Constitution

Info & Library Services -2 representatives Physical Plant -2 representatives

Strategic Initiatives -1 representative Student Life -2 representatives

Ex officio - Chief of Staff and Head of Human Resources

1. 3. If a department that has one (1) representative grows to include more than 25 full- time staff, an additional representative from that department will be appointed and will begin a term of service the first day of the next fiscal year. The total number of voting members of the Staff Council will be increased to reflect the additional representative.
       
   4. Representatives will be appointed by the respective Senior Leadership Team member for the departments/divisions listed hereinabove. Self-nominations and nominations of colleagues are encouraged and should be discussed with the respective division head.
       
   5. The Chief of Staff and Head of Human Resources, as ex officio members, do not have voting privileges. The appointment, membership term, and transition procedures outlined herein do not apply to ex officio members.
       
2. Vacancies
   1. A vacancy occurs when a representative terminates employment with the college.
   2. A vacancy occurs when a representative misses three (3) consecutive meetings or five (5) meetings within the fiscal year without cause as determined by a two- thirds vote of the Staff Council.
   3. A vacancy occurs when a representative resigns their seat on the Staff Council.
   4. If a temporary vacancy is required due to an approved leave of absence, department/division leadership may name a temporary representative until the member returns.
   5. When a vacancy occurs, the department/division head will appoint a new representative to serve the remainder of the term.
   6. If the Chair’s term coincides with their third year, the Council may vote to allow the Chair to serve a fourth year in an ex officio capacity for the purpose of providing continuity. As an ex officio member, the immediate past chair serving a fourth year does not have voting privileges.
       
3. Membership
   1. The term for each Staff Council representative shall be three (3) years and appointments shall be staggered, with one-third (1/3) of the representatives completing their terms and the same number of new representatives (plus any additional representatives due to departmental growth as outlined in III.A.3. hereinabove) being appointed each year. The inaugural Staff Council was established in May 2023, with official terms for council members beginning July 1, 2023. To facilitate the transition to staggered terms, six (6) of the inaugural representatives will complete their terms on June 30, 2025, six (6) will complete their terms on June 30, 2026, and six (6) will serve a four-year term ending on June 30, 2027. All subsequent council representatives will serve three-year terms, with one-third (1/3) of the total representatives being replaced with newly- appointed representatives each year beginning July 1, 2025.

3. 2. Expiring terms will be filled by appointment following the above outlined procedure.
       
   3. As the need arises, the Staff Council may create ad-hoc committees to deal with specific issues and recommend the names of volunteers to serve on such committees. Once a Staff Council ad-hoc committee has dealt with the issue in question as directed, or, if the Staff Council determines that the ad-hoc committee is no longer needed, it may be dissolved by the Staff Council.
       
   4. Members of the Staff Council may not have faculty status, or temporary status, or serve on the Rhodes College Senior Leadership Team.
       
4. Officers
   1. Chair
      1. One representative shall serve as Chair of the Staff Council.
      2. The term of office for Staff Council Chair shall be one year.
      3. The Staff Council Chair shall take office after serving one (1) year as Vice Chair.
      4. The Staff Council Chair shall not serve as a representative of Staff Council on any standing committees of the college.
      5. The Chair shall be responsible for setting the agenda and leading each meeting.
      6. The Chair shall serve as Staff Council liaison to the President and Senior Leadership Team.
      7. The Chair shall represent the Staff at plenary meetings of the Board of Trustees.
          
   2. Vice Chair
      1. One representative shall serve as the Vice Chair.
      2. The term of office for the Vice Chair shall be one (1) year.
      3. The Vice Chair shall be chosen by secret ballot vote of the representatives of Staff Council and must have at least two (2) years remaining in his or her term. Nominations for Vice Chair will be solicited by the ex officio members one month prior to the election, which shall take place in the final meeting of the fiscal year prior to their taking office, or as soon as practicable thereafter.
      4. The Vice Chair shall not serve as a representative of Staff Council on any standing committees of the college.
      5. The Vice Chair shall be responsible for fulfilling the Chair’s duties in the absence of the Chair.
      6. The Vice Chair shall be responsible for communicating Staff Council matters to the staff at large.
      7. The Vice Chair shall be responsible for responding to communications to the Staff Council delivered through online channels.
          
   3. Secretary
      1. A Secretary shall be chosen by the Staff Council by secret ballot vote and shall serve for one (1) year. Nominations for Secretary will be solicited by the ex officio members one month prior to the election, which shall take place in the final meeting of the fiscal year prior to their taking office, or as soon as practicable thereafter.

1. 1.              b. The Secretary shall be responsible for taking detailed                              minutes at all meetings of the Staff Council.

Article IV. Meetings and Records

1. Meetings
   1. Staff Council Meetings
      1. The Staff Council will meet regularly to discuss issues, concerns, and matters of importance pertinent to the staff of Rhodes College. The Staff Council shall be responsible for hearing concerns from the staff and discussing said issues at regular meetings with the goal of addressing matters appropriately and in just fashion.
      2. The Staff Council will meet as needed to plan the working agenda for the meetings of the entire staff of Rhodes College.
      3. The Staff Council will receive committee reports from participating representatives at each meeting.
      4. For meetings of the Staff Council, quorum shall be a majority of the voting representative membership.
          
   2. Voting Procedure. Decisions of the Staff Council shall be made by vote. To succeed, a vote requires a majority of those voting to vote in favor. Votes may be conducted during a meeting or electronically upon appropriate motion. When electronic voting is used, the council Chair shall communicate the issue and opportunity to vote to all voting members by email, which shall also specify the deadline for casting votes via email. The deadline for votes to be submitted via email shall be at least seventy-two (72) hours following the transmission of the email notifying members of the opportunity to vote.
       
