Revised: May 16, 2006 (click here for printable PDF)

Bylaws Franklin College of Arts and Sciences

ARTICLE I

The Faculty

Section I. The Faculty

The Faculty of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences shall consist of the Dean and all Professors, Associate Professors, Assistant Professors, Instructors, Lecturers, and ex officio members designated by the Statutes of the University of Georgia.

Section II. Regular Meetings

The Faculty of the College shall meet at least once each academic year, preferably in early April, at a time and a place to be determined by the Dean. Notices of regular meetings shall be sent to each member of the Faculty by the Dean at least one month in advance. Faculty members may submit agenda items either to the Dean or to the Steering Committee of the College Senate. The agenda for a regular meeting shall be provided to members of the Faculty two weeks before the meeting and shall constitute the total business of the meeting. The Dean shall preside and shall present a report on matters of interest to the Faculty.

Section III. Special Meetings

Special meetings of the Faculty may be called by the Dean. The Dean must convene a special meeting within fourteen days of receiving a petition signed by 100 members of the Faculty. Such special meetings shall have no pre-set agenda. The Faculty Senate may also call special meetings of the Faculty, for which it may set the agendas.

ARTICLE II

The Faculty Senate

Section I. Representation

The Franklin College of Arts and Sciences shall have a Faculty Senate which shall be composed of elected faculty senators apportioned among the various departments as follows: to the thirteen largest departments in terms of number of faculty, two senators each; and to the remaining departments, one senator each.

During each spring semester and at least one month in advance of elections of senators, the Dean of the College shall notify the Head of each Department of the number of senators to which the Department shall be entitled for the ensuing three years. In the enumeration of faculty for apportioning representation among departments, only faculty EFT actually budgeted shall be counted.

In those cases in which a department's representation may be reduced because of any reapportionment, the term of office of an incumbent representative shall not be discontinued until that member has completed the full term.

Section II. Eligibility and Method of Election

Any Faculty member is eligible to be elected, except as noted in Section III. The election shall be held by a secret ballot and the ballots counted in a meeting of the Department's faculty.

Section III. Term of Office

Senators shall serve a term of three years and shall take office at the regular August Meeting of the Senate. Expiration of Senate terms will be on the day preceding the regular August meeting.

Senators shall not be eligible immediately to succeed themselves and shall not be eligible to serve in the Senate until after the expiration of at least one year from the conclusion of a full term of office or a major portion of a term.

Section IV. Elections

New members of the Senate shall be elected prior to the April meeting of the Senate. At the April meeting a Presiding Officer and a Presiding Officer Pro Tem shall be elected by the Senate. The Senate shall also elect a Committee on Committees for the following year. The Committee on Committees shall prepare a slate of nominees for Secretary and for all committee positions for the following year; that slate will become a part of the agenda for the August meeting.

When a member resigns from the Senate or becomes unable or ineligible to serve, the Presiding Officer shall request the member's Department to elect a replacement.

Section V. Officers

The Senate shall elect the following officers for each academic year:
1. Presiding Officer, who shall be a member of the Senate both at the time of election in April and for the duration of the year in office. The Presiding Officer shall preside over all regular and special meetings of the Senate, see to the orderly conduct of Senate business, arrange for necessary communication and referrals to other officers or deliberative bodies of the University in the name of the Senate and its committees, and otherwise serve as the Senate's official representative. The Presiding Officer shall be a member ex officio of all Senate committees.

2. Presiding Officer Pro Tem, who shall be a member of the Senate both at the time of election in April and for the duration of the year in office. The Presiding officer Pro Tem, in the absence or incapacity of the Presiding Officer, shall fulfill the duties of the Presiding Officer. The Presiding Officer Pro Tem, at the request of the Presiding Officer, shall substitute for the Presiding Officer in the performance of official duties.

3. Secretary, who shall keep the minutes of the proceedings and perform such other duties as may be directed or approved by the Senate. The Secretary of the Senate shall also serve as Secretary of the Faculty of the College and shall keep the minutes of regular and special meetings of the College Faculty.

Section VI. Meetings

The Faculty Senate shall meet in regular session at least once each month, except in December, during the academic year, at a time and a place to be determined by the Steering Committee. The Steering Committee shall have authority to convene special sessions of the Senate; a special session must be called by the Presiding Officer upon receiving a written petition signed by fifteen members of the Senate. At each meeting, the Dean or the Dean's deputy may address the Senate regarding matters of interest to it and to the Faculty at large.

