This is a concurrent meeting of the University Senate, Faculty Senate, and Twin Cities Campus Assembly. There are 231 voting members of the University Senate, 178 voting members of the Faculty Senate, and 199 voting members of the Twin Cities Campus Assembly. A simple majority must be present for a quorum. Most actions require only a simple majority for approval. Actions requiring special majorities for approval are noted under each of those items.

MOTION:

To approve the University Senate, Faculty Senate, and Twin Cities Campus Assembly minutes, which are available on the Web at the following URL. A simple majority is required for approval.

http://www1.umn.edu/usenate/u_senate/021003sen.html

3. TRIBUTE TO DECEASED MEMBERS OF THE UNIVERSITY COMMUNITY

FACULTY/ACADEMIC PROFESSIONALS/STAFF

Robert G. Robinson
Professor
Agronomy and Plant Genetics
1920 – 2002

STUDENTS

Alexander J. Galle
College on Continuing Education

Jerrold Hartke
College of Liberal Arts

Tyler A. Jensen
College of Liberal Arts

Justin A. Knebel
University of Minnesota – Crookston


4. ADMINISTRATIVE RESPONSES TO SENATE AND ASSEMBLY ACTIONS
Information

Interpretation of Policy on Examinations for Credit and Proficiency (language to be deleted is struck out; language to be added is underlined)

The University of Minnesota offers "proficiency examinations" and "special examinations for credit" to currently registered undergraduate degree-seeking students which are given at the discretion of the appropriate academic department. In addition, the University, with the concurrence of the appropriate academic department, also recognizes and awards credits based on examinations which are taken as a part of the Advanced Placement program, the International Baccalaureate Program, and CLEP program. Once special exam credit has been awarded, the credits will remain on the student’s transcript unless the credit was awarded in error.

1. Proficiency Examinations shall be administered by the appropriate academic department, require no fee, and yield no credit or grade but may fulfill prerequisites for advanced courses or satisfy requirements. Proficiency examinations may be taken at any time, and if the student’s work is of passing quality, a notation shall be made on his/her transcript saying "Course X satisfied by proficiency examination." A student may not first take a University of Minnesota course and earn a grade, subsequently take a proficiency exam for that course content, and then request that the original course grade be bracketed from the transcript.

2. Examinations for Credit shall be without fee if taken during the student’s first term in residence or the first term after an absence of a year or more, otherwise a fee will be charged. Credits earned by examination shall not count as residence credits. A student may not first take a University of Minnesota course and earn a grade, subsequently take an examination for credit for that course content, and then request that the original course grade be bracketed from the transcript.

A student must do "C-" quality work on an "examination for credit" to earn credit, and a notation shall be placed on the transcript showing the course and credits earned. The department awarding the credit by examination shall determine whether or not a grade is to be assigned. Effective fall 1999, examinations for credit earn the letter "T." These credits will be included in the cumulative credits (but not term credits) but the "T" grade will not be reflected in either the term or cumulative grade point average. If the student fails to do "C-" quality work on the examination, no notation shall be made on the transcript.

The "examination" administered by a department may be typical final examination, an oral test, written papers or projects, or any other combination of work which will satisfy the examiners that the student has adequately achieved the values of the course."

Minimum standards for awarding credits by examination shall be determined by the academic department giving the examination. Minimum standards for awarding credits on nationally-administered examinations shall be established by the appropriate academic department. The national examinations shall be reviewed every five years to determine whether the minimum standards remain appropriate.

No department shall be required to give examinations for credit or to offer credits for nationally-recognized tests.

Credits may be awarded for a particular course if the academic department reviewing the national examination determines that the material in the test is substantially similar to that of an existing course; if the material is judged to be of college level but not substantially similar to an existing course, general departmental credits are assigned.

3. Procedures for handling examinations shall be established by the Office of the Registrar.

FOR INFORMATION:

The procedures that will be used by the Registrar (but are not part of the policy) are these:

Procedures for proficiency exams: Proficiency exams will be noted via a student group in PeopleSoft. This will not appear on the transcript. Proficiency exams other than for second languages must be entered as an exception in the degree audit system in order for the credit to be included in the degree audit. Waiver or exemption from a course must be entered in the degree audit system and will not display on the transcript.

