ASSOCIATED STUDENTS OF NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY CONSTITUTION
PREAMBLE:
We, the students of
The name of this organization shall be the Associated Students of Northern Arizona University, hereinafter referred to as ASNAU.
The primary purpose of the governing body of ASNAU is to serve NAU as the representative student voice at the campus, local, state, and national levels. ASNAU officials are to become informed on every issue concerning
Any person enrolled as a student and paying tuition and registration fees at
The governing body of ASNAU and all staff, personnel, boards, committees, and agencies responsible to, or created, or employed by, ASNAU shall be recognized as the official student representatives to the university faculty and administration of the community, state, and nation.
The executive branch shall be comprised of the officers of the Executive Council and all other personnel and staff directly responsible to them.
Section 1: The Structure of the Executive Council
The Executive Council shall consist of the ASNAU President, Vice President of Student Affairs, Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Chief of Staff. Each of these individuals shall be elected by the student body, except for the Chief of Staff, who shall be appointed by the President and confirmed by the ASNAU Senate on an annual basis.
Section 2: Authority and Duties of the Executive Council
The Executive Council shall:
A. Recommend agenda items for the Senate.
B. Initiate new measures and programs to be presented to the Senate for approval and implementation.
C. Recommend agreements and contracts for ASNAU to the Senate for approval and implementation, and forwarding to the university contract officer.
D. Recommend the disbursement of ASNAU funds for student activities and events, as well as to recognized, registered university clubs and organizations, to the Senate for approval and implementation.
E. Hire, as well as approve and enforce terms of employment, for persons serving in paid positions, which are directly responsible to the executive branch.
F. Hire and terminate Chief of Staff, Public Relations, Leadership, Special Events, Multicultural Affairs personnel, Information Technology Specialist, Senate Clerk, Parliamentarian, Supreme court Justices, and Elections Commission, with the majority approval of the Senate.
G. Implement salary structures and impose penalties for all elected and hired positions within ASNAU.
The President shall:
A. Serve as the chief spokesperson of ASNAU.
B. Serve as the chief fiscal representative of ASNAU unless he or she chooses to delegate this authority.
C. Serve as the liaison and representative to the university counterpart.
D. Address academic concerns of the university at large.
E. Serve on the Executive Council and have one vote.
F. Call regular and special meetings of the Executive Council, and act as chairperson of all such meetings.
G. When he or she deems necessary, veto any measures passed by the Senate within five (5) school days of the vote affirming the measure, and shall submit a written statement fully explaining the reason(s) for the veto.
H. Hold speaking rights at all meetings of the Senate.
I. Call special sessions of the Senate with no less than twenty-four (24) hours’ notice. The quorum of such a meeting will be two-thirds (2/3) of the entire ASNAU Senate.
J. Serve as the Director of the Northern Arizona University
K. Act as, or appoint and terminate with the majority approval of the Senate, the students’ representative to the Coconino County Board of Supervisors and the Flagstaff City Council.
L. With the majority approval of the Executive Council and Senate, create any ASNAU committee, program, or project deemed necessary.
M. When he or she deems necessary, request reports either of a general or a specific nature of any branch of the governing body of ASNAU
N. Appoint all, Northern Arizona University Arizona Students’ Association Delegates, and staff, the appointments to which must all be confirmed by a two-thirds (2/3) majority approval of the Senate. With the exception of Justices of the Supreme Court, the President may terminate any of these positions at his or her discretion.
O. With the majority approval of the Executive Council, appoint and terminate all student members to any university committees or boards and community groups requiring student representation.
P. Hire and terminate all secretarial staff in conjunction with the Chief of Staff and the Office Specialist, Senior.
The Vice President of Student Affairs shall:
A. Serve as the liaison and representative to the university counterpart.
B. Address concerns dealing with student affairs at
C. Serve on the Executive Council and have one vote.
D. Serve as the chairperson of all ad hoc committees, boards, and agencies established in the area of student affairs, unless otherwise designated by the President.
E. Perform any and all duties assigned by the President.
F. Serve as the President in the absence of the President, pursuant to Article V, Section 3.
The Vice President of Academic Affairs shall:
A. Serve as the liaison and representative to the university counterpart.
B. Address concerns dealing with academic affairs at
C. Serve on the Executive Council and have one vote.
D. Serve as Chair of the Senate.
E. Cast a vote only in the case of a tie within the Senate.
F. Call special sessions of the Senate with no less than twenty-four (24) hours’ notice. The quorum of such a meeting will be two-thirds (2/3) of the entire ASNAU Senate.
