University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Senate

Senate Standing Rules

As Amended through November 14, 2022
Downloadable version of the Standing Rules

Adjournment
Petitions to Obtain Expressions of Opinion from the Faculty Electorate
Proposed Amendments to Documents
Committee of the Whole House
Open Meetings Regulations
Tellers
Statement of Willingness to Serve
To Take Jurisdiction of Items Reported for Information
Circumstances and the Mechanism for the Separate Tallying of Faculty, Academic Professional, and Student Votes
Copying and Searching Senate Records
Election of a Senate Executive Committee Member from the Committee on the University Senates Conference
Temporary Representative of an Ex Officio Committee Member
Formation, Termination, Separation, Transfer, Merger, Change in Status, or Renaming of Units
Setting the Agenda for Senate Meetings
Use of Electronic Clickers in the Senate
Requesting to Speak at a Senate or Senate Committee Meeting
Setting Time Limits for Introduction and Discussion of Senate Items

Adjournment
The motion to adjourn shall not be treated as privileged and shall be listed as the final item on the Agenda. At 5:15 p.m., if still in session, the Senate shall terminate its discussion of business. No debatable motion may thereafter be made. If a prior debatable motion is still pending, it may be voted on only if no senator present wishes to continue debate or if the previous question is moved and ordered. Nondebatable motions may be made and voted on if they relate to the matter under discussion at 5:15 p.m., or to suspension of the rules, and the subject of adjournment to a specific time may be discussed. If at the conclusion of the meeting any agenda item remains uncompleted, the session shall be adjourned to the following Monday at 3:10 p.m. unless the Senate has determined otherwise.

Petitions to Obtain Expressions of Opinion from the Faculty Electorate
A petition purporting to contain the signatures of at least 200 members of the faculty electorate and requiring the Senate to present a question to and obtain an expression of opinion from the faculty electorate under Article VI, Section 1 of the Constitution and Part F, paragraph 1 of the Bylaws shall be delivered to the Clerk of the Senate. The Clerk of the Senate shall refer it to the Senate Executive Committee and to the Committee on Elections and Credentials. The Committee on Elections and Credentials shall determine whether the petition does in fact contain the valid signatures of at least 200 members of the faculty electorate and shall report to the Senate Executive Committee. If the number of valid signatures is found to be fewer than 200, the petition shall be returned to the petitioners. If the number of valid signatures is found to be sufficient, the Senate Executive Committee shall then recommend to the Senate the formulation of the question to be presented to the faculty electorate, the procedures for obtaining the expression of opinion, and whether a general meeting of the faculty electorate should be called to discuss the question prior to conducting the poll. The Senate Executive Committee's report to the Senate shall include the exact language of the petition delivered to the Clerk of the Senate.

Petitions not containing the signatures of at least 200 members of the faculty electorate may be presented to the Senate only through the sponsorship of a senator. Upon such presentation by a senator, the Senate shall first determine whether to present the question to the faculty electorate for an expression of opinion. If the Senate's determination is in the affirmative, the petition shall then be referred to the Senate Executive Committee for its recommendation on the formulation of the question, the procedures for obtaining the expression of opinion, and whether a general meeting of the faculty electorate should be called to discuss the question prior to conducting the poll.

Proposed Amendments to Documents
1. Prior to submission to the Senate, a proposal to amend the University of Illinois Statutes or The General Rules Concerning University Organization and Procedures, the Constitution, Bylaws, or Standing Rules of the Senate, or any other document, shall be cast in the following form:
  1. It must refer to a specified portion of the document, for example to a specific Article and Section, not to a page number.
  2. Deletions.
    1. Language and punctuation to be deleted from an existing provision shall be set forth in full and marked as strikeout text. This requirement does not apply to a proposal to repeal an entire section, which may be done simply by specific reference; the section to be repealed shall be quoted.
    2. Deletions shall precede new matter; e.g., "He The dean shall be appointed ~~biennially~~ annually....."
  3. Additions.
    1. New wording, including punctuation, added to an existing provision shall be underlined with a solid line.
    2. Entirely new sections need not be underlined but shall be preceded by the designation, NEW SECTION, in upper case letters and underlined.
  4. If a revision is so extensive that the procedure in (2) and (3) above is impractical, the old text and the new must both be provided, appropriately labeled, either in two columns side-by-side, or the old followed by the new.
  5. The proposed amendment shall be typewritten and with spacing of at least 1.5 lines, and with each line and page numbered.
  6. A concise statement of the rationale must also be included.
  7. The sponsors must be listed at the end of the proposal.
  8. The proposal must be dated.

