Loyola University Chicago

Faculty Council

By-Laws

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ARTICLE I: Meetings

Section I. Meetings of the Loyola University Chicago Faculty Council shall be held at the time and place designated by the Chairperson.

Section II. All Faculty Council meetings are open to attendance and observation by all members of the University community.

Section III. The Chairperson shall invite persons to a particular meeting of the Council, if he or she considers their presence essential for the proper discussion of an item on the agenda of that meeting. The persons shall have the privilege of the floor but not of voting.

Section IV. Each person not a Council member wishing the privilege of the floor shall so state his or her intention in writing in advance of the meeting. He or she will not otherwise have the privilege of the floor, and in no instance will he or she have the privilege of voting.

Section V. Voting on substantive issues shall be conducted by secret ballot upon request of any, one Council member or of the Chairperson.

Section VI. It shall be the obligation of the Council Chairperson or other Officer presiding in his or her absence, to ensure that no business is transacted in the name of the Faculty Council unless a quorum is present.

ARTICLE II: Rules of Order

Section I. In the conduct of the meetings of the Faculty Council, Roberts Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall prevail except as otherwise provided in the Constitution or in these By-Laws.

ARTICLE III: Order of Business

Section I. The order of business to be followed at meetings of the Faculty Council shall ordinarily be:
a. Minutes of the previous meeting;
b. Chairperson's report;
c. Unfinished business;
d. Committee reports; and
e. New business.

ARTICLE IV: Committees

Section I. The standing committees of the Faculty Council are the Executive Committee, the Faculty Affairs Committee, the Academic Affairs Committee, and the Faculty Service Committee.

Section II.
a. Standing committees shall present interim reports as requested by the Council and may present additional reports as they deem necessary.
b. Each standing committee shall submit an annual report. In advance of the meeting at which it is to be presented, the committee chairperson shall furnish the Secretary with a sufficient number of copies for distribution to members of the Council.
c. An ad hoc committee shall make interim reports as requested by the Council and shall submit a final report to the Council upon the completion of their assignment.

Section III. The Executive Committee of Faculty Council will include the Faculty Council Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary of Faculty Council, and four at large members. The Executive Committee sets the agenda for Faculty Council meetings and in emergencies may tender to the Faculty Council proposed actions for voting by electronic ballot if time is of the essence. Seven days' notice is required for such balloting. The Executive Committee has full discretion to implement a communication policy with faculty and solicit members for University Committees.

Section IV. Faculty Council sitting as a committee of the whole will monitor the elections for faculty representatives on university committees. This includes Rank and Tenure, Faculty Development Review, and the Research Advisory Committee.

Section V. Faculty Council will nominate faculty to the University Appeals Committee to the President. The President will make final appointments.

Section VI. The Faculty Affairs, Academic Affairs, and Faculty Service committees will refer their recommendations to the Faculty Council.

a. The Faculty Affairs Committee will consist of five members, three of whom should be Faculty Council members. The Chair shall be a Faculty Council member.
The Faculty Affairs committee is involved in review and oversight of matters addressed in the Faculty Handbook. This includes, but is not limited to, policies and procedures related to faculty appointments, retention, research support and infrastructure, professional leaves, faculty status (salaries and benefits) faculty workload, and conducting the faculty elections to other university committees. This committee will coordinate with the University Benefits Committee. The committee will conduct an annual review of faculty salaries, and assess programs dealing with faculty leaves, grants, conflicts of interest in research, misconduct in scholarship, intellectual property rights, and compliance with federal regulatory programs for human or animal subject research.

b. The Academic Affairs Committee will consist of seven members, four of whom should be Faculty Council members. The Chair shall be a Faculty Council member. This committee should, if possible, have at least one member who is a University Senate faculty member and could include members of the Board of Undergraduate Studies and Graduate Studies Coordinating Board.
The Academic Affairs Committee of Faculty Council is involved with all aspects of the academic programs at the university, including assessment of teaching, student learning and research, and the overall quality of academic programs at the undergraduate and graduate and professional levels. Matters within its purview include academic support, library, and IT support. This committee should review major proposals that involve the restructuring of the academic programs and units, revisions of the core curriculum, substantial changes in the academic calendar, new programs, and major revisions to existing programs. The Chair of Faculty Council will contact the President of the University Senate to coordinate all deliberations on academic policy-related proposals. Results of the Faculty Council deliberations will be passed on to the University Senate.

c. The Faculty Service Committee will consist of five Faculty Council Members.
The Service Committee will select the Faculty Member of the Year for recommendation of Faculty Council, conduct elections for Faculty Council and faculty representation of University Committees, and conduct the evaluation of Academic Deans.

ARTICLE V: General Elections to the Council

Section I. The Faculty Council shall be elected by the full-time members and Senior Faculty of the Corporate Faculty of the University. Leaves of absence shall not invalidate a faculty member's right to vote or his or her eligibility for office.

Section II.
a. The Faculty Council consists of full-time members and Senior Faculty of the Corporate Faculty of the University. The members of the Council are elected from and by their respective faculties. With the exception of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Stritch School of Medicine, as noted below, each School and College of the University is entitled to a minimum of one representative.
Each School or College of the University may be entitled to additional representatives, with the total number of representatives being determined according to the following scale:

0-30 faculty members, 1 Council member;
31-60 faculty members, 2 Council members;
61-90 faculty members, 3 Council members;
90-120 faculty members, 4 Council members;
121-150 faculty members, 5 Council members;
151-180 faculty members, 6 council members;
and so on.

