Index
Last Update: October 9, 2007
Subchapter 7-100. Authority and Purpose
Sec. 7-101. Definitions
Sec. 7-102. Authority and Purpose
Subchapter 7-200. Membership
Sec. 7-201. Eligibility
Sec. 7-202. Non-Voting Representatives
Sec. 7-203. Voting Representatives
A. Qualifications for Representatives
B. Duties of Representatives
C. Terms of Office
D. Vacancies
E. Removal from Office
F. Districts
G. Number of Representatives
Sec. 7-204. Nominations and Elections
Nomination Procedures
Election Procedures
Subchapter 7-300. Officers and Elections
Sec. 7-301. Titles of Officers
Sec. 7-302. DUTIES
A. Chairperson
B. Vice Chairperson
C. Secretary
D. Treasurer
E. Parliamentarian
F. Historian
G. Past Chairperson
Sec. 7-303. Election
Sec. 7-304. Terms of Office
Sec. 7-305. Unexpired Term
Sec. 7-306. Transfer of Records
Subchapter 7-400. The Executive Committee
Sec. 7-401. Membership
Sec. 7-402. Meetings
Sec. 7-403 Duties
Sec. 7-404. Term
Sec. 7-405. Chair
Subchapter 7-500. Other Committees
Sec. 7-501. Standing Committees
Sec. 7-502. Duties
A. Communications Committee
B. Benefits Committee
C. Staff Development Committee
D. Outreach Committee
Sec. 7-503. Ad Hoc Committees
Subchapter 7-600. Meetings
Sec. 7-601. Types of Meetings
Sec. 7-602. Quorum Required
Sec. 7-603. Floor Privileges
Sec. 7-604. Vote
Sec. 7-605. Agenda
Sec. 7-606. Order of Business
Sec. 7-607. Minutes
Subchapter 7-700. Parliamentary Authority
Sec. 7-701. Parliamentary Authority
Subchapter 7-100. Authority and Purpose
The Staff Advisory Council is an advisory body through which eligible staff members may make recommendations to the President relative to the interests, concerns, and issues that affect the staff of the University.
The Council is the short title for the Staff Advisory Council.
The President refers to the President of the University of Texas at Arlington.
A Quorum is a simple majority, more than fifty (50) percent, of the Council.
Sec. 7-102. Authority and Purpose
The Council may make recommendations on general grievance policies but does not act on individual grievance issues. The Council may advise on specific institutional issues and otherwise act at the request of the President. The Council has no authority to act outside the directives of these procedures. The Council shall endeavor to keep staff members informed and in turn keep the President and administrative staff advised of needs and interest of staff on issues and activities affecting them.
Subchapter 7-200. Membership
The Staff Advisory Council shall consist of non-voting and voting representative as outlined below.
Sec. 7-202. Non-Voting Representatives
Non-voting representatives of the Council shall consist of the President, members appointed by the President, the immediate past Chairperson of the Council, and all current alternate representatives.
Sec. 7-203. Voting Representatives
Voting representatives of the Council shall consist of eligible staff elected to serve as representatives from voting districts as defined below. Eligible staff includes all classified employees and those nonexempt and exempt administrative and professional employees reporting directly to an individual employed in a position below the level of Dean. Exempt staff that are Associates of the Faculty are not eligible. "Classified staff" is as defined in the UTA Fiscal Regulations and Procedures. During an elected term, a representative loses Council membership upon leaving the employ of the University, upon a change from the district from which the representative was elected, or promotion to a noneligible position.
A. Qualifications for Representatives. Representatives must be regular employees appointed one-half time or more for at least 4 1/2 months. Representatives must have one year of continuous service at the University as of August 31 in the year elected.
B. Duties of Representatives. Representatives shall attend all meetings of the Council. Representatives shall attend and participate on committees of the Council and may be elected as an officer of those committees. Representatives shall be available to their constituents, indicating how they can be contacted. They shall be willing to hear concerns, to receive information and suggestions, and to communicate these effectively to the Council. In turn, representatives must keep their constituents informed of the work of the council and matters that the administration communicates to the Council. Representatives and Alternates shall be allowed up to four (4) hours per month in addition to Council meetings to devote to Council work. Additional time for Council work or assignments may be negotiated with the representative's supervisor.
