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Open Meetings Law Guidance

**Information and instructions are tentative and may change to help streamline any processes.**

Pursuant to Louisiana Open Meetings Law, this document covers information related to meetings of the faculty senate.

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Access to the Louisiana Open Meetings Law

Notice of Meetings

The following information will be available online:

• Schedules for regular meetings of the senate
  
  
• Information will include: Date, time and location

The following will be provided at the building in which the meeting is to be held:

• Immediately preceding a meeting, an agenda containing the date, time, location and items for discussion
  
  
• A posting of the Louisiana open meetings law via electronic access

Individuals not a part of the faculty senate may request this information via email by contacting facultysenate@ulm.edu.

How the public/guests/media can submit comments before and participate during meetings (online vs. in-person)

• To submit comments, email the faculty senate atÌýfacultysenate@ulm.edu, one of the officers, orÌýyour faculty senate representative. The cut-off period for submissions to be considered for meetings will be no later than 8 am on the day of a meeting.
  
  
• Attendance will be taken through MS Teams for individuals connecting by video conferencing and a voice roll call, and/or sign-in sheet, for individuals attending in-person.
  
  
• To participate during meetings:

• Non-senators attending at the anchor location in-person may raise their hand and can speak after being recognized by the faculty senate’s presiding officer.

• Non-senators attending online may use the ‘raise hand’ function of the video conferencing platform being used and can speak after being recognized by the presiding officer.

• Individual guest microphones will be turned off by default but unmuted for comment/questions if a hand is raised.

• Once recognized by the presiding officer, guests will have up to two minutes to speak on a topic. Time extensions, with the time allotted, will need to be approved by a majority vote of the senate’s executive officers present.

• Media guidelines: an area at the anchor location will be designated for the media. The media will follow the same procedures as guests to participate in meetings.

Expectations for public comment when the senate votes

Prior to an official vote by the Senate, the floor will be open for comments related to the item to be voted on. The senate might provide a means for attendees to provide comments anonymously. Senators will be given the opportunity to comment first and then guests. The comment period allowed per guest will be up to two minutes. Time extensions, with the time allotted, will need to be approved by a majority vote of the executive officers present.

Expectations if the senate goes into an executive session

Any non-senate individual attending in-person:

• Individuals will be asked to leave the anchor location room and may gather outside. A member of the Senate will inform guests when the executive session has ended, and re-entry is allowed.

Any non-senate individual attending online:

• Individuals may be asked to comply with one of the following options. Go into an online breakout room, stay in the main online meeting ‘room’ while the senators go into an online breakout room or disconnect from the meeting and be informed via electronic means of when they can rejoin.
  
  
• Any non-senate member attending a meeting in conjunction with a senator outside of the anchor location must remove themselves from the location and wait in a location where deliberation cannot be heard until the senator informs them that the executive session is over and they are allowed to re-join.

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