Staff Council

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Constitution and Bylaws

MISSION

The Staff Council is organized to foster a spirit of unified community among staff members of Texas Woman’s University and to provide opportunities for their democratic representation.

GOALS

1. To facilitate communication between University staff members and other constituent groups.
2. To provide opportunities for leadership and professional development for University staff members.
3. To provide a high quality, efficient work environment for University staff members.
4. To recognize and celebrate accomplishments of University staff members i.e. the Pioneer Proud Staff Award.

PREAMBLE

Texas Woman's University, with a main campus in Denton and Institute of Health Sciences centers in Dallas and Houston, is a community of people engaged in a variety of ways in support of higher education. In order that all components of the University may work together creatively and freely in the pursuit of common goals, this Constitution of the Staff Council of Texas Woman's University is set forth.  

CONSTITUTION

Article I - Name

The name of this organization shall be the Staff Council of Texas Woman's University.  

Article II - Object

The Staff Council is organized to foster a spirit of unified community among staff members of Texas Woman's University and to provide opportunities for democratic representation.  

Article III - Membership

Membership shall consist of duly elected staff members.  

Article IV - Officers

The officers of the Staff Council shall be: President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Recording Secretary/Historian, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, and Parliamentarian. These officers shall constitute the Executive Committee.  

Article V - Meetings

Regular meeting times shall be established by the Staff Council.

BYLAWS

Article I - Membership

Section 1
Membership on the Staff Council shall be extended to staff who are at least 50% Full Time Equivalent at Texas Woman’s University, have one (1) year of employment, and currently hold a position below the level of Director, Registrar, or Assistant Vice President.

Section 2
The staff of Texas Woman’s University shall nominate and elect representatives (see Article II) who shall make up the Staff Council.

Section 3
The following scale shall determine Staff Council representation for each Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) code in the University. The same population numbers, but without reference to EEOC code, shall be used to determine representatives from the Dallas and Houston sites as separate entities. Populations shall be based on the most current listing available from Human Resources for the month preceding the nomination call.

Article II - Election Procedures and Processes

Section 1
Members shall be elected “at large” at each site to serve as Staff Council representatives from among the above EEOC Codes.

Section 2
Final Composition Formula. The Staff of each EEOC code shall elect one representative per 25 staff members in their division. There is a minimum of one (1) representative per division. Dallas ( Parkland and Presbyterian) and Houston campuses will have a minimum of two (2) representatives each. Review of the number of council members for each division shall occur annually by June 1 by the Elections Committee. Reapportionment of division members shall be made by the Elections Committee to reflect any changes in divisions in the University's organization or in staff composition for the next Council election. No council member will be removed from a position on Staff Council as a result of reapportionment.

Section 3
Elections shall be conducted by the Elections Committee of the Staff Council traditionally during the first summer session.

Section 3a
Nominations shall be received in June.

Section 3b
Elections shall be held in July.

Section 3c
Current and outgoing representatives shall attend the August meeting. At this meeting a brief overview of duties will be given by outgoing officers and committee chairs to new representatives.

Section 3d
Installation of members and election of new officers shall occur at the regularly scheduled meeting in September. New representatives shall assume duty immediately after installation.

Section 4
Nominations and elections of Staff Council officers shall be conducted at the regularly scheduled meeting in August. Officers shall assume duty immediately after installation.

Section 5
All elections for representatives shall be conducted by secret ballots (color coded to EEOC code) addressed to each eligible staff member as defined in Article I, Section 1.

Section 6
The Elections Committee shall design and distribute nomination forms and ballots, and shall prepare a calendar designating dates for nominations, voting, counting of ballots, and notification of elected members. The Elections Committee shall request that Information and Technology Services generate a campus constituency list for each EEOC Code with the name, department, campus, and title of each person in the EEOC code.

Section 7
Nominations shall be submitted to the Elections Committee. Candidates who receive a nomination shall be contacted by the Elections Committee to confirm their acceptance of the nomination. Candidates who accept nomination will have their names placed on the election ballot. The Elections Committee shall send the election ballots to employees along with information on the number of representatives to be elected. The Elections Committee shall notify the representatives with the highest number of votes. In case of tie votes, run-off elections shall be held. Final ballots will be retained by the chair of the Elections Committee until the next election.

Section 8
Nominee(s) for open positions in an EEOC group will be deemed elected without the necessity of a ballot when they are the only nominee(s) for an open position in that EEOC group. Only when there are more nominees than open positions will a ballot be deemed necessary.

Section 9
In the event that an EEOC code is under represented by either insufficient nominations or member resignations at large members will be selected by the Election Committee. Members-at-large are the next highest vote recipient in each category and will serve a term of two (2) years as a member-at-large.

Section 10
When necessary the Executive Board of Staff Council shall serve as the Election Committee.

Section 11
Names of the newly-elected officers and representatives shall be made available to the Office of Public Information for publication.

Section 12
Staff Council representatives shall serve for two years, from September 1 through August 31 of the second year. Members may be eligible for re-election.

Section 13
Vacancies. A Staff Council position is declared vacant when the member is no longer eligible as defined in Article I, Section 1; the member has resigned from the Staff Council; the member has moved to another EEOC code; or member's term has expired. If the member has moved to another EEOC code, he/she will be considered to give up their regular member status and become a member-at-large until their elected term is completed with all right and privileges as regular members.

Section 14
Filling Vacancies. Staff Council positions that become vacant between annual elections shall be filled by special elections or the next available person with a clear majority of votes during the last election will be appointed to serve the remainder of the term of the person who resigned or changed EEOC code.

