Revision 44, 9-13-2022 (added Dining Committee)
Composition of the UALR Assembly
The UALR Assembly shall be composed of the president of the University of Arkansas and the following UALR personnel: the chancellor; the executive vice chancellor and provost; all vice chancellors, associate vice chancellors, deans, and directors; the registrar; all full-time employees with the academic rank of university professor, distinguished professor, professor, associate professor, assistant professor, and instructor; elected members of the Staff Senate; and one student for every 400 students enrolled in the fall term of each academic year selected by the Student Government Association to be broadly representative of the various student groups.
Professors emeriti, persons with adjunct or visiting academic rank, lecturers, and part-time faculty members shall have voice but not vote in the Assembly, and shall not be eligible for election to the Faculty Senate or any standing committee or council of the Assembly or the Faculty Senate.
Questions concerning Assembly membership shall be resolved by the Assembly itself.
Functions of the UALR Assembly
Within the framework of such governmental principles as are officially established for the University of Arkansas multicampus system, the UALR Assembly shall be, under the Board of Trustees, the legislative and advisory body on educational policies and programs on this campus. All legislative functions of the UALR Assembly are hereby assigned to the UALR Faculty Senate as described in Article III of this Constitution, subject only to the right of the Assembly to amend or rescind legislative actions of the Faculty Senate. The Assembly and the Faculty Senate shall have the right to make recommendations on all matters that concern the educational mission and effectiveness of the University.
The Assembly may, upon petition of twenty- five (25) or more members of the Assembly, amend or rescind any legislative action of the Faculty Senate by a vote of three-fifths of the Assembly members present and voting, provided that a quorum is present. Petitions to amend or rescind Faculty Senate legislative actions must be presented to the office of executive vice chancellor and provost within ten (10) calendar days of the Faculty Senate action; absent such petitions, legislative actions of the Faculty Senate shall follow the procedures described under Article III of this Constitution. Upon receipt of a petition to amend or rescind Faculty Senate legislation, the office of executive vice chancellor and provost shall notify the president and the other members of the Executive Committee of the Assembly. Upon such notification, the president of the Assembly (or, in the absence of the president, the vice president) shall call a meeting of the Assembly to be held no later than fifteen (15) calendar days after the filing of the petition.
The chancellor may veto any Faculty Senate legislation that has been amended by the Assembly within fifteen (15) calendar days of the time when a written record of the Assembly action has been presented to him. The chancellor shall provide written reasons for the veto to the Assembly. By a three-fifths vote of those present and voting, provided that a quorum is present, the Assembly may override the chancellor’s veto; such overriding action will, unless the chancellor withdraws his or her objection within fifteen (15) calendar days, appeal the matter to the president of the University for mediation. If settlement is not achieved within thirty (30) calendar days, the president shall submit the issue to the Board of Trustees for resolution.
Officers of the Assembly
Officers of the Assembly shall be the president, vice president, secretary, and parliamentarian. The president of the Assembly shall be elected by the Assembly from among the faculty members of the Assembly who are eligible to serve in the Faculty Senate, in an election late in the Spring semester at the end of the out-going president’s term, according to procedures approved by the Faculty Senate. The president of the Assembly also shall serve as president of the Faculty Senate, and may or may not be an elected member of the Faculty Senate. The term of office of the president of the Assembly and the Faculty Senate shall be two years, beginning with the first meeting of the Assembly or Faculty Senate, whichever comes first, of the following Fall semester. In the event that the president vacates the office of president before his/her term expires, a new president shall be elected to fulfill the remainder of the term of office. The executive vice chancellor and provost shall serve as the vice president of the Assembly. The secretary and parliamentarian shall be elected by and from the membership of the Executive Committee of the Assembly.
The president shall preside at meetings of the Assembly and of the Executive Committee of the Assembly. The vice president shall be the presiding officer at Assembly meetings in the absence of the president. The vice president also shall serve as vice president of the Executive Committee of the Assembly. The vice president also shall be responsible for the collection, duplication, and distribution of Assembly materials.
The secretary shall be responsible for promptly preparing the minutes of each Assembly meeting and for submitting the minutes to the office of the executive vice chancellor and provost for duplication and distribution. The secretary also shall serve as secretary to the Executive Committee of the Assembly. The secretary also shall collect papers and documents concerned with Assembly matters and transfer them to the UALR Archives, or equivalent place, at the end of each academic year.
