Rules & Regulations
1.1 Executive Committee Organization
1.1.1 An Executive Committee shall be established as a standing committee of the Senate, consisting of the elected officers of the Senate and four additional senators to be elected by the Senate by majority vote. Immediately following the election, the Chair-Elect shall become a voting member of the Executive Committee.
1.1.2 This Committee shall be presided over by the Chair of the Senate. The immediate past Chair of the Academic Senate, all CSULB representatives to the Statewide Academic Senate, and the Chair of the Staff Council shall be ex officio, non-voting members of the Executive Committee. In addition, the President, the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and other administrators as appropriate, as well as a representative of the CSULB Chapter of the California Faculty Association, shall be invited to meet with the Executive Committee.
1.2 Executive Committee Duties
1.2.1 Plan and schedule all Senate meetings, including special meetings of the Senate requested by a signed petition of at least eight (8) voting Senators. The Executive Committee shall schedule any such special meeting within seven (7) calendar days of receiving such a signed petition.
1.2.2 Prepare and distribute to Senators the agenda for each meeting at least five (5) days before the meeting.
1.2.3 Propose and interpret rules of procedure for the Senate.
1.2.4 Prepare and submit all necessary budget requests to the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and supervise expenditures of budgeted funds whenever necessary.
1.2.5 Provide for prompt reports from representatives of the Academic Senate of The California State University and for appropriate distribution of ASCSU actions to all members of the Academic Senate.
1.2.6 With whatever current Senate members are available, act on behalf of the Senate during vacation periods when a quorum of the Senate is not available and when pressing matters require immediate attention.
1.2.7 Develop and use a system of classifying and numbering policy, referendum, and advisory proposals placed before the Senate.
1.2.8 Assist the Chair in the assignment of tasks and the assignment of policy, referendum, and advisory proposals, when deemed appropriate, to standing and/or special committees.
1.2.9 Suggest to the Senate the necessity or desirability of creating, abolishing, or modifying standing or special committees.
1.2.10 Assist the Chair in responding to requests for information or specific action not deemed appropriate for current standing and special committees, and in requesting of the Nominating Committee the appointment of ad hoc committees for such special tasks as the Executive Committee shall designate.
1.2.11 Assist the Chair in responding to requests from the administration to recommend faculty to serve on University-wide task forces and committees that are not part of the established Senate committee structure and to which the Nominating Committee has not been requested to make a recommendation for appointment.
1.2.12 Confer with the President, the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, or other members of the administration (at the invitation of the administration or the Senate), and initiate such conferences whenever such action seems necessary.
1.2.13 Assist in University-wide elections.
1.2.14 The Executive Committee of the Academic Senate shall serve as a budget council for the Academic Senate with the primary responsibilities of: (a) preparing and submitting all necessary budget requests to the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and (b) supervising administration of budget expenditures when (or if) necessary.
1.2.15 Undertake with the Chair any other administrative and procedural duties which are judged necessary or desirable for the more effective functioning of the Senate. The Executive Committee shall not, however, act for the Senate in policy matters other than as provided in this document.
1.3 Academic Senate Officers
1.3.1 The elected officers of the Academic Senate shall be a Chair, a Vice Chair, and a Secretary.
1.3.2 As soon as feasible following the election of new Senate members in the spring semester, the new Senate will convene for the purpose of electing its officers in accordance with the appropriate section of this document.
1.3.2.1 The Chair of the Academic Senate shall take office at the end of the first six weeks Summer Session and serve until the successor assumes office.
1.3.2.2 The Vice Chair shall serve the same term of office as the Chair. In case the office of Chair becomes vacant, the Vice Chair shall take over.
1.3.2.3 Election of the Secretary: The Secretary shall serve the same term of office as the Chair.
1.3.2.4 In case the offices of Vice Chair or Secretary become vacant during the term of office, the Senate shall fill the offices as soon as possible by election conducted in accordance with the provisions of Section 7 of these Rules.
1.3.3 With the exception of the Executive Committee members, whose duties commence with the Chair’s term, the new Senate takes over at the beginning of the fall semester.
