Join us in congratulating Dr. Steve Bollens as the re-elected Faculty Senate Legislative Representative for an additional three-year term from 2024-2027.
Elected Candidate: Steve Bollens
Review the Statement of Candidacy Submitted by Steve Bollens
The Washington State Legislative Representative is responsible for serving both as an institutional and statewide faculty advocate through the designated representation on the Council of Faculty.
Manner of Election: The Senate Steering Committee shall elect a faculty member to the position of Legislative Representative and member of the state-wide Council of Faculty (From Article XIII of the Faculty Senate Bylaws).
| Election Timetable & Procedural Steps | Timeline Identified | 2023 Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Dates and procedures announced; nomination forms open | Second Faculty Senate meeting | October 5 |
| Formal nominations due to Executive Secretary 1,2 | 5 PM Wednesday before third meeting | October 18 |
| Candidates announced | Third Senate meeting | October 19 |
| Ballots sent to Steering Committee members | Monday after third Senate meeting | October 23 |
| Ballots due | 5 PM Thursday by the fourth Steering Committee meeting | October 26 |
| Ballots read and counted by Executive Secretary | After the fourth Steering Committee meeting | October 27 |
| Legislative Representative or need for second round 3 announced to Steering Committee | After the Fourth Steering Committee meeting | October 27 |
| 2nd round ballots distributed | Monday after fourth Steering Committee meeting | October 28 |
| 2nd round ballots due | 5 PM Wednesday before fourth senate meeting | November 1 |
| 2nd round ballots read and counted by Executive Secretary | Wednesday before fourth Senate meeting | November 1 |
| Legislative Representative announced in Senate | Fourth Senate meeting | November 2 |
Duties and responsibilities of the Legislative Representative:
- Represent faculty concerns in legislative matters and maintain liaison with University administration (especially the Director of State Relations), legislators, state officials, legislative staff, and relevant groups.
- Solicit faculty views on legislative matters.
- Work in close cooperation with the Faculty Senate Executive Committee to understand and in turn represent WSU faculty interest to the state legislature.
- Serve as an ex officio member of the Faculty Senate Steering Committee.
(From Article III, Section 3 of the Faculty Senate Constitution)
Statewide Council of Faculty Co-Chair Role:
The purpose of the statewide Council of Faculty (COF) is to serve as a centralized body of faculty representatives from all Washington State public baccalaureate institutions to have a statewide voice on issues of higher education.
Based on the Council of Faculty Constitution, two co-chairs are elected for two-year terms, one from the four comprehensive institutions (WWU, The Evergreen State College, CWU, and EWU) and the other from the two research universities (UW, WSU).
1Eligibility for Nomination
From Article III, Section 3 of the Faculty Senate Constitution:
A member of the faculty shall be elected to a joint three-year term as legislative representative and member of the state-wide Council of Faculty.
2Statement and CV
Nominees (self-nomination is permitted) are requested to prepare a statement outlining their background and goals for their term as the Legislative Representative. This statement and a copy of their CV will be posted to the Faculty Senate website; submitting them constitutes formal acceptance of the nomination. These documents are to be submitted by the time formal nominations are due (5 PM on Tuesday before the third Faculty Senate meeting in fall semester).
3Second round
The italicized entries in the table occur if a second round is needed, i.e., if no candidate has a majority of the votes cast in the first round or if fewer than 40% of eligible voters complete a ballot. The two candidates receiving the highest number of votes in the first round move on to the second round of voting.
From Article III, Section 4 of the Faculty Senate Bylaws:
All elections of officers shall take place by a majority of those present and voting. If no candidate secures a majority, a run-off election shall be conducted between the two candidates with the highest number of votes.