By-Laws
PREAMBLE
Article III of the Constitution of the Valencia Community College
Faculty Association (hereinafter referred to as the Constitution)
allows for the formation of a campus faculty organization on each
campus.
Pursuant thereto, this organization is hereby established. Recognizing
the primacy of the Constitution (as stated in Article II, Section B)
the West Campus Senate shall be governed by the following bylaws
except where they are in conflict with the Constitution.
ARTICLE I: Name
The name of the organization shall be Valencia Community College West
Campus Faculty Senate (hereinafter referred to as the West Campus
Senate).
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TWO: Purpose
The West Campus Senate shall serve as the representative on all matters
of faculty concern for all Association members whose place of employment
is the West Campus. This mandate shall be carried out in accordance with
Article III, Section C of the Constitution, which states:
"The
purpose of a campus faculty organization shall be consistent with
Article I, Section B," specifically,
"1. to
advise the President of the college on matters of college improvements
and faculty related interests,
2. to
promote communication and mutual understanding within the faculty and
between the faculty and other groups, and
3. to
provide a democratic means of formulating questions and articulating
problems and solutions."
In addition to the foregoing, Article III, Section C of the
Constitution further stipulates that the organization's mandate shall
include "to advise the chief administrative officer on that campus."
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THREE: Membership
Section 1a. Pursuant to Article II, Section A of the Constitution, membership
in the West Campus Senate shall be open to full-time professors,
part-time professors, librarians, counselors, and other professionals
who devote at least sixty (60) percent of their regularly-assigned
duties to instructing or counseling students.
Section
1b.
Membership shall comprise three senatorial categories: Division,
At-large, and At-Large Faculty Council representatives.
Section 1c.
Upon completion of his/her term of office, the retiring President
shall serve as an ex-officio member of the Senate (without vote) for
the ensuing calendar year.
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FOUR: Term of Office
Section 1. The term of office for all categories of
senator shall be two (2) years, commencing in January following
election, and/or until necessary to appoint a successor to fill out a
term (See Article Six below).
Section 2.
No Senator may serve more than three (3) consecutive two-year terms.
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FIVE: Elections
Section 1a. Elections for each senatorial category shall be held annually in
November so that newly elected senators may be installed at the regular
monthly meeting in December, thereby enabling the full Senate to be
ready for business by the beginning of the calendar year.
Section
1b.
The West Campus Senate President shall notify the affected division
chairs in October of the names of Divisional Senators whose terms are
expiring (See Section 1c. and Section 2 below). Similarly, in October,
printed ballots shall be distributed to all full-time faculty with the
names of faculty members nominated for At-large Senators and At-Large
Faculty Council Representatives.
Section
1c.
To ensure continuity and a smooth transition year to year,
approximately half the membership shall be elected each year [that is,
four (4) divisional, five (5) at-large, and three (3) At-Large Faculty
Council representatives one year, then five (5) divisional, four (4)
at-large, and two (2) At-Large Faculty Council representatives the
next]. In this way, to the extent possible, the Senate membership and
campus delegation to the Faculty Council shall be comprised at all
times of at least a fifty percent complement of experienced members in
each category.
Section
1d.
In order to initially implement Section 1c. (above), the West Campus
Senate President shall make whatever adjustments are necessary to
preexisting senatorial terms. Senators whose terms are thereby
truncated shall be eligible for election to a fourth consecutive term,
Article Four, Section 2. (above) notwithstanding.
Section
2.
One Divisional Senator shall be elected by the full-time faculty
within each of the following nine (9) classifications: Architecture,
Engineering & Technology; Business, Behavioral & Social Sciences;
Communications; Counseling; Fine Arts (Culinary Arts, Foreign
Languages and Humanities); Health Related Programs; Learning Resource
Center; Mathematics and Physical Education; and Science.
Section
3.
Senators-at-Large shall be elected by the entire full-time campus
faculty. They shall number nine (9), subject to the following
conditions:
i.
at no time shall there be more than two (2) Senators-at-Large from any
one division;
ii.
of the nine (9) Senators-at-Large, no more than two (2) may be
part-time (four month) faculty members.
Section
4a.
