CUSF BY-LAWS
UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF MARYLAND
COUNCIL OF UNIVERSITY SYSTEM FACULTY
(Revised and approved by CUSF April 18, 2006, Revised and approved by CUSF on April 18, 2011, Revised and approved by CUSF on January 15, 2014)

Article I Authorization

1.1 These By-laws of the Council of University System Faculty (herein known as the Council) are adopted according to Article III, Section 3 of the Constitution of the Council and are subject to amendments as provided herein, Article 7.2

Article II Membership

2.1 Members of the Council are all those persons designated in the Constitution Article II, Section 1. All elected members are subject to the conditions stated hereafter, including removal procedures.

2.2 Membership of the Constituent Institutions will receive representation on the Council commensurate with the size of its full-time faculty as designated in the Constitution Article II. Section 3 and will be based on the following FTF:

1 - 250:                            2 representatives
251 - 750:                       3 representatives
751 - 1250:                     4 representatives
1251 - 1999:                  5 representatives
2000 or more:               6 representatives

2.3 Each USM institution shall elect a number of alternate members who are to be elected in the same manner that members are elected. Any member who must miss a Council meeting is responsible for briefing the alternate prior to attendance at that Council meeting. A USM institution shall be represented at a Council meeting by no more than its full complement of members. The number of alternate members shall not exceed the limits specified in the following table:
Members       Alternate member(s)
1-3                           1
4-6                           2

2.4 New Constituent Institutions may be granted representation on the Council based on the formula described in Article 2.2.

2.5 If any elected member is unable to finish a term or is absent from two consecutive Council meetings without prior notification to the Chair, the Executive Committee shall inform the member's constituency. The faculty of that institution shall decide whether or not to replace that member on the Council.

2.6 Each delegation shall appoint and identify to the Executive Committee one member of each campus as the delegation's "liaison". The responsibilities of the liaison are to report the actions of Council to the leadership of the campus faculty organization in a timely manner and to insure that the campus faculty organization is kept fully informed of Council's agenda, discussions, and actions. Campus Liaisons are also responsible for coordination and planning facilities, parking, and refreshments for Council meetings scheduled for their campuses. Additional coordinating functions may be assigned to a liaison by the campus faculty organization.

2.7 New members of the Council will begin their three-year term of office August 1 and attend the first subsequent meeting of the Council.

2.8 The first consideration of reapportionment took place in 1993. Reapportionment will occur every three years subsequent to publication of the University System of Maryland's Employee Data System (EDS) report indication the number of full-time faculty, including worldwide faculty, at each system institution

2.8.a. The Standing Committee on Membership and Rules will submit to Council a reapportionment plan prior to the December Council meeting

2.8.b. Reapportionment will become effective as provided in Article 2.7.

Article III Meetings

3.1 Regular Meetings: The Council shall schedule at least three meetings each semester of the academic year and during the summer months as necessary. The notice and agenda of the meeting shall be sent to the membership no later than five days prior to each regular meeting unless otherwise approved by the Executive Committee. In addition to the scheduling of regular meetings of the Council, the Vice-Chair of the council shall convene a meeting of the Chairs of the Faculty Organizations of the Constituent Institutions and the Executive Committee of the Council at least two times in each academic year. The Executive Committee of the Council will set the agenda for these meetings after consultation with the Chairs of the Faculty Organizations. At the discretion of the Executive Committee and/or at the request/petition of at least three Chairs of the Faculty Organizations, additional meetings may be scheduled and/or items of business can be placed on the council meeting agenda.

3.2 Special Meetings

3.2.a. Special meetings of the Council may be called in any of the following ways, with the matter(s) to be considered to be specific in the call:

(1) by the presiding Officer of the Council;
(2) by a majority vote of the Executive committee of the council;
(3) by petition of a majority of the elected members of the Council;
(4) by resolution of the Council.

3.2.b. The notice of a special meeting shall include the agenda and shall be sent to the members of the Council as far in advance of the meeting as possible. The agenda of a special meeting may specify a scheduled time of adjournment and provide information on adjourned meetings.

3.2.c. The scheduling of a special meeting shall depend upon the urgency of the matter(s) specified in the call, the requirement of reasonable notice, and the availability of the membership.

3.3 Openness of Meetings: The meetings of Council are open to all faculty of the University System of Maryland.

3.4 Rules for Procedure

3.4.a. The version of Robert's Rule of Order that shall govern the conduct of Council meetings shall be the most recent version of Robert's Rules of Order-Newly revised.

3.4.b. In full Council meetings, the Chair shall vote only to break a tie vote.

3.4.c. A quorum for meetings shall be defined as at least fifteen Council members and a majority of the Constituent Institutions represented.

Article IV Officers

4.1 Officers of the Council shall consist of the Chair, Vice-Chair and Secretary, elected as described in the Constitution Article III, Section 1. The term of office for all officers is one year.

