CONSTITUTION OF THE FACULTY SENATE3/29/96

PREAMBLE

The faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Superior, acting under its authority in Chapter 36 of the Wisconsin Statutes, hereby adopts this Constitution of the Faculty.

The authority for faculty governance rests in Chapter 36 of the Wisconsin Statutes and in the customary role that faculty have played in the educational and academic activities of colleges and universities.

Chapter 36.09 (3&4) state the primary and consultative responsibilities of the faculty:

Chapter 36.09 (3) THE CHANCELLORS. The chancellors shall be the executive heads of their respective faculties and institutions and shall be vested with the responsibility of administering board policies under the Coordinating direction of the president and be accountable and report to the president and the board on the operation and administration of their institutions. Subject to board policy the chancellors of the institutions in consultation with their faculties shall be responsible for designing curricula and setting degree requirements; determining academic standards and establishing grading systems; defining and administering institutional standards for faculty peer evaluation and screening candidates for appointment, promotion and tenure; recommending individual merit increases; administering associated auxiliary services; and administering all funds, from whatever source, allocated, generated or intended for use of their institutions.

Chapter 36.09 (4) FACULTY. The faculty of each institution, subject to the responsibilities and powers of the board, the president and the chancellor of such institution, shall be vested with responsibility for the immediate governance of such institutions and shall actively participate in institutional policy development. As such, the faculty shall have the primary responsibility for academic and educational activities and faculty personnel matters. The faculty of each institution shall have the right to determine their own faculty organizational structure and to select representatives to participate in institutional governance.

The principle of shared governance, as understood by the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Superior, is predicated upon two major concepts: (1) primary responsibility and (2) consultative responsibility.

Primary responsibility means the formal power to initiate action, carry out reviews and make recommendations which result in legislation and can be overruled only in rare instances for compelling reasons, which must be stated in detail.

Primary responsibility does not exclude the interests of the other party. Either party may initiate a request for action of the other whether it has primary responsibility or not.

Consultative means a formal procedure or practice that provides a means to present a judgment in the form of a recommendation or vote in time to affect the decision being made.

The consultative process has six elements:

1. Consultation should occur early in the decision-making process.
2. The procedures for consultation should be uniform and fair to all parties.
3. There must be adequate time to formulate a response to a request for consultation.
4. Information relevant to the decision should be freely available.
5. The advice rendered must be adequately considered and feedback given.
6. The decision, when made, should be communicated to the consulting group.

This constitution recognizes the right of Academic Staff to be active participants in institutional governance pursuant to section 36.09(4m) of the Wisconsin Statutes. Academic Staff participation in faculty governance shall mean the right to participate on the appropriate standing Councils of the Faculty Senate and to address the Faculty Senate when recognized by its Chair.

Chapter 36.09(5) of the Wisconsin Statutes recognizes the right of students to be active participants in institutional governance. Student participation in faculty governance shall mean the right to participate on the appropriate standing Councils of the Faculty Senate and to address the Faculty Senate when recognized by its Chair.

Article I: The Faculty Senate

Following custom and tradition, the faculty=s governance rights and responsibilities at the all-university level shall be exercised through a representative body of the faculty to be known as the Faculty Senate of the University of Wisconsin-Superior. Unless otherwise stated, the term Afaculty,@ whenever it appears within this document or its appendices, shall mean all members of the faculty currently serving in a .50 or greater faculty appointment. Departments and other units shall determine their own governance structures as long as these are consistent with state law and university policy.

Article II: Membership, Representation and Elections

1. Composition of the Senate
a. The senate shall be composed of representatives from each academic department, plus 3 at large faculty members, elected from the faculty of the University.

2. Representation
a. Each academic department of the university shall have one representative on the faculty senate.
b. The faculty of the information and instructional technology center shall be considered an academic department for purposes of representation on the faculty senate.
c. The chair of the Academic Staff Council shall be invited to nominate two (2) academic staff to serve as non-voting delegates to the Faculty Senate.
d. The Faculty Senate will appoint two (2) non-voting faculty members to the Academic Staff Council.
e. The Student Government shall be invited to nominate two (2) non-voting delegates to the Faculty Senate.

