Voting (4/26/02)
- Any vote on a departmental issue must be announced in advance. To assure that all eligible faculty members are given the opportunity to fully participate in the deliberative process, no vote on a departmental issue may be taken in the same meeting in which an issue is introduced.
- No vote on a departmental issue may be taken if less than a quorum is present; however, if a quorum is present and the vote has been preannounced, voting can take place and proxy votes will be counted in the final tally.
- Even in the case where a vote has been preannounced and a quorum is present, any faculty member present may request that a vote be delayed if he/she feels that the department should not vote in the absence of certain members centrally concerned with the issue. Such a vote for delay will require a simple majority to pass. If it doesn't pass, the vote will take place.
- At faculty meetings where no quorum is present, ordinary voting can take place on procedural issues and minor policies on a simple majority basis.
- Any ballot may become a secret ballot at the request of any faculty member present. The Chair is not required to get a majority vote from the faculty to convert the public vote to a private one.
- In an emergency situation, the Chair may call an unscheduled faculty meeting and call for a vote on a departmental issue as long as a quorum is present.