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Staff Senate Merger

Introduction

In 2017, the Unclassified Professional (UP) Senate and University Support Staff (USS) Senate began having a conversation about the potential of merging the two Senates into one body, representing the thousands of staff members on campus. In 2019, the Senate approved a three-year priority plan which included bringing forth a formal recommendation to the Senates.  

 
Current Representation Proposed Representation

UP:

  • 15 Senators, 4 At-Large Senators
  • Apportioned by division

USS:

  • 11 Senators
  • Previously apportioned by job classification

University Staff Senate:

  • 24 Senators, 6 At-Large Senators
  • Apportioned between exempt and non-exempt staff
  • Senate Executive Committee must contain at least one UP and one USS employee
  • Addition of Vice President role

Benefits

  • New Representation Format: Senate representation would be made up of eligible exempt (salaried) and non-exempt (hourly) staff. Currently, 47% of staff are exempt and 53% are non-exempt.
  • A Collective Voice: Uniting as one senate will make our collective voices strong, allowing us to better represent and advocate for all staff. As USS positions have been vacated in recent years, they have been moved to UP positions causing the number of USS to shrink over time to approximately 250 positions. This decline in USS positions has presented challenges in obtaining a full slate of senators for the current USS Senate.
  • Efficiency: For the last two years, the UP and USS Senates have been holding joint monthly meetings and have combined nearly all of our committees. Both senate presidents attend meetings together with the university president, human resources, and others. A joint Senate enables staff leaders to be more efficient with their time and University resources.
  • Preserving Leadership Representation: The new constitution would require a USS/UP representative be elected to serve on the University Staff Senate executive committee so both groups will continue to have a voice on the leadership team. For example, if the elected senate president was a USS employee, a UP representative would be elected to the executive committee and vice versa. This joint representation will allow us to serve as a voice and better advocate for all staff without duplicating efforts.

Proposed Constitution

If the merger is approved, the new Wichita State University Staff Senate would operate according to the new constitution below. The Constitution of the Wichita State University Staff Senate would replace both the UP and USS Constitutions that currently exist. For your convenience, the proposed constitution, as well as the two old constitutions are provided below.

Timeline

  • September 28-29, 2020: The UP and USS Senates held listening sessions this fall to discuss with staff the idea of merging our Senates into one. We received a lot of great feedback and ideas that were used to develop the proposed Constitution of the Wichita State University Staff Senate.
  • October 20, 2020: The combined UP and USS Organizational Committee prepared a recommendation taking into consideration the feedback from the listening sessions. 
  • November 17, 2020: The Organizational Committee presented the recommendation at the combined Senate meeting. Each senate voted in support of the new constitution and merging to become the University Staff Senate.
  • December 9, 2020: The new constitution will be presented to the staff at the Fall General Meeting on Wednesday, December 9 from 10-11:30 a.m. Following the meeting all UP and USS staff will be sent a link to cast their vote electronically. 
  • December 16, 2020: The Unclassified Professional Staff and University Support Staff voted in support of merging the UP and USS Senates and adopting the constitution of the University Staff Senate.
  • July 1, 2021: The two Senates will officially merge to become the University Staff Senate.

FAQs

How will it be determined if the new Constitution passes?

In order for the new Constitution to pass, both constituency groups (UP and USS) must receive a majority of "yes" votes.

If passed, when will the Senates officially merge?

The proposed merger would occur on July 1, 2021. Details for the transition/election of returning/incoming senators are still being discussed.

Why are the Senates moving away from divisional representation?

In recent years, both Senates have struggled to find representation (eligible and willing-to-serve senators) for some divisions and/or job classifiications. Additionally, when reviewing policy changes/recommendations for the University, the most common alignment for shared experiences seemed to be along the lines of exempt (salaried) and non-exempt (hourly) staff. Moreover, divisions are often fluid at the University and have been adapting to the changing structures in higher education in recent years - each time the divisions shift, the representation of senators has needed to adjust. 

What are the benefits of apportioning representation by exempt and non-exempt staff?

Being represented by a fellow staff member who is more likely to have shared experiences in their employment relationship with the University is key to ensuring staff voices are understood and heard both in the Senate and to University administration. As many policies at the University affect exempt and non-exempt employees differently, the proposed Constitution acknowledges this experience and offers the opportunity to ensure a broader staff representation than the old divisional-based format.  

I'm a USS employee, will I still have a voice?

Yes. While you will no longer elect senators based on USS or UP classification, you will still be represented by fellow employees (exempt or non-exempt) who may have shared employment experiences. Additionally, the proposed Constitution ensures at least one USS representative is appointed to the University Staff Senate executive team. This individual would serve on the executive team and represent all USS voices on the statewide Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) USS Senate Council.

I'm a UP employee, will I still have a voice?

Yes. While you will no longer elect senators based on USS or UP classification, you will still be represented by fellow employees (exempt or non-exempt) who may have shared employment experiences. Additionally, the proposed Constitution ensures at least one UP representative is appointed to the University Staff Senate executive team. This individual would serve on the executive team and represent all UP voices on the statewide Kansas Board of Regents (KBOR) UP Senate Council.

Other questions? Please reach out to your Senator or to the Senate Presidents. 

USS Senate President: Randy Sessions
UP Senate President: Trish Gandu

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