QUFA Nominating Committee Process
Once a year, during the Winter Term (January-April),QUFA’s Nominating Committee contacts all academic units to ascertain whether there will be a change in their unit’s representation to QUFA Council. If there is an existing QUFA Council Representative whose two-year term has been completed, or a long term vacancy, or if the incumbent is going on sabbatical and an alternate for a term or the year is required, the QUFA Nominating Committee will ask the unit to recruit another member of the department. The person must be willing to serve and must be an Association Member.
If a vacancy occurs at any other time during the year when the QUFA Nominating Committee is not meeting, the unit is welcome to contact the QUFA Office with the name of a newly elected representative to QUFA Council.In some cases,the department Head or a Council Rep who is stepping down may be contacted by a QUFA staff person or volunteer asking to fill the unit’s vacancy.
Academic Unit Process
Those units with a constitution or written procedure for internal voting may choose to follow their normal procedures. For those who do not, here is a suggested process you may follow.
The unit’s Nominating Committee should send out a call for nominations. People may nominate themselves or others but the nominee must agree to being nominated. A volunteer whose name is put forward must have two members of the unit approve the nomination if a person self-selects, or one additional approval if the person is nominated by another. All duly approved nominations should be circulated to the unit with an announcement of a vote to take place one week hence.
The vote can be conducted by paper or electronically, but it should be done anonymously. Any reasonable apprehensions of bias or conflict of interest, taking into consideration both those nominated as well as those conducting the election, should be declared and resolved ahead of the vote to make sure the election is valid.
If there is only one candidate, the unit can vote to acclaim the Member.
If there are multiple candidates and a paper vote is held, it can take place at a unit meeting or via a sealed box in the main office to allow those who might not be able to attend a meeting a chance to drop in their vote within a given time period (one to three business days). There should be two people counting the votes, preferably a staff member and the chair of the Nominating Committee who is a QUFA Member.
It is possible for a unit to elect two Members to co-represent. Sometimes this is done to make sure there is always one person available at the Council meeting times, and sometimes this is done because a Member wishes responsibility for only one term. At each Council meeting, only one Representative will have a vote even if both attend.
Informing QUFA
The Head, Dean, or local Nominating Committee Chair should give the QUFA Nominating Committee Chair the name(s) of the Council Representative(s) elected as soon as possible. See here for current Nominating Committee membership and Council representation by unit.
QUFA Service Counts
Service as a QUFA Council Rep is recognized in the collective agreement’s Article 7 as fulfilling service to the unit and the University.