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Staff Association Bylaws

Preamble

The University of Missouri–St. Louis Staff Association is a body formed to consider, recommend, and take such other actions as are properly related to the common concerns and best interests of those personnel at the University of Missouri–St. Louis identified under the classification of membership in these bylaws.

ARTICLE I - NAME 

The organization herein defined shall be known officially as the University of Missouri–St. Louis Staff Association, hereafter referred to as the Staff Association. 

ARTICLE II - MEMBERSHIP 

All benefits-eligible staff of the University of Missouri–St. Louis who have a full-time equivalence of 75% or more, will be considered a member of the Staff Association. All members shall have full voting rights for membership elections in the Staff Association.

ARTICLE III - PURPOSE 

The purpose of the Staff Association shall be to foster a spirit of unity and cooperation among all employees of the University of Missouri–St. Louis, to consider methods and means by which employment conditions may be improved at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, to receive and consider matters concerning working conditions of membership, to make such recommendations that it deems appropriate, and to provide a means of communicating problems of mutual concern between the Staff Association and the University of Missouri–St. Louis administration.

ARTICLE IV - OFFICERS OF THE STAFF ASSOCIATION 
  1. Officers:
    The Officers of the Staff Association shall consist of a Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary/Treasurer. These will be served in one (1) year terms. Individuals can serve two (2) one-year terms (consecutively or non-consecutively) for the same officer position.
  2. Nominations and Election of Officers
    The nominations shall be solicited, and elections conducted according to Article VIII of these bylaws. 
  3. Qualifications
    1. The Chair shall have experience of at least one (1) full and completed term (two (2) years) as an elected representative before being eligible to serve as Chair.
    2. The Vice Chair shall have experience of at least one (1) full year as an elected representative before being eligible to serve as Vice Chair.
    3. The Secretary/Treasurer can serve immediately upon being elected to the Staff Council.
  4. Duties of the Officers
    1. The Chair of the Staff Association shall preside at all meetings of the Staff Association and the Staff Council and shall enforce all regulations and policies of the Staff Association.
    2. The Vice Chair shall preside in the absence of the Chair and represent the Chair at other functions as requested by the Chair. The Vice Chair shall chair the Employee Advocacy Committee.
    3. The Secretary/Treasurer shall take minutes of the meeting, plan for subsequent meetings, and distribute meeting notices and any other necessary information. The Secretary/Treasurer shall also be responsible for all financial records of the Staff Association and shall chair the Communications Committee.
    4. The immediate Past Chair shall chair the Membership and Elections Committee. 
  5. Vacancies
    1. In the event the office of Chair becomes vacant, the Vice Chair shall assume the office for the remainder of the term.
    2. In the event the office of Vice Chair or Secretary/Treasurer should become vacant, the Staff Council shall hold a special election to vote on the successor for the remainder of the term.
ARTICLE V - STAFF ASSOCIATION MEETINGS

The Staff Association shall meet during both the fall and spring semesters of each academic year. The Chair of the Staff Association may call special meetings at any time. Members of the Staff Association shall be notified prior to all meetings.

