University Assembly
Note: The information below has been re-published for context and reference. Note that any information and links included within may be outdated.
12:00 P.M. - Wednesday, September 6, 2023
Creative Arts Center, Clay Theatre
What is the University Assembly?
The University Assembly is defined by Article I.1 in the Faculty Constitution as follows:The University Assembly shall include those faculty employed full time by West Virginia University, as defined by Board of Governors Rule 4.2 with the exception of those “Other Non-Tenure Track” faculty who do not report to an academic dean or who hold appointments that are considered to be temporary in nature. Voting rights are conveyed to anyone considered to be a member of the University Assembly.
Am I a member of the University Assembly?
You may review our University Assembly roster to verify membership.
If you are not listed and believe it is in error, please contact FacultySenateOffice@mail.wvu.edu.
Why is the University Assembly Meeting?
The Faculty Senate Office has received a petition to convene
a meeting of the University Assembly for consideration of two resolutions: (1) Resolution
of No Confidence in the Leadership of President E. Gordon Gee; and (2) Resolution
to Freeze the Academic Transformation Process. Per the Faculty Constitution, special meetings
may be called “by petition to the Faculty Senate Office of five percent (5%)
of the members of the University Assembly.” (Article I.4) Such
a petition was received on August 25, 2023 by the Faculty Senate Office
containing the required number of endorsing members.
Where is the University Assembly Meeting?
The meeting will take place in the Creative Arts Center Clay Theatre. Parking is available in reserved spaces around the Creative Arts Center.What is a Quorum?
Quorum is the minimum number of members in an assembly that must be present for business to be conducted or for proceedings to be considered valid.What is quorum for the University Assembly?
Quorum for the University Assembly is 662. The Faculty Constitution defines quorum for the University Assembly as 25% of all current members.How will the meeting be conducted?
The meeting will be chaired by Faculty Senate Chair Frankie Tack and conducted according to the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order, newly revised.I'm an assembly member and cannot attend in person. What are my options?
Per the motion passed by Faculty Senate on 8/28/23, faculty members may
request remote access using this form if they cannot attend in person
due to university sponsored or scheduled responsibilities. Requests will
be considered on a case-by-case basis. Submissions must be received by 9:00 p.m. on September 5th, 2023.
I'm not an assembly member and wish to attend. What are my options?
Guests are highly encouraged to avoid attending in person and instead view the event via our public YouTube stream. We have limited seating inside the theatre and will be reserving all seats until we can verify that attending assembly members are able to be seated. The stream may be accessed by visiting our Faculty Senate YouTube Channel and clicking on the "WVU University Assembly" live stream link. This link will become visible at noon on September 6.
Voting and Procedure
For voting purposes, a simple majority (>50%) of voting members is required for the main motions or any amendments to the main motions to be carried. Voting on main motions will be conducted via paper ballot where possible. It is our intent to count all votes and announce results at the assembly.
Once an action has been properly moved and seconded (ex: “I move that this assembly approves the resolution in question.”), there will be a debate period during which members may be recognized to speak. Given the size of the assembly, we have created the form below to facilitate identifying those that wish to speak during the assembly. Members may only speak twice on the same question, will be limited to 90 seconds, and may only speak a second time if no other members wish to speak for the first time.
If there is an amendment, a point of order, limit to debate, or other kind of subsidiary motion, those will be voted on by show of hands both online and in person. The main motions, being the resolution of no confidence and the resolution to halt academic transformation, will be voted on via paper ballot for the in person attendees. As a means of maintaining anonymity for our online voters, a Qualtrics survey will be sent to each remote member so that they may vote on those two issues.
It is recommend that members review some basic Parliamentary Procedure reference guides if unfamiliar with common motions and the actions/requirements related to them.
For voting purposes, a simple majority (>50%) of voting members is required for the main motions or any amendments to the main motions to be carried. Voting on main motions will be conducted via paper ballot where possible. It is our intent to count all votes and announce results at the assembly.
Once an action has been properly moved and seconded (ex: “I move that this assembly approves the resolution in question.”), there will be a debate period during which members may be recognized to speak. Given the size of the assembly, we have created the form below to facilitate identifying those that wish to speak during the assembly. Members may only speak twice on the same question, will be limited to 90 seconds, and may only speak a second time if no other members wish to speak for the first time.
If there is an amendment, a point of order, limit to debate, or other kind of subsidiary motion, those will be voted on by show of hands both online and in person. The main motions, being the resolution of no confidence and the resolution to halt academic transformation, will be voted on via paper ballot for the in person attendees. As a means of maintaining anonymity for our online voters, a Qualtrics survey will be sent to each remote member so that they may vote on those two issues.
It is recommend that members review some basic Parliamentary Procedure reference guides if unfamiliar with common motions and the actions/requirements related to them.