Modus Operandi for the Composition of Membership Slates and Ballots for Senate Approval

SENATE:  Revised May 30, 2016; April 7, 2014; April 8, 2013

The Senate Committee on Bylaws and Membership is responsible for the presentation of recommendations to Senate for membership on certain selection/review committees, Senate-elected representatives to the Board of Governors; the Member-at-Large to Chair the Senate Priorities and Planning Committee (SPPC); and the Council of Ontario Universities (COU) Academic Colleague and Alternate.

The Committee on Bylaws and Membership also uses the Modus Operandi in considering recommendations for membership on Senate Standing Committees and other committees as required/ requested through the Senate Priorities and Planning Committee.

It is the responsibility of the Committee on Bylaws and Membership to present to Senate the names of those who it feels will be most effective in these roles, and who will meet the confidence of the University community.

1. The Call for Nominations for a Slate or Ballot

When a slate or ballot is to be established for approval by Senate, a Call for Nominations will be distributed by the University Secretariat, according to the membership requirements of the committee. Nominations may be submitted in the form of first or second party recommendations, and need not come from Senators. Eligibility requirements for nominators and nominees shall be the same as those expressed in the Senate electoral regulations for faculty, staff and students. A standard nomination form will be available for completion. The form will request information on the person’s suitability for the position, using the factors outlined under section 2.e) below.
 
The Call for Nominations shall be posted on the University Secretariat website and shall be forwarded electronically to the following groups, according to the requirements of the committee in question: 

  • Students: through Senate, Student Senate Caucus, the Central Student Association (CSA) and Graduate Students' Association (GSA) as appropriate, College Student Governments, and the Office of Intercultural Affairs
  • Faculty and Staff: through Senate; the colleges, departments, and schools of the University (including the regional campuses); and employee groups
  • Alumni: through the University of Guelph Alumni Association (UGAA) 

2. Composition of the Membership Slate or Ballot, or Appointment to Committee 

  1. The Committee on Bylaws and Membership shall review each nomination carefully, and attempt to match the needs of the committee or position in question with the qualifications of the candidates under consideration. 
  2. While self-nominations are accepted, preference will be given to second party nominations.
  3. When preparing a slate or ballot, or recommendation for appointment, the Committee on Bylaws and Membership may consider individuals who have not come forward in the nomination process.
  4. The Committee on Bylaws and Membership will review the mandate of the committee or position in question to determine the criteria against which potential candidates should be considered.
  5. Factors to be considered in the composition of a membership slate are listed below. Not all factors will be important for every committee, nor are they listed in order of priority:
  • Diversity of membership consistent with the University’s equity policies
  • Expertise / background
  • Evidence of commitment to the mandate of the committee in question
  • Evidence of an ability to work in a consensus-based-decision-making environment
  • Representation from across the University (note: as per the Board of Governors’ Policy on University Appointments, faculty members for selection/review committees must come from different colleges or campuses of the University)

Note: In considering representation from across the University, the Committee on Bylaws and Membership is mindful that while individual members may bring the perspective of the constituency they represent, they are not selected as explicit representatives of those groups. Rather, the role of all members of the committee is to exercise independent judgement and, as citizens of the University, to advance the good of the University in all its diversity.

3. Presentation to Senate: Slate, Ballot, or Recommendation for Appointment  

Once the Committee on Bylaws and Membership has completed its recommendations, it shall present to Senate:

  • a slate of nominations for selection/review committees for approval by motion, or;
  • proposed appointments for COU Academic Colleague and Alternate for approval by motion, or;
  • a ballot for the election of representatives to the Board of Governors, or;
  • a ballot for the election of the Member-at-Large to Chair the Senate Priorities and Planning Committee
  • a slate of recommendations for appointment to a Senate Standing Committee and/ or any other committee as requested, for approval by motion  

The Committee on Bylaws and Membership may also take ballots rather than slates to Senate, if it deems this appropriate.

Any slate or ballot presented for approval or election by Senate shall indicate that nominations from the floor of Senate are accepted. See the regulations for Nominations from the Floor. In the event that a slate becomes a ballot, election shall be by the preferential voting method.

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