TRUMAN STATE UNIVERSITY TRUMAN STATE UNIVERSITY Nationally Ranked, Affordable, Personal
UGC

BYLAWS

Click here for a printer-friendly PDF version of the Undergraduate Council Bylaws.

________________________________________________

Article I - Purpose
Article II - Meetings of the Undergraduate Council
Article III - Membership of the Undergraduate Council
Article IV - Officers and Staff of the UGC
Article V - Voting by the Undergraduate Council
Article VI - Measures Approved by the Undergraduate Council
Article VII - Guiding Documents and Amendments

________________________________________________

Approved by the Undergraduate Council September 12, 2002.
Approved by the Faculty Senate August 29, 2002.

Article I - PURPOSE

The Undergraduate Council is a standing council of the Truman State University Faculty Senate, and exists to propose, review and recommend to the Faculty Senate changes to the undergraduate curriculum, when such changes affect more than one Division or are of University-wide significance.

 

Article II - MEETINGS OF THE UNDERGRADUATE COUNCIL

  1. The Undergraduate Council shall meet at least monthly during the academic year, at a time and day agreed to by two-thirds of the voting members of the UGC.
     
  2. Special meetings shall be held upon:
    a) The request of the University President or Vice President for Academic Affairs
    b) The request of the President of the Faculty Senate
    c) The request of the Chair or Vice-Chair of the UGC, or
    d) A petition of a simple majority of the Faculty Senate or UGC
     
  3. The Secretary shall keep minutes of all meetings.  Approved minutes and vote tallies shall be part of the public record.
     
  4. A quorum shall be considered a simple majority of the voting members of the UGC.
     
  5. All meetings of the UGC are conducted in open session.
     
  6. Meetings will last no longer than 120 minutes, unless the body votes to extend a particular meeting beyond that time.

Back to top

Article III - MEMBERSHIP OF THE UNDERGRADUATE COUNCIL

  1. Voting Members
    a) Divisional Representatives: At least one member shall come from each academic division; divisions with 25 to 49 faculty or 500 majors are entitled to 2 members; divisions with 50 or more faculty are entitled to 3 members.
    b) One Division Head, chosen by the Division Heads, shall be a voting member.
    c) The President of the University and the Vice President for Academic Affairs shall be ex-officio voting members of the UGC.
    d) Only the Faculty Senate, as per their rules and procedures, may make changes to the Voting Membership.
     
  2. Non-Voting Members
    a) The Student Senate may designate three undergraduate students as non-voting members of the UGC.
    b) The Faculty Senate may appoint up to two of its members as non-voting members of the UGC.
    c) The Registrar shall be an ex-officio non-voting member of the UGC.
    d) The Director of Interdisciplinary Studies shall be an ex-officio non-voting member of the UGC.
     
  3. Terms of Service on the UGC
    a) Terms for Divisional voting members shall begin during the second portion of the May meeting of each year.
    b) Appointing bodies shall determine terms and election procedures for voting and alternate non-ex-officio members.
    c) Divisions and appointing bodies may institute their own procedures for recall of their representatives.
     
  4. Alternate Members
    a) When a voting Divisional member is unable to attend a particular meeting, s/he should arrange for an alternate member to serve and vote in her/his place, as determined by the Division.
    b) When the voting Division Head is unable to attend a particular meeting, s/he should arrange for another Division head to serve and vote in her/his place.
     
  5. Responsibilities and Rights of Members
    a) Voting members have the right to be sent notices, to attend meetings, to present motions, to speak on debatable questions, to vote, to nominate, to be a candidate for office, to inspect official records of the organization, to insist on the enforcement of rules of the organization and of parliamentary law, to resign from office or from the organization itself, to have a fair hearing before expulsion or other penalties are applied, to receive or have the right to inspect an up-to-date copy of the bylaws, rules, and minutes of the organization.
    b) Non-voting members have all the rights of members except to vote, nominate, call for the removal of an officer, and be a candidate for office.

Back to top

Article IV - OFFICERS AND STAFF OF THE UGC

  1. Chair
    a) The Chair of the UGC shall be a Divisional voting member selected by a simple majority of the Divisional representatives.
    b) The term of office for the Chair shall be one year.  A chair may be elected to, at most, four consecutive terms.
    c) The Chair shall prepare an agenda for each meeting, and ensure that this agenda is sent to members at least 48 hours before the meeting.
    d) The Chair is, ex-officio, a member of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee.
     
  2. Vice-Chair
    a) The Vice-Chair of the UGC shall be a Divisional voting member selected by a simple majority of the Divisional representatives.
    b) In the case of a permanent vacancy in the Chair, the Vice-Chair shall automatically assume the office of Chair.
    c) The Vice-Chair shall attend meetings of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, and act on the Chair's behalf when the Chair is not present.
     
