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Bylaws of the Support Staff Senate

ARTICLE I. NAME AND AUTHORITY.

Section 1. Name. The name of the official support staff organization is the Support Staff Senate of Marywood University.

Section 2. Authority. The Support Staff Senate was established in 1995 with the approval of the President of the University.


ARTICLE II. PURPOSE.

Section 1. Advisory Body. The Senate is an advisory body through which the Support staff participates in the governance of the University and helps to advance its mission.

Section 2. Interests of the Support Staff. The Senate identifies the interests and represents the views of the support staff on matters of concern, and makes recommendations on its behalf.


ARTICLE III. FUNCTIONS.

Section 1. Informs Staff. The Senate endeavors to keep constituents advised of issues, policies, and activities affecting the welfare of the support staff.

Section 2. Addresses Staff Concerns. Through consideration of issues brought before it, the Senate identifies the concerns of the support staff and makes recommendations to the administration of the University for the welfare of its members.

Section 3. Reviews University Policies. The Senate reviews proposals referred to it for the development and revision of University policies and procedures and makes recommendations about them.


ARTICLE IV. STRUCTURE AND MEMBERSHIP.

Section 1. Structure. The Support Staff Senate consists of the Assembly, an Executive Council, standing committees, and ad hoc committees.

Section 2. Membership. All full-time members of the support staff of Marywood University are members of the Assembly.

Part time support staff members may attend meetings but may not vote, hold office, or serve on committees. By way of exception, a part time member of the support staff may submit a written petition to the Executive Council to become a member with full time privileges.

Termination of employment nullifies membership in the Senate.


ARTICLE V. EXECUTIVE COUNCIL AND COMMITTEES.

Section 1. Executive Council. The Executive Council consists of six members of the Assembly elected by majority vote: one representative each from the clerical/secretarial staff, security, maintenance/grounds, housekeeping, and two at-large representatives.

One of the at-large members is elected to serve as Chair and the other as Vice Chair of the Executive Council and the Assembly. Other officers include a Recording Secretary, a Parliamentarian, and a Treasurer. The Chair votes only in the event of a tie.

Elections are conducted by the Support Staff Senate Election Committee during the month of May and are effective the following July 1. The term of office is two years with eligibility for election to the same office limited to two full consecutive terms. Eligibility commences again after a period of at least one year has elapsed.

The Recording Secretary is appointed by the Executive Council.

In the event of a vacancy on the Executive Council, the first alternate on a rank-ordered list from the last preceding election shall fill the remainder of the term of office. The second ranking alternate then becomes the first alternate. In the event the position of Chair of the Executive Council is vacated, the Vice Chair shall assume those duties for the remainder of that term of office.

Assignments of Council responsibilities are made by mutual consent of the sitting members of the Executive Council.

Section 2. Standing Committees. A standing committee consists of at least three and not more than twelve members. Appointments are for one year and may be renewed for a maximum of five additional one-year terms. Appointments are made by the Executive Council during the first week of July. A vacancy during the year may be filled by appointment by the Executive Council.

Chairpersons of standing committees may be elected by the members of the committee or, at the option of the committee, may be appointed by the Executive Council.

No member of the Assembly shall serve on more than one standing committee at a time. No member of the Executive Council may serve as chair of a standing committee, but may attend and participate in its discussions. Executive Council members do not have the right to vote in the proceedings of a standing committee.

Standing committees of the Senate include the following:

Concerns Committee

Purpose: To investigate general support staff concerns and to develop strategies to deal with such concerns.

Election Committee

Purpose: To organize and conduct Support Staff Senate elections.

Social and Hospitality Committee

Purpose: To organize social and fundraising events for the support staff.

Section 3. Ad Hoc Committees. An ad hoc committee may be appointed for a specified period of time by the Executive Council with the concurrence of the Assembly. The Chair may be elected by the members of the committee or, at the option of the committee, may be appointed by the Executive Council.

Normally, members of the Assembly serve on no more than one ad hoc committee at a time. No member of the Executive Council may serve as chair of an ad hoc committee, but may attend and participate in the discussions of the committee. Executive Council members shall not have the right to vote in the proceedings of an ad hoc committee. Ad hoc committees shall present their findings on an issue to the Executive Council.

An ad hoc committee may be dissolved before the limit of its term by the Executive Council with the concurrence of the Assembly.


ARTICLE VI. MEETINGS.

Section 1. Regular Meetings. The Executive Council shall call a meeting of the Assembly once during the first thirty days of the fall and of the spring semesters and once during the summer.

Notice of a meeting and its agenda are communicated in writing by the Secretary of the Executive Council to all members of the Assembly at least one week in advance of the meeting.

Section 2. Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Assembly may be called by the Chair or by ten or more members of the Assembly. Should several members wish to call a meeting, they must submit a written request to the Chair, signed by at least ten members.

Section 3. Quorum. A quorum for the conduct of business at Assembly meetings is defined as the lesser of either forty voting members or 40 per cent of all members. An Executive Council or committee quorum is a simple majority of voting members.

Section 4. Action Without Formal Meeting. Any action required or permitted to be taken by the Assembly, the Executive Council, or any committee may be taken, if necessary, without a formal meeting. Mail or telephone may be used for polling. A report of the action must be ratified at the next meeting of the group involved and must be recorded in its minutes.


ARTICLE VII. REVIEW AND AMENDMENTS.

Section 1. Bylaws Review. Every three years, prior to the end of December, the Executive Council shall review these Bylaws.

Section 2. Amendments. An amendment may be proposed to the Assembly by the Executive Council after Bylaw review. Any member of the Assembly may propose an amendment to the Executive Council at any time.

A recommendation to amend the Bylaws may be approved by a two-thirds majority of the members present at an Assembly meeting, with due consideration of the requirement for a quorum.

The effective date of an amendment is the date of approval by the President of the University upon recommendation of the University Committee on Policy.

Section 3. Non-substantive Changes. The Secretary of the University maintains the official copy of these Bylaws in the Marywood University Policies and Procedures Manual. This assumes the authority to make grammatical, punctuation, and other non-substantive changes that improve the precision of its language.


ARTICLE VIII. PARTIAMENTARY AUTHORITY.

Any procedure not herein prescribed shall be governed by the latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order.

Related Policies and Committees

Policy - Employment Status for Administrative and Staff Positions
Policy - Professional Staff Senate
Policy - Bylaws of the Professional Staff Senate
Policy - Support Staff Senate

History of the Bylaws of the Support Staff Senate

03/14/97 - Bylaws approved by the President as recommended by University Committee on Policy
12/07/01 - Revision approved by the President of the University as recommended by the University Committee on Policy
04/04/06 - Revision approved by the President of the University as requested by the Support Staff Senate

Last update April 4, 2006
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