Constitution


ARTICLE I.  NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Staff Senate of The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV).

ARTICLE II.  DEFINITIONS

  1. UTRGV – The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.
  2. Staff Senate – The Staff Senate of UTRGV.
  3. President – The President of UTRGV.
  4. Administration – The Administration of UTRGV
  5. Staff Senate Executive Board - Board consisting of Staff Senate President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Parliamentarian, Historian and Past President
  6. Districts – Units or divisions within UTRGV as they pertain to voting and procedures as designated by the Office of Human Resources
  7. Quorum – A simple majority consisting of more than 50 percent of the Staff Senate membership present (physical or virtual) and voting at any meeting

 

ARTICLE III.  AUTHORITY AND PURPOSE

The Staff Senate is an advisory body through which eligible staff can convey information and make recommendations to the university president and administration relative to the interests, concerns and issues that affect UTRGV staff.

The Staff Senate may make recommendations on general policies and, at the request of the university president, provide advice on specific institutional issues.

The Staff Senate shall keep staff informed and, in turn, keep the university president and administration advised of needs and interests of staff on issues and activities affecting them.

 

ARTICLE IV.  CONSTITUENCY

The Staff Senate represents all full-time, active, classified employees and those administrative and professional employees below the level of assistant vice president who are not represented by the Faculty Senate.

 

ARTICLE V.  MEMBERSHIP

SECTION 1: ELIGIBILITY

  1. All full-time, active, classified employees below the level of assistant vice president who are not represented by the Faculty Senate are eligible to vote for and be members of the Staff Senate.
  2. An employee must have completed six (6) months of continuous full-time service and be in good standing at UTRGV to be eligible for nomination as a member to the Staff Senate.
  3. Questions of eligibility for membership shall be decided by the Staff Senate.

SECTION 2: STRUCTURE

The Staff Senate shall consist of voting members and non-voting members as outlined below:

  1. Voting Members: Voting members of the Staff Senate shall consist of eligible staff elected to serve as Senators.
  2. Non-Voting Members: Non-voting members of the Staff Senate shall consist of the President of the Staff Senate, members appointed by the university President and the President of the Staff Senate and the Immediate Past President of the Staff Senate as long as he or she is not a voting member.

SECTION 3: DUTIES OF MEMBERS

  1. Members shall attend all meetings of the Staff Senate and shall be allowed up to four working hours per month, in addition to the time spent at Staff Senate meetings, to devote to Staff Senate committee work. Additional working hours for Staff Senate work or assignments may be negotiated with the member’s supervisor. It is the duty of the Vice President of the Staff Senate to contact all immediate supervisors of the elected senators.
  2. Members shall serve on at least one Staff Senate committee and may be selected or appointed to coordinate committee work.
  3. Members shall be available to their constituents and shall publicize how they can be contacted. They shall be willing to listen to staff concerns, to receive information and suggestions, and to communicate those effectively to the Staff Senate. In turn, members must keep their constituents informed about the work of the Staff Senate and relay matters communicated to the Staff Senate by the administration. Staff Senate will encourage Senators to connect with their constituents across campuses using technology and other resources.

SECTION 4: TERM OF OFFICE

  1. The term of office for members shall begin at a special meeting to be called by September 1, following their election and shall continue for one elected three-year term. Terms shall be staggered, so that approximately one-third of the membership is elected each year.
  2. A member shall not be eligible for reelection to the Staff Senate in the year following the expiration of the member’s three-year term.
  3. In the event a representative is appointed to represent the Staff Senate on a special committee (i.e. Employee Advisory Council), and the committee assignment exceeds the remainder of the representative’s term, the term shall be extended to the end date of the committee assignment.

SECTION 5: VACANCIES

  1. A vacancy may occur through termination of employment, change of voting district, transfer to a non-eligible position, and resignation, or expulsion from the Staff Senate. In the event of a vacancy with an unexpired term of less than six months, an alternate shall be named from the district where the vacancy exists within 30 days of the date of vacancy to serve the unexpired term and be eligible for election for one full elected term. The next highest vote recipient in the most recent election in that district, if still eligible to serve, will be asked to complete the unexpired term.  If that person declines or is ineligible, the next highest vote recipient, if still eligible to serve, will be asked to complete the unexpired term, and so on. If there are no former candidates eligible or willing to serve, then the Staff Senate President, on recommendation of the Executive Board, will nominate and recommend for appointment a staff member belonging to the district where the vacancy has occurred. The appointment will be ratified on a majority vote of the Staff Senate. The alternate will become an elected Staff Senate member for the remainder of the unexpired term. In the event that the change of a voting district is the result of institutional reorganization, the senator(s) affected, if still eligible to serve, shall be allowed to complete the remainder of the current academic year. The vacancy will then be filled during the next scheduled elections, and the senator elected shall begin a new term.
  2. If no alternate from the affected district is available to fill a vacant position, Staff Senate members will nominate an alternate from the list of eligible employees from that district. If the employee accepts the nomination, the alternate will become an elected Staff Senate member for the remainder of the unexpired term.

