By-Laws

• Preamble (Revised March 14, 2022)
  The mission of The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) is to educate and develop physicians, scientists, health care educators, nurses and allied health professionals; to advance knowledge through research; and to provide health care for the people of the State of Texas. Accomplishment of this mission requires a multitude of diverse efforts from The Faculty, Administrators, Students, and Support Staff comprising a large medical center. According to the Rules and Regulations of The University of Texas System Board of Regents (the Board of Regents Rules), teaching in the classroom, seminar, laboratory, clinic or ward, advancing our knowledge through various types of research, "performing curricular tasks auxiliary to teaching and research" and "influencing beneficially Students and citizens in various extracurricular ways" are the duties of the Faculty (Part 1, Chapter 3, Section 8.1). There are other responsibilities of the academic medical center that are designed to be performed by the Administration, the Students or support staff. Accomplishment of UTMB's mission thus requires effective communication and counsel among all elements of the University (Faculty, Administration, Students, and Support Staff). Therefore, to facilitate better communication and collaboration concerning campus-wide issues and to help achieve excellence in the previously described areas, an organized body of the Faculty at large, a Faculty Senate of UTMB (henceforth referred to as the Senate), shall be created to participate in the conception, review and/or recommendation of policies affecting UTMB at large under the Board of Regents Rules (Part 1, Chapter 3, Section 10.1). According to the Board of Regents Rules, the Faculty shall have the authority to make recommendations concerning matters of general interest and concern to UTMB and its five Faculty bodies (Part 1, Chapter 3, Sections 9.2 and 10.1). Section 8.3 (Part 1, Chapter 3) states "administration officers are expected to listen with an open and appreciative mind to criticism and suggestions coming to them from members of their staffs". In that respect, the Senate shall be available for consultation by the Administration during the planning of proposals which affect the overall policies, long-term objectives or use of major resources of UTMB. The Senate shall consider any matters referred to it by the Administration of UTMB or the Board of Regents. On its own initiative, the Senate shall submit questions or recommendations on any matter affecting the interest of UTMB to any major Administrators or Academic Leaders of UTMB.
  
• ARTICLE 1: Name of Body
  The body shall be known as the Faculty Senate (hereinafter known as the Senate) of The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB).
  
• ARTICLE 2: Purpose
  It shall be the purpose of the Senate to serve as the representative voice of the Faculty of UTMB to the Administration of UTMB and to receive and communicate ideas, reviews and recommendations of policies affecting UTMB as it relates to the welfare, academic opportunities and responsibilities of the Faculty. The UTMB Faculty refers to all persons in UTMB holding a Faculty appointment or a librarian appointment. The Senate shall provide two designated members (Chair, Chair-Elect) of the Senate to represent the UTMB Faculty on the University of Texas System Faculty Advisory Council.
  
• ARTICLE 3: Membership

  Section 1: Responsibilities of Membership
  
  The prime responsibility of the Senate shall be to represent the entire Faculty of UTMB concerning issues that pertain to the entire institution. In that respect, the Senate shall be comprised of Faculty who shall endeavor to advance the welfare of the entire institution. The Senators shall also be charged with bringing issues from the schools from which they are elected to the Senate and informing their schools about issues being considered by the Senate.
  
  Section 2: Composition of Membership
  
  Each school (Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, School of Health Professions, John Sealy School of Medicine, and the School of Nursing, and the School of Public and Population Health) at UTMB shall be represented in the Senate. The number of representatives from each school shall be as follows:
  
  Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, six (6);
  School of Health Professions, five (5);
  John Sealy School of Medicine, ten (10);
  School of Nursing, five (5);
  School of Public and Population Health, three (3).
  

  
  Section 3: Eligibility for Membership
  
  All Faculty members ranging from Instructor to Professor, as defined by the Regent's Rules, shall be eligible for membership in the Senate. Each School shall decide which other academic ranks shall qualify individually for eligibility for membership in the Senate. In the event the Faculty member has joint responsibilities in two or more schools within UTMB, the faculty member shall represent the school he or she was elected (i.e. SOM or GSBS) in the Senate. Furthermore, each School shall decide, on an individual basis, about the eligibility of department chairs or other administrators to serve in elected positions representing the Faculty.
  
