Faculty Council and Committee Structure

The Executive Council (EC)

The Executive Council (EC) is charged to oversee campus governance; to identify what issues need governance attention; to prioritize policy and governance issues; to charge standing Committees and to form and charge ad hoc teams as necessary; to set agendas for College Faculty Assembly and General Assembly meetings; and to perform other tasks as enumerated below.

The Executive Council shares responsibility with the Strategic Planning Council to identify emerging issues that have institution-wide implications; and to communicate broadly with the campus community regarding the major issues that need to be addressed and to use the appropriate governance channels to address them.

The Executive Council coordinates the efforts of the various program councils and is generally responsible for the effective functioning of campus governance. On an ongoing basis it monitors operation of the governance system and, if necessary, recommends modifications for faculty approval. When directed, it also considers other matters of substance or procedure which concern either the College Faculty Assembly or General Assembly Delegates and which are not explicitly assigned to a program council. In addition, it regularly performs the following specific tasks:

1. Annually designates the Chair of College Faculty Assembly and General Assembly Delegates meetings.
2. Designates the Faculty Secretary and appoints an alternate to record minutes if necessary.
3. Sets the agenda for faculty meetings, distributes particulars of the agenda one week before the meeting, and, when necessary, arranges forums in advance of the meetings for faculty discussions of items on the agenda. Agendas, organized by the Executive Council, designate items for action by the College Faculty Assembly or the General Assembly Delegates.
4. Forms ad hoc committees/teams as needed. The Council may appoint individuals to serve on ad hoc committees/teams.
5. Serves as the nominating body for faculty councils and committees and for positions that are considered as committee service (e.g., Assemblies Chair, Faculty Secretary, Faculty Liaison to the Board of Trustees, and Faculty Advisors to the Student Government Association). This work is typically led by the Nominating Subcommittee which is comprised of the past chair, the chair-elect, the at-large College Faculty Assembly member, and the at-large General Assembly (non-College Faculty Assembly) member.
6. Approves the official College Calendar.
7. Assists the President as liaison between the faculties and the Board of Trustees.

The Executive Council is composed of the following:

The President of the College

The Provost

The Dean of Faculty

The chairpersons or a consistent designee from each of the following: Academic Program Council, Faculty Status Council, Labor Program Council, and Student Life Council

The faculty co-chair of the Strategic Planning Council

The designated co-chair of the Staff Forum

A representative of the Executive Committee of the Student Government Association

Three persons elected at-large for three-year staggered terms from the General Assembly by the General Assembly Delegates, serving as chair-elect, chair, and past-chair during their terms of service

Two persons elected at-large for three-year terms by the General Assembly Delegates; one must be a College Faculty Assembly member and one must not

The Executive Council has three constituent committees: the Awards Committee, the Committee for Socially Responsible Investing, and the Sustainability Committee.

Assemblies Chair

The Assemblies Chair presides at meetings of the General Assembly Delegates and College Faculty Assembly and assists both the Executive Council in setting agendas and the Secretary and Support Staff in maintaining the faculty minutes. Service as Assemblies Chair counts as committee service. This position is appointed by the Executive Council from the membership of either the College Faculty or General Assembly. In the absence of the  Assemblies Chair, the Executive Council will appoint an alternate.

Faculty Secretary

The Faculty Secretary is the recorder of official proceedings of the College Faculty Assembly and the General Assembly Delegate meetings. The minutes of this body are disseminated and approved by this body. Service as Faculty Secretary counts as committee service. This position is appointed by the Executive Council from the membership of either the College Faculty or General Assembly. In the absence of the Faculty Secretary, the Executive Council will appoint an alternate.

Awards Committee

The Awards Committee nominates honorary degree candidates and the Berea College Service Awards candidates for approval by the College Faculty Assembly and General Assembly Delegates, respectively. The Committee solicits suggestions for honorary degrees and service awards from the College community. The Assemblies may choose to have other awards determined by this committee.

