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ConstitutionThe Constitution
GOVERNANCE CONSTITUTION
Preamble Participatory Governance Participation is defined to mean that (a) those parties affected by college-wide policies, regulations, practices, and procedures have the right and responsibility to participate in developing, reviewing and recommending them, and (b) those parties who develop, review and recommend college-wide policies, regulations, practices, and procedures are accountable for their recommendations. The major principles underlying participatory governance include the following: 1. A genuine desire and commitment to share decision making among the various relevant constituencies; 2. Providing each constituency with the opportunity to pursue its legitimate interests within a cooperative framework, which will, at the same time, minimize the possibility that the special interests of a specific group will exercise a controlling influence within the process; 3. Providing each constituency, and those with special expertise, the opportunity to influence decision making at all appropriate levels (such as the Standing Committees, the Steering Committee and the College Forum) while insuring that only the relevant parties and constituencies are involved in the process by directing issues to the appropriate bodies (largely a function of the Steering Committee); 4. Developing extensive, open and honest communication between and among the members and constituencies of the College community; 5. Developing mechanisms of accommodation to maximize the frequency of agreement; 6. Maintaining a streamlined structure to prevent the overlapping of responsibilities and duplication of resources by keeping Standing Committees to a minimum; and 7. Ensuring accountability of those responsible for implementing policies and procedures (usually in the Forum and the Steering Committee.) COLLEGE FORUM Charter The College Forum is a deliberative body that engages in collegial discussion of any issue of concern to the College community. The College Forum shall be the forum for discussion and debate of issues of college-wide concern and votes of the College Forum shall communicate the will of the College community to the President. All new business must be initiated within the Forum, except where urgency of action makes this impossible (see Steering Committee, Function, item 4.) Function 1. The College Forum may consider and may act upon any issue of college-wide concern which a member, the Steering Committee, the President of the College or the Board of Trustees wishes to place on the agenda. 2. The Chair of the College Forum may instruct the Steering Committee to consider and/or act upon any issue of college-wide concern after discussion by and a consensus vote of the Forum members present. 3. The College Forum may ratify, amend, reject or return to a committee for reconsideration those proposals that are submitted to it by the Steering Committee, the Standing Committees or ad hoc committees. 4. Proposals acted on by the Forum will be forwarded to the President of the College for his/her action. These proposals will be accompanied by a form, to be returned to the Chair of the Forum, which will include (a) the President's action, (b) the Board’s action, (c) the proposed date of implementation and (d) the office that will implement the action or proposal. 5. There shall be annual kick-off and wrap-up meetings of the Governance system at the beginning and end of each academic year. Bylaws Membership The College Forum shall include all of the full-time and part-time members of the College community: faculty, administration, staff, and students. Officers 1. There shall be a Chair and a Vice-Chair (Chair Elect) - one will be faculty, administrator, or staff member, and the other will represent a different constituency. 2. The Vice-Chair one year shall become the Chair the next year and serve a one-year term in that capacity. Each year a new Vice-Chair, representing a constituency different from that of the previous Vice-Chair, shall be elected on a college-wide basis by three voting constituencies: faculty, administrators, and staff. There is no election for Chair. The Chair may not serve as Vice-Chair (Chair Elect) again for at least two years after his/her term of office has expired. The Steering Committee shall institute proceedings to replace a Vice-Chair (Chair Elect) who resigns during his/her term of office. 3. Candidates for election to Vice-Chair (Chair Elect) must have at least five years of experience at the College. The Office of the President shall provide the clerical help needed to perform the following functions: a. Typing and circulation of the agenda and supporting material for Forum meetings. b. Circulation of the Governance Gazette prepared by the Vice-Chair (Chair Elect); c. Attendance, taking minutes, and providing follow-up assistance for Forum and Steering Committee meetings; d. Making arrangements for all Forum and Steering Committee meetings; e. Making arrangements for annual kick-off and wrap-up sessions of the Governance system; f. Assisting in the annual elections to the Steering Committee; g. Maintaining the official files of the Governance system. 4. The Officers of the Forum will hold regularly scheduled monthly meetings with the President of the College for the purpose of maintaining communications between the Forum and the President. 5. The roles of the Chair are to (a) preside at all Forum meetings, (b) preside at all Steering Committee meetings, (c) break a tie vote in the Forum or in the Steering Committee. The Vice-Chair (Chair Elect) shall fulfill these roles in the absence of the Chair. 6. The roles of the Vice-Chair (Chair Elect) are to (a) fulfill the roles of the Chair in his/her absence and (b) assume responsibility for the monthly Governance Gazette. 