Faculty Senate

With Senate approved changes as of May 12, 2010

Article I. Faculty Senate Voting Groups

Article II. Faculty Senate Elections

Article III. Officers and Committees of the Faculty Senate

• Section 1. Officers
• Section 2. General Provisions of the Committees of the Faculty Senate
• Section3. Committee on Committees
• Section 4. Executive Committee

Article IV. Procedures Manual of the Faculty Senate

Article V. Meetings and Procedures of the Faculty Senate

Article I. Faculty Senate Voting Groups

Section 1.
The voting groups of the Faculty Senate shall be based on reapportionment as defined in the Charter of the Faculty. Voting groups are listed in the Faculty Senate Procedures Manual.

Section 2.
There shall be two senators-at-large from each of the five academic ranks; full professors (including resident artists), associate professors, assistant professors, instructors, and lecturers. All senators must be full-time faculty as defined in the Charter of the Faculty Senate Article III, Section 3.

Section 3.
No more than two senators may be elected from any one school, department or division within each voting group or within each of the at-large ranks.

Article II. Faculty Senate Elections

Section 1. Nominations

Each faculty member may nominate, by secret ballot, one person for each vacancy in his/her voting unit. All qualified faculty receiving two or more nominations for the Faculty Senate positions of their respective instructional groups will constitute the nominees. If there are less than two nominees by the originally specified deadline, the University Elections Committee will issue a second call for nominations with a deadline four weeks following the original deadline. If there is only one nominee by the second deadline, the election ballot shall be issued with the name of the single nominee and a space for a write-in candidate. If a write-in candidate receives a majority of votes in the election, but is unwilling or unqualified to serve, the single nominee will be declared the winner of the election. Otherwise, the standard election and runoff procedures provided for in these Faculty Senate Charter and Bylaws will be followed.

An exception will be made to this nominating process if, after two rounds of nominations, at least one qualified nominee willing to serve has not been selected. In this case a third round of nominations will be called and all qualified individuals willing to serve who receive at least one nomination will now be considered the nominees. Notice of this exception should be included in the third call for nominations. For the election including such nominees, all other standard procedures will be followed.

Section 2. Elections

The nominees will be listed as candidates on the primary ballot. If no candidate listed on the primary ballot receives a majority of the votes cast in the primary, then there shall be a run-off between the two candidates that receive the most votes in the primary elections. In case of a tie vote among two or more candidates for second place, all candidates tied for second place will be listed on the runoff ballot. In the run-off election, the candidate receiving the most votes cast will be declared the winner. In case of a tie vote in the runoff, the winner will be determined by lot. The election will be by secret ballot.

Section 3. Tabulating Votes

The University Elections Committee shall announce to each departmental election judge the time and place in which the votes will be counted. The counting of the votes cast may be observed by those departmental election judges who desire to do so.

Section 4. Retention of Ballots

Ballots must be kept for a period of 30 days in the Faculty Senate Office in a secure manner after the announcement of the voting results.

Section 5. Separate Elections

Separate elections will be held for senators elected by voting groups and senators elected by the faculty members of the university at large. The same procedures will be used for senators elected by voting groups and senators elected at large.

Section 6. Elections for Vacancies

a. If a senator is on a one-semester leave of absence, it shall be the responsibility of the remaining senators of the voting group of which this senator was a member to caucus (in the case of an at-large senator, the at-large senators shall caucus) at the first Faculty Senate meeting of the semester to determine if there is a need to recommend a temporary replacement and to recommend a replacement if they determine a need.

b. If a committee member is on a one semester leave of absence, the chair of the Committee on Committees shall check with the chair of the committee on which the faculty member serves to determine if there is a need for a replacement. If the chair of the committee recommends a replacement, the chair of the Committee on Committees shall notify the chair of the Faculty Senate to declare a vacancy in the membership of the committee. The Committee on Committees shall nominate a replacement in accordance with nominating procedures of the Senate.

c. When a vacancy occurs for reasons other than a one semester leave of absence, it shall be the responsibility of the remaining senators of the voting group of which this senator was a member to caucus (in the case of an at-large senator, the at-large senators shall caucus) and recommend to the senate a temporary replacement to serve until the following September meeting. A person selected to fill such a vacancy could be eligible for election to two consecutive three-year terms in the Senate. The election of the permanent replacement to fill the vacancy shall follow the procedures as specified in Article III, Section 7 of the Charter of the Faculty Senate. If the vacancy occurs in the last semester of a senator's term, a permanent replacement will be elected to fulfill the end of that term and serve through the end of the next three-year term. The person is eligible for a second three-year term.

