Administration none Department Bylaws

Department Bylaws

ARTICLE I - Title, Purposes, and Functions

Section 1: The name of this organization...
Section 2: The purposes.....
Section 3: The functions.....

ARTICLE II - Membership

Section 1: The membership consists.....
Section 2: Dues

ARTICLE III - Officers

ARTICLE IV - Powers and Duties of Officers

Section 1: Chair
Section 2: Departmental Council
Section 3: Recording Secretary
Section 4: Parliamentarian

ARTICLE V - Standing, Course, and Ad Hoc Committees

Section 1: The creation of new Standing Committees
Section 2: Standing Committees are appointed...
Section 3: Adjunct faculty as committee members.
Section 4: Committee Chairs are full-time faculty.
Section 5: Reports of each meeting.....
Section 6: The Standing Committees are.....

1.The Writing Center Advisory Committee
2.The E-Communication Committee
Section 7: The Course Committees......

ARTICLE VI - Professional Responsibilities

ARTICLE VII - Meetings

Section 1: Regular Meetings
Section 2: Special Meetings
Section 3: Attendance
Section 4: Agenda
Section 5: Quorum
Section 6: Proxy
Section 7: Voting
Section 8: Conduct of Meetings
Section 9: Rules of Order

ARTICLE VII - Amendment of the By-laws

ARTICLE I - Title, Purposes and Functions

Section 1: The name of this organization is the Del Mar College Department of English, Philosophy and Education, hereafter referred to as the Department throughout this document.

Section 2: The purposes of the Department are to:

  1. Provide an organizational structure that will facilitate the efficient and effective accomplishment of work in the Department. Maintain curricular and pedagogical currency.
  2. Foster high standards of education in the disciplines of English, Philosophy and Education.
  3. Maintain state/national requirements and recommendations for accredited schools.
  4. Promote ongoing development of the curricula listed for the Division of Arts and Sciences and designed for students pursuing the Associate in Arts degree and/or transfer to a senior institution.

Section 3: The functions of this Department are to:

  1. Define and implement the philosophy and objectives of Department and to revise when indicated.
  2. Assess curriculum with the objective to maintain and/or improve the educational program.
  3. Provide tangible opportunities for faculty communication and problem solving.
  4. Provide the opportunity for personal growth by encouraging ongoing educational and professional development of individual faculty members.
  5. Cooperate with the total College faculty in curriculum coordination and other matters of mutual interest.

ARTICLE II - Membership

Section 1: The membership consists of the Faculty (i.e. all tenured and tenure-track instructors, Assistant Instructors, Fellows and Full-Time Temporaries) in the Department. Adjunct faculty are encouraged to attend meetings as non-voting Associate Members.

Section 2: The Faculty will pay no dues but may elect to set an annual fee for the purpose of meeting the Department's social obligations.

ARTICLE III - Officers

The officers of the Department are a Chair, three Departmental Council Members, a Recording Secretary, and a Parliamentarian.

ARTICLE IV - Powers and Duties of Officers

Section 1:  Chair:  The Chair of the Department, who is reevaluated by the College annually for position contract renewal, has the following powers and duties:

  1. Ensuring that the duties of the Chair as identified by policies and procedures of the Institution are met.
  2. Scheduling and chairing Regular Meetings at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters and called meetings. The Chair may act as chair of the meetings or may ask a member of the Departmental Council to act as chair of the meetings.
  3. Calling and chairing special meetings or designating a member of the Departmental Council to chair them.
  4. Posting a meeting agenda in the mailroom at least one working day prior to all Regular Meetings and, if feasible, at least one working day prior to all special meetings called by the Chair."
  5. Serving as an ex-officio member of all Standing, Course, and Ad Hoc Committees.
  6. Acting as a liaison between Department Faculty, other departments, and the Administration.
  7. Preparing and submitting reports on matters affecting the Department in a timely manner.
  8. Delegating, as appropriate, responsibilities to the membership.
  9. Appointing, in consultation with the Departmental Council, the membership of the Standing Committees listed in Article V and of Ad Hoc Committees.
  10. Appointing, in consultation with the Departmental Council, all released-time positions, including but not limited to the Writing Center Director(s), Writing Center Assistant Director(s), and Scheduling Coordinator(s).
  11. Delegating, in consultation with the Departmental Council, other responsibilities, such as those connected with Advanced Placement, Academic Advising, Conventions/Conferences, Honors, Library, Outstanding Student, Department Social Activities, Adjunct Development, and Professional Development.
  12. Recognizing and vouchsafing the tradition of seniority in assigning schedules, classrooms, offices, and other such matters, where not in conflict with established policy and procedures.
  13. Ensuring the Faculty's right to plan curricula, to choose instructional methodology, to select textbooks, and to assign grades without interference from administrators or from outside groups or individuals.
  14. Safeguarding the Faculty's right to exercise their civil rights and academic freedoms.
  15. Advocating and promoting collegial cooperation.

