Eastern Oregon University > Budget, Planning and Tuition Advisory Committee > Budget and Planning/Tuition Advisory Committee: By-Laws

Budget and Planning/Tuition Advisory Committee: By-Laws

Approved by B&P/TAC 4.27.23

Article 1. Scope and Purpose

The purpose of the Budget, Planning and Tuition Advisory Committee is as follows.

  1. To advise the University President on matters related to the alignment of EOU’s Budget, Strategic Plan and Mission Fulfillment.
  2. To advise the University President and University Council on tuition changes to fulfill the requirements of Tuition Advisory Committee outlined in HB 4141
  3. To develop an understanding of the university’s revenue and expenditures as a foundation for participating in the budget process.
  4. To consider Budget principles and policy matters related to EOU’s Mission fulfillment, Strategic Plan and Campus Master Plan.
  5. To review and analyze mission fulfillment data annually to ensure planning and allocation recommendations are aligned with EOU’s Mission and Strategic Plan. The committee may also recommend changes to the mission fulfillment objectives, indicators, measures and targets in order to ensure data collection is meaningful and relevant.
  6. To monitor budget performance and review business plans for new units/programs.
  7. To serve as a forum for ongoing fiscal activities such as monthly and quarterly financial reports to the Board.
  8. To identify strategies which can be implemented to make the budget process more “user-friendly”.
  9. To identify emerging trends or needs that have a university-wide budgetary impact.
  10. To develop its own procedures for budget review and planning.
  11. To report to the University Council on the overall priorities for allocation of institutional resources and to recommend policies regarding long-range planning.
  12. To advise and recommend priorities on matters related to physical facilities, the EOU Campus Master Plan and capital construction requests for legislative consideration, as aligned with EOU’s Mission fulfillment, and Strategic Plan.

Article II. Membership

Section 1. 

The Budget, Planning and Tuition Advisory Committee shall consist of 12 voting members, five teaching faculty, one from the College of Education, one from the College of Business, one from the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and one from the College of STM and Health Sciences, one librarian; three administrative professionals; two ASEOU student government representatives ; two students representing historically underserved students at the university and two classified staff. This membership fulfills the requirements set forth in HB4141.  In addition, the Vice President of Finance and Administration or designee shall serve non-voting ex officio. The Finance and Administration will ensure fiscal and budget staff support is available for the meetings. The Institutional Research Office, the Information Technology Department and the Facilities/Planning department will also provide a representative to be available for the meetings.

Section 2. Duties

A. Representation: Members of the Budget, Planning and Tuition Advisory Committee shall seek the views of their constituents on matters to be brought before the B&P Committee, and present these views to B&P in its deliberations. Having exercised such responsibility, the members of B&P are free to vote on matters according to their own reasoned judgments.   Committee members will inform their constituents of the nature and outcomes of Committee deliberations.  Constituents are able to submit their views to Committee members directly, by personally attending committee meetings, or by submitting an anonymous comment through the Budget, Planning and Tuition Advisory Website.

B. Attendance: A quorum shall consist of a simple majority of the voting membership of the Committee, which will consist of 7 voting members.  A committee member with (3) absences within an academic year may be asked to relinquish his or her seat at the end of the first year and be replaced in their second year on the Committee if, after meeting with Committee members, it is determined that the individual is unable or unwilling to carry out the duties of the position.  Individual members are replaced according to election guidelines.

Article III. Officers

A. Chair

The Chair of the Budget, Planning and Tuition Advisory Committee presides over all scheduled committee meetings, helps set and publicize the agenda and communicates Committee recommendations directly and formally to both the University Council and the President. It is the responsibility of the Committee Chair to represent the Budget, Planning and Tuition Advisory Committee in various campus forums, including providing quarterly reports to University Council. The chair serves on the Campus Master Plan steering committee.

B. Vice Chair/Chair elect

The Vice Chair of the Budget, Planning and Tuition Advisory Committee assumes the roles and responsibilities of the Chair in his or her absence, and acts as the Archivist to ensure that records of correspondence and motions are maintained and that information published on the Council website are current. The Vice chair becomes the chair at a special session meeting at the end of spring term. This special meeting is convened of all the newly elected committee members for the coming year.

C. Recorder

The Budget, Planning and Tuition Advisory Committee Recorder (may be provided by staff support) coordinates meeting logistics and communicates the logistics to all members of the Committee, records meeting minutes and distributes minutes subject to committee approval. The recorder will assist when possible with the posting of meeting agendas and minutes to the B & P Committee web page. This position is coordinated through the office of the Vice President for Finance and Administration.

Article IV. Elections

A. Student Representative

One student committee member is the ASEOU V.P. of Financial Affairs. The second student member is appointed to the committee by the ASEOU V.P. of Campus Affairs in the fall. ASEOU will be accorded an additional member, selected from the elected leadership, that will sit in during terms when one or both of the other representative have scheduling conflicts. This will ensure that the membership of ASEOU will have at least one seat at the table. This third proxy member serves in the place of one member not in addition to a member.  Two additional students representing the universities historically underserved population will also be appointed by ASEOU to represent students. Student committee members shall serve one year terms

B. Classified Staff Representatives.

Classified members shall be elected by the classified staff in the spring for a three year term beginning in the fall.

C. Academic Faculty Representatives

Academic faculty members shall be elected by the college they represent.  Members are elected in the spring for a three year term beginning in the fall.

D. Administrative Professionals Representatives

Administrative Professional members shall be elected by the administrative faculty group in the spring for a three year term beginning in the fall.

Article V. Meetings

Section 1. The Budget & Planning Committee shall hold regularly scheduled meetings no fewer than three (3) times per academic term, excluding summer sessions.

Section 2. The regularly scheduled day and meeting time of the committee shall be determined based on membership availability and deadline restrictions and shall be approved at the first meeting of each year. Meetings will be held monthly as needed throughout the year. The first formal committee meeting will occur at the end of spring term. All official committee meetings will be conducted in the presence of a quorum, which shall consist of a simple majority of the voting membership

Section 3. All meetings of the Budget, Planning and Tuition Advisory Committee shall be open to the general public.  There shall be a public comment period at each meeting of the Budget, Planning and Tuition Advisory Committee.  The Committee chair may determine the length of time any participant has to address the committee.

Section 4. The chair may call meetings as often as is required to conduct the business of the committee.  Special meetings shall be called if requested by two or more committee members.  The request may be sent to the committee chair or requested during a regularly scheduled Budget and Planning meeting.  Special meetings would be granted with the approval of the chair.

Section 5. Decorum.   Civility among members and guests of the Budget, Planning and Tuition Advisory Committee shall prevail. Any individual, who, in the opinion of the Chair, violates the rules of civil discourse, may be asked to leave.

Article VI. Amendments

The bylaws may be amended at any regularly scheduled meeting of the Committee by a two-thirds vote of Committee members.