Student Organizations - General Provisions - Education - CA

Section § 76060

This law allows community college students to form a student body association. The association encourages student participation in college governance and can engage in activities like fundraising, with approval from college officials. They can use college properties for free, following district regulations.

Additionally, the college district can permit the creation of multiple associations, such as for day and evening students, if needed due to scheduling or geographic issues.

If a student body association is dissolved, the district can take over its activities, and any employed staff will become district employees under certain conditions.

The governing board of a community college district may authorize the students of a college to organize a student body association. The association shall encourage students to participate in the governance of the college and may conduct any activities, including fundraising activities, as may be approved by the appropriate college officials. The association may be granted the use of community college premises and properties without charge, subject to any regulations that may be established by the governing board of the community college district.

The governing board of the community college district may authorize the students of a college to organize more than one student body association when the governing board finds that day students and evening students each need an association or geographic circumstances make the organization of only one student body association impractical or inconvenient.

A community college district may assume responsibility for activities formerly conducted by a student body association if the student body association is dissolved. A student body association employee who was employed to perform the activity assumed by the district pursuant to this section shall become a member of the classified service of the district in accordance with Section 88020.

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Section § 76060.5

Under this law, community colleges collect a $2 student representation fee during registration. This fee helps support student body associations and their representatives advocating for student issues with government entities. Half of the fee goes specifically towards supporting a statewide community college student organization for effective governance and advocacy at state levels.

The statewide organization must be legally established, comply with laws, and maintain transparent, prudent fiscal practices. Meetings must be open, and funds properly managed. The community college can keep 7% for administrative costs, and students can opt out of the fee if they choose.

If no recognized organization exists, collected fees are held until one is recognized. Further, any related costs by the Chancellor's Office are covered by the student organization.

(a) If a student body association has been established at a community college as authorized by Section 76060, a student representation fee of two dollars ($2) shall be collected by the officials of the community college, together with all other fees, at the time of registration or before registration and shall be deposited in a separate fiduciary fund established per the California Community Colleges Budget and Accounting Manual for student representation fees. The money collected pursuant to this section shall be expended to provide support for governmental affairs representatives of local or statewide student body organizations who may be stating their positions and viewpoints before city, county, and district governments, and before offices and agencies of state government.

(b)

(1) One dollar ($1) of every two-dollar ($2) fee collected shall be expended to establish and support the operations of a statewide community college student organization, recognized by the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, with effective student representation and participation in state-level community college shared governance and with governmental affairs representatives to advocate before the Legislature and other state and local governmental entities.

(2) The underlying goals of a statewide community college student organization shall include, but are not limited to, all of the following:

(A) Establishing a sustainable foundation for statewide community college student representation and advocacy.

(B) Promoting institutional and organizational memory.

(D) Strengthening regional approaches for community college student representation and coordination.

(E) Promoting and enhancing student opportunities for engagement in community college student issues and affairs.

(F) Providing for open and public transparency and accountability.

(G) Supporting student participation and engagement in statewide higher education policy and advocacy activities.

(c) Fees collected pursuant to subdivision (b) shall be annually distributed to the Board of Governors before February 1. The Board of Governors shall have custody of the moneys and shall, each year by April 15, distribute the moneys to the recognized statewide community college student organization if the recognized statewide community college student organization satisfies all of the following:

(1) Is established as a legal entity registered with the Secretary of State.

(2) Demonstrates compliance with all applicable state and federal laws and reporting requirements.

(3) Exercises prudent fiscal management by establishing generally accepted accounting controls and procedures.

(4)

(A) Commencing after the first year it receives funding pursuant to this subdivision, completes an annual independent financial audit, the results of which shall be annually provided to the Board of Governors for review.

(B)

(i) Except as provided in clause (ii) and after the first year funding is received, it shall be a condition for funding pursuant to this subdivision that the results of the annual audit identify no significant audit findings.

