THE CONSTITUTION AND BY-LAWS OF JOSE RIZAL UNIVERSITY

LAW SCHOOL STUDENT COUNCIL

VISION

The Law School Student Council envisions itself to develop the act of self-
government, intelligent leadership and respect for the rights of others.

MISSION

The Law School Student Council charges and commissions itself to: 1. Promote
and defend the rights and general welfare of the studentry; 2. Adhere to the rule
of the majority and principles of democratic process; and 3. Promote student
participation in accomplishing the objectives and purposes of the Law School of
Jose Rizal University.

ARTICLE I GENERAL PROVISIONS

Sec. 1. TITLE. This Constitution shall be known as the “Constitution and By-Laws
of the JRU Law School Student Council”.

Sec. 2. DEFINITION OF TERMS. The following terminologies shall mean accordingly

as defined: a. “Council” shall refer to the JRU Law School Student Council; b.
“Administration” or “Administrators” shall mean the duly constituted authorities
of Jose Rizal University; c. “Officers” shall pertain to the duly elected officers of
the Council; d. “Members” or “Students” shall refer to the Students enrolled in
the Law School; e. “Constitution” shall relate to the Constitution and By-Laws of
the JRU Law School Student Council; f. “Quorum” shall, for the purposes of this
Constitution, be the simple majority of the total number of officers in the Council;
g. “University” shall refer to Jose Rizal University; h. “Students” shall mean the
bona fide students enrolled in the Law School; i. “Adviser” shall pertain to the
professors acting as advisers for the Council; j. “Temporary Disability” shall mean
that the officer cannot perform his function by reason of temporary mental or
health constraints, leave of absence, and suspension that would leave a possibility
for the officer to resume his functions before the expiration of his term; k.
“Permanent Disability” shall mean that the officer has been removed from office

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by reason of death, expulsion, permanent illness, impeachment, resignation, or
other reasons that would prevent the Officer from performing the function of his
Office;

Sec. 3. JURISDICTION. This Constitution shall govern the JRU Law School Student
Council and shall be supreme over and above any other organizations that may be
established in the law school. Classroom officers are under the jurisdiction of the
Council and shall be governed by this Constitution.

Sec. 4. OFFICE. The official office of the JRU Law School Student Council shall be
within the premises of Jose Rizal University.

ARTICLE II DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES AND OBJECTIVES

Sec. 1. The Council shall be benevolent and just imbued with the characteristic of
independence, leadership, service, and dedication amongst its officers in view of
justice, integrity, equality and utmost responsibility.

Sec. 2. The Council shall, at all times: a. ensure that education is afforded by
everyone; b. uphold the rule of law and ideals of the University; c. be an active
meeting place for student ideas and sentiments; d. instill social consciousness and
awareness among the students; e. develop a responsible studentry; f. develop a
sense of service and responsibility in accordance with the legal profession; g. seek
and advocate educational reforms to develop full human potential; h. cooperate
and willingly work with other organizations;

ARTICLE III MEMBERSHIP AND FUNDING

Sec. 1. COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP. All Students enrolled at the University Law School
shall ipso facto be members of the Council;

Sec. 2. MEMBERSHIP FEE. To provide funds for the operations of the Council as an
independent Student Government, each member shall be required to pay a
membership fee.; a. AMOUNT. The amount of fee shall be assessed in accordance
with the prevailing economic conditions which are reasonable and equitable for
each Member. The same shall be in the amount of P250.00 per semester b.

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ADJUSTMENT. The amount of membership fee shall be adjusted whenever it
becomes necessary.

Sec. 3. SOURCE OF FUNDS. The funds of the Council shall be from the Fees
collected from each member, including but not limited to, solicitations, donations
and other sources available.

Sec. 4. STEWARD OF FUNDS. The funds shall be kept by the university in trust for
the students and shall be released only based on requirements supported by duly
approved resolution by the council and noted by the Dean.

Sec. 5. INFORMATION. All funds received and allocated shall be posted by the
Council on the Bulletin Board, together with a financial report for all
disbursements and expenditures made. The Law School Dean shall be furnished a
copy of the financial report. All financial reports must be posted before the end of
the term of incumbent Council Officers, or at the latter’s discretion, every after
activity.

Sec. 6. NOTICES. All notices intended for the Members shall be posted in the
bulletin board and in the appropriate facebook page to be opened in the name of
the organization. All Members shall be responsible for religiously checking the
bulletin board for announcements and notices. Three (3) days from the date of
posting an announcement, each member shall be deemed notified of the same.

