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Officers || Meetings || Amendment Process || Committees || General Guidelines || Procedures

We, the members of The University of Texas System Student Advisory Council (UTSSAC) to the U.T. Board of Regents, do hereby adopt these organizational guidelines for the purpose of providing input to the Chancellor and to the U.T. Board of Regents of The University of Texas System on issues of student concern.

MEMBERSHIP

1.1 Each individual institution shall establish the means for selecting the members that represent that institution. The number of representatives from each institution is to be determined by the Chancellor of The University of Texas System.

1.2 A student, in order to be eligible for appointment, shall be currently enrolled and in good standing, as determined by his or her institution.

1.3 An individual shall remain a member of the Council until replaced by his or her institution or expelled by the Council, as provided in 1.4 below.

1.4 If a member is unable to attend a Council meeting, it is that member's responsibility to inform the Chair that he or she will not be able to attend all or part of the meeting.

• Members are expected to be in attendance of Council general session and committee meetings until their adjournment on Friday or Saturday. Any member who fails to stay in attendance will be assessed an unexcused half absence for that day. A member may be expelled from the Council for having two unexcused absences from separate Council meetings or four unexcused half absences.
• It is the prerogative of the Chair to excuse absences.

1.5 Members shall have the following duties:

• To attend any and all meetings called by the Chair.
• To notify the Chair when unable to attend a meeting.
• To serve on committees as appointed by the Chair. All members will serve on at least two of the following seven standing committees: Tuition & Fees, Student Rights, Multicultural and Minority Affairs, Academic Affairs, and Graduate Affairs, Technology Committee and Legislative Affairs Committee.
• To vote on any and all motions that come before the Council.

OFFICERS

2.1 The Council will have the following officers who comprise the Executive Board:

• Chair
• Vice-Chair
• Administrative Assistant
• Historian
• Any other temporary officers that are deemed necessary by the Chair, subject to a two-thirds vote of the members present.

2.2 The Chair shall have the following duties:

• To preside over all meetings of the Council, the Executive Board and the Executive Committee.
• To establish and appoint members to ad hoc committees.
• To serve as a member of the Executive Committee and Executive Board.
• To vote to break a tie.
• To declare members' absences excused or unexcused.
• To set the Agenda.
• To make all final decisions with regard to parliamentary procedure.
• To call executive sessions as deemed necessary, which may be vetoed by two-thirds roll call vote of the Council as a whole.
• To attend meetings of the U.T. Board of Regents, as necessary.

2.3 The Vice-Chair shall have the following duties:

• To call the meeting to order.
• To assume the duties of the Chair in the absence of the Chair.
• To ensure that the provisions of these Guidelines, as well as those sections of Robert's Rules of Order that are not superseded by these Guidelines, are followed.
• To review legislative issues as directed to the Vice Chair by the Office of Governmental Relations of The University of Texas System.
• To suggest key points to review on each proposal deemed to have merit for consideration by the Student Advisory Council.
• To send copies of proposals on legislative issues to all members of the Council for review and campus comment.
• To address the Council with regard to these issues for possible statement and/or proposal to the Board of Regents.
• To serve as a member of the Executive Committee and Executive Board.
• To monitor work of the committees to be responsible for committee reports.
• Assist the Chair and meeting host delegates in the preparation of all meetings.

2.4 The Administrative Assistant shall have the following duties:

• To keep clear and accurate records of the proceedings of the meetings of the Council. This responsibility includes working with the individual in charge of maintaining the UTSSAC webpage to post those records.
• To provide copies of these records to the Chair within three weeks of the conclusion of the meeting.
• To provide copies of letters, resolutions, recommendations, and information items to the Chair within one week of the conclusion of the meeting.
• To call the roll at each regular meeting and declare the presence or absence of a quorum.
• To serve as a member of the Executive Committee and the Executive Board.

2.5 The Historian shall have the following duties:

• To keep accurate record of the history of the Council. This includes:
  • a) Cataloging all issues, past and present, that come before the Council as a whole or in committee.
  • b) Being available to brief committees on issues that have come before the Council in the past.
• To collaborate with the individual in charge of maintaining the UTSSAC webpage in updating the Council's recommendation to archive on the UTSSAC webpage.
• To serve as a member of the Executive Committee and the Executive Board.

