CSU Monterey Bay Staff Council
Constitution
Article I | Name
The name of the organization shall be the Staff Council of California State University, Monterey Bay.
Article II | Purpose
Section 1: The Staff Council is an organization constituted to provide for staff participation and shared governance in an advisory role in the University's affairs, and to permit consultation among administration and the various segments of the University on matters that affect the general welfare of the staff and University, and are not within the scope of union representation as defined by California Government Code Section 3562.
Section 2: The Staff Council reports directly to the President or designee.
Section 3: The Staff Council shall encourage a free exchange of ideas among staff, faculty, students, and administration of the University.
Section 4: The Staff Council shall designate a council representative to attend University conferences and any other related activities when appropriate or requested by the President.
Section 5: The Staff Council may review policies, procedures, and practices which affect staff and are not within the scope of union representation as defined by California Government Code Section 3562 (r). As an advisory body, the Staff Council may recommend appropriate changes or adoption of new policies and/or procedures to the President or designee.
Article III | Membership
The Staff Council shall consist of twelve eligible staff members and an Executive Committee of four officers (see Article III of the Bylaws) for a total of sixteen staff members. The Division of Academic Affairs shall have four representatives; the Division of Administration & Finance shall have four representatives; the Division of Student Affairs shall have two representatives; University Advancement and the President’s Office shall have one representative; and the University Corporation shall have one representative.
Article IV | Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall consist of the following officers: A Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer who shall all serve a term of two years.
Article V | Meetings
Regular and special meetings of the Staff Council shall be held as defined in the Bylaws.
Article VI | Amendments
Amendments to this Constitution shall be made only at regular meetings of the Staff Council by a two-thirds vote of the membership.
CSU Monterey Bay Staff Council
Bylaws
Article I | Membership
Section 1: A staff member who has successfully completed the probationary period (if applicable) of a permanent appointment (part time or full time) is eligible to serve on staff council. Faculty, members of Management Personnel Plan (MPP), student assistants, and hourly intermittent appointments are not eligible for membership.
Section 2: The Council shall consist of staff members, as defined in Bylaws Article I, Section 1, who have been nominated and elected by their peers from the divisions/areas identified in Article III of the Constitution.
Section 3: Staff elected to staff council shall serve a one-year term of office. Staff members may serve up to three consecutive terms, after which they must step down for at least one year. There is no limitation on the total number of terms a staff member may serve.
Section 4: Elected members of the staff council may run for Executive Committee positions after completing at least one year as a council member. Executive members shall serve a two year term.
Section 5: The Staff Council member shall be allocated two hours of reassigned time per month and Executive Council members shall be allocated four hours of reassigned time per month to permit and facilitate performance of their Staff Council duties, outside of scheduled meetings.
Section 6: If a Staff Council member is absent without excuse from 3 regular meetings/events in any fiscal year, the member shall be considered for removal at the next meeting of the Executive Committee. If a voting member has prior knowledge that s/he will be absent for more than 3 months, that member shall solicit another employee to cover her/his position on Staff Council; if the employee meets eligibility criteria, they may be appointed by the Staff Council to serve out the remainder of the term. Staff Council may choose to leave the position vacant until the end of the term year, or elections can take place as defined in Bylaws, Article VI, Section 5.
Section 7: If a Staff Council representative vacates their position on Staff Council due to a job change that is not defined in Bylaws Article 1, Section 1, the Staff Council members may choose to have an election, appoint another eligible employee, or leave the position vacant until the end of the term.
Section 8: Staff Council representatives are to attend all Staff Council-sponsored events for the purpose of executing all logistics before, during, and after an event if applicable.
Article II | Executive Committee
Section 1: The Executive Committee shall be nominated from the second year (or more) Staff Council Members and elected by the membership of the Staff Council no later than August 1st.
Section 2: Voting for Executive Committee shall be by secret ballot.
