Policy Statement
- The current revision of Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the conduct of the meetings of the Council except insofar as the bylaws make express provision to the contrary.
- The Executive Committee shall publish a schedule of Council meetings for the academic year before the beginning of the fall semester but may schedule additional meetings or cancel meetings as the need arises. The meetings of the Council shall begin at 2:30 P.M. and adjourn at 4:30 P.M. unless a later adjournment is agreed to unanimously. The Council by concurrence of a simple majority vote may fix a different time for a regular meeting or call a special meeting.
- The presence of a majority of the members shall constitute a quorum.
- Elections
- The Nomination Committee and its Election Supervisor shall conduct the elections for the Bloomington Faculty Council and the Faculty President-elect. These elections must begin early enough in the Fall Semester to permit completion of the election process in order to satisfy the deadlines imposed.
- Eligibility to Vote. Eligible participants and election units are governed by sections 5.5.A through C of the Constitution of the Bloomington Faculty. The election sub-units into which the College of Arts and Sciences is divided pursuant to section 5.5.A of the Constitution of the Bloomington Faculty shall be specified in an appendix to these bylaws.
- Preparation of Voting Lists. The Provost shall supply a list of eligible Bloomington faculty and librarians; this list shall specify the departmental or program affiliations and tenured or non-tenured status of each person. From this list each school dean and the Dean of Libraries shall supply to the Nomination Committee and its Election Supervisor a list of those eligible under his or her jurisdiction. The Nomination Committee and its Election Supervisor shall check the lists and adjust them to provide that no person is assigned to more than one unit.
- Individual Choice of Voting Unit. Anyone may request the Nomination Committee and its Election Supervisor to change an assignment to a unit. If the Nomination Committee and its Election Supervisor do not agree to the change, this decision may be appealed to the Constitution and Rules Committee, whose decision will be final. The Constitution and Rules Committee shall report to the Council any such actions taken.
- Basis of Representation. Each of the units shall be entitled to one Council representative for each fifty members (or major fraction thereof); each unit shall have a minimum of one representative.
- Nominations. In November of each year, the Nomination Committee and its Election Supervisor shall solicit nominations for representatives to the Bloomington Faculty Council. The list of all persons eligible to vote (organized by electoral unit and indicating which are tenured and which are non-tenured) shall be distributed to all faculty and librarians. This list shall accompany the nomination ballot. The nomination ballot shall list the present membership of the Bloomington Faculty Council--indicating which persons will serve an additional year, which are finishing a term but are eligible for re-election, and which are ineligible for re-election under Section 5.5.E of the Constitution of the Bloomington Faculty. The nomination ballot shall be returned to the Nomination Committee and its Election Supervisor by the end of the first semester. Each voter shall be notified as to his or her representation unit and the number of seats to be filled from that unit. He or she shall be invited to make twice this number of nominations from that unit. The ballot shall provide for separate nomination of general at-large representatives and of representatives limited to untenured faculty. Each voter may make three nominations for general at-large representatives and two for at-large representatives limited to untenured faculty.
- In January of each year, the Nomination Committee and its Election Supervisor shall also solicit nominations for the Faculty President-elect. Candidates for President-elect shall be selected from the current, elected members of the Bloomington Faculty Council through a process of nomination by fellow Council members. Each candidate must receive a minimum of three nominations to be considered for election. From among those nominated, the Nomination Committee will select at least two, but no more than six, candidates for President-elect, working to ensure diversity in the slate.
- Preparing the Election Ballot. For the Bloomington Faculty Council, those persons receiving the most nominating votes in each unit (up to twice the number of seats to be filled) shall be placed on the final ballot. Ties shall be decided by lot. Six additional at-large nominations shall be made by the Bloomington Faculty Council's Nomination Committee. Before any name is placed on the final ballot, the Nomination Committee and its Election Supervisor must determine that the nominee is willing to serve if elected. If a person has been nominated for the Bloomington Faculty Council from a unit and at large, the Nomination Committee and its Election Supervisor shall direct the nominee to choose in which one (and only one) of the categories he or she wishes to stand for election. The final ballot shall list the nominees from each unit. The at-large nominees plus the six nominees from the Nomination Committee will be combined and listed alphabetically in the separate categories for general at-large representatives and for at-large representatives limited to untenured faculty.
