APPENDIX C

 BY-LAWS OF THE FACULTY SENATE

 Section 1. Rights and Responsibilities of Senators.

1.1 Elected senators shall have full privileges of the Senate, including the right to introduce to second motions and to vote. They are obligated to attend all Senate meetings and to take part in committee work assigned by the Chairperson. Ex officio senators shall have all the rights and responsibilities of elected senators, including the right to make and second motions, but excepting the right to vote.

1.2 The Chairperson shall declare the place of an elected senator vacant when he or she has been absent from five regular meetings in one academic year. Vacancies shall be filled as provided in 2.9. The Executive Committee may, in cases of urgency, permit absences in excess of five.

1.3 Because of the responsibility attendant upon membership in the Senate, department chairpersons shall arrange teaching, research and extension schedules to permit attendance of senators at regular meetings of the Senate. If, due to unusual circumstances, this is not possible, and if it is known at the time of election, the faculty member involved shall ask that his/her name be withdrawn from nomination.

Section 2. Election of Senators.

2.1 Senators shall be elected for three-year terms by the faculties of the several colleges, schools and other authorized faculty units participating in elections, but in these elections only persons eligible to elective membership in the Senate shall vote.

2.2 Each faculty or other faculty unit shall elect one senator for each ten of its full-time members or majority fraction thereof. For the purpose of determining the number of senators a college or other authorized faculty unit is entitled to elect, part-time faculty members shall be counted according to the fraction of full-time which they serve. Terms shall be so arranged as to provide that one-third, or approximately that number of senators shall be newly elected members each year. No college, school, or other authorized faculty unit shall have a majority of elected senators, and if this should be imminent following the membership apportionment as prescribed elsewhere in the Constitution and By-Laws, the faculty involved shall be entitled to elect no more than one less than a majority of the elected members of the Senate. All full-time faculty members, as set forth in Article II of the Constitution, shall be entitled to vote and to be candidates in Senate elections, but none shall vote or be eligible for election in more than one college or other unit. Each college or school, the library and other authorized unit not included in a college or school or in the library is entitled to elect at least one senator, regardless of the number of members in its faculty. The Executive Committee, with the concurrence of the Senate, shall determine how faculty members not included in a college or school or the library shall be grouped for participation in elections and shall designate a leader to organize elections; but the number of units so formed shall be kept to a minimum consistent with adequacy of representation of distinct disciplines. Normally the principle of not more than one unit for 10 faculty members will be applied, so that the total number of senators will not be excessively increased and the ratio of one senator for 10 faculty members will not be unduly disturbed. Faculty units so designated shall be announced at the regular Senate meeting in April of each year, and recorded in the minutes.

2.3 In April of each year, the Secretary of the Senate shall inform the faculty of each college or school or other authorized faculty unit participating in elections of: (1) the names of senators whose terms will expire during the current academic year, and (2)any changes in apportionment. College and school faculties and other authorized faculty units shall then elect new senators in accordance with such election procedures as they have established. A secret ballot shall be used.

2.4 The dean of each college or school and the designated leader of each other faculty unit participating in elections shall provide the Secretary of the Senate with a complete description of the election procedures established by his/her faculty. Any proposed changes in this procedure shall be reported to the Secretary of the Senate before they are put into effect.

2.5 Disputes over election procedure or results of elections shall be adjudicated by the Executive Committee of the Senate.

2.6 No more than two members of any one department shall serve in the Senate at the same time, except that departments with more than 29 faculty members as they are accounted for apportionment may have three.

2.7 A senator whose three-year term expires may not be re-elected until the lapse of one year, except that a senator who has not served for two or more consecutive semesters of a three-year term on account of an officially sanctioned leave (sabbatical, medical, and the like) shall be eligible for re-election without a one-year hiatus. #01-02--29

2.8 Results of the elections of all new members of the Senate may be made known by the deans of the college faculties and the leaders of the other faculty units as they may see fit, but they shall in any case be announced officially by the Chairperson of the Senate not later than the regular meeting of the Senate the date of which is nearest to May 15. Newly elected senators shall assume their duties within two weeks after the official announcement of their election by the Chairperson of the Senate, at a Senate meeting designated by the out-going Chairperson and Executive Committee for this purpose and for the election of new officers.

