ASG Operations Manual 12.21.09

A S S O C I A T E D S T U D E N T G O V E R N M E N T
S TU D ENTS M A TTER I N B UILD ING A B ET T ER NO R T H WEST ER N
OPERATIONS MANUAL
The comprehensive guide to ASG.
1999 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60201 • telephone: 847.491.6728 •

asg.northwestern.edu
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PREFACE 3
ABOUT ASG 5
ORGANIZATIONAL SUMMARY 6
COMMITTEES 12
LEGISLATION & RESOLUTIONS 15
ROBERT’S RULES OF ORDER 20
ASG SURVEYS 21
OFFICER JOB DESCRIPTIONS 22
SENATE DESCRIPTIONS 31
ACCOUNTABILITY 32
LOOKING FORWARD 34
ASSOCIATED STUDENT GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS MANUAL
ii
PREFACE
“Problems cannot be solved at the same level of awareness that created them.” –Al-
bert Einstein
Many of this year’s campus-wide election campaigns focused on the need for change
in ASG and the “broken” nature of the current system. This reflects not only an inter-
est in change on the part of the candidates, but also on the part of the students who,
in the end, made the decision to elect those agents of change. Therefore, it is the
voice of the students at Northwestern that we look to better serve by producing this
document for an improved Associated Student Government.
The new structure of ASG presented in this document realizes the necessary and
significant changes, which cannot simply be enacted in the current structure of ASG.
However, keep in mind that underlying this new system remains much of the basic
structure of the current system. This ensures feasibility and smooth transitioning of
the new organization.
Within this new ASG, roles are well defined and streamlined. Gaps within the organi-
zation are filled and excess responsibilities are redistributed. The accountability of
each person within ASG is clearly outlined, as is the flow of information from one
person to another. Overall, the new ASG provides greater efficacy and sustainability
for the organization to better serve students.
The new structure also encourages an exciting and positive organizational culture.
College is a time to raise questions and “think outside the box,” and the new ASG en-
ables this innovation. Additionally, with student needs and wants continually fluctuat-
ing, the new ASG allows for flexibility. The organization is constantly evaluating itself
and looking for ways to improve. The new ASG also promotes a collaborative culture.
The new structure calls for teamwork, and a mindset of working towards a greater
vision. It allows for students to become truly passionate about this school.
This document serves as a clarification tool for the new ASG structure. It replaces the
rigid, the inefficient, and the convoluted with the intuitive, the effective, and the con-
cise. It is simple, functional, and accessible—it is indicative of the new ASG as a
whole.
Ultimately, this document is answering the call for change that the student voice has
made clear. It is capitalizing on an opportunity to transform the way we think about
and do things here at this school. It is asking ourselves what is best for students, and
what is best for Northwestern. It is far from the final say, as it is open to the ideas and
intentions of students weighing in. But it is the beginning of a fundamental process
to better serving the student body. It is the first step to building a better Northwest-
ern.
Respectfully
iii
2009-2010 Executive Board
Michael McGee
President
Tommy Smithburg
Vice-President
Samir Pendse
Speaker of the Senate
Muhammad Safdari
Academic Vice-President
Brooke Stanislawski
Clerk
Jilian Lopez
Director of External Relations
Claire Lew
Director of Public Relations
Malavika Srinivasan
Financial Vice-President
Grace Adamson
Parliamentarian
Miles Drummond
Student Group Vice-President
Matt Bellassai
Student Life Vice-President
Miranda Gonzalez
Treasurer
iv
ABOUT ASG
- Mantra -
Students matter in building a better Northwestern.
- Mission Statement -
We believe students have a responsibility to improve our Northwestern community.

We are your voice, your bridge, your advocate. We bring together students and their
interests to find answers & create solutions. Above all, we believe students matter in
building a better Northwestern.
v
ORGANIZATIONAL
CHART
SPEAKER OF THE
SENATE
PARLIAMENTARIAN CLERK
Rules
Committee
SENATE
PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT
Financial Student Group Director of Director of Academic Student Life Director of

Treasurer External Relations
Vice President Vice President Technology Public Relations Vice President Vice President
Student Appropriations
Student Group Board
& Finance Board
Academic Student Life External Relations
Committee Committee Committee
Web Team Budget

