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Student Government

Dear Students,rocheleaurose1

 

 

 

In this Student Government section of du Lac, you can find the contact information for the various groups that make up the Student Union.  All of these organizations exist for the sole purpose of service to you.  We hope you take advantage of them.
 
The Student Union works to ensure that each and every student has the chance to realize her or his full potential in every area of student life here at Notre Dame.
 
And, this year, there is more opportunity than ever to make a difference.  That’s because our Student Union is committed to fulfilling a larger goal — one uniquely associated with this University — the goal of advancing Notre Dame as both a “crossroads and a lighthouse” for the world.
 
This is the vision offered by Father Ted Hesburgh.  And, in response, during the past election the student body called for a broader focus for student government to serve a world in need.
 
All great universities serve as crossroads — places where ideas intersect and cultures converge.
 
Notre Dame, however, has also served as a lighthouse — as the moral conscience of higher education.
 
So, check out the following ways to get involved, choose a path to make your mark, and let’s join together to answer Father Jenkins’ challenge to “build a Notre Dame that is bigger and better than ever.”
 
We hope you’ll stop by 203 LaFortune soon, and that you’ll keep coming back!
 
Brett Rocheleau
Student Body President
 
Katie Rose

 

Student Body Vice President

 

Preamble of the Undergraduate Student Union Constitution
We, the undergraduate students of the University of Notre Dame du Lac, recognize the uncommon value of the vision of Our Lady's University and our essential role in its ongoing realizations.  in order to achieve the greatest possible contribution to our community, we endeavor to make efficient and effective use of the resources available, to communicate student convictions clearly and willfully to faculty, administrators, and trustees, and to achieve consensus within the University community on formulation and execution policy.  We labor with the entire Notre Dame family to ensure that each student reaches his or her full academic, social, and spiritual potential and resolve to sustain the evolving spirit of Notre Dame by entrusting its care to the student.  Therefore, we do hereby ordain and establish this Consitution of the Unvergraduate Student Body of the University of Notre Dame and form the Student Union.

Student Government at Notre Dame
Student Government is divided into two branches, policy and programming.  At the head of these two branches is the Student Body President.  Elected each spring semester on a ticket with a vice presidential running mate, the Student Body President is responsible for advocating on behalf of the interests of the student body in the authentic realization of the mission of the University.  It is the duty of this person to serve as an active student voice to the University administration, the greater South Bend community, and beyond.

The Student Body President, Vice President, and their Chief of Staff are the top three officials within the Student Union.  Along with the Directors of the Student Senate Departments and other Student Union leaders, they address all aspects of student life at Notre Dame, including academics, athletics, residential life, social concerns, student security and safety, community relations, and University affairs.

 
Campus Life Council
Chair: Brett Rocheleau (574) 631-4555 studegov@nd.edu
The Campus Life Council serves as a forum where students, faculty, Rectors, and administrators discuss matters affecting student affairs.  It makes policy recommendations directly to the Vice President for Student Affairs.  The Student Body President serves as Campus Life Council Chairperson, ensuring its efficient and effective operation.  Other student representatives include the Judicial Council President, Student Union Board Manager, three Student Senators, one Hall President‚ Council Co-chair, and one representative from the Diversity Council.  Initiatives of the Campus Life Council are delegated to several task forces who report progress back to the greater council every meeting.  Meetings are open to the public and held every other Monday during the regular academic year.

 

Club Coordination Council
Chair: Hannah Burke (574) 631-4078 ccc@nd.edu
The Club Coordination Council is responsible for all organizations operating as recognized clubs on the University of Notre Dame campus.  Currently threre are approximately 200 recognized groups involving over 75 percent of the student body.  The Club Coordination Council works to promote the interests of each organization and handles budget and office space requests.  It also serves as the official represnetative for all campus clubs.  Additionally, the Club Coordination Council facilitates cooperation between clubs and other branches of the Student Union.  The Club Coordination Council is charged with cultivating and supporting Notre Dame's active club environment.  The four primary goals of the Club Coordination Council are education, collaboration, representation, and allocation.  The Club Council is chaired by the Club Coordinator and includes elected representatives and several appointed members.

