General Members

The UA works only when we all work together. This can be quite challenging since the UA body only meets officially for approximately three hours per week. A lot of work is done outside of meetings, without the input or knowledge of other members. This is why we have to work extra hard to ensure that we are communicative and collaborative. Here are some general rules that have always served us well:

• CC! Keep everyone in the loop – The best way to avoid miscommunication is to CC everyone relevant in all your email exchanges. Always CC Exec and your committee director when emailing an external UA contact. When in doubt, CC. Everyone is trained to deal with massive loads of email. Don’t worry about clogging our inboxes.
• Respond to emails promptly - Always try to respond within a day or two, especially if you hold a leadership position. If you are temporarily unavailable, which happens and is understandable, please let others know! While it might not move things along, it will definitely make the wait less frustrating.
• Respect each other’s work – many UA members develop some sort of command over certain policy areas either by virtue of position (Exec, Director) or through project work. It would be appropriate for you to consult, if not collaborate with such members when working on a new project in their area of expertise. The same courtesy should be extended to you!
• Collaborate, not Compete – Always provide constructive feedback with the goal of enhancing, rather than undermining each other’s work. Feel free to disagree with a certain resolution or project idea, just do so respectfully and, if you feel comfortable, explain why.
• Avoid public attacks – It may be exhilarating to put someone down in front of 34 of your peers and a DP reporter. Regardless of the nature of the attack (whether it is critical of this poor soul’s character or actions), please don’t do it. There are much better ways to resolve interpersonal conflicts, such as having a private conversation in a setting where all parties can freely express their views.
• Be in touch with Exec – Exec is here to help you succeed in your projects, develop meaningful relationships, and learn from experience! No matter what, the Speaker in particular, will always support your membership. So consult us, ask us questions, and make the most out of Exec!
• Protect our confidentiality – certain means of communication are understood to be private, including Communications, Executive Sessions, and emails sent to our listserv that specifically address the Body. Very often, members share information that should not be repeated or recorded. Please be considerate and keep everything within the Body.

Note that most of these guidelines are not institutionalized in our bylaws. However, they are informally practiced by the UA and are very much part of our culture (for a good reason)!

The UA Attendance Policy is very simple: you should come to every General Body and Committee Meeting. At each you perform vital tasks on behalf of those who elected you – whether voting on resolutions that are approved on behalf of all students or reporting on the work you promised your constituents you’d complete. That being said, we totally understand if you can’t come to a meeting. Hence, we have a complicated policy to make sure that you get (a) good notice of meetings and (b) a small number of “meetings off” should any emergencies or extenuating circumstances arise. Since the current system accounts If you have to miss a GBM we encourage you to send a note to the General Body explaining your absence out of courtesy. This courtesy will always be observed by your Executive Board!

What is an absence?

• Members receive absences for missing general body meetings, committee meetings, or airport shuttle shifts, as below.
• Absences received for missing general body meetings, and absences received for missing committee meetings, are counted separately.
• If there is ever any confusion (though there shouldn't be), the Speaker has generally served as the authority on attendance for all elected members of the body.

Absences from General Body Meetings (GBMs)

• There is no such thing as an excused absence at a GBM.
• Failing to attend a GBM counts as one GB absence.
• Arriving late to a GBM will count as one-half GB absence.
• Leaving a general body meeting early will count as one-half GB absence.
  • A member who attends less than one hour of a GBM that takes longer than one hour shall be considered to have failed to attend the GBM.
  • Should a meeting exceed its scheduled time by more than 30 minutes, a vote to adjourn shall be called and if successful shall immediately move the meeting to Communications.
• All absences incurred for the Budget Meeting are doubled, without adjusting the number of permitted absences that semester.

Absences from Committee Meetings

• A Committee Director shall schedule their committee meeting such that, under ideal conditions, all members (Associate and otherwise), are able to attend.
• If a member misses a committee meeting, he or she receives a full Committee absence,
• If a member arrives late or leaves early from a committee meeting (with the definition for both being the same as for general body meetings), he or she receives one-half committee absence,
• If a member misses a committee meeting with twenty-four hours notification to his or her committee director, and an update on individual progress, he or she receives one-half committee absence at the Committee director’s discretion,
• If a member arrives late or leaves early from a meeting with notice to their Director, they receive no absences.

Absences from Retreat

• All elected members and associate members of the UA shall be required to complete an educational programming session, as determined by the Speaker
  • If a member has an immovable conflict at the established time for programming, it shall be the member’s responsibility to coordinate an alternate time with the Speaker
• This requirement shall be completed within the first two months of the fall semester or, in extenuating circumstances such as a special election or a later appointment, within one month of school after assuming office
  • The Secretary shall notify a member when the member is two weeks away from missing this deadline
• If a member fails to meet this requirement, they shall be removed according to the same procedure as the attendance policy above, save that only 40% of members present are required to overturn this removal

Absences from Airport Shuttle Shifts

• All UA members are required to man two one-hour shifts for the UA Airport Shuttle each time it is operated. Shifts are finalized and therefore fixed 24 hours before the launch of the shuttles.
• The number of shifts required per member for each time the UA Shuttle is run may be altered by a simple majority of the body.
• Members who are unable, in the judgment of the UA Executive Board, to do their shifts may be excused, with such conditions as the UA Executive Board may impose.
• Each missed shift will account for half a Committee absence (0.5 absences) for the semester.
• he number of committee meetings per semester used to calculate the total number of allowed committee meeting absences shall increase by the amount of the maximum number of absences possible to get through missing shifts.

Removal when you go over your absence limit

• When a member acquires either:
  • committee absences that are at or exceed 25% of the total number of committee meetings that semester (calculation to include airport shuttle shifts as above), or,
  • GBM absences than are at or exceed 35% of the total number of GB meetings that semester,
  • they will be automatically and immediately removed from the UA for all purposes, including notice and quorum. Removal is immediate and does not require a hearing.
• The UA Secretary must notify a member when he or she is one absence (either Committee or GB) or 1.5 absences away from being removed from the body.

Contesting your removal

• An ex-member wishing to contest their removal must submit a letter to the UA Secretary explaining the situation within two weeks of removal.
• An ex-member who does not contest their removal within the two-week period is permanently removed from the UA.
• If the removal is contested, a hearing will be held at the next regular UA general body meeting and the ex-member’s letter will be read aloud, followed by a question and answer period. The ex-member in dispute shall then leave the room and the body will debate their reinstatement.
• Removals shall be immediately repealed by a vote of 2/3 of those members present at the hearing. The removal vote must be taken at the meeting of the hearing.
• The vote shall be conducted by secret ballot. Members may vote by absentee ballot if they so choose.
• The vote is final and may not be reconsidered.
• If the UA Secretary does not notify the entire body that the hearing will be on the agenda at least 48 hours before the hearing, the member in dispute has the right to postpone the hearing until after the entire body has been notified. This right must be exercised before the hearing begins.