2021-2022 Motions

September 2021

Faculty Senate
Motions to Change Bylaws Articles I-VI
September 22, 2021

Motion 1. To Change Bylaws Articles I-VI (William Dee Nichols)

Preamble
On August 3, 2021, elected members of the senate were sent a letter from the Faculty Senate President that included the task of comparing the Bylaws and Constitution revisions to our current Constitution and Bylaws posted on our Faculty Senate web site. As previously noted in the welcoming letter, the Constitution and Bylaws Committee diligently worked over the past two academic years on needed revisions to our Constitution and Bylaws. After multiple meetings, including face to face, survey data, special meetings and multiple executive committee meetings, the Constitution and Bylaws committee completed their task and submitted revisions and edits to the President of the Faculty Senate. The August third letter included the revised attachments to the constitution and bylaws. Senators were requested to read all of the attached documents and then go to the Faculty Senate Webpage https://umaine.edu/facultysenate/ and compare.

The first motion to the Faculty Senate Bylaws section is included below.

Proposed Amendment to Bylaws of the Faculty Senate
Article I: The revised section was previously mentioned under the heading of Article II Committee Membership. The Constitution and Bylaws Committee felt that it should be moved to the front of the Bylaws as a new first Article. The justification was to provide a better flow and context to the Bylaws. It was also added to provide a consistent definition of an elected Faculty Senate Member to match Article IV of the Constitution on Membership.

Other than relocating the description of membership the only other changes were to add who have been on the faculty for at least two years to section (a) and the term Full time to section (e) lecturers and Instructors. The committee also added (g) to acknowledge College Bylaws and those definitions of full-time faculty.

Article II: was also added for consistency with the Constitution, to reflect current practices, and to improve the overall flow of the Bylaws.

Article III: was previously Article I. The committee recommended moving the representative to the Board of Trustees to a separate section. In addition, we clarified the election process and made consistent with other portions of the Constitution and Bylaws as well as current practices. The Committee added the following:

In a process overseen by members of the Committee on Committees in conjunction with the

Faculty Senate Administrative Assistant. The rest remains the same.

Article IV: The committee pulled out the BOT section from Election of Officers and gave it a new article of its own. The wording is consistent with previous document.

Article V: is also new and will be voted on at a later time upon ratification of the council. While the Faculty Governance Council has yet to be ratified by the Faculty Senate, it is a newly elected Senate position once the charge of the council has been ratified it will need to be added. The wording is consistent with the BOT election as described in Article IV.

Article VI: was previously Article II and has been renumbered. The committee deleted the word new from the first sentence as that was confusing. The committee also added the words of Faculty Senate to the third sentence to clarify that it was not the president of the university. The committee also added the part in consultation with the chairperson of the Committee on Committees. The committee did this for consistency with our documents. The committee also rearranged parliamentarian so that the committee membership and chair of the committees would be together. The committee also added the following: Except as otherwise noted, the chair and the majority of members of each committee must be elected members of the Faculty Senate. Committees may have co-chairs who may or may not be Senators. Co-chairs serve at the discretion of the senate President and on the advice of the committee. Senators may serve on multiple committees.

Therefore, the motion is to make the following changes to Article I- Article VI of our Bylaws to read as follows:

ARTICLE I: DEFINITION OF AN ELECTED FACULTY SENATE MEMBER (See Constitution, Article IV Membership):

Preamble: voting/non-voting

For the purposes of the Faculty Senate as referenced in the Faculty Senate Constitution and Bylaws, a faculty member shall be defined as any of the following:

Tenured or tenure track faculty member who have been on the faculty for at least two years.
Research faculty member with an academic appointment.
Cooperative Extension faculty member, continuing contract or continuing contract track.
Full time faculty members at any rank.
Full time Lecturers and Instructors.
Directors and Department Chairs who are also full-time faculty members and meet all of these criteria: 1. Program offers a degree, major or concentration, 2. Program has full time faculty members, other than the director, and the director is engaged in teaching, scholarship, and service., 3. Faculty members in the program engage in shared governance. In essence, an eligible director should be accountable to the faculty, and treated as a chair by the University.
Definitions of what constitutes a full-time faculty member may be found in College Bylaws as well.

ARTICLE II: FACULTY SENATE NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS (See Constitution, Article IV Membership):

The number of full-time members of each college shall be determined by the dean of that college in consultation with the sitting president of the Faculty Senate. Each college is then notified in late February, or early March, of the number of seats they currently have in Faculty Senate and the number of terms expiring. The college solicits nominations from their faculty, holds an election and notifies Faculty Senate the names of those that have been elected.

ARTICLE III: ELECTION OF SENATE OFFICERS

At the March meeting of the Faculty Senate, the Committee on Committees shall present preferably at least two candidates for President, Vice President, and Secretary. The agenda for the April meeting shall include the names of those nominated. There shall be an opportunity for nominations from the floor at the time of the election in April. In a process overseen by members of the Committee on Committees in conjunction with the Faculty Senate Administrative Assistant, each office shall be voted on separately by secret ballot, where there is a contest, and a majority of the votes cast shall be necessary for election. In the event that no candidate receives a majority, a second vote shall be taken between the two candidates receiving the most votes in the initial balloting.

In the event that the President’s office becomes vacant prior to the expiration of the term, the Vice-President shall become President. In the event the Vice President’s office becomes vacant prior to the expiration of the term, the Senate shall hold a special election. At a regularly scheduled meeting of the Senate, the President shall inform the members of the vacancy, ask the Committee on Committees to secure nominations, and set the time for the election at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the full Senate. At the time of election, the procedure shall be as outlined at the beginning of this paragraph section. In the event the Secretary’s office becomes vacant prior to the expiration of the term, the President shall, in consultation with the Executive Committee, appoint a replacement to serve the remainder of the term.

ARTICLE IV: ELECTION OF FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES

The Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees shall hold a position as a voting member of the Faculty Senate. The term of office shall be two years and the elected member can serve a maximum of two consecutive terms. Any full-time tenure-track or continuing appointment faculty member, who has been on the University of Maine faculty for at least two years, is eligible for election to this position. The newly elected representative shall begin their duties on July 1 following their election.

At the March meeting of the Faculty Senate prior to the expiration of the representative’s term, the Committee on Committees shall present preferably at least two candidates for the Board of Trustees Representative. The agenda for the April meeting shall include the names of those nominated. There shall be an opportunity for nominations from the floor at the time of the election in April. Voting, overseen by members of the Committee on Committees in conjunction with the Faculty Senate Administrative Assistant, shall be by secret ballot, where there is a contest, and a majority of the votes cast shall be necessary for election. In the event that no candidate receives a majority, a second vote shall be taken between the two highest candidates.

In the event that the position of the Board of Trustees Representative becomes vacant prior to the expiration of the term, the Senate shall hold a special election. At a regularly scheduled meeting of the Senate, the President shall inform the members of the vacancy, ask the Committee on Committees to secure nominations, and set the time for the election at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the full Senate. At the time of election, the procedure shall be as outlined at the beginning of this section.

ARTICLE VI: COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP

The President of the Senate shall designate the Chairperson of the Committee on Committees. The Committee on Committees, except as otherwise noted, shall make recommendations to the President of the Senate for all faculty members of each standing committee. The President of Faculty Senate, in consultation with the chairperson of the Committee on Committees shall appoint the parliamentarian, the members of each standing committee, and the chair of each committee, who serves at the pleasure of the Faculty Senate President. Except as otherwise noted, the chair and the majority of members of each committee must be elected members of the Faculty Senate. Committees may have co-chairs who may or may not be Senators. Co-chairs serve at the discretion of the senate President and on the advice of the committee. Senators may serve on multiple committees. Ex officio members, where specified in the composition of a committee, shall have all rights of membership. The President shall be an ex officio member of each standing committee. To ensure that each College is represented on the Executive Committee, the President may appoint members to serve “at large” on the Executive Committee.

Vote: Tabled

Faculty Senate
Motions to Change Bylaws Articles VII Sections 1-3
September 22, 2021

Motion 2 to Change Bylaws Article VII Sections 1-3 (William Dee Nichols)

The second motion to the Faculty Senate Bylaws section is included below.

Proposed Amendment to Article VII, Sections 1-3 of the Bylaws of the Faculty Senate

Article VII was previously Article IV

The biggest change to this section was adding some committees that were not in our last revision of the bylaws and to also improve the consistency of membership. Almost all of the committees have a rewording of membership and ex officio members. The plan is that each committee will present their own motion to approve the changes. For this motion we will examine Sections 1–3.

Section 1 – Executive Committee: The only change was to membership.

Section 2 – Committee on Committees: Was added and is this is new. There was no description of the Committee on Committees. It was decided to add it after Executive committee as this committee plays a role in committee membership.

Section 3 – Constitution and Bylaws Committee: This was previously section 6. Only change was to membership.

Therefore, the motion is to make the following changes to Article VII, Sections 1-3 of our Bylaws to read as follows:

ARTICLE VII: STANDING COMMITTEES

Section 1. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Function. The Executive Committee has broad responsibility for planning and facilitating the activities of the Senate. This committee assigns, coordinates and reviews the work of the committees of the Faculty Senate.

The Executive Committee conducts the business of the Senate on a temporary basis, if in its judgment, an emergency exists.

Membership. The members of the Executive Committee are the President of the Senate, the Vice President, the Secretary, the Parliamentarian, the Board of Trustees Representative, the System Shared Governance Committee Representative, and the Chairpersons of each standing committee. The immediate past president of the Senate will hold the designation of “Past President” and will serve as a non-voting member of the Senate Executive Committee and hold a seat at Senate meetings.

Section 2. COMMITTEE ON COMMITTEES

Function. The Committee on Committees, at the request of the University President or designee, recommends faculty members to standing or ad hoc administrative committees, assists with appointments to Faculty Senate standing committees, and coordinates elections of Faculty Senate officers.
Membership. The members of the Committee on Committees are represented as much as possible by at least one faculty senator from each college and Cooperative Extension. Additional ex-officio members of the committee include the Senior Officer for Administration and one graduate student association representative.

Section 3. CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS COMMITTEE

Function. The Committee on Constitution and Bylaws reviews proposed amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws of the Faculty Senate.
Membership. The members of the Committee on Constitution and Bylaws are the Parliamentarian, the Vice President, the Secretary, and two Faculty Senators from different colleges or Cooperative Extension.

Vote: Approved

Faculty Senate
Motions to Make Changes to the Faculty Senate Constitution
September 22, 2021

The third motion is in regard to the Faculty Senate Constitution and is included below.

