Preamble
The Department of Romance Languages and Literatures is comprised principally of faculty in five languages: French, Haitian Creole, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. These are constituted as sections within the Department. RLL faculty specializing in Linguistics constitute an interest group. The internal organization of each section shall be self-determined. The Department of Romance Languages and Literatures operates in compliance with the Sunshine Laws of the State of Florida and the Collective Bargaining Agreement and is committed to the principles of open government, affirmative action, and equal opportunity.

I. Membership

A. The members of the Department are those who are budgeted to the Department and hold the rank of lecturer or above, as well as those in the Phased Retirement Program.

B. Tenured members of the Department are those members of the Department who have been granted tenure by procedures established by the Department, the College, the University and the Board of Regents or Board of Trustees. Within the Department, it is required that names and qualifications of those candidates eligible for tenure be presented for action to the then currently tenured members of the Department by the Chair after consultation with the Departmental Tenure and Promotion Committee.

C. Academic ranks of Department members are determined by procedures established by the Department, the College, the University and the Board of Trustees. Within the Department, it is required that names and qualifications of members requesting, or nominated for, promotion be presented for action to the appropriate Department bodies--those members of the Department of the rank sought or above--by the Chair, after consultation with the Departmental Tenure and Promotion Committee.

II. Authority

A. Within the Department, the ultimate authority resides in its voting members except in those instances when the College or University has vested authority in the Chair.

B. Operation of the Department is conducted by the Chair, the Appointed and Elected Administrative Officers, and the Advisory Committee.

C. Voting members of the Department are those holding the rank of Assistant Professor or above except where precluded by other articles in these By-Laws. Absentee voting is allowed. Faculty on phased retirement may not vote on matters of tenure as stipulated in State Regulations, Art. 24 (1994 Faculty handbook 4-31). They will be considered voting members of the Department according to their rank.

III. Meetings

A. There shall be at least one regular Department meeting per semester, with agenda, reports, and other relevant materials distributed in advance. The agenda is determined by the Chair, in consultation with the Advisory Committee, and committee chairs. Included should be old and new Department business, items proposed by faculty members, and material presented from outside the Department. At the request of any voting member new business shall not be voted on at the meeting at which it is brought up.

B. Additional meetings are called by the Chair (1) on his or her own initiative, (2) at the request of the Advisory Committee, or (3) on the written request of one-third of the voting members of the Department.

C. The Chair presides at Department meetings; in the Chair's absence, the Associate Chair, or other person designated by the Chair, shall preside.

D. Fifty percent or more of the number of voting members of the Department excluding those on leave constitute a quorum.

E. Meetings are conducted in accordance with the latest revision of Robert's Rules of Order, except where the By-Laws specify otherwise. A designee from the Department will record the minutes of the meeting, assist the Chair in determining the presence of a quorum, and oversee the later circulation of the minutes.

IV. The Chair

A. The Chair is the chief administrative officer of the Department. As such, s/he: (1) appoints the Administrative Officers of the Department and selects the members of standing non-elected Department Committees: (2) calls, prepares the agenda for, and presides over Department meetings as specified in III above; (3) on a routine basis supervises all the day-to-day activities of the Department; and 4) assures that all provisions of the By-Laws are carried out.

B. The Chair is the chief financial officer of the Department. S/he supervises all receipts of money and expenditures and, with the advice of the Advisory Committee, prepares the annual academic program review and budget proposal for the Dean. At the first departmental meeting in the Fall, s/he will present a report on the previous AY’s finances as well as the proposed budget for the AY in course. Current budget documents shall be available to any voting member of the Department upon request.
C. In conjunction with the Administrative Officers and Chairs of the appropriate committees, and the Department at large where appropriate, the Chair coordinates all aspects of the academic program, such as degree requirements, curricular offerings, catalog announcements, class scheduling, and faculty assignments.

D. In conjunction with the appropriate search committees, the Chair coordinates the recruiting of new faculty members. During the first year of appointment of a new junior faculty member, the Chair shall appoint a tenured faculty member to serve as a mentor during the tenure-accruing years.

E. The Chair, or the Chair's designate, represents the Department to university officers and bodies and acts as general spokesperson for the Department.

F. The Chair's term of service is set by the Dean. The Department may suggest the length of the term. Normally the Chair should not serve more than eight consecutive years.

G. The Chair's performance may be evaluated during the Spring semester: a) at the initiative of the Advisory Committee, or b) at the request of one-third of the voting members of the Department. When this occurs, the Advisory Committee shall devise and submit a questionnaire to members of the Department. The results of the questionnaire will be conveyed to the Chair and will be available to members of the Department at their request.

H. If the position of Department Chair is to become vacant, the Dean, after whatever consultation with members or bodies of the department s/he deems advisable, authorizes the search for a new Chair. If necessary the Dean appoints an Acting Chair. Upon receiving authorization from the Dean to initiate a search for a new Chair (from within the Department or outside the university) the Department proceeds with the election of a Search Committee. The Search Committee's recommendation to the Dean includes the results of a departmental vote taken in accordance with the voting modalities stipulated in II (C).

