Constitution
The Faculty Assembly
of
The Ohio State University at Newark
Revised: May 2, 2002
Amended: December 2, 2003; January 6, 2004; December 7, 2004; May 2, 2006
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V.
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G.
H.
I. The Purpose of the Faculty Assembly of The Ohio State University at Newark
The purpose of the Faculty Assembly of The Ohio State University at Newark is to allow faculty members at the Newark Campus to meet in a common session to discuss matters of professional interest relating to their teaching, research and service activities, to discuss their general welfare, well-being and the survival and betterment of The Ohio State University and the Newark Campus, to improve the profession of university teaching, research and service, to hear matters of general concern to members, and to undertake other matters of interest that may affect members from time to time. The Assembly enacts rules and regulations concerning its own conduct and procedure, passes resolutions on all matters in its purview, provides information when required to do so by University officers and state officials, receives information from OSU officials and campus officers, empowers agents on its behalf to undertake action to fulfill its responsibilities and desired actions, and issues statements, reports, and general communication in the fulfillment of its work. The Assembly actively promotes cooperation with the Central Ohio Technical College and the OSUN Board of Trustees.
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Membership in the Faculty Assembly is automatic for all tenured, tenure-track and other full-time faculty members including the Dean-Director and Associate Dean. Such members have access to the floor and voting rights. Other personnel in academic support positions on campus may attend and have access to the floor. Persons outside of these categories may attend the meetings and observe proceedings but are required to report their presence to the Chair before the meeting.
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III. Administration and Organization
The OSUN Faculty Assembly conforms in its purpose to the principles of organization stated under the rules and policies of the University as a whole, meets on a regular, published schedule throughout the academic year and other times at the call of its constitutional officers, and works in close relationship with the Dean-Director and Associate Dean.
A. Chair of the OSUN Faculty Assembly
The Chair shall
1. call and preside over meetings of the Executive Committee.
2. call all meetings of the Faculty Assembly.
3. preside over all business meetings of the Faculty Assembly following the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised.
4. attend meetings of the OSUN Board of Trustees.
5. attend meetings of the Regional Campus Faculty Council.
6. perform other duties as the situation warrants.
B. Vice-Chair of the OSUN Faculty Assembly
The Vice-Chair shall
1. assist the Chair with the business of the Assembly and act in that officer’s stead when necessary.
2. perform other duties as assigned by the Chair.
3. become Chair if the office of Chair is vacated. At the discretion of the new Chair, a special election may be held to fill the vacated office of Vice-Chair.
4. become Chair the year after serving as Vice-Chair.
C. Secretary of the OSUN Faculty Assembly
The Secretary shall
1. issue the agenda, prepare and distribute minutes of the meeting, and undertake the general correspondence of the Assembly.
2. notify all members of the forthcoming meetings (specifying the items on the agenda) at least three class days prior to the meeting.
3. maintain the minute book of the Assembly, pass on the same, along with the draft of the minutes of the last meeting of the academic year, to the incoming secretary, and forward copies of the approved minutes to the library.
4. produce and distribute a committee list to the faculty after the new appointments are made winter quarter.
5. perform other duties as assigned by the Chair.
D. The OSUN Faculty Representative
The OSUN Faculty Representative shall
1. handle complaints from individual or groups of faculty members about conditions at OSUN that can best be handled on an anonymous basis with administrative offices and officers.
2. report to the Assembly at all regular meetings.
3. attend meetings of the Regional Campus Faculty Council.
4. be elected from among the tenured faculty.
E. University Senator
The University Senator shall
1. be a faculty member as specified by the Bylaws of the Board of Trustees, Article IV, Section I. The Senator must also have been a full-time faculty member at OSUN for at least one year before assuming office.
2. be elected by members of the Assembly in balloting conducted in accordance with the appropriate rules of the University and the Senate, and assume office at the time designated by those rules. (Refer to Section 3335-5-38 and Chapter 3335-17 of the Bylaws of the University).
3. facilitate the flow of information between OSUN faculty and the University Senate and the Faculty Council and inform OSUN faculty in a timely manner of relevant items under consideration by the University Senate or the Faculty Council.
4. attend meetings of the Regional Campus Faculty Council.
