Appendix 2: Constitution and Bylaws of the Fordham University Faculty Senate

Constitution of the Fordham University Faculty Senate

Article I

A. Objects and Purposes
The objects and purpose of the Fordham University Faculty Senate shall be:

  1. To promote the best interest of Fordham University;
  2. To create a closer liaison between the members of the faculty and the Administrative officers;
  3. To develop greater cooperation and closer cultural and educational exchange among the faculties of the schools of the University;
  4. To serve as an advisory body to the President of the University;
  5. To initiate recommendations on policy to the President of the University.

B. Powers, Rights, and Duties of the Faculty Senate

  1. The Senate shall have the right and duty to advise the President and Trustees of the University and to initiate recommendations in all areas of University activity.
  2. The Senate shall deal directly with the President of the University and to this end the President of the Senate shall have the right to confer with the President of the University within a reasonable time after a request for such a meeting.

Article II

Composition
The Fordham University Faculty Senate shall regularly consist of twenty-five (25) members to be elected as provided in Article VI and apportioned as follows:

  1. Members of the Liberal Arts Faculty shall elect twelve (12) members representing District One (Rose Hill) and four (4) members representing District Two (Lincoln Center).
  2. Members of the Liberal Arts Faculty may enroll, for the entire academic year, as voters/candidates at the start of each academic year in either Election District. They shall continue as enrollees of that District until they choose to enroll in the other District, at the start of a subsequent academic year.
  3. Members of the Faculty of Business shall elect three (3) members.
  4. Members of the Faculties of the School of Law, the Graduate School of Social Service, and the Graduate School of Education shall each elect two (2) members.
  5. If a faculty member teaches in more than one School or Faculty, that faculty member must choose one of those Schools or Faculties wherein to cast ballots or be candidate at the start of each academic year. The chosen status shall remain in effect until changed at the start of a subsequent academic year.

Article III

Officers

  1. The officers of the Fordham University Faculty Senate shall consist of an honorary president, president, vice president, and secretary.
  2. The honorary president shall at all times be the President of Fordham University. The President of the university may submit matters to the Senate for its consideration and recommendation. He may also call meetings as set forth in Article VI. He, or any officer of the University whom he designates, may attend any meetings of the Senate.
  3. The president of the Senate shall preside at and conduct the meetings of the Senate. The vice president shall exercise all the powers and duties of the president in the president's absence. The secretary shall keep the minutes of all the meetings of the Senate, shall maintain the rolls of the members, and shall send out all notices of meetings.
  4. The term of office of the president, vice president, and secretary shall be one (1) year. Each shall be eligible for not more than two consecutive re-elections to his office.
  5. Officers of the Senate shall be elected by the Senate from its members at a meeting to take place in the month of May.
  6. The President, Vice President, and Secretary shall vote as members at Senate meetings.

Article IV

Elections

  1. All members of the full-time Fordham University faculty who have served for a minimum of one academic year shall have the right to vote for members of the Senate. Such faculty members retain the right to vote until fully retired.
  2. Election to the Senate shall be limited to voting faculty members in the professorial rank of Assistant, Associate, or full Professor.
  3. Eligible faculty members on authorized leave of absence may vote but will not be eligible for election unless they are returning to the University in the year they are to begin the term of office.
  4. If a vacancy occurs in the Senate, the President of the Senate shall:
    1. As promptly as is practicable, fill such vacancy by certifying as elected thereto the qualified candidate who accepts such certification who secured the next highest number of votes in the last Senate election in the faculty or school which elected the member whose seat is vacant.
    2. If the vacancy is not filled as provided in subparagraph (i) the President shall cause to be held a special election by the faculty or school which elected the member to be replaced.
    3. Senators filling vacancies pursuant to this Article shall serve out the term of the member whose vacancy is thus filled.
  5. Senators shall be elected for the term of two years.
  6. Elections shall take place in April of each year.In January preceding the election, the President of the Senate shall appoint an election committee. The election committee may recommend to the Senate the procedure for the distribution and return of nominating ballots and election ballots. Any recommendations approved by the Senate shall take effect beginning with the election in the subsequent academic year. Said committee shall cause a nominating ballot to be sent to eligible faculty members on or before February 15. Eligible faculty members shall be instructed that they shall make only one nomination for each vacancy for which they are eligible to nominate and that the nominating ballot must be returned and received no later than February 28. Those deemed nominated shall be a number twice as large as the number of vacancies, and those who receive the highest number of nominations except in the event of a tie in which case all of those tied shall be deemed nominated.

