APPENDIX A
RULES OF ORDER FOR GENERAL FACULTY MEETINGS AND FOR FACULTY SENATE MEETINGS
A.1 Meeting Schedules
A.1.1 Regularly Scheduled Meetings General faculty meetings will be held: (1) August – beginning of the academic year (2) April – end of the academic year. Regular Faculty Senate meetings shall be held on the first Wednesday of each month during the academic year. Senators and the Faculty President should not arrange to teach classes on Wednesday nights.
A.1.2 Special General Faculty Meetings Special General Faculty meetings may be called by the President of the University or the Dean of the Faculty; at least three days notice in writing shall always be given, except that the President or the Dean may call an emergency meeting at any time to deal with a specific issue. Such an emergency meeting shall have plenary powers but shall not be bound by the rules on order of business. Submission of a petition with the signatures of ten members of the faculty above the rank of instructor representing five or more departments shall be sufficient for a General meeting of the faculty to be called. Any action of the Faculty Senate may be debated at such meeting, subject to the requirements contained in A.3.3. The rulings of the General Faculty at these meetings will be final, subject to approval by the Board of Visitors.
A.2 Membership
A.2.1 General Faculty Meeting Membership All Full-time Instructional Faculty shall be voting members of the General Faculty meetings.
A.2.2 Faculty Senate Meeting Membership Any member of the full-time, instructional faculty may serve as a senator regardless of rank. The Faculty President must be tenured and at the rank of associate professor or higher. If elected as a senator or as Faculty President, a faculty member must relinquish any position currently held on a faculty standing committee and is prohibited from serving on any standing committee while serving as senator or Faculty President, with the exception of the Budget Advisory Committee. Attendance at Faculty Senate meetings is open to all faculty, and all faculty may speak when recognized by the Faculty President although only senators or their substitutes may vote. The complete agenda and minutes for each meeting of the Faculty Senate will be provided to all faculty.
A.2.3 Faculty Senators All faculty senators, with the exception of the President-Elect, will serve one-year terms with years corresponding to the academic year; senators may serve unlimited, consecutive terms. Senate members may be removed from office for cause at the prerogative of their department (or the faculty in the case of the President-Elect and the Faculty President). A total of twenty-five (25) faculty senators are elected from the academic departments and three at-large seats, as follows:
A.2.3.1 Academic Departments Each of the twenty-two academic departments may elect a faculty senator on an annual basis. However, for any academic year a department may decline to elect a faculty senator by notifying the Faculty Organization Committee of its intent prior to the election of at-large senators in the spring semester. In that case, an additional at-large senator seat will be elected by the faculty. If a faculty senator representing one of the academic departments resigns or is removed for cause during the middle of a term, the department will elect a replacement and inform the FOC and the Faculty President. If the department is unable to elect a replacement, they must inform the FOC and the Faculty President. The FOC will then conduct a special election for an additional at-large senator, to be elected by the faculty, who will complete the remainder of the vacated term.
A.2.3.2 At-Large Seats The faculty will elect two at-large senator seats as well as any additional at-large seats created by department declination as specified above. The President-Elect will serve as an at-large senator until installed as Faculty President.
A.2.4 Officers of the Faculty Senate
A.2.4.1 Faculty President The Faculty President must have attained the rank of associate professor or above with tenure. The Faculty President will serve a two-year term. The Faculty President will also serve as the BOV/SCHEV representative. The Faculty President is a non-voting member of the Faculty Senate, except in the case of a Faculty Senate tie vote. In the event of a tie, the Faculty President will cast the deciding vote.
A.2.4.2 President-Elect The faculty will elect a President-Elect from among its members every other spring semester. The President-Elect must have attained the rank of associate professor or above with tenure. If the in-coming President-Elect is already a department senator, FOC will request the department to elect a replacement. The President-Elect will serve a two-year term. The President-Elect will serve as an at-large senator until installed as Faculty President with the same membership and voting privileges as the other Faculty Senators. The President-Elect will also serve as the Faculty Senate of Virginia representative. Candidates for the position of President-Elect may also run for Secretary of the Faculty or for one of the other at-large senator seats, but the ballots will be counted in the order of President-Elect, then Secretary of the Faculty, then at-large senator. Once elected, a faculty member’s name is not further considered and subsequent votes for him or her are not included in the count of votes cast for Secretary of the Faculty or for at-large senator.