   3. Full Staff Meetings
      1. The Staff Council shall call meetings of the full staff of the college (referred to as Full Staff Meetings) at least two (2) times each academic year.
      2. Full Staff Meetings will be held in a location and at a time as determined by the Staff Council. The meeting location shall be determined and scheduled by the Secretary.
      3. A notice, stating the place, date, time, and agenda of each meeting shall be made available not less than five (5) working days before a Full Staff Meeting.
2. Records

The permanent records of the Staff Council shall be maintained by the Staff Council Secretary. These records will include but are not limited to the Constitution, minutes of all meetings, financial records, correspondence, and other items pertinent to the successful functioning of the Staff Council.

Article V. Amendments to the Constitution

1. Proposal of a New Amendment
   1. Any voting member of Staff Council may propose an amendment.

1. 2. The author of the proposed amendment should start by reviewing the existing Staff Council Constitution. A formal amendment proposal must be drafted and must include, at minimum:
      1. The proposed amendment, precisely worded,
      2. The current Article from the Constitution associated with the proposed amendment,
      3. The Constitution as it will read if the amendment is adopted, and
      4. The proposer’s name and rationale for offering the amendment.
          
   3. The author of the proposed amendment must contact the Staff Council Chair and Secretary to formally submit their proposed amendment in written format (e.g., email.)
       
2. Notification of Staff Council Representatives
   1. Within 7 days of receiving the proposed amendment, the Staff Council Chair shall notify all Staff Council Representatives that an amendment to the Constitution has been proposed and share the proposal (as submitted by the proposal author) with the representatives.
       
   2. The Staff Council Chair shall convene a meeting of the Staff Council Representatives to discuss the proposed amendment. At the Chair’s discretion, this may take place either at a regularly scheduled meeting, or at a special meeting called specifically for the purpose of reviewing the amendment. The Chair must provide at least 3 days' notice of the meeting date/time. At least a majority of the voting Staff Council representatives must be in attendance in order to establish a quorum.
       
   3. The author of the proposal will present the proposed amendment and rationale to the representatives, and the floor will be opened for discussion.
       
   4. Staff Council representatives may propose changes to the wording of the amendment. Proposed changes must be put forth via a motion to the group, seconded by another representative, and must secure an affirmative vote from the majority of voting members in order to be approved.
       
   5. When a representative wishes to end discussion and move to a vote, they should motion to call the question. The motion must be seconded by another representative and must be approved by a two-thirds’ (2/3) vote of those in attendance at the meeting.
      1. If the motion is not seconded and approved by two-thirds’ (2/3) vote, then discussion will resume.
      2. If the motion is seconded and approved by two-thirds’ (2/3) vote, the Chair should immediately move to a vote.
          
   6. Staff Council representatives will then vote to either table the proposed amendment indefinitely, or to move forward with inviting feedback from the staff community (see Article V, Section C below). Note: this is not a vote in favor or in opposition of the proposed amendment, but rather a vote to determine if it merits further consideration by the staff community.
       
3. Notification of Staff Community
   1. The Staff Council Secretary will notify the Rhodes College staff community via the staff email listserv about any proposed amendments that were deemed worthy of consideration under Article V, Section B, point 6 (i.e., any proposed amendments that were not tabled indefinitely should be forwarded to the staff community for consideration.)

3. 2. Staff will be given at least 7 days to consider the amendment and should be invited to share their thoughts with any Staff Council representative. The email notification should include a list of current Staff Council representatives.
       
4. Formal Discussion & Voting on an Amendment
   1. At least 8 calendar days following the email notification message to the staff community, the Staff Council Chair should convene a meeting of the Staff Council representatives for a vote. At the Chair’s discretion, this may take place either at a regularly scheduled meeting, or at a special meeting called specifically for the purpose of voting on the amendment. The Chair must provide at least 3 days’ notice of the meeting date/time. A majority of the Staff Council representatives must be in attendance in order to establish a quorum.
       
   2. The author of the proposal will, once again, present the proposed amendment and rationale to the representatives, and the floor will be opened for discussion. Staff Council Representatives should present any feedback, questions, or concerns received from members of the staff community, in addition to voicing their own opinions on the matter.
       
   3. If there are any proposed changes to the wording of the Amendment, the group should default to Section V, Article B, point 4 of the Amendment process, and complete all subsequent steps as outlined again, in order to appropriately notify the staff community about any changes to the proposed wording of the amendment.
       
   4. Barring any proposed changes to the wording of the amendment, a Representative wishing to end discussion and move to a vote should motion to call the question. The motion must be seconded by another representative and must be approved by a two-thirds’ (2/3) vote of those in attendance at the meeting.
      1. If the motion is not seconded and approved by two-thirds’ (2/3) vote, then discussion will resume.
      2. If the motion is seconded and approved by two-thirds’ (2/3) vote, the Chair should immediately move to a vote.
          
   5. Staff Council representatives will then vote to either approve the proposed amendment, or in opposition of the proposed amendment. A majority of voting members must vote in favor of the amendment in order for it to be approved.
       
   6. Votes on amendments may be conducted during a meeting or electronically upon appropriate motion. When electronic voting is used, the council Chair shall communicate the issue and opportunity to vote to all voting members by email, which shall also specify the deadline for casting votes via email. The deadline for votes to be submitted via email shall be at least seventy-two (72) hours following the transmission of the email notifying members of the opportunity to vote.