1.3.4 Elections process: Executive Committee officer nominations and accompanying candidates’ statements shall be sent to the Senate office seven calendar days before the election meeting. Such statements will be posted by Senate staff to the website and made available to the current and incoming Senate for viewing.
1.3.5 Election meeting: At the special election meeting of the new Senate, nominations may be taken from the floor for all positions except those of Chair, Vice Chair, and Secretary. Once an individual has submitted a nomination statement for one of the offices, he or she may run for another office if unsuccessful in the first-choice position. If there are no nominees for a given office prior to the elections meeting, nominations may be made from the floor for that office. Nominations may be taken from the floor for At-Large positions.
1.3.6 Election of the Chair: From among its membership, the Academic Senate shall elect a Chair who shall take office at the end of the first six weeks Summer Session and serve until the successor assumes office. The Chair shall be elected by a majority of the votes cast by secret ballot.
1.3.7 Election of the Vice Chair: The Vice Chair shall be elected in the same manner as the Chair and shall serve the same term of office as the Chair. In case the office of Chair becomes vacant, the Vice Chair shall take over.
1.3.8 Election of the Secretary: The Secretary shall be elected in the same manner as the Chair and shall serve the same term of office as the Chair.
1.3.9 In case the offices of Vice Chair or Secretary become vacant during the term of office, the Senate shall fill the offices as soon as possible in the manner prescribed above.
1.3.10 Selection of the Parliamentarian: The Parliamentarian of the Academic Senate shall be appointed by the Chair with the approval of the Academic Senate. The term shall be for one (1) year.
1.4 Duties of the Officers
1.4.1 The Chair is responsible for presiding over meetings of the Senate and the Executive Committee, and, when necessary, for selecting and referring proposals to the appropriate councils and standing committees. When invited by the appropriate administrative officer, the Chair may attend meetings of administrative groups.
1.4.2 The Vice Chair will assume all of the responsibilities of the Chair in the absence of the Chair. When invited by the appropriate administrative officer, the Vice Chair may attend meetings of administrative groups.
1.4.3 The Secretary is responsible for the recording and distributing of the Senate minutes (with assistance of the Senate Office staff). When invited by the appropriate administrative officer, the Secretary may attend meetings of administrative groups.
1.4.4 Any other additional duties, including committee memberships, must be specifically assigned to Senate officers through action of the Senate.
1.4.5 No officer may take policy positions on matters not previously acted upon by the Academic Senate other than as provided in Section 1.2.6.
2.1 Guiding Principles for Councils and Standing Committees
2.1.1 The Councils and Standing Committees of the Academic Senate are sub-committees entrusted with the tasks of evaluating and developing University programs, policies, and procedures and of submitting recommendations that aid the Academic Senate in discharging its responsibilities.
2.1.2 Since the Academic Senate serves as the parent body, no council or committee shall make policy recommendations to the President directly. All such recommendations must come through the Academic Senate.
2.1.3 Members of Councils and Committees represent the entire University unless the governing documents of a council or committee stipulate otherwise.
2.1.4 Councils and committees shall make the widest appropriate distribution of information to colleges, departments, or the general faculty considering measures of concern to those colleges, departments, or general faculty.
2.1.5 Councils and Standing Committees have the privilege, if not the obligation, of inviting guests and of notifying interested parties when matters of mutual concern are under consideration.
2.2 Procedures
2.2.1 Unless otherwise indicated, councils and committees are free to establish their own ad-hoc or sub-committee structuring. Councils and committees may not, however, make substantive changes to their charge or structure as stated within those approved charges.
2.2.2 Councils and committees may recommend changes to the Senate via the Academic Senate Chair.
2.2.3 Recommended changes from other sources may also be offered to the Academic Senate via the Academic Senate Chair.
2.3 Senate Councils
2.3.1 The Senate shall have several councils to serve as the primary advisory bodies to the Academic Senate and University administration on matters pertaining to important University policies.
2.3.2 The function, responsibilities, and membership of all Academic Senate councils shall be set forth in each council’s charge, changes to which must be approved by the full body of the Academic Senate.
