Membership and Vacancies

Senate bylaw 1.10 states that each senator, except in exceptional circumstances, needs to serve as a member on two standing committees.

Steps to appoint senators to committees

1. After consultation with senators, the Vice-Chair nominates senators to committees.
2. The Senate Governance and Nominating Committee (SGNC) reviews the nominations and recommends committee appointments to Senate.
3. Senate reviews SGNC's recommendations and appoints senators to committees.

Senator responsibilities

• Chairing committees: Senators may be asked to chair a committee.
• Making nominations to SGNC: To fill a committee vacancy, any senator can nominate someone to fill the seat.
• Attendance: If a senator is absent for more than three meetings in an academic year, the chair, in consultation with the committee, may declare the senator’s committee seat vacant.

Terms of office and resignations

• A senator’s end of term on standing committees will normally be the same as the end of their term on Senate.
• When a senator resigns from Senate, the senator also resigns from all seats on standing committees.
• If a senator resigns, and the candidate with the second most votes is seated, the in-coming senator will fill the standing committee seats held by their predecessor for the remaining term of their predecessor.

Distinguishing between senators and representatives on committees

• If no senator is available to fill a vacancy on a senate standing committee, Senate will appoint a constituency representative until a senator is found.
• If a senator does become available, Senate can replace the representative with the senator.
• Senate can appoint a senator as both a senator and a representative of a constituency group.
• If a representative on a standing committee becomes a senator, then the representative’s appointments end.

Distinguishing between senators and representatives on committees

• If no senator is available to fill a vacancy on a senate standing committee, Senate will appoint a constituency representative until a senator is found.
• If a senator does become available, Senate can replace the representative with the senator.
• Senate can appoint a senator as both a senator and a representative of a constituency group.
• If a representative on a standing committee becomes a senator, then the representative’s appointments end.

Terms of office

• Students - one year
• Deans and associate deans - three years
• Designates - three years
• Representatives - three years
• Ex officio - ongoing

Vacating a seat

• If a member wishes to resign, the member will inform the chair of the committee, and send a letter of resignation that includes the effective date of resignation to senate@kpu.ca.
• If a member is absent for more than three meetings in an academic year, the chair, in consultation with the committee, may declare the seat vacant.

Deans

• The Provost and Vice-President, Academic nominates deans and associate deans.

Designates

• Ex officio members nominate their designates.

Representatives for a Faculty

• Most senate standing committees have one or more seats for faculty members from each Faculty.
• If no eligible senator is available to fill a faculty seat allocated to a Faculty, Senate will request the faculty council to nominate a faculty member to fill the seat as a faculty representative.

Representatives for faculty-at-large, support staff, students-at-large, and other groups

• If no faculty, support staff, or student senators are available to fill a seat, Senate will post vacancies and request statements of interest from members of the stakeholder group being represented.

Other Representatives

• Each committee's membership composition includes members, with expertise related to the committee's mandate, to help the committee make well-informed recommendations to Senate.
• The table below lists these positions and the titles of those who can nominate an individual to fill each position.
• SGNC reviews the nominations received for these seats and makes recommendations to Senate.