Below you will find the complete ASWSU constitution. Download a copy here.
The Bylaws of the ASWSU can be found here.
Amended and restated Dec. 14, 2004
ARTICLE II: AUTHORITIES AND POWER
ARTICLE IV: LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
ARTICLE IX: REFERANDOM AND INITIATIVE
ARTICLE XI: PARLAIMENTARY AUTHORITY
We, the undergraduate and graduate students of Washington State University Tri-Cities, in order to initiate and coordinate student activities in accordance with the purposes and objectives listed in Washington State Universities Articles of Incorporation; to represent student interests, needs, and welfare at Washington State University Tri-Cities on issues affecting student life and to supplement and complement the formal education of this campus, do affirm and establish this constitution.
1. The name of this organization shall be “Associated Students of Washington State University at Tri-Cities,” herein called ASWSUTC.
ARTICLE II: AUTHORITIES AND POWER
1. ASWSUTC is organized as a corporation under the laws of the State of Washington and the exercise of its functions shall be consistent with ASWSUTC Articles of Incorporation.
2. The ASWSUTC Senate shall exercise authorities and power of ASWSUTC except that the ASWSUTC President and Vice President shall have such powers as enumerated in this constitution.
All undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at WSU Tri-Cities shall be members of ASWSUTC.
ARTICLE IV: LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
1. The legislative power of ASWSUTC shall be vested in the ASWSUTC Senate, which shall be composed of Senators, as specified in the ASWSUTC By-Laws.
2. ASWSUTC Senators must be members of ASWSUTC, must be enrolled in and maintain at WSU Tri-Cities for a minimum of six credits every semester during the regular academic year, and must be in good academic standing as defined by the University. Senators shall be elected in the annual general election.
3. ASWSUTC Senators shall hold office from commencement to commencement, until their duly elected successors take office.
4. The Senate, as the legislative branch of ASWSUTC, shall be the policy making body of ASWSUTC and no act by the Executive Branch or omission shall contravene or implied Senate Policy.
5. The Senate shall have and exercise general powers and duties, specifically to include the following powers and duties:
A. To adopt and amend the ASWSUTC budget pursuant to Article VIII.
B. To authorize entry into contractual or financial relationships on behalf of ASWSUTC.
C. To have published and to approve an annual financial statement.
D. To confirm, by majority consent of seated membership of ASWSUTC, committee chairs, nominees or appointments.
E. To remove ASWSUTC committee chairs upon a two-thirds majority vote of the seated membership.
F. To ensure that elected and appointed ASWSUTC officials faithfully execute and abide by ASWSUTC policies.
G. To apportion the membership of ASWSUTC into academic discipline or groups for purposes of ASWSUTC policies.
H. To override a Presidential veto by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the seated membership.
I. To impeach ASWSUTC officers, as provided in Article V, Section 7, B
J. To post and maintain regular office hours, as required by the By-Laws, throughout his or her term.
K. The Senate shall not delegate any of the powers specified in Article IV, Section 5 (A) through (I) inclusive.
L. For the purposes of this Constitution, seated membership shall be the numbers of Senators holding office at any given time.
6. Senate meetings shall consist of the following:
A. The Senate shall meet bi-monthly as determined necessary by the Senators and/or Executive Officers with exceptions for campus breaks and holidays.
B. A quorum shall be two-thirds (2/3) of the seated membership of the Senate.
C. All meetings shall be held in accordance with the Open Public Meetings Act RCW 42.30 or successive statutes.
D. Special meetings may be called by the President, Vice President, Senate Chair Pro-Tempore, one third (1/3) of the seated membership of the Senate, or upon petition of ten percent (10%) of the ASWSUTC membership.
E. The Vice President shall be Chair of the Senate. The chair may only vote to break a tie. In the absence of the Chair, the Senate Chair pro-Tempore shall chair the Senate.
F. Meeting attendance is required; a forfeiture of either an Executive, Legislative, or Judicial branch seat/chair may result after two unexcused, or four excused absence and is subject to probationary, disciplinary, or dismissal actions.
