The Standing Rules of the Professional Staff Senate

1. The terms used in these Standing Rules shall have the meaning ascribed to them in the Constitution and Bylaws of the Professional Staff.
2. In all cases, these rules shall yield to the policies, procedures, and rules established in the of the Professional Staff Senate (PSS).
3. Where these rules are ambiguous, or do not directly address a question, the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern as follows:                                                                                       • PSS Constitution before PSS Bylaws before PSS Standing                  Rules before Robert’s Rules of Order.

1. The Staff Assistant of the Office of Shared Governance                         a. Monitor and conduct financial transactions under supervision         of the Chair.                                                                                         b.  Advise the Chair and Budget Advisory Committee of the         financial status of the PSS.                                                                 c.  Facilitate arrangement of venue, refreshments, and other         meeting logistics at the request of the Chair.                                   d. Assist the Officers with record keeping, and reporting on the             business of the PSS.                                                                             e. Generate, on a quarterly basis, a complete and accurate list of        members of the professional staff.                                                    f. Provide a list of new employees to the Chair and to         appropriate committees on a quarterly basis.                                g. Maintain familiarity with current university financial policies.

Committees serve a vital role in the daily workings of the PSS. Committees may receive broad charges, or be given specific tasks upon which to contemplate and act. Committees may be charged by the Executive Committee or the full Senate.

1. Where a motion is pending, on the floor, that motion may be referred to committee using the motion to commit or refer (Appendix II).
2. Where no motion is pending, the motion to commit or refer is considered a main motion.
3. In all cases, the individual moving for the referral may designate the committee to receive the matter, the extent to which the committee may act (i.e., report back, take action, or consult with other bodies), and the date by which the intended action should occur.

1. The presence of quorum shall be determined prior to call to order at each meeting. The number of voting members required to obtain the required quorum, is outlined in the PSS Bylaws).
2. In general, the Staff Assistant will relay to the Chairperson whether a quorum is present or absent based on the sign-in sheets for each respective meeting.
3.  The Chairperson will announce at the beginning of each meeting whether a quorum is present or absent and whether business may be conducted.
4. The Staff Assistant will notify the Chairperson if attendance falls below quorum at any point during the meeting.

See Appendix I for standard meeting agenda for Executive Committee and Senate.

1. Approval of minutes                                                                                  a. Minutes will be made accessible for review to the appropriate        body in advance of the following meeting in accordance with          the Bylaws.                                                                                            b. If no amendments are requested, the minutes will be received,       accepted, and entered into the official record as promulgated       by unanimous consent.                                                                        c. If amendments are presented and accepted, the report must         be approved by unanimous consent or a simple majority vote         of those present if consensus is uncertain.
2. Reports                                                                                                      a. Chair’s report: past actions                                                                          If the Chair’s report is informational in nature and contains             no recommendations, no motion is required to move on to             the next item of business, although senators may move to             receive the report as a formal affirmation of receipt. A             report recommending a course of action requires a motion             to accept the report. The motion is amendable and             debatable, but discussion must be limited to the merits of             accepting and may not go into the content of the report.         b. Report of Vice Chair                                                                                      Committee Reports: All committees must take minutes at             each respective meeting and submit a report of their             plans and activities to the Vice Chair for presentation at             the monthly Senate meeting. All reports must be             received by the Vice Chair five days prior to the             meeting in order to be eligible for inclusion in the             meeting’s report.                                                                                                                                                                                                      If the Vice Chair’s report is informational in nature and             contains no recommendations, no motion is required to             move on to the next item of business, although             senators may move to receive the report as a formal             affirmation of receipt. A report recommending a             course of action requires a motion to accept the             report. The motion is amendable and debatable, but             discussion must be limited to the merits of accepting and             may not go into the content of the report.

          c. Special reports from committees                                                                    Committees may request to give special reports at any                    monthly Senate or General Membership meeting. Requests                    should be made at least two weeks in advance of the                    meeting at which they intend to present.

3. Officer meeting designation (time/frequency, etc.)                                       a. Officers should meet regularly at the discretion of the Chair.                b. It is recommended that officers meet at least once per                 month before the monthly Executive Committee Meeting.

