By-Laws for Bristol Community College Faculty and Professional Staff
Senate
ARTICLE I: MISSION, FUNCTIONS & MEMBERSHIP
Mission
The name of the organization is the Bristol Community
College Faculty and Professional Staff Senate.
Its purpose will be to provide a deliberative body designed to promote
shared governance, transparency, collegiality, and mutual trust among
faculty and staff and administration.
Further, the Faculty and Professional Staff Senate will provide a forum
to enhance academic values and opportunities.
Functions
●
To advocate for all Faculty and Professional Staff
regarding matters outside of the collective bargaining agreement. Areas include but need not be limited to the
following:
○
Curriculum
○
Academic Standards
○
Degree and certificate completion
○
Assessment
○
Planning
○
Professional Development
○
Accreditation
○
Utilization of resources
●
To provide a liaison between Senate constituents and
administration
●
To share in college-wide decision making
●
To participate in the formulation and implementation of
policy directly impacting Senate constituents
●
To promote an open and honest community marked by
freedom of expression for all at the college
●
To act as a single, representative voice expressing
constituent views in college-wide discussions
Membership
Any employee
of Bristol Community College whose primary employment (more than 75 percent of
assigned hours) is as a faculty or professional staff member is a
“constituent.”
ARTICLE II:
GOVERNANCE
The
Senate shall be comprised of Senators elected from the constituent bodies from
the Academic Divisions of the College:
I, II, III, IV, V, VI, Lash Division, Advising, Enrollment Services, and
Student Services.
The Senate shall have an Executive Committee comprised of
the Senate officers.
Senators
Eligibility
By virtue of their membership in the Faculty and
Professional Staff Senate’s constituent groups, a person is eligible to be
nominated or to self-nominate and run for election to the Senate.
Nominations and Elections
The Executive Committee will receive names of nominees from
the constituent groups and present the nominees for election to the constituent
groups. All nominations are due by March
2.
Voting
For election of Senators, all members (all full-time and all
part-time faculty and professional staff as defined under “Membership,” above)
will be eligible to vote.
Number of Senators
The
number of Senators from each division will be 15 percent (or 20 percent) of the
total number of its constituents, with the following provisos:
●
Total
number of constituents will be based on the number of full-time faculty and
professional staff in the census, which will be conducted every three years.
●
For
Divisions 1-5: if the number of Senators from any of these divisions is below
“3,” then that division will have 3 Senators; if it is above “6,” then that
division will have 6 Senators. For Division 6, Advising, Lash Division, Enrollment
Services, and Student Services: if the number of Senators is below “1,” then
that division will have 1 Senator; if it is above “4,” then that division will
have 4 Senators.
●
A
majority of the number of Senators from each division will be full-time faculty
and professional staff. If a division
has 3 Senators, then 2 of the 3 Senators will be full-time constituents; if 4
Senators, 3 of the 4 will be full-time; if 5 Senators, then 3 of the 5 will be
full-time; if 6 Senators, then 4 of the 6 will be full-time.
●
If
there are not enough full- or part-time constituents to fill a division’s
nominating slots for Senators, then the vacant slots can be filled by any
combination of full- and part-time constituents. This is designed to facilitate full
representation.
Length of Service
A senator will be elected to one two-year term with the
possibility of election to a second two-year term; that is, two consecutive
two-year terms may be served.
In the event a Senator does not fulfill their term, the
Senator elected will complete that term. This one year will not be considered a
full term; that is, the Senator may now choose to continue for two full terms.
Following a one-term (two-year) break, a Senate constituent
member may re-apply for nomination for election to the senate. In the event that a Division does not have a
candidate to replace a Senator who has completed two consecutive terms,
the Executive Committee can recommend the
Division’s serving Senator for consideration by his/her Division as a candidate
for office to represent that Division.
Mechanism of Election
A closed-ballot vote will be held on or about April second.
Each constituent in each division will be eligible to vote
for the appropriate number of senators within his/her division during a period
designated as election period.
Constituents who work in more than one division may request
to vote in one of those divisions. They will vote in only one division.
Officers
The officers of the Senate shall be a President, Vice
President, and Secretary. The officers
of the Senate shall constitute an Executive Committee.
Officers must be elected senators. Candidates are nominated
by constituents. Candidates will be
elected by a simple majority of all constituents voting.
Terms of Senate Officers
Terms of office shall be two years. Officers may serve no more than two
consecutive two-year terms. A member may
serve again after being out of office for one term.
Senate Officer Vacancies and Leaves of Absence
An officer who is on leave or sabbatical from the college
may choose to fulfill his/her Senate duties or to resign.
Any necessary replacements will be appointed by the
Executive Committee. Acting as a temporary replacement will not count toward
the two consecutive two-year terms that an officer can serve before leaving
office.
Duties of Senate Officers
The President shall:
1.
Preside at all the regular and special Senate meetings.
2.
Communicate for the Senate with the college President
and administration.
3.
Determine the agenda for all meetings in advance along
with the Executive Committee. Represent the Senate at various College functions.
4.
Provide orientation for new Senators.
5.
Charge and appoint members to the Nominations Committee.
The Vice President shall:
1. Perform the duties of the President in
his/her absence.
2. Perform other duties as assigned by the
President.
3. Succeed the President in the event that
he/she is unable to serve out his/her term.
The Secretary shall:
1.