Section VII. Notice of Meetings

The Steering Committee, with the assistance of the Dean's office, shall publish and distribute written notice of regular meetings to each member of the Senate and to members of the Faculty at least one week in advance of such regular meetings. All notices shall specify items to be discussed--action may be taken on those items. For special meetings called by the Steering Committee, the same procedure shall be followed. For special meetings of the faculty called by petition, the Presiding Officer, with the assistance of the Dean's Office, shall attend to notification. For special meetings there shall be no prescribed agenda.

Section VIII. Absences and Proxies

Two consecutive absences by a member of the Senate from Senate meetings within one academic year shall automatically remove the members from the Senate, and the member's Department shall be requested by the Presiding Officer to elect a replacement to fill the vacancy for the duration of the term.

A member of the Senate who will be absent from a meeting may designate a proxy from the same department. The proxy shall have the same privileges of the floor as the member would, including the right to vote in place of the absent member. The proxy must be eligible for membership in the Senate as prescribed in Section II of this article. A member of the Senate who duly designates a proxy for a Senate Meeting shall not be counted as absent if the proxy is in attendance at the Meeting.

Section IX. Quorum

A majority of the total membership of the Senate shall constitute a quorum. The vote of a majority of the members at a meeting at which there is a quorum is required for any official action of the Senate.

Section X. Charge

Subject to the Statutes of the University, the Senate shall be the principal policymaking body of the College of Arts and Sciences. In this capacity, it shall act as the agent of the Faculty except when the Faculty is meeting and shall exercise the following duties and functions:

(a) To consider and act upon matters of educational policy of the College, including the establishment of requirements of all degree programs, the approval of the new degree programs, and the suspension or abolition of existing programs;

(b) To authorize the granting of degrees to students who have met all degree requirements;

(c) To consider matters that may concern more than one Department and matters of college-wide concern;

(d) To assist and advise the Dean of the College in the performance of official duties;

(e) To make such rules and regulations for the conduct of its business as it may deem advisable.

Since the creation, abolition, or major restructuring of a school or department within the Franklin College necessarily affects the educational interests and welfare of the entire College, any proposal to create, abolish, or significantly restructure any school or department shall be presented to the Faculty Senate for its recommendation to the Dean.

Given the professional, academic, and curricular significance of such major restructuring, the Dean of the Franklin College should consult with affected faculty in an appropriate and timely way to obtain information bearing on both the formulation and implementation of the Dean's decisions.

ARTICLE III

Committees of the Senate

Section I. Steering Committee

The Senate shall elect from among its members a Steering Committee consisting of five persons, one from each of the five Divisions of the College, to serve one-year terms. In any given year the committee should have at least two members who have served in the previous year. No member shall serve more than two consecutive years. The Committee shall annually elect a chair from its membership.

The duties and functions of the Committee shall be these:

1. To set the time, the place, and the agenda for each regular meeting and, with the assistance of the Dean's Office, to notify the members of the senate and the Faculty at large.

2. To call special meetings of the Faculty, as the Committee deems advisable, and, with the assistance of the Dean's Office, to notify the members of the Senate and the Faculty at large.

3. To make necessary arrangements for non-members of the Senate to appear and address the Senate on appropriate issues.

4. To convene the newly-elected members of the Senate prior to their first regular Senate meetings in August and to discuss with them the responsibilities, powers, and procedures of the Senate. This is the duty of the outgoing Committee.

5. To recommend to the Senate rules and regulations to govern the conduct of the Senate's business.

6. To make rulings in controversies over the interpretation or application of these Bylaws; the ruling can be overturned by the Senate as a whole.

7. To accept for the agenda of the next regular meeting any item endorsed by majority vote of the Senate.

Section II. Curriculum Committee

The Senate shall elect from among its members a Curriculum Committee consisting of seven persons, at least one from each of the five Divisions of the College, to serve one-year terms. In any given year the committee should have at least two members who have served in the previous year. No member shall serve more than two consecutive years. The committee shall annually elect a chair from its membership. The Associate Dean specifically concerned with instruction shall serve as a member ex officio of the Committee.

The duties and function of the Committee shall be these:

1. To act, in the name of the Faculty of the College, on all requests for new courses and course changes and to report its actions to the Senate. If an existing course has undergone an abrupt or gradual change from the content, structure, methodology, or class size specified when the course received approval, the Committee may require a formal resubmission of the course for approval.

