The name of the organization shall be the "University of Colorado System Administration Staff Council," and referred to in these Bylaws as the System Staff Council (SSC).

Pursuant to Regent Law, as amended in September 2004, permitting the creation of a system staff council within system administration, the SSC was ordered and established by the President of the University in March 2005.

System administration shall provide adequate funding for the operation of SSC.

SSC serves as a representative body to provide communication between university officers and system administration employees, and act as an advocate on behalf of system administration employees.

Section 1 – Eligibility

System administration employees who hold regular appointments of at least 50% time are eligible for representation on SSC.  Officers of CU System Administration are not eligible to be SSC representatives.  In the event an SSC representative becomes ineligible, they will be given the option to resign immediately or finish out the fiscal year.  SSC shall consist of elected and appointed representatives; elections and appointments shall be conducted in accordance with these Bylaws.

Section 2 – Composition

SSC representation shall be between nine (9) and fifteen (15) representative positions, held by employees.  The vice president for Employee and Information Services shall appoint a Human Resources department representative to serve as an ex officio member (HR ex officio) of SSC and shall not be counted as one of the fifteen representative positions.  The HR ex officio will not have a vote on SSC business matters unless otherwise specified in these Bylaws. 

Section 3 – Terms

Representatives are elected to serve terms of two years and may be elected for an unlimited number of consecutive or non-consecutive terms.  Terms shall commence on July 1, unless otherwise agreed upon by majority vote.  In the event of a representative being appointed, his/her term shall commence on the effective date of such appointment, and end on June 30 of the current fiscal year.

Elected SSC officers shall serve for terms of one year, from July 1 through June 30 of any given year.  Elected or appointed officers who assume their offices anytime after July 1 shall serve in that capacity for the remainder of such yearly term, through June 30 of the current fiscal year.  The chair and vice chair (or co-chairs) may serve up to three consecutive terms and must then step down from the position for one year before being eligible to be elected to the same position for additional terms.  If there are no nominations for the chair position the HR ex officio may appoint a current representative or the immediate past chair to serve that one year term.

Section 4 – Commitment of Effort

Representatives (including SSC officers) shall be provided with a reasonable amount of time away from their regular university positions to adequately fulfill their SSC responsibilities.  Upon the successful election or appointment of a representative, the president’s office shall provide notice of the representative’s service on SSC to the appropriate supervisor and/or manager of the representative’s department.  This notice will include a request to provide the representative with a reasonable amount of time away from his or her regular duties for the purpose of serving on SSC.

Section 1 – Requirements

The chair and vice chair (or co-chairs) must be current representatives of SSC and have served on SSC for at least one year. If no nominees meet this criteria, then a member of less than one year may serve in these positions. Officers shall be elected or appointed in accordance with the provisions of these Bylaws.

Section 2 – Titles

There shall be a chair, vice chair, treasurer, and secretary, all of whom shall be officers of SSC.  Two member representatives may serve as “co-chairs” if such arrangement is approved by a two-thirds majority vote of SSC.

Section 3 – Duties

Officers shall carry out their respective duties as follows:

Chair: The chair shall carry out the following duties:

• • Preside at all SSC and executive committee meetings.
  • Enforce the Bylaws.
  • Serve as a spokesperson for SSC, unless otherwise delegated to another SSC representative.
  • Prepare agendas for regular and special SSC meetings, in cooperation with the executive committee.
  • Organize regular meetings of the officers and full SSC with the president (or the president's designee).
  • Coordinate and relay all necessary information to newly elected representatives and their supervisors with the assistance of the HR ex-officio.
  • Assist the treasurer to review and approve SSC expenses and budget summaries.
  • Retain ex officio representation on SSC.
  • The chair shall carry out other duties as assigned.

Vice Chair: The vice chair shall carry out the following duties:

• • Arrange for guest speakers in cooperation with the executive committee.
  • Work with the Communications Committee to manage the nominations process for the President's Employee of the Year Award.
  • Perform the duties of the chair in the chair's absence.
  • Serve as interim chair in the event of the chair's extended absence.
  • Assist in the elections process when it is possible to do so in a disinterested manner.
  • Assist the chair in all other duties as requested.
  • The vice chair shall carry out other duties as assigned.

Secretary: The secretary shall carry out the following duties:

• • Prepare SSC and executive committee meeting minutes.
  • Prepare correspondence or documents as requested by SSC.
  • Call roll as the first item on the agenda.
  • Keep and monitor attendance records.
  • Assist in the elections process when it is possible to do so in a disinterested manner.
  • The secretary shall carry out other duties as assigned.

