Bylaws of the Faculty Senate of Ohio University

Each member of the Faculty Senate shall be elected for a three-year term beginning May 1 and ending July 31.

The election shall be held by secret ballot in the last week of March of each year. At least two weeks prior to the date of the election, the Senate Elections Committee shall circulate to all faculty a call for nominations of eligible faculty members for the Senate. The call shall request the faculty member (1) to list his/her/their own name if he/she/they wish to have his/her/their name on the ballot, and is not disqualified by the rules of the election; (2) to list the name or names of any other eligible faculty members whom he/she/they wish to place in nomination for election to the Senate, and who are not disqualified by the rules of election.

The Elections Committee will draw up a ballot listing all the names returned with the following exceptions: (1) members of the Senate whose terms are not expiring; (2) members of the Senate whose terms are expiring but who have been elected and who have served for two consecutive three-year terms (such persons are ineligible for election until one year has elapsed); and (3) members of the faculty who will not be on the campus for more than one semester of the next academic year. Provisions shall also be made on the ballot for write-in votes.

Every faculty member with faculty status is eligible to vote for members in his/her/their college or regional campus. The balloting shall be carried out according to the "Method of Proportional Representation." In this method, each voter's ballot is used for the candidate of his/her/their choice unless this candidate has too few votes for their election to be possible, in which case his/her/their ballot is transferred to his/her/their second choice candidate, and so forth. Almost every voter's ballot is used to elect some representative, and thus each minority faction will have its proper share of representatives.

The ballots will be tallied according to the following steps:

1. Distribute all ballots to candidates of first choice. (If a ballot does not indicate an unambiguous first choice, it is invalid and is discarded.)
2. Count the number of ballots distributed to each candidate.
3. Add these numbers to find the total ballots. Call this "B."
4. Let n be the number of candidates to be elected, and let E be the number of ballots required to elect any candidate. Compute E as follows: If B/(n+1) is not a whole number, then E is the next largest whole number. Example: B = 100, n = 2, then B/(n+1) = 33 1/3, and E = 34. If B/(n+1) is a whole number, then E = [B/(n+1)] + 1. Example: B = 100, n = 3, then B/(n+1) = 25, and E = 26.
5. If one or more candidates have at least E ballots, then declare Elected the candidate with the largest number of ballots. Call his/her/their number of ballots N. (In case of a tie, choose one by lot). (If no candidate has as many as E ballots, go to Step 11.)
6. Count the elected candidate's Transferable Ballots (those with a second choice indicated). Call this number "T."
7. Compute the Value of each transferable ballot. V = (N-E) /T to two decimals. Write this value at the top of each transferable ballot. (Example: Smith has 25 ballots, of which 23 indicate a second choice; E is 20. Then V = (25-20) /23, or 0.22 to two decimals.)
8. Distribute all transferable ballots to candidates of second choice.
9. Compute a new total (N) for each candidate by adding the values of his/her/their ballots. (The value of an un-transferred ballot is one.)
10. If one or more of the remaining candidates have at least E ballots, repeat steps 5 through 9. In Step 7, the new value of any transferred ballot is computed by:
    New Value = Old Value times (N-E)/T.
    If none of the remaining candidates has E or more ballots, then go to Step 11.
11. Declare defeated the candidate with the fewest votes. (If two candidates are tied for low, select one by lot.) Record all defeated candidates in the sequence of their defeat for the purpose of compiling a list of alternates.
12. Distribute all ballots of the defeated candidates among the remaining candidates according to the highest choice indicated on the ballot. The value of a ballot does not change in this transfer. (If a ballot indicates no further preference among the remaining candidates, it is declared exhausted and plays no further part in the election.)
13. Count the new totals for all remaining candidates. Repeat Steps 5 through 12 until n candidates have been elected, or until the number of remaining candidates is just sufficient to fill the remaining positions, at which point they are declared elected.

The election shall be carried out by the Elections Committee of the Senate, consisting of the chair, the vice chair, and the secretary of the Senate, plus the other two members serving on the Executive Committee of the Senate. The chair of the Senate or a member of the Elections Committee designated by them shall serve as chair of the Elections Committee.