4.2 Officers must be members of the Council at the time of their election. With the exception of the Chair, officers must be members during their term of office. In the case that the Chair's term as member extends into the term as Chair, that member's constituent institution shall name a replacement for that period.

4.3 Duties of the officers

4.3a. The Chair shall:

(1) Preside at all meetings of the Council and be responsible for supervision and execution of its business;

(2) Serve as the chief liaison between the Chancellor and the Council and the Board of regents and the Council;

(3) Attend all Board meetings, or send a designee;

(4) Serve one year as an ex-officio member of the Executive Committee with voice and vote as Past-Chair.

4.3.b. The Vice-Chair shall serve as acting Chair in the absence of the Chair and shall be responsible for other duties as assigned by the Council and/or Executive Committee. In the absence of both the Chair and Vice-Chair, another Council member may be designated as acting Chair by a majority vote of those members present.

4.3.c. The Secretary shall keep minutes and records of Council and assume other duties as delegated by the Chair and/or the Executive Committee.

4.4 Officers may stand for re-election for a second consecutive term and for any number of nonconsecutive terms.

4.5 Duties of the officers

4.5.a. The Chair shall:

(1) Preside at all meetings of the Council and be responsible for supervision and execution of its business;

(2) Serve as the chief liaison between the Chancellor and the Council and the Board of regents and the Council;

(3) Attend all Board meetings, or send a designee;

(4) Serve one year as an ex-officio member of the Executive Committee with voice and vote as Past-Chair.

4.5.b. The Vice-Chair shall serve as acting Chair in the absence of the Chair and shall be responsible for other duties as assigned by the Council and/or Executive Committee. In the absence of both the Chair and Vice-Chair, another Council member may be designated as acting Chair by a majority vote of those members present.

4.5.c. The Secretary shall keep minutes and records of Council and assume other duties as delegated by the Chair and/or the Executive Committee.

Article V Executive Committee

5.1 Membership and Election

5.1.a. The Executive Committee shall consist of the Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary, the immediate Past-Chair (ex-officio) and two Members of the Council elected at large (see 4.4). Between August 1 and the first meeting of the academic year, the Executive Committee shall consist of the new officers, the previous year's officers and the current at-large members. The immediate Past-Chair shall serve as a member of the Executive Committee for a period of one year.

5.1.b. At-large members of the Executive Committee shall be elected by the Council in accordance with the procedure established in Article VI. Each Council Member may vote for two at-large candidates. The term of office for at-large members is one year, with possibility for re-election for a second year.

5.1.c. The Standing Committee on Membership and Rules, with consent from the Council, will determine the electoral procedures, conduct the elections, and certify the results. Candidates for office may vote but will recuse themselves from the election process.

5.2 Duties: The Executive Committee shall:

a. Assist in carrying into effect the actions of the Council;

b. Act for the Council as provided for and subject to the limitations stated in 5.3.a and 5.3.b;

c. Act as an initiating body suggesting possible action by the Council;

d. Review the agenda for each Council meeting subject to limitations stated in Article 5.4;

e. Serve as a channel through which any faculty member of the University System of Maryland may introduce matters for consideration by the Council or its committees;

f. Prepare and submit concerns on the Council's work to the Chancellor and/or the Board of Regents;

g. Perform such other functions as may be given it in other provisions of the by-laws and the Plan of Organization.

5.3 Rules Governing Executive Committee Action

5.3.a. Where time or availability of the membership precludes a meeting of the Council, at the request of the Chancellor, the Executive Committee may act for the Council.

5.3.b. A report of all actions taken by the Executive Committee when acting for the Council shall be forwarded with supporting material, with the agenda of the next regular meeting of the Council. By written request of four Council members, received by the Chair prior to the regular meeting, any action of the Executive Committee may be placed on the agenda of the meeting as a special order. If any such item is not petitioned to the floor, it shall stand as an approved action of the Council.

5.4 Rules Governing Preparation of the agenda

5.4.a. The order of business for a regular meeting shall normally be as follows:

(1) call to order;

(2) approval of the minutes of the previous regular meeting and other

intervening special meeting(s);

(3) report of the Chair;

(4) unfinished business;

(5) report of system and committees;

(6) other new business; and

(7) adjournment.

5.4.b. For regular meetings, the Executive Committee shall consider all submissions for inclusion on the agenda. The Executive Committee may not alter a submission, but may delay its inclusion; may include it on the agenda of a special meeting; may submit the material directly to a committee of the Council; or may refuse to place it on the agenda if the material is inappropriate, incomplete, or unclear. By a majority vote, the Council may place any item on its own agenda. The party making a submission shall be notified of the action taken in this regard by the Executive Committee.

