Faculty Senate Bylaws

I. Meetings
II. Duties of Faculty Senate Members
III. Parliamentary Authority

IV. Amendment Procedure
V. Committee Organization

The Faculty of Fayetteville State University, in concert with the Chancellor, adopts and implements the Bylaws of the Faculty Senate in accordance with Section 502 D (2) of the Code of the University of North Carolina. As such, these bylaws govern the manner in which the Faculty Senate shall conduct its business.

I.Meetings

A.Regular Faculty Senate Meetings

Quorum
1. A quorum shall consist of more than one half of the Senate members.
2. When a meeting cannot be held or must adjourn because the quorum needed to conduct business is not present, a formal roll call shall be entered in the minutes.
Order of Business
1. The Order of Business for each regular meeting shall be prepared by the Executive Committee.
2. Any member of the Senate may submit an item for consideration for the Order of Business through a written request to the Secretary of the Faculty Senate not less than two weeks prior to the Executive Committee meeting.
3. The Executive Committee shall meet no less than one week prior to each regular Faculty Senate meeting to prepare the Order of Business. Items will be placed on the Order of Business by a majority vote of the Executive Committee.
4. An item may be added to or deleted from the Order of Business by a two-thirds majority vote of the Faculty Senate.
5. The Order of Business of regular meetings shall include, but is not limited to the following:
  1. Call to Order
  2. Roll Call
  3. Approval of Minutes
  4. Adoption of Order of Business
  5. Remarks/Report of the Chair of the Senate
  6. Remarks/Report of the Chancellor and/or Provost
  7. Report of the Faculty Assembly Delegates
  8. Committee Reports
  9. Unfinished Business
  10. New Business (presentations, visitors, etc.)
  11. Good of the Order
  12. Announcements
Order of Business – Order of Business, notices, and minutes of Senate meetings shall be disseminated to the general faculty, the administration, Staff Senate, and student representatives of the Faculty Senate.
Conduct of Business
1. In order to act on Order of Business items, a quorum must be present. In the absence of a quorum, Order of Business items shall be presented as information only.
2. Unresolved Order of Business items shall be referred to the Executive Committee for subsequent action.
3. When a committee recommendation is in consideration, the chair of the committee making the recommendation, or his/her designated representative, must be present. When reporting to the Senate, committee chairs or their representative will have the consent of the Senate to speak during the debate concerning that report.
4. Non-Senators are invited to attend meetings of the Faculty Senate and have a voice, but they may not vote on matters brought before the Faculty Senate (See Article IX, Section I).
Voting
1. Voting in the Senate shall be either by voice vote, by division of the members (e.g., by show of hands), or by written ballot. When a vote is by written ballot, the Chair of the Faculty Senate or a presiding officer (when appropriate) shall appoint two tellers, and the record of the vote shall be announced by the Chair or the presiding officer and entered into the minutes. At the request of a member and with concurrence of a majority of Senators present within an established quorum, a roll-call vote shall be taken and entered immediately following the meeting at which the vote took place.
2. The presiding officer shall vote only in case of a tie.
3. All elections of officers within the Senate shall be by secret, written ballot, and the presiding officer shall appoint tellers for each election.
4. After the teller’s report is read into the minutes by the Chair, the teller shall give the ballots to the Secretary for filing until the next regular meeting, after which the ballots will be destroyed.
Closed Session
1. Closed sessions may be conducted by a majority of the Executive Officers.
2. Closed sessions are only permitted for reasons outlined in the University’s Open Meeting Policy.

B.Special Faculty Senate Meetings

All of the provisions of Article I, Section A above shall pertain to Special Meetings, except for 2a, 2b, and 2d. The Order of Business for a Special Meeting shall be specified by the person(s) requesting the meeting.

II.Duties of Faculty Senate Members

Faculty Senate members are expected to attend all meetings of the Faculty Senate, to participate in its deliberations, and to report periodically about the Faculty Senate’s actions to the members of their respective departments. After missing three or more meetings in one academic year, at the discretion of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, a Senator may be referred to their department.

III.Parliamentary Authority

The most current revised edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall be the source of parliamentary authority for all Faculty Senate meetings and those of auxiliary bodies, unless the formulations contained in this work conflict with the Faculty Governance Document, Senate Bylaws, or the University Code.

IV.Amendment Procedure

Amendments to the Bylaws shall require a two-thirds vote of the Senators present at a regular or special meeting of the Senate. Amendments may be proposed by any member of the Senate. Such proposals shall be submitted in writing to the Governance Committee and shall be reported upon by that committee no later than the next regular meeting. The proposed amendment shall be distributed to Senators at least one week prior to the meeting in which the amendment proposal is to be acted upon.

