Senate of Academic Staff

Senate of Academic Staff Bylaws

Academic Staff Governance

GOV 4. ACADEMIC STAFF GOVERNANCE.

GOV 4.1. Academic Staff Governance Rights.

Academic staff members at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh are granted institutional governance rights by state statute. These rights are specified in section 36.09(4m), of the Wisconsin Statutes, which reads as follows:

“36.09(4m) Academic Staff. The academic staff members of each institution, subject to the responsibilities and powers of the board, the president and the Chancellor and faculty of the institution, shall be active participants in the immediate governance of and policy development for the institution. The academic staff members have the pri-mary responsibility for the formulation and review, and shall be represented in the de- velopment, of all policies and procedures concerning academic staff members, includ-ing academic staff personnel matters. The academic staff members of each institution shall have the right to organize themselves in a manner they determine and to select their representatives to participate in institutional governance.”

GOV 4.2. Senate of Academic Staff Bylaws.

Adopted May 1981

Bylaws Revised April 15, 1999

Bylaws Revised October 6, 2000

Bylaws Revised November 1, 2001

Bylaws Revised April 24, 2003

Bylaws Revised April 28, 2005

Bylaws Revised December 15, 2005

Bylaws Revised October 05, 2006

Bylaws Revised March 06, 2008

Bylaws Revised April 18, 2019

Bylaws Revised February 27, 2020

ARTICLE I. NAME.

The name of the organization is the Senate of Academic Staff, herein referred to as the Senate.

ARTICLE II. PURPOSES.

The Senate shall (1) supervise and conduct the election of its members; (2) elect its own officers; (3) schedule and conduct its own meetings; (4) form and revise its own bylaws and rules of proceedings; (5) advise the Chancellor on matters pertaining to the UW System Unclassified Personnel Guidelines No. 7 which deals with designating positions as “academic staff”; (6) advise the Chancellor on policies and procedures for the academic staff adopted pursuant to UW System 9-14, and prepare and propose for the Chancellor’s approval needed changes in the policies and procedures; (7) serve as a hearing body (see GOV 4.3.B); and (8) perform such other tasks as it deems appropriate to its status as an active participant in the immediate governance of, and policy development for, the campuses of the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (Fond du Lac, Fox Cities, Oshkosh), subject to the responsibilities and powers of the Chancellor, the faculty and the students.

ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP.

1. The Senate shall consist of nineteen (19) members herein referred to as a Senator, selected from those eligible to serve.  Those eligible to serve and to vote include all academic staff members (and faculty serving in academic staff positions which became academic staff positions under the definitions of faculty and academic staff in Chapter 36, Wisconsin Statutes). The membership of the Senate must be reexamined in advance of the election cycle every three years.
2. To determine service eligibility for the Senate, all academic staff members will be placed in one of two categories: Instructional or Professional/Administrative. 
3. Each campus has been apportioned a number of the nineteen (19) membership seats.
   1. Oshkosh: The Oshkosh campus is assigned 15 (fifteen) seats. The Election Committee shall determine the composition of the Oshkosh campus’s 15 seats based on the most recent year FTE apportionments at the Oshkosh campus in the two constituent categories of Instructional, and Professional/Administrative. See Article V, section B for proportioning guidelines.
   2. Fond du Lac and Fox Cities: The Access Campuses are designated up to 4 (four) seats. It is preferred that at least 1 (one) senator is PAS & 1 (one) is IAS. If there are no candidates from one of the two campuses, then on seat remains vacant.
4. All academic staff members who have a current contract at the time of the election, regardless of tenure in position, are eligible to participate in the election of members to the Senate.

ARTICLE IV. TERM OF OFFICE.

30. Senators are elected for a three-year term.  The term of office begins at the first meeting in May immediately following election or re-election, and expires three years hence on April 30.   No Senator can serve more than three consecutive terms.
31. The term of office for members of the Executive Committee is as follows: one year for the President, President-Elect, Past-President and Members-At-Large, and two years for the Vice President.
32. The President-Elect shall assume the presidency at the first meeting in May at the conclusion of a President’s term of office.  In the event the President-Elect cannot succeed to the presidency, a former officer who still has a term of service shall be the moderator for the May meeting in the following priority:
    1. President
    2. President -Elect
    3. Past-President
    4. Member-At-Large Oshkosh campus
    5. Member-At-Large Access campuses
    6. Seniority of Senators

1. If a Senator is serving as President-Elect, or Vice President or Past-President and their Senator term of office expires, they shall continue to serve in their positions as ex officio in an advisory role without voting rights through the end of the President, Vice President or Past-President term of office.
2. In the event the Past-President is unable to serve their term, the President may appoint any former president, of the Senate of Academic Staff.

