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Constitution and Bylaws

Constitution of Faculty Association of Salt Lake Community College

Preamble

Salt Lake Community College faculty have created an organization which is called the Faculty Association of Salt Lake Community College. The Faculty Association will speak with a common voice for all Association members, promote professional excellence at the College, protect faculty rights and obtain for its members the benefits of an independent united professional association.

Article I - Purpose

The Faculty Association of Salt Lake Community College shall represent its members in all matters relating to their employment such as appointment, continuation in employment, compensation (including salaries and benefits), working conditions of their employment, development and improvement of their professional growth, fostering of diversity of opinion, academic freedom and responsibility, and morale. It shall be a non-profit organization.

The Association’s purposes will be accomplished through the following objectives:

  • To have an open forum for the exchange of ideas and to engage in formal discussion on matters which have a bearing on an individual faculty member or upon the Association.
  • To encourage the faculty to take part in making Association policy.
  • To encourage faculty to participate in recommending policy to the Administration.
  • To efficiently and effectively disseminate Association information.
  • To act as the official voice of the teaching profession at Salt Lake Community College in matters pertaining to salaries and benefits and standards of appointment.
  • To be vigilant in ensuring that all elements of the employment environment encourage personal and professional growth.
  • To represent and support faculty in grievances and disputes with Administration.

Article II - Membership, Enrollment and DUes

Section 1. Eligibility

Membership in the Faculty Association of Salt Lake Community College is open to all faculty who teach at Salt Lake Community College.

Section 2. Definition of Members

Members are faculty who are current in their paid dues and/or signed payroll deduction authorization forms. Faculty shall be given an electronic copy of the Faculty Association Constitution and Bylaws when they become a member of the Association. Copies of each may also be found in the campus libraries.

Section 3. Other Financial Contributions

Any person or organization may make financial (or other) contributions to the Faculty Association even though those persons or organizations are not qualified to be voting members. No expectation of membership may be assumed by the receipt of such contributions.

Article III - Officers, Terms, Elections and Duties

Section 1. Officers

The officers of this Association shall be a President, a Vice-President, a Past-President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Communications Officer and a Membership Services Director. The President, Vice-President, Past- President, Secretary, Treasurer, Communications Officer and Membership Services Director shall constitute the Executive Board of the Association. The Faculty Senate President or designee will serve as an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Executive Board. The officers shall serve terms of two years, and shall have the option of serving consecutive terms. The terms shall begin on June 1st of the academic year following the election of officers. The former President shall serve as Past-President for the two years following his/her term as President.

Section 3. Elections

The procedure for nomination and election of officers shall be defined in the Bylaws.

Section 4. Duties

The duties of the officers shall be defined in the Bylaws.

Article IV - Committees

Section 1.

The standing committees of this Association shall include the following and shall be the responsibility of the following Executive Officers:

Nominating Committee - Past-President
Discussion Team Support Committee - President
Constitutional Review Committee - Vice-President
Building Representatives Committee - Membership Services Director
Political Action Committee - Vice-President

Members of standing committees shall be appointed as defined in the Bylaws and shall serve under the direction of the Executive Board. Members of standing committees shall serve for a term corresponding to that of the Executive Board, commencing, on June 1st, and shall continue in their duties until their successors have been chose or until they are reappointed. The number of members on a committee will vary according to the functions of the respective committee.

Section 2.

Special committees may be appointed by the Executive Board as needed.

Article V - Meetins

Regular and special meetings of the Association shall be held as provided in the Bylaws. Attendance at all Association meetings is voluntary, but always encouraged.

Article VI - Quorums and Proxy Voting

Section 1.

A quorum is the minimum number of members which must be present for the purpose of conducting business. A quorum for the general membership, the Executive Board, and the standing committees shall be established in the Bylaws.

Section 2.

A proxy vote (holding an absent member’s vote) shall be accepted at a regular or special meeting of the Association. The guidelines for the use of a proxy vote shall established by the Bylaws.

Article VII - Parliamentary Authority

The Association shall establish its own rules of procedure for conducting business. All proceedings which are not included in this Constitution’s Bylaws shall be governed by the latest edition of Robert’s Rules of Order.

Article VIII - Amendments

Section 1.

This Constitution shall be amended by a two-thirds vote of the returned ballots of the membership as provided in the Bylaws.

Section 2.

The Bylaws of the Faculty Association shall be amended by a majority vote of the returned ballots of the membership as provided in the Bylaws.

Section 3.

Any member wishing to propose an amendment to this Constitution or its Bylaws shall present that proposal in writing to the Constitutional Review Committee as outlined in the Bylaws.


