BY-LAWS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY STAFF SENATE

 

 

As Amended:  September 12, 2002

                Article V, Section 5

As Amended: November 14, 2002

                Article II, Section 4

                Article II, Section 5

As Amended: March 13, 2003

                Article I, Section 6

                Article I, Section 7

                Article II, Section 4

As Amended: May 8, 2003

                Article V, Section 7

                Article V, Section 8

As Amended: June 12, 2003

                Article VI, Section 7

                Article VII, Section 1

As Amended: April 8, 2004

                Article VII, Section 7

As Amended: May 13, 2004

                Article I, Section 1

As Amended: June 10, 2004

                Article I, Section 9

As Amended: July 8, 2004

                Article V, Section 7                                        

As Amended:  April 14, 2005

                Article I, Section 3

                Article II, Section 4

                Article II, Section 9

As Amended:  May 12, 2005

                Article V, Section 7

As Amended:  September 8, 2005

                Article I, Section 6

                Article I, Section 7

                Article I, Section 9

                Article I, Section 10

                Article II, Section 8

                Article II, Section 9

As Amended: March 8, 2007

                Article V, Section 7

As Amended: May 10, 2007

                Article I, Section 3

                Article V, Section 7

As Amended: June 14, 2007

                Article VII

As Amended: July 12, 2007

                Article 1, Section 3

As Amended: August 9, 2007

                Article 1, Sections 1-9

                Article 2, Sections 1-8

                Article 3, Sections 3-4

                Article 4, Sections 2-3

                Article 5, Sections 2-3, 6-7

                Article 8, Section 4

                Article 9, Section 4

As Amended: November 8, 2007

                Article 2, Section 6

As Amended: April 10, 2008

                Article 2, Section 2

 

               

 

ARTICLE I – OFFICERS

Section 1.  Term of Office

Section 2.  Eligibility

Section 3.  Elections of Officers

Section 4.  Duties of the Chair

Section 5.  Duties of the Vice Chair

Section 6.  Duties of the Secretary

Section 7.  Duties of the Treasurer

Section 8.  Duties of the Parliamentarian

Section 9.  Duties of the Office Coordinator

Section 10.  Removal of Staff Senate Officers

 

ARTICLE II – SENATORS

Section 1.  Term of Office

Section 2.  Eligibility

Section 3.  Election

Section 4.  Duties of Senators

Section 5.  Attendance and Leave

Section 6.  Vacancies in the Senate

Section 7.  At-Large Senators           

Section 8.  Ex-officio members of the Staff Senate

Section 9.  Removal of a Staff Senator

 

ARTICLE III – MEETINGS

Section 1.  Time

Section 2.  Place

Section 3.  Notice of Meetings

Section 4.  Agenda

Section 5.  Special Meetings

Section 6.  Open Meetings

 

ARTICLE IV – VOTING

Section 1.  Method

Section 2.  Limits

Section 3.  Quorum

Section 4.  Debate

Section 5.  Tie Votes

 

ARTICLE V – STANDING COMMITTEES OF THE STAFF SENATE

Section 1.  Function

Section 2.  Committee Officers

Section 3.  Standing Committees of the Staff Senate 

Section 4.  Standing Advisory Committees of the Staff Senate

Section 5.  Duties of Standing Committee Chairs

Section 6.  Duties of Standing Committee Secretaries

Section 7.  Purpose and Composition of Standing Committees

a.     Executive Committee

b.     Election Committee

c.     Staff Issues Committee

d.     Public Relations/Communications Committee

e.     By-Laws Committee

f.      External Affairs Committee

g.     Institutional Finances and Resource Allocation Committee

Section 8.  Purpose and Composition of Standing Advisory Committees

a.     Staff Trustee Advisory Committee

b.     Advisory Committee to the President of the University

 

ARTICLE VI – AD HOC COMMITTEES

Section 1.  Authority 

Section 2.  Limitation

Section 3.  Reports

 

ARTICLE VII – SPECIAL EVENTS

 

ARTICLE VIII – AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION

Section 1.  Petition

Section 2.  Process

Section 3.  Effective Date

Section 4.  Limitation

 

ARTICLE IX – AMENDMENTS TO THE BY-LAWS

Section 1.  Petition

Section 2.  Process

Section 3.  Effective Date

 

 

ARTICLE I – OFFICERS

 

Section 1.  Term of Office 

        a.     The Staff Senate shall elect Officers to serve for one (1) year or until the respective              successors have been elected and seated.

