CHAPTER I. INSTALLATION

Article 1

The University Senate is a collegiate body responsible for studying, reflecting upon, preparing, and suggesting general recommendations and regulations intended to promote and govern the institution¿s academic and educational quality and to encourage professional growth in the faculty and staff.

Article 2

The University Senate is made up of: 

a) Vice Presidents responsible for pre-university education and university education
b) Person in charge of the libraries
c) Person in charge of human resources and quality
d) University Community Area Director
e) Two directors, elected among those of the university academic divisions
f) Academic program director at the undergraduate level from each of the university divisions, elected among themselves
g) Academic program director at the graduate level, elected among those of the university academic divisions
h) Academic department director from each of the university academic divisions, elected among themselves
i) Unit dean, elected among those of the pre-university education division
j) Two academy directors, elected among those of the pre-university education division
k) Two department directors from the University Community Area, elected among themselves
l) Three full-time professors from each of the university academic divisions, elected among themselves
m) Four full-time professors, elected among those of the pre-university education area
n) Two professors from the University Community Area, elected among themselves
o) One of the presidents of the pre-university student government
p) President of the UDEM's Federation of Students
q) One student from the graduate program, appointed by the Vice President of Higher Education
r) Pre-University Education Area Director
s) Graduate Program Area Director

Article 3

The elected members of the University Senate will cover a two-year period and may be reelected for only one consecutive period. Students will cover a one-year period without possible reelection.

Article 4

The plenary of the University Senate has the following responsibilities:

a) Suggest general norms, regulations, and educational policies to guide the actions of the members of the academic and educational areas.
b) Recommend amendments or additions to the quality regulations of the academic and formative activities.
c) Issue recommendations to the President's Office in order to have the corresponding proposals prepared and assessed.
d) Encourage the faculty's professional growth.
e) Organize the councils and commissions needed for its operation.
f) Approve the proposals of its councils and commissions.
g) Follow up on the recommendations issued.
h) Suggest to the University President the modes and procedures required for its own operation, among others, the norms for the election of the members of the University Senate.
i) Assess the quality of its own work and the work performed by its councils and commissions.
j) Appoint a commission to witness the official university ceremonies, which include, among others, the university president's annual report and the graduation ceremonies.
k) Report its activities to the university community.
l) Penalize the members of the Senate in accordance with Articles 33 and 34.

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CHAPTER II. COUNCILS

Article 5

At least the following councils will be created:

• The Academic Council of Pre-University Education 
• The Academic Council of University Education 
• The Acedemic Council of Graduate Programs 
• The Council of Institutional Regulations

Article 6

Each council will have one president and one secretary, both to be elected by its members.

Article 7

Each Council has the following responsibilities with regards to its stated purpose: 

a) Prepare and submit updates and new proposals concerning the regulations governing the academic and educational quality, for the approval of the plenary of the University Senate.
b) Organize any committees for educational, advisory, and/or regulatory proposals it deems necessary. These committees will submit reports and recommendations to the corresponding Council.
c) Make sure that the studies conducted in formulating the proposals include methods to compare the objects of analysis against those of the best universities, taking into consideration expert opinion.
d) Assess the quality of its own work and the work performed by the committees.

Article 8

The Councils will hold at least one session per month, upon summons from their respective Presidents.

Article 9

Resolutions and recommendations submitted to the University Senate will be adopted by absolute majority of votes from the Senators. The President of Senate will have the deciding vote.

Article 10

The Councils will submit their resolutions to the University Senate President¿s Office at least thirty days prior to the session in which they will be discussed. The President¿s Office will then forward a copy of the same to the University Senate members, at least fifteen days in advance.

Article 11

The Councils must submit periodic reports of activities to the University Senate. Additionally, upon completion of their term, they must submit all the recommendations and formulations they have made in a single report.

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CHAPTER III. MEMBERS' OBLIGATIONS

Article 12

Obligations of the members of the University Senate:

a) Participate in at least one Council.
b) Participate in the events organized by the University Senate.
c) Express their opinion and that of any member of the University Community who petitions them to do so.
d) Report the agreements reached by the Senate to the people they represent.
e) Attend at least 75% of the annual sessions, defined as both those previously scheduled by the plenary and those pertaining to each of the Councils. The only exceptions considered will be absences due to illness and/or disability.

Article 13

The members of University Senate must have the institutional support and resources needed to perform their duties. The aforementioned means that participation in the Senate must be considered as institutional work on the part of the Senate members. The immediate superiors of the Senate members must facilitate their attendance to the Senate sessions and their work related to the Senate for the duration of the period for which they had been elected.

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CHAPTER IV. FUNCTIONS OF THE SENATE PRESIDENT AND THE SENATE SECRETARY

Article 14

Every two years, the University President will appoint a new Senate President from among the Vice Presidents that are members of the University Senate. The Senate Secretary is a two-year position. It will be filled by a member of the University Senate chosen by the Senate President from a list of three candidates submitted by the plenary. The same person may hold either of these positions for consecutive periods.

