Nominations for membership to all standing committees shall be made by the Rules Committee and approved by the Senate, for a period of three years, unless otherwise specified in these Articles. Committee appointments shall become effective at the beginning of the fall semester and shall expire at the end of the summer term. Students serving on committees shall serve one-year terms; staff members shall serve three-year terms unless otherwise specified in these Articles. Each standing committee shall have a written statement of its operating procedures on file with the secretary of the Senate. Deliberations of committees dealing with grievance; student or faculty dismissal; discipline; promotion and tenure; and other personnel matters must remain confidential.
Section 2. Other Committees: The Senate may form other ad hoc committees; nominations for membership shall be made by the Rules Committee unless otherwise specified in these Articles.
In addition to committees reporting directly to the Senate, there are a number of standing University committees that shall report to the President of the University or the President's designee. (A list and description of the composition and charge of current standing University committees follows the Senate Constitution.)
The Senate shall have the responsibility for providing the President with a list of faculty nominations for University committees. The Senate shall also have the right to place items on the agenda of University committees and to request that the chair of any University committee inform the Senate of committee activities. Each standing University committee shall have a written statement of its operating procedures on file with the responsible member of the central administration. All University-level committees at Auburn, whether Senate committees, University committees, or ad hoc committees are ultimately advisory to the President.
Section 3. Committee Chair: Unless otherwise specified in these Articles, the chair of each Senate committee shall be selected by the Rules Committee for a renewable one-year term. During the spring semester each committee chair shall be responsible for providing the Steering Committee of the Senate with a written report on its activities for the past year. In case of a committee chaired by someone who is not a member of the Senate, the chair shall be seated in the Senate with all rights and privileges except the right to vote.
Section 4. Steering Committee: The Steering Committee shall consist of the chair of the Senate as chair, the Provost, the chair-elect, the secretary, and the secretary-elect of the Senate together with two faculty members appointed by the President and two faculty members appointed by the Rules Committee and approved by the Senate. Appointees shall serve two-year staggered terms. The committee shall act for the Senate on those matters requiring attention between meetings of that body and shall assist the chair of the Senate in setting the agenda for Senate meetings. In addition, it shall be concerned with the academic affairs of the University, with particular attention given to the need for developing and recommending policies under which these affairs are conducted. It shall work closely with other Senate committees to aid them in their assignments and shall receive an annual written report from each committee chair describing the committee's activities for the past year. Minutes reporting formal action taken by the Steering Committee shall be given to each member of the Senate and discussed, as desired, at the meeting of the Senate following their distribution.
Section 5. Rules Committee: The Rules Committee shall consist of the chair of the Senate as chair, the chair-elect, the immediate past-chair, the secretary, the secretary-elect, and six members elected by the Senate. Elected members shall serve two-year staggered terms. Election of members to two-year terms shall be held by secret ballot at each March meeting of the Senate. Candidates who receive a majority vote shall be elected, and their appointment shall become effective the following August. Nominations shall be made from the floor at the Senate's February meeting. Information about the candidates shall be distributed to all Senators with the agenda for the March meeting. All members of the committee must be members of the Senate at the time of their election. Election to fill the unexpired term of an elected member of the Rules Committee shall be held at the first meeting of the Senate after the vacancy occurs. No elected member can succeed himself or herself as an elected member except when he or she is filling an unexpired term. The committee shall serve as the Committee on Committees. All questions concerning Senate procedures shall be referred to this committee, and it shall recommend to the Senate the disposition to be made of any dispute concerning the operation of the Senate. It shall ensure that unit senators are duly elected, and that no unit of the University is denied the representation to which it is entitled under these Articles. The committee should make periodic studies of the Senate with respect to its objectives and its role in faculty governance, and should recommend changes that should be made to enable the Senate to better serve the University.
Section 6. Academic Computing Committee: The Academic Computing Committee shall consist of nine faculty members; the Executive Director of the Division of University Computing, or designee; two undergraduate students nominated by the President of the Student Government Association; and one graduate student nominated by the President of the Graduate Student Organization. The committee shall review on an annual basis the status and needs of academic computing and shall recommend action and policies, or policy changes, with regard to academic computing.
Section 7. Academic Program Review Committee: The Academic Program Review Committee shall consist of one faculty member from each college or school, the Vice President for Research, the Vice President for Outreach, and the Dean of the Graduate School. The chairperson of the committee shall be a faculty member. No faculty member shall serve more than two consecutive three-year terms. The committee shall periodically review each academic program of the University in terms of its quality, productivity, and centrality to the University's role and purposes and, on the basis of this review, shall develop appropriate recommendations for review and implementation by the President.
