Articles III - IV

Article III. Curriculum Committee

Section 1. Members

The Curriculum Committee shall consist of;

The chair;
1. The student shall be elected in the spring all-college election for a term of one year. The student shall have been a member of the Curriculum Committee for at least one year.
2. The term shall begin at the SGA Cabinet meeting following the regular spring election. It shall end on the last cabinet meeting before the next year’s spring election in the following academic year. The student shall be available for counsel to the successor for the remainder of the academic year.
3. The chair shall meet regularly with college faculty and administrators. This includes meeting monthly with the Provost, meeting regularly with the dean of the college and dean of students, and attending Faculty meetings.
4. The student shall set the agenda and preside over meetings of the Curriculum Committee.
5. In the event that the office of chair of the Curriculum Committee is vacated, or the student goes abroad, it shall be filled by the vice-chair of the Curriculum Committee.
6. In the event that no chair is elected in the spring campus-wide elections or the seat is vacated prior to fall elections, an interim chair shall be elected from within the committee to serve until a new chair can be elected.
7. The student shall sit on SGA Cabinet.
The vice chair;
1. The student shall be a member of the Curriculum Committee, elected in the fall from the committee's membership for a term of one year and shall attend weekly Senate meetings.
2. The vice chair shall accompany the chair to administrative meetings and shall help advise the chair on the priorities and proceedings of the committee, as well as lead meetings when necessary.
The secretary:
1. The student shall be responsible for all the correspondence and taking minutes of Curriculum Committee meetings, and shall be responsible for ensuring that the records and documents related to the work of the committee are saved digitally to the committee's Google Drive for access by future committees.
The Ada vice-president or a designee from the Ada Comstock Scholars class.
At least 1 senator, elected by the senate.
A student from each class year should be present on the committee. If these representatives cannot be recruited from senate or the student body by the first meeting of the school year, the committee should turn to the Committee on Appointment to appoint members.
Additional non-senate members may be appointed by the Committee on Appointments.

Section 2. Duties and Powers of the Curriculum Committee

The chair of the Curriculum Committee shall be a liaison to the chair of the Committee on Academic Priorities and the Committee on Academic Priorities. The committee will meet biannually with the Committee of Academic Priorities and the Faculty Council.
The committee shall host forums when necessary to discuss educational policy issues.
1. The forums shall be held as necessary and shall be open to the entire college community.
2. Any member of the college community may propose business for the agenda. The chair is responsible for publishing the agenda prior to the forum.
3. The chair shall be responsible for relaying any proposals made during the forums to the appropriate bodies for consideration.
To appoint committees to investigate suggestions and implement programs regarding educational policy. These committees may be ad hoc or permanent.
To keep the senate and campus at large informed of curriculum concerns and changes. To assist the administration with the college's mandatory faculty teaching evaluations each semester. Members of the committee shall meet with the dean of the college and with other administrators involved in planning and altering these evaluations.
The Committee shall regularly gather input from the student body to aid in agenda setting and decision making. The Committee shall be responsible for representing the campus community, rather than relying solely on the opinions of its members.
The committee will select the Faculty Teaching Award winners. The chair is non-voting and will present winners on Rally Day.
The Committee may appoint members to act as a liaison to different offices and centers, including but not limited to the Shared Center, Jacobson Center, Global Studies Center, or Spinelli Center.

