The Code of Operations of the
Undergraduate Council of Students
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Code of Operations of the Undergraduate Council of Students
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Cliff Notes for the Code of Operations of the Undergraduate Council of Students
Table of Contents
SECTION I: INTRODUCTION
SECTION II: OFFICERS AND REPRESENTATIVES
SECTION III: ELECTIONS
SECTION IV: ANNUAL PROGRAM
SECTION V: MEETINGS
SECTION VI: COMMITTEES
SECTION VII: COMMUNICATIONS
SECTION VIII: APPOINTMENTS
SECTION IX: FINANCE
SECTION X: AFFILIATION
SECTION XI: RESIGNATION
SECTION XII: REMOVAL
SECTION XIII: AMENDMENTS
SECTION XIV: CONSTITUTING PROCESS
SECTION I
Introduction
1.1 In accordance with Article IX of the Constitution of the Undergraduate Council of Students (UCS), the Council functions under the guidelines and rules of this Code of Operations.
1.2 The purpose of the Code is to provide a workable expansion of the UCS Constitution, up-to-date with the current activities of Council, and amendable by Council itself without consent of the entire student body.
1.3 The Code is to reflect UCS's main purpose of representing student concerns, policy recommendations, and encouraging student involvement with University decision making as outlined in the Constitution.
2.1 The contents of this document supersede any previous Code of Operations of the Undergraduate Council of Students. Any previous decision by the Council regarding its Code of Operations shall be nullified through the ratification of this document.
3.1 All regulations listed herein shall be considered subordinate to any provisions of the UCS Constitution, which takes precedence over any other UCS document.
3.2 A two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the Council shall determine whether a provision of the Code is in conflict with the Constitution. If such majority finds conflict to exist, it shall direct the Council to eliminate the specific section of the Code.
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SECTION II
Officers and Representatives
1.1 The Officers of the Undergraduate Council of Students shall be, in their respective order of succession, the elective Officers: President, Vice President, Coordinator of Academic and Administrative Affairs, Coordinator of Admissions and Student Services, Coordinator of Campus Life, Coordinator of Student Activities, Treasurer; the internal Officers: Secretary, Coordinator of Appointments, and Coordinator of Communications, Corporation Liaison, and Alumni Liaison; and the summer Officer: Summer Liaison.
Responsibilities and Descriptions of Elective Officer
2.1 The President shall be the Presiding Officer of the Undergraduate Council of Students and an ex-officio member of all Council committees. He or she shall be empowered to call meetings, and shall approve expenditures from the Council operating account (see Section IX, Finance, Article 3.1). The President has chief responsibility for the external activities of Council, including the preparation and implementation of the Annual Program and is the official UCS liaison to the Administration and its staff. The President shall chair the Coordinating Board (see Section VI, Committees, Article 2), and presides over the Full Council meetings.
2.2 The Vice President shall preside in the absence of the President, shall serve as Parliamentarian, shall be an ex-officio member of all Council committees, shall chair the Internal Affairs Committee and have chief responsibility for the internal activities of the Council, including Communications, Appointments, the office, and other areas such as Elections. The Vice President shall also approve expenditures from the Council operating account (see Section IX, Finance, Article 3.1). It shall be the chief responsibility of the Vice President to ensure that the council runs smoothly and the members are in good relations with each other. It shall be the responsibility of the Vice President with the Secretary to keep all official UCS documents current.
2.3 The Coordinator of Academic and Administrative Affairs shall chair the Academic and Administrative Affairs Committee, shall have responsibility with that committee for preparing the portion of the Annual Program in the areas of academics and administration, shall coordinate the activities of the UCS appointed students on the College Curriculum Council, and any University Resource Committee (URC) subgroups relating to academics and shall be the official UCS liaison to all Departmental Undergraduate Groups. The AAA chair shall, as appropriate, also serve as the UCS liaison to the College Advisory Board, the Graduate Council, the Institutional Review Board and any other academic committees. The Coordinator of Academic and Administrative Affairs is the official UCS liaison to the faculty, and shall meet regularly with the Dean of the College, Faculty Executive Committee, and the Dean of the Faculty.
2.4 The Coordinator of Admissions and Student Services shall chair the Admissions and Student Services Committee, shall have responsibility with that committee for preparing the portion of the Annual Program in the areas of admissions, financial aid, student services, athletics and student safety, and shall coordinate the activities of the UCS appointed students on the Athletic Advisory Council, the Financial Aid Awards Review Board, the Library Advisory Board, the Computing Advising Board, the Public Safety Oversight Committee, the Officer Conduct Review Board, as well as any URC subgroups in those areas. The Coordinator of Admissions and Student Services shall meet regularly with the Vice Presidents of Campus Life, Computing and Information Services, Administration, as well as the directors of Public Safety, Health Services, Psychological Services, Admissions, Financial Aid, and Athletics as needed.
2.5 The Coordinator of Campus Life shall chair the Campus Life Committee, shall have responsibility with that committee for preparing the portion of the Annual Program in the areas of student affairs, housing, and dining, shall coordinate the activities of the UCS appointed students on the Residential Council, the Campus Life Advisory Board, the Campus Planning Advisory Board and related URC subgroups. The Coordinator of Campus Life shall meet regularly with the Vice Presidents of Campus Life and Planning, the Deans of Student Life, the Directors of Dining Services, Residential Life, the Third World Center, the University Chaplin, and the Sarah Doyle’s Women’s Center.
2.6 The Coordinator of Student Activities shall chair the Student Activities Committee, shall have the responsibility with that committee for UCS's interaction with student groups, including the constituting process, category changes and co-sponsoring of events. The Coordinator of Student Activities is the official UCS liaison to all UCS recognized groups, as well as the Student Activities Advisory Board (SAAB). The Coordinator shall maintain constant contact with all groups, seeking to understand their needs and advocating them to the administration and will meet regularly with the Director of Student Activities. It shall be the Student Activities Coordinator's responsibility to identify the obstacles faced by student leaders, and to work with the administration to solve those problems.
2.7 The Treasurer shall record and regularly report to the Council on the finances in the Undergraduate Council of Students' account. The Treasurer shall be authorized, along with the President and Vice President, to approve expenditures from the Council Operating Account (see Section IX, Finance, Article 3.1). Unless the Treasurer is already a voting member of the Undergraduate Finance Board (UFB) through some other appointment or election, the Treasurer shall be one of the three Council members appointed to serve on the Undergraduate Finance Board. This appointment shall be an exception to Section VI, Committees, Article 1.4.
Responsibilities and Descriptions of Internal Officers
3.1 Representatives shall be internally elected to Secretary, Coordinator of Communications, Coordinators of Appointments, Corporation Liaison, and Alumni Liaison, all of whom serve on the coordinating board. Responsibilities of the aforementioned positions will be in addition to the normal Representative responsibilities.
3.2 The Secretary shall call the roll at the beginning and end of each Council meeting and keep a posted record of attendance and is responsible for agendas and minutes of Council and Coordinating Board meetings. The Secretary shall be Vice-Coordinator of the Appointments Committee, the Communications Committee and the Internal Affairs Committee. In the absence of the Coordinator for any of these internal committees, the Secretary shall chair that committee. The secretary shall serve as UCS archivist and historian, and will work to keep complete, accurate and thorough records of all council activities.
3.3 The Coordinator of Appointments shall chair the Appointments Committee and shall be responsible with that committee for organizing the interviewing and nomination process for the appointment of undergraduates to University committees (See Section VIII, Appointments).
3.4 The Coordinator of Communications shall chair the Communications Committee and shall have responsibility with that committee for communications of the Council, when that function has not been specifically delegated for a particular purpose to other members or groups of the Council (see Section VII, Communications).
3.5 The Corporation Liaison is the official UCS liaison to the Brown Corporation and shall have the chief responsibility for UCS's interaction with the Corporation, including keeping the Council informed on the activities of the Corporation and keeping the Corporation informed of the activities of Council through the Secretary of the University. The Corporation Liaison is responsible for coordinating no less than one meeting each semester with one or more Corporations members and the UCS Coordinating Board.
3.6 The Alumni Liaison is the official UCS liaison to the alumni of Brown and shall have the chief responsibility for UCS's interaction with the alumni organizations, including keeping the Council informed on the activities of alumni and keeping the alumni informed of the activities of Council.
Representative Positions
4.1 Representatives shall be internally elected to Undergraduate Finance Board, Summer Liaison, Parliamentary Pro Tempore, and webmaster, all of who do not serve on the coordinating board. Responsibilities of the aforementioned positions will be in addition to the normal Representative responsibilities.
4.2 Undergraduate Finance Board Representative shall be an official member of UFB and bear the responsibilities of that membership. The UFB Representative will report to Council of UFB's progress as needed.
4.3 The Summer Liaison shall officially represent UCS on the Brown campus during the summer. It shall be the chief responsibility of the Summer Liaison to open communication channels with the administration, faculty, and students and to be aware of any discussions or decisions of policy changes being made during the summer. The Summer Liaison is responsible for communicating with the Coordinating Board and other members on campus of any University developments. To be eligible a member must be on campus for the entire summer. If no such member is available, more than one member can be elected so that UCS is represented throughout the summer.
4.4 Parliamentary Pro Tempore shall assist the President and Vice President in settling Points of Order in UCS's meetings. It shall be the chief responsibility of the Parliamentary Pro Tempore to ensure that Full Council meetings abide by the House Rules.
4.5 It shall be the chief responsibility of the Webmaster to update the UCS website as necessary in order to provide an online record of documents associated with council's weekly activities, including but not limited to agendas, minutes, committee reports, project descriptions, council news, press releases, and media alerts. The Webmaster shall be a member of the Communications Committee and shall work closely with the Coordinator of Appointments to post materials relating to the appointments process. The Webmaster may be filled by an associate member, a representative, or a member of the community, and once elected this individual shall also assume the responsibilities and duties of a Representative.
Responsibilities and Duties of Representatives
5.1 It shall be the responsibility of each Representative to attend all necessary meetings, including Full Council, Current Issues, internal, and University committees and to work towards the completion of his or her community and current issue project(s), as well as to submit reports at mid-semester and the end of the semester, as outlined in Section IV, Annual Program.
