Senate Assembly

September 21, 2020

June 8, 2020 (Special Meeting)

Senate Assembly Notes and Remarks 6-8-20

April 20, 2020 (Informal Zoom Meeting)

Senate Assembly Agenda 4-20-20

March 16, 2020 (No meeting – Electronic Vote SACUA Election)

February 17, 2020

Senate Assembly Agenda 2-17-20

Senate Assembly Minutes 2-27-20

January 13, 2020

Senate Assembly Agenda 1-13-20

Senate Assembly Minutes 1-13-20

December 16, 2019

Senate Assembly Agenda 12-16-19

Senate Assembly Minutes 12-16-19

November 18, 2019 (Senate and Senate Assembly meeting| No quorum)

Faculty Senate|Senate Assembly Agenda 11-18-19

October 21, 2019

Senate Assembly Agenda 10-21-19

Senate Assembly Minutes 10-21-19

September 23, 2019

Senate Assembly Agenda 9-23-19

Senate Assembly Minutes 9-23-19

April 15, 2019 

Senate Assembly Agenda 4-15-19

Senate Assembly Minutes 4-15-19

March 18, 2019

Senate Assembly Agenda 03-18-19

Senate Assembly Minutes 3-18-19

February 18, 2019

Senate Assembly Agenda 2-18-19

Senate Assembly Minutes 2-18-19

January 28, 2019 (No quorum)

Senate Assembly Agenda 1-28-19

December 10, 2018 (Senate and Senate Assembly meeting| No quorum)

Faculty Senate|Senate Assembly Agenda 12-10-18

November 19, 2018 (Senate and Senate Assembly meeting| No quorum)

Faculty Senate|Senate Assembly Agenda 11-19-18

October 15, 2018 (Senate and Senate Assembly meeting| No quorum)

Faculty Senate|Senate Assembly Agenda 10-15-18

September 17, 2018

Senate Assembly Agenda 9-17-18

Senate Assembly Minutes 9-17-18

April 16, 2018 

Senate Assembly Agenda 4-16-18

Senate Assembly Minutes 4-16-18

March 19, 2018

Senate Assembly Agenda 3-19-18

Senate Assembly Minutes 3-19-18

February 19, 2018

Senate Assembly Agenda 2-19-18

Senate Assembly Minutes 2-19-18

January 22, 2018

Senate Assembly Agenda 1-22-18

Senate Assembly Minutes 1-22-18

December 11, 2018

Senate Assembly Agenda 12-11-17

Senate Assembly Minutes 12-11-17

November 20, 2017

Senate Assembly Agenda 11-20-17

Senate Assembly Minutes 11-20-17

October 23, 2017

Senate Assembly Agenda 10-23-17

Senate Assembly Minutes 10-23-17

Sept. 18, 2017

Senate Assembly Agenda 9-18-17

Senate Assembly Minutes 9-18-17

ACTIONS OF THE SENATE ASSEMBLY 02-17-20-1

Senate Assembly Committee Realignment Resolution

WHEREAS, Senate Assembly committees provide an avenue for faculty to address issues and concerns;

WHEREAS, Senate Assembly may create standing and special committees to assist it with its work;

WHEREAS, the Senate Advisory Committee on University Affairs (SACUA), on behalf of Senate Assembly, shall serve as an instrument for effecting the actions of the Faculty Senate and Senate Assembly; WHEREAS, issues that arise or demand attention change from time to time, requiring realignment of Senate Assembly committees to address current goals and needs.

BE IT RESOLVED, A new committee is established with a charge to address issues related to the Office of Institutional Equity, the grievance process, and implementation of sanctions. This committee shall be named the Committee on Oversight of Administrative Action (COAA).

BE IT RESOLVED, Committee on the Economic Status of the Faculty (CESF) is revised with an expanded charge to encompass topics such as campus climate and social well-being, while also serving in an advisory capacity to Academic Human Resources pertaining to faculty-life issues. CESF’s name shall be revised to Committee on the Economic and Social Well-Being of the Faculty (CESWF).

BE IT RESOLVED, Committee on Civil Rights and Liberties (CCRL), Committee for an Inclusive University (CIU), and Tri-Campus Committee (TCC) are merged and consolidated into one committee, the Committee for Fairness, Equality, and Inclusivity (CFEI). CFEI’s initial specific charge is to address issues of inclusion for all populations on the three campuses including Ann Arbor, Dearborn, and Flint.

BE IT RESOLVED, Financial Affairs Advisory Committee (FAAC) and Building, Facilities, and Infrastructure (BFIC), are merged into one committee, FAAC, addressing issues related to both financial affairs and building, facilities, and infrastructure.

