University of Central Florida

Staff Council Charter

Version below approved: February 2021

APPROVED:

  • Staff Council
  • Sponsor: Williams F. Merck II, Vice President for Administration and Finance and Chief Financial Officer
  • Advisor: Maureen Binder, Associate Vice President, and Chief Human Resources Officer

ARTICLE I: NAME, ENTITY, PURPOSE, VISION, MISSION, RELATIONSHIP TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING, SPONSORSHIP AND ADVISOR, AND STAFF COUNCIL YEAR

Section 1. NAME

The name of the organization will be the Staff Council of the University of Central Florida (also known as USPS Staff Council). The Staff Council will be referred to as the “Staff Council.”

Section 2. ENITITY

The Staff Advisory Council is a volunteer organization that has been established as a nonprofit organization operating under its own unique IRS tax identification and reporting number.

Section 3. PURPOSE

The purpose of the Staff Advisory Council is to serve in an advisory capacity and facilitate communication with the university administration; to facilitate communication among the university full-time benefit eligible Administrative and Professional (A&P) staff and University Personnel Support Services (USPS) staff, inclusive of exempt and non-exempt, union and non-union positions; and, where appropriate, to serve as a voice for its council membership and the at-large A&P and USPS employees of which they are a part.

 Section 4. VISION

The vision of the council is to create and foster an atmosphere for ongoing, congenial and cooperative collaboration between staff and the university administration. Through this partnership it serves to move the university forward in continuous improvement and innovative changes that positively affect and enhance the livelihood, health, safety, working culture, moral, and inclusiveness of all staff.

Section 5. MISSION
The mission of the council is to promote a spirit of unity; build communication, trust, and integrity within its diverse community; effectively ascertain and communicate the interests and concerns of the university staff; support solutions through research and recommendations; and actively assist wherever possible in the development, review and implementation of university policies that affect its employees.

 Section 6. RELATIONSHIP TO COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
The University of Central Florida Staff Advisory Council and this Charter have no relationship to collective bargaining units, nor to the respective collective bargaining agreements. The council is intended to address matters with the administration that are not under the auspices of a collective bargaining agreement nor related bargaining activities. In the event that any provision of the staff council charter conflicts with a collective bargaining agreement, the collective bargaining agreement shall govern. If at any time an initiative undertaken by the council is found to be represented by one of the collective bargaining units with the university, the council shall yield to the collective bargaining processes.

 Section 7. COUNCIL SPONSORSHIP AND ADVISOR
The university president, or designee, shall serve as the council sponsor. The associate vice president, chief human resources officer (CHRO), shall serve as the council advisor. The advisor, or designee, shall also serve as a non-voting ex-officio member at council meetings.

Section 8. STAFF COUNCIL FISCAL YEAR
The staff advisory council fiscal year will be concurrent with the university’s fiscal year of July 1–June 30.

 

ARTICLE II: MEMBERSHIP ELIGIBILITY, COMPOSITION, TERMS, AND DUTIES

Section 1. ELIGIBILITY

In order to be eligible to serve on the council, a prospective member must be a University of Central Florida employee occupying a full-time, benefit eligible, non-teaching position among the Administrative and Professional (A&P) and University Support Personnel Services (USPS) job classifications regardless of exempt or non-exempt, grant or non-grant funded, union or non-union.
Eligibility for council membership excludes temporary staff, i.e. Other Personnel Services staff (OPS); contracted staff; student workers; those eligible to be members of the faculty senate; and employees with the job title of assistant director or higher.
Eligibility requires employment in good standing and for at least seven months of continuous employment at the time an election application period opens.

Section 2. COUNCIL COMPOSITION

A. Membership numbers will be determined once a year prior to the membership application process and election period by applying the following formula: One elected member for every fifty (50) full-time Administrative and Professional (A&P) staff and University Support Personnel Services (USPS) staff.
Essentially, the staff counts utilized for apportionment of member seats will meet the same eligibility criteria as is in place for council membership (Article II, Section 1). The number of eligible members will be determined by an official full-time staff head count provided to the council president by Human Resources Information Systems, to which the stated formula will be applied.
B. Membership seats will be divided evenly between A&P and USPS. In the event the eligible headcount of A&P and USPS member seats is not divisible by two, resulting in an uneven number of eligible seats for any given year, the odd numbered seat shall not be filled during the current election year.
C. The council will make a due diligent effort to work with each division of the university and all UCF campuses in order to encourage eligible applicants and election participation.

