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Palmetto College Campuses Staff Senate Bylaws

The name of this organization shall be the Palmetto College Campuses Staff Senate, hereinafter referred to as the “Staff Senate”.

Mission

The Staff Senate serves as a representative body for all staff employees, including both classified and unclassified, temporary, temporary grant, and time-limited employees at the University of South Carolina Palmetto College Campuses, which consist of USC Lancaster, USC Salkehatchie, USC Sumter, USC Union, Palmetto College Columbia, and Palmetto College Central, hereinafter referred to as “Palmetto College”. 

The mission of the Staff Senate is to provide a platform for Palmetto College staff members to voice their concerns, advocate for their needs, and ensure their perspectives are represented effectively.  

Purpose

The Staff Senate serves as an advisory board to the Palmetto College Chancellor with the purpose to: 

  • Foster open communication between staff and administration. 
  • Put forth suggestions and address concerns to the administration. 
  • Promote better understanding, collaboration, and communication between staff, faculty, students, and administration on all levels. 
  • Advocate for changes or improvements that affect the staff. 
  • Support initiatives for enhancing staff welfare. 
  • Explore solutions for more efficient and effective operations. 
  • Cultivate a positive campus climate and promote a sense of community among staff. 

The Staff Senate is comprised of all full-time, part-time permanent, time limited, and temporary
employee staff members with at least one year experience at their campus, hereinafter referred to
as “Senators”.

The Palmetto College Campuses Staff Senate Executive Committee is composed of two (2) staff members from each campus, totaling ten (10) Executive Committee members. The Executive Committee is comprised of a Chair, Chair-Elect, Secretary, and Parliamentarian. Each campus is responsible for selecting its two Executive Committee members by late April 15, prior to the election of Executive Committee Officers. Palmetto College Columbia and Palmetto College Central collaboratively select its two members together with no restriction on the origin of members.

In addition, there are two ex-officio, non-voting members of the Staff Senate Executive Committee: (1) the Immediate Past Chair and (2) the Palmetto College Columbia representative serving in the USC Columbia Staff Senate. While these individuals do not hold voting rights within the Executive Committee, they retain full voting privileges as Senators representing their respective Palmetto College campuses. An exception is made in the event of a tie vote within the Executive Committee, in which case the Immediate Past Chair is permitted to cast the deciding vote.

  1. Officers of the Executive Committee will be elected for a one-year (1) term that will begin on July 1 and end on June 30 aligning with the fiscal and operational year.  
  2. The Chair-Elect will be elevated to Chair the following year. Those elected as Chair-Elect will serve a total of three (3) years on the Executive Committee as Chair-Elect, Chair, and Immediate Past Chair.  
  3. Executive Committee elections will be held annually each summer. 
  4. Each campus is responsible for selecting two Executive Committee members. 
  5. Prior to the first election of Officers, the Staff Senate Planning Committee will serve as the advisors to Staff Senate for one (1) year. The advisors will oversee the process of officer appointments and serve as the liaisons to Palmetto College administration. Once officers are appointed, the advisors and officers will serve until the full Staff Senate Executive Committee is elected. 
  6. After the first year and the Executive Committee has been elected, future Executive Committee members will elect the officers, i.e. Chair-Elect, Secretary, and Parliamentarian. 
  7. Ad-Hoc Committees will be formed as needed from the Senators serving on the campuses and will be dissolved once this committee’s work has been concluded. 
  1. A Staff Senator ceases to be a Senator immediately upon leaving Palmetto College employment. 
  2. A member of the Executive Committee who does not attend two (2) consecutive regularly scheduled Staff Senate meetings (regardless of whether in the same senate year) shall be automatically removed from the Executive Committee but shall remain a Senator. This removal applies to excused and non-excused absences. 

The Palmetto College Staff Senate is comprised of all full-time, part-time permanent, time limited, and temporary employees staff members with at least one year experience at their campus, hereinafter referred to as Staff Senate.  