3. Eligibility
a. To be eligible to serve as a senator, a person must be a member of the faculty and have completed at least two academic years of unclassified service at the university.

4. Vacancies
a. A senator who represents an academic department and transferred to another unit during his/her term shall be ineligible to continue as a senator for the academic department to which he/she was elected and this seat shall be declared vacant.
b. Should a senator resign from the Faculty Senate or terminate affiliation with the faculty; leave the university for a period of sixty (60) days or more during the regular academic year, as in the instance of a leave-of-absence; or otherwise prove unable to perform senatorial duties, a special election shall be held for the purpose of filling the vacancy ad interim. Special elections shall take place at a time which would ensure that the constituency concerned would have continuous representation in the Faculty Senate. In the event that individual circumstances should create doubt as to whether or not a vacancy exists within the provisions of this clause, the Faculty Senate shall make a determination by a simple majority vote. The nomination and election procedures shall be prescribed in the same manner as those stipulated in section six (6) of this article and the By-laws.
c. The electors of the academic departments or the faculty at large may petition for the recall of any or all of their respective Senate representatives at any time after the first year of the term for which they were elected. Recall petitions shall bear the signatures of the electors of the academic department concerned or the faculty at large equal to at least fifty (50) percent of the total number of qualified electors in the appropriate constituency. Upon verification of the signatures on the petition, the Senate shall hold a special election for the constituency concerned within five (5) university class weeks following the filing of the recall petition. The senator(s) against whom the petition shall have been filed shall continue to perform the duties of office while awaiting the results of the filing of the recall petition. Should a senator be recalled, a replacement shall be elected to fill the unexpired term of the recalled senator, and the replacement senator shall be eligible for election to the Senate on the same basis as if he or she had completed a full term.

5. Term of Office
a. The term of service as a senator shall be three (3) years.
b. A senator having served two consecutive three year terms in the Senate is ineligible for election or appointment as a senator for one year.

6. Elections
a. The Secretary of the Faculty Senate shall be responsible for the conduct of all Senate elections. All details concerning elections not prescribed in these articles shall be formulated and approved by the Senate.
b. Those persons who hold Faculty rank and who have been in the employ of the University throughout the academic year in which the Faculty Senate elections shall be conducted shall be eligible to vote for members of the Faculty Senate.
c. Elections for Faculty Senators shall be held during the first two weeks in April. Nominating and voting procedures for the elections shall be prescribed by the Faculty of each Department in accordance with University Personnel Rules and open meeting laws. The Secretary of the Senate shall request nominations and self-nominations for the at-large faculty seats, distribute the ballot, receive the ballots, and report the results to the Senate. The Chief Academic Officer of the University shall determine the eligibility of electors and candidates, subject to the provisions of this Constitution, and shall furnish certified lists of the same to the Secretary of the Faculty Senate.
d. The Faculty Senate shall reorganize itself in May, and newly elected Faculty Senators shall take office at the same Faculty Senate meeting. The Faculty Senate shall be the judge of the elections, the returns, and the qualifications of its own members.
e. A notice of the annual or any special election to the Faculty Senate or to any of its councils must be distributed to the electorate at least two weeks prior to the election.
f. All voting shall be by secret ballot.

Article III: Officers of the Faculty Senate

1. Election of Officers
a. the officers of the Faculty Senate shall be the chair, vice chair (chair elect) and secretary.
b. The officers shall be elected by the members of the Faculty Senate.
c. The term for each office shall be one year. The vice chair shall become chair in the second year. The term for each office shall begin at the seating of the new Faculty Senate in May of each year.
d. A vacancy in the office of the chair shall be filled by the vice chair who will thereby succeed himself/herself as chair for the next term.
e. In the event of a vacancy in the office of vice chair, the Faculty Senate shall elect an interim vice chair to serve in that capacity for the remainder of that term. This person will be eligible for election as vice chair in the regular election.
f. A vacancy in the office of secretary shall be filled for the reminder of the term by appointment of the chair subject to confirmation by a majority of the Faculty Senate.

