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COSA Bylaws

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Mission

The Council on Student Affairs, a statewide panel of principal student affairs officers, serves as a key advisory council to the Chancellor, Regents’ staff, and other state officials regarding issues and policies affecting the welfare and development of students enrolled in the Oklahoma higher education system. The Council also serves as a forum where student affairs officers meet to discuss matters of common interest and, when appropriate, conducts studies and issues reports designed to strengthen co-curricular programs and student support services at Oklahoma higher education institutions.

Membership

Members of the Council on Students Affairs shall be comprised of principal student affairs officers from each institutional campus and higher education centers (as appropriate) in the State System.  Independent, non-profit, in-state degree granting institutions of higher education accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) shall also serve on the Council (see appendix A for membership).

Voting Privileges

Members will have equal standing for purposes of voting. A Voting Member may designate a proxy to act in his/her behalf provided such assignment is specified in writing. A Proxy may participate in all Council activities including voting in the absence of the Voting Member.

Meetings

Meetings of the Council shall be held on the second Thursday of each month (except May and August), or unless otherwise scheduled at 10:00 a.m. in the State Regents’ Conference Room, 655 Research Parkway, Oklahoma City. As deemed necessary and appropriate, the Council may hold meetings at other places and locations as recommended by the Chair of the Council and with consent of Council members.

Officers of the Council

Officers of the Council on Student Affairs shall consist of a Chairperson and a Vice Chairperson. The Chair and the Vice Chair of the Council shall serve for one year. The Chair will preside at Council meetings; in the Chair’s absence, the Vice Chair shall. The Vice Chair (or designee) shall also serve as a voting member of the Board of Directors for the Oklahoma College Student Personnel Association. 

Selection of Officers/Executive Committee

On a rotating basis, and by tier (research, 4-year/regional and 2-year), the Vice Chair shall come from the nominations received from the tier whose term it is to serve as Chair the following year (the Vice Chair will automatically become Chair the following year and will also be considered as chair-elect). For purposes of this section, Tulsa University will be included in the research tier, and other private/independent colleges will be included in the 4 year/regional institutional tier. Oklahoma State University-Institute of Technology and Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City will be included in the 2-year institutional tier. The election process shall take place during the June Council meeting each year.

Once the Vice Chair is confirmed by a majority of the Council during the June meeting, two members from each tier shall be designated (by tier) to serve on the Executive Committee. The tier whose term it is to have a member serve as chair or vice chair shall only designate one additional member since the Chair of the Council also serves as Chair of the Executive Committee and the Vice Chair will also serve on the executive committee as chair-elect for the next year. The Council will ensure that a private/independent college representative is included as a member of the Executive Committee.

The Chair and Vice Chair shall be seated at the July meeting of the Council. 

Duties of the Chairperson include:

  • In concert with State Regents’ staff, prepare agenda for Council meetings;
  • Appoint members to committees as necessary; and,
  • Preside at Executive Committee meetings.

Chair/Vice Chair/Executive Committee Vacancies

Should the Chair of the Council be unable to serve for a full term, the Vice Chair will preside. Should the Vice Chair be unable to serve for a full term, the Council shall use the procedure presented in the Selection of Officers to replace the Vice Chair.

Committees

Executive Committee – Shall develop a slate of issues (work plan) to be discussed and/or addressed by the Council during the year to insure timely management of matters affecting student welfare. 

Standing committees shall consist of:

  • Executive Committee
  • Bylaws and Procedures Committee
  • Research Committee
  • Legislative Issues Committee
  • Programming Committee
  • Social Justice Committee
  • Professional Development Committee

Each standing committee will be chaired by a member of the Executive Committee or a Council member selected by the Executive Committee. Committee responsibilities are as follows:

Bylaws and Procedures Committee – Is responsible for assessing the adequacy of the Council’s operating procedures and proposing, when warranted, amendments to the Bylaws and Operating Procedures.

Research Committee – Shall, as required, develop and present reports and/or studies pertaining to issues affecting support services in the State System.

Legislative Issues Committee – Shall identify student-related matters which have legislative oversight or legislative implications. When needed, the committee, along with State Regents’ staff, will provide appropriate advice and counsel.

Programming Committee – Shall, in coordination with Council members, present topics and/or issues the Council would like to know more about or discuss during monthly meetings.

Social Justice Committee – Shall identify student-related matters involving social justice issues. When needed, the committee, along with State Regents’ staff will provide appropriate advice and counsel.

Professional Development Committee – Shall (1) annually conduct a survey to identify the professional development needs of the membership and (2) research current and timely issues impacting student services professionals for the purposes of developing at least three (3) annual professional development topics to be presented to the Council on dates established by the membership.

Ad-Hoc Committees – From time to time the Chair of the Council in coordination with the Executive Committee may establish an ad-hoc committee(s) as warranted.

The Chair of the Council will review annually the responsibilities and operations of each Standing Committee. When warranted, the Chair, with input and advice from the Executive Committee, will propose changes in the responsibilities of Committees and, with the consent of the Council, appoint new committees as needed.

Parliamentary Procedure
The generally accepted rules of parliamentary procedure for small legislative bodies shall govern in the deliberation of the Council and, unless specifically altered in these procedures, the latest edition of Roberts Rules of Order shall be the controlling guide in such practice.

Amendments – Any member of the Council may propose changes to these Bylaws. Proposed changes become effective when approved by two-thirds of the Council in attendance.

Amended this 13th day of April, 2023