Committees
As stated in 15-2-9 Statement on Governance:
Definition of Committees and their Rules. Committees shall be consultative groups of individuals selected from the constituencies. Committee membership shall be selected by processes described in the committee definition. Committees shall report to the appropriate administrators or consultative groups, and provide minutes of their meetings to the OPA for distribution to the Council and the campus community via web posting. If the report involves matters of general interest to the University or of governance of the University, a report shall be made directly to the Council.
A. Committee rules shall include these provisions:
(1) A quorum shall be a simple majority of the voting membership of the committee.
(2) Members cannot send substitutes; if an individual is unable to participate or fails to participate consistently without good reason, the chairperson may request a replacement from the appointing body.
(3) Ex-officio members of committees shall be non-voting unless otherwise defined in the Council and stated in the List.
(4) Chairpersons shall have the right to vote.
(5) Meetings and agendas shall be announced to the University community a reasonable time in advance, except when emergencies occur. Emergencies can be declared by the chairperson or a simple majority vote of the committee.
(6) Significant proposals (policy change or addition, curricular proposals, etc.) shall be circulated to committee members and affected constituency senates a reasonable time in advance of the time of action.
(7) Minutes and reports shall be circulated to the committee membership and to the designated receivers of reports from the committee by paper copy and to the University community by placement on the University web site.
(8) Membership and chairpersonship for committees shall be rotated at sufficient intervals to provide for both variety and continuity in participation.
(9) Except where inappropriate, membership shall be distributed widely across constituencies.
(10) The consultative group or administrator to whom a committee reports shall be responsible for providing the chairperson of the committee with adequate support for committee activities (secretarial services, copying costs, etc.).
(11) It is the obligation of each committee chairperson to call the first meeting of the committee in the beginning of a new academic year for the purpose of electing a new chairperson, even though he or she may no longer be a member of the committee. In the event a chairperson is no longer employed or enrolled, the executive director for Planning and Analysis shall appoint a committee convener.
B. University standing committees, the standing committees of the constituency senates and University-level ad hoc committees shall be defined and coordinated by the Council and reflected on the List. Constituency assembly internal committees shall be defined and coordinated by the constituency senates.
(1) University Standing Committees shall be consultative groups with mixed constituency membership responsible for recommendations on designated matters of general University concern.
(2) Standing Committees of the Constituency Senates shall be consultative groups that may have mixed constituency membership and are responsible for recommendations on designated matters of general University concern. Such committees shall meet regularly or as needed, and shall send their recommendations to the sponsoring constituency assembly, which may evaluate and amend the recommendations before it shall send them through the Council to the appropriate administrator with dissemination to the other constituency senates.
