ASC Bylaws

Regular meetings of Administrative Staff Council shall be held once each month during the academic year and as needed during the summer. Council members are expected to attend each meeting and shall be notified of the date, time, and location at least two weeks prior to the date.

The Executive Committee shall determine which issues for consideration by council are minor and which are major. Minor issues may be read and voted on at a meeting. Major issues shall have two readings. At the first reading, Council may ask questions in order to clarify any part of the proposal and the proposal may be debated, refined, and/or amended. At the second meeting, there may be discussion and debate. If the proposal is amended, the Chair shall determine if the change is significant enough to warrant additional review by constituents. A vote on a major issue may be taken without a second reading if there is a motion to suspend the Bylaws. The motion must be approved by a two-thirds majority of the full Council.

(Revisions to Article 1, Section 1 approved by the Administrative Staff Council on 01/04/96 and 03/01/12.)

Special meetings of Administrative Staff Council may be called by the Executive Committee or by one-third of the members of the full Council.

The entire Bowling Green State University administrative staff shall meet at a called session at least once each year. Special meetings of this group may be called upon the request of 10 percent of the full membership of administrative staff or by a majority of the members of Administrative Staff Council. The Secretary shall provide timely notification of all meetings. Issues may be discussed and suggestions made. Any votes to be taken shall be by ballot distributed to the entire administrative staff.

(Revision to Article 1, Section 3 approved by the Administrative Staff Council on 03/01/12.)

The Administrative Staff Council Executive Committee shall meet twice each month either in-person, by phone, or through other electronic mediums during the academic year and once each month at other times. Special meetings of the Executive Committee shall be called by the Chair, the Co-Chairs, the Chair-Elect, the Co- Chairs-Elect, or by a majority of the members of the Committee.

(Revisions to Article 1, Section 4 approved by the Administrative Staff Council on 05/01/08, 11/03/16, and 02/06/20.)

Any Administrative Staff Council member who finds that attendance at an Administrative Staff Council meeting is not possible shall designate an alternate. Alternates must be chosen from the functional area represented by the council member and must be identified to the Administrative Staff Council Chair prior to the beginning of the meeting. An alternate so chosen and so identified may participate in discussion, initiate motions and vote on all issues, save those involving amendment to the Charter or Bylaws.

(Revision to Article 1, Section 5 approved by Administrative Staff Council on 01/04/96.)

Each Administrative Staff Council member must select a designated alternate who may substitute for the said ASC member. If the designated alternate is unable to attend, another member from the appropriate functional area should be chosen. An ASC member who is absent in excess of three regular meetings who has not sent an alternate shall be designated as absentee.

After the Secretary has notified the Administrative Staff Council member of his or her designation as absentee, his or her name shall be placed before members of the Executive Committee at any regular meeting. At that time, a vote of two-thirds of those present shall be sufficient to remove the absentee Administrative Staff Council member from office.

(Revision to Article 1, Section 6 approved by Administrative Staff Council on 01/04/96.)

The Administrative Staff Council Executive Committee shall act for the Council between meetings and shall act as or designate a liaison between Administrative Staff Council and other governance groups, individuals, and agencies. The Executive Committee shall set the agendas for ASC meetings and shall set priorities and goals for ASC annually at the beginning of each fiscal year. The Executive Committee also shall present the proposed committee goals in writing to each committee during the first ASC meeting of the fiscal year. Each committee shall amend and approve its goals by the second ASC meeting of the fiscal year.

(Revisions to Article 2, Section 1 approved by Administrative Staff Council on 02/04/10 and 03/01/12.)

Recommendations or self-nominations shall be solicited from the administrative staff membership at the time of the annual campus-wide Administrative Staff Council elections. ASC members may be nominated or may self-nominate to serve on ASC standing committees. The members of ASC standing committees shall be appointed from the nominations by the Chair or the Co-Chairs of ASC in consultation with the Executive Committee and shall include administrative staff members at large and members of ASC. Non-ASC members shall comprise no more than 50% of the standing committee membership. Membership on these committees shall be for one year. Members are eligible for reappointment. Standing committees may appoint subcommittees whose members need not be ASC representatives. Each committee shall elect a member as the chair or co-chairs of the committee. If no chair is elected, the Chair or Co-Chairs of ASC shall appoint one. Each committee chair or co-chairs shall submit in May a yearly report of the committee’s activities to the Executive Committee. This annual report shall include the committee’s proposed goals for the following year. When necessary, it shall be incumbent on the committees to work closely on issues that overlap. The duties and responsibilities of the following ASC standing committees are:

A. Professional Development Committee - This committee is charged with aiding and encouraging the professional growth and development of administrative staff. It shall study and recommend action with regard to professional leaves, continuing education and recognition of professional achievement.