Article IV. Committee on Elections

Section 1: Members

The chair;
1. The student shall call and preside over all meetings of the committee.
2. The student shall receive all nominations for SGA offices, class offices, and select committee positions.
3. The student shall sit on Senate as a voting member.
4. In the event that the office of Chair of the Committee on Elections is vacated, it shall be filled, for the remainder of the term, by the Elections Vice-Chair.
5. In the event that neither the office of the Chair of the Committee on Elections or the office of the Elections Vice-Chair are filled following the spring election, the Chair of the Committee on Elections shall be specially- appointed by the incoming SGA Cabinet in the last cabinet meeting of the spring semester.
6. The student shall be elected in the spring all-college election. The student shall have been a member of an SGA organization for no less than two semesters.
7. The term shall begin at the SGA Cabinet meeting following the regular spring election. It shall end on the last cabinet meeting before the next year’s spring election in the following academic year. The student shall be available for counsel to the successor for the remainder of the academic year.
8. The chair may run for and be elected to the same office for more than one term. However, if the student runs in the spring elections for an all-college position while chair, they must delegate their responsibilities as chair to the Vice-Chair for the duration of the voting and campaigning process.
The vice chair;
1. The student shall be elected by the committee, from its membership, at the first meeting of the committee.
2. The student shall assist the chair in orchestrating and conducting all-college elections.
3. The student shall sit on senate as a voting member.
4. In the event that the office of vice-chair is vacated, it shall be filled for the remainder of the term, by a member of the committee, elected by a simple majority of the committee.
The secretary;
1. The student shall record all minutes of official Committee on Elections meetings.
2. In case of absence, any member from the committee can take the responsibility of recording minutes or notes.
3. The student shall be elected by a simple majority of the committee, from its membership, at the first meeting of the committee.
4. In the event that the office of secretary is vacated, it shall be filled, for the remainder of the term by a member of the committee, elected by a simple majority of the committee.
Two to three additional members to be chosen by the senate from its membership and from the association at large. The number of the additional members elected shall be determined by the Committee on Elections chair prior to elections.

Section 2. Duties and Powers

The committee shall establish and publicize the election timeline at least three (3) weeks in advance.
The committee shall supervise all-college and class elections, and supervise the balloting on an all-college referendum.
The committee is responsible for designing election campaigns and working with the Secretary to distribute materials throughout campus.
The committee shall appoint or elect students, as decided, to ad hoc or newly formed committees.
The committee shall act according to their guidelines as approved by the senate.
The committee shall work with the outgoing chair and vice-chair of the Conduct and Academic Honor Board in the application process for incoming members.
Eligibility is at their discretion. Questions of eligibility can be directed to the chair and decided upon by the committee

Section 3. Campaign Guidelines

Campaigning includes any activity promoting a candidate for the position the student is seeking. This can be done by the candidate or any person on candidate’s behalf. Please note that all candidates are fully responsible for any campaigning performed on their behalf, even if it is unbeknownst to them.