Proposed changes to the Constitution of the Faculty Senate

Article I – No changes

Article II –
Section 1. No changes
Section 2. No changes
Section 3. Minor change to: (Board of Trustees of the University of Maine System, Policy Manual, Section 303 “Academic Degrees”) Reflects Policy Manual. May need to examine one more time.
Section 4. No changes
Section 5. No changes

Article III –
Section 1. No changes
Section 2. No changes
Section 3. No changes
Section 4. No changes
Section 5. No changes
Section 6. No changes
Section 7. No changes
Section 8. No changes
Section 9. No changes

Article IV –
Section 1. No change
A. Eligibility – Minor change: 1. Only full-time faculty of the University of Maine who have been on the faculty for at least two years are eligible to serve on the Faculty Senate. Definitions of what constitutes a full-time faculty member can be found in College Bylaws as well as in the Faculty Senate Bylaws.
B. Appointment –
1. No change
2. Minor change- the number of full-time members of each college shall be determined by the dean of that college in consultation with the sitting president of the Faculty Senate.
3. No change except added information regarding UMaine Machias inclusion on our senate. I will provide updates at our first meeting. This will require further discussion from UMaine and UMM.
4. Minor change – deleted even if the resulting number of total Senators is temporarily greater than 40. This section was no longer applicable or relevant.
C. Time and Manner of Elections –
1. Minor change – Once any adjustments in apportionment are made (see Article IV B. 2 above), each college faculty shall elect its Senators during the spring semester of each academic year.
2. Minor change – A special election by the applicable college faculty, following the process specified in the Faculty Senate or college Bylaws, shall be held to fill an unexpired vacant position on the Faculty Senate. This sentence was added for consistency and to match our Bylaws.
3. This section was deleted as it was already addressed.
D. Term of Office
1. No change
2. No change

Section 2 – we combined section 2 and 3 moving the president of the university under Administrative members. We also clarified that the Administrative members were non-voting.
Section 3 – previously section 4. Only change was to clarify no vote.
Section 4 – previously section 5. Only change was to clarify no vote.
Section 5 – previously section 6. Only change was to clarify no vote.

Article V –
Section 1. No changes
Section 2. No changes
Section 3. Minor change – Added the Faculty Senate prior to President
Section 4. No changes

Section 5. No changes
Section 6. No changes
Section 7
A. No changes
B.No changes

Added C. Secret ballot. A vote by secret ballot on any motion can be demanded by one fourth of the present and voting members of the Senate if a quorum is present.

Section 8. No changes
Section 9 No changes

Article VII – I would read over this section. While changes were minor, changes were made. This section was reordered. This was done for flow of the document and consistency with Bylaws.
Section 1 – was section 2
Section 2 – was section 1
Section 3 – we added section on sub committees.
Section 4 – was section 3 No changes

Article VIII –
Section 1. No changes
Section 2. No changes
Section 3. Added the following: Recommendations approved by the university President (or not disapproved within the 30-day time window) shall be distributed to all academic units and shall be posted on the Faculty Senate web site. Recommendations disapproved by the university President shall be returned to the Faculty Senate for further consideration and possible appeal.

Section 4. No changes
Section 5 No changes

Article IX – No changes throughout this final section.
Section 1. No changes
Section 2. No changes

Therefore, the motion is to make the following changes to the Faculty Senate Constitution to read as follows:

Vote: Approved

October 20, 2021

Motion to Change the Bylaws for Article IV STANDING COMMITTEES; Section 9: SERVICE and OUTREACH COMMITTEE

A. Function. The Committee on Service and Outreach reviews and makes recommendations to the Senate regarding service and outreach issues and opportunities that affect the university and its communities.
B. Membership. The members of the Committee on Service and Outreach are, as much as possible, at least one member from each of the colleges and Cooperative Extension.

Motion
The Service and Outreach Committee motions to make the following changes to the Bylaws for ARTICLE IV: STANDING COMMITTEES; Section 9. SERVICE and OUTREACH COMMITTEE:

ARTICLE VII: STANDING COMMITTEES
Section 10. SERVICE and OUTREACH COMMITTEE

A. Function. The Committee on Service and Outreach reviews and makes recommendations to the Senate regarding service and outreach issues and opportunities that affect the university and its communities.
B. Membership. The members of the Committee on Service and Outreach are represented as much as possible by at least one faculty senator from each college and Cooperative Extension. An additional ex-officio member of the committee includes one student government representative.

Vote: Approved

Faculty Senate
Motion to Incorporate Committee Charter for the Library Advisory Committee
October 6, 2021

Preamble
The charter for the Faculty Senate Library Advisory Committee is incorporated into Article IV, Section 10 of the current Senate by-laws. The by-laws of the senate are under revision and the charter needs to be re-affirmed.

Motion:
The Library Advisory Committee requests that the Senate approve the following description and charter for the Library Advisory committee and incorporate the description and charter into the revised by-laws:

LIBRARY ADVISORY COMMITTEE
A. Function: The Library Advisory Committee reviews and makes recommendations to the Senate in matters relating to the functions of the library including physical plant needs, staffing levels, financial support, service to the academic community and the adoption of new technology. The committee shall provide a communication s link with the campus as well as a policy forum on library issues.
B. Membership: The members of the Library Advisory Committee are the Dean of Libraries, ten faculty members representing a variety of disciplines, an undergraduate student and a graduate student. The Chair of the Committee shall be chosen by the Senate President.

Vote: Approved

Faculty Senate
Motion Requesting Increased Commitment and
Communication
Regarding Work-Restricted Religious Holidays

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee
September 30, 2021

Preamble
The University of Maine Office of Equal Opportunity has a stated policy on Religious
Observances and Practices which reads as follows:
Our faculty, staff, and students are from varied religious and cultural backgrounds which
serve to enrich and strengthen our community. Any event scheduled on a major religious
or cultural holiday can send a message of insensitivity or exclusivity to staff and students
who cannot participate that day due to their religious beliefs. Therefore, please avoid
scheduling important meetings, exams, or other essential events on such dates whenever
possible and to accommodate the observance of religious traditions for those staff and
students who need to be absent for religious holidays throughout the year. Some
information about major religious holidays may be found at the University of Maine
System Human Resources page. An extensive listing is online at the Interfaith Calendar
web site.

The university is required by state and federal law to make reasonable accommodations
to the religious observances and practices of employees or prospective employees
provided those accommodations do not result in an undue hardship. See, e.g., 41 C.F.R.
§6-50.3 and MHRC Ch. 94-348, § 3.10(C)(DOC). Such accommodations might include a
schedule change for an employee who regularly observes a particular Sabbath or religious holidays and who is conscientiously opposed to performing work or engaging in similar activity on such days. The resolution of these issues depends on the particular factual circumstances and involves a delicate balancing of an applicant or employee’s religious needs with the degree of disruption imposed on the institution.

The University of Maine System website states “For planning purposes, please note the
following important religious holidays” and provides the following incomplete list:

Fiscal Year 2022

Holiday	Religion	Date
Eid al Adha*	Islam	July 19 – 20, 2021
Rosh Hashanah*	Jewish	September 7 – 8, 2021
Yom Kippur*	Jewish	September 15 – 16, 2021
Diwali – Deepavali**	Hindu/Sikh/Jain	November 4 – 8, 2021
Good Friday	Christian	April 15, 2022
Ramadan begins*	Islam	April 2, 2022
Eid al Fitr*	Islam	May 2 – 3, 2022

*Premium holiday pay; refer to collective bargaining agreements or employee handbooks
(found on Human Resources front page under Employee Handbooks).
**Employees represented by collective bargaining agents will be governed by the
provisions of their collective bargaining agreements.
Important holidays with traditional work restrictions include, but are not limited to: Eid al Adha
(Islam), Rosh Hashanah (Judaism), Yom Kippur (Judaism), Sukkot (Judaism), Diwali/Deepavali
(Hinduism, Sikhism, and Jainism), Passover (Judaism), Shavuot (Judaism), start of Ramadan
(Islam), Eid al Fitr (Islam). It may be warranted to expand the list of holidays recognized in the
table provided by the UMaine system. If so, that issue will be addressed in a separate motion.
Despite the policy and list of holidays being publicly available, there has been a consistent trend
of major events and meetings being scheduled on these important religious dates. The Faculty
Senate passed a motion in March 2018 requesting additional required syllabus language ensuring
no academic penalty for religious observances. This required syllabus language has mitigated the
number of exams or major course requirements that occur on these dates, but the problem
continues to persist in some way each year regarding meetings and events intended for faculty
and staff. The DEI Committee also acknowledges that this issue has disproportionately affected
our Jewish faculty/staff in our community, due to the fact that the High Holy Days fall so close to
the start of the fall semester, when there is an eagerness to get many things scheduled.
A second Faculty Senate motion was also passed in March 2018 requesting that important
religious holidays be added to the University of Maine System calendars.
Despite these motions and the actions which followed them, it is clear that more communication
and amplification is needed to ensure that the policy is remembered and followed by all entities
on this campus.
The DEI Committee proposes that this should be accomplished with the following actions:
● A recommitment from uppermost administration to lead by example in the scheduling of
campus-wide events and meetings
● A letter highlighting the policy should be sent from the President’s Office 1-2 times a
year, during times of increased planning/scheduling, such as the end of each semester.
This practice should begin no later than the end of the 21-22 academic year.
● Inclusion of important religious holidays as a second page of the UMaine Campus
Academic Calendar document, distributed from the Office of Student Records, beginning
with the 22-23 academic year.
● Creation of a downloadable and/or subscribable Google Calendar for important religious
holidays, which is made available and publicized to the campus community, beginning
with the 22-23 academic year.

Motion:
So that all members of the University of Maine faculty and staff may fully participate in
important meetings and events while also observing the work-restricted holidays of their varied
religious and cultural backgrounds, the Faculty Senate moves that the University’s administration
provide increased attention to and communication on the Religious Observances and Practices
policy, as stated on the website of the Office of Equal Opportunity and regarding the holidays
listed on the University of Maine System Human Resources page. In service of this goal, the
Faculty Senate further requests the following action on this issue:
● A recommitment from uppermost administration to lead by example in the scheduling of
campus-wide events and meetings
● A letter highlighting the policy should be sent from the President’s Office 1-2 times a
year, during times of increased planning/scheduling, such as the end of each semester.
This practice should begin no later than the end of the 21-22 academic year.
● Inclusion of important religious holidays as a second page of the UMaine Campus
Academic Calendar document, distributed from the Office of Student Records, beginning
with the 22-23 academic year.
● Creation of a downloadable and/or subscribable Google Calendar for important religious
holidays, which is made available and publicized to the campus community, beginning
with the 22-23 academic year.

Vote: Approved

Motion: To make Changes and Amendments to the Faculty Senate Constitution
Presented by the Constitution and Bylaws Committee of the Faculty Senate

Friendly Amendment to remove UMaine Machias from Amendments to the Faculty Senate Constitution (Original motion September 22, 2021)

Faculty Senate
Motion: To make Changes and Amendments to the Faculty Senate Constitution

Presented by the Constitution and Bylaws Committee of the Faculty Senate

Preamble
On August 3, 2021, elected members of the senate were sent a letter from the Faculty Senate President that included the task of comparing the Bylaws and Constitution revisions to our current Constitution and Bylaws posted on our Faculty Senate website. As previously noted in the welcoming letter, the Constitution and Bylaws Committee diligently worked over the past two academic years on needed revisions to our Constitution and Bylaws. After multiple meetings, including face to face, survey data, special meetings and multiple executive committee meetings, the Constitution and Bylaws committee completed their task and submitted revisions and edits to the President of the Faculty Senate. The August third letter included the revised attachments to the constitution and bylaws. Senators were requested to read all of the attached documents and then go to the Faculty Senate Webpage https://umaine.edu/facultysenate/ and compare. 

