Bylaws

Article 1: Officers

Section I: General Expectations of All Officers

A. All Student Council officers are expected to uphold the duties of their office with the utmost integrity, provide ethical leadership, and demonstrate respect for all students’ needs.

B. Officers are expected to:

• i. Hold themselves to the expectation and standards as outlined in the Student Handbook and commit to holding their peers accountable to these standards.

• ii. Take initiative and seek out opportunities to enhance the student experience.

• iii. Set aside personal opinions and biases to advocate for the needs of the student body.

• iv. Maintain communication with appropriate campus entities and engage in meaningful partnerships.

C. Officers additionally in their roles as committee chairpersons are expected to:

• i. Oversee their respective standing committee.

• ii. Represent the interests of their respective committees in the Student Council and to other constituents across campus.

• iii. Maintain accurate records of committee meetings.

• iv. Maintain the authority to create committee structure and appoint members as outlined in their committee’s procedures and Student Council bylaws.

Section II: Eligibility and Qualifications

A. To be eligible for election:

• i. Officers must be fully enrolled in Kenyon College and be in good academic, conduct, and financial standing with the College.

• ii. Must have an earned 2.50 cumulative grade point average at the time of eligibility verification.

• iii. Must plan to attend courses on Kenyon’s campus for the entire academic year in which they are running to be an officer. Students planning to study entirely off campus for any part of the academic year (or in the case of a special election, the remainder of the officer’s term) are not eligible.

B. To qualify for certain types of elections:

• i. Candidates for the Student Council President must have had a minimum one full academic year of experience as either a Student Council officer or member of a Student Council committee, excluding ad hoc committees.

• ii. Candidates for any officer except for Student Council President and Class Presidents that chairs a committee must have at least one full semester of experience as a member of the committee for which the officer chairs.

• iii. Candidates for Class Presidents and any other office specific to a class year must be from that class year.

• iv. Individuals may only run for one position per election.

• v. If after the end of the nominating period there is no candidate that meets all the eligibility criteria of part b of this section, any student who meets all the eligibility criteria of part a of this section (as verified by the Vice President for Student Life and the Office of Student Engagement) shall be allowed to run for the position so long as they officially nominate themselves before the start of the voting period. This must be communicated to the entire student body through a common form of communication if this scenario arises.

Section III: Specific Officer Responsibilities

A. The President of Student Council is to:

• i. Preside over all meetings of Student Council.

• ii. Enforce the practices and procedures outlined in the Student Council bylaws.

• iii. Foster an atmosphere within the Student Council where all interests of the student body are being heard.

• iv. Oversee the work of the standing and ad hoc committees while not serving on any committee in an official capacity.

• v. Act as a liaison between the students, the President, and the Vice President for Student Affairs for the College.

• vi. Cast a vote only in the event of a tie in all general and specialized meetings of student council members.

• vii. Fulfill other duties as assigned by the Student Council advisor.

• viii. In the case of an absence of a president, such as in the event of resignation or impeachment, the Executive Committee shall nominate a voting member of Student Council to serve as acting president, who shall be confirmed by a 2/3 majority vote.

B. The Vice President of Academic Affairs is to:

•  i. Serve as the Chair of the Academic Affairs Committee.

• ii. Serve as a liaison between the Division of Academic Affairs and the student body.

• iii. Meet regularly with the Dean of Academic Advising and Provost (or designee).

• iv. In the event of a short-term, temporary absence of the President, assume the responsibilities and duties of the president until they return.

• v. Fulfill other duties as assigned by the Student Council President and/or advisor.

C. The Vice President of Student Life is to:

• i. Serve as the Chair of the Student Life Committee.

• ii. Facilitate campus-wide student government officer elections.

• iii. Promote and identify opportunities to enrich the quality of life on campus.

• iv. Meet regularly with the Dean of Students and the Director of Student Engagement (or designee).

• v. Conduct one weekly office hour in the Office of Student Engagement per week to review and work with student organizations.

• vi. Fulfill other duties as assigned by the Student Council President and/or advisor.

D. The Vice President for Business and Finance is to:

• i. Serve as the chair of the Business and Finance Committee and all responsibilities that come along with that role as discussed with the advisor.

• ii. Monitor the business and financial matters of the Student Council and registered student organizations.

• iii. Conduct 1 weekly office hour in the Office of Student Engagement per week to review and work with student organizations.

• iv. Manage the Fun Funds Committee.

• v. Fulfill other duties as assigned by the Student Council President and/or advisor.

E. The Vice President for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility is to:

• i. Serve as the chair of the DEIA Committee.

• ii. Promote diversity and inclusion events that are coming up to the Student Body and the Student Council.

• iii. Promote a lens of DEIA in all work done by the council, its executive committee, and other standing/class/ad hoc committees.

• iv. Work with the Affinity Group Collective to garner a holistic opinion on policy coming from the Student Council and other areas of the college.

• v. Fulfill other duties as assigned by the Student Council President and/or advisor.

F. Senate Co-Chair is to:

• i. Keep the Council up to date on the discussions of the Senate and the reports from the Faculty and Staff Council.

