1. The College shall mean the State College of Optometry, State University of New York.
   
   
2. The Trustees shall refer to the trustees of the State University of New York.
   
   
3. Council: Shall refer to the College Council (as described in The Policies of the Board of Trustees, State University of New York, Article II, Section G).
   
   
4. President: The Chief Administrative Officer; The President of the State University of New York, State College of Optometry.
   
   
5. Dean: The Chief Academic Officer; The Vice President/Dean for Academic Affairs.
   
   
6. Associate Dean: The Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research.
   
   
7. Faculty shall refer to the Academic Staff as defined in Article II, Section I, Paragraphs (i) and (j) of the Policies of the Board of Trustees, State University of New York.
   
   
8. Voting Faculty: Voting members of the faculty shall consist of:
   
   a. The Chancellor.
   
   b. The President.
   
   c. Persons holding appointment of (a) Academic rank, or (b) clinical or research qualified academic ranks having regular teaching, clinical, research, library, or administrative duties at the College.
   
   d. Visiting Faculty shall not be voting members.
   
   

On October 1 of each calendar year, the Director of Personnel shall provide to the Faculty Presiding Officer a list of voting faculty as of September 1. The total number on this list will be used to determine the number of voting faculty for the following year.

Amendments can be passed at a Faculty meeting only if the following conditions are satisfied: (1) Written notice (distributed to the Faculty and posted on appropriate bulletin boards) of the proposed amendment must be made at least two weeks prior to the meeting; (2) 40 members of the voting faculty will constitute a quorum for purposes of voting on the proposed amendment; (3) a 2/3 vote, by secret ballot, of those present at the meeting is needed for the proposed amendment to pass.

If (a) three consecutive faculty meetings without the appropriate quorum OR (b) a period of two months from the first faculty meeting (whichever is less) have passed, then within two weeks of that time there will be held a mail vote. This vote will require a (2/3) vote of the responding voting faculty for passage, with a response of 40 faculty votes being considered a quorum to make the vote official. The actual mailing will be done by the Dean's office, to the faculty member's home address, and will include a copy of the proposed amendment, a summary of the discussion at the previous faculty meeting(s) relating to the amendment (prepared by the faculty secretary), any position papers submitted (limited to 1/2 page in length and submitted at least one week before mailing out the ballots), a ballot, and two envelopes (one large and one small). 30 days from the initial mailing of the ballots will be allowed before tabulation of the votes. Votes will be sent to the Faculty Presiding Officer in a sealed small envelope enclosed in a second larger envelope with the faculty members name on it. The Faculty Presiding Officer will keep track of responding faculty, but the tabulation of votes will be done by the Executive Committee with only the sealed unsigned envelopes containing the ballots being available.

Personnel Policies: Appointments, retention, rank, salary, tenure, and other such personnel matters are governed by the policies of the Board of Trustees and the negotiated agreement between the State and the union representing the faculty.

1. The Presiding Officer of the Faculty will call and conduct faculty meetings.
   
   
2. The Presiding Officer Elect will act in the absence of the Presiding Officer. The Presiding Officer Elect will succeed the Presiding Officer of the Faculty, and each will serve two year terms in office.
   
   
3. The Secretary will take attendance at all faculty meetings, and record and maintain minutes of the meetings. If not present at a meeting, an acting secretary shall be appointed from those in attendance by the presiding officer. The Secretary will serve for two years, and incumbents may succeed themselves one time only.
   
   
4. The Faculty Senator will represent the Faculty on the University Faculty Senate, and will render reports to the Faculty on University Faculty Senate affairs. An elected Alternate Senator shall serve in his/her absence. The Senator and Alternate will serve terms of three years, and may succeed themselves one time only.
   
