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Scott-Coman Hall Constitution
Preamble
For the purpose of establishing an academic atmosphere, cultivating a friendly and
cooperative community, encouraging diversity within the hall, strengthening bonds between
our community and the entire university, and promoting a spirit of camaraderie within ScottComan, we the people of Scott-Coman Hall hereby establish this constitution.
Article I - Name
The name of this Community shall be Scott-Coman.
Article II - Membership
All residents of Scott-Coman Hall shall be members of this Community, including the
Residential Education Director, Advanced Paraprofessional, and Resident Advisors.
Article III – Hall Government
The Hall Government, as defined in Article VII, shall have the responsibility of managing the
hall budget, overseeing the general supervision of the Community, and establishing policies
within the hall. The Hall Government shall serve from spring commencement until the
following spring commencement.
Article IV - Meetings
Section 1 – Regular Membership Meetings
There shall be two regular membership meetings each year, initiated by the
Residential Education Director, to be held in August and January. Additional
meetings may be called by the Hall Government, or by a petition of one-third of the
entire Community. These meetings shall have the following purposes: reviewing and
explaining the policies of Scott-Coman and Washington State University; receiving
feedback and suggestions from the Community; and providing a forum for properly
signed petitions on those issues up for a vote of the Community.
Section 2 – Hall Government Meetings
There shall be one meeting of the Hall Government each week at the discretion of the
Hall Government, with the exceptions of vacations. Attendance for these meetings
shall be defined in Article VIII, Section 16.
Section 3 – Executive Council Meetings
There shall be one meeting of the Executive Council, separate from the entire Hall
Government, each week at the discretion of the Executive Council, with the
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exceptions of vacations. Attendance for these meetings shall be defined in Article
VIII, Section 16.
Articles V - Rules
Section 1 – Amendments to the Constitution
The Constitution of this Community may be amended according to the following
procedure:
A. A signed petition by at least one-third of the Community must be presented to the
Hall Government will put the Constitutional amendment to a vote, provided that
all signatures of the petition were obtained within a three-week period. A twothirds vote of the Hall Government may also put the Constitutional amendment to
a vote in the same manner.
B. The vote shall be the responsibility of the Hall Government. The Constitutional
amendment must be posted in conspicuous locations throughout Scott-Coman
Hall for a period of one week prior to the vote. The vote must be held within one
week of the petition’s presentation to the Hall Government or the Hall
Government’s decision to vote excluding Dead Week, Finals Week, or vacation
times.
C. A quorum of one-half of the Community shall be required for a vote to be
officially binding, of which two-thirds must be in favor of the Constitutional
amendment for said amendment to pass.
D. The vote shall extend for a period of one day, with the exception that quorum is
not met, in which case the vote shall be extended to one week.
Section 2 – Amendments to the Bylaws
The Bylaws of the Constitution of this Community may be amended according to the
following procedure:
A. A petition signed by at least one-third of the entire Community, presented to the
Hall Government, will put the amendment to the Bylaws to a vote, provided that
all the signatures were obtained within a three-week period.
B. The vote shall be the responsibility of the Hall Government. The amendment to
the Bylaws must be posted in conspicuous locations throughout Scott-Coman
Hall for a period of one week prior to the vote. The vote must be held within one
week of the petition’s presentation to the Hall Government excluding Dead Week,
Finals Week, or vacation times.
C. A quorum of one-half of the entire Community shall be required for a vote to be
binding, of which two-thirds must be in favor of the amendment for said
amendment to pass.
D. The Hall Government may amend the Bylaws by a two-thirds vote of a quorum
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of three-fourths of the Hall Government.
Section 3 – Replacement of the Constitution
If at any time, the membership of this Community or the Hall Government deems it
necessary to replace this Constitution, a new Constitution may be written and posted
in conspicuous locations throughout Scott-Coman Hall. A quorum consisting of onehalf of the entire Community must vote for the vote to be legally binding, of which a
two-thirds majority favorable vote is needed for the Constitution to pass. If the vote
passes, the old Constitution shall be immediately null and void, and officers holding
office under the previous Constitution shall remain in office under the new
Constitution.