Issue reminders of Senate meetings to Senators and Senate
constituencies; when necessary, notify the Senate constituencies of special
meetings or special votes, including proposed and ratified amendments to these
By-Laws.
2.
Keep the minutes of all meetings of the Executive
Committee and the Senate and distribute said minutes to Senate constituencies.
3.
Record a list of members present at each meeting of the
Senate.
4.
Aid the President and Vice President with other
information dissemination and record keeping as may become necessary.
ARTICLE III: STANDING AND AD HOC COMMITTEES
Nominations Committee
Charge
Working closely with the
Secretary of the Senate, the Nominating Committee will prepare a slate of candidates for the Senate and for
Senate Officers no later than March 2nd
each year, delivering that slate to the President of the Senate by that
time. In preparing a slate of
candidates, the Committee will make every effort to include representation from
all campuses.
Members
The Nominations Committee
will be made up of four members, two of whom will be former senators and two
current senators. Members will be
appointed by the President of the Senate, who will also choose the Committee
chair.
Terms
Committee members will serve
a term of two years, with the possibility of one additional term, with the
Senate President’s approval.
Ad Hoc Committees
In addition, the Senate may vote to form ad hoc committees
for limited terms. All ad hoc committees will be
constituted for the length of one-year.
Committee charges will be reconsidered at a September meeting of the
Senate, at which time the Senate will vote to continue or end their work.
Process for Amendment of By-Laws
The By-Laws will be voted on once per year in the Fall
semester. In addition, the By-Laws can be amended according to the following
process.
1.
During any regular or special meeting, a constituent or
a senator may propose in writing an emendation to these By-Laws.
2.
The proposed amendment will be directed to the Officers and
other relevant Interest groups for consideration.
3.
The secretary will distribute the text of the amendment
to constituents for review.
4.
At the next Senate meeting which is at least four weeks
after the proposed amendment, the Senate will discuss the amendment. It is only
after this waiting period and discussion that a vote can be taken.
5.
Following the debate, a closed-ballot vote will be
taken of all present. A properly
annotated proxy vote will be acceptable during this closed-ballot vote.
6.
An amendment must be approved by a two-thirds vote of
the Senate.
ARTICLE
IV: MEETINGS
The Executive Committee and the Senate shall each meet
monthly during the academic year.
Special meetings will be called as needed.
Process for Conducting All
Meetings
The Faculty and Professional Staff Senate promotes collegial
discussion and debate; it encourages members and visitors to speak openly,
listen actively and respect the confidentiality of those willing to share their
opinions. To minimize the need to time
the comments or questions of the discussants, the Senate requests that members
and visitors self-monitor. The Senate is
dedicated to working actively to achieve results.
1.
The presiding officer will call the meeting to order.
2.
A majority of Senators (more than 50%) from four of the
seven divisions plus two of the three officers will be necessary for a QUORUM
during regular or special Senate meetings.
3.
An agenda and minutes of the previous meeting will be
distributed in advance of the meeting. Discussion will follow the set agenda
unless agreed by Senators present at the meeting. The presiding officer will
recognize individual members and constituents to speak on topic. Motions will
be voted on and ratified or denied by voice vote or closed ballot, as
appropriate.
Voting
A majority of Senators (one more than 50 percent of the
total number of Senators present) carry the motion.
If a quorum of senators is
not present, or if a quorum approves, an electronic vote may be
conducted. As with face-to-face voting, a majority of Senators (at least
51 percent) carries the motion in electronic tabulation.
Attendance
It is expected that elected BCC Senators shall attend all senate meetings, whether regular or
specially called. In the event that an
absence cannot be avoided, a Senator will designate a member of his/her
Division as a substitute; if this is not possible, said Senator will contact
the Senate Secretary and the absence will be declared an “excused
absence.” Should a Senator accrue two unexcused absences in a single academic
year, the Secretary will notify the Executive Committee which may appoint a
temporary replacement from the affected division; this temporary replacement
will serve the remainder of the term.
Executive Session
Executive Sessions will be called based on the sensitivity
of an issue. An Executive Session may be
called when the Executive Committee (by a majority vote) deems a particular
matter to be of a sensitivity that demands an Executive Session.
Special Meetings
A Special Meeting may be called when the Executive Committee
(by a majority vote) deems a particular matter to be of importance to the
members of the Faculty and Professional Staff Senate.
The purpose of the Special Meeting will be for examination
of a particular issue or concern that is being considered at the college, the
examination of which cannot wait until the next regularly scheduled Senate
meeting.
GLOSSARY
“Constituent,” as noted in this document, will hereafter be
any employee of Bristol Community College whose primary employment (more than
75 percent of assigned hours) is as a faculty or professional staff member.
“Divisions,” as noted in this document, will hereafter be
the Bristol Community College Academic Division: I, II, III, IV, V,
VI, Lash Division, Advising, Enrollment Services, and Student Services.
“Non-Represented
Groups” will refer to those groups invited to designate and send a liaison to
regularly scheduled Senate meetings.
These groups will include but will not necessarily be limited to
administration, AFSCME, student government, and non-unit personnel.
“Proxy ballot,” as noted in this document, will hereafter
denote an official form devised by the Executive Committee to record the vote
of a constituent who is unable to attend a meeting. A proxy ballot might contain either
permission for a present constituent to vote in place of an absent one or a
statement of how the absent
constituent would vote if present.
“Senators,” as noted in this document, will hereafter be the
term used to designate those representing the Senate’s constituent groups.
Approved October 5, 2015
