UW Neurodivergence Alliance
Last active term
Club Name
The name of the club will be UW Neurodivergence Alliance. 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 a safe place for Neurodivergent (ND) and Neurotypical (NT) allies to come together and build a strong, understanding community for those with neurodivergencies and allies. We aim to help members and the general UW population learn about neurodivergencies, find/access support and resources, as well as advocate for many hidden disabilities. We hope to reduce stigma towards neurodivergencies, ultimately aiming to increase internal and university wide acceptance.
Club events, activities, and/or initatives will include
various social and educational events. Social events range from special interest presentations/session, movie/game nights, craft nights, cooking sessions, walks to the park/trail, trivia/Kahoots, and other social outings on and off campus. Educational events, such as info sessions, discussions regarding neurodivergencies, or societal impacts on ND individuals will be focused on sharing resources and support within the community. Overall, the goal of the NeuroDivers club is to build bonds, share interests and spread knowledge.
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.
- The constitution is accurate and club regulations are followed.
- There is advocacy for club goals to WUSA and other organizations.
- Incoming execs are trained, and current execs are held to club standards.
- There are exec meetings, exec voting processes, and all club events/activities are within the club’s purview.
- Members of the club are consistently engaged through announcements, QOTD, and invite suggestions for the club.
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.
- Oversees club responsibilities and takes on roles when the president or other execs are unable to, and do so until a new vote can be made.
- Responsible for keeping an organized record of past club activities, meeting notes, meeting availabilities and scheduling.
- Send event reminders no later than 4 hours before the event
- Be available to meet with club members, execs, and the president regularly to discuss goals, activities and future plans.
- Ability to contribute to the club constitution and rules.
The Vice President is a signing authority.
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.
- Meeting minutes/notes are recorded and made available to all voting members.
- The club remains a safe and inclusive community for all members.
- Responsible for keeping a record of all income and expenses, budget discrepancies and communicating them with the exec team.
- Search for most cost effective materials and promotional content and determine cost estimates for planned events.
- Ensures that the club budget is used reasonably and appropriately according to the WUSA club handbook.
The Treasurer is a signing authority.
The Conflict and Accessibility Manager ensures that:
- Their successor is trained.
- Monitoring social media platforms for conflicts or inflammatory comments, resolving conflicts between club members, as well as issuing warnings to those who violate rules and informing the president/vp immediately.
- Remains up to date with the rulebook, safety measures and crisis hotlines and suggest changes if necessary.
- Keeps an eye out for inappropriate exec conduct and bans trolls, spam, and members that defy rules and ignore warnings.
- Understand the variability of mental illnesses, disabilities, and neurodivergencies and be willing to answer questions regarding accessibility concerns.
- Be familiar with accessibility technology for in-person and virtual events, including suggesting and maintaining role bots and DID system bots on the Discord server.
- Suggest modifications or event alternatives to make events more accessible.
- Ensures that the next Conflict and Accessibility Manager is trained.
The Design Manager ensures that:
- Their successor is trained.
- Works with the Social Media Manager to create multiple prototypes for promotional material of a consistent theme, such as social media posts, posters and buttons or stickers.
- Obtains and maintains familiarity with the design tools and formatting used for artistic material.
- Ensures all material created is consistent and aligns with the spirit and values of the club.
- Works closely with the Treasurer to determine cost of production for club material.
- Ensures that the next Design Manager is trained.
The Events Manager ensures that:
- Their successor is trained.
- Plans, books and documents in-person and virtual events for club members, while communicating time, location and activity to the execs.
- Ensures that the event can be carried out in a timely manner, keeping track of upcoming events and is responsible for filing out the calendar.
- Works alongside the exec team to determine budget, collaboration and promotion.
- Ensures that the next Events Manager is trained.
The Social Media Manager ensures that:
- Their successor is trained.
- Posts regularly regarding upcoming events on the club Instagram account, ensuring content reflects club values.
- Maintains communication by answering DMs on the club Instagram
- Stays up to date with Instagram and other popular Social Media platform features, as well as keeping track of notable trends in following and engagement.
- Works with the Creative Director to ensure Instagram posts are visually engaging, and propose ideas for posts or content to boost engagement with the club Instagram.
- Ensures that the next Social Media Manager 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 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 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:
- Discord, Email
Emergency meetings can be called by an executive via:
- Discord, 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
No organization(s) is/are currently affiliated with this club.