Student Government Association Constitution

2025 SGA Constitution (PDF - 146 KB)

Preamble

Student Government Association Constitution Preamble The Student Government Association is a representative body of Winthrop University student leaders and other concerned students serving as a vehicle that provides students a significant role in institutional decision-making and self-governance.

Article I. Name and Purpose

Section I. The organization shall be known as the Student Government Association (SGA), herein referred to as the Student Government.

Section II. The purposes of the Student Government Association shall be to:

  1. Serve as the official representation of the Winthrop University student body.
  2. Serve as the official student voice to the Winthrop University Board of Trustees and administration on appropriate matters.
  3. Strengthen relations among the administration, faculty, staff, students, and Rock Hill community.
  4. Provide input for the distribution of student activity funds to all eligible campus clubs and organizations through the actions and guidelines of the Student Allocations Committee.
  5. Make all student appointments to campus committees as requested by the University's governance structures.
  6. Promote campus-wide institutional events such as Homecoming, Convocation, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, and other events.
  7. Mutually support the student activities of the Student Government's members and other campus clubs and organizations.
  8. Perform such acts as are necessary to advance student welfare.

Article II. Membership

Section I. Position Elections and Appointments

The campus-wide elected officers of the SGA are the President and Vice President. The guidelines for the election are located in the General Election Procedures Guide (GEPG), which 1 can be requested by anyone in writing to the Chair or the Election Commissioners, and must be enforced. The appointed officers are the Secretary, Parliamentarian, and CSL Treasurer. Together, these members shall make up the Executive Committee of the Student Government Association.

Section II. Elected Membership Positions

  1. There shall be one elected representative from each academic college: a. The College of Arts and Sciences b. The College of Business and Technology c. The College of Education, Sport, and Human Sciences d. The College of Visual and Performing Arts e. The University College
  2. There shall be two elected representatives from each classification: a. Freshman (0-30 Winthrop Credit Hours) b. Sophomore (31-60 Winthrop Credit Hours) c. Junior (61-90 Winthrop Credit Hours) d. Senior (91+ Winthrop Credit Hours) e. Graduate (Enrolled in a Winthrop Graduate Program)
  3. There shall be two elected representatives from the following groups: a. Commuter Student b. Residential Student
  4. The elected Student Body Executive officers shall be as follows: a. Student Body President b. Student Body Vice President

Section III. Appointed Membership Positions

  1. There shall be one representative from each of the following University Groups:
  1. Close Scholars
  2. College Panhellenic Council
  3. DiGiorgio Student Union
  4. Diversity Peer Educators
  5. Honors Program/College
  6. Interfraternity Council
  7. International Students
  8. National Pan-Hellenic Council
  9. Office of Accessibility
  10. Student Alumni Council
  11. Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
  12. Student Publications
  13. Transfer Student
  14. TRiO Achievers Program
  15. Winthrop Ambassadors

2. The appointed Student Body Executive officers shall be as follows:

  1. Secretary
  2. Parliamentarian
  3. Treasurer

Section IV. Membership Requirements

  1. All members must remain in good standing to be considered a part of the SGA. If a member is ever not in good standing, they will have a meeting with the Advisor and the President of the SGA. The Advisor and President of the SGA along with the rest of the Executive Committee will decide if the member not in good standing needs to be suspended or removed from the SGA.
  2. All members must represent one position within the Student Government Association.
  3. All members of the Student Government Association will serve an individual year long term expiring on the day of May commencement.

Section V. Good Standing
1. GPA
a. Members must have and maintain a 2.5 GPA.
b. Executive officers must have and maintain a 2.75 GPA.

2. Representation
a. Members representing a certain group or population must maintain their status within that group or population. (For example: a College of Arts and Science’s representative must continue to have a major in that respective college.)

3. Attendance
a. Attendance for all Monday meetings is mandatory for all members of the SGA. This includes Fall and Spring Retreat.
b. All members must attend at least 75 percent of all SGA meetings in a semester.
c. Members should submit an absence notification at least 24 hours in advance of all meetings and events.
d. For Fall and Spring Retreat, absence notifications should be sent in at least one week prior to the retreat date. 

4. Student Conduct
a. Members must demonstrate good citizenship and abide by the Winthrop University Student Code of Conduct and Dedication for Excellence.

