Policies

Preamble

Margaret Root Brown College and the government and members thereof, through the establishment of this Constitution, shall provide and maintain an atmosphere that encourages the personal, intellectual, and social growth of its members by fostering the development of communal and individual responsibility. To achieve these ends, the members shall cultivate a unique sense of tradition and belonging; empower a dedicated, strong, responsible, and compassionate college government; and share both ideas and enthusiasm with their peers and associates. Brown College and its members, in encouraging social activities and athletic and academic struggle at the highest degree of sportsmanship, hereby pledge to achieve an ideal community within Rice University.

Article I: General Structure

The Government of Brown College shall consist of the Cabinet, the Court, and any other committees and/or elected officials as enumerated in this Constitution or in the by-laws. The separation of powers between Cabinet and Court must be maintained.

Section A: Membership

The student membership shall consist of those undergraduates at Rice University who are assigned to Brown College through university procedure. Only members of this college may vote in college elections and hold college office.

Section B: Cabinet Membership

The full Cabinet shall consist of the following members:
- President
- Internal Vice President
- External Vice President
- Treasurer
- Secretary
- Parliamentarian
- Floor Representatives
- Off-Campus Representatives
- New Student Representative
- Student Association Senator
- Rice Program Council Representative

The following cabinet officers shall comprise the Executive Cabinet: President, Internal Vice President, External Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Parliamentarian.

Section C: Functions and Authority of the Cabinet

Sub-Section One: Responsibilities & Rights of the Cabinet

The Cabinet shall legislate on all matters. The Cabinet shall have the power to make decisions on all college matters in the name of Brown College. The Cabinet shall be responsible for enacting bylaws to this Constitution. By-laws to this Constitution may be enacted and revoked by a two thirds vote of the Cabinet. Furthermore, the room assignment policy can be changed with a three-fourths vote of the cabinet.

The Cabinet shall take into consideration the recommendations of the Housing and Residence Council as well as the Permanent Improvements Committee in enacting rules that apply specifically to residential matters and the college building itself. Residential rules may be enacted only by a two-thirds vote of the Cabinet.

The Cabinet shall have sole responsibility for determining the fiscal policies of the college. The budget and any changes must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the Cabinet. The Cabinet may authorize individual college members or officers to spend a limited amount of college funds for specific purposes at their own discretion, subject to the approval of the Treasurer. In addition, the Cabinet may require individual approval of all single expenditures exceeding a specified maximum.

The Cabinet shall appoint its own committees whenever deemed advisable for any purpose not provided for in the duties of the officers.

The Cabinet shall coordinate and supervise the work of its officers.

Sub-Section Two: Meetings of the College and the Cabinet

All-college meetings shall be held as the need for them arises. They shall be called by the President of the college or at the request of the Master. A petition, presented to the President, of ten percent of the college membership requires the President to call an all-college meeting.

Cabinet meetings shall be held at least twice a calendar month, except during final exams. The Cabinet may call for a closed meeting by a majority vote. During a closed meeting of the Cabinet, only elected members and the Parliamentarian shall be present. All other meetings of the Cabinet shall be open to the entire college membership.

The Secretary shall publish, for the entire college to view, the minutes of all open Cabinet meetings. The Secretary shall publish, for the entire college to view, abstracts of all closed Cabinet meetings.

Meetings of the Cabinet shall be called by the President as required above or at the request of at least three Cabinet members.

The Cabinet shall further detail the rules of its own functioning in the by-laws.

Section D: Court Membership

The Court shall consist of the following members:
- Chief Justice
- Recording Justice (Secretary)
- Parking Justice
- Two additional Justices
- New Student Representative

Section E: Functions and Authority of the Court

The Court shall have the authority to interpret and enforce the Constitution, Residence Rules, bylaws, and Judicial Code of Brown College. The Court retains the right, by majority vote and after a public hearing, to overrule the preliminary judgment of the Parliamentarian on questions of Constitutional interpretation. The Court shall be responsible for giving and enforcing fines at Brown College. These fines include both the fines levied by the Brown Court and passing on the fines from Housing and Dining.

The Court shall remain a self-governing entity, independent of the Cabinet and the general membership of the college. The Recording Justice, however, shall make abstracts of Court meetings available for the entire college to view.

Article II: Officers of the Cabinet

All officers of the Cabinet shall fulfill the requirements spelled out for their office below; they shall be elected or appointed as specified in the by-laws and below.