B.  Personnel/Welfare and Compensation Committee - This committee shall annually review the Administrative Staff Handbook. The Committee shall include members from at least two functional areas. The committee shall also review, study, and recommend Council action on matters involving general salary policies, benefits, performance, evaluation, and policies and procedures that affect the functioning of administrative staff in their positions.

1.  Salary Sub-Committee - This sub-committee shall compile comparative data and make a salary proposal each year on behalf of administrative staff. In addition, the sub-committee shall continue a regular review of CUPA data and other relevant resources in order to provide an ongoing, comparative history of administrative staff salaries. The chair of the Salary sub-committee shall be selected from the members of the Personnel/Welfare committee.

C.  Scholarship Committee -The responsibility of this committee shall be to administer all aspects of the administrative staff scholarship program.

D.  Amendments and Policies Committee - This committee shall both initiate and receive proposed amendments to the Charter or Bylaws and shall report to ASC on all proposed amendments. This committee shall annually review the Administrative Staff Handbook for accuracy of content.

E.  Awards and Special Recognition Committee - This committee shall develop and recommend to ASC ways to recognize administrative staff for their outstanding achievements. The Committee also shall handle all responsibilities associated with the advertisement, selection, and presentation of the awards and special recognition including the annual Ferrari Award. The Committee shall include members from at least two functional areas.

F.  Outreach and Activities Committee – This committee shall be responsible for developing ideas for community involvement projects for administrative staff. The Committee also shall work on public relations with other groups on and off-campus.

G.  Inclusion and Belonging Committee - This committee shall both initiate and promote opportunities for education of administrative staff on topics related to inclusion and belonging. This committee shall be responsible for developing initiatives, which will promote a positive culture of inclusion and belonging among administrative staff at BGSU and the wider BGSU community. This committee will also work with other ASC committees where appropriate to ensure that a wide range of perspectives related to inclusion and belonging are included throughout the activities of the ASC. 

(Revisions to Article 2, Section 2 A-J approved by Administrative Staff Council on 01/04/96; 05/01/97; 05/05/01; 05/01/08; 03/01/12; 11/03/16; 02/06/20; and 04/07/2022.)

Those administrative staff members elected to University standing committees need not be ASC representatives and shall be elected by the entire administrative staff. In the event of an unanticipated request for an administrative staff representative to a committee, agency, panel or other such body, the Executive Committee may appoint an administrative staff member for the first term only. Subsequent representatives shall be elected. Each elected representative shall serve for the term designated by the particular committee. In the event that the individual committee sets no length of service, the term shall last three years.

Administrative Staff Council ad hoc committees shall be created by and responsible to the Executive Committee, which shall appoint members, including the chair, who need not be ASC representatives. The Executive Committee shall also appoint representatives of the administrative staff to University ad hoc committees. After two years, an ASC ad hoc committee shall either cease to function or shall request to be made a standing committee through the Amendments Committee.

(Revisions to Article 2, Section 4 approved by Administrative Staff Council on 04/99 and 03/01/12.)

Annually, the Executive Committee shall assess the apportionment of the Administrative Staff Council membership for the purpose of determining proportional representation on ASC as provided for in Section III of the Administrative Staff Council Charter. The Executive Committee shall report its findings to ASC.

B.  Elections
The Secretary, annually and following certification of candidates, shall conduct ASC elections. Votes shall be cast by the total administrative staff for those candidates at each campus.

• Administrative staff will receive segmented ballots based on the campus where they work.

• The total number of representatives that can be voted for during campus-wide election will be determined by the number of vacancies for the next academic year and the number of candidates on the ballot.

• Self-nomination write-ins will only be accepted during the election if the number of candidates on the ballot is not enough to fill all vacant representative positions.

(Revisions to Article 4, Section 1 approved by Administrative Staff Council on 04/02/1998, 05/05/2001, 11/03/2016, and 03/07/2024.)

Any administrative staff member shall be eligible for membership on University standing committees as provided in Article 2, Section 3 of the Bylaws of Administrative Staff Council.

A.  Nominations

Annually the Secretary will seek from the total administrative staff nominations and self-nominations for election to specific University standing committees.

B.  Elections

The Secretary, annually and upon certification of candidates, shall conduct the election of members to specific University standing committees. Votes shall be cast by the total administrative staff.

