Charter

ARTICLE I. AUTHORITY AND PURPOSE

SECTION 1. AUTHORITY The Student Bar Association has the authority under the Student Government Association Constitution and the Student Bar Association Constitution to provide a charter to student organizations comprised primarily of law school students. The process by which student organizations are chartered is also subject to the chartering bylaws of the SGA.

SECTION 2. PURPOSE The purpose of chartering student organizations is to provide student groups with certain benefits under the SGA and SBA Constitutions while providing the appropriate governmental authority oversight powers to ensure student organizations act properly.

SECTION 3. CHARTERING PRINCIPLES The nature of government is a choice between competing priorities. As such, although no student organization must meet all of the following criteria, the Student Bar Association will favor creating and funding student organizations that

A. Work to promote a stronger law school community

B. Work to enhance the academic environment within the law school

C. Do not share an overlapping mission with already existing student organizations

D. Work with other student organizations, faculty, staff, alumni, and others to share the cost of programming and broaden the appeal and reach of programming

E. Have a plan for self-generating funding

F. Are related to the practice of law

G. Have programs that are open to the entire law school and not just a select few members

H. Have a plan and have demonstrated initiative in pursuing their mission

ARTICLE II. TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONAL CHARTERS

In accordance with the chartering bylaws of the Student Government Association, Student Organizations may be designed as having temporary or perpetual charters.

ARTICLE III. TEMPORARY CHARTERED STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

SECTION 1. POWERS GRANTED BY THE STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION in accordance with the chartering bylaws of the Student Government Association, Temporary Chartered Student Organizations shall

A. Be given a self-generated account by the SGA Business Manager.

B. Have the ability to reserve university space, in compliance with university guidelines.

C. Have the right to request that the Divisional Council that issued the temporary charter upgrade that charter to perpetual status, so long as this request is made within the period of time mandated by the Divisional Council.

SECTION 2. STUDENT BAR ASSOCIATION POWERS AND PROCEDURES

A. Before the Student Bar Association may vote to give a Student Organization a temporary charter, a representative of the student organization must appear before the Student Bar Association and

1. Give a presentation as to the purpose and goals of the organization, both short term and long term.

2. Provide a list of all the organizations’ members and how the organization defines membership. All student organizations must have a minimum of ten members.

3. Provide a copy of the proposed charter for the student organization. The charter shall include a statement of the organization’s mission and an Amendments Article by which the student organization is empowered to introduce legislation to the SBA to amend their charter.

4. Answer any questions from the members of the Student Bar Association.

B. A temporary charter may be granted by the Student Bar Association by a majority vote of the members present at a regular Student Bar Association meeting.

C. The temporary charter may last as long as two full semesters from the date of issuance. At that time, the student organization must re-apply for a temporary charter, request a permanent charter, or cease to exist.

D. The purpose of a temporary charter is to give a student organization time to become fully operational, attract members, and create programming, while providing the Student Bar Association a period to review the existence of the student organization.

E. Temporary Chartered Student Organizations may only receive supplemental funding from the Student Bar Association. Supplemental funding may only be allocated for specific events.

ARTICLE IV. PERPETUALLY CHARTED STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

SECTION 1. POWERS GRANTED BY THE STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION Organizations designated as perpetually chartered shall

A. Be given self-generated and allocated accounts by the SGA Business Manager.

B. Have the ability to reserve university space, in compliance with university guidelines.

C. Have the right to request either a budget or supplemental funding from the Student Bar Association, and to request supplemental funding by the Student Government Association.

D. A student organization charter may be revoked only after a hearing has been held on that issue by the Student Bar Association.

SECTION 2. STUDENT BAR ASSOCIATION POWERS AND PROCEDURES

A. Before the Student Bar Association may vote to give a student organization a perpetual charter, a representative of the student organization must appear before the Student Bar Association and

1. Give a presentation as to the short-term and long-term purpose and goals of the organization.

2. Provide a list of all the organizations’ members and how the organization defines membership. All student organizations must have a minimum of ten members.

3. Provide a copy of the charter for the student organization.

4. Outline and explain all the activities of the student organization in the past and a rationale behind the request for a perpetual charter.

5. Answer any questions from the members of the Student Bar Association.

B. A perpetual charter may be granted by the Student Bar Association by a majority vote of the members present at a Student Bar Association meeting.

