Resolutions Manual
Approved December 2008
The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges states in its Constitution that “[t]he
power of the Academic Senate is derived from Title 5 and implemented through its resolutions
process. This resolution process shall be the sole method by which policies of the Academic
Senate are adopted.”
The purpose of this document is to define the roles and responsibilities of the Resolutions
Committee chair and committee, Senate Executive Director, and office staff in reviewing,
editing, compiling, and publishing the resolutions for debate, as well as the final disposition of
each resolution following each Plenary Session. To fully understand the resolution process,
please refer to the Resolution Process as published in the Session Packet at each Plenary Session,
where details of resolution development and voting procedures are defined.
Resolutions Committee
The Resolutions Committee is comprised of the committee chair, the Executive Director, and
other faculty as recommended by the chair and approved by the president. Members are selected
from faculty that plan to attend the Plenary Session and are interested in assisting in facilitating
the resolution development process. Additionally, members of the Executive Committee often
assist with resolution and amendment writing, resolving conflicts between resolutions or
amendments, and minor editing.
Resolution Writing Prior to the Plenary Session
Resolutions authored by Executive Committee members or members of standing or ad hoc
committees are considered and then recommended by the Executive Committee for debate at the
Plenary Session or returned to the committee for refinement. In reviewing resolutions for
consideration as recommended for debate by the Executive Committee, members discuss the
statewide implications, as well as existing Senate positions. At times, the Executive Committee
may choose not to send a resolution forward to the pre-session Area meetings for discussion. The
resolution, however, can be taken to an Area meeting or Plenary Session by the author. The
Executive Director and the Resolutions Chair determine the placement of resolutions in
categories (see attachment #1) and the order of the resolutions within each category. The
president provides the final review prior to publication of the resolutions on the Academic Senate
web page and dissemination to attendees of pre-session Area meetings.
This initial packet of resolutions is distributed to senate presidents and delegates prior to presession Area meetings in preparation for the upcoming Plenary Session. During these Area
meetings, amendments to the initial set of resolutions may be developed along with additional
resolutions the Area deems worthy of debate. All new resolutions and amendments are due to
the Resolutions Chair and Executive Director within 24 hours of the close of pre-session Area
meetings. Once reviewed, edited by consulting the author, and compiled, the Executive Director
and Resolutions Chair again place the resolutions in the appropriate category and in the
appropriate order. Once the president gives final approval of the resolution packet, it is prepared
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by the Senate office staff for inclusion in the materials given to each Plenary Session attendee.
The resolutions are also posted on the Academic Senate web page.
The Senate office staff assists with the preparation of supporting materials. If resolutions include
the adoption of papers, references to other documents, or other explanatory materials, these may
be included in the appendices of the resolution packet or as a separate document in the Plenary
Session materials. (Corrections or typos found in the documents should be directed to the
Executive Director or the Resolutions Chair.)
Resolution Writing and Voting at Plenary Session
At the Plenary Session, attendees may develop additional resolutions or amendments to existing
resolutions. All new resolutions are due to the Resolutions Chair by the stated time in the
program on the first day of Plenary. All amendments are due by the stated time in the program
on the second day of Plenary. Resolutions may be developed on the second day but will be
carried over to the next Plenary Session unless declared urgent by the Executive Committee.
First Day of Plenary Session
All resolutions and amendments written during plenary session are to be submitted using
approved forms. Hard copy submissions must accompany electronic copy submissions. Phone
access to authors is critical during the Plenary Session, and it is recommended that phone
numbers be listed on the hard copy form submitted with each resolution or amendment.
A breakout session for the purpose of writing resolutions and amendments will be scheduled for
the first day of Plenary Session after the other breakouts have concluded. Members of the
Resolutions Committee facilitate the breakout, assisting with writing resolutions, acting as
seconders, editing proposed resolutions and amendments, and collecting the forms required for
submitting either a resolution or amendment. Members of the Executive Committee are
expected to attend the breakout to offer expertise on specific topics and assist with resolution
development, and in the case where an Executive Committee member has a conflict, that
member may be excused from participation by president.
At the conclusion of the breakout, the Resolutions Committee members meet to review, edit,
compare, render moot, and compile the resolutions. Committee members will make every effort
to contact authors of resolutions to resolve editing questions.
