PURCHASE COLLEGE	STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK

BYLAWS OF THE FACULTY OF PURCHASE COLLEGE

(Adopted by the College Faculty September 28, 1994.
Revised by the College Faculty October 2, 1996; March 5, 1997; 
November 19, 1997; March 25, 1998; April 22, 1998; April 7, 1999.)

Prepared by Jan Factor, Faculty Presiding Officer

I. Voting Faculty: The voting faculty of the College consists of all of those members of the faculty and administration holding academic appointment who are defined as voting faculty by the Policies of the Board of Trustees of State University of New York (Policies), and in addition includes all faculty in qualified academic rank who have taught at least two courses per semester for more than one year. (Qualified academic rank includes lecturer or academic titles preceded by "teaching", "research", "visiting", "adjunct", or other designations, as well as temporary appointments regardless of title [see Article VIII,B,3,f].)

	Definition of the voting faculty (Policies, Article X): "3. Voting Faculty. The voting faculty of each college shall be composed of: 
		(a) The Chancellor and the chief administrative officer of the college; and 
		(b) Members of the academic staff of the college having academic rank and term or continuing appointments; and 
		(c) Such other officers of administration and staff members of the college as may be specified by the faculty bylaws of the college."

II. Duties and Powers: Within the limits set by the Policies, the voting faculty have a primary responsibility for developing and implementing educational, curricular, and personnel policies, and for defining and participating in the administration of academic and professional standards, including teaching, research, and creative activity, for the College.

III. Faculty Meetings: The faculty of the College shall meet at least once each semester.

IV. Quorum: A quorum shall consist of at least twenty-five members of the voting faculty.

V. Officers: The officers of the faculty shall consist of a presiding officer, the chairs of the standing committees enumerated in Article VI below, and the past-presiding officer. The Chair of the Educational Policies Committee shall also act as associate presiding officer of the faculty and shall chair faculty meetings in the absence of the presiding officer. The presiding officer of the faculty, together with the chairs of the standing committees, the past-presiding officer, and the faculty representative on the SUNY University Faculty Senate shall comprise the Executive Committee of the faculty. The presiding officer shall be the spokesperson for the faculty and shall represent the faculty together with the members of the Executive Committee with respect to day-to-day dealings with the College administration and with any other constituents of the College community. The Executive Committee shall schedule meetings of the faculty, prepare the agenda, coordinate and plan meetings with the College Administration and shall act as the representatives of the faculty in any assembly involving other constituents of the College community in collective forums and shall function as a nominating committee for the purpose of providing a slate of nominees for the standing committees. The presiding officer of the faculty shall meet as needed, preferably at least once each semester, with the president of the Professional Council and a representative of the Students' Union, to exchange information and views on subjects of common interest.

VI. Standing Committees: There shall be four standing committees of the faculty:

	A. Educational Policies: Considers all matters involving educational policy issues which have College-wide implications, such as requirements, format of grades, addition or modification of programs, etc.; conducts periodic curricular reviews; and deliberates on all other matters involving the educational program of the college. Proposals for new programs (including new majors, minors, and concentrations within majors) must be submitted to and approved by the Educational Policies Committee before being sent on to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the President.

	B. Personnel Policies: Considers all matters involving faculty appointments, reappointments, promotions, and tenure.

	C. Professional Standards and Awards: Considers any and all grants and other honors requiring peer review and shall solicit no fewer than three faculty, with at least one from the Arts and one from Liberal Arts and Sciences. (Faculty who have an interest in the matters covered by this committee are encouraged to become involved.) In addition, there shall be two student members, one from the Arts and one from Liberal Arts and Sciences.

	D. Academic Standards and Awards:  Oversees recommendations for student grants, awards, scholarships, and other college-wide academic honors; considers standards for admission; determines appropriate procedures concerning probation and dismissal from the College and any appeals of these; and determines the constitution of the Academic Review Committees. Shall have no fewer than four faculty, with at least two from the Arts and two from Liberal Arts and Sciences. In addition there shall be two student members, one from the Arts and one from Liberal Arts and Sciences."

