Santa Clara University

Article I - Statement of purpose

The Assembly shall exist to contribute to the success of Santa Clara University, to the growth and welfare of its staff employees, and to the promotion of a positive and supportive work environment. As a constituent organization, along with the Faculty Senate and Associated Students, the Staff Assembly shall operate as a recognized part of the University governance system to provide a forum for open communication and ongoing dialogue among staff and between staff and administration. The Assembly shall be a consultative and deliberative body with authority to make recommendations on all matters which have a significant bearing on the working environment of the staff. The Staff Assembly, through its elected representatives, will serve as the official nominating body for staff appointments to administrative committees, and for other task forces and search committees as requested.

Article II - Membership

The membership of the Staff Assembly shall consist of all Santa Clara University employees whose primary purpose is staff rather than faculty or student and who are not represented by a collective bargaining unit.

Article III - Body of Elected Representatives

1. Name - The body of elected representatives shall be called the Staff Assembly Council, hereinafter referred to as the Council.
   
   
2. Representative Eligibility - The eligibility of Staff Assembly members to serve as Council members shall be defined as: staff members with a continuing 50% or more appointment, and who have completed one year of employment prior to the beginning of their elected term.
   
   
3. Terms of Office - Elected representatives shall serve for a term of two years. The terms shall be staggered so that approximately one-half of the membership of the Council shall be elected annually. Newly elected representatives shall take office on the first day of July following the elections.
   
   
4. Duties and Responsibilities
   
   
   1. Act as the liaison between staff assembly members in the representative's area and the Council, responsible for the flow of information and ideas.
      
      
   2. Communicate back to the members of the represented area discussions, decisions, suggestions, and proposals deliberated by the Council.
      
      
   3. Disseminate information and represent area concerns.
      
      
   4. Post and/or distribute notifications of meetings and agendas to the constituents.
      
      
5. Attendance
   
   
   1. Meetings of the Council may be called during regular working campus hours, and Council members shall be excused from their work duties in order to attend these meetings.
      
      
   2. Any member of the Council who misses three (3) meetings per fiscal year without justifiable cause shall be considered to have resigned as a representative. Notification of absence should be sent to the Council Secretary. If representatives will be absent for more than two consecutive meetings they must notify the President.

Article IV - Election of Council Representatives

1.      Election Year.  As used in this Article IV, the terms “election year” and “year” shall refer to the calendar year in which the election of representatives takes place.

2.      Departmental Groups: 

1.    Assembly members shall be assigned to departmental groups that are based upon the department to which they are assigned by the Human Resources department and the grouping of those departments based upon a commonality of interest.  Departments have a “commonality of interest” based upon their primary mission in the University community.    

2.    The initial set of departmental groups is set forth in attachment A to the these bylaws.

3.    It shall be the responsibility of the Elections Committee to review the assignment of members to departmental groups prior to the annual election of representatives and to make recommendations to the Council for reassignment to comply with the principles set forth above.  Such recommendations shall be made at the February meeting of the Council. 

3.     Representatives: Council members shall represent the departmental group in which they are employed as of April 1 of the election year and will be elected by the Staff Assembly members of that departmental group as of that date.

1.    A departmental group shall be entitled to one representative for every 30 Assembly members in the group.

2.   If the number of members in a group exceeds the number of representatives computed above multiplied by 30 plus 15, the group shall be entitled to one additional representative. 

3.   Notwithstanding the above specifications, each departmental group shall have at least one representative to the Council even if that group does not have 30 members. 

4.      Nominations

1.  Staff Assembly members from a given departmental group may nominate a member from that group to run for election to the Council. Departmental group members may nominate themselves.

2.     Nominations will be solicited during the first 10 working days in April of each year. 

1.   A separate solicitation for each departmental group shall be sent by email to the Assembly members of that group. 

2.   Each solicitation shall contain a complete list of eligible candidates for the departmental group.

3.   The solicitation date shall be the date of the email. 

3.   Nominations shall be made via reply email only. 

4.  Nominations must be received by a date specified by the Elections Committee in the nomination solicitation which shall not be sooner than 10 working days after the date of solicitation of nominations.

5.    Nominees who wish to stand for election will seek and obtain support from their immediate supervisors to assume the duties and obligations of the position. Insofar as the University recognizes the benefit of staff participation in governance, it is expected that supervisors will reasonably accommodate such requests.

6.    Eligibility and willingness of nominees shall be verified by the Elections Committee.

Elections

1.    Elections shall take place during the first 10 working days of May.

2.    Elections shall be conducted by secure online voting in a manner to be determined by the Elections Committee.

4.      Vacancies

1.    Vacancies occurring during the term of an elected represented will be filled by the candidate obtaining the second highest number of votes (runner up) during the previous election for the same seat which has been vacated. This individual will complete the term of the vacated seat. If there is no runner up to the vacated position, then the Elections Committee will hold a special election. However, no special elections will be run for any vacancies occurring after December 31st.

