BY-LAWS
ARTICLE I. MEMBERSHIP MEETINGS
All meetings will be governed by the rules contained in the most current edition of Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, except when in conflict with the provisions of the Constitution or By-Laws, in which case the Constitution and/or By-Laws shall take precedence. The Immediate Past President shall be the final arbitrator of the rules.
Section A: Association Meetings
Regular business meetings shall be held monthly at such time and date as shall be designated by the existing executive board. These meetings shall be open to the general SSA membership.
Section B: Annual Meetings
The annual SSA meeting shall be held within thirty (30) days preceding the end of each fiscal year at such time and date as the executive board shall designate for the purpose of inducting new officers and presentation of annual reports to the general membership.
Section C: Executive Board Meetings
The President shall preside over a board meeting to be held one week before the general SSA meeting. A special meeting of the executive board may be called at any time by the President.
Section D: Special Meetings
A special meeting of the association may be called at any time by the President.
Section E: Quorum and Vote Required
A quorum shall be defined as at least twenty (20) members present at any duly called meeting. At meetings of the SSA and its committees, a simple majority vote of those present shall cause a proposal to pass.
Section F: Voting Rights
All SSA members shall have the right to vote on matters submitted. Each shall have one vote, and no one shall vote by proxy.
ARTICLE II. OFFICERS
Section A: Officers
1. The officers of this organization shall be President, President-Elect, Recording Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, Historian, and Immediate Past President.
2. The term of office for all officers shall be one fiscal year, defined hereinafter as September 1 - August 31. No officer may serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office. After one full year following an expired term an officer is eligible for nomination to an office previously served. However, an officer is eligible for nomination to a different office the year immediately following an expired term.
3. Should an office become vacant for any reason the following will apply:
a. If the position is vacated before March 1st, a special election will be held in accordance with Section V. Special Elections.
b. If the position is vacated after March 1st, the executive board will appoint, by majority vote, a qualified SSA member to complete the vacated term.
Section B: Duties
1. The President shall preside at all SSA meetings, including the executive board and provide an agenda to all members at least five working days prior to the meetings; call special meetings as necessary; represent the SSA on the University Council; function as a liaison to other organizations and entities; transmit information from the University Administration and Shared Governance to the support staff; and fulfill any other duties as prescribed by the governing document or as directed by the SSA. The President shall ensure that all members have an opportunity to address the organization during meetings. The President shall make no motion or amendment, nor vote on any issue unless required to break a tie vote.
2. The Immediate Past President shall serve as a non-voting member of the Executive board for one year, and shall assist the President whenever requested and fulfill any other function as the executive board may direct.
3. The President-Elect shall assist the President as requested, preside over all meetings in the absence of the President and perform such other functions as directed by the executive board. Should the President be unable to complete the current term, the President-Elect automatically becomes President. Succession to the office of President shall not prevent a person from serving as President for the next full term and will not prevent eligibility for a second term nomination as President.
4. The Recording Secretary shall maintain a current list of SSA members; shall record written minutes of the executive board meetings and distribute copies to the executive board members within one week; and shall record minutes of the general meetings. Minutes of the general meetings shall be made available to all members of the support staff within one week via e-mail, website, and other postings. Current agendas shall be made available to members of the support staff five days prior to the regularly scheduled general meeting via e-mail, website, and other postings.
5. The Corresponding Secretary shall conduct the correspondence of the organization, perform all mailings; coordinate nominations and ballots for the Employee of the Quarter Program; and shall coordinate and process applications for scholarship awards.
6. The Treasurer shall maintain and safeguard all moneys of the organization, maintain accurate records of all transactions, pay pre-approved bills as defined for the expenditure; and report on the state of the treasury at all regular meetings. The President, President-Elect, and Treasurer shall have signature authority on all expenditures. However, no expenditure shall be made without the prior approval of the President and the Treasurer. During the fourth quarter of the current fiscal year, the Treasurer shall prepare and submit a budget proposal for the next fiscal year to be approved by a vote of the executive board. In order to address changing needs, the incoming executive board shall have the option to revise the proposed budget by a vote of the executive board.
