BY-LAWS
MOREHEAD STATE UNIVERSITY
STAFF CONGRESS
ARTICLE I
REPRESENTATION
Section 1. Responsibility
Each Representative is bound to keep informed and to represent the interest of his/her constituency.
Section 2. Election Process
A. Staff Congress elections shall be the responsibility of the Credentials and Elections Committee pursuant to the following:
1. Staff Congress elections shall be held in a manner and at a time to be determined by the Credentials and Elections Committee in accordance with the election processes set forth below.
2. Within each employment (EEO) category, the candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall serve the vacant three-year term. In the event of a tie, the winner shall be decided by a runoff election. All runoff elections will be held exactly two full weeks following the initial election and will be prescheduled with a date and time determined by the Credentials and Elections Committee. Runoff elections would include both Staff Congress Candidate elections and Staff Regent Candidate elections.
B. Staff Congress elections shall be conducted each year during the month of April.
C. Information shall be circulated prior to the election month to announce and explain the election process.
D. Each eligible staff employee may be a candidate for election to the Staff Congress by making his/her wishes know in writing to the Credentials and Elections Committee. A candidate may represent and be elected by only one of the six employment categories or by the at-large category.
E. The Credentials and Elections committee will appoint representatives to receive all nominations at one designated location. Each nomination must be completed entirely and include the nominee's full name, constituency category (EEO or At-Large), agreement to be elected and the signature of both the nominee and nominator. Individuals may nominate themselves for Staff Congress.
F. If online voting is not feasible, the Credentials and Elections Committee shall designate polling locations with voting provisions made for afternoon, night shift and off-campus employees.
G. Eligible staff members who cannot vote during the designated times will be allowed to vote by absentee ballot. Absentee ballot procedures will be determined and distribution by the Credentials and Election Committee.
H. Eligible voters shall only vote for nominees in their own employment category and in the at-large category. The maximum number of votes per staff member shall be the number to be elected from his/her employment category and from the at-large category.
Section 3. Representation (By EEO Category)
A. Each regular full-time University staff member is eligible for nomination and election to the Staff Congress.
B. Twenty Staff Congress representatives will be elected to proportionately represent each of the following employment EEO categories based on percentages of employees in each EEO category. The total number of Staff Congress representatives shall total twenty with a minimum of two representatives per category:
Skilled Crafts (06 non-exempt)
Technical/Paraprofessional (05 non-exempt)
Secretarial/Clerical (04 non-exempt)
Service/.Maintenance (07 non-exempt)
Professional/Non-faculty (03 non-exempt)
Executive/Managerial (01 exempt)
Percentages are to be reviewed annually by the Credentials and Elections Committee at least 6 months prior to the date of the next election with adjustments made according to the number of employees then employed in each EEO category.
C. In addition ten Staff Representatives shall be elected as at-large candidates. At-large candidates are not based on percentages of employees in each EEO category and will abide by the same guidelines addressed within Section 4 – Term of Office.
D. The Staff Regent, Faculty Senate Chair, and President of Student Government Association shall be ex-officio members of the Staff Congress.
Section 4. Term of Office
A. Each Representative will be elected for a term of three years.
B. Terms shall begin with the first regular meeting in July.
C. Terms shall be staggered so that one third of the Staff Congress Representatives are elected annually.
D. Each Representative shall retain his/her seat until an election has been conducted to select a successor, and the successor has been seated.
Section 5. Permanent Vacancy
A. A vacancy occurs:
When an elected Representative terminates employment with the University.
When a Representative misses three consecutive meetings or five meetings within the Congress year as determined by the Credentials and Elections Committee. A representative removed from office may appeal to the C & E Committee within 5 working days of notification.
When a candidate is not nominated or elected to serve the unexpired term of a vacancy or an expired term.
When a Representative transfers from one position to another within the University and changes his/her EEO category (At-Large Representatives are exempt.).
When a representative resigns his/her seat on Staff Congress.
B. When a vacancy occurs, the candidate in the employment category receiving the next highest number of votes in the last election will be appointed. In the event a candidate is not available or declines appointment, the Credentials and Elections Committee shall recommend a replacement within the same voting Category to Staff Congress for its approval. If a replacement is not recommended by the Credentials and Elections Committee, the term shall remain vacant until the next regularly scheduled election.
C. The appointee will serve the remainder of the current year. The vacancy will then be placed for election for the unexpired term.
D. A temporary leave of absence of up to one year may be granted by petitioning the Congress. If approved, a replacement shall be chosen according to Items B and C of this section
Section 6. Duties
A. Each Representative shall attend all meetings and serve on committees as assigned.
B. Each Representative shall be familiar with Staff Congress business and be willing respond to questions from his/her constituency.