 

Section 2.  Eligibility

        a.     All voting members of the Staff Senate are eligible for election to an Officer position.           Only voting members of the Staff Senate may nominate or cast ballots in the election of                any Officers of the Staff Senate.

 

Section 3.  Election of Officers

a.     The election of the Officers of the Staff Senate shall be conducted at the June regular          meeting with elected Officers being seated at the July meeting. Any candidate for Officer                must be an active Senator as of the July Senate meeting.

 

b.       The Parliamentarian of the Staff Senate shall preside over the Senate Chair election unless the Parliamentarian has not been re-elected to the Senate, in which case the Staff Representative to the Board of Trustees shall serve as presiding Officer for that period while election for office of Chair of the Staff Senate is conducted.  The Parliamentarian shall appoint two members of the Staff Senate to serve as Tellers in the counting of votes cast in these elections.  Any Teller nominated for any office shall be ineligible to serve as Teller in the counting of votes for the office to which he or she has been nominated, in which case the Parliamentarian shall appoint a temporary Teller to serve.

c.        Nominations shall be made from the floor of the Staff Senate for all Officers. 

d.       All nominees for each Office must accept the nomination and introduce themselves to the Senators before the election for that Office. If a Senator wants to be nominated to an Officer position, and cannot be present at the Senate meeting at which nominations would be accepted, the Senator must submit a letter of intent for the position to the Executive Committee.  The letter must be received by the Executive Committee by its regular May meeting.  If the Executive Committee deems the letter appropriate and confirms the eligibility of the Senator, the nominee shall be allowed to stand for election for the position. The election shall be conducted by secret ballot.
               

e.        An election to fill a vacancy for any Office shall be conducted at the next regular meeting after such vacancy occurs.

 

Section 4.  Duties of the Chair

a.     The duties of the Chair shall include, but not be limited to:

i.      Preside at all meetings of the Staff Senate and the Executive Committee;

 

ii.     Determine, in consultation with the Executive Committee, the agenda for all meetings of the Staff Senate;

 

iii.    Issue calls for special meetings of the Staff Senate through the Secretary in response to a majority vote of the Executive Committee or the Staff Senate;

 

iv.    Receive all matters directed to the Staff Senate and to refer these to the Staff Senate or to one of its committees as appropriate;

 

v.     Act as the official representative of the Staff Senate; and

 

vi.    Uphold the Constitution and By-Laws of the Staff Senate with the assistance of the Parliamentarian.

 

Section 5.  Duties of the Vice Chair 

a.     The duties of the Vice Chair shall include, but not be limited to:

i.      Preside at meetings of the Staff Senate in the absence of the Chair;

 

ii.     Act as Chair of the Staff Senate in the event a vacancy occurs in the office of the Chair of the Staff Senate until another Chair is elected;

 

iii.    Represent the Staff Senate when appointed to do so by the Chair of the Staff Senate; and

 

iv.    Serve as a member of the Executive Committee.

 

Section 6.  Duties of the Secretary

a.     The duties of the Secretary shall include, but not be limited to:

i.      Jointly maintain, with the Office Coordinator, a current list of Staff Senate membership and vacancies;

 

ii.     Jointly maintain, with the Office Coordinator, attendance records of Staff Senate meetings and to forward those records and the Standing Committee attendance records for posting on the Staff Senate Website;

 

iii.    Act as backup for the Office Coordinator for the purpose of minute taking; and

 

iv.    Serve as a member of the Executive Committee.  

