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CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, LONG BEACH
RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE ACADEMIC SENATE
1.0 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND ACADEMIC SENATE OFFICERS
1.1 Executive Committee Organization
An Executive Committee shall be established as a standing committee of the Senate, consisting of the elected officers of the Senate and four additional senators to be elected by the Senate by majority vote. Immediately following the election, the Chair-Elect shall become a voting member of the Executive Committee. This Committee shall be presided over by the Chair of the Senate. The immediate past Chair of the Academic Senate, all CSULB representatives to the Statewide Academic Senate, and the Chair of the Staff Council shall be ex officio non-voting members of the Executive Committee. In addition, the President, the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and other administrators as appropriate, as well as a representative of the CSULB Chapter of the California Faculty Association, shall be invited to meet with the Executive Committee.
1.2 Executive Committee Duties
The Executive Committee shall:
1.2.1 Plan and schedule Senate meetings. Requests for meetings of the Senate at places other than the regular meeting place shall be presented by at least three members of the Senate to the Executive Committee for its recommendation at least five (5) working days before Special Meetings of the Senate.
1.2.2 Prepare and distribute to Senators the agenda of each meeting at least two days before the meeting.
1.2.3 Propose and interpret rules of procedure for the Senate.
1.2.4 Serve as budget council for the Senate in
(a) preparing and submitting all necessary budget requests to the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and
(b) supervising expenditures of budgeted funds whenever necessary.
1.2.5 Provide for prompt reports from representatives of the Academic Senate of The California State University and for appropriate distribution of ASCSU actions to all Faculty.
1.2.6 With whatever current Senate members are available, act on behalf of the Senate during vacation periods when a quorum of the Senate is not available and when pressing matters require immediate attention.
1.2.7 Develop and use a system of classifying and numbering legislative and advisory proposals placed before the Senate.
1.2.8 Assist the Chair in the assignment of tasks and the assignment of proposed new measures and resolutions, when deemed appropriate, to standing and special committees.
1.2.9 Suggest to the Senate the necessity or desirability of new standing or special committees.
1.3.0 Assist the Chair in responding to requests for information or specific action not deemed appropriate for current standing and special committees, and in requesting of the Nominating Committee the appointment of ad hoc committees for such special tasks as the Executive Committee shall designate.
1.3.1 Assist the Chair in responding to requests from the administration to recommend faculty to serve on University-wide task forces and committees that are not part of the established Senate committee structure and to which the Nominating has not been requested to make a recommendation for appointment.
1.3.2 Confer with the President, the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, or other members of the administration at the invitation of the administration or the Senate, and initiate such conferences whenever such action seems necessary.
1.3.3 Undertake with the Chair any other administrative and procedural duties which are judged necessary or desirable for the more effective functioning of the Senate. The Executive Committee shall not, however, act for the Senate in policy matters.
1.3.4 Assist in University-wide elections (see Section 7.0).
1.4 Academic Senate Officers Election
1.4.1 The elected officers of the Academic Senate shall be a Chair, a Vice Chair, and a Secretary.
1.4.2 As soon as feasible following the election of the new Senate members in the spring semester, the new Senate (which will take over at the beginning of the fall semester, except for the Executive Committee) will convene for the purpose of electing its officers.
1.4.3 Election of the Chair: From among its membership, the Academic Senate shall elect a Chair who shall take office at the end of the first six weeks Summer Session and serve until the successor assumes office. The Chair shall be elected by a majority of the votes cast by secret ballot.
1.4.4 Election of the Vice Chair: The Vice Chair shall be elected in the same manner as the Chair and shall serve the same term of office as the Chair. In case the office of Chair becomes vacant, the Vice Chair shall take over.
1.4.5 Election of the Secretary: The Secretary shall be elected in the same manner as the Chair and shall serve the same term of office as the Chair.
