Bylaws

STAFF ADVISORY COMMITTEE BYLAWS

The name of this organization shall be the Staff Advisory Committee of Allegheny College.

Section 1 – PURPOSE

The purpose of this organization shall be:

  1. To maintain a means of communicating concerns of all non-exempt (full and part-time) staff with the administration of Allegheny College and to provide a sense of unity within the staff and the College community.
  2. To advise the Administration on the needs and interests of staff employees.
  3. To provide a vehicle whereby staff employees can give input into the decision making process on issues which will affect them. This will be accomplished through staff representation on appropriate campus committees.
  4. To improve communication among the staff, the faculty, and the administration.
  5. To develop and promote activities and services which will improve the quality of work-life of staff employees at Allegheny College.

Section 2 – MEMBERSHIP

  1. Due to the reduced number of staff members, the Staff Advisory Committee is composed of a minimum of seven (7) and maximum of eleven (11) staff members.
  2. Eligible members must be a full-time or part-time employee for a minimum of six months.
  3. Meetings will be governed according to Roberts Rules of Order.
  4. Representatives are elected by the full-time and part-time, non-exempt staff to serve a two-year term of office, which runs from July 1 to June 30, with elections held in April.
  5. Members of the SAC will be elected at large. If nominated, the maintenance/security person with the highest vote count will be guaranteed a position on SAC.
  6. If the Committee cannot identify a sufficient number of qualified volunteers to run in the next SAC election, one or more Committee members may be invited to remain on the Committee for one additional year, subject to majority approval.  Following this one year extension, the member must go off the Committee for one year before being eligible for reappointment.
  7. If a resignation or layoff occurs, the following procedure will be in effect:
    • Prior to election, committee will place a notice on My Allegheny for volunteers. If there are more volunteers than vacant seats, all volunteer names will be placed on a ballot (currently a Google Doc) that will be distributed by email to all full-time and part-time, non-exempt staff employees. The staff member(s) who receive the highest number of votes will be asked to complete the term of office.
    • If the nomination pool is exhausted, SAC will announce the opening campus-wide for volunteers. SAC will assemble a ballot to send to all full-time and part-time, non-exempt staff for voting.
    • A volunteer pool will be used to fill vacancies until the next election.
    • An alternate will immediately assume the same voting rights, SAC subcommittee roles, and other Allegheny Committee roles as the resignee. However, if the resignee was an SAC officer, an internal SAC Committee election shall be held to assign the resignee’s officer duties to an established SAC Committee member.
    • An alternate who finishes a term of 12 months or less for the SAC resignee will be eligible for immediate reelection to serve the next two-year term. However, if an alternate finishes a term of more than 12 months for a resignee, the alternate will not be eligible for immediate reelection.
  8. If a Committee member resigns from the Committee three months prior to the end of his or her term, the seat will remain vacant until the next election.

Section 3 – ELECTIONS

  1. Any staff member employed 6 months or longer is eligible to become a member of the Staff Advisory Committee.
  2. A ballot listing eligible staff will be sent out in April. Staff will be asked to vote for the number of candidates required to fill existing vacancies.
  3. Beginning with those receiving the most votes, confirmation of the willingness to serve will be secured from candidates and volunteers until all open positions have been filled, while ensuring that the mandated Maintenance/Security member is secured.
  4. In the event of a tie for the last vacancy on the Committee, the nominating committee will draw a name from the list of tie candidates and volunteers.
  5. Elections of Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, and Treasurer will be held at the June meeting, to take effect July 1.
  6. Retiring representatives and newly elected members may attend the June meeting; both will have rights to elect officers and assist in the selection of SAC subcommittee/Allegheny committee assignments.

Section 4 – OFFICERS & ELECTIONS

  1. The officers of this organization shall consist of Chairperson, Vice Chairperson, Secretary, and Treasurer.
  2. Officers of the Staff Advisory Committee will be elected at the June meeting of the Committee, to take effect July 1, and will hold that office until the following June.
  3. The Chairperson of the Committee or Co-Chairs if preferred, will be selected from eligible members of the Committee. Only SAC members who have served on the Committee for at least one year are eligible for election as Chair. Previous membership on SAC is counted as time served.
  4. The Vice-Chair (unless Co-Chairs are elected, in which case there will not be a Vice-Chair) Treasurer, and Secretary will be selected from among the full membership of the Committee.
  5. The previous Chairperson, unless already continuing as a representative, will serve as an ex officio member of SAC for one additional year, acting as a consultant with no voting privileges.
  6. In the event of the resignation or leave-of-absence of the Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary, or Treasurer, a new officer will be elected.

