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CONSTITUTION

ARTICLE I

SECTION 1. NAME
The name of this organization shall be the Black Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA) at the Johns Hopkins University (JHU).

ARTICLE II

SECTION 1. PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVE
The mission of this organization is to be a visible and viable agency dedicated to promoting and enhancing identity, sense of community, professional welfare and development among Black faculty, staff and students of the Johns Hopkins University.
Accordingly, This organization exists to:
1. Exert influence and participation of the Black community at JHU, both in terms of Black concerns and the total structure of the university;
2. Advocate for the employment of a more representative number of Black faculty and staff (in particular at the senior staff level) at the Johns Hopkins University;
3. Promote professional excellence, scholarship and cooperative research among Black
faculty, staff and students;
4. Urge the JHU to provide equal educational and careers opportunities for professional
growth and upward mobility for all members of the Black community;
5. Provide JHU with a comprehensive and representative Black perspective on institutional, societal and programmatic development at the JHU and in the community;
6. Serve as a resource bureau for JHU and the Black community;
7. Provide both leadership and supportive service on the administrative and academic levels to facilitate the delivery of efficient and effective service to all elements of the JHU;
8. Stimulate a sense of social responsibility and cultural sensitivity to improve
communication among Black faculty, staff and students.

ARTICLE III

MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 1. TYPES OF MEMBERSHIP
Membership in the Association is of two types: (1) active membership, (2) associate membership.
SECTION 2. ACTIVE MEMBERSHIP
1. Active membership shall be limited to persons who are employed at The Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins Hospital or Johns Hopkins University affiliate. Specifically member campuses would be Homewood, East Baltimore, and Applied Physics Laboratory. Members from Bayview, the Columbia, Downtown, and Montgomery County centers would be encouraged to be active at the closet campus.
2. Active members in good standing shall be entitled to one vote in Association business and to hold office in the Association.
SECTION 3. ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP
1. Associate membership shall be open to any Johns Hopkins University student and invited persons not
currently employed by the Johns Hopkins University.
2. Associate members can attend regular meetings and voice opinions, but may not hold office or vote.
SECTION 4. DUES
Members of the Association are considered to be in good standing if all annual dues are paid.