(ii) In no event shall funds be withheld from the statewide community college student organization unless the statewide community college student organization fails to address and correct any identified exceptions, concerns, errors, or deficiencies contained in the annual audit after being given a reasonable opportunity to do so.

(5) Meets the obligations and addresses the goals described in subdivision (b).

(d) Meetings of the recognized statewide community college student organization shall be open to the public and shall comply with the requirements of the California Public Records Act (Division 10 (commencing with Section 7920.000) of Title 1 of the Government Code) and the Ralph M. Brown Act (Chapter 9 (commencing with Section 54950) of Part 1 of Division 2 of Title 5 of the Government Code).

(e)

(1) The chief fiscal officer of the community college shall have custody of the money collected pursuant to this section, except as provided in subdivision (c), and the money shall be disbursed for the purposes described in subdivision (a) upon the order of the governing body of the student body association.

(2) The community college district shall annually prepare a summary of all revenue collected from the student representation fee and the expenditures of the proceeds of the student representation fee. The summary shall include the amount distributed to the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges each year. The summary shall be presented at the community college district board meeting each year and posted to the community college district internet website.

(3) The community college district may retain a portion of the fees collected and deposited pursuant to this section that is equal to the actual cost of administering these fees up to, but not more than, 7 percent.

(f) A student may refuse to pay the student representation fee established under this section. The community college shall provide the student a means to refuse to pay the student representation fee on the same form that is used for collection of fees, which, as determined by the community college, shall be as nearly as practical in the same form as a model form prescribed by regulations of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges.

(g) Any costs incurred by the Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges to implement subdivisions (b) and (c) shall be reimbursed by the statewide community college student organization.

(h) If no statewide community college student organization that qualifies for funding in accordance with this section is recognized by the Board of Governors, the funds collected pursuant to this section shall be held by the Office of the Chancellor of the California Community Colleges until a qualifying statewide community college student organization is recognized, or shall be returned to the source of funds.

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Section § 76061

If you want to be an officer in student government at a community college, you need to follow these rules. First, you have to be enrolled with at least five semester units or equivalent and meet the college's academic standards. Second, if you're in an adult education program at the college, you also qualify. Third, if you're a disabled student (as defined legally), you can enroll without the unit minimum, but must still be a student at the college.

A student who is elected to serve as an officer in the student government of a community college shall meet any of the following requirements:

(a)

(1) The student shall be enrolled in the community college at the time of election, and throughout the student’s term, with a minimum of five semester units, or the equivalent quarter units.

(2) The student shall meet and maintain the minimum standards of scholarship prescribed for community college students by the community college district.

(b) The student shall be enrolled in an adult education program offered by a community college district pursuant to Article 9 (commencing with Section 84900) of Chapter 5 of Part 50, at the time of the election and throughout the student’s term.

(c) The student is enrolled in the community college at the time of election, and throughout the student’s term, and is a disabled student, as defined in subdivision (b) of Section 84850.

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Section § 76062

The community college board can let student organizations run various activities, such as fundraising, as long as the board approves them.

The governing board of a community college district may authorize any organization composed entirely of students attending the colleges of the district to maintain any activities, including fundraising activities, as may be approved by the governing board.

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Section § 76063

This law explains how the funds of student organizations in community colleges should be managed and invested. The funds can be deposited in approved banks, saved in state or federal savings associations, invested in certain securities, placed in tax-exempt funds specifically for educational institutions, or deposited in insured credit unions. Investments or deposits must have full insurance coverage. Additionally, spending these funds requires approval from three individuals: a district-designated employee or official, the student body's adviser, and a student representative.

The funds of any student body organization established in the public schools of any community college district shall, subject to approval of the governing board of the district, be deposited or invested in one or more of the following ways:

(a) Deposits in trust accounts of the centralized State Treasury system pursuant to Sections 16305 to 16305.7, inclusive, of the Government Code or in a bank or banks whose accounts are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation.