Sanctioned Campaigning
1. Banners, chalking, social media, any Internet website, and public announcements are examples of sanctioned campaigning.
2. Any form of sanctioned campaigning is optional.
3. Any questions regarding what is considered sanctioned or not must go through the Committee on Elections Chair.
4. Each candidate is allowed the creation of one banner, which will be hung in the Campus Center.
  1. Only the Campus Center Staff shall hang them.
  2. No banners shall be allowed to hang on or within any other Smith College campus building. If they are found, they will be removed immediately and a strike will be given to the respective candidate.
  3. Banners can be obtained at the Campus Center Resource Room (CC 203).
  4. Banners must not be longer than 8 feet long. This includes the 1 foot of empty space at the top, which will be used for hanging purposes.
  5. Banners must be decorated portrait style (not landscape) due to the manner in which they will be hung in the Campus Center.
  6. Nothing may be attached to the bottom of the banner and glitter is strictly prohibited.
  7. The SGA Office Manager or a student worker in the SGA office must approve banners prior to their hanging.
  8. It is not guaranteed that the candidate’s banner will be hung due to limited space in the Campus Center.
  9. Uncontested positions will have lowest priority; All-Campus SGA positions will have highest.
  10. Collaboration with other candidates on banners is permitted (i.e. running mates). However, they will be limited to one banner.
5. Email campaigning in any manner is not permitted.
  1. One-on-one real time conversations are highly encouraged.
  2. If an email is sent, a strike will be given to the respective candidate.
6. Electronic Campaigning.
  1. Campaigning within online forums and social networking sites, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, is permitted.
  2. All candidates and those who are campaigning on the candidate’s behalf must include their own name onto every advertisement and with every conversation (i.e. every post on Facebook).
  3. Every Facebook and Instagram post, page, and photo must have a tag to the Elections and Appointments page.
7. Chalking is permitted. All chalking must be consistent with the Smith College policy on chalking.
  1. All chalking is ONLY allowed on asphalt sidewalks.
  2. No chalking is to be done on brick surfaces, stairs leading to buildings, or the buildings themselves.
  3. All chalking must be signed in accordance to the Student Handbook rules.
  4. This is in accordance with the Smith College Chalking Policy, and failure to comply will result in immediate disqualification.
8. Debates and coffee hours (independent of the SGA sponsorship) can be held at the discretion of the candidates, but are subject to the approval of the Committee on Elections Chair.
  1. This includes all house teas, organization meetings and any other campus events or gatherings at which the main focus will be on the candidate.
  2. The Committee on Elections must be notified of attendance at said meetings. Failing to comply will result in a strike.
9. Campaigning is strictly prohibited from taking place inside any campus computer lab or library.
10. It is the responsibility of the candidate to remove all campaign material once elections are over.
11. Non-Sanctioned campaigning materials include the following: table tents, mailbox stuffers, etc. Fliers are only permitted on public boards.
12. Hatch Act
  1. Those in a position of power, including but not limited to a seat of the SGA Cabinet, SGA Senate, Organization executive boards and Residence Life are not allowed to use that power to advance their campaign. Examples of this include but are not limited to:
    1. Using organization time to campaign
    2. Using organizational resources such as printing for their own campaigns
    3. Using an organization’s money to fund their own campaign
    4. Using an organization’s code to reserve space for their own campaign talks or meetings
  2. Violation of the Hatch Act will be considered a strike against the candidate.

Section 5. Campaign Finances

Campaign Budget Forms
1. Candidates must download and submit a mandatory campaign budget form from and to the Smith Social Network.
  1. Budgets or receipts submitted after the start of the campaign period are considered late and will not be accepted, no exceptions.
  2. Candidates do not need to include taxes on their budget forms.
  3. Budgets received late or not received at all will result in the disqualification of the candidate.
  4. Any and all problems with budgets shall be resolved before campaigning begins.
  5. The Committee on Elections will email and phone each candidate with any potential problems. The candidate has 24 hours to resolve the issue with the Committee on Elections.
  6. If the candidate fails to return the committee’s emails or phone calls, the candidate will be disqualified and removed from the ballot.
  7. Every candidate MUST submit a budget form, even if campaigning materials are not purchased. This shall include a list of every item planned for use and its origin.
Campaign Materials and Monetary Limit
1. All supply purchases must be recorded and documented with proof of a valid receipt.
2. There is a $10 limit for ALL candidates.
3. If a candidate exceeds the budget, the Committee on Elections reserves the right to confiscate those items that went over budget. Choice of items is at the discretion of the Committee on Elections.
4. Candidates will not be reimbursed by the SGA for campaign purchases.
Donations
1. The total estimated value of all campaign donations must not exceed $10.
2. Donations includes any items taken or borrowed from houses, acquaintances, family, or Org offices, etc.
3. All donations must be noted on the campaign budget form, which must be turned in at the proper time.
4. Candidates must provide proper price quotes for all donations.
All budget forms shall be approved by the Committee on Elections prior to the start of campaigning

Section 6. Write-In Candidates

A write-in candidate is defined as someone whose name does not appear on the official ballot, but may still be elected.
1. Write-in candidates are subject to all Elections guidelines regarding campaigning, especially “word of mouth” campaigning (phone, email, etc.).
2. Write-in candidates may not make a banner or use any other form of sanctioned campaigning.
3. In order for a write-in ballot to be counted, the position must be a contested one with at least one official candidates (i.e. approved candidates).
Violation of any one of these regulations will result in the nullification of all votes cast for a write-in candidate.

