Article II. Executive Branch

Constitution

Section 1. Membership

The Executive Branch of the Student Government Association shall be named the SGA Executive Board, or Officers. All executive powers shall be vested in the Executive Branch of the Student Government Association.

The term of position for the SGA Executive Board shall begin the first day of the academic calendar starting with the first Summer Session and shall end the following academic calendar year on the day prior to the first Summer Session.
1. Current officers are responsible for training successors beginning May 1.
No Officer shall hold the same position for more than two (2) consecutive terms, with the exception of those elected in a special election (who would serve up to two and a half terms).
If a newly elected Officer does not present themselves for installation within the two (2) week period, they forfeit the position.

Section 2. Qualification and Compensation

The SGA Executive Board consists of seven (7) Officers. They are the President, Vice President, Speaker of the Senate, Chief Justice, Chief Financial Officer, Director of Public Relations, and Director of Student Organizations.
1. All SGA Executive Board members shall be members of the student body and shall be in good academic and disciplinary standing at the time of election or appointment and must remain in such status while serving in their position.
2. All SGA Executive Board members must be students who have attended the University ofHouston-Victoria for at least two (2) consecutive semesters at the time of election or appointment, not including a summer semester, with the exception of the following:
  1. A second semester transfer student with an associate’s degree or at least forty-eight (48) cumulative academic credits from an accredited academic institution.
  2. A second semester graduate student with a bachelor’s degree from an accredited four-year academic institution.
3. Executive Board members must be a sophomore, junior, senior, or a graduate student with the exception of freshman students entering their second academic year. Executive Board members must consider the University of Houston-Victoria campus in Victoria to be their primary campus, due to mandatory required meetings and events held in Victoria.
4. Any student who wants to pursue the position of President, Vice President, or Speaker of the Senate must have served as a Senator or Associate Justice for a minimum of two (2) full academic semesters to be eligible. For all other Executive Board positions, if the aforementioned SGA experience requirement is not met, a student may also be deemed eligible if they have completed one (1) full academic semester as an Officer in a student organization or two (2) full academic semesters as a student employee within the same department at UHV. These alternative requirements for eligibility must be able to be verified by the SGAAdvisor(s).
  1. Any student who has not served in SGA or has not fulfilled the term requirement prior to submitting an application for a vacant position during the academic year (including open positions during the election period) must undergo an interview process with the current Executive Board. Following the interview process, applicants will be allowed onto the election ballot through a majority vote of the elected Officers and confirmed by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Legislative and Judicial Branches.
  2. If there are open positions remaining in the Executive Board following an election period, then an application must be open to appoint any vacancies following the same procedure as stated in Article X, Section 8, Subsection A.
5. Executive Board members must maintain at least a grade point average of 2.5.
6. No SGA Executive Board member may hold their Student Government Association position concurrently with another position in the SGA Administration or an ex officio representative seat, with the exception of concurrent positions during the transition period.
7. All SGA Executive Board members are employees of the Student Government Association. All Officer stipends must be confirmed by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Legislative and Judicial Branches and verified by theAdvisor(s). The SGAAdvisor(s) will set up all terms of employment. Stipends will be distributed at the end of each long (fall and spring) semester, unless otherwise stated by the SGA Administration. Terms of employment shall be:
  1. President - $1,400 per long semester
  2. Vice President - $1,200 per long semester
  3. Speaker of the Senate - $850 per long semester
  4. Chief Justice - $750 per long semester
  5. Chief Financial Officer - $750 per long semester
  6. Director of Public Relations - $600 per long semester
  7. Director of Student Organizations - $600 per long semester
  8. Any elected Officer who commits nonfeasance or malfeasance related to their duties may have their stipend reduced or removed after a majority vote of all elected Officers and confirmed by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Legislative and Judicial Branches and verified by the Advisor(s). In the process of voting, the impacted Officer will not take part in the vote.
8. Any unused stipends may be divided up and conveyed into scholarships for any sitting Senator or Associate Justice through an application process mutually agreed upon by the Executive Board. At the conclusion of the application process, scholarship recipients will be awarded through a majority vote of the elected Officers of the Executive Board and verified by the Advisor(s).
9. The SGA President, Vice President, and Speaker of the Senate may not be an officer of any other university student organization or be a first-year Resident Assistant during their term of position.