4. Keeping of records                                                                                              a. Meeting Minutes                                                                                        i. In the interest of concision and fairness, minutes should only                     include:                                                                                                            1) Meeting location, time, and members present                                       2) Orders of business, including a brief synopsis of                       presentations, reports, and programs.                                                 3) The title of special programs and names and affiliations                         of guest speakers                                                                                       4) Motions made (including name of the moving senator).                       5) Whether any discussion or amendments occurred.                               6) Simple outcome of the vote (e.g. “passed”).                                       7) Seconders’ names need not be recorded (but may be).                       8) Time of adjournment                                                                          - See Appendix I for an example containing accepted content                   and formatting                                                                                            ii. Minutes should not include (unless specifically requested):                    1) Content of discussion, only an indication that discussion                            occurred.                                                                                                2) Off-the-cuff comments or debate occurring outside the                        proper forum.                                                                                    iii. Promulgation/Location/posting of meeting records:                              1) Minutes must be promulgated according to the Bylaws.                    2) Minute files will be stored on UB Box in the folder for the                       meeting in which they were taken. Links to the file will be                       included in emails sent to the members.                                              3) Unapproved minutes file names must end with –                       UNAPPROVED.                                                                                        4) Approved minutes’ file names must end with APPROVED.                    5) The minutes will be marked, at the top of the page near                        the title whether the have been APPROVED, or                          UNAPPROVED, and will also indicate the date of                        approval.                                                                                                 6) Audio files will be uploaded to each meeting folder on                         UB Box and made available on request to PSS                         members.                                                                                                   7) Minutes and other meeting records will be made                        available by the Staff Assistant in the event they are                          requested by any person who is not a member of PSS                        where requested in compliance with State Freedom of                        Information and Open Meeting Laws.                                        b. Meeting “folders” on UB BOX                                                                        i. A folder will be created for each meeting of the Senate,                 General Membership, and Executive Committee.                                ii. Folders will contain agendas, minutes, and other items of                      business such as the reports of the Chair/Vice-Chair                                 discussed at the meeting. Announcements of meetings will                   include links to relevant items stored in the meeting’s UB Box                   folder.                                                                                                      iii. Emails should not contain attachments, unless a link to that                    item cannot be provided.                                                                    iv. To ensure proper indexing and recall, file and folder names                    should begin with dates in the format yyyy-mm-dd                    followed by a concise descriptor of the document. e.g.                    “2017-11-02 EC Minutes (approved)"                                                c. Committee Meetings                                                                                  i. Committees are required to record attendance and                     minutes at every meeting.                                                                          ii. Files should be placed in the appropriate                                                   committee-meeting folder on UB Box.                                                    iii. Committee meeting dates and locations should be posted                    to the PSS calendar (through pssenate@buffalo.edu) as                    soon as scheduled.                                                                              iv. A standard committee report form can be found in UB BOX,                   and in Appendix (IV) of these orders.

The Professional Staff Senate of the University at Buffalo moves to allow the business of the Professional Staff Senate to be conducted remotely via synchronous video teleconferencing whenever deemed to be appropriate by the chair. Meetings will be announced in accordance with timeframes specified in the Bylaws. The meeting link will be sent to participants by the Secretary in line with current meeting notification requirements.

Remote meetings will be conducted via synchronous video technology that allows all participants to see, hear and speak with one another. Members shall be considered present if they have joined the meeting and can be both seen and heard by all participants. Quorum will be determined by a roll call of the senators present at the beginning of the meeting and members joining or leaving after will directly notify the Secretary via chat. The secretary will be responsible for monitoring the presence of quorum so that business may continue to be conducted.

Motions and voting shall take place in line with the Senate’s Governing Board documents. Motions will be put forth and seconded by voting members and will be open for discussion through the video connection as well as through the chat, and when appropriate the chair will ask for a verbal yay/nay vote. If the vote can not be called from the verbal vote an individual count vote will be taken, allowing the Chair time to visually confirm each members’ vote via their video stream. If necessary, the Chair can ask for clarification from the member on their vote.

Procedure:

1. Secretary will prepare a spreadsheet in advance with all the names of senators, and include any alternates that are standing in based on emails received. Meeting will start by reading the roll, requesting “present” (or we announce “absent”), and then request anyone who is acting as an alternate to self-identify.
2. Secretary will then quickly adjust the master spreadsheet and email it to the officers while meeting continues. This spreadsheet would be used to support an individual vote count.
3. For vote count, this would happen any time there is not a straight no contest yay vote. However, a simple verbal yea/nay in the cases where there is no contest and a full vote for yes.

1. Determination of Attendance                                                                    a. General and Senate Meetings                                                             i. The Staff Assistant will make attendance sheets available              near the entry point of each meeting for senators and           general members to record their attendance.                                   ii. When a senator leaves the meeting, the Staff Assistant will            note the time at which they left in order to ensure business is            not conducted in the absence of quorum.                                     b. Executive Committee Meetings                                                           i. The Staff Assistant will make attendance sheets available           near the entry point of each meeting for Executive Senators           to record their attendance.                                                               ii. When an Executive Senator leaves the meeting, the Staff            Assistant will note the time at which they left in order to            ensure business is not conducted in the absence of quorum.     c. Committee Meetings                                                                             i. The chair or a designee will record the attendance at each           committee meeting.
2. Recording Attendance                                                                              a. Attendance of the senators present at any meeting will be                 recorded on an attendance sheet.                                                    b. Following the meeting, the roster of attending senators will be       placed in the minutes.                                                                        c. A separate attendance spreadsheet will be maintained by the         Office of Shared Governance for records and determining          which senators have become delinquent or forfeited their seat.    d. The PSS Secretary should provide periodic updates to the       Executive Committee regarding attendance, to serve as notice         for those who are at risk of removal, for the Executive           Committee’s action as per the Bylaws.
3. Absences                                                                                               a. Immediately following a meeting at which a senator or their            respective alternate was not present, the Secretary shall send           the senator a notice, reminding them of the attendance bylaws,       and that three meetings during a fiscal year are missed, they           will forfeit their seat, as per the Bylaws.b. Immediately following       a total of three absences from meetings during a fiscal year,       where a senator or their alternate was not present, the Chair       shall notify the senator that their seat has been forfeited.             c. The Executive Committee may vote to reinstate senators at their      discretion. Any Executive Senator in good standing may move to      reinstate. A simple majority is required to reinstate, and the          motion to reinstate shall be treated as a main motion.                         i. If a senator is reinstated and fails to attend the next regularly           scheduled meeting, they will forfeit their position until           reelection by the general membership.
4. Attendance Reports to Executive Committee
    a. The PSS Secretary shall provide, in the form of a                             bi-annual report to the Executive Committee, a list of senators          who have not met, or who are in danger of not meeting the          attendance requirements.                                                               b. Executive Senators will then be charged to reach out to          senators who have not met the attendance requirement.