All elected or appointed positions within the cabinet shall be held by only one person.

Persons who hold a position in which it is required that they live on campus, and choose to move off campus, will effectively resign themselves from their position.

Section A: President

The President shall be an incoming junior, senior, or fifth year. The President must live on-campus the fall and spring semester of the academic year following his/her election; the President must live on-campus for Orientation Week. The President shall have his/her choice of room in the college and be guaranteed a parking spot in the fall and spring semesters after his/her election.

He/she shall be the chief officer of the college. He/she shall be informed of all college activities and advise officers and committees.

He/she shall preside at meetings of the Cabinet and shall prepare the agenda for these meetings or shall delegate the preparation of the agenda. As presiding officer, he/she will not have a vote in cabinet meetings except in the case where his/her vote would make or break a tie.

He/she shall be empowered, after consultation with at least one other member of the Executive Cabinet, to make emergency decisions in the name of the college when he/she feels it is necessary, provided that he/she reports all such decisions to the Cabinet. Such actions are subject to review by the full Cabinet at its next meeting.

He/she shall be the official representative of the college and shall represent the college in the Student Association Senate.

Section B: Internal Vice President (IVP)

The IVP shall be an incoming junior, senior, or fifth year. The IVP must live on-campus the fall and spring semester of the academic year following his/her election.

He/she shall assume the duties of the President in case of the absence, disability, resignation, or impeachment of the President. He/she shall also serve as the official presidential proxy to the campus-wide meetings which the President cannot attend.

He/she shall chair and over see the duties of the floor representatives and the Room Assignment Committee.

He/she shall also supervise and advise the work of the following standing committees: Academics, Alumni, Computers, Elections, Food, History, and Permanent Improvements.

He/she shall be responsible for meetings with the Committee Chairpersons as specified in the bylaws.

Section C: External Vice President (EVP)

The EVP shall be an incoming junior, senior, or fifth year. The EVP must live on-campus the fall and spring semester of the academic year following his/her election, and will be guaranteed a parking spot for the fall and spring following his/her election.

He/she shall be responsible for overall social planning and coordination for all college social and athletic events, including organizing refreshments for Cabinet meetings. He/she will also be in charge of organizing search committees for new RAs and Masters when needed.

He/she shall also supervise and advise the work of the following coordinators and standing
committees: Associates, Cultural, O-Week, Social, Beer-Bike, Brown Events, College Night, Social Concerns, Theater and Sports.

He/she shall be responsible for meetings with the coordinators and Committee Chairpersons as specified in the by-laws.

Section D: Treasurer

The Treasurer shall be an incoming junior, senior, or fifth year. The Treasurer must live on-campus the fall and spring semester of the academic year following his/her election; the Treasurer must live on-campus for Orientation Week.

He/she shall collect and disburse college funds in accordance with the direction of the Cabinet.

He/she shall keep the official financial records of the college and shall report at the beginning of each semester on the college\\`s finances at Cabinet meetings.

He/she shall prepare the college budget, in consultation with the Executive Cabinet, for
presentation to the Cabinet for its vote of approval at the first cabinet meeting in the Fall semester.

He/she shall recommend to the Cabinet proposed allocations of college funds to the officers for their discretionary use.

He/she shall be responsible for the Concessions manager.

Section E: Secretary

The Secretary shall be an incoming sophomore, junior, senior, or fifth year. The Secretary shall not be exempt from the bump. Anyone holding the position shall receive a point bonus, to be determined in the Room Assignment Policy, in the bump.

He/she shall be responsible for the preparation, recording, distribution, and safekeeping of the minutes of all-college and Cabinet meetings. He/she shall also make abstracts of all closed Cabinet meetings known to the entire college.

He/she shall be responsible for the semi-weekly preparation and distribution of announcements from Brown College and other student organizations, and the advertisement of cabinet meetings.

He/she shall maintain the official college records.

Section F: Floor Representatives

There shall be one floor representative for each tower floor, and one floor representative for each new wing floor, for a total of ten floor representatives. Each representative shall be elected by the current members of his/her respective floor or otherwise specified constituency during the fall elections. Each shall be an incoming sophomore, junior, senior, or fifth year-in the case that no upperclassman files a petition for the position, a new student may run.

