Ophthalmology Bylaws

Academic Bylaws of the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences of the University of Utah School of Medicine
Draft 1.0 (2003-10-30)
Draft 1.1 (2004-05-05)
Draft 2.0 (2004-12-31)
Mission and Governance
The bylaws of the Department of Ophthalmology of the University of Utah School of Medicine are instituted to facilitate the missions of health care, education, research and service by the Faculty. These bylaws shall conform to the Policies and Procedures of the University of Utah and the School of Medicine. These Policies and Procedures provide a mandate for faculty governance.
This section draws from the UofU Policies & Procedures (UU P&P), SOM P&P and the School of Computing Bylaws – all available on the web. Bylaws cannot supersede any P&P without having been formally approved at the University level
1 Definitions
1.1 The Regular Faculty and Tenure-track Ranks
Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor and Instructor.
1.2 Tenure
Tenure may be held by the Regular Faculty.
1.3 The Auxiliary Faculty
Research Professor, Research Associate Professor, Research Assistant Professor, Research Instructor, Clinical Professor, Clinical Associate, Professor, Clinical Assistant Professor, Clinical Instructor, Lecturer Professor, Lecturer Associate Professor, Lecturer Assistant Professor, Lecturer Instructor, Adjunct Professor, Adjunct Associate Professor, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Adjunct Instructor, Visiting Professor, Visiting Professor, Visiting Associate Professor, Visiting Assistant Professor, and Visiting Instructor.
1.4 The Faculty
The Regular and Auxiliary Faculty.
1.5 Scholarship Categories
The Regular Faculty are separated into Clinician Scholar and Scientist Scholar categories for purposes of the RPT process.
1.6 Operational Categories
The Faculty are separated in to Clinical (Regular and Auxiliary) and Research (Regular and Auxiliary) Faculties for the purposes of operations.
1.7 The Eligible Voting Base
Each Faculty member will assign themselves to the Clinical or Research faculties (or both) for the purposes of calculating a voting base for customary operations. University decisions restricted to the Regular Faculty must always use a base of all Regular Faculty, without restriction.
1.8 The Majority and the Supermajority
A majority (m) is an integer greater than half the eligible voters (n): m>n/2. Unless specified otherwise, a supermajority (s) is an integer greater than two-thirds of the eligible voters (n): s>2n/3.
2 Academic Meetings of the Faculty
2.1 Meetings
The Clinical and Research Faculties may hold separate or joint meetings. All faculty may attend any meeting except where restricted by University of Utah or School of Medicine Policies and Procedures.
2.2 Attendance
All faculty members in the Department of Ophthalmology, representatives of the medical and graduate students of the University of Utah, and persons invited to a meeting by the Chair or the Chair’s designee may participate in discussions in any faculty meeting.
2.3 Voting
A Regular faculty member whose primary appointment is in the Department of Ophthalmology may propose, second, and vote on all matters. An Auxiliary faculty member whose primary appointment is in the Department of Ophthalmology may propose, second and vote as permitted in the bylaws or School of Medicine Policies and Procedures. Auxiliary faculty may vote on recruitment, hiring, promotion and retention of Auxiliary faculty.
2.4 Methods
Proposals, Seconds and Votes may be in-person, electronic, written, or proxy.
2.5 Remote participation
Regular faculty members on sabbatical leave may continue to participate in faculty meetings, and shall be counted as eligible to vote, unless they have stated in writing that they do not wish to participate while on leave.
3 Meeting Notice and Agenda
3.1 Scheduling
Meetings may be called by the Chair or Chair’s designee. Meetings shall also be called upon the written request of five Regular faculty members.
3.2 Agenda
The agenda shall be comprised of Informational or Decision items for discussion and voting. The agenda shall be distributed by e-mail. These items may be restricted to a Research or Clinical meeting and quorum requirement as long as they do not conflict with University of Utah or School of Medicine Policies and Procedures. If any Regular faculty member objects in writing to the restricted designation of an item, it shall be placed on the agendas of both Research and Clinical Faculty meetings. Every agenda shall include enumeration of the eligible voting bases (Regular, Auxiliary, Clinical and Research).
3.3 Notice
Notice of five calendar days shall be given for any meeting. The notice shall indicate the agenda for the meeting. The notice requirement may be waived with the consent of half of the faculty members eligible to vote on on item or, in exceptional cases, by the Chair.
3.4 Informational Items
… items unlikely to require discussion or action. If action on an information item is proposed and seconded, the Information item becomes a Discussion item.
3.5 Discussion Items
… items that require faculty deliberation and action.
