Tulane University
Staff Advisory Council
Minutes of Thursday, March 13, 2008
ATTENDEES
ATTENDEES
DOWNTOWN CAMPUS
Glenda Folse
Tami Jenniskens
Roxanne Johnson
Paula Lucas
Linda Miller
Cindy Stewart
Shirley Tubre
Karen Hiller (proxy)
Merisa Pasternak (proxy)
Yesenia Vasquez (proxy)
Present
Present
Present
Present
Present
Absent
Present
Excused
Present
Present
OFFICERS
Cynthia Hayes, Chair
Susan Barrera ,Vice Chair
Rhonda Earles, Elections Coord.
Kathleen Brumfield, Record Sect.
Cheryl Sterling, Corresp. Sect
Jered Bocage, Parliamentarian
Present
Present
Present
Present
Absent
Present
MEMBERS – AT – LARGE
Lisa Britton
Rob Platner
Verna Lee
Present
Excused
Absent
UPTOWN CAMPUS
Marty Brantley
Gwen Peacock Chavez
Liz Davey
Shirley Dymond
Miriam Espinosa
Paul Forbes
Lisa O’Dwyer
Judy Vitrano
Linda Wright
Argentina Acosta (proxy)
Jenny Daigle Benoit (proxy)
Aaron Martin (proxy)
Laurie Orgeron (proxy)
Present
Excused
Present
Absent
Present
Absent
Excused
Excused
Absent
Absent
Present
Present
Excused
INVITED GUESTS
Stefanie Allweiss
Present
NORTHSHORE
Eileen deHaro
Mary Little
Robert Johnson (proxy)
VISITORS
Excused
Excused-TC
Absent
All Officers are serving the Staff Advisory Council term 2007 – 2008
Call to Order: Cynthia Hayes, SAC Chair, called the March 13, 2008 meeting of the Staff
Advisory Council to order at 3:30 p.m. The meeting was held at the School of Public Health &
Tropical Medicine, Dean’s Conference Room, Tidewater Building. The meeting was also
teleconferenced (TC) at the request of Mary Little from the Primate Center.
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I.
Review and Approval of the Minutes: Cynthia Hayes, SAC Chair, called for a motion to
approve the February 14, 2008 minutes. The minutes were approved.
II.
Report of the Chair
 SAC web-site Creation: Through the template that we now have as a University,
Cynthia would like to create a SAC web-site. She will be meeting next week with
Aaron Martin and Linda Wright. Together they will brainstorm in terms of what
should be on the site – what works and what doesn’t, etc. Cynthia will then send
the SAC members a link to review.
 Constitution: There was also a large amount of time spent with the Constitution
Committee. She thanked Jered Bocage and the committee for their hard work and
announced that Jered will be presenting later in the agenda on the outcome.
 Staff Issues: Susan Barrera has been in touch with Stefanie Allweiss. Additional
issues that have come up since the last meeting have been added, and we need
further clarification on a couple of previous issues.
 Senate: The University Senate did not meet, it will meet in April.
 Guest Speaker for 4/10/08 meeting will be Felicia Brown, Program Manager for
the Cowen Institute.
 Commencement Volunteers: Those of you who have not signed up to be a
commencement volunteer, please do so. It is a wonderful experience. It will be a
unified ceremony this year. SAC members were encouraged to volunteer.
III.
Human Resources Liaison: Stefanie Allweiss, Executive Director of Employee
Relations and Equity
 Recognition Event – It will be held on Wednesday, March 19, 2008 from 3:00 pm
to 5:00 pm. All invitations have been sent out and more. There seemed to have
been a problem with the computer generated report. An additional 70 invitations
had to be sent out. Approximately 200 staff out of 287 will be recognized.
Stefanie contacted Andrew Lackner at the Primate Center. She is recommending
that staff park at Uptown Square and take the Shuttle to the University.
 Resiliency Sessions – She has worked with Cigna and United Healthcare to obtain
some free hours and hours that were budgeted through Administration to come to
Tulane to do sessions on how to cope with work and life related stresses. Senior
Vice President and Dean, Dr. Ben Sachs, and Provost Michael Bernstein would
like her to reinitiate those sessions. They will begin with the Administrators for
the School of Public Health and the School of Medicine. She hasn’t ventured out
yet with the Uptown campus. If your department did not conduct one of the
sessions for your employees or if you feel you have special needs or want
someone to come back, just call her. There are three (3) hours left and she does
not want to waste them.
 Wellness Committee – The committee would like to form a relationship with SAC
for any appreciation events.
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IV.
Officer Reports
A. University Senate: The Senate did not meet; they will meet in April.
University Senate meetings may be found online at http://www.tulane.edu/~usenate/
once they have been approved.