1. Items of new business may be brought forth by any member in good standing, in the form of a motion, following the completion of the established agenda at any meeting of the Professional Staff Senate. Unless otherwise noted by the parliamentarian, all motions are debatable, amendable, and require a simple majority vote of those present, unless in opposition to the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.
2. Resolutions shall be treated as main motions (Appendix II). Thus, during the consideration of any resolution, they remain subject to any motion that applies to a main motion including, amendment, commit or refer, previous question, or postponement among others.
3. In accordance with the PSS Constitution & Bylaws, the PSS Chair will prepare an agenda in advance of any meeting and the PSS Executive Committee will set the Agenda. Where items of business present themselves after consideration by the Executive Committee and prior to the meeting, the PSS Chair may seek a motion from the Senate to accept those changes deemed necessary by the PSS Chair.

1. A member raises one’s hand and addresses the presiding officer.                                                                                                   The officer should be addressed by preferred name.
2. The member is recognized by the presiding officer.              When a member has been recognized, the member is the only     person entitled to present or discuss a motion. After recognition,     the member should briefly state their preferred name and the     Area they represent.                                                                                          For example: “Preferred name, Area X. I move …”
3. The member proposes a motion.                                                    The motion should begin, "I move that" followed by a statement       of proposal. It is not permissible to discuss the merits of the            motion either prior to or immediately following the formal         proposal of the motion.
4. Another member seconds the motion.                                              The member simply states, "I second the motion," or “Second.” If     nobody seconds the motion, the presiding officer may ask, "Is     there a second to the motion?” If there is none, he may declare,     "The motion is lost for lack of a second"
5. The Presiding officer states the motion to the assembly.              When a motion has been properly proposed and seconded, the     chairperson repeats the motion to the assembly. In may then be     spoken of as a "question", a "proposition", or a "measure."
6. The assembly discusses or debates the motion.                          To speak, a member must obtain the floor in the same manner     as when presenting a motion.                                                                 a. The presiding officer should show preference to the              proposer of the motion.                                                                  b. A member who has not spoken has prior claim over one             who has already spoken.                                                                c. The presiding officer should alternate between proponents             and opponents of the motion.                                                        d. The presiding officer should recognize a member who             seldom speaks in preference to one who frequently speaks.          e. Discussion must be confined to the question that is "before             the assembly".
7. The presiding officer takes the vote on the motion.                     Before taking the vote, the Chair ask, "Is there further     discussion?" or "Are you ready for the question?" The Chair     proceeds to take the vote by announcing "All in favor of the     motion (STATE THE MOTION) say ’aye’. The Chair then says     "those opposed say ’No’."
8. The presiding officer announces the results of the vote.              The presiding officer announces the vote by saying "The motion     is carried; therefore (STATE THE INTENT OF THE MOTION)." or if     the vote is in the negative, the chairperson states, "The motion is     lost."
9. Another motion is then in order.

1. Any member of a committee may bring new business to their committee meeting by notifying the chair and making a motion at the appropriate meeting.
2. A committee may bring a motion before the Executive Committee by:                                                                                                              a. Notifying the PSS Chair of their intent to discuss an item at an         EC meeting after a vote of the committee to present the         motion;                                                                                              b. Directing, by a vote of the committee, that the committee         chairperson make a motion, on behalf of the committee, to         the EC when no other business is pending;                                      c. Or by voting that the request that the Vice Chair pursue action         on an item during the Vice Chair’s report.
3. Individual members of a committee are NOT permitted to present motions on behalf of a committee without the express direction, by vote of the committee, that the designated member(s) shall present the motion. The presenting member may be the Chair or another member of the committee's designation.

1. Members of the Executive Committee may bring business to the committee by notifying the Chair more than five business days prior to the next scheduled Executive Committee meeting. At all times, the Chair will attempt to add the requested business to the agenda unless prior scheduling precludes.
2. Members of the Executive Committee may also bring new business at the call for new business as determined by the meeting’s agenda.

1. Officers, with the exceptions of the Chairperson and Parliamentarian, may make a motion at any meeting of the PSS.
2. Although possible, the Vice Chair shall not move to accept the Vice Chair’s report, or the report of any committee.

