CONSTITUTION
The Constitution of the Rio Americano High School Student Body
PREAMBLE
We, the students of Rio Americano High School, in order to establish workable and equitable
relationships with the faculty and with the administration, to conduct successful activities, to
achieve financial self-support and stability, and to voice student opinions, establish this
Constitution.
PART I: STUDENT BODY ORGANIZATION
ARTICLE I: The RASB Organization
Sec. 1: The name of this organization shall be the Rio Americano Student Body, to be abbreviated RASB.
Sec. 2: All legally enrolled students at Rio Americano High School shall be members of this organization.
Sec. 3: All voting members of this organization shall be entitled to full voting rights in all RASB elections, except
where otherwise stipulated by this Constitution.
Sec. 4: The representative colors of the RASB shall be forest green and gold. The representative mascot of the
RASB shall be a Raider.
ARTICLE II: Student Government
Sec. 1: The RASB shall be directly governed by the Associated Student Body, to be abbreviated ASB.
Sec. 2: The Student Government class shall include one adult Advisor, appointed by the administration.
A. Some duties of the ASB Advisor shall be:
1. to provide class supervision during the Student Government class period;
2. to provide representation on behalf of the administration at Student Government meetings;
3. to evaluate all Student Government Officers for grading purposes, with recommendations from
the Executive Board;
4. to advise Student Government Officers of their duties.
Sec. 3: The members of Student Government shall be as follows: no more than seven Student Body Officers, four
class delegations of five members each, no more than ten appointed officers (as stipulated in this
Constitution). No one person may hold two Constitutional offices concurrently. The Student Government
shall meet during a normal class period as the Student Government class.
A. The Student Body Officers shall be elected by the ninth-, tenth-, and eleventh-grade members of the
RASB at the time of the elections (and twelfth-grade members, under the conditions stipulated under
Part I, Article II, Sec. &-J, and Part III, Article II). The Student Body Officers shall include a
President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Commissioner(s) of Social Affairs, and
Commissioner of Publicity
1. The Student Body Officers can be held by eleventh or twelfth graders, with the
exception that the office of Student Body President must be held by a twelfth grader.
B. The Appointed Officers of the RASB shall be appointed by the newly elected Student Body Executive
Board, and must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the newly elected officers of Student
Government before assuming office. At the discretion of the Executive Board, all candidates for an
appointed position may be required to submit a resume, give a speech, or give an interview to the
newly elected Executive Board. No more than ten officers may be appointed. The Appointed Offices
may include, but are not limited to, the following: Election Board Chair(s), Fundraising Chair(s),
Community Service Chair(s), Communications and Public Relations liaison, and Assistant(s) to the
Commissioner of Social Affairs.
C. The Student Government class shall consist only of the members of Student Government. All
members of Student Government must enroll in and attend the Student Government class.
1. A Student Government Officer may be permitted to retain his/her position without enrollment in
the Student Government class only while bound to a contract that is approved by a two-thirds
majority of the ASB Officers. This contract is to be drawn up by the Student Body Secretary and
Executive Board.
D. The Student Government class shall, during normal open sessions, be open to any student, parent, or
faculty member who wishes to visit or personally present criticism or suggestions or motions.
Nevertheless, the Student Body President has the right to call closed meetings, which no person
outside of the Student Government class and its advisor may attend. Closed meetings may also be
called by a two-thirds majority approval of Student Government.
Sec. 4: Some of the duties of the Student Government Class shall be:
A. to develop and manage a budget of RASB funds;
B. to issue and regulate Student Body Cards;
C. to coordinate student activities, and to maintain an activity calendar;
D. to initiate and regulate the activities of the Inner-Club Council;
E. to meet with the school administration regularly from September through May;
F. to decide what is necessary and proper for the well-being of the RASB;
G. to act with the administration in order to improve and maintain relations among students,
parents, faculty, and the community;
H. to act with the San Juan Unified School District in achieving goals set for the students and school.
Sec. 5: There shall be an Executive Board of Student Government, consisting of the Student Body Officers
and the four Class Presidents only.