Article VII – Budget and Dues
Section 1 - Dues
Each member of the Community, with the exceptions of the Resident Advisors,
Residential Education Director, and Advanced Paraprofessional, shall be required to
pay dues. Dues shall be paid according to Residence Life policy.
Section 2 - Budget
A. The Budget for Scott-Coman will be prepared by the Executive Council of the
Hall Government in conjunction with the Residential Education Director and/or
Advanced Paraprofessional, and presented to the Hall Government during the
first meeting of each semester.
B. The Hall Government may amend the proposed Budget by a simple majority vote.
C. The Hall Government will approve the Budget for Scott-Coman by a simple
majority vote.
Article VIII – Hall Government
Section 1 – Voting Membership
Voting Membership of the Scott-Coman Hall Government will consist of the
Executive Council, as defined in Article VIII, Section 3 with the exception of the
President; the President in the event of a tie vote; and sixteen Senators as defined in
Article VIII, Section 11.
Section 2 – Non-Voting Membership
Non-Voting Membership of the Scott-Coman Hall Government will consist of the
President except in the event of a tie vote, Resident Advisors, Community Assistants,
Residential Education Direction, Advanced Paraprofessional, and guests.
Section 3 – Executive Council
The Executive Council of Scott-Coman shall be comprised of the President, Vice
President, Secretary, Facilities Coordinator, Activities Coordinator, Historian,
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Webmaster, and two Residence Hall Association (RHA) Representatives. Each
executive member, with the exception of the President, will receive a stipend for each
semester for duties performed. Stipends for RHA representatives will be one hundred
fifty dollars. Stipends for all other executives, excluding the President will be
seventy-five dollars. The duties of the Executive Council include, but are not limited
to:
A. Attending meetings of the Hall Government in accordance to the attendance
policy stated in Article VIII, Section 16.
B. Attending meetings of the Executive Council in accordance to the attendance
policy stated in Article VIII, Section 16.
C. Working with the Residential Education Director to establish the Budget.
D. Working together on the creation and revision of the Constitution.
E. Returning to the Pullman Campus of Washington State University during Week
of Welcome, before the majority of incoming students arrive, to assist them with
orientation and check-in.
F. Meeting during Week of Welcome to be introduced to the staff, Residential
Education Director, and Advanced Paraprofesesional, as well as review this
Constitution and the procedures to be used in governing Scott-Coman.
G. Planning activities and events for residents during Week of Welcome.
H. Acting as mentors for incoming executives from the time of the announcement of
the new executives until the Spring Semester finishes.
I. Chairing or co-chairing at least one committee, as defined in Article III of the
Bylaws, excluding the President and RHA Representatives.
J. To retain membership, members of the executive council must abide by the
Attendance Policy in Article VIII, Section 15, and maintain a minimum,
cumulative grade point average of 2.3 on a four-point scale.
Section 4 - President
The President of Scott-Coman shall:
A. Preside over all meetings of the Hall Government and general membership.
B. Act as the official representative of the Community, particularly when
C.
D.
E.
F.
representing views and policies established by the Hall Government.
Direct the setting of goals and objectives for the Hall Government.
Serve as a temporary representative to the RHA council, or elect to assume the
position, if two representatives are not found.
Be responsible for working with the Vice President to write a Scott-Coman
Welcome Letter placed in the mailboxes of incoming students during Week of
Welcome.
Receive a housing discount according to the Residence Life policy for Hall
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Presidents.
G. Advise the Residential Education Director of the actions of the Hall Government.
H. Meet weekly with the Residential Education Director to sign bills and discuss
issues related to the Hall Government and the entire Community..
I. Establish one or more office hours per week and post these hours on or around
his or her door and at the front desks.
Section 5 – Vice President
The Vice President of Scott-Coman shall:
A. Assume full duties of the President in the event of presidential incapacitation,
whether temporary or permanent.
B. Act as administrative assistant to the President.
C. Act as a parliamentarian, if needed, at the meetings of the Hall Government.
D. Serve as a substitute delegate to the RHA council if there is a vacancy in an RHA
position..