C. Terms of Office. The terms of office for representatives shall begin September 1st following their election. Terms shall be for two years and a representative can be elected for a maximum of two consecutive terms. If an alternate is named to serve out an unexpired term vacated by another representative, that alternate will serve the unexpired term and be eligible for reelection, for a maximum of two consecutive terms.
D. Vacancies. A vacancy that occurs through termination of employment, change of voting district, promotion to noneligible position, resignation from the Council, or expulsion from the Council, shall be filled by an alternate within thirty (30) days of the date of the vacancy if an alternate is available. The Executive Committee of the Council will refer to the list of eligible alternates and will fill the vacancy. If no alternate from the selected district is available to fill a vacant position the Executive Committee will nominate a representative from the list of eligible employees from that district. Then, if the employee accepts the nomination, the nominee will become a representative upon a positive vote of a simple majority of those present and voting at a meeting of the Council.
E. Removal from Office. Any elected representative can be removed from office for nonperformance of Council duties. The Executive Committee may initiate action to remove a representative, or a request for removal showing cause may be brought in writing to the Executive Committee by any representative. The Executive Committee will investigate the matter on a case-by-case basis and will recommend action to the Council if warranted. The Executive Committee will provide a response to any representative that requests removal informing said representative of the Committee’s decision in the matter. The final decision will be made by the Executive Committee. Possible causes of removal shall include, but not be limited to: non-attendance; failure to consistently report activities of the Council to the district; unavailability of the representative to constituents.
Districts. Voting districts entitled to elect representatives shall be determined by Campus Building location:
1 |
|
2 |
|
3 |
|
4 |
|
5 |
|
6 |
|
7 |
|
8 |
|
9 |
|
10 |
|
11 |
|
12 |
|
13 |
|
14 |
|
15 |
|
16 |
|
17 |
|
18 |
|
19 |
|
20 |
|
21 |
|
22 |
|
23 |
|
24 |
|
G. Number of Representatives. Representatives shall be elected from each voting district by eligible staff members of the district. There shall be one representative elected for each twenty-five (25) eligible staff members in a voting district. A district with less than twenty-five (25) members shall be entitled to elect one representative. A district shall be entitled to elect on additional representative when the number of members of the district exceeds a multiple of twenty-five (25) by at least thirteen (13).
Sec. 7-204. Nominations and Elections
The nominations and elections process shall be handled by the Nominations and Elections Committee appointed in November of each year by the Executive Committee of the Council. Nominations shall be completed by April 30 and elections shall be completed by May 31.
A. The Nominations and Elections Committee will request from the Office of Human Resources the appropriate printouts to determine all eligible staff members, including classified staff in each Campus Building location , and the appropriate printouts and labels needed to contact all eligible staff members.
B. All eligible staff members employed by the date of elections shall be eligible to vote.
C. A nomination form shall be mailed to each eligible staff member. The form shall identify the district, the number of nominations allowed, and instructions for the return of the form (manner, date, time, place).
D. Each eligible staff member within a district may nominate one eligible staff member from the district for each representative that district is entitled to elect. Nominations shall be in writing.
E. After the closing date for nominations, the Nominations and Elections Committee shall count the nominations.
F. Nominees shall be determined according to the highest number of nominations received. The number of nominees to appear on the election ballot in each district shall not exceed three times (plus one in case of a tie at the cut-off) the number of vacancies in that district. Nominees to appear on the ballot shall be selected in descending order of nominations received until the required number is reached or the nominations list is exhausted. The remaining nominees will be listed by district and votes received and be designated as alternates in descending order. In the case of a tie between alternates, the Executive Committee will vote to break the tie by drawing lots. An alternate shall be eligible to fill the vacancy of an elected representative. A list of alternates will be distributed to each elected council representative.
