Attendance of Senators

A record of attendance shall be kept by each committee chair and reported to the Senate Chair. The Senate Chair shall keep a master attendance record of both the committee meetings and the Senate meetings. Partial attendance of a meeting may be determined, at the discretion of the appropriate chair, to constitute an absence. Absences can be excused at the discretion of the Senate Chair.

1. Displacement
   1. An elected Senator shall be displaced upon the third unexcused absence from either a meeting of the Senate and/or a meeting of his/her assigned standing committee(s) during any three-month period during a session of the Senate. This Senator shall be removed from his/her present position and placed in the position of last alternate. This Senator shall be replaced by the highest ranking Senate alternate. Senators of the highest ranks shall be displaced first.

   2. The displacement shall take effect upon the issuance of written notice by the Senate Chair and report thereof to the Senate.

   3. The Senate Chair shall report all displacements to the Senate in a timely manner.

2. Suspension
   1. An elected Senator shall be suspended upon the fourth unexcused absence from either a meeting of the Senate and/or a meeting of his/her assigned standing committee(s) during any three-month period during a session of the Senate. This Senator shall be stripped of all appointed Senate offices, including membership on all Committees of the Senate any bodies of the Association. Furthermore, an elected Senator shall lose the right to vote in the Senate.

   2. The suspension shall take effect upon the issuance of written notice by the Senate Chair and report thereof to the Senate.

   3. The suspension shall terminate upon attendance by the Senator at four consecutive regularly-scheduled meetings of the Senate and his/her standing committee(s). Consecutive meetings shall be defined as those meetings which are chronologically consecutive, regardless of whether they are meetings of the Senate or of a standing committee.

   4. The Senate may, at any time, reinstate the member's right to vote and/or any or all of the member's offices.

   5. The Senate Chair shall report all suspensions to the Senate in a timely manner.

3. Expulsion
   1. An elected Senator may be expelled from the Senate upon the fifth unexcused absence from either a meeting of the Senate and/or a meeting of his/her assigned standing committee(s) during any three-month period during a session of the Senate.

   2. The member in question must be notified by the Senate Chair in writing at least 72 hours before an order of expulsion is entertained in the Senate.

   3. Passage of an order of expulsion requires a majority of the membership of the Senate.

   4. The expulsion shall take effect upon the receipt of written notice from the Senate Chair.

4. Leaves of Absence
   1. Before leaving the Senate for an extended period of time, a member of the Senate must apply to the Chair of the Senate for a leave of absence. The Senate has the final authority over all leaves of absence.

   2. During the leave of absence, the member of the Senate may not attempt to exercise the rights of a member of the Senate.

   3. Upon returning from a leave of absence, the member of the Senate will automatically be displaced.