VII. Special Committees: The faculty shall have the option to establish or participate in special or ad hoc committees or task forces when appropriate.

	A. Special Faculty Committees: The faculty may establish special or ad hoc faculty committees or task forces to consider topics that fall outside of the purview of the standing committees, or whenever it is advisable to do so. Such faculty committees or task forces will report to the faculty or to the appropriate faculty standing committee(s).

	B. Administrative Committees: Recognizing that faculty participation on administratively established standing or special committees or task forces that fall outside the faculty governance structure may be advantageous, the following principles shall govern faculty participation.

		1. Existing faculty governance should generally be utilized before establishment of special administrative committees or task forces. Campus administration and faculty governance should work together to decide which issues require such special administrative committees or task forces.

		2. Administrative committees or task forces should not be used to bypass faculty governance or traditional faculty prerogatives and responsibilities. When an issue falls within the normal purview of the faculty, the special administrative committee or task force should have a faculty majority and faculty governance mechanisms should select/approve the faculty members.

		3. So they can better represent the faculty, faculty members serving on administrative committees or task forces should stay in touch with faculty sentiments and report to the elected faculty leaders on a regular basis as issues develop.

VIII. Elections: The presiding officer, chairs of standing committees (with the exception of the Personnel Policies Committee), and members of standing committees shall be elected by the voting faculty at a meeting called for that purpose in the spring of each year or by mail ballot. The Personnel Policies Committee shall elect its own chair. The faculty representative on the SUNY University Faculty Senate (Senator from Purchase College), and an optional alternate Senator, shall be elected each year by April 1, in accordance with the rules of the Faculty Senate.

IX. Policies and Procedures for Faculty Personnel Actions

	A. Personnel Policies Committee (PPC)

	The Faculty's participation in the policies and procedures affecting faculty personnel actions at the all‑College level shall be ensured through the functions of a Personnel Policies Committee.

	The Personnel Policies Committee shall consist of twelve members: nine tenured and three non‑tenured faculty. Tenured members shall serve for two‑year terms, with approximately half of the terms expiring each year. Non‑tenured faculty shall serve for one year. Each of the academic units of the College and the Library must be represented on the Committee. Members must not be subject for review during their term. No member of the Committee may sit on Review Committees for full-time faculty.

	B. General Guidelines for the Hiring, Reappointment, and Promotion of Faculty

		1. Criteria: Evidence of effective teaching, scholarly, professional, or artistic achievement, and College or community service will be necessary for reappointment and promotion. It would not be expected that each of these criteria would assume equal importance in each case.

			a. Teaching: Effective teaching embraces the ability to impart knowledge clearly and accurately, to inspire in students a sense of intellectual and/or artistic curiosity, to motivate students to aspire to excellence, to communicate a sense of critical judgment, to foster artistic growth, and to assist the students in the development of their own capacity for disciplined learning. Recognition will also be given to effective teaching outside one's own discipline and to the effective creation and utilization of new methods and technologies for the improvement of instruction. Beyond the classroom, consideration will be given to an instructor's effectiveness in tutorials, supervision of independent study projects and senior theses, and student advising. Teaching effectiveness will in part be determined by evaluations that are filled out each semester by the students. Faculty under review shall be requested to give to the Review Committee all possible data regarding their teaching.

			b. Scholarly, Artistic, and Professional Activities: Scholarly and/or artistic progress shall be assessed on a combination of the following criteria, as applicable to the candidate under review: on‑going research, published materials, recognized stature in a discipline, participation in professional activities, research projects, commissions, performances, exhibitions, fellowships, prizes, awards, grants, citations, listings, and growth within a discipline.

			c. Community Service: Faculty must commit themselves to participate in the governance and operation of the College in all of its aspects. Participation in the non‑Purchase community will also be evaluated.

			d. In general, diverse profiles that emphasize different areas of performance reflecting the particular strengths and skills of a candidate should be taken into consideration by the Review Committee and administration.

			e. Faculty in the Library, Continuing Education, and Physical Education shall meet the above criteria as appropriate. Further delineation of their special missions and the relevant personnel criteria must be established by the above‑mentioned units and approved by the Personnel Policies Committee.

