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A Guide to the 2008 Constitution of the University Student Council

Julius Rocas

Chair

2007 Students’ Constitutional Convention

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2008 University Student Council Constitution

Preamble

Article I General Provisions

Article II Declaration of Principles and Objectives

Article III Bill of Student Rights

Article IV Duties and Responsibilities of Students

Article V Composition, Election, Term of Office, Qualifications and

Vacancies of the University Student Council

Article VI Duties and Responsibilities of University Student Council Officers

Article VII Accountability of Student Leaders/Officers

Article VIII Committees of the University Student Council

Article IX Meetings

Article X The University Student Council Adviser

Article XI Funding of the Council

Article XII Magistrate

Article XIII Amendments and Revisions of the Constitution

Article XIV Transitory Provisions

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Introduction

The 2008 Constitution of the University Student Council is a product of long yet fruitful,

vigorous, and meaningful deliberations during the 2007 Students’ Constitutional

Convention, called forth by the USC Executive Board 2007-2008 led by its President

Joymay Amihan to accomplish a long overdue task, the revision of the 1999 University

Student Council Constitution.

Delegates from every College Student Council, the Council of Student Organizations,

the Student Auxiliary Groups, Heraldo Filipino, University Student Commission on

Elections, the Performing Arts Group and the USC Executive Board gathered to review

and revisit the entire 1999 USC Constitution.

Their objectives was to resolve recurring problems in the USC by reorganizing and

clarifying the mechanisms that ensure the continuity of the Council in case vacancies

occur in any position, especially that of the President. The objectives and principles of

the USC have also been clarified and updated to reflect the present needs of the

student body and to ensure a bright future ahead. The Bill of Students’ Rights have

been expanded and strengthened. The system of checks and balances between the

Executive and Legislative Boards has been clarified, overhauled and strengthened as

well. A new branch of the USC, the Magistrate, has been created to maintain and

compliment the democratic nature of the Council and empower both students and

student-leaders alike to resolve issues among themselves in an objective, just and

authoritative manner.

These are but some of the major new features of the 2008 USC Constitution. This

guide is written for all students and student-leaders of DLSU-D so that they may have

a better understanding of how the 2008 USC Constitution and the USC it provides for,

work for their betterment and the fulfillment of the Lasallian Mission.

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Preamble

Little was changed in the Preamble of USC Constitution; it is a guide in interpreting its

provisions. It states the general purposes which its framers and the student body who

ratified it, intended to be achieved. To reflect the present and ever changing times,

the Lasallian values have been updated to their latest incarnations: Spirit of Faith,

Zeal for Service, and Communion in Mission.

Article I - General Provisions

The changes made to the 1999 Constitution are mainly 'grammatical' corrections in

Sections 1 and 2. The major changes however, can be found in Section 3. In the new

Constitution the word 'empowered' was replaced with 'mandated' reminding the USC

of its solemn duty of serving the students.

Article II - Declaration of Principles and Objectives

In this article, the Constitution declares that the USC is a democratic and autonomous

body:

Democratic - in the sense that internal school regulation are subject to the students'

consent. Meaning, studies, consultations and surveys must be done first among the

students before new policies and regulations are implemented.

Autonomous - the USC is given the freedom that takes three forms:

Administrative - the USC has control over its officers, committees and

programs.

Political - it simply means that the USC is free to take political actions as it sees

appropriate even if this is not totally in line with that of the school

administration, faculty, and support staff or any other member of the Lasallian

community without being punished or penalized for it. Such as opposition to

Tuition Fee Increase, taking stands or positions with regards to national issues,

etc.

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Fiscal - the USC is free to decide on how, where, and why it will spend its funds.

It is also free to choose the sources of external additional funds like grants,

partnerships or sponsors.

Of course, all these freedoms must be exercised in accordance to established

University policies and guidelines and most importantly, to meet the needs and

interests of the students.

