Leadership and Engagement

Review this guide and submit the requested information, and whether or not you intend to have ASG Recognition. If you are not seeking ASG recognition, please await contact from Student Leadership & Involvement letting you know if your status is approved.

ASG Recognition (and potential funding):
The ASG Attorney General will assist students with the organization recognition process. For questions or assistance please email the Attorney General at asg@allegheny.edu. The 2019-2020 Attorney General is Brandon Zabo.

Organizations must have the following: (paraphrased from ASG constitution):

• Be open to all students without respect to sex, race, creed, national origin, sexual orientation or ability/disability.
• Officers of ASG recognized organization must be students.
• ASG organizations are required to have an Allegheny employee as an advisor.
• ASG organizations must have an officer designated as a liaison between the organization and ASG.

Organization Constitution:
Your constitution is the framework upon which the workings of your organization is based. A sample constitution appears below containing the basic information that is necessary and obligatory for ASG recognition; however, you should not feel limited in any way to stick with only what is listed in the sample constitution. In order to receive ASG recognition each year, your organization will need to resubmit a Constitution with all updated ASG requirements with the budget request.

An ASG recognized group must include the following in their Constitution:

• The name of the organization.
• The aim and objective of the organization.
• Provisions and regulations regarding membership including, but not limited to, definition and eligibility (who can become a member) and establishment of quorum (how much of your group must be present in order to conduct official business –this number is normally 50 percent of membership plus one).
• A detailed process of election of officers, including when elections will be held (as per ASG By-Laws, these must be held before the end of March in order to qualify for budget hearings), a means for impeachment and a line of succession.
• A detailed description of the officers’ duties.
• A detailed description of the exercise of financial control (which also includes naming an official liaison to ASG from the group).
• Allowal for amendment changes to the group’s constitution (regardless of the details of the process, the group must allow its membership to approve the changes and then forward these to the Rules Committee who will then review the proposed amendments and send them to ASG Senate for a vote with or without a recommendation for approval).
• In addition, according to ASG By-Laws, the exclusion of members based on immutable characteristics has been defined as discrimination and is non-permissible. ASG-recognized organizations will be open to all students without respect to sex, race, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, ability/disability.

Organization Petition:
Print a copy of this petition to obtain signatures of fifty Allegheny students who support the idea of your organization and potential use of funding from student activities fees.

When the Constitution and Petition are complete:
Submit your Constitution as a word document to asg@allegheny.edu. Submit your organization petition via mail to the Attorney General, Allegheny Student Government Box 60 or in person to the ASG office in Room 316 of the Campus Center.

If you have any questions regarding the drafting of your constitution, get in touch with the ASG Attorney General who is there to help you! In 2019-2020 the Attorney General is Brandon Zabo. Brandon may be reached at asg@allegheny.edu.

Once information is submitted to ASG:
Congratulations! At this point, the process of recognition is, essentially, out of your hands. Once the Attorney General has a copy of your constitution, the following will occur:

• The Attorney General will forward a copy to the ASG Rules Committee. The Rules Committee is responsible for taking a preliminary look at every constitution that wishes to receive ASG recognition, making sure they abide by ASG By-Laws, and in cases where a constitution does not, recommending changes that should be made in order to ensure ASG approval. We also ask that a representative(s) from the organization be present during the Rules Committee meeting to discuss any changes.
• Once the constitution is received by the Rules Committee, the Attorney General will provide copies of your constitution to members of the ASG Senate prior to its next meeting. They will be asked to review it, likewise.
• During the Attorney General’s report in the Senate meeting, the Senate will be asked to vote on your constitution. Your constitution must pass the senate with 2/3 majority vote in favor for two consecutive weeks.
• The Attorney General will serve as your chief contact during this process and should make you aware of the date your constitution will first be presented for discussion and a vote. It is again, strongly recommended that the organization President and/or Treasurer (or other officers who can speak on behalf of the group) attend both the Rules Committee meeting during which your constitution will be presented and the Senate meeting during which your constitution is first presented for discussion, in order to answer any questions and correct any errors. Once your organization has received either approval or denial from the ASG Senate, the Attorney General will notify you within 24 hours.

