EXECUTIVE:
STEERING:
FACULTY SENATE:
UNIVERSITY COUNCIL: 05/02/12
REFER TO:
Since 1998, the letter to department chairs alerting them that their faculty senator’s term was
expiring included the line: “Please see the attached list of University Council members who, by
virtue of their service on the UC, are ineligible to be elected to the Faculty Senate.” We have
been unable to find any bylaw or policy language, however, to this effect. It makes sense, since a
UC member represents a college, it could be a conflict of interest to also represent a department.
Further, since a member of the Faculty Senate can only cast a single vote, then either their
department (or the college) would be disadvantaged.
To remedy this situation, I move that we modify NIU Bylaws Article 13.2.2.1 to exclude UC
members from also co-temporaneously serving as a departmental representative to the Faculty
Senate.
NIU BYLAWS, ARTICLE 13 UNIVERSITY FACULTY SENATE
13.2 Voting Members
13.2.1 Definition of Voting Members The Faculty Senate shall consist of faculty members, as
defined in Sections 2.2.1 and 2.2.2 of the university constitution and Sections 13.2.2 and 13.3 of
these bylaws.
13.2.2 Election of Voting Members Voting members of the Faculty Senate representing the
faculty shall be elected in the following manner:
13.2.2.1 All elected faculty members of the University Council, as defined in Section 1.3 of these
bylaws, shall be voting members of the Faculty Senate. Members of the University Council may
not serve as the elected Faculty Senate representative of an academic department.
13.2.2.2 One member of the Faculty Senate shall be elected from and by the faculty, as defined
in Article 13.2.1 of these bylaws, of each academic department or school in the degree-granting
colleges of the university, with two elected from each academic department or school of over 50
faculty members, again as defined in Article 13.2.1 of these bylaws and with one member each
from the College of Law, and the university libraries. Such elections shall be under the
supervision of the Faculty Senate elections committee and shall occur within one month
following the annual election of members of the University Council. The terms of these members
shall be for three years and shall be staggered as provided for in the bylaws of the Faculty
Senate.
13.2.2.3 When the Faculty Senate does not contain at least one elected faculty representative
who is a member of a minority racial group, beyond the provision of Article 2, Section 2.2.5 of
the university constitution, the elected faculty representatives on the Senate shall meet and elect
such a representative. The person thus elected shall be chosen from among the faculty members
of the university who are eligible for election as a faculty representative of the Senate. Prior to
conducting such an election the elected faculty representatives on the Senate shall seek
nominations from the college faculties, and shall elect one of the persons thus nominated. The
position thus filled shall be in addition to the number of seats otherwise apportioned. The faculty
representative so elected shall serve a term of three years.