Constitution
Of
The GateWay Community
College Faculty Senate
Article I Name
Section 1. This professional organization shall be known as the GateWay Community College Faculty Senate, referred to hereafter in this constitution as the Senate. The Senate is affiliated with Maricopa County Community College District Faculty Executive Council.
Section 1. The primary functions of the Senate shall be to serve as the exclusive representative of the Faculty of this College to the local college or District administration and to the Governing Board with respect to academic and professional matters, to promote excellence in teaching, to select representatives to serve on administrative councils and on coordinating committees of the faculties of the colleges of the District, and to participate in the formation and implementation of educational policies for GateWay Community College and the College District.
Section 1. Faculty, as used in this constitution means full- and part-time certified members of teaching Divisions engaged primarily in teaching and/or research, librarians, and counselors.
Section 1. All full-time faculty members who have paid the annual assessment for the support of the Senate and the District Faculty Association of Executive Council shall be eligible to vote in the election of Senators and, after one years employment with the College, shall be eligible to be elected to the Senate.
Section 1. The Senate shall normally consist of 15 members. In any business affecting a specific division, subject area, or service area (such as Counseling and Library), which is not represented in the Senate, that division, subject area, or service area shall be called in for consultation.
Section 1. Each full-time, paid faculty member shall receive a form published and distributed between April 1 and April 15 by the President for the stated purpose of self-nomination. The form shall contain a record of both Senators continuing in office and Senators whose terms are expiring the following month.
Completion of the form with signature will be returned to the President within five (5) days of distribution and shall be a formal request for said faculty members name to be placed on the ballot as a nominee. Should any division or service area not be represented by a continuing Senator nor have a self-nominee for the ballot, the Executive Committee shall, with permission, place the name of a full-time, paid faculty member from that division or service area on the ballot.
Section 2. The Executive Committee shall prepare a ballot bearing the names of all nominees, oversee a secret voting process by all eligible members, and tally voting results prior to May 1st. Only full-time faculty who are paid members of the Senate have the right to vote in the election of Senators.
Section 3. The nominees receiving the highest number of votes for the existing vacancies shall be elected. Nominees must receive a simple majority of the votes cast to be elected.
Section 4. In case the number of nominees elected does not fill existing vacancies, a run-off election shall be conducted through the process prescribed in Sections 2 and 3 above, prior to May 10. The nominees shall be those nominees on the first election ballot who received less than a simple majority of the votes cast.
Section 5. Special elections shall be held whenever a Senate vacancy is declared by the President as provided by the President as provided for in Article VIII Vacancies, Self-Nomination and Voting Procedures, as described in Sections 1 and 2 above, shall be followed.
Section 6. A Senator elected by a special election to fill a vacancy shall serve for the unexpired term of the vacated Senate seat. If a special election is held to fill Senate vacancies of both one- and two-year unexpired terms, the nominee(s) receiving the highest number of votes shall fill the two-year unexpired term(s).
Section 7. Any division or service area not represented by a Senator may elect a member of that division or service area to serve as a non-voting member of the Senate.
Section 1. Members of the Senate shall serve terms of two (2) years unless elected to fill an unexpired term as provided for in Sections 5 and 6, Article VI. Eight members shall be elected if the calendar year of the election is an even-numbered year and seven shall be elected if the calendar year of the election is an odd-numbered year. The Senate President and the President-Elect shall not be required to stand for re-election as a Senator during the period of their service or intended service as an officer. This could alter the number of members to be elected for that given year.
Section 1. Vacancies of the Senate seats shall be declared by the President upon direction of the Senate.
Section 2. Vacancies shall be declared in the following circumstances:
a. When a senator has been absent three (3) consecutive times or four (4) total times during the academic year. Official school absence (personal leave, personal illness, or professional duties) resulting in non-attendance are not included in the three (3) consecutive times or four (4) total times during the academic year.
b. When a Senator resigns from the Senate.
c. When a Senator is unable to fulfill his/her term of office.
d. When a Senator has been removed under the provisions of Article IX Removal of Senators.
Section 1. On the petition of 25 percent or more of the full-time, paid faculty members, a Senator or an officer may be removed from office by the two-thirds vote of all members of the full-time, paid faculty (senator included); before the vote, however, a special meeting will be held to hear the allegations against the senator and his/her rebuttal.
Section 1. The officers of the Senate shall include, but shall not be restricted to, a President, a President-Elect, a Secretary, and a Treasurer.
Section 1. Members of the Senate for the following year shall elect its officers (President-Elect, a Secretary, and a Treasurer) at a meeting in May convened immediately following adjournment of the final meeting of the outgoing Senate. The election of officers shall be a floor nomination and secret ballot process overseen by the incoming President.
Section 2. A special election by the Senate shall be held whenever an officer vacancy exists.
Section 1. The regular term of office for the Senate President and President-elect shall be two years. The term of office for the Senate Secretary and the Senate Treasurer shall be one year and all shall begin upon succession of elections. Officers elected by a special election to fill vacancies shall serve for the unexpired term.
Section 2. The Senate Secretary and Treasurer may succeed themselves in office.