		2. Specific Criteria for Library Faculty: Evidence of effective practice of librarianship, professional participation, and College service will be necessary for reappointment and promotion. Effective practice of librarianship is defined as:

			a. Thorough, efficient, and creative fulfillment of defined responsibilities, keeping those responsibilities in perspective, and relating them to the mission of the library and the College as a whole;

			b. The application of sound principles of bibliographic organization and the demonstrated ability to impart these principles to users and employees of the library;

			c. Ability to work within a subject field and to link effectively library resources and techniques to the teaching and research needs of the institution;

			d. Current knowledge of developments and practices in the field of librarianship and the demonstrated ability to apply this knowledge profitably to service and technical problems.

		Professional participation is defined as pertinent activity in the profession of librarianship and/or a scholarly discipline. The participation may include service in professional organizations or activities in scholarly societies; research, publication, or course work in librarianship or the disciplines; critical or active involvement in the performing arts, etc. Assessment should include not only achievement, but the potential for continued growth and development.

		College service includes demonstration of social responsibility as shown by service on library, faculty, or administrative committees; the enrichment of life on campus; and significant contributions to the welfare of the larger community.

		3. Guidelines Governing Specific Appointments

			a. The term "tenure" in these By‑Laws is equivalent to the term "continuing appointment" in the Policies.

			b. The appointment and/or promotion of any candidate must serve to strengthen the College's academic resources.

			c. Tenure may be granted to a professor, associate professor, assistant professor, or instructor. Promotion need not be granted concurrently with tenure, nor tenure concurrently with promotion. It is recommended that no faculty member should be promoted to full professor without having previously achieved tenure and the rank of associate professor.

			d. No faculty member can serve in a full‑time position carrying academic rank for more than seven years without being granted tenure. For this purpose, academic rank includes instructor, assistant instructor, assistant professor, associate professor, assistant librarian, senior assistant librarian, associate librarian, and librarian.

			e. Promotion in academic rank does not guarantee a future appointment to the next higher rank, nor does it guarantee the granting of tenure. All faculty being considered for tenure must be reviewed according to the procedures herein, regardless of rank.

			f. Qualified academic rank includes lecturer or academic titles preceded by "teaching", "research", "visiting", "adjunct", or other designations, as well as temporary appointments regardless of title. All persons of qualified academic rank should be reviewed so as to provide timely notification of their contractual status.

			g. Promotion to the rank of full professor must be based on clear evidence that the candidate, continuing to teach well, has made a recognizably mature contribution to his or her discipline and to the curricular life of the College, and has provided mature collegial leadership.

	C. Procedures for Review of all Faculty Leading to Reappointment, Promotion, Tenure, or Termination

		1. The Vice President for Academic Affairs will deliver to the Presiding Officer of the Faculty a list of all faculty members who must be reviewed during the academic year. Copies of the list will also be sent to the President, and the Dean/Head/Director of the candidate's academic unit, who will notify the candidate in writing as soon as possible that his/her review will take place, and request that the candidate supply all the information needed for review. The file must include a current resume, evidence of scholarship or artistic achievement, student evaluations, and a letter from the candidate. Other materials, including but not limited to evaluations by Purchase faculty and extramural consultants, should also be provided.

		2. Faculty may request a change in rank or tenure status by notifying their Dean/Head/Director, who shall in turn notify the Personnel Policies Committee, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and the candidate that a Review Committee is being formed.