The motion in regard to the Faculty Senate Constitution is included below. 

Proposed changes to the Constitution of the Faculty Senate
Article I – No changes

Article IV –
Section 1. Added the University of Maine at Machias
A. Eligibility – Minor change: 1. Only full-time faculty of the University of Maine who have been on the faculty for at least two years are eligible to serve on the Faculty Senate. Definitions of what constitutes a full-time faculty member can be found in College Bylaws as well as in the Faculty Senate Bylaws.
B. Appointment –
1. No change
2. Minor change- the number of full-time members of each college shall be determined by the dean of that college in consultation with the sitting president of the Faculty Senate. Clarified it was the senate administrative assistant and not the elected Senate Secretary.
3. No change except added information regarding UMaine Machias inclusion on our senate.
4. Minor change – deleted even if the resulting number of total Senators is temporarily greater than 40. This section was no longer applicable or relevant.
C. Time and Manner of Elections –
1. Minor change – Once any adjustments in apportionment are made (see Article IV B. 2 above), each college faculty shall elect its Senators during the spring semester of each academic year.
2. Minor change – A special election by the applicable college faculty, following the process specified in the Faculty Senate or college Bylaws, shall be held to fill an unexpired vacant position on the Faculty Senate. This sentence was added for consistency and to match our Bylaws.
3. This section was deleted as it was already addressed.
D. Term of Office
1. No change
2. No change
Section 2 – we combined section 2 and 3 moving the president of the university under Administrative members. We also clarified that the Administrative members were non-voting.
Section 3 – previously section 4. Only change was to clarify no vote and change from member to representative.
Section 4 – previously section 5. Only change was to clarify no vote and change from member to representative.
Section 5 – previously section 6. Only change was to clarify no vote.

Article V –
Section 1. No changes
Section 2. No changes
Section 3. Minor change – Added the Faculty Senate prior to President
Section 4. No changes

Article VI –
Section 1. No changes
Section 2. Minor change Added Faculty Senate
Section 3. Minor change – deleted provided all members have been notified at least seven days in advance.
Section 4. No changes
A. No changes
B. Minor change from 72 to 24 hours to reflect practices.
C. No changes
Section 5. No changes
Section 6. No changes
Section 7
A. No changes
B. No changes
Added C. Secret ballot. A vote by secret ballot on any motion can be demanded by one fourth of the present and voting members of the Senate if a quorum is present.
Section 8. No changes
Section 9. Added the University of Maine at Machias

Article VII – Recommend reading this section and comparing it to current constitution. While changes were minor, changes were made. This section was reordered. This was done for flow of the document and consistency with Bylaws.
Section 1 – was section 2. We added as much as possible, the University of Maine at Machias and clarified Faculty Senate president
Section 2 – was section 1
Section 3 – we added a section on sub committees.
Section 4 – was section 3 No changes

Article VIII –
Section 1. No changes
Section 2. No changes
Section 3. Added the following: Recommendations approved by the university President (or not disapproved within the 30-day time window) shall be distributed to all academic units and shall be posted on the Faculty Senate website. Recommendations disapproved by the university President shall be returned to the Faculty Senate for further consideration and possible appeal.
Section 4. No changes
Section 5 No changes

Article IX – No changes throughout this final section.
Section 1. No changes
Section 2. No changes

Therefore, the motion is to make the following changes/amendments to the Faculty Senate Constitution to read as follows: 

Proposed Changes/Ammendments to Faculty Senate Constitution

(Changes are highlighted in red andd boldfaced).

Article I: Purpose
Section 1. Purpose. The purpose of the University of Maine Faculty Senate is to represent the faculty of the University of Maine in the development of university policies as described in this Constitution.

Article II: Authority
Section 1. Authority of the Board. The Board of Trustees is the legal governing body of the University and nothing within the Constitution shall be construed as granting to the faculty or to the University of Maine Faculty Senate the authority to act outside the policies of the Board of Trustees.

Section 2. Collective bargaining. Nothing within the Constitution shall be construed as granting to the faculty or to the University of Maine Faculty Senate the authority to act in ways that are inconsistent with any collective bargaining agreement.

Section 3. Degree Requirements. The responsibility for the determination of the requirements which students must meet to be eligible for a degree rests with the faculty of the University of Maine. (Board of Trustees of the University of Maine System, Policy Manual, Section 303 “Academic Degrees”.)

Section 4. Delegation to the Senate. The University of Maine Faculty Senate is delegated by the faculty the authority to act on its behalf in ways specified in this Constitution.

Section 5. Approval of the Chancellor. This Constitution has been approved by the Chancellor of the University of Maine System pursuant to Board of Trustees’ Policies.

Article III: Jurisdiction
Section 1. Degree requirements. Subject to other provisions of this Constitution, the Senate shall have the authority to act on behalf of the faculty in establishing University-wide degree requirements.

Section 2. Establishment of policy. In the following matters a recommendation of the Faculty Senate shall become University policy except when disapproved by the President of the University in a written response to the Senate within thirty days from the date on which such a recommendation is transmitted to the President: academic freedom, free speech and assembly policies, student academic standards and performance, the definition of academic titles and general criteria for ranks, standards for actions on the academic standing of students, and curriculum matters involving two or more colleges.

Section 3. Review and recommendation. The Senate shall have the authority to review and make recommendations regarding all other academic matters not specified in Section 2, above, or any matter affecting the academic environment including such matters as institutional plans and priorities, the allocation of the University’s financial resources, academic organization, the library, the awarding of honorary degrees, admissions’ policies and standards, the establishment and elimination of academic programs, and the assessment of academic outcomes.

Section 4. Resolution of disagreements. In regard to recommendations disapproved by the President of the University of Maine under the provisions of Section 2 above, good faith effort shall be made by all parties to resolve any disagreements.

Section 5. Response of the President. The President of the University of Maine shall inform the Faculty Senate routinely of the disposition of its recommendations.

Section 6. Reservation of authority to the colleges. The individual colleges shall have the authority to establish degree requirements for the degrees offered by the colleges and the Faculty Senate shall have the authority to establish degree requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree. For purposes of this paragraph, the Graduate Faculty shall have the standing of a college faculty.

Section 7. Reservation of authority to faculty members. Nothing in this Constitution shall be construed to deprive individual faculty members of any authority they otherwise have under any collective bargaining agreement or Board of Trustees’ policies.

Section 8. Participation in appointment processes. The faculty shall participate in processes leading to the appointment of academic and administrative officers including the President and the Vice Presidents.

Section 9. Evaluation of University of Maine administrators. The Faculty Senate, acting through the Executive Committee chaired by the President of the Faculty Senate, shall conduct faculty evaluations of UMaine administrators, in consultation with the President of the University.

Article IV: Membership
Section 1. Faculty members.
The faculty members of the University of Maine and the University of Maine at Machias shall elect faculty Senators as follows:
A. Eligibility
1. Only full-time faculty of the University of Maine and the University of Maine at Machias who have been on the faculty for at least two years are eligible to serve on the Faculty Senate.  Definitions of what constitutes a full-time faculty member can be found in College Bylaws as well as in the Faculty Senate Bylaws.
B. Appointment
1. Each college shall have at least four Senators except colleges with fewer than 10 faculty, which shall have two Senators.  Faculty senators will be distributed across the colleges so that one Senator will be elected for each ten full time faculty members, rounded upward. The Maine Business School and the Honors College are hereby formally recognized as colleges.
2. For purposes of apportionment, the number of full-time members of each college shall be determined by the dean of that college in consultation with the sitting president of the Faculty Senate. Each February, the deans of various colleges shall send the Senate administrative assistant a list of full-time faculty. Using the above rules, the administrative assistant, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee of the Senate, shall determine the number of faculty representatives to the Senate to which each college is entitled and shall so inform the deans. Departmental chairpersons shall be eligible for election as faculty Senators.
3. The Cooperative Extension faculty, who are not represented as part of a college, shall be represented by two Senators. Likewise, the faculty of the University of Maine’s regional campus, the University of Maine at Machias, are not represented as part of a college and shall be represented by two Senators.
4. In the event of changes in the composition of colleges or distribution of faculty across colleges, the Executive Committee of the Senate shall formulate a plan to phase in the adjustments to apportionment of Senators resulting from such changes. Such a plan must include the provision that elected Senators shall have the option to complete their term.

C. Time and manner of election.
1. Once any adjustments in apportionment are made (see Article IV B. 2 above), each college faculty shall elect its Senators during the spring semester of each academic year. 
2. A special election by the applicable college faculty, following the process specified in the Faculty Senate or college Bylaws, shall be held to fill an unexpired, vacant position on the Faculty Senate. The President of the Faculty Senate shall declare a position vacant if, in consultation with the faculty Senator, the President determines that the Senator is unable to continue to fulfill his/her responsibilities. Senators have the responsibility to inform the Senate President of any circumstances that may preclude their continued participation in Senate activities.

D. Term of office.
1. The term of office of a Senator shall be three years, beginning July 1 following election, serving for not more than two successive terms.
2. If a college is represented by more than two Senators, their term of office shall be fixed so that approximately one third of the Senators shall be elected each year.

Section 2. Administrative members. Administrative members of the Senate shall consist of the University President, the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, the Vice President for Research, and one elected representative from the Deans’ Council. Administrative members have no vote. 

Section 3. Undergraduate student representatives. There shall be two undergraduate student representatives selected by the Student Government Association. Undergraduate student representatives have no vote. 

Section 4. Graduate student representative. There shall be one graduate student representative selected by the Association of Graduate Students.  Graduate student representatives have no vote. 

Section 5. Un-represented groups may request liaison status with the Faculty Senate. If the request is approved by the Senate, the group will select its representative to attend full Senate meetings. The Liaison will have no vote. 

Article V: Officers
Section 1. Officers. At a meeting in April of each year, the Senate shall elect, from among the faculty members, the following three officers for a term of one year: President, Vice President, and Secretary. Any tenure-track or continuing appointment faculty member, who has been on the University of Maine faculty for at least two years, is eligible for election to these offices. Newly elected officers shall begin their duties on July 1 following their election.

Section 2. Succession of officers. The President and Vice President may not serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office.

Section 3. Parliamentarian. The Faculty Senate President shall select a Parliamentarian.

Section 4. Elections. Election of these officers and their duties shall be as detailed in the Bylaws of the Senate.

Article VI: Meetings

Section 1. Regular meetings. The Senate shall hold regular monthly meetings during the academic year at a time and place which it shall determine.

Section 2. Special meetings. Special meetings of the Senate may be called by the President of The University of Maine, by the Faculty Senate President, or by the Faculty Senate Secretary on request of any ten members of the Senate, provided all members have been notified at least 24 hours in advance of the time and date of the special meeting.

Section 3. Special separate meetings. Nothing in this Constitution shall preclude the calling of special separate meetings of the administrative members or of the faculty members or of the student representatives of the Senate. Such meetings may be called by the President of the University of Maine, by the President of the Faculty Senate, by the President of the General Student Senate, or by the Faculty Senate Secretary on the request of any faculty members.