G. Serve as the chairperson of all ad hoc committees, boards, and agencies established in the area of academic affairs, unless otherwise designated by the President.
H. Perform any and all duties assigned by the President.
I. Serve as the President in the absence of the President and Vice President of Student Affairs, pursuant to Article V, Section 3.
The Chief of Staff shall:
A. Serve as the liaison and representative to the university counterpart.
B. Serve as the liaison and representative to the University Budget Office.
C. Serve as an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Executive Council.
D. Supervise and maintain accountability of all ASNAU budgetary accounts under the direction of the Executive Council and Senate.
E. Oversee the staff of the executive branch and their respective budgets.
F. Prepare and submit an annual fiscal budget to the Executive Council and Senate for approval.
G. Serve as an ex-officio member of the Senate Appropriations Committee.
H. Hire and terminate all staff in conjunction with the President.
I. Perform any and all duties assigned by the President.
Quorum of the Executive Council shall consist of two-thirds (2/3) of the voting members of the Executive Council for the purpose of conducting meetings.
The legislative branch shall be comprised of the Senate and all staff and personnel directly responsible to them.
Section 1: The Structure of the Senate
The Senate shall consist of a Chair, Vice-Chair, Senators-at-Large, Senators of the various colleges and schools at
Section 2: Membership
A. The Vice President of Academic Affairs shall serve as Chair of the Senate.
B. Senators-at-Large shall be elected by the members of ASNAU.
C. College senators shall have declared majors or pre-majors within their respective colleges or schools and shall be elected by the students within their respective colleges or schools. Each college senator must resign his or her position if he or she withdraws there from. College senators shall be elected from all colleges recognized by the university administration. If there is an academic unit that is not contained in a college, (e.g. a school that stands alone), they shall have representation as well.
D. The Senate Clerk and Parliamentarian shall not possess Senate rights and shall only be permitted to discuss issues relating to their respective duties.
E. The number of Senators-at-Large shall be determined by the following system. If there are:
1-3,000 students enrolled at all NAU campuses, there shall be one Senator-at-Large to represent them;
3,001-6,000 students enrolled, two (2) Senators-at-Large;
6,001-9,000 students enrolled, three (3) Senators-at-Large;
9,001-12,000 students enrolled, four (4) Senators-at-Large;
12,001-15,000 students enrolled, five (5) Senators-at-Large;
15,001-18,000 students enrolled, six (6) Senators-at-Large; etc.
1. For the purpose of Sub-Section C, in a college with drastically different disciplines that requires more than one senator, those senators in office are hereby given the responsibility to divide representation accordingly.
F. The number of College Senators representing the students in each college or school shall be determined by the following system. If there are:
1-1,800 students enrolled in the college or school, there shall be one (1) College Senator to represent them;
1,801-2,700 students enrolled, two (2) senators;
2,701-3,600 students enrolled, three (3) senators; etc.
The Senate shall:
A. Represent the constituent groups by which they were elected.
B. Hold regular meetings.
C. Initiate any business outlined in the agenda for a particular meeting.
D. Approve all budget expenditures over $500 before said expenditures may be disbursed.
1. Expenditures in Section D shall include staff programming, equipment, and other general expenditures, but not including operating expenditures, salary expenditures, student wage expenditures, work study expenditures, or employee related expenditures
2. All expenditures must be presented in a report before the Senate. Failure to present fiscal information/requests on required budget expenditures shall result in disciplinary action.
E. Approve any and all contracts or agreements for the governing body ASNAU.
F. Approve those clubs and organizations requesting recognition and recommend them to the Dean of Students.
G. Oversee any and all committees operating under the jurisdiction of the Senate.
H. Confirm those appointments made by the Executive Council and the President.
1. The Vice Chair must be approved by the Senate by a majority vote.
I. Override any presidential veto with two-thirds (2/3) vote in favor of an override.
J. Select from its voting membership a Vice Chair, who shall serve as acting Chair in the case of either a temporary absence or the removal of the Vice President of Academic Affairs. The Vice Chair shall act as Chair of the Senate until a permanent replacement is found, pursuant to Article XIV, Section 2, of this Constitution.
A Senate may formulate or nullify any committees, as it deems necessary.
Section 5: Quorum
A quorum of the Senate shall consist of a majority of its voting members. In the case of a special session, a quorum shall consist of two-thirds (2/3) of the voting membership.
The judicial branch shall be comprised of the Justices of the Supreme Court.
Section 1: The Structure of the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court shall consist of one (1) Chief Justice, four (4) Associate Justices, and one (1) Clerk. The justices shall serve two-year terms and be appointed by the President with a two-thirds (2/3) confirmation by the Senate.
