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Office: BV-359
- E-mail: shado@utsc.utoronto.ca
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Constitution
of:
The
Students of Humanities Association and Departmental Organization
Article 1: Name
The association shall be called the “The Students of Humanities Association
and Departmental Organization,” hereafter referred to as SHADO.
For the purposes of this document, SHADO may also be referred to
as “the association”.
Article 2: Mandate
a)
To serve as a comprehensive resource and referral
service for students in all Humanities disciplines at the
b)
To encourage interaction and the exchange of ideas
between students and faculty in the Department of Humanities.
c)
To work with
the Department of Humanities to facilitate long-term growth within the
Department.
d)
To advocate on behalf of individual Humanities
Students and students enrolled in courses within the Humanities to the
administration and faculty.
e)
To advocate on behalf of Humanities Students as a
whole within U of T Scarborough governance.
Article 3: Membership
a)
All students enrolled at the
b)
All first year students who accept an Offer of
Admission to the University Scarborough within the Department of Humanities are
automatically considered members of the association.
c)
Membership is active from the day after enrolment
in a Humanities Subject POSt or first day of classes for first year students in
the Department until the day before the first day of classes for the following
Fall Term.
d)
All members of SHADO are eligible to discuss
matters at General Meetings.
e)
All members of SHADO are eligible to cast one vote
per question at General Meetings.
f)
All members are permitted to examine the finances
of the association with due notice.
g)
All members are eligible to be elected to executive
positions.
h)
Each member’s information will be help in the strictest
of confidence and will not be sold or released to any other organization or
association.
Article 4: Executive and Director
Positions
All positions are voluntary, non-paid positions open to members of
SHADO. The term for these positions
extends from May 1st of each year until April 31st of the
following year.
a)
President
i.
Oversee and manage the association, assuring that
its integrity is maintained,
ii.
Act as official representative of the association,
liasing with the Humanities Department.
iii.
Serve as a signing officer of the association.
iv.
Ensure a plurality of voices, representative of all
academic disciplines within the Department of Humanities, are heard within the
association.
v.
Organize at least one General Meeting per term of
office.
vi.
Coordinate Professor Hiring with the Department of
Humanities.
vii.
Organize a Continuity Day with the incoming
President to assure a smooth transition from year to year at the latest before
the first two weeks of the new executives’ term of office.
viii.
Attend
Departmental Student Association Council meetings.
ix.
Attend all SHADO Organizational and General
Meetings.
x.
Schedule and attend at minimum two Office Hours per
week. Alternate arrangement may be made
for summer, exam periods, study breaks, and reading weeks.
xi.
Assist other Executives and Directors when
appropriate, such as by participating in Class Talks, Welcome Events, and
Professor Hiring Committees.
xii.
Fulfill the duties of an absent Vice-President in
collaboration with the associated Director.
b)
Vice President Academics
i.
Organize Class Talks at the beginning of each
Academic Term for SHADO representatives to speak with a variety of classes from
each discipline and level about SHADO’s upcoming activities.
ii.
Run academic awareness and advocacy campaigns as
appropriate, including Academic Rights.
iii.
Liaise with, act as the official contact for, and
provide students with referrals to campus academic resources, including but not
limited to Academic Advising & Career Centre, Writing Centre, Library.
iv.
Provide individual students with options upon
hearing an academic complaint.
v.
Advocate on behalf of Humanities Students as group
or individual students if they so desire to the administration and governance.
vi.
Work with administration to address concerns in a
proactive and constructive manner.
vii.
Sit as the SHADO representative on Academic
Committee of College Council as well as other committees offered by the
administration once agreed upon by the SHADO Executives.
viii.
Attend all SHADO Organizational and General
Meetings.
ix.
Schedule and attend at minimum two Office Hours per
week. Alternate arrangement may be made
for summer, exam periods, study breaks, and reading weeks.
x.
Oversee, collaborate with and delegate to the
Director of Academics.
xi.
Fulfill the duties of the Director of Academics if
the elected official is unable to do so or the position is vacant in
collaboration with the Vice-President Events.
xii.
Assist other Executives and Directors when
appropriate, such as by participating in Class Talks, Welcome Events, and
Professor Hiring Committees.
xiii.
Serve as President in the event that the office is
vacant or the President is otherwise unable to serve.
c)
Vice President Operations
i.
Manage the association’s finances.
ii.
Procure funding and sponsorship for needs that are
not specific to particular events, such as meeting with the Humanities
Department, applying to the Enhancement Fund, and working with the Student Life
Department.
iii.
Manage the association’s office, including
maintaining a key list with the
iv.
Serve as a signing officer of the association.
v.
Attend all SHADO Organizational and General
Meetings.
vi.
Schedule and attend at minimum two Office Hours per
week. Alternate arrangement may be made
for summer, exam periods, study breaks, and reading weeks.
vii.
