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ConstitutionPreambleIn accordance with authority granted by the Board of Trustees, the faculty of Western Illinois University do hereby establish this Constitution as a means of facilitating faculty participation in the formation of basic University policies and pledge the cooperation of the faculty in the continued progress of Western Illinois University as an institution of higher education. It is the intent of this Constitution to establish through its councils and committees due process in matters of academic freedom for students and faculty. Article I - Purpose of Faculty Senate The Faculty Senate shall serve as a means by which the opinions and viewpoints of the faculty may be determined and communicated to the administration of the University, and it shall serve as an agency through which the Faculty may participate in the formation of basic University policy. To accomplish these goals, the Faculty Senate shall: 1. Develop and recommend policies for continuous curricular development and improvement. 2. Develop and recommend policies for the: a. Improvement of instruction. b. Library and the acquisition and use of various aids to learning. c. Continuous evaluation of instructional procedures. d. Assessment of student learning. 3. Develop and recommend policies to be employed in the effective recruitment and selection of academic personnel. 4. Develop and recommend policies for the printing and publication of scholarly faculty publications. 5. Develop and recommend policies in connection with all intercollegiate programs. 6. Develop and recommend policies in the area of student academic advisement and counseling, and general student welfare. 7. Develop and recommend policies dealing with admission, retention, and graduation standards for undergraduate students. 8. Participate in the selection of faculty committees. 9. Participate in the formation of plans for developing and utilizing the physical facilities of the University. 10. Determine policies which will provide for faculty participation in the preparation of the budgets of the University. 11. Participate in discussion and make recommendations on any subject which affects the welfare of the University. 12. Participate in selection of faculty members to university-wide committees. Article II - FacultyStaff members eligible to vote are those who are full-time, who hold the rank of instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, or professor, and who have their primary appointment in an academic department, in University Libraries, in the Counseling Center, or in the Illinois Institute of Rural Affairs. Questions of interpretation of this article shall be decided by the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate. Back to Index Article III - Membership of Faculty Senate Section 1. Qualifications: All faculty members are eligible for Senate membership who meet the qualifications under Article II. Section 2. Representation: a. Each undergraduate college of the University shall be represented by one member for each forty faculty members or major fraction thereof. Persons to be enumerated for the purpose of determining Senate membership must be eligible to vote according to the provisions of Article II. All eligible faculty shall be enumerated within the college in which they vote. Persons with fractional assignments in academic departments shall be enumerated as the appropriate fraction of one faculty member. Each undergraduate college of the University with fewer than forty faculty members shall be represented by one member. b. Six representatives shall be elected by and from the faculty at large whose primary assignment is at the Western Illinois University campus in Macomb, and one representative shall be elected by and from the faculty at large whose primary assignment is at Western Illinois University's Quad Cities campus. c. The Provost of the University shall serve as an ex-officio member of the Senate, without voting rights, and shall not hold Senate office. d. Adjustment in Senate membership shall be calculated at the end of the fall semester of each odd numbered year. New seats assigned to any college on the basis of this calculation shall then be filled at the following regular election. If, as a result of this calculation, a college loses a seat, the seat of the representative of that college whose term next expires shall remain unfilled. No Senator's seat shall be terminated during a regular term in order to adjust Senate membership. Back to Index Article IV - Officers of the Faculty Senate Section 1. The officers of the Senate shall consist of a chairperson, vice-chairperson, and a secretary. The holding of a Senate office shall not abrogate the voting rights of that individual within the Senate. Section 2. The Executive Committee of the Senate shall consist of the Senate officers. Section 3. The duties of the officers shall be those usual to such offices or those duties specified by Senate action. Section 4. The officers of the Faculty Senate shall also conduct elections for the University as directed by the Faculty Senate or by the President. Section 5. The officers of the Faculty Senate shall also be responsible for the biennial reapportionment of the Faculty Senate. Section 6. The officers of the Faculty Senate shall also determine whether staff members who are assigned to new positions within the University shall be eligible to vote in Faculty Senate elections. Section 7. Vacancies in the offices of the Senate shall be filled by election. Section 8. Officers are elected for a term of one year and are eligible for re-election. Back to Index Article V - Meetings Section 1. The Senate shall schedule regular monthly meetings during the academic year and shall be subject to call during the summer session. Section 2. Special meetings may be called by either the Chairperson of the Senate or the President of the University, or they may be called at the written request of one-third of the members of the Senate. Section 3. Section 4. Actions and recommendations of the Faculty Senate shall be reported to the faculty through its official minutes. Actions and recommendations concerning curricular changes shall be forwarded to the President and Academic Vice President of the University by written communication. The Academic Vice President shall approve, reject, or return proposals for specific emendation within a period of thirty days after Senate action. A proposal which is not acted upon within thirty days and for which there is no communication from the Academic Vice President to the Senate shall be considered to be approved. Section 5. All other actions and recommendations of the Faculty Senate shall be reported to the faculty through its official minutes, and the actions and recommendations shall be forwarded to the President of the University by written communication. The President shall approve, reject, or return proposals for specific emendation within a period of thirty days after Senate action. A proposal which is not acted upon within thirty days and for which there is no communication from the President to the Senate shall be considered to be approved. Section 6. Meetings of the Senate shall be open unless an executive session is voted by a majority of the Senate. With the consent of the Senate, non-members may participate in its deliberations. Section 7. Minutes of Senate meetings shall be distributed to all faculty members, administrative officers of the University, officers of the Student Government Association, and members of the Board of Trustees. Minutes may be distributed electronically. Section 8. All actions by the Senate shall be considered as final faculty decisions subject to the provisions for referendum provided in Article VII, Sections 1, 2, 3, 4. Back to Index Article VI - Amendments Amendments to this constitution may be presented in writing by any eligible faculty member. The Senate shall act on the proposed amendment at the next regular meeting following the one at which the amendment was presented. If the pro posed amendment is approved by a two-thirds vote of the total membership of the Senate, it shall be submitted by the Executive Committee to the eligible faculty (Article II) for approval within thirty days. Voting shall be by mail ballot. An affirmative vote of a majority of the faculty voting shall constitute approval of the amendment; then upon approval of the President of the University, the amendment shall become a part of the constitution. Back to Index Article VII - Referendum Section 1. Any action of the Senate shall be subject to referendum upon presentation of the petition signed by twenty percent of the eligible faculty. All petitions for referenda must include the precise language to appear on the ballot to be us ed in each referendum. A referendum may also be initiated by a majority vote of the Senate. A valid request for a referendum suspends all actions that directly depend upon the result of the referendum. Section 2. A request for referendum shall be submitted to the chairperson of the Senate who shall convene the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate within ten school days. Section 3. The Faculty Senate Executive Committee shall conduct the referendum by mail ballot to the eligible faculty within thirty days of receipt of the petition by the Senate chairperson. Section 4. The Senate shall be governed by the results of the referendum. Back to Index Article VIII - Parliamentary Authority The rules contained in the current edition of Sturgis Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure shall govern the meetings of the Senate, its councils, and its committees in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the constitution, the bylaws, and any special rules of order the Senate may adopt. Article IX This Constitution shall be in effect upon approval by a majority of faculty as defined in Article II of the Constitution now in effect and upon approval by the President of the University and the Board of Trustees. Back to Index Constitution Ratified by faculty, May 1969 |
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