Election of Department and Temporary Faculty Representatives

Election Calendar

Department Representatives

• TBA: Call for the election by Departments for 2013-2015 Senate Representatives and Alternates
• TBA: Election results due to Kathy Garcia in the Faculty Senate Office.

Temporary Faculty Representatives

• TBA: Call to Temporary Faculty for Nominations for Election to the Faculty Senate
• TBA: Nomination Petitions Deadline
• TBA: Election of Candidates
• TBA: Election results announced

List of Senate Representatives

From the By-laws of the Faculty Senate (July 25, 2012):

Article I. MEMBERSHIP

A.  Membership

The membership of the Faculty Senate shall be composed of (1) the representatives of the electing units; (2) four representatives to be elected At-large by the temporary faculty from those temporary faculty who are teaching six or more units during the semester in which the election is conducted; (3) chairs of certain standing policy committees of the Faculty Senate (as specified in the committee's charge), as ex-officio non-voting members, unless such chairs are serving concurrently on the Senate as representatives of electing units; (4) the statewide academic senators, as ex officio, non-voting members; (5) a Faculty Emeritus member of the California State University, Sacramento Retirees Association, as an ex officio, non-voting member; chosen by, and in a manner determined by, the Association; (6) three student representatives, as non-voting members, chosen by, and in a manner determined by, the Associated Students, Inc.

B. Nomination, Election, and Succession to the Office of Representative or Alternate

1. Representatives and Alternates

Each electing unit of the full-time faculty (as defined in the Constitution of the Faculty, Article II, Section 5.B.) may elect a representative and an alternate representative to each of its seats to serve as the unit's voting representative at Senate meetings. The alternate may vote when the representative is unable to attend.

In the case of electing units with more than one representative the unit may choose to elect (1) a separate alternate for each of the seats or (2) one or more individuals (up to the number of seats allotted to the electing unit) to serve as alternates for all of its seats.

Service as an alternate, regardless of the number of years served, shall not preclude an individual from being elected as a unit representative upon end of his/her service as an alternate.

The temporary faculty shall be entitled to two alternates (who may act for any of the four temporary faculty representatives) elected from among those temporary faculty who have been appointed to no fewer than 6 WTUs during the semester of their election.

It shall be the responsibility of the regular representative to notify an alternate when his/her attendance will be required. Neither the temporary faculty nor an electing unit may be represented by both a regular and an alternate representative to the same seat at the same time.

For the period during which the representative from an electing unit serves as the Chair of the Faculty Senate, the electing unit’s alternate representative, if any, shall serve as the unit’s voting representative at Faculty Senate meetings.  When the alternate is present and voting the Chair shall not vote on any matter.  In the absence of the alternate the chair may vote to break a tie.

2. Elections

Elections to the office of representative (or alternate) shall be conducted and results reported to the Senate Office in the Spring semester prior to the date of the organizational meeting of the new Senate to serve for the following college year. Each electing unit shall be responsible for its own elections.

The Senate Election Committee shall be responsible for the conduct of the temporary faculty elections.

Elections shall be by secret ballot, and all ballots shall be distributed and collected on campus.

3. Term of Office

The term of office of a representative shall be two years as defined in the Constitution.  Should the representative of an electing unit and/or his or her alternate fail to complete their term, the unit may hold an election to fill the remainder of the term as provided in the Constitution. [Article II, Section 6.A: The term of office of a representative, whether of an electing unit or the temporary faculty, shall be two (2) years, with terms so arranged that approximately one-half (1/2) of the Senate shall be elected each year. The term of office shall begin at noon on the last day of the spring semester and end at noon on the last day of the spring semester two years hence.]

The term of office of alternate representative is for two academic years; the term of the alternate need not coincide with that of a unit’s elected representative (senator).

To remain eligible to hold office a representative or alternate of the temporary faculty shall hold an appointment from the University to no fewer than three (3) WTU's during each semester of the prescribed term of office. Failure to hold the required appointment shall vacate the office.