Sections 2 to 5 emphasize on the values and principles of:

rule of majority

respect for the rights of the minority

collective leadership

collaboration with the Administration, faculty, and support staff

establishing good relations with other schools, universities and organizations

outside the campus

Sections 6 to 10 sets out the beliefs of the USC:

adherence to the Lasallian core values

development of the student's potential by advancing and defending his/her

rights

academic freedom that ensures a scientific, nationalist and mass-oriented

education

the great importance of protecting a student's rights and welfare

that education is a right and not a privilege

Section 12 reminds all Council Officers to remain loyal to the office/position they hold

and not allow partisan interests to prevail in their duty and service.

Section 13 is a new addition that affirms the USC's adherence to the legal principle of

"in loco parentis" in which the school administrators and teachers are recognized as

"second parents" to us students.

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Section 14 is also a new provision that recognizes the importance of all the other

student groups within the University as partners of the USC in its service to the

students.

Objectives of the University Student Council

The provisions contained in Sub-section B of Article II mainly reiterate the main

principles of the USC but in a more concrete and directive manner that must be

carried out and followed by the USC. In a nutshell, it tells the USC what it ought to do

which are:

mediate for students in dealing with the other sectors of the Lasallian

community

be an active agent in promoting national awareness, combat student passivity

protect the rights and welfare of the students at all times

encourage active unity among the students in advancing their rights

conduct regular consultations with the students

promote the Lasallian core values and identity

Article III - Bill of Students' Rights

One of the hallmarks of the USC Constitution is the extensive declaration of the rights

of every student. In the new 2008 Constitution, all twelve (12) sections under Article

III have been revised and expanded upon by the Constitutional Convention,

emphasizing further the great importance of students' rights.

Under the 2008 Constitution, students have the following rights:

Academic freedom

The rights to academic freedom, pursuit of knowledge without restraint, to have

access to learning experiences and activities and against the deprivation of education

based on poverty, creed, culture even after conviction of minor offenses, are all

guaranteed in the 2008 Constitution. (Art. III, Sec. 1, a.1-a.3)

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One of the most crucial, and probably most controversial, provisions in the Bill of

Students' Rights is the right to take major examinations even if the student has not

yet fully paid his tuition fees for the semester. The condition of course, is that the

University has the right to withhold the records or documents, or to deny admission of

the student for the next semester or year until the balance has been fully paid (Art. III,

Sec. 1, a.4). This provision is anchored on the principle that "education is a right and

not a privilege" and a living commitment to St John Baptist De La Salle's mission of

providing education to all, especially those who are poor.

New provisions of under this sub-section deal mainly with our rights to information

that are related to our academics; the right to be part of the University's

decision-making process that affects the students in general (Art. III, Sec. 1 b.), the

right to be given a course syllabus (Art. III, Sec. 1 c.), the right to see our duly

corrected examination papers (Art. III, Sec. 1 d.), the right to be informed our class

standing and the right to see the computation of our grades before it is submitted to

the Registrar (Art. III, Sec. 1 e.).

Under the rights of freedom to expression is a new provision that guarantees our

right to file grievances against any member of the University (Art. III, Sec. 2 c.). For

the rights to press freedom and publication, adherence to the Campus Journalism Act

or RA 7079 is reiterated (Art. III, Sec. 3.).

The rights to information now include the right to be consulted before

implementing a Tuition Fee increase (Art. III, Sec. 5 d.), the right to avail of a faculty's

consultation hours (Art. III, Sec. 5 c.) and the right to be protected from and have

refunds from excess fees.

The rights to privacy now include specific provisions that protect students from

unreasonable searches or seizures (confiscation) of their personal properties or items

they bring with them to school (Art. III, Sec. 6 b.).

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The rights to excessive fees now guarantee that students should be consulted 90 days

before implementation of any tuition fee increase (Art. III, Sec. 7 c.). Students also

have the right against excessive compulsory contributions for matters and activities

not included in the course syllabus, projects and other expenses irrelevant to the

subject matter (Art. III, Sec. 7 b.).

The rights to due process have also been revamped for clarity and integration of our

Constitutional rights, all of which are based on the time-honored doctrine that an

accused is "innocent until proven guilty." Students now have the right to be

represented by a competent counsel of their own choice (Art. III, Sec. 10 d.).

All these rights and all the other rights guaranteed in the 1987 Philippine Constitution

can be invoked and exercised by any student of DLSU-D (Art. III, Sec. 12).

