The Student Government serves and acts as the voice of the Student Body of the College. The Student Body is defined as all currently enrolled students of Olin College. At times when the Student Government, its members, or its Committees must communicate to the entire Student Body, they email the All Students mailing list.
Meetings of the Student Government occur monthly at a regularly scheduled time set by the President and are open for the Student Body to attend and participate in discussion. The meeting time will be posted on the Student Government Bulletin Board in the Dining Hall and sent out at the beginning of each semester when the meeting time is first decided. Both of these must be updated should the meeting ever change. A meeting of the Student Government may be canceled, postponed, or rescheduled at the President’s discretion. Additional meetings may also be scheduled as appropriate at the President’s discretion. Meetings of the Student Government serve as the exclusive venue to pass Official Actions, as described in Section 12. Additionally, meetings of the Student Government can serve as venues to discuss and formulate Official Actions, discuss the state of the Student Body and Student Experience, allow Committees to take charge of proposed projects, and other activities deemed relevant by the presiding officer.
In order for the proceedings of a meeting of the Student Government to be valid, a quorum of the Student Government must be present in person or by virtual attendance.At least a simple majority of the members and 3 out of 4 Committee Leaders (CCo, CORe, SAC, Serv) is considered a quorum of the Student Government.
The Student Government issues Allocation Orders to appropriate the Student Activities Fund. Allocation Orders of the Student Government allocate funds from the Student Activities Fund for the virtual funds. Allocation Orders may reallocate funds from one virtual fund to another. Allocation Orders may also restrict the use of any funds which originated from the Student Activities Fund.
Each year, before Transition Day, the outgoing Student Government drafts the next year's budget, designated Allocation Order 0, informed by their experience of a full year in office. The outgoing Student Government passes their draft to the incoming Student Government who, within a month after Transition Day, amends or approves Allocation Order 0 to establish a budget for their session of Student Government. Allocation Order 0 appropriates money for the virtual funds defined in Part IV, Article 1, Section 2.
Since serving on the Student Government is a service to the community, no elected official is or will be monetarily compensated for their time in office.
The Student Government is composed of three executive officers and ten representatives, each of whom have one full vote. The executive officers are:
the President the Vice President for Communications the Vice President for Finance
Five of the ten representatives are Specialized Representatives who each meet directly with senior administrators of the College on a regular basis. These representatives include:
a Representative for Operations a Representative to OSCOM (the Office of Strategic Communications) and OEPP (the Office of External Programs and Partnerships) a Representative to OAFA (the Office of Admission and Financial Aid) and StAR (the Office of Student Affairs and Resources) a Representative for Curriculum and Faculty a Representative for Babson, Olin, and Wellesley (BOW Rep)
The remaining five representatives are Class Representatives. These representatives include: a Senior Class Representative a Junior Class Representative a Sophomore Class Representative two First Year Class Representatives.
Three executives lead the Student Government:
President. The President serves as the Student Body President and represents the Student Government to the Administration and Board of Trustees. The President serves as the presiding officer of the Student Government and as such calls, presides over, and creates agendas for meetings of the Student Government. The President moderates Town Meetings called by the Student Government.
Vice President for Communications. In the absence of the President, the Vice President for Communications presides over the Student Government. The Vice President for Communications serves as the secretary of the Student Government and, as such, keeps meeting minutes and records of Official Actions and ensures that such documents are accessible to the Student Body, as specified in Part IV, Article 5. The Vice President for Communications advertises Student Government and Council related events, organizes the publishing of the monthly report, and actively encourages Student Body participation in the Student Government.
Vice President for Finance. The Vice President for Finance keeps the official records of the Student Activities Fund and informs the Student Body on how the Student Activities Fund is being allocated and spent throughout the year by, at least, emailing a report detailing the state of the Student Activities Fund to the Student Body once per semester. The Vice President for Finance serves as the main point of contact for processing all payments and reimbursements for Student Activities Fund purchases. The Vice President for Finance has the authority to approve the creation or removal of student group financial accounts which are separate from the main Student Activities Fund account.
There are five Specialized Representatives who represent the entire Student Body and meet directly with members of the President’s Cabinet of the College. Each Specialized Representative:
becomes familiar with the operations and policies of their relevant Administrative Department(s), assists their relevant Administrative Department(s) in gathering student opinions on issues important to the Administration, brings concerns of the Student Body to the attention of the Administration, brings concerns of the Administration to the attention of the Student Government, makes an effort to develop lasting solutions to issues of concern to the Student Body and the Administration, and uses their combined knowledge of the Student Body and their relevant Administrative Department(s) to prevent issues before they arise.
The Student Body elects the following five Specialized Representatives:
Representative for Campus Services. The Representative for Campus Services liaises with the College’s Head of Campus Operations and follows all actions and initiatives related to student dining, facilities, or information technology at the College.
Representative to OSCOM. The Representative to OSCOM liaises with the College’s Vice President of Marketing and Communication and follows all actions and initiatives associated with the department.
Representative to OAFA and StAR. The Representative to OAFA and StAR liaises with the Dean of the College and the Dean of Admission and Financial Aid and follows all actions and initiatives happening in their respective departments.