The parliamentarian shall advise the officers and members of the Assembly on questions of procedure in order that the business of the Assembly be transacted correctly, efficiently, and impartially. The parliamentarian also shall serve as parliamentarian of the Executive Committee of the Assembly.
The Executive Committee of the Assembly
The Executive Committee of the Assembly shall be composed of the president, vice president, secretary, and parliamentarian of the Assembly; in addition, the other officers of the Faculty Senate and the Staff Senate, and the executive officers of the Student Government Association shall serve as members of the Executive Committee.
The Executive Committee shall be responsible for the agenda of Assembly meetings. Subject to challenge on the floor of the Assembly, the Executive Committee may refer proposals for agenda items to an appropriate council or standing committee of the Assembly; in the event of such referral, the body receiving the item shall report to the Assembly what action it has taken in regard to the referred item.
Meetings of the Assembly
The UALR Assembly shall meet at least twice each academic year, once at the beginning of the academic year and once late in the academic year. The Assembly president, or in the absence of the Assembly president, the executive vice chancellor and provost shall call these required meetings. Other meetings of the Assembly may be called by the Assembly president, a majority of the Executive Committee of the Assembly, the chancellor, a majority of the Faculty Senate, or upon petition to the office of executive vice chancellor and provost of at least twenty-five (25) members of the Assembly. However, meetings to amend or rescind Faculty Senate actions may be called only upon specific petition to amend or rescind Faculty Senate actions and signed by at least twenty-five (25) members of the Assembly as specified under Functions of the UALR Assembly in this Constitution.
The presence of 10 percent of the Assembly membership shall constitute a quorum.
Unless specified otherwise in this constitution, matters placed before the Assembly for a vote shall be decided by a simple majority of those members present and voting, provided that a quorum is present.
Unless specified otherwise in this constitution, all meetings of the Assembly shall be governed by parliamentary procedure as set out in the most recent edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.
Meetings of the Assembly, except when concerned with personnel matters, shall be open to the public; the Assembly president may, however, either extend or withhold floor privileges to those persons who are not members of the Assembly.
The agenda shall be prepared by the Executive Committee of the Assembly and distributed to all members of the Assembly not later than ten (10) calendar days before the time of the meeting. Items of business may be added to the agenda by a petition signed by five percent or more of the voting members of the Assembly, if submitted to the office of executive vice chancellor and provost not later than ten (10) calendar days before the deadline for distribution of the agenda as provided in this section.
At any meeting of the Assembly, no final action may be taken on any business that is not on the agenda for that meeting unless eighty percent (80%) of the Assembly present and voting shall consent and provided that a quorum is present.
If a meeting of the Assembly is called during the summer, during a vacation, or at any time when classes are not in regular session, notification of the meeting, together with a copy of the agenda, shall be mailed to the home of each member at least seven calendar days prior to the meeting.
Committees and Councils of the Assembly
Committee on Committees: The Committee on Committees shall appoint members of the appointed committees and councils of the Assembly and of the Faculty Senate as specified in this Constitution. It shall prepare a slate of nominees for President of the Assembly. The Committee shall appoint staff members from a slate of nominees supplied by the Staff Senate. The Committee shall consist of the members of the Executive Committee of the Assembly and an elected faculty representative from each unit having representation in the Faculty Senate. The president of the Assembly and Faculty Senate shall serve as the chairperson of the Committee and shall have the responsibility for convening the initial meetings of the committees and councils of the Assembly and Faculty Senate in the fall semester.
Policy Advisory Council: This Council shall advise the chancellor on academic and administrative policies of the university subject to the authority of the Assembly and the Faculty Senate. As part of its duties, the Council shall participate in university level budget hearings.
This Council shall consist of the president, the immediate past president, and the elected officers of the Faculty Senate; the elected chairpersons of elected standing councils and committees of the Faculty Senate; the chairperson of the Planning and Finance Committee; the chairperson of the Staff Senate and four staff representatives, one from each Vice Chancellor’s area; the president of the Student Government Association or that person’s designee; one student affairs representative; and two members of the Assembly appointed by the Executive Committee of the Assembly.
