As Amended through January, 2007
ARTICLE I. MEETINGS
Section 1.
Scheduling of Meetings
a. Regular Meetings: Regular meetings of the Arts and Sciences Council shall be scheduled for every other Tuesday at 3:30 P.M., to alternate with Faculty Senate meetings. Meetings shall be held at least once a month.
b. Special Meetings: The Executive Committee, or in an emergency the Chair, shall have the authority to call special meetings. Council itself may provide for holding additional meetings. Also, five members of Council may call special meetings by a petition submitted to the Secretary of Council. Special meetings called by petition shall be held no later than ten days from the date of the filing of the petition with the Secretary. Members of the Faculty shall be given written notice of the meeting at least three days in advance of the meeting, and the notice shall cite the contents of the petition and the text of any proposals on which the Faculty is expected to act.
Section 2.
Quorum: A majority of the membership of Council shall constitute a quorum for transacting business.
Section 3.
Rules of Procedure: Except as otherwise provided herein, the basic rules of parliamentary procedure shall apply to the conduct of business. The chair shall appoint a parliamentarian.
Section 4.
Log and Agenda: The Secretary of Council shall maintain and distribute to Council members a log of proposed agenda items. The Executive Committee shall prepare the agenda for Council meetings and distribute it, together with the texts of any proposals upon which Council is expected to act, at least three days prior to the meeting. The Executive Committee may assign directly to a committee a proposed agenda item before it is placed on the agenda.
Section 5.
Order of Business: At regular meetings, the order of business shall be: (1) approval of the minutes; (2) unfinished business; (3) University reports and proposals; (4) College reports and proposals; (5) Council committee reports; and (6) new business. A motion to change the order of business shall be in order at any time and may be adopted by majority vote.
ARTICLE II. VOTING
Section 1.
Forms of Voting: Voting shall be by voice vote or by show of hands, unless a member shall request a record roll-call vote. If any member desires a secret ballot, he/she may request it of the Chair who, upon obtaining a simple majority vote, will conduct a secret ballot. A majority vote for a secret ballot shall take precedence over a request for a record roll-call vote.
Section 2.
Test Vote: At the request of any member the Chair shall test the sentiment of Council by asking for a voice vote or a show of hands on a proposal or question without calling for a vote on a pending motion.
Section 3.
Cloture: The motion to limit or close debate shall require an affirmative vote of two-thirds of those present.
Section 4.
Reconsideration: Any member may move to reconsider a motion whether he/she voted with the prevailing side or not.
Section 5.
Replacements:
a. In the event that any Council member cannot attend meetings for a semester: (1) a departmental representative should be replaced for that semester by another member of that department through departmental action; and (2) a representative elected at-large should be replaced for that semester by the next runner-up by the Executive Committee. Proxy votes will not be allowed in Council meetings.
b. In the event that a council member who represents a department is unable to attend a particular meeting, he or she shall select a colleague from the same department as a temporary substitute for that session. The situation shall be reported to the secretary orally or in writing. The substitute shall be entitled to vote. At-large Council members cannot use this procedure.
c. (1) Any member of the Arts and Sciences Council who misses three meetings in any one academic year will be informed that missing one further meeting will result in removal from Council and replacement for the remaining portion of that member's term.
(2) In case of departmental representatives, the department chair will be notified of the initial reminder and of the removal, should that be necessary.
(3) In case of student representatives, the Arts and Sciences caucus of the Student Senate will be notified of the initial reminder and of the removal, should that be necessary.
(4) In the case of at-large faculty members, the Committee on Elections will certify the runner-up in the relevant previous election as the new at-large representative to serve the remainder of the unexpired term of the member who was removed.
Section 6.
Vacancies: A vacancy in any at-large office under the elective supervision of Council shall be filled by the Executive Committee with the next eligible runner-up from the most recent election. The Chair shall announce the filling of any such vacancy to Council and to the chair of the body in which the vacancy has occurred. A vacancy in the Chair position shall be filled by the Vice Chair. Council will elect a new Vice Chair.
ARTICLE III. COMMITTEES
Section 1.
Designation: The designation for any committee created under the auspices of the Arts and Sciences Council shall be that of "Council Committee on ...."
Section 2.
Reporting: Council committees shall report directly to Council.
Section 3.
Membership: Normally, Council committees should be composed of members of Council only, but the Executive Committee of Council may appoint other faculty members of the College of Arts & Sciences to serve as voting members on Council committees when it deems it appropriate. Other persons from inside or outside the College of Arts & Sciences, faculty or non faculty, may be asked to meet with a committee or to give testimony, advice, or recommendations to a committee, but may not vote or participate in preparing the final report of the committee.
Section 4.
Types of Committees: There shall be three types of Council committees:
a. Executive Committee: An Executive Committee of seven shall be elected under the provisions of Article IV below.
b. Standing Committees: Standing committees are permanent ones, listed in the Rules.
c. Temporary Committees: Temporary committees are created for special or unique concerns that do not need continuing study. Their lifetimes shall not extend beyond the end of a Council year; if they are to continue beyond that time, they shall be reauthorized by the next Council.