2.9 Vacancies created as provided in 1.2 or by resignation or by leaves of absence of more than one semester shall be filled by election by the faculty involved. If the leave or illness is one semester or less in probable duration, determination of a vacancy shall be at the discretion of the faculty represented. Whether a person elected to fill a vacancy shall serve for the unexpired portion of the term or for the period of absence of the person regularly elected shall be determined at the time of the election. A person serving a partial term shall be eligible for election to a full term without lapse of time.

Section 3. Powers and Duties of Officers.

3.1 The Chairperson of the Senate shall preside at meetings of the Senate. In case of a tie, he/she may cast the deciding vote. He/she shall serve as Chairperson and preside at meetings of the Executive Committee.

3.2 The Chairperson shall serve as the executive officer of the Senate and shall sign the official copies of all Senate actions. On all matters concerning publication or public explanation of Senate actions, the Chairperson shall be sole spokesman and representative of the Senate.

3.4 Except as otherwise specifically provided in the UNIVERSITY MANUAL or in the acts of the Senate creating committees, and excepting committees of college faculties and those whose appointment lies within the province of the President of the University, the Chairperson shall name the new faculty members and new chairpersons of standing Senate committees and the faculty members and chairpersons of special committees, subject to confirmation by the Senate.

3.5 The Chairperson may grant non-Senate members of the faculty, the student body, and the administration privileges of the floor at Senate meetings upon request made prior to the meeting. He/she shall upon written request, grant privileges of the floor for an individual meeting to one faculty member representing a department not having a senator. The Chairperson shall, without prior request, grant privileges of the floor to all members of a Faculty Senate committee when a report of the committee of which they are members is under consideration by the Senate. The Chairperson of a Faculty Senate committee, or his/her representative, shall have the right to make motions when a report of his/her committee is under consideration by the Senate even if he/she is not a member of the Senate.

3.6 The Vice Chairperson shall arrange for suitable accommodations for meetings, and shall provide for appropriate seating arrangements for observers, separate from the senators.

3.7 The Vice Chairperson shall report and explain to the Senate the recommendations of the Executive Committee.

3.8 When the Chairperson is absent, the Vice Chairperson shall act in his/her place, in which event another member of the Executive Committee shall be designated by the Vice Chairperson to perform the Vice Chairperson's usual duties.

3.9 The Secretary of the Senate shall publish the agenda and relevant committee reports at least 72 hours in advance of regular meeting and as early as practicable before special meetings. (Distribution shall be: agenda, including an outline of all proposed actions, to all academic departments; full committee reports to all members of the Senate and the chairpersons of academic departments. The agenda distributed to all academic departments should be brief, indicating all proposals to be made, and referring to the complete reports in the hands of their senators.) He/she shall keep the minutes of the Senate, including the call to meetings, a record of attendance at meetings, committee reports as adopted and the record of all business transacted. After minutes of meetings have been approved by the Chairperson, the Secretary shall have them distributed promptly to all academic departments. He/she shall conduct referendums when directed to do so by the Senate or by the Constitution or By-Laws.

Section 4. Powers and Duties of Committees.

4.1 The Executive Committee of the Senate shall have such powers and duties as are delegated to it by the Constitution and By-Laws and by acts of the Senate.

4.2 As the steering committee of the Senate, the Executive Committee shall give attention to all matters within the scope of the Senate action, either on its own initiative or upon the request of individual members of the faculty.

4.3 The Executive Committee shall have the power to act for the Senate during the interim between the last Senate meeting in the spring and the first meeting in the fall on such matters as urgently require action at the time. Before acting, the Chairperson shall invite members of the Senate to a hearing concerning the action and its urgency. The provisions for circulating the agenda and minutes for special meetings of the Senate shall apply. The action of the Executive Committee will become effective ten days following the distribution of the minutes unless a necessary Presidential approval is withheld or unless the action is challenged by a petition for delay signed by five percent of the General Faculty, In these cases, the action must await consideration by the Senate.

4.4 The Executive Committee of the Senate shall appoint an Administrator Evaluation Coordinator from the tenured faculty for a two-year term. The Administrator Evaluation Coordinator shall be responsible for the following: designating which administrators are to be evaluated in a given year; facilitating the election/selection of administrator evaluation committees within each administrator's constituent group as defined in section 5.76.12 of the UNIVERSITY MANUAL; providing guidance and suggestions to these administrator evaluation committees; and, monitoring the committees' progress in conducting the evaluations. The Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate shall review and evaluate the process as outlined here and as it evolves in the respective Evaluation Committees after the first three-year round and at least every six years after that. #07-08—8

4.5 The Executive Committee shall advise the Chairperson in selecting members for faculty committees.

4.6 At the April, meeting of the Senate, the Executive Committee shall propose a calendar of regular meetings of the Senate for the ensuing year.

