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Section 2.01 Eligibility for Membership

The Council consists of voting and non-voting members as outlined below.

Section 2.02 Voting Members

Voting members are defined as eligible staff elected by their peers to represent their respective voting districts (Section 2.10). Eligible staff is all classified employees and those administrative and professional employees below the level of Assistant Dean or Assistant Director. “Classified” and “Administrative and Professional” employees are defined in the Â鶹¹ÙÍø Pay Plan. Council membership is terminated if an elected member terminates his/her employment with the University, transfers to another voting district (with exceptions such as the representative moves to another district that already has a representative or if there is another available district), or is promoted to a non-eligible position.

Section 2.03 Qualifications for Members

Council representatives must be full-time employees and must have six months of continuous service at the University at the time of election.

Section 2.04 Duties and Responsibilities of Council Members

Serve on committees of the Council and hold office on that committee if elected.

Be accessible to constituents; make campus address and phone number available to constituents; be willing to hear concerns, receive information and suggestions, and communicate these effectively to the Council; and keep constituents informed of the Council’s activities.

Section 2.05 Attendance

Regular attendance is expected. If a member misses three (3) consecutive meetings (including committee meetings), the chair will suggest that the member withdraw.

If a member misses four (4) meetings (including committee meetings) within twelve (12) months, his/her name will be listed on the Executive Committee agenda for discussion of removal. A member of the Executive Committee shall notify the incumbent by email and inquire as to the Representative’s intentions.

If a sixth (6) consecutive absence (including committee meetings) occurs in twelve (12) months, it will be assumed that the incumbent has vacated the seat. A member of the Executive Committee shall notify the incumbent by email and inquire as to the Representative’s intentions.  Within 5 business days of the notification by an Executive Committee member, a written appeal for reinstatement outlining the extenuating circumstances that lead to the seat being vacated, can be made to the Executive Committee for consideration of reinstatement of replacement by the next meeting. Executive Committee will review the merits of the written appeal on a case-by-case basis, in addition to taking into consideration participation by the Council member.  If reinstatement is approved by the Executive Committee, a determination will be made if the council member will be reinstated to any council and/or committee seats they held prior to vacating the seat or executive removal.

Section 2.06 Participation by Council members

Active participation in Council is expected. Participation will be monitored through attendance, interaction with constituents, involvement in sub committees/special projects, and Council events (minimum two (2)). If a Council member is not an active participant then steps for removal from office will be initiated (see Section 2.10).

Section 2.07 Use of Work Time

Council members will be afforded at least four (4) hours per month to devote to Council work, in addition to time spent at Council meetings. Additional time for Council work or assignments may be negotiated with the Council member’s supervisor. All will be considered regular work hours. 

Section 2.08 Terms of Office

Terms of office for Council members will commence September 1 following their election. Terms shall be for two years and a member can be re-elected for an additional term. Following two (2) consecutive terms, should there be a nomination from that representative’s district, the said representative may not participate in the election process. Should there not be a new nomination from said representative’s district, the incumbent can remain in their seat on the Council for one term. After the term of a newly elected representative expires, the former representative may again run for a Council seat. If a member is appointed to the Council to serve out an unexpired term vacated by another member, the individual may serve up to one year in that capacity but must formally be elected at the end of the term (for additional information see Section 2.15 (b))

Section 2.09 Vacancies

A vacancy that occurs among voting members of the Council shall be filled from the results of the previous general election. The employee within the affected District receiving the highest number of votes from among those not seated shall fill the vacant position. In the event that no names remain from the original election, the Chairperson of the Council, in consultation with the incumbent and/or members of the district, shall present a candidate who will fill the vacant seat upon ratification by a majority of a quorum present at any regular meeting of the Council.

Section 2.10 Removal from Office

Any elected Council member can be removed from office for nonperformance of Council duties. A petition (verbal and/or written) requesting such removal can be brought to the Executive Committee by a simple majority of the members of the district or such removal may be initiated by action of the Council. The Executive Committee will investigate the matter on a case-by-case basis and will recommend action to the Council. The final decision will be made by the Council. Removal will be effective upon the vote of a simple Majority of those present and voting at a meeting of the Council at which a quorum is present. Possible causes of removal include, but are not limited to: non-attendance; failure to consistently report on activities of the Council to the district; unavailability of the representative to constituents.

Section 2.11 Districts

Voting districts will be determined from a hierarchical structure (Division, Department, Job Commonality).  The number of districts directly coincides with the number of qualified staff employees contained in the employee list received from Human Resources.