V. The Department Advisory Committee

A. The Department Advisory Committee is a group of ranked faculty who advise the Chair on departmental matters. It is not a policy-making or legislative body. Policy questions subject to a vote shall be remanded to the department as a whole. The Advisory Committee consists of: a) the Associate Chair, ex officio; b) a representative of the French section, to be the elected Coordinator unless otherwise determined by the section; c) a representative of the Spanish section, to be the elected Coordinator unless otherwise determined by the section; d) a representative of Italian and Portuguese elected by the faculty of those languages; e) a representative of Linguistics elected by the linguists in the Department; f) a representative of the adjunct faculty elected by all the adjuncts to be a consultant to the Advisory Committee when appropriate. With the exception of continuing French and Spanish section coordinators, members of the Advisory Committee will be elected for a two-year term, renewable no more than twice. Any necessary elections will take place before or during the first meeting of the Fall term. In the event that no untenured professor has been elected, then the Advisory Committee will recommend to the Chair an untenured professor. Effort is to be made to maintain diverse representation.

B. The Advisory Committee may advise the Chair on all other matters of policy and procedure that are of concern to the Department, such as:
(1) issues related to departmental programs;
(2) the work of, and relations between, the various committees in the Department;
(3) faculty loads and schedules;
(4) relations with other departments and programs;
(5) holding of institutes, workshops, and conferences, etc.; and
(6) concerns of individual faculty members, including response to outside offers.

C. The Advisory Committee meets at least three times a year. Meetings are called at the request of the Chair, or of any other two members of the Committee or of any three members of the faculty. The Chair normally presides at these meetings; in his/her absence, the Associate Chair presides. The Chair shall distribute an agenda to the Advisory Committee prior to each meeting, and to the faculty at large prior to all meetings not concerned with evaluations or other personnel issues.

D. The Advisory Committee consults with the Chair on the annual academic review and budget proposal before s/he submits it to the Dean.

E. The Advisory Committee may mediate informally when an individual faculty member wishes to appeal a judgment of the Chair.

VI. The Appointed Administrative Officers

A. The Chair shall appoint Graduate Coordinators, Undergraduate Coordinators, Directors of Language Programs, an Associate Chair and/or an Assistant to the Chair. When necessary, the Chair shall designate another of the Administrative officers to serve as acting Associate Chair.

B. Each Graduate Coordinator chairs the appropriate Graduate Studies Committee, and is responsible for the administration of the graduate program(s).

C. Each Undergraduate Coordinator is responsible for upper-division undergraduate programs and undergraduate advising.

D. The Director of each language program supervises and coordinates the activities of all instructional personnel involved in the program. In consultation with the respective language section, s/he sets the academic goals and pedagogical approach for the program.

E. If an Associate Chair is appointed, s/he will be a tenured member of the department, and will substitute for the Chair at Departmental, University and public functions when the latter is unable to attend. S/he will perform other administrative functions as agreed upon with the Chair.

F. If an Assistant to the Chair is appointed, s/he will oversee scheduling and similar tasks.

VII. The Elected Administrative Officers

A. The Coordinators of the French and the Spanish sections are elected in the Sections by simple majority for a two-year period, renewable no more than twice. In case of a vacancy the section will elect a replacement for the duration of the vacancy.

VIII. Department Committees

A. Ad Hoc Committees. The Chair may establish committees of specified duration as needed to deal with specific matters of importance to the Department. The Department shall be notified as soon as possible of the purpose and make-up of all such committees.

B. Elected Committees. The Department has two standing committees whose members are elected: the Advisory Committee (see V.A above), and the Merit Pay Committee, which assists the Chair in determining distribution of merit pay. The Merit Pay Committee consists of three professors. Two will be tenured, one representing French/Italian and the other Spanish/Portuguese; the third will be a tenure-accruing assistant professor, representing the untenured faculty. In addition, one adjunct faculty member will be elected to assist the committee and vote in the adjudication of merit pay to Adjunct Faculty. The three-year terms will be staggered so that one new member will be elected each Fall.

C. Major Appointed Committees. The Department shall have a Graduate Studies Committee, and others that may include the Adjunct Evaluation Committee, the Graduate Awards and Placement Committee, and the Undergraduate Awards Committee, as needed.

D. Mixed Committees.
The Departmental Tenure and Promotion Committee assists the Chair in the preparation of the annual letters of evaluation for tenure-track faculty members, visits their classes, and prepares a report for the Chair reviewing teaching, research, and service. The T&P will consist of a minimum of four tenured professors. They will serve staggered two-year terms, so that two new members will be elected each Fall. Two will be elected by the Department, one for French/Italian and another for Spanish/Portuguese. Two will be appointed by the Chair following these elections, endeavoring to achieve appropriate balance in such areas as rank, discipline, and gender.

IX. Committee Elections

A. The Chair will appoint an Elections Officer to coordinate all scheduled and ad hoc elections and/or any other ad hoc ballot.

B. Elections for Merit Pay Committee, Tenure and Promotion Committee, and Advisory Committee will be held by the third week of September. The newly elected committee will start to function immediately.

C. If a vacancy occurs in any elected committee, another election will be held promptly.

D. If no eligible candidate is found the Chair may appoint an ad hoc replacement.

X. Amendments

Any three voting members of the Department may propose in writing to the Chair an amendment to these By-Laws. Said amendment shall be circulated to the Department at least two weeks prior to the meeting at which it is to be voted on. Any two voting members may also introduce an amendment at a Department meeting, with the vote to be taken not sooner than one week following the meeting nor later than three weeks, by mail, poll or at a subsequent Departmental meeting. The vote shall be by written secret ballot; a two-thirds majority of voting members of the Department is required to pass the amendment.

(rev. 2/02)