B. Board of Administrators: The Board of Administrators met on March 13, 2008. The
report was presented to the SAC by Susan Barrera.
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Scott Cowen gave a quick overview since they had a long Executive Session.
Academic Priorities/Objectives:
 Continuing to implement the Renewal Plan (focus on SOM, SSE)
 Develop a timetable, process and criteria to determine portfolio of
doctoral programs. It should be completed by the end of June.
 Continue to review the size and composition of the faculty; however,
this is a long process and could take a couple of years to complete.
 Continue to build student enrollment while continuing to enhance
academic quality. The applicant pool went from 17,000 to 34,000.
The applicants were very high quality. Tulane has the highest percent
increase of applications in the country. Will have a class larger than
1,400 (could be 1,500 to 1,600)
 Gather benchmark data & develop a plan to increase faculty salaries in
areas where Tulane is not competitive w/ peer or aspirant universities.
1. Data collected and analyzed
2. Plan implementation to begin in FY ’09 for faculty w/ 4
targeted Schools uptown – approx. $2 million to bring faculty
some where near the median
3. Will do something for staff as well in FY ‘09
Leadership Priorities/Objections:
 Dean searches for Liberal Arts and Architecture are well underway;
hope to have announcements by April
 Rebuild investment management function
1. New CIO was hired in January
Continue to build Athletics
Development Priorities
 Have exceeded the Capital Campaign Goal
 Raise at least $75 million in private gifts and grants – on schedule for
successful completion of this
 Develop & gain Board approval for a post campaign fund raising
strategy in process
Capital Project Priorities/Objectives
 Greer Field at Turchin Stadium is complete
 Complete planning for Yuleman Event Center – in process
 Complete process of relocation phase of Renewal Plan
 Finalize physical expansion and financing plan at the Primate Center
Financial Priorities/Objectives
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VI.
Will meet budget & cash flow projections for the year (anticipated
exceeding these goals)
 Settled case w/ London Underwriters - $ amount is confidential but
will be noticeable on year-end financial reports
 Expect additional FEMA reimbursements this year
 Have 1 more insurance case to settle
 Continue to reduce debt assuming adequate resources
 Develop financial projections thru 2011 – completed
Other Priorities/Objectives
 Continue to play a leadership role in city’s recovery
 Continue to play an active role on the national level for the
advancement of higher education in society
University Senate Committee Reports:
1. Benefits – Did not have a meeting this past month; however, one is scheduled for
April.
2. Budget Review – No meeting. The next meeting will be scheduled for either April or
May 2008.
3. Information Technology – No Report.
4. Equal Opportunity – No Report.
5. Physical Facilities – No Report
6. Social Issues –Liz Davey was unable to attend last month’s meeting; therefore, the
social issues committee report was not made until this meeting. The committee met
in February to discuss their charge from the university senate to review the proposed
Tulane Tobacco Free Campus Policy and their process for making recommendations.
They interpreted the charge broadly, to not just make a decision about how to define
tobacco company (some law professors have provided advice on that), but also to
anticipate other issues that may arise with the policy.
Liz indicated that her notes from the December meeting indicate that SAC had the
following comments:
--Recommend clarifying that no smoking is allowed in the parking garages, especially
Saratoga Street and the LaSalle garage where so many have to pass by the designated
smoking area.
--Urns need to be placed for large events that bring in outside visitors, like in
McAlister, to move smokers to proper distance away from building.
The Social Issues committee is also interested in the thoughts of constituencies such
as SAC on the following questions of scope and enforcement responsibilities:

Should the policy be expanded to include prohibition against indirect modes of
tobacco promotion such as sponsorships of non-tobacco related events?
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Should Tulane have a policy regulating acceptance of research funding from
tobacco-related companies (many public heath schools have such policies)?
Are enforcement provisions adequate?
Comments: Verna Lee was unable to attend; however, Cynthia Hayes gave her
comments and they are as follows: 1) She would reinforce the fact that there be a
designated covered area at each campus. There are people who smoke outside. We
have to make it safe and accommodate them.
Liz responded that she would put Verna’s comment up for discussion. She further
commented that the policy states that smoking is permitted on campus in designated
areas only.
SAC Action: Liz will draft a letter from the SAC which will be supportive of the
policy and will ask that the University work with neighbors to apply the policy to
areas that Tulane employees pass through regularly. She will also include that there
be a covered safe designated area at each campus. Liz will draft the letter and send it
to Cynthia for her approval and signature.
VII.
SAC Sub-Committees:
1. Election Committee: No Report.
2. Electronic Technology and Information: No Report.
3. Staff Appreciation: Report given by Lisa Britton, Chair of Staff Appreciation
Committee.