5. Committees
a. Members must abide by Article V and participate in committee work.

6. SGA Events
a. Attend and participate in various Winthrop University events such as Rev. Dr. MLK Jr. Day of Service, the Leadership Institute for First Timers (LIFT) Conference, the Fall and Spring Involvement Fairs, Open House, and Winthrop Day, etc. by checking in or tabling for the Council.

Article III. Executive Committee Officers and Duties

Section I: President
The duties of the President of the Student Government/Student Body President shall be as follows:
1. Presides over all meetings of the Student Government Association.
2. Calls special meetings of the Student Government Association, as needed.
3. Creates committees as needed.
 a. Appoints Chairs and Vice-Chairs of all committees, except the Student Allocations Committee.
4. Serves as an ex-officio member of all SGA committees.
5. Votes in case of a tie. 6. Coordinates all appointments to University Committees.
7. Serves as the official student representative to the Winthrop University Board of Trustees and the Winthrop University Administration.
8. Appoints a Secretary to perform duties as outlined.
9. May appoint a position(s) for the SGA if deemed necessary.
10. Engage with clubs and organizations by holding a meeting at least twice per semester.
11. Perform all other duties pertaining to this office.

Section II: Vice President
The duties of the Vice President of the Student Government/Student Body Vice President shall be as follows: 

  1. Serves as the Chairperson of the Student Allocations Committee (SAC) and liaison to the SAC Student Administrator. The SAC will make recommendations to the Assistant Vice President for Student Engagement who will make the determinations of distributions of student activity and other funds, as designee of the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs.
  2. Serves as an ex-officio member of all SGA committees.
  3. Conducts all duties of the President if absent or unable to serve.
  4. Perform all other duties pertaining to this office.

Section III: Secretary The duties of the Secretary shall be as follows:

  1. Take attendance for meetings and update roster.
  2. Shall work in tandem with the chair of SGA to handle all internal and external correspondence.
  3. Oversee all recorded documentation, such as: a. meetings, agendas, minutes, letters, and memos.
  4. Update SGA website regularly with SGA news, minutes, activities and events.
  5. Maintain the SGA kiosk.
  6. Inform members of absences.
  7. All duties necessary for this position as enforced by the Chair and Vice Chair.

Section IV: Parliamentarian The duties of the Parliamentarian shall be as follows:

  1. Ensures that meetings are conducted according to established rules and procedures, based upon Robert’s Rules of Order.
  2. Responsible for educating SGA on parliamentary procedure.
  3. Appointed by the SGA President and assists the SGA President in maintaining order during discussion.
  4. Assists the Secretary by ensuring meeting minutes are correctly prepared and documented.
  5. Serves as the Chairperson of the Constitution Review Committee.

Section V: Treasurer
The duties of the Treasurer shall be as follows:

  1.  Appointed by the Department of Student Engagement, this student staff position coordinates the administrative funding process for the SGA Student Allocations Committee which includes having access to financial records and assuring that registered student organizations are adhering to university, state, and local regulations pertaining to the allocation of funds.
  2. Serving as a non-voting member on the Executive Committee and within SGA.
  3. Recording all receipts, expenditures, and appropriations of monies from the Student Government. All records and funding transactions shall be made public at each regular SGA meeting.
  4. Performs all duties necessary to the position, adhering to the expectations established by the Department of Student Engagement.

Article IV. Advisor

Section I. Appointment
The Vice President of Student Affairs will appoint an advisor from the professional staff within the Division of Student Affairs. Additionally, the Provost and the Chair of the Faculty Conference will appoint an advisor from the faculty.

Section II. Advisor Role
The Advisor’s role is to provide information, support, and appropriate assistance while ensuring an institutional purpose and memory for the actions of the Student Government. The advisor will be the only individual checking the GPA requirement for SGA members and will inform the executive committee who has met that requirement and who has not, without compromising the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

Article V. Committees

Section I. Standing Committees

  1. Internal Operations: Serves to foster a sense of community among members of the SGA. This committee also serves as the public relations of the organization through various means of communication, social media, and advertisement.
  2. Civic Engagement: Engages in community outreach, service, environmental sustainability and civic efforts throughout Winthrop University and the surrounding community.
  3. Campus Safety: Serves to address issues related to the physical safety and security of campus, and aims to ensure that safety policies and practices are transparent, and in line with the needs of the student body.
  4. Student Involvement: Serves to ensure that students are actively engaged in a wide range of opportunities and activities on campus with initiatives that help students have a robust campus experience.
  5. Campus Well-being: Serves to advocate and support initiatives that improve the physical, mental and emotional health of students, and provide them with resources to maintain their well-being during their college years.

