Reports of the Steering Committee,
1997-98
and
Bylaws of the University Council
Incorporating Revisions
1997-98
Table of Contents
Annual Report of the Steering Committee
Bylaws of the University Council
- University Council Steering Committee, 1998-99
- John Keene, Chair
- Donna Arthur
- Peter Conn
- Bill Conway
- Doug Hagan
- Deborah James
- David King
- Phoebe Leboy
- Ann O'Sullivan
- Judith Rodin
- Harvey Rubin
- Vivian Seltzer
- Michael Wachter
- Terri White
- Donna Arthur
Annual Report of the Steering Committee for University Council, 1997-98
This is the twentieth annual report of the Steering Committee of University Council, prepared in accordance with a requirement in the Council Bylaws that the Steering Committee shall publish an annual report to the University community that reviews the previous year's Council deliberations and highlights "both significant discussions and the formal votes taken on matters of substance."
Council discussed a proposed Bylaws revision to lower the quorum for a vote at meetings as a result of poor attendance in past years.
Council discussed significant issues raised in 1996-97 University Council Committee year-end reports of the Admissions and Financial Aid, Communications, Community Relations, International Programs, and Pluralism Committees.
Certification of each constituency's election procedures was discussed.
In accordance with the Bylaws, Council discussed a Draft Agenda for 1997-98 University Council.
Council voted to lower the quorum for a vote at meetings: forty percent of the full membership shall constitute an actual quorum.
Council discussed the following proposed bylaws revisions: to add one elected representative of the United Minorities Council to Council Membership; to add three faculty members and one student to the Committee on Open Expression to ensure coverage at events; to add A-1 and A-3 staff members to the Disability Board since these groups are heavily represented in those receiving disability awards; to abolish the Student Fulbright Awards Committee as this committee's work has been absorbed by a provostial committee.
Council discussed Council committee yearly charges for 1997-98.
Council engaged in a lengthy discussion on Alcohol and Civility at Penn with presentations by Maureen Rush, Director of Police Operations, Kate Ward-Gaus, coordinator of alcohol and drug education and DART co-chair, and Ilene Rosenstein, Director of Counseling and Psychological Services, students, and others.
In accordance with Council Bylaws, a Special Meeting was held in response to a petition from Council members to address issues of consultation and outsourcing. The president emphasized the administration's commitment to consultation and fair treatment of staff. Speakers representing GAPSA, the PPSA, the A-3 Assembly, the UA, the African American Association, the Facilities Committee, Facilities Management, faculty, and others voiced their concern at the outsourcing process in the context of the Trammell Crow agreement.
Council voted to approve a statement calling upon "the Administration to act in a manner consistent with the stated needs of the campus community, by taking active steps to rehabilitate the culture of consultation at the University. The Council recommends appointing a committee composed of faculty, students, administrators, and support staff, which is charged to examine the problems that have been raised about the consultative process, and to make recommendations by April 1, 1998, to facilitate improvements...."
"Therefore, The University Council calls upon the trustees to act in a manner consistent with the stated needs of the campus community, by withholding approval of the proposed out-sourcing of facilities management at this time."
The second motion was to be brought to the Budget and Finance Committee of the Trustees by President Rodin, that committee then bringing their recommendation to the full body of Trustees.
President Judith Rodin presented her annual State of the University Report; issues addressed included consultation, the Agenda for Excellence, student and campus life, research funding, and globalization.
Council voted on and approved University Council bylaws revisions to add to Council Membership one elected representative of the United Minorities Council; to add three faculty members and one student to the Committee on Open Expression; to add A-1 and A-3 staff members to the Disability Board; and to abolish the Student Fulbright Awards Committee.
The Bookstore Committee presented its report of 1996-97, which generated extensive discussion.
Executive Vice President John Fry reported on administrative issues including an update on contract negotiations and employee transition with Trammell Crow, the streamlining of administrative services, and future plans for food services; discussion followed.
The provost presented his annual report on the "State of the University", detailing aspects of the 21st Century Project and focusing on a plan to create a comprehensive system of college houses in the residences, as well as on area studies and globalization; discussion followed.
Interim reports were presented by the Communications, Facilities, Library, Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics, Safety and Security, and Student Affairs Committees.
The Admissions and Financial Aid, Communications, Community Relations, Personnel Benefits, and Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics Committees presented their interim reports to Council.
Professor David Hackney, Chair of the Personnel Benefits Committee, presented a preliminary draft of the second phase of Benefits Redesign; Benefits Redesign Committee Chair Barbara Lowery reported on the work of her committee, and discussion followed.
Council held its annual Open Forum, with speakers and discussion on funding for research on campus, the Perelman Quadrangle's effects on students, how Council can be more effective, Penn students and staff with disabilities, sexual minority studies, the University investment policy, Martin Luther King Day as an official day of service, lack of facilities for the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Alliance, and the trend of outsourcing at the University. Speakers were either directed to appropriate resources immediately, or assured their issues would be taken up in Steering and/or appropriate Council committees in the near future.
Council heard an update of the process of legislation on the vending issue, and engaged in discussion on the issue and the administration's response to concerns raised.
Council engaged in an undergraduate-organized forum on Police and Community Relations with presentations by Director of Police Operations Maureen Rush, University Chaplain William Gipson, United Minorities Council Chair Tope Koledoye, and Undergraduate Assembly Chair Noah Bilenker. Initiatives to improve police-student relations are underway, including an undergraduate award presented to campus police officers.
Interim committee reports were presented by the Bookstore, Facilities, and International Programs Committees.