The Awards Committee consists of two elected members of the College Faculty Assembly, two elected members of the General Assembly who are not members of the College Faculty Assembly, one member of the Board of Trustees as appointed by the Board, one student member as appointed by the Student Government Association, and three non-voting ex officio members: a representative of the President's Office, the Associate Provost, and a representative of the Center for Excellence in Learning through Service (CELTS). College Faculty Assembly and General Assembly members of the Awards Committee will be elected by the General Assembly Delegates and will serve staggered three-year terms.

Committee for Socially Responsible Investing

The Committee for Socially Responsible Investing is charged with helping to understand and develop investment strategies in light of the Great Commitments.  Its responsibilities include:

• Educating and informing the campus community about socially responsible investing, the community investment fund, and other issues pertaining to the management of the College’s endowment;
• Evaluating the College’s investing practices through the endowment, to evaluate how and monitor that investing practices are aligned with the goals outlined in the Berea College Investment Policy;
• Formulating recommendations to the President, Vice President for Finance, and the Board of Trustees’ Investment Committee pertaining to investments, strategy, and responsible and community investing issues;
• Examining, in conjunction with the Board of Trustees and on-campus constituents, actual policies and practices pertaining to the investment of the endowment.

The Committee shall meet jointly, at least once per term, with the President and Vice President for Finance. The Committee shall choose a member to represent it as a guest at the invitation of the Chair of the Investment Committee of the Board of Trustees.

The Committee will consist of eight members--two students appointed by the Student Government Association (SGA); two graduates of the College appointed by the Executive Council (EC); two elected College Faculty Assembly (CFA) members; and two elected General Assembly members who are not College Faculty members.  Elected members serve staggered three-year terms and will be elected by the General Assembly Delegates.

Sustainability Committee

The Sustainability Committee exists to address important contemporary issues surrounding Berea College’s seventh great commitment, especially as that commitment relates to “a way of life characterized by mindful and sustainable living…high personal standards, and concern for the welfare of others.” It is important for Berea College to follow and innovate sustainable practices in order to reduce waste, CO₂ emissions, and its overall environmental footprint in order to preserve the natural environment and to set an example for others. However, our greatest potential for promoting sustainability as an institution lies in educating the generations of students who will pass through the College and carry away the knowledge and motivation to create the path toward a more sustainable world.

The purposes of the Committee are to:

• Advise the Vice President for Operations and Sustainability, the Vice President for Student Life, the Provost, and the Dean of Faculty in regard to sustainability goals, progress, opportunities, and initiatives;
• Monitor the progress of the College Climate Action Plan and College Sustainability Plan;
• Provide routine reporting and communication about key sustainability indicators and initiatives to the campus community;
• Establish and monitor annual metrics by which to drive continuous improvement of sustainability across the campus community;
• Assure recommended greenhouse gas emissions and STARS reporting is completed on time;
• Review and recommend policies and procedures that affect the sustainability efforts, integration, and achievements of the College’s various operations and extra-curricular programs;
• Promote, support, and measure learning and leadership in both academics and labor; and
• Support routine assessment of campus attitudes and knowledge of sustainability concepts and practices. 

The Committee will be co-chaired by the Compton Chair in Sustainability and the Sustainability Coordinator. The Sustainability Committee provides a bridge across governance structures, including students, faculty and staff, and key administrators. The primary way that students become educated and motivated about sustainability while at Berea is by their immersion in campus life, where attention to sustainability will be the norm. By nature of its composition, the Committee will be aware of sustainability efforts and initiatives and can offer advice and support to co-curricular and extracurricular programs and activities such as the Center for Excellence in Learning through Service (CELTS) and other centers, Enactus, Campus Life, Residence Halls, the Student Life Team, the Learning Commons, and the Student Government Association (SGA), etc. The Committee can also be a resource for curricular bodies such as the Committee on General Education (COGE) and Academic Divisions, where appropriate. 