  Section 4: Election Procedure for Senate Members
  
  In June of each academic year, the appropriate number of Senate representatives shall be elected by the Faculty of each school at UTMB. The outgoing Chair of the Senate shall notify the Dean of each School that such an election shall be held and indicate the appropriate number of representatives to be chosen. The nomination and election process shall be monitored by the incumbent Senate members, and shall follow the following procedures: 1.) Candidates shall be nominated by the Faculty of each School; 2.) Those candidates receiving the highest number of votes shall be elected; and, 3.) The Deans of the schools shall inform the outgoing Chair of the Senate of the election results prior to the August Senate meeting. The Faculty Senate Chair will announce the election results to the Senators.
  
  Section 5: Term of Office for Senate Members
  
  Term of office for Senate members shall be two years commencing in September of the year elected. A maximum of two full consecutive two-year terms shall be allowed for each member of the Senate. Exceptions are allowed if a Senator is elected as Chair-Elect or Chair, necessitating a third term on the Senate. After serving two full consecutive two-year terms, a Faculty member may be re-elected in any but the immediate election cycle. Senators elected to fill an unexpired term can be elected to a maximum of 2, 2 year terms following the completion of the partial term.
  
  Section 6: Vacancies of Senate Members
  
  Vacancies on the Senate that occur before regularly scheduled elections shall be filled by a special election called by the Faculty of the School with the vacancy. If a senator is unable to attend more than three consecutive meetings per year, he or she shall either rescind the position or request a temporary replacement. As early as possible, the Senator shall send a formal letter to the Chair of the Senate explaining the situation. The Chair of the Senate and the majority of the Executive Committee of the Senate (Past Chair, Chair-Elect and Committee Chairs) shall determine what action is necessary to ensure the Senator's School has the representation required. When the decision for action has been made, the Chair of the Senate shall inform both the appealing Senator and the Dean of the affected School of the need for either an interim replacement or another Faculty to fulfill the remaining obligations of the Senate term. Once an interim Senator has been elected by the Faculty of the affected School, the Chair of the Senate shall be informed. A Faculty member of the United States military shall not lose his or her position on the Senate during deployment. An interim replacement, preferably a previous Senator, shall temporarily fulfill the obligations of the deployed Faculty. Upon return of the deployed Faculty, the interim Senator shall update the returning Faculty on the activities that occurred during that deployment.
  
  Section 7: Loss of Senate Appointment
  
  Any member of the Senate, other than an ex officio, who has been absent from three consecutive scheduled meetings or four total meetings during the Senate year (September through August) shall forfeit the position. There will be no excused absences. A replacement for the Senator shall be chosen by the procedure for filling vacancies described in Article 3, Section 4 of the Bylaws. The newly-elected Senator shall assume responsibilities at the first regularly scheduled Senate meeting following his/her election. The Chair of the Senate shall monitor attendance and implement procedures leading to loss of appointment and replacement.
  
  Section 8: Ex Officio Membership
  
  In addition to the immediate past chair of the Senate, the following individuals shall serve as ex officio members of the Senate: The President and Provost of UTMB or their designees. The Deans of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, School of Health Professions, John Sealy School of Medicine and School of Nursing, School of Public and Population Health or their designees.  Designees shall be a member of the UTMB faculty.  Other members of the UTMB Faculty may be invited to serve as ex officio members by the Executive Committee of the Senate. Ex officio members of the Senate shall not be eligible to vote or hold a Faculty Senate office.
  
  

• ARTICLE 4: Officers of the Senate
  Section 1: Qualifications
  
  All members of the Senate, except ex officio members, shall be eligible to be elected as officers of the Senate.
  