2.    After the close of the special elections period for the year, if there is no runner up to fill the vacated seat, the Council will approve an interim representative recommended by the Elections Committee to fill the vacancy. The interim representative will not be required to meet the one-year eligibility period in effect for elected representatives. Instead, the interim representative will be required to have met a six-month eligibility period prior to the start of his/her sitting on the Council. The interim representative will not be a voting member of the Council. The interim representative will serve until the next general election.

Article V - Council Officers

1. Officers
   
   The officers of the Council shall be a President, a Vice President, and a Secretary.
   
   
2. Eligibility
   
   Council members continuing for a 2nd year and those elected to serve a consecutive term are eligible for election to the offices of Council President and Vice President. The Secretary may be elected from newly elected and continuing members of the Council.
   
   
3. Election of Officers
   
   The officers shall be elected by the incoming and continuing Council representatives at a special meeting in June. The officers will serve a term of one year beginning July 1.
   
   
4. Duties and Responsibilities
   
   The President shall:
   
   
   1. Preside at all meetings of the Council and the Executive Committee.
      
   2. Represent the Council on the University Coordinating Committee (UCC).
      
   3. Serve as official representative of the Council at University functions.
      
   4. Produce an annual report of activities, accomplishments and concerns of the Council. This report shall be directed to the President of the University and all staff represented by the Council.
      
   5. In consultation with the Executive Committee, review reports, petitions, and proposals referred to the Council for possible action to determine whether or not they are in the jurisdiction of the Council and to refer them to appropriate committees who shall then make recommendations to the elected council representatives.
      
   6. With the Executive Committee, prepare and provide agenda to be distributed to other elected representatives.
      
   7. Upon termination of responsibilities as President, serve as ex-officio representative on the Executive Committee for one year.
      
      
   The Vice President shall:
   
   
   1. Assume the duties of the President, in the absence of the President, or at any other time upon the request of the President.
      
   2. Assume the duties of the President for the unexpired term in the event that the President is unable to complete the term of office.
      
   3. Represent the Council on the Staff Affairs Committee (SAC).
      
   4. Assume other duties as assigned by the Executive Committee.
   
   The Secretary shall
   
   
   1. Serve as President in the absence of the President and Vice President.
      
   2. Record the minutes of all Council meetings and distribute these minutes to all representatives for approval prior to the next meeting. Submit the minutes to the Communications Committee for posting.
      
   3. Prepare and distribute agenda for all Council meetings and submit the agenda to the Communications Committee for posting.
      
   4. Perform other duties as assigned by the Executive Committee.
      
   5. Maintain attendance files of representatives and inform the President if any Council member has missed three meetings without justifiable cause.
      
   6. If the Secretary is unable to take the minutes, then he/she must arrange for a replacement.
      
      
5. Recall
   
   An officer may be recalled by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of all of the elected members of the Council at a special meeting called for that purpose.
   

Article VI - Meetings

1. Staff Assembly Meetings
   
   The Staff Assembly shall meet at least once each calendar quarter. Special meetings of the Assembly may be called by the Executive Committee, majority of the Council, or by petition of one-fifth (1/5) of the Assembly membership.
   
   
2. Council Meetings
   
   
   1. Regular Council Meetings
      
      Regular meetings of the Council shall be held at least once a month for approximately two hours throughout the calendar year. Dates and times of these monthly meetings shall be established by Council representatives. Place of meetings, times and dates shall be published, and all meetings shall be open to Staff Assembly Members. Any member of the Staff Assembly may propose items to the Executive Committee for the Council agenda. Meetings of the Council are open to all members of the Assembly who may speak to matters on the agenda, or introduce new business, when recognized by the President. If the President chooses not to recognize such member, the President may be overrules by a majority of Council members present.
      
      
   2. Transition Council Meetings
      
      The regular meeting in June shall be known as the transitional meeting and shall be for the purpose of receiving annual reports, and conducting any other business that may arise. This shall be a joint meeting comprised of the incoming, continuing and outgoing representatives.
      
      At this meeting the incoming and continuing representatives shall elect officers for the coming year in accordance with Article V Section C.
      
      
   3. Special Council Meetings
      
      With at least five working days notice to all Council representatives, special meetings may be called by the President, or three voting members of the Executive Committee, or a majority of the Council, or the President of the University.
      
