Seats Available for the Spring Election

Thank you for your interest in Student Senate! Please read this packet carefully and be sure to contact the election chairperson with any questions.

Election Chairperson

Thaddeus France

Seats Available for the Spring Election

Student Senate Positions:

PRESIDENT/VICE PRESIDENT of STUDENT SENATE

CLASS REPRESENTATIVES

Senior Class ‘19 Representative……………………. 2

Junior Class ’20 Representative…………………….. 2

Sophomore Class ‘21 Representative……………. 2

Freshmen Class Representative ’22 to be elected in the Fall

COLLEGE REPRESENTATIVES

College of Arts & Sciences Representative…….. 4

College of Business Representative………..………3

College of Engineering Representative…..………2

RESIDENT AND COMMUTER REPRESENTATIVES

Resident Representative………………………………4

Commuter Representative…………………………..2

SENATOR-AT-LARGE

Senator at Large………………………………………….. 2

CLASS OFFICERS FOR EACH CLASS

President

Vice President

Secretary

Treasurer

Note: Number of representatives reflects total voting membership as of 1/15/18. Total number of representatives may change and will be reflected on the ballot.

Election Timeline

PETITIONS ARE AVAILABLE UNTIL FEB. 19th

Monday, February 19th, 2018

Petitions Due in Student Activities Office by 4:00pm

MANDATORY CANDIDATES MEETINGS – YOU MUST ATTEND ONE

Wednesday, February 21st, 2018

Mandatory Election Meeting, 6:30pm, CC4

Thursday, February 22nd, 2018

Mandatory Election Meeting, 5:30pm, CC4

CAMPAIGNING BEGINS - REFER TO GUIDELINES

Saturday, February 24th, 2018

Campaigning Begins at 12:00pm

DEBATE NIGHT

Thursday, March 8th, 2018

Rivers, 7:00pm-9:00pm

Tentative, Pending Contested Election(s)

Executive Board Candidates ONLY

ELECTIONS

Thursday, March 15th, 2018

Student Senate Elections

Campus Center Mall Area (10:00am-4:00pm)

Also online via Connect2U from 12:00am-4:00pm

FIRST MEETING OF THE NEW TERM

Tuesday, April 3rd, 2018

New Senators Take Office

Student Senate Meetings: Every Tuesday @ 12:45pm in Senate Chambers

Candidate Information

Eligibility: All candidates must be full-time day division students in good academic standing. Candidates running for an Executive Board positions must maintain a 2.3 GPA at minimum.
Eligibility: Candidates must be available to assume the position on April 3, 2018 and continue on through March 31st, 2019. Those students who are student teaching or studying abroad must have an alternate willing to fully participate as a member of senate or the seat will be forfeited.
Proper Names: They will be used on ballots.
Nominations: All candidates must submit a nominating petition no later than 4:00pm on Monday, February 19th. Nomination sheets may be delivered to the Office of Student Activities and Leadership Development, located on the second floor in the St. Germain Campus Center.

Step #1: Finding an Alternate

Each candidate must have an alternate from the same constituency to be able to run in the election. An alternate is someone who will assume your position in the event of your absence or resignation. Your constituency is the group of students you represent. Candidates without alternates will not be placed on the ballot. The exception to this rule is a candidate running for a class council executive board position or Student Senate President/Vice President Position. Class council positions do not need an alternate.

(Example: If you are running for Business Representative, your alternate must be a business student.)

Step #2: Gathering Signatures

All candidates vying for a regular Senate seat or class officer position must obtain at least twenty-five (25) signatures from students in their running constituency. Candidates running for Student Senate President and Vice-President must obtain 100 signatures for the ticket. Signatures may not be obtained from second semester seniors. Only students in your constituency may sign your nomination sheet. A student cannot sign more than one petition for a particular seat. In addition, signatures cannot be duplicated on the same petition. Please make sure that students who sign your petition are aware of these policies. This is your responsibility. If there are duplicate signatures, you may be required to find new signatures. Please ensure that each signature is legible.