(Revision to Article 4, Section 2 approved by Administrative Staff Council on 05/05/01 and 11/03/16.)

The Administrative Staff Council officers shall be those defined in Section IV of the ASC Charter.

A.  Nominations

The Secretary, shall request of the Executive Committee that it annually prepare a list of nominees for election as officers of ASC. Also, the Secretary shall, by written notice, annually solicit additional nominations for ASC officers from the total administrative staff membership. Nominees for election as ASC officers shall be drawn from Administrative Staff Council.

B.  Elections

The Secretary, annually and following certification of candidates, shall conduct the election of ASC officers. Votes shall be cast by the total administrative staff.

(Revision to Article 4, Section 3 approved by Administrative Staff Council on 05/05/01 and 11/03/16.)

The area representatives to the Executive Committee shall be those defined in Section IV of the Administrative Staff Council Charter. Area representatives serve one-year terms and are eligible for re-election.

A.  Nominations

Annually, the Secretary shall prepare a list by campus of those ASC members eligible for election to the Executive Committee. A representative must have served a minimum of one year on council (current term or past term) to be eligible for election to the Executive Committee.

B.  Elections

The Secretary, annually and following certification of candidates, shall conduct the election of ASC representatives to the Executive Committee. Votes shall be cast by the total administrative staff for those candidates at each campus.

(Revisions to Article 4, Section 4 approved by Administrative Staff Council on 04/02/1998, 05/05/2001, 11/03/2016, and 03/07/2024.)

Administrative Staff Council Standing Committees shall be comprised of members of ASC as provided for in Article 2, Section 2 of the Bylaws of Administrative Staff Council.

A.  Recommendations and Self-Nominations

Administrative staff members at large may be recommended or may self-nominate at the time of annual campus-wide elections to serve on ASC for a one (1) year term when there are not enough candidates on the ballot to fill all vacant representative positions. ASC members may be recommended or may self-nominate to serve on ASC standing committees. All ASC Representatives (non-officers) must serve on at least one ASC Standing Committee.

B.  Appointment

From among the recommendations and self-nominations, the ASC Chair or Co-Chairs in consultation with the ASC Executive Committee annually shall fill vacancies on ASC standing committees.

(Revisions to Article 4, Section 5 approved by Administrative Staff Council on 11/03/2016 and 03/07/2024.)

A.  The Secretary shall prepare the electronic ballot, distribute the link, and generate the results. Nominees shall declare their intention of running for an individual seat or a shared position (e.g., chair-elect or co-chair-elect) at the point of submitting his or her name for election. The Executive Committee shall determine the slate of candidates based on the declared intention of the nominees and the number of nominees to run for election. It may be the case, as a result of the above determination, that one individual runs as chair-elect against a slate of two candidates running as co-chairs-elect.

The person who receives the most votes shall be declared the winner of the election or nomination. In the case where more than one person is running for election, the person receiving the most votes shall be declared the winner of the election. In case of a tie, a runoff election shall be conducted involving only those who tied.

B.  The Secretary shall certify candidates to include eligibility for the office and the consent of the candidate to stand for election.

C.  The Secretary, in conjunction with one or more additional members of the Executive Committee, shall certify the results of elections. Such certification shall be reported to the Executive Committee.

D.  The Secretary shall conduct nominations and elections designated in the Bylaws.

E.  The final date for receipt of nomination forms and election ballots is 10 workdays after distribution by the Secretary.

F.  Voting ends 10 workdays after the Secretary sends the anonymous electronic ballot.

G.  The results of all nominations and elections shall be reported to the Administrative Staff Council by the Secretary at the first regularly scheduled ASC meeting the close of voting.

H.  The Secretary shall retain the results of votes until the next election in the event that alternates are needed, as described in Article 5, Sections 1 and 2.

I.  The Executive Committee shall decide any challenge to the conduct or results of a nomination process or of an election.

(Revisions to Article 4, Section 6 were approved by the Administrative Staff Council on 05/05/01, 05/01/08, 11/03/16, and 02/06/20.)

Positions vacated by resignation or for other reasons prior to the dates of the annual election for the position vacated shall be filled as follows:

A vacancy in the position of Administrative Staff Council Chair shall be filled by the Co- Chair. If there is no Co-Chair, the position shall be filled by the Chair-Elect. If the Chair- Elect or a Co-Chair-Elect is unable to fill the position of chair for the remaining part of the year, the title of Chair-Elect or Co-Chair-Elect shall be retained, and the ASC Chair vacancy shall be filled by the candidate who received the second highest number of votes for Chair-Elect or Co-Chair-Elect. If no other candidate appears on the ballot, the members of Administrative Staff Council shall elect a chair from within the Council.