C. Each Representative shall have one vote and may not vote by proxy.
ARTICLE II
The Vice President for Administration and Fiscal Services will function as a liaison between Staff Congress and the President and may be requested to attend meetings of Staff Congress.
ARTICLE III
OFFICERS
Section 1. Officers
The Staff Congress shall annually elect three officers from its membership to serve a one year or until their respective successors have been elected and seated. The officer must have one year experience as a member of Staff Congress and receive the highest number of votes cast for the office. These officers, the Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary shall comprise the Executive Council with the immediate past Chair of the Staff Congress and Committee Chairs serving as ex-officio members of the Executive Council.
Section 2. Eligibility - Who May Vote
All elected members of the Staff Congress are eligible for election to the offices stated in Section 1 of this Article. Only elected members of Staff Congress may nominate and vote to elect any officer of Staff Congress.
Section 3. Election of Officers
Election of Officers stated in Section 1 of this Article shall be conducted by secret ballot at the July meeting of Staff Congress with newly appointed officers assuming positions in August with outgoing Chair presiding over July meeting.
A. The Parliamentarian of Staff Congress shall be the presiding officer for that portion of the meeting devoted to such elections. The Parliamentarian shall appoint two Representatives to serve as tellers in the count of votes cast in these elections. Any representative nominated for an office shall be ineligible to serve as a teller in the count of the votes for the office to which he/she has been nominated; in which case, the Parliamentarian shall appoint a temporary teller to count the votes.
B. An election to fill a vacancy in the office of either Vice Chair or Secretary of the Staff Congress shall be conducted at the next regular meeting after such vacancy occurs. Such election shall be conducted as described in Section 3 (A) of this Article.
C. In the event a vacancy of the Chair occurs, the Vice Chair as stated in Section 5 (Duties of the Vice-Chair), will fill the office.
D. In the event the Parliamentarian is not available, the Chair of the Credentials and Elections Committee will preside over the Officer Elections as described in Section 3 (A) of this article.
Section 4. Duties of the Chair
The duties and function of the Chair of the Staff Congress shall be:
A. To preside at all meetings of the Congress.
B. To determine, in consultation with the Secretary of the Congress, the agenda for all meetings.
C. To issue calls for both regular and special meetings through the Secretary and in accordance with Section 5 of Article IV of these Bylaws.
D. To receive all matters directed to the Staff Congress and to refer these to the Staff Congress or to one of its committees, as appropriate.
E. To represent the Staff Congress in the University community and in the community at large.
F. To appoint all ad hoc committees as described in Article IV of these bylaws and, as appropriate, to appoint Staff Representatives to University groups with designated staff representation.
G. To enforce the Constitution and Bylaws of the Staff Congress.
H. To exercise other duties and functions, including all fiscal responsibilities, as specified by the Staff Congress.
Section 5. Duties of the Vice-Chair
The duties of the Vice-Chair of the Staff Congress shall be:
A. To preside at meetings of the Staff Congress in the absence of the Chair.
B. To become Chair in the event a vacancy occurs in the office of the Chair and to notify Representatives of the Staff Congress, in writing, that he/she has become Chair.
C. To represent the Staff Congress when appointed to do so by the Chair.
D. To facilitate maintenance of Staff Congress Web site.
E. To perform other duties as specified by the Chair.
Section 6. Duties of the Secretary
The duties and functions of the Secretary of the Staff Congress shall be:
A. To keep and record accurate minutes of regular and special meetings of the Staff Congress and to distribute copies of (the minutes) to Representatives of Staff Congress at least five working days prior to the next meeting.
B. To keep a roll of the membership of Staff Congress and an accurate record of each Representative’s attendance at meetings of the Staff Congress.
C. To assist the Chair in determining the agenda for meetings of the Staff Congress as set forth in Section 4 of Article IV of these Bylaws.
D. To issue notices for all meetings of the Staff Congress as set forth in Section 3 of Article IV of these Bylaws.
E. To preside at meetings of the Staff Congress in the absence of both the Chair and Vice-Chair and to appoint a Secretary Pro-tem to record the minutes of such meetings.
F. To maintain and report the budget of Staff Congress.
G. To perform other duties as specified by the Chair.
Section 7. Appointment and Duties of the Parliamentarian
Within one week following the election of officers, the Chair of the Staff Congress shall appoint a Representative to serve as Parliamentarian. The duties of the Parliamentarian shall be:
A. To assist the Chair in maintaining order at meetings of Staff Congress.
B. To interpret and apply Robert's Rule of Order (latest revision) when requested by either the Chair or by motion duly adopted by the Staff Congress.