7. The officers of the Forum and the members of the Steering Committee may be removed from office for cause by a recall vote. a. One hundred fifty full-time employees of the College must sign a petition to obtain a recall vote. b. The petition must be presented at a regular meeting of the Forum and discussion will take place with the Vice-Chair (Chair Elect) acting as presiding officer if the Chair is the subject of the recall. c. At the next Forum meeting, two-thirds of the membership of the Forum voting constituencies will be required to recall a Chair, Vice-Chair (Chair Elect) or other Steering Committee member. d. In the event of a recall of the Chair, the Vice-Chair (Chair Elect) shall assume the responsibilities of the chair for the remainder of the term. An election for a new Vice-Chair (Chair Elect) shall be held as soon as possible by the Steering Committee. e. In case of inactivity: i. If a Chair or Vice-Chair (Chair Elect) is absent from duties for a month or more (without notification), he/she will be notified in writing by the other officer. If unable to continue, he/she will be asked to resign and an election will be held. (If the Chair resigns, the Vice-Chair (Chair Elect) shall fulfill the Chair’s term.) ii. If a member of the Steering Committee is absent for two consecutive meetings (without notice), he/she will be notified in writing of the need for his/her attendance. He/She will be asked to resign if unable to continue and an election to replace him/her will be held as soon as possible. Meetings: 1. The College Forum shall hold regularly scheduled meetings in September, October, November, December, February, March, April, and May. 2. The Chair, in consultation with the Steering Committee, may call extraordinary meetings with one week’s notice. 3. The Chair may declare a Forum meeting closed to all except the regular membership. 4. There shall be a Parliamentarian appointed by the Chair in consultation with the Steering Committee. Robert’s Rules of Order shall prevail. 5. Forum agenda items must be submitted to the Steering Committee no later than ten working days prior to a Forum meeting; the final agenda must be distributed at least three working days before a Forum meeting. The agenda will always include a report of any Steering Committee actions taken since the last Forum meeting. 6. Suggestions and issues to be considered may be made from the floor at Forum meetings, but a clear, detailed and precise written motion must be submitted to the Steering Committee within ten days. Voting 1. The Forum shall have four voting constituencies: a. full-time faculty b. full- and part-time regular (base/salaried) administrators, to include police personnel with the rank lieutenant and above. c. full- and part-time regular (base/salaried) staff, to include police personnel with the rank sergeant and below. d. students who serve on the Standing Committees. 2. A majority vote of the full membership of the Steering Committee shall determine which voting constituencies are eligible to vote on each issue before the Forum. The Steering Committee’s determination may be challenged from the floor and overruled by a two-thirds majority of the eligible voters present. 3. Members of the College community who are not members of the four voting constituencies shall have a voice but not a vote. 4. The Chair may only vote to break a tie. 5. A quorum exists when thirty voting members are present. A minimum of seven members of a voting constituency is required for the constituency to vote on an issue that the Steering Committee has determined they may vote on. In the case of students, the minimum shall be three. 6. The Vice-Chair (Chair Elect) and the members of the Steering Committee are counted in the quorum and may vote on issues for which they are eligible. 7. An abstention shall be counted as a non-vote rather than a negative vote. Procedure for Amendments Proposed amendments to the Constitution must be submitted in writing to the Steering Committee for discussion and action. Such amendments must be supported by a majority vote of the Steering Committee before being brought to the Forum for action. Proposed amendments which have been rejected by the Steering Committee may be brought before the College Forum by securing a petition signed by 100 Forum members. Copies of proposed amendments shall be distributed to the College community, with the notice of the meeting, at least ten days prior thereto. A Forum meeting to discuss the amendment shall precede a Forum meeting to authorize voting on that amendment. An affirmative vote of two-thirds of those responding shall be necessary to adopt any amendment. STEERING COMMITTEE Charter The Steering Committee is the organizational and management body of the Governance system and the College Forum. When an issue is forwarded to the Steering Committee from any source, the committee will route it, in a timely manner, to the appropriate party for further consideration. Should the Committee refuse a recommendation or request, it must support its decision to the source of the request with a written rationale as soon as possible. Function The Steering Committee may direct a specific issue to one of the Standing Committees, along with written instructions detailing both the responsibilities of the Committee and the time frame within which a recommendation is to be forwarded in writing to the appropriate party. The Steering Committee may also send issues to the College Forum, to an administrator or to an ad hoc committee (if such a committee is deemed necessary.) In all cases, these issues are to be accompanied by a suggested schedule for action. The Steering Committee may create an