1.4.6 In case the offices of Vice Chair or Secretary become vacant during the term of office, the Senate shall fill the offices as soon as possible in the manner prescribed above.
1.4.7 Selection of the Parliamentarian: The Parliamentarian of the Academic Senate shall be appointed by the Chair with the approval of the Academic Senate. The term shall be for one (1) year.
1.5 Duties of the Officers
1.5.1 The Chair is responsible for presiding over meetings of the Senate and the Executive Committee, and, when necessary, for selecting and referring proposals to the appropriate councils and standing committees. When invited by the appropriate administrative officer, the Chair may attend meetings of administrative groups, but shall not take policy positions on matters not previously acted upon by the Academic Senate.
1.5.2 The Vice Chair will assume all of the responsibilities of the Chair in the absence of the Chair. When invited by the appropriate administrative officer, the Vice Chair may attend meetings of administrative groups, but shall not take policy positions on matters not previously acted upon by the Academic Senate.
1.5.3 The Secretary is responsible for the recording and distributing of the senate minutes (with assistance of the Senate Office staff). When invited by the appropriate administrative officer, the Secretary may attend meetings of administrative groups, but shall not take policy positions on matters not previously acted upon by the Academic Senate.
1.5.4 Any other additional duties, including committee memberships, must be specifically assigned to Senate officers through action of the Senate.
2.0 ACADEMIC SENATE COUNCILS AND COMMITTEES STRUCTURE
2.1 Structure Types: The Senate shall have councils and two types of committees: Standing committees as specified in the Bylaws, and special or ad hoc committees established by special action of the Senate for the purpose of considering proposals that do not fall within the purview of any of the standing committees.
2.2 Appointments: Appointments to all Senate committees shall be recommended to the Academic Senate by the Nominating Committee and confirmed by the Senate. In making these recommendations for committee appointments to either standing or special committees, the Nominating Committee shall include one or more Academic Senators whenever possible, so that each committee will have a spokesperson with floor privileges and responsibilities present at Senate meetings.
2.2.1 Dissent to Recommendations by Nominating Committee: Challenges by Senators to recommendations for committee assignments shall come via a motion to refer the recommendations back to the Nominating Committee
2.3 Structure of Special Committees: The number of representatives from each constituency on any special Academic Senate committee (whether faculty, students, staff or administrators) shall be specified in the initial Senate request to the Nominating Committee.
2.4 General Rules and Regulations for ad hoc and special committees: Ad hoc and Special Committees shall:
2.4.1 Elect officers and inform the Senate Office as to the names of such officers.
2.4.2 Interact with the Senate to determine a mutually agreeable specific charge that could be fulfilled in the time available as indicated in 2.4.6 below.
2.4.3 Keep minutes of their meetings and forward five (5) copies to the Senate Office.
2.4.4 Inform appropriate individuals as to when and where meetings are to be held with an appropriate written agenda at least three (3) working days prior to such meetings.
2.4.5 Recommend to the Senate that the committee be dissolved when its charge has been fulfilled.
2.4.6 Be dissolved at the beginning of the new academic year unless reconstituted after a review by the new Academic Senate.
2.4.7 When such committees are formed, the Senate Office Staff shall provide each committee member with a copy of the preceding rules and regulations, together with the initial charge of the Senate prior to the first committee meeting.
2.5 Charge and Membership Structures: Please refer to the "General Procedures and Membership Structures of Academic Senate Councils and Standing Committees" for the charge and membership structures of Academic Senate councils and standing committees.
3.0 ACADEMIC SENATE COUNCIL AND STANDING COMMITTEE PROCEDURES
3.1 Referral to Committee
3.1.1 The selection of the committee or council to which a matter is referred will be made by the Chair of the Senate, unless Senate action designates a particular standing committee or establishes a special committee.
3.1.2 During committee consideration of a proposed measure or resolution, the committee shall accord the initiating Senator the privilege of appearing in support of the proposal.
