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.”
Non-represented groups will be invited to designate and send
a liaison to regularly scheduled Senate meetings. These groups will include, but are not
limited to, Administration, AFSCME, Student Government, and Non-unit Personnel.
ARTICLE II: GOVERNANCE
The Senate itself shall be comprised of Senators
elected from the constituent bodies: the
Academic Divisions of the College: I,
II, III, IV, V, VI; and Division VII, which shall be comprised of members of
the Professional Staff not affiliated with one of the six Academic Divisions.
The Senate shall have an Executive Committee comprised of the
Senate officers. and the Chairs of the Senate standing committees.
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 and By-Laws
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 5 percent
of the total number of its constituents, with the following provisos:
●
If the number of Senators from any division is below
“3,” then that division will have 3 Senators.
If the number of Senators from any division is above “6,” then that
division will have 6 Senators.
●
Total number of constituents will be based on the
number of full- and part-time faculty and professional staff in the previous
Fall semester. census, which will be conducted every three years.
●
Because full-time faculty and professional staff have
a commensurate full-time investment in the institution, 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 Senate
as a body 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
The Nominations, Elections and By-Laws Committee will oversee A
closed-ballot vote which will be held on or about April second.
There will be one ballot provided for each constituent,
stating the numbers of the divisions, names of nominees (with space for
write-ins) in each division, and number of Senators allowed for each division.
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.
Each constituent will get one ballot and may file a ballot in
person in the place designated or via an absentee ballot.
Each constituent will designate a President, Vice-President,
and Secretary. Ballots cast with
excessive votes will be deemed void.
Officers
The officers of the Senate shall be a President, Vice
President, and Secretary. The officers
of the Senate, along with the chairpersons or designees of all Senate
standing committees, 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 with advice from the affected division. 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
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 and XXX Senate Interest Groups and forward agenda items
to the Secretary for preparation and distribution
4.
Represent the Senate at various College functions
5.
Write an informational letter to members of the Senate at the beginning
of the fall and spring semester.
6.
Publish dates and times of Senate meetings for the academic year,
September through the end of May, by September 15th.
7.
Serve as the Faculty and Professional Staff Senate liaison on
President’s Council, Dean’s Council, Board of Trustees (The Senate President
may designate the Vice-President or Secretary as such a liaison in his or her
stead.)
5. Provide orientation for new
Senators.
The Vice
President shall:
1.
Perform the duties of the President in his/her absence
2.
Preside at all meetings of the Executive Committee
3.
Perform other duties as assigned by the President
4.
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.
Carry on the correspondence of the Senate under the aegis of the
President
4.
Prepare and distribute all meeting agendas
5 3. Record a list of members present at each
meeting of the Senate
6. 4. Aid the President and Vice President with
other information dissemination and record keeping as may become necessary
.
ARTICLE III: STANDING COMMITTEES SENATE INTEREST
GROUPS
The mission and purpose of the Senate Interest Groups is to
have each Senator decide one area of special interest in addition to
representing their division. The Interest Groups will recommend agenda items to
the Senate Executive Committee, report as needed at Senate Meetings, and serve
as advisors to the Executive Committee.
The Senate Interest Groups and their missions are:
●
Campuses and Centers: practices and equity of offerings
and services of all locations including eLearning
●
Curriculum and Academic Standards: practices and policies
●
Diversity: diversity of faculty and staff, curriculum
and extra curricular activities
●
Faculty and Staff Support and Services: resources and
tools for faculty and staff including classrooms and offices and other spaces,
tools and technology and professional development
●
Governance: practices and policies
●
Human Resources: practices and policies
●
Planning and Assessment: practices and policies that
affect academics including planning grants and other new projects, assessment
for improvement
●
Senate Affairs and Activities: all Senate activities
including but not limited to elections, by-laws, assessment and special events.
●
Student Support and Services: practices and policies
that affect academic performance
including orientation and advisement, resources for learning,
In addition, the Senate may vote to form ad hoc committees
for limited terms. All ad hoc committees will be reconsidered at a September
meeting of the Senate, at which time the Senate will vote to continue or end
their work.
Each standing committee will be
responsible for nominating and electing its own officers, as well as for
creating any necessary subcommittees and appointing members to the
subcommittees. Subcommittee members will
be selected from among the Senate constituents.
Each standing committee will meet at least twice per
semester, will record minutes at each meeting, and will report meeting minutes,
recommendations, and resolutions to the Executive Committee, unless otherwise
stipulated elsewhere in this document.
A chair of a Se[2] nate
standing committee who is on leave or sabbatical may choose to fulfill his/her
duties or resign. Any necessary
replacements will be appointed by the Executive Committee, with advice from
members of the affected standing committee.
Excluding the Executive Committee, each standing
committee will consist of between three to seven members.
A) EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE
The Executive Committee will consist of the Faculty and
Professional Staff Senate Officers and the chairpersons of all Senate standing
committees. The Committee will have a
liaison on the BCC President’s Council, Dean’s Council and the Board of
Trustees who is either the Senate President, Vice President or Secretary. In addition, the Committee will receive
minutes and recommendations from all Senate standing committees; review
resolutions forwarded by the Senate standing committees and amend or approve
them before referring them to the full Senate; develop and charge ad hoc
committees when necessary; carry on Faculty and Professional Staff Senate
business between Senate meetings; call special meetings, and oversee any
financial responsibilities which may arise.
B) ACADEMIC
POLICY COMMITTEE
Members of the
Academic Policy Committee (APC) will serve as liaisons to each of the
College-wide standing committees. These APC liaisons will introduce themselves
and, further, will make themselves available to their specified committees
should the committees or their chairs have questions or concerns, or should
they request the support of their Senate APC liaisons.
When called to work with College-wide standing
committees, Senate liaisons will report the results of their collaborations to
the Academic Policy Committee chair who will forward to the Executive Committee
any appropriate concerns.
C) NOMINATIONS, ELECTIONS, AND BY-LAWS COMMITTEE
The Nominations, Elections, and By-Laws Committee oversees
the entire Senate Nominations and Elections process.
Regarding the Bylaws, the Committee meets whenever there is a
request for an amendment to the Senate Bylaws; or every three years; or at the
request of the Executive Committee.
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 By-Laws Committee Senate Affairs and Activities and other
relevant Interest groups for consideration.
3. The secretary
will distribute the text of the ammendment to constituents for review.
4. At the next Senate meeting which is at least four weeks
after the proposed ammendment, the Senate will discuss the ammendment. It is
only after this waiting period and discussion that a vote can be taken.
for dissemination to the constituency (Text of the proposed
changes to be made available to the constituency for comment four weeks prior
to the anticipated vote); and for eventual presentation at a subsequent Senate
meeting where it will be debated by the Senate.
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.
2. 6. An
amendment must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the Senate, in accordance
with Roberts’ Rules.
D) AD HOC
Ad hoc committees are developed and charged by the Executive
Committee.
ARTICLE IV:
MEETINGS
The Executive Committee and the Senate shall each meet
monthly during the academic year.
Standing committees will meet at least twice a semester.
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.
Fifteen Senators 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. Senate committees and
standing committees will set their own policies for quorum.
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.
4.
Copies of the minutes of the previous meeting will be
distributed.
5.
Minutes will be read, discussed and accepted or
accepted with revisions.
6.
An agenda will be distributed for the meeting. The agenda will include reports made by
officers, standing committees, ad hoc committees, plus old business and new
business.
7.
Discussion will follow the set agenda. The presiding officer will recognize individual
members who will speak on topic. Motions
will be voted on and ratified or denied by voice vote or secret ballot, as
appropriate.
8.
Unless otherwise stated in these By-Laws, Robert’s Rules of Order shall apply to
all meetings of the Faculty and Professional Staff Senate, its committees and
its subcommittees. An appointed
Parliamentarian will aid the President in conducting regular and special Senate
meetings.
Voting
A majority of Senators (one more than 50 percent of the
total number of Senators present) carry the motion.
Attendance
It is expected that elected BCC Senators shall attend all senate meetings, whether regular or
specially called. In the event that an
absence can not 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 will 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 and in accordance with Roberts’ Rules. 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 can not wait until the next regularly scheduled Senate
meeting.
ARTICLE V: ADOPTION, RATIFICATION AND
INITIAL
COMPOSITION
Adoption and Ratification
These Faculty and Professional Staff Senate By-Laws will
be ratified by a simple majority vote of those Senate constituents voting in
secret ballot.
First
Senate Meeting
Once the semester following the ratification of the Faculty
and Professional Staff Senate’s By-Laws has begun, a meeting will be called
with the intent of electing Senators.
All constituents will be invited to the meeting by e-mail as
well as by hard copy, and prior to the meeting, names of potential Senators
will be sent by constituents through e-mail or by hard copy to the person who
issued the invitation. Nominations from
the floor will be accepted.
During the meeting, the names of nominees will be listed by
division for all to see. If there are too
many nominees in any one division, the constituents in attendance will vote by
paper ballot to insure that the appropriate number of Senators is elected per
division. Constituents will vote within divisions, and will
designate their choices for President, Vice President and Secretary at this
time. Two constituents will tabulate and
announce the results.
Senators will next indicate their committee preferences;
in the event that many Senators are interested in the same committees, they
will work out among themselves an even membership on the committees.
Committees will then meet for the first time in order to
select chairs and plan their next meeting.
To ensure a
rotating membership, near the end of the Faculty and Professional Staff
Senate’s first academic year, a drawing will be held among Senators and one
half of the Senators serving will be replaced by election. The remaining half will serve for a second
academic year, after which these will come up for election. Following this two-year period, all elected
Senators will serve two-year terms.[3]
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
Divisions I—VI, with the designation “Division VII” used to refer to members of
the Professional Staff not affiliated with one of the six Academic Divisions.
“Liaisons” hereafter will designate those persons who will
serve as key contacts between and among various groups within the college
governance structure, including both Senators and Members of Non-Represented
Groups.
“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.