5.2 In order to ensure the accessibility of UCS to the student body, each Representative must be available to hold office hours for at least one hour per week and to be available for at least one hour per week for the specific purpose of communication (e.g., to do a post office stuffing, table slipping, hanging posters, etc.). Representatives may be asked to devote additional time as communication needs require.
5.3 In order to facilitate better understanding of and sensitivity to the number of different perspectives within the Brown community, Representatives should attend all study breaks, area meetings, information sessions, and outreaches as scheduled and/or required by the Coordinating Board.
5.4 Each Representative will be assigned as UCS liaison to several student groups. Representatives should attend the initial meetings of these groups, maintain regular contact with the groups' leaders, actively solicit their input, and relay this information to UCS as necessary.
5.5 Representatives shall remain in contact with members of the Coordinating Board and shall be available to discuss individual progress as needed.
1.1 A primary responsibility of the Undergraduate Council of Students is to provide a fair and efficient mechanism for the election of undergraduates to its membership.
1.2 All candidates for office who are already Officers of or members of the Council shall become non-voting members on all matters of election business decided by the Council. The Officer highest in the line of succession shall preside over the meetings while such issues are being discussed.
1.3 Should the President or Vice President be candidates for office, they shall not, during this election period, be considered ex-officio members of the Election Board, nor shall they be entitled to be present at appeals hearings or to know the results of the election before they are made public.
Election Schedule
2.1 The Coordinating Board shall have selected a dates for the UCS Officers, UCS Class Representatives, UFB Chairperson, and UFB Representatives election by the end of February of that semester. The Election shall take place at least one week before the first day of the reading period, without exception.
2.2 In addition to the spring election, annual elections shall be held, in accordance with the guidelines listed in this section, during September for UCS first-year Class Representatives.
2.3 All elections shall be held on at least two consecutive days during the appointed week, such that polls shall be open for a total time of at least fifteen (15) hours.
Available Positions
3.1 During the spring election, the following positions will be open: those elected UCS Officers listed in Section II, Officers and Representatives, Article 1.1 of this Code: President, Vice President, Coordinator of Academic and Administrative Affairs, Coordinator of Admissions and Student Services, Coordinator of Campus Life, Coordinator of Student Activities; five (5) Representatives from each of the following rising classes: senior, junior, and sophomore; Chairperson and Vice-Chairman of UFB; and five (5) UFB Representatives. Candidates for UFB must first be approved for candidacy through the Appointments Committee, which will refer candidates to the Election Board (see Section VIII, Appointments).
3.2 During the September election, five (5) UCS first-year class Representative positions will be open.
3.3 All candidates in any UCS election must follow the guidelines of this section.
Election Board
4.1 Election procedures shall be governed by an Election Board with an Election Board chairperson appointed by the President of UCS. In the event that the incumbent President shall be a candidate, the Election Board chairperson shall be selected by the next Officer in the line of succession who is not a candidate.
4.2 The Elections Board shall be comprised of six (6) non-UCS members (who have not served in that academic year) and four (4) current UCS members (including the chair), with a maximum of five (5) total seniors. No member of the Elections Board shall be a candidate for any UCS or UFB position. The six (6) openings on the Elections Board shall be widely publicized to the student body and best efforts shall be made to assemble a diverse and objective group of students from different communities to serve on the Elections Board. The six (6) openings will be filled by the General Body of UCS through an internal elections process, directed by the Elections Board Chair. The Chair shall also appoint the three (3) UCS members of the board. The full Elections Board must be approved by a majority vote of the council.
4.3 The Council shall establish an account in the Student Activities Office (SAO) and shall request sufficient funds to cover all anticipated expenses to be incurred by the Election Board.
4.4 Elections Board meetings shall be open to the public, except when the Elections Board shall determine by majority vote that a closed deliberation is absolutely necessary.
4.5 The Election Board reserves full evaluation and ruling privileges on any and all situations, activities, or procedures which are not specifically stated in this Code of Operations. Appeals of an Election Board decision follow Section III, Articles 7 and 13 of this Code. Formal appeals lodged in writing with the Elections Board will automatically be considered by council under the elections approval process in Section 10 of this code. The Elections Board may not reject a formal appeal.
4.6 Formal appeal procedures shall be defined and publicized 14 days before the election.
4.6 The Election Board shall be mindful in all of its decisions of the UCS Bill of Rights as per the UCS Constitution.
Pre-Election Procedure
5.1 Not less than fifteen (15) days before the date of the elections, the Election Board shall send to each registered undergraduate in the University a notice announcing the elections. Such notice shall announce the dates of the elections and shall describe the type and number of positions available, as well as the procedure candidates shall follow to have their names placed on the ballot. At this time, the Board shall make available to the community this section of this Code of Operations.
5.2 All UCS Officers and UFB Representatives shall submit a petition with the signatures of 400 registered undergraduates to qualify for the ballot. Candidates for the position of class Representative shall submit a petition with the signatures of 100 registered undergraduates from their respective class to qualify for the ballot. Such petitions shall be made available to all candidates by the Election Board not less than fourteen (14) days before the election. Any undergraduate may sign more than one such petition.
5.3 Every candidate shall submit, in addition to the signed petition, a position paper of a maximum length of 350 words. The Election Board shall delete all words in excess of these maximum requirements without exception.
5.4 Not less than fourteen (14) days before the election, the Election Board shall make public a date for a candidates’ meeting, which will mark the final deadline for 1) submitting petitions, 2) submitting position papers, and 3) declaring candidacy. This meeting shall take place not less than seven (7) days before the election.
5.5 At this meeting, petitions will be checked and position papers will be counted, and the rules from 5.2 and 5.3 above will be enforced at this time.
5.6 The Election Board will then make the candidate’s position papers available in an egalitarian manner. This published document will then be distributed to all undergraduates.
Campaign Regulations
6.1 Except as outlined in Article XII, Section 4 of the UCS Constitution, the Election Board shall prohibit all campaign spending by candidates and organizations and shall be empowered to limit and supervise all other campaign spending.
6.2 No campaigning or publicity shall be allowed in or around public computing areas; nor shall campaigning by the candidates take place where voting is knowingly occurring. Additionally, The Elections Board shall actively encourage students to refrain from campaigning where voting is knowingly occurring.
6.3 The first portion of every ballot shall clearly state that all voters have the right to be free from voter intimidation or coercion while voting and a mechanism to report such intimidation to the Elections Board.
6.4 All candidates are required to obey university postering regulations as published in the Student Handbook.
6.5 The Election Board shall maintain a Campaign Bulletin Board outside the UCS office, on which shall be posted all election information pertinent to candidates or the community.
6.6 Additional campaign requirements or guidelines may be established by the Election Board, except where inconsistent with either the Constitution or the provisions of this Code. All new requirements or guidelines must be posted on the Campaign Bulletin Board outside of the UCS office and in at least two other locations at least twenty-four (24) hours before they take effect.
Violations
7.1 Any violation of Section III of the Code of Operations may provide grounds for the disqualification of a candidate.
7.2 Any candidate accused of violating the election regulations will be contacted by the Election Board and given the opportunity to explain or refute the charges prior to a decision being made about the complaint. Those meetings will not be public. Only the Election Board, the candidate, and the person alleging the violation may be present. Under special circumstances, the presence of other persons may be permitted by a majority vote of the Election Board to provide additional information.
7.3 In cases in which the Election Board finds violations not flagrant enough to warrant disqualification, the board shall, at its discretion, select an appropriate disciplinary measure.
7.4 The resolution of all complaints, as well as an explanation of the complaint, will be publicized after the meeting of the Election Board.
Endorsements
8.1 The endorsement of candidates, referenda, and/or initiatives by any campus organization shall be publicized by the Election Board subject to the following restrictions:
(a) All categorized student groups shall be eligible to officially endorse a candidate for an officer position for UFB or UCS, if they notify the elections board before 14 days before the election. The elections board shall be charged with adequately publicizing the endorsements process to student groups at least one week in advance. All groups, in this notification, must specify the process they will utilize to endorse candidates. The Elections Board shall have the authority to, with cause, disqualify a group from offering their official endorsement. Only these UCS recognized endorsements of candidates, referenda, and/or initiatives shall be publicized by the Elections Board.
(b) Both UCS recognized Official Endorsing Organizations and all other groups and organizations who are not UCS recognized Official Endorsing Organizations will be considered subject to all regulations of Section III of this Code, and the judgment of the Election Board with regard to the election and campaign procedure.
(c) Each official endorsing group must send a delegate to the candidates’ debate in order to check in with the Elections Board chair. At this meeting, the Chair shall officially certify the individual endorsement processes of all the official endorsing organizations, and groups must distribute their questionnaires or interview dates to the candidates.
(d) All candidates for an office must be given an equal opportunity to receive a group’s endorsement. Endorsement processes deemed to be unfair shall be invalidated by the Elections Board. If a candidate wishes to challenge a group’s endorsement, a complaint should be filed with the Elections Board.
(e) Organizations must notify the Election Board a full 48 hours before the beginning of the election of the names of the candidate(s) they have endorsed. These endorsements will be visibly posted at the polling site.
(f) Official UCS Endorsing Status is valid only for the immediate election and the immediate run-off election, if necessary, and will not continue on to other subsequent elections.
8.2 Organizations may also choose to endorse either side of a referendum or initiative on the ballot during a general election. These endorsements must be received by the Election Board by 5:00 pm on the eve of the election.
8.3 All endorsements posted at the polling site shall strictly follow a uniform format to be established by the Election Board.
8.4 The Undergraduate Council of Students shall not endorse any candidates in any UCS election. The Council may, however, actively participate in a campaign for or against a referendum or initiative which is on the ballot, so long as, in pursuing its goal, the Council does not utilize the advantages it has as the sponsor of the election.
8.5 Any violation of these regulations may result in the disqualification of the endorsements provided, and/or disciplinary action taken against the candidate and organizations in question by the Election Board.
Election Procedure
9.1 As required by the Constitution of the Council, elections of UCS Officers, UFB Chairperson and UFB Vice-Chairperson shall be by a majority vote with at-large balloting. In the event that no candidate receives a majority vote, a run-off election will be held between the top two vote-getters. The five (5) Representative candidates from each class with the most votes shall be elected to Representatives' positions. In the event of a tie for the fifth position, a run-off election will be held between those candidates tying for fifth place. The five (5) UFB Representatives with the most votes shall be elected to Representative positions. In the event of a tie for the fifth position, a run-off election will be held between those candidates tying for fourth place.