Alternate Representative to the Senate
In case of recall, resignation or the inability of the elected Senator to complete the term, the Alternate shall fill the unexpired term. The Alternate shall be the runner-up in the election for University Senator and attend all University Senate meetings when the regular Senator is off duty or unable to attend and shall have the general powers and privileges in the University Senate of the regular Senator.
The Ombudsperson shall
1. handle complaints from students regarding instructional staff and investigate matters raised.
2. clarify issues between students and instructors and search for negotiated ways of resolving complaints and issues.
3. contact appropriate administrative personnel when the issue needs resolution in some other office.
4. work closely with the Dean-Director and Associate Dean.
5. make quarterly reports to the Faculty Assembly about the kinds of complaints received, action taken, and response of faculty members to such complaints.
6. be elected from among the tenured faculty.
Alternate Ombudsperson
The Alternate Ombudsperson shall perform the duties of the Ombudsperson when requested to do so. The Alternate will be the runner-up in the election for Ombudsperson.
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IV. Committees
The Assembly has three kinds of committees: executive, standing, and ad hoc.
A. The Executive Committee consists of the Dean-Director, Associate Dean, Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary, Faculty Representative, and Past Chair. Others may be invited to attend specific meetings. The Executive Committee deals with matters of Assembly concern between regular meetings of the Assembly, assists the Chair in clarifying issues for inclusion on the agenda of the Assembly, and finalizes a slate of officers for Assembly elections in May of each year. The Executive Committee meets approximately one week prior to regular Faculty Assembly meetings and may be called into session for special purposes.
B. Standing Committees to undertake continuing work of the Assembly may be created from time to time.
1. General Rules for all committees
a. Unless otherwise stated in committee descriptions, membership on committees is made from nominations of the Executive Committee and voted on by the Faculty Assembly. New members assume their responsibilities in January and serve for three-year terms ending in December. Faculty members may not be assigned to a committee without their prior consent. Membership on all committees is staggered over three years, and no member may serve consecutive terms.
b. Committees are responsible for their own rules of procedure, agendas, and meeting times. Each committee shall meet in January to orient the new members, elect the chair and organize itself for the year. Committees should meet at least once each quarter of the regular academic year. The Chair of the Assembly may call a meeting of a committee that fails to do so.
c. The Chair is selected by each committee from among its members. The chair calls the meetings, provides agendas for meetings, presides at meetings, oversees and coordinates all activities of the committee reports to the Assembly on behalf of the committee, listing actions taken by the committee as well as actions planned for the near future. At the final committee meeting of the calendar year, the chair shall have the committee designate a continuing member to call the first meeting of the next year.
d. A secretary is selected by each committee from among its members. The secretary records the minutes of meetings, passes on the accumulated minutes to the incoming secretary in January, and makes the minutes available when requested. The secretary also submits a written annual report of the activities of the committee to the Assembly at the last meeting of the spring quarter.
2. Standing Committees are described in a non-supplementary appendix to the Constitution. Descriptions and changes may be updated periodically in the appendix and adopted by Robert's Rules of Order.
C. Ad hoc committees may be created from time to time to undertake special business of the Assembly. Those committees are appointed and described by the Executive Committee.
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V. Operational Policies and Procedures
A. Organization of the OSUN Faculty Assembly
The Assembly shall meet to conduct business at least once a month during the academic year except as modified by a majority Faculty Assembly vote. The Assembly Chair may cancel a meeting if a two-thirds majority of the Executive Committee determines there are insufficient agenda items. Each voting member in attendance at regular and special meetings shall be entitled to one vote in the Assembly's business transactions.
B. Constitutional Ratification
The OSUN Faculty Assembly Constitution shall be adopted by the assent of two-thirds of the voting members in attendance at a regular monthly meeting.
C. Procedures for Constitutional Change
1. Members who wish to introduce a constitutional amendment should present a brief but complete written proposal to a member of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee will consider it at its next meeting.
2. The Secretary will distribute the proposal and the recommendations of the Executive Committee to all members of the Assembly. The members of the Assembly will have twenty-one days from the date of distribution to communicate reactions or requests concerning the proposal to any member of the Executive committee.