Article IV - Duties and Responsibilities of Students

This provision of the 2007 Constitution is also present in the old 1999 Constitution,

with very little changes made to it. It simply reminds us that "our rights end where

someone else's nose begins." Or put it another way, our freedoms and our rights are

not absolute, for with them comes responsibility. In summary, this provision reminds

us students to exercise our freedoms and rights responsibly, participate in the

programs and activities of the USC and College Councils, and become active partners

of the University in achieving the Lasallian Mission.

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Article V - Composition, Election, Term of Office, Qualification and Vacancies

of the University Student Council

The current set of Officers and the organizational setup that have been in use was

preserved and only improved and expanded upon by 2008 USC Constitution. We still

have the Executive Board which is composed of the following (Art. V, Sec. 1a):

President

Vice-President

Secretary

Treasurer

Auditor

Business Manager

Public Relations Officer (2)

Though the Executive Board and Legislative Board are co-equal branches of the

University Student Council, it is clear that the USC President is vested with the

Executive power which has been defined as the power to administer the laws, which

means carrying them out into practical operation and enforcing their due observance

(Cooley, Constitutional Limitations, 8th ed., p. 183)

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The “laws” we refer to in the context of the USC are the resolutions passed by the

Executive and Legislative boards, rules and regulations of the USC (Art. VI, Sec. 1),

and the 2008 USC Constitution itself. The remaining officers of the Executive Board

perform specific powers and functions in accordance to 2008 USC Constitution and

other tasks delegated to them by the USC President (Art. VI).

The Legislative Board are composed of all the College Council Presidents of each

College in DLSU-D (Art. V, Sec. 1b).

The USC Executive Board would be elected at large by students of the University while

the College Council officers will be elected by the students of their respective colleges

(Art. V, Sec. 2). Their term of office has been adjusted in the new 2007 Constitution;

it will start on the first day of May and end on the last day of April (Art. V, Sec. 3). This

was done in order to give the new and duly elected USC and CSC officers to prepare

and plan for the up coming school year.

The qualifications are almost exactly the same as in the old 1999 Constitution, a new

addition in the 2008 Constitution states that a candidate must have at least one (1)

year of residency in the University after the elections (Art. V, Sec. 4 c), meaning

graduating students or those who have less than two semesters of staying in the

University are not qualified to become candidates in the student elections. This is

done so because the USC or any CSC would suffer great problems if one of their

officers or all of them would be leaving the University after a semester and so on.

For added transparency, a new provision was added that requires USC Officers to

submit a report of their grades at the end of every semester to Student Development

and Activities Office (Art. V, Sec. 5). Once an Officer gets a failing mark during his/her

term, he/she is automatically removed from office (Art. VII, Sec. 2 a2).

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Vacancies in the USC Executive Board: Permanent or Temporary

One of the most overhauled provisions of the 1999 Constitution is the provisions that

guide the USC on what to do in case there are vacant positions in the Council. As a

result, these provisions became an elaborate yet almost fool-proof mechanism that

deal with such problems.

There are two kinds of vacancies according to the 2007 Constitution: Permanent and

Temporary (Art. V, Sec. 6)

Permanent Vacancies occur in the following situation

Impeachment

Permanent physiological and/or psychological incapacity

Resignation

Removal from Office (disqualification to continue holding office)

Temporary Vacancies occur but these are not limited to the following:

Official business outside the University

Filing of Leave of absence from office

Temporary physiological and/or psychological incapacity

All vacancies, permanent or temporary are made known and official once the Council

passes a resolution that says there is a vacancy and this must be done within three (3)

working days from its occurrence (Art. V, Sec. 7). If the office of the President is

permanently vacant, the Vice-President becomes the new President, while the rest of

the USC Executive Board will elect among themselves who will be the new

Vice-President. The officers who assumed their new Offices/positions will serve only

for the remaining unexpired term (Art. V, Sec. 8).

If the permanent vacancy occurs in the offices of Secretary, Treasurer, Auditor,

Business Manager and PROs, the USC Executive Board (EB) will hold a special meeting

with the Legislative Board (LB) and elect among the LB the ones who will fill the

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vacant positions and serve for only for the rest of the unexpired term. Again this must

be done within three (3) working days (Art. V, Sec. 9).

