Staff Council Bylaws

Name
The name of this organization shall be the Department of Epidemiology Staff Council.

Mission
The Council is an elected body which represents the Department of Epidemiology staff members.

Goals

• Express the opinions regarding departmental issues of staff
• Advocate changes or improvements for staff
• Advise and recommend departmental policies affecting staff members
• Inform staff of and involve them in Council activities
• Foster postitive interaction and communication throughout the department

Organization

• The following categories of Personnel may have membership on Staff Council with a minimum of six months employment with the Department:
• Professional and Scientific-permanent, full-time or part-time
• Professional and Scientific-bi-weekly or temporary
• Merit
• Membership on the Council is on the basis of a minimum of one representative for every 20 employees or major fraction thereof in each building/research site. Off campus staff will be counted in the total with their respective research site. For example, abstractors for the State Health Registry will be included in the Firstar Bank total. At least one of the staff council positions should be held by a merit staff member. It is recognized that different research units may reside in each building and it is strongly recommended that each building has representation from as many research units and classifications as possible. (At this point the breakdown by building is as follows:
  • Westlawn, 2
  • Oakdale, 2
  • General Hospital , 3
  • Firstar Bank, 2
  • At large, 1
• One at large position will be available for the council to select a merit representative if one is not elected during the normal election process. If this is not necessary, the council may use the at large position to make the council more equitable based on classification.

Council News

Council information will be available on the Staff Council Website and the Department Website.

Operational Year

The operational year of this Council shall be from May 1 to the following April 31.

 Meetings

• Meetings may be held monthly but not less than quarterly. Due to the diverse location of our staff, council meetings will be held during prearranged meeting times to encourage off-campus staff to participate or committee members may participate by teleconference.
• Attendance at meetings shall be open to the public.
• Special meetings may be called by the President.

Quorum

In order to transact business, a quorum of one more than one-half the Council members must be present. To carry a motion, affirmative votes must be cast by one more than one-half of those voting.

Nomination Process

• Council shall solicit nominations for Council membership from each building. Nomination forms shall be sent to all staff. Employees have the privilege of self nomination. Nominations shall include a brief description of the candidate's qualifications, occupation, consent to serve and the candidate's reason for seeking election to the Council. It is strongly recommended that each building has representation from as many research units and classifications as possible.
• Terms of Council membership shall be three years. It is recommended that the Council determines how to distribute the first term by one, two, and three year terms so that we are not electing a whole new council every three years.

Elections

• Ballots shall be prepared and sent all employees by represented buildings with a deadline date for their return two weeks later. The ballots shall include a "return" envelope. The names of all eligible nominees shall be placed on the ballot, along with a brief description of each candidate's background.
• Following the deadline date, the ballots shall be opened and counted by the Staff Council. Results of the election shall be given to the Secretary of the Council who will make the results a part of the permanent Council file. In case of a tie, the winner shall be chosen by lot.
• The Council Secretary shall send a note to all candidates notifying them of the results of the elections and a letter to the elected members congratulating them on their election to the Council and inviting them to attend the next meeting. An email shall be sent to Epidemiology staff regarding results of the election. All ballots shall be disposed of appropriately. This shall be done by the Secretary of the Council.
• All newly elected Council members will begin their term May 1.

Officers

1. The officers of the Council shall be a President, Vice President/President Elect, Secretary. The officers shall be elected by the Council by paper ballot. Prior to the elections, the candidates will be encouraged to make oral or written comments regarding their desire for candidacy.
2. If the office of President becomes vacant, the Vice President/President Elect shall become President for the remainder of that term and assume the office of President the following year. If the office of Vice President/President Elect becomes vacant, a Vice President/President Elect shall be elected from the Council membership to serve the remainder of the term, and assume the office of President the following year. If there is both an acting President and acting Vice-President, the acting President shall assume office of President the following year. If the Office of Secretary becomes vacant, the President shall appoint an Acting Secretary from the Council membership for the remainder of the term.

Duties of Council

Execute the goals of the council. Elect staff representative for the college faculty meeting, department faculty meeting and department executive committee meetings.

Duties of Officers

The duties of the officers are those implied by their respective titles and as specified in these Bylaws.

• Perform such duties as usually pertain to the office of President.
• Preside at all meetings of the Council.
• Prepare an Agenda for each meeting.
• Prepare the Annual Report for presentation at the meeting in April.
• Submit Council recommendations at department meetings.
• The Vice President/President Elect shall:
• Perform the duties of the President in the absence of the officer.
• Perform such duties as the President shall designate.
• Assume the office of President the following year.
• Maintain a current comprehensive description of each internal committee that details mission, scope, annual projects, terms, and any other information that would be useful to future council members.

The Secretary shall:

• Be responsible for minutes for meetings of the Staff Council
• Be responsible for the Staff Council meeting attendance roster. c) The Council Secretary shall send a note to all candidates notifying them of the results of the elections, a letter to the elected members congratulating them on their election to the Council and inviting them to attend the next meeting and an email to Epidemiology staff regarding results of the election. The Council Secretary shall dispose of all ballots appropriately.
• Conduct correspondence, as necessary.
• Maintain council budget

Ammendments

These bylaws may be amended at the regular meeting of the Council by a two-thirds vote, provided that the amendment has been introduced to the Council at the previous regular meeting.