• ii. Promote the issues raised by the student council to the Senate and its respective coordinating bodies.

• iii. Coordinate the approval of Student Council bylaws with the Senate

• iv. Fulfill other duties as assigned by the Advisor

G. All Class Presidents are to:

• i. Provide oversight to their respective class committees.

• ii. Represent the interests of the respective class committees in Student Council and to other parties across campus.

• iii. Maintain and report accurate records of class committee meetings. 

• iv. Fulfill other duties as assigned by the Student Council President and/or advisor.

H. Standing Committee Chairpersons are to:

• i. Serve as the chair of their respective committees and regularly convene meetings.

• ii. Monitor and report student concerns for their respective areas to the proper college administrators.

• iii. Maintain and report accurate records of standing committee meetings.

• iv. Fulfill other duties as assigned by the Student Council President and/or advisor.

I. The Director of Operations is to:

• i. Be appointed by the Student Council Executive Committee in August of each year, as well as if the position becomes vacant. The Executive Committee shall determine the appointment process, which must be open, fair, and include incoming first year students. The Executive Committee may also, by majority vote, choose to re-appoint a current Director of Operations without an appointment process.

• ii. Attend, provide support, and have a voice in all general and executive meetings of Student Council.

• iii. Act as a liaison between the student body (and the campus as a whole) and Student Council by coordinating public relations efforts, including maintaining general communication via email, KCon and social media.

  • a. The Director of Operations shall be responsible for sending out in a timely manner the minutes and agendas for general meetings via a form of communication accessible to all students and employees.

• iv. Coordinate communication within the Student Council and maintain regular communication with the Student Council President.

• v. Maintain accurate minutes of all general and executive meetings. General meeting minutes shall be made accessible to all students and employees, while executive meeting minutes shall only be accessible to Student Council officers.

• vi. Act as the council’s Parliamentarian in coordination with the President, interpreting the bylaws in a neutral manner.

• vii. Fulfill other duties as assigned by the Student Council President and/or advisor.

J. It is recommended that the special interest representatives:

• i. Represent their special interest populations.

  • a. Including but not limited to: Kenyon Student Athlete Advisory Committee, Greek Life, and Social Board

• ii. Attend regularly as their issues and needs pertaining to their interest groups arise, or as stipulated by the council.

• iii. Do not vote on Student Council, but hold a voice pertaining to their interest Groups.

• iv. Are selected internally by their own organizations' pre-existing processes.

Section IV: Removal and Resignation from Office

A. All appointed or elected officers of the Student Council are subject to removal from office.

B. Officers may face removal for one or more of the following reasons:

• i. Failure to perform the function of their office.

• ii. Failure to meet officer eligibility requirements.

• iii. Failure to execute regularly assigned responsibilities and meet the obligations of the Student Council.

C. The Student Council advisor and President shall facilitate the removal from office process:

• i. In the case of the President facing removal from office, the Vice President for Academic Affairs will facilitate this with the advisor.

D. If an officer decides that they can no longer faithfully fulfill their duties as outlined in the constitution and bylaws, the officer reserves the right to resign from their position through the following process:

• i. Firstly, notifying the Executive committee as soon as possible prior to their last general meeting.

• ii. Secondly, notifying their committee prior to their last general meeting, and discussing the procedure for filling a vacancy as laid out in article 2 section VII of the bylaws.

• iii. Thirdly, resubmitting an up to date roster of their committee membership for the academic year.

E. The vacancy shall be filled via the process laid out in Article 2, Section VII of the bylaws.

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Article 2: Elections

Section I: Timing of General Elections

A. There shall be two general elections annually. Each office shall only be up for election in one of the two.

• i. The following offices shall be elected during the eleventh week of the spring semester of each academic year: Student Council President, all Vice Presidents, all Committee Chairs, and Class Presidents for the following academic year’s senior, junior, and sophomore classes.

• ii. The following offices shall be elected within the first four weeks of the fall semester of each academic year: First Year Class President and Hall Representatives to the First Year Class Committee.

B. The nominating and campaigning periods for each election shall be determined by the Vice President for Student Life in conjunction with the Office of Student Engagement. The nominating period shall be no shorter than five days and must end before the start of the campaigning period. The campaigning period shall not be shorter than five days or longer than ten days and must end before the start of the voting period.

C. The Executive Committee shall reserve the right to make any alterations to the election calendar within the bounds of preceding requirements under Section 1 through a majority vote before the start of the nomination period as long as they are consistent with the bylaws.

D. The President, Vice President for Student Life and/or Director of Operations shall clearly communicate to the entire campus the election timeline and any changes to it through a common form of communication, such as an email sent via Student Info and Employee Info.

Section II: Nominations and Process of Determining Candidate Eligibility

A. All eligible students shall be able to nominate themselves through an accessible online form. Nominations shall only be for oneself and not on behalf of someone else and must be done through the official process.

B. The questions asked on the nomination form shall be decided by the Student Life Committee and must be neutral and relevant in nature.

C. Candidate eligibility shall be verified by the Vice President for Student Life in conjunction with the Office of Student Engagement once a candidate has completed the nomination form for themself.