ARTICLE V. ELECTION PROCEDURES.

25. Elections are to be held in the spring of each academic year and completed no later than April 25.
26. All academic staff are eligible to vote for eligible Instructional and Professional Academic staff on all 3 campuses.
27. The Elections Committee will determine the apportionment of each academic staff constituent category via the following formula:

1. Calculation of apportionment will occur at the beginning of the spring semester in each odd-numbered year.
2. Election ballots will be collected and tabulated in the Senate office, with oversight by the Election Committee. The candidate or candidates, depending on the number of constituent seats on the ballot, who receive the highest number of votes, a plurality, within each constituent category, are elected to a term of office.
3. Senate vacancies: In the case of a Senate vacancy prior to the next election, the President will appoint the next highest vote getter in the appropriate category from the respective campus to fill the remainder of term. If no one is able to serve who had been on the ballot, the President may appoint any eligible academic staff member in the appropriate category ideally from the respective campus.
4. Referendums: In order to place a referendum question on a Senate election ballot, the Senate must approve the referendum question by a simple majority vote.

ARTICLE VI. OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE.

The President, President-Elect, Vice President, Past-President, and Members-At-Large shall constitute the Executive Committee. The President, President-Elect, Vice President (when necessary), Past-President and Members-At-Large shall be elected by the Senate from the Senate at the first meeting in May. The order of presidential succession is as follows: President-Elect, Vice President, Past-President, Members-At-Large then Seniority of Senators. Officers shall assume responsibilities at that time, as follows:

1. President– Calls meetings of the Senate; presides over the Senate; coordinates activities; is a member of the University Compensation Committee, the Provost’s Administrative Staff, the Conference on Shared Governance and the Chancellors Leadership Council; communicates with the Chancellor or Provost as needed, the Faculty Senate, the Oshkosh Student Association, and the University Staff Senate on a regular basis; and prepares an annual report of Senate activities for distribution to all academic staff at the end of his or her term.  The President calls and presides over meetings of the Executive Committee and may act for the Executive Committee when it is not available. The President reviews Senate meeting minutes of the recording secretary, maintains the Senate bylaws and prepares communication as needed.
2. President-Elect– Represents the Senate at meetings as designated by the President, and is a member of the University Compensation Committee, Conference on Shared Governance, and Chancellor’s Leadership Council. The President-Elect is a permanent member of the Professional Development Fund Committee. The President-Elect takes the place of the President when the President is not available.
3. Vice President– Chairs the Committee on Committees, is a member of the University Compensation Committee and oversees the Senate website.
4. Past-President – The Past President serves in an advisory capacity to the President, the Executive Board and the entire Senate. They may assume responsibility for projects deemed necessary by the President or Executive Committee.
5. Members-At-Large– One Member-At-Large should be from an Access Campus. The Members-At-Large will co-Chair the Election Committee. Senators serving their first term are preferred.  It is preferred that the Members-At-Large serve as the Senate representatives to the Faculty Senate, Oshkosh Student Association and/or the University Staff Senate.
6. The Executive Committee– Acts for the Senate when the Senate is not in session or when emergency situations or special circumstances warrant such action, e.g., limited decision time or special requests. Members of the Executive Committee will alternate as representatives to the Chancellor’s Administrative Staff Meetings.

ARTICLE VII. MEETINGS.

1. Regular and special meetings will be called by the President as deemed necessary.
2. A quorum for any meeting of the Senate shall be half plus one of the current filled senate seats.
3. All official resolutions introduced in the Senate will be numbered according to the year and the order of the resolution, e.g., SAS0607-01 would be used to number the first resolution introduced in the 2006-2007 academic year.
4. Any dispute regarding meeting procedures shall be resolved by reference to Sturgis Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure unless otherwise covered by the Senate Bylaws.  The President will appoint a member of the Senate as Parliamentarian at the first meeting in May.
5. Attendance: Senators must attend at least 75% of the regularly scheduled meetings in a given academic year to retain their seat. The President may identify persons with a low attendance and the Senate may remove them from office by an affirmative, secret ballot vote of two-thirds of the membership of the Senate. The President will appoint the next highest vote getter from the most recent election in the appropriate category to fill the remainder of term. If no one is able to serve who had been on the ballot, the President may appoint any eligible academic staff member in the appropriate category. Proxy or absentee voting is not allowed.
6. Leave of absence: If a Senator knows they will not be able to attend meetings for a period of time, they may request a leave of absence from Senate duties. This request is acted upon by the Executive Committee. The President will appoint an eligible academic staff member to serve the Senate during the absence. Such a replacement has full voting rights and privileges. Leaves may be requested for up to one academic year. Senators expecting a longer leave are encouraged to resign their Senate seat.
7. Meeting agendas shall be sent out electronically to all Academic Staff list serves, at least 24 hours prior to the Senate meeting.
8. Meeting minutes shall be sent electronically to all Academic Staff list serves, upon approval from the Senate.