A. The Executive Board is responsible for meeting twice during each official school quarter. The
Executive Board shall meet at the discretion of the Student Body President, or any three members of
this Board, of all members of any class delegation to Student Government, of ten members of Student
Government or upon presentation to the Student Body President or Vice President of a petition signed
by fifteen percent of the members of the ASB and requesting an Executive Board meeting. The
Executive Board must meet within two school days, not including any school days during finals week,
of a request made by any of the parties indicated in Article II, Sec. 4, of this Constitution.
B. Some duties of the Executive Board shall be:
1.
2.
3.
4.
to represent the RASB to the school administration and to the community;
to interpret this Constitution;
to determine long-term goals for the school year;
to recommend disciplinary action for members of Student Government, and ensure that such
action is carried out;
5. to form recommendations, at least three weeks before the conclusion of each academic quarter, as
to whether each member of Student Government is fulfilling his/her Constitutional
responsibilities;
6. to form recommendations, at the conclusion of each academic quarter, as to whether Student
Government is fulfilling its goals for the school year;
C. Any decision made by the Executive Board may be repealed by a two-thirds majority vote of all the
members of Student Government who are not members of the Executive Board.
Sec. 6: There shall be an Election Board consisting of the Election Board Chair(s) and up to four other members
of Student Government, to be appointed by the Election Board Chair(s), with approval of a two-thirds
majority vote of the members of Student Government who are not already on the Election Board and not
appointed to the Election Board.
A. The Election Board shall meet when necessary to perform its duties at the discretion of the Election
Board Chair.
B. The duties of the Election Board shall be:
1. to schedule, write, and distribute all tests on this Constitution;
2. to distribute all nomination petitions;
3. to examine completed petitions and designate nominees;
4. to obtain, distribute, and count all ballots and to announce winners and/or run-off elections;
5. to secure supervision for election assemblies;
6. to accept all initiative, referendum, and recall petitions, and to notify Student Government if an
election is necessary;
7. to obtain, distribute, and count initiative, referendum, and recall ballots and to announce the
results;
8. to conduct all polls and surveys requested by the Student Government;
9. to monitor all campaign material;
10. to inform candidates of nomination requirements;
11. to ensure that the Student Government Advisor is present and able to assist if necessary during
the counting of ballots;
12. to ensure that all numerical results of the election are kept confidential to all those outside of the
Election Board and committee;
13. to ensure that each student is given a fair opportunity to vote, according to the voting restrictions
established in this Constitution;
14. to recommend to Student Government disciplinary action for candidates who violate campaign
procedures established in this Constitution, and to ensure that such action is carried out.
C. The following rules shall apply to all elections for student body and class offices:
1 For every office, a simple majority (one-half plus one vote) shall be necessary to win. This
majority will be taken from the total number of votes cast for each individual office;
2 If two people are running and neither receives a simple majority (the event of a tie), then there
shall be a run-off election;
3 If three or more people are running and no one receives a simple majority, then there will be a
run-off election between the two candidates with the greatest number of votes.
Sec. 7: All candidates for Student Body offices must:
A. Be members of the RASB both at the time of their candidacy and the term of office for which they are
running.
B. Have a cumulative grade-point average of2.0, and no F's each quarter and from the previous two semesters
if enrolled in Rio Americano for those semesters and from the previous semester if enrolled in Rio
Americano for only that semester, or with any F's made up within three weeks with teacher's consent; and
a citizenship grade-point average of 3.0 for the same semester(s) and quarter (s).
C. Be willing and able to enroll in the Student Government class in the term for which they are seeking
office, unless otherwise permitted under the conditions stipulated in Part L Article II, Sec. 3-1,
subsection 1.
