Bylaws

Bylaws

Environmental Service Committee Texas State University-San Marcos Updated: August 2022

• Official Name: Environmental Service Committee of Texas State University
• Abbreviated Name: ESC

• The Environmental Service Fee was created by Senate Bill 1230 passed by the Senate of the 78^th Legislature of the State of Texas on May 12, 2003, and by the House of Representatives of the same Legislature on May 28, 2003. The act was signed into law by Governor Rick Perry on June 21, 2003, and went into effect on September 1 of that same year.
• A Committee to oversee the Environmental Service Fee was created with the passing of the Environmental Service Fee Referendum (S.R.S. 2003-2004/16) on March 8, 2004, by the Student Government of the University.
• Texas State University will hereafter be referred to as “the University.”

• In accordance with the aforementioned legislation, the Environmental Service Committee is to distribute funds collected from the Environmental Service Fee in order to provide funding for environmental improvements at the University through services such as environmental education, recycling, transportation, employment, product purchasing, distributing small grants or matching funds, planning/maintenance, beautification, and irrigation. The Environmental Service Committee, however, is not to use the revenue from the fee to reduce or replace other money allocated by the University for existing projects.

• The Environmental Service Fee itself may be increased but has the following restrictions:
  • The Environmental Service Fee may not be increased more than once in an academic year.
  • The Texas State University System Board of Regents may increase the fee to cover increased operating costs of environmental services if:
    • The increased fee is approved by a majority vote held on the same ballot as a student government election, wherein a minimum of 1,000 University students cast a ballot for this specific purpose.
    • The fee cannot exceed:
      • $6 per student for each regular semester or for each term of the summer session

• • • • $3 per student for each six-week or shorter term of the summer session.

• The Environmental Service Committee will be made up of 16 members. This consists of:
  • 11 voting members:
    • 3 voting faculty, each appointed by the departments of Agriculture, Biology and Geography.
    • 6 voting student members representing the diverse student body.
    • 1 voting member from the Department of Housing and Residence Life.
    • 1 voting member from Facilities.
  • 5 non-voting members:
    • 4 non-voting student members representing the diverse student body
    • 1 non-voting member from the Office of the Vice President for Finance & Support Services to serve as the account manager.
• Member appointments for the coming term shall be solidified in the last meeting of each semester. There are no limits to the number of terms members can serve on the Committee.
• Members must notify the Committee of the approximate duration of their tenure on the Committee in order to maintain continuity. Graduating student members must communicate their date of graduation to the Committee prior to their final semester.
• The Committee may vote to replace members who miss 3 or more meetings in a semester or fail to communicate with the Committee on issues of votes, meeting attendance, or other items of importance.
• The Student Government (SG) should have representation on the committee. If no student member of the ESC (voting or non-voting) is a member of SG, then SG is encouraged to send a representative to each meeting.

• Of the eleven voting members, two students will be chosen by the Committee to serve as Committee Chair and Secretary. Member appointments for the coming term shall be solidified in the last meeting of each semester or as needed throughout the year.
  • Chair:
    • The Chair is responsible for setting meeting dates, establishing, and organizing the meeting agendas, directing meetings, managing the ESC email account, maintaining communication lines among the Committee and within the University community, and other necessary tasks.
    • The Chair is responsible for sending both the awardee and sponsor (if applicable) the Terms and Agreement Form and the Chair is responsible for collecting signatures from both parties.
    • The Chair is responsible for contacting previously awarded projects and scheduling both Update Presentations and Completion Presentations to ensure funds are being allocated and used effectively.

Update Presentations are required for every project and are required to be presented to the committee at least once a semester

Completion Presentations are required for every project and are required one year post award, if applicable.

If a project requires multi-years to complete, then the awardee and sponsor will provide Update Presentations at least once a semester until the project is finalized.

• Secretary:
  • The Secretary is responsible for taking and archiving minutes from each meeting, uploading minutes to the ESC website, and assists the Chair with other necessary tasks.
  • The Secretary is responsible for documenting all approved projects including date of approval and amount awarded.
  • The Secretary is responsible for collecting the Terms and Agreement Form from both the awardee and sponsor (if applicable) and have all information for contact on file.
  • The Secretary is responsible for collecting all documented receipts, payment histories, and the end of project report from projects’ awardees and store on file.

• Mandatory meetings, officiated by the Committee Chair, are to be held at least once a month, but more are recommended. A quorum of at least 6 voting members must be present for any votes to be made.

• Voting is limited to the 11 voting members on the Committee, who all share equal votes where each voting member has one vote.
• Discussion is required on all votes, especially those regarding approval of applications.
• Votes must pass a quorum and a vote only counts as valid if the voting member is present or has provided sufficient notification of his/her vote on a matter through electronic mail to the Chair or Secretary.
• In the event that the quorum cannot be present, the Committee can move to vote by proxy via the Internet as long as the quorum is well informed.

• University Students, Faculty, Staff, Alumni or members of the community of the City of San Marcos, Texas may apply for funding by going to the website http: www.txstate.edu/esc and filling out an application request.
• The application shall include a project sponsor who is either a University faculty or staff member and who is willing to be responsible for the purchasing records of the project (see Purchasing Process in Article XI.)
• The application has a better chance of being approved if:

1. The project is sustainable in some way (meaning that once the funding gets a project started, it resumes goals on its own), and
2. If it benefits the University community, and
3. If it will not require funding repeatedly for an unknown period of time.

• The application shall be submitted online to the ESC email address or emailed to the ESC Chair.
• The application will be reviewed by the Committee, discussed with the applicant, revised if any changes seem necessary, and then voted upon for approval.

• Before the Committee approves an application, the applicant and sponsor shall understand that:
  • They are responsible and accountable for the granted funds,
  • ESC is not responsible for the management of project funds, and
  • ESC may cease funding if these terms are not met, or funding is misappropriated.
• The awardees and/or sponsors will come to at least one meeting per semester to present information on the progress of the project, management of funds, and the remaining budget (if applicable).
• Awardees will present a final report that will be held on file by the Committee. This document will contain photos of the project during and following its completion. Reports and photos may be posted on the Environmental Service Committee website at www.txstate.edu/esc.