G. The Nomination and Elections Committee shall notify the nominees that their names will be placed on the election ballots unless they withdraw by a specified date. If a nominee withdraws, the Nominations and Elections Committee select as a replacement the person that received the next highest number of nominations in the district in which the withdrawal took place. If insufficient nominations are received from the selected district to fill a position the Executive Committee will nominate a representative from the list of eligible employees from that district. Then, if the employee accepts the nomination, the nominee will become a representative upon a positive vote of a simple majority of those present and voting at a meeting of the Council.
A. Voting shall be held on campus for no less than two days or no more than three days in order to accommodate varying work schedules.
B. Elections shall be by secret ballot via electronic voting using the eligible member’s NETID or by printed ballot.
C. Ballots will be prepared by the Nominations and Elections Committee indicating the name of the district, building name(s), the names of the nominees, the number to be elected, and instructions for voting.
D. In the event that electronic voting is not available, printed ballots will be distributed at the polling place to each staff member eligible to vote. Eligibility shall be determined by a check of a Mav Express card against a current printout of personnel provided by the Office of Human Resources.
E. Absentee voting for extenuating circumstances will be allowed within 5 business days of the election date(s) by contacting the Nominations and Election Committee one week prior to the election of the Council.
F. At the close of the election, the Nominations and Elections Committee will count the votes.
G. Those elected shall be declared on the basis of the highest number of votes received. If a tie occurs, the Nominations and Elections Committee will break the tie by drawing lots.
H. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall notify the President of the names of the newly elected representatives in writing within three working days of close of the election. The President will notify the newly elected representatives in writing within three days of notice. The Committee shall make the results of the election known to all eligible staff members within one week after such notification.
I. All records pertaining to the nominations and elections process shall be stored in the Office of the Secretary-Treasurer (or Council Office) in compliance with the UT Arlington Records Retention Policy.
Subchapter 7-300. Officers and Elections
Sec. 7-301. Titles of Officers
The Officers of the Council shall be Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Parliamentarian, Historian and Past Chairperson.
A. Chairperson - The Chairperson shall preside at all meetings of the Council and chair the executive Committee; abide by the stated rules of order when conducting meetings; refer all matters submitted for the Council's attention to the appropriate committee(s) and/or to the President; maintain and update a calendar of events relevant to the Council for the coming year; prepare a written annual report of the past year's activities and progress and make it available to all members of the Council prior to the September meeting; serve as ex-officio member of all Council committees; serve as liaison to the Faculty Senate; to serve as liaison to the President, both keeping the President informed regarding concerns of the Council and seeking the President's support and advice on behalf of the Council.
B. Vice Chairperson - The Vice Chairperson shall preside over the Council in the absence of the Chairperson or in the event the Chairperson requests the Vice Chairperson to serve during the course of a meeting; assist the Chairperson in performing leadership responsibilities; accept names of persons interested in serving on standing committees and to make appointments on the basis of the person's preference where possible or, in the absence of volunteers, make the necessary appointments to committees in consultation with the Executive Committee; call a meeting of any committee that is not fulfilling its responsibilities; and make and distribute yearly, immediately following appointments, a list of Council committees and their members to all Council members.
C. Secretary – The Secretary shall be responsible for minutes of each Council meeting, including the distribution of minutes to representatives before or at the next scheduled meeting of the Council; collect, receive, and maintain at a central location, minutes of council meetings, minutes of committee meetings, and annual reports; serve as Secretary for the Executive Committee, keep minutes of the Executive Committee’s meetings and notify its members of meeting dates and locations; and maintain the system of overlapping terms.
D. Treasurer – The Treasurer shall be responsible for all financial aspects of the Council functions, including maintaining accurate records of all Council financial activities, and reporting on these activities at each Council meeting, and for verifying the number of representatives authorized for each voting district.
E. Parliamentarian – The Parliamentarian shall be responsible for insuring that proper parliamentary rules are followed as outlined in Robert Rules of Order and these procedures; shall maintain these rules in the most accurate form possible; shall Chair the Policy Committee at any time such committee is in place.
F. Historian – The Historian shall be responsible for maintaining copies of any articles, flyers, audio, video, or other forms of recording, that relate to the Council so that these items will be available to current and future representatives and others upon request.
G. Past Chairperson – The Past Chairperson shall act in an advisory role to assist the current Executive Committee as needed.
