As mentioned in my previous post, the Constitution of the Faculty of the University of South Florida identifies the officers of the Faculty Senate. But the Constitution leaves it to the Bylaws to specify each officer’s duties, term of office, and procedure for election.
The officers of the Faculty Senate include:
- President
- Vice President
- Secretary
- Sergeant-at-Arms
- Member-at-Large
- Parliamentarian
The President is elected by the Faculty Senate to a two-year term, the other officers to a one-year term. The Parliamentarian is not elected but instead is chosen by the President, with the only qualifications being that the Parliamentarian must be a member of the general faculty but must not be a Senator. (Because the Parliamentarian may not participate in debate or vote on motions, this non-Senator restriction ensures that a faculty unit won’t be losing its representation in the Senate.)
The President’s primary roles are to preside at Faculty Senate and FSEC meetings, to serve as the faculty’s representative on the USF Board of Trustees, and to serve as the official representative of the entire USF faculty to members of the USF administration. The Vice President performs the same roles whenever the President is unavailable.
The Secretary is responsible for the maintenance of all Faculty Senate records, including minutes of meetings. The Secretary is also responsible for managing Faculty Senate elections.
The Sergeant-at-Arms’ role is to ensure that a quorum has been reached for attendance at meetings, to verify that any proxies have been approved to vote in the absence of a regular Senator, to count votes in the case of roll calls or written ballots, and to maintain order at all meetings. The Sergeant-at-Arms also keeps track of meeting attendance to ensure that Senators are meeting their obligations.
The Member-at-Large provides an annual orientation session for new Faculty Senators and acts as the primary liaison between the full Faculty Senate and the Faculty Senate Executive Committee.
The Parliamentarian provides advice to the President or any other Senator on parliamentary procedures and serves as a member of the Constitution and Bylaws Committee when the defining documents need to be updated.