Bylaws

Article I - Name of the Council

The organization shall be known as the Staff Advisory Council (SAC).

Article II - Purpose of the Council

The Staff Advisory Council (SAC) helps advance the mission of Whitman College by advising the President and administration at Whitman College on issues related to staff. SAC advocates for and promotes the interests of staff, provides feedback and helps propose policies that affect staff and facilitates communication among staff and other College stakeholders. The Council identifies opportunities to improve staff experience and equity, and works to resolve challenges on behalf of all staff. Through our work of shared governance, we promote a culture of collaboration, inclusivity, communication and growth.

SAC is a peer-elected body representing the diversity of identities and staff roles across each division of the College. SAC is a way for employees to be heard and represented, and to create change that benefits the greater community. We recognize the important role staff play in the fulfillment of the College's mission, and we work to empower the staff community to feel confident and supported in their roles and represented in College decisions.

What SAC does:

SAC is a forum to bring staff interests and concerns to the attention of the administration
SAC proposes ways to improve College work life and retain employees
SAC serves as a resource and sounding board for the President and administration
SAC collects and disseminates suggestions, concerns, questions, and feedback related to staff
SAC researches and responds to issues raised to the Council
SAC provides opportunities for staff to gather and share questions, concerns and comments about general and specific College issues

SAC accomplishes these duties by:

Regularly meeting with the President or their designee to develop policies, proposals, and initiatives to benefit staff
Providing a staff representative on the President’s Council, the Board of Trustees, and other key policy committees of the College
Nominating colleagues to serve on campus committees and searches
Providing a representative to the interview process for all finalists for cabinet level hires
Holding regular listening sessions and conducting surveys
Meeting with staff members serving on other College committees to encourage transparency of committee work to all staff

Article III – Membership

The Council membership shall consist of a diverse mix of College employees. There shall be no fewer than seven and no more than 13 members.

Members of the Council serve a three-year term. Terms will follow the fiscal calendar, beginning on July 1 and ending on June 30.

Seating of the Council:

Staff employees under each Cabinet Officer will elect representatives to serve on the Council. In the instance that a division has fewer than 50 staff members, that division will elect one representative to the Council. In the instance that a division has greater than 50 members, that division will elect two representatives to the Council. Due to the current size, one staff member will represent staff in both the Office of the President and under the Division of Inclusive Excellence.
Once the elected divisional representation is determined, the Council will then appoint additional members (up to four) to serve in an at-large capacity as needed. To determine appointees, the elected representatives will base the needs of the Council on the following criteria (including, but not limited to):

Areas of expertise
Employment status (full or part-time, exempt/non-exempt)
Broad representation of diversity amongst Council members (gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, age, ability, years of service, etc.)

Repopulation of the Council:

The current members of the Council will oversee the process of filling vacant positions either by election or appointment. A nominee must have completed their orientation period to be eligible to serve on the Council.

Elections:

Elected positions will be filled through an election process. A call for interested staff members under each Cabinet Member will go out in the fall. Eligible candidates will be presented via ballot in the spring (Feb-April). Elected staff will begin serving their term on July 1. Staff are eligible to run for a second consecutive term, but then must sit out one election cycle before seeking reelection for a third term, or submitting their name for appointment.

Appointments:

An appointed position will be filled by Council appointment. A call for interested staff members will go out to all employees of the College in the fall. Eligible candidates will be selected by the Council in the spring and begin serving their term on July 1. Appointed Council members may serve two consecutive terms but then must sit out one term before submitting their name for re-appointment or election.

Filling Vacated Positions Prior to End of Term:

If a position is vacated within three months of the end of its term, the vacancy will be filled in the next election or appointment cycle.

When an elected Council member vacates a position more than three months before their term is completed, the Council may appoint an interim member based on the criteria in Seating of the Council for the remainder of the fiscal year. A permanent replacement would be found following the regular election procedures. The interim member would be eligible to run for the open seat.

When an appointed Council member vacates a position more than three months before their term is completed, the member is replaced at the Council’s discretion.

Council Member Moves Departments:

If a SAC member moves divisions during their term, they will continue representing the same division for the remainder of the fiscal year. They will be eligible to represent their new Cabinet division by running for election or submitting their name for appointment. The position will be filled following the rules of the seating of the Council.