		3. Faculty who wish to be considered for promotion to full professor must make this request by the end of the spring semester by notifying their Dean/Head/Director and the Chair of the Personnel Policies Committee in writing, who shall in turn notify the Vice President for Academic Affairs and the candidate that a Review Committee is being formed. The review will begin in the fall of the following academic year. The Review Committee will make its recommendation when it has reached a conclusion, but it must make a recommendation by the end of the second spring semester after it is formed (i.e., it must conclude within two academic years).

		4. During the review process, no person who is under review will sit on a Review Committee, the Personnel Policies Committee, nor any other committee involved in the review process. Faculty on terminal appointments resulting from unfavorable reappointment reviews or any other non‑voluntary prejudicial termination shall not serve on Review Committees or the Personnel Policies Committee.

	D. Composition and Procedures of Review Committees

		1. Establishment of Review Committees

		All members of a candidate's academic unit who are not under review shall be called together by that unit's member of the Personnel Policies Committee for the purpose of establishing a Review Committee.

		2. Composition of Review Committees

			a. Non‑Tenure Reviews of Full-Time Faculty: Review Committees carrying out preliminary reviews for full-time candidates not being considered for tenure or promotion to associate or full professor shall include the following.

				i. At least five faculty, of whom at least three must be tenured.

				ii. At least one member of the candidate's Board of Study.

				iii. Two faculty members from outside the candidate's academic unit; if the candidate is from the Arts, one of these two faculty members must be from Liberal Arts and Sciences, and vice versa.

				iv. Two students, one of whom shall have completed a class taught by the candidate, and preferably one of whom shall be, or have been, an advisee.

			b. Non-Tenure Reviews of Part-Time Faculty: Review Committees carrying out reviews for part-time candidates not being considered for tenure or promotion shall include the following.

				i. Three faculty members at or above the candidate's rank.

				ii. At least two should be familiar with the candidate's field of study or a member of the candidate's Board of Study.

			c. Tenure or Promotion to Associate Professor: Review Committees for candidates being considered for tenure and/or promotion to associate professor shall include the following.

				i. Seven faculty, of whom at least five shall be tenured and of rank similar to, or higher than, that to which the candidate is aspiring.

				ii. The Committee membership distribution for non‑tenured reviews, as in (ii), (iii), and (iv) above.

				iii. If the required Committee composition cannot be met, it will be necessary to go outside the Division to achieve the proper ratio of tenured faculty.

			d. Promotion to Full Professor: Review Committees for candidates being considered for promotion to full professor shall include the following.

				i. Seven faculty, of whom at least five shall be tenured and of professorial rank.

				ii. At least one full professor, if possible, must be from the candidate's field and familiar with the candidate's work;

				iii. Three non‑voting full professor external referees, or professional equivalents in the case of the Arts, in the candidate's field from outside the College must be included on the committee and shall be asked to submit written evaluations of the candidate's professional and scholarly work. One non‑voting external referee will be solicited from a list supplied by the candidate and two others from sources determined by the committee to represent the expertise required for such evaluations. The committee will present a full uniform dossier of material on the candidate and the candidate's work to all outside non‑voting referees.

				iv. Two faculty members from outside the candidate's academic unit; if the candidate is from the Arts, one of these two faculty members must be from Liberal Arts and Sciences, and vice versa.

				v. For consideration of promotion to full professor, of the two student representatives, one shall be an undergraduate at Purchase and the other, if possible, shall be an alumnus of the College in a position to assess the candidate by virtue of graduate training or professional experience.

		3. Student Members

		The Student Senate Association shall be informed of students serving on Review Committees.

		4. Approval of Personnel Policies Committee

			a. After the Review Committees have been selected, their names shall be forwarded to the Personnel Policies Committee, which shall determine that the guidelines for the composition of the Review Committees have been met.

			b. Where compositional guidelines cannot be met, the Division must notify the Personnel Policies Committee and obtain its approval for any proposed substitutions. Conflict of interest may be grounds for substitution. Where no committee can be properly constituted to carry out the review, the Personnel Policies Committee and the Vice President for Academic Affairs will devise an appropriate procedure after consulting with the Dean/Head/Director of the candidate's academic unit.

			c. The PPC must approve any replacement committee members and shall do so in a timely fashion on a case-by-case basis.

