Faculty Senate

Resolution 20111019.2

A Resolution Establishing a Process for Allocating the Senate’s Faculty Offices at the Halle Library

From Senate Executive Board

Approved by acclimation, October 19, 2011

Whereas The Faculty Senate has long exercised control over the use of six offices at the Halle Library and

Whereas The Dean of the Library, Tara Fulton, has requested clarification of how these offices are to be allocated to faculty, therefore

Be it resolved that the Faculty Senate determines that the following policy shall be used to allocate these offices:

One office shall be available on a daily, first-come-first-serve basis to any EMU faculty member, including emeriti.  This office shall also be used to store applications for Distinguished Faculty Awards during the time each year when they are being reviewed.  The office will be locked at all times during the DFA review process and be available only to members of the DFA committee for this interval.

The other five offices shall be allocated to faculty on a semester basis.  Faculty wanting to use these offices during a semester should submit applications to the office of the Dean of the Library at least two weeks prior to the start of each semester (Spring/Summer to be considered a single semester for this purpose).  The applications should state how the faculty member intends to use the office, the average number of hours the office will be used per week and on which days of the week (if known), and a clear rationale as to the benefit the faculty member expects to gain through use of a Halle office.  

The Faculty Senate’s Institutional Issues Committee shall combine with the six members appointed by the Senate to the Library Advisory Committee (hereafter, “the Committee”) to review all applications at least one week before the start of each semester and select from among the applicants those who will be allowed to use the offices. The Committee shall consider appointing multiple faculty to each office, if the applicants’ usage patterns allow it (for example, if three faculty members have expressed a desire for a room on different days of the week.)  

The Committee’s criteria for selection shall include, but not be limited to:

• Need for proximity to library materials
• Need for storage of books and equipment at the library
• Applicant currently shares their regular office with another faculty member
• Use of library materials in research expected to yield publications
• Use of library materials in developing course content

All other things being equal, preference shall be given to newer applicants. 

If there are unallocated offices during a semester, they shall be available on a daily, first-come-first-serve basis to any EMU faculty member, including emeriti.  

At the start of each semester, the Committee, in writing, shall inform all applicants, the President of the Faculty Senate and the Dean of the Library as to the allocation of the rooms. 

One month before each semester the Dean of the Library will email or otherwise advertise the availability of the Faculty Senate rooms to all faculty.