4.7 The Executive Committee shall establish an agenda in advance of each regular meeting of the Senate. The agenda shall be published and delivered to all faculty members in accordance with By-Laws Section 3.9 at least 72 hours prior to regular Senate meetings. Agenda for special meetings shall be delivered as early as practicable.

4.8 The Executive Committee shall include on the Senate agenda any items requested in writing by at least ten percent of the voting members of the faculty, or requested in writing by the President of the University.

4.9 Through the Vice Chairperson, the Executive Committee shall report upon its activities to the Senate at each meeting. The Executive Committee shall keep minutes of its meetings and the minutes shall be open to all senators.

4.10 Committees of the Senate. In addition to the Executive Committee, there shall be two classes of faculty committees creating by the Senate: (1) standing committees, and (2) special committees.

4.11 Powers and duties of the standing and special committees shall be stipulated by the Senate at the time of their creation by the Senate.

4.12 In addition to considering matters referred to them by the Senate, standing committees may initiate action on matters clearly within their province and request that they be placed on the agenda of the Senate meeting.

4.13 Unless specified otherwise, each committee shall be comprised of six faculty members, one of whom shall serve as chairperson, and three students, two undergraduates and one graduate; the faculty members shall serve for terms of two years, and shall be appointed on a staggered basis, three one year and three the following year. Similarly, the committee chairs shall be staggered so that approximately one-half are named each year. The student members shall serve for one year and shall be eligible for appointment to a second term. They shall be appointed, respectively by the Student Senate and by the Graduate Student Association

4.14 Each committee shall meet at least once a semester. The members of standing committees shall serve for two-year terms on a staggered basis from the time of their approval until the first meeting of the Senate in the fall two years afterwards.

4.15 Each committee shall submit to the Senate Executive Committee at least once a year a written report of its activities.

4.16 Committee reports to be placed on the agenda for a regular Senate meeting must be submitted to the Executive Committee at least seven days in advance of the Executive Committee meeting preceding the Senate meeting at which said reports are to be considered for inclusion on the agenda, and shall be distributed with the agenda to members of the Senate.

4.20 The Academic Standards and Calendar Committee. This committee shall study all matters pertinent to the establishment and maintenance of high academic standards that may be referred to it by the Senate, the Senate Executive Committee or other agencies; propose improved regulations and practices related to academic standards; observe the effects of rules for dismissal of students for academic reasons; review periodically the academic standards, rules and procedures in the UNIVERSITY MANUAL, and make recommendations to the Faculty Senate.

4.21 This committee shall also study the University Calendar as prepared by the Registrar's office and present it, with appropriate recommendations, to the Senate at its first December meeting; examine cooperatively with the Curricular Affairs Committee and the Graduate Council such academic matters as may affect jointly the three committees; consider such calendar matters as may be referred to it by the Senate or its Executive Committee, and study, on its own accord, desirable changes in the University Calendar. In addition, this committee shall review any proposed change in the approved calendar originating outside the committee as well as any amendments attached by the Faculty Senate to a calendar proposal prior to Faculty Senate adoption of the calendar in its final form except that, if the Senate Executive Committee declares an emergency situation prior to the Faculty Senate meeting at which calendar proposals are to be considered, a calendar proposal amended on the Senate floor may be approved at the meeting during which the proposal has first been introduced.

4.22 The Director of Enrollment Services or designee, the Vice President for Student Affairs or designee, and the University Ombud shall serve as ex officio members of this committee. #02-03--5, #04-05--5

4.25 The Constitution, By-Laws and University Manual Committee. This committee shall review the operation of University governance and propose changes in the Constitution and By-Laws of the Faculty Senate and in the UNIVERSITY MANUAL; review proposals for changes in University governance from whatever source and make recommendations concerning them to the Faculty Senate and to the Joint Educational Policy Committee; construe the meaning of the Constitution, the By-Laws and the UNIVERSITY MANUAL upon the request of the Senate Chairperson or Executive Committee, any senator or member of the University faculty, or the President; assure that all duly approved changes are incorporated into the Constitution and By-Laws and into the UNIVERSITY MANUAL, and that no unauthorized changes are made in these instruments; and assure that the language of all duly approved changes is consistent with the style, format and arrangement of the Constitution and By-Laws and of the UNIVERSITY MANUAL.