Representative for Curriculum and Faculty. The Representative for Curriculum and Faculty liaises with the Associate Deans and committee chairs responsible for curricular change and operations and other faculty responsibilities and functions, and the Provost and Dean of Faculty and follows all actions and initiatives related to curriculum and faculty.
Representative for Babson, Olin and Wellesley. The Representative for Babson, Olin and Wellesley liaises with the Director of the Collaboratory and the administrators of the Babson/Olin/Wellesley Three College Collaboration and follows all actions and initiatives related to the Collaboratory and the Collaboration. The Representative serves as Olin’s Ambassador to the Babson/Olin/Wellesley Student Council which advises the administrators of the Collaboration on issues of interest to the students of the three colleges.
There are five Class Representatives who represent their respective graduating classes. Each Class Representative:
regularly organizes opportunities to communicate with their class and listen to their concerns, conveys the Student Government’s function and activities to their class, and actively improves student life by championing or contributing to Council Projects, allocating their Class Fund, and organizing class events.
Each class has one class representative, except for the First Year Class, which has two representatives, as this class would otherwise be under-represented in the Student Government.
In general, meetings of the Council will occur weekly and the Student Body will be highly encouraged to participate in open sessions. The meeting time will be posted on the Student Government Bulletin Board in the Dining Hall and sent out at the beginning of each semester when the meeting time is first decided. Both of these must be updated should the meeting ever change. Meetings of the Student Government count as meetings of the Council. A meeting of the Council may be canceled, postponed, or rescheduled at the President’s discretion. Additional meetings may also be scheduled as appropriate at the President’s discretion. The time, location, and agenda of each normally scheduled meeting of the Council will be announced at least 24 hours in advance to all members of the Council.
In order for the proceedings of a meeting of the Council to be valid, a quorum of the Council must be present in person or by virtual attendance. At least 7 of the 13 voting members of the Council will be considered a quorum of the Council.
Discussions, agenda items, and votes of Student Government take place in one of two states: Open Session or Closed Session. When Student Government is in Open Session, any member of the Olin community may be present and participate in discussion. When Student Government is in Closed Session, only members of Student Government and people whose attendance is declared appropriate by the President may be present and participate. Minutes and relevant documentation taken during closed sessions are kept confidential, as described in Part IV, Article 5. The President may declare Student Government in Closed Session during discussions and votes regarding Allocation Orders, Committee Appointments, Disagreement Resolutions, or unforeseeable sensitive issues.
Official Actions of the Student Government include issuing Allocation Orders, amending Bylaws, publishing Recommendations, establishing Council Projects, voting on Committee Appointments, holding Internal Elections, and arbitrating Disagreement Resolutions. All Official Actions of Student Government may be passed with the approval of a majority of the voting members present with the exception of Committee Appointments which are completed using approval voting and Allocation Orders of the Discretionary Fund or the Class Funds which may be approved by a smaller subsection of Student Government as defined in Part I, Article 1, Sections 14 and 15 respectively. All Official Actions of Student Government are recorded with a unique identifier.
Student Government issues Allocation Orders appropriating the Student Government Budget. Student Government may only vote on Allocation Orders at official meetings of Student Government.
When Student Government is not in session and for purposes which cannot wait until the next meeting of Student Government, the President may issue Allocation Orders to allocate and spend the Discretionary Fund with the consent of the Vice President for Finance. For the purposes of documentation, Discretionary Fund Allocation Orders are documented in the minutes of the next meeting of Student Government and treated as an Official Action.
There is one Class Fund for each of the four graduating classes. The relevant Class Representative may spend their Class Fund and must give an update with spending at the next Student Government meeting. Events and activities paid for using a Class Fund should be directed towards the graduating class corresponding to the fund from which the money was allocated. Class Representatives are encouraged to enlist the help of fellow classmates to organize and plan class events.
The Student Government may express the official opinion of the Student Body in the form of Recommendations. It is the responsibility of the President to ensure Recommendations are conveyed to the appropriate member(s) of the College’s Administration.
The establishment of a Council Project is a commitment by Student Government to address an issue or topic. To establish a Project, a Project Document must be approved by Student Government. A Project Document includes at least: a title, the date established, the goal, and the timeframe over which the goal is to be achieved. The Project Document is a working document. The President appoints a Project Lead who is responsible for coordinating the Project and a Project Team who assists in the execution of the Project. Project Teams can consist of any members of the Olin community. When a Project is established, it is “Active” and is the responsibility of Student Government until Student Government marks it “Complete,” “Suspended,” or “Unsuccessful.” Any Projects remaining at the end of the school year carry over into the next year. Council Projects may be proposed by any member of the Olin community.
When requested by the Administration to appoint students to faculty and operational committees, Student Government begins the formal appointment process. At the first meeting of Student Government following the request, Student Government will create a list of criteria on which to evaluate potential candidates. Following a vote to approve that list, Student Government will vote to elect a member of Student Government to notify the Student Body of the opening, of the criteria that will be used to evaluate volunteers, and, if they are known, of the scheduling constraints associated with the role. Volunteers will be asked to provide a written submission describing their candidacy and why their personal traits and experience match the criteria outlined in the notification of the opening. Volunteers will be given at least three full days over which to submit their written submissions. Unless the Student Government votes that identifying information (such as name or class year) ought to be part of the criteria used to evaluate candidates, this process should be anonymized.