SECTION 6: REMOVAL FROM OFFICE

  1. Any elected member can be removed from office for nonperformance of Staff Senate duties. Causes for removal shall include, but are not limited to: non-attendance (missing more than two consecutive unexcused Staff Senate meetings or a total of more than four unexcused Staff Senate meetings per year); failure to consistently report Staff Senate activities to the member’s district and/or unavailability to constituents; and misconduct, as outlined in the Handbook of Operating Procedures.
  2. A request for removal of a member can be brought to the Staff Senate Executive Board by a simple majority of the constituents in that Staff Senator’s district or initiated by action of the Staff Senate.
  3. The Staff Senate Executive Board shall investigate the matter and shall recommend action to the Staff Senate, if warranted.
  4. The final decision on any recommended action to remove a member will be made by the Staff Senate. Removal shall be effective upon the vote of a two-thirds (2/3) majority of those present and voting at a regular meeting of the Staff Senate at which a quorum is present.
  5. Every feasible attempt will be made to provide an electronic venue through which Senators may participate in meetings.

 

SECTION 7: DISTRICTS

  1. Voting districts shall be reviewed by the Elections Committee each April prior to elections, and the committee shall propose changes that are reasonably necessary to ensure equal representation. Proposed changes must be approved by a simple majority vote of the standing members of the Staff Senate.
  2. Only eligible employees shall vote in the election for their district member(s). An eligible employee whose appointment crosses over one or more districts shall be able to vote only in the district to which he/she has a majority assignment as designated by the Office of Human Resources. An eligible employee assigned equally to two different districts will be asked to designate a preference prior to an election and may cast a vote for a Staff Senate candidate in only one district.
  3. Districts shall include Finance and Administration; Governmental and Community Relations; Institutional Advancement; Strategic Enrollment; Division of the President; Health Affairs; Research, Graduate Studies and New Program Development; and Academic Affairs, Student Success, and P-16 Integration.
  4. Organizational changes that result in the creation or dissolution of a district will not impact Staff Senate membership for that fiscal year.
  5. Senators representing the abolished districts will serve for the remainder of the fiscal year, not for the remainder of their elected term.
  6. Senators for new districts created during a fiscal year will be elected in the next election cycle.
  7. Should voting districts require realignment due to major campus reorganization, a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the Staff Senate shall be required to recommend the realignment as an amendment to this constitution.

SECTION 8: NUMBER OF MEMBERS

  1. Staff Senate members shall be elected from each voting district by eligible employees of that district.
  2. The number of staff senators elected in a district shall be determined by the number of employees in each district represented by the Staff Senate.
    1. Districts with 500 employees or less shall elect three (3) staff senators
    2. Districts above 500 employees, up to 1,000 employees, shall elect six (6) staff senators.
    3. Districts above 1,000 employees shall elect nine (9) staff senators
    4. Representation shall be capped at nine (9) senators per district.
  3. Eligible employees and total number of employees represented by Staff Senate in a voting district shall be determined by up to date listings provided by the Office of Human Resources.

 

ARTICLE VI.  NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS

The Constitution Committee will serve as the Nominations and Elections Committee of the Staff Senate responsible for managing the nomination and elections process. Nominations shall be made no later than the third week in June, and elections shall be held no later than the third week in July. Elected Staff Senate members’ terms of service begin on September 1.