2. To review and examine the curricula of the College and make recommendations to the Senate.

3. To consider and make recommendations to the Senate concerning the suitability of courses (in the College, in other colleges, schools, or divisions of the University, and in institutions other than the University of Georgia) for credit for all baccalaureate degrees offered by the Franklin College.

4. To consider an make recommendations to the Senate concerning all proposals for new majors, minors, certification programs, and degree programs.

5. To consult with the coordinator of the College's Interdisciplinary Studies program and make recommendations to the Senate concerning interdisciplinary curricula.

6. To consult with the director of the University Honors Program and make recommendations to the Senate concerning the relationship of the Honors Program to the College and to the College curriculum.

7. To make recommendations to the Senate for the resolution of problems over the interpretation of degree and certificate program requirements in the College.

8. To assist the Dean in fulfilling that officer's charge, given by the Statutes of The University of Georgia, to "administer the rules and regulations enacted by the faculty" (Article VI, Section 2, Subsection b), insofar as those rules and regulations pertain to curricular matters.

The Statutes reserve for the Faculty the authority "to prescribe and define the courses of study" and "to determine the requirements for such degrees as may be offered by the school or college" (Article VIII, Section 2); therefore, except as specified in the Statutes of the University of Georgia and the Bylaws of the University Council of the University of Georgia, the Senate's decisions on curricular matters are not subject to review or alteration by administrators of the College or of the University, although the Curriculum Committee will welcome information and advice from those officials.

Section III. Committee on Academic Standards

The Senate shall elect from among its members a Committee on Academic Standards consisting of five persons, one from each of the five Divisions of the College, to serve one-year terms. In any given year the committee should have at least two members who have served in the previous year. No member shall serve more than two consecutive years. The Committee shall annually elect a chair from its membership. The Associate Dean specifically concerned with instruction or a deputy of the Dean shall serve ex officio as a member.

The duties and functions of the committee shall be these:

1. To make final rulings in the name of the Faculty on petitions by students for exceptions to the academic regulations of the College and to report its actions to the Senate. According to theStatutes of the University of Georgia (Article VIII, Section 2), the Faculty retains the authority to determine and enforce standards and requirements for the degrees offered in the College; therefore, the Committee's rulings can be appealed only as specified in the Statutes of the University of Georgia and in the Bylaws of the University Council of the University of Georgia.

2. To consider and recommend to the Senate rules and regulations concerning academic probation and exclusion and to recommend other measures for the maintenance of appropriate academic standards in the College.

3. To make recommendations to the Senate for the resolution of disputes over the interpretation of academic regulations, including those governing academic probation and exclusion.

4. To hear and rule on grade appeals by students and instructors.

Section IV. Admissions Committee

The Senate shall elect from among its members an Admissions Committee consisting of five persons, one from each of the five Divisions of the College, to serve one-year terms. No member shall serve more than two consecutive years. In any given year the committee should have at least two members who have served in the previous year. The Committee shall annually elect a chair from its membership. The Associate Dean specifically concerned with admissions shall serve as a member ex officio of the Committee.

The duties and functions of the Committee shall be these:

1. To recommend to the Senate criteria and standards for admission, readmission and transfer to the Division of General Studies.

2. To recommend to the Senate criteria and standards for admission, readmission, and transfer to baccalaureate degree programs in the College.

3. To make final rulings, in the name of the Faculty, on petitions by students for exceptions to the College's policies governing admission, readmission, and transfer.

4. To make recommendations to the Senate for the resolution of disputes over the interpretation of policies concerning admission, readmission, and transfer.

According to the Statutes of The University of Georgia (Article VIII, Section 2), The Faculty of the College retains the "authority to determine the entrance requirements for its own students"; therefore, except as specified in the Statutes of the University of Georgia and the Bylaws of the University Council of the University of Georgia the policies governing admission, readmission, and transfer that the Senate has adopted may not be modified or waived by administrators of the College or the University, although the Admissions Committee will welcome information and advice from those officials.

Section V. Committee on Committees

At its regular April meeting the Senate shall elect from among the following year's members--nominated from the floor-a Committee on Committees consisting of five persons, one from each of the five Divisions of the College, who shall serve one-year terms. The Committee shall elect a chair from among its members.

