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ASB By-Laws

Article 1
House of Lords
Section 1. All governmental power shall be vested in the House of Lords of the Associated Student Body.
Section 2. The duties of the House of Lords shall be to organize, coordinate and supervise committees for special activities or services. To develop a sound financial policy and procedures. To provide an adequate number and variety of student assemblies. To administer the awards as outlined in the by-laws. To appoint standing committees. To schedule general elections. To recommend action to the administration and faculty in areas outside its jurisdiction. To publicize all school activities within the school and community. To investigate matters referred to the House by faculty, community, or body and any other student body business. To work directly with the administration on improving Student/Administration relationships. To be representative to the entire school.
Section 3. Oath of Office: Upon installation for any newly elected or appointed officers, the inductee shall take the following oath of office:
House of Lords Oath of Office
“I do hereby solemnly pledge myself faithfully to discharge the duties of my office. I give my pledge that I will do everything in my power to uphold the Constitution and to promote the general welfare of the Students Body of Westminster High School.” 
 
Article 2
House of Lords Duties and Responsibilities
Section 1. The Prime Minister shall:
      1. Preside all meetings of the House of Lords.
      2. Represent the students of Westminster High School as the student body president at off campus events.
      3. Be responsible for the proper arrangement and conduct of the assembly.
      4. Hold power to call special meetings of the House of Lords.
      5. Be an ex-officio member of all boards and committees.
      6. Have power to appoint all committees not otherwise provided.
      7. Perform such other duties as shall be customary to his/her office.
      8. Prepare and agenda for all House of Lords meetings.
      9. Oversee all committees.
 
Section 2. The Chancellor shall:
      1. Preside at all meetings in the absence of the Prime Minister.
      2. Perform the duties of the Prime Minister during his/her absence, disabilities, disqualification, or upon the resignation of the Prime Minister.
      3. Act as parliamentarian.
      4. Be in charge of and responsible for the marquee.
      5. Be the student store manager.
 
Section 3. The Exchequer shall:
      1. Compose a block motion at least twice a week to be approved by the House of Lords.
      2. Send out financial statements to all club and activity advisors.
      3. Work in the financial office as requested by the office.
      4. Chair all House of Lords fund-raisers.
      5. Provide reports of financial standings to the House of Lords monthly. 
 
Section 4. The Minister of Records shall:
      1. Record all proceedings of the House of Lords
      2. Keep a file of these recordings.
      3. Keep a file of the policies established by the House of Lords.
      4. Perform other duties as made by the Prime Minister.
      5. Handle all correspondence of the Associated Students.
      6. Keep a file of all correspondence.
      7. Keep a record of all standing and special committees.
 
Section 5.The Class Presidents shall:
      1. Relay information between House of Lords and class committee.
      2. Lead class committee meetings at least once a month with supervision by the class advisor.
      3. Hold events (i.e. fundraisers or bondings) that directly benefit the class.
      4. Work in any capacity as appointed by the Prime Minister.
      5. Be assigned on committees as either a member of chairmen.
 
Section 6. The Class Vice Presidents shall:
      1. Work in any capacity as appointed by the class president.
      2. Assist the president in class committee duties.
      3. Be assigned on committees as either a member or chairman.
      4. Perform the duties of the President in his/her absence.
Section 7. The Minister of Athletics shall:
      1. Publicize all team standings on the public announcements.
      2. Work in the finance office weekly to clear athletes.
      3. Recognize and distribute outstanding athlete awards in all sports monthly.
      4. Create all sports certificates as requested by the coaches.
      5. Organize sports schedules for use by the House of Lords. 
 
Section 8. The Minister of Clubs shall:
      1. Assist in coordination of club and group rush week.
      2. Keep an accurate file of all active clubs on campus.
      3. Help students become acquainted with the Westminster High School Club Program.
      4. Be Chairman of the Inter-Club Council.
      5. Supervise all fundraising by clubs.
 
Section 9. The Minister of Commons shall:
      1. Organize and chair House of Commons meeting once a month.
      2. Inform students of upcoming activities and events.
      3. Report student feedback from House of Commons meeting to House of Lords.
 
Section 10. The Minister of Dances shall:
      1. Create and present dance proposals.
      2. Establishes budget for dances. 3. Oversees all distribution of dance tickets and sales.
      3. Coordinate all House of Lords dances.
 
Section 11. The Minister of Education shall:
      1. Be responsible for recognizing outstanding achievement including student and staff of the month.
      2. Motivate academic excellence.
      3. Supply the staff with gifts of appreciation on various holidays.
      4. Plan the staff luncheon for staff appreciation week.
 
Section 12. The Minister of Elections shall:
      1. Be responsible for organizing and conducting all elections.
      2. Enforce and issue all election guidelines.
Section 13. The Minister at Large Shall:
      1. Handle all community service related activities. Act as a liaison to all outside organizations.
      2. Serve on various committees as appointed by the executive board.
 
Section 14. The Minister of Pep shall:
      1. Organize lunch time pep rallies and activities.
      2. Prepare and order “Game of the Week” promotional supplies.
      3. Organize activities as required for pep rallies.
      4. Organize spirit weeks.
 
Section 15. The Minister of Public Relations shall:
      1. Be in charge of all inter-district student exchanges.
      2. Chair and coordinate International Week.
      3. Be responsible for organizing fundraisers for the House of Lords.
      4. Be a part of the Bridges Program.
      5. Act as liaison for Parent Teacher Student Association (PTSA).
Section 16. The Minister of Publicity shall:
      1. Ensure availability of supplies.
      2. Design flyers upon request.
      3. Inform all local media of upcoming events.
 
