Constitution

HUSA Constitution and By-Laws

Printable version of the HUSA Constitution available upson request

Article I: Name

The name of the organization shall be the HAMLINE UNIVERSITY STAFF ASSOCIATION, hereinafter referred to as HUSA. 

Article II: Vision and Mission

The staff of Hamline University strives for excellence in service to the University's students, faculty, fellow staff members, and the community at large. The staff plays an essential role in supporting the University’s mission of creating “a diverse and collaborative community of learners dedicated to the development of students’ knowledge, values, and skills for successful lives of leadership, scholarship, and service.”

The mission of the Hamline University Staff Association is to improve the work environment and represent the interests and concerns of staff in the overall governance structure of the University. 

Therefore, HUSA serves to enhance work performance by building community in the following ways:

1. Facilitating staff input and feedback in University policies.

2. Providing a voice of advocacy for staff interests.

3. Encouraging communication among staff, administration, faculty and students.

4. Encouraging and facilitating communication among all staff as appropriate

5. Promoting professional development opportunities for all staff members.

6. Maintaining a commitment to diversity.

7. Providing support to all staff working toward an inclusive environment free of all forms of harassment and oppression. 

Article III: Membership 

HUSA membership includes Hamline University non-faculty staff (full-time and part-time, exempt and non-exempt, union and nonunion) who are not Hamline "student employees."

Article IV: Executive Committee 

SECTION 1 – MEMBERSHIP, OFFICERS AND TERMS

The Executive Committee (EC) of HUSA shall be: President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, President Emeritus, Secretary Emeritus, Treasurer Emeritus and at least four additional representatives. All attempts shall be made to maintain equal representation of exempt and non-exempt staff across University divisions and areas on this committee. Individuals need to serve at least six months as a representative before they can be appointed to the Vice President or President executive position. The President Emeritus, Secretary Emeritus and Treasurer Emeritus are Ex-Officio members and are non-voting members. 

All terms shall begin July 1 and follow the fiscal calendar, therefore expiring June 30 of the appropriate year. Terms of each office are: 

1 year: President Emeritus, Secretary Emeritus, Treasurer Emeritus
1 to 2 years: President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer
2 to 3 years: Representative 

• Representatives may serve more than one term consecutively. 

• Representatives will have the option of renewing their position for an additional third year. Representatives wishing to renew their position for a third year must notify the HUSA president by the first HUSA meeting of the spring term following their second year appointment. A Vice President with only one year remaining on their representative term will automatically have that term extended for one year without having to stand for general election.

• Representatives must have been employed at Hamline for at least 6 months in order to serve on the Executive Committee
   

SECTION 2 – EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE DUTIES

1. All Executive Committee members shall:  

   • Attend all regular and special Executive Committee meetings, to the best of their ability.

   • Provide regular communication regarding HUSA activities with University staff within her/his area and job classification. 

   • Bring issues raised by or regarding staff to Executive Committee meetings as they occur. 

   • Encourage staff to serve on the Executive Committee. 

   • Participate in welcoming new staff members into the Hamline University community.   

   • Provide representation at University open forums, meetings, and other duties/activities as assigned. 

2. HUSA Officers shall, in addition to the above: 

   • Meet as a group outside of the Executive Committee meeting as necessary.  

   • Have access to the HUSA email account, Google Drive, and shared drive. The President shall be responsible for managing access. 

3.   The President shall: 

   •  Schedule, call and conduct meetings of the Executive Committee. 

   •  Set the agenda for these meetings in consultation with other members of the Executive Committee. 

   •  Represent HUSA to the University Administration, or designate an alternate. 

   •  Maintain the HUSA email account and distribute all-staff emails. 

   • Serve on the Presidents Budget Initiative Advisory Committee, Benefits Advisory Committee,  and liaise with the Faculty Council. 

   • Manage HUSA Google site including posting of HUSA meeting times and locations. HUSA Google site edit access will be limited to HUSA officers.

4. The Vice President shall: 

   • Fulfill the duties of the president in their absence. 

   • Serve as the President-Elect and serve as the President  when the President vacates the role (either due to term expiration or another reason detailed under Section 6 - Vacancies). Should the Vice President be unable to serve as President, the Executive Committee shall hold an internal election. The Vice President may decline to serve as President. In this event, the EC shall hold an election.

   • Serve on the Presidents Budget Initiative Advisory Committee, Benefits Advisory Committee,  and liaise with the Faculty Council.

