Student Union of UBC Okanagan

Constitution & By-laws Endorsed By Council - January 24th, 2005 Ratified January 31st, 2005

Student Union of UBC Okanagan Constitution

1. 2. The name of the Union shall be the Student Union of UBC Okanagan. The purposes of the Union shall be: a) to direct, coordinate, and promote the activities of the students of the institution; b) to promote artistic, literary, educational, social, recreational, charitable, and sporting activities for the advancement of the interests of its members and of others; c) to represent students, receive complaints, and investigate problems and decisions that affect students; d) to serve as a medium of communication between the students of the institution and the governing bodies of the institution. The Union shall be carried on with no profit accruing to its members, and any operating surpluses shall be used to further the purposes of the Union. This clause is unalterable. Upon the winding up or dissolution of the Union, any assets remaining after the satisfaction of its debts and liabilities shall be transferred to a Canadian organization or organizations promoting objectives similar to those set out in Paragraph 2 herein, as may be decided by the members of the Union at the time of winding up or dissolution. This clause is unalterable.

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Student Union of UBC Okanagan By-Laws

BY-LAW I - INTERPRETATION 1. All references to the plural shall include the singular, and the singular the plural; and all references to the masculine shall include the feminine, and the feminine the masculine. A "member in good standing of the Union" is defined as those persons who have satisfied the requirements of By-law II. An "honorary member of the Union" is defined as a person who has been accorded the rights of membership to the Union. An "at-large position" shall be those positions for which all members may vote and run.

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BY-LAW II MEMBERS

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All students of the University of British of Columbia shall be members of the students union. The members shall be divided into two classifications: a) active members b) associate members An Active members of the Union shall be: a) any student who has been assessed by the students union the appropriate membership fee for the current university semester; b) any student who is registered for at least one credit course based at a campus of the University of British Columbia outside the Greater Vancouver Regional District, or; c) any student who was registered for at leas one credit course based at a campus of the University of British Columbia outside the Greater Vancouver Regional District for the six months following the period of study. Associate Members of the Union shall be: a) any student who is registered for at least one credit course based at a campus of the University of British Columbia inside the Greater Vancouver Regional District, or; b) any student who was registered for at least one credit course based at a campus of the University of British Columbia outside of the Greater Vancouver Regional District for the six months following the period of study. All students remain members for the six-month period following the last semester in which they paid fees. Membership in the Union shall cease: a) six months after a member fails to register in at least one credit course at the institution; and b) a member is no longer a student in good standing of the institution.

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6. Members of the Union may only be expelled by a majority vote at a regularly or specially convened general meeting of the Union. Membership fees shall be set according to a special resolution as per the Society Act of B.C. and subject to a specially or regularly convened general meeting or a referendum of the Union. The Executive shall refund Union fees to any member who withdraws from the institution within twenty-one (21) days of registration. In the event that a full-time employee of the Union registers for a course, he/she shall be entitled to all the rights and privileges of membership with the exception of holding office An active member who becomes a part-time employee of the Union or a part-time employee who becomes an active member of the Union shall be entitled to all the rights and privileges of membership with the exception of holding office. An active member has the right to vote and participate in special general meetings, annual general meetings, and referenda in accordance with the provisions of the Society Act of B.C.

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BY-LAW III - THE EXECUTIVE 1. The Executive shall consist of an: a) Internal Coordinator b) External Coordinator c) Financial Coordinator d) Services Coordinator It shall be the responsibility of the Executive, under the direction of the board of directors, to administer the Union on a day-to-day basis. The Executive shall be empowered to exercise any and/or all of the powers and discretions vested in the board of directors, save and except; a) the power to amend, repeal, or adopt policy; b) the power to pass or amend the annual operating budget; The Executive may not amend or contradict the will of the board of directors. Decisions of the Executive shall be subject to review and/or reversal by the board of directors. Minutes of the meetings of the Executive shall be kept and made available to the board of directors and the membership. There shall be an Executive fund, which shall be determined in the annual budgetary process of the Union. a) The Executive may authorize the expenditure of any and/or all monies in the Executive fund at anytime. b) The Executive shall report all Executive fund expenditures to the board of directors at the next meeting after such expenditures are made.

