Slate Bylaws

SLATE BYLAWS

11/21/2002                                                 

11/10/2003 

12/1/2003 

2/2/2004 

12/11/2013 

4/27/2026

I. NAME 

The name is the Program in Second Language Acquisition and Teacher Education in the

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. This Program consists of a graduate concentration and appears on affiliated students’ transcripts upon successful completion of concentration requirements.

II. PURPOSE 

The purpose of the Program in Second Language Acquisition and Teacher Education (SLATE) is to foster and advance scholarship in second language studies 

  1. by facilitating, in cooperation with affiliated units, the systematic, productive exchange of intellectual and pedagogical expertise among UIUC faculty and graduate students with a professional interest in second language studies or related disciplines across campus; 
  2. by administering the graduate concentration in Second Language Acquisition and Teacher Education; 
  3. by serving as a curricular resource center in matters related to second language studies and by advising in the development of second language studies; 
  4. by organizing symposia and public events that engage both the scholarly and the wider academic community.

III. MEMBERSHIP 

Membership in the Program in SLATE shall consist of UIUC faculty who teach or do research in the area of SLATE. Any faculty member with an appointment greater than 25% in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences or other cooperating academic units who devotes a significant component of teaching and/or research to scholarship in second language studies shall be eligible for SLATE affiliation. Students enrolled in the SLATE graduate concentration receive SLATE student affiliation status. 

IV. ADMINISTRATION 

The graduate concentration in SLATE shall have a Director, an Executive Committee, and other such committees as it may require. 

A. DIRECTOR

The graduate concentration in SLATE shall be administered by a Director as chief administrative officer, whose duties and responsibilities include those defined in these bylaws, as well as applicable policies and regulations of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the University. The Director shall be concerned with all policy issues related to 

SLATE and liaison with university administration and other units. The Director shall act as 

chair of the Executive Committee. In consultation with the Executive Committee, the Director will appoint standing and ad hoc committees. The Director is appointed by the Director of the School of Literatures, Cultures, and Linguistics (SLCL). In alignment with University policies regarding term limits, each term for the SLATE Director is 5 years; if the SLATE Director wishes to continue beyond a fifth year, the Director will be evaluated by the SLCL Director, in consultation with LAS, at the end of the fifth year to determine eligibility for renewal.

B. ADVISORY COMMITTEE 

The Advisory Committee shall be constituted to represent the member units in SLATE consisting of the Director, four SLATE faculty representatives, and one representative of doctoral students enrolled in the graduate concentration in SLATE. The student representative will have voice at meetings but will not have voting rights, nor will s/he be present for the discussion of personnel-related issues or other sensitive matters. 

The Advisory Committee establishes the general policies and principles of operation of SLATE; advises the Director on matters pertaining to its operation; administers SLATE funded student awards; advises on the criteria for and considers requests for affiliation with SLATE; advises and makes recommendations on curriculum and program development; reviews recommendations on curriculum and program development; reviews and advises the college’s Committee on Courses and Programs on course proposals under the SLS rubric (second language studies); and assists the Director in establishing cooperative interactions with other related campus units. 

 V. MEETINGS 

The Director shall call at least one meeting of the Advisory Committee per semester. A meeting shall also be called when requested in writing by any three members of the Advisory Committee. An agenda shall be posted to all members of the SLATE Executive Committee at least two days prior to each meeting. 

 A quorum of the Advisory Committee shall consist of three-fifths of its voting members. All faculty members shall have full voting rights. Votes taken by the Advisory Committee shall be binding, with a simple majority of members present determining the outcome. 

 Any SLATE affiliated faculty member can request that an all-faculty meeting be called at any time. Affiliated faculty members may contact any member of the Advisory Committee to start this process. Minutes of all Advisory Committee meetings shall be distributed to all members of SLATE (both faculty and students).  

VI. ELECTIONS 

Election for Advisory Committee membership shall be held by written secret ballot in April for the following academic year. Representatives from each faculty electoral group shall be elected by their peers (SLATE faculty in their electoral group). Faculty representatives will serve staggered two-year terms and graduate student representatives will serve one year terms. All individuals in each group who will be on campus during the entire subsequent academic year are eligible to stand for election. Names of all eligible SLATE faculty members and also of graduate students will appear on those groups’ respective ballots unless those persons request otherwise by means of a “willingness to serve” form. To be eligible for election, graduate students must have officially enrolled in the SLATE graduate concentration. Under special circumstances in which an election is not feasible, the SLATE Director may appoint advisory members.

VII. AMENDMENT OF BYLAWS 

Amendment of or addition to these Bylaws may be made at any meeting of the Advisory Committee by three-fifths vote of the Committee, providing that notice of its proposed amendment or addition has been set forth in the notice of the meeting, at least five days in advance. Any member of the SLATE affiliated faculty may submit amendments or additions in writing to the Director for consideration at the next Advisory Committee meeting. The Bylaws shall be reviewed every five years by the Advisory Committee. 
 

MEMBERSHIP ON SLATE ADVISORY COMMITTEE 

ELECTION (faculty and graduate student) 

Each participating SLATE group will be represented by one SLATE faculty member. The graduate student will be elected at large to represent all participating units.

 Election procedure (faculty ballot) 

There will be one ballot for each faculty electoral group. Names of all SLATE faculty members willing to serve will appear on their respective group’s ballot. Faculty will be instructed to vote for one representative. Because faculty serve two-year, staggered terms, elections for Groups 1 and 3 will be held in odd years, elections for Groups 2 and 4 in even years. 

Group 1 (LING, ANTH, COMM)  

Group 2 (S&P, PSYC, EPOL) 

Group 3 (FRIT, GER, EALC)  

Group 4 (EPSY, C&I, SHS)