College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics

ARTICLE I. MEETINGS

Section 1. Scheduling of Meetings

a. Regular Meetings: Regular meetings of the Natural Sciences and Mathematics Council shall be scheduled once a month on a Tuesday at 3:30 p.m., not conflicting with Faculty Senate meetings.

b. Special Meetings: The Executive Committee, or in an emergency the Chair, shall have the authority to call special meetings. The Dean of the College may request a special meeting of the Council by contacting the Chair of the Council. Council itself may provide for holding additional meetings. Also, five members of Council may call special meetings by a petition submitted to the Secretary of the Council. Special meetings called by petition shall be held no later than ten days from the date of the filing of the petition with the Secretary. Members of the Faculty shall be given written notice of the meeting at least three days in advance of the meeting, and the notice shall cite the contents of the petition and the text of any proposals on which the Faculty is expected to act.

Section 2. Quorum: A majority of the membership of Council shall constitute a quorum for transacting business.

Section 3. Rules of Procedure: Except as otherwise provided herein, the basic rules of parliamentary procedure shall apply to the conduct of business. The Chair may appoint a parliamentarian.

Section 4. Log and Agenda: The Secretary of Council shall maintain and distribute to Council members a log of proposed agenda items. The Executive Committee shall schedule Council meetings, prepare the agenda for them, and distribute the meeting agenda, together with the texts of any proposals upon which Council is expected to act, at least three days prior to the meeting. The Executive Committee may assign directly to a committee a proposed agenda item before it is placed on the agenda.

Section 5. Order of Business: At regular meetings, the typical order of business is: (1) approval of the minutes; (2) University reports and proposals; (3) College reports and proposals; (4) Council committee reports; (5) unfinished business; and (6) new business. A motion to change the order of business shall be in order at any time and may be adopted by majority vote.

ARTICLE II. VOTING

Section 1. Forms of Voting: Voting shall be by voice vote or by show of hands, unless a member shall request a record roll-call vote. If any member desires a secret ballot, he/she may request it of the Chair who, upon obtaining a simple majority vote, will conduct a secret ballot. A majority vote for a secret ballot shall take precedence over a request for a record roll-call vote.

Section 2. Test Vote: At the request of any member, the Chair shall test the sentiment of Council by asking for a voice vote or a show of hands on a proposal or question without calling for a vote on a pending motion.

Section 3. Cloture: The motion to limit or close debate shall require an affirmative vote of two-thirds of those present.

Section 4. Reconsideration: Any member may move to reconsider a motion whether he/she voted with the prevailing side or not.

Section 5. Replacements:

a. In the event that any Council member cannot attend meetings for a semester, a departmental representative should be replaced for that semester by another member of that Department, by vote and appointment by the Department. Proxy votes will not be allowed in Council meetings.

b. In the event that a Council member who represents a Department is unable to attend a particular meeting, he or she shall select a colleague from the same Department as a temporary substitute for that session. The substitution shall be reported to the secretary orally or in writing. The substitute shall be entitled to vote.

c. Any member of the Natural Sciences and Mathematics Council who misses three meetings in any one academic year will be informed by the Chair of the Council that missing one further meeting will result in removal from Council and replacement for the remaining portion of that member's term. The Department Chair will be notified of the initial reminder and of the removal, should that be necessary.

d. In case of student representatives, the Natural Sciences and Mathematics caucus of the Student Senate will be notified of the initial reminder and of the removal, should that be necessary.

Section 6. Vacancies: A vacancy in any at-large position under the elective supervision of Council shall be filled by the Executive Committee with the next eligible runner-up from the most recent election. The Chair shall announce the filling of any such vacancy to Council and to the Chair of the body in which the vacancy has occurred. A vacancy in the position of Chair of the Council shall be filled by the Vice Chair. Council will elect a new Vice Chair.

ARTICLE III. COMMITTEES

Section 1. Designation: The designation for any committee created under the auspices of the Natural Sciences and Mathematics Council shall be that of "Council Committee on ...".

Section 2. Reporting: Council committees shall report directly to the Council.

Section 3. Membership: Normally, Council committees should be composed of members of Council only, but the Executive Committee of Council may appoint other faculty members of the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics to serve as voting members on Council committees when it deems it appropriate. Other persons from inside or outside the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, faculty or non-faculty, may be asked to meet with a committee or to give testimony, advice or recommendations to a committee, but may not vote or participate in preparing the final report of the committee.