 

SECTION 1: NOMINATION PROCEDURES

  1. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall request from the Office of Human Resources the appropriate documents to determine all eligible employees.
  2. All employees eligible as of the date of nominations may submit a nomination.
  3. A nomination list shall be distributed via electronic format to each eligible employee. The list shall identify the voting district and the number of nominations allowed per district, along with instructions for voting and/or electronically returning the form. This shall constitute the primary form of nominations and elections. Paper ballots can be used in the event of electronic equipment failure.
  4. Each eligible employee within a district may nominate one eligible employee from his or her district for each Staff Senate member that district is entitled to elect. Nominations will be made via electronic format or in writing in the event of electronic equipment failure.
  5. After the closing date for nominations, the Nominations and Elections Committee of the Staff Senate shall tabulate the number of nominations received.
  6. Nominees shall be ranked according to the highest number of nominations received. The number of nominees to appear on the election ballot in each district shall not exceed three times the number of vacant positions for that district. In case of a tie at the cut-off, additional names will be placed on the election ballot. In descending order, the number of nominations received by a potential candidate will determine nominees to appear on the ballot(s) until the required number reached or the nominations list is exhausted.
  7. The Nominations and Elections Committee of the Staff Senate shall notify the nominees that their names shall be placed on the election ballots, unless they withdraw by a specified date. If a nominee withdraws, the Nominations and Elections Committee of the Staff Senate shall select as a replacement the individual that received the next highest number of nominations in the district in which the withdrawal took place. If insufficient nominations for a particular district occur, the matter shall be referred to the Executive Board of the Staff Senate for a recommendation on additional nominations.
  8. Communications regarding nominations and elections shall be sent using the Staff Senate email account.

SECTION 2: ELECTION PROCEDURE

  1. Voting shall be held for no less than five consecutive working days.
  2. Elections shall be by secret ballot.
  3. Ballots indicating the name of the voting district, the names of the nominees in alphabetical order by last name and instructions for voting shall be prepared, distributed, and collected by the Nominations and Elections Committee of the Staff Senate.
  4. At the close of the election, the Nominations and Elections Committee of the Staff Senate will tabulate the votes.
  5. Candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall be declared Staff Senate members. If a tie occurs, a run-off election will be conducted for employees of the affected district.
  6. No later than three working days after the close of the election, the Nominations and Elections Committee of the Staff Senate shall inform the Staff Senate president, in writing, of the names of the newly elected Staff Senate members.
  7. No later than one week after the close of the election, the Nominations and Elections Committee of the Staff Senate shall notify, in writing, all Staff Senate members and the newly elected Staff Senate members.
  8. All records pertaining to the nominations and elections process shall be stored in the office of the Staff Senate secretary in compliance with the UTRGV records retention policy.

ARTICLE VII.  STAFF SENATE EXECUTIVE BOARD

 

SECTION 1: MEMBERSHIP

The membership of the Staff Senate Executive Board shall consist of the elected officers of the Staff Senate.

 

SECTION 2: MEETINGS

  1. The Executive Board of the Staff Senate shall meet monthly. Additional meetings may be called by the president of the Staff Senate, the university president or the university president’s designee, or upon request of two members of the Staff Senate Executive Board.
  2. The secretary shall be responsible for notifying the members of Staff Senate Executive Board of meeting date and location and shall keep minutes of all meetings. In the event that the Secretary is unable to perform his/her duties, the vice president of the Staff Senate shall be responsible for the Secretary’s duties.
  3. A quorum must be present to conduct a meeting of the Staff Senate Executive Board.

SECTION 3: DUTIES

The Staff Senate Executive Board shall:

  1. Consider all matters presented to it by the president of the Staff Senate, the university president or the university president’s designee, the Staff Senate, or the Staff Senate standing committee chairs and make recommendations on all matters.
  2. Assist the president of the Staff Senate in setting the agenda for Staff Senate meetings.
  3. Periodically review the purpose and membership of each standing committee to ensure each is functioning as intended.
  4. Assist the vice president of the Staff Senate in recommendations for appointments to the standing committees.
  5. Appoint ad hoc committees as needed.
  6. Make recommendations for Staff Senate representation on all the UTRGV Committees where appropriate.
  7. Recommend representatives to The University of Texas System Employee Advisory Council.
  8. Make recommendations regarding the removal of Staff Senate members from their positions based on just cause.

ARTICLE VIII.  DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF OFFICERS

 

SECTION 1: TITLES OF OFFICERS

The officers of the Staff Senate shall be the: President of the Staff Senate, Vice President of the Staff Senate, Secretary, Treasurer, Parliamentarian, Historian and Immediate Past President of the Staff Senate.