D. All candidates must be notified of whether they do or do not meet eligibility requirements before the start of the campaigning period.

Section III: Campaign Process and Regulations

A. Campaigning shall only occur during the campaigning period.

B. Regulations shall apply to each person as an individual and are as follows:

C. No individual, group or organization may provide any money or item in exchange for a vote or any action on behalf of any candidate, including themself. The only exception to this policy are items such as stickers and buttons that are solely intended to allow individual students to personally display their support of a candidate and that lose their relevance once the election is over. Any vote that is in violation of this clause shall not be counted. This clause shall be judged on intent, not explicit message.

D. Each candidate shall be limited to 25 posters/flyers. Items intended for personal display that are permitted under clause C above are exempt from this limit.

• i. Posters/flyers may only be posted on bulletin boards and other surfaces designed for such communication, and must be posted on college property.

• ii. Posting may not occur on entryway doors to any campus buildings.

• iii. All posters must be stamped for approval by the Office of Student Engagement before being posted.

E. All candidates may send up to one email message to the campus community to promote their candidacy, which must be sent via allstu or student info (not both).

• i. This email shall not contain the link to the poll site.

• ii. Endorsements coming from individuals or student organizations shall not be posted through all campus forms of communication, including student info, allstu, or flyers.

• iii. Social media endorsements are permitted, and student organizations are permitted to email endorsements to their dislists.

• iv. Any endorsement must not reference other candidates and must be issued during the campaign period.

F. All individuals and campaign materials must follow all college policies, such as those laid out in Kenyon’s Student Handbook. All candidates shall be responsible for all campaign materials supporting their election regardless of their origin.

G. All printed materials shall be removed from public spaces within 24 hours of the completion of the election process.

H. Failure to comply with the above procedures may result in penalties and/or disqualification, possibly including from future elections, at the discretion of the Vice President for Student Life and the Dean of Students, both of whom must approve any penalty. The college reserves the right to enforce its policies regardless of electoral circumstance.

Section IV: Voting Procedure

A. Voting shall occur for five days during the week the election is scheduled.

• i. For the general election to the First Year Class Committee and First Year Class President, the Vice President for Student Life in conjunction with the Director of the First Year Experience and Director of Student Engagement may forgo this requirement.

B. All current students shall be eligible to vote for Student Council President, all Vice Presidents, and all Committee Chairs as well as the class president of their class year. Students shall not be eligible to vote for any office that does not have jurisdiction over their class year.

C. Voting shall use the first-past-the-post system. All voters shall vote for one candidate per office to each office to which they are eligible to vote for and the candidate for each office with the most votes shall win.

D. Ballots shall be sent to all current students by the Office of Student Engagement in collaboration with the Student Council Advisor at the start of the voting period through a common form of communication, such as an email. Students shall access their ballot via a personalized Qualtrics link that ensures that the vote is secure and confidential. Balloting shall close at the end of the voting period.

E. All eligible votes shall be weighted equally, with one exception: any student who is scheduled to graduate during or at the end of the current semester shall for any election held during that semester have their eligible votes weighted as half as much as all other votes cast.

Section V: Post-election Procedures

A. After the end of the voting period, the Vice President for Student Life in conjunction with the Office of Student Engagement shall verify all votes cast. Winning candidates shall be notified of their victory once the election results are verified.

• i. Winning candidates must respond to the email within 24 hours stating their intent to accept the position in order to officially win the election.

B. In the event of a tie, or should no candidate win with more than 25% of the vote, the top two candidates shall advance to a timely runoff election, which shall be held following all procedures outlined in Article 2 of the bylaws. The Executive Committee in conjunction with the Office of Student Engagement shall determine the timeline of the runoff election, which must occur within a week of the previous election, and the runoff itself shall not take more than ten days time, including notifying candidates, campaigning, and voting.

C. If the runoff results in a tie, the Vice President for Student Life in the physical presence of all candidates that are tied shall put pieces of paper with the names of each candidate into a hat or equivalent and shall close their eyes and pick one piece of paper at random. The name on that piece of paper shall be the winner. A candidate may waive the need of their presence, designate a surrogate to go instead, or concede the race via a written email to the Vice President for Student Life.

D. If a race has no winner, the Executive Committee shall follow the following procedure:

• i. If the winning candidate declines the position before taking office, the candidate who got the next highest number of votes shall be awarded the position so long as their vote total was at least 25% of all votes cast, as verified by the Vice President for Student Life and the Office of Student Engagement.

• ii. If no other candidate received at least 25% of the vote, there is no other candidate, or nobody ran for the position to begin with, a timely special election (in which all students eligible under Article 1 Section II Part a of the bylaws shall be eligible regardless of other eligibility rules) shall be held following all that is outlined in Article 2 of the bylaws. The Executive Committee in conjunction with the Office of Student Engagement shall determine the timeline of the special election which must allow for sufficient time for nominations, campaigning, and voting.

E. The names of the election winners shall be released publicly via a common form of communication such as an email sent via Student and Employee Info, but the number of votes each candidate received shall not be publicly released unless an appeal is filed under the procedure of section VIII of this article of the bylaws.

