The Constitution
of
The Swiss Hotel School
Student Representative Council
Pledge of Service to the Student Body:
As the Swiss Hotel School Student Council, we make the following pledge to the student body:
We shall ensure that the voices of the students are respectfully heard and acted upon, and see that the students’ best interests are properly served. We shall uphold the rights of all students, serving as the liaison between the students and the SHS Faculty. We shall constantly strive towards improving the quality of life of all students. These are the responsibilities that we undertake wholeheartedly and of our own volition.
Preamble
The Student Representative Council will serve in the best interests of the Swiss Hotel School and its management and faculty . The Student Council will not serve it's own purposes and those of it's members nor will it be an agent for any group, organization or individual. All matters will be referenced in terms of how the Swiss Hotel School may be bettered in relation to the lives of the students so decided by the students themselves.
Article I: Purpose and Powers
The powers of the Student Council shall include the following:
1. Deciding and acting upon issues that involve a significant part of the SHS student body.
2. Providing representation on behalf of the student body to concerned parties.
3. Organizing and overseeing student events aimed at creating a better unity amongst the students.
4. Raising all funds necessary to run student events including wine tour.
5. Managing student body to best serve the purposes of the SHS and its management and faculty.
Article II: The Cabinet
The Executive Board consists of the President, Vice-President, three Secretaries and two At Larges
The duties of the President are as follows:
To call and preside over all meetings of the Cabinet
To serve in an advisory capacity to any group, task force, or committee.
To act as a liaison between the Student Council and the Faculty
To be responsible for all executive decisions.
To create Special Committees as needed throughout the year and to appoint their
chairpersons.
To vote on all decisions made by the Student Council.
To create an agenda for all meetings over which the President will preside.
To be familiar with the Student Council Constitution and to exercise Robert’s Rules of
Order during General Assembly meetings.
The duties of the Vice-President are as follows:
To aid the President with his or her duties.
To act for the President in his or her absence.
To serve on Special Committee's as appointed by the President.
To be familiar with the Student Council Constitution and to exercise Robert’s Rules of
Order during General Assembly meetings.
To maintain an accurate and updated record of finances weekly.
To oversee all financial matters of the Council.
The duties of the Secretaries are as follows:
To keep minutes for all meetings of the Cabinet.
To type and distribute the minutes of meetings within seventy-two hours of the
meeting.
To place a copy of each set of the minutes in the Student Council Archives quarterly.
To keep record of attendance at all meetings.
To serve on a Special Committee as appointed by the President.
To be familiar with the Student Council Constitution and to exercise Robert’s Rules of
Order during General Assembly meetings.
The general duties of the At-Larges are as follows:
The At-Larges consist of two First Year class representatives.
To act as the liaison between Student Council and his or her respective class.
To call and preside over class meetings.
To serve on a standing committee as appointed by the President.
To be familiar with the Student Council Constitution and to exercise Robert’s Rules of
Order during General Assembly meetings.
To inform the General Assembly and Cabinet weekly of all council-related business,
including meetings, minutes, attendance, topics, and decisions.
To be familiar with the Student Council Constitution and to exercise Robert’s Rules of
To attend all meetings of the Cabinet and the General Assembly.
The duties of the Technology Coordinator are as follows.
To be responsible for maintaining Student Council’s presence on the World Wide Web via the
Student Council website.
To be responsible for maintaining any and all Student Council databases or computerized records.
This includes adding all minutes, agendas, and committee reports to the Student Council website
weekly.
To serve on a Standing Committee as appointed by the President.
To be familiar with the Student Council Constitution and to exercise Robert’s Rules of Order during General Assembly meetings.
Duties of the Advisor(s) are as follows:
The Advisor will consist of one member of Faculty
To act as a resource in all matters for which they are able to provide assistance and is deemed necessary for the proper function of the Student Council.
To attend fortnightly meetings with the Student Council
To assist Council in fund-raising activities.
To be familiar with the Student Council Constitution.
Article III: Meetings
All meetings involving the student body will be termed a General Assembly
General Assembly and Cabinet meetings are called and presided over by the President, unless otherwise noted by the President.
General Assembly meetings are open to the public, and must be sufficiently publicized a minimum of 48 hours in advance.
General Assembly and Cabinet meetings must be held on a weekly basis.
Attendance at the General Assembly, Cabinet, Standing Committee, and Special Committee meetings is determined by the Attendance and Penalties By-Laws.