Treasurer: The treasurer shall carry out the following duties:

• • Prepare and/or review documents related to fiscal and financial matters of SSC, including the annual budget request, and monthly, quarterly, and year-end financial reports and statements.
  • Maintain complete and accurate records of SSC expenses.
  • Make reports of the financial status of SSC available as directed by the executive committee.
  • The treasurer shall carry out other duties as assigned.

• The executive committee shall be composed of SSC officers and the immediate past chair of SSC.
• The executive committee shall have the authority to act on behalf of SSC in emergency or time-sensitive situations.
• To the fullest extent of its authority, the executive committee shall execute the will of SSC as demonstrated by the votes of its representation and in accordance with these Bylaws.
• The executive committee shall recommend to the administration of system administration changes to policies and procedures as requested by SSC. It shall be the responsibility of a UCSC representative to stay informed of proposed APSs or policy changes, communicate these to the SSC, facilitate discussion during monthly meetings and convey feedback to UCSC and leadership with the support of the executive committee.
• The executive committee shall meet as necessary.
• The executive committee may call special meetings of the SSC as required.
• A written report of each executive committee meeting shall be prepared and made available to SSC representatives at least one week before regularly scheduled meetings of the SSC.

Section 1 – Standing Committees

SSC may create such committees as are determined to be necessary to the furtherance of SSC's purposes.

SSC members shall choose committees and each committee shall choose a committee chair.

Committee membership shall be open to all interested employees within system administration.

Committee chairs must be current representatives of SSC.

All SSC representatives shall serve on at least two committees.

Each committee shall be composed of a chair and such additional members as are required to achieve its designated purpose.

In consultation with committee members, committee chairs shall be responsible for working within the budget designated annually for their respective committees.

Committees may act for or on behalf of SSC only with the prior consent of SSC or the executive committee.

Committees shall maintain records of their activities in a respository accessible by all members.

A quorum for each committee shall be two committee members, including committee members not currently serving on SSC.

Committee chairs shall provide to SSC and executive committee reports of their activities as requested.

The following are the standing committees of the SSC. The primary purview of each standing committee is listed herein.

• • Communications Committee: The Communications Committee is responsible for the dissemination and collection of information between SSC and system administration employees, maintaining the SSC website, updating the brochure as needed, and gathering feedback from system administration employees and bringing suggestions to SSC. They are also responsible for publishing SSC regular meeting agendas and minutes and making each available to SSC and the public via the website.

  • Events Committee: The Events Committee is responsible for organizing the University of Colorado system administration employee events which are sponsored by SSC, as well as organizing a gift for all system administration students once a year.

  • Health and Wellness Committee: The Health and Wellness Committee is responsible for planning and coordinating events that will assist system administration in reaching and maintaining health and wellness.

  • Outreach Committee: The Outreach Committee is responsible for organizing community service and engagement projects.

The SSC may establish ad hoc committees as necessary to carry out the work of SSC.

There shall be delegates to represent SSC on administrative committees, working groups, task forces, and such other official bodies of the university, or external to the university, (collectively, external constituencies). Delegates shall be appointed in accordance with these Bylaws. The organizations to which delegates will be assigned will be determined by the executive committee.

Delegates shall carry out their respective duties as follows:

• attend and participate in appropriate meetings and activities of the subject external constituency
• report to SSC all relevant information from the subject external constituency
• represent the positions of SSC to the subject external constituency
• other duties as assigned - See Article VII, paragraph 4, for information on delegate responsible for policy review.

There shall be three delegates, and one alternative delegate to the system-wide University of Colorado Staff Council (UCSC). Out of the three delegates, two must be current SSC members. The third may be any System employee that was a member in good standing on a previous staff council from any campus. Such delegates shall serve as representatives on the UCSC, pursuant to its bylaws.

Section 1 – General Elections

The HR ex officio shall coordinate all general election activities and communications.

General elections for representative positions whose terms are set to expire shall be held annually each year. Candidates for representation shall be established by nominations made to SSC.

An eligible system administration employee may nominate and vote for him or herself.

In early March, a call for nominations shall be published, and made available to all system administration employees. Nominations will be accepted for a minimum of ten business days.

The HR ex officio shall verify nominees' availability and willingness to serve as SSC representatives.

Ballots with the names of verified nominees shall be distributed to system administration employees no later than April 15. The voting period shall extend for a minimum of ten business days, and each employee may vote once for each verified candidate listed on the ballot.

Available SSC representation vacancies shall be filled according to a priority based upon the number of votes placed for each respective verified candidate. The verified candidate who receives the most votes shall be given first priority. Successively lower levels of priority shall be given to verified candidates who receive successively fewer votes until all available vacancies have been filled. In the event of a tie, when there is only one remaining available vacancy, a majority of current representatives will determine the winner.