1. Members of the Senate may bring business to the committee by notifying the Chair more than five business days prior to the next scheduled Senate meeting.
2. Members of the Senate may also bring new business at the call for new business as determined by the meeting’s agenda and remaining time.                                                                                        a. If the new business includes a resolution that has not been         previously received by the PSS Senate, adequate time should         be allowed for Senators to read, amend, and comment on the         Resolution.                                                                                                   i. If time does not allow proper consideration, the Chair will                 suggest the resolution be either “Postponed” or “Tabled”                 until the Senators feel adequate time to consider the                 resolution has transpired.                                                                 ii. Delivery of the resolution at a regular meeting of the PSS                   Senate will constitute receipt unless there is a motion to                  postpone receipt to a later, specified date. The motion to                  postpone is amendable, debatable, and requires a                  majority vote.

1. General members may bring new business through their representative senators. A member may draft and present a resolution, however, only a motion of a PSS senator may initiate consideration.
2. At regular meetings of the General Membership, members may bring new business to the Chair more than five business days prior to the next scheduled meeting, or at the meeting as determined by the agenda.                                                                                              a. If the new business includes a resolution that has not been         previously received by the PSS Senate, adequate time should         be allowed for Senators to read, amend, and comment on the         Resolution.                                                                                                   i. If time does not allow proper consideration, the Chair will                 suggest the resolution be either “Postponed” or “Tabled”                 until the Senators feel adequate time to consider the                 resolution has transpired.                                                                   ii. Delivery of the resolution at a regular meeting of the PSS                  Senate will constitute receipt unless there is a motion to                  postpone receipt to a later, specified date. The motion to                  postpone is amendable, debatable, and requires a                  majority vote.

1. Guests to the PSS may request the PSS Chair place an item of business on a meeting agenda.
2. Although Guests are not able to vote, they may participate in discussion and debate and special presentations.

1. Any Senator in good standing may make a motion to bring an item before the senate by following the procedure established in section A of this Article.
2. All motions will be treated as main motions and are therefore debatable, amendable and require a simple majority vote of those in attendance.

The main tool of the Professional Staff Senate is the Resolution. Resolutions are main motions presented in written form. The PSS will use the following format and procedures to present and adopt resolutions. An example may be found in Appendix III of these Standing Rules.

In preparing a resolution, it is important for any drafting party to consult with members of the PSS who can be helpful in drafting, or who should be involved in the creation of the document. It is always advisable to consult the PSS Parliamentarian, or alternatively, the PSS Officers, members of the PSS Executive Committee, to assist in the development of the motion’s wording and execution. Where the senate determines there is insufficient consultation in the preparation of a resolution, it may remand the draft resolution to the drafting party and request consultation with the appropriate party before the proposed resolution will be considered any further.

All resolutions shall include a series of “whereas” and “resolved” clauses, used to present

1. Preamble statement:                                                                                  a. The drafter(s) of a resolution may include brief preamble         statements in the form of “whereas” clauses.                                b. In general, there will be no need to include a preamble unless         there are special circumstances where the background of the         motion presented in the resolution is important to the motion’s         consideration.
2. Whereas clauses:                                                                                      a. “Whereas” must not be in all capitals.                                            b. “Whereas” must have a comma after it.                                        c. “Whereas” must not have a tab after it, but should just be the           beginning of a typical sentence.                                                  d. Whereas clauses must be separated by a semicolon (;)              e. The second to the last whereas clause must have an “and”         after the semicolon                                                                            f. After the last whereas, the semi-colon must be followed by         “now, therefore, be it” on a separate line, separated from the         last “whereas” clause and first “resolved” clause by one         vertical space.
3. Resolved clauses:                                                                                      a. “Resolved” must be in italics with a comma after it.                      b. If the resolution is addressed to, or refers to a specific group         or groups, it must name in full the group or groups in both the         “resolved” and “whereas” clauses followed by the acronym in         parenthesis. Thereafter, the acronym may be used.                      c. The required phrasing before the resolved clauses is         “Resolved, that the                                                                            d. Professional Staff Senate (PSS) ....... ”                                            e. All “Resolved” clauses within a resolution must use the           objective form of any verb directing action of the PSS. (E.g.         Resolved, that the Professional Staff Senate (PSS), on behalf         of its members, supports . . . ; provides ; and/or urges ....... )        f. The first letter of resolved clauses must not be capitalized.          g. Only the second to the last resolved clause should have an         “and” after the semicolon.
4. The drafter(s) should consult with the PSS Parliamentarian, Officers, or Executive Committee to format and draft their resolution and ensure the proper procedures and format are followed.

1. All resolutions, until accepted by the PSS, shall be referred to as “draft resolution” or “proposed resolution”
2. When a drafting body decides the drafting and consultation period has ended, the drafter(s) may request the Chair add the proposed resolution to the agenda for an upcoming meeting of the Senate.
3. Where addition to the agenda is not practical or possible, for example due to time- sensitivity, any member in good standing may present a proposed resolution when the PSS Chair calls for "New Business" at the end of a regularly-scheduled meeting. The resolution will be handled as if it were any other main motion of the assembly.
4. Where any member feels there has been insufficient time to consider the motion, it is recommended they move

1. Resolutions received by the Chair will be made available to members of the PSS through the provision of a link to the appropriate folder in UB Box. The link will be sent in an email using the pre-established PSS mailing lists. Resolutions may be sent to the Chair at pssenate@buffalo.edu.
2. Members who are unable to access the document for any reason may request a copy be emailed by contacting the Office of Shared Governance Staff Assistant.