Each year, a Nominating Committee shall be appointed by the West
Campus Senate President to solicit nominees for Senator-at-Large and
At-Large Faculty Council Representatives. Only nominees willing to
accept such a position will be placed on the ballot. Each nominee's
division, along with his/her proposed Senatorial classification will
appear next to the name on the ballot, as well as whether he/she is a
nominee for a full-time or part-time (four month) at-large position.
Section
4b.
Following the vote, the President and the Nominating Committee shall
rank nominees according to number of votes received. Winners shall be
determined based solely on said rankings, until the requisite number
of contested positions is filled (See Section 3 above).
Section 5. Should one or more divisions be established subsequent to
adoption of these Bylaws, such divisions shall each be entitled to one
(1) Divisional Senator. In such a case, one or more positions shall
commensurately be added to the Senator-at-large category.
.
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SIX: Vacancies
Section 1. Any vacancy within the ranks of any Senatorial
category shall be filled within one month of said vacancy occurring.
Section
2.
Successors to Divisional Senators shall be selected from within the
same classification as that of the former incumbent.
Section 3.
Successors to Senators-at-Large and At-Large Faculty Council
Representatives shall be selected by the West Campus Senate President
on the basis of the next-ranked nominee from the most recent election.
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SEVEN: Officers
Section 1. Officers shall comprise the President, Vice President
and Secretary.
Section
2.
The term of office of each shall be one (1) year commencing in
January.
Section
3.
The President shall vote only to break a tie.
Section
4.
The Vice President from the previous year shall automatically succeed
to the presidency for the following year.
Section
5.
The Vice President and Secretary shall be elected from a list of
nominees presented in November of each year by ballot to all full-time
faculty, preferably the same ballot as that containing the names of
nominees for Senator-at-Large and At-Large Faculty Council
Representative. If these officers are not already elected members of
the Senate, they will become voting members of the Senate.
Section
6.
In the event the Vice President cannot make the succession pursuant to
Section 4. (above), the President shall then be elected by the
full-time faculty, following the same procedure as that delineated for
the Vice President in Section 5. (above).
Section
7.
The President, Vice-President, and five elected At-large West Campus
representatives (as defined in Article Six) shall be members of the
Valencia Community College Faculty Council representing the West
Campus faculty.
Section
8.
Any West Campus Senate officer who shall choose to perform any
administrative duties shall resign his/her position as a Senate
officer until such time as his/her status changes.
Section 9.
Any faculty member serving in a dual capacity (i.e., faculty and
administration) cannot serve as a West Campus Senate officer. This
would include, but not be limited to, Program Director, Grants
Manager, Project Manager, Program Coordinator, or other similar
position.
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EIGHT: Duties of Officers
Officers shall perform the duties prescribed by Article VI of the
Constitution, these bylaws, and the parliamentary authority adopted by
the West Campus Senate.
Section
1. President:
·
to represent the views of its members and, therefore to speak on
behalf of the West Campus Senate on all matters of its concern; to act
on behalf of the West Campus Senate in any emergency situation falling
between regularly scheduled meetings, following consultation with the
West Campus Senate Vice President and Secretary.
·
to chair regular monthly and other official West Campus Faculty
Senate meetings;
·
to convene special West Campus Senate meetings as required (See
Article Ten, Section 3. below);
·
to appoint Senate subcommittees as the need arises;
·
to attend campus and collegewide meetings which directly impact the
interests of the West Campus faculty;
·
to maintain the central depository for all files which directly
affect the interests of the West Campus Senate, including but not
limited to its own minutes, the minutes of other pertinent campus and
collegewide meetings, the records of previous elections, and whatever
other documents the President considers relevant.
·
to carry out any and all such other duties as needed to effectively
fulfill the responsibilities of this office.
Section
2. Vice President:
to assist the President;
·
to substitute as presiding officer at any regular or special
meeting which the President cannot attend; to serve as primary
designate for the President, should the President so request, at any
campus and/or collegewide meeting at which the President cannot be
present;
·
to carry out any and all such other duties as needed to effectively
fulfill the responsibilities of this office.
Section
3. Secretary:
·
to write the minutes of all the regular monthly and special West
Campus Senate meetings; to submit said minutes to the President for
initial review prior to general distribution, such distribution to
take place no later than one week prior to the next meeting;
·
to serve as principal corresponding secretary for the President;
·
to preside over regular monthly and special West Campus Senate
meetings, at the request of the President and in the event neither the
President nor the Vice President is able to do so;
·
to ensure that all incoming Senators are provided with a copy of
these bylaws pursuant to Article Fifteen below.
to carry out any and all such other duties as needed to effectively
fulfill the responsibilities of this office.