Financial Management Board
Chair: Alexa Shaw (574) 631­-4557 fmb@nd.edu
Chaired by the Student Union Treasurer, the Financial Management Board is charged with managing and monitoring the Student Union allocations throughout each fiscal year. Annually, the Financial Management Board holds an allocation hearing in order to distribute funds of the Student Union Board. In the winter of each year, the Financial Management Board conducts spending reviews to ensure that organizations and clubs are responsibly spending their allocations and to reallocate funds if deemed necessary. Additionally, the Financial Management Board oversees the Student Business Board, The Shirt Project, The Shirt Charity Fund, and approves any expenditure by a student organization over $5,000 or 10 percent of their budget (whichever figure is larger). Members of this board include the Student Union Treasurer and Assistant Student Union Treasurers, the Student Government Controller, the Student Union Board Controller, the Hall Presidents’ Council Treasurer, the Club Coordinator Controller, two Student Senators, each Class Council Treasurer, and the Off­Campus President. Meetings are held every week during the regular academic year.

Hall Presidents’ Council
Co­-chair: Dennis Smith (574) 631-­4556 Co­-chair: Matt Lynch (574) 631­-4556 hpc@nd.edu
Hall Presidents’ Council serves as an information disseminating body as well as a forum for Hall Presidents and Vice Presidents to discuss common matters of campus life. Weekly Tuesday meetings provide an opportunity for the Cabinet Members of the Hall Presidents’ Council, who attend Campus Life Council, Council of Representatives and Financial Board meetings, to inform residence hall leaders of upcoming events or summaries of past happenings. The Hall Presidents’ Council is composed of the duly elected presidents of each residence hall, Hall Presidents’ Council chairpersons, and the appointed cabinet members, including Financial, Social and Athletic Chairs, and an Awards Liaison.

Judicial Council
Chair: Michael Thomas (574) 631­-5136 jcouncil@nd.edu
The Judicial Council is comprised of the Judicial Council President, who serves as Chair of the Judiciary and Chair of the Student Union Ethics Commission, a Judicial Council Vice-President for Elections, and a Judicial Council Vice-­President for Peer Advocacy. The Judicial Council organizes and conducts student body elections and provides student advocates for students involved in University disciplinary proceedings. These peer advocates are trained to assist students with Office of Residence Life hearings and to answer questions about the University disciplinary process.

Student Union Senate
Chair: Katie Rose (574) 631­-4554 studegov@nd.edu
The Student Union Senate consists of one elected representative per undergraduate residence hall and one elected off­campus under­graduate representative. The Student Body Vice President serves as Chair ensuring its efficient and effective operation. The Student Union Senate formulates and advances the position of the undergraduate student body on all issues concerning campus life. Senators may serve on at least two of the following Student Government Departments: Academic Affairs, Campus Technology, Community Relations, Constituent Services, Gender Issues, Internal Affairs, Residence Life, Social Concerns, and University Affairs. The meetings serve as an opportunity for student representatives to address or debate certain issues pertaining to students at the time, accommodate speakers who wish to reach students through Senate and as a time for Senators to vote on particular matters in order to advance resolutions issued by the committees.

Student Union Board
Board Manager: Ashley Markowski (574) 631­-4560 sub@nd.edu
Charged with providing student services and social, intellectual, and cultural opportunities in response to the needs and wants of the student body, the Student Union Board is Notre Dame’s lead programming body  and its Boar Manager reports directly to the Student Body President. This organization is composed of talented and driven students under the leadership of the Student Union Board Manager and the Executive Board of Chief Controller and Directors of Programming, Operations, Publicity, and Art. The Student Union Board coordinates many campus events ranging from large and small venue concerts, lectures, and weekly movies to comedy shows, Chicago bus trips, and cultural events. Annually, the Student Union Board sponsors three festivals: Notre Dame Literary Festival, the Collegiate Jazz Festival, and AnTostal, a weeklong celebration of spring held during the last week of classes. In addition, Student Union Board sponsors Acoustic Café and the Battle of the Bands, which allow student musicians and vocalists to perform for the campus audience.