Below is the Staff Council Constitution and Bylaws, revised September 1, 2009
For a printable pdf version, please click here.
Article I. Name
The name of this body shall be the Staff Council of
the University of Vermont.
Article II. Purpose
Under the authority of the President of the University of Vermont, the
Staff Council has the following responsibilities:
A. To listen
to, pursue and respond to the ideas and opinions of staff employees;
B. To convey
these ideas and opinions to the University administration;
C. To advise
the President of the University (or his/her representatives) on all subjects
that affect staff employees;
D. To inform
staff employees of issues and policies affecting them.
Article III.
Statement of Values
The Staff Council supports the following principles as it
carries out its mission, as well as in all of its communication with the University
community. We aspire to be a community that values:
We respect each other. We listen to each other, encourage
each other, and care about each other. We are strengthened by our diverse
perspectives.
We value fairness, straightforward conduct, adherence to
the facts, and sincerity. We acknowledge when things have not turned out the
way we had hoped. As stewards of the University of Vermont, we are honest and
ethical in all responsibilities entrusted to us.
We want to be at the forefront of change and believe that
the best way to lead is to learn from our successes and mistakes and continue
to grow. We are forward-looking and break new ground in addressing important
community and societal needs.
We encourage the open exchange of information and ideas
from all quarters of the community. We believe that through collaboration and
participation, each of us has an important role in determining the direction
and well-being of our community.
As a just community, we unite against all forms of
injustice, including, but not limited to, racism. We reject bigotry,
oppression, degradation and harassment, and we challenge injustice toward any
member of our community.
We are personally and collectively
responsible for our words and deeds. We stand together to uphold our common
ground.
(*) This statement of
values, known to the UVM community as Our Common Ground, is
borrowed from the University document referred
to as the Campus Values Statement.
Article IV. Meetings
A. Regular Meetings
1. Occasion: At minimum, regular meetings shall be
scheduled on a monthly basis. As much as possible, they shall be scheduled to
meet at the same time and in the same place each month.
2. Notification: All regular meetings of the Staff Council,
its boards and committees shall be noticed and open.
3. Quorum:
At any meeting of the Staff Council, the presence of a majority of the elected
membership of the Council shall be necessary to constitute a quorum for the
transaction of business. The act of a majority of the representatives present
at a meeting at which there is a quorum shall be the act of the Council, unless
a greater percentage is required by law or stipulated by these bylaws. Should a
quorum not be present, a lesser number may adjourn the meeting to some later
time.
4. Voting: At all meetings of the Staff Council, each Regular
member (cf. Article V.), shall have one vote. In order to encourage full
participation in discussion, members are not entitled to vote by proxy or
absentee ballot.
B. Special Meetings
1. Occasion: Special meetings shall be called as necessary
by the Staff Council President or by the Executive Board. Any council member
can request that the President or the Executive Board call a special meeting.
2. Notification: Staff Council members shall be informed of special
meetings a minimum of seven days prior to the meeting, and the agenda for the
meeting shall be published along with the notification. Only business appearing
on the warned agenda shall be brought to the floor of a special meeting.
3. Quorum and Voting: The quorum and voting guidelines for a
special meeting shall be the same as for a Regular meeting.
C. Procedure for Regular and Special Meetings
1. Council
meetings shall be chaired by the Staff Council President. In the absence of the
President, or in the event that a conflict of interest arises, the Vice
President shall assume the chair, followed by the Staff Council Parliamentarian,
followed by the Chairperson of the Rules and Elections Committee.
2. The standard
manual for parliamentary procedure shall be Robert's
Rules of Order, Newly Revised, which shall be consulted as deemed appropriate.
Article V. Staff
Council Members
A. Responsibilities
1. Council
members shall be responsible to participate in all Staff Council meetings.
2. Council
members shall serve on at least one, but no more than three, Staff Council
committees.
3. Council
members shall represent the University as a whole, and the unit which elected
them in particular. When and where appropriate, they shall voice the concerns
of their constituency, and they shall bring news of Council discussion and
actions back to the same.
