The SUNY University Faculty Senate
Bylaws

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1. Establishment and purposes
2. Senate Membership and Elections
3. Offices and Elections
4. Agenda for Regular Meetings of the Senate
5. Special Senate Meetings
6. Duties and Responsibilities of Senators
7. Duties and Responsibilities of Senate Officers
8. Membership, Responsibilities, and Duties of Senate Standing Committees
9. Ad Hoc Committees
10. Reports and Resolutions
11. Quorums and Actions
12. Rules of Procedure
13. Amendments

§1. Name. There shall be a University Faculty Senate of State University of New York.
§2. Purposes. The Senate shall be the official agency through which the University Faculty engages in the governance of the University. The Senate shall be concerned with effective educational policies and other professional matters within the University.
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Section B. Appointment and Election of Senators. The appointment and election of Senators shall conform to Article Vll. Title B of the Policies.

§1. Composition. The Senate shall consist of the Chancellor of the University, two representatives having University-wide responsibilities and representatives from each State-operated unit and contract college in numbers determined as follows:

a) One representative from each unit, independent of the size of the professional staff.

b) Additional representatives shall be authorized from units on the basis of the number of full-time professional staff according to the following: a second representative for units whose full-time professional staff is greater than or equal to 600 but less than 1,100; a third representative for units whose professional staff is greater than or equal to 1,100 but less than 1,600; and a fourth representative for units whose professional staff is greater or equal to 1,600.

§2. Election and Appointment. The Chancellor of the University shall appoint the two University representatives and the two alternate University representatives having University-wide responsibilities. The professional staff of each State-operated unit and contract college shall, by secret ballot and majority of those voting, elect their own representatives and alternates in a manner that shall be further specified in the bylaws of each unit's faculty, provided that the alternate representatives shall serve for the same term as the representatives for whom they are alternates. Alternate representatives shall serve in the absence or inability to act for the representative for whom they are alternates and, in that event, such alternate representatives shall exercise all the powers and duties of the representatives for whom they are alternates.

§3. Terms. The University representatives shall serve at the pleasure of the Chancellor of the University. Each representative of a State-operated unit or contract college shall serve for a term of three years; provided however, that no such representative shall serve as a member of the Senate after termination of employment in the unit which the representative was elected.

§4. Reelection. An elected representative who has served a full three-year term or major fraction thereof shall be eligible to serve a second consecutive three-year term. Representatives shall not be eligible to serve again as members of the Senate until the expiration of one year from the end of their last preceding term. Representatives who have served only a minor fraction of one three-year term may serve for two additional three-year terms.

§5. Vacancies. If a leave of absence or other reason will prevent a Senator or alternate from per- forming the duties of the office for a period of one academic year or longer, the position will be declared vacant and a new election will be held to fill the remainder of the unexpired term. An individual currently serving as an alternate may run in the election for a Senate seat which has been vacated in this manner. In the event that both the Senator and the alternate are simultaneously unable to represent the campus for a period in excess of our months during the academic year, both offices will be declared vacant and the unexpired term will be filled by a new election.

Section C. Notice of Vacancies. By February 1st of each year, the President of the Senate shall send to the Senators and administrative heads of those units for which vacancies will occur on July 1, a notice to this effect, with a request that the election of a Senator and alternate be held, and the results of the election transmitted to the President of the Senate by April 1st.

Section D. Ex Officio Membership.

1. Immediate Past President and Immediate Past Vice-President/Secretary. The immediate past President and immediate past Vice-President/Secretary shall serve as ex officio non-voting Members of the Senate one term of two years.

2. Chairpersons of Standing Committees. Those Chairpersons of Standing Committees who are not elected Senators shall serve as ex officio non-voting Members of the Senate.

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§1. President of the Senate. Before July 1 of each odd-numbered year, the Senate shall elect one of its elected members as President of the Senate for a term of two years. Upon election as President to the Senate, the elected member shall vacate the position as the representative of his or her unit in the Senate. The President of the Senate shall preside at all meetings of the Senate and shall exercise such other powers and duties as may be vested in the President by this Article and the bylaws of the Senate. The President shall be an ex officio member of all Senate committees. The President of the Senate may be reelected for a second term but may not thereafter be eligible for a successive term.

§2. Vice-President/Secretary. Before July 1st of each even-numbered year, the Senate shall elect one of its elected members to serve as Vice-President/Secretary for a term of two years. The Vice-President/Secretary shall serve as the President of the Senate during that officer's absence or inability to act. Any regular member of the Senate is eligible to serve as Vice-President/Secretary for one year beyond the expiration of his or her three-year term as a Senate member. In such case the Vice-President/Secretary shall become a nonvoting member of the Senate and the unit shall be represented by a regularly elected successor.