Hints & Tips to Gathering Signatures

Make sure the people who sign your packets are in your constituency.
Avoid obtaining signatures from second semester seniors.
Get extra signatures! This way, you’ll be sure to get on the ballot!
Ask students if they have signed any other packets for the same position. Signatures do not count twice.
Make sure students that are signing your petition keep in mind their correct class year by credit, not by the number of years they have been at Western New England University.
If a candidate does not have the proper number of signatures on their nomination form by the due date (even if they have turned their packet in ahead of time) said candidate will not be eligible for election.
Return nomination sheet to Student Activities by Monday, February 19th.

Step #3: Attend a Mandatory Meeting

To review election procedures and to answer any questions, you must attend one of the following meetings. You must attend one of the meetings in order for your name to appear on the ballot. The meeting should last no longer than 20 minutes. If you cannot attend, please contact Tucker France.

Wednesday, February 21st, 6:30pm, CC4
Thursday, February 22nd, 5:30pm, CC4

Step #4: Campaign!

Campaigning can begin on Saturday, February 24th, 2018. Campaigning is defined as any direct or indirect endorsement of any said candidate(s). This includes, but is not limited to, the posting of campaign literature whether approved or unapproved, as well as any other actions deemed to be influential to potential voters before the above date. If you have any question as to whether something would be considered campaigning, it is better to ask permission. All campaign materials must follow the guidelines listed within this packet. Please see attached.

Campaign Rules and Regulations

Campaigning is defined as any direct or indirect endorsement of said candidate(s.) This includes, but is not limited to, the posting of campaign literature both approved and unapproved, as well as any other actions deemed to be influential to potential voters.
Candidates may campaign in the residence hall areas (Berkshire, Hampden, Franklin, Windham, LaRiviere, Plymouth, Commonwealth, Gateway Village, Southwood Hall and Evergreen Village) provided candidates have permission from Dean Keizer and the Resident Manager or Resident Director of such building and are escorted by a resident of that area.
Campaigning dates are from Saturday, February 24th 12:00am – Thursday, March 15th at 4:00pm. Results of the election will not be released should this policy be violated.
The use of Electronic Devices to provide students the opportunity to vote for a candidate is prohibited. Such devices should not be used by any candidate or member of a candidate’s campaign team.
Contact Campaigning during voting hours is allowed, however at no point on Election Day (March 15th at 12:00am) candidates are allowed to campaign inside the St. Germain Campus Center. Candidates may however campaign anywhere else on campus, as long as they are compliant with all other campaign rules.

Posters and Campaign Literature

Posters and signs may not exceed 1½ feet by 2 feet.
No posters or campaign literature may be posted in administration buildings, the library, or in any classroom.
Campaign literature may be posted on cars on the campus, but the candidate is responsible for the cleanup.
All campaign literature should be approved and initialed by the Election Chairperson or Dean Maureen Keizer in the Office of Student Activities. Additional copies can then be made from that original copy.
No posters or signs of any type may be placed on the outside of any building, or on Western New England University grounds (i.e., sidewalks, trees, benches, etc.)
All posters, campaign literature, and electronic publicity MUST be removed by the supporters of the candidate by 11:59pm on the day of the elections. Election results will not be posted until all publicity is removed.
No direct mailings will be permitted. This includes mass e-mails or solicitation of AIM screen names, and mass text messages, Facebook messages, or other social media direct messages. However, personal profiles and conversations with friends are private and will not be controlled by Student Senate.
Facebook groups are allowed. If one is created, Election Chairperson MUST be informed via e-mail, and be an administrator of this page. Any inappropriate content, including, but not limited to comments, status updates, and photos will lead to the removal of the candidate’s name from the ballot. This includes comments and posts from parties other than the candidate. You are allowed to friend request the Election Chairperson if necessary.
Twitter accounts can be used in this election. Candidates must create accounts specific to their campaign. You may not use your personal account. Your account MUST be followed by the Student Senate Election Chairperson.
Note: you are allowed to ‘retweet’ or ‘repost’ content from your own campaign’s account (either Twitter or otherwise). However, all content must originate from a defined campaign account. This is so any/all campaign materials may be monitored by the Election Committee.
Using Kodiak as a form of publicity is strictly prohibited. This includes posts from parties other than the candidate. Infractions will result in the removal of the candidate from the ballot.
The candidate is responsible for posting or distributing all of his or her election materials according to the guidelines of this packet.
Any and all forms of digital campaigning must be approved by the Election Chair prior to their activation/implementation.