4.40 The Honors Program and Visiting Scholars Committee. This committee shall supervise the Honors Program (See Chapter 8, Academic Programs, Sections 8.60.10 - 8.65.13) and bring distinguished scholars to the campus for general lectures and/or other public programs. The committee shall comprise six faculty members: the Director of the Honors Program shall serve as chairperson of the committee; the five additional members shall be appointed for three-year terms. Appointments shall be made on a staggered basis.

4.41 The committee's powers and responsibilities with respect to supervision of the Honors Program are set forth in Chapter 8, "Academic Programs," Sections 8.64.10 - 8.64.14. In addition, the committee shall recommend to the Faculty Senate changes in the Honors Program as they appear desirable.

4.42 The Honors Program shall be administered by a Director selected from the University faculty. This faculty member shall be released from one half of his/her normal duties and shall be compensated for work done during summers. Normal duties shall include, but not be restricted to, teaching, assigned research, advisement, committee work and thesis direction. The Director shall be responsible for the overall management of the Honors Program.

4.43 The faculty member who serves as coordinator for the Honors Colloquium shall released from one half of his/her normal duties during the academic year and compensated for preparatory work done during the summer preceding the offering of the Colloquium. If two or more persons serve as coordinators the equivalent amount of release time and summer compensation shall be divided between/among them. Normal duties shall include, but not be restricted to, teaching, assigned research, advisement, committee work and thesis direction. The coordinator(s) shall be responsible for the overall conduct of the Colloquium but its content and the method of presentation shall be reviewed by the committee.

4.44 The committee shall arrange the distinguished scholars series so that a variety of topics is presented each year, and it shall invite to the campus promising younger teachers and scholars as well as those with national reputations. The series shall, as much as possible, be coordinated with the public programs of the Honors Colloquium and other courses offered within the Honors Program.

4.50 The Library Committee. This committee shall act as liaison between the University Library and the faculty as a whole and advise the Library on matters of general faculty concern; consult with the Library faculty on long-range needs of the Library and the adequacy of budget provisions to meet those needs; report annually to the Faculty Senate and propose Senate action relating to the University Library. The Vice Provost for Information Services and Dean of University Libraries shall serve as an ex officio non-voting member of the Library Committee. #02-03--5

4.55 The Council for Research shall consist of faculty active and experienced in research, creative and scholarly activities, administrators and students concerned with various aspects of the research effort at URI. Its main objectives shall be to promote and facilitate research activities at the University, to ensure that research and other creative and scholarly activities are seen as being of equal importance with the instructional function of the University and to see that the close relationship between the two is recognized. The Council shall attempt to achieve this objective by serving as the representative voice of the university research community and by seeking aggressively to improve in all ways possible the environment for research at URI. Specifically the Council shall: a) provide information to the President in response to all inquiries regarding research from the Board of Governors and the State Legislature; b) seek to identify all problems which hinder research efforts at URI and provide recommendations on their correction, or apply pressure to make needed changes; c) upon request, advise all campus groups and offices on matters relating to research; d) review and recommend policies for the management of research affairs at URI; e) review and recommend programs to solicit research funding for URI and participate in them; f) serve as the advisory council for the Vice President for Research and Economic Development; g) promote comprehensive understanding of the notion of research in order to enhance the well-being of all creative scholarly activities at URI; h) submit to the Faculty Senate recommendations for changes in research policy; and i) submit an annual report of its activities to the Faculty Senate and the President.

4.56  The membership of the Council shall be chosen to reflect the diversity of the academic disciplines of the faculty. The Council shall comprise seven faculty members appointed in accordance with the By-Laws of the Faculty Senate (See section 6.1); three faculty members chosen by the Vice President for Research and Economic Development; two faculty members appointed by the Provost; one member of the Council of Deans, chosen by that council; one director (or associate or assistant director) of a research center or bureau and one college business manager chosen by the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs; one graduate student chosen by the Graduate Student Association; one undergraduate student appointed by the undergraduate Research Grant Committee; the Dean of the Graduate School or designee; and the Vice President for Research and Economic Development or the Vice President’s designee as a voting ex officio member. The two students shall be appointed yearly. The members appointed by the Senate, the Council of Deans, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs and the Vice President for Research and Economic Development shall be appointed to three-year terms commencing in September. Wherever the same person or body is charged with selecting two or more members, the members' terms shall be staggered. The Council shall elect its chairperson for the year from among the faculty members of the Council at its first meeting in September. The name of the chairperson shall be made known to the University community and reported to the Faculty Senate and the President. #07-08—8