Campus Relations
System Administration Internal Affairs Community
Relations
vi
ORGANIZATIONAL
SUMMARY
Senate
• Senators
o Moderated by the Speaker, ruled by the Parliamentarian, and
documented by the Clerk.
o Represents various constituents of the undergraduate student
body
o Comprise a forum where ideas and issues can be discussed
o Keep the Student Government accountable to the undergraduate
student body
• Caucuses
o Caucus Whips meet weekly with the Speaker to discuss the pro-
jects that are being worked on and to seek ways to better accom-
plish them.
o In caucus Senators come together to write bills and work on pro-
jects. Senators are accountable to the caucus Whip, who assigns
projects and ensures that they are completed on time.
o Allow Senators to speak informally and candidly about issues and
projects specific to their constituency.
SPEAKER OF THE
SENATE
Rules
Committee
SENATE
Greek Off-Campus RHA/RCB Student Group

Caucus Caucus Caucus Caucus
vii
ORGANIZATIONAL
SUMMARY
The Executive Board

• President
o Creates the strategy and vision for ASG and acts as the chief ambassa-
dor of students to the administration.
o Makes all final bottom-line decisions.
o Assumes ultimate accountability.
• Vice-President
o Chairs the cabinet.
o Ensures officers within ASG produce tangible results for the student
body.
o Assists the President as the Administrator liaison.
• Speaker of the Senate

o Facilitates the Senate and ensures the optimal operations of Senate.
o Holds the caucus system accountable.
• Parliamentarian
o Interprets and upholds the rules in Senate
o Chairs the Rules Committee
• Clerk
o Documents Senate and Exec Board meetings
o Archives Senate and Executive Board Documents
SPEAKER OF THE
SENATE
SENATE
PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT
viii
The Cabinet
• Academic Vice-President
o Chairs the Academic Committee.
 Primary lobbying committee for academic interests and issues at
Northwestern on behalf of Undergraduates.
• Ex: CTECS, New Academic Studies Programs, MLK day
• Student Life Vice-President

o Chairs the Student Life Committee.
 Primary lobbying committee for student life interests and issues
at Northwestern on behalf of Undergraduates.
• Ex: Summer Internship Grants, Starbucks in Norris, Campus
Lighting
• Director of External Relations

o Chairs the External Relations Committee.
 Primary lobbying committee for student interests and issues in
the community at Northwestern on behalf of Undergraduates.
• Ex: Off-Campus Housing Office, Bar Night Ordinance,
Wildcard usage for Evanston businesses
VICE PRESIDENT
Academic Student Life Director of

Vice President Vice President External Relations
Academic Student Life External Relations

Committee Committee Committee
ix
The Interior
• Director of Public Relations
o Chairs the Public Relations Committee.
 Informs, communicates, and publicizes to the student body about
the resources, opportunities and happenings of ASG.
• Director of Technology
o Chairs the Technology Committee.
 Handles all technological resources provided by ASG.
• Ex: ASG Website, Student Group Directory, NULink, Stu-
dent group event advertisements, Calendar, Information
hub, System Administration
• Treasurer
o Administers the ASG Operating Budget.
 Promotes transparency by notifying the senate on any ASG ex-
penditure over $250.
 Presents the ASG account to the Student Activities Finance Board
for auditing.
o Manages the ASG Student Group Resource Center

 Orders and stocks office and student group resource center sup-
plies.
 Distributes student group resource center printer copy codes.
Director of Director of
Treasurer
Technology Public Relations
Web Team Budget

Campus Relations
System Administration Internal Affairs Community
Relations
x
Student Group Officers
• Financial Vice-President
o Chairs the Student Appropriations & Finance Board
 Recommends allocation for roughly $1.2 million to A-status
groups
• Student Group Vice-President

o Chairs the Student Group Board
 Allocates roughly $21,000 (2.5% of the Student Activities Fee) to
B-Status groups.
 Recognizes B- and T- status groups.
 Organizes the fall and winter Student Activities Fair as well as
Spring Leadership Training.
SENATE
Financial Student Group

Vice President Vice President
Advised by
Norris General Advised by
Manager of CSI Coordinator
Business of Leadership
Development
Operations Student Appropriations Student Group
& Finance Board Board
Senator Account Non-senator Senator Group Non-senator

