Faculty Association Constitution | BYU-Idaho

# Faculty Association Constitution

This constitution was written by members of the Faculty Association. It's purpose is to outline the duties, roles, purpose, and other aspects directly related to the Faculty Association.

## Of the Brigham Young University-Idaho Faculty Association

### Ratified--13 March 2009; Amended to include an online representative--16 June 2015; Amended to change election process, represented membership, and dues-- June 2021

We, the associated members of the faculty of Brigham Young University-Idaho, in order to better fulfill the mission of the university and further cultivate the Spirit of Ricks, do establish this constitution.

## Article I - Purpose

The association will facilitate constructive communication between the university administration and the faculty by assessing the collective opinions of the faculty and representing such views in appropriate forums. The association will also facilitate communication and collaboration among the faculty.

## Article II - Membership

The full-time and adjunct faculty at Brigham Young University-Idaho constitute the membership of the association. Faculty members choosing not to be enrolled in the association need only submit a written declaration of such intention to the association secretary. Members shall have opportunities to provide input to the association on faculty-related issues, participate in association surveys, communicate with association officers, gather and communicate with other association members, and enjoy voting rights within the association.

## Article III - Officers, Representatives, and Elections

****Section 1 - Officers**** 
Officers shall consist of a president, a president-elect, and a secretary. The president shall serve a two-year term. The president-elect shall serve a two-year term as president-elect followed by a two-year term as president. The secretary shall be appointed by the president. These officers shall constitute the Executive Board. This Executive Board will certify election results.

****Section 2 - Representatives**** 
At least one representative shall be elected from each college; one representative shall be elected from among the adjunct faculty; and one representative shall be elected from among the online faculty. Larger colleges may, if their members so wish, have one representative for every ten percent of the total number of full-time faculty members. Teaching personnel not belonging to a College will be represented by an appropriate College representative. The representation assignment will be by agreement between the unaffiliated faculty and the Faculty Association Board. Librarians will be represented by the College of Language and Letters representative. Representatives shall serve three-year terms, with approximately one third of the representatives being elected every year through an election by an anonymous vote of the respective members they represent. The representatives, together with the executive officers, shall constitute the General Board.

Elections for representatives will be held using ranked-choice voting. Each person casting a ballot will rank all candidates from first choice to last choice. If a candidate wins an outright majority (greater than 50%) of first-preference votes, he or she is declared the winner. If there is no outright winner using first-preference votes, the candidate with the fewest first-preference votes will be eliminated, and the second-preference votes on those ballots will be added to the totals of the remaining candidates. This process is repeated until one candidate has won an outright majority and is declared the winner.

****Section 3 - Election of President-Elect**** 
The election of the president-elect generally is held during the spring semester by secret ballot. At least a month prior to the election, the Executive Board will request nominations for the future president-elect from the association membership. The Executive Board will contact each of the nominees to ascertain a nominee's willingness to serve. Those faculty who are willing and able to serve will become candidates.

Elections for president-elect will be held using a ranked-choice primary and a runoff final election. In the primary, each person casting a ballot will rank all candidates from first choice to last choice. The candidate with the fewest first-preference votes will be eliminated, and the second-preference votes on those ballots will be added to the totals of the remaining candidates. The process is repeated until two candidates remain. These two candidates will participate in a simple runoff, with the majority vote determining the winner.

Elections will be completed, and the results communicated to the association membership in a timely manner. The new president-elect may begin attending meetings immediately but shall not have voting privileges until their term officially starts.

****Section 4 - Vacancies**** 
Elections are generally held during Spring semester. When the office of president is vacated before the end of a full term, the president-elect will immediately succeed to the presidency, and a special election will be called to fill the vacancy in the office of president-elect. Early vacancies among representatives shall be filled by special elections of their respective colleges or faculty. Due to the timing of special elections, an officer may serve a few months more than the prescribed term, not to exceed one additional year.

****Section 5 - Removal from Office**** 
The president, president-elect, or secretary may be removed from office by a two-thirds majority vote of the association members, and a recall election will be scheduled upon receipt of a written petition from ten percent of the association members. Any representative may be removed from office by a two-thirds majority vote of the association members whom the representative represents, and a recall election will be scheduled upon receipt of a petition from five association members whom the representative represents.

## Article IV - Duties of Officers and Representatives

****Section 1 - All Officers and Representatives**** 
All officers and representatives will carry out and maintain the mission of the Faculty Association by engaging in constructive communication and assessing the collective views of the faculty through surveys, task forces, caucuses, discussion groups, and other appropriate methods, in order to represent those views in suitable forums. Individual comments collected through surveys will remain anonymous. The association will focus on matters of general concern to the faculty as a whole and not assume a role as a mediator or advocate for individual grievances or disputes.

****Section 2 - President**** 
The president shall provide leadership to the Faculty Association, preside at Executive Board and General Board meetings, meet with the university president, represent the association on university councils and committees, speak for the association in other forums, and report to the association annually.

****Section 3 - President-Elect**** 
The president-elect shall oversee surveys and elections, preside and represent the association in the absence of the president, and assist with other duties as delegated by the president.

****Section 4 - Secretary**** 
The secretary shall take minutes of each meeting, certify and publish results of surveys and elections, manage and report on association funds (if any), and distribute information to the faculty and faculty association representatives.

****Section 5 - Representatives**** 
Representatives shall regularly consult the faculty members they represent. In meetings of the General Board, representatives shall introduce relevant issues of general concern, suggest avenues of inquiry, present proposals, and serve in other capacities as delegated by the Executive Board.

## Article V - Meetings

Executive Board and General Board meetings shall be held at least monthly. A quorum shall be required to conduct business and a simple majority shall constitute a quorum. While any faculty member can attend Faculty Association Board meetings, only the members of the General Board (as defined in Article III Section 2) may vote in a Board decision.

## Article VI - Funds

Dues, if any, shall be determined by a majority of those who participate in an election on the issue. If funding is received from Academic Leadership, decision making by the Faculty Association will be not be dependent on such funding. The Faculty Association reserves the right to autonomy.

## Article VII - Ratifying and Amending the Constitution

This constitution shall be ratified and amended by a two-thirds majority of those who participate in a ratifying election. Amendments may be proposed by a majority vote of the General Board or by a written petition of ten percent of the association members. Petitions must be in writing and must be filed with the association secretary.