By-Laws

ARTICLE X: By-Laws 

S1. Adoption

By-Laws of the Constitution, deemed consistent with the Constitution, may be adopted by a 2/3 vote of the Senate.

ARTICLE 1: Elections

S1. Timing

Elections shall be held annually in the spring semester for all offices listed in the Constitution. Elections for Freshmen Class Officers and unfilled positions shall be held at the start of the following fall semester.

S2. Elections Rules

1. Elections and available positions shall be advertised openly to the student body.

2. The department of Student Engagement and Leadership shall be held to inform potential candidates of the duties of office. Petitions, rules and regulations, and qualifications for office shall be distributed to all candidates at this meeting. If a candidate does not meet the qualifications at this meeting, a session with the Executive Board will be held to determine if the candidate can run.

3. Candidates for office, in addition to meeting qualifications set forth in the Constitution, must be nominated by petition.

1. Candidates running for all Executive Board positions, to be elected by the student body, must obtain 100 signatures from UA members within the student body.

2. Candidates running for Nazareth Commuter Association President and Senator, Residence Hall President and Senator, Class Officers, and Student Athlete Senators must obtain 50 signatures from students whom they represent.

3. Candidates for Diversity Initiatives Senator must obtain 50 signatures from the general student body.

4. No candidate may run as a ticket or be endorsed by another Nazareth organization.

5. No one may hold more than one position that falls under the category of Executive Board, Senate, or Class Office. If someone who already holds one of these positions wishes to run for an open position that falls under this category, they must submit a formal resignation at the same time they submit their petition to run for the new position.

6. The start and end dates for campaigning will be announced by the Senate and must be adhered to by all candidates.

7. Campaigning and elections:

1. $20 maximum expenditure allowed for campaign materials; funding for materials must come from candidates – no other sources of funding permitted.

2. Using official Nazareth email and social media accounts for campaigning and endorsements are prohibited.

3. Posters may only be hung in designated areas as outlined in the University’s posting policy.

4. All candidates for office will submit their completed petition, a statement of purpose and a picture to be used by the Senate  on the official elections ballot.

5. It is mandatory for all candidates, unless there is an unforeseen circumstance and the Executive Operations Committee votes to grant a waiver, to attend any scheduled candidate events.

6. Breaking any of these rules is grounds for disqualification after discussion and majority vote of the Executive Operations Committee.

7. Elections will take place online between 8am and 8pm on a designated day announced by the Executive Operations Committee. All UA members are eligible to vote after verifying their status as students; except for spring elections where graduating seniors are not permitted to vote.

8. In the event that a candidate is running unopposed:

1. Executive Board candidates are required to receive a minimum of 150 votes.

2. All other positions are required to receive a minimum of 100 votes.

9. If a tie should result, it is grounds for a run-off election which shall be announced and advertised for one week. The election shall be conducted as a standard election by the Executive Operations Committee; however, if a position is vacant after one run-off election, it shall be the responsibility of Senate to vote to fill the vacancy according to Article II, S2 of the By-Laws.

10. If more than two candidates are running for UA office and the victory is by ten votes or less, this is grounds for a run-off election conducted as stated above.

S4. Elections Rules for Students Studying Off Campus

Election rules apply to those students studying off campus who are interested in running for offices as listed in the Constitution. Those rules shall be as follows:

1. Candidates for office must meet the qualifications set forth in the Constitution.

2. Candidates are exempt from submitting a petition.

3. All candidates for office will submit a photo and statement of purpose to the Senate  declaring their candidacy. In addition, the statement of purpose and picture will be posted prominently online.

4. Campaign posters shall be left up to the discretion of the candidates in accordance with the rules of the Constitution. Posters may be made ahead of time and left with a friend or with a member of the Executive Operations Committee to distribute.

5. Candidates are required to submit a speech to be read at the Meet the Candidates event by the Master of Ceremonies. This speech must include the answers to the questions proposed by the Executive Operations Committee and will be read after other candidates’ question-answer period.

S5. Notification

The candidates shall be informed of the results by the Senate. 

S1. Process

ARTICLE II: Vacancy of Office

It shall be the responsibility of the Senate to vote to fill a vacancy resulting among the Executive Board members, Senators, or Class Officers. If the vacancy occurs with the position of UA President or Class President then the position shall be filled by the Vice President of Executive Operations or the Vice President of the Class respectively until a new President has been appointed. Should the Vice President of Executive Operations or the Vice President of the Class choose to permanently fill the President position, the Senate will be responsible for filling the Vice President vacancies.

The vacant position shall be advertised until it is filled. Candidates eligible for the position shall be informed of the duties of the office at an interest meeting. The candidates shall go through the standard Senate procedures to be appointed to the position and will be informed of the results by Senate.

S2. Run-Off Elections

In the event that five or more vacant positions exist and there are more than two candidates running, these vacancies shall be filled in accordance with the run-off election procedure (Article I, Section 3, 7, J).

S3. Appointments

After a second fall election, if a Senate quorum exists, any vacant position shall be appointed by the Senate by 2/3 vote. If a Senate quorum does not exist, vacant positions shall be filled by standard election.

S1. Required Vote

ARTICLE III: Dismissal Proceedings

The offices must be impeached by a 2/3 vote of the Senate on the basis of listed charges which are in accord with the Constitution.

S2. Hearing Process

1. The dismissal proceedings shall be carried out by the Executive Board or, in the case of dismissal proceedings of an Executive Board member, the Senate shall carry out the proceedings. Dismissal proceedings shall be closed.

2. The impeached officer shall be given written notice of the charges brought against them and a date of the dismissal proceeding one week prior to that date.

3. Charges will be read aloud by the President of the UA. In the case that the President is the defendant, all duties so listed in the dismissal proceedings shall be performed by the Vice President of Executive Operations.

4. The defendant shall have the opportunity to state their case and then be excused from the meeting. A 2/3 vote is necessary for a dismissal from office.

5. After the defendant has been excused, a discussion and vote will ensue, done by secret ballot, and counted by the President of the UA.

1. In the event of dismissal of the President of the UA, the Vice President of Executive Operations shall assume the President’s responsibilities until there is a new UA President in place.