Senate Procedures: Resolutions

Article I - Purpose of a Resolution

Defintion

A Resolution is a commitment from SGA to address the stated concern,

A Resolution should document communications which brought a specific problem to the attention of the SGA Senate, and all efforts to resolve the problem,

A Resolution ought not be used as the first step in addressing items of concern on campus, but rather should be the culmination of ongoing discussions and reflect a dedication to maintain attention on the item(s) of concern.

Role in SGA

Resolutions do not have to outline specific action steps, but can:

  1. Recommend agenda items to the Mount Holyoke College Administration,
  2. Express affirmation, condemnation, and/or identify a topic for further study,
  3. Act as a formal declaration, documenting progress on an item of concern to spread awareness.

Authoring Parties

  1. Any SGA entity may author a Resolution. This includes student organizations, committees, Senate Commissions, the SGA Executive Board, etc.,
  2. All Resolutions must list the Authoring Party.

Sponsoring Parties

  1. All Resolutions must be sponsored by a Senate Commission in order to enter into the Resolution Process. All members of a Senate Commission must sign the Resolution to act as the sponsoring Senate Commission.
  2. All Resolutions must list the Sponsoring Party.

Effect of a Resolution

  1. Resolutions express the stance of SGA until or unless otherwise stipulated by SGA,
  2. Resolutions do not expire unless otherwise stipulated within the passed version of the Resolution,
  3. In the case that two or more Resolutions express conflicting ideas, the most current Resolution stands as the most current precedent,
  4. Resolutions can be re-passed by SGA to reaffirm the commitment,
  5. All Resolutions, passed or otherwise, are to be sent to the Mount Holyoke College Archives.

Article II - Structure of Resolution Process

Identifying a problem for a Resolution

Resolutions can address many different types of items of concern, but should be germane to the Mount Holyoke campus.

Resolutions should never be the first step in addressing items of concern; Resolutions ought to reflect research and careful preparation,

Resolutions are only to be introduced to the Senate after considerate communication has occurred between the authoring or sponsoring parties and those who are to be most directly affected by the Resolution, which is to be documented within the Resolution.

Authoring a Resolution

A Resolution must reflect the position of the SGA entity from which the Resolution originates,

The Authoring Party must sign the Resolution.

No Authoring Party may author more than one Resolution at any time,

The Authoring Party ought to utilize the SGA Resolution Template (see Article III) for consistency and clarity,

No Resolution shall violate the Mount Holyoke College Code of Conduct, and all Resolutions shall refrain from the use of inappropriate language,

All Resolutions shall reflect consideration for accessibility in their formatting.

Sponsoring a Resolution

A Resolution must be sponsored by a Senate Commission, and must reflect the position of the members of the Senate Commission,

All members of the Sponsoring Party must sign the Resolution.

There may be unlimited Sponsoring Parties to a Resolution, but there must be at least one,

An Authoring Party may act as the Sponsoring Party of a Resolution,

A Resolution must be sponsored before the Resolution can proceed in the process.

Petitions as Resolutions

In the case that a qualifying Petition is submitted to the SGA Executive Board for conversion into a SGA Resolution, the 200 signatories act as a qualifying sponsoring party,

It is incumbent upon the SGA Executive Board to effect the interests of the student body in ensuring a Petition is converted to a Resolution efficiently and accurately, and then to proceed with the Resolution process.

Submission of a Resolution for Recommendations

A Resolution must be sent to the SGA Executive Board for review, whereby recommendations may be made for the Authoring and Sponsoring Parties,

Any changes made a Resolution must be put approved by the Authoring and Sponsoring Parties before the changes are to be officially adopted,

The SGA Executive Board may inform the Authoring or Sponsoring Parties of any requirements for Resolutions which are not met by their submission; no Resolution is to be scheduled for Senate consideration until the basic requirements are met,

The Authoring and Sponsoring Parties are not required to accept edits and other recommendations from the SGA Executive Board, with the exception of the requirements for Resolutions outlined here,

The final version of a Resolution must be submitted to the SGA Executive Board no less than one week prior to the Senate meeting in which it will be presented for Senate consideration.

Senate Consideration

A Resolution must be presented to the SGA Senate as a whole, to be scheduled with the Chair of Senate,

A Resolution must be presented with time for dialogue, debate and questions at the time of their presentation,

No Resolution shall be passed on the same day as it is introduced to the Senate body; Resolutions must be scheduled for discussion for at least two separate meetings in order to be considered and passed within SGA Senate,

A Resolution is nonbinding to the SGA until passed with a quorum-meeting three-fourths majority vote of the Senate body and signed by the President of SGA.

Amendments

Any change made to a Resolution after initial presentation to the Senate shall be considered an amendment,

Any member of the SGA Executive Board or Senate may recommend an amendment,

Amendments are to be presented to the Senate body at any time of consideration, excluding during the vote for passage of the Resolution,

Amendments require a fifty percent plus one majority in order to be added to a Resolution,

Amendments are to be appended to the end of the Resolution, leaving the original language untouched,

If accepted, an Amendment does not pass the Resolution, and a secondary vote is required to pass the Resolution.

Veto Process

Any passed Resolution are to be sent to the SGA Executive Board, whereupon the Executive Board may either:

  1. Vote for ratification, signified by the signature of the President of SGA ,
  2. Vote for veto, requiring a quorum-meeting three-quarters majority vote of the SGA Executive Board.

A vetoed Resolution results in mediation between the Authoring and Sponsoring Parties, which must consist of a meeting to discuss the veto and what actions the Executive Board requests in order to be rescinded.

No changes may be made to the Resolution after passage in Senate without being presented to the Senate for another vote,

A veto may be rescinded by the SGA Executive Board at any time, but requires a quorum-meeting three-quarters majority vote,

If a Resolution is changed and scheduled for consideration within the Senate, it will resume the Resolution process starting at Senate Consideration,

Any veto by the SGA Executive Board may be overridden by a supermajority seven-eighths vote of the SGA Senate, whereupon the Executive Board must ratify the Resolution faithfully.

Ratification Process

A Resolution shall be considered ratified after a vote by the SGA Executive Board to be signed by the President of SGA,

A ratified Resolution must be sent to the student body, the Office of the President, the Mount Holyoke Archives, and the Mount Holyoke News.