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BY-LAW #IV - INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND POWERS OF THE EXECUTIVE 1. The Internal Coordinator shall: a) act as the official liaison with the institution.; b) act as the official liaison with the institutions human rights officer; c) act as the student observer on all student grade appeals; and d) be responsible for all official student complaints in regards to the Union and/or the Institution; e) be responsible for all related academic issues; and f) act as the official liaison with all campus resource centres. The External Coordinator shall: a) act as the official spokesperson for the Union to all external groups; b) communicate regularly with all levels of government; c) communicate regularly with the provincial and national offices of the Canadian Federation of students; d) regulate the production of all internal publications of the Union; and e) act as the official liaison with all coalition partners. f) Graduate Student Representative (1)

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The Financial Coordinator shall: a) be responsible for all financial records, including books and accounts as are necessary to comply with the Society Act; b) render statements of accounts to the board of directors and to the membership; c) help prepare the annual budget for adoption by the board of directors; d) oversee the business operations and services of the Union; e) function as the chief liaison between the staff component and the board of directors through the staff designate; and f) act as a signing authority. The Services coordinator shall: a) coordinate the Unions events; b) act as the official liaison to the Unions clubs and course unions; c) act as the official liaison with campus recreation; d) act as the official liaison with all campus media agencies about the operations; and e) assist in the implementation of Canadian Federation of Students campaigns and services. Each director shall be paid an honorarium as determined by the Honoraria Policy. Each director shall keep accurate records and files concerning his/her activities and responsibilities. BY-LAW V - COLLECTIVE RESPONSIBILITIES AND POWERS OF THE EXECUTIVE

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The Executive shall: a) meet at least once a month; b) be familiar with, and comply with, the provisions of the Society Act; c) have signing authority for the Union; d) arrange to bond all signing officers for such an amount not less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000.00); e) have the power to alter, modify or set aside any action not covered by the constitution or its by-laws, or policies of the Union; and

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j) have the authority to hire and dismiss employees.

BY-LAW#VI - THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS 1. 2. The board of directors shall be the governing body of the Union. The board of directors shall consist of: a) Executive Members (4); b) Advocacy Representatives (3); c) Directors at Large (4); d) Board of Governors Student Representative (1); and e) Meeting Chair (1). The board of directors shall meet at least twice a month during the fall and winter semesters. The Executive shall call a board of directors meeting any time that: a) it is requested by 25% of the members of the board of directors; or b) the majority of the executive requests such a meeting. There shall be at least 24 hours notice given for a non-regularly scheduled meeting of the board of directors.

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BY-LAW VIII- POWERS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS 1. The board of directors shall: a) present an annual budget to the student body at an annual general meeting. b) reserve the right to borrow and raise money upon terms and conditions which the board of directors deems appropriate. c) have the power to amend, repeal or adopt policy of the Union. d) have the power to authorize grants to any organization or club or course union; e) elect from within the board of directors a representative to the executive of the provincial component of the Canadian Federation of Students f) be responsible for the implementation and facilitation of all Canadian Federation of Students campaigns and services. g) be responsible for duties as assigned by the Executive or board of directors.

BY-LAW VII - BOARD OF DIRECTORS DUTIES 1. a) Advocacy Representatives shall: i) be responsible for assisting the Internal Coordinator in liaising with the Unions resource centres. ii) be responsible for assisting the board of directors with campaigns and services that focus on marginalized groups of people. Directors at large shall: i) represent the membership as a whole; ii) be responsible for assisting the board of directors with promotional materials iii) assist the Services Coordinator with all Union events Meeting Chair: i) chair all board of director meetings ii) assist the board of directors with campaigns, services, and events iii) be responsible for becoming proficient with Roberts Rules of Order

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d.) Graduate Student Representative shall: i) represent all University of British Columbia Okanagan graduate and post graduate and professional students ii) be responsible for liaising with the graduate students about the Unions campaigns and services iii) be responsible for assisting the board of directors with campaigns and services that focus on Okanagan graduate students and graduate student issues related to the University of British Columbia Okanagan iv) Be the official liaison with the Canadian Federation of Students National Graduate Caucus

BY-LAW #IX - ELECTIONS AND APPOINTMENTS 1. The general elections for the board of directors positions shall take place no later than March 31st of any given year. A board of directors position will be deemed to be vacant upon the death, resignation, impeachment, or abandonment of the member holding that office, or when a position remains unfilled after an election or by-election, during which the position was open for nominations. a) The board of directors may, by resolution appoint an active member of the Union to fulfill the duties of any vacant office. b) There may never be more than two appointed Executive members at one time. The term of the board of directors shall be from May 1st to April 30th of each calendar year. During general elections only graduate students may vote for the graduate student representative.