7.The Historian shall collect, organize, and maintain historical records of all SSA events and activities. The Historian, in addition, shall photograph the Employee of the Quarter presentations and other events and activities, maintaining copies of photos as part of the historical archive.
8. The Webmaster. Maintenance of the SSA website should be an appointed position with no term limit or any other duties assigned to the appointment.
All officers shall ensure, in all dealings with University Administration and Committees, that the opinions and interests of the support staff are fully and accurately represented. All officers shall be governed by a code of ethics which shall be signed at the time of nomination to office. Officers shall maintain complete and accurate records (i.e. committee minutes, agendas, etc.) which shall be submitted to the succeeding officers. Written annual reports shall be filed with the Recording Secretary.
ARTICLE III. REPRESENTATIVES
Section A: General
The organization shall elect representatives and alternates to the Committees of the Shared Governance structure and Task Forces. Representatives to the Committees of the Shared Governance structure shall serve for a term of one fiscal year. Alternates to the Committees of the Shared Governance structure shall serve as alternate for one fiscal year, and as representative the following fiscal year. Representatives and alternates elected to task forces shall serve for the duration of the task force, unless for some reason they are unable to do so.
Section B: Duties
1. The representatives are responsible for attending all meetings of the committee for which they have been elected. If unable to attend, the representative is responsible for contacting that committee alternate so that SSA will be represented. The alternates are responsible for attending meetings of the committee for which they have been elected in the absence of the representative. If neither can be present, the President shall appoint an executive board member to attend in their absence.
2. Either the Representative or the Alternate must be present at SSA monthly meetings to report on committee or task force activities. If neither can be present, a written report is to be submitted to the Recording Secretary in advance of the meeting.
Representatives are required to inform the President of impending votes in Committees and Task Forces. The President will then place the item on the Agenda for the next meeting and a call will be made for a consensus of the membership.
Section C: Shared Governance Committee Descriptions
1. The University Planning Committee is responsible for institutional planning. This work will begin with the implementation and coordination of a planning model, and will include comprehensive long-range planning, the development of the six-year and biennial plans, planning assessment, coordination of the campus master plan, and coordination of the Southern Association of Colleges and School ten-year accreditation process.
2. The Facilities and Resources Committee is responsible for developing and recommending priorities for the construction of the university's annual operating budget and monitoring the preparation, implementation and variances of that budget with respect to those priorities, insuring resource accountability; and oversight of space allocation and utilizations, including new construction projects, parking and traffic policy.
3. The Educational Policies and Courses Committee is responsible for developing and monitoring the implementation of policies on enrollment and admission, student scholarships, catalog revisions, curriculum (including core curriculum), degree requirements, approval and modification of courses, honors and awards, continuing education, international programs, educational institutes and centers, approval of new academic programs, graduate programs and degrees, teaching improvement and evaluation, general grading standards, SACS standards adherence and other accreditation, cooperative programs with other schools, and periodic academic program review.
4. The University Life Committee is responsible for developing and monitoring the implementation of policies on issues affecting the life of all the members of the university community. These shall include services to university constituent groups and visitors; student and alumni issues; issues concerning university housing, the student center, ecology, and such special concerns as those of women, men, minorities and the disabled; university-community relations; governmental relations; publications; fundraising;
partnership development; and fringe benefit and other university-wide personnel matters (excluding traditional faculty personnel matters).
5. The Library, Research and Computing Committee is responsible for developing and monitoring the implementation of policies on university libraries, audio-visual services, university computing, telecommunications, and research issues, including those involving research institutes and centers, faculty research fund administration, protection of human subjects and animal care, intellectual property, research sources, and research ethics.