2.3.3 All Senate councils are subordinate to the Academic Senate, and, as such, all policies and regulations recommended by any council shall be presented to the Academic Senate for approval, except for those matters specifically delegated by the Senate to a council.
2.4 Senate Committees
2.4.1 The Senate shall have two types of committees: standing committees and special or ad hoc committees. The members of all Senate committees, both standing and special/ad hoc, shall be appointed by the Senate as provided in the section on nominations and elections in this document.
2.4.2 Standing Committees: The Senate shall have standing committees that report to the full Academic Senate, the Executive Committee of the Senate, or to one of the Senate councils. Such lines of reporting shall be delineated in each committee’s charge.
2.4.2.1 The specific policies governing the charges, structure, membership, and procedures for each standing committee of the Senate shall be set forth in a separate charge documents for each Council and its corresponding standing committees.
2.4.2.2 All standing committees of the Senate are subordinate to the Academic Senate, and, as such, all policies and regulations recommended by any standing committee shall be presented to the Academic Senate for approval, except for those matters specifically delegated by the Senate either to a Senate council or to a standing committee.
2.4.3 Special committees: The Senate may create special or ad-hoc committees for the purpose of considering proposals that do not fall within the purview of any standing committees.
2.4.3.1 The charges, structure, membership, and procedures for each special committee shall be specified in the Senate resolution creating any such special/ad hoc committee. Resolutions of this nature must set forth the number of representatives from each constituency on any special/ad hoc Academic Senate committee, whether faculty, students, staff, or administrators.
2.4.3.2 Ad hoc and special committees shall:
2.4.3.2.1 Elect officers and inform the Senate Office as to the names of such officers.
2.4.3.2.2 Where no specific charge is given, the committees shall interact with the Senate to determine a mutually agreeable specific charge that could be fulfilled in the time available as indicated below.
2.4.3.2.3 Keep minutes of their meetings.
2.4.3.2.4 Inform appropriate individuals as to when and where meetings are to be held with an appropriate written agenda at least seven (7) calendar days prior to such meetings.
2.4.3.2.5 Recommend to the Senate that the committee be dissolved when its charge has been fulfilled.
2.4.3.2.6 Be dissolved at the beginning of the new academic year unless reconstituted after a review by the new Academic Senate.
2.4.3.2.7 Provide a year-end report of work accomplished to the Senate office.
3.1 Elections
3.1.1 No individual faculty member may serve on two Committees or Councils whose meeting times overlap.
3.1.2 Tenured and probationary faculty members who serve on Academic Senate Councils shall be elected by their respective colleges after the call for such elections by the Academic Senate.
3.1.3 Tenured and probationary faculty members shall be elected by the tenured and probationary faculty by a majority of the votes cast in a secret ballot or secure electronic voting procedure.
3.1.4 The nomination and election procedures shall be established by college faculty and approved by the Academic Senate.
3.1.5 In all cases, elections for members to Committees and Councils must be by secret ballot or secure electronic voting procedure.
3.1.6 Elections are conducted early in the spring semester after the faculty census is made available to the Academic Senate office and its results communicated to the colleges.
3.1.7 It is the responsibility of the colleges and the College Councils (i.e., faculty councils) to ensure timely election procedures for the faculty representatives to the Councils and Committees of the Academic Senate.
3.2 Council and Committee Officers
3.2.1 No individual may serve as chair of more than one (1) Academic Senate council and/or committee in a given academic year.
3.2.2 For all councils and committees for which no reassigned time is given to the chair, the officers’ term begins the week prior to the start of the fall semester unless the election is for a replacement.
3.2.3 For councils and committees for which reassigned time is given to the chair, the officers’ term begins after the last day of finals in the spring semester in which elections take place.
3.3 Terms for Faculty Serving on Councils
3.3.1 Terms for tenured and probationary faculty on Academic Senate councils are for three (3) years unless otherwise specified.
3.3.2 Lecturer representatives to Academic Senate councils shall be elected by a vote of all lecturers and shall serve one (1) year terms.