  1. Senate Meetings
    1. Regular meetings of the Staff Senate shall be held four (4) times per fiscal year in September, November, February, and June. Meetings shall typically be held on Wednesdays.
    2. Meetings of the Staff Senate will be open to the public, but only Senators and invited guests are permitted to speak. However, the Chair may permit others to speak, time permitting. Visitors may not attend any executive sessions of the Staff Senate, unless invited by the Chair.
    3. Notices of regular meetings will be published on the Staff Senate website and emailed by the chair.
    4. Items for consideration on the meeting agenda should be submitted in advance to the Chair.  These items should be received no later than 10 calendar days prior to the meeting for review by the Executive Committee.
    5. By favorable vote of the Executive Committee, special meetings of the Staff Senate may be held. The Executive Committee determines the time of virtual meetings. All Senators will be notified in advance of special meetings via telephone, electronic mail or campus mail.
  2. Executive Committee Meetings
    1. Regular meetings of the Executive Committee shall be held four (4) times per academic year, usually two weeks prior to the Staff Senate Meetings. Meetings shall typically be held on Wednesdays. Special meetings of the Executive Committee may be called by the Chair or upon the written request of three (3) voting members of the Executive Committee.
    2. The Executive Committee will establish the agenda of Staff Senate meetings. The agenda of the upcoming Staff Senate meeting and the draft minutes from the previous Staff Senate meeting will be disseminated to all Senators prior to the meeting. 
    3. The Executive Committee will review all guest speakers prior to the meeting to create the agenda and confirm the speakers. 
    4. The minutes of any Staff Senate meeting will be made available to any Palmetto College staff member upon request.
  3. Executive Session: The Staff Senate reserves the right, upon majority vote, to go into executive session, but no final action can be taken in executive session. Any actions must be approved by the Staff Senate during an open session. While in Executive Session only members of the Senate Executive Committee and special invitees may be present. The Chancellor and Human Resources Director may also call a Staff Senate executive session when items to be discussed are considered to be confidential in nature.
  4. Quorum 
    1. Twenty (20) members of the Staff Senate will constitute a quorum. The Staff Senate may conduct a meeting without a quorum, but any such meeting will only involve information sharing, not actionable items.  
    2. Resolutions announced on the agenda or introduced during a meeting of the Staff Senate shall be voted on no sooner than the next meeting. However, by a two-thirds (2/3) or vote of those present and comprising a quorum, the Senate may elect to vote on a resolution during the meeting at which it was introduced. A simple majority vote of the Senators present will be necessary to take action on all other matters except removal of a Senator or changes to the bylaws. 

The Staff Senate shall elect Officers to serve one-year terms. Officers will maintain full voting rights in the Staff Senate.

These Officers, along with the other members, constitute the 10-member Executive Committee. All Officers, except for the Immediate Past Chair, have voting rights on the Executive Committee. The Immediate Past Chair is permitted to vote only in the event of a tie. A quorum consists of a minimum of five (5) voting members. The Executive Committee may conduct a meeting without a quorum, but any such meeting will only involve information sharing, not actionable items.

The retiring Officers shall serve through June 30; however, for transition purposes, retired Executive Committee members may choose to remain on the Executive Committee in an advisory capacity for a period of one year, serving as members of the Ad hoc Advisory Committee. Additionally, elected representatives may attend meetings of the Executive Committee in a non-voting capacity prior to the beginning of their terms on July 1.

Section 1: Duties

  1. Chair – – Serves as the liaison to the Palmetto College Chancellor and to other University officials as needed. The Chair shall be responsible for scheduling and conducting all Staff Senate meetings. The Chair will recommend a current Senator to chair ad hoc committees. The Chair’s recommendations shall be presented to the Executive Committee for confirmation. The Chair shall serve as an advisor along with the ChairElect to ad hoc committees. 
  2. Chair-Elect – Assists the Chair and performs the duties of the Chair in their absence. Oversees the preparation of the agenda for Staff Senate meetings and Executive Committee meetings. The Chair-Elect shall serve as an advisor along with the Chair to adhoc committees. The Chair-Elect shall assume the Chair role should a vacancy occur until another Chair Elect is elected by the Staff Senate.
  3. Parliamentarian – Advises the Chair and other Officers, ad hoc committees, and Senators on matters of parliamentary procedure to ensure that meetings are conducted according to most current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order and shall ensure adherence to these bylaws.
  4. Secretary – Performs the duties of the Chair in the absence of both the Chair and the Chair-Elect. Bears the responsibility for maintaining and distributing accurate records, including Executive Committee meeting agendas and minutes, Staff Senate meeting agendas and minutes, attendance records for Staff Senate and Executive Committee meetings, and all official business conducted by the Staff Senate. In the absence of the Parliamentarian at an Executive Committee meeting, the Secretary will act in this role in addition to their secretary role; however, they will only have one (1) vote.
  5. Immediate Past Chair – Provides guidance, support, and continuity to the current Executive Committee. The Immediate Past Chair will manage the elections by the Ad Hoc membership committee after the Senate’s first-year.