For the President-elect, the ballot shall list the names of candidates selected by the Nomination Committee. Abbreviated resumes of relevant experience for each candidate shall accompany the ballot. The ballot shall permit write-in candidates provided those candidates are current, elected members of the Council. - Conduct of the Election. The election of the Bloomington Faculty Council and of the President-elect for the following academic year shall be completed by the end of March. Each voter shall be entitled to vote in this election for representatives in their unit, representatives elected at large and President-elect. Ties will be decided by lot. The Nomination Committee and its Election Supervisor shall file with the Bloomington Faculty President a record of the votes cast and the final ballot.
- In early November, the existing Nomination Committee shall circulate a ballot to these members containing at least ten nominees for a new Nomination Committee. The names on the ballot shall be arranged in pairs by academic units (schools), of which no fewer than four shall be represented. The person in each pair receiving the larger number of votes shall be elected. Ties shall be decided by lot. The new Nomination Committee should be elected by the end of the first week of December. The Nomination Committee shall be chaired by the President-elect, who shall be a voting member of the committee. Nomination Committee members, once elected, will serve terms from January to January. Some members of the Nomination Committee may complete their term on the Nomination Committee six months after the end of their term on the Bloomington Faculty Council. On July 1st, the new President-elect becomes the chair of the Nomination Committee. The former President-elect remains a member of the committee through the end of their term as President.
- After the Bloomington Faculty Council members of the ensuing year have been determined, the Nomination Committee shall circulate a ballot to the voting members of the Council--as it will be constituted for the ensuing term--to elect a Secretary and a Parliamentarian. There shall be two nominees for Secretary and two for Parliamentarian. The ballot shall permit write-in candidates. The persons receiving the most votes for Secretary and Parliamentarian shall serve in those offices and shall also be members of the Executive Committee. This election shall be completed by the first week of April.
- Representatives from this campus to the University Faculty Council must be members of the Bloomington Faculty Council. Bloomington representatives to the University Faculty Council shall consist of the President-elect and a subset of chairs/co-chairs of the following committees as prioritized by the Nominations Committee; the Benefits Committee, the Budgetary Affairs Committee, the Constitution and Rules Committee, the Creation, Reorganization, Elimination, and Merger Committee, the Diversity and Affirmative Action Committee, the Educational Policies Committee, the Faculty Affairs Committee, the Library Committee, the Long Range Planning Committee, the Research Affairs Committee, the Student Affairs Committee, and the Technology Policy Committee such that the designated number of seats is filled. If this procedure does not provide the designated number of representatives, the Nominations Committee will fill the remaining positions. These BFC members shall be the principal Bloomington nominees for the chair or co-chair of their counterpart committees of the UFC.
- Specific times for particular steps in the election process established by the above regulations, as well as number to be elected from units or length of terms of service, may need to be modified in emergencies. Such necessary revisions shall not invalidate the election procedures or results.
- If a vacancy occurs in any of the following--President, Secretary, Parliamentarian, Nomination Committee, or Executive Committee--the Nomination Committee and the Executive Committee (meeting jointly) shall elect a replacement from among the present faculty members of the Council.
- In all elections of officers, committees, and Council members, ties will be decided by lot.
- The Vice Provost for Faculty and Academic Affairs, the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, the Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Health Sciences and the Vice Provost for Research in Bloomington shall be voting members of the council.
- One representative of the Bloomington Reserve Officer Training Corps shall be a non-voting member of the Bloomington Faculty Council, representing the Departments of Military Science (Army) and Aerospace Studies (Air Force), to be designated jointly by the members of those departments.
- Alternates, Temporary Replacement Members, Vacancies:
- Members of the Council may appoint alternates to serve in their places at any meeting.
- If an elected member will be absent for one or two semesters, the member shall notify the Executive Committee prior to the first meeting of the semester. The Executive Committee will initiate a process for temporary replacement that will include consultation of the member's school policy committee or, in the case of at-large members, the Nomination Committee. If an elected member will be absent for more than a year, the member shall notify the Executive Committee, and the Executive Committee will declare the seat vacant. If someone is elected President, their seat also becomes vacant and should be filled according to the procedures in section 7.C.
