Bylaws

By-Laws of the Academic and Professional APA of the University of Florida

  • Article 1 – Name, Mission, Activities
  • Article 2 – Definitions
  • Article 3 – Officers’ Duties
  • Article 4 – Committees
  • Article 5 – Nominations, Elections, Terms of Office and Removal of Officers
  • Article 6 – Conduct of Business
  • Article 7 – Amendments

Article 1 – Name, Mission, Activities

Section 1 – Name

The name shall be the Academic and Professional Assembly of the University of Florida, also known as APA.

Section 2 – Mission

The mission of the APA is to promote communication, recognition, professional networking, and service opportunities for its members.

Section 3 – Activities

APA activities shall include

  1. Attend to professional issues that affect its members;
  2. Provide members to serve by appointment on university-wide committees;
  3. Provide a communication channel between APA members, the University administration and other constituent UF Associations;
  4. Serve as a professional advisory and feedback resource to University administration and other groups as appropriate on matters of policy and operations that affect its members and/or the execution of their institutional duties; and
  5. Foster collegial relationships among its members and all members of the university community toward the common goal of promoting professionalism, creativity and leadership.

Article 2 – Definitions

Section 1 – Membership

The members of APA include all TEAMS employees on the TA12, TA10, TA09, and TU2E pay plans and all career faculty who are not members of the University of Florida Faculty Senate.

Section 2 – Offices

  1. Offices filled by election of officers
    • President-Elect
    • Secretary/Treasurer
    • Membership Chair
    • Program Chair
    • Publicity Chair
    • Online Communications Chair
  2. Office(s) filled by non-electoral means
    • President – This office is filled by the out-going President-Elect
    • Immediate Past-President – This office is filled by the out-going President upon the election of an in-coming President.

Section 3 – Officers

  1. Eligibility: Any APA member may serve as an officer
  2. No officer shall serve as an elected delegate or elected member of any other constituent APA committee.

Section 4 – Steering Committee

  1. The Steering Committee of the APA consists of all officers serving in elected and non-elected offices.
  2. The APA President may appoint other members to the Steering Committee.
  3. The Steering Committee shall have the power to create additional offices as it deems necessary and appropriate with a majority vote.

Section 5 – Meetings

  1. A meeting consists of an event with a specified date, time, location and agenda for a gathering of the APA membership that has been announced to the membership at least five (5) calendar days prior to the date of the event.
  2. The APA must hold a minimum of one meeting per calendar year. One meeting must be held in April. The April meeting is defined as the annual meeting.

Article 3 – Officers’ Duties

Section 1- President

The duties of the APA President shall include:

  1. Act as presiding officer of the APA meetings;
  2. Represent the APA at meetings, conferences, and other occasions except as herein provided;
  3. Provide leadership for APA activities;
  4. Keep the membership advised concerning needs, programs, and accomplishments of the APA, or of other matters of professional concern;
  5. Coordinate the work of the APA;
  6. Serve as an ex-officio member of all APA Committees;
  7. Appoint such special committees as the APA deems necessary to conduct business;
  8. Serve as a delegate to the University’s Standing Committees.
  9. Chair the APA’s Steering Committee.
  10. Select any member to represent APA at meetings, committees, conferences and other occasions.
  11. Appoint Officers to fill vacancies for the remainder of unexpired terms. In the event of any Officers’ absence, inability or refusal to perform the duties of the office, the APA President may appoint any APA member to perform the duties of said Officer.

Section 2 – President-Elect

The duties of the APA President-elect include:

  1. Assume of the duties of the President in the President’s absence.
  2. In the event the President is unable to serve, the president-elect shall succeed to the Presidency for the duration of the unexpired term.
  3. Assist the President in coordinating APA activities;
  4. Receive motions, resolutions, and proposals from the members and place all such matters on a legislative calendar in the order received.

Section 3 – Immediate Past President

The duties of the APA Immediate-Past-President include

  1. Chair the Nominating Committee
  2. Assume of the duties of the President in the President and President-elect’s absence.
  3. Oversee elections.

Section 4 – Secretary/Treasurer

The duties of the Secretary/Treasurer shall include:

  1. Keep the records of the APA’s proceedings
  2. Report at APA meetings when included on the agenda.
  3. Maintain the records and minutes of APA meetings, making them available on the APA website and in hard copy upon reasonable request.
  4. Conduct the APA’s general correspondence;
  5. Assist the officers, committees and members, and delegates of the election; and,
  6. in the absence of the President, Past President and President-elect, call the meeting to order and preside until the election of a President pro-tem.
  7. Receive, report and deposit any funds of the APA and disperse the same in accordance with the APA budget.
  8. Render to the APA an account and statement of all financial transactions at each annual meeting of the APA and at other such times as the APA may determine.
  9. Exhibit at all reasonable times the APA books and accounts to any member of the APA,
  10. Be the accountable officer for the APA’s budget, and
  11. Perform all duties incident to management of the Office of Secretary/Treasurer for the APA.