ARTICLE IV. COUNCIL OFFICERS

Sec. 1. The Council shall be composed of and perform the following functions: a.
President - The President shall be its chief executive, preside in its meetings and
hearings, represent the Council whenever the occasion arises, attend to the
correctness of the same and perform such other duties and functions inherent to
the position and those that may be assigned to him by the Council from time to
time. The President shall have supervision on matters relating to student affairs,
campus organization, finance, fellowship, rules and regulations; The President
shall have the power to appoint students or officers to committee positions. The
President shall represent the Law School Student Body in disciplinary hearings,

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administration meetings, and faculty meetings, as may be deemed necessary by
the Administrators.

b. Vice-President for Internal Affairs - The Vice-President for Internal Affairs shall
take charge of the Student Council’s relations and of matters pertaining to
conventions, ceremonies and programs and public events inside the premises of
Jose Rizal University. He shall prepare projects or plans, make studies and
perform such other functions as maybe assigned to him by the Council or the
President from time to time. In case of temporary or permanent incapacity of the
President, the Vice-President for Internal Affairs will hold the position of President
in an acting capacity only.

c. Vice-President for External Affairs - The Vice-President for External Affairs shall
take charge of the Student Council’s external relations and of matters pertaining
to conventions, ceremonies and programs, public events and such other functions
as maybe assigned to him by the Council or the President from time to time. In
case of temporary or permanent incapacity of the Vice-president for Internal
Affairs to act in acting capacity in the Office of the President, the Vice-President
for External Affairs will hold the position of President in an acting capacity only.

d. Secretary - The Secretary shall have the following duties and functions: 1) Shall
keep the records of all proceedings of the meetings of the LSSC, Sub Committees,
as well as the other documents in the execution of programs, projects and the
like; 2) Shall keep all records, official documents of the Council; and Constitution
and By-laws of the Law School Student Council 4 3) Shall perform such other
duties as may be assigned to him by the President and by the Council.

e. Treasurer - The treasurer shall have the following duties and responsibilities: 1)
Shall collect all dues, regular or special, and all donations to the Council and shall
disburse funds in accordance with the auditing and accounting procedures; 2)
Shall submit a complete statement of accounts with the President and to the
Head of Student Affairs and discharge such other functions inherent to the
position of the Treasurer; and 3) Shall perform such other duties as may be
assigned to him by the President and by the Council.

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 f. Public Relations Officer - The following are the duties and responsibilities of a
P.R.O.: 1) He shall assist in preparing all statements, news stories/articles for all
press releases on all activities, projects of the LSSC; 2) He shall act as the official
Spokesperson of the Council; 3) He shall take charge of giving press releases to all
media outlets for information/publicity purposes; 4) He shall arrange for any
and/or all press conferences for TV and radio coverage of any and/or all major,
significant events, activities of the Council; 5) He shall be responsible in the
dissemination of information, documentation of all activities, and other related
matters pertaining to the LSSC; 6) He shall perform such other duties as may be
assigned to him by the President and by the Council.

g. Year Level Representatives - shall be the head of different committees assigned

to them by the President or the Council; they will be responsible for electing,
appointing, or gathering their own members in their respective committees with
the approval of the President and/or the Council; shall perform such other duties
as may be assigned to them by the President and the Council. It will also act as a
consultative body that will provide inputs to the council whenever appropriate or
when so requested. This group will include a representative from the Camp
Crame Extension class.

Sec. 2. RESIGNATION. As a general rule, no Officer of the Council will be allowed

to resign from office except on valid and justifiable grounds with the written
consent of all other Officers. All resignations shall be effective after one (1) month
from filing of the resignation letter, copy furnished and approved by the Assistant
Dean of the Law School.

Sec. 3. IMPEACHMENT. All Officers of the Council may be removed through

impeachment on the grounds set forth in Sections 1 and 2 of Article VIII of this
Constitution. The following shall be observed: a. A written complaint shall be filed
by any Member of the Council with the highest officer of the Council, who is not
subject of the complaint; b. After receipt of the complaint, the highest officer shall
convene the Impeachment Court composed of all the class presidents of all year
levels to determine probable cause; Constitution and By-laws of the Law School
Student Council 5 c. If probable cause is determined by the Impeachment Court, it

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shall require the officer who is subject of the complaint to submit his counter-
affidavit or answer to the charges within five (5) days from notice; d. At least
three (3) Hearings shall be conducted by the Impeachment Court, i.e. on the first
hearing: submission of answer or counter-affidavits and other controverting
evidence; second hearing: examination of witnesses by the parties; and third
hearing: submission of position papers and the case shall be deemed submitted
for Decision; e. Any party may be duly represented by a lawyer or counsel of his
own; f. A vote of the majority of all the Members composing the Impeachment
Court shall be required for their Decision who shall render the same within fifteen
(15) days from its submission for Decision; any dissenting view by any member
shall be made in writing which must be included in the Decision; g. The Decision
shall then be final and executory within five (5) days after receipt by the erring
Officer through personal or constructive service of the same; h. The Decision of
the Impeachment Court shall be final and un-appealable.