The Chairperson of the nominations and Elections Committee shall conduct the nomination and election of officers at the September meeting of the Council. The Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Parliamentarian, and Historian shall be nominated from the floor, elected, and begin terms at the conclusion of the September meeting. A simple majority of those present and voting at a meeting of the Council at which a quorum is present is required for election.
The terms of office for Council officers shall be one year. A representative shall not hold more than one office at a time, and no representative shall be eligible to serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office. However, a representative who assumes an unexpired term for less than six months, may be elected for two full consecutive terms.
In the event that the Chairperson is unable to complete the elected term of office, the Vice Chairperson shall assume the vacant office for the length of the unexpired term. In the event that the office of Vice Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer, Parliamentarian, or Historian becomes vacant, a special election shall be held by the Chairperson in order to fill the vacant office for the remainder of the term by a simple majority of those present and voting at a meeting of the Council at which a quorum is present. Such elections may be held at any meeting of the Council.
Sec. 7-306. Transfer of Records
All papers pertaining to current council business shall be transferred from outgoing officers to incoming officers. The Executive Committee shall insure that all past records of the Council are maintained according to the UT Arlington Records Retention Policy.
Subchapter 7-400. The Executive Committee
The membership of the Executive Committee shall consist of the elected
officers of the Council and the chairs of standing committees.
The Executive Committee shall meet monthly. Additional meetings may be called by the Chairperson, the President, or upon request of two members of the Executive Committee. The Secretary will be responsible for notifying Committee members of meeting dates, times, and locations. A quorum must be present to conduct a meeting of the Committee.
The Executive Committee shall consider all matters presented to it by the Chairperson, the President or designate, the Council, the standing committee chairs, or others, and make recommendations; assist the Chairperson in setting the agenda for Council meetings; review periodically the purpose and membership of each standing committee; appoint, considering volunteers first, the Nominations and Elections Committee, the standing committees, and the ad hoc committees as needed; recommend to the Council such special committees as it deems necessary; resolve questions related to the Council elections process; make recommendations to the Council regarding the removal of representatives from the Council.
Sec. 7-404. Term
The term of a member of the Executive Committee shall be for the representative's term of an officer of the Council or the representative's term as a standing committee chair.
The Executive Committee shall be chaired by the Chairperson who shall make a report of the actions of the Committee to the Council at each regular meeting.
Subchapter 7-500. Other Committees
Sec. 7-501. Standing Committees
The standing committees of the council shall be the Executive Committee, Communications Committee, Benefits Committee, and Staff Development Committee. Membership on these committees will be open to all Council representatives. The chair of a committee can appoint one or more subcommittee(s) and subcommittee chair(s) for specific terms to deal with assigned issues; the subcommittee chair(s) shall report to the appointing committee. Each standing committee shall
consist of a minimum of five members, and members shall serve for one year. Committees shall meet monthly or as convenient by the chair. Each committee shall elect a chair and a secretary; each shall serve for one year or until replaced in the next election. If a representative serves an unexpired term of six months or less as either committee member or committee officer, the individual is eligible to serve for another year provided Council membership is continued for another year.
The standing committees shall accept business items assigned to the committee by the Executive Committee and deal with the item(s) in a responsible and timely manner; have the Chairperson make a report to the full Council at each monthly meeting; have the committee secretary maintain and provide the Vice Chairperson and Council Secretary with a written report of each Committee meeting; prepare and submit and annual report, including all items placed on the committee agenda and the disposition of each, to the Vice Chairperson and Council Secretary by the last meeting each year.
A. Communications Committee. This committee shall plan and coordinate activities at which University employees can meet their representatives and learn about Council activities; serve as the public relations committee of the Council and work with Public Affairs to publicize the Council and its activities; and generally promote the Council as opportunities arise.
B. Benefits Committee. This committee shall review staff members' concerns regarding benefits and make recommendations, establish subcommittees and refer items as necessary. The Director of Human Resources or designate will serve as an ex-officio member of the Benefits Committee.
