Constitution of the Owen Student Government Association
Preamble
Mission and Vision
The Owen Student Government Association (OSGA) is the student government for Masters of Business Administration, Masters of Accounting, and Masters of Finance students at the Owen Graduate School of Management (OGSM) at Vanderbilt University.
OSGA is the primary communication conduit between OGSM administration and students. Furthermore, OSGA helps to shape current and future policy matters and strengthen OGSM’s sense of community. The Owen community is defined as full-time students, student spouses, alumni, faculty, staff, administrators, and corporations with whom Owen has a relationship.
OSGA’S MISSION:
To faithfully represent the interests of OGSM students and support the mission of the Owen Graduate School of Management.
OSGA’S VISION:
We envision Owen to be a place where current students’ interests are heard, valued, and acted upon and to be an institution acknowledged for its professional and academic excellence as well as its unique culture.
OSGA’S two main objectives in achieving our mission and vision are to:
1. Achieve the highest level of student satisfaction
2. Strengthen OGSM’s position as a leading graduate business program
In pursuit of these objectives, OSGA strives to:
• Ensure transparency in administrative, club, and student government processes
• Provide effective student feedback mechanisms
• Facilitate meaningful student engagement in the Owen community
To accomplish these objectives, OSGA shall be composed of two groups: the Executive Board and the Student Senate. The Executive Board is responsible for proposing and enforcing policy and initiatives. The Student Senate is responsible for confirming policy and executing initiatives.
Article I
Student Senate
The Student Senate is the legislative branch of OSGA. As such, the purpose of the Senator is to represent the interests of the student body and the Owen community. Senate members serve on Senate sub-committees and have sole power to vote on OSGA constitutional changes, student policy matters, and confirmation of appointed positions.
The Senate shall be comprised of eight (8) second year students, eight (8) first year students, and one (1) Masters of Accounting student and one (1) Masters of Finance student. If no Masters of Accounting or Masters of Finance students are available for the two MSF/MAcc senate seats, one (1) first year and one (1) second year MBA student may fill the seats. The Senate may be formed or convened without MSF and/or MAcc representation, if none is available.
The Executive Vice President (EVP) of the OSGA serves as President of the Senate, with responsibility for administering Senate proceedings. The EVP (President of the Senate) shall have no vote in Senate proceedings except in cases of a tie. Should the EVP be unable to attend a Senate proceeding, the OSGA President or other ranking member of the Executive Board will fulfill the role of President pro tempore (temporary President of the Senate).
Roles and Responsibilities of the Senate
In order to complete the business of OSGA, it is necessary that Senate committees should be formed. Committees may be formed at any time at the suggestion of any Executive Board member or Senator pending majority approval of the Senate. Secretaries may solicit volunteers from the student body to serve as non-voting members of the Senate sub-committees. Every committee should report to a member of the Executive Board to ensure accountability. It is necessary that certain standing committees should be formed and meet regularly throughout the academic year. They are:
CMC Committee – will consist of at least four (4) Senators and will report to the Secretary of External Affairs.
Curriculum Committee – will consist of at least six (6) Senators, including at least one (1) MAcc or MSF Senator, and will report to the Secretary of Student Affairs.
Alumni Affairs, Plant, and Technology Committee – will consist of at least two (2) Senators and will report to the Secretary of Finance.
Community Affairs Committee – will consist of at least six (6) Senators, including at least one (1) MAcc or MSF Senator and one (1) international student, and will report to the Secretary of Community Affairs.
All Senators are required to sit on at least one (1) standing committee. Senators may serve on multiple committees. It may be necessary in the future to expand the number of standing committees. This should be done through the amendment process. Ad hoc committees may be formed as necessary and must include at least one (1) Senator. Ad hoc committees must report to a Secretary from the Executive Board.
An important annual responsibility of the Student Senate is to form an Orientation Committee that works directly with the Office of Student Affairs for the purposes of orientation planning.
The Senate has the sole power to impeach any member of the Executive Board, Honor Council, or Student Senate. Any OSGA member (Senator or Executive Board) or Honor Council member can call for impeachment of any other member. The Senate must then vote to proceed with Impeachment hearings. This will be a simple majority vote (at least 10 of 18) of the Senate. In the event of a tie, no deciding vote will be cast and the proceeding ends. If the vote passes, the impeachment hearing will be tried in front of the Senate with the senior ranking member of the Honor Council presiding over the trial. Conviction will require a two-thirds vote (at least 12 of 18) of the Members of the Senate. Penalty for conviction will be removal from office.
