Guidelines for Submitting New and Revised Unit Constitutions
New Unit Constitutions and revisions to Unit Constitutions must be reviewed by the Senate Unit Constitution Subcommittee and, subsequently, by Senate Council for official ratification. A faculty organization proposing a new unit constitution must submit the document in Microsoft Word format. A faculty organization proposing to make changes to their unit’s constitution must prepare a document in Microsoft Word format with a “marked-up” copy of the most current constitution with revisions/amendments emphasized with bold or another color and with deletions marked with strike-through text. The rationale for revisions should be included in a separate document in Microsoft Word format.
For more specific information to guide the creation or revision of a faculty governance organization and its governing documents, see the Requirements and Recommendations for Faculty Governance Organizations.
Submitting Constitutions
To submit documents please use the Form for Submitting New and Revised Unit Constitutions. By submitting this form, documents will be sent by the Chair of the Faculty Governance Organization to the Executive Director of the Faculty Senate Office.
When the documents are received at the Senate Office, the Chair of the Unit Constitution Subcommittee and Secretary of the Senate will facilitate the review of the documents electronically. The person submitting the revisions will be contacted if there are any questions and/or recommendations from the Unit Constitution Subcommittee prior to subcommittee approval.
Approval Process
If and when approved by the Subcommittee, the new constitution or revision of the unit’s constitution will be placed on the next Senate Council Agenda. During the Senate Council meeting, the item will be voted on. If approved for ratification, a memo will be sent to:
- The Dean/Chancellor of the College/Campus submitting the request
- The Chair of the Faculty Organization
- The designated Senate Council Representative
Following final approval, an electronic clean copy of the Unit Constitution with appropriate approval and ratification dates should be sent to the Senate Office. This document will be maintained on permanent file and posted to the Senate website.