The Daily Bulletin Archive

At its March 21, 2021, meeting, the College Senate voted in favor of a resolution on the DOPS Policy for Senate Seats School of Arts and Sciences, Policy Number: III C(5).

ACTUAL DOPS POLICY LANGUAGE

BUFFALO STATE COLLEGE
DIRECTORY OF POLICY STATEMENTS
Policy Number: III C(5)
Date: Revision 2020
Subject: Senate Seats School of Arts and Sciences

RATIONALE:

WHEREAS, the schools of Natural and Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities are merging into a single entity, that will be known as the School of Arts and Sciences; and

WHEREAS, the schools of Natural and Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities each hold six Senate seats, respectively. The two former schools will comprise more than 50% of the full- time teaching faculty; and

WHEREAS, current College Bylaws language in Article III C(5) states: "Six members elected from the teaching faculty of each of the College’s approved Schools and any subsequent Schools recommended by the College Senate and approved by the President as determined by the relevant School,

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the College Bylaws language in Article III C(5) will change to: “Six members elected from the teaching faculty of the School of Education; six members elected from the teaching faculty of the School of the Professions; and twelve members elected from the teaching faculty of School of Arts & Sciences;" and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the current Senators representing the schools of Natural and Social Sciences and Arts and Humanities fulfill their elected terms as Senators representing the new school of Arts and Sciences.

THE STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK, COLLEGE AT BUFFALO
BYLAWS OF THE COLLEGE FACULTY

Article I. Preamble

A. Pursuant to Article X of the Policies of the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York, the college faculty of the State University of New York, College at Buffalo establishes these Bylaws in order to provide for the democratic government of the College and make recommendations to the President of the College in the execution of the President’s responsibilities as Chief Administrative Officer.

B. Unless otherwise specified, the terms listed below shall be used in these Bylaws with the meanings ascribed below:

1. “University.” State University of New York.

2. “Board of Trustees.” The Board of Trustees of the State University of New York.

3. “Policies.” Policies of the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York.

4. “Chancellor.” The Chancellor of the State University of New York.

5. “College.” The State University of New York, College at Buffalo.

6. “President.” The President of the State University of New York, College at Buffalo.

7. “Professional staff.” All College employees occupying positions in the unclassified service.

8. “Support staff.” All College employees occupying positions in the classified service.

9. “Academic staff.” All College employees having academic or qualified academic rank.

10. “Academic rank.” Rank held by professional staff with the official title of distinguished professor, professor, associate professor, assistant professor, instructor, assistant instructor, librarian, associate librarian, senior assistant librarian, and assistant librarian.

11. “Qualified academic rank.” Rank held by professional staff with the official title of lecturer or any of the titles specified in subsection 10 preceded by the designation “visiting” or some similar designation.

12. “Professional employee.” An employee in the Professional Services Negotiating Unit, other than an employee with academic or qualified academic rank.

13. “Teaching faculty.” All members of the academic staff having the official titles of distinguished professor, professor, associate professor, assistant professor, instructor, assistant instructor, lecturer, or any of these titles preceded by the designation “visiting” or some similar designation.

14. “College librarian.” A member of the academic staff having the official title of librarian, associate librarian, senior assistant librarian, or assistant librarian or any of these titles preceded by the designation “visiting” or some similar designation.

15. “Student.” Student of the State University of New York, College at Buffalo.

16. “College unit.” An organizational unit of the College such as a Division, School, or Department.

Article II. College Faculty

A. The composition of the college faculty has been fixed by the Policies, Article X, Section 1 to include the Chancellor, the President and other members of the voting faculty of the College, other members of the academic staff of the College, and such non-voting administrative officers and professional staff as may be designated by these Bylaws.

B. In accordance with the Policies, Article X, Section 3, the voting faculty of the College is herewith defined as comprising:

1. The Chancellor of the University and the President of the College; and

2. All members of the academic staff of the College; and

3. All Vice Presidents of the College (including Associate Vice Presidents, Assistant Vice Presidents), all Deans of the College (including Associate Deans, Assistant Deans), and all Directors of the College (including Associate Directors, Assistant Directors); and

4. All other professional staff of the College.

C. The College Senate, as defined in Article III, shall maintain a list of the voting faculty of the College. An appeal of a College Senate decision concerning an individual’s membership on this list may be heard only by the voting faculty of the College. For the purpose of college senate elections, the line which an employee currently occupies will determine the college unit in which said individual has voting rights and may run for election.