3.1.3 After the committee has completed its deliberations and written recommendations concerning the proposed measure or resolution, the matter will be referred back to the Chair of the Senate and placed on the agenda of the Senate.
3.1.4 The Chair of the committee (or representative) may personally appear before the Senate, or may communicate the recommendations of the committee entirely in writing.
3.2 Academic Senate Council and Standing Committee Reports
3.2.1 Format: There is no standard format for council and committee reports.
3.2.2 Councils and standing committees shall report to the Senate through their elected chairs or representatives under the following conditions.
3.2.2.1 Any council or committee may send a request to report to the Senate to the Chair of the Senate.
3.2.2.2 All councils and committees created by the Academic Senate are responsible to it and may be requested to make a progress report at any time.
3.2.2.3 The councils and standing committees of the Academic Senate shall include in the minutes of their final meeting their recommendations to the councils and committees succeeding them and their recommendations to the Academic Senate. These recommendations shall be included in a final report and filed with the succeeding councils and committees and with the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate for appropriate action.
4.0 PROCEDURE FOR PROPOSING POLICY
4.1 Proposed Policy Statements
4.1.1 Council policy statements, after they have been extracted from approved council minutes and sent (separately from the minutes) to the Senate Office, shall be distributed with the first Senate agenda after receipt of the said policy statements.
4.1.2 The first meeting of the Senate after this initial distribution of a council policy statement shall be considered as the First Reading.
4.1.3 Referral back to the council between First and Second Reading shall not prevent the item from becoming a Second Reading as originally scheduled. If a policy statement is placed on the agenda, but is not considered because of adjournment, it will be placed on the agenda of the next meeting without any change in its status.
4.2 Consent Calendar
4.2.1 Recommendations may be placed on the Consent Calendar when perceived to be noncontroversial by the Council Chair and the Chair of the Academic Senate.
4.2.2 Since council policy statements, unlike committee reports, may become Senate policy by consent by being placed on the consent calendar, they require special procedures.
4.2.2.1 Recommendation on the consent calendar will automatically be approved after two (consecutive) meetings of the Senate.
4.2.2.2 Any Senator may remove a recommendation from the consent calendar and place it on the agenda at the time of approval of the agenda. The item will automatically become a Second Reading at the next Senate meeting, except as follows:
(a) if the next meeting is a special, one-item agenda meeting;
(b) if after dissent by a Senate member under Section 4.3 below or for other reasons, the council or committee in question makes major substantive changes in a recommendation, then the new statement will be redistributed to the Senate as a First Reading.
4.3 Dissent: Rules on Objections and Changes to Council and Committee Reports
After the initial distribution of a council or committee report and/or recommendations to the Academic Senate, any member of the Senate who intends to express strong objections to the recommendations of said council or committee, or to propose substantive changes in the recommendations should (1) prepare a written statement outlining the objections and/or proposed changes, and (2) transmit the statement to the Chair of the Senate and to the Chair of said council or committee five (5) working days before the report and/or recommendations are scheduled for final Senate consideration.
The purpose of this rule is twofold: (1) to reduce, whenever possible, the time spent in the Senate discussing reports and recommendations, and (2) to provide an opportunity for a council or committee to consider objections and/or proposed changes in its recommendations before they are discussed in the Senate and to take such action as it may deem necessary (e.g., meet with Senator concerned, revise recommendations, etc.)
4.4 Resolutions
4.4.1 Format: There is no standard format for Resolutions.
4.4.2 Introduction: Procedure for introducing legislative measures or advisory resolutions to the Senate.
4.4.3 Proposed new measures and resolutions shall be presented to the Secretary of the Senate. Major policy proposals shall be placed before the Senate at least one meeting before final action is taken.
4.4.4 Unless referred to an appropriate standing or special committee, the original drafts of these measures and resolutions will be reproduced and attached to the agenda of the Senate meeting during which they are scheduled for action, or, in the case of major policy proposals, scheduled for a First Reading.
