GOVERNING DOCUMENT OF THE TENURE TRACK UNIT OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS KENT STATE CHAPTER
Article I Name
The name of this Unit of the Association shall be the American Association of University Professors Kent State Chapter, Tenure Track Unit (TT Unit).
Article II Objectives
The objectives of the TT Unit are to promote the interests of higher education, to advance the standards and ideals of the profession, to enhance the faculty's role and authority in university governance, to promote the welfare of its individual members, and to represent them before the various publics to whom the university is accountable.
Article III Membership
1. There shall be four (4) classes of memberships: Active, Graduate student, Emeritus, and Associate as described in Article II of the Chapter Constitution.
2. Rights of Members
A. Active members in good standing of the TT Unit shall have the right to participate fully in the affairs of the TT Unit and the Association, to vote for Council delegates and in Presidential elections, on referenda, on constitutional amendments, and on ratification of the TT Unit’s collective bargaining agreement, to participate in nominating candidates for President and Council, to seek office, and to be elected or appointed to committees or other offices of the TT Unit and the Association.
B. Graduate student members in good standing shall have the right to attend meetings and to be elected or appointed to committees of the TT Unit and the Association.
C. Emeritus members in good standing shall have the right to participate in the affairs of the Association, to vote in the Council and Presidential elections, to participate in nominating candidates for President and Council, to seek office, and to be elected or appointed to committees or other offices of the TT Unit and the Association, but not the right to vote on dues, or on ratification of collective bargaining agreements.
D. Associate members in good standing shall have the right to attend meetings, except meetings at which collective bargaining matters are discussed. They do not have the right to vote on referenda, dues, or ratification of collective bargaining agreements.
Article IV Basis of TT Unit Governance
1. The general membership of the TT Unit is represented on Council, the governing body of the TT Unit, through Delegates from their academic departments, schools or regional campuses and through delegates from emeritus members of the TT Unit.
2. Active members in each department or school on the Kent Campus shall elect one (1) or more Delegates to Council. There shall be one (1) Delegate for every twenty (20) active members or part thereof in the department or school, but each such unit shall have a minimum of one (1) Delegate. Active members in each regional campus shall elect one (1) or more Delegates to Council. There shall be one (1) Delegate for every twenty (20) active members or part thereof at a regional campus, but each such regional campus shall have a minimum of one (1) Delegate. Emeritus members shall elect one (1) or more Delegates to Council. There shall be one (1) Delegate for every twenty (20) emeritus members or part thereof, but such unit shall have a minimum of one (1) Delegate. There shall be one (1) non-voting liaison from the Full-Time Non-Tenure Track Faculty Unit.
3. For purposes of representation, regional campus members will be counted as part of their regional campus faculty, not as subject area faculty on the Kent Campus. For the purposes of representation, emeritus members will be counted separately, not as subject area or regional campus faculty.
4. The Delegates are responsible for communicating the concerns of their constituents to the Council and its officers, and transmitting actions of the Council to their constituencies.
Article V The Council and Its Election
1. The Council is the governing body of the TT Unit and shall consist of the voting members of the Executive Committee, elected Delegates and others as enumerated below.
2. Active members and emeritus members are eligible for election to President, as other officers of the TT Unit and of the Association, and as Delegates to Council if they have been members of the Association for one (1) year at any time prior to the time they take office.
3. Delegates are elected for two (2) year terms on a staggered basis: approximately half of the Delegates to Council will be elected each year. In the case of departments, schools, regional campuses or emeritus members with two (2) or more Delegates, the terms shall be arranged so as to be overlapping.
4. Elections will be held between the eighth (8th) and tenth (10th) weeks of the spring semester each year and will be supervised by the Nominations and Elections Committee, which shall advise each department, school or regional campus of the number of Delegates to be elected that year. The Committee will report the results of the election to the membership and to Council. All terms of office begin with the starting date of Faculty contracts in the fall semester.
5. The President may appoint non-voting members to Council and/or the Executive Committee subject to the respective body's confirmation.
6. Active members who also serve as Officers of state and national affiliates of the Association shall be non-voting, ex-officio members of the Council and Executive Committee and shall report at least annually on respective state and national activities.
7. If a Delegate’s place on Council becomes vacant, or is anticipated to be vacant for an academic semester or more, the runner-up in the most recent election of Council delegates for that academic unit will be asked to serve as a designated alternate. Designated alternates will serve with full rights and responsibilities of an elected Delegate during the vacancy period, or until the completion of the Delegate’s term of service, whichever occurs first. In the case of an uncontested election, or in the event the runner-up is unwilling or unable to serve, the Nominations and Elections Committee shall initiate a special election to fill the unexpired term.