 

 

Section 7.  Duties of the Treasurer 

a.     The duties of the Treasurer shall include, but not be limited to:

i.      Jointly maintain, with the Office Coordinator, accurate and detailed records of all business transactions by and for the University of Kentucky Staff Senate, and ensure records are available upon request;

 

ii.     With the support of the Office Coordinator, to track by signature all vouchers, requisitions, or any other expenditures of funds, and ensure all bills are paid and account(s) managed in accordance with University of Kentucky business policies and procedures; and

 

1.     All proposed expenditures over $500.00 must be referred to the Executive Committee for approval; the full Staff Senate must approve proposed expenditures over $1,000.00.  All transactions require a second signature by the Treasurer.  If the Treasurer is unavailable, the Vice Chair must be asked for approval.  The Office Coordinator must advise the Treasurer in writing, within 21 days, of any transaction approved by the Vice Chair.

 

 

iii.    Serve as a member of the Executive Committee.

 

 

Section 8.  The Duties of the Parliamentarian 

a.     The duties of the Parliamentarian shall include, but not be limited to:

i.      Interpret and apply Robert's Rules of Order (latest revision) when so requested by either the Chair of the Staff Senate or by a motion duly adopted by the Staff Senate;

 

ii.     Ensure an accurate and up-to-date copy of the Constitution and By-Laws and all amendments are kept available for the Staff Senate and the general public; and

 

iii.    Serve as a member of the Executive Committee.

 

Section 9.  The Duties of the Office Coordinator 

a.     The duties of the Office Coordinator shall include, but not be limited to:

i.      Keep accurate minutes of all regular and special meetings of the Staff Senate and the Executive Committee;

ii.     Make the appropriate minutes available at least five (5) working days prior to the next regular meeting of the Staff Senate;

iii.    Jointly maintain, with the Secretary, a current list of Staff Senate membership and vacancies;

iv.    Jointly maintain, with the Secretary, attendance records of the Staff Senate meetings and to forward those records and the Standing Committee attendance records for posting on the Staff Senate Website;

v.     Coordinate jointly, with the Treasurer, the maintenance of accurate and detailed records of all business transactions by and for the University of Kentucky Staff Senate, and to ensure records are available upon request;

vi.    Coordinate jointly, with the Treasurer, the preparation of all vouchers, requisitions, or any other expenditures of funds, and ensure all bills are paid and accounts managed in accordance with the University of Kentucky business policies and procedures; and

vii.   Serve as an ex officio non-voting member of the Staff Senate and Executive Committee.

 

Section 10.  Removal of Staff Senate Officers

a.     An Officer of the Staff Senate may be removed from office for reasons such as: violation of the Staff Senate Constitution, By-Laws, or policies or procedures; malfeasance in office; lack of attendance; or neglect of duty to the Staff Senate.  An officer can be removed by the submission of a petition to the Parliamentarian, signed by 25 Staff Senators, listing reasons for removal.  If the Parliamentarian is the officer in question, the petition will be presented to the Vice Chair.  The signatures on the petition will be verified as current Staff Senators.  Upon verification the petition will be presented at the next regularly scheduled Staff Senate meeting.  Officers shall be removed only with concurrence of two-thirds of the membership of the Staff Senate.  A vote on the removal of the officer will be taken at the next regularly scheduled Staff Senate meeting following the reading of the petition.

 

 

 

ARTICLE II – SENATORS

 

Section 1.  Term of Office

a.     Senators shall be elected for a term of three (3) years.  Terms of Senators are staggered so that only part of the Staff Senate membership is elected in either of the two years when Staff Senate elections are held.  The third year is the year the University of Kentucky Staff Representative to the Board of Trustees is elected.  

 

b.     Senators may be elected for a maximum of three (3) consecutive terms.

