This is the web site of the Oklahoma Conference of the American Association of University Professors. This site contains information about state AAUP events, initiatives, and members. AAUP-Oklahoma is the main advocate of the state's college faculty. We fight for raising faculty salaries and benefits, strengthening the tenure system, and ensuring freedom of academic speech on campus.

Adopted 24 April, 1976 at Norman, OK;

Amended:  20 September 2005; 4 October, 1997; 19 February, 1994; 15 December 1979; 15 April, 1978

 

CONSTITUTION OF THE OKLAHOMA STATE CONFERENCE

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF UNIVERSITY PROFESSORS

 

Article I:  Purposes

 

1.  To promote and protect excellence in the development and refinement of knowledge, cognition, and scholarly inquiry in the search for truth.

2.  To promote and protect academic freedom, academic responsibility and due process for professors and students.

3.  To advance the standards and ideals of the profession and to promote the interests of higher education.

4.  To promote and protect effective faculty participation in the governance of each institution of higher learning in the State of Oklahoma.

5.  To develop and maintain an organization which is effective in meeting its purposes.

6.  To promote the economic status of the profession.

7.  To promote co-operation among local chapters of AAUP and to facilitate fellowship among members of the profession in the State of Oklahoma.

 

Article II:  Membership

 

Membership in the Conference is composed of all Association members within Oklahoma.  “Association members” includes, in addition to active faculty, all Association members who are retired and/or emeriti faculty.  All Association members shall have full voting rights in Conference affairs and full rights to hold Conference offices.

 

Article III:  Officers

 

1.  Officers of the organization shall be:  a President, a President-Elect, a Secretary and a Treasurer.

2.  Nomination of officers will be accomplished at the regular meeting of the Conference Executive Committee immediately prior to the 1st day of May and/or in conjunction with the Annual Spring Conference.  Members shall be notified at least 15 working days in advance of the date, time and place of the Conference Executive Committee meeting or the Annual Spring Conference, whichever comes first.

3.  Election shall be by secret mail ballot(s) sent to each member in the Conference.  Not less than 15 days must be allowed for the return of the official ballots.  Ballot counting shall be accomplished by a minimum of three members appointed by the Conference President, one each from lists provided by each candidate for President.  Elections shall be completed and the new officers shall assume office by 1 June of each year.

4.  A vacancy occurring in any office shall be filled by a two-thirds majority of the entire Executive Committee.  Mail ballots may be employed.

5.  Removal of a Conference officer shall be effective upon his conviction, by a majority of the Conference membership, of charge(s) brought in a bill of particulars approved by two thirds of the remaining membership of the Executive Committee.

6.  The Conference may also be served by an Executive Secretary, chosen by the President with the concurrence of the majority of the Executive Committee.

 

Article IV:  Executive Committee

 

1.  An Executive Committee shall consist of the Conference officers, the Executive Secretary, the immediate past President, chairpersons of standing committees, Conference representatives to policy and governing boards and one representative from each chapter.  Representatives to selected policy and governing boards shall be appointed by the President with the concurrence of a majority of the current Conference officers.  The representative from each chapter shall be the chapter president unless the chapter designates a different representative by written communication to the Conference President, Secretary, or Executive Secretary.  This committee shall conduct the Conference business between Conference meetings.

2.  Executive Committee meetings shall be called periodically by the President, President-Elect when acting President and he will preside.

3.  Four members shall constitute a quorum for the Executive Committee provided at least one half of the officers are present.

4.  Executive Committee proceedings shall be open to all Conference members, who shall have the privilege of speaking unless and until discussion is closed by a vote of three fourths of the Executive Committee members present.

5.  Each Executive Committee member shall have one vote in each issue voted upon.  Only Executive Committee members present may vote; proxies shall not be permitted.

 

Article V:  Conference Meetings

 

1.  The Conference membership may be called into conference at the discretion of the Executive Committee or by petition of 50 active members whose membership shall be distributed by at least three chapters.

2.  Time and place of Conference meetings shall be determined by the Executive Committee.  Members shall be notified at least 15 days in advance of the date, time, and place of Conference meetings.

3.  Decisions made in Conference meetings shall be the guiding policies for the Executive Committee.

4.  Unless stated otherwise herein, Roberts Rules of Order will be followed at all meetings of the Conference membership and the Executive Committee.


 

 

Article VI:  Standing Committees

 

The President may, with the concurrence of a majority of the current Conference officers, appoint chairpersons and members of standing committees.  Among the standing committees that may serve the Conference are the following:

  • Committee A on Academic Freedom and Tenure

  • Committee on Professional Ethics

  • Committee on Membership

  • Committee on Representation of Economic and Professional Interests

  • Committee on Government Relations

  • Committee on Governance

  • Committee on the Status of Women in the Academic Profession

  • Committee on the Economic Status of the Profession

 

Article VII:  Finances

 

Conference membership dues shall be set by the Conference.

 

Article VIII:  Reports

 

1.  A Conference Newsletter shall be published by the Executive Secretary or some other person designated by the Executive Committee.  Each chapter’s secretary or another designated officer is charged with submitting appropriate chapter news items for possible inclusion in the Newsletter.

2.  Each conference officer and standing committee chair shall submit an annual written report to the Executive Committee at the conclusion of the term of office.

3.  Additional or special interim reports by each officer and chair are encouraged.

4.  All reports and records shall be preserved and passed to the succeeding Executive Committee.

 

Article IX:  Amendments

 

A proposed amendment to the constitution shall be submitted in writing to the Executive Committee at least two months prior to the Executive Committee meeting at which the proposed amendment is to be considered.  The Executive Committee shall publish the text of any proposed amendment properly submitted at least 15 days in advance of the date, time, and place of the Executive Committee meeting at which the proposed amendment is to be considered.  Ratification shall require a two-thirds vote of those Executive Committee and other members attending the Executive Committee meeting.