If the Executive Board decides a request is too urgent to wait for the next Student Government meeting, they can instead initiate an expedited process to call for candidates. In this case, a member of the executive board will send out a notification to the Student Body with a description of the opening with criteria and evaluative methods decided by the executive board (with the input of the rest of Student Government as possible, but without the need for a formal vote). Volunteers will be given at least twenty-four hours over which to provide written submissions advocating for their candidacy. At the next meeting of Student Government, the members will discuss the criteria used in selection prior to engaging with the voting process.
After sending out the call for volunteers, the member of Student Government coordinating this process will create an anonymized list of all of the written submissions sent to them. At the next meeting of Student Government, the Council will enter a closed session to view and discuss the criteria and the written submissions. The Council will first vote on whether there are sufficient candidates whose narratives align with the specified criteria. If this vote does not pass, the Council will extend the call for volunteers and, if deemed appropriate, discuss the nature of the opening with the Administration and share more information with the Student Body. If this vote passes, the candidates will then be subject to a preference vote where each member of the Council will vote for the same number of candidates as there are open positions. Ties will be resolved through additional preference votes. The member of the Council who collected the written submissions (and so knows the identities of each of the candidates) will abstain from voting.
After the Council votes, the results of the election should be documented as an Official Action, and the member of the Council who sent out the original notification of the opening should announce the results.
If a major disagreement (budget, logistical, or otherwise) arises between organizations or within the leadership of any organization, either party may appeal to the Council by contacting the president of Student Government and requesting that the Council arbitrate the disagreement. At the next meeting of the Council, the president of Student Government requests the presence of both parties, and the Council hears testimony. The parties involved in the disagreement then leave the room, and the Council deliberates. If appropriate, the Council may invite the parties involved to return in order to suggest a solution to the disagreement. However, the Council votes without the parties involved present and its decision is final.
Each month, the Council publishes a brief report to the Student Body outlining the accomplishments and activities of the Student Government for that month, updates from SAC and SERV, and any activities of the Administration that would be of interest to the Student Body.
A member of Student Government should excuse themselves from a vote if there is a clear conflict of interest. Specifically, a member should excuse themselves if an Allocation Order provides direct and exclusive benefit to that member or if the vote relates to an appointment or internal election in which they are a candidate.
The Student Government establishes the following non-voting ad hoc representatives of the Council:
The Senior Class Activities Representative. Elected by the Rising Senior Class in the spring, the Senior Class Activities Representative ensures the completion of senior class obligations such as ordering class rings, organizing the class gift, fundraising, serving on the Commencement Steering Committee, and supporting the class representative in organizing class activities and Senior Week activities.
The composition, purpose, operation, and powers of the Honor Board are detailed in the Honor Code. Additional powers may be allotted to them in the Constitution and Bylaws of the Student Government.
The Chair and Vice Chair of the Honor Board may allocate the Honor Board Budget with joint approval.
Pursuant to its mission, as defined in the Constitution (Part II, Section 1), the Club Council allocates organization budgets annually and allocates funds to clubs upon request.
The Club Council has two elected Officers, the Club Chair and Vice Club Chair.
Club Chair. The Club Chair runs meetings of the council and generally oversees the council’s activities. The Chair approves the creation of Clubs and generally helps them meet their goals. The Chair will ensure that the Vice President for Finance has access to up-to-date Student Group spendings at all times. The Chair populates and maintains the List of Student Groups as described in Part IV, Article 5, Section 2. With the agreement of the Vice Chair, the Chair may appropriate money from the Club Budget.
Vice Club Chair. The Vice Club Chair assists the Chair in the operations of the Council. The Vice Chair keeps financial records of the Council. In the absence of the Chair, the Vice Chair performs the duties of the Chair. With the agreement of the Chair, the Vice Chair may allocate money from the Club Budget. The Vice Chair is in charge of all reimbursement procedures.
The General Membership of the Council includes the leadership of every student club.
The Committee must select a member of CC to be the delegate for the monthly Student Government meetings. A new delegate may be chosen every month based on the committee’s discretion. This delegate acquires voting power for that meeting that they attend. A delegate can not be a CORe voting member.
Meetings of the Council include the Club Chair and Vice Club Chair. General Membership of the Council and members of the Student Government are welcome to attend meetings, but are not required to do so.
Student Groups are categorized by the Club Chair into one of three classifications, Clubs, Permanent Clubs, and Project Teams.
Clubs request an annual budget from the Council at the beginning of the school year. Once a budget is allocated, a Club may spend its money without further approval from the Council or its Officers. Clubs may request additional funds as needed from the Council. Maintaining Club status is contingent on a Club keeping accurate financial records which can be produced upon request. Each new club establishes itself by submitting a charter to the Committee for approval. To remain established, each club or organization must submit a charter each academic year.
