The Student Sustainability Association at Penn

Constitution

  1. Name
  2. The name of the organization is the “Student Sustainability Association at Penn,” or SSAP.
  3. The founding name was the “Green Campus Partnership Student Association,” or GCPSA.
  4. Mission Statement
  5. As the official umbrella group of environmental sustainability-related student groups on campus, the Student Sustainability Association at Penn (SSAP) was founded in 2010 to foster cohesion among environmentally focused student groups, develop strategies for impacting campus sustainability, and create a unified student voice on green issues at Penn. As the student environmental community has grown immensely since the 2009 launch of Penn’s Climate Action Plan and President Amy Gutmann’s signing of the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC), SSAP has helped to foster increased collaboration among the 20+ student environmental groups on campus and between students, faculty, and staff working on environmental issues.
  6. Membership
  7. Membership in SSAP will comprise of constituent groups that are student-run with an environmental or sustainability focus at the University of Pennsylvania. Constituent groups should cooperate with the organization’s mission to:
  8. foster collaboration between like-minded environmentally related student groups,
  9. promote and support sustainable causes on campus, and
  10. create a unified voice regarding environmental & sustainability issues both on Penn’s campus and on a larger scale.
  11. Each constituent group shall send a representative to each general body meeting of SSAP who shall vote on the constituent member group’s behalf.
  12. Each constituent member must be represented at at least two-thirds of the General Body Meetings held each semester. Failure to do so will result in the retraction of the group’s voting privileges until the end of the semester.
  13. Membership in SSAP shall not constitute an endorsement by SSAP of any of the member group’s partisan affiliations or institutional positions on political or advocacy matters.
  14. Application: The application for membership of a prospective constituent group may be considered according to the following steps:
  15. An application for membership consisting of a completed application form from the prospective member’s executive officers is submitted to SSAP’s executive board.
  16. This application requests membership and lists the reasons that SSAP membership would benefit the group, explains how the group advances SSAP’s mission, and specifies that the group meets the membership criteria.
  17. The executive board of the applying group then meets with the executive board of SSAP to determine if the application is appropriate.
  18. Constituent groups will vote at the next general body meeting and the group shall become a new member with a two-thirds vote.
  19. Each group should reaffirm its membership at the beginning of the academic year through an intent to return form.
  20. Termination: The membership of a constituent group may be ended if:
  21. members of the constituent group decide to resign from SSAP,
  22. the constituent group ceases to exist as an organization, effective from when the constituent group formally communicates this to the chair or loses its registration with the Office of Student Life by virtue of being inactive; or
  23. the constituent group is expelled by the general body as a consequence of disciplinary measures
  24. Officers
  25. The executive board shall consist of co-chairs, a treasurer, secretary, a vice chair for marketing and communications, and a vice chair for events and outreach.
  26. Co-chairs: The co-chairs organize and preside over all general body and executive board meetings.
  27. Vice Chair for Marketing and Communications: The vice chair for marketing and communications is in charge of running SSAP’s Facebook and Twitter accounts and making banners, posters, and other marketing materials. This Vice Chair will update and reorganize as necessary the SSAP internal website ( and coordinate with Green Campus Partnership to update the SSAP page on Penn’s official sustainability website.
  28. Vice Chair for Events and Outreach: The Vice Chair for Events and Outreach is in charge of organizing the logistics of events held by SSAP. He or she also encourages collaboration between SSAP and non SSAP groups to plan events, developing ties with other student groups to help build SSAP's presence on campus.
  29. Treasurer: The treasurer is in charge of keeping track of all funding applications and the budget. The treasurer is responsible for communicating with student groups about funding and reimbursement policies and updates. He or she also works with Green Campus Partnership to coordinate reimbursements. The treasurer is in charge of moderating the common funding application portal and the internal SSAP funding page on the weebly website.
  30. Secretary: The secretary takes notes at each general body and executive board meeting, including taking attendance, and is in charge of sending out the weekly newsletter.The secretary also manages the email account.
  31. Elections and Removal
  32. Elections
  33. The last meeting of each spring semester shall be the elections meeting.
  34. All members of the executive board shall be elected by a majority vote of voting members of the general body at the elections meeting. Each constituent organization has 1 vote.
  35. Following speeches, the body shall vote by secret ballot. If no candidate receives a simple majority, an election shall be held between the two candidates receiving the most votes. In the event of a tie, the body shall discuss and vote again.
  36. Each co-chair is elected for a 1 year term, one being elected at the end of the fall semester and the other at the end of the spring semester.
  37. Removal
  38. An officer shall be impeached if the representatives of at least 3 constituent members present a statement outlining the causes of impeachment to the executive board, or if three members of the executive board present the officer with causes of impeachment.
  39. If an officer is impeached, an impeachment hearing shall be held at the next general body meeting, and the impeachment shall be announced in advance of the meeting.
  40. Causes for dismissal of an officer include persistent behavior damaging to the association and failure to perform his or her official duties.
  41. At an impeachment hearing, the charges brought against the defendant shall be read to the body, following which the defendant shall have the opportunity to defend himself or herself against those charges. Following the defense, the body shall vote on dismissal, which shall pass with a two-thirds vote.
  42. Special Elections
  43. If a member of the executive board leaves a post before the start of the that term, a special election should be called within three weeks of the start of the semester.
  44. If a member of the board other than a Co-Chair leaves the post after the term has started, a special election may be called if a majority of the remaining executive board vote for said election. If the board does not vote for a special election, the board can vote by majority to appoint a member of a SSAP constituent group to the position for the remainder of the term.
  45. If the member is a Co-Chair, a special election should be called within two regularly scheduled meetings.
  46. No special election must be called for any board position if less than one month remains in the term; however, by a majority vote of the executive board a current member of a SSAP group can be appointed to that position for the remainder of the term.
  47. Meetings and Resolutions
  48. Anyone can bring issues relating to sustainability to SSAP meetings by notifying the executive board by the Saturday before the meeting. These issues may then be brought up at University Council if the board and member groups decide it is appropriate and within the limitations of University Council.
  49. Each constituent group has one vote.
  50. Relationship with Green Campus Partnership
  51. SSAP works closely with Green Campus Partnership and obtains its yearly funding from the office. In this role, GCP may set limitations on funding applications. However, GCP does not limit the activities of SSAP or preside over meetings. Likewise, SSAP does not speak on behalf of GCP.
  52. Funding
  53. Eligibility
  54. Publicity materials must display the logo of SSAP as a sponsor.
  55. Events must not serve alcoholic beverages.
  56. Events must comply with Green Campus Partnership and the University’s limitations on funding.
  57. Events must be directly related to environmental sustainability issues that forward the goals of our constituent groups. Preference will be given to collaborative events and those that advance sustainability on Penn’s campus.
  58. Procedure for Application
  59. The SSAP constituent group can submit a funding application at late as the general body meeting before an event.
  60. A member of the constituent group will explain the idea or event at the next SSAP meeting where the members will vote on the merit of the event. The funding application shall be approved by a two-thirds vote.
  61. Voting can be conducted in two stages if necessary - one to approve that the group receive funding, and the second stage to approve the quantity of money.
  62. Funding votes will be done in person at a SSAP meeting - voting will not take place electronically
  63. Any changes to the use of a funding application must be approved with a new vote.
  64. Amendments
  65. Amendments to the constitution shall be introduced by a resolution by the executive board to the constituent members. Amendments will pass with a two-thirds vote.