We have anticipated questions that senators may have about this process. We have listed them, as well as the committee’s answers, below. We will update this list as further questions develop.
Administrative Regulation Development Sharing Updates and Gathering Feedback
The Staff Senate has been entrusted with a significant opportunity to shape our new Administrative Regulation (AR) and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) as part of the university’s evolving approach to shared governance. This process reflects the important role we play in guiding how our institution operates and thrives together.
Leading this initiative is the By-Laws Committee, which now includes members of the former AR Development Ad-Hoc Committee. This dedicated group has been actively benchmarking both within and beyond our university to gather insights and best practices, laying the groundwork for thoughtful and informed recommendations.
Throughout this journey, the committee will share their proposals with the Staff Senate body for discussion and feedback. Every recommendation will also undergo a review process involving the Executive Committee, the Main Body, and university leadership, including the Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration and President Capilouto. Once we’ve refined these proposals, we’ll invite the broader community to weigh in, ensuring everyone has a voice in this important work.
We recognize that this process spans both our current by-laws and parliamentarian procedure, as we adapt to meet the new expectations for shared governance. The committee is committed to following these frameworks as closely as possible while also ensuring transparency and collaboration. Senators will have regular opportunities to provide feedback, share ideas, and vote on key measures as the work progresses.
Together, we have the chance to shape a future that works for everyone. Thank you for your engagement and support as we embark on this meaningful endeavor!
Give Feedback on Composition
Read through the information below then complete this survey regarding the future composition of Staff Senate. The most important topic to discuss, currently, is the number of Senators that will compose our body. This and other composition related items are included in the survey.
Staff Senate Composition
Why can’t we just leave our composition as it is?
- Part of the university’s review of shared governance requires us to revisit and pass new bylaws that adhere to the new structure and address certain criteria required in this new structure.
- While we can keep the primary elements of our current structure, we must create the AR and SOPs with these new elements in mind.
- Leaving everything as is and just reorganizing it leaves many issues that have plagued the body in the past: too many senators to manage, not as many active and engaged senators, disproportionate representation from different sectors (louder voices from certain areas).
- The change will come with some growing pains and administrative burdens but will ultimately create a body that is more balanced in its representation well into the future.
What is the deadline for Staff Senate to make decisions on membership and other criteria?
- Our new Administrative Regulation (AR), which is also our bylaws, must be ready for comment from the community by April 1, 2025.
- Our decision on the number of senators must be made by this time, but our goal is to make this decision by February 1, 2025.
- Our Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) must be ready and approved by the June 2025 main body session at the absolute latest.
- Our decision on representation sectors and seats must be decided by this deadline, but our goal is to make the decision by April 1, 2025.
- Our new AR and SOPs must be implemented on July 1, 2025.
What do we need to decide on now?
- The number of senators in our body. We currently allow up to 165. The committee would like immediate feedback on changing the number of senators to 100.
- Methods of representation will be discussed and voted on shortly after.
- More context is provided below.
Why 100 senators? Won’t this cause some areas not to be represented in our body?
- We have never filled all seats at this current size of 165 maximum senators.
- We have a large number of senators who don’t participate actively or aren’t engaged. Competitive elections encourage participation from those who want to be actively involved.
- This will require a culture shift within Staff Senate to represent ALL staff first and your sector second.
- The intention with seat limits per sector is to ensure equal voice from each area. Staff Senate leadership would have to be intentional in creating space for non-Senators to voice concerns and ideas through elected representatives and/or open forums.
How many representatives will Faculty Senate have?
- Faculty Senate will have two representatives per college. UK currently has 19 colleges (including Lewis, Graduate School, and Libraries). This would be 38 total voting members.
What are our options for composition?
The By-Laws Committee has arrived at four unique options. Here’s an overview of the number of senators, sectors, and distribution of seats by sector.
Note: Our current max is technically 175, but we've always counted ex-officio members in those seats which put us closer to 165 voting members. The 100 is being considered as voting senators only, ex-officios would be separate from that number.
What are the sectors? How are sectors determined?
- The current sectors are:
- President
- Provost
- Executive Vice President for Financial and Administration (EVPFA)
- Executive Vice President for Health Affairs (EVPHA)
- Sectors are determined by reporting structure. The ultimate question is “Who in your org chart reports directly to the President?” If it’s the Provost, you’re in the Provost Sector, if it’s the EVPHA or EVPFA you’re in their sector. If it’s none of those three, you’re in the President’s sector.
- Options 3 and 4 have a different breakdown of sectors.
- Option 3 combines the President with EVPFA sectors creating a new University Operations (this would reach across all university areas). The Provost and EVPHA sector remain.
- Option 4 combines the President, EVPFA, and Provost into one sector: Higher Education. The EVPHA sector remains.
Why an assigned number of seats per sector? Why don’t we do proportional representation so sectors get seats based on how many employees they have?
The goal of Staff Senate is to represent all staff. If we do proportional representation, some sectors will have more voice than others. By assigning an equal number of seats per sector, we ensure that staff from each sector can be equally represented.
What is “At Large” and how are those seats assigned?
- We do recognize that having a static body is not conducive to representing the changes across the university. Once a sector’s assigned number of seats are filled, any remaining candidates will fall into the category of “At Large.” “At Large” seats are filled from highest votes to lowest votes as far as seats allow, regardless of the candidate’s sector.
How will this be implemented? What if a current sector is dissolved or what if the number of seats is less than the number of senators currently in that sector?
That’s the next step. We don’t want to rush into this and just cut out active senators. Instead, we’re going to work on a phased approach that will get us to these numbers over the next three years. Details are to come.