Student Senate Bylaws | RPI Student Government

As amended: April 22, 2019

Article I: Organization

The name of this organization shall be the Rensselaer Union Student Senate, hereinafter referred to as the Student Senate or the Senate.
The Student Senate gains its authority from the Rensselaer Union Constitution.
The Student Senate shall pass legislation commensurate with its duties as defined by the Rensselaer Union Constitution, and as specified in these Bylaws.

Article II: Membership

A Senator shall be defined as any person who has voting rights in the Senate, as defined by the Rensselaer Union Constitution.
The Grand Marshal, Officers of the Senate, and Senators comprise the membership of the Senate.
The voting membership of the Student Senate shall consist of all Senator positions that are currently occupied.
No voting member of the Student Senate shall simultaneously hold a position on the Rensselaer Union Judicial Board, a voting position on the Rensselaer Union Executive Board, or an elected position on the Rensselaer Union Undergraduate Council.
Serving on the Student Senate shall be restricted to Activity Fee-paying members of the Union.
1. For this purpose, students not participating in the Arch summer semester shall be considered as Activity Fee-paying members of the Union from the conclusion of the spring semester until the commencement of the fall semester, provided that they met the requirement of Activity Fee-paying membership during the semesters before and after the summer.”

Article III: Officers

The Grand Marshal is the presiding officer of the Senate.
The Officers of the Senate shall be:
1. The chairs of any committee formed by these Bylaws or the Student Senate,
2. The Vice Grand Marshal,
3. The Secretary,
4. The Treasurer,
5. The Parliamentarian, and
6. The Senate-Executive Board Liaison.
All Officers of the Senate, with the exception of the Grand Marshal, shall be nominated by the Grand Marshal and confirmed by a 2/3 vote of the Senate.
All Officers of the Senate, with the exception of the Grand Marshal and the Senate-Executive Board Liaison, shall serve at the pleasure of the Grand Marshal.
The Grand Marshal assumes the duties of any unfilled officer position, with the exception of the Elections Commission Chair.
1. These duties can be delegated by the Grand Marshal as Interim Officer positions, subject to confirmation by a majority vote of the Senate.
The Vice Grand Marshal shall be responsible for:
1. Publicizing meeting times;
2. Meeting regularly with the Grand Marshal to discuss Senate issues;
3. Acting as the substitute for the Grand Marshal at any meetings that the Grand Marshal cannot attend. At such a meeting, the Vice Grand Marshal shall not count towards quorum and may only vote to break a tie;
4. Becoming familiar with the work of all the Senate committees, and assist committees in their duties;
5. Assisting individual Senators that have been charged with investigating issues raised by petition; and
6. Coordinating annual documentation folders with committee chairs to ensure continuity between years.
The Secretary shall be responsible for:
1. Taking meeting attendance and minutes;
2. Distributing minutes, committee reports, motions, and other printed material to the members of the Student Senate within 48 hours following the adjournment of the meeting; and
3. Maintaining a roster of current membership of the Senate, along with contact information for each member.
The Treasurer shall be responsible for:
1. Managing funds allocated to the Student Senate as directed by the Grand Marshal or the Student Senate;
2. Preparing the annual budget of the Student Senate, subject to the approval of the Grand Marshal; and
3. Approving transactions conducted by the Senate or any of its Committees. The Grand Marshal may overrule any decision pertaining to such transactions.
The Parliamentarian shall be responsible for:
1. Advising the presiding officer on matters of parliamentary procedure;
2. Maintaining an orderly meeting, abiding by rules of decorum; and
3. Maintaining an accurate record of all legislation brought before the Senate.
The Student Senate’s representative on the Rensselaer Union Executive Board, hereinafter referred to as the Executive Board, shall be known as the Senate-Executive Board Liaison. They shall be responsible for:
1. Expressing the Senate’s opinions to the Executive Board and the Executive Board’s opinions to the Senate; and
2. Reviewing all legislation pertinent to Union fiscal policy and student fees.
The chair of any Senate committee may not necessarily be a voting member of the Senate, but shall regularly attend Senate meetings.
The Grand Marshal may, at their discretion, nominate other non-voting officers to assist with administering the business of the Senate.
1. These discretionary non-voting officers shall serve at the pleasure of the Grand Marshal.

