UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA WILMINGTON
STAFF COUNCIL BYLAWS
Originally Approved by the Staff Council September 8, 2004
ARTICLE I: NAME
The name of the body hereby constituted shall be the Staff Council, University of North Carolina Wilmington. (Hereafter in this document, the term "Council" shall refer to the Staff Council unless otherwise noted.)
ARTICLE II: MISSION STATEMENT AND GOALS
The Council was established to foster a spirit of unity, pride and cooperation among staff members by recognizing the leadership role staff plays in the daily work of the University. The Council advises the Chancellor and senior officers on issues and concerns that are important to staff and supports the administration in the achievement of the University’s mission. Specific goals of the Council include:
- Represent and advocate for SPA and EPA non-faculty employees.
- Provide a two-way medium for communication with the Chancellor regarding issues affecting staff.
- Ensure that staff members work in a positive, respectful atmosphere with opportunities for professional and personal growth.
- Develop constructive suggestions for consideration by senior officers.
- Facilitate a consensus voice for all staff through open meetings to seek ideas, and express, investigate and debate issues with the participation of a significant cross section of University staff members.
- Foster recognition of staff contributions to the University’s mission.
- Participate in and represent UNCW staff with the NC system-wide Staff Assembly.
- Encourage a sense of community among all University employees.
- Ensure ongoing communication regarding decisions made on staff-related issues as well as programs and benefits of interest to staff.
ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP
A. Representation
There shall be one Council member per block of fifty or less permanent SPA or EPA non-faculty employees; data is provided annually from Human Resources for this information. Representation shall be based on distribution across nine (9) areas. The areas represented include:
- Academic Affairs/Provost
- Advancement
- Athletics
- Business Affairs
- Center for Marine Science
- Chancellor
- Information Technology Systems Division
- Public Service & Continuing Studies
- Student Affairs
B. Election
Nominations shall be held on or before April 30th each year with elections by May 31st each year to replace members whose terms are expiring. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall coordinate an open campus wide nomination process, validate Nominees, and coordinate elections. Areas would be encouraged to nominate SPA and EPA non-faculty employees.
C. Election Procedures for Officers
The Officers of Council (Executive Committee) shall be elected at a regularly scheduled meeting each June using the following procedures:
- Nominations may be made to the Chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee. Only current members with one year of service on the Council shall be eligible for nomination as a member of the Executive Committee. A firm time will be set to close all nominations and absolutely no nominations can be accepted after that time.
D. Terms of Members
All members will be elected to serve two (2) year staggered terms. Terms will begin on July 1. The purposes of staggered terms are to assure continuity and to avoid full turnover in any year. The groups will be divided so as to constitute members from a diverse cross-section of the membership representation. Any vacant member position shall be appointed by the Executive Committee on an interim basis. When a vacancy occurs in any elected Council position, the area wherein the vacancy occurred shall elect a representative to complete the unexpired term. After the completion of a two-year term, members must take a one-year break before they can serve as a member of Staff Council.
E. Removal of Members
Any member can be removed for nonperformance of Council duties by a vote of two thirds (2/3) of the voting members of the Council. Nonperformance of Council duties may include, but is not limited to: non-attendance; defined as two (2) or more unexcused absences, unavailability of the member to the staff he/she represents, or conduct injurious to the Council, the University, or the purposes of the Council.
F. Duties
The members shall be responsible for attending regular scheduled meetings, considering all matters presented to it, making recommendations for agenda items, serving on committees, and performing such other business as presented to the Council and to advise the Chancellor and Senior Officers on matters of mutual concern to both administration and staff.
G. Ex Officio Members
The Council shall include a member from Human Resources, Chancellor’s Office, and Marketing and Communications as Ex Officio, non-voting, non-office holding members. Ex officio members cannot be counted to meet the quorum.
ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS OF COUNCIL
A. Officers and Duties
- Chair. The Chair shall preside at Council meetings, serve as Chair of the Executive Committee, call special meetings as necessary, perform other duties usual to the office, and confer with and report regularly to the Chancellor on matters pertaining to the staff, Council, and the university. The Chair is responsible for upholding the Bylaws of the Council and conducting all meetings. The Chair shall serve as a member of the Top Ten Issues Committee. The Chair shall serve for a period of one year. The Chair is the UNCW delegate to the system wide UNC Staff Assembly and shall serve for a period of 3 years. The Chair shall serve on the Staff Assembly Chairs Committee during his/her tenure as Chair. In the event the Chair is unable to represent UNCW at such Functions, the Chair Elect may be appointed to serve in this capacity. The Chair prepares the Council Annual Report for submission to the office of the President of the University System.
- Chair Elect. The duties of the Chair Elect shall be to preside at all meetings of the Staff Council in the absence of the Chair or in the event the Chair requests the Chair Elect to serve during the course of a meeting; to assist the Chair in performing leadership responsibilities; to serve by appointment on committees; to accept names of persons interested in serving on standing committees and to make appointments on the basis of the person's preference where possible or, in the absence of volunteers, make the necessary appointments to committees in consultation with the chair; to make appointments to fill vacancies on committees; and to call a meeting of any committee that is not fulfilling its responsibilities and establishing organization by dictum. The Chair Elect shall become exempt from the terms of members in Article III Section D.