President Judith Rodin introduced the new Secretary of the University, Rosemary McManus.
Executive Vice President John Fry presented an update on administrative
issues and discussion followed.
Vice Provost for University Life Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum reported on
temporary and permanent new space allocation necessitated by the closure
of Houston Hall for renovations.
Interim committee reports were presented by the Library, Research, Safety and Security, and Open Expression Committees. The Open Expression Committee is engaged in advising the Safety and Security Committee in its composition of a Closed Circuit Television Monitoring Policy. The Open Expression Committee was advised by Council to revise or interpret the Open Expression Guidelines to reflect the need for such a policy.
April Meeting And Special Meeting
Year-end committee reports were presented by the Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics, Pluralism, and Safety and Security Committees.
Council heard the report of the Council Ad Hoc Committee on Consultation and engaged in lengthy discussion of the issues involved. A quorum was not present, but Council asked the Faculty Senate Executive Committee to provide a codification of the Committee on Consultation's report to Council. It was the consensus of those present that Council should consider the principles and recommendations of the report and the Faculty Senate Executive Committee's codification of it in a properly constituted meeting in the fall. A friendly amendment was adopted that the group asked to look into codification would not consist solely of faculty.
In accordance with the Bylaws, Council held a preliminary discussion of focus issues to be discussed in the 1998-99 academic year.
Immediately following the last item, Council held a Special Meeting in accordance with Council Bylaws in response to a petition from Council members "to give University Council the opportunity to exercise its deliberative and advisory role in reference to the vending ordinance." Four speakers presented views on the roles of participants in the vending ordinance and discussion followed; the president emphasized the importance of civil discourse.
Submitted by Rosemary McManus,
Secretary to the Steering Committee
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Summary of 1997-98 University Council Resolutions and Recommendations and Administrative Actions Taken on Them
"RESOLVED, that at the first fall meeting of the Council, the Secretary shall distribute to the Council the actions of Council passed during the previous academic year, including a list of all recommendations and resolutions, the implementation of which would require administrative action. The president or the provost shall indicate what action they have taken or plan to take with respect to each recommendation and resolution." (University Council: May 8, 1974)
I. Resolutions from the 1997-98 Academic Year
1. Council voted to approve an amended statement calling upon "the Administration to act in a manner consistent with the stated needs of the campus community, by taking active steps to rehabilitate the culture of consultation at the University. The Council recommends appointing a committee composed of faculty, students, administrators, and support staff, which is charged to examine the problems that have been raised about the consultative process, and to make recommendations by April 1, 1998, to facilitate improvements." The second part passed with a show of hands and a few dissenting votes: "Therefore, The University Council calls upon the trustees to act in a manner consistent with the stated needs of the campus community, by withholding approval of the proposed out-sourcing of facilities management at this time." (Special Council Meeting, November 5, 1997).
Action: The motion was brought to the Budget and Finance Committee of the Trustees by President Rodin, that committee then bringing their recommendation to the full body of Trustees.
2. Council agreed to establish a special temporary Committee on Consultation that will submit its report to Council on April 1 and disband after the submission of its report. (Special Council Meeting, November 5, 1997).
Action: The president pledged to work with Steering to appoint the special Committee on Consultation, its composition and charge. Once established, the committee will submit its report by April 1, 1998, which will be published in Almanac.
3. Because the Open Expression Committee is engaged in advising the Safety and Security Committee in its composition of a Closed Circuit Television Monitoring Policy, and the Open Expression Guidelines may be interpreted as specifically prohibiting such monitoring, Council advised the Open Expression Committee to revise or interpret the Open Expression Guidelines to reflect the need for such a policy. (March 4, 1998).
Action: The Open Expression Committee is discussing such a revision or interpretation, which will be communicated to Steering for distribution to Council and inclusion in the Handbook for Faculty and Academic Administrators in a timely manner.
4. Two motions were made regarding codification of the Committee on Consultation's report to Council. A quorum was not present. The original motion was to ask the Faculty Senate Executive Committee to provide codified recommendations to Council to deliberate in the Fall, and then bring the report back to Council; the substitute motion was that Council should ask Steering to appoint a small ad hoc committee to provide the codified recommendations for Council to deliberate in the Fall. A friendly ammendment was proposed that that there be an expectation that the group would not only be faculty. (April 22, 1998).
- In favor of the substitute motion, there was one in favor, the rest opposed; the substitute motion failed.
- For the original motion, asking the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, most were in favor, with two opposed.
Action: In view of the fact that there was no quorum present, Council asked the Faculty Senate Executive Committee to provide a codification of the Committee on Consultation's report to Council. It was the consensus of those present that Council should consider the principles and receommendations of the report and the Senate Executive Com-mittee's codification of it in a properly constituted meeting in the fall.
1. Council voted to approve a Bylaws revision to lower the quorum for a vote at Council meetings. Section IV. Meetings, 5. Conduct of meetings, revise first sentence to read: "Forty percent of the full membership shall constitute an actual quorum." (October 15, 1997).
2. Council voted to add to Section II. Membership, 1. Composition, new paragraph (i): "One elected representative of the United Minorities Council." (November 12, 1997).
3. Council voted to add three faculty members and one student to the Committee on Open Expression. Section VI. Committees, 3. Independent Committees (a), revise to read: "The Committee shall consist of seventeen members: eight faculty members, two A-1 staff members, one A-3 staff member, three graduate/professional students, and three undergraduate students." (November 12, 1997).