Sec. 4. MANNER OF SUCCESSION. In cases of temporary or permanent disability

in the office of the President and Vice-President for Internal Affairs respectively,
the following shall be observed: 1) The Vice-President for Internal Affairs will take
over the position of the President in an acting capacity only in case of temporary
or permanent disability of the latter and shall still perform the functions of his
original office; 2) In the event that the President and Vice-President for Internal
Affairs are both temporary or permanently incapacitated, the Vice-President for
External affairs will take over the position of the President in an acting capacity
only and shall still perform the functions of his original office. The functions of the
office of the Vice-President of Internal Affairs shall be delegated to other Officers
of the Council; 3) Where there is permanent disability in the office of the
President, VicePresident for Internal Affairs and Vice-President for External
Affairs, a special election must be held to fill the positions of the President,
VicePresident for Internal Affairs and Vice-President for External affairs. Officers
of the Council lower than the aforementioned may run for any position in the
three (3) offices provided that they should resign their positions and the positions
vacated shall be included in the special elections; 4) Any vacancy in the offices of
the secretary, treasurer, public relations officers and year level representatives,

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may be filled by recommending any member to the position with the President, in
writing, who shall make the necessary appointment to such appointment to be
ratified by the student body via plebiscite.

ARTICLE V- POWERS OF THE COUNCIL

Sec. 1. The following shall be the powers of the Council: Constitution and By-laws
of the Law School Student Council 6 (a) formulate and adopt internal rules and
regulations consistent with this Constitution; (b) present and make
recommendations, on matters that directly or indirectly affect the general welfare
of the Members/Students to the Administration; (c) initiate and conduct any
activity that will serve the interests, needs and wants of the students which would
enhance interpersonal and legal skills; (d) draft and amend this Constitution and
the student codes; (e) have additional powers as the Administration may from
time to time grant as delegated by it, consistent with its stated powers, principles
and objectives as well as responsibilities.

ARTICLE VI- STUDENT COUNCIL ADVISER.

Sec. 1. The nature and orientation of law students being different from other
units in the university, the elected council shall be directly supervised by a
Student Council adviser who shall be a faculty member of the Law School. All
projects, activities, and undertakings of the council must be coursed through the
Council Adviser for preliminary approval. Final approval must be given by the
Dean of the Law School.

Sec. 2. To ensure that activities of the council will be consistent and

complimentary with the activities of other student organizations, it will
coordinate its actions with the Director of Students in order to allow the latter to
provide constructive inputs.

ARTICLE VII- ELECTION AND CAMPAIGN

Sec. 1. DATE OF ELECTION. Election of Officers in the Law School Student Council
shall be held every third Monday of the month of February. However, in the case
of the school year 2016-17, an election for a provisional student council will be

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held five (5) days after the ratification of this Constitution and By-laws. This
council shall govern until a new council is duly elected and qualified.

Sec. 2. MANNER OF ELECTION. Officers shall be elected by popular election

through casting of ballots by all the Students in the Law School; the elections shall
be held at any place in the University.

Sec. 3. BOARD OF ELECTION SUPERVISORS. There shall be a Board of Election

Supervisors composed of five (5) Students enrolled in the Law School who are not
candidates for the succeeding election as chosen by the President and approved
by the Dean and/or Assistant Dean. The Members of the Board of Election
Supervisors shall elect among themselves their Chairman. Said Board shall be
responsible for the counting of ballots and votes casted in the election. The Board
shall prepare the ballot with the names of all candidates printed with tick boxes
which will be shaded or marked by the voter. Likewise, the ballot boxes shall be
prepared by the board. The Board shall prepare a tally sheet for the election and
post the same in a conspicuous place of the University announcing the winners of
the election. Each member shall affix their signatures on the tally sheet and
immediately proclaim the winners of the election after counting. All expenses to
be incurred by the Board shall be shouldered by the Council.

Sec. 4. CANDIDATES. Any Student enrolled at the Law School may file a Certificate
of Candidacy with any of the members of the Board of Election Supervisors and
run for any office provided that said candidate meets the following qualifications:
a. must not be found guilty of any offense violating any rules of the University;
and b. must not be on academic probation or serving any disciplinary action;

Sec. 5. CAMPAIGN. The campaign period shall commence five days (5) days before
Election Day. Candidates may employ any means or methods to win the votes of
the Students provided that they are not offensive or in violation of the rules and
regulations Constitution and By-laws of the Law School Student Council of the
University. Campaign paraphernalia shall be posted with the permission and
imprimatur of the Law School Dean or Director of Student Affairs. The campaign
may be done anywhere within the premises of the University.