Section 3. TERMS OF MEMBERSHIP

A. Service terms begin on July 1 of each year, unless there is need to fill a vacated seat mid-term.
B. A newly elected or newly appointed staff council member will serve a term of three years beginning July 1, unless they are assuming a vacated seat mid-term, or they occupy an incomplete officer term that does not coincide with the membership term end date. An officer in this situation, not wishing to run for re-election, may extend their membership to a fourth year in order to complete their officership.
C. The service period for a mid-term member’s seat replacement will be for the duration of the original member’s term. Mid-term replacements for one year or less will not count as a term restriction should the substituting member desire to run for a full-term seat during the next available election year.
D. In the council’s charter implementation year, or in the event of any significant membership change or membership restart year, one third of the member seats will have one-year terms, one third of the seats will have two-year terms, and one-third will have three year terms. This will establish rotation years, and thereafter all elected terms will run for their respective three-year durations.
E. Ongoing, terms will be staggered so that approximately one-third of the seats will be up for election each year and serve for full three-year terms.
F. Members may be re-elected to a second term. Members shall serve no longer than six consecutive elected years unless they occupy an incomplete officer term that does not coincide with the membership term. In this exception a member completing six consecutive years who is an officer may extend their membership to a seventh year in order to complete the then current officership.
G. Members who reach the six-year successive term limit who wish to continue service as a council member, may stand for re-election only after they have completed a one-year break in service as an elected member.
H. The term of a member becomes vacant upon their completion of a current elected seat term, their resignation from a member seat, termination of service from the university, an excess of four (4) absences during one year from regularly scheduled meetings of the council, removal action by the Council for cause, permanent incapacity, or naturally upon the member’s death.

Section 4. COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP DUTIES

A. Attend council meetings. It is important that elected members attend meetings in order to support the mission, initiatives and activities of the Staff Advisory Council. As a part of their attendance obligations under this charter, members are to inform either the secretary or the president of the council if they are unable to attend a meeting. Four (4) absences in a year from the regularly scheduled monthly council meetings may result in removal of the member from the council and the council shall seek a replacement representative.
B. Serve on at least one committee and actively participate in furthering the goals of that committee.
C. Assist in all council fundraising projects.
D. Attend the Annual Staff Council Assembly meeting.
E. Newly elected members will be required to attend a new member orientation retreat conducted by the council officers to ensure understanding of the council, the governing charter, council operations, and their membership duties and expectations.

ARTICLE III: MEMBERSHIP ELECTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS

Section 1. MEMBERSHIP ELECTIONS

A. Formation of the Election Committee. The council president will appoint an election committee charged with developing a slate of candidates by actively soliciting applications during an annual open membership drive. The committee will work with each division of the university, including all UCF campuses, to actively encourage participation from their respective areas. The committee will consist of a minimum of one chair and four committee members and the committee chair and/or members may not be up for re-election during their service on the committee
B. Applications. A current/prospective member must submit an application for membership within the stated deadline.
C. Application Process. A membership drive will open during the last two weeks of April of each year. The election committee will publish the opening of the membership drive period and make application forms available online. Application forms must be signed by the applicant and their supervisor and submitted by the published deadline.
D. A resulting ballot of applicants will be forwarded to the Office of Human Resources to verify employment status and that eligibility criteria has been met.
E. If a current council member wishes to serve for a second term, he or she must submit a new application and participate in the established election process.
F. Voting Process. The voting process will take place the first two weeks of May of each year. A ballot will be made available to all council members through electronic means and tallied electronically. The election committee will finalize election results and confirm the slate of newly elected members by the third week of May.
G. Run-off Elections. In the event of a tie in the general election, a run-off election will be declared by the chair of the election committee. The run-off election period shall take place over a one-week period. In the event of a run-off being necessary, the election committee’s due date for finalizing the election results and confirming the slate of newly elected members will move to the end of the first week of June, if necessary.
H. New Membership Announcement. The election committee will introduce the newly elected members at the July council meeting.

