Rules of Procedure

FACULTY-STUDENT SENATE
THE COOPER UNION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE AND ART

ARTICLE I. COMPOSITION

1. Regular Members. The regular members of the Senate shall consist of the following: (i) A full-time librarian; (ii) Two faculty members elected by the Faculty of the School of Engineering; (iii) Two faculty members elected by the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences; (iv) Two faculty members (at least one of whom shall be a member of the full-time Faculty) elected by the Faculty of the School of Architecture; (v) Two faculty members elected by the Faculty of the School of Art ( at least one of whom shall be a member of the full-time faculty); (vi) Two students from the School of Engineering; (vii) Two students from the School of Art; (viii) Two students from the School of Architecture.

2. Ex Officio Members. The ex-officio members of the Senate shall be: (i) The President; (ii) The Vice President for Finance, Administration and Treasurer; (iii) The Dean of the School of Art; (iv) The Dean of the School of Architecture; (v) The Dean of the School of Engineering; (vi) The Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences; and (vii) The Library Director.

ARTICLE II. ELECTION AND TERM OF OFFICE

1. Librarian and Faculty Members (a) The Librarian and Faculty members shall each serve for a two-year period. The election process for full-time faculty members and librarians shall be determined by the governances of each faculty; in the absence of a governance (as is the case with the library), the election process shall be determined by Article Fourteen (“Bargaining Unit Members Serving On Campus-Wide Committees”) of the Agreement between The Cooper Union and the Cooper Union Federation of College Teachers (CUFCT). (b) Voting shall be by recorded vote.

2. Students. Students shall serve for a one-year period. Each of the Student members is to be nominated and chosen annually by a majority portion of the school-wide student representative body on which he or she sits. The results are to be certified by the Dean of Students.

ARTICLE III. ALTERNATES AND VACANCIES

1. Alternates. (a) Elected Alternates. The library, each faculty, and each student representative body shall elect one alternate who shall serve if an elected member is unable to attend a meeting of the Faculty-Student Senate, or is on leave for one semester. The election process and term of office shall correspond to and coincide with the procedures outlined in Article II, Sections 1 and 2, of this document. (b) Ex-Officio Alternates. An ex-officio member, at his or her discretion, may designate an alternate to represent him or her at a meeting of the Senate that he or she cannot attend.

2. Vacancies. If it is known that an elected member of the Faculty-Student Senate shall be unable to serve for two consecutive semesters, the nominating committee authorized to present names for election shall decide whether the alternate shall serve as a replacement for the period of such absence, or for the remainder of the unexpired term. If said nominating committee decides that the alternate shall serve as a replacement for the remainder of the unexpired term, a special election following the procedures outlined in Article II, Sections 1 and 2, of this document shall be held to elect a new alternate.

ARTICLE IV. OFFICERS

1. Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson. The Chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson of the Faculty-Student Senate shall be elected by the Senate from among its members for a term of one year. In the absence of a Chairperson the President of The Cooper Union may call a meeting of the Faculty-Student Senate into session. In that case the first order of business shall be the election of a Chairperson and a Vice Chairperson.

2. Secretary. The Secretary of the Faculty-Student Senate shall be elected by the Senate from among its members for a term of one year.

3. Term Limits. The Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson and the Secretary shall be elected to no more than 2 consecutive terms.

4. Executive Committee. The officers of the Faculty-Student Senate shall consist of a Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, Secretary and Past Chair, which together shall comprise the Executive Committee.

5. Liaison to the Board of Trustees: The Executive Committee of the Faculty-Student Senate shall act as the liaison between the Senate and the Board of Trustees. The Committee shall meet quarterly, in concert with the board meetings, with the Chair of the Board and the Chair of the Academic and Student Affairs Committee.

6. Vacancies. If a vacancy of one or more entire semesters occurs on the Executive Committee, the Senate shall fill such vacancy with a replacement officer by simple majority vote in a special election. The special election shall be held no later than the first regular Senate meeting during said vacancy.  The replacement officer shall serve no longer than the period of that vacancy.

ARTICLE V. PROCEDURES

1. Meetings. (a) The Chairperson shall preside at all meetings of the Faculty-Student Senate in accordance with Robert’s Rules. In the absence of the Chairperson, the Vice-Chairperson shall preside at the meeting. In absence of both the Chairperson and the Vice-Chairperson, the Secretary shall preside. (b) Regular meetings of the Senate shall be convened by the Chairperson after due notice at least once each semester. (c) Special meetings of the Senate shall be convened by the Chairperson after due notice at the request of the President or at the request of one-quarter of its members.

2. Meeting Minutes. The Secretary shall bear the ultimate responsibility for the minutes. Minutes of the meetings shall be distributed to all present. Approved minutes will be made available to The Cooper Union community in the Cooper Archives.

3. Agenda. As required, an agenda shall be presented to Senate members in a timely fashion prior to the meeting. Members of the meeting shall be invited to place items on the agenda for discussion.

4. Parliamentary Procedures. Basic parliamentary procedures shall be followed when feasible.

5. First Meeting of the Academic Year. The first meeting of the new academic year shall be called by the Chairperson of the previous term, by September 21st. In the event that the Chairperson of the previous term does not call a meeting, the Vice-Chair of the previous term shall call the meeting; otherwise the Secretary of the previous term shall call the meeting; otherwise the President of The Cooper Union shall call the meeting.

6. First Order of Business for the First Meeting. The first order of business for the first meeting of the new academic year shall be the election of the officers.

ARTICLE VI. SCOPE

1. Advisory Nature of the Faculty-Student Senate. The Faculty-Student Senate shall be advisory in nature and shall have the right to invite selected parties to join in discussions as guests as appropriate. Individual members of the Senate may propose guests to the Chairperson.

2. Matters Outside the Purview of the Faculty-Student Senate. The Faculty-Student Senate shall concern itself with issues which do not impinge upon the Terms and Conditions of employment of Bargaining Unit Members as covered in The Cooper Union’s Agreement with the CUFCT.

3. Establishment of Standing and Ad Hoc Committees. The Senate shall be permitted to establish standing and ad hoc committees. This is subject to Article Fourteen Section (B) of The Cooper Union’s Agreement with the CUFCT.

4. Amending the Bylaws: Whenever 2/3 of the voting members of the Senate deem it necessary, the Senate shall propose amendments to these bylaws, which shall become valid after a 2/3 vote of the full membership at the following meeting of the Senate, and approval by the Board of Trustees. To become valid, an amendment must be approved within one year of the date of its proposal by the Senate.

Ratified April 12, 2011

  • Founded by inventor, industrialist and philanthropist Peter Cooper in 1859, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art offers education in art, architecture and engineering, as well as courses in the humanities and social sciences.

  • “My feelings, my desires, my hopes, embrace humanity throughout the world,” Peter Cooper proclaimed in a speech in 1853. He looked forward to a time when, “knowledge shall cover the earth as waters cover the great deep.”

  • From its beginnings, Cooper Union was a unique institution, dedicated to founder Peter Cooper's proposition that education is the key not only to personal prosperity but to civic virtue and harmony.

  • Peter Cooper wanted his graduates to acquire the technical mastery and entrepreneurial skills, enrich their intellects and spark their creativity, and develop a sense of social justice that would translate into action.