Campus Senate Constitution

Preamble

We, the members of the Kenyon College Campus Senate, to fully realize our purpose, do hereby adopt and
establish this constitution as the guiding instrument of our organization with the purpose to establish a climate which will promote the process and aims of liberal education.

Article I. Function, Powers, and Duties

Section 1: Functions

The functions of Campus Senate shall be:

A. To serve as a forum in which students, faculty, and staff communicate and consider matters of general concern to the College;
B. To improve and sustain the involvement of the campus community in the governance of campus affairs affecting the broader campus community by establishing open, effective, and efficient channels of communication between and amongst the College community.

Section 2: Powers and Duties

The powers and duties of Campus Senate shall be:

A. To deliberate and to adopt policy recommendations on whatever matters are of general importance to the broader campus community and to forward such considerations to the appropriate campus body and/or administrative office.
B. To establish working groups and committees to further investigate matters of concern to the broad campus community.
C. With appropriate consultation with members of the campus community, provide recommendations such as resolutions and legislative proposals to the College President and/or Senior Staff.

Article II. Membership

Section 1: Membership

All full-time students, all faculty members, and all staff and administrative employees are represented by the
Campus Senate.

Article III. Officers

Thirteen (13) officers shall comprise Campus Senate: six students, two members of the faculty, two staff
members, the Provost or designee, the Vice President for Student Affairs or designee, and the President of the College or designee.

Section 1: Eligibility

Any full-time student in residence, tenured or tenure-track faculty, staff, or administrator shall be eligible to hold office as specified under this Constitution. Students may not serve in officer roles when participating in an off-campus study program or while on leave from the College.

A. Faculty Officers
- a. The faculty shall elect two of its members to serve on the Campus Senate, one member to
  serve as the co-chair, one to serve as a member-at-large.
- b. Faculty officers may not serve more than four consecutive semesters on Campus Senate.
- c. Faculty Co-Chair
  - i. One year (two consecutive semesters) term, preferred prior experience serving on
    Campus Senate.
  - ii. Must have obtained tenure status prior to the beginning of the term.
B. Student Officers
- a. Student officers must be fully enrolled at Kenyon College and be in good conduct standing with the College at time of verification through the duration of the term, and have an earned 2.500 cumulative grade point average at the time of verification.
- b. Student Co-Chair
  - i. Candidates for the Student co-chair must have had a minimum of one full semester of experience as a Senate student officer, Student Council officer, or have served on a Student Council committee, excluding ad hoc committees.
- c. Student Officers
  - i. The Student Council President, or their designee, shall serve as a student officer.
  - ii. Additional student officers shall represent a designated class year: first year, second year, junior, or senior class.
C. Staff Officers
- a. Staff officers, one member to serve as co-chair, one to serve as a member-at-large, shall be
  appointed by the Kenyon Staff Council or equivalent body. If there is no such body active, the
  President of the College will appoint staff members to the Senate.
- b. Staff Co-Chair
  - i. One year (two consecutive semesters) term, preferred prior experience serving on
    Campus Senate.
- c. Staff members may not serve more than four consecutive semesters on Campus Senate.
- d. Staff officers may not be members of the President’s Senior Staff.
D. Senior Staff Officers
- a. Administrative representation shall be the Provost or their designee, and the Vice President for Student Affairs or their designee as they serve as members of the Senior Staff.
E. Administrative Coordinator
- a. The administrative coordinator shall be an administrator appointed by the Office of the
  President, who shall not vote.