A.2.4.3 Secretary The faculty will elect a Secretary of the Faculty from among its members every other spring semester. If the in-coming Secretary is already a department senator, FOC will request the department to elect a replacement. The Secretary will serve a two-year term. The Secretary is not a voting member of the Faculty Senate. The Secretary of the Faculty may also run for President-Elect or for one of the other at-large senator seats, but the ballots will be counted in order of President-Elect, then Secretary of the Faculty, then at-large senator. Once elected, a faculty member’s name is not further considered and subsequent votes for him or her are not included in the count of votes cast for at-large senator. In the absence of the Secretary, the presiding officer shall appoint a substitute pro tempore. In preparing minutes of the Faculty Senate meetings, the Secretary/Archivist will work with the Faculty President. In the formulation and implementation of measures passed by the Faculty Senate or the General Faculty involving changes to the Faculty Handbook, the Secretary of the Faculty will work with the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs.
A.2.4.4 Parliamentarian By the fall of each year, the Faculty President solicits nominations for a Faculty Senate Parliamentarian. The Parliamentarian may or may not be a member of the Faculty Senate. The Faculty Senate elects a Parliamentarian from the nominations. The Parliamentarian will serve a one-year term as Parliamentarian of both the General Faculty and the Faculty Senate.
A.3 Meetings of the General Faculty
A.3.1 Meeting Rules Meetings of the General Faculty shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order.
A.3.2 General Faculty Meeting Chair The Dean of the Faculty shall normally preside at General Faculty meetings and will rule on the disposition of motions. In the absence of the Dean, the President of the University will designate the presiding officer. The President may also assume the chair at any time.
A.3.3 Business of the General Faculty The business of the general faculty is: (1) to hold Faculty Senate elections and Committee elections in the spring; (2) to debate and vote on Faculty Senate actions of concern; (3) to approve degree candidates for graduation; and (4) at the April meeting or at any special meeting held between the August and April meetings of the General Faculty, at which a quorum is present, measures approved by the Faculty Senate during the year may be rejected by a simple majority vote of full-time, instructional faculty. Notice of intent to reject measures approved by the Faculty Senate at a regularly scheduled or special meetings of the General Faculty must be set forth in a formal motion and set forth in the applicable agenda packet, in order to give all faculty members equal opportunity to attend the meeting and vote.
A.3.4 Committee of the Whole The entire body of the meeting shall be a Committee of the Whole.
A.3.5 Quorum Seventy-five members of the general faculty, representing at least ten departments, shall be a quorum for the transaction of business. A smaller number may only adjourn.
A.4 Meetings of the Faculty Senate
A.4.1 Meeting Rules Faculty Senate meetings shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order.
A.4.2 Faculty Senate Meeting Chair The Faculty President shall normally preside at Faculty Senate meetings and will rule on the disposition of motions. In the absence of the Faculty President, the President-Elect will preside.
A.4.3 Business of the Faculty Senate Faculty Senate has the following responsibilities as listed in §2.1.4 of the Faculty Handbook: (1) To determine academic offerings consistent with the established mission of the College; (2) To determine the requirements for all degrees offered by the College; (3) To formulate general admissions policies for the College; (4) To enact and enforce academic regulations for students in matters of attendance, examinations, grading, scholastic standing, honors, and awards; (5) To design and monitor the annual faculty evaluation system; (6) To recommend policies concerning faculty welfare; (7) To develop and supervise a committee system for the orderly exercise of the authority that has been delegated to the faculty.
A.4.4 Committee Business The College's faculty committees will report to the Faculty Senate and will, when appropriate, submit motions to the Faculty Senate. Committee chairs or their designates attend Faculty Senate meetings when business of a committee is before the Faculty Senate.
A.4.5 Committees of the Meeting Committees as defined below are committees of the meeting: (1) Standing Committees of the meeting–permanent committees dealing with academic policy; (2) Curriculum Advisory Committees of the meeting -- permanent committees dealing with parts of the curriculum; and (3) Ad Hoc Committees of the meeting -- ad hoc committees resulting from business conducted on the floor of the meeting and reporting to the Faculty. Members are appointed by the Dean on recommendation of the Faculty Organization Committee.
