PM-37 LSU System Council of Staff Advisors

May 9, 2006 

1. The LSU System Council of Staff Advisors is created to serve as a liaison between the LSU System Office and the staff of the campuses that comprise the system.  The Council will communicate to the LSU System, through the Office of the President, the views and concerns of the staff on system-wide matters regarding the professional policies and initiatives of the system.  The Council will also serve to advise the President of the LSU System and the LSU Board of Supervisors on matters that they wish to bring before the Council.

2. Membership on the Council shall include one staff representative and one alternative staff representative from each of the following campuses and LSU System entities:  LSU, UNO, LSUS, LSUE, LSUA, the LSU Agricultural Center, the LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans, the LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, the Health Care Services Division, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, and Paul M. Hebert Law Center.  Members shall be elected or appointed for two-year terms by the appropriate staff senate or other governance body of each campus.  Members and alternates may serve up to three successive terms.  Members elected as alternates will be eligible to serve additional terms as members of the Council.  A member or alternate who resigns, retires, or becomes unable to perform the duties as a Council member for any reason must be replaced, and a new member or alternate shall be elected or appointed for the unexpired portion of that member's term.  Members or alternates who go on leave may be replaced, by the governance body, on a temporary basis during the period of leave.

3. The officers of the Council shall consist of a Chair, a Vice Chair, and a Secretary.  The officers will be elected annually by the members of the Council at a meeting scheduled during the month of July.

   1. Duties of the Officers:  The Chair will preside at the meetings of the Council and will serve as the primary liaison with the LSU System.  The Vice Chair will assume the duties of the Chair whenever the Chair is not able to fulfill the assigned duties. The Secretary will take the minutes of the meetings and will distribute them in a timely manner to the members of the Council and to all chancellors and system administrators

   2. Executive Committee:  The officers will function as an Executive Committee in the period between Council meetings and will be responsible for the preparation and distribution of all meeting agendas.  The Executive Committee may conduct routing business and seek the opinions of the members of the Council on matters requiring expedient disposition.

4. Meetings of the Council shall be held at the call of the Chair or a written petition from four members of the Council.  Ordinarily, Council meetings will be held prior to the regularly scheduled meetings of the Board of Supervisors. The LSU System President or designate shall attend meetings of the Council to discuss matters of concern to the System and the LSU Board of Supervisors.  Travel expenses of the members shall be reimbursed  by their campuses.  The agenda for each regular meeting shall be mailed, either by post or electronically, to the members of the Council within three days of each scheduled meeting.

5. The Council may form subcommittees as needed to expedite the functioning of the Council and may, in appropriate instances, include persons outside the Council whose special skills or knowledge may be applied to the deliberations of the subcommittee.

6. A quorum of the Council shall be six members present and voting.  Only regular members shall vote on issues before the Council.  Alternate members from a campus may vote in the absence of the regular member.  In accordance with Louisiana's Open Meetings Law, proxy voting and mail/fax ballots are prohibited.

7. Amendments to this Permanent Memorandum may be proposed in writing by the LSU System President, the Council Chair, or any member of the council.  Amendments may be approved at the next scheduled meeting of the Council by a two-thirds vote of the entire Council present and voting.  All amendments must be submitted to the President of the LSU System for final approval.

William L. Jenkins
President