Faculty Senate Constitution

Faculty Senate Constitution

Preamble

We hold that the governing of the College of Eastern Idaho (CEI) is the joint responsibility of the College of Eastern Idaho Board of Trustees, the CEI College administration, and the faculty of the college. In order to assure that the faculty fully participates in the determination of educational policy, the adoption of this Constitution establishing a Faculty Senate at College of Eastern Idaho is hereby ordained.

Article One: Title

The name of this organization shall be the College of Eastern Idaho Faculty Senate, hereafter referred to as the Faculty Senate.

Article Two: Purpose

The purposes of the College of Eastern Idaho Faculty Senate shall be to:

1.  Serve as the exclusive representative of the CEI faculty to the college administration in academic and professional matters and policy development;
2. Advise the College President on matters of importance to the college and faculty;
3. Promote communication, collaboration, and education among the faculty and between the faculty and other groups;
4. Maintain and promote the standards and ideals of the profession;
5. Protect and preserve academic freedom;
6. Provide an open forum for the free discussion of academic and professional issues.

Article Three: Membership

All employees who provide instruction at CEI are eligible to serve on the Senate. Dual-credit and other affiliate faculty have the privilege to participate without voting in Senate meetings. Faculty senators represent the diverse programs and disciplines of CEI, and representation in the senate will reflect these programs and disciplines. Senators will be elected to Faculty Senate in proportion to the faculty and students served in each.

1. Rights: Every CEI Faculty member:
   • is entitled to representation in the Senate;
   • may elect Senators within their zone;
   • observe all official meetings of the Senate;
   • may attend all CEI meetings and social events;
   • may serve in the Senate.
2. Responsibilities: Every CEI Senate member:
   • will uphold the standards set forth in the American Association of University Professors Statement on Professional Ethics (Appendix A);
   • is expected to attend regularly scheduled Senate meetings and other meetings as assigned;
   • will abide by the Senate’s Constitution, Bylaws, rules, and regulations.

Article Four: Amendments, Ratification, and Revision

Section 1: Of the Constitution

Amendments may be proposed by either:

a. A two-thirds vote of the Senate present and voting, provided that the proposed amendment shall have been presented in writing (including electronic transmission) to each member of the Senate at least five (5) full working days in advance of the meeting or;

b. Twenty percent (20%) of the CEI Faculty through initiative petition presented to the President of the Senate. This petition will be available for their review and feedback shall be given via their respective Senate Representatives or directly to the Senate President. This review period will be open for ten (10) business days during the regular Fall or Spring semester. Electronic communication methods as established by the Senate may be employed. After the ten (10) day review period, any proposals for amendments may be submitted to the Senate for a vote by a Senate Representative or the Senate President. The newly proposed Constitution shall become effective solely by a two-thirds majority vote of the Senate, unless the Senate, by a two-thirds majority vote, decides to open the vote to include the full CEI Faculty. In the case of the latter, electronic voting methods as established by the Senate may be employed.

The proposed amendment to the Constitution will be placed on the agenda of the next regular meeting of the Senate for open discussion. A written copy of the proposed amendment, including explanation and justification, will be distributed to each member of the CEI college Faculty, after which it will be submitted to a special meeting of the Faculty Senate for discussion. An amendment thus submitted will become part of the Constitution when approved by secret ballot by a two-thirds majority of those CEI Faculty voting (with abstentions not counting as votes). The vote will be held in accordance with the Faculty Senate bylaws.

This Constitution shall be reviewed and revised as deemed necessary by the Senate or within five (5) years of its revision date. Insubstantial changes, such as correcting typographical errors, punctuation, formatting, and conforming terminology, are not considered amendments and may be made by a vote of the Senate.

Section 2: Of the Bylaws

The bylaws, once established, may be amended by a two-thirds vote of a quorum of the Senate, present and voting.

Appendix A: Statement on Professional Ethics by the American Association of University Professors.