V.Committee Organization

A.Types of Committees

Executive Committee – The administrative committee within the Faculty Senate, which is made up of the Faculty Senate Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Parliamentarian, Provost/Vice Chancellor, Standing Committee Chairs, the Senate Student Affairs Liaison, the Senate University Budget Liaison, and the immediate past Faculty Senate Chair. The chair of each standing committee and the Senate Liaisons are selected from the Senate membership by the chair of the Faculty Senate.
Standing Committees – These are committees required by the Senate to fulfill its purposes as stated in Article 1, Section 2 of the Charter of Faculty Governance Document. Committee chairs are selected by the Faculty Senate Chair. The committees report to and make recommendations directly to the Senate. These committees are:
1. Academic Affairs Committee
2. Faculty Affairs Committee
3. Governance Committee
4. Information Technology and Telecommunications Services Committee
Autonomous Committees – The mandates for these committees supersede the provisions of Article 1, Section 2 of the Faculty Governance Document in that these committees report to and make recommendations directly to the Chancellor. These committees may report to and make recommendations to the Faculty Senate on matters not pertaining to a particular faculty member’s challenge to an employment decision. Members are elected from and by the general faculty. These committees are the Faculty Grievance Committee and the Hearing and Reconsideration Committee. In order to maintain compliance with policies and/or state and federal regulations, these committees may seek advice from the Office of Legal Affairs and the Faculty Senate on matters related to procedures.
1. Membership Selection – Members of these committees are elected from and by the full voting faculty. These committees shall consist of one representative from each college, and one full professor, two associate professors at large, and one alternate to serve in the absence of a committee quorum. Only tenured faculty members may serve on these committees. No officer of the administration shall serve on these committees. “Office of the administration” in this context includes department chairs and school associate deans. Elections of members to these committees shall be conducted annually by the Faculty Senate. Nominations should come from the general faculty, excluding those faculty deemed administrators.
2. Term of Office – Members will serve three-year, staggered terms. No members shall serve more than two consecutive terms. No member shall serve simultaneously on two or more autonomous committees. For the first election only, at-large members and alternates of these committees will be elected for one-year terms. Office terms will begin the first day of the fall semester.
Ad Hoc Committee – An Ad Hoc committee is convened to perform a specific task for the Faculty Senate. When the objective is complete, the committee will be dissolved.
University Administrative Committees and Councils/Committees – It is expected that the following committees consult the Faculty Senate whenever their duties or actions pertain to any of the areas specified by Article I, Section 2 of the Charter of Faculty Governance.

B.General Provisions

Senate Committees
1. Membership Selection – All members of the Faculty Senate committees will be selected from either the Senate membership or the general faculty. The chairs of the committees must be Faculty Senators.
2. Term of Office – The Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs is a permanent member of the Executive Committee. The Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Parliamentarian, chairs of the Faculty Senate standing committees, the Senate Student Affairs Liaison, the Senate University Budget Liaison, and the immediate past Faculty Senate chair are members of the Executive Committee and will serve for three years or until the expiration of their respective, current terms.
Faculty Committees of the Senate
1. Membership Selection – Criteria for membership on these committees shall be established with approval of the Faculty Senate. Each senator must be a member of at least one faculty committee of the Senate.
2. Term of Office – Committee members will serve three-year, staggered terms. No person should serve more than two consecutive terms on any one committee. Office terms will begin on the first day of the fall semester.

C.Conduct of Business (See Article V of the Charter of Faculty Governance)

The chair of each committee shall convene the committee no later than September 30. The Faculty Senate Chair shall select a Senator to serve as chair. The purpose of the meetings is to review the committee’s responsibilities and determine the conduct of committee business.
The number of members needed to conduct business shall be at least 51% of the membership of the committee.
Non-members of the committee may attend committee meetings, and, with the consent of the chair, may speak, but may not vote.
All committees may form subcommittees.