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A date has been chosen for the Staff Appreciation event. It will be Monday,
April 21, 2008. Dixon Hall has been reserved from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
The performance will begin at 12 noon. We will have some promotional give
aways and light refreshments.
4. Staff Issues: No Report; however she will call a meeting before the next meeting.
5. Constitution: Report given by Jered Bocage, Parliamentarian and Chair of
Constitution Committee.
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Comments were collected from SAC. Jered thanked the committee and all
those who gave feedback

He had planned to have a cover summary that outlined all the changes

The current constitution requires that changes are put forth before the council
for discussion and then voted upon at the next meeting; therefore, he has gone
through and marked those that he thought we might want to discuss and we
can submit the changes to the council via email for comments again and
hopefully at the next meeting we can look at voting on it.

Initially going through the document, it looks a little confusing. Therefore, he
tried to mark the document up in terms of deletions, additions, replacements,
or just other things. There are about a dozen and a half changes. Changes that
Jered highlighted are as follows:
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Article I, Section B.3 Modified for clarity
Article II, Section A.3 Parliamentarian should not be an officer
Article II, Section A.4 Members-at-Large do not have full voting
privileges
 Article II, Section B.2 Should be changed to annual review
 Article II, Section B.3 Strike # 3
 Article III, Section A.3 Remove Chairs ability to allow an individual
to run for a third term
 Article III, Section B.3 Flush out the requirement for proxies
 Article III, Section C.2 Approximately One-third of the membership
shall be held each spring semester (with a goal of completion prior to
June 15)
 Article III, Section C.3 Added – A staff employee’s district of
representation is determined by their location of employment, which is
defined as the location where the employee spends the majority of
their time.
 Article III, Section C.7 Strike Paper ballot
 Article III, Section C.8 Removing calculation of the distributions
 Article III, Section C.9 Change the way the proxy pool is composed
 Article III, Section D change three consecutive meetings to two
consecutive unexcused or four excused or unexcused meetings
 Article IV, Officers remain mostly untouched
 Article IV, Section B – It is not appropriate for a member-at-large to
have voting privileges
 Article V, Section A replace appointed by the chair to nominated by
the chair and confirmed by the council
 Article V, Section B Replace the Chair of the Council shall be notified
of the time and place of such committee meetings with All committees
shall meet as needed.
 Article V, Section B.3 Rename to Communications Committee
 Article V, Section B.6 Rename to Staff Appreciation Committee
 Article V, Section B.7 Insert Health and Wellness Committee
 Article V, Section B.8 Insert Community Service Committee
 Article VII Strike Standing Rules
(A complete listing of all changes that the committee proposes is at the end of this document.)
VIII. Old Business: No
IX.
New Business: No
Next Meeting: The next meeting will be held on April 10, 2008, Uptown Campus, The
Lavin-Bernick Center for University Life in the Race Room.
X.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 4:30PM.
Kathleen Brumfield
Recording Secretary
Approved ________on ____________, 2008
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Tulane University
Staff Advisory Council
Constitution
Revised June 2004
Table of Contents
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ARTICLE I – GENERAL
A. PURPOSE
B. MEETINGS
ARTICLE II – STRUCTURE AND COMPOSITION
A. MEMBERSHIP
B. REPRESENTATION
ARTICLE III – REPRESENTATIVES
A. TERM OF SERVICE
B. DUTIES
C. ELECTION PROCEDURE
D. REMOVAL
ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS
A. TERM OF SERVICE
B. DUTIES OF OFFICERS
1. Chairperson
2. Vice Chairperson
3. Recording Secretary
4. Corresponding Secretary
5. Election Coordinator
C. ELECTION PROCEDURE
D. REMOVAL
ARTICLE V – UNIVERSITY SENATE AND COUNCIL COMMITTEE PARTICIPATION
A. UNIVERSITY SENATE
1. Benefits
2. Budget Review
3. Committee on Committees
4. Computing
5. Equal Opportunity
6. Physical Facilities
7. Social Issues
B. COUNCIL COMMITTEES
1. Constitution Committee
2. Election Committee
3. Electronic Technologies and Information Committee
4. Governance Committee
5. Officer Search Committee
6. Recognition Committee
7. Staff Issues Committee
ARTICLE V1 – STANDING RULES
ARTICLE VII – AMENDMENTS
CERTIFICATION AND PRESIDENTIAL APPROVAL
*
ARTICLE I – GENERAL
A. PURPOSE
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1. The Staff Advisory Council (the “council”) of Tulane University (the
“university”) is and advisory body of elected and appointed staff employees and
is the only staff assembly recognized by the university administration as
officially representing the views of staff employees.