The Composition of the Committee includes the Compton Chair in Sustainability (Ex-Officio and Co-Chair), the Sustainability Coordinator (Ex-Officio and Co-Chair), the Vice President of Operations and Sustainability, one elected member of the College Faculty, one elected General Assembly member who is not a member of the College Faculty, and two students appointed by the Student Government Association. College Faculty and General Assembly members will be elected by the General Assembly Delegates and will serve staggered three-year terms.

The Academic Program Council (APC)

The Academic Program Council has comprehensive responsibility for the academic program, with specific responsibilities for curriculum, policy development, and general oversight of practices and services affecting the academic program. The Council may elect to delegate certain specific responsibilities to subcommittees or members, but all decisions with policy implications will be brought before the entire Council. The Council receives proposals from academic divisions, core course planning groups, students proposing independent majors, as well as its own subordinate committees. It also may initiate policy and program proposals and is responsible for making recommendations for changes to the College’s Learning Management System. The Council may approve, modify, or reject proposals that it receives; however, on substantive matters, the Council submits conclusions to the College Faculty Assembly as recommendations for adoption.

The Academic Program Council consists of the Dean of Faculty, the Associate Provost, the Registrar, one elected faculty member from each academic division, one College Faculty librarian appointed by the Director of Library Services, and one student representative appointed by the Student Government Association. Each member shall have full voting rights, except for the Registrar, who is non-voting. The division designee to APC shall not be the current Division Chair nor a current member of the Faculty Status Council.

Election of the divisional APC designee shall occur in two rounds. Members of a division will nominate (by election) two candidates for the divisional designee. Members of the College Faculty Assembly will then vote to select one of the two candidates as that division’s APC designee. Elected members serve staggered three-year terms, resulting generally in only two new division designees each year. (See section on Elections and Appointments.)

The Council elects its chairperson each year. Under the jurisdiction of the Council are six committees: the Athletics Affairs Committee, the Committee on General Education (COGE), the Convocation Committee, the Student Admissions and Academic Standing Committee (SAAS), and the Teacher Preparation Accountability Committee. The Office of Academic Affairs will provide staff support for this Council.

Athletic Affairs Committee

The Athletic Affairs Committee has within its purview intercollegiate teams and student activity clubs involved in athletic competition. In regard to intercollegiate athletics, a primary responsibility is to ensure a proper balance among such activities, academic pursuits, and the labor program. Toward that end the Committee regularly reviews the scope of the program, the variety of teams fielded, the number and timing of scheduled contests, and formulates policy recommendations. Seeking fair treatment for all College teams, the Committee monitors access to facilities, suitability of equipment, budget allocations, and related matters. The Committee also cooperates with the Athletic Director to ensure compliance with institutional standards and regulations of the associations of which Berea College is a member. Beyond intercollegiate competition, the Committee also reviews issues and provides advice relating to student activity clubs involved in athletic competitions as requested by the Student Life Council.

Seven members comprise the Committee. The Faculty Athletic Representative will be appointed by the Administrative Committee and serve a five-year renewable term. One member will be elected from the College Faculty Assembly for a three-year term and one member will be elected from the General Assembly (this member cannot be a member of the College Faculty Assembly) also for a three-year term. Two students—representing the gender diversity of the campus—are also members. The Athletic Director and the Title VII/IX Coordinator will be ex officio members without voting privileges.

Committee on General Education (COGE)

The Committee on General Education (COGE) is the steering committee for the General Education curriculum and is guided by the Aims of General Education and the Core Competencies. It has responsibility for oversight and assessment of the General Education curriculum, including:

• consideration of issues that affect the substance of the General Education curriculum, including reviewing and making recommendations on any matters that affect Learning & Inquiry (L&I) course guidelines or the General Education curriculum as a whole.
• administration of existing policy within the General Education curriculum. These matters include (but are not limited to) the development, and review of core L&I course sections, Values, Richnesses, and other components of the General Education curriculum; and consideration of requests for exceptions within the program.
• systematic and on-going assessment of individual L&I courses, Core Competencies, and the General Education curriculum as a whole.
• planning for faculty development as it relates to the General Education curriculum.
• initiation of proposals for programmatic and/or curricular changes to the General Education curriculum, which are forwarded to and acted upon by the Academic Program Council.