2. Duties of the Officers
a. The chair shall preside at all meetings of the Senate and the Executive Committee; shall prepare the agenda, make appointments not otherwise prescribed or denied, and coordinate the Senate councils in consultation with the Executive Committee; and shall be the Faculty Senate representative on institutional and system governance bodies except where otherwise designated in this constitution or decided by the Faculty Senate.
b. The vice chair shall perform the duties of the chair in his/her absence, shall serve on the Executive Committee and serve as Faculty Representative to the University of Wisconsin System.
c. The secretary shall keep and distribute minutes of all Senate and Executive Committee meetings, shall maintain one complete record of such meetings in the Senate files, shall provide one for the university archives, and shall perform the duties of treasurer for the Senate.

Article IV: Conduct of Senate Business

1. Meetings of the Senate
a. The Senate shall hold at least one meeting in each month of the academic year. Meetings during the summer time shall be held as needed.
b. The first meeting each year must be scheduled on the second Tuesday or a Tuesday as close to that day as possible.
c. Special meetings may be called by the chair or as scheduled by the Senate. A special meeting must be called upon the written request of five members of the Senate.
d. General faculty meetings, for the purpose of discussing issues of concern, can be convened whenever the chair of the Senate or a majority of the Senate desire broader input from the faculty. A petition by one-third of the faculty shall be sufficient to call a general faculty meeting.
e. Two-thirds of the entire voting membership (10) including the Chair shall constitute a quorum.
f. The chair shall appoint a parliamentarian.

2. The agenda
a. The agenda is determined by the chair in consultation with the Executive Committee.
b. The order of business shall be:
1) Call to Order
2) Approval of Minutes of Previous Meeting
3) Report of the Chancellor (or designee) followed by Questions and Responses.
4) Announcements
5) Committee Reports
6) Old Business
7) New Business
8) Adjournment

3. Voting by Proxy
a. In order to vote on any question a Senator must be present at the meeting at the time of the vote. No Senator shall vote by proxy.
b. The same rule shall apply to proceedings of the Councils, task forces, and committees which shall be within the jurisdiction of the Faculty Senate.

4. Conduct of Business
a. The newly revised edition of Robert=s Rules of Order shall govern the conduct of the meetings of the Faculty Senate, its Councils, task forces, and committees.
b. The Senate shall comply with the open meeting laws. Non-Senate members may speak at Senate meetings when recognized by the chair.

Article V: The Executive Committee

1. Membership and Election
a. The Executive Committee shall consist of the chair, the vice chair, the secretary, and the chairs of the Academic Affairs Council, the Personnel Council, and the Planning and Review Councils. All members of the Executive Committee shall be full voting members.
b. All terms shall be one year in length beginning on the second Tuesday in May or the beginning of the new Senate year.

2. Duties
a. The Executive Committee shall aid the chair in establishing the agenda for Faculty Senate meetings, may suggest policies and the means of implementing them to the Faculty Senate, assist the chair in coordinating the Faculty Senate councils, and recommend to the interpretations of the Faculty Senate=s Constitution. The Executive Committee may act on behalf of the Senate when the time frame does not permit the convening of the Faculty Senate. The Executive Committee must report all of its actions to the Faculty Senate at the next Faculty Senate meeting.

Article VI: Councils and Committees

1. There shall be three Councils. They are: a) The Academic Affairs Council, b) the Personnel Council, and c) The Planning, Budgeting and Review Council.

2. The Faculty Senate shall establish standing committees when it deems them necessary for effective governance.

3. Representation and Responsibilities
a. The representation and responsibilities of the Councils are identified in the Bylaws.
b. The standing committees shall be accountable to the Faculty Senate and shall advise the Faculty Senate in carrying out its primary responsibility for governance.

