Proposed Amended Rules of the Faculty Senate
April 11, 2006


The Faculty Senate of the University of Pennsylvania, pursuant to Rule 17 of the Rules of the Faculty Senate, and the proposed changes to the Rules having been distributed to the members of the Senate at least one month in advance of the special meeting of the Faculty Senate on May 17, 2006, DOES HEREBY RESOLVE that the Rules of the Faculty Senate are hereby amended to read as follows (deletions being indicated by strikethrough and additions being indicated by underline):

Section 9.  STANDING COMMITTEES

         (a)     The Executive Committee

                  (i)         There shall be an Executive Committee, consisting of the officers of the Senate for the current year, the Chair and Secretary of the preceding year, the Chair-elect and the Secretary-elect, fifty-one members of the Senate elected as hereafter prescribed.  The Chair of the Senate shall preside over meetings of the Executive Committee.

                  (ii)         The Executive Committee shall be broadly representative of the several schools and teaching areas of the University.  In addition to the functions described elsewhere in these rules, in the Bylaws of the University Council and in other University policies, the Executive Committee shall be consulted by the officers of the Senate in matters on which Senate action is indicated, and on major issues on which consultation with the administrative officers of the University is contemplated.

                  (iii)         The Executive Committee shall routinely act for the Senate on substantive policy issues, subject only to the limitation that it may not amend the rules of the Senate, and subject to the conditions that:

                  (1) it must report all actions on substantive issues promptly to the members of the Senate through publication in Almanac or by other appropriate means and must announce them at the next Senate meeting;

                  (2) if twenty members of the Senate protest any such action of the Executive Committee by written petition within two weeks of its publication, the action will not take effect unless and until it is ratified at a special meeting of the Senate, or, at the discretion of the Executive Committee, by referendum.  The Executive Committee may at its discretion choose to discharge its responsibility on certain issues by a binding mail ballot of the Senate membership, accompanied by explanatory material adequate to permit an informed vote.

                  (iv)         The Chair of the Senate, with the advice of the Executive Committee:

                  (1) shall publish as complete and as concisely descriptive as possible an agenda of Executive Committee meetings in advance in Almanac;

                  (2) shall publish all actions taken by the Executive Committee that are not subject to restrictions of confidentiality in Almanac; and

                  (3) shall ensure that accurate attendance records of Executive Committee meetings are maintained and that summaries of such records by members are published in Almanac at the end of each academic year.

                  (v)         The Executive Committee shall also nominate faculty members to serve on consultative committees.  In addition, all members of the Executive Committee shall serve as members of the University Council except those four members elected from the faculty at-large who are serving their first year and the Past Secretary.  It shall be the responsibility of members of the Executive Committee to report to their constituencies on the work of the University Council and the Executive Committee.

                  (vi)         The Chair of the Senate may call meetings of the Executive Committee by email notification and make other distributions under these rules by email transmission.  During the University’s winter break and summer break the Chair may call a special meeting of the Executive Committee by notice published online in Almanac Between Issues together with email notification or by email notification alone if the Chair believes that online publication would cause an unreasonable delay.  The Chair may call a special meeting during the winter or summer break only if the Chair, Chair-elect, and Past Chair believe that a delay would pose material risks to the interests of the Faculty Senate or the Executive Committee.

                  (vii)     Motions for actions or resolutions by the Executive Committee may be made and seconded by members by email transmission in lieu of a formal motion made at a meeting.  If the moving member proposes that the motion be subject to an email ballot, however, the motion must explain why consideration of the motion should occur before the next regularly scheduled meeting or a special meeting of the Executive Committee.  Votes on actions or resolutions of the Executive Committee may be taken by email transmission, on at least 10 days email notice by the Chair and only if the notice states that the Chair, Chair-elect, and Past Chair of the Senate believe that a delay would pose material risks to the interests of the Faculty Senate or the Executive Committee.  An email ballot will not be conducted if, within five days after the Chair notifies Executive Committee members of a proposed email ballot, five or more members request that the subject of the proposed email ballot be voted on in a meeting.  A motion will carry in an email ballot only if at least two-thirds of the members of the Executive Committee cast votes and the motion receives a simple majority of the votes cast.

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         (c)     The Nominating Committee

                  (i)         There shall be a Nominating Committee of nine members whose function is to nominate candidates for elections to the offices of the Senate, the Senate Executive Committee, the Senate Committee on the Economic Status of the Faculty, the Senate Committee on Academic Freedom and Responsibility, and the Senate Committee on Conduct.

                  (ii) Each constituency representative on the Executive Committee shall submit, early during the spring semester by October 1, one name from his or her constituency as a nominee for the Nominating Committee.  . . .

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         (f)         The Committee on Committees

                  (i)         There shall be a Senate Committee on Committees consisting of the Chair, the Chair-elect and seven of the continuing members of the Executive Committee.  This committee shall be charged with the responsibility of nominating candidates for all committees to which the Executive Committee makes appointments except the Nominating Committee and the Committee on Committees.  Selection of this committee by the Executive Committee shall occur early during the spring semester, from among those members of the Executive Committee who shall be continuing members for the following year.  The chair of the committee shall be appointed from the selected members by the Executive Committee on the recommendation of the Chair of the Senate.  The Chair and Chair-elect of the Faculty Senate shall serve ex officio without voting rights.

