BYLAWS FOR THE QUINSIGAMOND COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION OF THE MASSACHUSETTS COMMUNITY COLLEGE COUNCIL MASSACHUSETTS COMMUNITY COLLEGE COUNCIL ARTICLE I NAME The name of the Association shall be the Quinsigamond Community College Professional Association (QCCPA), hereinafter referred to as the Association or the Chapter. ARTICLE II PURPOSE The purpose of this organization is to represent the interests of the Quinsigamond Community College faculty and professional staff in such manner, regard, and degree as is consistent with the legislation under which this organization was created and recognized, with the current Collective Bargaining Agreements of the Massachusetts Community College Council, the Massachusetts Teachers Association and the National Education Association. ARTICLE III MEMBERSHIP The membership of this organization shall consist of all those eligible members of the Quinsigamond Community College faculty and professional staff who have enrolled herein and who have made, or authorized, payment of dues for the current year. (Unless otherwise stated or clearly implied, the terms "member" or "members" as used herein refer to members of this organization.) ARTICLE IV Section A, CHAPTER MEETINGS 1. Insofar as possible, meetings shall be held at monthly intervals throughout the school year. A calendar of regularly scheduled meetings shall be drawn up by the Executive Committee and appropriately published. 2. The calendar may be modified by vote of the membership at any scheduled meeting. 3. Agendas for meetings shall be drawn up and published by the Executive Committee at least three school days prior to any scheduled meeting. 4. The Executive Committee shall have power to call emergency meetings of the organization and to cancel scheduled monthly meetings if insufficient business exists to warrant such a meeting in the opinion of the Executive Committee. 5. The number of members present at any meeting will constitute a quorum. 6. In calling emergency meetings of the organization into session, the Executive Committee shall make every reasonable effort to contact all members. Section B, PROCEDURES 1. All dues paying unit members, regardless of work load, shall have one (1) full vote on all issues submitted to the organization for its consideration. 2. All members of the day and DCE units may participate in discussion whether or not they are members of the chapter. 3. In cases not specifically provided for in these bylaws, the most recent revision of Roberts Rules of Order shall be definitive. 4. All proposed amendments to these Bylaws must be submitted to the Committee on By-Laws and Constitutional Amendments. 5. All proposed changes to these Bylaws shall be forwarded by the Committee on By-Laws and Constitutional Amendments through the Executive Committee to the organization for its consideration at the earliest practicable time. The membership will then have 28 days to study the recommended changes(s) before debate at its next meeting. Once debate is closed on the floor of the meeting, the amendment will be voted upon by paper ballot as outlined in Article VIII. 6. An amendment to these Bylaws shall require the approval of two-thirds of the votes submitted. ARTICLE V OFFICERS 1. The officers of this organization, who must be dues-paying members, shall consist of a President, a Vice-President, a Treasurer, a Secretary of Records and Correspondence, a Representative to the MCCC Board of Directors, an Alternate Representative to the MCCC Board of Directors, and a DCE Representative. All except the Director and Alternate Director to the MCCC Board of Directors, and the DCE Representative shall serve for a period of two years. 2. Powers and Duties of Officers A. The President shall: 1) Preside at meetings of the Executive Committee and membership; 2) Appoint the chair and members of the standing committees (other than the Elections Committee), other committees or teams and representatives of the Association on committees formed under the collective bargaining agreement or by the administration of the college; 3) Call for members to serve on any committees not established by vote of the general membership; 4) Be an ex officio member of all committees; 5) Ordinarily represent the chapter as a delegate to the MCCC Delegate Assembly; 6) Perform any other functions usually attributed to the office as agreed upon by the Executive Committee. B. The Vice President shall: 1) Preside at meetings of the Executive Committee and membership in the absence of the President; 2) Assume the duties of the President in case of the death, resignation, retirement, or recall of the President or in the event the President is unable to perform the duties of that office; 3) Serve on the Grievance Committee; 4) Be an ex-officio member of all committees except for the nominations and elections committee; 5) Ordinarily represent the chapter as a delegate to the MCCC Delegate Assembly; 6) Perform all other functions usually attributed to the office as agreed upon by the Executive Committee. C. The Secretary shall: 1) Keep and distribute minutes of all meetings of the executive committee and the general membership; 2) Maintain official files and assist the president with chapter correspondence; 3) Ordinarily represent the chapter as a delegate to the MCCC Delegate Assembly. D. The Treasurer shall: 1) Hold the funds of the