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Constitution
Constitution of
the Staff Council
As Amended on
March 16, 2005
University of Houston-Victoria
Article 1: Name
and Mission
The Staff Council shall be a University of
Houston-Victoria (all sites) organization under its own constitution.
The Council’s mission is to:
(1) Promote
an atmosphere of cohesiveness and cooperation among staff;
(2) Promote
recognition of the staff as an integral part of the institution;
(3) Provide
a forum for any staff member to openly discuss any matter associated
with the university;
(4) Provide
the staff a collective voice in university matters affecting staff
activities and staff welfare; and
(5) Serve
as an advisory body to the University’s President.
Article 2:
Activities
The Council shall:
(1) Nominate
staff members to serve on university-wide committees;
(2) Appoint
standing and/or ad hoc committees as determined by a majority of the
Executive Board;
(3) Prepare
and submit proposals and position papers to the University President
on Staff concerns as determined by a majority of the Executive Board;
(4) Meet
regularly to promote communications among its members; and
(5) Address
issues affecting the activities and welfare of the membership.
Article 3:
Membership
The Staff Council will be the general body
representing the staff in University affairs. All University staff
who are benefits eligible will automatically be part of the voting
membership.
Each voting-eligible member of the Staff Council
shall have the right to vote in all elections of officers and in all
matters before the general body.
Article 4:
Officers and Terms
The Staff Council will have a Chair, a
Vice-Chair, and a Secretary elected from and by the general body of
the Staff Council at open elections. These officers will serve
one-year terms with the exception of the Vice-Chair. This person will
serve the first year as Vice-Chair and the second year as Chair. No
person shall serve more than two consecutive full terms as Chair. No
staff member shall serve as a Chair or Vice-chair if they sit on the
President’s Cabinet in some other capacity.
Article 5: The Executive
Board
The Staff Council will have an Executive Board
composed of (1) a Chair, (2) a Vice-Chair, (3) a Secretary, (4) the
Past Chair of the Staff Council, (5) one at-large member from Exempt
staff; and (6) one at-large member from Non-Exempt staff.
Article 6:
Responsibilities and Duties of the Executive Board
The Council Chair will be responsible for:
(2) Preparing
meeting agendas and presiding over Council meeting;
(3) Appointing
ad hoc or special committees and their chairs with the concurrence of
the Executive Board;
(4) Preparing
and submitting proposals and position papers to the University
officials on staff concerns as determined by a majority of the
Council;
(5) Communicating
the Council’s actions and decisions to the University’s president;
(6) Serving
as Council liaison to major university-wide committees as determined
by the University President;
(7) Serving
as an ex-officio member of all Council committees;
(8) Performing
other duties as specified in the Constitution or mandated by a
majority Staff Council vote.
The Council Vice-Chair will be responsible for:
(1) Presiding
over Council meetings in the absence of the Chair;
(2) Fulfilling
other duties of the Chair in the Chair’s absence;
(3) Performing
other duties as specified in the Constitution or mandated by a
majority Staff Council vote.
The Council Secretary is responsible for:
-
Taking minutes of all Council meeting and
maintaining member attendance roles for each meeting;
-
Submitting written minutes to Council Chair in
a timely fashion;
-
Maintaining a minute book and other files
pertinent to Council business;
-
Carrying on correspondence for the Council; and
-
Performing other duties as specified in the
Constitution or mandated by a majority Staff Council vote.
The Past Chair will
-
Serve on the Executive Board to
facilitate the transition of the leadership;
-
Provide advice and insight into past
issues and concerns; and
-
Serve as parliamentarian to oversee the
conduct of council business to ensure adherence to the Constitution
and, as needed, to Robert’s Rules of Order.
The At-large board members will:
-
Serve on the Executive Board to assure
(a) input from both Exempt and Non-exempt staff council members; (b)
to facilitate participatory representation; and (c) to broaden Staff
Council leadership.
In addition, the Executive Board will
ensure that:
-
All meetings are called by written
announcement (including agenda) to all members at least three
working days prior to the meeting;
-
Any issue present in writing by a
Council member will be placed on the agenda; and
-
They consult with any member expressing
concern about matters of potential interest to the Council.
Article 7: Voting
Voting in Staff Council meetings shall be by majority voice vote of
those in attendance unless two Council members call for a recorded
vote. In that case, the issue will automatically be tabled and the
Secretary shall prepare ballots that clearly set forth the issues and
the potential ramification of a yes or no vote. These ballots shall
be distributed to each Staff Council member in a timely fashion.
Approval of any question called to a ballot must be approved by a
majority of all members voting on the issue. The Executive Board
shall conduct counting of ballots, except for election of officers.
Article 8: Staff Council Elections
A
nominating committee of four members, (two from Non-Exempt staff and
two from the Exempt staff) will be selected in June each year. This
committee will accept nominations for Council officers and at-large
members and conduct the election process in July. Nominations for
officers will come from the general membership. The nominating
committee will propose at least one candidate for each office and will
accept any names submitted in writing or via email from any member of
the general membership. The nominating committee will confirm with
each nominee that they will serve if elected before placing the name(s)
in nomination.
