UW Sew-Ciety
Club Name
The name of the club will be UW Sew-Ciety. 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
The purpose of the club is to gather University of Waterloo students, staff, faculty, and members of the UW community at large to create a space where individuals can come together to learn, share, and practice sewing skills. Our mission is to promote sustainable fashion by offering hands-on workshops, clothing repair services, and creative upcycling projects that help reduce textile waste. We aim to foster a supportive community that encourages collaboration, self-expression, inclusivity, and ethical consumption. We provide the resources and tools needed to help you express your creativity and make sustainable fashion choices accessible to everyone.
Club events, activities, and/or initatives will include
1. Sewing Workshops: Hands-on workshops where members can learn a variety of sewing techniques, from basic to advanced. These workshops will cover everything from stitching by hand to using machines like sergers, helping members build confidence in their skills.
2. Clothing Repair Sessions: Regular repair sessions where students can bring in clothes that need fixing—whether it’s reattaching buttons, hemming pants, or fixing zippers—offering a free and sustainable alternative to buying new.
3. Upcycling Projects: Group projects that encourage members to creatively transform old or thrifted clothing into new, personalized fashion pieces. These projects promote sustainability and help reduce textile waste.
4. Sustainable Fashion Awareness Campaigns: Campus-wide campaigns to raise awareness about the impact of fast fashion and promote the benefits of upcycling and repairing clothes. This could include guest speakers, social media initiatives, and partnerships with other eco-friendly organizations on campus.
5. Pop-up Repair Stations: On-campus repair stations where fellow Waterloo Warriors can drop by to get their clothes fixed on the spot. This encourages a culture of repair and reuse, making sustainability accessible and convenient for all students.
6. Accessible Sewing Hub: A drop-in sewing space on campus where club members can access sewing machines, tools, and supplies during designated hours under supervision. This hub provides a flexible and creative environment for students to work on their own projects at their own pace.
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 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.
The Secretary 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.
The Treasurer 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 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:
- Phone
- Discord
Emergency meetings can be called by an executive via:
- Phone
- Discord
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 St. Jeromes. The nature of the affiliation, including the conditions required by both parties, is outlined as follows:
UW Sew-Ciety has an internal affiliation with St. Jerome’s University through a space-sharing agreement that runs from June 1, 2025 to June 1, 2026. As part of this agreement, we’ve been given access to a dedicated space (Room 1013B) on the St. Jerome’s campus. The room is used exclusively by our club for sewing practice, equipment storage, and other general club activities.
The room is available to us during St. Jerome’s working hours, and on special occasions with St. Jerome’s approval, between the hours that the FOB they gave us works to unlock the building and rooms, which is currently 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily. To keep the space secure, the room will remain locked when not in use. Only two execs per term will be authorized to have keys, and they’ll need to formally request access by filling out a form through St. Jerome’s.
This affiliation is an important part of how the club operates. Future exec teams are expected to maintain this relationship, follow the room usage guidelines, and keep in regular contact with St. Jerome’s staff to make sure the space stays available and well-managed.