Once the resolutions and amendments are reviewed and edited, they are placed into categories
and ordered so as to allow for consideration of each in a logical sequence. Senate office staff
assists with formatting the final version, duplicating it, and having it available for session
attendees the following morning.
The resolution packet containing all new resolutions and amendments are sent by email to each
Area representative at the close of the first day of the Plenary Session. This ensures that all the
resolutions and amendments will be available in electronic as well as hard copy format for the
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Area meetings held on the second day of the Plenary Session. If possible, the resolution packet
can be published on the Academic Senate web page.
Second Day of Plenary Session
On the second day of the Plenary Session, amendments may be developed. All resolutions
submitted on the second day will be carried over to the next Plenary Session unless the
Resolutions Committee recommends to the Executive Committee that a resolution be declared
urgent. See the Session Packet for the process and timeline for declaring a resolution urgent or
not, and the appeal process.
At the conclusion of the day’s other breakouts, a breakout session will be held for authors (as
makers of the motions) of amendments or resolutions to discuss duplication/consolidation.
Resolution Committee members attend this breakout to assist with problem solving. If the
committee recognizes a conflict or duplicate early in the day, members of the committee can
search for the authors and attempt to work out a solution before the breakout. This method is
preferred.
Again, the Resolutions Committee reviews, edits, renders moot, etc. the amendments submitted.
Committee members will make every effort to contact authors of resolutions to resolve editing
questions. It reviews resolutions submitted as urgent and makes a recommendation on each.
The Resolutions Chair brings the resolutions submitted as urgent and recommendations from the
committee to the Executive Committee for approval (see urgent resolutions in the Session
Packet). The final packet of resolutions and amendments for deliberation and debate is prepared
by the Senate office staff. The president reviews the final packet. It is then duplicated and
readied for distribution on the third day of the Plenary Session for voting.
Third Day of Plenary Session
The Executive Director and Resolutions Chair meet with the president and parliamentarian early
in the morning to review all the resolutions and amendments. The parliamentarian offers
suggestions for proceeding through amendments and clarifies the intent and content of the
resolutions. This meeting helps the president and Resolutions Chair be prepared for
parliamentary motions from the floor.
Voting on the resolutions begins with the president, acting as chair of the proceedings,
explaining the rules for debate. The Resolutions Committee will sit at a table near the president
in order to provide assistance to him/her during debate and to record the outcome of each
amendment and resolution. All passed, failed, and referred motions are recorded by at least three
members of the Resolutions Committee, which allows committee members to participate in the
debate as well as act as a recorder.
The president appoints a time keeper for the debate. As the voting proceeds, the Resolutions
Chair must alert the president if it appears that there is no longer a quorum (a quorum is
determined by the number of delegates registered and officially signed-in to the plenary session).
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After Plenary Session
The outcome of the voting is recorded and formatted by the Resolutions Chair and Executive
Director, along with the final disposition of each resolution and the assignment of the resolution
to a standing committee of the ACADEMIC SENATE, its Executive Committee, the president,
Executive Director, or other entity (such as a liaison group). The final draft of the document is
distributed to members of the Resolutions Committee, who confirm that the resolutions have
been correctly labeled (as carried, failed, etc.), the amendments have been incorporated correctly,
and referred motions include the proper directions to the Executive Committee. The president
approves the final draft of the resolutions, and they are published by the Senate office with a
cover page listing the membership of the Executive Committee, dates, and other information.
At the first Executive Committee meeting following the Plenary Session, the Resolutions Chair
will add to the agenda for discussion the resolution assignments, including the resolutions
referred by the body. The Executive Committee will approve the resolution assignments and
assign the referred resolutions to members of the Executive Committee or standing committees
to complete the tasks included in the referral. Prior to the next Plenary Session, the Resolutions
Chair will monitor the work on the referred resolutions and ensure that any revised resolutions
are submitted to the Executive Committee in time for review and recommendation to Area
meetings per the timeline assigned in the referral.
After assignment of a referred resolution to a standing committee or members of the Executive
Committee, the original author of the resolution will be contacted to see if he/she is interested in
helping to rewrite or clarify the resolution. If the original author declines, then the standing
committee or Executive Committee members may proceed to carry out the directions in the
referral.