Section 8. Committee on Academic Standards: The Committee on Academic Standards shall consist of the Provost or his designee as ex-officio, the Registrar as non-voting and continuing, and nine faculty members. The committee shall study policies governing scholastic standards for all students regarding admission to the University, continuation in residence, and graduation, and make recommendations to the Senate. In addition, the committee shall recommend approval or disapproval of all college, school, and department requests to establish additional standards for admission in individual programs or curricula.
Section 9. Administrator Evaluation Committee: The Administrator Evaluation Committee shall consist of five faculty members, a representative designated by the Provost and holding faculty rank and tenure; one administrative/professional member nominated by the Administrative and Professional Assembly, and one staff member nominated by the Staff Council. The chair of the committee will be selected from the five faculty members. The committee shall oversee and/or conduct a periodic evaluation of University administrators involved in the University's teaching, research, and extension programs and provide a report of aggregate data to the Senate.
Section 10. Calendar and Schedules Committee: The Calendar and Schedules Committee shall consist of the Registrar as secretary, six faculty members, one administrative and professional member nominated by the Administrative and Professional Assembly, one staff member nominated by the Staff Council, and one student nominated by the Student Government Association. The committee shall submit a proposed University Calendar for approval by the Senate. It shall recommend policies concerning scheduling to promote effective use of the University's facilities.
Section 11. Core Curriculum Oversight Committee: The Core Curriculum Oversight Committee shall consist of the Provost or designee as chair, and eleven faculty members, to be distributed as follows: There shall be seven representatives from the core areas: 1) composition or literature 2) fine arts 3) history 4) mathematics 5) natural sciences 6) philosophy 7) social sciences. In addition, there shall be one representative from the faculty of the University Libraries and three representatives, selected from colleges or schools that are not represented by the seven core areas. The Director of Assessment shall serve as a non-voting, ex officio member of the committee. The committee shall have the responsibility of recommending educational goals for the Core Curriculum and monitoring the effectiveness of the Core in fostering student achievement of those goals. Toward this end, the committee shall oversee the assessment of student learning in the Core, including the evaluation of courses, and may recommend to the University Senate changes in the Core Curriculum, including the admission or deletion of courses and other changes to the eCore.
Section 12. Curriculum Committee: The Curriculum Committee shall consist of the Provost or designee as chair, the Registrar or designee as secretary, the Dean of the Graduate School or designee, and one faculty member from each college or school. The committee shall recommend approval or disapproval of requests for undergraduate and graduate curriculum changes. Graduate curriculum matters, including requests involving 6000-level courses, shall come to the Curriculum Committee following approval by the Graduate Council. In addition, the committee shall review overall curriculum patterns and course content of the instructional program other than the University Core Curriculum and shall recommend to the Senate curriculum changes needed by the University.
Section 13. Faculty Salaries Committee: The Faculty Salaries Committee shall consist of the Provost or designee, the Executive Vice President or designee, the Executive Director of Planning and Analysis or designee as a non-voting member, and five faculty members. Faculty members shall serve three-year staggered terms. The committee shall examine the salaries of all University Faculty within the institution and in comparison to those at other universities and shall make recommendations to the University Budget Advisory Committee as to the most effective means of remedying existing salary inequities and ensuring the maintenance of equity in the salary structure.
Section 14. Faculty Handbook Review Committee: The Faculty Handbook Review Committee shall consist of the Provost or designee and six faculty members. The committee shall receive and solicit suggestions for changes and updating of the Faculty Handbook and recommend to the University Senate such changes as it deems appropriate.
Section 15. Graduate Council: The Graduate Council shall consist of the Dean of the Graduate School as chair, the Associate Dean of the Graduate School as non-voting vice chair, the Assistant to the Dean of the Graduate School as non-voting secretary, and 12 - 15 faculty members, with at least one from each school or college with a graduate program, and a graduate student nominated by the Graduate Student Organization. Faculty members shall be appointed by the dean of the Graduate School from a list of nominees provided by the Senate Rules Committee. The list of nominees shall, at a minimum, exceed the number of openings by two and shall contain at least two nominees from any school or college without a continuing representative. Faculty members must be full members of the Graduate Faculty. The council shall review requests for curriculum changes in courses that may be taken for graduate credit, review and recommend approval of all proposals for new graduate programs and modifications to existing programs, review existing programs, recommend regulations and policies for the Graduate School, and assist the dean of the Graduate School in carrying out those regulations and policies.
