NC State University Staff Senate

(View or Print a copy of the Staff Senate Bylaws - PDF)

North Carolina State University

Staff Senate Bylaws

Originally Approved by the Staff Senate September 6, 1995
Amended by the Staff Senate June 5, 1996
Amended by the Staff Senate October 2, 1996
Amended by the Staff Senate December 11, 1996
Amended by the Staff Senate March 5, 1997
Amended by the Staff Senate November 6, 1997
Amended by the Staff Senate February 4, 1998
Amended by the Staff Senate May 6, 1998
Amended by the Staff Senate June 3, 1998
Amended by the Staff Senate July 1, 1998
Amended by the Staff Senate October 7, 1998
Amended by the Staff Senate November 4, 1998
Amended by the Staff Senate May 5, 1999
Amended by the Staff Senate June 2, 1999
Amended by the Staff Senate March 1, 2000
Amended by the Staff Senate May 2, 2001
Amended by the Staff Senate April 3, 2002
Amended by the Staff Senate March 1, 2006
Amended by the Staff Senate September 6, 2006
Amended by the Staff Senate December 6, 2006
Amended by the Staff Senate November 7, 2007
Ammended by the Staff Senate July 2, 2009

ARTICLE I: NAME

The name of this senate shall be the Staff Senate, North Carolina State University. (Hereafter in this document, the term "Senate" shall refer to the Staff Senate, and the term "Chair" shall refer to the Chair of the Senate unless otherwise noted.)

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ARTICLE II: MISSION STATEMENT

The Senate is an advisory body to the University Chancellor. In fulfilling this role, the Senate shall:

Provide feedback and consultation regarding interest/concerns that affect staff members
Receive proposed policies or policy changes from the Chancellor or other executive officers of the University, for review and recommendations on policies and regulations that affect staff members
Initiate the consideration of new -- or review of existing -- policies and regulations affecting staff members, and offer informal suggestions or formal resolutions for changes or improvements
Assist in the communication of issues and institutional activities affecting staff members
Serve as the primary liaison between staff members and the Chancellor, the University Council, the Board of Trustees, the Chancellor’s Liaison Committee, the Faculty Senate, the Student Senate, and the UNC Staff Assembly
Promote and facilitate staff participation in the University community
Represent all SPA and EPA professional and support staff, except as noted in Article IV, Sec. 1, below.
Encourage a sense of community and engagement among all University employees.

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ARTICLE III: PROCEDURES MANUAL

The PROCEDURE MANUAL shall give details of responsibilities, tasks and procedures for persons involved in the implementation of North Carolina State University Staff Senate activity.
The PROCEDURE MANUAL can be amended by a majority vote of the senate body and concurrence of the Chancellor or the Associate Vice Chancellor for HR on the Chancellor’s behalf.

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ARTICLE IV: REPRESENTATION AND MEMBERSHIP

Section 1. Representation
All employees of NC State University -- including County Operations support staff paid through NC State -- are represented by the Staff Senate unless they fall into one of the following categories:

Regular (tenured or tenure-track) faculty, or
Special faculty defined under NC State University REG 05.20.34,or
Postdoctoral employees (post-docs) defined under NC State University POL 05.15.1, or
Student workers, or
Temporary employees, or
Positions designated by the Office of the Chancellor as “3D” (generally: executive officers, deans, directors, department heads, and equivalent unit heads).

Number of senators: There shall be one senator for each one hundred (100) staff members rounded to the nearest one hundred. If a district has fewer than one hundred staff, that district will have one senator.
Number of Alternates: Alternates to the Staff Senate will be appointed by the Senate Chair, as described in Section III. B. 5. of the Procedure Manual.

Districts with 1 - 2 Senators will have 1 Alternate.
Districts with 3 - 5 Senators will have 2 Alternates.
Districts with 6 or more Senators will have 3 Alternates.

Districts (See PROCEDURE MANUAL for a complete listing of District Seats for Senators and Alternates)

District 1: Undergraduate Studies
District 2: Graduate School
District 3: College of Veterinary Medicine
District 4: College of Textiles
District 5: Student Affairs
District 6: College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences
District 7: College of Management
District 8: College of Humanities and Social Sciences
District 9: College of Natural Resources
District 10A: Finance and Business
District 10B: Facilities Division
District 11: College of Engineering
District 12: College of Education
District 13: College of Design
District 14A: College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
District 14B: College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Extension
District 15: Provosts' District
District 16: Chancellor's District
District 17: Office of Information Technology

Section 2. Membership.