  Section 2: Chair-Elect
  
  The duties of the Chair-Elect of the Senate shall be to preside at meetings and otherwise carry out the duties of the Chair in his/her absence. The Chair-Elect shall be a three year term of office (Chair-Elect, one year; Chair, one year; Past-Chair, one year). The Chair-Elect shall not be from the same School as the Chair. The Chair-Elect shall have the same voting privilege as other members of the Senate. The Chair-Elect shall serve on the UT System Faculty Advisory Council as one of UTMB's representatives. The Chair-Elect will review the Bylaws annually, during his or her tenure as the Chair-Elect. Suggestions for revision will be brought to the Senate for discussion and voting. The Chair-Elect will be the co-chair of the University Committee and be responsible for obtaining information on pending and completed IHOP updates affecting faculty interests from the Office of Institutional Compliance. The Chair-Elect will be chosen from a rotation of the schools represented in the Senate, and in this order: School of Health Professions, Graduate School of the Biomedical Sciences, School of Nursing and John Sealy School of Medicine, School of Public and Population Health. If no Senators are willing to serve for the Chair-Elect position, the nominations will rotate to the next school in line.
  
  Section 3: Chair
  
  The duties of the Chair shall include presiding at meetings of the Senate, chairing the Executive Committee of the Senate, calling special meetings of the Senate, appointing Senate members to standing committees and ad hoc committees, serving as ex officio member of all Senate Committees without vote, approving minutes prior to distribution, preparing a year-end report, otherwise facilitating the activities of the Senate, and representing the Senate to the Administration of UTMB and at other appropriate institutional activities. The term of office shall be one full year. The Chair shall only be permitted to vote in the case of a tie. The Chair shall serve on the UT System Faculty Advisory Council as one of UTMB's representatives. After the completion of the one year term of office, the Chair shall serve as the Immediate Past Chair on the Executive Committee of the Senate.
  
  Section 4: Immediate Past Chair
  
  The Immediate Past Chair of the Senate shall continue to serve on the Senate as an ex officio member and advisor for one year after expiration of his or her term as Chair and shall also serve on the Executive Committee. The Immediate Past Chair shall have privileges of the floor, but shall not have the right to vote. The Immediate Past Chair shall serve as an alternate to the UT System Faculty Advisory Council as one of UTMB's representative if either the Chair or Chair-Elect is unable to attend.
  
  Section 5: Election of Officers
  
  The Chair-Elect shall be elected by the Senate at its July meeting for a term of three years (one year each as the Chair-Elect, Chair, Immediate Past-Chair). In the event the Chair does not complete his/her term of office, the Chair-Elect shall succeed to that office. In the event the Chair-Elect does not complete his/her term of office, the Senate shall elect a member of the Senate to serve out the remainder of the term of office, by nomination and vote. The new Chair-Elect shall not be from the same School as the Chair.
  
• ARTICLE 5: Meetings of the Senate
  Section 1: Regular Meetings of the Senate
  
  Regular meetings of the Senate shall be held monthly.
  
  Section 2: Special Meetings of the Senate
  
  Special meetings of the Senate may be called by: 1.) the Senate Chair; 2.) written request of three or more members of the Senate; and/or 3.) petition by 25 or more Faculty members of UTMB. Notice of special meetings shall be sent by the appointed Executive Secretary of the Senate to all members of the Senate with the notice containing the purpose, time, and place of the special meeting. Ordinarily, at least five working days must elapse between the time the notice has been emailed and the date of a special meeting.
  
  Section 3: Meetings of the Entire Faculty of UTMB
  
  The Chair of the Senate shall call and preside over the Annual Meeting of the entire University Faculty each year. An agenda shall be distributed by the Executive Secretary of the Senate at least five working days before the meeting. The purpose of the Annual Meeting shall be: to report upon the activities of the Senate, to discuss issues pertaining to the entire UTMB Faculty and to receive requests or motions from any of the School Assemblies.
  
  Special meetings of the entire UTMB Faculty may be called by a petition of at least 50 of the Faculty of UTMB. Notice of special meetings shall be sent by the Executive Secretary of the Senate to all members of the Faculty with the notice containing the purpose, time, and place of the special meeting. Ordinarily, at least five working days shall elapse between the time the notice is emailed and the date of a special Faculty meeting.
  
  Section 4: Quorum
  
  Each School shall have at least one elected representative present at each Senate meeting for business to be conducted. A quorum of the Senate shall be fifty percent of the membership (14 Senators). Attendance shall be kept by the Executive Secretary of the Senate.
  
  Section 5: Open Meetings of the Senate
  
  Meetings of the Senate shall be open to members of the Faculty or Administration, who are not ex officio without right of participation. With a concurrence of a majority of the Senate members present, those individuals shall then have the right to participate in the discussion but may not vote.
  