Section 1. President: It shall be the duty of the President to call and preside at all meetings of the Senate and Executive Committee and to perform all the duties usually pertaining to the office. The President shall have the power to appoint committees, be ex-officio member on all committees, keep the President-elect informed of his/her plans, be the spokesperson of the faculty when appropriate, and serve on District committees as required. The President may call a general faculty meeting at his/her discretion, or as directed by a majority of the Senate.
Section 2. President-Elect: The President-elect shall attend all Executive Committee sessions called by the President, be familiar with the Presidents plans, preside at all meetings and perform the duties of the President in the absence or disability of the President, serve as Senate Parliamentarian effective with the 1979-1980 academic year, chair the Faculty Staffing Committee and perform any other duties assigned to the office by the Constitution or the Senate.
Section 3. Secretary: The Secretary shall attend all Executive Committee sessions called by the President, keep the minutes of all proceedings and record the same in permanent records book. The Secretary shall give notice of all meetings, conduct the correspondence of the organization, and distribute copies of unapproved minutes to all faculty members.
Section 4. Treasurer: The Treasurer shall attend all Executive Committee sessions called by the President, receive and bank all monies to the credit of the Senate, pay out funds on orders cosigned by the President unless payment is otherwise provided for, keep an itemized record of all receipts and expenditures, and make such financial reports as may be required by the Constitution or by the President.
Section 1. The Executive Committee shall be composed of the officers of the Senate. It shall act as a steering committee for the Senate by preparing the agenda for each meeting and recommending actions to the Senate.
Section 1. Two delegates to the MCCD Faculty Association or Executive Council shall be the President and President-elect. In the absence or disability of a delegate, the President may appoint a member of the Senate as an alternate delegate to a meeting of the MCCD Executive Council.
Section 1. The Senate shall meet at least once monthly during the academic year, September through May, or more often at the call of the President or by request of the Executive Committee.
Section 2. Senate meetings shall be open to all faculty. The President or Senate members may invite other non-faculty members in for official business with the approval of the Executive Committee or a majority of the Senate.
Section 3. Faculty members may participate at any time as non-voting members.
Section 1. A six-tenths majority of the elected Senate shall be considered a quorum (9).
Section 1. The President of the Senate shall vote only in the event of a tie.
Section 2. All voting by the Senate, with the exception of the election of Senate officers, shall be open.
Section 1. By four-fifths vote of the Senators present, the Senate may resolve itself into an executive session where only senators may be present.
Section 2. In executive session, no record shall be kept of debate, except that which is ordered by the Senate, and no Senator shall reveal the nature of the Executive Proceedings to any person without the permission of the Senate.
Section 3. No recommendations either to the administration of the college or to the administration or trustees of the District shall be enacted during executive sessions.
Section 1. The executive Committee shall be a standing committee of the Senate.
Section 2. Other committees may be established as needed by the President of the Senate.
Section 3. Members of any Senate Committee, other than the Executive Committee, need not be members of the Senate.
Section 1. The administration head of the college, any member of the Senate or 10 percent of the members of the full-time, paid faculty may place an item on the agenda of the Senate by signed written notice with an agenda one week in advance, when possible, of all meetings of the Senate, unless the Senate is meeting in executive session.
Section 1. The Senate shall, of its own determination, concern itself with any academic and processional and professional matters, which it deems important to the welfare of the college or to the enlightened self-interest of the faculty.
Section 2. The Senate shall be the agency of the faculty in exercising its primary responsibility for such matters as curriculum, subject matter and methods of instruction, faculty status (including appointments, evaluations, and dismissals), and those aspects of student life, which relate to the educational process.
Section 3. The Senate, on behalf of the faculty, shall actively participate, directly or through its representatives, in the determination of policies and procedures governing salary increase, fringe benefits, sabbaticals, and general conditions of employment.
Section 4. The Senate shall, on behalf of the faculty, participate in the selection of administrators of the college, bringing its recommendation to the attention of the chancellor and the Governing Board of the District.
Section 5. The Senate shall work jointly with administrative officials on the appointment of faculty members to administrative committees and to extra-curricular responsibilities.
Section 6. The Senate shall not be required to accept, represent, sponsor, or defend any action or grievance, or negotiate in behalf of any member of the faculty who shall not have paid his/her assessment prior to November 1 of each year.
Section 1. The Senate may call a meeting of the full-time, paid faculty for consideration of matters of faculty interest.
Section 2. The Senate may request the advice of the faculty through written ballots or other communication.
Section 3. Any matter considered by the Senate must be referred to the full-time, paid faculty for a secret ballot on petition of 10 percent of the total full-time, paid faculty or on demand of one-third of the Senators.
Section 1. Faculty members shall be asked to pay an annual assessment for the support of the Senate and the District Faculty Executive Council. Non-payment will disqualify a faculty member from serving as a Senator.
Section 1. The Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the full-time, paid faculty present at any general faculty meeting or special meeting called for the purpose or by those full-time, paid faculty returning a written ballot provided that the proposed amendment shall have been presented in writing to each full-time, paid member of the faculty at least two (2) weeks preceding the voting.
Section 1. This Constitution shall become effective by a majority vote of the full-time, paid members of the Faculty Senate, by secret ballot in a meeting, or by written ballot submitted to them.