Articles of the Bylaws
ARTICLE I
(Organization Name)
(Revised May 3, 2006)
(Last Reviewed April 21, 2010)
The organization name is Richland Adjunct Faculty Association ("RAFA" or “Association”).
ARTICLE II
(Official Status of Organization)
(Revised April 28, 2004)
(Last Reviewed April 21, 2010)
The RAFA is an official advisory body of Richland College (Richland).
ARTICLE III
(Purposes of Organization)
(Revised April 25, 2001)
(Last Reviewed April 21, 2010)
The purposes of the RAFA are to further the contribution of adjunct faculty to the Richland community; to further the interests of adjunct faculty; to provide a forum for discussion of mutual concerns; to act as a point of communication between adjunct faculty and administration; and to act as a point of communication between adjunct faculty and full-time faculty.
ARTICLE IV
(Organization Membership)
(Revised April 22, 2010)
Membership is open to all part-time faculty at Richland. Dues of $10.00 per academic year must be paid to become an official member of the Richland Adjunct Faculty Association. Only paid members can vote and hold office. Regular meetings are open to all interested parties.
ARTICLE V
(Organization Officers, Elections and Voting)
(Revised September 11, 2007)
(Last Reviewed April 21, 2010)
The officers will be President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. Collectively, the officers shall be the Board of Directors (Board) of this Association. Additional officers may be created as needed, in the same manner as the aforesaid officers, to include but not be limited to: Second Vice President, Corresponding Secretary, and Assistant Treasurer. Committees (temporary or permanent) may be created by a majority vote of the Board present at a regular meeting. The President will appoint the members of the committees. The officers will be elected annually at the last meeting of each Spring semester, with duties to commence immediately after the election. There shall be no cumulative voting for any office. Effective with the Spring 2005 election, members may vote for officers at the last meeting of the Spring semester in person, or by submitting an absentee ballot prior to such meeting in a manner to be determined by the Board. Nominations for officers shall be presented to the membership not later than ten (10) days prior to the election. Vacancies in the Board shall be filled by a vote of the majority of the remaining members of the Board for the balance of the term.
In addition to those officers elected or appointed for any current term of office, there shall be an additional class of officers comprised of former officers denominated as officers emeritus. Accordingly, as officers successfully complete their terms and are replaced by new elected or appointed officers, they shall bear their former title with the appellation emeritus following it. Officers emeritus shall be entitled to attend all board meetings or executive sessions and shall have the same voting power as elected officers, but only if such officers emeritus’ vote or votes are necessary in the event that the there is a tied vote; provided that such officers emeritus must be in good standing as members of the organization, and provided further, that such office and/or denomination shall be voluntary, and shall not accrue to anyone declining such position.
The Board shall elect all Association representatives to other organizations.
The President may poll the opinions and/or the votes of the members by telephone, mail, ballot, eCampus surveys, email or other means as to any matter that might come before any meeting. The opinion and/or vote of the members as to such matter shall be the decision and/or action of the members if each member shall have been contacted or reasonable attempts to contact each such member can be demonstrated (such as sending a notice to such member at that member’s email address,) and the opinion and/or vote is the expression of at least a majority of the votes cast , unless the Bylaws otherwise require a greater vote, and a written report of the results of the opinion and/or vote is transmitted to each member within ten days after the date of such poll.
The duties of the officers are as follows:
The President presides at all membership and Board meetings; prepares meeting agendas with the advice of other officers and members; appoints committee members; acts as the official representative of the Association to other organizations and administrators (with the exception of elected Association representatives to Richland, District and other outside committees); and carries out other duties as assigned by the Association. The President shall have such powers as may be reasonably construed as belonging to the chief executive of any organization.
The Vice President substitutes for the President whenever the President is unable to perform the assigned duties, maintains the Association Web Page and eCampus; and carries out other duties as assigned by the Association.
The Secretary records, prepares, and posts the minutes of regular meetings; notifies members of meetings; maintains names, addresses (snail mail and E-mail), and telephone numbers of active members (those who have attended one or more meetings), and maintains an archive of Association documents and other historical materials.
The Treasurer collects dues; maintains the general fund; maintains the professional development fund; makes professional development grants; arranges for the payment of Association bills; keeps financial records; and reports income, balances of funds and disbursements to the Board at each meeting.
ARTICLE VI
(Professional Development Funds)
(Revised September 11, 2007)
(Last Reviewed April 21, 2010)
Adjunct faculty applying for funds to go to professional training, development and conference activities are eligible for a maximum of 10% of the total initial allotment of professional development funds to the Association for the current academic year. The recipient of professional development monies will be required to report details of the conference attended to the Adjunct Faculty Association. This can be done either by attending an Adjunct Faculty Association meeting or by submitting a brief written report. Depending on monies available, if more than two members from same department apply for funds to the same conference, monies allocated may have to be divided equally among the applicants. Requests for professional development funds will be accepted up to May 15 for the current academic year, or until such funds are exhausted. Recipients of professional development funds must be members of The Adjunct Faculty Association for the semester during which the event occurs.
ARTICLE VII
(Organization Meetings)
(Revised April 28, 2004)
(Last Reviewed April 21, 2010)
Regular, full-membership meetings, at which official actions are taken, will be held in at least each of three months of each long term. Additional regular meetings may be scheduled by the Board or a majority vote of members present at any regular meeting. Meetings will be announced by a notice posted in the Adjunct Faculty Division Office, by a notice in the Bridge, by electronic mail, eCampus or by any other means deemed appropriate by the Secretary of the Association.
ARTICLE VIII
(Organization Actions)
(Revised April 28, 2004)
(Last Reviewed April 21, 2010)
Amendments to these Bylaws will be by a two-thirds majority vote of the paid members present at any regular meeting at the time the amendment is proposed. All other official actions of RAFA will be by a simply majority vote of the paid members present at any regular meeting at the time the action is proposed. Official actions include the election of officers, additions of items to the President's meeting agendas, resolutions expressing the opinion of the Association to outside organizations and persons, and approval of Association-sponsored programs and activities.