Section VI: Communication of Procedures and Regulations

A. The President, Vice President for Student Life, and/or Director of Operations shall communicate to the entire campus all information relevant to procedures and regulations of an election through a common form of communication such as an email sent via Student and Employee Info.

B. All candidates shall be informed of all election procedures and regulations outlined in sections II through V of this article of the bylaws before the start of the campaigning period by the Vice President for Student Life.

Section VII: Vacancies

A. If any elected Student Council officer shall resign, be expelled from the council, or otherwise leave office before the end of their term, the Executive Committee shall choose by majority vote between one of the two following options for filling the vacancy no later than its first meeting after the vacancy:

• i. Hold a timely special election, following all of Article 2 of the bylaws under all eligibility rules outlined in Article 1 Section II of the bylaws. The Executive Committee in conjunction with the Office of Student Engagement shall determine the timeline of the special election which must allow for sufficient time for nominations and campaigning and at least five days for voting. If during the spring semester the Executive Committee unanimously determines that a special election cannot reasonably be held before spring break, the committee can choose to fill the vacancy via the next general election scheduled for the office.

• ii. Instruct the relevant committee to vote for a replacement candidate before a set date. Members of the committee with a vacancy shall determine the voting procedure and get it approved by the Dean of Students. The replacement candidate shall take office once approved through a majority vote of the Executive Committee. The candidate shall not be in the room during the vote. If the replacement candidate fails to get a majority vote in the Executive Committee or the committee with a vacancy fails to put forth a replacement candidate by the deadline, the Executive Committee shall call a special election under the procedure of part 1a of this section.

B. The President, Vice President for Student Life, and/or Director of Operations shall communicate to the entire campus all information relevant to the filling of vacancies through a common form of communication such as an email sent via Student and Employee Info.

C. If the Vice President for Student Life position is vacant during any election, the Student Council President shall assume their responsibilities regarding elections or designate a single willing member of the executive committee to assume those responsibilities.

Section VIII: Appeals

A. If any nominee, candidate or voter wishes to submit an appeal on the basis that any procedure or regulation in this article of the bylaws has not been sufficiently followed, they may do so in a written email to the Vice President for Student Life. Sufficient grounds for appeal include, but are not limited to:

• i. Wrongful denial of candidate privileges, such as eligibility to run or legal campaigning.

• ii. Bylaws not followed.

• iii. Wrongful penalty for a violation, penalty despite a lack of a violation, or insufficient penalty on another candidate.

• iv. Improper election results, only to be appealed after results are verified.

• v. Wrongful denial of a vote or ability to vote.

• vi. Lack of communication on procedures and regulations.

B. All appeals shall be taken up by the Executive Committee before they are rendered moot. The committee shall evaluate what action(s) if any is needed and use that of the following which is applicable to proceed: 

• i. Any action taken based on an appeal that does not directly involve election results must pass by majority vote and should be narrowly focused on fixing the presented issue. The committee can also by majority vote choose to deny any appeal.

• ii. Data on the amount of votes received by each candidate shall only be released to the public if the Executive Committee receives an appeal to do so by a candidate after verification and approves it with two-thirds voting in favor.

• iii. Election results may only be changed if the Executive Committee receives an appeal to do so by a candidate after verification and both the Executive Committee and the full Student Council approves it by a two thirds vote in favor, and it must have approval from the Dean of Students.

C. Any member of any involved committee must recuse themself from any appeal vote in which they have a personal interest and/or connection. Any committee by majority vote may force a member to recuse themself.

D. All decisions on appeals are final. If an appeal goes unanswered or is grossly mishandled, the Dean of Students shall get involved only as a last resort.

Article 3: Executive Committee

Section I: Membership

A. The Student Council Executive Committee membership shall consist of the President, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Student Life, Vice President for Business and Finance, Vice President for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility, the Student Senate Co-Chair, and the Student Council advisor.

B. The President shall sit on the Executive Committee, but only votes in the case of a tie.

C. The Director of Operations shall provide administrative support to the Executive Committee but shall not vote.

Section II: Powers and Duties

A. The Executive Committee shall:

• i. Meet regularly to:

  • a. Discuss pertinent student issues;

  • b. Set the agenda for all regular meetings of the Student Council;

  • c. Approve the Student Council President’s creation of ad hoc committees.

• ii. Be given a 48 hour notice by the Student Council President and/or the Director of Operations prior to meeting times.

B. The Executive Committee may not make decisions applicable to the entire student community; all decisions affecting the entire campus shall be brought to the entire membership of the Student Council for consideration.

Section III: Executive Committee Meetings

A. Guests may be permitted in the Executive Committee meetings at the discretion of the Executive Committee.

B. The Executive Committee shall be governed by these same attendance provisions of general meetings.

C. If an officer is unable to attend a meeting, it is their responsibility to obtain related important materials from the meeting.

Article 4: Advisor

Section I: Selection

A. The advisor to the Student Council shall be;

• i. appointed by the Vice President for Student Affairs of the College,

  • a. In consultation with the Executive Council.