4.57 The Vice President for Research and Economic Development shall be responsible for calling the initial meeting of the Council each fall. Subsequent meetings of the Council shall be held at the call of its chairperson, as often as necessary, but at least twice each semester. Items for its agenda, which may be submitted to the chairperson, shall normally come from the President, the Council of Deans, the Faculty Senate or its Executive Committee, research bureaus and centers, principal investigators, or the Vice Presiident for Research and Economic Development

4.58 Among its duties, the Council shall solicit proposals from the faculty; shall allocate among faculty on a competitive basis financial support for a "Faculty Development" program (using guidelines developed by the Council); and shall advise the Vice President for Research and  Economic Development on the allocation among faculty on a competitive basis of financial support for a "Proposal Development" program (using guidelines developed by the Vice President for Research and Economic Development in consultation with the Council for Research). Support in both programs shall be for faculty salary and fellowships, student support, operating expenses, travel, and equipment.

4.60 The Teaching Effectiveness Committee shall promote good teaching at the University by: conducting and reporting to the Faculty Senate an annual audit of programs, activities, policies, etc., which are available at the University to support good teaching; serving as an advisory committee to the Instructional Development Program; undertaking each year, in cooperation with other interested parties, an initiative designed to improve teaching practices at the University. The Director of the Instructional Development Program and the Vice Provost for Information Technology Services or the Vice Provost’s designee shall serve as ex officio members of this committee.  #02-03--5, #07-08—8

4.65 University College and General Education Committee. This committee shall review and make policy recommendations to the Faculty Senate on all matters pertaining to the University College, such as admissions policy, length of time to be spent in the college, advanced standing, transfer students, advisement and counselling; study and make recommendations to the Faculty Senate regarding the establishment, modification or abolition of General Education requirements for graduation to be applicable to degree candidates; consider other programs pertaining to the General Education Program and evaluate the effectiveness of the program; maintain liaison with the Curricular Affairs Committee and the Academic Standards and Calendar Committee for mutual information and joint action, and with the University administration for effective implementation of approved recommendations.

4.66 The committee shall comprise four (4) representatives from the College of Arts and Sciences and one from each of the other undergraduate colleges and schools of the University, one from the University Libraries; the Dean of University College and Special Academic Programs, the Associate Dean of the College of Continuing Education, the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs or his/her designated representative, the Vice President for Student Affairs or his/her designated representative, and two representatives of the student body appointed by the Student Senate. The representatives of the colleges and schools shall be selected for their knowledge of general education and their experience with advising undergraduate students. The faculty members shall be chosen by the Chairperson of the Senate and confirmed by the Senate in the same way as other standing committees of the Senate, except that they shall be named from a list of nominees two of whom shall be provided for each vacancy by the faculty of the college or school being represented, who shall nominate them in a manner to be determined by each college or school faculty. The Chairperson of the Senate shall consult with the dean of a college or school before making his/her final decision. The list of nominees shall be presented to the new Chairperson of the Senate when he/she is elected in the spring.

4.67 The Chairperson and Vice Chairperson shall be appointed by the Chairperson the Senate and approved by Senate. The terms of the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson shall be for two (2) years. Terms of faculty members shall be for three (3) years, with approximately one-third expiring each year. Terms of student members shall be for one year. Members may succeed themselves once. Members who do not complete their terms shall be replaced for the remainder of their terms following the same procedures outlined in 4.66.

4.68 Any faculty member or faculty committee is permitted to request, in writing, considerationby the committee of a General Education item provided that the dean of the college and the college curriculum committee receive a copy of the request. Both the dean and the curriculum committee may attach their comments to the request. If the request concerns a specific course, it should be accompanied by a complete course outline.