9.2 In order for candidates, including write-in candidates, to fill the UCS Class Representative positions, they must have received at least five percent of the total votes cast by their respective class. In the case of UCS Officers and UFB Representatives, all candidates, including write-in candidates must receive at least five percent of the total votes cast in the election in order to be elected. If no candidate for a UCS officer position, UFB chairperson, or UFB vice-chairperson receives five percent of the vote there will be an internal UCS election for the position at the first meeting of the following year. If five candidates for UCS class representative do not each receive more than five percent of the vote, those candidates winning more than five percent of the vote shall be elected, and the remaining positions shall be filled at an internal UCS election held at the first meeting of the following year. Similarly, if five candidates for UFB representative do not each receive more than five percent of the vote, those candidates winning more than five percent of the vote shall be elected, and the remaining positions shall be filled at an internal UCS election held at the first meeting of the following year.
Results
10.1 The results of the election shall remain secret, to be known only by members of the Election Board, for a period of not more than 72 hours, after which time the results become public and official. No more complaints may be filed with the Election Board after 24 hours from the closing of the polls.
10.2 All of the candidates shall be notified of the election results at a public meeting to be held not more than 72 hours after the closing of the polls.
10.3 Election results shall not be considered final until they are approved by a simple majority of the existing Council per Section III, Article 1.2 of this Code. Results will be brought before the Council for approval at the first meeting following the election. In discussing the approval of election results, the Council may only consider those complaints formally filed with the Election Board and, in voting, the Council may only vote to accept or not to accept the results and may not alter the results presented by the Election Board.
10.4 The Elections Board shall make public as much data as possible before the General Body finalizes the Election Results.
10.5 If the election results for any position(s) are not approved, a new election must be held for such position(s) immediately. A new Election Board, which may include members of the old one, will be selected in accordance with Section III, Article 4.1 of this Code. This election shall follow the provisions of the Code as well.
Special Elections
11.1 In the event that a special election must be held to fill a vacancy in an Officer or Representative position on the Council or the Undergraduate Finance Board, such elections shall follow the guidelines of this section, except the elections shall not be bound to the restrictions of Section III, Article 2 of this Code.
11.2 The Council must hold a special internal election in the event that the position of UCS Officer, UCS Representative, or UFB Representative is vacated. Such an election must be held at the next full meeting of the council in the case of an officer position, and no fewer than seven and no more than fourteen days upon the vacation of office for a representative to either the council or the Undergraduate Finance Board. The election takes precedence over all other business before UCS at the meeting during which it is to be held, except for the time designated for comments from the community. If the presidency is vacated, the next Officer in the line of succession shall assume the duties of the president until the position is filled by a special internal election.
11.3 The Vice President shall be responsible for organizing internal elections for the positions outlined in Section III, Article 12.1 of this Code. The availability of the position(s) must be widely publicized before the election is to take place, except for those vacancies relating to positions only available to council members.
11.4 The process for special elections shall be as follows. All positions shall be filled by internal elections where each voting member of the council not seeking the office in question may cast a single vote.
11.4.1 At the beginning of the meeting the Vice President shall announce all those positions that are open for election and the order in which they shall be filled. All representative positions must be filled before the election of any open officer positions take place. Elections for open officer positions must be done in the order of succession outlined in Section II, Article 1.1 of this code. At the beginning of the meeting after the time allotted for comments from the community, the council shall elect either a member of the community or an associate member of the council to assist in the counting of the ballots, as outlined in Section III, Article 12.4.7 of this Code. Prior to the announcement of any given election, the Vice President shall be responsible for stating the responsibilities and role of the specific position, and the presiding officer may recognize any member of UCS to speak on behalf of a position before the full council.
11.4.2 The Vice President shall announce the first election. Once the election has been announced no members of the council may be recognized to speak before the council by the presiding officer until all candidates have left the room, except for points of clarification. The Vice President shall make a call for anyone interested in running for election to please stand and leave the room. All members of the council or community interested in running have thirty seconds in which to leave the room, thus declaring their candidacy. If there are no candidates wishing to seek the elected office, then the election shall be tabled until the end of the current meeting. If, at that time, there is still no one seeking the position, then the President shall appoint a temporary member to serve in the position and the election will be placed at the beginning of the agenda for the next meeting of the full council.
11.4.3 In the case of an uncontested election, the procedures outlined in this section must be followed. Additionally, if a candidate is unopposed they must receive a minimum of 20 percent of the votes cast. If the candidate does not receive 20 percent of the votes cast, then the procedures in Section III, Article 12.4.2 of this code shall be followed.
11.4.4 The Vice President, or their designee, shall collect the names of all those wishing to run. The order in which candidates shall address the council will be by random drawing done by the Vice President. Each candidate is permitted to give an opening address to the council of no more than two minutes. The council is then permitted to ask questions of the candidate for a period of up to five minutes. Once the candidate has answered the questions, the next candidate shall be brought before the council.
11.4.5 Once all those on the list have had the opportunity to address the council, the council may undertake no more than five minutes of open debate on the candidates and their qualifications. After no more than five minutes of debate, the Vice President shall instruct the members of the council to vote according to the following guidelines.
11.4.6 Voting for the elections shall be by secret ballot. All votes must be placed on ballots created by the Vice President and handed out to the council. The votes shall be placed into a specified collecting container, which shall be passed from one end of the meeting onward until everyone has cast a vote. All those wishing to not vote in the election must submit a ballot that states their abstention.
11.4.7 The counting of the ballots shall be done by the Vice President, Secretary, and one other person who is either an associate member of the council or a member of the community, to be appointed by the President with approval of the council according to the procedures in Section III, Article 12.4.1 of this Code. The community member shall be chosen by the President. Approval of the community member shall be done before any elections take place by voice vote of the council and require majority approval. Once all votes have been cast the Vice President shall make one final call for ballots and permit thirty seconds for all final votes to be cast. After the final call, the Vice President shall open the box and count the votes, while the Secretary records them on both a specified tally sheet and in the official meeting minutes. The designated community member shall be present for the counting of the ballots and is required to certify the official tally sheet. Once the ballots have all been counted the Secretary shall announce the official results, to the council and the Vice President shall seal all of the votes into a specified envelope to be kept for a period of no fewer than four weeks from the night of the election. The official vote count shall become part of the official record of the meeting. The seal of the envelope shall bear the initials of all three counters.
11.4.8 If there are more elections to be held after the conclusion of an election, then the Vice President shall announce the next election. If there are no more elections to be held, then the meeting shall revert to the agenda set before the council.
11.5 The President shall be permitted to vote only in the case of a tie after the official counting of the ballots has been finished. The President may vote before the official announcement of the results, but the initial result of a tie must be officially announced with the election results. If the President does not wish to break the tie, then the tie shall be broken by a runoff vote of the council immediately following the announcement of the results.
Recall
12.1 If any undergraduate at any time feels an Officer or Representative of UCS or UFB, including UFB Chairperson, is not upholding the duties of his or her position, he or she may initiate recall procedures. A petition must be signed by at least 500 undergraduates to recall an Officer, UFB Chairperson or Vice-Chairperson, and at least 300 undergraduates to recall a UCS or UFB Representative. The top of the recall petition must state clearly that a signature does not indicate approval or disapproval of the recall motion, but merely support for a campus-wide vote to determine whether such action is necessary. It must also be written that the students who sign the petition are acknowledging with their signature that they have read the exact written recall initiative as it is being presented to Council for consideration.
12.2 The recall petition must be presented by its sponsor(s) during Community Time at a Council meeting, at which the validity of the sponsorship procedure shall be determined by a simple majority vote of the Council.
12.3 If the Council approves the validity of the sponsorship, they shall then set dates to hold the recall election within two weeks of the time the petition was initially presented to Council.
12.4 An Election Board shall be established in accordance to the guidelines of Section III, Article 4.1 of this Code. The election procedure for recall shall be the same as any other election and the Election Board may set stricter guidelines where it deems it necessary.
12.5 If a majority of students voting vote to recall the Officer or Representative, then a vacancy shall be declared in that position and a Special Election held under the guidelines of Section III, Article 12 of this Code. However, if a majority of students voting vote not to recall the Officer or Representative, then that member shall retain his or her position.
1.1 The Undergraduate Council of Students is charged with the formulation of an Annual Program addressing the major areas of student life and University administration. The Program should be formulated on a semesterly basis in order that the Council may address issues in as timely a manner as possible.
1.2 The Annual Program is to reflect UCS's main purpose of representing student concerns, issuing policy recommendations, and encouraging student involvement with University decision making as outlined in the Constitution.
1.3 The Coordinating Board shall have the responsibility of overseeing the execution of the Annual Program through the Internal Committees of the Council (see Section VI, Committees).
Composition and Procedure of the Program
2.1 The Annual Program shall consist of two semester agendas. Each agenda shall consist current issue projects in each of the four program areas (Academic and Administrative Affairs, Admissions and Student Services, Campus Life, and Student Activities).
2.2 The Community Meeting will be a Full Council meeting, prior to the Setting of the Agenda Meeting, which will be set aside and advertised as open to community input on issues for the semester agenda. It will be the responsibility of Council with the guidance of the Coordinator of Communications to inform and encourage individuals and student groups to attend and voice their opinions on the issues that will be incorporated in the agendas.
2.3 No later than one month after the beginning of the given semester, Full Council will commence for the Setting of the Agenda Meeting that will finalize semester agendas. In this meeting, each member of Council will report and field suggestions on the project that they will be working on for the semester. Upon Council's two-thirds (2/3) majority vote, Council will have Set the Agenda.
2.4 Each semester agenda shall be publicized to the campus no later than one week after it has been approved.
2.5 Each Program Area Coordinator shall submit a report at a date close to mid-semester determined by the President on the progress of any current issue projects. The President and Vice President shall conduct follow-up meetings with each Coordinator to discuss his or her mid-semester report, the project, and any other concerns. The following Coordinating Board meeting will be used to follow-up on mid-semester reports and discuss current issue and community projects and any other concerns.
