Mission Statement
Represent the interests and issues impacting Penn State Scranton Staff.
Staff Advisory Council Bylaws
Article I – Name of the organization
The organization shall be called the Penn State Scranton Staff Advisory Council [PSSNSAC].
Article II – Purpose
The Penn State Scranton Staff Advisory Council shall exist for the purpose of providing effective communications with exempt and nonexempt staff regarding suggestions, review, and advice on issues that impact on or are impacted by staff. Issues such as policy and practice, continuous quality improvement, diversity, customer service, or other institutional concerns shall be addressed. The Council acts in an advisory capacity to the Chancellor.
Article III – Membership
Section 1 – Definitions
Member: Voting position with the Council. Full members shall be elected as outlined in Section 3 below and shall be eligible to hold elected positions.
Volunteer: Non-voting position with the Council. Volunteers shall typically be recruited from the pool of persons eligible for membership in the Council as members of Issues Committees and shall not be eligible to hold elected positions.
Consultant: Non-voting temporary position with the Council. Consultants shall typically be persons with expertise who provide information to Issues Committees.
Ex-officio member: Non-voting position with the Council. Ex-officio members shall not be eligible to hold elected positions. Examples of ex-officio appointments include:
- Penn State Scranton Faculty Senate representative
- Student Government Association representative
The Executive Committee of the Council may appoint additional ex-officio members as appropriate.
Section 2 – Eligibility
Full-time and part-time staff employees are eligible to apply for membership.
Section 3 – Election of Members
The PSSNSAC shall be composed of 9 members which shall consist of a combination of exempt, nonexempt full and part-time staff.
To be eligible to hold office, staff must be employees (full or part time) at Penn State Scranton, not including student wage-payroll employees, executive staff, Technical Services or employees covered by an existing bargaining unit. Executive staff is defined as being a campus administrator or director, including regional appointments. No member shall be eligible to serve more than one consecutive term.
A member who is elected Chair may serve up to a five-year term, defined as two years as a voting member, one year as Chair-elect, one year as Chair, and one year as past-Chair.
New members of the PSSNSAC shall be elected annually. All eligible staff shall be nominated. Staff who do not want to be nominated may have their names removed from the ballot provided they notify the Nominating Committee at least two weeks before the election. Staff may not self-nominate.
Section 4 – Transition of Members
An orientation meeting for new members shall be held in June of each year. The Executive Committee and the Coordinator of the Issues Committee shall attend this meeting for the purpose of transitioning members for the upcoming academic year. In addition, all members, retiring and ongoing, of the PSSNSAC shall be invited to attend this meeting.
Section 5 – Leave of Absence for Members
Requests for a temporary leave of absence from the Council may be submitted to the Chair. Such requests shall be granted whenever possible. Since such leaves are temporary, the resulting vacancy shall not be filled by a new member.
Section 6 – Member Resignation
Resignations from the Council shall be submitted to the Chair, who shall then invite the staff member who received the next highest number of votes in the election for the current year to join the Council for the remainder of the designated term. In the case of a single nomination, the Council will determine temporary replacement.
Members absent from three or more of the regular meetings during any academic year may be declared inactive and may be asked to resign, subject to review by the Executive Committee.
Section 7 – Job Status Changes for Members
If a member’s job status changes during his/her term, ratio should be restored in the next election to maintain the ratio of exempt, nonexempt, and part-time staff required on the council.
Article IV – Committees
Section 1 – Executive Committee
The Executive Committee shall consist of the Chair, the Chair-elect, the Past Chair, Treasurer, and the Secretary (who are non-bargaining unit members). The Executive Committee shall coordinate the activities of the PSSNSAC. No individual member, ex-officio member, volunteer, or consultant shall take any action on behalf of the PSSNSAC, unless specifically delegated to do so by the Executive Committee acting on behalf of the full membership.
Chair – The Chair shall be the presiding officer of the PSSNSAC. The Chair shall be elected for a three-year term commencing on July 1, serving the first year as Chair-Elect, the second year as Chair, and the third year as Past Chair. (Note: As specified in Section 2, a person who is elected to the position of Chair-Elect may serve the full three-year rotation, no matter how many years she or he has left in the term of membership.) The duties of the Chair are to preside over all meetings; to have general and active management of the business of the Council; to see that all orders and resolutions of the membership are carried into effect; to respond to and initiate communications with the Office of the Chancellor of Penn State Scranton and with any external constituencies on behalf of the Council; and to perform all duties and exercise all authority usually associated with the office of the Chair or prescribed by the membership.