(Revision to Article 5, Section 1 approved by Administrative Staff Council on 05/01/08.)

Positions vacated by resignation or for other reasons prior to the dates of the annual election for the position vacated shall be filled as follows:

A vacancy in other positions is provided for in the Administrative Staff Council Charter, and the person who, in the preceding election, received the next highest number of votes for the position vacated shall fill the vacancy. In the event that there is a tie in the number of votes for the persons receiving the next highest number of votes, the vacancy shall be filled by lot conducted by the Executive Committee.

Positions vacated by resignation or for other reasons prior to the dates of the annual election for the position vacated shall be filled as follows:

In the event that a vacancy is not filled as specified in Article 5, Sections 1 and 2, the Executive Committee shall appoint a replacement for that position until the end of the fiscal year.

Positions vacated by resignation or for other reasons prior to the dates of the annual election for the position vacated shall be filled as follows:

If a council member chooses to take an approved leave from the council during the term of office, a permanent substitute for the term of the leave from the same constituent group will be chosen by the council member. One month prior to the beginning of the leave period, the name of the substitute shall be submitted to the Executive Committee for confirmation. The substitute shall have full voting privileges and shall meet all obligations of a full council member. Should an approved leave be granted for more than one year, the council member shall be obligated to resign.

(Revision to Article 5, Section 2 approved by Administrative Staff Council on 01/09/20.)

The Treasurer shall have the responsibility for the budgeting and control of funds designated for the Administrative Staff Council as follows:

A.  University Budgets

The ASC Treasurer shall close out the preceding annual budget and prepare the annual budget for the new fiscal year to present to the Administrative Staff Council for review and approval in accordance with the Budget Timeline and Officer Pay.

1. Budget Timeline

June: 

• Close out the preceding budget (July-August)
• Review the preceding fiscal year's budget and balance all expenses
• Provide each committee with the budget and expenses from the previous fiscal year for review and use for new budgeting purposes. If changes in the budget must be taken into account, these details shall also be provided at this time. 

September: 

• Provide an overview to the executive council. 
• Treasurer collects and reviews ASC committee goals for the new fiscal year and budget requests and drafts a budget proposal for the new fiscal year to the executive council.

October:

• A final annual report for the preceding fiscal year for both the University budget and the Foundation account shall be submitted to the Administrative Staff Council by October 30.
• The new budget is presented at the General Council meeting for review and approval. This can be completed earlier but no later than October 31.

2.  Officer Pay 

The annual budget will include monetary compensation for the elected Administrative Staff Council Officers, as defined in the ASC Charter, Section IV, in accordance with the Officer Pay Schedule for their time and effort. Any elected officer who is unable to complete their term or an officer serving in a temporary capacity may receive prorated payment based on their time in office, as long as while serving in the position, the officer’s duties completed were substantial enough to warrant compensation, to be determined by the Executive Council. 

Final payment amounts for all elected officers must be presented to the Administrative Staff Council and approved before any formal requests are sent to the Director of Payroll Services.  Payments shall not be processed until the end of the term, and officers may decline the compensation or offer a portion or all of their compensation to another individual who supported the duties of the position throughout their term if they so choose. 

• Officer Pay Schedule  - At the time of the annual budget being approved, ASC officer compensation will be allocated at the minimum rates set below. At the end of each year, the ASC Treasurer can review officer goals, work completed and the Consumer Price Index with the Executive Council to propose additional payment above the standard rate for the outgoing officers. If additional payment is agreed upon, it shall be included in the budget for the next fiscal year and must pass by a simple majority. Previous officers must recuse themselves from voting and will not be accounted for in the total number of votes needed.

Chair: $1,500

Chair-elect: $750

Secretary: $350

Treasurer: $350

Communications: $350

B. Foundation Account

This account will include other contributions not part of the University budget to be used as the need arises.

The Treasurer is authorized to pay expenses through the approved annual budget and the Foundation account. Any expense that was not approved within the budget must be approved by the Administrative Staff Council prior to payment.

(Revision to Article 6 approved by Administrative Staff Council on 01/09/2020 and 06/02/2023.)

The designee, as appointed by the President, shall be the official liaison to the Administrative Staff Council. The President of the University shall have a standing invitation to meet with the council.

(Revision to Article 7, Section 1 approved by the Administrative Staff Council on 03/01/12.)

