The University Senate of Michigan
Technological University
Proposal 13-12
(Voting Units:
Full Senate)
“Constitution Revision”
Background/Rationale
Our University Senate Constitution and By-Laws currently state
that there would be no more than 12 professional staff representation units
including independent research units, and that two of these units would be the
Library and Physical Education. The Department
of Physical Education was to be both an academic department and a
professional staff unit.
In the years since the professional staff were added to
the Senate, the Department of Physical Education has been divided into (1)
Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology (academic department) and General
Athletics (reporting to the Vice President for Student Affairs).
transitioned to an academic degree granting department and is now titled the Department of Kinesiology and Integrative Physiology. Moreover, General Athletics was part of a recent internal reorganization and reports to the Vice President for Student Affairs.
Reason for Policy
The Professional Staff Policy committee is recommending
that the following changes be made in the constitution of the University
Senate.
1) Athletic coaches should not be
included mentioned in the Senate representation constitution. Coaches negotiate their leave and benefits
as part of their contract. (II.B.3.a.)
2) Staff Senate constituencies will be
represented as detailed in the By-laws with 12 professional staff representation
units, including independent research units. The title of non-academic will be
changed to professional staff for better clarification. (II.C.1.b.2)
3) II.C.1.b.3 would be deleted.
4) The representation units shall be listed
in the By-laws. The By-laws shall contain procedures for reviewing and updating
the list as recommended by the Professional Staff Policy Committee. (II.C.3)
Proposal
To
make the following changes to the University Senate constitution.
Article II.
B. Individuals:
3.
Professional Staff Constituents:
a. Professional staff
including athletic coaches and members of independent research units, shall be constituents of the University Senate, unless otherwise excluded because of major administrative functions as defined in the By-laws (independent research units are not administered by one or more academic departments).
C.
Representation Units
1. Each constituent of the
Senate shall be a member of one representation unit. A senator
elected by members of each unit shall represent each unit. The units and
their included constituents
are:
a. Academic Departments. Academic
and research faculty holding appointments in an academic department or school shall be the only faculty constituent members of that department or school.
b. Research Units and Professional
Staff
1) The Senate’s Professional Staff Policy Committee will
define the composition of the professional staff and independent research representation units.
2) There shall be no more than 12
professional staff representation units, including independent research units. Two One of the units shall be the Library and Physical Education. The other ten eleven shall be composed as defined by the By-laws. The groupings of the non-academic professional staff units are only for Senate representation. The reporting structures of constituents within any one unit may differ.
3) The Department of Physical
Education is both an academic department and a professional staff unit. All constituents in the Athletic Department shall be constituent members of the Department of Physical Education.
4) 3) All Senate constituents employed
in an independent research unit shall be constituent members of that unit. A research unit may be included as part of another constituent unit.
5) 4) Senate constituents as defined
above who are not constituent members of an academic department or research unit shall be members of a professional staff representation unit.
3.
The representation units shall be listed in the By-laws. The By-laws shall contain procedures for reviewing and updating the list once a year before the
annual spring elections
as recommended by
the Professional Staff Policy Committee.
Introduced to Senate: 15 February 2012
Approved by Senate with friendly amendments in blue: 21 March 2012
Referendum Passed by 88%: 04 April 2012 (287 yes out of 326 votes)
Approved by the Board of Control: 27 April 2012