D. At a meeting of a college unit, including the whole college faculty, a quorum shall consist of 20% of the eligible voters, unless otherwise specified in the bylaws of that unit.

Article III. College Senate

A. The College Senate shall be the official agency through which the college faculty, support staff, and students engage in the governance of the College. It shall concern itself particularly with the following:

1. curriculum;

2. instruction and research;

3. standards for students;

4. faculty/staff welfare;

5. bylaws and elections;

6. budget and staff allocations;

7. student welfare; and

8. academic plan.

B. The actions of the College Senate are advisory to the President.

C. The academic staff of the College shall be the majority membership of the College Senate. The College Senate shall only include the following constituencies: teaching faculty from each of the College’s Schools, college librarians, professional employees, support staff, students, and administrators (non-voting), with specific members as follows:

1. The President of the College, ex-officio, non-voting; and

2. The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs ex-officio, non-voting, the Vice President for Student Affairs ex-officio, non-voting, and the Vice President for Finance and Management ex-officio, non-voting; and3.Seven members of the academic staff and professional employees elected at large by a majority vote of the academic staff and professional employees (enough of these senators must be academic staff to ensure compliance with the first clause of this Section); and4.Six members elected at large by a majority vote of the professional employees; and5.Six members elected from the teaching faculty of SOE, Six members elected from the teaching faculty of SOP, and twelve members elected from the teaching faculty of School of Arts & Sciences; and6.One college librarian elected as determined by the college librarians; and7.Two University Faculty Senators elected by the college faculty in accordance with the SUNY Faculty Senate bylaws; and8.Ten undergraduate students elected by the undergraduate student body whose terms of office and method of election shall be determined in accordance with the United Students’ Government constitution; and9.Two graduate students elected by the graduate student body whose terms of office and method of election shall be determined by the Graduate Student Association; and10.One member of the support staff elected as determined by the support staff; and11.Two members ex-officio, non-voting appointed by the President.

D.All academic staff and professional employees shall be eligible to run and vote in twoelections: the general “at large” Senate election and the election of the Senate constituencyunit with which the individual is affiliated.

E.The term of office for an elected Senator shall be three years for all non-student Senators.The bylaws and elections committee of each Senate constituency unit, as well as the SenateBylaws and Elections Committee, shall arrange terms so that approximately one-third of theelected members shall be elected each year.

1.Elected members of the College Senate shall not be eligible to succeed themselves afterserving two consecutive full terms.

2.The total term of office for a student Senator shall be no more than three years.

F. All elected Senators are subject to recall by the voting members of the unit which electedthem. A petition signed by 25% of the voting members of the relevant unit and presented tothe Chair of the Senate shall make mandatory, within two weeks, an election to determinewhether the Senator shall be recalled. A majority of the unit’s eligible voters shall determinethe status of the Senator(s).

G. There shall be a standing committee for each of the areas specified in Article III, Section Aabove.

1. The College Senate shall elect one of its members to be the chair or, in the case of theStudent Welfare Committee, the vice chair of each standing committee for a one-yearterm.

a. With the consent of two-third of the College Senate, the Chair of the Senate may remove the chair of a committee of the Senate. If the chair of a committee resigns, is removed, or is granted a leave of absence as defined by the Policies, the Chair of the Senate may appoint a Senator who is a member of the committee to serve as interim chair of the committee during the leave or until the chair’s elected term ends. If no such individual is available, the College Senate shall elect one of its members to serve as interim chair of the committee during the leave or until the chair’s elected term ends.

2. The chair of each standing committee shall appoint the other members of the committee, subject to the consent of the College Senate.

3. Committees may be created by the College Senate to represent it in consultation with community representatives and with the College Council.