G. An unexcused meeting is defined:
(1) Not informing the President, Vice President, or Chair Pro-Tempore prior to the scheduled meeting time.
(2) Failing to cast a vote on appropriate agenda items.
7. Senators and Senator-Elects may be removed from office via the following recall process:
A. Petitions calling for removal from office of a named Senator or Senator-Elect shall be signed by en percent (10%) of the Senator or Senator-Elect’s constituents and shall be submitted to the Vice President for verification.
B. Upon verification, the Senate shall set a reasonable date or dates for a recall election.
C. A minimum of ten percent (10%) constituents’ voter turnout is required for validation of the recall election.
D. A majority affirmative vote shall be required for recall.
E. Challenging a recall election:
(1) Should a named ASWSUTC Senator or Senator-Elect challenge a recall or impeachment proceeding, he or she shall temporarily vacate his or her office until the challenge is resolved.
8. Vacancies
A. Should a Senate vacancy occur, the President and Vice President shall submit, within fifteen (15) days of the occurrence of the vacancy, a list of three (3) nominees for the vacancy. At the next scheduled Senate meeting, the senate by plurality vote of seated membership may select one of the three candidates to fill the vacancy or request a new list of nominees within fifteen (15) school days.
(1) Should the President and Vice President fail to comply with clause (1.) the Senate may confirm by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of seated membership a nomination from the floor.
B. Should four or more vacancies occur simultaneously at any one time, a special election to fill the positions must be scheduled within a reasonable time period.
1. The executive power of ASWSUTC shall be vested in the Executive Branch of ASWSUTC. The Executive Branch shall be composed of the ASWSUTC President and or Vice President appoint with Senate confirmation.
2. Members of the Executive Branch must be members of the ASWSUTC, must be enrolled and maintain at WSU Tri-Cities at least six credits every semester during the regular academic year, and must be in good academic standing as defined by the University. The President and Vice President shall run as a ticket and be elected in the general election.
3. Members of the Executive Branch shall hold office from commencement to commencement; until their duly elected successors take office, or impeachment.
4. Executive officers are responsible for regularly attending all ASWSUTC Senate meetings as defined by Article IV, Section 6, subsection G.
A. An executive officer that misses two unexcused meetings will be brought before the Senate for disciplinary action.
B. A missed meeting is defined as:
(1) Not informing the Advisor or meeting chair.
(2) Not submitting a President’s or Vice President’s report.
5. The ASWSUTC President shall be the Chief Executive Officer of ASWSUTC. The President shall exercise the general powers and duties usually vested in the chief executive officer of a corporation, but specifically it includes the following powers and duties:
A. To preside over all meetings of the general membership of ASWSUTC.
B. To appoint ASWSUTC Committee chairpersons, subject to the consent of the Senate.
C. To appoint Judicial Board members, subject to the consent of the Senate.
D. To make all appointees not otherwise covered by the Constitution.
E. To remove all presidential appointees.
F. To veto any acts and confirmations of the Senate except resolutions, Senate vacancy appointments, and referenda, and provide written notification of such vetoes to the Vice President and the Senate Chair Pro-Tempore within four school days of the Senate action.
G. To post and maintain regular office hours throughout his or her term of office.
H. The President shall have other powers and duties as may be prescribed by the Senate and the ASWSUTC By-Laws.
6. The ASWSUTC Vice President shall exercise the following powers and duties:
A. To be chair of the Senate.
B. To have general control of ASWSUTC committees, as specified in the By-Laws, within the policies established by the Senate.
C. To exercise such power and authority as may be delegated by the President except those powers and duties enumerated in Section 5 (A), (B), (D) and (E) of Article V.
D. To assume and execute all the powers and duties of the President should the President be absent or be unable to perform his or her obligations.
E. To post and maintain regular office hours.
F. The Vice President shall have other powers and duties as may be prescribed by the Senate and the ASWSUTC By-Laws.
G. The interests and affairs of ASWSUTC shall be managed jointly by the President, Vice President and Senate during the summer session.
