Senator Handbook

NISG SENATOR HANDBOOK Created Fall 2014
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Northern Iowa
Student
Government
Senator
Handbook

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Table of Contents
Welcome! ________________________________________ Page 3
An Overview of NISG ______________________________ Page 4
What are the Responsibilities of a Senator? _____________ Page 6
What does Senate vote on? __________________________ Page 9
Resolution Example ___________________________ Page 10
Bill Example ________________________________ Page 13
Executive Order Example _______________________ Page 14
What is Parliamentary Procedure? __________________ Page 15
Cheat Sheet ________________________________ Page 16
Senate “Jargon” ________________________________ Page 17
Proposing Legislation __________________________ Page 18
Resolution Template __________________________ Page 19
Rules on Missing Senate Meetings ____________________ Page 20
Created by Eric Boisen – Speaker of the Senate 2014-2015

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Welcome!
Congratulations! You are now a NISG Senator. You have a crucial role on UNI’s
campus. You have a very important voice within our University. Faculty, staff,
administration, and students take your opinion very seriously. Sometimes it is hard
to see, but what you say and do is very important on this campus.
NISG Senate, 2014-2015
As a Senator, you help organizations with funding, students with issues on and off
campus, and provide yourself as a role model here at UNI.
NISG has a lot of turnover each year as many of our involved students are
sophomores or higher and may only be in NISG for one year. Because of this,
those who join each year may not have someone to help them understand what
they are supposed to do as a Senator.
This handbook was created to help new Senators understand the basic ins-and-outs
of being in NISG Senate. Hopefully this will help you gain a better knowledge of
NISG, what your position entails, and how to be an effective Senator.

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An Overview of NISG
NISG has three branches, like the U.S. government: Executive, Judicial, and
Legislative.
The Judicial Branch, the NISG Supreme Court, deals with any possible violations
of the NISG Constitution & By-laws, as well as any major grievances a student has
with NISG. They also run our elections each year (new as of 2015).
The Executive Branch, which consist of a President, a VP, and their upper and
lower cabinets, deals directly with faculty, staff, and any other parties on and off-
campus that may affect students.
The Legislative Branch is comprised of the NISG Senate. Senate has Senators, a
Speaker, and a Recording Secretary. The Recording Secretary takes down the
meeting minutes. The Speaker, who may or may not be a Senator, runs the Senate
meetings, advises Senators, and fills empty Senate seats (among various other
things).
As a Senator, you are the direct voice of the students. You represent students in
your college, which can range from 1500-4500 students, depending on your
college. If you hear issues from your constituents, you should bring them up to
Senate. If there are issues discussed at Senate that students should hear about, you
should make that known to the students you represent.
Whether you were elected in the spring or appointed by the Speaker, you are still a
representative of your college and have the responsibility of serving the students to
the best of your ability.
Here are some new Senators being sworn in in the fall. The Speaker appoints students to Senate
seats that are unfilled in the Fall.

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An Overview of NISG (Continued)
Senate representation is based on the size of our five colleges (CHAS, COE,
CSBS, CBA, and Grad College). We have one Senator for every 750 students in
each college, as well as one Senator for the Deciding, General Studies, and
Interdisciplinary majors. Representation used to be based on a mixture of where
someone lived and what college someone was in, but the size of Senate was too
large and there were too many empty seats each year. Because of this, there is now
the more workable Senate that we have today.
Senate has made the students’ voice known on many different issues in the past.
Topics we have talked about in the past have included: state funding to UNI,
tuition freezes, funding for event put on by student organizations, budget cuts,
renting in Cedar Falls, and student employee hours, among many other issues.
Senators can also have fun. Throughout the year, we have some good, but less
formal topics to discuss. These can range anywhere from having different brands
of Sriracha hot sauce in the Union to a fake bill about Star Wars. We also have
many different non-Senate meetings throughout the year where we hang out and
have fun.
A few Senators at Senate Night on the Hill (SNOTH) after a productive Senate meting
The goal of Senate is to ensure students are accurately represented, but we are also
students. We should have fun as well.

