BUTLER UNIVERSITY
STAFF ASSEMBLY
BYLAWS
ARTICLE I
MISSION
Section 1. The mission of the Butler University Staff Assembly is to enhance the work environment, and represent the interests and concerns of staff in the overall governance structure of the university.
ARTICLE II
DEFINITION
Section 1. Butler University staff includes all Butler personnel, excluding members of the Faculty. Staff personnel may be employed full-time, part-time, on a nine- or ten-month schedule, or on an occasional basis. Student employees are not considered staff.
ARTICLE
III
PURPOSE
Section 1. In accordance with the Assembly's mission statement, the purpose of the Butler University Staff Assembly shall be to represent the staff in the communication processes and to serve in an advisory role in the decision making process of the university. The Assembly will work to:
1.
Increase the sense of
identity, recognition, and value of each staff member in his/her relationship
to the university.
2. Identify
concerns relating to staff and work to seek solutions.
3. Provide
a line of communication among staff, faculty and students.
4. Promote
the development of policies aiding in the retention of current staff members
and the inclusion of new staff members.
5. Integrate
staff more fully into university affairs.
6. Support the university's mission as a learning
community by establishing and promoting activities, publications, workshops,
and seminars for the university staff.
7. Foster
a culture among staff of mutual support, respect, and professionalism.
ARTICLE IV
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Section 1. The Executive Committee shall be composed of twelve elected members: three officers, including the Chair, the Vice Chair, and the Secretary, and nine at-large representatives. Vacancies to the Executive Committee shall be filled as described in Article V and Article VI.
Section 2. This committee shall:
1. Appoint all standing committee members.
2. Select the convener of each standing committee.
3. Have a member on each standing committee.
4. Establish and appoint subcommittees as the need arises.
5. Appoint staff members to Policy and Operational Teams of the University.
6. Determine Staff Assembly meeting dates and agenda.
7. Act as a committee on committees for the Assembly.
8. Interpret the bylaws.
ARTICLE V
STAFF ASSEMBLY OFFICERS
Section 1. The Assembly
Officers shall include the Chair, the Vice Chair, and the Secretary-Treasurer.
Section 2. The
Chair of the Staff Assembly shall be expected to fulfill the following
responsibilities and duties:
1. Shall serve as presiding officer for all meetings of
the Staff Assembly and the Staff Assembly Executive Committee.
2. Shall represent Staff Assembly at all Board of Trustee
meetings.
3. Shall refer all matters submitted for the Assembly’s
attention to the appropriate committee(s) or person(s).
4. Shall be an ex-officio member of all committees.
5. Shall appoint Executive Committee representatives to
Standing Committee and Ad-Hoc Task Forces.
6. Shall oversee the creation and distribution of the
agenda and minutes of the proceedings and actions of the Assembly and Executive
Committee.
7. Shall be responsible for the disposition of all
recommendations of the Assembly.
8. Shall appoint Ad Hoc committees as needed.
Section 3. The
Vice Chair of the Staff Assembly shall be expected to fulfill the following
responsibilities and duties:
1. Shall preside over all Assembly and Executive
Committee meetings when the Chair is not present.
2. Shall act on behalf of the Chair upon his/her request
or in his/her absence.
3. If the Chair position becomes vacant, it will be the
responsibility of the Vice Chair to assume the duties of the Chair unless
extenuating circumstances prohibit. These circumstances will be reviewed by
Executive Committee and be agreed upon by a majority vote.
4. If it is agreed that the Vice Chair is unable to
assume the Chair position, the Secretary-Treasurer will assume the Chair
position through next-in-line succession unless extenuating circumstances
prohibit. These circumstances will be reviewed by Executive Committee and
agreed upon by a majority vote.
5.
Shall be responsible for
overseeing all standing committees.
Section 4. The Secretary-Treasurer of the Staff Assembly shall be
expected to fulfill the following responsibilities and duties:
1. Shall
be responsible for the discharge of all Assembly correspondence.
2. Shall be responsible for the maintenance of accurate
records for Staff Assembly and Executive Committee meetings.
3. Shall oversee the permanent records of the Assembly.
4. Shall maintain and update a calendar of events
relevant to the Staff Assembly and Executive Committee.
5. Shall be responsible for maintaining books of account,
being in charge of disbursement and overseeing the receipt of Butler University
Staff Assembly funds.
6. Shall be responsible for generating bi-annual reports
to the Executive Committee of the Staff Assembly regarding all accounts related
to the Staff Assembly.
7. If it is agreed that the Vice Chair is unable to
assume the Chair position, the Secretary-Treasurer will assume the Chair
position through next-in-line succession unless extenuating circumstances
prohibit. These circumstances will be reviewed by Executive Committee and
agreed upon by a majority vote.
