ULM Faculty Senate Constitution and By-Laws
(this page is current as of March 16, 2016)
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Constitution of
The University of Louisiana at Monroe
Faculty Senate
Adopted March 23, 1973, by the General Faculty
Article I
NAME
This organization shall be known as the Faculty Senate of the University of Louisiana
at Monroe, hereinafter referred to as the Faculty Senate.
Article II
PURPOSES
The purposes of the Faculty Senate are:
- To provide a framework for cooperation between the faculty, administration, and students
in order to accomplish the goals of the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
- To afford each faculty member an opportunity to offer suggestions concerning the development
and operation of the University and the improvement of the general welfare of the
faculty.
- To provide a means whereby the administration can refer academic, operational, or
common interest matters to a body representing the entire faculty.
- To provide a means whereby representatives of the faculty can offer recommendations
to the administration pertaining to the academic and operational improvement of the
University and matters concerning the improvement of the general welfare of the faculty.
Article III
MEMBERSHIP
Full-time (75% and above) faculty with the rank of instructor or above, excluding
administrative officers and budget unit heads at the University, are hereinafter referred
to as General Faculty. Membership in the Faculty Senate shall be restricted to General
Faculty. 01
Article IV
OFFICERS
All officers of the Faculty Senate shall be elected members of the Faculty Senate.
Officers who shall be elected by members of the Faculty Senate are President, President-Elect,
Secretary and Secretary-Elect. 02
Article V
EXECUTIVE BOARD
The officers of the Faculty Senate shall function as the Executive Board. Duties of
the Executive Board are stipulated in the By-Laws. The Executive Board shall include:
President, Past President, 03 President-Elect, Secretary, and Secretary-Elect. 04
Article VI
PARLIMENTARIAN
The President shall appoint a Parliamentarian. Duties of the Parliamentarian are stipulated
in the By-Laws.
Article VII
ELECTIONS
Section 1. Members of the Faculty Senate
Members of the Faculty Senate shall be elected during the first half of March of
each academic year. The Election Committee shall be responsible for conducting the
election of Faculty Senators as provided for in the By-Laws. 05
Section 2. Officers of the Faculty Senate
Officers of the Faculty Senate shall be elected at the first regular Faculty Senate
meeting of each academic year. Each elective officer shall be elected by a majority
vote. The Faculty Senate shall have the option of using an open or secret ballot in
the election of officers.
Article VIII
COMMITTEES
Section 1. Standing Committees
The Standing Committees of the Faculty Senate are:
-
-
Constitution and By-Laws
-
Elections
-
Faculty Welfare
-
Functions of these committees are stipulated in the By-Laws.
Section 2. Ad Hoc Committees
Ad Hoc Committees may be appointed as needed by the President of the Faculty Senate.
Article IX
MEETINGS
Section 1. Regular Meetings
The Faculty Senate shall have at least eight (8) scheduled meetings, August through
May. 08
Section 2. Special Meetings
Special Meetings Special meetings of the Faculty Senate may be called as defined in
the By-Laws. Rules governing the conduct of business for both regular and special
meetings are stipulated in the By-Laws.
Article X
AMENDMENTS
Section 1. Vote on Amendments
The Constitution of the Faculty Senate shall be amended only at a regular meeting
by a two-thirds vote of the senators present.
Section 2. Written Notice of Amendments
No proposition to amend shall be acted upon unless written notice has been given to
the Secretary at least thirty days prior to the meeting. A copy of such a proposition
shall be included in the call for the next regular meeting. A copy shall be sent to
each member of the General Faculty at least ten days before the date of the next regular
meeting at which the vote on the amendment is taken.
Article XI
EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS CONSTITUTION
The provisions of this document and amendments thereto shall become effective on the
date it is approved by the Faculty Senate and General Faculty. This constitution supersedes
all other constitutional provisions governing the Faculty Senate of the University
of Louisiana at Monroe.
