Virginia Tech® home

Article VII: USS Committees

All USS Committees stated below shall be chaired by either a Vice President or Director. Senators will be assigned to committees at the beginning of the fall semester. Any Senator who is elected or appointed after the Spring election will be assigned to a committee after being onboarded. If a Senator wishes to change their committee assignment, they should contact their committee chair and the Vice President for Administration. In all cases, the number of committee members is subject to change based upon current cohort size.

Section 1: Issues and Policy Committee

  1. Duties and responsibilities:
    1. Improve the student experience by building relationships and creating pathways with the undergraduate student body and crafting legislation related to the student experience.
      1. Written legislation should be rooted in research, understanding, and the undergraduate student voice.
      2. This should include, but not be limited to, campus development, academic affairs, student health & wellness, and equity & inclusion.
      3. Cross-campus efforts should be discussed with the appropriate administrators, faculty, staff, and other stakeholders to ensure advocacy efforts align with current and upcoming university operations.
      4. Review all proposed Resolutions for Student Experience. Resolutions for Policy and Resolutions for Undergraduate Student Body Referendum do not go through the Issues and Policy Committee.
      5. Review resolutions that originate from university commissions before they advance to University Council.
    2. Legislative matters relating to University Policy must originate with CUSA.
    3. Ensure that all legislation that comes through adheres to the process in the USS Constitution and Bylaws.
    4. Take action on matters that do not require legislative action by collaborating with stakeholders and relaying information to the USS and the undergraduate student body.

Section 2: Administration Committee

  1. Duties and responsibilities:
    1. Facilitate Senate meeting functions including but not limited to:
      1. Coordination with Event and Production services
      2. Distribution of name tags
      3. Arrangement of the podium, gavel, tablecloth(s), etc.
    2. Record minutes during Senate meetings to be included in the meeting agenda.
    3. Maintain all internal communication structures (meeting reminders, weekly emails, important updates).
    4. Organize, store, and track all documents (including legislation) both digital and physical for the USS.

Section 3: Communications and Marketing Committee

  1. Duties and responsibilities:
    1. Create marketing materials and external communication including but not limited to:
      1. Graphics
      2. Photography & Videography
      3. Interviews
    2. Ensure compliance with Virginia Tech licensing guidelines.
    3. Design marketing materials to be ordered by the Vice President for Administration and/or Director of Communications & Marketing.
    4. Work with the USS advising team to design and procure all necessary print media.
    5. To ensure consistent marketing efforts, at least one (1) representative must serve as a liaison to Membership Development; Special Programs; Issues & Policy; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; University Governance; Hokie Effect; and Finance - including Appropriations.
    6. Provide support for all USS Committee communication requests.

Section 4: Inclusive Affairs Committee

  1. Duties and responsibilities:
    1. Review, sponsor, and generate USS legislation, programs, practices, and policies with applications for diverse, equitable, and inclusive opportunities.
      1. Review all proposed Resolutions for Student Experience. Resolutions for Policy and Resolutions for Undergraduate Student Body Referendum do not go through the Inclusive Affairs Committee.
      2. Review resolutions that originate from university commissions before they advance to University Council.
    2. Work with the Membership Development Committee to invite speakers and create professional development programs for meetings and/or events that will improve community knowledge of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
    3. Contribute to the ExperienceVT initiative through perspective sharing about the experiences offered to our students to foster a sense of belonging at Virginia Tech.

Section 5: Membership Development Committee

  1. Duties and responsibilities:
    1. Design and implement necessary on-boarding and training materials and processes for all USS representatives during the spring semester.
    2. Host at least two (2) advisor-approved social events for USS representatives per semester.
    3. Host at least two (2) advisor-approved developmental events for USS representatives per semester.
    4. Create and execute an annual end of year banquet and award ceremony.

Section 6: Appropriations Committee

  1. Consists of up to nine senators
    Duties and responsibilities:
    1. Approve or deny funding requests from the Student Activity Fee to Registered Student Organizations (RSO) and University Student Life Programs (USLP) in alignment with the USS Appropriations Committee Policy.
    2. Communicate consistently with student organizations regarding funding deadlines, policy updates, and other critical information.
    3. Consistently evaluate policy for best practices, biases, and opportunities to enhance student organization needs.

Section 7: Special Programs Committee

  1. Duties and responsibilities:
    1. Create and execute external events and programs on the behalf of the USS that align with the USS mission. Programs may include, but are not limited to, Weeks of Welcome events, public forums, and town halls.
      1. Events and programs should be designed to align with the topics being discussed between USS committees and the student body.