Caucuses

Broadly defined, a caucus is a group of people who have similar interests. Many senators in the University Faculty Senate find it useful to engage with other senators who have similar interests. It is a valuable way for senators to engage with other senators, to discuss issues of mutual importance, and to help move the senate’s agendas forward in coherent and meaningful ways.

Here are some examples:

• All the student senators are included in the Student Senator Caucus.
• Several colleges have active caucuses, such as the Liberal Art Caucus and Health and Human Development Caucus. They are composed of the senators elected from their respective colleges.
• The Faculty elected from each of the 14 campuses in the University College meet as University College Caucus.
• The Commonwealth Caucus is composed of Senators elected to the senate from campuses outside of University Park.

Commonwealth And University College Caucuses

As an example of how a caucus can be beneficial, here’s how the Commonwealth Caucus and University College Caucus function:

Before each plenary, the Commonwealth Caucus holds two meetings, a “Forum” and a “Business Meeting.” The Commonwealth Caucus Forum is held on the Monday night before each Plenary. It typically revolves around a guest speaker or a panel of guests invited to address a specific topic. The Forum is designed to give Commonwealth Caucus senators a chance to actively engage in a conversation about something of importance. Recent meetings have included a conversation with Dr. Kelly Austin, the new Vice President for Commonwealth Campuses and Executive Chancellor and a diverse panel of faculty, staff, and administrators invited to assist in the discussion: Handling Situations Involving Social or Political Unrest.

On Plenary Tuesdays, between the UFS Committee meetings and the Plenary Meeting, the Commonwealth Caucus “Business Meeting” is held. Typically, a member from each UFS Standing Committees provides information about what their committee is currently doing. Because many of Commonwealth Caucus senators come from campuses with very small membership on the UFS, they don’t have someone to represent them on each of the UFS Standing Committees. The late morning business meeting helps keep Commonwealth Caucus senators updated on what is happening in all the Standing Committees.

The University College Caucus typically meets one week before the Commonwealth Caucus. Among other things, they often discuss the upcoming Commonwealth Caucus topic, so they can bring to light issues that the campuses in their college are particularly interested in asking about.

Other Caucuses

There may or may not be an active caucus in your college, but you are encouraged to seek out your fellow senators to see if there is one and, if not, perhaps start one. Additionally, if you have other ideas about what could constitute “a group of people who have similar interests,” you are encouraged to consider developing a caucus. The Senate Office can assist by helping you set up a TEAMS space for the caucus. Please contact Erin Eckley at ele2@psu.edu if you are interested.