Agreed upon by the Students of Olin College, in Town Hall Meeting, on April 16, 2024. This Constitution will sunset on December 10, 2024.
We, the students of Olin College of Engineering, establish this Constitution to empower the Student Government to represent and fulfill the changing needs and interests of the Student Body.
The elected Student Leadership - Executives, Representatives, and Committee Leaders - together form the Student Government which will have sole authority to allocate the Student Activities Fund and amend the Student Government Bylaws. A smaller subsection of the Student Government - the Executives and the Representatives - will comprise the Council of Olin Representatives which alone may not allocate the Student Activities Fund or amend the Student Government By-Laws. However, this group may make recommendations to the College Administration and Board of Trustees on behalf of the Student Government, and will work to compile Action Items and prioritize their execution, as described in Article 3.
The combined legislative and executive organization of the Student Body will be known as the Student Government.
The Student Government will facilitate and ensure communication between the Administration of the College and the Student Body. The Student Government will allocate and oversee the Student Activities Fund and coordinate initiatives which improve the lives of students at Olin College. The Student Government will serve as an active advocate and resource for members of the student body seeking to create change that is in line with the Honor Code, Olin’s stated institutional values, and the welfare of the Olin community.
The Student Government derives its power from the consent of the Students and the trust of the Administration and Board of Trustees of the College.
The Board of Trustees of the College has ultimate authority over the Student Activities Fee, which each student pays each semester. The Student Government may recommend changes to the Student Activities Fee to the Board of Trustees.
The Student Activities Fund is funded through the Student Activities Fee. The Student Government has ultimate authority over the allocation of the Student Activities Fund. The Student Government has the power to divide the Student Activities Fund into virtual funds to be used and distributed by elected student representatives and for other purposes defined in the Student Government Bylaws.
The responsibilities of the Student Government are as follows:
- Allocate money from any fund supported by the Student Activities Fee.
- Create initiatives to improve and advocate for Student Body wellbeing.
- Express the official opinion of the Student Body by making recommendations to the Administration and Board of Trustees of the College.
- Solicit volunteers from the Student Body to fill representative positions on committees or working groups when requested by faculty and/or staff. If there are more volunteers than available positions, the Council will appoint students by a procedure codified in the Student Government Bylaws.
- Recommend changes in the Student Activities Fee to the Board of Trustees.
- Empower and support student activism and advocacy at Olin.
The core of the Student Government consisting of the Executives and the Representatives will be known as the Council of Olin Representatives.
The Council of Olin Representatives (“The Council” or “CORe”) will work to amplify student input on issues under consideration by the administration and will support student initiatives. The Council will represent Olin’s student body to the administration, other colleges, and the outside world while working to improve student life by supporting and developing solutions to issues facing the student body.
The Council will be comprised of three Executive Officers and some number of elected Representatives, as defined in the Student Government Bylaws. The Executive Officers will include the President, the Vice President for Communications, and the Vice President for Finance.
The Council may allocate money from any fund allocated to the Council by the Student Government.
The responsibilities of the Council are as follows:
- Allocate money from any fund allocated to the Council.
- Express the official opinion of the Student Body by making recommendations to the Administration and Board of Trustees of the College.
- Solicit volunteers from the Student Body to fill representative positions on committees or working groups when requested by faculty and/or staff. If there are more volunteers than available positions, the Council will appoint students by a procedure codified in the Student Government Bylaws.
There will be three Student Government Committees: the Student Activities Committee, the Club Council, and the Committee for Supporting, Encouraging, and Recognizing Volunteerism.
The Student Government Committees will perform the day-to-day operations required to maintain the various aspects of student life, including allocation of funds to clubs and organizations and funding and organizing events and initiatives.
Each Committee has a Chair or Director (Leader) and a Vice Chair or Assistant Director (Assistant). The Leader sits on Student Government, and can be substituted in the event of absence. The Committees may have additional members to fulfill their respective missions.
The Club Council is the organizing body for all student groups on campus that wish to be officially recognized and fiscally supported by the student government. The Club Council will enable students to pursue their interests, facilitate the formation of diverse and inclusive communities, and promote the continuation of a rich and healthy club culture at the College by financially subsidizing and encouraging the growth of student groups.
The Club Council will be led by the Club Chair and the Vice Club Chair who are elected by the Student Body. Additional membership will be governed by the Student Government Bylaws.
