The AcaBellas - A Cappella Affiliate
Last active term
Club Name
The name of the club will be The AcaBellas - A Cappella Affiliate. We are not agent or representative of the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA), and our views and actions in no way represent the WUSA.
Governance
The club will uphold the values, mission, and mandate of both the University of Waterloo (UW) and WUSA through following the directives outlined in the WUSA Clubs Manual, all WUSA By-Laws, Policies, and Procedures, as well as all policies and procedures outlined by the UW Secretariat. Furthermore, the club will abide by all laws of the Region of Waterloo, Province of Ontario, and Government of Canada. All club matters will ultimately be governed by the WUSA Clubs Manager.
Purpose
The purpose of the club is to gather University of Waterloo students, staff, faculty and members of the UW community at large to
- Enrich the experience of the local and campus communities through a cappella music
- Provide a creative outlet for members through singing and creating a cappella music together, including performance opportunities.
- Provide a safe, supportive space in which members can feel free to be themselves.
- Provide opportunities for skills development for members.
Club events, activities, and/or initatives will include
- Hold rehearsals to prepare performances and develop musical techniques
- Performing around the Kitchener-Waterloo region
- Teaching and enhancing members' musical and performance skills
Membership Structure
The club will be fully inclusive and welcoming to both its current and potential membership. New membership is welcome and accepted at any time during a club’s active term. Eligible club members may be current: WUSA Members, as outlined by the WUSA By-Laws; UW graduate students; UW staff or faculty; and/or members of the UW community at large, as defined in the Clubs Manual.
Only current UW students (graduate or undergraduate) may hold voting membership within the club. UW Staff, faculty, and members of the UW community at large may hold non-voting membership within the club. (If Applicable) UW undergrad students who are eligible to obtain voting membership in the club who do not wish to pay the club membership fee at the time of joining may hold non-voting membership within the club. Voting membership can be obtained for said members by paying the membership fee.
At least two thirds of the club's membership must be current UW students (graduate or undergraduate).
Membership Fee
Executive Officers
The majority of executives will be current UW students (graduate or undergraduate). The club president will be a current UW undergraduate student. All club executives will be elected, not hired or appointed. The term of office for all executive positions is one academic term, as outlined by the UW Registrar’s Office. All club decisions will be determined by executive vote, as no executive officer (not even the President) holds decision making power for the collective.
The President ensures that:
- The club operates according to the guidelines of its constitution and some agreed upon guidelines for running a meeting, such as Robert's Rules of Order;
- The club works towards its objectives as agreed upon by the membership; and
- Their successor is trained.
- Presidents can either work together as Co-Presidents or as President and Vice President, in which case the President and Vice President equally divide up ownership of duties but the President holds greater responsibility and agrees to provide guidance to the Vice President. The Co-President structure is only recommended in the case that both presidents agree that they have a similar amount of skill and experience.
- -Inquiring about and arranging performances at local venues, both on campus and off campus, and communicating The AcaBellas’ technical requirements for each gig
- -Contacting clubs/organizations about possible co-operation with other organizations at coffee houses, term events, social gatherings, and other special occasions
- -Regularly promoting The AcaBellas’ YouTube channel and/or Facebook page, as well as executing all related social media activities (i.e., uploading videos and pictures, monitoring and screening public comments, etc.)
- -Managing The AcaBellas’ page on the UWACC website (www.uwacc.com/bellas)
- -Working with other executives to coordinate self-promotion events such as “advertisinging” and socials
- -Setting up the audition sign-up process
- -Organizing The AcaBellas’ presentation for the UWACC’s termly Info Session
The President is a signing authority.
The Vice-President ensures that:
- Records of what the group has done are maintained, distributed, and are accessibile to all the members;
- Meeting minutes/notes are recorded and made available to all voting members;
- All club correspondence is monitored and brought to the attention of the appropriate person(s);
- Their successor is trained.
- -Informing members of both potential and confirmed performances, with other relevant details
- -Updating events on the online calendar and recording members’ attendance
- -Organizing uniforms for new members
- -Ensuring that all members express their opinions freely and voice their concerns to either the ombudsperson, The AcaBellas Executives, or the UWACC
- -Organizing “Booty Camp” locations, times, and extra activities
- -Booking rooms for rehearsals, sectionals, and any other meetings
- -Using online social networks and emails to communicate regularly with the group about upcoming performances, rehearsal feedback, and general announcements
The Vice-President is a signing authority.