If no one from the Legislative Board is willing to take the vacant position,

they will be asked to submit the names of the students they recommend for the

position. Once a list of recommended replacements has been completed, a special

meeting between the USC EB and the LB will take place to elect among the list, who

will fill the vacant position/s (Art. V, Sec. 10).

The Legislative Board is given 7 working days to submit their recommended person, if

they fail to do so, the USC EB can now appoint qualified students to fill the vacant

position/s (Art. V, Sec. 12).

In cases of Temporary Vacancies

If there is a temporary vacancy in the office of President, the Vice-President

automatically will become the acting President until the actual President returns to his

duties (Art. V, Sec. 13).

If temporary vacancies occur in both the President and Vice-President, the remaining

EB officers will elect among themselves the acting President who will serve until the

vacancies ceases to exist (Art. V, Sec. 14).

If temporary vacancies occur in the remaining office except that of the President, the

President will appoint Officer/s-in-Charge from the EB (Art. V, Sec. 15). All of this was

done with the intention of keeping the USC functioning efficiently and effectively.

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Article VI - Duties and Responsibilities of University Student Council Officers

Very little has been changed in the actual text of this part of the 2007 Constitution.

However, the changes made are significant for it refines and clarifies a lot of the

functions, powers and responsibilities of the USC Officers. In summary, here are the

following officers with their functions and duties:

President

the Chief-Executive of the USC, he/she is the primary agent of the USC and of

the students in dealing, coordinating and working with any sector of the

University. Particular emphasis is his/her attendance in the meetings of key

Institutional Council meetings whose decisions affect the whole University and

the students. It is therefore important that someone from the USC is present,

and no one is more suited for the job than the President him/herself.

He/she carries out the daily business of the USC, signs all official documents

and correspondence of the Council.

Most importantly, he/she enforces the USC Constitution, always acting in

service of the students.

Vice-President

assumes the functions of the President in case of absence or vacancy

assists the President in carrying out the objectives, programs and projects of

the USC

Secretary

Takes charge of all the USC's official documents, papers, communications and

correspondence

Treasurer

Takes charge of all financial matters concerning the USC, such as monitoring

the inflow and outflow of money from the USC Trust Fund.

Prepares a financial report to the USC every after activity to monitor expenses.

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Auditor

Audits the financial statements of the Treasurer

Custodian of the properties of the USC

Assists College Student Councils in auditing matters and guidelines with

regards to sponsorships

Business Manager

Transacts the approved business deals with establishments inside and outside

the University

Screens all project proposals prepared by the EB officers and submits them to

the proper authorities

Screens all sponsorship requests by other organizations and reports the same

to the USC EB for approval

Public Relations Officer

Manages the information dissemination functions of the USC making sure that

the right information is given the appropriate bodies

Ensures the students become aware of the projects, programs, activities,

among others by the USC.

Coordinates with all class presidents and the USC's official publication for

proper and effective communication and info dissemination

The USC Legislative Board

The second branch of the University Student Council is the Legislative Board, or more

commonly called as the LB. The old 1999 Constitution is silent or does not fully explain

the functions and duties of the Legislative Board. This was addressed by the new 2007

Constitution in which the provision on the LB was expanded and made clearer.

Being the Legislative branch of the USC, it is given the power to legislate; create rules,

regulations, guidelines and other acts through resolutions that concerns the students

of their respective colleges or the University as a whole (Art. VI, Sec. 8 a-a.1).

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The LB is also given the power of checking or monitoring the actions of the USC

Executive Board, such counter-check and balance powers are:

Conducting inquiries or investigations assuring that the EB are performing their

functions (Art. VI, Sec. 8 b).

Confirms the appointments of the heads of the various committees of the USC

(Art. VI, Sec. 8 a.2).

They also could air the grievances and sentiments of their respective college's

constituents to the USC (Art. VI, Sec. 8 c). In return, they are required to submit a

copy of their accomplishment reports and financial statements to the USC (Art. VI,

Sec. 8 d). This trade-off ensures that the principle of check-and-balance is applied

evenly between the two branches of the University Student Council.