4.69 The University College and General Education Committee shall be responsible for the assessment of General Education student learning outcomes.  The UCGE Committee shall appoint a subcommittee on General Education Assessment which includes faculty members who have interest and expertise in assessment of learning outcomes and faculty who represent the General Education core areas, as well as representatives from the UCGE committee. This subcommittee shall develop a process and be responsible for assessing General Education learning outcomes on a continuing basis. The subcommittee shall report at least once each semester to the University College and General Education Committee. The UCGE Committee will forward subsequent recommendations to the Faculty Senate for approval.  #05-06--15

4.75 The Curricular Affairs Committee. This committee shall study and make recommendations to the Faculty Senate on the following matters: the establishment, abolition, division or merger of colleges and schools of the University, at the undergraduate and graduate level, including the College of Continuing Education; the establishment or abolition of undergraduate degrees or credit certificates awarded by the University in any of its divisions; the establishment, abolition, division or merger of departments of instruction, or other units or areas affecting instruction; the establishment, at the undergraduate level, of new experimental and interdisciplinary instructional programs not confined to one college; the establishment, modification or abolition of curriculums or programs of study leading to degrees or credit certificates at the baccalaureate level or lower, with due regard to requirements for accreditation when applicable; the introduction, modification or abolition of individual courses intended primarily for undergraduate instruction; unresolved problems arising in connection with the routine editing of course and curriculum numbers, titles, and descriptions to appear in the University Catalog.

4.76 In addition, the committee shall initiate action on matters within its jurisdiction by referring them to the faculties of colleges and schools concerned, shall review all such proposals originating in college faculties, the Senate or elsewhere and shall recommend procedures that permit matters within its jurisdiction to be handled expeditiously.

4.77 The committee shall comprise four faculty representatives from the College of Arts and Sciences, one for each of the other baccalaureate degree granting colleges of the University, one from the University Libraries; the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs or his/her representative, the Dean of University College and Special Academic Programs or the Dean's representative and the Associate Dean of the Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Continuing Education. The representatives of the colleges shall be selected for their experience with and knowledge of academic problems, both general and local, and to be eligible shall hold the rank of instructor or above. The committee members, its chairperson and its vice chairperson shall be chosen by the Chairperson of the Senate and confirmed by the Senate in the same manner as other standing committees of the Senate, except that they shall be named from a list of nominees, two of whom shall be provided for each vacancy by the faculty of the college being represented, who shall nominate them in a manner to be determined by each college faculty. The Chairperson of the Curricular Affairs Committee shall be entitled to have his/her normal duties reduced by one-third, normal duties being specified in Article IV, paragraph 2, of the Constitution of the Faculty Senate, and entitlement shall follow automatically upon appointment. Funds for the reduced time of the chairperson shall be provided in the budget of the Faculty Senate. The Chairperson of the Senate shall consult with the dean of a college before making his/her final decision. The list of nominees shall be presented to the new Chairperson of the Senate when he/she is elected in the spring. The committee shall be named promptly thereafter.

4.78 Terms shall be for three years, with approximately one-third expiring each year, and provision for establishing this rotation shall be made by the Chairperson of the Senate with the appointment ofthe first committee membership, by shortening the initial term of one-third of the members to one year and one-third to two years. Members may succeed themselves once.

4.79 The term of the Chairperson shall be two years.

4.80 The Curricular Affairs Committee shall maintain liaison with the Director of the Faculty Institute on Writing to support the success of WI courses and shall approve the assignment of the writing intensive label [WI] to courses deemed appropriate in accordance with sections 8.81.40-41. #01-02--22

4.81 The Curricular Affairs Committee shall maintain liaison with the dean of University College and Special Academic Programs for mutual information and joint action regarding the place of community service in the university's curricula. The Curricular Affairs Committee shall review and act upon proposals for existing Community Service courses and, when appropriate, propose revisions to the procedures for course approval and the standards for such courses, and recommend changes in Community Service course offerings.#01-02--22

4.82 The Curricular Affairs Committee shall maintain liaison with the Feinstein College of Continuing Education for mutual information and joint action regarding policies and procedures for the assessment of students' prior college-level learning through non-collegiate activity. #01-02--22

4.95 Special Committees shall consider matters referred to them by the Senate.

Section 5. Election of Officers.

5.1 Each year at its organizational meeting, the Senate shall elect for one-year terms a Chairperson, a Vice Chairperson and one member of the Executive Committee. In order to ensure continuity, the remaining three members of the Executive Committee shall be elected to serve for two years. To stagger their terms, two of the 2-year term members shall be elected on even numbered years and the other 2-year term member on odd numbered years.  04-05--25

5.2 At its regular meeting in April of each year the Senate shall elect a nominating committee of three members chosen from the members whose terms expire that May. This committee shall present two nominations for each position to be filled by election at the organization meeting at the end of the academic year. In selecting its nominees, this committee shall consider the senators newly elected as well as those who have served for one or two years, shall consider continuity of membership, and shall, moreover, seek to maintain a reasonable distribution and rotation of the positions to be filled among the various colleges and schools. 04-05--25

5.3 At the meeting at which elections are conducted, nominations from the floor, in addition to those presented by the nominating committee, shall be in order. Paper ballots shall be used in the election. A majority of the legal votes cast shall be required to elect.