C. To serve as presiding officer of the Staff Congress only for that portion of the July meeting in which officers are to be elected in accordance with Section 3 of the Article.
D. To keep and maintain an accurate and up-to-date copy of the Constitution, Bylaws, and all amendments made thereto and to transmit the same to his/her successor.
E. To serve as Parliamentarian for a term of one year concurrent with the term of the Chair of Staff Congress.
Section 8. Removal of Staff Congress Officers
An officer of the Staff Congress may be removed from office upon determination of willful violation of the Staff Congress Constitution, Bylaws, or policies or procedures; malfeasance in office; or neglect of duty to the Congress. No officer shall be removed without approval of two thirds of the elected membership of Staff Congress.
A. A petition requesting the removal of an officer must be signed by one-third of the membership and must specify the grounds for such removal.
B. Such petition shall be delivered to the Chair of the Credentials and Elections committee. The Chair will immediately deliver a copy of such petition, without signatures, to the officer named therein and schedule a meeting of the Credentials and Elections Committee to consider the petition.
C. The officer named in the petition shall have five working days from the date of receipt of the copy of the petition from the Credentials and Elections Committee to respond either in writing or in person to the Credentials and Elections Committee.
D. The Credentials and Elections Committee shall consider all information pertinent to the petition. The Committee shall make its recommendation to Staff Congress no later than the second regular meeting of the Staff Congress following receipt of the petition. A complete and confidential record of its proceedings shall be maintained by the Credentials and Elections Committee.
E. Staff Congress, in an executive session (as stated in Article IV, Section 7), shall discuss the recommendation of the Credentials and Elections Committee concerning the removal of an officer. The Chair of the Credentials and Elections Committee will preside over the proceedings.
F. Staff Congress, in open session, shall vote by secret ballot on the recommendation of the Credentials and Elections Committee. A member of the Credentials and Elections Committee will tally ballots. Results will be announced to the Congress by the Chair of the Credentials and Elections Committee.
G. If at any point during the proceedings indicated in this section, the officer named in the petition for removal voluntarily resigns form office, the petition for removal shall be considered void.
ARTICLE IV
MEETINGS
Section 1. Time
The Staff Congress shall meet at least once a month.
Section 2. Place
The Staff Congress shall hold its regular meetings in a location and at a time as determined by the Executive Council. The secretary shall do the scheduling for the meeting location.
Section 3. Notice of Meetings
Written notice, stating the place, date, time, and agenda of each meeting shall be delivered to representatives of Staff Congress not less than five working days before a regular meeting and not less than three working days before a special meeting.
Section 4. Agenda
The Chair of the Staff Congress, in consultation with the Secretary, shall determine the agenda for each meeting.
A. Each committee and representative of the Staff Congress may submit agenda items to the Secretary not less than seven working days before a regular meeting.
B. The order of the agenda shall be in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order (latest revision). Any conflict between this source and Constitution and Bylaws of the Staff Congress shall be resolved in favor of the Constitution first and the Bylaws second.
Section 5. Special Meeting
A special meeting of Staff Congress may be called at the discretion of the Chair or shall be called within ten days of a written petition submitted to the Chair by seven Representatives or by a majority vote of the Representatives present during a regular meeting.
Section 6. Open Meetings
Meetings of Staff Congress shall be open to visitors. Visitors shall be seated separately from the representatives and will be recognized by the Chair only when prior arrangements have been made with the Chair or the Secretary of the Staff Congress.
Section 7. Executive Session
Staff Congress reserves the right to move into executive sessions upon majority vote of the Representatives for purposes permitted by the Open Meeting Act. All visitors are not allowed to participate, and may be asked to excuse themselves for the duration of the Executive Session.
Section 8. Voting
The Chair shall determine the method of voting during each meeting of Staff Congress at the time of the vote. The chair, who may appoint two representatives to assist in totaling the number of votes, shall determine the total vote.
Section 9. Roll Call Votes
A roll call vote may be called at the discretion of the Chair or shall be called upon request of a Representative with concurrence of one-third of the voting members present. A roll call vote shall be called automatically in case of a contested vote.
Section 10. Quorum
Article VIII of the Constitution provides that a quorum shall be a majority of the current elected membership.
Section 11. Debate
Debate of discussion shall be limited to twenty minutes per motion unless an extension of time is voted by two-thirds of voting members present The Vice-Chair shall keep the time.