Section 4. Agenda. The complete agenda for each regular meeting of the Senate shall be established by the Agenda Committee which shall consist of the President, the Vice President, and the Secretary. Particularly it shall designate those proposals which are to be considered by the Senate under new business.
A.Submission of proposals. Any member of the Senate may submit proposals, in writing, to the Agenda Committee. The Agenda Committee shall have the authority to request additional clarifying or supporting material concerning each proposal before it is placed on the agenda. However, the committee may not withhold a proposal from the agenda for more than thirty days, except by consent of the proposer.
B. Distribution of agenda. The Secretary shall distribute the agenda at least 24 hours prior to each regular meeting
C. Referral or automatic postponement of non-agenda proposals. Except in an emergency, as determined by a two-thirds vote of the members present, any proposal introduced under new business which does not appear on the agenda shall either be referred to an appropriate committee or automatically postponed until the following meeting.

Section 5. Parliamentary authority. Robert’s Rules of Order, as most recently revised, shall govern meetings of the Senate, except in cases where such rules are inconsistent with this Constitution.

Section 6. Substitute members. A member who must be absent from any meeting of the Senate shall name an alternate from the same college or administrative office to attend and to exercise all privileges and powers of the regular member.

Section 7. Quorum.
A. A quorum of the Senate shall consist of a majority of its members.
B. Roll call vote. A roll call vote on any motion can be demanded by one fourth of the present and voting members of the Senate if a quorum is present.
C. Secret ballot.  A vote by secret ballot on any motion can be demanded by one fourth of the present and voting members of the Senate if a quorum is present.

Section 8. Attendance of non-members

Administration and faculty non-members. Any member of the administration or faculty may attend meetings of the Senate. Such a visitor may speak but have no vote.
B. Invited participants. The President of the University of Maine or the President of the Senate may invite anyone to participate in the discussions of the Senate.

Section 9. Distribution of minutes. The Secretary shall keep the minutes of the Senate and distribute them to all of the members of the Senate as well as to the faculties of the participating colleges, Cooperative Extension, and the University of Maine at Machias at least seven days prior to the next regular meeting. Posting the minutes on the Faculty Senate website shall constitute such a distribution. 

Article VII: Committees
Section 1: The Committee on Committees. The Committee on Committees, as much as possible, will consist of one faculty Senate member from each college, one faculty Senate member from the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, the University of Maine at Machias, and the Graduate Student Association Representative to the faculty Senate. The Committee on Committees shall, at the request of the University President or designee, recommend faculty members to standing and ad hoc administrative committees or shall provide a list to the President or designee of faculty members who have agreed to serve on a specific committee. The President of the Senate shall designate the Chairperson of the Committee on Committees. Keeping balanced college representation in mind, The Faculty Senate President, in consultation with the chairperson of the Committee on Committees, shall appoint the members of each standing committee, the Parliamentarian, and the chair of each committee who serves at the pleasure of the Faculty Senate President. Except as otherwise noted, the chair and the majority of members of each committee must be elected members of the Faculty Senate. Committees may have co-chairs who may or may not be Senators. Co-chairs serve at the discretion of the Senate President and on the advice of the committee. Senators may serve on multiple committees. Ex-officio members, where specified in the composition of a committee, shall have all rights of membership, but have no vote. The President of the Senate shall be an ex-officio member of each standing committee and will attend committee meetings when possible. To ensure that each College is represented on the Executive Committee, the Faculty Senate President may appoint members to serve “at large” on the Executive Committee. 

Section 2. Standing committees. The Senate may create standing committees as provided in its Bylaws. Such standing committees shall report to the Senate in writing at least once each academic year.  

Section 3. Subcommittees.  Each standing committee may create such sub-committees as will expedite its work. Subcommittees may include faculty members, administrators, and students, but the chairperson must be a member of the parent committee and a majority of members must be Faculty Senators. Each subcommittee shall be responsible to the parent committee and report directly to it.

Section 4: Ad hoc committees. The Senate may create ad hoc committees to address specific short-term issues as deemed appropriate and expedient at the time. Such ad hoc committees will report to the Senate at appropriate intervals and in writing at the conclusion of their charge. Such ad hoc committees will disband at the conclusion of their charge.

Article VIII: Disposition of Recommendations
Section 1. Veto by colleges. Any academic policy recommendation by the Senate may be vetoed by a majority of the colleges, voting in their separate college meetings, or by a paper mail ballot of the college or by electronic voting that reasonably ensures only one vote per faculty member if a regular college meeting cannot be scheduled during the time limit allowed for a veto. Each college shall determine which recommendations of the Senate are subject to its veto and shall exercise its right of veto by the 45th day (vacations excepted) after the recommendation has been acted upon by the Senate.

Section 2. Referendum on veto. The veto of a majority of the Senate by a majority of colleges shall become effective only if it is supported by a majority of the faculties of the colleges voting by paper mail ballot or by electronic voting that reasonably ensures only one vote per faculty member. If paper, ballots shall be mailed by the Secretary to all faculty members of the colleges within fifteen days following a veto. The secretary shall count such ballots fifteen days after mailing them. Electronic votes shall be counted five days after the electronic mailing of the ballot or electronic notification of the call to vote.  

Section 3. Transmittal of recommendations. Recommendations passed by the Senate shall be transmitted to the President of the University of Maine for the appropriate action.  Recommendations approved by the university President (or not disapproved within the 30-day time window) shall be distributed to all academic units and shall be posted on the Faculty Senate website.  Recommendations disapproved by the university President shall be returned to the Faculty Senate for further consideration and possible appeal.

Section 4. Appeal to the Chancellor. In the event that a recommendation of the Senate is not approved by the President of the University of Maine, or in the event of a serious and prolonged disagreement between the President of the University of Maine and the Senate on a question of grave concern to the University of Maine, the Senate, by a majority vote taken by secret ballot may authorize the President of the Senate to communicate, in writing, directly with the Chancellor in order to present its viewpoint. A copy of such a communication shall be provided to the President of the University of Maine.

Section 5. Appeal to the Board of Trustee. If, after the procedures outlined in Section 4, a serious and prolonged disagreement exists between the Senate and the Chancellor, the Senate, by a majority vote through secret ballot, may authorize the President of the Senate to communicate directly in writing with the Board of Trustees to present its viewpoint. A copy of the communication shall be forwarded to the Chancellor.

Article IX: Amendment

Section 1. Proposal of the amendment. Any member of the Senate may propose an amendment to the Constitution. The proposed amendment shall be submitted to the Secretary of the Senate at least forty-five days prior to the vote on the proposed amendment. Upon receipt of the proposed constitutional amendment, the Secretary shall forward it to the Chairperson of the Committee on Constitution and Bylaws. The Secretary shall notify the membership of the Senate in the next regular meeting printed agenda that such a proposal has been received and forwarded to the Committee on Constitution and Bylaws. This committee shall review the proposed constitutional amendment and may make recommendations. The proposed constitutional amendment and the action of the Committee on Constitution and Bylaws shall be distributed by the Secretary to the membership of the Senate at least fifteen days prior to the meeting at which action is to be taken.

Section 2. Adoption of the amendment. If the proposed amendment received a two-thirds majority of the votes cast in the Senate, it shall be submitted to all university faculty members for ratification. The Secretary or the Secretary’s designee shall conduct a suitable referendum within fifteen days after publication in the minutes of the Senate indicating a favorable action on the amendment by the Senate. The referendum may be accomplished using one of the following methods:

(a) by hard copy mail with the Secretary counting the votes fifteen days after the mailing of the ballot to all faculty members or

(b) by electronic vote using an electronic announcement that reasonably reaches all faculty members individually and that reasonably ensures that no more than one ballot may be cast by any one faculty member with the counting of votes by the Secretary to occur five days after the electronic mailing of the ballot or after electronic notification of the electronic means of voting.

A two-thirds majority of the ballots cast in the referendum shall be necessary for adoption of the amendment. Any challenge based on process that contests a Constitutional amendment vote shall be deemed null and void unless transmitted to the President of the Senate within fourteen days of the ballot count.

Amended by Faculty Senate and approved by Section 2 of Article IX:
December 18, 2002
September 23, 2009, Article V, Sections 1 and 2
May 20, 2011, Article III section 6, Article IV sections 1B.2 and 3, Article VI sections 4 and 9, Article VIII sections 1 and 2, and Article 9 section 2
March 1, 2017, Article IV

September 22, 2021, Article III: Section 9; Article IV: Sections 1-4; Article VI: Section 7.C, Section 9; Article VII: Section 1; Article VIII, Section 3

Vote: Approved

Vote for Amendments:

November 17, 2021

University of Maine
Faculty Senate
Motion to Change Bylaws by Addition of Article VII, Section 13
Diversity, Euity, and Inclusion Committee
November 1, 2021

Preamble
On May 5, 2021, the Faculty Senate approved a motion to establish a standing Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. This is the first time that the UMaine Faculty Senate has had a DEI Committee, though many other public universities have had committees for this purpose since the 1970s. Our administration needs the perspective of faculty in examining policy, and status quo practices that affect protected classes of people specifically, as well as the diversity of the campus generally. Faculty elected to the Senate want to know they can make progress toward justice through this work. For these reasons, the ad hoc Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion proposed a motion to make the DEI Committee a standing committee within the Faculty Senate. The motion was approved unanimously.

Within DEI committee meetings in the Fall 2021 semester, the proposed language establishing the function and membership of the committee was revised to be more congruent with the format of other committee descriptions, and to reflect a broader, long-term vision for the committee’s work

To finalize the establishment of the standing committee, this motion amends the Bylaws to add the function and membership details of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.

Motion:
To finalize the establishment of a standing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, the Faculty Senate moves that the following descriptions of committee function and membership be added to the Faculty Senate Bylaws as Article VII, Section 13.

ARTICLE VII: STANDING COMMITTEES
Section 13. DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION COMMITTEE

Function. The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee sustains and supports the University’s commitment to equity, inclusion, and justice for people of protected classes or marginalized groups. It collaboratively reviews, researches, and makes recommendations to the Senate regarding issues, policies, and practices having impact on equity, inclusion, and justice on campus. Motions to the Administration focus on advocacy for representation of people of protected groups, identification and elimination of policies and practices that contribute to structural racism or other kinds of inequity, and creating a more diverse, inclusive campus and workplace. Non-faculty members of the University community, such as the Associate Provost for Academic Excellence and Faculty Development, the Vice President for Student Life and Inclusive Excellence, or other provost-level diversity/equity officer shall be consulted on committee business whenever possible and where relevant.

Membership. Members of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee shall be drawn from all colleges, and UMaine Cooperative Extension. One member shall be from the part-time faculty, and one member shall be from either the graduate or undergraduate student body. The Chair shall be appointed by the Senate President.

Vote: Approved

December 15, 2021

Motion to Change the Bylaws for Article VII Standing Committees; Section 12: Faculty Information Technology Committee
December 15, 2021

Motion:
The Faculty Information Technology Committee requests that the Senate approve the following changes to the bylaws for Article VII: Standing Committees; Section 12: Faculty Information Technology Committee.