Article IV: Duties of Office

Undergraduate Senators shall be expected to either chair one Senate committee or sit on at least two Senate committees. Graduate Senators shall be expected to either chair one Senate Committee or sit on at least one Senate committee.
Senators shall be responsible to dutifully attend all Senate Meetings, unless they obtain an excuse from the Grand Marshal. Senators shall actively contribute to the Student Senate, and shall not hinder its performance.
Senators shall be expected to maintain satisfactory attendance in the council that they represent. Satisfactory attendance shall be defined by each council’s bylaws.
Failure to meet any of the duties of office shall subject the offending Senator to the removal process as outlined in Article VIII of these Bylaws.
It is the responsibility of Senators to follow proper procedures regarding acquiring excuses for absences.
1. Senators shall inform the Grand Marshal of any Senate general meetings they will miss.
2. Senators shall follow the procedures prescribed in the bylaws of organizations they represent regarding acquiring excuses for absences from those organizations.
It is the responsibility of the Grand Marshal to follow proper procedures regarding Senator absences.
1. The Grand Marshal must inform a Senator if an unexcused absence is noted.
2. The Grand Marshal may use their discretion in granting absences for upcoming meetings.
3. The Grand Marshal may consider granting an excuse brought forth after the absence of a Senate meeting if the absence resulted from a sudden circumstance which prohibited them from being able to communicate their absence in a timely manner.

Article V: Meetings

The Student Senate shall meet at least twice a month during the fall and spring semesters. The time and location of these meetings shall be at the discretion of the Grand Marshal.
All meetings of the Student Senate shall be open to the public.
The Senate may, by a 2/3 vote, close a meeting. Within a closed meeting the following guidelines must be met:
1. All motions, resolutions, and votes passed during the closed meeting must be made public immediately after the meeting is opened; and
2. The Senate may invite non-Senate members to remain by a majority vote.
The Senate may, by a majority vote, open a closed meeting.
A quorum shall consist of 2/3 of the voting membership of the Student Senate.
The Student Senate shall use the current edition of Roberts Rules of Order as their parliamentary authority for any procedures not specified in these Bylaws.
The order of the agenda for a meeting of the Senate may be specified by the meeting’s presiding officer prior to the start of the meeting; if unspecified, the agenda order shall be set by what is specified in Roberts Rules of Order.
Meetings may be called by one-quarter of the voting membership of the Senate or by the Grand Marshal. The requesting Senators may name a Senator other than the Grand Marshal to preside over the meeting. The Grand Marshal must be notified of any meeting.
1. The presiding officer is responsible for informing all Senators at least twenty-four hours prior to the meeting as to the date, time, place, and purpose of the meeting. Normal procedures for running this meeting must be followed.

Article VI: Legislation

Legislation may be introduced for consideration by the Senate in any meeting through the following ways: a. As a proposal, report, or recommendation of a standing committee or subcommittee, b. As a proposal from the Graduate Council or the Undergraduate Council, or c. As a proposal sponsored by two or more Senators.
All proposed legislation must be submitted to the Grand Marshal who will, when appropriate, assign the legislation to the applicable committee for study and recommendation. In some cases, this will occur on the Senate floor to ensure proper consideration within committee first and to allow business to proceed.
Legislation shall be submitted to the Grand Marshal no later than three days prior to the meeting during which it is to be motioned and discussed. Legislation that is proposed by two or more Senators may be submitted and discussed within the same meeting.
The Bylaws may be temporarily suspended by a 2/3 vote. This suspension will stand until any of the following occur: a. The meeting in which the Bylaws were temporarily suspended adjourned, or b. The Senate reinstates these Bylaws by majority vote.
The Student Senate may not unilaterally repeal a bylaw of another body.
Where not provided for in the Rensselaer Union Constitution, the Senate shall require a majority vote of to approve a constitution or set of bylaws submitted to it by another body.
The Student Senate shall keep a record of all legislation that comes into consideration. To ensure accurate record keeping and to provide context for posterity, the Senate shall include any supplementary materials that are relevant to the recorded legislation.

