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Chapter 2: Organization of the Faculty

2.1 Faculty Bylaws

2.1.1 Faculty Senate Meetings

The normal business of the faculty shall be conducted at Faculty Senate meetings.

The essential functions of the Faculty Senate meetings shall be deliberation and action on policy and review of policy implementation. As part of this latter function the chairperson shall schedule regular reports from each of the administrative divisions of the college and from the President's Cabinet. The chairperson may also schedule discussions of policy matters relating to the mission, purpose, and curriculum of the college even before such matters have been referred to committees of the faculty. The Faculty Senate normally shall act only upon the recommendations of faculty committees and of appropriate administrators. The Faculty Senate may also at any time review the actions of any faculty committees, Senate officers, or Senate members, although it is expected that this shall be done rarely.

2.1.1.1 Eligibility for Election to the Senate

All persons with faculty status who are serving in at least their fourth consecutive year of employment at Calvin College shall be eligible for election to the Faculty Senate, except for persons of color, who are eligible to be nominated in their third consecutive year of employment.

2.1.1.2 Senate Membership

The Senate shall have the following composition:

  • Each of the academic departments will elect one of its members to the Senate.
  • The provost and academic deans will be voting members ex officio; the other vice-presidents may attend and participate in discussions when appropriate.
  • Persons with faculty status who are not members of academic departments (the staff of the library, Broene Center, and Student Academic Services, as well as administrators with faculty status) will elect two senators.
  • Each of the three academic divisions will elect two at-large senators.
  • The entire faculty electorate will elect six at-large senators.
  • The president and a vice president of Student Senate will sit on Faculty Senate, along with an at-large student senator chosen from among the current student senators during the time of student appointments to faculty governance committees each spring; the at-large senator must have completed at least one year at Calvin College. Student members of Faculty Senate shall not have the right to vote or to make motions, and they may be excused from the Faculty Senate meeting room during an executive session.

2.1.1.3 The Election of Senators

  1. Under the supervision of the Committee on Governance, senators will be elected to a three-year term and normally will not be eligible for immediate reelection; eligibility for election will resume after one year. To be elected, a candidate must win a majority of the ballots cast.
  2. One-third of the Senate shall be elected each year.
  3. Each year the academic departments whose senators are retiring will elect replacements from their respective departments by March 15 for three-year terms which begin on September 1.
  4. Whenever necessary, the non-teaching members of the faculty will elect a replacement for their retiring senator by March 15 for a three-year term which begins on September 1.
  5. Whenever necessary, each academic division will elect a replacement for its retiring senator from a slate for which each department in that division may submit one nominee from any department in its division. This election will take place by April 7, for three-year terms which begin on September 1. Prior to this election, a demographic profile of the previously elected Senate membership should be distributed to each division.
  6. Each year the entire faculty electorate will elect replacements for retiring at-large senators from a slate for which each department may submit one nominee from any department in the college (non-teaching members of the faculty will be regarded as one department for this purpose). This election will take place by April 30, for three-year terms which begin on September 1. Prior to this election, a demographic profile of the previously elected Senate membership should be distributed to the entire faculty.
  7. Whenever a Senate seat is vacant for two or more meetings before the expiration of a term (through, e.g., illness, leave of absence, retirement, or death), a replacement will be appointed. Replacements for academic department representatives will be appointed by the department chairperson; replacement for academic division representatives will be appointed by the division chairperson; replacements for representatives of persons who are not members of an academic department and replacement for faculty at-large representatives will be appointed by the Committee on Governance. Such replacements will serve for the duration of the vacancy, and if that period of service is no more than one year, the replacement will be eligible for immediate reelection.
  8. During their term of Senate service, Faculty Senators may be asked to serve as members, but not chairs, of college committees.

2.1.1.4 Senate Officers

2.1.1.4.1 Chair

The president of the college shall serve as the non-voting chair of the Senate.

2.1.1.4.2 Vice Chair

The vice chair of the Senate shall be elected in a faculty-wide election for a three-year term. The vice chair shall be a voting member of Faculty Senate.

