Updated and Correct as of December 6, 2010

CONSTITUTION OF THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY MANSFIELD CAMPUS
FACULTY ASSEMBLY

PREAMBLE:

The Faculty of The Ohio State University campus in Mansfield, acknowledging its responsibilities to its parent institution to communicate its views on matters concerning the educational program and the well being of the students, the faculty, and the institution in general, and further recognizing the necessity for developing and implementing policy directed to the achievement of its goals, hereby adopts the following document as its constitution.

ARTICLE I.

Membership and Meetings of the Faculty Assembly

Section 1. Membership

A. Regular Membership

1. A regular member of the Assembly shall be anyone who is a tenure-track faculty member whose primary assignment is on the Mansfield Campus.

2. Any question about a faculty member's status will be decided by the Executive Council of the Faculty Assembly.

B. Associate Membership

1. An associate membership of the Assembly includes lecturers, lab demonstrators, A & P student teacher supervisors, and anyone whose primary responsibility on the Mansfield Campus is teaching, but who does not qualify as a regular member.

2. Associate members may attend meetings of the Assembly and speak from the floor, but they may not make or second motions, vote on motions, elect officers, or serve as officers. Associate members may serve on committees.

Section 2. Meetings of the Assembly

A. Regular meetings of the Assembly shall be held at least once each autumn, winter, and spring quarters. The regular autumn meeting shall be held in December for the purpose of electing officers for the forthcoming year.

B. Special meetings of the Assembly may be called by the President, the Executive Council, or by written request of at least 10% of the regular members. Such requests shall be directed to the President, and the requested meeting shall take place within a week after the date of the request.

C. The Executive Council shall prepare an agenda for all meetings of the Assembly. Members wishing to place items on the agenda shall submit them to the President no later than four school days before the meeting. The agenda shall be sent by the President to the regular faculty via campus email at least three school days before that meeting.

D. The President of the Assembly, or in his/her absence the Vice President, shall serve as presiding officer at the meetings of the Assembly. In the absence of both from the chair, the President shall appoint a member of the Executive Council as temporary presiding officer at that meeting only. No executive duties shall be performed by this temporary officer, other than presiding.

E. Meetings shall be conducted in a firm, orderly manner with proper regard for democratic procedure.

F. A quorum shall consist of 40% of the regular members of the Assembly.

G. Absentee Ballots

1. Written absentee ballots will be permitted only for the election of the Assembly officers and representatives, as specified in Article III, Section 2, Paragraph A.

2. Submitting Absentee ballots

a. An absentee ballot must be placed inside an unsigned, sealed smaller envelope which is then placed inside a signed, sealed larger envelope and delivered to the vice-president prior to the meeting.

b. The absentee ballot may be retrieved by the submitting member anytime
before the voting starts.

c. A member's ballot must contain a preferential list of the candidates for each office.

d. Absentee ballot forms must be circulated by the vice-president, as the chair of the Nominating Committee, one week before each election. The ballot must include a description of the procedure for voting absentee, which appears in Article I, Section 2, Paragraph G, 2a.-c. A paper ballot, along with one smaller and one larger envelope, shall be provided to anybody who requests to vote absentee.

3. Counting Absentee Ballots

a. The vice-president will record in the minutes of the meeting the names of the members voting by absentee ballot.

b. The vice-president will remove the ballots from their envelopes and discard the envelopes at the start of the voting.

c. The top candidate still under active consideration on an absentee ballot will be counted.

ARTICLE II.

Officers, Faculty Council Representatives, and Executive Council

Section 1. Officers

A. Officers of the Assembly shall be President, Vice President, and Secretary.

B. Each officer shall be a regular member of the Assembly.

C. Each officer shall be a member of the Executive Council.

D. Duties of Officers:

1. The President shall call and preside at meetings of the Assembly and of the Executive Council, represent the Assembly in meetings with the Dean/Director and inform him/her of the business and recommendations of the Assembly. He/she shall carry out such business as he/she is instructed by the Assembly to perform. He/she shall vote at Assembly meetings only in case of a tie.

2. The Vice President shall act in the absence of the President and carry out such duties as the President shall assign him/her. He/she shall act as chairperson of the Nominating Committee. He/she shall also serve as the elected representative to the Regional Campus Faculty Council.

3. The Secretary shall notify members of the time and place of each meeting and shall keep a record of the meetings and of all action and correspondence of the Assembly and of the Executive Council, and distribute the minutes of the meetings to all Assembly members.

Section 2. Senate Representative

A. The representative to the University Senate shall be a regular member of the Assembly.

B. He/she shall be a member of the Executive Council and shall consult with the Executive Council prior to each meeting of the Senate.

C. He/she shall report to the Faculty Assembly all actions taken by the Senate.

Section 3. Executive Council

A. The Executive Council shall consist of the President, Vice President, Past President, Secretary, Representative to the Senate, Chairpersons of the Curriculum Committee and Diversity Committee, and two At-large Members.

