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Operating Procedures

Revised: 6/1/2023

 

RULES AND OPERATING PROCEDURES OF THE FACULTY SENATE

THE UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA

HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER

 

ARTICLE I

DUTIES OF THE OFFICERS OF THE GENERAL FACULTY

AND THE FACULTY SENATE

The Officers of the General Faculty of the Health Sciences Center (HSC) shall be the Officers of the Faculty Senate: Chair, Chair-Elect, Secretary, and Secretary-Elect. These Officers constitute the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate.

The duties of the officers shall be prescribed by the Charter, these Rules and Operating Procedures, and the parliamentary authority adopted by the General Faculty.

Section 1. The Chair.

The duties of the Chair shall be to:

  • Chair the meetings of the General Faculty and the Faculty Senate.
  • Cast a tie-breaking vote in the Faculty Senate if one is needed. So long as the individual is still serving as Chair, the Chair may cast this vote even if the Chair’s term as Senator has ended.
  • Serve as ex-officio member without vote on all HSC Faculty Senate committees.
  • As the immediate Past Chair, participate in meetings of the HSC Faculty Senate Executive Committee; the immediate Past Chair will not have a vote in the Executive Committee.
  • Perform other such duties necessary to carry on the business and meet the objectives of the General Faculty and the Faculty Senate.

 

Section 2. The Chair-Elect.

The duties of the Chair-Elect shall be to:

  • Preside, in the absence of the Chair, over the General Faculty and the Faculty Senate and carry out the duties of the Chair.
  • Assist in carrying out the duties of the Chair.
  • Chair the Committee on Committees.
  • Perform other duties as may be necessary to complete the business and accomplish the objectives of the General Faculty and the Faculty Senate.

Section 3. The Secretary.

The duties of the Secretary shall be to:

  • Call Faculty Senate members to meetings.
  • Assist with the preparation and circulation of agendas for meetings.
  • Assist with the preparation and circulation of the minutes of the meetings of the General Faculty and the Faculty Senate to all members of the General Faculty.
  • Assist with the keeping of a record of all actions taken by the HSC Faculty Senate.
  • Serve as Parliamentarian.
  • Perform other duties as may be necessary to accomplish General Faculty business, Faculty Senate business, and/or achieve the objectives of the General Faculty and/or the Faculty Senate.

 Section 4. The Secretary-Elect.

The duties of the Secretary-Elect shall be to:

  • Carry out the duties of the Secretary in the absence of the Secretary.
  • Assist in carrying out the duties of the Secretary.

 

Section 5. Officer Eligibility, Elections, and Vacancies.

The Chair-Elect and Secretary-Elect shall be elected yearly from the Faculty Senate by a simple majority vote of the Faculty Senate with voting by means designated by the current Chair and tabulation of ballots by a Chair designee. In the subsequent year, the Chair-Elect and Secretary-Elect shall serve out the offices of Chair and Secretary, respectively. The duration of an office shall run from July 1 at the start of the term to June 30 in the next calendar year. No member of the Faculty Senate shall hold more than one office at a time. No member shall serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office.

  • A vacancy in the office of Chair shall be filled by the Chair-Elect. If that is not possible, a candidate to fill the vacancy shall be nominated by the Committee on Committees and approved by a simple majority vote of the Faculty Senate, with voting by means as designated by the Chair and tabulation of ballots by a Chair designee.
  • A vacancy in the office of Secretary shall be filled by the Secretary-Elect. If that is not possible, a candidate to fill the vacancy shall be nominated by the Committee on Committees and approved by a simple majority vote of the Faculty Senate, with voting by means as designated by the Chair and tabulation of ballots by a Chair designee.
  • A vacancy in the office of Chair-Elect or Secretary-Elect shall be filled by a candidate nominated by the Committee on Committees and approved by a simple majority vote of the Faculty Senate with voting by means as designated by the Chair and tabulation of ballots by a Chair designee.
  • Any Chair-Elect or Secretary-Elect who fills a vacancy shall serve the remainder of the outgoing officer’s current term and then serve the next full term.
  • If the Committee on Committees recommends more than one candidate for a position, the candidate will be selected by a simple majority vote of the Faculty Senate.

ARTICLE II

THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

 

Section 1. Membership.

  • The Officers of the Faculty Senate shall be: Chair, Chair-Elect, Secretary, and Secretary-Elect. The Executive Committee shall consist of the current officers.
  • Meetings of the Executive Committee will include the immediate Past Chair of the HSC Faculty Senate as ex-officio. The immediate Past Chair will not have a vote in the Executive Committee.
  • There may be liaisons from the General Faculty as needed and as approved by a simple majority vote of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee. The duties of liaisons will be defined by the officers of the Executive Committee upon the formation of the position.

Section 2. Functions.

