ARTICLE I. GENERAL
POWERS
1. Authority and Powers in General of the Twin Cities
Campus Assembly
The Twin Cities Campus Assembly (hereinafter
called the Assembly) is the elected governing body of the Twin Cities campus of
the University of Minnesota. The Assembly exercises the general legislative
authority and responsibility over educational matters concerning the Twin Cities
campus which are delegated to it by the University Senate and the regents of the
University.
The Assembly shall have legislative authority, as defined
above, over the Twin Cities campus as a whole, but not over the internal affairs
of a single institute, college, or school of collegiate rank, except where these
materially affect the interests of other institutes, colleges, or schools of the
Twin Cities campus.
The Assembly shall have the power to enact
regulations for the governing of the faculty, academic professionals, and
students in those relations with the University which affect the Twin Cities
campus. The Assembly shall have jurisdiction over all Twin Cities campus
student organizations registered with the Student Organization Development
Center or its successor. Matters having implications for campuses in addition
to the Twin Cities campus, or for the University as a whole, shall be referred
to the University Senate for debate and action.
ARTICLE II. TWIN
CITIES CAMPUS ASSEMBLY
1. Membership
The Assembly shall
be composed of the following voting members: (a) the president of the
University; (b) the Twin Cities campus members of the Senate Consultative
Committee, who shall serve as ex officio voting members; and (c) the elected
faculty, academic professional, and student representatives of the various
institutes, colleges, and schools of collegiate rank, and the Graduate School.
Only elected faculty/academic professional representatives or properly
designated faculty/academic professional alternates shall serve as the Faculty
Assembly; the elected student representatives shall serve on the Minnesota
Student Association Forum, or the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, as
designated by the Student constituency in the electing college. Each member of
the Assembly shall represent the Twin Cities campus as a whole. The Twin Cities
campus deans, vice presidents, provosts, the University Librarian, and the
General Counsel shall serve as ex officio nonvoting members. The student body
presidents shall, if not otherwise elected, serve as ex officio nonvoting
members.
2. Allocation of Functions and Powers
a. The
Assembly shall perform all functions and exercise all powers described in
Article I, Section 1, which are not specifically delegated to the Faculty
Assembly, Minnesota Student Association Forum, or the Graduate and Professional
Student Assembly.
b. Upon the recommendation of the Assembly Steering
Committee, the Assembly may delegate particular functions for exclusive action
by the Faculty Assembly, the Minnesota Student Association Forum, or the
Graduate and Professional Student Assembly.
c. In case of disagreement by
the Faculty Steering Committee or the Student Steering Committee concerning the
allocation of functions, either committee may refer the matter to the Assembly
for resolution.
3. Election of Assembly Members
The elected
representatives of the faculties and the students to the Assembly shall be those
persons who are the elected faculty, academic professional, and student
representatives to the University Senate from the several institutes, colleges,
or schools of collegiate rank located on the Twin Cities campus. In the event
any institute, college, or school of collegiate rank elects University Senate
representatives from the Twin Cities campus and also from other University
campuses, then only those elected representatives located on the Twin Cities
campus shall serve as representatives to the Assembly.
The term of
office of elected Assembly faculty, academic professional, and student
representatives shall coincide with their terms as University Senate
representatives. Elected alternate representatives to the University Senate
from the several institutes, colleges, or schools of collegiate rank located on
the Twin Cities campus shall be the elected alternate representatives to the
Assembly.
4. Assembly Officers
The president of the
University shall chair the Assembly. A vice chair shall be elected by the
Assembly at its last meeting in the spring semester of the academic year for a term of one year and shall be eligible for
re-election. The president, with the consent of the Assembly, shall appoint a
clerk and a parliamentarian of the Assembly (non-members of the Assembly), whose
duties shall be prescribed in the Assembly Bylaws and Rules.
5.
Assembly Agenda and Minutes
The agenda of each Assembly meeting shall
be distributed in advance to all Assembly members, to all faculty/academic
professional members entitled to vote for Assembly members, to members of all
committees of the Assembly, and to the students and others in such manner as the
Assembly may direct. The minutes of Assembly meetings shall be distributed in
like manner. Matters under Assembly jurisdiction, including proposed amendments
to this Constitution or Bylaws, may be submitted by any committee of the
Assembly or any Assembly member.
6. Assembly
Meetings--Call--Quorum
The Assembly shall hold meetings at the call
of the president or of the Assembly Steering Committee, at a time and place
determined by the chair. Special meetings of the Assembly and meetings of the
Faculty Assembly, Minnesota Student Association, or Graduate and Professional
Student Assembly, may be held upon the call of the chair or upon request of the
appropriate Steering Committee, or upon written request of ten members of the
Assembly in question.
At any meeting of any Assembly, a majority of its
membership shall constitute a quorum. Any member of the faculty and any student
or academic professional eligible to vote for Assembly members may be admitted
to Assembly meetings and shall be entitled to speak at the discretion of the
Assembly. Only elected Assembly members (or designated faculty alternates),
Assembly Steering Committee members, and, in the case of a tie, the presiding
officer, shall be entitled to vote.
All members of the faculty who hold
regular appointment as defined in Faculty Tenure may be present at
Faculty Assembly meetings and shall be entitled to speak and to offer motions
for Faculty Assembly action. Only elected faculty members (or designated
faculty alternates) shall be entitled to vote.
