Operating Paper of the Faculty

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Last Updated: Feb 11, 2025, 08:49 AM

[Amended February 11, 1977 and May 9, 1979, October 12, 1987, and April 18, 1988 December 14, 1990, April 25, 1991, April 14, 1995, January 15, 2002, June 8, 2005; February 16, 2009; March 23, 2010; August 25, 2015; July 6, 2022]

  1. The Faculty and Faculty Senate
    1. The Faculty
      1. Membership
        1. For purposes of this document, the faculty shall consist of all appointees to the ranks of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, senior instructor, associate instructor, assistant instructor, instructor, senior lecturer, associate lecturer, assistant lecturer, and lecturer in academic units. Research, visiting, adjunct, and clinical categories holding the above mentioned ranks in academic units (college, department, or school level) shall also be considered faculty, providing faculty bearing those titles hold at least a 50% appointment through Office of the Provost and Vice Chancellor or the School of Medicine. Those who were members of the faculty at the time of the referendum of this definition shall not be subsequently disenfranchised by this definition. Faculty members enrolled in a degree program in the department in which they hold academic rank shall not be considered faculty. Any faculty member holding at least a 51% administrative appointment, (including those holding the title of chair, director, or above, whether interim or permanent) are not considered faculty for purposes of membership on the Faculty Senate by the time their administrative appointment begins.
        2. A revision of the definition of the faculty requires approval by a majority vote of those voting in a special referendum at which the eligible voters compose the faculty as defined at the time of the referendum.
      2. Voting Membership 
        All members of the faculty shall have the right to vote.
      3. Responsibilities of the Faculty 
        The Faculty
        1. is responsible for the educational functions of the university, including all matters of admission standards, curriculum, procedures of student instruction and evaluation, graduation requirements, and accreditation, except as otherwise provided by the Board of Trustees, state and federal law;
        2. is encouraged to make recommendations on any and all matters without limit to the Faculty Senate, the body empowered to act as the agent of the faculty and having delegated power from the faculty to carry out the responsibilities specified under Section I.B of this document;
        3. shall consider any matters referred to it by the Faculty Senate;
        4. has jurisdiction in the initiation of changes in the power, procedures, or organizational structure of the Faculty Senate;
        5. shall formulate its own rules and procedures in a manner not inconsistent with the Bylaws and Statutes of the Board of Trustees.
      4. Officers 
        The President, Vice President, and Secretary of the Faculty shall be the President, Vice President, and Secretary of the Faculty Senate, respectively. These officers hold their positions by virtue of their selection as officers by the Faculty Senate.
      5. Meetings of the Faculty
        1. There shall be one regular meeting of the faculty each academic year. This meeting shall be held during the fall semester at a time to be chosen by the Faculty Senate.
        2. A special meeting of the faculty may be called by the Chancellor of SIUC or by the Faculty Senate. Such a meeting must be called by the President of the Faculty Senate if petitioned by seventy-five members of the faculty.
        3. Two hundred and fifty (250) members of the faculty shall constitute a quorum.
        4. Agenda items will be established by the Faculty Senate. Items may be proposed by the Chancellor of SIUC and by members of the faculty.
        5. The call for a meeting shall be made at least seven days in advance of the meeting, except in case of emergency, and the call shall stipulate the agenda of the meeting.
        6. The Faculty Senate shall make rules governing the conduct of a faculty meeting. These rules shall be made public in advance of the meeting.
        7. The President of the Faculty shall preside over each faculty meeting. The latest version of Robert's Rules of Order shall prevail at each meeting unless otherwise voted by the Faculty Senate, or by a majority of the faculty members.
        8. Actions at a faculty meeting shall be confined to procedural matters on the agenda. A procedural motion may introduce a policy matter. If that motion receives a majority vote at the meeting, such policy matter shall be transmitted to the Faculty Senate which shall conduct a formal written referendum of the faculty on the matter.
    2. The Faculty Senate
      1. Powers and Responsibilities 
        The Faculty Senate
        1. is the body empowered to act as agent for the university faculty with delegated power to formulate broad policies in regard to the educational functions of the university;
        2. is charged to initiate, promote, and ensure the enforcement of policies involving academic and intellectual freedom, and to concern itself in all matters of faculty status and welfare;
        3. is charged with the responsibility for encouraging and facilitating active and effective faculty involvement in policy determination and decision-making particularly in all academic units at all levels within the university;
        4. shall in no way be restricted with respect to the matters it may choose to discuss and resolutions it may make, nor with respect to the communications it may choose to direct both within and outside the university;
        5. is charged to establish and maintain a Judicial Review Board for the redress of grievances;
        6. consonant with the charges and responsibilities noted above, shall reserve the right to establish any standing or ad hoc committee necessary for the conduct of its business;
        7. shall formulate its own rules and procedures in a manner not inconsistent with this operating paper and the Bylaws and Statutes of the Board of Trustees.