		5. Review Procedures of Review Committees

			a. The Chairperson elected by the Review Committee will be different for each candidate and will preferably be from the candidate's own Board of Study.

			b. The Review Committee will meet as early as possible and complete all part‑time, non‑promotional, and non‑tenured reviews for the ranks of lecturer, instructor, and assistant professor by pre-established date. All reviews must be completed by dates established by the Vice President for Academic Affairs at the beginning of each academic year.

			c. In addition to the file of information that it receives from the Dean/Head/Director of the candidate's academic unit, the Review Committee may request written evaluations from members of a candidate's Board of Study or field. It may request recommendations, evaluations, interviews, and such other information as it deems necessary or helpful to its task, except for information prohibited in this document. Written material received becomes a permanent part of the file, and the Review Committee may not remove materials already in the file. Written material which is unsolicited and unsigned may not be included in the candidate's file.

			d. At the conclusion of its deliberations, the Review Committee shall prepare and sign a letter that summarizes the factual basis for its recommendations and the reasons for its conclusions. Should this recommendation not be unanimous, those members dissenting from the majority recommendation shall prepare an additional signed statement setting out the reasons for their disagreement. A copy of these papers by the Review Committee shall be forwarded to the candidate, with all names and signatures deleted.

			e. Within one week after receiving the Review Committee's report, the Dean/Head/Director of the candidate's academic unit will make a well‑formulated recommendation based on information in the file and on his/her own evaluation of the candidate. The Dean/Head/Director will then give a copy of his/her letter to the candidate. Upon receipt of letters from the Review Committee and Dean/Head/Director, the candidate shall have the option of addressing a rebuttal to the Personnel Policies Committee or adding any further material which he/she may wish to file.

			f. The file and recommendations of the Review Committee and the Dean/Head/Director of the candidate's academic unit, plus any rebuttal or material added by the candidate, will then be forwarded by the Dean/Head/Director to the Personnel Policies Committee.

		6. Review by Personnel Policies Committee (PPC)

			a. Upon receipt of the candidate's file and any rebuttals, the PPC is charged with examining whether or not due process was followed in the reviews by the Review Committee and the Dean/Head/Director of the candidate's academic unit. In doing so, it will determine whether the guidelines in this document were fully and fairly considered and that similar standards were applied to all candidates. In addition, it will attempt to discern any element of bias.

			b. The PPC will also do a substantive review of the candidate's file; this applies to all reviews of full-time faculty.

			c. The PPC is charged with making recommendations in every candidate's case and presenting its arguments in a recommendation letter.

			d. In fulfilling its charge, the PPC may call such witnesses as it deems necessary. If it finds the procedures correct, it will forward its recommendation to the Vice President for Academic Affairs, along with the candidate's file and rebuttal, if any. The PPC shall send to each candidate a copy of its recommendation letter. If it finds the procedure in error, it may send the file to the Vice President for Academic Affairs indicating the errors; it may send the file back to the party in error (the Review Committee or the candidate's Dean/Head/Director); or it may discuss the issue with the President, Vice President, Dean/Head/Director, or Review Committee to determine what to do. Whatever it decides to do, the PPC must forward a copy of its recommendation letter to the candidate.

			e. The PPC should forward its recommendation to the Vice President for Academic Affairs by the dates established by him/her at the beginning of each academic year.

		7. Review by Administration

			a. Upon receipt of the candidate's file, the Vice President for Academic Affairs will notify the candidate that he/she may see his/her file, including all internal or external letters of recommendation or evaluation, whether they are confidential or not. Indications of the identity of those writing confidential evaluations (such as letterheads and signatures) shall be removed from the letters by the Vice President of Academic Affairs. The candidate may then write a rebuttal to the Vice President within seven calendar days. After writing his/her recommendation, the Vice President will notify the candidate that he/she may see the recommendation. The candidate may submit another rebuttal within seven calendar days. The Vice President then forwards the file to the President for his/her decision.

			b. The President or Vice President for Academic Affairs shall keep the candidate's file on record. Future committees reviewing any candidate may have access to the file of an earlier review.

