Faculty Senate Bylaws

Article I: Name

  • 1.1 – The Faculty Senate of Truckee Meadows Community College, a unit of the Nevada System of Higher Education, hereinafter referred to as the Senate.

Article II: Philosophy

  • 2.1 – The purpose of the Faculty Senate is to represent the faculty and to assure faculty participation in the formulation and evaluation of institutional policies and goals.

Article III: Eligibility

  • 3.1 – All College Professional staff (as defined by the Board of Regents) and Part-Time Faculty will have representation in the Faculty Senate.
  • 3.2 – For the purposes of these Bylaws, ex officio members shall not have voting rights.
  • 3.3 – One representative chosen from Classified Council, and one representative chosen from Associated Students of Truckee Meadows are eligible to hold ex officio status on the Faculty Senate.
  • 3.4 – Any TMCC position whose direct supervisor is the TMCC President, per the current organizational chart of the college, shall be considered ex officio in all matters relating to the Faculty Senate and its subcommittees. The Faculty Senate Executive Committee leadership shall be exempt from this paragraph.

Article IV: Senators

  • 4.1 – Apportionment:
    1. Two Senators shall be elected from each major instructional unit as defined in the current organization structure. Smaller instructional units may elect only one Senator.
    2. Faculty members, not members of an instructional unit, shall constitute an "At-Large" department for the purposes of representation and shall elect four Senators. In the absence of election, the Chair will appoint the Senators.
    3. Part-time faculty shall represent the equivalent of a college department (for the purposes of representation), and shall elect two senators who must come from different academic departments. These Senators must be employed by TMCC while serving as Senators. In the absence of an election, the Chair will appoint the Senators.
    4. Any instructional unit represented by two Senators must be represented by at least one tenured faculty member.
  • 4.2 – Election of Senators:
    1. Elections within each unit will occur prior to the first announced Senate meeting in May. The Senators shall take office on June 1 of each year.
    2. Election shall be determined by majority vote of those voting within each unit.
    3. All part-time faculty currently teaching at TMCC at the time of the election shall be entitled to vote for two Part-Time Faculty Senators. Election of two Part-Time Faculty Senators shall be determined by a majority of votes actually cast. Eligible part-time faculty may self-nominate or be nominated by other faculty or their department. Election shall take place prior to first Faculty Senate meeting in May.
    4. Part-time faculty shall constitute a department for the purposes of representation, and shall elect two senators which must come from different academic departments. In the absence of election, the Chair will appoint the Senators.
  • 4.3 – Term of Office:
    1. Each Senator shall serve a two-year term commencing on June 1 of the year in which elected, except for the two Part-Time Faculty Senators, who shall serve a one-year term commencing on June 1 of the year in which elected.
    2. Terms of office for two year terms shall be staggered so that each year only half of the Senate positions shall be open for election.
    3. Senators can only serve two consecutive terms or a total of four consecutive years, whichever is greater.
  • 4.4 – Recall of Senators:
    1. If a petition with the signatures of at least 30% of the eligible members of a Faculty Unit is submitted to the Senate Chair requesting the recall of a Senator representing the unit, a ballot shall be held within 30 days of receiving the petition. A majority vote, of those voting, of the Faculty Unit shall be required to remove a Senator from office.
    2. Two unexcused absences without a proxy will result in the Chair initiating removal proceedings before the Faculty Senate. A two-thirds majority vote of those Senators present is required to remove the Senator.
  • 4.5 – Vacancies:
    1. In the event a Senate position is vacated prior to the expiration of the term, the appropriate unit shall hold an election within 30 days to fill the unexpired term.
    2. If a Senatorial position is vacant because no faculty member comes forward to fill this position, the Chair will appoint the Senator.
  • 4.6 – Duties of Senators:
    1. To ensure greater accountability on the part of the individual Senator, it shall be the responsibility of each Senator to regularly attend Senate meetings or to arrange a proxy.
    2. Any Senator who is unable to attend the regularly scheduled or special meeting must designate a proxy for that meeting.
      1. A proxy must be a faculty member from the absent Senator's area.
      2. A proxy can serve as the proxy for only one Senator per meeting.
      3. A proxy must be designated and be communicated in writing, by hard copy or electronically to the Senate Chair at least one day prior to the meeting.
      4. Failure to notify the Chair will result in a null vote for the proxy.
    3. Senators shall be expected to keep their constituents informed of Senate proceedings.
    4. In questions of voting, it is the responsibility of each Senator to act in the best interests of their constituents.