The Executive Committee officers shall perform the duties prescribed by the Charter, by the parliamentary authority adopted by the General Faculty, and any other activities necessary to achieve the purposes of the General Faculty of the HSC.

 

Section 3. Meetings.

The Executive Committee shall:

  • Meet as a committee at least nine (9) times a year and at other times as necessary.
  • Meet with the HSC Senior Vice President and Provost at least nine (9) times in a calendar year and at other times as necessary.
  • Meet at the request of any one of the Executive Committee members.
  • Report all actions of the Executive Committee to the Faculty Senate at the next regular meeting of the Faculty Senate.

 

Section 4. Quorum.

 A quorum of the Executive Committee shall consist of three (3) voting members.

ARTICLE III

COMMITTEES

 

A. General Considerations

 

Section 1. Authority.

Standing or special committees of the General Faculty and/or Faculty Senate shall be established by the Faculty Senate as deemed necessary to facilitate faculty governance.

  • Committees shall be the working bodies of the General Faculty and the Faculty Senate.
  • Each committee shall have a clearly stated charge, explore issues related to that charge, and make recommendations to the Faculty Senate. These recommendations may include alternate courses of action and minority reports.
  • The Faculty Senate shall have the power to reconstitute any committee and to dissolve or suspend any committee, except those defined in the Charter.

 

Section 2. Duties.

Each Committee shall:

  • Report its activities as needed at the regular meeting of the Faculty Senate, including a statement of work accomplished, in progress, and planned and recommendations, if any, for Faculty Senate action. A written copy of the report shall be placed in the permanent files of the Faculty Senate.
  • Perform such other duties and functions as may be defined in this document or by the Faculty Senate.

 

Section 3. Meetings.

All Committees shall meet at least one time in a calendar year and more often as may be necessary to accomplish their charge.

  • The Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate shall designate one member of each committee to call the first committee meeting in order to elect the Chair of the committee.
  • The first meeting of the committee shall be called prior to August 31 of each academic year.
  • The Chair of each committee, with the approval of the Faculty Senate, may appoint sub-committees.
  • A sub-committee shall be dissolved upon completion of its charge, presentation of a final written report, and acceptance of such report by the Faculty Senate.

B. Committee Membership

 

Section 1. Appointments.

  • Members of the Committee on Committees shall be elected by a simple majority vote of the Faculty Senate, with voting by means as designated by the Faculty Senate Chair and tabulation of ballots by a Chair designee. In case of a tie vote, the Chair of the Faculty Senate shall cast the tie-breaking vote. The Chair-Elect of the Faculty Senate shall chair the Committee on Committees.
  •  
  • the Faculty Senate, with voting by means as designated by the Chair and tabulation of ballots by a Chair designee.

Section 2. Term of Service on Committees.

Standing committee members shall serve for 3 years with staggered terms.

Section 3.

In the event a committee member is unable or unwilling to fulfill the required duties, the member may resign upon written request by that member to the Chair of the Faculty Senate or be removed upon written request from the Chair of the committee to the Chair of the Faculty Senate. In the latter situation, if the committee member to be removed offers a written objection to the Chair of the Faculty Senate, the Committee on Committees shall be empowered to review the circumstances and make a recommendation as to removal, which must be approved by a simple majority of the Faculty Senate, with voting by means as designated by the Chair and tabulation of ballots by a Chair designee.

Section 4.

Vacancies on committees shall be filled by candidates nominated by the Committee on Committees and approved by a simple majority vote of the Faculty Senate with voting by means as designated by the Chair and tabulation of ballots by a Chair designee. The elected candidate shall serve for the duration of the unexpired term.

 

Section 5.

Officers of the Senate and General Faculty may serve on all committees as members or as committee officers such as Chair or Secretary.

Section 6.

Unless otherwise stated in these Rules and Operating Procedures, committee officers other than the Chair shall be elected by and from among the committee members by a simple majority vote of the committee, with voting by means as designated by the committee Chair and tabulation of ballots by a committee Chair designee. Such elections shall be held at the first committee meeting of each academic year.

Section 7.

A quorum for a committee shall consist of a simple majority of its members who have voting privileges in that committee.

C. Standing Committees

There are five (5) Standing Committees with responsibility for policy recommendations in each of the following areas: 1) HSC Service and Related Matters Committee, 2) Committee on Committees, 3) Bylaws Committee, 4) Faculty Compensation Committee, and 5) Information Technology Advisory Committee.

Section 1. HSC Service and Related Matters Committee.

