The Daily Bulletin Archive

From the President
At its February 4, 2011, meeting, the College Senate approved an amendment to the bylaws that requires a campuswide referendum. The statewide University Faculty Senate (UFS) now allows members of the Professional Staff Caucus (PSC) to serve as university faculty senators. If all seven at-large senators and the two university faculty senators were to be PSC members, our Buffalo State Senate would be out of compliance with Article III, Section C of our bylaws, which state, “Faculty members shall be the majority membership of the College Senate.”

After much debate, the Senate is recommending that two of the seven at-large seats be reserved for faculty (also referred to as “academic staff members”), and that they be elected when university faculty senators are not on the ballot. In other words, the campus has a three-year election cycle, with UFS seats elected two out of the three years. The faculty-only election would occur on that third year. The exact changes are listed below. Voting took place between April 28 and May 6.

Current:

C. Faculty members shall be the majority membership of the College Senate. The College Senate shall include only the following groups: faculty (consisting of the four schools and the library), professional staff members, support staff members, students, and administrators (nonvoting), with specific members as follows:

1. The president of the college, ex officio, nonvoting; and
    
2. The provost and vice president for academic affairs, ex officio, nonvoting; the vice president for student affairs, ex officio, nonvoting; and the vice president for finance and management, ex officio, nonvoting; and
    
3. Seven members of the college faculty (Article II, Section A and B) elected at large by a majority vote of the college faculty; and
    
4. Six members elected at large by a majority vote of the professional staffs of Instructional Resources, Student Affairs, and other professional groups not otherwise represented; and
    
5. Six members elected from each of the approved faculties (School of Arts and Humanities, School of Education, School of Natural and Social Sciences, School of the Professions) and other faculties recommended by the Senate and approved by the president; and one member from the Butler Library faculty. Each of these faculties shall determine how its senators shall be elected; and
    
6. Two university faculty senators elected by the college who must be members of the college faculty (Article II, Section A and B); and
    
7. Twelve students elected by the student body whose terms of office and method of election shall be determined in accordance with the United Students Government constitution; and
    
8. One member of the college support staff elected as determined by the support staff; and
    
9. Two members, ex officio, nonvoting, appointed by the president.

Proposed change:

C. Faculty members shall be the majority membership of the College Senate. The College Senate shall include only the following groups: faculty (consisting of the four schools and the library), professional staff members, support staff members, students, and administrators (nonvoting), with specific members as follows:

1. The president of the college, ex officio, nonvoting; and
    
2. The provost and vice president for academic affairs, ex officio, nonvoting; the vice president for student affairs, ex officio, nonvoting; and the vice president for finance and management, ex officio, nonvoting; and
    
3. Five members of the college faculty (Article II, Section A and B) elected at large by a majority vote of the college faculty; and
    
4. Two members of the faculty (academic staff) elected at large by a majority vote of the faculty; and
    
5. Six members elected at large by a majority vote of the professional staffs of Instructional Resources, Student Affairs, and other professional groups not otherwise represented; and
    
6. Six members elected from each of the approved faculties (School of Arts and Humanities, School of Education, School of Natural and Social Sciences, School of the Professions) and other faculties recommended by the Senate and approved by the president; and one member from the Butler Library faculty. Each of these faculties shall determine how its senators shall be elected; and
    
7. Two university faculty senators elected by the college who must be members of the college faculty (Article II, Section A and B); and
    
8. Twelve students elected by the student body whose terms of office and method of election shall be determined in accordance with the United Students Government constitution; and
    
9. One member of the college support staff elected as determined by the support staff; and
    
10. Two members, ex officio, nonvoting, appointed by the president.

The election has concluded, and the referendum was voted in favor of the proposed change (see items 3 and 4 above).

I hereby declare that the changes to the College Senate bylaws that have been duly adopted by the faculty are effective immediately.