Rules of the Faculty Senate

General Procedures Elected Officers Senator Responsibiliites Terms/Appointments Election Rules Senate Committees 

1. General Procedures

  1. Meetings of the Faculty Senate generally will be held on the second and fourth Monday of each month during the fall and spring semesters.
  2. Senate meetings, except for executive sessions, shall be open to all members of the community.
  3. Visitors to Senate meetings generally should be allowed to participate in discussion but shall not be allowed to vote. The extent of visitor participation in proceedings is left to the chair's discretion.
  4. The rules contained in Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the Senate in all applicable cases. When they are not inconsistent with the Senate Constitution or Rules, the Senate rules shall apply.
  5. The Robert's Rule limiting individuals to speaking only twice on an issue shall not apply to Faculty Senators.
  6. With respect to the closure of debate, the Senate shall conform to Robert's Rules of Order.
  7. A quorum is the majority of the total Senate membership.
  8. Unless otherwise specified in the rules, a majority in a senate meeting shall be construed to mean a majority of those present and voting. Additionally, unless otherwise specified in the rules, a two-thirds vote for adoption shall be construed to mean two-thirds of those present and voting.
  9. Proxy votes will not be permitted.
  10. Any member may request a secret ballot. The chair shall treat the request as a unanimous consent motion. If there is an objection, a vote will be taken on the procedural question to have a secret ballot without further debate. This will pass with five or more votes in favor.
  11. The Senate agenda will be determined in advance by the Executive Committee, and posted on the Senate Web site The Order of Business of the Senate shall be as follows:
    • Calling the meeting to order
    • Calling the meeting to order Approval of the minutes
    • President's Report
    • Committee Reports
    • Old Business
    • New Business
    • As May Arise
  12. The Senate minutes will be posted on the Senate's Web site: https://www.wichita.edu/academics/facultysenate/.
  13. A motion to create a revised order of business may be introduced by any member of the Senate, in accordance with Robert's Rules of Order.
  14. Motions may be placed on the agenda by the Executive Committee with one discussion scheduled. The Executive Committee may schedule a second discussion, or one-third of the senate may vote to hold a second discussion. A second discussion may be waived by a separate vote of two-thirds of the senate.
  15. Any member of the Faculty may request in writing that a item be placed on the Senate's agenda. Upon receipt of the request, the Executive Committee shall consider the issue, determine its relevance for the Faculty Senate, include the item on the agenda of either of the next two meetings, refer the item to a committee, or redirect it. It shall be the prerogative of the President of the Senate to create an ad hoc committee when the need arises.
  16. Any item that has the support of five or more senate members from three or more divisions will automatically be placed on the agenda.
  17. Senate minutes may be restricted to a recording of formal actions and brief descriptions of issues. Any member of the Senate can submit a written statement to be included in the minutes.
  18. The Senate president shall call an executive session if there is a motion passed by a simple majority of those present.
  19. The Senate shall allow audio and/or video recordings of its proceedings following the "Informal Statement and Proposals." A privileged motion to suspend this rule may be made during any meeting and shall require a simple majority of those present for passage.
  20. Electronic meetings of the Faculty Senate shall be conducted through use of Internet meeting services designated by the President that support anonymous voting and support visible displays identifying those participating, identifying those seeking recognition to speak, showing (or permitting the retrieval of) the text of pending motions, and showing the results of votes. These electronic meetings of the Faculty Senate shall be subject to all rules adopted by the Faculty Senate, which may include any reasonable limitations on, and requirements for, Faculty Senate members’ participation. An anonymous vote conducted through the designated Internet meeting service shall be deemed a ballot vote, fulfilling any requirement in the bylaws or rules that a vote be conducted by ballot.
    1. Login information - The Faculty Senate Liaison shall send by e-mail to every member of the Faculty Senate the time of the meeting, the URL and codes necessary to connect to the Internet meeting service, and, as an alternative and backup to the audio connection included within the Internet service, the phone number and access code(s) the member needs to participate aurally by telephone.
    2. Signing in and out - Senators shall identify themselves as required to sign in to the Internet meeting service, and shall maintain Internet and audio access throughout the meeting whenever present, but shall sign out upon any departure before adjournment. Participants should display their name rather than phone number or id when possible.
    3. Quorum calls - The presence of a quorum shall be established by the Faculty Senate Liaison at the beginning of the meeting. Thereafter, the continued presence of a quorum shall be determined by the online list of participating members, unless any member demands a quorum count. Such a demand may be made following any vote for which the announced totals add to less than a quorum.
    4. Technical requirements and malfunctions - Each member is responsible for his or her audio and Internet connections as well as their own devices; no action shall be invalidated on the grounds that the loss of, or poor quality of, a member’s individual connection prevented participation in the meeting.
    5. Forced disconnections - The Faculty Senate President may cause or direct the disconnection or muting of a participant’s connection if it is causing undue interference with the meeting. The decision to do so, which is subject to an undebatable appeal that can be made by any member, shall be announced during the meeting, and recorded in the minutes.
    6. Assignment of the floor - To seek recognition by the Faculty Senate President, a participant shall activate the raised hand feature on the Internet meeting service or its equivalent for other platforms. The Faculty Senate President or their delegate will monitor order in the case of multiple participants seeking recognition.
    7. Interrupting a member - A member who intends to make a motion or request that under the rules may interrupt a speaker shall use the raised hand feature on the internet meeting service, its equivalent for other platforms, or communicate the intent for motion in the chat feature; and shall thereafter wait a reasonable time for the Faculty Senate President instructions before attempting to interrupt the speaker by voice.
    8. Motions submitted in writing - A member intending to make a main motion, to offer an amendment, or to propose instructions, shall, before or after being recognized, post the motion in writing as designated by the Recording Secretary for this purpose.
    9. Display of motions - Motions coming before the Faculty Senate will be e-mailed to the Faculty Senate President prior to the meeting for electronic display. The Recording Secretary shall communicate any amendments, or revisions to the motion, via the Internet meeting service chat feature.
    10. Video display - The Faculty Senate President and any participant recognized to speak shall activate their camera while speaking whenever possible.
  21. Electronic Voting - Votes shall be taken by the voting feature of the Internet meeting service, using the anonymous feature when secret ballot is called, unless a different method is ordered by the Faculty Senate Executive Committee or required by the rules. When appropriate, other permissible methods of voting are by electronic roll call or by audible roll call. The Faculty Senate President announcement of the voting result shall include the number of members voting on each side of the question. When necessary, secure ballots will be distributed via the designated secure tool to Senators who attended meetings where discussions or presentations were made regarding the voting issue. Electronic proxy vote is prohibited.
  22. Dual mode meetings (simultaneous in-person and electronic) may be held when appropriate, at the discretion of the Faculty Senate President. The Faculty Senate Past President, or designee of the Faculty Senate President, shall co-chair the meeting to facilitate participation. The above rules apply, except as adjustments may be required to ensure voting security and participation. Whenever possible, voting method for dual mode meetings shall be specified in advance so that, for example, faculty attending in person will know to bring their laptop for an all-electronic vote.

