NYS AAUP Constitution

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CONSTITUTION AND BY LAWS OF THE NEW YORK STATE CONFERENCE-AAUP - April 2007 (ammended)

ARTICLE I: Name and Purpose

  1. The name of this organization shall be The New York State Conference of the American Association of University Professors.
  2. The purpose of this Conference shall be to initiate, advance, and coordinate action on the state level consistent with the principles and procedures of the American Association of University Professors, and to foster the goals of the Association in coordination with other AAUP bodies.

ARTICLE II: Membership

  1. All AAUP members in New York state are members of the New York State Conference.

ARTICLE III: Officers, Committees, Councils, Executive Director, and Newsletter Editor

  1. The officers of the Conference shall be a President, a Vice President, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. They shall perform the duties specified in this constitution, as well as carry out the functions usually appertaining to their respective offices.
  2. There shall be an Executive Committee chaired by the President. The Committee shall consist of the following: the officers of the Conference, the Immediate Past President, four at-large members, the Conference newsletter editor, the national Council members elected from the district or districts which include New York State and the chairs of standing Conference committees and councils.
  3. In between meetings of the Conference, the Executive Committee shall have the authority to make appropriate decisions for the conduct of Conference business, to approve expenditures, and to monitor the budget. It shall recommend Conference budgets to the Conference's Fall Meeting. It shall make recommendations for all changes in Conference dues to that Meeting or the Spring Meeting. With the approval of either the Fall or the Spring Meeting, it may establish standing committees and councils, whose purposes shall be (a) to consider problems, issues, and programs related to defined matters of continuing interest to the Conference or to institutions of a particular type or location; and (b) to recommend appropriate action to the Executive Committee.
  4. The officers shall constitute the Administrative Committee, which shall meet between Executive Committee meetings to conduct such business as the President deems necessary. The Administrative Committee shall be chaired by the President and take action on matters brought to it by the President. All actions of the Administrative Committee shall be reported to the next Executive Committee meeting, and any action of the Administrative Committee may be revised by the Executive Committee. The Administrative Committee shall prepare the agendas for meetings of the Executive Committee and of the Conference, and make recommendations at those meetings on policy issues.
  5. The Executive Committee shall appoint an Executive Director and other paid employees of the Conference, and the newsletter editor, whether paid or unpaid; shall set the term of service for each; shall conduct regular reviews of the services provided, possibly using the Administrative Committee to carry out the reviews and make recommendations; and, if necessary, shall dismiss for cause, following AAUP principles in such a matter.
  6. The Executive Director shall be responsible for maintaining communications with chapters in the state; assisting the Vice President with chapter and membership development; working closely with officers and the Executive Committee; providing support for standing committees and councils, and special committees and task forces; maintaining administrative services, records, and data bases; making arrangements for Conference meetings; and supervising the Conference's web site.
  7. The newsletter editor shall oversee and coordinate with the Executive Director the issuing of the newsletter and other Conference publications.

Article IV: Election of Officers and At-Large Executive Committee Members

  1. Officers shall be elected for two-year terms by the Conference members present and voting at the Spring Meeting of the Conference, the terms beginning at the end of the Meetings in which they are elected. The President and Vice-President shall be elected in even-numbered years; the Secretary and Treasurer shall be elected in odd-numbered years. Two At-Large Members of the Executive Committee shall be elected each year and shall serve for two years.
  2. The President shall be able to stand for two more successive terms as President following his or her first term.
  3. For two years after leaving the office of President an individual shall serve as Immediate Past President. If the Immediate Past President holds another position on the Executive Committee, the Immediate Past President's position shall remain vacant until the next election of a President.
  4. A Nominating Committee, appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Committee, shall submit to the Conference membership at least thirty days before the Spring Conference Meeting the names of nominees for all positions to be filled by election. In appointing the Committee, the President shall give due regard to prior service on the Committee and to representation of different kind of institution and regions of the state. When possible, the Committee shall be chaired by the Immediate Past President.
  5. Due regard for geographical and institutional representation shall be exercised by the Nominating Committee in the selection of nominees and by the President and Executive Committee in recommendations and appointments.
  6. Nominations may be made from the floor of the Conference's Spring Meeting, with the consent of the nominees.
  7. Vacancies in Executive Committee membership which occur between Conference meetings (except for the members of the national Council, who are chosen by national AAUP procedures) shall be filled by the President with the approval of the Executive Committee and recommended to the next Meeting, Spring or Fall, of the Conference.
  8. With the approval of the Executive Committee, the President may appoint an auditor, a parliamentarian, and special committees or task forces to serve for a special term to consider matters ol special interest to the Conference.
  9. The President shall recommend to the Executive Committee for approval the chairs of standing committees and councils, and the termination of the services of committee chairs and members when deemed necessary for the interests of the Conference.