Any student eligible to
vote for Minnesota Student Association members may be admitted to meetings of
that Student Assembly and shall be entitled to speak at the discretion of that
Student Assembly. Only elected student members (or their designated alternates)
shall be entitled to vote.
Any graduate or professional student eligible
to vote for Graduate/Professional Student Assembly members may be present at
Graduate/Professional Student Assembly meetings and shall be entitled to speak
and to offer motions for Graduate/Professional Student Assembly action. Only
elected graduate/professional members (or their designated alternates) shall be
entitled to vote.
ARTICLE III. COMMITTEES OF THE TWIN CITIES
CAMPUS ASSEMBLY
The committees of the Assembly shall be (1) Assembly
committees and (2) Subcommittees of Assembly committees. The Assembly also may
create special committees.
1. Assembly Committees
An
Assembly committee is any committee to which the Assembly delegates
responsibilities in broad areas of Twin Cities campus concern and whose reports
are made directly to the Assembly. Membership of all Assembly committees and
procedures for electing or appointing members are described in the Bylaws. The
Assembly by appropriate Bylaws may create or terminate Assembly committees
vested with such responsibilities as the Assembly has the power to
confer.
2. Subcommittees of Assembly Committees
Assembly
Committees may appoint subcommittees as necessary to assist with their
responsibilities. Membership of subcommittees need not be limited to members of
the parent committee. Subcommittee memberships shall have approximately the
same ratio of faculty/academic professionals, undergraduate students,
graduate/professional students, civil service, and alumni as the parent
committee and shall include ex officio representation as appropriate. If an
exception is necessary, the parent committee shall consult with the Committee on
Committees. The Committee on Committees shall also serve as a resource for, or
source of, subcommittee nominations. Civil service and alumni shall be
represented on subcommittees where appropriate.
3. Special
Committees
Special committees may be created to study and make
recommendations on special topics within the areas of concern to the Assembly.
Special committees may be created or terminated either by the Assembly or by the
Assembly Steering Committee. Whenever the task of a special committee falls
within the duties and responsibilities of a committee of the Assembly, the
special committee shall make interim and final reports to that committee. If
the task assigned to the special committee does not fall within the duties and
responsibilities of an existing committee of the Assembly, the special committee
shall make interim and final reports to the Assembly Steering Committee. The
membership of the special committee shall consist of (a) representatives of the
committee of the Assembly to which it reports, and (b) such other members as the
task of the special committee requires.
ARTICLE IV. RELATIONS WITH
OTHER CAMPUSES AND INSTITUTIONS
The Assembly shall communicate both
formally and informally with governing bodies on other campuses of the
University. When items of potential all-University concern come before any
committee of the Assembly, the committee shall involve appropriate
representation from other campuses at an early date in preparation for
presentation of the items to the University Senate. Formal relations between
the Twin Cities campus and other educational institutions shall be subject to
the control of the University Senate, either directly or through appropriate
committees.
ARTICLE V. JURISDICTIONAL QUESTIONS
In
cases of conflict between the University Senate and the Assembly, the decision
of the University Senate prevails. In such controversies, an appeal may be
taken to the president, as provided in the University Senate
Constitution.
ARTICLE VI. AMENDING PROCEDURE
An
amendment to this Constitution shall be approved either by a two-thirds majority
of all voting members of the Assembly at a meeting, or by a majority of all
voting members of the Assembly at each of two meetings; and provided the
proposed amendment has been distributed, in writing, to the persons and in the
manner provided in Article II, Section 5, for distribution of the Assembly
agenda, at least ten days prior to the date of the vote on the approval of the
proposed amendment. An amendment shall be effective following approval by the
Assembly and the regents.
If a proposed constitutional amendment has received affirmative votes of 80% or more of those present and voting at a meeting of the Assembly, but the number of votes cast is insufficient to adopt the amendment (either a two-thirds majority of all voting members at one meeting or a majority of all voting members at the second of two meetings), the amendment may be submitted electronically to all members of the Assembly for a second vote. The votes must be cast no later than three working days from the time of adjournment of the Assembly meeting at which the item was considered. The number of votes required for electronic approval will be the same as the number required for approval at the meeting.
ARTICLE VII. BYLAWS
The
Assembly may enact or amend its Bylaws either by majority of all voting members
of the Assembly at a regular or special meeting, or by a majority of all members
of the Assembly present and voting at each of two meetings, the second of which
shall be the next regular meeting, provided the proposed change has been
submitted, in writing, to each member of the Assembly at least ten days prior to
the date of the vote on the approval of the proposed
change.
If a proposed bylaw amendment has received affirmative votes of 80% or more of those present and voting at a meeting of the Assembly, but the number of votes cast is insufficient to adopt the amendment (either a majority of all voting members at one meeting or a majority those present and voting at the second of two meetings), the amendment may be submitted electronically to all members of the Assembly for a second vote. The votes must be cast no later than three working days from the time of adjournment of the Assembly meeting at which the item was considered. The number of votes required for electronic approval will be the same as the number required for approval at the meeting.
ARTICLE VIII. EFFECTIVE DATE OF
CONSTITUTION
This Constitution shall take effect following its
approval by the Board of Regents.
Twin Cities Campus Assembly Bylaws
Twin Cities Campus Assembly Rules
