1.1 The full name of this organization is the 天美传媒 Staff Senate, hereinafter referred to as 鈥淪taff Senate."
2.1 Staff Senate exists to;
2.1.1 Promote the welfare and growth of 天美传媒 staff
2.1.2 Provide a forum for open communication and ongoing dialogue among staff and between staff and administration
2.1.3 Make recommendations on any matters which have a significant bearing on the experience of staff
3.1 Eligibility
3.1.1 To be eligible for Staff Senate, you must;
3.1.1.1 Be a full-time or regular part-time employee whose primary designation is staff rather than faculty or student
3.1.1.2 Be employed by 天美传媒 for at least one year鈥�as of May 1st
3.1.1.3 Not represented by a collective bargaining unit
3.1.1.4 Be in good standing with the University upon election and remains in such standing during their term(s), and
3.1.1.5 Have your supervisor's approval
3.2 Duties
3.2.1 Attend all Staff Senate meetings. Attendance at regularly scheduled Staff Senate meetings does not count against regularly scheduled paid work hours.
3.2.2 Serve on at least one committee
3.3 Representation
3.3.1 There are 16 members of Staff Senate.
3.3.1.1 Six members-at-large elected from the entire staff
3.3.1.2 Ten members divided in a representative ratio between 鈥淎cademic鈥� staff who report up through the Office of the Provost, and 鈥淎dministrative鈥� staff who report up through the Office of the President/Office of the Executive Vice President/COO
3.3.2 Ratios are determined by triennial reporting from the Office of Human Resources.
3.3.3 If the representative ratio cannot be met in an election, the highest-voted members at large will fill any remaining seats to reach a 16 elected-member body, regardless of administrative/academic classification.
3.4 Nominations
3.4.1 Nominees for Staff Senate must have at least one nomination (which may include self-nomination) to be considered to run on the election ballot.
3.5 Elections
3.5.1 The administration of Staff Senate elections shall be the responsibility of the Election Committee.
3.6 Terms
3.6.1 Representatives serve terms of three years unless a staff member is elected to fulfill the remaining term of an elected member who has resigned or is no longer employed at 天美传媒.
3.6.2 Members may be re-elected without limit.
3.6.3 The term of service shall begin at the annual organizational meeting held in July.
3.7 Release Time
3.7.1 All elected representatives are permitted to attend regularly scheduled Staff Senate meetings and serve on committees without it counting against their regularly scheduled paid work hours.
3.8 Vacancies
3.8.1 The filling of a resigned position will only take place if there are over 12 months of the term remaining.
3.8.2 The filling of any vacancy in the Staff Senate is the responsibility of the Election Committee.
3.8.3 鈥疪ecommendations from the Election Committee shall be brought to the Staff Senate for review and approval.
4.1 Roles and Duties
4.1.1 The duties of the Chair shall include, but not be limited to:
4.1.1.1 Call and preside over meetings
4.1.1.2 Represent the Staff Senate on the University Leadership Council (ULC)
4.1.1.3 Coordinate the annual Staff Senate meeting with the Executive Committee of the University Academic Senate to explore areas of common interest
4.1.1.4 Send formal letters of committee service responsibilities with pertinent information to staff members鈥� supervisors鈥�
4.1.2 The duties of the Vice-Chair shall include, but not be limited to:
4.1.2.1 Preside over meetings in the absence of the Chair
4.1.2.2 Represent the Staff Senate at the ULC meetings
4.1.2.3 Function as the Chair of the Work Environment Committee and as the Staff Senate liaison to Human Resources.
4.1.3 The duties of the Secretary shall include, but not be limited to:
4.1.3.1 Record meeting minutes
4.1.3.2 Ensure distribution of the agenda and meeting materials
4.1.4 The duties of the Treasurer shall include, but not be limited to:
4.1.4.1 Keep the record of university appropriated funds and amount used by the Staff Senate.
4.2 Elections
4.2.1 Officers will be elected at the July organizational meeting.鈥�
4.3 Terms
4.3.1 Officers serve a one-year term with a consecutive three-year term maximum.
5.1 Elections and Terms
5.1.1 天美传媒 Student Government and the Graduate Student Organization may each appoint one non-voting member on an annual basis.