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BY-LAW X RESIGNATION, IMPEACHMENT, OR ABANDONMENT 1. An officer of the Union may be impeached. from their position if that person: a) fails to remain a member in good standing within the Union; b) grossly operates outside of the constitution, these by-laws, and/or the policies of the Union. A vote of impeachment shall be a two-thirds (2/3) vote at a regularly or specially convened general meeting. a) a vote to remove an individual from a position for reasons of abandonment of office shall be a two-thirds (2/3) vote of at a regularly or specially convened meeting of the board of directors. An officer who misses two consecutive board of directors meetings or four meetings over the whole of their term, without justifiable cause will be considered to have abandoned office.

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BY-LAW XI - CONFLICT OF INTEREST 1. Notwithstanding the provisions of the rights of members, any member of the Union, including members of the board of directors, shall not speak or vote on any matter of the Union where a conflict of interest exists; this shall include the following:

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a) b) an appeal and/or grievance where the person is directly involved; a financial matter where the member is directly involved especially matters pertaining to grant/loan allocations.

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If a member of the Union feels that he/she is in a conflict of interest, the individual must express the conflict of interest at the meeting prior to the discussion where the conflict exists. If a member is unsure whether a conflict exists, he/she must express the possible conflict prior to the discussion and a majority vote may be required to resolve the issue. If a member believes that another member is involved in a conflict of interest, that member must identify the individual perceived to be in conflict. The individual may speak on whether or not he/she feels that a conflict exists. If the issue cannot be resolved a simple majority vote of the board of directors may be required to resolve the issue.

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BY-LAW XII - POLICY HANDBOOK 1. The board of directors shall establish a Policy Handbook containing the policies, regulations, and procedures of the board of directors.

BY-LAW #XIII - MEETINGS 1. There shall be four (4) kinds of Meetings of the Union: a) The Annual General Meeting shall: i) be held in the fall semester; ii) be advertised in the campus newspaper in the last scheduled edition before the meeting; iii) be advertised no less than two (2) weeks in advance on 11"x17" paper posters, which shall include the proposed agenda, time and place of the meeting, on no less than 10 bulletin boards; iv) have a quorum of five percent (5%) of the membership or fifty (50) members whichever is less.if within thirty (30) minutes of the set time quorum has not been reached the meeting shall be postponed to the same day, time and place the following week. v) At the rescheduled meeting, If after thirty (30) minutes quorum is not reached, the quorum shall consist of those members present, except if there is less than three (3) members of the Union present; b) Special General Meetings shall: i) be called by a two thirds majority (2/3) vote of the board of directors. ii) The advertising of a special general meeting shall be the same as Bylaw XIII a) iii) The quorum and voting at a special general meeting shall be the same as Bylaw XIII a) d) Board of Directors Meetings shall: i) have a quorum of one half (1/2) of its voting members with no less than two (2) executive members present, e) Executive Meetings shall: i) have a quorum of no less than three (3) members. ii) be open to any active member of the Union. Robert's Rules of Order shall govern the proceedings of all official meetings of the Union in so far as they do not contravene any part of the constitution, these by-laws or policy of the Union.

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BY-LAW XIV - REFERENDA 1. In addition to annual and special general meetings, the active members may vote on resolutions concerning the business of the Union by means of a referendum, in accordance with the provisions of the B.C. Society Act. Resolutions may be put to referendum by a simple majority vote of the board of directors, except where prohibited in these by-laws. The referenda shall be conducted in a democratic way and shall include at least one (1) independent scrutineer.

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BY-LAW XV - AUDITORS 1. The auditors of the Union shall be appointed by the membership at a specially or regularly convened general meeting. The remuneration to be paid to the auditors by the Union shall be determined by the board of directors. The auditors of the Union shall have the right to examine all books, records and accounts of the Union and shall be entitled to request from any and all members of the Union, including the board of directors, such information and explanation as may be required by the auditors for the due performance of their duties. The auditors shall prepare an annual report for submission to the annual general meeting of the Union. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the auditors shall expressly state: a) whether they have obtained all information and explanation required, and whether they have been granted free access to the files, records and accounts of the Union; b) whether, in their opinion, the balance sheet forming a part of their report is properly drawn up so as to exhibit a true and fair representation of the financial affairs of the Union.