The President ensures that:
- The club's WUSA bank account and all financial transactions for the club are monitored and verified;
- All club revenues are collected, deposited into the club's WUSA bank account, and reconciled correctly and within a timely manner;
- Club cheque requests are submitted correctly and in a timely manner; and
- Their successor is trained.
The Musical Director ensures that:
- Musical Directors can either work together as Co-Directors or as Musical Director and Assistant Musical Director, in which case the Musical Director and Assistant Musical Director equally divide up ownership of duties but the Musical Director holds greater responsibility and agrees to provide guidance to the Assistant Musical Director. The Co-Director structure is only recommended in the case that both directors agree that they have a similar amount of skill and experience.
- Maintaining and updating The AcaBellas’ Repertoire Archive -- which must include PDFs, MIDIs, and editable Finale/Sibelius/MuseScore files -- for each song, whenever possible
- Preparing sound check details (e.g., for the UWACC EOT Concert) and communicating information regarding microphones, anchors, etc. to sound technicians
- Being able to teach each and every musical part of all songs, including the details of pitches and rhythms
- Giving pitches and counting in for song performances; as such, possession of a pitch pipe or equivalent (i.e., perfect pitch) is a necessity
- Making appropriate musical decisions for the betterment of The AcaBellas’ performing flexibility (i.e., vetoing a potential soloist during solo auditions)
- Leading workshops with soloists prior to solo auditions
- Dynamics and rhythmic accuracy
- Correct posture and mouth positioning
- Placing each Bella in an appropriate vocal part for her range
- Being fully responsible for the vocal production of The AcaBellas, including but not limited to:
- Arranging and adjusting music; as such, access to music writing software such as Finale/Sibelius/MuseScore is a necessity
- Ensuring the availability and appropriateness of all music The AcaBellas perform in that term
- Being able to give an authoritative opinion on the vocal proficiency of each audition candidate
- Being present for the full duration of all auditions, and for the audition discussion period
- Approving and perfecting (or, when necessary, creating and/or teaching) choreography for The AcaBellas
- Preparing for and leading all rehearsals, including the preparation of warm-ups and other related exercises
- The Musical Directors are considered the musical experts of the group, since they musically conduct The AcaBellas and ensure that any songs the group endeavours to cover are ready to be performed by the time the UW A Cappella Club End of Term Concert occurs. They must have related vocal training experience as well as a background in music theory and/or basic piano knowledge. Their responsibilities include:
- Ensures that the next Musical Director is trained.
The Musical Director is a signing authority.
The Assistant Musical Director ensures that:
- Musical Directors can either work together as Co-Directors or as Musical Director and Assistant Musical Director, in which case the Musical Director and Assistant Musical Director equally divide up ownership of duties but the Musical Director holds greater responsibility and agrees to provide guidance to the Assistant Musical Director. The Co-Director structure is only recommended in the case that both directors agree that they have a similar amount of skill and experience.
- Maintaining and updating The AcaBellas’ Repertoire Archive -- which must include PDFs, MIDIs, and editable Finale/Sibelius/MuseScore files -- for each song, whenever possible
- Preparing sound check details (e.g., for the UWACC EOT Concert) and communicating information regarding microphones, anchors, etc. to sound technicians
- Being able to teach each and every musical part of all songs, including the details of pitches and rhythms
- Giving pitches and counting in for song performances; as such, possession of a pitch pipe or equivalent (i.e., perfect pitch) is a necessity
- Making appropriate musical decisions for the betterment of The AcaBellas’ performing flexibility (i.e., vetoing a potential soloist during solo auditions)
- Leading workshops with soloists prior to solo auditions
- Dynamics and rhythmic accuracy
- Correct posture and mouth positioning
- Placing each Bella in an appropriate vocal part for her range
- Being fully responsible for the vocal production of The AcaBellas, including but not limited to:
- Arranging and adjusting music; as such, access to music writing software such as Finale/Sibelius/MuseScore is a necessity
- Ensuring the availability and appropriateness of all music The AcaBellas perform in that term
- Being able to give an authoritative opinion on the vocal proficiency of each audition candidate
- Being present for the full duration of all auditions, and for the audition discussion period
- Approving and perfecting (or, when necessary, creating and/or teaching) choreography for The AcaBellas
- Preparing for and leading all rehearsals, including the preparation of warm-ups and other related exercises
- The Musical Directors are considered the musical experts of the group, since they musically conduct The AcaBellas and ensure that any songs the group endeavours to cover are ready to be performed by the time the UW A Cappella Club End of Term Concert occurs. They must have related vocal training experience as well as a background in music theory and/or basic piano knowledge. Their responsibilities include:
- Ensures that the next Assistant Musical Director is trained.