3.4 Terms for Faculty Serving on Standing Committees
3.4.1 Membership terms for tenured and probationary faculty serving on Academic Senate standing committees are for two (2) years unless otherwise specified (e.g., replacement appointments).
3.4.2 Terms for lecturers are for one (1) year.
3.5 Organization Meetings and Election of Officers
3.5.1 All Councils and Committees shall have convening meetings for orientation, organization, and election of officers. In all cases, seven (7) day notice is required so members can arrange their schedules to attend the convening meeting.
3.5.2 All Councils and Committees for which reassigned time is granted to the chair shall convene to elect officers during the last four weeks of the spring semester and no later than the last day of finals.
3.5.3 For all Councils and Committees, in the event that a college has not elected its replacement(s), current elected members shall retain voting rights until such time as their replacements are elected.
3.5.3 All other Councils and Committees shall convene for orientation, organization, and election of officers during the first four weeks of the fall semester.
3.5.4 Academic Councils shall elect, at minimum, a Chair, a Vice-Chair, and a Secretary. Standing Committees shall elect, at minimum, a Chair and a Vice Chair or Secretary, as appropriate for the Committee.
3.5.5 Results of Committee elections shall be forwarded to the Academic Senate.
3.6 Replacements for Vacancies: Procedures and Responsibilities
3.6.1 Unless another selection procedure is specified by policy or charge, the Nominating Committee shall make recommendations to the Academic Senate for the appointment of probationary, tenured, and lecturer faculty to vacant positions on Standing Committees at the conclusion of the replacement appointment. Notice of action by the Nominating Committee in making appointments shall be recorded in the Minutes of the Academic Senate.
3.6.2 All members of Councils and Committees are obligated to inform the Academic Senate Office when they are unable to serve their full term, including when they need an alternate for a given period of time (e.g., for sabbaticals, leaves, and other long-term absences).
3.7 Substitutes and Alternates
3.7.1 Any member of a Council or Standing Committee may send a duly elected alternate or substitute to the meeting of the Council or Committee.
3.7.2 No member may send a non-elected alternate or substitute, therefore no proxy votes are allowed.
3.7.3 Duly elected (or in the case of administrative representatives, duly appointed) alternates shall serve in lieu of the committee or council member for the time specified in cases of extended absence (e.g., sabbaticals, leaves, and other long-term absences). In cases of committee or council member resignation, such alternates shall serve the remainder of the term.
3.8 Procedures for CFA, Student, Staff, Student and Ex-Officio Representation: Procedures for representation from the California Faculty Association (CFA), staff, and students shall be determined by their representative bodies unless otherwise specified herein.
3.9 Ex-officio Members of Councils and Committees
3.9.1 Ex-officio members of councils and committees are members because of their special functions.
3.9.2 Ex-officio members shall have full floor privileges, including the vote except as otherwise noted.
3.9.3 The President of the University and the Academic Senate Chair shall be ex officio members of all councils and standing committees, and shall not be considered in computing quorums.
3.10 Resource Personnel
3.10.1 Councils and Committees may utilize the services of faculty or other appropriate personnel for resource purposes. All decisions and voting privileges, however, will be exercised by duly appointed and/or elected committee members.
4.1 Open vs. Closed Meetings
4.1.1 Meetings are open except when there is discussion and/or materials dealing with personnel cases or with matters of a privileged nature. In such instances, the meeting and/or materials shall be accessible only to current members of the designated council or committee, the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate, and any individuals specifically authorized by the Academic Senate to have particular or general access to such information. Such materials shall be securely maintained in the Office of the Academic Senate for six (6) months beyond the academic year in which the materials were considered, after which time materials shall be shredded or, if deemed necessary by the Academic Senate Chair, electronically filed in a secure location to which only Senate staff have access.
4.2 Meeting Frequency
4.2.1 In most cases, councils and committees shall meet regularly (normally not less than once a month during the academic year).
4.2.2 Some committees (e.g., University Grade Appeals Committee) only meet when needed. All Councils and Committees also shall meet upon call of the chair, upon petition of any three members of the Council or Committee, or upon request to the Council or Committee chair by the Chair of the Academic Senate or member of the University administration following notification of the Chair of the Academic Senate.