COGE consists of ten members who balance regular assessment of the Core Competencies while providing oversight of individual component parts of the General Education program seeking to ensure consistency, coherence, and quality.  Membership consists of coordinators teaching the four core L&I courses, quantitative literacy, and two members overseeing Values and Richnesses. In addition, COGE includes a student, Writing Program Administrator, and the Associate Provost. 

The Associate Provost serves as a voting member of the Academic Program Council (APC), and functions as a liaison between COGE and APC. Coordinators are appointed by the Associate Provost in collaboration with APC. Terms will generally be three years, but may range from two to five years. All members have voice and vote.

Convocation Committee

The Convocation Committee is primarily concerned with annual program planning. It reviews and recommends events and presentations to the Convocation Coordinator that advance the College’s educational purpose and enrich the life of the campus and community. Scheduling of and arrangements for convocation programs are responsibilities of the Coordinator of Convocations, but Committee members provide advice and assistance. The Committee submits recommendations for policy changes to the Academic Program Council.

The Committee is composed of seven members—two persons elected from the College Faculty, one person from the General Assembly (this member cannot be a member of the College Faculty Assembly), two students, the Associate Provost or designee from the Committee on General Education, and the Coordinator of Convocations.  All elected members serve a three-year term.

Student Admissions and Academic Standing Committee (SAAS)

The Student Admissions and Academic Standing Committee monitors current policies and practices with regard to admission, scholarship, probation and suspension, and formulates policy recommendations for consideration by the Academic Program Council and other appropriate bodies. It offers admissions recommendations and stipulations to the Admissions Decision Team on marginally qualified new, transfer, and readmission applicants. The Committee serves in an advisory capacity to departments, administrative offices, committees, and faculty advisors on matters related to policies and programs that impact student success.

The Committee hears and renders decisions on (1) cases of alleged academic dishonesty; (2) grade appeals after they have been reviewed at the divisional level; (3) appeals from students on academic probation and/or under academic suspension; (4) appeals for denied requests for ninth and tenth terms of extension; (5) requests for additional terms beyond ten; (6) appeals of denied labor overloads (15-20 hours); and (7) requests to work more than twenty hours per week. The committee also assesses the impact of program curricular planning on timely and adequate progress toward students’ completion of their degrees.

Seven members comprise the Committee—four elected from the College Faculty Assembly, one student, the Provost, and the Associate Director of the Office of Student Success and Transition. Additionally, the Director of Student Financial Aid Services will serve as an ex officio and non-voting member of the committee. College Faculty Assembly representatives serve three-year terms. Nominations for new College Faculty Assembly members shall be sought from divisions not currently represented on the committee. The Provost will present cases involving academic probation/suspension, extension of terms, and admissions criteria, as appropriate. In these cases, the Provost will vote on these matters only in the event of a tie. The Office of Academic Affairs oversees the staff support to this Committee.

Teacher Preparation Accountability Committee (TPAC)

The Teacher Preparation Accountability Committee (TPAC) operates with an understanding that teacher preparation is a college-wide activity and responsibility. TPAC is the coordinating body between the Education Studies Department, the college community, and the school partners. The committee is charged with the overall responsibility to assist in the planning, approving, and reviewing all teacher education programs that lead to public school teaching licensure. The Committee must ensure that the institutional mission, the departmental philosophy, and the most effective approaches to teacher education are considered in all EDS policy matters. The Committee will monitor teacher education policies and program practices for compliance and conformity with current national and state standards, and responsiveness to regional educational needs. 

