The Phillips Exeter Student Council exists as a body with two primary goals: to improve student life at the Academy and to act as a conduit between the student body and the administration. In this spirit, the following sections establish a system with one individual with the mandate of the student body, kept in check by a legislature made up of any interested student. It is with this system that the Student Council can achieve its goal.

Part I - The Assembly

Article 1 - Assembly Powers

§1. The Assembly shall be the primary body of the Student Council, which shall wield its legislative power.

§2. The Assembly shall approve major budgetary actions, confirm Presidential appointments, oversee the Committees and Executive Board, and bring forth proposals. In order to vote on policy or motions, a quorum must be present. [differentiate them]

§3. The Assembly may impeach any member of the Student Council for improper conduct, as decided by the Assembly, with a two-thirds majority vote. Impeachment shall result in the removal of the official from their position. In order to begin impeachment proceedings, 15% of the student body must sign a petition agreeing. Improper conduct may include inactivity.

§4. Any current student of the Academy shall have a vote in matters of the Assembly unless otherwise specified in this Constitution.

§5. The Assembly shall have the ability to determine any procedures or matters not specified in this Constitution. No body of the Student Council shall violate the terms of this Constitution. This Constitution shall supersede any legislation passed by the Assembly.

§6. The Assembly shall establish and adhere to the Assembly Rules of Procedure.

§7. The Assembly shall meet weekly, except during school vacations, to discuss and vote on the business of the Student Council.

§8. Any student may submit proposals to the Assembly.

Article 2 - Elections Commission

§1. The Elections Commission shall conduct and ensure the security of Student Council elections.

§2. The Elections Commission shall be led by the Commissioner, as well as a Deputy Commissioner, both of which shall be appointed by the President and confirmed by the Assembly.

§3. No members of the Executive Board may direct the Elections Commission.

§4. The Elections Commission shall have full discretion over electoral decisions not codified in this Constitution or other legislation.

Part II - The Executive Board

Article 3 - Executive Board Powers

§1. The Executive Board shall carry out the will of the Assembly and represent the Student Council in any meetings with the Administration or Faculty at large.

§2. The Executive Board may be empowered by the Assembly to act in other capacities.

§3. The Executive Board shall consist of a President, a JEDI Director, a Treasurer, and a Secretary.

§4. No Executive Board officers shall have a vote in the Assembly, except for the Vice President in their tie-breaking capacity.

§4. All members of the Executive Board shall be elected by the student body in yearly fair elections under Appendix A.

§5. In the event, a member of the Executive Board resigns, a special election shall be held under the provisions of Appendix A and serve the remainder of their predecessor’s term.

§6. The Executive Board shall ensure that justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion are core tenets of Student Council actions.

Article 4 - The President

§1. The President shall be the leader of the Student Council, and represent the student body.

§2. The President shall have the power to veto actions passed by the Assembly in a timely manner, which may be overturned by a two-thirds vote of the Assembly.

§3. The President shall have authority in Student Council to direct Executive Board members and Committees to carry out initiatives.

§4. The President shall appoint Committee Chairs and delegates to Academy committees, subject to simple majority confirmation by the Assembly. The President may dismiss any Committee Chair if cause is present, subject to simple majority agreement in the Assembly.

§5. The President shall be able to form ad hoc committees, as regulated by the Assembly.

§6. The President shall actively promote and create initiatives to improve the quality of life for students at the Academy. This shall be done in coordination with the Student Life Committee.

Article 5 - JEDI Director

§1. The JEDI Director shall actively understand the actions taken by campus Affinity Groups and the administration, and communicate their efforts to the Executive Board members, Student Council. They shall also be able to coordinate Student Council’s resources to aid anti-oppressive work.

§2. The JEDI Director may have any powers delegated by the President or the Assembly.

Article 6 - The Treasurer

§1. The Treasurer shall maintain the Treasury of Student Council.

§2. The Treasurer may act without Assembly approval for minor delegations of funds below 3% (rounded to the nearest whole number) of the Treasury.

§3. The Treasury shall be used to fund Student Council initiatives, support Academy groups, or other matters as decided by the Assembly.

§4. The Treasury shall ensure that 10% of the yearly budget is reserved for the next Executive Board.

Article 7 - The Secretary

§1. The Secretary shall maintain the records of the Student Council, and ensure Constitutional standards are upheld.

§1.1. Records shall include passed actions of the Assembly and the minutes of Executive Board and Assembly meetings.