4. The College Senate may create ad hoc committees as it deems necessary.

5. Each committee of the College Senate, subject to the exceptions listed in e. and f. below or exceptions specified at the time of its creation, shall be constituted as follows:

a. The committee should contain representatives from all Senate constituency units, preferably in approximately equal proportions to their representation on the Senate (e.g., two representatives from each of the four Schools, one librarian, two professional employees, and two students).

b. A non-voting administrative liaison shall be appointed by the President.

c. At least two voting members of the committee, other than the committee chair, shall be Senators.

d. The committee should contain at least one student member.

e. The Faculty/Staff Welfare Committee shall contain no student members. Professional staff who are enrolled in courses at the College may be members of this committee.

f. The Student Welfare Committee shall contain a majority of student members and be chaired by a student Senator.

H. Each Senate committee shall be charged with a mission. The charge shall serve to define the purpose of the committee and shall provide a frame of reference within which it shall operate. The charge shall be prepared by the committee and upon approval by two-thirds of the College Senate shall become the basis for the committee’s actions. Each charge and any changes shall be published and distributed to the voting faculty of the College upon approval. Annual reports shall be made by each of the committees and presented to the College Senate at the end of the spring semester each year. These reports shall be posted on the Senate website and maintained in the Senate Office for archival purposes.

I. Each year, a Chair and Vice Chair of the Senate shall be nominated from and elected by the voting members of the College Senate.

J. Each year, a student Senator shall be nominated and elected from the membership of the Senate to serve on the Senate Agenda Committee, as defined in Article III, Section L below. If the election of the student Senator cannot occur concurrent with the election of the other officers of the Senate, then it shall occur prior to the first meeting of the Senate Agenda Committee, when possible, or as soon thereafter as feasible.

K. Either the President or the Chair of the Senate may convene the college faculty as needed. The Chair of the Senate shall preside at all meetings of the College Senate and all college faculty meetings not called by the President. The presiding officer of a meeting shall prepare and circulate an agenda for that meeting.

L. The Chair of the Senate shall receive agenda items from college constituents at least ten days prior to any Senate meeting. The Chair of the Senate shall be assisted in preparing the agenda of each Senate meeting by the Vice Chair of the Senate and the members of the Senate Agenda Committee to be made up of at least the chairs of the Senate standing committees and a student senator elected by the Senate to be a member of this committee. The agenda of each meeting shall be circulated to all Senators and published at least one week prior to each meeting. The agenda shall provide for the presentation of new business at any meeting.

M. The Chair of the Senate shall represent the college faculty at appropriate College and community functions, as authorized by the College Senate.

N. The Vice Chair of the Senate shall serve as the Chair of the Senate in the absence of the Chair of the Senate.

O. Numbers of Meetings, Quorum, and Procedure: The College Senate shall meet at regularly scheduled times at least once a month during the academic year and at special meetings when called by the Chair of the Senate, or upon a petition of l0% of the college faculty, or upon the request of a two-thirds majority of a Senate standing committee, or by action of the College Senate. A majority of the College Senate’s membership shall constitute a quorum. Business shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order.

P. A College Senate seat shall be deemed vacant if a member of the Senate resigns, or shall be granted a leave of absence as defined by the Policies and cannot attend Senate meetings because of the leave. The Senator should notify the Chair of the Senate of such circumstances. The Chair of the Senate shall promptly notify the Senate and the relevant Senate constituency unit of such a vacancy.

Q. Senators on sabbatical leave who decide not to attend Senate meetings during the period of their sabbatical shall give notice to the relevant Senate constituency unit that a vacancy will occur.

R. When a vacancy occurs, the relevant Senate constituency unit shall proceed to fill the vacancy within one month of notification by the Chair of the Senate, using its own governance procedures. The replacement Senator shall be an interim appointee and shall serve the remainder of the absent Senator’s unexpired term, if any, until the absent Senator returns from leave, at which time the Senator shall resume the Senate seat until the elected term expires.

a. If a vacancy due to leave occurs in an at-large Senate seat, the Senate Bylaws and Elections Committee shall fill the vacancy with the next highest vote getter from the most recent at-large election of the kind used to elect the Senator [academic staff only or academic staff and professional employees].

b. If an at-large Senator resigns, the Senate Bylaws and Elections Committee shall fill the remainder of that Senator’s term by means a new election if the remainder of the term is one year or longer, and, otherwise, with the next highest vote getter from the most recent at-large election of the kind used to elect the Senator.