In the event that the Chair resigns the position at a time when there is no designated Chair-Elect, the Executive Committee shall appoint another member as Chair to serve until the next regular election.
Chair-Elect – The Chair-Elect shall automatically succeed to the position of Chair during his or her second year in office. During the first year, the individual shall serve as Chair-Elect, attending all functions with the Chair and assuming the role and duties appropriate to that office in the absence of the Chair. The Chair-Elect shall also serve as parliamentarian of the PSSNSAC.
In the event that the Chair resigns or is unable to serve, the Chair-Elect shall move into that position immediately. The Executive Committee shall schedule an election to fill the position of Chair-Elect as soon as is practical.
Past Chair – The Chair shall automatically succeed to the position of Past Chair during his or her third year in office. This individual shall chair the Nominating Committee and participate in Executive Committee activities.
In the event that the Past Chair resigns from the position during the academic year, the Executive Committee shall appoint a representative from its membership to serve until July 1.
Treasurer – The Treasurer shall be elected for a one-year term commencing on July 1; however the Treasurer may not be elected for two consecutive terms. The Treasurer shall be responsible for collecting, tracking and maintaining any funds generated for the PSSNSAC.
In the event that the Treasurer resigns or is unable to serve, the Executive Committee shall ask for a volunteer, or appoint another member, to serve as Treasurer until the next regular election
Secretary – The Secretary shall be elected for a one-year term commencing on July 1; however, the Secretary may not be elected for two consecutive terms. The Secretary shall record and distribute the minutes of all meetings, shall keep the roll of all meetings, and shall keep the ballots of all elections and official records of memberships and terms.
In the event that the Secretary resigns or is unable to serve, the Executive Committee shall ask for a volunteer, or appoint another member, to serve as Secretary until the next regular election.
Election of Executive Committee
Election of the Chair-Elect, Treasurer and Secretary shall normally be held by secret electronic ballot and shall be conducted as follows: early in the spring semester of each year, the Nominating Committee shall distribute to all members of the Council a list of members and solicit nominations from that list. The Nominating Committee shall then check with each nominee to ascertain if the individual is willing to serve. At every regularly scheduled March meeting, the Nominating Committee shall present a slate of a minimum of one nominee for the office of Chair-Elect, one nominee for the office of Treasurer and one nominee for the office of Secretary. Nominations of additional members from the floor shall be accepted at that time. No person shall be nominated for more than one office. Upon finalization of the slate, a ballot shall be sent to all voting members. Voting shall take place within ten days and the final decisions will be presented to the Chair via the Office of Chancellor of Penn State Scranton. Results of the balloting are to be communicated to the membership by the Chair.
Section 2 – Issues Committees
Each meeting, the full Council shall decide on the issues to be examined. Members may then select at least one of the Issues Committees to serve on and participate with. The Coordinator of each Issues Committee shall be selected by the members of that Issues Committee; the Coordinator shall be a member of the Council.
Any exempt or nonexempt Staff member of Penn State Scranton may be invited to join one of the Issues Committees as a volunteer on the basis of his/her interest, expertise, or membership in a particular sector of the Penn State Scranton community. All Issues Committees are encouraged to seek advice or consultation on particular questions as circumstances might indicate.
Each Issues Committee shall learn about the issue at hand, investigate possible improvements, and develop recommended action plans and initiatives to be presented to the full Council. Each Issues Committee shall consult with the Chancellor of Penn State Scranton and with appropriate executive staff as it considers its issue. Periodic updates shall be presented at meetings of the full Council. The final recommendation from each Issues Committee shall be presented to the full Council in writing prior to a regularly scheduled meeting. A written status report shall be presented to the full Council at the May meeting if the issue has not been brought to closure. Upon approval of the full Council, the final report and recommendation shall be forwarded to the Chancellor of Penn State Scranton.
Section 3 – Nominating Committee
A Nominating Committee shall be convened early in spring semester of each year. The Nominating Committee shall be chaired by the Past-Chair, and three additional members appointed by the Chair at the January meeting. It is recommended that these members have at least two years experience on the PSSNSAC.
