osga constitution and bylaws

8/6/2019 OSGA Constitution and Bylaws

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The Ohio Student Government Associations

Constitution & Bylaws

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The Constitution of the Ohio Student Government Association

Article IEstablishment

Section 1: This Organization shall be known as the Ohio Student Government Association,henceforth known as OSGA.

Section 2: OSGA is an autonomous unified representation of student governments advocating andworking for the betterment of the student experience at Ohio public universities.

Article IIMembership

Section 1: Membership shall consist of the four-year public universities in Ohio.

Section 2: Each member institution shall select two Primary Delegates to represent their interests

with one or more secondary delegates. The Primary Delegates shall serve as the voting members.

Clause 1: In the absence of the primary delegate, a secondary delegate from that institution may

act as the voting member

Section 3: All member institutions shall be expected to pay registration fees and membership

dues as decided by the Executive Board and approved by the Presidents Council.

Clause 1: Member institutions who do not meet payment requirements shall maintain

representation while losing the power to vote.Clause 2: Member institutions may withdraw from OSGA.

Article IIIExecutive Board

Section 1: The Executive Board shall be the governing body of OSGA, and shall be comprised offour positions; Chair, Vice-Chair of Internal Affairs, Vice-Chair of Governmental Affairs, and

Vice-Chair of Financial Affairs.

Section 2: The Executive Board shall ensure the discussion of relevant events and educational

concerns.

Section 3: The Executive Board shall prepare materials to educate the membership and the

Presidents Council of relevant issues.

Section 4: The term of the members of the Executive Board shall equal the time from one spring

conference to the next.

Article IVPresidents Council

Section 1: The Presidents Council consists of the Chief Executive of the member institutions.

Section 2: The Presidents Council shall consist of a chair which rotates annually in alphabetical

order of the institutions.

Clause 1: The Chairs member institution must be current with their dues.

Section 3: The Presidents Council shall be responsible for approving the agenda, budget, fees,

and goals of OSGA annually.

Article VRatification and Amendments

Section 1: Of the four-year public institutions in Ohio, two-thirds of the Presidents Council shall

be required to vote in the affirmative in order for this Constitution to be ratified.Section 2: Any Amendment to this document shall require a two-thirds vote of the member

institutions in order to pass.


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The By-Laws of the Ohio Student Government Association

Article I The General Body

Section 101 Composition of the General Body

101. A. The General Body shall consist of all delegates from all member institutions.

101. B. The member institutions include:Associated Student Government of University of Akron

Undergraduate Student Government of Bowling Green State University

Student Government Association of Central State University

Student Government Association of University of Cincinnati

Student Government Association of Cleveland State University

Undergraduate Student Government of Kent State University

Associated Student Government of Miami University

Undergraduate Student Government of The Ohio State University

Student Senate of Ohio University

Associated Student Government of Shawnee State University

Student Government of University of Toledo

Student Government of Wright State UniversityStudent Government Association of Youngstown State University

101. C. To be a voting member, institutions must pay dues as set by the Presidents Council.

101. D. Each member institution shall receive two votes, regardless of delegation size.

101. E. Each member institution shall be represented by two primary delegates and one or moresecondary representatives.

1. Primary Delegates shall have the right to vote.

2. Primary Delegates, with advice from secondary representatives, must submit a report

to their member institution of the actions taken by OSGA.

3. Primary Delegates shall be appointed by official processes outlined by member

institutions.

a. A member institutions Chief Executive cannot serve as a Primary Delegate.

b. Alternates may be designated by the respective home institutions should aPrimary Delegate be unable to carry out his/her duties.

4. Primary Delegates cannot be an OSGA Executive; Primary Delegates cannot be on the

OSGA Presidents Council.

101. F. Secondary Representatives shall be those persons from member institutions who are not

Primary Delegates; affiliated with the OSGA Executive Board; or Presidents Council.

1. A member institution must have at least one Secondary Representative present for a

Conference.

101. G. The Chair of the General Body shall be the Chair of OSGA.

101. H. OSGA shall work in partnership with the Inter-University Council of Ohio (IUC).

Section 102: The General Body102. A.The General Body shall have the sole power to legislate on matters that are relevant to the

purposes and goals ofOSGA.

