Staff Council Constitution

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The Constitution of the Staff Organization of Carnegie Mellon University

Note - the Constitution listed below have been superceded by the new Constitution, which went into effect on January 1, 2002. Old constitution listed below as a reference only.

Article I: Name

Section 1. The name of this organization is the Staff Organization of Carnegie Mellon University. The term Staff Organization may also be used.

Article II: Purpose and Responsibility

Section 1. The chief purpose of the Staff Organization is to examine matters related to all staff, their quality of life and their employment, and to act as an advocate for all staff, and to formulate recommendations to the University Administration. With a view to the institution's continued success and improvement, the Staff Organization will consider any other topic relevant to the interests of the University as well as any topic affecting the welfare of the University community, and to make recommendations thereof. The Staff Organization also considers those affairs that are delegated to it by the President of University Administration.

Section 2. The representative assembly of the Staff Organization is the Staff Council. The Staff Council is empowered to conduct all the affairs of the Staff Organization except for those otherwise specified in this Constitution and its Bylaws.

Article III: Membership in the Staff Organization

Section 1. All persons holding full time or part time staff appointments at Carnegie Mellon University who are not represented by the faculty organization or a bargaining unit are members of the Staff Organization.

Section 2. Other categories of appointment at the University may be included in the membership of the Staff Organization as specified in the Bylaws to this Constitution.

Section 3. Membership may also be conferred upon other qualified individuals associated with the University if elected by the Staff Council by a majority vote of those present. Nominations are to be made in writing and must be sponsored by five members of the Council.

Article IV: Officers of the Staff Organization

Section 1. The officers of the Staff Organization, selected from the elected members of Staff Council who have served on Staff Council at least one year, are the Chair, Vice Chair, Past Chair, Secretary, and Treasurer.

Section 2. The Chair of the Staff Organization presides at meetings of the Staff Organization, the Staff Council, and the Executive Committee and generally represents the Staff Organization. In the absence of the Chair, or at the Chair's direction, the Vice Chair acts as Chair.
(a) The Secretary of the Staff Organization supervises all elections and votes of the Staff Organization.

(b) The Treasurer of the Staff Organization oversees the finances under the control of the Staff Council and reports on them monthly.

Section 3. The terms of office of the Chair, Vice Chair, Past Chair, Secretary and Treasurer are one year each. The Bylaws determine the dates upon which these terms begin and end.

Section 4. At the expiration of each year's term, the retiring Vice Chair becomes the Chair for the following term, with these exceptions:
(a) A person who has succeeded or been elected to the office of Chair by reason of a vacancy occurring during the latter half (as defined in the Bylaws) of the expiring term remains Chair for the following term. (b) If, at the expiration of the term, the office of Vice Chair is vacant and there is no continuing Chair as described in (a), a Chair for the following term is elected.

Section 5. At the beginning of each year's term, that member of the Staff Organization becomes Past Chair who has most recently held the office of Chair for a complete term or for at least one-half of a complete term (as defined in item 2.a. of the Bylaws), provided that such a person is willing and able to serve, and has not been elected to another office during the new term. The Bylaws specify how the office of Past Chair is filled if there is no person meeting these qualifications, or if a vacancy in the office occurs before the completion of a term.

Section 6. Elections to full terms of the Vice Chair, the Secretary, and the Treasurer, as well as the Chair if required under Section 4, above, are decided by the majority of votes received from the membership of the Staff Council. The Bylaws specify how these offices are filled for the remainder of an unexpired term, in case of vacancies.

Article V: Membership in the Staff Council

Section 1. The membership of the Staff Council consists of Elected Members, Members ex Officiis, and Appointed Members. The number of members in each of these categories and the length of their terms are specified in the Bylaws.

Section 2. The Elected Members of the Staff Council are the Representatives and the officers of the Staff Organization listed in Article IV, Section 1. Representatives are elected from the Staff Organization as a whole, and represent all members of the Staff Organization, regardless of their university affiliation.

Section 3. The Members ex Officiis are enumerated in the Bylaws of the Staff Organization. Members ex Officiis may be chosen from the administrative officers of the University, and those members of the Staff Council Executive Committee who are not otherwise members of the Staff Council.

Section 4. Appointed Members of the Staff Council are members of the University community selected by the Staff Organization or the Staff Council according to Article III, section 3 of this Constitution.

Section 5. Each member of the Staff Council is entitled to propose resolutions to Staff Council.

Section 6. Each elected member of the Staff Council is entitled to vote on the business of the Council. Each Elected Member has one vote, even if qualified to be a member in more than one capacity.

Article VI: Activities of the Staff Council

Section 1. The business of the Staff Organization is conducted by the Staff Council, except that: Meetings of the entire Staff Organization may be called and may conduct business as specified in the Bylaws to this Constitution, including the power to initiate a referendum of the Staff Organization by letter ballot. The Staff Council is bound by decisions approved by a majority of the votes received in a referendum of the Staff Organization.

