STAFF EMPLOYEES' COUNCIL
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UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA . RENO BYLAWS ARTICLE I Name The name of this council shall be Staff Employees' Council (SEC) of the University of Nevada , Reno , hereafter referred to as the Council. The Council is a delegation of classified employees who represent each Council Division (Article IV. Sec. E) of the University of Nevada , Reno , hereafter referred to as the University. ARTICLE II Purpose and Policies • Purpose The Council's purpose is to serve in an advisory capacity to the President of the University, hereafter referred to as the President, with respect to all matters pertaining to classified personnel and employee relations. The Council shall provide a means of communication for disseminating information to classified employees of the University; and, the Council shall afford an opportunity for classified employees to have a role in the governance of the University with respect to matters pertaining to classified personnel and employee relations. • Policies • The Council's policies shall be consistent with the Nevada Revised Statutes, Nevada Administrative Code, Board of Regents Handbook and Procedures and Guidelines Manual and University Policies. In the event that any provision of these Bylaws conflicts with the Nevada Revised Statutes, Nevada Administrative Code, Board of Regents Handbook and Procedures and Guidelines Manual or University Policies, those laws, regulations or policies shall control and the conflicting provision(s) of the SEC Bylaws will be brought into conformance. • The Council does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, creed, sexual orientation, national origin, physical or mental disability, or veteran status. ARTICLE III Standards and Practices • Standards The Council shall associate itself with or endorse projects, programs or activities which meet the purpose and policies as previously set forth in Article II and which have the interest of the classified employees of the University as a priority. The Council will communicate pertinent information to their constituents on a regular basis. The Council's Executive Board shall present to the Council all proposed major programs/activities for ratification. • Practices • Record minutes of Council meetings. • Maintain membership rosters, including expiration dates. • Maintain committee members' rosters. • Maintain Council budget accounts in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles and applicable Board of Regents policies. The Council's Executive Board shall review Council accounts. ARTICLE IV Apportionment • The Council shall reapportion itself, if necessary, at three-year intervals. • The total Council membership shall at no time exceed 35 members.
• The standard for determining representatives to the Council is as follows:
When a Council Division reaches 201 or more employees, the division may split the department with the largest representation into its own division to ensure adequate representation on the Council.
*Numbers reflect representation at the time of the Bylaws.
ARTICLE V Elections • Council representatives shall be elected by a mail-in or electronic ballot from members of their Council Division in June of each year. The votes shall be tallied by the Election Committee. The names of the three classified employees receiving the largest number of votes in each Division with a vacancy from their constituency shall be forwarded to the President, through the office of the Vice President for Administration and Finance, for review and appointment of the appropriate number of representatives. The new representatives shall begin their term with the September meeting. • A "term year" is defined as September through August. Council members shall serve a three-year term and may not stand for re-election for one year after the expiration of that term. A member appointed to fill a vacated position may stand for election at the end of the term in which they were appointed according to Article V. Sec. C. • When a vacancy occurs on the Council for a reason other than the expiration of a term, the Chair, with the advice and consent of the Council, recommends to the President through the office of the Vice President for Administration and Finance a temporary replacement member from within the Division having the vacancy to complete the vacant term. The appointed representative may stand for election. • When a Council member transfers from one division to another division within the University, that Council member may remain on the Council in their present capacity on committees and boards representing the department originally elected to, until the position in the transferring Council member's original division is filled. If the Council member desires to leave the Council upon their transfer, the Chair, with the advice and consent of the Council, shall recommend to the President through the office of the Vice President for Administration and Finance a temporary replacement member from within the Division having the vacancy to complete the vacant term. The appointed representative may stand for election.
