Department Faculty Committee (DFC) By-Laws

for the Department of Geography and Anthropology

A. The Role and Purpose of the DFC

1. The purpose of the DFC is to increase transparency and communication

between the faculty and the department chair regarding the development

and implementation of department policies.

B. Membership of the DFC

1. The DFC shall consist of three members, all selected by vote of the department faculty.

2. A majority of the DFC should be tenured if possible.

3. The exact method by which the department selects its representatives to the DFC shall be determined by vote of permanent full-time faculty of the department (i.e. instructors, lecturers, tenure-track, and tenured faculty).

4. The department may recall any DFC member by a 2/3 vote.

5. The Chair is an ex officio, non-voting member of the DFC. Chairs will respect their DFC’s desire, on occasion, to meet without the Chair present.

6. Department Chairs are not eligible to vote for or to serve as representatives to the DFC.

C. DFC Leadership

The chair must be elected by the members of the DFC from among their number.

D. Operation

1. Consistent with its purpose of providing greater transparency and two-way communication between the faculty and the Chair, the DFC shall have reasonable and prompt access to department information relating to the development and implementation of departmental policies.

2. The DFC should work with the department's College Faculty Council representative to address problems arising in its work that may require external assistance.

3. Department faculty may contact any member of the DFC to request information or voice opinions or concerns about the planning and implementation of departmental policies. The DFC member will then bring this request, opinion or concern to the attention of the DFC at the next meeting. The DFC will then determine an appropriate course of action regarding the matter and make every effort to respond in a reasonable and timely fashion to the faculty member who initiated the request, opinion or concern.

E. Frequency of Meeting and Summer DFC

1. The DFC should meet as often as deemed appropriate by the council membership with a minimum of two meetings per semester. Each meeting shall be called by the chair of the DFC. The department chair or any other member of the DFC can request a meeting by contacting the chair of the DFC. The DFC may on occasion hold virtual meetings via email if the entire committee agrees that it is appropriate to do so. Voting may also take place at these virtual meetings.

2. Each DFC shall take necessary measures to assure continuing functioning of the DFC during the summer months. These may include, but are not limited to, virtual meetings of the committee, establishing a reduced quorum requirement, allowing members to name, or elect, proxies from among the faculty of their department, and electing an acting DFC chair. Determining the best mix of such necessary measures shall be the decision of the DFC itself, based on immediate circumstances and without outside intervention. Such a “Summer DFC” shall be recognized by the administration as the legitimate representative of faculty interests in the shared governance of the department during the summer months, and consulted accordingly.