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BY-LAW #XVI - FINANCES 1. 2. The fiscal year of the Union shall be from June 1st to May 31st of each calendar year. Union fees shall be as determined by By-law II, article 5. BY-LAW XVII - CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS 1. 2. A 3/4 majority of voters in a regularly scheduled General Election shall be required to create any and all Special Resolutions calling for amendment(s) to the Constitution. Any and all requests for the creation of such special resolutions shall be subject to the following terms and conditions: a) each proposed amendment will be presented individually for approval by a simple "yes/no" question appended to the General Election ballot;

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b) c) d) e) the adoption or rejection of a proposed amendment shall not be contingent on the adoption or the rejection of any other proposed amendment(s); the complete text of any and all proposed amendments must be advertised on individual 11"x17" posters no less than two (2) weeks prior to the general election; the text of any and all proposed amendments, and the inclusion of same on the general election ballot, shall be determined by a simple majority vote at a regularly or specially convened general meeting; notwithstanding the above provisions, the text of additional proposed amendments and the inclusion of same on the general election ballot may be decided by unanimous vote at a properly convened board of directors meeting, said meeting to take place not less then four (4) weeks prior to the date of the general election; once approved by a regularly or specially constituted general meeting or board of directors meeting, the text of a proposed amendment may not be altered. once approved by a regularly or specially constituted annual general meeting or board of directors meeting, a proposed amendment may not be removed from the general election ballot.

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Amendments to Policy shall require a three-quarters (3/4) majority vote at an official regular or special meeting of the board of directors. BYLAW XVIII BYLAW AMENDMENTS

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A 2/3 majority of voters in a specially or regularly convened general meeting shall be required to create any and all special resolutions calling for amendment(s) to the bylaws. Special General Meetings shall: i) be called by a two thirds majority (2/3) vote of the board of directors. ii) the advertising of a special general meeting shall be the same as items ii) and iii) of the section above under general meetings; iii) quorum and voting at a special general meeting shall be the same as items iv), and v) of the annual general meeting;. b) Board of Directors Meetings shall: i) have a quorum of one half (1/2) of its voting members with no less than two (2) executive members present, c) Executive Meetings shall: i) have a quorum of no less than three (3) members. ii) be open to any active member of the Union. BY-LAW XVIII - RECORDS

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The official minutes of the meetings of the Executive and the board of directors shall be kept in the Union's office. They shall be open to all members of the Union. The official books and records of the Union shall be kept in the Union's office. The official books and records of the Union may be inspected by members in good standing of the Union at the Union's office during normal office hours. BY-LAW XIX - STUDENT MEDIA FUND

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Five (5) dollars per active member per academic year shall be levied to provide grant funding for all Union-based media outlets.

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2. Only accredited Union-based media outlets in good standing shall be eligible for student media fund funding, subject to the following: a) applications for the student media fund must demonstrate financial need, and, if requested, fully disclose the applicant's previous year's finances. Attempts, successful or not, to obtain student media fund funding by use of misleading or fraudulent statements shall result in appropriate legal action; b) eligibility for funding shall not be made contingent on editorial stance and/or content, and under no circumstances may the Union dictate to, restrict, censor, or impose any conditions not directly relating to financial management on, a free press operating within the bounds of Canadian law; c) the student media fund shall be administered by a committee comprised of the following: i) the Services Coordinator ii) the Internal Coordinator iii) a board of directors member iv) a member of the Phoenix and/or its successor, and v) a member of the Radio Project and/or its successor student media fund grants will be awarded by a two-thirds majority vote in committee. all student media fund grants must be ratified by a simple majority vote of the board of directors; any unawarded funds shall revert to the Union and be dealt with as a budgetary surplus. BY-LAW #XX - COMMITTEES 1. The board of directors shall adopt and maintain committee terms of reference which shall include: a) membership of the committees; b) roles of the committees; and c) selection process for the committees. All committees shall act only as an advisory body to the board of directors except in cases where the board of directors specifically empowers a committee to act on the Unions behalf. Each committee must have at least one member of the board of directors to act as a communication liaison between the committee and the board of directors. The board of directors may establish ad-hoc committees from time to time to deal with specific issues. Minutes of all committee meetings must be kept and be included on the agenda for information at the next regular council meeting.

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