CONSTITUTION (Ratified by Faculty Council 10/13/17, Approved by Executive Faculty 5/9/19)
ARTICLE I
Name
The name of this organization shall be The Faculty Council of Washington University School of Medicine.
ARTICLE II
Purposes
The purposes of The Faculty Council shall be to promote the dissemination of information among its membership concerning important Medical School matters and to provide an open forum for discussion of these matters. Through its representatives to the Executive Faculty, the Faculty Council shall seek to participate constructively in the decision-making processes of the Medical School. Through its Faculty Rights Committee, it also provides a mechanism to assist faculty members in resolving conflicts with supervisors.
ARTICLE III
Membership
Section 1. The members of the Faculty Council shall consist of all full or part-time (employed by WUSM at ≥ 0.5 FTE) faculty members with the rank of assistant professor, associate professor, and professor, including heads of departments. It shall also include full or part-time (employed by WUSM at ≥ 0.5 FTE) instructors who have been instructors at this institution for at least three years.
Section 2. Voting privileges are extended to all members of the Faculty Council.
Section 3. The Faculty Council shall review periodically the criteria for membership and voting privilege.
ARTICLE IV
Amendments
Amendments to the Constitution and/or the associated By-Laws shall first be submitted in writing to the Executive Committee of the Faculty Council (ECFC) (see By-Laws). The proposed amendment must be sponsored by at least 10 voting members of the Faculty Council. Amendments approved by a majority vote of the ECFC must then be circulated to the Faculty Council as a whole for discussion by a process to be approved by the ECFC. A final version of the proposed amendment(s) must be again circulated by the ECFC to the Faculty Council as a whole at least 2 weeks prior to a vote. Voting can take place at a scheduled meeting, by regular mail, by electronic or other means, using a process to be decided upon by the ECFC. A majority of those voting shall be necessary to adopt the proposed amendment(s).
FACULTY COUNCIL OF WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE BY-LAWS
ARTICLE I
Officers
Section 1. Officers
a. Titles
The officers of the Faculty Council shall consist of the following:
- Chair
- Vice-chair
- Vice-chair-elect
All officers must be members of The Faculty Council. The position of Vice-chair-elect will be elected annually and will alternate between clinical departments / programs and preclinical departments / programs. In Year 2 the Vice-chair-elect will become the Vice-chair and in Year 3 will become the Chair.
b. Terms of Office
The term of office for the Officers is three years. Officers will be elected in staggered years, as defined in Article 2, Section 1c.
In the case of the absence or resignation of either the Chair or the Vice-chair, the Vice-chair shall assume the duties of the Chair, if applicable, the Vice-chair-elect shall assume the duties of the Vice-chair, if applicable, and the ECFC will elect a member of the ECFC to fulfill the balance of the Vice-chair-elect’s term. This person will be determined by majority vote of the ECFC. If the Vice-chair-elect cannot serve or perform the duties, the ECFC will elect a member or members of the ECFC to serve for the balance of the term. These persons will be determined by majority vote of the ECFC. In the absence of willing candidates, or at any time as it is determined to be necessary by majority vote of the ECFC, the ECFC may call a special election to fill the vacated position(s).
c. Rules Governing Elections of Officers (see Article 2, Section 2).
d. Duties
The duties of the officers shall be those ordinarily elected to such positions. The Chair and Vice-chair will automatically serve as the two Faculty Council representatives to the Executive Faculty of the School of Medicine.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, those individuals serving as the Faculty Council representatives to the Executive Faculty as of the date these Bylaws are approved shall continue to serve in such capacity until the expiration of their terms, at which time the Chair and Vice-chair will assume the role of Faculty Council representatives to the Executive Faculty and this sentence will be permanently removed from the Bylaws.
ARTICLE II
Committees
Section 1. Executive Committee (ECFC)
a. Composition
The Executive Committee shall consist of the following 17 voting members:
three officers (as defined in Article I, Section 1).
three members from the Pre-clinical Departments
six members from the Clinical Departments
two members from the Research Track and one member from the non-Departmental Programs (e.g., Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy) or Divisions (e.g., Biostatistics) of the School of Medicine
one representative from the elected School of Medicine representatives (“Divisional” or “at-large”) to the Faculty Senate Council
one representative from the Faculty Practice Plan Board representatives from the faculty-at-large
Non-voting (ex-officio) members will include the Dean, the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, and a representative from the Academic Women’s Network.
b. Terms
All members of the ECFC will serve for 3 years, in staggered years, as defined in sub-part c., as follows.
c. Rules governing elections
The officers of the Faculty Council (Section 1) and members of the ECFC from groups 1-4, Article II, Section 1.a will be elected by vote of the Faculty Council. Each year a new Vice-chair-elect, one member of the ECFC from the Pre-Clinical Departments, two members of the ECFC from the Clinical Departments, and one member of the ECFC from the Research Track Faculty/Non-Departmental Programs will be elected for a 3 year term to fulfill the composition of the ECFC as described above. ECFC members from the representatives to the Faculty Senate Council and from the Faculty Practice Plan Board will be determined by members of these groups, respectively, on an annual basis.
