Election Eligibility
Eligibility and terms. A candidate for election to the Staff Senate must be a member of the UNL Staff Assembly and a member of the constituency they seek to represent at the time of election, have an appointment of 0.25 FTE or greater, have at least six (6) months of service at UNL at the time of nomination, and not have temporary employment status. Any individual with less than 0.5 FTE must have written approval from their supervisor in order to be nominated. Senators shall be elected for terms of three (3) years or until their successors are elected. No elected person may serve for more than two (2) consecutive terms.
Districts. Districts are organized by organizational unit. The number of representatives per organizational unit will be reviewed and/or updated periodically by the Elections Committee. The Staff Senate shall have a maximum of 57 voting members. If a member of the Assembly changes employment to a different district during the nomination or election process, their status should reflect their most recent district. If a Senator changes employment to a different district during their term, the Senator will be removed from the Senate, their seat will be treated as vacant, and the vacancy will be filled according to section X.3.5 of the bylaws
Elections Committee
Duties of the Elections Committee
- Solicit candidates for open seats in the Senate, prioritizing candidates are representative of staff job categories and diversity
- Organize elections in accordance with Section X.3.3
- Maintain records of election results and terms of office
- Evaluate the composition of each electoral constituency to ensure proper representation and provide a report to the executive committee prior to each election
- Propose the apportionment of Senate seats according to established guidelines every other year at the October meeting
Election Committee Members:
Stephanie Bonnema | Joan Kunzman | Brent Morgan | Terri Pieper | Kim Rauscher | Rhonda Zugmier
Conduct of Elections.
In the first week of January, the Staff Senate shall advertise that nominations will be accepted for any open seats in the Senate. Nominations for vacancies shall be sent to the Elections Committee no later than the first week of February and floor nominations will be accepted at the following meeting. Ballots will be electronically distributed to all Assembly members immediately after the Staff Senate meeting in February and voting will be open until the end of March. Elected Senators will be announced during the April meeting. Nominations from a particular organizational unit must be made in writing by an Assembly member from that constituency with the consent of the nominee. All eligible job function nominees shall be placed on the ballot. The voting shall be online and anonymous, with the voters casting votes for the people in their district equal to the number of open seats available in the district at the time of the election. The candidates with the most votes for the number of seats available will be elected. In the case of a tie, the winner will be determined by chance by the Executive Committee.
Removal of Senators.
Members with repetitive excused absences totaling four or more of the regular meetings during an academic year, may be subject to removal from the Staff Senate. The Secretary shall notify the President in writing of any member who is not meeting the attendance requirement. The Secretary shall notify the member of their status and the procedure for removal via email twice, each email being three business days apart. The member shall respond within 10 business days of the second email sent date. Based on the nature of the response or non-response from the member, the Executive Committee shall make a recommendation for appropriate remedial action to the Senate.
Vacancies.
Senate vacancies due to early removal or resignation shall be filled by the alternate from the same district who received the next highest number of votes from the previous election. The alternate will serve for the remaining term of that seat. If less than six months remain in that term at the time of appointment, then that time is not considered a full term of office. If the alternate declines the seat, then the seat will remain vacant until the next election.
Nomination Information
The senate is tasked with providing input and guidance on relevant issues to university leaders. The staff senate includes 53 voting members, representing specific areas of the campus community, and four ex-officio, non-voting members from the NU system.
The senators represent one of seven “districts” defined by the university’s overall organization. Those districts are: Academic Colleges; Business and Finance; Chancellor; Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources; Other Executive Vice Chancellor; Research; and Student Affairs. The number of senators is determined by the size of each district — starting with two representatives for the first 100 employees, then adding one for each subsequent 100 employees.
Senators will serve three-year terms. This differs from the initial group of senators who are serving staggered terms of one, two, or three years. This arrangement ensures continuity moving forward, as each year one-third of senate seats will be up for reelection. For 2024, there are 19 seats up for election with each district having between one and four openings.
Nominations will be accepted through 5:00 p.m. on February 9, 2024. Each district's members will receive a ballot to vote for their representatives in March 2024. Elected senators begin their three-year term in July 2024.