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FACULTY SENATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Resolutions on General Operating Procedures of the Senate

  1. Minutes
  2. Resolutions
  3. Administrators on Standing Committees
  4. Elections


  1. Minutes
    The Secretary of the Senate shall cause copies of the minutes of meetings of the Senate to be distributed to Senators (and their Alternates) and to other members of the Voting Faculty who register such requests in writing with the Secretary.
    (passed by the Faculty Senate by majority vote on 10/15/91)

  2. Resolutions
    The normal procedure for the adoption of resolutions by the Senate shall be as follows: The resolution shall be drafted by an appropriate standing or ad hoc committee of the Senate. That committee shall also draft a suitable rationale for the resolution. The Executive Committee shall consider whether the draft resolution and its rationale have been sufficiently perfected to be submitted to the Senate. This decision will normally not require an extensive discussion of the merits of the issue involved. If the Executive Committee decides that the draft resolution requires more work, it shall be resubmitted to the committee from whence it came, or submitted to another committee. Otherwise it shall be placed on the agenda of the Senate for two, normally successive meetings. At the first meeting, there shall be discussion on the issues involved, but no vote. At the second meeting, there shall be discussion on the issues involved, but no vote. At the second meeting the resolution may be amended, and the resolution as amended may be adopted or defeated. These procedures may be cut short if, in the judgment of the Chair, of the Executive Committee, or of the Senate, the matter is urgent and requires haste. In that case, there shall be formal ruling or motion suspending these procedures and that ruling or motion shall appear in the minutes. Any Senate committee may be charged by a motion from the Senate floor under new or old business or by the Executive Committee.
    (passed unanimously by the Faculty Senate on 10/15/91)

  3. Administrators on Standing Committees
    Appropriate administrative officers may be appointed by the Executive Committee as non-voting members of Standing Committees.
    (passed by the Faculty Senate with 1 opposed on 10/15/93)

  4. Elections
    There are three types of Senate elections: election of officers of the Senate, election of SUNY Senators, and election of Senators and FSEC representatives from the various academic units. Responsibility for oversight of all three shall fall to the Secretary of the Senate and to the Elections Committee, subject to the following provisions:
    1. For the election of Senate officers, the Elections Committee shall distribute a nominating ballot to all Voting Faculty in November. It may also, at its discretion, appoint an ad hoc Nominating Committee. The nominees shall be asked to prepare a brief written statement to be distributed with the final ballot in February.
    2. For the election of Senators to the SUNY Senate, which represents both the Faculty and the Professional Staff in academic areas, the Elections committee shall conduct elections in collaboration with the Professional Staff Senate. At least one member of the UB delegation to the SUNY Senate must be elected from and by the Health Sciences faculty and professional staff, and the others from and by the faculty and professional staff of all other academic units. Depending, therefore, on the vacancy to be filled, the Elections Committee shall distribute a nominating ballot in November to all Voting Faculty and eligible Professional Staff either in the Health Sciences or in all other units. It may also, at its discretion, appoint an ad hoc Nominating committee. The nominees shall be asked to prepare a brief written statement to be distributed with the final ballot in February.
    3. The election of Senators shall be conducted by the individual academic units subject to the following provisions:
      1. By March 15th, the Chair of the Faculty Senate (newly elected or continuing) shall forward to each academic unit a letter specifying the number of Senate seats to which that unit is entitled, a reasonably reliabler schedule of Senate meetings for the coming academic year, and a brief description of the functions, duties and term of office of a Faculty Senator.
      2. Those responsible for Senatorial elections in the academic units shall be asked to forward to the Secretary of the Senate the names of newly elected and continuing Senators by the 15th of April, and the list of newly elected members of the FSEC by the 1st of May. This timetable shall be mentioned in the Chair's letter to the academic units.
      3. The FSEC representatives from the individual units, with the advice of the Secretary of the Senate, shall function in a liaison capacity between the Secretary and their respective units. Their role shall be to assist those responsible for their unit's elections, and in turn to report to the Secretary any changes or special circumstances affecting the representation of the unit in the Senate.

(passed unanimously by the Faculty Senate on 11/15/91)

Faculty Senate
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Email: faculty-senate@buffalo.edu
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