• At the core of the work of all members of the University Senate is the idea of Shared Governance. Please review the articles on our Guiding Philosophies page.
• The University is governed by our Policy File, which houses many of SDSU's policies. The purpose and function of the University Senate are clearly outlined in our Senate Constitution (see Section 1 of the Policy File).
• Each Senator shall serve on a committee during their term. If you are not yet on a committee, then please reach out to [email protected].
• Senators shall not serve on more than one committee, with the exception of the Senate Officers, and those required to serve ex officio on more than one committee.

• The University Senate Calendar is provided on the Senate website.
• The University Senate meets eight times during the academic year, typically on the first Tuesday of September, October, November, December, February, March, April, and May.
• The Senate Executive Committee (SEC) meets two weeks before the University Senate meeting to review, refine, and finalize the meeting agenda.
• The agendas, minutes, and presidential action memos for each meeting for the current and previous two academic years are posted on the senate website and older agendas, minutes, and presidential action items are available through the SDSU Library Archives (archive structure is being finalized in collaboration with University Library and link will be provided shortly). 

Important University Senate Activities over the Academic Year

• September: Solicit items for the Annual University Senate Agenda
• October: Call for Nominations for Senate Teaching Excellence Award
• March: Elections for University Senators, PBAC representatives, and Academic Senate of the CSU Senators (as appropriate); caucus for Senate Officers and Senators-at-Large; Senate Teaching Excellence Award Lecture and Reception
• May: Elections of Senate Officers and Senators-at-Large by continuing and newly elected senators (Note: Month will likely be moved to April through a Bylaw revision during AY25/26)
• May: Committees submit annual reports and confirm chairs for the coming academic year.

• Agendas, Minutes, and Presidential Action Memos are posted on the Senate website for a minimum of two years.
• Agendas: Draft agendas are posted on the senate website four days prior to a Senate meeting. Senators will be notified via email when draft agendas are posted and if any corrections are made prior to the meeting. The Senate formally adopts and approves the draft agenda at the start of their meeting.
• Minutes: Once draft meeting minutes are posted on the website, members may request revisions via email anytime before the agenda submission deadline for the next meeting or may request revisions at the next meeting prior to the minutes’ approval. After the Senate approves the previous meeting’s minutes, any approved revisions will be incorporated into the minutes and the approved minutes will be updated on the website without the “Draft” term. 
• Presidential Action Memos: After each Senate meeting, the chair transmits a memo summarizing the results of all Action Items to the President, who then issues a signed Presidential Action Memo that identifies which actions will become policy. Typically, if the President declines to approve a Senate-passed policy change, that change will not go into effect. Action memos are posted on the Senate website once a signed memo is received from the President.

Prior to Arrival

• Read the entire agenda and identity concerns, questions, etc. – An important step to be an effective Senator is being prepared for meetings by reading the entire agenda ahead of time. This allows you to determine if there are any items for which you wish to seek clarification, propose amendments, etc.
• Consult with your constituency – Senators are responsible for consulting with their constituency (e.g., faculty, staff, students) on any agenda items for which their feedback would be helpful.
• Electronic Device – Senators are responsible for bringing a phone, laptop, or other electronic device on which you can complete an attendance survey, access email, and participate in electronic voting.
• Confirm meeting location – This semester we will be at different campus locations due to our total membership having recently exceeded the official capacity of AL-101. Please confirm the location via the agenda and meeting invites, and arrive on time to ensure a timely quorum.

Upon Arrival

• Collect your name plate as this will be our mechanism for determining quorum. 
• If you are a proxy or you do not see your name plate, please check in with the Senate Analyst.

Start of the Meeting

• Call to Order: The Chair calls the meeting to order.
• Land Acknowledgment: The first action will be the reading of the SDSU Land Acknowledgement.
• Moment of Silence: Time shall be taken at the beginning of a Senate meeting to honor any members of the campus community that have passed on since the last meeting of the Senate.
• Approval of Agenda: The Chair will ask the Senate to adopt and approve the draft agenda. Motions may be made from the floor to add items to the draft agenda, but please note that the addition of non-critical items without sufficient time for the body to review and consider are arguably not in the best interest of the deliberating body. As per local custom, late Action Items require a two-thirds majority of the present and voting members, whereas other items require a simple majority of the present and voting members. Upon approval of the agenda, all items on the Consent Calendar are approved. 

▶ Note: Prior to the approval of the agenda, a call will be made regarding the “pulling” of any items on the Consent Agenda for focused discussion as a separate agenda item.

▶ Note: In that the above is the first mention of voting, please note that vote outcomes are based on a present and voting approach wherein the denominator is all yes and no votes and the numerator is all yes votes. Abstentions are, by definition, not a vote and therefore not considered. Abstentions due to poor preparation arguably weaken our shared governance and should be avoided by all members. 

