Review all of the changes being made to the Santa Monica College (SMC) Associated Students (A.S.) Constitution and By-Laws up for a vote in the 2022 A.S. Special Election.

General
Approval date of Constitution and By-Laws to be dated dependent on decision by the upcoming special election.
Article I: Structure
Section 3.4: “The College President appoints an advisor to oversee A.S. activities, in accordance with the California Education Code (Sections 76060-76067)” changed to “The College President appoints an advisor to oversee the A.S., in accordance with the California Education Code (Sections 76060-76067).”
Section 4.1: “Any student currently enrolled in any class at Santa Monica College (SMC) who has paid the A.S. Resource fee for the current semester is a member of the A.S” changed to “Any student currently enrolled in any class at Santa Monica College (SMC) is a member of the A.S.”
Section 4.3: New section added – “In order to take advantage of some of the A.S. Programs and resources (as listed on the A.S. website), the A.S. Resource Fee must be paid.”
Article II: Membership
Section 1.1: “Only members of the A.S. may hold an elected or appointed office” changing to “Only members of the A.S., who have paid the A.S. Resource Fee, may hold an elected or appointed office.”
Section 1.4: “No person who has been removed from the A.S. Board, either by a recall or impeachment process, can serve on the A.S. Board again” changed to “No person who has been removed from the A.S. Board, either by a recall or impeachment process, can serve on the A.S. Board, Student Trustee, or any A.S. elected position again.”
Section 2.4: Being split into two separate sections detailing the leadership line of succession and line of succession for chairing meetings
2.4: “In the absence of the A.S. President, the Vice President shall take on the role of President, per the By-Laws, until the position is filled per Article 6. In the absence of the Vice President, the Director of Budget Management shall take on the role of President, until the position is filled, per Article 6.”
2.5: “In the absence of the President, the Vice President shall chair the A.S. Board meetings. In the absence of the Vice President, the Director of Budget Management shall chair the A.S. Board meetings. In the absence of the Director of Budget Management, the I.C.C Chair shall chair. In the absence of the four (4), or in any instance, the A.S. Board shall vote on an interim Chair through a process of nomination, with a subsequent simple majority affirmative vote.”
Section 2.7: Previously, “no person can serve on the A.S. Board for more than two (2) years total, regardless of position”, with an exception for an I.C.C. Officer who can serve “two additional terms as an elected A.S. Board member.” This exception is being removed.
Section 3.5: “Conduct weekly Board Meetings during the Fall and Spring semesters excluding holidays, breaks and final exam periods” changed to “Conduct weekly Board Meetings during the Fall and Spring semesters excluding holidays, breaks and final exam periods, in accordance with the SMC academic calendar.”
Section 4.3: “In addition, club officers who are entitled to a vote on the I.C.C. cannot simultaneously hold a position in the A.S. Board'' changed to “In addition, an A.S. Board member cannot simultaneously hold a leadership position within a student club or organization. In the event that a member of the Board of Directors also serves as a member of the club or another entity, should remain unbiased.”
Section 4.5: New section added – “All members of the Board of Directors should follow established policies and procedures of other respective student leadership roles that they may represent.”
Section 6.1: New section added – “In the event any position(s) is vacant during the general election, a special election can be held to fill the position(s).”
Sub-bullet added: “The student trustee position must be completed through a special election process and cannot be appointed by A.S.”
Section 6.2: “In the event of a vacancy of any position during the academic year, the A.S. Board must open an application process to fill the vacancy.”
Section 7.1: Sub-bullets added
(i): “All members are expected to request an excused absence, including justified academic related reasons, in writing as soon as they know they will not be able to attend a required activity. Except in an emergency, requests to be excused shall not be approved 48 hours prior to the required activity. In cases where a Director has previously committed to attending a training, retreat, conference, activity, etc., where the A.S. has incurred a charge the Director shall be held financially responsible for all expenses that the A.S. is unable to recoup (personal medical and/or life threatening emergencies may be excused at the discretion of the A.S. advisor).”
(ii) “Unexcused Absences – Absences not excused by the A.S. President and/or the A.S. Advisor shall be considered unexcused. An A.S. Director shall not have more than three (3) unexcused absences per term.”
Section 7.3: Added bullet point – “In the event that the A.S. Board wishes to recommend the removal of a Student Trustee, a vote by a two-thirds (⅔) majority must be submitted to the SMC Board of Trustees for final consideration.”
Article V: Judicial Board
Section 1.1: Sub-bullet (a) changed to Section 1.2 – “The positions are part of the general student election. In the event of a vacancy, the I.C.C. delegation shall appoint any vacant student justice positions via an application process during an I.C.C. meeting, who has applied for the position of Justice, to serve on the Judicial Board.”
Added (a) – “This must be done within the first two viable I.C.C. meetings and appointments must be confirmed by the A.S. Board of Directors.”
Added (b) “This position will be open and available to the entire SMC student body.”
Section 5.2: “The meeting must be held within fifteen (15) school days from the date of summoning and must be announced and posted in accordance with the Brown Act. Only issues that were specifically identified for the meeting may be considered” changing to “The meeting must be held within twenty (20) school days from the date of summoning and must be announced and posted in accordance with the Brown Act. Only issues that were specifically identified for the meeting may be considered.”
