As amended September 2022

I. Purposes of the Council

       The Council of the Princeton University Community shall have authority to consider and investigate any question of University policy, any aspect of the governing of the University, and any general issue related to the welfare of the University; and to make recommendations regarding any such matters to the appropriate decision-making bodies of the University or to the appropriate officers of the University; make rules regarding the conduct of resident members of the University community, which rules shall be binding on them; but the Council may delegate authority to make rules, and, with respect to matters mainly of concern to a particular group within the University community, the authority to make rules shall normally be delegated to a body representing that group or shall be exercised in a manner otherwise acceptable to the members of that group; oversee the making and the applying of rules regarding the conduct of resident members of the University community, whether such rules shall have been made by other bodies within the resident University community, or by the Council itself, or by officers of the University; such oversight shall be exercised for the purpose of ensuring that such rules protect the rights of individuals and the legitimate interests of the University, and that they are clear in meaning, fair, enforceable, and in conformity with the law; adopt such by-laws and rules of procedure as are necessary or convenient for the exercise of its authority.

II. Membership of the Council

2.1      The membership of the Council of the Princeton University Community shall consist of:  the President of the University, the Provost, and four of the following officers, as appointed to the Council each year by the President: the Financial Vice President, the Treasurer, the Secretary of the University, the General Counsel, the Dean of the Faculty, the Dean of the Graduate School, the Dean of the College, and the Dean of Student Life; fifteen members of the Faculty, among whom each division must be represented by at least two members and the nontenured Faculty by at least four members; twelve undergraduate students, among whom shall be the President and the Vice President of the Undergraduate Student Government; seven graduate students, among whom each division must be represented by at least one member; four alumni of the University; one member each from among the Professional Library Staff, the Administrative Staff, the Professional Research Staff, the Professional Technical Staff, and the Office Staff; and two members from the staff of the University who hold none of the offices and are members of none of the groups so far indicated.

2.2     A legal counsel, the Chair of the University Research Board, and other officers of the University shall meet with the Council as may be necessary and may speak to issues, but shall be without vote; and, upon the invitation of the Council or of its Executive Committee, other members of the University community who are not members of the Council may also participate in the deliberations of the Council, although not in voting.

2.3         Before the February meeting of the faculty, the Advisory Committee on Appointments and Advancements of the Faculty shall present to the Faculty twice as many nominees as there are vacant posts to be filled by Faculty representatives on the Council. Additional nominations to the Council may be made from the floor at the February Faculty meeting. Following the February Faculty meeting, the Clerk of the Faculty will present to each member of the Faculty entitled to vote a ballot containing the list of nominees, with instructions to submit the ballot by 5p.m. twelve days later, at which time the poll shall be closed. Voting shall be according to the system of the single transferable vote, modified, when that is necessary, to ensure representation for each division and for non-tenured members of the Faculty as provided in Section 2.1. Faculty representatives on the Council shall be elected to serve for a term of three years, terms to begin at the beginning of the academic year, and with the terms of five such representatives to be completed each year.

2.4     By April 30, the Undergraduate Student Government (USG) shall hold elections for the vacant posts to be filled on the Council by undergraduate students, administered according to the constitution of that body and publicized at least one month in advance. Nominations for the vacant posts shall be made by a petition, signed by at least twenty-five undergraduates, submitted to the Elections Committee of the USG by a time prior to the elections specified by the USG Elections Committee. Elected undergraduate student members of the Council shall serve for a term of one year or until their successors shall have qualified.

2.5      By April 30, the Graduate Student Government (GSG) shall hold elections for the vacant posts to be filled on the Council by graduate students, administered according to the bylaws of that body and publicized at least one month in advance. In no way shall the Graduate Student Government restrict who may stand for election, or limit the number of terms a graduate student may serve as a member of the Council. Elected graduate student members of the Council shall serve a term of one year, to begin at the beginning of the succeeding academic year.

2.6     Prior to the end of April, the Professional Library Staff, the Administrative Staff, the Professional Research Staff, the Professional Technical Staff, and the Office Staff shall each elect one of its members by means of its own established procedures to serve on the Council for a term of one year, the term to begin at the beginning of the next academic year. Voting shall be according to the system of the alternative vote.