D. Pass a general test, which shall be given only on the dates specified by the Election Board Chair(s), on the
Constitution before becoming nominees. A candidate may not take the test more than twice during one
election period, which shall be outlined by this Constitution as the period in which all elections and
appointments take place at the end of each school year for the following school year. The passing grade
shall be 70%.
E. Obtain a petition, to be signed by a school official, and obtain the signatures of fifty RASB members. The
completed petition must be submitted to and approved by the Election board, which will then designate
the candidates as nominees and put their names on the ballot.
Sec. 8: The following rules shall apply to all elections for Student Body offices:
A. No candidate may display campaign materials on campus (e.g. stickers, posters, flyers) unless
specifically designated a nominee by passing the Constitution test, having their petition signed, and
obtaining and completing a grade check.
B. The Election Board reserves the right to censor any campaign techniques or materials which it deems
inappropriate or unfair to another candidate.
C. If the Election Board censors any materials, the action must be reported to the candidate and
Student Government immediately.
D. On the day following voting, each nominee must remove all campaign material from the campus.
E. Violation to follow any of the above states policies shall result in a recommendation of disciplinary action
by the Election Board.
F. Prior to voting, all ASB officer nominees must deliver a speech to the RASB, supervised by the Election
Board. Failure to comply with this policy will make the nominee ineligible for the election, and will
remove him or her from the ballot, unless the Election Board approves the absence. An optional
question-and-answer period led by a moderator will be designated by the Election Board Chair(s).
G. Voting shall be held the day and day after speeches, or at the time specified by the Election Board
Chair(s).
H. Each candidate must be elected independently for office with the exception of Social Affairs
Commissioners, which may run as partners of no more than two people.
I. Members of the graduating class shall not vote in the RASB office elections except in the case of a special
election.
J. Any student absent from school on the days of voting forfeits his/her right to vote.
K. For all ASB officers, a majority of votes shall be necessary for election. If no one candidate receives a
majority of the votes, a run-off election shall be held.
L. There shall be no write-in votes cast for ay office except in the case of a vacant office.
Sec. 9: Unless removed from office, all ASB officers shall serve a term of one school year,
beginning on the first day of the last week of the school year in which they were elected.
Sec. 10: All elected ASB officers must buy a RASB card.
Sec. 11: Individual duties of Student Body officers:
A. President
1. to provide representations at all pertinent organizations (i.e., PTSA meetings, District meetings);
2. to appoint all necessary officers as provided in Part I, Article II, Sec. 3-B;
3. to appoint all necessary Student Government committees and their chairs;
4. to provide representation of the RASB in any pertinent inter-scholastic or community activities;
5. to advise individuals and committee chars within Student Government of their duties with the assistance
of the rest of the Executive Board.
6. to oversee all activities of Student Government, with the aid of the rest of the Executive Board;
7. to have the power to call special meetings, closed meetings, Executive board meetings, and meetings of
any Student Government committee when necessary;
8. to assist the advisor in evaluating the Student Government members for grades, if necessary, with the
recommendations of the Executive Board;
9. to be a member of the Finance and Budget Committees.
B. Vice President
1. to act in the absence of any ASB officer;
2. to act as Parliamentarian during ASB meetings, informing Student Government members of any
violations of this Constitution;
3. to be present at committee or Executive Board meetings when parliamentary advice is needed;
4. to advise the RASB President of parliamentary procedure by interpreting and applying Robert's Rules of
Order Revised;
5. to preside over and regulate the Inter-Club Council;
6. to assist the President in his/her responsibilities;
7. to regulate the chartering of club organizations;
8. to keep the club charters from the previous years;
9. to facilitate the formation of the Student Assembly at the beginning of each year, and serve as its
chairperson.
C. Secretary
1. to prepare Student Government minutes and make them available to all interested ,parties;
2. to prepare agendas for Student Government special meetings;
3. to take attendance;
4. to be responsible for the Student Government officers' binders from the previous year;
5. to be a member of the Finance Committee;
6. to serve as the Secretary of the Student Assembly.
