Dean's Support Staff Advisory Committee

• Committee Bylaws

  1.0 Purpose

  The Michigan State University College of Human Medicine (MSUCHM) Dean’s Staff Advisory Committee was established in April 2019 so that permanent full-time and part-time MSUCHM support staff can bring pertinent issues affecting MSUCHM’s operations to its dean for prompt discussion and resolution. 

  2.0 Charge

  1. The Committee is charged with the following:
     1. Serving as a voice for full and part-time MSUCHM support staff when it comes to ideas and concerns affecting MSUCHM’s overall operation and mission.
     2. Communicating the Committee’s purpose to all MSUCHM support staff and developing the means for MSUCHM support staff to communicate ideas and concerns to the Committee.
     3. Soliciting ideas and input from MSUCHM support staff for discussion with the MSUCHM dean. 
     4. Selecting and summarizing issues for presentation to the MSUCHM dean for discussion and resolution.
     5. Developing and proposing solutions for resolving pertinent issues.
     6. Seeking feedback from MSUCHM support staff when the Committee and the MSUCHM Dean have agreed on a mutually beneficial solution to an issue.
     7. Communicating and disseminating the solution to MSUCHM support staff.
     8. Recording and cataloging the solution for review and access by current and future MSUCHM support staff.
     9. Advising the MSUCHM Dean on matters brought to the attention of the Committee.

  3.0 Limitations

  1. No action on the part of the Committee and/or the MSUCHM Dean is intended to supersede MSUCHM support staff rights and obligations available through their particular bargaining units, MSUCHM, and MSU. Any action on the part of the Committee and/or the MSUCHM Dean is intended to address and resolve issues before they reach a point which requires the assistance of a bargaining unit or MSUCHM administration. 

  4.0 Composition of Committee, Committee Member Terms, and Committee Vacancies

  1. With a focus on achieving a fair representation of the diversity of MSUCHM support staff, the Committee will decide the number, composition, and selection of Committee members through its voting membership.
  2. The Committee will be composed of 15 MSUCHM full-time/part-time support staff from the MSUCHM East Lansing, Flint, and Grand Rapids locations:
     1. 5 support staff belonging to the bargaining unit APSA.

     2. 7 support staff belonging to the bargaining unit APA.

     3. 3 support staff belonging to the bargaining unit CT.

        1. At least 1 support staff will belong to the MSUCHM dean’s office unit.
        2. At least 1 support staff will belong to an MSUCHM department.
  3. For the inaugural Committee membership selected to implement and develop the Committee, each inaugural member’s term of commitment begins on the same date of June 1, 2019, and will be expected to serve the term of their commitment as follows:
     1. 1-year term – expires June 30, 2020;
     2. 2-year term – expires June 30, 2021; and
     3. 3-year term – expires June 30, 2022.
  4. For regular Committee membership, a member’s term of commitment begins on July 1 of the first year in which he or she is selected and will be expected to serve either a 1-year term, a 2-year term, or a 3-year term, with the term ending on June 30 of the final year of the term.
  5. Nothing in the bylaws is intended to prohibit a Committee member from applying for another term of commitment through the Committee’s usual application and selection process, which term of commitment applied for can be for a different term of years than the Committee member’s current term.
  6. A Committee Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary will be selected and each will serve 1-year terms:
     1. Upon Committee inception, a candidate for each position will be appointed or self-nominated, subject to approval by a simple majority of the Committee members and effective June 1, 2019.   
     2. At the expiration of the inaugural year on June 30, 2020, the Committee Chair will step down and the Committee Vice-Chair will become Committee Chair effective July 1, 2020.  Thereafter, a Committee member will be selected and approved by the Committee in accordance with Section 6.0 for the position of Committee Chair effective July 1, 2021.
     3. At the expiration of the inaugural year on June 30, 2020, two Committee members will be selected and approved by the Committee members in accordance with Section 6.0 for the positions of Committee Vice-Chair and Secretary, effective July 1, 2020. Thereafter, two Committee members will be selected and approved by the Committee in accordance with Section 6.0 to fulfill these two positions effective July 1, 2021.
  7. Should a Committee member resign or is otherwise unable or unwilling to fulfill the term of service, the Committee may select an interim Committee member to serve until the vacancy is filled through the Committee’s selection process, which selection is then subject to approval by the Committee in accordance with Section 6.0.
  8. 60 days before the expiration of a Committee member’s term outlined in Subsection 4.3 or upon a vacancy occurring as described in Subsection 4.7, the Committee shall notify MSUCHM full- and part-time staff of the opportunity to apply for and serve on the Committee subject to the Committee’s selection process.
     1. Subject to additional contents as determined by the Committee, the notification shall minimally:

        1. Contain a brief description of expectations if an applicant is selected to serve on the Committee.

        2. List the expected term of service by the applicant.

        3. Require the applicant to explain his or her qualifications and interest to serve on the Committee.

        4. Describe the selection process and provide a set date by which a decision will be made.

  5.0 Committee Meetings

  1. Upon inception, the Committee will convene as necessary to establish and develop strategies for meeting objectives - but not less than once per month until June 30, 2020, at which time the Committee may vote to continue monthly meetings or establish a different meeting schedule.
  2. The Committee Chair or Vice-Chair shall be responsible for calling to order and selecting the meeting dates and locations, as well as preparing and sending a meeting agenda to Committee members at least 1 day in advance of the meeting.
  3. Any Committee member may submit a request for a meeting to address a matter which he or she feels is in need of immediate attention, subject to the Committee Chair’s review and approval which shall not be unreasonably withheld.
  4. Any Committee member may submit an item for an agenda prior to the meeting or move to amend the agenda at the start of a meeting. 
  5. All Committee meetings will be recorded and/or documented by the Committee Secretary (meeting minutes), who in turn will disseminate a draft of the meeting minutes to the 1) Committee leadership team for review and correction as necessary and 2) the MSUCHM Dean’s Office solely for the purposes of reviewing the accuracy of comments and/or information attributable to the MSUCHM Dean. A copy of the meeting minutes approved by the Committee will be preserved by the Committee Secretary in a location that can be accessed by the full Committee and MSUCHM staff. 

  6.0 Committee Voting

  1. A quorum of 9 out of 15 Committee members must be present to take action at any meeting.
  2. The matter to be addressed and subject to a vote must be noticed in accordance with Section 5.
  3. After a request to speak has been raised to the Committee Chair or Vice-Chair, a Committee member may have up to 5 minutes of uninterrupted time to address the matter to be voted upon.
  4. After any Committee member has had the opportunity to address the matter to be voted upon in accordance with Section 6.3, the Committee Chair or Vice-Chair may open up the matter for general discussion.
  5. Upon motion of the Committee Chair or Vice-Chair, the matter may 1) be tabled for further consideration and discussion by the Committee or 2) put forth for a simple majority vote by the attending Committee members.
     1. A 2/3 majority vote by the full Committee is required for a matter which limits the right or participation of or involvement by any Committee member.
  6. The Committee Secretary shall note the Committee decision and include a descriptive summary of Committee comments, discussions, approvals, and objections (i.e., name of Committee member and his/her condensed comments).  

  7.0 Committee Communications

  1. The Committee will approve a Committee member responsible for internal and external communications on its behalf.
  2. For internal Committee communications, the approved Committee member will be responsible for drafting, distributing, and storing all internal Committee communications in an area accessible to all Committee members, including but not limited to meeting minutes, proposed Committee documents, and survey results.
  3. For communications from the Committee to the MSUCHM community (e.g., surveys, questionnaires, Committee news), the approved Committee member will be responsible for drafting the proposed communication and submitting it for review and comment by Committee members sufficiently in advance of distribution.
     1. In the event a simple majority of the Committee members cannot agree on the proposed external communication, the matter will be submitted to the Committee Chair or Vice-Chair for a final determination with input from the Committee members.
     2. In the event of a dispute related to the proposed communication and the Committee Chair’s or Vice-Chair’s determination, a Committee member may request a meeting under Section 5.0 and a formal vote by the Committee as a whole under Section 6.0.

  8.0 Amendments

  1. Any Committee member may submit a proposal to amend the bylaws as an agenda item for consideration during a Committee meeting that has been scheduled in accordance with Section 5.0.
  2. The proposed amendment shall be subject to the approval of the Committee members in accordance with Section 6.0.
  3. Any approved amendment shall be merged to the bylaws with a reference to the date the amendment is effective.

  Having had the opportunity for review and comment, and by a simple majority vote of the Committee members, the MSUCHM Dean’s Support Staff Advisory Committee Bylaws were approved on August 13, 2019.

  Melissa Kacos, Chair
  Karla Cody, Vice-Chair

Committee Members

Heather Hazzard | Chairperson		Julie Bergstrom | Vice Chairperson
Lisa Pasbjerg | Secretary		Candace Heeringa
Tae Blair		Anne Leiby-McMahon
Karla Cody		Ruth Patino
Lori Dykstra		Emily Schultz
Sarah Enlow (she/her)		Kim Sapkowski
Jacqueline Evans		Angela Zell