Section 2. MEMBERSHIP APPOINTMENTS

A. New Member Appointments. In the event that there are not enough applicants to fill the vacant council seats during the annual election, a member seat or seats will then be appointed to the council pursuant to Article III., Section 2.C.
New Member seats filled through the Appointment procedures will be conducted mindful of and in accordance with the new membership A&P and USPS membership distribution requirements outlined in Article I., Section 2, “Council Composition”.
B. Mid-Term Appointments to Staff Council. In the event an elected member must vacate their seat prior to the end of their term, a replacement will be determined pursuant to Article III., Section 2.C.
Mid-term replacement seats filled through the Appointment procedures will be conducted mindful of maintaining the integrity of the member seat being vacated with a priority for the appointment to be made from within in the same division and job class as the vacating member.
If an applicant from the same division and same job class fails to be forthcoming, replacement may proceed from the available interest pool produced by the solicitation, but while still maintaining the A&P and USPS membership balance.
C. The Appointment Process. Appointments are filled first from prior unelected applicants. The election committee chair will contact previously unelected applicants to determine interest. If the membership opportunity is accepted through this process, the individual will be announced at the next council meeting and the membership seat will be confirmed by a majority vote of the full staff council.
Should there be an insufficient number or no prior unelected applicants upon which to fall back for appointment procedures, the election committee shall open a one-week new member solicitation period to poll for interest in either a new full-term member- ship, or a mid-term seat to replace a vacancy, whichever the case may be.

 

ARTICLE IV: ELECTIONS & APPOINTMENTS OF STAFF COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVES

Section 1. ELECTION PROCEDURES

A. Formation of the Election Committee. The council president will appoint an election committee charged with developing a slate of candidates from each division of the university, including all UCF campuses, by actively soliciting open nominations. The committee will consist of a minimum of one chair and two committee members. The committee chair and/or members may not be up for reelection during their service on the committee.
B. Nomination Process. By March 31″ of each year, the election committee will finalize a ballot of Staff Council nominees for membership. Nomination forms must be signed by the nominee and their supervisor, and submitted by the published deadline. This ballot of nominees will be forwarded to the UCF Human Resources Department to verify employment status. The committee will coordinate the distribution of nominations, facilitate voting, coordinate the counting of ballots, and notify the newly elected members. If a council member wishes to serve for a second term, he or she must submit a new nomination form and participate in the established election process.
C. Voting Process. Full-time USPS employees are eligible to vote if they have completed at least seven months of employment. A ballot will be mailed to each active USPS employee. The ballots are then returned to the UCF Human Resources department and tallied by the Staff Council election committee.
D. Run-off Elections. In the event of a tie in the general election, a run-off election will be declared by the chair of the election committee.
E. New Membership Announcement. The election committee will present the nominees to the Staff at the annual Staff Assembly, which is held each April.

Section 2. APPOINTMENTS

A. Election Appointments. If there are not enough candidates to fill the vacant council seats during the annual election, the nominees will then be appointed to the council with no election process.
B. Appointments to Staff Council during the Year. To fill vacant council seats during the year, the election committee chair will contact previously un-elected nominees to determine interest. If the seat is accepted by the nominee, they will be announced at the next council meeting. A vote will be taken by Staff Council to confirm membership.
C. Process to Replace Staff Members during the Year. Other USPS employees with interest in joining council during the year after the annual election will be considered for membership by submitting a complete nomination form to the council president. The council president will then submit the nominee’s name to the UCF Human Resources department for verification of eligibility for membership. Eligible candidates will then be presented to the council at the next meeting where a vote is taken to determine membership.

ARTICLE IV: OFFICER DESIGNATION, OFFICER TERM LIMITS, ELECTION OF OFFICERS, OFFICER DUTIES, ORDER OF SUCCESSION AND OFFICER RESIGNATION

Section 1. Officer Designation.

Staff council officers are elected at the June council meeting. Officers assume office on July 1.

Section 2. Officer Terms.

 

Notwithstanding an officer’s subsequent resignation or a removal from an elected office for just cause, officer terms will be for two years limited to two consecutive terms in the same office. The officer’s terms shall be staggered so there will not be all new officers each election. The President, Secretary, Treasurer shall be elected during the even years and Parliamentarian, Historian and Vice President be elected during odd years.

Section 3. Election of Officers.

Officer candidates are requested to notify the chair of the elections committee of their intent to run at least one week before voting. The elections committee shall prepare a ballot from these notifications of intent to run. Before the ballot is finalized, there will be opportunity for nominations from the floor of the Council. Nominees from the floor must be present and will be asked to confirm their interest and willingness to be added to the ballot. Once the ballot is deemed to be complete and final, it becomes the official ballot to be utilized for voting purposes with the full council membership and cannot be changed at that point.
Candidates listed on the official ballot will be required to briefly address the council and provide a summary of their reasons and goals for running for office. The votes will be tallied immediately, and the new officers will be announced before the close of the meeting.

