ARTICLE I: NAME

The NAME of the organization shall be "The North Georgia College and State University Staff Council," referred to hereinafter as the "Council."

ARTICLE II: MISSION STATEMENT

Staff Council supports and facilitates the mission of NGCSU as the Leadership Institution of Georgia by providing a voice to the university regarding policy decisions that impact staff, recognizing our impact on campus, and promoting leadership and learning opportunities for staff at NGCSU.

Staff Council's goals are:

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP/ELECTIONS

Purpose: The governance of the staff shall be vested in a Council composed of fourteen (14) members and three (3) alternate members, which shall serve as a liaison for staff employees, to identify staff needs and work toward the improvement of these needs. The Council shall be the governing body to which all staff committees shall report.

Membership Eligibility: To be eligible for membership in the Council a person must be full-time staff to include ROTC staff.

Elections: The staff will nominate fourteen (14) members and three (3) alternate members to serve on the Council. All names of nominees shall be placed on the ballot for election. At the request of the Council President, Council members shall be elected by secret ballot by staff at the end of spring semester for service to begin in July. Membership of the Council shall be composed of fourteen (14) elected Council persons and three (3) elected alternate persons. Council officers shall consist of the President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary.

Term Limitations: Terms shall be for two (2) years; terms will be staggered so that half the Council will be newly elected and the other half will have a year's experience.

Council members will not be eligible to serve two (2) consecutive two-year terms.

In case of unexpired terms of service, the Council will nominate a replacement at the next announced Council meeting.

Elected council members shall attend all meetings of the Staff Council unless extenuating circumstances prevent attendance. Notice of absence shall be submitted to the President before scheduled meetings.

Membership on the Council may be revoked by a 2/3 majority vote of the Staff Council when a member has been absent for two consecutive regular Council meetings or a total of three regular Council meetings in one year, provided the member has been afforded the opportunity to appear before the Staff Council to explain his or her absences. Consideration will be given for absences due to unforeseen events.

ARTICLE IV: OFFICERS

President:  The President shall preside at Staff Council meetings, serve as Chairperson of the Executive Committee, call special meetings as necessary, perform other duties to the office, and confer with and report regularly to the president of the university on matters pertaining to the staff, Staff Council and the university. The President is responsible for upholding the By-laws of the Staff Council and conducting all meetings in accordance with the rules of order. The President is an ex-officio member of all committees except the Nominating and Election Committee. The President shall be elected by and from the Staff Council membership to serve a one-year term and may not serve as chairperson for more than two consecutive years. The President will be a member of the University Administrative Council.

Vice President/President Elect: The Vice-President shall assist the President, perform the duties of the President in his/her absence, serve on the Executive Committee, and assume the duties of the President at the end of the current President's term of office. If the President is unable to complete the term of office, the Vice-President shall immediately assume the duties of the President and convene a special meeting to present nominations to the Staff Council for the election of a new Vice-President. The newly installed President and Vice-President shall complete the remainder of the current term and continue into the next year to serve a full term.

Immediate Past-President: The Immediate Past-President shall be a member of the Executive Committee and will be the Representative to the University System of Georgia Staff Council and shall serve as a resource person in an advisory capacity to the Staff Council in matters affecting the Staff Council's relationship with the USGSC. This person is required to attend the USGSC meetings to ensure congruency and continuity with the USGSC. The Immediate Past-President is a non-voting member.

Secretary: The Secretary shall serve on the Executive Committee, notify members of meetings, provide necessary secretarial services, including taking minutes, maintaining records, and distributing minutes to the Staff Council delegates. The Secretary shall also maintain a current roster of the Executive Committee members and all other committee members, including the expiration dates of each member's term of office, and shall register the alternate delegates. The Secretary will be a member of the Election and Nomination Committee.

Treasurer:  The Treasurer shall be responsible for recording and disbursing funds allocated for the conduct of Staff Council business and for required financial reports concerning Staff Council expenditures. The Treasurer will be a member of the Scholarship Committee.

ARTICLE V: ELECTION OF OFFICERS

Officers of the Council will be nominated and elected by the fourteen-member Council.  Vice President/President Elect will assume the Presidency at the first meeting in July at which time he/she will conduct the election for remaining officers (Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary).

ARTICLE VI: STANDING COMMITTEES          

Nomination and Elections Committee: 

The Nomination and Elections Committee shall consist of three members elected by and from the body of the Staff Council. This committee shall be responsible for preparing a slate of officer candidates from the members in good standing of the staff. They shall handle all nominations and election procedures as set forth in the By-laws. It shall also be the responsibility of the committee to contact the nominated candidates prior to posting their name on the ballot to be sure they are willing to serve and to fully explain the duties and length of term to each potential candidate. The Secretary will be a member of the committee.