ad hoc committee to address issues which, in its judgment, do not fit into the jurisdiction of any of the Standing Committees or which overlap the jurisdiction of several Standing Committees. The creation of an ad hoc committee must be accompanied by a written charge detailing its responsibilities and the time frame within which a recommendation is to be forwarded in writing to, and reported at, the College Forum and/or to the appropriate administrative office. A majority of the membership of the Steering Committee shall determine the voting constituencies at Forum meetings. The Steering Committee shall consult with the chair in setting the agenda of the Forum meetings. The President of the College may request a meeting of the Steering Committee when the urgency of a decision makes the normal decision-making process impossible. The Steering Committee will prepare, in consultation with the chairs of the Standing Committees, an annual calendar of meetings for the Governance system (Forum, Steering Committee, and Standing Committees) for the next academic year. The Steering Committee shall meet at least twice a month and be available twelve months a year or when called by the President of the College. The Steering Committee shall serve to represent the Forum during July and August, with any actions approved by the Forum at its first scheduled meeting in September. The Steering Committee shall entertain and recommend changes to the governance system and shall determine the best method for dealing with any difficulties in its operation. The College Forum shall be responsible for the final decision on any changes in the governance structure. Any changes that are approved by the Forum are then to be forwarded to the President of the College for his/her approval. The Steering Committee will maintain accurate rosters of membership of all Governance committees. ElectionS to the Steering Committee 1. In order to ensure continuity on the Steering Committee over time, the terms of office of the members will be staggered. 2. Each year offices will be open for election: Vice-Chair (Chair Elect), one faculty position, one administrator position, and one staff position. 3. The term of office of each member of the Steering Committee shall be two years except for the student position, which is one year. 4. Vice-Chair (Chair Elect) will be elected by the faculty, administrative, and staff constituencies (see above under College Forum); the other four members will be elected by their own constituencies on a college-wide basis. 5. An ex-officio member of a Standing Committee may also serve on the Steering Committee; other members of Standing Committees may not also serve on the Steering Committee. 6. The transition date to a newly elected Steering Committee shall be May 1. 7. The former Chair of the Forum will be a non-voting member of the Steering Committee in an advisory capacity for the first semester of the next academic year. 8. Elections to the Steering Committee shall be completed and the results counted no later than the end of the first full week in March each year. A student representative will be appointed by June. 9. Vacancies: Should a vacancy occur on the Steering Committee, nominations will be solicited from that constituency and an election held as quickly as possible. Persons elected in this manner can fill out the term of the previous member. They are then eligible to serve for two more terms, provided they run and are elected. STANDING COMMITTEES The Academic Council is charged with oversight of the establishment and discontinuance of all courses and programs and other matters relating to curricula. Its purpose is to assure adherence to College policies on academic matters and to review any actions that affect curricula. The Academic Standards Committee is charged with the review of academic standards pertaining to programs and services offered by the College. The Committee will review and recommend revisions of existing policies, regulations, procedures, and practices which impact upon the achievement and maintenance of College standards in the academic purview and, when appropriate, will suggest new ones. The College Life Committee is charged with considering and recommending policies concerning the overall quality of life of the Brookdale community. Matters relevant to this concern include, but are not limited to, the campus environment, non-academic services, facilities use and management, and relations between the College and the community. The Diversity Council is charged with reviewing and recommending College policies and practices concerning diversity. The Committee will advise the College community on strategies for maintaining an environment that is open, diverse, and inclusive, both intellectually and organizationally. In addition, the Committee will plan and implement activities and programs to assist the College in achieving its commitment to diversity in the classroom, the workplace and the entire College environment. The Institutional Planning and Effectiveness Committee is charged with developing, monitoring, and evaluating the College’s strategic planning and assessment processes. The Committee’s purposes are: 1) to provide a set of institutional strategies and objectives that align with each other, address the appropriate external factors, and drive the College’s budget, and 2) to develop, monitor, and assess the major indicators of institutional effectiveness. The Professional Development Committee is charged with developing and evaluating the policies of the faculty, support staff, and administrative professional development committees for full- and part-time employees of the College. The Committee coordinates with Human Resources to provide college-wide orientation and