Constitution and Bylaws
Contents
Constitution
Preamble
Article I-Name
Article II-Purpose
Article III-Organization
Article IV-Officers
Article V-Meetings
Article VI-Committees
Article VII-Amendments
Bylaws
Article I-Support
Article II-Membership/Organization
Article III-College Sectors
Article IV-Senators
Article V-Elections
Article VI-Meetings
Article VII-Vacancies/Removal from Office
Article VIII-Committees
Article IX-Amendments
Article X-Classified Senate Scholarships
Constitution of the Classified Senate
The Hartnell College Classified Senate shall promote the Classified staff as equal partners in designing the future of the District and involve the classified staff in the on-going activities/planning/decision-making of the College. To provide Classified staff the opportunity to participate effectively in college governance, as defined in Title 5 of the California Code of Regulations, the Classified staff hereby creates the Hartnell College Classified Senate, Constitution and Bylaws.
As an integral part of the college community, the Classified Senate shall actively contribute to the positive growth and success of the College, in the spirit of partnership and team effort.
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| Section 1: | The name of the organization shall be Hartnell College Classified Senate, hereafter referred to as the HCCS or Classified Senate. |
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| Section 1: | The HCCS shall promote the general welfare of Hartnell Community College District and its staff. |
| Section 2: | The HCCS shall promote the classified staff as equal partners in designing the future of the District and involve the classified staff in the on-going activities/planning/decision-making of the college. |
| Section 3: | The HCCS shall communicate to the Administration of the College and the District's Board of Trustees the needs, concerns, viewpoints, and recommendations developed by the Senate on matters affecting the conduct, welfare and growth of the classified staff specifically and the college in general. |
| Section 4: | The HCCS shall select representatives from the Classified Electorate to serve on appropriate college-wide standing committees and any other committees deemed necessary by the college governance structure. (See Article VIII of the HCCS Bylaws.) |
| Section 5: | The HCCS shall refer all issues pertaining to collective bargaining to the appropriate bargaining unit. |
| Section 6: | The HCCS shall refer all issues pertaining to staff development to the appropriate staff development committee. |
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| Section 1: | The HCCS shall be open to all non-management, (Supervisors, Confidentials, CSEA, and Local 39) regular full-time and regular part-time classified employees as defined by the California Education Code 88003. All such Classified staff, hereafter referred to as the Classified Electorate, shall have full voting rights in the election of Senators. |
| Section 2: | The HCCS shall be elected by the Classified Electorate (as defined above) and shall consist of at least two Senators (as defined above) from various work areas, hereafter referred to as College Sectors. (See Article III of the HCCS Bylaws). The numerical composition of the Senate shall also be determined in accordance with Article III of the HCCS Bylaws. |
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| Section 1: | The Senate shall consist of Senators from the College Sectors as defined in Article III of the HCCS Bylaws, and elected by the Classified Electorate of each College Sector by a majority vote. Time and date of the election shall be in accordance with Article V of the HCCS Bylaws. |
| Section 2: | Officers, known as the Executive Board, shall be elected annually from the Classified Senate, by the Classified Senate, consisting of: President, Vice President (President-Elect), Secretary, Treasurer, and the former President serving as an advisory, non-voting member, if senate term is up. |
| Section 3: | Election of officers (the Executive Board) shall be by a majority vote of the Senate. |
| Section 4: | Officers will take office in accordance with Article V of the HCCS Bylaws. |
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| Section 1: | Meetings of the HCCS will be held monthly, the dates to be determined by the consensus of the HCCS at the first meeting of the term, with special meetings scheduled as needed. |
| Section 2: | The HCCS shall hold its first meeting within two weeks after the installation of new officers. |
| Section 3: | Special meetings of the HCCS may be called by the HCCS President. |
| Section 4: | All meetings of the HCCS shall be open to all Classified employees. Meetings of the Executive Board shall be held monthly, primarily to develop the agendas for the HCCS regularly scheduled Monthly meetings. |
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| Section 1: | The HCCS shall be responsible for appointing members to college wide committees. Such members shall be appointed by the HCCS President. |
| Section 2: | At least one Classified representative shall be appointed to all appropriate college-wide committees as set forth in Article VIII of the HCCS Bylaws. |
| Section 1: | Any amendment to this constitution may be passed by a simple voting majority of the Classified Electorate and with approval of the College Superintendent/President and Board of Trustees. |
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Bylaws of the Classified Senate | |
| Section 1: | The HCCS shall seek release time for the Executive Board and Senators to accomplish the goals and purposes of the Senate; the Executive Board shall submit a monthly request (subject to change) to the Superintendent/President on behalf of the HCCS. Upon approval, the Superintendent/President will notify HCCS Supervisors. |
