FACULTY REFERENDUM
Effective: August 15, 2024
Purpose: To detail the procedure for faculty to submit legislation to be adopted by referendum.
Scope: This policy applies to all faculty campus wide.
Responsible Office: Faculty Senate
Policy Statement:
Any member of the voting faculty submitting legislation to be adopted by referendum must submit a petition signed by at least twenty percent (20%) of the voting faculty, as defined in Article 1, Section 1 of the Faculty Senate Constitution, to the Faculty Senate Committee on Campus Governance (COCG). A list of the voting faculty is available by request from the COCG. Each copy of the petition must contain the complete text of the proposed legislation. See Paragraph 5 for an example.
After certifying that the petition has been signed by the appropriate number of voting faculty, the COCG shall within ten (10) class days put the question to the voting faculty by means of anonymous ballot. All ballots must be returned to the COCG within ten (10) class days. The COCG shall tally the votes and will submit the result to the Senate Executive Committee no later than five (5) class days after the close of balloting.
If a majority of the faculty voting are in favor of the referendum, the Senate Executive Committee shall assign the appropriate legislative number to the legislation. Hereafter the legislation shall be treated in the same manner as any other bill passed by the Faculty Senate with the exceptions noted in Paragraph 4. Within five (5) class days of receiving the results of the referendum, the Senate Executive Committee shall forward it to the President of the University for approval. The Faculty Senate may not amend this legislation.
If this bill is approved by the President of the University, the legislation shall become University policy. If disapproved by the President of the University, the legislation may not be amended or resubmitted without conducting another referendum. The President of the University may not return any legislation passed by referendum for revision.
The following is an example of the referendum format:
TITLE OF THE REFERENDUM
I. Purpose: THE PURPOSE OF THE REFERENCE GOES ON THIS LINE.
II. Definitions: THE DEFINITIONS OF ANY TERMS NECESSARY TO CLEARLY UNDERSTAND THE REFERENDUM GOES IN THIS SECTION.
III. Sponsors: See below
IV. REFERENDUM: Attached
THE NAME OF THE REFERENDUM
THE TEXT OF THE REFERENDUM
The undersigned understand and support the above stated referendum and request submission of the referendum to the faculty for adoption.
- __________________________
- __________________________
- __________________________
- __________________________
- __________________________
- __________________________
Definitions: All words and phrases shall be interpreted utilizing their plain meanings unless otherwise defined in another University or Board of Regents policy or by statute or regulation.
Procedures: All procedures linked and related to the policies above shall have the full force and effect of policy if said procedures have first been properly approved by the University’s Faculty Senate.
[Faculty Senate Constitution and Bylaws - coming soon]
Related Policy Information: [coming soon]