Staff Advisory Council By-Laws

ARTICLE I: NAME The name of the Council shall be the State University of West Georgia Staff Advisory Council. (Hereafter in this document, the term Council shall refer to the Staff Advisory Council and the term Chair shall refer to the Chair of the Council.) 

ARTICLE II: FUNCTIONS AND POWERS The Council shall act as an advisory body to the University President and shall act on behalf of the staffof the University where there is a need for a uniform policy throughout the University.  The Council shall endeavor to enhance the flow of communication among all sectors of the University and to make recommendations concerning actions of the University which have an impact on classified staff.  All actions of the Council which impact on the operation of the University are subject to the approval of the President of the University. 

ARTICLE III:  ORGANIZATION The Council shall have the power to create its own bylaws and policies consistent with the Policies of the Board of Regents and with University Statutes, and through its Bylaws shall establish appropriate committees needed for the handling of its business. 

ARTICLE IV: MEMBERSHIP The membership of the Staff Advisory Council shall be elected by and from the classified personnel as defined in the Policies of the Board of Regents and in the Personnel and Policies procedures section of the Business Procedures Manual of the Board of Regents.  Elections shall be conducted in accordance with the Bylaws of the Council. 

Section I.  Representatives. 

A.  Qualifications. 

1. Representatives must be regular full-time employees with benefits. 
2. Representatives must have one (1) year of continuous service at State   University of West Georgia by May 1 of the election year.

B.  Duties. 

1. Representatives shall attend all regular meetings as well as special or called meetings. 
2. Representatives shall serve on committees of the Council and may be elected as officers of such committees.
3. Representatives shall encourage comments and suggestions from their constituents concerning staff related matters and forward them to the Council. 
4. Representatives shall be allowed time to attend Council meetings as well as a reasonable amount of time to devote to Council work. 

C.  Terms of Office. The term of office for representatives shall begin with the July meeting of the Council.  Terms shall be for two (2) years and a representative can be elected for a maximum of two (2) consecutive terms.  However, if a representative fulfills an unexpired term vacated by another representative, the individual may serve up to one year in that capacity and be elected to two (2) additional consecutive terms ( a combined maximum of five (5) successive years). 

D.  Vacancies.  If a vacancy in a Council seat occurs through resignation or expulsion from the Council or termination of employment, the staff member who was runner-up in the General Election in the departing member's area shall assume the duties of the vacating member.  In the event of a tie for runner-up, a runoff election shall be held within thirty (30) days of the vacancy. 

E.  Removal From Office.  A representative can be removed from office by his or her constituents.  A signed petition from at Appendix A for number of representatives by Division) 

G.  Numbers.  There shall be a Council representative for every one to thirty (01-30) staff members to be elected from the six major areas of representation.  There shall also be two (2) at-large representatives.  The number of representatives will be computed every three (3) years or as deemed necessary by the SAC using the employment statistics effective May 1 of that calendar year.  Appointment will take place the next election of SAC members such that the revised numbers will be seated in the July meeting of the SAC. 

Section II. Nominations, Elections, and Voting.

A. General. The nominations, elections, and voting processes shall be handled by the Elections Committee. The nomination process will begin no earlier than May 1 and end no later than May 31. Representatives from Divisions I through IV and one at-large representative shall be elected on even numbered years. Representatives from Division V through VII and the other at-large representative shall be elected in odd numbered years. Representatives will be elected by simple majority and take office on July 1. In the event of a tie, a runoff election shall be held. 

B. Voting Procedures.

1. The committee will request staff printouts from Personnel. 
2. Ballot forms with voting instructions will be mailed to each staff member. 
3. Ballots will  be returned by mail to the committee. 
4. Ballots will be kept confidential. 
5. After the voting deadline has passed, the ballots will be counted. 
6. Ballots received after the deadline will be void. 
7. Notification of results will be mailed to staff members within seven (7) days of the voting deadline. 

ARTICLE V: OFFICERS & ELECTIONS

Section I. Titles of Officers. 

The officers of the State University of West Georgia Staff Advisory Council shall be a Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and Immediate Past Chair.  Section II. Duties.

A. Chair.

1. Preside at all meetings of the Council. 
2. Maintain and update a calendar of events relevant to the Council. 
3. Prepare a written annual report and make it available to all State University of West Georgia Staff Advisory Council Bylaws members prior to the July meeting. 
4. Serve as an ex-officio member on all Council committees. 
5. Serve as liaison to the University President. 

B. Vice-Chair. 

1. Assume the duties of the Chair in his or her absence. 
2. Assist the Chair in performing leadership responsibilities. 
3. Assist committees as needed. 
4. Call a meeting of any committee that is not fulfilling its responsibilities for the State University of West Georgia Staff Advisory Council and establish organization by dictum. 

C. Secretary . 

1. Record minutes of all Council meetings. 
2. Distribute minutes of the past meeting and agenda for the upcoming meeting to all representatives at least five (5) working days before the next scheduled meeting. 
3. Notify Council members of dates and times of regular monthly and special or called Council meetings. 

D. Treasurer. Liaison between Council and President's office with regard to Budget and expenditures. (Travel, Publications & Printing, Campus/Community Activities.) 

E. Immediate Past Chair. 

1. Act as advisor to the Council. 
2. Serve as ex-officio member of the Council. 

Section III. Nominations and Election of Officers . 