Follow the Agenda

Topics of discussion shall proceed as identified in the agenda and may include the following in an order established by the Senate Chair and approved by the Senate Executive Committee:

▶ Note: Changes to the proposed meeting agenda can be made by any member of the Senate body when supported by a 2/3 majority of the present and voting members.

• Approval of the Minutes: The minutes from previous meetings are presented for approval. Motions to correct and/or amend the minutes are in order. Note that draft minutes will typically be posted well before the senate meeting, and any parties that identify minor errors or corrections are encouraged to send these to [email protected] at their earlier convenience, ideally at least one week prior to the senate meeting.
• Action Items: Action Items bring business before the Senate body. They need to be moved and seconded. Sometimes there is debate, and usually there is a vote. If an Action Item is brought to the Senate from a committee, it does not require a second in order to be debated or to result in a vote.

▶ Note: Changes to the Constitution and/or Bylaws sections of the Policy File require the item to come to the Senate body for a first and second reading. First Reading Items: Such an item coming before the Senate is initially presented to inform the body of the resolution and its intent. This is an opportunity for Senators to ask questions to understand the resolution and then for Senators to return to their constituents to provide and solicit feedback before the resolution returns to the Senate as a Second Reading item. At the Second Reading, the item can be debated, amended, and voted on. 

• Information Items: Information items are intended to keep Senators informed about activities, policies, issues, and events that impact the campus community.
• Reports and Presentations: Reports and presentations will typically be provided as recording and material links within the distributed agenda, and all Senators are expected to view these materials in advance of the meeting. This preparation will allow our limited shared time to be focused on two-way discussion versus one-way presentation. 
• Getting Recognized on Speaker’s List: To be recognized by the Chair, raise your nameplate in the air and hold it there until the Chair sees it. The Chair will add your name to the list of people wanting to speak.

▶ Note: Prior to being recognized, please develop your comment/question/concern to ensure it is relevant, clear, and cogent. Doing so will maximize your ability to inform and influence the deliberation of the body.

• Asking for Clarification: At any point during a meeting, if you are unclear about a vote that is about to happen or have a question about what is going on in general, you can raise your hand and state, “Point of Clarification” to be immediately recognized by the Chair so you may ask your question. This is a key feature of an inclusive learning organization, and the body often benefits benefits from such points.
• Making a Motion: Typical motions include: Approving or reordering the agenda, amending a policy, amending an amendment, extending the allotted time spent on an item, etc. To make a motion, once recognized by the Chair, state your motion without explaining the rationale behind your motion. If your motion is seconded, you may then can provide a rationale for the motion.

▶ Motion Example:

Chair: “Senator Smith, you are next on my speakers list.”
Senator Smith: “I move that we add to the beginning of the first sentence on page two the words ‘Unless there is a serious or compelling reason…’”
Senator Doe: “I second the motion.”
Senator Smith: “The reason I think this amendment is needed because….”

Voting

• Procedure may vary based on the situation and nature of the vote. The officers are responsible for anticipating, developing, and communicating the voting procedure to the body prior to the vote.
• A motion on the method of voting may be made by any Senator, such as proposing a vote by roll call or ballot. Such motions must be seconded and are not debatable, but may be amended or reconsidered, and require a majority vote to be adopted.
• If a decision has already been made during the same meeting and a Senator wishes to change that action, they may make a Motion to Reconsider; such a motion requires the Senator to have voted with the prevailing side on the original motion and to have new information that might change the outcome of the vote. 
• Senators may abstain whenever desired, but abstentions should not be rooted in insufficient preparation for the meeting.

Adjournment

• The procedures governing adjournment and motions to adjourn shall follow those in Robert’s Rules of Order. If a meeting adjourns while business is pending, the business carries over to the next meeting as unfinished business.
• After the Meeting: If items were discussed that affect the faculty in your unit be sure to update your colleagues and obtain feedback as needed.

San Diego State University Senate: Quick Reference Guide for Actions & Voting

• Elected Senators are expected to serve on at least one of three types of committees: 
• Senate Committee: A Senate Committee has certain functions to perform that are essential or useful for shared governance. It is established by the Senate for an indeterminate period.
• Senate Core Committee: Senate Core Committees are deemed to be critical to shared governance within the university. The work of Senate Core committees helps to form, shape, and direct most of the policies, recommendations, and resolutions emanating from the Senate. The chairs of Senate Core Committees shall serve as members of the Senate Executive Committee. MPP-classified members on any Senate Core Committee cannot exceed 25% of the total listed membership of the committee. Senate Core Committee charters are maintained in the bylaws.
• Senate-affiliated Campus Committee: A Senate-affiliated Campus committee is a non-Senate committee with Senate representation. It is established by and reports to a non-Senate office. The Senate, and the Senate policies governing election and appointment of members, are involved in appointing a subset of members and its charter is included in the Senate policy file.

