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Resolution Process

 

Faculty Senate Resolution Process 

The resolution process is intended to provide proposed solutions to a topic, provide a record of decisions made by the SSU Faculty Senate and institution, provide a means of transition between Faculty Senate Executive Committee leadership and the Administration.  

A voting member or group of members of the Senate or a Senate committee, may write, propose, and second resolutions presented at Senate meetings. If after collegial consultation with the appropriate governance bodies, administrators, and individuals, agreement or action is not taken then a formal resolution may be made through the Senate. The following is a description of the resolution process. 

Resolution Process 

  1. All new resolutions must be submitted to the chair of the Executive Committee at least 7 days prior to a meeting. 
  2. New resolutions submitted less than 6 days prior to a Senate meeting will be held to the next senate session unless the resolution is of an urgent nature. 
    1. The Executive Committee reviews all submitted resolutions and amendments and combines, rewords, appends, or renders moot the resolutions and amendments as necessary. 
    2. The Executive Committee meets after the resolution deadline to determine whether those submitted as urgent should be presented for voting at the next meeting. 
  3. All resolutions must be properly constructed with the following criteria: 
    1. Must be proposed by a faculty senator. 
    2. Must be typed to ensure legibility. 
    3. Must include a title, resolution number, “whereas” sections and resolved sections. NOTE: Assistance in properly constructing resolutions is available online.
  4. The Executive Committee will edit resolutions, so they conform to the following:
    1. The Senate may only urge or recommend a policy or action to the Senate President, University President, local governing bodies, the Chancellor, the Board of Trustees, or other groups or individuals. If the activity requires substantial resources in time or funds, the Executive Committee be able to carry it out only if the resources are available. 
    2. Resolutions directing committees will all be interpreted to be directing the Senate President, since it is the responsibility of the Senate President to distribute the work of the Senate. 
  5. Resolutions submitted by: 
    1. The deadline of at least 7 days prior to a Senate meeting, will be available for discussion and amendment at the next Senate meeting. 
    2. Resolutions submitted less than 6 days prior to a Senate meeting will be held to the next meeting unless the principal author declares the resolution urgent and the Executive Committee approves urgent status at a meeting, time and place of which are clearly indicated in the meeting agenda. 
    3. Resolutions submitted and ruled urgent, will be available by the start of the next senate meeting. 
    4. An “urgent” resolution means: 
      1. A time critical issue is addressed which will disappear before the next meeting can deal with it, and/or 
      2. A Faculty Senate position is needed before the next meeting. 

Resolution Presentation: For a resolution to be deliberated by the senate, the resolution: 

  1. Must be distributed by the Executive Committee as electronic copy or hard copies made available for distribution to persons at the meeting. 
  2. Will be presented in the order decided by the Executive Committee, except as provided for changing the agenda in Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised. 
  3. Is read by the Senate president and may be introduced at the Senate meeting by the maker or a seconder of the resolution. 
     

Resolution Amendments: 

  1. Amendments to resolutions must be moved 
    1. By the Executive Committee, or, 
    2. At a Senate meeting, by a senator with a seconder. 
  2. Amendments must be presented in writing to the Senate President and will be available for discussion and amendment at the Senate meeting. 
  3. Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised shall govern the scope and use of amendments. 
     

Resolution and Amendment Discussion: 

  1. Discussion on any resolution including any amendment(s) thereto, shall be limited to 15 minutes with an option to extend by a vote of a simple majority. 
  2. The President will recognize pro and con arguments alternately. When there is no speaker on the side of the motion that is to be heard next, debate on that question is closed. 
  3. Each speaker who wishes to address a motion, a resolution, or an amendment shall: 
    1. State if they are pro or con as appropriate. 
    2. State his or her name and division. 
    3. Be limited to 3 minutes in making a presentation. 
  4. Any attendee at the session may participate in the debate. 
  5. Parliamentary inquiries and related points shall be addressed to the Senate President or parliamentarian. 
     

Resolution Voting: 

  1. Only Senators may vote 
    1. Per Senate by-laws, proxy voting is prohibited.  
       

Resolution Tabulation and Recording: 

  1.  The president announces the outcome of the vote. 
  2. Vote results shall be recorded by the Secretary or Minutes taker. 
  3. The Secretary or Minutes taker shall: 
    1. List the mover of the motion and the division; the person recorded as mover shall be the person listed as such on the printed resolution/amendment. 
    2. List the disposition of the vote as Carries, Fails, Referred. 
    3. Record any minority reports if so directed by the majority of the voting members of the Senate. 
       

Participation at a Senate Meeting Debate: 

  1. No one shall speak again until all others have expressed their opinions. 
  2. All debaters should adhere to the ground rules of sticking to the issue and refraining from personal attacks. 
  3. Executive Committee members have the additional responsibility of ensuring that debates are held in a professional, courteous manner that allows the Senate to reach closure on each issue expeditiously. 

NOTE: In all other issues, the Senate shall follow Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised. 

 

How to Write University Senate Resolutions 

  1. All resolutions should be typed single space in 12pt Times New Roman Font.
  2. All margins must be one inch.
  3. WHEREAS and RESOLVED and RATIONALE phrase must be in bold and all caps. WHEREAS and RESOLVED and RATIONALE phrases must be followed by a colon.
  4. The title of the resolution must appropriately reflect the intent. “Whereas” statements provide the basic facts and reasons for the resolution and “Resolved” statements identify the specific proposal for the requestor’s course of action.
  5. All resolutions will be assigned a number by the Executive Committee for record keeping and filing in the Senate files and on the Senate website with the written response. The numbering system for resolutions shall include the year-month-resolution number. For example, two resolutions were submitted in November 2022. The first resolution will be numbered 2022-11-01 and the second will be 2022-11-02.

Sources:  

Resolutions. University System of Georgia University Faculty Council retrieved September 30, 2022, from https://www.usg.edu/faculty_council/resolutions.  

Guidelines for Writing Resolutions Cal Poly Humboldt University Senate. Retrieved September 30, 2022, from https://senate.humboldt.edu/Guidelines-for-Writing-Resolutions.  

Guidelines for Writing Resolutions. American College of Emergency Physicians (2014, January 1). Retrieved August 25, 2014, from https://www.acep.org/how-we-serve/council/guidelines-for-writing-resolute... 

 

updated 2.16.2023 per Senate vote