The Elections Committee shall be charged with preparing and distributing the ballots, counting the votes, and notifying the new members elected. The Elections Committee shall also prepare a list of alternates, in order of number of votes, from each of the colleges and regional campuses. The list shall be maintained by the secretary, who shall notify the Senate of any vacancy that exists in the membership of the Senate and who shall aid the chair in appointing the highest-ranked alternate to the vacancy.

Vacancies may occur due to the death, resignation, or extended absence of a member; extended absence shall be considered to mean more than two absences from meetings without excuse during an academic year (August through April). An alternate, or interim member, shall serve until the original term is completed unless the absent member has signified a date at which they will be able to resume their duties.

In addition to the procedures governing vacancies as described in the preceding paragraph and Article 1, Section 7 of the Constitution, an absent senator may be temporarily replaced for a given meeting by one of the alternates from their college or regional campus from the list maintained by the secretary. The alternate shall, during the meeting at which he/she/they serve, have all the privileges of membership, including voting. Temporary replacement shall be accomplished in the following manner: a senator who must be absent shall notify the chair or secretary in advance of the meeting. The chair or secretary will then notify, if time permits, the first alternate. If the first alternate cannot serve, the second alternate will be notified, and so on. An alternate must report their presence to the secretary at the beginning of the meeting. The interim member shall be eligible for election (or re-election) as soon as his/her/their interim term expires, but they may not serve more than two elected three-year terms in succession.

The Faculty Senate shall have three elected officers:

• a chair,
• a vice chair
• a secretary

The officers shall be elected in the order given above at the April meeting of the Senate or, alternatively, at a special meeting held prior to the Spring Commencement. 

Members of the Senate who have served at least one year shall be eligible for election to office. Members-elect whose terms will begin on May 1 shall participate in the election of officers. Members who will retire from the Senate effective July 31 shall not participate in the election of officers. 

A nominating committee will be formed from senators who will retire from the Senate effective July 31. All retiring senators finishing two consecutive terms will be first asked to serve on the committee. Should fewer than three of these retiring senators be willing to serve, the nominating committee will be supplemented from the ranks of other retiring senators. Composition of this nominating committee will be announced at the February Senate meeting. The nominating committee will present at least one slate of officer candidates to the Senate at the March meeting. At the April meeting, additional nominations will be entertained from the floor to supplement those of the nominating committee. The election shall be carried out by secret ballot. Election to office requires a majority of the votes cast. If no nominee has a majority of votes for a particular office, a new ballot shall be taken until a majority is achieved. The new officers shall assume office on May 1.

The chair of the Faculty Senate will receive an annualized salary equal to four-thirds of his/her/their academic year base salary. The Office of the Provost will fund three- quarters of the annualized salary, and the chair's home department will fund the remaining quarter.

The vice chair of the Faculty Senate will receive a yearly stipend from the Office of the Provost. This stipend will be increased each year by a percentage equal to the average percentage raise received by the faculty of Ohio University.

The secretary of the Faculty Senate will receive a yearly stipend from the Office of the Provost. This stipend will be the same amount as that received by the vice chair of the Faculty Senate.

Senate resolutions fall into three categories:

1. Notice.  Notice of meetings may be given by electronic communication, campus or U.S. mail, or by telephone, ordinarily so as to be received at least twenty-four hours prior to the meeting. In extraordinary circumstances, notice still must be given at least four hours prior to the meeting.
2. Notice for Special Meetings.  All business to be taken up at special meetings must be announced with reasonable particularity in the notice of the special meeting.

3. Closed Meetings. In unusual circumstances, the Senate may wish to close its meeting to various persons or groups of persons for a variety of reasons. Closing may be accomplished in two ways:

   1. the chair and/or the Executive Committee of the Senate may announce in the notice of a meeting that the meeting or particular portion of the meeting will be closed. The chair will ask the members of the Senate, when the meeting convenes, if there is objection to closing the meeting or particular portions of the meeting. If a member so requests, a roll call vote will be taken on this question. A simple majority of those voting will close the meeting, except that if the meeting is to be closed to faculty, a two-thirds majority of those voting will be required.
   2. a motion from the floor may close a meeting or a portion of a meeting. Again, a roll call vote on the motion will be taken and a simple majority of those voting will close the meeting or portions of the meeting to whoever is named in the motion, except that if the meeting or portions of the meeting are to be closed to faculty, a two-thirds majority of those voting will be required.