Section 4. Types of Committees: There shall be three types of Council committees:

a. Executive Committee: An Executive Committee of six shall be elected under the provisions of Article IV below.

b. Standing Committees: Standing committees are permanent ones, listed in the Rules.

c. Temporary Committees: Temporary committees are created for special or unique concerns that do not need continuing study. Their lifetimes shall not extend beyond the end of a Council year; if they are to continue beyond that time, they shall be reauthorized by the next Council.

Section 5. Appointments to Committees: Appointments to standing and temporary committees and designation of chairs, as well as appointments to liaison positions with other committees or agencies of the University, shall be made by the Executive Committee. They shall be for the remainder of the Council year in which they are made; appointments or reappointments to liaison positions, standing committees and reauthorized temporary committees shall be made anew in the following year.

Section 6. Reports:

a. Progress Reports: Council Committees may be asked to present progress reports at the discretion of the Executive Committee.

b. Formal Reports: Formal reports by Council committees shall be distributed to all members along with the agenda for the meeting at which they will be considered. Formal reports shall consist of (1) the committee's recommendations for substantive action (when applicable) and (2) an explanation.

(1) Form of Reports: Committee reports shall be distributed to all Council members at least three days before meetings in the form in which Council is asked to adopt them. The names of those committee members who approved the recommendations during committee deliberations and who are prepared to support them during debate shall appear at the close of this section of the report.

(2) Substance of Reports: The explanation shall summarize the data compiled, the issues that arose during deliberations, and the manner in which each issue was resolved. The explanation should be so presented as to enable Council members to understand the basis of the recommendations. The list of the full committee membership shall be included, and the identity of those supporting the majority and minority reports shall be provided when applicable. The report shall include a statement indicating the number of sessions the committee held and list the non-committee members who assisted the committee in any manner.

(3) Minority Reports: Minority members who do not support the committee recommendations may submit minority reports, either individually or collectively. Minority reports likewise shall be distributed with the majority report and in all respects shall follow the form prescribed for formal reports.

Section 7. Standing Committees: The Natural Sciences and Mathematics Council shall have the following standing committees with their respective charges:

a. Council Committee on Constitution and Rules: Council Committee on Constitution and Rules shall study and report on proposals to amend the Constitution of the College and the Rules of Council. It shall be responsible for the printing and distribution to the Faculty of amended versions of the Constitution and Rules.

b. Council Committee on Curriculum: Council Committee on Curriculum shall study and report on proposals to alter courses of instruction in the College, and related matters. The Council shall maintain open communication with the Director of Student Services on issues related to undergraduate students, support, and curriculum.

c. Council Committee on Elections: Council Committee on Elections shall provide and maintain a Handbook of Election Procedures. The committee shall administer the at-large elections of the College and certify the results to the Secretary of the Council. The committee shall be responsible for making policy recommendations to Council concerning the holding of elections.

d. Council Committee on Academic Grievance: Council Committee on Academic Grievance shall act as the college body responsible for dealing with student academic grievances as described in the Student Handbook. The committee will convene upon receipt of a formal written request by the student. One faculty member from each Department and two undergraduate student representatives from the College comprise the committee. The Committee on Academic Grievance operates under its own Bylaws.

ARTICLE IV. ELECTION OF OFFICERS AND EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Section 1. Executive Committee will be composed of one Council representative from each Department. The Secretary of the Council will be a member of the Executive Committee ex-officio.

a. Election of members: One member of the Executive Committee will be selected from each Department represented on Council in accordance with the rules of that Department. The Vice Chair will be elected from among the members of the Executive Committee by majority vote of the Council representatives, with the proviso that the Vice Chair cannot represent the same Department as either the current or immediately past Chair of the Executive Committee.

b. Succession of Chair: The Vice Chair of the Council will automatically become the Chair of the Council in the year succeeding his/her term as Vice Chair.

ARTICLE V. COLLEGE ELECTIONS

Section 1. At-Large Elections: Council shall supervise the following at-large elections of the College: The membership of the College Committee on Academic Personnel, and the Natural Sciences and Mathematics membership of the Graduate Council.

Section 2. Nomination and Elections: Separate nomination and election balloting shall be conducted for each of the above offices during the Spring Semester in accordance with the provisions of the Handbook of Election Procedures.

Section 3. Re-eligibility for Re-election: A faculty representative elected at-large to any of the bodies specified in Section 1 above shall be ineligible for reelection to that office until one year has elapsed.

ARTICLE VI. AMENDMENT

The Bylaws of the Natural Sciences and Mathematics Council may be amended by a two-thirds vote of Council.