In this way, approximately every thirty faculty members will be represented by one individual on the Council.

In the College of Arts and Sciences, each of the three divisions (Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences) is entitled to representatives according to the already-mentioned scale.

In the Stritch School of Medicine, there shall be two Divisions for these purposes: Basic Sciences and Clinical. The total number of representatives shall be eight, two from the Basic Sciences Division, and six from the Clinical Division.

b. The Committee on Elections has the responsibility for deciding which departments in the College of Arts and Sciences fall within the categories of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Natural Sciences. The Committee on Elections also has the responsibility for deciding which departments in the Stritch School of Medicine fall within the categories of Basic Sciences and of Clinical.

c. In all balloting, whether for nominations or elections, voters are entitled to vote for persons according to the following scale:

1 position to be filled, 2 nominations;
2 positions to be filled, 3 nominations;
3 positions to be filled, 4 nominations;
4 positions to be filled, 5 nominations;
5 positions to be filled, 8 nominations;
6 positions to be filled, 9 nominations;
and so on.

d. In the general election balloting, voters are entitled to vote for persons according to the following scale:

1 position to be filled, 1 vote;
2 positions to be filled, 2 votes;
3 positions to be filled, 3 votes;
4 positions to be filled, 4 votes;
5 positions to be filled, 5 votes;
6 positions to be filled, 6 votes;
and so on.

Section III. General Nominating Procedures:
a. The Service Committee, through e-mail, shall inform all persons eligible to vote about the nominating and election procedures as early in the semester as faculty eligibility is determined. This includes all full-time and Senior faculty as of November of the current year.
b. Faculty unable to serve should notify the Committee on Elections in writing or through e-mail at this time. This includes a lack of eligibility as well as academic commitments precluding regular attendance at meetings.
c. At the time of nomination, the Service Committee will ensure that a university-wide e-mail message is sent to all full-time faculty in a call for nominations. The Service Committee will collect the nominations.
d. When the nominations have been collected, the Committee will contact the nominated individuals to confirm their ability to run.

Section IV. General Election Procedures:
a. The voting procedures for the election round will be performed electronically.
(i). For those divisions or schools having more nominations than open positions, the Service Committee will ensure that electronic ballots have the eligible nominees listed and sent to each division or school for their election.
(ii). In any school or division, in the case of a tie in the election procedure, the winner shall be determined by the tied candidates drawing lots in the presence of a quorum of the Service Committee.
(iii). The election procedure calendar should adhere as closely as possible to the following schedule to ensure the satisfactory completion of the process: (1). Information regarding the process will go out as soon as eligibility lists are determined in the fall semester. (2). Call for nominations will go out near the beginning of the spring semester. They are to be returned no later than mid-February. (3). Electronic election ballots will go out the first week of March. They are to be tabulated by the last week of March to ensure that electees may attend the April meeting if they so desire. 

b. The results of the election will be reported to the Faculty Council Chair by the Service Committee Chair. Elected candidates should be notified by the Faculty Council Chairperson as soon as possible after the ballot count.

c. All materials pertaining to the entire election procedures should be retained for a period of thirty days after the election results have been certified by the Faculty Council.

Section V. When a vacancy occurs on the Faculty Council, that vacancy is to be filled by selecting the person who is the next eligible runner-up from the most recent election in the school or division involved. The replacement member shall serve until the next election and shall be eligible for further election.

Section VI. Executive Committee Elections.
a. Newly elected members of the Faculty Council are invited by the Chairman on E-mail, to attend the April meeting as observers. At that time a call will be made for nominations (in writing) for the new Council officers and executive committee. Nominations may be made only by current members who will continue to serve and by the newly elected members.
b. After the seating of the new Council at the May meeting, nominations will again be opened to allow new names to be added to each slate. During the election sequence, members may continue to be nominated if they have been unsuccessful in an earlier vote. Multiple nominees for each position will be encouraged. In the case of multiple candidates for executive offices and for the remaining members of the Executive Committee, voting will be by secret ballot.
c. Results will be announced as soon as they can be tabulated.
d. The tallied results of the vote will be announced in full as soon as possible-either verbally at the conclusion of the process, or in writing at the first Fall meeting. 

ARTICLE VI: Amendments

Section I. These By-Laws can be amended only by an affirmative vote of 2/3 of the total membership of the Faculty Council.

Section II. Any proposed amendment shall be submitted in writing to the members present and/or to the Secretary at the duly-scheduled meeting of the Council prior to the one at which the amendment will be considered and voted upon.

Section III. A minimum of one week shall elapse between the meeting at which the amendment is submitted in writing and the meeting at which the amendment is voted upon.

Section IV. The Secretary shall send a copy of the proposed amendment with the agenda for the meeting at which the amendment will be voted on.

Section V. If the amendment receives the endorsement of 2/3 of the members present, but less than 2/3 of the total membership, an electronic ballot, with argument summaries, will be sent to those members of the Faculty Council not in attendance. Faculty Council shall set the date by which such electronic voting is to occur.

Last amended: 4/24/2013