Bylaws of the University Faculty Council of Indiana University

Policy Statement

1. The current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order shall govern the conduct of the meetings of the Council except insofar as the bylaws make express provision to the contrary.

2. The meetings of the Council shall begin at 1:30 P.M. and adjourn at 4:30 P.M. unless a later adjournment is agreed to unanimously. The Executive Committee may fix a different time for a regular meeting or call a special meeting—providing due notice to the faculty.

3. The presence of a majority of members of the Council shall constitute a quorum.

4. The Co-Secretaries of the University Faculty Council shall determine for each campus the number of representatives to which it is entitled from the lists submitted by the President, as required in Section 1.3 of the Constitution of the Indiana University Faculty. The Co-Secretaries shall forward the lists with this determination to the faculty head of each campus legislative body by October 15, who shall certify to the Co-Secretaries of the University Faculty Council no later than the last day of February the names of those faculty members who will represent the campus on the University Faculty Council for the ensuing year. It shall be the responsibility of the faculty head of each campus legislative body to hold elections for campus representatives sufficiently early in the year so that this deadline can be met. The term of office of newly elected members of the University Faculty Council shall commence at the end of its last regularly scheduled meeting of the academic year. 

   An affected faculty member or the Executive Committee of the faculty organization of an affected campus may request the council’s Executive Committee to change a faculty member’s allocation to a campus for purposes of determining the number of representatives to which a campus is entitled. After giving affected campuses an opportunity to make submissions on the matter, the Executive Committe will report its determination to the council.

   1. Pursuant to Section 4.1.E of the Constitution of the Indiana University Faculty, the Executive Vice Presidents of the university are designated to serve as ex-officio, non-voting members of the University Faculty Council.

5. Before August 1st each year or another date set by action of the UFC the voting members of the Council, as it will be constituted in the ensuing year, shall elect members of the Executive Committee by mail or electronic ballot using the following procedure. Members of the Council representing Bloomington shall elect two of their number to the Executive Committee. Members of the Council representing Indianapolis shall elect two of their number to the Executive Committee. Members of the Council representing the other campuses shall collectively elect one of their number to the Executive Committee. Nominations for these posts shall be submitted by any voting member of the UFC. The Co-Secretaries shall be elected annually by the incoming Executive Committee by electronic ballot from among the ex-officio Council members appointed under section 4.1.C.2 of the Constitution. The term of office of the Co-Secretaries and of members of the Executive Committee shall be one year, commencing immediately after their election.

6. The duties of the Co-Secretaries shall be as follows:

   1. To keep comprehensive minutes of the proceedings and actions of the Council. The taped recording of a meeting of the Council will be retained for 12 months by the Co-Secretaries for reference by any interested member of the faculty.

   2. To prepare a summary of the activities of the Council each year and to distribute it to the general faculty.

   3. To serve as Co-Chairpersons of the Executive Committee .

   4. To report in the minutes the names of those present at a Council meeting. In addition to absences, names of alternates present shall be reported.

   5. To circulate--as soon as possible after each Council meeting-- the minutes of the meeting; Council documents and circulars; and the agenda , time, and place of the next Council meeting. These are to be circulated to all Council members, members of the faculty and librarians who request them, academic administrators, the main library on each campus, the Office of Communications, and the Secretary of the Trustees of Indiana University. All University Faculty Council minutes, documents, and circulars shall be made electronically available to the University community in a timely manner for three years.

   6. To serve as administrators of the University Faculty Council.

   7. To serve as Co-Secretaries of the Indiana University Faculty (Section 3.1, Constitution of the Indiana University Faculty).

   8. To call meetings of the faculty (Section 3.3, Constitution of the Indiana University Faculty).

   9. To represent the Indiana University faculty in meetings with the Trustees, the President, other officers of Indiana University, and their administrative committees, including the academic and administrative cabinets.

   10. To convene, together with the appointing officer (normally the President), the review commit-tees for Indiana University administrators.

7. The functions of the  Executive Committee shall be as follows:

   1. The Executive Committee shall determine the Council’s agenda. All communications—including those from individual faculty members—requesting Council action, study, or advice shall be placed on the agenda or referred to an appropriate body or committee for consideration. In the latter case, the Agenda Committee shall report its action to the Council which may—with the concurrence of a simple majority vote—request the Agenda Committee to place a referred item on the agenda.