E. Serve as the Scott-Coman Intramurals Representative if no other person has been
appointed to do so.
F. Establish one or more office hours per week and post these hours on or around
his or her door and at the front desks.
Section 6 - Secretary
The Secretary of Scott-Coman shall:
A. Prepare and distribute an email list of and to all the members of the Hall
B.
C.
D.
E.
Government.
Take attendance at all Executive Council and Hall Government meetings.
Record, compile, and distribute the minutes of the Hall Government meetings
within two days after said meetings. Minutes are to be posted in the bathrooms,
lobbies, and at the front desk.
Handle official correspondence for Scott-Coman, the Hall Government, and the
Executive Council, and preserve records of these communications.
Prepare, with the Historian, a Hall of the Year bid in the event that no committee
has been formed to do so.
F. Submit, within two days of the last Hall Government meeting of the academic
year, a compilation of all of the Hall Government minutes from the entire
academic year. This compilation will be placed on file in the Scott-Coman office,
with copies given to the incoming Secretary.
G. Establish one or more office hours per week and post these hours on or around
his or her door and at the front desks.
Section 7 – Facilities Coordinator
The Facilities Coordinator of Scott-Coman shall:
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A. Oversee the general upkeep of all hall supplies and facilities, including but not
limited to: the pool table and equipment, the kitchen and its associated equipment,
and games and sporting equipment kept at the front desk.
B. Be in charge of new acquisitions.
C. Establish one or more office hours per week and post these hours on or around
his or her door and at the front desks.
Section 8 – Activities Coordinator
The Activities Coordinator of Scott-Coman shall:
A. Coordinate all programs planned and sponsored by the Hall Government.
B. Act as a representative of the Hall Government for programs planned and
sponsored with other halls in conjunction with Scott-Coman.
C. Implement two programs over the course of the academic year if no
programming committee has been formed.
D. Establish one or more office hours per week and post these hours on or around
his or her door and at the front desks.
Section 9 - Historian
The Historian of Scott-Coman shall:
A. Be responsible for recording all of the programs, events, and activities that ScottComan sponsored and participated in a manner he or she best sees fit.
B. Prepare, with the Secretary, a Hall of the Year bid in the event that no committee
has been formed to do so.
C. Establish one or more office hours per week and post these hours on or around
his or her door and at the front desks.
Section 10 - Webmaster
The Webmaster of Scott-Coman shall:
A. Work in conjunction with Scott-Coman Hall Government to maintain its image
and events by means of the Scott-Coman website. This includes but is not limited
to: posting picture in conjunction with the historian, posting hall government
minutes in conjunction with the Secretary, and keeping the website up to date on
hall events in conjunction with the activities coordinator.
B. Establish one or more office hours per week and post these hours on or around
his or her door and at the front desks.
Section 10 – Residence Hall Association Representatives
The two Residence Hall Association Representatives of Scott-Coman shall:
A. Attend all Residence Hall Association council meetings, and represent the view
of the Hall Government and general membership.
B. Report on RHA actions at the Executive Council, Hall Government, and general
membership meetings.
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C. Serve as a member on one or more RHA committees.
D. Establish one or more office hours per week and post these hours on or around
his or her door and at the front desks.
Section 11 - Senators
Each floor shall elect two Senators to serve as their representatives to the Hall
Government. Each senator shall:
A. Represent the views and opinions of his or her floor at the Hall Government
meetings.
B. Participate in at least one Hall Government committee.
C. Work in conjunction with their RA to provide information of the actions of the
Hall Government during floor meetings.
D. Work in conjunction with the Resident Advisor to establish a proper atmosphere
on his or her respective floor, and to assist in the planning of the use of floor
funds.
Section 12 – Resident Advisors
The Resident Advisors of Scott-Coman, pertaining to the Hall Government, shall
send at least one representative of the Resident Advisors to each Hall Government
meeting to represent the views of the Resident Advisors and to inform the Hall
Government on the actions of the Resident Advisors.
Section 13 – Community Assistants
The Community Assistants of Scott-Coman, pertaining to the Hall Government, shall
send at least one representative of the Community Assistants to each Hall
Government meeting to represent the views of the Community Assistants and to
inform the Hall Government on the actions of the Community Assistants.