Procedures for exams for credit: Special examinations for credit do not count toward the University residence requirement. The academic record will show the following:

--Effective fall 1999, special examinations will be recorded in PeopleSoft as test credits. These test credits will be included in the cumulative credits (but not term credits), and will carry a grade of "T"--this grade will not be reflected in either the term or cumulative grade point average.

--For examinations that were taken prior to fall 1999, special examinations with grades other than a "T" grade will be recorded on a student's transcript with a special examination notation. Letter grades from special examinations will not be included in the term or cumulative grade point average.

--For examinations that were taken prior to fall 1999, those examinations with no grades will be recorded in PeopleSoft as test credits. These credits will carry a grade of "T" that will not be included in the term or cumulative grade point average.

COMMENT:

The Committee on Educational Policy was informed by the Office of the Registrar that there were minor problems with the Senate's policy on examinations for proficiency and for credit. A number of proposed changes were suggested; the Committee itself made other changes. The Council of Undergraduate Deans, the Registrar's Advisory Committee, and representatives of the coordinate campus registrars have all approved the changes; the Committee on Educational Policy concurs. After reviewing and discussing them, the Committee unanimously approved the changes as an Interpretation of the policy and reports them to the Senate for information.

The first change, requiring that students be currently registered, is because non-degree-seeking students enroll just to obtain the credits, which they then transfer to another institution. The colleges do not want this.

The second change is proposed because sometimes advisors want to remove special exam credit from a student's transcript because the student is approaching the maximum number of credits he or she may take and still receive financial aid (184 semester credits).

There have been cases when a student fails a course, subsequently takes a special examination to pass the course (or could take an examination for credit to achieve a better grade), and then asks that the F (or lower grade) be bracketed. This change would not allow that to occur.

Eliminating the option of awarding a grade for an examination for credit is an attempt to ensure consistency across the colleges and campuses. This has been the practice for the last three years.

Finally, the policy will not allow students to take a course and receive an F, other low grade, or an I, and then use either a proficiency examination or examination for credit as a way to have the first grade bracketed.

Interpretation of the Awards for Outstanding Contributions to Education Policy (language to be deleted is struck out; language to be added is underlined)

III. Policy

1. The Committee on Educational Policy shall annually appoint two nominating committees: one shall review nominees for the Morse-Alumni award and recommend to the Committee on Educational Policy those individuals whom should receive the award, and the other shall review nominees for the Graduate/Professional award and recommend to the Committee on Educational Policy those individuals who should receive the award. In both instances, the number of recipients will be dependent on the funding available.

2. No individual may receive the Graduate/Professional award and the Horace T. Morse-Alumni Association award in the same year.

3. Each recipient of each award shall receive a continuous augmentation in their salary, the amount to be recommended by the Committee on Educational Policy and approved by the President.

4. The department of each recipient of either award shall be provided non-recurring funding for three years for the use of the award recipient for the development of teaching materials and training in order to promote excellence in teaching among all of the faculty, the amount and duration to be recommended by the Committee on Educational Policy and approved by the President.

5. The winners of each award shall, for a period of five years beginning the academic year after they received the award, serve as members of the Academy of Distinguished Teachers.

6. The Committee on Educational Policy shall have the authority to establish operational details associated with the granting of the Morse-Alumni awards and shall report annually on those details to the Senate for information.

FOR INFORMATION:

Operational Guidelines

1. The salary of each award winner shall be increased by a continuous augmentation of $3,000.

2. The annual award ceremony shall be a large public event to which the students and colleagues of the winners will be invited. This event would be in addition to a smaller event with the President and the Alumni.

3. Each award shall include, for each winner, an appropriate, well-publicized lecture, seminar, or exhibition in the individual's specialty.

4. All faculty who have been awarded Morse-Amoco or Morse-Alumni, or the Graduate/Professional, teaching awards shall be designated throughout their careers at the University of Minnesota as "Morse-Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor of [field]" or "Graduate/Professional Distinguished Teaching Professor of [field]," as appropriate. This title can be used in correspondence, on business cards, and wherever else appropriate.

