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C A L I F O R N I A I N S T I T U T E O F T H E A RT S
STUDENT COUNCIL CONSTITUTION
This document is officially enacted as of May 16, 2015.
Article 1: Jurisdiction and Purpose
This document shall establish and govern the activities of the CalArts Student Council.
Article 2: Basis of Unity
CalArts Student Council represents the CalArts student body by doing the following:
1. Providing an open forum for students to express concerns about the Institute
2. Serving as student advocates to the Board of Trustees, Administration, Faculty, and Staff
3. Providing for the student body by using and distributing funds collected through the student
activity fee
4. Maintaining involvement in administrative decisions that affect the student body in order to
enforce operational and financial ethics
The Student Council unites the student body in order to foster a fully interdisciplinary, progressive,
inclusive, and creative environment.
Article 3: Membership
I. Officers
The four Officers of the Student Council are President, Trustee, Treasurer, and Secretary. The
term of office for each Officer shall commence immediately upon the posting of election results,
and end with Commencement at the end of the following academic year. Each Officer shall be
elected in an all-school student body election. Election guidelines for the Officers of Student
Council are outlined in Article 8-III-A.
II. Senate
The eleven Senators of the Student Council will consist of two peer-elected representative from
the Art, Dance, Film/Video, Music, and Theatre Schools, and one peer-elected representative
from Critical Studies. The term of office for each Senator shall be one full academic year.
Guidelines for the election of the Senate are outlined in Article 8-III-B.
III. Special Members
Additional positions deemed necessary by the Council (i.e. Integrated Media Senator/liaison,
Council Graphic Artist, webmaster) may be created and shall be administered by the following:
a) Official Roles may be granted by appointment from the pool of current Officers and
Senators or from the student body to fulfill duties based upon a particular skill set. This
membership may include but is not limited to: Webmaster, Official Graphic Artist,
Outreach Liaison. Appointed individuals in special roles shall not be granted any voting
power unless they also hold an office included in Sections I and II.
b) Special Senate Membership may be granted through the special election process
(Article-8-IV) when voting power is to be given and the member represents a specific
constituency including, but not limited to, Integrated Media and programs that may fall
out of the jurisdiction of any one specific school. Elections should be limited to the
targeted constituency.
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c) Special Membership may be revoked or reassigned by consensus at any time (Article 5II) and is not subject to Article 9.
Article 4: Duties
I. Duties of Officers
A. Each Officer will perform the following:
1. Attend the weekly Council meetings
2. Vote on all matters before the Student Council on behalf of the student body
3. Actively engage in at least one subcommittee or action group per year
4. Reserve no less than two hours per week for office hours.
B. The President will perform the following:
1. Sign check requests, purchase orders, and work orders as needed
2. Prepare an annual plan for the Council that establishes objectives and strategies
3. Prepare agendas for and facilitate all Student Council meetings
4. Prepare a budget outline at the beginning of each semester with the Treasurer
5. Represent the student voice on various Institute committees
6. Sign off on events/groups using a heading of or advertising sponsorship by Student Council
7. Meet with the Dean of Students once a week
8. Deliver a report on the state of the institute to the student body on a regular basis
C. The Secretary will perform the following:
1. Handle all correspondence of the Student Council
2. Inform (via email) recipients of awarded funding
3. Take detailed and accurate minutes of every Student Council meeting
4. Have recorded minutes of Student Council meetings available to all Student Council
members, and members of the student body via email within 48 hours
5. Produce digital copies of all meeting minutes and archive them, making them available on the
Student Council website
6. Track Officer and Senate attendance at all Council meetings and validate accuracy of
additional payroll hours logged by members and provide this information to the treasurer
D. The Treasurer will perform the following:
1. Sign check requests, purchase orders, and work orders
2. Keep an updated account of the Student Council’s budget
3. Prepare and present a budget outline at the beginning of each semester with the President
4. Prepare a weekly spending report and make it available upon request
5. Produce digital copies of all treasury reports and archive them, making them available on the
student council website
6. Approve timesheet used for council payroll based on Secretary reports and under the
supervision of the Office of Student Affairs
E. The Trustee will do the following:
1. Represent the Student Council at the meetings of the Board of Trustees as well as Academic
and Campus Affairs
2. Fulfill the duties of the President in the President’s absence
3. Prepare and present to the Student Council a detailed report on the Board of Trustees and
Academic and Campus Affairs Committee meetings, excluding any confidential information
4. Produce digital copies of all reports from Board of Trustees meetings and Academic and
Campus Affairs Committee meetings and archive them, making them available on the student
council website
5. Represent the student voice on various Institute committees
II. Duties of Senators
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A. Each Senator will do the following:
1. Attend the weekly Council meeting
2. Spend additional hours per week working as representatives for students of their school to
faculty, such as collecting student opinion and monthly meetings with their school’s dean
3. Bring forth ideas, issues, concerns, and requests on behalf of their school before the Council
a) Vote on matters on behalf of the Student Body
b) Provide a collaborative support system for Student Council events
c) Actively engage in at least one subcommittee or action group per year approved by the
President
d) Review all decisions made by the Council
Article 5: Meetings
I. Meetings
Student Council will have weekly meetings. Any absence should be communicated to the
Secretary or President prior to the start of the meeting. More than three unexcused absences will
result in dismissal. Chronic absence, excused or unexcused, may result in removal from office
(Article 9). Dismissal based upon excused absences will decided by consensus (Article 5-II).