A valid charter states the club’s purpose, membership structure, leadership transition protocol, events and activities, expected purchases, club assets, charter amendment procedure, and code of conduct. The Council maintains a public repository containing all club and organization charters that club and organization members can amend according to the procedures listed in the club or organization charter.
Project Teams. Project teams are chartered under both Student Government and the College’s Academic Affairs Department. Project teams may request an annual budget of $200 from the Council at the beginning of the school year to be used for team bonding / social events only. Project Teams will engage in external fundraising for costs associated with projects and competitions or other travel; student government funds may not be used for these. Maintaining Project Team status under Student Government is contingent on a Project Team keeping accurate financial records which can be produced upon request. Project Team status is granted for one year at a time.
Each new Project Team establishes itself by submitting a charter to the Council and the College’s Project Team Contact for approval. To remain established, each project team must submit a charter each academic year.
A valid charter states the club or organization's purpose, membership structure, leadership transition protocol, events and activities, expected purchases, club assets, charter amendment procedure, and code of conduct. The Council maintains a public repository containing all club charters that club members can amend according to the procedures listed in the club or organization charter.
The Club Budget is allocated jointly by the Club Chair and Vice Club Chair for the purpose of fulfilling the Mission and Function of the Council.
The Club Chair defines the system for requesting club funding every year. A description of this system is made available to the Student Body. The following rules apply to club funding requests:
- Any individual hoping to spend club money must attend a Club Spending Training. These events are held by the Vice President for Finance and Director and Assistant Director of Clubs and Organizations at the beginning of every academic year, and upon request.
- Any online purchases require a 2-week requesting period. Requests not meeting this deadline are not guaranteed a response in time for the event.
- Receipts for all purchases, and reimbursement forms if applicable, must be submitted to the Vice President for Finance within 7 days of the purchase, or before the end of the calendar month (whichever occurs first). Failure to submit receipts on time may result in not receiving reimbursement.
- Any club using the p-card must follow the appropriate checkout policy upon receipt and must return the p-card within 24-hours of checking it out unless special permission is given by the Club Chair.
If an individual fails to fulfill the club funding process properly and within the appropriate amount of time (outlined in the above three bullets and in Club Spending Trainings), the Club Chair and the Vice President for Finance may:
- Upon first offense: give the individual and group a short warning.
- Upon second offense: give the individual and/or group a spending ban for up to two months.
- Upon third offense: give the individual and/or group a spending ban for the remainder of the semester or year.
In order to fairly distribute club funding, the following spending limits and rules are established.
- Clubs may only purchase food for team bonding and club-related events.
- If a club wants to purchase items for long term use (more than 1 semester), the club has a soft limit of $20 per club member. Usually this is seen as the majority of the club’s spending for the year.
- The Council can reimburse transportation costs in whole or in part (depending on cost) when there was no cheaper transportation option, up to but not exceeding the current suggested spending limits.
- Questions and edge cases regarding food are handled at the discretion of the Club Chair.
A club may organize an event with Student Government or another club and receive funding from beyond the limits of their club’s budget. This spending must be approved by the Officers of both entities.
The Club Council hosts an annual club fair at the beginning of each academic year so that student groups can advertise their presence and recruit new members. They also organize additional club fairs as needed.
Pursuant to its mission, as defined in the Constitution (Part II, Section 4a), the Student Activities Committee plans and executes campus-wide events, facilitates club events as requested, and maintains a public calendar of events. SAC holds events of interest to the Student Body.
The Committee has two elected Officers, the Director and Assistant Director of SAC.
Director of Student Activities. The Director of SAC runs meetings of the Committee and generally oversees the Committee’s activities. The Director attends meetings of the Club Council prepared to report the activities and spending of the Committee. The Director sends a summary of spendings to the Vice President for Finance once a month broken down by event. With the agreement of the Assistant Director, the Director may appropriate money from the SAC Budget.
Assistant Director of Student Activities. The Assistant Director of SAC assists the Director in the operations of the Committee. The Assistant Director keeps the financial records, meeting minutes, and membership list of the Committee. In the absence of the Director, the Assistant Director performs the duties of the Director. With the agreement of the Director, the Assistant Director may appropriate money from the SAC Budget.
Any student interested in helping to organize school-wide events and who attends meetings of the Committee is considered part of the General Membership of the Committee. The Assistant Director of SAC keeps a list of the General Membership.
The Committee must select a member of SAC to be the delegate for the monthly Student Government meetings. A new delegate may be chosen every month based on the committee’s discretion. This delegate acquires voting power for that meeting that they attend. A delegate can not be a CORe voting member.
SAC meets weekly to coordinate and plan for upcoming events and social opportunities and to reflect on the success of previous activities. SAC meetings will include the Officers and the General Membership. Announcements of meeting times and agendas are sent to the SAC mailing list prior to meetings.
The SAC Budget is allocated jointly by the Director and Assistant Director of Student Activities for the purpose of fulfilling the Mission and Function of the Committee. Events and activities paid for using the SAC Budget should be open to the entire Student Body.
Any member of the Student Body may request funding from the SAC Budget for an activity consistent with the Function of SAC by submitting a request to the Director of Student Activities. So that one person cannot allocate large amounts of money alone, both the Director and Assistant Director must approve allocations. The Director serves as the point of contact for students who are requesting funds from the Committee, but any request must be approved by both Officers. The Director sends a summary of expenditures to the Vice President for Finance once per week broken down by event.