A.5 Conduct of Business and Motions for General Faculty Meetings Except as otherwise provided herein, the following order of business shall be observed:
A.5.1 Order of Business (1) Call to Order; (2) Correcting and approval of minutes; (3) Unfinished business; (4) New business; (5) Announcements; (6) Adjournment.
A.5.2 Recognition by Chair Members shall speak only when recognized by the Chair and shall use the rostrums provided. When two or more members rise at once, the Chair shall decide who is entitled to the floor.
A.5.3 Main Motions and Initiating Business Individual members shall have the right to bring business before the General Faculty through a motion duly made and seconded from the floor and recorded in the meeting agenda. All members of the faculty intending to propose a motion must submit the motion[s] in writing to the Dean at least one week before the faculty meeting.
A.5.4 Committee of the Whole Any member may move to consider a motion before the Faculty as a committee of the whole. Such motion shall be appropriate at any time but must be approved by a vote of the majority of those present.
A.5.5 Initiating Business Individual members shall have the right to bring business before the Faculty through a motion duly made and seconded from the floor. All members of the faculty intending to propose a motion should submit the motion[s] to the Dean at least one week before the faculty meeting.
A.5.6 Amending a Motion
A.5.6.1 An amendment or a substitute motion may be withdrawn by the mover with the consent of his or her seconder before amendment thereof or before decision is had thereon.
A.5.6.2 The amendment or the substitute shall be debatable only when the main question is debatable.
A.5.6.3 The adoption of an amendment by way of substitute or otherwise shall not displace the main resolution, which, after being amended, shall be the question before the meeting.
A.5.6.4 The following questions cannot be amended:
- the call for the Order of the Day
- an appeal from the decision of the Chair
- an objection to consideration of any question or of the following motions: (1) to adjourn (undebatable); (2) to lay on the table (undebatable); (3) take from the table; (4) for leave to continue speaking; (5) to postpone indefinitely; (6) to suspend; (7) to take up business out of order; (8) for leave to withdraw a motion.
A.5.6.5 Order for Voting on Amendments and Substitute Motions Amendments to the main motion shall be voted first, in order of last-made amendment to first-made amendment. After all amendments have been voted, the substitute motion shall be voted; if the substitute fails, debate returns to the main question as it may or may not have been amended.
A.5.6.6 Privileged Motions Motions to adjourn or to lay on the table are privileged motions. They shall always be in order and shall be decided without debate. In addition, when a question is under debate and business is pending, the following motions are also privileged. The motions shall have precedence in the order enumerated and be settled by a majority vote of those present. They shall be debatable or undebatable as indicated in the accompanying parentheses.
- to take a recess (undebatable)
- to take a vote at a certain time (undebatable)
- to call for the previous question (undebatable)
- to commit or recommit (limited debate: on wisdom of motion)
- to postpone to a certain time (limited debate: on wisdom of motion)
- to amend or substitute (debatable)
- to postpone indefinitely (debatable)
A.5.6.7 Other Motions Motions designed to alter or cancel previously adopted action, e.g., to rescind, to amend something previously adopted, to reconsider, shall be introduced only as new business.
A.5.6.8 A Motion to Call the Question A motion for the previous question shall be in this form: "I move that the question (or questions) now be put." If this motion is carried, then all questions at the moment before the meeting shall be put to the vote, in order of precedence, without debate. If a member or members call for the question without moving the previous question formally, the Chair is not obliged to close debate, and other members may properly be recognized. Any member may call for a division of the question where the sense will admit of it, but a motion to strike out and insert shall be deemed indivisible.
A.5.6.9 Voting
A.5.6.9.1 Once a vote has begun on any question, no members shall be recognized for any purpose whatever until the voting is completed and the Chair declares the voting closed.
A.5.6.9.2 Unless otherwise indicated in the rules of order, motions may be passed by a simple majority of those voting.
A.5.6.9.3 The following motions may be approved only when two-thirds of the members present favor the action: (1) to change the rules of order; (2) to suspend the rules; (3) to object to consideration; (4) to limit debate; (5) to vote immediately.