2.7      Alumni representatives on the Council of the Princeton University Community shall be elected by the Alumni Council by means of its own established procedures. Alumni representatives on the Council of the Princeton University Community shall be elected to terms of two years, such terms to begin at the beginning of the next academic year. Two alumni representatives will be elected each year. Voting shall be according to the system of the single transferable vote.

2.8     If there is no representative body to act on behalf of a group to be represented on the Council, the Council itself may elect members to represent that group, nominations for all such posts having been made by the Executive Committee of the Council; or the Council may make whatever other arrangements for the selection of such members it deems desirable.

2.9     Any member of the Council may be recalled by the body by which he or she was chosen. Such a recall vote shall be held upon petition of one fourth of the members of that body, or as may otherwise be provided by it. In any recall vote, a majority of the votes cast for recall shall cause the recall of the member and his or her seat shall thereby become vacant.

2.10    If a vacancy shall occur in any elected post on the Council before the member elected to fill that post shall have completed his or her term, the next runner-up in the last election for that post, as determined by normal election procedures, shall fill that vacancy with full voting privileges until the next regularly scheduled election for representatives of the concerned group, or until the representative body of that group, if any, conducts a special election. At that election, the seat will be placed open for election to fill the remainder of the term. If a vacancy shall occur in a non-elective position, it shall be filled for the remainder of the term in the same manner in which the member who held that post was chosen.

2.11    Should a member of the Council anticipate, or be in, absence for three or more consecutive meetings or three or more consecutive months, the next runner-up in the last election, as determined by normal election procedures, shall be appointed alternate with full voting privileges until the absent member returns provided that either the absent member is the sole representative of a group, or a majority of the other Council representatives of the concerned group so request. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for the operation of this provision, and shall promptly report any action under this provision to the Council as a whole.

2.12    Each staff group, because it has only one representative to the Council, shall be entitled to designate one of its members to serve as an alternate delegate. The term of the alternate delegate shall be coterminous with the term of the regular delegate. In the event the regular delegate is unable to be present at a particular meeting of the Council, the designated alternate may represent his or her staff group at that meeting and may vote as if a full member of the Council. Alternate delegates may not, however, assume the committee responsibilities of the regular delegate.

2.13    The results of all elections to Council posts, including the names of elected representatives and runners-up, in order, shall be given to the Secretary of the Council.

2.14    No person shall simultaneously hold more than one membership on the Council.

2.15    Representatives on the Council, excepting those elected by the Council itself, shall regularly, by appropriate means, report on the activities of the Council to the bodies by which they were elected.

2.16    The Council shall be the judge of the qualifications of its members.

III. Procedures of the Council

3.1      The President of the University, or in the President’s absence the Provost, shall be the presiding officer at meetings of the Council.

3.2      The Secretary of the Council shall keep the minutes of all meetings, notify members of the Council of special meetings and of important matters proposed for action at any meeting, make public the reports of the Council and its committees and the minutes of all meetings not held in executive session, and perform the duties appropriate to the recording secretary of a deliberative body. The Secretary shall be appointed by the Executive Committee of the Council with the advice and consent of the Council, to serve for a term of one year.

3.3      The Council shall, at its first meeting of the academic year, adopt a schedule of meetings for the remainder of the year, which schedule it shall make public.

3.4      The President of the University, or in the President's absence the Provost, may at his or her discretion call a special meeting of the Council. The President of the University, or in the President's absence the Provost, shall call a special meeting of the Council on the request of the Executive Committee, or of any fifteen members of the Council. The call for a special meeting shall state the purpose for which the meeting is called.

3.5      All important proposals shall be delivered in writing to the Secretary of the Council not less than five calendar days preceding the meeting at which they are to be introduced, and the Secretary shall cause such proposals to be distributed to members of the Council and placed on the Order of Business for that meeting, provided that no such proposal offered by an individual member shall be so treated unless it shall have been seconded by another member. This rule may, however, be suspended by a vote of a majority of those present and voting at a meeting of the Council.

