If a committee convenes a meeting can committee members attend?

[Ham33let]

According to our Promotion and Tenure document: “The Faculty Affairs Committee will thereafter convene a meeting of the College faculty at or above the rank or tenure status being sought by the candidate.” 

 

According to our By-laws:

 

“V. D.        Right of Faculty to Attend Committee Meetings

Most meetings of standing committees are open to all College of Veterinary Medicine Faculty members.  However, some committee meetings may be closed as determined by committee chairpersons (e.g., promotion and tenure deliberations).”

 

“VI. D.        Faculty Affairs Committee

The Faculty Affairs Committee (FAC) is concerned with issues important to the Faculty such as faculty governance, peer review, promotion and tenure, performance evaluation, and Faculty workload.  The FAC will periodically review faculty governance documents and make recommendations to the faculty regarding proposed changes to these documents.” 

 

Therefore, I interpret that the Chair of the Faculty Affairs Committee can convene a meeting of the eligible faculty and although the non-tenured members of the FAC cannot vote on faculty members being considered for tenure and probably should not be involved in discussions, they should be able to attend the meeting and assist the chair if the chair wants them there.

 

I also interpret that “The Faculty Affairs Committee… convene a meeting” means that the members of the FAC are present at the meeting along with the eligible faculty.

 

The eligible faculty objected and demanded that the FAC non-tenured faculty leave.

 

Am I correct? 

[Chris Harrison]

From what you have cited it sounds like the FAC Chairperson has the unilateral authority to decide whether to allow non-FAC members to attend.  Even if the non-FAC members are allowed to attend their role is to sit and observe the meeting because they have no other rights (under RONR) in regards to the proceedings (RONR p. 648 ll. 11-14) so they don't have the right to take part in the discussion or "assist" the Chairperson. 

 

As for when the bylaws say "The Faculty Affairs Committee… convene a meeting" those who put that in there may have had a reason to phrase it that way (or maybe that is just how they phrased it) and it would be up to you all to decide what it means (see RONR pp. 588-591 for some principles to help with that).

[Dan Honemann]

According to our Promotion and Tenure document: “The Faculty Affairs Committee will thereafter convene a meeting of the College faculty at or above the rank or tenure status being sought by the candidate.” 

 

According to our By-laws:

 

“V. D.        Right of Faculty to Attend Committee Meetings

Most meetings of standing committees are open to all College of Veterinary Medicine Faculty members.  However, some committee meetings may be closed as determined by committee chairpersons (e.g., promotion and tenure deliberations).”

 

“VI. D.        Faculty Affairs Committee

The Faculty Affairs Committee (FAC) is concerned with issues important to the Faculty such as faculty governance, peer review, promotion and tenure, performance evaluation, and Faculty workload.  The FAC will periodically review faculty governance documents and make recommendations to the faculty regarding proposed changes to these documents.” 

 

Therefore, I interpret that the Chair of the Faculty Affairs Committee can convene a meeting of the eligible faculty and although the non-tenured members of the FAC cannot vote on faculty members being considered for tenure and probably should not be involved in discussions, they should be able to attend the meeting and assist the chair if the chair wants them there.

 

I also interpret that “The Faculty Affairs Committee… convene a meeting” means that the members of the FAC are present at the meeting along with the eligible faculty.

 

The eligible faculty objected and demanded that the FAC non-tenured faculty leave.

 

Am I correct? 

 

Your question asks for an interpretation of the meaning of your rules, and is not about any rule in Robert's Rules of Order. As a consequence, no one here is in a position to provide an informed or reliable response.

 

However, I will say that, as best I can determine from the little bits that you have posted, the bylaw provisions which you cite concerning the "Right of Faculty to Attend Committee Meetings" and your "Faculty Affairs Committee" have absolutely nothing to do with your question concerning who may or who may not attend "a meeting of the College faculty at or above the rank or tenure status being sought by the candidate" convened by your Faculty Affairs Committee pursuant to the direction in your "Promotion and Tenure" document which you quoted. Such a meeting of College faculty does not appear to be a committee meeting.

 

If I had to guess about what your rules say, I'd say that only members of the College faculty at or above the rank or tenure status being sought by a candidate are entitled to attend a meeting of the College faculty at or above the rank or tenure status being sought by that candidate, unless you can find something in your rules saying otherwise.

[Guest Ham33let]

Thank you for your comments. I will pass these onto the Faculty Affairs Committee and since we are rewritting the By-Laws and the Promotion and Tenure document.

[Gary Novosielski]

Thank you for your comments. I will pass these onto the Faculty Affairs Committee and since we are rewritting the By-Laws and the Promotion and Tenure document.

If I had to guess, that sounds like the best thing to do. 

 

It does sound to me as though the FAC has the duty to review the procedures, rules, etc., that relate to the tenure process, but I agree with D.H. that this committee does not appear to be the body that meets (comprising faculty at or above a certain rank).  The rules appear to say that the FAC "convenes" (however you interpret that) a meeting of a different group of people, who may or may not not be members of the FAC, but must be members of the faculty, and have the requisite rank.