  • The HSC Service and Related Matters Committee shall explore issues, problems, and concerns related to professional services of the HSC and recommend policies pertaining to the issue to the Faculty Senate. Issues of concern include a) what principles and guidelines govern contractual agreements for faculty, and b) what are the possible implications of faculty contractual relationships on the primary commitment to scholarship, teaching, and comity, the free exchange of ideas, and the enhancement of scholarship in general service activities.
  • The HSC Service and Related Matters Committee shall consist of at least 1 member who is currently a Senator or Alternate in the HSC Faculty Senate and not less than one (1) nor more than three (3) representatives from each of the six (6) professional Colleges at the HSC. The Graduate College may also have a member on the committee, at its discretion.
  • 3 year term

Section 2. Committee on Committees.

  • Charge of the Committee: The Committee on Committees shall nominate the slate of officers for the General Faculty and the Faculty Senate; recommend nominees for all standing and ad-hoc committees to the Faculty Senate; review the credentials of members of the Faculty Senate; and, in case of emergency, make appointments to other standing committees, subject to ratification by the Faculty Senate at its next meeting (See Section 1 of Part B in Article III).
  • Committee Make-up: The Committee on Committees shall have at least six (6) members with at least one (1) representative from each HSC College, excluding the Graduate College.  All members of the Committee on Committees shall be Senators at the time they commence serving on the committee. The Chair-Elect of the Faculty Senate serves as the Chair of this committee. In the event no Senator from a given College can serve on this committee, the numerical requirement and the required representation of that College shall be waived.
  • Term: 3 years.

Section 3. Bylaws Committee.

  • Charge of the Committee: The Bylaws Committee shall review all suggested amendments to the Charter and Rules and Operating Procedures, make recommendations pertaining thereto to the Faculty Senate, and review annually the Charter and Rules and Operating Procedures and recommend changes, as appropriate, to the Faculty Senate.
  • Committee Make-up: The Bylaws Committee shall have at least six (6) members with at least one (1) representative from each HSC College, excluding the Graduate College. All members of this committee shall be Senators at the time they commence serving on the committee. In the event no Senator from a given College can serve on this committee, the numerical requirement and the required representation of that College shall be waived.
  • Term: 3 years.

 

Section 4. Faculty Compensation Committee.

 

  • : The Faculty Compensation Committee shall monitor and advance the economic welfare of the faculty by: 1) maintaining and updating yearly data relative to faculty compensation (salaries and benefits) at the HSC and other educational institutions; 2) recommending the process by which salaries, fringe benefits, salary needs and increases are requested and appropriated by all involved parties (University Administration, University and State Regents, Legislature); 3) developing a strategic plan for communicating faculty compensation related concerns/issues to administration and relevant parties in a timely fashion each year; and 4) acting as a liaison with appropriate Councils and Committees including the Norman Faculty Compensation Committee as needed.
  • : The Faculty Compensation Committee shall consist of at least six (6) members with at least one (1) representative from each HSC College. The Graduate College may also have a member on the committee. At least three (3) members must be Senators at the time of appointment.
  • : 3 years.

Section 5. Information Technology Advisory Committee.

  • Charge of the Committee: The Information Technology Advisory Committee shall explore issues, policies, and concerns related to information technology of the HSC, and recommend to the Faculty Senate overall policies pertaining to information technology and teaching.
  • Committee Make-up: The Information Technology Advisory Committee shall consist of at least one (1) member who is currently a Senator or Alternate in the HSC Faculty Senate and at least one (1) representative from each HSC College, plus Administration, College, and IT Staff appointees. The Graduate College may have one (1) appointee on this committee, at its discretion.
  • Term: 3 years.

D. Ad-Hoc Committees

Ad-Hoc committees may be established at the discretion of the General Faculty, the Faculty Senate, or the Chair.

Section 1.

A specific charge to each ad-hoc committee shall be stated in writing at the time it is appointed.

Section 2.

An ad-hoc committee shall be dissolved upon completion of its charge, presentation of a final written report, and acceptance of such report by the Faculty Senate.

ARTICLE IV

QUORUM

Section 1.

A quorum of the Faculty Senate shall consist of a simple majority of its members present and voting.

Section 2.

All Alternates are required to attend one of the first two Faculty Senate meetings of the academic year and are invited to attend all others.

Section 3.

If a Senator is unable to attend a regularly scheduled meeting, the Senator must notify all Alternates in their College at least 24 hours before the meeting and ensure that one Alternate will attend in the Senator’s stead. The other Senators in the College, the Faculty Senate Chair, and the Administrative Coordinator must be copied on the notice.

ARTICLE V

VOTING

Section 1.

All decisions shall be by simple majority vote unless otherwise specified in the Charter or in these Rules and Operating Procedures.

Section 2.

All voting shall be by means as designated by the Chair and tabulation of ballots by a Chair designee unless otherwise specified in the Charter or in these Rules and Operating Procedures.

Section 3.

A secret ballot may be called for by any HSC Faculty Senate member.

Section 4.