- Past Chair (Year 1). The Past Chair shall serve in this office for a period of one year with alternating months of attendance to the monthly Council meetings. The duties of the Past-Chair shall be to assist as requested by the Chair, may serve as a resource for the Staff Council, to serve as Ex-officio member of the Executive committee and Staff Council. The Past Chair shall serve on the Nominations and Elections Committee. The Past Chair shall serve as a delegate to the UNC Staff Assembly for a period of 2 years and should serve on at least one committee on the UNC Staff Assembly each year of service.
- Past Chair (Year 2). The Past Chair Year 2 shall serve in this office for a period of one year with alternating months of attendance to the monthly Council meetings. The Past Chair Year 2 shall serve as an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Council. The duties of this officer shall be to assist as requested by the Chair and may serve as a historical resource for the Council. The Past Chair Year 2 shall serve as a delegate to the UNC Staff Assembly for a period of one year and should serve on at least one Staff Assembly committee during that year of service.
- Secretary. The duties of the Secretary shall be to take minutes and attendance records of each meeting, including the distribution of minutes to the Staff Council at least five working days before the next scheduled meeting of the Staff Council; to serve as Secretary of the Executive Committee, keep minutes of the committee's meetings and notify its members of meeting dates and locations; and to serve by appointment on committees.
- Treasurer. The Treasurer shall serve on the Executive Committee and be responsible for recording and disbursing funds allocated for the conduct of Council business and for any required financial reports concerning Council expenditures.
- Parliamentarian. The duties of the Parliamentarian shall be to ensure that the Chair or presiding officer abide by the stated rules of order during meetings; to serve as a resource to Staff Council officers and membership regarding the rules and usage of the stated rules of order; to preside at all meetings in the absence of both the Chair and Vice Chair; to serve as a member of the Bylaws Committee; and to serve by appointment on committees. In the event that the Chair, Vice Chair and Parliamentarian are unable to preside at a meeting, the Parliamentarian should notify the Secretary to cancel the meeting.
B. Elected officers shall form the Executive Committee.
C. Election Procedures for Officers.
The Officers of Council shall be elected at a regularly scheduled meeting each June using the following procedures:
- Nominations may be made to the Chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee. Only current members with one year of service on the Council shall be eligible for nomination as Chair; all other officer positions may be filled by current members without regard to years of service on the Council. A firm time will be set to close all nominations and absolutely no nominations can be accepted after that time.
- The Nominations and Elections Committee shall contact the nominees. Each person named on the ballot must accept the nomination and consent to their name being placed on the ballot.
- Once the nominations have been confirmed, the ballot shall be prepared for the election.
- The new officers shall begin service on July 1 of each year.
ARTICLE V: COMMITTEES
A. Standing Committee Chairs
The Chair shall accept volunteers to chair the standing committees each July. If more than one person volunteers to chair a committee, the committee chair would be determined by a vote of the Council at large. If no one volunteers to chair a committee, the Chair shall appoint a Council member to chair a committee.
B. Standing Committees
Standing Committees of the Council are ongoing regular committees that review, recommend and respond to issues related to the activities and guidelines for the Council. Standing Committee Chairs are appointed from the general Council and serve as Chair for one year. Standing Committees of the Council are as follows:
- Executive Committee- Comprised of the Chair, -Chair Elect, Past Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and Parliamentarian. The Executive Committee makes decisions for the Council in emergency situations, develops meeting agendas for the entire Council, annually reviews Council guidelines and recommends motions to the Council.
- Bylaws Committee- This committee reviews and recommends changes to the Bylaws and procedures of the Council. Any updates to the bylaws are due by May of each year.
- Nominations and Elections Committee- This committee shall handle all nominations and elections procedures as set forth in the bylaws. It shall also be the responsibility of the Committee to contact the nominated candidates prior to the May meeting to be sure they are willing to serve and to fully explain the duties and length of term of each office to the potential candidates.
- Communications Committee – This committee develops and implements a variety of communications with the Council’s constituencies, paying particular attention to communications with SPA and EPA non-faculty employees at UNCW concerning Council activities and opportunities. One member of the Communications committee will serve as the Staff Council webmaster and is thus responsible for updating and maintaining the Council website.
- Orientation Committee- This committee educates newly elected members and alternates to enable them to become fully contributing members of the Council at their first official meeting, conducts any retreats of the Council and provides continuing development for members. The chair of this committee represents Staff Council during HR’s New Employee Orientation sessions.
- Scholarship Committee - This committee monitors the activity of the Scholarship fund as well as the application and award process for the fall and spring semesters. This includes promoting the application period and establishing guidelines for the1) written application, 2) rating system and 3) selection process for use by the Council. The Scholarship Committee will review all scholarship applications and present a single applicant to the full Staff Council for approval as the scholarship recipient. Upon approval of a recipient by the Council, the committee works with the Staff Senate Chair and Financial Aid Department to distribute a congratulatory letter to the student and ensure the funds are transferred to the student’s account.