Executives Account Executives Executives Group Executives
xi
COMMITTEES
Committees
• Academic Committee
o The ASG Academic Committee was established to address those
issues pertaining to the academic interests of the student body.
This includes a variety of different topics, such as student in-
volvement in the hiring of faculty, the CAESAR registration sys-
tem, class policies and more. The Academic Committee is well
known for the amount of research and background involved in the
projects it handles. One of the benefits of being a part of the Aca-
demic Committee is that it exposes students to the administrative
aspect of life here at Northwestern University.
• External Relations Committee

o The External Relations Committee strives to foster mutually bene-
ficial relationships between Northwestern students and external
communities, including but not limited to the Evanston commu-
nity. Additionally, the committee works to improve the off-campus
student community, the opportunities, resources and security the
study body has access to in the community, as well as student
presence and commitment to improving and contributing to our
neighboring community.
• Operations Committee
o The Operations Committee strives to help ASG grow as an organi-
zation and conduct programming for talent development. Projects
include conducting fall recruitment, conducting new member ori-
entation, evaluating committee members and heads, conducting
retreats and General Assemblies, and archiving important ASG
matters that will enable ASG to retain an institutional memory.
This committee serves as the behind the scenes engine that works
to keep ASG at its best and taking steps to constantly improve.
• Public Relations Committee

o The purpose of the Public Relations committee is to advertise and
provide students with information about the various services and
events of ASG, as well as promote a positive image of ASG across
campus. The Public Relations committee also works as a consult-
ing body with outside student groups to help market their prod-
ucts, services, and events as well. matters that will enable ASG to
retain an institutional memory.
xii
• Presidential Leadership Initiative
o The Presidential Leadership Initiative (PLI) is a committee of
highly-motivated freshmen and sophomores who work with the
ASG President on high-level projects. Not only will these students
get a chance to work with the President on his or her projects, but
will have the opportunity to create new projects with the aim of
improving the quality of student life at Northwestern.
• Rules Committee
o The Committee on the Rules involves revising legislation to ensure
the formatting and content are in agreement with the ASG Consti-
tution and Code as well as grammatically correct and well-
phrased. Twice a year the Parliamentarian leads the Committee on
the Rules in revising and proposing changes to the ASG Constitu-
tion, Code and election guidelines. Also, if any senator has more
than 2 absences, the Parliamentarian will hold an attendance hear-
ing during the committee meeting and conduct a committee vote
whether to excuse enough absences to make the total less than
two or revoke the Senator’s accreditation. Any other issues or
questions regarding the ASG Constitution, Code, election guide-
lines, and rules of order are brought to the Committee on the
Rules as the need arises.
• Student Appropriations & Finance Board

o The Financial Vice-President chairs the Student Appropriations &
Finance Board, a twelve-person, elected committee, organized to
serve as the primary financial body. Members serve two roles: allo-
cating the ASG Activity Fee and functioning as Account Execu-
tives. The funding process is a 100-hour process that occurs in the
Spring and Fall, where the SAFB recommends how the SAF should
be distributed between A-status student groups. As Account Ex-
ecutives, members serve as financial advisors to the student
groups- performing monthly audits, offering advice related to
event planning, occasionally assisting with leadership and transi-
tion, and attending funded events.
xiii
• Student Group Board
o The Student Group Committee is comprised of twelve members,
six elected Senators and six non-Senators. Each committee mem-
ber is assigned five to seven ASG-recognized student groups to
oversee, guide and communicate with about university resources
and ASG policies. The committee members meet regularly with
their assigned groups and are expected to attend as many of their
groups’ events as possible. The Committee is also involved in re-
viewing petitions for recognizing new student groups, organizing
the Fall and Winter activities fairs, and distributing funds to B-
status groups in the Winter. The committee also assigns student
group Senate seats and conducts the Spring Leadership Training
conference in the Spring.
• Student Life Committee

o The Student Life Committee works on any projects that are non-
academic in nature and serve student needs on campus. We tend
to assign projects based on interest and students on the commit-
tee then independently pursue their initiative with advice, direc-
tion, and collaboration provided by the committee during weekly
meetings. Topics under the umbrella of Student Life range from
housing and residential life to food service and parking. Past ac-
complishments and projects have included the Starbucks in Norris,
student input to the "50 Year Plan", campus wireless, lighting im-
provements, MLK day planning, and so on.
• Technology Committee
o The ASG Tech Committee provides technical project support to
student groups and ASG. The committee facilitates use of ASG
resources (such as the webserver), supports common tasks (such
as net-id authentication or online voting), and implements techni-
cal projects (such as websites, polls, calendars, etc.) The commit-
tee is composed of Senator and non-Senator members with back-
ground or interest in technology. The committee is lead by the
ASG Technology Director. Projects are taken from idea to imple-
mentation, with timeframes extending from a single quarter to
several years. Projects are defined, implemented, modified based
on feedback, and documented for future updates. Past projects
have included NUlink (2 year development time), the Restaurant
Guide, ASG Off-Campus Housing Evaluations, and ASG ListIt.
xiv
LEGISLATION &
RESOLUTIONS
General Information
o Legislation is an effective mechanism through which ASG brings about
change for Northwestern students.
o The Senate considers the following six types of legislation:
 Senate Legislation: a bill requiring action of ASG and of general

interest to the undergraduate community.
 Senate Resolution: a resolution expressing the verbal support of

the Senate (although not necessarily of the entire student body)
for an issue that does not require ASG to take any action.
 Financial Legislation: a bill allocating funds from the ASG Activity

