Classified Senate

I started my career at West Valley College in 2008 as an Office Coordinator for the Child Studies department and am currently a Senior Administrative Assistant for Student Enrollment and Financial Services. Working in an educational environment over the past 10 years has helped me to realize and grow my passion to help students achieve their educational and career goals. As the current Classified Senate President, it is that same passion that drives me towards improving and increasing Professional Development opportunities for West Valley’s Classified Professional staff. It is an honor to represent and advocate for Classified interests and I’m looking forward to a very productive 2017 – 2019 Senate term.

Brenda Rogers is the Executive Assistant to the Chancellor of the West Valley Mission Community College District and Treasurer for the WVC Classified Senate. She also is the California Community College Classified Senate (4CS) Bay 3 Area Representative. She also attends the Chancellor’s Executive Management Team, Banner Steering Committee and District Enrollment Management Committee meetings. She understands the importance of classified/confidential employees having a voice in participatory governance. Brenda is passionate about sustainability and is a long-standing, founding member of the WVC Sustainability Committee and serves as the Classified Senate’s representative on the Budget Resources Allocation Committee.

West Valley College has been my second home since 2009. Having been in the Disability and Educational Support Program for the last three years, I happily help college students who have different learning abilities. Learning, as it is the core essence of any educational institution, has a higher magnitude here. The campus dynamic is mainly focused on enhancing the professional aspect of individuals on many different levels. Currently, I am also a full-time student at San Jose State University in the Master's program for Licensed Professional Clinical Counselors. As I have been witnessing our classified professionals advancing their knowledge and skills, I find myself surrounded by many valuable mentors.

The Classified Professional Committee actively addresses the challenges and seeks informative solutions that are provided by specialists. Senate members plan and provide a wide spectrum of workshops and activities and All are welcome to enjoy their work as a part of college team. In addition to our professional goals, the committee's values emphasize unity, respect, support, and friendship.

My name is Luan Szeto - Central Services senator I currently work in Information Systems. I believe the WVMCCD Classified Senate is a body which represents your needs, concerns and viewpoints of all classified employee. I’m here to listen, support, and welcome you to the Classified Senate here at WVMCCD.

I started working for WVMCCD in 2002 in the Advancement Foundation and then moved to the college in 2005. I was a member of the Classified Senate in 2008 and I am happy to be serving again. I am honored to be part of such a dynamic group. I believe in the importance of the Classified Senate and the role it plays in serving the classified staff as a voice in shared governance.

I began working at WVC as a Student Ambassador. I was then tasked with running the Welcome Lobby. I enjoyed assisting students and working with the great staff in Admissions and Records and Financial Aid. I witnessed the camaraderie and team work. This is why I became a Classified Professional Senator. I am here to make history. As a part of a prestigious and unified team, my goal is to be a change agent; to be an advocate for all of classified professionals.

The name of this organization shall be the West Valley College Classified Senate, herein referred to as the Classified Senate.

Section 1: Purpose

It shall be the purpose and function of the Classified Senate to participate in the governance of West Valley College and to collect, evaluate and disseminate information for the Classified Professional members. The Classified Senate shall represent the aggregate interests of Classified Professionals before or on any governance or College committee and shall promote and encourage activities which provide an opportunity for enhancing the democratic process of governing West Valley College.

Section 2: Objectives

It shall be the objectives of the Classified Senate to:

1. Participate fully in the West Valley College participatory governance structure.
2. Provide a body representing the needs, concerns, and viewpoints of the Classified Professionals.
3. Recruit, from its constituency, representatives to serve on governance and College committees.
4. Articulate the dedication and service of the Classified Professionals so their work is properly recognized and valued.
5. Manage Classified Professional Development
6. Promote and represent the interests of Classified Professionals in the development and formulation of policy and practice related, but not limited, to the following:
• In-service education
• Facilities and services
• Finance and budget
• Classified Professional staff needs
7. Formulate and promote cooperative communication with other College and District organizations such as:
• Classified bargaining units
• Academic Senates
• Associated Student Organization (ASO)
• All participatory governance groups
8. Participate in the selection and evaluation of supervisory and administrative Classified Professionals.

Section 3: Responsibilities

It shall be the responsibilities of the Classified Senate Officers and Senators to:

1. Make recommendations and take action on behalf of the Classified Professional members with respect to any and all issues regarding District and College governance.
2. Request, obtain and convey to the WV Classified Professional members in a timely manner, information and/or recommendations on policies and procedures made by the College administration and/or participatory governance system so as to allow effective consideration of these issues.
3. Consider and take official positions on policy and budget recommendations, excluding matters pertaining to collective bargaining.
4. Refer all queries, requests, and/or concerns covered by collective bargaining to the Bargaining Units, with strict adherence to the details and dictates of the Bargaining Units' Contracts.