When the election committee receives the nominating ballot, it shall cause to be prepared the necessary election ballots which shall be sent to eligible faculty members in ample time to permit the vote to be cast in April and to be returned on or before April 15. Only votes received on or before April 15 shall be considered. Each faculty member shall vote for each office for which he is eligible to vote and the one receiving the highest number of votes for the office or offices vacant shall be deemed elected.

The election committee shall conduct the nominations and elections in such a way that the votes are anonymous and yet employ adequate safeguards to ensure that only those eligible have voted.

The results of the election should be made public before the end of April.

Article V

Committees
The committees of the Senate shall be appointed by the Senate and shall have whatever powers and duties are prescribed by that body. All members of the Fordham faculty are eligible for appointment to committees.

Article VI

Meetings

  1. In addition to the meeting of the Senate in May, the Senate shall meet at least once during each semester, fall and spring. Meetings shall be called by the president of the Senate.
  2. Special meetings may be called by the presentation of a petition signed by six (6) members of the Senate or may be called by the President of the University.
  3. Each member of the Senate shall be notified in writing by the secretary of any meeting not less than five days before the date thereof.
  4. A majority of the Senate shall constitute a quorum at all regular and special meetings.
  5. All action taken by the Senate shall be made by a majority vote of those present and voting. A minority recommendation shall be made if at least one member of the Senate so desires.

Article VII

Amendments
This Constitution may be amended as follows:

  1. A majority of the Senate at any regular or special meeting may propose an amendment in writing;
  2. Ten percent (10%) of the full-time members of the faculty may propose at any time an amendment in writing to the Senate which shall submit it to the faculty for action;
  3. In either case, the amendment shall not become effective unless it is submitted in writing to the faculty of the University eligible to vote for senate members and approved by a vote of a majority of those eligible to vote.

Article VIII

Rules of Order
On all matters not specifically covered in this Constitution, Robert's Rules of Order shall govern.

Article IX

Effective Date
This Constitution shall be in full force and effect upon the date of its approval by a vote of a majority of the full-time faculty members voting in May 1965. All full-time faculty members, regardless of rank, are eligible to vote upon the adoption of this Constitution. In the event of the approval of the Constitution, the first Senate will be elected in May 1965.

Bylaws of the Fordham University Faculty Senate

Article I

Purpose
These bylaws are designed to implement and supplement the Constitution of the Fordham University Faculty Senate.

Article II

Nomination and Election of Officers
Section 1 - The order of nomination and election shall be: President, Vice President and Secretary.
Section 2 - Only those Senators present at the meeting shall be eligible to nominate and vote.
Section 3 - Nominations shall be made viva voce. Any number of nominations may be made for any position provided that the nomination is seconded.
Section 4 - Election shall be by secret written ballot. A majority of all the votes cast for a particular office shall be necessary to elect. If a majority is not achieved upon the first ballot, there shall be a run-off between the two candidates receiving the most votes.
Section 5 - The President or the presiding officer pro tern shall appoint two Senators to act as Tellers and one to act as Recorder. One of the Tellers shall read aloud the name written on the ballot and pass it to the other for confirmation. The Recorder shall tally the same and the result thereof shall be announced by the presiding officer. All of this shall take place in full view of the Senate.
Section 6 - A vacancy in an elective office shall be filled at a special election to be held after reasonable notice to the Senators. The procedure shall be the same as a regular election. One who already occupies and office is eligible to run for the vacated office and should he succeed, his office shall in turn be filled at the same meeting.