   
5. The Representative of the Professional Program (also representing the Intern and Residency Programs and the Continuing Professional Education Program) and the Representative of the Graduate Program will represent their respective constituencies on the Executive Committee. Each will serve for two years, and incumbents may succeed themselves one time only. Responsibilities shall include, but not be limited to:
   
   a. head a Nominating Committee for their respective constituencies (thus, two committees) that (1) makes recommendations to the Executive Committee about the appointment of constituent faculty members to appointed comittees, these recommendations then being forwarded to the Dean, who then forwards his recommendations to the President; and (2) develops a slate of candidates for the elected committees within their respective programs. Two other members of each Nominating Committee will be appointed by the Representative from his/her constituency, in consultation with the Faculty Presiding Officer.
   
   b. monitor the functioning of the respective elected and appointed committees, reporting on a regular basis to the Executive Committee.
   
   c. facilitate communication and coordination of activities among the President, Dean, Vice Presidents, the Faculty, and the Faculty of the respective programs;  assist the Faculty Presiding Officer to coordinate Faculty Meetings with respect to the business of these programs; and to convene meetings of the Faculty of these programs.
   
   
6. No person may simultaneously hold more than one office.
   
   

1. The Presiding Officer Elect, Secretary, Senator, Alternate Senator, and College-wide Elected Committee members will be elected by the Faculty at a spring quarter faculty meeting prior to expiration of their term of office. Elected officers will assume office on July 1 of the year in which they are elected, except for the Senator and Alternate Senator who will assume office in the fall of the year in which they are elected.
   
   
2. A nominating committee will prepare a slate of candidates. This committee will consist of the presiding officer, the immediate past presiding officer, and the presiding officer elect (who will chair the committee). The nominating committee will consult with each representative (Professional Program and Graduate Program) to get nominations for representative.
   
   
3. Representatives and the members of the elected committees of the various programs will be elected by a vote of the faculty of their respective constituencies.
   
   
4. Voting will be done by secret ballot if more than one person is running for an office.

1. The Executive Committee of the Faculty shall consist of the Faculty Presiding Officer, Presiding Officer Elect, Secretary, Representative of the Professional Program, Representative of the Graduate Program, the Faculty Senator and Alternate Senator. The Executive Committee will conduct faculty business between faculty meetings.
   
   
2. The Faculty Executive Committee will serve as representatives to the Faculty Student Association.
   
   

1. Faculty meetings will be held regularly, at least once each quarter; called by the Faculty Presiding Officer; and be run by the Faculty Presiding Officer, or the Presiding Officer Elect in the absence of the Presiding Officer. Additional meetings will be held at the call of the President, the Faculty Presiding Officer, or at the request of 20 members of the voting faculty. All requests must be made in writing and presented to the Faculty Presiding Officer.
   
   In addition to Faculty meetings, the Representatives of the Professional and Graduate Programs may call and preside at meetings of their respective constituencies regarding issues of their respective programs. Meetings will be held at the call of the President, the Program Representative, or at the request of 5 members of the voting faculty. All requests must be made in writing and presented to the Program Representative.
   
   All meetings shall be announced by a public notice, and may be attended by any faculty member. If the meeting is a meeting of the faculty of a specific program, other faculty members may attend as non-voting participants.
   
   
2. Conduct of Faculty Meetings:
   
   a. Roberts Rules of Order will apply. An official parliamentarian will be appointed at each meeting by the Faculty Presiding Officer.
   
   b. Twenty of the voting faculty shall constitute a quorum for a Faculty meeting or a meeting of the faculty of the Professional Program. Forty percent of the total number of faculty (as kept on record by the College Personnel Officer) of the other three programs (Graduate, Continuing Education, and Residency) will be considered a quorum for their meetings.
   
   c. First order of business at Faculty meetings will be the Report of the Chancellor or his designated representative followed by the report of the President.
   
   d. Minutes of faculty meetings will be taken by the secretary, or an individual designated by the officer presiding, in the case of faculty meetings of specific programs. These minutes will be distributed by this individual through interoffice mail to all faculty members within two (2) weeks of the meeting date, and a copy will be placed on record in the Library (see Section IIE of the Bylaws).
   