Article III. Officers and Committees of the Faculty Senate

Section 1. Officers

a. CHAIR: In addition to presiding at meetings of the senate, the chair of the senate is a member of the Executive Committee and the Committee on Committees.

b. VICE-CHAIR: In addition to presiding in the absence of the chair, the vice chair of the senate shall serve as chair of the Executive Committee and is a member of the Committee on Committees.

c. SECRETARY: The Faculty Senate shall elect from among its members a secretary and it is the secretary's duty to write the official minutes of the Faculty Senate. The secretary is also a member of the Committee on Committees and serves as a member of and secretary to the Executive Committee.

Section 2. General Provisions on the Committees of the Faculty Senate

Standing committees shall be those named in the charter, bylaws, and procedures manual of the Faculty Senate. If a standing committee of the Faculty Senate does not receive a charge from the Executive Committee within a two-year period, the need for that standing committee shall be reviewed by the Committee on Committees. The Committee on Committees shall make a recommendation to the Executive Committee regarding the standing committee. A list of all standing committees and their membership and term requirements shall be located in the Senate Procedures Manual.

Temporary and ad hoc committees may be created by the senate to deal with specific issues. Each temporary or ad hoc committee shall terminate at the beginning of the following September meeting of the Faculty Senate unless another termination date is specified.

There shall be at least one faculty senator on each standing committee of the Faculty Senate.

Wherever terms of faculty or student members of standing committees are specified only as a certain number of years, such terms shall begin with the September meeting of the Faculty Senate or other time of initial appointment and end at the beginning of the September meeting the specified number of years later. The term of a member appointed to fill a vacancy shall end at the same time that the term of the member being replaced would have ended.

The Executive Committee shall provide the charge for each Faculty Senate Committee, and the chair of each Faculty Senate Committee shall report at least once each semester to the chair of the Executive Committee regarding the business conducted by the Faculty Senate Committee.

Unless otherwise provided for in the bylaws or procedures manual, each Faculty Senate committee shall elect a chair at the first committee meeting following the September meeting of the Faculty Senate. The chair of each Faculty Senate committee shall serve a one-year term, ending at the beginning of the following September meeting of the Faculty Senate.

Committee quorums and vacancies. To conduct business, a Faculty Senate committee must have at least a majority of its full nominal membership, excluding ex officio members, (that is, vacancies on the committee must not exceed fifty percent of the nominal membership). For meetings of Faculty Senate committees, a quorum shall consist of at least half of the filled committee seats (that is, of the committee seats without vacancies), so long as that number is not less than half of the full committee’s nominal seats. It shall be the responsibility of committee chairs to monitor their committee membership’s status and any vacancies (whether occurring by repeated absence, leave of absence, resignation or retirement), and promptly to report any occurring vacancies to the Senate leadership. It shall be the responsibility of a Senate committee member promptly to advise the committee chair and Senate leadership of his/her resignation from the committee or inability to serve as a working member.

Electronic Meetings. If the Faculty Senate, including the Senate Executive Committee and other Faculty Senate committees, finds it necessary or convenient to conduct its business by electronic correspondence, its reports and actions can contain only what is agreed to by a majority of the members. In the case of such electronically conducted meetings, it shall be the responsibility of the committee’s chair to consult with all members on business, to verify that a majority concurs with decisions and recommendations, and to keep appropriate records of votes and decisions conducted electronically. The conduct of business by electronic correspondence shall be recorded according to the committee’s normal practices, and shall be reported in the committee’s reports to the Faculty Senate.

Section 3. Committee on Committees

a. FUNCTIONS. The committee shall nominate members of other Faculty Senate committees and shall appoint members of administrative committees when requested by the university administration, subject to the approval of the senate. The Committee on Committees shall nominate representatives of the Faculty Senate to administrative councils of the university. Nominations to senate committees may also be suggested for consideration to the Committee on Committees by senators who are not themselves members of the Committee on Committees. In addition to nominees brought forward by the Committee on Committees, other nominations to senate committees and for appointment to administrative committees may be made from the floor of the senate during its meetings.

b. COMPOSITION. The Committee on Committees shall consist of one senator from each of the nine constituency groups of the senate, elected by fellow senators in that group, plus the chair, vice chair and the secretary of the senate. Each May following the election of new senate officers, the committee shall elect a chair from among its continuing members to serve a one-year term that begins immediately upon election.

c. TERMS. The term of each elected member of the Committee on Committees shall be two years from their election to the committee in September and shall continue until the beginning of the September meeting two years later. The members’ terms should be staggered so that no more than half the members rotate off at a given time. Upon first (or subsequent) implementation of the staggering of committee members' terms, the allocation of one year and two year terms shall be conducted by lot .