3.6      The Secretary of the Council shall make public the Order of Business at any meeting of the Council at least two days in advance of that meeting, if it is a regularly scheduled one, or at the time it is called, if it is a special meeting. Meetings of the Council shall be open to members of the University community to attend as spectators, except that the presiding officer of the Council shall, on the vote of a two-thirds majority of the Executive Committee of the Council, or on the request of one third of the members of the Council present end voting, call the Council into executive session.

3.7      A quorum of the Council shall consist of fifteen of its voting members.

3.8      The parliamentary procedure at meetings of the Council shall be that of Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised, with the following modifications:

To Section 18. Call for the Orders of the Day. A majority of those present and voting shall be able to defeat a call for the Orders of the Day.

To Section 47. Reports of committees containing matters that should be of record shall be in writing. Unless otherwise ordered, these reports shall be made public and placed on file, and only the recommendations in them which are adopted shall be recorded in the minutes.

To Section 51, subsection on informal consideration. All debate in meetings of the Council shall be conducted under the rules for Informal Consideration, unless the Council by a simple majority vote decides otherwise.

To Section 36. A motion to reconsider may be moved at the meeting in which the original vote was taken, or at the next meeting, by anyone present when the vote was taken who did not vote in the minority.

To Section 42. The presiding officer shall have the same right of debate as other members, and need not yield the chair when speaking.

To Sections 4 and 42. The maker of a motion shall be permitted to close the debate on that motion even filter the previous question has been voted.

IV. The Executive Committee

4.1      The Executive Committee of the Council shall set the Order of Business for meetings of the Council, and shall recommend the annual Order of Business for Council Committees. The Executive Committee, with the Council’s consent, shall appoint the members and designate the Chairs of all standing committees of the Council, except members or Chairs serving ex officio and the Chair of the Judicial Committee, who shall be appointed by the President of the University with the consent of the Council. Appointments to all Charter committees of the Council shall be presented to the Council for its approval at a meeting in May except that all but five of the undergraduate appointments shall be recommended at this time, and the remainder shall be recommended after the fall elections of undergraduate representatives to the Council. In each case notice of such appointments shall be given to members of the Council at least one week in advance of the meeting at which the recommended appointments will be considered. The Executive Committee may consider any matter within the jurisdiction of the Council and, subject to the approval of the Council at the next regularly scheduled meeting, may appoint such special committees as it deems necessary or desirable.

4.2     The Executive Committee of the Council shall consist of fourteen members, who shall include the President of the University; six members of the Faculty; the Chair of the Undergraduate Student Government and two other undergraduate students; two graduate students; one staff representative; and one alumni representative. The Provost shall normally meet with the Executive Committee, and, when representing the President of the University, shall have the vote. Other officers of the University may sit with the Executive Committee and speak to issues but shall be without vote.

4.3      Immediately following the April Faculty meeting, the Clerk of the Faculty shall communicate to each member of the Faculty entitled to vote a ballot containing the names of the fifteen members of the Faculty who are to serve as members of the Council for the ensuing year. The Faculty will be instructed to vote for six of these to serve terms of one year as members of the Executive Committee of the Council, those terms to begin at the beginning of the next academic year. Voting will be according to the system of the single transferable vote, modified, when that is necessary, to ensure that at least one of the six chosen will be a non-tenured member of the Faculty and that each division is represented among those chosen.

4.4     As soon after each election of representatives of undergraduate students to the Council as may be practicable, and preferably before the end of the academic year, the Caucus of the Undergraduate Student Government shall elect two from among the undergraduate students who are members of the Council, to serve terms of one year as members of the Executive Committee of the Council, those terms to begin at the beginning of the next academic year. Voting shall be according to the system of the single transferable vote.

4.5      As soon after the election of graduate student representatives to the Council as may be practicable, and preferably before the end of the academic year, the graduate student representatives to the Council shall elect two from among such representatives to serve terms of one year as members of the Executive Committee of the Council, those terms to begin at the beginning of the next academic year. Voting shall be according to the system of the single transferable vote.