  1. All persons with faculty status shall be eligible to be candidates for vice chair.
  2. The Committee on Governance shall solicit nominations for vice chair. Each division shall be asked to nominate one of its members, and the Committee on Governance shall solicit additional nominations and add up to two more nominees to make up a slate of four to six nominees.
  3. The election of vice chair shall occur at the same time as the Faculty Senate elections.
  4. The vice chair shall be elected by majority vote.
  5. If vice chair is a senator, his or her Senate seat shall be considered vacant and shall be filled following the bylaws for vacant Senate seats.
  6. Duties of the vice chair include the following:
    1. In conjunction with the other members of the Executive Committee of Faculty Senate, organizing the orientation of newly elected senators through a session at the Fall Conference for Faculty & Staff, and a welcoming gathering before the first Senate meeting of the year.
    2. Pairing each newly elected senator with a second- or third-year senator in his/her division.
    3. Taking the chair at Faculty Senate meetings at the request of the president.
    4. Serving on the Committee on Governance as an ex officio member of the committee.
    5. Providing a concise digest of matters coming before Faculty Senate to all colleagues with faculty status prior to each Senate meeting, and a prompt summary of what occurred at Faculty Senate following each Senate meeting.
    6. Participating in orientation meetings for all governance committee chairs (2.1.1.6: Reports and Communications to the Faculty Senate).
  7. The vice chair of Faculty Senate will normally receive one course release per academic year as compensation for these responsibilities.
2.1.1.4.3 Secretary

The secretary of the Senate shall be elected by the Faculty Senate for a two-year term and shall be an elected member of the Senate. The election of secretary shall take place at the last spring meeting of Faculty Senate. The secretary shall conduct official correspondence, record the minutes of the Faculty Senate meetings, maintain an agenda of unfinished Senate business, classify all reports to be considered by the Senate, and supervise the permanent files of all faculty committees.

2.1.1.4.4 Parliamentarian

The Senate parliamentarian shall be appointed by the other Senate officers for a one-year, renewable term and shall be an elected member of the Senate. The parliamentarian shall ensure that faculty bylaws are followed and shall serve as the authority to whom questions regarding parliamentary procedure may be referred by the chair during meetings of the Senate.

2.1.1.5 Senate Meetings

  1. The Faculty Senate shall normally meet once a month from October through December and from February through May. Additional meetings may be called when formally requested by at least 10 senators or at the discretion of the Senate officers, who may also cancel a regularly scheduled meeting should the lack of a full agenda warrant it.
  2. The presence of 30 senators will constitute a quorum. Attendance of senators at these meetings shall be considered an integral part of their professional duties.
  3. Voting rights in the Faculty Senate shall be held by all duly elected senators and ex officio members.
  4. Robert's Rules of Order shall be used to govern the procedures followed at meetings of the Senate. See appendix B for some procedures which are particularly applicable to Senate business.
  5. The agenda for the Faculty Senate shall be proposed by the Executive Committee of Faculty Senate (the chair, vice chair, secretary, and provost), in consultation with faculty committees and the administrative team of the college. The agenda shall be adopted by the Senate, which may also propose changes in the order of business for that meeting. The agenda shall include an item called Question Period. During this period senators may direct questions to any committee or official regarding their work or regarding reports which have been distributed to the faculty. All faculty members will be given a copy of the detailed Senate agenda no later than seven calendar days before the meeting. Full documentation will be available to each department from its senator. In addition, all Faculty Senate documents (the detailed Senate agenda with its full documentation) and some committee documents, as selected by the officers of the Senate, should ordinarily be posted to a local campus intranet at least seven calendar days prior to Senate deliberation about them. An exception to the seven-day rule may be made if the Senate officers agree to it and no three Senators protest the exception.
  6. Non-senators may request the privilege of the floor and be invited by either the chair or a majority of the Senate to speak to the Senate when appropriate; otherwise, only senators and officers have the privilege of the floor. When committee reports are presented to the Senate, the committee chair or a representative designated by the committee shall present the report.
  7. Upon request by 20% or more of persons with faculty status, Faculty Senate action upon any agenda item will normally be postponed pending formal discussion by the full faculty. Such requests must be submitted to the president at least one class day prior to the scheduled Faculty Senate meeting. The president shall then schedule a meeting for this discussion prior to the next regularly scheduled Senate meeting.
  8. The following members of the college community may attend Senate meetings as visitors, except in executive sessions, without the right to vote but with the privilege of the floor as granted at the discretion of the chair or a majority of the Senate:
    • All non-senators with faculty status.
    • Members of the Board of Trustees.
    • Administrators and staff members whose role in the educational activities of the college is enhanced by attendance at Senate meetings.
    • Members of the Student Senate, students serving on faculty committees, and student representatives of Chimes and other campus media.
    • Members of the Alumni Association Board.
  9. All faculty members shall be given a copy of the summary minutes of Senate meetings. Full minutes will be available to all faculty members from the President's Office.
  10. The Planning and Priorities committee and the President's Cabinet shall regularly provide written summaries of their minutes to the Faculty Senate.