  3. Election of the Chair and/or Vice-Chair
    a) If more than one candidate is nominated for either position, a secret ballot shall be held for the election.
    b) The election of the Chair shall occur at the May meeting of the newly installed UGC, or upon the simultaneous vacancies of Chair and Vice-Chair.
         i. The Faculty Senate President or President Pro-Tempore, if present, shall
            conduct this election.
         ii. If neither is present, the body shall choose a temporary Presiding Officer to
            conduct this election.
    c) The election of a Vice-Chair shall be held immediately following the election of the Chair, the permanent assumption of the chair by the Vice-Chair as Chair, or at the meeting following a permanent vacancy in the Vice-Chair.
         i. The Chair of the UGC, if present, shall conduct the election of the Vice-Chair.
         ii. If the Chair is not present, the body will choose a temporary Presiding Officer
            to conduct the election.
     
  4.  Removal of the Chair and/or Vice-Chair
    a) The Chair or Vice-Chair may be removed by a two-thirds vote.
    b) A motion to remove may be made only by a voting member.
    c) A motion to remove shall be presided over by the other, if present and not included in the motion to remove, or by a temporary Presiding Officer elected by the UGC.
     
  5. Secretary
    a) The Vice President for Academic Affairs shall provide a Secretary, who may address UGC, but is not a member of the body.
    b) This Secretary shall:
         i. maintain minutes of the meetings,
         ii. submit these minutes to the UGC for approval,
         iii. maintain a permanent voting record,
         iv. forward approved measures to Faculty Senate,
         v. prepare reports, and
         vi. perform other duties, related to UGC, as need by the Chair of the UGC
    c) When the Secretary is unable to attend a meeting, the Presiding Officer or UGC may select a member to take minutes for that meeting.
     
  6. Parliamentarian
    a) The Chair may appoint a Parliamentarian to advise the Chair, Presiding Officer, and the body on matters of procedure and protocol.
    b) The Parliamentarian shall not be a member of UGC, and shall only address UGC on parliamentary issues unless he or she is not acting as Parliamentarian for that entire meeting.
    c) The Parliamentarian will maintain the bylaws and standing rules of the UGC, and may propose changes when appropriate.
     

Back to top

Article V - VOTING BY THE UNDERGRADUATE COUNCIL

  1. As described in Sturgis' Code, main motions, except as provided in this document, are approved with a simple majority of those voting.  Abstentions are not votes.
     
  2. Curricular Change requires a simple majority of those voting, except at the first meeting of a school year in which it is discussed, in which case the change will require a two-thirds majority of those present.
    a) If, the first time a Curricular Change motion is discussed, it receives approval by a simple majority of those voting, but not two-thirds of those present, it will be considered postponed to the next meeting of UGC, where it will appear as an item of unfinished business.
     
  3. The Chair may put any procedural item forward for approval by general consent, meaning that it will be enacted unless someone objects.  If anyone objects, it may move to a vote via traditional procedures.
     
  4. No motion shall be approved unless a quorum of members casts a vote on the issue.
    a) If a motion would otherwise have been approved, but the number of "yes" and "no" votes is less than a quorum, the motion will be considered postponed to the next meeting of UGC, where it will appear as an item of unfinished business on the Agenda.
    b) If a voice vote is ambiguous as to whether or not a quorum of members has cast votes, the Presiding Officer or any member may call for a division.

Back to top

Article VI - MEASURES APPROVED BY THE UNDERGRADUATE COUNCIL

  1. Upon approval by the UGC, the Secretary will forward curricular proposals and other bills or resolutions needing Faculty Senate ratification to the Faculty Senate President and Secretary, who will put them on the agenda of the next Faculty Senate Meeting or Executive Committee meeting, as appropriate.
     
  2. Measures not requiring Faculty Senate ratification shall be enacted immediately.  Such measures are primarily those dealing with the internal workings of UGC, such as creation of committees or election of officers.

Back to top

Article VII - GUIDING DOCUMENTS AND AMENDMENTS

  1. UGC shall follow Sturgis' Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure, 4th Edition.
    a) UGC may decide to use a more recent edition, when one is published.
    b) Regulations and governance documents approved by the Board of Governors take precedence over this document and Sturgis' Code.
    c) The Faculty Senate Constitution, where applicable, takes precedence over this document and Sturgis' Code.
    d) These bylaws take precedence over Sturgis' Code.
    e) Regulations of the Board of Governors , the Faculty Senate Constitution, and these bylaws may not be suspended.
    f) The UGC may suspend portions of Sturgis' Code by two-thirds of the voting membership, as described in Sturgis' Code.
    g) The UGC may make standing rules to support and clarify Sturgis' Code and these bylaws. Such rules require a simple majority of the voting membership to be approved and may be changed at any time.
     
  2. This document may be amended by UGC, subject to approval by Faculty Senate.
    a) Amendments to the bylaws require specific approval of Faculty Senate, and changes will not go into effect until such approval is received.
    b) Amendments to this document may not be voted on by UGC until a month after a motion to change this document is made.
    c) Amendments to this document made by the UGC itself require a two-thirds majority of those present at a regular UGC meeting.
    d) Amendments to the voting membership, Article III, section 1, may be made only by the Faculty Senate.
     
  3. Severability: If any article, section, or subsection of the Constitution or Bylaws are determined to be out of compliance with Missouri statues, the Missouri Constitution, or the policies of the Board of Governors, the remaining subsections, sections, and articles shall remain in full force and effect.