PROFESSIONAL STAFF ASSEMBLY BYLAWS

PREAMBLE

The professional staff of The University of Alabama, having great interest in and concern for the continuing mission and goals, purposes and functions of the University, and seeking the active representation and involvement of employees in the affairs of the University, do hereby establish these bylaws for The University of Alabama Professional Staff Assembly.

ARTICLE I.   NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Professional Staff Assembly (Assembly).

ARTICLE II.   PURPOSE

The Assembly is formed to represent the professional staff employees of The University of Alabama and shall function as an advisory and policy referral organization to the administration and to the professional staff employees of the University.

The Assembly shall function for the welfare of the University and for the employees it represents. It shall promote social responsibility and demonstrate concern for all members of The University of Alabama, the community-at-large, and higher education, in general. It will continually be concerned with current developments that are of interest to and would potentially affect the general welfare of the professional staff employees of the University.

The Assembly shall facilitate and maintain open lines of communication with professional staff members, administration, faculty, staff, and students of The University of Alabama.

ARTICLE III.   ORGANIZATION

Section 1. Professional Staff Definition.

All employees of The University of Alabama holding full-time regular professional (non-faculty) positions that are eligible for full benefits and classified Equal Employment Opportunity 3 (EEO 3) shall be considered members in the professional staff employee group.

Section 2. Professional Staff Assembly Eligibility.

Professional staff employees who have been employed by the University for at least six (6) months are eligible for nomination and election to the Assembly.

Section 3. Representation.

A.    Representation on the Assembly shall be distributed proportionately relative to the number of professional staff employees in each organizational unit, provided each has at least one eligible professional staff employee. The Assembly will consist of members elected by professional staff from each unit identified on the most current University organizational chart prior to the annual elections.

B.     Each organizational unit of the University employing at least one eligible professional staff member shall be entitled to one (1) representative for each fifteen (15) members, or fraction thereof, as determined by the Assembly Nominations and Elections Committee prior to any notice seeking nominations, except for the first year when the apportionment is approved by the Professional Staff Constitutional Convention.

C.     The president and the president-elect shall not be included in the proportional distribution of the Assembly. The president-elect shall be elected from the Assembly membership, and the vacated position will be available to be filled from the appropriate organizational unit.

D.    In the event a representative is unable to attend an Assembly or committee meeting, the representative may select an eligible professional staff member to serve as an alternate. The alternate can substitute for the representative only if the representative submits the name of the alternate to at least one of the officers prior to the beginning of the meeting. When serving for the representative, the alternate may perform any of the functions of the representative with the full power of the representative. The alternate is not required to be from the same organizational unit as the representative.

Section 4. Nominations and Elections. 

A.    Eligible professional staff shall only nominate and vote for members from within their own organizational unit.

B.     The Nominations and Elections Committee will seek nominations for Assembly representatives beginning each year on or near January 15th. A notice requesting nominees will be sent out to all eligible professional staff. Everyone nominated will be contacted. The deadline for making nominations will be on or near February 5th.

C.     Election of Assembly representatives will be held annually on or near March 5th.

D.    The Assembly Nominations and Elections Committee will conduct the elections for each organizational unit in accordance with general guidelines approved by the Assembly.

Section 5. Terms Limits.

A.    During the first year of the Assembly, one half of the representatives will serve one year and the other half will serve two-year terms commencing April 1 as provided by the Professional Staff Constitutional Convention. In elections where different lengths of terms are to be filled, the candidate(s) receiving the most votes will serve the longer term(s).

B.     Except for the first year of the Assembly, representatives shall serve two-year terms commencing April 1. The terms shall be staggered in such a manner as to have half of its membership retiring and the other half of its membership beginning anew each year. Representatives may serve a maximum of two terms in succession.

C.     The Assembly officer positions of president-elect, president, and past-president shall each be one-year terms, with each position served in succession. The organizational unit whose representative becomes the president-elect will be entitled to nominate and elect a replacement representative under guidelines established by the Assembly Nominations and Elections Committee.