Section 2. The Staff Council may appoint and charge committees, initiate a referendum of the Staff Organization, call meetings of the Staff Organization, make recommendations to the Administration or other bodies of the University, and decide on actions required to conduct the business of the Staff Organization.

Section 3. The Staff Council meets on a regular schedule, specified in the Bylaws. Special meetings may also be called. Meetings are normally open to all, although only members of the Staff Council may propose resolutions and only Elected Members of the Staff Council may vote. A quorum of twenty Elected Members is required in order to vote on resolutions.

Section 4. The Staff Council must report its actions to the membership of the Staff Organization in an annual report as specified in the Bylaws.

Article VII: Committees of the Staff Council

Section 1. The Committees of the Staff Council include: the Executive Committee, the Elections Committee, the Staff Affairs Council, and the Communications Committee. Other Standing Committees may be established in the Bylaws. Ad Hoc Committees may be established by resolution of the Council or by action of the Chair of the Staff Organization. Each committee is directly responsible and responsive to the Staff Council, and reports its actions and recommendations to the Council. Appointments to these committees are made by the procedures established in the Bylaws.

Section 2. The Executive Committee manages and executes the business of the Staff Council. This includes, but is not limited to, setting the agenda for Staff Council meetings, advising the Chair in making appointments to committees and University Councils, and monitoring the activities of Council Committees. The Executive Committee includes, but its composition is not limited to, the officers of the Staff Organization.

Section 3. The Elections Committee produces or secures nominations for all elections, as specified in the Bylaws.

Section 4. The Staff Affairs Council makes recommendations to the Council regarding policies on salaries, fringe benefits, leaves, welfare, and other conditions of staff employment.

Section 5. The Communications Committee responsibility is to communicate Staff Council information to the members of the Staff Organization.

Section 6. Other Standing Committees are established in the Bylaws to this Constitution and are those conceived as being purposeful for an indefinite span of time. Each is named and charged, and its size and composition is specified, in the Bylaws.

Section 7. Ad Hoc Committees, established by resolution or by action of the Chair of the Staff Organization, are those conceived as having temporary, finite, or exploratory functions. These are charged in writing by the Chair of the Staff Organization. Such a charge includes the purpose, composition, size, and terms of appointments to the Committee as well as an indication of the date or completed task that determines the dissolution of the Committee. A resolution of the Staff Council may disband or alter the charge for each committee in this category.

Article VIII: Staff Council Appointments to University Councils and Committees

Section 1. By agreement with the University Administration, the Staff Council appoints representatives to University Councils and Committees. They are full members of the Council or Committee to which they have been appointed and are responsible to maintain communications between that body and the Council. The procedures for Staff Council appointments to University Councils and Committees are established in the Bylaws to this Constitution.

Article IX: Bylaws

Section 1. The Staff Council establishes Bylaws to this Constitution which govern matters required by, or not otherwise specified in, this Constitution. In event of a conflict between the Bylaws and the Constitution, the latter prevails.

Section 2. Amendments to, or changes in, the Bylaws are initiated by majority vote of the Staff Council. They are then distributed to the Staff Organization with notice that they will become effective if and when ratified by a majority vote of those present at the next meeting of the Staff Council.

Article X: Amendments and Interpretation

Section 1. Amendments to this Constitution may be initiated by two-thirds vote of the members of Staff Council present during a regularly scheduled meeting of the Staff Council or by two-thirds vote of a meeting of the Staff Organization. They are then distributed to the Staff Organization with notice that they will become effective if and when ratified by a two-thirds vote at the next meeting of the Staff Council or by two-thirds vote at the next meeting of the Staff Organization or by a two-thirds majority of ballots received in a referendum of the Staff Organization, provided the affirmative votes constitute no less than one-fourth of the membership of the Staff Organization. The Staff Council has the authority to interpret this Constitution.

Article XI: Adoption and Distribution

Section 1. This Constitution is adopted by the Staff Organization, enters into effect, and replaces all previous constitutional documents, on the date that it is approved by a two-thirds vote of the membership of the Staff Council present.

Section 2. This Constitution and its Bylaws are distributed to all members of the Staff Council and any member of the Staff Organization upon verbal or written request.

Section 3. This Consitution shall become effective on August 1, 1993.

Last revised 4-13-93

Note - the Constitution listed above have been superceded by the new Constitution, which went into effect on January 1, 2002. Old constitution listed above as a reference only.

This page last updated September 24, 2001 by:
rita+websc@cmu.edu
Rita Motor, Principal Software Engineer Style and Updates by: Janet Piper, Intern
Administrative Computing & Information Services (ACIS)