2. The council’s responsibilities include:
a. Requesting official interpretation or clarification of university policies.
b. Discussing and expressing its views on matters of overall staff welfare.
c. Recommending modifications of university policy.
d. Suggesting staff employee representation on any appropriate university
committee.
e. Seeking staff employee representation on an appropriate university
committee
f. Being a productive voice to further aims of the university through
improved relations among all staff employees and between all staff
employees and the university administration.
In summary, the role of the council is to inform the administration of the views of
staff employees on a wide range of topics affecting overall staff welfare or university
operations.
B. MEETINGS
1. Regularly scheduled meetings of the council shall be held monthly, except that
no meeting shall be held in August or January. A regularly scheduled meeting of
the council may be cancelled or postponed at the discretion of the chair.
2. The chair shall call a special meeting of the council upon the written petition of a
majority of the voting members.
3. A majority of the council present at a meeting shall be considered a quorum for
the purpose of conducting business.
4. Any staff employee who is not a member of the council may attend council
meetings.
5. Any person wishing to address the council must contact the chair for approval.
At the chair’s discretion, the chair will then contact the corresponding secretary
to place the person on the agenda for the next meeting.
ARTICLE II– STRUCTURE AND COMPOSITION
A. MEMBERSHIP
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1. General. The membership of the council shall consist of:
a. Representatives
b. Officers
c. Members-at-Large
d. Ex-Officio Members
2. Districts. The three districts of the council are:
a. St. Charles campus
b. Health Sciences campus
c. National Primate Research Center campus
Representatives shall be elected by district, with the intent of achieving
proportional representation on the council based on the relative numbers of
staff employees in each district. The duties and manner of election of
representatives are set forth in Article III below.
3. Officers. The officers of the council shall consist of:
a. Chairperson (the “Chair”)
b. Vice-Chairperson (the “Vice Chair”)
c. Recording Secretary
d. Corresponding Secretary
e. Election Coordinator
f. Parliamentarian (optional)
The duties and manner of election of the officers are set forth in Article IV
below.
4. Members-at-Large. The officers may appoint a maximum of four members-atlarge. Each member-at-large must be approved by a majority of the officers.
Members-at-large have full voting privileges. Members-at-large need not be
current representatives but must have served at least one year as a
representative. Members-at-large are appointed for a one year term (or a portion
thereof in the case of an appointment to fill a mid-year vacancy), beginning on
July 1 and concluding on the next subsequent June 30.
5. Ex-Officio Members. The following persons shall be ex-officio members of the
council:
a. Immediate past chair
b. Senior administrator representing Workforce Management Organization
c. Workforce Management Organization employees designated by the senior
administration
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d. Other invited administrative officers and staff members.
Ex-officio members may participate in Council meeting discussion. With the
exception of the immediate past Chair, who shall be a voting Ex-Officio
Member of the Council for one year following the end of his or her term as
Chair, Ex-Officio Members do not have voting privileges.
6. The Chair may appoint a Parliamentarian as an additional voting Officer. The
Parliamentarian is responsible for maintaining order in council meetings as per
Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised (tenth edition). The parliamentarian should
be knowledgeable in parliamentary law, preferably a member in good standing
of the National Association of Parliamentarians, and shall chair the council
constitution committee.
B. REPRESENTATION
1. Representation in the Council for each district shall be based on the
relative number of staff employees in each district, with the goal of (1)
representative per every one hundred (100) staff employees. Currently this
results in fifteen (15) Representatives for the Uptown District, thirteen (13)
Representatives for the Downtown District, and two (2) Representatives
for the Primate Center/Northshore District.
2. The Council shall review its composition every fifth (5th) fiscal year. This
review shall evaluate the relative size of the Council’s constituents to
ensure equitable representation.
3. Proposed changes in the structure of composition of the Council may be
presented for discussion at a regularly scheduled meeting of the Council and
voted on at the next subsequent regularly scheduled meeting. Changes in the
structure or composition of the Council become effective when approved by a
majority of voting members of the Council in attendance at a regularly scheduled
meeting at which a quorum is present.
ARTICLE III – REPRESENTATIVES
A. TERM OF SERVICE
1. A Representative’s term of service shall be three years (or a portion
thereof for an appointment or election to fill a mid-term vacancy). The
term of service for regularly elected or appointed Representatives shall
commence on July 1. The term of service for all Representatives shall
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expire on June 30.
2.
If a Representative resigns or cannot otherwise continue to serve as a
Representative for any reason prior to the end of the applicable term of
service, the Chair will appoint the next eligible member of the Proxy
Representative Pool from the Representative’s district to fill the vacancy
for the remainder of the applicable term.
