CONSTITUTION &
BYLAWS
OF THE
WEST VALLEY-MISSION COMMUNITY COLLEGE DISTRICT
DISTRICT ACADEMIC SENATE
ARTICLE I
The
West Valley-Mission Community College District Academic Senate shall be an
organization in accordance with the provisions of Title 5 of the California
Administrative Code, Subchapter 2, Sections 53200-53205.
ARTICLE
II
The
purpose of this District Academic Senate shall be to assure that the faculty of
the West Valley-Mission Community College District have a formal and effective
procedure for participating in the formation of the West Valley-Mission
Community College District goals and policies on academic and professional
matters.
ARTICLE III
Membership
Section
1: Membership of the District Academic Senate shall be
limited to those certificated faculty who teach full-time or part-time, or
certificated faculty who do not perform any services for the District/Colleges
that require a supervisory or administrative credential and whose primary
responsibility is not management.
Section
2: The college faculty on the District Academic Senate
shall be represented by the full college Academic Senate of Mission College and
West Valley College, and the following additional members:
Two
(2) - Ex-Officio Non-Voting Delegates (Past District
Academic Senate Co-Chairs
One
(1) - Ex-Officio Non-Voting Collective Bargaining
Representative
Two
(2) - Ex-Officio
Non-Voting Classified Senate Representatives (1 from each
college)
Two
(2) - Ex-Officio Non-Voting Student Representatives (1 from each college)
Section 3: The
method of electing representatives will be in accordance with the constitution
and bylaws of each college senate.
Each college senate president will serve as co-chairperson of the
District Academic Senate. If a
college senate president cannot serve as a co-chair of the District Academic
Senate, then the college senate vice-president of that college senate becomes
the District Academic Senate co-chairperson.
Section 4: Elections
for the members will take place at the college level and will be defined in the
college senate's constitution and bylaws.
If the District Academic Senate co-chair(s) does(do) not meet the
minimum responsibilities as described in ARTICLE IV, the party(ies) may
be removed from his/her(their) office as District Academic Senate
co-chairperson(s). The college
academic senate vice-president will assume the office of co-chairperson.
ARTICLE
IV
Functions
Section 1: The
District Academic Senate
A. The District Academic
Senate shall serve as the official voice of the combined faculties of the West
Valley-Mission Community College District. Nothing in this charter shall deprive any college of its
right of direct access to the Chancellor or Board of Trustees in matters
affecting a single college or when the District Academic Senate refuses action.
B. The District
Academic Senate shall be called upon to recommend to the Chancellor and Board
of Trustees such policies that should be uniform throughout the District. Requests for academic policy decisions
will be made to the District Academic Senate by the Chancellor, by the Board of
Trustees or by the individual College Senates. Academic policies are defined as policies affecting
instruction, faculty development, and district goals.
C. The District
Academic Senate shall promote effective communication between the district faculty and the Board of Trustees,
administration officials, government and community organizations. Resolutions, advisories, and policy
positions will be conveyed to the co-chairs of the District Academic Senate.
D. The District
Academic Senate shall report to the respective colleges the minutes of every
meeting within ten instructional days.
Upon petition of a college senate (received within ten instructional
days of issuance of the District Academic Senate minutes) protesting any action
taken by this body, the matter referred to in the petition shall be
reconsidered by the District Academic Senate at its next meeting. Such matters will be referred to the
district faculty referendum (see Article V).
E. All District
committees with faculty representatives will have those faculty appointed by
the two College Academic Senates.
Any faculty committee member (appointed by the Senate) may be removed if
the member does not attend meetings on a regular basis, fulfill
responsibilities, or represent the faculty point of view as judged by the
appointing Senate.
F. The District
Academic Senate will establish district faculty committees or task forces and
will ratify the final recommendations of these bodies after review by the
District Academic Senate.
Membership on these committees shall represent both colleges.
G. The District
Academic Senate will keep the faculty of the district abreast of current events
in legislation pertaining to community colleges and information from the
Chancellor's office in Sacramento.
H. The Senate shall exercise
additional powers as shall be legally delegated to it.
I. The process by which
the District Academic Senate takes action shall be as follows:
1) Items approved by both College Academic
Senates shall be deemed approved by
the District Academic Senate.
2) Differences shall be resolved as
follows:
a) A reconciliation subcommittee consisting
of the two District Academic Senate
Co-chairs, plus two senators elected yearly by each College Academic
Senate will draft revised items for reconsideration by both College
Academic Senates.
b) In the event that the revised draft is
still not approved by both College Academic
Senates, either College Academic Senate may pass a resolution calling
for a special District Academic Senate meeting to discuss the particular
issue, or may determine to present its own minority report on the
issue.
Section 2: The
District Academic Senate Co-Chairperson will be responsible for the following:
1. Will meet all
responsibilities of Article IV, Section 1;
2. Will call District
Academic Senate meetings as needed.
3. Will attend all
State Academic Senate meetings - both Area and State Conferences;
4. Will attend all
Executive Council, pre-Board and Governing Board meetings;
5. Will coordinate
Senate committees.
Section 3: The
College Senate Vice-Presidents will be responsible for the following:
1. Will serve as
District Academic Senate Co-Chair in the absence of that
person's college Co-Chair;
2. Will attend all
Academic Senate Area meetings.
ARTICLE V
Referendum
Upon petition of 25% of the full-time district faculty
protesting any action taken by the District Academic Senate, the action shall
be submitted to a referendum of the entire faculty of the college. Such an action of the District Academic
Senate shall be nullified if disapproved by a majority vote of the total vote
cast (Full-Time faculty membership and Associate Faculty Senate officials).
ARTICLE VI
Amendment
Section 1: Amendments
to this charter may be proposed by the District
Academic
Senate.
Section
2: Charter
amendments qualify by a majority vote of the District faculty
voting (Full-Time Faculty membership and Associate Faculty
Senate officials).
ARTICLE VII
Ratification
The District Academic Senate is officially authorized
when the majority of the voting district faculty (Full-Time Faculty members and
Associate Faculty Senate officials) approve adoption of this charter.
Adopted May 28, 1993