Elections

Candidate Qualifications

• Qualifications for all Student Government officials
  • Be a degree-seeking, registered student.
  • Run for and hold only one office at a time.
  • Be under no academic or disciplinary sanctions as detailed in the Student Conduct and Honor Code or individual University College.
  • Maintain no less than a 2.5 cumulative grade point average (GPA) and a 2.0 semesterly grade point average (GPA) where applicable.
  • Students that do not have a grade point average (GPA), on account of being in their first semester of their undergraduate or graduate degree program at FIU, shall be exempt from the GPA qualifications for only that semester.
  • Each undergraduate student holding office shall maintain a minimum of nine (9) undergraduate credit hours each Fall and Spring semester; in their last semester before graduation, they shall be exempt from this requirement but must maintain a minimum of three (3) credit hours.
  • Each graduate student holding office shall maintain a minimum of six (6) graduate credit hours, or a minimum of three (3) dissertation credit hours while working on their dissertation, for each Fall and Spring semester; in their last semester before graduation, they shall be exempt from this requirement but must maintain a minimum of three (3) credit hours.
• Qualifications for Legislative Branch Officials
  • Each Senator shall be registered to the specific school, college, campus, class level, or housing units that they represent.
  • Lower Division Senators must have passed less than 60 credits at the time of election qualification or appointment. Should they pass 60 credits after their election qualification or appointment, this will not disqualify them from remaining in their position.
  • Upper Division Senators must have passed at least 60 credits at the time of election qualification or appointment.
• Qualifications for Executive Branch Officials
  • Candidates for the offices of Student Body President and Vice President must meet the following qualifications by the date they register to run: they shall have attended FIU for a minimum of four complete academic semesters, which may include summer semesters; and they shall have achieved at least sophomore standing.
  • Candidates for the office of Student Body President have held at least one SGA position for at least one hundred and twenty (120) consecutive days by the first day of registration for general elections, except in the case the President succeeds to office.
  • The Governor of the Biscayne Bay Campus and the Lieutenant Governor of the Biscayne Bay Campus must be students belonging to the Biscayne Bay Campus as per this Constitution.
• Qualifications for Representing the Biscayne Bay Campus
  • All students representing the Biscayne Bay Campus in an elected or appointed position (BBC At-Large Senators, the Governor of the Biscayne Bay Campus, the Lieutenant Governor of the Biscayne Bay Campus, and the members of the Governor’s Cabinet) are required to be a student belonging to the Biscayne Bay Campus.
  • A student of the Biscayne Bay Campus is defined as: a student who is living on-campus at the Biscayne Bay Campus, or who is taking at least twenty percent (20%) of their classes at the Biscayne Bay Campus.
  • For purposes of representation, the FIU Engineering Center shall be designated to be part of the Modesto A. Maidique Campus, and FIU at I-75 shall be designated to be part of the Biscayne Bay Campus.
  • Classes in the following programs, regardless of modality, shall be considered classes at the Biscayne Bay Campus: Hospitality Management Program, Marine Sciences Program, Journalism + Media Program, Marketing, Health Services Administration, Accelerated BSN (Nursing), Creative Writing, Broadcast Media, Global Strategic Communications, Mass Communications, and any program offered by the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.
  • The above list of programs shall be provided by the administration of the Biscayne Bay Campus and updated in this Constitution as needed, with the approval of the Supreme Court, to reflect the most accurate course and program offerings at the campus.
• Qualifications for Representing FIU at I-75
  • All students representing FIU at I-75 in the Senate shall be a student of FIU at I-75.
  • A student of FIU at I-75 is defined as a student taking at least one class at FIU at I-75.