Chapter 1: Faculty Governance, Section III: Faculty
Council
E. Legislation
1.
The Secretary shall classify proposed legislation
as (1) of exclusive application and of primary interest
only to a single college or school, (2) of general interest
to more than one college or school (but not for submission to the
General Faculty), or (3) of major interest (for submission
to the General Faculty). In addition, any of these three types
of legislation may be classified as emergency legislation.
The Council may, by vote, reclassify any legislation. Specific
information on each type of legislation shall be included in the
By-Laws of the Faculty Council. (See Policy Memorandum 1.301.)
2.
Except in the case of emergency legislation, legislative
matters classified as of general interest to more than one college
or school (but not for submission to the General Faculty) or of
exclusive application and of primary interest only to a single
college or school shall be presented to the Faculty Council for
discussion, consideration, or action, providing notice thereof
has been circularized among its members on or before ten (10) calendar
days prior to the meeting at which the matter is to be presented.
The circularization procedure shall be described in the By-Laws
of the Faculty Council. (See Policy Memorandum 1.301.)
3.
Legislative matters classified as of major interest
may be presented to the Faculty Council for discussion or consideration
at any time. The Faculty Council shall not take action on such
legislation for at least twenty-one (21) calendar days after its
circularization, except in the case of legislation classified as emergency legislation.
The circularization procedure shall be described in the By-laws
of the Faculty Council. (See Policy Memorandum 1.301.) Any legislation
classified as of general interest to more than one college
or school (but not for submission to the General Faculty), approved
by the Council, but declared of major interest by the President,
shall be submitted for vote at the next regularly scheduled meeting
of the Council, with circularization as provided in paragraph 1
above.
4.
Proposed legislation may be initiated for consideration
in the Faculty Council by written petition addressed to the Secretary
by twenty-five (25) or more voting members of the General Faculty.
5.
In an emergency, a matter may be brought before
the Council without prior notice if a majority of those voting
consent.
6.
On matters within the province of UT Austin authority,
the actions of the Faculty Council and of the General Faculty constitute
recommendations to the President. All such matters shall be presented
and discussed at an Executive Committee meeting with the President.
Should the President be inclined to disapprove Council legislation,
or to approve it only with substantive change, the matter will
be returned by the President to the Council so that the Council
will have an opportunity to consider the objections and to modify,
withdraw, or reaffirm the original legislation before the President
acts on it. Within a reasonable time, the President will inform
the Council of the review that the matters have been given and
of the disposition that has been made of each recommendation. The
President shall also consult with the Faculty Council (or its Executive
Committee) whenever the administration proposes to take action
that significantly affects the faculty or the University's educational
mission so that the Council has an opportunity to respond prior
to such action being taken.
7.
Should the President object to any recommendation
of the Faculty Council or of the General Faculty that requires
the approval of the UT System Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic
Affairs or the UT System Board of Regents, he or she shall make
those objections known either directly to the Council or through
the Executive Committee so that the objections may be answered
and the Council may have an opportunity to modify, withdraw, or
reaffirm the proposed legislation before it is transmitted by the
President to the UT System Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic
Affairs. The final version of the legislation that is approved
by the Faculty Council or by the General Faculty shall be transmitted
by the President to the UT System Executive Vice Chancellor for
Academic Affairs and, if necessary, to the UT System Board of
Regents, along with such recommendations as the President and,
if necessary, the UT System Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic
Affairs may choose to make. At each meeting of the Council, the
President, either directly or through the Secretary, shall report
on all actions of the Council and General Faculty transmitted to
the UT System Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
and to the UT System Board of Regents and the action, if any,
taken on each. Differences, if any, between what the Council or
General Faculty recommend and what the UT System Executive Vice
Chancellor for Academic Affairs or the UT System Board of Regents
approve shall be noted and explained by the President.
