Newly Approved By-Laws by Unanimous All-Student Vote

Thank you to all DSPT students for unanimously approving these new bylaws for ASDSPT! Just waiting approval of the faculty now! And thank you to the previous 5 years of council members for all their hard work!

Sincerely,
Hannah Mecaskey, ASDSPT President

THE BY-LAWS OF THE ASSOCIATED STUDENTS OF
THE DOMINICAN SCHOOL OF PHILOSOPHY AND THEOLOGY

SECTION I
TITLE, MEMBERSHIP AND GOALS

Article 1: The title of the Association is "The Associated Students of the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology" (hereafter referred to as the "Association").

Article 2: Membership in the Association follows from registration as a student with the Dominican School of Philosophy and Theology (hereafter referred to as the "DSPT"). There are three categories of registration: 1) Full-time students, 2) Part-time students, and 3) Special-status students.

Article 3: The goals of the Association follow from two concerns: student life and academics. The concern of the Association therefore encompasses matters related directly or indirectly to these goals.

SECTON II
ENUMERATION OF POWERS

Article 1: The Executive Committee is the elected body that represents the whole of the Association. It is, therefore, the competent body tasked with the approval of all initiatives solicited from the Association membership or the Student Council with respect to the explicit powers granted to the Association or the Student Council in these by-laws.
Article 2: The Student Council is a collegial body established for the purpose of considering all initiatives for submission to the Executive Committee for approval.
Article 3: The Student Council, with the staff representative to the Association, shall determine spending priorities in light of the goals of the Association and of the DSPT.
Article 4: The Association possesses the power of referendum for the initiation and approval of measures.
Article 5: The initiation of a measure by referendum requires a simple majority of the Association. The approval of an initiative or legislation proposed by a referendum requires a two-thirds majority of votes by Association members at a meeting convened for this purpose (see Section VI Article 4).
Article 6: All legislative initiatives approved by either the Association or the Executive Committee must also be approved by the competent authority established by the laws governing the DSPT with respect to Section VI Article 3.
Article 7: All non-legislative initiatives approved by either the Association or the Executive Committee must gain the permission of the President of the DSPT or the Competent Authority to which the President of the DSPT may refer them with respect to the specific powers granted Officers of the Executive Committee in these by-laws.


SECTION III
ADMINISTRATION AND SERVICES

Article 1: The elected officers who comprise the Executive Committee of the Association are: the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and two Students Representatives to the Faculty (cf. Section IV).

Article 2: The Executive Committee and up to three appointed Representatives-at-Large (cf. Section IV, Article 2, ii) together constitute the Student Council.

Article 3: Each elected officer shall solicit ideas and concerns from the Association in order to present initiatives to the Executive Committee and/or Student Council.

Article 4: The Staff Representative to the Association is a de facto member of all Association bodies with voice but no vote.

Article 5: Each appointed member of the Student Council shall solicit ideas and concerns from their respective constituencies in order to present initiatives to the Executive Committee and/or the Association.

Article 6: The Executive Committee is responsible for communicating student events and initiatives to the Association.

Article 7: In order to finance the services of the Association, a student Activities Fee shall be assessed from each member of the Association. This fee is to be collected by the Business Office of the DSPT along with the tuition fees.

Article 8: The amount of the Student Activities Fee is determined in the regular budget sessions of the DSPT. The Association may recommend changes in the amount of the Fee to the DSPT.

Article 9: A checking account is established and is to be maintained in the name of the Associated Students of the DSPT.

Article 10: The officers of the Association who are authorized to disburse funds are the President and the Treasurer.

SECTION IV
DUTIES OF THE ELECTED OFFICERS

Article 1: All members of the Association (cf. Section I, Article 2) who are willing to serve the Association are eligible for election.