ARTICLE IV

OFFICERS OF THE ASSOCIATION
SECTION 1. OFFICERS
The Officers of the Association shall be Past President, President, President-Elect, Recording Secretary,
Corresponding Secretary, Treasurer, and Parliamentarian.
1. All officers of the Association must be in good standing at the time of their nomination and throughout their tenure in office.
2. All Officers of the Association shall be nominated by the Nominating Committee from among the active membership.
3. The Officers of the Association shall be elected by majority vote of all
members in good standing.
SECTION 2. THE EXECUTIVE BOARD
The Executive Board shall be composed of elected officers and three representatives chosen by the General Assembly. The representatives will represent the three member campuses. An alternate representative from each campus will be chosen as well.
1. The Executive Board shall function to carry out the administrative responsibility of the
Association. The Board will work in the conceptual phase of the Association to assist in
developing annual goals and objectives. The Board shall serve to assist in developing policy statements. The Board must give two-thirds (2/3) approval on each such statement to be issued on the part of the Association.
2. Nonadministrative issues must be approved by a majority of the General Assembly (i.e. , financial obligations over - $500.00, recommendations of Ad-Hoc committees and/or any public proclamations, pronouncements, or statements committing the Association to a particular issue.)
SECTION 3. DUTIES OF OFFICERS
1. The Past President: At the conclusion of his/her term, the President shall remain on the Executive Board as the Past President. As such, the Past President’s role is to serve as an advisor to the President and to perform appropriate duties assigned. The Past President serves as the Program Coordinator for all standing committees. As such, he/she will oversee and supervise the programs as outlined in the current BFSA Operations manual.
2. The President: The President shall preside at all meetings of the Association and shall be chairperson of and preside at meetings of the Executive Board. The President shall perform the duties customary to that office and such additional duties as necessary to assure progress of the Association. The duties of the President are as follows:
A. Enforce and execute policy set by the Association and shall be ultimately responsible for executing decisions of the Executive Board with approval of the General Assembly;
B. Serve as spokesperson of the Association;
C. Appoint all necessary committee chairpersons;
D. Appoint ad hoc committees to handle special concerns and implement programs as
directed by the Executive Board;
E. Delegate the responsibilities to each standing committee;
F. Administer the business of the Association between regular Executive Board meetings;
G. Designate Board members as liaisons to each ad hoc and standing committee as deemed appropriate;
H. Attend conferences and meetings of other associations at the expense of the Association with the Approval of the Executive Board;
I. Appoint individuals to the Executive Board when a vacancy occurs;
J. Sign all contracts with the approval of the Executive Board.
3. The President-Elect: The President-Elect shall perform the duties of the President in his/her absence or incapacity of the President.
4. The Recording Secretary: The Recording Secretary shall serve as the official designated Secretary of the Association. The duties of the Recording Secretary are as follows:
A. Maintain accurate records and minutes of all General Assembly meetings and Executive
Board meetings;
B. Receive and mail the agenda to all members before association meetings;
5. The Membership Coordinator: The Membership Coordinator shall serve as the official source of communications of the Association. The duties of the Membership Coordinator are as follows:
A. Documenting membership and sending out membership cards
B. Contact members when instructed to do so by the President or the Executive Board.
C. Promote faculty and staff participation in the association.
6. The Treasurer: The Treasurer shall execute the duties essential to the disbursement of funds and to
the maintenance of accurate and up-to-date fiscal records. The duties of the Treasurer are as follows:
A. Receive, record, and acknowledge by receipt all funds;
B. Report in writing the financial status of the Association to the Executive Board on a
quarterly basis. The Treasurer shall also give a Board-approved quarterly report to the
General Assembly;
C. Investigate sources of finance to develop and maintain the Association.
D. Disburse funds for the payment of debts incurred by the association in the course
of its operation.
7. The Parliamentarian: The Parliamentarian shall define all rules of order governing the process by which the business of the Association is to be conducted. The Parliamentarian shall advise the President on all questions of conflict relating to Robert Rules of Order. In the absence of the Parliamentarian, the said authority shall reside with the President.

ARTICLE V

ELECTION OF OFFICERS
SECTION 1. NOMINATION
1. The nomination process shall be the responsibility of the Nominating Committee.
2. The Nominating Committee shall be appointed three months prior to the election and charged to prepare a slate of nominees for each office to be voted on during the election proceeding.
SECTION 2. ELECTION
1. The annual election meeting shall be held during the May General Assembly meeting of each year.
2. The annual election proceeding shall be conducted by the chairperson of the Election Committee.
SECTION 3. VOTING
1. The voting of the Association for the election of officers shall be a majority vote, conducted via secret ballot.
2. Absentee ballot voting shall be allowed.
3. The Election Committee will announce the results of the election during the General Assembly meeting.

ARTICLE VI

MEETINGS
SECTION 1. GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETING
1. A General Assembly meeting is the regular or called meeting of the Association.
2. A General Assembly meeting requires a quorum, of no less than 15% of the active membership, and at least three members of the Executive Board to be present, before proceedings may begin. The meeting requires a prior notice and tentative agenda to be circulated to the membership not less than five working days prior to the date of the meeting.
3. There will be a minimum of four (4) General Assembly meetings per academic year. One of the General Assembly meetings shall be held in May of each year, and incorporate the officer election proceeding.

ARTICLE VII

RULES OF ORDER
SECTION 1. ROBERT RULES OF ORDER
1. This text (by Sarah Corwin Robert, et al., 1970: Scott-Foresman, Illinois) shall be the
parliamentary authority for all proceedings of the Association unless otherwise specified in the Constitution.