Article III | Duties of Officers
Section 1: The Chair shall:
- Create and disseminate staff council meeting agendas and facilitate the meetings
- Act as official representative of the Staff Council at all functions of the University
- Render an annual report of the activities of the Staff Council at the June meeting
- Install the newly elected officers
- Perform other duties deemed necessary or assigned by the Staff Council
Section 2: The Vice Chair shall:
- Update the lists of names and numbers of eligible staff in the divisions/areas eligible to be elected. This shall be on an as needed basis and with the assistance of University Personnel and/or University Corporation HR.
- Administer the election and voting processes with assistance of the Secretary
- Serve as the parliamentarian during meetings of the Staff Council
- Perform other duties deemed necessary by the Staff Council
- Assume the duties of the Chair in the absence of the Chair
Section 3: The Secretary shall:
- Record, keep and distribute minutes of all regular and special meetings
- Assist the Vice-Chair in administration of the election and voting process
- Maintain Staff Council files
- Perform other duties assigned by the Chair
- Assume the duties of the Chair in the absence of the Chair and Vice- Chair
- Compose and distribute any miscellaneous correspondence
- Maintain Staff Council website and the email list serve
Section 4: The Treasurer shall:
- Maintain and track the annual budget for the Staff Council
- Report the status of the budget on a monthly basis
- Provide a year-end report on all Staff Council funds at the final meeting of the fiscal year
- Work with event leads to ensure the appropriate use of funds.
Article IV | Meetings
Section 1: The regular meetings of the Staff Council shall be open to all and be held monthly, with at least ten meetings per year.
Section 2: A special meeting of the Staff Council may be called by the Chair or Vice-Chairs, and may or may not be open meetings.
Article V | Quorum
Section 1: A simple majority (51%) of the voting membership at any meeting of the Staff Council shall constitute a quorum.
Section 2: A majority of any committee shall constitute a quorum.
Article VI | Nominations and Elections
Section 1: All eligible staff may be elected to Staff Council for a one-year term of office beginning on August 1st and ending on July 31st.
Section 2: Nomination forms shall be circulated by March 15th and returned by the end of May. The form must contain the signature of the candidate certifying a willingness to serve and the signature of the person nominating the candidate. A candidate may nominate themselves.
Section 3: Voting shall be by secret ballot. All eligible staff shall have one vote for representatives in their area (see Article III of the Constitution). The election shall take place each year in July.
Section 4: Candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall be declared elected. If there is a tie vote, a run-off election shall be held within ten days of the general election. If there are elected positions without any candidates, the Executive Committee may choose to appoint the new members for the following year, in consultation with the Staff Council.
Section 5: A vacancy in an unexpired term of more than three months on the Staff Council may be filled by election or by appointment of the Executive Committee, in consultation with the Staff Council.
Section 6: Disputes from staff regarding election procedures shall be addressed by a special meeting of the Council. The disputing staff member shall address the Council with their concerns as determined by Article VI of the Bylaws. A majority vote of the Staff Council shall determine the outcome.
Article VII | Funding
Disposition of funds raised shall be voted upon by a quorum of members at a regular Staff Council meeting. Those funds shall be dispersed at the discretion of Staff Council
Article VIII | Formal Action
Any regular staff member of the University may submit a written referral to the Executive Committee pertaining to ideas and concerns within the scope of the Staff Council and not within the scope of union representation as defined by California Government Code Section 3562 (r). Any staff member who wishes a review of a formal action of the Staff Council and/or its Executive Committee must file a written petition with the Staff Council no later than two weeks prior to the monthly meeting of the Staff Council. The petition must state the reasons for asking for a review. The Staff Council shall review all formal actions and respond appropriately.
Article IX | Amendments
Amendments to these Bylaws shall be made only at a regular meeting of the Staff Council and be approved by two-thirds vote of the membership.
Article X
Parliamentary Authority shall be Robert’s Rules of Order, Revised.