Sergio
Gonzales UCSU Tri-Executive
Authored by: Joseph
Neguse UCSU Student Affairs Liaison
Sergio
Gonzales UCSU Tri-Executive
Jeffrey Lovshin Freshman Council member
Israel Garcia Freshman
Council President
During the 2000-2001 academic-year, the UCSU Tri-Executives established a council that would serve freshman students at CU-Boulder and in essence be the freshman voice within UCSU. The council was founded in order to bolster freshmen involvement within the CU community and more actively involve the freshmen class in UCSU. Through this council, UCSU is able to more effectively communicate and engage the students of the university. The council was named “UCSU Freshman Council” and was to be composed of numerous freshman students at CU-Boulder. A constitution was created and approved by the tri-executives and the council began its existence on campus.
The council did numerous projects during the 2002-2003 academic-year under the leadership of UCSU Student Affairs Liaison and the Tri-Executive administration. The council was dissipated during the summer and was re-convened during the first weeks of fall semester 2003. The council now boasts a 22-person membership, as well as a team of executives and concise by-laws that encompass their mission on campus, their role in UCSU, recruiting practices, and other rules and regulations. The council is viewed as the legitimate freshman voice on campus by numerous departments and officials, including the current Tri-Executive administration and Office of Student Affairs.
To fully and validly represent freshman in the University of Colorado Student Union, the Freshman Council seeks legitimacy from the UCSU Legislative Council. The bill asks legislative council to enact freshman council as an official subdivision or branch of UCSU, to be administered directly by the Tri-Executives. The bill sets to provide the standards for the implementation and managing of Freshman Council as well.
BE IT ENACTED by the Legislative Council of the
University of Colorado Student Union, THAT:
Section 1: This bill creates a Council to provide the freshman at the University of Colorado-Boulder a place in UCSU. The said council will represent all enrolled freshman at the University of Colorado-Boulder to the UCSU.
Section 2: A: This council will be named ‘UCSU Freshman Council’, and will adopt the working constitution and by-laws of the current Freshman Council.
B: The UCSU Student Affairs Liaison will serve as an ex-officio member, and more importantly as the direct advisor and ex-officio executive of the Freshman Council. The Tri-Executives will also have discretion in guiding the council, as stipulated in the Freshman Council bylaws.
C: The council will adopt all policies currently used by UCSU proper.
The Freshmen Council shall be an official unit of UCSU proper, under
the executive branch.
D: All activities of UCSU regarding enrolled freshman students, or areas
directly/solely relevant to first-year students should be brought to the
council for purposes of discretion.
E: The Freshman Council will follow the interview and selection process
as stipulated in the Freshman Council bylaws. The Tri-Executives and the
Student Affairs Liaison will execute the process in September of each
academic-year. There will be twenty-five voting positions available on the
council, and five executive positions to be elected by the council.
F: The council will be required to fund and provide two programs during
the school year geared towards the benefit of the freshman class. These
programs will be decided on each year by the council, though guidance
will be provided by the UCSU Liaison to Student Affairs.
G: The council will be required to complete one community service
project each semester, and can work in conjunction with the UCSU
Executive Staff and other cost centers (Volunteer Clearing House, etc.) to
complete this requirement.
Section 3: As a legitimate segment of UCSU proper, will be held accountable to the numerous bodies of UCSU, the Freshman Council will be held accountable to the Legislative Council and the Tri-Executive administration. This will be done through the following:
A: The Freshman Council will elect one member to be an official liaison to the UCSU Legislative Council. This liaison will be an ex-officio member of legislative council and will serve as the council’s official bridge to Freshman Council. The liaison will be responsible for attending all legislative council meetings and providing legislators with a weekly report of Freshman Council’s activities and efforts.
B: The Freshman Council will elect one member to be an official liaison to the UCSU Executive Staff. This liaison will be a non-voting member of executive staff and will serve as the executive staff's official bridge to Freshman Council. The liaison will be responsible for attending all executive staff meetings and providing staffers with a weekly report of Freshman Council’s activities and efforts.
C: The Freshman Council president, elected by the council, will serve as the official liaison to other UCSU subsidies, including but not limited to, the Joint Boards, Cost Centers of UCSU. The president will contact the said departments when there is a pending issue directly affecting freshman students on the University of Colorado-Boulder campus.
Section 4: In order to successfully achieve it’s goals, Freshman Council will be provided with an annual fixed budget, stipulated in this bill.
A: A freshmen council line item shall be added into the executive budget,
3,000 dollars shall be allocated to this specific line item during the 2004-5
budgeting period
B: The said money will be managed by the Freshman Council president as well as the Treasurer or Freshman Council Finance Chair, with final oversight by the UCSU finance director and UCSU Tri-Executives.
C: The rules and regulations as to how the money can be spent are provided in the Freshman Council bylaws.
D: Although the FC president and treasurer have authority within the council concerning the budget, the UCSU Tri-Executives will have full discretion regarding this issue.
E: Money expenditures procured from the Freshman Council Budget must be authorized through an expenditure request, signed by the Freshman Council President, the UCSU Student Affairs Liaison, majority of the UCSU executives.
F: The Freshman Council Treasurer will provide all financial records publicly for all members of UCSU that would like to view them.
G: Freshman Council will continue to seek external mediums of raising funds.
SECTION 5: This Bill takes effect upon final passage upon obtaining the signatures of the Tri-Executives.
12-4-03 Amended and Passed 14-0-0
1/22/04 Passed 12-0-0