4. Council voted to add A-1 and A-3 staff members to the Disability Board. Section VI. Committees, 3. Independent Committees (c), revise to read: "The Board shall consist of eight faculty members[...]; two A-1 staff members; and two A-3 staff members." (November 12, 1997).
5. Council voted to abolish the Student Fulbright Awards Committee. Delete Section VI. Committees, 3. Independent Committees (e) Student Fulbright Awards Committee. (November 12, 1997).
Submitted by Rosemary McManus,
Secretary to University Council
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Bylaws of the University Council
Incorporating Revisions of 1997-98
The University Council of the University of Pennsylvania is a deliberative and broadly representative forum which exists to consider the activities of the University in all of its phases, with particular attention to the educational objectives of the University and those matters that affect the common interests of faculty, staff and students. It may recommend general policies and otherwise advise the president, the provost, and other officers of the University. It is authorized to initiate policy proposals as well as to express its judgment on those submitted to it by the administrative officers of the University and its various academic divisions. It is also empowered to request information through appropriate channels from any member of the University administration.
In its deliberative role, as it undertakes to reach collective decisions on policies to be initiated or evaluated for recommendation to officers of the University, an important function of the University Council is to transform the interests of its various constituency groups into forms congruent with the interest of the University as a whole. In such a case, a majority decision should be articulated in terms of the University's general welfare and constructed to advance this welfare. In its representative role, an important function of the University Council is to inform the officers of the University-as well as the citizens of the University at-large-of the range and strength of views held by members of the University community. In this case, the public expression of a heterogeneity of views, without their resolution into a majority agreement for action, may serve the University Council's advisory purpose most authentically, and especially so when such a diversity of discourse increases understanding among constituencies in addition to revealing the breadth of considered opinion as a ground for accommodation in subsequent University policy making.
1. Composition
The University Council shall be composed of administrative officers and elected representatives of the faculty, students, and staff as follows:
(a) Forty-five members of the Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate. The Faculty Senate shall insure that each faculty is represented and that at least three assistant professors serve on the Council. The members of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee who are members of the Council shall otherwise be chosen in accordance with the rules of the Faculty Senate.
(b) One full-time lecturer and one full-time member of the research faculty to be selected to serve two-year terms by vote of the Steering Committee from a slate consisting of the five lecturers , and the five members of the research faculty receiving the largest number of nominations by lecturers and members of the research faculty. If the Steering Committee receives fewer than five nominations for either group, additional nominations shall be solicited from the constituency representatives of the Senate Executive Committee.
(c) Eleven administrative officers, including the president, the provost, and nine members of the administration to be appointed annually by the president, at least five of whom shall be deans of faculties.
(d) Fifteen graduate and professional students elected as members of the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly. The Graduate and Professional Student Assembly shall insure that, to the extent possible, each school is represented. The members of the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly who are members of the Council shall otherwise be chosen in accordance with the rules of the Graduate and Professional Students Assembly.
(e) Fifteen undergraduate students elected as members of the Undergraduate Assembly. The Undergraduate Assembly shall insure that, to the extent possible, each undergraduate school is represented. The members of Undergraduate Assembly who are members of the Council shall otherwise be chosen in accordance with the rules of the Undergraduate Assembly.
(f) One elected representative of the Penn Professional Staff Assembly.
(g) One elected representative of the Librarians Assembly.
(h) One elected representative of the A-3 Assembly.
(i) One elected representative of the United Minorities Council.
2. Election
Members of the Council who are to be chosen by election shall be selected no later than the end of the academic year proceeding the year of their membership in the Council, according to procedures established by their respective governing bodies, namely the Faculty Senate, the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, the Undergraduate Nominations and Elections Committee, the Penn Professional Staff Assembly, the Librarians Assembly and the A-3 Assembly. Such elections shall be democratic in both principle and practice.
Each academic year the secretary shall distribute with the agenda for the last meeting a list of the members of the Council for the coming academic year.
3. Terms of Office
(a) The term of office of members of the Council other than the administrative officers, the chair, chair-elect and past chair of the Faculty Senate, the chair of Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, the chair of the Undergraduate Assembly, the full-time lecturer, and the full-time member of the research faculty shall be as specified in the rules of their respective governing bodies but in no case for more than four consecutive academic years.
(b) The terms of office of new members of the Council, other than members elected to fill vacancies, shall commence with the taking up of new business at the April meeting at which time the terms of office of retiring members of the Council shall conclude. In a case where the respective governing body is represented by its chair on the Council and/or the Steering Committee, and when it has chosen a new chair whose term of office begins before the end of the academic year, this new officer may accompany his or her predecessor (who will remain a member of the Council and/or Steering Committee until the Council year expires) and serve as an observer at meetings of the Council and/or the Steering Committee.
4. Vacancies
(a) Vacancies among elected representatives of the respective governing bodies shall be filled according to procedures of the body that elected them.
(b) Vacancies among administrative officers shall be filled by the president.
(c) Vacancies in the representatives of the full-time lecturer or the full-time member of the research faculty shall be filled by vote of the Steering Committee.
5. Duties
Membership on the Council requires a readiness to attend meetings of the Council regularly and to participate fully in its business, including the work of its committees. It is the continuous obligation of the members of the Council to report to the members of their constituencies about the discussions, decisions, and recommendations of the Council and to solicit questions and suggestions from them for presentation to the Council.
There shall be a presiding officer and moderator of the Council. There shall also be a parliamentarian and a secretary, who shall not be members of the Council.
