Staff Senate Bylaws.

1. Membership of the Staff Senate
   • The BUSPH Staff Senate shall represent all non-faculty persons in established positions and not temporary/casual or student positions at BUSPH. The Senate will be elected by eligible staff members who are employed at least 75% effort within each department and unit. No single unit will have majority representation on the Staff Senate.
   • The different departments of the school are divided into units, as listed below. Each unit shall elect one representative from its staff, for a total of 8 unit representatives.
     • Unit 1: Central Administration (Dean’s Office, Marketing and Communications, Development and Alumni Relations, Activist Lab, Administration and Finance, Research and Faculty Advancement)
     • Unit 2: Education (Education Dean’s Office, Registrar, Career and Practicum Office, Lifelong Learning, Admissions, Graduate Student Life)
     • Unit 3: Biostatistics and Epidemiology Data Analytics Center
     • Unit 4: Department of Biostatistics and Department of Epidemiology
     • Unit 5: Department of Community Health Sciences
     • Unit 6: Department of Environmental Health
     • Unit 7: Department of Global Health
     • Unit 8: Center for Health Law, Ethics & Human Rights, and Department of Health Law, Policy & Management
   • In addition to the unit representatives, up to five at-large members will also be elected by the BUSPH staff for a total of 13 Senate members.
2. Terms of membership
   • The terms of office for elected Senate members shall be two years. Membership is linked to the calendar year and terms start January 1. An individual is not eligible for re-election for one year after leaving office, but the total number of terms a member may serve is not limited. If a member was elected with less than six months of the term left, they are eligible to serve in the next consecutive term.
3. Eligibility
   • Each Senate member must be a full-time employee with at least 75% effort in established positions and not temporary/casual or student positions, for a minimum of at least nine months of continuous service at BUSPH for annual elections OR a minimum of at least three months for special elections. Students, members of the Administrative Council, Faculty, Associate Deans and Deans within BUSPH, are not eligible to participate on the Staff Senate.

1. Elections
   • Voting will happen in the late fall each year and specific dates will be announced annually by the incumbent Senate Chair. Any staff member who wishes to serve on the Staff Senate should submit a brief statement, not to exceed one page, to their unit representative, detailing why they would like to serve on the Senate at least 4 weeks prior to the voting. These statements will be made available to the entire school community to help inform voting. Staff will not be considered for a position without submitting their statement.
   • Elections for unit representatives will be held within each unit. Elections for at-large members will be held BUSPH wide. Elections will be set up by the Vice Chair, allowing one confidential vote per eligible staff member.
2. Vacancies
   • If a unit representative steps down prior to the regularly scheduled election, a special election will be held by the unit before the next Staff Senate meeting to fill that vacancy. The procedure and eligibility will be the same as described in the section “Elections” above. If an at-large member leaves prior to the regularly scheduled election, a special election will be held to fill the position if there are more than 5 months left in the term. Otherwise, that position will remain unfilled until the regularly scheduled election.
3. Voting Rights
   • All permanent and temporary staff persons working at the school can vote. The unit representative will be voted in by all such persons within that unit. At-large members will be voted in by all such persons at BUSPH.

1. The Staff Senate shall elect from its membership the following officers: Chair, Vice-Chair, and an Administrator. Each elected officer will serve a one-year term with the possibility for re-election. Officers can serve a maximum of two consecutive years. Officers shall be elected in accordance with the Staff Senate Bylaws under “Membership.”
2. The Staff Senate Chair shall at a minimum:
   • Preside at all regular and special Staff Senate meetings.
   • Regularly communicate with Dean and Associate Deans.
   • Liaise with People Services on issues, announcements, and regular communications.
   • Responsible for the staff portion of the Annual School Survey in partnership with People Services.
   • Presents monthly Staff Senate updates at BUSPH School Assemblies.
   • Represent the Staff Senate at the Governing Council and Admin Council.
   • Appoint members to sub-committees.
   • Designate chairs of sub-committees and task forces as appropriate.
3. The Staff Senate Vice-Chair shall at a minimum:
   • Preside in the absence of the Staff Senate Chair and assume their duties when the Chair is unavailable
   • Prepare an agenda in collaboration with the Senate Chair, and post online seven (7) days prior to the next regular meeting.
   • In collaboration with the Administrative Officer, schedule all Staff Senate meetings including calendar invites, reserving meeting space and catering orders.
   • Liaise with People Services on issues and data inquiries for the elections.
   • Manage the election process for annual elections and special elections, allowing one confidential vote per eligible staff member. This includes posting statements from Staff Senate at-large candidates.
4.  The Staff Senate Administrative Officer shall at a minimum:
   • In collaboration with the Vice Chair, schedule all Staff Senate meetings including calendar invites, reserving meeting space and catering orders.
   • Record attendance and advise the Staff Senate Chair if a quorum is present at the beginning of each meeting.
   • Prepare minutes of all Staff Senate meetings and maintain them as permanent records. Distribute copies of approved minutes to each member within ten (10) days after meetings, and publish approved minutes on the Staff Senate website.
   • Maintain all records of the Staff Senate including the list of senators serving on the Staff Senate. This includes electronic file maintenance and email maintenance.
   • Coordinate and publish information for the Staff Senate website in collaboration with Communications.
5.  Members
   • Work to the fulfillment of the goals and objectives as outlined in the SPH Staff Senate mission statement:
     The Staff Senate represents the interests of the staff in order to strengthen relationships and foster a climate that promotes and empowers staff to participate in the shared governance of Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH). Its purpose is to consider and act, as appropriate, on all matters affecting professional concerns of staff. The Staff Senate shall promote the exchange of information and provide a forum for expressing views on matters relating to personal and professional well-being, staff development, school culture, community and SPH and University policies.
   • Attend and participate in regular and special Staff Senate meetings, giving reasonable notice to the Administrative Officer if unable to attend.
   • Department representatives should maintain regular communication with constituents.

1. Meetings
   • Meetings shall be conducted according to Roberts Rules of Order, or other established meeting guidelines.
   • Staff Senate meetings will be held at least 6 times per year.
   • BUSPH will support flexible work hours to allow senators to participate in Senate events and activities.
   • All BUSPH staff are welcome to the Staff Senate meetings except when agenda items are under executive session. An executive session is limited to all elected senators and anyone specifically invited to attend by the Chair/Vice-chair.
   • Special meetings may be called by the Chair, written petition of at least five senators, or 25 staff members.
2. Procedures
   • The Chair/Vice-chair and officials will prepare the meeting agenda in advance.
   • A quorum of the Senate shall be defined as two-thirds of voting members. A quorum must be present when a vote on official action is taken. The decision of a majority of those voting shall constitute official action of the Senate.

Senators are expected to attend and participate in each meeting. If a senator is unable to fulfill their responsibilities on the Staff Senate, the senator should formally resign. Any senator’s resignation should be communicated to the Chair.

Absentee voting and proxy voting are not allowed. Attendance at monthly Senate meetings and special meetings shall be recorded as “Present,” “Excused,” or “Absent.” Continuous absences by a senator will be reviewed by the Senate Chair and appropriate action will be taken if necessary.

The Staff Senate may see the need to establish committees to explore specific topics further. Each committee will have at least two (2) Senate members and may seek additional participation from interested staff who may or may not be a member of the Senate. The Chair will appoint a committee chair when appropriate. Committees will be dissolved when final recommendations are submitted to the Senate. Committees may overlap Senate membership terms.

Amendments or any modification of the bylaws may be amended, revised or repealed at any regular meeting of the Senate by majority of those Senators present and voting. A full statement of the proposed amendment must be submitted in writing at least 25 days prior to a vote.