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NINE: Officer Vacancies
Section 1. Should the President relinquish his/her duties prior
to the expiration of his/her term, the Vice President shall immediately
assume that office for the remainder of the calendar year.
Section 2.
Should a vacancy occur in any other office, either as a result thereof
or otherwise, such vacancy shall be filled within one month and in a
manner to be determined by the Senate, the new incumbent to serve for
the balance of the calendar year.
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TEN: Meetings
Section 1. Regular meetings shall be held each month, with the
exception of August. This meeting may be cancelled at the option of the
President, should there be a conflict with either final examinations or
faculty vacations, which could result in the lack of a quorum (See
Article Eleven below).
Section 2.
Regular meeting dates shall be fixed at the first meeting of each new
academic session.
Section 3.
Special meetings may be called at the request of any member of the West
Campus Senate, following consultation thereon with the President.
Section 4.
Notification of the time and place for any such meeting shall be
circulated to the full Senate at least three (3) days in advance
thereof.
Section 5.
Pursuant to the State of
Florida's "Sunshine Law," all full-time and
part-time faculty are invited to attend as observers any West Campus
Senate meeting.
Section 6.
Items
for the agenda that constitute new proposals to be considered may not be
acted on unless the material was distributed to all senators five (5)
days prior to the meeting date. Other items may be added to the agenda
at the time of Senate meetings at the will of the Senate President and
approved by vote of the Senate.
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ELEVEN: Quorum
Section 1. During Sessions I and 2, a quorum shall consist of a
simple majority of the full Senate.
Section 2.
During Sessions 3, 4 and 5, a quorum shall consist of either one-half
(1/2) of the full Senate or two-thirds (2/3) of the Senate members on
duty on the campus at the time, whichever is lower.
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TWELVE: Absences
Election to the Senate, whether to a Divisional, At-large, or At-Large
Faculty Council Representative position, carries with it a firm duty to
attend its meetings.
Section 1.
Senators shall inform the Secretary in advance of any anticipated
absence.
Section 2.
A Senator planning to be absent may appoint an alternate to attend and
vote in his/her stead, provided said Senator furnishes the Secretary in
advance in writing the name of his/her replacement.
Section 3.
A Senator not fulfilling his/her obligations pursuant to Sections 1.
and/or 2. above shall have his/her name recorded in the minutes as
absent.
Section 4.
Any Senator absent for three (3) regular meetings during the calendar
year, without meeting the requirements of Sections 1. and/or 2. above,
shall be notified in writing by the West Campus President of suspension
from the Senate.
Section 5.
The suspension may be appealed to the Executive Committee (See Article
Thirteen below), provided such appeal is filed in writing with the West
Campus President within ten (10) working days from the date of the
suspension.
Section 6.
Should the suspension not be appealed within ten (10) working days, or
should it be appealed but upheld by the Executive Committee, in either
case the suspension shall then be deemed permanent, whereupon a new
Senator shall be selected in accordance with Article Six above.
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THIRTEEN: Executive Committee
There shall be an Executive Committee composed of the West Campus Senate
President, Vice President and Secretary.
Section 1.
The Executive Committee shall sit as an appeal body for any Senator
suspended by the West Campus Senate President for absenteeism.
Section 2.
Its decision on any such appeal shall be reached by majority vote and
shall be final and irrevocable.
Section 3.
The Executive Committee may perform such other duties as it may from
time to time be authorized by the West Campus Senate.
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FOURTEEN: Amending the Bylaws Section
Section 1. Any amendment to these bylaws must be distributed in
writing to the entire West Campus full-time faculty at least one week
prior to its consideration.
Section 2.
Adoption of any such amendment can be achieved either by a two-thirds
(2/3) vote of all full-time faculty present at a general faculty
meeting, or by a two-thirds (2/3) vote of those cast by all full-time
faculty in a mailed ballot.
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ARTICLE FIFTEEN: Distribution of Bylaws
The Secretary shall provide each incoming Senator with a full,
up-to-date copy of these bylaws along with his/her official notification
of election. As amended 10-25-96 (Article 5, Sec. 6, and Article 7, Sec.
7 )
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