Current Issue Projects
3.1Current issue projects may be proactive or reactive projects intended to advance student interests. Any UCS member may propose a current issue project, or a study may come to UCS with suggestions for such projects. Such students shall be directed shall be directed to the respected Program Area Coordinator for review by the respective committee. Upon review of the situation, the committee shall decide on what action, if any, is necessary. While group consensus is the ideal, the final proposed project must be agreed to by at least a simple majority vote of the Committee's members.
3.2 Each Program Area Coordinator with the help of the respective committee has the chief responsibility of contacting and informing individual students and student groups that may be interested in the respective area that the UCS Program Area Committees have resources available to them.
3.3 At the beginning of each semester, each Program Area Coordinator shall assemble the members of the respective committee to address possible current issue projects for the semester.
3.4 If the committee decides to initiate a current issues project, the Coordinator shall prepare a presentation to the Full Council that explains the project and its timetable.
3.5 Each Committee's current issue project must be approved by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the Council in order to be formally placed on the semester agenda.
3.6 Each committee is responsible for setting its own time tables, choosing how many projects will be activated, and selecting who will be addressing the particular current issue projects, however, it is advised that the most important aspect of a project is to see results and an overambitious agenda reduces the quality of each individual project. Finishing one project before starting another is recommended.
3.7 Each Program Area Coordinator shall submit a report at a date close to mid-semester as determined by the President on the progress of the respective committee projects.
3.8 The Committees shall report on the status of their current issue project throughout the semester.
Semester Report
4.1 The Council, under the direction of the President and the Coordinators shall publish a report at the end of each semester summarizing the activities of the Undergraduate Council of Students and its progress on the semester agendas.
4.2 Each Program Area Coordinator shall be responsible for the reports on the current issue projects of the Internal Committees. The President shall report on the progress of the Council and summarize any major issues which were dealt with in the course of the semester(s) in question.
4.3 Each Representative and Officer shall write a report on his or her project(s) and other related UCS activities for inclusion in the Semester Report.
4.4 The Treasurer shall prepare a UCS financial statement for inclusion in the report, accounting for money allocated and spent over the course of the semester.
4.5 The Semester Report shall be filed and made available to all students in a matter determined by the Coordinating Board.
1.1 To ensure continuity and rationality in the conduct of its affairs, the Undergraduate Council of Students shall hold regular meetings in specified locations. Such meetings should be arranged to maximize the visibility of the Council as well as to permit coherence in its operating procedures.
1.2 It is the role of UCS's meetings to reflect UCS's main purpose of representing student concerns, issuing policy recommendations, and encouraging student involvement with University decision making as outlined in the Constitution. Meetings are opportunities for Council to have interaction with the student body thus publicity and time should be allocated for the proper implementation of UCS's representative responsibilities. Non-UCS members should be encouraged to take part in UCS's activities and discussions so that UCS can better voice the concerns of its student body in its subsequent debate and initiatives.
1.3 The Undergraduate Council of Students shall establish its own regular weekly meeting time. This time, as well as the location of the weekly meeting, shall be publicized in accordance with the communications guidelines established in Section VII, Communications, of this code.
1.4 At any time a special meeting of the Council may be called by three members of the Coordinating Board or any five members of the Council. In such a situation, every effort must be made to contact all members of the Council.
1.5 A majority of the Council constitutes a quorum. A quorum must be present at any meeting in order for business to be conducted.
1.6 All votes of the Council will be of members present unless specifically designated otherwise in the Constitution, this Code, House Rules or any other Official Document.
Officer’s Duties in Meetings
2.1 The President of the Council shall preside over the meetings. In the absence of the President, the next Officer in the order of succession (see Section II, Officers and Representatives, Article 1.1) shall preside, in accordance with all other sections of this Code.
2.2 The Vice President of the Council shall serve as Parliamentarian when questions of procedure face the Council. The final decision in such matters shall rest with the Presiding Officer of the meeting.
2.3 The Council shall elect a Parliamentary Pro Tempore, who shall serve as Parliamentarian in the absence or exclusion of the Vice President.
Access to Meetings
3.1 All meetings of the Council shall be open to all members of the Brown Community except by a vote of two-thirds (2/3) majority of the Council members present to enter into Executive Session, in which the meeting is closed to all but Council members. By a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of Council, other members of the community may be admitted to an Executive Session to assist the conduct of business.
Attendance and Tardiness
4.1 It shall be the duty of every member of UCS to attend all meetings of that body unless prevented by illness or extraordinary circumstances. Excessive unauthorized absences constitute sufficient grounds for removal from the Council in accordance with Article VIII, Section 3 of the UCS Constitution and Section XI of this Code of Operations.
4.2 Any and all Council members leaving a meeting before its completion or coming in after role has been called must check in or out with the Secretary in writing immediately prior to time of exit or immediately after time of late entrance.
House Rules
5.1 Meetings of the Undergraduate Council of Students shall be governed by the UCS House Rules, except when inconsistent with either the Constitution of the Council or the provisions of this Code. Where the House Rules are insufficient, the Presiding Officer, in consultation with the Parliamentarian, shall make a procedural decision.
Agenda
6.1 The agenda for all Full Council meetings shall be determined by the Coordinating Board of the Council. The agenda may be amended by two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the Council. This weekly agenda shall be disseminated by the Secretary and Coordinator of Communications to all UCS members at least one day before the general meeting of that week.
Issues, Statements and Resolutions
7.1 From time to time, the Council may hold special meetings called Issues Meetings in order to informally focus one important issue and improve the Council's knowledge on that said issue. Coordinating Board is recommended to invite informed students, faculty, administrators, or anyone else that may enhance the discussion of Council.
7.2 When Council wants to formally comment on an issue, event, or any other activity related to Brown, Council may pass a UCS Statement. Such a motion must originate with a UCS Representative or Coordinator and may be co-sponsored by other members.
7.3 When Council wants to formally recommend a policy change on an issue related to Brown, Council may pass a UCS Resolution. Such a motion must originate with a UCS Representative or Coordinator and may be co-sponsored by other members.
7.4 The President may not submit a motion for a UCS Statement or Resolution unless he or she relinquishes the chair for the entire discussion to the Vice President of to the next Officer in the line of succession. The President may, however, place an issue on the agenda without having received a specific motion for resolution on it in order to facilitate an informal discussion on the topic or to prompt action on the part of other members.
7.5 UCS Statements and Resolutions on a given issue are due to the President or Presiding Officer no later than at the Coordinating Board meeting at which the agenda would be set for the Full Council meeting. The motion is then determined as allowable or not by the President and is copied for all the members. Members should receive proposed Resolutions or Statements with the agenda at least one day before the given Full Council meeting. If multiple motions are submitted, they are presented in the order in which they were received by the President.
7.6 All UCS Statements or Resolutions must be presented in written form before the Council at least one week before they are to be considered formally. Comments and minor amendments can be made during this interim week.
7.7 For the benefit of the members of Council, if needed, the Coordinator of Communications shall compile an information packet which may consist of newspaper articles, opinions, reports, or other documents which provide background knowledge on the issue at hand. This packet may also contain opposing viewpoints to the motion, provided, however, that both or all sides are represented accurately and equally. The information packet shall be given to members along with the motion for a resolution no later than two days before the Full Council meeting. It shall also be made available to members of the student body at large in a manner determined by the Coordinating Board.
7.8 Speakers or authoritative guests may be invited to address the Council in a question and answer session which occurs prior to the Council's own discussion of the issue and its vote on the motion. Although these guests may represent a known constituency, their purpose at the issue meeting is to inform and clarify, not to argue for one side or another on an issue.
7.9 Council shall follow the UCS House Rules during its discussion of a motion and two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the Council shall be required to pass any Statement or Resolution to become an official UCS position.
7.10 The Coordinating Board shall decide how best to pursue action with the Administration, the Faculty, the Staff, or any other applicable authorities once a Statement or Resolution is passed.
7.11 All votes by individual members on the acceptance of non-unanimous UCS Resolutions, Statements, or changes to the UCS Code shall be recorded "Yes", "No", or "Abstain". Upon votes on the acceptance of UCS Resolutions, Statements, or changes to the UCS Code, the Secretary shall read the name of each member but the President and record each member's vote in the official minutes. These votes, organized by individual member, will also be recorded on the UCS website by the Webmaster within a week of the original vote having occurred and are public record.
1.1 As the majority of the tasks of the Undergraduate Council of Students shall be conducted outside the context of the weekly Full Council meetings, the committees of the Council constitute its operational framework. A rational, coherent, and efficient committee system is essential to the proper performance of all Council responsibilities.
1.2 The Undergraduate Council of Students shall establish its own Coordinating Board and its own Committees on Internal Affairs, Academic and Administrative Affairs, Admissions and Student Services, Campus Life, Student Activities, Appointments, and Communications.
1.3 Internal Program Area Committees (Academic and Administrative Affairs, Admissions and Student Services, Campus Life, Student Activities) shall meet at least once for every week that Full Council meets in order to report on the status of the program area activities (current issue and community) and prepare formal submissions to the Full Council (motions, reports, requests, etc.) through the Coordinator, and to informally receive necessary information from Coordinating Board meetings. These meetings should occur between the Coordinating Board meeting and the next Full Council meeting in order that the business of the Committee and its Representatives is included in that Full Council meeting.
1.4 The Coordinating Board of the Council shall bear the responsibility for appointing members of the Council to all Council committees.
1.5 A member of Council shall not be internally appointed to more than one internal Program Area Committee or more than one University committee except with a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of Council.
The Coordinating Board
2.1 Introduction. All Officers, as listed in Section II, Officers and Representatives, Article 1.1, shall constitute the Coordinating Board of the Undergraduate Council of Students.
2.2 The Coordinating Board shall have collective responsibility for organizing the activities of the Council, and in particular shall have responsibility for organizing and coordinating the activities of Council members and University committee students in the Annual Program.
2.3 The Coordinating Board shall present the Council with a list of goals for the semester and a calendar of UCS events and meetings no later than the third weekly Full Council meeting. This calendar does not need to be voted on but must be presented to the Full Council for discussion. The calendar will be posted for the community in an effort to allow non-UCS students an opportunity to join UCS in its functions and meetings.
2.4 The Coordinating Board shall establish a regular weekly meeting time, and these meetings shall be conducted by the President, with the next Officer in the line of succession presiding in the absence of the President. The meetings of the Coordinating Board are considered open to all Council members.