Any vote (excluding impeachment votes) by the Senate may be reviewed by the OSGA President. The President may then veto the vote within one week. The Senate may overturn this veto by a two-thirds vote (at least 12 of 18). All votes will be considered binding after one week without veto, or upon the overruling of the veto by two-thirds vote of the Senate.
The Senate has the sole power to confirm appointed positions. A simple majority vote (10 of 18) is required for confirmation. In the case of a tie, the Executive Vice President casts the deciding vote.
Article II
Executive Board
The Executive Board is the executive branch of OSGA. The Executive Board consists of the President of OSGA, the Executive Vice President of OSGA, the Vice President of Communications, a Chief Investigator ,and four appointed Secretaries. The President and Executive Vice President are elected by the student body. The Vice President of Communications and the four Secretaries are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate. It is the role of the Executive Board to create, direct, and suggest policy to the student Senate and to enforce policies determined by the Senate.
The President is the head of OSGA and directs the organization in a manner consistent with OSGA’s mission and vision. In the course of fulfilling that obligation, the President may convene and adjourn meetings of the Executive Board or Student Senate (or the combined body), advise members of the Executive Board and Student Senate in the fulfillment of their tasks, interpret and uphold the OSGA Constitution, and govern the activities of Owen clubs. The President must also regularly communicate with the Office of the Dean and the Owen Alumni Board regarding student interests, concerns, and achievements.
The President of OSGA is required to convene a joint meeting of the Student Senate and the Executive Board at least two times a year (after each election process). The President is encouraged to address the joint body upon the State of Owen Graduate School of Management as it pertains to OSGA.
The Executive Vice President assists the President of OSGA and serves as the President of the Senate. As President of the Senate, the Executive Vice President presides over Senate proceedings but will not vote except in cases of a tie. The Executive Vice President will also preside over the Executive Board meetings and complete other presidential duties when the President is unavailable.
The President and Executive Vice President are elected by the student body. The President and Executive Vice President must run on a combined ticket. Any rising second year shall be eligible to run for office. The Secretaries and the VP of Communications are appointed by the President and Vice President and approved by the Senate. VP of Communications and Secretaries are members of the executive branch of OSGA. They are responsible for running their standing committee meetings, as well as any other committees or task forces that may be formed during the year. They do not vote on any Senate policies. They only administer committee meetings and communicate executive initiatives to the Senate through these committees. The Executive Board consists of the following:
The Vice President of Communications is responsible for all external communications between OSGA and the student body and all internal communications among the three branches of student government. The Secretary of the Senate reports directly to the VP of Communications regarding all executive and legislative matters. These duties include maintaining the external OSGA website and updating the OSGA constitution every year. The Vice President of Communications is also responsible for maintaining the relationship with the admissions office and coordinating admissions-related events.
The Secretary of External Relations is responsible for issues regarding employment (CMC) and corporate relations as follows:
CMC Committee: The Secretary of External Relations is responsible for developing and maintaining a relationship with the Career Management Center. Additionally, this position will solicit feedback from the student body to ensure the CMC is receiving relevant information that best serves the student body. The Secretary oversees the Senate CMC committee.
The Secretary of Student Affairs is responsible for issues regarding curriculum, international students, and special programs (MAcc and MSF) as follows:
Curriculum Committee: The Secretary of Student Affairs is responsible for soliciting student feedback regarding the OGSM core curriculum and electives, maintaining relations with the Senior Associate Dean in charge of the curriculum, and addressing concerns from the student body. In order to better serve the Senior Associate Dean, this secretary oversees the Senate Curriculum Committee.
The Secretary of Community Affairs is responsible for issue regarding community event and general social impact as follows:
Community Affairs Committee: The Secretary of Community Affairs is responsible for coordinating and executing all school-sponsored, community-wide events. This includes, but is not limited to: securing corporate sponsors for community events, maintaining the social calendar, planning and executing school and recruiting socials, fund-raisers, off-campus events, The Owen Holiday Party and The Capitalist Ball. This secretary will also be responsible for building a sustainable strategy for Owen’s impact in the Vanderbilt community and society at large through Owen clubs, organizations and student initiatives. The secretary oversees the Senate Community Affairs Committee.
The Secretary of Finance is responsible for managing OSGA’s budget as granted by OGSM administration and directs the treasury activity of OGSM student clubs. The Secretary of Finance also maintains a relationship with the Alumni Office (DAR) and the Alumni Board.
