Oakland University Senate

SPECIAL COMMITTEE OF THE ACADEMIC SENATE

MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF Nov. 8, 1961

PRESENT: Varner, Chairman, 0'Dowd, Galloway, Wisner, McKay, Stubblefield,  Hammerle, Hoopes, Hucker, Maher, Heubel, Lewis, Mathews, Hetenyi, Beardslee, Collins, Roose, Tafoya, Sells

Hetenyi moved, McKay seconded, that item II. 1, (a) of the proposed organization for MSUO be adopted.

Motion adopted

Hetenyi moved, Hammerle seconded, that item II.2.(c)  be amended to read:

"Of those elected by each academic division, 43% shall be professors, 28% shall be associate professors, and 29% from other academic ranks, or as near to these percentages as possible."

The remainder of the item to remain unchanged.

Motion adopted.

Hammerle moved, Mathews seconded, that the sentence: "Prior to each election, faculty members should be able to withdraw their names from the ballots for election to the Senate." be added to the end of item II. 2. (h).

Motion adopted.

Hammerle moved, Stubblefield seconded that the entire document as amended and with specified sections reserved for the consideration of the new Senate be adopted.

Hetenyi moved, Hucker  seconded, that item II. 2. (f) read as follows:

"Any person may vote in an academic division if he is employed by the University at the time of election and holds academic rank in that division. However, any person may vote only in the area of his principle long range duty."

Motion adopted.

Hetenyi moved, Heubel seconded, that item II.1.(h) be reserved for consideration by the new Senate.

Motion adopted.

The Committee at this point voted to reconsider item II. 1. (a).

Hoopes moved and Hetenyi seconded that the three divisional  associate deans be included among those in item II.1(a) who automatically sit in the Senate. The number to be elected from the faculty and professional staff responsible to the Dean be reduced from 32 to 29.  Other sections of the document were to have numbers revised consistent with this proposed change. Motion defeated.

The Chancellor got unanimous consent to use the word  "Fall" consistently throughout the document instead of "Autumn", and to use the word "semester" instead of "term", or "trimester."

Hucker moved that item III be reserved for the consideration of the new Senate.

Motion carried.

Heubel moved, Hetenyi seconded item II. 1. (e) read: "Decisions shall be by a majority of those present and voting, provided such majority contain at least fifteen votes."

Motion carried.

The Committee then voted to accept the main Hammerle motion, which adopts the document as revised and reserves section  II.l (h) and section III for the consideration of the new Senate.

E.J. Heubel

MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY OAKLAND

Organization, Autumn, 1961

I. Administration

1. The Board of Trustees possesses final authority for policies of Michigan State University and Michigan State University Oakland.

2. The President serves as chief administrative officer of the Board.

3. The President designates the Chancellor as principal administrative officer for Michigan State University Oakland and holds him responsible for the effective and efficient operation of the Institution.

II. Academic Senate, MSUO

1. Organization and Function

(a) The Senate shall consist of the Chancellor, the Dean of the University, five persons appointed by the Chancellor, and thirty-two persons elected from the faculty.

(b) The Senate shall (i) be responsible for consideration of all academic matters including the curriculum and degree requirements, (ii) advise the Chancellor and the Dean of the University in all matters they wish to bring before it, and (iii) have the right to initiate proposals on all matters relevant to the general welfare of the University. Any proposal important to the general welfare of the University, save purely administrative matters, shall be brought before the Senate.

(c) The presiding officer of the Senate shall be the Chancellor, or in his absence, the Dean of the University. A Secretary shall be appointed by the Chancellor.

(d) The Senate shall meet as often as necessary and at least five times during the academic year. At least two meetings shall take place during the Fall trimester.

(e)  Decisions shall be by a majority of those present and voting, provided such majority is at least fifteen.

(f) Except by consent of twenty-four senators, no motion, unless ruled a procedural matter, may receive final vote at the meeting in which it is introduced. Except by consent of twenty-four senators and except for motions ruled procedural matters, copies of all motions directed to the Senate-- together with relevant committee recommendations and reports- shall be circulated to the entire electorate before final action may be taken by the Senate. Upon demand of twelve senators, one hearing open to the electorate shall be held before final action may be taken on any motion not ruled procedural.

