Doc. T73-196, as amended
Passed by the Board of Trustees on June 6, 1973
Latest revision: April 12, 2023

1. Name

The name of this organization shall be the Faculty Senate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, hereinafter referred to as the Senate.

2. Authority

  1. The Senate derives its authority from actions by the Board of Trustees approving this Constitution, as provided in Section 3, Chapter 75 of the General Laws of the Commonwealth;
  2. The Senate, in its responsibilities and relationships with other governing components of the University, shall be governed by the Board of Trustees’ Statement on University Governance (Trustee Document T73-098, as amended).

3. Purposes

The purposes of the Senate shall be:

  1. To ensure the representation of all faculty members of the campus community in the governance of the Amherst campus and the University as a whole;
  2. To discuss and recommend policies affecting the campus and the University as a whole; and
  3. To promote faculty participation in the development of policies and procedures within the various colleges, schools, faculties, and departments of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

4. Membership

  1. All members of the Senate, except for ex officio members specified hereinafter, shall be elected. The elected membership shall consist of at least 120 but not more than 140 individuals apportioned in accordance with the formula set for in the Bylaws. Only qualified voters with at least one academic year of service to the University shall be eligible for election to the Senate;
  2. The terms of membership shall be three years. An elected member of the Senate who resigns from the University or is on leave forfeits membership in the Senate permanently from the effective date of such resignation or temporarily during the leave of absence, thus creating a vacancy in the Senate;
  3. The following officials shall be ex officio members of the Senate: The President of the University; the Chancellor and the Provost; the Vice Chancellors for Research, Graduate Education and Economic Development, Administration and Finance, University Advancement, and Student Affairs; the Deans of the Colleges of Arts and Sciences, the College of Food and Natural Resources, the School of Public Health and Health Sciences, the Graduate School, the School of Management, the School of Education, the College of Engineering, the School of Nursing, and the Directors of Health Services, University Libraries, and Continuing Education; the Secretary of the Board of Trustees; the President of the Alumni Association; the representative of the Massachusetts Society of Professors, the President of the Student Government Association; and the President of the Graduate Student Senate; the Secretary of the Senate shall be an ex officio member of the Senate; and voting rights in the Senate shall be limited to members holding academic rank.

5. Elections and Voting Eligibility

  1. Regular elections and by-elections shall be conducted by written ballot in accordance with procedures prescribed in the Bylaws; and
  2. Qualified voters shall have the right to vote in regular elections or by-elections. Qualified voters shall be defined as full-time lecturers, instructors, assistant professors, associate professors, or professors who are not in their first regular semester of service, or any full-time librarians at the rank of Librarian II or higher who are not in their first six months of service.

6. Councils And Committees

The Senate shall elect a Rules Committee and establish such other councils and standing committees as may be provided in the Bylaws.

7. Procedures

  1. The Senate shall hold at least one regular meeting each month while in session during the academic year.
  2. A special meeting may be called by:
    1. the President of the University or the Chancellor of the Amherst campus;
    2. the Rules Committee in case of emergency;
    3. twenty percent of the membership of the Senate by petition to the Chancellor or the Secretary of the Senate; or
    4. ten percent of the membership of the faculty, by petition to the Chancellor or the Secretary of the Senate.
  3. The Chancellor of the Amherst campus shall be the President of the Senate.
  4. The Senate shall choose a Secretary, a Presiding Officer, a Delegate and an Associate Delegate to the Board of Trustees.
  5. A quorum for items published on the agenda for any regular or special meetings shall consist of those present. A quorum for business that has not appeared on a published agenda shall be a majority of the Senate.
  6. The Senate shall require regular reports from the standing committees and special reports from its ad hoc committees. It may also require reports from University officials.
  7. When circumstances require, emergency meetings of the Faculty Senate may be conducted via videoconferencing.

8. General Faculty Meetings: Referendum

  1. Meetings of the General Faculty may be called in one of the following ways:
    1. the President of the University or the Chancellor of the Amherst campus may call a meeting;
    2. the Faculty Senate may call a meeting by a motion duly passed; or
    3. ten percent of the membership of the faculty, by petition to the President of the University or the Chancellor or to the Secretary of the Faculty (who is Secretary of the Faculty Senate), may call a meeting.
  2. An agenda for each regular meeting of the General Faculty shall be prepared by its Secretary and shall be sent to each member of the faculty at least five working days prior to the meeting by email. Emergency meetings of the General Faculty may be called on 24-hour notice. The notice of Emergency meetings shall be delivered to individual faculty members by email.
  3. The Secretary of the Senate shall also serve as Secretary of the Faculty; the Presiding Officer of the Senate shall preside at General Faculty meetings.
  4. Any action of the Senate may be overruled by a majority vote of those present and voting at a meeting of the General Faculty.

9. Constitutional Amendment Procedures

  1. Amendments to this Constitution may be proposed:
    1. by a three-fifths vote of those present and voting at a Regular or Special Meeting of the Senate provided that the proposed change shall have been presented at a previous Regular or Special Meeting. The vote shall be by written ballot, unless the Senate rules otherwise by a two-thirds majority; or
    2. by petition of 50 or more faculty members provided that it contains at least five signatories drawn from each of any five colleges or schools.
  2. Ratification of amendments to this Constitution shall be by the general faculty and shall be by a majority of those voting by written ballot. Voting eligibility shall be as specified in Section 5(b) above. The ballot shall be prepared and distributed by the Secretary, under the supervision of the Rules Committee, setting out the proposed amendment in full. Accompanying the written ballot shall be excerpts from the Senate Minutes containing the debate by the Senate on the proposed amendment and the exact vote by which it carried. The ballot shall also include the date, providing for a voting period of at least 14 but not more than 21 days, by which time votes must be received by the Faculty Senate Office. Votes shall be counted by the Secretary of the Senate, the Chairman of the Rules Committee, and the Presiding Officer; and
  3. Amendments to this Constitution shall be effective only after approval by the Board of Trustees.

10. Bylaws and Revision Procedures

  1. The Bylaws of the Senate may be adopted, amended, or repealed by:
    (i)    a three-fifths vote of those present and voting at a Regular or Special Meeting of the Senate; or
    (ii)    a majority vote of the voting members present and voting at a regular meeting of the General Faculty.
  2. Amendments relating to the powers, responsibilities, or composition of Senate Councils and Standing Committees shall have been presented at two previous meetings of the body concerned occurring in two different months;
  3. All other proposed amendments shall have been presented at one previous meeting of the body concerned.
  4. The final vote on all Bylaw amendments shall be by written ballot unless those present rule otherwise by a two-thirds majority.

 

Doc. T73-196, as amended | Faculty Senate Constitution, Amherst
Passed by the Board of Trustees on June 6, 1973
Revised: 
April 12, 2023