Proposed bylaws:
A. Function. The Faculty Information Technology Committee will review and make recommendations to the Senate in regard to Information Technology matters impacting faculty. The purview of the committee includes, but is not limited to, technology applied to teaching, research and service. There will be a standing agenda item of instructional technology topics.

B. Membership. The Faculty Information Technology Committee shall consist, as much as possible, of at least one faculty senator from each college and Cooperative Extension. Additional ex-officio, non-voting members of the committee include the Director of the Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning or designee, the UM/UMM campus IT officer, the Chair of the IT Strategic Council, the ETAC faculty representative, one graduate student representative, and one undergraduate student representative.

Current bylaws:
Section 13: INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE

Function: The Information Technology Committee will review and make recommendations to the Senate in regard to academic Information Technology matters impacting faculty. Specifically, but not limited to: the planning, use and availability of technologies in support of classroom and distance education, monitor and assess proposals and ongoing Information Technology systems with respect to the impact on faculty scholarship (defined as teaching, research, and service).
Membership: The members of the IT Committee are at least one Faculty Senator from each college and cooperative extension, and one Undergraduate and Graduate Student, the head of Campus IT and Chair of the ITSC (or future campus wide Technology Committee).

Vote: Approved

February 9, 2022

University of Maine Faculty Senate
Motion to Change the Bylaws for Article IV STANDING COMMITTEES; Section 3: UNIVERSITY ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE
February 9, 2022

Preamble: On August 3, 2021, elected members of the senate were sent a letter from the Faculty Senate President that included the task of comparing the Bylaws and Constitution revisions to our current Constitution and Bylaws posted on our Faculty Senate website. The Constitution and Bylaws Committee diligently worked over the past two academic years on needed revisions to our Constitution and Bylaws. The University Environment Committee recognized the need for revisions to the committee Bylaws, particularly pertaining to simplification of the committee name and clarification of what the committee’s function encompasses.

The current Bylaws for Article IV STANDING COMMITTEES; Section 3: UNIVERSITY ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE are:

Function. The Committee on the University Environment reviews and makes recommendations to the Senate in matters relating to the academic and physical environments of the University including cultural programs, energy and resource conservation, sustainability, free speech and assembly, athletics, public relations, residential life, safety, facilities, and conduct.
Membership. The members of the Committee on the University Environment are the Vice President for Student affairs and, as much as possible, one Faculty Senator from each college and Cooperative Extension, and an Undergraduate and Graduate Student Senator.

Motion: The University Environment Committee motions to make the following changes to the Bylaws for Article VII STANDING COMMITTEES; Section 6: ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE.

Section 6. ENVIRONMENT COMMITTEE

Function. The Environment Committee reviews and makes recommendations to the Senate in matters relating to the learning, workplace, and physical environments of the University. Issues may include but are not limited to: infrastructure; campus social climate and well-being, programs and services; and the environmental sustainability of University operations.
Membership. The members of the Environment Committee are represented as much as possible by at least one faculty senator from each college and Cooperative Extension. Although any University of Maine faculty member may serve on the committee, a majority of the voting members must be duly elected Faculty Senators. Ex-officio members of the committee include the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Vice President for Student Life, one undergraduate student government representative, and one graduate student government representative.

Vote: Approved

Faculty Senate
Motion to Endorse the University of Maine to Become a Member of the
Age-Friendly University (AFU) Global Network
February 9, 2022

As the flagship campus of the University of Maine System, The University of Maine explicitly acknowledges its responsibility to serve the state and larger community. UMaine’s curricula and associated resources should recognize the value of making its learning opportunities and programming available for the potential benefit of individuals across the life span in the larger community. This goal aligns with the Age-Friendly University’s (AFU) initiative. Older adult engagement and a philosophy of age inclusivity at UMaine will strengthen cross generational connections between younger students and older adults, a strategy that has additional value in combatting the all too common presence of ageism and age discrimination in our society.

The University of Maine pursues a multitude of strategies to improve and expand one’s education and engagement in the academic environment, and the AFU designation serves to encourage that such an effort include extension to the older adult population. We recognize that for such an effort to be successful, it needs to be a collaborative process engaging faculty, staff, administration, students, community organizations, and Maine residents. It should be noted that becoming an AFU is congruent with the explicit goal of the state of Maine to be age inclusive (Maine became a designated age-friendly state in 2019). The Faculty Senate at the University of Maine recognizes the 10 principles of the Age-Friendly University Initiative and supports our inclusion in this global network of universities. The 10 principles are as follows:

Principle One: To encourage the participation of older adults in all the core activities of the university, including educational and research programs.
Principle Two: To promote personal and career development in the second half of life and to support those who wish to pursue second careers.
Principle Three: To recognize the range of educational needs of older adults.
Principle Four: To promote intergenerational learning to facilitate the reciprocal sharing of expertise between learners of all ages.
Principle Five: To widen access to online educational opportunities for older adults to ensure a diversity of routes to participation.
Principle Six: To ensure that the university’s research agenda is informed by the needs of an aging society and to promote public discourse on how higher education can better respond to the varied interests and needs of older adults.
Principle Seven: To increase the understanding of students of the longevity dividend and the increasing complexity and richness that aging brings to our society.
Principle Eight: To enhance access for older adults to the university’s range of health and wellness programs and its arts and cultural activities.
Principle Nine: To engage actively with the university’s own retired community.
Principle Ten: To ensure regular dialogue with organizations representing the interests of the aging population.

Future Steps and Implications
Age-Friendly Universities can play a crucial role in reflecting how we view our rapidly expanding older adult population. Becoming an AFU signals the University of Maine’s commitment to recognizing the capacities, resources, assets, and productive aging needs of older Mainers at the same time that it supports the national movement aimed at reframing aging in a more positive light. A standard of collaboration and engagement across generations can increasingly be reflected at UMaine through innovative and age-inclusive programming.

The next steps to take at UMaine in efforts to advance age-based diversity and inclusion include continuing to encourage increased older adult visibility and engagement in campus life and supporting expansion of educational and career development opportunities across the life span as well as aging-related research that aims to maximize health, well-being, and quality of life in the later years.

Motion:
The University of Maine Faculty Senate endorses the proposal to become a member of the Age-Friendly Global Network.

Vote: Approved

Faculty Senate
February 9, 2022
Motions to Change Bylaws

Motion 1. To Change Bylaws (William Dee Nichols)

Preamble
On August 3, 2021, elected members of the senate were sent a letter from the Faculty Senate President that included the task of comparing the Bylaws and Constitution revisions to our current Constitution and Bylaws posted on our Faculty Senate web site. As previously noted in the welcoming letter, the Constitution and Bylaws Committee diligently worked over the past two academic years on needed revisions to our Constitution and Bylaws. After multiple meetings, including face to face, survey data, special meetings and multiple executive committee meetings, the Constitution and Bylaws committee completed their task and submitted revisions and edits to the President of the Faculty Senate. The August third letter included the revised attachments to the constitution and bylaws. Senators were requested to read all of the attached documents and then go to the Faculty Senate Webpage https://umaine.edu/facultysenate/ and compare.

The first motion to the Faculty Senate Bylaws section is included below and was tabled at the 09-22-2021 Full Senate Meeting until the revisions to the Constitution passed and approved by the Chancellor.

Proposed Amendment to Bylaws of the Faculty Senate

Article I: The revised section was previously mentioned under the heading of Article II Committee Membership. The Constitution and Bylaws Committee felt that it should be moved to the front of the Bylaws as a new first Article. The justification was to provide a better flow and context to the Bylaws. It was also added to provide a consistent definition of an elected Faculty Senate Member to match Article IV of the Constitution on Membership.

Other than relocating the description of membership the only other changes were to add the term Full time to section (e) lecturers and Instructors. The committee also added (g) to acknowledge College Bylaws and those definitions of full-time faculty.

Article II: was also added for consistency with the Constitution, to reflect current practices, and to improve the overall flow of the Bylaws.

In a process overseen by members of the Committee on Committees in conjunction with the Faculty Senate Administrative Assistant. The rest remains the same.

Article IV: The committee pulled out the BOT section from Election of Officers and gave it a new article of its own. The wording is consistent with previous document.

Therefore, the Constitution and Bylaws Committee makes the motion to the University of Maine Faculty Senate to make the following changes to Article I- Article VI of our Bylaws to read as follows:

ARTICLE I: DEFINITION OF AN ELECTED FACULTY SENATE MEMBER (See Constitution, Article IV Membership):

Preamble: voting/non-voting
For the purposes of the Faculty Senate as referenced in the Faculty Senate Constitution and Bylaws, a faculty member shall be defined as any of the following:

Tenured or tenure track faculty member who have been on the faculty for at least two years.
Research faculty member with an academic appointment.
Cooperative Extension faculty member, continuing contract or continuing contract track.
Full time faculty members at any rank.
Full time Lecturers and Instructors.
Directors and Department Chairs who are also full-time faculty members and meet all of these criteria: 1. Program offers a degree, major or concentration, 2. Program has full time faculty members, other than the director, and the director is engaged in teaching, scholarship, and service., 3. Faculty members in the program engage in shared governance. In essence, an eligible director should be accountable to the faculty, and treated as a chair by the University.
Definitions of what constitutes a full-time faculty member may be found in College Bylaws as well.

ARTICLE II: FACULTY SENATE NOMINATIONS AND ELECTIONS (See Constitution, Article IV Membership):
The number of full-time members of each college shall be determined by the dean of that college in consultation with the sitting president of the Faculty Senate. Each college is then notified in late February, or early March, of the number of seats they currently have in Faculty Senate and the number of terms expiring. The college solicits nominations from their faculty, holds an election and notifies Faculty Senate the names of those that have been elected.

ARTICLE III: ELECTION OF SENATE OFFICERS
At the March meeting of the Faculty Senate, the Committee on Committees shall present preferably at least two candidates for President, Vice President, and Secretary. The agenda for the April meeting shall include the names of those nominated. There shall be an opportunity for nominations from the floor at the time of the election in April. In a process overseen by members of the Committee on Committees in conjunction with the Faculty Senate Administrative Assistant, each office shall be voted on separately by secret ballot, where there is a contest, and a majority of the votes cast shall be necessary for election. In the event that no candidate receives a majority, a second vote shall be taken between the two candidates receiving the most votes in the initial balloting.

ARTICLE IV: ELECTION OF FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE TO THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES
The Faculty Representative to the Board of Trustees shall hold a position as a voting member of the Faculty Senate. The term of office shall be two years and the elected member can serve a maximum of two consecutive terms. Any full-time tenure-track or continuing appointment faculty member, who has been on the University of Maine faculty for at least two years, is eligible for election to this position. The newly elected representative shall begin their duties on July 1 following their election.