5. The Secretary shall: 

   • Record and distribute minutes of all Executive Committee meetings to each member of the Executive Committee. 

   • Distribute all-staff emails as necessary if the president is unable to do so and/or in coordination with the president. 

   • Record attendance of HUSA representatives. 

   • Create and distribute a monthly HUSA newsletter. 

6. The Treasurer shall: 

   • Serve as the custodian of funds, accounts, and financial records of HUSA, including any collection and disbursement of funds.

   • Maintain the budget online and coordinate reimbursements. Budget expenditures can be made by any member of the executive committee as necessary for committee activities.

7. Representatives shall: 

   • Represent their departments and the staff in general. 

   • Serve as a liaison for divisions that aren’t represented. 

   • Recruit members. 

   • Serve on University standing committees, HUSA subcommittees, search committees,  or other committees where membership would be beneficial to staff and the University. 

8.  President Emeritus, Secretary Emeritus and Treasurer Emeritus shall:

   • Serve in an advisory capacity to the Executive Committee to provide continuity in the operation of HUSA with no voting capacity.
     
     

SECTION 3 – MEETINGS 

1. The Executive Committee shall meet at least once a month to receive reports from members serving on current university-wide committees and to discuss issues affecting staff. 

2. Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be held at a time and place designated by the President. 

3. Notice of all Executive Committee meetings shall be posted prior to the meeting on the HUSA Google account/site/calendar. 

4. All agenda items shall be submitted to the President. 

5. Each member of the Executive Committee shall receive a copy of the Executive Committee meeting agenda prior to the meeting. 

6. The Executive Committee will open all regular EC meetings to the full HUSA membership. 

7. Any HUSA member may request and receive Executive Committee minutes from the Secretary. 

8. Any member of the Hamline community may bring agenda items to HUSA. In certain cases, agenda items may be delegated to an appropriate HUSA subcommittee. 

9. The President or Vice President may call a special meeting of the Executive Committee at any time. 

10. The Officers of the HUSA Executive Committee will meet as deemed necessary for discussion only, no votes taken. To ensure transparency, the HUSA executive officers will share a synopsis of their meetings with the Executive Committee.  

11. The Executive Committee shall call at least two all-staff meetings per year for all HUSA members (one fall, one spring).

SECTION 4 – NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS

1. The Elections subcommittee shall coordinate annual elections for all vacancies among representatives.

   • Eligible candidates must be Hamline employees for at least the previous six consecutive months prior to the election date. 

   • Individuals can self nominate.  

   • In the absence of self-nominated candidates, the Executive Committee may nominate candidates for the all-staff election. In this case, nominees shall be notified of their nomination and be given five working days to accept their nomination. 

   • Elections for representatives shall be conducted no less than 4 weeks prior to Spring Commencement. 

   • Representative candidates are elected by receiving the highest number of votes from an all-staff election. 

   • The Elections subcommittee will coordinate recruitment of candidates and all election logistics in collaboration with the President, including soliciting candidate bios and counting votes.  

   • Elected representatives shall be notified of the results of the election within 10 working days after the election. 

   • The Elections subcommittee will retain election data for at least twelve months after the all-staff election.      

   • Should the Committee not fill all open positions via the regular elections, eligible staff can either be nominated or self-nominate and be appointed by a majority vote by the HUSA Executive Committee at any time during the calendar year. Since HUSA Executive Committee member terms run from July 1st through June 30th, staff who are appointed to the HUSA Executive Committee after July 1st will serve a shortened first year of their term. 

2. HUSA Officers will be elected by a vote of the Executive Committee.

   • The President will coordinate the election of HUSA Officers. 

   • Candidates for the officer positions must currently be a member of the Executive Committee and ideally will have a minimum of six months experience on the Committee.  

   • Individuals can self-nominate.  

   • The Executive Committee will elect the HUSA Officers. 

   • The Executive Committee will notify elected officers within five business dates of the vote.  

   • In case of a tie in the election of HUSA Officers, the Executive Committee will facilitate a runoff vote. A candidate may withdraw their name from the runoff ballot. If only one person remains on the ballot, the person on the ballot shall be declared elected.                 

3. No member may hold more than one elected office at a time on the HUSA Executive Committee.

4. Officers and representatives shall assume their duties on the first day of July following their election and shall be introduced at the first Executive Committee meeting following the election. 

SECTION 5 - QUORUM & VOTING

1. Issues that affect only the workings of the EC require a quorum and a single majority vote. A quorum equals 50% plus one.   