   Any motion or recommendation to close a meeting must specify

   • the person or persons to whom it is to be closed,
   • the reasons for the closure, and
   • the business to be transacted during the closed period. Once the conditions in the motion or recommendation have been fulfilled, the meeting will be re-opened in accordance with the Senate Constitution, Article 2.

• The Faculty Senate shall hold at least one regular meeting each month during the calendar year except for the months of June, July, and August unless members are notified of an exception, at an announced time and place. During the summer months (May, June, and July) the Senate membership shall comprise all senators elected in March of that calendar year, those whose terms continue into the same or subsequent academic years, and those whose terms end on July 31. If necessary, the Executive Committee may ask alternates from the list maintained by the secretary to fill vacancies in the Summer Senate. These alternates shall be chosen from among those most recently elected. A quorum of the Summer Senate shall be a majority of the number of senators who serve during the regular academic year.
• If the chair, the vice chair, and the secretary are all absent from the campus during the summer, the chair shall appoint a chair pro tempore from the Senate's Executive Committee (or from the other members of the Senate if necessary.)
• The resolution process is the method most often used by the Senate in carrying out the functions specified in Article 3 of the Senate’s constitution. In formulating resolutions, the Senate’s standing committees will engage in broad-based discussion, seeking input from senators, constituents, and other interested parties.  No final action on a main motion or resolution introduced at a regular or special meeting may be taken at that same meeting. This rule may be suspended by a two-thirds majority of those voting at any regular or special meeting.

Senate resolutions fall into three categories:

• Resolutions of Position: Such resolutions reflect the Senate’s position, or the “Sense of the Senate,” regarding a specific issue and do not require the signature of the Provost to be effective. The Provost may sign the resolution as reflection of support for the Senate’s position.
• Resolutions of Handbook Policy: Such resolutions result in changes in Handbook provisions and require the signature of the Provost, as the President’s designee, to be effective. The Provost shall respond to these resolutions within 60 days of a resolution’s passage in one of three ways: by signing the resolution; by stating in writing that the resolution will not be signed and explaining why it will not be signed; or by stating in writing the need for an extension of time to consider the resolution, after which a new date will be mutually agreed to in writing by the Provost and the Senate Chair.  Should the Provost fail to respond at all within 60 days of the resolution’s passage, the resolution will be considered signed and will go into effect.
• Resolutions of Non-Handbook Policy: Such resolutions result in policies not involving provisions in the Handbook, such as matters covered in the policy and procedure manual, or matters of curriculum or other academic concerns. Such resolutions require signature of the Provost, as the President’s designee, to be effective.  The Provost shall respond to these resolutions within 60 days of a resolution’s passage in one of three ways: by signing the resolution; by stating in writing that the resolution will not be signed and explaining why it will not be signed; or by stating in writing the need for an extension of time to consider the resolution, after which a new date will be mutually agreed to in writing by the Provost and the Senate chair. Should the Provost fail to respond at all within 60 days of the resolution’s passage, the resolution will be considered signed and will go into effect.

The Faculty Senate shall have the following standing committees:

All members of these committees shall also be members of the Faculty Senate, but subcommittees appointed by these standing committees should include members of the faculty who are not members of the Faculty Senate. The Executive Committee shall include among its members the chair of the Faculty Senate, who shall serve as chair of the committee, and it shall also include the vice chair and secretary of the Senate, and two other senators appointed by the chair. The chair shall, in consultation with the members of the Executive Committee, appoint members and chairs of the other standing committees. The Instructional Senators may serve on any standing committee of the Faculty Senate. It is considered desirable that each member of the Faculty Senate serve on one of the standing committees.

