ACADEMIC/FACULTY SENATE
CONSTITUTION

May 22, 2003

 

Preamble

We, the Faculty of Chabot College, in order to establish a formal and effective procedure for participating in the formation of district policies on academic and professional matters, adopt this Constitution.

Article I - Name

This organization shall be known as the Chabot College Academic/Faculty Senate.

Article II - Purposes, Scope, Powers

Section 1. All powers and responsibilities referred shall be vested in the Faculty acting through the Academic/Faculty Senate.

Section 2. The primary function of the Academic/Faculty Senate is to serve as the representative of the Faculty in making recommendations to the Administration and to the Board of Trustees in academic and professional matters. These include but are not limited to the following:

[NOTE: 10+1 Not Included]

a. Academic Policies

b. Educational Expenditures

c. Institutional Philosophy

d. Instructional Services.

e. Faculty Personnel Policies

f. Academic and Professional Rights and Responsibilities

g. Academic and Professional Standards

h. Student Personnel Policies

Section 3. The Academic/Faculty Senate shall present its views and recommendations to the Board of Trustees through regularly established channels.

Section 4. The Academic/Faculty Senate shall send a representative to all meetings of the Board of Trustees. The Academic/Faculty Senate may present its views and recommendations directly to the Board of Trustees.

Section 5. Academic/Faculty Senate action shall become effective seven (7) calendar days after its publication and distribution except where:

a. The Academic/Faculty Senate decides by a majority vote of the total Academic/Faculty Senate that action must be submitted to the vote of the full Faculty for approval,

or

b. A petition signed by twenty (20) percent of the Faculty for a referendum is submitted to the Academic/Faculty Senate within ten (10) calendar days requesting a referendum vote of the Faculty.

1) The referendum shall be submitted to the Faculty within fifteen (15) calendar days.

2) A referendum, for passage, shall require a majority of the vote cast in the referendum.

3) For the purposes of referenda voting shall be by secret ballot of the entire Contract, Regular Faculty and Part-Time Faculty whose vote shall count as one-fifth (1/5) of a Full-Time Faculty vote. Full-time Faculty who also have Part-time assignments shall have but one vote.

Article III - Membership

Section 1. Qualifications for the Academic/Faculty Senate

a. Qualifications for election to the Academic/Faculty Senate shall be the same as those defined for Contract, Regular, and Part-time Faculty.

b. A Faculty Senator shall be deemed ineligible to hold office if the Senator is appointed to a position defined as management.

Section 2. Composition of the Academic/Faculty Senate

a. The President of the Academic/Faculty Senate

b. The elected representative from the Instructional Divisions, Library, Counseling, and the Part-time Faculty. One of these elected representatives will also serve as Vice President and another as Secretary of the Academic/Faculty Senate.

c. Representation shall be as follows: the total number of Contract and Regular Faculty employed in the spring semester of the election year in each Instructional Division, Counseling, and the Library, from:

1) 1 through 19: 1 Senator

2) 20 through 39: 2 Senators

3) 40 through 59: 3 Senators

And the Part-time Faculty: 1 Senator

d. The Instructional Divisions, Counseling, the Library, and the Part-time Faculty may select alternates to participate in Senate meetings when a Senator is not able to attend.

e. Ex-officio, non-voting representatives from the Associated Students of Chabot College and from the Chabot Las Positas Faculty Association.

f. In order for the Senate to take advantage of the retiring president's counsel and experience, the outgoing president of the Chabot College Academic/Faculty Senate shall have the option of remaining on the Senate for one additional year as an ex-officio member, with full voting rights, with the title of Immediate Past President.

Section 3. Election to the Academic/Faculty Senate

a. Procedures for election to the Academic/Faculty Senate shall be determined by the respective voting areas.

b. Senators shall be elected by a majority of the members of their voting area.

c. The Academic/Faculty Senate shall settle disputes in regard to elections and qualifications.

d. Candidates for the Part-time Senator will be nominated by the full time senators from part-time faculty in their divisions. The Senate will elect a Part-time Faculty member from the nominees for the academic year.