A.5.6.9.4 Any member may call for the number of abstentions after the taking of any vote.
A.5.6.9.5 Secret balloting shall apply upon request.
A.5.6.10 The Chair and Appeal from Its Ruling The duty of ruling on questions of parliamentary procedure in the meeting shall rest with the Chair, but any ruling may be appealed, by a motion and a second, immediately after the ruling. In this event the appeal must be submitted to a vote of the meeting. Except as it refers to indecorum, the rules of debate, or priority of business, such an appeal is fully debatable. After the vote on the motion is announced, the business of the meeting will be resumed according to the action of the appeal.
A.6 Conduct of Business for Faculty Senate
A.6.1 Order of Business The agenda of FS meetings will be set by the Faculty President, with clerical assistance provided by the Secretary of the Faculty. Usually, it will follow this: (1) Call to Order; (2) Correcting and approval of minutes; (3) Recognition of Dean of Faculty; (4) Recognition of other constituencies (e.g., part-time and adjunct faculty); (5) Report of Student Representative; (6) Reports of the standing committees; (7) Reports of ad hoc committees; (8) Unfinished business; (9) New business; (10) Announcements; (11) Adjournment.
A.6.2 Recognition by Faculty President Members shall speak only when recognized by the Faculty President and shall use the rostrums provided. When two or more members rise at once, the Faculty President shall decide who is entitled to the floor.
A.6.3 Main Motions, Initiating Business, and Committee Reports Committees of the meeting and senators shall have the right to bring business before the Faculty Senate, either through a motion duly made and seconded from the floor or by communicating directly with the appropriate committee. All senators and faculty committees intending to propose a motion must submit the motion(s) in writing to the Faculty President at least one week before the Faculty Senate meeting. Attendance at Faculty Senate meetings is open to all members of the general faculty and to them is extended the privilege of the floor when recognized by the Faculty President. However, only members of the Faculty Senate may vote in Faculty Senate meetings. Non-faculty members of the College community may attend Faculty Senate meetings. However, such persons may not vote and may speak only by invitation of the Faculty President or by request of a senator.
A.7 INTRODUCING MOTIONS AT Faculty Senate Meetings
A.7.1 Motions made from the floor by senators, after being properly seconded, shall be referred to an appropriate standing committee of the meeting by the Faculty President. If the Faculty President deems there to be no such committee, the motion shall be referred to a duly appointed ad hoc committee of the meeting, as defined above.
A.7.2 Motions brought to the floor by the standing committees of the meeting or by ad hoc committees of the meeting shall be deemed ready for action, except as restricted below.
A.7.3 Committees other than those defined here report to administrative officer(s). Reports from these committees may be introduced as motions of individual members of the meeting, if the responsible administrative officer(s) deems it appropriate to do so.
A.7.4 Any senator may move to consider a motion before the Faculty Senate as a committee of the whole. Such motion shall be appropriate at any time but must be approved by a vote of the majority of those present. Consideration as a committee of the whole shall replace referral to committee. The report perfected in committee of the whole must be returned to the Faculty Senate and shall be deemed in the possession of the Faculty Senate as would be the case with the report of a standing committee.
A.7.5 Motions normal to the operations of organized groups but which are not central to the functions of the College or the University, e.g., resolutions of sympathy, congratulations, etc., may be acted upon immediately without previous referral to committee. Motions not germane to the College or the University shall be deemed out of order.
A.7.6 Regulations and Restrictions of Main Motions
A.7.6.1 When a motion is made and seconded, it shall be stated by the Faculty President or read by the Secretary and is then deemed to be in possession of the meeting, but may be withdrawn by the mover at any time before amendment or vote, with the consent of the second.
A.7.6.2 Every motion shall be reduced to writing if the Faculty President or any senator requires it.
A.7.6.3 Upon request of any five senators, a motion of any subject that has been made and seconded may be declared a matter of major policy; in this case, debate, amendment, and voting shall be immediately referred to the next regular meeting without further debate.
A.7.6.4 The status of motions referred to committees from the floor must be reported upon by the second regular Faculty Senate meeting after referral. If the report is not satisfactory, it may be moved from the floor that the committee be discharged of its responsibility and the motion returned to the floor for action.