4.4.5 During the First Reading, major policy measures and resolutions may be read aloud and discussed before referral to committee, or, if there is no protest, they may be referred directly to the appropriate standing committee by the Chair without being read aloud, or they may be read and discussed for informational purposes only without referral to a committee.
4.5 Numbering: Following the First Reading of proposals before the Senate, the minutes will include identifying titles, but not necessarily the texts of the proposals.
5.0 ACADEMIC SENATE PROCEDURAL RULES (MISCELLANEOUS)
5.1 Time Limits
5.1.1 The rule of limited five-minute discussion shall be applied by the Chair to agenda items under consideration but not supported by a motion.
5.1.2 Debate on a motion of referral shall be limited to ten minutes.
5.1.3 No item which becomes a part of an Academic Senate agenda without the applying of a time limit to it shall be on the floor for more than ten minutes without an extension of time by the body which requires a two-thirds vote.
5.1.4 Time limits for discussion and debate adopted by the Academic Senate for the agenda of a meeting shall be extended by the agreement of a majority of those present and voting.
5.2 In order to deal with emergency matters, any of the established procedures may be set aside by a two-thirds vote.
5.3 Floor privileges shall routinely be accorded to any Statewide Senator, to any Chair of a reporting committee, or to any President of a faculty organization present at Senate meetings if these individuals indicate a desire to speak.
5.4 Statements presented to the Senate shall be included in the minutes only by a two-thirds vote, and requests for such inclusions shall be made at the meeting during which the statements are presented.
5.4.1 All documents submitted to the Senate for its consideration shall be identified by author and dated.
5.4.2 Additions shall not be made to minutes of the Academic Senate for the purpose of showing a particular member as having been absent at the time a particular vote was taken, nor for the purpose of indicating how an absent member would have voted on a question had the member been present.
5.5 A request supported by a one-third vote shall be deemed sufficient to obtain a roll call vote on any substantive issue.
5.6 Representatives and Spokespersons for the Senate
5.6.1 Members of the Senate shall act as spokespersons and representatives of the Senate only when they have been specifically designated and instructed to do so.
5.6.2 The Senate has the sole power to select its representatives for statewide conferences and other meetings.
5.6.3 If a replacement for a CSULB Statewide Senator is needed to attend a meeting of the Academic Senate CSU, the most recently retired and available representative from CSULB to the Academic Senate CSU shall be designated to represent CSULB as a voting member. If that person is not available, the Chair of the Academic Senate shall represent CSULB as a voting member. If none of the above is available, the Executive Committee will designate a representative.
5.7 Absenteeism: Those committee and Senate members who are absent from three consecutive meetings will be asked by letter if they wish to resign in order that their constituencies may be properly represented.
5.8 Visitors at Academic Senate Meetings:
5.8.1 Meetings of the Academic Senate are open. Visitors at meetings of the Senate shall not be permitted to stand in the aisles or in any manner block the entrance to the Senate room. If, in the opinion of the Chair this rule is being violated, the Senate meeting shall be suspended until business can be conducted in a regular manner.
5.8.2 The device of the executive session shall not be used to exclude visitors except when personnel cases are under consideration.
5.8.3 Senate policy forbids the use of tape recorders at Senate meetings.
5.9 Any Senate business which is not concluded at the last Senate meeting of the academic year shall become a first reading item on the first agenda of the next academic year.
6.0 RECORDS, OFFICE, AND BUDGET
6.1 Senate officers shall be instructed to file Senate documents no longer current in the Archives in the Library.
6.2 The Academic Senate and Faculty Office, with its various budgetary allotments, shall function as a separate instructional budget performance unit listed under the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs.
6.3 The Executive Committee of the Academic Senate shall serve as a budget council for the Academic Senate with the primary responsibilities of: (a) preparing and submitting all necessary budget requests to the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and (b) supervising administration of budget expenditures when (or if) necessary.