Section 17. The Minister of Rallies shall:
      1. Be responsible for organizing all pep rallies and assemblies not already chaired.
      2. Shall issue a minute by minute to all involved parties.
 
Section 18. The Minister of Technology shall:
      1. Be a liaison to the yearbook staff.
      2. Make promotional videos for student body related events.
      3. Be in charge of social media outlets (ie. Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, etc.).
 
Article 3
Qualifications and Elections Procedures of Officers
Section 1. A student who runs for a student body office can have no more than one U in citizenship, verified by the signature of his present teachers; have had a 2.5 grade point average or better at the end of the last grading period or progress report.
Section 2. Any student found in violation of the school Honor Code will be disqualified and/or removed from office. Final judgment will be up to the Assistant Principal of Activities or the Principal.
Section 3. Elections shall be decided by a plurality of votes cast by secret ballot. If the candidates are separated by 25 votes or less, a run-off will be held within 3 school days. In the case of a run-off election, the candidate with the most votes shall win.
Section 4. Minister of Rallies must be at least a junior or senior during his/her term of office.
Section 5. The results of the election shall be filed in the Activities Office and the names of the winning candidates posted.
Section 6. Any student running for student body office may not have a record of truancies, suspensions, or infractions of any school laws of the Honor Code for the previous grading term. The final judgment shall be made by the School Principal or Assistant Principal of Activities. A student body officer must maintain a 2.5 grade point average during his term in office and as an officer-elect at every grading period or progress report and must have at least five classes. Report cards must be shown to activities office within one week after receiving it or the officer may be subject to dismissal.
Section 8. All students seeking the office of Prime Minister or Chancellor must have at least one year experience in House of Lords prior to the election.
 
Article 4
Student Body General Fund
Section 1. There shall be a student body general fund established. This fund shall be created through the sale of student body cards, money received from admissions, and other fundraising procedures.
Section 2. The cost of a student body card shall be determined by the House of Lords and/or Activities Director each year.
Section 3. Only students who possess a Westminster High School student identification card will be eligible to participate in any activity sponsored by Westminster High School.
Section 4. Funds remaining from the graduating class shall be transferred to the General Student Account if not already allocated to another fund.
Section 5. Club funds shall remain with the clubs from year to year. The funds from any club that becomes inactive will be transferred to the student body account within a year of inactivity.
 
Article 5
Collection and Payment of Moneys
Section 1. All money collected or used at any Westminster High School ASB event and money from other student activities shall be accounted for by the Exchequer/Minister of Records.
Section 2. Student funds shall be handled through the Financial Office in a general account called “Student Body Activities Fund.” All receipts from student activities must be deposited with the Financial Office. All disbursements from the fund must be made by check. Cash withdrawals may be made up to $50 with proper approval and a receipt must be turned into the Financial Office within one week.
Section 3. No purchases involving the disbursements of “Student Body Activities Funds” may be made before a purchase order has been approved from the House of Lords. Purchase orders will be issued on the request of the proper sponsor and Activities Director.
Section 4. Check for payment of services will be issued on a receipt of a “Request for fund” from signed by the faculty advisor and the Activities Direction.
 
Article 6
Athletic Awards
Section 1. Westminster High School will give recognition to all sports groups.
Section 2. Athletes at Westminster High School may earn a letter. In lieu of additionally earned letter awards and/or emblems, a certificate will be issued.
Section 3. All athletic awards, letters, emblems, and certificates shall be officially granted by the House of Lords.
Section 4. Participation requirements for qualifications for letters shall be found in the Westminster Goldenwest League Handbook. Section 5. All athletic awards shall be withheld until the athlete has been cleared by the Finance Office.
 
Article 7
Parliamentary Authority
Section 1. In all cases, the House of Lords shall adhere to the procedures as set down in Robert’s Rules of Order.
 
Article 8
Clubs
Section 1. A club shall be recognized by the House of Lords and the curriculum committee when its standards are in keeping with the curriculum of Westminster High School
 
Section 2. An organization wishing to be recognized as a school club will be granted a charter by the Minister of Clubs with the approval of the House of Lords when the following requirements have been fulfilled:
      1. Obtain a faculty advisor, a constitution, and present sufficient reason for the formation of the club.
      2. Agree to have its president or representative attend all meetings of the inner-club council and abide by the inner-club constitution.
      3. Must give Minister of Clubs a list of all officers and members yearly.
      4. Must have at least 10 members that attend meetings on a regular basis.
 
Section 3. Any club may seek recognition by the House of Lords as a club for use of school facilities by making application for a charter. An application can be made to the House of Lords through the Minister of Clubs
 
Section 4. Clubs that fail to obtain charters or that have had their charters suspended or revoked:
      1. Will not be entitled to deposit or withdraw money from the WHS Activity Fund
      2. May not use school materials or meet on school property
      3. May not place announcements in school bulletins, or use any other club service provided by the school administration or the ASB and will not be entitled to a yearbook photo.
 
Section 5. The Minister of Clubs may suspend the charter of any club for the period of not more than three weeks pending an investigation and judgment by the House of Lords and the Activities Director. Section 6. Any group not meeting the district guidelines and criteria will be referred to as an Equal Access Group. These groups are limited to only the privileges outlined by the district.
 
Article 9
Revision of By-Laws
Section 1. The By-Laws of this Constitution may be revised by the majority vote of the student body voting at the general election.
*Standing Committee: a permanent committee that meets regularly
 
*Ad-Hoc Committee: a temporary committee that is created to complete one specific task/assignment