ARTICLE VIII

COMMITTEES
SECTION 1. STANDING COMMITTEES
1. Standing Committees of the Association shall be:
Faculty and Staff, Communication, Professional Development,
Community Outreach, and Student Affairs.
2. The committees are tasked with ongoing responsibilities and shall meet
as deemed necessary by the chairpersons.
3. Committee Charges are as follows:
FACULTY AND STAFF COMMITTEE
A. Identify and review issues of concern;
B. Review and make recommendations on policies and actions that impact recruitment and retention of faculty and staff;
COMMUNICATION COMMITTEE
A. Serve as liaison to campus and other agencies;
B. Facilitate the publication and distribution of all BFSA documents;
C. Supervise the distribution of the Association newsletter and the publication of the
association website.
D. Coordinate social and political activities approved by the Executive Board.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
A. Collect and analyze all information that may assist the BFSA to make a positive impact on Hopkins policies and procedures, particularly those that affect the quality of life of faculty, staff and students.
B. Expose the BFSA membership to pertinent work being done by faculty on campus in disciplines such as psychology, sociology, science, business, literature, political science, history, etc.;
C. Expose the BFSA membership to pertinent work in the above stated disciplines
from area universities and organizations.
D. Sponsor professional growth activities on pertinent topics throughout the academic year.
COMMUNITY OUTREACH COMMITTEE
A. Identify and determine community (JHU and Baltimore) needs
B. Identify interest of BFSA membership in supporting the community
C. Recruit members to serve in outreach endeavors
D. Recognize and reward volunteers (certificates, letters, plaques, etc.)
STUDENT AFFAIRS
A. Serve as liaison to student groups, as requested;
B. Research opportunities for and implement joint BFSA and student activities.
SECTION 2. AD-HOC COMMITTEES
1. The Ad-Hoc Committees shall include the Nominating Committee, Election Committee, and others to be established by the President as deemed necessary.
2. The Nominating Committee shall be appointed three months prior to the election and charged to prepare a slate of nominees for each office to be voted on at the election meeting.
3. The President shall appoint the chairpersons of Ad-Hoc Committees; except for the Elections Committee Chair, who shall be elected by the General Assembly.
4. All committee chairs will report periodically to the Past-President on their progress with planned events and abide by the responsibilities outlined in the BFSA Operations manual.
5. Committee chairs will be invited to specific meetings of the Executive Board.
6. Committees should provide written and/or photographic documentation of their events.

ARTICLE IX

IMPEACHMENT
SECTION 1. GROUNDS
1. Any Officer who commits malfeasance in office or other acts that may impugn the integrity of the Association shall be removed from office.
SECTION 2. PROCEDURE
1. A petition may be presented from the membership of the general Assembly to the Executive Board for action. The petition must have as a minimum signatures from 25% of the active members with a statement of grounds for removal.
2. Any member may initiate a call for removal by issuing a written statement of the charges against the accused Officer to the Executive Board.
SECTION 3. IMPEACHMENT
1. The Executive Board shall move to initiate impeachment proceedings upon a one-third (1/3) acceptance of the Executive Board.
SECTION 4. REMOVAL
1. The Executive Board shall appoint an active member of the Association to investigate the Statement of Impeachment and forward findings to the Executive Board with recommendations.
2. If the findings corroborate the Statement of Impeachment a special session of the General Assembly shall be called. The Statement of Impeachment will be presented in addition to the findings of the investigator. At this time the accused officer shall have the opportunity to refute the allegations.
3. A secret ballot vote will be conducted to vote for any removal from office.
4. The officer shall be removed only upon a two-thirds (2/3) affirmative vote of the General Assembly. 

ARTICLE X

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
SECTION 1. INITIATION
1. Proposals to amend this Constitution may be initiated by the Executive Board, Standing Committees and/or members of the Association in good standing qualifying for membership under ARTICLE III, SECTIONS 1 and 5. If the proposal is initiated by any one member, it shall be accompanied by a petition signed by at least (25%) of active members in good standing. Five copies of the proposed amendment must be received by the Recording Secretary at least thirty (30) days before action can be expected.
2. The Corresponding Secretary shall make the proposed amendment available to members in good standing at least thirty (30) days before any vote can be taken. After this time, the proposed amendment will automatically become a part of the earliest business meeting for ratification.
SECTION 2. APPROVAL
1. Action on amendments to the Constitution may be considered by: (l) a duly called meeting of the General Assembly, and (2) by mail. A two-thirds (2/3) vote of active members in good standing present and voting is required. To amend the constitution, fifty (50%) of members in good standing must cast a vote.
2. Voting shall take place following notice of the amendments to the General Assembly.
SECTION 3. IMPLEMENTATION
Amendments to this Constitution shall become effective upon ratification.