System Relations Committee: This committee shall be responsible for monitoring all system policies and procedures with reference to their impact on UALR. The committee shall outline the advantages and disadvantages of each policy to UALR faculty, staff, and students and make recommendations to the appropriate representative body or bodies that have been established under the authority of the Assembly
Membership shall be composed of the Assembly president, who shall serve as chairperson of the committee, the vice president of the Assembly, the president of the Student Government Association, and the chairperson of the Staff Senate. In addition, the Committee on Committees shall select one dean of a college or school, one other administrator, four faculty members, and two staff members to serve on the committee.
Traffic Committee: This committee shall recommend parking and traffic rules and improvements in parking facilities to the Assembly, the Faculty Senate, and the chancellor. It also shall hear appeals concerning traffic violations from individuals who are not students at UALR. Membership shall include four faculty members and two staff members named by the Committee on Committees and two student representatives named by the Student Government Association. Faculty and staff shall serve staggered, two-year terms, and students shall serve one-year terms. Members shall elect a chairperson annually. The administrative officer in charge of parking facilities and the chief security officer shall serve on this committee as members without vote.
Dining Committee: The purpose of the Dining Committee is to ensure the quality and availability of dining services that are consistent with the needs of the faculty, staff, and students at UA Little Rock. The committee shall meet monthly during the academic year and on call during the summer; and it shall serve in an advisory capacity to Campus Dining and the Division of Student Affairs to review dining options, policies, and facilities.
Membership shall include five faculty members named by the Committee on Committees, two staff members named by the Staff Senate, two student representatives named by the Student Government Association, and one student representative named by the Graduate Student Association. Additionally, the committee shall include the VC for Student Affairs (or designee), the VC for Financial Services ( or designee), and three staff members broadly representative of student services areas. Faculty and staff shall serve staggered, two-year terms, and students shall serve one-year terms. Two representatives of Campus Dining shall serve on this committee as members without vote.
Bylaws of the University Assembly
The bylaws of the Assembly shall be subject to amendment by majority vote of those present and voting at one Assembly meeting, provided a quorum is present.
Appointments: In making appointments, the appointing authority shall be mindful of the need to include minorities and women whenever possible.
Chairperson Election: Unless otherwise specified, each standing council and committee of the Assembly shall elect its own chairperson annually. No one shall serve concurrently as chairperson of two such Assembly bodies.
Interim Chairperson: In the event that the position of chairperson of an Assembly council or standing committee becomes vacant, the president of the Assembly shall designate an interim chairperson from among the remaining members until the Assembly council or committee elects a new chairperson.
Membership Rotation, Appointed Standing Committees: Normally , the membership of appointed Assembly standing committees shall be rotated, with one Assembly member, usually the senior member of the committee, being replaced each year. To provide an equitable distribution among Assembly members, an individual usually will not have more than two Assembly committee memberships in a single year.
Proxies: Any member of a standing council or committee of the University Assembly may issue a proxy for any meeting of the council or committee. If members of a council or committee are selected from specified constituent units, the person representing the proxy must come from the same unit and meet the same criteria for membership as the person giving the proxy. Each proxy must state in writing the name of the person receiving it, the date of the meeting for which it is effective, and must bear the signature of the regular member issuing it. Valid for one meeting, each proxy shall be filed with the chairperson or other appropriate officer of the council or committee. At any council or committee meeting, proxies may be counted for quorum purposes but shall not be permitted in elections of council or committee officers.
Meetings: Unless specified otherwise, standing committees and councils of the Assembly shall hold an organizational meeting in the first month of the academic year. Special meetings shall be held upon call of the chairperson or a majority of the committee or at the request of the president of the Assembly or the chancellor.
Records and Reports: Each committee or council of the Assembly shall send one copy of the minutes of each meeting to the secretary of the Assembly and another copy of the minutes to the president of the Assembly and shall provide regular or special reports to the Assembly at its own initiative or at the request of the president of the Assembly.
eVoting: Committees of the Assembly may render decisions on matters of routine business through asynchronous electronic means such as email (hereafter referred to as eVoting) provided that the committee follows the approved operating procedures by which it will conduct eVoting. Operating procedures for eVoting must be approved by the Faculty Senate.
The deliberative process is the foundation of sound democratic governance. It is critically important that the use of eVoting is done in such a way that it does not undermine this process.