Article I

Members

Section 1. Attendance at Senate Meetings.

1. Senate members missing 50% or more of the regular and special meetings of the Senate in any academic year shall be sent a letter by the Senate President reminding them of their obligations to represent their Colleges on the Senate.
    
2. Members missing 75% or more of the regular and special meetings of the Senate shall have their names published in a special attendance roster at the end of the year. They shall be sent a letter by the Senate President asking them to affirm in writing within a reasonable time their ability and commitment to fulfill their obligations as members and to represent their colleagues or to resign. The Senate President may declare vacant the seat of any member who does not either affirmatively respond or resign. The vacant seat shall be filled in the manner prescribed for filling other vacancies.

Section 2. Attendance at Council Meetings.

1. Council members missing 25% of the regular and special meetings of the Council during the semester shall be sent a letter by the Senate President reminding them of their obligations to represent their Colleges on the Council.
    
2. Those members missing 50% or more of the regular and special meetings of the Council in any semester shall have their names published in a special attendance roster at the end of the semester and shall be sent a letter by the Senate President asking them to affirm in writing within a reasonable time their ability and commitment to fulfill their obligations as members and to represent their colleges or to resign. The Senate President may declare vacant the seat of any member who does not either affirmatively respond or resign. The vacant seat shall be filled in the manner prescribed for filling other vacancies. 

Article II

Meetings

Section 1. Senate Meetings.

1. The Senate convenes regular meetings at least six times each year, preferably in September, October, November or December, February, March, and April.
    
2. Other meetings may be called as defined by the Constitution and shall not be held in lieu of regular meetings.
    
3. Except in executive sessions, anyone who wishes may make a verbatim record of deliberations of the Senate or Council and shall need no permission to do so from the body or any of its officers.

Section 2. Rules of Order. 

1. The parliamentary authority of the Faculty Senate and Council shall be Robert's Rules of Order (most recently revised).
    
2. This authority shall govern all procedures in the Faculty Senate and Council except where it conflicts with the Constitution or any special rules of order adopted.

Section 3. Agenda.

1. Agendas for regular meetings of the Senate shall be distributed to members of the Senate after approval by the Council.
    
2. The agenda may be amended from the floor.
    
3. All members of the Senate have the right to introduce matters for Senate consideration.

Section 4. Limits to Debate.

No restrictions shall be placed on the number and length of speeches in discussion of debatable matters before the Senate, except that normal motions to limit or close debate shall be in order as provided in the parliamentary authority.

Section 5. Tabled Agenda Items.

Matters tabled by the Senate, if they are not taken from the table at that meeting, shall be on the agenda of the next regular Senate meeting. 

Article III

Committees

Section 1. Eligibility.

Tenured, tenure-track, clinical-track, research-track and instructional-track faculty members may be appointed to committees of the Senate.

Section 2. Appointment of Committee Members.

The Committee on Committees recommends to the Senate President who in turn recommends to the Council which in turn recommends to the Senate, the names of faculty members to fill positions on Charter (see University of Iowa Operations Manual I.2.8(6) - I.2.8(24)), Non-Charter (Faculty-Staff Parking Appeals Committee, Non-Resident Classification Review Committee, Presidential Committee on Athletics), and University (Conflict of Interest in Employment Committee, Student Publications Committee, Honorary Degree Committee) committees, the Faculty Judicial Commission (see University of Iowa Operations Manual III.29.3), the Faculty Staff Budget Committee, and all standing committees of the Senate, other than the Committee on Committees and the Committee on Academic Values, and all other committees designated by the Senate President from time to time. These nominations are normally presented to the Council and the Senate in April of each year.

The Committee on Committees may make nominations to fill vacancies for which it appoints members at such times as vacancies occur.

The members of the Committee on Committees shall be appointed by the Senate President. Generally, the Senate President shall appoint to the Committee on Committees individuals who serve on the Faculty Council, but other individuals can be appointed to this committee.

The nominees whom the Senate approves for Charter and Non-Charter committees are forwarded to the University President for confirmation.

The Senate President appoints the chair of each standing committee of the Senate from the members of that committee, the chair of the Faculty Judicial Commission from the members of the commission, the chair of the Honorary Degree Selection Committee from the members of that committee, and the faculty co-chair of the Faculty Staff Budget Committee from the faculty members of that committee.

The Senate President recommends to the University President an individual to serve as chair of any Charter or Non-Charter committees if the committee is to be chaired by members of the faculty.

The Senate President, in consultation with the other Senate officers, may recommend faculty members for service on other committees of the University.

Section 3. Faculty Senate Standing and Ad Hoc Committees. 