5. Any faculty member who has received either award shall be designated by an asterisk and accompanying footnote in the appropriate college catalogues and bulletins for the duration of the recipient's academic career at the University of Minnesota.

COMMENT:

The Senate Committee on Educational Policy (SCEP) was recently asked by the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost to make minor changes in the policy governing teaching awards. Several were approved by the Committee as a matter of interpretation:

--The actual duration of the funds for the department, to be used by the award-winner, has been five years, not three. The Committee concluded that it would be best not to stipulate any particular period but to consult with the Office of the Executive Vice President each year if any change is warranted. The Committee was assured by Vice Provost Craig Swan that no changes in the five-year provision are contemplated and that any change would be brought to the Committee for consultation before being adopted. These funds are non-recurring.

--Although initially it was thought that award winners would only serve in the Academy of Distinguished Teachers for five years, the decision was later made that they would be members for as long as they remain at the University, with participation dependent on level of interest.

Interpretation of Degrees with Distinction and Degrees with Honors Policy (new language is underlined)

I. Degrees with Distinction

a) The initiative in establishing degrees with distinction shall lie with the colleges and campuses concerned and must be approved by the chief academic officer on the campus.

b) To graduate "with distinction," a student must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.750 or higher at the time the student graduates. To graduate "with high distinction," a student must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.900 or higher.

...

II. Degrees with Honors

...

4. The minimum grade point average in upper division (i.e. after the completion of 60 semester credits) required for achievement of a degree "cum laude" shall be 3.500, that for a degree "magna cum laude" shall be 3.666, and that for a degree "summa cum laude" shall be 3.750.

COMMENT:

On recommendation from the Office of the Registrar, the Senate Committee on Educational Policy has approved a change in the Degrees with Distinction and Degrees with Honors Policy that adds digits to the requirements for the degrees in order that the requirements in the policy conform to the calculations of student grade-point averages performed by PeopleSoft. This avoids any ambiguity that might arise as a result of rounding numbers from three digits to the numbers set forth in the policy.

MOTION:

To amend the 2004-05 and 2005-06 Morris calendars as follows (new language is underlined, language to be deleted is struck out).

Morris 2004-2005

Fall Semester 2004 (74 class days)

MOTION:

To approve the 2004-05 and 2005-06 Twin Cities Campus calendars.

Twin Cities 2004-2005

Fall Semester 2004 (70 class days)

(MWF class days - 42 TTh class days – 28)

Spring Semester 2005 (74 class days)

(MWF class days – 44 TTh class days – 30)

May Session 2005 (14 class days)

COMMENT:

The Senate Committee on Educational Policy debated over several meetings about the calendar for the Twin Cities campus. As Senators who have served for a number of years will know, this has been a thorny issue ever since the change to semesters.

The State Fair is an intractable factor in setting the calendar; our colleagues on the St. Paul campus assure us that it would be impossible for them to conduct business during the Fair; the Minneapolis campus is also affected because a number of the University's parking lots, and the transitway, are leased to the Fair.

At the same time, the Committee was gravely concerned about the implications of scheduling a final examination period that does not end until December 22 or 23 in years when Labor Day (the last day of the State Fair) is late. The Committee was concerned that many instructors would choose not to have a final examination.

As a result, the Committee has voted to approve, as standard practice, 70-day semesters in the fall and 74-day semesters in the spring. Although this may make for some awkwardness when the same course is offered both semesters, it appears to be a compromise that we can live with. It does not completely obviate the problem of final examinations running late into December but it does mitigate it somewhat.

The only other choice the Committee believed it had was to adopt semesters shorter than 70 days (which only one Big Ten university has). This was even less palatable, so the Committee adopted the 70-day rule for fall semester and thus recommends the calendars presented in the docket.

MOTION:

To amend the Uniform Grading and Transcript Policy as follows (new language is underlined):

III. OTHER TRANSCRIPT SYMBOLS

1. There shall be a temporary symbol I, incomplete, awarded to indicate that the work of the course has not been completed.

The I shall be assigned at the discretion of the instructor when, due to extraordinary circumstances, the student was prevented from completing the work of the course on time. The assignment of an I requires a written agreement between the instructor and student specifying the time and manner in which the student will complete the course requirements. In no event may any such written agreement allow a period of longer than one year to complete the course requirements.