1. Resolution Tracking                                                                                  a. Upon the initial consideration of any resolution by a body of         the PSS, the PSS Officers, in conjunction with the Executive         Committee, will maintain a master spreadsheet by which to         catalogue and track the progress of resolution.                              b. The spreadsheet will be housed on UB Box.                                  c. The PSS Secretary, in conjunction with the Officers and         Executive Committee, will ensure the spreadsheet is                     up-to-date.                                                                                      d. Due dates, and changes in status will additionally be recorded         within the document.
2. Follow up Procedures                                                                               a. In the event that a resolution directs action, or effects a                  situation external to the PSS, the PSS Officers will be         responsible for ensuring the resolution, as approved by the         whole senate, is delivered to the appropriate University party.      b. The officers will prepare a cover letter briefly describing the           history and motivation of the resolution and clearly define           the requested action.                                                                      c. The officers will then present the resolution to the appropriate         party within a reasonable time. These rules recognize there         will be situations where immediate presentation will be         difficult or impossible.                                                                      d. Where presentation to the appropriate party is not possible         within one week, the PSS Chair will notify the Executive         Committee of the delay and will present regular updates         regarding the progress of the resolution.

1. A complete archive of all resolutions, drafts, and follow-up documents will be maintained on UB Box and in the UB Office of Shared Governance.
2. Any member of the Professional Staff may access previously accepted resolutions by contacting the Office of Shared Governance.
3. Final, approved resolutions will be made publicly available on the PSS website.

1. Voting at all meetings shall occur viva voce (by voice vote).
2. Where a consensus cannot be confidently called by the chairperson, a revote shall be immediately taken by the chair using a counted hand vote, tallied by at least three people. If the tallies do not agree, the count must be retaken.
3. Any member that doubts the announced outcome of the vote may call for a division of the assembly, during which an automatic, counted revote will be taken in a manner that is different from the previously taken vote.

Voting during the election process will be performed as per the Bylaws. Votes will be counted by members of the Elections Committee. The Parliamentarian as a non-voting member of the senate, should be utilized to clarify rules and interpret results in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order, and at the direction of the Elections Committee.

1. Meetings of the PSS: After a vote is taken, the Chair will immediately announce the outcome by saying, “The ‘yeas’ or ‘nays’ have it, and the motion passes/fails.” The PSS Secretary will then enter the results in the minutes.
2. Elections: The chairperson of the

In order to increase representation and engagement, electoral areas will mirror top-level university defined VP and Decanal Units. The VP/Decanal Units are listed in the attached Appendix IV.

1. Officers: In accordance with the Constitution of the Professional Staff, members will be provided with a nomination ballot upon which they nominate one individual for each open seat.
2. Senators: In accordance with the Bylaws of the Professional Staff Senate, members will be provided with a nomination ballot upon which they may self-nominate or may nominate other members from within their respective VP/Decanal Unit.
3. Executive Committee: Senators will be provided with a nomination ballot upon which each member may self-nominate or nominate other Senators from their respective executive grouping, as set forth on the attached Appendix V.
   

1. Nominations for vacant seats will be taken on a rolling basis to ensure maximal representation of the Professional Staff in the Senate.
2. Any Senator may nominate a member of the Professional Staff to serve as a Senator, in their respective VP/Decanal Unit, by emailing pssenate@buffalo.edu.
3. If no nominations are put forward, vacancies will be filled according to the provisions in the Bylaws.
4. The nominations will be considered at the next regularly scheduled Executive Committee meeting.
5. Newly appointed senators will be informed of their appointment by the PSS Chair and welcomed at the next regularly scheduled Senate meeting.

1. Outgoing PSS Officers will make every reasonable effort to include the Officers- elect in the execution of their respective duties.
2. Officers-elect shall be invited to regularly scheduled meetings of the PSS Officers.
3. Officers-elect shall be included on official PSS business emails.
4. The outgoing officers shall maintain and update their respective sections of the PSS Toolbox. A copy will be archived on UB Box.

1. Members newly elected to the Executive Committee will be invited and encouraged to attend Executive Committee meetings before the expiration of the preceding term.
2. New Executive Senators will be engaged early to work with sitting Executive Senators to begin parsing committee charges and rosters.
3. The Executive Committee will host a transition meeting at the final scheduled Executive Committee meeting of the academic year to thank outgoing Executive Senators, and lay out the direction.

a. New senators shall go through the orientations process.                      b. Beginning of term - the Chair should send out letters to new senators (letter to supervisor for release) with expectations, etc.                              c. End of term – letter suitable for their personnel file.

1. Budget reports are provided to the PSS Chair upon request to assist and inform the officers and Executive Committee on fiscal matters.
   