The Social Media Director ensures that:
- Manage social media content across all platforms
- Create graphics, visuals, and content to promote the club
- Ensures that the next Social Media Director is trained.
The Choreography Director ensures that:
- Create and teach choreography for the term's set to club members
- Create learning materials (videos, powerpoint, visuals, etc) to help with learning
- Ensures that the next Choreography Director is trained.
It is important to assure that the person with the most information and/or knowledge in the club is not the full-time chairperson. Therefore, the club will occasionally rotate the role of chairperson among voting members.
Meetings
General Meetings
The club will hold weekly general meetings. Quorum for general meetings will be 15 voting members of 20% of voting membership (whichever is more).
Executive Meetings
The club will hold weekly executive meetings. Quorum for executive meetings will be 2 executives or at least 51% of the executive body (whichever is more).
The first meetings (both general and executive) of the following term will be arranged by the outgoing executive. At said meetings, subsequent meeting dates and locations will be set. Meeting dates and times will be forwarded to voting members by:
Emergency meetings can be called by an executive via:
and must be sent to the appropriate members at least 48 hours prior to the meeting time.
ELECTION PROCESS
Elections shall take place at the end of each term for the following academic term. Only University of Waterloo students who are members of the club can vote. Club members must be notified, by email, two weeks in advance of the meeting where executive elections will take place. The term of office shall be for one term. An executive can only hold office (any position) for a total of up to three terms.
Nominations for executives can be made from any club member. The majority of executives must be undergraduate University of Waterloo students. The successful candidate will be the one with the most votes. In the case of a tie, a re-vote will take place until the tie is broken.
IMPEACHMENT AND DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES
A movement to impeach an executive officer may be made by any executive officer or by petition of at least five voting members. When the motion is made the Clubs Manager will be informed. An emergency general meeting will be called as soon as is reasonably possible. No club funds will be spent until the issue is resolved.
At the impeachment meeting, the individual(s) who initiated the process will state their case. Afterwards, the officer(s) under impeachment will have an opportunity to defend their position(s) on the matter.
There will then be a question and answer period followed by the selection process for a Chief Returning Officer (CRO) who will oversee the voting process to ensure the decision is fair and democratic. Any executive officer who is neither the initiator nor subject of the impeachment may volunteer as CRO. If there is no such officer, then any voting member of the club present at the meeting may volunteer. If there are multiple volunteers, then the CRO will be selected based on a simple majority vote cast by secret ballot and tallied publically by the chairperson of the meeting. If there is no such volunteer for CRO, then the meeting will be at a standstill until either an eligible executive officer or voting member volunteers.
The vote will be by a “YES/NO” secret ballot, tallied publically by the CRO. If at least two thirds of the votes are for impeachment, then said officer will immediately be stripped of their position. The remaining executive may choose to call an immediate by-election to replace the newly vacant executive officer position.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
A claim against any executive officer or club member regarding a potential conflict of interest can be made by any executive officer or by petition of at least five voting members. If such a claim arises, then said individual(s) under suspicion have the opportunity to remove them self (or themselves) from said potential conflict without acknowledging intention of wrongdoing. In the event the claim is contested, then the Clubs Manager will be informed and an emergency executive meeting will be called to determine the validity of the claim. Executive officers who have a claim against them cannot vote to determine the validity of said claim. If executive quorum is not possible due to the removal of said vote(s), then an emergency general meeting will be called and the same proceedings described for impeachment will be used to determine the validity of the claim.
If the claim is validated and there is suspicion of intentional wrongdoing, an immediate impeachment proceeding may be called by any executive officer or by petition of at least five voting members, of whom are not named in the claim. If it is determined that a club member is involved in intentional wrongdoing, the impeachment proceeding will be called to determine said member’s club status.
AMENDMENTS
Constitutional amendments may be proposed by any executive officer or by petition of at least five voting members. The amendment will then be voted on by referendum. The voting procedure will be the same as for the impeachment process. If the vote passes, the amendment and the vote will be forwarded to the Clubs Manager for final approval. If the Clubs Manager approves, then the constitution will be amended and any changes will be inserted into the constitution.
A motion to officially close the club will follow the same procedure as a constitutional amendment. If such a motion passes, then the club will be purged from the clubs system.
AFFILIATIONS
Internal Affilations
The club is affiliated with A Cappella Club. The nature of the affiliation, including the conditions required by both parties, is outlined as follows:
The AcaBellas is an entity under the A Cappella Club.