Section 4. Officer Duties

The various officer duties shall include but may not be limited to the following:

President.
• Serves as the chief executive officer of the Staff Council and will chair all council meetings.
• Serves as the liaison between Staff Council and the Human Resources department, as well as chief spokesperson for the Staff Council.
• Serves as a back-up (or delegates to other council members) for other council officers in the event of a short-term absence.
• Responsible for preparation of each meeting agenda.
• Makes final selection of guest speakers that may attend meetings.
• Casts the deciding vote in the event of a tie during a voting process. Otherwise, the president occupies a neutral non-voting seat.
• Plans and hosts an annual Officers Retreat prior to the first meeting of each fiscal year to review individual officer duties and expectations, council calendar obligations, and council operational procedures.
Vice President.
• In the council president’s absence, serves as the chief executive officer of the Staff Council and assumes other duties of the president, as necessary.
• Assist council president with agenda preparation, as requested.
• Serves in an advisory capacity with all committees as needed.
• Creates the annual schedule of meeting locations.
• Makes arrangements for and coordinates with guest speakers.
• Monitor and pre-approve content on the Staff Council website on a regular basis.
• Attend the council president’s annual officer retreat.
Secretary.
• Responsible for taking the monthly council meeting minutes.
• Tracks meeting attendance.
• Distributes council meeting minutes within two weeks of a meeting after obtaining the final approvals from the Human Resources representative that attended and the council president.
• Provides the council historian with an archive copy of all completed meeting minutes.
• Responsible for maintaining and distributing all correspondence.
• Monitors the Staff Council e-mail account.
• Attend the council president’s annual officer retreat.
Treasurer.
• Serves as the chief financial officer of the Staff Council.
• Responsible for the receipt and disbursement of all council funds as well as maintaining accurate fiscal reports.
• Ensure all expenditures are within approved budget and have been properly approved under the policies of the Staff Council.
• Serves as the chair of the budget committee.
• Ensures annual tax reporting obligations, due to the non-profit nature of the Council, are met with the support of UCF Finance.
• Publishes a monthly fiscal report for review by council members at the monthly council meetings.
• Attend the council president’s annual officer retreat.
Parliamentarian.
• Ensures proper parliamentary procedures as per Roberts Rules of Order are followed and meetings are run in an orderly and timely manner.
• Works to ensure and verifies that a quorum is present for any voting process.
• Ensures votes received by e-mail in accordance with voting procedures are verified.
• Attend the council president’s annual officer retreat.
Historian.
• Responsible for archiving and maintaining all Staff Council historical records, including but not limited to the charter, council and committee meeting minutes, records of all election results, and event photos.
• Maintains the Staff Council digital camera.
• Attend the council president’s annual officer retreat.
• Serves as the chair of the Research/Archive committee

Section 5. Order of Succession.

In the event an officer resigns or is removed from office, the vacated position will be succeeded as described below. Succession moves become effective immediately.

• The vice president will succeed the president
• The secretary will succeed the vice president
If an officer does not wish to succeed the vacated position, the remaining officers will fulfill the duties of the position until a replacement is elected through the procedures established for the election of officers (Article IV., Section 3.).
Officer seats not in the above order of succession that fall vacant mid-term may also be filled by a special election in accordance with established procedures for electing council officers (Article IV., Section 3.). The president will assign other officers to temporarily cover the duties of a vacant officer seat until a replacement is elected.

Section 6. RESIGNATION OF A COUNCIL OFFICER

A council officer who wishes to resign from their officer seat must send written notice to the council president.
A council president who wishes to resign from their presidency, but retain their council membership, is to provide written notice via email to each of the council officers, with copy to the council advisor. The council president who resigns shall be succeeded by the council vice president under the succession rules in Article IV, Section 5.

 

ARTICLE V: Operating Procedures

Section 1. COUNCIL OPERATIONAL YEAR

The operational year of the council for membership elections, officer elections, budgeting, accounting, and other business process cycles shall follow the same as the council’s July 1-June 30 fiscal year.

Section 2. COUNCIL MEETINGS

The council will hold a minimum of ten (10) meetings per year. Any additional meetings are optional at the discretion of the council president. Council meetings will be open with regard to attendance and held on the third Wednesday of the month.