§1.2. All records shall be publicly available to the Academy community and maintained in the Academy archives.

§1.3. In the event of a violation of Assembly legislation or this Constitution, the Secretary shall remedy the issue..

§2. The Secretary shall be responsible for the creation of an Agenda for meetings of the Executive Board and Assembly, which shall be publicly distributed.

§3. The Secretary shall preside over meetings of the Assembly, and provide a tie-breaking vote if necessary. They may also call meetings of the Assembly as the presiding officer.

Article 8 - Committees

§1. Committees of Student Council shall work to manage certain aspects of Student Council, and support the Executive Board and Assembly in their initiatives. Committees shall be led by Committee Chairs.

§2. There shall be two primary committees: The General Services Committee and the Student Life Committee.

§3. The General Services Committee shall have the purview of Student Council social media accounts, technological initiatives, and policy creation.

§4. The Student Life Committee shall have the purview of maintaining and improving student life for all.

§5. The Committee Chair may appoint directors and subcommittees to fulfill specific aspects of the Committee’s duties.

§6. Ad hoc committees may be created by an Assembly proposal or Presidential directive to focus on specific issues for a given amount of time. Ad hoc committees may be dissolved by the Assembly or the President at any time.

Article 9 - Rules of Transition

§1. Following the election of a new Executive Board, both boards shall collaborate and manage the Student Council together for two consecutive weekly meetings. After the two-week period has elapsed, control of the Student Council shall transfer solely to the newly elected Executive Board.

§2. There shall always be a peaceful transition of power between officers.

Part III - Miscellaneous Student Council Operations

Article 10 - Faculty Advisers

§1. There shall be two faculty advisers of the Student Council, who shall not hold any veto or voting power.

§2. Faculty Advisers shall advise the Executive Board and Assembly when necessary.

§3. Faculty Advisers shall manage the technical aspects of the Treasury.

Article 11 - Nomination of Community Conduct Committee Members

§1. The Student Council shall conduct elections to nominate eight students for the Community Conduct Committee.

§2. The election procedures detailed under Appendix A will be utilized.

Article 12 - Class Representatives

§1. There shall be three class representatives per grade, whose duty it will be to improve the student life of their respective classes.

§2. Class representative elections shall be held two school weeks following the Executive Board election, with the same procedure as described in Appendix A.

Article 13 - Amendment and Adoption of this Constitution

§1. In order to amend this Constitution, the Assembly must pass the amendment with a two-thirds majority vote.

§2. To adopt this Constitution, the following criteria must be met:

the current Student Council must approve a motion to repeal the Constitution of 1988 and adopt this Constitution by two-thirds majority vote.
A referendum open to all students must be immediately scheduled and performed. If a majority of the voters approve of the new Constitution, this Constitution shall take effect.

§3. The Constitution of 1988 shall not be officially nullified until the referendum approves of the new Constitution.

§4. A special election for Executive Board positions must be scheduled immediately under the provisions of Appendix A.

§5. The passing of this Constitution also constitutes the passing of the Assembly Rules of Procedure.

Appendix A - Election Procedures

§1. These election procedures shall apply for all Student Council elections unless otherwise specified in this Constitution.

§2. Voting shall be done through an online secret ballot.

§3. For primary Presidential elections, Vice Presidential elections, elections for the Secretary and Treasurer, Class Representative elections, and CCC nominations, Meek’s Method of Single Transferable Voting with vacancies equal to the number of seats for the position shall be utilized.

§3.1. In primaries, two candidates shall move to the final election.

§3.2. For the final Presidential election, the candidate who garners the most votes shall win.

§4. All students shall have the right to vote in Student Council elections, with the exception of Class Representative elections, in which only members of the respective class may vote.

§4. Any electronic system utilized shall be administered by the Elections Commissioner, with oversight from the Advisers.

§5. The Elections Commissioner shall work with the Advisers to ensure election security and the upholding of election standards.

§6. Any student who meets requirements set by the Elections Commission or the Assembly shall be eligible to run for Executive Board positions.

§6.1. Requirements shall be used to ensure all candidates are dedicated to the role they are running for.

§6.2. The requirements for Secretary shall ensure that all candidates adequately understand the Constitution, as to best perform their duties.

§7. Only members of the represented class may run for Class Representative elections.

§8. Candidates for Executive Board elections shall have public appearances readily available to their constituency, as decided by the Elections Commission.

Riley Jones

Constitution Text