Student Council

William Henry Harrison High School Student Council

The Student Council's mission is to create a more perfect link between the student and the administration, the student and the faculty, the student and the community, and the students themselves.

Advisor: Jennifer Collicott

Constitution
Sponsorship Activities

Constitution

Constitution of the

Student Council of

William Henry Harrison High School

Preamble

The Student Council, of William Henry Harrison High School, in order to create a more perfect link between the student and the administration, the student and the faculty, the student and the community, and the students themselves, does hereby ordain this Constitution of the Student Council of William Henry Harrison High School.

Article I Composition of the Student Council

1. One Student Council President or two Student Council Co-Presidents.

2. One Student Council Vice-president

3. One Student Council Secretary/Treasurer

4. Four Senior Class Representatives

5. Three Senior Class Officers, including one president, one vice-resident, and one secretary/treasurer

6. Four Junior Class Representatives

7. Three Junior Class Officers, including one president, one vice-president, and one secretary/treasurer

8. Four Sophomore Class Representatives

9. Three Sophomore Class Officers, including one president, one vice-president and one secretary/treasurer

10. Six Freshman Class Representatives, two from each middle school

11. "At Large" Representatives *See Article 9 Section 3

12. One or more adult sponsors

Article II Class Officers

Of the upper three classes at William Henry Harrison High School, one representative from each class is elected as president of that class by the student body. Another is elected as vice-president of that class by the student body. Yet another is elected to the student council as class secretary/treasurer by the student body. These representatives assume the same roles in the student council as other representatives, but are referred to as class officers. Class officers must be ready to represent their whole class, not just themselves or their closest group of friends. Individual class office responsibilities and privileges include:

1. Sophomore class a) President, Vice-president, Secretary/Treasurer

The sophomore class officers are responsible for organizing fundraising events to support their prom.

2. Junior Class a) President, Vice-president, Secretary/Treasurer
The main responsibility of the junior class officers is to raise money for their own prom.

3. Senior class a) President, Vice-president, Secretary/Treasurer
The senior class officers also have significant responsibilities. They are responsible for organizing and running their prom. They are also responsible for planning class reunions.

It is a Harrison tradition that the parents of the senior class officers organize the planning and hosting the after prom party. Prospective officers must make sure their parents are willing to undertake this role before running for office!

Article III Responsibilities and Powers of the Members

Section I: Student Council President a. Presides over all meetings of the Council b. May call meetings when necessary c. Appoints committees when necessary d. Works on committees when necessary e. Breaks tie votes when necessary f. Has regular proposal privileges Section 2: Student Council Vice President a. Assumes the responsibilities of the president in the absence of the president b. Assists the president in the affairs of the president c. Heads the House of Representatives d. Has regular voting and proposal privileges e. Coordinates committees f. Responsible for maintaining the attendance records Section 3: Student Council Secretary/Treasurer a. Records the proceedings of each meeting b. Performs all necessary Council correspondence c. Reports on financial status of the Council d. Works on committees when appointed e. Has regular voting and proposal privileges f. Has the responsibility of setting up a telephone tree Section 4: Class Representatives a. Each actively seeks and reports the opinion of his classmates b. Each reports to their classmates pertinent Council information c. Each works on committees when appointed d. Each has regular voting on proposal privileges Section 5: Sponsor(s) a. May call meetings when necessary b. Represents the administration and the faculty c. Has regular proposal privileges d. Approves candidacy petitions e. Determines the validity of excused absences

Article IV Proposing

Regular proposing privileges is defined as the right to make any constructive relevant proposal or comment while issues are being discussed during meetings. If a member wishes to make a proposition before the council, they must inform a council officer by the Friday before the meeting in which they intend to speak. This in turn allows for time to be set aside in the meeting agenda.

Article V Voting

If and when there is due cause to vote on an issue, voting members of the council may vote in favor of the issue, against the issue, or may abstain from voting. Each member (except the sponsor(s)) may vote once and each vote is counted equally. For a vote on a issue to be valid a quorum of council members must be present. A quorum consists of more than half of the council members, including at least one freshman, one sophomore, one junior, one senior, and the Student Council president or vice president.

Article VI Attendance

Section 1: Requirements

a) Council members must attend ALL Council sponsored meetings or activities unless excused, or will be given an unexcused absence per infraction.

b) Required activities will be marked with an asterisk (*) on the weekly agenda.

Section 2: Excused Absences

a) An excused absence is defined as one in which the Student Council sponsor(s) or Vice President of Council was notified on, or prior to, the day of the absence. However, the sponsor can deem the excuse invalid and issue the member an unexcused absence. An excused absence includes, but is not limited to, sickness, appointments, prearranged absences, and vacations. If a sponsor is not notified of an excused absence by the date of the absence the member will be issued an unexcused absence.

Section 3: Rights

a) A member with two unexcused absences must have written notification by the Student Council secretary/treasurer. If written notification is not presented then the absences will be considered void.

b) After you have received a written warning, if you accumulate a third unexcused absence, you will be removed from the Council. No vote will take place.

c) Attendance for meetings will be tallied with the meeting attendance.

Section 4: Tardies

a) A tardy is defined as a situation in which a student arrives after the call to order, but less than five minutes late. If a student arrives after five minutes of the call to order, that student will be issued an unexcused absence. Three tardies equal one unexcused absence.

Article VII Resignation of members

Any member of the Council may resign if they wish to do so.

Article VII Candidacy Qualification for Members

To be eligible to run for Student Council, or class president, vice president, secretary/ treasurer, and senior, junior, or sophomore class representative, a candidate must present the sponsor with a petition. The petition must be signed by at least 30 students, and four faculty members, at least five days before elections are held. Two of the freshmen class representatives are elected from each of the three middle schools. Candidacy and election procedures may be determined independently by those schools. To be eligible for Student Council office a candidate must have participated in a high school Student Council program for at least one year, and not been previously removed.

Article IX Election of Members

Section 1: Member Elections a) Elections for 10-12 Student Council positions will be held during the last quarter. All ties are broken by run off elections the following school day. All students running for a student council position should check the ballot prior to election day. Any errors on the ballot must be reported to a student council officer or advisor immediately. If errors persist on the ballot, the involved student(s) will suffer the consequences of any unintended results. However no student can be elected to a position for which the student was not eligible. b) The election of freshman representatives is the responsibility of each middle school. Prior to freshman elections an officer from Student Council will visit each middle school. Section 2: Student Council Officers a) Student Council officers will be chosen by the sponsor(s), administrators, and current Student Council officers. This is based on a personal interview, an application, and an essay. b) The Student Council officers must be members of the junior or senior class, and have participated in the council for at least one year. Section 3: Class Officers and Representatives a) The winning candidates are the candidates who receive the most popular votes from their respective classmates. Section 4: At Large Membership a) The number of At-Large Council member will vary from year to year depending on the number of students applying for these positions, and their qualifications. b) At large memberships are available only to those students who ran for class office, or for Student Council Representatives, and were not elected. c) Those seeking an at large membership must compose an essay stating why they would be an asset to the student council. The essay must be given to the student council sponsor within one week after the election. d) The student council sponsor will make copies of the essays without the students' names and give them to the newly elected Student Council officers. The officers will review the essays and select an undetermined amount of students for council memberships.

Article X Amending the Constitution

All proposed amendments to the constitution must be typed and given to each council member at least five school days preceding a debate by the Council. All proposed amendments must be read and discussed by the Council before a valid vote may take place. A 2/3 vote of the council must be in favor of the proposed amendment for it to go into effect.

Article XI Approving the Constitution

This constitution goes into effect only after a 2/3 vote by the council.

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