1. Presiding Officer and Moderator
The president of the University is the presiding officer of the Council. Each year, with the advice of the Steering Committee and the consent of the Council, the president shall appoint a moderator of the Council, who shall become a non-voting member of the Council. The president, or in the absence of the president, the provost, shall open each meeting and shall normally turn the conduct of the meeting over to the moderator.
An alternate appointed by the president shall conduct the meeting on
a temporary basis in the absence of the moderator. If the moderator is absent
from three meetings in an academic year, the president shall remove the
moderator and, with the advice of the Steering Committee and the consent
of the Council, appoint a new moderator to serve for the remainder of the
academic year.
2. Parliamentarian
The president shall each year appoint a parliamentarian, in consultation with the Steering Committee. It is the parliamentarian's duty to advise the moderator and the presiding officer in the application of Robert's Rule of Order Revised, as modified by special rules of the Council.
3. Secretary
The secretary of the University or the secretary's designee shall be secretary of the Council. In addition to duties specified elsewhere in these bylaws, it is the duty of the secretary to issue notices of meetings of the Council, to record the minutes of such meetings and distribute them to its members, to receive communications for the Council, and to perform any other duties assigned by the presiding officer, the Steering Committee or the Council. The secretary shall supply members of the Council with a copy of these bylaws and appendices and amendments thereto, a current list of members of the Council, and a list of members of the Council's committees. The secretary of the Council shall serve as secretary of the Steering Committee.
4. Council staff
The Council shall be assisted by such staff of the University as is required in the conduct of its business. Staff personnel shall not be members of the Council. The secretary shall be aided by such additional persons as may be necessary.
1. Stated meetings
The normal schedule of the stated meetings of the Council shall be 4 p.m. on the third Wednesday of September, January, and March; on the second Wednesday of October, November, December, and February; and on the fourth Wednesday of April. Meetings shall continue no later than 6 p.m. unless extended by action by a majority of members in attendance. Stated meetings may be canceled and the times of stated meetings may be changed only by vote of the Steering Committee.
2. Special meetings
A special meeting shall be called whenever requested by the president or the provost, or by decision of the Steering Committee, or by petition of 25 percent of the total membership of the Council.
3. Agenda
Any member of the University may suggest questions or proposals for the consideration of the University Council by submitting them in writing to the Steering Committee addressed to the Chair of the Steering Committee, 15 College Hall. At any Council meeting, a member of the Council may propose and a majority of those voting may adopt an item for the agenda of the next meeting.
The Steering Committee, acting in response to the directions of the Council and the requests of the respective governing bodies, shall complete the agenda for each meeting of the Council. To the extent possible, the Steering Committee will indicate to the Council at each meeting the items it intends to include on the agenda of subsequent meetings.
Each meeting of the Council should accommodate committee reports and administrative reports, as well as discussion on issues that occur in the conduct of the Council's normal business or which arise unexpectedly during the year. The allocation of emphasis, which follows, for the agenda of each stated meeting is to indicate the various focuses of the course of the Council's work for the year. In addition, the specific designations of stated meetings for reports by University officials are provided to supplement and structure the usual and continuing accessibility of these officials to questioning by members of the Council.
(a) The agenda of the first (September) stated meeting of the Council in each academic year shall include the selection and ranking of issues to be dealt with during the academic year. The Steering Committee shall present to the Council its recommendation with respect to such issues and the charging of committees, but the Council shall not be limited in its selection of issues or in the construction of committee charges to those recommended by the Steering Committee. To the extent possible, the Council shall select the central issues for primary focus during the year, and shall refer them to the relevant standing committees or special committees, with the expectation of reports in time for its deliberation before the end of the academic year. Each active Council committee shall be informed of the dates when such committee is to report to the Council.
(b) The agenda of the second (October) stated meeting of the Council in each academic year shall include extended reports by the president, the provost and other administrators selected by the president and provost or by the vote of the Council. These reports shall cover the state of the University, with particular attention to the activities of the University with respect to which significant problems are perceived. The president, provost and other administrators may be questioned on subjects other than those included in their reports. Adequate time shall be allotted for full and open discussion.
(c) The agenda of the third or fourth (November or December) stated meetings of the Council in each academic year shall incorporate an open forum to which all members of the University community are invited and during which any member of the University community can direct questions to the Council.
(d) The agenda of the fifth (January) stated meeting of the Council in each academic year shall include extended reports by the president, the provost and other administrators covering budgets and plans for the next academic year. Adequate time shall be allotted for full and open discussion of these reports.
(e) The agenda of the remaining (February, March, April) meetings shall include reports by Council committees and such other items as the Council may direct. The April meeting shall also include a preliminary discussion of issues to be dealt with in the coming academic year.
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4. Notice of meetings and committee reports
Notices of all meetings, the agenda, and reports of committees that will be presented for action by the Council shall be distributed to members at least five days in advance of the meeting.
Resolutions on the agenda may come from any member of the Council. Resolutions shall be submitted to the Council through the Steering Committee, accompanied by the advice of the Steering Committee whenever the Steering Committee believes that its advice would be helpful. The Council, by affirmative vote of a majority of members attending a meeting in the presence of an actual quorum, may decide to act on a matter not on the agenda for action; otherwise no action, including a straw vote, may be taken.
