Staff Assembly Constitution

Article I - Purpose

Staff Assembly is dedicated to fulfilling the mission of North Idaho College. As an organization, we are dedicated to:

• actively participating in the college governance process.
• fostering a spirit of unity and cooperation among all college employees.
• promoting and maintaining effective channels of communication between students, staff, faculty, administration, and the Board of Trustees.
• serving as an advocate for all Staff Assembly members.
• providing all employees an opportunity to safely express concerns, voice opinions, and provide input regarding policies, procedures, and other institutional actions.

Article II - Membership

Staff Assembly membership is defined as all part-time and full-time classified (non-exempt) and professional (exempt) staff excluding President’s Cabinet, work-study and student workers.

Article III – Officers and Representatives

A. Officers

Staff Assembly terms are one year for the Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary positions. Each year in April, Staff Assembly members nominate co-workers for the open positions of Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary. Voting is conducted by electronic ballot. Elections are held for these positions at the end of April; results are announced at the May meeting.

In June, the one-year terms begin, the current Chair becomes Past Chair, and the new officers assume their positions.

1. The Chair is entrusted with the following duties and responsibilities:
   • The Chair presides at all meetings of Staff Assembly.
   • The Chair officially represents Staff Assembly in interactions with the community, Board of Trustees, College President, President's Cabinet, Faculty Assembly and other college groups.
   • The Chair maintains opens lines of communication with all constituents.
   • The Chair works with the President’s office to fill open positions for staff assembly members on NIC committees as needed.
2. The Vice Chair is entrusted with the following duties and responsibilities:
   • The Vice Chair assumes the duties and responsibilities of the chair in the event of absence or an unforeseen circumstance.
   • The Vice Chair coordinates the process for Staff Appreciation Awards. (See the Staff Appreciation Awards webpage.)
   • The Vice Chair performs other duties as assigned.
3. The Secretary is entrusted with the following duties and responsibilities:
   • The Secretary prepares meeting agendas and items for consideration.
   • The Secretary maintains accurate records of all Staff Assembly meetings.
   • The Secretary distributes copies of meeting agendas and minutes in a timely fashion to all Staff Assembly members. Copies of meeting minutes will be housed in an online central location accessible to all Staff Assembly members.
   • The Secretary provides other correspondence as needed.
   • The Secretary manages Staff Assembly budget.  
4. The Past Chair is entrusted with the following duties and responsibilities:
   • The Past Chair assists the officers as needed and provides continuity.
   • The Past Chair coordinates the nomination and election process for the Officers and Senators.

If the Chair ceases to be employed at North Idaho College or becomes unable to fulfill the duties of office, the Vice Chair will assume the position of Chair and serve the remainder of that term. Vacated terms of office by the Vice Chair or Secretary will be filled through election from the voting membership.  

Duties of officers are defined by Robert's Rules of Order, Revised, unless otherwise specified in this constitution. Any officer or representative may be recalled if they are absent for three consecutive meetings without justification.

B. Executive Committee

An executive committee shall be comprised of current officers, the immediate Past Chair, current College Senate representatives, and one representative of the Meet and Confer committee. The purpose of the inclusion of the immediate Past Chair on Executive Committee is to provide continuity in leadership of Staff Assembly from year to year.

The Executive Committee is entrusted with the following duties and responsibilities:

• The Executive Committee plans agendas for all Staff Assembly meetings.
• The Executive Committee arranges for appropriate representatives to attend any meeting or function as needed.
• The Executive Committee determines and votes should a recall of an officer or representative be necessary.

In the event an elected Staff Assembly committee member or Senate representative is unable to fulfill their term, the Executive Committee will appoint a replacement until the next regular election.

C. Senate Representation

Staff Assembly will have eight representatives and two alternates on the College Senate. Please refer to College Senate’s Constitution and By-Laws for terms and duties.

Each year in April, Staff Assembly members nominate co-workers for the open senate positions. Voting is conducted by electronic ballot. Elections are held for these positions at the end of April; results are announced at the May meeting.

Senate representatives and alternates will attend Senate meetings and represent the views and welfare of Staff Assembly within the Senate. A report will be provided at the regular Staff Assembly meeting.

A senate alternate will be considered a voting member when a regular Senator is absent.

Article IV - Meetings

A. Meetings

Regular monthly meetings or special meetings will be scheduled by the Chair, the Executive Committee, or by a petition signed by ten or more Staff Assembly members. The first regular meeting will be held within the first three weeks of the fall semester. A minimum of six regular meetings will be held each year.

Notice of all meetings must be distributed to all Staff Assembly members at least three working days prior to the meeting. Notice of all meetings must specify time, date, place and proposed agenda.

Persons who do not meet the criteria for Staff Assembly membership as defined in Article II must request to attend a Staff Assembly meeting by contacting the chair prior to the next scheduled meeting and requesting to be added to the agenda for that meeting. The Executive Committee will have the authority to approve or deny this request. The Executive Committee shall have the authority to invite persons who are not Staff Assembly members if their presence is relevant to the welfare of Staff Assembly.

B. Voting

Voting will take place in person by the members present at the meeting. Where an alternative method of delivery is offered, for example Teams or ZOOM, all members participating virtually are considered present. Motions will be considered approved if the majority of attending Staff Assembly members vote in favor of the motion. In some instances, Staff Assembly may motion to include electronic voting as part of the process and delay the recording of the vote until the next Staff Assembly meeting.  

C. Executive Committee Meetings

The Executive Committee will meet at least once between monthly meetings to facilitate the ongoing business of the organization.

Article V – Duties of Staff Assembly

Staff Assembly will undertake the following duties in support of its purpose:

• provide a forum for the discussion of issues that are of interest to its membership.
• vote upon matters of Staff Assembly policy and procedure.
• make recommendations to the College Senate, Administration, or other body when appropriate.
• form ad hoc committees if deemed useful in conducting the business of Staff Assembly or furthering the interests of its members.
• create resolutions that express consensus on matters of importance to Staff Assembly. These resolutions must be written and ratified by Staff Assembly members, and may be presented to the Board of Trustees.
• provide reports from committee representatives at the regular monthly meeting on their activities. If the representatives cannot make an oral report, a written report will be submitted to the Chair three working days prior to the regular meeting.

Article VI - Amendments

Any proposed amendment or modification to the constitution must follow these guidelines/procedures.

A. Submission to Executive Committee for Consideration

Proposed amendment must be submitted in writing to the Executive Staff Assembly committee for review at least ten working days prior to a regularly scheduled meeting.

B. First Reading at Staff Assembly

If accepted/approved by Executive Committee, the amendment will be presented to the membership at least five working days prior to a regularly scheduled meeting where the amendment or modification will receive its first reading and discussion.

C. Second Reading at Staff Assembly

Should the amendment or modification pass a first reading, a second reading will be held at the next regularly scheduled Staff Assembly meeting. At a second reading there will be discussion and consideration for approval. Approval by a voting majority is required to accept the proposed amendment or modification.

D. Presentation

The approved amendment will be presented to College Senate and the Board of Trustees at their next regular meeting.

Article VII - Parliamentarian

The parliamentarian advises the Chair (or presiding officer) in responding to points of order and parliamentary requests, and generally to provide advice on conducting the meeting according to the rules. Only the Chair (or presiding officer) can rule on proper application of Robert’s Rules of Order, and only on the most involved matters should the Chair (or presiding officer) ask the parliamentarian to give an explanation to the Staff Assembly.

Adopted March 8, 2001
Updated August 2012
Updated January 2019
Updated March 2022
Updated January 2024