B. Membership
1. Qualifications: Individuals qualified to serve as Regular
members of the Staff Council are those whose record in Human Resources shows
that they: (a.) are permanent full-time or part-time employees at the
University of Vermont, who are not on probation at the time of election; (b.) whose
jobs are part of the University’s Career/Pay System; and
(c.) who are not employed in the Staff Council Office.
2. Categories
a. Regular Members: All elected representatives, including
members-at-large, (cf. Article V.E.2.) serve as Regular members of the Staff
Council.
b. Ex
Officio Members: The
University’s Vice President for Finance and Administration and the Staff
Council Administrator shall serve as ex officio
members of the Staff Council and of all Staff Council standing and ad-hoc committees.
Additional ex officio members may be
invited to serve for a one-year term by approval of the Council. Ex officio members have no vote unless
otherwise indicated in the Staff Council Constitution and Bylaws, and should
not be counted in determining whether a quorum is present for a meeting.
C. Election
1. The regular election for Staff Council
members shall be held annually in April. Elections shall be by unit, by secret
ballot, with at least one week allowed for balloting.
2. Election results shall become final if
not disputed within two weeks of the close of balloting. Concerns regarding
election irregularities must be communicated to the Staff Council Office within
this time frame.
3. Each unit with an available seat(s)
shall elect a representative to fill that seat(s) from among the eligible
candidates in that unit. As much as possible, each unit within the University
shall elect a representative; if there are multiple representatives within a
unit, the representatives shall, as much as possible, be spread out within the
subdivisions of that unit.
4. Two members of the Rules and Elections Committee
shall work with the Staff Council Office to review the election results. Any
concern about the elections shall be forwarded to the Executive Board for
appropriate action.
5. In the event that several candidates are
contesting a seat, the candidate with the most votes wins. A run-off
election shall be held only if two candidates tie for the greatest number of
votes.
6. As referred
to in these bylaws, a Special Election
shall be unique only in that it shall take place at a time other than the
regular election. In all other ways it shall be identical to a regular
election.
D. Term
1. The Council year shall run from July 1 through
June 30.
2. Council members shall be elected by their
unit to serve a three-year term, with no limitation on serving consecutive
terms. The commencement of the terms for the various units will be staggered so
as to ensure that approximately one-third of the Council seats come up for
re-election each year.
E. Vacancies
1. A vacancy shall occur when a Council
member either resigns his/her seat, ceases to meet the qualifications for
membership outlined in Article V.B., or is removed from office.
2. In the event that a Regular Council member
changes his/her place of employment from one unit to another within the
University, s/he shall vacate his/her council seat immediately. S/he shall be
entitled, however, to fulfill the remainder of his/her original term, with full
rights and privileges, under the designation “member-at-large.” (If a seat becomes available in his/her new unit,
s/he may choose to secure that seat by election before dropping his/her
member-at-large designation.)
3. It shall be left to the discretion of the
leadership of the unit holding a vacant seat, whether to host a special
election to fill that vacancy, or whether to wait until the regular elections
in the spring. In either case, the individual elected to fill the vacancy shall
be elected to finish the remainder of the unexpired term.
F. Removal
1. The Executive Board shall maintain a Removal
Policy Statement, outlining both the grounds and the procedure for removing
an individual from Staff Council membership. The Policy Statement shall pertain to every Regular member of the
Staff Council, and Staff Council shall be responsible to approve changes to the
policy by a two-thirds majority vote.
2. The aim of the Council shall always be
restoration rather than removal; however, in the event that removal is
recommended by the Executive Board, it shall be brought before the Staff
Council for a vote. Voting shall be by secret ballot and removal shall require
a two-thirds majority.
Article VI. Staff
Council President
A. Qualifications: The stipulated qualifications for President
of Staff Council are the same as the requirements for Regular membership (cf.
Article V.B.1.). In addition, the President shall have a minimum of six months
of Staff Council experience within the previous six years.
B. Election and Term of Office
1. The regular
election for Staff Council President shall be held in May. Elections shall be
by secret ballot, with at least one week allowed for balloting.
2. The
President shall be elected to serve one two-year
term, commencing July 1. S/he may later run for additional terms, but each
term must be separated by a period of at least one year.