102. B. The General Body must meet at least twice an academic year, in person, to vote on

motions and discuss items pertinent to OSGA and its member institutions.

102. C. Any member institution, through their Primary Delegates, may submit legislation to be

considered by the General Body.

1. Legislation must be submitted to the Vice-Chair of Internal Affairs two (2) weeks prior

to the official start of each conference.


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2. The Vice-Chair for Internal Affairs must disburse a complete record of all submitted

legislation at least one (1) week prior to the conference.

102. D. The General Body shall appropriate funds through resolution, withadvice from the Vice

Chair of Financial Affairs, for projects and necessities deemed relevant to the purposes of OSGA.

102. E. The General Body, through resolution, may create standing committees of OSGA.1. Committees shall work in accordance with the Chair and Vice-Chairs of OSGA.

2. Committees shall be chaired by a member of the OSGA Executive Board or his/herdesignee.

a. A Vice-Chair shall be selected from the members of the Committee.

3. Standing committees rules and procedures shall be entered into OSGA Standing Rules.

102. F. To conduct business, the Conference Chair must officially open the conference for

business.

1. Before officially opening business, a Parliamentarian and Secretary(s) must be

appointed by the Conference Chair.

a. This appointment requires no vote from the General Body.

2. The Parliamentarian will be selected from the General Body.

a. The Parliamentarian shall be the sole executor of decisions concerning

parliamentary procedureb. The Parliamentarian shall act upon the most recent edition of Roberts Rules of

Order

c. The Parliamentarian may not serve as a Primary Delegate for any institution.

d. The Parliamentarian may not be an OSGA Executive or be affiliated with thePresidents Council.

e. The Parliamentarian shall not vote.

3. The Secretary(s) will be selected from the General Body.

a. The Secretary shall be the sole executor of the minutes of each session of the

General Body.

b. All votes and other information concerning motions and business of the

General Body shall be recorded for public dissemination except in cases of

executive session.c. The Secretary may not serve as a Primary Delegate for any institution.

d. The Secretary may not be an OSGA Executive or be affiliated with the

Presidents Council.

e. At the official close of each conference, the Secretary must present the Vice-

Chair of Internal Affairs a complete set of minutes and records of the conference.

f. The secretary shall not vote.

102. G. The General Body shall have the sole power of impeachment and removal of any officer

of OSGA.

1. During impeachment trials, only Primary Delegates shall have the right to vote.

Article II The Executive Board

Section 201: The Executive Board

201. A.There shall be an OSGA Executive Board, overseen by the OSGA Chair. The Board shall

consist of the OSGA Chair, a Vice-Chair of Internal Affairs, a Vice-Chair of Governmental

Affairs, and a Vice-Chair of Financial Affairs.

201. B.Executive Board members shall not serve as Primary Delegates for their respective home

institutions; Executive Board members shall not serve on the Presidents Council.


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201. C. The Executive Board must meet monthly, either in person or through other means, to

coordinate the efforts of OSGA and to discuss pertinent issues of the member institutions.

201. D. The Executive Board must meet in person at least four (4) times per academic year to

discuss items pertinent to OSGA and its member institutions, as well as accept grievances and

complaints from member institutions.

Section 202: The Powers and Duties of the Chair of OSGA202. A.To preside over the General Body and vote only in the event of a tie.

202. B.To call the General Body or Executive Board into executive session.

202. C. To appoint a Parliamentarian and Secretary for all General Body sessions and meetings

held outside of conferences.

202. D. To appoint members to standing committees with the majority consent of the General

Body.

202. E. To create and appoint members to ad-hoc committees to OSGA.

202. F.To implement all appropriate proposals passed by the Presidents Council and General

Body.

202. G. To act as the official representative and liaison of the General Body at all official

functions.

202. H. To assume final responsibility for the proper execution of the decisions and desires of thePresidents Council and the General Body.

202. I. To submit a detailed agenda of goals and expectations for the upcoming academic year to

the Presidents Council for approval.

202. J. To serve as the official representative of OSGA at all functions.202. K.To uphold and support the Constitution and By-Laws of OSGA.

Section 203: The Powers and Duties of the Vice-Chair of Internal Affairs

203. A. To take responsibility for all activities of OSGA in areas of communications, publicity,

graphic design, and public relations.