8. A petition of at least thirty percent (30%) of the active membership of a department, school or regional campus will be required to institute a referendum on the question of that unit's Delegate(s) continuing in office. A negative vote of a majority of those voting on the named Delegate(s) will result in removal from office. In the case of removal, an election will be held to fill the resulting unexpired term within thirty (30) calendar days.
9. Absentee ballots on a pre-determined question may be sent to the President of the Association prior to the meeting in which the vote on the question of Council is to occur. This ballot must be received by the President before the vote is taken. It must specify the question and the vote and be signed.
10. A council member may give written proxy to another TT Unit member of his/her academic unit for a specific council meeting.
Article VI Officers and Executive Committee
1. Officers shall be the President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Officers are elected to one (1) year terms.
2. The Nominations and Elections Committee will present to the Council a nominee or nominees for President between the eighth (8th) and tenth (10th) weeks of the spring semester of each year. Council may add willing candidates to that slate. This slate will be circulated to the membership and then other willing candidates may be added by a petition of at least ten percent (10%) of the number of active members. The completed slate will then be submitted to the active members of the TT Unit so that they may elect the President. A majority of those voting is necessary for election. If no majority is achieved on the first ballot, a run-off election will be conducted between the two candidates who received the most votes. The President's term of office begins with the starting date of Faculty contracts in the fall semester.
3. At the first meeting of the fall semester, the Council will elect the other officers of the TT Unit. In this process, the Nominations and Elections Committee will present to the Council a slate of nominees. The slate will then be submitted sequentially for vote by secret ballot by Council starting with First Vice President and continuing in like manner with Second Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer. Council may add other willing candidates to the slate. A majority of those voting is necessary for election. If no majority is achieved on the first ballot, a run-off election will be conducted between the two candidates who received the most votes. In the event of a tie in the run-off, voting will continue until one candidate receives a majority. The new officers will take office immediately upon election.
4. An officer, other than the President, may be removed by majority action of the whole Council. In the event of resignation or removal of an officer other than the president, the procedure as outlined in paragraph 3 of this article will be followed within thirty (30) calendar days. A petition of a majority of the whole Council or a petition by at least thirty percent (30%) of the total number of active members delivered to the Nominations and Elections Committee will require a referendum on the question of the President's continuance in office. A negative vote will cause the Council to repeat the process set forth in paragraph two of this article so that a new President may be elected within thirty (30) calendar days.
5. The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, First Vice President, Second Vice President, Immediate Past President, Secretary, Treasurer, and the Chairpersons of the committees identified in Article VIII and one (1) non-voting liaison from the Full-Time Non-Tenure Track Faculty Unit.
Article VII Functions of Officers and Executive Committee
1. The President is the presiding officer of the Council, the TT Unit, and the Association. He or she is the executive officer of the TT Unit and the Association and can request and receive authorization through the Executive Committee of either Unit or the Council to act on the Association’s behalf.
2. The First Vice President will preside in the President's absence or temporary incapacity. He or she will take up other duties as designated by the President. In the event of the resignation or removal of the President, as specified in Article VI. 4, the First Vice President will become the President until the election is held, at which time he or she returns to the position of First Vice President.
3. The Second Vice President will preside in the President's and First Vice President's absence or temporary incapacity. He or she will take up other duties as designated by the President. In the event of the resignation or removal of the President, as specified in Article VI. 4, the Second Vice President will become the First Vice President until the election is held, at which time he or she returns to the position of Second Vice President.
4. The Immediate Past President will have completed the last term of office for which he or she has been elected. He or she will be the Chairperson of the Review and Oversight Committee. In the event that the Past President has resigned or is unwilling to serve in this capacity, then a previous Past President will be appointed by the President.
5. The Secretary is responsible for minutes. He or she will keep records of all publications of the TT Unit, and will perform other duties as may be delegated to the Secretary.
6. The Treasurer will be responsible for the collection of all revenue, for the disbursement of funds as authorized by Council, the Executive Committee, the TT Unit President, for the maintenance of accurate accounts of income and expenses which will be made available for the inspection of any members, for the preparation of an annual budget as a member of the Joint Coordinating Board, for the preparation of an annual financial report, and will perform other duties as may be delegated to the Treasurer.
7. The Executive Committee will act as the President's cabinet. It may act in the Council's behalf as so delegated by it. The Committee will direct negotiations subject to the approval of the Council, and develop the explicit positions of the TT Unit regarding priorities in connection with long range goals and policies, professional standards and conditions, faculty economic status and benefits. Among other duties the Committee may maintain liaison with other organizations which may have significance for its functioning.