Article IV. College Senate Communications

A. At the Senate meeting in May of each year, the chair of each Senate standing committee shall report to the College Senate the actions of the said committee during the academic year and the disposition of these matters.

B. Elected representatives to the College Senate shall report the proceedings of the College Senate to their respective units at respective meetings at least once each academic year.

C. Student Senators shall report the proceedings of the College Senate to the student body that elected them at least annually.

D. The College Senate shall keep official minutes of its meetings and shall report summaries of its actions to the campus.

Article V. Grievance Committee

A. A Grievance Committee may investigate matters brought to its attention by any college faculty member, or group of college faculty members, who believe that some College practice has resulted in unfair or unjust treatment of the said individual or group. In accordance with the Policies and procedures of the Faculty Senate of the State University of New York, the Grievance Committee shall make recommendations to the President on the matters that it considers.

Article VI. Appointment to, and Representation on, Key Faculty Groups

A. In the course of College governance and business, key groups are established. When the charge of the group includes outcomes that influence or direct a cross-section of persons represented by the College Senate, the Chair of the Senate shall seek College Senate representation on such key groups. These groups may be (though are not limited to): • Search for and appointment of College Officers

• Review of College Officers who are not reviewed by their own college units (e.g., the Graduate Dean)

• Task forces

• Blue ribbon panels

• Planning groups

B. The role of the College Senate representative on such groups shall be two-fold: a) to reflect possible concerns of the College Senate to the group and b) to share with the College Senate (in a manner befitting) progress reports as well as a summary report.

Article VII. Organization of Departments, Divisions and Schools

A. Subsequent levels of the college faculty organized as divisions, schools, departments, etc. shall determine and state in writing their bylaws. These bylaws shall express the means by which college faculty affiliated with the relevant college unit may participate in decision making with respect to the areas noted in Article III, Section A of these Bylaws. The said bylaws shall be consistent with these Bylaws and, when promulgated, be filed with the Chair of the Senate.

Article VIII. Amendments

A. Amendments to these Bylaws may be originated in the following ways:

1. Any member or group of members of the college faculty or of the College Senate may propose an amendment to these Bylaws in writing to the Senate Bylaws and Elections Committee. The committee may present the amendment, with or without revisions, to the college faculty.

2. Any group of at least 10% of the college faculty may petition the President to present an amendment to the college faculty.

B. Proposed amendments ready to be presented to the college faculty shall be distributed to the faculty in written form. No vote shall take place until seven calendar days have elapsed after this distribution. A vote on a proposed amendment must take place within forty calendar days of this distribution. A proposed amendment may be further modified by the college faculty at the time the amendment is being considered.

C. These Bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the voting faculty of the College.

D. Technical and terminological changes to these Bylaws to reflect such matters as changes in the organizational structure of the College or evolving standards of gender-inclusive language may be made by the Senate Bylaws and Elections Committee provided that such changes are approved by the College Senate. Such technical and terminological changes shall be reported in the final report of the Senate Bylaws and Elections Committee, archived in the records of the College Senate, and reported to the college faculty.

Article IX. Adoption of Bylaws

A. These Bylaws and subsequent amendments shall become effective after they have been adopted by the college faculty and when the President declares them effective.

Summary of Amendments

The original version of these Bylaws, published as the College By-Laws of the State University of New York, College at Buffalo, was approved by the college faculty in December 1968. These Bylaws were then amended in 1971, 1973, and 1977. The version of these Bylaws that was declared in effect by the President on October 17, 1977 remained in effect, subject to the modifications mentioned below, until 2020. During the period between 1977 and 1995, the college faculty adopted the practice of referring to these Bylaws as the “College Senate By-Laws”, which led to many college faculty members, including those on the Senate Bylaws and Elections Committee, believing that the said Bylaws were bylaws of the College Senate rather than bylaws of the college faculty.

Under the false belief that these Bylaws were bylaws of the College Senate, the college faculty voted to amend them in April 1995, May 1996, October 2003, April 2006, March 2007, and March 2009. The fact that the bylaws in use at the beginning of 2019 were not bylaws of the College Senate was recognized by the Senate Bylaws and Elections Committee in September 2019. In consultation with the President’s Office and SUNY counsel, it was agreed that the Senate Bylaws and Elections Committee should prepare a “clean” version of these Bylaws and have them approved, as a whole, by the college faculty.