Section 2: Departmental Council: The Departmental Council will be composed of three tenured faculty members elected by the Department. The Departmental Council will meet regularly and as needed to discharge its responsibilities.
 

Members of the Council serve a staggered, three-year term and may be re-elected for a second, consecutive term. Elections are conducted during April of each year by the Chair and the current Departmental Council (excluding any member of the Council who is running for re-election) to fill the expiring term. The new term begins the following fall. Nominees to fill the expiring term are those tenured faculty members who are willing to serve and who self-nominate or are nominated by others on a nomination ballot distributed by the Chair and Departmental Council. The names of all qualified Faculty members who are nominated and willing to serve will be distributed to all members of the Faculty by the Chair and Departmental Council on an election ballot. Each member of the Faculty will vote for one nominee. The nominee receiving a simple majority of the votes cast will be elected to a three-year term on the Departmental Council. If no nominee receives a majority, the nominees receiving the highest and second highest number of votes will stand in a run-off election. The nominee receiving the most votes in the run-off election is considered elected.

In the case of an unexpired term, a special election based on the model above shall be conducted by the Chair and the Departmental Council to fill the balance of the unexpired term.

         The Departmental Council has the following organizational powers and duties:

  1. Advising and assisting the Chair in discharging the duties and responsibilities of the Department.
  2. Representing the consensus of the Department to the Chair and the Administration.
  3. Calling and chairing special meetings upon the request of at least two Council members.
  4. Advising and assisting the Chair on committee appointments, distribution of responsibilities and duties, released-time appointments, and other matters of importance to the department.
  5. Approving the minutes of the Department meetings.
  6. Organizing and implementing a departmental election for the offices of Recording Secretary and Parliamentarian by the end of each spring semester.

Section 3: Recording Secretary: The Recording Secretary is elected by the Faculty by the end of each spring semester to a term that begins the following fall and lasts through the end of the following summer.

        The duties of the Recording Secretary are:

  1. Recording the minutes of meetings, submitting them to the Departmental Council for approval, and posting them in the Faculty Minutes Notebook within two weeks. Minutes should follow guidelines in Robert's Rules of Order. Minutes need include only a record of actions taken, not a summary of the discussion.
  2. Establishing clearly in the minutes the wording of all motions.
  3. Keeping the Faculty Minutes Notebook current with all Faculty minutes and agendas.
  4. Archiving documents developed by and important to the Faculty.

Section 4: Parliamentarian: The Parliamentarian is elected by the Faculty by the end of each spring semester to a term that begins the following fall and lasts through the end of the following summer.

The duty of the Parliamentarian is assisting the Chair and Departmental Council in conducting meetings by clarifying and interpreting the Rules of Order established in Article VII of the By-laws and in the most recent edition of Robert's Rules of Order.

ARTICLE V - Standing, Course, and Ad Hoc Committees

Section 1: The Chair, in consultation with the Departmental Council, may create new Standing Committees as needed.

Section 2: Standing Committees are appointed by the Department Chair before the beginning of each fall semester. Course Committees automatically consist of all members of the Department teaching the various courses. Ad Hoc Committees are appointed by the Chair as needed. The Chair will consult with the Departmental Council regarding all committee appointments. 

Section 3: Adjunct Faculty may volunteer to serve as committee members.

Section 4: Committee Chairs are full-time Faculty.

  1. Each committee elects a Chair at its first meeting.
  2. Faculty members may chair only one committee at a time.

Section 5: Reports of each meeting will be provided for the Department Chair by the Committee Chairs.

Section 6: The Standing Committees are:

  1. The Writing Center Advisory Committee:

The Writing Center Advisory Committee will consist of the Writing Center Director(s), Writing Center Assistant Director(s), seven to nine members of the classroom Faculty, and any other representation as determined by the Departmental Chair in consultation with the Departmental Council.


        The functions of the Committee include:

A. Participating with the Writing Center Director(s), Writing Center staff, Course Committees, classroom Faculty, and Department Chair in the creation of the vision, goals, and methods of the Writing Center.
B. Advising, assisting, and guiding the Writing Center Director(s) and staff in all phases of Writing Center operation, including but not limited to instructional methods, One-Hour Lab curriculum, personnel, one-hour course development, workshops and mini-sessions, and assessment.
C. Collaborating with the 0305/6, 0307, and 1301 Course Committees to determine ways in which the One-Hour Labs can better support the work in those courses.
D. Encouraging liaison between the Writing Center and the classroom Faculty.

  1. The E-Communication Committee:

The E-Communication Committee will be concerned with the Internet, local intranets, and other emerging communication and education technologies. It will consist of at least seven faculty members.