5. Conduct of meetings
Forty percent of the full membership shall constitute an actual quorum. If at any time during a meeting an actual quorum has been established, a working quorum will be in effect until the stated time of adjournment. Except as otherwise specified in these bylaws, Council action may be concluded by a working quorum. Voting shall ordinarily be by voice or by show of hands, at the discretion of the moderator. A roll call vote shall be taken upon motion and the affirmative vote of one-fourth of the voting members present. Conduct of the meetings shall conform to the latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order Revised, as modified by these bylaws and by special rules of the Council. The Steering Committee, subject to directions of the Council, may formulate Rules of the Day, such as the designation of limitations on the time for the debate of specified issues, or on the time for each member to speak or respond, in the interest of distributing the opportunity to be heard. Changes in these rules shall require a majority vote of members attending, at a time when an actual quorum is present.
6. Persons entitled to attend
Meetings of the Council shall be open to members of the Council. Chairs of Council committees and subcommittees, non-Council members of the Senate Executive Committee, non-Council members of the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly Executive Committee and non-Council members of the Undergraduate Assembly Steering Committee may also attend as observers. Non-members of the Council, who are members of committees reporting to the Council at a particular meeting, or who are expressly invited by the secretary on designation by the Council, or by the Steering Committee, may attend a particular meeting and may be invited to participate in discussion, without vote. All Deans and Administrators (academic and non-academic) other than those appointed to membership in Council may attend Council as non-voting observers upon invitation of the president.
The chair of a reporting committee, if not a member of the Council, shall be given all the privileges of membership, including the making of motions, but excluding voting, during the discussion.
Other members of the University community will be allowed to attend Council meetings if there is space in the Council room to accommodate them, and if they have asked to attend by signing a list maintained by the Secretary's Office prior to the meeting. All members of the University community may attend a Council meeting designated as a forum for open discussion by the University community.
Any non-member attending a meeting who, in the opinion of the moderator, does not preserve the decorum of the meeting will be required to leave.
Members of the Council and other members of the University authorized to speak at a meeting of the Council shall not be subject to inquiry or sanction, under any of the University's procedures for limiting unprotected expression, for any speech or debate during a meeting of the Council.
1. Composition
The Steering Committee shall consist of the president of the University, the provost, the chair, the chair-elect and the past chair of the Faculty Senate, the chair of the Undergraduate Assembly and the chair of the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly. Drawn from the Council membership, there shall be in addition four faculty members, one graduate/professional student, and one undergraduate student elected by the respective governing bodies, as well as one member of the Penn Professional Staff Assembly, and one member of the A-3 Assembly, each elected by their representative assemblies. The chair of the Faculty Senate shall be the chair of the Steering Committee. In the absence of the chair, or at the request of the chair, the chair-elect shall serve as chair of the Steering Committee. The Council moderator will be an official observer at meetings of the Steering Committee. The secretary of the Council shall serve as secretary of the Steering Committee. Members of the Steering Committee may attend the meetings of Council committees.
2. Duties
(a) The Steering Committee, within the limits imposed under IV.3, above, and subject to the directions of the Council, shall prepare the agenda for meetings of the Council. Announcement of forthcoming Steering Committee meetings shall be published in Almanac and in the Daily Pennsylvanian reminding the University community of the appropriate means to re-quest that items be placed on the agenda of the Council, as provided for in IV.3.
(b) The Steering Committee shall have cognizance of the rules of procedure of the Council and its committees, and may recommend from time to time such modifications of Robert's Rules of Order Revised, or special rules of procedure, as are deemed particularly appropriate for the efficacious consideration of proposals by the Council.
(c) Resolutions that committees elect to place on the Council agenda should be submitted to the Council through the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee shall promptly forward all such resolutions to the Council. The Steering Committee shall also inform the Council of its decisions concerning the inclusion of such resolutions on the agenda of a Council meeting. The Steering Committee may give its advice concerning such resolutions to the Council whenever the Steering Committee believes that its advice would be helpful.
(d) The Steering Committee shall publish an annual report to the University community. This report, to be published early in the academic year, shall include a review of the previous year's Council deliberations (highlighting both significant discussions and the formal votes taken on matters of substance) and a survey of major issues to be taken up by the Council during the coming year.
3. Vacancies
Vacancies among the elected members of the Steering Committee shall be filled by election of the respective governing and elective bodies affected by the vacancies, following the rules of those bodies.
The committees governed by these bylaws are the standing committees of the Council, special committees created by the Council from time to time, and the independent committees.
Members of all standing committees with the exception of the Committee on Research and the independent committees with the exception of the Committee on Open Expression and the Academic Planning and Budget Committee shall be chosen in the numbers required for each committee according to procedures established by the respective governing bodies as listed in II.2. The term of office for members of committees shall, unless otherwise specified in the charges, be one year.
Any member of the University may be asked to serve on committees of the University Council and only members of the University shall be eligible for membership on the committees. All committee members are eligible for reappointment. Members may be reappointed, if mutually agreeable, for a maximum of four years total consecutive service. To provide continuity, chairs-elect may be designated.
Each committee should normally include at least one faculty member, one undergraduate student and one graduate student who, to the extent possible, should be members of the Council. The members of committees shall be selected by the respective governing and selective bodies in the numbers required for each committee.
The memberships specified in the committee charges which follow constitute the normal makeup of each committee. Changes can be made only by action of the Council through amendments to the bylaws, as provided for in section VII.
1. Standing Committees
The standing committees of the Council are those whose activities are directly instrumental in advancing the work of the Council. The president, provost, chair and chair-elect of the Faculty Senate, chair of the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, and chair of the Undergraduate Assembly (or their designees) shall be entitled to attend meetings of all standing committees of the Council and to participate in the discussions.