 
PURCHASE COLLEGE SENATE

This all campus governance document combines some of the best features of the various proposals which have been discussed on the faculty listserv and was prepared in response to the discussion at the last faculty meeting in Spring 2002.
Prepared by Jim Knight, Rich Nassisi, and Deb Amory, 22AUG 2002.
Passed by the Purchase College Faculty at Large, 4SEP2002 		

Highlights of the new structure

Senate Membership:
10 faculty
2 student
2 professional staff
3 vice presidents (ex-officio, non-voting)
4 deans
1 Civil Service employee
CSEA president (ex-officio, non-voting)
UUP president (ex-officio, non-voting)
1 Alumni (non voting)
The College President (ex-officio, non-voting)
1 Director, Neuberger Museum (ex-officio, non-voting)
1 Director, PAC (ex-officio, non-voting)
Total is 28 (19 voting).
 
The College President and a faculty elected President of the Senate would be the co-presiding officers of the Senate.
A committee structure would exist and report to the Senate. The Committees would be:

·         Budget Committee
·         Strategic Planning Committee
·         Campus Life Committee
·         Affirmative Action Committee
·         Enrollment Management Implementation Team (EMIT)
 
The duties and powers of the Purchase College Senate shall be "to legislate on all matters pertaining to the College at Purchase, except for matters pertaining to policies and procedures for faculty and staff personnel actions"
The faculty would remain as its own discrete entity, and would have meetings, bylaws, etc.
The executive authority of the College remains with the President as outlined in Article IX of the SUNY Policies of the Board of Trustees.
         Bylaws of the Purchase College Senate:
1. Composition
 
The Purchase College Senate shall be composed of elected representatives from the following constituencies, unless the membership is derived ex officio.
a.       Faculty
i.        There shall be 10 faculty senators, one from each of the following constituent schools and/or divisions: Dance, Music, Theatre Arts and Film, Art + Design, Humanities, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, The Library, Physical Education, and Continuing Education.
ii.       The senators shall be nominated and elected by their divisional faculties.  Faculty should be tenured and must be voting faculty as defined in the Faculty Bylaws.
iii.     Following the divisional election of faculty Senators, the full faculty shall elect from among the faculty senators a co-presiding officer of the Senate.
b.      Students
i.        There shall be 2 student senators. 
ii.       The student government organization shall determine how to elect/select the two student senators.
 
c.       Administrators
i.        There shall be 7 senators from the administration, by virtue of the position held.
ii.       Voting senators shall include, the Dean of the School of Humanities; one of the deans of the School of Natural and Social Sciences; and the two deans of the School of the Arts.  
iii.     Nonvoting senators shall include the College President who shall be co-presiding officer of the Senate, and the Vice Presidents for Academic Affairs, External Affairs, and Student Affairs.
d.      Professional Staff
i.        There shall be 2 senators from the professional staff.
ii.       One of these two senators shall be the President of the Professional Council; the other shall be elected by the Professional Council membership.
 
e.       Civil Service Employees
i.        There shall be one senator from the civil service employees.
ii.   Civil service employees shall determine who will serve as their senator.

f. 	The Presidents of CSEA and UUP shall serve, ex-officio, as non-voting senators.
 
g.        Alumni
i.        	There shall be one alumni senator, non voting.
ii.	The senator shall be elected by the Alumni Association.
iii.	The senator shall not be a member of any other represented body.

h.	The Director of the Neuberger Museum and the Director of the Performing Arts Center shall serve as 
Senators (non-voting) by virtue of the position held.
2.	Secretary
 
