Staff Association Bylaws
Staff Association Bylaws
Article I - Name
Article II - Objectives
Article III - Membership
Article IV - Governing Body
Article V - Standing Committees
Article VI - Special Committees
Article VII - General Procedures for Committees
Article VIII - Finances
Article IX - Meetings
Article X - Elections
Article XI - Parliamentary Authority
Article XII - Amendment Procedures
The name of this organization shall be the Fondren Library Staff Association.
The objectives of this association shall be to organize social and educational activities and functions, to promote the well-being of its members, to advance the interests of the library, and to facilitate a greater awareness of the library's role within the university community.
All regular library employees, full and part-time (excluding student employees) shall automatically become members upon employment. All members may vote, serve on committees, and hold office.
The governing body of this association shall be the Executive Committee.
Section 1. Composition.
The Executive Committee shall consist of four elected staff members
with at least one year of service and the University Librarian as an
ex-officio member.
Section 2. Terms of office and election.
Each member shall serve a two-year term. Two members shall be elected
each year in a general election by the members as set forth in Article
X. The Chairperson of the Executive Committee shall call a special
election to fill any vacancies which may occur on the Executive
Committee.
Section 3. Officers.
The Executive Committee shall
choose one of the four elected Executive Committee members as
Chairperson of the committee and of the Staff Association. The
Executive Committee shall also select one of its members as Secretary
and another of its members as Treasurer. These offices shall be held
for a term of one year.
Section 4. Duties.
The duties of the Executive Committee shall be as follows: to work with
the library administration to expedite and improve lines of
intra-library communication; to choose the Chairpersons of the standing
committees and advise them on selecting committee members; to receive
reports from the standing and ad hoc committees, to advise these
committees, and to coordinate their actions; to allocate financial
resources; to arrange remembrances for staff members and library
associates as appropriate and as funds permit; to submit reports and
petitions to the University Librarian, to the association membership,
and to other organizations and offices on campus. The Secretary shall
be responsible for maintaining the Staff Association Archives.
Article V - Standing Committees
Section 1. Establishment.
Standing committee Chairpersons shall be appointed by the Executive
Committee. Standing committee Chairpersons shall appoint their
committees with the advice of the Executive Committee. Staff members
may decline to serve on the committees, but shall not be limited to
serve on a restricted number of committees, nor shall members be
discouraged from such service by departmental supervisors. It shall be
the purpose of the Executive Committee to achieve an equitable
representation of the various departments of the library on the
committees.
Section 2.
The standing committees of this association, their composition, and duties shall be:
A. Work Environment Committee.
Composed of a Chairperson(s) and three or more members. The duties of
this committee shall be: to investigate policies and propose policy
changes concerning the well-being of the staff; to hear and make
recommendations concerning staff grievances regarding working
conditions and environment; and to be responsible for the Staff Lounge
and kitchen, upkeep of equipment and furnishings, and purchase of new
items as needed.
B. Staff Relations Committee.
Composed of a Chairperson(s) and four or more members. The duties of
this committee shall be: to provide a form of communication which may
include recent events, contributions from and about the staff, and any
other information which might be relevant or of interest to the staff;
to maintain the staff bulletin board (to post current job openings, all
staff-related publications, etc.).
C. Activities and Events.
Composed of a Chairperson(s) and five or more members. The duties of
this committee shall be: to coordinate all social events of the library
staff; to collect staff dues; to prepare and plan programs, seminars, lectures, etc., for the intellectual and cultural development of staff members.
Article VI - Ad Hoc Committees
Committees not authorized as standing committees are ad hoc committees. Ad hoc committees may be authorized by the Executive Committee. Each ad hoc committee shall continue in existence until its purpose is accomplished or until it is discharged by the Executive Committee.
Article VII - General Procedures for Committees
Section 1. Term of office.
Standing committee Chairpersons and members are appointed for one-year terms. For ad hoc committees see Article VI.
Section 2. Vacancies.
Vacancies on standing and special
committees shall be filled by appointments made by the Chairperson(s)
of the committee with the approval of the Executive Committee.
Section 3. Meetings.
Committees shall meet as called by
their Chairpersons, which will be at least two times a year. Each
meeting shall be limited to reasonable duration. Committee Chairpersons
may inform the Executive Committee of scheduled meetings.
Section 4. Reports and recommendations.
Copies of written
reports or minutes shall be presented to the Executive Committee for
approval before being posted. No committee shall present a proposal to
any higher authority without first submitting it to the Executive
Committee for review.
Dues will be collected to support the activities of the Staff Association. Payment of these dues is voluntary. The amount of the dues will be set by the Executive Committee, with the advice of the standing committees. Different amounts shall be designated for full and part-time personnel. Dues shall be collected at the beginning of each calendar year, with appropriate adjustments for new staff members hired after July 1 of that year. Financial records shall be kept by the Treasurer.
General meetings shall be held twice each year, in the spring and fall. Special meetings may be called by the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee must call a meeting upon receipt of a petition signed by half of the membership of the Staff Association. Members shall be notified of a meeting by a notice sent to all members at least one week prior to the meeting.
Section 1. General elections.
Elections for two positions on the Executive Committee shall be held in
the fall of each year. A Nominating Committee, consisting of three
persons, shall be appointed by the existing Executive Committee to
prepare a slate of four persons for two positions. If there are more
than two vacancies on the Executive Committee, additional nominees
shall be included on the slate. The Nominating Committee shall submit
its report to the Executive Committee at least one week prior to the
general meeting. The Executive Committee will present the slate of
nominations to the membership at the general meeting, and any member
may nominate additional names from the floor. Voting by secret ballot
at a designated polling place will start the next working day after the
general meeting and will last for ten working days. The Nominating
Committee shall conduct the election in accordance with the bylaws of
this association. A majority of the votes cast shall be necessary for
election. The Nominating Committee shall tabulate the votes from the
election and announce the results to the membership.
Section 2. Special elections.
In the event that a member of the Executive Committee resigns before
the end of his/her term, the remaining members of the Executive
Committee will appoint a Nominating Committee to prepare a slate of
candidates of two people per open position. The Nominating Committee
shall submit its report to the Executive Committee. The Executive
Committee shall call a special election to fill the unexpired term(s).
The same procedures for conducting the elections shall be followed as
outlined in Article X, Section 1.
Article XI - Parliamentary Authority
The latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order shall be the parliamentary code adopted for this association.
Article XII - Amendment Procedures
These Bylaws may be amended by three means:
1. A proposed amendment may be presented and seconded at a meeting and voted upon at a specially called meeting or by secret ballot.
2. The Executive Committee may present a proposed amendment, in writing, to the membership at least ten days prior to a staff meeting. The amendment shall then be voted upon at a general meeting of the Staff Association.
3. Two or more members may sign a petition presenting a proposed amendment to the Executive Committee at least fifteen days prior to a staff meeting. If a majority of the Executive Committee approves, the committee shall submit the proposed amendment, in writing, to the membership at least ten days prior to a staff meeting, and a vote on the amendment shall take place at that meeting.
A two-thirds majority of the votes cast is required for passage of amendments to the Bylaws.
amended December 12, 1991
amended June 8, 1992
amended December 12, 1997