Sub-bullet (b) added – “If a meeting and decision does not happen within twenty (20) school days, the complaint filed is dismissed or the A.S. Board decision is upheld.”
Article VI: Students’ Rights
Section 1.1: “Submitting a petition to the A.S. Secretary, a petition signed by 5 percent (5%) of the number of students currently enrolled at SMC (spring or fall semesters only), attached with the Legislative/Action proposal. The Office of Student Life must validate the signatures” changing to “Submitting a petition to the A.S. Secretary, a petition signed by 50 students currently enrolled at SMC (spring or fall semesters only), attached with the Legislative/Action proposal. The Office of Student Life must validate the signatures.”
Section 3.1: Sub-bullet (a) added – “In the event the student body would like to recall the Student Trustee, the final decision will be made by the SMC Board of Trustees.”
Article VIII: Constitutional Changes
Section 3: Sentence being removed – “Students who were elected or appointed to office at the time of ratification of this Constitution shall be permitted to fulfill their term of office.”
Associated Students of Santa Monica College By-Laws
Article II: Organization
Section 2: Change to: “There are twelve (12) A.S. Directors and three (3) I.C.C. Officers, as designated below.”
Article III: A.S. Board of Directors’ Duties and Responsibilities
Section 2.1: The President – bullet (b) changed, bullets (g), (h) added:
(b): “Is the official spokesperson for the A.S” changed to “Is the official A.S. Board Representative and provides monthly reports at the regularly scheduled SMC Board of Trustees meetings
(g): “Has the authority to appoint student representatives to campus-wide committees in the event the Vice President position is vacant, and can assist when needed.”
(h): “While a position is vacant, the A.S. President may appoint an eligible A.S. commissioner to perform the position’s duties. The interim officer must meet the eligibility requirements stipulated in II.1”
Section 2.2: Vice President – bullet (b) changed
(b): “Is an ex-officio member of all Board of Directors Committees, other than those of which they are Chairperson” changed to “May serve as an ex-officio member of all Committees, other than those of which they are Chairperson.”
Section 2.3: The Secretary – bullet (e) changed
(e): Added “Serves on DPAC Human Resource Committee”
Section 2.6: Director of Outreach – bullets (a), (b), (c) changed
(a): “Acts as the official A.S. membership recruiter” changed to “Informs students about A.S. and its resources.”
(b): Added “Resource Fee” to text
(c ): “A.S. membership benefits” changed to “A.S. Resource Fee benefits”
Section 2.7: The Director of Equity and Diversity – bullets (a), (b), c changed
(a): “Advocates for the protection of students’ rights to equity, diversity, and inclusion at Santa Monica College.”
(b): “Serves as a liaison to Special Support Programs and Campus Police.”
(c): “Shall plan and coordinate a minimum of three (3) diversity themed campus wide events per election term” changed to “Shall plan and coordinate, or collaborate, on diversity themed campus wide events.”
Section 2.8: The Director of Student Advocacy – name changed to “The Director of External Affairs.”
Section 2.9: The Director of Student Assistance – name changed to “The Director of Basic Needs.”
Section 2.10: The Director of Instructional Support – bullet (d) changed, bullet (e) removed
(d): “Ensures that free Scantrons and Bluebooks are always available to A.S. members at the A.S. Office Reception, as agreed with the Director of Outreach” changed to “Ensures that instructional support resources from the A.S. Resource Fee are available to A.S. members at the A.S. Office Reception, as agreed with the Director of Outreach.”
(e): Previously stated “Assists the Director of Student Assistance in providing instructional materials for the ASAP program.”
Section 2.11: The Director of Publicity – bullets (c), (d), (f) changed
(c): “Raises student awareness of all campus student services, such as instructional support services, mental and health services, and financial aid services” changed to “Raises student awareness of all campus student services, including, but not limited to instructional support services, mental and health services, and financial aid services.”
(d): “Maintains an active presence on campus, which may include the satellite campuses, as well as maintaining an A.S. social media presence” changed to “ Maintains and engages the student body through various communication channels (virtual and physical), which may include the satellite campuses, as well as maintaining an A.S. social media presence, including other marketing strategies.”
(f): “Serves on the Santa Monica College Civic Engagement Committee and is a liaison to Santa Monica College’s Communications and Marketing Department” changed to “Serves on the Academic Senate Global Citizenship Committee, the Santa Monica College Civic Engagement Committee, and is a liaison to Santa Monica College’s Communications and Marketing Department.”
Section 2.12: The Director of Sustainability – bullet (c) changed
(c): “Works in cooperation with the Grounds Department, Sustainability Coordinator, and Director of the Center of Environmental and Urban Studies (CEUS)” changed to “Works in cooperation with the Grounds Department, Sustainability Coordinator, and Director of the Sustainability Center.”
Section 3: Student Trustee – Removed, moved to a brand-new Article titled Article IV: Student Representatives
Section 4: I.C.C. Officers – Designated as Section 3 due to Student Trustee removal from Section 3.