ARTICLE V: ELECTION OF FACULTY REPRESENTATIVE TO SYSTEM LEVEL FACULTY GOVERANCE COUNCIL
The Faculty Representative to the Faculty Governance Council shall hold a position as a voting member of the Faculty Senate. The term of office shall be three years and the elected member can serve a maximum of two consecutive terms. Any full-time tenure-track or continuing appointment faculty member, who has been on the University of Maine faculty for at least two years, is eligible for election to this position. The newly elected representative shall begin their duties on July 1 following their election. At the March meeting of the Faculty Senate prior to the expiration of the representative’s term, the Committee on Committees shall present preferably at least two candidates for the Faculty Governance Council Representative. The agenda for the April meeting shall include the names of those nominated. There shall be an opportunity for nominations from the floor at the time of the election in April. Voting, overseen by members of the Committee on Committees in conjunction with the Faculty Senate Administrative Assistant, shall be by secret ballot, where there is a contest, and a majority of the votes cast shall be necessary for election. If no candidate receives a majority, a second vote shall be taken between the two highest candidates.

In the event that the position of the Faculty Governance Council Representative becomes vacant prior to the expiration of the term, the Senate shall hold a special election. At a regularly scheduled meeting of the Senate, the President shall inform the members of the vacancy, ask the Committee on Committees to secure nominations, and set the time for the election at the next regularly scheduled meeting of the full Senate. At the time of election, the procedure shall be as outlined at the beginning of this section.

ARTICLE VI: COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP

Vote: Approved

March 9, 2022

Motion to Change By-Laws Article IV, Section 2, Academic Affairs Committee
Faculty Senate, Academic Affairs Committee, 9 March, 2022

Introduction
In keeping with the Faculty Senate’s review of its Constitution and By-Laws over the past two years, the Academic Affairs Committee has reviewed Article IV, Standing Committees, Section 2, Academic Affairs Committee, and recommends the following change to open up its membership to a representative from the Graduate Student Government so that we can include their perspectives in our discussions. Especially at a time when the University has achieved Carnegie R1 status, the Academic Affairs Committee needs a Graduate Student Senate representative to complement the Undergraduate Student Senator whom our current By-Laws include.

Current By-Laws
Section 2. ACADEMIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
A. Function. The Committee on Academic Affairs reviews and makes recommendations to the Senate in regard to academic matters including university‑wide degree requirements, curriculum matters involving two or more colleges, the academic calendar, academic freedom, academic standards, academic performance, the assessment of academic outcomes, academic titles, criteria for ranks, admission standards, grading, evaluation of teaching, student academic standing, honorary degrees, and the library.
B. Membership. The members of the Committee on Academic Affairs are the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost and, as much as possible, one Faculty Senator from each college and Cooperative Extension, and one Student Senator.

Motion
The Academic Affairs Committee asks that the University of Maine adopt the following language for Article IV, Standing Committees, Section 2, Academic Affairs Committee, of the Faculty Senate By-Laws.

Section 2. ACADEMIC AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
A. Function. The Committee on Academic Affairs reviews and makes recommendations to the Senate in regard to academic matters including university‑wide degree requirements, curriculum matters involving two or more colleges, the academic calendar, academic freedom, academic standards, academic performance, the assessment of academic outcomes, academic titles, criteria for ranks, admission standards, grading, evaluation of teaching, student academic standing, honorary degrees, and the library.
B. Membership. The members of the Committee on Academic Affairs are the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost and, as much as possible, one Faculty Senator from each college and Cooperative Extension, one Undergraduate Student Senator, and one Graduate Student Senator.

Vote: Approved

April 6, 2022

Motion 1. To Change Bylaws (William Dee Nichols)
Preamble
On August 3, 2021, elected members of the senate were sent a letter from the Faculty Senate President that included the task of comparing the Bylaws and Constitution revisions to our current Constitution and Bylaws posted on our Faculty Senate web site. As previously noted in the welcoming letter, the Constitution and Bylaws Committee diligently worked over the past two academic years on needed revisions to our Constitution and Bylaws. After multiple meetings, including face to face, survey data, special meetings and multiple executive committee meetings, the Constitution and Bylaws committee completed their task and submitted revisions and edits to the President of the Faculty Senate. The August third letter included the revised attachments to the constitution and bylaws. Senators were requested to read all of the attached documents and then go to the Faculty Senate Webpage https://umaine.edu/facultysenate/ and compare.

The motion to amend the Faculty Senate Constitution and amend the Bylaws articles I-VI have all been approved by the Senate, President and Chancellor where necessary. In addition, many of the sections on committee functions and membership in Article VII have also been approved. Attached is the approved document in its entirety for reference. Today’s motion is to approve the remaining sections of the Bylaws Article VII-Article X.

Therefore, the Constitution and Bylaws Committee makes the motion to the University of Maine Faculty Senate to make the following changes to Article VII sections: 5 (General Education) 7 (Finance and Institutional Planning), 8 (Research and Scholarship), 9 (Program Creation and Reorganization Review), and 14 (Elected Members Committee); Article VIII Subcommittees; Article IX Special Committees; and Article X Amendment; of our Bylaws to read as follows:

Article VII:
Section 5. GENERAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE
A. Function. To serve as a liaison among all administrative committees dealing with general education, i.e., Undergraduate Program Curriculum Committee, and Committee of Student Learning Outcome Assessment & Improvement; and to bring to the attention of the Academic Affair Committee issues relating to general education that are within faculty purview.

B. Membership. The chair is a member of the Academic Affairs Committee and is appointed by the chair of the Academic Affairs Committee in consultation with the Faculty Senate President. The members are represented as much as possible by at least one faculty senator from each college and Cooperative Extension. This committee has no set number or requirement of elected faculty senate membership and encourages a broad representation of faculty members from various colleges and units. Additional ex-officio members of the committee include the faculty representative to the Undergraduate Program Curriculum Committee, Director of Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning, a representative from the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment, and the Associate Provost for Student Success and Strategic Initiatives.

Section 7. FINANCE AND INSTITUTIONAL PLANNING COMMITTEE
A. Function. The Committee on Finance and Institutional Planning reviews and makes recommendations to the Senate in matters relating to administrative organization, institutional planning, and budgetary issues affecting university priorities and allocation.
B. Membership. The members of the Committee on Finance and Institutional Planning are represented as much as possible by at least one faculty senator from each college and Cooperative Extension. Additional ex-officio members of the committee are the Chief Financial Officer, Provost or the designated appointee, and one undergraduate and one graduate student government representative.

Section 8. RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE
A. Function. The Committee on Research and Scholarship reviews and makes recommendations to the Senate in matters relating to research and scholarship including research priorities, research funds, patents, the protection of human and animal subjects, and research safety.
B. Membership. The members of the Committee on Research and Scholarship are represented as much as possible by at least one faculty senator from each college and Cooperative Extension. Additional ex-officio members of the committee are the Vice President for Research or a designated appointee, the provost or a designated appointee, and one graduate student government representative.

Section 9. PROGRAM CREATION AND REORGANIZATION REVIEW COMMITTEE
A. Function.  The Program Creation and Reorganization Review Committee has the responsibility to receive and review proposals for the creation, elimination, and reorganization of academic programs.  After the information is gathered and evaluated, the committee will present a recommendation to the faculty senate for its approval.

B. Membership. The members of the Program Creation, Review and Reorganization Committee is represented as much as possible by at least one faculty from each college and Cooperative Extension with the preference being two from each college.

Section 14. ELECTED MEMBERS COMMITTEE
A.  Function. The Elected Members Committee is charged with exploring issues of interest to its members.  The committee may take up issues and topics placed before it by majority vote of the committee or by agenda.  This will not limit the committee from accepting commitments referred to the committee by the Faculty Senate.  Although the membership of this committee comprises the majority of the Faculty Senate, this committee may not issue statements of any type in the name of the Faculty Senate of the University of Maine. Ordinarily, the committee shall not report to the Faculty Senate unless expressly listed on the agenda of the Faculty Senate.
B. Membership.  The members of the Elected Members Committee include all members of the Faculty Senate who have been elected by their respective faculties.  The Chair shall be the President of the Faculty Senate or his/her designate.

ARTICLE VIII: SUBCOMMITTEES
Each standing committee may create such sub-committees as will expedite its work. Subcommittees may include faculty members, administrators, and students, but the chairperson must be a member of the parent committee and a majority of members must be Faculty Senators. Each subcommittee shall be responsible to the parent committee and report directly to it.

ARTICLE IX:  SPECIAL COMMITTEES
Other Ad Hoc Committees may be created for time limited periods as voted on by the full Senate.

ARTICLE X:  AMENDMENT
These bylaws may be amended by a two thirds vote of the Senate Faculty Members present and voting, provided that the proposed amendment has been submitted to the Secretary of the Senate at least forty five days prior to the vote on the proposed amendment. Upon receipt of the proposed amendment, the Secretary shall forward it to the Chairperson of the Committee on Constitution and Bylaw. The Secretary shall then notify the members of the Senate in the next regular meeting printed agenda that such a proposal has been received and forwarded to the Committee on Constitution and Bylaws in conformance with this section of the bylaws. This committee shall review the proposed amendment and make recommendations. The proposed amendment and the action of the Committee on Constitution and Bylaws shall be distributed by the Secretary to the membership of the Senate at least fifteen days prior to the meeting at which action is to be taken.

Vote: Approved

Motion – From the University of Maine’s Faculty Senate Program Creation and Reorganization Review Committee (PCRRC) for consideration by the Full University of Maine Faculty Senate

Regarding the Maine Business School’s Proposal for a New B.S. Degree Program in Business Information Systems and Security Management (BISSM)
April 6, 2022

Background:
Proposals for new degree programs at the University of Maine, and subsequent actions on those proposals, follow procedures detailed in UM System BOT Policy 305.1, APL X-P.1 Academic Program Approval (https://www.maine.edu/students/office-of-the-vice-chancellor-of-academic-affairs/apl-x-p-1/), and also procedures in “The University of Maine 120-Day Process for Approval of New Academic Degree Programs” (Chapter 2; revised Oct. 16, 2019, https://umaine.edu/facultysenate/committees/pcrrc/).

Key steps are:
1) The Unit or College produces a written description and rationale for the new program in 250 words or less (this is called a “Program Request”);
2) To go forward that “Program Request” must be approved by the Provost, the UM System Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (VCAA) and the Chief Academic Officers Council (CAOC);
3) If approved, the sponsoring College or Unit prepares a “Full Program Proposal”, which is filed with: The Provost’s Office; The chair of the Undergraduate Program Curriculum Committee (UPCC) or, if a graduate program, the Associate Vice President for Graduate Studies for the Graduate Board (GB); and, The chair of the Program Creation and Reorganization Review Committee (PCRRC) of the Faculty Senate for review and recommendations;
4) The PCRRC distributes the “Full Program Proposal” to all members of the Faculty Senate for information and review;
5) The PCRRC schedules and hosts a PCRR Committee meeting to discuss the “Full Program Proposal” with the primary proponents of the proposal;
6) After #5, the PCRRC schedules and hosts a “Campus-wide Hearing” to gather further comments regarding any concerns by the university community;
7) Because it is customary for Senate motions to presented to the Full Senate for discussion two weeks prior to taking a vote, the PCRRC will briefly discuss the “Full Program Proposal” at a ‘Members-only Meeting’ of the Senate, and will introduces two potential motions, only one of which will to come up for a vote at an upcoming Elected Senators Meeting – e.g., either in support or non-support of the new program proposal – with the specific motion to be as determined following the “Campus-wide Hearing” (#6);
8) A official vote will be taken by the Faculty Senate to report to the President the Senate’s recommendation either in support of, or not in support of, the creation of the new degree program.