Section 16. Lectures Committee: The Lectures Committee shall consist of the Associate Provost or designee serving as chair, three faculty members, one graduate student nominated by the Graduate Student Organization and two undergraduate students nominated by the Student Government Association. The committee is a companion to the student-run University Program Council and shall augment the instructional programs of the University by supporting speakers of distinctive scholarship and accomplishment who would be of interest to students, faculty, and staff.
Section 17. Library Committee: The Library Committee shall consist of the Dean of Libraries; one library faculty member and one faculty member from each school or college; one undergraduate student nominated by the Student Government Association and one graduate student nominated by the Graduate Student Organization. The committee shall recommend policies governing the distribution of funds for acquiring library materials, policies for the selection and location of such materials, and library services to be offered.
Library Appeals Committee: The Library Appeals Committee is a subcommittee of the Library Committee. It shall consist of five members and five alternates. These shall be a faculty member, appointed by the chair of the Library Committee, who serves for two years, the first as an alternate and the second as chair; a librarian, appointed by the Dean of Libraries, who serves for two years, the first as an alternate; a staff member, appointed by the chair of the Staff Advisory Council, who serves for two years, the first as an alternate; a graduate student, nominated by the Graduate Student Organization, who serves a renewable one-year term; and an undergraduate student, nominated by the Student Government Association, who serves a one-year renewable term. The committee shall hear all appeals of library fines and other charges and render binding judgments.
Section 18. Non-tenure Track Faculty Committee: The Non-tenure Track Faculty Committee shall consist of three tenured faculty members, three instructors, and three other non-tenure track faculty members, two department heads/chairs, and one representative of the central administration, all with staggered three-year terms. The committee will consider the special concerns of non-tenure track faculty and may propose policies relating to the status, function, and rights of non-tenure track faculty within the University. Each fall the committee chair will inform all non-tenure track faculty of the committee's existence and purpose..
Section 19. Competitive Research Grant Committee: The Competitive Research Grant Committee shall consist of the Associate Provost and Vice President for Research as chair, the Associate Vice Presidents for Research as non-voting members, and 13 faculty members. Each school or college shall be represented by at least one faculty member. The committee shall establish policy for the Grant-in-Aid programs and review and recommend proposals for funding.
Section 20. Retention Committee: The Retention Committee shall consist of the Assistant Provost for Undergraduate Studies, the Director of the Student Success Center, the Director of Financial Aid, five faculty members, and two students. The faculty members will serve 3-year rotating terms. The committee shall be responsible for continuous monitoring of the retention of undergraduate students and for recommending retention initiatives and working with the appropriate deans and student affairs staff to establish them.
Section 21 Teaching Effectiveness Committee: The Teaching Effectiveness Committee shall consist of the Provost or designee and 13 faculty members, an undergraduate student nominated by the Student Government Association, and a graduate student nominated by the Graduate Student Organization. Each school or college shall be represented by at least one faculty member. The committee shall review what is currently in place in the University with respect to appropriate and reasonable teaching assignments. The committee shall establish policy for the Teaching Grant-in-Aid program and review and recommend proposals for funding. It shall also evaluate existing resources for teaching, provide systematic approaches to faculty evaluation, offer formal faculty development programs, and recognize excellence in teaching.
Section 22. Faculty Grievance Committee: The Faculty Grievance Committee shall consist of one elected member from each of the academic schools or colleges, one elected member from the Library, one elected member from the non-tenure track faculty members of the Cooperative Extension System who are not included in academic departments; and one elected member from the non-tenure track faculty in University Extension who are not included in academic departments. No member shall serve more than two consecutive three-year terms. The chair shall be elected from within the Grievance Committee and shall serve one year as chair-elect before assuming duties of the chair as provided in Article 6, Section 3. The committee shall evaluate grievances filed by faculty members and make recommendations to the President. The committee shall follow the Faculty Grievance Procedure outlined in Article 6 of the Senate Constitution.
Section 23. Faculty Welfare Committee: The Faculty Welfare Committee shall consist of the Executive Vice President, the Director of Payroll and Benefits, eight faculty members, and one staff member nominated by the Staff Council and one administrative and professional member nominated by the Administrative and Professional Assembly. The committee shall look into and make recommendations concerning faculty benefits and welfare programs of the University.