Article VII: Rules for Voting and Debate

Upon entering debate, a queue will be established and maintained by the Parliamentarian.
1. The queue determines who has the floor to speak. The Parliamentarian is responsible for acknowledging all those who wish to speak and must announce each speaker before their speaking time begins.
2. Total debate time is unbounded by default.
3. Speaking time defaults to five minutes.
4. Anyone present in the room has the right to speak, and may speak any number of times.
  1. Those who have not spoken will be called upon before those who have spoken.
  2. If the queue is on the topic of a presentation, designated presenters may respond to any questions directed at them. Speaking time limits still apply.
5. Queues for any motion will proceed until the motion has left the floor. Other queues may be ended by the presiding officer when empty.
6. A Senator may move to restrict the queue, requiring a second and majority approval.
  1. By default, only members of the Senate and Officers may be added to a restricted queue. Additional individuals to be given queue rights may be specified by the Senator moving to restrict the queue.
  2. If an individual without queue rights wishes to speak during a restricted queue, they will not be called upon until no members with queue rights remain on the queue.
7. A Senator may move to close the queue, requiring a second and a 2/3 vote.
  1. No additional individuals may be added to a closed queue.
8. A Senator may move to reopen a closed or restricted queue, requiring a second and a majority vote.
9. When speaking time is limited, speakers can yield their time in the following ways:
  1. Yield to the Chair, forfeiting their time, or
  2. Yield to another speaker, transferring their time to another person in the room. That person may decline to speak, forfeiting their time.
10. A yielded speaker may not yield time further.
All voting shall be by a show of hands, unless a Senator, Officer, Committee Chairperson, or the presiding officer requests a roll call vote:
1. In a show of hands, the presiding officer will request the number in favor, the number opposed, and finally the number of abstentions, in that order. The presiding officer will then announce the vote, and whether the motion has passed. In the event of a tie, the presiding officer may then announce their vote followed by the outcome;
2. The Parliamentarian will also carry out a count of votes to verify the announced result of a vote;
3. If a roll call vote is requested, the Secretary will read the names of the Senators alphabetically by surname. If the Grand Marshal is included in the voting population, he or she will be called last;
4. Each Senator may vote yes, no, or pass. If they pass, their name will be read again after the first completion of the roll call. At this time, the Senator must vote or abstain; and
5. No vote may be determined, nor any result announced, until all Senators present have voted or abstained.

Article VIII: Removals

Good cause for removal, as provided in the Rensselaer Union Constitution, shall be defined as follows:
1. Two or more unexcused absences from meetings of the Student Senate.
2. The failure of a member of the Student Senate to conscientiously fulfill the duties of office, as defined in Article IV of these Bylaws.
3. Misuse of power for personal gain.
4. Violation of Rensselaer Union or Institute policy such that the violation could constitute a danger to the safety of person or property within the Rensselaer Union or on the premises of the Institute.
5. General malfeasance.
Senators with more than three unexcused absences from a committee of which they are a member may be removed from the committee. An absence may be excused by the Committee Chair, whose decision may be overruled by the Grand Marshal.
A motion to impeach may be brought forth at the request of the organization which the Senator represents, or at the request of two or more Senators. If a motion to impeach is passed by a 2/3 vote of its total voting membership, a removal hearing and removal vote shall be held at the following general Senate meeting.