Fee and/or the ASG operating budget.
 Constitutional Amendment – a bill amending or modifying the

ASG Constitution.
 Bylaw Amendment – a bill amending or modifying the ASG By-

laws.
 Joint Amendment – a bill amending or modifying both the ASG

Constitution and the ASG Bylaws.
Note: Legislation should also avoid mentioning people by name- use positions
instead. Obviously, all language in bills must be appropriate and not deroga-
tory. Bills must be submitted in electronic form to the Speaker of the Senate via
email by Sunday night before Senate. Any members of the Parliamentary Body
(i.e. the Speaker, Parliamentarian, and Clerk) would be happy to assist you with
writing legislation.
xv
Writing Legislation
o All legislation (except resolutions) introduced in the Senate must include
the following five sections:
 Title: Preferably short and easy to remember; the name everyone

will call the resolution in the future, as opposed to its number.
 Background: An explanation of why the bill was written, including

thorough research into the issue being addressed; it should not
include argument.
 Principle: An explanation of what the bill proposes and what the

effect of the bill would be.
 Action: The exact proposed action, opinion, allocation, or

amendment, should be formal, precise, and written in positive
terms. In the action clause, the phrase, “Be it enacted by the As-
sociated Student Government here assembled…” must be in-
cluded.
 Closure: All bills should be signed as follows:
Respectfully submitted,
(name)
(position, if any, in ASG)
xvi
Example Legislation
Speak Out Against Injustice: Bring a Fellow Wildcat Home
Background:
Earlier this Spring Roxana Saberi, Medill ’99, was arrested while working in Iran as a
freelance journalist. She was detained for three months without having been charged
with anything, and was recently charged with espionage. Saberi vehemently disputes
the charges, saying that she was arrested for “buying wine,” and numerous leaders
including President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have called
for her return. On Monday, April 20th, Saberi was convicted and sentenced to eight
years in an Iranian prison. Iran still maintains that she is guilty and is planning to hold
her for the duration.
Principle:
As fellow Wildcats, Northwestern students should be outraged by the injustices

against Saberi. Furthermore, as citizens of the world we should show a commitment
to protecting free and open journalism. ASG should do everything it can to ensure
that students are aware of these issues and have the ability to act on them.
Action:
Be it enacted by the Associated Student Government Senate here assembled, ASG’s

Public Relations committee will use its resources to promote awareness of this issue
and encourage students to speak against it. Specifically, ASG will send students in-
formation over as many listservs as it has access to on how to write on Saberi’s behalf
to the United Nations and to the Iranian Government. The Public Relations Committee
will use any other resources it deems necessary to spread the word and ensure we do
our part for Ms. Saberi. Additionally, ASG stands in solidarity with the MUSAC and
other organizations supporting Ms. Saberi.
Respectfully Submitted,

ASG Executive Board
xvii
Writing Resolutions
 Title: Preferably short and easy to remember; the name everyone

will call the resolution in the future, as opposed to its number.
 “Whereas…”: Clauses which effectively is a combination of the

Background and Principle section of other legislation.
 “Be it resolved…”: Clauses which are the “opinion” portions of the

resolution. The phrase, “Resolved by the Associated Student Gov-
ernment here assembled…” must be included in the first “be it re-
solved” clause of a resolution.
 Closure: All bills should be signed as follows:
(name)
(position, if any, in ASG)
xviii
Example Resolution
Northwestern University Associated Student Government

Resolution Concerning the Rehiring Decision of Stephen Kinzer
Whereas, many students, having taken his classes or having attended his talks, have
gained immensely from the experiences, stories, and deep understanding of interna-
tional issues that he shares.
Whereas, his background is unique and the perspectives he offers illuminating.
Whereas, the primary reason we students come to Northwestern is to learn and gain a
deep understanding of the world around us, and Kinzer's departure hinders and hurts
this elementary academic objective that is the primary focus of this institution.
Whereas, over five hundred students have signed a petition supporting him staying at
Northwestern.
Whereas, the university should consider the views and wishes of the student body in
this decision as it affects us most and as the role of the university is to serve and edu-
cate its students.
Whereas, we understand the difficult financial situation that the university is in but
strongly feel that Stephen Kinzer is an asset that must be maintained and fully sup-
ported.
Whereas, for the sake of us students and our education please reconsider this deci-
sion and do all that is possible to keep Stephen Kinzer teaching at Northwestern.
Be it resolved by the Associated Student Government here assembled, representing