7. Removal of the President, Vice President, President-Elect, or Vice President-Elect.
A. The aforementioned ASWSUTC officers may be removed from office via the following recall process:
(1) Petitions calling for removal from office of a named ASWSUTC officer shall be signed by ten percent (10%) of ASWSUTC membership and shall be submitted to the Senate Chair Pro-Tempore for verification.
(2) Upon verification, the Senate shall set a reasonable date or dates for a recall election.
(3) A recall election shall require a fifteen percent (15%) voter turnout of the ASWSUTC membership for validation.
(4) A majority affirmative vote shall be required for recall.
B. The aforementioned ASWSUTC officers may be removed from office for failure to reasonably and properly execute their powers and duties via the following impeachment process:
(1) Two thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the seated membership of the ASWSUTC Senate shall be required to bring impeachment proceedings against ASWSUTC officers.
(2) The Chief Justice of the Judicial Board shall preside over the impeachment proceedings, which shall commence within ten (10) school days after the Senate vote to bring impeachment proceedings.
(3) A two thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the seated membership of the ASWSUTC Senate shall be required to impeach as Executive Officer.
C. Vacancies:
(1) Should the office of President become vacant, the Vice President shall become President.
(2) Should the office of Vice President become vacant, the President shall appoint a Vice President for the unexplored term, subject to two thirds (2/3) consent of the seated membership of the Senate. During the Vice Presidents absence, the Senate Chair Pro-Tempore shall assume the duties andresponsibilities of the Vice President.
(3) Should both offices become simultaneously vacant, the Senate shall elect a President Pro-Tempore from among its membership and shall schedule an election within a reasonable time period to fill the vacancies.
(4) This section [Article V, Section 7, subsection C] shall also apply to vacancies in the Presidential-Elect and Vice Presidential-Elect offices.
D. Challenges to Recall and Impeachment:
(1) Should a named ASWSUTC Executive Officer challenge a recall proceeding or impeachment proceeding, he or she shall temporarily vacate his or her office until the challenge is resolved.
1. The judicial power of ASWSUTC shall be vested in the ASWSUTC Judicial Board, which shall be composed of three justices. The Chair of the Judicial Board shall be their Chief Justice, who shall be selected by a majority vote of the Senate.
2. Members of the ASWSUTC Judicial Board must be members of ASWSUTC, must be enrolled at WSU Tri-Cities for a least six credits every semester during the regular academic year, and must be in good academic standing as defined by the University. Members of the ASWSUTC Judicial Board shall hold no other elected or appointed positions within ASWSUTC. Members of the ASWSUTC Judicial Board shall be appointed by the ASWSUTC President and confirmed by a two thirds (2/3) vote of the seated Senate membership.
3. Members of the Judicial Board shall serve until they graduate or a maximum of two years as determined by the date of their appointment, whichever comes first, with an option of reappointment if they have not yet graduated and still fulfill the requirements of appointment as stated above in Section 2.
4. The ASWSUTC Judicial Board shall not act without a full panel of justices (a quorum of three members).
5. The Judicial Board, as the judicial branch of ASWSUTC, shall be the By-Law and Constitution interpreting body of ASWSUTC, and shall have and execute the power to act on all cases and controversies arising under the ASWSUTC Constitution and By- Laws. No Executive Branch act or omission shall contravene with any expressed Judicial Board ruling. The Judicial Board shall have the following specific powers and duties:
A. To act within twenty (20) school days of the formal filing of a complaint with the Chief Justice.
B. To validate or invalidate any ASWSUTC election upon receipt of an official complaint by the ASWSUTC Election Board, a two thirds (2/3) majority vote of the seated Student Council or a petition signed by fifteen percent (15%) of ASWSUTC membership, consistent with the ASWSUTC By-Laws.
C. To establish ASWSUTC Judicial Board procedures and guidelines by a majority vote.
6. The Chief Justice of the ASWSUTC Judicial Board shall have and execute the following duties:
A. Call and preside over sessions of the ASWSUTC Judicial Board.
B. Notify all Justices and interested parties of the date, time, and location of hearings.
C. Notify all parties, in writing, of the changes within five (5) school days of receiving a complaint.
D. Make written copies of all ASWSUTC Judicial Board decisions available to the ASWSUTC President, Vice President, Senate Chair Pro-Tempore, and the parties involved within five (5) school days of the hearing.
