Welcome!

There are a few ways of joining Student Council:

1. Be elected as the Representative of a Registered Student Organization (the most common way)
2. Represent an Academic Department
3. Join as a Speaking Member (no organization needed)

The third option, joining as a Speaking Member, provides a path to becoming a Voting Representative for any student, regardless of organization membership or academic department. It also grants you the right to speak at our meetings!

The sections below will describe each option in more detail.

Once you’ve been elected by an organization, you’ll need to register as a member of Student Council. After that, you should:

1. Learn the rules that govern our General Body Meetings
2. Determine which issues your organization wants you to advocate for or against
3. Attend the General Body Meetings
4. Attend any meetings assigned by your Committee Chair

Please keep in mind that your attendance at the meetings is critical to keep your organization in good standing. If you miss more than three general body meetings without being excused or sending a proxy, your organization may lose access to funding from the Student Activity Fee. To send a proxy, contact stuco@mst.edu.

At the beginning of each year, we will begin accepting volunteers to become representatives of each academic department on campus. If we don’t receive any volunteers, or if none are accepted, we will ask the chair of each department to provide some recommendations.

The Student Council Committee dedicated to each college will approve the appointment of all departmental representatives.

Once approved, you should:

1. Learn the rules that govern our General Body Meetings
2. Determine which issues the students in your department want you to advocate for or against
3. Attend the General Body Meetings
4. Attend any meetings assigned by your Committee Chair

If you are interested, please reach out to stuco@mst.edu.

Any currently enrolled student at Missouri S&T can become a Speaking Member of Student Council. All you need to do is register!

Becoming a speaking member gives you the right to contribute to discussions during all of our meetings, and is a stepping stone to gaining voting rights on Student Council. You do not need to be a member of any other organizations to become a Speaking Member.

After you register, you should:

1. Learn the rules that govern our General Body Meetings
2. Attend the General Body Meetings
3. Listen at meetings to understand how discussions and motions are made
4. Attend any meetings assigned by your Committee Chair

If you have perfect attendance for one semester, or are in good standing after two semesters, you will be contacted about becoming a Representative at Large. If there are available positions and you are voted in by the other representatives, you will gain voting rights!

Register below, and be sure to select the membership type “Speaking Member” through the button below!

We operate our meetings under the parliamentary book “Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised: 12th Edition,” but you don’t need to know much about the book to be a successful in our meetings.

When you first walk in (as a member), you’ll be handed a card with a list of the most common and essential motions. For your first meeting, if you’re not familiar with Robert’s Rules, listen and match the motions on the card to the points you hear them during the meeting. Then, once you think you’ve got it, try making a motion!

You can always ask a question about the rules by raising your card and saying “I have a parliamentary inquiry” (or something similar), or asking after the meeting.

Here are some simple meeting rules that will help keep you on track:

• Always wait to be recognized when speaking, unless the motion you’re making explicitly allows you to interrupt the current speaker.
• Be respectful at all times. Always observe the Honor Code, Code of Conduct, and all parliamentary rules.
• Please focus on the current item. Do not be a distraction to others or try to change the topic of discussion.

Sample Table of Motions