II. Consensus
A. At all meetings of Council, decisions will be made using the process of consensus as outlined in
this Section.
B. Consensus is used as an alternative to voting, as it is less competitive and values dissenting
voices.
C. In order to initiate consensus for Council meetings, at least ten members must be present, one of
which must be an officer. Voting must take place at a designated time or open forum, such as at
the scheduled weekly meeting, or by email poll sent out to the entire council in the event of time
sensitive decisions.
D. Council meetings use the consensus process of U-2 (unanimity minus two), meaning that
agreement by all but two members is considered consensus. Abstentions do not count as
agreement, and members not present at meetings cannot issue abstentions.
E. When consensus cannot be reached, a dissenting member has three options:
1. Declare Reservations: This applies to members who are unsure of their support for a motion.
They may need more information or suggest the motion be altered in a way that everyone can
agree on. Either way, anytime a member declares reservations, the discussion should continue
until consensus can be reached or the member chooses another course of action. This process
should be documented clearly in the minutes.
2. Stand Aside: This applies to members who have a serious disagreement with a proposal, but
are willing to let the motion pass. This does not halt a motion, but should lead to further
discussion as to how to make the proposal work for everybody. This process should be
documented clearly in the minutes.
3. Block: This applies to members who feel that a proposal endangers the organization or its
participants, or violates the Basis of Unity. This process should be documented clearly in the
minutes. Decisions can be blocked through the process as defined as follows: The Council
meetings use U-2 (Unanimity minus two). A dissenting pair can present alternate views of
what is wrong with the decision under consideration. The decision can be blocked if the pair
can convince a third member to join the block.
Article 6: Office Conduct
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I.
The Student Council office is to be utilized as a space for council members to fulfill their official
duties, for students to ask questions regarding Student Council services and voice student concerns,
and for any meetings Student Council wishes to hold.
II. Nothing should be removed from the office. The space is to be treated in a professional manner. Any
inappropriate use of the space unrelated to the student council may result in dismissal from office.
III. Office hours are to be held in the Student Council office with the door open so students may voice
concerns and/or ask questions. Office hours are to be posted outside the Student Council door and on
the Student Council website. Any council member using the office during another officer’s office
hours must be considerate of the current officer on duty and maintain a professional working
environment.
Article 7: Budget
I. Budgeting
When the Treasurer is alerted of the Student Council operating budget by the Accounting office,
the budget for the year should be outlined, as well as the procedure by which students may apply
for funding and the process by which funds are allocated. These will be presented for discussion
at an open meeting of the Student Council and publicized.
II. Allocations
The Student Council operating budget is funded by the Student Activity Fee and is typically used
to fund grants, supplies, events, projects, receptions and stipends. All allocations are open to
discussion in all Council meetings, and shall be approved by consensus. In order to be eligible for
funding, all allocations are required to benefit the student body/Institute as a whole. Council
stipends should be presented to the council as part of the budget approval process and be
allocated based on funds and the cooperation of the payroll office and the Dean of Student
Affairs.
Article 8: Elections
I. Eligibility of Candidates
A. Only currently registered students in good standing (good standing is determined by Student
Affairs with regards to conduct and by the registrar with regards to academics, and its relevance
to eligibility is to be determined by the current Student Council on an individual basis) may seek
election. This is to be determined by the Cleared Student List published by the Institute Registrar.