When submitting a referred resolution back to the delegates per the timeline in the referral, the
original author may continue his/her status as author of the improved resolution. If the author
declines, the “Executive Committee” will be listed as the author.
A note listed below the resubmitted resolution will explain the reason for the referral, the date
and number of the original resolution, and actions directed to the Executive Committee in the
referral. See the example below:
“Note: This resolution was referred to the Executive Committee (see Resolution 3.02 R S08) for
development of additional materials and is resubmitted to the delegates for discussion and
debate.”
Each year prior to the plenary session the Executive Director, using the committee reports, will
prepare a status report of the resolutions from the previous year. The Executive Committee will
discuss and approve the status for inclusion in the session packet.
Disciplines List Resolutions
Resolutions to add or modify the minimum qualifications for any discipline shall be considered
by the Executive Committee and, after receiving a pro or con recommendation, forwarded to the
body for debate according to the published schedule for the Disciplines List review.
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Because the Academic Senate must consult with the System Office staff, Vice Presidents of
Instruction, and bargaining agents in the development of the Disciplines List, it is not possible to
amend the resolutions involving changes to the current disciplines list at the Plenary Session
where they are presented for voting. Proposed changes to the disciplines list must either be
voted up or down as presented.
Special Resolutions
There are two types of special resolutions that may come before the body. One is a resolution to
name a retired faculty member as a senator emeritus, and the other is a resolution of recognition
for past Executive Committee members or other dignitaries. The criteria and process for naming
a senator emeritus are listed in the Bylaws:
Article 1, Section 1.G
Senator Emeritus: A title conferred by the Academic Senate for the purpose of recognizing the
meritorious service of a faculty member upon or after retirement.
i.
Criteria
Emeritus status may be conferred upon a current or former faculty member
1. Who has completed at least five (5) years of significant service to the Academic
Senate;
2. Who is recognized for exceptional contributions supporting the aims and
functions of the Academic Senate; and
3. Who has retired or submitted intent to retire within six months of the nominating
resolution.
ii.
Selection
1. Senator emeritus is conferred by resolution.
Resolutions for emeritus status must come from Area meetings.
For resolutions honoring past members of the Executive Committee or others deemed deserving
of such an honor by the Executive Committee, a resolution is prepared by the officers of the
Executive Committee. It is presented to the honoree at a Plenary Session, the time and place of
which presentation are convenient for attendance by the honoree. A motion to adopt the
resolution will be accepted from the floor with a second. All in attendance for the event will be
invited to approve the resolution.
Resolutions to Change the Bylaws
The Academic Senate Bylaws, Article VII, Sections 1 and 2 contain specific information about
presenting a resolution to amend any section of the Bylaws. It is important to note the timelines
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required for noticing member senates of a proposed change. The resolution for amending the
Bylaws requires a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the registered Delegates present and voting.
Resolution Development
During the resolution process, the Resolutions Chair and Executive Director pay close attention
to the following items while reviewing and editing the resolutions and amendments:
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Check to see that the proposed resolution does not duplicate a resolution previously
passed by the body.
Check to see that the proposed resolution does not contradict a prior position taken by the
body (through a resolution or other mechanism).
Check to see that the resolution follows the format as defined in the session materials.
Check to see that a “resolved” clause of the resolution can stand alone, and if not,
consider combining two or more into one “resolved” clause. The problem to avoid here
is leaving two resolved clauses that may be separated during debate which would then be
nonsensical standing alone.
Check to see that none of the “whereas” or “resolved” clauses reiterate a previous
position taken by the body which might be deleted or pose an inadvertent contradiction to
senate positions when the resolution is considered for a vote.
Consult with the author to edit for clarity, readability, and understanding.
Confer with authors (as makers of the motion) when conflicts or duplicate resolutions or
amendments exist.
Check to see that the resolutions asks for or directs an action that is within the purview of
the senate.
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Attachment #1
Resolution Title List
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5.0
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Academic Senate
Accreditation Standards
Equity and Diversity
Articulation and Transfer
Budget and Finance
State and Legislative Issues
Consultation with the Chancellor
Counseling
Curriculum
Disciplines List
Technology
Faculty Development
General Concerns
Grading
Intersegmental Issues
Library and Learning Resources
Local Senates
Matriculation
Professional Standards
Students
Vocational Education
Welfare Reform
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