Washington College | Staff Council

Human Resources

Staff Council

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The Washington College Staff Council's mission is to serve in an advisory capacity to the President and Senior Staff in matters pertaining to the interests and needs of the staff with regard to their daily activities and work conditions as they strive to support the College's goal of a quality liberal arts education.

Representatives

Meetings, Records, and Reports

The Staff Council will meet monthly. The Staff Council will elect a Chair who will be responsible for conducting the meetings and setting the agenda in cooperation with the Director of Human Resources, and a Secretary who will be responsible for preparing a written summary of each meeting. The President, or designated member of the Senior Staff, and the Director of Human Resources will attend all Staff Council meetings as non-voting members. The Director of Human Resources will be responsible for establishing the meeting schedule, notifying representatives of up-coming meetings, posting the meeting agendas and summaries on the Human Resources website, and follow-up on all agenda items. Supervisors will arrange for employee representatives to be away from work to attend meetings and render this service. No loss of pay is suffered by representatives for time spent in this capacity.

Alternates

Areas

The Staff Council will consist of 12 to 15 employees who are elected to a two-year term. Staff with the title of Director or above (presently 13 employees) will elect one representative to the Staff Council. Staff representatives will be elected as follows:

Area	#
Academic Support	1
Administration	1
Advancement & Communication	1
Athletics	2
Buildings & Grounds	2

Area	#
Business Services	1
Dining Services	2
Directors	1
OIT	1
Student Affairs & Admissions	1

Purpose

The purpose of the Washington College Staff Council is to:

1. Facilitate communication between staff and College officials.

2. Foster a sense of community among our diverse population.

3. Collect and disseminate information pertinent to staff issues and to increase awareness of College policies.

4. Participate, assist, and advise in decision making processes that affect the staff's relationship with the larger College community (e.g. nominate staff representatives to serve on institutional task forces and committees, when appropriate).

5. Present ideas that originate from the staff to the College President.

6. Develop recommendations for new policies or changes in policies pertaining to staff.

7. Promote and advocate staff professionalism and support opportunities for leadership development.

8. Contribute to making Washington College's educational community an efficient, fulfilling and attractive work environment.

Elections

1. The Director of Human Resources, in conjunction with the Senior Staff, determines the number and grouping of employees to be represented.

2. The Director of Human Resources will meet with each group of employees to inform them about Staff Council and explain the election process.

3. The Director of Human Resources will conduct an election in each group in accordance with the following procedures: each group of employees will nominate one or more members to serve as the employee representative. The nominees who meet the eligibility requirement of one year of continuous service with the College will be voted upon. The nominee receiving the highest number of the votes cast shall be designated as the employee representative. The nominee receiving the second highest number of votes cast shall be designated an alternate to attend the meeting in place of the representative as the need arises, and assume the role of the representative should the elected representative abdicate his/her responsibilities. The names of the representatives and alternates will be posted on the Human Resources website.

4. Elected representatives will serve a two-year term and are eligible for re-election. Special elections may be held in cases when terms of office of both the representative and the alternate cannot be completed or when two-thirds of the represented employees petition the Director of Human Resources for replacement of a representative in the office.

5. Elected representatives are expected to attend all scheduled meetings. Should an employee representative fail to attend the majority of scheduled council meetings in any given year, the Alternate will be appointed to replace the Representative, and the employee group will select a new Alternate for the remainder of the term.

6. Representatives' and Alternates' terms run from January 1st through December 31 of the next year. In odd number years, elections will be held in: Administration, Athletics, Buildings and Grounds, Business Services, and Advancement and Communications. In even number years, elections will be held in: Dining Services, Academic Support, Office of Information Technology, Directors, and Student Affairs and Admission.