Title: #III-5.
Constitution and By-Laws of WVUP Staff Assembly
Date: April 29, 2009 [to
replace version dated April 21, 2005]
CONSTITUTION
We the classified staff of West Virginia University
at Parkersburg, in order to enhance communication, facilitate input into
decisions, encourage cooperation and coordination among campus organizations,
foster improvement of working conditions, clarify a role in campus governance,
and convey concerns through the State Advisory Council of Classified Employees
to the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission, do ordain and
establish this Constitution for the West Virginia University at Parkersburg
Staff Assembly.
Article I
All classified staff, full-time and
part-time, of West Virginia University at Parkersburg, and its branch campus in
Jackson County, shall be members of the West Virginia University at Parkersburg
Staff Assembly.
Article II
All decision-making powers of Staff Assembly
shall be vested in a Staff Council established in accordance with WV Code
§18B-6-6, which shall consist of the following:
a Chair and two representatives from each of the five sectors defined in
WV Code §18B-6-6, an Advisory Council of Classified Employees representative
(ex-officio, voting) elected in accordance with WV Code §18B-6-5, a Board of Governors representative (ex-officio, non-voting)
elected in accordance with WV Code §18B-2A-1, a Vice-Chair and
Secretary-Treasurer elected in accordance with the By-Laws of Staff Assembly,
and the immediate past chair (ex-officio, non-voting).
Article III
Staff Assembly shall meet every year in the
spring to generate discussion on staff concerns. At this meeting in every odd-numbered year,
Staff Assembly shall take nominations for Staff Council Chair and Advisory
Council of Classified Employees representative.
At the spring meeting of every even-numbered year, Staff Assembly shall
take nominations for Board of Governors representative. Staff Assembly shall
also meet every year in the fall to receive the previous year’s annual report
of activities, receive a mid-year update of Staff Council activities and to
generate discussion on staff concerns.
BY-LAWS
Article
I - Staff Council
Section
1. Staff Council is designated as the formal
decision-making body of the Staff Assembly.
Staff Council shall (1) serve to discuss issues and concerns of
classified staff and provide input into the college decision-making process via
communication with the campus president, representation on committees and task
forces, and through formal resolution; (2) strive to communicate appropriate
staff concerns through the State Advisory Council of Classified Employees to
the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission; (3) facilitate the
communication process internally; (4) coordinate and promote fund-raising
activities for the Employee Scholarship Fund and the Children of Classified
Staff Scholarship Fund; (5) provide a liaison to the Staff Development
Coordinator; and (6) coordinate various campus social and/or community events.
Section
2. Staff Council shall consist of the
following: Elected by the Staff
Assembly, a Chair and two representatives from each of the five sectors defined
in WV Code §18B-6-6 (administrative/managerial, professional/nonteaching,
paraprofessional, secretarial/clerical, and physical plant/maintenance);
elected in accordance with WV Code §18B-6-5,
an Advisory Council of Classified Employees representative (ex-officio,
voting); elected in accordance with WV
Code §18B-2A-1, a Board of Governors representative (ex-officio, non-voting);
elected in accordance with Section II of the By-Laws of WVUP Staff Assembly, a
Vice-Chair and Secretary-Treasurer; and the immediate past chair (ex-officio,
non-voting).
Section
3. The ten Staff Council representatives elected
from the five sectors will be appointed by the Chair to be directly responsible
to an identified group of classified staff and will be expected to communicate
their respective constituents' concerns to Staff Council and to carry
information from Staff Council back to that same constituency.
Section
4. The ten elected representatives and the
Advisory Council of Classified Employees representative constitute the voting
members of Staff Council.
Section
5. Alternate Staff Council area representatives
shall be the runners-up in the annual election. Staff Council members may ask
the appropriate alternate to attend, as a voting member, any meeting of the
Council which the elected representative is unable to attend.
Section
6. Staff Council officers and representatives
will serve for a term of two years beginning on July 1 of odd numbered years,
and may be re-elected to succeed themselves.
Section
7. Any representative who fails to attend three
consecutive meetings without notifying the Chair of Staff Council shall be
removed from the Council and replaced by an alternate.
Section
8. Should an area representative accept a
position in another sector, then the position on Staff Council becomes vacant.
Section
9. Should vacancies occur, the offices should be
filled in the following manner:
Vacancy Replacement
Chair Elected
by Staff Assembly
Vice-Chair Elected
by Staff Council from
Council
membership
Secretary-Treasurer Elected
by Staff Council from
Council
membership
ACCE Representative Elected by
Staff Assembly
Board of Governors
Rep. Elected
by Staff Assembly
Area Representative Alternate
If a vacancy occurs in both the Chair and the
Vice-Chair positions, then a Chair shall be chosen by Staff Assembly. If a vacancy occurs among area
representatives, and if the alternate is unable or unwilling to assume office,
then his/her name shall be stricken from the list of alternates and the
replacement shall be elected by the Staff Assembly.
Section
10. A member of Staff Council to be elected from
within the Council membership will be a liaison to Student Government
Association.
Article II - Officers
Section
1. The officers of the Staff Council shall be a
Chair, a Vice-Chair, and a Secretary-Treasurer.
Section
2. The term of office for each officer shall be
two years beginning on July 1 of each odd-numbered year.
Section
3. The Chair shall:
A.
be
elected by Staff Assembly;
B.
be
the chief officer of the Staff Council, directing activities of the Council
within campus policies and procedures;
C.
preside
at all Staff Assembly and Staff Council meetings;
D.
convene
all meetings of Staff Assembly and Staff Council;
E.
authorize
all Staff Assembly and Staff Council purchases;
F.
appoint,
upon the request of the campus president, and with Staff Council confirmation,
staff representatives to campus-wide committees and other groups;
G.
represent
college staff and attend meetings as requested by the campus president;
H.
have
no vote in Staff Council except when it affects the results as permitted in
Robert's Rules of Order;
I.
distribute
copies of the Staff Council Constitution, By Laws, and Policies &
Procedures to members of Staff Council, and place copies on file in the
library;
J.
become
an ex-officio non-voting member of Staff Council for two years following
his/her term of office.