Section 7. Runoff Elections

A runoff election shall take place within the week following the release of the official results from the Committee on Elections.
1. Runoff elections shall take place in the event of a tie or when the Committee on Elections deems it necessary as a result of extenuating circumstances (i.e. campaign slander, the unexpected drop out of a candidate).
2. No form of campaigning will be allowed for a runoff election; the student body shall be notified by the SGA of the new election.
  1. The position(s) for which the student body shall vote will be included in said notification.
3. No budget forms shall be required for candidates, as no campaigning is allowed.
The polls for the runoff election shall be open for 12 consecutive hours from 9 a.m.–9 p.m. EST of one day.
This timeline for the runoff election is at the discretion of Committee on Elections.
In the event that “Abstain” wins a race over the student(s) running:
1. If “Abstain” wins in the Spring Elections the position will be deferred to the Fall elections.
2. If “Abstain” wins in the Fall Elections the candidate with the most votes will win the position.
3. For Class Cabinet positions, “Abstain” can still win in the Fall, as elections within the Student Representatives from houses can still occur to fill positions.
  1. This will occur at the discretion of the Elections and Appointments Committee.

SECTION 8. Code of Conduct and Responsibility

It is the responsibility of each candidate to run a fair and honest campaign.
A serious breach of election rules can result in a College Conduct Board referral.
A student may not run for or hold an elected position while on Academic Probation.

Section 9. Failure to Comply

Failure to attend the mandatory candidates’ meeting, or to send a proxy in the event of a candidate’s absence, will result in the disqualification of the candidate.
Failure to comply with any campaign regulations as stated in these guidelines will result in a strike from the Committee on Elections in the form of an email.
The Committee on Elections must be notified of all campaigning violations throughout the campaigning and voting period. Subsequent action is at the discretion of the Elections and Appointments Committee.

Section 10. Proxies

Proxies are only allowed in the event that the candidate is running from abroad.
Proxies are subject to all rules and regulations regarding campaigning; the proxy is fully responsible for the respective candidate’s campaign.
1. In essence, the proxy and the candidate are one and the same during campaigning. Any violations from either end will result in the same consequences as any other candidate.

Section 11. Strike System

Strikes are to be given out at the discretion of the Committee on Elections, in the event of campaign violations.
Candidate will be notified of strikes via email. Only three strikes will be given. In the event of a third strike, the candidate will be disqualified. Strikes cannot be disputed, unless they result in the disqualification of the candidate. In the event of a disqualification, an appeal may be filed if the candidate sees fit.
1. If a disqualified candidate is reinstated via the Board of Appeals, then upon their first strike, they shall be disqualified indefinitely.
The strike system does not apply to breaches of Smith College Policy, as outlined above.

Section 12. Appeals

If a candidate has reason to believe that they have been disqualified unfairly, the student may submit a written statement to that effect to the Committee on Elections within 24 hours of the notification of the disqualification.
1. The Committee on Elections will meet within 24 hours of the receipt of said statement to review and reconsider the case in question.
If the Committee on Elections cannot come to a decision, or if the candidate wishes to make a second appeal, a SGA Board of Appeals, convened for this purpose, will hear the case. The Board shall consist of the SGA President, SGA Vice-President, SGA Secretary, the Chair of Finance Committee, the Conduct Board Chair, and the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Committee on Elections.
1. If any of the above mentioned members of the Board of Appeals was a candidate during the elections, the student will be excluded from the proceedings of the Board.
2. The decision of the SGA Board of Appeals is final.

Section 13. Disclaimer

The Committee on Elections, as well as the Smith College Student Government Association, cannot be held responsible for any slander or libel that occurs during campaigning. It is expected that all participants will be acting within the Smith College Code of Conduct. There will be action taken for any accusations of such occurrence.

Updated August 2023