For the past few months, the Adams State Associated Students and Faculty (AS&F) has been working for to revise its constitution and bylaws. These considerable changes are being made to improve how this organization is run. Many minor changes have been made in order to make the document more concise and specific. This includes better defining the roles of the Executive Branch and its members, the Legislative Branch, and our advisors. The process in which meetings are run has been more accurately outlined and some of the language in the document has been changed in order to include all individuals involved with the campus without discrimination.
As a reaction to an incident last semester, the qualifications for AS&F members have been outlined in a more precise way. For those students who are unaware, in order to become a senator on the AS&F a student must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 at the time the application is submitted. Once in possession of the seat, the student must retain at least a 2.0.
If interested in serving on the Executive Board of AS&F (positions include president, vice president of internal affairs, vice president of external affairs, vice president of finance, executive secretary, and chief justice) a student must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5 and retain that GPA to keep the position. Also they must have completed and passed 60 credit hours prior to their application.
Senators are elected to office every April, so look for announcements in the coming weeks to take advantage of that opportunity. The president, vice president of internal affairs, and vice president of external affairs are elected each November. Due to the lack of applicants for these positions, elections will be held again this semester in April, alongside the senator elections. The vice president of finance, executive secretary, and chief justice are appointed to their positions by the president-elect for the following academic year upon Senate approval.
Among the more lengthy changes to the constitution is the addition of descriptions pertaining to how AS&F functions. A more detailed outline of meetings, the documents involved in meetings, and member participation has been added to the Bylaws. The changes discussed by the Senate on Monday February 22 pertained to what qualifies as an AS&F Recognized Organization and who can receive funds from AS&F. An AS&F recognized organization is defined as an organization who participates in all AS&F required activities, including Homecoming events, ASC Cares Day(s), fundraisers, and community service projects. There are currently four outlined categories of AS&F recognized organizations including social clubs, academic clubs, recreational sport clubs, and service clubs. The definitions and requirements for each category can be found in the most current Bylaws Article X.
According to the changes, any organization that is not AS&F recognized can still request funding, but will not be granted as much money as AS&F recognized organizations. These changes have not officially been approved, but have so far received positive feedback from AS&F and students. Over the next two weeks the Constitutional Committee will discuss how to run elections and the budgetary process.
The tentative date for the new Constitution and Bylaws approval is the March 22 AS&F meeting. Any questions or concerns regarding the changes may be emailed to ascasf@adams.edu, attention: Constitution Committee. The updated documents with recent changes can be found on the AS&F facebook page and at the Senate office.
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