For graduate and professional students, an I is to remain on the transcript until changed by the instructor or department.. For all other students, work to make up an I must be submitted within one year of the last day of final examinations of the term in which the I was given; if not submitted by that time, the I will automatically change to an F (if the student was registered on the A-F system) or an N (if the student was registered on the S-N system) for the course.

When an I is changed to another symbol, the I is removed from the record. Once an I has become an F or an N, under the provisions of the preceding paragraph, it may subsequently be converted to any other grade, upon petition by the instructor (or the department if the instructor is unavailable) to the college.

A student does not need to be registered at the University in order to complete the work necessary to convert an I to a grade with credit in the time and manner previously agreed upon between the student and the instructor. The instructor is expected to turn in the new grade within four weeks of the date the work was submitted by the student.

If a student graduates with an I on the transcript, the I will remain permanently an I. A student may petition his or her college, within a year of graduation, to complete the work in the course and receive a grade. The degree GPA would be frozen upon graduation but the cumulative GPA would reflect the change in GPA if a student chooses to complete the work and change I to a grade within a year of graduation.

COMMENT:

The Committee on Educational Policy was informed by the Office of the Registrar that there are a few cases when a student graduates with an I on his or her transcript (for a course that was not required for graduation, obviously). After a year, the I converts automatically to an F. The question is whether that should occur; if it does, the degree GPA is unaffected (because it is "frozen" at the time a student graduates), but the cumulative GPA would change.

The Committee deliberated several options and concluded that simply freezing the transcript at the time of graduation is the simplest solution. A student may, within a year of graduation, petition to change the I to a grade. After that one-year option period passes, the I remains on the transcript forever.

Agenda Items 14. through 21. are offered as a one motion to be taken up as a single item with one vote. Any item will be taken up separately at the request of a senator.

As an amendment to the Senate Constitution, a motion requires either a two-thirds majority of all voting members of the Senate (154) at one regular or special meeting, or a majority of all members of the Senate (116) at each of two meetings.

As an amendment to the Assembly Constitution, a motion requires either a two-thirds majority of all voting members of the Assembly (133) at one regular or special meeting, or a majority of all members of the Senate (100) at each of two meetings.

As an amendment to the Senate Bylaws, a motion requires either a majority of all voting members of the Senate (116) at one regular or special meeting, or a majority of all members of the Senate present and voting at each of two meetings.

As an amendment to the Assembly Bylaws, a motion requires either a majority of all voting members of the Assembly (100) at one regular or special meeting, or a majority of all members of the Assembly present and voting at each of two meetings.

As an amendment to the Senate/Assembly Rules, a motion requires a simple majority.

To amend Article III, Section 2 of the University Senate Rules as follows (new language is underlined).

...

2. Ex Officio Members of Senate Committees

...

- Faculty Consultative--Vice chair of the Faculty Senate (voting); Chairs of the Academic Health Center Faculty Consultative Committee (or his or her designee), Educational Policy, Faculty Affairs, Finance and Planning, and Research Committees (if a non-faculty member is appointed as chair of one of the four committees, then the faculty members of that committee shall elect from among themselves a representative); elected representative from the Duluth faculty eligible to vote in Senate elections; Faculty Legislative Liaison

COMMENT:

With the position of Academic Health Center Faculty Consultative Committee (AHC-FCC) chair there comes an ex officio seat on the University Senate FCC. There are times when the chair of the AHC-FCC, because of research or teaching commitments, for example, is unable to attend the meetings of the University Senate Faculty Consultative Committee.

The goal, in creating this ex officio membership, was communication and cross-fertilization.  Similarly, the chair of the AHC Finance and Planning Committee can send a "representative" to the Senate Committee on Finance and Planning to be sure that it is abreast of the AHC Finance and Planning issues.  There were a number of reasons for including this ex officio representation: the sheer size of the AHC, the "canary in the mine" phenomenon (i.e., the AHC is often the first affected with problems that will later show up on the rest of the campus), and the need for communication across Washington Avenue.

