 |
 |
 |
Staff and Administrative Council
|
||
|
The Constitution of the Staff and Administrative Council
PREAMBLE: The Staff and Administrative Council is a body of members elected
to represent the staff and administrators of Iona College. It serves as
a forum for the expression and exchange of the ideas and concerns of those
represented and as a means of communicating advice and recommendations
to the College Council and its standing committees. The powers of the
Staff and Administrative Council are derived from and are subject to the
authority of the Board of Trustees.
Article I - Name
The name of this organization is the Iona College Staff and Administrative Council, also referred to as SAC. Article II - Role
Section 1. Representation The Staff and Administrative Council represents all full-time and part-time staff and administrative employees of Iona College with the exception of the members of the President's Cabinet. Section 2. Responsibilities of the Staff and Administrative Council A. Sends representatives from SAC to the College Council and its standing committees. B. Studies and deliberates on the ideas and concerns of those represented. C. Receives minutes and other reports from the College Council and its standing committees. D. Refers issues to the standing committees of the College Council. E. Makes recommendations to the College Council F. Informs the membership of its activities Article III - Organization
Section 1. Membership A. The Staff and Administrative Council shall have 24 members, 12 administrators and 12 staff, at the time of the election. Administrators are defined as personnel with an administrative job code and an FLSA exempt status, and staff are defined as personnel with either an administrative or staff job code and an FLSA non-exempt status, according to Human Resources records. B. Terms of Office
C. Representation The Staff and Administrative Council shall review representation at least every five years. Section 2. Officers A. The officers shall be Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary. B. Officers shall serve a one-year term and may be re-elected for one term. Section 3. Executive Board A. The Executive Board of SAC shall consist of the Chair, the Vice Chair, the Secretary, and the representative from the Staff and Administrative Council to the College Council. B. Executive Board members shall serve a one-year term and may be re-elected for one term. C. The Executive Board shall:
Article IV - Meetings
Section 1. Staff and Administrative Council meetings shall be open to all members of the constituency groups defined in Article II, Section 1 and other guests invited by SAC. Visitors shall attend as non-participating observers, unless recognized by the Chair. Section 2. Meeting Schedules A. Regular meetings of the Staff and Administrative Council shall be held six times a year, three in the fall semester and three in the spring semester, with the final meeting held in May. B. Special meetings of SAC may be convened at the request of the Chair, by at least 13 members of SAC, or by the President of the College or his/her designee. C. Executive Board meetings may be called as needed for the conduct of business or to address matters of urgency. Section 3. Conduct of Meetings A. Meetings shall be conducted according to Robert's Rules of Order. B. Agenda:
C. A simple majority of the members constitutes a quorum Article V - Elections
Section 1. Elections to the Staff and Administrative Council A. Eligibility to run for a seat on SAC:
B. The election shall be held annually in April according to the procedures established in the By-Laws. C. Eligibility to vote: By the date of the election, all full-time staff and administrators who have successfully completed the probationary period and all part-time staff and administrators with a minimum of two continuous years of employment at Iona College shall be eligible to vote for candidates for the Staff and Administrative Council. D. Voting
E. Mid-term vacancies in the Staff and Administrative Council shall be filled by the person(s) receiving the next highest votes in the previous election, as provided for in the By-Laws. Section 2. Election of the Executive Board A. To be eligible to run for office, an individual must be a current member of the Staff and Administrative Council and must have served for at least one year in any current or previous term at the time of the election. B. Members of the new Staff and Administrative Council will elect the Executive Board members prior to the first meeting in May, as provided for in the By-Laws. C. Voting shall be by written ballot, with a decision by simple majority. D. Mid-term vacancies shall be filled by election by the Staff and Administrative Council members at the next SAC meeting following the announcement of the vacancy. Section 3. Election of the Representatives to the College Council Standing Committees A. To be eligible to run for the position of representative to one of the College Council standing committees, an individual must be a current member of the Staff and Administrative Council and must have served for at least one year in any current or previous term at the time of the election. B. At the first meeting in May, the newly-elected Executive Board will nominate the representatives to the College Council standing committees for approval by SAC members. Article VI - Committees