Appendix A:

College Employee Classification

The chart in this appendix is provided to assist college employees in understanding some of the definitions in Article I, Section B. As of 2020, Buffalo State’s data concerning college employees is contained in its Human Resource Management Database, a Microsoft Excel workbook. The main table in this workbook includes three fields that, in practice, determine where an employee falls in the following chart: field ‘NU’, which indicates which State negotiating unit the employee falls under, field ‘Fac/Lib’, which is used to classify employees who fall under the Professional Services Negotiating Unit as either faculty, librarians, or professional employees, and field ‘Rank’, which indicates each employee’s official salary rank. Information in parentheses in the following chart indicates how the entries in these three fields determine where an employee falls in this chart.

College Employees

Professional Staff

(NU= 8 or 13)

Management Confidential

(NU = 13)

Professional Services Negotiating Unit

(NU = 8)

Academic Staff

(Fac/Lib = F or L)

Teaching Faculty

(Fac/Lib = F)

Teaching Faculty with Academic Rank

(Rank ? NSA0 or NSB0)

Teaching Faculty with Qualified Academic Rank

(Rank = NSA0 or NSB0)

College Librarians

(Fac/Lib = L)

College Librarians with Academic Rank

(Rank ? NSA0 or NSB0)

College Librarians with Qualified Academic Rank

(Rank = NSA0 or NSB0)

Professional Employees

(Fac/Lib empty)

Support Staff

(NU ? 8 or 13)

Appendix B: Text of the College By-Laws declared in effect by the President on October 17, 1977

Article I. Preamble

A. The State University of New York College at Buffalo establishes these By-Laws in order to provide for the democratic government of the College.

Article II. College Faculty

A. The composition of the College faculty has been fixed by the Policies of the State University of New York Board of Trustees, 1968, Article X, Section 1, and includes the Chancellor, the President, and other members of the voting faculty of the College, other members of the academic staff of the College, and such non-voting administrative officers and professional staff as may be designated by these bylaws.

B. In accordance with the Policies, the College voting faculty is herewith defined as comprising:

(a) The Chancellor of the University and the President the College; and

(b) Members of the academic staff of the College having temporary appointments; and

(c) Vice Presidents (including Associate Vice Presidents, Assistant Vice Presidents), Deans (including Associate Deans, Assistant Deans), Directors (including Associate Directors, Assistant Directors), College Leaning Laboratory Directors, Associate Directors; and

(d) All professional librarians of the College; and

(e) All other professionals as defined by the active voting list of the Public Employees Relations Board of the State of New York.

C. The College Senate, as defined below, will maintain a list of eligible voters and notify in writing those persons declared to be voters under Sub-section (c) above. An appeal from a Senate decision may be heard only by the voting faculty.

D. At a meeting of the faculty or a faculty unit a quorum shall consist of 20% of the eligible voters, unless otherwise specified by a faculty unit.

Article III. College Senate

A. The college Senate shall be the official agency through which the faculty and students engage in the governance of the College. It shall concern itself particularly with the following:

(a) curriculum;

(b) instruction and research;

(c) standards for admission, retention, and graduation of students;

(d) appointment, termination, promotion of faculty and to define “consultation” in selecting department chairpersons and deans;

(e) by-laws and elections;

(f) budget and staff allocations;

(g) student welfare;

(h) academic plan;

(i) public service activities;

(j) academic services;

(k) international education.

B. The College Senate shall be composed of:

(a) The President of the College; and

(b) The Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Vice President for student Affairs, and the Vice President for Policy and Planning; and

(c) Nine members of the faculty elected at large by a majority vote of the faculty; and

(d) Two members elected at large by a majority vote of the professional staffs of the Instructional Resources, student Affairs, and other professional groups not otherwise represented; and

(e) Six members elected from each of the approved Faculties 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

(f) The State University Senators elected by the College; and

(g) Twelve students elected by the student body whose terms of office and method of election shall be determined in accordance with the United Student’s Government constitution; and

(h) Two members appointed by the President.

C. The term of office for an elected faculty member of the Senate shall be three years. However, the elections and the by-laws committee shall arrange terms so that approximately one-third of the elected members shall be elected each year.

