Last amended May 15, 2021
ARTICLE I. NAME
The Organization referred to as “Association” in these Bylaws is the Faculty Association at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
ARTICLE II. PURPOSES AND FUNCTIONS
Section 1.
The Faculty Association shall have its general purposes:
a) to preserve the professional and scholarly values held by the faculty;
b) to protect and strengthen the privileges and responsibilities traditionally reserved to the faculty;
c) to provide for effective participation in the governance of the university; and
d) to maintain and improve the economic status and welfare of the faculty.
Section 2.
The principal functions of the Association are:
a) to represent faculty interests by consulting with all appropriate agencies whose decisions affect the faculty and, in turn, to inform the faculty of all issues before such agencies. These include the legislative, executive, and administrative agencies of the State of California, the California Post secondary education Commission, the Board of Regents, and the University-wide and campus administrations.
b) to encourage the development of, and to cooperate with, parallel or similar organizations on other campuses of the University of California.
c) to engage in collective bargaining on behalf of senate faculty.
ARTICLE III. MEMBERSHIP
Section 1.
Membership in the SCFA is open to all faculty members of the Academic Senate, Santa Cruz Division. Members who hold Administrative positions above the rank of College Provost or above the rank of Department Chair may not serve on the Executive Board
Section 2.
The criteria for membership may be altered only on approval, in a mail or e-mail ballot of the membership, by two-thirds of those casting valid ballots. The Executive Board shall make its views on the proposed alterations of membership criteria known to the membership at the time of mailing and/or e-mailing the ballots.
ARTICLE IV. RELATION TO THE SANTA CRUZ DIVISION
While recognizing and supporting the Senate as the governing body of the faculty, the Association shall carry out its functions independent of the activities of the Santa Cruz division of its committees, and shall not utilize the resources or facilities of the Division.
ARTICLE V. EXECUTIVE BOARD AND OFFICERS
Section 1.
There shall be an Executive Board consisting of no fewer than seven persons elected by the membership, with the maximum number to be determined each year by a 2/3 vote of the Executive Board. Every effort will be made to have an emeritus member on the Board.
Section 2.
The officers of the Association shall be a Chairperson, a Vice Chairperson, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. The officers shall be selected by the Executive Board from within its own ranks, following each election of Board members, and shall serve until successors are selected. Officers may be removed by a 2/3 majority vote of the Board at a meeting of the Board called for that purpose.
Section 3.
The term of Board members shall be two years, beginning October 1st and ending September 30th. For the Board elected in December 1975, the term of three members shall be until September 30, 1976 and four of the members until September 30, 1977.
Section 4.
Vacancies on the Executive Board that would leave the board with fewer than seven members shall be filled by action of the Executive Board; the term of such appointments to the Board shall expire when the position has been filled at the next election.
Section 5.
Elections may be by e-mail, using appropriate controls for security to be determined by the Executive Board using the technology of the moment. Elections for the Board shall be made by vote of the members in good standing as of April 1st. Every effort shall be made to send the ballots no later than May 5th.
Section 6.
There shall be a Nominating Committee, whose purpose it shall be to nominate candidates of elections to the Board. The committee shall consist of three Association members in good standing as of the date of the appointment (no later than April 1st). The Executive Board shall make the appointments. No member of the Board may be appointed to the Nominating Committee.
Section 7.
The election process should take no more than five weeks. By April 10, or as close to this date as is practicable, the Nominating Committee shall propose at least one, and not more than two, candidates for each Board position to be filled at that election. On approximately April 13, the Board will distribute to the members the names of the persons nominated by the Nominating Committee; such notice also will indicate that further nominations may be made on petition of seven members in good standing as of April 1st. Such petitions must be delivered to the Secretary of the Association within two weeks of said notice. The names of all candidates nominated by the Nominating Committee and by petition shall be placed on the ballot. Every effort shall be made to send the ballot to the membership within five weeks from the date previously set for members to be in good standing in order to qualify to vote or stand for election. In the event that there are no contested positions on the ballot, the slate shall be considered elected by acclamation and the membership duly informed by regular mail and/or e-mail.
Section 8.
Only Association members in good standing as of April 1st shall be eligible to be candidates for the Board.
Section 9.
Each voter may vote for as many candidates as there are positions to be filled, and the winning candidates shall be those receiving the highest number of votes. In the event of a tie vote, there shall be a runoff.
Section 10.
The Board shall appoint a committee to be responsible for the conduct of the election and the counting of the vote. No member of the Board may be appointed to the committee. The Board shall announce the results of the election within seven days of the close of the ballot period.
ARTICLE VI. DUTIES OF EXECUTIVE BOARD AND OFFICERS
Section 1.
The Executive Board shall act as the governing body of the Association between Association meetings. A majority of the Board shall constitute a quorum for binding votes.
Section 2.
