Student Union

By-Laws

Florida Gulf Coast University

Student Union Advisory Board

BYLAWS

Approved: September 19, 2007

Printable Version

Article I. Name

Section 1.01

This organization shall be known as the Florida Gulf Coast University Student Union Advisory Board. The Student Union Advisory Board is strictly advisory in nature and holds no executive authority regarding the operations of any facilities. Recommendations made by the Advisory Board are highly regarded and taken into consideration, but are not binding.

Article II. Objective

Section 2.01

To ensure that the Student Union serves as the community center for Florida Gulf Coast University.

Section 2.02

To create a partnership of students, faculty and staff to serve in an advisory role on all issues related to the Student Union, including recommending, reviewing and evaluating policies, services, programs and facilities.

Section 2.03

To solicit and evaluate input from all members of the University community.

Section 2.04

To take an active role in the vision and mission of the Student Union and Florida Gulf Coast University.

Section 2.05

To serve in an advisory capacity to the Vice President of Administrative Services and Finance and the Vice President of Student Affairs.

Article III. Membership

Section 3.01

The membership of the Advisory Board shall be by appointment of the President of the University or designee. All vacancies shall be open to all Florida Gulf Coast University students, faculty, staff and administrators. The membership of the advisory Board will consist of at least 13 voting members and two (2) ex-officio non-voting members.

Section 3.02

Membership to the Student Union Advisory Board will be by candidate application to the Marketing and Development Committee. The Marketing and Development Committee will make recommendations to the entire board on qualified candidates. The board, by simple majority vote, will move forward a slate of candidates by the last meeting of the spring for appointment to the board by the President of the University or his designee.
As openings become available throughout the year the Marketing and Development Committee may accept applications and bring forward recommendation to the board for appointment as needed.

Section 3.03

Standing members will represent a constituency at the University and that representation will be consistent year to year. Each standing member is required to sit on at least one committee. Each of the following constituencies will hold representation on the Advisory Board:

Two each:

FGCU Staff
FGCU Faculty

One student each:

Student Government
Student Clubs & Organizations
Housing
Athletics
International Students
Students with a Disability
Graduate Students
Commuter Students
Non-Traditional Undergraduate Students
Multi-Cultural Students

Section 3.04

If any position can not be filled by the appropriate designated representative, the Student Union Advisory Board can substitute another classification of standing member in an effort to ensure a complete board.

Section 3.05

The Director of The Office of Campus Involvement and the Coordinator of Campus Reservations and the Student Union will serve as ex-officio members. Additional Ex-officio members may be chosen by a simple majority vote of the board. Process for becoming an ex-officio member shall be by written request of the applicant to members of the Advisory Board. Ex-Officio members will have no voting rights at Advisory Board meetings, nor will they be counted for quorum.

Article IV. Officers

Section 4.01

The Student Union Advisory Board shall have a Chair, Vice-Chair, Treasurer and Secretary and all positions shall be held by student representatives. The Officers are identified from the slate of candidates presented at the last meeting of the spring semester, and the board will vote and elect officers by a simple majority.

Chair
The Chair of the Student Union Advisory Board will work in conjunction with the ex-officio members in setting meeting agendas. The Chair will also serve as the presiding officer at all meetings of the board; determining if quorum is present, calling the meeting to order and bringing business before the board according to the agenda. The Chair shall appoint a chair for each of the committees of the Student Union Advisory Board. The Chair shall be an ex-officio member of all committees, shall sign all necessary documents and paperwork and shall be responsible for forming all ad-hoc committees or task forces. The Chair will conduct all votes and determine and announce the results.

Vice-Chair
The Vice-Chair will be the liaison between the committees and the Chair and will ensure that committee reports are placed on meeting agendas. The Vice-Chair will serve in the absence of the Chair.

Secretary
The secretary is responsible for maintaining the Student Union Advisory Board meeting postings as well as taking transcription, sending and keeping of all meeting minutes. The secretary is responsible for recording attendance at meetings.

Treasurer
The treasurer Works with ex-officio members in preparing the annual budget, maintaining expense receipts and managing accounts payable. The Treasurer is also responsible for presenting monthly budget reports at the regular meetings.

