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Engineering Staff Advisory Council Bylaws
College of Engineering, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa

Article I
Name

The name of this organization shall be the Engineering Staff Advisory Council (ESAC) of the College of Engineering, the University of Iowa.

Article II 
Purpose and Goals

The purpose of ESAC is to facilitate communication within the college, represent staff concerns and issues to College of Engineering administration, and ensure staff involvement in committees and discussions that affect College of Engineering staff. ESAC is an elected body that represents staff members in the College of Engineering. This constituent group may be composed of non-bargaining staff who are:

  1. Professional and Scientific,
  2. Merit Supervisory Exempt, and
  3. Merit Confidential.

The goals of the council are to:

  1. Provide a forum for non-bargaining staff to bring forth concerns, advocate for changes or improvements, and advise the administration on issues and policies affecting staff;
  2. Facilitate participation of non-bargaining staff in decision-making processes in the college as appropriate, such as but not limited to establishing practices for the involvement of staff in college/organization strategic planning, executive level searches, and internal process improvements;
  3. Provide opportunities for bargaining and non-bargaining staff to participate in local activities not affecting wages such as diversity initiatives, reward and recognition, professional development, community building, and philanthropic activities;
  4. Interact and coordinate with the Engineering Administrative Council, Engineering Faculty Council, and Engineering Student Council, as needed;
  5. Promote College of Engineering relations within the university, the Iowa City community, and the state of Iowa; and
  6. Inform constituents of activities of ESAC.

Article III 
Organization 

ESAC is composed of no more than one representative or councilor for every 10 employees in the constituent group as described in Article II. The maximum number of councilors is 11, excluding non-council advisors. Council representation shall be re-evaluated prior to each election cycle so that the number of councilors shall be determined by the previous operational year’s College of Engineering employment numbers. If the number of councilors allowed drops below the number of councilors currently serving terms, all councilors shall complete their terms and the appropriate number of seats will not be re-filled at the next election. Councilor duties are listed in articles XI and XIII. 

Article IV 
Council News

ESAC information shall be published. Minutes of ESAC meetings are to be published electronically. There are no minutes kept for committee meetings.  All committees will report updates during full council meetings that will be included in the meeting minutes and published as described.

Article V 
Operational Year 

The operational year of the council shall be from July 1st to the following June 30th.

Article VI 
Nominations to ESAC 

Section 1. Those eligible for nomination shall be permanent employees of the College of Engineering, either full time or part time, who are members of the constituent group as defined in Article II.

Section 2. In May, ESAC shall advertise upcoming nominations for councilors. Nominations shall be sent to the ESAC Elections Committee no later than the third week of May.

Section 3. Terms of ESAC membership shall be two years unless a vacated term is being completed. However, if the Vice President/President Elect is in the last year of their council term, then this councilor's term is extended an additional year in order to assume the President's duties. There is no limit to the number of terms a councilor can serve.

Article VII 
Elections to ESAC 

Section 1. The names of all eligible nominees as defined in Article VI, Section 1 and who have accepted nomination in writing shall be placed on the ballot. Each nominee shall submit a brief statement (no more than 120 words) to be included on the ballot. Ballots shall be prepared and approved by the Elections Committee. Ballots shall be distributed electronically to constituents listed in Article II no later than the last business day of May. The deadline for election of councilors shall be one week after the distribution date.

Section 2. Following the deadline date, election results shall be approved and certified by the Elections Committee. In case of a tie, the winner shall be chosen by lot. Results of the election shall be given to the Secretary of the council, who shall make the results a part of the permanent council records.

Section 3. Any candidate listed on the ESAC official ballot for annual election may ask for an audit of the election within seven days of the release of election results. Said audit request must be presented in writing to the chair of the Elections Committee. An authorized audit of election ballots shall be performed by an impartial third party.

Section 4. All newly elected councilors shall begin their term July 1.

Section 5. In the event that a councilor leaves the College of Engineering, the councilor’s position on ESAC shall terminate on the date their position in the College of Engineering terminates.

Section 6. Vacancies shall be filled according to article VIII.

Article VIII 
Vacancies 

In the event of a councilor vacancy during the term, due to resignation or because not all open seats were filled in the annual election, the Elections Committee shall seek open nominations from the floor at the next ESAC meeting. These nominations may include candidates from the most recent election who were not elected as ESAC councilors. The Elections Committee shall confirm acceptance of nomination with each nominee in writing. After review of all confirmed candidates, the Elections Committee shall make a recommendation to the Executive Committee of a potential replacement for each vacancy. The Executive Committee shall then be responsible to complete final selection of the new councilor(s). Councilors appointed to fill vacancies begin their term at the ESAC meeting following their appointment and to serve until the next annual election.

Article IX 
Officers 

Section 1. The officers of ESAC shall be a President, Vice President/President Elect, Treasurer, and Secretary.