4.6     The staff seat on the Executive Committee shall be rotated among the six staff groups represented on the Council, each staff group being allocated the position for a term of one year, that term to begin at the beginning of the academic year. The order of rotation shall be as follows: the Professional Library Staff; the Office Staff; the Professional Technical Staff; the Administrative Staff; the Professional Research Staff; Staff Groups Not Otherwise Represented on the Council. In the event that the representative of the staff group to which the seat on the Executive Committee is allocated for a particular year is unable to fill the available seat, or if the representative must vacate the seat before the end of the academic year, the staff group to which the seat is allocated shall select a new representative in accordance with Section 2.11 of the Charter.

4.7      As soon as may be practicable after the election to the Council of the alumni representatives, and preferably before the end of the academic year, one of the alumni representatives shall be elected by the Executive Committee of the Alumni Council to serve a term of one year on the Executive Committee of the Council, that term to begin at the beginning of the next academic year. Voting shall be according to the system of the alternative vote.

4.8     Any member of the Executive Committee may be recalled by the body by which he or she was chosen. Such a recall vote shall be held upon petition of one-fourth of the members of that body, or as may otherwise be provided by it. A majority of the votes cast for recall shall cause the recall of the member and his or her seat shall thereby become vacant.

4.9     If a vacancy shall occur in any post on the Executive Committee of the Council, with the exception of the post occupied by the staff representative, before the member elected to that post shall have completed his or her term, the next runner-up in the last election for that post, as determined by normal election procedures, shall fill that vacancy with full voting privileges until the next regularly scheduled election for representatives of the concerned group, or until the body that chooses members for that vacancy conducts a special election.

4.10    A quorum of the Executive Committee shall consist of five of its voting members.

4.11    The President of the University, or in the President’s absence the Provost, shall preside at meetings of the Executive Committee, and may call meetings of the Executive Committee at his or her discretion. The President of the University, or in the President’s absence the Provost, shall call meetings of the Executive Committee as these are necessary to carry forth its work or when requested to do so by at least five of its members.

4.12    The Secretary of the Council shall meet with the Executive Committee but shall be without vote, unless he or she shall be a regularly elected member of it. It shall be the Secretary’s duty to keep the minutes of all meetings and to make public the recommendations and proceedings of the Executive Committee in such manner as it may direct.

V. Committees

5.1.1   The Council may from time to time establish special committees, and prescribe their responsibilities and membership. Normally, such committees shall have no more than eight members, and shall exist for not more than two years without reinstatement by the Council. The following, however, shall be Charter committees, and the provisions in this Charter regarding them shall be subject to change only in accordance with Section Six of this Charter:

• The Executive Committee
• The Committee on Rights and Rules
• The Committee on Governance
• The Committee on Priorities
• The Committee on Resources
• The Judicial Committee
• The Committee on Naming

5.1.2   Members of the committees of the Council need not be members of the Council, and shall be chosen with due consideration to the following: the importance of allowing each member of the Council to sit on a Charter committee, the variety of interests represented in the University community, and the desirability of continuity of committee membership. Unless otherwise provided, members of committees of the Council shall serve for a term of one year, but without limitation as to reappointment. The term of the Judicial Committee shall begin at the end of the academic year. The terms of all other committees shall begin when two thirds of their members have been approved. An ex officio member of any Council Committee may designate at the beginning of the academic year a representative to serve in his or her place as a voting member normally for the duration of that year.

5.1.3   Unless otherwise provided, the Chair of each of the Charter committees shall be one of its members, as that membership is defined in this Charter; and he or she shall also, normally, be a member of the Council. The Chairs of the Charter committees, except for the Committee on Priorities, shall be appointed for a term of one year, but without limitation as to reappointment. It shall be the duty of the Chair of each Charter committee to acquaint all new members of the committee with its responsibilities and procedures, and the Chair may, at his or her discretion, invite the attendance at meetings of the committee of persons who are not members of it.

5.1.4   Committees of the Council, with consent of the Executive Committee of the Council, may appoint sub-committees, and the members of such sub-committees need not be members of the Council.