  2. The Faculty Senate
    1. Composition
      1. Types of Membership
        1. The Faculty Senate shall consist of elected members and ex-officio members.
        2. The elected members shall be members of the voting faculty elected as representatives of the voting units defined in Section II.A.2. These elected members shall be voting members of the Faculty Senate with the right of full debate.
        3. Faculty holding at least a 51% administrative appointment (including those holding the title of chair, director, or above, whether interim or permanent) are not eligible to serve on the Faculty Senate. Should the status of any member change to primarily administrative during their term on the Senate, they will be required to resign from the Senate by the time their administrative appointment begins.
        4. The ex-officio members shall be the Chancellor of SIUC and the Provost and Vice Chancellor. Ex-officio members shall have the right of full debate but shall not vote.
      2. Voting Units
        1. The faculty shall be divided into voting units. The elected members of the Faculty Senate shall be elected representatives of these units.
        2. Members of the faculty as defined in Article I.A.1.a. shall be eligible to vote in Faculty Senate elections, provided the length of their appointments shall be at least one full academic semester. Candidates for election to the Faculty Senate shall hold appointment for at least one full nine-month academic year to be eligible.
        3. The Faculty Senate shall normally consist of 36 members. The non-tenure track faculty unit shall have six seats. The remaining seats shall be apportioned among the voting units, save the non-tenure track faculty unit, using the Huntington-Hill Method according to the number of tenured and tenure track voting faculty FTE in each voting unit.  However, each voting unit shall have at last one representative, and no elected member shall be deprived of a seat on the basis of this reapportionment.
        4. The non-tenure track faculty shall constitute a single voting unit. The voting units for the tenured and tenure track faculty shall consist of the Library Affairs unit and all degree-granting colleges and schools with at least 25 FTE associated faculty whose primary administrative officer is dean, except the Graduate School and any school within a college. Any academic unit with fewer than 25 FTE faculty may be considered a voting unit by a majority vote of the Faculty Senate.
        5. For voting purposes, tenured and tenure track faculty members will be associated with only one voting unit, which will normally be that in which they hold academic rank. If tenured and tenure track faculty members hold rank in two or more voting units, they will be associated with that unit in which they have their major appointment or duties. Otherwise, tenured and tenure track faculty members will choose the voting unit in which they vote, subject to previous limitations. Tenured or tenure track faculty members who do not hold rank in a voting unit, shall apply to the Faculty Senate Governance Committee for assignment to a voting unit. The assignment will be made to a related voting unit in accord with the wishes of the faculty involved to the extent possible. Tenured and tenure track faculty assigned to a voting unit will be counted as faculty associated with that unit. Non-tenure track faculty will be associated with the non-tenure track faculty unit.
      3. Elections Process
        1. Each voting unit shall nominate and elect by a secret ballot the appropriate number of representatives from among its eligible voters. Nominees for non-tenure track seats will be accepted only from colleges or equivalent units which have fewer than two non-tenure track senators whose terms continue beyond the current academic year.
        2. The Elections Committee shall prepare for each voting unit a list of the eligible voters of that unit and distribute copies to each of the voters. The lists will be arranged by department and will state the name and rank of each voter.
        3. On the nomination ballot each voter may nominate persons numbering no more than the number of representatives to be elected. The nominees to be placed on the election ballot shall be those receiving the largest number of votes in the nomination ballot who have indicated willingness to serve. The Elections Committee shall be responsible for contacting nominees before preparing the election ballot.
        4. The number of nominees to be placed on the election ballot shall be twice the number of representatives to be elected except in the case of a tie, which will be resolved by the Elections Committee by extending the number, if necessary.
        5. In the election ballot each voter will select persons numbering no more than the number of representatives to be elected. A tie will be resolved by conducting a special run-off election as soon as possible.
        6. The Faculty Senate shall make rules prescribing the nature of the information to be released relative to the results of each ballot.
        7. The Elections Committee may collect nomination and election ballots by mail or by electronic means.  The Faculty Senate shall by a two-thirds vote adopt special rules of order prescribing the method by which ballots shall be collected.  (See appendix 1)
      4. Terms and Vacancies
        1. The term of elected members shall be three years, one-third of the Senate being elected each year. Members may not serve for more than two consecutive terms, and one year must elapse after the second consecutive term before they may again be eligible for election. The term of elected members shall begin with the special meeting held for the election of officers after spring membership elections. If elected members leave their constituency before the term expires, the constituency may request an election for a replacement.
