One, if not the most important, task of the Student Government Association is the representation of students on committees throughout the university. The various committees are specifically located on the sidebar - select one for committee descriptions and meeting details. If you are interesting in providing input and representing your fellow students, contact Andy Letson for more information.
This document outlines a set of procedures that is followed if an individual faculty member, academic staff member, administrator or student, or any unit or organization at the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point, wishes to bring an issue, question problem or resolution for consideration by faculty governance. Attached to this document is an organizational flowchart that addresses the overall structure of faculty governance at UWSP. Further details about the organization of the Faculty Senate and its constituent Standing Committees can be found in the Constitution of the Faculty of the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point and at the Faculty Senate Web Page at http://www.uwsp.edu/governance/facsenat
A problem or issue is brought to the attention of faculty governance by contacting the Chair of the Faculty Senate or the Secretary of the Faculty Senate directly. The Chair, in consultation with the Vice Chair and the Secretary, will make a determination as to whether the issue is an appropriate one for governance consideration. If it is appropriate, the issue is then sent to one of the Senate’s Standing Committees described below. If it is inappropriate, the petitioner(s) will be so informed.
At the discretion of the Chair, the issue may also be brought first for discussion to the Senate Executive Committee meetings before being assigned to one of the Standing Committees. This is done when the issue is of very great importance to the University, when it is unclear which Standing Committee should take up the issue, or when the issue itself has been presented in an unclear fashion. The Executive Committee consists of the Chairs of the various Standing Committees, and is headed by the Chair of the Faculty Senate.
Once the issue has been discussed and a vote taken, the Chair of the Standing Committee will inform the Executive Committee of the outcome of the discussion and the vote, and then bring this information before the entire Faculty Senate at its next meeting. If it is an issue that requires action by the Faculty Senate, a vote will be taken in the Senate. Further, if the issue is a matter of policy and is supported by the vote, the matter then becomes university policy, once the Senate Resolution detailing it has been signed by the Senate Chair and the Chancellor.
An action item that does not receive a majority affirmative vote in committee will not be taken before the entire Senate. The matter stops at the level of that committee. An exception to this can occur when the Senate is informed of the matter and the lack of majority support in committee, and decides, at the request of any Senator, that the matter be taken up for discussion and action in the Senate. An issue may be brought back for governance consideration after a negative decision either at the committee level or at the Senate level, provided the petitioner(s) can clearly demonstrate that some the objections or concerns raised previously have been dealt with adequately in the second version.
The following Standing Committees operate under the aegis of the Faculty Senate. The brief descriptions below will give the reader a basic idea of the purview of each committee. They are taken verbatim from the Faculty Senate Web Page and are included here so that all of this information will be available together in one location. These descriptions should guide the prospective petitioner(s) in selecting a standing committee that is best suited to a particular issue. If there are questions about the functions of a specific committee and the appropriateness of an issue for that committee, please consult the Chair of the Senate or the Senate Secretary.