ASSG Bylaws
Arts and Sciences Student Government
University Memorial Center 121
207 UCB – Boulder CO 80309-0207ASSG Website:
http://www.colorado.edu/studentgroups/assg/
Email: assg@colorado.edu
The Arts and Sciences Student Government (ASSG) is the elected governing body of over
20,000 students at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The ASSG receives approximately
$90,000 in mandatory student fees used in allocating funds in many diverse areas.
STUDENT GROUPS. A great deal of the ASSG student fee budget is given to student groups,
whose membership is majority Arts and Sciences students, and whose emphasis is academic in
nature. By providing a foundation for such groups, ASSG believes a great deal of opportunities
can be offered to students which may not necessarily exist in the classroom. Students interested
in forming or joining such a group should contact the ASSG.
SPEAKERS AND CULTURE. Another area of interest to the ASSG involves guest speakers
and special events. Like the student groups, speakers and special events can do much to increase
one’s awareness and knowledge which may not necessarily be found in the classroom. ASSG
strives to sponsor many cultural events and a diverse range of speakers. In addition, ASSG is
also receptive to helping out in other areas, such as providing funding for several publications
and encouraging a forum for the arts.
ASSG EVENTS. As an active student government, ASSG itself provides events for heightened
awareness and increased knowledge, as well as a pride in academia and the College.
MEETINGS. Students are strongly encouraged to visit an ASSG Board meeting or stop by the
office in UMC 121. The Board meets on a weekly basis during the Fall and Spring semesters,
Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. in UMC 353
ARTICLE I – OPERATIONS
A. All Board meetings of the ASSG shall operate under Robert’s Rules of Order,
Revised, except where otherwise specified within the ASSG Constitution and
Bylaws.
B. All meetings shall be open to the public except for Impeachment hearings and
Appointments Committee interviews.
C. Meeting rescheduling
1. If the Board fails to hear all items on the agenda, then the meeting
shall be adjourned by a majority vote until the following academic
calendar day at the same time as the meeting first started, or at a later
date and/or time to be scheduled by a majority vote, in the ASSG
office.
ARTICLE II – EXECUTIVE
A. The Executives shall present the annual ASSG budget to the Board for approval
each spring.
1. The ASSG funds shall be allocated to three accounts: Special Events,
Travel, ASSG Proper.
B. The Executive(s) may debate legislative matters as a non-voting member of the
ASSG Board.
C. The Executive(s) may sponsor legislation to the ASSG Board.
D. The Executive(s) shall be expected to know and be able to apply Robert’s Rules
of Order. The executive(s) shall assist the president when needed to run the
meeting. The executive(s) shall act as the Parliamentarian. When acting as
Parliamentarian, the Executive(s) ruling can be overridden by a 2/3 voting
majority of the ASSG Board.
ARTICLE III – LEGISLATIVE BOARD
A. Offices: All elected positions shall be held for one session.
1. President The President may impose any rules on debate which are
reasonable but do not hinder the exchange of opinions during Board
meetings. The purpose of limiting debate shall be to allow the greatest
number of viewpoints given a shortened time period or overwhelming
number of potential speakers.
a. The President shall set reasonable deadlines for the submission
of bills and other items to be considered before the Board so an
agenda can be effectively created.
b. The President shall possess the authority to create Standing
Rules for the Board that shall not supersede the Constitution or
its Bylaws.
c.
d. Vice President
a. The Vice President shall assist the President and shall
coordinate communication with the student groups.
4. Secretary
a. The Secretary shall record a detailed and accurate account of
each board meeting, which shall be typed and presented the
following week as the Minutes.
b. The Secretary shall file a copy of the week’s Agenda and
Minutes.
c. The Secretary shall be responsible for maintaining the ASSG
Website and ensuring that all information is updated and
accurate.
5. Treasurer
a. The ASSG Treasurer shall keep and maintain an Excel
Spreadsheet that includes the following information:
i.
Bill name and number, student group, amount of
funding approved (or denied) in first and second
reading, whether or not ASSG has the student group’s
bylaws on file, ASSG balances, ASSG yearly
allocation.
b. In the name of government transparency, this report shall be
publically available on the CUSG and ASSG website.
B. Reports
1. Any student group receiving ASSG Special Events funding shall make
2.
3.
4.
5.
a report on the use of this funding to the Board.
The report shall be available in the ASSG office no later than thirty
days from the time of the event.
ASSG will have a template available for student groups to fill out.
Groups that fail to fill out this report shall jeopardize future funding
from ASSG.
It is the responsibility of the outgoing Administration to ensure that all
reports are collected and accounted for, and to notify delinquent
groups of their failure to submit reports and remind the groups of the
consequences for not submitting this report.
C. Order of Succession
1. In the event of a vacancy in any office, the election of a new officer
shall be held at the next scheduled meeting of the Board.
2. In the temporary absence of the President, these officers shall assume
the duties of the President in this order: Vice President, Secretary,
Treasurer.
D. Board Member Responsibilities
1. Each Board member shall sponsor resolutions, funding bills, and other
appropriate legislation.
2. Each Board member shall hold two office hours each week.
3. Each Board member shall attend all scheduled meetings and events of
the ASSG.
4. Each Board member shall participate in his/her assigned committees
and commissions.