- Whenever a vacancy occurs among the elected members of the Council earlier than a month before the Council's final meeting of the academic year, that vacancy shall be filled by the unelected nominee in the same election unit (whether faculty and librarian election unit or the at-large unit) who received the highest number of votes in the most recent election. If that person is unable to serve, the elected faculty members of the unit's policy committee, or equivalent, shall elect a replacement from among members of the same election unit or, in the case of an at-large vacancy, the Nomination Committee and the Executive Committee, meeting jointly, shall elect a replacement from among eligible faculty.
- A member of Council who fails to attend a majority of Council meetings during a semester without an alternate will be contacted by the Executive Committee. After the discussion the Executive Committee, at its discretion, may take no action, initiate a temporary replacement process, or declare the seat vacant.
- Liaisons to School Policy Committees
- One representative from each faculty and librarian election unit shall serve as the Council liaison to the unit's policy committee or equivalent. The Council liaisons shall regularly inform unit policy committees of matters pending before the Council that affect the units.
- For the College of Arts and Sciences, the Council liaison shall be the representative elected from the College at large. For other units with more than one representative, the Nomination Committee shall designate which one shall serve as Council liaison, giving preference to representatives who are also members of their unit's policy committee.
- The liaisons shall convey to the Council the views and concerns of unit policy committees about matters that pertain to Council business. If the liaison is not a member of the elected unit policy committee, that policy committee may if it wishes send one of its members to attend BFC meetings as an observer with speaking privileges.
- On request prior to a meeting, any faculty member shall be invited by the Executive Committee to participate without vote in Council meetings--subject, however, to the exercise by the Executive Committee of its responsibility for taking varied points of view into account and for the efficient management of the Council's time. On its own initiative the Executive Committee may invite any non-member to participate in the discussion of matters of particular interest. Faculty members, students, members of the University staff, and members of the press are welcome to attend meetings of the Council, subject only to the adequacy of available space. The Executive Committee may invite the general faculty to participate in special meetings of the Council to be governed by ad hoc rules adopted by the Executive Committee.
- The duties of the Faculty President shall include, but not be limited to, the following responsibilities:
- To serve as Co-Chair of the University Faculty Council.
- To serve, along with the Presiding Officer, the Past President, the President-elect, the Secretary, and the Parliamentarian of the Bloomington Faculty Council, as an officer of the Bloomington faculty. (Article III, Section3.1, Constitution of the Bloomington Faculty)
- To serve as administrator for the Bloomington Faculty Council.
- To preside at meetings of the Bloomington Faculty Council and at meetings of the Bloomington Faculty in the absence of the Provost.
- To preside at meetings of the Executive Committee.
- To report to the Council at the first meeting of each academic year the status of uncompleted business from the prior year and the status of legislative actions taken in the prior year.
- To convene search and screen committees, when the majority of the membership of any search and screen committee is selected by the BFC.
- To convene, with the Provost review committees of administrative officers holding positions bearing directly on the campus-wide teaching / research mission of IUB and who report to the Provost. (Review Procedures for Bloomington Campus Administrators, Section 5)
- To consult with the Provost in advance of actions taken to alleviate a crisis which could lead to a declaration of financial exigency. (Creation, Regorganization, Elimination, and Merger of Academic Units and Programs, Section VIII.E.)
- To represent the Bloomington faculty in meetings with the Board of Trustees, the University President; the Provost; and their administrative committees.
- Commencing July 1, 2012, the term of the President shall be for one year, to be served from July 1 in the second academic year following his or her election until June 30 of the subsequent year. During the year previous to his or her term, as the President-elect, and during the year following his or her term as Past President, he or she shall serve as an officer of the Bloomington Faculty Council and member of the Executive Committee. Election as President shall automatically extend that person's term as a BFC member by additional years sufficient to complete the term. No person, however, shall be eligible to serve consecutive terms as President.
- The duties of the President-elect shall include, but not be limited to, the following responsibilities:
- To serve, along with the Presiding Officer, President, the Past President, the Secretary, and the Parliamentarian, as an officer of the Bloomington Faculty. (Article III, Section 3.1, Constitution of the Bloomington Faculty)
- To serve as a member of the Executive Committee of the Bloomington Faculty Council.
