By-Laws

The name of the commission is Clemson University Veterans Commission and is hereinafter referred to as the “Commission”. Clemson University with hereinafter be referred to as the “University”.

The purpose of the Commission is to serve in an advisory capacity to the University administrators, faculty, staff, and students regarding matters which affect veterans and their families. More specifically, the objectives of the Commission are to:

• Create a welcoming environment that enables veterans to be included and listened to in matters pertaining to their specific needs across campus.
• Collect information and/or conduct research regarding climate and issues which affect the veteran community and their families.
• Make recommendations regarding the policies, procedures, and practices which affect the veteran community, with the goal of improving access and opportunities.
• Ensure that the university appropriately addresses issues that directly and indirectly affect veterans and their families.
• Advise the university administration, faculty, and staff on matters pertaining to the veteran campus community and their families.
• Promote Clemson University to prospective veterans to increase military and veteran enrollment numbers through targeted recruitment strategies and initiatives.
• Establish and maintain strong collaborative partnerships with organizations and entities which support the purpose, mission and vision of the Commission and the University, including student groups.

Composition
The membership of the Commission shall be comprised of undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, and staff. The Faculty Senate, Staff Senate, undergraduate student government association, and graduate student government association may each nominate a representative to serve as a member on the Commission. To ensure representation of various stakeholders, the membership of the Commission shall include a minimum of:

• Three (3) members of the faculty
• Three (3) members of the staff
• Three (3) student members (at least one undergraduate and one graduate student)
• Any other University faculty and staff as designated by the President (ex-officio, non-voting members)

Commission Membership

Commissioners

• Commissioners are appointed by the University following recommendation by the Chairperson. Recommendations for commissioners will be made by the Membership Committee in order to maintain a balanced composition of the Commission of faculty, staff, and students. Current Commissioners and the University community can nominate individuals to the Membership Committee for consideration of membership recommendations. Approval of new member appointments require 2/3 approval of the membership committee before nomination is to be submitted for final approval by the Commission Chair.
• Commissioners are appointed to a staggered three (3) year term that begins in August of the first year of membership and ends in May of the last year of membership. At the completion of a three (3) year term, a member may be reappointed by the University to a three (3) year term based on 2/3 approval from the Membership Committee and confirmation by the Commission Chair.
• Commissioners are expected to attend regular meetings, which are scheduled by the Commission Chairperson. Commissioners may vote on specific agenda items via written proxy through the Chairperson. Commissioners may also send a representative in their place for Commission meetings with approval of the Chairperson.
• Commissioners who miss two (2) or more meetings during a semester will be contacted by the Commission Chair. The Commission Chair will have the responsibility to review the membership of any individual who fails to abide by attendance requirements.
• Commissioners are expected to formulate and actively participate on established Commission subcommittees. Each Commissioner is required to serve on at least one sub-committee. Commissioners who miss two (2) or more committee meetings during a semester will be contacted by the Commission Chair.

Open Members

Open members are non-voting members of the Veterans Commission, who can join at any point throughout the year. These members can attend and contribute in open meetings, support the development of events and projects, and join subcommittees. These members can apply for Commissioner seats when they become available on a yearly basis. Open members are valued members of the Veterans Commission who help us to connect to various departments across the university, make events possible, and create a more enriching environment for our veteran students, faculty, and staff.

All elected officer positions are to be filled by voting members of the Commission.

Chairperson
The Chairperson shall be the presiding officer of the Commission. The Chairperson shall preside over all meetings; have general and active management of the business of the Commission; be responsible for carrying out all decisions and resolutions of the Commission; and initiate communication or respond to inquiries from the president or other officials. The Chairperson shall be elected by a simple majority to serve a two-year term. The Chairperson shall determine the existence of quorum, as well as the preparation of the agenda.

The Advisory Committee will reserve the right to complete checks and balances on the Chairperson where that committee sees fit. The Advisory Committee also reserve the right to remove the Chairperson by a 2/3 vote where that committee sees fit.

Deputy Chairperson
The Deputy Chairperson shall assume the duties and authorities of the Chairperson when the Chairperson is absent. The Deputy Chairperson shall be elected by a simple majority to serve a two-year term. The Deputy Chairperson will assume the duties and responsibilities of the chairperson after serving two years as the deputy chairperson.

If the Chairperson resigns or is unable to serve the Deputy Chairperson assumes the role of the Chairperson. An interim Deputy Chairperson shall be elected to serve the remainder of the Deputy Chairperson’s term by a simple majority vote of the Commission members.

In the event that both the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson resign or unable to serve, the Advisory Committee reserve the right to call for a special election.

Secretary
The Secretary will serve a maximum term of two (2) years. Ideally, this position should rotate between faculty, staff and may include students. The duties of the Secretary include drafting and disseminating meeting minutes and taking attendance during monthly meetings. The Secretary must be elected by a simple majority vote.

The Commission will have three (3) committees as well as additional ad hoc committees. Every voting member of the Commission must serve on a Committee for the duration of their term. The ad hoc committees will serve to address specific issues or needs identified by the Commission and will be created or disbanded as needed by the Chairperson. The current committee structure is as follows:

• Undergraduate Student Relations Committee
• Graduate Student Relations Committee
• Faculty and Staff Relations Committee
• Ad hoc committees (created as needed)

Advisory Committee
The members of the Advisory Committee are the Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson and the Chairpersons of any standing or ad hoc committees. The Chairperson will be responsible for developing the overall agenda for the Commission. The Advisory Committee will also serve in place of the full Commission in emergency situations or where time constraints do not permit the full Commission to be assembled. Minutes for these meetings will be distributed at or before the next meeting of the full Commission.