5.4.c. The order of business for a special meeting shall be as follows:

(1) call to order;

(2) statement by the Chair of the nature and origin of the call of the meeting;

(3) consideration of the matter(s) specified in the call of that meeting; and

(4) adjournment

5.5 Meetings of the Executive Committee: A quorum of the Executive Committee shall be three voting members. Minutes shall be kept and submitted as part of the report of the Executive Committee to the next regular meeting of the Council. The Executive Committee shall meet at the call of the Chair or by petition of three voting members of the Executive Committee.

5.6 The Council Budget: The Chair shall be responsible for the budget, consult with the Executive Committee on the preparation of the budget request, and shall report to the Executive Committee the funds received. The Chair shall make an annual report to the Council on expenditure. Consent of the Executive Committee shall be required before any change in the budgeted use of funds involving more than ten percent of the total may be undertaken.

5.7 Referral of Items to Standing Committees: The Executive Committee shall refer items to the standing committees.

5.8 In case of a vacancy on the Executive Committee, the Council will elect a new member who will serve the remaining unexpired term.

5.9 To the extent permitted by law and University system policy, the records of the Council shall be open.

Article VI Elections of Officers and At-Large Members of the Executive Committee

6.1 All nominations for Officers and At Large members of the Executive Committee will be made at the March general membership (or the next meeting if none takes place in March).

6.1.1 All individuals who accept nomination must send, within 10 days of the nomination meeting, a short paragraph describing their interest in a position and their experience.

6.1.2 The Nominations Committee compiles these statements and transmits them to the general membership of CUSF no later than five working days before the meeting following the nomination meeting.

6.2 Elections for members of the Executive Committee will take place at the general membership meeting following the nomination meeting.

6.2.1 Voting will be by secret ballot.

6.2.2 The winner for each position is the person who receives a majority of the votes of all members present and eligible to vote.

6.2.3 If there are more than two candidates for a position, and no candidate receives a majority of the votes, the person with the lowest number of votes in the ballot will be removed from subsequent ballots. The voting will be repeated in this way until one person receives a majority of the votes.

6.2.4 In case of ties for the candidate with the lowest number of votes, the same group of candidates will continue on the ballot until ties are broken.

6.3 If a position becomes vacant during an academic year, a special election is held at the next CUSF general meeting. Both nominations and voting takes place at that meeting using voting procedures described above. If the person filling the position serves for less than six months (measured from the day of election to the following August 1), that person may be re-elected to the same position for up to two terms.

Article VII Committees of the Council

7.1 The Council shall establish appropriate standing committees. These shall include, but are not limited to, committees charged to deal with membership and rules, fiscal matters, faculty concerns, educational policies and legislative activities.

7.2 Basic Charge: In its area of responsibility, each committee shall be an arm of the Council with the following powers:

7.2.a. To review or propose policies, procedures, plans and recommendations affecting the University System of Maryland that may be proposed by the Office of the Chancellor and/or the Board of Regents;

7.2.b. To review established policies, procedures, plans and recommendations and their administration and to recommend any changes in policies or their administration that may be desirable;

7.2.c. To recommend that the Executive Committee create ad hoc committees to address a particular issue.

7.3 Standing Committees - Reporting Responsibilities: Each committee shall be responsible through its presiding officer for the timely delivery of reports to the council. A report shall be presented at each Council Meeting.

7.4 Upon request of one or more members of a committee, the presiding officers of that committee shall include a minority statement with any committee report.

7.5 Standing Committees - Selecting Members: Persons shall be named to standing committees in accordance with the procedures listed below:

7.5.a. The Executive Committee shall solicit from members of the Council statements indicating the committee on which they would prefer to serve. Both the interest of the faculty and the needs of the committee will be considered.

7.5.b. Appointment to a standing committee shall be for one year with eligibility for reappointment. Terms begin with the beginning of the academic year.

7.5.c. Chairs of all standing committees and ad hoc committees are appointed by the Executive Committee or elected by the members of the committee.

7.5.d. Standing Committees shall consist of an appropriate number of members with the majority being council members. Non council members may be members of standing committees.

7.5.e. All appointments of the committee members are subject to review of the Council.

7.6 The Chair may appoint special ad hoc committees. These committees shall have specific tasks and shall operate for only the time required to complete the charged task(s). The Council by majority vote of those present may charge the Chair to appoint a special committee.

Article VIII Adoption and Amendments

8.1 Adoption:

8.1.a. The By-laws shall be presented to the Council and discussed at one meeting and voted on at the next meeting. There must be at least a 20-day interval between the two meetings.

8.1.b. The By-laws shall be adopted by an absolute majority vote of the Council and the Constituent Institutions.

8.2 Amendments: To the By-laws must be distributed at least 20 days in advance of the meeting at which they will be discussed. A vote on the proposed amendment(s) may not occur until at least 20 days after they are introduced to the Council.

8.2.a. Approval of an amendment requires an absolute majority vote of the members of the Council and the represented constituent Institutions.

8.2.b. Amendments may be proposed by the Executive Committee, individual Council members, and/or Constituent Institutions.