Title
School of Nursing: Staff Bylaws
Unit Policy
Introduction
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to set forth the mission, membership, and governance of the School of Nursing (SON) staff organization.
Scope
This policy applies to SON staff.
Policy
Mission Statement
The charge of the SON staff and the Staff Representatives Committee (SRC) is to facilitate communication and professional development, constructively address school-wide issues and concerns presented by SON staff, faculty and administration, and in all efforts contribute to the Strategic Plan and Core Values of the SON.
Membership
Members-at-large will include SON full-time, part-time, and temporary SHRA and EHRA non-faculty. Members-at-large may bring feedback to the Staff Committee through a departmental SRC representative or directly.
The SRC may consist of up to ten regular members and four Executive Board members per fiscal year. The SRC should make every effort to represent all departments and/or job functions in the SON. Participation on the SRC is open to all SON full-time and part-time SHRA and EHRA non-faculty staff members who have completed at minimum one (1) year of employment with the SON. All SRC members have voting rights. SRC members with more than three (3) absences from general body SRC meetings will be dismissed from the Committee.
Ex-officio members of the SRC include the Faculty Executive Committee Chair, the Associate Dean of Administrative Services, and the immediate past Staff Chair. In the event of a tie, the immediate past Staff Chair will maintain voting privileges.
The Executive Board consists of four elected officers: a Staff Chair, a Staff Chair-elect, a Treasurer, and a Secretary. Their role and terms are as follows:
- Staff Chair
- The Staff Chair serves a one-year term, immediately followed by a six-month term as the Immediate Past Staff Chair.
- Roles and responsibilities:
- Presides over all SRC meetings and SON Staff meetings.
- Coordinates and develops the agendas for all SRC meetings and SON Staff meetings.
- Oversees the activities of the SRC.
- Serves as the liaison between SON Leadership and SON Staff.
- Serves as the Staff Representative on the Leadership Team.
- Serves as the Chair of the SRC Events Subcommittee.
- Keeps an updated list of all SRC committees and their members.
- Fulfills other responsibilities as needed.
- Staff Chair-elect
- The Staff Chair elect serves a one-year term, immediately followed by a one-year term as the Staff Chair.
- Roles and responsibilities:
- Functions as the “Chair-in-Training” and will assume all responsibilities of the Chair in the following fiscal year.
- Assumes responsibility of the Staff Chair in his/her absence.
- Fulfills other responsibilities as assigned.
- Treasurer
- The SRC Treasurer serves a one-year term and may run for re-election for up to two terms.
- Roles and responsibilities:
- Coordinates with Associate Dean of Administrative Services to ensure security of funds for discretionary items.
- Serves as Chair of Budget Creation Ad Hoc Committee.
- Keeps track of all revenues and expenditures of the Staff Committee and its subcommittees.
- Provides monthly budget updates to the Staff Chair and quarterly budget reports to the SRC.
- Secretary
- The SRC Secretary serves a one-year term and may run for re-election for up to two terms.
- Roles and responsibilities:
- Reviews the minutes of all meetings of the SRC and SON Staff.
- Ensures all SRC meetings and SON Staff meetings are recorded on the SON Academic Calendar.
- Notifies and reminds SRC members of upcoming meetings.
- Determines whether a quorum is present and supervises voting and other administrative procedures at all meetings of the SRC.
- Manages attendance of all SRC meetings and reports to Staff Chair those members with two (2) or more absences.
- Updates files on the SRC Teams site, including a SRC Transitions document for newly elected officers.
- Chairs SRC Communications Subcommittee.
The following occurs in the event of position vacancies outside of the regular election term:
- If the Staff Chair is unable to complete his/her full term as Staff Chair, the Chair-elect assumes the role of Staff Chair for the remainder of the fiscal year.
- If the Staff Chair-elect is unable to complete his/her full term as Chair-elect, the position will remain vacant until the upcoming regular election cycle. Chair-elect duties will then be assumed by the remaining members of the Executive Board.
- If the Treasurer and/or Secretary are unable to complete his/her full term, a special election will be held. The vacancy should be filled within thirty (30) days.
- If both the Staff Chair and Staff Chair-elect are unable to complete their full terms before the next regular election, the SRC Treasurer assumes the position of interim Staff Chair. A special election will be held to confirm a new Staff Chair within thirty (30) days of the position vacancy.