Oversee, collaborate with and delegate to the
Director of Volunteers.
viii.
Fulfill the duties of the Director of Volunteers if
the elected official is unable to do so or the position is vacant.
ix.
Assist other Executives and Directors when appropriate,
such as by participating in Class Talks, Welcome Events, and Professor Hiring
Committees.
x.
Serve as President in the event that both the
office of President and Vice President Academics are vacant, or these
Executives are otherwise unable to serve.
d)
Vice President Communications
i.
Maintain a list of clubs that pertain to the
Humanities Department and update clubs regularly about SHADO’s activities and
ways that clubs can collaborate with SHADO.
ii.
Design and update all permanent SHADO promotional
materials, including but not limited to the bulletin board, pamphlets, and
banners.
iii.
Send all Humanities Students emails from SHADO,
including forwarding advertisements about events.
iv.
Oversee, collaborate with and delegate to the
Webmaster and Syndicate Editor.
v.
Organize and Chair all SHADO Organizational
Meetings.
vi.
Record and make available minutes from
Organizational and General Meetings.
vii.
Upkeep email account, including keeping inbox clean
and forwarding emails to appropriate Executives and Directors.
viii.
Attend all SHADO Organizational and General
Meetings.
ix.
Schedule and attend at minimum two Office Hours per
week. Alternate arrangement may be made
for summer, exam periods, study breaks, and reading weeks.
x.
Fulfill the duties of the Webmaster or Syndicate
Editor if the volunteers are unable to do so or the positions are vacant.
xi.
Assist other Executives and Directors when
appropriate, such as by participating in Class Talks, Welcome Events, and
Professor Hiring Committees.
e)
Vice President Events
i.
Assist and supervise the Directors of Academics and
Collaborations as they plan events.
ii.
Plan, advertise, and execute a major welcome event
for each term.
iii.
Organize smaller events as the need arises.
iv.
Coordinate SHADO’s involvement in campus-wide
events and collaborative efforts, such as Club’s Weeks.
v.
Maintain an overarching picture of the events of
the year so that they are appropriately spaced, do not overlap in timing with
other major campus events, and do not overlap in subject with events run by
Humanities-focused clubs.
vi.
Serve as a resource to Humanities-focused clubs
about event planning.
vii.
Attend all SHADO Organizational and General
Meetings.
viii.
Schedule and attend at minimum two Office Hours per
week. Alternate arrangement may be made
for summer, exam periods, study breaks, and reading weeks.
ix.
Oversee, collaborate with and delegate to the
Director of Collaborations.
x.
Fulfill the duties of the Director of
Collaborations and the event duties of the Director of Academics if the elected
officials are unable to do so or the positions are vacant.
xi.
Assist other Executives and Directors when
appropriate, such as by participating in Class Talks, Welcome Events, and
Professor Hiring Committees.
f)
Director of Academics
i.
Assist the Vice-President Academics to organize
academic-related campaigns.
ii.
Plan, advertise, and execute one major academic
event per term, on a trimestered basis, with the assistance of the
Vice-President Events.
iii.
Act as delegate to the Vice-President Academics if
said official is unavailable for governance meetings and engagements.
iv.
Attend all SHADO Organizational and General
Meetings.
v.
Schedule and attend at minimum one Office Hour per
week. Alternate arrangement may be made
for summer, exam periods, study breaks, and reading weeks.
vi.
Serve as Vice-President Academics in the event that
the office is vacant or the Vice-President Academics is otherwise unable to
serve.
vii.
Assist other Executives and Directors when
appropriate, such as by participating in Class Talks, Welcome Events, and Professor
Hiring Committees.
g)
Director of Volunteers
i.
Recruit volunteers for Webmaster, Syndicate Editor,
Hiring Committee Representatives, and Ad-Hoc Volunteers.
ii.
Hire a Webmaster and Syndicate Editor with the
Vice-President Communications.
iii.
Appoint Hiring Committee Representatives with the
President as needed.
iv.
Maintain a list of Ad-Hoc Volunteers and send
frequent updates about potential volunteer opportunities, including assisting
with major SHADO events or helping at events run by the department.
v.
Track progress of volunteers in order to assure
that volunteers with solid participation are reconsidered in the future.
vi.
Reward volunteers at the end of each opportunity,
term, or year, as appropriate.
vii.
Attend all SHADO Organizational and General
Meetings.
viii.
Schedule and attend at minimum one Office Hour per
week. Alternate arrangement may be made
for summer, exam periods, study breaks, and reading weeks.
ix.
Serve as Vice-President Operations in the event
that the office is vacant or the Vice-President Operations is otherwise unable
to serve.
x.
Assist other Executives and Directors when
appropriate, such as by participating in Class Talks, Welcome Events, and
Professor Hiring Committees.
h)
Director of Collaborations
i.