D.    The term of office for a representative elected in a Special election is for the remaining portion of the term of the representative being replaced.

Section 6. Removal from the Assembly.

A.    A representative's absence from four (4) Assembly meetings during a twelve (12) month period beginning April 1st without being represented by an alternate shall be cause for removal from the Assembly. The secretary shall refer the matter to the Committee on Assembly Operations for review and recommendation to the Assembly.

B.     A petition may be made to the Assembly President for reinstatement within one week of notification of removal. The president shall convene a meeting of the Steering Committee to consider the petition. Following discussion of the substance of the petition, a secret vote of the Steering Committee members shall take place. A simple majority of the voting Steering Committee members present shall be necessary to uphold the removal of the representative.

C.     Action to recall a representative from an organizational unit may be initiated by petition of not less than one-third of the voting members from that organizational unit. Upon receiving this petition, the Assembly President shall notify the Assembly representative promptly and convene a special meeting of voting members of that unit to consider the petition. After opportunity for discussion of the substance of the petition, a secret vote shall be taken. If two-thirds of the unit's voting members present vote to support the petition to recall the Assembly representative, the seat shall be declared vacant.

Section 7. Vacancies.

The Assembly President shall temporarily fill vacancies from the respective organizational unit by appointments with the concurrence of a majority of the Steering Committee members.

ARTICLE IV.   OFFICERS

Section 1. Composition of Steering Committee.

The Assembly Steering Committee shall be composed of the president, president-elect, secretary, standing committee chairs, and the past-president.

Section 2. Duties and Responsibilities of Officers.

The president of the Assembly shall preside over all meetings of the Assembly and the Steering Committee. The president shall be the official spokesperson for the Assembly. The president shall serve as an ex officio member of all Assembly committees. In the absence of the past-president, the president will break any tie votes.

The president-elect shall preside when the president is absent. In accordance with the Steering Committee, the president-elect is also responsible for arranging and scheduling regular or called meetings of the Assembly and shall reserve the necessary facilities. The president-elect shall assume any other duties assigned by the Assembly President. The president-elect shall serve as an ex officio member of all Assembly committees. When the president is vacated, for any reason, the president-elect shall assume the duties of the president.

The secretary will call the roll of representatives at each Assembly meeting. The secretary must report any absences of three (3) or more by an individual representative during a twelve (12) month period beginning April 1st to the Committee on Assembly Operations. The secretary shall keep the official minutes of each Assembly and Steering Committee meeting. Copies of the Assembly minutes will be distributed to the Assembly representatives prior to the next meeting. The secretary shall distribute official calls for meetings and other materials as directed by the chair. The secretary is charged with keeping the official, up-to-date copies of the Assembly Bylaws.

The past-president's principal role shall be advisory to the Assembly and the Steering Committee. The past-president shall not be counted as part of the assembled quorum, but accorded full privilege of deliberation. The past-president shall be entitled to vote only in the event of a tie vote.

E. Treasurer

The Treasurer shall be responsible for the financial operations of the Assembly in accordance with established University accounting practices and procedures. The Treasurer shall provide to the Assembly a monthly and end-of-year financial report.

Section 3. Eligibility.  

Except for the Assembly's first year of existence, a representative must serve on the Assembly for one full year to be eligible to hold an officer position.

ARTICLE V.   MEETINGS

Section 1. Assembly Meetings.

A.    A Transition Committee approved by the Professional Staff Constitutional Convention shall take charge of the initial Assembly meetings until such time as the officers and committees are in place and prepared to assume their duties.

B.     Meetings will be held at least once a month throughout the academic year and as needed during the summer.

C.     The schedule for regular Assembly meeting times and locations shall be decided for the upcoming year by the Steering Committee and announced on or before the May meeting of the Assembly.

D.    Meetings are open to the public, unless the Assembly votes to hold an executive session by a two-thirds majority of representatives present. Any executive session must be consistent with the laws of the State of Alabama.