BE IT RESOLVED, Rules, Practices, and Policies Committee (RPP) is designated as an ad hoc committee. Committee members shall serve for one year terms when assigned as specific needs arise. Resolution passed unanimously

ACTION OF THE SENATE ASSEMBLY 02-17-20-2

Motion: Senate Assembly approves conducting the 2020 SACUA elections electronically using the platform Simply Voting. Motion passed unanimously

ACTION OF THE SENATE ASSEMBLY 02-17-20-3

Whereas some forms of night-time lighting impede public safety and are a serious environmental concern, corresponding to forms of lighting that are a nuisance and serve no useful purpose, and are therefore defined as light pollution; Whereas, in particular, glare impedes visibility on roads and pedestrian walkways, creating a threat to roadway users, especially cyclists and pedestrians; and light trespass and skyglow disrupt human sleep cycles and are linked to multiple medical conditions; Whereas artificial light at night is also a major threat to the environment because it disrupts the natural ecosystem and generates energy inefficiencies that contribute to climate change; Whereas artificial light at night is also necessary to help ensure the safe performance of outdoor activities; Therefore, in order to: Minimize adverse impacts of light pollution in the form of light trespass, glare and skyglow; Protect the natural environment from artificial light at night; Promote energy efficiency; Foster an environment that supports and/or enhances nighttime activities serving the University’s missions in research, teaching, and service; Be it resolved that the Faculty Senate Assembly encourages the University to comply with best practices for minimizing light pollution that are recommended by the International Dark Sky Association and the Illuminating Engineering Society, by revising the U-M Design Guidelines and mitigating existing sources of light pollution as soon as is feasible. Resolution passed unanimously

ACTION OF SENATE ASSEMBLY 12-16-19

Committee on Civil Rights and Liberties (CCRL) Resolution to revise the Sexual Misconduct Umbrella Policy Passed with 2 abstentions.

ACTION OF SENATE ASSEMBLY 02-18-19-1

David, Markert, Nickerson Lecture Committee Be it resolved that a permanent DMN Academic Freedom Lecture Committee of the Senate Assembly be established with a charge to select the annual speaker for the DMN lecture and coordinate the programming elements.

ACTION OF SENATE ASSEMBLY 02-18-19-2

Resolution on Governance at all levels Whereas the principles of faculty governance apply to all three campuses across the University of Michigan as an institution; Whereas the Principles for Faculty Participation in Institutional Governance state that “Faculty members are encouraged to use these principles as a basis for ensuring their effective participation in governance at all levels; […] Agencies for faculty participation in the government of the college/school or university shall be established at each level where faculty responsibility is to be met. A faculty-elected campus-wide body shall exist for the presentation of the views of the whole faculty. The agencies may consist of meetings of all faculty members of a department, school, college, division, or university system, or they may take the form of faculty-elected executive committees in departments and colleges/schools, and a faculty-elected body for larger divisions or for the institution as a whole (Part A.5.).” Whereas faculty serve in a variety of roles, including through governance within committees, programs, departments, schools, colleges, institutes, divisions, and assemblies; Whereas the governance structures of the institution vary in number and type by campus; Whereas an instructional unit is most often a school or college, all Regentally established academic structures (i.e., disciplines, institutes, programs, departments, etc.) also function as types of units and are meant to be subject to the same principles of faculty governance; Be it resolved that the U of M Senate Assembly acknowledges the importance of faculty participation in institutional shared governance at every level of academic responsibility on all U of M campuses. This includes the faculty at the departmental and academic program or Discipline (Dearborn) levels. Faculty have the right and duty to develop and ratify internal procedures in accordance with the SPG ‘Hierarchy of Legal and Policy Requirements,’ and to establish mechanisms for their participation at those levels. Those best informed by disciplinary academic expertise should be able to make decisions according to the standards of governance established in the Regents Bylaws and Principles of Governance.

ACTION OF SENATE ASSEMBLY 02-18-19-3 TriCampus Committee Resolution on Due Process(pdf)

ACTION OF SENATE ASSEMBLY 02-18-19-4

• Absentee votes may be called by the Chair of the Assembly if an important and urgent matter arises that cannot wait until the next scheduled Senate Assembly meeting, including over the summer recess.
• Senate Assembly members may transmit their votes by e-mail to the Secretary of the Assembly or his/her designate (e.g. the Director of the Faculty Senate Office) or through a secure web-based platform such as may be set up for the purpose.
• The Secretary of the Assembly, or designate, shall be responsible for tallying electronic absentee votes. The Assembly will be notified by e-mail that an absentee vote be held. Voting will be open for a period of 5 business days from the date of notification. After voting closes, the Assembly will be promptly notified of the results of the vote. The quorum for an absentee ballot shall be the same as that for conducting a Senate Assembly meeting; currently 50% of Senate Assembly members.
• Electronic votes shall not be considered secret unless a secret ballot has been called for – e.g. election of SACUA members Senate Assembly members voting in person at an Assembly meeting shall not be permitted to vote electronically.
• The resolutions to be voted on electronically should normally have been discussed by the Senate Assembly prior to voting. A summary of any discussion should accompany the resolution

The motion carried with forty-five in favor, one opposed and one abstention

ACTION OF SENATE ASSEMBLY 09-17-18

Be it resolved that a permanent Tri-Campus Committee of the Senate Assembly shall be established with a charge to consider points of interest delegated to it by SACUA such as those that relate to the relationship between the three campuses or policies across the institution. The resolution was carried with one negative vote and one abstention

RESOLUTION 09-18-17-2

In light of the recent racially motivated attacks on members of our community, the University of Michigan’s Senate Assembly hereby affirms our collective commitment to open and civil discourse, equity, inclusion, and mutual respect extending to all members of all ethnic communities. We call on all members of the University of Michigan to unequivocally oppose and condemn all attempts to discriminate against, marginalize, or denigrate students, faculty, and staff based on national origin or ethnic belonging. Chair Ortega moved the resolution, which passed unanimously.

RESOLUTION 09-18-17-1

Be it resolved, that the Senate Assembly reconstitutes the Tri-Campus Faculty Governance Task Force for one academic year by electing at least 2 Senate Assembly representatives from each campus to form it.