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What are the Responsibilities of a Senator?
The responsibilities of a Senator can vary from year to year; depending on what the
Speaker desires and what happens with NISG as a whole, but there are a few
constants. This will explain some of the basic responsibilities of a Senator.
Responsibility #1: Attending Senate Meetings. Your first duty as a Senator is to be
at the weekly Senate meetings. Not coming to Senate meetings can call for an
automatic loss of your Senator position (look in the By-laws for excused and
unexcused absences for a Senate meeting). If you cannot make it to a Senate
meeting, you MUST GET A PROXY (rules for proxies are in the Constitution/By-
laws, more information on Senate meeting absences are on Page 20). How long
Senate lasts can vary each week. It can last from 30 minutes to three hours. Usually
each meeting lasts about an hour to an hour-and-a-half.
Responsibility #2: Being engaged during Senate meetings. Being at Senate
meetings also means you need to pay attention. Make sure to read the proposed
legislation before each meeting and be respectful when there are guest speakers.
This means not being on your phone or laptop when guest speakers are presenting.
Responsibility #3: NISG Senate Committees. NISG has four Senate committees:
Organization and Finance, External Relations, Campus Relations, and GALA.
 Organization & Finance (OrgFi) deals with registering new student
organizations and funding events on campus.

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 External Relations deals with anything off-campus. This can include
lobbying at the capitol, dealing with the City of Cedar Falls, or planning
events during election season.
 Campus Relations deals with anything on campus. Topics can range from
campus improvement to dealing with student issues that arise on campus.
 Government and Legislative Affairs (GALA): GALA looks through the
NISG guidelines to see if anything should be changed or updated. Only the
committee chairs, the Speaker, and one other Senator is on this committee.
Every Senator needs to sit and be active with one of these three (GALA excluded)
committees. You can give your preference to the Speaker, but they have the
ultimate say on what committee you will sit on.
Responsibility #4: Helping with NISG events. NISG puts on events throughout the
year. Examples include: Voterpalooza, Panther Bash, and UNI Day at the Capitol.
As a Senator, you are expected to help at these events. If you can only be there for
an hour, that is fine, but you are to try and help out in any way that you can.
Members of NISG helping with Voterpalooza, an event designed to increase voter registration

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Responsibility #5: Senator Office Hours. According to the By-laws, Senators must
have up to 50 minutes of office hours per week (at the discretion of the Speaker).
Each Speaker has the ability tweak this each year, but as a Senator you should be
open and available to talk to your constituents.
Responsibility #6: Attending Dean’s Advisory Council Meetings: The Dean of
every college has an “advisory council” that is made up of students from that
college. This is a great opportunity to hear about the issues that affect the students
in your college. It is the responsibility of the Senators from each college to have at
least one Senator at each advisory council meeting. The Speaker will talk to the
Dean and get meeting times for each advisory council. You then need to talk to
your fellow Senators and work out a schedule for attending meetings.
Responsibility #7: Stay up-to-date on the governing rules of NISG. You should
read and re-read the NISG Constitution and By-laws throughout the year.
Sometimes the Speaker and the Upper Cabinet make mistakes. You are there to be
their oversight. Ask the Speaker, or look on the NISG website, to get copies of the
Constitution and By-laws so you can look them over.
Overall, the weekly hourly commitment for Senators can range from 4-8 hours.
Here are members of NISG working the Summer Orientation booth to inform incoming Freshman about the
opportunities within NISG.

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What does Senate vote on?
There are three types of legislation that Senate votes on: Bills, Resolutions and
Executive Orders.
Bills have weight behind them. They are enforceable pieces of legislation. Bills
usually involve student org registration, event funding, and changes to NISG rules.
Resolutions are issue-related, where Senate takes a stand on a particular issue.
These have no “teeth,” meaning they are not enforceable, but serve the greater
purpose of showing where students stand on a particular issue.
Executive Orders are submitted by the NISG President and deal with the Executive
Branch, usually appointing people to a position within that branch.
When voting, there are two types of voting styles: “roll call” vote and “placard”
vote. A roll call vote is a vote by name. The Speaker will alphabetically call out
Senators and they will either vote yes, no, or abstain from voting. This is done on
funding bills and changes to the by-laws or constitution. Every other vote is a
placard vote. A placard vote, or hand vote, is where everyone votes at once. If two
Senators request a roll call vote instead of a placard vote, a roll call vote will
happen.
Senators being sworn in in the spring after the yearly elections
The next few pages will have examples of past bills, resolutions and executive
orders. Any Senator can sponsor a bill or resolution, although anything regarding
funding must be looked at and voted on by Organization and Finance first. All
pieces of legislation will be written in very similar styles.