- To serve as a BFC representative to the University Faculty Council.
- To preside at meetings of the Executive Committee in the absence of the President.
- To preside at meetings of the Faculty Council in the absence of the University President, the Provost, and the President.
- To substitute temporarily for the President in the execution of the duties specified in Bylaw 10, when unavoidable circumstances prohibit him/her from fulfilling those obligations.
- To serve as chair of the Nomination Committee.
- To be the liaison between the Executive Committee and the standing committees.
- The duties of the Past President shall include, but not be limited to, the following responsibilities:
- To serve, along with the Presiding Officer, President, the President-elect, the Secretary, and the Parliamentarian, as an officer of the Bloomington Faculty. (Article III, Section 3.1, Constitution of the Bloomington Faculty)
- To serve as Chair of the Long Range Planning Committee
- To serve as a member of the Executive Committee of the Bloomington Faculty Council.
- The duties of the Secretary shall include, but not be limited to, the following responsibilities:
- To serve, along with the Presiding Officer, the President, the Past President, the President-elect and the Parliamentarian of the Bloomington Faculty Council, as an officer of the Bloomington faculty. (Article III, Section 3.1, Constitution of the Bloomington Faculty).
- To keep minutes of the proceedings and actions of the Council and to circulate these minutes.
- To write and circulate executive summaries of each Council meeting within 7 days following the meeting.
- To serve as a member of the Executive Committee.
- The duties of the Parliamentarian shall include, but not be limited to, the following responsibilities:
- To serve, along with the Presiding Officer, the President, the Past President, the President-elect and the Secretary, as an officer of the Bloomington Faculty. (Article III, Section 3.1, Constitution of the Bloomington Faculty)
- To serve as Parliamentarian of the Bloomington Faculty Council.
- To serve as Chairperson of the Constitution and Rules Committee.
- To serve as a member of the Executive Committee of the Bloomington Faculty Council.
- To preside at meetings of the Executive Committee in the absence of both the President and the President-elect.
- To substitute temporarily for the Secretary in the execution of the duties specified in Bylaw 12, when circumstances prohibit him/her from fulfilling those obligations.
- The comprehensive minutes required by the Constitution shall consist of two documents.
- Minutes produced by the Secretary in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order and distributed to the campus faculty within three days. See bylaw 13.B.
- Verbatim transcripts produced by transcribing the recordings of each meeting. Transcriptions should be available with ten days following each BFC meeting. These transcripts will be prepared by the office of the Chief of Staff and both the verbatim transcripts and the original recordings will be permanently accessible on the BFC webpage.
- Both minutes and verbatim transcripts will be subject to review by the full Council will be subject to review by the full Council at the beginning of the first meeting at which they are available.
- Organization of the standing committees:
- Standing committees of the Council are those constituted for an indefinite term.
- Standing committees of the Council shall consist of the Benefits Committee, the Budgetary Affairs Committee, the Constitution and Rules Committee, the Creation, Reorganization, Elimination and Merger Committee, the Diversity and Affirmative Action Committee, the Educational Policies Committee, the Executive Committee, the Faculty Affairs Committee, the International Affairs Committee, the Library Committee, the Long Range Planning Committee, the Nomination Committee, the Research Affairs Committee, the Student Affairs Committee, and the Technology Policy Committee.
- The following committees shall schedule meetings at least monthly and be provided with staff support: Budgetary Affairs,Creation, Reorganization, Elimination and Merger, Educational Policies, Faculty Affairs and Long Range Planning. Minutes for each of these committees, save Budgetary Affairs, shall be prepared within one week of each meeting and posted online accessible to all Committee and Bloomington Faculty Council members and to others as determined by the Executive Committee.
- Each of the chairs of the following committees shall serve as an ex officio voting member of the Executive Committee: Budgetary Affairs; Creation, Reorganization, Elimination, and Merger; Educational Policies; Faculty Affairs and Long Range Planning. That ex officio member must be a member of the Council.
- Each spring, the Nomination Committee shall designate the chairs or co-chairs of the standing committees for the following academic year. Whenever possible, chairs and co-chairs will serve for two years, and the Nomination Committee will reappoint chairs and co-chairs for a second year.
