Campus Council Bylaws

EvCC's Philosophy on Bylaws in Shared Governance

Campus Council Bylaws were approved by the Transitional Campus Council on June 6, 2022 and were submitted to the Board of Trustees for final approval on June 21, 2022.

• EvCC Campus Council Bylaws
• EvCC Campus Council Bylaws Guide

Bylaws may not be the most exciting part of a Shared Governance model, but they are critical, especially when formal shared governance is being implemented for the first time. As Bliss, Lathrop and Steele note in Characteristics of Shared Governance:

Bylaws define everything, including such details as who is a member, how meetings are conducted, how formal recommendations are made, and to whom those recommendations are sent. Such clarity strengthens and makes permanent a process that is not altered at the whim of any one individual or small group [Emphasis added].

The last point is essential; at minimum, bylaws mitigate against procedural ambiguity that can lead to apparent or real inequities, inconsistencies and/or arbitrary decisions.  

But in a more constructive and positive sense, carefully crafted bylaws Bylaws create the structures and processes for "partnership, equity, accountability, and ownership" in governance. In doing so, they:

• foster an empowering and inclusive environment
• allow all members of the campus community to have a defined voice in decision-making, 
• cultivate diverse, creative and critical input that supports the success of our students and advancing the institution.

Each standing committee of Campus Council is required to have bylaws. View standing committees and senates.