2. Issues that affect the membership at large require the call for an all-staff vote and a simple majority among votes cast.

SECTION 6 – VACANCIES 

1. Vacancies occur when an officer or a representative:

   • Terminates employment at Hamline University. 

   • Changes employment classification (i.e. becomes faculty). 

   • Gives notice in writing to the President or Vice President. 

   • Fails to attend at least 50 percent of the meetings of the Executive Committee called in any four-month period, without good reason. The President and Vice President shall conduct a biannual review of Executive Committee attendance. 

   • Fails to perform the duties of the office, after a review and vote by the Executive Committee. 

2. To fill vacant positions, the Executive Committee will appoint the first runner up from the previous election to serve the remainder of the vacant term. 

3. If the first runner up is not available, the Executive Committee will offer the position to the previous year's candidates in the order of most to least votes received.

4. Should the Committee not fill all open positions via the regular elections and no runners up are available, eligible staff can either be nominated or self-nominate and be appointed by a majority vote by the HUSA Executive Committee at any time during the calendar year. Since HUSA Executive Committee member terms run from July 1st through June 30th, staff who are appointed to the HUSA Executive Committee after July 1st will serve a shortened first year of their term. 

5. If the remainder of the term is less than 6 months, the Representative will serve the remainder of the vacant term plus one year.

6. Representatives selected as alternates have the option to extend their term for an additional year. 

7. The replacement Representative will fulfill the prior Representative’s committee assignments. 

SECTION 7 - PUBLICATION OF DOCUMENTS

1. The text of the Constitution and Bylaws shall be published on the HUSA website and made available in hard copy for members of the campus community upon request. 

2. The Executive Committee will post meeting minutes on the HUSA website within two weeks of minutes approval.

Article V: Committees, Representatives and other Organizations 

SECTION 1 – HUSA STANDING SUBCOMMITTEES

1. Subcommittees shall be chaired by a member of the Executive Committee for a term of one year. Subcommittee chairs shall be decided within the first three subcommittee meetings of the fiscal year.  All Subcommittees shall include at least one Executive Committee Officer or an appropriate delegate who has served at least 6 months on the Executive Committee.

2. All subcommittee Chairs shall give reports to the Executive Committee as needed. 

3. Subcommittees are formed as needed, based on committee interest and demand. Examples of historic subcommittees include:

   • Elections Subcommittee. Oversees the annual nomination and election process; coordinates all-staff elections for university-wide standing committees, as well as other all-staff votes. 

   • Services for Staff Subcommittee. Advocates for the development of staff services in areas such as benefits and employee orientation; partners with university units on professional development and community building. 

   • Communications Subcommittee. Facilitates cross-university communication and publicity; supports the Secretary in the distillation of Executive Committee meeting notes into public minutes.  

   • Events Subcommittee. Organizes logistics of all-staff meetings, periodic updates, and HUSA-sponsored gatherings.         

4. All subcommittees shall document their activities and processes for future Executive Committee reference. On a monthly basis, subcommittees will share out their work and processes; role and need of the subcommittee will be continuously addressed at these times. 

SECTION 2 - AD HOC COMMITTEES 

1. Members of the Executive Committee will create ad hoc subcommittees as needed. Ad hoc subcommittees may be comprised of a mix of campus staff and members of the Executive Committee. Executive Committee members will chair ad hoc subcommittees.  

2. The HUSA President and Vice President will appoint Executive Committee members to chair ad hoc committees. 

3. All ad hoc committee chairs shall report to the Executive Committee.  

4. Ad hoc committees will disband after completion of stated goals.   

Article VI: Amendment of the Constitution and By-Laws

1. The Constitution and Bylaws shall be reviewed every other year on even years at a minimum.

   • 1. • • The Constitution and Bylaws can be reviewed at any time based on Executive Committee member request. 

2. This Constitution and Bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the Executive Committee.

Article VII - Communication Policies

1. Large group communication will be done primarily through use of the HUSA Newsletter, HUSA Google Site, and HUSA email account.

2. HUSA has access to the all-staff listserv and is able to assist with staff communication upon request and as appropriate.

3. HUSA reserves the right to deny sending out large group communications on behalf of an individual or office if the message violates university policy, represents a specific ideology or opinion, or is deemed inappropriate by a majority of the HUSA Officers. Additionally, requests can be denied if HUSA is not given timely notice. 

4. Staff members can request data or other information from HUSA so long as it does not break any privacy, personal information, or other related laws.

Amended and approved by Hamline University Staff Association Executive Committee, May 2026.