3. The
President shall be elected by and from the ranks of all staff members at the
University of Vermont who are part of the Career/Pay System.
a. Nominations for the office of President
shall be placed on the official ballot by the Nominating Committee.
b. To be elected, a candidate shall require
a majority of affirmative votes. If there is more than one candidate, the
candidate with the most votes shall be elected.
c. Two members of the Rules and Elections
Committee shall work with the Staff Council Office to review the election
results. Any concern about the elections shall be forwarded to the Executive
Board for appropriate action.
4. If the
President is a Regular member of Staff Council at the time of election, s/he
shall vacate his/her seat and shall cease to represent the unit from which s/he
was elected.
5. Upon
completion of his/her final year, the outgoing President shall serve as a
member-at-large of the Staff Council, and shall sit on the Executive Board in
the capacity of Immediate Past President
for the period of one year, in order to offer transitional leadership to the
Council.
C. Responsibilities of the President
1. The President
shall preside at all Staff Council
and Executive Board meetings, where s/he may vote in order to break a tie.
2. The President shall prepare the agenda for Staff Council meetings.
3. The President
shall manage Council activities,
including the assignment and monitoring of Staff Council contact sheets.
4. In keeping
with the Representative Policy Statement
(cf. Article XIII.C.), the President shall appoint Staff Council members to the
following positions:
a. Staff
Council Parliamentarian, to serve
for the entirety of the Council year.
b. Chairpersons
of Staff Council ad hoc committees, when
those committees are created by the President.
c. Representatives
to University committees.
d. Representatives
to Board of Trustees committees.
5. The President
shall serve in the following capacities:
a. Ex
officio member of all Staff Council standing and ad hoc committees,
where s/he may vote in order to break a tie.
b. Staff
Council representative to the University President's
Advisory Group.
c. Staff
Council representative to the Executive
Committee of the Board of Trustees.
d. Primary spokesperson representing Staff
Council before the administration and other University bodies, communicating
information from those bodies to Staff Council and the larger UVM community.
e. Official representative of the Staff
Council at University functions including Convocation and Commencement.
1. A vacancy shall occur when the President
either resigns his/her seat, ceases to meet the qualifications for Council membership
outlined in Article V, or is removed from office.
2. In the event of a vacancy, the Vice
President shall serve as Acting Council President (cf. Article VII.C.1.).
3. The Executive Board shall be charged
with the responsibility of determining whether there is sufficient time
remaining in the presidential term to hold a special election, or whether the Acting
Council President shall fulfill the remainder of the term.
E. Removal from Leadership
1. In
cooperation with the Executive Board,
the Internal Affairs Committee shall maintain a Presidential Policy Statement
outlining both the grounds and the procedure for removing a President or Vice
President from leadership. Staff Council shall be responsible to approve
changes to the policy by a two-thirds majority vote.
2. Removal from a leadership role shall
include removal from all the rights and responsibilities of Council membership.
3. When removal becomes necessary, the
Executive Board shall bring the question of removal before Staff Council for a
vote. Voting shall be by secret ballot, and removal shall require a two-thirds
majority.
Article VII.
Staff Council Vice President
A. Qualifications: The stipulated qualifications for Vice
President of Staff Council are the same as the requirements for Regular
membership (cf. Article V.B.1.). In addition, the Vice President shall have a
minimum of six months of Staff Council experience within the previous six
years.
B. Election and Term of Office
1. The regular
election for Staff Council Vice President shall be held in May. Elections shall be by secret ballot, with at
least one week allowed for balloting.
2. The Vice
President shall be elected to serve a two-year
term, commencing July 1. S/he may later run for additional terms, but each
term must be separated by a period of at least one year.
3. The Vice President shall be elected by
and from the ranks of all staff members at the University of Vermont who are
part of the Career/Pay System. The process for nomination and election of the
Vice President shall be the same as for the President.
C. Responsibilities of the Vice President
1. The Vice
President shall perform the duties
of the President in the absence of the President.
2. The Vice
President shall accompany the President
to relevant University meetings whenever possible.
3. The Vice
President may be assigned special
projects and other duties by the President or the Executive Board.
D. Vacancies
1. A vacancy shall occur when the Vice President
either resigns his/her seat, ceases to meet the qualifications for Council
membership outlined in Article V, or is removed from office.