(b) Investment certificates or withdrawable shares in state-chartered savings and loan associations and savings accounts of federal savings and loan associations, if the associations are doing business in this state and have their accounts insured by the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation and if any money so invested or deposited is invested or deposited in certificates, shares, or accounts fully covered by the insurance.

(c) Purchase of any of the securities authorized for investment by Section 16430 of the Government Code or investment by the Treasurer in those securities.

(d) Participation in funds that are exempt from federal income tax pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and that are open exclusively to nonprofit colleges, universities, and independent schools.

(e) Investment certificates or withdrawable shares in federal or state credit unions, if the credit unions are doing business in this state and have their accounts insured by the National Credit Union Administration and if any money so invested or deposited is invested or deposited in certificates, shares, or accounts fully covered by the insurance.

The funds shall be expended subject to procedures that may be established by the student body organization subject to the approval of each of the following three persons, which shall be obtained each time before any of the funds may be expended: an employee or official of the community college district designated by the governing board, the certificated employee who is the designated adviser of the particular student body organization, and a representative of the particular student body organization.

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Section § 76064

This section allows student body organizations at community colleges to loan or invest their funds in specific ways. They can lend money to student organizations at other colleges within the same district for up to three years, with or without interest. Additionally, they can invest in permanent improvements to college properties, like buildings or sports facilities, if these improvements benefit the student body or extracurricular activities. The invested amount must be repaid with interest, using income from these improvements, such as rental income, placed in a special fund. Multiple student bodies can collaborate on such investments, and the local governing board decides rental charges for property use.

In addition to deposit or investment pursuant to Section 76063, the funds of a student body organization may be loaned or invested in any of the following ways:

(a) Loans, with or without interest, to any student body organization established in another community college of the district for a period not to exceed three years.

(b) Invest money in permanent improvements to any community college district property including, but not limited to, buildings, automobile parking facilities, gymnasiums, swimming pools, stadia and playing fields, where those facilities, or portions thereof, are used for conducting student extracurricular activities or student spectator sports, or when those improvements are for the benefit of the student body. The investment shall be made on condition that the principal amount of the investment plus a reasonable amount of interest thereon shall be returned to the student body organization as provided herein. Any community college district approving the investment shall establish a fund in accordance with the California Community Colleges Budget and Accounting Manual in which moneys derived from the rental of community college district property to student body organizations shall be deposited. Moneys collected by the governing board for automobile parking facilities as authorized by Section 76360 shall be deposited in the fund designated by the California Community Colleges Budget and Accounting Manual if the parking facilities were provided for by investment of student body funds under this section. Moneys shall be returned to the student body organization as contemplated by this section exclusively from the special fund and only to the extent that there are moneys in the special fund. Whenever there are no outstanding obligations against the special fund, all moneys therein may be transferred to the general fund of the school district by action of the local governing board.

Two or more student body organizations of the same community college district may join together in making the investments in the same manner as is authorized herein for a single student body. Nothing herein shall be construed so as to limit the discretion of the local governing board in charging rental for use of community college district property by student body organizations as provided in Section 76060.

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Section § 76065

This law requires the governing board of a community college district to supervise funds raised by any student group that uses the college's name. The cost for supervising these funds can be paid from the district's budget. The board can also arrange for regular audits of the student funds using district staff.

The governing board of any community college district shall provide for the supervision of all funds raised by any student body or student organization using the name of the college.

The cost of supervision may constitute a proper charge against the funds of the district.

The governing board of a community college district may also provide for a continuing audit of student body funds with community college district personnel.

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Section § 76067

This law allows student political organizations, affiliated with official youth divisions of any political party that appears on California's ballot, to hold meetings and distribute materials on community college campuses. However, these activities cannot be officially endorsed by the school and must not disrupt the regular educational programs.

Any student political organization that is affiliated with the official youth division of any political party that is on the ballot of the State of California may hold meetings on a community college campus, and may distribute bulletins and circulars concerning its meetings, provided that there is no endorsement of that organization by the school authorities and no interference with the regular educational program of the district.

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