5.4 The election of officers shall be in accordance with the following procedures:

When more than two candidates are nominated for a single office, a candidate shall be declared elected on the first ballot if he/she received a majority of the votes cast. If no candidate receives a majority of the first ballot votes, then a run-off election shall be held between the two candidates who have received the highest number of first ballot votes.

For any term of office on the Executive Committee for which two candidates are being elected, a candidate shall be declared elected on the first ballot if she/he receives a majority of the votes cast. If only one candidate is elected on the first ballot, a run-off election shall be held for the other position between the two candidates who have received the highest number of first-ballot votes. If no candidate is elected on the first ballot, a run-off election shall be held among the four candidates who have received the highest number of first-ballot votes. A majority vote is required for election. 04-05--25

5.5 Should a vacancy occur in the Executive Committee two months or more before the annual election, it shall be filled at the next regular Senate meeting by an election held in the same manner as the regular election of officers, except that the Executive Committee shall act as nominating committee.

5.6 Should a vacancy occur in the Vice Chair, the Executive Committee shall name an eligible member of its body to perform the Vice Chairperson's duties for the remainder of the unexpired term. The ensuing vacancy in the Executive Committee shall be filled according to the provisions of Section 5.5.

5.7 Should a vacancy occur in the Chair, the Vice Chairperson shall succeed to that position for the remainder of the unexpired term, and the Executive Committee shall name an eligible member of its body to perform the Vice Chairperson's duties for the same period. The ensuing vacancy in the Executive Committee shall then be filled according to the provisions of Section 5.5.

Section 6. Selection of Committees.

6.1 The Chairperson of the Senate with the advice of the Executive Committee and the consent of the Senate shall appoint for two-year terms faculty members and chairpersons of standing committees to replace those faculty members and chairpersons whose terms have expired. These appointments shall be on staggered basis so that half the members of each committee are replaced each year and so that the chairpersons of half the committees are replaced each year. When the list of new members and new chairpersons of committees is presented to the Senate for approval, the Senate's action shall be limited to consenting to the appointees for each committee or to referring the matter back to the Chairperson and the Executive Committee. Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed as preventing a newly constituted Senate committee from meeting prior to the Faculty Senate's ratification of the new committee membership at the Senate's first fall meeting.

6.2 All members of the University faculty shall be eligible to serve on such committees, but ordinarily the chairpersons shall be elected members of the Senate. A minority of persons who are not members of the University faculty may be appointed to such committees on occasion for specific purposes, but each such instance shall be considered on its own merit. In May of each year, at the organizational meeting of the new Senate, members shall submit to the Chairperson their first, second and third choices of standing committees on which they would prefer to serve.

6.3 The Chairperson of the Senate with the advice of the Executive Committee and the consent of the Senate shall recommend faculty members for appointment to those University Standing Committees, Councils and Boards for which faculty representation is stipulated in the UNIVERSITY MANUAL. The Senate's action shall be limited to consenting to the appointees for each committee or referring the matter back to the Chairperson and the Executive Committee. When requested to do so, the Senate shall elect faculty members to represent the general faculty on committees, councils, and boards not stipulated in the UNIVERSITY MANUAL, unless the Senate decides it is inappropriate to do so. The Executive Committee shall present two nominations for each position to be filled by election. At the meeting at which an election is conducted, nominations from the floor shall be in order.

Section 7. Quorum and Meeting Times.

7.1 A majority of the elected Senate shall constitute a quorum except at special meetings where there shall be no quorum required if actions taken at such special meetings are to be returned to the Senate for final action.

7.2 Regular Senate meetings shall begin at 3:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as a quorum is determined to be present, and shall be adjourned at 5:00 p.m. When the Senate fails to complete its agenda within the time limit, the meeting either (1) shall be recessed and reconvened one week thereafter at the usual time, or (2) shall be adjourned and the unfinished business postponed definitely until the next regular meeting of the Senate.

7.3 Regular Faculty Senate Meetings shall be held at least once each month on Thursdays during the academic year. #00-01-28

7.4 At all Senate meetings debate on each main motion, each amendment thereto and discussion subsequent to informational reports shall be limited to fifteen minutes. Debate may be extended in any Senate meeting by one-third vote of the members present.