4.3 Quorum
4.3.1 A quorum is necessary so that business can be transacted legally.
4.3.2 A quorum shall be constituted by the presence of a majority of the voting members.
4.4 Absences
4.4.1 If a member is absent for the third of three consecutive meetings, the Chair shall cease to count that person for purposes of a quorum. The Chair shall notify the absent member and the Chair of the Academic Senate, in the case of tenured, probationary, or lecturer faculty members, the Chair of the Staff Council, in the case of staff members, or the President of the Associated Students, Inc., in the case of a student member, so that the situation may be rectified and, if necessary, a replacement found.
4.5 Minutes and Agendas
4.5.1 All councils, committees, and sub-committees thereof, shall submit to the Office of the Academic Senate an electronic copy of their agendas and approved minutes. This requirement does not apply to the Grade Appeal Committee or other committees considering personnel or other confidential information.
4.5.2 The office of the Academic Senate shall post agendas and minutes for the standing Councils to the website and shall make available, upon request, all other agendas and minutes as appropriate.
4.5.3 For all items requiring action by the Academic Senate, council and committee chairs shall send transmittal memos to the Chair of the Academic Senate.
4.5.4 All Councils and Committees shall also distribute their Agendas and Minutes to other parties, councils, and committees as appropriate or requested.
4.6 Reports
4.6.1 All Councils and Committees shall send year-end reports to the Chair of the Academic Senate and, for Committees that report to Councils, to the Council chair, no later than July 1. Such reports shall contain a brief summary of work accomplished and recommendations regarding issues, processes, or procedures. These reports shall be posted to the Academic Senate website in a timely fashion and will be provided to the succeeding Council or Committee and, where appropriate, to the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate for appropriate action.
4.6.1.1 The chair of each Senate Council shall meet with the Executive Committee of the Academic Senate at the beginning of the academic year to discuss the annual report of the previous year and plan the agenda and activities of the council for the coming year.
4.6.1.2 Format: There is no standard format for annual reports or special reports from Senate councils and committees.
4.6.1.3 In the minutes of their final meetings of an academic year, all councils and committees of the Academic Senate include their recommendations to the councils and committees succeeding them.
4.6.1.4 All Senate councils and committees shall prepare and file an annual report with the Office of the Academic Senate. These reports shall include a summary of the work accomplished during an academic year; the recommendations for the members of succeeding councils and committees; and recommendations to the Executive Committee for appropriate actions by the Senate.
4.6.2 In addition to submitting an annual report as specified in Section, Senate councils and standing committees shall report to the Senate through their elected chairs or representatives under the following conditions:
4.6.2.1 When a council or committee requests to make a report to the Senate and/or Executive Committee by sending such a request to the Chair of the Senate who shall schedule the report on an upcoming meeting agenda in a timely manner.
4.6.2.2 When requested by the Senate and/or the Executive Committee to make a progress report.
5.1 Referral to Councils and Committees
5.1.1 The selection of the committee or council to which a matter is referred will be made by the Chair of the Senate, unless Senate action designates a particular standing committee or establishes a special committee.
5.2 Procedures for Proposing Policies and Resolutions
5.2.1 After the committee has completed its deliberations and written recommendations concerning the proposed measure or resolution, the matter will be referred back to the Chair of the Senate, who will consult with the Executive Committee about when to place it on the agenda of the Senate.
5.2.2 The Chair of the committee (or representative) may personally appear before the Senate, or may communicate the recommendations of the committee entirely in writing.
5.2.3 During committee consideration of a measure or resolution referred by someone other than the Academic Senate Chair or the Executive Committee, the committee shall accord the initiating individual the privilege of appearing in support of the proposal.
5.3 Procedures for Transmission and Consideration of Proposed Policies
5.3.1 Proposed policies and resolutions shall be transmitted to the Chair of the Academic Senate by the chair of the relevant council or committee for consideration by the Executive Committee and then shall be referred to the Senate for consideration.
5.3.1.1 In such cases that the Senate Executive Committee deems that further work should be performed on the proposed policy or resolution, said document shall be referred back to the committee or council for further consideration.
