Frequently Asked Questions

What is Stack?

Stack is a way to keep track of who wants to speak during a meeting. Stack is kept in a list format during all discussions and is displayed in the front of the room. To get on Stack raise your hand and the Chief of Staff/Moderator will place your name on the list.

Resolutions

Resolutions are formal documents crafted by a combination of Senators and members of the Wesleyan Community. These documents can take a variety of forms from changing our governing documents to implementing new procedures. Normally resolutions are placed on the agenda and presented. They will then be modified from comments that were made in that meeting. The following week they can be voted on. Resolutions can be voted on in the same meeting they are first presented on, however, the Assembly must “suspend the bylaws” to do this. In order to suspend the bylaws, a three quarters majority of senators present must vote in favor of suspension.

Voting in a meeting

Only Senators are allowed to vote during a WSA meeting. Voting will take place on approval of minutes, resolutions, straw polls, motions, and caucuses. Approval of minutes, motions, straw polls, and caucuses are a majority vote done by counting raised hands . Voting on resolutions are done by roll call voting. In order for a resolution to pass, there must be a simple majority. If the resolution amends the bylaws then there must be a two-thirds majority of the entire Assembly in favor to pass.

Closed vs. Open Meeting

Almost all of our meetings are open for the entirety of the meeting. In an open meeting, there will be minutes taken and anyone from the public is welcome to join. The only time a meeting is closed is when we are conducting internal elections or sharing confidential information. In order to close a meeting, a Senator must motion for it and it has to be voted on. If approved, then non-Senators will be asked to leave.

Motions

Motions are used to move the discussion towards voting, close discussion, table discussion, or caucus. A caucus can either be used to focus a discussion on a particular topic or to enter a recess in the meeting.

Points

Points come in a variety of forms. The most common points are Point of Personal Privilege, Point of Direct Reply, Point of Inquiry, and Point of Information.

• A Point of Personal Privilege can be used in instances where you cannot see the information being displayed, cannot hear, etc.

• A Point of Direct Reply can only be used in a scenario in which a person has been directly named in a comment.

• A Point of Inquiry is used to ask a question in the middle of debate when it is relevant to the conversation. This can be used for a simple questions, such as asking for an acronym to be explained or a department to be clarified and should not be used in place of getting on Stack.

• Lastly, a Point of Information can be used to give information that you might have if a question was not asked to you. Normally, we ask that you get on Stack, but there are scenarios when Stack is very long and your question/information may be urgent or more relevant sooner.

Meeting Date, Time, and Location

Our normal meetings are on Sundays from 6-9pm. Our meetings are located in Boger 114.

Committees

The WSA has 5 main committees: Academic Affairs Committee (AAC), Community Committee (COCO), Equity and Inclusion Committee (EIC), Student Budget Committee (SBC), and Student Life Committee (SLC). Look at the “WSA Committee” tab for a description on each committee.

Elections

In order to be on the Assembly, individuals must be elected by their peers. Look out for emails at the beginning of each semester, and the end of the spring semester for specifics. The general process will be that an individual needs 25 signatures to get on the ballot. The candidate has to attend a meeting to discuss election rules. There will be a week of voting. Those with the most votes will be elected.

Voting in Elections

Every undergraduate student can vote in the elections. Each student can vote for Senators in their class year and the President and Vice President of the Assembly. Seniors can vote for Senior Class Officers. There will be emails sent out during voting periods with the appropriate links. Voting will take place on WesNest. If you have any questions, reach out to the election coordinator (email will be included in the all-campus email).

WesNest

This past year Wesleyan moved from OrgSync to WesNest for group registration, funding, etc. WesNest is accessible through your WesPortal Account, under the Community Tab. Here is the FAQ page for WesNest and the WesNest support page. If you have any additional questions on WesNest, please email us!

SBC Funding

For more information on SBC Funding, visit the SBC Committee page!

Student Group Registration

To create a new group:

1. Browse WesNest beforehand to make sure that the mission/activities of your group do not overlap with any existing groups.

2. Have at least seven committed group members that you can report on your roster, 3 of which are officers (Primary Contact, Financial Manager, and Events Coordinator).

3. Prepare a brief description and mission statement for your group.

4. Familiarize yourself with campus resources for funding and event organizing, as you will be asked about what you will utilize during registration. CoCo office hours are a good place to do this.

Starting in the 2020-2021 academic year, all student groups will be required to register as either formally recognized or informal. See this powerpoint to learn the differences and start thinking about how you wish to re-register your existing group.

New organizations will be granted a grace period for their first year, in which they will not need to declare formal or informal status, and will still be able to request SBC money regardless. They will, however, still require 7 committed members.

See Constitution Template to use if you wish to become formally recognized.