OSTEER
The OSTEER Committee Charter
OSTEER, the OARnet Steering Committee, serves as an advisory board by providing administrative, financial, and policy recommendations to the Director of OARnet.
Charge
The charge of the OARnet Steering Committee (OSTEER) is:
- To insure that the policies and financial structure of OARnet are consistent with OSTEER member needs.
- To reflect the ability and willingness of each OSTEER member institution to share the costs associated with financially supporting a statewide network.
- To communicate the network technology needs of OSTEER member institutions to OARnet management.
- To support the management, policies, and planning functions of OARnet.
Membership
OSTEER membership is comprised of and is only available to Ohio institutions of higher education that are initiatives of the Board of Regents or OAI affiliations that utilize the services provided by OARnet. If an institution has multiple campuses, all branches are considered one entity with a single institutional membership. Each OSTEER member institution is entitled to one vote which is cast by a designated voting representative (generally the CIO, Vice-President or Director of Computing/Networking). In order to maintain its voting rights, an institution must pay OARnet dues and not be in delinquent payment status when an election occurs.
Subcommittees*
OSTEER has three standing subcommittees that assist with carrying out its charge:
- The Executive Subcommittee interacts frequently with OARnet management on operational matters as well as strategic issues, making recommendations to OSTEER based on those interactions.
- The Finance Subcommittee analyzes pricing and cost issues, making recommendations on financial matters to OSTEER via the Executive Committee.
- The OARtech Subcommittee evaluates networking and related technologies, making recommendations to OSTEER as well as to the OARnet technical staff.
Each subcommittee must have a separate charter that outlines its charge, membership requirements, officers, and procedures. These charters must be reviewed and approved by OSTEER at least every four (4) years.
*One additional independent group, the Ohio Valley Internet2 Consortium, has a reporting relationship to OSTEER since many OSTEER members use Internet2 services provided via the Consortium.
Officers
OSTEER will elect officers from among the designated voting representatives of eligible member institutions. Officers include (at minimum) a Chair, Vice-Chair, and Secretary. Each officer will serve a two-year term, commencing immediately following the Spring election. At the end of the Chair’s term, the Vice Chair will automatically succeed the Chair, Secretary will become Vice Chair and a new Secretary will be elected. There is no limit on the number of times an individual can be elected as Vice Chair or Secretary.
If an officer is unable to attend meetings on regular basis, a vote can take place to remove the member from office. If officer chooses to leave committee chair position 6 months prior to completing term, the committee will sustain until the term election. If more than 6 months remain in term, the committee chairs will succeed into new chair positions (as stated above) and a new vote will take place for the Secretary position.
The Chair is responsible for:
- Scheduling, setting the agenda for, and presiding over all OSTEER meetings
- Serving as Chair of the OSTEER Executive Committee
- Serving as the primary liaison with the Director of OARnet
- Reporting all recommendations (for consideration and possible adoption) to the OSTEER members.
- Holding elections when dictated by the conclusion of a two-year term or a vacancy in one of the officer positions.
The Vice Chair is responsible for:
- Acting in place of the Chair during his/her absence
- Assist in duties assigned by Chair
The Secretary is responsible for:
- Recording the minutes in the absence of an otherwise designated OARnet member
- Reviewing the minutes supplied by OARnet
Quorum
A quorum is defined as a majority of the designated voting representatives of the member institutions. In making decisions, a simple majority of votes cast will affirm a decision.
Meetings
The OSTEER committee will typically meet twice a year.
Changes
Changes to the Charge of the OSTEER Committee will be recommended by the OSTEER Executive Committee. To approve changes, a vote will be cast at a regular OSTEER meeting with a simple majority needed to affirm the change(s). |