E.     The agenda for each meeting shall be set by the Steering Committee and distributed to all Assembly representatives at least three (3) days prior to the meeting date.

F.      A majority of elected Assembly representatives make up a quorum. A quorum must be present before any vote can be taken.

G.    All resolutions and original motions to be presented to the Assembly must be in writing and should be distributed by the Assembly Secretary with the agenda for the meeting.

H.    A resolution or petition submitted by a delegate or delegates not constituting a committee shall be read and referred to the appropriate committee by the president. If not returned for Assembly consideration, the committee shall present an oral report of its conclusions.

I.       All action shall be by majority vote of a quorum of representatives present unless otherwise specified here or in Robert's Rules of Order (Newly Revised).

J.       Anyone other than an Assembly representative or their selected alternate may address the Assembly only by invitation by a vote of the Assembly or on invitation by the Assembly President.

K.    The privilege of the floor, including the right to address the Assembly on any pending matter subject to applicable rules or parliamentary procedure are extended to one delegate representing the Faculty Senate, one delegate representing the Student Government Association (SGA), one delegate representing the Office/Clerical/Technical Staff Committee, and one delegate representing the Maintenance Personnel Committee.

Section 2. Called Meetings.

A.    Special Assembly meetings may be called as necessary by the president. The president shall also call a special meeting within seven (7) days of receiving a petition signed by at least one-third of the Assembly representatives.

B.     Assembly representatives will be notified no later than forty-eight (48) hours before the special meeting is to be held.

Section 3. Committee Meetings.

A.    Meetings will be held at least once a month throughout the academic year and as needed during the summer.

B.     The schedule for regular committee meeting times and locations shall be decided for the upcoming year by the committee chair with the approval of its members.

C.     Meetings are open to the public, unless the committee votes to hold an executive session by a two-thirds majority of committee members present. Any executive session must be consistent with the laws of the State of Alabama.

D.    The agenda for each meeting shall be set by the committee chair and distributed to all committee members at least three (3) days prior to the meeting date.

E.     A majority of appointed committee members make up a quorum. A quorum must be present before any vote can be taken.

F.      All action shall be by majority vote of a quorum of committee members present unless otherwise specified here or in Robert's Rules of Order (Newly Revised).

G.    Anyone other than a committee member or their selected alternate may address the committee only by invitation by a vote of the committee or on invitation by the committee chair.

ARTICLE VI.   COMMITTEES

Section 1. Standing Committees.

Following the annual elections, all Assembly representatives will be given an opportunity to express interest in serving on Assembly and University Standing Committees, and to nominate others for such service. Using this information, the Assembly President shall make standing committee assignments. During the first year of the Assembly, committee assignments will be made by a Transition Committee approved by the Professional Staff Constitutional Convention. Committee chairs will be elected by a majority vote of the respective committee members. Committee chairs shall serve a one-year term. Each committee chair shall submit a yearly report of the committee's activities to the Steering Committee and the report shall be available upon request. The Assembly President is an ex officio member of all Assembly standing committees. The duties and responsibilities of the following standing committees are:

The Steering Committee shall consist of the president, president-Elect, past-president, secretary of the Assembly, and all standing committee chairs. The Steering Committee shall serve as a planning committee and may serve as a nominating committee for Assembly appointments and elections. The Steering Committee may meet with the officers of the University upon request, or upon request of a majority of the Steering Committee, or by direction of the Assembly. No formal votes shall be taken at such consultations nor shall the Steering Committee take any action outside of the scope of the Assembly's implied or expressed authority, without approval of the Assembly.

The Nominations and Elections Committee is responsible for coordination and management of all Assembly elections as prescribed by the Assembly Bylaws. This committee shall be responsible for communicating with constituents on all matters concerning nominations for and election to the Assembly. The committee should review the nomination and election process each year and make recommendations for change to the Assembly as may be appropriate. This committee shall initiate and coordinate recruitment of volunteers to help with the work of the Assembly.