Voting Membership: Individuals are eligible to be elected to serve on Staff Senate:

If they are at least .75 FTE, and
If they are in a regular (non-temporary) position, and
If they have completed twelve months of continuous service in a regular (non-temporary) position with the University prior to being nominated, and
If they are represented by the Staff Senate as noted in Article IV, Section 1 and
With their Supervisor's approval.

Non-voting Membership: The non-voting members shall be the Alternates, the Past Chair (ex officio), the Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources (ex officio), and other Advisors (ex officio) as designated in Sec IV. G. of the Procedures Manual.
Loss of membership: During an elected term, senators will lose Senate membership:

If they no longer meet the eligibility requirements outlined in ARTICLE IV Section 2 A, or
Are no longer employed in the district in which they were elected to serve, or
Do not fulfill their duties as a Senator

Recommendations for the removal of any Staff Senator from office can be accepted from any constituent, Executive Committee member and/or Staff Senator for non-performance of Senate duties as stated in the PROCEDURE MANUAL under Duties of Senators.

Duties of Senators: The duties of Senators are outlined in the PROCEDURE MANUAL.
Duties of Alternates: The duties of Alternates are outlined in the PROCEDURE MANUAL.
Terms of Office: The terms of office for senators and alternates shall begin with the July meeting of the Senate. Terms shall be for two years.
Vacancies: The procedures for filling vacancies are outlined in the PROCEDURE MANUAL.

Section 3. Nominations and Elections

The Election Committee (Article VII, Section 1) shall handle the nomination and election process each year. The nomination and election process shall be from April through June.
Nomination Procedure: The procedures for nominations are outlined in the PROCEDURE MANUAL.
Election Procedure: The procedures for elections are outlined in the PROCEDURE MANUAL.

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ARTICLE V: OFFICERS AND ELECTIONS

Section 1. Titles of Officers
The officers of the Senate shall be Chair, Chair-Elect, Vice Chair and Parliamentarian.
Section 2. Duties

Chair: The central duties of the Chair shall be to preside at all meetings of the Senate; chair the Executive Committee; serve as the Staff Senate’s official representative to various university entities; to refer all matters submitted for the Senate's attention to the appropriate committee(s) or to the University Chancellor or Chancellor’s Representative. (See PROCEDURE MANUAL for full description)
Chair-Elect: The one-year term of the Chair-Elect will serve as a training period for the responsibilities to be assumed; at the Chair’s request, serve as a representative of the Senate in the absence of the Chair. (See PROCEDURE MANUAL for full description)
Vice Chair: The duties of the Vice Chair shall be to preside at all meetings of the Senate in the absence of the Chair or in the event the Chair requests the Vice Chair to serve during the course of a meeting; to assist the Chair in performing leadership responsibilities: at the Chair’s request, serve as a representative of the Senate in the absence of the Chair. (See PROCEDURE MANUAL for full description)
Secretary: This is a paid support staff position rather than an elected officer role. In the event of a vacancy, the secretarial duties will be assigned by the Chair. (See PROCEDURE MANUAL for full description)
Parliamentarian: The duties of the Parliamentarian shall be to ensure that the Chair or presiding officer, as well as all participants in Staff Senate meetings, abide by the stated rules of order during meetings. (See PROCEDURE MANUAL for full description)
Past Chair: The out-going Chair shall serve in the office of past-Chair for a period of one year to provide organizational continuity and to assist as requested by the Chair. (See PROCEDURE MANUAL for full description)

Section 3. Nomination and Election of Officers

Nomination: Nominations for Senate offices of Chair-Elect, Vice Chair, and Parliamentarian for the upcoming session, as outlined in Article VIII, will be accepted by the Election Committee up to five (5) business days prior to the final meeting of the current Senate session.
Election: The chair of the Election Committee shall conduct the election of officers at the last meeting of the session by secret ballot. In case of a conflict of interest, the out-going Senate Chair will oversee the election process. A quorum and a majority of the voting membership present are required for election to an office. Newly Elected Officers (other than the Chair, see Section 2, Duties) shall begin their terms at the first meeting of the new session of the Senate.

Section 4. Terms of Office
The terms of office for Senate officers shall be one year. A senator shall not hold more than one office at a time.
Section 5. Unexpired Term
In the event that the Chair is unable to complete the elected term of office, the Chair-Elect shall assume the office. In the event that the offices of Vice Chair or Parliamentarian become vacant, a special election shall be held at any regular meeting of the Senate by the Chair in order to fill the vacant office for the remainder of the term. In the event the Chair and Chair Elect are vacant the Vice Chair will fulfill the responsibilities until a special election is held.
Section 6. Transfer of Records
The Secretary shall be the custodian of all records.

