Bylaws

Department of Classical & Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures

I. Relation to the college and the university

All policies and procedures shall be in conformity with the bylaws of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, university policies and regulations, and the AAUP-AFT/WSU Agreement. Where there may be an inconsistency between these bylaws and present or future Board of Governors Statutes, other university policies or regulations or policies that have been duly issued, or any applicable collective bargaining agreement, the latter shall prevail.

II. The chair

The chair is appointed to a fixed term of office, normally for a period of three to five years, in accordance with the selection and appointment procedures outlined in the AAUP-AFT/WSU Agreement and the bylaws of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
The department chair shall see to it that department policies are carried out and shall maintain communication between the department and the college and other units of the university. Areas of procedure not covered in these two documents are subject to mutual agreement between the dean and the department.
The chair shall preside over meetings of the Policy Committee, the Salary Committee, the Assembly, and the department. He/she shall serve ex-officio as chair of the Promotions Committee and the Tenure Committee.
In the Assembly and the Policy Committee he/she shall be without vote, except that he/she may vote to break a tie.
The chair shall have the authority to appoint ad hoc committees at his/her discretion or in consultation with the Policy Committee.

III. The areas and the area conveners

The department is divided into eight language Areas, viz., Asian, Classics, French, German, Italian, Near East, Slavic, and Spanish. It is the responsibility of each area to distribute specific course assignments and service responsibilities among its members, subject to mutual agreement between the area and the chair.
In personnel matters related to new full-time hires, the area makes recommendations to the Policy Committee. When considering initial appointments, non-tenured members with the rank of lecturer or above are eligible to participate in the discussion and non- tenured members with the rank of assistant professor or above are eligible to vote on the recommendation. In the event that no members with a rank of assistant professor or above are available in an area, a lecturer will be eligible to vote on the recommendation.
The chair may convene a meeting with an area, or the area faculty may request a meeting with the chair to act upon matters that concern the area rather than the entire department.
Each area shall elect annually from its full-time faculty (tenured faculty whenever possible) a convener who shall report to the chair on routine matters concerning the area.

IV. The Policy Committee

The Policy Committee shall consist of eight tenured members of the Assembly, elected by their respective areas, and one graduate student elected by the graduate students. Faculty terms shall be for two years, four members to be elected each year in staggered two-year terms. The graduate student term will be one year. Elections for the faculty members and the graduate student representative will be held during the winter semester of the academic year.
1. Each area will also elect an alternate faculty representative, and the Policy Committee will select an alternate graduate student volunteer as well. Members may be re-elected.
2. In the event that an area has no tenured members, an untenured, tenure-track member of the area will be chosen by the area to represent the area, with a vote, on the Policy Committee. In the event that no tenure-track member is available, a full-time faculty member will represent the area, with vote, on the Policy Committee.
3. All faculty members of the department with the rank of lecturer or above shall be eligible to vote in elections to the Policy Committee.
4. Eligibility for graduate student volunteer participants on designated committees shall be defined in the Statement of Principles for Graduate Student Participation on department committees prepared by the Policy Committee. In the absence of graduate student volunteers, the Policy Committee and all other committees will be constituted by the duly elected or appointed faculty members.
This committee shall be responsible for the formulation of departmental policy and curriculum, both on the general level and within the eight areas. It is here to be understood that, in the development of curriculum and of certain policies, economy and efficiency will demand that the basic work be done within each area; but that the Policy Committee shall have the obligation to review and the right to modify such policy or curriculum.
The Policy Committee shall also serve as a personnel committee. In this function, although it will seek recommendations from the different areas, it will have the deciding voice in recommending new appointments, without referral to the Assembly. In any matters related to salary, the graduate student representative will not participate in the discussion. In matters regarding annual review of term appointments and recommendations on renewal of term appointments, the Policy Committee defers personnel decisions to the Tenure Committee and Promotions Committee, as defined by Article XXII D. and XXIII A. of the AAUP-AFT/WSU Agreement.
The Policy Committee also performs the functions of the Budget Advisory Committee.
The department chair shall have a suspensive veto on all actions of the Policy Committee, such veto to be exercised within two weeks. A measure vetoed by the chair may be reconsidered by the Policy Committee after two weeks. A two-thirds vote shall override the veto.
Five faculty members of the Policy Committee shall constitute a quorum.
The minutes of the Policy Committee shall be distributed to the members of the Assembly not later than one week after each meeting, except that personnel actions shall be reported at the discretion of the Policy Committee.
The actions of the Policy Committee shall be deemed to constitute departmental policy, with the exception noted below, Section V, Article 5.
The Policy Committee may be convened at any time by the chair or upon petition to the chair of at least half of its members.
If a member of the Policy Committee is to be absent for an extended period, the area faculty of the absent member will elect a replacement to serve until the absent member's return, or until the expiration of the member's term. In the event of a vacancy, the area faculty of the vacating member will elect a replacement to serve out that member's term.

