The Chatham Student Government Constitutional Convention Committee finalized their draft of the document on Monday, Nov. 18. The new constitution was approved by CSG and sent out to the student body on Nov. 22. For the document to be ratified, it must receive a majority vote by the student body, and voting must take place at least two weeks from the day it was released. Students will be able to vote Friday, Dec. 6 from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. in a form accessible through an email sent by faculty advisor Dean Purcell on Dec. 5. You can also access the form here.
The major changes to the constitution are related to committee structure and the requirements of positions in CSG.
The first change is in Article III, stating that all elected CSG members will be considered members until the end of their term in office as opposed to the one year term limit.
Article IV establishes an additional member of the Executive Board, and that the Executive President serves as chair of the Student Safety and Wellness Committee (Section A). The role of Parliamentarian, who is responsible for overseeing CSG’s adherence to legislation and procedure, is established in Section I; the position is to be elected by the student body and more responsibilities are given to the Parliamentarian in the new Constitution.
Office hours were also decreased to one hour a week for all members of CSG.
The main changes to the Committee section, Article VI, are general structural changes to individual committees such as which members of CSG are to attend meetings and to the amount of meetings held per semester. Committees will also have access to an allocated budget.
In Article VIII, impeachment is to be approved by a ¾ majority in the Senate instead of a simple majority. Removal, separate from impeachment, can be approved by a ⅔ majority.
Students can view both the existing and proposed constitutions on the CSG website.
If students are interested in getting involved with CSG, they can attend an in-person meeting in the Conover Room in the Mellon Board Room on Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Students can also visit the CSG website to learn more about the organization.