1. Charge:                                                                                                       • The Budget Advisory Committee advises the PSS budgetary         process by preparing (with input of Committee Chairs) an         annual budget on behalf of the PSS officers which will be         approved by the PSS Executive Committee. It has the fiduciary         responsibility to report income and expenses, throughout the         fiscal year to the Executive Committee on a quarterly basis.
2. Membership:                                                                                               • The Chair will be an Executive Committee member, a former         Executive Committee member or a designee of the Executive         Committee, appointed by the Executive Committee on an         annual basis.                                                                                      • The PSS Vice Chair will be Vice Chair and a voting member of        the Budget Advisory Committee.                                                      • The Staff Assistant in the UB Office of Shared Governance will        be a voting member.                                                                          • Up to four members from the general membership, appointed        by the Executive Committee on an annual basis.                            • The PSS chair will be a non-voting member.

          • At the beginning of each fiscal year, the Budget Advisory             Committee solicits funding request from committee chairs for             pre-planned or expected expenses using the “PSS Committee             Budget Projection” spreadsheet, which is available on the PSS             Website under the “Committee Toolbox” tab.                                            • On a case by case basis thereafter, committee chairs may             submit requests for PSS funds by completing the form entitled             “PSS Budget Request for Committee Activities” spreadsheet,             which is available on the PSS Website under the “Committee             Toolbox” tab.                                                                                             • The Budget Advisory Committee Chair can approve committee             expenditure requests that do not exceed $200.00. The Chair             would then communicate the decision to the Budget Advisory             Committee.                                                                                                • The Budget Advisory Committee must vote to approve            committee expenditure requests that are between $201.00 and             $1,000.00.                                                                                                  • If a request exceeds $1,000.00, the Budget Advisory Committee            must first vote on the request and then, if approved, forward to            the Executive Committee for final approval.                                            • Each expenditure is a one-time approval. No expenditure can            be piecemealed to avoid a higher threshold of proper approval            (i.e., $1,000.00 expenditure cannot be divided into five $200.00             expenditures).                                                                                             • Notwithstanding the foregoing, the PSS Chair reserves final             approval of all expenses from the PSS Budget.

The PSS Chair reserves the right to expend up to $200.00 without prior approval of the Budget Advisory Committee or the Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee is able to determine the reserve balance for the Professional Staff Senate.

1. The Chair of the PSS should, on an annual basis prepare a report of all work performed by the PSS during an academic year.
2. The report may include:                                                                             a. Resolutions Passed                                                                          b. Committee Activities                                                                        c. Significant upcoming events                                                            d. Challenges addressed; and                                                            e. Any other item deemed important by the PSS Chair.
3. The PSS Chair will present an overview of the report during a regular meeting of the PSS Senate or Executive Committee Meeting.
4. The PSS Chair will provide the President with a copy of the report at the end of the academic year.
5. The report of the PSS Chair will be archived on UB Box.

1. The Vice Chair of the PSS should create an end-of-year report cataloguing all of the work performed by each committee during the academic year.
2. This report will be made available to the PSS Chair for inclusion in the PSS Annual Report (Article XI, Section A).
3. The Vice Chair will present an overview of the report at the final meeting of the PSS for the academic year.

1. Special committees of the PSS can be created by any member of PSS by moving to refer a main motion or resolution to a special committee.
2. Motions to create a special committee must designate the charge (purpose), membership, and powers to be vested in the committee.                                                                                                a. The charge is a short statement about the purpose of the         committee. In most cases, the charge will simply direct the         members of the committee to accomplish the designated         task.                                                                                                      b. The membership of the committee will designate how          many members will serve on the committee, what                            groups will be represented on the committee, and who            will serve as the chair.                                                                              i. Unless specifically noted otherwise in the motion to create                the committee, the PSS Chair will ask for volunteers to                serve on the committee.                                                                    ii. The first named volunteer will serve as chair of the                 committee unless otherwise stipulated                                   c. The powers vested in the committee will range from "power           to report" to "power to act on behalf of the Senate."                              i. In all but the most time-critical cases, committees will be                 empowered to report back to the senate with                 recommendations or proposals.                                                      ii. Where a committee is given the power to act, the                 committee may, by a vote of the committee, take the                 course of action deemed appropriate by the committee                 membership. Such actions will be reviewable by both the                 Senate and the Executive Committee and can be                 overridden by a majority vote of either body.                