All proposed changes to theUniversity of Illinois Statutes,The General Rules Concerning University Organization and Procedures, Constitution, Bylaws, and Standing Rules shall be referred to the Committee on University Statutes and Senate Procedures before final consideration by the Senate. The Committee on University Statutes and Senate Procedures shall be responsible for ensuring that the changes are placed into the format required by this Standing Rule.

Proposed amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws may be submitted to the faculty electorate for an expression of opinion as permitted by Article VI, Section 1 of the Constitution and in accordance with Part F, Paragraph 1 of the Bylaws.

Committee of the Whole House
If it be determined during a duly called meeting of the Senate that a quorum is not present, but that 50 or more senators are present, the presiding officer may convene those present as a special Committee of the Whole House. The special committee thus established shall be authorized to consider any or all items remaining on the agenda of the Senate meeting just terminated, and to make recommendations to the Senate concerning actions to be taken on such agenda items. Such recommendations shall be reported by the presiding officer to the Senate at its next scheduled meeting for its action. The presiding officer of the Senate shall serve as presiding officer of the special Committee of the Whole House, and deliberations of the Committee shall be according to parliamentary practices customary in the Senate.

This rule shall not be invoked if the Senate meeting previously in progress has been terminated through implementation of Standing Rule 1.

Open Meetings Regulations

1. Insofar as campus facilities permit, there shall be public seating seperate from senator seating, allowing visitors to observe and to listen to the proceedings directly.
2. If the public seating is insufficient to accommodate those desiring to observe Senate meetings, consideration shall be given to providing an online live-stream of the proceedings.
3. Admission to the public seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis.
4. The conduct of visitors and news-media representatives shall not interfere with the Senate's ability to conduct business. If such interference occurs, the presiding officer shall order the offending persons removed from the chambers, and, if necessary to maintain order, may clear the chambers of all persons who are not senators, Senate staff, or Senate officers.

1. Broadcasting and electronic or photographic recording of Senate meetings are permitted. The placement of recording equipment shall not obstruct the hearing of viewing of the proceedings.
2. Visitors and representatives of news media are present as observers, not as participants. As observers, none of their actions should be designed to affect the proceedings in any way. Those who violate the procedures governing open meetings will be subject to removal from the chambers
3. Senate meetings shall be recorded and made available to the public as soon as possible after the meeting. The Clerk of the Senate shall ensure each recording is preserved for a minimum of three years from the date of the meeting, after which the recordings may be transferred to the University Archives.

1. Matters of business that are judged by the Senate Executive Committee to warrant a closed session of the Senate will ordinarily be placed last on the agenda. Such matters need not be specifically described in advance. The Senate Executive Committee must cite the specific exemption in the Open Meetings Act [5 ILCS 120/2(c)] that permits the closure of the meeting.
2. If, in the course of a debate in an open meeting, matters evolve that a senator deems to warrant a closed session, the senator may move for a closed session. The senator must cite the specific exemption of the Open Meetings Act [5 ILCS 120/2(c)] that permits the closure of the meeting. Unless the Senate rules otherwise, the approval of such a motion will postpone further debate on the matter to the conclusion of the regular agenda, at which time the meeting will be closed. No such motion shall be deemed approved without a two-thirds vote of the senators present and voting by rollcall.
3. When the agenda is presented at the beginning of a Senate meeting, any senator may move to schedule an item proposed for open session to a closed session. The senator must cite the specific exemption of the Open Meetings Act [5 ILCS 120/2(c)] that permits the closure of the meeting. Such a motion shall require for approval a two-thirds vote of those senators present and voting by rollcall.
4. When a closed session is about to begin, the presiding officer shall clear the chambers of all persons not entitled to be present.
5. The Senate may not take any final vote during a closed session. Procedural votes, such as a vote to refer to committee, may be taken in closed session. In order to take a final vote on any matter, the session must first be reopened to the public.
6. The text of the Open Meetings Act (5 ILCS 120/), including Section 2(c) setting out the permissible reasons for closing a meeting, maybe found at the following URL: http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/ilcs/ilcs3.asp?ActID=84&ChapterID=2
At least semi-annually, the Senate Executive Committee shall review the minutes of all closed Senate sessions to determine whether those minutes may be released to the public.

Tellers
At the beginning of each meeting of the Senate, the Chair of the Senate Executive Committee shall appoint tellers as needed.

