ARTICLE I. PROCEDURES FOR THE REGULAR ELECTION OF SENATORS
Section 1. Faculty Senate elections will take place according to the following schedule: College and Unaffiliated representatives on the working Friday preceding spring break, or on the last Friday in March in the event there is no spring break; At-Large representatives on the first Friday in April; Part-time representative at the beginning of the academic year.
Section 2. The Faculty Senate President is responsible for notifying the faculty in writing seven days prior to the election, for notifying candidates of the results, and for announcing the results to the faculty.
Section 3. The Faculty Senate Secretary is responsible for conducting elections via online ballot sent via UCA email or other method requiring a login, password, pin, or other security measures as deemed appropriate by the Secretary.
Section 4. Ballots will be open between 8:00 am and 4:15 pm CST on the day of the election.
Section 5. A candidate is elected by winning a simple majority of votes. A simple majority is the highest number of votes; it does not need to exceed 50%.
Section 6. In the event that no candidate wins a simple majority, a runoff election between the two candidates with the most votes will be held the Friday following the inconclusive election. A runoff election follows the same balloting procedures as a regular election.
ARTICLE II. PROCEDURES FOR FILLING PARTIAL-TERM VACANCIES AFTER REMOVAL OR RESIGNATION
Section 1. Sitting Senators may be removed from their seats by the Faculty Senate Executives after accumulating two unexcused meeting absences in a single semester. In order to avoid this, Senators must notify the Secretary of anticipated absences prior to the meeting.
Section 2. If a Senator is removed or resigns before completing a full year of their term, the candidate who came in second to the resigning/removed Senator will be offered the seat by the Senate President, and so on until the position is filled. If there was a tie for second (or any other) place, the ranking of the candidates will be determined by a random drawing. If none of the candidates accept the seat, a Special Election will be held.
Section 3. A Senator seated in a regular election begins their term at the May meeting of the Faculty Senate; a Senator seated in a Special election begins their term on the date of the first meeting they attend.
Section 4. If a Senator is removed or resigns after completing one or more years of their term, a Special Election will be held.
Section 5. A Special Election follows the same balloting procedures as a regular election.
ARTICLE III. PROCEDURES FOR THE ELECTION OF FACULTY SENATE OFFICERS
Section 1. Officers are elected in the following order: Vice-President/President-Elect, Secretary/Treasurer, and Parliamentarian.
Section 2. Each officer will be elected by the following procedure:
- The President will open nominations, which will remain open until closed by unanimous consent.
- Nominees will accept or decline the nomination.
- Nominees who accept will have the opportunity to give a brief statement and will leave the room during the discussion and vote.
- Voting will be conducted by secret ballot.
Section 3. Officers are elected by an absolute majority. Absolute majority is 50% of votes cast, plus one.
- If there is one nominee, she or he may be elected by acclamation.
- If there are three or four nominees, and none receives a majority of votes, there will be a runoff between the two nominees with the highest number of votes.
- If there are five or more nominees, and none receives a majority of votes, there will be a runoff between the three nominees with the highest number of votes.
Section 4. In the case of a tie, another vote will be taken immediately. If the second vote does not break the tie, the president will cast a vote.
Section 5. Ballots will be counted by the immediate past Senate President.
ARTICLE IV. COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Section 1. The Faculty Senate Committees and their responsibilities are as follows:
The Executive Committee consists of the Faculty Senate President, Vice-President/President-Elect, Secretary/Treasurer, and Parliamentarian. This committee populates and charges the other Faculty Senate Committees, advises the Faculty Senate President, makes recommendations for the consideration of the full Senate, proposes amendments to the Faculty Senate Constitution, makes recommendations to the bylaws of Faculty Senate, and creates ad hoc committees as necessary to conduct the business of Faculty Senate.
The Faculty Affairs Committee monitors, considers, and makes recommendations to the Senate on concerns of the faculty in the following areas: salaries, fringe benefits, handbook and procedure manual, and professional development.
The Academic Affairs Committee monitors, considers, and makes recommendations to the Senate on general institutional conditions that directly impact academic quality, integrity and the policies and practices of academic support systems throughout the university.