 

c.     If a Senator filling a vacancy serves one and one half (1½) years or more of the original senatorial term, the term will be included in the total of three (3) term limitation for this new Senator.  If the replacing Senator serves for less than one and one half years (1½) years of the original senatorial term, the term will not be included in the three (3) year term limitation for this new Senator.

 

Section 2. Eligibility

a.     All regular, full-time staff, as defined in Human Resources Policy and Procedure Administrative Regulations, with at least one (1) year of continuous University employment by April 1 shall be eligible to file for candidacy and election to the Staff Senate.  Exceptions to the minimum service requirement are provided in the University of Kentucky Governing Regulations Part V, and may be implemented on a case-by-case basis approved by a majority vote of the Staff Senate.

 

b.     Nomination forms shall be made available to all precincts with vacancies available for nomination no fewer than 14 days before the nomination deadline.

 

c.     Each year, nomination forms for those staff members who desire to be candidates for election must be returned to the Election Committee who will verify the eligibility of the nominee.  After this verification, the ballots shall be set.

 

d.     It shall be the responsibility of the Election Committee to ensure that:

i.      A slate of eligible candidates shall be made available within 10 working days after the nomination deadline; and

 

ii.     Election results are certified as soon as is reasonably possible.

 

Section 3.  Election of Senators

a.     The administration of Staff Senate elections shall be the responsibility of the Election Committee.  The actions of the Election Committee shall be the responsibility of the Chair of the Election Committee.

 

b.     The Election Committee shall annually review the staff structure and population to ensure proportional representation.  The recommendations of the Election Committee shall be reported at the March meeting of the Staff Senate.

 

c.     The Election Committee shall ensure that any challenges regarding the policies related to representation are reviewed.  Upon completion of such a review, a recommendation shall be made to the Staff Senate where the challenges shall be resolved by a 51% vote of the Staff Senate.

 

Section 4.  Duties of Senators

a.    Senators’ duties shall include, but not be limited to:

i.      Communicate regularly with their precincts;

 

ii.     Attend all regular Staff Senate meetings;

iii.    Serve on a Standing Committee; and

1.     Attendance at the Senator’s designated Standing Committee meetings is required.

 

2.        A Senator shall not serve on more than one (1) Standing Committee with the exception of the Chairs of the Standing Committees.  A Senator may attend any other Standing Committee meeting as a non-voting member.

iv.    A Senator, as an employee, is free to talk about any issue regarding the      University.  However, as a Senator one may only speak or disseminate information on behalf of the Senate, or Senate committee, when approved by the Executive Committee.

 

               

 

Section 5.  Attendance and Leave

a.     The Secretary of the Staff Senate shall notify the Executive Committee when a Senator has either three (3) unexcused absences or a combined total of five (5) excused/unexcused absences from regular Staff Senate meetings during any one (1) fiscal year. 

i.      An excused absence shall be defined as an occurrence of official University work or official University leave.  An occurrence constitutes the entire duration of each official University leave and shall be counted as one (1) absence regardless of the number of meetings missed. 

 

ii.     An excuse must be given to the Secretary before the meeting unless an emergency situation arises.  In such cases the Secretary must then be contacted in a timely manner.

 

b.     Each Committee Secretary shall notify the Secretary of the Staff Senate when a Senator has either three (3) unexcused absences or a combined total of five (5) excused/unexcused absences from Committee meetings during any one (1) fiscal year.

 

i.      An excused absence shall be defined as an occurrence of official University work or official University leave.  An occurrence constitutes the entire duration of each official University leave and shall be counted as one (1) absence regardless of the number of meetings missed. 

 

ii.     An excuse must be given to the Committee Secretary before the meeting unless an emergency situation arises.  In such cases the Committee Secretary must then be contacted in a timely manner. 

 

iii.    If there is a regular conflict with a Committee meeting, the Senator should ask the Executive Committee to be re-assigned to another Committee.

c.     A Senator on official University leave shall retain his or her Senatorial seat until the end of his or her term.