SECTION 2: DUTIES

  1. President of the Staff Senate. The President of the Staff Senate shall preside at all meetings of the Staff Senate and the Staff Senate Executive Board; abide by “Robert’s Rules of Order” when conducting meetings; refer all matters submitted for the Staff Senate’s attention to the appropriate committee(s) and/or to the University President or designee; make a report of the actions of the Staff Senate Executive Board to the Senate at each regular meeting; prepare a written annual report of the past year’s activities and progress at the annual Staff Senate retreat and make it available to all employees at the fall general staff meeting; serve as ex-officio member of all Staff Senate committees; serve as a liaison to the Faculty Senate; and serve as a liaison to the university president or designee, both keeping the administration informed regarding concerns of the Staff Senate and seeking support and advice from the administration on behalf of the Staff Senate.
  2. Vice President of the Staff Senate. The Vice President of the Staff Senate shall preside over the Staff Senate in the absence of, or at the request of, the President of the Staff Senate; assist the President of the Staff Senate in performing leadership responsibilities; maintain and update a calendar of events relevant to the Staff Senate for the coming year; accept names of persons interested in serving on standing committees and recommend appointments on the basis of the person’s preference where possible or, in the absence of volunteers, make the recommended appointments to committees in consultation with the Staff Senate Executive Board; call a meeting of any committee that is not fulfilling its responsibilities; and distribute a roster of Staff Senate committees’ members as soon as the appointments have been made.
  3. The secretary shall record minutes of each Staff Senate meeting; distribute copies of the minutes to members at least three working days before the next scheduled meeting; notify members of meeting dates and locations; collect, receive, and maintain annual reports and minutes of Staff Senate and committee meetings; and work with the Nominations and Elections Committee to maintain the system of overlapping members terms and the system for verifying the number of members allocated to each voting district. In the event of absence of secretary, a current Staff Senator can be selected or volunteered to keep minutes in their place.
  4. The treasurer shall be responsible for the financial aspects of Staff Senate functions; operate under the accounting procedures followed by UTRGV; be responsible for maintaining accurate records of all Staff Senate financial activities; provide monthly budget reports to the Staff Senate; and produce an annual financial statement to be provided to each Staff Senate member.
  5. The parliamentarian shall ensure that the president of the Staff Senate or presiding officer abides by “Robert’s Rules of Order” during meetings; and serve as a resource to Senate officers and representatives regarding the rules and usages of the rules of order.
  6. The historian shall be responsible for maintaining and keeping up to date any written, photographic or other records that constitute the archives of the Staff Senate; and upon request, make duplications of these items available to Staff Senate members.
  7. Immediate Past President of the Staff Senate. In the interest of continuity in the Staff Senate’s work, following the president of the Staff Senate’s term of office, he/she shall become the immediate past president of the Staff Senate for one year to act in an advisory capacity to the Staff Senate and the Executive Committee. The immediate past president of the Staff Senate shall be a non-voting member of the Executive Committee. The Immediate Past president of the Staff Senate shall retain voting rights in the Senate if his or her elected term has not expired.

SECTION 3: ELECTION OF OFFICERS

  1. The Chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee, therefore the chair of the Constitution Committee, of the Staff Senate shall conduct the nomination and election of officers at the Staff Senate annual retreat meeting.
  2. The president of the Staff Senate, vice president of the Staff Senate, secretary, treasurer, parliamentarian and historian shall be nominated from the floor, elected, and begin terms immediately after their election. All nominees must be active members of the Staff Senate having served at least one year of their current, or prior, term.
  3. A simple majority of those present is required for election of the Staff Senate Officers.
  4. With the exception of the president and vice president positions, the Staff Senate can decide to elect co-officers if voting results in a tie.  If co-officers are not desired, the tied candidates may give a brief speech, followed by a re-vote.

SECTION 4: TERM OF OFFICE

  1. The term of office for each Staff Senate officer on the Staff Senate Executive Board shall be one year. A member shall not hold more than one office at a time, and no member shall be eligible to serve more than two consecutive terms as an officer of the Staff Senate in the same office. A member who assumes an unexpired term of less than six months may subsequently be elected to office for one full term.
  2. In the event that the president of the Staff Senate is unable to complete the elected term of office, the vice president of the Staff Senate shall assume the vacant office for the length of the unexpired term. In the event that the office of the vice president of the Staff Senate, secretary, treasurer, parliamentarian, or historian becomes vacant, a special election shall be held to fill the vacant office for the remainder of the term by a simple majority vote of the Staff Senate members present at a regular Staff Senate meeting.