Section 5. The Officers shall
be elected at the March Executive Committee meeting by the Executive Committee
from among current members of the Executive Committee. All Officer positions are two-year
terms, and all officer positions are limited to two (2) consecutive terms. Terms of office will commence on June 1st
and end on May 31st.
The Convener of the Nominations and Elections Committee shall conduct
the election of the officers.
Election of Officers shall be by secret ballot. A minimum of 5 yes votes shall be required
to elect an officer. If a single
candidate fails to receive a majority of the vote, there will be a run-off
election of the two candidates with the highest number of votes.
Section 6. To
fill vacancies for the Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary-Treasurer, the
Executive Committee will replace the positions with members already serving on
the Executive Committee. If no one
on the Executive Committee is able to serve an unexpired term for an Officer, a
special election will be called at Staff Assembly to elect a replacement
Officer. Replacement officers shall serve the duration of the original
term. To fill the created
Representative vacancies, the Executive Committee will then follow the
procedures outlined in Article VI, Section 4. The Executive Committee may seek counsel from former Chairs
of the Staff Assembly. Former
Chairs will become members of the Advisory Board. Members of the Advisory Board may be invited to meetings as
non-voting attendees.
ARTICLE VI
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
AT-LARGE REPRESENTATIVES
Section 1. There
shall be nine elected at-large representatives to the Executive Committee.
Section 2. Representatives
to the Executive Committee shall be elected to staggered three-year terms and
shall be eligible to serve no more than two consecutive full terms as a
Representative on the Executive Committee. All terms shall begin on June 1st and shall end
on May 31st. Any member
of the Executive Committee shall lose his/her position immediately upon
separation of employment with Butler University.
Section 3. Nominations
and elections for the Executive Committee representative positions shall be
held each year during the month April. The following protocol shall be followed for all elections:
1.
Nomination of candidates
for election to the Executive Committee Representative positions shall result
from secret ballot during the month of April. Each staff member may nominate up to one name for each open
position. A person must be
employed by Butler a minimum of one year before accepting a nomination to a
position on the Executive Committee.
The Nominations and Elections Committee shall collect all nominations.
2. Nominees will be notified of their nomination, and be
given five working days to accept their nomination.
3. Election ballots shall be prepared by the Nomination
and Elections Committee and Human Resources Management and Development, and
shall be distributed on a designated day in April, with a ballot being provided
for each staff member eligible to vote.
4. The votes shall be returned to Human Resources
Management and Development within a designated amount of time. The Nominations and Elections Committee
and Human Resources Management and Development will count the votes.
5. A plurality of the votes shall elect the three
at-large Assembly Representatives and any open positions due to officer
elections.
6. The Staff Assembly Chair will notify the newly elected
Representatives.
Section 4. Vacancies to the Executive Committee representative positions will be filled one of two ways, depending on the length of term remaining.
1) For vacant Executive Committee Representative
positions open during the first two years of a given term, normal nomination
and election procedures will be followed at the next regular meeting of the
Staff Assembly as outlined in Article VI, Section 3. The elected representative will serve the remainder of the
term, and the partial term shall not count against the term limits.
2) For positions becoming vacant in the third year of a
term, the Executive Committee will name a person to fill the vacant
position. The selected
representative shall serve the remainder of the term, and the partial term
shall not count against the term limits.
ARTICLE VII
STAFF ASSEMBLY MEETINGS
Section 1.
REGULAR
MEETINGS: The Assembly shall
have regularly scheduled meetings as set by the Executive Committee. These shall be held during daytime
working hours at least once every six weeks.
Section 2. SPECIAL
MEETINGS: Special meetings may
be called by the Executive Committee, or upon petition to the Executive
Committee from 25 percent of the Assembly membership. Notice of all meetings must have 24 hours lead-time.
Section 3. AGENDA: Any staff member may submit an item to
be considered for the agenda of regularly scheduled meetings. These items shall be submitted to the
Executive Committee for consideration at least 2 weeks prior to the scheduled
meeting.
Section 4. QUORUM: A quorum at any regular or
special meeting shall require a minimum number of 40 members.
Section 5. VOTING: Voting of all matters, other than
elections, shall be by voice vote, unless secret ballot is requested.
Section 6. PROCEDURAL RULES: The Staff Assembly shall follow Robert’s Rules of Order unless otherwise specified in the Staff Assembly Bylaws.
Section 7. MOTIONS: Motions may be proposed at any time and
shall require a 2/3rds vote of the membership present to pass. Each Assembly member has the right to
request that a motion be considered as a resolution.