Article VII - Accountability of Student Leaders/Officers

This article is founded on the doctrine that says "public office is a public trust" in the

context of the USC, it means that USC officers, EB and LB are elected into their

positions to serve the students and be their representatives in advancing their rights,

welfare and the fulfillment of the Lasallian Mission.

This article also lays the ground or basis upon which any officer can be removed or

disqualified from continuing to hold office (Art. VII, Sec. 2). The grounds are as

follows:

Obtaining a failing grade immediately before and during his/her term

Failure to enroll during his/her term of office

failure to attend regular meetings for 5 times within the semester for without

valid reasons

guilty of committing a major offense

guilty of any criminal offense by a regular court

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Based on any of the above mentioned grounds, an Officer can be disqualified from

continuing to hold office through a resolution by the Executive Board (Art. VII, Sec.

3).

Impeachment

Impeachment is the legal means of removing any officer from his/her office based on

the following grounds (Art. VII, Sec. 4):

culpable violation of the USC Constitution

Gross inability to perform his/her official function as per stated in Article VI

except for Section 2.c

Malversation of council funds

Holding of any executive office in other student groups or any other

incompatible office

An impeachment case can be initiated through a resolution of any of the following

entities (Art. VII, Sec. 5);

majority of the EB

majority of the LB

any student through an endorsement of either the EB or LB

The impeachment case shall be deliberated by the Executive and Legislative Board in

a joint session. This will be presided over by the USC President, but if it is the USC

President who is being impeached, the Vice-President will become the presiding

officer of the impeachment trial. However, whoever presides, will have no power to

vote. In order for an officer to be convicted, three-fourths (3/4) of all the members

present must vote in favor of removing from office the Officer who is being impeached

(Art. VII, Sec. 8).

During the proceedings, procedural and substantial due process must be strictly

followed. Meaning, the rules of impeachment and other similar rules must be followed

and that decisions must be based on good, valid and solid evidence (Art. VII, Sec. 10).

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An impeached officer can file an appeal subject to the guidelines set fourth in Section

14 of Article VII. The appeal will be filed to the Magistrate, the third and newest

branch of the University Student Council which must decide on the appeal within ten

(10) days upon receiving it.

Article VIII - Committees of the University Student Council

The USC believes that better organizational efficiency and effectiveness can be

achieved by delegating and designating tasks according to groups that are well suited

for the job. Hence the committee system has been in use ever since the USC was first

established.

In the new 2008 Constitution, the current standing committees of the USC has been

formalized into its permanent committees each with its own distinct nature and

functions (Art. VIII, Sec. 1).

Direct Assistance Committee

It receives and processes requests for emergency assistance by students or any other

organization.

Advocacy and Publication Committee

In the old 1999 Constitution, the Advocacy and Publication committees were two

separate committees. However, they were combined and refined in the new 2007

Constitution into one committee with the following tasks:

Formulates, plans and executes programs that will increase the awareness and

national consciousness of the students thereby combating student passivity.

This is done by adhering and promoting the Lasallian Guiding Principle on Social

Transformation which is summarized by the following phrase: "mamulat,

makiisa, at kumilos."

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Utilize the official publication of the USC in its advocacies and working closely

together with the class presidents for better information dissemination.

Students' Rights Committee

It is the newest committee of the USC but with an awesome and noble task: to assist

the students in advancing and defending their rights within the University. This is

done by offering para-legal services to students with grievances against any other

member of the University, discipline cases, concerns about their academic

performance, grades or records. All of these are subject to certain rules and guidelines

that will be formulated by the USC in consultation with the concerned offices and

sectors in the University.

Events Committee

Could be termed as the 'foot-soldiers' of the USC whenever there are events and

projects, the Events Committee serves as the primary workforce of the USC in the

implementation of events, projects and activities. They could also formulate and

propose plans that are geared towards the full participation of the students in the USC

programs. They also coordinate with the various student groups for mutual assistance

and cooperation.

Special Projects Committee

It proposes and implements policies, projects and programs that are geared towards

the holistic development of the Lasallian community and its partner entities.

