Full text of the most recent draft of "A RESOLUTION TO AMEND THE STUDENT SENATE BY-LAWS FOR THE

SMU STUDENT SENATE

Legislative Number: S-103-13 Final Vote:

Authors: Blake Rainey, et al. Senate Secretary: Will Jones

Dean of Student Life: Dr. Stephen Rankin Student Senate Chair: Will Stovall

A RESOLUTION TO AMEND THE STUDENT SENATE BY-LAWS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN INSTITUTIONALIZED AD HOC COMMITTEE ON CAMPUS INCLUSION AND TO ESTABLISH CHARTER FREEZES

WHEREAS the campus climate of Southern Methodist University continues to be challenged by issues of inclusion, diversity, and racial insensitivity, and

RECOGNIZING the need for tangible and timely solutions to promote a cultural change to combat the negative image and atmosphere perceived and experienced on our campus as a result of these pressing issues and concerns, and

ACKNOWLEDGING the role of the Student Senate in fostering an environment that allows all SMU Mustangs, and any stakeholders to the University, to be supported and valued both on and off campus

BE IT THEREFORE

RESOLVED that the following subsection be added to Article VIII,

Section 2 of the Student Senate By-Laws:

2. The President of the Student Body may convene the Committee on Campus Inclusion to respond to urgent concerns posed by incidents in which members of any SMU minority community are targeted. Responses may include, but are not limited to, issuing statements to the student body, hosting open forums or tabling events, and promoting events intended to create a more inclusive campus atmosphere. However, this committee will have no authority to investigate any incident or have any disciplinary authority over any member of the SMU community. This committee will consist of all members of the Student Senate Executive Committee, all Special Interest Senators, the Chair of the Diversity Committee, the Student Senate Advisor (who shall serve as an ex-officio, non-voting member), and three other Student Senators who are to be elected to the committee, in the same process as outlined in the previous subsection, in the next meeting of the Student Senate following the first meeting of the committee. Due to the necessity for urgent response to events that happen on or directly affect the SMU campus, the President of the Student Body may convene this committee before the next meeting of the Student Senate that occurs after the incident(s) in question. However, the President of the Student Body must provide a description of the incident(s) in question to the Student Senate and report any actions the committee has taken in every succeeding meeting of the Student Senate in which the committee continues to convene. If the president is unable to give the report for any appropriate Student Senate meeting, another member of the committee shall give the report on committee updates.

, and

BE IT FURTHER

RESOLVED that Article V, Section 4, Subsection 4, Subsubsection f,

part iii of the Student Senate By-Laws be amended to read:

iii. Organizations may not discriminate based on sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, disability, age, veteran status, genetic information, or national origin. This applies to all groups with the exception of those organizations specifically exempted in Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972. Chartered or temporarily chartered organizations suspected of violating this policy shall come under charter review by the Organizations Committee within one week of the occurrence or revelation of the occurrence of the alleged violation. If the Organizations Committee finds the organization in question to have violated this policy, it may make a recommendation to the Student Senate to revoke or freeze an organization’s charter, which must be confirmed by a majority vote of the Senate to be executed. A charter freeze is defined as a state of temporary suspension of an organization’s charter or temporary charter status lasting no longer than one calendar year in which all charter or temporary charter privileges of an organization are suspended and the organization may not receive any funding from the Finance Committee. Organizations may establish additional membership and academic eligibility requirements.

Respectfully Submitted,

Blake Rainey

Student Body President

Cecily Cox

Diversity Committee Chair

Olivia Buerkle

Organizations Committee Chair