UTHSC-H CSW Bylaws and Goals

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CSW Bylaws and Goals

Preamble

These Bylaws establish the Committee on the Status of Women (CSW) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHSCH) and the procedures for the conduct of its business.

1. Name: This organization shall be called The Committee on the Status of Women and informally referred to as the CSW and is considered to be a standing committee of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHSCH).

2. Purpose: The purpose of the CSW is to encourage open communication regarding the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston . The CWS will facilitate the development and contribution of women affiliated with UTHSCH by expanding and improving the opportunities for the advancement of women to achieve their maximum potential.

3. Membership: The CSW membership shall include exempt and non-exempt staff; faculty; administrative and professional members; research and clinical fellows; and students.

Section 1: Members of the CSW may be appointed from exempt and non-exempt staff; faculty; research and clinical fellows; and students. These members will serve for one two-year term, which may be renewed for additional terms for those who actively participate in the activities of CSW. Members of the committee shall be approved and officially invited by the President. Membership representation shall be as follows:

Membership
One faculty and one staff representative from the School of Health Information Sciences
One faculty and one staff representative from the Dental Branch
One staff representative from the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Two faculty and two staff representatives from the Medical School
Two faculty and one staff representative from the School of Nursing
One faculty and one staff representative from the School of Public Health
Three staff representatives from the Health Science Center-General
One faculty and one staff representative from the IMM
One staff representative from LBJ
One representative from Human Resources
Student representation from the six schools
Two representatives from University Classified Staff Council
Others deemed appropriate and appointed by the President

Section 2: Ex Officio members to the CSW shall be persons whose professional responsibilities include participation on the CSW such as, but not limited to, representatives from the EVP for Academic Affairs and past chair of the CSW.

Ex Officio Membership (without vote)
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs or designee
Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs
Immediate past Chair of the Committee

Section 3: Active participation is expected of all members. Should a member miss more than three monthly meetings during the year that are unexcused, they shall be replaced. The CSW will request a replacement of that member through the UTHSCH Nominating Committee in accordance with the faculty and staff representation outlined in the Membership section.

4.Officers of the Committee: Officers shall be comprised of the chair and chair-elect. The chair-elect is elected by the active membership and will serve as chair-elect for one year before assuming the duties of the chair. In the absence of the chair the chair-elect assumes the duties. The chair shall preside at all official meetings, cast the deciding vote in case of a tie, and see that the rules of order and decorum prevail in all the deliberations of the CSW.

5. A valid vote is constituted by a simple majority of those present when there is a quorum. The chair will declare a quorum at the beginning of each meeting with a minimum of 33% of voting members as present.

6.Subcommittees: To accomplish the objectives of the CSW certain activities may be more expeditiously done by delegation of such activities to the Subcommittees that are formed based upon needs of the CSW.

7. Activities of the CSW: The CSW may:

A. Identify opportunities for the advancement of women by:

Creating a forum for women to bring topics of interest or issues to the UTHSCH.
Educating members of the UTHSCH community to issues and practices that promote the advancement of women.
Providing a resource for women by cultivating programs for networking, mentoring, training, and referral throughout the UTHSCH and the community at large.
Identifying obstacles to the advancement of women and developing strategies to address these obstacles.

B. Document the Status of Women:

The Committee shall address issues including but not limited to: the general atmosphere for women within the Health Science Center community; hiring and promotion practices; salary and professional equity; training; employment practices affecting women such as child care provisions, health services, maternity leave, child rearing, family sick leave, and flexible-time working arrangements. Documentation may include conducting surveys and collecting and maintaining data.
Recognize distinguished professional women and mentors’ of women.

C. Make recommendations:

The Committee shall report findings. Recommend policies to the university; establish immediate and long-range goals; and work with those designated responsible for their implementation.

D. Evaluate:

In addition to providing an ongoing review of the changes in policy and practices affecting women, the Committee shall periodically communicate with The Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs and through him to the Executive Council. After review and discussion, this information will also be published on the CSW web site.
The CSW shall provide an annual report to the Executive Council
The Committee may request reports from the Deans' offices and other responsible offices on issues relevant to its function.

E. Coordinate and recommend:

The CSW will coordinate and recommend nominees for the Distinguished Professional Women and The President’s Mentor’s Awards for the support and advancement of women faculty and staff.

CSW GOALS

Goals and Objectives

1. Provide a forum for women at UTHSCH to enable and support advancement in their professional careers by:

Identifying opportunities and strategies for advancement to assist in creating an optimal work environment;
Bringing issues forward that arerelevant to women to the UTHSCH community;
Identifying and creating strategies for overcoming obstacles to advancement
Developing and disseminating educational materials;
Sponsoring seminars and workshops.

2. Provide a forum for women at UTHSCH to build collegial relationships by:

Involving committee members and the broader community in the activities of the CSW;
Establishing a communication network including a website;
Creating outreach and learning opportunities for women in UTHSCH to interact.

3. Supporting the advancement of women within UTHSC-H and the affiliated health care institutions and the community by:

Assisting in dissemination of information about site-specific activities to the larger UTHSCH community;
Improving communication and efficient use of resources throughout the UTHSCH community.

4. Provide the Executive Council with ongoing information and recommendations for change, to improve the status of staff and faculty women, and students.