7. A member of the ASWSUTC Judicial Board may be removed from the Board upon a two thirds (2/3) majority vote of the seated ASWSUTC Senate.
8. Vacancies in the ASWSUTC Judicial Board shall be filled by presidential appointment within two (10) school days of the occurrence of the vacancy. The presidential appointment shall be brought before the ASWSUTC Senate for confirmation within five (5) school days of the appointment. If more than one vacancy should occur simultaneously on the Judicial Board, the ASWSUTC President should present simultaneously both or all of the appointees for Senate consideration. Should the ASWSUTC President be unable to comply, the ASWSUTC Senate may confirm a nomination from the floor by a two thirds (2/3) majority vote.
1. The annual ASWSUTC election calendar shall be determined by the Election Board, and submitted for approval by the Senate.
2. Campaign Expenditure Limitations:
A. The total amount all candidates for ASWSUTC officers may spend on their election is to be specified in the ASWSUTC By-Laws.
B. Disclosure of all expenditures made by a candidate shall be reported and accompanied by an itemized report.
C. Violations:
(1) Upon Judicial Board determination that a candidate or executive ticket has exceeded his or her respective campaign expenditure limitation, a fine of one dollar for every dollar overspent shall be imposed on the candidate or executive ticket. Failure by the candidate or executive ticket to render full payment before taking office shall result in the invalidation of that candidate’s or executive ticket’s election to office.
(2) Upon Judicial Board determination that a candidate or executive ticket has exceeded his or her respective campaign expenditure limitation by fifteen (15%) or more, the election to office of that candidate or executive ticket shall be invalidated. In such case, the monetary fines of Article VII, Section 2, Subsection C, Paragraph 2, shall not apply.
D. Voting:
(1) Members of ASWSUTC shall vote for Senators from their own academic discipline. Graduate and Professional students shall vote for Graduate and Professional AT Large positions.
(2) All members of ASWSUTC may vote for an executive ticket.
The annual ASWSUTC budget shall be recommended to, and approved by, the Senate before its required submission to the Services and Activities Committee.
ARTICLE IX: REFERANDUM AND INITIATAIVE
1. The Senate upon two thirds (2/3) majority vote of the seated membership may submit to the membership of ASWSU Tri-Cities any measure that it determines to be of substantial student interest, whereupon a vote of the membership of ASWSUTC shall be promptly scheduled for a reasonable time.
2. Upon petition of five percent (5%) of the membership of ASWSUTC an initiative shall be submitted to the membership of ASWSUTC for a vote within a reasonable time period.
3. Initiatives and Referenda shall carry the same weight as Senate legislation.
1. Proposed amendments to and revisions of this Constitution shall be presented to the members of ASWSUTC for approval upon a two thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the seated membership of the Senate or upon petition of at least ten percent (10%) of ASWSUTC members.
2. Proposed amendments and revisions that are to be presented to the members of ASWUTC for approval shall be publicized in a reasonable manner and for a period of time, no less than two weeks and not to exceed the end of the current semester, before action by the membership of ASWSUTC.
3. This Constitution may be amended or revised by a majority vote of ballots cast on the proposed modification at any regular ASWSUTC election or special election called for that purpose, provided however, that a minimum of fifteen percent (15%) of ASWSUTC members vote in either type of election.
ARTICLE XI: PARLAIMENT AUTHORITY
1. Robert’s Rules of Order newly revised in 2000 or successor editions shall be the recognized authority for procedure not discussed within this Constitution and By-Laws.
1. By-Laws shall be adopted by two thirds (2/3) vote of the seated membership of the Senate and shall fortify this constitution.
1. No actions may be taken under this Constitution or by the ASWSUTC By-Laws that is violation of State or Federal Law.
Upcoming Events
Wednesday, Nov. 18
Yakama Nation Museum & Wanapum Native American Discovery Unit, West Atrium, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 19
Open Mic Night, East Commons, 6:30-9:00 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 23-27
No classes; Thanksgiving holiday
Friday, Dec. 4
Black and White holiday ball