Elections for vacant Staff Senate Executive Committee Seats shall be held annually at the end of each May across the Palmetto College Campuses. Elections will be managed by an ad hoc membership committee which will be advised by the Chair during the Senate’s first-year, and there after by the Immediate Past Chair. This ad hoc membership committee will be comprised of
five Senators, one from each campus.

  1. The individual Campuses will oversee the selection process for their two respective Executive Committee members
  2. The five-member Ad Hoc Membership Committee will provide information to each Campus for distribution to everyone eligible to nominate and vote for their two Executive Committee members.
    1. The document should, at minimum, describe eligibility requirements for serving on the Staff Senate Executive Committee. 
    2. Outline the responsibilities of serving as a Staff Senate Executive Committee member. 
  3. If there are no nominations for a Staff Senate Executive Committee member from a Campus, the Membership Committee will contact appropriate campus leadership for support in providing nominations. 
  4. Executive Committee members from the campuses should be elected/selected prior to the April Staff Senate meeting with their service beginning on July 1. 

Officers of the Staff Senate Executive Committee (Chair, Chair-Elect, Secretary, and Parliamentarian) will be elected at the April Staff Senate Meeting and be seated as of July 1 each year. 

  1. Nominees must be a current Staff Senator (i.e. current Palmetto College staff employee) prior to nomination and be in good standing with the University within the one-year period prior to nomination by attending meetings regularly and providing service in conjunction with the Staff Senate’s activities. Nominees should have the support of their Campus to have the time required for Officer duties. 
  2. The Immediate-Past Chair of the Staff Senate shall preside over the Senate Executive Committee officer elections with support from the Membership Committee. In their absence, the Staff Senate may establish a replacement by majority vote. The ImmediatePast Chair or replacement, if needed, shall count votes cast in these elections and will designate two (2) other Senators not seeking Officer positions to assist in counting the votes. The election shall be conducted by secret ballot
  3. All nominees for each Executive Committee Officer position (i.e. Chair, Chair-Elect, Secretary, and Parliamentarian) must accept the nomination and introduce themselves to the Senators before the election for that office. If a Senator wants to be nominated to an Executive Committee Officer position and cannot be present at the Senate meeting at which nominations would be accepted, the Senator must submit a letter of intent for the position to the Immediate-Past President. The letter must be received by the Immediate-Past Chair prior to the April Staff Senate meeting. The nominee shall be allowed to stand for election for the position once the Senator’s eligibility is confirmed by the Immediate-Past Chair.
  4. In the event of a tie in the election of any Officer, a runoff will be held between the tied candidates. This run-off will be held within two weeks of the stated deadline of the original voting. If the tie is not broken after the runoff, the candidate with the longer time of service to the University will be designated as the winner.
  5. In the event any Officer should resign their position, a special election to fill that vacancy will be held by the Staff Senate at the next scheduled meeting.

The Executive Committee will have a total of 10 Executive Committee members. Each Palmetto College campus, including Palmetto College Columbia and Palmetto College Central, will elect two (2) members for the Executive Committee. Each campus will be responsible for the selection process of its two members. Palmetto College Columbia and Palmetto College Central will select its two members together with no restriction on members coming from one side or another.  