(a) No elected member of the Senate shall be eligible to succeed himself after serving two consecutive terms.

(b) The term of office for a student member of the Senate shall be no more than three years.

D. All Senators elected to the Senate are subject to recall by the voting members of the unit which elected them. A petition signed by 25% of the voting members and presented to the presiding officer of the Senate shall make mandatory, within two weeks, an election to determine whether the Senator shall be recalled. A majority of the unit’s eligible voters shall determine the status of the Senator(s).

E. There shall be a standing committee for each of the eleven areas specified in Section A. above.

(a) The Senate shall elect one of its members to by chairperson of each standing committee for a one-year term.

(b) The chairperson of each standing committee shall appoint the members of his committee, subject to the consent of the Senate.

(c) The Senate shall, upon recommendation of the chairperson, name a committee or committees to represent it in consultation with community representatives and with the College Council.

(d) The Senate may create ad hoc committees as it deems necessary.

(e) Each committee, as specified in Art. III, Section E., shall have at least one student member. The number of student members, the number of faculty members, and the total membership of each committee shall be determined by a committee composed of the officers of the Senate prior to September 30 of each year in consultation with members of the Senate. The Senate shall determine the method of consultation.

F. Each committee of the Senate shall be charged with a mission. The charge shall serve to define the purpose of the committee and will provide a frame of reference within which it shall operate. The charge shall be prepared by the committee and upon approval by two-thirds of the Senate shall become the basis for the committee’s action. Each charge and any changes shall be published and distributed to the electorate upon approval.

G. A Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the College Senate shall be nominated and elected from the elected faculty membership of the College Senate by the College Senate each year.

H. A Secretary shall be nominated and elected form the membership of the Senate each year. He/she shall assist the Chairman in preparing and distributing the agenda. He/she shall prepare and disseminate the minutes and summaries. He/she shall be custodian of all Senate reports and shall maintain official files of the Senate.

I. The chairperson of the College Senate shall preside at all meetings of the Senate and all general faculty meetings not called by the President of the College. He/she shall prepare and circulate to all faculty and the student Senators agenda for all meetings over which he/she presides. He/she shall convene the College faculty at least twice a year to conduct business, receive reports and conduct elections. With the consent of two-thirds of the Senate he/she may remove a chairperson of a committee of the Senate. He/she shall also represent the faculty at appropriate College and community functions, as authorized by the Senate.

J. The Chairperson shall receive agenda items form faculty members, students, or staff at least ten days prior to any meeting. He shall be assisted in preparing the agenda by the Vice Chairperson and the Secretary and an agenda committee to be made up of no fewer than three members of the Senate named by the Chairperson for a one-year term. The agenda shall be circulated to all members of the senate and published at least one week prior to meetings. The agenda shall provide for the presentation of new business at any stated meeting.

K. The Vice Chairperson shall serve as Chairperson in the absence of the Chairperson.

L. Numbers of Meetings and Procedure:

The College Senate shall meet at regularly scheduled times at least once a month during the academic year and at special meetings when called by the Chairperson, or upon a petition of 10% of the faculty, or upon the request of a two-thirds majority of a standing committee of the Senate, or by action of the Senate. A majority of its membership shall constitute a quorum. Business shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules Of Order.

M. A College Senate seat shall be deemed vacant if a member of the Senate shall be granted a leave of absence, as defined by the Policies of the Board of Trustees of the State University of New York (such as sick leave, maternity leave, vacation leave, etc.) and cannot attend Senate meetings because of the leave. It shall be the responsibility of the presiding officer of the College Senate promptly to notify the Senate and the faculty unit of such vacancies.

If the vacancy occurs in the representation of one of the designated Faculty units as defined in Article III, Section B, paragraph e, that unit shall proceed to fill the vacancy within; one month of notification by the presiding officer of the Senate.

If the vacancy occurs in an at-large faculty seat, the presiding officer shall direct the Senate By-Laws and Elections Committee to fill the vacancy(s) from the next highest vote-getter from the at-large list of nominees elected at the previous election.

This person shall be an interim appointee. The remainder of the unexpired term, if any, shall be filled by the interim appointee until the absent Senator returns form leave, at which time he shall resume his seat until his elected term expires.