D. Treasurer
1. to have available all pertinent financial information from the financial office for student body
accounts;
2. to help in the training of Club treasurers through the inter-Club Council, and to help manage the
training of Class Treasurers in Student Government;
3. to chair the budget Committee;
4. to assume the in-meeting responsibilities of chairing the Finance Committee;
5 . to prepare financial reports to Student Government when needed;
6. to notify all budgeted student organizations of their projected income and expenditures for the school
year once they have been established;
7. to notify all clubs of their financial situation after they have been established;
8. to be a member of the inter-Club Council.
E. Commissioner(s) of Social Affairs
1. to oversee committees for social events sponsored by Student Government;
2. to maintain a file on available bands and disc jockeys, and to assist dance sponsors in obtaining
entertainment;
3. to establish and oversee all homecoming activities;
4. to be responsible for all rallies;
5. to publish the rally schedules at least one week in advance of a rally;
6. to form a Rally Committee and establish Homecoming Committees necessary for the successful
execution of the events, of which he/she shall be the chair.
7. to provide information regarding Student Government decisions and activities to the Spirit
Organizations;
8. to be a member of the Finance Committee;
9. to be a member of the Inter-Club Council.
F. Commissioner of Publicity
1. to form a Publicity Committee, of which he/she shall be the chair;
2. to be the publicity coordinator for all Student Government activities;
3. to be in charge of ordering publicity supplies and to regulate distribution of these supplies;
4. to be responsible for public, on-campus announcements of the activities of the RASB;
5. to be a member of the Finance Committee.
Sec. 12: Duties of Appointed Officers
A. Election Board Chair(s)
1. to form an Election board consisting of Student Government members;
2. to be responsible for all RASB, royalty, and class elections and to lead the Election Board in the
execution of its duties as outlined in Part L Article II, Sec. 6-8;
3. to be in charge of overseeing all election campaign materials.
B. Fundraising Chair(s)
1. to organize and coordinate all RASB fundraisers, except Homecoming and other activities under the
auspices of the RASB Commissioner of Social Affairs and Class Officers;
2. to collect all posted material on fundraising activities, determine which information may be useful
for RASB fundraisers and report this information to Student Government;
3. to work closely with the RASB Vice President, Treasurer, and Commissioner of Social Affairs in
order to achieve harmony with the Inter-Club Council during RASB fundraising activities.
C. Community Service Chair
1. to run all charity fundraising events;
2. to chair all necessary committees and community service projects initiated by Student Government.
D. Public Relations Liaison
1. to determine and distribute necessary information for classes and Student Government officers;
2. to represent the Student Body in all school-affiliated meetings necessary, including but not limited to
PTSA, Faculty, Site Council, and Landscaping;
3. to be the Student Government representative to Site Council;
4. to transfer President's and officers' messages to the PTSA newsletter.
5. to be responsible for the daily passage of mail to Student Government from the offices;
6. to be responsible for all necessary outside correspondence for the RASB.
E. Assistant(s) to the Commissioner of Social Affairs
1. to assist the Commissioner of Social Affairs as needed;
2. to meet throughout the summer with the Commissioner(s) of Social Affairs to organize Camp Rio and
Homecoming activities;
3. to be able to take over the daily duties of the Commissioner of Social Affairs during extended
absence, and to have the authority to fill the position of Commissioner of Social Affairs with a twothirds approval of Student Government should the office become vacant in the middle of a term of
office.
Sec. 13: Bills may be introduced to Student Government by:
A. A motion made by any member of Student Government;
B. A proposal written by a student and bearing twenty-five signatures of members of the RASB.
Sec 14: No quorum is necessary for meeting. However, a quorum of two-thirds plus one members is necessary for the
voting on any bill or motion.
Sec. 15: Any legislation not passed by Student Government may be challenged by the TASB through a referendum
vote. If a petition calling for a referendum vote on a specifically stated motion already passed by Student
Government is submitted to the Election Board bearing the signatures of 15% of the RASB, Student
Government must schedule an initiative vote within one week. A majority of the votes cast be the RASB shall
be necessary for the passage of the proposed legislation.