  Section 6: Invited Guests
  
  Members of the Faculty or the Administration may be invited by the Senate Chair to attend meetings when subjects related to their fields are under discussion. With a concurrence of a majority of the Senate members present, those individuals shall then have the right to participate in the discussion but may not vote.
  
  Section 7: Voting Procedures
  
  Votes during meetings shall be by a show of hands. A secret ballot shall be required on any vote, if requested by at least five senators. Voting for Chair-Elect is by secret ballot of the Senators present and will be counted by an Executive Committee member and the staff support.
  
  Section 8: Agenda of the Senate
  
  The agenda for each regular meeting of the Senate shall be distributed to the members of the Senate, and the meeting time and place shall be announced at least five working days in advance of the meeting date.
  
  Section 9: Communications of the Senate
  
  The Executive Secretary of the Senate (provided by the UTMB Administration) shall prepare the minutes of each meeting of the Senate and send copies to each member of the Senate (five working days prior to the meeting). Other communications shall be facilitated by the Executive Secretary. The Chair of the Senate and each Committee Chair shall prepare an annual report that describes the major activities undertaken that year (September-August) of the Senate and the initiatives that shall be considered for the next year. The annual report shall be submitted to the entire Faculty and the President of UTMB.
  
  Section 10: Administrative Support for the Senate
  
  The President of UTMB shall provide the Senate with financial support, an Executive Secretary and office space/equipment for that individual to perform the duties required by the Senate.
  
  Section 11: Procedural Rules of the Senate
  
  Meetings of the Senate shall be governed by the most recent edition of Robert's Rules of Order. A parliamentarian, appointed by the Chair, shall be final arbitrator of the Rules. Suspension of the Rules of Order shall require a majority vote of those present. The Parliamentarian shall serve for one year. The most recent edition of Robert's rules shall be available to the Parliamentarian upon assumption of office by the Executive Secretary.
  
  Section 12: Closure of Debate in the Senate
  
  Debate shall be closed by a two-thirds vote of the Senators present or a move to "Call the Question" from a Senator.
  
• ARTICLE 6: Committees
  Standing committees shall be established that are functionally related to the purpose and responsibilities of the Senate as delineated in Article 2. Except for the Executive Committee, the members of the standing committees shall be appointed by the Chair or Chair-Elect of the Senate, with at least one Senator from each School. The members shall be drawn from the Senate. Each Standing committee shall have a Chair, and a minimum of five voting members. All voting committee members must be Senators. Each committee shall select a chair and co-chair. It is expected that the co-chair will assume the committee chair's duties the following year, to enable committee continuity. The Chair shall attend the Executive Committee meetings. In the Chair's absence, the Co-Chair shall attend the Executive Committee meeting. The Committee Chair's term of office shall be one year. Individual committees may select ad hoc, non-voting members to serve as needed. The deliberation process and criteria used by the committees shall be consistent with the Rules and Regulations of the Board of Regents of the University of Texas System and the UTMB Handbook of Operating Procedures.
  
  Section 1: Executive Committee of the Senate
  
  The Executive Committee of the Senate shall be comprised of the Chair, the Chair-Elect, the Immediate Past Chair, the Parliamentarian, and the Chairs of the Clinical Mission, Education Mission, Research Mission, and University Affairs Committees or, in the absence of the Chair, the Committee Co-Chair. If a School is not represented among those Committees or officers, additional members shall be recruited from whichever School lacks representation. At the institutional level, the Executive Committee of the UTMB Senate shall serve as the primary committee to foster participation in Faculty governance. The Executive Committee shall be the primary representative of interests that pertain to the entire UTMB Faculty. Those interests shall be communicated directly to the President, Vice Presidents or other key Administrators of UTMB. The Executive Committee shall formulate a position or positions on matters referred by the President; on matters generated within any of the constituent Schools or their Faculties; or on matters generated within the Senate. Recommendations from the Senate shall be forwarded to the President, Vice Presidents, and other key Administrators of UTMB in writing. The Executive Committee shall establish other committees as needed, either permanent or ad hoc.
  
