Other Ashtabula Campus Academic Unit Guidelines

We the faculty of Kent State Ashtabula hereby establish a Faculty Council for the purposes of being a recommendatory and/or advisory body to the Dean. The Council shall be responsive to the faculty and exist on its good graces. It shall follow the letter and spirit of all University Collective Bargaining Agreements and the University Policy Register.

Article I: Name

The name of this organization shall be the Faculty Council of the Kent State University Ashtabula Campus (FC).

Article II: Purposes

The purposes of the FC shall be:

1. To provide a means for the faculty to meet for discussions of such aspects of campus life as may concern them.
2. To provide a means of communication between the faculty and the non-teaching personnel.
3. To act as an advisory and recommendatory body to the Dean of the Ashtabula Campus.

Article III: Membership

Section 1

Full membership shall consist of all persons holding regular full-time faculty rank who have contractual arrangements exclusively for teaching within the Regional Campuses of Kent State University and who are assigned primarily to the Ashtabula Campus. Non­ tenure-track faculty (FTNTT) may attend monthly faculty council meetings, submit agenda items for consideration, participate in discussions, and vote on any non-personnel motion brought before the FC. 

Section 2

Only tenure track faculty may hold office in the FC. FTNTT faculty are eligible for membership on all standing and ad hoc committees, including search committees. Exceptions are those involving personnel actions, such as reappointment, tenure, or promotion.

Section 3

The Dean of the Ashtabula Campus or his/her designee shall be an ex officio non-voting member of FC.

Article IV: Officers

Section 1

The officers of FC shall be a chairperson and a vice-chairperson.

Section 2

The officers shall be elected at the final meeting of the Spring Semester and shall serve for a two-year period.

Section 3

No officer shall serve more than two consecutive (two-year) terms in the same office.

Section 4

The above officers must be assigned full-time to the Ashtabula Campus.

Article V: Duties of the Officers

Section 1

The duties of the chairperson shall be:

1. to preside at all meetings of the Council;
2. to appoint all standing and ad hoc committees and their chairpersons;
3. to prepare and circulate the agenda for meetings of the council;
4. to provide for the representation of the faculty of the Ashtabula Campus on any official body or at any official function;
5. to secure a recording secretary to take the minutes of Council meetings;
6. to serve as campus representative on Regional Campus Faculty Advisory Committee (RCFAC);
7. to serve as Chair of the Ashtabula Campus Reappointment, Tenure, Promotion Committee.
8. to serve as Chair of the FTNTT Performance Review Committee

Section 2

The duties of the vice-chairperson shall be:

1. to assume the duties of the chairperson should he/she be unable to fulfill them;
2. to assist the chairperson to perform such duties as the chairperson may request.

Article VI: Meetings

Section 1

Regular meetings of the Council shall be held monthly, excluding June, July, September, and January at a time to be determined by the membership.

Section 2

Special meetings of the Council may be called by the Chairperson or the Dean, after consultation with the Chairperson, or at the request of five members.

Article VII: Voting

Section 1

For the purposes of voting, a quorum is defined as the number of members present at a regular or special meeting.

Section 2

Voting may be by voice vote, show of hands, or by secret ballot if requested. For a motion to pass, a simple majority vote shall be required.

Article VIII: Amendments

Section 1

This constitution may be amended by a two-thirds majority of members present at any regular meeting of the Council.

Section 2

All proposed amendments must be distributed in writing to the members two or more weeks before voting is to take place.

Article IX: The Normal Order of Business for Council Meetings Shall be as Follows:

1. Call to order
2. Roll call
3. Approval of minutes of last meeting
4. Chair’s report
5. Dean’s report
6. Committee reports
7. Old business
8. New business
9. Announcements and statements for the record
10. Adjournment

ARTICLE X: Handbook Modification, Amendment and Revision

Section 1

The implementation, modification, amendment and revision of this Handbook are governed by the applicable Collective Bargaining Agreements.

Section 2

The Ashtabula Campus FC will review and update this Handbook, as needed, but at least every three (3) years. Suggestions for modifications or amendments to the Handbook may be initiated at any time by the Dean of the Ashtabula Campus or by any Ashtabula Faculty member. Further, the Dean may direct that the Handbook be modified, amended or revised to reflect changes in Ashtabula Campus or University policy.

Section 3

Proposed modifications or amendments are subject to discussion, revision, recommendation, and vote by the FC.

Section 4

All modifications, amendments and revisions of the Handbook require the approval of the Dean and the Provost.

The following travel guidelines have been established for all Ashtabula Campus full-time TT and FT-NTT Faculty:

General Guidelines

1. The following parameters have been established by the Ashtabula Faculty Council for reimbursement of professional travel:
   1. Up to 90% reimbursement of allowable travel expenses for presentations of papers or posters.
   2. Up to 75% reimbursement of allowable travel expenses for conference attendance only.

2. Costs associated with create posters are not reimbursable expenses.
3. A maximum of up to $1,000 per faculty member per fiscal year (July 1 through June 30) will be allocated to cover the cost of allowable travel expenses.
4. Actual reimbursements will be determined by the number of requests. Funding is NOT GUARANTEED as requests may exceed the pool of funds available.
5. The University Policy Register provides detailed policies related to University travel and allowable travel expenses. It is the faculty member’s responsibility to know what is permitted as an allowable travel expense per University Policy.
6. When submitting for travel reimbursement faculty must submit ORIGINAL receipts for allowable expenses as required by the University Travel Polices.

Travel Request Process

1. Prior to travel Faculty Absence Authorization/Expenditure Estimate form must be completed, submitted, and approved by the Assistant Dean.
2. Faculty should include with their absence Authorization form the title of your paper/presentation, if you are giving one, should be provided. In addition, information regarding the benefits of your participation/attendance should be included. This information can be provided on a separate attachment.
3. Attach a copy of the conference program that details what is included in fees.
4. Additional funding sources, if applicable, should be indicated.  Possible funding sources include UTC, Research Council and the Professional Development Center.
5. After traveling complete the online travel reimbursement workflow located in Flashline.
6. Submit original travel receipts for allowable expenses to the Assistant Dean’s Secretary in Academic Affairs.