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policies & procedures: undergraduate council bylaws
Bylaws of the Undergraduate Council
University of Houston
Revised: February 1987, June 1988, September 1988, May 1990, November 1990, May 1994, July 1994, March 1996, July 1999, May 2000, July 2000, August 2001, October 2007.
I. MEMBERSHIP
- The Undergraduate Council shall consist of members representing the faculty, student body, and administration
of the University of Houston.
- The faculty shall be represented by
- One elected representative from a college for each 14,000 undergraduate semester credit hours or fraction thereof
generated by the college based initially on official twelfth-day enrollment figures for the fall semester of
1978 and reapportioned on the basis of official fall enrollment figures every third year thereafter, except
that the Honors College shall have one representative. The distribution of
elected faculty representatives for the academic year shall be reported at the first regular meeting of the
council each fall semester.
- Every faculty member of the University of Houston including chairs, directors, assistant
deans, and associate deans, but excluding those with administrative rank of dean or above, shall be eligible
for membership.
- Terms of membership shall be for three years beginning August 15, with approximately
one-third of the terms expiring each year.
- Members shall be eligible for re-election
- A faculty member from the Honors College, below the rank of the dean, shall be elected annually.
- The chair of the council.
- The student body shall be represented by three undergraduate students appointed by the appropriate
college committee on an annual rotating basis according to the following system of apportionment:
- 1 from
the College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences;
- 1 from C. T. Bauer College of Business or Natural Sciences
and Mathematics;
and
- 1 from Architecture, Engineering, Education, Hotel and Restaurant Management, Pharmacy,
or Technology.
- The administration shall be represented by
- The Provost's deputy primarily responsible for undergraduate studies (non-voting member);
- The Director of Admissions;
- The Dean of Students;
- The Assistant Vice President for Undergraduate Studies;
- The Director of the Office of Registration and Academic Records;
- Members shall be selected according to the following procedures:
- After soliciting nominations from its faculty, each college shall elect its faculty representatives no later
than the end of the spring semester of the year in which the term of membership begins.
- Each faculty representative from a college shall be elected either by a majority vote of the faculty members of the college's undergraduate committee, provided that those members of the committee are elected, or by a majority vote of all faculty members in the college eligible to vote in college elections and voting.
- If a vacancy occurs between college elections, the undergraduate committee of the college or the dean, if there is no such committee, shall appoint a faculty member to represent the college until the next election, at which time a representative shall be elected to fill the remainder of the unexpired term.
- The dean of each college shall notify the council in writing at once if a vacancy occurs or a new faculty representative is elected, reelected, or appointed.
- The Student Government Association shall make its appointments no later than the end of the spring semester. Unless they are no longer undergraduate students at the University or have been removed from the council for excessive absences, members appointed by the Student Government Association shall continue to serve until their replacements are appointed.
- Administrative members shall serve as long as they hold the offices that entitle them to membership on the council, unless removed from the council for excessive absences. They shall continue to serve until their replacements have been named or their office eliminated.
- If questions arise, the council shall determine by majority vote whether procedures used to select members are valid and whether those selected to serve are eligible and qualified for membership. Those whose membership is in question shall not vote.
II. OFFICERS
- The council shall have a chair and a vice-chair who shall be
members
of the council.
- The chair shall be elected to a one-year term by the council from among its faculty members at the last regular meeting before final examinations in the spring semester and shall take office on August 15.
- If the person who is elected chair has an unexpired term, the constituency that he or she represents shall select an interim representative to serve as a replacement for the chair while the chair is in office.
- If the chair is elected or reelected at the end of a term, he or she will serve as an at-large member.
- No member shall be elected chair for more than two consecutive terms.
- The duties of the chair shall be to
- Determine the dates of and set the agenda for all regular meetings of the council.
- Preside at all meetings of the council and its Executive Committee.
- Appoint the chairs and members of all standing committees of the council no latter
than the first regular meeting of the fall semester.
- Appoint the chair and members of ad hoc committees whenever necessary.
- Serve as an ex officio member of all standing and ad hoc
committees of the council.
- Notify the council in writing of any member who has been absent from either
three consecutive meetings of the council or half the meetings of the council during a one-year
period beginning August 15, and with the consent of a majority of the remaining members of the
council at the next regular meeting of the council, declare that member's position on the council
to be vacant.
- Report directly to the Senior Vice President and Provost in writing and in
a timely manner all actions of the council sending copies of the report to departments, schools,
and colleges concerned.
- Submit, no later than August 31, a written summary report of the council's
activities for the previous twelve-month period to the Senior Vice President and Provost,
President of the Faculty Senate, President of the Student Government Association, academic deans,
and members of the council.
- Represent the council on other university bodies as appropriate and report
their activities to the council.
- Appoint the vice-chair of the council with the consent of the majority
of the members of the council.
- The chair shall be entitled to
- Call special meetings of the council and set the agenda for those meetings.
- Participate in the discussions of the council at its regular and special meetings,
unless prohibited from doing so by a two-thirds vote of the members of the council present and voting.
- Vote during meetings of the council when the vote is by written ballot and in all
other cases where the vote would change the result.
- Appoint to standing committees representatives of the faculty, student body, or
administration who are not members of the council, provided that a majority of each committee shall be
composed of members of the council.
- Appoint to ad hoc committees representatives of the faculty, student body,
or administration who are not members of the council, provided that a majority of each committee shall
be composed of members of the council.
