Bylaws of the English Area of American River College

[Revised: 11 March 2005—Ratified:]

Article I

Name

The name of this organization shall be the English Area of American River College.

Article II

Goals

The goals of this organization shall be as follows:

• To provide and facilitate shared governance between the administration in the person of the Area Dean and the faculty of the English Area

• To provide the Area Dean with advice on policies for the running of the English Area

• To provide the English Area with professional input into policies concerning matters that affect daily responsibilities.

Article III

Members

Section 1.      The Area Dean is a non-voting member of the English Area.

Section 2.      Full-time faculty members have one vote in all elections, can serve on and chair committees, and in accordance with Article 2 of the Contract, may be elected to serve as Department Chairs.

Section 3.      Each adjunct faculty member has one ½ vote in elections concerning policy and in the election of governance committee chairs.  Adjunct faculty members may serve on committees and may serve as chairs of non-governance committees. 

Adjunct faculty may not vote for Department Chairs nor on hiring issues.

Article IV

Officers

Section 1.      The English Area Department Chairs are full-time faculty members who function as the primary liaisons between English faculty and administration, facilitate Area and Department meetings, and advocate for faculty.  The English Area Department Chairs are elected to a two-year term in April of odd-numbered years.

                        Full-time faculty elect three Department Chairs, one each for English, Composition, and Reading.

Section 2.      The duties and responsibilities of the English Area Department Chairs are detailed in the administration policies and regulations and Article 2 of the contract.

Article V

Area & Department Meetings

Section 1.      Meetings of the English Area shall be scheduled once a month, August through May, on the third Tuesday of the month during College Hour, 12:30-1:20 PM, unless it is determined that a particular month’s meeting is not necessary or needs to be rescheduled due to a conflicting event.

Section 2.      Meetings of the English Department and Reading Department shall be scheduled once a month August through May, on the first Tuesday of the month during College Hour, 12:30-1:20 PM, unless it is determined that a particular month’s meeting is not necessary or needs to be rescheduled due to a conflicting event.

Section 3.      Special meetings may be called by the Area Dean or the English Area Department Chairs.  The purpose of the meeting shall be stated in the call.  Except in cases of emergency, at least one week’s notice shall be given.

Section 4.      Fifty percent plus one (50% + 1) of full-time faculty in the relevant department or area shall constitute a quorum.

Section 5.      Minutes shall be taken at department meetings by full-time faculty members assigned in pairs and rotated on the basis of seniority.

Article VI

Committees

Section 1.      Governance Committees make major decisions that affect the area as a whole.  The following committees have been designated governance committees: Budget, Curriculum, Elections, Personnel, and Scheduling.

                        The Curriculum Committee will have two co-chairs, one each from English and Reading.  All remaining governance committees will be either chaired or co-chaired.

                        Governance Committee Chairs will be elected for two-year terms.  Elections will be held in the Spring semester of even-numbered years for chairs of Curriculum, Elections, and Personnel Committees.  Elections will be held in the Spring semester of odd-numbered years for chairs of Budget and Scheduling Committees.

Fifty percent plus one (50% + 1) of committee members shall constitute a quorum.

Section 2.      Non-Governance Standing Committees address issues of ongoing concern to the area or department and make recommendations that affect some of the faculty all of the time or all of the faculty some of the time.  Such committees may be created or dissolved as needed.

                        Standing Committee Chairs will be elected from within the membership each Fall semester by the committee.

Section 3.      Governance and Standing Committees will have a voluntary membership.  Each year, the English Area Chair will announce a 30-day open enrollment period beginning in August, which will close in September. 

Committee chairs shall notify members of meeting dates one week in advance, except in the case of dire emergency.  Meeting times and locations shall be posted one week prior to the meeting on the department mailroom calendar.

The committee will take minutes and post them on Blackboard in a timely manner.

Section 4.      Hiring Committees for full-time tenure track faculty positions will be elected by the full-time faculty of the department that is hiring.  Hiring Committee members must be tenured or forwarded for tenure.  For the English Department, the hiring committee shall include the English Area Chair and the Curriculum Co-chair for Writing.

                        The number of faculty serving on the Hiring Committee is determined by the District Hiring Manual.

Section 5.     Interested parties, including members with business before any committee, shall not vote on their own proposals and/or applications.

Article VII

Voting

Section 1.      Other than approval of the minutes for meetings, all votes shall occur online by secret ballot and shall be conducted and monitored by the Elections Committee.  All online ballots shall be distributed only to ARC campus email accounts.  Results of elections shall be verified by a quorum of the Elections Committee and promptly emailed to the Area or Department.  The Elections Committee shall make the vote tallies available in the “elections binder” located in the Area office. 

Section 2.      Ballot motions must be made at meetings.  The language of the online ballot motion must match the wording as recorded in the minutes and as read back by the minute-taker.  The motion shall state who is eligible to vote on the motion. 

                        Motions shall be posted on the electronic ballot within 72 hours.

Section 3.      Nominations for elected positions shall be open for a period of at least one week but no longer than two weeks.

                        Ballots for online voting shall be open for one week.

Section 4.      If a candidate runs unopposed, a “yes/no” confirmation vote shall be held.

Section 5.      Within one month of the beginning of each semester, the Elections Committee shall update the Adjunct and Full-Time Faculty voter rolls.