If a member of the General Assembly is unable to attend a scheduled meeting, they must notify the Secretary in writing twenty four hours in advance in order to be excused.
As long as five days’ notice is given, and a three-fourths majority vote of the General Assembly or by order of the President, “Full Council Representation” may be declared necessary at any function or activity.
Orders of the President may be vetoed by a simple majority vote of the Cabinet (excluding the President) or a two-thirds majority vote of the General Assembly.
Each member of the General Assembly with the exception of the Advisor(s) shall be accorded one vote.
Article IV: Vacancies
Should the post of President become open, the order of succession shall follow the order of Seniority: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Senior At-Large, Junior At-Large, Technology Coordinator
Should any post besides those of the Cabinet become vacant at any time in the school year a School-wide election will take place.
In the event of a vacancy, it is necessary for any person who currently holds a Student Council position and is elected to another office to forfeit his or her original position.
Article V: Amendments
A two-thirds majority is required to make any changes/amendments to this documents
Article VI: Annulment
This document may be annulled by a two-thirds majority vote provided that a new Constitution has been submitted to the Council.
Article VII: Attendance and Penalties By-Laws
Section 1: Attendance
Members of Student Council are expected to attend all meetings which their office requires.
Strikes are given according to these Bylaws in the event of a failure to fulfill attendance
expectations.
Section 2: Classification
An attendance violation is deemed as either a tardy or an absence.
An attendance violation from a meeting may be classified as either excused or unexcused.
A tardy is given to a member arriving after role call.
An absence is given to a member who fails to arrive by the adjournment of the meeting.
Section 3: Excuse policy
As Student Council is a commitment taken by self-volition, the only reasons for which absences
may be excused are medical, family, or academic requirements (which do not include too much
homework).
If a member was excused from school for any reason, she/he is also excused from the day’s council duties.
Attendance violations due to formal discipline are unexcused.
Attendance violations will only be excused if a member notifies the Secretary, in writing, 24 hours in advance. An exception may exist in the case of an emergency, as determined by the President on a case-by-case basis.
Section 4. Penalties
Excused attendance violations carry no penalty, but must be recorded by the Secretary as either
excused absence or excused tardy.
In the event of an unexcused absence to a General Assembly, Cabinet, or Standing Committee,
the member will be given 1 strike.
In the event of an unexcused tardy to a General Assembly, Cabinet, or Standing Committee, the
member will be given 1/3 strike.
In the event of an unexcused absence after Full Council Representation has been called, the member will be given 1 strike.
Three unexcused absences to a General Assembly, Cabinet, or Standing Committee in a single
year lead to automatic impeachment by the Student Council.
Section 5: Strikes
Strikes will be given if a member fails to fulfill his or her duties as outlined
Three Strikes Policy—After a member obtains three strikes, he or she will automatically be brought up for impeachment.
A strike is nullified when the Secretary fails to notify the recipient within seventy-two hours of the strike being issued.
The issuance of a strike may be appealed by the member in the presence of the Cabinet.
Section Six: Penalties
To serve the Student Body by being on Student Council is a privilege. In order to maintain this honour members must fulfill their duties to the utmost extent possible.
Grounds for Impeachment include but are not limited to the following:
Violations of attendance as stipulated in the Attendance and Points by-laws.
Dereliction of duties as stipulated by the Three Strikes Policy.
Any student currently enrolled at SHS may initiate impeachment. He or she must submit a written complaint to the Executive Board one full week before it will be discussed.
After a charge of Impeachment has been raised, the Cabinet will conduct an investigation.
If the member in question is a Cabinet member, then the investigation will be done with the exclusion of that member.
If the member in question is the President, then the investigation will be done with the exclusion of that member and the inclusion of the Advisor(s).
During the investigation, the member in question will lose his or her status as a voting member.
If a charge of Impeachment is found to be valid after the investigation, then a vote will ensue by the General Assembly. If a three-fourths majority vote is in favour of the Impeachment, then that member will be removed from his or her position.
Disclaimer: The constitution has been modelled after the constitution of The Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy. There are sections taken directly out of this document, sections that have been edited and sections that have been added. This use is not intended to be plagiarist and is made in the best of intentions. The document was accessed at https://students.imsa.edu/org/sc/files/files/Student%20Council%20Constitution.pdf on 9 February 2011
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