5.2       The Committee on Rights and Rules

5.2.1   The Committee on Rights and Rules shall, on behalf of the Council, consider and investigate the adequacy of all rules regarding the conduct of resident members of the University community, and the adequacy of the procedures for making and applying such rules.  At least once annually and more often if so requested by the Council or by its Executive Committee, the Committee shall report its findings with respect to these matters to the Council, together with any proposals it may have for changes in such rules or in the procedures for making or applying them.

5.2.2   The Committee on Rights and Rules shall consist of the Dean of the Faculty, the Dean of Student Life, three members of the Faculty, three undergraduate students, two graduate students, and one member from one of the other groups represented on the Council.  A legal counsel and a representative from the Office of Public Safety shall meet with the Committee as may be necessary, but shall be without vote.

5.3       The Committee on Governance

5.3.1    The Committee on Governance shall, on behalf of the Council, consider and investigate questions relating to the governing of the University, and, at least once annually and more often if so requested by the Council or by its Executive Committee, it shall report its activities, submitting to the Council any proposals it may have with respect to the governing of the University.  The Committee on Governance shall also consult with the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees regarding the filling of vacancies among the Charter Trustees and the Term Trustees, presenting to the Executive Committee of the Board its views with respect to the qualifications to be sought in nominees to fill such positions, suggesting names of persons that should be considered as nominees, and commenting upon the qualifications of persons suggested as nominees.  Further, the Committee on Governance shall meet with the Committee on Honorary Degrees of the Board of Trustees, to consult with it concerning the awarding of honorary degrees.

5.3.2   The Committee on Governance shall consist of the President of the University, three members of the Faculty, two undergraduate students, one graduate student, and one member from one of the other groups represented on the Council.

5.4       The Committee on Priorities

5.4.1   The Committee on Priorities shall review the current budget as early in the academic year as may be practicable.  It shall also consider issues that have arisen in the course of the preparation of the budget and shall review plans for the development of the University in advance of any final decisions with respect to such plans. The Committee on Priorities may advise the President with respect to all these matters and shall from time to time report to the Council on the issues before it.

5.4.2   The Committee on Priorities shall consist of the Provost, who shall be its Chair; the Dean of the Faculty; the Treasurer; the Executive Vice President for Administration; six members of the Faculty, among whom each division must be represented by at least one member and the nontenured Faculty by at least one member; four undergraduate students and two graduate students, chosen with due consideration to the variety of interests represented in the student body; and one member from one of the other groups represented on the Council. The Vice President for Development shall meet with the committee, but shall be without vote.  The Provost shall designate an Executive Secretary for the Committee.

5.4.3   The Committee on Priorities shall normally meet with the President of the University, to whom it is advisory.

5.4.4   Members of the Faculty who are appointed to membership on the Committee on Priorities shall be appointed to a term of three years, with the terms of two such members to be completed each year. Other members of the Committee on Priorities shall also be appointed with a regard to the continuity of the Committee’s membership.

5.5       The Committee on Resources

5.5.1   The Committee on Resources shall consider, on behalf of the Council, questions of general policy concerning the procurement and management of the University’s financial resources, and, at least once annually and more often if so  requested by the Council or by its Executive Committee, shall report its activities to the Council, submitting any proposals it may have for changes in the general policies of the University with respect to the procurement and management of financial resources.

5.5.2   The Committee on Resources shall consist of the Financial Vice President; three members of the Faculty; two undergraduate students; one graduate student; and one member from one of the other groups represented on the Council. A member of the Princeton University Investment Company [PRINCO] shall be a non-voting member of the Committee.

5.6       The Judicial Committee

5.6.1   The Judicial Committee shall hear and decide, in the first instance or on referral by another judicial body of the University, cases that involve alleged violations of those established rules and regulations of conduct that apply, in at least substantially the same form, to all resident members of the University community and whose violation constitutes a serious infringement of the recognized rights of members of the University community, a serious offense against the University’s mission, a threat to the ability of the University to carry on its essential operations, or a substantial impairment of the common and legitimate interests of the University community. The Judicial Committee may also decide to hear appeals from persons found guilty of violating established rules and regulations, when it has been alleged by such persons that the proceedings against them have not been fair and reasonable.