ARTICLE VI Officers • The following officers shall be elected each term year: Chair, Vice Chair, Public Relations Coordinator, Secretary, and Treasurer. Except for Chair and Vice Chair, all officers are elected at the September Council meeting. Chair and Vice Chair positions require at least one year prior Council service before being elected to these positions and they must be filled in August. Those receiving the greatest number of votes for each post are declared the officers. The outgoing Chair continues to preside until the new Chair has been elected. • Should any officer's position, other than Chair, become vacant during the term year, a new election shall be held pursuant to Article VI. Sec. A. If the Chair's position becomes vacant, the Vice Chair shall assume the duties of the Chair for the remainder of the term year. • Duties. The Immediate Past Chair (ex officio member), Chair, Vice Chair, Public Relations Coordinator, Secretary and Treasurer shall hereafter be referred to as the Executive Board of the Council. The Executive Board shall meet as needed to develop agendas for the monthly meetings, to respond to requests for information or advice, and to develop goals and policies, which the Council seeks to implement. • The Chair shall preside over Council meetings; shall serve as liaison to the University administration; and shall nominate members for University committees with the advice and consent of the Council. The Chair shall serve as an ex-officio member of all Council committees. The Chair shall attend the New Employee Orientation presentations conducted by the Professional Training and Development office to provide information about the Council. • The Vice Chair shall assume the duties of the Chair in the Chair's absence; shall be responsible for other duties as assigned by the Chair; shall serve as liaison to the President via the Vice President for Administration and Finance when it becomes necessary to replace vacated positions on the Council within 60 days; shall sit on the Bylaws Committee; shall maintain the Council's constituency lists; and, act as Parliamentarian at Council meetings. If the Chair's position becomes vacant, the Vice Chair shall assume the duties of the Chair for the remainder of the term year. The Vice Chair shall be designated as chair elect. At the yearly election of officers, the Council reserves the right to endorse the chair elect as the new chair or to elect another eligible representative of the Council. • The Public Relations Coordinator shall be responsible for coordinating the broadcasting of information relating to the Council. Such information may include the preparation and distribution of a newsletter, updates to the Council's brochure, posting of meeting dates, times and locations, and any other events sponsored by the Council. When requested, the Public Relations Coordinator shall assume liaison duties for the Chair. Should the Chair, Vice Chair and Treasurer be unavailable for the regularly scheduled monthly meeting, the Public Relations Coordinator shall assume the duties as Chair. • The Secretary shall be responsible for recording, preparing, and distributing a rough draft of the meeting minutes to all Council members at least seven days prior to the next regularly scheduled Council meeting. The Secretary shall prepare any correspondence or documents required by the Council; and, shall maintain an accurate, up-to-date roster of Council members and committees and committee members. The Secretary shall contact and schedule guest speakers for monthly Council meetings as suggested by the Chair or Council members. • The Treasurer shall be charged with the responsibility of maintaining the purchasing card issued by the Controller's Office, shall be responsible for conducting the fiscal affairs of the Council, and shall maintain a record of all fiscal matters relating to the Council. Should the Chair and Vice Chair be unavailable for the regularly scheduled monthly meeting, the Treasurer shall assume the duties as Chair.
ARTICLE VII Meetings • The Council shall meet at least monthly, or upon petition by the Executive Board, or a two-thirds majority of the Council members. • All meetings of the Council are open meetings. • Council members shall be allowed a reasonable period of time (six to eight hours per month) away from their regular duties to attend Council meetings and functions; and, to conduct Council business. • A simple majority (1/2 + 1) of the Council members (including proxy representatives) constitutes a quorum. • Any member unable to attend a regularly scheduled Council meeting shall send a representative to serve as their proxy. The regular member will provide the Chair of the Council an email statement designating proxy representation at least two working days prior to the meeting. The proxy may be designated as any classified staff member within the same Council Division, including other Council members of the same Division. Representatives may serve as a proxy for only one absent member per meeting. • A Council member is allowed no more than three absences within a Council year (September--August). At least two of the three absences must be covered by proxy representation. Should a Council member accumulate two absences without proxy representation, or three absences in total during a Council year, the Council Chair shall notify that member and their Council Division in writing. The Council member and their Council Division shall be given the option of requesting a special election to replace the member in question. If such request is not made, the Executive Board may then conduct a review of said member which may result in the appointment of a replacement. • With the exception of emergencies, any member who is unable to attend a regularly scheduled Council meeting and will not use a proxy shall notify a member of the Executive Board at least one day prior to the scheduled meeting. ARTICLE VIII Finance • The Fiscal year of the Council shall be from September to August. • The budget shall be prepared annually by the Treasurer, Chair, and past Treasurer of the Council. The proposed budget shall then be forwarded to the Vice President for Administration and Finance and to the Executive Board for review and approval. It shall be sent to all Council representatives, to be received seven days prior to the October meeting, for approval at the October meeting. ARTICLE IX Committees and Committee Membership • Excluding alternate membership, each Council member shall serve on no less than two (2) SEC and/or University committees. Each committee is to select a committee chair no