This policy governs the establishment, purpose, membership, officers, organization and bylaws of the student assembly of the State University of New York (University).

I. Introduction

The University Board of Trustees has created a number of University-wide organizations which participate in the government of the University. The student assembly is the structure created by the University Board of Trustees within which the students participate in University-wide governance.

II. Establishment and Purpose

A. Name

There shall be a student assembly of the State University of New York.
 

B. Purpose

The student assembly shall be the official organization by which University students participate in University-wide governance. The student assembly shall provide the following:

1. A forum for consultation and the exchange of information between University students, the chancellor, and the University Board of Trustees on matters of a University-wide nature which affect student concerns;
    

2. A procedure for electing the student member of the University Board of Trustees; and
    

3. A communications network for campus student government leaders. The student assembly shall exercise such other responsibilities as the chancellor or the University Board of Trustees refer to it.

III. Membership in the Assembly

A. Membership

The student assembly shall consist of representatives from member institutions and organized student groups as hereinafter defined.

B. Member institutions

Each campus of the University shall be a member institution according to the following: the graduate division at each of the doctoral degree granting institutions; the undergraduate division at each of the doctoral degree granting institutions; each of the other state-operated campuses; each community college; New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University and one from the four statutory colleges at Cornell University.

C. Representatives from member institutions

1. Each member institution of the student assembly shall have one representative for every 4,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) students or fraction thereof. For the purpose of this section, full-time equivalent students shall be the number of full-time equivalent students in attendance at a member institution during the fall semester of the previous calendar year as determined by the University.
    
2. The first representative of each member institution shall be that institution's student government president. Additional representatives from member institutions, which exceed the 4,000 FTE base enrollment, shall be duly elected annually from among and by the students of that institution through a campus-wide election in accordance with procedures promulgated by the campus student government body. In the case of the statutory colleges, representatives must be statutory college students elected in accordance with procedures promulgated by the campus’ student government body.
    
3. In cases where multiple student governments exist, the first representative shall be elected from among the student government presidents according to a campus election procedure adopted by written agreement of the campus student governments; in the absence of such an election, the president of the student government representing the greatest number of FTE students will be the first campus representative to the student assembly.
    
4. Each member institution shall designate the officers next in line of succession to the student government president. Each designee may serve as an alternate for any representative of the member institution who is not able to attend a student assembly meeting.
    

D. Organized student groups

1. Students representing constituencies traditionally underrepresented within the student assembly shall have an opportunity to meet, communicate and recommend resolutions for consideration by the student assembly. The opportunity for these students to voice their concerns will enable the student assembly representatives to consider concerns and view points that may not otherwise be introduced. In support of this important effort, the student assembly shall prepare a list of organized student groups consisting of student organizations requesting organized student group designation, which are established pursuant to written bylaws and which have chapters of 10 or more full or part-time students at 10 or more campuses.
    
2. After providing annual public notice and conducting an open hearing, the student assembly shall select those organized student groups which:
   1. Are likely to remain in existence for more than one academic year;
       
   2. Represent points of view not adequately represented in the student assembly or the executive committee; and
       
   3. Will not be adequately represented without participation in the student assembly or the executive committee by duly elected representatives.
       
3. Each selected organized student group shall be considered a standing committee of the student assembly. As a standing committee, it will meet to discuss issues of particular interest to its members and forward resolutions to the student assembly and the executive committee.
    
4. Each organized student group will be allocated one nonvoting representative to the student assembly and the executive committee who shall be a student. The nonvoting representative will enjoy all the privileges accorded to representatives. Additionally, members of the organized student groups may serve on such other committees of the student assembly as appropriate.
    
5. A group shall not be designated an organized student group or be seated in the student assembly if it has a policy or practice of restricting membership on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, disability, marital status or age.
    
6. Each organized student group shall elect its representatives to the student assembly and the executive committee from among the students elected by the campus chapters to serve on the organized student group. The campus selection process and the organized student group representatives election process shall be included in the student assembly bylaws.
    

E. Eligibility

A representative from a member institution or organized student group must be a student enrolled for credit, included in a campus FTE base and meets the campus' requirements to stand for election and continues to be eligible to serve on the campus student government organization.


F. Representatives to act in person

Representatives shall act in person and not by proxy. An alternate is not considered a proxy and has all the voting rights assigned to a representative.