To the extent those reasons remain valid--and we believe they do--then the AHC FCC chair should be able to send a representative in his or her stead to the University FCC meetings.
Barring an explicit provision in the Rules allowing the practice, however, it is not permitted. This change would permit it.

To amend Article II of the University Senate Bylaws by adding a new Section 10 as follows (all language is new).

10. Removal of Committee Chairs and Committee members

a. Committee chairs (faculty, P&A, civil service, or alumni) may be removed by a two-thirds vote of the Faculty Consultative Committee. Committee chairs (students) may be removed by a two-thirds vote of the Student Senate Consultative Committee.

Committee chairs may be removed from their position only on the grounds that they have failed to perform the duties required of a committee chair, they have obstructed the business of the Senate and its committees, they have violated the Board of Regents Code of Conduct or the University's Policy on Academic Misconduct (or, in the case of students, because they have violated the Student Conduct Code), or their continued service would cast doubt on the integrity and credibility of the work of the committee. Anyone removed as committee chair is automatically removed from membership on the committee.

b. Committee members (faculty, P&A, civil service, or alumni) may be removed from a committee by a two-thirds vote of the Faculty Consultative Committee. Committee members (students) may be removed from a committee by a two-thirds vote of the Student Senate Consultative Committee.

Committee members may be removed from a committee only on the grounds that they have prevented the committee from conducting its business, if they have violated the Board of Regents Code of Conduct or the University's Policy on Academic Misconduct (or, in the case of students, because they have violated the Student Conduct Code), or their continued service would cast doubt on the integrity and credibility of the work of the committee.

c. If the committee chair or committee member to be removed is a P&A staff member, the Faculty Consultative Committee will consult with the Executive Committee of the Council of Academic and Professional Administrators before voting on removal. If the committee chair or committee member is a civil service staff member, the Faculty Consultative Committee will consult with the Civil Service Committee before voting on removal. If the committee chair or committee member is an alumni representative, the Faculty Consultative Committee will consult with the President and the Director of the Alumni Association before voting on removal.

d. The Faculty Consultative Committee shall have the authority, by a two-thirds majority vote, to remove its chair. The Faculty Consultative Committee shall also have the authority, by a two-thirds majority vote, to remove one of its members. The Student Senate Consultative Committees shall have the authority, by a two-thirds majority vote, to remove its chair. The Student Senate Consultative Committee shall also have the authority, by a two-thirds majority vote, to remove one of its members.

e. The provisions of this Section 10 (a), (b), (c), and (d) may not be used to infringe on the academic freedom of committee chairs and committee members. Neither committee chairs nor committee members may be removed from their position because they express unpopular views.

f. Any committee member or chair who is to be the subject of a vote on removal may submit a statement to the Faculty/Student Senate Consultative Committee, as appropriate, before a vote on removal is taken. There is no appeal from the decision of the Faculty/Student Senate Consultative Committee. Nothing in this section bars anyone from making use of the University's normal grievance processes for employees or students.

g. Nothing in this section 10 shall affect the operation of Senate Rule III(3), which provides for replacement of committee members who are repeatedly absent from meetings of their committees.

h. In all cases, the majorities required in this section 10 are two-thirds majorities of the full voting membership of the committee, not two-thirds of those present and voting.

COMMENT:

There is at present no mechanism for removing committee chairs or committee members. (Nor is there any present difficulty that causes this motion to be made at this time.) There are or may be a few rare occasions when, to protect the effective functioning of the governance system, it may be necessary to remove a committee chair or committee member. The Faculty Consultative Committee asked the Faculty Committee on Committees for a recommendation; the Committee on Committees (both the faculty/academic professional and student members) forwarded to the Senate Consultative Committee these proposed amendments to the bylaws.

We note that the Committee on Committees recommended that the body with authority to remove (1) non-student committee members and chairs be the Faculty Consultative Committee/Faculty Steering Committee (the latter, the Twin Cities members of the Faculty Consultative Committee, for Twin Cities Assembly Committees) and (2) student committee members and chairs be the Student Senate Consultative Committee/Student Steering Committee (again, the latter for Twin Cities Assembly committees). The Committee on Committees reasoned that while it has the nominating authority, the Consultative/Steering Committees are the executive and steering bodies responsible for the conduct of Senate and Assembly business, they are the groups that receive reports and actions from other committees, and it is those committees that are in the best position to know if there are difficulties with committee chairs or committee members. The Committee on Committees, in contrast, would have no way of knowing if difficulties had arisen. Its role is to select willing and reasonably representative individuals for Senate and Assembly committees, not to review or evaluate performance.