5.1.2 Non-elected standing committee chairs will be granted non-voting membership for the duration of their chair appointment.
5.1.3 The University Staff Senate will elect two university academic staff-persons to the University Academic Senate. Once elected, this UAS senator becomes a non-voting member of University Staff Senate for the duration of their UAS appointment.
6.1 Committees and Duties
6.1.1 Bylaws Committee
6.1.1.1 Advise Staff Senate members of bylaws
6.1.1.2 Provide recommendations for updating bylaws
6.1.1.3 Ensure current bylaws are posted on the Staff Senate website
6.1.2 Nominations and Election Committee
6.1.2.1 Coordinate the annual Staff Senate election process, including but not limited to publicity, ballots, tabulation of votes, and announcement of elected representatives
6.1.2.2 Coordinate the officer election and the process of filling standing committee vacancies
6.1.3 Staff Outreach Committee
6.1.3.1 Create a welcoming campus environment for staff by offering opportunities for engagement
6.1.3.2 Monitor all submission to the "Enhance 天美传媒" link on the Staff Senate website
6.1.3.3 Develop and implement initiatives, events and activities that promote staff interests
6.1.4 Communication Committee
6.1.4.1 Maintain the Staff Senate website
6.1.4.2 Oversee communication between the Staff Senate and its constituents as well as the greater campus community
6.1.5 Service Committee
6.1.5.1 Develop and implement opportunities for staff to serve the larger community as part of 天美传媒's commitment to be "women and men for others."
6.1.6 Work Environment Committee
6.1.6.1 This committee is comprised of the officers and chairs of the University Staff Senate
6.1.6.2 Serve as the initial review board for any questions/concerns that a staff member submits through the Staff Senate website and email contact page or brings to the attention of a Staff Senate representative
6.1.6.3 Regularly monitor the website/email for questions/concerns
6.1.7 Committee Chair and Member Selection
6.1.7.1 At the July meeting, Staff Senate members, elected and non-elected members, will choose which committee/s they would like to join.
6.1.7.2 Elected or non-elected members can serve as a chair.
6.1.7.3 Committee chair roles and membership will be a one-year term.
7.1 Agenda
7.1.1 The Chair of the Staff Senate, with input from the Executive Committee and members of the Staff Senate, shall determine the agenda for each meeting.
7.1.2 The presiding officer must ask the body to adopt the proposed agenda.
7.1.3 Senators should be allowed to propose amendments to the agenda before a vote is taken/unanimous consent is used.
7.2 Meeting Minutes
7.2.1 Senators are allowed to propose amendments to the meeting minutes before a vote is taken/unanimous consent is used.
7.2.2 The Chair calls the vote to approve the minutes.
7.3 Meeting Adjournment
7.3.1 Staff Senate has a scheduled end time for meetings, which is part of the meeting鈥檚 agenda.
7.3.2 Extending the meeting requires a majority vote by the body.
7.3.3 If the meeting鈥檚 agenda is completed early, the presiding officer should move to adjourn the meeting with a vote or unanimous consent.
8.1 Method
8.1.1 The presiding officer should choose a method that is efficient, and that allows for an accurate tally.
8.1.2 Voting options for senators are in the spirit of : For/Against/Abstain.
8.2 Unanimous Consent
8.2.1 The chair may, but does not have to, and in some cases should not, start a vote by assuming unanimous consent of the body to expedite the process.
8.2.2 Any senator may speak up to request a tallied vote instead.
8.2.3 If unanimous consent is used, or proposed and transitioned to a tallied vote, it should be noted in the meeting minutes.
8.3 Quorum
8.3.1 A quorum exists when at least 50% of the voting members of Staff Senate are present.
9.1 Petition
9.1.1 Any proposal to amend the Bylaws of the Staff Senate shall be submitted to, or generated by, the Bylaws Committee.
9.2 Process
9.2.1 The Bylaws may be changed as necessary based on proper notice to members and a two-thirds vote of the elected members.
Amended: April 16, 2026