Article III

Agenda
Section 1 - The following shall form part of the order of business at meetings of the Senate:

  1. Call to Order
  2. Prayer
  3. Reading of Minutes of Previous Meeting
  4. Matters Presented by the President of the University
  5. Reading of Important Communications
  6. Report of Committees
  7. Special Order of Business
  8. Unfinished Business
  9. New Business
  10. Prayer

At any meeting, this order may be dispensed with by a majority vote of the Senators present and voting.

Section 2 - No meeting of the Senate shall extend for more than three hours from the time it is called to order by the presiding officer, unless a motion to extend the meeting is approved by two-thirds of the Senators present and voting, provided a quorum is present (9/26/72).

Section 3 - When the President of the University requests a favorable recommendation of tenure by the Faculty Senate under University Statutes ยง4-05.04(g)(2)(A), the Senate will act on the following premises:

  1. The function of the Senate is to review the recommendation of the original tenure committee. (The first sentence of this subdivision shall not preclude the Senate from requesting whatever documentation, testimony or other information it requires for the proper disposition of the case.)
  2. The burden of proof lies upon the President to show that the recommendation of the tenure committee was arbitrary, unreasonable or not in the best interest of the University (2/18/77).

Article IV

Committees
Section 1 - There shall be three kinds of senate committees:

  1. An Executive Committee;
  2. Standing Committees;
  3. Special Committees.

The Executive Committee and all standing committees shall meet as directed by the Faculty Senate, or as determined necessary by the committees themselves or their chairmen, but no less than once a year; the meeting shall be conducted according to orderly procedure, records of deliberations shall be kept, and all reports shall be made to the Faculty Senate as often as required, but at least once annually. Copies of all reports, final and accepted by the Senate shall be filed with the Secretary of the Senate and shall be available for inspection by members of the faculty and the administrative staff of the University.

Section 2 - Except as otherwise provided, all members of all committees shall be appointed by the President of the Senate with the consent of the Senate, and the number, charge, and composition of the standing and special committees shall be determined in the same way.
Section 3 - The members of the Executive Committee shall be appointed at the May meeting in which officers are elected by the President with the consent of the majority of Senators present. Members of the Executive Committee shall be appointed for one year and no member of the Executive Committee shall be appointed for more than three successive terms except when he is a member ex officio as hereinafter provided.
Section 4 - The Executive Committee shall consist of five members, two appointed as previously provided and the officers of the Senate ex officio shall be the remaining members.
Section 5 - The Executive Committee shall:

  1. arrange the agenda for senate meetings, and shall serve as the channel through which any member of the Senate may introduce matters for the consideration of the Senate. It shall include in the agenda for any meeting any matters requested by the President or 20% of the members of the Senate;
  2. receive reports and communications prepared by or in any college, school or division of the University which may be of concern or interest to any other college, school or division, or the faculty, or the Faculty Senate;
  3. act on behalf of the Senate on matters requiring immediate action when it is not possible to call a special meeting of the Senate, such action to be reported to the Senate for confirmation at its next regular meeting;
  4. act as a liaison committee with the President of the University.

Section 6 - There shall be the following Standing Committees: Constitution and Bylaws, Election, and Faculty Handbook. (2/18/72)

Article V

Election of Senators

Article VI

Amendments
Section 1 - These bylaws may be amended at any regular or special meeting by a majority vote of the senators present and voting provided that notice of the proposed amendment shall have been included in the notice or call of the meeting in question.

Section 2 - An amendment to these bylaws shall be in full force and effect upon the date of its approval in accordance with Section 1.

Article VII

Rules of Order
On all matters not specifically covered in these bylaws, Robert's Rules of Order shall govern.