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Bylaws

Allocation of Members

Membership shall be appointed by Division. Each Division shall be responsible for developing guidelines for the allotment and election of its Senators. For purposes of Academic Senate representation, the following are considered to be Divisions:

  • Arts and Cultural Programs
  • Behavioral and Social Sciences
  • Business
  • Career and Technical Education
  • Communications and Languages
  • Counseling and Student Success
  • Health Sciences and Nursing
  • Kinesiology, Dance, and Athletics
  • Library
  • Mathematics and Sciences
  • Public Safety
  • Student Affairs and Student Services

The number of Senators shall be determined by the following table.

Number of Full-Time Faculty Number of Senators
1-5 1
6-10 2
11-15 3
16-20 4
21-25 5
26-30 6
31-35 7
36-40 8

In the first two weeks of every spring semester, the Executive Council will conduct a census of full-time faculty in each Division and review the College’s organizational structure. This census and organizational review will be used to determine the number of Senators allotted to each Division in the following academic year.

Two part-time faculty members shall be approved and appointed by the Senate President for a term of one year.

An officer is limited to two consecutive terms in any one office. Officers may be elected to additional non-consecutive.

The Parliamentarian or designee is responsible for coordinating all elections.

In the event of a vacancy in the Executive Committee, the President may call a special election.

Election Procedures:

  1. Publicity of candidacy, or electioneering, shall be limited to a maximum of ten school days prior to any election for Senate divisional representation or for Senate Executive officers. If the Parliamentarian is a candidate for office, the Senate Executive Council will select an elections chairperson to coordinate all election activities, including the distribution and acceptance of nominations, the distribution of ballots, and the counting of ballots.
  2. Election of new Senators should be completed by the end of February each year. New Senators will take office at the end of the academic year, immediately following graduation. The senior Senator from each Division will facilitate communications between events in the division and the Senate. Newly-elected Senators are encouraged to attend Senate meetings during the interim between their election and the start of their term. The senior Senator from each division is responsible for ensuring that the division election takes place and that the names of elected Senators are forwarded to the President of the Senate immediately after the election is held. The senior Senator is also responsible for ensuring a smooth transition for newly elected Senators.
  3. Officer elections shall be completed in March each year. New Senate officers will take office at the end of the academic year, immediately following graduation. The Executive Council will establish timelines for officer elections. Nominations will take place at a Senate meeting and will be open for one week. At least one week prior to the meeting at which nominations take place, the Parliamentarian or designee will distribute information regarding elections and the elections timeline. Voting will be open for one week following the close of nominations.
  4. Voting will be conducted electronically using online survey software. The Parliamentarian (or designee) will email a link for the electronic ballot to each Senator’s Rio Hondo College email address one week prior to the last Senate meeting in March. The Parliamentarian (or designee) will create the electronic ballot to include the names of the officer positions, with the candidates listed in randomized order. There will be a form field for “write-in” candidates for each office. Voting will close at noon the day prior to the last Senate meeting in March.
  5. A committee under the general direction of the Parliamentarian (or designee) will tally the results of the electronic vote. No candidate for any office may participate in the tallying of the vote.
  6. Results of the election will be announced at the last Senate meeting in March. In order to be elected to any office, a candidate must receive 50% plus 1 vote of the votes cast for that office.

In the event that no candidate for an office receives the required number of votes, a runoff election shall occur. If there are more than two candidates for an office, none of whom received the required number of votes, a runoff election between the two candidates receiving the most votes will be held at the same meeting the results of the election are announced. The Parliamentarian (or designee) will email an announcement of the runoff election to all Senators prior to the meeting at which the runoff election will be held. The runoff election will be conducted by paper ballot. Senators must be present at the runoff election to cast a vote. The results of the runoff election will be announced at the same meeting the runoff election took place.

Senate Officers and Executive Council

The officers of the Senate shall be a President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Secretary, and Parliamentarian. Each of these officers shall be duly elected Senators for the term they will be serving. The term of office shall be one year.

The President shall call meetings, preside at all meetings, serve as chairperson of the Executive Council, and shall be an ex-officio member of all committees. The President shall, with the advice and consent of a majority of the Executive Council, appoint all committees and their chairpersons. The President shall also serve as co‑chair of the Planning and Fiscal Council.

The First Vice‑President shall preside in the absence of the President, and shall complete the President’s term, if the President is unable to fulfill the term of office.. This officer shall also function as Legislative Liaison whose function is to report to the Senate legislative activities and developments that might affect higher education. Other committee assignments will be allocated as needed.

The Second Vice‑President shall preside in the absence of the President and the First-Vice President.This officer shall also function as Associated Students of Rio Hondo College (ASRHC) Liaison whose function is to work with the Executive Branch of theASRHC. Other committee assignments will be allocated as needed.

The Secretary shall prepare and transmit the agenda for each meeting at least 72 hours in advance of each Academic Senate meeting.

At the request of the ExecutiveCouncil, the Secretary shall prepare a correspondence of the Senate, including correspondence with the Administration and with the Board of Trustees of the College.

The Parliamentarian shall be an authority and rule on parliamentary procedures based on the Robert’s Rules of Order (current edition), and conduct the elections of the Senate.

The representative to the Academic Senate of the California Community Colleges (ASCCC) shall inform the Senate of state-wide matters and should attend the ASCCC plenary meetings.

The Senate Executive Council shall consist of the officers of the Senate, the ASCCC Representative, the immediate Past President, and the President of the Rio Hondo College Faculty Association.

The Senate Executive Council should serve as members of the Planning and Fiscal Council.  The Senate Executive Council should also serve on all hiring committees for Superintendent/President and for Vice‑Presidents of the College.

The Senate Executive Council shall determine how the 2.0 FTE per year of reassigned time provided for Senate duties will be divided among the officers.

  • Academic Senate Bylaws revised September 19, 2017 reflecting a change from Senate Executive Committee to Executive Council in addition to minor language insertions and edits.
  • Academic Senate Bylaws revised May 17, 2016 to reflect the changes to the election procedures as proposed and ratified after two readings.
  • Academic Senate Bylaws revised May 5, 2015 to update the allocation of Senators by division.
  • Academic Senate Bylaws revised March 17, 2015 to update the election procedures in the case of a no candidate receiving the necessary number of votes and to change the duties of the First and Second Vice-Presidents.
  • Academic Senate Constitution and Bylaws revised March 19. 2013 with language updates, revisions to election procedures, and revisions to timelines when new Senators take office.
  • Academic Senate Bylaws Revised May 4,2010 to (1) update election procedures to conform with the 16-week semester and (2) remove language which prohibited the Faculty Association President from voting.
  • Academic Senate Bylaws Revised March 25, 2004 to reflect comments made at the March 9, 2004 meeting where this document passed for 2nd reading.