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II. Elected Officers

  1. Elected officers of the Faculty Senate shall have the following responsibilities:
    • Past President: Attend Executive Committee meetings; Provide information regarding previous actions of the Senate; Sit on Faculty Senate Budget and Planning committee; May serve as an Ombudsperson for the Faculty for a three year term.
    • President: Preside over Faculty Senate, Executive Committee, and Faculty Senate Budget and Planning committee meetings; Represent WSU at Council of Faculty Senate Presidents (COFSP) at monthly KBOR meetings; Serve on University governance committees; Serve as a liaison with Presidents of the other Senates and the Student Government Association; Supervise Faculty Senate Administrative Assistant: Serve as the University Grand Marshall.
    • President Elect: Sit on Faculty Senate Budget and Planning committee; Chair the Senate Rules committee; Serve as Election Commissioner for SGA election; May attend COFSP meetings during the Spring semester; Serve on KBOR transfer articulation council.
    • Vice President: Oversee elections to the Faculty Senate, determining eligibility of nominees and confirming their willingness to serve; Preside over Senate and Executive Committee meetings in the absence of the President; Serve on the Faculty Senate Rules Committee.
    • Secretary: Take and post the minutes of the Faculty Senate; Route policies adopted by the Senate to the proper authorities for signatures and implementation; Route resolutions adopted by the Senate to the proper persons; Facilitate the keeping of records and the implementation of policies; Oversee and coordinate record keeping with the Faculty Senate Administrative Assistant.

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III. Senator Responsibilities

  1. Senators shall regularly attend meetings of the Senate and provide notification if they are unable to attend.
  2. Senators shall familiarize themselves with the business before the Senate in preparation for meetings.
  3. Senators shall regularly convey to their units the business before the Senate, and shall share the views of their constituents with the members of the Faculty Senate.

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IV. Terms/Appointments

  1. Elected officers of the Senate shall have a term of office of one year, beginning June 1, and shall be eligible for re-election.
  2. When vacancies occur in the Senate membership before the end of a term, the Rules Committee, in consultation with the senators from that voting unit, shall nominate an appointee to complete the term with Senate approval. The senators at-large will serve as the nominating committee when vacancies occur in at-large positions.
  3. Senate members on leave shall be replaced by an interim appointment. The Rules Committee, in consultation with the senators from that voting unit, shall nominate an interim appointee for Senate approval.