C. Staff Development Committee. This committee shall review way in which eligible staff can benefit from training programs. Staff Development subcommittees may address issues such as career and professional development, orientation/mentoring, diversity training, and basic skills development. The Director of the Office of Human Resources or designates from Human Resources Office of Staff Development will serve as an ex-officio members of the Staff Development Committee.
D. Outreach Committee. This committee will plan and coordinate community outreach projects.
A. Ad hoc committees of the Council will be appointed by the Executive Committee as needs arise. Ad hoc committees will elect a chairperson. The life of the committee will be determined by the matter under consideration and the committee will be disbanded when the purpose has been served. The number of members will be determined by the Executive Committee.
B. The ad hoc committees shall accept the issues assigned to the committee by the Executive Committee; deal with the items in a responsible and timely manner; and make progress reports on its activities to the Council, as well as a final report.
C. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall be appointed by the Executive Committee in March each year. This Committee shall consist of at least seven members. The Committee will handle all nominations and elections procedures as set forth herein.
D. The Policy Committee duties shall be to propose and accept proposed changes to the provisions of the University's Handbook of Operating Procedures related to the Council, study the proposals, and prepare a recommendation to the Council in accordance with the Handbook.
Subchapter 7-600. Meetings
A. Regular Meetings of the Council shall be held monthly during the Council year which shall be the University’s fiscal year. If the Chairperson and Executive Committee have no new agenda items or proposals, they reserve the right not to hold a meeting but must notify the Council.
B. Special Meetings of the Council may be called by the Chairperson or upon petition of twenty (20) percent of the membership of the Council. Ten (10) working days notice should be given of any special meeting except in the case of an emergency situation. Only business specified in the call of the special meeting may be conducted at such a meeting.
C. A Staff Forum shall be held annually to which all eligible staff members of the University shall be invited and encouraged to attend. The President shall be invited to be the guest speaker. The purpose of the forum shall be to share common interests and concerns, to pose questions, and to provide the President an opportunity to share information with staff.
A quorum is defined as the voting members present. Motions may be passed by a simple majority of the quorum.
Proposals, measures, and resolutions shall be introduced on the Council floor only by members of the Council. Persons who are not members of the Council may be granted the right to speak, but not to vote, on matters before the Council. When a request is made for this privilege, the Chairperson shall ask the Council for objections and, hearing none, shall grant permission to speak. If objections are raised, the privilege shall be extended only by vote of the Council.
Only elected Council members present may vote. Action by the Council shall be by voice vote unless a vote is deemed by the Chairperson as being too close to determine. In this circumstance, the vote shall be by a show of hands. Some issues may require written ballots (such as election of officers); written ballots may be requested from the floor. Votes on all Staff Advisory Council proposals will be by roll call and will be published and posted for staff review.
Meetings of the Council shall have an agenda that includes the time and place of the meeting, the order of business, and copies of any substantive proposals. The Executive Committee shall set the agenda; however, items may be added to the agenda at the meeting if approved by a majority of the members present and voting. The agenda should be published in a form widely available to all eligible staff members. The Executive Committee shall (1) receive proposals for Council action or other presentations to the Council from any committee of the Council, from any member of the Council, from individual staff members or, from the President or designate; (2) refer all substantive proposals for Council action to appropriate committees for review prior to placing them on the agenda unless the Executive Committee is prepared to deal with an issue and present it to the Council; (3) include on the agenda of a regular meeting as soon as practical all items presented from various sources; (4) set the agenda so that the business can be disposed of in a meeting of reasonable duration; and (5) advise the Council of the apparent need for a special meeting.
The order of business for meetings shall be as set forth in the agenda, except that the order of business may be altered by an action approved in the meeting. The order of business shall be (1) call to order; (2) approval of previous meeting's minutes; (3) committee reports; (4) unfinished business; (5) new business; (6) miscellaneous (comments, announcements, tributes, etc.); (7) adjournment.
The minutes of the meetings shall be open for inspection. A summary of the minutes shall be made available to all eligible staff members.
Subchapter 7-700. Parliamentary Authority
Sec. 7-701. Parliamentary Authority
The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the Council and its committees in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these Handbook of Operating Procedures provisions and any special rules of order the Council may adopt.