Article IX: Committees

The Chair of each Student Senate standing committee shall be nominated by the Grand Marshal and confirmed by a majority vote.
1. A Vice Chair may be selected by the Chair to assist in management and communication for the committee.
2. For each committee project or initiative, a Project Lead shall be selected by the committee’s chair;
  1. Each project lead may create and lead a student task force, at the counsel of the committee’s chair, to handle initiatives in their area requiring significant effort;
  2. The committee’s chair shall assume the duties of any unfilled project lead position; and
  3. Project leads shall serve at the pleasure of the committee’s chair.
3. If the committee does not have a Vice Chair, an acting Chair should be selected by either the committee’s chair, if possible, or the Grand Marshal to fulfill the Chair’s duties in their absence.
Committee membership shall be open to all members of the Rensselaer Union.
1. Any committee member who is not a member of the Senate must be approved by the Committee Chair before receiving membership in the committee.
2. Members of a Committee serve at the pleasure of the Committee Chair and of the Grand Marshal, and may be removed at any time for good cause.
3. Good cause for removal includes, but is not limited to, neglecting the duties of membership, failure to adhere to the the committee’s rules of order during meetings if applicable, or failure to adhere to these Bylaws when conducting business in the name of the committee.
  1. Members are expected to dutifully attend meetings of the committee and complete committee assignments within reasonable deadlines.
All committees shall be empowered to create subcommittees as necessary to aid them in performing their functions, and subcommittees shall stand at the pleasure of the committee’s chair. The committee’s chair shall be an ex-officio member of any such created or existing subcommittee.
All committees shall meet at least twice per month during the fall and spring semesters to work on projects, investigate pending legislation, and to consider proposals for new legislation. Attendance shall be recorded at all committee meetings and submitted to the Grand Marshal. All committee chairs shall report on any open projects within their committees’ purview at each Senate meeting.
Each committee chair shall be held accountable for their committee’s performance.
During meetings, each Committee shall follow rules of order determined at the discretion of its Chair.
The Elections Commission:
1. Consists of a maximum of ten members:
  1. The Chair, one representative from each of the Graduate Council, Undergraduate Council, Executive Board, Judicial Board, Interfraternity Council, Panhellenic Council, one Independent^[1] member appointed by the Chair and approved by a majority vote of the committee, one member-at-large appointed by the Chair and approved by a majority vote of the committee, and one member-at-large from the voting membership of the Student Senate appointed by the Grand Marshal.
  2. Each of these groups shall appoint its own representative by the end of the second full week of the fall semester. Should any of the memberships, with the exception of the chair, not be appointed by the required time or be vacant for more than three weeks, the chair shall appoint a member within two weeks of the body’s failure to do so matching the eligibility criteria of the group normally responsible for making the appointment, to be confirmed by majority vote of the Senate. The group responsible for appointing a person to that membership shall forfeit its right to do so until the following semester.
  3. All members must be Activity Fee paying students. All members, with the exception of the chair, shall serve through the end of the spring semester, until replaced, or until resigned, whichever comes first. The chair shall serve until they resign or are replaced.
  4. Quorum for the Elections Commission shall be 2/3 of the total membership.
  5. A member of the Elections Commission who is a candidate for Grand Marshal, President of the Union or joins a political party or is a candidate assistant, as defined by the Student Senate or the Elections Commission, will automatically be removed from the Elections Commission.
2. Its duties shall include the following:
  1. The Committee shall be responsible for reviewing and approving the language of all constitutional amendments that come before the Senate for approval.
  2. It shall be responsible for properly publicizing, conducting and supervising all elections for officers and representatives of the governing bodies of the Union. It shall submit a report of the election results to the Student Senate following the election.
  3. It shall, at the discretion of the Senate, establish rules for, supervise, and investigate any student government election or referendum for the Rensselaer Union.
  4. It shall prepare and submit to the Judicial Board and Senate reports on all contested elections, which it investigates.
  5. It shall prepare and allow for the election of a Full Professor with Tenure to the Faculty Senate Promotion and Tenure Committee during the Grand Marshal Week Election.
