Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 69.69
Liaison Deborah Steinberg
Submission Date Feb. 7, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Carnegie Mellon University
PA-3: Participatory Governance

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 0.75 / 3.00 Janel Sutkus
Director of Institutional Research
Institutional Research
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Part 1

Do the institution’s students have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a student council)? :
Yes

Do the institution’s students have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body?:
No

If yes to either of the above, provide:

A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which students are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:
Carnegie Mellon University students are able to participate in the election process for a variety of governing bodies, such as Student Government, the Undergraduate Student Senate, Graduate Student Assembly, Student Dormitory Council (SDC), PanHellenic Association (PHA), Interfraternity Council (IFC), and Multicultural Greek Council (MGC). There are four elected Student Government positions that represent the CMU student body: the President, Vice President, Vice President for Organizations, and Vice President for Finance. These positions are elected in April for the next academic year by the entire student body. The Vice Presidents for Organizations and Finance represent and advocate for Student Government Recognized Student Organizations. There are 300+ recognized, student-run organizations. These organizations all receive a portion of the Student Activities Fee that is managed by the Vice President for Finance. The Undergraduate Student Senate represents the undergraduate student population through representatives from each college. There is one representative for each 140 students within each college. The election process occurs in April for the next academic year. The Graduate Student Assembly represents the graduate student body. Representatives are selected in an informal election process within each Graduate Department. The number of representatives is determined by the number of graduate students within the department. This process occurs throughout the academic year. The Student Dormitory Council represents and advocates for the resident students living in on campus housing to the administration, to other campus organizations, and to the general public. Each dorm has a representative that attends the SDC General Body. The Panhellenic Association is the governing council for the 6 sororities on campus. The Interfraternity Council is a self-governing body representing the 12 member fraternities at Carnegie Mellon. The Multicultural Greek Council is the governing body for the 3 culturally-based fraternities and sororities on campus.

Do the institution’s staff members have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a staff council)?:
Yes

Do the institution’s non-supervisory staff members have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body?:
No

If yes to either of the above, provide:

A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which staff are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:
Staff Council serves as the voice for staff at Carnegie Mellon University through policy advocacy and community involvement, providing an organization that enables staff to realize their full potential and impact their quality of life. Staff Council is comprised of 60 elected staff members.

Do the institution’s teaching and research faculty have a representative body through which they can participate in governance (e.g. a faculty senate)?:
Yes

Do the institution’s teaching and research faculty have an elected representative on the institution’s highest governing body? :
No

If yes to either of the above, provide:

A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which teaching and research faculty are engaged in governance, including information to support each affirmative response above:
The representative assembly of the Faculty Organization is the Faculty Senate. The Faculty Senate is empowered to conduct all the affairs of the Faculty Organization except for those otherwise specified the Constitution and its Bylaws. The membership of the Faculty Senate consists of elected members, member ex-officios, and appointed members. The number of members in each of these categories and the length of their terms are specified in the Bylaws.

Part 2

Does the institution have written policies and procedures to identify and engage external stakeholders (i.e. local residents) in land use planning, capital investment projects, and other institutional decisions that affect the community?:
No

A copy of the written policies and procedures:
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The policies and procedures:
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Does the institution have formal participatory or shared governance bodies through which community members representing the interests of the following stakeholder groups can regularly participate in institutional governance?:
Yes or No
Local government and/or educational organizations No
Private sector organizations No
Civil society (e.g. NGOs, NPOs) No

If yes to one or more of the above, provide:

A brief description of the bodies and mechanisms through which external stakeholders are engaged in institutional governance (including information about each stakeholder group selected above):
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Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.