Skip to main content
Pepperdine | Community

The Constitution of the Seaver Faculty Association

(Since 1998; updated in 2005)

ARTICLE I: NAME AND PURPOSE

Section 1: Name

The name of this organization shall be the Seaver Faculty Association, hereafter referred to as SFA.

Section 2: Purpose

The SFA is a unified body, established in order to:

1. Develop and express the opinions of the Faculty on academic as well as professional matters;
2. Make the collective experience and judgment of the Faculty available to the administrative officers of the University;
3. Facilitate Faculty involvement in the governance of Seaver College; and
4. Promote collegiality among the Faculty of Seaver College.

ARTICLE II: ORGANIZATION AND POWERS OF THE SFA

Section 1: Membership

Full-time employees of Seaver College who hold academic rank, full-time Seaver librarians, and those tenure-track faculty members who are now teaching at least half-time shall be members of the SFA with full voting rights. Emeritus Professors who wish to retain their voting rights must indicate so annually via e-mail to an officer of the SFA. Members of the Central Administration of the University who hold rank, professors emeritus who have not opted in to vote, and part-time teachers are members without voting rights.

Section 2: Powers

The ultimate authority of this association shall be vested in meetings of the SFA. The SFA shall develop and express the opinions of the faculty on all matters pertaining to University policy and operation. The Executive Committee of the SFA is its administrative body. Although the Executive
Committee has neither the power to make policy nor the power to make decisions with regard to the operation of the various Divisions of Seaver College, it is empowered to represent the SFA in the following ways:

1. The Executive Committee meets with the administration of Seaver College and with the administration of the University to negotiate salaries,to discuss issues of faculty welfare (e.g., benefits and teaching load), and to raise issues of concern that surface as a result of activities of committees of Seaver College;

2. The Executive Committee maintains oversight of all committees within Seaver College; the chairpersons of all other committees are responsible for reporting to the Executive Committee issues of concern to the faculty;

3. The Executive Committee represents the concerns of individual faculty members.

By resolution the SFA may delegate its duties to appropriate committees, groups, or individuals or to the Executive Committee.

Section 3: Officers and their terms

The officers of the SFA shall be a president, a president-elect, and a secretarytreasurer.  The president's term will be twelve months. The president-elect's term of office shall begin with the first semester of the academic year following election and shall continue for twelve months, after which the
president-elect shall become the president. The president shall act both as president of SFA and as chair of the Executive Committee. The secretarytreasurer will serve a 1-year term and will serve both as secretary-treasurer of the SFA and as secretary of the Executive Committee.

Section 3.1: Duties of officers

The president shall call and preside at all meetings of the SFA and the Executive Committee. If the president is absent from a meeting, the president-elect shall preside as president.  The secretary-treasurer shall keep the minutes of SFA meetings and shall transact the monetary affairs of the organization.  The president shall appoint a parliamentarian. Other duties of the officers are
mentioned in appropriate places.

Section 3.2: Election of officers and members of certain elected committees of the SFA

Nominations of officers and members of certain committees of the SFA shall be made by a nominating committee. The committee shall consist of three members of the association appointed by the president of the SFA. The committee will nominate at least two candidates for each position to be filled.

Nominations will be announced in a memorandum to members of the SFA at least one week prior to a second-semester meeting in which additional nominations may be made from the floor. Election shall be held by secret ballot circulated by the chairperson of the nominating committee. If no candidate receives a majority of a ballot, a second ballot shall be taken between the two candidates receiving the highest number of votes.

Section 3.3: Vacancy of office

If the president resigns or is unable to serve, the president-elect shall serve as president for the remainder of the term of office. In case of a vacancy in any other office of the SFA the president shall appoint one of its members to serve until the next annual election.


ARTICLE III: SCHEDULING OF MEETINGS

Section 1: Meetings

At least one meeting of the SFA shall be held each semester. Members of the SFA shall be formally notified of the time, place, and agenda no less than three days prior to each meeting. The president must schedule additional meetings upon the written request of ten percent of the membership.  Emergency meetings may be called at the discretion of the SFA president without formal notification. If there is no agenda for a regularly scheduled meeting, it may be canceled at the discretion of the president or, in his/her absence, by the president-elect.

Section 1.1: Quorum

For scheduled meetings, twenty-five percent of the members of the SFA shall constitute a quorum. For an emergency meeting, fifty percent of the members of the SFA shall constitute a quorum.

Section 1.2: Voting

With the exception of amendments to this constitution, all decisions of the SFA shall be made by a majority of those present and voting, if a quorum is present. Voting shall be by voice vote. However, at the request of any member the vote shall be by standing vote or by written ballot. A motion to send a written ballot to all faculty members may be made from the floor.