B. A candidate must intend to remain at CalArts for the duration of their term in office.
C. Candidates will be disqualified if they do any of the following:
1. Use either the Student Council or Student Affairs office for campaign purposes
2. Send an all-Institute, all-school, or all-métier related e-mail for the purpose of
campaigning
3. Begin campaigning prior to the posting of the approved candidate list by the Student
Council
4. Remove, vandalize, or tamper with another candidate’s campaign materials, as covered
by the Institute policy on publicly displayed artwork
5. Run for more than one office in an individual election
6. Participate in any part of the election process that may affect the outcome of the election
II. Election Timeline
A. Elections are to be held each Spring semester for all Student Council offices in accordance with
the Election Procedure described in Section 1. Nomination forms should be available and the
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B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
dates of the nomination deadline and election should be publicized by the last Monday of
February.
Voting for Officers should be completed by two Fridays before Spring Break. Candidates who
were not elected are automatically qualified and given the option to add their name to the ballot
of Senators for their school.
Senate elections should take place the week following Spring Break.
A transition retreat should be held in April with both the outgoing and incoming Student Council
Officers to review ongoing school and the duties of each office.
The incoming Student Council Officers (Officers-elect) should have at least three meetings prior
to the close of the semester to set an agenda and begin planning for the upcoming year.
The current Officers will supervise the Officers-elect three weeks prior to the end of the current
school year. This involves giving them the experience and tools necessary to assume officer
duties, including, but not limited to, allowing them to participate in discussions at meetings and
fulfill duties ordinarily carried out by the current Officer. The Officers-elect should have at least
one week of experience being solely responsible for their specific council position prior to their
term of office. Officers-elect will not be paid for these three weeks prior to their term of office. In
the event that such training cannot occur due to scheduling conflicts, detailed documentation
outlining the state of the office is to be made available to the elected officer which would deliver
a comparable amount of information.
The outgoing Student Council Officers should vacate the Student Council office and return keys
to the Facilities Management Office no more than two weeks following commencement.
III. Election Guidelines
A. Officer Election Guidelines
1. A candidate must submit completed nomination papers to Student Affairs by the posted
deadline. In addition to the candidates name, contact information, and office sought, the
nomination papers should include at least two typed letters of recommendation from currently
registered students, and the signature of the student’s mentor (Mentor’s approval and its
relevance to eligibility is to be determined by the current Student Council on an individual
basis). Each candidate must also submit a written statement that will be posted on the voting
site.
2. Elections are to be held for three consecutive school days.
3. Student Council will organize and run the nomination and election procedure. Student
Council members seeking reelection may not participate in any part of the procedure that may
affect the outcome of the election. The Office of Student Affairs will assist with the voting.
All dates and times should be cleared with the Student Affairs Office before they are posted.
4. Student Council shall publicize the deadline for nominations and elections by posters, hung at
least three school days prior to the deadline for nominations, and by e-mail. Posters should be
hung throughout the Institute and in central locations specific to each school.
5. For any election, the list of candidates on the ballot must be posted and the election
publicized no later than three school days before the start of voting. The nomination papers
must be available and publicized no later than one school week before the deadline for
nominations. Candidate statements must be submitted no later than 72 hours prior to the start
of voting. The e-mail message publicizing elections should be sent no later than 24 hours
before the start of voting.
6. In the event that there are no contested offices (only one valid candidate for each office), then
no election will be held. The candidate will assume the responsibilities of their office in
accordance with the regular or special election guidelines.
B. Senator Election Guidelines
1. Only currently registered students enrolled in a given school may vote during an election for
that specific school’s corresponding Senator (for example, only Dance students can vote for
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2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
the Dance Senator, etc.), as determined by the Cleared Student List published by the Institute
Registrar.
A candidate must submit completed nomination papers to Student Affairs by the posted
deadline. In addition to the candidate’s name, contact information, and position sought, the
nomination papers include at least two typed letters of recommendation from currently
registered students, and the student’s mentor’s approval (Mentor’s approval and its relevance
to eligibility is to be determined by the current Student Council on an individual basis). Each
Candidate must submit a written statement that will be posted on the voting platform
Elections are to be held for three consecutive school days
Student Council will organize Senate elections. The Office of Student Affairs will assist with
the voting process. All dates and times should be cleared with that office before they are
posted.