By-Laws of the ULM Faculty Senate Constitution
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By-Laws of the Constitution
The University of Louisiana at Monroe
Faculty Senate
Adopted March 23, 1973, by the General Faculty
Article I
MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Eligibility
Members of the Faculty Senate shall be elected from the General Faculty as defined
in the Constitution.
Section 2. Proportionate Representation
From each of the schools and the University Library, there will be one senator elected
for every one to twenty General Faculty members. Schools with twenty one to forty
General Faculty members are entitled to elect a second senator. Schools with forty
one to sixty General Faculty members are entitled to elect a third senator. Schools
with more than sixty General Faculty members are entitled to elect a fourth senator.
If sufficient number of candidates from a school run for election, preference will
be given to have a senator from at least two programs/departments/studies/resources
from that school. A school may exceed its normal representation if other schools from
the same college do not provide a sufficient number of candidates. 10
Section 3. Terms of Office
Representatives shall be elected during the spring semester and shall serve two year
terms of office, to begin on July 1st of the year elected. 11
Section 4. Replacement
A. In case of decease, resignation, incapacity, change of status, or irregular attendance
of any Faculty Senator, the Faculty Senate President, with the advice of the representative
or representatives of the school concerned, shall fill such vacancy for the unexpired
term, such appointment to be approved by the Faculty Senate at the next regular meeting
of the Senate following the appointment. 12 Irregular attendance shall be defined as absence without proper excuse from two
or more regular meetings in any one semester. 13
B. Any Faculty Senator who finds it necessary to miss more than two (2) meetings in
a semester due to health concerns (in compliance with FMLA), military service, or
academic considerations (e.g. teaching abroad for a semester or sabbatical) may remain
a Faculty Senator. The Senator may name a replacement representative for the duration
of that semester who will be allowed to function as a regular senator, including voting.
14
Article II
OFFICERS
Section 1. Duties
President: The President's duties shall be to preside at the meetings of the Faculty Senate,
to construct an agenda for each meeting prior to the date of the meeting, to serve
as official spokesman for the Faculty Senate, to appoint ad hoc committees, to appoint
standing committees with the approval of the majority of the Faculty Senate, and to
implement the decisions of the Faculty Senate. The President shall also appoint a
Parliamentarian.
Past President: The immediate past President shall serve on the Executive Board of the Senate for
the period of one year. 15
President-Elect: The President-Elect's duties shall be to act in the place of the President of the
Faculty Senate when the President is unable to carry out any of the functions of the
office of President. The President-Elect shall succeed the President.
Secretary: The Secretary's duties shall be to distribute the agenda of meetings of the Faculty
Senate, to record the minutes of the meetings and distribute summaries of these proceedings
to members of the General Faculty, to carry on the necessary correspondence for the
Faculty Senate, and to poll the General Faculty when requested by the Faculty Senate.
The Secretary shall also maintain a current roster of the General Faculty. 16
Secretary-Elect: The Secretary-Elect's duties shall be to act in the place of the Secretary of the
Faculty Senate when the Secretary is unable to carry out any of the functions of the
office of Secretary. The Secretary-Elect shall succeed the Secretary. 17
Section 2. Terms of Office
A. All officers of the Faculty Senate shall serve one-year terms, or serve until
their successors have been duly elected.
B. If an officer-elect of the Faculty Senate is not re-elected to the Senate for the
next year, he/she will serve as a Senator-at-Large in order to fulfill the term of
office for which he/she was elected by the senate. 18
Section 3.Replacement In case of decease, resignation, change of status, or incapacity of any
officer, the Faculty Senate shall fill such vacancy for the unexpired term.
Article III
EXECUTIVE BOARD
The Executive Board shall consist of the President, Past President, 19 20 President-Elect, Secretary, and Secretary-Elect. 21
This group may act in accordance with the Constitution and By-Laws on essential matters
that arise between meetings of the Faculty Senate. The Parliamentarian shall advise
the body whenever requested to do so by the Executive Board.
Article IV
PARLIMENTARIAN
The Duty of the Parliamentarian shall be to advise the President by ruling on the
validity of the conduct of business at each meeting.