These Officers, other than the Chair-Elect, will serve for one (1) year and can be reelected. The Chair-Elect will serve a total of three (3) years. That individual will lead as Chair after completing their term as Chair-Elect and serve as Immediate Past Chair after completing their service as Chair. 

The annual executive committee election would be held each summer, with officer training in the summer, and service beginning in June. All Officers have voting rights on the Executive Committee. A quorum of the Executive Committee consists of a minimum of five (5) voting members. The Executive Committee may conduct a meeting without a quorum, but any such meeting will only involve information sharing, not actionable items. 

The retiring Officers shall serve through June 30; however, for transition purposes, newly elected Officers may attend meetings of the Executive Committee in a non-voting capacity prior to the beginning of their terms on July 1. 

Section 1: Committee Responsibilities 

  1. The Executive Committee will serve as liaison between the Staff Senate and the Palmetto College Chancellor, other Palmetto College administrators and external entities to the Palmetto College. 
  2. The Executive Committee will propose the agenda for the monthly Staff Senate meetings. The regularly scheduled Executive Committee meeting will typically be held two weeks prior to the next scheduled Senate meeting. 
  3. The Executive Committee will have general supervision of the affairs of the Staff Senate both during and between meetings, make recommendations to the Staff Senate and perform other duties as specified in these bylaws. 
  4. The Executive Committee will appoint chairs and members of all ad hoc committees. The Executive Committee will consider and possibly refer items, including items submitted by staff, to the appropriate committees for their review and subsequent recommendations to the Staff Senate. 

Ad Hoc Committees will be formed as the need arises. During their term of service, ad hoc committee chairs are required to submit written reports to the Executive Committee detailing the activities of their committee, including the date and time of the meeting, attendance and a summary of the presentation and actions taken.

Section 1: Committees 

  1. Committee Leadership  
    1. The Executive Committee will appoint a Senator to serve as chair of each of the ad hoc committees. A Senator may only chair one (1) ad hoc committee. 
    2. Committee chairs will be responsible for planning and scheduling meetings, recording attendance, and sending meeting notifications to all committee members. 
    3. Committee chairs will prepare agendas with objectives prior to each meeting and distribute to each committee member in advance. 
  2. Committee Membership  
    1. Senators will be assigned to one ad hoc committee (as the need arises) by the Executive Committee. 

Potential Ad Hoc Committees: 

  1. Membership Committee -The purpose of the Membership Committee is to assess representation on each of the campuses, conduct all Executive Committee Officer elections, and implement new Senator orientations.
  2. Staff Policy and Wellbeing Committee - The purpose of the Staff Policy and Wellbeing Committee is to consider the compensation, benefits, work/life balance, and well-being of staff employees. This Committee shall research, report on, and recommend to the Staff
    Senate any action to be taken on issues concerning the general wellbeing of the staff at Palmetto College.
  3. Professional Development Committee - The Professional Development Committee will develop recommendations about programs for employee training and professional development. The Committee serves as an advisory committee to the Chancellor and HR Director.
  4. Bylaws Committee - The Bylaws Committee shall review and maintain the Staff Senate’s Bylaws to ensure the accuracy and validity of the articles under which the Staff Senate operates. The committee may also seek the advice of University’s General Counsel to ensure accuracy and validity of the articles under which the Staff Senate
    operates. The committee will provide recommendations to the Staff Senate for any changes to the Staff Senate Bylaws.
  5. Awards and Recognition Committee - The purpose of the Awards Recognition Committee is to plan and implement the annual Staff Senate Award program, as well as consider and implement additional Palmetto College staff recognition opportunities. The Committee will create opportunities to recognize and appreciate Staff on the Palmetto College Campuses.
  6. Advisory Committee - The Advisory Committee shall consist of recently retired Executive Committee members who choose to remain on the Executive Committee in an advisory role for a period of one year.
  7. Further Ad Hoc Committees – Any additional ad hoc committees shall be created and disbanded as deemed necessary by the Executive Committee for the accomplishment of certain projects or for special purposes. Ad hoc committees will cease to exist upon the completion of the assigned project or special purpose. 

You may access a copy of our bylaws in PDF format for you records. 

 

 

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