Article V. Voting and Elections

Section 5.01

All standing members of the Student Union Advisory Board are eligible to vote.

Section 5.02

The annual election of officers shall take place at the last meeting of the spring semester and officers shall assume their offices May 1.

Section 5.03

The format for voting for the annual election of officers, recall of an officer, bylaws amendments, or other actions requiring a vote by the membership shall be determined by the Marketing and Development committee.

Section 5.04

The acceptable formats for elections are limited to: paper ballots, mailed ballots or an electronic ballot. If the membership waives the need for a secret ballot (section 5.05), a voice vote or show of hands may be used.

Section 5.05

Elections shall be by secret ballot unless a majority of those voting decide to waive the requirement.

Section 5.06

Results will be determined by a simple majority of those voting, with the exception of a recall of an officer and amendments to by-laws, which both require a 2/3 majority of those voting.

Section 5.07

Recall of an officer or Bylaw amendments can be proposed to the board by the Chair, or by petition of two-thirds of the voting membership of the board and shall be submitted at least 14 days prior to the vote.

Section 5.08

With a two-thirds majority of the board in favor, the board may vote to postpone deadlines of action.

Article VI. Rules of Order

Section 6.01

Robert's Rules of Order, Revised, shall govern in all cases not governed by the bylaws.

Article VII. Meetings

Section 7.01

The Student Union Advisory Board will meet once per month during the academic school year. Special meetings may be called by the Chair. All meetings are open to the public.

Section 7.02

Meetings will be announced at least one week prior with all available information, including time, place and agenda. Notice of meeting will be sent electronically to the email addresses provided by the members. Public Notice of meeting location, time and agenda will be posited on the Student Union Website and on the Student Union Advisory Board Bulletin Board at least 2 business days prior to the meeting.

Section 7.03

For a regularly scheduled meeting, quorum is not required to transact business. For non-regularly scheduled meetings, where notice is less than 14 calendar days, quorum is required. Quorum is defined as fifty percent plus one (50% + 1) of all voting members of the advisory board for the transaction of business. A meeting at which quorum is initially presented may continue to transact business notwithstanding the withdrawal of a member or members if action is taken by at least the majority present at time of vote.

Section 7.04

Regular meeting minutes shall be completed and recorded within 12 days after each Advisory Board meeting and shall be posted on the Student Union Website and on the Student Union Advisory Board Bulletin Board.

Section 7.05

When a Board Member is absent from a regular (not emergency) meeting, it is the member's responsibility to read the minutes prior to the next board meeting. This will be done to keep absent members current with the Board's activities. An absence from a meeting shall be an excused absence provided the following:

If the Chair is notified of the absence at least one (1) hour in advance of the meeting, or
A letter of intent to continue working on the Board is presented to and accepted by the board at the following scheduled meeting. Acceptance shall be indicated by a simple majority of the board present at said meeting.

After two (2) unexcused absences (per semester), the member will be dismissed from the board. The board will then proceed with replacement procedures.

Article VIII. Committees

There shall be standing committees of the board and a Chair of each committee will be appointed by the Chair of the board. Members shall include voting members of the Board and may include ex-officio members or other interested individuals. All standing committees shall be chaired by a voting member of the advisory board. Minutes shall be kept of each committee meeting. Standing committees can not appoint members without the advisory board approval.

Section 8.01 OPERATIONS AND ADMINISTRATION

The Operations and Administration Committee will review matters related to vendors, custodial, ADA and staffing services of the Student Union. This committee will forward recommendations to the Food Service Advisory Board, Bookstore Advisory Committee and the Student Union Management. This committee will also weigh in on University Policies and how those policies may impact the Student Union.

Section 8.02 LONG RANGE PLANNING

The Long Range Planning committee considers potential structural expansions, building improvements and services within the facility. This committee will review budget needs and space use and allocation.

Section 8.03 PROGRAMMING

The Programming Committee will be responsible for identifying and making recommendations on programming within the Student Union, including not only recommendations on event programming but on purpose and feel of the Student Union and its locations.

Section 8.04 MARKETING AND DEVELOPMENT

The Marketing and Development Committee will be responsible for making recommendations to the Board on membership including marketing, advertisement, recruitment and retention of members. They will move forward applications of qualified candidates interested in serving to the board for appointment.