Pursuant to its mission, as defined in the Constitution (Part II, Section 4b), the Committee for Supporting, Encouraging, and Recognizing Volunteerism oversees the direction, continuity, and ongoing health of community service at the College. The Committee allocates service related organization budgets annually and allocates funds to service related clubs upon request. The Committee may hold or coordinate events and activities related to service and volunteerism at the College.
The Committee has two elected Officers, the Director and Assistant Director of Service.
Director of Service. The Director of Service runs meetings of the Committee and generally oversees the Committee’s activities. The Director acts as the voice of the Committee and thereby markets and advertises on behalf of the Committee. The Director attends meetings of the Club Council prepared to report the activities and spending of the Committee. With the agreement of the Assistant Director, the Director may appropriate money from the SERV Budget.
Assistant Director of Service. The Assistant Director of Service assists the Director in the operations of the Committee. The Assistant Director keeps the financial records, meeting minutes, service activity records, and membership list of the Committee. In the absence of the Director, the Assistant Director performs the duties of the Director and attends meetings of the Club Council. With the agreement of the Director, the Assistant Director may appropriate money from the SERV Budget.
All students are “encouraged to contribute their time and wealth to support philanthropic endeavors of their choice” by the Founding Precepts of Olin College (Section 5). Therefore, there is an expectation that the entire Student Body must maintain a spirit of volunteerism. More specifically, any student interested in helping to organize school-wide service events and who attends meetings of SERV is considered part of the General Membership of the Committee.
The Committee must select a member of SERV to be the delegate for the monthly Student Government meetings. A new delegate may be chosen every month based on the committee’s discretion. This delegate acquires voting power for that meeting that they attend. A delegate can not be a CORe voting member.
The Committee meets regularly to coordinate and plan for upcoming events and service opportunities and to reflect on the success of previous activities. Meetings of the Committee include the Officers and the General Membership. The Director and Assistant Director of Service also schedule meetings as needed with Student Affairs and relevant offices to keep them up to date and find opportunities to involve the entire Olin community in maintaining a spirit of service and volunteerism. Announcements of meetings times and agendas are sent to All Students and posted on the Student Government Bulletin Board.
The SERV Budget is allocated jointly by the Director and Assistant Director of Service for the purpose of fulfilling the Mission and Function of the Committee.
The Committee for Supporting, Encouraging, and Recognizing Volunteerism allocates the SERV Budget as follows.
School-wide Service Events. The Director and Assistant Director of Service and the General Membership of the Committee are able to make purchases for school-wide service events within an agreed upon budget for each event decided by the Director and Assistant Director of Service.
Service Pursuits. Through the Service Pursuits program, students may apply for transportation and supply funding for a service activity. These projects are reviewed and approved by the Director and the Assistant Director of Service. Students may form groups in order to collectively receive more funding for a project. We encourage larger groups of students to work together on service projects to increase philanthropic spirit within the Community.
Service Student Groups. While General Student Groups are funded by the Club Council, Service Student Groups may be funded by the Committee for Supporting, Encouraging, and Recognizing Volunteerism.
The money in the Student Activities Fund comes from each student's payment of the Student Activities Fee. The Student Government may vote to recommend a change to the Student Activities Fee, but the final decision on changes to the Student Activities Fee rests with the Board of Trustees.
Allocation Order 0 establishes and allocates money for the following virtual funds:
- the Student Government Budget, which is managed and allocated by the Student Government,
- the Discretionary Fund, which is managed and allocated by the President and Vice President for Finance of Student Government,
- the Class Funds, consisting of an individual fund for each graduating class, which is managed and allocated by the relevant Class Representative and the Vice President for Finance,
- the Honor Board Budget, which is managed and allocated by the Honor Board,
- the Club Council Budget, which is managed and allocated by the Club Council,
Some money from the Student Activities Fund may remain unallocated for later allocation as necessary.
The Student Government currently has no all-encompassing funding guidelines for the Student Activities Fund.
The Student Government holds an Audit Meeting at the beginning of the final month of each semester. The chair of the Honor Board and the President of the Student Government coordinate the time of the meeting. Audit Meetings are open to the Student Body and can occur during a meeting of the Student Government.
Prior to the Audit Meeting, at least two representatives of the Honor Board meet individually with the following groups of leaders and question the operations of their respective organizations in order to evaluate each organization's compliance with the Governing Documents:
- the Executives of the Student Government
- the Director and Assistant Director of Student Activities
- the Chair and Vice Chair of the Club Council
- the Director and Assistant Director of Service
The Chair and Vice Chair of the Honor Board, along with a designee chosen by the Honor Board and approved by Student Government, meet separately to conduct an audit of the Honor Board's operations.
At each of these individual meetings, the representatives of the Honor Board (or, in the case of the Honor Board audit, the designee present) prepare a short written statement that they submit to the Chair of the Honor Board and the President of the Student Government.