The Club Chair and Vice Club Chair will have the power to distribute and spend any funds allocated to the Club Council by the Student Government.
The Student Activities Committee (SAC) will maintain and expand a continuous, diverse, and accessible set of social opportunities for the entire Student Body.
The Student Activities Committee will be led by the Director of Student Activities and the Assistant Director of Student Activities who are elected by the Student Body. Additional membership will be governed by the Student Government Bylaws.
The Director and Assistant Director of Student Activities will have the power to distribute and spend any funds allocated to the Student Activities Committee by the Student Government.
The Committee for Supporting, Encouraging, and Recognizing Volunteerism (SERV) will support and encourage volunteerism, service, and philanthropy in the Olin Community through the funding and organization of service-oriented activities.
The Committee for Supporting, Encouraging, and Recognizing Volunteerism will be led by the Director of Service and the Assistant Director of Service who are elected by the Student Body. Additional membership will be governed by the Student Government Bylaws.
The Director and Assistant Director of Service will have the power to distribute and spend any funds allocated to the Committee for Supporting, Encouraging, and Recognizing Volunteerism by the Student Government.
The Honor Board is the judicial organization for the Student Body, responsible for maintaining the Honor Code on Olin’s campus. The Honor Board is not within Student Government, but is an entity necessary for the culture of the college and will have a permanent presence on campus. Through its auditing responsibility, it also provides a check on the power of the Student Government. All governing procedures for the Honor Board are in the Honor Code.
To ensure that the Student Government Constitution and Bylaws are followed, Student Government will periodically meet with one or more representatives of the Honor Board to review the actions of Student Government.
At each Review, should the Honor Board find that a portion of the governing documents are not being followed, the Honor Board will request that the person(s) responsible resolve the issue within an appropriate amount of time after which the person(s) responsible must send the Honor Board a report outlining how and when the issue was resolved. The time allowed for the report is up to the discretion of the Honor Board. If a report is not filed outlining the resolution of the infraction within the given timeframe, the Honor Board may file a case report about Student Government citing the infraction, and an abstract will be published to the community after investigation and resolution through the Honor Board process.
General Election Procedures are governed by the Student Government Bylaws.
The all-school elections will be facilitated by a member of the Student Government not running for re-election. In the case that no member is eligible, a substitute will be selected to perform the duties of the Election Monitor as specified in the Bylaws.
To preserve an intellectual atmosphere and guarantee equal opportunities of election, campaigning is only allowed at the College within published guidelines specified in the Student Government Bylaws. The Election Monitor presiding over the election, and as needed, the Honor Board, will jointly investigate allegations of inappropriate campaigning and decide upon potential resolutions - up to and including removal from the ballot.
Voting for all positions will occur by ranked-choice voting and by secret ballot.
There will be three Governing Documents of the Student Body each of which has an order of precedence. If changes at a higher level of precedence invalidate those at a lower level, the lower documents must be modified to accommodate those changes.
As the ethical framework of the Student Body, the Honor Code takes precedence over the other two Governing Documents. No Governing Document or policy of the Student Government may contradict the Honor Code.
The Student Government Constitution takes precedence over the Student Government Bylaws but may not contradict the Honor Code. The Constitution governs the purpose, structure, and powers of the Student Government.
The Student Government Bylaws do not take precedence over the other two Governing Documents. The Bylaws govern the specific roles and responsibilities of elected officials. The Bylaws will also specify meeting frequency and operational procedures of the Student Government.
The Honor Code may be amended by procedures specified in the Honor Code.
The Student Government Constitution may be amended by a simple majority vote of the Students present at a Town Hall Meeting where a quorum of one half of the Student Body is present.
In order to keep the Student Government adaptable to change, the Student Government Bylaws may be amended by the Student Government with the approval of three-fourths of its voting members.
For this Student Government Constitution to go into effect, it must be ratified by a simple majority vote of the Students present at a Town Hall Meeting where quorum is one half of the Student Body, including proxy voters.
This Student Government Constitution will be reviewed by the Student Government in two year’s time. In order to enforce the review, this Constitution will sunset on the 10th of December, 2024. If this Constitution is still appropriate, relevant, and effective at that time, the Student Body may choose to amend this section to renew this Constitution. In the event that this section is not amended by that time, the Student Body must ratify a new Constitution as described in Article 12, Section 1.