Section 2: Rules

Except as it conflicts with this Constitution and By-Laws, Robert's Rules of Order (Revised) shall govern procedure in all meetings of the SFA.


ARTICLE IV: ELECTION, POWERS, AND DUTIES OF THE SFA EXECUTIVE
COMMITTEE

Section 1: Membership

The Executive Committee consists of the president, the president-elect, the immediate past president, the secretary-treasurer and one representative from each of the eight academic divisions elected at large, and one representative from the Seaver librarians.

Section 2: Officers

The president of the SFA shall also serve as chair of the Executive Committee. The secretary will record the minutes of each meeting and circulate the minutes to members of the Executive Committee and to each division.

Section 3: Election of divisional representatives

The faculty of each division will elect two full-time faculty members as nominees for divisional representative. The voting membership of the SFA will then elect the representative from among these nominees. A divisional representative may be recalled by a majority vote of the division's faculty who are voting members of the SFA. In case of such a recall, or if a representative resigns or is unable to serve for one or more semesters, the faculty of the division will elect two more nominees for the position, a vote of the SFA will be held, and the newly-elected representative will complete the remainder of the previous representative's term.

Section 3.1: Terms of divisional representatives

Each divisional representative will be elected for a two-year term. The term will commence with the first term of the academic year following election. In odd-numbered years, elections will be held for representatives from the Business Administration, Fine Arts, Library, Natural Science, and Social
Science Divisions. In even-numbered years, elections will be held for representatives from the Communication, Humanities/Teacher Education, International Studies and Languages, and Religion Divisions.

Section 4: Duties

Each member is responsible for attending the meetings of the Executive Committee. In addition, except for the president and the secretary-treasurer of the SFA, each member of the Executive Committee will serve as a liaison to one or more of the standing committees of the SFA. Although each of the faculty committees will function independently, the committee liaisons will facilitate coordination and communication between their committee(s) and the Executive Committee.


ARTICLE V: OTHER COMMITTEES OF THE SFA

Section 1: Establishment

To accomplish its work, the SFA shall establish standing committees and such ad hoc committees as it deems necessary. The Executive Committee shall appoint all ad hoc committees.

Section 2: General functions

Committees shall:

1. Recommend to the Executive Committee and/or to administrators policies, principles, procedures, criteria, and/or guidelines regarding matters referred to committees by administrators, faculty, students, other committees, and/or professional organizations (e.g., accrediting teams) or by the committee itself;

2. Make specific recommendations, recommend exceptions, or render judgments in specific cases which cannot be administered by said policies, principles, procedures, criteria, and/or guidelines.


ARTICLE VI: AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE SFA AND BYLAWS
OF THE SFA

Section 1: Ratification of amendments to the Constitution

This Constitution may be ratified or amended by a two-thirds majority of the members of the SFA who vote on the proposed amendment. All members must be given written notification of the proposed amendment at least ten school days in advance of the meeting at which the amendment is to be discussed. The vote shall be by written ballot circulated by the secretarytreasurer of the SFA.

Section 1.1: Ratification of By-Laws

By-laws for the SFA shall be formulated as the need arises. Proposed by-laws and amendments or additions thereto may be adopted upon approval of a twothirds majority of members of the SFA who vote on the proposal. All members must be given written notice at least ten school days in advance of
the meeting at which the amendment or addition is to be discussed. The vote shall be by written ballot circulated by the secretary-treasurer of the SFA.


ARTICLE VII: BY-LAWS

Section 1: Dues

In lieu of dues, any necessary funds will be obtained by assessment of the membership.


Section 2: Resolutions

Resolutions and other matters may be brought to the Executive Committee of the SFA by SFA committee chairs, committee liaisons, division representatives, or individual faculty members. If an individual faculty member is not satisfied by the response of the Executive Committee, he or she has the right of appeal and will be scheduled by the Executive Committee to bring the matter to a meeting of the SFA. In order to appear on the SFA agenda, the individual making the appeal should bring a petition signed by at least twenty members of the SFA to the Executive Committee asking to present the matter at one of the next two SFA meetings.

SFA ad hoc committees:

Ad hoc committees will be created and members of each committee will be appointed by the SFA president with the approval of a majority of the Executive Committee.

Immediate action:

Decisions requiring immediate action including responses to requests for SFA endorsement may be made by the SFA president with the approval of a majority of the Executive Committee.

Faculty-wide elections:

Faculty-wide elections of SFA officers and committee members should take place each year by the first of March. Divisional elections of members of SFA committees should take place by the end of March. Appointments to SFA committees should be made before the end of the winter semester.

Limitations on Committee Service:

Faculty employed under one-year appointments may not be elected or appointed to SFA Committees. Faculty employed under specific-term appointments longer than one year may not be elected or appointed to chair SFA Committees.