Article VII: Amendments to the Constitution

1. Procedures
a. Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed by written petition of ten percent (10%) of the faculty or by majority vote of the Faculty Senate, and shall be ratified by a two-thirds majority of the faculty voting on the amendment.
b. Notice of proposed amendments must be posted and distributed to eligible voters at least two weeks prior to the ratification vote.
c. At least once every three (3) years, the Faculty Senate shall enter on its agenda the question of general revision of this Constitution. The Faculty Senate shall decide, by an absolute majority vote of the faculty Senators whether or not to devise procedures for general revision. The procedures subsequently devised shall be adopted by a simple majority vote of the Faculty Senators present and voting.

Article VIII: Amendments to the Bylaws

1. Procedure
a. Amendments to the Bylaws of this Constitution shall be made by majority vote of the Faculty Senate as a whole (a minimum of eight votes).
b. Amendments to the Bylaws must be introduced at a regular meeting of the Faculty Senate and adopted at a subsequent regular meeting of the Faculty Senate.

Article IX: Ratification

1. Procedure
a. The Constitution and its Bylaws become effective when ratified by two-thirds of the eligible faculty voters casting ballots.
b. Eligible faculty will cast their ballots by mail.
c. Initial Senators will serve staggered terms. A lottery will be used to determine the sequence of re-election.

BYLAWS OF THE FACULTY SENATE

Article I: Bylaws of the Academic Affairs Council

1. Name
a. The name of this Faculty Senate standing council shall be the Academic Affairs Council.
2. Purposes
a. The Council shall be accountable to the Faculty Senate, as representative of the faculty which has primary responsibility for undergraduate curriculum and instruction. All Academic Affairs Council actions shall be communicated to the Senate.
b. The purposes of the Council shall be to review, develop, and recommend policy and guidelines regarding curriculum and approve or disapprove requests for new course, course revisions, new programs, program revisions, major and sub-major academic programs, minors, concentrations, specializations, and other academic policies, e.g., admissions standards, academic calendar, academic reinstatement, decisions on academic credits, class size, grading, issues related to attendance, student concerns related to curriculum and instruction and other responsibilities as directed by the Faculty Senate.
c. The objectives of the Council shall be:
1) To review, develop, and recommend new and/or modified curriculum policies.
2) To serve as an academic forum to consider and act upon proposals for credit-producing learning experiences as well as major and sub-major academic programs and specializations.
a) To ascertain if the proposal is in accordance with the Institutional Mission Statement, priorities, and policies of the University.
b) To ascertain if the proposal will fulfill a justifiable need.
c) To ascertain if the proposal has realistic, consistent and measurable objectives, and appropriate evaluation procedures.
d) To ascertain if the title and catalog description is descriptive of the content and objectives of the proposal.
e) To ascertain if the proposal results in unnecessary overlap or duplication with existing offerings.
f) To ascertain if the proposal is desirable from an instructional viewpoint relative to quality and its relationship to other offerings.
g) When appropriate, to ascertain whether a proposed course fulfills the requirements for inclusion in a specific category of the curriculum.
d. To encourage multicultural and transdisciplinary approaches to curriculum and instructional growth.
e. To promote academic excellence and educational opportunity and encourage the use of appropriate standards throughout the curriculum.
3. Membership
a. The members shall concern themselves with the Institutional Mission Statement, and shall be elected to provide a cross-section of the academic community of the University.
b. The qualifications of the members of the Council shall be:
1) To be knowledgeable about the University, its mission, structure, and the more specific specialized objectives and missions of the various units which comprise the total University.
2) To be knowledgeable about the Bylaws and status of the Council within the University structure.
3) To be able to serve without undue distraction of other activities either imposed on or undertaken voluntarily by proposed members. This implies that members should not be so unduly involved with other activities that they distract from active and meaningful service on the Council.
c. The duties of the members of the Council shall be:
1) To attend all meetings of the Council.
2) To study all the material submitted before the meeting to become knowledgeable of what is to be considered, and to be able to act intelligently and professionally on the material at the meeting.
3) To participate fully in the activities of the Council in considering all items submitted.
4) To serve, as needed, on subcommittees of the Council when so assigned by the chair. Subcommittees are established according to need to study and make recommendations to the Council about those items under consideration or other items which the Council deems necessary of special consideration.
5) To assume an All-University attitude in their membership, by refraining from individual or special group interest in their deliberations and voting. This implies giving highest consideration to the good of the University and its students on the part of the members of the Council.
d. The members of the Council shall consist of faculty, academic staff, and students:
1) Each academic department will be represented by one member. The chair shall be a member of the Faculty Senate elected by the Faculty Senate.
2) The Academic Staff Council shall be invited to appoint two (2)non-voting members of the teaching Academic Staff.
3) The Student Government shall be invited to appoint two (2 ) non-voting student members.
4) The Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs, the Registrar, and the Director of Undergraduate Advisement shall be non-voting, ex-officio members.
e. Terms of office shall be as follows:
1) The length of term of faculty members shall be three year terms. Initial terms shall be staggered by lottery.
2) The length of term of student Council members shall be at the discretion of the Student Senate
3) The length of term of academic staff members shall be at the discretion of the Academic Staff Council.
4) Faculty Council members may serve two (2) consecutive three year terms each then they are ineligible for election or appointment for one year.
5) When a member must resign from the Council before the member's term is completed, the unit represented by that member shall elect a replacement to fulfill the uncompleted portion of that member's term.
6) Should a Council member be unable to perform council duties for a period of sixty (60) days or more during the regular academic year, as in the case of a sabbatical leave, a leave-of-absence, or a class conflict with most scheduled Council meetings, then the unit affected shall elect an ad interim replacement, which shall not extend the length of the term, nor effect the eligibility of the original member for re-election.

