ESC By-Laws

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
EXEMPT STAFF COUNCIL
BY-LAWS

A. PURPOSE:

The purpose of the Exempt Staff Council is to serve as a direct channel of two-way communication between regular exempt staff and senior University administration by:

- providing University administration with an effective method of soliciting and disseminating information concerning plans and programs of interest to regular exempt staff;
- serving as an advisory body to the Chancellor with respect to policies, programs and practices;
- affording a systematic means for exempt staff participation in the operation of The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

B. MEMBERSHIP:

1. The Exempt Staff Council will consist of twelve (12) to fifteen (15) representatives elected from predetermined employee groupings based on organization, type of position, or other criterion by which a community of interest can be established. Such representational units shall be established such that there will be at least one representative for each twenty (20) regular exempt staff members in the represented group. Representational units will be reviewed prior to each general election and adjusted as necessary by a committee of ESC members appointed by the ESC Chair.

2. Any regular full?time or part-time exempt staff member who has completed one year of continuous service with UTC is eligible to vote in elections and to serve as a representative, with the exception of individuals with faculty rank and individuals reporting directly to the Chancellor.

3. The Director of Affirmative Action, the Director of Personnel Services, and the immediate past chair (if not a current representative) will serve as ex?officio non?voting members of the Exempt Staff Council. The Director of Personnel Services will be responsible for administrative support to the Exempt Staff Council, to include administration of elections, production of minutes, maintenance of records, and other support functions as necessary for the efficient administration of the Council.

4. Vacancies during a term of office will be filled by the eligible individual with the next highest number of votes for the representational unit. A representative who changes positions during a term may complete his/her term if the new position falls in the same employee representational unit for which he/she was elected. If the new position is outside of the original representational unit, the alternate will assume the vacancy.

C. GENERAL ELECTIONS:

1. Elections will be held in the spring of even numbered years. Newly elected representatives will begin their term of office at the time of the first ESC meeting following the elections.

2. The Office of Personnel Services will be responsible to issue ballots containing the names of exempt staff eligible for election in each representational unit. Ballots will be distributed to all exempt staff eligible to vote. A staff member who does not wish to serve may request that his or her name be removed from the ballot.

3. In each representational unit, the eligible candidate with the highest number of votes will be offered the opportunity to serve as the ESC representative. In the case of a tie, the individual with the greater continuous service credit with the University will be elected.

4. Representatives will serve two-year terms.

D. OFFICERS:

1. Officers:
a. Officers shall consist of a Chair and a Vice-Chair.
b. ESC Chair duties shall be:
q to preside at all ESC meetings and establish meeting agendas
q to serve as the ESC representative in Budget hearings, meetings with senior administration, and other situations requiring communication of the interests and perspectives of exempt staff at large.
q to appoint chairs of various standing and special ESC committeees
q to appoint representatives to various University committees as appropriate
c. The Vice-Chair shall assume the duties of the Chair when the Chair is absent and will work with various ESC committees as needed.

2. Eligibility: All ESC Officers shall be elected ESC Representatives.

3. Method of selection:
a. Chairperson and Vice-Chair shall be chosen at the first ESC meeting following the general elections.
b. Ballots containing the names of all eligible candidates for the offices will be prepared by the Office of Personnel Services prior to the meeting at which election of officers takes place.
Individuals not wishing to serve as Chair or Vice-Chair will be offered the opportunity to remove their names from the ballot.
c. Election for each office shall be by a majority of votes of current (newly elected) representatives attending the meeting.

2. Term of office:
a. Officers will serve for a two-year term to begin immediately after the election.
b. Officers are eligible to serve for no more than two consecutive terms in the same capacity.
c. If the outgoing chair is not reelected to serve as a representative, he/she will be invited to serve as a ex-offico member for one term.

E. COMMITTEES AND COMMITTEE APPOINTMENTS:

1. Chairs of standing and special committees shall be appointed by the Chair of the ESC.
2. The Committee Chair is responsible for appointing ESC members to his/her committee. If the Committee Chair is unable to form a committee using ESC representatives, then he/she may solicit members from the exempt staff roster which is maintained by the Office of Personnel Services.
3. University committee appointments shall be made, as appropriate by the ESC Chair.

F. MEETINGS:

1. Meetings will generally be held monthly, unless otherwise indicated.
2. The ESC Chair may call special meetings as necessary.
3. A quorum necessary to conduct ESC business shall consist of a majority of elected representatives.
4. Representatives are expected to effectively represent their units through participation in ESC meetings and other activities:
q Representatives are responsible to attend every ESC meeting or to arrange for a substitute exempt staff member to attend in his/her place.
q Representatives who fail to attend four scheduled meetings in any calendar year will be expected to resign from the ESC.
5. Visitors and guests may attend ESC meetings upon invitation by the Chair.

G. MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS ON POLICY ISSUES:

1. ESC representatives are elected to effectively present the views and opinions of their constituent units. They are expected to solicit the views and opinions of their constituents relating to issues of concern to exempt staff and to report back to individuals submitting issues of concern regarding the response of the ESC.
2. Issues or recommendations relating to University policy must be submitted in writing to the Chair for review and distribution to the ESC membership prior to discussion and vote.
3. Time for discussion of such issues by the ESC must be scheduled prior to the vote of the ESC on the recommendation. Such time may be scheduled before, during, or after a regular meeting of the ESC or during a special meeting scheduled for this purpose.
4. The ESC representatives shall vote on any recommendation or statement of position to be forwarded to the Chancellor for consideration.
5. A majority vote of a quorum of ESC representatives is required for adoption of any such recommendations or statements by the ESC.

G. AMENDMENTS OF BYLAWS

Amendments to ESC Bylaws require a two-thirds vote of a quorum of ESC representatives for approval.

Bylaws of Exempt Staff Council, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga,
approved and accepted June 18, 2002.