      
3. Quorum
   
   
   1. Quorum of the Assembly
      
      At any meeting of the Assembly for which notice and an agenda have been distributed to the Staff Assembly membership at least 10 days in advance of the date of the meeting, those members present shall constitute a quorum. For action on subjects which are not on the agenda or reasonably to be implied therefrom and at any meeting of the Assembly for which notice and an agenda have not been distributed to the members at least 10 days in advance of the meeting, one third (1/3) of the membership of the Assembly shall constitute a quorum. For the purposes of these Bylaws, the term "majority of the Assembly" shall mean "majority of the quorum."
      
      
   2. Quorum of the Council
      
      A simple majority (51%) of the elected Council representatives shall constitute a quorum.
      

Article VII - Committees

1. Committees
   
   Meetings of the Staff Assembly committees may be called during regular campus work hours, and committee members shall be excused from their work duties in order to attend these meetings. Committees are responsible for maintaining pertinent records of the committee's work. Committee chairs must be Council representatives and shall be elected annually by a majority vote of the Council. Unless otherwise specified, committee members may be Council members or may be chosen by the Executive Committee from interested members of the Assembly.
   
   
2. Executive Committee
   
   The Executive Committee will be comprised of the President, Vice President, Secretary and the chairs of the standing committees. The Vice President for Administration & Finance or his/her designee, the immediate past President of the Council, and the Chair of the Staff Affairs Committee (SAC) shall be ex officio members of the Executive Committee.
   
   The Executive Committee shall:
   
   
   1. Meet once each month two weeks prior to the regular meeting of the Council, unless otherwise arranged.
      
   2. Determine the agenda for the Council meetings.
      
   3. Form ad hoc committees and task forces. Solicit and select the members for those committees.
      
   4. Call emergency meetings of the Council when necessary.
      
   5. Act for the Council in emergency matters arising between meetings. Such actions shall be reported to the Council at its next meeting.
      
   6. Screen all referrals, petitions, resolutions, proposals, and committee reports, determine whether they are within the jurisdiction of the Council, and make appropriate recommendations to the Council, SAC, and/or the Council's standing committees.
      
      
3. Standing Committees
   
   During Spring Quarter, the Council will notify all members of the Staff Assembly of existing vacancies on the Council's three standing committees, the Elections Committee, the Communications Committee, and the Events Committee. Forms will be made available for completion and return by interested staff members. All forms will be submitted to the Executive Committee for consideration. Selection of standing committee members will be made from a pool of interested assembly members by voting members of the Executive Committee. Standing committee members shall serve two year staggered terms.
   
   
   1. Elections Committee
      
      The Elections Committee will consist of the Chair, elected by the Council, and five members selected by the Executive Committee. This committee will submit quarterly reports of its activities to the Executive Committee.
      
      The Elections Committee shall:
      
      
      1. Conduct the election process for Council members in accordance with the procedures listed in Article IV, Election of Council Representatives.
         
      2. Review the number of staff in various area and department relocations annually to update the data upon which the geographical distribution of representatives is based. This information will be used to update Appendix A, as necessary.
         
      3. Receive and analyze matters referred to it, prepare resolutions or amendments, make reports and recommendations to the Executive Committee, and submit a final written report to the Council President no more than 30 days after the conclusion of the activity.
         
         
   2. Communications Committee
      
      The Communications Committee will consist of the Chair, elected by the Council, and five members selected by the Executive Committee. This Committee will submit quarterly reports of its activities to the Executive Committee.
      
      The Communications Committee shall:
      
      
      1. Undertake responsibilities related to communications including the origination and distribution of all publicity and information relating to the Council.
         
      2. Be responsible for posting all communications and maintaining the Staff Assembly World Wide Web site.
         
      3. Maintain files of the Council.
         
      4. Maintain an up-to-date list of all Staff Assembly Members and their locations on campus with the assistance of the Department of Human Resources.
         
      5. Coordinate communications to Staff Assembly members.
         
         
   3. Events Committee
      
      The Events Committee will consist of the Chair, elected by the Council, and seven members selected by the Executive Committee. This committee will submit quarterly reports of its activities to the Executive Committee.
      
      The Events Committee shall:
      
      
      1. Organize and coordinate the Staff Faire.
         
      2. Work with the Department of Human Resources to organize and coordinate staff recognition functions.
         
      3. Organize and coordinate special events.

Article VIII - Parliamentary Authority

The rules contained in the Modern Edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the Council in all cases where they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order that Council may adopt.

Article IX - Amendment

These bylaws may be amended an any regular or special meeting of the Staff Assembly by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the members present, provided that the agenda (noting the revisions) and copies of the proposed amendment have been distributed to all members at least ten days in advance of the meeting.