   2. The  Executive Committee shall prepare the final draft of any new legislation approved by the Council.

   3. The Executive Committee may take any action that falls within the authority of the UFC on behalf of the full Council, and the action shall have the same authority as an action approved by the UFC itself; provided that:
      1. Notice of the action that the Executive Committee proposes to take on behalf of the Council shall have been given to Council members at least seven calendar days before the Executive Committee acts;
      2. There is unanimous consent of the Executive Committee and agreement of the President to the proposed action;
      3. The Executive Committee action is communicated to the Council and no more than four members of the Council notify the Co-Secretaries of their objection to the action within seven calendar days of such notice being sent, and;
      4. The action is not subject to section 2.4.C.4 of the Constitution and does not amend the Faculty Constitution or the Bylaws of the UFC.

   4. Emergency items should be referred to the Executive Committee before being given precedence on the agenda.

   5. The Executive Committee at any time may request the Council to determine the implementation and the effect of any past legislation or action or to reconsider any past legislation.

   6. Any faculty member on request prior to a meeting shall be invited by the Executive Committee to participate without vote in the meeting, subject--however--to the exercise by the Executive Committee of its responsibility for taking varied points of view into account and for the efficient management of the Council's time. On its own initiative, the Executive Committee may invite any non-member to participate in the discussion of matters of particular interest. Faculty members, students, members of the university staff, and members of the press are welcome to attend meetings of the Council--subject to the adequacy of available space. The Executive Committee may invite the general faculty to participate in special meetings of the Council to be governed by ad hoc rules adopted by the Executive Committee.

   7. At the request of the President or of the Executive Committee on its own motion, the Council may meet in Executive Session.

   8. The Executive Committee shall serve as the University Faculty Council's Nomination Committee.

8. Committees

   1. Honorary Degrees Committee:

       The Honorary Degrees Committee and the standards and procedures for awarding honorary degrees are governed by the Indiana University Honorary Degree Policy adopted by the University Faculty Council on November 10, 1992 (with duly adopted amendments, if any).

   2. Other Committees:

       The Executive Committee may create and appoint ad hoc committees and task forces and may make recommendations of faculty members to serve on administrative appointed committees.

9. Elected Council members, faculty chairs of the Agenda or Executive Committee of the campus-wide institution of faculty governance on every campus (or their elected alternates), and student representatives may appoint alternates to serve in their place at any meeting. Any elected member of the Council who is to be absent for a semester or longer shall be replaced during that period in accordance with procedures specified in the election unit’s constitution or bylaws.

10. Retention and disposition of Faculty Council files:

    1. Definition and principles:

       1. All records and files created or received by the Co-Secretaries of the UFC as administrator of the Council and relating to Faculty Council business are defined as the official records of the UFC.

       2. Records and files created or received by the chairpersons of UFC committees are defined as UFC committee files and are therefore excluded from the provisions of these rules.

       3. The maintenance of official UFC records and files shall be in accordance with general Indiana University rules established by the Trustees, the Vice President for Administration, and the Indiana University Controller.

       4. For records or files created or received by June 30, the period of maintenance shall commence on the following first of July.

    2. Maintenance of UFC records and files: Official UFC records and files shall be maintained in the Faculty Council Office for the minimum periods specified:

       1. Incoming and outgoing correspondence relating to UFC business and incoming correspondence log: three years.

       2. Tape recordings of UFC meetings: one year.

       3. Election ballots or other data relating to elections and committee assignments: one year.

       4. Tabulations by name of votes in Council meetings: one year.

       5. File copy of agendas, minutes, circulars, and each year’s Summary of the Year: indefinitely.

    3. Disposition of UFC records and files:

       1. Subject to space limitations, official UFC records and files may be retained in the UFC office for longer periods than those specified in Bylaw 10.B, at the discretion of the Co-Secretaries.

       2. Tape recordings of minutes, ballots, and other election materials relating to elections and committee assignments may be erased/ discarded after one year, at the discretion of the Co-Secretaries.

       3. Other official UFC records and files shall be offered to the University Archives upon expiration of the period specified in Bylaw 10.B.

       4. Surplus copies of items listed under Bylaw 10.B. (5) shall be offered to the University Archives at the end of the Council year in which they have been created.

    4. Exceptions:

       1. The records and files of UFC committees, while not subject to these rules, are an important resource for the efficient administration of Council activities and a potentially valuable historical record. Chairpersons are encouraged to pass UFC committee records and files on to their successors at the conclusion of the Council year and/or to offer them to the University Archives at an appropriate time.

       2. Files maintained by the UFC staff for their own use and containing unofficial materials shall not be subject to the provisions of these rules.

    5. Effective date: These rules shall become effective as of July 1, 1984.

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