B. It shall be responsible for promoting the welfare of the Assembly.

C. All regularly scheduled meetings are open to all members of the Assembly.

D. During Summer Quarter, the Executive Council shall conduct the business of the Assembly. In the absence of a quorum of the Executive Council, the President shall fill the temporary vacancies in order to allow the Council to function. Any actions taken by the Executive Council shall be promptly reported by U.S. Mail to the members of the Assembly. Such actions shall be subject to the review and final approval of the Assembly at the first Autumn Quarter meeting.

E. The Executive Council may propose the creation of, and nominate members to, Faculty Committees, subject to the approval of the Assembly.

F. The members of the Executive Council shall also meet as the Executive Committee, which shall be chaired by the Dean/Director pursuant to the University Rule 3335-3-291.

Section 4. Term of Office

A. The term of office for the President, Vice President, Past President, Secretary, and Chairperson of the Curriculum Committee shall be one year. The two At-large Members shall serve two-year terms, with the terms starting in alternate years. The chairperson of the Diversity Committee shall serve a two-year term. In the event that a President is elected for a second term, the office of Past President shall be vacant for that year, and one additional At-large Member would be elected to serve a one-year term. The Senate Representative is elected for a three-year term.

B. The term of office begins immediately upon election.

Section 5. Recall

A. Any member of the Executive Council may be relieved of his/her office on the presentation to the Assembly of a petition signed by two-thirds of the regular members.

B. All Assembly members shall be notified at least one week prior to the circulation of such a petition.

Section 6. Special Elections

A. If at any time a vacancy occurs on the Executive Council, a special election to fill the office shall take place at the next regular meeting.

B. For such an election, the Executive Council shall function as a nominating committee.

ARTICLE III.

Nominations and Elections

Section 1. Nominations

A. During the first week in November, the President shall announce the two regular Assembly members he/she has appointed to serve with the Vice President on the Nominating Committee. He/she shall also inform the Assembly of the positions to be elected at the December meeting.

B. Written nominations from the Assembly members are to be submitted to the Nominating Committee; the Committee shall set a deadline for nominations.

C. The Nominating Committee shall review the nominations submitted and make additional nominations where they deem it desirable. All nomination shall be included on the ballot unless the Committee determines that a nominee wishes to have his name removed.

D. The Nominating Committee shall publicize the list of nominees at least one week before the December meeting.

E. Additional nominations may be offered from the floor prior to the election for each office.

Section 2. Elections

A. Election of Assembly officers, Senate Representative, Chairperson of the Curriculum Committee and Diversity Committee, and At-large Members shall be by secret ballot at the December meeting.

B. A majority vote shall be necessary to elect. If a second ballot is required for any of the Assembly Officers, Senate Representative, Chairperson of the Curriculum Committee and Diversity Committee, or At-large Members, it shall be restricted to the two candidates who have received the most votes on the first ballot.

C. The secretary must retain the ballots for one week after any written vote. During that time, any member of the Assembly may challenge an election result, and inspect the ballots. If inspection does not resolve the dispute, the Executive Council that was in office at the time of the voting will decide the outcome of the election.

ARTICLE IV.

Amendments

Section 1. Proposals

A. Any regular member may submit a proposed amendment by filing a written copy with the Secretary.

B. The Assembly must act upon the request no later than the third regular meeting following such filing.

Section 2. Publication

Every proposed amendment shall be distributed by the Secretary to every regular member at least seven days before the next regular meeting.

Section 3. Discussion

Opportunity for debate at a regular or special meeting shall be provided for every proposed amendment.

Section 4. Ratification

Amendments shall be ratified by a two-third vote of the whole regular membership.

ARTICLE V.

Adoption

This constitution shall be adopted by the assent of two-thirds of those who are defined as eligible voting members under the current constitution of the OSU-Mansfield Assembly

ARTICLE VI.

Committees

A. Function

Committees shall exist for the purpose of providing a forum for discussion and for reaching decisions on matters of concern to the campus.

B. Establishment

The Dean/Director, with the advice and consent of the Executive Council subject to review by the Faculty Assembly, shall establish committees to fulfill explicit missions.

C. Membership and Officers

Committee members, with the exception of the chairpersons of the Curriculum Committee and Diversity Committee, will be appointed by the Dean/Director with the advice and consent of the Executive Council; the term of office for a member is one, two, or three years.

D. Responsibilities

1. Each committee shall have a well-defined mission that is documented in a written guide. Any changes in mission or scope of activities must be approved by the Dean/Director and the Executive Council subject to the review of the Faculty Assembly. The role of each committee must be reviewed by the Executive Council at least once every three years.

2. Each committee will be given the opportunity to report its activities to the faculty at each regular meeting of the Faculty Assembly.