Sec. 16: Any legislation passed by Student Government may be challenged by the RASB through a referendum vote. If
a petition calling for a referendum vote on a specifically stated motion already passed by Student Government is
submitted to the Election Board Chair bearing the signatures of 15% of the RASB, Student Government must
schedule a referendum vote, supervised by the Election Board, within one week. A majority of the votes cast by
the RASB shall be necessary for the passage referendum of such legislation.
PART II: Class Organization
ARTICLE I: Membership
There shall be four class organizations at Rio Americano High School named the Freshman Class, the
Sophomore Class, the Junior Class, and the Senior Class for the members of the ninth, tenth, eleventh,
and twelfth grades, respectively.
ARTICLE II: Class Officers
The officers of each class shall be President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, and Publicity Officer.
ARTICLE III: Qualifications for Class Officers
All class officer candidates must:
1
be members of the RASB.
2
be willing and able to enroll in the Student Government Class.
3
be members of the class in which they are running for office.
4
have a minimum grade point average of2.0 each quarter, with no F's or with any F's made up
within three weeks
5
have a 3.0 citizenship grade point average.
6
pass a general test on this constitution with 70% correct.
ARTICLE IV: Class Elections
Sec. 1: After passing the test on this constitution, which may be taken no more than twice, and only on the dates
specified by the Election Board Chair, each qualified candidate shall receive a petition, to be signed by his/her
counselor verifying that he/she meets the grade requirements, and obtain the signatures of25 class members.
Upon completion, the petition must be submitted to the Election Board Chair. Upon Election Board approval,
the candidate will be designated as a nominee and must attend any meetings pertaining to the election to remain
qualified for the candidacy.
Sec. 2: No class member may sign more than one petition for any particular office, nor may he/she sign the petition
of a candidate for a class other than his/her own. If a petition contains any invalid signatures, the Election
board shall notify the candidate as to how many additional signatures are needed.
Sec. 3: A The Constitution test for the Freshman Class election shall be held within the first three weeks of the first
semester.
Sec. 4: A No candidates may display campaign materials on campus (e.g., stickers, posters, speeches) unless
officially designated a nominee by passing the constitution test, having their petition signed, and their
grade check completed.
B. The Election Board reserves the right to censor any campaign techniques or materials which it deems
inappropriate or unfair to another candidate.
C. If the Election Board censors any materials, the act must be reported to the candidate and Student
Government immediately.
D. On the day following voting, each nominee must remove all campaign material from the campus.
E. Violation to follow the above stated policies shall result in a recommendation of disqualification by
the Election Board.
F. No write in votes may be cast except in the case of a vacant office.
Sec. 5: Prior to voting, there must be an assembly for each class, supervised by the Election board.
A. All class officer nominees must deliver a speech to his/her class's assembly, unless the Election board and
Student Government approve the absence.
B. In the case of an unapproved absence, the nominee will be disqualified.
C. Voting shall be held the day ofor the day after speeches.
D. Students may vote only for the nominees in his/her class.
E. Each candidate must be elected independently for office.
F. In the case of an unapproved absence, the nominee will be disqualified.
G. For all class offices, a majority of votes cast shall be necessary for election. If no one candidate receives a
majority of the votes, the two candidates with the greatest number of votes shall be subject to a run-off
election.
ARTICLE V: Duties of the Class Officers
Sec. 1: All class officers must:
A. Enroll in, attend and be a voting member of the Student Government Class.
B. Represent his/her class in Student Government.
C. Participate in class decisions.
D. Attend class meetings and class officer meetings.
E. Buy a RASB card.
F. Be an active member of Student Government committees.
G. Inform his/her class of Student Government and class activities.
Sec. 2: Individual duties:
A. President
1 to be a member of the RASB Executive Board;
2 to inform Student Government of his/her class's ongoing activities;
3 to preside over class meetings with other class officers;
4 to make all appointments and committees under his/her class organization;
5 to oversee all class activities;
6 to advise other class officers of their duties.