The Chairperson shall preside over meetings of the Association and of the Executive Board, shall issue the call for such meetings, and shall supervise the administration of the Association’s programs.
Section 3.
The vice Chairperson shall assist the Chairperson in the supervision of the general program of the Association and shall act in the Chairperson’s stead at all Association and Board meetings which the Chairperson is unable to attend.
Section 4.
The secretary shall be responsible for keeping the records of the Association, for preparing a record of the minutes of all regular and special meetings of the Association and all meetings of the Executive Board, and for issuing notice of the call to regular and special meetings of the Association when instructed to do so by the Chairperson.
Section 5.
The Treasurer shall serve as the custodian of Association funds and shall be responsible for keeping these funds in a suitable depository, for keeping the Association’s financial statement up to date at all times and for making it available upon request, and for maintaining and keeping current a list of the membership in good standing, which list shall be available for inspection at any Association meeting. The Treasurer shall prepare a financial report for distribution to the membership at least once a year. The Treasurer shall be responsible for the disbursing of funds of the Association as authorized by the Executive Board.
Section 6.
Members of the Board shall perform such other functions as the Board may determine. The Association or the Board may establish such committees as circumstances require.
Section 7.
The Board shall employ such staff as is necessary for the effective functioning of the Association. The staff will operate under the direction of the Executive Board.
Section 8.
The Chairperson shall issue a call for a meeting of the Executive Board upon request of the two members of the Board.
ARTICLE VII. DUES AND ASSESSMENTS
Section 1.
The dues shall be graduated by faculty rank on a twelve-month basis at the rates set by the Board for Assistant, Associate, Full, and Emeriti Professors. The Board may develop a comparable and equitable dues structure to cover persons holding other titles, members on leave, and other special categories. Assessments shall be at the discretion of the Board.
Section 2.
If the Association should be dissolved, after all outstanding debts and liabilities have been paid, any funds remaining in the treasury shall be returned to the members in good standing on a pro-rated basis, the amount to be based on the total contributions of a member.
Section 3.
Paid-up membership shall be a prerequisite for Association membership in good standing.
Section 4.
Special assessments may be levied only upon recommendation of the Executive Board and ratification of the membership at a meeting of the Association, provided that the provisions of Article VIII, Section 3, are met and that the proposal is specifically announced in the call for the meeting at which ratification is proposed.
ARTICLE VIII. MEETINGS
Section 1.
The Association shall schedule at least one regular meeting during each quarter of the regular academic year, except that if the Board finds there are no agenda items they may issue a report informing the membership of all transactions since the last meeting or last such report.
Section 2.
The Chairperson shall call a special meeting of the Association within two weeks when requested to do so by a majority of the Executive Board or on petition signed by twenty per cent of the Association members in good standing.
Section 3.
The quorum for any Association meeting shall be 15 Association members in good standing, or five percent of the membership, whichever is higher. Any action taken at a membership meeting shall be submitted for approval by the membership by ballot upon request of one-third of the members in attendance at that meeting or of a majority of the Executive Board.
Section 4.
The Secretary shall issue a notice of any regular or special meeting of the Association at least seven days prior to the meeting date, unless the Executive board shall determine that circumstances require shorter notice.
ARTICLE IX. AMENDMENTS
Except as provided in Article III, Section 2, these by-laws may be amended by a majority of the membership responding to a ballot.
ARTICLE X. BALLOTS
Section 1.
Mail and/or e-mail ballots, other than those scheduled for regular election to the Board, may be initiated for any purpose by the executive Board or by the direction of a regular or special meeting of the Association.
Section 2.
Except as otherwise specified in these by-laws, those eligible to vote in any mail or e-mail ballot shall be all members in good standing as of one month before the date on which the ballots are mailed. Unless the Executive Board shall declare that an emergency exists requiring a shorter period, all ballots postmarked or returned by e-mail within two weeks from the date of the mailing of the mail ballot or e-mail shall be counted.
Section 3.
Except as otherwise specified in these by-laws, matters submitted to the membership by mail or e-mail ballot shall require only a simple majority of those casting valid ballots.
Section 4.
Communications with members, including election notices, election ballots, and polls, may be conducted by regular mail or e-mail, using appropriate controls for security to be determined by the Executive Board using the technology of the moment. This rule shall apply to all places in the Bylaws where the term “mail” appears.
ARTICLE XI. EFFECTIVE DATE
These by-laws became effective in 1975.
Article III Section 1, amended 6/2011;
Article V, Section 1, amended 5/15/2021;
Article V Section 4, amended 5/15/2021;
Article V Section 7 amended 6/2011;
Article V1 Section 1 amended 5/15/2021;
Article VII, Section 1 amended 6/2013;
Article VIII Section 3, amended 5/15/2021;
Article X Sections 1,2, and 3 amended 6/2011.