4. Officers and Secretary
a. The officers of the Council shall be a chair and secretary.
b. The secretary shall be a voting member elected by the Council.
c. The secretary shall serve a term of one year and may be re-elected.
d. The election of the secretary shall be held at the first meeting of the Council.

5. Duties of Officers and Secretary
a. The chair shall:
1) Preside at all meetings of the Council
2) Establish and arrange meeting schedule and location.
3) Maintain liaison with the vice chancellor regarding curriculum matters.
4) Attend the meetings and serve as a voting member of the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate.
5) Maintain liaison with the chair of the Faculty Senate and the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate regarding the Council=s business.
6) Conduct proceedings of the Council in accordance with the by-laws.

b. The secretary shall:
1) Notify all faculty and administrators of regular meetings, including in the notice a call for materials to be submitted and deadlines for submission.
2) Notify all members of the Council, the chair of the Faculty Senate, the vice chancellor, and other necessary parties of any special meetings.
3) Receive copies of all materials submitted for consideration at a meeting and collate them in preparation for distribution.
4) Prepare an agenda for each regular meeting and distribute copies of the agenda plus copies of all submitted materials to personnel as required.
5) Notify parties who submit materials of the meeting at which such materials will be considered, and inform them if their presence is required.
6) Keep an accurate record of the proceedings and actions of each meeting.
7) Prepare copies of the minutes within one week after a meeting and distribute them as required.
8) Send one (1) copy of the minutes and a set of all materials to the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate, to the vice chancellor and to the chancellor.

6. Meetings
a. Regular meetings of the Council shall be held at least monthly during the academic year and as needed during the summer session.
b. Special meetings may be called by the chair.
c. The quorum shall consist of a majority of the voting members.
d. The meetings shall be open.

7. Task Forces/Subcommittees
a. Task forces/ committees, as needed, shall be appointed by the chair subject to approval by a majority vote of the members present. Membership on these task forces/committees will not be limited to current members of the Academic Affairs Council.
b. The charge of each task force/committee shall be determined by the chair subject to approval by a majority vote of the members present.

8. Amendments
a. Recommendations for changes in the Bylaws shall be distributed to the Council members at least two weeks prior to consideration by the Council.
b. Recommendations to the Faculty Senate for changes in the Bylaws shall be approved by a two-thirds majority of the voting members of the Council.

