USM Bylaws, Policies and Procedures of the Board of Regents
                              

        I - 3.50 -CONSTITUTION FOR THE COUNCIL OF UNIVERSITY SYSTEM STAFF


(Approved by the Chancellor, November 18, 1993; Amended by
the Board of Regents, December 5, 1997; Amended by the Board
of Regents, June 27, 2003; Technical Changes approved by the
Chancellor August 19, 2003; Amended by the Board of Regents,
February 18, 2005)


     Basic to the effective operation of any system of
higher education is the acceptance of the concept of shared
governance.  The Staff employees in both teaching and non-
teaching institutions provide a wide range of services and
expertise that is critical to the fulfillment of the
System's many missions.  In recognition of this essential
role, Staff employees shall have a voice in basic decisions
that affect the welfare of the System, its institutions, and
its employees, including an informed advisory role in
administrative areas and in the functional support aspects
of academic matters.

                          Article I

Section l.  Purpose:

     The Council of University System Staff (CUSS) advises
the Chancellor and the Board of Regents. Its responsibility
will be to consider and make recommendations on Systemwide
issues affecting Staff employees who are not in a collective
bargaining unit having an exclusive representative or who
are in such a unit but are excluded by law from
participating in collective bargaining, to communicate such
Staff employee concerns to the Chancellor and the Board, and
to inform such Staff employees at each constituent
institution of the Council's activities and the System's
related actions.

                         Article II

Section l.  Membership:

     The Council shall consist of representatives of those
USM Staff employees who are not in a collective bargaining
unit having an exclusive representative, or who are in such
unit but are excluded by law from participating in
collective bargaining.  Representatives shall be elected
from among such employees.  Each institution shall determine
the qualifications required for their representatives, as
well as the procedures for their election.


Section 2.  Constituencies:

     For purposes of representation on the Council,
institutions of the System are:  Bowie State University
(BSU), Coppin State College (CSC), Frostburg State
University (FSU), Salisbury  University (SU), Towson
University (TU), University of Baltimore (UB)), University
of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB), University of Maryland,
Baltimore County (UMBC), University of Maryland, College
Park (UMCP), University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES),
University System of Maryland Office (USMO), University of
Maryland University College (UMUC), University of Maryland
Center for Environmental Science (UMCES), and University of
Maryland Biotechnology Institute (UMBI).

Section 3.  Apportionment of Membership:

a.   Membership  on the Council of University  System  Staff
     shall be apportioned according to the Bylaws and subject to
     the requirements of Section 3.b., below.

b.   Membership on the Council shall be apportioned among
     institutions according to the number of full-time equivalent
     (FTE) Regular and Contingent II Status Staff employees in
     its work force.  Each institution shall have a minimum of
     two members (one Exempt and one Nonexempt).  In the event
     that no person is nominated or elected from either one of
     these groups, an institution may elect all members from the
     same group (all Exempt or all Nonexempt).  This method for
     selecting Council members applies solely to institutions
     where the Shared Governance structure includes members from
     both group.  Employees in collective bargaining units having
     an exclusive representative and not excluded by law from
     participating in collective bargaining; Contingent I Staff
     employees; work-study and other part-time student workers;
     graduate teaching assistants; and graduate research
     assistants may not be counted toward an institution's FTE
     Staff employee work force.

c.   An  institution newly incorporated into the System will
     receive representation on the Council according to Article
     II, Section 3.b.

Section 4.  Terms of Members:

     Members of the Council shall serve two-year terms.
Institutions are encouraged to stagger the election process.

                         Article III

Section 1.  Officers:

     The Council shall elect annually a Chair, Vice Chair,
Secretary, and two At-Large members to form an Executive
Committee.  The Executive Committee sets the agenda for
meetings of the Council.  No two members of the Executive
Committee shall be from the same institution.


Section 2.  Meetings:

     The Council shall meet as specified in its bylaws, but
no less than once each traditional semester.  Additional
meetings may be convened according to procedures specified
in the bylaws.

Section 3.  Bylaws:

     The Council shall develop bylaws consistent with this
constitution to define further its structure and rules and
procedure.


                         Article IV

Section 1.  Amendment:

     Amendments to this constitution may be proposed by any
member of the Council.  The procedures for adoption of an
amendment are:  (1) initial agreement by an absolute
majority vote of the Council to refer the proposed
amendment, for some specified time, to the Staff employees
of institutions for consideration and comment; (2) referral
to Staff employees; (3) final approval by a two-thirds vote
of the Council; and (4) acceptance by the Chancellor and
Board of Regents.