2.5 The Coordinating Board shall make all appointments of Council members to Council and University committees, (see Section VI, Committees and for exceptions see Section II, Officers and Representatives, Article 3.2 and Section X, Affiliation).
2.6 The Coordinating Board shall establish regular meetings with officers of the administration especially the University President, Provost, Vice President of Campus Life and Student Services, Deans of the College, and Deans of Student Life, (see Section VII, Communications).
2.7 The Coordinating Board shall be empowered to send Representatives to meetings of the Corporation Campus Life Committee and other committees of the Corporation.
2.8 When new University committees are created, it shall be the responsibility of the Coordinating Board (see Section VI, Committees) to determine under which Officer's domain the new committees fall.
2.9 The Coordinating Board shall be empowered to appoint any Representative of Council to represent UCS in any ad hoc and standing positions, including positions for University, student, or non-Brown groups, committees, conferences, meetings, or events as it deems necessary to increase student input or keep UCS better informed.
Internal Committees
3.1 The Vice President shall chair the Internal Affairs Committee, which shall have primary responsibility for the internal workings of the Council such as office management, constitutional matters, removal, legislation, elections, and other functions deemed necessary by the Council. Office management includes jurisdiction over office supplies and equipment, the UCS lawyer, secretaries, and other staff deemed essential to the operation of the organization. Every year evenly divisible by four, the Internal Affairs Committee will be responsible for carefully scrutinizing UCS's Official Documents to make sure that they are up-to-date and not inconsistent with each other, as well as written most effectively for the smooth operation of Council and achievement of its goals. The Internal Affairs Committee shall consist of at least the following: Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Coordinator of Communications, and Coordinator of Appointments.
3.2 The Coordinator of Academic and Administrative Affairs shall chair the Academic and Administrative Affairs Committee, which shall also include the council members appointed to the committees which fall under the jurisdiction of the Coordinator. This committee shall have primary responsibility for the development of a student program in the areas of University academics and administration, and, more specifically, shall bear the responsibility for those areas of the program that deal with curricular planning and administrative direction of the planning. This committee shall coordinate the activities of the UCS-appointed student members on those related University committees. This committee will also be responsible for keeping records of all the Departmental Undergraduate Groups (DUGs), meeting regularly with DUG leaders, and will serve as the official liaison between the UCS, the DUGs, and the University administration.
3.3 The Coordinator of Admissions and Student Services shall chair the Admissions and Student Services Committee, which shall also include the council members appointed to the committees which fall under the jurisdiction of the Coordinator. This committee shall have primary responsibility for the development of a student program in those areas that affect services provided to the students, especially the issues of financial aid and admissions policy. The Committee shall also coordinate the activities of the UCS-appointed student members on those related University committees.
3.4 The Coordinator of Campus Life shall chair the Campus Life Committee, which shall also include the council members appointed to the committees that fall under the jurisdiction of the Coordinator. This committee shall have primary responsibility for the development of a student program in the areas of student affairs, University housing, and University dining services, and shall coordinate the activities of the student members on those related University committees.
3.5 The Coordinator of Student Activities shall chair the Student Activities Committee. This committee oversees UCS's interaction with student groups, including the Constituting Process, and Category changes. The Coordinator shall maintain constant contact with all groups, seeking to understand their needs and advocating them to the administration. It shall be the Student Activities Coordinator's responsibility to identify the obstacles faced by student leaders, and to work with the administration to solve those problems. The Coordinator shall evaluate, with the assistance of the Student Activities Committee, whether to propose a change to the Student Activities Fee within the first two months of the fall semester.
3.6 The Coordinator of Appointments shall chair the Appointments Committee, which shall consist of the current UCS Coordinator of Appointments, another UCS Officer appointed by the Vice President, and no less than seven (7) undergraduate students who are not current UCS members. This committee shall appoint the student Representatives to all faculty, University, and student committees (see Section VIII, Appointments).
3.7 The Coordinator of Communications shall chair the Communications Committee. This committee shall establish and maintain proper and effective channels of communication between the Undergraduate Council of Students and the student body, the faculty, the staff, and the alumni of Brown University. (see Section VII, Communications)
Special Committees
4.1 When it deems necessary, the Council shall, by simple majority vote, create special internal or external committees, either standing or ad hoc, in order to investigate certain issues or fulfill Council tasks.
Ex-Officio Status
5.1 The President and Vice President of the Undergraduate Council of Students shall be ex-officio members of all internal committees.
Undergraduate Finance Board
6.1 UCS shall have three seats on the Undergraduate Finance Board, of which one shall be held by the Coordinator of Student Activities of UCS, another by the Treasurer of UCS, and a third by an internally elected Representative.
University Committees
7.1 UCS shall appoint members to serve on all regular and special committees of the University, including the College Curriculum Council, Residential Council, Brown University Community Council, Peer Community Standards Board, Campus Life Advisory Board, Campus Planning Advisory Board, Honorary Degree Committee, Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies (ACCRI), Creative Arts Council, Computing Advisory Board, Library Advisory Board, University Disciplinary Committee, Financial Aid Awards Review Board, Status of Women Committee, Student Activities Advisory Board, and University Resources Committee.
7.2 In accordance with Section II, article 2.2, the Coordinator of Appointments, with a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the Council, shall update the above list as necessary. Such updating shall not be subject to the constraints of Section XII.
1.1 The Undergraduate Council of Students should be both responsive and visible to the students who are its constituents and to others of the University community, including the faculty, staff, Administration, Corporation, and alumni.
1.2 Ensuring this responsiveness and visibility, and articulating the student position on campus issues, with the intention of generating and increasing student involvement, are the reasons for maintaining an effective communications network.
1.3 It is the chief responsibility of the Coordinator of Communications with the Communications Committee to oversee the Council's communications and relations with all of the University's communities.
Communications with the Student Body
2.1 When Council desires better communication of a certain student group or collection of groups or individuals, the Council may hold an Outreach in order to both informally discuss the important issue of the said collection of students and relay to that group the resources UCS has available for them. The Communications Committee shall oversee the preparation of any Outreaches.
2.2 When Council wants to better educate the student body at large on a particular issue, the Council may hold a Forum. A Forum should consist of a panel of diverse and informed individuals. The panel usually speaks first on prepared questions from a moderator or is allowed to speak freely about the any area of the issue that concerns them the most. After the panel speaks it is recommended to allow the audience to interact with the panelists in a question, answer, and comment section. The Communications Committee shall oversee the preparation of any Forums.
2.3 The Secretary of the Council shall maintain a book containing all approved Council minutes from the semester. This book shall be open for public inspection in the UCS Office during regular business hours.
2.4 The Coordinator of Communications shall be responsible for the coordination of some publication that will inform the campus of items including UCS activities, elections, and appointments.
2.5 The Council shall maintain a system of Dorm Rounds, whereby, when assigned by the Coordinating Board, all members of Council shall be responsible for talking with students in their assigned residential area.
2.6 The Council shall select a question or questions to assign to Representatives for Dorm Rounds. The purpose of this question is to enlighten the Council about the sentiments of other students and to educate other students about the activities and interests of the Council.
2.7 It shall be the responsibility of the Communications Committee to compile the results of Dorm Rounds and to utilize them to the best service of the Council.
2.8 Weekly UCS Office hours shall be established and publicized at which students can voice concerns and ideas for the Council. It shall be the duty of the Coordinator of Communications to assign the shifts of Council members.
2.9 Input from the UCS Office Hours shall be distributed to the appropriate internal Council committee which addresses each particular issue, these committees being that of Campus Life, Admissions and Student Services, Academic and Administrative Affairs, and Internal Affairs.
2.10 It shall be the responsibility of the Student Activities Committee to assist the SAO in maintaining a comprehensive online directory of all student groups.
2.12 All UCS documents that are to be discussed in open council (i.e. not executive session) should be open to public scrutiny by any member of the student community. An office copy of each document should be on file in the UCS office, and for major UCS changes (e.g. the appointments or constituting process), five copies should be available in the UCS office for non-UCS student use.
Referenda and Initiatives
3.1 If the Council at any time feels it necessary to determine the opinion of or to express the overwhelming concern of the entire student body on an issue, it may sponsor a referendum to be placed on the ballot during the next scheduled election or whenever council deems fit. Such referendum must be approved in its exact written form by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the Council in order to be placed before the student body. Approval in this vote does not signify Council support for the meaning of the referendum, but merely Council's feeling that the students should be given the opportunity to express their opinion on this issue.
3.2 If a referendum question is to be included on the elections ballot, the deadline is the regularly scheduled meeting at least seven days prior to the first day of the election.
3.3 If at any time any undergraduate feels it necessary to determine the opinion of or express the overwhelming concern of the entire student body on an issue, he or she may sponsor an initiative. Such initiative must be signed by at least 300 undergraduates. The top of the initiative petition must state clearly that a signature does not indicate approval or disapproval of the meaning of the initiative, but merely support for placing the initiative on the ballot. It must also be written that students who sign the petition are acknowledging with their signature that they have read the exact written initiative as it is being presented to the UCS General Body for consideration. Referenda may be presented during Community Time of any UCS meeting, and the General body must wait one week before voting on whether or not to approve referenda requests. Once the General Body has approved such a request, a referendum must be held within 14 days of the General Body meeting.
3.4 Should the Council wish to support a particular side of a referendum or initiative issue, a simple majority vote of Council shall determine the Council's official position on the issue, and any action taken on such issue shall be subject to the constraints of Section III, Article 8 of this Code.
3.5 After a referendum or initiative was on a ballot, Council shall follow these procedures in responding to the community vote:
(a) Council will take a simple majority vote in deciding what action it deems appropriate in responding to a student initiative and will proceed accordingly.
(b) When Council has placed a referendum on the ballot to determine community sentiments on an issue, it shall be responsible to represent those majority sentiments in its future actions. Council shall decide how best to pursue the expressed community interest by taking a simple majority vote.
3.6 Council shall pursue the majority opinion of the student vote in the manner it best sees fit.
3.7 It shall be the responsibility of the Communications Coordinator and Committee to organize and publicize the referendum.
Communications with Faculty and Administration
4.1 The Coordinator of Academic and Administrative Affairs in consultation with the Communications Committee shall be responsible for the maintenance of proper channels of communication with the members of the Faculty and Administration.
