By-Laws

Emporia State University

Staff Senate 

(University Staff Senate – USS - and Unclassified Professional Senate - UPS)

CONSTITUTION/BY-LAWS/PROCEDURES

ARTICLE I

Name

Staff Senate (combined USS and UPS)

ARTICLE II

Section 1. Definition

Staff appointments apply to all University employees, except those who are student employees.  Any staff personnel who is not “voting faculty” as defined by Article 1 Paragraph1 of the Faculty Senate Constitution and who is not a member of the ESU Administration who reports directly to the University’s President shall be represented by the Staff Senate.  For the purpose of the Unclassified Senate, the University President, Provost, Vice Presidents, Associate and Assistant Vice-Presidents, Associate and Assistant Provosts, and Deans will not be included.

Section 2. Purpose

The purpose of the organization is to:

1. Foster communication and collegiality among staff (USS and UPS) of the university;

2. Provide representation for ESU staff and a liaison to the University administration and others regarding issues of concern;

3. Give recommendations to the University President regarding policies and procedures that relate to the concerns of USS and UPS staff at Emporia State University;

4. Review and recommend revision of policies and procedures relating to USS and UPS staff.

ARTICLE III

Section 1. Eligibility for Membership 

Persons eligible to serve on the Senate shall be USS and UPS personnel appointed at Emporia State University with 0.5 or greater FTE (full time equivalent) as defined above. 

Section 2. Composition

The membership of the Senate should consist of:

• 5-10% of eligible USS and UPS non-faculty appointments

• Ex-officio members should include one administrator and a representative from Human Resources.

Section 3. Terms of Membership  

• Senators shall be elected from all USS and UPS staff.

• All Senators will serve a two-year term beginning July 1.

• After serving two consecutive terms, a Senator shall not be eligible for re-election for one Senate year – July 1 through June 30.

• Officers are exempt from term limits for the term of their appointment

• To ensure continuity, approximately one-half of Senators shall be elected each year.

• If the immediate Past President is completing their second year, they will be invited to serve one additional year as an ex-officio member in order to lend continuity to the governing body.

Section 4. Voting Privileges

Each Senator shall have one vote. The President shall be a non-voting member unless a vote is needed to break a tie.  The ex-officio members do not have voting privileges.

ARTICLE IV

Section 1. Officers

Officers of the Senate shall be Past President, President, President Elect, and the Secretary/Treasurer.  Any elected officers shall have served at least one year on the Senate before they are eligible for an office, unless otherwise approved by the Senate. 

Combining USS and UPS requires equal opportunity to leadership positions. For the short-term, President, President-elect, and Secretary/Treasurer will be rotated on a yearly basis if possible as follows:

The Presidency will be assumed by the President-elect each year in July.

President Elect

• Nominations for this position will be rotated between the two groups. If UPS is the president in a given year, USS have the right of first refusal for this position. The converse is true if a USS member is president in a given year. 

• If a nominee cannot be taken from membership of a given group, nominations will be taken from the other group. This protocol should provide opportunity for leadership roles for each group on a rotating basis.

• Each year, the right of first refusal will be given to the group that is not President.

Secretary/Treasurer

• This position can be held by either USS or UPS in any year.

• Nominations will be solicited from both groups.

All new hires will be UPS from this point forward. When the USS membership dips below 50, the Staff Senate will conduct a vote to change the by-laws allowing both groups to hold any office in any year. If the motion does not pass, the rotating leadership plan will stand until a future vote by the Senate changes nomination by-laws

Section 2. Duties of Officers

Officers of the Senate and their duties are:

 A.    Past President

1. The Past President shall preside over meetings in the absence of the current President and the President Elect.

2. The Past President may attend other monthly meetings if the President or the Present-elect cannot attend.

 B.    President

1. The President shall be the official spokesperson for, and preside at all meetings of the Senate.

2. The President, in cooperation with the other officers, shall establish the agenda for Senate meetings.

3. The President shall serve no more than a one-year term, after which the president will take on the role of Past President.