Section 4. Terms of Office

a. The term of office for the full time divisional Senators and for the President shall be for two years. The term of office for the Part-Time Senator shall be one year. The term of office for the President shall start on July 1 of odd-numbered years. The term of office of the Vice President and Secretary shall be one year.

b. The term of office for full time divisional Senators shall start at the beginning of the Fall term of the even-numbered year session.

c. If a Senator resigns during a term of office, a new Senator shall be elected by the same procedures outlined in Article III, Section 3.

Section 5. Recall from Office

A Senator may be removed from office in a manner to be determined by the appropriate voting area.

Article IV - Officers

Section 1. The officers of the Academic/Faculty Senate shall be:

a. The President

b. The Vice President

c. The Secretary

d. The Immediate Past President

Section 2. Eligibility for office

a. All Officers of the Academic/Faculty Senate shall be fulltime, Contract and Regular Faculty.

b. No Faculty member serving as president of the faculty bargaining unit shall be eligible for the office of Academic/Faculty Senate President.

Section 3. Procedures for Elections

a. Nominations for Academic/Faculty Senate President shall be verified by an election committee to be selected by the Academic/Faculty Senate.

b. An election committee of three (3) members of the Faculty who are not candidates for office shall be selected by the Academic/Faculty Senate to prepare the ballots and act as tellers for the election.

c. The President of the Academic/Faculty Senate shall be elected by a majority of the Contract and Regular Faculty.

d. If no candidate for the office of Academic/Faculty Senate President receives a majority of the total votes cast, a run-off election shall be held between the two candidates who receive the highest number of votes.

e. Should the office of President be vacated with one year or more remaining in the term an election shall be conducted by the election committee; otherwise, the Vice President shall become the President for the remainder of the term of office.

f. The Vice President and Secretary shall be elected by a majority vote of the total Academic/Faculty Senate for a term of one year.

Section 4. Duties of Officers

a. President

1) The Academic/Faculty Senate President shall represent the opinions and votes of the Academic/Faculty Senate, or the expressions of the Faculty- Academic/Faculty Senate as determined by a referendum to the Administration, the Board of Trustees, the State Academic Senate, and the community at large.

2) The Academic/Faculty Senate President shall report to the Senate on all matters of academic or professional concern to the Faculty.

3) The Academic/Faculty Senate President shall attend meetings of the Board of Trustees, College Council and other governance committees.

4) The Academic/Faculty Senate President shall serve on the Executive Committee (DBSG, PRBC or equivalent, Chancellor's Council).

5) In the absence of the Academic/Faculty Senate President, the duties of that office shall be discharged by the Vice President; or, in whose absence, by a designee chosen by a majority of the total Academic/Faculty Senate.

6) The Academic/Faculty Senate President shall appoint faculty members to serve on all college and district committees in consultation with of the Academic/Faculty Senate. The Academic/Faculty Senate can, with a majority vote, choose to appoint committee members itself if it so chooses.

7) The Academic/Faculty Senate President or their designee shall preside over meetings of the Academic/Faculty Senate and meetings of the Faculty- Academic/Faculty Senate.

b. Vice President

1) The Academic/Faculty Senate Vice President shall communicate with all committees and assure timely reporting by all committees to the Academic/Faculty Senate.

2) The Academic/Faculty Senate Vice President shall represent the Faculty when the President is unavailable.

3) The Academic/Faculty Senate Vice President shall serve on the Executive Committee.

4) The Academic/Faculty Senate Vice President shall attend meetings of the College Council.

5) The Academic/Faculty Senate Vice President shall act as the Senate's Parliamentarian.

c. Secretary

1) The Academic/Faculty Senate Secretary shall distribute the agendas for each regular meeting of the Academic/Faculty Senate and draft and distribute the Senate Minutes.

2) The Academic/Faculty Senate Secretary shall handle all correspondence of the Academic/Faculty Senate including distribution of information to the Faculty upon request by the Academic/Faculty Senate.

3) The Academic/Faculty Senate Secretary shall serve on the Executive Committee.

4) The Academic/Faculty Senate Secretary shall serve on the College Council.

d. Immediate Past President

1) The Immediate Past President shall serve on the Executive Council

2) The Immediate Past President shall attend the meetings of the College Council.