• Executive 
• Educational Policy and Student Affairs
• Finance and Facilities
• Professional Relations
• Promotion and Tenure

Any ten (10) faculty members eligible to vote in Senate elections may present any matter they wish to the Senate at a regular meeting. The matter will be discussed and scheduled for vote at the next regular Senate meeting or, if the Senate wishes, at a Special Meeting called for the purpose of considering the petition or other matters. 

Ten percent of the faculty members eligible to vote in Senate elections may present any matter to the Senate at a regularly scheduled meeting, and the Senate will debate and vote on the matter at that meeting, if the petitioners wish and if they state their wish in the petition itself. If the Senate acts contrary to the petition or modifies it in some substantial way unacceptable to the petitioners, the petition will be considered to have met the requirements of a petition in the referendum procedure (Section VIII.B.6), and a referendum of all faculty members eligible to vote in Senate elections will be instituted in keeping with the requirements of the procedure for a referendum.

A petition signed by ten percent of the faculty calling for a referendum on any matter, submitted to the chair of the Senate, will cause the chair to convene the Elections Committee, to prepare a ballot, and submit it to faculty eligible to vote in Senate elections. This will be done and the chair will announce the results within thirty days of receipt of the petition.

A Petition to Recall a Member of the Faculty Senate:

The following faculty eligible to vote in Faculty Senate elections in

(THE NAME OF THE COLLEGE OR REGIONAL CAMPUS) 

request that the Elections Committee of the Faculty Senate hold a special election to determine whether the seat in the Senate held by 

(FULL NAME OF THE SENATOR) 

from: 

(COLLEGE OR REGIONAL CAMPUS) 

shall be vacated and filled by the appropriate alternate from the list maintained by the secretary of the Senate. We further request that this election be held within thirty days after the chair of the Senate receives this petition. 

In order to remove a senator from office, the requisite number of faculty members from his/her/their college or regional campus must sign a petition of the form specified above. The requisite number of faculty members signing shall be at least twenty-five (25) percent of those eligible to vote in Senate elections in their college or regional campus but no less than twenty (20). 

After receiving the petition the chair of the Senate shall convene the Elections Committee, and the Elections Committee will prepare a ballot, which will be distributed to all faculty eligible to vote in Senate elections from the college or regional campus from which the petition comes. The ballot will refer faculty to the appropriate Senate by-laws, specify a date by which the ballot is to be returned, which will in no case be later than thirty days from the date the petition is presented to the chair of the Senate, and shall be in the following form: 

A Ballot to Recall a Member of the Faculty Senate  

Shall ______________________________________ 

(Full Name Of Senator) 

be retained in the Faculty Senate? 

YES (  )   NO (  ) 

A majority of 'YES' votes will retain 

____________________________________________ 

(Senator's Name) 

in the Senate. 

A majority of 'NO' votes will result in 

___________________________________ 

(Senator's Name) 

being replaced by 

___________________________________________ 

(Name of the Appropriate Alternate) 

in the Faculty Senate. 

Provided that at least 50 percent of those eligible to vote in the recall election cast ballots, the Elections Committee will count the ballots and, if a simple majority of those voting vote for recall (i.e. vote 'NO'), the committee will inform the senator mentioned in the petition that he/she/they have been recalled, and will inform the alternate that he/she/they should serve in the senator's place. If a simple majority of those voting do not support the recall petition (i.e., vote 'YES') or if less than fifty percent of those eligible to vote have cast ballots, the Elections Committee will inform the senator that he/she/they have not been recalled and that he/she/they will continue to serve in the Senate.

Any officer, committee chair, or other functionary of the Senate may be removed by a petition calling for their removal signed by two-thirds of all the members of the Senate. Such a petition shall remove the person named from their office immediately (provided it is received by the chair of the Senate at least one week prior to the next meeting of the Senate). If the petition is received less than one week before a meeting, the removal will not occur until the following meeting.

The office vacated will then be filled by usual procedures at the first meeting occurring after the office has been vacated.

The parliamentary authority for conducting Senate meetings will be the American Institute of Parliamentarians Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure (AIPSC). The chair of the Senate will appoint a parliamentarian, who will serve for each academic year.

The bylaws may be amended by majority vote of the Senate.