B. Vice President
1. to act in the temporary absence of any of the other class officers;
2. to assist the president in his/her duties.
C. Treasurer
1. to manage class funds;
2. to report the status of the class's budget to class officers, and to prepare a budget of projected income and
expenditures for the class organization;
3. to be a member of the Budget Committee;
4. to be a member of such financial committees as the Student Body Treasurer designates, with the approval
of Student Government.
D. Secretary
1. to prepare all minutes and agendas for class meetings;
2. to catty out all necessary correspondence as decided by the class officers.
E. Publicity Officer
1. to be responsible for all class publicity;
2. to be a member of the Publicity Committee chaired by the Commissioner of Publicity;
3. to assist the other class officers in their duties.
PART III: OFFICE VACANCY
ARTICLE I: Removal, Resignation, and Recall of Officers
Sec. 1: Any elected RASB, appointed RASB or class officer may remove him/herself from office at any time. An oral
and written resignation must be presented to the Executive Board. This resignation must be accepted by the
Executive Board before the officer is officially removed from office.
Sec. 2: A RASB, class, or appointed officer shall be removed from office automatically if:
A. His/her academic grade point average falls below 2.0, or receives and F's not made up within three
weeks.
B. His/her citizenship grade point average falls below 3.0.
C. He/she withdraws from Rio Americano High SchooL
D. He/she fails to enroll in the Student Government class, unless he/she meets the criterion outlined in
Part I, Article II, Sec. 3, subsection A-I.
Sec. 3: If an RASB, class, or appointed officer is suspended during his/her term of office, he/she shall be removed from
office. The act may be reversed by a three-fourths cote taken by secret ballot of Student Government.
Sec. 4: An RASB officer may be recalled by the RASB using the following procedure:
A. A petition demanding the recall of an officer, stating specific grievances and bearing the signatures of 15% of
the RASB/class members, respectively, must be submitted to the Election Board Chair(s).
B. The Election Board shall announce the submission of a recall petition within three days of receiving it.
C. The Election board may schedule an assembly or a corresponding class meeting, where the officer being
petitioned against shall answer questions.
D. Two-thirds of the votes of the Student Body or class respectively shall be necessary for recall.
Sec. 5: If the RASB/class Presidential office is vacated after the commencement of the second semester, the
respective Vice President shall assume the office of President with the approval of two-thirds majority of
Student Government. /
A. A new Vice President can be appointed. This person can either be a current member of the student
government or outside of the student government.
Sec. 6: If any of the offices of the RASB Treasurer, Commissioner of Social Affairs, or Commissioner of Publicity is
vacated at any time during the term of office until the last two weeks of term, then the respective Assistant
office shall fill that office.
A. The RASB President may appoint a new Assistant if desired.
B. If there is no assistant office, then the position shall be filled by the RASB Vice President.
Sec. 7: If, at any time during the term of office until the last two weeks of term, an Appointed Office is vacated, then
the RASB President may appoint a suitable replacement with the approval of a two-thirds majority of Student
Government.
Sec. 8: If a Student Assembly member's office is vacated by resignation, recall, or removal as defined in Part III,
Article I, a new election shall be held following the guidelines in Part II, Article III, Section 5.
PART IV: The Student Assembly
ARTICLE I: Formation and Guidelines
Sec. 1: The Student Assembly serves in an advisory capacity to Student Government.
Sec. 2: The members of the Student Assembly shall be as follows: the Student Body Vice-President, the Student
Body Secretary, the secretaries from each class, and one representative from each fourth period class.