A. Nominations. The Council shall nominate and elect its officers (Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer) at the July meeting. Officers shall be elected by secret ballot. A Council member may not hold more than one of the aforementioned offices at a time. No member may serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office. 

B. Unexpired Term. In the event the Chair is unable to complete his or her term of office, the Vice-Chair will assume the office of Chair for the remainder of the term. In the event the office of Vice-Chair, Secretary, or Treasurer becomes vacant, the Chair will call a special election within thirty (30) days to fill the vacancy. 

ARTICLE VI: COMMITTEES

Section I. Standing Committees. 

The standing committees will be the Benefits Committee, Bylaws Committee, Elections
Committee, Public Relations Committee, and Staff Development Committee. Each committee shall have a minimum of three (3) members at least two (2) of which are Council members.  The remaining members may be staff, faculty, or students. Each committee shall elect a Chair and a Secretary. 

A. Benefits Committee.  The Benefits Committee shall address staff members' concerns regarding benefits and either make a recommendation or refer them to the appropriate area of expertise.  Included but not limited to examples of benefits to be considered are insurance, classification/compensation, employee recognition, parking, food services, dependent care, tuition/fee waivers, and employee lounges. 

B. Bylaws Committee.  The Bylaws Committee shall operate as outlined in Article VII of the State University of West Georgia Staff Advisory Council Bylaws. 

C. Elections Committee.  The Elections Committee shall operate as outlined in Article III, Section II of the State University of West Georgia Staff Advisory Council Bylaws. 

D. Public Relations Committee.  The Public Relations Committee shall be responsible for planning and coordinating activities approved by the Council. 
At the approval of the SAC, this Committee will act as a liaison between the SAC and UWG Department of Public Relations to communicate SAC information to the University, the news media, and the outside community. 

E. Staff Development Committee.  The Staff Development Committee shall consider options for career and professional development, orientation/mentoring, diversity in the workplace, and basic skills development. This committee shall work closely with the Human Resource Department in enhancing and developing Staff Development programs. 

F. Ad Hoc Committees .  Ad Hoc Committees will be established as needed and disbanded when they have fulfilled the purpose for forming the committee. 

Section III.  Basic Guidelines for Standing Committees 

1. Each committee is empowered to investigate issues in its area of responsibility for report to the SAC. 
2. The initial meeting of each committee will be convened within three weeks of the July meeting of the SAC. Each standing committee will meet at least once every two months. 
3. Each committee will present a written annual report of its activities to the Executive Committee at the June meeting for inclusion in the Archives of the SAC. The report will include a list of all items placed on the committee agenda and note the disposition of each. 
4. Reports providing information and results of investigations will be submitted to  the Executive Committee for inclusion on the agenda. Each committee will specifically  report on the disposition of each item. 
5. Recommendations to the SAC will be submitted to the Executive Committee for inclusion in the agenda. 

Meetings shall be governed by Article VII of the State University of West Georgia Staff Advisory Bylaws. 

ARTICLE VII: MEETINGS

Section I. 

A meeting of the Council shall be held at least once each Semester. 

1. Notification of the date, time, and place of meetings along with a copy of the agenda for the pending meeting will be mailed to each Council member at least three (3) days prior to the scheduled Council meeting. 
2. Special meetings may be called by the Chair as the need arises. Notification of the date, time and place of a called meeting must be mailed to Council members at least five (5) days before the scheduled special meeting. Only business specified in the call of the meeting shall be discussed at special called meetings. 
3. A Staff Forum shall be held annually to share common concerns and interests, pose  questions, and provide the opportunity to share information with the staff. Suggested meeting time mid to late August. 

Section II. Quorum.

A simple majority of the membership of the Council shall constitute a quorum. A quorum is necessary to conduct any business. 

Section III. Order of Business. 

The order of business shall be: 

1. Call to order. 
2. Approval of minutes from the previous meeting.
3.   Committee reports. 
4. Unfinished business from previous meetings. 
5. New business. 
6. Miscellaneous (comments, announcements, tributes). 
7. Adjournment. 
   

ARTICLE VIII: AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS Staff members may propose amendments to these bylaws at any time by submitting a petition stating the changes to the Council at a regular Council meeting. The petition must be signed by at least twenty (20) percent of all Staff members. The Chair will refer the proposal to the Bylaws Committee. The Bylaws Committee shall report its findings to the Council no later than the next regular Council meeting. Proposed amendments in conflict with State University of West Georgia policies, the University System of Georgia policies, or state or federal laws shall be so documented and returned to the petitioners. All other proposed amendments shall be put before the Staff for a vote within ten (10) working days of the Bylaws Committee report. A two-thirds majority vote shall be sufficient to adopt the amendment. 

ARTICLE IX: PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY The rules contained in the current edition of Roberts Rules of Order shall govern the Council and its committees in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are consistent with these bylaws, any special rules of order the Council may adopt, State University of West Georgia policies, University System of Georgia policies, state laws, and/or federal laws. 

ARTICLE X: ADOPTION OF THE BYLAWS These bylaws shall become effective on the date they are approved by the State University of West Georgia Staff. A two-thirds majority of respondents in favor shall be sufficient for adoption. 

If there a staff issue you would like SAC to address, please contact StaffAC@westga.edu