203. B. To serve as the main contact between OSGA and member institutions.

203. C.To coordinate conferences with the OSGA Chair, Conference Chair, and hostinginstitution.

203. D.To coordinate monthly conference calls and/or meetings.

203. E.To facilitate conversations between student governments regarding pertinent issues within

OSGA.

203. F. To disseminate information to member institutions as needed.

203. G. To serve as the official repository of all minutes and legislation of OSGA.

203. H.To uphold and support the Constitution and By-Laws of OSGA.

Section 204: The Powers and Duties of the Vice-Chair of Governmental Affairs

204. A.To lead and coordinate legislative and political activities deemed relevant to the missionand goals of OSGA.

204. B. To maintain current records of all issues that affect member institutions.204. C. To establish and maintain contact with legislators and departments in regards to pertinent

issues within OSGA.

1. These include but are not limited to:

a. Inter-University Council of Ohio

b. Ohio General Assembly

c. Ohio Board of Regents

d. Ohio Department of Education

204. D.To communicate matters regarding governmental affairs to OSGA regularly.


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204. E.To uphold and support the Constitution and By-Laws of OSGA.

Section 205: The Powers and Duties of the Vice-Chair of Financial Affairs

205. A.To take responsibility for all financial and legal matters of OSGA.

205. B.To construct an annual budget with collaboration from the Chair of OSGA, The Chair ofthe Presidents Council, and all Chairs of Standing Committees, or their respective designees.

205. C. To submit documents to the Presidents Council regarding the solicitation and payment ofmembership dues.

1. The document shall include but is not limited to:

a. The projected amount of dues to be solicited by OSGA

2. The document shall be submitted to Presidents Council by July 1.

205. D.To execute payments, solicit dues and accept responsibility for those actions.

205. E.To ensure fiscal responsibility of OSGA.

1. This includes but is not limited to:

a. Maintaining a bank account and performing bookkeeping duties for all OSGA

funds

b. Submit budgets for all subdivisions of OSGA

c. Produce monthly expenditure reports of all OSGA subdivisions

205. F. To maintain the legal status of OSGA with the Secretary of State for the State of Ohio.205. G.To uphold and support the Constitution and By-Laws of OSGA.

Section 206: Ad-hoc Committees

206. A. The General Body may create and charge an ad-hoc committee.206. B. The Chair may create and charge any ad-hoc committee.

206. C. The respective Vice-Chairs may create and charge up to two ad-hoc committees.

206. D. Upon creation, the committee chair or their designee must produce a monthly report to

the Vice-Chair of Internal Affairs until dissolution.

206. E. Committee meetings shall be determined by the Chair of the committee.

206. F. A Committee may be dissolved by the officer who created it or a resolution from the

General Body.

Article III The Presidents Council

Section 301: Membership of the Presidents Council

301. A.Membership on the Presidents Council shall consist of the Chief Executive of each of the

OSGA member institutions.

301. B. Chief Executives whose member institutions do not meet payment requirements shall

maintain representation; however, shall not have the power to vote on the Council.

301. C. The term of each Presidents Council member shall expire on June 30, regardless of

member institutions election calendar.

301. D. If the Chief Executive of a member institution serves on the Executive Board, theposition within the Presidents Council shall be filled by the next-highest ranking officer from that

member institution.

Section 302: The Chair of the Presidents Council

302. A.The Chair of the Presidents Council shall rotate annually among the member institutions

in alphabetical order.

302. B.The Chair's member institution must be current with its dues.

1. If a member institution is not current with their dues, the chairmanship is passed to the

Chief Executive of the next institution in alphabetical order.


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302. C.The Chair shall be responsible for calling the Council to session and presiding over the

Council while in session.

302. D. The Chair shall only vote in the event of a tie.

302. E. If the Chair is unable to fill his/her duties due to resignation or removal at either their

home institution or OSGA, the responsibilities of the Chair shall fall to the voting memberinstitution two spaces before the removed Chair.

1. The new Chair shall complete the remainder of the term. Following the terms end, thechairmanship shall return to the member institution whose name alphabetically follows

the institution of the removed Chair.

Section 303: The Powers and Duties of the Presidents Council

303. A.To approve the goals of OSGA annually with a majority vote in accordance with the

Chair of OSGA.