Motion:
With steps #1 through #7 having taken place, and the members of the PCRRC (Program Creation and Reorganization Review Committee) of the University of Maine Faculty Senate being favorably inclined, having heard no significant opposition to the proposal, the Faculty Senate hereby moves to recommend to the President that the Maine Business School’s Proposal for a New B.S. Degree Program in Business Information Systems and Security Management (BISSM) go forward.

Vote: Approved

May 4, 2022

Motion to amend the Faculty Senate Constitution and to amend the Bylaws articles I-X
May 4, 2022

The motion to amend the Faculty Senate Constitution and to amend the Bylaws articles I-X have all been approved by the Senate, President and Chancellor where necessary. Attached is the approved Constitution and Bylaws in its entirety for reference.  Today’s motion is to approve the Constitution and Bylaws as a whole document.

Therefore, the Constitution and Bylaws Committee makes the motion to the University of Maine Faculty Senate to adopt the following senate approved changes to our Constitution and Bylaws to read as follows (See attachment).

Vote: Approved

Three Motions from the University of Maine’s Faculty Senate Program Creation and Reorganization Review Committee (PCRRC) for consideration by the Full University of Maine Faculty Senate

Motion 1 – Regarding the College of Engineering’s Proposal for a New M.S. Degree Program in Engineering Technology

May 4, 2022

Key steps are:

1) The Unit or College produces a written description and rationale for the new program in 250 words or less (this is called a “Program Request”);

2) To go forward, that “Program Request” must be approved by the Provost, the UM System Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (VCAA) and the Chief Academic Officers Council (CAOC);

3) If approved, the sponsoring College or Unit prepares a “Full Program Proposal”, which is filed with: The Provost’s Office; The chair of the Undergraduate Program Curriculum Committee (UPCC), or, if a graduate program, the Associate Vice President for Graduate Studies for the Graduate Board (GB); and, The chair of the Program Creation and Reorganization Review Committee (PCRRC) of the Faculty Senate for review and recommendations;

4) The PCRRC distributes the “Full Program Proposal” to all members of the Faculty Senate for information and review;

5) The PCRRC schedules and hosts a PCRR Committee meeting to discuss the “Full Program Proposal” with the primary proponents of the proposal;

6) After #5, the PCRRC schedules and hosts a “Campus-wide Hearing” to gather further comments regarding any concerns by the university community;

7) The proposal, and a motion on that proposal either in support of it, or non-support of it, should be discussed by the Full Senate two weeks before a vote.

8) A official vote is to be taken by the Faculty Senate to report to the President the Senate’s recommendation either in support of, or not in support of, the creation of the new degree program.

Motion:
Having heard no objections to, or serious concerns with, the proposal at the Campus-wide Hearing on April 26, 2022, and having discussed the proposal at the Elected Senator’s Meeting on April 20, 2022, and with the members of the PCRRC (Program Creation and Reorganization Review Committee) of the University of Maine Faculty Senate being favorably inclined, the Faculty Senate hereby moves to recommend to the President that the College of Engineering’s Proposal for a New M.S. Degree Program in Engineering Technology go forward.

Motion 2 – Regarding the College of Liberal Arts and Science’s Proposal for a New B.S. Degree Program in Human-Centered Technology Design
May 4, 2022

Key steps are:

1) The Unit or College produces a written description and rationale for the new program in 250 words or less (this is called a “Program Request”);

2) To go forward, that “Program Request” must be approved by the Provost, the UM System Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (VCAA) and the Chief Academic Officers Council (CAOC);

4) The PCRRC distributes the “Full Program Proposal” to all members of the Faculty Senate for information and review;

5) The PCRRC schedules and hosts a PCRR Committee meeting to discuss the “Full Program Proposal” with the primary proponents of the proposal;

6) After #5, the PCRRC schedules and hosts a “Campus-wide Hearing” to gather further comments regarding any concerns by the university community;

7) The proposal, and a motion on that proposal either in support of it, or non-support of it, should be discussed by the Full Senate two weeks before a vote.

8) A official vote is to be taken by the Faculty Senate to report to the President the Senate’s recommendation either in support of, or not in support of, the creation of the new degree program.

Motion:
Having heard no objections to, or serious concerns with, the proposal at the Campus-wide Hearing on April 26, 2022, and having discussed the proposal at the Elected Senator’s Meeting on April 20, 2022, and with the members of the PCRRC (Program Creation and Reorganization Review Committee) of the University of Maine Faculty Senate being favorably inclined, the Faculty Senate hereby moves to recommend to the President that the College of Liberal Arts and Science’s Proposal for a New B.S. Degree Program in Human-Centered Technology Design go forward.

Motion 3 – Regarding the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry & Agriculture’s School of Food and Agriculture Proposal for a New B.S. Degree Program in Sustainable Food Systems

May 4, 2022

Key steps are:

1) The Unit or College produces a written description and rationale for the new program in 250 words or less (this is called a “Program Request”);

2) To go forward, that “Program Request” must be approved by the Provost, the UM System Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (VCAA) and the Chief Academic Officers Council (CAOC);

4) The PCRRC distributes the “Full Program Proposal” to all members of the Faculty Senate for information and review;

5) The PCRRC schedules and hosts a PCRR Committee meeting to discuss the “Full Program Proposal” with the primary proponents of the proposal;

6) After #5, the PCRRC schedules and hosts a “Campus-wide Hearing” to gather further comments regarding any concerns by the university community;

7) The proposal, and a motion on that proposal either in support of it, or non-support of it, should be discussed by the Full Senate two weeks before a vote.

8) A official vote is to be taken by the Faculty Senate to report to the President the Senate’s recommendation either in support of, or not in support of, the creation of the new degree program.

Motion:
Having heard no objections to, or serious concerns with, the proposal at the Campus-wide Hearing on April 13, 2022, and having discussed the proposal at the Elected Senators Meeting on April 20, 2022, and with the members of the PCRRC (Program Creation and Reorganization Review Committee) of the University of Maine Faculty Senate being favorably inclined, the Faculty Senate hereby moves to recommend to the President that the College of NSFA’s School of Food & Agriculture Proposal for a New B.S. Degree Program in Sustainable Food Systems go forward.

Three PCRRC Motions bundled for vote.

Vote: Approved

Motion to Form a General Education Stewardship Committee
General Education Committee
May 4, 2022

Background and Rationale
Faculty Senate created our current General Education requirements between 1995 and 1997. They provide breadth to complement students’ majors and offer valuable exposure to multiple ways of thinking.

General Education, however, suffers from an interrelated set of problems at the University of Maine. Students have told the General Education committee that too often our requirements are seen as hoops to jump through. They also express that they did not always understand our Gen Ed categories or why they had to take certain classes. Worse, they talk about how Gen Eds lead to alienation and higher dropout rate. A quick perusal of our regional peers and competitors shows that our Gen Ed system is unlikely to recruit students. There is also little stewardship of Gen Ed. Faculty do not always know they are teaching a Gen Ed class or which Gen Eds the class provides. Courses change content but still offer the same Gen Eds. There is no plan for adding new classes, and both CLAS Academic Council and UPCC feel they lack guidance. Without a plan to guide Gen Ed evolution, it becomes a way to increase student numbers for many units. Gen Eds classes have gone from about 450 to 900 since 1997. While this increases choice, it is also the result of having no plan in place; expanding choice became our policy by default.

To address these issues, the University of Maine sent a team to the Association of American Colleges & Universities Institute for General Education and Assessment in summer 2019. That team presented an action plan to Provost Hecker in summer 2019, and Provost Gilbert in fall 2019. We then presented on the need for reform at the Provost’s Faculty Forum in November 2019. Following this, we founded two working groups in spring 2020 but suspended them when we entered lockdown. Faculty Senate then formed an Ad Hoc Committee (2021-22) to recommend changes to our General Education curriculum. They conducted a campus survey, three public forums, and many smaller meetings. They delivered draft recommendations to the General Education Committee in March 2022 and will deliver final recommendations to Faculty Senate in May 2022. The motion below comes from the first set of recommendations. It is a first step toward improving our General Education system.

The motion creates a General Education Stewardship Committee. The General Education curriculum belongs to all faculty, but no one manages it. This is a common problem at universities around the country. They solve it by solution creating General Education stewardship groups or offices. These take many forms, such as large Faculty Senate committees, councils, steering committees or centers. Often universities appoint directors, coordinators or associate deans. The General Education Committee conducted a random sample study of thirty universities with attractive Gen Ed programs and found that twenty-six had Gen Ed stewardship one could easily find on their websites. The University of Maine needs to catch up. We do have a General Education Subcommittee at Faculty Senate, but it is small and has historically only improved General Education when intermittently pressed by accreditors. We need a group with more capacity and continuity. However, this new committee should not diminish Faculty Senate’s right and responsibilities regarding General Education.

Motion
The Faculty Senate of the University of Maine requests the administration form a permanent General Education Stewardship Committee. This Committee will strive for ongoing improvement in the coherence and effectiveness of General Education.

Duties: The Committee will be responsible for carrying out annual charges given by Faculty Senate. The
Committee will report back to Senate annually, and the Committee chair will attend Academic Affairs and/or General Education Committee meetings. While the Committee’s primary duty is to carry out Faculty Senate charges, it will also generate ideas for improving General Education and present these to Faculty Senate on a regular basis. The Committee will have no power to change policy; Faculty Senate will continue to vote on any changes to the General Education curriculum.

Membership:
The Committee will have seven faculty and five staff/administrators. Faculty will serve three-year terms, with a limit of two consecutive terms and four total. Members may be nominated by Faculty Senate. Faculty Senate’s President, Vice President, Chair of Academic Affairs, Chair of General Education, and Chair of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee will select members. They will strive for representation across units and campus diversity. The chair of this body will be a full-time faculty member with a fixed length administrative position, similar to a department chair. The Faculty Senate President, Vice-President, Chair of Academic Affairs, Chair of General Education, and Chair of the DEI Committee will be the hiring committee. If there is not support for a fixed length position, the chair shall serve under the same three-year terms as regular faculty members, and the chair will be chosen by the same five Senators listed above. For Administrative members, the five Faculty Senators listed above will work closely with the Associate Provost of Student Success and/or Academic Affairs to select members. Administrative positions will not have term limits.