Section 12. Tie Votes
The Chair or presiding officer shall vote only in case of a tie vote.
ARTICLE V
STANDING COMMITTEES OF THE STAFF CONGRESS
Section 1. Function
The function of standing committees is to provide Staff Congress with working bodies that entail specific areas of responsibility to enable a planned and coordinated direction of the business of the Staff Congress.
Section 2. Appointment
A. Each term year at the first scheduled meeting, or when a permanent vacancy occurs, the Executive Council shall report to Staff Congress vacancies in standing committee memberships and shall nominate to Staff Congress the name of a Representative for each vacancy.
B. After nominations by the Executive Council have been reported to the Staff Congress, the Chair shall call for nominations from the floor before nominations are closed and voting commences. A majority shall be required to elect.
C. A Representative may only serve on three standing committees concurrently and shall serve for the duration of his/her term of office as a Representative.
D. Standing committees shall be composed of a minimum of five members including a chairperson.
E. To the extent possible, committee membership may be based on an equitable distribution of members from all EEO categories.
Section 3. Standing Committees
A. Credentials and Elections
• Membership Drive – would be responsible for advertising upcoming elections and holding small events on campus to recruit possible new candidates to run for open positions
• Elections Verification - advertise upcoming elections and will be responsible for verifying candidates nominated for positions, working polling locations and verifying results of elections
• EEO verification – staying up to date on EEO categories and the percentage of representation on Staff Congress, will also make recommendations for any changes in representation on a yearly basis
B. Benefits and Compensation
• Benefits – will work closely with Human Resources on current benefits as well as make recommendations to HR for future benefits
• Salary and Compensation – review and assess the current salaries and compensations offered to staff within the University
C. Staff Issues
• Workplace – will be concerned with reviewing issues related to the workplace and assess the ability to find a workable resolution
• Development – will assess the current development opportunities and make recommendations for future staff development opportunities
• General – will pursue the assessment and resolution of all general concerns that are submitted by University staff
Section 4. Chairperson of Standing Committees
A. The Vice-Chair of Staff Congress will call a meeting of each standing committee for the purpose of electing a chair within each committee. The committee chair must have one-year experience as a member of the Congress. The Vice Chair will present the committee chairs to the Congress of approval.
B. Appointment is by majority vote of Staff Congress.
C. Duties of Standing Committee Chairpersons shall be:
1. To call for and preside at all meetings of the respective committee.
2. To determine an agenda for each committee meeting.
3. To ensure that all matters as referred to the committee by the Staff Congress are followed through to conclusion.
4. Where necessary, to insure that committee conduct is governed by procedures contained in Robert's Rules of Orders (latest version) in the consideration of all matters so referred.
ARTICLE VI
AD HOC COMMITTEES
Section 1. Authority
The Chair of Staff Congress, in consultation with the Executive Council, may appoint ad hoc committees as may be necessary for accomplishment of certain specific projects and for special purposes. Composition of ad hoc committees shall be recommended by the Executive Council.
Section 2. Limitation
An ad hoc committee that has responded and completed its assigned task or projects is automatically discharged.
Section 3. Appointments
Appointments made under the authority granted above shall be approved by a majority vote of Staff congress. These appointments shall expire with the term of the Chair of the Staff Congress or automatically with discharge.
ARTICLE VII
AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS
Section 1. The Staff Congress shall have the power to enact Bylaws to implement the provisions of the Constitution.
Section 2. A proposal to amend or change the Bylaws shall be signed by five members of the Staff Congress and shall require approval by two-thirds of the membership of the Congress.
Section 3. Proposals to amend or change the Bylaws must be submitted to the Secretary of the Staff Congress for placement on the agenda of the next regular meeting of the Staff Congress at least two weeks prior to said meeting of the Staff Congress.
Section 4. First consideration of a proposal to amend or change the Bylaws shall be voted on at a regular meeting of the Staff Congress. If the proposal receives approval by two-thirds of those members present and voting, it shall be placed on the agenda of the next regular meeting of the Staff congress for final consideration.
Section 5. Final consideration of a proposal to amend or change the Bylaws shall require approval of two-thirds of those members present and voting.
Section 6. Approved amendments, in accordance with Section 2 of this Article shall become effective when
reported by the Secretary of the Staff Congress at the next meeting.
As revised April 1, 1988
As revised June 4, 1990
As revised April 8, 1991
As revised August 10, 1994
As revised September 1, 1995
As revised September 8, 1997
As revised June 13, 2000
As revised December 3, 2007
As revised May 4, 2009