Article IV. College senate communications

A. At a faculty meeting in May of each year, the Chairperson of each standing committee of the College Senate shall report to the faculty the actions of his committee during the academic year and the disposition of these matters.

B. Elected representatives to the College Senate from each of the approved faculties shall report the proceedings of the College Senate to their respective faculty at a meeting at least once each academic year.

C. The College Senate shall keep official minutes and shall publish summaries of its actions in the College Bulletin.

D. Elected student representatives shall report the proceedings of the College Senate to the student body at least annually.

Article v. Grievance committee

A. A Grievance Committee shall investigate matters brought to its attention by any faculty member, or group of faculty members, who believe that some College practice has resulted in unfair or unjust treatment to him or them. In accordance with the Policies of the Board of Trustees and procedures of the Faculty Senate of state University of New York, the Grievance Committee shall make recommendations to the President of the College on the matters that it considers.

Article VI. Appointment and Preappointment of Department Chairpersons, Directors, and Deans

The Appropriate faculty group shall recommend to the President of the College its nominee or nominees (as it may choose) for appointment and reappointment as chairpersons of departments or divisions and for initial appointment of academic officers such as Vice President for Academic Affairs, Academic Deans and others with similar responsibilities. The President shall consult with the appropriate faculty group before making such appointments or before recommending such appointments to the Chancellor of the University.

“Consult with” shall be deemed to mean that the President or his/her appointed representative(s) shall discuss with the appropriate faculty committee of the group the responsibilities of the position under consideration as well as his/her views on the candidates under consideration.

Each department or division shall establish an elected faculty committee which shall serve as the appropriate committee to represent the department or division on the matter of appointment or reappointment of chairpersons of departments and chairpersons (or directors) of divisions.

Each of these committees shall extend an invitation to the President of the College to consult with the committee or for the President to appoint his representative(s) to consult with the committee. Such committees may be made up of the membership of the department or division as a whole.

No later than three years after the date of adoption of the present by-laws all chairpersons of departments and chairpersons (or directors) of divisions shall be considered for reappointment.

Subsequent consideration for reappointment shall take place on a routine basis of intervals of no greater place on a routine basis of intervals of no greater than three years following the data of most recent reappointment. Consideration for appointment shall be deemed appropriate at any time a vacancy may exist. Each department shall determine how it will make recommendations to the President of the College.

In the case of an initial appointment of a person to position of an academic officer, the appropriate faculty group shall elect a committee to represent it. It shall be the responsibility of the College Senate to define the appropriate faculty group when such is clearly not limited to one of the Faculty units: Applied and Professional studies, The Arts and Humanities, and Natural and Social Sciences. It shall be the responsibility of the College Senate to organize such latter groups in order that the members of these may elect the committee to represent them. Each such elected committee shall extend an invitation to the President of the College to consult with the committee or for his appointed representative(s) to consult with the committee. Each of these committees shall determine how it will make recommendations to the President of the College.

Article VII. Organization of Departments, Divisions and Schools

Subsequent levels of the College faculty organized as departments, divisions and schools shall determine and state in writing the By-Laws for each faculty group. These By-Laws will express the means of faculty participation in decision making with respect to pertinent areas noted in Article III, Section A. They shall be consistent with the By-Laws of the College. When promulgated, these statements should be filed with the Chairperson of the College Senate.

Article VIII. Amendments

A. Amendments to these By-Laws may be originated in the following ways:

(a) Any member, or group of members, of the faculty or of the College Senate may propose an amendment to these By-Laws, in writing to the Elections and By-Laws Committee. The Committee may present the amendment, with or without its revisions, to the faculty.

(b) Any group of at least 10% of the faculty may petition the President of the College to present an amendment to the faculty.

B. Proposed amendments, ready to be presented to the faculty, shall be circulated to the faculty in written form. No vote shall take place until seven calendar days have elapsed after this distribution. A vote must take place within forty calendar days. A proposed amendment may be further modified by the faculty at the time the amendment is being considered.

C. These By-Laws may be amended by a written majority vote of the voting faculty.

Article IX. Adoption of By-Laws

(This text includes all amendments approved by the faculty and declared in effect by the President up to and including the academic years 1972, 1973 and 1977.)