Section 1: General

1. The General Membership shall consist of all West Valley College regular, salaried Basic Unit Classified, Confidential Classified, and Supervisory Classified employees.
2. A West Valley College Classified employee shall be defined as one whose salary is covered by West Valley College accounts, and whose supervisor's salary is also covered by West Valley College accounts.

Section 2: Senators and Term of Office

1. The Classified Senate shall be composed of at-large Classified senators elected from the general membership. They shall have full voting rights on the Senate. These senators shall be responsible for communicating with designated constituent areas, as outlined in the Classified Senate by-laws.
2. In addition, representatives from the West Valley Mission District Classified Professional staff may be elected by that group to serve as District Senators, subject to the same duties and responsibilities as outlined in the Bylaws. They shall have full voting rights and are eligible to serve as Senate officers but are not able to serve in the positions of President and Vice President. District representation shall not exceed twenty-five percent of the total Senate membership. The primary work location for these representatives shall be the Saratoga campus.
3. Upon establishment of the Senate roster, each senator will be assigned an area for the purpose of communication with constituents. Geographical proximity to the Senator’s work location will be taken into consideration whenever possible.
4. One non-voting West Valley College representative from each bargaining unit may be chosen by the unit membership.
5. One non-voting West Valley College representative from ASO may be chosen by ASO membership and one non-voting West Valley College representative from the Academic Senate may be chosen by the Academic Senate membership.
6. At-large senators shall serve for one year, beginning July 1 of each Academic year.
7. The office of a Senator shall be declared vacant for any Senator who either resigns from the Senate or is removed from office, or leaves College employment. A leave of absence may be granted due to extenuating circumstances. The tenure of any Senator who shall be absent from three regular meetings of the Classified Senate shall be subject to review by the majority of the Classified Senate.
8. Vacancies shall be filled by appointment by the Classified Senate President with confirmation by the Classified Senate.

Section 3: Voting Privileges

1. The President shall vote only to break ties.
2. The Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer shall have one vote each.
3. All Senators shall have one vote each.
4. All West Valley Mission District Senators shall have one vote each.
5. The bargaining unit representative(s), ASO representative, and Academic Senate representative shall be non-voting members.

Section 4: Duties and Responsibilities

1. Senators shall attend and participate in all meetings and be voting members at all Classified Senate meetings.
2. Senators shall recruit representatives from their fellow Senators and/or the general membership to serve on college, participatory governance and screening committees for new, regular employees.
3. Senators shall ratify all appointments made by the President of the Classified Senate.
4. Senators shall hold information meetings for their constituencies as needed. Prior to each Classified Senate meeting, Senators shall provide an opportunity for constituents to express concerns, needs, questions, and viewpoints.
5. Senators shall be responsible for polling their constituencies in a regular and timely manner on items designated by the Classified Senate.
6. Senators shall report to the Classified Senate issues from their area, which concern the general membership.
7. Senators shall post minutes from Classified Senate meetings in a place easily accessible to all area members.
8. Senators, during their term of office, shall not serve as elected representatives to any other College or District group that represent the Classified Professional members, with the exception of serving as union stewards. Classified Senate officers may not serve in any capacity.

Section 1: Terms of Office and Elections

Nominees for all offices and the positions of Senator shall be notified and given an opportunity to accept or decline the nomination prior to elections. Elections are to be held in March of each election year and terms begin July 1st of each academic year.

1. President: The President shall be elected for a two-year term
2. Vice President: The Vice President shall be elected for a two-year term.
3. Treasurer: The Treasurer shall be elected for a two-year term.
4. Secretary: The Secretary shall be elected for a two-year term.
5. Election of Senators at-large: All elections of Senators at-large are to be held in March. Senators at-large shall be elected for a one-year term.
6. Elections
1. All elections are to be announced campus-wide, and results will be tabulated based on a simple majority of those Classified Professional members who vote in any given election.
2. The Secretary and Treasurer shall be responsible for coordinating elections. An election committee, co-chaired by the Secretary and Treasurer, may be formed to include Senators and Classified Professional Members.
3. Whenever there is a tie vote, a runoff election shall be held between the tied candidates.
7. Special Elections: A special election shall be called in the event of resignation or termination of any officer. Such election shall take place no later than one month after resignation or termination occurs.