Article 2: The President of the Association:
a) Represents the interests of the Association to the President of the DSPT, to the staff representative to the Association, and to the Board of Trustees, with voice but no vote at Board meetings.
b) Convenes and chairs meetings of the Executive Committee, the Student Council and the Association as specified in Section VI.
c) Coordinates student activities as decided by the Executive Committee at its first meeting before the beginning of the Fall semester and those that develop during the academic year.
d) Elicits initiatives from the Association through the Executive Committee and the Student Council.
e) Has the power of appointment, with the consent of the majority of the Executive Committee, regarding:
i) membership in the Student Council and
ii) membership in the composition of ad hoc committees.
f) Appoints, with the consent of the majority of the Executive Committee, a Liturgy Representative-at-Large and up to two other Representatives-at-Large.
g) May authorize, with the consent of the Treasurer, the disbursement of any sum up to $100.00.
h) May authorize, by vote of the Executive Committee, the disbursement of any sum greater than $100.00.
i) Shall establish regular channels for the exchange of views and information with other member schools and affiliated centers of the GTU and the GTU student organizations in order to better inform the students of the DSPT of academic and social activities ongoing in the GTU community. The President shall likewise inform these member schools of the GTU of the activities and interests sponsored by the DSPT.

Article 3: The Vice President of the Association:
a) Represents the interests of the Association to the President of the DSPT and the staff representative to the Association.
b) Assists the President in the execution of the duties of the office.
c) With the consent of the President or the majority of the Executive Committee, executes any or all of the duties of the President (cf. Section IV, Article 2).
d) Acts as liaison for all student-run activities (e.g., Owl of Minerva, Dumb Ox).
e) In consultation with the Executive Committee shall set the dates of elections and determine the procedures to carry out the provisions of Section VII, Article 1.

Article 4: The Secretary of the Association:
a) Represents the interests of the Association to the President of the DSPT and the Staff Representative to the Association.
b) Records and publishes the minutes of each meeting, and gives a copy of these minutes to the Executive Committee and the Staff Representative to the Association.
c) Chairs a meeting in the absence of both the President and Vice President.

Article 5: The Treasurer of the Association:
a) Represents the interests of the Association to the President of the DSPT and the Staff Representative to the Association.
b) Maintains public records of income and expenditures
c) Disburses funds from the Association’s checking account with authorization from the President and/or the Executive Committee as outlined in Section IV, Article 2.
d) Submits a proposed budget to the Chief Financial Officer of the DSPT by March 31 and to the new Executive Committee upon election.

Article 6: The Student Representatives to the Faculty
a) Represent the interests of the Association to the President of the DSPT and the staff representative to the Association.
b) Represent the Association to the Faculty, with voice but no vote at all Faculty meetings at the DSPT.
c) Represent the Association to the Executive Committee of the Faculty in any instance of disciplinary action taken against any student (cf. Statutes of the DSPT, Section VI, Articles 9 and 12).
d) Shall be two in number, one of whom shall be a Dominican of the Western Province and one of whom shall be a lay member of the Association.

SECTION V
TERMS OF OFFICE

Article 1: All officers shall serve for one academic year, beginning with the end of Spring Semester
exam week.

SECTION VI
MEETINGS

Article 1: The Executive Committee shall meet at least once each semester and once before the beginning of each semester. They must approve the Association’s budget at their meeting before the beginning of the Fall semester, and review existing by-laws for possible amendment.

Article 2: The Student Council shall meet at least three times each semester.

Article 3: The Association shall meet at the beginning of each academic year.

Article 4: Further meetings of the Association may be convened by the President or by a majority of the Executive Committee.

SECTION VII
PROCEDURES

Article 1: Election of Officers:
a) Elections shall be held within the three week period before the first day of final exams of the Spring semester.
b) Nominees shall indicate in writing their acceptance of their nominations.
c) Election shall be conducted for a period of not less than two days and not more than five days. Ballots shall be distributed to all students. A ballot box shall be placed in a prominent place in the DSPT building.
d) The person receiving the largest number of votes in each race shall be declared the winner. In the event of a tie, a run-off election shall be held.
e) If an elected officer cannot complete his/her term, a replacement will be elected by the remaining Executive Committee members.

Article 2: Amendments to the Bylaws may be effected by the Association, when convened (cf. Section VI, Article 3), by a two-thirds majority voice of those present.

Article 3: Amendments to these by-laws must also be approved by the Senior Staff of the DSPT.