The officers and one additional ECFC member, to be appointed by the Chair and Vice-chair, will serve as a nominating committee and will be charged with developing a voting ballot. The nominating committee will consider and receive nominations from among those willing to serve for the various elected positions of the ECFC. The list of nominees will be circulated at least two weeks prior to the time at which elections will be held. The ECFC will establish procedures for voting. Elections may be effected by mail or electronic ballot.
Beginning the academic year after ratification of these By-Laws, the ECFC will determine the means by which these membership changes will be implemented over a 3 year period.
d. Review of composition
The composition of the ECFC as outlined above will be reviewed every 6 years and changed by majority vote of the ECFC to reflect changes in the Departments, Programs, or Divisions of the School of Medicine. The new composition will go into effect upon ratification by the Executive Faculty.
e. Powers and Duties
- To transact all business arising in the interim between regular meetings of The Faculty Council;
- To appoint and direct sub-committees;
- To call special meetings of The Faculty Council;
- To formulate the agenda for each meeting of The Faculty Council;
- To bring all important matters before The Faculty Council;
- To call an election to fill an unexpired term of any officer or member of the Executive Committee.
Section 2. Faculty Rights Committee
Scope and Process
The Faculty Rights Committee shall be responsible for reviewing grievances of faculty members employed by the School of Medicine that do not fall within the purview of another review committee (e.g., compensation review committee established under the Faculty Compensation Plan, Faculty and Administration Affirmative Action Committee, Advisory Committee on Tenure and Academic Freedom, or such other committees as may exist at the time). Grievances must be submitted in writing to the Chair of the ECFC. Upon receipt of the grievance, the Chair and the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs will determine whether the grievance falls within the scope of another committee, and if so will direct the faculty member to the appropriate committee. If the Faculty Rights Committee is determined to be the appropriate committee for the grievance, the Chair of the ECFC will convene the Committee after having ensured that consultation with the relevant division chief(s), department head(s), and/or the Dean has failed to resolve the matter.
The Faculty Rights Committee shall adopt procedures appropriate to the type of matter being reviewed. At a minimum, both the complainant and a representative of the relevant administrative unit (e.g., division, department) will be given an opportunity to present information orally and in writing if they desire. The Committee will report its findings and recommendations, if any, to the Dean and relevant department head(s). A copy of the Committee’s final report will be made available to the complainant.
In accordance with section VI.B.1.e of the Washington University Policy on Academic Freedom, Responsibility, and Tenure and section VI of the School of Medicine Appointments and Promotions Guidelines and Requirements, the Faculty Rights Committee shall also serve as the standing committee at the School of Medicine responsible for reviewing the claim of a faculty member that he or she has received inadequate or unfair consideration in terms of the relevant standards of the school in connection with nonrenewal or termination of his or her appointment. In such cases, the Faculty Rights Committee shall not substitute its judgment on the merits for that of the appropriate decision-making body.
B. Composition
The Faculty Rights Committee will be elected according to the bylaws of the Faculty Council. It will consist of:
The Chair and Vice chair of the Faculty Council, who shall serve as the co-Chairs of the Committee.
Three additional members – one elected each year for a three year-term.
Alternate members of the committee may be selected by the Chair and/or Vice Chair of the Faculty Council as necessary to avoid a scheduling or other potential conflict (e.g., where a regular member of the Committee is unavailable, the complainant is a member of the Committee, or the complainant is a member of the same division as a Committee member).
Department heads are not eligible to serve on the Faculty Rights Committee, and the committee ordinarily may not include more than one member from any department in the School of Medicine.
ARTICLE III
Meetings
Section 1. Faculty Council
a. Regular meetings
The Faculty Council will meet at such times as called by the ECFC but not less frequently than every 3 years.
b. Special meetings
Special meetings may be called on the request of the Chair or Vice chair, Executive Committee, or on the written request of ten voting members of The Faculty Council.
c. Quorum
A quorum shall consist of 25 voting members of The Faculty Council.
Section 2. Executive Committee
a. Regular meetings
Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be called by either the Chair or Vice-chair and shall be held monthly throughout the academic year – September through May, or at other times as deemed necessary by the Chair and Vice chair.
b. Quorum
A quorum shall consist of any ten members of the Executive Committee.
Section 3. Other Committees
Other committees shall meet as needed to complete their assigned tasks and responsibilities.
ARTICLE IV
Amendments
Proposed amendments to the by-laws shall be subject to the procedure for amending the Constitution (Article IV of the Constitution).