CONSTITUTION OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS KENT STATE CHAPTER

Article I   Name and Affiliation

The name of this Association shall be the Kent State Chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP-KSU).  AAUP-KSU represents two bargaining units. One consists of tenured and tenure-track faculty (TT Unit), the other consists of full-time non-tenure track faculty (NTT Unit).  AAUP-KSU may, by majority vote of its active members, affiliate with or disaffiliate from any local, regional, state or national organization. Such a vote of affiliation or disaffiliation may be initiated by a petition signed by at least thirty percent of the active members of the Association and would be carried out under the Collective Bargaining Law of the State of Ohio.

Article II   Membership

1.   There shall be four classes of membership: Active, Graduate Student, Emeritus, and Associate.

A.   Active Members: members of either bargaining unit qualify for active membership in their respective Unit of AAUP-KSU.

B.   Graduate Student Members: any graduate student at Kent State University is eligible for graduate student membership in the Chapter.

C.   Emeritus Members: any Active Member retiring from either Unit may be transferred to Emeritus Membership at the member's request after the member has been an Active Member for at least one year.

D.   Associate Members: other members of the university community are eligible for Associate Membership.

E.   Members, to be in good standing, must be current in payment of their dues.

2.   Rights of Members

A.   Active Members in good standing shall have the right to participate fully in the affairs of their respective Unit as described in the Governing Document of the TT Unit and the Governing Document of the NTT Unit attached hereto as Appendix A and Appendix B respectively.

B.   Graduate Student Members in good standing shall have the right to attend meetings and to be elected or appointed to committees of the Association.

C.   Emeritus Members in good standing shall have the right to participate fully in the affairs of their respective Unit as described in the Governing Document of the TT Unit and the Governing Document of the NTT Unit attached hereto as Appendix A and Appendix B respectively.

D.   Associate Members in good standing shall have the right to attend meetings, except meetings at which collective bargaining matters are discussed. They do not have the right to vote in elections, on referenda, dues, or ratification of collective bargaining agreements.

 Article III   Basis of Chapter Governance

1.   The President of the TT Unit is the Chapter President and shall speak for the Chapter. On issues of concern to both Units, the President of the TT Unit shall speak for the Chapter after consultation with the President of the NTT Unit. On issues of specific concern to each Unit, that Unit’s President shall speak for that Unit.

2.   The members of the Association are represented by their respective Unit on the Joint Coordinating Board (JCB). The JCB is chaired by the President of the TT Unit.

3.   Voting members of the JCB include the President of the NTT Unit, the First Vice President of the TT Unit, the Treasurers of both Units, the Secretaries of both Units, and the Grievance Committee Chairs of both Units. In the event of a tie, the President of the TT Unit will cast the deciding vote.

4.   The JCB will make decisions on issues of common interest referred to it by the Executive Committee of either Unit. The JCB will develop an annual Chapter budget which shall be submitted for approval to the governing bodies of both Units. If either Unit does not approve a proposed budget it will be returned to the JCB for revision and resubmission. If either Unit still does not approve, the JCB will make the final decision. Decisions to carry grievances to arbitration will be made as specified in the Governing Document of the appropriate Unit, except when such a decision involves the hiring of outside counsel to handle the arbitration. In such instances, the final decision will be made by the JCB. The JCB shall make decisions on all personnel matters after consulting with the Executive Committees of the two Units.

5.   The JCB will meet at least two times per year or at the request of the President of either Unit or three JCB members.