The Nominating Committee shall solicit nominations of new members to fill seats of those ending their terms.
In addition, the Nominating Committee shall coordinate the election of the Chair-Elect, Treasurer and Secretary as outlined in Election of Executive Committee.
Article V – Meetings
Regular meetings of the PSSNSAC shall be held in the months of January, March, May, September, and November with dates and times for the upcoming year to be determined by the incoming Chair and council members at the New Orientation Meeting in June. Special meetings of membership, for any purpose or purposes, may be called at any time by the Chair. A quorum consisting of two-thirds of the voting membership must be present at all meetings in order for any official actions to be taken in the name of the Council.
All PSSNSAC meetings shall be open to any interested staff member of the Penn State Scranton community, providing those who wish to attend have permission from their supervisor. Persons who would like to address the PSSNSAC shall contact the Chair in advance to be provided time on the agenda.
Council meeting time usually is during normal Penn State Scranton hours and is considered Penn State Scranton business.
Issues Committee shall decide on meeting frequency and dates.
All meetings of the PSSNSAC and all Issues Committee meetings shall be governed by the then-current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.
Article VI – Amendments
These Bylaws may be altered or amended at any time in accordance with the following procedure. Amendments must be presented to all members of the Council in writing at least fifteen days prior to a scheduled meeting. Individuals who will not be present for the meeting shall be invited to mail or email discussion to the Chair prior to the meeting. An amendment to these Bylaws shall be adopted by a ballot vote of two-thirds of the total Council membership to be returned to the Chair within fifteen days of the meeting at which the amendment was discussed. Implementation of changes to the bylaws will require the approval of the Chancellor.
Bylaws initially adopted: 9/17/2015
Appendix
During the first three years of the PSSNSAC, the officers shall serve partial terms.
Business normally conducted at the July meeting shall be conducted at the October meeting during the first year.
Addendum A
ISSUE SUBMISSION PROCEDURE – PROCEDURES FOR HANDLING ISSUES
In order for the PSSNSAC to respond to staff concerns, the staff person must submit an issue in written format to a PSSNSAC member, or use the “Submit an Issue” link on the Scranton Staff Advisory Council home page, The staff person’s name will be held in confidence by the council member receiving the issue.
The review process of issues brought before SAC will include the following procedures:
- Staff will submit issues, in writing, to a PSSNSAC member or through the mailbox in Dawson Building, the contents of which is reviewed by the chair-elect. Concerns may be expressed on a formal issue form or in any written format.
- The PSSNSAC member receiving the issue(s) will then transcribe the issue to a formal PSSNSAC issues form, omitting the submitter’s identity.
- The receiving member will present the issue to the PSSNSAC at the next scheduled meeting. The member will verbally present a general overview of the issue and may provide written copies of the issue, without submitter’s identity, to fellow PSSNSAC members.
- PSSNSAC will review the issue and make one of three possible decisions:
- Seek additional information via the member who brought the issue to committee.
- Form a committee to study the issue and make recommendations to the Chancellor.
- Determine that the issue should not be handled by SAC and forward it to the appropriate department, or take no action at all.
- The PSSNSAC, through the member initially presented with the issue(s) will notify the submitter of the committee’s proceedings.
After each meeting the PSSNSAC will update the Staff Advisory Council website with a meeting summary.
Addendum B
ADOPTED 9/30/17
DONATIONS – STAFF FUNDS
Staff general fundraising monies shall be used for the sole use of all staff as a whole and not for individual donations. Dedicated fundraising events should be conducted for the purpose of any individual funding requests; such as, an illness, retirement, etc. General funds are meant solely for the use of the staff as a group.
Addendum C
ADOPTED 10/1/21
ELECTION OF NEWLY-HIRED STAFF
Newly-hired staff shall be eligible to hold office after one academic year of employment to afford the employee ample time to learn their new job responsibilities, become acclimated to the campus, and for the benefit of their department.
Addendum D
ADOPTED 10/1/21
STAFF ADVISORY COUNCIL NAME
Bylaws were amended to reflect the new campus name, Penn State Scranton, changing from PSWSSAC to PSSNSAC.
Webpage updated: 2/22/2024