In cases where a committee has an oversight or advisory function to a branch or department of the University administration, in general the administrators who serve as ex officio members should serve primarily as liaison and resource persons to support the work of the committee under the direction of its chair and members, and accordingly should not vote. Consistent with this principle, any such administrator(s) shall be designated as a non-voting ex officio member of each committee (except where noted below).
Any standing committee shall have the power to delegate specific tasks or functions to subcommittees whose members shall include one or more members of the parent committee. Unless specifically authorized, no subcommittee report or recommendations shall be represented to be a report or recommendation of the full committee without the express approval of the full committee as indicated by a majority vote at a regular meeting of the full committee.
Reports and communications by committees to the Council shall be submitted to the Council through the Steering Committee for inclusion in the agenda and publication in Almanac. The Steering Committee shall promptly forward all such reports and communications to the Council, and it shall monitor committee activities and, as necessary, report on these activities to the Council.
a. Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid. The Committee on Admissions and Financial Aid shall have cognizance over matters of recruitment, admissions, and financial aid that concern the University as a whole and that are not the specific responsibility of individual faculties. The Committee shall have the authority to carry out studies on existing recruitment and admissions procedures and their relationships with existing policies on admissions and financial aid, and shall be responsible for recommending changes in policy to the Council. The Committee may invite deans, associate deans and others responsible for undergraduate and graduate/professional recruitment, admissions, and financial aid to its meetings to provide information and shall be available to consult with these persons on interpretation of existing policy and application of policy to specific cases. The Committee shall consist of eight faculty members, one A-1 staff member, three graduate/professional, and three undergraduate students. The dean of each undergraduate school shall appoint one ex officio, non-voting representative to the Committee. The vice provost for University life, dean of admissions, director of the Penn Plan, and director of student financial aid are non-voting ex officio members.
b. Bookstore Committee. The Bookstore Committee considers the purposes of a University bookstore and advises the Council and the director of the University bookstore on policies, development, and operations. The Committee shall consist of six faculty members, three A-1 staff members, one A-3 staff member, two graduate/professional students, and two undergraduates. The director of the University bookstore is a non-voting ex officio member.
c. Committee on Committees. The Committee on Committees, on behalf of the Steering Committee, will monitor all Council standing and ad hoc committees to assess their continuing usefulness. It will familiarize itself with the work and performance of committees and present recommendations to the Steering Committee for such changes in the structure, charges and number of members as it thinks appropriate.
The Committee on Committees will receive nominations from the various constituencies for membership on the standing committees with the exception of the Committee on Research and the independent committees with the exception of the Committee on Open Expression and the Academic Planning and Budget Committee. It will transmit those nominations together with recommendations for committee chairs to the Steering Committee.
The Committee will consist of six faculty members including the chair-elect of the Faculty Senate (who will nominate faculty members for the various committees on behalf of the Faculty Senate). In addition there will be a representative from each of the following: the A-1 staff, the A-3 staff, the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly, and the Nominations and Elections Committee. The chair-elect of the Faculty Senate shall be a voting ex officio member of the committee.
d. Committee on Communications. The Committee on Communications shall have cognizance over the University's communications and public relations activities in their various formats and media including electronic (e.g. PennNet), audio (the telephone system), video and printed copy. In particular, it shall monitor the University's internal communications, the operations of News and Public Affairs and the Publications Office, communications to alumni, and the interpretation of the University to its many constituencies. The Committee shall consist of eight faculty members, two A-1 staff members, two A-3 staff members, two graduate/professional students, and two undergraduate students. The assistant vice president for university relations, vice provost and director of libraries, vice provost for information systems and computing, and associate vice president for business services shall be non-voting ex officio members of the Committee.
e. Community Relations Committee. The Community Relations Committee shall advise on the relationship of the University to the surrounding community. It shall advise the Council and help make policy with respect to the community. It shall work with the Office of Community Relations to assure that the University develops and maintains a constructive relationship with the community. The chair of the committee shall have cognizance of pending real estate activities of concern to the community. The chair along with the director of community relations shall meet quarterly or more often, if needed, with the senior vice president or his or her designee for real estate to be informed of impending real estate activities that affect the community. They shall, with discretion, discuss relevant cases with the Committee, and may inform the community as the need arises. The Committee shall consist of eight faculty members, four A-1 staff members, two A-3 staff members, two graduate/professional students, and two undergraduates. At least three members shall reside in West Philadelphia. The senior vice president or his or her designee, the directors of recreation, community relations, and Annenberg Center, the director of the African-American Resource Center, the manager of WXPN-FM, and the coordinator of off-campus living shall be non-voting ex officio members of the Committee.
f. Facilities Committee. The Facilities Committee shall be responsible for keeping under review the planning and operation by the University of its physical plant and all services associated therewith, including transportation and parking. The Committee shall consist of eight faculty members, three A- 1 staff members, two A-3 staff members, two graduate/professional students, and two undergraduate students. The vice president for facilities management, director of community relations, the chair of the Committee for an Accessible University, and the registrar shall be non-voting ex officio members of the Committee.
g. International Programs Committee. The International Programs Committee shall review and monitor issues related to the international programs and other international activities of the University. The International Programs Committee shall advise and make policy recommendations in such areas as services for international students and scholars, foreign fellowships and studies abroad, faculty, staff and student exchange programs, and cooperative undertakings with foreign universities. The Committee shall consist of eight faculty members, one A-1 staff member, one A-3 staff member, three under.graduates, and three graduate/professional students. The Director of International Programs shall be a non-voting ex officio member of the Committee.
