Section 1.0 - Preamble

Section 1.0 - Preamble

1.01 The Dean of the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology, having recognized the need for representation and involvement of CEAT Staff in the affairs of the College with the objective of strengthening College goals and functions, herein requested the establishment of the College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology Staff Advisory Council, hereinafter referred to as the CEAT Staff Advisory Council. The Formation Committee will herein establish these By-Laws and it shall be amended by the majority of votes cast by College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology Staff.

1.02 The CEAT Staff Advisory Council shall function under these By-Laws as approved by the CEAT Staff and the Dean of the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology. The CEAT Staff Advisory Council shall continue to function until such time as the Council is dissolved by itself or the By-Laws is revoked by the Dean of the College.

Section 2.0 - Mission Statement

2.01 CEAT Staff Advisory Council exists to identify and communicate to the Dean and senior management of the college issues relevant to the staff of the College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology.

Section 3.0 - Composition

3.01 The CEAT Staff Advisory Council shall consist of fifteen total representatives to be elected from the Exempt and Non-exempt staff of the College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology. There will be five (5) members from the Exempt category, five (5) members from the Non-exempt category, and five (5) members from an At-large category.

3.02 The membership shall consist of individuals nominated and elected by the staff of the College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology.

Section 4.0 - Membership

4.01 Exempt and Non-exempt staff representation on the Council shall conform to the Composition criteria of this document.

4.02 Only Exempt and Non-exempt staff employed on a permanent basis (75% or more and benefits eligible) are entitled to vote.

4.03 Terms of office:

A.  The term of office for members of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council shall be staggered and shall be for two (2) year terms. Staggering may be accomplished by electing members to new positions for one (1) or two (2) years. Members of the Council shall serve for no more than two (2) consecutive terms of office.

B.  Any member of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council who terminates employment with the College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology shall be removed and a Vacancy declared.

C.  Those who change employment status which affects membership classification shall retain their CEAT Staff Advisory Council seat only until the next regular election if the change was an elective decision made by the member.

4.04 There shall be no alternates for members of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council. Whenever a vacancy occurs, the CEAT Staff Advisory Council Chair shall request from the CEAT Staff Advisory Council Executive group a list of names of persons to be placed in nomination to fill the vacancy. After the CEAT Staff Advisory Council Chair receives the names of persons to be placed in nomination, a new person shall be appointed from that list to the vacant position on the CEAT Staff Advisory Council by the CEAT Staff Advisory Council Chair, subject to the majority approval of the full membership of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council. Under no circumstance may a new member be appointed to serve an unexpired term on the CEAT Staff Advisory Council unless that newly appointed member is from the same group in which the vacancy has occurred.

4.05 Any member of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council who is absent from three (3) regular meetings of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council during a CEAT Staff Advisory Council year (July 1 – June 30) may have his or her seat on the CEAT Staff Advisory Council declared vacant by the CEAT Staff Advisory Council Chair. The CEAT Staff Advisory Council member so affected may be reinstated to his or her vacant seat by submitting a written request for reinstatement to the CEAT Staff Advisory Council, but such a request must be sustained by a three‐fourths (3/4) vote of approval of the full CEAT Staff Advisory Council at the next regularly scheduled CEAT Staff Advisory Council meeting. If the affected CEAT Staff Advisory Council member does not request reinstatement or if three‐fourths (3/4) vote of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council does not sustain the request for reinstatement, the seat shall be filled in accordance with Section 4 of this Article.

Section 5.0 - Nomination and Election

5.01 Nomination of the candidates for election must be made in writing to the Secretary of the Council at least twenty-one (21) days prior to the date of the annual election.

5.02 Only those employed on a permanent basis (75% time or more and benefits eligible) may be nominated for election to a seat on the council. All nominations must clarify which one (1) category the nomination is for and have the consent of the nominee and their supervisor.

5.03 Election of members to the CEAT Staff Advisory Council shall be made annually by ballot prior to the regular meeting of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council in June of each year. The results of the balloting shall be announced at the regular CEAT Staff Advisory Council meeting in June each year. The installation of new members and the organization of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council will take place during the July meeting of each year.

Section 6.0 - Officers

6.01 The officers of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council shall be the Chair, the Vice Chair, and the Secretary.

6.02 The officers of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council shall be selected from the membership of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council at the regular July meeting of each year after the installation of the new members.

6.03 The term of office for each elected officer shall be for one (1) year. Any officer may be elected to succeed him or herself in the same office for not more than one (1) additional term.

6.04 The Chair shall preside at all meetings of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council and shall enforce the obligations imposed upon the CEAT Staff Advisory Council by the By-Laws as they relate to the administration of the work of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council.

6.05 The Chair shall appoint the members of all duly-authorized committees of the Council and shall designate a member thereof to serve as Committee Chair.

6.06 The Chair shall conduct official correspondence relating to the business of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council and authorized and directed by the CEAT Staff Advisory Council. Official correspondence includes communication with the Dean of the College of Engineering, Architecture, and Technology and preparing reports to the staff of CEAT.