Vote: Approved

Faculty Senate Environment Committee
May 4, 2022
Motion for Inclusive and Open Processes in Pursuit of Campus Energy and Climate Change Goals

Whereas a campus-community prepared white paper titled Achieving the University of Maine Commitment to Zero Carbon Emissions by 2040 (with particular attention to Appendix 3) raises substantial concerns pertaining to the human health and well-being of the campus and surrounding community in regard to a heating plant proposal being considered and advanced by the administration as well as concerns about its practical and economic viability, 

Whereas the Zero Carbon Commitment Subcommittee of the Faculty Senate has publicly committed to pursuing a deliberative, thoughtful, transparent, and comprehensive process in acquiring information and opinions on the issues raised in the whitepaper and aspires to an accurate and well-documented assessment,

Whereas detailed internal studies and external consultant reports and economic studies concerning renewable energy options for the campus are unavailable for inspection and assessment by faculty experts and specialists nor by the broader campus community, 

Whereas broader public discussion is desired concerning the potential construction of a facility that may greatly increase air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions (even though arguably renewable) on the university campus and surrounding community,

the Faculty Senate of the University of Maine moves that:

The University of Maine administration should make publicly available for inspection and review any and all internal and external reports and studies it has accomplished or had accomplished by others relating to plans for improving the campus energy infrastructure, reducing carbon emissions on the campus, and achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2040,

The University of Maine administration should plan for and accommodate open campus and neighboring community forums and discussions prior to final commitments toward any major energy or building investments that will affect the carbon footprint of the campus. 

Reference: https://umaine.edu/facultysenate/whitepaperonumainecarbonemissions28april2022/

Vote: Approved

Motion to Establish an Administrative Leadership Position Focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Maine
Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee – May 2, 2022

PREAMBLE:
The University of Maine operates within one of the whitest states in America–94.4% white1— and is one of the whitest Land Grant universities. According to a February 2020 “DEI Master Document”2 presented by the University of Maine President’s Office, only 6% of all UMaine faculty and staff identify as any race/ethnicity other than white. Student populations are only marginally more diverse, with 12% of all graduates and undergraduates identifying as non-white. The same Master Document also outlines seven key goals of the University’s Diversity Action Plan:

Communicate clearly and affirmatively the University’s commitment to diversity;
Make substantial progress on our Affirmative Action goals;
Retain employees of difference;
Value diversity as an essential component of the curriculum;
Increase the percentage of undergraduate and graduate students of color;
Retain those students through degree completion; and
Offer programming to sustain a community of respect for differences.

While the establishment of these goals is an important and necessary first step, there has been little tangible action taken in service of them since that time. Many committees, subcommittees, and working groups have been established at all levels in the organization, but it is hard to quantify any real progress that has been made as a result. Further, these goals are not areas in which we have “small steps” to make, but rather leaps and bounds of needed improvement. As an example, for the pooled five years of 2014-2019, the 4-year graduation rate for white students was 41%, compared to just 17% for black students.3

Students from marginalized or underrepresented backgrounds are being left behind now and they cannot wait for a set of disparate, uncoordinated committees to attempt the impossible task of solving systemic issues of racism and exploitation that were baked into the founding of the university.4 The University of Maine must demonstrate sincere commitment and leadership in correcting systemic injustices and advancing the diversity and inclusivity of the campus. This can only be accomplished meaningfully and holistically through a senior administrative position with the appropriate qualifications, resources, and decision-making power to take consequential action.

The effectiveness of diversity leadership in the upper administration has been well-documented at other universities for many years now, including a 2016 article in the Chronicle of Higher Ed– The Struggle for Diversity Starts at the Top5— and a 2019 article in the same journal– Want a More Diverse Campus? Start at the Top.6In fact, the importance and value of this leadership is so widely recognized that nearly every single one of our Hanover Peers, state-wide peers, and regional peers has already created a provost-level or vice-president level position dedicated exclusively to

1 https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/ME
2 https://umaine.edu/president/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2020/12/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-master -document-updated -2-4-20.pdf
3 UMaine OIRA, Preliminary Ethnicity Data for President’s Council on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
4 https://www.landgrabu.org/universities/university-of-maine
5 https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-struggle-for-diversity-starts-at-the-top/
6 https://www.chronicle.com/article/want-a-more-diverse-campus-start-at-the-top/

DEI leadership. (See Addendum.) UMaine has only one staff member in its Office of Diversity and Inclusion (housed within the Division of Student Life) and a Vice President for Student Life and Inclusive Excellence (also Dean of Students). Compared to our peers, UMaine is failing to demonstrate that DEI is an indispensable core tenet of our mission and values.

It is acknowledged that faculty and other stakeholders have reasonable, valid concerns about the increasing number of campus- and system-level administrators and the resources that are pulled away from teaching and instructional activities as a result. A position such as the one proposed here should be created in a manner which does not further reduce funds allocated for faculty positions and instructional resources. However, we cannot allow concerns over the proliferation of administrators to overshadow the need for dedicated, qualified leadership in diversity, equity, and inclusion. The seven key goals that were stated in UMaine’s 2020 DEI Master Document cannot be accomplished by part-time efforts or siloed committees. They cannot be completed by well-meaning folks with a passion for the idea that something should be done. If there were easy answers or quick fixes, they would have been implemented already. The field of DEI research is as deep, varied, and challenging as any academic field to which we expect a lifetime commitment (PhD, tenure, PTR). The administrators leading DEI efforts at our peer institutions have education and experience in advancing collegiate DEI initiatives. It is long past the time that UMaine should have leadership with comparable expertise in this area.

As a final note, I will share an analogy from a workshop I attended last year called “Finding the Keys: Antiracist Approaches to Radical Recruitment in the Arts”. The workshop was led by Sharifa Johka, the former Director of Equity at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (now a national researcher and presenter in the area of active recruitment and hiring practices for diverse teams). Ms. Johka analogizes searching for diverse employment candidates and students to searching for your car keys. Imagine you were to get up and get ready to go to work one morning and then, right as you are about to leave, you realize that you cannot find your car keys where you thought you left them. For most of us, no matter how much of a rush we are in, we are going to keep looking for the keys. Even if it means we will be late, Finding The Keys is still a far preferable result to walking, calling a cab, or trying to catch public transportation at the last minute. We would certainly never just assume the keys don’t exist and carry on without them permanently.

We need to approach the recruitment of diverse faculty, staff, and students as we approach our car keys. If we are looking for those folks in the “usual” places and don’t find them, we cannot simply shrug and assume they don’t exist. We must dig through the couch cushions, look in the refrigerator, and do whatever it takes to reach them.

This is the type of intentional, educated, invested thought which we must dedicate to diversity, equity, and inclusion on our campus. Our DEI efforts must be led by someone with proven background, education, and experience doing this work. We must have dedicated leadership, with the resources and decision-making power to enact change.

MOTION:
Such that efforts toward the advancement of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Maine may be coordinated, efficient, and derived from modern, researched best practices, the Faculty Senate moves that the administration establish a position, at the Vice President’s level, exclusively for the function of setting and achieving DEI goals in the areas of recruitment, retention, and success for students, faculty, and staff.

Addendum:
DEI Leadership at University of Maine’s Peer Institutions

Hanover Peer Institutions

University of New Hampshire
Nadine Petty
Chief Diversity Officer and Associate Vice President for Community, Equity, and Diversity ● Started Aug 10, 2020

Ph.D. Educational Leadership and Organizational Development, University of Louisville ● Director of TRiO Student Support Services, University of Louisville, 2011-2015
Executive Director of Center for Diversity and Enrichment, University of Iowa, 2015-2020

University of Vermont
Amer F. Ahmed
Vice Provost for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Started July 1, 2021
Ed.D Adult and Higher Education, University of South Dakota Vermillion
M.A. Afro-American and African Diaspora Studies / Anthropology, Indiana University Bloomington ● B.A. Anthropology / Black World Studies, Miami University
http://www.amerfahmed.com/

University of Rhode Island
Mary Grace A. Almandrez
Associate Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer

Started March 2020
Ed.D Organization and Leadership, University of San Francisco
Certificate, Harvard Graduate School of Educational Management
Member of:

         ○ Steering Committee for the A-10 Commission on Racial Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
         ○ College Visions Board of Directors
         ○ Congressman Jim Langevin’s Diversity and Equality Advisory Committee

As of 3/22/22, accepted new position at Syracuse University

University of Idaho
Yolanda Bisbee
Chief Diversity Officer and Executive Director of Tribal Relations

Started July 2015
Director of The College Assistance Migrant Program, University of Idaho, 1999-2014 ● Ed.D Education, focus on familial support for Native American college graduates using an Indigenous Research Paradigm

South Dakota State University
Kas Williams
Chief Diversity Officer

Started May 21, 2019
Left Oct 27, 2021
Position currently vacant pending new search

University of Wyoming

Emily Monago

Chief Diversity Officer

Started 2017
Left September 2021
Position was elevated to VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion following her departure and a search began in December 2021

Montana State University
Ariel Donohue
Senior Diversity and Inclusion Officer

Started November 2018
M.A. Higher Education, Montana State University
Formerly Director and Program Manager of MSU’s Diversity and Inclusion Student Commons

North Dakota State University
No position, or could not find information

Maine Peer Institutions

Bowdoin College
Michael E. Reed
Senior VP for Inclusion and Diversity

Started March 1, 2018
Retired September 2021
Served as vice president, institutional initiatives at Dickinson College, where he was also chief diversity officer and deputy Title IX officer (2014-2017)
Served as vice president and a member of the senior leadership team at Williams College (2006-2014)

Benje Douglas
Interim Chief Diversity Officer

Started March 9, 2022
Joined the staff at Bowdoin in July 2014 as director of gender violence prevention and education
and Title IX coordinator
July 2020 – named associate vice president for inclusion and diversity and director of Title IX ● Elevated to Interim position following retirement of M. Reed

Bates College
Noelle Chaddock
Vice President for Equity and Inclusion

Started June 1, 2019
Left Summer 2021
Ph. D Philosophy, Binghamton University
M.A. Philosophy Interpretation and Culture, Binghamton University
Chief Diversity Officer at SUNY Cortland (2014-2016)
Associate Provost & Title IX Coordinator, Rhodes College (2016-2019)
Now works as freelance EDI consultant in Washington DC area

Bates is currently holding meetings with stakeholders to ensure the best version of the position / job description before launching a new search

Colby College
Tayo Clyburn
Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Started August 26, 2020
M.A. and a Ph.D. English, The Ohio State University specialized in 20th- and 21st-century African-American literature as well as critical race theory
Served at the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at The Ohio State University (during Ph.D studies) ● Previously Vice President of Inclusive Diversity and Equity and Chief Diversity Officer at St. Mary’s College of Maryland

Husson University
Sarah Dyer
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer (Office of the Provost)

Started January 2021
Ph.D UMaine, Higher Education/Higher Education Administration
Academic Advisor, UMaine (2016-2021)

Other Regional Peer Institutions

University of Connecticut
Franklin A. Tuitt
Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer

Started July 2020
M.A. and Ph.D from Harvard School of Education in administration, planning and social policy with a concentration in higher education.
Chief Diversity Officer, University of Denver (2015-2019)
In 2019, he received the National Association of Chief Diversity Officers in Higher Education Individual Leadership Award

University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Nefertiti Walker
Vice Chancellor for Equity and Inclusion, Chief Diversity Officer
Presidential Advisor for Equity and Inclusion for the University of Massachusetts (began Jan. 2022)

Started March 2021
Ph.D Sports Management, University of Florida
www.nefwalker.com
Supported by:

          ○ Emmanuel Adero
             Deputy Chief Officer for Equity and Inclusion
          ○ Eddie Gorry
             Equity and Inclusion Initiatives Coordinator
         ○ Ebru Kardan
            Senior Director of Diversity Communications and Events

Vote: Approved