Section 4. Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate

a. FUNCTIONS. The Executive Committee shall perform the following functions: serve as an advisory board and meet regularly with the president and provost to discuss matters of mutual concern and to propose resolution of problems and differences with the university administration; prepare an agenda for Faculty Senate meetings as provided in Article V, Section 2 of these bylaws; and serve as an Executive Committee for the Faculty Senate. The Executive Committee shall have the authority to speak for the senate in emergency matters that are limited to: (1) the approval of members of a committee recommended to it by the Committee on Committees, when that committee has need to begin functioning immediately or needs new members to continue to function; (2) the drafting and release of public statements or positions on matters involving breaking news; and (3) the consideration of requests for immediate and emergency action made in writing by the president of the university. Action on all of the above matters must be approved by the senate at the following senate meeting or through an electronic vote.

All actions of the Executive Committee in the role of Executive Committee must be by votes of at least two-thirds of the members of the committee.

The Executive Committee shall provide the charge for each Faculty Senate committee and shall receive at least one report each semester from the chair of each Faculty Senate committee regarding the business conducted by the Faculty Senate committee.

b. COMPOSITION. The Executive Committee shall consist of one senator elected by senators in each of the voting groups. The chair, vice chair and the secretary of the senate and the immediate past chair of the senate shall also serve as members of the Executive Committee. The vice chair of the Senate shall serve as chair of the Executive Committee.

c. TERMS. The terms of each elected senator will end at the completion of his/her present three-year senate term. The past senate chair shall serve a single one-year term that shall end at the beginning of the September meeting of the Senate one year after his or her term as Senate Chair shall have expired.

d. MEETINGS. All meetings or sessions of the Executive Committee shall normally be open to the public for all business. Executive session (closure of the proceedings to persons not members of the Executive Committee) may be invoked only for discussions and business related to the consideration of candidates for honorary degrees by the university, and/or matters related to Senate administrative personnel (staff).

Article IV. Procedures Manual of the Faculty Senate

The Procedures Manual of the Faculty Senate was developed to remove procedural items from the Senate Charter and Bylaws. Changes to the Procedures Manual can only be made with a 2/3 vote of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee. Changes will go into effect immediately subject to a confirmation majority vote at the next regularly scheduled Faculty Senate meeting.

Article V. Meetings and Procedures of the Faculty Senate

Section 1. Meetings

a. Faculty Senate meetings will be held regularly from September through June of each year, with the exception of January.

b. A special meeting of the Faculty Senate may be called by the chair or by petition to the chair of at least one-third of the membership of the Faculty Senate. Written notice must be given the senators at least three class days in advance of any special meeting of the Faculty Senate.

Section 2. The Agenda

The Executive Committee shall prepare an agenda for each regular meeting of the Faculty Senate.

The agenda shall be distributed to all senators and the chair at least five days in advance of each regular meeting. The agenda for any special meeting shall be given in the notice of the meeting.

Section 3. Recognition of Guests

Faculty members and other guests attending Faculty Senate meetings may seek recognition by a Senator or the chair to be heard upon matters and issues pertinent to the senate's discussions and debates. The chair may recognize such faculty members at a time that is consistent with the senate's published agenda.

Section 4. Quorum

Regular meetings of the Faculty Senate shall not transact official business without the presence of a quorum. A quorum shall consist of 50% + 1 of those Senators eligible to vote. The count of eligible Senators does not include those on medical or development leave. When the absence of a quorum is suggested by a member of the senate, the secretary of the senate shall call the roll and announce to the chair the presence or absence of a quorum. Subject to Article III, Section 2 of the Faculty Senate Bylaws, business needing a timely resolution may be conducted through an electronic vote and is subject to the quorum rules. Senators knowing they will be missing a Senate meeting where an item of a time sensitive nature is being discussed for a vote may submit a yea or nay vote to the Faculty Senate Office prior to the missed Senate meeting, and these votes will count towards quorum.

Section 5. Parliamentary Procedures

The meetings of the Faculty Senate shall be conducted according to Roberts Rules of Order.

Section 6. Senate Voting

a. All matters brought before the Faculty Senate that require a vote, with the exception of the elections of officers, shall be decided by open vote, i.e., voice vote, show of hands or roll call, as determined by the presiding officer, or by electronic voting in matters of a time sensitive nature. Electronic voting quorum follows the 50% +1 rule established in Section 4 based on the number of Senators voting within the designated time frame for the item.

b. A roll call vote may be ordered upon the vote of at least one-fifth of the senators present.

c. In the election or removal of Senate officers, a secret ballot shall be conducted upon the request of any Senator.