Plan, advertise, and execute five major non-academic
events per year (1 summer, 2 fall, 2 winter), with focuses such as social,
career, or future development.
ii.
Assist the Vice-President Events with welcome
events.
iii.
Attend all SHADO Organizational and General
Meetings.
iv.
Schedule and attend at minimum one Office Hour per
week. Alternate arrangement may be made
for summer, exam periods, study breaks, and reading weeks.
v.
Serve as Vice-President Events in the event that
the office is vacant or the Vice-President Events is otherwise unable to serve.
vi.
Assist other Executives and Directors when
appropriate, such as by participating in Class Talks, Welcome Events, and
Professor Hiring Committees.
Article 6: Volunteers
a)
Webmaster
i.
Update frequently the SHADO website with new
information from Executives and Directors.
ii.
Create website content as discussed with the
Vice-President Communications.
iii.
Redesign the website as appropriate.
iv.
Report to the Vice-President Communications.
v.
Attend Organizational Meetings as requested by the
Vice-President Communications or President to speak and inform Executives and
Directors about the website.
b)
Syndicate Editor
i.
Write for, edit, advertise, and release one edition
of the Syndicate for each of the fall and winter terms that effectively
communicates the goals, progress, and future aspirations of the association and
the Department of Humanities.
ii.
Organize volunteers, contact information provided
by the Director of Volunteers, to assist with the production of the paper,
including writing, interviews, and photography.
iii.
Release each edition of the Syndicate no later than
two weeks after the first day of classes for that term.
c)
Hiring Committee Representatives
i.
Sit on the SHADO portion of the Department of
Humanities Professor Hiring Committees for at minimum one position.
ii.
Attend interviews for all candidates for the
position(s).
iii.
Discuss responses to
individual candidates and candidates as a group with the other members of the
SHADO portion of the Hiring Committee.
iv.
Send official comments to
the SHADO Representative on the Hiring Committee to contribute to the final
report sent to the Chair of the Department of Humanities.
d)
Ad Hoc Volunteers
i.
Maintain name on a list of potential volunteers.
ii.
Assist with individual activities, such as major
SHADO events, Department events, or Syndicate production.
Article 7: Elections
a)
All members of SHADO in one year are able to run
for election for executive and director positions for the following year.
b)
Elections will be held at a General Meeting in
March.
c)
The President, or delegate if the President is
running in the election, as the official Elections Representative shall
announce a notice of election no later than two weeks before the election.
d)
The notice of election must appear on the
association’s website, in an email to all Humanities students, and via posters
on bulletin boards.
e)
Candidates for election must submit a nomination
form stating their name, student number, signature of three SHADO members, and
the position(s) for which they intend to run to the Elections Representative at
least 48 hours prior to the election.
f)
The Elections Representative shall try their utmost
to verify the status of the candidates as members of the association.
g)
The General Meeting shall be presided over by the
Elections Representative.
h)
Positions will be contested in the sequence in
which they appear in this Constitution, beginning with the President and
proceeding through the Directors.
i)
Candidates who have completed nomination forms may
declare their interest in each position at any time up until the election for
that position takes place.
j)
Each candidate for each position will have the
opportunity to speak for up to three minutes about why they are the best
candidate for the position.
k)
Each member of the association is entitled to cast
one vote for each position.
l)
Votes shall be cast by secret ballot.
m)
Votes shall be counted by the Elections
Representative and any candidate for the position at hand who wishes to
observe.
n)
The candidate who receives the most number of votes
for each position is the winner for that position.
o)
Candidates who are not elected may run for another
position if any remain.
p)
In the event of a tie, the Elections Representative
shall have a revote for the people who are tied with the highest number of
votes.
q)
Quorum for elections shall be twenty members.
r)
In the case that there may be vacant positions they
may be filled through by-election no earlier than September and no later than
October in the same manner as outlined above.
Article 8: Removal of Executives,
Directors, and Volunteers
a)
Removal of Senior Executive
Members.
i.
If the President feels as though an Executive is not performing their
duties, or if sufficient reason is presented to the President by a member of
the association suggesting that this is the case, the President shall hold a
meeting with the Executive.
ii.
If the Executive and the President cannot work out a solution and if the
Executive’s performance does not improve within two weeks, the President shall
bring the issue to the next Organizational Meeting.
iii.
If the President is the Executive who is not performing, the issue shall
come directly to an Organizational Meeting.
iv.
If improvements are not realized by the next Organizational Meeting, any
Executive or Director may move a motion of Removal of Duties.
v.
Removal of Duties entails the complete removal of the Executive from
their position, including removal of title, powers, duties, and return of keys.
vi.
A motion of Removal of Duties requires two thirds majority to pass.
vii.
If improvements are made there will not be a motion of Removal of
Duties; however, if the Executive fails to maintain improvements then a motion
of Removal of Duties can come to any Organizational Meeting.
viii.
