Amended on April 14, 2002

Article I
Name and Membership

All and only students of The Claremont Colleges shall be under the aegis of the Senate of The Claremont Colleges.

Article II
Purposes and Powers

1. Preamble
The Claremont Colleges do hereby form the Senate of The Claremont Colleges commonly known as the 5-College Senate, in order to establish open and informative communications among The Claremont Colleges, to represent a common voice for the students and organizations of The Claremont Colleges, to provide for and encourage effective inter-college cooperation, and to promote unity among The Claremont Colleges.

2. Statement of Non-Profit
The Senate of The Claremont Colleges is organized for nonprofit purposes and individual members will not derive profit therefrom.

3. Political Limitation
The Senate of The Claremont Colleges shall not participate or intervene in any political campaign (including publishing or distribution of statements) on behalf of any candidate for public office.

Article III
The Senate

Section 1. The Senate of The Claremont Colleges shall consist of twenty students. Each college shall have four representatives who will compose the delegation for the respective college. Each member shall be known as Senator. The Student Body Presidents from each college shall form the core of this governing body. The remaining fifteen representatives may rotate on a per meeting basis and shall be known as Rotating Senators. Rotating Senators shall be elected by their respective student government one-week prior to Senate meetings. The position of Senator shall not be exclusively limited to members of the student governments. Senators will have the right to bring any motion before the 5-College Senate

Section 2. Powers
Senators will have the right to speak in name of their respective college student governments. No act of the Senate of The Claremont Colleges may occur without a formal or informal motion brought for review before the body. Formal motions shall be required on any memorandum representing the official voice of the Senate of The Claremont Colleges. Informal motions shall be used for motions for referral to the student governments of The Claremont Colleges, requests for adjournment, and any motions not requiring a formal vote. The 5-College Senate shall also have the authority to form ad hoc committees, the only stipulation being that each college have equal representation on said committees. The 5-College Senate shall also serve as a forum for Claremont Colleges specific announcements. The Senate of The Claremont Colleges shall also schedule timing of major 5-College events and activities as well as mediate conflicts in timing.

Article IV
The Senate of The Claremont Colleges Chair

Section 1. No act of the Senate of The Claremont Colleges may occur without a formal or informal motion brought for review before the body. Formal motions shall be required on any memorandum representing the official voice of the Senate of The Claremont Colleges. Informal motions shall be used for motions for referral to the student governments of The Claremont Colleges, requests for adjournment, and any motions not requiring a formal vote. The 5-College Senate shall also have the authority to form ad hoc committees, the only stipulation being that each college have equal representation on said committees. The 5-College Senate shall also serve as a forum for Claremont Colleges specific announcements. The Senate of The Claremont Colleges shall also schedule timing of major 5-College events and activities as well as mediate conflicts in timing.

Section 2. The position of the Senate chair shall be on a rotating basis: CMC, Scripps, Pomona, Harvey Mudd and Pitzer Colleges. The position of chair will rotate every semester. The chair will be one of the Student Body Presidents from The Claremont Colleges. The chair shall be responsible for establishing an agenda for all meetings. The chair shall be responsible for keeping order during meetings. The chair shall be responsible for upholding the Constitution of the 5-College Senate and any duties delegated to them by that document or body.

Article V
Procedures

Section 1. Meetings
Meeting of the Senate of The Claremont Colleges shall be open to public attendance except when, upon a two-thirds vote, the Senate decides to close them to discuss personnel or litigation issues. Any action taken in a closed session shall be reported at the next public opportunity. The Senate of The Claremont Colleges shall meet at least once per calender month each academic year with additional meetings upon recommendation of the 5-College Council of Presidents or the chair’s discretion. The chair of the Senate of The Claremont Colleges will designate the meeting place and time.

Section 2. Voting
A vote of the Senate of The Claremont Colleges may only occur when there is a full quorum of at least two representatives from each delegation present. A formal vote will consist of a single vote given by each delegation. A formal vote shall only pass with unanimous consent. An informal vote will consist of voting by each Senator. An informal vote may pass with a simple majority.

Article VI
Recall of Officers

Section 1. The removal of the chair shall occur during a formal vote of the Senate; in the event of the removal the chairmanship will go on to the next delegation and the new chair shall fulfill the remaining term of his predecessor in addition to the next term. Senators can be removed only by the Senate of their home college. The chair shall not vote in the matter of his/her own recall.

Article VII
Amendments

Section 1. This Constitution can be amended by a formal vote.

Article VIII
Senate Clerk

Section 1. The Senate of The Claremont Colleges shall appoint a Senate Clerk. The 5-College Senate clerk shall be accountable to the 5-College chair. The position Senate Clerk will be made available in an open application process, the 5-College Council of Presidents will initiate the process. The selection of Senate Clerk shall be done by informal vote of the Senate body. The Senate Clerk shall record the minutes of each Senate meeting. The Senate Clerk shall be responsible for distributing the minutes of each meeting to the members of the 5-College Senate.

Article IX
Committees

Section 1. The Senate of The Claremont Colleges may establish committees and committee bylaws through a formal vote. A formal vote of the Senate of The Claremont Colleges is required for all committee bylaw changes. Appointments to committees may be made through an informal vote of the Senate of The Claremont Colleges. The Senate of The Claremont Colleges may overrule any student committee decision. Committee chairs shall report to the Senate of The Claremont Colleges at least once a semester. Each committee description indicates whether the Senate of The Claremont Colleges shall appoint at-large members in the Spring or in the Fall. If such an indication is not made, the time of Senate of The Claremont Colleges at-large committee member appointments is at the discretion of the chair of the committee.

Section 2. Student Affairs Committee
This Committee shall consist of the student activities chair from the student governments of Pitzer College, Claremont McKenna College, Harvey Mudd College and Scripps College, and the campus events commissioner from Pomona College. The members of the committee will appoint one of its members as Committee Chair. At the request of the Chair, the Senate of The Claremont Colleges will appoint at-large students, faculty, and administration to the Committee.

This committee shall coordinate and organize dates for social events between The Claremont Colleges in order to prevent conflicts and/or overlapping of events on the same given night and to promote unity, safety and organization amongst the organizers.

Section 3. Environmental Review Committee
This committee shall consist of the environmental representatives from the student governments of Pitzer College, Pomona College, Scripps College, and one appointed liaison from the respective student governments of Harvey Mudd College and Claremont McKenna College. The members of the committee will appoint one of its members as Committee Chair. At the request of the Chair, the Senate of The Claremont Colleges will appoint at-large students, faculty, and administration to the Committee.

This committee shall develop a comprehensive approach to assessing the environmental impacts of short-term and long-term activities at The Claremont Colleges, develop solutions for mitigating those impacts, raise awareness about environmental issues and sustainability within The Claremont Colleges community, and provide a centralized outlet for students, faculty, and administration to discuss ideas, concerns, and information about environmental issues at The Claremont Colleges.