Association and disburse them in accordance with appropriate authorization; 2) Keep accurate accounts of receipts and disbursements and report to each meeting of the Executive Committee and general membership in person or in writing; 3) Keep the President and the Executive Committee informed of the financial condition of the Association; 4) Inform the President of new day unit members; 5) Prepare and file an annual financial statement as directed by the Treasurer of the MCCC and present this to the general membership at the first meeting of the next academic year; 6) Maintain a roll of the members. Changes in membership information shall be reported to the Treasurer of the MCCC; 7) Ordinarily represent the chapter as a delegate to the MCCC Delegate Assembly. E. The DCE Representative shall: 1) Represent the viewpoint of the adjunct faculty at Executive Committee and general membership meetings; 2) Communicate with the adjunct faculty at least once per semester; 3) Explicitly solicit input from the adjunct faculty for the negotiations committee representative; 4) Be familiar with the DCE Contract and assist adjunct faculty in contract interpretation and enforcement; 5) Serve on the Association’s Grievance Committee; 6) Be given first choice to represent the Association on MCCC Committees serving specific interests of adjunct faculty; 7) Ordinarily represent the Chapter as a delegate to the MCCC Delegate Assembly. 3. The tenure of office for officers shall begin on June the first following their election and end on the last day of May two years later, excepting that of the Director and Alternate Director to the MCCC Board of Directors, who shall serve one year, elections for that office being held every April, and excepting that of the DCE Representative, elected by the dues paying DCE and part-time day faculty/professional staff, whose term shall begin in September for one year. 4. Any officer may be removed from office upon written petition of three-fourths (3/4) of the membership, submitted to the Secretary for Records and Correspondence or, in the case of the Secretary, to the President. 5. Full-time, part-time day, and DCE faculty/professional staff members who are members of this organization shall be eligible for any office under these Bylaws. 6. The Secretary for Records and Correspondence shall also maintain the chapter archives. ARTICLE VI REPRESENTATIVES, DELEGATES, AND OTHER OFFICERS Such representatives, delegates, and officers as may be deemed necessary or useful or whose existence is mandated by law or for the purposes of representation and liaison with affiliated bodies, shall be chosen by such method and at such times as the membership finds necessary and convenient, and such persons appointed or elected to these positions shall, unless it is otherwise stipulated at the time of their appointment or election, or required by statute, serve for a period of one year. ARTICLE VII COMMITTEES The organization may create such temporary (ad hoc) committees as it deems necessary by ordinary voting procedure, but Standing Committees must be instituted by amendment to this these Bylaws. Whenever the Collective Bargaining Agreement requires the addition of a standing committee at the colleges, that committee will automatically become a standing committee and will not require any further amendments. The Standing Committees of this organization presently include: Section A, THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 1. The Executive Committee shall be comprised of voting and non-voting members. 2. The voting members of the Executive Committee shall consist of the Officers of this organization as enumerated in Article V. 3. The non-voting members of the Executive Committee shall include former presidents, the MACER Chairperson, and the DCE Grievance Coordinator (unless the DCE Grievance Coordinator is also the DCE Representative, or the DCE Representative is unelected). 4. The Executive Committee prepares the agenda for unit meetings, approves routine expenditures, recommends actions to the membership and undertakes such other duties as are implied in the title of the committee. Section B, COMMITTEE ON BY-LAWS AND CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS 1. The Committee on By-Laws and Constitutional Amendments shall be composed of three members, not concurrently voting members of the Executive Committee. 2. Members shall be elected in the time and manner provided for the election of officers and their term of office shall be coterminous with that of the officers. 3. The Committee on By-Laws and Constitutional Amendments shall initiate and recommend to the organization, through the Executive Committee, such additions, changes, revisions, and amendments to these Bylaws as it deems necessary or useful, and shall consider and frame such suggestions for amendment as may originate among the members or from the Executive Committee. 4. The Chairperson of this committee shall be chosen by the President from among its three members. 5. Should the meaning, interpretation, or application of any word or passage in this Constitution be uncertain or in dispute, this committee shall act as arbiter. Section C, THE ELECTIONS COMMITTEE 1. The Elections Committee shall consist of three members, not concurrently serving as voting members of the Executive Committee. 