3. The Chair shall appoint a vice chair from the voting membership of the committee. Duties of the Vice Chair shall include assisting the Chair in the day-to-day administration of the committee. In the event that the Chair is absent or unable to run a meeting the Vice Chair shall have the authority to chair a meeting. At such a meeting, quorum shall be 2/3 the voting membership, less the Vice Chair. The Vice Chair shall not have a vote at any meeting that they chair. In the event of the resignation, removal, or extended absence of the Chair, the Vice Chair shall assume the duties of the Chair, until the Chair is able to resume their duties, or until a new chair has been appointed.
The Student Government Communications Committee, hereby referred to as SGCC, shall be a standing committee of the Student Senate and the Executive Board. It shall be responsible for promoting the initiatives and activities of the Student Senate, Executive Board, Undergraduate Council, Graduate Council, and Judicial Board, hereby referred to as The Bodies.
1. Its chairperson shall serve at the pleasure of the Grand Marshal and the President of the Union, and its chairperson shall meet with the Grand Marshal and the President of the Union, or their representatives, at least twice a month over the Fall and Spring semesters to maintain cohesion and communication between their respective bodies.
2. Its chairperson may act as the spokesperson for the Student Senate and Executive Board at the discretion of the Grand Marshal and the President of the Union, responsible for press releases and other communication with media outlets.
3. Its membership shall include at least one member of the Student Senate, at least one member of the Executive Board, Director of Public Relations of the Undergraduate Council, and a Vice chairperson appointed by the chairperson.
4. It shall make use of a variety of communication media to publicize the initiatives and activities of The Bodies.
  1. To this end, it shall coordinate with The Bodies to promote current projects and initiatives.
  2. It shall provide the student body with accurate information on the activities, initiatives, and projects of The Bodies.
5. It shall make efforts to ascertain the concerns and opinions of students regarding matters under discussion in the Student Senate and the Executive Board.
  1. It may solicit student concerns and opinions through public relations initiatives.
  2. It shall inform other Committees of student concerns pertaining to the purview of each Committee.
6. It shall foster, among the student body, informed discussion of issues currently facing the The Bodies.
  1. It shall, when necessary, create and distribute informational media in conjunction with its ongoing public relations initiatives.
  2. It shall create and maintain platforms for student inquiry into the activities of the Committees.
  3. It may coordinate publication of electronic media with the Web Technologies Group when necessary.
  4. It may collaborate with the Marketing, Advertising and Publicity Committee of the Executive Board on projects when necessary.
7. It shall promote cohesion among all members of The Bodies.
  1. It shall be the responsibility of the chairpersons, or designated representative, of each Student Senate committee to correspond with both the SGCC chairperson and the Vice Grand Marshal on all publicity information.
  2. It shall be the responsibility of the chairpersons, or designated representatives, of each Executive Board committee to correspond with both the SGCC chairperson and the Vice President of the Union on all publicity information.
  3. It shall be the responsibility of the Director of Public Relations of the Undergraduate Council to correspond with both the SGCC chairperson and the Undergraduate Council President on all publicity information.
  4. It shall be the responsibility of the Graduate Council’s designated representative to correspond with the SGCC chairperson for publicity information.
  5. It shall be the responsibility of the chairperson of the Judicial Board to correspond with the SGCC chairperson on all publicity information.
  6. To this end, it shall promote and facilitate internal communications of the The Bodies.
The Academic Affairs Committee shall be responsible for initiatives and legislation pertinent to academic curricula, academic advising, post-graduate success, the Registrar’s office, and student-faculty relations.
1. It shall assess the state of Rensselaer academic courses.
  1. To this end, it shall coordinate with the Student Government Communications Committee during outreach programs to ascertain student opinions and concerns regarding academics.
  2. It shall work with relevant organizations within the Institute to identify areas for improvement regarding academics.
2. It shall attempt to maintain a diverse membership that represents various academic departments.
  1. It shall attempt to include graduate and undergraduate representation on the committee.
3. It shall inform the Senate and the student body of any changes in academics at the Institute.
4. It shall be responsible for selecting the undergraduate representatives to the Faculty Senate Curriculum Committee.