Section 8. RESOLUTIONS: Resolutions shall be introduced at
least one Assembly meeting prior to presentation for vote. Immediate action may be taken on items
by suspending this requirement with the unanimous consent of those members
present. A 2/3rds vote of the
Assembly membership present is required for adoption of a resolution.
ARTICLE VIII
STANDING COMMITTEES
Section 1. At least one member
of the Executive Committee will sit on each standing committee. The Executive Committee Representative
will forward a nomination of convener of their assigned committee to the
Executive Committee for approval.
Conveners shall serve 1 year terms, without term limits, starting on
September 1st and ending on August 31st.
Conveners of all standing committees shall not be members of the
Executive Committee. Upon approval,
the Executive Committee representative and the convener shall put together a
list of committee members for Executive Committee approval. Each standing committee shall have a
minimum of five members and a maximum of nine members.
Section 2. Titles and
Descriptions: The titles and descriptions of the Standing Committees are as
follows:
1. COMMUNICATIONS: This committee shall have the responsibility of disseminating information regarding activities of the Assembly, and working to develop and promote new channels of communication.
2. NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS: This committee shall present to the Assembly a slate of candidates for representative positions open to elections, and conduct the Executive Committee elections in accordance to the provisions described in Article IV and Article V of the Bylaws.
3. FACULTY RELATIONS: This committee shall work to communicate the goings-on with the faculty of Butler University, and work to enhance the relationship between the staff and the faculty.
4. STAFF DEVELOPMENT: This committee shall work with the appropriate groups on campus to enhance development opportunities for staff members, and look to find ways to increase staff interest and participation pertaining to staff development.
5. EMPLOYMENT AFFAIRS: This committee shall explore ideas to enhance the employment environment including, but not limited to, diversity, benefits and compensation, and other issues as they arise.
6. ACTIVITIES AND SOCIALS: This committee shall coordinate social, volunteer, and other activities to provide opportunities for staff to interact outside of their roles and responsibilities for the university.
Section 3. General Guidelines for Standing Committees: The following guidelines will be adhered to by each of the Standing Committees. Volunteers will be solicited on a continual basis, and recorded by the Secretary in order to fill committee vacancies as they arise. All Standing Committees are expected to meet monthly, and a verbal report is expected at the next Staff Assembly Meeting. The Executive Committee will set the initial agenda of each committee.
Section 4. Standing Committee Conveners: The Convener of each Standing Committee shall be responsible for scheduling committee meetings, setting agendas consistent with the basic goals and objectives set for the committee by the Executive Committee, and addressing other relevant matters that may come before the committee. Conveners may be asked to report directly to the Executive Committee. When there are not enough volunteers to fill committee vacancies, the convener is expected to solicit volunteers for the vacancies.
ARTICLE IX
AD-HOC TASK FORCES
ARTICLE X
AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS
Section 1. These
Bylaws may be amended by the Staff Assembly at any meeting thereof, provided
that written notice of the purpose of any change shall have been available to
all members of Staff Assembly at least thirty (30) days in advance of the time
when the change is to be voted on, and also provided that no such amendment
shall be made but by concurring vote of two-thirds (2/3rds) of the members of
the Staff Assembly present.
Sections 2 and 3 outline the process for amending the bylaws.
Section 2. All
proposals for amendment to the bylaws must initially be brought to one of the
Standing Committees or directly to the Executive Committee by any member or
constituency of the Staff Assembly.
The proposed amendments will be considered first within the committee
that they were proposed, and then be presented to the Executive Committee (if
that was not the original source).
The Executive Committee will deliberate, working with the Standing
Committee as appropriate, to prepare specific wording on an amendment to be
presented to the entire Assembly.
Section 3. If
the Executive Committee opts not to bring a proposed amendment to the full
Staff Assembly, a referendum mechanism for direct access to the entire Staff
Assembly will be utilized. The
referendum shall contain the exact wording of the proposed amendment, plus any
explanation (not to be included in the actual amendment) of the reasoning
behind the proposed amendment. The
referendum must be signed by fifty (50) Staff Assembly members. The referendum with original signatures
will be submitted to Human Resources Management and Development for independent
counting and authentication. A
copy will be submitted to the Executive Committee so that it may be included on
the agenda for the next general meeting following authentication.
ARTICLE XI
BYLAWS / EFFECT
Section 1. The Bylaws shall go into effect when ratified by the Staff Assembly by a 2/3 vote of the members present and voting, and upon approval of the Board of Trustees of Butler University or its designate.
Ammendments ratified by unanimous vote on February 20, 2008