Article IX - Meetings

This provision has been overhauled to emphasize the importance of holding regular

meetings of the USC and its branches. All branches are mandated to schedule regular

meetings in different combinations of the EB and LB together or alone at the start of

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their term (Art. IX, Sec. 1). It is also emphasized that a quorum is required in order for

any meeting to be binding, legal and able to push through with its agenda (Art. IX, Sec.

3).

Article X - The University Student Council Adviser

Minor changes have been made to this provision of the USC Constitution. It outlines

how the USC Adviser is selected and by whom. It also outlines the duties and functions

of the USC Adviser. The most notable features of the revised provision are: 1) the USC

Adviser has no voting power in any decisions of the USC, and 2) his/her term will end

the same time his/her batch of USC Officers term will also end.

Article XI - Funding of the Council

The USC's source of funds for all of its financial needs is the USC Trust Fund. It is

collected by the Accounting Office from the students every time they enroll for a

semester, meaning it is automatically included in the other school fees. Again, very

little was changed in this provision of the Constitution. The only change made was on

Section 2 which removed the fixed amount of every student's contribution to the USC

Trust Fund. Now, in the 2008 Constitution, the amount of the contribution will be

determined by the Technical Review Committee on Tuition Fee Increase, which will

depend upon many factors like the needs and recommendations of the USC,

consideration of the students' ability to pay, the current economic situation among

others.

Article XII - Magistrate

This is the newest branch of the University Student Council. As shown in the new USC

organizational chart in Article V, the third branch of the USC is the Magistrate. One

easy way of understanding this new branch and setup of the USC is to think of it as

patterned after the structure of the Philippine Government:

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Executive Branch = USC Executive Board

Legislative Branch = USC Legislative Board

Judiciary = Magistrate

Since the Magistrate is intended as the "judicial branch" of the USC, it was created

with the purpose of providing another mechanism of 'check-and-balance' within the

USC. In cases were there are controversies about the actions, decisions and dealings

of either the Executive Board or the Legislative Board of the USC, any USC Officer,

student-leader, student-organization and student can come to the Magistrate and ask

it to settle the controversy (Art. XIII, Sec. 2). This is so, because the new 2008

Constitution makes the Magistrate the final arbiter or interpreter of the Constitution

itself (Art. XIII, Sec. 1).

With this unique and awesome task, the Magistrate needs to be composed of not just

any ordinary student-leader/officer, since it will have the final say on what the

Constitution means, its members must be of greater skill, experience, wisdom and

knowledge of the Constitution and in general how the USC and campus politics works.

Thus there are a select few who compose the Magistrate (Art. XIII, Sec. 3), they are

the following:

Dean of Student Services

University Student Council President

Council of Student Organizations President

University Student Commission on Elections Chairperson

Heraldo Filipino Editor-in-Chief

Some may wonder or even object as to why the Dean of Student Services is a member

of the Magistrate. It may be viewed as an intervention of the Administration, since the

OSS Dean is from the Administration, in the affairs of student governance.

This is not true. The Dean of Student Services was intentionally included as a member

of the Magistrate by the Constitutional Convention delegates because they believe

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that the OSS Dean can provide invaluable insight, wisdom and knowledge particularly

in cases where the University policies and regulations are touched in cases of

controversies being discussed by the Magistrate. The autonomy of the

student-leaders/officers are preserved in the Magistrate because each member,

including the OSS Dean has only one vote.

One of the other unique characteristics of the Magistrate is that is has the sole

jurisdiction in deciding appeals of decisions made in Impeachment proceedings (Art.

XII, Sec. 1 b). To preserve the Magistrate's transparency and impartiality in cases

where the appellant of the Impeachment decision is the USC President, who is also a

member of the Magistrate, the USC Vice-President will take his/her place only in the

deliberation of the USC President's appeal (Art. XII, Sec. 1).

With this setup, it is hoped and believed that the 2008 Constitution has introduced a

myriad of benefits for the students and a better guide for Council Officers and

student-leaders in the performing their duties and responsibilities all in the service of

the students.

Article XIII - Amendments and Revision of the Constitution

Being the supreme law of the USC and other student-leaders, the Constitution must

not be easily amended or revised based on the whims and caprice of Officers, leaders

or even students. Great care, diligence, resources and noble intentions have been

spent in crafting the new Constitution, so great care, diligence and noble intentions

must also be present whenever the Constitution needs to be amended or revised.