V. The Assembly

The Assembly shall consist of all faculty members of the department with the rank of lecturer or above.
The Assembly may be convened at any time by the chair or upon petition to the chair of at least three members of the Assembly.
A quorum shall consist of fifty percent of the voting members plus one.
The Assembly shall have the right to request the consideration of policy measures by the Policy Committee.
The Assembly may, by a two-thirds vote of its total membership, reject any action of the Policy Committee except personnel decisions. An action so rejected shall be reconsidered by the Policy Committee and returned to the Assembly within one month of the date of rejection. If the action is still unacceptable to the Assembly, a two-thirds vote of its total membership shall suffice to reject the action.
No member of the Assembly shall have the right to vote by proxy or by mail. The Policy Committee, however, at its discretion, may extend without referral to the Assembly the right to vote by proxy or by mail.

VI. The Tenure Committee

The Tenure Committee shall consist of six tenured members of the department, with no more than two members elected from any one area. Members shall serve a term of two years, three members to be elected each year for a two-year term. Members may be re-elected once to a succeeding term if they are willing to serve two successive terms. All faculty members of the department with the rank of lecturer or above shall be eligible to vote in elections to the Tenure Committee.
The tenure recommendations of the committee and of the chair are not referable to the Assembly.
In accordance with the AAUP-AFT/WSU Agreement (Article XXII. D), the Tenure Committee/the Promotions Committee shall prepare each year a written review for any faculty member holding a term appointment and, when appropriate, make recommendations on renewal of term appointments.
The total membership of the Tenure Committee shall constitute a quorum.
If a member of the Tenure Committee is unable to serve, a replacement shall be elected by special election. The provision of Article VI.1 applies for this election whenever possible.
A two-thirds vote of the membership of the committee shall be required for a recommendation for the granting of tenure. The department chair shall serve ex-officio as chair of the committee without vote. The recommendations of the committee for the granting of tenure together with its assessments and supporting documents shall be forwarded to the department chair.
Upon receipt of the department committee recommendations, the chair shall attach his/her recommendations and shall forward both sets of recommendations to the dean of the college. The chair, after consultation with the department committee, may also initiate recommendations for the granting of tenure, which, along with supporting documents and assessments, shall be forwarded to the dean; the committee may also forward its assessments and supporting documents to the dean. The chair shall notify a faculty member when the department committee has recommended him/her for tenure or when the chair initiates a recommendation for tenure. A faculty member may withdraw his/her name from consideration for tenure. If no recommendation for tenure is being sent to the dean of the college and it is the faculty member's fourth, fifth, or sixth year of service at Wayne State University, the faculty member shall be so notified in writing by the chair.
Appeal procedures regarding recommendations for tenure shall be those stipulated in the AAUP-AFT/WSU Agreement.