The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee monitors, considers, and makes recommendations to the Senate on University practices and policies to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The Committee on Committees recommends members for university committees for approval by the Senate and studies all standing university committees except the President’s Administrative Council and the Council of Deans. It also distributes a complete list of committees and their memberships to faculty and administrators each fall. Terms of service for standing university committees begin at the start of the fall semester.
Section 2. The Executive Committee assigns Senators to committees based on the Senators’ preferences.
Section 3. Committee responsibilities are as follows:
- Meet consistently as needed to make substantive reports at each Senate meeting.
- Report on, make recommendations about, or propose resolutions on their charges to the full Senate.
Section 4. Committee chairs will submit reports, resolutions, and recommendations to the Secretary/Treasurer for distribution to the full Senate four working days before the meeting at which they will be acted upon, in order for the Secretary/Treasurer to distribute them to the full Senate three working days before the meeting.
Section 5. If an item is especially time-sensitive, a Senator may move to temporarily suspend the three-day notice rule for that particular item. This motion must pass with two-thirds of the votes.
ARTICLE V. PROCEDURES FOR SUBMISSION OF FACULTY CONCERNS TO SENATE
Section 1. Faculty members may submit concerns in any of the following ways:
- Through the Constituent Concerns form on the Faculty Senate web page
- To a Senator, in person or in writing
- In person or in writing to the Faculty Senate President or another member of the Executive Committee.
Section 2. Submitted questions and concerns will be recorded in the Faculty Senate minutes.
Section 3. The Senate President will relay the question or concern to the appropriate Senate committee or university office.
ARTICLE VI. POLICY ON ACCESS TO THE FACULTY SENATE
Section 1. The Faculty Senate is committed to open, accessible, and transparent communication. The goal of the Senate is to consistently and fairly represent views on issues of concern to faculty. Anyone who wishes to speak to the Faculty Senate about business relevant to its charge may request the opportunity to do so by contacting the Senate President. The Senate President may then place them on the agenda of a regularly scheduled Senate meeting. The Senate President may request additional information to ensure appropriate placement on the agenda (i.e. action or information item).
Section 2. Agenda requests must be made four working days before the relevant meeting. In cases in which an item is extremely time-sensitive, this policy may be overridden by a motion to suspend the rules and a two-thirds vote.
Section 3. Faculty Senate representatives and guests are expected to exercise appropriacy and engage in civil discourse to ensure thoughts, ideas, and perspectives are heard and acknowledged.
ARTICLE VII. PROCEDURES FOR AMENDMENTS TO THE BYLAWS
Section 1. Proposed amendments to the Bylaws must be announced at a regularly scheduled Senate meeting in order for the amendment to be voted on at the next regularly scheduled Senate meeting.
Section 2. Amendments to the bylaws require a two-thirds majority vote to pass.
Section 3. In cases in which a minor change is necessary, but notice has not been given, a Senator may move to suspend the rules and allow consideration. The motion to suspend the rules AND the proposed amendment itself must both pass unanimously.
ARTICLE VIII. SENATE EXPENDITURES
Section 1. The Faculty Senate receives a small yearly budget from Academic Affairs, supplemented by occasional one-time funds from the university. The Faculty Senate Constitution stipulates that the reassigned time of the Faculty Senate President come out of these funds.
Section 2. The Faculty Senate Executive Committee is authorized to spend no more than $200 per academic year (in the aggregate) without approval of the full Senate. The President or Secretary/Treasurer shall report to the Senate any such funds spent no later than the following regular meeting after any such funds have been spent. Faculty Senate must pass a resolution in support of any additional expenditures.
Section 3. It is recommended that funds will primarily support faculty development, morale, and well-being, although considerations can also be made for expenditures that benefit the university as a whole, including faculty, staff, and students.
Section 4. All Faculty Senate expenditures must adhere to the state of Arkansas and the University of Central Arkansas purchasing guidelines. When considering resolutions to expend funds, senators are encouraged to consult the General Counsel and/or the Manager of Academic Administration and Budget to ensure all rules are followed.
Updated January 5, 2022, to reflect changes to the bylaws approved September 26, 2019 (Article VII); September 8, 2020 (Article IV); and March 9, 2021 (Article I)