        2. A vacancy shall exist when a member fails to or is unable to fulfill her or his duties for a period in excess of one semester. Regularly sending a substitute may be interpreted as failure to fulfill one's duties. The Faculty Senate will in all cases decide when a vacancy in its membership exists.
        3. A vacancy will be filled for the remainder of the original term by a special election in the voting unit involved. The Faculty Senate shall decide when such a special election shall be held.
      5. Absences
        1. When members of the Faculty Senate find it necessary to be absent from all or part of a regular or special meeting, they may designate a substitute who shall be a member of the same faculty voting unit but not also a member of the Faculty Senate. The member shall designate a substitute by notifying the secretary or any officer of the Faculty Senate in advance of the meeting or meetings the substitute will attend.
        2. Substitutes shall have the same privileges in the meeting as the person for whom they substitute.
        3. A vote at a meeting may be cast only by a person in attendance. No person may cast more than one vote at one time.
    2. Officers of the Faculty Senate
      1. Officers
        1. The Faculty Senate shall choose its own officers from the elected members of the Faculty Senate.
        2. The officers shall consist of a president, vice president, and secretary and such other officers as the Faculty Senate may deem desirable.
      2. Elections and Terms
        1. Officers shall be elected at a special meeting called for this purpose by secret written ballot for one-year terms.
        2. The special election meeting shall take place during the last two weeks in April, no less than one week after the results of the spring membership elections have been announced. The outgoing president shall preside over the meeting.
        3. If there are at most two nominees for an office, election shall be by majority vote of the members present and voting. If there are more than two nominees for an office, the election shall be conducted on the basis of a preferential voting system.  [see appendix 2]
        4. The terms of the elected officers shall begin immediately after the special meeting at which they are elected.
        5. Members may not hold a particular office for more than two consecutive terms. One year must elapse after the second consecutive term in office before they are again eligible to serve in that office.
        6. Removal of an officer from office requires a three-fourths vote of those present and voting at a meeting to be held no less than two weeks nor more than four weeks after the removal motion has been introduced.
      3. Duties
        1. The president shall serve as the presiding and fiscal officer and shall speak for the Senate in all official matters.
        2. The vice president shall serve as presiding officer in the absence of or at the request of the president.
        3. The secretary shall maintain the records of the Senate, including its official minutes, and shall communicate with other persons and agencies as directed by the Senate.
    3. Committees
      1. Types and Functions
        1. Standing Committees shall include the Executive Council, Elections Committee, Committee on Committees, Governance Committee, Faculty Status and Welfare Committee, Undergraduate Education Policy Committee, Budget Committee, and such other committees created by the Senate to initiate, consider, and review matters within the Senate's jurisdiction. These committees exist by authority of this document and shall perform the leadership and procedural functions outlined in paragraph 2 below.
        2. Ad hoc committees may be created by the Senate to act, under Senate guidance, on specific matters. These committees are temporary and shall be dissolved in accord with a termination date set at their creation or upon the completion of their assignment.
      2. Standing Committees
        1. The Executive Council shall consist of the Senate's officers, the chairs of all the Senate's standing committees, and the Past President of the Senate,ex officio. The President of the Senate shall serve as the chair of the Executive Council. The Executive Council shall serve as an agenda committee and also as an advisory board to the President of the Senate. The Executive Council may rephrase resolutions, reports, and other materials issuing from the Senate provided that the basic meaning and intent are not altered, unless prohibited from doing so by the Senate. The Executive Council may act for the Senate between meetings with the understanding that its actions may be reviewed and reversed by the Senate at its next regular meeting or a special meeting called for the purpose.
        2. The Elections Committee shall consist of the Vice President of the Faculty Senate, who shall serve as chair, and at least three members of the faculty nominated by the Committee on Committees. The Elections Committee shall be responsible for the preparation of lists of faculty for voting purposes. It shall conduct regular and special elections of Faculty Senate members and faculty referenda as directed by the Faculty Senate.
        3. The seven members of the Committee on Committees shall be elected by and from the Faculty Senate. Members of the Committee on Committees shall serve two-year terms, with approximately half of the committee being elected each year. The Committee on Committees will, at the request of Senate or Executive Council, directly appoint faculty representatives to university ad hoc committees, search committees and task forces and will, at the request of Senate or Executive Council, recommend to the Senate for ratification and appointment all other committee members.
        4. The members of the Governance Committee shall be nominated by the Committee on Committees and approved by the Senate. The Governance Committee shall have as its general concern matters inclusive but not limited to faculty participation in university governance, including the creation of new academic units and the revision of this paper, and shall make recommendations to insure the participation of the faculty and the Faculty Senate in university governance.
        5. Members of the Faculty Status and Welfare Committee, two of whom may be selected from the faculty at large, shall be nominated by the Committee on Committees and approved by the Senate. The Faculty Status and Welfare Committee shall have as its general concern questions relating to the status and welfare of the faculty including faculty rights and privileges, duties, and rewards, and shall make recommendations to the Senate on all matters which affect the status and welfare of faculty members.