ARTICLE VI - STAFF COUNCIL 
  1. Membership
    The voting members of the Staff Council shall consist of the elected representatives. These members shall be elected in May as described in Article VIII – Elections (Section III – Elections for Staff Council Representatives) and shall take office in July. Any member of the Staff Association who has a minimum of six (6) months full-time employment may nominate themselves or be nominated for Staff Council. There shall be up to twenty-five (25) representatives, enough to fill the roles of officers and representatives of the University Assembly and its Committees and meet the minimum requirement of Standing Committee membership.
    1. Terms of Membership
      1. The term of membership shall be two (2) years for all elected representatives, beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30.
      2. Staff Council members may be eligible for re-election to a second term, but no person shall serve longer than two (2) consecutive terms unless a third consecutive term is as Past Chair.
      3. After one (1) year off, an individual is eligible for re-election. If any council member elected is unable to complete their term, see Article VI - Staff Council (Section IV - Vacancies). 
    2. Officers
      The officers of the Staff Council shall be the same as the officers of the Staff Association, with the same duties and responsibilities.
    3. Representatives to University Assembly and its Committees
      1. Any elected representative may serve as a representative to any one (1) of the University Assembly Committees listed below. The Faculty Senate and University Assembly determine the number of staff on each committee. The number in parentheses after each committee name indicates the number of staff that can be elected to each committee. Qualifications, if any, to serve on the committee are indicated after the number in parentheses. 
        1. University Assembly (Chair +2)
        2. Physical Facilities, Space, and General Services Committee (1)
        3. Information Technology Committee (2); must be a user of campus technology; when possible, should not be from the ITS unit
        4. Administrator Evaluation Committee (1)
        5. Budget and Planning Committee (Chair +1); must have a minimum of one full and completed term as an elected representative; understanding of university fiscal operations and/or budgeting process preferred
        6. Student Affairs Committee (3); when possible, should not be from the Student Affairs division
        7. Recruitment, Admissions, Retention, and Student Financial Aid [RARSFA] (2)
        8. Any Ad Hoc Assembly Committee for which there is staff representation
      2. The Chair of the Staff Association shall be a third voting representative to the University Assembly and a second voting representative to the University Assembly Budget and Planning Committee. 
      3. Solicitation of nominations and election of each of these representatives shall be conducted according to Article VIII of these bylaws.
  2. Duties of the Staff Council
    The Staff Council shall act on behalf of the Staff Association and shall make reports to the Staff Association at the regular meeting(s) (commonly known as All
  3. Meetings of the Staff Council
    1. The Staff Council shall meet at least once each month.
    2. The Chair may call special meetings of the Staff Council.
    3. Staff Council meetings will be open unless otherwise specified. 
  4. Vacancies
    In the event of a representative vacancy, the Membership and Elections Committee will track the number of vacancies, and those seats will be filled at the next Staff Council election in May. If, for any reason, the Staff Council number of representatives falls below ten (10) members, a special election will be held immediately to fill the seats.
ARTICLE VII - COMMITTEES
  1. Standing Committees
    The standing committees shall be called Membership and Elections, Employee Advocacy, Communications, and Event Planning. These committees shall be chaired by Staff Association Officers, per the duties of their office, except for the Event Planning Committee, which will be chaired by a voted member. The chairperson of each standing committee shall take office July 1. Committee chairpersons shall give a report at each Staff Council meeting. The chairperson of each standing committee shall attempt to obtain a balanced representation of committee members and to select from those who have shown an interest in serving on committees.
    1. Membership and Elections Committee
      The Membership and Elections Committee shall consist of at least three (3) members. The duties of the Membership and Elections Committee shall be to determine the eligibility for Staff Council membership, to welcome new members in an appropriate fashion, to maintain a list of members, to review membership numbers annually, and to solicit nominations for Staff Council and conduct elections.
    2. Employee Advocacy Committee
      The Employee Advocacy Committee shall consist of at least three (3) members. The duties of the Employee Advocacy Committee are to bring to the Staff Council concerns that have been initiated by the membership concerning working conditions, benefits, and other issues relating to the welfare of the staff. The duties shall include, but not be limited to:
      1. Assisting any staff member who wishes to discuss a welfare issue
      2. Consulting with various administrative offices and/or services concerning welfare issues
      3. Bringing welfare concerns to the attention of the Staff Council for appropriate consideration
    3. Communications Committee
      The Communications Committee shall consist of at least three (3) members. The duties of the Communications Committee shall be to coordinate and provide information to Staff Association members. The Communications Committee shall also be responsible for revising and updating the Staff Association web pages.
    4. Event Planning Committee