4.2 The Council, through Coordinator of Academic and Administrative Affairs, shall inform the Deans of the College of the issues Council is discussing and ask for input and ideas.
4.3 The Council shall establish regular monthly meetings with Deans of the College in order to discuss the issues the respective groups are facing and the ways they can work together to accomplish their collective goals more effectively. It shall be the responsibility of the Coordinator of Academic and Administrative Affairs to organize such meetings.
4.4 When issues profoundly affecting the student body arise, in which the Council feels that there is an overwhelming student body and/or Council consensus, the Council shall lobby the faculty by department or other means on the given issue. The decision to conduct such an effort must be made by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the Council. This lobbying would occur during the departmental meetings occurring most recently before the full faculty meeting at which the said issue would be addressed.
4.5 It shall be the responsibility of the UCS President to select ten (10) UCS members to serve as representatives to Faculty meetings and to communicate the names of these students to the chair of the Faculty Executive Committee. These students shall be required to attend all faculty meetings, and shall be subject to the same attendance rules as those applying to Council meetings. Additional UCS members are encouraged to attend faculty meetings when permissible.
4.6 The Communications Committee shall regularly inform appropriate Administrators of the Council's semester agenda.
4.7 The Coordinating Board shall establish regular meetings with officers of the Brown constituents. In particular, the Coordinating Board shall be responsible for communication with officers of the Administration, the Faculty Executive Committee, and the department chairs on all matters relating to the Annual Program.
Communications with the Corporation
5.1 Communications with and awareness of the Corporation is important to the general student body and to the Council in particular. The Corporation Liaison in consultation with the Communications Committee shall, be responsible for maintaining communication between the Corporation and the student body.
5.2 In particular, the Coordinating Board shall be empowered to send Representatives to meetings of the Student Life Committee and other committees of the Corporation.
5.3 The Corporation Liaison upon approval of the Coordinating Board shall, when deemed necessary, arrange meetings between itself and individuals, groups, or committees of the Corporation. The Coordinating Board shall in particular be responsible for presenting the Annual Program to individuals, groups, or committees of the Corporation.
5.4 All communications to and from members and committees of the Corporation which is outlined above shall be reported to Full Council by the Corporation Liaison.
Communications with Alumni
6.1 The alumni incorporate an important part of Brown. Communications with and awareness of the alumni's involvement will help students when they leave campus and harbors good will toward Brown through a worldwide constituency, and is thus important to the general student body and to the Council in particular. The Alumni Liaison in consultation with the Communications Committee shall, be responsible for maintaining communication with the alumni organizations and individuals and the student body.
Communications with the Staff
7.1 The Council shall maintain regular communications with the staff through its the Vice President of Administration and the Staff Advisory Board.
1.1 A primary responsibility of the Undergraduate Council of Students is to nominate and appoint undergraduates to serve on all regular and special committees of the University. The expedient nomination of the best possible candidates is the primary objective of the nominations process. The Appointments Committee as outlined in Section VI, Article 2.5 shall oversee the implementation of the Appointments Process.
Procedure
2.1 The Appointments Committee will be chosen through an interview process by a panel consisting of the Coordinator of Appointments and another UCS member appointed by the Vice-President. The results of the Appointments Committee appointments will be brought before Council no later than one week after the interviews have concluded. The Appointments Committee must be ratified by at least two-thirds of the Council members present.
2.2 For each University committee position, the Appointments Committee shall select an interviewing panel consisting of two members of the Appointments Committee, a current undergraduate member of the University Committee, and the UCS member whose individual project or interests fall under the jurisdiction of that committee. These members will be present during all deliberations and will all have a vote in the panel's final decision. One of the two members of the Appointments Committee will chair the interview panel. It is the chief responsibility of the Coordinator of Appointments to oversee the entire Appointments Process, to ensure that the panel Chairs know what is expected of them, and to handle any problems that may occur before, during, or after the interviews.
2.3 It will be the chief responsibility of the Chair of the panel to oversee the respective interviews and contacting the panel interviewers.
2.4 At least one week before the interviews are scheduled to commence, the Appointments Committee shall formulate and make available a written application form for each committee to which appointments are being made, which all candidates must complete.
2.5 The Appointments Committee will set up a meeting between the candidates and current representatives on the respective University committee to allow an opportunity for all candidates to resolve questions and become better informed about the committee that interests them.
2.6 The Appointments Committee shall make sign up lists allowing for no less than ten (10) minutes between the interviews and readily available at least one week before and are taken down no sooner than twenty-four (24) hours before the interviews are scheduled to commence. The Coordinator of Communications with the guidance of the Appointments Committee shall be responsible for ensuring that all appointments are properly publicized.
2.7 In the twenty-four (24) hours before the respective interviews, the interviewing panel shall convene to formulate standard interview questions to be asked of all the candidates. Interviewing committee members shall receive reviews prepared by the current student membership of the committees to which they are making appointments, and shall consult those reports when preparing interview questions. It is the responsibility of the panel's Chair to ask each of the interviewers if they know any of the candidates and feel they can give an objective consideration to all candidates applying. If the panel's Chair feels that the interviewing panel could be biased, the Chair shall contact the Coordinator of Appointments and the Appointments Committee to decide if the interviews shall be rescheduled and a new panel chosen.
2.8 No member of the Brown community may serve on more than two externally appointed committees. The Undergraduate Council of Students and the Undergraduate Finance Board, as elected positions, will not fall under this jurisdiction. Therefore, election to these bodies will not be regarded as external appointments.
2.9 The same interviewing panel shall conduct all interviews of the candidates running for the respective University committee. Although the panel will have a list of standard questions to ask of all candidates, it is expected that follow up and individualized questions will be necessary in order to fully explore the candidate's attributes. Interviews are to be held in a professional and objective manner equal to each of the candidates involved.
2.10 The interviewing panel shall meet when all interviews are completed to decide on its recommendations to the Council.
3.1 The Chair shall be responsible for certifying results to the Coordinator of Appointments. The results of each interviewing panel's recommendation will be posted in the UCS office within twenty-four (24) hours after the final interview of the appointments process has taken place, including names of candidates chosen, appeals notification, qualities looked for in the candidates, and general questions asked of all of the candidates. These results shall not be considered final until they are approved by the Council.
3.2 Any candidate or member of the community who feels that the decision of the interviewing panel was unjustified may appeal the decision by submitting a written statement to the Coordinator of Appointments describing the reasons for appeal. The appeal must be received within two (2) days of the interviewing panel's posted decision.
3.3 Upon receipt of an appeal, the Appointments Committee shall meet with the interviewing panel and the respective appealers. The Appointments Committee shall issue a decision on the appeal within forty-eight (48) hours of the appeal's receipt.
4.1 The Appointments Committee shall screen and nominate prospective candidates for the University Disciplinary Council.
4.2 For all University Search Committee appointments, the student interviewing panel must be approved by a majority vote of the UCS Coordinating Board.
5.1 The Appointments Committee must inform student committee members that as student representatives they also serve at the pleasure of the duly-elected student government. The Coordinator of Communications in conjunction with the Coordinator of Appointments shall notify each appointee regarding this role within one week after the Council approves the appointments list. Furthermore, monthly meetings will be held between the appointees and the internal Council committee under which the appointee's committee falls. The internal committees are Campus Life, Admissions and Student Services, and Academic and Administrative Affairs.
5.2 The Coordinator of Communications shall mail a copy of the Council's semester agenda to all student appointees.
5.3 The Coordinator of Communications shall contact each appointee when Council addresses, at a full Council meeting, an issue under the jurisdiction of his or her University committee.
5.4 If an appointee misses two meetings with their internal committee during a semester, they will be removed from their position and replaced in accordance this Section.
5.5 As the Council is responsible for appointing undergraduate members to University committees, and as those appointments are to be made in the best interest of students, the Council may from time to time exercise its authority to remove those members, once appointed.
6.2 The Coordinator of Appointments shall be responsible for appointing undergraduate members to University Committees when University Administrators require student representation on short-term committees intended to fulfill a specific charge.
6.3 The Coordinator of Appointments shall appoint undergraduate members to these committees using the process outlined in Section VIII, Appointments, of the UCS Code.
6.4 In the case of a time-sensitive appointment where Administrators require undergraduate representation, the Coordinating Board shall be empowered to appoint undergraduate members to University Committees in a timely fashion.
7.1 An abridged version of this Section shall be sent by the Coordinator of Appointments to all University Committees to which the Council appoints student members before the appointments process begins.
Spring Appointments Process
8.1 All of the student appointments to the standing University committees shall be appointed through the Spring Appointments Process.
8.2 No later than the one week before the first interviews, the Appointments Committee shall notify all registered undergraduates. This notice shall announce the availability of positions on University committees, briefly describe each committee, note the location for interview sign-ups and the time and place of the interviews, as well as listing informed student and administrative contacts for each committee. All student organizations will also receive this notice. At this time, it is recommended that the Appointments Committee hold an Appointments Forum to give the prospective candidates a chance to meet be already involved in these committees.
8.3 Interviews shall begin no later than the second week of March and all interviewing panels shall submit their recommendations to the Council no later than the second week of April.
8.4 The entire Spring Appointments Process shall officially end exactly seven (7) days after the final interview has taken place.
9.1 The Coordinating Board of the Council shall bear the responsibility for approving appointments to University committees before they are presented to General Body. With this responsibility and the duties of their offices in mind, the Coordinating Board shall not appoint any of its own members as Council representatives to University committees (see Section II, Officers and Representatives, Articles 2.6 and 2.7 for exceptions).
9.2 The approval of appointments shall be the first order of business under the Vice President's report at the first Full Council meeting following the coordinating board approval. The Coordinator of Appointments shall deliver a full report to the Council, providing complete details of any appeals which were received.
9.3 Appointments shall be considered official when a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of Council members present vote to accept them. Individual appointments may be rejected by amendment.
9.4 The final list of appointments will be compiled by the Appointments Committee and posted in the UCS office within twenty-four (24) hours of their approval.
1.1 As the Undergraduate Council of Students represents all undergraduates, it is the responsibility of the Council to spend its monies with the best interest of all students in mind.
Responsibilities of Treasurer
2.1 It shall be the responsibility of the Treasurer of the Council to formulate the budget of the Council for presentation to the Undergraduate Finance Board (UFB). The President of UCS shall select not more than two official Representatives of Council, one of which may be herself or himself, to present the budget proposal to UFB.