  • b. By a majority vote of the Student Council officers.

• ii. The voting members of the Student Council may call for an advisor review process as outlined below, or a vote of no confidence in the advisor, as deemed necessary. The voting threshold shall be a 2/3rds majority.

• iii. The advisor review process;

  • a. will begin with a discussion in the executive committee.

  • b. move to a discussion within the general council, as necessary.

  • c. end the following week after the initial general council meeting with a vote, as necessary.

Section II: Powers and Duties

A. The Student Council advisor shall:

• i. be present at all meetings of the Student Council and Executive Committee.

• ii. support the work of the Student Council.

• iii. assist in educating officers on duties and responsibilities.

• iv. support efforts for efficient and effective transition of officers.

• v. assist the chair and advisor of the Business and Finance committee,

  • a. to maintain accurate records of Student Council financial and business matters.

• vi. verify eligibility for officers during candidacy as well as to maintain their positions.

• vii. recruit advisors to Student Council standing committees.

• viii. recruit ad hoc committee advisors in consultation with committee members.

B. The Student Council advisor is expected to:

• i. Have timely communication.

• ii. Be available to student council officers. 

• iii. Serve all student council officers equitably.

Section III: Standing and Ad Hoc Committee Advisors

A. Standing and ad hoc committee advisors of the Student Council shall be held to the same applicable expectations and processes as the Student Council advisor for their assigned committee.

Article 5: Meetings

Section I: General Meetings

A. Regularly styled meetings shall typically be held weekly during the academic year.

• i. The President and the Director of Operations shall prepare an agenda for all meetings of the Student Council.

• ii. The agenda and location shall be available to the entire student body at least twenty-four (24) hours before the meeting will be called to order.

B. Any Kenyon student may attend any open meeting of the Student Council and shall have the ability to raise issues.

• i. Only Student Council officers may make motions from the floor and vote on motions considered.

Section II: Closed Meetings

A. Closed meetings may be called by the President with the simple majority approval of the Executive Committee. Forty-eight (48) hours notice must be given to all officers and advisors of the closed meeting time and location.

Section III: Attendance

A. Meeting attendance will be recorded by the Director of Operations

B. General meetings are designated mandatory meetings for all officers both elected and appointed baring the officers are not using their;

• i. Permitted two (2) excused absences per semester.

  • a. The Director of Operations, with consultation of the Student Council advisor, will make the decision as to whether an absence is excused or unexcused. The Executive Committee may be utilized in this decision making process if the Director of Operations and the advisor choose.

  • b. Additional types, such as long term medical issues, and number of absences may be permitted by the Executive Committee in the case of special circumstances.

  • c. After a third excused absence, a warning letter shall be issued and the officer will be required to meet with the Student Council advisor to discuss their commitment to Student Council.

  • d. The Director of Operations will initiate the officer’s removal from office process if the Executive Committee, in consultation with the advisor, deems it necessary.

• ii. Permitted one (1) unexcused absence.

  • a. Upon having an unexcused absence, the officer will be required to check in with the Student Council advisor and president as to their commitment to the council.

  • b. After a second unexcused absence a warning letter shall be issued and the officer will be required to meet again with the Student Council advisor to discuss their commitment to the Student Council. 

  • c. The Director of Operations will initiate the officer’s removal from office process if the Executive Committee, in consultation with the advisor, deems it necessary.

• iii. If an officer is unable to attend a meeting, it is their responsibility to obtain the minutes of the meeting and other related materials.

Section IV: Parliamentary Authority

A. Robert’s Rules of Order shall guide this council in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws.

B. The Council shall loosely follow Robert’s Rules of Order unless a two-thirds majority vote of present voting members determines that Robert’s Rules of Order should be strictly observed for the remainder of the meeting.

C. Robert’s Rules requires Quorum will be needed for any meeting with a vote to take place, with a simple majority plus one of regular voting members present.

• i. Thus excluding the President and Director of Operations from any count.

D. Voting procedures under this authority shall be as follows:

• i. Regular business at meetings of the Student Council is subject to a simple majority vote, as outlined in Robert’s Rules of Order.

• ii. Alternative voting thresholds shall be used only when specified within the Student Council bylaws.

Article 6: Funding

Section I: Student Activity Fee

A. Each student on campus shall be assessed a student activity fee per semester.

B. The student activity fee shall be allocated by recommendation of the Business and Finance Committee and approved by the Student Council.

C. The majority of the student activity fee shall be allocated to support student organizations. Portions of the student activity fee can be utilized to fund other initiatives with the approval of the Student Council.

Section II: Determining Student Activity Fee Amount

A. The Student Council shall regularly evaluate the student body needs as related to the student activity fee. A formal motion can be made to evaluate the student activity fee to determine if any adjustment should be recommended.

• i. The evaluation process shall include a good faith effort to gather the opinions of the student body and the appropriate members of the College administration.

• ii. The recommendation shall be made in consultation with the Vice President of Finance for Kenyon College

B. If an adjustment in the student activity fee is recommended by the Student Council, it shall require the ratification of the Kenyon College Board of Trustees.