3. After twenty-one days the proposal shall be presented to the Faculty Assembly for final consideration and vote.
4. A two-thirds majority vote of the voting members in attendance at a regular monthly meeting is required for Constitutional change.
D. Operational Procedures
1. Any member of the Assembly may submit agenda items in writing to a member of the Executive Committee.
2. In the absence of the Chair and Vice-Chair, the Executive Committee will appoint a temporary presiding officer. This temporary officer, other than presiding, shall perform no executive duties.
3. Voting on all business of the assembly will follow Robert's Rules of Order.
4. Election of Officers.
a. The current Chair shall appoint, by the last monthly meeting of the winter quarter, a nominating committee to recommend a slate of candidates to fill the offices of Vice-Chair, Secretary, Faculty Representative to the Newark Faculty Assembly, and Ombudsperson, for the following year. No officer may be nominated to succeed himself or herself. The nominating committee shall make the slate available to all Assembly members at least one week before the election. However, the floor shall remain open for other nominations at the meeting during which the officers are elected.
b. The election will take place at the next-to-last monthly meeting of the spring quarter. The newly elected officers will assume their office at the start of the summer quarter.
c. Any Faculty Assembly officer or the University Senator may be relieved of his office on the presentation to the Assembly of a petition signed by two-thirds of the Assembly's voting members.
d. If an office of the OSUN Faculty Assembly is vacated, the Chair shall appoint, with ratification of the Assembly, a voting member of the Assembly to fill that office for the remainder of the term. This shall be done at the first regular meeting held after an office has been vacated.
5. The Chair shall call special meetings when requested by the Executive Committee or by a petition signed by at least fifteen percent of the members.
6. It shall be the policy of the Assembly to hold open meetings. But voting members in attendance may close the meeting to non-members by majority vote to consider items permitted under the Ohio Sunshine Law.
E. Quorum
The quorum for any meeting of the Assembly will be forty percent of the number of members of the Assembly who hold a regular faculty rank.
F. Manner of Notifications
Notices and reports, which are required to be given or distributed in writing, shall be considered to be done so when transmitted or distributed by electronic means. The Assembly may establish policies governing such distribution.
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Standing Committees
The committee acts as the agent of the Assembly for the following responsibilities:
providing assistance, recommendations, and other advice to the Dean-Director in development and operation of the academic program. The areas of concern include, but are not limited to, scheduling, course offerings, patterns of staffing, and academic programs.
[Note: It is recognized that the Dean-Director is charged with management and administration of the academic program and that those duties are in no way under the supervision of the committee.]providing assistance, recommendations, and other advice to the Dean-Director concerning advisement of students.
advising the Dean-Director on the addition of faculty members, both tenure-track and temporary. The committee informs itself regarding the ongoing recruitment of personnel and makes recommendations for such searches.
making recommendations concerning the location, suitability, operation, use, and maintenance of classrooms, laboratories, and other space needed for the operation of the academic program. The committee coordinates closely with other committees in fashioning appropriate policy recommendations that take the interests of the entire faculty into consideration.
seeking enhancement of coordination between the academic program and academic support services, in particular, but not limited to, the Library and Developmental Education.
designing, maintaining and making recommendations concerning special academic programs, such as the Honors Program.
serving as a conduit and clearinghouse for information concerning faculty members in various academic sectors and programs.
overseeing and receiving reports of special committees established to study, assist or implement the academic program.
The members of this committee are chosen by subject area, with one representative from each area offering a four-year program, and with the remaining areas grouped into Arts, Biological and Physical Sciences, Humanities, Mathematical Sciences, and Social Sciences, one representative from each group. The regular faculty in each constituency will determine the manner in which their representative is selected. In addition, the committee will include the honors director and a senior academic advisor, who will advise the committee on the needs of (and need for) any courses that are not directly represented by other committee members. The senior academic advisor is an ex-officio, non-voting member. The Dean-Director and Associate Dean are ex-officio members of the Committee and work closely with the Chair in preparing the agenda and presentation of information for the use of the Committee. Committee members should meet at least annually with the faculty in their area of representation. The terms are staggered over three years.
B. Community Relations Committee
The Committee acts as the agent of the Assembly for the following responsibilities:
improving and extending positive relationships with the community.
articulating the research aspect of the University to the community at large.