The specific duties of the Teacher Preparation Accountability Committee are:

1. Commitment to a formal, systematic, and continuous evaluation process of teacher education and licensure to promote excellence in the preparation of K-12 educators;
2. Regularly review education programs (certification areas) and auxiliary services related to them to ensure that program goals are being met and that the Quality Assurance System plan is being implemented appropriately (this system provides credible performance data on the progress and achievement of each candidate which are available for feedback and reporting to the candidate, faculty, and program. The Quality Assurance System or QAS, allows the EDS to monitor and report overall candidate progress toward standards);
3. Review candidate performance data, program performance data, and make recommendations for program improvements as needed;
4. Serve as liaison between Education Studies and other departments with teacher preparation programs to facilitate broad faculty participation;
5. Review the courses and programs from departments with teacher preparation programs to make recommendations to ensure best practices and compliance with national and state standards; 
6. Encourage the development of new courses and programs when the need for these becomes apparent;
7. Set and review standards for admission to, continuation in, and exit from teacher education programs; 
8. Review applications for admission to teacher education programs and admission to student teaching and approve all candidates who meet or exceed the standards;
9. Approve and monitor a collaborative effort to develop a long-range plan to address the recruitment/retention of a diverse student body in teacher education;  
10. Monitor Student Support Systems (i.e. the Teacher Candidate Support Team policy which covers concerns about teacher candidates' behaviors and/or dispositions); 
11. Review student/teacher candidate appeals concerning grievances regarding admission to the Teacher Education Program (TEP), retention in the TEP, and teacher certification/licensure;
12. Perform all duties specified by the Council for the Association of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and the Kentucky Educational Professional Standards Board (EPSB).

Composition of the Teacher Preparation Accountability Committee is designed to meet institutional needs and expectations of the Council for the Association of Educator Preparation (CAEP), and the Education Professional Standards Board (EPSB).

Thirteen voting members make up the Committee:

1. Four (4) faculty members elected from the College Faculty Assembly from Departments that offer majors in which teacher candidates may seek a license to teach (excluding the Education Studies Department), serve three-year staggered terms,
2. The Chair of the Education Studies Department, permanent member,
3. A second faculty member from the Education Studies Department, appointed by the Chair of the Education Studies Department, serves a two-year term,
4. Associate Provost, permanent member,
5. A public school administrator from the region, selected and appointed by the Committee, serves a two-year term,
6. Three (3) public school teachers representing elementary, middle, and high school grades selected and appointed by the Committee, serve staggered three-year terms,
7. A student/teacher candidate from the elementary education program, serves a one-year term, 
8. A student/teacher candidate from a secondary education program, serves a one-year term.  

Note: Student/teacher candidate members of this Committee have the right to vote in all matters coming before the committee except matters of licensure.

Meetings:

The Teacher Preparation Accountability Committee meets monthly during the academic year and at other times when necessary to make decisions regarding curriculum, policies, and procedures that affect all teacher education programs. The Committee will designate a regular meeting date for the academic year. The Chair of the TPAC is elected from faculty members by the committee at the first meeting of the academic year. The chair of the Education Studies Department is not eligible to be chair of this committee.

The Chair of TPAC shall call meetings of the Committee although any other member has this power. The Chair of the Education Studies Department shall prepare a written agenda for the committee meeting to be distributed a week in advance. A majority of the membership constitutes a quorum for voting purposes (i.e., 7 members). A committee member who is unable to attend a regularly scheduled meeting of the Committee must inform the Chair of the Committee or the Chair of Education Studies Department in advance of the meeting. That member may submit in writing the name of a “non-voting proxy” to attend the meeting in their absence. Committee members who miss three consecutive meetings may be replaced by the Committee if deemed necessary.

When meeting to select teacher education candidates for admission to the program or admission to student teaching, the Committee must invite attendance of appropriate representatives of those departments with teacher education curricula which do not also have direct representation on the TPAC. Departments with candidates under review for admission to the program or student teaching will be given 30 days advanced notice for attendance at a TPAC meeting.