5.3.2 The first meeting of the Senate after the initial distribution of a council policy statement shall be considered as the first reading.
5.3.2.1 Referral back to the council between first and second reading shall not prevent the item from becoming a Second Reading as originally scheduled. If a policy statement is placed on the agenda, but is not considered because of adjournment, it will be placed on the agenda of the next meeting without any change in its status as long as this process occurs during the same academic year.
5.4 Resolutions
5.4.1 Any voting member of the Academic Senate may propose a resolution. The substance of a resolution may be anything that could be proposed in the form of a motion, but, due to its length or importance, should be written-out in advance to facilitate debate and, if adopted, easy distribution to those who may not be members of the Senate.
5.4.2 No particular format is required to introduce a resolution. However, Senators are encouraged to prepare resolutions expressing the opinion or advocacy position of the Senate by setting forth distinct facts and/or arguments supporting the resolution in paragraphs introduced by the word “Whereas” and the conclusions and/or actions to be taken in paragraphs introduced by the phrase “Be it therefore resolved” or “Be it further resolved.”
5.4.3 Senators are encouraged to prepare resolutions that will become formal policy using the numbering format of used in these Rules.
5.4.4 Proposed resolutions shall be submitted to the Senate Office Staff who shall, in turn, distribute the materials to the Executive Committee within three (3) instructional days of receipt.
5.4.5 The Executive Committee may choose to refer resolutions proposing changes to policy to an appropriate Senate council or committee unless the proposed policy changes are not within the purview any such council or committee, in which case the Executive Committee shall place the resolution on the agenda for an upcoming Senate meeting as a first reading. The original draft of such a resolution shall be distributed to the Senate along with the agenda for the meeting at which the measure is scheduled for a first reading.
5.4.6 The Executive Committee shall place opinion and/or advocacy resolutions on the agenda for an upcoming Senate meeting as a first reading. The original draft of such a resolution shall be distributed to the Senate along with the agenda for the meeting at which the measure is scheduled for a first reading.
5.4.7 Following the first reading of any resolution in the Senate, the minutes shall include the title of the resolution, but not necessarily the text of the resolution.
5.5 Consideration of Policies and Resolutions
5.5.1 In order to reduce, whenever possible, the time spent in the Senate discussing reports and recommendations of councils and committees, and to provide an opportunity for a council or committee to consider objections before they are discussed in the Senate and to take such action as they may deem necessary (e.g., meet with Senator concerned, revise recommendations, etc.), after the initial distribution of reports and/or recommendations to the Academic Senate from a council or committee, any member of the Senate who intends to express strong objections to the recommendations of said council or committee, or to propose substantive changes in the recommendations should (1) prepare a written statement outlining the objections and/or proposed changes; and (2) transmit the statement to the Chair of the Senate and to the Chair of said council or committee five (5) instructional days before the report and/or recommendations are scheduled for final Senate consideration.
5.6 Consent Calendar
5.6.1 Recommendations (for policies, resolutions, and other measures) may be placed on the consent calendar when perceived to be noncontroversial by the chair of the council proposing the action and by a majority vote of the Executive Committee.
5.6.2 Since council policy statements, unlike committee reports, may become Senate policy by consent by being placed on the consent calendar, they require special procedures.
5.6.3 Recommendation on the consent calendar will automatically be approved after two (consecutive) meetings of the Senate.
5.6.4 Any Senator may remove a recommendation from the consent calendar and place it on the agenda at the time of approval of the agenda. When the Senator objects to the item, the item will automatically become a second reading at the next Senate meeting, unless the next meeting is a special, one-item agenda meeting.
6.1 Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised: All business conducted in the Academic Senate shall be governed by the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised published except as specified in this Section of the Senate Rules.
6.2 Time Limits
6.2.1 Unless the Senate votes to limit or extend debate privileges by two-thirds of those present and voting, a Senator recognized by the Chair may speak on any debatable motion for a maximum of three (3) minutes.
6.2.2 Unless the Senate votes to limit or extend debate privileges by two-thirds of those present and voting, discussion of any item on the agenda for any Academic Senate meeting that is not supported by a motion shall be limited to five (5) minutes.
