1. Senate Session Region C Conference February 18, 2017
Olivia LeBlanc, Region C Senator
Kate Van Dellen, Region C Senator
Liberty Schmidt, Region C Senator
Kate Hull, Deputy Speaker of the Senate
Update slides as needed for your region.

2. FY17 Winter Senate Meeting Agenda
S1713: Other Groups
S1714: Collegiate Director Eligibility
S1715: Senate Procedures Update
S1716: Procedures for Review of SWE Member Conduct Update
Finance Update and Reserve Fund Document Review
Strategic Initiatives and Strategic Planning Committee Training/Discussions
Governance Task Force Update and Discussions
S1717: Endorsement of Governance Changes
AMS slides are covered in State of SWE

3. S1713: Other Groups

4. S1713: Other Groups Adopted as Proposed Overview
This change adds “Other Groups” and the authority for creation and management of those groups
Background
As SWE continues to grow and expand, we need to update the bylaws to reflect the changes made for expanding markets
Various entities now exist within the Society that are not reflected in the bylaws. This update will capture the current groups and allow flexibility as SWE continues to expand.
Example of “Other groups”: SWENext

5. S1713: Other Groups Adopted as Proposed
Proposed Changes: Article VII, Section 5 (NEW) Section 5. Other Groups. Other groups may be created and managed by the board of directors to support the Society’s mission under such requirements as the board may determine.

6. S-1714: Collegiate Director Eligibility

7. S1714: Collegiate Director Eligibility
Adopted as Proposed
Overview
This change will clarify the years of experience when that experience must take place for someone to be eligible for the collegiate director position.
This change also requires the eligibility roles to be different positions.
Background
The collegiate director eligibility requirements no longer allow for the leadership position the candidate is serving at the time of nomination to count towards eligibility.

8. S1714: Collegiate Director Eligibility
Adopted as Proposed
Proposed Changes:
Candidates for collegiate director must:
Be or have been a collegiate member of the Society in good standing within two years immediately previous to submission of nomination;
Be a member of the Society in good standing; and
Have At the time of taking office, have at least two years of experience in the aggregate in at least two different SWE positions with significant leadership responsibility, provided that at least one year must be in a collegiate role.

9. S1715: Senate Procedures Update

10. S1715: Senate Procedures Update
Adopted as Proposed
Overview
The Senate Procedures are supposed to be reviewed and updated as needed every 2 years.
FY16 was skipped knowing that there would be updates from the FY16/17 bylaws amendments.
Background
This procedures update is inclusive of recent bylaws amendments in order to better align with the ways in which the senate currently operates.
The 2014 update modified the 2010 version of the senate procedures, not the more recent 2012 version.
This update combines the two and reflects all changes.

11. S1715: Senate Procedures Update
Adopted as Proposed
Corrected minor inconsistencies
SWE Governance webpage > SWE Resources webpage
Communities > Senate communication platform
Mega Issues > Strategic Initiatives
Removed reference to Collegiate Leadership Forum
Removed Section 2.07 related to vacancies & Addenda 8.05 BOD Vacancy per S-1611/1708
Removed Section 7.00 SWE Dues & Addenda 8.04 Current Dues Listing per S-1615/1710
Added FY15 & FY16 Motion Logs

12. S1716: Procedures for Review of SWE Member Conduct

13. S1716: Procedures for Review of SWE Member Conduct
Adopted as Proposed
Overview
This change is being brought forward by the ethics committee.
The changes are minor to clarify certain areas and correct grammatical errors.

14. S1717: Endorsement of Governance Changes

15. S1717: Endorsement of Governance Changes
Adopted as Proposed

16. Discussion: What does this mean?
Bylaws amendments are currently being drafted to be brought before the Senate within the next 18 months
Note: the Senate can pass a bylaws amendment electronically
All Governance updates can be found here:
GOVERNANCE.SWE.org

17. Senate Roles and Responsibilities

18. Senators are Responsible for:
Charting the strategic direction of SWE by developing and adopting the long-range goals for the Society
Developing and/or adopting proposed changes to the Society bylaws, policies, and procedures that are in line with the strategic plan
Conducting essential dialogue on long-term trends and issues of common interest
Establishing policies on the use and restrictions of the contingency funds of the Society
First bullet – through participation in ASPR and working of Strategic Initiatives
2nd bullet – examples are our public policy position statements such as our position on Title ix etc.

19. Senate Composition Voting Members 2 professional senators per region
1 collegiate senator per region
2 international senators
0-2 special senators
Non-voting members
Board of Directors
Deputy Speaker
Senate Secretary
Deputy Director of Regions 2 15 2 10

20. Senator Duties
Attend all senate meetings, conference calls and training sessions
Come prepared to all senate meetings
Read all provided materials in advance
Discuss among senators and constituents in advance
As needed:
Review the senate procedures and SWE Bylaws
Review parliamentary procedure and Robert’s Rules of Order
Confer with other senators, speaker/deputy speaker, bylaws committee, participate in SWE Senate Teamwork discussions
Vote promptly on the senate minutes and any other motions presented electronically or by mail
Regularly participate on the senate committees and task forces

21. Time Commitment Face-to-face meetings Conference calls Other
Annual Society conference (Fall; 3 days)
Winter senate meeting (Winter; 1 day)
Region conference (Spring; 2 days)
Conference calls
Senate business (1 hour/month)
Region council meetings (1.5 hours; bi-monthly)
Region collegiate team meetings* (1 hour/month)
Preparation calls before face-to-face meetings (1 hour/meeting)
Other
Strategic Initiatives work (variable)
Strategic Planning Committee
(2 mandatory face-to-face meetings, calls 1-5 hours/month)
Special Projects Committee (variable)
Off-line discussion of bylaws amendments and motions (variable)
*Collegiate Senators ONLY

22. FY18 Changes to the Senate
Assume responsibilities of Strategic Planning Committee (SPC) and Strategic Initiatives Committee (SIC)
Both committees will be sunset at the end of FY17
Operate as strategic body in alignment to charter and strategic plan
Begin to recruit and elect new senators based on leadership competencies with focus on strategic thinking/ planning, not geographically
Teamwork site (new in FY16, replaced communities)
Great tool for virtual communication/ collaboration/ discussions throughout the year

23. Contact Information
Senate.SWE.org
- Can view the Senate blog here as well
Olivia LeBlanc,
Kate Van Dellen,
Liberty Schmidt,
Kate Hull,
*Other resources for Senate information/ experience: Past Senators, Past Region Officers (See Region C Website)

24. Questions?