Title 1. Name

§ 1. The name of the undergraduate student government of Loyola University Chicago shall be the Unified Student Government Association, hereafter referred to as the USGA.

Title 2. Mission

§ 2. To form a strengthened representation of the Loyola University Chicago undergraduate student body, we hereby create the USGA.

§ 3. We commit wholeheartedly to voice the concerns of the student body, to act as an instrument for the cooperation of students, faculty, and administration, to provide an open forum for dialogue and a voice for student opinions concerning the traditions, ideas, and affairs of the University; and we shall do so in order to afford all undergraduate students the opportunity to participate in the management of their own affairs.

Title 3. Structure

§ 4. All legislative power shall be vested in the legislative branch, represented by the Senate.

§ 5. All executive authority, shall be vested in the executive branch, represented by the Executive Committee.

§ 6. All authority of judicial review and oversight shall be vested in the judicial branch, represented by the USGA Judicial Board.

Title 4. Membership

§ 7. Membership in the USGA shall be open to all full or part-time undergraduate students, as defined by the Loyola University Chicago Registrar, so long as the individual is in good disciplinary standing with the University and maintains a GPA of at least 2.5.

Title 5. Responsibilities and Rights

§ 8. Members of the USGA shall have the responsibility to uphold the mission of the USGA, and shall have the responsibilities and rights as provided by the Loyola University Chicago Shared Governance Charter and as further provided by the USGA Constitution and USGA Code.

Title 6. Order of Precedence

§ 9. In all matters, the USGA Charter shall be supreme. The USGA Constitution and USGA Code must conform to this Charter. The USGA Code must conform to the USGA Constitution. Collectively, the USGA Charter, the USGA Constitution, and the USGA Code shall be the USGA Bylaws. All further matters must not conflict with the USGA Bylaws.

Title 7. Budget

§ 10. There shall be a budget provided to the USGA by the Loyola University Chicago Vice President of Student Development. The overall budget amount shall be negotiated between the President, the Chief Financial Officer, the Speaker of the Senate, the Executive Director of the Department of Programming, and the Loyola University Chicago Vice President of Student Development. The USGA shall not apply for funding from the StudentActivities Fund.

Title 8. Amendments

§ 11. The Charter may be amended only by an affirmative vote of 2/3 of the total membership of the USGA Senate, at any scheduled meeting of the USGA Senate.

§ 12. The proposed amendment to the USGA Charter shall be submitted in writing at the scheduled meeting of the USGA Senate prior to the meeting at which the amendment shall be considered. A copy of the proposed amendment shall be distributed at the time of its proposal.

§ 13. Revisions to the USGA Charter are subject to approval by the Vice President of Student Development.