303. B. To approve the OSGA agenda for the upcoming academic year with a majority vote.

1. The agenda must be submitted to the incoming Presidents Council no later than July 1.

2. The agenda must be approved by the incoming Presidents Council no later than August

1.

303. C.To amend the OSGA agenda for the upcoming academic year as necessary, with advice

from the Chair of OSGA.303. D.To approve or amend the documents submitted by the Vice-Chair of Financial Affairs in

regards to the support of solicitation of dues and their payment.

1. The Presidents Council may amend the document submitted with a two-thirds (2/3)

majority.2. The budget must be submitted to the incoming Presidents Council by no later than July

1.

3. The Presidents Council must approve the document by no later than August 1.

303. E. To review quarterly the expenditures incurred by OSGA and inquire further in regards to

any discrepancies between financial statements.

303. F. The Presidents Council must meet, in person, at least three (3) times, in the fall, spring,

and summer, to discuss matters pertinent to OSGA and its member institutions.

303. G. During trials of Impeachment, the Presidents Council shall investigate the charges againstthe officer in question and present their findings to the General Body before a vote can be taken.

1. This presentation is done under executive session.

Article IV Elections, Nominations, and Qualifications

Section 401: Qualifications

401. A. All candidates for any office must be full-time students at any member institution.

401. B. No candidate may be on academic or disciplinary probation at their home institution.

401. C. All candidates for any office must have at least one (1) academic period remaining before

their anticipated date of graduation.

Section 402: Elections of Chair and Vice-Chairs of OSGA402. A. Officers elections shall take place at the spring meeting of the General Body.

402. B.A simple majority of the General Body shall decide elections.

402. C. Each candidate for office must submit an elections packet in order to run for office.

1. The elections packet shall include but is not limited to:

a. A letter of intent to run

b. A letter of support from the home institutions advisor to Student Government

c. A letter of support from one member of the home institutions Student

Government


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2. The elections packet must be received by the Vice-Chair for Internal Affairs two (2)

weeks prior to the scheduled election.

3. Only complete elections packets shall be disseminated, all others shall be disqualified

and not seen as an official intent to run.

a. If an incomplete packet is put forward and reviewed prior to the submissiondeadline, the Vice-Chair for Internal Affairs shall notify applicant of missing

sections of the packet and, time permitting, allow for submission of missingdocuments

4. The Vice-Chair for Internal Affairs must disseminate all completed packets at least one

(1) week prior to the scheduled election.

402. D. During the election, each candidate shall be given time to explain their intent.

1. The candidate shall receive two (2) minutes to speak on intent and qualifications.

2. The Chair shall then preside over seven (7) minutes of questions unless otherwise

extended.

402. E. At the conclusion of the last seven (7) minutes of questions for each office, the General

Body will move into debate.

402. F. If the General Body feels so inclined they may move into Executive Session at anytime

during debate.

1. If the General Body moves into Executive Session, the Chair, Parliamentarian, andPrimary Delegates will be the only individuals within the chamber, unless the motion

stipulates otherwise.

402. G. If no candidate, or only one candidate, submits a completed elections packet for a specific

office, nominations shall be taken from the floor.1. If only one candidate appears on the ballot following the nomination period, he/she

shall be subject to a vote of approval from the General Body.

a. If the candidate fails to achieve a majority of votes from the General Body, the

candidate is denied the position; The Presidents Council shall be charged with

presenting a candidate(s) to the General Body within three (3) weeks.

2. If no candidate appears on the ballot following the nomination period, then the

Presidents Council shall be charged with presenting a candidate(s) to the General Body

within three (3) weeks.402. H. An Executive Board-elect shall officially be recognized as a member of his/her home

institutions Student Government.

402. I. Should an Executive Board officer-elect run for a position at his/her Sponsoring

Institution, and fail to win the position for which he/she is running for at their home institution,

the officer-elect shall not be required to forfeit his/her officer position within OSGA.

1. Primary Delegates, not Executive Board or Presidents Council members, shall act as the

primary liaison between his/her student government and OSGA.

Section 403: Succession of OSGA Executive Board Members

403. A.If the Chair of OSGA is unable to complete his/her term in office, the line of successionshall be:

1. The Vice-Chair of Internal Affairs2. The Vice-Chair of Governmental Affairs

3. The Vice-Chair of Financial Affairs

403. B. If a current Executive Board member must leave office for any reason, the current

Executive Board will notify each member institution of the vacant seat.