                  (ii)         The Committee on Committees shall be charged with submitting a slate including at least one and one-half times as many names as positions to be filled.  This slate shall be submitted to the Faculty Senate Office for distribution to the members of the Executive Committee at least one week prior to the Executive Committee meeting at which the slate is to be presented.  Additional nominations may be made at the Executive Committee meeting at which the slate is to be discussed and voted upon.  However, if five or more members of the Executive Committee present at the meeting so request, a A final vote on the slate shall take place at the following Executive Committee meeting, unless a mail ballot is deemed desirable.

                  (iii)         If, by May 15, the Committee on Committees has been unable to identify and nominate for approval by the Executive Committee a sufficient number of members who are willing to serve on a Committee during the following academic year, the Chair, Chair-Elect, and Past Chair of the Faculty Senate may identify and nominate additional members for approval by SEC.

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         (h)         Other Standing Committees Appointed by the Executive Committee

                     (i)         There shall be the following committees, which shall have the following general charges:

                           (a)         The Committee on the Faculty and the Academic Mission:  The Committee oversees and advises the Executive Committee on matters relating to the University’s policies and procedures concerning the academic mission, including the structure of the academic staff, the tenure system, faculty appointments and promotions, faculty research, and faculty governance.  In general the Committee deals with the matters covered by the following sections of the University’s Handbook for Faculty and Academic Administrators:  I.E.-F., H.2., II.A.-D.;

                           (b)         The Committee on Students and Educational Policy:  The Committee oversees and advises the Executive Committee on matters relating to the University’s policies and procedures on the admission and instruction of students, including academic integrity, admissions policies and administration, evaluation of teaching, examinations and grading, academic experiences, educational opportunities (such as study abroad), student records, disciplinary systems, and the campus environment.  In general the Committee deals with the matters covered by the following section of the University’s Handbook for Faculty and Academic Administrators:  IV.;

                           (c)         The Committee on Faculty and the Administration:  The Committee oversees and advises the Executive Committee on matters relating to the faculty’s interface with the University’s administration, including policies and procedures relating to the University’s structure, the conditions of faculty employment (such as personnel benefits), and information.  In general the Committee deals with the matters covered by the following sections of the University’s Handbook for Faculty and Academic Administrators:  I.A.-D., G.-H.1., I.-K., II.E., III., V., VI.;

                           (d)         The Committee on Publication Policy for AlmanacThe Committee maintains oversight over Almanac’s guidelines and publication policies and the relationships between Almanac and other University news and information sources. It advises the Editor of Almanac on publication issues when necessary or requested. In particular the Editor will consult it, or, when appropriate, the Almanac Advisory Board, of which it forms the faculty representation, when considering refusal of a contribution on any grounds other than legal liability.

                           (e)         The Committee on Faculty Development, Diversity, and Equity:  The Committee (i) identifies and promotes best practices for faculty development, mentoring, and work environment to facilitate faculty success at all career levels; (ii) evaluates and advocates processes for faculty recruitment, promotion, and retention that promote diversity, equity, and work/life balance for the faculty; (iii) monitors the status of faculty development, mentoring, diversity, and equity; and (iv) issues periodic reports on the activities and findings of the committee and make recommendations for implementation.

The committees shall each consist of at least six members, including the Chair and Chair-elect of the Senate.  The members and chair of each committee shall be appointed by the Executive Committee following the procedure outlined in Section 9(f).  The terms of office of the members and chair of each committee shall be one year, commencing at the inception of the academic year, with no limit on the number of reappointments.

                  (ii) The committees shall deal with their respective general charges and such other matters as may be referred to them from time to time by the Senate, the Executive Committee, or the Chair of the Senate.  The titles and general charges of the committees shall be indicative generally suggestive, but not restrictive, of the matters that may be referred to the committees. 

                  (iii) In addition, the Senate Committee on Publication Policy for Almanac shall perform the functions assigned to it in the "Guide for Readers and Contributors" of Almanac.

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         (i)      The chair of a standing committee or ad hoc committee (Section 10) of the Senate may call a meeting of the committee by email notification and make other distributions by email transmission.  Motions for actions or resolutions by a Senate committee may be made and seconded by members by email transmission in lieu of a formal motion made at a meeting.  If the moving member proposes that the motion be subject to an email ballot, however, the motion must explain why consideration of the motion should occur before the next regularly scheduled meeting or a special meeting of the committee.  Votes by a Senate committee may be taken by email transmission unless 3 members of the committee request a meeting.  A motion will carry only if at least two-thirds of the members of the committee cast votes and the motion receives a simple majority of the votes cast.

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Section 11. MEETINGS

         (a)         Special Meetings.  Special meetings of the Senate may be called by the Chair, and whenever requested in writing by twenty members of the Senate the Chair shall call a special meeting.  The Chair shall cause notice of the time and place of each special meeting to be given at least seven days prior to the meeting.  Unless the Senate directs otherwise, the time and place of each meeting shall be determined by the Chair.

During the University’s winter break and summer break the Chair may call a special meeting of the Senate by notice published online in Almanac Between Issues together with email notification or by email notification alone if the Chair believes that online publication would cause an unreasonable delay.  The Chair may call a special meeting during the winter or summer break only if the Chair, Chair-elect, and Past Chair believe that a delay would pose material risks to the interests of the Senate.

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Section 14. VACANCIES

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         (d)         The Chair-elect and Secretary-elect.  Whenever a vacancy shall occur in the office of Chair-elect or Secretary-elect, the Nominating Committee shall select, and secure acceptance of nomination of, one or more candidates.  Its report shall be circulated to members of the Senate and an  election shall take place, according to the procedures of Section 12(b), (i), (d) and (e).  The person elected shall automatically succeed to the office of Chair or Secretary at the end of the incumbent's term.