At the Audit Meeting, the President of the Student Government and the Chair of the Honor Board should discuss the information gathered and ask for clarification as necessary. This meeting should occur prior to when the Honor Board takes steps to resolve discrepancies as outlined in Section 3.
At the fall semester review, if the Honor Board finds that a portion of the Governing Documents are not being followed, the Honor Board requests that the person(s) responsible resolve the issue prior to the next Student Government meeting. If the responsible official(s) do not resolve the infraction before the follow-up meeting, the Honor Board may file a case report about Student Government citing the infraction, and publish a statement to the community after investigation and resolution through the Honor Board process.
The following eligibility restrictions apply to candidates for positions in the Student Government. A student may run for any combination of positions but may only hold one position on the Student Government.
This applies to all elected members of Student Government, including those on the Honor Board and Directors and Assistant Directors of Committees. Ike Walker, specifically, is not allowed to utilize any loopholes in this or any Governing Documents to hold multiple positions. The aforementioned clause does not apply to the General Members of the Honor Board but only to the Honor Board Chair and Vice Chair. Thus, an Honor Board General Member can also hold a position in CORe or any other sector of Student Government.
Any student at Olin in the following year may run for any position in Student Government, as long as the following restrictions are met at all times:
- A Senior cannot be the Assistant Director of a committee if the Director of that committee is a Senior.
- The Chair and Vice Chair of the Honor Board cannot be in the same graduating class.
- Class Representatives must be a member of the class that they represent.
At a meeting of the Student Government before the beginning of an election process, the Student Government selects a member of the Student Government for the position of Election Monitor. The duties and responsibilities of the position are as follows:
Election Monitor. The Election Monitor facilitates all Student Government elections occurring in a particular election season or special election. The Election Monitor creates all necessary ballots and distributes candidate information as outlined in the Bylaws. The Election Monitor enforces campaigning rules and guidelines defined in the Bylaws, and serves as the final authority on campaigning restrictions. The Election Monitor counts the ballots, and the results of the election are not final until the Election Monitor validates them. Any member of the Student Government who does not intend to run for office may volunteer as a candidate for the position of Election Monitor. The Election Monitor is ineligible to run for any Student Government position while serving as Election Monitor. In the case of no candidates, the Senior Class representative performs the duties of the Election Monitor.
In the case of a Special Election, where calling a meeting of the Student Government only to elect an Election Monitor would be inexpedient, the presiding officer of the Council appoints an Election Monitor from the membership of the Student Government.
A Regular Election takes one week to complete. To stagger the large number of positions up for election in the spring, the spring elections occur over two of these week-long election cycles. The fall elections and the winter elections need only one cycle each.
At the beginning of an election, the Election Monitor opens nominations for at least 48 hours. The Election Monitor makes the real-time list of nominations available to the student body. Each nominated student who chooses to run sends the Election Monitor a single presentation slide which serves as a declaration of candidacy and a description of their campaign. Following the nomination period, the Election Monitor distributes all of the candidates' slides and opens polls for at least 24 hours. In between the close of nominations and the close of the polls, campaigning takes place. If there are no candidates for a position or if none of the candidates for a position garner more than 50% of the vote, an election for the position is held again as part of the next scheduled election or as part of a special election, if appropriate.
The following positions are elected in the first spring election cycle, which occurs the beginning of the month of April.
- President
- Vice President for Communications
- Vice President for Finance
- Director of Student Activities
- Director of Clubs and Organizations
- Director of Service
The following positions are elected in the second spring election cycle, which occurs immediately following the first spring election cycle:
- Assistant Director of Student Activities
- Assistant Director of Clubs and Organizations
- Assistant Director of Service
- Representative for Campus Services
- Representative to Advancement
- Representative to the OAFA and StAR
- Representative for Curriculum and Faculty
- Representative for Intercollegiate Affairs
- Senior Class Representative
- Junior Class Representative
- Sophomore Class Representative
- Senior Class Activities Representative
- Six Honor Board General Members
The following positions are elected in the only fall election cycle, which occurs at the the beginning of the month of September.
- Two First Year Class Representatives
- Two Honor Board General Members (at least one of whom must be a First Year)
- Any positions not filled during the spring elections
The following positions are elected in the only winter election cycle, which occurs at the end of the month of January.
- Chair of the Honor Board
- Vice Chair of the Honor Board
If a position becomes vacant (due to resignation, study away, etc.) an election to fill the vacancy occurs during the next regular election cycle or as part of a special election, if appropriate.
Students elected to office during Spring Elections take office as soon as is reasonable after both election cycles as agreed upon by the incoming and outgoing Presidents.
Students elected to office during Fall and Winter Elections take office immediately upon election.
During an election, between the close of nominations and the beginning of voting, candidates must campaign in a respectful and appropriate manner, as defined by the Honor Code and the rules laid out by the Election Monitor. The Election Monitor investigates allegations of inappropriate campaigning and decides upon what actions to take ranging from a warning to disqualification. To preserve an intellectual atmosphere and guarantee equal opportunities of election, campaigning outside of the following rules and additional guidelines laid out by the Election Monitor is prohibited, and infractions to the following rules are addressed by the Election Monitor. Candidates may not:
- campaign in the Academic Center or Milas Hall except when authorized by the Election Monitor,
- knock on doors or otherwise disturb students in the comfort of their own rooms,
- post an excessive amount of campaign materials,
- spend their own money to purchase campaign paraphernalia,
- send emails to the Student Body regarding their campaign, or
- disrespect other candidates.
