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English Department By-Laws
ENGLISH DEPARTMENT BYLAWS
Adopted:
January 29, 1974
Revised:
June 9, 1977
Amended:
February 8, 1978; May 30, 1978
1. Membership
All full-time faculty in the department (or holding a joint appointment with another department) with the rank of Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, instructor, or Lecturer are voting members. Part-time and visiting faculty do not vote, but are encouraged to attend department meetings and make their views known; they may also, at the discretion of the Department Chair, serve on committees, in which case they will have a vote on such committees.
The department holds at least one meeting per quarter, and as many more as seem advisable to the Chair or as may be requested by the membership. If one-third of the membership requests a meeting, the Chair must schedule one. The Chair or his/her designated representative presides at department meetings. Meetings will normally be conducted informally, but in case of dispute, Robert’s Rules of Order will be followed. A quorum, consisting of two-thirds of the membership, is necessary to vote on substantive issues. Voting on a substantive issue is not allowed if it has not appeared on an agenda distributed at least three working days prior to a meeting. Votes may be cast by written proxies, but proxies may not be counted in establishing a quorum. Minutes of the meetings will be kept, and copies distributed to all members of the department as soon as possible after the meeting.
A. Section 102.7 of the College Handbook, “Department Chair,” is automatically part of these bylaws.
B. Responsibilities
In addition to the duties specified in Section 102.7 of the College Handbook, it shall be the responsibility of the Department Chair:
1. to appoint the various committee chairs as provided for in these bylaws and to coordinate their work and that of the various committees;
2. to appoint the members of department committees and to see that no individual is overburdened with such committee work;
3. to serve as a member, ex-officio, of all department committees;
4. To consult with department members regarding department policy and action;
5. to consult faculty concerning their preferences in regard to courses, days and hours, and to see that these preferences are honored as far as possible;
6. to prepare, in consultation with the various committee chairs, the schedule of courses on all levels, assign instructors for them, and consult with the appropriate Deans concerning the times and places of the various courses;
7. to prepare the department budget, and to disburse the funds available;
8. to keep department records and correspondence;
9. to inform the members concerned when he/she delegates any of his/her duties to another;
5/30/78 10. to consult with non-tenured faculty concerning the conclusions or implication indicated by date resulting from the administration of any evaluative instrument (such as SOCI);
11. to work to achieve and maintain high faculty morale and harmonious functioning within the department and in the department’s relations with other departments.
The Department Chair appoints the committee chairs and committee members annually, normally in the Spring quarter for duties which begin in the Fall. When a new Chair will assume duties in the Fall Quarter he/she, rather than the incumbent, will make such appointments. Appointments of these committee chairs and committee members may be renewed.
All full-time members of the department holding the Ph.D. or equivalent terminal degree shall be members of the Graduate Faculty and eligible to teach graduate courses and to serve on examining committees for M.A. candidates. Persons who have not completed the terminal degree and part-time members who hold the Ph.D. may be permitted to teach graduate courses at the discretion of the Graduate Committee.
The Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee shall assume all responsibilities delegated to him/her by the Department Chair for the planning and implementation of the Graduate Program. He/she presides over meetings of the Graduate Committee. His/her duties include:
1. leading in the development of the graduate curriculum;
2. coordinating graduate course offerings;
3. initial screening of applications for admission to the Graduate Program in English;
4. assigning advisors and advisory committees;
5. seeing that the final oral examinations are properly scheduled and conducted.
The The Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee consults with the committee and reports to the Department Chair.
The Graduate Studies Committee shall consist of the Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee and four other members appointed by the Department Chair from the Graduate faculty; a majority of the members shall hold the rank of Professor or Associate Professor. The Committee meets at least once a quarter and as many more times as the Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee or the Department Chair deems advisable. The Committee:
1. receives recommendations concerning admission of students to the program submitted by the Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee and makes the final decision;
2. reviews the progress of students admitted and determines when they should be advanced to Conditionally Classified or Classified Standing;
3. approves or modifies the course offerings as suggested by the Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee;
4. determines policy concerning the Graduate Program to recommend to the Department Faculty and to the Department Chair for approval.
The Chair of the Undergraduate Studies Committee shall assume all responsibilities delegated to him/her by the Department Chairman for the planning and implementation of the Undergraduate Program. He/she presides over meetings of the Undergraduate Committee. His/her duties include:
1. leading in the development of the undergraduate curriculum;
2. coordinating undergraduate course offerings;
3. assigning advisors to majors.
The Chair of the Undergraduate Studies Committee consults with the committee and reports to the Department Chair.
The Undergraduate Studies Committee shall consist of the Chair of the Undergraduate Studies Committee and six other faculty members appointed by the Department Chair. It is primarily a curriculum committee, recommending policy concerning the Undergraduate Program to the Department Faculty and to the Department Chair for approval.
The Chair of the English Composition Committee shall assume all responsibilities delegated to him/her by the Department Chair for the planning and implementation of the English Composition program.
He/she:
3. in consultation with the English Composition Committee, determines objectives for the English Composition courses (excluding Creative Writing).
The Chair of the English Composition Committee consults with the Committee and reports to the Department Chair.
The English Composition Committee shall consist of the Chair of the English Composition Committee and four other faculty members appointed by the Department Chair. The Committee assists in coordinating the various sections of the courses, in developing the English composition curriculum, and in developing policy to recommend to the Department Faculty and to the Department Chair for approval.
A. In order to coordinate the undergraduate and graduate curricula, when meetings concerning curriculum are held by either the Graduate or Undergraduate Committees, the presiding officer of the other committee shall be invited to attend as a non-voting member. A similar courtesy shall be extended by and to the Chair of the English Composition Committee when that program would affect or be affected by curriculum decisions at other levels.
B. The Chairs of the English Composition and Undergraduate Studies Committees shall serve as liaison officers to consult with the Village Provost, the Village Council, or Village Advisors when necessary to coordinate Department programs with those in the Village, to insure proper placement of students in required courses, and to see that Village Advisors are informed of departmental requirements, prerequisites, etc.
The Chair shall appoint one or more persons to this committee, which shall have the responsibility of coordinating all matters concerning the library and the puchase by the library of books, films, recordings and other materials in the field.
Ad hoc committees may be established by the Chairman to fill specific needs.
A. New Appointments
The process for making new appointments shall be in accordance with the provisions of the College Handbook, Sections 304 and 305.
B. Retention, Promotion, and Tenure
The department shall follow the procedures and definitions which appear in the College Handbook, Sections 306, 307, and 308.
General responsibilities of faculty members are specified in the College Handbook, Section 303. In addition, members of the English Department are expected:
1. to serve on committees when appointed by the Chair or elected by the department unless such service would constitute unusual hardship;
2. to assist in shaping curricular policy;
3. to assist the Library Committee in its task of equitably apportioning the library the library budget by submitting lists of suggestions for acquisition within their fields of special competence;
4. to carry as equitable a share of the load of advisees as possible, and to keep accurate records of his/her advisees;
5. to assist the English Composition Committee in reading and grading the English Placement Test.
These bylaws may be amended by a two-thirds vote of the voting members of the department. An amendment may not be voted at the meeting at which it is introduced.
Nothing in these bylaws shall be construed as limiting the authority of the Chain in making final decisions or his responsibility for the department’s affairs as provided by law or the College Handbook.