Section III: Establishing Funding Guidelines- 

1. The BFC has the ability to establish funding guidelines that exist outside of Student Council bylaws.

2. All funding guidelines must be submitted to and approved by the Student Council Executive committee prior to implementation.

 

Article 7: Committees

Section I: Membership and Attendance Requirements

A. Membership requirements for individual members of the eleven committees of Student council will follow the same standards as the Student Council Officers.

B. Attendance requirements for meetings will be set by the chair at the beginning of the academic year, and made aware to all members prior to accepting their position on the committee.

Section II: Committee Selection Process

A. In an effort to unify and create a team effort for recruiting qualified candidates to fill committees, the student council will follow the following recruitment process for its committees.

• i. The BFC will conduct its main recruitment within the last month of the spring semester for the following academic year in their anonymous based format.

  • a. The BFC reserves the right to recruit on a rolling basis as needed.

• ii. The executive committee will compile a form to be distributed to the entire student body during the third week of the academic year with the help of class committees (excluding first-year class committees), and the specialty committees.

  • a. This form will include three general questions and then a maximum number of specific questions for each committee to two.

• iii. Students will be limited to a maximum of three committees to which they can apply and be a part of.

  • a. Student Council members are limited to two committee positions outside of the committee they chair.

  • b. Student Council members are not eligible to chair more than one committee. 

• iv. Once the forms are compiled the chairperson and the advisor will meet to review their specific applications, and determine if interviews are necessary for prospective committee members.

• v. The final decisions for all prospective committee members will be made prior to the conclusion of the fourth week of classes.

Section III: Committee Descriptions

A. General Committee Expectations

• i. The responsibilities of the committees completing their respective responsibilities ultimately fall on the chair of the committee

• ii. All student council committees are expected to meet a minimum of once per month 

• iii. All student council committees are expected to have a minimum of five members.

  • a. If five people are not recruited within the application period, there will be open recruiting by the committee with the assistance of the executive committee.

B. Standing Committees

• i. Standing committees shall carry out the work of the Council’s major initiatives.

  • a. Committees may form subcommittees as necessary to efficiently conduct their business.

  • b. General expectations of committees:

    • 1. Represent the viewpoints of the student body as related to the committee's purpose.

    • 2. Maintain consistent communication with the Student Council President and the Director of Operations

• ii. Academic Affairs Committee

  • a. Purpose

    • 1. Serve as a liaison between sub-committees and students, faculty and staff. As such, the committee must ensure that their information is accurate and approved to be distributed to the public.

  • b. Responsibilities

    • 1. Regularly meet with the College Provost, and subcommittee representatives to advocate for student needs in academic policy.

    • 2. The committee shall assist the Sophomore Class Committee with organizing and hosting Sophomore Day.

    • 3. Discuss academic matters and relay important decisions and recommendations to the Student Council.

    • 4. The Vice President of Academic Affairs shall be responsible to appoint student representatives to the three subcommittees.

  • c. Sub Committee Structure:

    • 1. The VP shall appoint:

      • two (2) student members to the Faculty Curricular Policy Committee,

      • two (2) student members to the Committee on Academic Standing

      • eight (8) members to the Academic Infractions Board.

      • The chair may, but is not required to, serve as a representative to one of these sub-committees.

  • d. Advisor

    1. The Dean of Academic Advising will serve as advisor to the Academic Affairs Committee. The advisor will meet regularly with the Vice President of Academic Affairs.

• iii. Student Life Committee

  • a. Purpose

    • 1. To represent the student body on issues concerning Student life, and be the coordinating committee with the Office of Student Engagement

  • b. Responsibilities

    • 1. Meeting time and frequency will be determined by the Vice President for Student Life with input from the committee and advisor.

    • 2. Evaluate new and existing organizations in accordance with the Student Organization Handbook.

    • 3. Discuss matters of student life and make recommendations to Student Council and appropriate administrative areas of the College.

  • c. Additional Committees Structure

    • 1. A member of the committee will serve on each of the following:

      • Division Housing Board

      • Theme Housing Board

      • Awards Selection Committee iv. Kenyon Reservations User Group (KRUG)

    • 2. It is recommended that a member of the Business and Finance Committee also sit on the Student Life Committee.

  • d. Advisor

    • 1. A member of the Office of Student Engagement will serve as an advisor for the Student Life Committee.

    • 2. The advisor shall meet regularly with the Vice President for Student Life.

    • 3. The advisor shall attend Student Life Committee meetings.

• iv. Business and Finance Committee

  • a. Purpose

    • 1. The purpose of the BFC is to be the financial arm of the council, and responsibly make recommendations to the general student council as to how to allocate the student activity fee.

  • b. Responsibilities

    • 1. No member of the BFC shall participate in a vote regarding the funding of an organization of which they are a member.

    • 2. The BFC shall distribute semester allocations within the first month of the Fall and Spring semester.

    • 3. Members who miss 2 or more meetings without being excused will be removed from the committee 

  • c. Selection Process

    • 1. The BFC main selection process will occur within the last month of the spring semester in a blind application process, voted on by returning members of the committee.