   
3. Executive Committee Meetings
   
   a. The Executive Committee will meet at the call of the President, the Faculty Presiding Officer, or at the request of two or more of its members.
   
   b. A quorum for Executive Committee meetings will be constituted by a majority of its members.
   
   

1. Elected Committees:
   
   a. Election procedures of these committees will be discussed in the appendices.
   
   b. Reporting procedures for these committees will be discussed in the appendices.
   
   
2. Appointed Committees:
   
   a. Standing faculty committees will be appointed by the President upon recommendation of the Dean for Academic Affairs. In preparing these recommendations, the Dean will meet with the Executive Committee of the Faculty to discuss the standing committees and receive recommendations concerning their composition (see Section IIB4a). Committees will be comprised of at least three faculty members. All appointments are effective September 1 and terminate August 31.
   
   Committees appointed within the four specific programs noted below will be comprised of at least three members of the faculty of that program. No more than one Faculty member of each committee (not including ex-officio members, who do not vote) may be appointed who is not a current member of the faculty of that program. This individual (1) cannot represent more than 25% of the committee's membership, and (2) will be considered a member of the Faculty of that Program during his/her term of office.
   
   b. Administration will provide a timely written response to all written recommendations made by the committees. Responses shall be sent to the committee, with a copy to the Executive Committee.
   
   
3. Ad-hoc Committees:
   
   a. Ad-hoc committees may be appointed at any time by the President or the Dean of Academic Affairs, as deemed necessary and after consulting with and receiving the recommendations of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee may also appoint ad-hoc committees. Committees will be comprised of at least three faculty members.
   
   Committees appointed within the four specific programs noted below will be comprised of at least three members of the faculty of that program. No more than one member of each committee may be appointed who is not a current member of the faculty of that program. This individual (1) cannot represent more than 25% of the committee's membership, and (2) will be considered a member of the Faculty of that Program during his/her term of office.
   
   b. Administration will provide a timely written response to all written recommendations made by the committees. Responses shall be sent to the committee, with a copy to the Executive Committee.
   
   

NOTE: The individual listed in parentheses is the individual to whom the committee reports.

1. Elected Committees
   
   a. Committee on Professional Qualifications (President)
   b. Committee on the Budget and Priorities(President)
   c. Committee on Intra-Faculty Relations
   
   
2. Appointed Committees
   
   a. Affirmative Action Committee (President)
   b. Faculty Bylaws/Handbook Committee (Dean)
   c. Institutional Review Board (IRB) (Associate Dean)
   d. Faculty Development Committee (Dean)
   e. Learning Resources Committee (Dean)
   f. Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee [IACUC] (Associate Dean)
   g. Research Policy Committee (Associate Dean)
   h. Health and Safety Committee (Vice President Administration)
   i. Fraud in Science Investigation Committee (Associate Dean)
   j. The Internal Control Act Committee
   

It shall be the responsibility of the Dean to keep a current list of members of the Faculty of the Professional Program, and to provide such a list, on request, to the President or to any member of the Faculty.

1. Elected Committees
   
   a. Committee on Educational Policy (Dean)
   
   
2. Appointed Committees
   
   a. Course & Standing Committee (Dean)
   b. Professional Curriculum Committee (Dean)
   c. Admissions Committee (Vice President Student Affairs)
   d. Financial Aid and Awards Committee (Vice President Student Affairs)
   

It shall be the responsibility of the Dean to keep a current list of members of the Faculty of the Intern and Residency Program, and to provide such a list, on request, to the President or to any member of the Faculty.

1. Elected Committees
   
   a. None
   
   
2. Appointed Committees
   
   a. Intern and Residency Program Committee (Dean)
   
   

It shall be the responsibility of the Dean to keep a current list of members of the Faculty of the Continuing Professional Education Program, and to provide such a list, on request, to the President or to any member of the Faculty.

