Ramapo College of New Jersey Ramapo Staff Association Bylaws

(Revised July 2021)

Statement of Purpose:

The purpose of the Ramapo Staff Association (RSA) is to enhance connectivity among its membership while supporting institutional quality and organizational cohesion.

The RSA is an advocacy and community building group designed as a resource to share information about the institution, support our interests as professional staff, provide social events and discuss trends in higher education as well as new techniques, policies, and procedures as they affect our work.

RSA participates in the shared governance system of Ramapo College. The RSA membership is composed of unionized and non-unionized staff, however, it does not engage in matters that are the purview of collective bargaining.

Ramapo Staff Association Membership:

Members include all staff employees at Ramapo College, except those who are faculty or are considered a member of Senior Administration. Senior Administration includes: President, Provost, Vice President, Associate and Assistant Vice President, Vice Provost and Deans.

A staff member who serves as adjunct faculty shall not be excluded from the Membership.

Executive Board: The Executive Board of the RSA is composed of seven individuals (RSA Members) in the following positions: President, Vice President, Members at Large (four), and Past President.

All Executive Board terms are for two years, running from August 1 until July 31.

The roles of the President:

• Convene and lead Executive Board Meetings
• Present RSA updates at Board of Trustee Meetings, at their request
• Coordinate meetings with the President and Administration
• Provide vision and leadership for the organization
• Delegates executive board membership to campus committees as invited

The roles of the Vice President:

• In the event that the President is unavailable, lead Executive Board Meetings
• In the event that the President is unavailable, present RSA updates at Board of Trustee Meetings
• In the event that the President is unavailable, assume Presidential duties
• Update and revise bylaws, as needed
• Draft/edit meeting minutes, and post to website upon Executive Board review and approval

The roles of the RSA Executive Board:

• Meet with the Ramapo College President or their designee to provide updates, communicate concerns, propose collaborations and seek feedback
• May serve on campus committees as needed, including, but not limited to, the Staff Recognition Awards Committee and the Bring Your Child to Work Day Committee, Middle States, Strategic Planning Committee, EDI Council, and the Presidential Transition Team
• Attend Board of Trustee Meetings
• Attend Board of Trustee Committee Meetings
• Create social events and/or workshops​ every semester
• Publish newsletters
• Maintain the RSA email address and keep website up to date
• Manage the membership email list
• Attend Executive Board Meetings (weekly)
• RSA members may be asked to fill in for President/Vice Presidential duties if those individuals are not available
• Solicit feedback or concerns from the membership and report back at Executive Board Meetings
• Send out emails to membership providing campus information and updates
• Solicit questions for Communication Meetings and submit to the President’s Office

The roles of the Past President:

• Serve as historian and manage archives
• Responsible for managing the election processes for the RSA Executive Board

At the discretion of the board, board officer titles and responsibilities may be altered.

Statement of Executive Board Professional Responsibility:

As an Executive Board Member of the RSA there is an expectation of professional discretion and active participation. Executive Board Members are expected to advocate and communicate concerns for their members, follow up appropriately with projects and assignments, and actively participate in RSA functions and meetings.

Election of Officers:

The election of officers will take place in three parts: President, Vice President, and Members at Large.

The President:

The President is voted on by the current Executive Board in May of the current President’s final year in term. The Past President will only vote in the event of a tie.

Should no current Executive Board members wish to serve as President, the President may serve one additional year with the process repeating itself in May of that additional year.
No individual may serve consecutive terms as President, except as noted above.

Should the President’s position be vacated during their term, the Vice President will assume that role for the remainder of the term. They will be eligible to run for the President’s role for the next term.

The Vice President:

The Vice President is voted on by the current Executive Board after the President is elected, but
no later than June 15, during the current Vice President’s final year in term. The Past President will only vote in the event of a tie.

Should no current Executive Board Members wish to serve as Vice President, the full RSA membership will select five Members at Large instead of four. After 30 days, the Executive Board should seek to fill the Vice President Position within the five Members at Large elected. If more than one Member at Large is interested in the open position, a formal vote will be held by the Executive Board.

During this 30 day period, the previous Vice President, if still on the Executive Board, will be asked to step into the role of acting Vice President, as the role transitions. Should the Vice President be unavailable, the President will be in charge of dividing the roles of the Vice President among the Executive Board accordingly.

Should no Executive Board Member wish to be elected to the Vice President position after the 30 day period, the previous Vice President will have the option of coming back, pending that they are still a Member of the Executive Board.

Should the Vice President’s position be vacated during their term, the Past President will oversee a vote for a new Vice President from the current Members at Large.

Members at Large:

Applications for the four Members at Large will be solicited within the first five business days of June.

Voting will be open during the last eight business days of June.

Members at Large are elected for a two-year renewable term, not to exceed four consecutive years in that role, by a majority of voting members during the June voting period. Voting members for the Members at Large consist of RSA’s full membership.

Should a Member at Large position become vacant, it will be at the discretion of the current Executive Board if the position should be filled. If the Executive Board chooses to move forward and fill the position, applications should be solicited and the timeline for the election are to be communicated with the Membership. The replacement will be to finish the current term only. Whoever elected to the position will be eligible to take the max amount of terms after the term they were elected expires.

Executive Board Election Timeline:

• March, April, May: Host at least two informational sessions about serving on the executive board (hosted by current members)
• May (late): Executive Board vote for President position at meeting
• May 15-June 10: Solicit Nominations for Executive Board
• June (early): Executive Board vote for Vice President position at meeting
• June (last 10 business days): RSA Membership vote for Members at Large

This Election Timeline may be amended to ensure that all positions are filled.

Leave of Absence:

Should an Executive Board Member need to take a personal leave of absence from the Ramapo Staff Association Executive Board for greater than a six month period, it will be at the discretion of the current Executive Board if the position should be replaced.

Impeachment:

Should it be thought that a member of the RSA (regardless of position) is not fulfilling the duties of their position or meeting the Professional Responsibilities of the RSA effectively, any member of the executive board may motion to impeach them from their position.

A vote of the current Executive Board will then be held after the motion is made, at one of the next two meetings. A vote for impeachment must receive majority affirmative votes in order to be successful.

Should a member of the RSA that is not on the executive board wish to impeach an executive board member, they must speak to the President of the RSA to make their request. If they wish to impeach the President, they will speak to the Vice President.

Amendments:

Amendments to the Ramapo Staff Association Bylaws are set forth by the current Executive Board to be voted on by the full RSA Membership. The Executive Board will present the updated Bylaws to the RSA Membership via email and open up electronic voting for at least ten business days. Majority vote of responding members will decide outcomes of amendments.

RSA Bylaws (PDF)