1. The Committee on the Selection of Central Academic Officials:
   1. Membership.

      1.  The Committee shall consist of at least seven members with staggered three-year terms who come from at least three different Colleges. No person shall serve more than six years.

      2. Its membership shall reflect the expertise and diversity of the entire faculty.

      3. The Senate President is an ex-officio voting member of this Committee when it is consulting on the selection of a permanent or interim University President.

   2. Duties.

      1. Consult with and advise the Board of Regents regarding the selection of a University President and with the University President regarding the selection of all permanent or interim central academic officials;

      2.  Consult with and advise the University President, on invitation, regarding appropriate processes for conducting searches for central academic officials.

      3. Two members of the Committee will be appointed by the Senate President in consultation with the Committee chairperson to participate in the academic review of central academic offices and officers.

      4. At least two members of the Committee should be appointed to any search committee appointed to search for a University President or a central academic official.
          

2. The Committee on Rules and Bylaws
   1. Membership.
      1. The Committee shall consist of at least six members with staggered three-year terms. The maximum length of service on the committee shall be two consecutive three-year terms.
      2.  The Senate past president shall be a voting ex-officio member of the committee.
   2. Duties.
      1. The committee prescribes such general rules of procedure as are not provided in the constitution of the Senate or these bylaws.
      2. The committee may also determine special rules of procedure for considering specific items of Senate business.
      3. Questions regarding the meaning of the constitution or bylaws are ordinarily referred to the chair of the committee who may in turn refer the issue to the entire committee.
      4. General or special rules established by this committee, and the rulings of the parliamentarian, may be amended or revoked by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the members of the Senate present and voting.
         
         
3. The Committee on Faculty Policies and Compensation.
   1. Membership.
      1. The Committee shall consist of at least six members with staggered three-year terms. The maximum length of service on the committee shall be two consecutive three-year terms.
   2. Duties.
      1. The Committee reviews and makes recommendations on all proposed University policies and procedures affecting faculty not otherwise under the jurisdiction of another Senate or charter committee. The Senate President may refer any such proposed policies or procedures to another committee. 
         
         
4. The Committee on Elections.
   1. Membership. 
      1. The Committee shall consist of at least six members with staggered three-year terms. The maximum length of service on the committee shall be two consecutive three-year terms. The Senate vice president shall be a non-voting ex-officio member of the committee.
   2. Duties.
      1. The Committee shall present to the first Senate meeting of the spring semester:
         1. a list of faculty members eligible to vote,
         2. a list of Senate positions to be filled, and
         3. a list of persons eligible for each position.
      2. At the same time, the Committee determines the number of positions to be filled on the Council for each represented college.
      3. The Committee supervises all elections and decides tie votes by lot.
      4. Nomination of Officers. 
         1. Nominations are to be made from newly-elected, continuing, or departing members of the Senate or from persons who have served at least three years in the Senate at any time.
         2. The Committee solicits suggestions from the members of the Senate for its consideration in preparing the slate of candidates. It seeks short autobiographical sketches from the nominees and distributes copies of these to the members of the Senate before the meeting in April.
         3. Ordinarily, the Committee presents at the regular April meeting of the Senate two nominations for the offices of vice president and secretary of the Senate, and, if the current year's vice president is unable to succeed to the presidency as specified in the constitution, then also for the position of president of the Senate.
             
5. The Governmental Relations Committee.
   1. Membership.
      1. The Committee shall consist of at least six members with staggered three-year terms. The maximum length of service on the committee shall be two consecutive three-year terms.
      2. The vice president, president, and past president of the Senate may serve ex-officio as voting members of the committee.
   2. Duties. 
      1. The Committee has primary responsibility for developing and improving the faculty's relationship with all governmental bodies.
         
         
6. Committee on Awards and Recognition.
   1. Membership.
      1. The Committee shall consist of at least seven members, no more than three of whom have appointments in the sciences, with staggered three-year terms. The maximum length of service on the committee shall be two consecutive three-year terms.
      2. The chair of the committee shall be one of the members who has already served at least one year of a three-year term.
   2. Duties.
      1. The committee has primary responsibility for staffing awards committees in which faculty play a role and for soliciting nominations for these awards, including by:
         1. assisting the Senate officers to select the ad-hoc committee to solicit nominations for its own Brody awards;
         2. reviewing the Honorary Degree Committee’s observance of the Senate’s requirements regarding eligibility for award nomination;
         3. assisting the Provost’s Office and the Senate officers to select the ad-hoc committee to select recipients of the Regents Awards for Faculty Excellence;
         4. assisting the Provost’s Office to review and revise procedures regularly for soliciting nominations for Regents Awards for Faculty Excellence; and
         5. encouraging colleagues to nominate individuals for appropriate awards.
      2. The committee shall appoint at least one of its members to each of the Awards committees in which faculty play a role, as listed in (i) above.
          
