The purpose of the Staff Council at Indiana University South Bend shall be to represent staff in the communication processes and the decision-making of the university, and:

• Identify concerns relating to staff and to seek their solutions.
• Act as a liaison for the employee(s) and the appropriate campus department(s).
• Build relationships among all employees of the IU South Bend community.
• Assist with the welcoming of all new staff members.
• Promote and/or provide training and professional development opportunities.
• Serve on both academic and non-academic campus committees, councils, and task forces.
• Facilitate educational and social events to increase connections amongst staff.

For the purpose of the Staff Council organization, the term ‘staff’ shall refer to all non-faculty and nonstudent employees, including those housed at IU South Bend, but compensated by another IU campus.

The Staff Council must be representative, to the best of its ability, of the incredible diversity that is present among the entire staff of IU South Bend. To that end, council members will be drawn from across the campus physically by building, and by at-large members.

Each building of the campus will have a building representative (certain buildings, like those with very small or very large staff populations will either be joined with another building or have additional representatives).

1. Administration Building (organized by floor): 2
2. Wiekamp Hall, Police Department, and Civil Rights Heritage Center: 1
3. Student Activities Center and River Crossing Campus Housing: 1
4. Education & Arts Building and Fine Arts Building: 1
5. Franklin D. Schurz Library, Parkside Hall, and Vera Z. Dwyer Hall: 1
6. Northside Hall and Elkhart Center: 1

Total building representatives: 7

The building representatives will be required to have been on staff at IU South Bend for one year before serving, to ensure that all building representatives have a working knowledge of policies, procedures, and processes at IU South Bend.

There will be a maximum of 8 at-large committee members who will not need to be tied to a specific building, nor will they need to have been on staff at IU South Bend for one year. At-large committee members have no such restrictions. The Staff Council will be made up of a minimum of seven (7), but no more than fifteen (15) representatives.

Representatives to the Staff Council shall be elected by campus-wide balloting during the week of Staff Appreciation Day every two years. At least two months prior to elections, the Election Committee shall announce the upcoming elections to all staff. All those interested in serving as a Representative to the Staff Council will be asked to submit their name to the Election Committee by four weeks prior to elections.

The ballot and date of elections will be announced to staff two weeks prior to elections. Voting will be open during the week of Staff Appreciation Day.  Any ballots/votes received after midnight on the final day of voting will not be counted.

The Election Committee will verify the online voting process. The Election Committee will contact all nominees and then publish the names of the newly elected Staff Council members.

If a member of the Staff Council resigns for any reason, that post may be filled with an alternate, chosen by the Staff Council, if available.

The term for building representatives would be 2 years. The term for at-large members would be 2 years. Elections will be staggered to ensure continuity of operations. In other words, one election year will be an election for building representatives and the following election year will be an election for at-large members.

The first order of business at the first post-election meeting of the Staff Council shall be the election of the new officers, chaired by the sitting president.

A President, a Vice President, a Recording Secretary, and a Treasurer shall be elected by the council for a two-year term at the first post-election meeting of each term or as necessary. All officers will be required to have a minimum of two years' staff experience in order to be considered.

1. The President shall preside over all meetings of the Staff Council. The Vice President shall preside over any meeting when the President is absent. The President shall also be responsible for preparing and distributing monthly meeting agendas. The President shall also speak at the annual campus welcome event.
2. The Vice President shall preside over any meeting when the President is absent, speak at the campus welcome if the President is unable to do so, assist the President as necessary, and shall be responsible for recording minutes when the Recording Secretary is absent. If both the Recording Secretary and the President are absent, the Treasurer shall be responsible for recording minutes so that the Vice President may preside over the meeting. The Vice President shall also be responsible for organizing monthly meetings which includes selecting and announcing meeting dates and reserving a meeting location. The Vice President shall also be responsible for reviewing the Faculty Senate bylaws and ensuring that Staff Council has adequate representation on all committees.
3. The Recording Secretary shall be responsible for recording all minutes and confirming that they are sent to the University Archives along with any additional pertinent Staff Council material.
4. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the recording and depositing of all monies disbursed for the Staff Council, giving a report at each meeting, and shall be responsible for recording minutes if both the President and Recording Secretary are absent.

If the Staff Council is without an officer, the following procedure shall be used:

1. If a President, Vice President, Recording Secretary, or Treasurer resigns their position, the Staff Council members shall nominate and elect a new officer.

1. A Constitution and Bylaws Committee of three to five members of the Staff Council shall add additional information to the bylaws as needed. They propose any ideas to the Staff Council so the additions can be voted on by the entire Staff Council.
2. An Election Committee of three to five members of the Staff Council shall be selected by the Staff Council at its first meeting.  The purpose of this committee shall be to prepare the ballots and oversee the operations of the biennial elections. After each election, the committee shall submit a brief written report to the Staff Council.
3. A Professional Development Committee of three to five members of the Staff Council shall be selected by the Staff Council at its first meeting. The purpose of this committee is to find, report on, and promote professional development opportunities available to the IU South Bend staff.
4. An Awards and Scholarships Committee will be formed to organize nominations, winners, presentations, and communication of awards and scholarships on behalf of the Staff Council.
5. A Staff Support Committee will be formed. The purpose of this committee shall be to welcome/onboard new staff.
6. An Events Committee organizes, plans, and executes events hosted by the Staff Council. This committee will work with other campus organizations if the Staff Council supports or sponsors an event hosted by another organization. (Staff Appreciation Day Committee should be included in this committee.)
7. A Fundraising Committee shall be selected by the Staff Council at its first meeting. The purpose of this committee shall be to arrange various fundraising activities in support of Staff Council projects. (The Putt-Putt Fundraiser should be included in this committee.)

Additional committees may be formed to achieve maximum effectiveness of the Staff Council.

Staff representatives on campus committees shall report back to the Staff Council about the activities of those committees.

The Staff Council shall meet monthly on a date and time decided by the Staff Council.

1. A quorum of 2/3 of the total membership of the Staff Council shall be necessary to take decisive action. The results of such decisive action shall be reported to the staff or to other appropriate campus personnel / departments / organizations.
2. The general agenda for meetings will be drafted by the president with suggestions from Staff Council members. Agendas will be distributed at least two days prior to meetings.

Staff Council members are expected to attend all monthly meetings as they are able. If possible, Staff Council members should let the President know if they are unable to attend a meeting.

These Bylaws may be amended or revised within the following guidelines:

1. Written amendments, signed by the initiator, must be in the hands of the Staff Council for discussion not less than ten (10) days before the Staff Council meeting.
2. A vote taken in the Staff Council for the adoption of a proposed amendment will require 2/3 consent of the entire Staff Council.
3. These bylaws should be reviewed at least every two years to ensure that they accurately reflect current practices.