Additionally:
- Third parties may not campaign for other students without that candidate's explicit permission.
Candidates are responsible for removing their campaign materials as soon as possible after the election.
To organize campaigning, the Election Monitor sends an email to the Student Body with the required presentation slides submitted by candidates. The Election Monitor may also organize election-wide campaigning events at which all candidates may participate.
At the end of an election, students vote on the positions up for election. Members of the Student Government are elected by ranked-choice voting - a student may rank the running candidates in order of preference. Votes are cast by secret ballot. The ballots are prepared and distributed by the Election Monitor.
Seniors and other students not attending Olin in the following academic year may not vote in spring elections. Class Representative positions may only be voted for by students in the particular graduating class which the position represents. Students that consider themselves members of multiple graduating classes may choose which Class Representative position they vote for, providing they only vote for one Class Representative position.
For each position except for Honor Board General Members and Vice Chair of the Honor Board, the winner is determined by ranked-choice voting.
Ranked-choice voting: The winner is the student who earns more than 50% of the first-choice votes. If no student wins in this way, the candidate with the lowest number of first-choice votes is removed from the pool. All ballots with the eliminated candidate ranked first are then assigned to that ballot’s second-choice candidate. This process continues until one candidate has earned more than 50% of the vote.
For the position of Chair of the Honor Board, the winner is a student who has served on the Honor Board for at least a semester and who has garnered more than 50% of the votes by ranked choice voting.
For the position of Vice Chair of the Honor Board, the winner is the student who has served on the Honor Board for at least a semester, who is not in the same class as the newly elected chair who has garnered more than 50% of the votes by ranked choice voting.
For Honor Board General Members, the winners are the students with the most excellence votes, given that at the end of Fall Elections, there is at least one student from each class on the Honor Board and no more than 3 general members from the same class year.
If no candidate meets these conditions, the election for that position occurs in the next scheduled election or as part of a special election, if appropriate.
Any student may initiate Student Government impeachment proceedings at any time. Impeachable offenses include:
- Major violations of the Honor Code
- Abuse of power
- Gross neglect of duty
To begin impeachment proceedings against a Student Government officer not on the Honor Board, a student may submit a request for impeachment, including specific charge(s), to the Chair of the Honor Board. The Chair of the Honor Board convenes a meeting of the Student Government no more than five business days from the day the request is submitted and notifies members of the Student Government of the time and location of the meeting within one business day of the receipt of the request.
All members of the Student Government not under investigation will be considered the quorum for Student Government impeachment hearings. Impeachment hearings are moderated by the Chair of the Honor Board.
The reporter and reported have the chance to present their argument and call witnesses. Each are responsible for their respective witnesses.
At the end of the meeting, all members of the Student Government not currently under investigation vote on the removal of the student(s) in question. A vote of 2/3 of the eligible membership is required to remove a student from office.
If a request for impeachment is submitted against an Honor Board member, the impeachment proceedings proceed the same as above with following exceptions.
In the impeachment procedure for a member of the Honor Board, StAR replaces the Chair of the Honor Board as the party responsible for calling a hearing. The Associate Dean of Student Life for Programs moderates the hearing but does not have voting power.
All members of the Honor Board not under investigation are considered quorum for the meeting and vote on the removal of the student(s) in question. The decision of the Honor Board is subject to approval by the Dean of Student Life.
A member of the Student Government not on the Honor Board may resign from office by submitting a written letter of resignation to the President of the Student Government or, in the case of a President's resignation, the Vice President for Communications.
Honor Board members may resign from office by submitting a written letter of resignation to the Chair of the Honor Board. The Chair of the Honor Board may resign from office by submitting a written letter of resignation to the Dean of Student Life.
A vacancy in one of the three Executive positions of the Student Government is filled by an internal election within the Student Government where any member of the student body is eligible. The vote is done by excellence voting while the candidates are out of the room.
A vacancy in one of the three Committee Director positions of the Student Government is filled by their respective assistant director.
A vacancy in the position of Chair of the Honor Board is temporarily filled by the Vice Chair of the Honor Board. A vacancy in the position Vice Chair of the Honor Board is temporarily filled by a current member of the Honor Board, to be determined by an internal election run by the Chair. If the positions of both Chair and Vice Chair become vacant simultaneously, the Honor Board must meet as soon as possible to elect a temporary Chair and Vice Chair from its current members. The temporary Chair and Vice Chair are responsible for the proceedings of the Honor Board until a Special Election is held to fill those vacancies. Upon close of the Special Election, all Honor Board members still in temporary positions return to their originally elected positions and the newly elected members will begin their term.
In the event that a Special Election of a new Chair or Vice Chair of the Honor Board results in a graduating class not having a representative on the Honor Board, a second Special Election is held electing another member to the Board. This Special Election is open to candidates from the unrepresented class. If no one runs, or no candidate receives 50% of the vote, then no one is elected and the Honor Board's composition remains unchanged.