The Education Studies Department Administrative Assistant will be responsible for taking attendance, recording minutes, and distributing information.

The Faculty Status Council (FSC)

The Faculty Status Council (FSC) deals with questions of faculty status. The Council is responsible for policy review and recommendations to the College Faculty Assembly on College Faculty personnel matters and professional well-being. In individual cases of probationary review the Council acts as an advisory body to the Dean of Faculty. In individual cases of promotion or tenure review, the Council acts as the review and recommending body, reporting to the President. In addition, in questions of professional competence and dismissal for cause, if the issue is not settled after a personal conference with the faculty member, the Division Chair, and the Dean of Faculty, the Dean of Faculty must request the FSC to act as an advisory body. The Council is also responsible, in consultation with the Faculty Appeals Committee, for review of policies and procedures used in faculty appeals.

Membership on the Faculty Status Council consists of seven tenured College Faculty Assembly members (with appropriate gender balance and diversity of perspectives), and the Dean of Faculty. Six of the College Faculty Assembly members are divisional designees and one is an at-large designee. The at-large member may be utilized to maintain gender balance and balance of perspectives on the Council. All Vice Presidents, the Provost, and the Associate Provost are ineligible for service on FSC during their administrative service. Division Chairs are ineligible for service on the FSC during their term as Division Chair. The Director of Faculty Development is also ineligible for service on FSC. A special nominating ballot and election process is used to fill positions on the FSC.

Prior to Round One elections in March, a special nominating ballot is used for vacancies on the Faculty Status Council. In early spring a list will be compiled of all tenured faculty, including those serving on another council. The list will be subdivided by gender and division, to suit the needs of available positions on the FSC. Faculty will be asked to vote for up to three candidates within each subdivision. The top candidates from the faculty vote will be contacted for agreement to serve and placement on the ballot. This ballot will go to the faculty for a vote. If an elected candidate is currently serving on a council, that candidate would be released from those council duties for the next academic year. The next round of elections would fill that newly vacated council seat. (See section on Elections and Appointments.)

College Faculty Assembly members are elected for staggered three-year terms, and the chair is elected from Council members. At the conclusion of each year, those elected members whose three-year terms are concluding then serve an additional three years as alternates. If an elected member of the FSC is unable to participate for a period of time (e.g., for medical or other similar reasons), then an alternate becomes a pro tem member of FSC. If an elected member of the Council has been an active mentor for the candidate for tenure or promotion, then that Council member is excluded from Council consideration of that case and an alternate participates in all the Council’s deliberations, voting, and recommendations regarding that case. The Executive Council will appoint the necessary alternate.

The Labor Program Council

The Labor Program Council advises and assists the Dean of Labor in interpreting and applying the vision for the Student Labor Program. It has comprehensive responsibility for major programmatic changes that affect experiential, non-credit learning in the Labor Program, with specific responsibility regarding labor evaluation, assessment of goals and outcomes, and recommendations for improvements to the program as a result of analyzing assessment data. The Council receives proposals from the President and administrative officers of the College, labor departments, planning committees, groups, and members of the Council. Proposals can also be developed through collaboration with the campus community to link the goals and policies of student labor with those of the Berea College workplace.

When student-initiated labor grievances—including those related to discrimination—cannot be resolved through administrative channels, the Labor Program Council will convene a grievance board as outlined in the Student Labor Grievance Procedure. When a student is suspended for labor reasons and chooses an appeal by committee, the Labor Program Council will serve as the appellate board. All student labor-related misconduct requiring a hearing (falsification of time, theft of equipment, etc.) will be adjudicated according to the Berea College Community Judicial Code. The Council can recommend administrative withdrawal of a student that is non-functioning in the labor program or is found to have falsified labor records.