§3. Vacancies. A vacancy in the office of President or Vice-President/Secretary shall be filled for the unexpired term in the same manner as the original election, at the next succeeding meeting of the Senate following the occurrence of the vacancy. In the interim, the Executive Committee shall elect one of its members to serve in an acting capacity until the vacancy is filled.

Section B. Order of Elections. Election to the offices of the Senate shall be held during the Spring Meeting of the Senate. The order of elections shall be as follows: First: President for term beginning July 1st in odd-numbered year. Second: Vice-President/Secretary for term beginning July 1st in the even-numbered year. Third: Members of the Executive Committee annually.

Section C. Nominating Committee. All Senators in the last year of their terms shall constitute the Nominating Committee. The President shall designate the Chairperson of this committee from among those eligible to serve on the committee. The committee shall meet at the Winter Meeting of the Senate to nominate at least two (2) candidates for the appropriate officer's position. The Chairperson of the Nominating Committee shall request that each candidate prepare and submit for distribution to Members of the Senate a one page vita and statement of candidacy not to exceed one page. These statements shall arrive at the Senate office at least four weeks prior to the Spring meeting of the Senate.

Section D. Time of Elections. It shall be the responsibility of the Nominating Committee to conduct all elections for officers of the Senate and Members of the Executive Committee at the Spring meeting of the Senate.

Section E. Method of Elections. Elections shall be by secret ballot of the Senate as a whole, provided that if there is only one (1) candidate for membership on the Executive Committee, and if there is no objection from the floor, the Senate may authorize the Vice-President/Secretary to cast a unanimous ballot for that candidate. If no candidate receives a majority of the ballots cast, then the candidate with the lowest number of votes will be removed from the slate, and the election will be repeated until a candidate receives a majority of the ballots cast.

Section F. Election of the Executive Committee.

1. Nominations. Candidates for the five elected positions on the Executive Committee shall be nominated by their respective groups of institutions outlined in Article VIII, Section B. Additional nominations from the floor for each position to be filled shall then be accepted.

2. Vacancies. Vacancies on the Executive Committee shall be filled through appointment of the President in consultation with the Executive Committee at the next succeeding meeting of the Executive Committee. Persons so appointed shall fill the unexpired portion of the term.

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The Senate shall meet at least twice a year at such times and places as shall be determined by the Executive Committee. Special meetings of the Senate may be called in accordance with the provisions of the bylaws.

Section B. Preparation of the Agenda. The Executive Committee shall approve the agenda for all regular meetings of the Senate. At least three weeks prior to a regular meeting of the Senate, the President shall send the agenda to the Members of the Senate. The agenda for all Senate meetings shall provide, as a priority order of business, an opportunity for the Chancellor to report to the Senate.

Section C. Changes in the Agenda. The agenda may be modified by adding or deleting items. Changes shall be submitted in writing by any one of the Senate membership to the Executive Committee no later than one week before a meeting of the Senate. The Executive Committee shall recommend to the Senate whether or not the item(s) should be placed on the agenda. In the absence of a positive recommendation by the Executive Committee, a two-thirds vote of the Senate shall be required. Floor resolutions, however, arising out of discussion during the normal course of business shall require only a majority vote to be placed on the agenda.

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Section B. Agenda for Special Meetings. The agenda for a special meeting of the Senate shall be contained in the call for the meeting. Additional items may be added to the agenda by the vote of three-fourths of the voting Members present.

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Section B. Vice-President/Secretary. The Vice-President/Secretary shall make and keep the minutes of the Senate, shall exercise such powers and duties as the Senate shall provide in its Bylaws, and shall serve as President of the Senate during that officer's absence or inability to act. The Vice-President/Secretary shall preside over the Executive Committee in the absence of the President.

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The Senate may establish such standing committees as it deems advisable and shall prescribe the functions of such committees. One such committee shall be the Executive Committee. The chairperson and members of the standing committee shall be appointed by the Executive Committee and shall serve for terms of one year commencing July 1st of each year. Committee members shall be eligible for reappointment.

Section B. Executive Committee. There shall be an Executive Committee of the Senate which shall be comprised of the President of the Senate; the Vice-President/Secretary; one of the two University-wide Representatives whom the Chancellor shall designate to serve; and five other Senators who shall be elected by the Senate. The President shall serve as Chairperson of the Executive Committee. The Senators shall serve one year terms commencing July 1 of each year. They shall be eligible for reelection as Members of the Executive committee. The immediate past President and immediate past Vice-President/Secretary shall serve as ex officio non-voting Members of the Executive Committee for one term of two years.