6.2.3 Unless the Senate votes to limit or extend debate privileges by two-thirds of those present and voting, debate on a motion of referral shall be limited to ten (10) minutes.
6.3 Amendments
6.3.1 To increase efficiency at Academic Senate meetings, “friendly amendments” may be accepted by the mover and seconder of the original motion.
6.3.2 If a Senator and/or the seconder of the motion object(s) to such an amendment, then no further action is taken and the original motion stands.
6.4 Floor Privileges
6.4.1 Floor privileges shall routinely be accorded to any Statewide Senator, to any Chair of a reporting council or committee, or to any President of a faculty organization present at Senate meetings if these individuals indicate a desire to speak. Floor privileges shall not be extended to any other person without a majority vote of the Senate or without a Senator ceding his or her time to the individuals.
6.4.2 Statements and/or reports presented to the Senate shall be included in the minutes only by a two-thirds vote, and requests for such inclusions shall be made at the meeting during which the statements are presented.
6.4.3 All documents submitted to the Senate for its consideration shall be identified by author and dated.
6.4.4 Additions shall not be made to minutes of the Academic Senate for the purpose of showing a particular member as having been absent at the time a particular vote was taken, nor for the purpose of indicating how an absent member would have voted on a question had the member been present.
6.4.5 Tape recorders and similar recording devices may be used at Senate meetings by the Senate staff for official record-keeping purposes. Such recordings shall be destroyed after the minutes for the recorded meeting are approved.
6.5 Representatives and Spokespersons for the Senate
6.5.1 Members of the Senate shall act as spokespersons and representatives of the Senate only when they have been specifically designated and instructed to do so, except as provided in the section on visitors.
6.5.2 The Senate has the sole power to select its representatives for statewide conferences and other meetings.
6.5.3 If a replacement for a CSULB Statewide Senator is needed to attend a meeting of the Academic Senate CSU, the most recently retired and available representative from CSULB to the Academic Senate CSU shall be designated to represent CSULB as a voting member. If that person is not available, the Chair of the Academic Senate shall represent CSULB as a voting member. If none of the above is available, the Executive Committee shall designate a representative.
6.6 Visitors at Academic Senate Meetings
6.6.1 Meetings of the Academic Senate are open. Visitors at meetings of the Senate shall not be permitted to stand in the aisles or in any manner block the entrance to the Senate room. If, in the opinion of the Chair this rule is being violated, the Senate meeting shall be suspended until business can be conducted in a regular manner.
6.6.2 The device of the executive session shall not be used to exclude visitors except when personnel matters are under consideration.
6.6.3 Visitors may speak when a senator yields his or her time to the visitor or when recognized by the chair.
6.7 Academic Year Cycle of Senate Business
6.7.1 Any Senate business which is not concluded at the last Senate meeting of the academic year shall become a first reading item on the first agenda of the next academic year.
7.1 Academic Senate as a Unit: The Academic Senate, with its various budgetary allotments, shall function as a separate unit under the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs.
7.2 Files and Records
7.2.1 All files in the Academic Senate Office are open except those dealing with personnel matters or with matters deemed by a designated committee to be of a privileged nature due to designation as a “closed meeting.”
7.2.2 The Senate office shall create electronic records of Senate documents no longer current or, where appropriate, may file those documents in the University Archives.
7.2.3 The Academic Senate shall make available paper or electronic copies of documents if such documents were distributed to the faculty by the Academic Senate and if copies are still available.
7.2.4 Requests for other materials should be directed to the source of the material.
The Senate office shall ensure that charges, rosters, and, where applicable, agendas, minutes, and reports, shall be posted to the Senate website so that these materials may be accessed by all members of the university community.
7.2.5 The staff of the Senate, under the direction of the Chair, shall be authorized to correct name (e.g., titles and unit names) changes and grammatical errors in Senate policies and documents posted to the Senate website. Such alterations may not involve substantive changes to policies.