Statement of Willingness to Serve
The Committee on Committees shall nominate only persons who have indicated willingness to serve if elected. Nominations from the floor must be accompanied by a statement by the nominee of willingness to serve if elected, which may be oral if the nominee is present. If in writing, the statement shall name the position involved and shall be dated and signed by the nominee.
To Take Jurisdiction of Items Reported for Information

Circumstances and the Mechanism for the Separate Tallying of Faculty, Academic Professional, and Student Votes
A separate tally of faculty, academic professional, and student member votes will be taken if ordered by a two-thirds vote of those Senators present and voting. The vote on the issue in question shall then be the sum of the three separate tallies. A motion for a separate tally of faculty, academic professional, and student member votes shall be debatable. Such a motion may not be introduced if a vote on the issue in question has already been taken.
Copying and Searching Senate Records
1. The agenda, minutes, and reports of the Senate will be made available on the Senate's website. Printed copies are available only by a request submitted to the Clerk of the Senate in writing.
2. Senate committee working documents that are not distributed to the Senate are not considered public documents. They are not available for distribution except to the members of the originating committee and to the Senate Executive Committee, without the express consent of the originating committee. Senate and Senate committee meeting agendas and approved minutes are considered public documents.
3. Reasonable searching and copying of Senate records are provided by the Clerk of the Senate. Requests for such service must allow a sufficient amount of time. If necessary, priorities will be assigned in the following order: Senate Executive Committee Chair, Senate Committee Chairs, other senators, other persons. The Senate Executive Committee Chair will resolve any differences that may arise.
Election of a Senate Executive Committee Member from the Committee on the University Senates Conference
Struck by the Senate on November 11, 2019 by SP.20.03.
Temporary Representative of an Ex Officio Committee Member
When a person serving in an ex officio capacity without vote cannot attend a committee meeting, that individual may designate another individual to attend a particular meeting as representative of the office and interests of the ex officio member.
When a person serving in an ex officio capacity with vote cannot attend a committee meeting, that individual may designate another individual to attend a particular meeting as a representative of the office and interest of the ex officio member. The individual designated by the ex officio shall hold the same privileges as the ex officio with vote.

Formation, Termination, Separation, Transfer, Merger, Change in Status, or Renaming of Units
Struck by the Senate on March 7, 2022 by SP.20.05.
Preparing the Agenda for Senate Meetings

The Senate Executive Committee is responsible for preparing the agenda for Senate meetings.

A senator or Senate Committee may propose an item to the Senate Executive Committee to be included on the agenda of a specific regular Senate meeting. Proposed items must be submitted electronically to the Office of the Senate no later than 3:00 pm on the business day prior to the meeting at which the Senate Executive Committee is scheduled to prepare the Senate agenda. The published schedule for the Senate and Senate Executive Committee meetings shall include deadlines for proposing items and final submission.
1. Senators must submit a title for the item that sufficiently describes the proposed item and a full draft of the item in as final form as possible.
2. Senate Committees must submit a title for the item that sufficiently describes the proposed item and a full draft of the item in as final form as possible.
3. For each proposed item, the sponsor or sponsors shall identify one representative who shall be listed as the first sponsor of the item. When a Senate Committee sponsors an item, the committee chair shall serve as the representative sponsor of the item and be listed first.
4. The Senate Executive Committee shall invite the representative of the proposed item to the Senate Executive Committee meeting at which the item will be considered for inclusion on the Senate agenda, granting the representative floor privileges.
The Senate Executive Committee shall place proposed agenda items submitted by the posted deadline on the requested Senate agenda. The Senate Executive Committee may postpone an item for further study, but may not postpone an item more than one regular Senate meeting or beyond the last meeting of the academic year without consent of the representative of the proposed item. Further study may include referral to one or more Senate Committees whose charge is relevant to the subject of the item. The Senate Executive Committee may offer comments or nonbinding suggestions about the item.

All agenda items must be submitted in final form to the Office of the Senate no later than 5:00 pm on the day before the Senate packet is scheduled to be distributed. If the item is not submitted in final form by this deadline, the item shall be removed from the Senate agenda, unless the Senate Executive Committee provides otherwise. The published schedule for the Senate and Senate Executive Committee meetings shall include deadlines.

Nothing in this Standing Rule precludes a senator or Senate Committee from proposing items to the Senate Executive Committee for its discussion and advice.

All items proposed to be included on a Senate agenda must meet the requirements and deadlines of this Standing Rule.

Use of Electronic Clickers in the Senate
1. Except in instances where there are technical barriers, non-procedural votes shall be taken by electronic clickers along with a show of hands.
2. In the absence of opposition to a routine procedural motion, votes may be recorded by unanimous consent. However, if consent is not unanimous, the motion must be voted on by electronic clickers along with a show of hands. Examples of routine procedural motions include the granting of floor privileges, approval of the minutes of meetings, closing of nominations, and elections in which there are no more candidates than positions to be filled.
3. If the presiding officer of the Senate meeting senses a lack of opposition to a motion, the presiding officer may propose the motion for unanimous consent. However, if consent is not unanimous, the motion must be voted on by electronic clickers along with a show of hands.
Requesting to Speak at a Senate or Senate Committee Meeting

The Senate has developed procedures in compliance with the Illinois Open Meetings Act by which individuals may request the opportunity to speak at Senate or Senate Committee meetings. This is generally referred to as public comment.