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Sec. 6. PROCLAMATION. All positions in the Council shall be filled by the
candidates who garnered the highest vote for the respective position regardless
of the number of voter turn-out. The proclamation shall be made by the Chairman
of the Board of Election Supervisor.

Sec. 7. DEFAULT. A candidate without opponent shall win by default.

Sec. 8. PROTEST. Any protest regarding the manner of the election shall be made
by filing a petition with the office of the Dean who shall decide on the same and
render judgment accordingly.

Sec. 9. GROUNDS FOR PROTEST. The only grounds for an election protest shall be
fraud and illegal composition of the Board of Election Supervisors.

Sec. 10. FAILURE OF ELECTIONS. There shall only be a failure of elections if, during
election date, there are no candidates vying for the positions of President,
VicePresident Internal, and Vice-President External respectively. If such
circumstance occurs, all class presidents shall elect among themselves the
position of President, VicePresident Internal, and Vice-President External. The
positions for secretary, treasurer, and public relations officer shall be filled by
written recommendation by any student. The President-elect shall appoint
persons in each position subject to the approval of the student body through
plebiscite.

ARTICLE VIII- SPECIAL ELECTIONS

Sec. 1. Special Elections shall only be held in a case when there are permanent
vacancies in the offices of the President, Vice-President for Internal Affairs and
Vice-President for External Affairs altogether and at the same time. Otherwise,
Sec. 2 of Article IV of the Constitution applies.

Sec. 2. The time and day of the special election shall be determined by the
previous Board of Election Supervisors. If the same cannot be constituted, the
Law School Dean or Assistant Dean shall assign new members. Qualification of the
Candidates for the vacant positions shall be the same in Sec. 4, Article VI of this
Constitution.

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 Sec. 3. Special Elections shall be canvassed room to room by a show of hands and
counted by the Board for each candidate. The manner of announcing and
proclaiming the winners shall be in accordance with the preceding article by the
Board of Election Supervisors.

Sec. 4. Special Elections shall not be held on a day which is less than fourteen (14)
days from its announcement.

Sec. 5. Names of the candidates for the Special Election shall be posted by the
Board of Election Supervisors on the Bulletin Board for the information of the
Student Body. Constitution and By-laws of the Law School Student Council.

ARTICLE IX. AMENDMENTS

Sec. 1. Any amendments or revisions in this Constitution and By-Laws shall not be
allowed oftener than every five (5) years from the date of its last amendment.

Sec. 2. Amendments shall be made by the Council after a majority of 2/3

affirmative votes of all the Officers in the Council who must all be present during
the meeting Constitution and By-laws of the Law School Student Council 9 called
for amending the Law School Student Council Constitution and By-Laws; provided
that, copies of the proposed amendment shall have been furnished to the other
Officers at least three (3) days prior to said meeting; such amendment must be
ratified by the Members or Student Body by a majority vote; any violation of this
section shall render the amendment ineffectual and void.

Sec. 3. All amendments must be attached to the Original of this Constitution and
Bylaws and all subsequent amendments thereto shall be attached in the same
manner.

ARTICLE X. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS

Sec. 1. Copies of this Constitution and By-laws, and all subsequent amendments,
shall be kept and managed by the Law School Student Council, furnished the Law
School Dean’s Office and the Law School Library.

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Sec. 2. Every batch of Officers are required to document every activity and have a
written record of all the minutes of meetings, activities, pictures, financial
records, project proposals, and the like in a clear folder to be turned-over to the
succeeding batch of Officers, not later than fifteen days (15) days after their oath
of office.

Sec. 3. The Oath of Office of new batches of Council Officers shall be made not
later than fifteen (15) days after their proclamation in a simple ceremony, either
held in the Office of the Dean or in a publicly held ceremony which would signify
the beginning of their term of office. Said oath may be given by any Faculty or
Administrator of Jose Rizal University. With regard to the Oath of Office of
Classroom Officers, the same shall be made during the Bonfire Activity.

ARTICLE XI- FINAL PROVISIONS

Sec. 1. SEPARABILITY CLAUSE. If for any reason, any section or provision of this
Constitution and By-laws is declared illegal or unconstitutional by a competent
Court, other sections or provisions which are not affected thereby shall continue
to be in full force and effect.

Sec. 2. REPEALING CLAUSE. All previous Constitution and By-laws or parts thereof
which are inconsistent or in conflict with this Constitution and By-laws are hereby
repealed and modified accordingly.

Sec. 3. ALLOWANCE FOR UNIVERSITY RULES. It is understood that this constitution

must be consistent, and compliant, with existing policies and procedures currently
enforced or those which may be adopted in the future by the university. In this
respect, provisions that may be contrary to or in conflict with existing university
rules or policies shall be deemed amended accordingly.

Sec. 4. This Constitution shall take effect immediately after ratification of the Law
School Student Body in a plebiscite called for this purpose.

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