the Northwestern student body, that the university move to rehire Professor Stephen
Kinzer and keep him as an actively teaching professor.
Hugh Roland
xix
ROBERT’S RULES
OF ORDER
xx
ASG SURVEYS
Surveys
• ASG uses two main channels to conduct surveys
- ISBE Analytics
o These surveys must be approved by the Executive Vice-President.
o Current ASG Liaison: Tim Yuan (timyuan2012@u.northwestern.edu)
o Conducts issue based surveys that ASG needs and will not be scheduled
to repeat in the future.
o Procedure:
 Day 1: Meeting with ISBE to discuss survey issues and general
questions.
Day 7: Review and finalize survey to be distributed.
Day 8: Launch survey through distribution channels.
Day 14: Close Sruvey
Day 21: ISBE Analytics present survey findings to ASG.
o These surveys include 6 $10 gift cards per quarter to reward students
who participate in our surveys. This cost is covered by ASG.
- University Surveys
o Survey content must be approved by the President.
o Distribute surveys through the Division of Student Affairs.
o Surveys must be approved by a Statistics Professor to ensure the survey
is flawless.
o These surveys can only be distributed once per year.
o Preferably they are distributed in the spring to gather data to guide the
new administration’s priorities and decisions.
o The contact for this survey is Dr. Banis, Vice President of Student Affairs.
- ASG may also gain access to some University Surveys.

o The below links detail the various surveys that Northwestern conducts
and who administers them.
 http://www.adminplan.northwestern.edu/ir/sspg/instruments.htm
 http://www.adminplan.northwestern.edu/ir/sspg/sspg_index.xls
 http://www.adminplan.northwestern.edu/ir/sspg/sspg%20list%20
of%20student%20surveys%202009%20winter%20spring.xls
o More information can be found by talking to Dr. Banis.
xxi
OFFICER JOB
DESCRIPTIONS
President
• Manages and leads ASG as a whole
o Leads, motivates, and organizes the Executive Board
 Resolves cross-functional issues at the executive level
o Sets the strategy and vision for ASG as a whole
 Develops and maintains a detailed project plan for ASG
 Manages project deliverables in line with the project plan
o Recruits key staff and executive officers
o Manages coordination of the committee heads and sub-groups engaged
in project work
• Makes bottom-line decisions

o Final approval of projects and proposals before presenting to Senate
o Upholder and enforcer of the rules and regulations
• Acts as the connector in the organization

o Liaison to the administration and the students
 Serves as the Chief Ambassador of the undergraduate student
body
o Provides status reports to students and administrators
o Works closely with students and administrators to ensure initiatives
meet their needs
• Builds the organizational culture

• Holds ultimate accountability of ASG members
o Monitors progress and performance of activities
o Manages project evaluation and dissemination activities
o Manages consultancy input, seeking outside help from advisors, adminis-
trators, and student leaders
• Serves as an ex officio member on the Undergraduate Budget Priorities

Committee
• Has the ability to create ad hoc committee to focus on special initiatives
• Chairs the Presidential Leadership Initiative
• Campus-wide elected
xxii
Vice-President
• Elected by the student body during Spring Quarter along with the Presi-
dent, Academic Vice-President, Student Life Vice-President
• Serves as a liaison to the Administration and oversees the Academic
Vice-President, Student Life Vice-President, and Director of External Re-
lations
• Assumes the roles and responsibilities of the President, in the event that
the President is unable to do so
• Chairs the Cabinet
o Meets with the aforementioned three cabinet members (Academic VP,
Student Life VP, External Relations Director) to ascertain issues and pro-
jects that can be worked on together, as well as brainstorm collaborative
new projects
• New Ideas
o Interested student will then be directed towards one of the three cabinet
members or have the opportunity to present his or her idea/project to
all three cabinet members and the Vice President
• Town Hall Meetings

o Work with key administrators to plan monthly ASG town hall meetings
with various campus officials and decision-makers
o Students will have the opportunity to ask questions about the future of
financial aid, alcohol policy, administration-Greek relations, etc.
• Manages the internal human resources of ASG

o Appoints and oversees the coordinators and teams within the Opera-
tions Committee for the recruitment, training, and evaluation of ASG
members
o Works with the respective Executive Board members to approve the
appointment and election of all members of entering ASG
• Holds ultimate accountability of ASG members