The committee consists of three faculty members, the Associate Dean (ex-officio. voting), the Past Chair of the Faculty Assembly (ex-officio, voting) and the Director of Marketing and Community Relations (ex-officio, non-voting).
C. Cultural Arts and Events Committee
Acts as an agent of the Assembly for the following responsibilities:
identifying and inviting speakers, performers, or presenters of prominence to the campus for the mutual benefit of the campus and community residents.
promoting and maintaining coordination of the various units of OSUN or the Newark Campus undertaking cultural arts programs for the student body and for the community.
providing small grants to faculty members for classroom speakers and presenters.
The committee consists of four members. Preference for one position will be given to faculty who teach courses in art, dance, film, literature, music or theater.
D. Faculty Well-Being Committee
The Committee acts as the agent of the Assembly for the following responsibilities:
conducting a Faculty Concerns Survey and sharing the summary with the Assembly.
making recommendations for the consideration of the Assembly and the OSUN administrative officers concerning matters of compensation and benefits, and carrying out responsibilities assigned to it by the Assembly in this area.
conducting orientations for new faculty, both full and part-time when the need for such occur, and developing strategies for helping such faculty adjust to the campus.
The committee consists of five members and the Faculty Representative.
The committee acts as the agent of the Assembly for the following responsibilities:
Advising the Chief Information Officer and the Dean/Director on information-technology policy, priorities, programs, services and communications
Serving as a bridge in raising issues of technical support for faculty members in their teaching and research
Assisting Information Technology Services in familiarizing faculty with capabilities and technical advances of the Office
The committee consists of three faculty with terms staggered over three years, the Chief Information Officer and two staff from Information Technology Services appointed by the Chief Information Officer. The latter three committee members are ex-officio, non-voting.
1. The committee acts as the general agent of the Assembly for the following
responsibilities:
a. Evaluating and assessing the effectiveness of the library in addressing information needs and issues for the OSUN faculty
b. Providing input on library collection development
c. Advising the Head Librarian on information-delivery policy, priorities, programs, services and communications
d. Serving as liaison between library and faculty in informational issues and support
e. Regularly reviewing the library strategic plan, especially as it affects faculty
f. Helping to identify and find solutions to challenges faced by library
2. The committee consists of three faculty with terms staggered over three years,
an OSUN student appointed in accordance with the student governance procedures of the Newark Campus for an academic year beginning each Autumn Quarter, and two ex-officio, non-voting members: the Head Librarian and one member of the OSUN or COTC cost-shared staff appointed annually by the Head Librarian.
G. Professional Standards Committee (changes effective January 2008)
Acts as the agent of the Faculty Assembly for the following responsibilities. In each case, the committee advertises the competition, sets standards and rules, and recommends awards to the Dean-Director.
Promotes research and scholarly activity by conducting quarterly rounds of competition for research grants among tenured and tenure-track faculty.
Promotes student involvement in research by conducting quarterly competitions for OSUN Faculty-Initiated Student Assistantship Grants.
Recognizes teaching excellence by conducting annual competitions among tenure -track faculty, as well as full-time lecturers/visiting assistant professors, for the Teaching Excellence Award.
Recognizes scholarly accomplishment by conducting an annual competition among tenured and tenure-track faculty for the OSUN Scholarly Accomplishment Awards.
Recognizes outstanding service by conducting an annual OSUN Service Award deliberation involving tenured and tenure-track track faculty.
The committee consists of nine members, five of whom must be tenured. The three professional ranks must be represented among the total membership of the committee.
The Committee acts as the agent of the Assembly for the following responsibilities:
Providing assistance to the Office of Student Support Services in its operations. This would include the assistance given to the overall program and to the various student organizations operating on campus, including the sports program and the student government.
Providing assistance to the Office of Financial Aid in assisting that office in the awarding of OSUN scholarships and other programs operated by that office that call for cooperation with the OSUN faculty. In general, the committee provides advice concerning the operation of the Office insofar as it affects the OSUN academic program.
Assisting the Admissions office in the recruiting of students, particularly in providing assistance and advice on marketing and recruiting, on new-student orientation and on other related matters.
The committee consists of five members.
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