If your organization needs a budget:

• After the constitution is approved (twice) your leadership can attend the ASG Finance Committee meeting which takes place every Tuesday at 6:00 PM, in Campus Center Room 206.
• Organizations are encouraged to bring a printed accounting and explanation of the budget request.
• New organizations can request a maximum amount that is not greater than $300.00. Please contact the 2019-2020 ASG Treasurer, Trevor Day (finance@allegheny.edu).
• As a note, ASG provides very limited funding for uniforms. Any equipment purchased for your organization from ASG funds becomes the property of Allegheny College.
• When the organization is established, the group, in order to qualify for a budget the following year, must sign up for a time during regular organization petitioning for budgets from ASG. This is typically in the beginning of April.
• In order to petition for a budget this and subsequent years, constitutions must be resubmitted with any changes that might have been made to ASG By-Laws during the year (the Attorney General will make you aware of any changes that need to be made). Any group that fails to resubmit a constitution will not be permitted to complete a budget request.
• According to new financial policy, the enforcement of good and bad standing will be enforced more vigorously. When allocating budgets for the following year, the Committee of the Budget will give preference to groups in the following manner:
  • Existing Groups in Good Standing
  • New Groups
  • Existing Groups in Bad Standing

All Club Sports: Must contact Kate Costanzo kcostanzo@allegheny.edu before filing a constitution with ASG.

Allegheny College ASG Recognized Organizations:
Basic Components of a Constitution

Note: This outline is merely a guideline to help you write your organization’s constitution. By no means must you use this exact wording or format, but the basic components outlined below must be included.

Name of Organization
(Adopted: date) (Updated: date)

Article I: Definition
Section 1: Name
The name of this organization established by this constitution will be ________________ (Abbreviation).
Section 2: Purpose
The __________________ will strive to…
Article II: Executive Branch
Section 1: Description
The executive power will be vested in the (list officers). These officials will be elected by the members of this organization. Election procedures are stated in Article IV, Elections.
Section 2: Duties and Powers of the President
A: The President shall…(list duties as needed).
Section 3: Duties and Powers of the Vice President
A: The Vice President shall… (list duties as needed).
B: The Vice President will assume responsibility in case of…
Section 4: Duties and Powers of the Secretary
A: The Secretary shall…
Section 5: Duties and Powers of the Treasurer
A: The Treasurer shall…
B: The Treasurer shall be the official liaison between the organization and ASG Finance.
Section 6: Impeachment
A: Any of the officers, as stated above, may be removed by 2/3 majority approval of the members. Membership is
defined in Article III, Membership.
Section 7: Succession
A. A vacancy in the office of the President will be filled by the Vice President.
B. A vacancy in the Vice Presidency will be filled by a nominee of the President’s with 2/3 majority confirmation by the membership.
C. All other offices will be filled by a nominee of the President with 2/3 confirmation by the membership.

Article III: Membership
Section 1: Defined
A. Membership is open to all students without respect to sex, race, creed, national origin, sexual orientation, ability/disability.
B. Members are required to attend (# of meetings). Total absences allowed per semester is (#).
Article IV: Elections
Section 1: Description
A. Officers will be elected annually (insert a time – be specific, i.e. two weeks after the start of the Spring Semester). Elections will be held for the following academic year by end of March.
B. Officers will be elected by a simple majority of the membership
C. Officers will serve (insert length of term — usually one year).
Section 2: Quorum
A. Quorum will consist of (usually 50% plus 1 of membership) and is needed for this organization to conduct any official business.
Article V: Amendments
Section 1: Defined
A. Amendments to this constitution must be approved by 2/3 of the organization’s members.
B. Amendments to this constitution, after approval of the membership, must be reviewed by the ASG Rules Committee and subsequently be approved by 2/3 of ASG Senate for two consecutive meetings.