1. If a candidate wishes to apply for this office he/she must submit a completed elections

packet as specified in 402.C.

2. The Executive Board will set the time frame in which candidates will be able to submit

packets and the choosing of a new officer.


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3. The Executive Board will then choose one (1) qualified candidate to fill out the

remaining time of the term.

4. If the Executive Board deems it unnecessary to fill the position, they may wait until a

Special Election can be called at the next meeting of the General Body.

a. The Special Election would follow the same guidelines specified in 402.Cthrough 402.I.

b. A candidate must be installed by two (2) weeks after the special election.Section 404: Appointments

404. A. Committee appointments may be made by the Executive Officer who charged the

committee.

404. B. If an appointment discrepancy arises between two Executive Board members, the

decision shall be taken to the Presidents Council where a simple majority vote will end the

discrepancy.

Section 405: Term Lengths

405. A. The term of office for the Executive Board is the duration of one year, beginning

immediately following the closing of the Spring Conference, and ending after the

adjournment of the next years Spring Conference.

1. Outgoing Executive Board members shall serve Ex-Officio to the OSGA ExecutiveBoard through a transition period defined as the Spring Conference through July 1.

405. B. The term of office for the members of the Presidents Council is the duration of one

calendar year, beginning on July 1, regardless of member institution sessions, and ending

on June 30, regardless of member institution sessions.405. C. The term of office for Primary Delegates shall be left to the elective processes and

discretion of the member institutions.

405. D. The term of office for the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Conference lasts from the day that

the host institution has been chosen until they are dismissed from the title by the executive

board, or another conference becomes scheduled.

405. E. The term of office for the Parliamentarian is the duration of the Conference.

405. F. The term of office for the Secretary is the duration of the conference.

Article V Voting Procedure

Section 501: Normal Voting Procedure

501. A. Voting Procedure for all entities within OSGA shall consist of a mixed negative

parliamentarian system.

1. Voting members may vote, in either the affirmative or the negative, at the meeting of

the their specific body

2. Primary delegates who are not present at the meeting of the General Body may vote in

the affirmative or negative through submission of an official ballot.a. The official ballots will be disseminated by Vice-Chair for Internal Affairs

b. The official ballots must contain the following:i. The institutions name

ii. The official record of the affirmative or negative vote

iii. The signature of the Primary delegate

iv. The resolution for which the ballot is cast

c. Each Primary delegate must submit a separate official ballot

3. If a vote is not submitted by a member institutions Primary delegate, the vote will be

counted in the affirmative according to a negative parliamentarian model.


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501. B. At their discretion, a Primary Delegate may abstain from voting. Abstentions are not

counted as for or against the motion; however, if enough Delegates abstain such that less than

quorum is voting on the motion, then the motion is considered to have failed.

Article VI - Conferences

Section 601: Bidding for a Conference601. A. Member institutions that wish to host the conference must submit a Conference Bid

Packet.

1. The Packet will include but is not limited to:

a. A signed letter of intent from the Chair and Vice-Chair of the conference from

the home institution

b. A signed letter of support from the advisors from the home institutions

c. A signed letter of support from the Chief Executive from the home institution

d. Draft Schedule of Events that would include time for a meeting of the General

Body, Presidents Council and Executive Board

e. A brief overview of the location in which the conference would be held

f. A budget of the conference and all fees associated with the conference

g. A designated chair and vice-chair of the conferenceh. Details for housing the delegates (only if the conference is scheduled to last

more than one day.)

2. If the Conference Bid Packet is does not fulfill all requirements it is disqualified, and

will not be recognized as an official request to host.a. If an incomplete packet is put forward and reviewed prior to the submission

deadline, the Vice-Chair for Internal Affairs will notify the applicant of missing

sections of the packet and, time permitting, allow for submission of missing documents

601. B. The Presidents Council, with advice from the Vice-Chair of Internal Affairs, will select,

by majority vote of those institutions present, the host institution.

601. C. A Conference Bid Packet that is submitted at the Fall Conference will be an official

request to host the next Fall Conference.

601. D. A Conference Bid Packet that is submitted at the Spring Conference will be an officialrequest to host the next Spring Conference.

