Staff Advisory Council

Operating procedures

Section 1: Name

The name of the organization is the Staff Advisory Council (SAC).

Section 2: Membership

  1. The SAC represents all exempt and non-exempt staff who do not hold faculty status and who are not members of the President's Cabinet.
  2. 12 eligible staff will serve as SAC representatives (approximately 5% of eligible staff). One staff member working in each of the three current Wofford Organization Chart divisions (divisions reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College, and the Senior Vice President for Development and College Relations) plus one staff member working in one of the remaining departments (Admission, Athletics, The Center for Global and Community Engagement, The Liberty Fellowship, and any other office not currently part of one of the three divisions) will represent their division. 8 additional staff will function as AtLarge Representatives.
  3. Representatives will serve two-year terms beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30, with one half of the terms expiring each year.
  4. Representatives may serve two consecutive full terms. One year after the expiration of the second such full term they will be eligible for reelection.
  5. Representatives will assume their positions at the first regular meeting in July following their election. Representatives are expected to attend all meetings and notify the Secretary of anticipated absences. Irregular attendance may be reviewed by the Executive Committee (see Section 4) and Representatives who cannot meet the attendance expectation may be asked to withdraw.

Section 3: Elections

  1. Elections for six new Representatives will be held each April. The Chair (see Section 4) will appoint a Representative to oversee the election process.
  2. Nominations for Representatives will be open for two weeks. All eligible staff may nominate other individuals or may self-nominate.
  3. Two consecutive elections will be held, each to last not more than one week. In the first election, eligible staff in each Division will vote only for candidates within their division. The four winners of these elections will serve as Division Representatives. In the second election, all eligible staff will elect eight of the remaining candidates to serve as At-Large Representatives.
  4. In the event of a tie, a run-off election lasting not more than three days may be held.
  5. The SAC will strive for fair representation of both exempt and non-exempt employees.
  6. Midterm vacancies shall be filled by appointment of the Chair (see Section 4) for the remainder of the election year. The decision will be confirmed by the Representatives. In the next election the position will be filled by election forthe remainder of the term.
  7. In the event that a Division Representative changes Divisions, he or she will be allowed to serve until the next election or the remainder of his or her term, whichever comes first.
  8. A Representative who has a change in employee status (e.g., granted faculty status or membership in the President's Cabinet) must vacate his or her seat immediately. The vacancy will be filled by appointment of the Chair (see Section 4) and in the next election the position will be filled by election for the remainder of the term.

Section 4: Officers

  1. The officers will be a Chair, a Chair-Elect, a Recorder, and a Secretary. These officers make up the Executive Committee.
  2. The officers will be elected by the Representatives. These elections will take place at a special meeting no later than two weeks following the election of Representatives.
  3. Executive Committee members will take office at the first meeting in July and will serve a one-year term.
  4. Duties of the Executive Committee:
    1. The Chair presides over SAC and Executive Committee meetings, serves as liaison to the college President, organizes the agenda for SAC and Executive Committee meetings, oversees the creation of standing and ad hoc committees, ensures the SAC is operating in accordance with its guidelines, and may call special meetings as necessary.
    2. In the absence of the Chair, the Chair-Elect possesses all the powers of and performs all the duties of the Chair. The Chair-Elect will serve a term of one year, following which the Chair-Elect will assume the office of Chair. The Chair-elect reviews by-laws each August and coordinates discussion and adoption of any necessary changes.
    3. The Secretary is responsible for communicating SAC matters to the staff and college community, including overseeing the SAC website. The Secretary will reserve meeting space for Executive Committee and SAC meetings.
    4. The Recorder will keep the minutes, attendance, and records of the SAC and Executive Committee meetings, will keep an accurate registry of Representatives, and will keep a record of all financial matters.
    5. The Executive Committee will have other powers and duties as prescribed by the Representatives.
    6. Midterm vacancies of the office of Chair shall be filled by the current Chair-Elect. Midterm vacancies for Chair-Elect, Secretary, and Recorder shall be filled by the election of new officers who shall serve the remainder of the term. These elections will be made by Representatives.
    7. The Executive Committee will perform the following functions:
      1. Define the working agenda and operational procedures for the SAC.
      2. Represent the SAC in communications with the President (Chair and Chair-Elect only).
      3. Create special standing or ad hoc committees as needed. Such committees shall be authorized by the SAC as to membership, purpose, and duration and may include any eligible staff member; however, at least two Representatives must participate in each committee, with one Representative chairing the committee.

Section 5: Staff Advisory Council Business

  1. Regular monthly Representative meetings will be called by the Chair. Meetings may not last more than two hours.
  2. Special meetings may be called by the Chair as needed and upon the petition of two-thirds of Representatives.
  3. The Chair will call for at least one meeting of all eligible staff members each semester.
  4. The Executive Committee may meet as often as necessary to determine the monthly meeting agenda.
  5. Two-thirds of the Representatives shall constitute a quorum.
  6. A quorum must be present at all monthly meetings. If a quorum is not present, the meeting will be rescheduled.
  7. All Representatives will receive ideas or suggestions from staff for consideration by the SAC. An idea or suggestion must be presented fully and with possible solutions. The matter will then be voted upon for referral to a standing or ad hoc committee for research, or for referral to the President.
  8. Amendments to the Guidelines may be proposed by any Representative either during the August Guideline review or at any other time. The proposed change must be referred to the Chair-Elect, who will distribute it for discussion at least one week prior to the next meeting. A quorum is required to change a Guideline, and the President has final authority to approve the change.