8.1 Responsibilities: Under the direction of the Chair of the Academic Senate, the Academic Senate staff shall exercise the following powers and duties in regard to all-University elections:
8.1.1 In consultation with the President and the Chair of the Academic Senate, fix the time and date of the faculty meeting at which issues will be presented and nominations shall be made, and fix the times and dates of faculty elections.
8.1.2 Prepare and distribute to eligible faculty members secret mail ballots containing the issues to be considered, or the names of nominees, and instructions for voting.
8.1.3 Collect and count the ballots in accord with Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, or stipulated Academic Senate procedure and deliver the final official count to the Chair of the Academic Senate, who shall declare those officially elected.
8.1.4 Conduct such run-off elections as may be required and as hereinafter described.
8.1.5 Administer any other elections as directed by the Academic Senate.
8.2 General Provisions
8.2.1 Voting and ballot procedures may be conducted via paper-based or secure electronic means, depending on available technology.
8.2.2 A proposition submitted to the faculty for vote shall be considered as a single proposition, unless it is specifically divided by those submitting the proposition.
8.2.3 A proposition submitted to the faculty for vote must accompany the ballot.
8.2.4 The proponents and opponents of the proposition shall be given the opportunity to include with the ballot arguments for and against the proposition.
8.2.5 When qualification for nomination is "holding tenure," the candidate must hold tenure at the time of nomination.
8.2.6 There shall be ten (10) instructional days between the sending of the ballots to the faculty and the deadline for receiving the ballots at the Academic Senate Office.
8.2.7 A list of eligible voters, including those on administrative assignment, will be given to the Academic Senate by the appropriate administrator.
8.2.8 Voters shall be instructed to vote for no more candidates than there are positions to be filled.
8.3 Election of Representatives to the Academic Senate of the CSU (ASCSU)
8.3.1 Eligibility to Serve as Representative on the Academic Senate CSU. Eligibility for election to the Academic Senate CSU shall be the same as eligibility for election to the CSULB Academic Senate (Refer to Constitution and Bylaws of the Faculty of CSULB, Section 3.370.) if not in contradiction to eligibility requirements of the Academic Senate CSU.
8.3.2 The Nominating Committee of the Academic Senate shall be responsible for preparing a slate for the election of Statewide Senators.
8.3.3 The Chair of the Academic Senate shall publicize a call for nominations to all eligible faculty.
8.3.4 All eligible faculty who respond to the call for nominations and who also indicate their willingness to serve shall be considered candidates for the election.
8.3.5 The slate of nominees shall be given to the Nominating Committee for presentation to the Academic Senate at the first possible meeting.
8.3.6 Nominations may also be made from the floor at the Academic Senate meeting at which nominations are announced. Those making nominations shall have the approval of each nominee to have her or his name placed in nomination.
8.3.7 Nominees, or their sponsors, shall have the privilege of giving brief statements of qualifications at said meeting.
8.4 ASCSU Elections
8.4.1 The Academic Senate Office shall prepare the ballot and conduct the election.
8.4.2 The ballot may contain, in addition to the names of the candidates, a statement not to exceed fifty (50) words, prepared by the nominee (or sponsor) concerning general qualifications.
8.4.3 Candidate(s) receiving a majority of the valid votes cast shall be elected.
8.4.4 In the event the number of candidates receiving a majority of the valid votes cast is less than the number of representatives to be elected, the Academic Senate Office shall conduct a run-off election. In the event that there is only one office to be filled, the two remaining candidates with the largest number of votes cast will be on the run-off ballot. In the event that there are two or more unfilled offices, the ballot will contain the names of twice the number of candidates necessary to fill those offices, minus one. The remaining candidates who received the highest votes cast will be on this next ballot. In the event that there is still an office unfilled because of no candidates having a majority, the remaining candidates receiving the largest number of votes cast (plurality) will be elected.
8.4.5 The Chair of the Academic Senate shall present election results to the President of the University, the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and to the Office of the Academic Senate.
8.4.6 The Office of the Academic Senate shall post the election results in the Office of the Academic Senate and publish them in the Academic Senate website.
8.4.7 All election ballots shall be destroyed thirty (30) calendar days after election results have been announced.
