Governance Document for the Representative Assembly

Article 1. Goal, Objectives, and Powers of the Representative Assembly
The overall goal of the Representative Assembly (RA) is to provide for faculty participation in college governance. The specific objectives of the RA are:

  1. To encourage communication across the diverse disciplines and departments of the College and between the faculty and college administration.
  2. To approve academic policies and proposals involving college curricula, majors, minors, interdisciplinary programs, and student admission/graduation requirements.
  3. To establish, staff and monitor college committees and designated college representation on university council/committees.
  4. To consider all policies and procedures to promote college development and faculty welfare, acting in coordination with the Faculty Senate and including conduct of a five-year evaluation of the college dean.

The RA is a representative body of the college faculty endowed with the powers to achieve its goal and objectives. It may act on any matter pertaining to the functions of the college brought to it by faculty, students or administrative staff.

Article II. Structure and operation of the RA
Section 1. Membership
The assembly is composed of voting members selected as follows.

  1. The faculty of each department and school will elect one representative.
  2. Each adjunct program, as defined in Article IV, Sec. 2 below, will elect one representative.
  3. Chairs of standing college committees, or a designated member of the committees.
  4. Chair of the LAS caucus of the Faculty Senate, or a designated caucus member.
  5. President of the LAS Student Council, or a designated member of the Council.

Section 2. Selection, terms and service of department/school/program representatives.

  1. Eligibility: Any member of the General Faculty (as defined in the Faculty Handbook, 2.4.1) in a department or school of the College, with at least 6 semesters of service may serve as a representative, except for department and school executive officers and faculty employed part-time or full-time in the Dean’s Office.
  2. Voting:
    a) All members of the General Faculty, part-time and full-time in a department or school of the College, including departmental executive officers and college administrators, are entitled to vote in their own department, school, or adjunct program elections.
    b) Faculty holding joint appointments in departments or schools are entitled to vote in each for departmental or school representatives.
    c) Faculty holding joint appointments in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and another college are permitted a full vote for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences department, school, or adjunct program representatives.
  3. Election: Departments, schools and adjunct programs will elect their representatives by ballot before April 1 of each year according to their own election procedures.
  4. Representatives will serve terms of three years. Two consecutive terms may be served, but this must be followed by a break of at least one term. Terms shall begin at the end of the May meeting of the Representative Assembly. In cases where representation is changing, to facilitate a smooth transition, both the incoming and outgoing representatives will attend the May meeting. The outgoing member will vote on any issues facing the assembly at the May meeting. Approximately one-third of the RA will be elected each year.
  5. Departments, schools, and adjunct programs are empowered to recall their representatives by first submitting to the Executive Committee a recall petition that contains the signatures of at least one-fourth of the qualified electors for that representative, and then gaining a majority vote in favor of recall in a written ballot supervised by the Executive Committee. It is the duty of the Executive Committee to call for new nominations and conduct a special election to replace the recalled representative.
  6. A representative unable to attend a meeting or meetings of the RA may designate a substitute by notifying the Executive Committee of the RA. Representatives may not designate a substitute to serve longer than four consecutive regular RA meetings.
  7. If a departmental representative is absent or informs the Executive Committee of an expected absence for more than four consecutive regular RA meetings, is dismissed, or is unable to complete the remainder of his/her term, the Executive Committee will declare the seat vacant. The affected department will elect a substitute who shall serve for the remaining year(s) of the original term. Such service shall not count towards the limit imposed in Section II. 2.4.
  8. Because representatives have added responsibility in dealing with educational matters, service as a representative, and especially Executive Committee membership, should be viewed as part of the individual’s workload by departmental administrators.

Section 3. Organization and operation of the RA

  1. Executive Committee: The Executive Committee will consist of six members. Members of the Assembly will elect the six members of the Executive Committee for one-year terms during April of each year for a term beginning in May. Consideration should be given to electing members that represent the full range of academic programs offered by the College. A member can be re-elected for up to three consecutive terms.
  2. Chair and Vice-Chair of the RA: These officers will be elected by vote of the RA from the membership of the Executive Committee. The officers will be elected in April for a one-year term beginning in May. Officers can be re-elected for up to three consecutive terms.
  3. The Chair of the RA will preside at RA meetings.
  4. The Vice-Chair will preside at RA meetings in the absence of the chair.
  5. The Dean of the College will be a non-voting ex-officio member of the RA.
  6. Associate Deans of the College may attend RA meetings in non-voting ex officio status.
  7. Standing committees: These committees study, advise, recommend and act in accordance with their charge. The College standing committees consist either of six members or nine members, and should be selected with a goal of representing the full range of academic programs offered by the College.