        The functions of the committee include:

A. Maintaining, as individual members and as a committee, a current knowledge of changes and trends in the use of the Internet in our culture, particularly in education.
B. Distributing to the Department theoretical and practical information about the Internet.
C. Advising the Chair about the use of the Internet within the Department.
D. Encouraging the use of the Internet (the web, E-mail, et al) among departmental members and monitoring the depth of its use in the Department.
E. Serving as advisors to departmental members regarding Internet matters.
F. Assessing and evaluating periodically the quality of the Department's use of the Internet, intranet, and other communication and educational technology.
G.  Maintain and oversee, in conjunction and with approval from the Departmental Chair and Council, the development of the Departmental homepage, including an annual review to ensure the accuracy and currency of the information it provides. 
H.  Form an ad hoc working party of interested faculty from within or without the Department to provide opportunities for training and assistance for faculty in the maintenance and/or construction of departmental homepages.

Section 7: The Course Committees consist of the Faculty teaching the following courses: English 0305/6, 0307, 1301, 1302, Telecourse, Technical Writing, and Sophomore Literature.   The functions of each Committee include:

  1. Acting in an advisory capacity to the Chair of the Department over pedagogical issues that concern course curriculum.
  2. Coordinating perspectives and basic activities for the course syllabi.
  3. Examining curricular goals, objectives, and methodologies.
  4. Determining suitable textbooks, equipment, and other instructional materials for Faculty and student use.

ARTICLE VI - Professional Responsibilities

        All members of the Faculty of the Department retain good standing by:

  1. Recognizing and sanctioning the structures, powers, and procedures described in this document.
  2. Accepting and discharging conscientiously all reasonable duties and responsibilities assigned by the Department Chair, the Departmental Council, committee chairs, and Del Mar College, as well as those ordinarily expected of college teaching professionals.
  3. Accepting and discharging all the duties and responsibilities that are generally expected of all other Department members, unless specifically released from those duties by the Department Chair.
  4. Channeling all complaints and disagreements with Department arrangements and practices through the Department Chair, the Departmental Council, or the appropriate committee chair or department member.
  5. Accepting and discharging Departmental responsibilities and duties with due consideration for the principles of collegiality, cooperation, and professionalism that govern civilized dialogue.

ARTICLE VII - Meetings

Section 1: Regular Meetings: The Chair will call a Regular Meeting of the Department at the beginning of each fall and spring semester. The Chair may act as chair of the meeting or may ask a member of the Departmental Council to act as chair of the meeting.  Announcements of regular meetings must be distributed to the Faculty and posted in the mailroom at least two working days prior to the meeting date.

Section 2: Special Meetings: The Chair or the Departmental Council, upon the request of two Departmental Council members, may call and chair special meetings as needed. Announcements of called meetings should be distributed to the Faculty and posted in the mailroom at least two days prior to the meeting, if feasible.

Section 3: Attendance: All Department meetings are open to all full-time members of the Department, and Adjunct Faculty. Attendance at Department meetings is a professional responsibility for all full-time members of the Department.

Section 4: Agenda: Agenda for beginning-of-semester Regular Meetings will be posted in the mailroom at least one working day prior to the meeting. Agenda for called meetings will be distributed at least one working day prior to the meeting, if feasible.

Section 5: Quorum: A simple majority of the voting membership of the Department will constitute a quorum at any regular or special meeting.

Section 6: Proxy: Proxies may not be sent to regular or special meetings.

Section 7: Voting: All full-time members of the Department who are in attendance at any regular or special meeting will have one vote. The Faculty will register their votes by raising their hands. Any member may request that any vote be registered by secret ballot; the Departmental Council will make provisions for secret ballots as needed. All votes, public and secret, will be counted by the Secretary and the vote will be verified by the Departmental Council. The Chair or any member of the Departmental Council may determine that an issue is of sufficient importance to merit a vote of all Department Faculty, whether in attendance or not; the Departmental Council will produce a ballot for distribution to the whole department. Voting in meetings and voting by distributed ballot are professional responsibilities of all full-time members of the Faculty.

Section 8: Conduct of Meetings: Meetings will be conducted according to the latest edition of Robert's Rules of Order, except where in contradiction with Rules of Order established by these By-laws.

Section 9: Rules of Order for the Conduct of Meetings:

  1. Members wishing to obtain the floor will raise their hands and wait to be recognized by the Chair of the meeting before speaking.
  2. All discussion by members will be addressed to the Chair of the meeting.
  3. Any Faculty member may submit a motion. The language of all motions should be clearly established with the Secretary and with the assembly before discussion.

ARTICLE VIII - Amendment of the By-Laws

     These By-laws may be amended by the following process:

  1. Any Faculty member may submit to the Departmental Council a written proposal for a change in the By-laws; the proposal will appear as an agenda item at the next regular or called Department meeting.
  2. After the proposal has been read and discussed, the members present at the meeting will vote to submit it by ballot to the entire Department Faculty. Passage requires a simple majority.
  3. If the proposal passes, the Departmental Council will prepare and submit a ballot to the Department Faculty. Passage requires a 2/3 majority of those voting. The Departmental Council will report the results of the vote to the Department and incorporate into the By-laws any changes thus passed.

Adopted: April 17, 1996
Amended: November 29, 2001
Amended: October, 2003
Amended: February 5, 2007