The Labor Program Council membership shall include: a person from the Labor Program Office who is responsible for training and assessment; a person who is involved with the allocation of student labor positions; a person from Human Resources who is responsible for providing training and evaluation; three working supervisor/mentors from diverse work areas elected by the General Assembly Delegates, including one member of the College Faculty Assembly and two non-teaching members of the General Assembly—one exempt and one non-exempt; and two students appointed by the Student Government Association whose work experiences are diverse. The Provost and the Dean of Labor will serve as ex-officio members. Elected members will serve three-year terms. The Labor Program Council will invite and include other voices as needed.

The Strategic Planning Council (SPC)

The Strategic Planning Council conducts continuous planning for institutional change based on the mission of the College, interpreted in light of opportunities and constraints created by changing internal and external circumstances. It engages in ongoing strategic thinking for institutional change, produces strategic planning documents and implementation plans; and assesses the outcome of strategic initiatives and recommends revisions as necessary. The Strategic Planning Council shares the following responsibilities with the Executive Council: to identify emerging issues that have institution-wide implications and to communicate broadly with the campus community regarding the major issues that need to be addressed and to use the appropriate governance channels to address them.

Membership of the Strategic Planning Council consists of 1) three College Faculty Assembly members elected by the General Assembly Delegates, each serving for a three-year term as co-chair-elect, co-chair, and past co-chair; 2) four persons elected at-large by the General Assembly Delegates for three-year terms–one must be a College Faculty Assembly member and three must not; 3) one person from the Labor Department staff appointed by the chair of the Labor Program Council; 4) two students appointed by the Student Government Association; 5) two persons appointed by the Executive Council; and 6) by virtue of their offices, the President, the Associate Provost, and the Vice President for Student Life.  The President will co-chair the Council along with the faculty co-chair. The faculty co-chair will also serve on the Executive Council.

The Executive Council will invite persons in all areas of the College to express interest in serving on the Strategic Planning Council before making nominations and appointments. For elected positions, the Executive Council will prepare a slate of nominees to be elected as outlined above. Following the election, the Executive Council will appoint two members to balance the perspectives and expertise of the four elected faculty, four elected staff, and two appointed students. Students will serve for one year, subject to reappointment. Elected faculty and those appointed by the Executive Council shall serve staggered three-year terms.

The Student Life Council (SLC)

The Student Life Council develops policy with respect to rules for student conduct, and policy for nonacademic aspects of campus life affecting students. SLC reviews policy regarding residence hall matters, campus activities, and student publications. The Student Life Council also monitors current policies and practices in student services areas such as Counseling, Health Services, and, upon request, advises administrators responsible for those services.

The Student Life Council has original jurisdiction in cases involving weapons, and in cases deemed by the President or his designate as being of an emergency nature. Hearings require the presence of at least three Council members: two faculty/staff and one student. Concurrence of a majority of the members present is necessary in order to reach a decision.

The Student Life Council also serves as an appellate board for nonacademic cases of alleged student misconduct, hearing student appeals of procedural or substantive matters involved in prior hearings of misconduct cases. As such, the Council may hear appeals of decisions involving students from the Campus Conduct Hearing Board. When a decision is appealed to the Council, the SLC Chair will determine whether the appeal has merit. If the appeal is judged to have merit the Council chair constitutes, from the Council membership, a hearing board consisting of two faculty/staff members and one student. In appellate hearings, the Vice President for Student Life and a member of the Campus Conduct Hearing Board may be present to answer questions and give information, but will not be present during deliberations or decisions. As an appellate board the Council may refuse to hear appeals if there are insufficient grounds for the appeal.

Membership of the Student Life Council totals seven, including the Vice President for Student Life; four elected members of the General Assembly, two and only two of whom are also members of the College Faculty Assembly; and two students, one of whom is the Student Government Association President or another elected officer designated by the SGA President.  The elected members of the Student Life Council and the student members should represent the gender diversity of the campus. The four elected faculty members serve three-year terms. The Council chairperson is selected from the elected faculty by the Council members.

Campus Conduct Hearing Board

(For the description of this Hearing Board, see the section on Additional Standing Committees and Other Responsibilities.)