Elections will be by recorded vote, and officers will be elected by
simple majority of those voting. The nominating committee will
supervise the counting of the ballots and announce the results. No
Council member who is a candidate for an election shall be involved in
the counting of ballots of the election. Newly elected officers will
assume their positions August 1.
Article 9: Ad-Hoc Committees
The Staff Council will include all staff employees of the University,
whether Exempt or Non-exempt.
Article 9A: Ad-Hoc Non-Exempt
Staff Committees:
In the event that issues arise that are specific to
the Non-exempt staff, then an Ad-Hoc committee shall be formed. This
committee shall consist of the Non-exempt at-large board member, and
at least two Non-exempt staff employees appointed by the Executive
Board from the general membership.
Article 9 B: Ad-Hoc Exempt Staff
Committee
In the event that issues arise that are specific to
the Exempt staff, then an Ad-Hoc committee shall be formed. This
committee shall consist of the Exempt Staff at-large board member, and
at least two Exempt staff employees appointed by the Executive Board
from the general membership.
Article 10: Meetings
All meetings of the Staff Council are open to any visitor, except
where the privacy of an individual is likely to be an issue. If there
are privacy issues in question, the Staff Council may, by majority
vote of those attending, restrict a meeting to the voting membership
only.
Non-members may request to address the Staff Council. In addition, the
Staff Council may request that non-members address the Council.
Article 10A: Staff Council General Meetings
The Staff Council will meet every other month as follows: September,
November, January, March, May and July.
Special meetings may be called as needed by the Staff Council Chair, a
majority of Executive Board members, or by the written request of ten
of the members. The purpose of the special meeting shall be stated in
the meeting notice which shall be sent out to the voting membership at
least three working days prior to the scheduled meeting date, except
in cases where time is critical. An agenda shall be sent with the
meeting notice if necessary.
The Executive Board may cancel regular meetings when no item of
business is pending, but only with the unanimous vote of all Executive
Board members.
Article 10B: Ad-hoc Non-Exempt Committee Meeting:
The Ad-hoc non-exempt Staff Subcommittee will meet whenever it is
deemed necessary to discuss operational and university issues
affecting non-exempt personnel.
Article 10C: Ad-hoc Exempt Staff Committee
Meetings:
The Ad-hoc Exempt Staff Committee will meet whenever it is deemed
necessary to discuss operation, management, and university issues
affecting the exempt personnel.
Article 11: Vacancies
Any officer wishing to resign his or her position shall do so in
writing to the Staff Council Chair, and the vacant position shall be
filled according to Articles 11A and 11B. In the case of resignation
of the Chair, the resignation shall be submitted to the Vice-Chair.
If the Office of the Chair becomes vacant, the Vice-Chair shall become
Chair for the remainder of the departing Chair’s term. If the office
of the Vice-Chair or Secretary becomes vacant, that position will be
filled according to Articles 11A or 11B.
If any officer or at-large board member of the Staff Council misses
three consecutive regular meetings, that member will automatically
forfeit his or her position and the vacant position shall be filled
according to Articles 11A or11B.
Article 11A: Vacancies by Resignation:
The Chair will select nominees to complete un-expired terms from among
those nominated for the vacated position but not elected in the last
election, in order of the highest number of votes received.
If a nominee from the previous election is not available to serve as
an officer, then the presiding Chair will solicit nominations from the
floor of an open Staff Council meeting. The vacancy will be filled
when the nomination is approved by a majority vote of the council
members in attendance. If the nominee fails to win a majority of the
votes, the vacancy will be filled through a special election held in
accordance with the regular election provisions in Article 8.
Article 11B: Officer Vacancies by Forfeiture:
If any officer is absent from three consecutive regular meeting, then
that officer shall be considered to have vacated the office by
forfeiture. Upon review of the reasons for absence, the Council, by a
majority vote of those in attendance at an open Staff Council meeting,
may re-appoint the officer to his/her position. If a member is not
re-appointed by a majority vote, then the vacancy will be filled
through a special election held in accordance with the election
provisions in Article 11A.
Article 12: Parliamentary Authority
The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order
Newly Revised shall govern the Council in all cases to which they are
applicable and in which they are consistent with this Constitution and
any special rules of order the Council may adopt.
Article 13: Orientation of New Members
The Secretary of the Staff Council shall provide all new members with
a copy of the Constitution in cooperation with Human Resources.
Article 14: Amending of this Constitution
This Constitution shall be amendable.
Any member, with the written endorsement of three other members, may
propose an amendment to this Constitution by presenting the proposed
amendment in writing to the Secretary. Upon receipt of the proposed
written amendment, the Secretary shall distribute the proposed
amendment to all Council members before the next regularly scheduled
meeting. After distribution of the amendment, the Constitution may be
amended by:
(1) A
reading of the proposed amendment at a regular meeting; followed by a
subsequent meeting to vote on the amendment. The amendment must pass
by a two-thirds majority vote of those present at the meeting.
or
(2) After
the amendment is read at a regular meeting, ballots are distributed to
all of the voting membership. The amendment must pass by a two-thirds
majority vote of the entire membership of the Staff Council.
Article 15: Adopting
Procedures
This Constitution shall be effective when approved by a majority of
the members as herein defined. |