A. The RASB Vice-President shall serve as Chair of the Student Assembly.
B. The RASB Secretary shall serve as the Student Assembly Secretary.
Sec. 3: The objectives of the Student Assembly shall be:
A. To express the views of the students they represent;
B. To report and receive information regarding the governing of the RASB;
c. To advise Student Government on matters concerning the RASB;
D. To introduce legislation pertinent to the RASB for Student Government approval.
Sec. 4: The duties of each student representative shall be:
A. To report the actions of Student Government and the Student Assembly to their respective classes;
B. To report to Student Government any events or action which are significant to the RASB.
Sec. 5: Elections shall be held within the first ten days of each semester with the respective teacher as supervisor,
and be held every semester.
A. Campaigning shall be limited to the classroom. Suitable campaigning shall be determined by the
teacher.
B. The student representative must be elected by a simple majority of the votes cast by his/her class.
C. The teacher of the class shall count the ballots.
D. The results of the elections shall be reported to the RASB Vice President.
Sec. 6: Meetings of the Student Assembly shall be held on the first Thursday following each six week period during
fourth period. The Student Assembly can be called to a special session by the Chairperson or by two-thirds of
the Assembly.
PART V: Club Organization
ARTICLE I: Chartering a Club
Sec. 1: Any group of students, together with a faculty advisor and a purpose, is eligible to become a club.
Sec. 2: Chartering
A. A proposed club must write a constitution specifying the following:
1
Name;
2
Purpose;
3
Faculty advisor;
4
Membership requirements;
5
Organization and rules concerning membership and selection of officers;
B. The constitution must then be submitted to the Student Body Vice President.
C. It must then be brought before the Student Body Executive Board for approval.
D. If the club's constitution is approved, the proposed club will be chartered for the remainder of the school
year and will be admitted to the Inter-Club Council on an equal standing with all other clubs.
E. If the club is not content with the Executive Board's decision, it may make an appeal
to the Student Government class.
Sec. 3: Re-chartering
A. All existing clubs must be re-chartered annually.
B. All club charters from the previous year are valid for the first six weeks of the school year.
C. Each club that wishes to be re-chartered must turn in a list of new officers and any new faculty advisor(s)
and amendments to the club charter within six weeks of the beginning of the school year.
D. If a club fails to re-charter within the first six weeks of the school year, its funds shall be placed in the
general account.
ARTICLE II: Club Restrictions
Sec. 1: Activities
A. Each chartered club must send a representative to all Inter-Club Council meetings or face revocation and
loss of funds.
B. Any club that wishes to hold an on-campus activity affecting non-members, must obtain a clearance from
Student Government one week prior to the activity or two weeks prior to the activity if the activity is
money making.
Sec. 2: The club must submit to the Financial Secretary written minutes showing authorization for the expenditure
two weeks prior to the event, or face such fines as determined by Student Government.
ARTICLE III: The Inter-Club Council
Sec. 1: The Inter-Club Council (ICC) shall be an open forum for all club organizations operating within the RASH.
Sec. 2: The purpose of the ICC shall be to:
A. Act as a liaison between the club organizations and Student Government;
B. Facilitate and require the cooperative scheduling of all clubs, classes, and student body activities;
C. Inform the club organizations of individual financial status, as well as general financial procedures,
fines, and miscellaneous information.
Sec. 3: The voting members of the ICC shall include a single representative from each club organization, the
RASB Vice President, the RASB Treasurer, and the Fundraising chair(s).
PART VI: AMENDMENTS
ARTICLE I: Amendments
Sec. 1: Proposed amendments to this constitution may originate by a two-thirds vote of approval of the Student
Government or by a petition signed by 15% of the student body.
Sec. 2: Proposed amendments must be presented to the representatives at the Student Assembly in an election at the
meeting following the proposal.
Sec. 3: Amendments to this constitution must be approved by a majority of votes cast by the representatives of the
Student Assembly.
Sec. 4: Amendments passed by the student body shall go into effect immediately, but not retroactively.