The Administrative Staff Council website located at www.bgsu.edu/administrative-staff-council shall be the official vehicle used to disseminate Administrative Staff Council information to all administrative staff members and other members of the University community. Additional forms of communication may be used as deemed necessary.

(Revision to Article 7, Section 2 approved by the Administrative Staff Council on 03/01/12.)

The chair of the Administrative Staff Council Executive Committee shall appoint a member of Council to serve as liaison with Bowling Green State University Faculty Senate (Faculty Senate). This liaison shall attend all scheduled meetings of Faculty Senate as necessary and will serve as a communication link between Faculty Senate and ASC. This designee shall be granted rights and privileges as deemed appropriate by Faculty Senate. A reciprocal seat to ASC for a representative from Faculty Senate shall be granted.

Any changes in the rights and privileges deemed appropriate by Faculty Senate to the ASC liaison to Faculty Senate shall result in a reciprocal change in the rights and privileges of the Faculty Senate liaison to ASC, and vice versa. Due notice of such changes shall be given to the Chairs of ASC and/or Faculty Senate and implementation of said changes will occur concurrently between Faculty Senate and ASC.

(Revision to Article 7, Section 3 approved by Administrative Staff Council on 05/02/02.)

The chair of the Administrative Staff Council Executive Committee shall appoint a member of Council to serve as liaison with Bowling Green State University Classified Staff Council (CSC). This liaison shall attend all scheduled meetings of CSC as necessary and will serve as a communication link between CSC and ASC. This designee shall be granted rights and privileges as deemed appropriate by CSC. A reciprocal seat to ASC for a representative from CSC shall be granted.

Any changes in the rights and privileges deemed appropriate by CSC to the ASC liaison to CSC shall result in a reciprocal change in the rights and privileges of the CSC liaison to ASC, and vice versa. Due notice of such changes shall be given to the Chairs of ASC and/or CSC and implementation of said changes will occur concurrently between CSC and ASC.

(Revision to Article 7, Section 4 approved by Administrative Staff Council on 05/02/02.)

To conduct Administrative Staff Council business, two-thirds (2/3) of the ASC voting membership must be present. A majority vote of those present is required to take official action. Committee action shall be taken only by a majority of the committee’s membership.

(Revision to Article 8, Section 1 approved by Administrative Staff Council on 01/04/96.)

At a meeting of the full administrative staff, those present constitute a quorum.

Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall be the authority on parliamentary procedure at any meeting of the council or its committees.

A.  All proposals to amend the Charter and/or Bylaws shall be presented to the Amendments Committee by one or more of the following:

• Majority of the Executive Committee
• Petition signed by 10 percent of the ASC membership
• The Amendments Committee
• Petition signed by 10 percent of the full administrative staff

B.  All proposals shall be presented to the Amendments Committee in writing in the following format:

• The original text to be amended shall be stated in its entirety first.
• The text to be deleted or altered shall be identified (e.g., by striking through text to be deleted or by using italicized or bold typeface for text to be altered).

C.  The Amendments Committee shall distribute the written proposal electronically to Administrative Staff Council members before the meeting and present a paper copy of the proposal during the first Administrative Staff Council meeting following receipt of the proposal by the Committee. The amendment proposal shall not be debated, refined, or amended, but members of the Council may ask questions in order to clarify any part of the proposal.

D.  After the amendment proposal meets all of the requirements of this article, the secretary of the Administrative Staff Council shall place it on the agenda of a Council meeting, at which time the amendment proposal may be debated, refined, or amended before a final vote.

A.  The Bylaws shall be amended by a three-fourths (3/4) vote of the members present at the council meeting.

B.  Voting on proposed amendments to the Bylaws shall be by written ballot.

C.  Unless otherwise provided, all amendments shall take effect immediately.

D.  A proposed amendment to the Bylaws may be withdrawn by a majority of the petitioners.

A.  The Amendments Committee shall include in its annual report to the chair or co-chair a list and copies of all amendment proposals made during the year and the status of each (e.g., approved, pending approval, tabled, etc.).

B.  The chair or co-chair of the Administrative Staff Council or designee shall forward all approved amendments in writing to the ASC Web Administrator for posting on the ASC Website.

The Amendments Committee shall be responsible for monitoring and ensuring that all amendment proposals approved during the previous year(s) have been included in the most recent revision of the ASC Charter and Bylaws posted on the ASC Website as appropriate, and shall report their findings to the chair of Administrative Staff Council.

(Revisions to Article 10 approved by Administrative Staff Council 03/05/98, 03/01/12 and 05/04/23.)