They shall be responsible for seeking out the opinions of their constituents by holding meetings between Cabinet meetings and for representing these opinions at the Cabinet meetings.

They shall be responsible for handling the budget allotted to them by the Treasurer as approved by the Cabinet.

They shall be members of the Housing and Residence Council and responsible for those responsibilities assigned to them by the Executive Cabinet and outlined in the by-laws.

Section G: Off-Campus Representatives

There shall be three off-campus representatives selected from those college members not resident in the college building. The representatives must live off-campus for the entire duration of their term. If a representative moves back on-campus, then an election must be held for their replacement. The off-campus representatives shall be elected by the current off-campus members during the fall elections. Each shall be a returning sophomore, junior, senior, or fifth year-in the case that less than three upperclassmen file a petition for the position, new students may run.

They shall assess the opinions of the off-campus members and act as liaison between them and the college government.

Section H: New Student Representative

The New Student Representative shall seek out the opinions of the first-year college members and shall represent these opinions in Cabinet meetings. The representative shall be a non-voting member of the Cabinet for the first semester of their term; thereafter, they shall have the right to vote. The first-year members of the college shall elect him/her in the fall elections.

He/she shall encourage the participation of new college members in the activities of the college, and shall maintain a record of those new students who have completed their required service points as outlined in the by-laws. He/She shall inform the IVP of each new student`s standing prior to room draw.

Section I: Student Association (SA) Senator

The SA Senator shall be an incoming sophomore, junior, senior, or fifth year. The SA Senator shall not be exempt from the bump. The SA Senator shall be a non-voting member of the Cabinet.

He/she shall submit a report of the activities of the SA in the week following each meeting of that body. This report shall be presented orally at Cabinet meetings and in a written report to be included in the college minutes. Two missed reports in a row or two missed reports in one calendar month shall be grounds for dismissal.

He/she, along with the college President, shall serve as liaison between the SA Senate and the college.

Section J: Rice Program Council (RPC) Representative

The RPC Representative shall be an incoming sophomore, junior, senior, or fifth year.

The RPC Representative shall not be exempt from the bump. The RPC Representative shall be a non-voting member of the Cabinet.

He/she shall submit a report of the activities of the RPC in the week following each meeting of that body. This report shall be presented orally at Cabinet meetings and in a written report to be included in the college minutes. Two missed reports in a row or two missed reports in one calendar month shall be grounds for dismissal.

He/she shall serve as liaison between the RPC and the college.

Section K: Parliamentarian

The Parliamentarian shall be an incoming sophomore, junior, senior, or fifth year. The Parliamentarian shall not be exempt from the bump. The Parliamentarian shall be a non-voting member of the Cabinet.

The President shall appoint the Parliamentarian before changeover, but his/her appointment is subject to the approval of the new full Cabinet. The President is obligated to appoint a Parliamentarian with a strong working knowledge of Robert\\`s Rules of Order.

He/she shall advise the cabinet on issues of Constitutional interpretation and issue a preliminary ruling on any questions. He/she shall also be the authority on all parliamentary rules and procedure.

He/she shall be responsible for maintaining records of and publishing the text of the Constitution, Constitutional Amendments, by-laws, and all other college policies.

The ruling of the Parliamentarian on a question of Constitutional interpretation may be overridden by a majority vote of the Court after a public hearing. The ruling of the Parliamentarian on a question of procedure may be overridden by a two-thirds vote of the Cabinet.

The Parliamentarian shall assure that announcements are conducted in a timely manner at Cabinet.

He/She shall not hold an additional position within the Cabinet that is a voting position.

Article III: Officers of the Court

All officers of the Court shall fulfill the requirements spelled out for their office below and in the Judicial Code; they shall be elected as specified in the by-laws and below. After the election of the five court members, the outgoing court members shall confer with the new court and advise its members of the responsibilities and duties of the Court. The court is required to convene at least twice a semester.

All positions of the court shall be held by only one person.

Section A: Chief Justice

The Chief Justice shall be an incoming junior, senior, or fifth year. The Chief Justice must live on campus the fall and spring semester of the academic year following his/her election; the Chief Justice must also live on-campus for Orientation Week.

The Chief Justice shall be elected directly by the members of the college. The Chief Justice may not also be the Recording or Parking Justice.

The Chief Justice shall be required to attend Cabinet meetings only when the discussion of a disciplinary matter involving the college and an offender is on that meeting\\`s agenda.