Section 5 – Membership Chair

The duties of the Membership Chair include:

  1. Encourage membership participation
  2. Provide introduction and orientation to new APA members.

Section 6 – Program Chair

The duties of the Program Chair include:

  1. Set-up programs as decided by the APA Steering Committee
  2. Work with the APA Steering Committee to set up dates, times and locations for APA meetings.

Section 7 – Publicity Chair

The duties of the publicity chair include:

  1. Create and communicate all public relations materials and publicity as assigned by the APA Steering Committee.
  2. Monitor and update the APA web site in cooperation with the APA webmaster.

Article 4 – Committees

Section 1 – Standing Committees

The Standing Committees of the APA shall consist of the following:

  1. Nominating Committee – The President shall annually appoint members to the Nominating Committee including the Immediate-Past-President. The Immediate-Past-President shall be the initial chair of the committee. The Nominating Committee shall prepare a list of nominees for elected APA offices.
  2. Steering Committee – The Steering Committee shall propose programs and activities to assist the APA in serving the needs of its members. It shall coordinate and focus the APA’s involvement in University activities and projects, fund-raising efforts, and organize communication efforts on the APA’s behalf. To this end, the Steering Committee shall have the authority to appoint such Special Committees as may be required from time to time to accomplish special projects and purposes. The Steering committee shall forward recommendations of the APA to the University administration as appropriate.

Section 2 – Special Committees

The APA President and/or the Steering Committee shall name or designate such Special Committees as may be required from time to time to accomplish the goals and objectives of the APA. The President and the Steering Committee shall have the authority to appoint such Special Committees.

Article 5 – Nominations, Elections, Terms of Office and Removal of Officers

Section 1 – Nominations

The Nominating Committee shall present a slate of proposed officers to the members at the annual meeting. The Nominating Committee must accept additional nominations from the floor.

Section 2 – Elections

  1. Election of APA officers shall be by vote via Web site. Opening of the election for APA officers shall occur within two (2) calendar days following the annual meeting and shall close within ten (10) calendar days following the annual meeting.
  2. A majority of the members voting shall constitute the majority necessary to elect an officer.
  3. Paper ballots will be available at the opening of web based voting from the Immediate-Past-President upon request. Paper ballots must be returned to the Immediate-Past-President for tallying before the close of web based voting.
  4. All election ballots shall be secret
  5. Each member may cast one vote, no proxy votes are permitted.
  6. The Immediate-Past-President must certify the election results within five (5) calendar days of the close of Web based voting.

Section 3 – Terms of Office

  1. The terms of office of elected officers shall be one (1) calendar year.
  2. Terms are renewable upon recommendation of the Nominating Committee and with the approval of the APA by election as provided herein.
  3. Terms of office shall begin immediately upon certification of election results and shall terminate when election of successors is certified.

Section 4 – Removal

Failure to faithfully execute the duties of the office constitutes cause for an officer’s removal by the APA membership. Removal of an officer shall require a two-thirds vote of those members voting in an election.

Article 6 – Conduct of Business

Section 1 – All members have the right and privilege to attend meetings of the APA.

Section 2 – Special meetings

  1. The President of the APA may call special meetings with no less than five (5) calendar days notice.
  2. APA members may call a special meeting by presenting a petition to do so to any member of the APA Steering Committee.
  3. Upon receiving such a petition, the APA Steering Committee must hold such a meeting within twenty (20) calendar days.
  4. Communication of the date, time, location and agenda for a special meeting must be published to the APA membership at least five (5) calendar days prior to the meeting.

Section 3 – The rules of order of APA shall be in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised.

Section 4 – Quorum

  1. A quorum for any general meeting of the APA shall consist of those members in attendance.
  2. A majority of committee members shall constitute a quorum for all APA committee meetings.

Section 5 – During meetings, each member shall have one vote. There shall be no proxy votes.

Section 6 – The usual order of business will be as follows:

  1. Approval of Minutes
  2. Reports of Officers
  3. Reports of Standing Committees in alphabetical order
  4. Reports of Special Committees
  5. Special reports/programs
  6. New Business (suggestions, concerns, issues)

Section 7 – Meeting participation

  1. The meetings of APA are open and non-members may have the floor if recognized during as part of business discussed at a meeting.
  2. Members and non-members may submit items to the Steering Committee to be considered for inclusion on a meeting agenda at any time prior to ten (10) calendar days before any such meeting.
  3. New agenda items may be allowed for presentation or discussion during a meeting if time allows at the discretion of the meeting presiding officer.

Article 7 – Amendments

Section 1

The APA may amend, alter, rescind or repeal these Bylaws by majority of the members present and voting at any annual or special meeting, provided that the text of the proposal to amend has been made available to the members of the APA on the official APA website at least ten (10) calendar days prior to the meeting at which time the amendments are to be considered and have been communicated to the APA membership through one other means at least ten (10) calendar days prior to a vote.