"Items From The Floor" Guidance

Background

The last agenda item of each Faculty Senate meeting, "Items From The Floor," has primarily been used for senators to bring up impromptu constituent concerns. The following guidance was proposed by the Faculty Senate Executive Council:

• Senators raising items from the floor do not have an explicit time limit, aside from a hard limit of Senate meetings ending no later than 5:45pm, with a usual target of 5:30pm.
• Senators are encouraged to summarize constituent concerns that cannot be read within a few minutes and, when possible, to present any constituent concern with a request for the Senate. This could be some specific action, such as referral to Senate exec or a committee, or it could be a request for a longer discussion at a future Senate meeting, which could be agreed to by consent or a vote.  
• Senators can also raise concerns in other ways, such as by communicating with Senate Executive Council members outside of meetings. To get an item on a Senate agenda with a longer pre-arranged time slot, a minimum of two-weeks lead time is requested. This allows the matter to be considered at Senate Exec, which is responsible for setting priorities for full Senate agenda items. 
• Time permitting, up to three non-Senator guest attendees may sign up for a 3-minute time slot to raise issues or concerns. Sign ups can be in advance at Faculty.Senate@wwu.edu or at the entry table in the Board of Trustees room beginning at 3:50 p.m. on Senate meeting days. 

Senate Action

The Senate unanimously passed a motion was by Erika McPhee-Shaw, and seconded, to approve the proposed guidance.