Article 5: Procedures
Section 1. Meetings: The Senate shall have one regular meeting each month during the months of September through July, except December, as scheduled by the Rules Committee. These regular meetings should be scheduled a year in advance and must be scheduled at least 30 days in advance. Special meetings may be called by the chair of the Senate at the request of the Steering Committee or the Rules Committee. A special meeting shall be called by the chair within seven days after receiving a petition signed by at least 40 percent of the members of the Senate. Notice listing the agenda shall be sent by the chair or secretary at least 48 hours before each meeting.
Section 2. Parliamentary Rules: Senate meetings shall be conducted in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order, Revised, with the following exceptions:
a. A motion of substance not directly related to an item on the agenda, properly made and seconded, shall be placed on the agenda of the next meeting and not voted on before that meeting.
b. A two-thirds majority vote shall be required to table a motion.
Section 3. Agenda: The agenda for each meeting shall contain:
a. Those matters requested by the Steering Committee,
b. Any motion governed by Section 1 of this Article,
c. Items requested by any committee of the Senate.
Items in a. and b. shall be listed ahead of items in c. The order in which the items appear on any agenda may be changed by a majority vote of the Senate.
Section 4. Quorum: A quorum shall consist of a majority of the members of the Senate. Substitutes shall be counted toward filling a quorum.
Section 5. Minutes: The secretary shall maintain minutes of each meeting that shall include a list of those absent and the names of the substitutes.
Section 6. Titles of Positions: When a title of a University position referred to in these Articles is changed, the corresponding changes in these Articles shall be pro forma unless an objection is made by the Rules Committee or by the Board of Trustees.
Section 7. Amendments: These Articles may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the total membership of the Senate and approval of the Board of Trustees.
Article 6: Faculty Grievance Procedure
Section 1. Purpose: This procedure provides members of the faculty with a means of presenting grievances to other members of the faculty for evaluation and recommendation to the President.
Section 2. Definition: A grievance is a complaint of alleged
a. violation of academic freedom;
b. unfair or wrong use of procedures in matters concerning renewal of appointments or nomination for tenure or promotion--the point of the alleged grievance being not whether tenure or promotion was granted, but whether correct procedures were followed;
c. administrative mishandling in such matters as performance evaluations, departmental assignments, or other working conditions; or
d. improper or unethical activities such as failure to honor commitments, harassment, or discrimination.
A grievance may be filed by one or more faculty members affected; it may be directed against the action of one or more administrators or other members of the faculty.
Section 3. Grievance Committee Meetings: Within the first two weeks of the Fall semester, or as soon as the new members of the committee are elected, the chair of the Grievance Committee shall convene the Grievance Committee for the purpose of electing a chair-elect from the second-year committee membership. In the event that the chair becomes vacant, the chair-elect shall assume the responsibilities of the chair and shall convene the Grievance Committee to elect a new chair-elect from the second-year committee membership within 30 days. The chair of the Grievance Committee shall serve from the first meeting of the Committee within the first two weeks of fall semester until the end of the following summer term.The Grievance Committee shall meet on call by the chair as set forth in Section 4.b. If the chair should fail to call a meeting as specified in Section 4, then the chair of the Senate shall convene the committee and preside over its functions. The quorum for the Grievance Committee shall consist of a majority of the elected membership.Committee members who cannot attend the meeting to review the case are allowed to cast absentee votes on whether or not a hearing is merited after examination of the material sent to the Grievance Committee concerning the case. Absentee votes will not count toward the quorum.
Section 4. Functions of the Chair of the Grievance Committee: The duties of the chair shall be:
a. to receive statements of alleged grievances under this procedure;
b. to call meetings of the Grievance Committee, as necessary, to review these statements and select members of hearing committees;
c. to inform all persons who are a party to the alleged grievance of the names of faculty members available to serve on a hearing committee;
d. to clarify for the parties any questions relating to the procedure per se; and
e. to maintain committee records.
