Charter of the Faculty Senate

1. CHARTER OF THE FACULTY SENATE

1.1 FUNCTION.

The Faculty Senate shall function as the official coordinating body of faculty views relating to the academic activities of this institution, and shall provide policy guidance for the administration on all matters pertaining to the welfare, conduct, and involvement of employed human resources.
The Faculty Senate shall be charged with the responsibility of providing the President and other members of the administration with a consensus of faculty thinking of the following areas of interest:
a) Academic procedures,
b) Academic standards, including admission, progress, and graduation,
c) Development leaves,
d) Faculty recruitment and employment,
e) Faculty research,
f) Faculty retirement, insurance, and fringe benefits,
g) Faculty tenure, promotion, and termination and
h) Teaching loads.
Senate deliberation and action may result either from a request for policy guidance by administration or from the request of the faculty it represents. The Senate may make recommendations to the appropriate official on any matters which it considers to be of concern to the welfare of the faculty.

1.2 PROCEDURE.

The Faculty Senate shall be organized as a legislative body. It shall elect a president and other such officers as provided for in Its by-laws. In its by-laws, the Senate shall establish rules to govern its general meetings, executive sessions, special hearings, and other procedural matters. By-laws may be amended by majority vote, but must be proposed at the meeting prior to the taking of the vote.
The Senate shall determine a regular meeting place, hour, and day for monthly meetings. Minutes of the Senate shall be sent to the President, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice-Presidents, Academic Deans, and all faculty members. The Senate shall meet at other times on the request of the President, the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, the president of the Senate, or on the written request of five members of the Senate.

1.3 INITIATIVE AND REFERENDUM.

Twenty percent of the voting faculty or a simple majority of the voting faculty of a particular College may petition the Faculty Senate to consider a specific proposal. Consideration then must be given this proposal by the Faculty Senate. If twenty percent of the voting faculty requests a referendum on a specific issue, it shall be mandatory upon the Faculty Senate to submit such issue to a vote of the entire voting faculty. A simple majority of those voting sufficient to approve such proposals. When a vacancy occurs in the office of the President, the Faculty Senate shall ascertain the recommendation of the faculty through use of recognized research techniques and shall serve as the official voice of the faculty in relaying the recommendation to the Board of Regents with a copy to the officer in charge of the University.

1.4 STRUCTURE AND ORGANIZATION.

Members of the Senate shall be elected for three-year, staggered terms (one-third being elected each year). The terms of office shall begin with the first day of each fall semester. Elections shall be held in March in each academic college under the supervision of the Senate President, Vice-President, and Secretary. Vacancies shall be filled by special elections called by the Senate President.
Tenured or full-time faculty members, excluding those with administrative assignments at the Instructional Department Chair level or above, shall be eligible to vote for senators if they have completed one year's service at Lamar. These eligible voters shall constitute the voting faculty.
Tenured or full-time faculty members, excluding those with administrative assignments at the Instructional Department Chair level or above, shall be eligible to election to the Senate If they have completed three years' service at Lamar prior to assuming office. Senate faculty members who are appointed to interim or permanent administrative assignments at the Department Chair level or above shall resign their Senate position immediately upon appointment and the respective college shall hold an election for that replacement.
Each Academic College shall elect a minimum of two senators, and additional senators not to exceed twelve percent of each College's full time faculty computed to the nearest whole number. The Library faculty shall elect two senators. The Developmental Program College Readiness (11/2012) shall elect one senator. When the hiring process is frozen, the number of senators remains unchanged (Added 11/2012).

The number of senators to be elected by each Academic College shall be determined by the Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs if it exceeds twelve percent of the College's full time faculty. (Changed 11/2012).