1. Chairperson (Chair)                                                                                  a. All committees will have a Chair who is responsible for the         overall direction of the committee.                                                b. The Chair is responsible for reporting committee activities to         the PSS Vice Chair.                                                                            c. The Chair shall ensure the committee meets all deadlines and         requests from the Senate.                                                                d. The Chair will be responsible for keeping the committee's         folder up to date on UB Box, and shall coordinate with the         Office of Shared Governance Staff Assistant to distribute         materials necessary for conducting business and reporting         activities.                                                                                            e. Committees shall not have co-chairs. In the event co-chairs         are elected, the PSS will recognize the first listed as the         committee chairperson.
2. Secretary or Recording Member                                                            a. A committee may, upon its own direction, decide to elect or         appoint a secretary or recording member to take minutes at         each committee meeting.                                                                b. The recording member will take committee minutes in         accordance with the principles outlined in these rules and         distribute them to committee members for approval.
3. Committee Members                                                                               a. Each committee will have at least two members, in addition          to the Chair of the committee and the Chair and Vice-Chair         of the Professional Staff Senate who serve as ex officio         members on all committees.                                                           b. Members shall be responsible for completing tasks                    designated by the committee and shall serve as the         deliberative body of the committee for the duration of its         term.                                                                                                   c. Members may be added to committee rosters at the decision       of the Committee Chair.                                                                     d. Any member of the UB community is eligible to serve as a                 member to any standing committee of the Professional Staff       Senate, with the single exception of the Executive Committee,       which is populated by ballot vote, as established in the PSS       Constitution and Bylaws. e. Changes in committee membership       rosters shall be brought to the attention of the PSS Vice Chair,       who will report such changes to the Executive Committee.
4. Role of the PSS Vice Chair                                                                        a. The PSS Vice Chair serves the PSS as a "Committee         Coordinator".                                                                                      b. Each committee chair shall generate and submit reports to         the PSS Vice Chair at the request of the Senate, Officers, or         Executive Committee for inclusion in the Vice Chair's report.
5. PSS Chair as ex officio                                                                            a. The PSS Chair shall serve as an ex officio member of all         committees of the PSS by nature of the office.                              b. As an ex officio member, the PSS Chair may not vote, but is         encouraged to engage in discussion and assist the committee         in completing its charge.                                                                  c. The PSS Chair will additional serve as a resource to the         committee as a liaison to other bodies of shared governance         at UB.
6. Annual Review of Committee Membership                                            a. Committee membership rosters will be reviewed and         approved annually by the Executive Committee in September.     b. Changes in committee membership rosters during the year         shall be brought to the attention of the PSS Vice Chair, who will         report such changes to the Executive Committee.

A complete list of the PSS Standing Committees and their respective charges shall be maintained on the PSS website.

1. The Chair and officers shall send welcome letter to new employees on a quarterly basis. This letter will introduce new employees to the Professional Staff Senate, community engagement options, and will encourage participation in Professional Staff Events.
2. The Chair and officers shall send a welcome letter to new Senators on an annual basis to encourage participation, further outline Senator obligations, and provide an update for the work completed during the previous term.

1. Regular correspondence from the Professional Staff Senate shall be in email format.
2.  All necessary documents will be promulgated through, and housed on the UBBox platform.
3. The Staff Assistant and Secretary of the Professional Staff Senate shall update email lists and ListServs whenever the membership lists are updated as specified herein in Article XV Membership Lists.

1. The Officers and Executive Committee shall establish the ListServs and promulgate rules for using each.
2. Senators and Staff may elect to be removed from those ListServs utilized for informal, idea sharing purposes.
3. Senators and members of the Professional Staff are encouraged not to unsubscribe from ListServs utilized for official business purposes of the Professional Staff Senate.
4. ListServs utilized for official purposes shall only be used by the Professional Staff Senate Officers for official notifications.

1. Outgoing officers shall be given recognition for their service. Awards should be ordered in May prior to the final month of service. Returning officers will not be recognized until they end their service.
   

1. The Professional Staff Senate, by and through the Awards Committee or equivalent, shall hold yearly nominations for SUNY Chancellor Awards and Professional Service Awards.
2. The Awards Committee, or equivalent, shall be responsible for the manner, mode and timing of such nominations.
3. The Professional Staff Senate shall hold a yearly awards luncheon to recognize recipients of the SUNY Chancellor award.

1. PSS membership lists shall be updated quarterly, with the assistance of the Human Resources Offices. The Staff Assistant shall initiate request and coordinate with HR to complete the list compilation.
2. The list shall contain a comprehensive inventory of current professional staff employees and the following data:                            1) VP/Decanal Unit                                                                                  2) Primary department                                                                    3) Affiliation with the primary organizational unit, as aligned          with university organizational list, below in sub-section 3.          4) Person Number                                                                                5) UBIT name                                                                                        6) Email address                                                                                      7) Hire date, and                                                                                8) Negotiating unit (UUP, UBF, RF, FSA, etc.)
3. Generated lists shall contain the VP/Decanal Units as set forth on Appendix IV and the executive groupings as set forth on Appendix V.

1. The Standing Rules of the PSS shall be ratified and placed into action upon a majority vote of the entire Professional Staff Senate. Senators will be provided with an advanced copy of these orders for examination one month prior to consideration and vote.
2. Upon the ratification, these rules shall become standard operating procedures for the PSS, its committees, General Membership, and the officers.

1. Ratification of these Standing Orders binds all bodies, including the PS Senate, Committees, Officers, and General Membership to adhere to the rules and procedures enumerated herein.
2. Failure to follow the rule prescribed in these Standing Orders will render any action, motion, resolution, or recommendation invalid and require the proposing body reconsider the action under the appropriate rules of order.

1. The Standing Orders may be amended by a majority vote of the Professional Staff Senate.
2. No sub-body of the PSS, including Officers or committees, may amend the Standing Orders of their own action.
3. Any member of the PSS may propose an amendment for consideration.
4. Any proposed amendments must be submitted to the Chair at least 20 business days prior to a regular or special meeting of the PSS. The proposed amendments will be placed on the agenda and circulated at least 10 business days prior to the scheduled meeting.