Section B: Recording Justice (Secretary)

The Recording Justice shall be an incoming sophomore, junior, senior, or fifth year. The Recording Justice shall not be exempt from the bump. Anyone holding the position shall receive a point bonus, to be determined in the Room Assignment Policy, in the bump.

Both outgoing and incoming courts shall elect one of the incoming members the Recording
Justice. Those who are serving a second consecutive term shall have only one vote. In the event the number of members voting is even, the outgoing New Student Representative shall have a vote. In the event that the outgoing New Student Representative is a justice on the incoming court, each member (outgoing and incoming) of the court shall have one and one-half votes. The Recording Justice may not also be the Chief or Parking Justice.

He/she shall be responsible for the preparation, recording, distribution, and safekeeping of the minutes of all Court meetings. He/she shall also make abstracts of all Court meetings known to the entire college.

Section C: Parking Justice

The Parking Justice shall be an incoming sophomore, junior, senior, or fifth year. The Parking Justice shall be selected by Court members from their own membership via the same procedure as the Recording Justice, but must be a justice who will be living on campus for all semesters of their term. In the event that all of the justices have been bumped off campus, the single justice of their choosing shall be granted on campus housing; the Parking Justice may not also be the Chief or Recording Justice.

He/she shall be responsible for the enforcement of parking rules in all college lots.

He/she shall be responsible for the sale and distribution of resident lot parking stickers to those students deemed eligible by the Cabinet.

He/She shall be the liaison to the Rice University Police Department on all parking matters.

Section D: Additional Justices

Two additional Justices shall complete the voting membership of the Court. Each shall be a returning sophomore, junior, senior, or fifth year. The Justices shall not be exempt from the bump. Anyone holding the position shall receive a point bonus, to be determined in the Room Assignment Policy, in the bump.

Section E: New Student Representative

The New Student Representative shall be a non-voting member of the Court. The first-year members of the college shall elect him/her in the fall elections.

Section F: Restrictions

Members of the Court may not be members of the Cabinet during their term of office. Maximum tenure is two years total, not including service as New Student Representative.

Members of the court may not be members of the Elections Committee. If any court members are running for election they shall be removed from judiciary proceedings should an election problem occur.

Article IV: Initiative, Referendum, Recall and Impeachment

Section A: Initiative

A petition of ten percent of the college membership, presented to the President, requires the Cabinet to discuss and take action on a specific issue.

Section B: Referendum

A referendum on any action of the Cabinet may be called for by a majority of that body or by a petition of ten percent of the college membership presented to the President. The decision of the majority of those college members voting-which must be equal to or greater than thirty percent of the college membership-on the referendum is binding on the Cabinet.

Section C: Recall

A referendum for the recall of a member of the government, a coordinator, or any ad hoc or standing committee chair may be called for by a majority of the Cabinet or by a petition, presented to the President, of ten percent of the college membership. The decision of the majority of those college members voting-which must be equal to or greater than thirty percent of the college membership-on the recall referendum is binding on the Cabinet and the subject of the recall. A new election will be held or a new appointment will be made for the position if the recall referendum is successful; the recalled may stand again for election/appointment should he/she choose to do so.

Section D: Impeachment

A member of the college government, a coordinator, or any ad hoc or standing committee chair may be impeached for failure to carry out the responsibilities and duties of his/her office. A majority vote of the body of which the subject of the impeachment attempt is a member or a petition, presented to the President, of twenty-five percent of the college membership shall be required to impeach. In the case of an Executive Cabinet member being the subject of an impeachment attempt, a majority of the voting Cabinet in its entirety, excluding the member being impeached, or the above detailed petition is necessary to impeach.

The Executive Cabinet and Court sitting in joint session shall try all impeachments. The Chief Justice shall chair said tribunal; in the case where the Chief Justice is the subject of the impeachment, the chair would pass to the President. A two-thirds vote of this body shall be required to convict and remove from office the impeached. A convicted member of the college government is forever banned from holding any office or position in the college.

Article VII: Amendments

Amendments to the Constitution may be proposed by a majority vote of the Cabinet or by a petition, presented to the President, of fifteen percent of the college membership. A two-thirds majority of those college members voting-which must be equal to or greater than thirty percent of the college membership-is required to enact amendments to the Constitution.

Attest
Brown College Constitution Committee; January 30, 2005