3.
Representatives may serve up to two consecutive terms and may
thereafter be re-elected as Representatives after a one-term break in
service. At the discretion of the Chair, a Representative may be allowed to
run for and serve a third consecutive term.
B. DUTIES
1.
Representatives shall further the fulfillment of the responsibilities of the
Council.
2.
Representatives are encouraged to communicate and meet with
constituents on a regular basis to become and remain informed of staff
employee issues and concerns.
3. Representatives shall attend all meetings of the Council. If a
Representative cannot attend a meeting, he or she should inform an
Officer of the expected absence.
4.
Attendance records are reflected in the minutes of Council meetings. If a
Representative believes an error or omission has been made in the
attendance record as reflected in the minutes, the representative has until the
conclusion of the second regularly scheduled meeting following
distribution of the draft minutes to correct the attendance record by
written request to the recording secretary. After this period has expired,
attendance records will be deemed final and will be published in the final
minutes.
5. Resignation by a Representative should be made in writing to the Chair
of the Council. If a Representative resigns or cannot otherwise continue to
serve as a member of the Council for any reason prior to the end of the
applicable term of service, the Chair will appoint the next eligible
member of the Proxy Representative Pool for that Representative’s
district to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the applicable term.
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6. If a Representative’s location of employment is transferred to another
district, the Representative’s position will become vacant and the Chair
shall appoint the next eligible member of the Proxy Representative Pool
for the transferred Representative’s original district to fill the vacancy for
the remainder of the applicable term. If the transferred Representative
wishes to continue service with the Council, he or she will be added to
the Proxy Representative Pool for his or her new district.
7. Representatives shall distribute the minutes of the meeting following
approval by the Council.
C. ELECTION PROCEDURE
1.
All exempt and non-exempt staff employees who are full-time or parttime with benefits are eligible for election to the Council as
Representatives of their respective districts.
2.
Elections shall be held during the spring semester (with a goal of
completion prior to May 15) every three (3) years beginning in 2003.
3.
The Election Committee shall request nominations for Representative
positions from all staff employees via e-mail and a printed notification
provided to INSIDE TULANE for publication. A full description of
Representatives’ duties and Council districts shall be included in the
above notifications and a reasonable deadline shall be included for receipt
of nominations.
4.
Staff employees may nominate themselves for election to the Council.
Representatives may nominate themselves for re-election.
5.
Nominations for Representative must be made in writing and handdelivered, sent through campus mail, or e-mailed to the Election
Committee prior to the deadline included in the nomination request
notice.
6.
The Election Committee shall collect all nominations and contact each
nominee to obtain acceptance of the nomination. Nominees who accept
their nomination shall be included in election ballots.
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7.
Election will be by paper or electronic ballot, setting forth the names of all
nominees by district. Staff employees may vote only for candidates
from their district. Each staff employee may cast only one vote per
candidate, and may vote for multiple candidates based on the number of
available positions in the applicable district.
8.
The Election Committee shall collect and count the ballots. Candidates
receiving the most votes in each district will fill the Representative
positions according to the following distribution:
Uptown District – top 15 vote-getters
Downtown District – top 13 vote-getters
Primate Center/Northshore – top 2 vote-getters
9.
Candidates in excess of the available positions receive votes; such
candidates will become part of a Proxy Representative Pool with the
following limits: five (5) for the Uptown District, three (3) for the
Downtown District, and one (1) for the Primate Center/Northshore
District. These Proxy Representative Pool members may attend Council
meetings and may serve on Council committees, but
do not have voting privileges. If a Representative position becomes
vacant, the Chair will ask the members of the Proxy Representative Pool
from that district, in order of votes received, to fill such vacant position
for the remainder of the applicable term. If insufficient Proxy
Representative Pool members are available to fill vacant positions, an
election will be held (conforming as nearly as practicable to the
requirements of this Article) to fill the position for the remainder of the
applicable term.
10. If a Representative is absent from a meeting and has not obtained a
proxy, the Chair may appoint a Proxy Representative member from the
absent Representative’s district to serve as proxy for the absent
Representative for that meeting. The Proxy Representative Pool member
assumes the vote of the absent Representative for that meeting.
11. In the event there are fewer nominees for Representatives positions than
there are available positions, the Election Committee shall make
additional requests for nominations to all staff employees until sufficient
nominations are received.
12. In the event of a tie for the last Representative position for a district, and
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assuming all tied candidates agree to serve as Representative, a run-off
election will be held (conforming as nearly as practicable to the
requirements of this Article III Section B) to determine the Representative for
that district.
