New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Standing Rules of the Institute Senate

 

 

Because of their special responsibility to help formulate and implement Institute policy, the Faculty and Professional Staff of NMIMT are organized into an Institute senate governed by the following Standing Rules:

    1. MEMBERSHIP
    1. Members of the Institute Senate are the Faculty, Professional Staff, and three student members.
    2. The Faculty consists of all lecturers, instructors, assistant professors, associate professors, and professors, including emeritus, visiting and adjunct faculty members, both full and part-time, except persons who are enrolled as students and/or are degree candidates at New Mexico Tech; the President, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, the Registrar, and the Director of the Library; and other members of the Institute Staff (excluding students and/or degree candidates) designated by the President to participate in the teaching program of the College.
    3. Professional Staff consists of principal administrators and persons engaged in scholarly work or scientific and technical work above the skilled technician level (excluding students and/or degree candidates).
    4. The student members if the Senate shall consist of the President of the Student body (or equivalent title), an undergraduate selected by the Student Senate (or equivalent body), and a graduate student selected by the Graduate Student Association (or equivalent body). In the event that student organization changes in such a way as to make this student selection process ambiguous, the Dean of Students shall determine the method of selecting student members.
    5. The roster of Faculty members, Professional Staff members, and student members of the Senate shall be compiled by the President and announced by the Secretary no later than the second meeting of each semester of the academic year. The Secretary shall keep an updated roster available for inspection at other times. Persons who are both Faculty and Professional Staff shall be listed as Faculty.
    6. Challenges of eligibility for membership shall be resolved by majority vote of the membership.
    7. Any vacancy in elective office shall be filled for the remainder of the term of office by a special election at a Senate meeting.
    1. MEETINGS
    1. Regular meetings of the Institute Senate shall be held at least twice a semester during the academic year, on call of the Chair.
    2. Special meetings may be called by the Chairman or his authorized representative, or by petition of one-third of the membership.
    3. A quorum for the transaction of Senate business shall be 15% of the membership.

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    4. Provision shall be made by the Secretary to ensure notification of all Senate members of the time and place of every meeting.

 

    1. CONDUCTS OF BUSINESS

      2. The rules of procedure shall be according to Roberts’s Rules of Order revised, with such modifications or amendments as may be now or hereafter included in the Standing Rules of the Institute Senate.

    2. AMENDMENTS
    1. The Senate may repeal or revise existing rules, or enact additional rules pertaining to its organization and procedures, by a two-thirds vote of the members present at any regular meeting.

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    2. Proposals for repealing, or revising existing rules, or enacting additional rules must be submitted in writing at a regular meeting previous to the one at which final action is taken.
    1. RECORDS

      2. The Secretary shall permanently record this document and all subsequent repeals, revisions of existing rules, or additional rules, and incorporate them into this document.

    2. THE STANDING COMMITTEES OF THE INSTITUTE SENATE

The following structure was adopted for the standing committees of the Institute Senate to discuss Institute issues and to make recommendations to the Senate and to the Administration. Each of the standing committees will be made up of a minimum of five members selected from the Senate membership by the nominating committee with advice and consent of the Senate. The nominating committee will be elected by the Senate. The officers of the Senate (Chair, Vice-Chair, and Parliamentarian) will serve as an executive committee of the Senate and be responsible for charging the standing committees with specific tasks referred to the Senate.

Institute Senate Standing Committees
    1. Academic Freedom and Tenure

      2. The committee will serve according to our rules governing academic freedom and tenure, or in matters relating to policy in this area.

       

    2. Sabbatical Leave and Professional Staff relationships

      3. The committee will review and make recommendations on sabbatical leave applications and deal with policy matters relating to sabbatical leave or other professional staff matters.

       

    3. Space Utilization and Campus Planning

      4. The committee will review and discuss policy relating to space utilization and campus planning.

    4. Budget, Funding, and Support Functions

      5. The committee will discuss policy regarding budget allocations and priorities, funding, both public and private, and those policy matters relating to support functions (business office, buildings, and grounds, etc.).

       

    5. Campus Life

      6. The committee will discuss policy matters relating to academic life as well as other matters dealing with student affairs, and work with the student government on matters such as activity fees, the student union, etc.

       

       

    6. Research

      7. The committee shall report to the Senate concerning research activities at New Mexico Tech.

       

       

    7. Ombudsperson

The Institute Senate may elect an ombudsperson and an alternate. The ombudsperson and the alternate must be Institute Senate members and be either tenured faculty, administrators, or staff members.

The ombudsperson can serve as an advisor and helper to an Institute Senate member during an informal grievance procedure. If an Institute Senate member has a grievance, he or she may consult the ombudsperson concerning employee rights, the legitimacy of the grievance, the proper office or officer to whom the grievance should be submitted, how or where to obtain relevant documents and information, and the nature of the grievance policy. The ombudsperson shall attempt to resolve the grievance to the satisfaction of the Senate member.

 

Duties and responsibilities

    1. Know the Institute policies, regulations and offices relevant to employee grievances.
    2. Direct an employee with a grievance to the relevant Institute documents and offices, and assist the employee in obtaining such documents and the cooperation of the Institute officers
    3. Assist an employee with a grievance to learn and understand Institute grievance procedures,
    4. Accompany the employee at conferences with supervisors and other officers of the Institute.
    5. Help the employee to communicate the nature of the grievance and to seek appropriate redress.
    6. Try to arrive at a satisfactory resolution of the grievance.
    7. The ombudsperson should offer to excuse himself or herself from working with an employee when there is a conflict of interest. In such a case the alternate ombudsperson shall serve.

Access and Authority:
    1. The ombudsperson shall have ready access to all levels of governance of the Institute and to all necessary information and documents.
    2. The ombudsperson shall be provided with secretarial help.
    3. The ombudsperson may attempt to persuade and inform the Administration on behalf of the employee.
    4. The Administration have the obligation to respond in good faith.
    5. The ombudsperson is not a legal advisor, and has no powers other than facilitation and persuasion.
    1. Nominating Committee

The committee will nominate members for the Senate standing committees other than the Nominating committee, officers of the Senate and/or nominations for Senate representation to non-Senate committees or groups. The nominating committee is elected from the Senate at large by written ballot, without nomination.

 

Other Senate Committee Obligations

In addition to its standing committees, the Senate names representatives to other working groups. These will vary from time to time. Currently they are:
    1. Cabinet (1)

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    2. Representative to the Regents (1)

Other Committees
    1. Each department or division designates one member of the library Committee.