If an Executive acts in a way that is immediately damaging to the
organization and requires a swift response, any Executive can temporarily
remove the Executive in question’s office until an Emergency Organizational
Meeting can be called.
b)
Removal of Director.
i.
Removal of Directors proceed in the same manner to Removal of
Executives; however, the Vice-President who oversees the Director will fulfill
the President’s role.
c)
Removal of Volunteers
i.
The Director of Volunteers in association with the Executive or Director
who oversees the volunteer can remove any volunteers for misconduct.
ii.
Volunteers who are removed from their positions by the Director of
Volunteers have the right to appeal to the association at an Organizational
Meeting.
iii.
In the case of an appeal, the association shall hear the appeal from the
appellant; hear a response from the Director of Volunteers.
iv.
The appellant and any Executives or Directors involved shall then leave
the room.
v.
The remaining Executives and Directors shall vote in favour of
maintaining or reversing the Director of Volunteer’s actions. The vote requires simple majority.
Article 9: Finances
a)
The association agrees to adhere to such standards
and practices, regarding its funding, as are established by the Office of
Student Affairs or may be established in the future, in reference to the
associations’ role as a Departmental Student Association.
Article 10: Organizational Meetings
a)
The entire team of Executives and Directors will
meet biweekly.
b)
All Executives and Directors are voting members at
the Organizational Meetings.
c)
The Vice-President Communications shall organize,
create the agenda for, chair, and take minutes for Organizational meetings, or
shall delegate the tasks as appropriate.
d)
If the Vice-President Communications is unavailable
for a meeting, the President shall take over the meeting responsibilities.
e)
The Vice-President Communications or President must
give at minimum one week notice for each meeting.
f)
Emergency Meetings, meetings outside of the regular
schedule that have less than one week notice given, require the consent of at
least two thirds of the voting members.
g)
Voting members are expected to attend meetings and
respond to requests regarding their availability in order to schedule such
meetings.
h)
Quorum for any meeting shall be a simply majority
(50%+1) of voting members.
i)
Minutes from every Organizational Meeting shall be
made public to members of the association by the Vice-President Communications
after they are approved by voting members.
Article 11: General Meetings
a)
Calling Meetings.
i.
There shall be at least one General Meeting in
March of each year, held in connection with elections.
ii.
Additional General Meetings may be called at the
discretion of the Executives.
iii.
The President, or delegate, shall give notice of
and organizate all General Meetings.
iv.
Notice of any General Meeting must appear on the
association’s website and must be distributed through a general mailing
list. Additional publicity is
encouraged.
v.
Members of the association may petition for a
General Meeting at any time, and if the petition is signed by 50 members the
President shall call a General Meeting for no later than one (1) month from the
time of receipt of the petition.
a. If the
President does not call a General Meeting within the appropriate time, any of
the petition signators may call a General Meeting of the association,
publicizing it as best they can, and that student shall then chair the meeting.
b)
General Meeting Agenda
i.
Items for discussion at a General Meeting must be
circulated with the original notice of meeting.
ii.
Items may be added to the agenda, from the floor,
with a two-thirds majority.
c)
Conduct of Business
i.
The President shall chair General Meetings.
ii.
If the General Meeting is happening along with an
Election and the President is running in the Election, the Election
Representative shall chair the meeting.
iii.
Quorum for the conduct of business at a general
meeting shall be fifty general members, twenty of whom must be present in
person.
iv.
Each member of the association is eligible to
obtain proxies from other members in the form of a written declaration.
v.
No member may wield more than five proxies in
addition to his or her own vote.
vi.
Proxy forms must be submitted to the Chair of the
General Meeting no later than 48 hours before the meeting begins.
vii.
The Chair of the meeting shall verify proxies to
assure that all proxy votes are of students within the Humanities
Department.
viii.
Proxy votes are eligible for constitutional changes
but not for elections.
d)
Minutes
a)
A record of minutes from each General Meeting shall
be made publicly available to all members by the Vice-President Communications.
Article 12: Affiliated Clubs
a)
Clubs that serve the needs and interests of
students in the Department of Humanities are eligible to affiliate with
SHADO. Clubs that are affiliated with
SHADO are entitled to the support of the organization and use of the office
space subject to such rules and policies as may be established. As such, SHADO is also entitled to the
support of said clubs should the need arise.
b)
The Executives and Directors by majority vote shall
have the final determining authority over whether or not a club is, in fact,
affiliated with the association.
Article 13: Constitutional Ammendments
a)
Amendments to the Constitution must be made at a
General Meeting by simple majority.
b)
Changes to the Constitution take effect the May 1
following the date of approval.
Article 14: Handling of Food on Campus
a)
The association will conform to Provincial and
Municipal Health Regulations when events held at the