Examples of the circumstances that might lead to removal include a faculty member of the Senate Research Committee being found to have committed research fraud, a student member of the Senate Committee on Finance and Planning being found to have defrauded the University, a faculty member of the Senate Committee on Faculty Affairs who has been convicted of a felony related to retirement funds, or a committee member disrupting meetings and thereby preventing the committee from conducting its business. One hopes that these individuals would resign from a committee when asked quietly to do so by the committee chair or the chair of the appropriate Consultative/Steering Committee, and such a request would be made before formal action for removal. In the event that the individual refused to resign, however, the Consultative Committee believes there should be a mechanism to remove individuals from a chair position or a committee if a failure to do so would damage the governance system.

The proposed bylaw change provides that there is no appeal from the decision by the faculty or student consultative/steering committees. It was the judgment of the Committee on Committees, with which we concur, that removal from a committee position should not entail full-blown quasi-judicial proceedings with hearings and witnesses and so on because these positions are not an entitlement and removal has no effect on continued appointment or attendance (in the case of students) at the University.

The Committee notes that there is already a provision in the Rules for removal of committee members who are absent for three consecutive meetings; this language would not affect that provision.

To amend Article II of the Twin Cities Campus Assembly Bylaws by adding a new Section 10 as follows (all language is new).

10. Removal of Committee Chairs and Committee members

a. Committee chairs (faculty, P&A, civil service, or alumni) may be removed by a two-thirds vote of the Faculty Steering Committee. Committee chairs (students) may be removed by a two-thirds vote of the Student Steering Committee.

Committee chairs may be removed from their position only on the grounds that they have failed to perform the duties required of a committee chair, they have obstructed the business of the Assembly and its committees, they have violated the Board of Regents Code of Conduct or the University's Policy on Academic Misconduct (or, in the case of students, because they have violated the Student Conduct Code), or their continued service would cast doubt on the integrity and credibility of the work of the committee. Anyone removed as committee chair is automatically removed from membership on the committee.

b. Committee members (faculty, P&A, civil service, or alumni) may be removed from a committee by a two-thirds vote of the Faculty Steering Committee. Committee members (students) may be removed from a committee by a two-thirds vote of the Student Steering Committee.

Committee members may be removed from a committee only on the grounds that they have prevented the committee from conducting its business or if they have violated the Board of Regents Code of Conduct or the University's Policy on Academic Misconduct (or, in the case of students, because they have violated the Student Conduct Code), or their continued service would cast doubt on the integrity and credibility of the work of the committee.

c. If the committee chair or committee member to be removed is a P&A staff member, the Faculty Steering Committee will consult with the Executive Committee of the Council of Academic and Professional Administrators before voting on removal. If the committee chair or committee member is a civil service staff member, the Faculty Steering Committee will consult with the Civil Service Committee before voting on removal. If the committee chair or committee member is an alumni representative, the Faculty Steering Committee will consult with the President and the Director of the Alumni Association before voting on removal.

d. The Faculty Steering Committee shall have the authority, by a two-thirds majority vote, to remove its chair. The Faculty Steering Committee shall also have the authority, by a two-thirds majority vote, to remove one of its members. The Student Steering Committee shall have the authority, by a two-thirds majority vote, to remove its chair. The Student Steering Committee shall also have the authority, by a two-thirds majority vote, to remove one of its members.

e. The provisions of this Section 10 (a), (b), (c), and (d) may not be used to infringe on the academic freedom of committee chairs and committee members. Neither committee chairs nor committee members may be removed from their position because they express unpopular views.

f. Any committee member or chair who is to be the subject of a vote on removal may submit a statement to the Faculty Steering Committee/Student Steering Committee, as appropriate, before a vote on removal is taken. There is no appeal from the decision of the committees. Nothing in this section bars anyone from making use of the University's normal grievance processes for employees or students.

g. Nothing in this section 10 shall affect the operation of Senate Rule III(3), which provides for replacement of committee members who are repeatedly absent from meetings of their committees.

h. In all cases, the majorities required in this section 10 are two-thirds majorities of the full voting membership of the committee, not two-thirds of those present and voting.