Article V
ELECTIONS
Section 1. Nominations for Senators
A candidate for the Faculty Senate must submit, or have submitted, to the Elections
Committee a nomination petition which shall include a declaration of willingness to
serve. All nominations must be received by the Elections Committee at least two weeks
prior to the election date.
Section 2. Voting for Senators
A. All members of the General Faculty, as defined in the Constitution, are legal
voters. In cases where faculty members have no direct affiliation with an academic
college, voting shall take place in the college which offers the courses taught by
the respective faculty members.
B. Voting faculty shall cast no more than one vote for a candidate. No more than one
senator shall be elected from the same administrative unit directly reporting to the
dean of the college except where the number of these units is less than the total
number of possible senate openings per college. 22 Candidates will be ranked according to the number of votes received and those elected
will be determined by descending order of votes received. Where one candidate is to
be elected, the candidate must receive more votes than any other candidate in that
college. In case of ties, runoffs will be conducted and the above decision rule will
be employed.
C. The Elections Committee shall supervise elections of senators in each of the academic
colleges and shall certify the election of each senator.
Article VI
COMMITTEES
Section 1. Formation
The President shall appoint at least three senators to all standing committees with
the exception of the Election Committee. The President shall appoint one senator from
each academic college to serve on the Election Committee. A senator shall not be a
member of more than two standing committees. Each standing and ad hoc committee shall
have the authority to select non-senate members of the General Faculty to serve on
that committee. Each standing and ad hoc committee shall elect its chairman. 09
Section 2. Standing Committees
A. Academic Standards: The purpose of this committee shall be to research, report
on, and recommend to the Faculty Senate actions relevant to the academic standards
of the University. All matters submitted to the committee shall be in writing. All
recommendations by the committee to the Faculty Senate shall be in writing. 23
B. Constitution and By-Laws: The purpose of this committee shall be to study needed
changes in the Constitution and By-Laws and to recommend amendments of these documents
to the Faculty Senate. All proposed amendments shall be submitted in writing.
C. Election: The functions of this committee shall be:
1. To establish procedures and provide the calendar for elections.
2. To notify the General Faculty of each college of the number of senatorial positions
that are eligible to be filled. Such notification will be made early in the spring
semester prior to each election.
3. To supervise the polling and counting of votes and to provide certification of
winning candidates. Each member on the committee shall act as election marshal for
his or her college, unless he or she is a candidate for re-election. In such case,
the President shall appoint another election marshal for that college. The election
marshal for each college shall implement the election procedures prescribed by the
committee, and shall report the certified results of the election to the chairman
of the committee.
D. Faculty Welfare: The purpose of this committee shall be to research, report on,
and recommend to the Faculty Senate any action to be taken on issues concerning the
welfare of the General Faculty. All matters submitted to the committee shall be in
writing. All recommendations to the Faculty Senate shall be in writing.
E. Fiscal Affairs: The purpose of this committee shall be to receive the University
budget each year, to study the budget, and to make the budget and information concerning
the budget available to the Faculty. The committee may consider other matters concerning
the fiscal affairs of the University which are referred to the committee by the Senate
or the President of the Senate. All recommendations by the committee to the Faculty
Senate shall be in writing. 24
Section 3. Ad Hoc Committee An Ad Hoc Committee shall research and recommend action
on specific matters assigned to it.
Article VII
MEETINGS
Section 1. Regular Meetings
The Faculty Senate shall have at least eight (8) regularly scheduled meetings, August
through May. 25 Written notice, including the agenda, of all regular meetings shall be sent to the
members at least one week prior to each meeting. 26
Section 2. Special Meetings
Special Meetings of the Faculty Senate may be called by the Secretary at the request
of the President, or on written request of 25 percent of the senators.
Section 3. Quorum
A majority of the Faculty Senate's membership shall constitute a quorum for the transaction
of business.
Section 4. Minutes
A complete and permanent set of the minutes of each meeting shall be kept by the Secretary.
The secretary shall send to members of the General Faculty a summary report of the
business transacted.