A. These By-Laws and subsequent amendments shall become effective after they have been adopted by the faculty and when the President of the College declares them effective.

Approved by the Faculty, December 6, 1968.

Amended by the Faculty, February 19, 1971.

Approved by the Chancellor, March 24, 1971.

Declared in effect by the President, with concurrence of the College Council, March 26, 1971.

Amended by Faculty Action, June 22, 1973.

Approved by the College Council and declared in effect by the President, August 1, 1973.

Amended by the Faculty Action, September 9, 1977.

Approved by the College Council and declared in effect by the President, October 17, 1977.

Appendix C:

Amendments to the “College Senate By-Laws”

Approved by the Faculty, April1995:

1. College Senate By-Laws, Article I: Preamble added – “and makes recommendations to the President of the College in the execution of his responsibilities as Chief Administrative Officer”.

2. College Senate By-Laws, Article III: College Senate added – paragraph B. “The actions of the Senate are advisory to the President”.

3. College Senate By-Laws, Article III: new – C. a. President of the College, ex officio, non-voting. b. The Vice President for Academic Affairs, add: ex officio, non-voting, the Vice President for Student Affairs, add: ex officio, non-voting, the Vice President for Finance and Management, ex officio, non-voting and… h. Two members ex officio, non-voting appointed by the President.

Approved by the Faculty, May 1996:

1. Amendment to College Senate By-Laws, Article III College Senate; Section C.d. College Senate shall be composed of: “Six members elected at large by a majority vote of the professional staffs of the Instructional Resources, Student Affairs, and other professional groups not otherwise represented,…”

2. Added New Article X

Amended by the Senate, May 2001; approved by Faculty October 2003:

1. Article III, Section E, guidelines for composition of standing committees of the Senate were modified to be in accord with practice.

2. Article III, Section F, role of secretary was changed to conform to practice, with student senator being designated as a member of the Senate Agenda Committee.

3. Article III, Section N, addition of resignation of senator, and clarification of notification policies for leaves of absence from the Senate.

4. Public Service Activities Committee dissolved, and eliminated throughout document.

Amended by the Senate, April 2003; approved by Faculty October 2003:

1. Article III, Section G, add discussion of annual reports from page 4 deleting it from page 4.

2. Article III, Section J, change to sentence 3.

3. Article VI, was renamed: Appointment to, and representation on, Key Faculty Groups

4. Article VI, text was deleted in both A. and B. and new text inserted.

5. Article VIII, modified text of Article X was inserted as new Section D or Article VIII, since both Articles VIII, and X deal with the amendment process.

6. Article X was eliminated, since it was modified and inserted into Article VIII as Section D.

Amended by the Senate, May 2005; approved by the Faculty, April 2006:

1. Academic Services and International Education Committees dissolved and eliminated throughout the document.

Amended by the Senate, March 2006; approved by the Faculty, April 2006.

1. Article III, Section C, reworded to reflect reorganization of academic units.

2. College support staff were included as a represented group. Changes made throughout document.

3. Article II, Section C, additions to address any disenfranchisements regarding voting and ability to run for elections.

4. Article III, Section C, introductory section changed to clarify faculty majority and groups represented on the College Senate.

5. University Senators must have full time faculty status.

Amended by the Senate, March 2007; approved by the Faculty,

1. At-large reduction from nine senators to seven to achieve faculty majority.

2. Changes to charges for all standing committees except Curriculum and Budget and Staff Allocations.

Amended by the Senate, March 2009; approved by the Faculty,

1. Article III, Section C-6, deleted reference to Alternate SUNY Senator being appointed by Chair. The Alternate Senators will now be selected in accordance with the University Faculty Senate Bylaws.

2. Article III, Section F-5, increased the aspirational number of Senators on each committee from two to three.

3. Article III, Section F-5, makes the Associate Chair of the Student Welfare Committee elected by the Senate, instead of being appointed by the Senate Chair

I accept the College Faculty bylaws Article III C(5) changes recommended at the March 12, 2021, meeting with an expectation that the Senate will submit an amendment as detailed in the bylaws charge shared by Senate leadership in the November 2021 meeting of the College Senate.