2.2 The Treasurer shall keep accurate and up-to-date records of all financial transactions of the Council and of the current status of UCS funds. He or she shall be prepared at every meeting to answer questions regarding finances and the regulations established by UFB and the SAO. The Treasurer shall deliver a report on current UFB activities and expenditures once every month.
Signatory Powers
3.1 Three members of the Council shall retain signing power over its funds. These members shall be the President, Vice President and Treasurer of the Council.
Communications with the Undergraduate Finance Board
4.1 The Chairperson of the Undergraduate Finance Board should give a presentation to Full Council at the beginning of each year to explain the workings and responsibilities of UFB and its relationship to UCS.
1.1 All appointments by UCS to affiliated organizations must be chosen by internal elections. All candidates must already hold Representative or Associate positions.
1.2 It is recommended that the Council be affiliated with the Ivy Council for the purpose of facilitating communication and a working relationship between the Ivy League universities.
1.3 It is recommended that the Council be affiliated with at least one state organization whose purpose is to facilitate communications and a working relationship between Rhode Island colleges and universities.
1.1 Upon submittal to the Council of a written and signed statement expressing a member's wish to terminate his or her membership on the Council, such member will have officially resigned. This resignation shall be considered final and valid immediately upon its submittal to the Council as a whole.
1.2 An Officer may step down to a Representative position even if that requires increasing the number of Representatives allowed in Section III, Elections.
1.3 Upon the receipt of a resignation, a vacancy is created on the Council, and proceedings should begin immediately to fill the vacancy in accordance with Section III, Elections, Article 12.
1.4 The submission of a resignation by any member shall nullify and close any removal proceedings on that member that may be in process.
1.1 In order for the interests of students to be represented best, and in order for the fulfillment of the Council's program to occur smoothly, the active and regular participation of all Council and University Committee members is a necessity. The Council maintains the authority to remove its own members from office, and it is also the right and responsibility of the Council to recall any student from his or her UCS-appointed University committee position should that student be found guilty of inadequately performing his or her committee duties.
Removal of Council Members and Officers
2.1 Any member of the Undergraduate Council of Students may be removed from the Council by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Council, in accordance with Article VIII, Section 3, of UCS Constitution.
2.2 In order to insure competent leadership it shall be the role of the next Officer in line after the President and Vice President to hold an internal vote of confidence in a secret ballot form where only the counters will know the results, however, if there is a vote of no confidence, the results will be released. The election shall be held five (5) weeks from the initial UCS meeting of each semester and shall be a vote upon the competence of the President and Vice President in two separate ballots. The next Officer in line after the President and Vice President and the Secretary shall count the ballots. A two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of "no confidence" shall be required for Council to remove the President or Vice President from office. Removed Officers shall be replaced by an internal election within two meetings.
2.3 The following actions constitute grounds for removal of UCS Representatives and Officers from Council:
(a) Any Council member missing three unexcused University committee meetings or twenty percent of the scheduled committee meetings over a one-semester period will be brought before the Coordinating Board on grounds of removal.
(b) Any Council member or Officer missing three unexcused UCS meetings or twenty percent of the scheduled meetings over a one-semester period will be brought before the Coordinating Board on grounds of removal. To be considered at a meeting, members must be in attendance no later then thirty (30) minutes into the meeting and stay for the remaining entirety of the meeting or at least three hours of said meeting.
(c) Any Officer missing three unexcused Coordinating Board meetings shall come before the entire Council on grounds of removal. Said Officer shall state the reasons for the absences. Council members will then vote by secret ballot on the motion of removal of the Officer.
(d) Any Officer or Representative who acts in flagrant violation of this code as decided by at least 2/3 of the coordinating board shall be brought before the whole body on grounds of removal.
(e) The Vice President shall formally warn any council member not fulfilling the obligations of office as outlined in this code that removal proceedings are pending. The Coordinating Board shall officially notify the member, in writing, that he or she will be placed on a two-week warning status. After this period, the member shall be brought before the Coordinating Board for removal if such charges persist.
2.4 When a member is brought before the Coordinating Board on grounds of removal, the Board will first hear explanations from said member. If, after questioning, the Board votes by a two-thirds (2/3) majority to remove the member from the Council, said member may then either appear before the entire Council or submit his or her resignation at the next meeting.
2.5 When a member appears before the entire Council on grounds of removal, the President (or if the President is being questioned for removal, the next Officer in the line of succession) shall explain the charges and the reason for the Coordinating Board's decision to ask for removal. However, in order to preserve the impartiality of the Presiding Officer, the Vice President (or if the Vice President is being questioned for removal, the next Officer in the line of succession) shall serve as the official representative of the Coordinating Board in advocating the accused member's removal. The accused Representative or Officer shall then have time to defend him or herself, after which the floor will be open for questions. Voting on a question of removal shall be by secret ballot.
Officer Demotion
3.1 When an Officer is brought before the Council on grounds of removal only for the violation of rules applying solely to Officers, then, if he or she is removed by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the Council, such Officer will only lose his or her Officer status and will retain Council membership. This article shall not be construed to prohibit the complete removal of Officers from the Council for other violations.
Removal of UCS-Appointed Members of University Committees
4.1 Any member of a University committee may be removed by the Council as a result of frequent absences from committee meetings (as defined in Article 2.2 (a) of this Section) or failure to contribute to the goals and program of the Council.
4.2 Should any member of the Council desire removal of a University committee member on these grounds, he or she must first discuss the matter with the Coordinator of the affected program area so that the Coordinator may work directly with the committee member to eliminate the need for unnecessary removal.
4.3 Any member of Council, in accordance with Articles 4.1 and 4.2 of this Section, may raise the issue of removal of a University committee appointee at any Council meeting.
4.4 Any University committee member being considered for removal shall be required to come before the full Council and shall be allowed to speak on his or her own behalf. The Council member bringing charges and the Program Area Coordinator shall also speak on this issue.
4.5 Removal of any University committee member requires a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the Council.
Precedence
5.1 Questions of removal take immediate precedence over all other Council business except for community time.
1.1 In accordance with Article IX, Section 1 of the UCS Constitution, this Code of Operations shall be amendable through the following procedure:
(a) All proposals for changes in the code must be presented in written form before the Council at least one week before they are to be considered formally.
(b) Once the necessary waiting period has elapsed, a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of Council is required to approve amendments.
SECTION XIV
Constituting Process
1.1 Campus organizations further the common interests of the members of the group and are essential parts of the learning environment at Brown University. Open to all students and facilitated through a student government network, these organizations develop many opportunities for experiential learning which supplement and reinforce classroom activities for students.
1.2 It is the role of the Undergraduate Council of Students to provide support for all recognized student groups, to facilitate access to each group through accurate dissemination of information, and to identify the parameters of the groups' activities within Brown University.
Procedures
2.1 Any group wishing to acquire status as a student activity group must observe the following procedures:
(a) Constitution Preparation
Members of an organization must prepare a written constitution containing:
- Name of the organization.
- Statement of purpose, including nature of departmental, administrative, legal, religious, political, or financial affiliations without which the organization would not exist (where applicable).
- Description of membership and definition of membership. Must include: 1) verbatim the non-discrimination statement on attached constitution format, unless specifically exempted in Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972, and 2) a statement requiring majority membership to consist of full-time undergraduate Brown students.
- Description of Officer positions or structure of leadership. Officers must be currently enrolled full-time undergraduate Brown students.
- Election of Officers (where applicable).
- Organizational financial responsibilities (where applicable). If activity fee funded, must include verbatim the Student Activity financial responsibility statement on attached constitution format; if non-activity fee funded, must include a description of the financial account structure and the financial obligations of membership.
- Description of duties of official advisor (where applicable).
- Amendment procedure. Must include verbatim the UCS amendment statement on attached constitution format. Any change(s) made to the UCS constitution and by-laws take precedence over any existing group conflicting constitutions and by-laws.
The Category's required number of signatures of members of the organization who are full-time undergraduate Brown students (ten signatures to obtain Category one status, and fifteen signatures to obtain Category two or three status). A group may petition the Student Activities Committee for a waiver of this policy if (1) the organization can obtain the appropriate number of signatures of students that support the existence of the organization, which shall be clearly differentiated from official members on any documentation submitted to UCS or the SAO, and (2) can demonstrate an effect on the community appropriate for the categorization status being requested.
(b) Representation at the Meeting of the Student Activities Committee
A representative of the organization must attend the Student Activities Committee meeting for questions and discussion, as deemed necessary by the committee. A representative must bring four copies of the constitution of the organization to the Student Activities Committee meeting for review, one of which has on it the required number of signatures of members of the organization who are full-time undergraduate Brown students. A simple majority of the committee is needed to recommend constitution. The organization must also provide a complete membership list (including full name and University affiliation if not Brown, including anticipated year of graduation if an undergraduate), which must contain a minimum of 10 for category I and 15 for category II or III, to the Student Activities Committee meeting.
(c) Full Council Approval of Constitutions
Weekly, the Coordinator of Student Activities will present a report of all Constitutions it recommends, including the group's full name, category status, statement of purpose, and reasons for recommendation. If this report includes any co-sponsorship, changing status to Category three, or appeals, the group concerned may be asked to attend the Full Council meeting in order to explain their purpose and field any questions from Council. The Coordinator will provide copies of all proposed Constitutions for members that request them. Constitutions shall be considered official when a two-thirds (2/3) majority of Council members present vote to accept them.
(d) Categorization of Student Group
The Undergraduate Council of Students shall also decide, upon recommendation of the Coordinator of Student Activities, to which student activity category the new group will be assigned. (See Section II on Student Activity Categories.) This decision shall be part of the motion to constitute. e.g. "I move to constitute the XYZ CLUB as a Category One group."
(e) Constitutional Revision
If there are any constitutional changes irresolvable at the Full Council meeting as deemed necessary by Council before approving the constitution, the group must begin the process again, resubmitting a new constitution as per steps A - D.
(f) Approval
The constitution of the newly constituted group will receive an official stamp indicating the date of its approval, its category, and the signature of the Coordinator of Student Activities. It shall be the responsibility of this coordinator to forward a copy of this constitution to the SAO and, if requested, to the Undergraduate Finance Board, if a Category Two or Three Group.
