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SGAEC Constitution and Bylaws

Article I: Name

The name of the organization shall be Student Government Association Executive Council (SGAEC) of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center.

Article II: Purpose and Responsibility

  • The Executive Council shall provide representation for all students at UTHSC and shall be empowered to represent, negotiate, and act on behalf of the student body in matters affecting the environment and lives of students at the University.
  • The SGAEC shall study matters of importance to students and submit recommendations expressing student views and concerns to the administration and faculty of the University.
  • On matters that affect the student body, the SGAEC will be called on to assist and cooperate in the promoting, clarifying, and implementation of these matters.
  • The SGAEC, in order to truly represent the interests, the concerns, and the wishes of the students at UTHSC shall, through its membership, be available and solicitous to all students, so as to become aware of and to act upon any problem or anticipation.
  • The SGAEC members shall serve as their college's representative and shall present the concerns, problems, and wishes of their constituency.

Article III: Membership

The membership of the SGAEC shall be as follows:

  • Each college at UTHSC shall be entitled to one representative on the SGAEC.
  • The president of each college's Student Government Association shall be considered that college's representative to the council, unless that college chooses to select their representative in another way.
  • There shall be no restriction on the length or number of times a representative may serve on the SGAEC.
  • Substitution: An official representative to the Council may designate a substitute from his/her college to attend Council meetings if it is impossible for that representative to attend. This privilege should be used only in emergency or unusual situations or when the representative must be away from school for academic requirements.
  • Election or Appointment: Elections or appointments for Council positions should be accomplished by April 1 of the Spring term.
  • There shall be one extra representative, elected from the college that is responsible for furnishing the President (i.e., one shall be the president of the SGAEC and the other to represent that college).
  • Ex-Officio Members:
    1. The Vice Chancellor for Academic, Faculty and Student Affairs and the Director of Student Life shall be ex-officio and non-voting members of the Council.
    2. The secretary of the SGAEC shall be a staff member from the Office of Student Life and shall be an ex-officio and non-voting member.
    3. The Office of Student Life staff members shall serve as ex-officio members and resource members as needed.

Article IV: Voting

  • Quorum: A quorum of (4) members must be present to transact official business.
  • An official representative to the SGAEC or a designated substitute is entitled to vote on all voting matters.
  • On all matters with exception of constitutional and bylaw changes, action will be decided by a simple majority of voting members present. By-law revisions and constitution changes require (4) votes of the council.
  • Absentee Voting: A representative may not proxy his vote to another representative, but may place a vote in absentia with the secretary prior to the meeting.
  • The President shall act as tie breaker on all voting matters.

Article V: Meetings

  • Meetings of the SGAEC shall be called by the president or the secretary. Any member of the Council may request a meeting to be held by requesting in writing or in person to the President, any officer, or the Director of Student Affairs that a meeting be held. The purpose of the requested meeting should be described.
  • The SGAEC shall meet at least one time per month when school is in session.
  • The SGAEC shall meet at least one time per month with the Chancellor or another designated administrative official.

Article VI: Officers of the Council

  • The officers of the SGAEC shall be: President and Vice President.
  • Office rotation system: The Presidency and Vice Presidency of the SGAEC shall be determined by a rotation plan that follows the order of the colleges and offices set forth below:
    1. Medicine
    2. Dentistry
    3. Pharmacy
    4. Nursing
    5. Graduate Health Sciences
    6. Health Professions
  • Ex.: When the College of Medicine holds the Presidency, the College of Dentistry holds the Vice Presidency. The following year the College of Dentistry holds the Presidency.
  • The secretary of the Council shall be provided by the Office Student Life.
  • Term of Office: The term of office shall be from July 1 to May 31.
  • Alteration to the rotation plan: In the event a college elects not to hold the office earned in the rotation system, that prescribed office is passed to the next college in the rotation system. Each additional office therefore passes to the next in line for the vacant office.

Article VII: Committees

  • Council members shall serve on a variety of campus-wide committees. These appointments shall be made by the President.
  • Each council member shall chair or co-chair a SGAEC committee. Committee chairs shall be designated by the President.
  • The President shall appoint standing committees as needed. Committees that require SGAEC representation include the following committees:
    1. Campus Improvement Fund Planning Committee
    2. Community Service Committee
    3. Enrollment Services and Bursar Advisory Committee
    4. Entertainment Committee
    5. Fitness Center Advisory Committee
    6. Student Assistance Committee
    7. Student Computer and Technology Committee
    8. Student-Faculty Disciplinary Appeals Committee
    9. Student Parking Appeals Committee
    10. Student Services Advisory Committee
    11. Yearbook Committee

Article VIII: Responsibilities of Members

Resposibilities of the President

  1. Serve on university-wide committees including Alumni Association Board of Governors, Board of Trustees and Student Counselors to the President
  2. Serve on campus-wide committees
  3. Be in communication with university administrators about all matters related to students
  4. Be in communication with Council members about all matters pertinent to the student body
  5. Set the agenda and call meetings of the Council

Responsibilities of Members

  1. Represent the interests of the students of their college to the SGAEC
  2. Serve on campus-wide committees as appointed by the President
  3. Chair SGAEC committees as appointed by the President

Appointments to UTHSC Boards or Committees

The SGAEC through its members shall be responsible for appointing their respective college representatives to the following committees or boards:

  1. Library Advisory Committee
  2. Parking Authority
  3. Student Health Advisory Committee

Programming Responsibility

The SGAEC shall be involved in the planning, administration and sponsorship of social, cultural, educational, and special events for students.

Article IX: Election of the Student Member Selection Process

Every four years the UTHSC campus will provide the student member. The SGAEC shall hold the selection process to name three students as nominees. These nominees will then be reviewed by the Chancellor and submitted to the Governor. The final appointment of this member is the duty of the Governor of the State of Tennessee.

Board of Trustees Student Member Selection Process

Selection Committee

  1. The Selection Committee is composed of the Student Government Association Executive Council. Should an Executive Council Member wish to apply for the position, then that person should appoint their vice-president or appropriate delegate to represent their college on the Selection Committee.
  2. Each member of the Selection Committee will have an equal vote during the selection process.
  3. All decisions of the Selection Committee will be made by a majority vote.
  4. The Selection Committee will approve the timetable at the beginning of the selection process.

Applications

  1. All UTHSC students except graduating seniors and students in the College of Social Work are eligible to apply.
  2. Each applicant must submit a CV and letter of intent to the Selection Committee.
  3. Each member of the Selection Committee must read and evaluate each CV and letter before the interviews begin.

Interviews

  1. The Selection Committee can exclude an applicant from receiving an interview by a majority vote.
  2. During the interviews, each applicant will be asked the same questions, which will be decided by the Selection committee before the interviews begin.
  3. Each applicant will be evaluated using the same format.

Selection

  1. The Selection committee will decide the numerical scale used to evaluate the applicants before the process begins.
  2. The three applicants with the highest scores will be sent to the Chancellor for approval before being sent to the Governor for final selection.
  3. In the event of a numerical tie, the Selection Committee will break the tie with a majority vote. If the Selection Committee is locked in a tie decision, the SGAEC President will break the tie.
Aug 14, 2023