Club Constitution | Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association Clubs

Ascend Canada Waterloo Chapter

Last active term

Constitution

Club Name

The name of the club will be Ascend Canada Waterloo Chapter. 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

- Provide programs and events to help our membership base develop and realize their full potential
- Cultivate the business, leadership and professional growth of members
- Strengthen our corporate ties through our planned programs, business growth opportunities and thought leadership
- Bridge the “Cultural Difference” gap between the Pan-Asian workforce and mainstream
- Leverage Pan-Asians as corporate Canada’s global asset
- Provide deeper connections with and give back to the Pan-Asian community

Club events, activities, and/or initatives will include

Orientation
Career panels
Professional etiquette
Communication and mentoring
Soft skills development
- How to network
- Business etiquette (body language, communications)
- Communication skills
- Personal Branding
- Leadership development
Mentorship & Guidance:
- Speed mentoring (one-to-many)
- Career and focus area/field of expertise advice
- Campus recruitment tips and best practices
Career Management:
- Career search
- Resume coaching
- Interviewing Techniques
- Mock interviews
Resume Building Experience:
- White paper development
- Diversity study / research projects
- Resume building experience through integrated student volunteer roles within Ascend Canada

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 two consecutive academic terms, 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 Co-President 1 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.
Preparing and distributing the executive committee meeting agendas
Submitting an annual report to the Ascend Canada National Students Affair Team
Serving as liaison between the Chapter, the Relationship Managers that have been assigned to supervise the Chapter’s activities and their respective university
Presiding over meetings of the Chapter

The Co-President 1 is a signing authority.

The Project Manager 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.

The Financial Director 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.
Drawing cheques and preparing payment vouchers for authorized expenditures
Seeking sponsorship opportunities (including university funding) and creating financial report
Tracking and facilitating financial transactions for annual memberships and ticket sales
Preparing an annual budget at the beginning of each academic year

The Director of External Affairs ensures that:

Paving the way for Ascend to forge partnerships with appropriate organizations on campus
Initiating and maintaining relationships with various groups within the university, including Student Council, Faculty, etc.
Responsible for driving member engagement and managing the member database
Ensures that the next Director of External Affairs is trained.

The Vice President ensures that:

Scheduling, coordinating and communicating dates of executive meetings
Acting as the liaison between President and the rest of the leadership team, responsible for day-to-day operation and execution
Performing the duties of the President in his or her absence or disability
The duties of the President are undertaken in his/her absence
Ensures that the next Vice President is trained.

The Vice President is a signing authority.

The Co-President 2 ensures that:

same as Co-President 1
Ensures that the next Co-President 2 is trained.

The Co-President 2 is a signing authority.

The Technology Director ensures that:

Keeping the public and internal website updated with news, upcoming events and the results of past events
Executing marketing strategies on social media platform
Maintaining and monitoring the website of the student chapter and social media pages
Ensures that the next Technology Director is trained.

The Marketing Director ensures that:

Creating multimedia materials for marketing campaigns and monitoring success of marketing campaigns
Conceptualizing and executing an appropriate brand strategy to reflect Ascend’s mission statement
Promoting and increasing awareness of the chapter and its events
Ensures that the next Marketing Director is trained.

The Events Director ensures that:

Communicating with Director of Marketing to synergize brand strategy with event initiatives
Managing and organizing event logistics, including timelines, locations, catering, etc.
Ensures that the next Events 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 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 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:

Email
Facebook
Twitter
Email

Emergency meetings can be called by an executive via:

Email
Facebook
Twitter
Phone
Email

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 Ascend Canada Annual Report.

Please refer to my comment.

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 Shortage of Asian Leaders.

This is a detailed research report addressing the shortage of Asian Leaders in corporate America, this was the only way to upload a document.

View the letter from the affiliate

The club is affiliated with Ascend Canada as a Non-Profit Organization.

Visit http://www.ascendleadership.org/?page=ascendfoundation for more information.

Attached is a brochure attachment that also stresses Ascend is a non-profit organization.

View the letter from the affiliate

The club is affiliated with Visible Minorities on Canadian Boards.

Please refer to my comment.

View the letter from the affiliate

The club is affiliated with Ascend Canada.

Ascend is expanding a new student chapter following the success of two previous student chapters. (UofT and UBC) It will follow the Ascend Canada student chapter organizational structure and process. Details can be found in the file below.

View the letter from the affiliate

The Shortage of Asian Leaders in Corporate America and Canada Report

Please refer to "Shortage of Asian Leaders" under "External Affiliations" for a detailed PDF report regarding the lack of Pan-Asian leaders in Corporate America. This was the only possible way to upload a document.

It is important to note that there is a Pan-Asian focus in regards to the club and organization, however the club is open for all students who are interested to join. As a club, we hope to help prepare Waterloo students for their upcoming careers and develop networks that are much needed. We believe that

Ascend Canada as a Non-Profit Organization

Please also refer to "Ascend Canada as a Non-Profit Organization" under "External Affiliations", where you can find a brochure attachment that also stresses Ascend is a non-profit organization.

The Ascend Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Pan-Asian organization primarily engaged in research with a mission to advocate, enable and assist Pan-Asians in North America to become the leaders of today and tomorrow. The goal of the Ascend Foundation is to help make a difference in the Pan-Asian community and industry in major North American metropolitan regions.

The Ascend Foundation engages in both basic and applied research to create applicable ways for the Pan-Asian community in North America to become better innovators, role models and catalysts for change. The Ascend Foundation’s research findings support and advocate the Pan-Asian community by cultivating the leadership skills needed to improve the stance of Pan-Asians in North American corporate environments as well as recognize skills that could propel them to leadership positions. The Ascend Foundation aims to reach an understanding of how to integrate multiple cultures and leadership styles leading to global success.

For more information on the Ascend Foundation, email us at foundation@ascendleadership.org or contact Sofia Poyhonen at sofia.poyhonen@ascendleadership.org

Visit http://www.ascendleadership.org/?page=ascendfoundation for more details.