2. Members shall be elected by a majority of voting members present at the regular unit meeting in October. Once elected, Elections Committee members shall select the committee Chairperson. 3. The duties of the Elections Committee are enumerated in Article VIII. 4. No member of the Elections Committee will be eligible to run for any elected position during the term of his/her position on the Elections Committee. Section D, THE GRIEVANCE COMMITTEE 1. One Day and one DCE Grievance Coordinator who shall be a member of the DCE constituency shall be appointed by the Chapter President. They, the Chapter Vice President, with up to five additional members appointed by the Chapter President, shall constitute the Grievance Committee. The Day Grievance Coordinator shall serve as Chairperson of the committee. 2. The Grievance Committee is responsible for the enforcement of the Collective Bargaining Agreement for all full-time and part-time unit members. ARTICLE VIII ELECTIONS 1. The Elections Committee is charged with the duty of seeking, confirming, making and/or recording nominations for candidates for all elective positions and conducting the elections thereof, and administering votes for amendments to the bylaws. In March (and/or September), the Elections Committee shall notify the membership of positions available for the next term and shall solicit for candidates among the membership. 2. No provision of these Bylaws shall be construed as forbidding nominations of additional candidates or forbidding any member from nominating him/her self as a candidate for any position within the nomination period. Such nominations must be in writing and received by a member of the Elections Committee. Nominees, other than those who self-nominate, will be contacted to confirm their desire to be on the ballot. 3. Should any position(s) remain uncontested after the nominations period, the nominee(s) for those positions shall be deemed elected. 4. In the case of contested positions, the Elections Committee shall: A. Distribute through e-mail a complete list of candidates to all members at least one week prior to the election. B. Prepare the ballot, and hold the election during the month of April, September and/or October according to the following procedures: 1) During the designated week of the election, ballots shall be emailed to the membership no later than 8:00 am on Monday and need to be received no later than 1:00 pm on Thursday; 2) Separate ballots shall be prepared for full-time and part-time Association members; 3) Members will place completed ballots in an envelope, print their name on, sign and seal the envelope prior to placing it in the ballot box; 4) The location of the ballot box will be announced when ballots are emailed; 5) All ballot envelopes will be reviewed and opened in the presence of at least two Elections Committee members and one independent third party; 6) The procedure for verifying and counting ballots will be as follows: a. Each envelope will be examined to ensure that it is sealed and signed by an eligible unit member. If an envelope is received from a person who is ineligible to vote, is not signed, does not have a legibly printed name on it, contains more than one ballot, contains a ballot that is considered unofficial, or is not sealed properly, that envelope will be placed in a disputed ballot file. b. Each eligible envelope will be opened and the folded ballot will be placed back in the ballot box. c. When all ballots have been returned to the ballot box, the ballots will be mixed by hand and removed for counting. d. Any candidate for election is welcome to be present during the verification and ballot-counting process. C. If, for any reason, balloting cannot take place during the time frame outlined in (B) above, the Elections Committee will select an alternate date range. 5. The Elections Committee shall maintain a list of eligible voters and ensure that only eligible members vote and that no member votes more than once. 6. Agency fee payers are not eligible to vote in Association elections. 7. In the case of a tie vote for any office, the Elections Committee shall hold a run-off election, following the process for a regular election. 8. In the event that an office falls vacant for any reason, a special election to fill that post for the remainder of the term shall be held by the Elections Committee as soon as practicable. A. In September, the Elections Committee shall solicit nominations for DCE representative from eligible DCE unit members, after which the Elections Committee shall conduct an election should there be more than one candidate. If no nominations are forthcoming, the chapter president, with the approval of the Executive Committee, shall appoint a representative who shall be a non-voting member of the Executive Committee. 9. The membership will be notified of the results of all elections through email, within 48 hours of the end of voting. 10. In the case of amendments to the Bylaws, the Elections Committee shall: A. Distribute the full text of the proposed Bylaws Amendment within one week after the membership meeting and one week prior to the election. B. Prepare the ballot, and hold the vote. Balloting locations, balloting times, and absentee balloting rules shall be the same as for elections of contested positions. C. If, for any reason, balloting cannot take place as outlined in (B) above, the Elections Committee will select an alternate date.