Bylaws

The rules contained in these Bylaws to the Constitution of the Wisconsin Union shall govern the Council and subcommittees in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the said Constitution.

The fifteen voting members of the Council shall be as follows:

1. The Chair or his/her designee of the all student governing board and three other students reflecting the multicultural and diverse nature of the campus community, as designated by the all student governing board.

2. Three students who have been recommended by the Nominating Committee, to be selected by the outgoing Council under the procedure given in Bylaw 9: one to serve as President of the Union Council and the Union Directorate, one to serve as Vice President of the Union Council and the Union Directorate of External Relations, and one to serve as Vice President of the Union Council and the Union Directorate of Internal Relations.

3. Two student members of the Union Directorate to be elected by members of the incoming Directorate as a representative on the Council, serving as a chair of a Council committee. One of these members shall be the President of Hoofer Council.

4. Two representatives of the faculty and academic staff, to be chosen by the Chancellor of the University for terms of two years, the terms expiring in alternate years.

5. Two alumni members, one to be chosen by the Chancellor of the University and the other by the governing board of the Alumni Association for terms of two years, the terms expiring in alternate years.

6. The Director of the Wisconsin Union.

7. The Deputy Director: the officer of the Wisconsin Union in charge of business operations, ex-officio.

The non-voting members of the Council shall be as follows:

1. The Assistant Director for Social Education of the Wisconsin Union.

2. The Dean of Students of the UW-Madison campus.

At all meetings of the Council, the presence of a majority of the voting members, which includes two of the four student officers and either the Secretary or the Treasurer, shall be necessary to constitute a quorum.  Any act of a majority present at a meeting at which there is a quorum shall be the act of the Council, except as may be otherwise provided by the Constitution or these Bylaws

The Union Council shall hold meetings at least once a month during the regular academic year. Meetings may be called by the President or upon written request of six members of the Council.  All members will be duly notified at least 48 hours before a regular or special meeting by the Secretary of the Council of the time and place of meetings.

• Meetings of the Wisconsin Union Council and its subcommittees will be conducted according to Robert's Rules of Order, newly revised. The President may appoint a parliamentarian. 
• There will be no proxy or absentee voting. In the case where a member of Union Council is part of the selection pool for a Directorate position, the right to vote or participate in deliberations pertaining to the selection is waived. 
• The Executive Committee of Union Council will consist of the President, the three Vice Presidents, the Secretary and the Treasurer of Council. Other members of Council are privileged to attend and participate in Executive Com mittee sessions. The Executive Committee will set agendas for all Council meetings. 
• The Council Executive Committee will set agendas at least five days prior to each regularly scheduled Council meeting. To be considered for placement on the agenda, items must be submitted to a member of the Executive Committee prior to the agenda meeting. 
• Non-Council members or groups wanting to present issues to be considered by Council must submit their requests to a member of the Council Executive Committee before the agenda meeting to be considered for placement on that agenda. The request will be considered with other New Business items and may be scheduled for a later meeting or as soon as time is available. 
• At a regular Council meeting there will be a limit of three non-member speakers for any proposal from (a), unless Council is asked to consider two sides of a question. Then there will be a limit of two non-member speakers for each position introduced. There is a 10-minute per speaker maximum presentation time for non-member speakers for presentation of the issues.

The annual meeting of the Union Council shall be held in April or May and shall be the occasion of recognizing outgoing and incoming Council and Directorate members.

• Faculty, academic staff and alumni appointees, selected as provided in Section 2a (4) and 2a (5) of the Bylaws, shall be appointed by May 1, or as soon thereafter as possible, the terms expiring after two years, at the close of the annual meeting. Faculty, academic staff and alumni members may be reappointed to succeed themselves once. 
• The all-student governing board representatives, selected as provided in Section 2a (1) of the Bylaws, shall be named by May 1, or as soon as possible thereafter, and shall serve for a term of approximately one year, from the close of the annual Council meeting to the close of the succeeding annual Council meeting. 
• Union Council officers and Union Directorate representatives, selected as provided in Sections 2a (2), 2a (3), 7 and 8 of the Bylaws, shall serve for a term of approximately one year, from the close of the annual Council meeting to the close of the succeeding annual Council meeting.

Membership
The Union officers and directors of all standing committees (referred to in the constitution as "House Committees") as well as the President of the Wisconsin Hoofers, which are organized under the Union auspices, shall comprise a board to be known as the Union Directorate. Non-voting members of the Directorate include: the Union Director or her/his representative and the Assistant Director-Social Education or her/his program staff representative.

Functions
The functions of the Directorate shall be to coordinate the work of the several committees and clubs organized under Union auspices, discuss common problems, study the techniques of effective group work and community service, and formulate social and educational programs and policies for recommendation to the Union Council.

Method of Selection
Committee directors shall be elected by the Council at a meeting of the Council in the spring, from the nominees submitted by a nominating committee. The nominating committee shall consist of the four incoming officers of the Council and Directorate, the outgoing Vice President for Internal Relations of the Council and Directorate, and one program staff representative, appointed by the President of the Council and approved by the Council. The vote by the Council shall be taken by written ballot without further nomination and a simple majority shall be required for election.

Term of Office
Newly elected Directorate members shall meet and begin preparations for the ensuing year immediately after appointment but shall not assume the responsibilities of office until after the annual meeting of the Council. They shall continue as Directorate members in office through the annual meeting of the Council of the following year; the committee directors, however, being subject to recall by the Council.

