Operating Principles of CU Women's Network

   I.  Mission of the CU Women's Network

The CU Women's Network (CUWN), of the University of Colorado at Boulder, focuses on the professional needs of women staff at all levels of the classified and professional exempt systems by providing networking and mentoring opportunities; promoting professional development; addressing issues specific to women staff; and advocating the career advancement of women at CU.

  II.  Values of the CU Women’s Network

• Inclusion of diverse peoples and perspectives
• Efforts to foster increased equity for women at CU-Boulder
• Participation by all stakeholders who wish to further the mission of the group
• Empowering participating members with authority to make and act on decisions in a manner that reflects and respects the Mission and Values of the CUWN

III.   Structure of the CU Women’s Network

• Any CU-Boulder staff, faculty, or student interested in furthering the mission of the CU Women’s Network is welcome to participate fully in the group, including attending any general meetings.
• Committees are formed and do work as needed to fulfill the mission of the CU Women’s Network.
• An Executive Committee, which includes representatives from each of the active committees, serves as a coordinating body for all active committees and sets direction for the group as a whole.  Any member of the CUWN may choose to participate in these decision-making meetings. The Executive Committee also designates people to disseminate information and distribute meeting summaries, as well as people to record and publicize group decisions.
• Two co-chairs, who also sit on the Executive Committee, coordinate the operations of CUWN and the Executive Committee.  The Co-Chairs also serve as representatives of the CUWN to other units and groups on and off campus.  Co-Chairs are elected on a rotating basis to two-year terms.  One Co-Chair position is elected each fall at a CUWN meeting.  Active committees designate a point person responsible for communication with the Co-Chairs.

IV.   Principles of Decision Making for the CU Women’s Network

• Decision-making authority resides at all structural levels of the CUWN.  Decisions and decision-making processes reflect and respect the mission and values of the CUWN.
• Different kinds of decisions necessitate different levels of participation by group members.  In all cases, decisions will be made with the broadest involvement that is appropriate and by consciously creating opportunities to shape decision makers’ understanding of and expand their thinking about the issue under discussion.
• Decisions that affect the structure and/or the practices and processes of the entire CUWN (e.g., election of co-chairs or amendments to this document) will be made at open meetings.  Reasonable notice will be given to the membership that a particular meeting has been designated as the venue for a group decision.  The group will strive to include as many members of the group as possible in such meetings, and may offer alternate meeting days or times if deemed useful in minimizing the systematic exclusion of concerned or affected parties. 
  • Decisions made at open meetings will require an 80% affirmative vote of members present to pass.  Issues that do not receive an 80% affirmative vote will be returned to discussion and those dissenting will be expected to contribute to group understanding during this discussion process.  Once a question is returned to discussion it can be shaped, changed and modified to better reflect the new understandings that emerge. This process should continue until the issue has been framed in such a way as to be acceptable to at least 80% of concerned members.
  • These decisions will be recorded and disseminated to all members of CUWN.
• Each committee, including the Executive Committee, and the co-chairs will establish a standard mechanism for coming to closure on group decisions, and will record that mechanism as an appendix to this document.  Possible mechanisms for coming to closure on a decision include, but are not limited to: unanimity; unanimity minus one; 80%; majority; sub-group decision with its own mechanism; one person decision.
• Because issues, concerns or problems may arise that fall outside the scope of these ‘standard mechanisms’ all decision-making bodies will use the Executive Committee as a resource for determining an appropriate decision-making model when their standard model is inappropriate or unhelpful. Committees may discuss and propose alternative decision-making structures that seem appropriate, but any significant deviation from their established ‘standard’ should be checked with regular members of the Executive Committee (Committee Representatives and Co-chairs) either at a meeting of this group or electronically before proceeding. A simple majority of the regular members of the Executive committee must agree on the alternative decision-making process.

Updated   05/30/2003