Section 15
Removal from Office. Staff Council members may be removed from office if they have three (3) consecutive absences from the regularly scheduled Council meetings without written notice to the Council of the extenuating circumstance.

Section 16
Reinstated to Office. Staff Council members may appeal to the full Council for reinstatement within two weeks of the date of the written notice of removal.

Article III - Meetings

Section 1
The Staff Council shall meet on a regular basis at a time established at the first meeting of the year. One half plus one of Staff Council members shall constitute a quorum.

Section 2
Special meetings may be called at any time by the Staff Council President or at the written request of three (3) Staff Council members.

Article IV - Officers

Section 1
The President shall preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee and of the Staff Council and shall appoint all special committees. The President shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.

Section 2
The First Vice President shall perform the duties of President in the President’s absence. The First Vice President shall also be chair of the Professional Development Committee (see Article V, Section 2).

Section 3
The Second Vice President shall perform the duties of President in the absence of the President and First Vice President. The Second Vice President shall also be chair of the Communications Committee (see Article V, Section 4).

Section 4
The Recording Secretary/Historian shall maintain accurate records of all meetings of the Executive Committee of the Staff Council and shall provide copies of the minutes to the members prior to the next meeting of the Executive Committee. The Recording Secretary/Historian shall also keep an account of the year’s activities and incorporate this report into the permanent history of the Staff Council.

Section 5
The Corresponding Secretary shall perform all correspondence for the Staff Council as delegated by the Executive Committee and keep a file of such correspondence. The Corresponding Secretary shall also be responsible for solicitation and maintenance of the membership roster. The Corresponding Secretary is responsible for overseeing the procedures of the Pioneer Proud Awards, which includes assist in the nomination process, notification of recipients, certificate preparation, recognition in the University publications and coordinating the ceremony with the President of Staff Council.

Section 6
The Treasurer shall receive and disburse all funds of the Staff Council upon order of the Executive Committee. The Treasurer shall also keep an accurate account of all receipts and disbursements, verify accounting summary/detail reports from the Controller for the Staff Council accounts and reconcile such reports monthly, and submit an annual report to the Executive Committee.

Section 7
The Parliamentarian shall serve as a resource person for the President in interpreting the Constitution and Bylaws of the Staff Council.  

Article V - Standing Committees

Section 1
The Executive Committee shall consist of the officers of the Staff Council and shall decide all the questions requiring immediate action.

Section 2
The Professional Development Committee shall consist of a chair (First Vice President of Staff Council) and committee members from various areas of the University. The Committee shall be responsible for implementing staff development programs, encouraging staff leadership and recognition of such, and initiating workshops and training sessions. The Committee shall also be responsible for promoting a high quality, efficient work environment for University staff members.

Section 3
The Human Resources Issues Committee shall consist of a chair and committee members from various areas of the University. The Committee shall be responsible for familiarizing itself with policies and procedures of the University pertaining to staff members and ensuring democratic representation in areas of concern to staff members.

Section 4
The Communications Committee shall consist of a chair (Second Vice President of Staff Council) and members from various areas of the University and shall be responsible for publicizing the activities of the Staff Council and its members through University publications, e-mail and other appropriate media. In conjunction with the Office of Public Information, the Committee shall be responsible for facilitating communication between University staff members and other constituent groups.

Section 5
The Service Committee shall consist of a chair and members from various areas of the University and shall be responsible for seeking and recommending service projects for the Staff Council to consider and support. The Committee shall be responsible for recognizing and celebrating accomplishments of University staff members.

Section 6
The Elections Committee shall elect its chair from among its representatives, and shall conduct Council elections after the first year.

Article VI - Standing Committee Appointments

Section 1
Each Staff Council representative shall serve on at least one standing committee, which shall be comprised of at least three (3) Staff Council representatives.

Section 2
All Staff Council representatives and TWU staff shall receive by mail or e-mail, immediately following the installation of officers, a Standing Committee Selection Form inviting them to serve on a TWU Staff Council standing committee.

Section 3
The Executive Committee shall determine the standing committee representation. Members shall be notified of their committee assignment by the Corresponding Secretary before the next meeting. Appointments shall be for terms of two (2) years and shall occur in the first month following the installation of officers. Members shall be eligible for reappointment. The President of the Staff Council shall appoint outside members as needed.

Section 4
Each standing committee, except the Professional Development Committee and Communications Committee (see Article IV, Sections 2 and 3), shall select its own chair, who must be a Staff Council representative, at the first committee meeting.

Section 5
All reports and recommendations of standing committees to the Executive Committee shall be in writing.

Section 6
A quorum of any standing committee shall be a majority of its members.

Section 7
All standing committees shall observe rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order.

Article VII - Special Committees

Special committees may be appointed by the Staff Council President as the need arises.

Article VIII - Amendments

These Bylaws may be amended at any regular meeting of the Council by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present, the proposed amendments having been submitted in writing at the previous regular meeting. Staff Council shall present suggested changes to Bylaws to TWU staff prior to vote. Without such notice, the Bylaws may be amended only by a unanimous vote. A review of these Bylaws shall be made every five (5) years, or when considered necessary, by a committee appointed and chaired by the Parliamentarian.  

Article IX - Parliamentary Authority

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the Staff Council in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Bylaws and any special rules of order the Staff Council may adopt.

Constitution and Bylaws approved by the Staff Council Steering Committee on October 6, 1998.

• Amended August 1, 2000
• Amended July 8, 2004
• Amended May 3, 2005
• Amended August 2, 2005