Article II: Bylaws of the Personnel Council

1. Name
a. The name of this Faculty Senate standing Council shall be the Personnel Council.

2. Purposes
a. The Council is accountable to the Faculty Senate.
b. The Council is responsible for reviewing and making recommendations on personnel matters including:
1) Personnel rules
2) Salary guidelines
3) Promotion, tenure, and post-guidelines
4) Workload
5) Affirmative Action and Diversity policies
6) Faculty and staff development
c. The council will appoint a faculty hearing committee to deal with complaints and grievances
d. The Council will serve as the Faculty Consultative Committee

3. Membership
a. The Council shall consist of seven members as follows:
1) The chair shall be a member of the Faculty Senate elected by the Faculty Senate.
2) Six members from the faculty at-large shall be elected to serve on the Personnel Council. Annual elections for the new members of the Personnel Council will be held during the first two weeks in May. Nominations or self-nominations shall be forwarded to the Secretary of the Faculty Senate for distribution of ballots for voting purposes to the general faculty population. The nominees with the highest vote totals shall constitute the new members of the Council.
b. All faculty members shall serve three-year terms of office. Faculty members may serve two (2) consecutive terms of office then are ineligible for election or appointment for one (1) year.
c. Should a Council Member be unable to perform council duties for a period of sixty (60) days or more during the regular academic year, as in the case of a sabbatical leave, a leave-of-absence, or a class conflict with most scheduled Council meetings, then the unit affected shall elect an ad interim replacement, which shall not extend the length of term, nor effect the eligibility of the original member for re-election.
d. A quorum will consist of a majority (4) of the voting members.

4. Officers
a. Each year, at its first organizational meeting, the Council shall elect a secretary from the members on the Council.
b. The secretary=s term of office shall be one year in length with the possibility of re-election.
c. The chair is a voting member of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee and is responsible for delivering recommendations and actions of the Personnel Council to the Faculty Senate and its Executive Committee.

5. Task Forces/Subcommittees
a. Task forces/committees, as needed, shall be appointed by the chair subject to approval by a majority vote of the members present. Membership on these task forces/committees will not be limited to current members of the Faculty Senate Personnel Council.
b. The charge of each task force /committee shall be determined by the chair subject to approval by a majority vote of the members present.

6. Revisions
a. Recommendations for changes in the Bylaws shall be distributed to the Council members at least two weeks prior to consideration by the Council.
b. Recommendations to the Faculty Senate for changes in the Bylaws shall be approved by a majority vote (4) of the Council.

Article III: Bylaws of the Planning, Budgeting, and Review Council

1. Name
a. The name of this Faculty Senate standing Council shall be the Planning, Budgeting, and Review Council.

2. Purposes
a. The Council shall review, develop, and coordinate the university's strategic and long-range plans and planning process and shall make recommendations (proposals) to the Faculty Senate.
b. The Council shall review the procedure and policies in the program audit and review process. The Council shall conduct and supervise the program audit and review process. The Council shall audit all University programs on a regular basis. The Council shall forward its findings, stipulations, suggestions, and observations to the Faculty Senate for approval. The final recommendation of the Faculty Senate will be transmitted to the vice-chancellor of the university by the chair of the Faculty Senate.
c. The Council shall receive and react to communications from the Faculty Senate or the Senate Executive Committee.

3. Organization:
a. Membership
1) The Council shall consist of faculty, academic staff, and student members as follow:
a) The chair shall be a member of the Faculty Senate elected by the Faculty Senate.
b) Six members from the faculty at large shall be elected to serve on the Planning, Budgeting, and Review Council. Annual elections for the new members of the Planning, Budgeting, and Review Council will be held during the first two weeks in May. Nominations or self-nominations shall be forwarded to the Secretary of the Faculty Senate for the distribution of ballots for voting purposes to the general faculty population. The nominees with the highest vote totals shall constitute the new members of the Council.
c) Should a Council member be unable to perform council duties for a period of sixty (60) days or more during the regular academic year, as in the case of a sabbatical leave, a leave of absence, or a class conflict with most scheduled Council meetings, then the unit affected shall elect an ad interim replacement, which shall not extend the length of term, nor effect the eligibility of the original member for re-election.
d) The Academic Staff Council shall be invited to appoint two (2) non-voting members from the Academic Staff to the Council.
e) The Student Government shall be invited to appoint two (2) non-voting student members to the Council.
f) The Vice-Chancellor and the Registrar shall be non-voting, ex-officio members.
b. All members shall serve three-year terms of office. Faculty members may serve two (2) consecutive three (3) year terms then are ineligible to be elected or appointed for one (1) year.
c. Quorum
1) A quorum shall consist of a majority of voting members (4).
d. Officers
1) The chair shall be a member of the Faculty Senate elected by the Faculty Senate.
2) Each year at its organizational meeting the Council shall elect a secretary from the members of the Council.
3) The terms of office for the secretary shall be one year in length with possibility of re-election.