C. The perpetual charter may not be revoked by the Student Bar Association without a vote by Student Bar Association. However, a student organization may be considered defunct if it fails to elect officers, request a budget, or provide programming. There is a presumption that defunct organizations will receive no funding in the upcoming budgetary cycle.

D. The purpose of a perpetual charter is to give Student Organizations access to university facilities and other benefits on an ongoing basis.

E. A perpetual charter may be revoked by the Student Bar Association by a majority vote of the members present at a regular Student Bar Association meeting.

F. The Student Bar Association, by majority vote, may classify a Perpetually Chartered Organization as "funded" or "unfunded." An organization designated as "funded" shall be presumed to be entitled to some level of funding in the SBA budgetary process. An organization designated as "unfunded" shall not be entitled to SBA funds in the SBA budgetary process. The classification as funded or unfunded shall be placed in the student organizational charter and recorded by the SBA secretary.

G. A student organization may request a perpetual charter no sooner than one calendar year after receiving their original temporary charter.

ARTICLE V. DELIBERATION

A. Voting and Deliberation generally. The Student Bar Association shall deliberate and vote upon proposed charters transparently pursuant to the right of all members of the Emory University School of Law student body to attend all meetings of the Student Bar Association.

B. Article V Executive Session. Upon motion and a second, any member of the Student Bar Association may send the assembly into executive session pursuant to the procedures required in this article

C. Limited Purpose. Article V Executive Session shall only be for the limited purpose of debate upon the proposed charter and in the limited circumstance where the proposed charter raises sensitive concerns that a member of the Student Bar Association is uncomfortable first sharing in the presence of her peers and colleagues and shall not be for the purpose of voting upon enactment of the proposed charter.

D. Reserving a right to speak. All members desiring an opportunity to speak in executive session shall indicate their desire to the Presiding Officer immediately after the motion is seconded.

E. Duration. An Article V Executive Session shall continue for a reasonable time determined by the Presiding Officer in consultation with the moving member or until a majority of voting members of the Student Bar Association have adopted a properly moved and seconded motion to conclude executive session, provided that each member identified pursuant to paragraph D of this article has been afforded at least one opportunity to speak.

F. Frequency. The Student Bar Association shall not re-enter Article V Executive Session unless an additional charter has been proposed or deliberations have continued into an additional session of the Student Bar Association.

G. Minutes. The Secretary shall record the minutes with the names redacted during Article V Executive Session upon request by any member of the Student Bar Association and shall provide a redacted summary of the Article V Executive Session to the proponents of the proposed charter.

H. Restrictions. No motions to amend, add, or strike language from the main motion shall be voted upon while the Student Bar Association is in Article V Executive Session.

ARTICLE VI. MISCELLANEOUS REGULATIONS

A. In accordance with Student Government Association regulations, student organizations must, each year, in a timely fashion, fill out and return forms to the Student Government Association regarding budget requests and the election of new officers.

B. In accordance with Student Government Association regulations, the student organization president or treasurer must attend the bi-annual Treasurer’s meeting.

C. The SBA president or the president’s designee is responsible for communicating with the SGA treasurer and being the point of contact for student organizations that wish to become chartered.

D. The list of student organizations, their chartering documents, records of past appropriations, and the designation of the organization as "funded" or "unfunded" shall be kept by the SBA president, secretary, and treasurer and made accessible to all students.

E. Absent explicit language in the charter and clear intent to the contrary, all student organizations chartered by the SBA shall be open and encouraged to include non-law students in events and programming. It shall be presumed that the student organization does not possess the requisite intent to exclude unless the student organization submits a statement of reasons for the exclusion along with the charter.

F. The SBA president must forward the following documents to the SGA attorney general, in compliance with SGA regulations:

1. Any legislation or other documentation required by the Student Bar Association in granting the charter.

2. The student organization’s charter and bylaws, which shall conform to all rules of the SGA and university and shall include explicitly a statement of the purpose of the organization and a written copy of the university anti-discrimination clause but which may be amended as seen fit by the organization.

3. A list of the names and divisions of at least ten Emory students currently part of the organization’s membership, which shall be the minimum membership that any organization must maintain to receive or retain a charter. Each name listed must include a valid Emory Identification Number. The attorney general may only waive this requirement in the event that it is necessary for the functioning of a particular student group that its members remain anonymous.

4. The name and contact information of the organization’s president, treasurer, and other relevant officers, which shall be updated continuously.

5. The name and contact information of the organization’s faculty advisor. This shall be a firm requirement for all Perpetually Chartered Student Organizations but may be waived by the attorney general in regards to temporary charters.