Alumni Affairs, Plant & Technology Committee: The Secretary of Finance is responsible for the relationship with the 8:10 Café. The secretary also works in conjunction with the Building Manager to maintain the building’s appearance and safety, and with the Technology Director to communicate and resolve IT related issues. The secretary is the liaison with OGSM library staff. The secretary oversees the Senate Alumni Affairs, Plant & Technology Committee.
The Chief Investigator is selected by the Honor Council Chairperson and is approved by the Senate by a simple majority vote. The Honor Council Chairperson will solicit feedback from the OSGA president regarding the selection. As the only joint member of both OSGA and the Honor Council, this person serves as the independent investigator for all Honor Council cases, attends all Honor Council cases as a non-voting member, and reports on the proceedings, but not case details, to the Executive Board. In matters of organizational policy, the Chief Investigator has voting privileges for both the Honor Council and Executive Board. The appointment of this role is subject to approval by the Senate.
Article III
Honor Council
The OSGA recognizes the Honor Council as the judicial branch of student government. OSGA also recognizes the Honor Council to be a sovereign body bound by their own constitution, limited only by the system of checks and balances outlined in both the Honor Council and OSGA constitutions.
Chief Investigator
A Chief Investigator is selected by the Honor Council Chairperson and is confirmed by the Senate by a simple majority vote. The Honor Council Chairperson will solicit feedback from the OSGA president regarding the selection. To ensure a system of checks and balances, the Chief Investigator will be a member of both the Executive Board and Honor Council. The Chief Investigator will be responsible for running and certifying the count of OSGA general elections.
Dean’s Advisor (or Administrative Apointee)
The Dean’s Advisor is a role appointed by Owen’s Administration to serve as a confidential, non-voting observer at all Formal Hearings of the Owen Honor Council. The Dean’s Advisor will report her findings to the OSGA Executive Board at the end of each Mod as to the Honor Council’s maintenance of the highest standards of impartiality and professionalism as articulated in the OSGM Honor Constitution.
The Dean’s Advisor is bound to the same confidentiality standards as student members of the Honor Council. The purpose of the role is to ensure the Council’s adherence to formal protocol as laid out in the OGSM Honor Constitution. The Dean’s Advisor also serves to ensure consistency and knowledge transfer across Council terms. The role is designed for a member of the administration who does not hold teaching responsibilities. The responsibilities of the Dean’s Advisor were first carried out by Kelly Christie, Director of Student & Academic Services at Owen, and should be so executed hereafter.
Article IV
Elections
Eligibility
Executive Board positions are only open to full-time second year students. Eight (8) Student Senate positions are open to full-time first year students and eight (8) Student Senate positions are open to full-time second year students. In addition, full-time MAcc and MSF students are eligible for two special program Student Senate seats (1 MAcc, 1 MSF).
Any student seeking election or appointed to the Executive Board must be enrolled and taking classes in the OSGM building while in office. The student may not be studying abroad for any part of their term except for during the holiday break and spring break.
Platforms and Campaigning
Executive Board
The outgoing President will call for President/Executive Vice President ticket platforms from the first year class at the end of the second week of Module III. The Mod III election schedule is detailed below.
Platforms are to be submitted electronically (minimum10 point type and I” margins, not to exceed three (3) pages). Each ticket will have the opportunity to address the student body at the Thursday Social prior to the election.
The ticket that receives the highest number of votes during the general election shall be elected to that position. Should there be a tie in quantity of votes received by two tickets, the position will be decided via an immediate run-off election between the tickets that are tied. The run-off election will be concluded no later than 72 hours from the conclusion of the initial election voting.
Executive Board members cannot serve in any other branch of student government (Student Senate or Honor Council) without resigning from their position on the Executive Board.
Student Senate
General elections for Senate shall take place during Mods I & III. The President of the Senate (the Executive Vice President) will call for First Year Senate platforms the Monday of week four of Module I and for Second Year Senate platforms the Thursday of week five of Module III. Senators elected in general elections shall serve a one-year term. The Mods I & III election schedules are detailed below.
Platforms are to be submitted electronically (minimum 10+ point type and 1” margins, not to exceed one page).
The candidates that receive the highest number of votes during the general election shall be elected to that senate. Should there be a tie in quantity of votes received by multiple candidates and that tie affects the filling of the eighth senate seat, the position will be decided via an immediate run-off election between the candidates that are tied. The run-off election will be concluded no later than 72 hours from the conclusion of the initial election voting.