4. Revisions
a. Recommendations for changes in the Bylaws shall be distributed to the Council members at least two weeks prior to consideration by the Council.
b. Recommendations to the Faculty Senate for changes in the Bylaws shall be approved by a majority vote of the Council.

5. Task Forces/Committees
a. Task forces/committees, as needed, shall be appointed by the chair subject to approval by a majority vote of the members present.
b. Membership on these task forces/committees will not be limited to current members of the Faculty Senate or Planning and Budgeting Council.
c. The charge of each task force/committee shall be determined by the chair subject to approval by a majority vote of the members present.

Article IV: Department Bylaws Policy

As part of effective governance, each department or functional equivalent shall have developed and approved a set of Bylaws. In order to ensure that each department has adequate Bylaws, which conform to the policies listed below, and to form a consistent governance structure, completed Bylaws will be sent to the Faculty Senate for review by the Executive Committee to determine if they conform to this policy.

1. Bylaws must not:
a. Contradict state or federal regulations and UW System and UW-Superior policies.
b. Restrict the prerogatives of members as faculty or staff in an illegal manner.
c. Assume authority or give directives to persons holding positions outside of the department.

2. Bylaws
a. Must define procedures for making recommendations regarding recruitment, new appointments, retention decisions, tenure decisions, promotions, and performance evaluations of department faculty.
b. Must define a mechanism for electing a department chair.
c. Must define the role and responsibility of faculty and staff in governance of the department, i.e., curriculum planning and review, educational activities and faculty personnel.
d. Must identify standing committees, define procedures for the selection of members, describe the qualifications of members, establish procedures for the committee(s) to follow and provide charges for the committee(s).
e. Must define the general and the voting membership of the department, specifying the difference.
f. Must describe or define expectations the department has about its members, their actions, responsibilities, and roles.
g. Must provide for changes or revisions when needed in the Bylaws themselves.
h. Should provide a procedure or mechanism for the resolution of conflict between department members and the chair or each other within the department=s structure.
i. May include explicit statements about policies, assumptions, positions, and any other items that are pertinent to the department=s operation as a unit.
j. May define procedures and state policies for the chair to follow in conducting the department=s business as these actions pertain to the primary responsibility areas of the faulty.

3. Amendments to Bylaws will be developed by the department and sent to the Faculty Senate.

4. Departments will submit their Bylaws for review to Faculty Senate within one year of the date of this document=s adoption. Feedback will be provided if the department so requests.

5. The department chair is the chief administrator and representative of the department or functional equivalent in its day-to-day activities.

6. Copies of department Bylaws are available from the department chair.

7. Department chair selection:
a. All departments will have a mechanism for electing a department chair. This method shall be designed by the voting members of the department and shall provide for the decision of the department to be transmitted to the vice-chancellor, who will then make a recommendation to the chancellor.
b. If the chancellor or vice-chancellor finds the decision unacceptable he or she will inform the department in writing. The chancellor or vice-chancellor may then request additional recommendations from the department.

Article V: Technical Corrections to the Constitution of the Faculty Senate.

1. The Faculty Senate may authorize editing or other clearly technical changes in the text of the Constitution by a two-thirds vote of those Faculty Senators present and voting, without observing the procedural requirements for formal amendment as prescribed in Article VII of the Constitution; but if at least ten (10) per cent of the Faculty Senate electors should sign a petition questioning the "technical" interpretation by the Faculty Senate of any contemplated change in the text of the Constitution, then the formal amendment procedure stipulated in Article VII shall be followed.