h. Library Committee. The Library Committee shall advise the director of libraries on the policies, development, and operation of the University libraries. The Committee shall consist of eight faculty members, one A-1 staff member, one A-3 staff member, two graduate/professional students, and two undergraduate students. The director of the Biddle Law Library and the director of libraries shall be non-voting ex officio members of the Committee.
i. Personnel Benefits Committee. The Personnel Benefits Committee shall have cognizance over the benefits programs for all University personnel. The Committee shall consist of eight faculty members (of whom one shall be a member of the Senate Committee on the Economic Status of the Faculty), three A-1 staff members (of whom one shall be a designated representative of the A-1 Assembly), two A-3 staff members, and one graduate/professional student. The comptroller, vice president for human resources, and benefits manager shall serve as non-voting ex officio members.
j. Committee on Pluralism. The Committee on Pluralism shall advise the Offices of the president, provost, the executive vice president, and the vice provost for university life on ways to develop and maintain a supportive atmosphere on campus for the inclusion and appreciation of pluralism among all members of the University community. The Committee will also address specific diversity issues that may arise on campus. The Committee shall consist of eight faculty members, two A-1 staff members, three A-3 staff members, three graduate/professional students, and three undergraduate students, with due regard for appropriate diversity. The chairs of the Penn Professional Staff Assembly and the A-3 Assembly, and the directors of the Penn Women's Center, the African-American Resource Center, Student Life Programs, the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Affairs, the Department of Residential Living, and the Office of International Programs shall be non-voting ex officio members of the Committee.
k. Committee on Recreation and Intercollegiate Athletics. This Committee shall have cognizance over recreation and intramural and intercollegiate athletics and their integration with the educational program of the University, including the planning and provision of adequate facilities for various sports and recreational activities. The Committee shall consist of eight faculty members, two A-1 staff members, two A-3 staff members, two graduate/ professional students, and two undergraduate students. The director of recreation and intercollegiate athletics, the vice provost for university life, the dean of admissions and one representative of the president's office shall be non-voting ex officio members of the Committee.
l. Committee on Research. The Committee on Research shall be generally concerned with the research activity of the University. It shall have cognizance of all matters of policy relating to research and the general environment for research at the University, including the assignment and distribution of indirect costs and the assignment of those research funds distributed by the University. It shall advise the administration on those proposals for sponsored research referred to it because of potential conflict with University policy.
Its membership shall include eight faculty members nominated by the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, four faculty and/or A-1 staff members nominated by the president and/or the provost, two graduate/professional students, and two undergraduate students. Faculty members and A-1 staff members shall be appointed for staggered two-year terms and students shall be appointed for one-year renewable terms. The chair is selected by the Steering Committee from among the membership. The vice provost for research shall be a non-voting ex officio member of the Committee.
m. Safety and Security Committee. The Safety and Security Committee shall advise the president, the director of public safety, and the administrators or directors of specific buildings, offices, or projects on all matters concerning safety and security in the conduct of their operations. Its principal responsibility is to consider and assess means to improve safety and security on the campus. The Committee shall consist of eight faculty members, two administrators, two members of the A-3 Assembly, two graduate/professional students, and three undergraduate students. The directors of fraternity and sorority affairs, residential living, physical plant, the Penn Women's Center, victim and security support services, and public safety, of transportation and parking (or his or her designee), the manager of fire and occupational safety, the coordinator of off-campus living, the director of the African-American Resource Center, and the vice provost for university life shall be non-voting ex officio members of the Committee.
n. Committee on Student Affairs. The Committee on Student Affairs shall have cognizance of the conditions and rules of undergraduate and graduate student life on campus. The Committee shall, inter alia: 1) gather and analyze information concerning student life and student affairs and make recommendations to Council; and 2) respond as appropriate to requests from and report information and recommendations concerning student life and student affairs to the vice provost for university life and other appropriate administrative officers. The Committee shall consist of eight faculty members, two A-1 staff members, two graduate/professional students, and three undergraduate students. The chair of the Undergraduate Assembly and the chair of the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly shall serve as voting ex officio members. The vice provost for university life and the chaplain shall serve as non-voting ex officio members. The Committee shall monitor the performance of all student services and shall recommend to appropriate administrators ways in which services to students may be improved; a standing Subcommittee on Student Services shall be charged with the monitoring function.
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2. Special Committees
The Council may create special committees to undertake specific tasks or functions. The membership of special committees shall be specified in the charges detailed by the Council in creating such committees.
3. Independent Committees
The Council takes cognizance of several University committees, which it does not directly charge but which may be called upon to report to the Council on specific issues within their purview.
(a) Committee on Open Expression. The Committee on Open Expression has as its major task: monitoring the communication processes to prevent conflicts that might emerge from failure of communication, recommending policies and procedures for improvement of all levels of communication, investigating alleged infringements of the right of open expression of any member or members of the University community, advising administrative officers where appropriate, and participating in evaluation and resolution of conflicts that may arise from incidents or disturbances on campus. The Committee shall consist of seventeen members: eight faculty members, two A-1 staff members, one A-3 staff member, and three undergraduate students, and three graduate/professional students. The faculty and A-1 staff members are appointed to two-year terms, staggered so that in each year either two or three faculty members are appointed, and one A-1 member is appointed. The student members are appointed to one-year terms. The chair of the Committee shall be selected by the Steering Committee from among the members. The jurisdiction of and procedures of the Committee shall follow the Guidelines on Open Expression. At the beginning of every year, the Committee shall conduct a meeting in order to familiarize the members with the Guidelines and the responsibilities of Committee members in enforcing and implementing the Guidelines.