      The Event Planning Committee shall consist of at least three (3) members. The duties of the Event Planning Committee shall be to coordinate large-scale events for Staff.
  2. Special Committees
    Special Committees shall be established as needed by the Staff Council. The Chair shall recommend the chairperson of each special committee subject to the approval of the Staff Council. If the chairperson is not a member of the Staff Council, they shall be ex-officio , a non-voting member of the Staff Council for the duration of the committee assignment. The chairperson shall give a report at each meeting. The chairperson of each special committee shall attempt to obtain a balanced representation of committee members and to select from those who have shown an interest in serving on committees.
  3. Non-Staff Association Committees
    The Chair of the Staff Association shall be authorized to recommend appointments to non-Staff Association committees and meetings when such recommendations must be made before the next scheduled meeting of the Staff Council. In such cases where the Staff Council shall meet before appointments must be made, the Staff Council shall approve any such recommendations. 
  4. Representatives to University Assembly
    Each year the Staff Association shall have voting representatives to the University Assembly as outlined in Article VI – Staff Council (Section I – Membership). Solicitation of nominations and election of each of these representatives shall be conducted according to Article VIII – Elections (Section II – Nominations for Staff Council) of these bylaws.
ARTICLE VIII - ELECTIONS 
  1. Membership and Elections Committee
    The chairperson of the Membership and Elections Committee shall be the immediate Past Chair, and the committee will have at least three (3) members of the Council represented.
  2. Nominations for Staff Council
    Nominations shall be solicited in April from the membership of the Staff Association. The committee must obtain permission from each nominee before that person's name can appear on the ballot. Any member of the Staff Association who has a minimum of six (6) months of full-time employment can be considered for nomination.
  3. Elections for Staff Council Representatives 
    The Membership and Elections Committee shall conduct elections by ballot in May every year. The Membership and Elections Committee shall keep the roster of all candidates and the number of votes cast for each. 
  4. Elections for Staff Council Officers and Representatives to the University Assembly and its Committees
    1. The Past Chair shall conduct a meeting with the newly elected Staff Council between the close of elections in May and mid-July to inform the newly elected representatives of the positions within the Staff Council and seek nominations.
    2. Officers and Representatives to the University Assembly and its committees shall be selected from and elected by the newly elected representatives of the Staff Association. In a contested election, the candidate receiving the greatest number of votes for that office shall be declared the winner. In a tied election, a special runoff election will be enacted. Officers and Representatives to the University Assembly and its committees shall hold that position for a one-year term.
    3. Elections will be sent through an electronic ballot at the conclusion of the meeting listed above. The electronic ballot will list the elections in the following order:
      1. Chair
      2. Vice Chair
      3. Secretary/Treasurer
      4. Budget & Planning Committee Representatives (Chair +1)
      5. Physical Facilities, Space, and General Services Committee Representative
      6. Student Affairs Committee Representatives (3)
      7. Information Technology Committee Representatives (2)
      8. Administrator Evaluation Committee Representative
      9. Recruitment, Admissions, Retention, and Student Financial Aid Committee Representatives (2)
      10. University Assembly Representatives (Chair +2) 
    4. The Membership and Elections Committee shall keep the roster of all candidates and the number of votes cast for each.
ARTICLE IX - QUORUM 
  1. Staff Association Meeting 
    In a general meeting of the Staff Association, the quorum shall be the number of members present at that time.
  2. Staff Council Meeting
    In a meeting of the Staff Council, the quorum shall be a majority of elected members.
ARTICLE X - DISCIPLINE AND EXPULSION OF MEMBERS 

Members of the Staff Council are expected to attend all meetings of the Staff Council. Members may be excused by notifying an officer prior to each meeting. A member who has two unexcused absences may be expelled from the Staff Council, and if so, that office shall be considered vacant. Absence records for representatives serving a second consecutive term shall be reset at the beginning of the second term. 

The procedure for expulsion for unexcused absences shall be:

  1. The Chair and/or Vice-Chair shall meet with the Council member in question and then make a recommendation at the next Staff Council Meeting to permanently expel or retain the individual.
  2. The Staff Council shall vote on the recommendation to retain or expel the Staff Council member.
  3. If the individual is retained, no additional unexcused absences are permitted, or they will be automatically expelled from the Staff Council. 
ARTICLE XI - PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised shall govern the Staff Association in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws and any special rules of order the Staff Association may adopt.

ARTICLE XII - AMENDMENTS 

Amendments or changes to these bylaws shall be made by a two-thirds majority of Staff Association members of those votes cast either electronically, at a Staff Council meeting, or by a special meeting called by the Chair. A written notice of the proposed amendment(s) must be given to all Staff Association members at least ten (10) calendar days prior to the due date or by meeting vote.

 

Approved March 21, 2024