FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

This section provides general information on the Senate regarding representation, elections, and college plan review. The FAQs can be searched using the box below.

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General Senate FAQs

  1. What is the University Senate?
  2. What does the Senate do?
  3. Who Serves on the Senate?
  4. What does a Senator do?
  5. What types of proposals does the Senate review?
  6. Where do proposals come from?
  7. How can I submit a proposal for review by the Senate?
  8. To whom does the Senate report?
  9. What is the difference between the Senate and the SGA (Student Government Association)/GSG (Graduate Student Government)?
  10. When and where does the Senate meet?
  11. How can I get involved with the Senate aside from serving as a Senator?
  12. What do Senate committees do?

Senate Representation FAQs

  1. Who serves on the Senate?
  2. Who is eligible for PTK Faculty Senator seats?
  3. How are the Staff Categories divided in the Senate representation structure?
  4. What are the term years for Senate seats?

Senate Election Process FAQs

  1. When can someone run for the Senate and what is the process?
  2. Am I eligible to run for the Senate?
  3. How can I become a Senator?
  4. What is the time commitment if I am elected to the Senate?
  5. If I am changing my majors, can I run for election in my new college?
  6. What College do I run in if I am a double major?
  7. What happens if I am an undergraduate student and I change Colleges between when I am elected and the start of the fall semester, or in the middle of my term of service?
  8. What if I change classifications within the University (e.g. contingent to regular, non-exempt to exempt, divisions to colleges, entry-level PTK to non-entry level; part-time to full time) during my term of service?
  9. What if I am a faculty member taking a sabbatical or leave of absence during my Senate term?
  10. Can Senate candidates campaign?
  11. When and how are election results announced?
  12. How are vacancies filled if a Senator steps down or is ineligible?
  13. How are vacancies filled in committees?

Plan Review FAQs

Please email your revised Plan of Organization and any supporting documents to senate-admin@umd.edu or contact the Senate Office at 301.405.5805 with any questions or concerns.

  1. How often does a College-level Plan of Organization have to be reviewed?
  2. Who needs to review the Plan of Organization?
  3. How does a College revise its Plan of Organization?
  4. Can the APT Section refer to an APT policy that is separate from the Plan of Organization?
  5. Does the College need to vote to approve the Plan before it can be submitted for review?
  6. Why does the Senate need to review College-level Plans of Organization?
  7. Do department-level Plans of Organization need to be reviewed by the University Senate?
  8. What is the Senate's review process like?
  9. How does the ERG Committee evaluate the Plan of Organization?
  10. What is the Shared Governance Checklist?
  11. How long does the Senate's review take?
  12. When does the revised Plan of Organization take effect?
  13. Where can I find the status of my College's Plan of Organization review?