5. It shall be responsible for maintaining regular contact between the Student Senate and the Faculty Senate.
The Union Annual Report Committee shall be a standing committee of the Student Senate and Union Executive Board.
1. It shall be chaired by the Senate-Executive Board Liaison.
2. It shall work to produce the Union Annual Report, which will detail the Union Activity Fee for both graduate and undergraduate students; this report will be presented to the Student Senate for approval.
3. Its membership shall consist of the Director of the Union, as a nonvoting member; the Business Administrator, as a non-voting member; the President of the Union as a non-voting ex-officio member; at least one graduate member of the Student Body; and at least one undergraduate member of the Student Body.
The Facilities and Services Committee shall be responsible for initiatives and legislation pertinent to the facilities and services of the Institute, notably those under the Administration Division.
1. It shall take steps to gather information on the state of services and facilities.
  1. To this end, it shall coordinate with the Student Government Communications Committee during outreach programs to ascertain student opinions and concerns on the state of services and facilities.
  2. It shall, when necessary, address these concerns and coordinate its efforts with proper Institute personnel.
  3. It shall, from time to time, inspect the overall state of facilities and services and report its findings to the Senate.
2. It shall take steps to remedy student concerns regarding facilities and services.
  1. To this end, it shall be responsible for contacting proper Institute personnel to discuss practical solutions to issues regarding facilities and services.
  2. It shall attempt to implement these solutions, with the support of the Institute and the Senate.
The Hospitality Services Advisory Committee shall be responsible for initiatives and legislation pertinent to the quality and future direction of dining services on the RPI campus.
1. It shall take steps to gather information on the state of Rensselaer dining services.
  1. It shall develop, maintain, and advertise tools and methods for students to deliver feedback and input into the quality of campus food, dining halls, and other dining services.
  2. It shall, from time to time, inspect the overall state of dining halls and programs and report its findings to the Senate.
2. It shall take steps to remedy student concerns regarding campus dining.
  1. It shall meet with Hospitality Services on a regular basis, at a time and place coordinated between the Committee Chair and relevant administrators.
  2. It shall pursue, research, and propose dining programs that align with student needs.
  3. It shall collaborate with Hospitality Services and other organizations to initiate solutions to student concerns regarding Rensselaer dining services.
3. It shall attempt to maintain a diverse membership that represents a wide range of demographics with regards to campus dining.
The Student Life Committee shall be responsible for initiatives and legislation pertinent to student rights, residence life, quality of life and well-being, and the Division of Student Life portfolio.
1. It shall take steps to gather information on the state of residence life, quality of life, and well- being.
  1. To this end, it shall coordinate with the Student Government Communications Committee during outreach programs to ascertain student opinions and concerns within these areas.
  2. It shall, from time to time, inspect the state of the on-campus living and report its findings to the Senate.
2. It shall address issues pertaining to student rights and responsibilities as they arise.
  1. It shall work with the Dean of Students to discuss pending changes to the Handbook of Student Rights and Responsibilities, or other relevant policies that affect student rights.
3. It shall take steps to remedy student concerns regarding student life.
  1. It shall advise the administration on issues related to student life, and work with them in addressing these issues.
  2. It shall work and collaborate with the administration and other organizations to initiate new programs that improve the student experience.
The Web Technologies Group shall be responsible for promoting, implementing, and maintaining technological initiatives of the Student Senate.
1. Its chair shall be responsible for assisting the Grand Marshal and Senate Committees in addressing their technological needs.
2. It shall design and implement technological solutions to student concerns, collaborating with other committees and organizations as necessary.
3. It shall contribute to Rensselaer Union homepage development efforts and shall be responsible for maintenance and updates of all other Student Government web tools and services.
4. It shall be responsible for historical cataloging of documents and information for a digital Student Government archive.
The Community Relations Committee shall be be responsible for initiatives pertinent to outreach and service in the local community and the greater Capital District.