Students cannot run for both OSGA and Honor Council positions. Senators cannot serve in any other branch of student government (Executive Board or Honor Council) without resigning their seat in the Senate. After executive elections in Mod III, any seats that are vacant will be filled during an election process outlined under the Executive Board Article of this constitution.
Should any Senate seat be vacated, not within four weeks of regular elections, a special election may be called by the Executive Board to fill the vacancy.
At the first full meeting of the Senate in Mod I, the Senate shall elect a Secretary of the Senate to keep minutes of Senate proceedings and to record votes. This person will be the Senate liaison to the Vice President of Communications.
Voting
1. Voting shall be conducted via secure electronic method.
2. The President will announce the results of the elections.
3. Only full-time OGSM students may vote. Voting is to be secured in such a fashion so that each student may only vote once. Students may only vote for candidates in their class – second year students can only vote for second year students, etc.
4. The ballot will list each candidate and clearly indicate which office that candidate is seeking.
5. The Chief Investigator and Vice President of Communications will oversee and tally the results of all elections. The winners of the elections will be announced during the Thursday Social of the week indicated below.
Special Elections
In such cases as the need arises, the Executive Board can call for a special election. Procedures of election as described immediately above are then to be used.
MOD I Elections
Mod 1 Week 4 Mon, Platform Call
Mod 1 Week 4 Sat. Platform’s Due
Mod 1 Week 5 Mon.-Tues. General Elections (Candidates announced when polls open)
Mod 1 Week 5 Wed. – Thurs. Runoff Elections
Mod 1 Week 5 Thurs. Results Announced at Social
Mod 1 Week 6 Mon. Senate and Executive Board – Full Meeting – Welcome.
MOD III Elections
For the first election under this constitution, the election schedule will be determined by the vote of the Body of Representatives and Executive Council. For years after 2009, the election and appointment schedule will be as follows:
Mod III Week 1 Mon. The Honor Council Chairperson calls for Chief Investigator applications
Mod III Week 2 Mon. The Honor Council Chairperson appoints new Chief Investigator
Fri. Platform call for President/EVP ticket
Mod III Week 3 Mon. Current Senate votes to confirm Chief Investigator
Tues. Platforms due for President/EVP and Honor Council
Thurs. Platform speeches at Social for President/EVP Tickets
Mod III Week 4 Mon. –Tues. Elections for Pres/VP Tickets
Wed. – Thurs. Election runoffs (if necessary)
Thurs. Announce election results at Social
Mod III Week 5 Mon. Appointment of Executive Board Secretaries due
Mon. Current Senate confirms Executive Board appointments
Mon. Club Executives Elections due
Thurs. Senate platforms due
Mod III Week 6 Mon. Senate elections
Wed. Senate runoffs (if necessary)
Thurs. Announce election results at Social
Mod IV TBD Transition Retreat for new and old officers
Outgoing Executive Board members assume a training role for the newly elected Executive Board from the close of elections until the Transition Retreat. Full responsibility and authority for the duties of the Executive Board move are transferred to the newly elected President and Executive Vice President beginning the first week of Mod IV.
Article V
Student Clubs and Organizations
The OSGA has oversight for all student clubs and organizations at Owen. As a result, clubs must abide by guidelines and processes instituted by OSGA.
Starting a Student Club or Organization
Creating an organization at Owen requires approval from the OSGA Student Senate. The founding leadership of the organization must contact the Executive Vice President to arrange a time to present the prospective organization to the OSGA Student Senate. At that time, the organization must present a formal document describing the following:
1. The goal of the newly formed organization
2. How Owen students benefit from the organization
3. The financial requirements to fund the organization
4. How funds will be raised
5. The leadership of the organization including faculty sponsor
Additional questions may be prepared by the Executive Board or Student Senate. OSGA (dis)approval will be announced within eight days of the presentation. Upon approval, the founding leadership will be required to register the new organization with Vanderbilt Student Services (required to establish a financial account for OSGA accounting). A financial account will be established within 6 weeks and the organization may commence operations.