1. Elected Committees
   
   a. None
   
   
2. Appointed Committees
   
   b. Continuing Professional Education Program Committee (Dean)
   
   

1. who are designated by the Dean, after review and recommendation by both the Associate Dean and the Graduate Qualifications Committee, to
   
   (a) teach a course in the Graduate Program during the current academic year;
   
   (b) be the advisor of a M.S. student;
   
   (c) serve as a member, other than chair, of a doctoral candidate's specialty area committee or dissertation committee (having been recommended by the graduate student's advisor); or
   
   (d) serve as advisor to a student who is a doctoral candidate; or
   
   
2. who have participated in any of the above activities within the prior three years.
3. who are serving on any committee listed in Section C, below, during his/her term in office.

Qualification for each of the above categories (a-d) of participation in the Graduate Program shall lapse after three consecutive years of inactivity in that category. Qualification may be reinstated only after review of the Graduate Qualifications Committee.

A Faculty member, whether or not teaching in the Graduate Program, who has not advised a graduate student at the Masters or Doctorate level (as in "b" or "d" above) in the last three years, may request Inactive Advisor status. This status may be granted, upon review and recommendation of the Graduate Qualifications Committee and designation by the Dean. Inactive advisor status must be renewed every three years. A list of all Faculty eligible to advise and the level of qualification will be made available to all graduate students.

It shall be the responsibility of the Associate Dean to keep a current list of members of the Faculty of the Graduate Program, and inactive members, and to provide such a list, on request, to the President, Dean, or to any member of the Faculty.

1. Elected Committees
   
   a. The Graduate Qualifications Committee (Associate Dean)
   
   b. The Graduate Policy Committee (Associate Dean)
   
   
2. Appointed Committees
   
   a. Graduate Committee on Admissions and Course and Standing (Associate Dean)
   
   b. Committee on the Graduate Curriculum (Associate Dean)
   
   

1. This Committee will abide by all existing and future policies of the Board of Trustees that are pertinent to the purpose of this Committee.
   
   
2. The document entitled "Committee on Professional Qualifications" as adopted by the faculty of the SUNY College of Optometry on June 7, 1973, and revised on February 6, March 7 and March 25, 1974 will act as a further procedural guideline.
   
   

Membership on the Committee on Professional Qualifications

Membership will consist of five faculty, excluding department chairpersons and College officers. Each of the three departments will elect one member, and the entire voting faculty will elect the two members, one of whom will serve as the Committee's Chairperson, and the other be a member at large. Elected members will serve for two years and terms will be staggered. Re-election for one two year term is permissible. For the sake of continuity, the at-large member and the Biological Science Department representative will alternate terms with the other three members.

There is to be student input to CPQ but not on a membership basis. This input will be coordinated and handled by the At-Large member. The CPQ is, in reality, peer review.

1. CPQ shall review and evalaute all Faculty who are being considered for reappointment, promotion or tenure. Review shall not be made more than once a year.
   
   

2. The Committee is to be informed of all existing and new appointments to the faculty, including duration of contract and academic rank, as of September 1 of each calendar year. This information will be provided by the Director of Personnel by October 1 of each year.

   The Committee on Professional Qualifications will be the initial reviewing body. CPQ will solicit evaluations and recommendations from faculty, students and the appropriate department chairpersons.

   
   
3. Candidates for tenure and promotion will be required to suggest at least three persons outside of the institution from whom the CPQ Committee might solicit evaluations. Candidates for retention likewise may do so.
   
   
4. The CPQ Committee may seek evaluations from any other persons whom they feel may contribute to evaluation of a faculty member.
   
   
5. CPQ will maintain careful records of the evaluation procedure for each faculty member. All records are deemed confidential except to the CPQ, the President and the candidate.
   
   
6. Following evaluation, the CPQ shall make recommendations to the President.
   
   
7. Prior to the President granting initial continuing appointment, the CPQ shall evaluate said candidate and make its recommendations to the President.
   
