How a Senate meeting is prepared and conducted
The information on this page will help you, as a Dalhousie senator, understand how the University Secretariat prepares materials for a Senate meeting and how business is conducted during the meeting. Knowing this information will help you to contribute to and actively participate in Senate meetings.
Rules of order
Senate meetings are governed by Robert’s Rules of Order, the Senate Constitution (anchor link to main page – Senate constitution) and other Senate-approved procedures.
More specifically, Section 4.2 of the Senate Constitution, Rules of Order for the Senate states:
Robert's Rules of Order (Da Capo Press 2000, 10th edition, or later edition) shall govern the Senate in all procedural matters not otherwise addressed by this Constitution or approved procedures of the Senate. If Robert's Rules of Order do not decide the point in question, then the decision shall rest with the Chair and such decision shall be final.
Before the meeting
Submitting items for the Senate meeting agenda
All presentations, discussion items, motions, and any matters that a senator wishes to have placed on the Senate agenda should be submitted to the Secretariat at least two weeks before the meeting. Preparing the agenda requires a significant amount of detailed work, sometimes well in advance, to ensure the work of the Senate is accomplished.
Each agenda item is assigned a time allotment to help the meetings run on time. Proposed agenda items that are submitted late may be deferred to a later Senate meeting. The Secretariat will determine which items may come directly to Senate and which items need to first be considered by Senate Standing Committees.
Question Period
Question Period is a regular element of Senate meeting agendas and is intended to provide senators with the opportunity to seek information on matters within the jurisdiction of Senate. Additionally, senators have opportunities to pose questions at other times during meetings, including questions to the president and provost following their reports, and of any committee chair or other individual who submits a report or presentation to Senate for information or decision.
Proposing a motion for the meeting
A motion is a proposal that is put before Senate for discussion. Motions are how the Senate makes decisions and moves business forward. Proposed motions should be in writing and provided to the University Secretariat no later than two weeks prior to the Senate meeting at which the motion will be presented. This is done so motions and supporting materials can be included on the Senate agenda, giving ample time for senators to consider the motion before the meeting.
Distribution of Senate agenda and materials
The agenda and materials are circulated to senators one week in advance of the meeting. The Senate Constitution provides that agenda and reports to be considered at a meeting are to be made available to senators no less than 48 hours before the meeting.
During the meeting
Adding an item to the agenda
At the start of a Senate meeting, Senators have the option of requesting that a matter be considered as Other Business but since this takes place at the end of the meeting, the time for consideration of these matters may be short.
Moving a motion
For Senate to consider a motion, a senator must “move” the motion, and another senator must "second'' the motion. Motions from a Senate committee do not require a seconder. Main motions are the most common motions presented at Senate meetings. The purpose of a main motion is to introduce items to the Senate for consideration and decision making.
In the example below, a senator wants Senate to request a progress report from the Senate Planning and Governance Committee (SPGC) at the next Senate meeting.
Senator 1: I move that Senate request a progress report from SPGC regarding the policy review work group at the next Senate meeting.
Senator 2: I second the motion.
Chair: It has been moved and seconded that Senate request a progress report from SPGC regarding the policy review work group at the next Senate meeting. Discussion?
Senator 3: I think a progress report would be appropriate at this time.
Chair: Any further discussion? Hearing none, I’ll call for the vote. All those in favour? Opposed? The motion carries.
Amending a motion
Sometimes a senator may not agree with a motion that is introduced, but the senator would be in favour of a modified form of the motion. In that case, the senator may propose an “amendment” to the motion on the floor, as in the example below:
Senator 1: I move that the work group consist of five senators.
Senator 2: I second the motion.
Chair: It has been moved and seconded that the work group consist of five senators. Discussion?
Senator 3: I believe that every faculty should be represented. I move to amend the number of senators to one senator from each faculty.
Senator 4: I second the motion.
Chair: There is a motion on the floor to amend “five senators” to “one senator from each faculty”. Discussion? None? Then I’ll call for the vote. All those in favour? Opposed? The motion is carried.
The motion as amended is that the work group consist of one senator from each faculty. Any further discussion? Hearing none, I’ll call for the vote. All those in favour?
Once a motion has been moved and seconded, and the chair states the motion, it belongs to the ‘assembly of Senate’, not the original mover and seconder. For this reason, amendments must be agreeable to the body of Senate through a vote on the amendment which precedes a vote on the original motion. Minor adjustments or clarifications to the motion can be made before it is stated to the members.
Limiting or extending the limits of debate
If time on debate on a question is extended and a Senator wishes to end debate, they may make a motion from the floor.
Senator 1: Chair, I move that debate on the motion be closed in five minutes.\
Senator 2: I second the motion.
Chair: A motion is on the floor to close debate in five minutes.
Senator 3: Chair, I move that five minutes be amended to ten.
Senator 2: I second the motion.
Chair: A motion is on the floor to amend the five minute limit to ten minutes. All those in favour of the amendment? Opposed? The amendment carries.
The amended motion to limit debate now reads that debate be closed in ten minutes time. All those in favour of closing debate in ten minutes? Opposed? The motion is defeated.
Calling of the question
Sometimes debate on a question has gotten to the point that a senator feels that it should be drawn to a close for time or other reasons. Often this is the case where no new arguments have been made or new points raised after a period of debate and people are revisiting points that have previously been stated. In that case, a senator can make a motion from the floor to "call the question'', which results in an immediate halt in discussion so that the motion can be voted on.
Calling the question requires:
A motion that must be seconded
Two-thirds of the members present to vote in favour of ending the debate.
Senator 1: Chair, I call the question.
Senator 2: I second the motion.
Chair: A motion is on the floor to call the question. This means that debate on the motion that is on the floor will come to an end and the assembly will proceed to vote on the motion. All those in favour of calling the question? Opposed? If the motion is carried by 2/3 vote, then the question has been called.
I now call for a vote on the main motion that is on the floor, which is “XXX”.