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Article VII: Policies and Procedures

Section 1: Policies of USS Meetings

  • The USS will hold bi-weekly meetings with the entire organization including all cabinet members, directors, senators, and advisors. These meetings will be free and open to current students, faculty, staff, and administrators of Virginia Tech as guests with the understanding that guests:
    • May participate in discussions if and when recognized by the chair but cannot vote or make motions for consideration,
    • Will treat participants in shared governance with respect and in accordance with the expectations for decorum outlined in Robert’s Rules of Order.
    • May be removed from a meeting by the request of any member and a majority vote of the members in attendance.
    • May not displace a regular member of the body when seating/space is limited.
  • Members of the public must be approved to attend USS meetings in advance by the Senior Advisor. At least one advisor must be present at all USS meetings.
  • The president shall serve as the presiding officer of senate meetings and will be responsible for all meeting operations, such as agendas, time limits, discussion procedures, and parliamentary procedures.
  • Quorum for these meetings shall be defined as the presence of a majority (over ½) of all voting members and at least one advisor. Quorum must be obtained for any voting to take place; if a quorum is not obtained, the meeting may only occur for the purposes of reports, planning, and other similar objectives.
  • In order to maintain proper communication and decorum during meetings, the meetings will be governed and operated according to Robert’s Rules of Order.
  • No USS meetings shall be longer than ninety (90) minutes unless an extension is approved by a two-thirds (⅔) majority of the voting members present. Meetings can be extended by a maximum of 30 minutes. With the additional time, no meetings can exceed a total of one-hundred and twenty (120) minutes.

Section 2: Non-Voting Student Member Rights During USS Meetings

  • USS meetings shall include a period of time in the agenda whereby any current student member of Virginia Tech is permitted to bring forth any topic or issue of their choice and present it to the USS. This time shall be designated as “Public Forum.”
  • All current student members are free and entitled to speaking and discussion rights at any point in the USS meetings. Nevertheless, any such discussion will have to be strictly within the bounds of the meeting’s agenda. The presiding officer shall not entertain any dialogue that is purely meant to disrupt the work of the senate.
  • Student members who choose to participate and speak up will maintain a sense of decorum and respect during debate and discussion consistent with Robert’s Rules of Order.
    • Participation by current student members will be governed by the presiding officer of the USS. Student members are not expected to be familiar with parliamentary procedure. However, they are expected to defer judgment to the presiding officer in matters of procedure and respect the decision of the presiding officer at all times.
  • Student members do not have the right to vote on legislation and matters of parliamentary procedure during the meetings of the USS but are entitled to the speaking rights as outlined previously.
  • Student members may not be given the floor if the presiding officer feels that excessive discussion will hamper the fulfillment of the meeting’s agenda. However, if there is additional time left at the end of the session, any member will be allowed to share their perspectives on an issue that has already been discussed that day, in the Public Forum.
  • If a student member is found to be deliberately disruptive to the senate proceedings, the presiding officer shall initially issue a warning to the individual. If such behavior is repeated, the presiding officer, with the advice of the cabinet, will ask the individual to vacate the meeting.

Section 3: Petitions & Requests

  • Any Senator or Cabinet member may bring an issue to a full Senate vote by submitting a petition to the USS bearing the signatures, official student email addresses and dates of signature of at least 1,000 members of the undergraduate student body and at least three Senators, including a minimum of one college senator, one UCSO senator, and one at-large senator.
  • All petitions must call for a referendum of the undergraduate student body regarding a chosen topic. If the referendum is approved, its language will be considered a statement on behalf of the undergraduate student body.
  • The process for petitions and referendums will be outlined in the USS Bylaws.

Section 4: Elections

  • USS elections shall be governed by the following rules:
    • All Senators and Cabinet members, and representatives to university-level governance bodies shall be elected to these positions, with the exception of ex officio positions.
    • Elections shall be held on an annual basis in both the fall and spring semester as outlined in the USS Bylaws.
    • Elections shall be overseen by the Advising Team.
    • Elections shall be carried out via an electronic balloting system.
    • Upon conclusion of an election, the candidate that receives a majority of the votes shall be declared the winner and candidate-elect for that position.
    • All USS candidates are subject to and shall abide by the official USS election rules and regulations hereby known as the Election Rulebook which is a separate document from the USS Constitution and Bylaws.
    • All terms are one-year, defined by the period of time between academic years.

Section 5: Line of Succession

  • Should the president vacate the office for any reason, the line of succession is as follows: Vice President for Issues and Policy, Vice President for Shared Governance, Vice President for Inclusive and Strategic Affairs, Vice President for Administration, Vice President for Finance, Vice President and Representative to the Board of Visitors.
  • Should a Vice President vacate their office for any reason, the process for filling a Vice-Presidential position is outlined in Article VI Section I in the USS Bylaws.

Section 6: Stipends

  • Cabinet members are eligible to receive a stipend, subject to annual determination by and provision from Virginia Tech Student Affairs.