2. In the event of a vacancy, the
Executive Board member with the greatest amount of time in service to the
University shall assume the role of Acting Vice President.
3. The Executive Board shall be charged
with the responsibility of determining whether there is sufficient time
remaining in the Vice Presidential term to hold a Special Election, or whether
the Acting Vice President shall fulfill the remainder of the term.
E. Removal from Leadership
1. In
cooperation with the Executive Board,
the Internal Affairs Committee shall maintain a Presidential Policy Statement outlining both the grounds and the
procedure for removing a President or Vice President from leadership. Staff
Council shall be responsible to approve changes to the policy by a two-thirds
majority vote.
2. Removal from a leadership role shall
include removal from all the rights and responsibilities of Council membership.
3. When removal becomes necessary, the
Executive Board shall bring the question of removal before Staff Council for a
vote. Voting shall be by secret ballot, and removal shall require a two-thirds
majority.
Article VIII.
Standing Committees
A. Creation and Dissolution: Standing Committees may be created or
dissolved at any time by a two-thirds vote of the Council.
B. Organization
1. Standing
Committees shall be organized with a committee
Chairperson who shall be chosen annually by each committee at its May meeting,
subject to approval by a majority of the Council at the June Council meeting.
The committee chairperson shall be a Regular member of the Council.
2. The Standing
Committee Chairperson shall serve a one-year term with his/her term commencing
July 1.
3. A Chairperson
may be removed from chairing a
committee by the Executive Board, with approval by a majority of the Council.
4. Committee
members shall be appointed or removed
by the committee Chairperson. Removal of a committee member shall require
approval by a majority of the Executive Board.
5. Committees may also include faculty, retirees,
students and staff members who are not members of the Council.
C. Responsibilities
1. Benefits Committee: Review and monitor all employee benefits. Make
recommendations to the Council concerning proposed changes, additions or
deletions of benefits. The Committee shall appoint at least one of its members
to also serve on the Staff Council Salary and Budget Committee as liaison.
2. Communications Committee: Gather and publish information and facilitate
communication on issues and policies affecting staff employees.
3. Education and Professional Development
Committee: Make recommendations
concerning staff development, continuing education and in-service training for
all employees.
4. Employee Environment and Facilities
Committee:
5. Internal Affairs Committee: Make recommendations concerning conditions of
employment, recruitment, retention, problem resolution and other personnel
issues as assigned by the Council.
6. Recreation Committee: Coordinate recreational events.
7. Rules and Elections Committee: Recommend changes to the Staff Council
Constitution and Bylaws, recommend policy updates as appropriate, oversee the
election of Council members, President and Vice President; in the absence of a Council
Parliamentarian, the chairperson shall serve as the key resource to Council
regarding parliamentary procedure. In addition, the chairperson of the Rules
and Elections Committee will serve as chair of the Nominating Committee.
8. Salary and Budget Committee: Study issues related to salary and
compensation, working closely with the Benefits Committee. Make recommendations
to the Council concerning salary and wage pools each fiscal year.
Article IX. Ad
Hoc Committees
Ad Hoc Committees may be created at any time by action
of either the Staff Council or the Staff Council President. They shall be
created for a specific purpose,
given a finite period of time in
which to accomplish their mission, and have their reporting structure clearly articulated from the outset. The
committee may be chaired by the President or Vice President, or by any Regular
member of the Staff Council. If the President creates the committee, s/he shall
appoint the chairperson of the Committee; if the Council creates the Committee,
the Council shall appoint the chairperson.
Article X. Nominating
Committee
A. Purpose: The Nominating Committee shall receive nominations for the offices of
Staff Council President and Vice President, shall establish and communicate
procedures and deadlines for receipt of nominations, shall investigate each of
the nominees to determine whether s/he is willing and qualified to serve, and
shall present the qualified nominees to the University for the purpose of
election.
B. Composition: The Nominating Committee shall be made up of seven individuals as follows: the chairperson
of the Rules and Elections Committee (who shall chair the committee), two
individuals selected by the Executive Board, two individuals selected by the Staff
Council from among its membership, and two individuals selected by the Staff
Council Office from among those in the University community who meet the
qualifications for Staff Council membership.