   

The procedures governing the operations of CPQ will be kept in the Policy Document contained in the Faculty Handbook, maintained by the Dean. These procedures, however, may only be modified by a majority vote of the Faculty attending a faculty meeting.

Purpose: This committee will actively consult with the college administration on budget preparation and will report to the faculty.

Members: The committee will be composed of three members elected for three-year terms, staggered so that one new member is elected each year. The Vice-President for Administration and Business serves in an ex-officio capacity.

The purpose of this committee is to provide a vehicle by which disputes between faculty members can be resolved without formal grievance procedures being invoked.

This committee shall have a chairperson elected by the voting faculty to serve for three years. There will be no other regular members.

The elected chairperson shall call meetings and act as a non-voting recorder of committee procedings. On petition from a member of the faculty in a dispute with another faculty member, the chairperson shall appoint a temporary committee of the voting faculty to attempt to resolve the issue. One member shall be acceptable to each of the parties to the dispute and a third acceptable to both shall be appointed.

The functions of the committee will not conflict with the formal grievance procedures of the UUP and the University.

This committee shall develop, and maintain, the Faculty Handbook with the approval of the general Faculty, the President, and the University Counsel. It shall contain the Faculty By-laws which detail the structure of the operation of the Faculty of the various instructional, research and other academic efforts of the college. It shall also contain the policies of the various programs, and of the Faculty in general. The Faculty Handbook will be updated as institutional changes warrant.

Concurrent with an approved Assurance of Compliance with 45CFR46 (Code of Federal Regulations on Protection of Human Subjects) a board (to be known as an 'Institutional Review Board') will be appointed with a purpose to review all biomedical and behavioral research, regardless of funding, in which human subjects are participants to assure that all state and federal guidelines for the protection of human subjects have been observed. In addition to those members mandated by law, this committee shall also include members with the expertise and experience such that they may adequately review the research activities conducted by the institution.

By "learning resources" are meant the personnel and the facilities, including physical space, equipment, material, and supplies, that are available on a College-wide basis to students and faculty for the purpose of making possible or enhancing the learning process. This learning process is broadly construed to include all of the College's educational programs (Professional Program, Graduate Program, Intern and Residency Program, and Continuing Professional Education Program) as well as the scholarly activities of its faculty and students (publication of books and papers, conference presentations, etc.). "Learning resources" in this context does not include the personnel and the facilities that are specific to the individual academic departments (e.g., clinical teaching facilities, teaching laboratories, etc.).

The learning resource areas with which the Committee is concerned are

1. the Library
   
2. the Media Center
   
3. the classrooms and seminar rooms
   
4. student computer resources (this category includes both computer resources purchased with SCAP funds and other general purpose student computer resources -- currently housed in the Library.)
   
   

The responsibilities of the Learning Resources Committee are

1. to consult with faculty, students, staff, and administration concerning how to make the most appropriate and effective use of the College's learning resources and concerning the College's needs for additional resources.
   
2. to make recommendations to the Dean concerning policy and spending in the College's various learning resources areas.
   
3. to plan and recommend educational programs aimed at enhancing the College community's use of available learning resources.
   

The Student Council will be requested to recommend to the President student representatives to serve as members of the committee.

The function of this committee is to assure that state and federal regulations which govern the care and use of laboratory animals are observed. The committee is made up of (a) faculty members (from this and one other institution) with expertise in animal research procedures, (b) a veterinarian, (c) the animal care taker, and (d) one or more individuals who are not researchers but who have an interest in animal welfare and who are not affiliated with this institution.

The function of this committee is to consult with and make recommendations to the Administration concerning administrative policy relating to research efforts carried out at the College by members of the Faculty. Areas of concern of the committee would include, but not be limited to, policies relating to

1. funding of faculty research by internal and external agencies, including the Schnurmacher Institute for Vision Research;
2. procedures for determining which applications to support;
3. availability of, and procedures governing, release time for clinical faculty to engage in research;
4. grant applications to outside agencies (e.g., requirements for inclusion of salary offset support in grant applications).
5. dissemination of policies of The State University of New York with regard to the collection of data, the maintenance of research records, and the publication of empirical, theoretical or scholarly research results.
   