Section 3. COUNCIL RETREATS

A. New Member Retreat
The officers shall host an orientation retreat for the incoming new members. The retreat will be held no later than the end of August of each year. The purpose of the orientation retreat is for the officers to do their due diligence in helping ensure that new members have an understanding of the council, the governing charter, council operations, and council membership duties and expectations.
B. Annual Officer Retreat
After officer elections are concluded in June, but before the July meeting of the new council year, the current year council president shall host an Officer Retreat with both incoming and outgoing officers in attendance. The meeting shall orient newly elected officers and refresh ongoing officers as to their duties and expectations for the office for which they have been elected. The retreat shall afford transition information between incoming and outgoing officers, recap the closing year challenges and accomplishments of the council, lay a foundation for the new year slate of officers to set their upcoming council goals, begin preparation for the July new year meeting, and calendar the New Member Retreat.

Section 4. VOTING AND QUORUM REQUIREMENTS

A. The presence of a quorum at a council meeting is required to pass any Staff Advisory Council business. A quorum is defined as one half plus one of the total number of members listed on the council roster at the time of the vote. Quorum status is determined by the parliamentarian. The parliamentarian will suspend the voting process when a quorum is not present.
B. Electronic voting by the entire council is permitted via email in order to allow expediency in resolving issues when schedules and/or circumstances may not be conducive to calling a special meeting. With the approval of the president, the officers will ratify the need for such a vote. The parliamentarian will send an e-mail message to all council members outlining the issue, calling for a vote, and setting a voting deadline. E-mail votes are automatically electronically tallied, and the parliamentarian will forward the results to the council membership.

Section 5. RESIGNATION OF A COUNCIL MEMBER

Any member who no longer wishes to serve and/or feels unable to fulfill the responsibilities of their council membership and who chooses to resign is to immediately provide written notice to the council president.
A council president who wishes to resign their council membership is to provide written notice via email to each of the council officers, with copy to the council advisor.


Section 6. REMOVAL OF A COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE FROM OFFICE

A. The council officers may vote to remove one of its members for just cause. Examples of just cause include but are not be limited to the member’s failure to meet the established attendance requirements and/or other duties of elected council members as outlined in this charter. A member removal action requires agreement by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the officers before proceeding to the full council.
B. The council member for whom a removal action is being requested will be notified in writing by the parliamentarian, and the reason/s for the action being taken must be included.
C. The member in question may submit a written appeal to retain the membership that includes explanation of any extenuating circumstances and/or basis for requesting that their membership be continued. The written communication to this effect must be submitted to the council parliamentarian within ten (10) calendar days of the date of the council’s notice to the member of their pending removal from membership.
D. An item is placed on the next upcoming council meeting agenda where the official vacancy of a member’s seat becomes effective with official action taken by the Staff Advisory Council.
E. The parliamentarian will prepare and provide the member with a written confirmation of the final outcome of the status of their membership.

Section 7. REMOVAL OF COUNCIL OFFICERS FROM OFFICE

A. Any Staff Advisory Council officer, including the president, may be subject to a request for removal from office for just cause. Just cause includes but is not limited to the failure to meet the duty requirements of their officership.

B. An officer removal request may be initiated by a fellow officer, or from within the council membership.
C. Procedure for removal:
1. A formal letter of complaint is sent to each of the Council Officers.
2. The officer in question will be notified of the request for removal, provided details of issues, and given opportunity to respond in writing for the consideration of the Council
3. An item regarding the matter is placed on the agenda for the next Council meeting.
4. Copies of the formal letter of complaint will be distributed at the council meeting.
5. Discussion will be held, and the officer in question will be given an opportunity to respond to the issue/s.
6. Decision is made by secret ballot with a two-thirds majority vote required for removal. 
D. The officer in question will sent a written confirmation of the outcome of the status of their officer position.
E. Removal as an officer does not preclude their membership on the Staff Advisory Council.
F. In the event the officer removed through this process is the council president, the council vice president will advise the Council Sponsor and Council Advisor of the action that has taken place and both will also be advised when a new council president is voted into the position. 

Section 8. STAFF ADVISORY COUNCIL ANNUAL ASSEMBLY

The Staff Advisory Council Annual Assembly is a fully open attendance meeting and will take place during the normal working hours of 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. The assembly will take place on a date announced each year by the council officers. Attendees of the assembly have an opportunity to meet newly elected council members and officers and hear updates from the council leadership, university leaders and additional guest speakers that may be invited by the council. Council business may be conducted as needed and appropriate for the assembly. The Assembly may be in addition to or replace a regularly scheduled staff council meeting for the month.