4. Nomination and Election Process

Each electing unit shall invite nominations to the office of representative from its own members. Each member of an electing unit who is qualified to vote for representatives as defined in Article I, Section 6, of the Constitution shall be eligible to nominate and to be nominated to the office of representative (or alternate) from his/her electing unit except as provided in the Constitution. [Article II, Section 6.B: Representatives who have served for six (6) consecutive years shall not be eligible for re-election until at least one (1) academic year has elapsed between the conclusion of the sixth consecutive year of service and the beginning of a new term.]  Service as an alternate, regardless of the number of years served as such, shall not preclude an individual from being elected as unit representative immediately following the end of his/her service as an alternate.

If no candidate for the office of representative of an electing unit receives a majority of the votes cast in a unit's election, the unit shall immediately hold another election to decide which of the two candidates receiving the most votes previously cast shall have the office.

In the case of the temporary faculty, nomination and election shall be by and from the temporary faculty holding instructional appointments in the spring semester. To be qualified for nomination and election to the office of representative or alternate, a temporary faculty member shall hold an appointment from the University to no fewer than six (6) WTU's during the semester in which the election is held and shall be eligible under Article II, Section 6.B, of the Constitution. The Faculty Senate shall invite nominations from the temporary faculty. If more than twice as many candidates are nominated as there are offices to be filled, the Senate shall hold an election to select from among them twice as many candidates as offices to be filled.

The election of the temporary faculty representatives shall be so conducted that two representatives and one alternate are elected to new terms each year. Each member of the temporary faculty may vote for as many candidates as offices to be filled. To be elected, a candidate shall receive more votes than any candidate not elected.

5. Vacancy in the Office of Representative

Provision for filling a vacancy in the office of representative or an alternate of an electing unit is made in the Constitution [Article II, Section 6.C: When a vacancy occurs in the representation of any electing unit not caused by the expiration of a term of office, a successor shall be elected by the electing unit in a manner to be determined by the electing unit.]  The alternate shall serve as the representative of the unit until an election to fill the vacancy occurs.

If a vacancy occurs in the office of representative of the temporary faculty, the Faculty Senate shall appoint one of the alternates to serve for the remainder of the term. In the absence of an alternate, the Faculty Senate may appoint from among the temporary faculty a successor who shall serve for the remainder of the term. The Senate shall confine its choice of a successor to a member of the temporary faculty who holds an appointment from the University to no fewer than six (6) WTU's during the semester of appointment.

6. Electing Units

The provisions of Section I.B.1-5 of these By-Laws shall apply alike to single and combined electing units.

C. Duties and Responsibilities of Individual Senators

The role of faculty governance within a University is a major part of the collegial environment. The Faculty Senate is the recognized voice of the faculty and is charged with proposing and overseeing policy pertaining to the academic well-being of the institution. A unit’s representative, or the designated alternate, duly elected by his/her department/unit is expected to discharge the duties and responsibilities attendant on that office and exercise its powers and prerogatives in person only. These duties and responsibilities are:

1. To be an informed member of the Faculty Senate;
2. To attend all meetings of the Faculty Senate or if unable to attend to advise the alternate;
3. To consult with and consider the opinions/interests of the department/unit being represented while engaging in Faculty Senate business;
4. To recognize and respect the duties and responsibilities of fellow Faculty Senators; and
5. To maintain a collegial and objective bearing during debate in the Faculty Senate.

In addition, each Senator, during each academic year, shall be considered to be (for that academic year) an ex-officio non-voting interested party of one of the standing Policy committees.  As such, a Senator will receive the notices/minutes/agenda of that committee during the academic year of service on the Senate.  In the Spring prior to the following academic year, incoming Senators shall designate one standing Policy committee from the current (at the time) list of standing Policy committees.  Senators who have not designated a committee of interest by the second Senate meeting of a given academic year shall be randomly assigned a committee and informed within the first two meetings of the new academic year.  Similarly, Senators, upon joining the Senate at any point thereafter, shall be given a choice of committee followed by an assignment provided in case no choice is made.