Section 2. The Vice President/President Elect shall assume the duties of the office of President at the beginning of the operational year, July 1. The President must have served on the council during the year immediately preceding the time they hold office. If at the time of election no members of ESAC served during the immediately preceding year, then any member of ESAC may serve as President.

Section 3. Nominations for the ESAC offices of Vice President/President Elect, Treasurer, and Secretary shall be made and the officers shall be elected by full council and assume their positions at the beginning of the operational year during the July meeting. If any of these offices cannot be filled during the July meeting and a majority of the councilors voted to do so, the officer election(s) may be postponed and held during the August meeting.

Section 4. If the office of President becomes vacant, the Vice President/President Elect shall become President for the remainder of that term and continue in the office of President the following year. If the office of Vice President/President Elect becomes vacant, a Vice President shall be elected from the councilors at the next meeting to serve the remainder of the term as Vice President. An election for Vice President/President Elect shall be held at the beginning of the new term as described in Article IX section 2. If the office of Treasurer or Secretary becomes vacant, an election for Treasurer or Secretary will be held at the next meeting for the remainder of the term.

Article X
Duties of Officers 

The duties of the officers are those implied by their respective titles and as specified in these Bylaws.

Section 1. The President shall:

  1. Perform such duties as may arise pertaining to the office of President.
  2. Preside at all meetings of the council and executive committee.
  3. Prepare and distribute to ESAC an agenda for each meeting, or may designate an Executive Committee member to do so.
  4. Appoint a President pro tempore in the event of the temporary absence of the President and Vice President/President Elect.
  5. Submit ESAC recommendations to appropriate College of Engineering administration.
  6. Represent ESAC at College of Engineering administrative meetings, as needed.
  7. With the invitation and consent of the Dean, participate on the Engineering Advisory Council.
  8. Create and amend a list of ESAC projects and accomplishments for distribution and oversee the advertising for ESAC events, including elections.
  9. Oversee election of officers at first ESAC meeting of the new operational year
  10. Initiate the membership of all standing committees and the creation of ad-hoc committees.
  11. Chair, or designate another councilor to chair, the awards committee.
  12. Share the responsibility with the Vice President/President Elect to respond to emails sent to the ESAC email address.

Section 2. The Vice President/President Elect shall:

  1. Perform the duties of the President in the absence of the officer.
  2. Chair the Elections Committee. Send a note to the elected councilors congratulating them on their election to the council and inviting them to attend the next meeting. Appropriately dispose of all ballots eight days following the date of mailing the vote summarization or resolution of vote challenge.
  3. Maintain a current description of each standing committee and ad hoc committee including information that would be useful to future councilors.
  4. Perform such duties as the President shall designate.
  5. Assume the office of President the following year.
  6. Share the responsibility with the President to respond to emails sent to the ESAC email address.

Section 3. The Secretary shall:

  1. Be responsible for meeting minutes as defined in Article IV.
  2. Inform councilors of upcoming meetings and events at least one week in advance.
  3. Confirm meeting schedule and reserve rooms and facilities to host meetings.
  4. Work with the college webmaster to maintain the ESAC website unless otherwise delegated to another ESAC councilor.
  5. Send minutes to Council within one week after council meetings to allow enough time for editing. Publish approved minutes to website within one week after ESAC approval unless otherwise delegated to another ESAC councilor.
  6. Be responsible for the ESAC meeting attendance roster.
  7. Conduct correspondence not listed under the responsibilities of President and Vice President/President Elect.
  8. Forward ESAC meeting minutes to University Staff Council.
  9. Notify the President if a councilor misses three or more monthly meetings.
  10. Notify the Executive Committee if a councilor misses five or more monthly meetings.
  11. Chair the bylaws committee.

Section 4. The Treasurer shall:

  1. Be responsible for all financial record keeping activities for the council and defined committees.
  2. Work with College of Engineering financial staff to prepare a financial statement for each ESAC monthly meeting.
  3. Present financial statements to the council. A financial summary should be included in meeting minutes posted to the ESAC website.
  4. Arrange for payment of products or services obtained unless otherwise delegated to another ESAC councilor.
  5. Gather input from constituency about needs and concerns of staff regarding ESAC budget.
  6. Meet, as appropriate, with the Dean of the College of Engineering and/or the Director of Finance of the College of Engineering or their designee to discuss budget issues of specific concern from staff.

Article XI 
Full Council Meetings 

Section 1. Meetings shall be held monthly and as necessary.

Section 2. The meetings of the full council shall be open to the public. Executive sessions may be held by majority vote of the council. In executive sessions, attendance is limited to councilors and other persons approved by a majority vote of the council.

Section 3. Special meetings may be called by the President.

Section 4. Councilors missing three of the regularly scheduled meetings during the year shall be sent a letter by the President requesting confirmation of their interest and willingness to continue serving on the council. Councilors missing five or more of the regularly scheduled meetings during the year shall be subject to replacement upon the recommendation of the Executive Committee. The Secretary shall notify the President of councilor absences as defined in Article X.