SECTION 5: TRANSFER OF RECORDS

All records pertaining to current Staff Senate business shall be transferred from the outgoing officers to the incoming officers at the Staff Senate annual retreat.

 

ARTICLE IX.  OTHER COMMITTEES

The Staff Senate shall be responsible for appointing committees as necessary. Ad hoc committees may be appointed by the Staff Senate President and/or by request of the Staff Senate. The Staff Senate president may appoint committee membership.

 

SECTION 1: STANDING AND AD HOC STAFF SENATE COMMITTEES

  1. The standing committees of the Staff Senate shall be determined by the Senate each year, but may include committees such as, University Development and Events; Constitution and Elections; Communications; Business Processes; Professional Development.
  2. The Staff Senate president can appoint one or more ad hoc committees address specific issues of concern not already being addressed by a standing committee of the staff senate.
  3. Committee membership is open to all Staff Senate members. Each standing committee shall consist of a minimum of three members who shall serve for one year.
  4. Committees shall meet as convened by the committee Chair on a quarterly basis, or as determined by the committee, and provide monthly reports to the Staff Senate Executive Board prior to called monthly staff senate meetings.
  5. A Staff Senate member may not serve as a committee Chair on more than one standing committee.
  6. General Committee duties are as follows:
    1. Each standing committee shall accept business items assigned to it by the Staff Senate Executive Board and may also initiate their own agenda in consultation with the Executive Board.
    2. Committee members will address their assignments in a responsible timely manner.
    3. The committee Chair will make a report to the full Staff Senate at each monthly meeting and will prepare and submit a written annual report that includes all items placed on the committee agenda and the disposition of each.
    4. Funding and/or approval items

SECTION 2: INSTITUTIONAL AND SYSTEM COMMITTEES

In the spirit of shared governance and in an effort to ensure support for the vast array of projects and work at UTRGV, the Staff Senate should have representation on institutional and UT System committees. The Staff Senate should be represented by a minimum of one member on committees that directly affect staff and the execution of their duties. Moreover, Staff Senate should have a representative on all committees that affect the overall maintenance and operation of the institution. Each staff representative should serve as a voting member of institutionally designated or UT System sanctioned committees as appointed. It is the Staff Senate member’s responsibility to report on the activities of these committees to the full Staff Senate on a monthly basis. If unable to attend, the Staff Senate member should send an alternate to participate and report.

 

ARTICLE X.  MEETINGS AND PROCEDURES

 

SECTION 1: TYPES OF MEETINGS

  1. Regular meetings of the Staff Senate shall be held monthly.
    1. An agenda shall be sent to all members at least three working days prior to the meeting.
    2. Minutes of all meetings shall be sent to all members of the Staff Senate and the ex-officio members for review and corrections at least three working days prior to the meeting.
  2. Special meetings of the Staff Senate may be called by the President of the Staff Senate or upon petition of 30 percent of Staff Senate membership by submitting a written request to an officer of the Staff Senate. The President of the Staff Senate, or in the President of the Staff Senate’s absence, the Vice President will decide on the appropriateness of the request and whether to call a special meeting.
  3. A two (2) working day notice to all Staff Senate members, and all ex-officio members shall be given of any special meeting, wherein only business specified in the call of the special meeting may be conducted.
  4. A simple majority of the membership present shall constitute a quorum for the conduct of the Staff Senate business.
  5. All Staff Senate meetings shall be held during regular working hours.
  6. In an emergency called by the University President for such instances as a natural disaster or any other threat to the university, the two-day notice requirement is waived and a special meeting may be held outside normal working hours.

SECTION 2: ORDER OF BUSINESS

 

The order of business for meetings shall be set forth as follows, except that the order of business may be altered by an action approved in the meeting. The order of business shall be: (1) call to order; (2) approval of previous meeting’s minutes; (3) Committee reports; (4) unfinished business; (5) new business; (6) miscellaneous comments, announcements, tributes, etc.; and (7) adjournment.

Meetings of the Senate shall have an agenda that includes the time and place of the meeting, the order of business, and copies of any substantive proposals. The Executive Board shall set the agenda; however, items may be added to the agenda at the meeting if approved by a majority of the voting members present and voting. The agenda (time, place of meeting and order of business) should be distributed to all eligible staff and administration. The Executive Board must take under advisement a formal written request by one of the following: (1) the university president; (2) Faculty Senate; (3) Student Government Association; (4) any Senate representative.

 

SECTION 3: MINUTES

The minutes of the meetings shall be open for review. A summary of approved minutes shall be made available to all constituents on the Staff Senate website.