Recall
A committee director may be recommended by a majority of the Union officers to be relieved of her/his duties for cause, subject to approval by a majority vote of Council, and consistent with guidelines established by Directorate and confirmed by Council, to insure due process for the director. Pending Council action, the director may be suspended by the Union officers if necessary for a period not exceeding the time to the next regularly scheduled Council meeting.

Fiscal Responsibility
The Directorate may sponsor or manage certain revenue-producing programs provided that the finances for such programs are managed within the Union revolving fund pursuant to Statute 20.906(1), that such programs have the approval of the Union Council and that all surpluses are turned over annually to a general Union purpose with the exception of Hoofer club surpluses, which are intended for future capital acquisitions.
A separate Distinguished Lecture Series fund is to be established, an account distinct from the Union's general operating fund and from other Wisconsin Union Directorate funds. The fund is directly under the auspices of WUD and will follow the same program approval process as established for all WUD free programs. All programs will be free of charge. All funds remaining at the end of the academic year will carry forward to the new fiscal year.

Rules
The Directorate shall formulate its own rules of parliamentary procedure.

Summer Operation
The summer program is implemented by the summer program coordinators selected by Union Council. The voting members of the nominating committee for the summer program coordinators are the outgoing Vice President for External Relations, the incoming Vice President for Internal Relations, and a program staff representative appointed by the President.

• The President of the Council and Directorate, the Vice President of Council and Directorate for Administration, the Vice President of Council and Directorate for Internal Relations, and the Vice President of Council and Directorate for External Relations, shall be elected by the Council at a meeting of Council before spring break from the nominees submitted by a nominating committee. The nominating committee shall consist of: the outgoing President and two representatives of the Council, one of them being a non-student representative and one of them being an all student governing board representative, both appointed by the President of the Council and approved by the Council. The outgoing Vice President for Internal Relations shall serve as ex-officio, non-voting member of the nominating committee. The vote by Council shall be taken by written ballot without further nomination and a simple majority shall be required for election. 
• The President of the Council shall have power to vote only in case of a tie, except in the election of the Council President and Vice Presidents. 
• In the absence of the President, the Vice President of Council and Directorate for Administration shall chair the Coordinating Committee, the Vice President of Council and Directorate for Internal Relations shall chair the Union Council, and the Vice President of Council and Directorate for External Relations shall chair Directorate. 
• The President of the Council and Directorate, the Vice President of Council and Directorate for Administration, the Vice President of Council and Directorate for Internal Relations, and the Vice President of Council and Directorate for External Relations may be relieved of her/his duties for cause by the Council, in accordance with recall procedures established by the Council. 
• The officers of the Council and the Directorate shall be replaced only in the same manner in which they were originally selected. 
• The President of the Council, the Vice President for Administration, the Vice President for Internal Relations, and the Vice President for External Relations may be relieved of their duties for cause. Upon written petition of five voting members of the Council, the Council will appoint a special subcommittee of the Council composed of five voting members of the Council to investigate charges and determine whether the validity of charges warrant bringing the recall petition to the full Council. In such cases as the recall petition is brought to the Council, a simple majority of the voting members of Council is required for recall with the person under consideration of recall not eligible to vote. Typical grounds for recall would include, but not be limited to, the following: negligence of duty, unavailability to perform job functions as described in the officer job description policy.

A joint meeting of Union Council and Union Directorate shall be held in the fall semester.

• The Director shall be the staff officer generally responsible for the operations of the Wisconsin Union. The Director shall be employed by the Board of Regents, which shall take into consideration the recommendations of the Union Council and the President.
• The Director shall be charged with coordinating all the various functions of the buildings and the interests of all the various groups served by the buildings. 
• The Director shall make reports from time to time showing the operations of the Wisconsin Union. 
• The Director may act for the Union Council, discharging the functions of the Union Council, when so requested by the Union Council. 
• The Director, or a staff member whom she/he may appoint as a substitute, shall be a non-voting member of all standing committees and special interest clubs organized under the auspices of the Union. 
• The Director's further functions in the buildings, beyond the responsibility to the Board of Regents, shall be as the Union Council may pro vide.

These Bylaws may be amended at any regular or special meeting of the Council, by a vote of eight (8) members of the Council, provided the amendment is submitted in writing at least one week previously at either a regular or special meeting.

Related materials and support documents:

For interpretations, resolution of problems, and special situations contact:
Secretary of Union Council: WU Director
Chair of Union Council: WU President

Policy Authority (suggested amendments should go through these bodies):
Executive Committee of Union Council
Union Council

Date(s) of Action:
March 6, 1950; Rerun April 30, 1952; Revised March 21, 1956; Amended March 24, 1965; Rerun June 12, 1968; Amended April 15, 1969; Amended March 11, 1970; Rerun December 4, 1970; Amended March 8, 1972; Amended April 12, 1972; Amended September 13, 1972; Amended October 11, 1972; Amended September 12, 1973; Amended February 11, 1976; Amended February 7, 1978; Amended February 22, 1978; Amended December 10, 1979; Amended April 26, 1982; Amended March 14, 1984; Amended May 7, 1990; Amended December 4, 1990; Amended March 31, 1992; Amended December 2, 2002; Amended April 24, 2003; Amended February 16, 2004; Amended April 20, 2004.