ARTICLE V: Conference Meetings and Voting

  1. There shall be Spring and Fall Meetings of the Conference. the dates and location to be determined by the Executive Committee. Adequate notice of the meeting shall be given to all Conference members.
  2. Special meetings shall be called with adequate notice by the President at the direction of the Executive Committee or by petition of at least ten chapters.
  3. Conference meetings shall be open to all members of the American Association of University Professors in the state.
  4. The regular Spring and Fall Meetings of the Conference shall consider the following matters:
    (a) Approval of the minutes of the previous Conference meeting;
    (b) (At the Spring Meeting) The election of officers subsequent to the report of the Nominating Committee and possible nominations from the floor;
    (c) The reports of officers, Executive Director, and chairs of committees and councils;
    (d) (At the Fall Meeting) Action on the budget for the next calendar year, subsequent to a recommendation by the Executive Committee. If the Executive Committee makes no recommendation, the Meeting may take action by itself. If for any reason no budget is approved by the Conference, the recommendations of the Executive Committee shall be in effect until the next Conference meeting. If neither the Conference nor the Executive Committee takes action, the budget for the current year will be duplicated for the following year;
    (e) Action on amendments to the Conference Constitution, subsequent to recommendations by the Executive Committee. If the Executive Committee makes no recommendations, either Fall or Spring Meeting may take action by itself. Proposed amendments to this Constitution shall be presented in writing to the Conference's Executive Director at least sixty days in advance of the Meeting in which action is to be taken, and circulated to Conference members prior to that Meeting. Amendments shall be adopted by two-thirds vote in a secret ballot of the Conference members present and voting at the Meeting;
    (f) Changes in Conference dues, subsequent to recommendations of the Executive Committee. Executive Committee recommendations for Conference dues changes shall be made known to Conference members at least 60 days prior to the Meeting where action is to be taken. If the Executive Committee makes no recommendations, the Meeting may take action by itself. A majority vote of the Conference members present and voting shall be required to ratify changes in dues;
    (g) old business;
    (h) new business.
  5. Any proposal referred to the Executive Committee for action or further consideration, and then rejected by the Executive Committee, shall be referred to the next Conference meeting for final approval or disapproval.
  6. Each member present shall have one vote in matters coming before the meeting. In no case shall there be more than three votes from any one chapter.
  7. Voting to elect officers and to determine dues shall be by secret ballot.

ARTICLE VI: By Laws

  1. By laws may be adopted and amended by majority vote by the Spring or Fall Meeting or by a special meeting of the Conference.

ARTICLE VII: History of Ratification

  1. This Constitution was submitted to all AAUP chapters in New York State. It became effective and the New York [now New York State] Conference of the American Association of University Professors came into existence In 1971 when a majority of those chapters voting approved the document within sixty days of its submission to the chapters. Upon ratification, the Presidents and Executive Committees of the existent New York State and Metropolitan Conferences appointed a joint six-member organizing committee to nominate the Conference's first officers and at-large members, and to set the date, location, and agenda of the first Conference meeting.

BY LAWS

1. The authorized standing committees of the New York Conference-AAUP are:

Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure
Committee on Retirement
Committee on Chapters, Members, and Dues
Committee on the Status of Minorities in the Academic Profession
Committee on Government Relations
Committee on College and University Government
Committee on the Status of Women in the Academic Profession
Committee on the Economic Status of the Profession

2. The councils of The New York State Conference are:

The Independent Council;
The CUNY Council;
The SUNY Council;
The Collective Bargaining Council;
The Regional Councils:
– The Long Island Council;
– NYC-Westchester Council;
– Lower Central Council;
– Capital Area-Mid Hudson Council;
– Western-Midwestern Council.

3. The Executive Committee shall meet at least semi-annually.

4. Its meetings can for convenience be combined with Conference meetings. The presiding officer should make clear on each matter voted on who is entitled to vote.

5. The terms for the chairs and members of standing committees and councils shall be for three years, beginning and terminating at the end of the Spring Meeting. Acting chairs shall serve for the remaining term of the chairs they replace.

6. A quorum for meetings of the Executive Committee shall be eight of the total of its elected members and standing committee chairs.

7. A quorum for a Conference Meeting shall be representation from eight chapters.

8. All AAUP members in New York state qualifying to vote in national AAUP elections may also vote in New York State Conference business matters, including Conference elections, and serve In any capacity for the Conference.

9. The New York State Conference designates that its delegates to AAUP Annual Meetings and to meetings of the Assembly of State Conferences be as follows:

        1. The President, Vice-President and the two newly elected members at large of the Conference Executive Committee shall be delegates to the ASC.
        2. The two continuing members of the Conference Executive Committee shall be delegates to the National Meetings.
        3. The Secretary and Treasurer of the Conference, in that order, will serve as alternates, if one or more of the designated delegates cannot serve.

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