   

In addition, the committee will make recommendations to foster and facilitate activities in certain areas, including:

1. research of an immediately clinically-oriented nature as well as basic research;
   
2. ways to increase access to clinic patients for research studies;
   
3. collaborative research efforts between clinical and non-clinical members of the Faculty.
   
   

This committee shall address issues of safety in the building and of health as it relates to the general well-being of the college community and the patients. Institutional policies and procedures related to health and safety will be reviewed or initiated by this committee and recommendations made to the President, or other administrative officer as appropriate. The Student Council will be requested to recommend to the President student representatives to serve as members of the committee.

If a preliminary inquiry into an alleged case of fraud in science recommends an investigation, this committee shall be appointed. It shall be an ad hoc committee composed of three tenured faculty members, to be appointed by the Administrator responsible. Appointment of this committee shall be in consultation with the Faculty Executive Committee, excluding any members who are party to the allegation. The faculty members appointed to the committee shall not be parties to the allegation, or have any conflict of interest with regard to membership on the committee.

The New York State Governmental Accountability, Audit and Internal Control Act, Chapter 814 of the Laws of 1987 was passed by the State Legislature and signed into law in 1987. Instituted in 1989, the Act requires that all State agencies develop and maintain a formal Internal Control Program. To accomplish the law's intent at the College of Optometry, an Internal Control Act Committee (ICAC) and an Internal Control Officer (ICO) were appointed by the President. The ICAC includes individuals representing all areas of the College community. The ICO is the College's Vice President for Business Affairs.

The ICAC, through the involvement of the College's managers, is responsible for organizing and leading the IC program, including risk assessments, internal control reviews, and the formulation of corrective action plans. Further, it has a responsibility to offer training programs to those managers as well as sponsor awareness programs for all College employees. The ICO is an ex-officio member of the ICAC and offers support and guidance. The ICO is responsible for the College's IC progress reporting and compliance certification to SUNY's Internal Control Officer.

This committee will be comprised of five (5) members, a chairperson elected by the Faculty of the Professional Program, a member from each of the college's three departments, elected by the department, and an at-large member elected by the entire Faculty at a general faculty meeting, who need not be a member of the Faculty of the Professional Program at time of election. He/she will become a member of the Faculty of the Professional Program at the time of election, and will remain so during his/her term in office. Terms of office shall be two years, and incumbents may succeed themselves one time only. For the sake of continuity, the At-large member and the Basic Science Department representative will alternate terms with the other three members.

This committee is responsible for making recommendations to the Academic Dean on the academic standing of each student. Recommendations by the faculty of each professional class as well as that of department chairpersons and the Office of Student Affairs are considered in the evaluation of student performance. The committee makes recommendations on matters of academic probation, suspension, expulsion or other conditions. The committee shall meet at the conclusion of each quarter or sequence and at such other times as its chairperson may call it into session.

A student representative shall be appointed from each of the four professional classes. Students participate in matters of policy and procedure only.

This committee shall have the primary responsibility for recommendations on all curricular matters. In fulfillment of this responsibility, the committee shall:

There shall be representatives from each of the four professional classes appointed to this committee.

The admissions process is served by a two-committee structure.

The Committee on Admissions Policy and Procedure reviews admissions criteria and recommends changes when necessary, as well as specifying the details of the selection procedure. The Committee also reviews all Affiliation Agreements on an annual basis.

From among the members of the committee, teams of three are designated as Selection Committees. These teams evaluate and render decisions on admissions based on criteria and procedures as described in the Admissions Document.

The Vice President of Student Affairs/Director of Admissions shall serve as an ex-officio member of the Policy and Procedure committee. In the absence of a faculty team member, the Vice President of Student Affairs/Director of Admissions may vote and act as a member of the selection team.