Section II. Ad Hoc Committees
The President of the Student Government Association has the ability to create new committees as needed.

Section III. Committee Chairs and Vice Chairs

  1. Committee Chairs and Vice Chairs must be appointed by the President and Vice President of the Student Government Association.
  2. Committee Chairs and Vice Chairs are responsible for:
    a. Meeting regularly with departmental leadership within the Division of Student Affairs.
    b. Scheduling committee meetings.
    c. Communicating and reporting to the Student Government Association as a whole.
    d. Planning projects and/or events to support the initiative of the committee while completing all necessary event logistics.
    e. Tracking and reporting attendance within committees.

Section IV. Committee Member Responsibilities

  1. Committee members are responsible for attending and participating in meetings and fulfilling duties assigned by the Committee Chair
  2. Attending at least 75 percent of committee meetings and events planned by your respective committee.
  3. Committees should meet weekly or biweekly at the discretion of the Committee Chair.
  4. Committee members should submit an absence notification to the Committee Chair at least 24 hours in advance of all committee meetings and events.

Section V. Committee Member Removal
Should a committee member not fulfill their duty, they will be subject to review by the Executive Committee contingent upon a report from the Chair or Vice Chair.
If found to be in violation of the good standing expectations in Article III, the Executive Committee will discuss actions needed to be taken.

Article VI. Voting

Section I. Quorum
In order for the SGA to vote, a quorum must be met. Quorum is two-thirds of the members in good standing. A vote when quorum is met is considered a binding vote.

Section II. Binding Vote
For a binding vote to pass, there must be a two-thirds vote of quorum.

Section III. Online Voting
Online voting may be used as long as quorum is met in the number of votes submitted by members in good standing. Restrictions may be placed on the eligibility to vote in online ballots if deemed appropriate.

Article VII. Finances

Section I. Executive
Approval The SGA President, the Treasurer and the Student Affairs advisor shall approve all expenditures of the Student Government Association under $500.00.

Section II. SGA Approval
All expenditures over $500.00 shall be approved by a two-thirds vote of quorum of the full body of SGA. 

Section III. Special Approval

If a majority vote of the SGA is not feasible due to the date the expenditure is to be made, or some other unavoidable circumstances, the Executive Committee and advisor(s) must vote on the expenditure. In the event of a tie among the executive council members, the Vice President of Student Affairs would serve as the tie-breaker. If approved, these expenditures will be reported at the next regularly scheduled meeting.

Article VIII. Meetings

Section I. Meeting Times
The Student Government Association shall meet every Monday night at 7:00pm of the fall and spring semester, excluding breaks and extenuating circumstances. The President will be responsible for calling special meetings of the SGA as needed. All meetings are open and nonmembers are welcome to attend all meetings to address the SGA as appropriate.

Section II. Executive Session

Executive Session should be enacted at the discretion of the President in the event they deem it necessary.

  1. The executive session will allow the SGA to address and have an opportunity to meet in a private manner to discuss pertinent, confidential, and sensitive information related to the organization.
  2. All individuals who are not current members of the SGA must leave the meeting space for the duration of the executive session excluding the Executive Committee and SGA Advisor(s).
  3. The Secretary is not required to take regular minutes during the executive session and voting shall not take place during an executive session.

Article IX. Ratifying and Amending the Constitution

Section I. This Constitution shall be ratified upon adoption by the Board of Trustees of Winthrop University. 

Section II. Each Spring Semester there shall be a Constitution Review Committee that will meet regularly to review the current constitution and make any necessary recommendations for amendments. The Committee will be led by the SGA Advisors and the Parliamentarian.

Section III. All amendments to this Constitution must be proposed in writing to the SGA President before a regularly scheduled meeting, and must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the SGA members present at the next regularly scheduled meeting. All proposed amendments shall be presented to the Vice President of Student Affairs for information and consideration. Any proposed amendment by SGA must be submitted to the Winthrop University Board of Trustees, through its Secretary, by the Vice President for Student Affairs for consideration.
Approved by the Winthrop University Board of Trustees – May 1, 2025