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V. Election Rules

  1. General Rules
    1. For purposes of representation on the Faculty Senate, the faculty is divided into nine divisions: the W. Frank Barton School of Business; the Colleges of Applied Studies, Engineering, Fine Arts, and Health Professions; the divisions of Humanities, Math/Natural Sciences, and Social Sciences in the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; and the University Libraries.
    2. The Faculty Senate shall be composed of elected members of the teaching/research faculty, department chairs and school directors, and university libraries from the nine divisions. Each Senate division is allotted one Senator for every twelve faculty members, rounding up to the nearest integer. All employees who have teaching/research/library responsibilities of 50% or more and .5 FTE or greater will be eligible for membership in the Faculty Senate, including: temporary faculty, probationary faculty, tenured faculty, contingent unclassified professionals, provisional unclassified professionals, and regular unclassified professionals. These employees all have the e-class designation of FA or F2.
      Administrators are ineligible for the Faculty Senate electorate. Administrators include those persons holding the title of President, Provost, Associate Provost, Vice President, Associate Vice President, Assistant Vice President, Dean, Associate Dean, Assistant Dean, and Directors of all non- academic programs including, but not limited to, the Director of the Computer Center, Director of the Office of Institutional Research, Director of Physical Plant, the Registrar, and Director of Cooperative Education. Eligible members of the faculty also serve as the electorate.
    3. The faculty of each Senate division shall determine how their seats on the Faculty Senate are to be allocated.
    4. Prior to the elections, the number of senators allotted to each Senate division will be determined by the Rules Committee. If a Senate division gains or loses one or more seats, the Rules Committee will notify the current senators from that division, who will be responsible for organizing a meeting of the appropriate faculty for the purpose of determining the new allocation of seats.
    5. The intent of the Senate Constitution is that approximately one-half of the senators will be elected each year. To maintain that pattern, the Rules Committee may choose to postpone for one year a change in the number of seats allotted to a division.
    6. Nominations and elections will be conducted in the following sequence:
      1. Senate seats elected at-large by the entire faculty;
      2. Senate seats elected at-large within a college/school/University Libraries or division; an
      3. Senate seats elected by a division.
  2. Nomination Process
    1. For each part of the election sequence, calls for nominations will be made by the Vice President of the Senate to eligible faculty voters. These calls will contain the deadline for nominations, and a list of faculty senators who are ineligible for the position because of their continuing service to the Faculty Senate.
    2. Nominations received after the deadline stated in the call for nominations will not be considered.
    3. The Vice President will determine the eligibility of nominees and endeavor to determine nominees’ willingness to serve before placing them on an election ballot.
    4. For other nominations, including college/school/University Libraries at- large positions, the Vice President will place on the election ballot all of those individuals who received nominations.
    5. If only one name is placed in nomination, that person shall automatically be selected to the seat for which they were nominated.
  3. Election Process
    1. Once the nominees have been selected, a link to an electronic ballot will be distributed to eligible faculty. Nominees will be listed on the ballot in alphabetical order, and the communication will show the deadline for return.
    2. Ballots submitted after the deadline will not be counted.
    3. The Vice President will validate the vote count and announce the winners. A plurality is sufficient for election.
    4. In case of tie votes, a run-off election will be held if requested by one or more of the nominees who are tied. If agreeable to all tied nominees, other methods of breaking the tie may be used; random choice (a coin flip, for example), nominee(s) withdrawal, or any other process agreeable to the nominees and the Rules Committee.
    5. The names of those elected to the Faculty Senate will be disseminated campus wide.

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VI. Senate Committees

Much of the work of the Senate is done through its committees. In addition to the Senate's standing committees, ad hoc committees may be formed to address major issues arising at the University. Working with committee chairs and members, the Senate President coordinates the work of standing and ad hoc committees of the Senate.