There shall be one student member and one alternate from each of the four professional classes appointed to the Policy and Procedure Committee by the President, in consultation with the presidents of each class.

At the conclusion of the year, the Committee on Policy and Procedure will make recommendations to the subsequent committee concerning various criteria, procedures and techniques for the evaluation and interpretation of submitted data pertinent to the admissions process.

The committee shall develop criteria for the acceptance by the President of scholarships, fellowships and other awards. It shall provide the mechanism by which nominations are obtained from appropriate faculty for recipients of commencement awards. When appropriate, the committee will serve as a selection committee and shall make recommendations to the President concerning awards to be presented to candidates from among the student body. It shall oversee the distribution of announcements and applications for the processing of specific awards.

With regard to student financial aid, it shall develop and recommend to the President, policy concerning the utilization of loan funds, scholarship funds and work-study in order to effectively maximize the utilization and distribution of the funds meaningfully among the student recipients. The committee also serves as one of the appeal mechanisms should there be a complaint about the deployment of these funds.

The Student Council will be requested to recommend to the President student representatives to serve as members of the committee.

Provides consultation and oversight of all Residency Programs and may provide recommendations to the Director of Residency Programs or the Dean of Academic Affairs.

Provides general consultation to the Director, reviews course proposals, and offers general oversight of the quality of CE Programs. The committee may offer recommendations to the Director of CPE or to the Dean of Academic Affairs.

The Graduate Qualifications Committee shall consist of three members of the Faculty of the Graduate Program elected by the Faculty of the Graduate Program to serve three-year terms. The terms shall be staggered so that one member is elected each year. The member in his/her third year will serve as chair of the committee.

1. teaching graduate courses.  Candidates shall be evaluated for possessing the appropriate type and extent of expertise to teach courses in the Graduate Program.
   
   
2. advising graduate students who are currently working toward the M.S. degree. Candidates must in general possess an earned M.S. degree in an appropriate discipline and must have on-going research activities appropriate to undertaking such a role.  The degree requirement may be waived for individuals who are judged to have attained equivalent qualifications.
   
   
3. serving on a graduate student's specialty area or dissertation committee.  Candidates shall be evaluated for possessing the appropriate type and extent of expertise to serve on such committees.
   
   
4. advising graduate students who have been admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. Candidates must in general possess an earned Ph.D. degree in an appropriate discipline and must have on-going research activities appropriate to undertaking such a role.  The degree requirement may be waived for individuals who are judged to have attained equivalent qualification. Individuals who are recommended as being qualified for this type of participation in the Graduate Program shall automatically be recommended as being qualified for the other types of participation listed above in sections i, ii, and iii.
   
   

Meetings of the Graduate Qualifications Committee shall be closed and all proceedings of the Committee shall be held in strict confidence. Records and files of the Committee shall be kept by the current Chair of the Committee.

Requests to evaluate the qualifications of a Faculty member for participation in the Graduate Program may come from the Dean, the Associate Dean, the Representative of the Graduate Program, or from the faculty member him/herself.

A member may be dequalified for any or all of the categories listed above (Section #B, #1-4) upon recommendation for dequalification by the Graduate Qualifications Committee and concurrence of the Associate Dean.

To assist in its deliberations, the Committee may

1. request candidates to furnish written materials such as a curriculum vitae and copies of publications and grant applications.
   
   
2. invite members of the College community to its meetings to discuss a candidate's qualifications.
   
   
3. solicit letters of recommendation from outside the College community.
   
   
4. invite the candidate to meet with the Committee. Alternatively, the candidate, if he or she wishes, may request a meeting with the Committee.
   
   

The Committee shall make its recommendations to the Dean in a confidential letter stating the pertinent facts of the case and the Committee's evaluation of them. The letter shall include the vote of the Committee on the question of whether or not the candidate is qualified to perform the function under consideration. A copy of the letter shall be sent to the candidate.