13. All paper and/or electronic ballots shall be delivered to the chair for
recount and validation in the event of a contested election. The chair’s
determination shall be final.
14. The chair will send a welcome letter to each newly elected or appointed
representative. Copies of the constitution, standing rules, and a listing
of council committees shall be provided to each newly elected or
appointed representative by the election committee.
15. The Chair will send a letter to the supervisor of each Representative to
inform and thank the supervisor for the participation of the staff
employee on the Council.
16. All nominations and election ballots shall be retained by the Election
Coordinator until completion of the next subsequent election. The official
election record shall consist of count lists, copies of actual ballots and the
results report. The Election Coordinator shall retain the official election
record for the previous two elections, and may destroy all older
records at his or her discretion.
D. REMOVAL
If a Representative fails to attend three consecutive meetings, a majority of
the Officers may agree to consider that Representative’s position vacant and
shall notify that Representative of this determination in writing, with a copy sent to
all Officers. Representatives who have been so notified may petition the Chair in
writing for reinstatement within two weeks of such notice. If no petition for
reinstatement is received or the Chair denies such petition, the Chair will appoint
the next eligible member of the Proxy Representative Pool for that Representative’s
district to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the applicable term.
ARTICLE IV – OFFICERS
A. TERM OF SERVICE
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1. An Officer’s term of service shall be one year (or a portion thereof for
an election to fill a midterm vacancy). The term of service for regularly
elected Officers shall commence on July 1. The term of service for all
outgoing Officers shall expire on the date of the first meeting following
July 1 at which Officer positions are assumed by incoming Officers.
2. If an Officer other than the Chair resigns or cannot otherwise continue to
serve as an Officer for any reason prior to the end of the applicable term
of service, an election will be held (conforming as nearly as practicable to
the requirements of this Article) to fill the position for the remainder of
the applicable term.
3.
Officers may serve up to three (3) consecutive terms and may thereafter
be re-elected as Officers after a one-term break in service.
4.
If the office of Chair becomes vacant, the Vice Chair shall assume the
position and duties of Chair and the Council shall elect a new Vice Chair
as soon as reasonably practicable. If the office of Chair and Vice Chair
concurrently become vacant, the Council shall elect a new Chair and Vice Chair
as soon as reasonably practicable.
B. DUTIES OF OFFICERS
1. Chairperson. The duties of the Chair include but are not limited to:
a. Presiding at all meetings and implementing the Constitution and
Standing Rules of the Council.
b. Referring questions of interpretation of the Constitution and Standing Rules of
the Council to the Constitution Committee.
c. Calling regularly scheduled meetings of the Council; calling special meetings
of the Council upon the petition of a majority of the voting members of the
Council.
d. Creating and appointing members of ad hoc committees.
e. Appointing Representatives to the University boards, committees and
councils.
f. Calling meetings of the Officers to establish temporary or Interim policies
regarding matters not covered by the Constitution and Standing Rules.
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g. Requesting the cooperation of department heads in allowing Representatives
to attend meetings and perform duties as members of the Council.
h. Serving as a voting member of the University Senate Benefits Committee and
the University Senate Committee on Committees.
i. Participating for one year as an Ex-Officio Member of the Council with full
voting privileges following conclusion of term as Chair.
j. Casting tie-breaking vote as necessary; otherwise the Chair does not vote.
2. Vice Chair. The duties of the Vice Chair include, but are not limited to:
a. Assuming all of the duties and powers of the Chair at any meeting in the
absence of the Chair.
b. Assuming the office of Chair in the event the office of Chair becomes vacant.
When a Vice Chair who is a Representative (as opposed to a Member-at-Large)
assumes the office of Chair, such person shall vote only as Chair and will
appoint the next eligible member of the Proxy Representative Pool for the former
Vice Chair’s district to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the applicable term.
c. Assuming the duties as assigned by the Chair.
d. Representing (or designation another Council officer to represent) the Council
at meetings of the University’s Board of Administrators.
e. Voting as a Representative or Member-at-Large, as applicable, unless such
person has assumed the office of Chair.
3. Recording Secretary. The duties of the Recording Secretary include, but
are not limited to:
a. Recording and retaining minutes of all meetings of the Council, including
attendance by name and district.
b. Ensure transmittal of minutes of Council meetings to members of the Council
prior to the next meeting.
c. Obtaining an accounting of the Council’s funds.
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d. Voting, but only if he or she is a Representative or a Member-at-Large.
