Iranian Students' Association of Waterloo
Last active term
Club Name
The name of the club will be Iranian Students' Association of Waterloo. 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
To cater to the needs of Iranians and non-Iranians in both Canada and those in Iran looking to join the University of Waterloo. ISAW will provide a social network to unite members on campus and in the surrounding community. ISAW will provide information and consultation to help new students adjust to life at the University of Waterloo.
Club events, activities, and/or initatives will include
Club events and activities will include impartial, non-political events to provide social support and networking opportunities to Iranian students on campus. These events will not, however, be limited to the Iranian community and the events are open to non-Iranian students alike. The club plans to hold a mix of small, mid- and large-scale events, and a variety of events to accommodate for community's interests.
Cultural events including, Persian New Year's Nauruz (usually held at Saint George Banquet Hall, ~500 attendees), Yalda Night (~150 attendees). Large scale events, including Nauroz and Yalda will be open to community members from the Kitchener Waterloo area. On campus small scale cultural events will include Persian literature nights, including poetry and literature discussion are potential events that may be held in late November and late February.
Activities that will allow for student engagement, community development, socialization and distressing will be held throughout the year, including games nights, sports events, social activities, on and off campus and term election nights. Examples include Karaoke Nights, Bombshelter parties and Waterloo Park picnics. These events will allow for social integration and a welcoming environment especially for undergraduate, and graduate students to connect. As a FEDs run group, the focus and services of ISAW remain tailored primarily to undergraduate students.
ISAW aims to hold collaborative and educational events as well. These include working with other FEDs run students associations for large scale events, as well as university based partners, for example, the Waterloo Commercialization Office (WATCO), for recurring educational workshops. Additional educational events could include workshops offered through tech companies in Kitchener, on opening start up companies.
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.
- - Progress of club, a 2 year plan/ potential 5 year goals for the club should be documented at the end of term by president
- - Create a timeline for one year, and check to see whether previous years timelines have been followed and met
- - Ensure the upcoming president is trained and keep in contact with the new president for suggestions and to offer help when needed
- - Remind executive committee of the general timeline placed at the beginning of the term
- - Will also have administrative rights to Facebook’s groups and fan pages along with marketing team
- - Has access to ISAW’s emails and electronic documents
- -President or undergraduate vice president should work to meet deadlines for the marketing group, Facebook, telegram, and Instagram accounts
- after an election is held.
- - Inform all members of the incoming executive committee, and any unfilled positions
- internal or external to the University of Waterloo
- - Commence and terminate all communication with other student associations,
- - Answer ISAW’s emails in the absence of the secretary
- - Discuss important tasks, deadlines, and goals
- - Schedule key events and all milestones required to be completed prior to the events.
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.
- - Secretary will work with the graduate vice president on administrative duties
- - Has access to ISAW’s emails and electronic documents
- - Any student information that secretary has access to should remain private
- - Student documents, IDS and user names must not be mentioned in emails and should not be made by public by secretary
- - Only blind carbon copy (BCC) is to be used when emailing a list of members by secretary
- - In charge of maintaining ISAW’s email account.
- volunteers, and the contact information for the executive committee and directors
- - Keeping track of member information: including a list of registered members,
- - Booking rooms for weekly executive meetings as required
- - Update minutes and all other documents onto ISAW’s electronic document (Google Drive)
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.
- electronic documents.
- - Forwarding all financial analyses to the secretary so as to have them posted on ISAW’s
- - Presenting a financial analysis after each event, and a final one at the end of the term.
- - Collecting membership fees when applicable
- Affairs
- - Keeping track of ISAW’s cash-flow, receipts, expenses, revenues and other financial
The Treasurer is a signing authority.
The Undergraduate Vice President ensures that:
- - Ensure the new Undergraduate VP is knows sufficient details and is assisted if requires training
- - The Undergraduate Vice President plans, books and runs the elections for each term
- - Act as the link between undergraduate members and executive committee
- - Assist the president in meeting the general timeline placed at the beginning of the term and meeting goals
- - Writing and submitting event summary reports, to archive, for second half of the term.
- - Undergraduate VP works with president in the booking, planning and execution of external events
- - Should present weekly updates regarding marketing of events
- - Undergraduate VP shall assist marketing group and ensure advertisements are made on Instagram, Telegram, and Facebook for events along with the president
- - Reminding all members of deadlines for tasks they have volunteered for
- Ensures that the next Undergraduate Vice President is trained.
The Undergraduate Vice President is a signing authority.
The Graduate Vice President ensures that:
- - Ensure upcoming Graduate VP is knows sufficient regarding position and is assisted if requires training
- - In charge of club affairs during the transition period including running clubs’ day
- - Act as the link between graduate members and executive committee respectively
- - Assist event directors and volunteers in event planning/execution
- - Write and submit event summary reports, to archive, for first half of term
- - Along with Event Administrators, the Graduate VP shall present weekly updates regarding events
- - Graduate VP shall coordinate Event Administrators and make sure event planning, booking and execution happens in a timely, efficient manner
- - Graduate Vice president is to remind volunteers and executive members of tasks and duties taken up
- Ensures that the next Graduate Vice 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 Event Administrator ensures that:
- - Administrators should choose date, and plan/ organize the event with direction provided through group consensus
- - Administrators must attend meetings, and ensure the booking for events happens timely and work with the VPs on the progress of their event
- - Event administrators are volunteers who assist in the planning, and execution of at least one event during the term
- Ensures that the next Event Administrator is trained.
The Volunteer ensures that:
- - Volunteers should discuss their progress and if any (financial needs) to VPs and also discuss the progress of their assigned task with VPs, President and and group as needed
- -Volunteers could also sign up for volunteering for one aspect of large scale event, such as serving as a photographer for Yalda Night, Dance Nights or the Persian New Year/Nauroz night.
- - General or registered members that assist Event Administrators, the President or the VPs in organizing and executing the events of that term
- Ensures that the next Volunteer is trained.
The Marketing/Webmaster ensures that:
- - Marketing group/ webmaster must ensure the next webmaster is trained sufficiently before retiring.
- - Responsible for domain and host purchases and renewals, layout design, uploading and updating content and resolving otherwise minor issues.
- - Should ensure the Facebook, Instagram and telegram remain secure
- - Should forward all graphics, logos, and posters to secretary so as to have them included in ISAW’s electronic documents.
- - The marketing member or members need to report their duties, and progress in weekly meetings and work in collaboration with the Graduate and the Undergraduate Vice President
- - Designing and implementing all advertisements along with undergraduate VP and/or president
- - Creating an advertisement plan for all events
- Ensures that the next Marketing/Webmaster is trained.
The Poster's Person ensures that:
- -Poster’s person must train a new poster’s person prior retiring.
- -For mid and large scale events including Karaoke Night, Yalda and Nauroz, multiple posters are to be created by poster’s person.
- -Should incorporate feedback from ISAW group and follow suggestions to edit the posters
- - Multiple poster's could be used, other than those by the poster's person for large scale events, created by external volunteers or other executive committee members.
- - Poster’s person is responsible for the creation of event banners and posters for each ISAW event.
- -The poster’s person will have access to Feds and ISAW logos for event posters
- Ensures that the next Poster's Person is trained.
Meetings
General Meetings
The club will hold monthly 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:
- Telegram Application
Emergency meetings can be called by an executive via:
- Telegram Application
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
No organization(s) is/are currently affiliated with this club.