601. E. The Conference Bid Packet must be submitted to the Vice-Chair of Internal Affairs four

(4) weeks prior to either the Fall or Spring Conferences.

601. F. The Vice-Chair for Internal Affairs must disseminate all completed Conference Bid

Packets to member institutions three (3) weeks prior to the Fall or Spring Conferences.

601. G. If no institution submits a complete Conference Bid Packet, the Presidents Council must

choose a host institution within thirty (30) days of the end of the conference.

Section 602: Conference Staff

602. A. The Conference Chair and Vice-Chair shall serve a term from selection of ConferenceBid to conclusion of Conference.

1. The Conference Chair shall serve as an Ex-Officio member of the Executive Boarduntil his/her term expires.

602. B. The Conference Chair and Vice-Chair are responsible for the creation of a Conference

Staff at the host institution.

1. The Conference Chair, Conference Vice-Chair and Conference Staff are responsible

for execution of the following:

a. two (2) sessions of the General Body

b. two (2) sessions of the Presidents Council

i. one (1) business meeting


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ii. one (1) Conference bid packet reading session

c. one (1) business meeting for the Executive Board

d. four (4) opportunities for programming and other meetings

e. Conference binders for each attending delegate/representative which will

include but is not limited to the following:i. a schedule of events

ii. all supporting documents for each agenda itemiii. other applicable documents

Article VII - Unbecoming Conduct and Repercussion

Section 701: Conflict of Interests

701. A.No member of the Executive Board or the Presidents Council shall serve as a Primary

Delegate within the General Body for their respective institution.

1. The selection of Primary Delegates must be made before the official commencement of

business at each OSGA Conference.

2. Primary Delegates may be any member of the student government from the member

institution.

3. Primary Delegates must be directly designated by the official processes determined byeach of the representative institutions; the Chief Executive of a member institution cannot

designate himself/herself as a Primary Delegate.

701. B. The Chair of the Presidents Council is still the representative for their institution on the

Presidents Council and may only vote in the event of a tie.

Section 702: Articles of Impeachment

702. A. Censure shall be defined as the formal condemnation of a member of the OSGA.

1. Censure shall only be imposed at general conferences of the General Body.

2. Motions for censure shall be initiated by resolution. Those subject to censure must be

notified at least seven (7) days prior to any vote on the resolution of his or her censure.

3. Only Primary Delegates, Executive Board members and Presidents Council affiliates

are subjected to Censure from OSGA.4. Those subject to censure shall be permitted to speak before the General Body in

rebuttal to any charges brought against them.

5. OSGA will make recommendation for a member institution to take action against

persons performing a censurable action(s) within the scope of that member institutions

powers.

702. B.Impeachment shall be defined as the initiation of, inquiry into, and arbitration of formal

charges against a member of OSGA

1. Grounds for impeachment shall be in accordance with the most recent version of

Roberts Rules of Order.

2. Proceedings shall be initiated by resolution. Those subject to impeachment shall benotified at least seven (7) days prior to any vote on the resolution of his or her

impeachment.3. Impeachment proceedings shall be conducted in general meetings of the General Body.

4. Only those persons holding an officer position are subject to impeachment; Primary

Delegates may be dismissed by their home institution.

702. C. The OSGA Chair may not chair his or her own impeachment.

702. D. If a member of the Executive Board is dishonorably removed from his/her position at

his/her home institution, or resigns, he/she forfeits their position within OSGA.

1. Dishonorable removal is synonymous with forceful impeachment.


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2. Executive Board elects who are not re-elected to their student government by

their member institutions are covered by 402.I.

Article VIII Amendments

Section 801: Amendments

801.A By Two-Thirds (2/3) majority vote, these By-Laws may be amended.1. Before a vote to amend the By-Laws can be taken, each Primary Delegate must be

given considerable time to read the proposition and explain the proposed amendment(s)

to their respective Member Institutions. Members of the Presidents Council must be

notified of all proposed amendments and outcomes. See 102.C

a. Official grievances regarding the procedure of the Amendment process shall be

filed with the Chair of OSGA by a sitting Presidents Council member within 72

hours of the official notification.

b. The Presidents Council shall arbitrate any grievances regarding the

Amendment process.

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