- Public Relations - This committee promotes the Objective and accomplishments of the Staff Council. The members recommend new objectives that involve SPA and EPA non-faculty personnel and the Staff Council. The committee works with Marketing and Communications to make sure the Staff Council is recognized for their efforts. A person is assigned from the committee members to send thank you notes on behalf of the Staff Council. The committee’s current focus is to have highlights on specific divisions, to provide updates to @uncw and to promote training opportunities. Members of the Public Relations committee will take turns serving as the Staff Council representative at Faculty Senate meetings.
- Fund Raising - This committee does fundraisers to increase the base in the Staff Scholarship fund. The committee works with Staff Council to establish fund raising events and solicits volunteers to help with those special projects. The ex-officio representative from the Chancellor’s Office works with the council’s treasurer to insure proper accounting of funds.
- Top 10 Issues - This committee works to articulate the Top 10 issues identified by SPA and EPA non-faculty to be brought forth to the Chancellor on an ongoing basis. The committee’s findings are presented to the Staff Council for review prior to submission to the Chancellor.
- Legislative Education Committee – This committee informs current SPA and EPA non-faculty about issues regarding legislation in the North Carolina House and Senate and the US Congress that directly impacts the employment of SPA and EPA non-faculty at the university. The committee collects information about pending legislation regarding salaries, health care, university funding issues, and other issues pertaining in like scope, communicates pending legislation without prejudice, and creates means for SPA and EPA non-faculty to communicate individual opinions or desires to legislatures under university and State guidelines.
C. Ad Hoc Committees
The chair of the Council may appoint various ad hoc committees to deal with specific issues or to assist the full Council. These committees may include any combination of members of the general staff, administration and faculty. The Council may also establish ad hoc committees and specify the method of selecting their members.
D. Basic Charge to Sub-Committees
- Each committee is empowered to investigate issues in its area of responsibility for report to the Council.
- Each committee shall present a written report of its activities to the Executive Committee at the June meeting for inclusion in the Annual Report of the Council. The report shall include a list of all items placed on the committee agenda and not the disposition of each.
- Reports providing information and results of investigations shall be submitted to the Executive Committee for inclusion on the agenda. Each committee shall report on its activities at each Council Meeting.
ARTICLE VI: MEETINGS
A. Meeting Schedule and Attendance
The Council shall meet monthly beginning in July of the Fiscal Year at a time agreed upon by the Council. These meetings are open meetings. All Council meetings shall be announced in a media widely available to the University. Attendance at meetings and activities is considered work time provided arrangements have been made with the appropriate supervisor for attendance. It is expected that members shall attend all Council meetings and other activities and shall be given permission to adequately represent their constituencies in this manner. Attendance by non Council members at monthly meetings, committee meetings and other activities is strictly voluntary.
B. Agenda for Regular Meetings
- Items to be reported or discussed should be sent to the Chair of Staff Council at least two (2) days prior to the meeting.
- The Chair shall prepare an agenda for each meeting. The order of business shall be:
- Call to order
- Confirmation of quorum by Chair Elect
- Approval of the minutes
- Reports from the Chair
- Committee Reports
- Old Business
- New Business
- Adjournment
- The agenda will also provide for updates by the University Chancellor or designee, as well as guest speakers, as needed.
C. Minutes and Custodian of Records
Minutes shall be taken at each meeting. The minutes are to be made available for inspection by all staff at a place or location to be determined by the Staff Council. The Secretary of the Council shall serve as custodian of the Records according to the university’s retention policy.
D. Special Meeting
The Chair may call a special meeting of the Executive Committee or full Staff Council. A special meeting may be requested by a member of the Executive Committee, the Chancellor of the University, an active Council member or by an individual presenting the request directly to the Chair. The request for the meeting must include an agenda. At least two (2) working days must lapse between the announcement of a meeting and the scheduled date of the meeting.
E. Closed Session
When matters of a confidential nature shall be discussed, a member of the Executive Committee may call a Closed Session. Provided it conforms to the rules and conditions of the N.C. Open Meetings Law. Closed sessions are for Staff Council members only.
F. Quorum
A 2/3 majority of the members of the Council shall constitute a quorum for meetings of the Council.
ARTICLE VII: PARLIAMENTARY OF PROCEDURE
The current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern this Council in all parliamentary procedures in which they are applicable and in which they are consistent with the University’s Policies & Procedures.
ARTICLE VIII: AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS
A. Amendments to the bylaws may be proposed by any member of the Council at a regular meeting to be referred to the bylaws committee for study and recommendation for a vote at the next regular meeting.
B. Amendments to the bylaws shall be approved by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the full membership of the Council.
C. These bylaws shall be reviewed by the Bylaws Committee at least once a year and updated as necessary.
LAST REVISED: Dec. 10, 2008