COMMENT:

See the comment to the previous motion.

This is the second meeting at which this motion is being presented. The motion received 143 votes in favor at the October 3, 2002, meeting.

To amend Article III, Section 6 of the University Senate Constitution as follows (new language is underlined; language to be deleted is struck out).

ARTICLE III. UNIVERSITY SENATE

...

6. University Senate and Student Senate Officers

a. The president of the University shall chair the University Senate. A vice chair shall be elected by the Senate at its last regularly scheduled meeting in the spring semester of the academic year from among its current members for a term of one year and shall be eligible for re-election. The president, with the consent of the Senate, shall appoint a clerk and a parliamentarian of the Senate (non-members of the Senate), whose duties shall be prescribed in the Senate Bylaws.

...

The Consultative Committee does not believe there is any compelling reason to restrict the choice of Senate or Assembly vice chair from the current members of the Senate or Assembly. The traditional practice for a number of years (although not required by any Senate or Assembly rule) is that the faculty (typically the Faculty Consultative Committee) nominate the vice chair of the Senate and the students (typically the Student Senate Consultative Committee) nominate the vice chair of the Assembly. When the vice chair of the University Senate is a faculty member, that individual has also automatically served as chair of the Faculty Senate (in the event a student were elected vice chair of the University Senate, the Faculty Senate would elect from among its members someone to serve as vice chair). The vice chair of the Senate is a voting member of the Senate and Faculty Consultative Committees (or, if the vice chair of the University Senate were a student, the vice chair of the Faculty Senate would serve as a voting member of the Faculty Consultative Committee).

The Faculty Consultative Committee (FCC), in identifying a nominee to serve as vice chair of the University and Faculty Senates, considers the balance of its membership. To restrict the nominations to current members of the Senate or Assembly restricts the degrees of freedom FCC has to ensure it can adequately represent the interests of faculty from across the University.

The Student Senate Consultative Committee (SSCC), believes this change would provide an opportunity for one more student to become involved in the University and Student Senates. With the small number of student senators compared to the total student population, many student voices and opinions are often left unheard or unknown. If the student elected was a nonmember, one more student prospective would be brought forth, allowing the Student Senate to better represent the student body.

This is the second meeting at which this motion is being presented. The motion received 123 votes in favor at the October 3, 2002, meeting.

To amend Article II, Section 4 of the Twin Cities Campus Assembly Constitution as follows (new language is underlined; language to be deleted is struck out).

...

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 from among its current members 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.

...

COMMENT:

See the comment to the previous motion.

This is the second meeting at which this motion is being presented. The motion received 143 votes in favor at the October 3, 2002, meeting.

To amend Article VIII and Article IX of the University Senate Constitution as follows (new language is underlined).

An amendment to this Constitution shall be approved either by a two-thirds majority of all voting members of the University Senate at a regular or special meeting, or by a majority of all voting members of the Senate at each of two meetings, the second of which shall be the next regular meeting; and provided the proposed amendment has been distributed, in writing, to the persons and in the manner provided in Article III, Section 7, for distribution of the Senate 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 University Senate and by the Board of Regents.

If a proposed constitutional amendment has received affirmative votes of 80% or more of those present and voting at a meeting of the Senate, 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 Senate for a second vote. The votes must be cast no later than three working days from the time of adjournment of the Senate 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.

The University Senate may enact or amend its Bylaws either by a majority of all voting members of the University Senate at a regular or special meeting, or by a majority of all members of the Senate 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 Senate 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 Senate, 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 Senate for a second vote. The votes must be cast no later than three working days from the time of adjournment of the Senate 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.