Article XII 
Quorum 

In order to transact business, a quorum of one more than one-third of the councilors must be present. To carry a motion, affirmative votes must be cast by one more than one-half of those voting.

Article XIII 
ESAC Committees 

ESAC consists of four standing committees and unlimited ad hoc committees. The chair of each committee shall be an ESAC councilor, with preference being someone who served the prior year on that committee. Upon invitation by the committee chair, any member of the public can attend a committee meeting in a non-voting, non-member capacity. Councilors are expected to actively serve on at least one ad hoc committee or standing committee.

Section 1. Standing Committees
Standing committees are perpetual but membership is determined at the beginning of every operational year.

Item 1. Executive Committee

The purpose of the Executive Committee is to formulate goals and direction for the council. The Executive Committee shall meet with the Dean of the College of Engineering at least twice per year.

Executive Committee meetings are called and chaired by the council President at least every two months. The membership of the Executive Committee consists of the President, Vice President/President Elect, Treasurer, and Secretary. An optional at-large ESAC councilor may also be elected to the Executive Committee at any time during the year for the reminder of the operational year. There is no restriction as to length of ESAC membership to be eligible for the Executive Committee.

Item 2. Bylaws/Policies & Procedures Committee

The purpose of the Bylaws/Policies & Procedures Committee is to review, facilitate discussion, and make recommendations regarding bylaw revisions and policy statements. The Bylaws/Policies & Procedures Committee shall act as parliamentary advisor in order to maintain productive ESAC meetings. The Bylaws/Policies & Procedures Committee shall review bylaws and recommend amendments that are appropriate and consistent with current bylaws, with support from concerned constituency. The Secretary, as committee chair, shall post approved bylaw changes to the ESAC website unless otherwise delegated to another ESAC councilor.  The Bylaws/Policies & Procedures Committee shall review proposed policies or revisions of policies for appropriateness, consistency with current university policies, and support from concerned constituency. The Bylaws/Policies & Procedures Committee shall recommend policies and procedures to ESAC as needed for adoption by simple majority of full council.

The Bylaws/Policies & Procedures Committee is chaired by the Secretary. Membership is open to current ESAC councilors. A non-ESAC councilor may act as an expert or advisor on bylaws and/or university policy. The term of office for Bylaws/Policies & Procedures Committee members is one year. There is no restriction on the number of members in the Bylaws/Policies & Procedures Committee.

Item 3. Elections Committee

The purpose of the Elections Committee is to carry out elections in accordance with the council bylaws and to solicit candidates for vacant seats on the council.

The Elections Committee is chaired by the Vice President/President Elect. Membership is open to 3-5 current ESAC councilors not on the ballot for the following operational year. The term of office for Elections Committee members is one year.

Item 4. Staff Award Evaluation Committee

The purpose of the Staff Award Evaluation Committee is to solicit and review nominations, and select recipients of the Mary Sheedy Staff Excellence, Staff Community Engagement, Staff Research, and Staff Student Success Awards. Nominations can be received from students, staff, and faculty including self-nominations. The Staff Award Evaluation Committee shall review nominations, verify that all required information is included, and make selections. The chair of the committee, shall forward recipient information to the Dean for final approval.

The Staff Award Evaluation Committee is chaired by the President or their designee. Membership is open to ESAC councilors, staff in the College of Engineering, award winners for all four awards from the previous year or the most recent winner available for participation unless nominated in the current award cycle, and one or more representatives from outside the College of Engineering who have received a staff award or can provide expertise to review and select recipients of the awards. Committee members shall ensure a fair process for evaluating any application for a nominee with whom an evaluator works closely. The term of office for Staff Award Evaluation Committee is one year. There is no restriction on the number of members in the Staff Award Evaluation Committee.

Prior to June 30, the chair of the Staff Award Evaluation Committee will submit to the Executive Committee an outline of the process and timeline followed by the Staff Award Evaluation Committee, as well as any recommended changes, to serve as a guide for the following year’s committee.

Section 2. Ad hoc Committees

ESAC may create ad hoc committees to plan, develop, implement, or investigate activities and projects. There is no restriction on the number of members serving on these committees. Any staff member employed in the College of Engineering may serve on an ad hoc committee. A list of ad hoc committees and a short description of each shall be maintained and publicized by ESAC. Ad hoc committees are dissolved at the end of each operational year and can be reconstituted with the new operational year if so desired by ESAC. Ad hoc committees can be dissolved mid-year by a motion proposed by a councilor.

Article XIV
Parliamentary Authority 

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised 9th edition shall govern all proceedings of the council except where it conflicts with any rule adopted in these bylaws.

Article XV
Amendments 

These bylaws may be amended at the regular monthly meeting of the council by a two-thirds vote of those present, provided that the amendment has been introduced to the council at the previous regular meeting.

 

Updated September 2022 

Introduced to council September 22, 2022 

Approved by ESAC October 19, 2022