The duties and functions of the Committee shall be these:

1. To prepare a slate of nominees, drawn from the Senate membership, for the secretariat of the Senate, for each vacancy on the standing committees of the Senate, and for each vacancy on such special Senate committees as the Senate shall have created. The Committee shall present the slate of nominees to the Senate as part of the agenda for the August meeting of each year.

2. To nominate qualified Faculty members of the College for other positions and offices that the Senate is responsible for filling, and to present the nominees to the Senate for election at the appropriate times.

3. To nominate replacements for committee members who are absent from the campus for more than one academic term or who have ceased to be members of the Senate, and to present the nominees to the Senate for election.

4. To advise the Dean on appointments to committees for the administration of College affairs.

Section VI. Committee on Professional Concerns

The Senate shall elect from among its members a Committee on Professional Concerns consisting of seven persons, at least one from each of the five Divisions of the College, to serve one-year terms. In any given year the committee should have at least two members who have served in the previous year. No member shall serve more than two consecutive years. The Committee shall annually elect a chair from its membership.

The duties and functions of the Committee shall be these:

1. To recommend to the Senate, to the Dean, and to administrators and staff personnel of the University ways to improve conditions of employment for the Faculty of the College.

2. To poll the entire Faculty of the College, during the spring term of every fifth calendar year following the incumbent's appointment as Dean, concerning the Faculty's assessment of the effectiveness and success of the incumbent Dean in carrying out the charge to "administer the rules and regulations enacted by the faculty" and in performing the other duties and functions assigned to the dean by the Statutes of The University of Georgia Article VII, Section 2, Subsection b. Service as Acting or Interim Dean for a period less than one calendar year shall not be included for determination of the timing of the review. The results of the poll shall be distributed to the Faculty of the College, sent to the Dean and forwarded to the President of the University. The Committee shall conduct additional polls when the Senate so requests by a majority vote at a regular or special meeting or when 100 Faculty members of the College sign a request and submit it to the Committee.

3. To provide for the equitable and timely resolution of grievances and other conflicts that may arise in the operation of the Franklin College. Subject to the Statutes of the University the Committee shall follow the guidelines and procedures set forth below and such other procedures as it may deem appropriate. The Committee may appoint ad hoc faculty panels to assist it.

The Committee shall consider issues of professional concerns presented to it by individual faculty members. Issues of professional concern include (but are not limited to) these: the assignment of professional responsibilities such as teaching loads and allocation of time for research or administration; remuneration; and issues relating to termination. If a request is submitted by other individuals whose connections with the College are professional, such as post-doctoral fellows, graduate assistants, or groups of Faculty members the Committee shall decide whether the issue falls within its purview.

Mediation. If the opposing parties in a grievance or a conflict agree to pursue mediation, the chair of the Committee shall obtain from the individual initiating the complaint a written statement of the complaint and of the redress desired. A copy shall be given to the individual or individuals against whom the complaint has been made and any others whose interests are directly involved.

Those who act as mediators shall be members of the Committee or tenured Faculty members selected by the Committee. A list of general procedures for the conduct of the mediation meeting shall be given to the parties. Administrators may be represented by subordinates if it is stipulated that the subordinates are free to negotiate appropriately. Agreements obtained shall have the force of good-faith agreements in the community of scholars within the University but shall not be considered as creating contracts or liabilities enforceable in courts of law. Reports of the agreements reached in mediation shall be made to the Committee, with appropriate regard for the privacy of personnel records. Noncompliance with an agreement may be reported to the Senate by the Committee. No retaliation shall result from the requesting of or participating in mediation. Participation in mediation that does not result in an agreement shall not prejudice a request for a hearing on the same issue.

Hearing. A hearing shall proceed as follows:

a. The Faculty member shall address a written request either to the Committee or to the Dean of the Franklin College, as desired. The request shall include a statement of the issue and of the redress desired. Upon receipt of such a request the Dean shall forward it immediately to the chair of the Committee.

b. The Committee shall decide whether the issue falls within its purview.

c. If the Committee accepts an issue for hearing, the Committee shall arrange for and direct the conduct of the hearing.

d. The Hearing shall be conducted according to principles of due process appropriate in the Franklin College, including these:

1. The individual requesting the hearing shall prepare a written statement of the issue and of the redress desired.

2. Appropriate notice of the hearing shall be given to those with a direct interest in the results.

3. All parties involved may have counsel at hearing, an attorney or someone else.

4. The hearing shall be open; however, on petition of the person who requests the hearing, or by a vote of the hearing panel, the hearing shall be closed.