K.
be
an ex-officio, non-voting member of all Staff Council committees;
Section
4. The Vice-Chair shall:
A.
be
elected by Staff Council from the Council’s elected membership;
B.
represent
the Chair in his/her absence;
C.
assure
that committees meet assigned obligations;
D.
serve
as staff liaison to Faculty Senate;
E.
serve
as parliamentarian at all meetings;
F.
assume
other duties at the request of the Chair or the Council;
G.
perform
the duties of a Staff Council representative.
Section
5. The Secretary-Treasurer shall:
A.
be
elected by Staff Council from the Council’s elected membership;
B.
keep
the minutes of the proceedings of the Staff Council and Assembly;
C.
distribute
copies of minutes to all Staff Council representatives and officers, to the
elected heads of other campus governance groups, and to the campus president
and his staff (this can be done via electronic mail);
D.
notify
all Council representatives and officers of meetings and distribute agendas;
E.
post
all Staff Council minutes, meeting notices, and other pertinent information on
the Staff Assembly bulletin board;
F.
at
the direction of the Staff Council Chair, keep Staff Council informed of upcoming
deadlines and important dates regarding campus policies and/or Council
obligations;
G.
at
the end of the Council year, place on file in the campus library a bound copy
of the minutes of that year's Council proceedings;
H.
coordinate,
along with the WVU at Parkersburg Foundation treasurer, the deposits and
expenditures of all moneys for fundraisers and scholarships, and make a monthly
report of transactions to Staff Council;
I.
perform
the duties of a Staff Council representative.
Article III - Meetings
Section
1. Staff Assembly shall meet each year on the
third Monday of the month of April. The
purpose of this meeting will be to receive a mid-year update of Staff Council
activities, generate discussion on staff concerns; and, in odd numbered years,
to take nominations for Staff Council Chair and Advisory Council of Classified
Employees representation; and, in even-numbered years, to take nominations for
Board of Governors representative.
Section
2. Staff Assembly shall meet each year during
the month of October. The purpose of
this meeting will be to receive an annual report of Staff Council and to
generate discussion on staff concerns.
Section
3. Staff Council shall meet monthly and at other
times as called by the Chair.
Section
4. All meetings of Staff Assembly and Staff
Council are open to all members of Staff Assembly.
Section
5. In meetings of Staff Assembly, the members
present shall constitute a quorum. In
meetings of Staff Council, a majority of the members of the council shall
constitute a quorum.
Article IV - Elections
Section
1. Election of officers and representatives
shall take place during college business hours on Monday, Tuesday and until
noon Wednesday of the week following the April Staff Assembly meeting.
Section
2. All Staff Assembly members are eligible to
vote in the election and make nominations for Chair, Advisory Council of
Classified Staff Representative, and Board of Governors Representative, and to
vote for all ten sector representatives.
Section
3. Nominations shall be accepted by the election
committee during the five working days prior to the April meeting of Staff
Assembly. Signed written nominations may
be submitted to the election committee either in person or via electronic mail.
Written and e-mail nominations close one hour prior to the scheduled start of
the Staff Assembly meeting.
Section
4. Nominations may also be made from the floor
during the April meeting of Staff Assembly.
Nominations from the floor will close as moved.
Section
5. Absentee balloting, off-campus
balloting and after hours balloting will be provided as outlined in Staff
Council Election Procedures.
Section
6. The vote required for election of the office
of Chair shall be a majority of the members voting. If no nominee receives a majority, then a
run-off election shall be held involving the two nominees with the highest
number of votes. The vote required for
election of the other officers and representatives shall be a plurality of the
members voting.
Article V - Annual Report
Staff Council will be responsible for the
publication of a brief annual report.
This report will be presented to Staff Assembly at the October Staff
Assembly meeting. Copies of this report
will be sent to the campus president, the chairpersons of other campus
governance groups, and others as determined by Staff Council. The report will be bound along with minutes
of that year's Staff Assembly and Staff Council meetings and placed on file in the
campus library.
Article VI - Amendments
Section
1. Amendments to the Constitution or By-Laws may
be proposed at any meeting of Staff Assembly.
Amendments may be proposed by Staff Council (with signatures of a
majority of the council) or by any Staff Assembly member (with signatures of at
least fifteen Staff Assembly members).
Section
2. Proposed amendments will be placed on a
ballot, and voting will take place during the week following the week of the
Staff Assembly meeting.
Section
3. Proposed amendments will become part of the
Constitution or By-Laws after having been approved by a two-thirds majority of
those voting on the amendment.
Article VII - Committees
Section
1. Existing committees and chairs will be
appointed by Staff Council Chair with Staff Council confirmation. Additional committees shall be appointed at
the request of Staff Council by Staff Council Chair with Staff Council
confirmation.
Section
2. The election committee will consist of three
classified or non-classified staff members.
The election committee will be formed by the solicitation of nominations
by area representatives. At the
September meeting the nominations will be presented to the Staff Council for
vote with the top three being named to the election committee for the year.
While serving on the election committee a classified staff member will be
ineligible to run for elected Staff Council office or area representative.
Article
VIII - Parliamentary Authority
In all matters not covered by the
Constitution or By-Laws, the
West Virginia University at Parkersburg Staff
Assembly and Staff Council shall be governed by Robert's Rules of Order.