o Monitors progress and performance of activities
o Manages project evaluation and dissemination activities
o Manages consultancy input, seeking outside help from advisors, adminis-
trators, and student leaders
• Chairs the Operations Committee

xxiii
Speaker of the Senate
• Oversees and directs all meetings of Senate
• Heads the Parliamentary Body, which consists of the Speaker, the Parlia-
mentarian and the Clerk
• Represents the interests of Senate during Senate meetings and to the Ex-
ecutive Board, faculty, staff, administration, alumni, and campus commu-
nity
• Enforces the response of the Executive Board to legislation passed by the
Senate
• Runs the ASG Senator Retreat
• Determines voting procedures for in-Senate votes
• Maintains an objective presence during Senate
• Elected by the Senate
Clerk
• Keeps the Journal of Senate meetings
• Documents Executive Board meetings
• Records and archives all legislation of the Senate meetings
• Communicates all legislative records to Senate and the Executive Board
• Assumes the role and responsibilities of the Parliamentarian and/or
Speaker if he or she is unable to fulfill those duties
• Counts all votes made by secret ballot with the Parliamentarian
xxiv
Parliamentarian
• Chairs the Rules Committee
• Manages and archives the attendance and voting records of Senate meet-
ings
• Assumes the role and responsibilities of the Speaker if he or she is unable
to fulfill those duties
• Counts all votes made by secret ballot with the Clerk
Committee Roles and Responsibilities

o Manages and implements the attendance and the accountability policies
for Senators
o Upholds the ASG Code and Constitution
Financial Vice-President
• Chairs the Student Appropriations & Finance Board, voting only in case of
a tie
• Administers the ASG Activity Fee, except that which is assigned to the
Student Group Board
• Selected by the Financial Vice-President Selection Committee and con-
firmed by the Senate
Student Appropriations and Finance Board Roles and Responsibilities

o Comprised of Senate-elected Account Executives
 Half of the Account Executives serve as Senators
 Half of the Account Executives serve as non-Senator representa-
tives
o Acts as financial advisor for all A-status student groups

 Provides monthly audits, attendance at funded events, and event
evaluations
o Annually evaluates all A-status student groups, and determine their need
to be considered an A-status organization
xxv
Student Group Vice-President
• Chairs the Student Group Board, voting only in the case of a tie
• Administers 2.5% of the ASG Activity Fee
• Runs the ASG Fall & Winter Activities Fairs
• Selected by the Student Group Vice-President Selection Committee and
confirmed by the Senate
Student Group Board Roles and Responsibilities

o Comprised of Senate-elected Group Executives
 Half of the Group Executives serve as Senators
 Half of the Group Executives serve as non-Senator representa-
tives
o Acts as group advisor for all B- and T-status student groups
o Acts as group advisor for all B-and T-status student groups, providing
quarterly audits, attending funded events, and acting as a liaison be-
tween ASG and groups
Academic Vice-President
• Serves as the chief lobbyist for improving the quality of academics on
campus
• Chairs the Academic Committee, which is appointed by the Academic
Vice-President
• Serves on a number of university committees related to academics, acting
as the voice of ASG and the students at-large for those respective com-
mittees
• Has the discretion to appoint committee members as well as undergradu-
ate students to university committees
Academic Committee Roles and Responsibilities

o Works on projects regarding the academic experience of the student
body
o Members of the committees will be appointed by the Academic Vice-

President and need not be a Senator
xxvi
o Meetings for the Academic Committee are held on a weekly basis and
headed by the Academic Vice-President who sets the agenda for the
meeting
 If a committee member has two unexcused absences, they are
required to meet with the Academic Vice-President to discuss
possible termination from the committee
o The committee is responsible for reasonably discussing and considering

all proposals and feedback submitted by students to the committee or
assigned to the committee
 In the event that a non-committee member is strongly invested in
a project, that student can request that they be considered for
temporary instatement on the committee for the duration of the
project
o This is subject to the approval of the Academic Vice-President
Student Life Vice-President

• Serves as the chief lobbyist for improving the quality of student life on
campus
• Chairs the Student Life Committee, which is appointed by the Student Life
Vice-President
• Serves on a number of university committees related to student life, act-
ing as the voice of ASG and the students at-large for those respective
committees
• Has the discretion to appoint committee members as well as undergradu-
ate students to university committees
Student Life Committee Roles and Responsibilities

o Works on projects regarding the student life experience of the student
body
o Members of the committee will be appointed by the Student Life Vice-