PART VII: PREPARATION OF THE RASB BUDGET
ARTICLE I: Finance and Budget Committee (FBC)
Sec. 1: The Finance and Budget Committee shall be composed of the principal, the student government advisor, the
athletic director, financial controller, the RASB President, RASB Vice President, RASB Treasurer and class
treasurers.
A The RASB Treasurer shall act as the FBC Chairperson unless overruled by a 2/3 majority of the FBC
members. If overruled, a new FBC Chairperson shall be chosen and approved by a 2/3 majority of the FBC
members.
Sec. 2: FBC meetings will be held at the discretion of the chairperson with the approval of the principal.
ARTICLE II: Duties of the Finance and Budget Committee
Sec. 1: The duty of the FBC Chairperson in cooperation with the FBC is to prepare a budget of all student organizations
that are granted RASB funds, including athletics. The procedure for forming this budget shall be as follows:
A The FBC shall review previous expenditures and project future incomes.
B. The BCC shall contact all student organizations that are granted RASB funds by the first week in April to
receive their financial requests and needs for the following school year.
C. The FBC Chairperson and the financial controller, with suggestions from the committee, shall make
alterations in the submitted budget requests and form a tentative budget by the last week of April.
D. The FBC shall approve the tentative budget by a 2/3 vote of committee members by the first week in May.
E. The FBC Chairperson shall present the tentative budget to the student government for review and approval
by 2/3 of the voting members in the first week of May. If Student Government makes any alterations, the
tentative budget must be re-presented to the FBC for approval by 2/3 of the voting members.
ARTICLE III: The Budget
Sec. 1: Upon final approval, the principal, student government advisor, and the current executive board shall sign the
RASB budget.
Sec. 2: Major budget changes must be approved by 2/3 of the voting members of both the FBC and Student
Government.
Sec. 3: The final adoption and signatures must be obtained by May fifteenth.
PART VIII: FINES AND PENALTIES
ARTICLE I: Authority to Fine and Penalize
Sec. 1: The Student Government organization has the authority to impose fines upon all RASB organizations, included
classes, or other such penalties as deemed appropriate, including the revocation of a club's charter.
ARTICLE II: Fines and Penalties
Sec. 1: Any club may be penalized or fined for violation of a club charter, failure to adhere to financial procedures,
failure to adhere to publicity procedures, failure to adhere to scheduling procedures, or failure to have
appropriate representation at the Inter-Club Council meetings.
Sec. 2: Student Government must pass all general bills regarding fines and penalties for the above infractions.
Student government must announce the bills to the Inter-Club Council two weeks before such bills
go into effect.
Sec. 3: When it comes to the attention of Student Government that a club has violated a fine/penalty bill,
there must be a motion brought before Student Government to impose the appropriate fine or penalty.
This motion must be approved by a two-thirds majority of Student Government. The President and
faculty advisor of the club in question must then be informed of the decision.
Sec 4: The club has two weeks to appeal to Student Government through a petition signed by a simple
majority of its members, to be submitted to the RASB Vice President. The RASI.1 Vice President
must announce this appeal to Student Government at the subsequent formal meeting. Student
Government may then approve or deny the appeal by a majority vote. If the appeal is denied, then the
fine/penalty shall take effect.
Sec. 5: A general infraction of the school rules or appropriate behavior by the club or a significant number of
its members may also invoke penalties or fines. A motion to impose fines or penalties, accompanied
by a specific list of grievances, must be approved by a majority of the Inter-Club Council. The appeals
procedure described in Section 4 will then go into effect, and the approval or denial of an appeal by
Student Government must be announced to the Inter-Club Council.
Sec. 6: Any club organization which has its charter revoked, and fails to appeal, or has its appeal denied, shall have its
funds immediately transferred into the general account as soon as the revocation goes into effect.
Sec. 7: Any class that is fined for improper financial procedure or failure to abide by the general bills regarding fines
and penalties will incur a fine or penalty with a majority vote by the Student Government class.
Amended and Revised Constitution of the Rio Americano Student Body, 2005