Dissolution of a Student Club or Organization
The OSGA Executive Board may initiate the dissolution of a student club or organization. The club/organization must not have any active members and/or no financial transactions in the most recent 21 months. Additionally, OSGA’s Executive Board must consider whether to recruit leadership to the organization if the organization has potential to benefit the student body as noted in the OSGA constitution. If the aforementioned conditions are met and no membership is active, a vote of dissolution should be held by the Student Senate. In order to dissolve the organization a two-thirds majority vote (at least 12 of 18) of the Student Senate is required. If the vote passes the Executive Board is responsible for withdrawing the organization’s charter membership from Vanderbilt University. If funds remain in the organization’s account, the funds may be dispersed at the discretion of the Executive Board.
Club Election Process
All clubs at Owen shall abide by this standardized election process as directed by OSGA. The President of OSGA is the primary contact for all issues concerning student led clubs. The process and requirements are outlined below.
Club Officer Requirements
All student led clubs within the Owen community must have a minimum of three board members; one shall be President, another the Vice President of Finance, and the third position is at the club’s discretion. OSGA recommends no more than five board members per club. Within the board, one member must be responsible for communication and another must manage all IT related issues (these tasks can be incorporated in with another position).
A list of board positions and members holding those positions must be submitted to OSGA twice per school year no later than, 1) the end of week 7, mod I with new first year representatives included, and 2) the end of week 5, mod III. It is at these times that clubs can add/remove positions as needed.
Spring Election Timeline
Elections should happen anytime between weeks 4 and 5 of mod III; the deadline to submit names of new board members to OSGA is Friday of Week 5. If deadlines are not met, clubs are subject to suspension in Mod IV which freezes funds and does not allow sponsored events (addressed on a case by case basis).
An email must be sent to club members soliciting applications, explaining the election process (online or live voting), and giving a timeline, including the platform due date. Immediately after the application deadline, a list of all applicants and their platforms must be sent to all club members and OSGA via email. There must be a window of no less than five days from the time members receive platforms to the day of voting.
Final election results, including role specific responsibilities, should be submitted to OSGA by end of Week 5, Mod III.
Election of First Years
Each board must elect at least one first year representative by the end of week 7, Mod I. The deadline to receive platforms is the end of week 5, but may be done earlier. Results should be submitted to OSGA with yearly board list at the end of Week 7, Mod I.
Article VI
Web Consulting Group
The Web Consulting Group will consist of 3-4 students who will be responsible for marketing, technical, and strategic support of the individual club websites. These individuals will be nominated by the VP of Communications and confirmed by the Student Senate. Appointed individuals will serve a one year term from the date they are appointed. Any first year students interested in the position will submit an application to the VP of Communications during the last week of Mod II. A decision will be made by the first week of Mod III. The outgoing web consulting group will be responsible for cross training the new web consulting group during Mod III.
The Web Consulting Group (WCG) oversees the student club websites Content Management System and supports each club’s webmaster.
WCG responsibilities include but are not limited to the following:
• Serve as a first line of support for club’s web-based communication needs. This support encompasses both technology support and web strategy consulting.
• The WCG will organize training sessions with the webmasters to teach and explain how to add new features to their websites.
• Serve as a link between the webmasters and the marketing department in order to coordinate the implementation of custom web solutions that add new functionalities to the websites.
• Perform periodical club website audits to verify that the minimum quality and content requirements are met and properly aligned with the school’s digital marketing objectives. The results of these audits will be presented to the Student Senate annually.
• Serve as a permanent support contact for club webmasters. Every need that webmasters express should be translated into an actionable solution, training plan or technical request for proposal (RFP) for either the internal Owen IT department or an external provider.
• Ensuring team alignment with the VP of Communications of OSGA.
• The team is not directly in charge of any technical or web design implementation. Instead, the objective of the team is to find the best solution for the webmaster’s needs and take the lead in the process of putting all the resources in place for the successful execution of the identified solutions.
Required background: the candidates should have all or some of the following skills and experience:
• Strong interest and/or experience in web-based marketing/operations
• Project management to coordinate multiple activities such as training, conference calls with providers, needs assessments with webmasters and third party design contracts follow-up2
• General knowledge of the World Wide Web architecture
• Web Design
Article VII
Student Government Organizational Structure (Visual)
Article VIII
Executive Board Organizational Chart
Article IX
Amendments to the Constitution
OSGA recognizes that changes in this constitution may become necessary in the future. To provide for such cases, the Senate can amend this constitution with a two-thirds majority vote (at least 12 of 18). The students of OGSM may amend or call for a new constitution with a two-thirds majority vote of the voting student body.
Article X
Ratification of the Constitution
This constitution will be ratified upon a majority vote of the 2008-2009 Executive Council and Body of Representatives combined with a majority vote of the voting student population.