  Section 2: Clinical Mission Committee
  
  The Clinical Mission Committee of the Senate shall discuss issues and make recommendations related to opportunities, expectations, performance evaluations, and compensation of faculty contributing to the clinical mission of UTMB.
  
  Section 3: Education Mission Committee
  
  The Education Mission Committee of the Senate shall discuss issues and make recommendations related to opportunities, expectations, performance evaluations, and compensation of faculty contributing to the education mission of UTMB.
  
  Section 4: Research Mission Committee
  
  The Research Mission Committee of the Senate shall discuss issues and make recommendations related to opportunities, expectations, performance evaluations, and compensation of faculty contributing to the research mission of UTMB.
  
  Section 5: University Affairs Committee
  
  The University Affairs Committee of the Senate shall be composed of the Chair-elect of the Senate and representatives from each School, appointed as described in the introduction to Article 6. The committee shall discuss broad university issues affecting all faculty and make recommendations to the Senate regarding faculty interests. General categories include, but are not limited to 1) governance; 2) faculty status, rights and responsibilities; 3) administrative policies and priorities including strategic planning; and 4) revisions to the institutional handbook of operating procedures (IHOP). The Chair-elect of the Senate will be responsible for obtaining information on pending and completed IHOP updates affecting faculty interests from the Office of Institutional Compliance.
  
• ARTICLE 7: Amendments
  Proposed amendments to the Bylaws may be received from one or more of the Faculty Assemblies at UTMB or any member of the Senate at a regular meeting. Upon a majority vote of the members present, the proposed amendment(s) shall be submitted by the Chair of the Senate and Executive Secretary to all members of the UTMB Faculty by email. Amendments approved by a two-thirds majority of responses returned within 10 working days of the mailing shall become effective immediately. Faculty shall vote on the Amendment and return it to the Executive Secretary within 10 working days. The Executive Secretary shall inform the Chair of the Senate of the total number of responses and the number in favor.
  
• Standing Rules Accepted April 10, 2000 (Revised March 14, 2022)

  Rule 1. Robert's Rules of Order
  The rules contained in the current edition of Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised, shall govern the Faculty Senate in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with the bylaws of the organization and these standing rules.
  

  Rule 2. Purpose
  The Senate shall serve as the voice of the UTMB Faculty with respect to (but not limited to):
  

  1. Input on University policies of general Faculty concern such as promotion, tenure, workload, budget, etc.
  2. Receive input from Faculty and University administration on matters of general Faculty concern such as uniform application of University policies and procedures.
  3. Representation at the University of Texas System level via membership of the Chair and Chair-Elect on the System Faculty Advisory Council.
  
  

  Rule 3. Membership and Responsibilities
  Members of the Faculty Senate shall be elected from all Faculty members ranging from Instructor to Professor as defined by the Regents' Rules. If other academic ranks are utilized by individual Schools, they may be eligible for Senate membership. All Senators will be expected to:

  
  1. Act collectively as the representative voice of the UTMB Faculty on matters of general Faculty concern.
  2. Strive to adopt a broad perspective that transcends the interests of an individual School.
  3. Engage in open communication with the UTMB administration and Faculty on policy and/or procedural matters affecting the Faculty.
  4. Be responsible for obtaining opinions on issues and transmitting the concerns of their individual School Faculty constituencies to the Senate.
  5. Be knowledgeable about communications from the UTMB administration via participation in University-wide meetings and information communicated via e-mail and hard copy.
  6. Engage in public University discussions that model proactive and responsible behaviors.
  7. Serve as one of 26 members representative of UTMB Faculty from the following Schools:
  
  Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, 6 Senators
  School of Health Professions, 5 Senators
  John Sealy School of Medicine, 10 Senators
  School of Nursing, 5 Senators
  School of Public and Population Health, 3 Senators
  