      • The VP of Finance will not have a vote along with the advisor.

      • The process will be facilitated by the advisor

  • d. Advisor

    • 1. A member of the Office of Student Engagement will serve as an advisor for the Student Life Committee.

    • 2. Advisors to any student group must also excuse themselves from any discussions involving the funding of the group in which they serve in this capacity.

• v. Committee for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility

  • a. Purpose

    • 1. The Committee for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility's purpose is to communicate concerns about, raise awareness of, and to address issues of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility on campus, with regard to the intersection of these issues and those under the purview of the Student Council. The Committee seeks to represent and act on the needs of historically marginalized/minority groups in the Kenyon community and beyond.

  • b. Responsibilities

    • 1. Chair

      • The chair will relay information from Student Council to the committee during meetings and will voice committee objectives during Student Council meetings when necessary.

      • The chair will ensure committee members share the duty of occasionally attending meetings of affinity/identity organizations.

      • The chair will be responsible to appoint a secretary to manage administrative and note-taking duties as necessary.

      • The chair will appoint members of the respective subcommittees and the chairs of those subcommittees

  • c. Sub Committees

    • 1. Sub Committee on Student Outreach and Inclusion

      • The members of this subcommittee will be to gauge the general student population regularly on topics sounding DEIA.

      • Any social media for the committee at large shall be run by members of the subcommittee.

      • The members of this subcommittee will have the responsibility of reaching out to Affinity Organizations and or Affinity Collectives on campus and act as a representative for outreach.

    • 2. Sub Committee On Equity and Resource Support

      • The members of this subcommittee will have the focus of working on projects centered around equity and resources on the campus

    • 3. Sub Committee On Diversity and Antiracism

      • The members of this subcommittee will have a focus of working on upholding and working on the continued fight for anti-racism on Kenyon’s campus.

  • d. Advisor

    • 1. The advisor will be a member of the administration specializing in DEI work or a designee by the Dean of ODEI

    • 2. The chair can make a recommendation to the Dean of ODEI as to who they believe will be the best advisor for that year’s specific committee.

• vi. The Buildings, Grounds, and Sustainability Committee

  • a. Purpose

    • 1. Create a dialogue between students and administrators surrounding the current state of, renovation of, and/or development of projects related to the campus building and grounds projects.

    • 2. Support the student body in making Kenyon more eco-friendly by representing these concerns on the Student Council.

  • b. Responsibilities

    • 1. Provide feedback to appropriate administrators about campus issues, gathering student feedback and providing recommendations as needed.

    • 2. Advocate and connect sustainability initiatives from students to relevant staff at the college

  • c. Secretary

    • 1. The Secretary will take notes during every committee meeting and be responsible for sending a report of the committee minutes to the appropriate campus groups.

  • d. Advisor

    • 1. The advisor of the committee will be set with the input of the Vice President of Facilities.

• vii. Safety and Wellness Committee
  • a. Purpose of the Safety and Wellness Committee

    • 1. Create a dialogue between students and administrators surrounding issues of student safety and security.

  • b. Responsibilities

    • 1. Provide feedback to appropriate administrators about campus issues, gathering student feedback and providing recommendations as needed.

    • 2. Coordinate communication between the Student body and the Cox Health and Counseling Center and Campus Safety.

    • 3. Regularly communicate with the student body regarding current safety and security issues, as well as issues surrounding parking and transportation.

  • c. Advisor

    • 1. The advisor of the committee will be a member from the Cox Health and Counseling Center or a designee by the Dean of Student Development

• viii. Housing and Dining Committee

  • a. Purpose

    • 1. address student needs and concerns, in collaboration with residence life and dining services, to recommend new programs and evaluate the quality of student life.

  • b. Responsibilities

    • 1. Discuss dining issues such as dishware, allergy, and dietary accommodations.

    • 2. Discuss housing issues such as accessibility, lottery, room and building concerns, and housing during break periods.

    • 3. Serve as student representatives on theme and division housing boards

  • c. Advisor

    • 1. The advisor of the committee will be a member of the residential life department or designee by the Dean of Students.

C. Class Committees

• i. Each committee shall decide on a regular meeting time, which will be published to the entire respective class.
  • a. The meetings will be open to the class and minutes will be maintained.
• ii. All class committees may be asked to assist one another, as available and appropriate.
• iii. All are encouraged to have their respective class senators apply through the Student Council committee application process.
• iv. Senior Class Committee
  • a. Purpose
    • 1. To provide a representative voice of the Senior Class.
    • 2. To create, when possible, opportunities for the Senior Class to interact socially and academically with each other and/or faculty and staff.
    • 3. To act as a liaison between Senior Class students, Student Council, and the College administration.
  • b. Responsibilities
    • 1. Senior Class Council shall be responsible for the following senior-oriented programs, including but not limited to:
      • “Senior Soiree,” a seniors-only formal event occurring in November.
      • “Fandango,” a formal event with seniors and faculty members occurring approximately 100 days before graduation.
      • “Senior Week,” College co-sponsored events in the week leading up to graduation.
        • Events shall begin no earlier than the day after the last scheduled final exam and end on the Wednesday prior to graduation.
        • Senior Week functions are exclusively for members of the senior class.
      • Students graduating in December are eligible to attend one Senior Week but must seek approval from the appropriate advisor.
      • “Senior Gift,” a gift donated by the senior class to the College.
      • Baccalaureate Speaker: The Class Committee will take nominations for Baccalaureate Speaker beginning in October.
        • The nominations will then be voted on by the senior class as a whole and the speaker will be announced at Fandango.
  • c. Advisor
    • 1. The advisor of the senior class will be a member of the division of Student Affairs and meet regularly with the class president.
• v. Junior Class Committee

  • a. Purpose

    • 1. To provide a representative voice of the Junior Class.