6.07 The duties of the Vice Chair shall be to assist the Chair as directed; and in the absence of the Chair, the Vice Chair shall assume all the powers and prerogatives of the office during the remainder of the absence.

6.08 The duties of the Secretary shall be to record, maintain, and distribute all resolutions and proceedings of the meetings to all CEAT Staff members. The Secretary shall keep the roll of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council members and the attendance records, and the Secretary shall certify that a quorum is present in order to conduct the official business of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council.

6.09 The Secretary shall keep the minutes of regular and special meetings of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council and shall prepare normal correspondence excluding that correspondence that the CEAT Staff Advisory Council directs the Chair to conduct. The Secretary shall issue notices of all meetings and shall perform other duties pertaining to the office of Secretary.

6.10 The Secretary shall, at the expiration of the term of office, turn over to his or her successor all records and pertinent data of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council held in his or her possession.

6.11 In the absence of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council Chair and Vice Chair from any official meeting of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council, the members of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council shall elect a Chair Pro Tempore to preside at such meeting(s).

Section 7.0 - Meetings

7.01 Regular meetings of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council will normally be held on the second Wednesday of every month. The time and location of the meeting is initially 9 AM – 11 AM in 206 ATRC. All agenda items should be submitted to the Chair to be placed on the agenda for the next meeting. All such requests to be placed on the agenda by subject must be received by the Chair at least five (5) working days prior to the meeting.

7.02 Special meetings of the Council may be called by the Council Chair or by any five (5) members of the Council.

7.03 All meetings of the Council shall be open to any CEAT staff member.

7.04 Any person who is not an elected or appointed member of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council or one of the Council’s committees shall be allowed to address the CEAT Staff Advisory Council and to participate in discussion of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council matters, provided that person submits a written request to the CEAT Staff Advisory Council Chair to be placed on the agenda for the next meeting. All such requests, to be placed on the agenda by subject must be received by the Secretary at least five (5) working days prior to the CEAT Staff Advisory Council meeting.

7.05 Any person who is not an elected or appointed member of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council or one of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council’s committees and who has not requested to be placed on the agenda may be allowed to address the CEAT Staff Advisory Council and participate in discussion of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council matters by a majority vote of the members of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council who are present.

7.06 Non‐members of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council or of a CEAT Staff Advisory Council’s committee who are allowed to address the CEAT Staff Advisory Council shall be limited to five (5) minutes to present their views or to state their position in any matter under CEAT Staff Advisory Council consideration. A request for extension of time may be granted by a majority vote of the members of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council who are present.

7.07 The duties of the Vice Chair shall be to assist the CEAT Staff Advisory Council Chair as directed; and in the absence of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council Chair, the Vice Chair shall assume all the powers and prerogatives of the office during the remainder of the absence.

7.08 The duties of the Secretary shall be to record, maintain, and distribute all resolutions and proceedings of meetings to all CEAT Staff Advisory Council members. The Secretary shall keep the roll of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council members and the attendance records, and the Secretary shall certify that a quorum is present in order to conduct the official business of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council.

7.09 The Secretary shall keep the minutes of regular and special meetings of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council and shall prepare normal correspondence of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council excluding that correspondence that the CEAT Staff Advisory Council directs the Council Chair to conduct. The Secretary shall issue notices of all meetings. The Secretary shall, at the expiration of the term of office, turn over to his or her successor all records and pertinent data of the Council held in his or her possession. The Secretary shall perform other duties as specified in the Bylaws.

7.10 In the absence of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council Chair and Vice Chair from any official meeting of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council, the members of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council shall elect a Chair Pro Tempore to preside at such meeting(s).

Section 8.0 - Quorum and Voting

8.01 A majority of the members of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council shall constitute a quorum authorized to transact business at any regular or special meeting of the council.

8.02 Voting by the CEAT Staff Advisory Council membership shall be by voice except when voting by ballot is deemed necessary by the Chair.

8.03 A majority votes of the Council members present and voting shall carry a motion except to alter, amend, annul, or suspend the By-Laws of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council. In cases such as these, voting shall be in accordance with Article VIII of the By-Laws.

Section 9.0 - Rules of Order

9.01 The rules of parliamentary procedure, as laid down in Robert’s Rules of Order, shall govern all meetings of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council and its standing and special committees.

Section 10.0 - Amendments, Alterations, Annulments, Suspension

10.01 Proposals for amendments, alterations, annulments, or suspension of the By-Laws of the Council shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary, who shall send copies of such proposal(s) to each member of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council prior to the next regularly scheduled meeting of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council. The CEAT Staff Advisory Council by a majority vote of the full CEAT Staff Advisory Council shall determine if the proposal(s) will be submitted to the general membership of the Oklahoma State University staff for action. This determination shall be made prior to the adjournment of the third consecutive regular meeting of the CEAT Staff Advisory Council following the original presentation of the proposal(s) to the CEAT Staff Advisory Council.