5. The hearing panel shall consist of five members of the Franklin College. Four of those shall be chosen in this way: The Committee shall randomly select sixteen members of the Franklin College Faculty. Proceeding by the method of alternate strikes, the parties shall reduce that group to four panel members. The fifth member shall be a Committee member or another tenured Faculty member elected by the Committee.

6. A record of the hearing shall be made, including the facts established, a summary of the arguments of the parties, and the recommendations of the hearing panel. Tape recordings shall be made of the hearing, and, if a party so request, a copy of the tape recording shall be provided.

e. A record of the hearing shall be transmitted to the Committee. The record shall be entered into the records of the Senate, with appropriate care for the privacy of personnel records.

f. As appropriate, the Committee may forward its recommendations to the Dean or to the President.

g. It shall be the explicit concern of the Senate that good-faith implementation of the recommendations of the panel occurs. The recommendations shall not create obligations or liabilities enforceable in a court of law.- however, the Senate may investigate and report to the Faculty any non-compliance with the recommendations of the panel.

Appeal. An appeal of the findings and recommendations of a hearing panel may be made to the Faculty Grievance Committee of the University Council. The bases for an appeal may include (but are not limited to) unfairness of the panel's recommendations, lack of implementation of the recommendations, or violation of due process in the hearing.

Section VII. Committee on Planning and Evaluation

The Senate shall elect from among its members a Committee on Planning and Evaluation consisting of five persons, one from each of the five Divisions of the College, to serve one-year terms. In any given year the committee should have at least two members who have served in the previous year. No member shall serve more than two consecutive years. Another three members shall be appointed by the Dean of the College. The Committee shall annually elect a chair from its Senate members.

The duties of the Committee shall be:

1. To advise the Dean and the Senate in (a) formulating long-range plans for the College of Arts and Sciences and (b) including such plans in the University's strategic plan.

2. To advise the Dean in formulating and analyzing major policy initiatives to improve the College.

3. To issue an annual report to the Dean and Senate evaluating the College's success in achieving its goal and fulfilling the University's Strategic Plan.

4. To report on such issues relating to the long-term development of the College as the Dean or the Senate may refer to the committee.

Section VIII. Other Committees

The Senate may authorize the establishment of additional standing committee or special committees for any purpose within its responsibility and purview.

Section IX. Temporary Replacement

By majority vote, any Committee of the Senate may appoint members of the Senate with their consent to replace members of the committees who certify that they will be unavailable for periods of one semester or less.

Section X.

The Presiding Officer of the Senate shall be member ex officio of all standing committees.

ARTICLE IV

Department Heads

For the purpose of Article IV, the Faculty of the Department is restricted to:

(a) faculty members with tenure;

(b) faculty members in tenure track positions;

(c) other full-time members of the Corps of Instruction (instructors, lecturers, academic professionals) with long-term appointments who were recommended for appointment or reappointment by vote of the appropriate department faculty. Long-term appointments are those reasonably expected by the tenured faculty to extend beyond the date when the appointed Head is scheduled to begin service.

For the purpose of Article IV, a Department Head is the head of any promotion and tenure unit in the College, regardless of title.

Section I. Appointment

Department Heads shall be recommended by the Dean to the President in accordance with the following consultative procedure:

1. The Faculty of the Department shall elect a search committee consisting of no fewer than five members, and shall have the obligation of providing for appropriate minority representation and representation from the professorial ranks in the Department on the committee. Giving consideration to candidates suggested by the Dean, the faculty of the Department may, if it chooses, elect members to the committee from outside the Department.

2. The search committee shall choose a chair from among its members; the chair shall coordinate the committee's business and provide that Affirmative Action regulations are followed throughout the search.

3. The search committee shall prepare a slate of nominees for presentation to the faculty of the Department. The faculty of the department will vote on the acceptability of each candidate and then rank order the list of nominees with respect to preference. The acceptability vote and the rank ordering of each nominee shall then be sent to the Dean.

