Senate Seat Distribution Discussion

Section 12 of the Faculty Senate Bylaws creates an annual process by which elections are conducted. Under this process, the Appointments and Elections Officer must submit a proposed election schedule and distribution list for approval by the Faculty Senate during the Winter Quarter, with elections to be conducted by college governance bodies and certified by the Faculty Senate during the Spring Quarter. Faculty members with a .5 FTEF (annual average) or greater appointment are eligible to be nominated to fill representative seats. Each college faculty and/or constituency is entitled to determine the procedure that will be used to nominate and elect area representatives, provided that all voting-eligible faculty (.5 FTEF annual average) are afforded the opportunity to vote in the election of their respective representative(s). The distribution of Senate seats by college and area are determined annually using a formula set forth in the Senate bylaws.

On November 25, 2024, a motion was made by Senator Ernest Hartwell (CHSS), and seconded, for the Senate to discuss at a future meeting the allocation of Senate seats, specifically an idea from CHSS FAC to allow each department to have a senator if it wants one, with an option for departments to combine seats into one. The motion passed unanimously, and the idea will be a discussion item on January 13 or the following meeting.