- Where reasonably possible, every elected member of the Council—including students and associate instructors—shall serve on a committee of the Council. Members of the Council who serve as liaison to faculty and librarian election unit policy committees, or equivalents, shall have that participation in Council work recognized as committee service.
- After consultation with individual Council members to determine the most effective distribution of talents and preference, the Nomination Committee shall appoint at least one Council member to each standing committee. Committees may be largely formed in advance of Bloomington Faculty Council elections, but newly elected Council members will be appointed to standing committees following the election.
- Additional non-Council faculty members, administrators, students, associate instructors and staff may be appointed to each committee by the Nomination Committee. The Nomination Committee shall solicit recommendations from faculty and librarian unit policy committees, or equivalent, for committee appointments in order to facilitate communication between council and school committees with similar responsibilities. Each committee may, itself, select additional members, appoint co-chairs, and create and staff subcommittees.
- Committee organization for an academic year shall be completed, as early as possible before the beginning of the Fall semester.
- Terms of service on all committees, including the Executive Committee and the Nomination Committee, shall be arranged so as to achieve a reasonable continuity of membership. No person, elected or appointed, may serve as a member of the Executive Committee for more than seven consecutive years.
- Duties of the standing committees:
- The function of the Executive Committee shall be as follows:
- The agenda of the Council shall be determined by the Executive Committee. All communications--including those from individual faculty members requesting Council action, study, or advice--shall be placed on the agenda or shall be referred to an appropriate body or committee for consideration. In the latter case, the Executive Committee shall report its action to the Council which may--by a simple majority vote--request the Executive Committee to place a referred item on the agenda.
- The Executive Committee shall prepare the final draft of any new legislation approved by the Council.
- The Executive Committee at any time may request the Council to determine the implementation and the effect of any past legislation or action or to reconsider any past legislation.
- The Executive Committee shall assign items proposed for Council consideration to the appropriate BFC committee. The committees shall consider the proposals and advise the Council as to their appropriate disposition.
- The Executive Committee shall meet with the Provost in weeks preceding the meetings of the Bloomington Faculty Council at a customarily fixed time and location. Additional meetings of the Executive Committee alone can be scheduled as needed.
- At least twice each academic year, the Executive Committee shall call a meeting of the Executive Committee with the chairs of Council committees, and with representatives of faculty and librarian unit policy committees, either together or separately, to survey and discuss issues to come before faculty governance groups during the year.
- The Executive Committee is delegated to act as the executive agent of the Bloomington Faculty Council, without prior consultation with the Council, as follows:
- When making editorial changes in Faculty Council policies and documents, including the constitution and bylaws, to reflect organizational changes to the structures of Indiana University, the Indiana University Bloomington campus, the University Faculty Council and their respective policies;
- In cases requiring emergency action within a period during which no meeting of the Council is scheduled, including during the summer sessions;
- Emergency actions taken by the Executive Committee require, at minimum, a simple majority which must include the President and President-elect.
- When acting as the delegated executive agent for the Council, the Executive Committee will inform Council members through electronic communication of its activities.
- Actions taken by the Executive Committee as delegated executive agent for the Council may at the request of an elected representative of the Bloomington Faculty Council be reviewed by the Council at its next subsequent meeting and, where feasible, may be overruled by a two-thirds vote of the Bloomington Faculty Council.
- The Budgetary Affairs Committee shall act as a representative of the Council in offering to the Provost and to the Vice President and CFO its continuing advice and criticism on all aspects of the Bloomington Campus budgetary policy and the allocation of the Bloomington Campus financial resources, especially those proposed allocations and re-allocations of financial resources that have bearing on the economic well-being of the faculty and academic staff. Among others, the committee's responsibilities shall include:
- Considering the relative allocations of the University's resources with respect to new programs and significant changes in existing programs.
- Considering the setting of priorities with regard to capital outlays.
- Considering the setting of general faculty salary policies.
- The Constitution and Rules Committee regularly shall evaluate the Constitution of the Bloomington Faculty and the operation of the Council's rules, shall receive and initiate proposals for modifications, and shall advise the Council on the desirability of these modifications. In addition, it shall advise officers or committees of the Council on questions concerning the interpretation of the Constitution of the Bloomington Faculty or the Council rules, which do not arise in the course of a Council meeting. The Parliamentarian shall chair this committee.