Convener: Dom Licata

Officers Present: Dom Licata, Tim Tryjankowski, Hugh Jarvis

Senators Present: Susan Bagdasarian, Charlie Baxter, Naciah Bell, Rachel Blane, Karlen Chase, Jennifer Chazen (for S. Milizia), Russ Crispell, Beth Ann Crvelin, Tom Dzimira, Don Erb, Fran Fiscus, Ilene Fleischmann, Erika Grande, Janiece Jankowski, William Jones, Sevie Kandefer, Kat Kielar (SUNY Faculty-Senate), Dan Kelly, Chris Keough, Kesha Lanier, Kira Love, Donna Malecki, Mike McManaman, Lisa Pano, Nora Renda, Pam Rose, Eileen Sirianni, Maribeth Tamsen.

Senators Absent: Kevin Baron, Kelli Bocock-Natale, Chris Bragdon, Mike Brown (COAL), Fred Covelli, Matt Deck, Lin Feng, Phil Glick (SUNY Faculty-Senate), Geraldine Kremer, Lisa Kulka, Jenifer Lawrence, Douglas Levere, Linda Lohr, Lauren McGowan, Sherene Milizia (*sent alternate), Joy Piper, Debra Stamm, Lisa Stephens, Rachael Stern, Christine Stumm, Ryan Taughrin, Michael Yates.                             

General Members/Guests: Katie Barnum, Linda Del Bello, Ed Brodka, Diane Dempsey, James Gordon, Leslie McCain, Jason Parker, Amy Raslawsky, Susan Steck                                               

Parliamentarian: Joshua Wallace                                                 

Staff: Lindsay Allen

Recorder: Hugh Jarvis

Meeting called to order by Dom Licata at 3:05 p.m.

Quorum reached: 27 senators and 3 officers present.          Supporting documents on Box:                https://buffalo.box.com/s/8b1ce1t0m60incmk1ruzguu3qrmytfm8

PRESENTATION OF AGENDA – Dom Licata                                            • Motion to adopt Agenda: Kat Kielar (Chris Keough). Passed.

REVIEW OF PAST MINUTE(s) – Dom Licata                                            • Motion to approve Minutes from September 21, 2017: Karlen Chase    (Don Erb). Passed.

PROGRAM                                                                                                  Need to Know: NYS Constitutional Convention – Tara Singer-    Blumberg

  REPORT FROM SUNY FACULTY SENATE FALL PLENARY – Kat Kielar

  Six resolutions from the plenary will be examined further by the   Executive Cmt.                                                                                              • Motion to accept: Maribeth Tamsen (Chris Keough). Passed.

CHAIR’S REPORT – Dom Licata                                                                   • Daniel Kelly also spoke briefly about disaster relief and the Campaign for the Community.                                                                    • Motion to accept: Chris Keough (Janiece Jankowski). Passed.

VICE-CHAIR’S REPORT – Tim Tryjankowski                                              • Motion to accept: Dan Kelly (Pam Rose). Passed.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS                                                                            None.

NEW BUSINESS                                                                                        None.

Motion to Adjourn: Tom Dzimira (Maribeth Tamsen) 4:10 pm. Passed.

Attendance sign in sheet(s) housed in the PSS office. Meeting audio recording available in the PSS office.

Whereas, the recognized University at Buffalo (UB) governance bodies: UB Faculty Senate and UB Professional Staff Senate; have resolved to inculcate the values of shared governance under the auspices of the renamed University at Buffalo Office of University Shared Governance;

Whereas, the two senates have made significant steps towards meaningful progress in partnering with representatives from student governance, the university administration, SUNY faculty Senate, and other representative bodies across the SUNY system and within the University at Buffalo campus;

Whereas, the University at Buffalo administration has historically demonstrated inclusion from all representative bodies to achieve significant milestones of an improved academic profile; long range planning through UB 2020 and SUNY 2020 efforts; enhanced student quality and diversity; and improved educational offerings, and

Whereas, SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher has demonstrated a desire that all SUNY campuses engage in shared governance practices throughout each individual campus, as well as across the SUNY system, through the inclusion of shared governance as a metric in Presidential evaluations and incorporation of the SUNY Faculty Senate representation in the determination of SUNY policy and practice;

Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, the Professional Staff Senate, in conjunction with the UB Faculty Senate and other representative bodies across campus, request that President Tripathi declare the first Tuesday of March henceforth be known as “Shared Governance Day”, and therefore be it also

Resolved, that “Shared Governance Day” shall be observed together by all five pillars of shared governance, including faculty, staff, students, administration and councils, as well as our alumni associations, through a series of informative, collegial, and celebratory events.

1. Central University
2. Chief Information Officer
3. College of Arts and Sciences
4. Division of Athletics
5. Finance and Administration
6. FSA (Faculty Student Association)
7. Graduate School of Education
8. Health Sciences
9. Independent Entities (UB Foundation Center for Tomorrow)
10. Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
11. President
12. Provost
13. Research and Economic Development
14. School of Architecture and Planning
15. School of Dental Medicine
16. School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
17. School of Law
18. School of Management
19. School of Nursing
20. School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences
21. School of Public Health and Health Professions
22. School of Social Work
23. Student Life
24. University Advancement
25. University Communications

1. Health Sciences
2. Academics
3. Student Services
4. University Services
5. Administrative Services