ARTICLE IV. COMMITTEES
Section A: Standing Board and Committees
The SSA standing groups shall be the Executive board, Elections Committee, Scholarship Committee, and Programs Committee. Ad-hoc or special purpose committees may be established as the need arises and as directed by the executive board.
Section B: Composition and Function
1. The Executive Board shall consist of the Shared Governance representatives and the officers, including the Immediate Past President as a non-voting member. The board shall plan the agenda for the organization for the year and present issues to the membership for consideration and voting as appropriate. Specific duties of the board represent the entire membership and acknowledge the needs and concerns of all the members in carrying out decision-making responsibilities.
2. The Elections Committee will consist of three SSA members, elected at the regular May meeting. The person receiving the greatest number of votes shall act as committee chair. In addition, the Recording Secretary will sit as a non-voting member of the committee. The committee shall meet at least once each year. The committee chair shall report the names of the candidates who consent to stand for election within ten (10) days of his/her receipt of such consents in writing.
3. The Scholarship Committee shall call for applications from those SSA members pursuing academic programs at this or other institutions. It shall make scholarship awards as determined by the applications, for each of the two long semesters. The Treasurer and Corresponding Secretary shall serve as non-voting members of the Scholarship Committee.
4. The President Elect shall serve as chair of the Programs Committee and shall be responsible for programs such as luncheons and all fundraising projects. All project ideas shall be brought before the executive board for approval or recommendation prior to any action being taken. After board approval of the project or function, the President Elect will organize ad hoc or special purpose committees, each with a volunteer committee chair. All special purpose committee chairs will serve as mentor to the volunteer chair for the following year same event, i.e., chair of the Spring Luncheon Committee.
ARTICLE V. ELECTIONS
Election of officers and representatives shall be held in July. Officers and Committee representatives to represent the SSA in UHCL Governance Committees shall begin their term on September 1. The entire membership shall be solicited to submit nominations. Each person nominated to serve shall be contacted regarding his/her willingness to run for the designated position. From the nominations submitted, sample ballots (with a short biographical sketch for each nominee) shall be prepared and mailed to the entire membership. Designated polling places will be set up in each building on a date designated as the regular election day, and ballots may be cast by SSA members between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on that designated day. Absentee ballots will be made available on the web for submission to the designated Election Committee member one week prior to the regular election. The ballots shall be counted and verified by the Elections Committee, and the results announced at the August meeting. The nominee with the largest number of votes for each office shall be chosen. In case of a tie, a run-off election shall be conducted. In the event of a loss of an officer other than the President, before the elected term ends, the President will announce at the next regular meeting or a special meeting that an election to select a replacement will be conducted. The same process as for the annual elections shall be followed.
All special elections will also be conducted under these guidelines.
ARTICLE VI. REMOVAL FROM OFFICE
Any officer or committee representative may be removed from office by simple majority vote of the executive board whenever, in their judgment, the best interests of the organization shall be served by such removal. In the event of inappropriate or lack of representation in fulfilling the duties as defined in the By-Laws, the board shall conduct counseling steps with the officer or committee representative prior to removal from an office or committee. Any such counseling by the board will be a confidential matter and part of the executive board records only. If the subject officer or representative is not available for or refuses counseling, the board will document and proceed with the removal from office. Balloting procedures to replace any elected position as result of removal from office will be the same as any special election as defined in Article V. ELECTIONS. Appointed positions will be replaced at the discretion of the board.
ARTICLE VII. GENERAL PROVISIONS
Section 1: Notice
All notices of the SSA By-Laws must be given in writing and distributed via e-mail, website, or by mail, addressed as it appears in the organization records. Any notice shall be deemed given when distributed as above defined.
Section 2: Informal Meetings
Any action required or permitted may be taken without a formal meeting provided that written or electronic (e-mail) consent of the action taken is given by the majority of Board or committee members entitled to vote. Any such consent shall have the same force and effect as a unanimous vote. Minutes of the electronic meeting shall be submitted at the next board or committee meeting to be entered into the official records.