  1. Executive Committee
    1. Executive Committee members are selected from members of the Faculty Senate.
    2. Nominations for President-elect, Vice President, Secretary, and two at-large positions are open 13 days before the May electoral meeting. The incoming President may present a full slate of officers to the Faculty Senate for a vote. Each position will be confirmed individually. Nominations are allowed from the floor.
  2. Standard Charges of the Standing Committees
    1. Review, modify, and initiate policies and related procedures relevant to their specific charges.
    2. Forward recommendations and/or motions to the Senate.
    3. Report to the Senate at least once a year, and at any other times they and/or the Senate deem appropriate, the specific recommendations they made, to whom they made them, and what actions have been taken by those responsible for taking action.
    4. Report to the Senate at least once a year, and at any other times they and/or the Senate deem appropriate, the specific recommendations they made, to whom they made them, and what actions have been taken by those responsible for taking action.
  3. Eligibility
    1. Eligibility requirements are the same as those for the Faculty Senate. No faculty shall be a member of more than two standing committees of the Senate, unless by reason of office or election. With the exception of ex officio members and membership determined by general faculty policy, membership of a given person is restricted to two consecutive three year terms. Such faculty may be reelected after a service break of one term.
    2. Eligibility for student membership is established by the Student Government Association.
  4. Selection
    1. Early in the spring semester, prior to making its nominations to fill vacancies, the Rules Committee shall communicate open committee seats to all eligible faculty from each corresponding unit and request that nominations be made for these positions.
    2. With the exception of the Tenure and Promotion Committee, in making nominations the Rules Committee shall make certain that no more than one member of a committee comes from any one of the nine Senate divisions. All nominations shall reflect the need for continuity, interest, and expertise.
    3. The Rules Committee shall nominate members for standing committees, subject to Senate ratification.
    4. In the absence of the chair of the Rules Committee, the President of the Senate shall make temporary appointments to committees as needed.
    5. Committee appointments shall be completed by the end of the spring semester for the coming academic year.
    6. Student members are appointed by the Student Government Association (SGA) President upon notice by the Faculty Senate Executive Committee of a vacancy.
  5. Terms
    1. All standing committees of the Senate will meet at the end of the spring semester, after appointments have been completed, to elect chairs for the following year. Those selecting the chair should be those members serving in the coming year.
    2. Chairs serve for one year, beginning June 1. One year prior service on the committee is required to be eligible to serve as chair. If no member meets this criterion, the Rules Committee shall determine selection procedures. Newly elected chairs shall notify the Office of the Faculty Senate of their election. Interim vacancies shall be filled by the Rules Committee, subject to Senate approval.
    3. In making its nominations, the Rules Committee shall make certain that standing committees shall have an annual change in their membership. The membership term shall be three years. The Rules Committee shall seek to maintain a regular rotation of membership with 1/3 rotating off annually.
    4. If a member of a standing committee leaves the division from which elected, the member will be considered to have resigned. If the committees’ actions would be disrupted by the resignation, the Senate President may specify that the member remain on the committee for the completion of the academic year.
    5. If a committee member has a poor record of performance, the Rules Committee shall consult with the committee chair and that member and may excuse him or her from the committee.
  6. Written Reports
    1. Written committee reports to the Senate consist of two kinds, written reports and motions.
      A written annual report shall be submitted to the Senate by April 1 by each committee chair, containing the following:
      a. Date
      b. Names of members
      c. Approximate meeting schedule
      d. Summary of activities and/or decisions.
    2. Annual reports will be entered on the Senate agenda, distributed with it, and automatically accepted by the Senate unless a successful motion to the contrary is introduced on the Senate floor. Annual reports will not contain motions except insofar as their presence is a mere accounting of motions submitted to the Executive Committee. Annual reports may contain recommendations concerning questions the Senate should study.
    3. Throughout the year, Committee motions for changes in policy and/or stances on issues, if any, shall take the following written form:
      a. The motion
      b. Rationale for the motion.
      c. Committee name, date and authors.

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Revision Date

April 28, 2025: Approved by Faculty Senate 4.28.25. 1) Sunset committees: Academic Integrity Policy Committee, Scholarship and Student Aid Committee, Undergraduate Research Committee. 2) New committee, Student Affairs Committee includes charges from sunset committees. 3) Planning and Budget Committee update to: Composition for chair, Charges 4., and 5.
March 25, 2024: Approved by Faculty Senate 3.25.24, VII. University Tenure and Promotion Committees composition changes to TT Committee and NTT Committee.
September 11, 2023: Approved by Faculty Senate 9.11.23, VII. General Education Committee composition change.
May 9, 2022: Approved by Faculty Senate 5.9.22, VII. addition of Academic Integrity Policy Committee.
April 25, 2022: Approved by Faculty Senate 4.25.22, add I. 22., Dual Mode Meetings (simultaneous in-person and electronic).
March 28, 2022: Approved by Faculty Senate 3.28.22, update Faculty Affairs Committee composition and Planning and Budget Committee composition and charges.
November 22, 2021: Approved by Faculty Senate 11.22.21, VII. University Tenure and Promotion Committees, separate committees for TT and NTT.
November 8, 2021: Approved by Faculty Senate 11.8.21, Addition of I., 20. Electronic Meetings and I. 21. Electronic Voting.
September 13, 2021: Approved by Faculty Senate 9.13.21, VII. Undergraduate Research
Committee added “or their designated representative” to Dean of the Honors College.
April 26, 2021: Approved by Faculty Senate 4.26.21, VII. Accessibility Committee added charge 8. April 29, 2019: Approved by Faculty Senate 4.22.19; approved by General Faculty 4.29.19
January 27, 2017: Approved by Faculty Senate 11.28.16