Section 5. Grievance Procedure:
a. A statement of an alleged grievance from members of the faculty shall be made in writing to the chair of the Grievance Committee within six months of the occurrence giving rise to the alleged grievance. This statement shall contain a brief account of events leading to the alleged grievance, specifying how the griever was affected by the action in question; a concise listing with dates of steps taken to resolve the issue, including appeals; identification of the alleged grievance as related to Article 6, Section 2 of the Grievance Procedures; and a brief specification of the redress sought. A hearing may be requested only after the alleged grievance has been clearly identified with the person(s) against whom it is being directed and after reasonable efforts to resolve it, including appeal to immediate superiors, have failed.
b. Upon receipt of a complaint, the Faculty Grievance Committee is to determine:
- 1.whether the persons involved are subject to this procedure;
- 2.whether the issue under consideration constitutes a grievance; and
- 3.whether the faculty members filing the grievance have complied with the conditions of Section 5.a.
c. If the above conditions are met, the Grievance Committee (1) shall supply to the parties involved in the grievance a written statement of the grievance to be heard; and (2) shall then compile a list of seven members of the faculty who shall be available to serve on a hearing committee. Each member on the list must have been a member of the faculty for at least five years and must have given consent to serve and assurance that there is no direct personal involvement in the case.
d. The chair shall supply a copy of this list to each of the people involved in the grievance. Each of the opposing parties may strike two names from the list.
e. The Grievance Committee shall select three persons from the remaining list (if more than three names remain) as the Grievance Hearing Committee and shall name one of them as chair. The chair shall designate the time and place of the meetings, which shall be private.
f. The chair of the Grievance Committee, upon the request of the chair of Grievance Hearing Committee, shall make available to the Grievance Hearing Committee a second or third-year member of the present Grievance Committee to serve in an advisory capacity on procedural matters. Observers shall be allowed only if agreeable to all parties, including the Grievance Hearing Committee. A University secretary designated by the chair of the Grievance Hearing Committee may be asked to assist the Committee in its clerical functions.
g. There shall be no formal rules of evidence. Questions of procedure shall be resolved by the chair of the Grievance Hearing Committee. Personal contact concerning the grievance between the Grievance Hearing Committee and participants in the hearing prior to the formal meeting shall be limited to procedural matters only. All proceedings of the hearing shall be recorded on tape.
h. Each party may present its own witnesses and, if it so desires, the Committee may also call witnesses of its own. A list of witnesses to be heard shall be submitted to all parties ten days in advance of the hearing. With permission of the chair of the Grievance Hearing Committee, this time may be reduced to five days. The presence of witnesses at the hearing is the responsibility of the party calling the witnesses. University employees shall be excused from their regular duties to participate in the hearing. Each witness may be questioned by the parties and by members of the Committee in accordance with procedures established by the chair of the Grievance Hearing Committee prior to the beginning of the hearing.
i. The Grievance Hearing Committee shall have access to all information from University sources which it considers necessary to reach a decision in the case unless it is determined by the President that the information sought is confidential and not subject to release. Tenure and promotion records and records specified in the Family Educational and Privacy Act shall be considered as confidential and not subject to release.
j. The decision of the Committee shall be based exclusively on evidence presented at the hearing. A majority vote of the Committee shall determine the decision. All participants in the hearing should keep matters of grievances confidential.
k. The close of the formal hearing shall take place no later than 30 days following its opening. A recommendation to the President with copies sent to all parties to the grievance and to the Grievance Committee shall be made in writing by the chair of the Grievance Hearing Committee within 30 days of the close of the formal hearing. Extensions to these time limits shall be granted only upon mutual agreement by the Grievance Committee and the chair of the Grievance Hearing Committee.
l. Tapes, exhibits, and other documents pertinent to the hearing shall be retained in the University's confidential files for six years following the close of the case. At the end of this period, they shall be destroyed in accordance with University procedures established by the University Records Manager.
m. The final disposition of the case, including a summary of all actions to be taken, shall be made known in writing to all parties to the grievance, the members of the Grievance Hearing Committee, and the chair of the Grievance Committee by the appropriate administrator within 60 days of the filing of the Grievance Hearing Committee's report to the President. In unusual instances in which a decision cannot be reached within 60 days, the President shall give written notification to the persons noted above and indicate a date on which a decision can be expected.
Section 6. Right to Representation: In this procedure each party involved in the hearing may be accompanied by another person of his or her choosing. The opposing party shall be given prior notification of representation in order to have a representative present if desired. This time period may be reduced to five days, with permission of the chair of the Grievance Hearing Committee.
Section 7. Withdrawal of Grievance: Members of the faculty bringing the case may withdraw a grievance at any time subject to agreement by both parties, and such withdrawal shall be without prejudice.
Section 8. Reprisals: No reprisal shall be brought against any person for participating in any way under this procedure. Such reprisal would be grounds for instituting another grievance.
Section 9. Procedural Review: The Steering Committee shall be responsible for reviewing the procedure and appointing biannually an ad hoc committee to make recommendations of any changes that might be needed.