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ARTICLE VI: THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Section 1. Membership
The membership of the Executive Committee shall consist of the elected officers of the Senate and the chairs of the standing committees. Committee chairs may send a designated representative in their absence.
Section 2. Meetings
The Executive Committee shall typically meet monthly, unless canceled by the Chair. Additional meetings may be called by the Chair, by the University Chancellor, or upon request of three members of the Executive Committee. (See PROCEDURE MANUAL for other info.)
Section 3. Duties
The duties of the Executive Committee shall be to consider all matters that come before the group, act on or refer those matters as appropriate, and establish a yearly budget to be submitted to the full senate for approval. Once approved the Executive Committee shall monitor the budget and all expenditures. (See PROCEDURE MANUAL for additional details.)
Section 4. Chair
The Executive Committee shall be chaired by the Senate Chair who will have voting rights only in the event of a voting tie.

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ARTICLE VII: OTHER COMMITTEES

Section 1. Other Standing Committees

Committees. The other standing committees of the Senate shall be:

Human Resources Committee
Governance Committee
Elections Committee
Legislative Liaison Committee
Diversity Committee
Public Relations Committee
Resources and Environment Committee.

Membership on these committees will be by appointment by the Chair. Each committee shall name a chair to serve during the senate year for which they are appointed to the committee. (See PROCEDURE MANUAL for additional details.)

Duties: The duties of the standing committees shall be to accept business items assigned to them by the Executive Committee. (See PROCEDURE MANUAL for additional details.)
Areas of Responsibility for Standing Committees. (See PROCEDURE MANUAL for additional details.)

Section 2. Ad Hoc Committees

Committees. The Chair of the Senate may create Ad Hoc committees of the Senate as needs arise. Membership will be by appointment. Ad hoc committees shall elect a chair. An ad hoc committee will be disbanded when its purpose has been served. The number of members will be determined by the Executive Committee.
Duties of all ad hoc committees shall be to accept the business assigned to them by the Executive Committee and to address it in a responsible and timely manner; to make progress reports on its activities to the Senate, as well as a final report.

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ARTICLE VIII: MEETINGS

Section 1. Types of Meetings

Regular meetings of the Senate shall be held on the first Wednesday of each month, from July through June, unless otherwise ordered by the Executive Committee. A proposed agenda shall be sent to all members at least five (5) business days prior to the meeting date by the Senate Secretary. If the Executive Committee has no agenda items or proposals, they reserve the right not to hold a meeting and must notify the Senate membership.
Special meetings of the Senate may be called by the Executive Committee for matters that cannot wait until the next regularly scheduled meeting of the Senate body. Notification of a scheduled special meeting will be given at least three (3) business days in advance of the meeting to all members by the Senate Secretary.

Section 2. Quorum
Senate Quorum shall be defined as 50% of the voting membership.
Section 3. Floor Privileges
Only voting members of the Senate shall introduce proposals, measures, and resolutions on the Senate floor. Those present who are not members of the Senate may be granted the right to speak, but not to vote, on matters before the Senate.
Section 4. Vote
Only Senators present shall have the right to vote on Senate business. The Chair shall vote only in the event of a tie.
The Chair may grant voting privileges to an Alternate for the duration of the applicable meeting for which they are in attendance and for which the business is being conducted.
Section 5. Agenda
Meetings of the Senate shall have an agenda which shall include the time and place of the meeting, the order of business (as outlined in the PROCEDURE MANUAL), and copies of any substantive proposals. The Executive Committee shall set the agenda. Changes to the agenda may be made and approved by a majority vote of those present.
Section 6. Executive Session
Should it become necessary for the Senate to discuss items of a confidential nature, a vote will be taken to enter into Executive Session.

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ARTICLE IX: PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the Senate and its committees 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 Senate may adopt.

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ARTICLE X: AMMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS

The Senate shall have the power to consider and adopt by a two-thirds majority vote of members present and voting any amendments to or modification of these Bylaws, provided a quorum exists.

The Parliamentarian or their designee shall receive and report on such proposed amendment changes along with the recommendations of the Governance Committee.
Upon approval by two-thirds of the voting members of the Staff Senate, the amendment/modification to the bylaw(s) will be provided to the Chancellor of North Carolina State University for approval and will become effective upon receipt of the Chancellor’s written approval by the Chair of the Senate.

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Staff Senate Homepage: www.ncsu.edu/staff_senate/

Questions? Comments? staff_senate@ncsu.edu

Last updated on November 9, 2009 by Staff Senate Webmaster