6.4 Files, Senate Office
6.4.1 All files in the Academic Senate Office are open to faculty except those dealing with personnel matters or with matters deemed by a designated committee to be of a privileged nature.*
6.4.2 The Academic Senate shall make copies of documents available to faculty if they were distributed to the faculty by the Academic Senate, and if copies are still available.
6.4.3 Requests for other materials should be directed to the source of the material.
*This exception is noted in the CSULB Academic Senate Council and Standing Committee General Procedures under "Open/Closed Meetings."
7.0 UNIVERSITY-WIDE ELECTIONS
7.1 The Executive Committee and Academic Senate staff shall exercise the following powers and duties in regard to all-University elections:
7.1.1 In consultation with the President and the Chair of the Academic Senate, fix the time and date of the faculty meeting at which issues will be presented and nominations shall be made, and fix the times and dates of faculty elections.
7.1.2 Prepare and distribute to eligible faculty members secret mail ballots containing the issues to be considered, or the names of nominees, and instructions for voting.
7.1.3 Collect and count the ballots in accord with Robert's Rules of Procedure, or stipulated Academic Senate procedure and deliver the final official count to the Chair of the Academic Senate, who shall declare those officially elected.
7.1.4 Conduct such run-off elections as may be required and as hereinafter described.
7.1.5 Administer any other elections as directed by the Academic Senate.
7.2 General Provisions
7.2.1 A proposition submitted to the faculty for vote shall be considered as a single proposition, unless it is specifically divided by those submitting the proposition.
7.2.2 A proposition submitted to the faculty for vote must accompany the ballot.
7.2.3 The proponents and opponents of the proposition shall be given the opportunity to include with the ballot arguments for and against the proposition.
7.2.4 When qualification for nomination is "holding tenure," the candidate must hold tenure at the time of nomination.
7.2.5 There shall be ten (10) working days between the sending of the ballots to the faculty and the deadline for receiving the ballots at the Academic Senate Office.
7.2.6 A list of eligible voters, including those on administrative assignment, will be given to the Academic Senate by the appropriate administrator.
7.2.7 Voters shall be instructed to vote for no more candidates than there are positions to be filled.
7.3 Election Results
7.3.1 The Chair of the Academic Senate shall present election results to the President of the University, the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and to the Office of the Academic Senate.
7.3.2 The Office of the Academic Senate shall post the election results in the Office of the Academic Senate and publish them in the Academic Senate website.
7.3.3 All election ballots shall be destroyed thirty (30) calendar days after election results have been announced.
8.0 ELECTION OF REPRESENTATIVES TO THE ACADEMIC SENATE OF THE CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY
8.1 Nominations
8.1.1 The Nominating Committee shall prepare a slate for the election.
8.1.2 The Chair of the Academic Senate shall inform the chair of the Nominating Committee of the number of members on the Academic Senate CSU to be elected.
8.1.3 The Nominating Committee shall get the approval of each nominee to have her or his name placed in nomination.
8.1.4 The Nominating Committee shall present its list of nominees to the Academic Senate at the first meeting in March.
8.1.5 Nominations may also be made from the floor at the March Academic Senate meeting. Those making nominations shall have the approval of each nominee to have her or his name placed in nomination.
8.1.6 Nominees, or their sponsors, shall have the privilege of giving brief statements of qualifications at the March Academic Senate meeting.
8.2 Eligibility to Serve as Representative on the Academic Senate CSU
8.2.1 Eligibility for election to the Academic Senate CSU shall be the same as eligibility for election to the CSULB Academic Senate (Refer to Constitution and Bylaws of the Faculty of CSULB, Section 3.370.) if not in contradiction to eligibility requirements of the Academic Senate CSU.
8.3 Election
8.3.1 The Academic Senate Office shall prepare the ballot and conduct the election.
8.3.2 The ballot may contain, in addition to the names of the candidates, a statement not to exceed fifty (50) words, prepared by the nominee (or sponsor) concerning general qualifications.
