I. Faculty
A. Membership
1. Membership of the Women's and Gender Studies Program is open to all faculty members who have an interest in women's and gender studies.
2. The list of members will be drawn from periodic mailings to all faculty at AU. The list of active faculty will be composed of those who indicate an interest in being affiliated with the program.
3. All faculty affiliated with the program who are currently full-time employees at AU will have voting status.
4. Interested members of the community may also be members of the program, but they will not have voting status.
B. Duties
1. Faculty will be responsible for teaching, administrative and outreach activities sponsored by the program.
2. Faculty will establish and change program policies and procedures.
II. Director
A. Selection and Term of the Director
1. The program director shall be elected by a majority vote of the faculty.
2. The term of office of the director shall be three years, renewable once.
3. To qualify for the position of director, a faculty member must be a tenured associate or full professor.
4. Nominations for the position of director will be solicited by the nominations committee no later than October 15 of the third year of the director's term.
B. Duties of the Director
1. The director has general administrative responsibility for all aspects of the program, convening and chairing all committee meetings, and ensuring the appointment of members of the committees. The director will serve as an ex-officio member of all committees.
2. Activities of primary importance include: the director proposes and manages the program's budget; supervises the support personnel of the program; represents the program to university administrators; promotes a facilitative context for teaching, research, and outreach, including Friend's of Women's Studies; promotes effective relationships with other units within and without the University; and recommends and administers policies and procedures pertinent to achievement of the program's goals.
3. The director is responsible for initiating and maintaining fund raising activities for the purpose of providing student scholarships.
C. Evaluation of the Director
1. The director and the program shall be evaluated by the faculty at least annually in the spring semester so the results of the evaluation can be used for planning. The evaluation will be designed and administered by the executive committee.
III. Executive Committee
A. Membership of the Executive Committee
1. The executive committee shall be composed of the director, who will serve ex-officio, five faculty affiliates of the program, and one non-voting student representative appointed by the director. (The student representative shall be recused from discussions of personnel.) Committee members shall be appointed by the director after volunteering for the role and will serve on the committee for three years.
2. The chair of the executive committee shall be elected by secret ballot from among its members annually.
B. Duties of the Executive Committee
1. The executive committee must be consulted in decisions, including but not limited to the following topics: curriculum planning and scheduling, budget allocations and major expenditures, program planning, and fund-raising.
2. Meetings of the executive committee shall be convened by the director at least once per semester.
3. The executive committee shall oversee the process of evaluating the director and the program, selecting (i.e., nominations and elections) a new director, approving new courses for program credit, and approving new applicants for faculty affiliation. They will consult on planning events, including an annual fall semester reception to welcome new faculty.
IV. Committees
A. Committee Structure
1. The executive committee is the standing committee of the program. Additional standing committees may be established by a majority vote of the faculty. Ad-hoc committees may be established by the director, the executive committee, or a majority vote of the faculty members of the program. Committees that fail to meet in any twelve-month academic year shall be considered to have been abolished.
2. Staggered terms of membership on standing committees shall be for three academic years; committee membership shall be recommended by the director to the program faculty early in the fall semester for ratification.
3. All committees will have either three or five members.
V. Program Meetings
1. The program faculty will meet at least once a year in the spring semester, at which time a full presentation of the budget will be made.
2. Meetings shall be called at least two weeks in advance.
VI. Voting Procedures
1. All motions shall be adopted by a simple majority of those voting.
2. Voting shall normally be by a show of hands, except when the vote is on a personnel or policy issue or when requested by any active, voting member present at the meeting, whereupon the vote shall be by secret ballot.
3. Votes may also be taken by electronic polling or email ballot with the advice and consent of the executive committee.
VII. Approving and Changing the Bylaws
1. Any new article of the bylaws or amendment of a previously approved bylaw cannot be proposed or approved in a single meeting of the program faculty.
2. A new article of the bylaws or an amendment of a previously approved bylaw shall be adopted by a two-thirds vote of the active members of the faculty who vote.