The Committee on Assembly Operations is responsible for the continuous review of the Assembly's organization and procedures and for recommending changes to the Assembly Bylaws. The committee will consider the reasonableness of all absences of four (4) or more by a representative from Assembly meetings in which the representative does not have an alternate attending and will make a recommendation to the Assembly whether the position should be declared vacant. The Committee on Assembly Operations is responsible for interpreting the Assembly Bylaws and may receive requests for interpretation from the Assembly or its officers.

The Communications and Public Relations Committee is responsible for facilitating timely, two-way communications between the Assembly and the professional staff on matters perceived as important to constituents. The committee shall routinely examine, analyze, and evaluate various modes of communication in order to improve constituent communications whenever possible.

The Professional Development Committee shall serve as an advocacy group on matters related to development, education, and other issues of concern to the professional staff as they assist the University to meet its mission of teaching, research and service. The committee shall identify and evaluate services available to the professional staff through the University and elsewhere that could facilitate or improve their performance, opportunity for advancement and quality of life. This committee shall also be the channel for recognizing professional staff who have excelled in their work performance or made outstanding contributions to the mission of the University.

The Staff Life Committee shall serve as an advocate for the professional staff on all salary, benefits, and evaluation procedure issues. The range of this activity requires the committee members to have a clear understanding of current University of Alabama salary and benefit policies and to be able to incorporate this knowledge into the evaluation of proposals made by the Department of Human Resources. The committee shall make recommendations to the Assembly concerning support or opposition for such proposals. If appropriate, the committee shall identify alternatives to such proposals. The committee shall maintain a close working relationship with the Department of Human Resources on all matters pertaining to salaries, benefits, and evaluation procedure issues. In addition, the committee, working closely with the Communications and Public Relations Committee, shall communicate with and solicit input from constituents on matters pertaining to salary, benefits, and evaluation procedure issues.

G.    Service/Outreach Committee

The Service/Outreach Committee is responsible to plan, organize, and implement University and community service projects, social events, and campus forums for professional staff. The committee shall work with the Communications and Public Relations Committee to publicize these events, and provide the Assembly representatives opportunities to communicate with their constituents during these events. The committee shall perform related functions as requested by the Assembly Steering Committee.

Section 2. Ad Hoc Committees.

Ad Hoc Committees may be created to consider particular concerns and dissolved as deemed necessary by the Steering Committee. Membership of such committees shall not be limited to Assembly representatives but may be drawn from the eligible professional staff at-large.

ARTICLE VII.   PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

Robert's Rules of Order (Newly Revised) shall be the authority in all questions of procedure unless otherwise stated in these bylaws.

The Assembly President shall nominate a parliamentarian, subject to Assembly confirmation, to serve as recommended in the most recent revision of Robert's Rules of Order except where these Rules are contravened by a rule adopted by the Assembly. It shall be the duty of the Parliamentarian to attend all meetings of the Assembly and of the Steering Committee.

ARTICLE VIII.   AMENDMENTS

The approval process for amendments to the bylaws shall be:

A.    A proposal for an amendment must be submitted in writing to the Steering Committee for review and clarification. Any member of the Assembly may propose amendments to the bylaws.

B.     A notice that an amendment is proposed must be given by the Steering Committee to all members of the Assembly at least one week prior to the meeting where the proposed change will be introduced. The notice shall contain the proposed amendment in context or general nature of the matter.

C.     The proposed amendment will be read and discussed at the Assembly meeting.

D.    Proposed amendments shall not be voted on until at least one regular meeting after the introduction of the amendment.

E.     Amendments to these bylaws shall be made by a simple majority vote of the Assembly membership subject to the approval of the President of The University of Alabama. Only then shall the amendment be enacted.

F.      A notice of the amendment to the bylaws shall be distributed to all professional staff represented by the Assembly.

Adopted 2-17-05.

Amended: 12-15-05

Amended: 2-16-06