3.6 Form of Proposals
Consent and discussion items shall be suitable for a yes or no vote, and shall be seconded. An action proposed by a committee of the faculty shall be considered as seconded.
3.7 Supporting Material
… material supporting any item so that a faculty member can make an informed decision shall be included as part of the agenda with the same notice requirements.
3.8 Amendments and Withdrawals
An amendment to a Decision item may be distributed on a revised agenda if it has been proposed and seconded three calendar days before the faculty meeting. An item may always be withdrawn by the faculty member proposing it.
4 Conduct of Meetings
4.1 Meeting Chair
Faculty meetings shall be chaired by the Departmental Chair, the Director of Research, or the Chair’s designee.
4.2 Meeting Rules
Informal customary meeting rules shall be used unless a Rule of Order is invoked by a Regular faculty member. Then Robert’s Rules of Order shall be used.
4.3 Amendments
Amendments to an item may be considered. If an amendment passes, the item as amended will replace the original item for final voting. The chair shall see that the text of the item as amended is available to the faculty members.
4.4 Outcomes
Passage of an item requires yes votes from a majority of faculty eligible to vote on the item. Rejection of an item requires no votes from a majority of faculty eligible to vote on the item. Failure to pass or reject due to abstentions or absent voters renders an item Undecided and it remains open.
4.5 Absentee and pre-meeting votes
If an item on the agenda has not been amended (except by written amendment on the supplemental agenda), absentee votes or those cast before the meeting on the item shall be treated as having been cast at the meeting.
4.6 Post-meeting votes
If an item remains Undecided, voting remains open. An eligible voter may reverse a vote or one who has not cast a vote may do so, electronically or in writing.
5 Informal Faculty Meetings
5.1 Scheduling
Informal faculty meetings may be called by the Chair, the Director of Research, or the Chair’s designee.
5.2 Agenda
An agenda for each meeting will be distributed at least three calendar days before the meeting, indicating the topics to be discussed. Material about a topic should be distributed with the agenda.
5.3 Chair
Informal faculty meetings shall be chaired by the Chair, the Director of Research, or the Chair’s designee.
5.4 Voting
No binding votes on an item or any other action shall be taken at an informal faculty meeting.
Why have informal meetings? Some issues may require extended discussion before making a decision. It may be useful to gauge the thoughts of the faculty on an issue.
6 Appointments Advisory Committee
6.1 Rules
Meetings of an Appointments Advisory Committee are governed by University policy, and in particular University of Utah Policy 9-5 and SOM appointments policies.
6.2 Meetings
The faculty shall meet as an Appointments Advisory Committee when considering an initial appointment to the Regular faculty, an appointment to the auxiliary faculty, or the privileges associated with an auxiliary appointment. Meetings shall be convened by the Chair or the ChairÕs designee after discussion of the appointment in a faculty meeting.
6.3 Membership
All Regular faculty members shall be members of the Committee considering initial appointments. Faculty members shall not be members of the Committee considering appointments for themselves or members of their family. No Cinical or Research restriction is permitted.
6.4 Participation
Only members of the particular Appointments Advisory Committee shall participate in the meeting. The meeting shall be chaired by the Chair or the Chair’s designee.
6.5 Approval
To be approved at the meeting, an appointment must receive the affirmative vote of a supermajority of the faculty eligible to vote. Eligibility is defined by University and SOM Policies and Procedures. Ballots shall be secret unless suspended by a supermajority of the faculty eligible to vote.
7 Retention, Promotion, and Tenure Departmental Advisory Committee
Meetings of the Retention, Promotion, and Tenure Departmental Advisory Committee (DAC) are explicitly governed by University and SOM policies, and in particular University Policy 9-5.1. The Chair or Chair’s designee will convene separate Student Advisory Committees to evaluate Scientist-Scholar and Clinician-Scholar candidates, in accord with University Policies.
8 Use of Electronic Mail and Deferred Voting
Electronic mail that has been verified as coming from a faculty member, or any similar system, may be used for written requests, written consents, proposals and seconds, and deferred voting. Deferred voting shall be supervised by the Chair or the Chair’s designee. The voting period shall be long enough for a discussion of the item and to allow all voting faculty to participate.
9 Variations
9.1 Amendments
These bylaws may be amended by a supermajority of the Regular faculty members.
9.2 Suspension
Any provision of these bylaws may be suspended for a single meeting by a supermajority of the Regular faculty members as long as the suspension does not violate any University Policy.
9.3 Appeal
A decision of the chair of any meeting may be appealed at that time by any faculty member eligible to vote. If a majority of the faculty eligible to vote agree with the appeal, the Chair’s decision is reversed.