The Senate shall elect one of its members to serve as the official Secretary to keep the minutes of all meetings.  The Senate shall also be provided with adequate professional administrative assistance in preparing the necessary documents for the conduct of Senate business and keeping Senate records.
3.	Duties and Powers
 
a.       To legislate on all matters pertaining to the College at Purchase, except for matters pertaining to policies and procedures for faculty and staff personnel actions.
b.      To charge and to receive reports from standing committees.
c.       To deliberate and act on the committee recommendations and to establish appropriate proceedings for their implementation.
d.      To resolve, where necessary, jurisdictional disputes.
e.       To advise on the composition of task forces established by the Administration.
f.        To establish its own ad hoc committees and recommend issues to be taken up by the standing committees.
g.       The faculty may veto, by a two-thirds majority of the voting faculty as defined in the Faculty Bylaws, on a mail ballot, any decision of the Senate within two months of the Senate’s decision.
h.	Amendments to these By-Laws:
1)	Shall be initiated by
a.	A majority vote of the Senate, or
b.	A two-thirds majority of the ballot of the voting faculty as defined in the Faculty Bylaws on a mail ballot.  
2).      Shall be ratified by a two-thirds vote of the Senate and a two-thirds majority of the ballot of the voting faculty on a mail ballot.
i.         The Senate shall report regularly to all the constituencies that it represents.  The Secretary, with the assistance of the co-presiding officers, shall prepare Minutes of all Senate meetings for distribution (via the web) to all constituencies.  The Minutes shall contain a summary of all actions taken at the meeting, and of recommendations received from campus committees, and of all actions taken on those recommendations.  Elected Senators are charged to report to and communicate with their respective constituencies regularly.
 
4.      Elections of Senators and Officers
 
a.      Senators shall be elected for a term of two years.  One half of the Senate shall be elected every year.  (See Appendix A: Initial Election)
b.   Senators shall be elected during Spring semester and take office at the start of Fall semester, except as noted in Appendix A: Initial Election 
c.      Senators may be recalled by a two-thirds vote of their constituency or upon the recommendation of two thirds of the Senate.  The candidate for recall must be given appropriate opportunity to defend him/herself before both the Senate and appropriate constituency.
d.      Individual constituencies may hold special elections as needed to replace a senator who cannot complete his/her term.  A senator elected under this provision shall complete the term of the replaced senator, at which time he/she may run for reelection.
e.      Any Senator may succeed him/herself.
f.       A Senator who misses three consecutive meetings, or elects to vote by proxy in three consecutive meetings, automatically vacates his/her seat after the third meeting.  
g.      Voting Senators are entitled, within the limits specified in 4.f., to vote by proxy on any and all matters before the full Senate, provided that electronic or written authority for such proxy is received by the Secretary of the Senate by 6:00 PM local time on the day preceding the Senate meeting.
The Secretary may require written confirmation of an electronic proxy before the proxy is exercised.
Electronic authorization for a proxy must be specific and limited to a single meeting.
Written authorization for a proxy must be given on a Senate proxy form that includes a statement of witness made by a third party who is a member of the voting faculty.  A written proxy is limited to a single meeting. (See Appendix B for proxy form.)
Any voting Senator may hold a proxy for up to two other Senators.
At any meeting of the Senate, proxies may be counted to achieve a quorum
                  h.   The initial election of Senators is detailed in Appendix A.  
5.      Meetings
 
a.	The dates of meetings shall be published no later than the last day of faculty obligation of the preceding academic year.
b.	The Senate shall normally meet monthly during the academic year.  A quorum shall consist of two-thirds of voting Senators, including those voting by proxy.  
c.	The President of the College and the Faculty President of the Senate shall preside over all the meetings.  If either co-presiding officer is absent, the other co-presiding officer shall preside alone.
d.      Any Senator may recommend items for the agenda, which shall be set by the co-presiding officers one week in advance of each meeting.  In the case of exceptional circumstances, the co-presiding officers may exercise discretion in modifying an agenda during the week prior to a meeting. Items for vote shall be circulated in advance in writing.  
e.      Decisions shall be reached by a majority vote of the Senators, except as noted in 3.h.2.
f.      Any member of the college community may attend and observe meetings of the Senate.
g.     Any member of the SUNY community may be invited to address the Senate by either of the co-presiding officers.
h.      Robert's Rules of Order shall govern all Senate meetings; a Senator shall be elected by the Senate to instruct the co-presiding officers with respect to proper procedure.
 