Article VIII: Petitions

Petitions shall be a means by which members of the Union may bring concerns, initiatives, or ideas before the Student Senate.
1. Petitions may only be created and signed by members of the Union.
  1. Should a signatory lose their membership status during the duration of a petition they have signed, their signature on that petition shall remain valid.
2. The Elections Commission shall maintain rules governing the petition process.
  1. Such rules shall be approved by a majority vote of the Senate.
Should any petition, compliant with rules governing the petition process, reach a threshold of 250 signatures within one full calendar year of its posting, it shall be placed on the agenda at a Senate meeting occurring within the next fifteen academic days, excluding exam periods.
1. The Senate may choose to address petitions at any time before this.
2. Should the Senate’s term end within fifteen academic days of a petition reaching this threshold, that petition may instead be addressed by the next Senate in the semester of their election.
The Senate may choose to take the following courses of action when addressing a petition:
1. Charge one or more Senators to investigate issues raised by the petition.
2. Charge a committee to investigate the petition as an initiative.
3. Vote on a resolution on the issue.
4. Vote to hold a referendum election on the issue.
5. Refer a petition to another organization as appropriate.

Article XI: Appointments

The Grand Marshal shall make any appointments not specified by these or the Bylaws of other respective boards.
Appointments made by the Grand Marshal must be reported to the Senate at its next scheduled meeting, or will be automatically nullified.
If either Greek Senator position becomes vacant, the President of either the Interfraternity Council or the Panhellenic Council, for their council’s respective Greek Senator, shall appoint a replacement. The appointment shall be confirmed by simple majority vote of the Student Senate.
If a position of Independent Senator becomes vacant, the Grand Marshal shall appoint a replacement. The appointment shall be confirmed by simple majority vote of the Student Senate.

Article XII: Amendments

The procedure to amend the Bylaws shall be as follows:
1. All proposed amendments to the Student Senate Bylaws must be proposed in their entirety and passed by a 2/3 vote of the Senate.
These Bylaws shall be amended as necessary so as not to be in conflict with outside laws, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Corporate Charter, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Bylaws, the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Student Bill of Rights, the Rensselaer Union Constitution, and decisions of the Board of Trustees of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
These Bylaws shall be modified to reflect an approved amendment by:
1. Inserting new words or clauses into these Bylaws at their appropriate places;
2. Striking out words or clauses from these Bylaws; or
3. Striking out and inserting words or clauses simultaneously.

Article XIII: Succession

If the position of the Grand Marshal is vacant, or if the Grand Marshal is unable to fulfill the duties or requirements of office, then the Vice Grand Marshal shall assume the duties of the Grand Marshal as Acting Chair of the Senate.
The Acting Chair of the Senate assumes the duties of Grand Marshal until such a time that a meeting of the Senate can be called. The first and only order of business of such a meeting shall be the selection of a new Grand Marshal.
All nominations for the position of Grand Marshal must be motioned and seconded by the members of the Senate. The nomination processes shall be overseen by the Chair of the Judicial Board.
In the case of multiple nominees, an appointment for Grand Marshal shall be selected by a series of simple majority votes.
1. If there are two nominees, a vote shall be taken, and the nominee with a simple majority shall be named the appointment for Grand Marshal.
2. If there are three or more nominees, a series of votes shall be taken.
  1. In each vote, the nominee with the least number of votes shall be removed from consideration, and only the remaining nominees shall be considered in the next vote.
  2. This series of votes shall continue until a single nominee remains, and that nominee shall be named the appointment for Grand Marshal.
The nominee who is named the appointment for Grand Marshal must be approved by 2/3 of the Senate’s total voting membership. If the appointment is not approved, a new process of nominations begins.
Once the appointment of a new Grand Marshal has been approved by the Senate, the Acting Chair of the Senate shall immediately relinquish the responsibilities of office to the new Grand Marshal.

Footnotes

^[1] Independent shall be defined as any student not affiliated with a Greek organization.