VPAA

EVP

Intercollegiate Athletics

IRP

President/Provost

SEVP

VPR

VPBA

VPSA

Section 2.12 Number of Representatives

Representatives shall be elected from each voting district by eligible staff members of the district. One representative will be elected for every seventy-five (75) eligible staff members in a voting district. A district shall be entitled to elect one additional representative when the number of members of the district exceeds seventy-five (75) by at least twenty-six.  Districts will be designated in number format. Should a districts employee count constitute more than 1 representative, the districts will be designated with a number-letter format (2A, 2B, etc.).

Section 2.13 Changes in Districts

A request for a change in district composition may be made by any Council member or by petition of the staff members from the affected district(s). The request will be considered by the Executive Committee, the Committee’s recommendation will be presented to the full Council. Adjustments to district composition require ratification by a majority of a quorum present at any regular meeting of the Council, and will become effective at the next general election of Council representatives.

Section 2.14 Non-Voting Members of the Council

Non-voting members of the Council include the immediate Past Chairperson of the Council, unless he/she continues to serve as an elected representative, and others as may be appointed by the President.

Section 2.15 Nominations and Elections

(a) Elections Committee 

The nominations and elections process shall be handled by the Elections Committee as voted on Fall 2014 to become a permanent committee. Nominations shall take place throughout the month of June and be completed by the last business day of June.  Campaigning shall take place on the 1st business day in July and be completed on the last business day of July.  Elections will be administered the first Monday in August and end on the Friday of the same work week.

Elections shall be completed within five business days from the date elections are open to eligible staff. The initial election will be administered electronically. New members will begin their term on September 1.

(b) Nomination Procedures

The Elections Committee will request from the appropriate department a complete and current listing of eligible staff members and the appropriate data fields needed to contact the staff.  All eligible staff employees employed by the first business date of elections are eligible to vote. 

A nomination email notification will be distributed to each eligible staff employee.  The form will identify the district, the member(s) seeking to be elected and an entry place for any corrections to department/division of the employee in receipt of the notification.

Each eligible staff employee may nominate themselves and/or other eligible staff employees from the district each employee resides. Nominations will be submitted electronically and sent to the Elections committee the nomination period will be from June 1 to June 30.  If the 30th fall on a weekend, the last date for nominations will be the Friday before this day. 

After the closing date for nominations, the Elections Committee will review and track the nominations. The review period consists of contacting each nominee and confirming their truest intent to becoming a Council member.  The bylaws and expectations of members will be communicated at this time to encourage any questions.  Once confirmed their names will be placed on the election ballots unless they withdraw by July 31st.  If insufficient nominations for a particular district occur, or a nominee withdraws, the Elections committee will solicit additional nominations.  If no nominations are received from within the district by the start of elections, the Elections Committee will appoint a representative based on the election outcome in the other districts. (See section C. Elections Procedures.)

 (c) Election Procedures

Voting will be held for no less than five working days in order to accommodate varying work schedules.

Ballots will be prepared by the Elections committee indicating the name of the district, the names of the nominees in alphabetical order and instructions for voting.

Ballots will be distributed via e-mail to each staff employee eligible to vote.

Each staff employee may cast one vote for a nominee who is in their respective districts ballot.

To ensure continuity on the council, districts will be staggered within divisions as follows:

Orange district elections will be held on even numbered years.

Orange districts: 1A2, 1B, 1D2,1F, 2B, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7, 8B, 8D, 8F, 9B.

Blue district election will beheld on odd numbered years.

Blue districts: 1A1, 1C, 1D1,1E, 1G, 2A, 3, 4A, 5A, 6A,8A, 8C, 8E, 9A.

As districts are added or removed, the Elections committee will be responsible for managing the above list for accuracy and consistency.

At the close of the election, the Elections Committee will count all the votes.

Those elected will be declared on the basis of the highest number of votes received. If a tie occurs, the matter will be determined by lot. Final results will be verified by the HR advisor to the Council.  Final results will be cross referenced with the electronic system administering the ballots.

Should there be a district that has no nominees before the last week in June, an email notification to that district will be sent encouraging anyone interested to sign up.  If by the 1st business day in July there are no responses, the district will not participate in the electoral process and will have an open seat available.  Once the remaining districts have completed the voting process and all district winners have been determined, a standing list will be kept of the remaining nominees with the number of votes in descending order.  The Elections Committee will then offer the open seat(s) to those nominees in the list, beginning with the nominee with the most votes.  Should there be a tie atop the list of nominees, lot will determine the matter.  This process will continue until all district seats are filled.

The Elections Committee will notify the President of the names of the newly elected representatives in writing within five working days of close of the election. The Council Chair will notify the newly elected representatives, in writing within three days. After such notification, the Committee will make the results of the election known to the general staff as soon as possible.

In accordance with the Â鶹¹ÙÍø Records Retention Policy, all records pertaining to the nominations and elections process will be stored with the official records of the Council in the Special Collections section of the Â鶹¹ÙÍø Library.