President and need not be a Senator
o Meetings for the Student Life Committee are held on a weekly basis and
headed by the Student Life Vice-President who sets the agenda for the
meeting
required to meet with the Student Life Vice-President to discuss
xxvii
project
o This is subject to the approval of the Student Life Vice-President
Director of External Relations

• Acts as the student body’s liaison to local and state governments
• Represents student interests to those bodies, including but not limited to
the Evanston City Council
• Chairs the External Relations Committee, which is appointed by the Direc-
tor of External Relations
• Responsible for off-campus services, resources and security as well as any
other services involving coordination with external communities.
• Selected by the incoming President and Vice-President
External Relations Committee Roles and Responsibilities

o Responsible for services and security off-campus students, as well as
any services involving the coordination with external communities
o Members of the committee will be appointed by the Director of External

Relations and need not be a Senator
o Meetings for the External Relations Committee are held on a weekly ba-
sis and headed by the Director of External Relations who sets the
agenda for the meeting
required to meet with the Director of External Relations to discuss

project
o This is subject to the approval of the Director of External Relations
xxviii
Treasurer
• Manages the internal affairs of ASG
• Administers the ASG Operating Budget
o Promotes transparency by notifying the Senate on any ASG expenditure
over $250
o Presents ASG account to the Student Appropriations & Finance Board
for audit
• Serves as assistant office manager
o Orders office supplies
o Provides copy codes for student groups
Director of Public Relations

• Chairs the Public Relations Committee
• Ensures that the committees work in tandem to develop and strengthen
mutually beneficial relationships with the student body
Public Relations Committee Roles and Responsibilities

o Informs, communicates and publicizes each respective community about
the operations of ASG
o Manages flow of information between ASG and the campus
o Serves as the main liaison to campus media
o In charge of all the ASG public relations within Northwestern
o Members of the committees will be interviewed by the Director of Public

Relations and need not be a Senator
o Meetings for the Public Relations Committee are held on a weekly basis
and headed by the Director of Public Relations who sets the agenda for
the meeting
required to meet with the Director of Public Relations to discuss

xxix
project
o This is subject to the approval of the Director of Public Relations
Director of Technology
• Chairs the Technology Committee
• Oversees the maintenance of all electronic equipment and services
• Supervises online voting during any campus-wide elections
• Serves on a number of university committees related to technology, act-
ing as the voice of ASG and the students at-large for those respective
committees.
Technology Committee Roles and Responsibilities

o Members of the committees will be appointed by the Director of Tech-
nology and need not be a Senator
o Meetings for the Technology Committee are held on a weekly basis and
headed by the Director of Technology who sets the agenda for the
meeting
required to meet with the Director of Technology to discuss pos-
sible termination from the committee
xxx
SENATE
DESCRIPTION
Senate
• Provides an avenue for open expression and public discourse of ideas
and issues of the student body
• Represents the constituents of the school
• Holds ASG accountable to the best interests of the students
• Directs where ideas and projects can be developed, packaged and im-
plemented
• Allocates and ratifies funding
• Officiates and approves the actions of ASG committees
• Able to change any and all facets of the organization through the vote
of the students, through Senate
• Comprised of 51 Senators from each constituency
o Elected by his or his constituency
o Represents the best interests of his or her respective constituency
o Not required to serve on a committee, but first-year Senators must ap-
ply for a committee or board
o Required to send out a weekly report to his or her constituency
o Moderated by the Speaker, ruled by the Parliamentarian, and docu-
mented by the Clerk
Caucus-Whips
• Help set the agenda for their caucus, identifying the top priorities and
concerns for their constituency
• Identify feasible projects that can help their constituents by speaking
with caucus Senators and their constituents
• Responsible for delegating assignments to Senators in their caucus, usu-
ally by asking Senators to write legislation or work on a project
• Work with the Speaker to ensure caucus and senators are working in
conjunction with the committees and executive board when working on
these projects
• Submit weekly reports on the progress of their Senators and the caucus
• Is the go-to-person for students of that constituency
xxxi
ACCOUNTABILITY
• Accountability is defined as:

o Ensuring that the person is fulfilling his or her position
o Asking the person, “Are you doing your job?” and “How well are you do-
ing it?”
• Senate is accountable to:

o Students
o Speaker, Parliamentarian, Clerk
• President is accountable to:

o Senate
o Executive Board
• Vice President is accountable to:

o President
o Executive Board
o Senate
• Executive Board is accountable to:

o President
o Senate
• Speaker is accountable to:

o Senate
o Executive Board
• Academic Vice-President is accountable to:

o Vice-President
o Executive Board
o Senate
• Student Life Vice-President is accountable to:

o Vice-President
o Executive Board
o Senate
• Clerk is accountable to:

o Senate
o Executive Board
xxxii
• Director of Public Relations is accountable to:
o Executive Board
o Senate
• Director of External Relations is accountable to:

o Vice-President
o Executive Board
o Senate
• Financial Vice-President is accountable to:

o Executive Board
o Senate
• Student Group Vice-President is accountable to:

o Executive Board
o Senate
• Parliamentarian is accountable to:

o Executive Board
o Senate
• Director of Technology is accountable to:

o Executive Board
o Senate
• Treasurer is accountable to:

o Executive Board
o Senate
xxxiii
LOOKING
FORWARD
Things change. Particularly, an organization designed to respond to fluctuating

student needs and interests will inevitably change. As a result, this document of
the new ASG structure is open to such change. As the years progress, it wel-
comes the opportunity for further improvement and future innovation. This
document is not fixed. It does not have the last word. It is just the beginning.
xxxiv

ASG Operations Manual 12.21.09

Transféré par

Informations du document

Description originale:

Copyright

Formats disponibles

Partager ce document

Partager ou intégrer le document

Options de partage

Avez-vous trouvé ce document utile ?

Ce contenu est-il inapproprié ?

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

ASG Operations Manual 12.21.09

Transféré par

Droits d'auteur :

Formats disponibles

A S S O C I A T E D S T U D E N T G O V E R N M E N T

S TU D ENTS M A TTER I N B UILD ING A B ET T ER NO R T H WEST ER N

1999 Campus Drive, Evanston, IL 60201 • telephone: 847.491.6728 •

LEGISLATION & RESOLUTIONS 15

ROBERT’S RULES OF ORDER 20

OFFICER JOB DESCRIPTIONS 22

ASSOCIATED STUDENT GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS MANUAL

ASSOCIATED STUDENT GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS MANUAL

ASSOCIATED STUDENT GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS MANUAL

We believe students have a responsibility to improve our Northwestern community.

ASSOCIATED STUDENT GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS MANUAL

Financial Student Group Director of Director of Academic Student Life Director of

Web Team Budget

ASSOCIATED STUDENT GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS MANUAL

Greek Off-Campus RHA/RCB Student Group

ASSOCIATED STUDENT GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS MANUAL

The Executive Board

• Speaker of the Senate

ASSOCIATED STUDENT GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS MANUAL

• Student Life Vice-President

• Director of External Relations

Academic Student Life Director of

Academic Student Life External Relations

ASSOCIATED STUDENT GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS MANUAL

o Manages the ASG Student Group Resource Center

Web Team Budget

ASSOCIATED STUDENT GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS MANUAL

• Student Group Vice-President

Financial Student Group

Senator Account Non-senator Senator Group Non-senator

ASSOCIATED STUDENT GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS MANUAL

• External Relations Committee

• Public Relations Committee

• Student Appropriations & Finance Board

ASSOCIATED STUDENT GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS MANUAL

• Student Life Committee

ASSOCIATED STUDENT GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS MANUAL

o The Senate considers the following six types of legislation:

 Senate Legislation: a bill requiring action of ASG and of general

 Senate Resolution: a resolution expressing the verbal support of

 Financial Legislation: a bill allocating funds from the ASG Activity

 Constitutional Amendment – a bill amending or modifying the

 Bylaw Amendment – a bill amending or modifying the ASG By-

 Joint Amendment – a bill amending or modifying both the ASG

ASSOCIATED STUDENT GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS MANUAL

 Title: Preferably short and easy to remember; the name everyone

 Background: An explanation of why the bill was written, including

 Principle: An explanation of what the bill proposes and what the

 Action: The exact proposed action, opinion, allocation, or

 Closure: All bills should be signed as follows:

ASSOCIATED STUDENT GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS MANUAL

Speak Out Against Injustice: Bring a Fellow Wildcat Home

As fellow Wildcats, Northwestern students should be outraged by the injustices

Be it enacted by the Associated Student Government Senate here assembled, ASG’s

ASSOCIATED STUDENT GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS MANUAL

 Title: Preferably short and easy to remember; the name everyone

 “Whereas…”: Clauses which effectively is a combination of the

 “Be it resolved…”: Clauses which are the “opinion” portions of the

 Closure: All bills should be signed as follows:

ASSOCIATED STUDENT GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS MANUAL

Northwestern University Associated Student Government

Whereas, his background is unique and the perspectives he offers illuminating.

Be it resolved by the Associated Student Government here assembled, representing