Consequences of Violations
If any campaign policies are violated, there will be consequences as listed below. These consequences will be discussed at the mandatory meetings. Questions can be answered at any time by contacting the Election Chairperson. The Election Chair and the Election Committee will consider penalties.

At the discretion of the Election Chair, and the Election Committee, and the current Student Senate, the following are a list of possible consequences for breaching the policies in this packet as discussed at the mandatory meetings:

Requiring a candidate to obtain more signatures for his/her petition.
Verbal or written warning for breaking election policies.
Loss of campaigning privileges for a specific period of time or for the entire election.
Loss of opportunity to be write-in candidates.
Loss of opportunity to have a representative present at ballot counting.
Removal of name(s) from the ballot; i.e. disqualification.

Debate

In the event that the election for Student Senate President/Vice President or any of the Class Officer positions is contested, there may be a debate held by the Election Committee. Candidates and Committee members will meet to decide if they wish to have a debate, within the framework below.

Debates will only be held in the event of a contested election.
Debates may be held only for the Student Senate President/Vice President seat or class council officers.
All candidates for the position must agree to the debate in order for it to take place.
The Election Chair is expected to serve as the moderator of the debate, however they may appoint a replacement in the event of a conflict. The Election Committee and candidates must agree on the replacement.
Debate details and framework are up for discussion prior to the debate, with the Election Chair having final say over procedures and frameworks, within the confines of the aforementioned rules.

Election Day

The Election Committee of the Student Senate will conduct the election.
The polling may be held electronically 12:00am-4:00pm as well as 10:00am – 4:00pm in the Campus Center.
The closest the candidate or members of the staff may be to the voting area is 15 feet. Violations are subject to the consequences listed above.
The candidate and his or her staff may be present at the polling place only for the purposes of casting his or her ballot.
There shall be no form of campaigning by the polling place or the immediate area surrounding it. This is defined as any place within the Campus Center.
Each candidate may have a designated representative (other than him/herself) at the election table. This privilege is extended only to those candidates running for contested seats, and may not be used to campaign for candidates. It is to monitor voting procedures only.

Election Committee

The Election Chairperson and Committee, if applicable, are responsible to see that the above stated guidelines are carried out.
The Election Chair will appoint the Election Committee, which shall consist of individuals not seeking election for any office.
All complaints for violation of these rules may be forwarded in writing via email to the Election Chairperson, who will immediately start an investigation of the charges. The Election Committee will have final say over the outcome of any complaints. Decisions will be made final by a vote within the committee, with ties being broken by the Election Chair.
Verbal complaints will not be considered.

Polls

The Election Committee and the Office of Information Technology will make up the ballots and will be password protected. Only the Election Chair and Dean Keizer will be able to monitor results.
Voting more than once will not be possible.
Second semester seniors will not be allowed to vote.

Write In Candidates

Write in candidates must obtain at least 5% of their potential total voting constituency to be elected. This includes the total constituency population, not just those that voted on election day

(example: hypothetically, there are 300 commuters. 5% of the total constituency is 15 votes, therefore 15 votes are required to be elected as a commuter representative. Names on write in ballots must appear exactly the same, candidate/alternate, across all 15 ballots to be elected.

All of the above stated guidelines pertain to write-in candidates as well.

Student Senate Election Petition: Spring 2018

REPRESENTATIVE PETITION

(COLLEGE, CLASS, RESIDENT or COMMUTER)

Candidate’s Name______

Alternate’s Name______

Position: ______

25 signatures required – no graduating senior signatures are considered valid

Print Signature

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