Any other vacancy is filled by a Special Election.
Special Elections are held using the same week-long format as Regular Elections except they only occur as necessary and students elected to a position through a Special Election take office immediately upon election.
Each elected official must meet with their successor to discuss their role and responsibilities upon leaving office.
All newly elected officials must read the Student Government Constitution prior to taking office. Outgoing officials must ensure that their successor has read the Constitution as part of the transition process.
Transition Day is the last Student Government meeting of the academic school year. All newly elected officials and current members of Student Government must be in attendance to discuss the next academic year.
Any member of the Student Body may propose an amendment to the Student Government Constitution by presenting the amendment in written form to the President of the Student Government. The Student Government reviews the amendment at its next meeting and decides whether to call a Town Meeting.
If the amendment passes review, the President calls a Town Meeting within three school weeks. The Vice President for Communications sends an announcement containing the finalized amendment to the entire Student Body at least one week in advance of the Town Meeting. The Student Body decides at a Town Meeting whether or not to approve the amendment. The Vice President for Communications sends an announcement describing the outcome of the meeting to the entire Student Body within 24 hours of the close of the meeting.
Any member of the Student Body may propose an amendment to the Bylaws by presenting the amendment in written form to any voting member of the Student Government at least one week in advance of the meeting of the Student Government at which the author would like the amendment to be addressed.
The Vice President for Communications sends an announcement to the Student Body about the amendment at least three days in advance of the next Student Government meeting to allow for a three day reading period. During the meeting at which the amendment is addressed, the Student Government hears testimony from every student who wishes to speak and engages in open discussion about the amendment. The amendment may be amended by a simple majority of the Student Government during the meeting.
When discussion has concluded, the President calls for a vote on the amendment. Per the Student Government Constitution, approval of 75% of the voting members of the Student Government is required to pass the amendment. The Vice President for Communications sends an announcement detailing any changes to the Bylaws and describing the outcome of the meeting to the entire Student Body within 24 hours of the close of the meeting.
If working through the Student Government yields no result, any member of the Student Body may propose an amendment to either the Constitution or the Bylaws and bypass approval of the Student Government by presenting to the President of the Student Government the amendment in written form accompanied by the supporting signatures of at least 20% of the Student Body.
The President must call a Town Meeting within three school weeks. The Vice President for Communications sends an announcement containing the finalized amendment to the entire Student Body at least one week in advance of the Town Meeting. The Student Body decides at the Town Meeting whether or not to approve the amendment.
The President of the Student Government may call a Town Meeting to hold a community discussion, to update the Student Body on the activities of the Student Government or the Administration, to vote on an amendment to the Constitution, or, in the case of Referendum, to vote on an amendment to the Bylaws.
Town Meetings where a vote is held to amend a Governing Document require a quorum of one half of the Student Body. Amendments may not be changed during Town Meetings with the exception that typos may be corrected. An open discussion and a question and answer session must precede a vote to amend a Governing Document.
At the close of the Town Meeting, all present students vote by secret ballot, once per amendment with the option to either accept or reject the amendment. If quorum is reached and an amendment receives more than 50% of the votes of those present, the amendment passes and the Governing Document is changed accordingly. Otherwise, the Governing Document remains unchanged. The Vice President for Communications sends an announcement describing the outcome of the meeting to the entire Student Body within 24 hours of the close of the meeting.
To make the Student Government well-organized and accessible to the Student Body, the Student Government and its Committees strive to effectively communicate with the Student Body through the use of email and shared digital and physical documents.
The Student Government maintains a number of running documents describing the actions of the Student Government for the duration of its existence. The purpose of these documents is to gather information about the Student Government in an easily-read way. These Transparency Documents are continuously updated by the members of the Student Government, and are as follows:
The List of Official Actions. This document contains a record of every Official Action of the Student Government, which are described in Part I, Article 1, Section 12. The list contains the full text of every Official Action, as well as a brief summary of the action if necessary.
The List of Student Groups. This document contains the names, descriptions, and officers or appointees of all student clubs and organizations, branches of the student government, administrative committees, and project teams.
The Report on the Student Activities Fund. As described in Part I, Article 1, Section 8, The Vice President for Finance creates a State of the Student Activities Fund report once per semester. A copy of this semesterly report is added to an ongoing Report on the Student Activities Fund, which is in reverse-chronological order (with the most recent report at the top).
The Meeting Minutes. Each meeting of the Student Government and its Committees, including Town Meetings, have minutes detailing the topics discussed in the meeting and actions that were taken. Copies of these minutes are kept in a central location. Meetings which the presiding officer of the meeting deem private and inappropriate for general knowledge, such as Honor Board hearings, are exempted.
The Governing Documents History. All past versions of the Governing Documents are kept in a central location. Minor changes, such as changes to grammar, spelling, references, or names of people, digital, or physical locations, are not required to have a unique version.
An annual Call to Action is sent to the Student Body in the first two weeks of classes each school year. This Call to Action informs the Student Body of the ask-core discord channel, of the locations of the Transparency Documents, of the elected members of the Student Government, and of the planned open meeting times of the Student Government and its Committees.