Undergraduate Student Relations Committee
This committee will advise the Commission on matters pertaining to undergraduate student-veterans, including but not limited to policies, practices, benefit opportunities, and status of student-veterans on campus and in the virtual environment.

Graduate Student Relations Committee
This committee will advise the Commission on matters pertaining to graduate student-veterans, including but not limited to policies, practices, benefit opportunities, and status of student-veterans on campus and in the virtual environment.

Faculty and Staff Relations Committee
This committee will advise the Commission on matters pertaining to faculty and staff, including but not limited to policies, practices, benefit opportunities, and status of veteran faculty and staff. This committee will also orchestrate collaborative initiatives between Faculty and Staff, to ensure the needs of the Veteran Commission are being expressed throughout campus networks.

Ad hoc Committees
Ad hoc Committees to address specific issues or situations will be created and disbanded at the discretion of the Chairperson with approval from 2/3 of the Commission.

Each committee shall have a committee chairperson who is elected by the Commission annually. The chairperson of each committee must be a voting member of the Commission. Committee chairpersons serve on the Advisory Committee, and they will be responsible for individual committee agendas to be approved by the Chairperson of the Commission.

Undergraduate Student Relations Chair
The Undergraduate Student Relations Chair will lead the Undergraduate Student Relations Committee in the research and pursuit of initiatives to serve undergraduate student-veterans. The Chair will coordinate regular communication with the Student Veterans Association, Clemson Undergraduate Student Government, and the Office of Military & Veteran Engagement.

Graduate Student Relations Chair
The Graduate Student Relations Chair will lead the Graduate Student Relations Committee in the research and pursuit of initiatives to serve graduate student-veterans. The Chair will coordinate regular communication with the Student Veterans Association, Clemson Graduate Student Government, the Graduate School, and the Office of Military & Veteran Engagement.

Faculty and Staff Relations Chair
The Graduate Student Relations Chair will lead the Faculty and Staff Relations Committee in the research and pursuit of initiatives to serve veteran faculty and staff. The Chair will coordinate regular communication with Faculty Senate and Staff Senate, along with the Office of Human Resources and the academic colleges.

Membership and Budgetary Chair
The Membership and Budgetary Chair coordinates the compliance to membership requirements as outlined by the bylaws. The Chair manages the list of current members and committee assignments, and manages nominations and elections as needed to fill Commission seats. The Chair collects Commission feedback on expenditures and coordinates final use of funds with the Program Manager.

Communications and Engagement Chair
The Communications and Engagement Chair will manage all Commission social media accounts, along with the Commission web site. The Communications and Engagement Chair will manage communication between the Commission and other campus partners on the support of events and programs pertaining to student-veterans and veteran faculty and staff.

Community and Alumni Relations Committee Chair
The Community and Alumni Relations Committee Chair will lead the Community and Alumni Relations Committee in expanding communication and collaboration with both community partners in the Upstate as well as the Clemson Alumni Association.

Inclusion & Equity Committee Chair
The Inclusion & Equity Committee Chair will lead Commission incorporation of Veterans Commission strategic plan initiatives and work to ensure Commission endeavors incorporate inclusion best practices to support all veterans.

Meetings and Standing Rules

• All meetings are normally open unless the Commission goes into an executive session, comprising members of the Advisory Committee and any Commission members as necessary.
• Any non-member may request the privilege of speaking before the Commission on any item or topic not already on the meeting agenda.
• Upon the approval of the Chairperson, a non-member may also speak on any item on the agenda.
• The Commission may override the Chairperson’s decision on a matter by a simple majority vote.
• The Chairperson shall have the authority to place a time limit on the remarks of any participant of a Commission meeting. A minimum of four meetings will be scheduled annually. An agenda will be established prior to each meeting. Minutes will be recorded and distributed to each Commission member.

Executive Session

A voting member can motion to move into executive session in any regular Commission meeting or committee meeting. Another voting member must second the motion. All Commission members present will be given the opportunity to debate the motion and then the vote will be taken. A simple majority is required to enter executive session. If approved, all attendees except for voting members will be asked to leave the meeting space. To end an executive session, another motion, another second, and another vote are required to return to the regular meeting. During an executive session, no voting can take place.

Voting Procedures

‘Voting Membership’ includes those Commission Members who are not part of an ex-officio or open membership. For any item requiring a vote (bylaws changes, elections), a quorum of voting membership must participate for the results to be valid. A quorum is defined as half of the current voting commission members plus one (1).
Voting Procedures for a Regularly Scheduled Commission Meeting.
Voting at a regularly scheduled Commission meeting must be announced in writing at least one (1) week in advance; voting will take place within the regular meeting time and the result will be announced within the meeting. If voting at a regularly scheduled Commission meeting, written proxy votes submitted through the Chairperson will count toward quorum.
Voting Procedures for Online Voting.
If voting online, voting membership will have at minimum 72 hours to cast their vote.

Changes in the Bylaws

Proposed bylaw changes shall be submitted in writing and distributed to the voting membership at least one week prior to consideration. Approval of the bylaws require approval by 2/3 of voting membership.

Reports

The Commission will submit periodic reports to the President of the University and an annual written report to the Faculty Senate, Staff Senate, and the Administrative Council.

Confidentiality

The Commission will serve as a vehicle of communication among the veteran faculty, staff, and students of Clemson University and will respect matters of confidentiality to its utmost ability, in accordance with state law.

Last edited: 3.30.2021 • Adopted: 4.19.2021