Thus to avoid confusion and to provide a better guide, the provisions regarding how

the Constitution can and is to be amended or revised has been overhauled and given

more clarity and improvement in the new 2008 Constitution.

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First, a motion for amending and revising the Constitution must be proposed by the

Legislative Board, this must then be approved by a three-fourth (3/4) vote of the

following groups/offices (Art. XIII, Sec. 1):

University Student Council Executive Board

Legislative Board

Council of Student Organizations Executive Board

Heraldo Filipino Editorial Board

Council of Presidents of Performing Arts Group

University Student Commission on Election

Student Auxiliary Group

Office of Student Services

This group is a representation of all student sectors in the University thus ensuring

that there is a great support coming from the students for the motion to amend and

revise the Constitution.

However, it is not enough that the Legislative Board just propose a motion to amend

and revise the Constitution, this must be accompanied by a draft constitution that will

be considered in the deliberation of the USC EB who will then choose, once they

approve of the motion to amend and revise the Constitution, the mode in which it will

be done (Art. XIII, Sec. 2). There are two choices:

Constitutional Convention - this is composed of the

representatives from the same group mentioned a while ago.

Constitutional Assembly - the Legislative Board will be

convened solely for the purpose of amending the Constitution.

Ordinary students through a Students' Initiative which can only propose amendments

to certain provisions or parts of the Constitution is also a mode of changing part of the

Constitution. This needs support of twenty (20%) of the total student population in

the University. Once enough support is garnered, the petition along with the draft of

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the proposed amendment to the Constitution will then be submitted to the Legislative

Board for approval (Art. XIII, Sec. 3).

Amending and revision of the Constitution can only be done every two years so that it

can be in effect for a considerable amount of time but be flexible enough to meet the

needs of the students as time goes on (Art. XIII, Sec. 4).

All amendments and revisions to the Constitution must be ratified by the students

through a plebiscite after sufficient time is allotted for the campaign so that students

would know and understand what changes are going to be made to the Constitution

(Ratification, Sec. 1).

Article XIV - Transitory Provisions

This is the last yet supplemental part of the 2008 Constitution. It will serve as a guide

during the transition period once the Constitution takes effect. In summary here are

the things to be remembered and followed:

the new qualifications for elected positions will be followed by candidates

starting school year 2009-2010

the USC and College Student Council will be governed by the new Constitution

except for some exceptions that are caused by the uniqueness of each College.

In cases like these, the College Student Councils are free to create their own

Internal Rules which will serve for their own purposes.

when using the Constitution in the College Student Council level, the USC shall

mean the College Student Council and the Program Council shall mean to be

the College Student Councils.

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The Delegates to the 2007 Students’ Constitutional Convention

Officers

Chairman

Julius D. Rocas

Co-Chairman

Jerry Digo

Secretariat

Ana Marie Balanquit

Levimin Jose

Jihan Ledesma

Sgt. at Arms

Mica Marie Gregorio

Jordan Dimapilis

Consultant

Mr. Albert John R. Puchero

Faculty

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MEMBERS

University Student Council

Joymay Amihan

Melo Jean Triños

University Student Commission on

Elections

Paula Yvette Fariñas

Marc Jeffrey Sioco

College of Liberal Arts Student Council

Leonard Lhey Hayag

Gerwin Panghulan

College of Science Student Council

Ian Lordeo Gutierrez

Hernan Pantolla

College of International Hospitality

Management Student Council

Karen Kathleen Garcia

Alvin Gimao

College of Education Student Council

Giezel Marasigan

Dianne Delos Santos

College of Law Enforcement Student

Council

Emmanuelle Jude Garcesa

Maria May Manalo

College of Business Administration

Student Council

Noel Andres

Marie Bernadine Castillo

College of Engineering, Architecture and

Technology Student Council

Ariel Riel

Ryan Dave Remulla

Council of Student Organizations

Michael Manguerra

Neil Noe Reyes

Performing Arts Group

Michael Tacsay

Teofilyn Ferido

Student Auxiliary Group

Anthomy Signey

Rose Antoinette Juanillo

Heraldo Filipino

Regilin Hernandez