Bylaws fo Faculty Association of Salt Lake Community College

Article I - Purpose

Bylaws shall be used to outline and clarify the Articles of the Constitution.

Article II - Affiliation

Should the Association choose to affiliate or terminate affiliation the following process shall be followed:

  • A copy of the proposal to affiliate or terminate affiliation (including the name of the group or organization with which affiliation is being requested) shall be delivered to all members with a written ballot. The ballots shall be returned to the Executive Board within ten (10) days.
  • The returned ballots constitute a quorum. A two-thirds vote of the returned ballots determines the outcome of the proposal to affiliate.

Article III - Membership, Enrollment and Dues

Section 1. Members

Faculty who are up-to-date in their dues payment are eligible to be members in the Faculty Association and are entitled to all rights and privileges of the Association, including voting in Faculty Association business. Membership is limited only by the number of faculty teaching at Salt Lake Community College.

Section 2. Enrollment

Faculty may enroll in the Faculty Association at any time by following procedures below.

Section 3. Dues

Annual dues shall be recommended by the Executive Board and approved by the membership of the Association.

  • The membership year shall begin June 1 and end May 31.
  • Dues may be paid by:
    • Option A: Monthly payroll deduction authorization.
    • Option B: An annual installment payable on June 1.
    • Option C: Semiannual installments payable on June 1 and December 1.
    • For new members choosing Option A, the payroll deductions for the month of membership shall be equal to one month’s prorated annual dues amount.
    • New members choosing payment Options B or C shall pay a prorated amount of the annual dues from the beginning of the month of membership to the next annual or semiannual installment due date.
  • Members whose dues become delinquent shall be suspended from membership and lose all rights and privileges of the Association. Reinstatement may take place by the payment of all delinquent dues or according to the procedures for new members as outlined above.
  • Dues for adjunct faculty will be determined by the members.

Section 4. - Copies

Membership provides the right to a personal copy of this Constitution and Bylaws. Copies are located in the campus libraries for public information.

Article IV - Officers, Terms, Elections and Duties

Section 1. Officers

The officers shall be as named in Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution.

Sections 2. Terms

The terms of the officers shall be as defined in Article III, Section 2 of the Constitution.

  • No member shall hold more than one Association office at a time.
  • Candidates for office shall have been members of this Association for at least one academic year prior to the time of their nomination. Only members in good standing shall be eligible for office.
  • Any officer of this Association unable to perform the duties of that office for any reason whatsoever for a period of sixty (60) days, shall submit a written resignation to the Executive Board. If the resignation is not received, the Executive Board may declare the office vacant and such office shall be filled in accordance with the provisions of Article IV, Section 2, e, of these Bylaws.
  • If any officer shall fail to perform duties satisfactorily, the Executive Board shall declare the office vacant and such office shall be filled in accordance with the provisions of Article IV, Section 2, e, of these Bylaws.
  • A vacancy occurring in the office of Secretary, Treasurer, Communications Officer or Membership Services Director shall be filled for the unexpired term by appointment of the Executive Board. In the event of a vacancy in the office of President, the Vice President shall assume the Presidency for the unexpired term. Should a vacancy occur in the office of the Vice President, such vacancy shall be filled by a special Association election for the remaining term, following the procedure outlined in Article IV, Section 3, of these Bylaws.

Sections 3. Elections

The procedure for nomination and election of officers shall be as follows.

  1. At the March meeting, the Nominating Committee shall present to the general membership nominees for each office with the consent of each candidate to serve. Nominations may also be made from the floor. Those candidates shall then be included on the ballot, provided they have consented to the nomination.
  2. At least two weeks prior to the April meeting, the Nominating Committee shall mail to all Association members an official ballot. A biographical sketch of each candidate shall be included with the ballot if provided by the candidate.
  3. The vote for election of officers shall be by an electronic ballot. The ballot shall provide for write-in candidates. The victors shall be determined by a majority vote of the ballots returned.
  4. Ballots shall be returned and counted one week prior to the April meeting. In the event the voting results in a tie, the Nominating Committee shall conduct a run-off election by written ballot at the April meeting.
  5. The Nominating Committee shall be responsible for distributing and receiving the ballots and for tallying the votes. The Chair of the Nominating Committee shall report the results of the election to the membership at the April meeting. The President shall then declare the offices of the Faculty Association filled. The elected candidates begin their terms effective on June 1st.

