CONSTITUTION OF THE KENT STATE UNITED FACULTY ASSOCIATION
Article I Name and Affiliation
The name of this Association shall be the Kent State United Faculty Association (KSUFA). KSUFA represents two bargaining units. One consists of tenured and tenure-track faculty (TT Unit), the other consists of full-time non-tenure track faculty (FTNTT Unit). KSUFA may, by majority vote of its active members, affiliate with or disaffiliate from any local, regional, state or national organization. Such a vote of affiliation or disaffiliation may be initiated by a petition signed by at least thirty percent of the active members of the Association and would be carried out under the Collective Bargaining Law of the State of Ohio.
Article II Membership
1. There shall be four classes of membership: Active, Graduate Student, Emeritus, and Associate.
A. Active Members: members of either bargaining unit qualify for active membership in their respective Unit of KSUFA.
B. Graduate Student Members: any graduate student at Kent State University is eligible for graduate student membership in the Chapter.
C. Emeritus Members: any Active Member retiring from either Unit may be transferred to Emeritus Membership at the member's request after the member has been an Active Member for at least one year.
D. Associate Members: other members of the university community are eligible for Associate Membership.
E. Members, to be in good standing, must be current in payment of their dues.
2. Rights of Members
A. Active Members in good standing shall have the right to participate fully in the affairs of their respective Unit as described in the Governing Document of the TT Unit and the Governing Document of the FTNTT Unit attached hereto as Appendix A and Appendix B respectively.
B. Graduate Student Members in good standing shall have the right to attend meetings and to be elected or appointed to committees of the Association.
C. Emeritus Members in good standing shall have the right to participate fully in the affairs of their respective Unit as described in the Governing Document of the TT Unit and the Governing Document of the FTNTT Unit attached hereto as Appendix A and Appendix B respectively.
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 in elections, on referenda, dues, or ratification of collective bargaining agreements.
Article III Basis of Chapter Governance
1. The President of the TT Unit is the Chapter President and shall speak for the Chapter. On issues of concern to both Units, the President of the TT Unit shall speak for the Chapter after consultation with the President of the FTNTT Unit. On issues of specific concern to each Unit, that Unit’s President shall speak for that Unit.
2. The members of the Association are represented by their respective Unit on the Joint Coordinating Board (JCB). The JCB is chaired by the President of the TT Unit.
3. Voting members of the JCB include the President of the FTNTT Unit, the First Vice President of the TT Unit, the Treasurers of both Units, the Secretaries of both Units, and the Grievance Committee Chairs of both Units. In the event of a tie, the President of the TT Unit will cast the deciding vote.
4. The JCB will make decisions on issues of common interest referred to it by the Executive Committee of either Unit. The JCB will develop an annual Chapter budget which shall be submitted for approval to the governing bodies of both Units. If either Unit does not approve a proposed budget it will be returned to the JCB for revision and resubmission. If either Unit still does not approve, the JCB will make the final decision. Decisions to carry grievances to arbitration will be made as specified in the Governing Document of the appropriate Unit, except when such a decision involves the hiring of outside counsel to handle the arbitration. In such instances, the final decision will be made by the JCB. The JCB shall make decisions on all personnel matters after consulting with the Executive Committees of the two Units.
5. The JCB will meet at least two times per year or at the request of the President of either Unit or three JCB members.
Article IV Basis of Unit Governance
1. Each Unit retains the exclusive right to develop and amend its Governing Document. Only members of each respective Unit may be involved in the development and approval of that Unit’s Governing Document. Both Governing Documents shall respect any and all rights of membership as provided by this Constitution and the Governing Document of each Unit. Should either Governing Document conflict with this Constitution, the provisions of this Constitution will control.
2. The Governing Document of the TT Unit is attached hereto as Appendix A.
3. The Governing Document of the FTNTT Unit is attached hereto as Appendix B.
Article V Amendments to the Constitution
A Constitution Committee will review the Constitution at times deemed appropriate by the JCB or at the request of the Executive Committee of either Unit. The Constitution Committee, which will include representatives appointed by the Executive Committees of both Units, a majority of whom will be from the TT Unit. It will make recommendations for modification or amendment of the KSUFA Constitution to the JCB. The JCB will submit any recommended changes to the governing bodies of both Units for approval. Proposed amendments approved by a two-thirds vote of the total membership of either governing body will be submitted to the entire active membership of the Chapter. This shall only be done after both governing bodies have considered the proposed amendment and it will be accompanied by the recommendations and votes of both governing bodies. Passage requires an affirmative vote of either a majority of the total number of active members or sixty percent of the active members voting. All votes on constitutional amendments must take place during the regular academic year.
Article VI Association Dues
Dues shall be recommended by the JCB for the approval of the governing bodies of both Units.
Article VII Affirmative Action
KSUFA is committed to Affirmative Action and pledges itself to support the elimination from KSUFA and the entire academic environment of all discrimination based on race, sex or sexual orientation, age, religion, national origin, political views, residence, and family or marital status.
Article VII By-laws
By-laws shall be established and amended as recommended by the JCB and approved by the governing bodies of both Units. By-laws serve to establish rules and procedures for the general operation of KSUFA and may elaborate and clarify, but not alter, add to or rescind this Constitution or the Governing Document of either Unit.
1. The JCB shall approve all personnel expenditures. Any non-personnel, non-routine expenditure exceeding $1,000 shall be submitted to the JCB for approval after it has been approved by the Unit requesting the expenditure.
2. Officers and employees of the Chapter who handle funds or other property of the Association shall be bonded.
3. The Officers of the TT Unit shall be listed as the Officers of the Chapter for the purposes of Chapter filings with the State Employment Relations Board, the Internal Revenue Service, and other appropriate agencies.
4. If any loans are made available to officers or agents of the Association, they shall also be made available on the same terms and conditions to all members.
5. Officers and agents of the Chapter as well as their spouses, domestic partners, children, parents and other relatives, shall not have any business or financial interests which conflict with the fiduciary obligations of such persons to the organization.
6. All elections of both Units shall be conducted by secret ballot, as shall votes on referenda and the ratification of contracts.
Approved: May 14, 2002
Revised to reflect name change: December 20, 2024