Section 5. Recall of Officers

a. Recall of an Academic/Faculty Senate Officer shall be initiated by:

1) A two-thirds (2/3) vote of the total Academic/Faculty Senate, or

2) A recall petition signed by thirty (30) percent of the Contract and Regular Faculty.

b. An Academic/Faculty Senate Officer shall be removed by a vote of sixty (60) percent of the total Contract and Regular Faculty. A recall vote shall take place no less than ten (10) working days or more than fifteen (15) working days after step a. l) or 2) above.

c. A new Academic/Faculty Senate Officer shall be selected in accordance with the provisions of Article IV, Section 3.

d. A recall petition may be considered ninety (90) days after the Academic/Faculty Senate Officer has taken office.

Section 6. Reassign time for Academic/Faculty Senate Officers

The Academic/Faculty Senate President and the College President in a Memorandum of Understanding will arrange reassign time for the officers. Changes to that document will be reported to the Academic/Faculty Senate.

Section 7. Executive Committee

The Executive Committee, chaired by the Academic/Faculty Senate President, will develop the Academic/Faculty Senate agendas, coordinate senate committee reports and recommend actions to the Academic/Faculty Senate.

Article V - Meetings

Section 1. Academic/Faculty Senate Meetings

a. The Academic/Faculty Senate shall meet at least once each month during the Fall and Spring Semesters or as deemed necessary by the Academic/Faculty Senate President during the summer.

b. A quorum for meetings of the Academic/Faculty Senate shall be one half plus one of the voting Academic/Faculty Senate membership.

c. Motions shall be approved by a majority of the Academic/Faculty Senate voting at that meeting.

d. The Academic/Faculty Senate shall determine its rules of procedures and publish its proceedings.

e. The Academic/Faculty Senate President, who does not vote on motions, shall vote when a vote of the senate results in a tie.

Section 2. Faculty- Academic/Faculty Senate Meetings

a. Meetings of the Faculty- Academic/Faculty Senate shall be called and chaired by the Academic/Faculty Senate President:

1) At the discretion of the Academic/Faculty Senate President, or

2) Upon petition of a majority of voting Academic/Faculty Senate members, or

3) Upon petition of ten (10) percent of the Contract and Regular Faculty.

b. Meetings of the Faculty-Faculty Senate are advisory.

c. Proposals recommended by a Faculty- Academic/Faculty Senate meeting shall be ratified by a majority referendum of the Contract, Regular and Part-time Faculty.

d. Notification of Faculty- Academic/Faculty Senate meetings shall be posted in all Contract and Regular Faculty mail boxes not less than three (3) days in advance of such meetings. Faculty- Academic/Faculty Senate meetings may meet at one (1) joint meeting or two (2) separate meetings.

e. Faculty- Academic/Faculty Senate meetings shall be called at times and places during the Contract and Regular Faculty work week.

f. A quorum for Faculty- Academic/Faculty Senate meetings that makes a recommendation shall be thirty (30) percent of the Contract and Regular Faculty.

Article VI - Amendements

Section 1. Proposed Amendments

Amendments may be proposed by the Faculty or the Academic/Faculty Senate:

a. By a majority vote of the members of the Academic/Faculty Senate meeting in a regular or special meeting,

b. By a majority of the votes cast at a Faculty- Academic/Faculty Senate meeting, or

c. By a petition signed by twenty (20) percent of the Contract and Regular Faculty.

Section 2. Ratification of Amendments

a. Shall be by secret ballot of the entire Contract, Regular Faculty and Part-Time Faculty whose vote shall count as one-fifth (1/5) of a Full-Time Faculty vote. Full-time Faculty who also have Part-time assignments shall have but one vote.

b. Shall require a sixty (60) percent majority of the Contract, Regular and Part-time Faculty voting.

Approved by the vote of the faculty on November 19, 1964, and revised:

• July 1, 1968
• January 23, 1969
• July 1, 1980
• June 30, 1987
• May 3, 1989
• September18, 1989
• June 4, 1991
• June 19, 1992
• October 25, 1993
• May 22, 2003