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Example of a Resolution:
SSR 2015-03
A Resolution for: Remembering the Life of UNI Student Jared Trimble
Sponsored by: Senator Friel, Senator Mellinger, Senator Kelly
First Reading: April 23, 2014
Vote: 15-0-0
Speaker Action: ______________________________________________________________
Eric Boisen – Speaker Date
WHEREAS: The Northern Iowa Student Government recognizes the life of UNI student Jared
Trimble; and
RECOGNIZING: that Jared was a model UNI student who had made the Dean’s List every
semester as an environmental science major; and
RECOGNIZING: that his professors and friends knew he had a future full of opportunities; and
FURTHER RECOGNIZING: that he will be missed by the UNI community; thus
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED: that the Northern Iowa Student Government expresses its
deepest sympathies to Jared Trimble’s family and friends, the UNI College of Humanities, Arts
and Sciences and all others who loved him very much; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: that the original copy of this resolution be presented to Jared
Trimble’s immediate family, and that copies be sent to all appropriate places at the Speaker’s
discretion
__________________________________________________________________
All Resolutions start with WHEREAS clauses, which gives the reasons
on why NISG is looking at the piece of legislation. The legislation will
then have a various number of RECOGNIZING or FURTHER
RECOGNIZING lines. This gives the reasoning for the resolved/why
this resolution should be passed.
This Resolution ends with BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED which
shows what Senate wants to have happen. The final BE IT FUTHER
RESOLVED says where the resolution should be sent by the Speaker.

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This next resolution is much more in-depth, due to its nature, but it is a great
example of what resolutions can do.
SSR 2015-06
A Resolution for: Recognizing Cedar Falls Community Values and UNI Student Housing Needs
Sponsored by: External Relations Committee and Senator Friel
First Reading: September 10, 2014
Vote: 15-0-0
Speaker Action: ______________________________________________________________
Eric Boisen – Speaker Date
WHEREAS: the Northern Iowa Student Government, henceforth NISG, recognizes that the City
Council of Cedar Falls has created the Single-Family Conversion Task Force, henceforth the
Task Force, to examine issues surrounding the conversion of single family homes into rental
properties; and
WHEREAS: on March 27, 2014, the Task Force passed a motion to recommend to the City
Council that property maintenance and nuisance codes be enforced more strictly, with the impact
being more regular examination of property and inclusion of exterior code violations being
evaluated during property inspection; and
WHEREAS: on May 1, 2014, the Task Force passed a motion to recommend to the City
Council to develop an incentive program to encourage the conversion of homes from rental
property into single-family residences; and
Council to ensure rental permits are for legal nonconforming use; and
Council to enact a temporary moratorium on converting owner-occupied single-family homes to
rental property; and
WHEREAS: on July 24, 2014, the Task Force agreed to forward to the City Council a
recommendation to develop educational programs and informational material for landlords; and
WHEREAS: on August 28, 2014, the City of Cedar Falls staff reported that the recommendation
to more strictly enforce property maintenance codes had already discovered and resolved many
issues regarding the rental properties most recently inspected; and

