Amended: April 30th, 2007
Article I
Name
The name of the body shall be the Staff Council of Bluegrass Community and Technical College, hereinafter referred to as Council.
Article II
Authority
The Council shall function under these By-Laws as approved by the President of Bluegrass Community and Technical College.
Article III
Purpose
Definition of “Staff”: For the purpose of the Council staff is defined as all regular full-time/part-time employees of Bluegrass Community and Technical College who do not hold faculty status.
Section 1. The Council shall be the official representative body of the staff of Bluegrass Community and Technical College.
Section 2. The Council shall serve in an advisory capacity to the President and Administration of the College to keep them abreast of staff issues, concerns and the perspectives of Bluegrass Community and Technical College.
Section 3. The Council may provide advice to the President on its own initiative regarding any matter within the jurisdiction of the President of Bluegrass Community and Technical College.
Section 4. The Council shall serve as advisor to the President and College Administration on matters of concern to staff and ways to increase communication among and between staff, faculty, administrators and students.
Section 5. The Council shall provide opportunities that are designed to serve the College and add to job quality and an enhanced sense of community for staff and members of the campus population.
Section 6. The Council will not act as a grievance board for individual cases or as an agency involved in appeals, but can refer individuals to the appropriate department.
Article IV
Representatives
Section 1. The voting membership of the Council shall consist of a board of representatives elected by the staff. The eligibility requirement for serving as a Council representative is regular, full-time/part-time employment at Bluegrass Community and Technical College. The Council shall consist of elected representatives from Bluegrass Community and Technical College staff as follows:
6 - 8 Representatives from the Cooper Drive Campus
4 - 6 Representatives from the Leestown Road Campus
2 - 4 Representatives from the Extended Campuses
Section 2. The term for elected representatives shall be one year, unless re-elected.
Section 3. There are no limits on the number of terms an individual can be elected as a representative.
Section 4. Representatives from each area shall be elected at the end of each academic year. A request for nominations will be sent to all staff members the first Tuesday of May. Staff will have three weeks to submit nominations. Nominated candidates will be notified, must accept nominations and receive written approval from supervisor before being placed on the ballot for Council Representative. Elections will be held on the first Tuesday of June via ITES.
Section 5. Newly elected representatives will attend the July meeting for orientation and election of officers.
Section 6. In the event of a tie during the election process, the following steps will serve as guidelines for selecting the representative.
Step 1: All staff that are involved in the tie will be asked to withdraw from the process if they currently serve on the Council.
Step 2: If the tie involves three or more people, all staff will be eligible to vote in a second election to break the tie.
Step 3: If the tie involves two people who are not currently serving on the Council, a coin toss will determine the person appointed to the Council position.
Section 7. There shall be no alternates for representatives serving on the Council.
Section 8. Representatives shall be declared ineligible to complete their terms if any of the following occur:
- Employment status changes. (Changing staff classification will not affect eligibility.)
- Absent from three consecutive regular Council meetings.
Section 9. Mid-year vacancies on the Council shall be filled if the remaining term is more than one-half of the Council year. Such vacancies on the Council shall be filled by a person elected from the appropriate area of the college as described under the section titled Representatives.
Article V
Officers
Section 1. Officers of the Council shall consist of a Chairperson, a Co-Chairperson and a Secretary.
Section 2. The Chairperson shall:
- Be elected by the Council representatives to serve a one year term and then rotate into the past chair, ex-officio position, unless re-elected to office by the Council representatives;
- Establish and email the agenda prior to each meeting;
- Preside at regular meetings and enforce the policies of the council and obligations of the By-Laws;
- Call a special meeting when deemed necessary by the President, Co-Chairperson, or when a Council representative has requested such a meeting and it is deemed necessary by the Chair or Co-Chair;
- Oversee Council activities and act as the official spokesperson for the Staff Council.
- Appoint representatives for committees as requested;
- Maintain regular communication with the President of the College;
- Be responsible for publication and distribution of the Council’s activities and accomplishments.
Section 3. The Co-Chairperson shall:
- Be elected by the Council representatives to serve a one year term and then advance into the chair position;
- Assume the duties of the Chairperson when necessary;
- Assist the chairperson as needed;
- Oversee committees;
- Serve as the coordinator for spring break activities;
- Maintain Staff Council web page.
Section 4. The Secretary shall:
- Be elected by the Council representatives to serve a one year term;
- Attend Council meetings, record minutes of the meeting, and distribute copies of minutes to all staff within ten days;
- Maintain a record of all terms of office and all previous meeting minutes;
- Maintain an attendance record of all Council meetings and bring to the attention of the Council any representatives with three consecutive absences from regular Council meetings.
Article VI
Meetings and Conducting Business
Section 1. The Council shall meet monthly during the academic year, August 1st – July 31st, at a time and place determined by the Council.
Section 2. All staff members of the college will be made aware of meeting date, time, and location at least one week prior to meeting.
Section 3. The Council or committees of the Council shall meet additionally as requested by the Council Chairperson, Co-Chairperson or the President.
Section 4. The Council shall invite the President to all meetings.
Section 5. Regular Council meetings shall be open to all staff of Bluegrass Community and Technical College, and others by invitation.
Section 6. A simple majority of the representatives shall constitute a quorum for transacting business. Voting shall be by voice except when deemed otherwise by the Chairperson of the Council.
Article VII
Committees
Section 1. A Council member shall chair the Staff Awards Committee. This committee shall consist of nine members to include staff at-large, plus the Chair.
Section 2. The Council shall have additional committees as deemed necessary and appropriate.
Section 3. Committee members shall be appointed by the Council Chairperson. Appointments for special interest committees shall not be restricted to representatives of the Council, where special expertise may be needed and available in non-representatives.
Section 4. All committees shall report to the Council Co-Chair and meet subject to the call of their respective Chairpersons.
Section 5. All committees shall report to the Council before taking any action that affects the staff or its activities.
Article VIII
Amendments
Section 1. Council can revise By-Laws or add amendments to the By-Laws by majority vote of the Council and approval of the President of Bluegrass Community and Technical College.