A.7.7 Subsidiary Motions
A.7.7.1 To amend An amendment must be germane to the motion and may be accomplished by the addition or subtraction of words, phrases, and sentences.
A.7.7.2 Substitute motions If as much as a complete paragraph of a motion is to be supplanted, a substitute motion must be made.
A.7.8 Initiating Business and Committee Reports Committees of the meeting and senators shall have the right to bring business before the Faculty Senate, either through a motion duly made and seconded from the floor or by communicating directly with the appropriate committee. All senators and faculty committees intending to propose a motion must submit the motion[s] in writing to the Faculty President at least one week before the Faculty Senate Meeting.
A.7.9 Amending a Motion
A.7.9.1 An amendment or a substitute motion may be withdrawn by the mover with the consent of his or her seconder before amendment thereof or before decision is had thereon.
A.7.9.2 The amendment or the substitute shall be debatable only when the main question is debatable.
A.7.9.3 The adoption of an amendment by way of substitute or otherwise shall not displace the main resolution, which, after being amended, shall be the question before the meeting.
A.7.9.4 The following questions cannot be amended.
.1 the call for the Order of the Day
.2 an appeal from the decision of the Faculty President
.3 an objection to consideration of any question or of the following motions: (1) to adjourn (undebatable); (2) to lay on the table (undebatable); (3) take from the table; (4) for leave to continue speaking; (5) to postpone indefinitely; (6) to suspend; (7) to take up business out of order; (8) for leave to withdraw a motion.
A.7.10 Order for Voting on Amendments and Substitute Motions Amendments to the main motion shall be voted first, in order of last-made amendment to first-made amendment. After all amendments have been voted, the substitute motion shall be voted; if the substitute motion fails, debate returns to the main question as it may or may not have been amended.
A.7.11 Privileged Motions Motions to adjourn or to lay on the table are privileged motions. They shall always be in order and shall be decided without debate. In addition, when a question is under debate and business is pending, the following motions are also privileged. The motions shall have precedence in the order enumerated and be settled by a majority vote of those present. They shall be debatable or undebatable as indicated in the accompanying parentheses.
- to take a recess (undebatable)
- to take a vote at a certain time (undebatable)
- to call for the previous question (undebatable)
- to commit or recommit (limited debate: on wisdom of motion)
- to postpone to a certain time (limited debate: on wisdom of motion)
- to amend or substitute (debatable)
- to postpone indefinitely (debatable)
A.7.12 Other Motions Motions designed to alter or cancel previously adopted action, e.g., to rescind, to amend something previously adopted, to reconsider, shall be introduced only as new business.
A.7.13 A Motion to Call the Question A motion for the previous question shall be in this form: "I move that the question (or questions) now be put." If this motion is carried, then all questions at the moment before the meeting shall be put to the vote, in order of precedence, without debate. If a senator or senators call for the question without moving the previous question formally, the Faculty President is not obliged to close debate, and other members may properly be recognized. Any senator may call for a division of the question where the sense will admit of it, but a motion to strike out and insert shall be deemed indivisible.
A.8 Voting ON MOTIONS, FACULTY SENATE MEETINGS
A.8.1 Once a vote has begun on any question, no senators shall be recognized for any purpose whatsoever until the voting is completed and the Faculty President declares the voting closed.
A.8.2 Unless otherwise indicated in the rules of order, motions may be passed by a simple majority of those voting.
A.8.3 The following motions may be approved only when two-thirds of the senators present favor the action: (1) to change the rules of order; (2) to suspend the rules; (3) to object to consideration; (4) to limit debate; (5) to vote immediately.
A.8.4 Any senator may call for the number of abstentions after the taking of any vote.
A.9 The Faculty President and Appeal from His or Her Ruling
The duty of ruling on questions of parliamentary procedure in the meeting shall rest with the Faculty President, but any ruling may be appealed, by a motion and a second, immediately after the ruling. In this event the appeal must be submitted to a vote of the meeting. Except as it refers to indecorum, the rules of debate, or priority of business, such an appeal is fully debatable. After the vote on the motion is announced, the business of the meeting will be resumed according to the action of the appeal.