4. Corresponding Secretary. The duties of the Corresponding Secretary
include, but are not limited to:
a. Conducting all correspondence internal and external to the Council,
including but not limited to:
i. Notifying Representatives of Council meetings
ii. Polling members for votes and opinions on critical or timesensitive issues as requested by the Chair.
iii. Notifying Council officers of all correspondence.
iv. Maintaining a current list of Council committees and committee
members.
v. Maintaining a current list of Council Representatives appointed
to the University boards, committees and councils.
vi. Corresponding with University publication, including faculty,
staff, student and departmental media.
b. Preparing the agenda for each meeting.
c. Voting privileges, but only if he or she is a Representative or a Memberat-Large.
5. Election Coordinator. The duties of the Election Coordinator include, but
are not limited to:
a. Maintaining a current list of Council members, including a list of
Council members by district.
b. Serving as Chair of the Election Committee.
c. Calling for a review of the Council’s structure and composition five (5)
years or in the event of major changes in the University’s physical
locations or number of staff employees.
d. Voting privileges, but only if he or she is a Representative or a Memberat-Large.
C. ELECTION PROCEDURE
1. All Representatives and Members-at-Large who have served at least one
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year are eligible to become officers.
2. In the Spring academic semester of each year, the Chair shall convene and
Officer Search Committee consisting of three then-current voting
members of the Council for the purpose of identifying nominees for officer
positions. The Officer Search Committee shall solicit the eligible members
of the Council for nominations.
3. The Officer Search Committee shall collect all nomination and contact each
nominee to obtain acceptance of the nomination. Nominees who accept
their nomination shall be included in election ballots.
4. Election of Officers shall be conducted by secret ballot at the last regularly
scheduled meeting prior to July 1 of each year.
5. Each Representative or Member-at-Large may cast only one vote per
candidate and may vote for one candidate for each Officer position.
6. The Election Committee shall collect and count the ballots. The candidate
receiving the most votes in each Officer election shall assume the applicable
Officer position.
7. If the chair is eligible and willing but is not re-elected, the chair becomes
an ex-officio member for one year, with full voting privileges.
8. When a Representative is elected Chair, such person will have only the
limited voting privileges of the Chair. A Representative elected as Chair
will appoint the next eligible member of the Proxy Representative Pool
from the Chair’s district to fill the vacancy for the remainder of the
applicable term.
9. If an Officer other than the Chair is eligible and willing but is not re-elected,
such a person shall complete their unexpired term as Representative or
Member-at-Large, as applicable.
D. REMOVAL
Any Officer may be removed from office upon a three-fourths vote of the voting
members of the Council in attendance at a meeting at which a quorum is present.
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ARTICLE V – UNIVERSITY SENATE AND COUNCIL COMMITTEE
PARTICIPATION
A. UNIVERSITY SENATE
The council has three voting seats as Senators-at-Large on the University Senate. The
Chair and two Representatives appointed by the Chair shall occupy these positions.
Senators-at-Large from the Council shall serve for the duration of their term on the
Council, up to a maximum of three years. The Chair shall appoint a Representative
as a replacement Senator-at-Large if a Senator-at-Large from the Council resigns or
cannot otherwise continue to serve as a Senator-at-Large for any reason prior to the
end of the applicable term of service. In addition, the Council has voting seats on the
following University Senate Committees:
1. Benefits
a. The Council has seven (7) voting seats on the University Benefits Committee.
b. The Chair, three (3) exempt staff employees, and three (3) non-exempt staff
employees occupy the University Benefits Committee positions.
2. Budget Review
a. The Council has two (2) voting seats on the University Budget Review
Committee.
b. One (1) staff employee from the uptown campus and one (1) staff
employee from the downtown campus occupy the University Budget
Review Committee positions.
3. Committee on Committees
a. The Council has one (1) voting seat on the University Committee on
Committees.
b. The Chair occupies the voting seat on the University Committee on
Committees.
4. Computing
a. The Council has two (2) voting seats on the University Computing
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Committee.
b. One (1) staff employee from the uptown campus and one (1) staff
employee from the downtown campus occupy the University Computing
Committee positions.
5. Equal Opportunity
a. The Council has four (4) voting seats on the University Equal
Opportunity Committee.
b. Two (2) exempt staff employees, and two (2) non-exempt staff
employees occupy the University Equal Opportunity Committee
positions.
6. Physical Facilities
a. The Council has one (1) voting seat on the University Physical Facilities
Committee.
7. Social Issues
a. The Council has one (1) voting seat on the University Social Issues Committee.
B. COUNCIL COMMITTTEES
The Chair of the Council may establish such committees and subcommittees
necessary in order to aid in the performance of the duties of the Council and may
invite non-Council members to serve on these committees.
Committees shall meet upon the call of the committee chair at a time and place best
suited to conduct business. With the exception of ad-hoc committees, all others are
required to meet at least once a month. In the event they are unable to meet, they
must provide notification in writing to the Council Chair. The Chair of the Council
shall be notified of the time and place of such committee meetings.