The Clerk shall serve a one-year term and shall be appointed by the Chief Justice on an annual basis.
The purpose of the Supreme Court shall be to interpret, apply, and deliberate with respect to this Constitution By Laws in ruling on all disputes regarding the meaning and intent of this document. In doing so, the Supreme Court must stay within the parameters of the Constitutions of the
Section 3: Jurisdiction
A. The Supreme Court shall have original and exclusive jurisdiction over all disputes arising under this Constitution By Laws to review all actions and decisions of the Executive Council.
B. Upon receipt of a complaint or an appeal, jurisdiction shall be determined by a majority vote of the Supreme Court affirming jurisdiction. In the event that the Court decides that it does not have jurisdiction over a dispute, it shall issue a written statement explaining the reasons for the dismissal of the case.
C. Upon the request of any member of ASNAU, the Supreme Court may issue advisory opinions as to applications of the Constitution and Bylaws of ASNAU.
Section 4: Rules of the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court shall have the authority to establish, maintain, and enforce certain rules that shall govern the official policy and procedure of the Court.
Section 5: Decisions
The decisions of the Supreme Court shall include Executive Council and Senate opinions when deemed necessary. All decisions of the Supreme Court are final.
Section 6: Records
All Supreme Court decisions and opinions shall be permanent public documents.
Section 7: Quorum
A quorum of the Supreme Court shall consist of three (3) Justices.
Section 8: Vacancies
Supreme Court vacancies shall be filled by appointment with two thirds (2/3) approval of the Senate no later than one (1) month following the opening of a position on the Court. Appointees filling a previously vacated position shall serve only the remainder of the current term.
Section 9: Impeachment
Justices of the Supreme Court may be impeached only in accordance with the procedures outlined in Article X, Section 1.
ARTICLE VIII: Meetings
Section 1: Convening Meetings
A. The Senate shall meet once every week during the academic year according to University policy.
B. Special sessions of the Senate may be called at any time during the calendar year by the President, the Senate Chair, the Senate Vice Chair, or by petition of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the Senate.
C. Open meetings of the Senate shall be canceled only when preceded by seven (7) days’ notice of such a cancellation.
D. The Supreme Court shall convene as soon as possible upon the request of any member of ASNAU proving just cause for such a meeting.
Section 2: Closed Sessions
A. All general and special sessions of the Senate shall be open to the public, except in the event that the Senate must discuss matters regarding individual students’ educational information, matters relating to individual personnel, or other topics that may be confidential in nature. During closed sessions, no motions may be made and no vote may be taken.
B. All sessions of the Supreme Court shall be open sessions unless otherwise decided by a majority vote of the Justices of the Supreme Court in favor of holding a closed session.
Section 3: Parliamentary Procedure
A. The Senate shall approve a Parliamentarian who shall be consulted regarding a question of proper parliamentary procedure. The most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall be used by all members of the Senate as the official parliamentary resource.
B. This Constitution and the Bylaws of ASNAU shall take precedence over means of parliamentary sources.
ARTICLE IX: Salaries
All ASNAU officers and staff shall receive compensation as approved by the previous year’s Senate.
ARTICLE X: Removal from Office
Section 1: Impeachment
A. Any member of the Executive Council, Senate, or Supreme Court may be impeached only as in accordance with the procedures outlined herein.
B. A charge of impeachment, outlined in written articles of impeachment, may be moved against any member of the Executive Council, Senate, or Supreme Court only during an official session of the Senate. If two-thirds (2/3) of the Senate approve the articles of impeachment, examination of the charges shall be assigned to the Senate Legislative Committee, which shall report its recommendations to the entire Senate. The member of the Executive Council, Senate, or Supreme Court shall be removed only by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of the entire present voting Senate in favor of removal.
1. For the purposes of Sub Section B, the ASNAU Senate Legislative Committee (SLC) will follow the following guidelines to investigate any and all articles of impeachment.
2. Following the approval of the Articles of Impeachment by the ASNAU Senate, the SLC will meet to organize and plan the following:
a. Review procedures to be used by the SLC.
b. Obtain the Articles of Impeachment and make copies for all members of the SLC.
c. Prepare a written notice to be delivered to the individual(s) who submitted the Articles of Impeachment and to the person to which the articles pertain. This written notice should include the following:
i. A copy of the Articles of Impeachment.
ii. A copy of the ASNAU Constitution and Bylaws.
iii. The date, time, and location that the SLC plans to meet to initiate the review of the Articles of Impeachment and when the parties involved are to be at said meeting. A good faith and reasonable effort will be made to find a date, time, and location to allow all parties to attend.
iv. The names and ASNAU positions of the members and the Chair of the SLC and the Vice President of Academic Affairs.
v. A copy of these procedures.
vi. An explanation of the exchange materials and associated deadlines.