- The vice-chair shall be appointed by the chair of the council from among its members with
the consent of a majority of the members of the council present and voting at the first regular meeting of the fall semester.
- The vice-chair's term shall end on August 14.
- So long as the vice-chair is a member of the council, he or she shall be eligible for reappointment.
- The duties of the vice chair shall be to
- perform the duties of the chair during the chair's temporary absence.
- report all changes in council membership to the council in a timely manner.
- If the office of chair becomes vacant, the council shall hold a new election to determine the successor.
If the office of vice-chair becomes vacant, the chair shall appoint a successor with the consent of the majority
of the members of the council present and voting at the next regular meeting of the council.
III. COMMITTEES
- The council shall have three standing committees, each chaired by a faculty member of the council:
The Core Curriculum Committee, the Degree Programs Committee, and the Academic Policies and Procedures Committee.
- Each standing committee shall perform such duties as may be required by the council or its chair.
- Each voting member of the council shall be a member of at least one standing committee, but the membership of no standing committee shall include more than two elected faculty representatives from the same college or more than one student representatives.
- The chair of each committee shall notify the chair of the Undergraduate Council in writing of any member assigned to committee who has been absent from either three consecutive regular meetings of the committee or half the regular meetings of the committee during a one-year period beginning August 15. The chair of the Undergraduate Council shall bring this matter to the attention of the council at the next regular meeting of the council and shall, with the consent of the majority of the remaining members of the council, declare that member’s position on council to be vacant.
- The council shall have an Executive Committee.
- The chair of the Executive Committee shall be the chair of the council. The other members shall be the vice chair of the council, the chairs of the council's standing committees, and the Provost's deputy.
- The Executive Committee may meet before each regular meeting of the council.
- The council may have ad hoc committees as necessary to consider matters clearly not the responsibility of a standing committee or the Executive Committee. No ad hoc committee shall continue beyond the term of the chair appointing it.
- At its first regular meeting in March, the council shall elect a Nominating Committee by a plurality vote of those present and voting.
- The Nominating Committee shall be made up of four members of the council, at least three of whom shall be faculty.
- At the council's first regular meeting in April, the committee shall nominate at least two eligible members of the council to be chair of the council for the next year.
- Action by this committee shall not preclude individual members of council from making additional nominations.
- Committee chairs shall attempt to hold committee meetings when a majority of the committee members can
attend and notify the members of the committee where and when meetings are to be held at least twenty-four
hours before they begin.
- Members shall be regular in their attendance at meetings of their committees. One-half the membership
of each committee shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
- All committees of the council shall report in writing to the council.
IV. MEETINGS
- The council shall hold regular meetings at least four times each fall and spring semester
and if necessary during the summer.
- The first regular meeting each fall and spring shall take place during either the first or the second week of classes.
- The chair shall announce in writing the dates of the semester's other regular meetings no later than the first regular meeting each semester and the date of the regular summer meeting(s) no later than the first regular meeting of the spring.
- During the fall and spring semesters, regular meetings shall be held on Wednesdays from three until five o'clock in the afternoon. Meetings that continue beyond that time shall be considered to be special rather than regular, from five o'clock until they end.
- At least forty-eight hours in advance, the chair shall notify the members of the council in writing where each regular meeting is to be held. In the absence of such notification, a meeting shall be considered to be special rather than regular.
- The council shall hold special meetings upon the call of the chair or upon a written petition of
at least five members. The chair or members who call the meeting shall notify the members of the council
where and when it is to be held at least twenty-four hours before it begins. If possible, special meetings
shall be held on Wednesdays at three o'clock in the afternoon.
- Members shall be regular in their attendance at meetings of the council. Members
who are unable to attend a meeting shall notify the chair as soon as possible. Members
who are absent from either three consecutive meetings of the council or one-half the meetings of the council
or its committees during a one-year period beginning August 15 may be removed from the council for excessive
absences except that members who cannot attend any meetings of the council for at least one semester, but less
than two semesters, may be replaced for that period by and from the constituencies which the absent members represent.
- At regular meetings of the council, the members who are present shall constitute a quorum for the
transaction of business. At special meetings, one-half the membership shall constitute a quorum.
- Upon request of at least three of its members present and voting, the council shall postpone
consideration of any proposal unless a spokesman for the proposal is present.
- No changes to either the Core Curriculum of the University of Houston or the undergraduate admissions
requirements shall become effective during the academic year following their adoption by the Undergraduate Council, unless said changes have been received in writing for review by the council on or before the 1st of March except with the consent of at least two-thirds of the members present and voting at a regular meeting of the council.
- All meetings shall be conducted according to Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, except
where a contrary rule is provided by these bylaws.
V. ELECTIONS
- All elections and matters voted upon shall be determined by a majority of those voting, except where
these bylaws provide otherwise.
- The election of the chair shall be by written ballot.
- Upon the call of five or more members, any matter to be voted on shall be by written ballot.
- There shall be no voting by proxy.
VI. AMENDMENTS
- These bylaws may be amended
- At a regular or special meeting of the council by a two-thirds vote of members present, provided that a written notice of the amendment in the exact form in which it is finally adopted shall have been distributed to the members of the council at least five days in advance.
- By written three-fourths vote of the entire membership of the council. Members shall have at least two weeks to cast their votes.
- Unless it specifies otherwise, an amendment shall become effective immediately upon its adoption.
VII. ADOPTION
These bylaws shall become effective when approved by two-thirds of the members of the council, the Provost, and the
President of the University of Houston.
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