Section 2: Election of Officers

1. President
1. The President of the Classified Senate shall be elected from among those regular, salaried Classified Professional members who are willing to serve in this capacity, by vote of a simple majority of all regular, salaried West Valley College Classified Professional members who vote.
2. The President shall have funds from the Classified Senate budget designated for hourly Classified Professional support during that term of office,
3. The President shall have reassigned time to perform the duties of the office.
2. Vice President
1. The Vice President of the Classified Senate shall be elected from those regular, salaried permanent Classified Professional members who are willing to serve in this capacity, by vote of a simple majority of all regular, salaried permanent West Valley College Classified Professional members who vote.
2. When the Vice President replaces the President, the Vice President shall vote only in case of a tie vote.
3. Treasurer
1. The Treasurer of the Classified Senate shall be elected from those regular, salaried permanent Classified Professional members who are willing to serve in this capacity, by vote of a simple majority of all regular, salaried permanent West Valley College Classified Professional members who vote.
2. The Treasurer, in collaboration with the Secretary, shall be responsible for facilitating elections.
3. When the Treasurer replaces the President, the Treasurer will vote only in case of a tie vote.
4. Secretary
1. The Secretary of the Classified Senate shall be elected from those regular, salaried permanent Classified Professional members who are willing to serve in this capacity, by vote of a simple majority of all regular, salaried permanent West Valley College Classified Professional members who vote.
2. The secretary, in collaboration with the Treasurer, shall be responsible for facilitating elections.
3. When the Secretary replaces the President, the Secretary will vote only in case of a tie vote.
5. Vacancy: If any officer of the Classified Senate shall be unable to complete their term of office, the vacancy shall be filled immediately by majority vote of the general membership. A leave of absence may be granted due to extenuating circumstances.

Section 3: Duties and Responsibilities of Officers

1. Duties and Responsibilities of the President
1. The Classified Senate President shall preside over and be a non-voting/tie-breaking member at all Classified Senate meetings.
2. The Classified Senate President shall serve as the West Valley College Classified Senate representative on the College Council.
3. The Classified Senate President or designee shall attend and represent the West Valley College Classified Senate at the District Board of Trustees' and District Council meetings.
4. The Classified Senate President shall work with the secretary to facilitate the scheduling and organization of the Classified Senate meetings. The President shall set the agenda and forward it to the Secretary for distribution prior to each meeting.
5. The President shall administer the budget for the Classified Senate with the advice of the Classified Senate, and with the assistance of the Treasurer.
6. The Classified Senate President shall perform other duties as may be required of the office.
7. The Classified Senate President shall serve as spokesperson for the Classified Senate.
2. Duties and Responsibilities of the Vice President
1. The Vice President shall substitute for the President during an absence, and assist in the duties and responsibilities of the President.
2. When the Vice President is substituting for the President, the Vice President will provide the tie-breaking vote.
3. If the President of the Classified Senate is unable to complete their term of office, the Vice President shall assume the responsibilities of the President until another election by the General Membership can be held.
4. The Vice President shall perform other duties as may be required of the office.
5. The Vice President shall act as the Classified Senate Professional Development subcommittee chair and shall work in cooperation with other College Professional Development personnel.
3. Duties and Responsibilities of the Treasurer
1. The Treasurer, in collaboration with the Secretary, shall be responsible for facilitating elections. An election committee, co-chaired by the Treasurer and Secretary, may be formed to include Senators and Classified Professional Members.
2. The Treasurer, in collaboration with the Secretary, shall be responsible for facilitating elections. An election committee, co-chaired by the Treasurer and Secretary, may be formed to include Senators and Classified Professional Members.
3. The Treasurer shall, under the direction of the President, set up and maintain the budget for the Classified Senate.
4. If the Vice President is unable to fulfill the duties of the President, then the Treasurer shall be the temporary President until another general election can be held.
5. The Treasurer shall perform other duties as may be required by the office.
4. Duties and Responsibilities of the Secretary
1. The Secretary shall be responsible for the taking of meeting summaries, their publication, and distribution.
2. The Secretary will maintain the archives of the Classified Senate.
3. The Secretary shall distribute the agenda for each meeting prior to the meeting.
4. The Secretary, in collaboration with the Treasurer, shall be responsible for facilitating elections. An election committee, co-chaired by the Treasurer and Secretary, may be formed to include Senators and Classified Professional Members.
5. The Secretary shall act as the temporary President in the event that the President, Vice President and Treasurer are unable to conduct a meeting.
6. If the Vice President or the Treasurer is unable to fulfill the duties of the President, then the Secretary shall be the temporary President until another general election can be held.
7. The Secretary shall perform other duties as may be required by the office.