Section 4. Duties

The duties of the officers of the Association shall be a follows:

  • The President shall:
    • preside at all meetings of this Association and shall chair the Executive Board;
    • be responsible to keep the membership informed of official communications and on all matters concerning the Association;
    • be the official representative of the faculty at Salt Lake Community College on all boards and councils as shall be appropriate;
    • act as a liaison for the dissemination of information between the Association and the Administration (or designee);
    • serve as the Chairperson of the Discussion Team (see Article II,B)
    • choose members to serve as the Faculty Discussion Team.
      • provide for continuity on the Team,
      • provide for adequate representation of all faculty on Team,
      • present names of Faculty Discussion Team members to the Executive Board for ratification,
      • present names of Faculty Discussion Team members to Association Membership for ratification,
      • lead procurement of outside consultant to assist in Discussion process as desired.
        • Such procurement shall be at the discretion of the membership.
        • Fees and identity of consultant shall be ratified by the Association membership.
  • The Vice President shall:
    • assume the duties and powers of the President in the absence of the President;
    • assist the President in all ways;
    • assume the Presidency for the unexpired term in the event that the President is unable to carry out the duties of the Presidency;
    • serve as Parliamentarian: skilled in Parliamentary Procedure and shall advise and assist the president in facilitating the business meetings.
  • The Past-President shall assume duties as assigned by the President, including:
    • be the custodian of the Association records, including the Association’s Constitution and Bylaws;
    • provide each of the campus libraries with a current copy of the Association’s serve as the chair of the nominating committee;
    • keep ballots of any election or votes for a period of two semester. At the end of the two semesters, shall destroy said ballots.
  • The Secretary shall:
    • prepare the general correspondence of the Association;
    • keep the official calendar for association activities;
    • record the minutes of the regular Association meetings, Executive Board meetings, and special meetings.
  • The Treasurer shall:
    • be custodian of all funds of the Association.
    • promptly deposit all funds in a bank approved by the Executive Board.
    • make disbursements only as authorized by the Executive Board and/or Association membership. All bills shall be paid promptly. The signature of the Association President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer shall be registered with the bank, and all checks shall require two of the four registered signatures.
    • present two written financial reports quarterly, copies of which shall accompany the Association newsletter.
  • The Communication Officer shall:
    • be responsible for issuing all necessary notices and calls for meetings, such notices to be mailed to reach Association members at least five days prior to the date of the regular meeting;
    • publish and distribute to all members a monthly newsletter;
    • be responsible for the publication of special announcements, information items, pertinent to association members;
    • serve as the official liaison between the Faculty Association and the press.
  • The Membership Services Director shall work with the Building Reps to:
    • increase membership from among established and new faculty;
    • maintain an accurate membership list;
    • contact new faculty each year to inform them about the FA and provide them an opportunity to enroll;
    • be in contact with faculty who are not members of the FA to encourage membership;
    • insure that all faculty are aware of the benefits (and changes in those benefits) that membership carries.
  • The Executive Board shall:
    • appoint a Chair of each of the standing committees prior to the Fall regular meeting;
    • appoint other special committees as occasion may demand;
    • hold monthly meetings prior to the monthly general Association meeting to prepare the agenda for that meeting;
    • meet as needed to address pertinent faculty concerns;
    • invite other persons to the Executive Board meeting as needed or desired;
    • reproduce the new Constitution and Bylaws from the new master provided by the Constitutional Review Committee for distribution to all Association members prior to the end of Spring term.
  • Each outgoing officer shall, by June 1st, transfer to the successor the files and records of the respective office. Any officer vacating his office prior to the expiration of the term shall, within five (5) days after the termination, transfer to the successor the records of the office.

Article V - Committees and Duties

Section 1.

The chairs of the standing committees shall be appointed by the Executive Board as indicated in Article IV. The chairs of the standing committee will then submit names of faculty members for approval by the Executive Board. Wherever possible, each standing committee will include a member of the Faculty Senate.

Section 2.

The duties of the standing committees shall be as follows:

  • Nominating Committee
    The Nominating Committee shall consist of the Past-President as Chair and two members appointed by the Executive Board prior to the October meeting. The Nominating Committee shall be responsible for the election of officers as outlined in Article 4, Section 3, e. of these Bylaws.
  • Discussion Team Support Committee shall:
    • utilize the negotiable items outlined annually in the “Academic Guide” to recommend the new academic year’s items for discussion;
    • recommend, to the Executive Board, members, including at least one Faculty Senate representative, to serve on the Discussion/Negotiation Team.
      • The Discussion/Negotiation Team shall act on behalf of the Association in discussions with the administration in all matters relating to employment as specified in the Constitution, page 1, Article I, E.
      • The Discussion/Negotiation Team may include members of the Salaries and Benefits Committee.
      • Membership on the Discussion/Negotiation Team shall be two-year rotating terms.
      • There shall be wide representation of all faculty on the Discussion Team attempting to include a member from each academic school
    • research and prepare data for use by the Discussion Team;
    • prepare data for distribution to the general membership.
  • Constitutional Review Committee shall:
    • review the Faculty Association Constitution and Bylaws for needed changes, revisions, and corrections;
    • review written proposals received from Association members for changes, revisions, or corrections;
    • present any proposed changes, revisions, or corrections to the Executive Board no later than its March meeting, for inclusion in the regular March Association meeting;
    • provide the prepared proposed changes, revisions, or corrections to the Constitution and Bylaws in readable format to the Nominating Committee to be included with the ballot for Election of Officers; (The Nominating Committee mails out those ballots approximately two weeks prior to the April meeting; The Constitution and Bylaws propose changes shall be included with that mailing.)
    • make any approved changes, revisions, and corrections to the Constitution and Bylaws after the April Association meeting, at which the Chair shall announce the Chair shall announce the result of that vote;
    • provide the Executive Board a new master of the Constitution and order to allow for reproduction and distribution of same prior to the end of Spring term. (The Executive Board will reproduce the Constitution and bylaws for distribution to all Association members.)
  • Building Representatives Committee shall:
    • facilitate communication among the members of the Association. Each building will have at least one representative. Other representatives shall be requested, based on the number of faculty in the building/campus, in order to facilitate effective communication;
    • act as the first tier of grievance processes. Grievance processes will be conducted within College policy and under direction of the FA Leadership;
    • work with the Communications Officer to publish a list of Representatives for all faculty;
    • work with the Membership Services Director to insure membership services for all members.
  • Political Action Committee shall:
    • will participate in coalition-building among faculty in other SLCC faculty organizations and from other institutions of higher learning;
    • will facilitate coalition-building with SLCC Student Association and the Staff Association;
    • will actively promote organized faculty participation in local and national political campaigns for office and legislation;
    • will work to educate political bodies of the perspectives and needs of faculty.

Section 3.

Each standing and special committee Chair shall be responsible for keeping files for the Committee and shall submit a written annual report at the April meeting. Each special committee Chair shall submit a written report to the Executive Board upon the completion of the objectives of that committee.

Section 4.

All committees shall be directly responsible to the Executive Board, and shall submit all plans for activities for approval to the Executive Board, prior to the execution of such plans.

Section 5.

Each committee shall, within five (5) days after the conclusion of their appointment, transfer their files to their successor or to the Executive board.

Section 6.

The President, with the approval of the Faculty Association, may declare a committee chair vacant because of nonperformance off duties and appoint a successor.

Section 7.

All committees shall be subject to meet at the call of their respective chairs. A majority of the members of any and all committees shall constitute a quorum of such committees for the purpose of conducting business.

Article VI - Meetins

Section 1.

Regular meetings of the membership of this Association shall be held as soon as possible after the beginning of the academic year and on the third Thursday of each month from August to April. During the Summer Term, no regular meetings shall be scheduled, but committee work shall continue and special meetings may be called. Regular meetings shall require at least five (5 days notice to Association members by the Communications Officer.

Section 2.

Special meetings of this Association may be called by the President, or may be called upon written request of ten (10) percent of the general membership stating the principle business to be transacted.

Article VII - Quorums and Proxy Voting

Section 1.

A quorum for:

  • the Faculty Association shall be those attending a regular or special Association meeting;
  • the Executive Board shall be a majority of its members;
  • any standing or special committee shall be a majority of its members.

Section 2.

  • Only association members may hold a proxy vote.
  • The proxy vote shall be written and shall include the name of the absent member, the name of the holder of the proxy vote, and the date. The proxy vote shall be valid for one meeting only.
  • The member holding a proxy vote shall notify the Secretary of the Association before a meeting is called to order that the member is holding an absent member’s proxy vote and shall vote in behalf of the absent member.

Article VIII - Amendments

Section 1.

Proposed amendments to the Constitution shall be submitted in writing to the membership by the Executive Board. ( See Article V, Section 2, d.3.) A copy of the proposed amendment with an official ballot shall be mailed to each member. The ballots shall be returned to the Executive Board at the next regular meeting of the Faculty Association.

Section 2.

Proposed amendments to the Bylaws shall be handled as described in Section 1.

Section 3.

Any member of the Association may propose an amendment to the Constitution or Bylaws and shall submit the proposal in writing to the Constitutional Review Committee. The Constitutional Review Committee shall present the proposal to the Executive Board, who in turn shall present it to the membership in a regular meeting for discussion, and if a vote is determined to be appropriate, it will be handled as described in Section 1. A quorum for the purpose of amending the Association Constitution and/or Bylaws shall be the total number of ballots which have been returned by the due date.