4. The Dean may reject any or all of the nominees submitted.

Section II. Review and Removal

1. The Department Head shall be reviewed every three years following the incumbent's appointment as Head. Service as Acting or Interim Head for a period less than one calendar year shall not be included for determination of the timing of the review. Except in instances where the incumbent declines to be a candidate for reappointment, the review shall begin in the Fall Semester of the third year, during which the Dean shall give at least twenty-one days notice of a departmental faculty meeting at which the Dean or the Dean's designate (who must not be the incumbent Head) shall preside. At the meeting, following a period for open discussion (with the Head absent), the faculty of the Department (with the Head not voting) shall assess the Department's leadership needs by casting secret ballots that offer the following three options: 1) "I favor the reappointment of (name of the Department Head) without search"; 2) "I favor the initiation of an open search for a Department Head"; 3) Abstain." All absentee ballots shall be delivered to the Dean or the Dean's designate. The ballots shall be counted in the meeting by a committee consisting of the Dean or the Dean's designate, the departmental senator or senators, and one faculty member appointed by the Head, and the number of votes cast for each of the three options shall be announced to the faculty.

If fewer than one-third of the faculty voting (excluding abstentions) vote to initiate an open search, no further review of the Department Head shall be mandatory; however, the Dean shall have the option of continuing the review.

If one-third or more of the faculty voting (excluding abstentions) vote for an open search, the Dean shall review the department's leadership needs, including consultation with all departmental faculty members who make themselves available for interview.

2. The faculty of a Department may request the Dean to remove a Department Head before the expiration of the Head's term. To initiate the process, five or more departmental faculty members or 20% of the departmental faculty, whichever is smaller, must give at least twenty-one days written notice to the Dean, the Department Head, and all of the departmental faculty that, at a forthcoming faculty meeting specified in the notice, they will introduce the following resolution: "Resolved that we, the faculty of the Department of (name of the department), meeting in formal session, petition the Dean of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences to remove our Department Head."

The Dean or the Dean's designate shall preside over the meeting. At the meeting, the faculty (with the Department Head not voting) shall vote "approve", "disapprove", or "abstain" by casting secret ballots on the resolution. The ballots shall be counted in the meeting by committee consisting of the Dean or Dean's designate, the department's senators or senator, and one faculty member appointed by the Head, and the number of ballots cast for each of the three options shall be announced to the faculty.

If a majority of the faculty voting (including abstentions) vote "approve", the Dean shall review the Department Head, including consultation with faculty members, among them the department's senators or senator.

3. Although the Department Head serves at the discretion of the Dean, as delegated by the President, any Department with the consent of the Dean may limit the number of successive terms its Head may serve. Ordinarily, the term of appointment shall comprise three years.

4. At any time the Dean may initiate a review of a Department Head. The review shall include consultation with all departmental faculty who make themselves available for interview.

5. If the Dean chooses to recommend to the President the removal or reappointment of a Department Head against the wishes of a majority of the departmental faculty, the Dean must submit to the departmental faculty a written explanation which gives the conditions which the Department must satisfy to regain its normal function in determining its own leadership.

Section III. Rotating Headships

A Department so desiring may initiate the establishment of a system for the rotation of the Headship of the Department after a favorable vote of 2/3 of all the Department faculty, contingent upon approval by the Dean and the President of the University. A Department may likewise discontinue the practice of rotating a Headship, if it so desires, by the same process.

Article V

Student Grade Appeals

Section I.   Grounds for Appeal

1. A student may appeal a grade if, and only if, he or she is able to demonstrate that the grade was based on factors other than a fair assessment of the student’s academic performance in the course.

2. The standards by which grades are assigned, the number and relative weight of assignments on which grades are based, and decisions to allow students to make up or retake missed examinations or assignments, are not grounds for appeal.

Section II.  Appeals at the Department Level

1. A student seeking a grade change must first discuss the situation with the course instructor. If the instructor declines to change the grade, the student may file an appeal with the Department Head, provided the conditions in section I are met.

2. To initiate an appeal, the student must submit to the Department Head a written petition that describes the grounds for his or her objection to the assigned grade. The Department Head shall assign the grade appeal to a committee. The instructor who assigned the grade in question is not eligible to serve on this committee.