Below are some important aspects and expectations for your committee service:

• You may be sent a survey from the Committee on Committees and Elections to help determine which Senate Core Committee, a Senate Committee, or a Senate-affiliated Campus Committee may work best for your interests and skills.
• Committee service terms are for three years unless otherwise stated in the committee's charter. Reappointment is often possible, regardless of whether or not you remain a Senator.
• As a committee member, you serve as liaison to your constituency, which entails you bringing issues back to your colleagues for conferral in between meetings. While you may bring relevant work and personal experience to your committee, please appreciate you are not serving to represent your own personal interests. 
• Review your assigned committee's charter in the Senate Policy File. Senate Core Committee charters are located in Bylaws 3.0 of the Policy File, and the all others are found in the Policy File sections entitled “UNIVERSITY POLICIES: Committees – Regular Senate Committees and Councils” and “UNIVERSITY POLICIES: Committees – Campus Committees with Senate-appointed Members.” A committee's charter outlines its membership and function and may also include information on the committee's background, sub-committees, etc.  
• Commit to the meeting schedule. Committees can meet as frequently as every week or as infrequently as once a semester. Serving on a Senate Core Committee is a heavier lift than a typical Senate Committee as they meet more frequently, receive more referrals, and in general complete more work. If, for whatever reason, you cannot attend the meeting (e.g., time conflict, too many meetings), you should immediately inform the committee chair and CCE (email: [email protected]) that you would like to be reassigned to a new committee if possible, outlining your reasons and interests.
• Come prepared to meetings. Your chair should send meeting invites in a timely manner and provide the meeting agenda and materials well ahead of time to ensure a productive meeting. Your thoughtful review of the agenda and these materials before the meeting is an important part of being a good committee member. 
• Be prepared for asynchronous work. In addition to preparing for meetings, committees may, from time to time, ask you complete additional work outside of the scheduled meeting time(s). For example, a sub-committee might be established to complete a set of work goals related to the main committee or there may be an asynchronous vote. This is especially true of Senate Core Committees. No matter what type of committee, you should not expect your only contribution to be simply showing up.
• If you cannot attend, then send a substitute. Just as for Senate meetings, if you will be absent from a meeting then you need to identify someone who can attend in your place and fill you in thereafter. You also need to let the committee chair know ahead of time so they can send your substitute a calendar invite and meeting materials. We highly recommend you pre-identify and speak with two to three people who could serve as your substitute if the need arises.
• Be on time. Committee work often includes packed agendas and every minute is precious if the committee expects to meet its goals.
• For longer planned absences, work with CCE to find a temporary or permanent replacement (see Senate Policy File >> Bylaws 2.0 in the Policy File). If your circumstances change mid-term (e.g., sabbatical, medical leave), then it is crucial to communicate these changes as soon as possible in writing to both your committee chair and to CCE ([email protected]). CCE can appoint a replacement, and can share with you the procedure and timing if you plan to return to the committee later in your term.  
• If you are repeatedly tardy, or have excessive absences, then your committee chair can ask CCE to remove you from the committee and reassign you. 
• Your committee may have work agreements, and if so, understand and honor them. For an example, please see the AP&P committee agreements. 

It is your responsibility to find an eligible substitute if you cannot attend a Senate or Committee meeting. If you need to identify a substitute, submit your resignation, or report an extended absence, you must notify the Senate Officers by completing a Senate Help Request.

Important Terms

Substitute: Replaces a Senator or committee member for a single meeting.

Temporary Replacement: Acts as a substitute for a Senator or committee member for an extended period during the term, with the expectation the Senator or committee member they are replacing will return to complete the term.

Replacement: Replaces a Senator who has resigned and completes their term as a Senator.

Key Policies

Here are the main points of Bylaws Section 5.0 “Substitutes” in the Policy File:

• Senators and members of Senate and Senate-appointed committees may appoint a substitute if they cannot attend a meeting unless specified otherwise.
• A substitute serves for a single meeting.
• The substitute may attend the meeting and shall have the same speaking and voting privileges as the member.
• Senators may appoint someone from their same constituency unless otherwise stated in the policy file.
• Ex officio members may appoint someone from their same administrative area unless otherwise stated in the policy file.
• Senators appointing substitutes for a Senate meeting shall notify the Senate Officers as soon as possible by completing a Senate Help Request.
• Committee members appointing substitutes for a committee meeting shall notify the committee chair in writing as soon as possible.
• If you need a temporary short-term replacement for more than a single meeting (e.g., you are on sabbatical for a semester or year of your term), then please indicate this when you complete the form. You will be asked if your substitute is willing to serve for that period of time. If they are not, Senate Officers will work with CCE to determine a temporary replacement.