Staff Senate of Marywood University Bylaws
Policy Statement
ARTICLE I. NAME AND AUTHORITY.
Section 1. Name. The name of the official professional and support staff organization is the Staff Senate of Marywood University.
Section 2. Authority. The Staff Senate was established in 2021 with the approval of the President of the University upon termination of the Support Staff Senate and the Professional Staff Senate.
ARTICLE II. PURPOSE.
Section 1. Advisory Body. The Staff Senate is an advisory body through which the professional and support staff help to advance the mission of the University by participating in its governance, including representation, as requested, on University Standing Committees.
Section 2. Interests of the Professional and Support Staff. The Senate identifies the interests, represents the views of the professional and support staff on matters of concern, and makes recommendations on their 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 professional and support staff.
Section 2. Addresses Staff Concerns. Through consideration of issues brought before it, the Senate identifies the concerns of professional and 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 Staff Senate consists of the Assembly, an Executive Council, standing committees, and ad hoc committees.
Section 2. Membership. All full-time and all regular part-time employees of Marywood University in the professional staff constituency, consisting of Senior Management, Middle Management, and Professional/Coordinator, along with the support staff constituency, consisting of Building and Grounds, Clerical, and Campus Safety staff, are members of the Assembly.
Termination of employment nullifies membership in the Senate.
ARTICLE V. SENATE OFFICERS.
Section 1. Executive Council. The Executive Council consists of nine members of the Assembly and two alternative members. At least three representatives from each constituency, the professional staff and the support staff, should be included in the Executive Council. The nine Executive Council members are:
- President of the Staff Senate
- Vice President of the Staff Senate
- Secretary of the Staff Senate
- Six elected Senators
The individual who accepts the office of Vice President does so with the understanding and agreement that upon the conclusion of the current President’s term, the Vice President automatically becomes the Staff Senate President. After completion of two full terms, the immediate past President of the Senate assumes the advisory role as a non-voting consultant to the Executive Council. A past President will serve in this capacity until the current President completes his/her two-full terms, thus assuming the role of immediate past President at that time.
Section 2. Elections and Appointments of Officers. Elections of the Executive Council are conducted by the 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 is effective again after a hiatus of one year.
Appointment of other officers are for two years with eligibility for reappointment limited to two consecutive two-year terms. Eligibility is effective again after a hiatus of one year.
Section 3. Vacancies. In the event of a vacancy in the office of President of the Staff Senate, the Vice President will immediately assume the office, and a special election will take place to fill the position of Vice President as soon as possible, preferably within one week of the vacancy.
In the event of a vacancy of any other officer of the Executive Council, the first alternate on a rank-ordered list from the last previous election will be designated to complete the remainder of the term. Should no alternate be available, a special election will be held.
In the event of a vacancy in a position of an appointed officer, the President of the Staff Senate will appoint a person to complete the term.
The completion of a partial term has no bearing on the eligibility of a person's right to election or appointment.
Section 4. Presidential Short-term Absence. In the event the Staff Senate President is unable to attend a required committee meeting or event due to a short-term absence, the Vice President will attend and serve as the proxy and official voting representative of the Staff Senate.
ARTICLE VI. COMMITTEES.
Section 1. 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. The President of the Executive Council makes these appointments during the first week of July. A vacancy during the year will 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 President of 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 will meet annually as appropriate. These standing committees include the following:
Election Committee
Purpose: To organize and conduct Staff Senate elections.
Concerns Committee
Purpose: To investigate general professional staff concerns and to develop strategies to deal with such concerns.
Bylaws Committee
Purpose: To review the Staff Senate Bylaws and make recommendations to the Executive Council and Assembly.
Staff Recognition Committee
Purpose: To organize and conduct a review of staff nominations and arrange for the award of the “Outstanding Staff Award” once a year.
Section 2. Ad Hoc Committees. An ad hoc committee may be appointed for a specific period of time no longer than one year 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 President of 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 Chair of the Executive Council.
An ad hoc committee may be dissolved before the limit of its term by the President of the Executive Council with the concurrence of the Assembly.
ARTICLE VII. MEETINGS.
Section 1. Regular Meetings. The President of the Staff Senate shall call a meeting of the Assembly once during the first half of the fall and of the spring semester.
Notice of a meeting and its agenda are communicated in writing, usually by email, 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 President of the Staff Senate acting independently, or upon written request signed by ten or more members of the Assembly submitted to the President of the Staff Senate, or by the President of the University.
Section 3. Quorum. A quorum for the conduct of business at Assembly meetings shall be the lesser of either twenty-five voting members or 25 percent of all members. A simple majority of voting members shall constitute a quorum for the Executive Council or a committee.
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. Regular mail, email, or telephone may be used for polling. A report of the action so taken must be ratified at the next meeting of the Executive Council or committee and must be recorded in the minutes or proceedings of the group.
ARTICLE VIII. REVIEW AND AMENDMENTS.
Section 1. Bylaws Review. Every three years, prior to the beginning of the fall semester, the Bylaws Committee shall review the Bylaws and recommend any amendments to the Executive Council.
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 Bylaws Committee 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 Staff Senate will forward the recommendation for amendment to the Policy Committee of the University. The effective date of an amendment is the date of approval by the President of the University upon recommendation of the Policy Committee of the University.
Section 3. Non-Substantive Changes. The Secretary of the University and General Counsel maintains the official copy of the 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 IX. PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY
Any procedure not herein prescribed shall be governed by the latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order.
Related Policies
Related Committees
History
12/10/21 – The establishment of the Staff Senate of Marywood University was approved by the President of the University as recommended by the Policy Committee of the University at their 12/10/21 meeting due to the merger of the Professional Staff Senate and the Support Staff Senate.