Article XII: Attendance

Section 1: Senators

All senators will be allotted a total of two (2) senate meeting absences and two (2) committee meeting absences per semester.
If a senator plans to use one of their allotted absences, they are expected to notify the Accountability Committee at least twenty-four (24) hours prior to the start of the meeting that they will be unable to attend.
USS committee chairs must update the attendance sheet for their committee, via the USS Master Attendance Tracker, within one week of the meeting.
If a senator has used both allotted absences and an unforeseen situation arises, the Accountability Committee will elevate this information to the Graduate Advisor for the Student Senate who will address the matter with the representative. The contents of that meeting will remain confidential, and the attendance results will be communicated to the Accountability Committee within forty-eight (48) hours of the meeting.
If a senator continues to miss meetings after a consultation with the Graduate Advisor, the Advising Team has the authority to remove the student from their position and a special election or appointment (based on the position) will be initiated to fill the vacancy.
After any absence, senators who missed a meeting must complete the following:

Review the meeting minutes from the missed meeting prior to the next Senate meeting.
Complete and submit the Absence Form.

Schedule a meeting or discuss topics with the Committee Chair or Vice Chair prior to the next committee meeting.

If a senator is no longer able to attend meetings and/or fulfill requirements for the entirety of the term, a senator must appoint a proxy from their constituency group.

A proxy should only be appointed if the senator is to be absent for an extended period of time.
The senator must review the role-transfer process with the Chair of the Accountability Committee.

Being that most university commissions and committees meet once per month, senators are allotted one (1) absence per semester for each shared governance commission/committee that they’re appointed to, although exceptions may arise for extenuating circumstances if they are communicated.
In order to prove their attendance and to communicate updates with the senate, senators on university commissions and committees must fill out a form provided by the Vice President of Shared Governance after each meeting to document the main points that were discussed and send it to the Vice President of Shared Governance.
If a senator is going to be absent, they must notify the committee or commission chair within twenty-four (24) hours of the meeting and appoint a proxy.

A proxy must be a current USS senator. The kind of senator does not matter unless specified by the commission/committee.

All directors will be allotted a total of two (2) senate meeting absences.
If a director has used both allotted absences and an unforeseen situation arises, the Accountability Committee will elevate this information to the Graduate Assistant for the Student Senate who will address the matter with the representative. The contents of that meeting will remain confidential, and the attendance results will be communicated to the Accountability Committee within forty-eight (48) hours of the meeting.
If a director to miss meetings after a consultation with the Graduate Assistant, the Advising Team has the authority to remove the student from their position and a special election or appointment (based on the position) will be initiated to fill the vacancy.
After any absence, directors who missed a meeting must complete the following:

Review the meeting minutes from the missed meeting prior to the next Senate meeting.
Complete and submit the Absence Form.

If a director chairs a committee, they must receive approval from the President to cancel that meeting.

Meetings may be canceled if the director is dealing with extenuating circumstances or if there is nothing on the agenda for the meeting.