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RECOGNIZING: that long-term residents of the Cedar Valley thereby benefit when rental
properties are maintained and held to community standards; and
FURTHER RECOGNIZING: that both students of the University of Northern Iowa and
landlords/property owners of the Cedar Falls community benefit from uniform standards for
housing and equitably applied property codes; and
FURTHER RECOGNIZING: that students would be displaced or experience hardship from
increased housing costs if the city decreased the permitted number of unrelated occupants
residing in a property; and
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED: that NISG expresses its support for the recommendations
approved as of the Task Force meeting of August 28th, 2014; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: that this body supports the use of existing ordinances and
code to maintain equitable community relations between students and long-term residents, and
supports exploration by the City of Cedar Falls staff into changes to code for community
standards; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: that NISG would not support any recommendation by the
Task Force that would increase the cost of living for college students, including reducing the
number of unrelated occupants allowed to reside in a property; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: that the City of Cedar Falls should loosen restrictions on off-
street parking and encourage landlords to provide adequate off-street parking; especially near the
University of Northern Iowa campus; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: that pending discussion and resolution on issues of parking,
NISG would support a motion to dissolve the Task Force, as NISG believes the Task Force has
met its purpose in finding reasonable solutions regarding converted rental properties; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: that NISG thanks the Task Force for its inclusion of Victoria
Hurst, NISG Director of Governmental Relations; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: that this resolution be presented to the Task Force, and the
Task Force thanked for considering students in its deliberation on these issues; and
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED: that copies of this resolution be sent to University of Northern
Iowa President Bill Ruud, Cedar Falls Mayor Jon Crews, Cedar Falls City Council, Landlords of
Black Hawk Incorporated, the Northern Iowan, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier, and anyone
else at the Speaker’s discretion.
____________________________________________________________________________
As you can see, you can have as many Recognizing and Resolved
clauses as needed for a piece of legislation

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Here is an example of a funding bill:
SSB 2015-19
A Bill for: UNI Climbing Club
Sponsored by: Organization and Finance Committee
Second Reading: September 24, 2014
Vote: 14-0-0
Presidential Action: ____________________________________________________________
Kevin Gartman – President Date
WHEREAS: UNI Climbing Club would like to purchase a crash pad to be able to use at the
WRC and take on trips; and
WHEREAS: This cushion will hopefully prevent climbing-related injuries; and
WHEREAS: Per the funding guidelines, this crash pad will stay with the student organization
from year to year; and
RECOGNIZING: The Organization and Finance Committee feels that this falls within the
contingency funding guidelines and should be funded; and
BE IT THEREFORE ENACTED: That be given to UNI Climbing Club.
Crash Pad $149
Total $149
BE IT FURTHER ENACTED: That money not spent by December 22, 2014 remains in the
NISG Contingency Fund.
__________________________________________________________________
Bills are similar to resolutions. Funding bills take two readings, as per
the by-laws. Most funding and registration bills will be sponsored by
OrgFi, but if it fails to pass OrgFi, a Senator can sponsor it to bring it to
the Senate floor. A bill can be vetoed by the President, but that can be
overridden by a 2/3rds vote of the Senate.

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This is an example of an Executive Order:
EO 2015-07
An Executive Order for: Appointment of Jessica Nemesi to Director of Student
Involvement/Organizations
Sponsored by: President Gartman
Vote: 17-0-0
Presidential Action:______________________________________________________
Kevin Gartman - President Date
RECOGNIZING: That the Northern Iowa Student Government is committed to serving the
needs of the student body at the University of Northern Iowa; and
RECOGNIZING: The Northern Iowa Student Government looks to hire a Director of Student
Involvement/Organizations to work with student organizations, along with the general student
body, to actively communicate the resources NISG offers students and help to identify and
address their needs; and
FURTHER RECOGNIZING: The Director of Student Involvement/Organizations will help
serve as liaison between the Student Involvement Center and NISG; and
FURTHER RECOGNIZING: That Ms. Nemesi is a respected and involved student leader
who has demonstrated passion for serving students; and
BE IT THEREFORE ENACTED: That Jessica Nemesi is appointed to the position of Director
of Student Involvement/Organizations under the Gartman-Andersen Administration.
______________________________________________________________________________
Executive Orders are sponsored by the President and are used mostly for
appointing people to Executive and Judicial Branch positions.

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What is Parliamentary Procedure?
Parliamentary Procedure is a way to keep meetings organized. It is a series of
motions and procedures used to keep a meeting moving in a productive and
organized fashion. Though it can seem boring, it is vital for keeping things from
getting out of control, especially when the topic is very contentious or when debate
gets heated.
This is a picture of NISG at UNI President Ruud’s house, along with him and his Executive Management Team
Different Parliamentary Procedure motions have different qualifications to pass.
For example, you can interrupt to ask a question with a “Point of Information”
while, in order to vote, a Senator must move to “Previous Question” which stops
debate. It does not need a vote unless someone objects to it, then it needs a 2/3rds
vote. In order to make a motion, you say “I move to …”
The next page has a table with most of the Parliamentary Procedure motions you
will use within NISG Senate.