    • 2. To create, when possible, opportunities for the Junior Class to interact socially and academically with each other and/or faculty and staff.

    • 3. To act as a liaison between Junior Class students, Student Council, and the College administration.

  • b. Responsibilities

    • 1. The Junior Class Committee is responsible for planning at least two programs for the Junior Class throughout the year, including but not limited to:

      • Middle Path Day

      • Welcome Back Party for Returning Juniors

    • 2. The committee may choose to host additional programs such as fundraisers and social events as decided by the committee based on need and interest.

  • c. Advisor

    • 1. The advisor of the junior class will be a member of the division of Student Affairs, and meet regularly with the class president.

• iv. Sophomore Class Committee

  • a. Purpose

    • 1. To provide a representative voice of the Sophomore Class.

    • 2. To create, when possible, opportunities for the Sophomore Class to interact socially and academically with each other and/or faculty and staff.

    • 3. To act as a liaison between Sophomore Class students, Student Council, and the College administration.

  • b. Responsibilities

    • 1. Maintaining an agenda

    • 2. Enforcing attendance policies

    • 3. Running meetings

    • 4. Representing the Sophomore Class at Student Council

    • 5. The president will act as a tiebreaker in voting matters of the Sophomore Class Committee.

    • 6. Appoint a Vice President to run meetings in the President’s absence

  • c. Advisor

    • 1. The advisor of the sophomore class will be a member of the division of Student Affairs, and meet regularly with the class president.

• v. First Year Class Committee

  • a. Purpose

    • 1. Assist first year students in their transition to Kenyon College.

    • 2. Advocate for the needs of the first year class.

  • b. Responsibilities

    • 1. Plan Founders’ Day/Matriculation each fall, including the Tree Naming Ceremony, and host an event for first years the same evening.

    • 2.  Host the First Year Fling during the spring semester.

    • 3. Host additional events for first years throughout the academic year.

    • 4. Work with the administration and Student Council on issues pertaining to first years, including first year residence halls and social spaces.

  • c. Composition

    • 1. The First Year Class Committee shall consist of twelve members, including the First Year Class President, who shall only vote in case of a tie. Seven members shall be directly elected by the first year class, and five members shall be appointed by the seven elected members once they are elected.

    • 2. The committee shall consist of seven elected members: the First Year Class President, the first year representative to the Campus Senate, and one representative from each first year hall (Mather, McBride, Gund, Lewis, and Norton). These elections shall be held together during the fall general election and follow all Student Council election bylaws.

    • 3. The First Year Class Committee shall appoint five at-large representatives, each of whom will also sit on one of the following Student Council committees: Student Life, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility, Safety & Wellness, Buildings, Grounds, & Sustainability, and Housing & Dining. The group can decide on how to gather information from interested students, and the appointment process shall be open and fair. The process must be approved by the FYCC Advisor prior to interest gathering and appointments. 

  • d. Subcommittees

    • 1. The committee, through a majority vote, can establish subcommittees to address specific issues pertaining to the first year class.

    • 2. The committee can appoint individuals not on the committee to subcommittees, so long as the appointment process is open and fair.

  • e. Advisor

    • 1. The advisor of the first year class will be a member of the division of Student Affairs, and meet regularly with the class president.

Section IV: Ad Hoc Committees

A. New ad hoc committees shall be approved by the Executive Committee officers at the suggestion of the President.

• i. The structure of the committee shall be determined by a majority vote of the Executive Committee. Structure may vary based on the purpose of the committee.

B. Each ad hoc committee will be given a specific written timeline and charge set by the Executive Committee.

• i. Ad hoc committees will be dissolved at the end of each academic year.

• ii. If necessary, a majority vote of the Executive Committee may extend the timeline of the committee, not to exceed one additional academic year.

C. All final actions of ad hoc committees require the support of the Student Council as demonstrated through a simple majority vote.

D. Each committee shall decide on a regular meeting time.

• i. Minutes shall be recorded and submitted regularly to the Director of Operations.

E. No more than three ad hoc committees shall be operational each academic year.

Article 8: Amendments and Ratification

Section I: Recommendations and Proposals

A. Recommendations for amendments to Student Council bylaws shall require a two-thirds majority vote of present, voting Student Council members.

B. Amendment proposals shall have a minimum of two readings prior to vote.

• i. The Executive Committee may vote to reduce this standard to one reading by a majority vote of the Executive Committee.