 

SECTION 4: FLOOR PRIVILEGES

  1. Proposals, measures and resolutions may be introduced on the Staff Senate floor only by elected Staff Senate members.
  2. Non-members of the Staff Senate may be granted the right to speak on matters before the Staff Senate. When this privilege is requested, the President of the Staff Senate shall determine if any member has an objection; hearing none, permission shall be granted to speak.
  3. If an objection is raised, the privilege shall be extended only by a majority vote of the Staff Senate members present.

SECTION 5: VOTE

  1. A simple majority of the quorum present shall be necessary to pass recommendations.
  2. Only elected Staff Senate members who are present may vote.
  3. Action by the Staff Senate shall be by voice vote.
  4. If the Staff Senate President determines the voice vote is not substantially clear, the vote shall be by a show of hands.
  5. Some issues, such as election of officers, may require written ballots. Any Staff Senate member may call for a written ballot on substantive issues.

 

ARTICLE XI.  PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The rules contained in the current edition of “Robert’s Rules of Order” shall govern the Staff Senate and its committees in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with this constitution or with any special rules of order the Staff Senate may adopt.

 

ARTICLE XII.  AMENDMENTS TO THE STAFF SENATE CONSTITUTION

SECTION 1: AMENDMENTS AND BYLAWS

  1. Amendment process will consist of
    1. Member of UTRGV staff or a staff senator may petition to have staff senate consider an amendment which will be subject to 2/3 vote of staff senate membership.
    2. The president of the Staff Senate shall direct the Staff Senate Constitution Committee to consider the proposed amendment.
    3. The Staff Senate Constitution Committee shall present their recommendation and language for the proposed amendment to the Staff Senate president to be considered by the Staff Senate Executive Board for discussion and to be placed on the agenda of a regular Staff Senate meeting for consideration.
    4. The Staff Senate Constitution Committee shall present the proposed constitutional amendment language at a regular meeting of the Staff Senate for discussion. This discussion and subsequent vote of the Staff Senate is the first reading.
    5. If the proposed Staff Senate constitution amendment language is passed on first reading, then it shall be placed on the agenda of the next scheduled meeting of the Staff Senate for a second and final reading.
    6. In order for the proposed Staff Senate constitutional amendment to be passed by the Staff Senate, it must receive at least a two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the Staff Senate members present at the meeting.
    7. Once approved, the Staff Senate should plan for a referendum to the proposed Staff Senate constitutional amendment by all eligible employees.
    8. The Staff Senate shall enact bylaws, as it deems necessary to conduct business as long as such bylaws are consistent with the provisions of this policy.

ARTICLE XIII.  RATIFICATION OF CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS

  1. The Staff Senate Constitutional Amendment Referendum shall be announced to all eligible employees for at least two work weeks as appropriate.
  2. An up-to-date and certified list of all eligible employees shall be requested from the UTRGV Office of Human Resources.
  3. The Staff Senate shall conduct the ratification of Staff Senate Constitutional Amendment Referendum.
  4. A simple majority vote of all eligible employees who vote constitutes approval of the proposed Staff Senate Constitutional Amendment.
  5. Once the proposed Staff Senate Constitutional Amendment has been approved by the voting eligible employees and Staff Senate, the Staff Senate president will request that the proposed Staff Senate Constitutional Amendment language be submitted for approval, adoption, and inclusion in the institutional HOP in accordance with ADM 01-101 HOP Approval Process.
  6. The date of any substantive change to the Staff Senate Constitution will be recorded, and a copy of the previous language shall be archived by the Staff Senate Historian.

ARTICLE XIV.  BUDGET REQUIREMENTS

In order to ensure the continued success of the UTRGV Staff Senate, each Executive Board is responsible for allotting a minimum operating budget of $1,000 that must be carried over between each successive administration. This amount is included in the Staff Senate general maintenance and operations budget and can be spent at the discretion of each Executive Board. The minimum carryover amount must be credited to the UTRGV Staff Senate institutional maintenance and operations account by no later than July 1st each year.

 

ARTICLE XV.  CLERICAL SUPPORT

Clerical support shall be provided to the Staff Senate by the university president or the university president’s designee. 

 

ARTICLE XVI.  LIAISON TO THE SENATE

The UTRGV President shall appoint a liaison to the Staff Senate for the purpose of providing a clear communication channel between the Staff Senate, president, and administration.