Section 14 – Residential Education Director and Advanced Paraprofessional
The Residential Education Director of Scott-Coman and Advanced Paraprofessional
of Scott-Coman, pertaining to the Hall Government, shall:
A. Assist the Executive Council in preparing the Budget.
B. Advise the Hall Government.
C. Inform the Hall Government of relevant information.
D. Attend the meetings of the Hall Government when able to do so.
Section 15 – Attendance Policy
The Attendance Policy for the meetings of the Scott-Coman Hall Government is as
follows:
A. The Secretary shall at all Hall Government and Executive Council meetings take
attendance.
B. If any member of the Executive Council is going to be absent from the Hall
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Government or Executive Council meeting, then it is his or her obligation to
inform the President or the Secretary of this intended absence. This notice should
be given no later than one hour prior to the meeting.
C. If any Senator is going to be absent from the Hall Government meeting, then it is
his or her obligation to inform the President or the Secretary of this intended
absence. The Senator is also responsible for finding a replacement for the
meeting. This notice should be given no later than one hour prior to the meeting.
D. It is up to the judgment of the President to determine whether or not an absence is
to be considered excused or not.
E. After one unexcused absence, the President will issue a warning to the individual.
After two unexcused absences, if the individual is a Senator, the funds of his or
her floor will be temporarily frozen. That is, the floor may not access floor funds
until a resolution has been reached with the Hall President. If the individual is an
Executive member, the Executive Council shall decide on an appropriate action,
which may include recall or reduction of stipend.
Section 16 - Recall
The process of Recall is as follows:
A. A Hall Government member is subject for recall if he or she has failed to do his
or her duties as stated in the Constitution and/or violated any of the regulations of
Washington State University.
B. The charges against the Hall Government members subject to recall are to be
brought before the Executive Council to decide validity of the charges.
C. If the charges are valid, a hearing shall be held at the next Hall Government
meeting. The Residential Education Director or Advanced Paraprofessional shall
serve as mediator. The accusers will have an opportunity to speak, followed by
the accused. The accusers will then have an opportunity to speak a second time,
followed by the accused. Hearsay shall not be admitted.
D. Any Senator can be relived of his or her position by a four-fifths vote of the Hall
Government or a two-thirds vote of his or her floor.
E. Any Executive can be relieved of his or her position by a four-fifths vote of the
Hall Government or a two-thirds vote of the entire membership.
F. Voting shall be by secret ballot.
Bylaws
Article I – Hall Government Meetings
Bylaws pertaining to Hall Government meetings are as follows:
A. At the first meeting, the Constitution must be handed out to each Hall
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Government member.
B. Hall Government meetings can be called by the President or by one-half of the
Hall Government. At least three days notice must be given for an unscheduled
meeting to be called. Except in the case of extraneous circumstances, all Hall
Government meetings are to be held on the same day of the week at the same
time. This day and time are to be set at the beginning of each semester.
C. One-half of the Hall Government constitutes a quorum.
D. Decisions of the Hall Government may be overturned using the petition
procedure of Article VI, Section 2 as stated above.
E. If a decision needs to be made before the next meeting, a simple majority vote of
the quorum is required to decide on the issue.
Article II - Elections
Section 1 – Executive Council
The Executive Council for the next academic year shall be elected by the general
membership in a general election in the spring of the current academic year. The
procedure for these elections is as follows:
A. Sign-ups for the Executive Council are to begin four Mondays before Dead Week
and last for two weeks.
B. All residents, except for the Residential Education Director, Advanced
Paraprofessional, and Resident Advisors, are eligible to vote.
C. Voting will take place the Monday before dead week and continue through that
Tuesday.
D. The week after signups have closed will be used exclusively for campaigning.
E. During actual voting, there shall be no campaigning near the room where actual
voting is taking place. This includes, but is not limited to, posters, publications,
and verbal advertisements that may promote a candidate. Failure to comply will
result in a disqualification of the offending party.