3. Both Parties are required to exchange materials that may be used at the SLC meeting five days prior to the actual meeting. The SLC Chair should be used as the point of contact for the exchange. The SLC will, in turn, share the exchange materials with each party no later than three days prior to the scheduled review meeting. The exchange materials will include the following:
a. A concise summary of the points to be made at the review meeting.
b. A list of the names and contact information (email and telephone) of the witnesses who may be called to speak at the meeting;
c. A concise summary of the anticipated statements of each witness;
d. Copies of all documents or notarized statements to be presented at the meeting; and,
e. The name, address, and title of anyone who may be acting as a student’s adviser during the course of the meeting.
4. The SLC will follow the procedures outlined below during the meeting to examine and make recommendations regarding the Articles of Impeachment:
a. Opening Statements
i. The Individual(s) that submitted the Articles of Impeachment will provide and opening statement.
ii. The student to which the Articles of Impeachment pertain will then provide and opening statement.
b. Presentation of Case
i. The individual(s) that submitted the Articles of Impeachment will present their case. Witnesses and document may be presented at this time. The SLC can ask questions during this phase of the meeting. Following the conclusion of each of the witness’ statements, the student to which the Articles of Impeachment pertain may ask questions.
ii. The student to which the Articles of Impeachment pertain will present their case. Witnesses and documents may be presented at this time. The SLC can ask questions during this phase of the meeting. Following the conclusion of each of the witness’ statements, the individual that submitted the Articles of Impeachment may ask questions.
c. Closing Arguments
i. Each individual will be provided an opportunity to make a closing statement. The individual who submitted the Articles of Impeachment will precede the first followed by the student to which the Articles of Impeachment pertain.
d. Deliberation
i. The SLC will close the review meeting and will either begin deliberations at that time or will schedule a time to deliberate at an agreed upon date and time by SLC members. Only the SLC and their adviser(s) may be present during deliberations.
e. Notification
i. The SLC will notify both parties in writing of their decision to either recommend or not recommend impeachment to the ASNAU Senate.
ii. The SLC will notify the ASNAU Senate of their recommendation at the next scheduled ASNAU Senate meeting.
f. Records
i. All items of the proceedings will be recorded on audio tape to ensure accuracy when drafting the final report and for reference while in deliberation.
1. Deliberation will be recorded on a different audio tape to maintain security.
g. Decision/ASNAU Senate Vote
i. The ASNAU Senate will vote to determine a final decision. A three-fourths vote by the ASNAU Senate is needed to authorize the removal from office.
1. The Senate will report its findings in a resolution with an accompanying detailed report.
Section 2: Recall
A. Any member of the Executive Council or Senate may be recalled from office by the constituency who elected them.
B. Any member of ASNAU may initiate a petition calling for a recall election. If such a petition contains the required number of signatures pursuant to signature requirements outlined in the ASNAU Election Code for Executive Council, College Senate, and Senator-At-Large positions, it shall be presented to the Elections Commission for verification.
1. For the purposes of Sub-Section B, the member of ASNAU wishing to initiate a petition must also submit a written statement of purpose outlining their intentions and reasons for wishing an ASNAU official be recalled from office.
C. If the petition is found to be valid, a special referendum will be announced to the student body to decide whether or not to recall the official in question from office.
1. If the official in question is recalled from office by a majority vote by the student body, the process for a special election shall begin. The recalled official has the option to have his or her name placed upon the special election ballot.
D. Recall procedures may not begin until one (1) month after the first general meeting of the fall semester or one (1) month after taking the oath for officials elected during special elections or taking office by appointment.
E. Whoever is elected in a recall election shall hold office only for the unexpired portion of the current term.
ARTICLE XI: Amendments to the Constitution
Section 1: Origin
Amendments to the Constitution may originate through:
A. Any member of the legislative branch or
B. A petition containing the signatures of no less than fifteen (15) percent of all members of ASNAU. The petition shall be presented to the Senate upon the verification of the signatures by the Elections Commission.
Section 2: Confirmation
All amendments must be presented before the Senate for a two-thirds (2/3) vote in favor of confirmation to be placed before all members of ASNAU for ratification.
Section 3: Ratification
Proposed amendments must be put to a vote before all members of ASNAU in an election in which the proposed amendments are placed on the ballot shall ratify the amendment.