(g) Addition of Group to the Official Listing of Student Organizations
It is the responsibility of the Student Activities Coordinator to ensure that a newly constituted organization is represented on the official listing of student organizations maintained in the SAO and made public via the Brown website. . This must be done by contacting the SAO. The Student Activities Coordinator must also inform the Director of Student Activities of newly constituted groups and changes in category status of existing group within one week. The Coordinator must also provide to the Director of Student Activities a copy of said group’s constitution, to be filed in the SAO.
(h) Appeal
- A group wishing to appeal the decision of the Student Activities Committee may submit a written request and reasons for the appeal to the UCS Coordinator of Student Activities within fourteen (14) days of the date of the Student Activities Committee's original decision. The group shall have a hearing with the Student Activities Committee of UCS within fourteen (14) days after the Coordinator of Student Activities has received the appeal. Upon closure of this hearing, if there are at least one-fourth (1/4) minority vote of the Student Activities Committee approving of the constitution, the constitution will be brought before Full Council at the next regularly scheduled meeting. If a minority of the Student Activities Committee approves of the constitution, a member of the majority opinion will report the majority's reservations to the Full Council before its decision. The group's written appeal will be submitted to all Council members.
- A group wishing to appeal the decision of Council may submit a written request and reasons for the appeal to the UCS Coordinator of Student Activities within fourteen (14) days of the date of the Council's original decision. The group shall have a hearing with the Student Activities Committee of UCS within fourteen (14) days after the Coordinator of Student Activities has received the appeal. The Coordinator of Student Activities will submit the decision of the Student Activities Committee and the group’s written appeal to the Full Council at the next regularly scheduled meeting after the appeal.
- A group wishing to appeal any aspect of this Code must submit a written request and reasons for the appeal to the UCS Student Activities Committee of UCS in the same manner as outlined in Subsections (b) and (c) above with the exception that it will take a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of Council to suspend the rules of this Code of Operations.
(i) Amendment and Category Changes
A group wishing to change its constitution or category must submit an amended constitution and a written request and reasons for the constitutional change to the Student Activities Committee of UCS in the same manner as outlined in Subsections (b) and (c) above. Groups may be prohibited from promotion if they fail to meet the criteria of next categorization level; however, if a group is believed to be in violation of the standards of its current category, the group’s request for promotion may be temporarily suspended as UCS conducts a process for deconstitution.
Student Activity Categories
3.1 Groups shall be classified as one of the following three categories:
(a) CATEGORY ONE student groups not requesting activity-fee funding
- Responsibilities
- Must exist within the confines of all University policy: The stated purpose and the group's activities must be consistent with the tenets of community behavior (relevant policies are available on the SAO and Office of Student Life websites).
- Must not be privately incorporated.
- Must follow the procedures for obtaining status as a student group at Brown University as outlined in Section II.
- Must adhere to the constitution and statement of purpose of the group.
- Must have its current membership on file by submitting a complete membership list by deadlines established by the SAO.
- Must have its current leadership on file with the SAO and have identified two primary contacts for the organization by submitting an annual leadership update form to the SAO by deadlines established by the SAO and the Undergraduate Council of Students. Any subsequent changes to this information must be filed within one week of the changes.
- Must maintain a mailbox in the SAO through which all official communication with the organization will be conducted.
- If it is determined by the SAO or UCS that the activities of an organization present risks or liabilities beyond that of what would normally be expected of a student organization, the organization must have waivers of liability for all members and participants in group activities on file with the Director of Student Activities before participating in any activity of the group. UCS and the SAO will annually compile a list of such groups in consultation with the Directors of Insurance and Risk and Environmental Health and Safety and notify groups accordingly.
- Organizations meeting the definition of Club Sports as determined jointly by the Department of Athletics and Physical Education, the Club Sports Council, and UCS, may not seek recognition from UCS but may still be listed in the official listing of student groups.
- Must submit a copy of the charter of its parent organization or affiliation of which it is a member chapter, where applicable, if requested by the Undergraduate Council of Students.
- Must register all events meeting the requirements for Event Registration established by the SAO and available on its website.
- Must file a written report of at least one page with the Coordinator of Student Activities at a time set by said Coordinator during each semester if requested by the Coordinator. If a constituted group does not file a report by the date set by the Coordinator of Student Activities, said group shall be considered for deconstitution by the Student Activities Committee. If a group does not file a requested report within two semesters, they will be brought before the Council with a recommendation of deconstitution by the Student Activities Committee. Must maintain a membership of at least ten members.
- All academic groups strongly affiliated with an existing University department may not rise above category one. Note that Departmental Undergraduate Groups (DUGs) may not be constituted by UCS as student groups, but shall work with the Coordinator of Academic and Administrative Affairs and the Curricular Resource Center.
- Privileges
- Inclusion in the online official listing of all student organizations.
- Ability to petition for an account in the SAO. All accounts must be University accounts.
- Use of Student Activity Office resources, including an assigned mailbox in the SAO and privileges to reserve information tables (e.g. in the post office) free of charge and distribute information through the University mail system under its guidelines.
- Use of university resources, including room/space privileges, priority, and cost and rights to poster and hang banners.
- Access to an information table during any Student Activities Fairs, including those organized by the Orientation Welcoming Committee, A Day on College Hill, and UCS or the SAO.
- Inclusion of "Brown" as part of the name of the organization. The organization may not, however, use the name "Brown" in such a way as to represent to others that the organization is authorized to act on behalf of the University (e.g. when negotiating contracts) or that its activities are organized as official activities of the University.
(b) CATEGORY TWO student groups requesting Activity Fee social funding
- Responsibilities
- All responsibilities of CATEGORY ONE GROUPS outlined above in Subsection 3.1.a.1.
- Must have all financial transactions of the organization administered with the regulations set forth by the SAO and the Undergraduate Finance Board. Organizations wishing to request money from the Undergraduate Finance Board must have been constituted by UCS as a CATEGORY ONE group at least one semester prior to the stated application deadline. After said time period has elapsed, and upon review and recommendation of the Student Activities Committee of UCS, the group may apply to change their status to Category Two, and in the process become eligible for UFB funding. A group may petition the Undergraduate Council of Students for a waiver of this policy, if the group demonstrates an immediate monetary need, as outlined in Subsection 2.1.h.3 above.
- Must maintain an active membership of at least fifteen members. A group may petition the Undergraduate Council of Students for a waiver of this policy if necessary.
- Must not duplicate the stated purpose of a pre-existing group.
- Must demonstrate viability (i.e. sustainable leadership, sufficient membership) as a group to the Student Activities Committee.
- Privileges
- All privileges of CATEGORY ONE GROUPS outlined above in Subsection 3.1.a.2.
- Eligibility to petition the SAAB for office space.
- Eligibility an allocation from the Student Activity Fund of social fund through the Undergraduate Finance Board.
(b) CATEGORY THREE student groups requesting Activity Fee funding
- Responsibilities
- All CATEGORY ONE and TWO GROUP responsibilities outlined above in Subsections 3.1.a.1 and 3.1.b.1 apply to category three groups. These groups MUST HAVE EXISTED AS A CATEGORY TWO GROUP FOR AT LEAST ONE SEMESTER. A group may petition the Undergraduate Council of Students for a waiver of this policy, if the group demonstrates an immediate monetary need, as outlined in Subsection 2.1.h.3 above.
- Must demonstrate Brown campus community impact (i.e.., lectures, seminars, popular membership, performances).
- Funding must be integral to the goals of the group.
- Privileges
- All privileges of CATEGORY ONE and TWO GROUPS as outlined above Subsections 3.1.a.2 and 3.1.b.2.
- Eligibility to submit a budget from the Student Activity Fee for the approval of the Undergraduate Finance Board. Said groups shall not be limited to social fund from UFB.
3.2 Groups intending to exist for a specific period of time may be constituted as Ad Hoc groups. Such groups must specify the time period for which they shall exist. Ad Hoc groups shall adhere to all other guidelines outlined in this section, including the group categories listed above.
Maintaining Constituted Status
4.1 Each constituted group must register their leadership and full membership at the start of each academic year in order to maintain its status as a constituted group. Leadership and primary contact information must be updated with the SAO within one week of any changes made at any point in the year.
4.2 Groups that fail to register, as outlined in Article 4.1 of this Section, will be considered for deconstitution by the Student Activities Committee. All groups will be notified via email to primary contacts on file and via announcements in the SAO about the criteria for registration each September. It is the responsibility of groups to ensure that understand and meet these criteria, which shall include submission of a current membership list and updating contact and leadership information for the group.
4.3 Groups that hold no official meetings or events for two consecutive semesters or that fail to remain in contact with the SAO and UCS will be considered for deconstitution by the Student Activities Committee. Groups that do not use any funding available to them for two consecutive semesters must be brought before the Student Activities Committee to be considered for decategorization.
4.8 The UCS Coordinator of Student Activities shall assist the SAO in updating a list of all active UCS constituted student groups. This list shall be used to verify active groups seeking access to these privileges.
Deconstitution of Student Groups
5.1 UCS may at any time deconstitute groups that fail to adhere to UCS, UFB, SAO, or University regulations.
5.2 All groups that are being proposed for deconstitution shall be contacted by the Coordinator of Student Activities, if members of the group can be found.
5.3 Every group subject to deconstituting proceedings has a right to a hearing by the Student Activities Committee.
5.4 Such a group wishing to remain constituted may submit a written request and reasons for remaining constituted to the UCS Coordinator of Student Activities within fourteen (14) days of the date of the Coordinator of Student Activities original notification. The group shall have a hearing with the Student Activities Committee of UCS within fourteen (14) days after the Coordinator of Student Activities has received the written request. Upon closure of this hearing, if there is at least a majority vote of the Student Activities Committee approving of the constitution, the constitution will be brought before Full Council with the Coordinator of Student Activities weekly report.
5.5 Any subsequent requests to reconstitute a group that has been deconstituted shall be considered on a case-by-case basis through the same means as a new group as outlined in Article 2.1 of this Section. Restrictions and/or conditions may be placed upon such a group's privileges as a constituted group.
5.6 It is the responsibility of the Student Activities Coordinator to ensure that a newly deconstituted organization is deleted from the online official listing of student organizations. This can be done by contacting the SAO.