(g) The Senate shall have a Steering Committee composed of the Dean of the University and six persons elected by the Senate at its first meeting of the Autumn trimester.  Its term of office shall be for one year. Elected members of the Committee shall include at least one person from each academic division and at least one person unattached to any academic division.

(h) The Senate shall establish other standing committees and ad hoc committees as it deems necessary. Unless otherwise specified by the Senate, the term of office for all standing committees shall end at the commencement of the Fall  trimester.

(i) Meetings of the Steering Committee shall be called and chaired by the Dean of the University. This Committee shall (i) call all meetings of the Senate except the first of the Fall trimester,  which shall be called by the Chancellor; (ii) prepare agenda for the Senate, including the call of all matters from committee; (iii) present to the Senate a slate of nominees for all other standing committees; (iv) create such ad hoc Senate committees as it judges necessary to study matters outside the province of any standing committee; and (v) designate the membership and fix the term of all ad hoc Senate committees. Every committee of the Senate shall be chaired by a senator, but committee membership need not be restricted to senators.

(j) During the Fall  trimester of 1961, the Chancellor shall appoint five persons to the Senate to take office immediately for a term of one year. Thereafter during each Spring trimester he shall appoint five persons to the Senate to take office the following Fall trimester for a term of one year.   If an appointment becomes vacant, the Chancellor shall appoint a replacement to serve the remainder of the vacated appointment.

2. Election Procedures

(a) In the Fall trimester of 1961, thirty-two persons shall be elected to the Senate, sixteen for a term of one year and sixteen for a term of two years. Thereafter an election shall be held each year in the last month of the Winter trimester, at which time sixteen persons shall be elected to take office at the beginning of the following Fall trimester for a term of two years.

(b) In the 1961 Fall trimester election each academic division shall elect from its faculty five persons plus an additional number as near as possible proportionate to the number of voters in that division. The proportionality shall be chosen so that all three divisions elect thirty Senate members

(c) Of those elected by each academic division, 43% shall be professors, 28% shall be associate processors, and 29% assistant professors, or as near to these percentages as possible. If a particular rank within a division has insufficient members to fill its quota, all persons of this rank automatically shall become members of the Senate, and persons shall be elected from the next lower rank until the quota for both ranks is filled.

(d) In all elections subsequent to Fall, 1961, each academic division shall elect as many persons of each rank as shall produce a total Senate membership satisfying the prescriptions of the preceding two paragraphs.

(e) In the 1961 Fall trimester election, all professional board appointees not voting with an academic division but in areas responsible to the Dean of the University shall elect two of their number, one for a term of one year and one for a term of two years. In all subsequent elections, they shall elect one of their number for a term of two years.

(f) Any person may vote in an academic division if he is employed by the University at the time of the election and is teaching or has taught during the past ten months at least one semester course in that division.  However, any person may vote only in the area of his principal long-range duty.

(g) For each election the Dean of the University shall appoint an Election Committee consisting of one person from each of the three academic divisions. With the advice of the Chancellor and the Dean of the University, this committee shall (i) decide who may vote and in what area, (ii) determine the number of persons to be elected from each academic rank within each division, (iii) prepare all ballots, and (iv) supervise the election.

(h) The Election Committee shall dissolve all ties by lot. Immediately after the 1961 Fall trimester election this body shall determine by lot which persons have been elected for a term of one year and which have been elected for a term of two years.

(i) Balloting shall be by campus mall. Academic divisional ballots shall list the names of those persons in each rank eligible for election and the number of persons in each rank to be elected. For the election of non-divisional senators, the ballot shall list the names of those persons eligible for election and the number of persons to be elected.

(j) If an elected member of the Senate vacates his seat, the Associate Dean of his academic division shall appoint a person to serve the remainder of the vacated term. If a non-divisional Senator vacates his seat, the Dean of the University shall appoint a person to serve the remainder of the vacated term.

III.  Amendment

1.  Amendments to this document shall originate in the Steering Committee and shall require an affirmative vote of at least twenty-four senators for ratification.