(b) Academic Planning and Budget Committee. The purpose of the Committee shall be: l) to provide to the administration advice on the composition of the annual budget and on multi-year financial plans for the University; 2) to take into account, study, and report on long-range implications of current budget issues and alternatives; 3) to provide systematic thought about the evolving educational mission and educational needs of the University, and their present and future budgetary implications; 4) to provide useful early warnings of potential problems and early information on potential opportunities; and 5) to clarify means-ends relationships regarding programs and resources, including a reasoned basis for proposed priorities.
The purpose of the Committee is to bring together academic planning and financial planning so that informed advice might be provided to the administration on both short-term and long-range resource allocation. Thorough involvement in the development of the annual budget shall provide the Committee with the opportunity to familiarize itself with the economic condition of the University and to develop and explore optional modes of fulfilling the University's academic mission. In pursuing this charge it may request other officials or bodies within the University to report short-and long-range plans, to analyze important problems, to evaluate available options, and to help support in other ways the planning process.
In addition to the general charge to the Committee, the president may from time to time give more specific charges to the Committee. Preferably such periodic charges will be given at the beginning of the academic year, but the president may frame an ad hoc charge on matters that are either more specific or that are more immediate than the charge given at the beginning of each year. The Committee may, of course, develop its own agenda apart from the president's charges, based upon the Committee's interpretation of the general charge in the context of the University's situation at a given time.
It is to be understood that in regard to major reallocations that would change the character of an academic or other center or school, the president will seek and/or receive advice from other duly constituted advisory and consultative bodies according to the provisions and practices obtaining at the time.
The Committee's work shall be confidential, and it shall be empowered
to promise corresponding confidentiality to those with whom it interacts.
The requirement of confidentiality applies only to the proceedings of formal
business meetings, including documents and information provided for or at
such meetings. It does not apply to open hearings or other non-business
formats that the provost as chair wishes to employ.
The provost will implement and administer this rule of confidentiality not as an end in itself, but as means towards the larger ends of the Committee. As such, the provost will develop, in and through practices, the practical accommodations necessary to foster a necessary openness to the University community on the one hand and the confidentiality of the Committee's actual deliberations on the other hand. The practical goal in mind will be properly to reconcile all three of the following principles: openness to information and opinion from outside the Committee, the protection of ongoing deliberations and developing individual positions within the Committee, and the communication of the positions of the Committee as a whole after they have been achieved. In order to achieve this goal, the Committee shall provide progress reports and information on items on the agenda with the aim of facilitating communication between the Committee and the University community.
The provost, on behalf of the Committee, shall communicate with the president through whatever means and at whatever times are appropriate. In addition, the provost shall periodically, but at least annually, inform the University community about the advice the Committee as a whole has given the president and the reasons therefore.
The Committee shall have fourteen members and two alternate members: nine faculty, two graduate/professional students (one member, one alternate), two undergraduate students (one member, one alternate), two A-1 staff members, and the provost. The nine faculty shall be chosen as follows: four faculty shall be chosen by the president and five shall be chosen by the Faculty Senate Executive Committee. The two student members and two alternates shall be chosen as follows: one graduate/professional student member and one alternate by the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly; one undergraduate student member and one alternate by the Undergraduate Assembly. The two A-1 staff members shall be named by the president each year. The provost shall serve ex officio, and shall serve as chair.
The nine faculty members shall serve three-year non-renewable terms. The two student members, and the student alternates, shall serve one-year renewable terms. A student alternate may be renewed as a student member if a vacancy exists and vice versa. In order that there be the potential for partial faculty membership rotation annually, the nine initial faculty appointments shall include three one-year, and three two-year appointments which may be renewed as three-year appointments.
The fourteen members shall each have a vote; the provost as chair shall vote only to resolve a tie. The two alternates may attend all proceedings of the Committee, may be privy to all its information and deliberations, but shall not have voting power, except that when a student member (undergraduate or graduate/professional) is absent for a particular vote the respective alternate may vote in his/her stead.
The members of the following independent committees and their chairs are appointed by the Steering Committee with the advice of the Committee on Committees.
(c) Disability Board. The Disability Board continually evaluates the disability plan for adequacy, equity, and consistency with the broad University objectives; monitors the financial and administrativeoperations of the plan; oversees the processing of any applications for disability benefits and periodic reviews of existing disability cases; and hears appeals from decisions of the Medical Subcommittee of the Disability Board. The Board shall consist of eight faculty members, of whom at least three shall be members of the clinical faculty of the School of Medicine; two A-1 staff members; and two A-3 staff members. The chair of the Personnel Benefits Committee is an ex officio member.
(d) Honorary Degrees Committee. The Honorary Degrees Committee solicits nominations from faculty and staff members and students for honorary degrees to be awarded by the University at Commencement and at special convocations and submits a slate of nominees for action by the trustees. It may make recommendations to the president regarding Commencement speakers and the conduct of special convocations. The Committee shall consist of eight faculty members, two graduate/professional students, and two undergraduate students.
These bylaws may be amended by a majority vote of the members of the
Council in attendance in the presence of an actual quorum at any meeting
if the proposed changes have been distributed in writing to the members
of the Council at least one month in advance of that meeting.
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Almanac, Vol. 45, No. 4, September 22, 1998
FRONT PAGE | CONTENTS | JOB-OPS | CRIMESTATS | BETWEEN ISSUES | SEPTEMBER at PENN | INSERT: STEERING COMMITTEE REPORTS AND COUNCIL BYLAWS