F. Voting shall be done by registered ballot at the Scott front desk (or a nearby
location) and at the Coman front desk area during the desk office hours. Ballots
are to be distributed in each mailbox by the time the election begins.
G. Each candidate will be given the chance to make a speech, limited to three
minutes, at the Hall Government meeting preceding the elections.
Section 2 - Senators
Floors shall elect two Senators each before the third week of the Fall Semester or the
first Hall Government meeting, whichever occurs first. The procedure for these
elections is to be determined by each individual floor. In the case of vacancies in
Senator positions, the floor will be responsible for filling such positions.
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Section 3 – Special Elections
Elections held to fill vacancies in the Executive Council during the school year will
use the following format:
A. There shall be two weeks of sign-ups, followed by one week of campaigning.
B. The election will be held at the conclusion of the week of campaigning.
C. The voting process shall occur as specified in Article II, Section One, Parts B, E,
and F.
D. In the event that there is only one candidate for a vacancy, a two-thirds vote of
the Hall Government will instate the candidate into the vacant executive position.
Article III - Committees
Section 1 – Committee Membership
Each committee, with the exception of the Constitutional Review committee, shall be
comprised of two members of the Executive Council, at least four Senators, and any
other interested parties. One or more members of the Executive Council shall serve
as chairperson of each committee. Each Senator must serve on at least one committee.
Section 2 – Committee Meetings
Time for committee meetings will be allocated each Hall Government meeting.
Reports on committee actions are to be given at each Hall Government meeting..
Section 3 – Activities Committee
A. The Chairpersons of the Activities Committee shall be the Activities Coordinator
and one other executive.
B. The purpose of the Activities Committee is to plan and conduct programs for the
benefit of Scott-Coman and others.
C. The Activities Committee is required to conduct at least one program every
month.
Section 4 – Philanthropy Committee
A. The Chairpersons of the Philanthropy Committee shall be two of the executives.
B. The purpose of the Philanthropy Committee is to plan and conduct activities in
the realm of community service.
C. The Philanthropy Committee is required to conduct at least one program each
semester.
D. The Philanthropy Committee shall have the option of meeting in conjunction
with the Activities Committee, at the discretion of the Executive Board.
Section 5 – Hall of the Year and Promotions Committee
A. The Chairpersons of the Hall of the Year and Promotions Committee shall be the
Historian and one other Executive.
B. The Hall of the Year and Promotions Committee shall inform the Community of
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upcoming and ongoing events, change one of the bulletin boards at least once a
month, and decorate the hall for any holiday or occasion the committee sees fit,
including RHA and all-hall competitions.
C. The Hall of the Year and Promotions Committee shall plan and prepare the Hall
of Year bid for Scott-Coman in the spring.
D. The Hall of the Year and Promotions Committee is required to conduct at least
one program each semester.
Section 6 – Facilities and Hall Improvement Committee
A. The Chairpersons of the Facilities and Hall Improvement Committee shall be the
Facilities Coordinator and one other executive.
B. The purpose of the Facilities and Hall Improvement is to assist the Facilities
Coordinator in his or her duties as stated in Article VIII, Section 7 of the
Constitution.
C. The Facilities and Hall Improvement Committee is required to conduct at least
one program each semester.
Section 7 – Constitutional Review Committee
A. The Constitutional Review Committee shall be comprised of the Vice President,
Secretary, one Senator from each of the other committees, and any other
interested parties.
B. The chairpersons of the Constitutional Review Committee shall be the Vice
President and the Secretary.
C. The Constitutional Review Committee shall meet once at the beginning of each
semester, and thereafter as needed, to review the Constitution and draft necessary
changes.
Article IV – Co-Presidency
If there is an absolute tie in the elections then Scott-Coman may have two Co-Presidents in
place of one President, provided that the following rules are abided by:
A. The Co-Presidents must share the duties as stated above in Article VIII, Section 4
of the Constitution.
B. The Co-Presidents must share the duties as stated above in Article VIII, Section 4
of the Constitution.
C. One of the Co-Presidents shall act as a Chairperson on the Activities Committee,
and one of the Co-Presidents shall serve on a committee of his or her choosing.