Staff Development Committee: 

The Staff Development Committee will consist of three members. The Vice-President will be a member of the committee. The duties of the Staff Development committee include approving all staff development fund requests and planning a yearly professional event. This committee shall work closely with the Human Resources Department in enhancing and developing staff development programs.

Public Relations Committee:

The Public Relations Committee shall be responsible for planning and coordinating activities approved by the council. This committee is responsible for keeping the University Relations Office current on all events. An article must be written in each Digest about Staff Council events/plans.

Scholarship Committee:

The Scholarship Committee shall be responsible for handling the scholarship funds. The Treasurer is a member of this committee. This committee is responsible for announcing the scholarship deadlines and awarding scholarships. No more than $500 in scholarship money may be given out in one semester. The committee is responsible for adhering to all the rules of the scholarship.

Welcome Committee:

The Welcome Committee shall consist of at least three (3) members; at least one should be a second-year member. Duties will include gathering established and introducing new information/items for the welcome packets for the assembly/maintenance of the welcome packets, maintaining regular contact with the designated person from Human Resources to ascertain new staff members to campus, and recruiting additional members of Staff Council to participate if the number of new staff members is excessive. Each new committee will establish its own protocol within the first month of the new committee term for the meeting/hosting of new staff members.

Staff Awards Committee:

The Staff Awards Committee is the body within the NGCSU Staff Council that establishes and oversees the criteria, selection process, and awarding of Staff Council's Outstanding Staff Member Award and the Employee of the Month program.

The Staff Awards Committee shall be comprised of members of the NGCSU Staff body. The core member group (Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary) is appointed by Staff Council President from elected members. Four (4) additional staff members (both elected and non-elected) will be invited to join the committee to complete the membership requirement of seven (7). Members of Staff Awards Committee are not eligible for nomination for the Outstanding Staff Member Award. Staff Council members not serving on the Staff Awards Committee are eligible for the Employee of the Month Award and Outstanding Staff Member Award.

Chair: The Chair will call meetings, create agenda and act as liaison with the NGCSU President, Convocation Chair and Human Resources. The Chair coordinates and oversees the Outstanding Staff Member Award.

Vice Chair: The Vice Chair will assist the Chair with tasks associated with the selection of awards and conduct business at the monthly meetings in the Chair's absence. The Vice Chair coordinates and oversees the Employee of the Month program.

Secretary: The Secretary will record minutes of the meeting and manage committee records including but not limited to: updating nomination forms, Web sites, committee evaluations, and other documentation.

The Staff Awards Committee shall meet at least once a month, during the week prior to the Staff Council Meeting, during regular business hours. A quorum of five (5) is needed for meetings. Notification of the date, time and place of meetings, along with a copy of the agenda shall be e-mailed (or mailed) to each member at least three (3) working days prior to the scheduled meeting.

The committee will evaluate the process and record their findings in writing to be presented to the entire Staff Council and added to the official minutes. At least every other year, the committee will also review the criteria for the awards. These measures will ensure that necessary and timely changes to the process, criteria and awarding will be accomplished.

ARTICLE VII: COUNCIL MEETINGS

1. The Council shall meet twelve times per year with the year starting in July. All meetings are open to all staff.

2. The Council President, at the request of any member of the staff, can call a special meeting with the approval of the Executive Board.  An e-mail notice must be sent 48 hours before the special meeting.

3. All actions taken at the regular Council meetings or any special meeting shall evolve from a recommendation to the Council with request for enactment, except as otherwise provided for herein.

4. The order of business at each meeting of the Council shall be determined by the President of the Council and will include a report by the President as the chief executive officer on the actions of the Council and a financial report by the Treasurer.  The President shall preside at the meeting designated for the presentation of the slate of officers presented by the Chair of the Council.

5. Parliamentary procedures at all meetings shall be in accordance with Roberts' Rules of Order.

ARTICLE VIII: VOTING

1. The voting power is limited to Council members.

2. Voting on all matters shall be by voice vote unless the Council President rules otherwise or unless any member present shall request vote by secret ballot on a particular matter.

3. Voting by proxy shall not be allowed.

Amendment:

These bylaws may be amended by a 2/3 majority vote of the Staff Council. Any proposed amendments will be distributed to the staff, from the secretary, 30 days prior to Staff Council vote. Any objections/recommendations for change must be submitted in writing to the Staff Council President at least 10 days prior to the next scheduled Staff Council meeting. The president shall distribute the objections/recommendations to all staff council members at least 8 days prior to the next scheduled Staff Council meeting.

Revised: 4/21/09