COMMENT:

There have been repeated occasions over the past several years when constitutional or bylaw amendments have received unanimous or near-unanimous support from the Senate or Assembly but which were nonetheless not adopted because the required absolute majority vote was not obtained simply because there were not enough people present at the meeting. The Senate Consultative Committee recommends that when an item has received the support of at least 80% of those present at a meeting (and most of these items receive 100% support), the Senate office be permitted to submit the item to senators electronically for a vote of all members. If members of the Senate or Assembly fulfill their responsibility and respond to the electronic ballot, most of the proposals could then be adopted promptly and the business of the Senate and Assembly could proceed unimpeded.

This is the second meeting at which this motion is being presented. The motion received 123 votes in favor at the October 3, 2002, meeting.

To amend Article VI and Article VII of the Twin Cities Campus Assembly Constitution as follows (new language is underlined).

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.

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.

COMMENT:

See the comment to the previous motion.

The motion received 119 votes in favor at the March 28, 2002, meeting was withdrawn from the April 25, 2002, meeting, and received 137 votes in favor at the October 3, 2002, meeting.

MOTION:

To amend the Senate Constitution, Article III (3), as follows (new language is underlined):

3. Allocation of Functions and Powers

...

d. In general, functions allocated to the Faculty Senate shall include but not be limited to accreditation, designation and granting of University honors, policies concerning faculty appointment and tenure, and matters within the jurisdiction of the Faculty Affairs and Judicial Committees. Only those members of the Faculty Senate who hold probationary or tenured faculty appointments may vote on changes in the "Regulations Concerning Faculty Tenure," any matters related to tenure, or any matters related to the Judicial Committee.

...

COMMENT:

As part of a package of bylaw revisions establishing positions on some Senate and Assembly committees for academic professional members, the Faculty Consultative Committee and the Council on Academic Professionals and Administrators agreed that academic professional members of the Faculty Senate should not be voting on tenure or Judicial Committee matters, which are issues of concern exclusively to the faculty.

MOTION:

To adopt the following policy. All language is new.

POLICY ON VOTING

--Only tenured full professors may vote on whether to recommend a candidate for promotion to full professor with tenure. The tenured full professors may consult other tenured faculty, non-tenured faculty, P&A and term faculty, adjunct faculty, students, and any others they wish. The meeting at which the final deliberations and vote take place, however, shall be open only to the tenured full professors in that unit.^[1]

--Only tenured associate and full professors may vote on whether to recommend a candidate for promotion to associate professor with tenure. The tenured associate and full professors may consult other tenured faculty, non-tenured faculty, P&A and term faculty, adjunct faculty, students, and any others they wish. The meeting at which the final deliberations and vote take place, however, shall be open only to the tenured associate and full professors in that unit.

--Only tenured faculty may vote on whether to recommend a candidate for tenure. The tenured faculty may consult non-tenured faculty, P&A and term faculty, adjunct faculty, students, and any others they wish. The meeting at which the final deliberations and vote take place, however, shall be open only to the tenured faculty in that unit.

--Only the tenured and tenure-track faculty may vote on whether to recommend hiring a candidate for a tenured and tenure-track faculty position in a unit. The tenured and tenure-track faculty may consult P&A and term faculty, adjunct faculty, students, and any others they wish. Individuals other than tenured and tenure-track faculty members may serve on search committees; however, meeting at which the final deliberations and vote take place shall be open only to the tenured and tenure-track faculty in that unit. It is not required that all tenured and tenure-track faculty in a unit participate in the decision to recommend that a candidate be hired, but the decision to recommend hiring of a tenured and tenure-track faculty member shall be made only by tenured and tenure-track faculty members.

COMMENT:

The Tenure Subcommittee was asked by the Senate Committee on Faculty Affairs to consider issues associated with voting on faculty appointments, promotions, and tenure. The Subcommittee, after discussion over several meetings, recommended a proposed policy to the Committee on Faculty Affairs. The Committee on Faculty Affairs, and the Faculty Consultative Committee, offered a number of suggestions that were incorporated in the policy. The Committee on Faculty Affairs and the Tenure Subcommittee recommend that the Faculty Senate adopt the policy

This policy is intended to be supplemental to the tenure regulations. We believe that the provisions of this policy are implicit in the tenure code but that additional clarification cannot hurt.

^[1] The provision in this and succeeding paragraphs that "the meeting at which the final deliberations and vote take place, however, shall be open only to . . . " explicitly bars all others, including support staff.