5. Each Board member shall be dressed appropriately in ASSG uniform
and name tag.
E. Committees
1. The Board my establish committees by a majority vote.
2. The President shall appoint Board members to committees.
F. Legislation
1. All legislation must pass two readings.
2. If an error of an ASSG Representative or Co-Executive leads to a
delay in the hearing process, a bill may pass on special order.
a. The Special Order Process may ONLY be used if one of the
following apply:
i.
ii.
iii.
An error was caused by ASSG that prevents two
readings before the event/travel date
If a break as determined by the academic calendar
(fall break, spring break) prevents two readings
before the event/travel date.
A bill would overlap two ASSG Legislative
Sessions. No legislation may carry over between
sessions.
b. The Special Order Process may not be used to help a student
group that submitted a late funding application.
3. ASSG may not use legislation to reimburse events that have occurred in
the past.
4. Conflicts of interest
a. No board member shall vote on any business pertaining to a
student group of which they are an active member.
b. Board members or the Executive(s) shall be relegated to the
role of witnesses, and shall not act as board advocates, while
deliberation regarding a student group of which they are active
members takes place.
5. ASSG will not sponsor events held in bars or clubs and will not
appropriate any funds to a group that plans on holding an event in a bar or
club.
6. Appropriations by ASSG to individual student groups may not exceed 5%
of ASSG’s total budget allocation (excluding “roll-overs” from previous
years) during the course of the fiscal year. Student groups will be eligible
to receive two allocations per semester (One Special Event and One
Travel).
7. Charging Admission for Fee-Funded Events
a. Students shall be deemed eligible for free admission to
events funded by ASSG by presenting a BuffOne Card or
billing statement showing payment of Student Activity
Fees for the current semester.
b. In the event that a student group is holding a fundraiser, a
suggested donation may be advertised as long as it is
explicit in all advertisements, including but not limited to
fliers, Facebook advertisements, Buff Bulletins, posters,
etc., that admission is free for students. Further, all
advertisements must disclose the organizations which
receive donations from the ASSG funded event.
c. If a student group has received funding from ASSG and is
found to be in violation of this legislation, either through
inappropriate ticketing policies or misleading advertising,
ASSG will vote on whether or not to revoke funding and
also reserves the right to designate the student group as
ineligible to receive future funding.
Article IV – ELECTIONS
A. Elections shall be conducted according to the CUSG election code as prescribed
in the ASSG Constitution.
Article V – IMPEACHMENT
A. Impeachment proceedings shall be carried out according to the ASSG
Constitution.
B. The vote to impeach shall not take place earlier than the next regularly scheduled
meeting after initiation.
C. Legislative Board members are not subject to impeachment, and can only be
removed from office due to a change in their status as an Arts and Sciences
student, resignation, or recall as delineated by the Constitution.
Article VI – AMENDMENT PROCEDURES
A. A two-thirds vote of the entire Board on two readings shall be required for
amendment of these Bylaws.
Article VII – COMMISSION OF ACADEMIC INQUIRY
A. A permanent commission shall be established to conduct an Academic Inquiry
into the department of the College of Arts and Sciences.
B. The purpose of this inquiry is to examine the performance of each department in
the College of Arts and Sciences.
C. The Commission of Academic Inquiry shall:
1. Be composed of three to five (3-5) students, with at least one
Executive, one officer of the Board, and one non-office holding Board
member part of the inquiry.
2. Review the hiring, tenure granting and retaining practices for faculty.
3. Critically review the range, type and structure of courses offered in
each department, and offer concrete solutions to perceived issues to
the appropriate departments.
4. Monitor grading policy and departmental interaction between students
and faculty members and promote parity in all departments.
a. Provide detailed written reports to all people present at the first
ASSG meeting of every month.
b. Submit at least two suggestions for each and every department
in the College of Arts and Sciences by the fourth meeting of
each semester to the legislative board to be altered/ratified. The
finalized suggestions will then be related to the head of each
department and the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
within two weeks of the aforementioned meeting.
c. Publish the suggestions and make them easily available to all
students in the College of Arts and Sciences.
d. Provide ample opportunity for student to inject their views on
issues covered by the Commission.
D. The department in the College of Arts and Sciences which incorporates the
suggestions with the greatest proficiency shall receive the following incentives:
1. A resolution urging the increase of financial resources available to
the respective department shall be drafted. Upon passage the
resolution will be presented to the Dean of the College of Arts and
Sciences and the Head of the department.
2. The commission members shall schedule an appointment with the
Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at which they will vouch
for the academic integrity and excellence displayed by the
department. The Commission will also recommend to the Dean
that the department receive greater funding.
3. The ASSG shall publish the changes undertaken by the various
departments and distribute the results to students of the College of
Arts and Sciences such that additional pressure be placed on the
departments to adhere to suggestions formulated by the ASSG.
Article IX – Website
A. The ASSG shall maintain a website that includes the following information.
1. The report of the Treasurer.
2. The ASSG Constitution, Bylaws, and ASSG Internal Process.
3. The email addresses, bios, office hours, and pictures of all ASSG
representatives and Co-executives.
4. An events calendar of all events sponsored by ASSG.
5. The assg@colorado.edu email address and office (UMC 121).
6. Board Member attendance records will be maintained and updated on a
weekly basis for the public to observe.