D.Description of Duties of Committees

Senate Committees – See Article VII of the Charter of Faculty Governance
Faculty Committees of the Senate:
1. Academic Affairs Committee – Duties of this committee are:
  1. To review and make recommendations regarding all curricular reform.
  2. To review and make recommendations regarding policies and procedures that pertain to academic standards, as the grading and attendance policies.
  3. To review and make recommendations regarding the policies and procedures of units within the university that affect academic affairs, such as the Bookstore or the Library.
  4. To review and make recommendations regarding the long-range planning efforts of the university as they pertain to academic affairs.
  5. To review the budget-making process and the budgetary support of various academic programs and to recommend changes, when deemed necessary, in specific components of the above.
  6. To monitor and recommend guiding policies and procedures related to: student recruitment, financial aid, academic scholarships, registration, admission of freshmen and transfer students, evaluation of transfer students, transcripts, student advisement, retention of students, and athletic programs.
2. Governance Committee – Duties of this committee are:
  1. To mediate disputed interpretations of the Faculty Governance Document or Senate Bylaws.
  2. To review, and recommend amendments of, the Faculty Governance Document or Senate Bylaws.
  3. To review all policies and procedures that pertain to university governance and to recommend policies and procedures that ensure and increase the role of the faculty in university governance.
  4. To review and recommend policies and procedures for the production, collation, review, dissemination, and editing of the Faculty Handbook.
3. Faculty Welfare Committee– Duties of this committee are as follows:
  1. To identify and make recommendations involving support of faculty in teaching, research, and service.
  2. To monitor and make recommendations to ensure due process in making decisions affecting faculty.
  3. To review and make recommendations regarding issues affecting faculty, including but not limited to employment, benefits, salary, professional concerns, collegial grievances, and work environment.
  4. To review and recommend policies regarding the use of comprehensive evaluations in determining salary increases, promotion, and tenure
  5. To ensure uniformity and fairness in the interpretation of evaluation forms.
  6. To plan and make recommendations for workshops and other development activities in conformity with perceived faculty needs.
  7. To review and make recommendations regarding policies and procedures for awarding Faculty Improvement Funds, and all other resource allocations for faculty development and professional activities.
  8. To review and oversee the annual administration of the evaluations of the Provost and Academic Deans.
  9. To review all existing evaluation forms and procedures pertaining to faculty evaluation of administrators and to recommend changes, when needed, in these forms and procedures.
4. Information Technology and Telecommunications Committee– The duty of this committee is to identify faculty information and technology needs and to make appropriate recommendations.
Autonomous Committees
1. Faculty Grievance Committee – The purpose of the grievance process is to provide current members of the faculty a means by which to redress matters concerning employment related grievances other than those involving decisions pertaining to reappointment, the conferral of tenure, discharge, imposition of serious sanctions, termination, or those within the jurisdiction of another standing committee. As a prerequisite to accessing the formal grievance process outlined in Section 607 of the Code and Section VIII of the Fayetteville State University Tenure and Promotion Policies, Regulations and Procedures, a faculty member must utilize the mediation process delineated in Fayetteville State University’s (“University”) Mediation Policy for Faculty and EPA Non-Faculty Employees. Following the termination of mediation for any reason other than a settlement, the faculty member will have twenty (20) days to petition the Grievance Committee for redress.The Grievance Committee is authorized to hear representations by individuals directly involved in a grievance, and to advise on adjustments to administrators, when appropriate. The role of the Grievance Committee is not intended to second-guess the professional judgment of officers and colleagues responsible for making administrative decisions. More information about this process can be accessed HERE
2. Hearing and Reconsideration Committee – A decision not to reappoint a faculty member may be made for any reason that is not an impermissible reason. The purpose of reviewing decisions not to reappoint is not to second-guess professional judgments based on permissible considerations, but to determine whether the decision was based on considerations that the university considers to be impermissible. Decisions based upon (1) the faculty member’s exercise of rights guaranteed by either the First Amendment to the United States Constitution or Article I of the North Carolina Constitution; (2) discrimination based upon the faculty member’s race, gender, religion, age, national origin; disability as defined by law, or honorable service in the armed services of the United States or (3) personal malice are considered to be impermissible. Hearings in non-reappointment cases serve several important purposes. The primary purpose of the hearing is to give the faculty member (hereafter,” Petitioner”) the opportunity to prove his or her contention that the decision not to reappoint was impermissibly based. Conversely, the hearing provides an opportunity for the decision maker, (hereafter, “Respondent”) to answer the Petitioner’s allegations. Another important purpose of the hearing is to create a record of testimony and documentary evidence for review by the parties, and the Board of Governors, should the Petitioner seek further review of the non-reappointment decision. The role of the Hearing and Reconsideration Committee (hereinafter, “HRC”) is to create a clear, permanent record of the evidence presented at the hearing and to advise the chancellor whether or not the faculty member has demonstrated, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the decision not to reappoint the faculty member was based in significant part on an impermissible reason. The Chancellor has final administrative responsibility for deciding the issue, with the assistance of the faculty committee. The HRC’s role is not to “second-guess” the professional judgment of administrators and colleagues responsible for making the non-reappointment decision. In other words, the HRC does not reexamine the merits of the faculty member’s candidacy. Its sole function is to determine if the decision was based on one of the three impermissible grounds. More information about this process can be found HERE.

E.Faculty Assembly Delegates/Representatives

Representation in the Faculty Assembly is apportioned among the constituent institutions of the University of North Carolina (UNC) with regard to the number of full-time faculty and professional staff members in the service of each institution. Currently, FSU is a three -delegate institution. Therefore, the Fayetteville State University faculty elect two (2) delegates and one (1) alternate to the UNC Faculty Assembly. The Faculty Senate Chair is also a delegate to the Faculty Assembly. The term of office is three (3) years. Specific requirements regarding term length and number are governed by the bylaws of the Faculty Assembly. The Faculty Senate is responsible for the process of election of the FSU Faculty Assembly delegates. The delegates are expected to make periodic reports to the Faculty Senate.

F.University Administrative Committees and Councils/Committees of the Chancellor

Duties of these committees are assigned by the Chancellor.

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