Section 8. Voting Requirements.

8.1 All actions of the Senate shall be by majority vote of those present and eligible to vote, provided a quorum in present, unless otherwise specified in the Constitution and By-Laws. A vote by roll call shall be mandatory upon a motion made by one senator and seconded by one-fifth of the senators present and eligible to vote.

8.2 Secret mail ballots of the General Faculty shall be conducted either to ratify amendments to the Senate Constitution or to recall Senate actions.

They shall be conducted as follows:  

The Secretary of the Senate shall distribute a ballot to every eligible member of the faculty following a procedure adopted by the Faculty Senate.  Mail shall include electronic mail.

At the end of the referendum period the ballots shall be counted and the results certified to the President of the University and to the Chairperson of the Senate. #06-07--41

Section 9. Parliamentary Authority.

9.1 The meetings of the Senate and its committees shall be conducted in accordance with the rules laid down in the latest edition of Sturgis Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure (New York: The McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc.) except as may be provided otherwise by the Constitution and By-Laws. The Chairperson of the Senate may appoint a parliamentarian to advise him/her on parliamentary procedure.

Section 10. Disposition of Senate Action.

10.1 The following actions of the Faculty Senate do not require approval by the President: resolutions of the Faculty Senate, the establishment of, and charge to, special Faculty Senate Committees, and the appointment of persons to special committees and those appointed under Section 6.

10.2 Actions of the Faculty Senate other than those listed in 10.1 shall be transmitted promptly to the President. The President shall approve or disapprove the Senate action and return it to the Executive Committee within three weeks after passage by the Senate. When the President approves programmatic legislation, administrative officers shall be directed to review promptly resource allocation plans so that the newly legislated program may compete for resources according to the category of approval recommended by the Faculty Senate.

10.3 When an action of the Senate has been disapproved by the President, the Executive Committee shall resubmit the action to the Senate. The Senate shall decide whether to take no further action, to confirm, to suspend, to rescind, to amend, to refer to committee, or to confirm and direct the statement. If, after transmittal to the President of the Senate's response to his/her disapproval, agreement between the Senate and the President is not reached, either party may elect to submit the matter to the Board of Governors. Such transmittal from the Senate shall be by way of the President.

10.4 If the President neither approves nor disapproves a Senate action within the three weeks stipulated, the Senate action will be deemed to have been approved. However, upon request by the President, together with a statement of reasons for the request, the Executive Committee shall allow a thirty-day extension of time within which the President can approve or disapprove a Senate action. Any additional extension of time beyond the thirty-day extension shall be for specified periods and shall require the approval of the Faculty Senate, except that during the summer the Executive Committee shall have authority to grant such additional extensions of time.

10.5 Senate actions which have been approved by the President and which require action by the Board of Governors, shall be transmitted promptly by the President to the Board and shall become effective upon approval by the Board unless otherwise stipulated.

10.6 If the Board of Governors requests further information on a matter from the Senate, the Chairperson or his/her designated representative, or the Executive Committee of the Senate shall represent the Senate, at the discretion of the Board of Governors.

10.7 Actions of the Senate that do not require action by the Board of Governors shall become effective three weeks after passage unless otherwise stipulated in the legislation, or unless the President requests an extension of time under Section 10.4, or unless a faculty review is duly called for under Article II.6 of the Constitution. If, after requesting an extension of time, the President approves the Senate action, or if, after faculty review, the Senate action stands as voted, the Senate action shall become effective immediately or as stipulated in the legislation.

Section 11. Budget Reports to the Senate.

11.1 In September of each year, the President shall present a State of the Budget address to the Senate. The address shall include a statement of the President's priorities for the University for the year. At the same time, a two and three year budget statement shall be published jointly by the President and the Vice President for Administration.

11.2 Each May, the Vice President for Administration shall report to the Senate on the newly constructed operating budget for the upcoming fiscal year. In January, the Vice President shall present to the Senate a summary report concerning expenditures at the six month point in the current budget cycle. If, in the judgment of the Executive Committee, significant changes subsequently develop, an additional presentation shall be scheduled.

Section 12. Amendment of By-Laws.

12.1 These By-Laws may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of the senators present and eligible to vote at a regular Senate meeting, but a proposed amendment to the By-Laws may not be voted upon at the meeting at which it is first moved.