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Parliamentary Procedure Cheat Sheet
To Do this: You Say This:
May you
interrupt
the
Speaker?
Do you
need a
second?
Is it
Debatable?
Can it be
Amended?
What
vote is
needed?
Can it be
reconsidered?
Adjourn Meeting "I move to adjourn" No Yes No No Majority No
Call an Intermission "I move that we recess for…." No Yes No Yes Majority No
Complain about something "Personal Privilege…" Yes No No No No Vote No
Request Information "Point of Information Yes No No No No Vote No
Protest Breach of Conduct
or Rules "Point of Order…" Yes No No No No Vote No
Temporarily suspend
consideration of an issue "I move to table the motion" No Yes No No Majority No
End Debate and
Amendments/to Vote
"I move to Previous Question
(PQ for short)" No Yes No No
2/3rds
vote if
objected Yes
Amend
"I move to amend the motion
by…" No Yes Yes Yes Majority Yes
Introduce Business "I move that…" No Yes Yes Yes Majority Yes
Move something non-
controversial to
controversial docket
"I move this to controversial
docket…" No No No No No Vote No
Temporarily suspend rules
"I move to suspend the rules so
that…" No Yes No No 2/3rds No
These are most of the motions you will need to make within NISG Senate. They
can be separated into three types of motions: Personal Motions, Procedural
Motions, and Legislative Motions.
Personal Motions (Personal Privilege, Point of Information, Point of Order) are
motions that you can make at any time. They are used to ask a question or to note
something.
Procedural Motions (Adjourn, Previous Question, Recess, Suspend the Rules) are
motions used to advance or slow down a meeting. They are done in context of each
meeting.
Legislative Motions (Amend, Controversial Docket, and Tabling) are done in
context of a piece of legislation.
For a full list of motions that could be used, please read Robert’s Rules of Order.

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Senate “Jargon”
Over the years people within NISG have come up with slang or terns that new
members may not know about. Here are a list of some of the most common phrases
and what they mean.
Budgetary Process = Time in the spring when student orgs can request funding for
events for the following school year.
Contingency Fund = All monies that NISG received from student fees that have
not been taken up through the Budgetary Process.
Controversial Docket = section of the Agenda where legislation goes when it needs
two readings before a vote. It is on the Controversial Docket when it is in its first
of two readings
DDSL = Director of Diversity and Student Life
DOA = Director of Administration and Finance
DOGR (pronounced Doe-ger) = Director of Governmental Relations
DOPR = Director of Public Relations
Move to PQ (or just PQ) = Previous Question, PQ, ends debate and brings about a
vote.
Non-controversial Docket = section of the Agenda where legislation goes when it
can be voted on in its first reading.
OrgFi = Organization and Finance Committee
Pepsi Fund = A committee that gives out funds for food for events that was given
to NISG through the University’s Pepsi contract
Placard = What the Speaker makes for Senators, which has their name and their
title. It is used by Senators during voting and to denote when they would like to
speak.
Proxy = someone who sits in for a Senator when they are absent for a Senate
meeting.
SNOTH = Senate Night on the Hill. Where Senate goes out after meetings to
relieve stress and hang out