  
  8. Be elected by the Faculty of the School in which the primary appointment is held, prior to assuming Senate membership in September for a term of two years. A senator may be re-elected to a second term. An individual Senator is not eligible to serve more than 2 consecutive terms. Exceptions to this are allowed if a Senator is elected as Chair-Elect or Chair. Following the second consecutive term, the Faculty member may not be considered as a candidate for the Senate until one election cycle has been completed.
  9. Notify the Chair of the Senate and the Executive Committee of the Senate in writing of his/her inability to complete the elected term of office. In such case, the Chair of the Senate shall notify the Dean of the individual School and a special election of a new Senator shall ensue. The new Senator shall complete the person's term of office. The Chair of the Senate shall be notified of the results of the election by the Dean and the new Senator shall assume responsibilities at the first regularly scheduled Senate meeting following his/her election.
  10. Forfeit appointment if absent from three consecutive scheduled meetings OR four total meetings during the calendar year. This rule does not apply to ex officio members. In the event of removal of a Senator for failure to attend meetings, a special election as outlined in Rule Number 12 shall be held. There will be no excused absences.
  11. The Chair of the Senate shall monitor attendance and implement procedures leading to loss of Senate appointment and replacement. The procedure is: a. Formal written notification by the Chair of the Senate to the Senator and to the Dean of the School represented by the individual. b. The School that the Senator represents shall hold a special Faculty election to choose an individual to complete the person's term of office. The Chair of the Senate shall be notified of the results of the election by the Dean of that School. The newly elected senator is eligible for re-election for 2 full terms. c. The newly elected Senator shall assume responsibilities at the first regularly scheduled Senate meeting following his/her election.
  12. Ex officio members of the Senate are comprised of: The President of UTMB or designee, the Vice-Presidents of UTMB or their designees, the Deans of the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, School of Health Professions, School of Medicine and School of Nursing or their designees and the immediate past Chair of the Senate.
  13. Ex officio members of the Senate shall not be eligible to hold office.
  14. Other Ex officio members may be appointed by the Executive Committee of the Senate as needed.
  
  

  Rule 4. Voting

  1. The ex officio members may have voice but shall not vote.
  2. The Chair of the Senate shall not vote except in the case of a tie.
  3. The Chair of the Senate shall be an ex officio member of all Senate committees without vote.
  4. The Chair-Elect shall preside in the absence of the Chair of the Faculty Senate.
  5. The Chair-Elect shall be able to vote unless assuming the duties of the Chair.
  6. Voting on any motion considered by the Senate shall be by show of hands. A motion is carried by simple majority vote of those Senators present with the exceptions of limiting discussion by a Senator, limiting or extending discussion by the Senate and suspension of any Senate rule. These exceptions require two-thirds vote of all Senators present.
  7. Voting by secret ballot shall be allowed if requested by a minimum of five Senators; voting for chair-elect shall be done by secret ballot.
  8. Proxy voting shall not be permissible.
  9. Written ballots shall be counted by a minimum of two Senators. Ballots shall be destroyed at the end of the meeting at which the vote was taken.
  
  