Section 5. Guests
Meetings of the Faculty Senate are regularly open to attendance by all members of
the General Faculty. The Faculty Senate may choose to go into executive session by
a majority vote of the members present. A person not a member of the Faculty Senate
may speak only by invitation of the Faculty Senate. Requests from non-members to speak
before the Faculty Senate shall be addressed in writing to the President.
Section 6. Conduct of Meetings
The conduct of the Faculty Senate business shall be according to procedures outlined
by Robert's Rules of Order (Revised).
Section 7. Order of Business
The order of business to be followed at the meetings of the Faculty Senate shall be
as follows:
A. Call to Order
B. Approval of Minutes
C. Reports of Committees
D. Unfinished Business
E. New Business
F. Adjournment
Section 8. Voting Procedure
Voting shall be by voice or by show of hands. A roll-call shall be required when
requested by at least three senators. A secret ballot requires a majority vote of
the Faculty Senate. Proxy votes are only allowed for the election of an individual.
The Senator designating the proxy shall give written notice to the Secretary specifying
who will cast the proxy vote and the scope of the proxy. 27 The presiding officer shall have a vote only in case of a tie.
Article VIII
AMENDMENTS
Section 1. Vote on Amendments
Amendments to the By-Laws of the Faculty Senate shall be made only at a regular meeting,
by a majority vote of the senators present. 28
Section 2. Written Notice of Amendments
No proposal to amend shall be acted upon unless written notice has been given to
the secretary at least thirty days prior to the meeting. A copy of such a proposal
shall be included in the call for the next regular meeting, and a copy shall be sent
to each member of the General Faculty at least ten days before the date of the next
regular meeting at which the vote on the amendment is taken.
AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION
01) Article III - Membership (As amended, March 20, 2003)
02) Article IV - Officers, Secretary-Elect (Added by amendment, February 10, 1994)
03) Article V - Executive Board, Past President (As amended, September 26, 1991)
04) Article V - Executive Board, Secretary-Elect (As amended, February 10, 1994)
05) Article VII – Elections, Members of the Faculty Senate (As amended, November
18, 2010)
06) Article VIII - Committees, Academic Standards (Added by amendment, January 14,
1993)
07) Article VIII - Committees, Fiscal Affairs (Added by amendment, January 15, 1976),
08) Article IX - Meeting, Regular Meetings (As amended, January 21, 1999)
AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS
09) Article I - Membership, Proportionate Representation; Article I - Membership,
Replacement; Article VI - Committee, Formation; Article Iv - Committees, Standing
Committees (As amended, February 18, 2016)
10) Article I - Proportionate Representation(As amended, February 19, 2004)
11) Article I - Terms of Office (As amended, January 30, 2003)
12) Article I - Membership, Replacement (As amended, May 8, 1975)
13) Article I - Membership, Replacement (As amended, April 11, 1978)
14) Article I – Membership, Replacement (As amended, March 17, 2011)
15) Article II - Officers, Past President (As amended, September 26, 1991)
16) Article II - Officers, Secretary (As amended, December 9, 1975)
17) Article II - Officers, Secretary-Elect (Added by amendment, February 10, 1994)
18) Article II - Officers, Terms of Office (As amended, March 6, 1997)
19) Article III - Executive Board, Past President (As amended, September 26, 1991
20) Article II – Officers, Terms of Office (As amended, November 18, 2010)
21) Article III - Executive Board, Secretary-Elect (As amended, February 10, 1994)
22) Article V - Elections, Voting for Senators (As amended, November 9, 1995)
23) Article VI - Committees, Academic Standards (Added by amendment, January 14,
1993)
24) Article VI - Committees, Fiscal Affairs (Added by amendment, January 15, 1976)
25) Article VII - Meetings, Regular Meetings (As amended, January 30, 2003)
26) Article VII - Meetings, Regular Meetings, Notice (As amended, April 11, 1978)
27) Article VII - Meetings, Voting Procedure, Proxies (As amended, March 20, 2003)
28) Article VIII - Amendments, Vote on Amendments (As amended, March 28, 1996)
