Faculty Senate By Laws

ARTICLE II

MEMBERSHIP

1. Members

   The Faculty Senate shall be composed only of faculty who do not hold administrative positions. Department chairs, associate deans, assistant deans, and deans are not eligible for membership. This membership is comprised of the following:

1. One tenured or tenure-track faculty member from each academic Department (excluding the Chair of the Faculty Senate and the Secretary of the General Faculty) elected by and from the voting members of the General Faculty of each respective Department.
2. One additional faculty member at the rank of Senior Lecturer or Lecturer III from each college, including University College, but excluding the Honors College, who is qualified to vote in the General Faculty, elected by and from the voting members of the General Faculty in each of the University's colleges.
3. The following ex-officio members: the Chair of the Faculty Senate (voting only in the case of a tie), the Secretary of the General Faculty (voting), the immediate past chair of the Faculty Senate (voting), the chair of the Graduate Council (voting), the Chair of the Retired Faculty Association (non-voting), one full time non tenure-track representative elected from the ADTS, and the chair of the Department Chair's Council (non-voting). If a UTSA faculty member is serving on the UT System Faculty Advisory Council (FAC) Executive Committee, he or she may also serve as an ex-officio member of UTSA's Executive Committee and Senate.
2. Terms of Office
   1. The term of office of elected faculty members (Senators) of the Faculty Senate shall be three years commencing September 1. One-third of the faculty members of the Faculty Senate shall be elected each year. Faculty members may serve a maximum of two consecutive three-year terms. Ex officio members shall serve by virtue of their position.
   2. In the event of a Senator not fulfilling their three-year term, replacements will be appointed by the resigning Senator, in consultation with the Chair of the Senate, when the remaining term is less than one year. In all other cases, a new election will take place. The replacement senator will carry out the remainder of the three-year term.
3. Roles and Responsibilities of Faculty Senators
   1. Attend all Faculty Senate meetings or designate a substitute, in consultation with the department chair, to represent the department if the senator cannot attend a meeting.
   2. Regularly report Faculty Senate activity to the department faculty, including discussions and votes conducted as part of Faculty Senate monthly meetings.
   3. Inform department faculty of agenda items for monthly Faculty Senate meetings as soon as the information becomes available.
   4. Inform department faculty of the availability of current Faculty Senate minutes through the Senate web page.
   5. Initiate meetings in the department, in consultation with the department chair, as necessary, to discuss issues being considered by the Faculty Senate.
   6. Serve on at least one Faculty Senate Standing Committee.