IV. Officers

A. Officers

The officers of the student assembly shall be the president, vice president, secretary and treasurer.

B. Duties

The duties of the officers shall be as follows:

1. President. The president of the student assembly shall preside at all meetings of the student assembly and shall exercise such other powers and duties as may be vested in the president by this Part and the bylaws of the student assembly. The president shall be an official member of all student assembly committees, be responsible for a transition of officers between the time of election and June 1st, and serve as the student member of the State University of New York Board of Trustees.
    
2. Vice president. The vice president shall perform such duties as prescribed by the president or the student assembly. In the absence of the president, the vice president shall perform all duties vested in the president by this part and the bylaws of the student assembly, except when serving as a member of the State University of New York Board of Trustees. The primary role of the vice president is to support the activities of the various committees of the student assembly.
    
3. Treasurer. The treasurer shall perform such duties as prescribed by the president or the student assembly. The treasurer is the chief fiscal officer of the student assembly.
    
4. Secretary. The secretary shall perform such duties as prescribed by the president or the student assembly. The secretary is the chief communications officer of the student assembly.

C. Election of officers

Officers shall be elected by the members of the student assembly at its annual business meeting. To stand for election and serve as an officer an individual must be eligible to serve as a representative, be enrolled at a University campus and be nominated by a representative.

D. Terms of office

Officers shall hold office for one year or until their successors are installed. This one-year term shall be from June 1st of the election year to May 31st of the following year. Officers may serve no more than two terms per each office contingent upon the person's continued eligibility to serve as a member of the student assembly.

E. Officer vacancies

Vacancies shall occur in the position of student assembly officer upon the death, recall by the student assembly, resignation, incapacity as determined by the student assembly, loss of member status, loss of eligibility to serve as a representative or loss of student status by the incumbent. Officer vacancies may be filled for the remaining portion of the unexpired term of office through an election at the next meeting of the student assembly or according to alternate bylaw procedures.

V. Organization

A. Meeting

The student assembly shall meet at least once each semester with the dates and places to be determined by the student assembly. The annual business meeting must be held during the month of April. Special meetings may be called by the executive committee by the request of one quarter of the student assembly representatives, one quarter of the member institutions or the chancellor; the date and place of a special meeting shall be determined by the executive committee and the meeting must be held no later than 30 days following the request to hold such a meeting.

B. Agenda

The agenda for each regularly scheduled or special meeting of the student assembly will be established according to procedures outlined in the bylaws. All meetings of the student assembly shall include the opportunity for the chancellor or designee to address the membership.

C. Meeting notification

Notice of all regularly scheduled or special student assembly meetings will be sent to all representatives, campus presidents, the chancellor and other University offices as may be designated by the chancellor. The notice must be sent at least 30 days in advance for regularly scheduled meetings and seven days in advance for special meetings and must include the time, date and place of the meeting, an agenda of scheduled business and other items as may be required by the student assembly bylaws.

D. Executive committee

1. There shall be an executive committee of the student assembly to conduct necessary business between meetings of the student assembly and other matters as prescribed by this Part or the bylaws. The executive committee shall include the officers of the student assembly and the designated number of representatives from the following: three representatives from the doctoral degree granting institutions (undergraduate division); three representatives from the university colleges; two representatives from the Colleges of Technology, Agriculture and Technology and Statutory colleges; two representatives from the graduate division of the doctoral degree granting institutions; six representatives from the community colleges and one nonvoting student representative from each standing committee. In order to serve as a member of the executive committee, an individual must be a student at a State University of New York campus and must maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.
    
2. The members of the executive committee shall be elected by and from among the representatives of the designated constituencies according to procedures outlined in the bylaws. Each designated constituency shall elect from among its representatives alternate(s) to serve in the absence of its representative(s) to the executive committee.
    
3. Meetings. Meetings of the executive committee are to be determined by its members with the requirement that all meeting notices required of the student assembly meetings be followed except for the time of notification which will be seven days for executive committee meetings. The president of the student assembly shall serve as the presiding officer of the executive committee.
    
4. Institutional classification. The student assembly is empowered via its bylaws to, as necessary, classify member institutions for representation on the Executive Committee in accordance with the history and mission of each individual institution.
    