Section 1. Standing Committees of SAC The introduction or elimination of standing committees of SAC shall require a majority affirmative vote of the Staff and Administrative Council. Motions to effect these changes must have been placed on the agenda for discussion at a previous regular meeting. Section 2: Ad Hoc Committees As the need arises, SAC may create ad hoc committees of SAC to deal with specific issues. Section 3: General Statements A. The composition, the duties, and the procedures for selecting members of SAC committees shall be decided by majority vote of the SAC members. B. All SAC committees should be as representative as possible. Article VII - Amendments
An amendment to this Constitution shall be initiated by placement on the agenda of a SAC meeting. After discussion, it must be approved by two-thirds of the members of the Staff and Administrative Council and then by two-thirds of the eligible voters of the membership. For ratification, it must be approved by the Board of Trustees on the recommendation of the President of the College. Article VIII - By-laws
By-laws to the Constitution shall be adopted, amended, or repealed by a majority vote of the Staff and Administrative Council, provided the proposal has been introduced to the members at a previous regular meeting. Such changes must have the approval of the President of the College. BY-LAWS Section 1. Members of the Staff and Administrative Council A. Members are expected to attend all meetings of the Staff and Administrative Council, notifying the Secretary prior to any absence. B. Members shall attend all meetings of the standing committees of the College Council, if appointed, and must notify the Secretary prior to any absence. If the absence means there will be no SAC representative at that committee meeting, the Secretary will send another member from SAC. Section 2. Responsibilities of SAC Officers A. All officers shall serve on the Executive Board. B. Individual Responsibilities
C. The Executive Board shall ensure staff and administrative representation to all committees of the College Council and to recommend the staff and administrative representatives to all committees of the College administration, standing or ad hoc, that include a staff and administrative presence, in the expectation that an explanation be offered if a recommendation is refused. Section 3. Elections for Members of the Staff and Administrative Council A. At least eight weeks before the election, the Executive Board shall appoint five members from the Staff and Administrative Council to form an Election Committee to be chaired by the Vice Chair. It shall be the responsibility of this Committee to run the elections for SAC members. B. At least four weeks before the election date, the Elections Committee shall send written nomination procedures, forms, and deadlines to all staff and administrative employees who are eligible to vote. C. Nominations may come from the Executive Committee, from the membership, or from self-nomination. D. The Elections Committee shall prepare a slate of candidates for the eight vacant positions, 4 administrative and 4 staff, verifying eligible candidates from a list supplied by the Human Resources Department. Proposed candidates must be given the opportunity to decline the nomination. E. At least two weeks before the election date, the Election Committee shall send ballots and voting procedures to all staff and administrative employees eligible to vote from a list supplied by the Human Resources Department. F. The Election Committee shall count the ballots and announce the results to the membership within one week after the election date. The two staff candidates and the two administrative candidates receiving the next highest number of votes shall be declared alternates who will fill positions falling vacant prior to the next election. G. Within two weeks after the election, the Election Committee shall reassemble as the nominating committee for the election of the members of the Executive Board of the new SAC. This Committee shall nominate two eligible members from the new Staff and Administrative Council for each position on the Executive Board, mailing ballots to all members of the newly-elected Staff and Administrative Council. The Election Committee shall count the ballots and announce the results to the membership within one week following the election. H. In the event of a tie, winners shall be chosen by lot. Section 4. Meetings A. The Secretary shall distribute the agenda to SAC members and also post it in a public place at least one week before the meetings. B. The Secretary shall distribute minutes of SAC meetings to the members and also post them in a public place within three weeks after the meetings. C. Voting shall be by show of hands, unless otherwise specified. Section 5. Committees of the Staff and Administrative Council A. Committees shall notify members of their meetings and provide an agenda at least seven days in advance of the meeting. B. All committees of the Staff and Administrative Council shall keep minutes of their meetings and shall submit a summary report to SAC. Section 6. Stipends for the Executive Committee Given the time consuming nature of the duties of the SAC Executive Committee members and to encourage employees to serve in these positions, the members of the SAC recommended the SAC Chair be given an annual stipend of $950 and the Vice Chair, Secretary and Representative to the College Council each be given and annual stipend of $850. Addendum: The First Election
|
|
Constitution