Section 3. Authority, Powers, and Responsibilities of the Executive Branch

President
1. The President of SGA sits as a full voting member on the University President’s Cabinet and is empowered to vote and set agenda items in the interests of the student body. They shall reside at regular, special, and called meetings of the SGA; shall serve as official spokesperson and public relations officer for the SGA when the Director of Public Relations is not available; shall serve on or appoint representation to any university or system wide committees, boards, or councils as requested by administration; shall be responsible for initiating financial expenditures of the Student Government Association as so indicated by the governing body; shall serve ex officio as a member of all committees; and shall have such other responsibilities and duties as may be normally associated with the President. The SGA President may not be an officer of any other university student organization or be a first-year Resident Assistant during their term of position. The SGA President, working with the Vice President, has the authority to make expenditure decisions under $250 on behalf of the Student Government Association.
Vice President
1. The Vice President shall represent the President in their absence; shall assist the President in the performance of their duties and with assigned tasks as delegated; shall coordinate any projects initiated by the SGA not covered by committees and shall follow the progress of committee activities; shall serve as Parliamentarian when the Speaker of the Senate is absent; and shall have such other responsibilities and duties as may normally be associated with the Vice President. The SGA Vice President may not be an officer of any other university student organization or be a first-year Resident Assistant during their term of position. The SGA Vice President, working with the President, has the authority to make expenditure decisions under $250 on behalf of the Student Government Association.
Speaker of the Senate
1. The Speaker of the Senate shall serve as Parliamentarian during SGA meetings; shall facilitate the flow of legislation; shall prepare and distribute agendas, notices, minutes, and memos as necessary; shall establish the meeting agenda along with the Advisor(s) and Officers; shall serve as official liaison for Senators; and shall have other such responsibilities as may be associated with the Speaker of the Senate. The SGA Speaker of the Senate may not be an officer of any other university student organization or be a first-year Resident Assistant during their term of position.
Chief Justice
1. The Chief Justice shall work primarily on maintaining SGA’s structure based on Constitutional guidelines; as the head of the Judicial Branch, they have a responsibility to delegate the Associate Justices’ responsibilities and maintain meetings; shall be responsible for keeping all Justices informed of all Executive Board decisions and meetings; and shall oversee the appeals and removal process.
Chief Financial Officer
1. The Chief Financial Officer shall be responsible for filling out proper documentation concerning SGA finances as directed by the President, Advisor(s), and/or SGA rulings; shall be responsible for collecting any SGA revenues and preparing and maintaining the financial records of the Student Government Association; shall prepare monthly financial reports and a summary of SGA funds; shall properly record the minutes of all meetings; shall maintain files of all official membership records, minutes, committee reports, correspondence, and all actions taken by the SGA; shall represent the Vice President in their absence; and shall have other such responsibilities as may be associated with the Chief Financial Officer.
Director of Public Relations
1. The Director of Public Relations works to promote the transparency and accessibility of the Student Government Association on and around campus by notifying and informing students and the public of the SGA activities (with the use of flyers, social media, SGA bulletin board, website, JagSync, promotional items, etc.) and shall act as the official voice of information disseminated by SGA, including policy and proclamations; shall act as historian, responsible for updating the SGA website and taking pictures at SGA events; shall prepare an updated list, following elections, of all Senate positions for inclusion in university publications; shall be responsible for supporting efforts to build relationships with other student governments across the state; and shall have other such responsibilities as may be associated with the Director of Public Relations.
Director of Student Organizations
1. The Director of Student Organizations shall act as a liaison to student organizations, coordinating support for student group initiatives on campus; shall seek opportunities for collaborative programming; shall attend a minimum of one (1) student organization meeting per week; and shall serve on the UHV Programming Committee.
The Executive Board shall approve all expenditures between $250-750 on behalf of the Student Government Association. Expenditures between $250-750 require a majority vote of all elected Officers.

Section 4. Resignation or Removal

Any Officer who wishes to resign must signify such in writing to the Chief Justice, specifying the date the resignation will become effective.
The sitting President or Chief Justice will have the responsibility for issuing a warning in a report form of listed undesired actions or behaviors from the elected member. In the absence of a Chief Justice, the Chief Financial Officer shall assume these responsibilities.
In the event of a removal, a vote must be taken with and require a majority vote of the Executive Branch. In the process of voting, the respected removee will not take part of the vote.
Any Officer may be removed from their position for nonfeasance or malfeasance by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the entire Student Government Association once the previous steps have been met and shall only be qualified for reelection after one (1) academic year with approval from the Executive Branch.
Any Officer who violates university policy or procedures by committing an act of a criminal nature (thus negatively impacting the community’s view of the Student Government Association leadership) shall immediately forfeit that position. At the next regular meeting or a called meeting of the Senate, a simple majority vote will be taken to acknowledge the removal. The vote will be for acknowledgment purposes only, not to determine whether the Officer should be removed.
Should the President of the Student Government Association be removed from or resign from their position, the Vice President shall automatically assume the presidency. Should any other Officer be removed or resign from their position prior to the fulfillment of their term, Student Government Association members will be notified that the vacated position will be filled at the following meeting, and the Student Government Association shall elect, by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of those present, another Senator from within its membership to fill the vacancy for the duration of the term. The Senator position then left vacant shall be filled as specified in these bylaws.
If any Student Government Association Officer fails to attend two (2) consecutive meetings or three (3) total meetings for the elected year, that Officer may be removed by a majority vote at the first meeting after the second meeting missed or third total meeting missed. In the case of extenuating circumstances, a special vote may be held outside of a meeting.