Board Policies and Procedures

Procedure for Election of Student Regents

1. Purpose

This procedure establishes a method for conducting annual elections for two (2) students to the Board of Regents as authorized by KRS 164.321(8)(b) and the Bylaws of the Board of Regents.

2. Scope

This procedure applies to all eligible students running for the KCTCS Board of Regents.

3. Procedure

3.1 Eligible Students

To be eligible, students must be full-time members of the student body at one of the 16 KCTCS Colleges and be nominated for consideration by their College President to the KCTCS President. Each College President shall nominate two (2) full-time students for participation on the election process. No specific qualifications or experiences shall be necessary to hold the position, but leadership qualities, academic performance, extracurricular activities and service, and willingness to commit to the duties should be considered.

3.2 Terms

1. In accordance with KRS 164.321(8)(b), student Regents shall serve one (1) year terms beginning on July 1 after being elected and sworn in as a student Regent of the Board and ending on the following June 30.
   
   
2. In the event a student Regent does not maintain the status as a full-time student, the process outlined in Sections 3.8.(F) and (G) will be followed.

3.3 Election

The KCTCS President shall set a date to hold an annual meeting to elect the two Student Regents. This meeting will generally take place in the middle of the Spring semester (mid-April to May), but before the quarterly June Board of Regents meeting. This meeting may be held either virtually through video teleconference or in person and shall be conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Kentucky Open Meetings Act, which requires meeting participants to be visible on camera at all times that business is being discussed. Students may not stand for election in absentia.

3.4 Declaring Intent to Run for Election

Students nominated by a College President will be contacted by System Office staff to be made aware of the election process upon nomination by their College President. Those eligible students must declare their candidacy and interest by submitting a completed Candidate Position Form to the System Office in advance of the election date. Students are not required to stand for election.

3.5 Candidate Information

System Office staff will distribute copies of the Candidate Position Form to the participating students prior to the meeting date.

3.6 Conduct of the Meeting

The Board Liaison or designee will call the meeting to order and conduct a roll call to establish attendance. The Board Liaison or designee will declare the nominations closed and present the slate of candidates from those who submitted Candidate Position Forms.

3.7 Floor Speeches

After closing nominations, the Board Liaison or designee shall call for nominees to speak about any matter relevant to their experience or qualifications to serve as a Student Regent on the KCTCS Board of Regents. Nominees shall have no longer than five minutes to speak and may do so in the form of a speech or a mixture of speech and request for questions. Students shall not be refused the ability or right to ask questions of the nominees or to discuss the nominees through civil, relevant, and appropriate debate. Without extenuating circumstances to justify the presentation of materials, nominees shall not be entitled to present documents or other materials and shall be limited to a floor speech and/or questions.

3.8 Voting

1. Nominees shall be voted for in alphabetical order.
   
   
2. The KCTCS Parliamentarian shall conduct voting through roll call vote. Students attending through video conference shall be visible and audible during their vote. Every student will vote for one candidate.
   
   
3.  The votes shall be tallied and recorded. The two students receiving the most votes will serve as Student Regents. The winning candidates shall be announced by the Parliamentarian.
   
   
4. In the event two students from one college receive the highest number of votes, the student receiving the most votes will be elected as student regent and the student from another college with the highest number of votes will be named the second student regent.
   
   
5. In the event of a tie, the tied candidates shall be considered for a new vote unless one concedes. The Board Liaison or designee will ask the students to vote again by roll call vote.
   
   
6. Students who received the third and fourth highest number of votes will be named as alternates and should one or both of the elected regents become unable to serve their term, the third and then the fourth alternate will assume the vacated seat for the remainder of the term. No two students from the same KCTCS college can serve concurrently as Student Regent.
   
   
7. In the event that not alternates are available to fill a vacated seat, a new election will be conducted from the existing pool of nominated students. 

3.9 Challenges

Any challenges to a nominee should be made and considered prior to the vote for the position and shall be considered waived if not raised at that time. Any challenges to the manner and tally of the vote taken for a position shall be made prior to the declaration of the successful candidate or shall be considered waived.

3.10 Review of Procedures

The Board shall review these procedures and ratify their continuation every three years. Should the need arise for revision prior to review, the Board may entertain a motion to revise.