Waterloo Students and Microbiology (WatSAM)
Last active term
Club Name
The name of the club will be Waterloo Students and Microbiology (WatSAM). 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
a) foster interdisciplinary collaborations and relationships between students and Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research (WCMR) members
b) connect and educate students, both graduate and undergraduate, in the diverse world of microbiology
Waterloo Students and Microbiology (WatSAM) was established to create an avenue for students from all six faculties to collaborate and network. This group is made up of undergraduate and graduate students who are connected to microbiology and are dedicated to fostering the research and education of the study of microbial communities. WatSAM will educate and connect these students as well as facilitate their professional progress in the study of microbiomes through S.P.I.R.I.T.
Core Values:
Success: SWCMR will attempt to push its members to want to be the best version of themselves through education & fun.
Positivity: SWCMR believes success thrives best in an environment of positivity
Interdisciplinary collaboration: Like the WCMR, SWCMR will partner with all faculties as well as interested companies to promote education and research in microbiology-related fields.
Respect: All members of the SWCMR are welcome without judgement or discrimination.
Integrity: All SWCMR members are expected to be honest and be accountable for their actions.
Teamwork: At SWCMR, teamwork is very encouraged as it is the foundation of the WCMR.
Club events, activities, and/or initatives will include
academic workshops, social events and seminars, industry and faculty networking and community outreach.
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 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.
- Ensures the club’s WUSA bank account and all financial transactions for the club are monitored and verified,
- Responsible for smooth exec management and acts as a liaison between Waterloo Students and Microbiology (WatSAM) and the Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research (WCMR)
- Organizes general operations and attends operating committee meetings for each sub-team
- Acts as the official spokesperson to contacts outside of the University of Waterloo
- Prepares termly report for the Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research (WCMR) to summarize club accomplishments and plans for upcoming term
The Co-President 1 is a signing authority.
The Co-President 2 (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.
- All club revenues are collected, deposited into the club’s WUSA bank account, and reconciled correctly and within a timely manner
- Ensures the club’s WUSA bank account and all financial transactions for the club are monitored and verified
- Club cheque requests are submitted correctly and in a timely manner
- The club works towards its objectives as agreed upon by the membership; and.
- Organizes general operations and attends operating committee sub-meetings
- Acts as the official spokesperson to contacts outside of the University of Waterloo
- Duties of the Treasurer are under the responsibilities of the Vice-President Administrative & Operations (Secretary).
The Co-President 2 (Secretary) is a signing authority.
The Vice-President Academic 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.
- Science Communication team is well informed of research expectations and deadlines.
- Schedules and spreadsheets are made to organize secondary research articles/infographics for WatSAM Web book
- All WatSAM produced scientific articles are accurately cited following APA citation guidelines to give proper credit to all appropriate researchers
- Continual feedback and guidance are given to Science Communication team to improve quality of research and diversify topic covered in communication materials.
- Effective communication with Vice-President Marketing is done to showcase Science Communication team’s work on Instagram through infographics
The Vice-President Social ensures that:
- Accurate upkeep of the WatSAM website and manages all related social media accounts
- Social events are promoted for WatSAM members and UW undergraduates through social media and posters around campus
- Employs marketing strategies in line with current media trends to expand club’s outreach on social accounts.
- Consistent communication with Vice-President Internal to conduct Instagram takeovers.
- Consistent communication with Vice-President Academic to showcase infographics on social media and articles are reviewed for the WatSAM Web book.
- Ensures that the next Vice-President Social is trained.
The Vice-President Events ensures that:
- Organize events for WatSAM members and the UWaterloo undergraduate community e.g. tours, excursions, hangouts, lab workshops, etc
- Organizes and promotes opportunities for students outside the UWaterloo campus, including at other Universities and within the local community
- Plans events in an effort to connect and educate students interested in microbiology while ensuring club budgets are not exceeded
- Ensures that the next Vice-President Events is trained.
The Vice-President Internal ensures that:
- Outreach for merchandise is conducted, discounts are coordinated, and partnerships with companies are established.
- Professors and industry professionals are contacted to speak at events or participate in takeovers throughout the term
- WatSAM is promoted to various WUSA clubs on campus to increase outreach as we promote club initiatives.
- Members are reminded about meetings, and meeting notes are prepared before the meetings.
- Meeting rooms are booked, and attendance is accurately recorded at each meeting
- Regular feedback from club members is collected and used to improve WatSAM, and this feedback is shared with the club presidents
- Anonymous complaints are collected, and appropriate actions are taken to resolve issues
- Club cheque requests are submitted and approved by higher executives in a timely manner to ensure prompt reimbursement for members
- Duties of the Treasurer are under the responsibilities of the Vice-President Administrative & Operations (Secretary)
- Ensures that the next Vice-President Internal is trained.
The Vice-President Internal is a signing authority.
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 bi-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, Instagram
Emergency meetings can be called by an executive via:
- Email, Instagram
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 Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research (WCMR). The nature of the affiliation, including the conditions required by both parties, is outlined as follows:
Source: https://uwaterloo.ca/waterloo-centre-microbial-research/students
The WCMR provides funding opportunity to the Waterloo Students and Microbiology (WatSAM) club if WatSAM submits a funding application.
“The Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research (WCMR) can assist its members in their search and application for funding as well as other information, through several different mechanisms:
• Finding potential collaborators for faculty members on different research projects.
• Providing helpful information on upcoming grant applications and research programs.
• Providing advice for applying to certain programs, grant applications and proposals.
• Presenting new funding opportunities to WCMR members.
• Managing large collaborative projects to aid WCMR members.”
Source: https://uwaterloo.ca/waterloo-centre-microbial-research/faculty
The Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research (WCMR) at the University of Waterloo, officially recognized by the senate of the University of Waterloo on May 15, 2017, combines interdisciplinary research and academic programs which explore and exploit microbial communities and their collective genomic potential. As such, the WCMR is home to all “microbiome” research on campus.
The WCMR brings together shared computational and multi-omic infrastructure and methodology, with research themes spanning microbiology, genomics, computational biology, bioinformatics, earth sciences, environment & ecology, and engineering. More importantly, the WCMR supports coordinated interdisciplinary microbiome research spanning the full spectrum from basic research discovery to the application of microorganisms to solve problems of economic and environmental impact.