ARTICLE VIII. COMMITTEES.

1. Election Committee: Comprised of the Member-At-Large (who will serve as chair) and two (2) Senators who serve for one election cycle and are recommended by the Senate and appointed by the President in the fall preceding the spring election. The committee’s charge is to conduct general election of Senators and the internal Executive Committee election. This includes recruitment of potential candidates, ballot creation, and vote counting. The committee will resolve conflicts concerning placement of academic staff in respective constituent categories. Members of this committee may not be on the ballot.  If a committee member decides to run for the Executive Committee, they must resign from the committee prior to the Executive Committee election.
2. Committee on Committees: Comprised of the Vice President (who will serve as chair) and two (2) Senators from the Oshkosh Campus, and one (1) Senator from the Access Campuses, who serve for one year and are recommended by the Senate and appointed by the President.  The committee shall screen qualified academic staff members and present recommendations to the Senate for the purpose of making needed internal and University committee appointments. 
3. Outstanding Service Award Committee: Comprised of at least five (5) academic staff members recommended by the Senate and appointed by the President.  The length of terms will be staggered to assure continuity.  The committee will elect its own chair.  The Senate office will solicit nominations, and the committee will review credentials and forward recommendations to the Chancellor. See ACS 13.
4. Professional Development Fund Committee: Comprised of four (4) academic staff members who serve for three years with a maximum 2 consecutive terms and are recommended by the Senate and appointed by the President.  The committee selects a Chair annually who serves as the lead and voice of the committee and updates the Senate of Academic Staff on committee activities. The committee reviews and makes funding recommendations for the Academic Staff Professional Development Fund and oversees the selection, disbursement of funding and compliance by awardees of fund requirements.
5. Instructional Academic Staff Committee: Comprised of at least 2 Senators from the Instructional Academic Staff category. Recommend at least one IAS committee member is from an access campus. The committee’s charge is to examine and identify issues specific to Instructional Academic Staff and bring to the attention of the Senate those issues. The chair of the committee should be a Senator. The committee will meet at the beginning of each semester and set a regular meeting schedule, to be determined by the committee.
6. Conference on Shared Governance Leaders Committee: Comprised of the President and President-elect from all four governance groups, and a representative from the Chancellors Office and Provost Office, for the purpose of clarifying and resolving differences in actions or decisions between the four governance groups on issues deemed to have a significant impact on the campus community.
7. Special Subcommittees: Recommended by the Senate and appointed by the President as needed.

ARTICLE IX. REPRESENTATIVES TO OTHER LEADERSHIP GROUPS.

The Senate will appoint representatives to the following:

1. Faculty Senate: a Senator, with preference for the Members-at-Large or other Executive Committee member.
2. Oshkosh Student Association: a Senator, with preference for the Members-at-Large or other Executive Committee member.
3. University Staff Senate: a Senator, with preference for the Members-at-Large.
4. UW System Academic Staff Representatives Meeting a current or former Senator is preferred, otherwise, an academic staff member eligible for election. Attends Executive Committee meetings as a non-voting member. If a non-Senator is appointed to this position, they will also attend Senate meetings, as necessary, as an ex-officio, non-voting member.
5. Academic Staff Professionals Representation Organization: an academic staff member who is a current member of ASPRO. If a non-Senator is appointed to this position, they will also attend Senate meetings, as necessary, as an ex-officio, non-voting member. This appointment will be made in coordination with ASPRO.

ARTICLE X. CHANGING THE BYLAWS.

The Bylaws of the Senate of Academic Staff may be changed by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the membership of the Senate.  Before such a vote will take place, members of the Senate must be given notice regarding the intent to vote on proposed changes to the Bylaws. All proposals must be discussed during at least one Senate meeting prior to a vote on the proposed changes. At a minimum, the Bylaws shall be revisited and revised, if necessary, in the spring semester of every even-numbered calendar year.