Section 5.
Appointments: Appointments to standing and temporary committees and designation of chairs, as well as appointments to liaison positions with other committees or agencies of the University, shall be made by the Executive Committee. They shall be for the remainder of the Council year in which they are made; appointments or reappointments to liaison positions, standing committees, and reauthorized temporary committees shall be made anew in the following year.
Section 6.
Reports:
a. Progress Reports: Council Committees may be asked to present progress reports at the discretion of the Executive Committee.
b. Formal Reports: Formal reports by Council committees shall be distributed to all members along with the agenda for the meeting at which they will be considered. Formal reports shall consist of (1) the committee's recommendations for substantive action (when applicable), and (2) an explanation.
(1) Form of Reports: Committee reports shall be distributed to all Council members at least three days before meetings in the form in which Council is asked to adopt them. The names of those committee members who approved the recommendations during committee deliberations and who are prepared to support them during debate shall appear at the close of this section of the report.
(2) Substance of Reports: The explanation shall summarize the data compiled, the issues that arose during deliberations, and the manner in which each issue was resolved. The explanation should be so presented as to enable Council members to understand the basis of the recommendations. The list of the full committee membership shall be included, and the identity of those supporting the majority and minority reports shall be provided when applicable. The report shall include a statement indicating the number of sessions the committee held and list the non-committee members who assisted the committee in any manner.
(3) Minority Reports: Minority members who do not support the committee recommendations may submit minority reports, either individually or collectively. Minority reports likewise shall be distributed with the majority report, and in all respects shall follow the form prescribed for formal reports.
c. Style: The Secretary of the Arts and Sciences Council shall maintain a style sheet as a guide for preparing committee reports.
Section 7.
Standing Committees: The Arts and Sciences Council shall have the following standing committees with their respective charges:
a. Council Committee on Constitution and Rules: Council Committee on Constitution and Rules shall study and report on proposals to amend the Constitution of the College and the Rules of Council. It shall be responsible for the printing and distribution to the Faculty of amended versions of the Constitution and Rules.
b. Council Committee on Curriculum: Council Committee on Curriculum shall study and report on proposals to alter courses of instruction in the College, and related matters. The Assistant Dean for Student Services of the College shall be an ex-officio member of the committee.
c. Council Committee on Student Affairs: Council Committee on Student Affairs shall act as a liaison between the faculty, the College student government, and the administration on matters of common interest. It shall study and report on proposals pertaining to student life.
d. Council Committee on Elections: Council Committee on Elections shall provide and maintain a Handbook of Election Procedures. The committee shall administer the at-large elections of the College and certify the results to the Secretary of Council. The committee shall be responsible for making policy recommendations to Council concerning the holding of elections.
e. Council Commitee on Writing Across the Curriculum: Council Committee on Writing Across the Curriculum shall advise regarding policies for WAC courses, and shall approve new WAC courses and eliminate old ones when appropriate. Membership will consist of one Council member from each of the four divisions (Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences and the Arts). The Writing Center Director, the Director of the Composition Program, and the Director of Student Services, or their representatives, shall be ex-officio members of the committee.
ARTICLE IV. ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Section 1.
Chair, Vice Chair, Past Chair, Secretary
a. Election: Every member of Council shall be eligible for the position of Vice Chair, and Secretary, with nominations to be made from the floor. Each office shall be elected in a separate ballot. Election shall be by majority vote, with a run-off election to be held between the two leading candidates if a majority decision is not forthcoming on the first ballot. These two officers shall be members of the Executive Committee together with the Chair and Past Chair.
b. Succession of Chair: The Vice Chair of Council will automatically become the Chair of Council in the year succeeding his/her term as Vice Chair. The outgoing chair will remain on the Executive Committee as Past Chair. In case the Vice Chair has not been elected to Council for the terms of Chair and Past Chair, he/she shall remain on Council through those terms ex officio.
Section 2.
Additional Executive Committee Members: Every member of Council shall be eligible to serve as a member of the Executive Committee. Each of three positions shall be elected in a separate ballot. Election shall be by majority vote, with a run-off election to be held between the two leading candidates if a majority decision is not forthcoming on the first ballot.
ARTICLE V. COLLEGE ELECTIONS
Section 1.
At-Large Elections: Council shall supervise the following at-large elections of the College: The at-large membership of Council, the membership of the College Committee on Academic Personnel, and the Arts and Sciences membership of the Graduate Council.
Section 2.
Nomination and Elections: Separate nomination and election balloting shall be conducted for each of the above offices during the Spring Semester in accordance with the provisions of the Handbook of Election Procedures.
Section 3.
Re-eligibility for Re-election: A faculty representative elected at-large to any of the bodies specified in Section 1 above shall be ineligible for reelection to that office until one year has elapsed.
ARTICLE VI. AMENDMENT
The Rules of the Arts and Sciences Council may be amended by a two-thirds vote of Council.
2-20-07