8.3.3 Candidate(s) receiving a majority of the valid votes cast shall be elected.
8.3.4 In the event the number of candidates receiving a majority of the valid votes cast is less than the number of representatives to be elected, the Academic Senate Office shall conduct a run-off election. In the event that there is only one office to be filled, the two remaining candidates with the largest number of votes cast will be on the run-off ballot. In the event that there are two or more unfilled offices, the ballot will contain the names of twice the number of candidates necessary to fill those offices, minus one. The remaining candidates who received the highest votes cast will be on this next ballot. In the event that there is still an office unfilled because of no candidates having a majority, the remaining candidates receiving the largest number of votes cast (plurality) will be elected.
9.0 ELECTION PROCEDURES ON THE FLOOR OF THE ACADEMIC SENATE
9.1. Nominations for standing committees of the Academic Senate shall be made by the Nominating Committee, subject to confirmation by vote of the Senate. Additional nominations may be made from the floor of the Senate. (See Section 2.2)
9.2 Nominations for other positions shall be made from the floor of the Academic Senate prior to voting. Except for membership on the Executive Committee, nominations may also be submitted by the Nominating Committee or the Executive Committee, as provided by policy or deemed appropriate by the Chair.
9.3 When making nominations to the University search committees and review committees, the Nominating Committee shall distribute its slate of nominees at least 3 days before the Academic Senate meeting at which they will be considered.
9.4 Nominations from the floor shall be accompanied by an assurance of the individual’s willingness to serve and a statement of qualifications.
9.5 Nomination and election for offices of the Academic Senate shall be conducted for each office in turn, starting with the office of Chair.
9.6 Academic Senators shall vote for no more than one (1) nominee on the first and any subsequent ballot.
9.7 Where no nominee receives a majority of the votes cast, a subsequent ballot shall be prepared.Nominees who received the highest number of votes on the previous ballot and whose votes, when added together, result in a majority of the votes cast, shall appear on the next ballot. Voting shall continue in this manner until one candidate receives a majority of votes cast.
9.8 Where more than one member is to be elected for the Members-at-Large of the Executive Committee, consecutive elections shall be conducted for the available positions, and at any other time the Chair deems appropriate.
9.9 The election shall be by secret ballot except when there is only one nominee for a position.
Fall 1982 Update
Revised Section 1.653 by action of the Senate on 4/30/81
Fall 1983 Update
Revised Section 1.110 by action of the Senate on 1/28/82
Fall 1986 Update
Inserted new Section 1.800 by action of the Senate on 5/15/86
Fall 1990 Update
Inserted new Section 1.850 by action of the Senate on 4/26/90
Spring 1991 Update
Major revisions: Changes in title, inserted new Section 1.131,
1.134, moved 1.440 to 1.321, new Section 1.350, moved Section 1.410 to 1.421, moved 1.421 to 1.411, moved Section 1.425 to 1.422, moved Section 1.4251 to 1.4221, revised Section 1.440 (formerly 1.430), moved Section 1.440 to 1.321, inserted Section 1.690, deleted Old Section 1.840 - by action of the Senate on 5/9/91
Spring 1994 Update
Revised Section 1.830 by action of the Senate on 4/28/94
Fall 1994 - Removal of Section 1.800, Election Information for inclusion in the Constitution and Bylaws of the Faculty by action of the Senate on 11/10/94.
Necessitated the renumbering of paragraphs subsequent to 1.800.
Spring 1997
Fall 2005 Per Senate approval on November 10, 2005: Renumbered entire document; Inserted items 9.3 and 9.4; Replaced “Committee on Committees” with “Nominating Committee;” Clarified vote on time limit section 5.1.3; Revised 5.7 on attendance; Revised ballot provision time line in section 7.2.5; Amended section 9.8 election of members-at-large of the Executive Committee.
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