Section 2: Officer Selection

A. Faculty Officers
- a. Faculty positions will be selected through the regular election procedure facilitated by the
  Faculty as indicated in the Faculty Handbook.
B. Student Officers
- a. Elections will be conducted by the Campus Senate Co-Chairs.
- b. The entire student body may vote for the Student co-chair position.
- c. Only members of a class year may vote for their class representative.
- d. Election Timeline
  - i. Applications for positions will be available by the Monday of the fifth week of the spring semester and will remain open until the Monday of the eighth week of the spring semester.
  - ii. Applicant eligibility will be verified by Student Affairs during the eighth week of the spring semester. Applicants will be notified if they do or do not meet eligibility requirements by the end of the eighth week.
  - iii. Candidates may campaign from the Monday of the ninth week through Friday of the tenth week of the spring semester.
  - iv. Voting will occur during the eleventh week of the spring semester. The candidate with the most votes will win the election. Winning candidates will be notified by Friday of that same week and must accept or decline the position by the Monday of the twelfth week of the semester. If the winning candidate chooses not to accept the position, the position shall be opened for a special election.
- e. Campaigning
  - i. Regulations surrounding campaigning apply to each person running regardless of the
    number of positions for which they are running. Regulations for campaigning are as
    follows:
    1. Each candidate is limited to 50 posters/flyers
    2. Only two email messages to promote their candidacy. This email must be sent
      through student-info@kenyon.edu and may not contain the link to the poll site.
    3. Posters/flyers may only be posted on bulletin boards and other surfaces designed for such communication. Posting may not occur on entryway doors to any campus buildings.
    4. All campaign materials must clearly state who takes responsibility for them.
    5. All printed materials must be removed within twenty-four (24) hours of the completion of the election process. If not removed, a fine of five dollars per day will be assessed directly to the candidate.
- f. Special Elections
  - i. Special elections will be called by the presiding Campus Senate Co-Chairs.
  - ii. The Campus Senate co-chairs will have to determine the timeline and procedure for any election. The electorate for special elections is the same as that for normal elections. Typically, any vacancies still remaining at the conclusion of a regular election will allow for one day for applications to be submitted, two days for voting, and one day for candidates to accept the position. The candidate with the most votes will win the election. If the winning candidate chooses not to accept the position, the position shall be opened for a special election.
- g. First Year Class Representative Elections
  - i. Shall be completed by the end of the fourth full week of the fall semester.
  - ii. Any member of the first year class meeting the eligibility requirements may be considered.
  - iii. All members of the first year class may vote in the election.
C. Staff Officers
- a. Staff officers are designated by the Staff Council through its outlined process.
D. Organizational Meeting of New Officers
- a. One organizational meeting shall be held after the general election of officers and before the
  last day of classes. All newly elected officers, the continuing faculty co-chair (if applicable), and
  ex officio officers shall be eligible to participate.

Section 3: Term

A. All officers shall serve for one year and their term of office shall begin at the commencement of the fall semester.

Section 4: Removal from Office

A. All elected or appointed officers of the Campus Senate are subject to removal from office.
B. Officers may face removal for the following reasons:
- a. Failure to perform the functions of their office.
- b. Failure to meet officer meeting attendance requirements.
- c. Failure to meet officer eligibility requirements.
- d. Failure to execute regularly assigned responsibilities and meet the obligations of the Campus
  Senate.
- e. Violate the principles and provisions of the campus government.
C. Campus Senate co-chairs shall facilitate the removal from office process. In the case of a co-chair
facing removal from office, the other co-chairs shall facilitate the removal process.

Section 5. Vacancy

A. If a vacancy occurs, the procedure for special elections will be implemented.

Article IV. Officer Duties

Section 1: General Expectations of All Officers

A. All Campus Senate officers are expected to uphold the duties of their office with the utmost integrity,
ethical leadership, and respect for the entire Kenyon community.
B. Officers are expected to:
- a. Take initiative and seek out opportunities to enhance the Kenyon College community.
- b. Set aside personal opinions and biases to advocate for the needs of the constituency.
- c. Maintain communication with appropriate campus entities and engage in meaningful
  partnerships.

Section 2: Faculty Co-Chair

A. Shall be responsible for running an effective and efficient Campus Senate in collaboration with their
fellow co-chairs. This includes duties such as:
- a. In coordination with the other co-chairs, call, develop priorities and agendas for, and preside
  over meetings of the Senate.
- b. May be called upon by the Senate to be its spokesperson and to represent the Senate in other
  forums within and outside the College as needs arise.
B. Serve on the Executive Committee of the Faculty and report on the Senate activities to the Faculty.

Section 3: Student Co-Chair

A. Must maintain good standing as described in Article 3, Section 1., B.
B. Shall be responsible for running an effective and efficient Campus Senate in collaboration with their
fellow co-chairs. This includes duties such as:
- a. In coordination with the other co-chairs, call, develop priorities and agendas for, and preside
  over meetings of the Senate.
- b. May be called upon by the Senate to be its spokesperson and to represent the Senate in other
  forums within and outside the College as needs arise.
C. Shall serve as an ex-officio member of the Student Council.