| Section 2: | The HCCS shall seek an operational budget to accomplish the goals and purposes of the Senate, and its funding shall become a regular part of the District budget. |
| Section 3: | The Executive Board shall submit an annual budget request on behalf of the HCCS. |
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| Section 1: | Membership of the Classified Senate shall consist of at least two (2) members and one (1) alternate member, hereafter referred to as Senators, from each College Sector, as defined in Article III of the HCCS Bylaws, who shall be Classified employees who have been employed at the College for a period of nine (9) months or more. |
| Section 2: | College Sectors having 10 - 29 employees shall be allotted two (2) senate seats and one (1) alternate seat; 30 - 39 employees, three (3) senate seats and one (1) alternate seat; 40 – 49 employees shall be allotted four (4) senate seats and one (1) alernate seat. (See Article III of the HCCS Bylaws.) |
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| Section 1: | College Sectors shall be defined as work areas on the campus and shall consist of the following: |
| Departments | Approx. # of Classified Electorate |
| Administrative Sector: | |
| Bookstore | 0 |
| Business Services | 13 |
| Human Resources | 5 |
| Purchasing | 1 |
| Reprographics | 2 |
| Warehouse | 1 |
| TOTAL (2 Senators) | 22 |
Instruction Sector: |
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| ADN/VN Nursing Programs | 0 |
| AG/AHT/Health Ed/Math/Science/ECE/F&CS | 4 |
| Child Development Center | 5 |
| Fine Arts/Language Arts/Social Science | 2 |
| Institutional Research & Planning | 2 |
| Occupational Education | 3 |
| PE/Health Ed/Rec/Athletics | 3 |
| Regional Health Occupation Resource Center | 2 |
| Vice President for Instruction Office | 3 |
| Foster and Kinship Care Education | 1 |
| TOTAL (2 Senators) | 25 |
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Service Sector: |
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| Custodial/Grounds/Maintenance | 31 |
| Food Services | 4 |
| TOTAL (3 Senators) | 35 |
Student Services Sector: |
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| Admissions and Records | 8 |
| DSP&S | 4 |
| EOPS | 2 |
| Financial Aid | 9 |
| International Students | 0 |
| Academic Learning Center | 9 |
| Student Development Services | 1 |
| Student Services-Vice President's Office | 4 |
| Veterans Office | 0 |
| Outreach - Student Recruitment | 3 |
| Counseling - Speech | 1 |
| Transfer Services | 1 |
| TOTAL (4 Senators) | 42 |
Support Sector: |
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| Workforce and Community Development | 3 |
| Computer Systems | 11 |
| Institutional Advancement/Foundation | 2 |
| Gleason Center/FHL | 3 |
| Library | 13 |
| Superintendent/President's Office | 2 |
| TOTAL (3 Senators) | 34 |
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| Section 1: | The HCCS shall be distinct from any other classified organization and is open to all non-management (Supervisors, Confidentials, CSEA, and Local 39), regular full-time and regular part-time classified employees. |
| Section 2: | Responsibilities of the HCCS Senators:
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| Section 3: | Responsibilities of the HCCS Alternates:
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| Section 4: | Responsibilities of the HCCS President:
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| Section 5: | Responsibilities of the HCCS Vice President (President-Elect):
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| Section 6: | Responsibilities of the HCCS Secretary:
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| Section 7: | Responsibilities of the HCCS Treasurer:
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| Section 1: | All HCCS elections shall be held by secret official ballot. |
| Section 2: | Elections of the Senators shall be held each April for the term of office to be effective July 1 through June 30. |
| Section 3: | Election of the Executive Board shall be held at the first meeting of the new Senate. |
| Section 4: | HCCS Senators shall be elected for a two year term; one half of the Senators shall be elected each year, as set forth in Article II of the HCCS Bylaws. Alternates shall serve a one-year term, to be effective July 1 through June 30. |
| Section 5: | The HCCS shall provide or select a committee to solicit and receive names of Senate candidates and shall supervise the election of all HCCS members. Senator/s shall be elected by and from each separate College Sector according to the number of Senators to be allotted to each college Sector. |
| Section 6: | The HCCS members shall be elected for a two-year term; one half of the Senate shall be elected each year. Vacancies shall be filled in accordance with Article VII of the HCCS Bylaws. Alternates shall serve a one-year term. |
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| Section 7: | Upon receipt of a proposed amendment, the HCCS shall distribute the amendment to the Classified staff accompanied by a voting ballot which is to be returned to the HCCS by an appointed time. |
| Section 8: | Ballots shall be opened initially at the following HCCS meeting. Voting results shall be announced at the same meeting, and to the Classified Electorate within two weeks of that meeting. |
| Section 9: | Any voting results ending in a tie shall be broken by a re-vote on only the candidates involved. |
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| Section 10: | In the event that there are not enough candidates for the number of Senators available to serve a College Sector, the nominations will be re-opened to that College Sector. |