Section 4 Enactment
A ratified amendment shall take effect on the date specified in the amendment or, if no date is specified, shall take effect immediately.
ARTICLE XII: Initiatives
Section 1: Authority of Initiatives
Any member of ASNAU may require an initiative on a specific question by submitting a petition containing the signatures of not less than fifteen (15) percent of all members of ASNAU to the President. Signatures must be validated by the Elections Commission.
Section 2: Initiative Board
The President must appoint an Initiative Board within five (5) business days of the receipt of the request for an initiative(s). This Board shall consist of a sufficient number of members to ensure the proper, efficient management of the initiative and shall be responsible for establishing all procedures and regulations for the conduct of the initiative(s).
ARTICLE XIII: Referenda
Section 1: Authority of Referenda
Upon a two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the Senate, any issue can be referred to all members of ASNAU for a vote.
Section 2: Ratification of Referenda
Referenda shall be ratified by a majority of all votes cast in an election in which the referenda are placed on the ballot.
ARTICLE XIV: Elections
Section 1: General Elections
A. General elections are held for the purpose of electing ASNAU President, Vice President of Student Affairs, Vice President of Academic Affairs, college senators, senators at-large, and to pass any amendments to the ASNAU Constitution, Election Code, and/or Homecoming Code.
B. All general elections for ASNAU shall be completed a minimum of forty (40) business days before spring semester completion, unless elections commission and senate decide to postpone the election later into the spring semester as stated in the ASNAU Election Code.
C. All elections shall be held in accordance with the ASNAU Election Code.
ARTICLE XV: Terms of Office
Section 1: Terms of Office
A. Any and all ASNAU elected officials shall hold a term, unless otherwise noted, in the ASNAU Constitution, of one year, beginning and ending at the ASNAU Inaugural Banquet.
B. There shall be no term limits for any elected position within ASNAU.
C. No member of ASNAU may hold more than one elected office.
D. Terms for appointed officials shall conclude in the academic year in which they were appointed.
ARTICLE XVI: Vacancies
Section 1: Vacancy Succession
In the case of a vacancy within the Office of the President, the Vice President of Student Affairs shall become the President. Should both offices become vacant simultaneously, the Vice President of Academic Affairs shall become the President, and the Vice Chair of the Senate shall become the Vice President of Academic Affairs.
Section 2: Vacancy Procedures
A. In the case of a temporary absence of the President, the Vice President of Student Affairs shall act as the President or, if also absent, the Vice President of Academic Affairs, or if also absent, the Vice Chair of the Senate. In the event that all of these individuals are absent simultaneously, the President shall appoint a Senator to temporarily represent him or her.
B. In the case of a permanent vacancy of all three executive positions, a special election shall be held under the direction of the Elections Commission. The Senate, by a two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote, shall select from its membership a person to act as the President until a permanent replacement has been inducted.
C. In the event of a vacancy in either the ASNAU Executive Council (excluding the president) or ASNAU Senate, the ASNAU President shall appoint a replacement with a two-thirds (2/3) approval of the ASNAU Senate.
1. Vacancies that occur at any point in the year may be replaced by appointments; however, if more than one person wishes to seek appointment to a position, a special election shall be held during the academic year.
a. A special election shall not be held if the number of persons seeking appointment drops to one
b. If the president does not wish or declines to appoint a qualifying candidate, a special election shall be held.
D. If more than twenty-four (24) percent of the ASNAU Senate seats are vacant, there shall be a special election for Senate seats.
E. All ASNAU elected officials taking office after the general election shall serve in that office for the remainder of the term.
F. All vacancies for Executive, Senate, and Staff positions must be advertised to the entire student body within five (5) days of vacancy, unless prohibited by the university academic calendar.
Section 3: Special Elections
All special elections shall be under the discretion of the Elections Commission and shall be held in accordance with the procedures established in the ASNAU Election Code.
ARTICLE XVII: Bylaws
ASNAU Bylaws shall be established to include the rules, duties, and authority for all ASNAU officials and affiliates. The Bylaws shall be binding unless in conflict with the ASNAU Constitution or local, state, and federal laws under which they operate.
The Bylaws of ASNAU shall be amended by a two-thirds (2/3) vote in favor of the amendment by the ASNAU Senate.
ARTICLE XVIII: Constitutional Authority
The ASNAU Constitution shall be binding over any and all legislation, enactments, and mandates made previous to the adoption of the Constitution.
ARTICLE XIX: ASNAU Sessions
The ASNAU Sessions will run in accordance with the Academic year.
ARTICLE XX: Constitutional Enactment
The ASNAU Constitution shall have full force and effect as
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