later than the regularly scheduled November Council meeting. SEC Committees • SEC Bylaws. A committee of three (3), including the Vice Chair, shall review the Bylaws and make recommendations for change to the Council. Upon approval by the Council, the committee chair shall deliver said Bylaws to the President, through the office of the Vice President for Administration and Finance, for signing. Upon procurement of the President's signature, the committee chair shall make arrangements for copies of the Bylaws to be printed and then distributed to Council members at the next regularly scheduled monthly meeting. • Classified Employee Recognition Program. A committee of at least five (5) shall review monthly nominations and select no more than two classified employees each month who have gone above and beyond their normal duties on a special project. The committee shall also review yearly nominations and select an employee who has put forth continuous outstanding service to receive the Classified Employee of the Year Award. A committee member may not be a recipient of either award while serving on this committee. The previous year's recipient of the Employee of the Year Award may serve as a member of the committee. • SEC Awards Luncheon. The Council sponsors, with the President of the University, an annual awards luncheon. A committee of at least seven (7), including at least one (1) person from BCN Human Resources as an ad hoc member or as a SEC representative, shall be responsible for planning and processing all matters pertaining to the annual awards luncheon. Years of service awards shall be given to classified employees based on their cumulative service years at the University with a cutoff date of December 31. • SEC Open House. A committee of at least five (5) shall be responsible for inviting vendors and planning the annual SEC Open House for the purpose of providing employees with information on SEC and University Committees, campus programs, and community information relating to university activities. • Elections . A committee of at least four (4) shall be responsible for the annual election process as outlined in Article V of these Bylaws. • Classified Staff Development Fund/Educational Leave. A committee of at least five (5) shall review and approve or disapprove applications submitted by classified employees who are applying for partial or full funding to attend workshops, seminars, and/or classes in order to enhance their professional development at the University. This committee shall also administer the Educational Leave program in accordance with NAC 284.514 – 284.522 and NRS 284.343. • SEC Web Site . A committee of at least two (2) shall review and update the SEC web site on an ongoing basis. The committee shall also make recommendations for major web site revisions or improvements to the Council for review. • Benefits & Compensation . A committee of at least three (3) shall search for and recommend to the Council any improvement that staff feel is needed to classified employee compensation, benefits, and any other special interests. University Committees One (1) Council member and one (1) alternate shall serve on standing University Committees. The member or alternate shall be responsible for reporting pertinent information or developments from the committees to the Council, and for expressing the opinions and concerns of the Council to the respective committees. These committees are: Administrative Manual Review Board; Arboretum Board; ASUN; Balloon Race Committee, Committee on the Status of Women, Facilities Resource Committee; Faculty Senate; Student Services Food/Retail Dining & Catering; Parking and Traffic Board; Police Advisory Board, Police Services Board of Professional Standards; Student Union Advisory Board; University Disabilities Resource Coalition; Athletics Advisory Committee and Work and Family Task Force. The Council member and alternate are not voting members of ASUN and Faculty Senate. Ad Hoc Committees The Chair may designate, with the advice and consent of the Council, Ad Hoc Committees to serve a specific function of a short-term nature and duration. General Committee Information • Committee members may be appointed to SEC committees from within the Council as well as from the classified staff at large. Committee members appointed from the classified staff at large shall have voting rights only within their assigned committee. Only a SEC member shall chair a SEC committee. • A written committee report or copy of committee minutes shall be submitted to the Council secretary each month. • SEC committee chairs shall maintain binders that record all activities and duties performed throughout the term year. These binders shall be given to the outgoing Chair at the August Council meeting and shall be presented to the incoming Chair at the September Council meeting. ARTICLE X Bylaws Amendments • The designated Bylaws Committee shall conduct a biannual review of the Bylaws. Any proposed change(s) received from the membership or suggested by a committee member shall be submitted in writing and distributed to the membership prior to the regularly scheduled August Council meeting. • The proposed change(s) shall be voted upon by the Council during its regularly scheduled August Council meeting. To become an amendment, the change(s) must receive a three-fourths (3/4) majority vote of the entire voting membership of the Council. Upon approval, the amendment(s) shall then be submitted to the President, through the office of the Vice President for Administration and Finance, for signing. • Once approved, signed and dated by the President, the newly amended Bylaws shall be considered adopted and in full force until such time as they are once again properly amended. The Bylaws Committee Chair shall make arrangements for copies of the Bylaws to be printed and then distributed to Council members at the next regularly scheduled monthly meeting. The SEC web site shall be updated to reflect the newly adopted Bylaws. ARTICLE XI Parliamentary Authority The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised addressing the main motion, subsidiary motions, privileged motions, incidental motions, motions that bring a question again before the assembly, renewal of motions, assignment of debate and voting shall govern the Council 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 Council may adopt.
______________________________ ___________ Chair - Staff Employees' Council Date
_________________________ ___________ President - University of Nevada , Reno Date Revised: 6/14/07 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