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Proposing Legislation
Now that you know the ins-and-outs of Senate and you have a basic understanding of
what legislation is, the next step is proposing your own legislation.
Here is a step-by-step outline on how to make and propose legislation to Senate:
Step #1: Think of an issue. Before you bring up an issue to Senate, you need to think of
one. Is there anything related to UNI that you would like to see changed? Have your
constituents, or any UNI student, brought up a point of concern to you? Start from the
beginning and think of an issue to address.
Step #2: Get a co-sponsor: Though there only needs to be one Senator to sponsor a piece
of legislation, getting another Senator to write and sponsor legislation with you will give
the topic more merit during debate. This will also make writing the bill easier for
everyone involved.
Step #3: Write the legislation: Next up, you need to write the legislation. Under most
circumstances, you will be writing a resolution (unless you are writing legislation for a
committee). The next page will have a resolution template for you to use. Feel free to ask
another Senator or the Speaker for help if you need it.
Step #4: Send it to Senate: Once you are done with your legislation, you need to get it on
the Senate meeting agenda. You can do this one of two ways:
1) You should first send it to the Speaker. The by-laws say legislation needs to be sent to
the NISG office the Tuesday before the next Senate meeting. Some Speakers will be
more lenient than others on this, so ask them to be sure.
2) The second way is to amend the agenda yourself. On each Senate agenda, there is a
“Call for Changes to the Orders of the Day.” During that time you can amend the
Agenda and add your resolution. This will need to be voted on by the Senate, though.
Step #5: Discuss it in Senate. Now that your piece of legislation is on the agenda, you can
talk about it with other Senators and have Senate vote on it. If it passes, congratulations!
If it doesn’t pass, don’t fret, you can try again!

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Resolution Template
SSR 201X-XX
A Resolution for: Insert the Resolution Name Here
Sponsored by: Senator LAST NAME and Senator LAST NAME (if multiple sponsors)
First Reading: Date discussed by Senate (Put in by Speaker)
Vote: Put in by Speaker
Speaker Action: ___________Speaker’s Signature____________________Date of Signature
Speaker Name – Speaker Date
WHEREAS: Put a reason why NISG should look at this issue (You can have more than one
WHERAS). Make sure you end each line with a semi-colon and “and”; and
RECOGNIZING: Put a reason here on why NISG should agree with the resolved and pass the
resolution; and
RECOGNIZING: Put another reason, you can have as many recognizing sections as you need;
and
FURTHER RECOGNIZING: You can also put a “recognizing in contrast.” Use the example
resolutions on Page 9 and 10 for reference. When you move to your resolved, you can change the
“; and” to “; thus”; thus
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED: The Resolved section is where you put what you want this
resolution to do. You can have as many resolved sections at needed; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED: The very last resolved section should include (if applicable)
where this resolution should be sent to. Once passed, the Speaker will send copies of the
resolution to the people that the legislation mentions.
Use your resources. Never be afraid to ask the Speaker or another Senator to help
you write or look over a resolution. The Speaker’s job is to advise and help
Senators.

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Rules on Senate Meeting Absences
Everyone in NISG is a student, and we all have very busy lives. From school, to
work, to other activities, it can be hard to make it to every Senate meeting. This is
understandable, and because of that there are rules on absences during Senate
meetings.
There are excused and unexcused absences in the By-laws (listed below).
If you know you are going to be absent for a Senate meeting, talk to the Speaker
and let them know the reason for your absence. You should try at all possible to get
a proxy to cover you if you will be absent. A proxy is a UNI student in your
college who will represent you at the meeting. You will tell them how to vote and
what to say (if anything). Once you find a proxy, tell the Speaker who they are so
they know as well.
It cannot be stressed enough how important it is to get a proxy. You should try
your hardest to always get a proxy if you will not be at a Senate meeting. You
should always email the Speaker before each meeting if you will not be at Senate.
If you miss two consecutive meetings or four non-consecutive meetings without
having a proxy or getting an excused absence, you can automatically lose your
position. You cannot have an excused absence or a proxy account for more than
1/3rd
of the total number of Senate meetings (no more than 10 meetings).
Unexcused Absences Excused Absences
Homework
Upcoming tests
Events and meetings of other organizations
Leaving a meeting before three-
fourths of the meeting is complete
Work
Using a proxy from a different college
Required events for class
--Should get a proxy beforehand
Personal or family illness
Personal or family emergency
You should get a proxy if you know of
things like Religious Holidays where you
would not be at Senate

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21
Congratulations!
You are now ready to be a successful Senator! Make sure to keep this
handy and refer to it if you are ever confused. Never be afraid to ask the
Speaker if you have any questions. Make sure to read the NISG
Constitution and By-laws for more in-depth information.
Have fun and make a difference!

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