14 September 2001

 

To:  Representative Assembly

       Davis Division

 

Annual Report of the Committee on Elections Rules and Jurisdiction 2000-01

 

In addition to supervising the normal election for the Committee on Committees, this Committee:

 

1. Advised Divisional Chair Jeff Gibeling on the following matters:

 

a. on the effects of the expiration of DD Bylaw 129 governing the Honors Council.  Reported that DD Bylaw 129 could be expunged from the record of current bylaws, but that DD Guideline 26 makes reference to it.  Advised that those with authority over the Davis Honors Challenge rethink the organization and propose revisions to the guidelines to make them consistent and effective with respect to continuing honors programs.

 

b. on the authority of the Senate, generally, and the Graduate Council, in particular, over admissions requirements for graduate students.  Such requirements are according to Regents’ Standing Orders completely within the authority of the Senate.

 

c. on the fact that the Faculty of the School of Law is out of compliance with Assembly Bylaw 50 (C).  The dean of the faculty may not serve as chair of the faculty and the faculty must have an elected executive committee.  The Law Faculty remains out of compliance.

 

d. on quorum rules for the Representative Assembly.  The Committee reluctantly suggested a possible revision that would exclude the ex officio members from the base for counting the quorum, while retaining the rule that a quorum is fifty percent of the base plus one.

 

e. advised that the Senate, and in this Division the Committee on Courses of Instruction, has the responsibility of reviewing the qualifications of all instructors and assistants to instructors in courses offered for academic credit.

 

 

2. Reviewed the following proposals of, or amendments to, bylaws, regulations, guidelines:

 

a. The Bylaws of the Faculty of Graduate School of Management.  The GSM Faculty, despite several previous attempts, had never established a set of approved and functioning bylaws.  The first draft was proposed by the Associate Dean of the school and contemplated the Dean as the chair, acting without an elected executive committee.  The Committee advised that, as Senate matters, it was inappropriate for the GSM administration to draft the bylaws, that the Dean, as a member of the Administration, could not under Regents’ Standing Orders serve as a faculty chair, and that the Faculty must have an elected executive committee.  At the request of the Associate Dean, the Committee’s interpretation was referred to the University Committee on Rules and Jurisdiction (UCRJ).  It ruled that the Davis Committee’s interpretation was essentially correct, except that a dean, as a member of the faculty, could under Academic Senate Bylaw 50 (C) serve as chair of a faculty in a unit without subdivisions (e.g., departments) if elected, although not by virtue of the office.  The UCRJ, however, recommended an amendment to ASB 50 (C) eliminating that exception.  (The amendment subsequently passed the Assembly.)  In light of the UCRJ ruling, the Committee organized a committee of GSM faculty to draft bylaws.  It reviewed and commented on two drafts of these bylaws, which were subsequently approved by a vote of the GSM faculty and by the Representative Assembly.

 

b. A request from the Committee on Educational policy for a variance from Academic Senate Regulation 810(A) concerning credit in the University Extension.  In light of a recent revision of ASR 810(A), the Committee advised that no variance was necessary, but passed on comments on the drafting of the proposed regulation and the prudence of some of its provisions.

 

c. Revisions to Medical School Regulations 70 and 80 concerning grading policy.  Confirmed the ultimate authority of the Graduate Council and the systemwide Senate over the Medical School’s grading policies, notwithstanding its status as a professional school.  Advised on procedures for approval and on the draft language of the proposed regulations.

 

d. The revision to the bylaws governing the academic personnel process as proposed by the Executive Council in light of the report of the Special Committee on Personnel Process Reform (SCPPR).  The Committee suggested minor revisions to the draft language of several proposed bylaws.  The proposed bylaws were, with the exception of one amendment to DD Bylaw 77 approved.

 

e. Revision to DD Regulation 532 concerning internship credit.  The Committee reviewed and commented on the proposal.

 

f. DD Bylaw 39.  Within the scope of its authority to make editorial and conforming nonsubstantive changes in the Bylaws, the Committee working with the chair of the Committee on Committees perfected the language of the amendment of DD 39, governing the membership of the Committee on Committees, adopted in the 1999-2000 academic year.  Subsequently, it commented on an amendment to DD 39 setting the date of the election for new members.  That amendment was later passed by the Representative Assembly.

 

3. The Committee developed a template for a chronological Master Record of the Code of the Davis Division of the Academic Senate.  The Committee continues to work with the staff of the Senate offices to place this Master Record on a working basis.

 

4. Consulted confidentially with a faculty member about the conformity of the faculty’s administration with the its bylaws.

 

 

                                                                        Respectfully submitted,

 

                                                                        William G. Davis

                                                                        Kevin D. Hoover, Chair

                                                                        Bruce E. Larock