 

d.     An Officer of the Staff Senate whose official University leave shall encompass three (3) consecutive, regular Staff Senate meetings shall be required to resign his or her position as Officer of the Staff Senate upon the inception of the Senator’s official University leave.  This will terminate his or position on the Executive Committee.

 

Section 6.  Vacancies in the Staff Senate

a.     Vacancies in the Staff Senate occur when a Staff Senator:

i.      Notifies the Staff Senate Secretary in writing that he or she no longer wishes to serve or is unable to serve as a Senator;

 

ii.     Transfers to a different precinct;

 

iii.    Is no longer regular, full-time staff; or

 

iv.    Is removed from the Staff Senate.

 

b.     It shall be the responsibility of the Staff Senator to notify the Staff Senate Secretary in writing when the Senator transfers to a different precinct or is no longer regular, full-time staff.

 

c.        The filling of any vacancy in the Staff Senate is the responsibility of the Election Committee.

                                                         i.            Recommendations from the Election Committee shall be approved by the Staff Senate at a regularly scheduled meeting.

 

 

Section 7.  At-Large Senators

 

a.     Appointments for an At-Large Senator are made by meeting one of the requirements according to the following criteria:

i.  A Senator who was elected to a senate seat and then has vacated that seat by transfer to another University department will become a Relocated At-Large Senator.

1.     Relocated Senators will no longer represent the precinct from which they were elected but would now represent the staff in their new precinct.

 

2.     Senators transferring to a new precinct must notify the Staff Senate Office Coordinator before the next regular Senate meeting.

 

3.     A Relocated Senator’s term ends at the next regular election in his/her new precinct.

 

4.     Relocated Senators will be allowed all rights and privileges of a regular Staff Senator.

 

ii. If there are unrepresented or under-represented precincts after a regular Senate election, At-Large Senators may be appointed to represent those precincts.  The Election Committee may compile a list of appointees to be voted on and sworn in by the Staff Senate during the next regularly scheduled meeting. 

1.     The At-Large Senators may be selected from the pool of candidates not elected in the regular election.

 

2.     Candidates will be ranked by highest percentage of votes within each precinct.

 

3.     In the event of a tie in vote percentage and both candidates desire to serve as an At-Large Senator, the At-Large Senator will be chosen by coin toss.

 

4.     Only one (1) At-Large Senator may be chosen by appointment from any precinct.

 

5.     At the next regular election in the At-Large Senator’s home precinct, the At-Large Senator must run for a seat in that precinct and be elected if they wish to remain a Senator. 

 

6.     At-Large Senators, will be allowed all rights and privileges of a regular Staff Senator.

 

 

 

 

Section 8.  Ex-Officio members of the Staff Senate

a.     Ex-Officio members of the Staff Senate shall include, but not be limited to, the President of the University, the Staff Representative to the Board of Trustees, the Chair of the Human Resources Committee of the UK Board of Trustees, the Chair of the Women’s Forum, the Chair of the University Senate, and the President of the Student Government Association, and the Staff Senate Office Coordinator. 

 

b.     Requests for Ex-Officio membership shall be submitted to the Executive Committee.  The Executive Committee will review applications and forward recommendations to the Staff Senate floor for approval by a majority vote.  Membership lists will be maintained by the Executive Committee and posted to the Staff Senate website.

 

c.     Ex-Officio members may take part in discussions in the Staff Senate and answer questions, but may not vote or be appointed as an Officer of the Staff Senate or serve on any committees. They may be asked to attend meetings of Standing Committees or Ad Hoc Committees if felt appropriate by the Chair and a majority of that Committee.

 

d.     Ex-Officio members will be introduced to the Staff Senate as soon as is reasonably possible.

