University President's Designee based upon the fall census enrollment of the main (West) campus. Any changes in the number of major-specific seats shall take effect on January 1 of the following year.
    2. For purposes of Council seat apportionment and elections, students in the Interdisciplinary Studies in Three Departments major shall be incorporated into the College of Arts and Letters.
    3. For purposes of Council seat apportionment and elections, International Business majors shall be included in the College of Arts and Letters.
    4. For purposes of Council seat apportionment and elections, liberal studies majors shall be incorporated with the College of Education. Additionally, students pursuing a major specifically designated as preparation for a single subject teaching credential shall be included in the college of the declared major and such majors may vote or run in elections for the declared major college.
    5. For purposes of Council seat apportionment and elections, majors in International Security and Conflict Resolution shall be included in the College of Arts and Letters. (Revised 4/26/00)
    6. For purposes of Council seat apportionment and elections, graduate work in: Business and Latin American Studies will be included in the College of Arts and Letters; Math and Science Education will be included in the College of Sciences; Interdisciplinary Studies will be included in the College of Arts and Letters; Social Work and Public Health will be included in the College of Health and Human Services; and Certificate programs will be included in the College of Education.
    7. For purposes of Council seat apportionment and elections, students with two declared majors will be defaulted to vote or hold office in their primary College as determined by the University on the student's web-portal.

11. President Pro Tempore of A.S. Council (Revised 4/26/00)

    At the first regular meeting at which the newly elected officers and Council members are first sworn into office, the A.S. Council shall elect a President Pro Tempore and seven (7) representatives from among their voting membership to serve on the Executive Committee. The duties of the President Pro Tempore shall be:
    1. to serve as a member of the Executive Committee.
    2. to serve as the Chair of the Rules Committee.
    3. to keep the A.S. Council informed of the actions of the Executive Committee and/or the Rules Committee and to represent the A.S. Council on matters that come before the Executive Committee and/or the Rules Committee.
    4. to ensure that adequate records are maintained and reported to the Rules Committee regarding the status of each voting member of A.S. Council in fulfilling the duties and requirements of Council members as outlined in the "Director Agreement and Policy Concerning Confidentiality, Access to Proprietary Information, Liability of Directors, Eligibility to Serve and Required Duties and Responsibilities, and Conflict of Interest."

Council Seat Appointment Criteria (Adopted 05/13/98, Revised 04/28/99, 04/21/04)

1. The following criteria shall be used by the A.S. Council in evaluating applications from recognized student organizations for a seat on the A.S. Council and for evaluating the continuation of seats on A.S. Council for those student organizations that currently have them.
   1. Minimum of five (5) years continuous on campus recognition.
   2. Shall be current on all matters dealing with finances and/or debts owed to the Associated Students and/or any other legitimate entities.
   3. Not represented under any other organization with a seat on A.S. Council, excluding organizations represented on the Student Recruitment and Retention Board (SRRB). Organizations represented on a "parent" or "governing" board or committee may not apply individually. They must seek application through that board or committee. "Parent" organizations must satisfy the criteria not relying on the activities of their sub-organizations.
   4. Shall not be an academic/major related organization (i.e. Pre-Law Society or American Marketing Association.) Such organizations shall not apply individually but may seek representation through their respective college council.
   5. Presents outreach, recruitment and retention programs.
   6. Presents cultural/diversity programming.
   7. Presents professional programming.
   8. Actively participates in community service (volunteer service outside of organization).
   9. Offers resource center/academic services/support services.
   10. Active involvement with faculty and staff.
   11. Programming for the sole purpose of the aforementioned criteria shall be defined as: An event on-campus or in the community or a speaker or presentation at an organization's meeting.
   Programming for the sole purpose of the aforementioned criteria shall be defined as: An event on-campus or in the community or a speaker or presentation at an organization's meeting.

2. Appointment Petition (Revised 04/28/99, 04/21/04)

   1. After the aforementioned criteria have been satisfied, a petition for appointment to A.S. Council must be completed. Petitions may be obtained in the Government Affairs Office. Petitions must be submitted with requested documentation to the Government Affairs Office for verification of completion of criteria by the Rules Committee by Friday at 4 p.m. of the tenth (10th) week of the fall semester in order to be considered for appointment the following semester. (Revised 04/28/99)
   2. Upon verification, the completed petition will be submitted to A.S. Council for information and then action. Approval of the petition requires a 3/4 vote of voting A.S. Council members present.
   3. All organizations appointed to A.S. Council must continue to satisfy the aforementioned criteria or face punitive action. Organizations not complying will lose their voting seat for a period of up to one year, but the organizations may reapply to regain their voting rights during the next academic year. Continued failure to comply will result in removal from A.S. Council. Not complying is defined as failure to submit required documentation or adherence to the above criteria.
      1. To facilitate review of appointed student organizations; the organizations will be required to submit an annual report in the spring semester detailing how the criteria were satisfied. A single event may not be used to satisfy more than one (1) of the criteria. These reports will be submitted to the Rules Committee for review by the time specified by the Rules Committee. The Rules Committee will review all proposed action and an opinion will be forwarded to A.S. Council regarding recommended action. Failure to submit the report will result in removal from A.S. Council. (Revised 04/28/99)
      2. If an organization loses its seat on A.S. Council, it will be necessary to petition for that reinstatement of that seat as outlined in A.S. Council, Section 29 (b). Appointment Petition. This process is the same only if the organization has remained active on campus during the petition. If there has been a lapse of more than one academic year, it will be necessary for that club to satisfy the time requirement of 5 years, in full, before a petition may be considered.
   4. In completing the petition, the petitioning organization must provide compelling reasons why their perspective is needed in order to fulfill the goals of A.S. Council as stated in the A.S. Mission Statement, and enhance the program and services that A.S. provides. (Adopted 05/13/98)

3. Appointment Criteria Appeal Process (Revised 04/28/99)

   1. Current clubs or student organizations that hold a voting or non-voting seat on A.S. Council not meeting all of the above criteria may appeal no more than one (1) of them before a regular meeting of the Rules Committee.
   2. Clubs or student organizations applying for a seat on A.S. Council not meeting all of the above criteria may appeal no more than three (3) of them before a regular meeting of the Rules Committee.
   3. Appeals pertaining to the above criteria numbered 1, 2, 3, or 4 will not be accepted.
   4. After appeal, the recommendation of the Rules Committee will be forwarded to A.S. Council. A.S. Council will make the final decision for appointment as outlined in A.S. Council, Section 29, b (2), Appointment Petition. (Adopted 05/13/98)

4. Appointment Schedule and Voting Privileges

   All appointments of organizations to A.S. Council will be done during the fall semester. Organizations receiving appointment to A.S. Council will receive voting status the fall semester following their appointment. During the interim, the seat will be ex-officio, non-voting. However, organizations receiving appointment to A.S. Council must appoint a student to fill the ex-officio, non-voting position, who will be required to fulfill all duties of A.S. Council members as if he or she were a voting member. (Adopted 05/13/98) (Revised 4/26/00)

5. Funding

   If an organization or club is appointed to A.S. Council there is no guarantee that they will continue to receive funding from their College Council. In addition, it will be necessary for them to meet all funding criteria to be eligible for funding directly from Associated Students. Having a seat on A.S. Council does not guarantee funding. (Adopted 05/13/98)