Faculty Council


Composition and Rules of Procedure

By-Laws Governing Procedure at Meetings of The Law Faculty Council


Composition and Rules of Procedure


There shall be a Faculty Council in the Faculty of Law, as follows:

Composition

    • The following persons shall be voting members of the Council of the Faculty of Law.
      • As ex officio members the Vice-Chancellor and such Vice-Presidents of the University as the Senate may determine.
        • All persons holding a full-time teaching appointment in the Faculty of Law, and the Law Librarian.
        • Ten students of the Faculty of Law to be appointed by Student Legal Society which shall include the Student Legal Society Executive and at least one student from each academic year.
        • Representatives from full-time members of the Faculty of the University holding the rank of Lecturer or higher:
          One from the Richard Ivey School of Business
        • One member of the administrative staff of the Faculty of Law, elected thereby.
    • For the purpose of this section the following definition pertains:
      "persons holding a full-time teaching appointment" shall not include a person on sabbatical leave or on leave of absence.
  2. The following shall be non-voting members of the Council of the Faculty of Law:
    • Administrative Officers of the Faculty of Law, and
    • such other persons as the Council from time to time determines.

  3. A chair and two vice-chairs, the second vice-chair is a student who is already a member of Faculty Council, shall be elected by Faculty Council from among its members, the election to take place at the first plenary meeting of Council after the commencement of the Fall term and their terms of office shall run for (1) year.

  4. Operation and Procedure
    In academic matters the Dean shall represent the Council, where necessary, within the University.

  5. Committees
    The Council shall establish committees to exercise its powers, and to advise it, as it considers necessary.

  6. Meetings
    The Council shall meet at least four times in each academic year.

  7. By-Laws
    Meetings of the Council shall be conducted in accordance with the by-laws of procedure adopted by the Council.

    • This constitution may be amended on the recommendation of a duly constituted meeting of the Council of the Faculty of Law prior to which there has been seven (7) days' notice of the proposed amendment.
      Amendments
    • The quorum for the purpose of amendments to the constitution shall be 50% of the voting members of the Council of the Faculty of Law as defined in part B of section 1(i).
    • The resolution for the amendment of the constitution must be passed by a two-thirds majority of the voting members of the Council of the Faculty of Law present at the meeting, or by 50% of the voting membership defined in Part B of section 1(i), whichever is greater, before it can be submitted to the Senate.

REVISED: September, 1998



By-Laws Governing Procedure at Meetings of The Law Faculty Council

Revised October 17, 1990

  • Meetings
    1. The Chair or in the Chair's absence, the Vice-Chair, shall call meetings of Faculty Council on the Dean's motion or at the written request of any five members of Faculty Council.
    2. Seven days written notice of meetings shall be required, except that in circumstances of urgency, a majority of two-thirds of the Faculty Council members present and voting at that meeting may waive the notice of meeting.
  • Quorum
    1. Unless otherwise provided in the Constitution, the quorum for Faculty Council meetings during the academic term shall be one-half, during vacations one-third, of the number of persons provided for in the clauses 1(i)B(a) and (c) of the Constitution of the Council of the Faculty of Law.
    2. Any member present at a meeting of Faculty Council may object to a lack of a quorum at the meeting, whereupon the Chair shall make a count to determine if the meeting is duly constituted. Failing such objection, and subject to quorum requirements for changes to the Constitution of the Faculty Council, no decision taken by Faculty Council at any meeting may be challenged afterward on the ground of want of quorum.
  • Meetings to be Open
    1. All meetings of Faculty Council are open, provided that a majority of two-thirds of the members present may declare a meeting closed.
    2. The Chair may recognize non-members on any matter of business.
  • Publication of Documents

    Notices of meeting, agenda, minutes, motions and reports to Faculty Council shall be posted on student notice boards and 5 (five) copies of all documents pertaining to the affairs of Faculty Council be filed by the secretary to Faculty Council with the Law Library on the same day of issue of such documents to members of Faculty Council and there be kept on reserve for free access to any interested party.

    Further that a permanent cumulative file of such documents be maintained, in a similar manner and for a similar purpose, in the Law Library, from the date of this motion forward.

    The term "Documents" in the above is understood to include but not to be limited to all agendas, notices of motion, reports, work plans, memoranda and minutes of meetings of Faculty Council, except any such document that by a majority vote of Faculty Council is deemed confidential.