  Rule 5. Regular Senate Meetings
  

  1. Any Faculty member of UTMB may speak to a topic or participate in the Senate discussion without vote at the Faculty Senate meeting, following the same rules for discussion as Senators.
  2. The Senate shall allow invited speakers a sufficient amount of time, as stipulated on the agenda, for an adequate presentation and a question and answer period as needed.
  3. In order to conduct Senate business, a quorum of 13 Senators (50% of members) shall be present with a minimum of at least one Senator from each of the four Schools (Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, School of Health Professions, School of Medicine, School of Nursing) in attendance.
  4. Motions made during meetings shall be clearly articulated by the maker of the motion, the chair, or the parliamentarian prior to discussion or debate.
  5. If during the course of any discussion it is believed that additional time spent on the topic would be unproductive, Senators shall make a motion to terminate discussion.
  6. Senators seeking parliamentary inquiry or raising a point of order shall be appropriately recognized by the Chair. The Parliamentarian's interpretation of the Senate Bylaws and Robert's Rules Newly Revised shall prevail to settle the question.
  7. Items for the Senate's monthly meeting shall be submitted to the Chair of the Senate until 4 p.m. on the last working day prior to the Senate's monthly meeting. Those submitting agenda items shall also include an estimate of the amount of time that will be required to cover each item. The Chair shall advise the Executive Secretary of the Senate (provided by the UTMB Administration) who shall place the topic and estimated time on the agenda. The parliamentarian shall call time based on the written agenda.
  8. Any substantive topic not of emergency nature, nor one previously forwarded to the Chair for inclusion in the Senate agenda, may be introduced by an individual delegate at the beginning of the meeting and shall receive a two-thirds vote of the Senators present for consideration. This vote is non-debatable. Should the Senators support consideration of the proposal, it shall be entertained under new business and requires a two-thirds vote by the Senators for adoption.
  9. A non-Senator may add an unscheduled topic to the agenda at the start of the Senate meeting if the agenda permits. In such a circumstance there shall be a time limit of five minutes for presentation/discussion of the topic. Generally, a non-Senator shall inform the Chair, in advance of a meeting, of his/her wish to speak and the Chair shall inform the non-Senator of the time and maximum length of the presentation and provide any other information that may be helpful. The Chair shall also communicate with the non-Senator at a later date, to discuss actions taken or new information gained about the matter on which the non-Senator addressed the Senate.
  10. Emergency proposals may be brought before the Senate at the beginning of its regular meeting but must receive a two-thirds vote of the Senators present in order to reach the floor for consideration. Emergency considerations brought at times other than regularly scheduled Senate meetings shall be submitted to the Chair of the Senate who may call a special meeting of the Senate. Notice of the special meeting shall be sent by the Executive Secretary of the Senate. Ordinarily, five working days must elapse between the time the notice has been mailed and the date of a special meeting.
  11. The Chair shall limit the amount of time allotted for discussion of topics placed on the agenda based on the number of items scheduled at a given meeting.
  12. Regularly scheduled meetings of the Faculty Senate shall adhere to the ninety (90) minutes allotted for that purpose. Meetings can be extended only by a two-thirds vote of those present.
  13. No voting can take place during extended meetings hours unless a quorum of Senators is present and unless each School has at least one representative present.
  14. The Faculty Senate shall hold one Annual Faculty Meeting of the entire UTMB Faculty per year. The meeting shall be held on the 2nd Monday in September.
  15. Any Faculty member of UTMB may speak at the Annual Faculty Meeting conducted by the Senate.
  
  

  Rule 6. Committees
  

  1. Chairs of Standing Senate Committees: Executive, Clinical Mission, Education Mission, Research Mission and University Affairs shall be responsible for calling regular meetings to: 1) handle committee business in a timely fashion, 2) to record committee proposals/actions, and 3) communicate those proposals/actions to the Faculty Senate for direction/action. Time for updates on Committee activities shall be added to each Senate meeting.
  2. Chairs of all Senate Standing Committees shall prepare an Annual Report documenting the committee's activities during the calendar year. Each report shall be submitted to the Chair of the Faculty Senate who shall prepare the Annual Report of the Faculty Senate with the assistance of the Executive committee. The Annual Report shall be submitted to the entire Faculty and the President of UTMB each year. The Senate Chair and the Committee Chairs shall provide an oral report to the Faculty at the Annual Faculty Meeting.
  3. Standing committees of the Senate shall elect a co-chair. The co-chair shall chair the committee in the absence of the Chair and shall attend the Executive Committee only in the absence of the Chair.
  4. Elected committee members shall participate in achieving the mission of the committee via attendance at committee meetings. If committee business is handled via e-mail, it shall be the responsibility of members to respond in timely fashion.
  

  
  Rule 7. Amendments
  

  1. Bylaws of The University of Texas Medical Branch Faculty Senate may be amended as indicated in Article 7 of the Bylaws.
  
  Draft 1 Governance Committee, Jan. 31, 2000
  Draft 2 Governance Committee, March 7, 2000
  Draft 3 Governance Committee, March 31, 2000
  Draft 4 Governance Committee, April 7, accepted by Faculty Senate April 10, 2000
  Draft 5 Governance Committee, June 7, accepted by Faculty Senate, July 10, 2006
  Draft 6 Ad Hoc Task Force, February 28/April 24, 2008, Accepted by Faculty Senate, May 18, 2008
  Revisions accepted by Faculty Senate, December 8, 2014
  Revisions accepted by Faculty Senate, May 9, 2016
  Revisions accepted by Faculty Senate, October 10, 2016
  Revisions Accepted by Faculty Senate, March 14, 2022