All Representatives and Members-at-Large must serve on at least one (1) committee.
Proxy Representative Pool members may serve on Council committees at their
discretion but may not serve as Chair of such committees. Council committees shall
include:
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1. Constitution Committee
a. Ad hoc committee.
b. Parliamentarian is chair.
c. Interprets Constitution and Standing Rules.
d. Submits proposed revisions and amendments to the Council
Constitution and Standing Rules to the Council.
2. Election Committee
a. Standing committee.
b. Initiates elections of Representatives.
c. Tracks attendance of Representatives and informs the Chair when a
Representative should be notified of removal for lack of attendance.
d. Initiates a review of the Council’s structure and composition every five
(5) years or in the event of major changes in the University’s physical
locations or number of staff employees.
3. Electronic Technologies and Information Committee
a. Standing committee
b. Maintains the Council’s web site.
c. Produces other forms of media, including brochures and newsletters.
d. Acts as public relations agent concerning the action of the Council by
writing press releases and news articles.
e. Collaborates with the Recognition Committee on events (e.g., the Tulane
Benefits Fair) by providing printed materials and staffing as needed.
f. Corresponds with staff advisory organizations of other colleges and
universities as needed.
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4. Governance Committee
a. Ad hoc committee
b. Members are Council officers and chairs of Council committees.
c. Prepares or updates Council goals and Mission Statement prior to
presentation to the Council for vote.
d. Discusses and implements methods for improved function of the
Council.
5. Officer Search Committee
a. Ad hoc Committee.
b. Solicits nominations for candidates for Officer position for the coming
year.
c. Appointed by the Chair during the Spring semester.
d. Committee function ends when the election of new officers is
completed.
6. Recognition Committee
a. Standing Committee
b. Presents a Certificate of Recognition to each Council Member who
serves at least one (1) year and attends at least six (6) Council meetings.
c. Organizes events and activities, including award ceremonies and the
annual staff event with the University President.
d. Participates in Commencement, Convocation and other activities as
designated by the Chair.
e. Collaborates with the Electronic Technology & Information Committee
to ensure dissemination of information its activities.
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*
7. Staff Issues Committee
a. Standing committee.
b. Appointed by the Chair
c. Serves as an advisory group to the Council on global staff employee
issues or concerns that fall outside the scope of other committees.
d. Reviews global staff employee issues, weighs the validity of these
issues, and brings the issues forward for discussion at Council meeting.
e. Provides input to the Office of Human Relations on the University’s
Staff handbook and other policies affecting staff welfare generally.
f. Nominates staff employees for training as potential members of
grievance review panels.
g. Refers individual staff employee issues to the Office of Human
Resources.
*
*
ARTICLE VI – STANDING RULES
Standing Rules relate to the orderly transaction of business in the meetings of the
Council and can be changed or suspended immediately upon approval of a majority
rule of the voting members of the Council in attendance at a meeting where a
quorum is present. A change to the Standing Rules cannot be adopted and later
altered or suspended in the same fiscal year. Procedural decisions of the Council
shall be incorporated into the Standing Rules annually. In the event of any conflict
between the Standing Rules and the Constitution, the Constitution shall control.
The minimum Standing Rules shall be:
1. Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised (tenth edition) will prevail in
conducting business.
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2. The order of business to be followed at the meetings of the Council will be
as follows:
a. Reading and Approval of Minutes.
b. Officer Reports.
i.
University Senate.
ii.
Board of Administrators.
c. University Senate Committee Reports.
d. Council Committee Reports.
e. Human Resources Reports.
f. Unfinished Business.
g. New Business.
h. Next Meeting Date Announcement.
i. Adjournment.
3. The Vice President of Human Resources or a designate shall attend each
meeting of the Council.
ARTICLE VII – AMENDMENTS
Amendments to this Constitution or the Standing Rules may be proposed and
presented for discussion by the Constitution Committee at a regularly scheduled
meeting of the Council and voted on at the next regularly scheduled meeting. A
council member who wishes to suggest or recommend an amendment should
communicate it to the Constitution Committee in writing. Amendments shall
become effective when approved by two-thirds of the voting members of the
Council in attendance at a regularly scheduled meeting at which a quorum is
present or by two-thirds of the total number of voting members by mail ballot.
This revision of the Constitution and Standing Rules was approved by the Tulane
University Staff Advisory Council:
________________________________________________ on _________________
Staff Advisory Council Chair
Date
And by:
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________________________________________________ on _________________
Scott S. Cowen, President
Date
Tulane University
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