Club Constitution | Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association Clubs

University of Waterloo Conservatives

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Constitution

Club Name

The name of the club will be University of Waterloo Conservatives. 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

1. Principally to promote the cause, aims, and goals of the CPC and the PCPO on the UW campus;
2. To perform as the affiliated campus association for the OYPC;
3. To help elect members of the Conservative Party of Canada and the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, or other like-minded individuals, to the Parliament of Canada and the Legislature of Ontario, and all other elected offices; and
3. To engage in discussion with like-minded and ideologically sympathetic peers, or those who may wish to engage in conservative politics

Club events, activities, and/or initatives will include

1. Discussion meetings;
2. Speaker series;
3. Campaign training;
4. Volunteering on conservative campaigns;
5. Holding election night coverage events; and
6. Delegation for CPC, PCPO, and OYPC meetings and/or events.

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

Club Membership is Free

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.
Will act as the representative of the UWC to the CPC, the PCPO, the OYPC, WUSA, and any other affiliated groups
Will be responsible for the overall direction of the UWC;
Chairs all meetings of the club;
Will fill all vacancies of executive positions; and

The President is a signing authority.

The Secretary 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.
Will keep a history of everything the club does, including recording meeting minutes, events, advertisements, and other interactions with the community. These notes will be made available to all voting members;

The Treasurer 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 Treasurer is a signing authority.

The Vice President ensures that:

Acts as the President when the President is unavailable and will assist the President in their official duties
Ensures that the next Vice President is trained.

The Vice President is a signing authority.

The Events Director ensures that:

Will take charge of setting up and preparing any UWC events (speakers, debates, booths, etc.) as directed by the Executive Committee;
Who shall organize recruitment events (booths on campus, etc.), contact sponsors, manage the social media strategy, create approved posters (through WUSA and our respective affiliated organizations), and coordinate with nearby campus clubs;
Work with the Membership Director to develop communications material as needed; and ensure:
Ensures that the next Events Director is trained.

The Membership Director ensures that:

Will manage the membership list, sign up new members, and brainstorm new ways of attracting people to events, in collaboration with the Executive Committee;
Will submit updated lists of UWC membership to affiliated organizations on time
Work with the Events Director to develop communication material as needed; and ensure:
Ensures that the next Membership Director is trained.

The Past President ensures that:

Shall be there to mentor and assist the current President when required.
The Past President shall be granted membership to the Executive Committee upon the election of a new President immediately succeeding them.
Ensures that the next Past President 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.

Executive Support Structure

The Board Members ensures that:

This is an advanced volunteer position (more than just a regular member of the club).
Take photos during events.
Help suggest event ideas.
Help with the set up and clean up of events.
Take on other projects or tasks that the club wants to investigate.
Ensures that the next Board Members is trained.

Meetings

General Meetings

The club will hold termly 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 termly 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

External Affiliations

The club is affiliated with The OYPC.

The UWC is an affiliate of the OYPC, which is an affiliate of the PCPO. The UWC will make the fullest extent to ratify the club with the OYPC when needed, and maintain affiliation.

View the letter from the affiliate

The club itself is internally responsible for ensuring adherence to any applicable By-Laws, policies, conditions, etc. outlined by the external affiliation. However, all policies, procedures, By-Laws, etc. of both UW and WUSA supersede any By-Laws, policies, conditions, etc. outlined by the external affiliation. The Clubs Manager, not the external organization, is the final authority on all club business. Other than the authority to end the affiliation, the external organization has no authority over the club whatsoever. Furthermore, the Clubs Manager is not responsible for ensuring the club abides by any additional stipulations between the club and the external organization. The club may choose by general vote to sever the affiliation, with notice given to the Clubs Manager.

The club is affiliated with The CPC.

The UWC is an affiliate of the CPC. The UWC will make the fullest extent to ratify the club with the CPC when needed, and maintain affiliation.

View the letter from the affiliate

Definitions

The ‘University of Waterloo Conservatives’ shall henceforth be referred to as the “UWC”, or as “the club”.
The ‘Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association’ shall henceforth be referred to as “WUSA”.
This governing document of the Club, shall henceforth be referred to as “the Constitution”.
The ‘University of Waterloo’ shall henceforth be referred to as “UW”.
The ‘Conservative Party of Canada’ shall henceforth be referred to as the “CPC”.
The ‘Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario’ shall henceforth be referred to as the “PCPO”.
The ‘Ontario Young Progressive Conservatives’ shall henceforth be referred to as the “OYPC”.

Executive Membership

UWC Executives must become card-carrying members of the CPC within fourteen (14) days of their election, subject to verification by the President and the Past President. Executives that fail to become members of the CPC within fourteen (14) days will be required to vacate their position.

Impeachment and Disciplinary Procedure Cont.

A member of the Executive may be removed from their role upon the following circumstances:
• A written letter expressing reason, submitted to the President,
• Negligence,
• Displays or actions that threaten the good/reputation of the club, or
• Failure to secure membership within the CPC within fourteen (14) days of election.

All allegations brought forth against an executive member must be discussed with the Clubs Manager to begin a formal investigation.

Other

In cases of conflict with WUSA, WUSA rulings supersede the Constitution.
In cases of conflict with the CPC, PCPO, or OYPC, the Constitution is superseded by the Constitutions of the CPC, PCPO and the OYPC.
Unless otherwise specified by this Constitution, general meetings of the UWC shall be held according to Robert’s Rules of Order.