  • Agenda
    1. The Chair of Faculty Council shall be responsible for preparing and circulating an agenda for Faculty Council meetings, together with the notice of meeting.
    2. The usual order of business shall be: adoption of agenda, adoption of minutes, Dean's report, question period, business arising from minutes, reports of committees, new business, representations by non-members. Matters requiring Faculty Council action shall be identified as separate items on the agenda.
    3. Unless by a two-thirds vote of the members present it is decided otherwise, the business shall be confined to the agenda.
    4. The question period shall not exceed fifteen minutes. Questions shall be of such a character as to elicit information about the operations of the Faculty of Law on matters of sufficient importance to claim the attention of Faculty Council.
    5. Items shall be placed on the agenda for Faculty Council meetings if the Chair is requested to do so by: (1) the Dean, (2) Committee Chair on matters pertaining to that committee, (3) any five members of Faculty Council.
  • Notice of Motions

    All motions except procedural motions shall be preceded by a notice of motion which is to be delivered to members of Faculty Council eight days before the meeting of Faculty Council at which it is to be considered. Only motions which have been preceded by notice and motions concerned with the same subject matter shall be proceeded with unless the requirement of notice is waived by two-thirds of the members present.

  • Duration of Meetings

    No meeting of Faculty Council shall continue more than one and one-half hours unless two-thirds of the members present agree to continue with the business of the meeting.

  • Committees

    Committees may determine their own procedure.

  • Voting
    1. When every member who wishes to speak on a motion has done so, the Chair shall call for a vote. Approval by a majority of those voting or by consent without objection shall be the necessary vote to adopt a motion, unless otherwise specified in these by-laws or the Constitution.
    2. Voting shall be by show of hands unless some other method is decided upon by motion, except that in elections, voting shall be by secret ballot. Votes shall be counted whenever the Chair is in doubt as to the result or any member requests a count through a point of order before the vote.
    3. Each member of Faculty Council shall have one vote, except that the Chair may vote only in the case of a tie, or in cases where the vote is by secret ballot.
    4. In case of absence, a member of Faculty Council may deposit a written vote with another member on any agenda item.
    5. When a vote is taken in Faculty Council, members may require that their votes or the numbers be recorded in the minutes.
  • Rules of Order
    1. After the Chair has called a meeting to order, only one person may speak at a time, and only after being recognized by the Chair, except as provided below.
    2. When a motion has been made and seconded, it shall be disposed of, unless the mover, with the consent of the Council, withdraws it or allows it to stand over.
    3. Any member wishing information on a point under discussion when no one else has the floor may call out "point of information", in which case the Chair shall recognize the member for a brief question, and either give an answer or recognize someone to do so.
      Points of information may also be raised while a member is speaking, unless the speaker has asked not to be interrupted, and such questions will be directed by the Chair to the speaker.
    4. A member at any time may call out "point of order", in which case the member shall be recognized for the sole purpose of stating briefly what is believed to be the correct procedure.
    5. Procedure Governing Motions:
      • No question or motion shall be debated or put unless it has been seconded.
      • When the motion is seconded, it shall be stated by the Chair before debate.
      • Except when another member is speaking, a member may require the motion under discussion to be read at any time.
      • When a motion is under debate, no motion shall be received unless to amend, to refer to committee, to postpone or to adjourn.
      • Ordinarily no member shall speak more than once to the same motion unless after all the members who choose to speak have spoken.
      • Members may at any time, with the permission of the Chair, explain a material part of their remarks which may have been misunderstood.
      • A member may request that a question be divided for the purpose of debate. The Chair has the discretion to divide the question for the purpose of debate if to do so will in the Chair's opinion clarify the issues or expedite the debate.
    6. The Chair may speak on points of order in preference to other members.
    7. The Chair shall decide on all questions of order, and shall, if requested by any member of Faculty Council, state the rule applicable to the case.
    8. The Chair's ruling may be appealed by motion regularly seconded. A majority of those voting is sufficient to uphold or overrule the ruling of the Chair.
    9. The Chair may summarize discussions and present alternatives for consideration when no motion is pending, but may only state a personal opinion.
      • During general discussion when no motion is pending and no other member requests the floor,
      • By relinquishing the chair,
      • In deciding a point of order, or
      • If the pending question is an appeal from a ruling on a point of order.
    10. Substantive motions may be considered a second time at the same meeting only through a motion to reconsider, which may be made by a member who did not vote with the losing side on the original motion, at any time when no other motion is on the floor. If a motion to reconsider is adopted the original vote on the subject is inoperative and the question is reopened for discussion and decision.
  • Adjournment

    When Faculty Council adjourns, any matter under discussion at the time shall be considered to have been dealt with, but any motion in the matter introduced but not voted upon shall be considered as tabled until the next succeeding meeting.

  • Smoking

    Smoking is not permitted at Meetings.

  • Amendment

    These by-laws may be amended by majority vote at a duly constituted meeting of Faculty Council.

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