Section 4: Staff Co-Chair

A. Shall be responsible for running an effective and efficient Campus Senate in collaboration with their
fellow co-chairs. This includes duties such as:
- a. In coordination with the other co-chairs, call, develop priorities and agendas for, and preside
  over meetings of the Senate.
- b. May be called upon by the Senate to be its spokesperson and to represent the Senate in other
  forums within and outside the College as needs arise.

Section 5: Student Council President

A. Must maintain good standing as described in Article 3, Section 1., B.
B. Must meet Student Council officer expectations.
C. Responsible for bringing pertinent information and legislation to the student body, typically through the Student Council, to ascertain student opinion to inform voters on Campus Senate matters.

Section 6: Class Representative Officer

A. Must maintain good standing as described in Article 3, Section 1., B.
B. Regularly communicate with their respective class committee
C. Represent the opinions of their respective class

Section 7: Faculty Officer

A. Responsible for bringing pertinent information and legislation to The Faculty to ascertain faculty opinion to inform voters on Campus Senate matters.

Section 8: Staff Officer

A. Responsible for bringing pertinent information and legislation to staff, typically through the Staff Council, to ascertain staff opinion to inform voters on Campus Senate matters.

Section 9: Senior Staff Officers

A. Responsible for bringing pertinent information and legislation to the administration, typically through the Senior Staff, to ascertain opinion to inform voters on Campus Senate matters.

Section 10: Administrative Coordinator

A. The Administrative Coordinator shall be responsible for:
- a. Taking accurate meeting minutes,
- b. Distributing meeting minutes to appropriate campus populations,
- c. Serve as a parliamentarian to advise the co-chairs on questions of parliamentary procedure
  during meetings, and
- d. Ensure all official documents of the Campus Senate are maintained with the College Archives.
B. The Administrative Coordinator shall have no vote.

Section 11: College President

A. The College President may appoint a designee to regularly attend meetings in their place.
B. The College President, or designee, will vote only in the case of a tie.
C. The College President is responsible for the ratification or veto of any legislative act of the Campus
Senate.

Article V. General Procedures

Section 1: Meetings

A. General Meetings
- a. The Co-Chairs shall convene the Senate regularly, typically at least once a month when the
  College is in session and no fewer than six (6) times during the academic year.
  - i. Any of the co-chairs may preside at a meeting. This duty will typically rotate between
    the three co-chairs. Meetings may not take place if none of the co-chairs are available
    to preside.
- b. Meetings of the Senate shall ordinarily be open to the public. Adequate facilities shall be
  provided for the public to observe Senate proceedings.
- c. The Senate may close its sessions if warranted by nature of matters discussed. The Senate
  must exhibit a good faith effort to provide a twenty-four (24) hours advance notice to the campus
  community if a meeting will be closed.
B. Special Meetings
- a. Special meetings of the Senate may be called in any of the following ways, with the matter(s) to be considered to be specified in the call:
  - i. By a Co-Chair of the Senate or
  - ii. By a vote or written petition via email to the official Campus Senate email address of the majority of the voting Senate officers.
- b. The notice of a special meeting shall include the agenda and shall be sent to the officers of the Senate as far in advance of the meeting as possible with a minimum of twenty-four hours notice.
- c. The scheduling of a special meeting shall reflect the urgency of the matter(s) specified in the
  call, the requirement for reasonable notice, and the availability of the officers.
C. Quorum
- a. A quorum will consist of three voting student officers and three voting non-student officers.
D. Parliamentary Authority
- a. Robert’s Rules of Order shall guide the Senate in all cases to which they are applicable and in
  which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws.
- b. The Senate shall loosely follow Robert’s Rules of Order unless a two-thirds majority vote of the present, voting members determines that Robert’s Rules of Order should be strictly observed.
- c. If in a period of strict observance of Robert’s Rules of Order, the Administrative Coordinator shall act in the role of the parliamentarian.
E. Attendance
- a. Attendance is expected of all officers at all regularly scheduled Senate meetings.
- b. The Campus Senate Administrative Coordinator shall maintain a record of attendance for all
  officers and guests.
- c. Elected officers shall not be absent from two (2) consecutive regularly scheduled meetings.
  - i. After two (2) absences from consecutive regularly scheduled meetings, the
    Administrative Coordinator will notify the Co-Chair.
  - ii. The Co-Chair shall address the concern of absences using their discretion and
    potentially enact the removal from office procedure found in Article 3, Section 4.
F. Minutes
- a. The minutes of the Senate meetings shall be recorded and, as approved or amended by the
  Senate, shall be the official and permanent record of Senate action and debate.
- b. Copies of the minutes shall be distributed to all members of the Senate within a reasonable time after each Senate meeting.
- c. Meeting minutes and other important legislative decisions shall be maintained in the College
  Archives as a permanent record.
G. Agendas
- a. Matters to be placed on the agenda for action at meetings must be presented in writing to the
  Administrative Coordinator. Written agendas shall be distributed to members of the Senate no
  later than twenty-four (24) hours prior to a meeting.
- b. Items which have not been placed on the written agenda as specified above may be added to
  the agenda, presented at meetings, and discussed by the Senate; however, no final action can
  be taken on such matters until a subsequent meeting.