As a courtesy, Executive Board members are asked to give at least two (2) weeks’ notice when resigning from his/her office.
Nomination and election of Executive Board Officers
The regular election cycle begins in the final month of the fiscal year.
Candidates for the SRC Chair-elect must have served previously on the SRC for one full term (one-year). Candidates for SRC Treasurer and/or Secretary must meet the same minimum requirements as SRC general body members.
Candidates can nominate themselves or be nominated by another staff member, so long as the nominee has granted permission via email or write-in to a designee. The nomination period will be open for one (1) week. Once nominations are complete and candidates confirmed, a ballot will be dispersed to all SON Staff, and voting will be open for one (1) week via an anonymous online poll. In the event that an office has only one (1) nominee, the voting period will be skipped, and the sole candidate will be appointed.
The SRC Executive Board members not running for re-election will perform all nomination and election activities, including collecting nominations and collecting and counting votes. The SRC Executive Board will inform SON Staff via email of the elected officers.
Meetings
The SRC will meet once monthly to plan SON Staff meetings, gatherings, and events. The full calendar of SRC meetings will be constructed and updated in the first month of each fiscal year and added to the SON Academic Calendar. SON Staff will meet monthly throughout the year to discuss items such as: Staff concerns, potential workshops, professional development opportunities, or other activities.
All meetings of the SRC and SON Staff will be conducted in a hybrid fashion, and a Zoom link will be included on SON Academic Calendar invitations. Minutes will be recorded at all meetings using Microsoft Co-Pilot. The SRC Secretary is responsible for reviewing, editing, and distributing meeting minutes.
Additional meetings may be incorporated into school-wide events during the year. Special meetings of the SRC must be called at least five (5) business days prior to the meeting date.
A quorum is established at SRC meetings when two-thirds of members are present. All proposals are passed with a simple majority vote.
The SRC will plan an annual Staff Retreat each March which coincides with the UNC-Chapel Hill Spring Break or Wellness Days. Other events will take place throughout the fiscal year to advance the purpose of the SRC, as established in Article I of these Bylaws.
A business meeting will be conducted at the beginning of any formal SON Staff meeting, gathering, or event.
Ad Hoc and Subcommittees
The following ad hoc or subcommittees have been established to help advance the Purpose of the SRC, as established in Article I of these Bylaws. They are as follows:
- Budget Creation Ad Hoc Committee
- Chaired by the SRC Treasurer, the committee serves to create a budget proposal for the fiscal year. The SRC Treasurer will present this proposal at the second SRC meeting of the fiscal year. The budget proposal is passed by a simple majority vote. Once the proposal has passed, the committee dissolves until the next fiscal year.
- Events Subcommittee
- Chaired by the SRC Chair, the committee serves to plan and execute all social events and gatherings of the SON Staff or SRC, including the SON Staff Retreat. The committee will submit proposals to the SRC for a vote before beginning work on any events.
- Communications Subcommittee
- Chaired by the SRC Secretary, the committee serves to create and disseminate all communications to the SON Staff, including but not limited to SON Staff surveys and events calendars.
New or ad hoc committees are supported and encouraged to handle specific SON Staff topics. Executive board, SRC, or SON Staff members proposing a new or ad hoc committee must submit a proposal, in writing, to the SRC at least three (3) business days prior to the next SRC meeting. New committees will be approved or denied through a simple majority vote of the SRC.
Staff Fund
The SON Staff receive an annual budgeted amount which includes operating funds to cover expenses for an annual Staff Retreat and meetings, gatherings, or events planned during the fiscal year. Funds remaining at the end of a fiscal year do not carry forward to the next fiscal year.
Amendments to the Staff Bylaws
SRC Executive Board, SRC, or SON Staff members may bring a proposal, in writing, to the SRC for a vote. A simple majority vote determines the SRC’s support of the proposed amendment. Amendments supported by the SRC are submitted to the Dean for final approval.
The SRC is tasked with the annual review of these Bylaws at the commencement of each fiscal year in a special meeting.
Exceptions
N/A
Contact Information
Policy Contact
Lisa Miller, Associate Dean for Administrative Services
Other Contacts
N/A
Important Dates
- Effective Date and title of Approver: 1/1993
- Last reviewed on 7/12/24, approved on 8/5/24 per Abby Yori, Staff Lead