Student Council shall publicize the deadline for nominations and elections by posters, hung at
least three school days prior to the deadline for nominations, and e-mail. Posters should be
hung throughout the Institute and in central locations specific to each school.
For any election, the list of candidates must be posted and the election publicized no later
than five school days before the start of voting. The nomination papers must be available and
publicized no later than one week before the deadline for nominations. The e-mail message
publicizing elections should be sent no later than 24 hours before the start of voting.
In the event that there are no contested Senatorial positions (only one valid candidate for each
office), then no election will be held. The candidate will assume the responsibilities of their
position in accordance with the regular or special election guidelines.
IV. Special Elections
A. In the event that a Student Council Officer position becomes vacant, had no candidates during an
election, or the Officer has been removed from office, the remaining council members may
nominate any elected member of the Senate into the vacant position. In the event that no Senators
accept the nomination or there are no eligible candidates in the Senate, a special election will be
held. If an office is vacated during a school year, the election process should be initiated within
two weeks of the vacancy occurring. Special elections for officer positions vacant at the start of
the school year should be initiated by the second week of September. In a special election, the
winning candidate shall take office immediately upon the posting of election results.
B. In the event that a Senate position becomes vacant, had no candidates during an election, or the
Senator has been removed from office, a special election will be held. If an office is vacated
during a school year, leaving no available Senator for a school, the election process should be
initiated within two weeks of the vacancy occurring. Special elections for vacant Senator
positions at the beginning of the school year should be initiated by the second week of September.
In a special election, the winning candidate shall take office immediately upon the posting of
election results.
C. For a special election, the list of candidates must be posted and the election publicized no less
than two school days before the start of voting.
D. The nomination papers must be available and publicized no later than three school days before
the deadline for nominations. Candidate statements must be submitted no later than 48 hours prior
to the start of voting. The e-mail message publicizing elections should be sent no later than 24
hours before the start of voting.
E. If no candidates run for Officer or Senator positions in a Special election, the Officer or Senator
position will remain vacant until special elections are arranged the following semester. Any duties
of the vacant position necessary for the basic operation of the Council shall be passed to a
temporary liaison chosen by the Student Council from among the pool of Student council
members.
F. All guidelines regarding voting apply to Special Elections.
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Article 9: Removal from Office
I.
In the event that a Student Council member accrues three unexcused absences they will be dismissed
from office unless the Student Council President makes an exception on their behalf. If the Student
Council President has accrued three unexcused absences the Trustee will either assume their role or
make an exception on the President’s behalf.
II. In the event that any Student Council Officer or Senator fails to perform the duties of their office,
they may be removed by consensus, as written in Article 5-II, of the Council.
A. Motions for removal should be submitted in writing at least 72 hours prior to the next Council
meeting. All members must be notified in writing no later than 48 hours before the meeting at
which the removal will be discussed. The final decision will be made without the member in
question present.
B. Articles of Impeachment may be initiated by the student body on the grounds of eroding the trust
of their constituent body, high treason, or culpable violation of the constitution. For a Senator,
impeachment can be initiated only by a petition signed (names, signatures, and mailbox numbers)
by at least 50% of the body of their constituent school. For Officers, impeachment can be initiated
only by a petition signed (names, signatures, and mailbox numbers) by at least 15% of each of the
six schools. Petitions signed by students enrolled in an inter-school program may represent only
one school of their own choosing.
Article 10: Amendment
I. Amendment by Student Council Initiative
To amend this Constitution, a proposal must be presented in writing at a Student Council meeting. The
student body must be notified of the proposed amendment and given an opportunity to speak at the next
meeting. At the meeting, all students must be given a chance to speak during the discussion and the vote
is to be taken following the close of discussion. The proposal must win by a unanimous vote of the
Council and will then enter a 7-day waiting period. After 7 days, the amendment will be ratified unless
any registered student brings to the Student Council a petition requesting a referendum vote with names,
signatures, and mailbox numbers of no fewer than 100 registered students.
II. Amendment by Student Body Initiative
Any registered student may bring forth to the Student Council a petition to amend this constitution with
names, signatures, and mailbox numbers of no less than 100 registered students. At such time, the Student
Council must hold an election to vote on the proposed amendment. The measure will be decided by a
majority vote of voting body.
[END OF DOCUMENT]
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