At the next regularly scheduled SSC meeting, the results of the election shall be communicated to the SSC. Notice of the election results will also be made to system administration employees immediately following that SSC meeting.

Section 2 – Officer Elections

Elections for officer positions shall be held annually each July.

Candidates for officer positions shall be established by nominations made by SSC representatives. A representative may nominate and vote for him or herself for an officer position.

At the regularly scheduled June SSC meeting, a call for nominations shall be made to representatives.

A second call for nominations shall be made to representatives. After the second call for nominations, ballots with the names of the nominees shall be distributed to representatives. Ballots may also be distributed via email to absent SSC members. The HR ex officio will appoint a current SSC representative, that is not nominated for an officer position, and together they will be responsible for tabulating the results during the meeting.

Each representative may vote once for each officer position listed on the ballot.

In the event of a tie for any officer position, a majority vote of disinterested representatives will determine the winner. After a total of three votes, if there is still a tie the HR ex officio will act as the tie breaker.

Section 3 – Appointments/Removal from Representation or Office

The executive committee may appoint a requisite number of committee members and committee chairs as are necessary to fulfill the purposes of SSC.

The executive committee may appoint a requisite number of delegates to serve on external constituencies as are necessary to fulfill the purposes of SSC.

A representative or SSC officer may be removed from office by a two-thirds majority vote of the SSC.

In the event of a representative’s resignation, removal, or long-term inability to participate on SSC, SSC may declare such representative’s position to be vacant.  In such event, SSC may appoint, by a majority vote, another system administration employee to fill such vacancy.

In the event of the vice chair, treasurer, or secretary’s resignation, removal, or long-term inability to perform the duties of their respective offices, SSC may declare such respective officer’s position to be vacant. In such event, the chair may make such appointments as are necessary to fill such vacancies.

In the event of the chair’s resignation, removal, or long-term inability to perform the duties of the office, the vice chair (or co-chair) shall assume the duties of the chair. In the event that the vice chair is unable to fulfill the chair duties, a special officer election will be held at the next regularly scheduled SSC meeting at which time a chair will be elected.  

In the event of a committee member, or a committee chair’s resignation, removal, or long-term inability to perform the committee’s associated duties, the chair may declare such positions to be vacant. In such event, the chair may make such appointments as are necessary to fill such vacancies. 

In the event of a delegate’s resignation, removal, or long-term inability to participate in the required activities of external constituencies, the chair may declare such position to be vacant. In such event, the chair may appoint a current representative to fill the vacancy.

Long-term inability to participate on SSC may include: failure to perform the duties of an officer, committee member, committee chair, or delegate; or failure to attend regular meetings, executive committee meetings, committee meetings, or the meetings of an external constituencies for a period of three months or more.

Regular meetings of SSC shall be held once a month.

A quorum of SSC shall consist of at least one-half of its voting representation, when SSC is at its maximum enrollment of fifteen (15) members. A quorum of SSC shall consist of at least three quarters of its voting representation when SSC enrollment is less than fifteen (15) members.

Regular meetings of SSC shall be open to the university community.

Any person who is not a representative of SSC shall be allowed to address the Council during all regularly scheduled meetings of SSC.

The chair shall establish time limits for speakers as required.

 Special SSC meetings may be called by the written request of three representatives or by request of the executive committee.

The most recent revision of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the proceedings of SSC and the executive committee in all matters to which they apply.  In the event of a conflict between the Rules of Order and these Bylaws, the provisions of these Bylaws shall control.

Proposed amendments to these Bylaws must be made in writing to the executive committee at least ten business days before a regularly scheduled meeting of the SSC.

The secretary shall ensure that timely submitted proposed amendments are made available to representatives at least five business days before the next regularly scheduled SSC meeting.

Such proposed amendments shall be placed on the agendas for the next regularly scheduled SSC meetings and a full and fair opportunity for discussion of such proposed amendments shall be provided at such meetings.

Amendments to these Bylaws shall be adopted upon by a two-thirds majority vote of the general representation of SSC.

Voting by proxy shall not be allowed.

These Bylaws shall be interpreted to provide the maximum flexibility for SSC to carry out its purposes. Substantial compliance with the provisions of these Bylaws shall constitute proper execution of its requirements.

Bylaws amended as of July 8, 2016

History
Created December 5, 2006
Amended May 8, 2009
Amended March 12, 2013
Amended December 10, 2013
Amended March 10, 2015
Amended October 10, 2017
Amended August 14, 2018