ARTICLE VI: COUNCIL STANDING COMMITTEES, COUNCIL AD HOC COMMITTEES, AND UNIVERSITY COMMITTEES

Through Staff Advisory Council members, the university A&P and USPS staff will have voice and opportunity for input on both council and university committees. The committees may be formed or dissolved throughout the council year as needed and such actions ratified by council approval.

Section 1. COUNCIL STANDING COMMITTEES

  • Budget
  • Marketing/Sponsorship
  • Research/Historian
  • Scholarship
  • Special Events
  • Fundraising
  • Goodwill
  • Charter/Elections

A. COUNCIL STANDING COMMITTEES- DUTIES
The Staff Advisory Council shall conduct its business through the work of the following standing committees:

1. Budget Committee consists of all committee chairs and will be presided over by the treasurer. The meetings will be held as needed. The committee will review both the prior and current fiscal year to date actual expenditures against the operating budget submitted and approved at the beginning of the year, look for cost trends, forecast its future expenses, and make appropriate recommendations for the next upcoming fiscal year budget.

2. Charter Committee is responsible for reviewing the current charter and proposing revisions, if necessary. The committee and its members will be appointed and charged by the president when a need concerning the Charter arises. Any charter revisions proposed by the committee are required to have council approval before the end of the council year, and the revised charter will be made available on the council website.

3. Election Committee is responsible for the pre-election application process, working with divisions and campuses during the membership drive, producing the final ballot, facilitating voting, coordinating the tally of ballots and notifying the newly elected council members of their election.
The Elections Committee will also notify any members placed through the council Appointment provisions.

4. Marketing and Sponsorship Committee is responsible for sustaining and improving council public relation efforts. This includes, but is not limited to, producing Staff Advisory Council publications, submitting mass email communications for campus-wide distribution, working with university marketing representatives as needed, maintaining the council website and Facebook pages, and communicating with local businesses and vendors regarding possible sponsorships, within the university guidelines, to further the council’s goals. All communication submissions are required to be approved by the council president.

5. Research and Archives Committee is responsible for researching best practices, policies, and procedures at other universities and colleges. The research results would be drawn upon to formulate recommendations to the university administration for new programs, enhancements, trends, and changes that could be made by the university to benefit its staff. Research efforts by the committee would not only be relative to university-employee interests, but also to inform comparatives, improvements, and the natural ongoing evolution of the council and its Charter as well. This committee is further responsible for official council archives.

6. Scholarship Committee is responsible for the solicitation and disbursement of scholarship opportunities for staff and/or their dependents. After scholarship funds have been secured, this committee is responsible for creating, publicizing, collecting, processing, and approving the applications in a timely manner.

7. Special Events and Fundraising Committee is responsible for planning, implementing, and executing the council’s annual assembly, along with any and all other council-initiated events.
The committee’s fundraising responsibilities include but are not limited to investigating fundraising options, negotiating vendor contracts for items that need to be purchased, funding support for council scholarships, and appropriately soliciting fundraising items within the university compliance guidelines. In regard to compliance, the committee must ensure the university fundraising policies are being followed by communicating all fundraising efforts to the university compliance office. The committee will give any and all funds collected to the council treasurer for deposit in the council’s bank account. Fundraising will be continuous as the council makes a transition from one year to the next in order to expedite the following year activities.

8. Sunshine Committee is responsible for the creation and distribution of welcome packets; special occasion cards; and any similar activities that serve as welcoming gestures and promote good will among its membership.

9. University Events Support Committee is responsible for coordinating council participation and/or co-sponsorship with the Office of Human Resources for the annual Benefits Fair, Annual Knights Star Awards ceremony, Employee of the Month and Employee of the Year activities, Employee Appreciation Week and/or other forms of employee centered events in which Human Resources may invite the Council to be a part. Additionally, this committee will coordinate with any other university office that may initiate an event with which the Council may be given an opportunity to serve as a partner.