2.6 Officers shall be elected at the last meeting of each academic school year by the following process:

• The Chair shall call for nominations.
• Each nominated member shall have an opportunity to address the Council the day of nomination.
• The vote for new officers will be taken by secret ballot when more than one person is seeking the position. The ballot is to be counted by the Vice Chair and Advisor. If the Vice Chair is on the ballot being counted, another Student Advisory Council member will count the ballots with the Advisor.

2.7 An officer may be removed by a two-thirds vote of the Council for failure to perform the duties as described in Sections 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, and 2.5.

MEETINGS

3.1 The Council shall meet at least three times in an academic year. The tentative schedule for the meetings shall be determined at the first meeting of the academic year.

3.2 No vote can be conducted in the absence of a quorum. A quorum shall consist of at least half of the membership of the Council plus one.

3.3 Robert's Rules of Order shall be the official guidelines for procedures of the Council insofar as it benefits the purpose of the Council.

AMENDMENT PROCESS

4.1 These Guidelines may be amended by the following procedures:

• Any member, upon recognition by the Chair, may propose an amendment to the Guidelines.
• Given a two-thirds vote, the Amendments shall become part of these Guidelines.

COMMITTEES

5.1 The Executive Committee shall be composed of the Chairs of the Standing Committees, the Chair, Vice-Chair, Administrative Assistant, and Historian of the Council.

5.2 In addition, there shall be the following standing committees:

• Student Tuition and Fees Committee
• Student Rights Committee
• Academic Affairs Committee
• Minority/Multicultural Affairs Committee
• Graduate Affairs Committee
• Technology Committee
• Legislative Affairs Committee

5.3 Members may be appointed by the Chair of the Council to serve on committees.

5.4 Ad hoc committees shall be established by the Chair of the Council as deemed necessary.

5.5 Membership to ad hoc committees shall be determined by the Chair of the Council.

5.6 All committees will select a chair, vice-chair, and secretary by simple majority vote of all those members present at the first meeting of the academic year (September).

5.7 The chair of the committee is responsible for all resolutions, recommendations, and information items which shall be prepared for the Council prior to consideration.

5.8 The committee secretary will maintain a roster of committee members and minutes and submit same to the Administrative Assistant at each meeting.

5.9 If more than one representative from a component institution is present, the institution must be represented at each full committee session.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

6.1 Any member of the UTSSAC may introduce a topic, recommendation, or resolution by contacting the Chair to place the item on the next meeting agenda for introductory discussion.

6.2 The sponsoring member shall have copy of all research and background materials for each member and the U.T. System advisors.

6.3 Recommendations and resolutions shall have a multi-component focus. Individual campus issues shall be explored with component administrators prior to any form of consideration of the Council.

6.4 Recommendations, resolutions, and other items shall be provided to the Office of the Chancellor for information and consultation.

PROCEDURE FOR THE PASSAGE OF RECOMMENDATIONS, RESOLUTIONS, AND OTHER ITEMS

7.1 Resolutions, recommendations, and other items prepared in advance of a meeting should be typed and double-spaced to allow for corrections and amendments. Approximately 40 copies should be available for members and System advisors.

7.2 Introduction is given by a sponsoring member.

7.3 The UTSSAC Chair will refer the resolution to a standing or ad hoc committee.

7.4 The committee secretary will take minutes of all meetings of the committee.

7.5 Final resolutions, recommendations, and other items will be approved by a simple majority vote of the committee members present.

7.6 The committee secretary will provide copies of resolutions, recommendations, or other items for all members of the Council and System advisor prior to consideration during committee reports.

7.7 Resolutions, recommendations, and other items shall be approved by a two-thirds vote of the Council members present.

7.8 Resolutions, recommendations, and other items shall be provided in final form by the committee secretary to the Council Administrative Assistant at the end of the meeting. The Administrative Assistant will forward these items to the Council Chair within one week after the conclusion of the meeting.

7.9 The Council Chair will forward the resolutions, recommendations, and other items, to the System Advisor. The Council Chair will return all final copies of the above items to the Administrative Assistant for appropriate dissemination (or Council Chair as appropriate).

7.10 A copy of all resolutions, recommendations, and other items shall be included in the Minutes of the meeting.

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