Six-member Committees 
Academic Standards and Admissions
Honors
Faculty Awards
Promotion and Tenure
Computer Advisory
Outcomes

Nine-member Committees
Curriculum
Faculty Development
Diversity and Inclusion

All members of the general faculty within the College are eligible to serve on or chair all Representative Assembly standing or ad hoc committees and to act as College-designated representatives, with the following constraints: 1) service on the College Promotion and Tenure Committee is restricted to tenured faculty at the rank of Professor; 2) service on the Faculty Development Committee is restricted to tenured faculty; 3) voting on honors and awards for which only tenured and tenure-track faculty are eligible is restricted to tenured and tenure-track faculty; 4) appointments to university committees must be consistent with university guidelines.

With the exception of the Curriculum Committee, committee members will be appointed by the Dean for a three-year term renewable for one additional three-year term. Members of the Curriculum Committee will serve a six-year term renewable for one additional six-year term.

Committee membership will reflect the full range of academic programs offered by the College. A committee will have only one member from any one department or school.

With the exception of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, committee chairs will be appointed from the committee membership to serve a one-year renewable term. The Dean will recommend a chair for each committee. Appointments of chairs will be approved by a majority vote of the RA. In the event that an appointment is not approved, the Dean will be requested to submit an alternative candidate from the committee for approval. The Diversity and Inclusion Committee will be chaired by the College Equity Advisor.

  1. College-designated representatives on University councils/committees:
    These representatives will be appointed by the Dean for three-year terms with one additional term permitted unless specified otherwise by the University. Each representative will submit a brief written report to the Executive Committee in April of each year. During the third year of a term, the college designee may report orally to the RA on the operation of the council/committee.
  2. Appointment of college committee chairs and members and designated college representatives:
    In February of each year, the expected vacancies will be projected and announced to the college faculty. The Dean will solicit nominations from department/academic units, and will present a slate of nominees to the RA for approval. In the event that a nominee from the slate is not approved, the Dean will be asked to submit an alternative nominee for approval.
  3. Conduct of the RA1.Regular meetings: The RA will meet monthly for regular meetings during the academic year.

    2.Special meetings: Special meetings of the RA can be called by the Dean, by a college official acting for the Dean, or by the Executive Committee.

    3.By-Laws: The RA will formulate and approve necessary by-laws for its operation.

    4.Secretariat: The College Administration will provide a recording secretary to do staff work and keep minutes of meetings of the RA and the Executive Committee.

    5.Attendance at RA meetings is open. Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to attend and may be recognized to speak by a RA member who has the floor.

    6.Minutes of meetings will be provided to members following each meeting.

    7.The Dean of the College will be invited to address RA meetings on matters of college policies and operations.

    8.A quorum of one-half of the voting members or designates must be present to vote on any matter before the RA.

Section 4. Functions of the Executive Committee

  1. The Executive Committee will provide liaison with the Dean in connection with collegiate issues arising in any body, unit, or group within the College. The Committee will meet regularly, at least three times each semester, as a consultative committee to the Dean and for special sessions upon the call of the chair or the Dean.
  2. The Executive Committee will prepare the agenda for RA meetings and, when possible, circulate the agenda to the College faculty at least several days prior to regularly scheduled meetings.
  3. The Executive Committee will be authorized to act on behalf of the RA during the interim between regular RA meetings and will report all actions taken at the next RA meeting. It is understood that the RA retains the right to rescind any such actions. A majority vote of its members eligible to vote will be required in order to rescind interim actions of the Executive Committee.
  4. The Executive Committee will administer the rules and By-Laws of the RA on behalf of the college faculty.

Article III. Abolition of the RA.
Upon receipt of a petition signed by 20 percent of the college faculty eligible to vote for RA representatives, the Executive Committee will announce the petition and hold an open faculty meeting to discuss the issues raised by it. A vote by written ballot will be held within two weeks of the faculty meeting. The RA will be abolished if two-thirds of those voting approve its abolition.

Article IV. Definition: Adjunct Programs

Those departments or areas that have direct academic involvement in the College but whose budgets and systems of personnel selection are not under the predominant control of the College. The adjunct program entitled to elect one representative each is: Officer Education.

Article V. Amending procedure

This Governance Document may be amended by a two-thirds majority vote of those voting on a proposed amendment, those eligible to vote being those eligible to vote for RA Representatives. Such a vote will be by ballot carried out under the supervision of the Executive Committee.

Revised and approved by the LAS Faculty, January 23, 2018