 

 

Section 9.  Removal of a Staff Senator

a.     Any Senator may be removed from office for misconduct.  Grounds for removal may include, but are not limited to: violation of the University or Senate policies, acts that defame or malign the reputation of the Staff Senate, dishonesty, or excessive absenteeism.

b.     The call for the removal of a Senator must come from another current Senator.

c.     The Senator calling for the removal of another Senator must submit the reasons for removal, in writing, to the Executive Committee for review.  The document must be submitted at least two weeks before the next regularly schedules Executive Committee meeting.  The Senator who is under consideration for removal shall be notified in writing within three (3) business days, receipt of this notification will be verified by the Executive Committee prior to the meeting at which removal will be discussed.  The Senator shall have an opportunity for rebuttal at the same meeting. 

d.     A majority of the Executive Committee must vote that the reasons for removal are sufficient to pass to the Senate.  The vote must occur at the first qualifying regularly scheduled Executive Committee meeting after receiving the document.  If a member of the Executive Committee is either party in the process, they shall not have a vote on whether to forward to the senate.

e.     If the document is forwarded to the Senate, it must appear on the agenda for the first regularly scheduled Senate meeting after the Executive Committee vote.  The document must be presented at that meeting by the Senator requesting removal.  The Senator who is under consideration for removal shall have an opportunity for rebuttal.

f.      A majority of the current Senate membership must vote for the removal of the Senator for that individual to lose their position.  If a Senator is removed, their position is considered to be a vacancy as though the individual left the University.

 

 

ARTICLE III – MEETINGS

 

Section 1.  Time

a.     The Staff Senate shall hold regular meetings on the second Thursday of the month.  If a regular meeting falls on an official University holiday or cannot be held because of an act of God or nature, the meeting shall be held on the Thursday following the holiday or occurrence of an act of God or nature.

 

Section 2.  Place

a.     The Staff Senate shall hold its regular meetings on the main UK campus, at William T. Young Library auditorium.  To facilitate attendance, meetings shall be held consistently in the same place insofar as practical.

 

Section 3.  Notice of Meetings

a.     Notice of a meeting, stating the place, date, and hour of each meeting shall be made available to members of the Staff Senate not less than five (5) working days before a regular meeting and not less than three (3) working days before a special meeting.

 

Section 4.  Agenda

a.     The Chair of the Staff Senate and the Executive Committee shall determine the agenda for each meeting.

i.      All committees of the Staff Senate and individual members of the Staff Senate may submit agenda items to the Vice Chair not less than ten (10) working days before a regular meeting.

 

b.     A copy of the agenda and appropriate minutes will be made available to each member of the Staff Senate not less than two (2) working days before a regular Staff Senate meeting.

 

c.     The order of the agenda shall be in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order (latest revision).  Any conflict between this source and the Constitution and By-Laws of the Staff Senate shall be resolved in favor of the Constitution and By-Laws of the Staff Senate.

               

Section 5.  Special Meetings

a.     A special meeting of the Staff Senate may be called at the discretion of the Executive Committee or a majority of the Staff Senate.

 

Section 6.  Open Meetings

a.     Meetings of the Staff Senate shall be open to the public.  Visitors shall be seated separately from the Senators and will be recognized by the Chair only when prior arrangements have been made.

 

 

ARTICLE IV – VOTING

 

Section 1.  Method

a.     Voting shall be by the method prescribed by the Chair at the time of the vote.  The vote totals shall be confirmed by the Chair.  If a majority is not distinguishable in a voice vote, a roll call vote shall be called automatically.  A roll call vote will be called for automatically in the case of a contested vote.

 

Section 2.  Limits

a.     Each Senator shall have one (1) vote.  No votes by proxy or absence shall be allowed.

 

Section 3.  Quorum

a.     A quorum shall be fifty-one (51) percent of the voting membership.

 

Section 4.  Debate

a.     Discussion shall be limited to fifteen (15) minutes per motion or until all Senators have an opportunity to speak.  The time shall be kept by the Parliamentarian.

 

Section 5.  Tie Votes

a.     A motion fails to pass in the case of a tie vote.