C. Term: The Nominating Committee shall be named as soon as practical following the regular election of a new Staff Council president, and shall serve for two years. If it becomes necessary to replace a committee member, any individual appointed mid term shall serve for the duration of the original two-year term. Those appointed to serve on the Nominating Committee while serving as Staff Council representatives may continue to serve on the Nominating Committee if t heir term on the Council expires, provided they have not been removed from membership under provision of Article V.F.
D. Reporting: The Nominating Committee shall report both to the Executive Board and to the full Staff
Council.
Article XI. Executive
Board
A. Composition: The
Executive Board shall consist of the Staff Council President, Vice President,
Immediate Past President, the standing committee chairpersons, and two
additional members elected annually by the Staff Council from among its regular
membership at the first Council meeting of the new Council year. In the event
that a committee chairperson cannot attend, s/he may choose to send a member of
his/her committee to serve in his/her place.
B. Purpose: The Executive Board shall exist for the purpose of hearing reports, discussing policy
questions, advising the Staff Council President, and approving the agenda for Staff
Council meetings.
Article XII.
Staff Council Administrator
A. The Staff
Council Administrator is a staff member
of the University who reports to the Vice President for Finance and
Administration. S/he shall serve as an ex
officio member of the Staff Council and of all Staff Council standing and ad
hoc committees (cf. Article V.B.2.b.).
B. The responsibilities of the Staff Council Administrator
are specified in his/her UVM Position Description. His/her working relationship
to the Council shall be outlined as part of the Working Relationships Policy Statement, which shall of necessity be
kept in alignment with the Position Description.
Article XIII.
Records
Copies of
the agenda and minutes of all committee
and Executive Board meetings shall be forwarded to the Staff Council Office
where they shall be kept, along with the agenda and minutes of Staff Council
meetings. These documents shall be preserved electronically for future
reference, along with whatever other documents may be retained.
Article XIV.
Policy and Procedures
A. Policy and Procedures Manual: In cooperation with the Staff Council Office,
the Staff Council shall adopt and maintain a Policies and Procedures Manual. This manual shall be reviewed
periodically under the direction of the Executive Board, and revised as deemed
appropriate. Except as noted within these bylaws, updated policies and
procedures shall not require approval by Council.
B. Conflict of Interest Policy Statement: The Staff Council shall adopt a written Conflict of Interest Policy Statement. Updates to this policy shall be recommended by the Executive Board and approved by Council. For a printable pdf version, please click here.
C. Representative Policy Statement: The Staff Council shall adopt a written Representative Policy Statement,
addressing those who represent the University in other venues. It shall detail
who appoints the various representatives, their responsibilities, their terms
of service, their lines of reporting, and any other information deemed
appropriate. Updates to this policy shall be recommended by the Executive Board
and approved by Council.
D. Working Relationships Policy Statement: The Staff Council shall adopt a written Working Relationships Policy Statement
which shall provide guidelines for working collaboratively on the Staff
Council. This policy statement shall be reviewed periodically under the
direction of the Executive Board, and approved by Council.
E. Election Policy Statement: The Staff Council shall adopt a written Election Policy Statement, outlining
the official breakdown of the units and their attending seats. Updates to this
policy shall be recommended by the Rules and Elections Committee (working in
cooperation with the Staff Council Office), and approved by Council.
F. Other Policy Statements: The Staff Council shall adopt and maintain
other policy statements as provided for in these bylaws. These policy statements
shall include the following: Presidential
Policy Statement (Article VII.E.) (for a printable pdf version, please click here) and Removal
Policy Statement (Article V.F.).
Article XV. Bylaw
Amendments
These bylaws may be
amended at any meeting of the Staff Council, by an affirmative vote of
two-thirds of all Regular Council members. The notice of the meeting at which
proposed amendments to the bylaws are to be considered must state that the
purpose, or one of the purposes, of the meeting is to consider a proposed amendment
to the bylaws. The notice must be communicated to Staff Council members a
minimum of 14 days before the meeting, and must be accompanied by a copy of the
proposed amendment.
Revision History:
Major Revision: March
4, 2008
Minor Revision: May 5 , 2009
Last modified October 12 2009 12:29 PM