Article VIII Committees
1. Standing Committees
A. The standing committee chairpersons will be members of the Executive Committee: these are the chairpersons of the Negotiations Committee, the Membership Committee, the Grievance and Arbitration Committee, the Review and Oversight Committee, the Media Committee, the Nominations and Elections Committee, and Committee W. The President shall appoint chairpersons of all standing committees subject to the approval of Council, except that in the case of the Review and Oversight Committee the chairperson shall be the Immediate Past President of the TT Unit or a past president as appointed in accordance with Article VII. 4. Each committee chairperson, with the consultation of the Executive Committee, will appoint committee members.
B. The Negotiations Committee, in consultation with the Executive Committee, will develop a contract proposal based upon policies, standards, and positions established by the Council.
C. The Membership Committee will conduct an annual membership drive. It will evaluate the state of the TT Unit and the Association and recommend to the Council whatever actions will encourage and maintain membership in the TT Unit and the Association.
D. The Grievance and Arbitration Committee is responsible for all grievance matters in which the TT Unit and the Association takes part. It will recommend to the Executive Committee actions regarding grievance and arbitration. It will also brief the Council regarding the disposition of the TT Unit and the Association relative to a specific instance.
E. The Review and Oversight Committee is responsible for assessing the outcome of all actions taken by the Council and the TT Unit. It reviews the measure to which the TT Unit observes its resolutions and to which those with contractual agreements fulfill the stipulations of those agreements. It will bring departures to the attention of the President for his or her action. It will annually report its findings and recommendations to the Council.
F. The Budget Committee advises the President in the preparation of the annual budget and revisions thereof. It will be chaired by the Treasurer of the TT Unit.
G. The Media Committee is responsible for public relations.
H. The Nominations and Elections Committee shall supervise and/or conduct all elections, referenda and ratification. It will give notice to departments of the manner and time for electing Delegates.
I. Committee W on the Status of Women in the Academic Profession conducts studies in the areas of concern to women faculty members, works with Committee W at the National and State levels to develop policy with regard to women in the teaching profession, and addresses such issues as equity in pay, sexual harassment and affirmative action guidelines.
2. Ad Hoc Committees
The President may appoint as necessary ad hoc committees from the TT Unit and the Association membership and may exercise ex-officio membership on any committee.
Article IX: Negotiations
1. The Bargaining Team will be responsible for collective bargaining contract negotiations with the administration of the university or their representatives.
2. The Chairperson of the Negotiations Committee will solicit from the membership suggestions for potential Bargaining Team members.
3. The President will consider the names suggested and, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee, will recommend the Bargaining Team and the Chief Negotiator to Council.
4. The Chief Negotiator will be an ex-officio member of the Executive Committee.
5. The Chief Negotiator must meet with the Executive Committee at the next Executive Committee meeting immediately following any bargaining session or at the call of the President.
6. The President with the approval of the Executive Committee may remove the Chief Negotiator or any member(s) of the Bargaining Team from that position.
7. The Chief Negotiator may sign a tentative agreement only with a majority affirmative vote of the Bargaining Team.
8. Any tentative collective bargaining agreement must be first submitted to the Executive Committee, who will then forward it to the Council with a recommendation to accept, reject, or with “no recommendation”. The Council may then forward it to the membership for ratification or rejection or may remand it to the Bargaining Team. The Council may include a recommendation to accept, reject or forward to the membership “no recommendation”.
9. The tentative agreement must be ratified by a majority of the active members voting.
Article X Meetings
1. Council meetings will be open to TT Unit members and guests invited by the TT Unit President except when the Council elects to meet in Executive Session. A Council meeting may be called by petition of five (5) Council delegates. The President may call for a session of the Council at any time.
2. For Council action to be valid, a quorum of the Council must be present.
3. The Executive Committee will meet as often as called by the President or also upon petition of three (3) Executive Committee members.
4. Standing committees will meet at least three (3) times annually.
Article XI Referenda
1. The Council may elect to refer any action to all of the active members for approval. The results of such referenda are final.
2. Any modification to a collective bargaining agreement must be first submitted to the Executive Committee, who will then forward it to the Council, with a recommendation to accept, reject or with “no recommendation”. Council may vote to accept or reject the modification.
3. Any action by the Council opposed by at least thirty per cent (30%) of the active members through petition will be referred to the total membership. The results of such referenda are final.
4. At least thirty per cent (30%) of the active members may through petition initiate a referendum. To pass a referendum will require a majority vote of the active members voting. The results of such referenda are final.
Article XII Amendments
An Ad Hoc Committee will review the TT Unit’s Governing Document at times deemed appropriate by the Executive Committee and/or Council. It will make recommendations for modification or amendment to the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee will then bring forward changes to the TT Unit’s Governing Document to the Council which may amend it by at least a two-thirds (2/3) vote and either a majority of the total number of active members or by at least sixty percent (60%) of the active members voting.
Approved by Council: 1979
Revised: March 24, 1998; December 12, 2003