A Student Senate Standing Committee is a permanent committee that is established by the MSU Constitution to consider a certain subject. The establishment of Standing Committees allows work to be delegated by the Student Senate, allowing for a more detailed examination of a topic than could be given to it by the Student Senate. Standing Committees can invite third parties to their meetings to discuss the topic with members. Standing Committee members have the opportunity to develop expertise in the subject their Standing Committee deals with and to interact more closely with the Executive and the student body.
Standing Committees
The Student Senate has the following Standing Committees, namely:
- Constitutional & Representative Review Committee
- Executive Oversight & Accountability Committee
- Search Committee
- Selection Committee
- Rules & Procedures Committee
Committee Provisions
- Each Committee shall appoint from one of its number no later than at its second meeting a Deputy Chairperson. The Deputy Chairperson shall act if the Chairperson is temporarily incapacitated and shall not receive any renumeration.
- A Secretary shall be appointed by each Committee to provide such technical and administrative supports as it may determine.
- Each Committee shall appoint from one of its number no later than at its second meeting a Vice-Secretary. The Vice-Secretary shall act if the Secretary is temporarily incapacitated and shall not receive any renumeration.
- Staff of the Union may, at the invitation of a Committee, attend for all or part of a meeting of the Committee. In additional external independent experts may be asked by a Committee to attend all or part of a Committee meeting.
- Any member of a Committee shall be deemed to have resigned if they fail to attend two consecutive meetings of the Committee, without submission of their apologies in advance of the meeting to the Secretary.
- The member in question may be reinstated on appeal by agreement of the Speaker of the Student Senate and the President, where such absence is caused by justifiable circumstances which have been explained to and accepted by the Speaker of the Student Senate and the President.
- Except where otherwise explicitly stated, each Committee shall report back to the Student Senate after each meeting and at least once per semester.
- Quorum for each committees shall be no less than 50% of those entitled to attend and vote
- Decisions shall be made by consensus in the first instance, but where necessary may be made by a simple majority vote of a quorate meeting.