5.6.2    The Judicial Committee shall consist of three members of the Faculty, two undergraduate students, one graduate student, one me from one of the other groups represented on the Council, and a Chair, all to be appointed as provided in Section 4.I above, and with yard to continuity in the membership of the Committee. The Chair of the Judicial Committee shall be without vote, except in the case of a tie vote among the members present and voting.

5.6.3   Appointment to a position on the Judicial Committee shall be contingent on the appointee’s recognition of the Committee’s judicial role and a commitment on his or her part to apply established rules and regulations impartially to the facts of individual cases.  Prior to acceptance of an appointment to the Judicial Committee, each appointee shall have examined such rules and regulations and shall have certified his or her willingness to apply them impartially.  Should a case arise in which a member of the Judicial Committee finds that he or she cannot in good conscience apply established rules and standards, he or she shall be replaced on the Committee for that case only by a member of a panel of alternate members, which shall have been appointed by the Executive Committee of the Council, with the Council’s consent.  If this procedure does not provide a complete committee to hear the case, additional alternate members shall be appointed by the Executive Committee of the Council, with the consent of the Council.

5.6.4   No one holding a position on the Judicial Committee shall be a member of the Administration directly responsible for enforcing rules of conduct or for keeping order on the campus, or a member of the Council or a candidate for a position on the Council, or a member of the Undergraduate Caucus, or a candidate for a position on the Undergraduate Caucus, or a member of any other judicial body of the University; and no member of the Judicial Committee shall be a judge of his or her own case.

5.6.5   The President of the University may review decisions of the Judicial Committee in cases not previously heard by another authority and may reduce any penalties imposed but may not increase them.

5.6.6   The Judicial Committee shall submit written reports on its disposition of cases to the Council, the Faculty, and the Undergraduate Caucus, and to other bodies as may be appropriate.

5.7       The Committee on Naming

5.7.1   The Committee on Naming shall provide advice to the Board of Trustees with regard to the naming of programs, positions and spaces at Princeton. The Committee shall also consider significant questions or concerns about names or iconography on the University campus and,
when appropriate, make recommendations to the Board about renaming and/or changing campus iconography.

5.7.2   The Committee on Naming shall carry out the responsibilities described in the “Policy on Naming of Programs, Positions, and Spaces” as adopted by the Board of Trustees on July 8, 2016. These responsibilities include: recommending to the Board of Trustees names for any programs, spaces, or positions referred by the Board to the Committee on Naming; providing advice to the Board of Trustees about any proposed names that may be referred by the Board to the Committee on Naming; and pro-actively developing a list of names [and/or historical events/milestones] to inform the University’s continuing efforts to represent its history through named programs, spaces, positions or other forms of campus iconography.

5.7.3   The Committee shall consist of ten members: four members of the faculty (one of whom shall serve as chair), two undergraduate students, one graduate student, one member of the staff, one alumnus or alumna of the University, and the Secretary of the University. The Vice President for Advancement sits with the committee.

VI. Amendments and Other Matters

       Amendments to this Charter may be proposed by any five members of the Council, by any of the bodies that elect representatives to the Council, or by any Charter committee of the Council.  To be adopted such amendments must be introduced at a regular meeting of the Council and discussed and voted at a second meeting of the Council held no sooner than twenty-one days after the meeting at which the amendment was introduced.  If the number of Council members present at the second meeting exceeds two thirds of the membership, a vote of two thirds of the membership of the Council shall be required to adopt any amendment.  If the number of Council members present at the second meeting is equal to or fewer than two thirds of the membership, a unanimous vote of those present shall be required to adopt any amendment but in no event shall an amendment be adopted with fewer than twenty-five members present.

VII

       The Council shall be deemed established, and shall have its full authority as prescribed in this Charter, when at least two thirds of its members shall have been chosen.

VIII

       The Council of the Princeton University Community and the rule-making bodies under its oversight shall make no rule abridging freedom of inquiry, freedom of expression, freedom of publication, or freedom of association.

IX

       The Council of the Princeton University Community shall have authority to obtain and to hold a club liquor license and to oversee management of a social facility operated for the benefit of the resident University community.