The function of the Graduate Policy Committee shall be to consider changes in the Graduate Policy Document and to make recommendations concerning such changes to the Associate Dean. Policy areas to be considered include, but are not limited to, curricular, educational, and admissions policies.

The Graduate Policy Committee shall consist of four members. Three members will be elected by the Faculty of the Graduate Program and have three-year terms staggered so that one member is elected each year. The member in his/her third year will serve as chairperson of the Committee. A fourth member will be elected by the entire Faculty at a general faculty meeting, and need not be a member of the Faculty of the Graduate Program at time of election. He/she will become a member of the Faculty of the Graduate Program at the time of election, and will remain so during his/her three-year term in office.

There shall be a non-voting full-time graduate student representative and a non-voting OD-MS program representative, both recommended by the Student Council to be appointed to this committee.

Changes in the Graduate Policy Document contained within the Faculty Handbook may be proposed by the Dean, the Associate Dean, any Committee of the Graduate Program, or any member of the Faculty of the Graduate Program. The Graduate Policy Committee may evaluate proposed changes in the Graduate Policy Document using whatever means it deems appropriate, including calling meetings of the Faculty of the Graduate Program, holding public hearings, and soliciting information and opinions from outside the College. Before sending its recommendations to the Associate Dean, however, the Committee must submit them to a meeting of the Faculty of the Graduate Program for discussion and for an advisory vote. A written recommendation, including the vote of the Committee and the vote of the Faculty, will then be sent to the Associate Dean.

Meetings of the Graduate Policy Committee shall be open to non-voting participation by the Administration.

It shall be the responsibility of the At-large member of the Graduate Policy Committee to distribute to all Faculty members copies of all recommendations sent from the Committee to the Associate Dean. It shall also be the responsibility of the At-large member to periodically report at Faculty meetings on the Graduate Policy issues that are under consideration and to report the concerns of the Faculty back to the Committee.

It shall be the responsibility of the Associate Dean to maintain a current version of the Graduate Policy Document, to distribute it regularly to all Faculty members, and to make a copy of it available at the request of any Faculty member.

The Committee shall make recommendations to the Associate Dean concerning:

1. recruitment of graduate students.
2. acceptance or rejection of graduate student applications.
3. allocation of assistantships to accepted graduate students.

The Committee shall have access to student application files and may consult other faculty and students as it deems appropriate. It may also interview applicants, when possible, as it deems appropriate.

In addition to the above, the Committee shall carry out periodic evaluations of the activities and progress of all students in the Graduate Program and make recommentations to the Associate Dean concerning:

1. retention, probation, or dismissal.
2. assignment of awards.
3. assignment of teaching and research assistantships.

The Committee shall meet with the Representative of the Graduate Program and the Associate Dean to discuss the assignment or change of assignment of qualified Faculty members as advisors to graduate students.

The Committee shall evaluate and make recommendations concerning charges of unethical conduct by graduate students.

The Committee shall make recommendations on policy matters, in areas with which it is concerned, to the Graduate Policy Committee.

The Committee Chair shall make regular reports to the Representative of the Graduate Program and to the Faculty of the Graduate Program concerning the activities of the Committee.

There shall be three graduate Faculty members and two students appointed. Student members will only participate in matters of policy and procedure.

This Committee shall have the responsibility for recommendations to the Associate Dean on Graduate Program curricular matters. To fulfill this responsibility, the committee shall:

A. Develop criteria for the evaluation of the curriculum, and review the curriculum periodically.

B. Investigate and assess any proposed changes in the curriculum.

C. Suggest course sequencing and scheduling to provide the most efficient learning opportunities, and also course credit.

D. Suggest graduate credit for courses taken at other institutions.

E. The Committee shall make recommendations to the Associate Dean regarding appointment of members to the Comprehensive Examination Committee.

The Student Council will be requested to recommend to the President a full-time graduate student representative and an OD-MS student representative to serve as members of the committee. There shall be three graduate Faculty members appointed.