E. Other committees

1. The student assembly may establish such other standing and ad hoc committees as it deems advisable and shall prescribe the functions of such committees. The membership of such committees is to be determined by the student assembly, according to the bylaws, and from among the students, faculty and staff of the University. Each standing committee will be allocated one nonvoting student representative to the student assembly and the executive committee. The nonvoting student representative will enjoy all the privileges accorded to representatives and shall be elected by and from the members of the standing committee.
    
2. All committee reports shall be addressed to the student assembly. Committee reports and recommendations shall be in writing and shall be mailed to student assembly members 14 days in advance of the meeting at which they are to be considered by the student assembly.
   
    

F. Quorums

A quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the full student assembly shall consist of 40 percent of the duly elected or appointed and voting representatives of that body with at least 40 percent of the community colleges and 40 percent of all other member institutions in attendance. The quorum for the transaction of business at any meeting of the executive committee or other duly constituted committee of the student assembly shall consist of a majority of the duly elected or appointed and voting members of such committee.

G. Rules of procedure

Procedures at the meetings of the student assembly, the executive committee or other duly constituted committees shall be governed by Robert's Rules of Order except as otherwise provided by this part or the bylaws.

VI. Bylaws of the student assembly

The student assembly shall adopt and may amend or repeal such bylaws as it deems advisable, consistent with this part, governing its activities and procedures.

The adoption, amendment or repeal of such bylaws must receive a two-thirds vote of the student assembly membership.

VII. Amendments

The University Board of Trustees shall approve all amendments to this part. Amendments may be proposed by a member of the University Board of Trustees, the student assembly, the chancellor or a board-designated committee. The student assembly may propose amendments to the University Board of Trustees by a majority vote of student assembly members present at a student assembly meeting. The president shall convey the text of any proposed amendment(s) in writing to each member at least 14 days prior to its consideration by the student assembly. Amendments proposed by the student assembly shall be submitted by the chancellor to the University Board of Trustees with recommendations. Unless otherwise provided all amendments will become effective upon approval by the University Board of Trustees.

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On April 25, 1973, the State University of New York Board of Trustees passed Resolution 73-117 establishing the student assembly. In response to what was perceived to be structural problems with the student assembly as it existed essentially under the initial resolution, the University Board of Trustees charged its student life committee by Resolutions 90-105 dated May 22, 1990 and 91-74 dated April 25, 1991, with reviewing the structure and organization of the Student Assembly in order to enhance its effectiveness.

After extensive consultation with students, system administration staff, campus officers and the work of an ad hoc committee on student assembly under Trustee Chu, the student life committee under Trustee Lasher Duken, proposed a new model for the student assembly described in a nine-point resolution to the Board. These recommendations were accepted and the chancellor was empowered to implement the necessary steps to effect the changes.

On February 27, 1992, the student life committee made its final formal recommendations on the student assembly reorganization including resolutions to change the Code of Rules and Regulations, Part 341 which governs the assembly body. On February 27, 1992, the University Board of Trustees formally voted on Resolution 92-48 to repeal the existing Part 341 of 8 NYCRR and adopt a structure for the student assembly described in a new version of Part 341, which was essentially proposed by the student life committee. This part, and as it was subsequently amended over the years, is found as Article XVII of the Policies of the Board of Trustees.

Subsequent to that adoption, Part 341 was amended by University Board of Trustees Resolution 94-2 on January 27, 1994 to require: student representatives from statutory colleges to be students of that college; the president of the assembly to take responsibility for transitions between assemblies; created separate treasurer and secretary positions; changed term dates; restricted terms of office to two terms in any one office and changed quorum rules. Part 341 was again amended by Resolution 2004-31 on February 12, 2004. These amendments resulted in minor changes in the composition of the executive committee of the assembly. These changes were made to enhance its effectiveness and the communication between the committee and the constituent groups.

On June 15, 2011, the University Board of Trustees passed a resolution authorizing final adoption of amendments to Sections 341.4 and 341.18 of 8 NYCRR to allow broader graduate student representation and the ability to vote to additional graduate student governments.  This amendment also updated the terminology used to identify campus sectors by referring to Doctoral Degree Granting Institutions rather than University Centers.  In this way, separate graduate student representation will be provided for the following additional campuses:  Upstate, Downstate, Optometry, and Environmental Science and Forestry.  Graduate students at other campuses are encouraged to participate through the existing recognized student governance organizations.

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