The Senate has also developed procedures permitting non-senators to request the privilege of the floor at Senate and Senate Committee meetings to speak during the discussion of a particular item listed on the business portion of the agenda. This is generally referred to as floor privileges.

The procedures for requesting the opportunity to speak during public comment and requesting floor privileges on an item of business on the agenda are listed separately below.

A. Public Comment
Public comment is a portion of the meeting set aside specifically for the public to address the Senate or a Senate committee (the body). A response to the individual making the public comment is not required by the presiding officer or by members of the body. When addressing the body, individuals shall first state their name and any relevant title or affiliation.

Requests to address the body.
Requests to make a public comment at a Senate meeting must be submitted to the Office of the Senate in writing no later than twelve hours before the scheduled start of the meeting at which the individual wishes to speak.

Requests to make a public comment at a Senate committee meeting must be submitted to the chair of the Senate committee in writing no later than twelve hours before the scheduled start of the meeting at which the individual wishes to speak.

In making a request to appear before the Senate or Senate committee, individuals must give their names and any relevant title or affiliation. The request must state the subject matter to be presented and must relate to matters within the jurisdiction of the Senate or Senate committee. The Clerk of the Senate or committee chair will review each request and notify the individual making the request whether the individual may give public comment at the next meeting. Substitute speakers will not be permitted.
Time allocation.
The Senate will allow public comment at each meeting. An individual will be limited to speak for no more than three minutes. This limit will be strictly adhered to with assistance of a timekeeper. A maximum of ten speakers will be recognized for each Senate meeting.

Senate committees will allow public comment at each meeting. An individual will be limited to speak for no more than two minutes. This limit will be strictly adhered to with the assistance of a timekeeper. A maximum of five speakers will be recognized for each committee meeting.
Scheduling of speakers.
When the number of requests to address the Senate or Senate committee at a given meeting exceeds the number allocated in section A.2 above, requests will be approved based on the date and time the written request was received by the Office of the Senate or chair of a committee. In addition, preference may be given to subject matters that relate to the agenda for the relevant meeting or relate to items under the committee charge in the Senate Bylaws, and to avoid repetitiveness.
Discussion moderation.
The presiding officer or committee chair may truncate repetitious or disruptive comments.

B. Floor Privileges
The Senate or a Senate committee may grant floor privileges to an individual to participate in the discussion of an item listed on the business portion of the agenda.

Requests to address the body.
Requests for floor privileges at a Senate meeting must be submitted to the Office of the Senate in writing no later than twelve hours before the scheduled start of the meeting at which the individual wishes to speak. The individual must include in the request the business item on the agenda the individual wishes to speak about. At the beginning of each meeting, the presiding officer will announce the names of those who have requested floor privileges and the business item the individual wishes to speak about, and the Senate shall vote on those requests, either separately or collectively.

Requests for floor privileges at a Senate committee meeting must be submitted to the chair of the Senate committee in writing no later than twelve hours before the scheduled start of the meeting at which the individual wishes to speak. The individual must include in the request the business item on the agenda the individual wishes to speak about and must include a brief explanation for the request. At the beginning of each meeting, the presiding officer will announce the names of those who have requested floor privileges and the business item the individual wishes to speak about, and the committee shall vote on those requests, either separately or collectively.

Scheduling of speakers.
Individuals who have been granted floor privileges by the body shall state their name and relevant title or affiliation before addressing the body and shall speak only during discussion of the business item on the agenda to which floor privileges were granted.
Discussion moderation.
Precedence of the floor will be given to members of the body. The presiding officer or committee chair shall moderate the discussion in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised. The presiding officer or committee chair may truncate repetitious or disruptive comments.

Setting Time Limits for Introduction and Discussion of Senate Items

This rule limits the rights of senators during debates. The adoption of this rule and any amendments to it require a two-thirds vote.

A. Introduction of an Item before the Senate
Introduction of an item before the Senate shall be limited to no more than five minutes, unless the Senate Executive Committee has provided otherwise in the Senate agenda, or the Senate has agreed by two-thirds vote to suspend this rule.

B. Discussion of an Item before the Senate
Discussion of an item before the Senate shall be limited to no more than three minutes per speaker, per speaking item, unless the Senate Executive Committee has provided otherwise in the Senate agenda, or the Senate has agreed by a two-thirds vote to suspend this rule.

C. Questions to the Chancellor or the Chancellor's Designee
A senator shall be limited to no more than two minutes to pose a question to the Chancellor or the Chancellor’s designee during the portion of the Senate meeting designated for questions.