Article IV - Officers

The Council officers are Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and Scheduling and Communications Coordinator. SAC will run an internal election with Council members to nominate and elect officers. Votes will be collected and tallied anonymously. A member must have served one full year to be considered for the position of Chair or Vice Chair. All other positions are open to all members of the Council.

A term can be renewed by a vote of the Council for an additional consecutive term.

Note: It is suggested that those seeking to serve as Chair or Vice Chair serve initially in another officer position or as a chair of one of the sub-committees.

The Chair leads all meetings and sends out agendas for meetings in a timely manner. Between meetings, the Chair is the contact for all Council business. The Chair is responsible for sharing suggestions from all communication avenues with the Council including the online suggestion box as well as managing access to the WSAC Google Drive, adding and removing members from the wsac@whitman.edu and sac@whitman.edu email lists. The Chair position may be held by an individual or shared between two Co-Chairs.

The Vice Chair, in the absence of the Chair, performs all duties of the Chair as needed. The Vice Chair’s responsibilities also include oversight of the membership of the Council such as terms, additions, etc. The Vice Chair is responsible for maintaining the member's contact list, members' term tracking document, and the Vice President/Cabinet Member Election Allocation document.

The Secretary records the minutes of the meetings, and sends them out to the membership for review in a timely manner. The Secretary maintains all other records of the Council.

The Scheduling and Communications Coordinator is responsible for updates to the Council webpage, coordinating with other departments on campus as needed, and communicating with other media as necessary. The Scheduling and Communications Coordinator also secures meeting locations and any technical equipment.

The Treasurer will track the expenditures of the Council and keep the Council informed of the budget. The Treasurer will also be responsible for preparing a budget to bring to the Council for approval. The finalized budget request will then be forwarded to the President of the College.

Article V – The Representatives to Board of Trustees

The Council will choose four members to serve as staff representatives at the meetings of the College's Board of Trustees (BOT): one for the full board, and one representative for each of the three committees: Advancing Whitman, Whitman Experience, and Resources. All Council members become eligible to serve in this capacity after their first year on SAC. Those selected will serve in this capacity for a two-year term.

These members are chosen by the following process:

Council officers call for self-nominations from Council members, indicating interest in serving on the various Board committees.
The full Council discusses the nominees and decides collectively based on interest and capacity. If necessary, an election may be held in the spring to finalize representative roles.
If a staff representative leaves Whitman during their term, a new representative will be appointed by the Council to serve on the BOT.

Article VI – Meetings

The Council year runs July 1 - June 30 and will meet at least monthly from September to May. Summer meetings are at the discretion of the Chair and determined by the Council’s need for meetings. Meeting times and places are coordinated by the Scheduling and Communications Coordinator, in consultation with the Council.

A minimum of fifty percent of the membership present at meetings constitutes a quorum for deciding business. For example:

13 members - quorum = 7
12 members - quorum = 7
11 members - quorum = 6
10 members - quorum = 6
9 members - quorum = 5

In cases where less than fifty-percent of the membership is present, decisions will have to be tabled until a quorum is available.

Missing more than four meetings in a fiscal year may result in the removal of the member from the Council by a quorum vote of the other Council members.

Article VII – Sub-Committees

Membership:

This sub-committee will be chaired by the Vice Chair of the Council and will be responsible for nominations and elections when required to fill open positions on the Council. This sub-committee will work with the Council in identifying staff members for nomination.

Other Sub-Committees:

The Council shall establish subcommittees as necessary to address specific needs, tasks, or functions that arise and are aligned with the overall goals and mission of the Council. The Council shall vote on a chairperson for each subcommittee, who will be responsible for organizing subcommittee meetings and reporting on the subcommittee’s progress.

Article VIII - Amendments

Amendments may be made to these by-laws at any time by a vote of the Council.

Other Information:

Public Email: sac@whitman.edu

Council Email: wsac@whitman.edu

Mailbox at Post Office

Whitman Webpage: https://www.whitman.edu/human-resources/faculty-and-staff/sac

Revised September 19, 2024