 

 

ARTICLE V – STANDING COMMITTEES OF THE STAFF SENATE

 

Section 1.  Function

a.     It shall be the function of standing committees to provide the Staff Senate with working bodies entailing specific areas of responsibility to enable a planned and coordinated direction for the business of the Staff Senate.

 

Section 2.  Committee Officers

a.     All Standing Committees except the Executive Committee are to elect a Chair to act as the spokesperson for the Committee and to oversee Committee actions.  All Standing Committees are to elect a Committee Secretary to keep committee records.

 

b.     The Chair and Secretary shall serve until the composition of the committee is reappointed.

 

Section 3.  Standing Committees of the Staff Senate

a.     The following standing committees shall be constituted from Senators of the Staff Senate.  Other Standing Committees may be created after approval of the proposed committee by the full Staff Senate and an amendment to the By-laws.  The Standing Committees are the:

i.      Executive Committee;

 

ii.     Election Committee;

 

iii.    Staff Issues Committee;

 

iv.    Public Relations/Communications Committee;

 

v.     By-Laws Committee;

 

vi.    External Affairs Committee; and

 

vii.   Institutional Finances and Resource Allocation Committee.

 

b.       All standing committees will be reviewed annually by the Executive Committee and necessary recommendations will be brought to the floor of the Staff Senate.

i.      Criteria will include, but not be limited to, relevance and performance.     

 

Section 4.  Standing Advisory Committees of the Staff Senate

a.     These committees shall be constituted from Senators of the Staff Senate.  Other Advisory Committees may be created as needed by the Staff Senate after approval of the full Staff Senate and amendment of the By-laws.  The Standing Advisory Committees are the:

i.      Presidential Advisory Committee and

 

ii.     Staff Representative to the Board of Trustees Advisory Committee.

 

Section 5.  Duties of Standing Committee Chairs

a.     The Standing Committee Chairs’ duties shall be, but not limited, to:

i.      Call for and preside at all committee meetings;

 

ii.     Determine the committee agenda;

 

iii.    Ensure that all matters referred to the committee are followed through to conclusion;

 

iv.    Ensure that committee conduct is governed by procedures outlined in the Constitution and By-Laws and Robert's Rules of Order (latest revision); and

 

v.     Serve as a member of the Executive Committee.

 

Section 6.  Duties of Standing Committee Secretaries

a.     The Standing Committee Secretaries’ duties shall be, but not limited, to:

i.      Keep accurate minutes of all regular and special meetings of the Standing     Committee;

 

ii.     Make the appropriate minutes available five (5) working days prior to the next regular meeting of the Standing Committee;

 

iii.    Maintain a current list of Standing Committee membership;

 

iv.    Maintain attendance records of Standing Committee meetings and to forward            those records to the Staff Senate Office Coordinator prior to the next regular Staff Senate meeting; and

 

v.     Forward committee-approved minutes of all regular and special meetings of the Standing Committee to the Staff Senate Secretary prior to the next regular Staff Senate meeting.

 

Section 7.  Purpose and Responsibilities of Standing Committees

a.    Executive Committee

i.      The purpose of the Executive Committee shall be to:

1.     Facilitate the functioning of the Staff Senate and to oversee all committees;

 

2.     Act on urgent matters, which cannot wait for action by the Staff Senate in regular sessions.  Such actions shall be reported to the Staff Senate as soon as is reasonably possible;

 

3.     Review and recommend action on the annual budget;

 

4.     Recommend the formation of special or Ad Hoc committees as deemed necessary;

 

5.     Appoint representatives as needed to University-wide committees; and

 

6.     Determine the agenda for Staff Senate meetings.

 

ii.     Composition

1.     Members will include the Officers of the Staff Senate as well as the Chairs of the Standing committees and the Staff Senate Office Coordinator.  The Chair of the Staff Senate will serve as the Chair of the Executive Committee.  The immediate past-chair will serve as a non-voting Ex-Officio member of the committee for one (1) year.

