Draft Bylaws

Environmental Service Committee

Texas State University-San Marcos

Last Updated: October 28, 2008

 

Article I -

Official Name: Environmental Service Committee of

Texas State University – San Marcos

Abbreviated Name: ESC

 

Article II - Mandate

·   The Environmental Service Fee was created by Senate Bill 1230 passed by the Senate of the 78^th Legislature of the State of Texas on May 12, 2003 and by the House of Representatives of the same Legislature on May 28, 2003. The act was signed into law by Governor Rick Perry on June 21, 2003, and went into effect on September 1 of that same year.

·   A Committee to oversee the Environmental Service Fee was created with the passing of the Environmental Service Fee Referendum (S.R.S. 2003-2004/16) on March 8, 2004 by the Associated Student Government of the University.

·   Texas State University-San Marcos will hereafter be referred to as “the University.”

 

Article III - Purpose

In accordance to the aforementioned legislation, the Environmental Service Committee is to distribute funds collected from the Environmental Service Fee in order to provide funding for environmental improvements at the University through services such as environmental education, recycling, transportation, employment, product purchasing, distributing small grants or matching funds, planning/maintenance, beautification, and irrigation. The Environmental Service Committee, however, is not to use the revenue from the fee to reduce or replace other money allocated by the University for existing projects.

 

Article IV - Funding

 The Environmental Service Fee itself may be increased but has the following restrictions:

·    The Environmental Service Fee The fee may not be increased more than once in an academic year.

·   The University Board of Regents may increase the fee to cover increased operating costs of environmental services if:

o   The increased fee is approved by a majority vote held on the same ballot as a student government election, wherein a minimum of 1,000 University students cast a ballot for this specific purpose. 

·   The fee cannot exceed:

o   $6 per student for each regular semester or for each term of the summer session

o   $3 per student for each six-week or shorter term of the summer session.

 

Article V - Committee Membership

The Environmental Service Committee will be made up of 11 members. This consists of:

·   7 voting members:

o   3 voting professors, each appointed by the Departments of Agriculture, Biology and Geography

o   4 voting student members. Of those:

§  2 shall be selected by the National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP)

§  2 shall be selected by the representatives of the Associated Student Government (ASG)

·    4 non-voting members:

o   There are 2 ASG appointed non-voting members. Of those one shall be a representative from Residence Life or the Residence Hall Association (RHA).

o   There will be 1 non-voting member from Vice President for Finance & Support Services to serve as the account manager

o   There will be one non-voting member from Facilities

·   Member appointments for the coming term shall be solidified in the last meeting of each semester.

·   There are not limits to the number of terms students can serve on the Committee.

·   Members must notify the Committee of the approximate duration of their tenure on the Committee in order to maintain continuity. Graduating student members must communicate their date of graduation to the Committee prior to their final semester.

·   The Committee may vote to replace members who miss 3 or more meetings in a semester or fail to communicate with the Committee on issues of votes, meeting attendance, or other items of importance.

 

Article VI - Officer Roles and Responsibilities

Of the seven voting members, two students will be chosen by the Committee to serve as Committee Chair and Secretary. Member appointments for the coming term shall be solidified in the last meeting of each semester.

·   Chair

o   The Chair is responsible for setting meeting dates, establishing and organizing the meeting agendas, directing meetings, managing the ESC email account, maintaining communication lines among the Committee and within the University community, and other necessary tasks.

·   Secretary  

o   The Secretary is responsible for taking and archiving minutes from each meeting, uploading minutes to the ESC website, and assists the Chair with other necessary tasks.

 

Article VII - Meetings

Mandatory meetings, officiated by the Committee Chair, are to be held at least once a month, but more are recommended.  A quorum of at least 5 voting members must be present for any votes to be made.

 

Article VIII - Voting

·   Voting is limited to the 7 voting members on the Committee, who all share equal votes where each voting member has one vote.

·   Discussion is required on all votes, especially those regarding approval of applications.

·   Votes must pass by at least quorum and a vote only counts as valid if the voting member is present, or has provided sufficient notification of his/her vote on a matter through electronic mail to the Chair or Secretary.

·   In the event that the quorum cannot be present, the Committee can move to vote by proxy via the Internet as long as the quorum is well informed.

 

Article IX - Application process

• University Students, Faculty, Staff, Alumni or members of the community of the City of San Marcos, Texas may apply for funding by going to the website http: www.txstate.edu/esc and filling out an application.
• The application shall include a project sponsor who is either a University faculty or staff member and who is willing to be responsible for the purchasing records of the project (see Purchasing process in Article XI.)

The application has a better chance of being approved if:

1)    The project is sustainable in some way (meaning that once the funding gets a project started, it resumes goals on its own), and

2)    If it benefits the University community, and

3)    If it will not require funding repeatedly for an unknown period of time.

• The application shall be submitted online on the ESC website or a hard copy can be printed and delivered to the ESC office in Evans Liberal Arts Room 151 or placed in the ESC mailbox in the Geography Office in Evans Liberal Arts at the University.
• The application will be reviewed by the Committee, discussed with the applicant, revised if any changes seem necessary, and then voted upon for approval.

 

Article X - Continuity/Accountability of Project

• Before the Committee approves an application, the applicant and sponsor shall understand that
  • They are responsible and accountable for the said granted funds and that,
  • ESC is not responsible for the management of project funds, and that
  • ESC may cease funding if these terms are not met or funding is misappropriated.
• The awardees and/or sponsors will come to at least one meeting per semester to present information on the progress of the project, management of funds, and the remaining budget (if applicable).
• Awardees will present a final report that will be held on file by the Committee. This document will contain photos of the project during and following its completion. Reports and photos may be posted on the Environmental Service Committee website at www.txstate.edu/esc.

Article XI - Purchasing Procedure

Funds from the Environmental Service account will NOT be transferred to another account.  The following are procedures for using a procurement card, using a requisition/purchase order, paying employees working overtime, and paying student workers. 

• Use of Procurement Card (P-card)

• The Account Manager of the Environmental Service Committee is a non-voting member and will be appointed by the Vice President for Finance and Support Services.  The Account Manager will be an authorized procurement cardholder.  The procurement card will be used to purchase non-restricted goods and certain services totaling less than $1,000 directly from vendors.  Delegated substitute authority (for use of the P-card) may be granted to full time Texas State employees only.  All documentation (cash receipt or vendor/supplier invoice) must be provided to the Procurement Cardholder for reconciliation purposes.
• Use of Requisition/Purchase Order
  • For equipment costing more than $1,000, a requisition will be created and approved by the Account Manager.  Documentation for the equipment must include three quotes, the vendor information, and be provided to the Account Manager.
• Payment for Employees Working Overtime
  • Texas State employees will be paid as “Event Work” at the rate of time and a half. Their time administrator will enter their time under event work and approve the time worked.  The work will be charged to the Environmental Services account number. 
• Payment for Student Workers
  • Students must be hired and paid via PCR. The Account Manager will ensure that a position is set up in SAP for each student hired using the New Hire Data Form. If the student has been or is a student worker at Texas State, they will be placed in a vacation position using Student Quick.  If working elsewhere on campus they cannot work over 25 hours a week in total for both positions.  If the student has never been a student worker, they must fill out a student application and new hire paperwork and submit it to the Account Manager. 

 

Article XII - Amendments

·   The Committee members shall remain aware of the bylaws and their guidelines. Amendments to the bylaws shall be made when necessary and be discussed by the Committee members during regular meeting times, or under extenuating circumstances by electronic mail, and passed by a quorum vote of the Committee. 

Draft Bylaws

Environmental Service Committee 

Texas State University - San Marcos