        6. Faculty members of the Undergraduate Education Policy Committee, two of whom may be selected from the faculty at large, shall be nominated by the Committee on Committees and approved by the Senate. One undergraduate student who has earned at least 20 hours in General Education courses shall represent the Undergraduate Student Government on this committee and shall vote only on Undergraduate Education Policy Committee business during committee meetings. This committee shall initiate, review, and make recommendations to the Faculty Senate on all matters which affect undergraduate education policy, e.g., graduation requirements, distribution of requirements, grade-point average requirements, curriculum (new or modified), General Education policy, procedures of student instruction and evaluation, review of courses and programs, and admission requirements.
        7. Members of the Budget Committee shall be nominated by the Committee on Committees and approved by the Senate. The Budget Committee shall have as its general concern all matters relating to faculty participation in university budgeting.
      3. Organization
        1. Members of standing committees must also be members of the Faculty Senate unless otherwise specified by the Faculty Senate or by this document.
        2. Committee members other than those elected to membership shall be appointed by the Senate for a renewable term of one year. Every effort should be made to provide for partial continuity on committees from year to year.
        3. Chairs of all standing committees must be members of the Senate, and they shall be elected, except for the Executive Council and the Elections Committee, by committee membership. Chairs of ad hoc committees shall be appointed by the Faculty Senate president.
        4. Each committee of the Senate shall formulate its own rules of procedure subject to the approval of the Senate.
        5. Each committee may create such subcommittees as may be desirable to accomplish its purposes.
        6. Referrals to committees may be made by the Senate president, subject to reversal by the Executive Council or the Senate.
    4. Meetings
      1. Regular and Special
        1. The Faculty Senate shall hold one regular meeting per month except the months of January, June, and August and except when the Faculty Senate votes to suspend a subsequent meeting. Unless, the Faculty Senate decides otherwise, the regular meetings will take place in the afternoon of the second Tuesday of each of the designated months.
        2. Special meetings may be called by the Faculty Senate president or by the Executive Council. A special meeting shall be called if requested in writing to the president or vice president by at least seven members of the Faculty Senate.
        3. The notice of special meeting shall contain the agenda of the meeting and no new business may arise unless it has the approval of a majority of the Senate.
        4. Except in cases of emergency, at least five days notice of a special meeting shall be given. The purpose of the meeting shall be stated in the call for the meeting and should be stated in the form of an agenda.
      2. Conduct of Meetings
        1. A majority of the elected members shall constitute a quorum.
        2. The latest version of Robert's Rules of Order shall prevail at each meeting, unless otherwise voted by a majority of the Faculty Senate.
        3. Members of a committee presenting a report to the Faculty Senate or individuals invited by the Faculty Senate president to make a presentation to the Faculty Senate shall have the privilege of full discussion relative to that agenda item.
        4. Meetings shall be open to members of all university constituencies. Meetings shall be open to others at the discretion of the president or the Executive Council or a majority of the Faculty Senate members present.
        5. Any member of the faculty may speak to the Faculty Senate on any agenda item provided that arrangements have been made with the Faculty Senate president in advance of the meeting. Such arrangements may include the stipulation of a time limit. Other visitors will be permitted to speak on the same basis at the discretion of the Faculty Senate president or a majority of the Faculty Senate members present.
        6. A policy matter shall not be voted on at the same meeting at which the matter is introduced except with the consent of a majority of the members of the Senate.
        7. Resolutions brought before the Faculty Senate for action may not be considered unless distributed to Senators at least five days prior to the meeting at which the resolution is to be presented. An exception may be made by a majority of the Faculty Senate present and voting.
      3. Agenda and Minutes
        1. The agenda of a regular meeting shall be circulated to members at least five days in advance of the meeting.
        2. The minutes of any regular meeting shall be submitted to the members of the Faculty Senate at least five days in advance of the next regular meeting.
        3. The minutes of any special meeting shall be submitted to the members of the Faculty Senate no later than two weeks following the meeting.
        4. Minutes which have been formally approved should be made available to the faculty no later than three weeks following the meeting.
  3. Amendment Process
    1. An amendment to this document shall require the approval of the majority of the members of the Faculty Senate and the approval of a majority of those faculty voting in a special referendum on the proposed amendment.
    2. Amendments may be submitted only during regular meetings of the Faculty Senate, and the Senate shall not vote on a proposed amendment until at least one regular meeting after the meeting at which the amendment was submitted.
    3. Approval by the Chancellor of SIUC is designated as necessary for the final approval of amendments to the Operating Paper of the Faculty and the Faculty Senate.