VII. The Promotions Committee

The Tenure Committee of the department shall also serve as the Promotions Committee and shall be responsible for evaluating candidates and making promotion recommendations. A two-thirds vote of the eligible membership of the committee shall be required for a recommendation for promotion. No member of the committee shall participate in or vote on a promotion recommendation to a rank higher than his/her current rank. The department chair, regardless of rank, shall serve ex-officio as chair of the committee without vote. The recommendations of the committee for promotion together with its assessments and supporting documents shall be forwarded to the department chair.
Upon receipt of the department committee recommendations, the chair shall attach his/her recommendations and shall forward both sets of recommendations to the dean of the college. The chair, after consultation with the department committee, may also initiate recommendations for promotion, which, along with supporting documents and assessments shall be forwarded to the dean; for those cases the committee may also forward its assessments and supporting documents to the dean. The chair shall notify a faculty member when the department committee has recommended him/her for promotion or when the chair initiates a recommendation for promotion. A faculty member may withdraw his/her name from consideration for promotion.
The promotion recommendations of the committee and of the chair are not referable to the Assembly.
The total membership of the Promotions Committee shall constitute a quorum; however, voting will be restricted as indicated in VII.1 above.
If a member of the Promotions Committee is unable to serve, a replacement shall be elected by special election. The provision of Article VI.1a applies for the election whenever possible.
Appeal procedures regarding recommendations for promotion shall be those stipulated in the AAUP-AFT/WSU Agreement.

VIII. Salary Committee

The Salary Committee shall consist of five members elected by the faculty. Three of these members shall be elected from the membership of the Tenure Committee. Two members shall be untenured faculty elected from areas not already represented by the elected tenured members.
All faculty members of the department with rank of lecturer or above shall be eligible to vote in the elections to the Salary Committee.
The chair shall serve ex officio as committee chair, with vote.
The total membership of the Salary Committee shall constitute a quorum.

IX. Graduate Committee

The Graduate Committee shall consist of a Representative elected by the graduate faculty of each graduate program and of one graduate student (to be elected by the graduate students). It shall be presided over by the chair of the department or the chair's designee. The term for faculty will be two years and one year for the graduate student member.

X. The Undergraduate Committee

The Undergraduate Committee shall consist of the Undergraduate Advisors, a Basic Course Coordinator from each area, and at least one graduate student (to be elected by the graduate students), and shall be presided over by the chair of the department or the chair's designee.

XI. Budget Advisory Committee

The Policy Committee shall serve as the Budget Advisory Committee.

XII. Elections

Election procedures shall be determined by the Policy Committee.
All tenured members of the department (or appropriate area, where applicable) shall automatically be candidates for vacancies on the Policy Committee, the Promotion Committee, and the Tenure Committee.
A member of the Assembly may not refuse nomination, nor may he/she refuse to serve if elected. He/she may be released from this obligation by the chair if the latter is convinced that such service is not in the best interests of the department or of the individual.

XIII. Department meetings

For the purposes of these bylaws, the membership of the department consists of all faculty with the rank of lecturer or above and academic services officer.
These members plus any others designated by the chair are eligible to attend department meetings.
The department shall be convened at least once each fall and winter semester and shall keep records of the proceedings. The regular meetings of the department, to be held as soon as possible after the beginning of each semester of the academic year, shall serve as a forum for the discussion of department policies, procedures, or other matters and for the publishing of announcements by the chair or others and to afford a measure of participation in the official life of the department on the part of those members of the staff who are not members of the Assembly.
In addition, upon the request of no fewer than one-third of the members of the department, the chair shall call a department meeting. Special meetings may also be called by the chair as he/she deems necessary.

XIV. Amendments

The bylaws may be amended by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the total membership of the Assembly. Proposed amendments must be submitted at a meeting of the Assembly and copies thereof furnished to all its members. A vote on the amendment shall be taken at the following meeting of the Assembly.

XV. Enacting these bylaws

These bylaws shall take effect upon a two-thirds affirmative vote of the total number of faculty with the rank of lecturer or above in the Department of Classical and Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures. The proposed bylaws must first be distributed to all faculty with the rank of lecturer and above and submitted for consideration at a meeting of these faculty. A vote on the bylaws shall be then taken at the next meeting of these faculty.

Approved by vote of the CMLLC faculty on 25 March 2008.

Amended 10 October 2009 by the CMLLC faculty and approved by Associate Provost Steven Calkins on 9 November 2009.