Section 2: Communication

A. All official statements from the Campus Senate shall be issued by the co-chair through the
Administrative Coordinator.

Section 3: Record Keeping

A. General meeting minutes, a summary of the legislation and meeting agenda items shall be maintained by the Administrative Coordinator and stored in the College Archives.

Article VI. Voting

Section 1: Voting Procedure

A. Regular business at meetings of the Campus Senate is subject to a simple majority vote of officers, as
outlined in Robert’s Rules of Order.
B. The President shall vote only in the case of a tie.
C. Alternative voting thresholds shall be used only when specified within the Campus Senate Constitution.

Article VII. Affiliated Governing Bodies

Section 1: Relationship with Affiliated Governing Bodies

In an effort to represent the broad interests of the Kenyon College community, Campus Senate commits to
maintaining ongoing relationships with the following affiliated governing bodies: The Faculty, Staff Council, and Student Council.

A. The Faculty
- a. The Faculty shall bring relevant matters to Campus Senate for discussion as deemed
  appropriate by the Faculty Co-Chair.
- b. Faculty officers of the Senate will provide relevant updates to The Faculty.
B. Staff Council
- a. Staff Council shall bring relevant matters to Campus Senate for discussion as deemed
  appropriate by the Staff Co-Chair.
- b. The Staff co-chair and staff officer will provide relevant updates to Staff Council
C. Student Council
- a. Student Council shall act as the governing body for all Kenyon students.
- b. Student Council, via the Student Council President serving as a student officer of Campus
  Senate, shall bring relevant matters to Campus Senate for discussion as deemed appropriate
  by the Campus Senate Student co-chair.
- c. The Student Council President will provide relevant updates to the Student Council.

Article VIII. Committees

Section 1: Committees

A. The Campus Senate may establish ad hoc committees or subcommittees as necessary for the proper
performance of their functions.
- a. The Campus Senate may determine a specific prescription as to the membership of an ad hoc subcommittee, including provisions for the appointment of members who are not officers of the Campus Senate.
- b. Each ad hoc committee must disband at the end of each academic year unless Campus Senate votes to continue the committee for an additional semester.

Article IX. Amendments

Section 1: Amendment Proposals

A. Proposals for amendments may be initiated by elected Campus Senate officers and affiliated governing bodies such as The Faculty, Student Council, and Staff Council.
B. Procedure for amendment proposals:
- a. Proposed amendments to the Constitution must be publicized at least two weeks before any
  meeting where they are discussed or adopted.
  - i. Campus Senate must officially inform The Faculty, Student Council, and Staff Council of any proposed amendments.
- b. The Senate may not adopt amendments to the Constitution at the same meeting where they are introduced or modified.

Section 2: Amendment Voting Threshold

A. Amendments to the Campus Senate Constitution shall be made with a two-thirds majority vote of voting members present only if a quorum has been met.

Section 3: Amendment Ratification Procedure

A. Upon final passage by the Campus Senate, the College President shall act to ratify or veto
amendments.
B. The College President shall only ratify amendments to the Constitution passed by the Senate and shall take no action on amendments that fail to be passed by the Senate.
C. The amendments shall become effective upon ratification by the president or, should the president fail to act upon it, after thirty days from the date of the Senate meeting in which the amendments are
approved. The days during which the College is not in session do not count towards the thirty-day
period.

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