2.1.1.6 Reports and Communications to the Faculty Senate

  1. All faculty committees shall make their recommendations for action to the Senate. The Executive Committee of Faculty Senate shall call a meeting of all committee chairs by October 1 to provide an orientation for chairs regarding committee mandates, important agenda items for the year, areas of overlap and common concern, and proper procedures for sharing committee minutes. By the November meeting of the Faculty Senate, the major items of the year's agenda for each committee shall be posted on the Calvin intranet. By June 30, committees shall file a report with the Senate regarding their activities for the academic year.
  2. Written reports to the Faculty Senate shall conform to a standard form prepared by the secretary of the Senate (see appendix C). This format shall include a reference key (committee name, subject, sequence number, date, etc.), a descriptive title, the membership of the committee, the name of the reporter, a statement of the problem or explanation of the mandate, a justification for the action proposed, and the formal resolutions proposing action.
  3. A written report to be considered for Senate action must be delivered to senators not later than seven calendar days before the meeting of the Senate. The reproduction and distribution of committee reports is the responsibility of the administrative representative on the committee or, in cases in which there is no administrator on the committee, the Provost's Office.
  4. Written reports of administrators calling for deliberation or decision shall conform to the general rules concerning committee reports.
  5. Reports which have been distributed in advance in accordance with the above guidelines shall not be read unless requested by a vote of the Faculty Senate. A brief written digest shall be given to the secretary for inclusion in the minutes.
  6. Standing committees, task forces and governing boards of the college may also bring to Faculty Senate items for discussion and input even before any decision has been taken at the committee level. Items for discussion shall be ones of concern to the whole college, and shall be submitted to the President’s Office at least ten days before Faculty Senate meetings. The request to have the item included on the agenda shall provide a concise overview of the issue and a set of questions on which the committee, task force, or governing board would like Faculty Senate’s feedback. Members of the committee, task-force, or governing board shall be in attendance at the relevant Faculty Senate meeting to gather feedback and answer any questions. Items for discussion shall be submitted on a standard form (see Appendix C).
  7. All communications from the Student Senate to the faculty shall be presented to the secretary of the Faculty Senate, who shall determine if they are properly the immediate business of a particular committee, or a council, or the Faculty Senate. Furthermore, whatever the recommendation of the faculty committee or council, it shall be accompanied by the original communication from the Student Senate, unless officially withdrawn by that body. The Student Senate resolution shall have the status of a minority report if it differs from the faculty committee's recommendation.

2.1.2 Faculty Assembly and Faculty Meetings

The full faculty will meet early in the fall semester for a Faculty Assembly in which, among other things, chairpersons of four or five committees with urgent agendas will report and the president and provost will speak on matters of all-college concern. The agenda shall include an item called Question Period. During this period faculty members may direct questions to any committee or official regarding matters of all-college concern.

If by majority vote the Faculty Senate decides that a special meeting of the full faculty should be called to consider an urgent item or a major item that affects the whole of the faculty, the Faculty Senate chair, vice chair, and secretary shall organize such a meeting. By majority vote, the Faculty Senate can also authorize that a given faculty meeting have the Senate's governance authority over some or all of the issues presented at the meeting. The agenda shall consist of items authorized by the Faculty Senate for action and/or discussion at the full faculty meeting.

2.1.3 Amendments

Bylaws governing faculty meetings may be amended by a 2/3 majority vote of the enfranchised faculty. Such a vote would be taken by mail ballot.

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