 

Article 15

The President of University Senate has the following responsibilities:

a) Prepare the agenda for the Senate session.
b) Summon the Senate to ordinary, extraordinary, and solemn sessions.
c) Preside over the sessions and lead the debates. He or she may appoint any inspectors, moderators, and collaborators deemed necessary.
d) In order to plan, coordinate, and follow up on the Senate's activities, the President will organize and preside over the Assembly of the Council Presidents.
e) Organize a committee to train the Senate members and promoting the Senate's activities.
f) Prepare and manage a budget together with the Presidents of the Councils.
g) Submit the resolutions of the University Senate to the University President.
h) Submit a complete report of activities during the last month of his or her term.
i) Exercise the faculties needed to comply with the statutory functions of the office.
j) Appoint a substitute senator whenever a regular senator has retired from the institution and/or when his or her dismissal has been agreed upon in accordance with the provisions of article 34.

Article 16

The responsibilities of the Secretary of the Senate are as follows:

a) Administer the ordinary votes of the Senate.
b) Aid the Senate President with the performance of his or her duties.
c) Be part of the Assembly of the Council Presidents and act as its secretary.
d) Aid the President with the planning and orderly administration of the sessions.
e) Prepare the attendance list for each session, draw up the corresponding minutes, sign them, have the President of the Senate sign them, and submit them to the Senators.
f) Prepare and file the minutes and all corresponding documents.
g) Facilitate the communication process between the Senate and the Councils.
h) Keep an updated record of the Senators, including the beginning and ending dates of their terms, as well as their election and reelection dates.
i) Participate in the preparation of the annual report.
j) Any other duties deriving from those listed in these regulations.

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CHAPTER V. SENATE SESSIONS

Article 17

 

The University Senate sessions may be ordinary, extraordinary, or solemn. They must be open and, exceptionally, closed by a montion of the plenary of the Senate.

Article 18

The University Senate will hold at least four ordinary sessions per year.

Article 19

The President must convoke the ordinary and solemn sessions of the University Senate at least fifteen days prior to their scheduled date.

Article 20

An extraordinary session of the University Senate may be convoked by the President of the Senate, the President of the University, or by written request from one fifth of the Senators. This must occur at least seven days prior to the scheduled date of the session.

Article 21

The Senate's solemn sessions shall be dedicated to official recognition of members of the university community or for any special matter that the plenary of the Senate deems appropriate.

Article 22

The University Senate must be convoked in writing. The convocation, the agenda, the date and location of the session, along with the appropriate information and documents must be sent to each senator.

Article 23

The quorum for a session of the University Senate requires that more than half the senators by present. If this requirement is not met, the President must repeat the convocation as many times as needed to reach the quorum.

Article 24

The extraordinary sessions of the University Senate will be dedicated only to the issues stated in the agenda.

Article 25

If the Senate President, for any reason, does not attend a given session, the Senate will appoint one of its members to substitute the President for that session only.

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CHAPTER VI. SENATE DEBATES

Article 26

The University Senate's resolutions will be adopted after prior discussion. The generally accepted parliamentary norms must be observed in the discussions.

Article 27

 

The Senators will debate in accordance with the generally accepted parliamentary norms.

Article 28

 

All regulatory proposals will be firstly discussed in general, that is, as a whole, and afterwards in detail, that is, in each of its articles, unless otherwise agreed by the Senate.

Article 29

A University Senate member shall not speak for more than three minutes, without the expressed authorization of the President to extend his or her discourse.

Article 30

Voting will be by show of hands, unless the University Senate decides on some other form.

Article 31

The University Senate will adopt any resolution that gains an absolute majority of votes. In the case of a tie, the Senate President shall have the deciding vote.

Article 32

The University Senate will submit all adopted resolutions to the University President for approval. For this purpose, the Senate President will notify the University President in a timely manner. The University President must respond in writing within sixty days. The Training and Promotion Commission will convey the University President's decisions to the academic community.

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CHAPTER VII. INFRACTIONS AND SANCTIONS

Article 33

Whenever any articles of these regulations are infringed, or whenever any board member wanders off topic, the University Senate President will call said member to order.

Article 34

Whenever any of the members has too many unexcused absences, misuses the information, or is disrespectful to the assembly or to any of its members, the President will appoint a committee of three Senators to study the case and suggest a penalty. The suggested penalty will be discussed and decided upon during an Assembly of Council Presidents.

 

The penalties may range from an official warning to the dismissal of the offending senator from the University Senate.

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CHAPTER VIII. INTERPRETATIONS AND REFORMS

Article 35

The plenary of the Senate shall interpret these regulations and any resolutions adopted. They may approve, modify, or add to any resolutions designed to interpret these regulations.

Article 36

These regulations may be modified by means of proposals from senators. The approval of any reform of these regulations will be by an absolute majority of a plenary of the Senate and with the subsequent approval of the University's Executive Board, according to article 35, Chapter VII, of the General Statute.

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TRANSITORY ARTICLE

Sole Article

These regulations governing the University Senate were approved by the Executive Board on the 29th day of January, 2007, rendering null and void all provisions and agreements that contradict them. The regulations came into force on the day following their approval.