Section 1: Meetings

1. The Classified Senate shall hold regular meetings not less than once a month, on a fixed day and time, from the beginning of the academic year until the end of the academic year.
1. The President may also call for meetings as necessary during the period between the end of the Spring Semester and the beginning of the Fall semester.
2. Special meetings may be called by the President or upon the written request of two Senators.
2. Approved meeting summaries shall be posted to the website within 15 days and shall be distributed to Senators to post in their areas.
3. The Classified Senate is hereby empowered to make rules governing its own internal organization and procedures, subject to the following:
1. That there shall be a quorum consisting of a simple majority of voting membership of the Classified Senate.
2. That all actions or recommendations shall be made by a majority vote of the quorum.
3. That in the case of an unresolved tie vote, the issue shall be submitted to the representative groups for review and advice.
4. That matters for the agendas shall be submitted to the President, or to whichever officer the President designates.
5. That Classified Senate meetings shall be open to the public. Faculty, Classified Professional members, students, and administrators shall speak on matters under consideration, upon approval of the Classified Senate President.
4. Senators shall meet during normal work hours whenever possible and shall be excused from their duties to attend meetings.

Section 2: Board Policy

Meetings of the general membership shall be held during normal work hours; Classified Professional members shall be excused from their duties to attend meetings. Meetings of the general membership shall be called at the discretion of the Classified Senate no less than once each semester, at a time determined by the Classified Senate in coordination with college administration. (Reference Board Policy 3.2.6)

Section 1: Committees and Duties

1. The Classified Senate shall act as the coordinating body for the formation of goals and tasks for all Classified Senate subcommittees. The Senators shall establish and appoint members to all such committees.
2. The Classified Senate shall establish such standing, special, or ad hoc committees deemed necessary for adequate participation in the formation of College policies and district governance, as well as policies created to address the needs, concerns, and viewpoints of the classified membership.
3. Under the provisions of participatory governance, the Classified Senate shall appoint and/or approve representatives to serve on all task force work-groups, in which classified participation from the General Membership is appropriate. Representatives shall submit a brief written or verbal report on a regular basis during the academic semester.
4. Whenever possible, Classified Senate members shall not serve as the Classified Senate representative to any participatory governance or other College committee(s) to which they have been assigned in another capacity. (i.e. taking minutes, representing other groups.)
5. Any member of the Classified Senate (as described in Article III, Section 1, Membership) may be appointed to a committee subject to approval by area and by the Senators. In the event that committee appointments are deemed inappropriate by a certain constituency, that constituency may appeal the appointment before the Classified Senate. At that time the Classified Senate may reconsider the appointment.
6. Each committee may prepare a written summary report of committee activities if required by the Senate.

Section 2: Standing Committees

1. All standing and special committees established by the President and Officers of the Classified Senate are responsible to the Classified Senate. Minutes of all committee meetings shall be filed with the Senate's Secretary.
2. Each standing committee shall have no more than one representative from each of the areas represented by the Senators.
3. The term of office for committee members is for one year, subject to review by the Classified Senate. A longer term of office may be decided upon by the Classified Senate.
4. The Classified Senate has the ultimate responsibility of assigning work to the committees. The channel of communication for all actions of the committees shall be through the Classified Senate to the College President or to the Board of Trustees, or both.

Robert's Rules of Order shall be the Parliamentary Authority governing the West Valley College Classified Senate in all cases in which Robert's Rules of Order are applicable, and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws, and any special rules of order that may be adopted by the Classified Senate.

Section 1: Enactment

This constitution and bylaws shall become effective following adoption by a simple majority vote of the General Membership.

Section 2: Amendments

The constitution may be amended at any time by an affirmative simple majority vote of the general membership, provided that written notice of the proposed amendment be distributed to the General Membership at least two weeks prior to taking a vote.

Section 3: Bylaws

1. The Classified Senate shall have the power to formulate Bylaws by a simple majority vote of the Senators and Officers.
2. These Bylaws shall pertain to but not be limited to:
1. Procedures and guidelines of elections
2. Duties and responsibilities of Senators/Officers
3. Procedures and time lines of meetings
4. Dissemination of information
5. Designations of committees
3. As collective bargaining affects changes to this document, such changes shall be incorporated herein by amendment.