| Section 11: | In the event that there is/are only one/two candidate/s for a Senate seat, and the candidate/s accept the nomination for Senator, there will be no election necessary and the candidate/s will be the newly elected Senator/s. |
| Section 12: | The candidate with the next highest number of votes will be the Alternate for that College Sector. |
| Section 13: | If there is/are no other candidate/s who can serve as an Alternate, the HCCS President will appoint an Alternate for that College Sector. |
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| Section 1: | Members shall endeavor to maintain a courteous, positive, and respectful attitude toward one another. |
| Section 2: | Cooperation, support, and a professional attitude will prevail at all times, with emphasis on unity between all Classified members. |
| Section 3: | Written notice of each meeting and its agenda and minutes of previous meetings shall be given to the members of the HCCS by the Secretary at least three days prior to the meeting, if at all possible. Copies of the agenda and minutes shall also be distributed to the College Superintendent/President, and Board of Trustees. |
| Section 4: | All meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order. (Available in the Hartnell College Library in the Reference section: Ref JF515.R65 1989) |
| Section 5: | A quorum for a meeting of any HCCS meeting shall be a simple majority of the senate members. Of the elected senators, one over half is needed to maintain a quorum. |
| Section 6: | While casual (temporary, short-term, hourly, contract) employees of the District are not considered part of the Classified Electorate, they are encouraged to bring topics of concern to the Senate at any time. The Senate shall represent the concerns of this group as needed, for the benefit of the College. |
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| Section 1: | The HCCS President may declare a vacancy when a Senator has been absent from more than three consecutive meetings. |
| Section 2: | A vacancy, for whatever reason, shall be filled by the Alternate from that particular College Sector which has been previously elected or appointed as the Alternate Senator. The term to be served is only until the end of the current academic year appointed. |
| Section 3: | Any appointee may be removed from his/her position by a 2/3 majority vote of the Executive Board. |
| Section 4: | Any elected official of the HCCS may be removed from office by a 2/3 majority of votes cast within his/her College Sector, at a regularly called meeting or vote, abiding by all regular processes. |
| Section 5: | A vacancy in the Alternate's position shall be filled by the next candidate from that particular sector who had the highest number of votes in the most recent election. The President can appoint an alternate, if there is no candidate. Appointment by the President does not require a vote by the membership. (Article III) |
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| Section 1: | At the request of the Administration, the HCCS shall function as a college-wide communication vehicle between the Administration and the Classified staff and shall enhance communication between all members of the Classified staff. |
| Section 2: | The Executive Board, representing the HCCS, shall have the power to form committees and to provide for their membership. |
| Section 3: | The HCCS shall seek full representation on all college-wide committees and councils deemed important for its purposes, by the Executive Board. Appointments to those committees and councils shall be made by the HCCS President. The HCCS shall seek representation on at least the following college-wide committees and councils:
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| Section 4: | The HCCS shall establish both permanent, and when appropriate, Ad
Hoc committees to assist in the development and implementation of policies and procedures relating to Classified staff and to the operational and educational matters of the college. |
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| Section 1: | Amendments to the Constitution and HCCS Bylaws may be proposed
by any Classified staff member in writing to his or her Senator to be placed on the agenda for consideration at the next regular meeting of
the HCCS, at least two weeks prior to that next regular meeting. |
| Section 2: | Upon receipt of a proposed valid amendment, the HCCS shall distribute the amendment to the Classified staff accompanied by a voting ballot which is to be returned to the HCCS by an appointed time. |
| Section 3: | Ballots shall be opened initially at the following HCCS meeting. Voting results shall be announced at the same meeting, and to the Classified Electorate within two weeks of that meeting. |
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| Section 1: | The HCCS scholarship will not be sponsored by district funds, but rather through annual HCCS sponsored fundraisers. The scholarship will be contingent year to year based on fund raising activities. |
| Section 2: | The HCCS scholarship will be chaired by the HCCS President. The selection of two (2) or three (3) candidates, depending on available funds, shall be made at a special meeting of the HCCS each semester. Summer semester will not be included. |
| Section 3: | The fundraising monies shall be deposited by the Treasurer into a Hartnell College Foundation account earmarked as Classified Senate Scholarship funds. The treasurer will be responsible for notifying the scholarship office of the scholarship recipients. |
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Please contact Patty McEfee at pmcefee@hartnell.edu if you have any questions.