- The primary role of the Technology Policy Committee shall be to liaison with and represent faculty interests in technology applications with the office of the Vice President for Information Technology and the various subdivisions of this office pertaining to technology issues on the Bloomington Campus.
- Standing committees may also initiate their own proposals for Council action.
- Duties of the Faculty Council Office
- To prepare a summary of the activities of the Council each year and to distribute it to the Bloomington Faculty.
- To report in the minutes the names of those present or absent at Council meetings and names of alternates present.
- To make available the minutes and transcripts of the meetings; Council documents; the time, place and agenda of the next meeting to all members of the faculty and other campus and University constituencies or their representatives (e.g. the Secretary of the Board of Trustees).
- Retention and disposition of Faculty Council records and files:
- Definition and principles:
- All records and files created or received by the Bloomington Faculty President of the BFC as administrator of the Council and relating to Faculty Council business are defined as the official records of the BFC.
- Records and files created or received by the chairpersons of BFC committees are defined as BFC committee files and are therefore excluded from the provisions of these rules.
- The maintenance of official BFC records and files shall be in accordance with general Indiana University rules established by the Trustees, the Executive Vice President for University Academic Affairs and the Indiana University Controller.
- Maintenance of BFC records and files:
- Official BFC records and files shall be maintained in the Faculty Council Office for the minimum periods specified:
- Incoming and outgoing correspondence relating to BFC business and incoming correspondence log: three years.
- Audio recordings of BFC meetings: permanently.
- Election ballots or other data relating to elections and committee assignments: one year
- Tabulations by name of votes in Council meetings: one year.
- File copy of agendas, minutes, circulars, and each year's Summary of the Year: permanently.
- Disposition of BFC records and files:
- Subject to space limitations, official BFC records and files may be retained in the BFC office for longer periods than those specified in Bylaw 15.B, at the discretion of the Faculty President.
- Ballots, and other election materials relating to elections and committee assignments may be erased / discarded after one year, at the discretion of the Faculty President.
- Other official BFC records and files shall be offered to the University Archives upon expiration of the period specified in Bylaw 15.B.
- Surplus copies of items listed under Bylaw 15.B.(1)(e) shall be offered to the University Archives at the end of the Council year in which they have been created.
- Records or files not preserved at the discretion of the Faculty President according to 15.C.(1) and 15.C.(2) of this bylaw or those not accepted by the University Archives according to 15.C(3) and 15.C(4) may be discarded.
- Exceptions:
- The records and files of BFC committees, while not subject to these rules, are an important resource for the efficient administration of Council activities and a potentially valuable historical record. Chairpersons are encouraged to pass on BFC committee records and files to their successors at the conclusion of the Council year and/or to offer them to the University Archives at an appropriate time.
- Files maintained by the BFC staff for their own use and containing unofficial materials shall not be subject to the provisions of these rules.
Appendix
Below are the electoral sub-units within the College of Arts and Sciences that are authorized pursuant to amended Bylaw 4.B.(1).
- Arts and Sciences "A"
- Arts and Sciences "B"
- African American and African Diaspora Studies
- American Studies
- Art History
- Comparative Literature
- Folklore and Ethnomusicology
- History and Philosophy of Science
- Philosophy
- Religious Studies
- Theatre, Drama and Contemporary Dance
- Arts and Sciences "C"
- Classical Studies
- French and Italian
- Germanic Studies
- Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures
- Spanish and Portuguese
- Arts and Sciences "D"
- Anthropology
- Criminal Justice
- Geography
- Linguistics
- Second Language Studies
- Speech and Hearing Sciences
- Arts and Sciences "E"
- Economics
- Gender Studies
- Political Science
- Psychological and Brain Sciences
- Sociology
- Arts and Sciences "F"
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Geological Sciences
- Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry
- Arts and Sciences "G"
- Astronomy
- Mathematics
- Physics
- Statistics
- Arts and Sciences "H"
- Arts and Sciences "I"
- School of Global and International Studies
- Arts and Sciences "J"
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