3. The departmental appeal shall be conducted in accordance with the following guidelines.

i. Both the student and the instructor will be afforded the opportunity to address the committee.

ii. If oral presentations are made, the committee shall meet separately with the student and the instructor.

iii. The student may have an advisor present at the committee.  However, the advisor may not address the committee.

iv. The departmental committee shall decide the appeal by majority vote.

v. The committee shall submit their decision in writing to the Department Head.  The Department Head shall furnish copies of the committee’s written decision to the student and the instructor.

vi. If the committee rules in favor of the student, the instructor may file an appeal with the Academic Standards Committee, within thirty days after receiving the committee’s decision. The request for an appeal shall be made in writing, care of the Dean's office, and the instructor shall furnish a copy to the Department Head. If the instructor declines to appeal the decision, or does not file an appeal within thirty days, the Department Head shall submit the grade change to the Dean’s office, along with a copy of the departmental committee’s written decision. If the instructor appeals the committee's decision within the thirty-day period, the Department Head shall not submit the grade change, and shall inform the student that the instructor has filed an appeal.

vii. If the committee rules in favor of the instructor, the student may file an appeal with the Academic Standards Committee, within thirty days after receiving the committee’s decision. The request for an appeal shall be made in writing, care of the Dean's office, and the Dean's office shall furnish a copy to the Department Head. The Department Head shall then inform the instructor that the student has filed an appeal.

Section III.  Appeals at the College Level

1. Appeals at the College level shall be heard by the Academic Standards Committee of the Franklin College Senate.

2. Whereas academic departments are uniquely qualified in their areas of expertise and in the evaluation of academic performance in those areas, the Academic Standards Committee will give deference to the judgments and recommendation of the departmental committee and may only overturn a departmental committee determination by a two-thirds majority vote.

3. The College-level appeal shall be conducted in accordance with the following guidelines.

i. All pertinent documentation from the departmental review shall be forwarded to the Academic Standards Committee.

ii. The Head of the Academic Standards Committee shall chair the appeal process.

iii. Both the student and the instructor will be afforded the opportunity to address the committee.

iv. If oral presentations are made, the committee shall meet separately with the student and the instructor.

v. The student may have an advisor present at the committee.  However, the advisor may not address the committee.

vi. A two-thirds majority vote shall be required for the Academic Standards Committee to overturn the departmental decision.

vii. The committee shall submit their decision in writing to the Dean’s office.  The Dean’s office shall furnish copies of the committee’s written decision to the Department Head, the student and the instructor.

viii. If the committee rules in favor of the student, the instructor may file an appeal with the Educational Affairs Committee of the University Council, within thirty days after receiving the committee’s decision. The request for an appeal shall be in writing, and a copy shall be given to the Dean’s office. If the instructor declines to appeal the decision, or does not file an appeal within thirty days, the Dean’s office shall process the grade change.  If the instructor appeals the committee's decision within the thirty-day period, the Dean’s office shall not process the grade change, and shall inform the Department Head and the student that the instructor has filed an appeal.

ix. If the committee rules in favor of the instructor, the student may file an appeal with the Educational Affairs Committee of the University Council, within thirty days after receiving the committee’s decision. The request for an appeal shall be in writing, and a copy shall be given to the Dean’s office. The Dean’s office shall then inform the Department Head and the instructor that the student has filed an appeal.

Section IV. Student Grievances Not Covered by the Grade Appeal Process

Excluded from this procedure are any allegations involving discrimination or harassment which may violate the University of Georgia Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy and/or the University of Georgia Sexual Orientation Policy.  Those matters shall be referred to the appropriate office as required by the applicable policy.

ARTICLE VI

Heads of the Divisions

After consultation with the faculty of the departments constituting a Division, the Dean may recommend to the President the appointment of a person to head each Division of the College. Except in unusual circumstances, a Divisional Head shall not be a Department Head.

The Divisional Head shall be evaluated by the faculty of the Division at least every three years; the evaluation shall be conducted by the Dean who shall notify the President of the results for consideration in the overall evaluation of the Divisional Head's performance.

ARTICLE VII

Amendments

The Faculty of the Franklin College shall have the power to alter, repeal, or amend these Bylaws, or to adopt new bylaws. Copies of proposed amendments or proposed new bylaws shall be sent to all members of the faculty, and the proposed amendments or new bylaws shall be discussed and debated at a general meeting of the Faculty to be held at least one week prior to the vote. The vote on such proposals shall be by written ballot. A majority of votes cast by those faculty members voting on any amendment or proposed bylaws shall be required for adoption. The Presiding Officer of the Senate, assisted by the Dean's office shall see that the provisions of this Article are properly carried out.