All Senators in the HSC Faculty Senate are eligible to vote except the Chair of the Faculty Senate, who shall vote only in case of a tie.

Section 5.

There shall be no proxy voting.

Section 6.

Each Alternate Senator shall serve as a regular non-voting member of the Faculty Senate. When there is less than a full complement of Senators from a Collegepresent at a Faculty Senate meeting, the Alternate who is present and not already voting for an absent Senator shall have the right to vote.

ARTICLE VI

ELECTION OF SENATE OFFICERS

 

Section 1. Time of election.

  •  

Section 2. Nominees.

  •  

Section 3. Voting.

  •  
 

ARTICLE VII

DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS AND REMOVAL FROM THE ROLLS

 

Section 1.

Any Senator, Alternate, or Officer who has consistently exhibited conduct tending to injure the good name of the Faculty Senate, disturb its well-being or hamper it in its work, as determined by the Chair of the Faculty Senate, may be disciplined through reprimand, suspension, or expulsion from committees, sub-committees, and/or the Faculty Senate. The discipline will be decided by a majority vote of the Executive Committee.

Section 2.

Following section 2.7.5 in the Faculty Handbook, except as otherwise provided by Regents’ policy, each Senator is permitted to miss only three (3) regularly scheduled meetings of the HSC Faculty Senate during an academic year; absences from regularly scheduled meetings of the HSC Faculty Senate may be made up by attendance at specially scheduled meetings at the discretion of the Chair. Following the Faculty Senate Charter, the Faculty Senate can recall a Senator with a simple majority vote. Therefore, a motion can be made in the Faculty Senate to vote for the recall of any Senator who shows evidence of being unable to fulfill the duties of the position as demonstrated by more than three (3) absences from regularly scheduled meetings during an academic year. However, that Senator has the right to meet with the Executive Committee to show cause for not being expelled. The decision to expel may be rescinded by a simple majority vote of the Faculty Senate.

Section 3.

  • Should a Senator be unable to fulfill the duties of that office for any reason, that name may be removed from the rolls upon written request to the Faculty Senate Secretary from that Senator or from the Faculty of the represented College.
  • Following the Faculty Senate Charter, the Faculty of each College may establish procedures for the recall of any Senator of that College. However, in no case can a Senator be recalled without a simple majority vote of the General Faculty members of that College.

ARTICLE VIII

RECOGNITION & APPRECIATION

 

Section 1. Certificates of Appreciation for Faculty Senate.

  • A Faculty Senate Plaque of Appreciation will be presented to the Chair and to the Secretary of the Faculty Senate at the start of their terms in office.
  • A Faculty Senate Certificate of Appreciation will be presented to all Senators who have completed a three-year term on the Faculty Senate in good standing (e.g., with no more than three [3] absences during an academic year in that three-year term). The list of eligible Senators will be compiled by the Faculty Senate Secretary or a Chair designee, and the Certificates of Appreciation will be prepared and distributed to the Senators at the end of their terms in office.
  • A Faculty Senate Certificate of Appreciation will be presented to the Officers of the Faculty Senate (Chair, Secretary, Chair-Elect, and Secretary-Elect) at the end of each term of service as an officer. These certificates will be distributed at the conclusion of their terms in office.
  • A Faculty Senate Certificate of Appreciation will be presented to liaisons to the Faculty Senate at the end of the term of service as liaison. These certificates will be distributed at the conclusion of their terms in office.

 

Section 2. Honorary Certificates of Appreciation by Executive Committee.

The Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate may award Honorary Certificates of Appreciation to persons outside the membership of the Faculty Senate who have made outstanding contributions to faculty self-governance at the HSC. These certificates will be presented at the Spring or Fall Regular Faculty meeting, as appropriate.

ARTICLE IX

AMENDMENT OF RULES AND OPERATING PROCEDURES

 

Section 1.

The Rules and Operating Procedures may be amended as follows:

  • Amendments to these Rules and Operating Procedures may be proposed at any regular or special meetings of the Faculty Senate.
  • Amendments must be approved by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the Faculty Senate with voting by means designated by the Chair.
  • Amendments shall be submitted to each Faculty Senate member for vote at least fifteen (15) calendar days prior to tabulation of ballots by a Chair designee.

 

Section 2.

These Rules and Operating Procedures may be suspended for the duration of any single meeting with a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of those Senators present, with voting by means designated by the Chair and tabulation of votes by a Chair designee.

ARTICLE X

IMPLEMENTATION

Effective Date. These Rules and Operating Procedures shall become effective at the first regular meeting of the Senate following their adoption by the Faculty Senate.

Revised and approved by the OUHSC Faculty Senate November 30, 2005.

Revised and approved by the OUHSC Faculty Senate March 15, 2012.

 

Revised and approved by the OUHSC Faculty Senate June 1, 2023.