7. Committee on Academic Values.
   1. Membership.
      1. The Committee shall consist of at least five faculty members to be appointed and renewed by the Faculty Senate President in consultation with the other Faculty Senate Officers. Given the nature of its charge, the committee membership should ideally include expertise in law and higher education. If feasible, the immediate Faculty Senate Past President shall serve on this committee. The members shall serve one-year renewable terms.
   2. Duties.
      1. To develop expertise, through study and through consultation with informed organizations, regarding the principles, history, and current events related to core academic values in higher education, including academic freedom, free speech, tenure, and shared governance.
      2. To counsel and advise Faculty Senate officers, Senate committees, and potentially other university constituencies, with regard to proposed policies, curricula, programs, events, and other issues impacting or related to core academic values.
      3. To provide timely input to Faculty Senate officers, Senate committees, and potentially other university constituencies, regarding events on campus and reactions thereto, that could have a detrimental effect on core academic values. 
         
         
8. Michael J. Brody Award Selection Committee.
   1. Membership.
      1. The ad hoc committee to select the winners of the Michael J. Brody Award for Faculty Excellence in Service to the University and the State of Iowa shall consist of the Senate President, one Awards and Recognition Committee
         member, one Charter Committee on Diversity member, and three or four Faculty Councilors.
          
9. Other Ad Hoc Committees.

• The Senate President may create such other Senate committees upon such terms and conditions as the Senate President deems advisable but only with the approval of the Council and the Senate.

Section 4. Committee Coordination and Reporting.

1. The Senate President appoints the chair of each standing committee of the Senate from the members of that committee.
    
2. The Senate President shall, prior to the beginning of the fall semester, meet with committee chairs and discuss relevant orientation materials, expectations, procedures, and projects for the committees.
    
3. Each committee, at the request of the Senate President, will submit a report on its activities to the Faculty Council.
    
4. Each committee will be reviewed every five years by the Faculty Council to ensure effective functioning. The results of the review and any recommended actions will be reported to the Senate. 

Article IV

Preservation of Records

Noncurrent records, including minutes of meetings, correspondence, reports, tape recordings, investigative data, and other documentation as may bear on the activities of the Faculty Senate or Council or constituent committees should be retired annually to the University Archives in the Special Collections Department, Main Library, by the Senate President. The Senate shall maintain its own digitized copies to be accessible to Senate officers and Senate committees. Transferred materials shall have the topical components and their chronological span identified provisionally.

Article V

Elections

Section 1. In addition to the one mandated collegiate Senator, the number of additional representatives is determined as follows: 

the number of voting faculty members in the entire faculty is divided by sixty; the quotient, rounded to the nearest whole number, is then divided into the number of voting faculty members in each college and the result, rounded to the nearest whole number, is each college’s quota of additional representatives.

Section 2. Nominations.

1. A faculty member who receives sufficient votes to be nominated becomes a nominee upon consenting to run.
    
2. When a faculty member decides not to run, the person receiving the next largest number of votes is invited to be a candidate.
    
3. Cases of ties are decided by lot by the Committee on Elections

Section 3. Three elections are held each year following nominations for the Senate, on or before March 1:

1. the Senate election, on or before April 1;
2. the Council election, on or before April 15; and
3. the election of officers of the Senate, in the organizational meeting of the Senate.

Section 4. The Committee on Elections reports the results of the voting for the Senate and Council to the Senate at its regular meeting in April.

Section 5. Organizational Meeting for each new Senate.

1. The organizational meeting of the newly elected and continuing members of the Senate is held immediately upon the adjournment of the regular April Senate meeting of the Faculty Senate.
    
2. Nominations of Officers.
    
   1. The organizational meeting receives the nominations of the Elections Committee for the officers of the Senate (above, Article III, section 3.4). Nominations from the Elections Committee shall be accompanied by short biographical sketches of each nominee, prepared and distributed at least 10 days prior to the April Senate meeting.
       
   2. The Senate may also receive nominations from the floor, provided that the persons so nominated have consented to serve. Biographical sketches are not required of persons nominated from the floor.
       
   3. Voting.
       
      1. Election of officers is by secret ballot.
      2. Whenever possible the ballots are tallied and the results of the election announced before the end of the organizational meeting.
      3. To be elected, the winning candidate for each office must receive the majority of votes cast.
      4. If there are more than two nominees and no one receives a majority, then there shall be a runoff between the top two nominees who have received the highest number of votes.
      5. In the event of a tie, there will be a re-vote. If there is a tie again, the election will be decided by lot.