 

iii.    Reports

1.     The Executive Committee shall be responsible for submitting an annual report at the last meeting of the fiscal year as well as current activity reports at each regular meeting.

 

iv.    Quorum

1.     Fifty-one (51) percent of the current total Executive Committee membership shall constitute a quorum.

 

b.     Election Committee

i.      The purpose of the Election Committee shall be to:

1.     Conduct an annual review of the Staff Senate precincts and make recommendations for changes to ensure that the Staff Senate represents the staff fairly and proportionately;

 

2.     Certify eligibility of candidates for election to the Staff Senate and Staff Representative to the Board of Trustees;

 

3.     Conduct the election of Senators to the Staff Senate; and

 

4.     Conduct the election of the Staff Representative to the Board of Trustees.

 

ii.     Composition

1.     The Election Committee shall be composed of Senators appointed by the Executive Committee and approved by a majority vote of the Staff Senate. 

 

iii.    Reports

1.     The Election Committee shall be responsible for submitting an annual report at the last meeting of the fiscal year as well as current activity reports at each regular meeting.

 

iv.    Quorum

1.     Fifty-one (51) percent of the current Election Committee membership shall constitute a quorum.

 

c.     Staff Issues Committee

i.      The purpose of the Staff Issues Committee shall be to:

1.     Research all University issues affecting benefits offered by the University or that may be offered by the University;

 

2.     Lead Staff Senate initiatives in issues affecting the University with regard to overall work environment, job training, and staff issues; and

 

3.     Generate recommendations to the Staff Senate for action on such issues.

 

ii.     Composition

1.     The Staff Issues Committee shall be composed of Senators appointed by the Executive Committee and approved by a majority vote of the Staff Senate.

 

iii.    Reports

1.     The Staff Issues Committee shall be responsible for submitting an annual report to the Staff Senate at the last meeting of the fiscal year as well as current activity reports at each regular meeting.

 

iv.    Quorum

1.     Fifty-one (51) percent of the current Staff Issues Committee membership shall constitute a quorum.

 

d.     Public Relations/Communications Committee

i.      The purpose of the Public Relations/Communications Committee shall be to:

1.     Internally and externally disseminate Staff Senate information;

 

2.     Maintain and regulate the Staff Senate listserv; and

 

3.     Maintain the Staff Senate website and all historical records.

 

ii.     Composition

1.     The Public Relations/Communications Committee shall be composed of Senators appointed by the Executive Committee and approved by a majority vote of the Staff Senate. 

 

iii.    Reports

1.     The Public Relations/Communications Committee shall be responsible for submitting an annual report to the Staff Senate at the last meeting of the fiscal year as well as current activity reports at each regular meeting.

 

iv.    Quorum

1.     Fifty-one (51) percent of the current Public Relations/Communications Committee membership shall constitute a quorum.

 

e.     By-Laws Committee

i.      The purpose of the By-Laws Committee shall be to:

1.     Keep the Staff Senate By-Laws up to date;

 

2.     Keep the records of the By-Laws;

 

3.     Review and consider any proposed changes, and to take suitable change proposals to the Staff Senate after due consideration and timely announcements;

 

4.     Ensure that copies of the By-Laws are readily available to all members of the University community as well as the general public; and

 

 

5.     Audit the By-Laws every three (3) years (done during the election cycle of the Staff Representative to the Board of Trustees election), composed of a subset of the By-Laws Committee, the Staff Senate Office Coordinator and the Parliamentarian.

 

ii.     Composition

1.     The By-Laws Committee shall be composed of Senators appointed by the Executive Committee and approved by a majority vote of the Staff Senate.  

 

iii.    Reports

1.     The By-Laws Committee shall be responsible for submitting an annual report to the Staff Senate at the last meting of the fiscal year as well as current activity reports at each regular meeting.

 

iv.