B. COUNCIL STANDING COMMITTEES- GUIDELINES
The council standing committees shall follow the following general guidelines:
1. The term of service for all members serving on a Staff Advisory Council committee will be for one council year.
2. A chair and four members per committee is the minimum requirement.
3. All committee chairs and co-chairs will be elected by majority vote by the assigned committee members present.
4. Committee agendas will be set by the chair with assistance of the co-chair as needed.
5. The committee chair will inform the council president of any committee vacancies. The council president will inform any newly accepted council members of all committee openings and the members will have their choice of where to serve.
6. Committees must timely meet each new year to formulate and prepare to present their committee goals and budget report (if applicable) to the council president and treasurer by August 31st.
7. Itemized budget proposals prepared by the council committees for the new fiscal year will be presented and require a vote during the September council meeting.
8. Any monies within each committee’s approved budget can be spent for committee expenses without further council approval. Any funds needed over the projected budget will require prior council approval.

C. COUNCIL STANDING COMMITTEES- RECORDS
Each standing committee shall meet certain minimum obligations with regard to meeting minutes, reporting, and budget records.
1. At each monthly council meeting, each committee chair will give a verbal report. In the committee chair’s absence, this responsibility falls upon the committee co-chair.
2. Reports contain the formal written records of the committee’s activities for the purpose of continuity of information. These reports should include accomplishments, budget information, and contact information of pertinent parties, vendor information, procedural instructions, helpful tips and the status of ongoing projects.
3. Committee meeting minutes will be kept by the committee chair (or delegated to another committee member).
4. Committee reports and past historical minutes will be archived through the Council Historian.
D. COUNCIL STANDING COMMITTEES- RESIGNATIONS
Any council standing committee member who no longer wishes to serve and/or feels unable to fulfill the responsibilities of their committee duties and who chooses to resign is to immediately provide written notice to the Committee Chair involved. The member would then need to select another committee upon which to serve in order to meet membership requirements.
A council Committee Chair who wishes to resign their seat on the given committee is to provide notice to the council president.

Section 2. COUNCIL AD HOC COMMITEES

Temporary ad hoc committees may be formed by the president at any time for temporary short-term purposes and goals.

Section 3. UNIVERSITY COMMITTEES

A. University Committee Assignments: The council president will receive a list of the standing university committees with appointed Staff Advisory Council member seats available. Such lists are made available as those committees are formed. During the first council meeting of the new fiscal year, council members will be given the opportunity to volunteer for the known university committee Staff Advisory Council seat vacancies, and the council president will update opportunities to volunteer as they may be added. The term of service on university committees is up to the discretion of the given university committee chair.
B. University Committee Resignations
A council member who wishes to resign from an assigned university committee seat is to provide their notice to the council president who will handle the matter directly with the university committee and if applicable with the council advisor. The council president will coordinate the assignment of a replacement. 

ARTICLE VII: FINANCES

All Staff Advisory Council funds are required to be used to finance the goals of the council. The council finances are derived from fundraising efforts; private donations held on the council’s behalf by the university Foundation Office; and any annual budget dollars allotted by the council sponsor and/or council advisor, both of the latter being maintained by the Office of Human Resources.

An annual fundraising goal will be determined at the beginning of each year by the council.

Council committees shall receive a budget allowance each fiscal year for their respective committee business purposes. Committee spending authority is limited to the committee business needs and granted without need for further council approvals only for expenditures that remain within the allotted budget limit. 

Expenditures not related to committee expenses, or that exceed committee fiscal year budgets, will require prior council approval, with the exception of a maximum purchasing limit for budget variances up to $50.00 that may be authorized by either the treasurer or the president.

The treasurer may authorize expenditures by the council president for council business up to $50.00 without prior council approval.
Non-committee expenditure greater than $50.00 will require prior council approval.

ARTICLE VIII: CHARTER REVISION PROCEDURES

Revisions to the University of Central Florida Staff Advisory Council Charter must follow the following Approval Process:
A. Charter revisions will be presented to the council membership for a vote no later than the April council meeting. Provided there are no revision objections that require an additional meeting, the vote will be taken and considered final.
B. Any objections to the charter revisions that occur during the council meeting that cannot be resolved during the meeting and require additional consideration by the charter committee, council sponsor, and council advisor will be deferred for further review. A final vote for approval of the charter revisions will take place at the May council meeting.
C. All revisions to the charter will require approval by a two-thirds majority vote by the council membership.
D. The approved revised charter must be executed by the council sponsor, the council advisor, and the council president no later than June 30 and will become effective upon the upcoming new council year on July 1.

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA

DIVISION OF ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE


Staff Council is advised by UCF Human Resources in the Division of Administration and Finance.
This site is hosted by the office of the Vice President for Administration and Finance.

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