training programs for all employees. The Student Development Committee is charged with addressing the needs and concerns of students outside the classroom by recommending policies to enhance student success, growth, and development. Such matters may include co- and extra-curricular activities, student behavior, and/or issues that affect a student’s development. OTHER COMMITTEES Presidential Task Force or Commission: Task Forces or Commissions on Governance and other college-wide issues will be established by the President of the College in consultation with the Steering Committee. The membership will be appointed by the President in consultation with the Steering Committee. All Task Forces and Commissions will be given precise charges and time frames for completion. Recommendations made by such a committee shall be forwarded to the Forum for its consideration and vote. Ad Hoc Committee: May be formed on as an as-needed basis by the Steering Committee and will have a precise charge and time frame. Permanent College-Wide Committees: It is recognized that there is a need for various committees at the College whose major purpose is not normally related to Governance and which carry out, but do not formulate, policy. The purpose of such committees may be to facilitate communication between groups, to coordinate activities, to develop strategies for dealing with certain specific situations or to carry out policies determined by the Governance process. Examples of these committees are the Basic Skills Committee, the General Education Committee, and the Honors Committee. It is expected that such committees will advise the Steering Committee and the appropriate Standing Committee to provide assistance in their areas of expertise. Each committee shall prepare a monthly report for inclusion in the Governance Gazette. Committee Chairs will have the opportunity to give an oral report at the monthly Forum meeting and will be available to lead further discussion or to answer questions. Any issue involving the formulation of recommendations for college-wide policy will be taken to the Steering Committee and College Forum for deliberation. STANDING COMMITTEE BYLAWS 1. A quorum for voting purposes will consist of two-thirds of the committee membership; students will not be counted in determining a quorum. 2. A member will be dropped from a committee if that member fails to attend more than two consecutive meetings (unless special arrangements are made.) The Chair of the committee will seek a replacement as soon as possible. 3. A member of each committee shall keep minutes and monitor attendance. 4. Membership on the Standing Committees shall be staggered on the basis of three-year terms. 5. Standing Committees may establish any subcommittees they wish. Each subcommittee will be given a specific charge and time frame for its work. Permanent subcommittees may only be formed in consultation with the Steering Committee. 6. Committees may consult with any individual or non Governance committee that they think is appropriate. 7. Each committee will elect a Chair or Co-chairs for the next academic year at the last meeting of each spring term. Eligible voters include those who are completing their election cycles, current members, and newly-elected members. 8. No person may serve on more than one Standing Committee. No person may run for office on more than one committee. 9. Robert’s Rules of Order will define procedures in the Standing Committees. 10. Members of Standing Committees are expected to attend Forum meetings. 11. Standing Committee meetings are open to all members of the College community. 12. A person may not be elected to more than two consecutive three-year terms on a particular Standing Committee, but may run for office on another committee or the Steering Committee immediately. 13. When a motion is ready to be presented to the Forum for its consideration; the Steering Committee shall review the motion for clarity, but not content. 14. Each committee shall prepare a monthly report for the Governance Gazette. 15. The primary role of an ex-officio member is to be a resource for the committee. Ex-officio members have all the rights of membership in the committee. ELECTIONS TO STANDING COMMITTEES Students on Standing Committees must be currently enrolled. Student nominations will be solicited from the College community. Steering will appoint student representatives to each Standing Committee and the Steering Committee unless the number of students exceeds the allotted number of student positions on that committee. In that case an election will be held, and the Steering Committee and the Student Life Board will coordinate the process. Elections of faculty members to Standing Committees will be held on a rotating basis by Divisions. One year the Business/Technology and Arts/Communications Divisions will elect representatives; the next year English/Reading and Social Sciences/Education representatives will be elected; and lastly representatives from Math and Science/Health Sciences will be elected. This sequence will be continued into the future. Staff and Administrative and Exempt elections will be held by ballot according to procedures determined by the Steering Committee. Elections should be completed by early April each year. Vacancies: Should a vacancy occur on a Standing Committee, the Steering Committee will solicit recommendations from that constituency and appoint a member as soon as possible. Persons appointed in this manner will serve until the end of that academic year. That position will be included in the first election following the appointment. The appointed member is then eligible to serve for two more terms, provided he/she runs and is elected.
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