1. Elected Representatives. For the purposes of determining the five elected positions on the Executive Committee, the institutions comprising the state-operated and statutory colleges of the State University of New York shall be organized into the following five groups, each of which shall be represented by one Member on the Executive Committee (Refer to Article III, Section F for election procedures):

Group 1. University Colleges
State University College at Brockport
State University College at Buffalo
State University College at Cortland
State University of New York Empire State College
State University College at Fredonia
State University College at Geneseo
State University College at New Paltz
State University College at Old Westbury
State University College at Oneonta
State University College at Oswego
State University College at Plattsburgh
State University College at Potsdam
State University College at Purchase

Group 2. Health Science Centers
State University of New York College of Optometry
State University of New York Health Science Center at Brooklyn
State University of New York at Buffalo Health Sciences Center
State University of New York at Stony Brook Health Sciences Center
State University of New York Health Science Center at Syracuse
Group 3. Colleges of Technology/Agriculture(United Colleges of Technology)
State University of New York College of Technology at Alfred
State University of New York College of Technology at Canton
State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Cobleskill
State University of New York College of Technology at Delhi
State University of New York College of Agriculture and Technology at Morrisville
Group 4. Specialized and Statutory Colleges
State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry
State University of New York College of Technology at Farmingdale
State University of New York Maritime College
State University of New York Institute of Technology at Utica/Rome
New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University
New York State College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell University
New York State College of Human Ecology at Cornell University
New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University
New York State College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University
Group 5. University Centers.
State University of New York at Albany
State University of New York at Binghamton
State University of New York at Buffalo
State University of New York at Stony Brook

2. Responsibilities and Duties. It shall be the responsibility of the Executive Committee to conduct business when the Senate is not in session. In addition, the Executive Committee shall have the responsibility:

(a) To appoint members of such standing committees as may be established by the Senate and to direct the activities of such committees. The incoming and continuing officers of the Senate (President or Vice-President/Secretary) and the incoming members of the Executive Committee, in consultation with the outgoing members of the Executive Committee, shall select the Chairpersons and members of the Standing Committees. Committee members shall be eligible for reappointment.

(b) To advise the President on creating and staffing ad hoc committees of the Senate and also directing the activities of such committees.

(c) To meet when deemed necessary by a majority of the Executive Committee or the Chairperson of the Executive Committee at times and places designated by the Chairperson of the Executive Committee.

(d) To report to the Senate on the Committee's activities since the last meeting of the Senate and on any actions it has taken in the name of the Senate.

(e) To approve the agenda for Senate meetings.

(f) To serve as a committee on conduct in those circumstances where misconduct or neglect of duty in office has occurred. Disciplinary procedures shall be in accordance to the parliamentary rules of procedure specified in Article XII

. (g) To act as the Committee of Committees of the body with power to counsel Standing Committees, Ad Hoc Committees, chairpersons, and committee members.

(h) To such exercise such other powers and duties as may be conferred upon it by the Senate.

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1. The President, in consultation with the Executive Committee shall appoint and charge ad hoc committees.

2. The President, by a two-thirds vote of the Senate, and in consultation with the Executive Committee, shall appoint and charge ad hoc committees.

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Section B. Resolutions. Resolutions represent actions recommended by a majority vote of the Senate. Resolutions must be submitted separately from committee reports or any other materials. The President shall communicate the resolutions of the Senate to the persons or bodies to whom those resolutions are directed and shall monitor the disposition and implementation by those persons or bodies of its resolutions.

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Section B. Actions. Unless specified otherwise in these Bylaws, the act of a majority of the members present and eligible to vote at any meeting of the Senate, the Executive Committee, or committees of the Senate, shall be the act of that body.

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The Senate may adopt, amend, or repeal such bylaws as it deems advisable, consistent with this Article VII, governing its activities and procedures.

1. Proposed changes shall be submitted to the Executive Committee not later than one month in advance of any regular meeting of the Senate. Amendments so submitted shall be introduced at one meeting of the Senate and voted on at the following Senate meeting.

2. Amendments submitted in accordance with paragraph 1 above shall be reported to the Senate by the Executive Committee, with recommendation.

3. Amendments offered in accordance with paragraphs 1 and 2 above shall be adopted by a two-thirds vote of the Members present and voting.

Section B. Procedure for Changes to Article VII of the Policies of the Board of Trustees. In accordance with Article VII, Title F of the Policies.

Proposed amendments to this Article may be recommended by a majority vote of the Senate. The Chancellor shall transmit proposed amendments to the Board of Trustees with recommendations. Amendments, in such form as approved by the Board, shall become effective if ratified by the professional staff of s majority of state-operated units and contract colleges, by secret ballot, within such time period not in excess of one year as may be fixed by the Board of Trustees.

(Last revised April 1997)