4. The President shall represent the Senate on the ESU President’s Council by attending monthly meetings during the school year.

5. The President shall conduct regular one-on-one meetings with the University President throughout the year.

6. The President shall represent ESU on the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) USS/UPS Council, comprised of Staff Senate Presidents/other representatives from each KBOR University, and will attend monthly KBOR USS/UPS Council meetings. 

7. The President will attend regular KBOR meetings and/or regular KBOR Wrap-up meetings on campus.

8. Every six years, ESU leadership will chair the KBOR USS/UPS Council. Part of that obligation is for the USS/UPS President to attend monthly KBOR meetings and present to the group when necessary, as well as establishing the agenda and presiding over all monthly KBOR USS/UPS Council meetings.  The next scheduled year for this responsibility will begin on July 1, 2025.

9. The President may choose a designee to attend or lead any meeting if their schedule does not allow them to be present.

 C.   President Elect

1. The President Elect shall serve in the absence of the President; and in case of resignation of the President, shall assume the duties of the President.

2. The President Elect shall serve no more a one-year term after which the President Elect will take on the role of President.

3. The President Elect, in conjunction with the President, shall represent the Senate on the ESU President’s Council by attending monthly meetings during the school year.

4. The President Elect, in conjunction with the President, shall conduct regular one-on-one meetings with the University President throughout the year.

5. The President Elect, in conjunction with the President, shall represent ESU on the Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) USS/UPS Council, comprised of Senate Presidents/other Senate representatives from each KBOR University, and will attend monthly KBOR USS/UPS Council meetings if invited.  

6. The President Elect, in conjunction with the President, shall consider attending KBOR meetings and/or regular KBOR Wrap-up meetings on campus.

7. The President Elect is expected to obtain their supervisor’s approval prior to running for this position. The Supervisor has final authority to decline.

8. The President Elect is responsible for coordinating USS UPS scholarship funding raising activities and may choose to select a sub-committee of USS and UPS employees to assist with these duties, including choosing to award the scholarship to an available recipient pool.

 D.    Secretary/Treasurer

1. The Secretary/Treasurer shall maintain the communication and financial records of the Senate and record and distribute the minutes and financial records as needed at the Senate meetings.

2. The Secretary/Treasurer shall coordinate Senate response and submit an annual budget for approval by the senate and serve as the liaison with the budget office.

3. The Secretary/Treasurer shall serve no more than two consecutive one-year terms.

Article V

Section 1 Removal of Officers and Senators

1. Members of the Senate, to include officers, may be removed during the term of office for reasons of dereliction of duty, or unethical conduct in the performance of the responsibilities of office.

2. Removal of Senators and officers during the course of the annual term shall require a two-thirds vote of the Senate.

3. Senators who resign their positions will be replaced with a Senator who will be appointed by the current Senate with a two-thirds majority vote.

4. Officers who resign will be filled with the natural progression of officers and a new President Elect will be elected, depending on timing and how much of the terms are left.  The Senate reserves the right to determine the succession and election on a case by case basis. 

Article VI

Section 1 Meetings

1. The Senate shall meet once a month during the academic year and during the summer as deemed necessary by the Senate.

2. The time and location to be announced by the Senate Secretary/Treasurer. 

3. A quorum for conducting business at any meeting shall be one more than 50% of the members of the Senate.  If no quorum is present, then those present have the authority to reschedule the meeting.

4. Any question to be decided at a meeting shall require a majority approval of those present.

5. Senators are encouraged to attend all meetings or send someone as their proxy if unable to attend.

6. Senators may send a proxy to regular meetings with knowledge that the proxy has full voting rights and must meet the definition in Article 2 Section 1 of the by-laws.

Article VII

These By-laws may be amended from time to time by a two-thirds majority vote of the members of the Senate.

By-Laws will take effect on January 1, 2022. Approved 12/7/2021 by USS and UPS Senates