6.      Reporting
 
All of the deliberations and decisions of the Senate shall be reported to the constituencies in the form of Minutes which shall be posted on the web.  The minutes shall include reports from the standing committees.   The Secretary shall prepare these with the assistance of the co-presiding officers.
7.      College Standing Committees - General
 
a.      The standing committees of the Purchase College Senate are:
 
Budget Committee
Strategic Planning Committee
Campus Life Committee
Affirmative Action Committee
Enrollment Management Implementation Team
 
b.      The EPC, PPC, and PSAC shall remain standing faculty committees authorized by the Faculty at Large and reporting to the full faculty as outlined in the Faculty Bylaws.  
c.      All decisions of faculty standing committees shall be reported to the Senate in a timely manner, in most cases no later than the next Senate meeting after such actions and/or decisions are taken.
d.      The functions of the Senate standing committees are to investigate, initiate, and recommend actions to the Senate.
e.      Voting members of all constituencies shall be eligible for membership on Senate committees, provided that they have been at Purchase College for one year and their professional obligation is at least half-time.
f.       Senators may be elected/selected to serve on committees.
g.       Faculty and staff members shall serve for two years.  Members may be re-elected for one term.  In so far as feasible, half of the Faculty membership shall be elected each year.
h.      Elected students shall serve for one year and may be re-elected for one additional term.
i.       Chairpersons of Senate standing committees shall be elected by the committee for a term of one year.  Chairpersons shall have the same voting privileges as other committee members.
 
8.      Principles of Standing Committee Action
 
a.      On each committee, two-thirds of the voting members shall constitute a quorum.
b.      An agenda shall be circulated to the College community at least 72 hours prior to a meeting.  Proposals for the agenda must be submitted to the co-presiding officers at least one week prior to a scheduled meeting.  In the case of exceptional circumstances, the chairperson may exercise discretion in enforcing the one-week deadline.
c.      Notices of proposed meetings shall be re-circulated one week before the meeting to all campus constituencies (via the web).  
d.      Decisions shall be reached by a majority vote of the members present, assuming a quorum is present.
e.      Each committee, through its chairperson or secretary, shall maintain and pass on all records of its meetings and deliberations to its successor.
f.        Each committee shall report and make recommendations to the Senate as promptly as possible for its approval.  It shall present a written report to the Senate at the end of the year, including details of all of its deliberations.
g.      Members of the college community may attend committee meetings, and may present their views upon approval of the chairperson.   Committees may invite members of the community to be present at meetings, and may confer with appropriate committees and administrative officers of the college on matters of common concern.  Committees may enter into executive session.
h.      The composition and functions of standing committees shall be established by the faculty, consistent with past practice.
 
Appendix A:  Initial Election 
1)      In order to create a staggered turnover, Senators from the following constituencies shall be elected for an initial term of one year: the Conservatory of Music, the School of Art and Design, the Divisions of Natural Sciences, Physical Education, and Continuing Education, and the Neuberger Museum of Art and the Professional Staff.  The remaining constituencies shall elect senators for terms of two years in the initial election.
2)   The initial election shall take place as soon as is practical after the adoption of these Bylaws.
3)      All subsequent elections shall be for terms of two years with the exception of elections to replace a senator who does not serve his/her full term.
 
Appendix B:  Proxy Form
PURCHASE COLLEGE SENATE PROXY
I,  ___________________________, authorize ___________________________ to vote on my behalf during the meeting of the Purchase College Senate on _____/_____/_____.
 
__________________________            _____/_____/_____
         (signature)                                            (date)

__________________________            _____/_____/_____
         (witness' signature)                              (date)