Section 5 – OFFICER POWER & DUTIES

  1. Chair:
    1. To preside over all meetings;
    2. To organize regular meetings;
    3. To communicate decisions of the Committee to the President and to AEC;
    4. At the direction of the full Committee, to appoint standing and ad hoc committee chairpersons; to establish ad hoc committees, and to appoint/recommend members to serve on other College committees;
    5. To serve as the principal spokesperson of the Committee.
  2. Vice-Chair:
    1. To carry out the duties of the Chair in the Chair’s absence;
    2. To fill the unexpired term of the Chair if the Chair vacates the office;
    3. To accompany the Chair when asked.
  3. Treasurer:
    1. To maintain the financial records of the SAC;
    2. To disburse monies owed by the SAC at the direction of the Committee;
    3. To report on the Committee’s financial status at each meeting;
    4. To accompany the Chair when asked. 
  4. Secretary:
    1. To record the proceedings of the Committee meetings, preparing official minutes of the Committee for its permanent archives;
    2. To prepare a record of the minutes (abridged if necessary) to post on the SAC website through Archives;
    3. To prepare special announcements and communications to all non-exempt staff, as determined by the Committee;
    4. Reserve meeting location;
    5. Periodically submit SAC Committee names, etc. to My Allegheny;
    6. To accompany the Chair when asked.

Section 6 – QUORUM

The presence of a simple majority (at least six members) shall constitute a quorum.

Section 7 – MEETINGS

  1. Meetings of the Staff Advisory Committee will be held monthly at a specified time agreed upon by a vote of the Committee. It will be at the discretion of the current Committee to determine the need for additional meetings as well as to set the schedule for summer meetings.
  2. It is expected that all members of SAC will attend meetings on a regular basis to ensure continuity and that a quorum (six members of the voting Committee membership) is present to conduct business. If it is necessary to miss a meeting, the Chairperson should be notified prior to the scheduled meeting time. A maximum of two unexcused absences may occur. Ongoing excused absences will be reviewed by the SAC membership. If a member is unable to show satisfactory attendance, the Chairperson will discuss the issue with said member, asking the member to either improve attendance or resign. This discussion could be either verbal or written. If resignation is the result, refer to Section 2.6 Membership Resignation.
  3. Staff members are encouraged to bring their topics of interest to the attention of a Staff Advisory Committee member. In all such cases, the SAC member shall bring the issue to the Committee as a whole for discussion before responding to the staff member or otherwise commenting publicly on the issue. 
  4. If staff members prefer to share questions, suggestions, etc. with the Committee as a whole, it is recommended for the staff members ask to be placed on the agenda to present the concern(s) at the beginning of the meeting.
  5. Staff members who bring concerns to the Committee or an SAC member have the right to remain anonymous.  In such cases, the anonymous person may be asked to provide a means of communication in the event that the Committee wishes to request or provide additional information.  The Committee may not be able to effectively address the issue if additional communication with the anonymous person is not possible.
  6. Special meetings shall be called by the Chairperson or by petition of three members.

Section 8 – SUBCOMMITTEES

  1. Subcommittees shall be composed of a minimum of two Committee members. The chairperson of the subcommittee will be an elected representative of the Staff Advisory Committee.
  2. If it is necessary for a subcommittee to meet during non-work hours, the subcommittee chairperson presenting the regular meeting report will describe the project or business requiring the subcommittee to meet and also report the amount of time devoted to this project or business.
  3. Additional subcommittee members may be selected from all members of the staff by the subcommittee chairperson.
  4. To provide continuity, continuing subcommittee members should remain with new members.

Visibility
Provide “Welcome” packets to new employees
Send cards (sympathy, get well, new birth)

Activities
Investigate possible SAC sponsored events for staff members
Co-host events with AAC

Nominating
Coordinate the nominations for all new Committee members in the fall of each year or as needed to fill vacancies

Bylaws
Responsible for updating bylaws as necessary and conducting an annual review of the document for continued applicability

BYLAW AMENDMENTS

Bylaws adopted: April 13, 1988
Bylaws amended: March 1, 1989 Approved: March 1, 1989
Bylaws amended: July 19, 1989 Approved: August 16, 1989
Bylaws amended: December 20, 1989 Approved: December 20, 1989
Bylaws amended: August 22, 1990 Approved: August 22, 1990
Bylaws amended: September 12, 1990 Approved: September 9, 1992
Bylaws amended: December 2, 1993 Approved: December 22, 1993
Bylaws amended: March 27, 1996 Approved: March 27, 1996
Bylaws amended: July 13, 1998 Approved: September 10, 1998
Bylaws amended: July 13, 1998 Approved: September 24, 1998
Bylaws amended: November 5, 1998 Approved: May 6, 1999
Bylaws amended: February 3, 2000 Approved: February 10, 2000
Bylaws amended: February 17,2000 Approved: March 2, 2000
Bylaws amended: June 15, 2001 Approved: July 19, 2001
Bylaws amended: March 28, 2002; Approved: April 1, 2002
Bylaws amended & approved: April 25, 2002
Bylaws amended & approved: August 21, 2003
Bylaws amended & approved:  June 7, 2012
Bylaws amended & approved:  September 1, 2016
Bylaws amended & approved:  April 5, 2018
Bylaws amended & approved: July 17, 2019
Bylaws amended & approved: October 3, 2019
Bylaws amended & approved: January 9, 2020
Bylaws amended & approved:  September 9, 2021
Bylaws amended & approved:  October 5, 2021
Bylaws amended & approved:  November 3, 2021
Bylaws amended & approved:  April 3, 2024