Constitution

I. Name

The name of the organization shall be the Environmental Science Student Union.

II. Objectives

The objectives of the Environmental Science Student Union are:

  1. to provide a framework for communication between Environmental Science students
  2. to organize campus events, and to undertake projects and activities of interest to Environmental Science students.
  3. to increase the profile and accessibility of the Environmental Science programs.

III. Membership

Automatic membership in the Environmental Science Student Union shall be extended to:

  1. all students in the Environmental Science undergraduate program and
  2. students enrolled in Environmental Science & Resource and Environmental Management courses, including but not limited to REM 100 and EVSC 100. 

IV. Executive Committee

The Executive shall consist of:

  1. The President
  2. The Treasurer
  3. The Secretary
  4. The Webmaster
  5. The Interdepartmental Representative
  6. The Event Coordinator
  7. The Council Representative

V. Meetings

  1. There shall be at least two regular general meetings per semester.
  2. Notice of General Meetings shall consist of
    1. an email to the student union mail-list, which shall be updated every semester
    2. posting on the SFU EVSCSU Facebook page, no less than 4 days in advance
  3. The quorum for a general meeting shall be 5 members of the Environmental Science Student Union. Proxy votes are not allowed.
  4. If at any time no member of the Executive is able or willing to call a general meeting at the request of the membership, any member may do so providing proper notice is given.

VI. Officers

There shall be the following officers of the Union:

  1. President – The powers and duties of the president shall be:
    1. to prepare agendas, chair meetings, and coordinate activities of the union and
    2. to ensure that the requirements of the Constitution and the decisions of the Union are carried out.
  2. Secretary – The duties of the secretary shall be: 
    1. to take minutes at Student Union meetings and to forward all minutes to the President and Webmaster.
  3. Treasurer – The duties of the treasurer shall be:
    1. to keep financial records and perform financial duties on behalf of the Student Union.
  4. Webmaster – The duties of Webmaster shall be:
    1. maintaining the student union website, including posting meeting minutes online
    2. posting student union announcements to the mail list, Facebook, and website, and
    3. managing the student union mail list, evscsu-evsc@sfu.ca.
  5. Event Coordinator – The Duties of Event Coordinator shall be:
    1. to design and distribute event posters
    2. to coordinate in-class announcements
    3. to promote all union social events through social media (Facebook), and
    4. plan and coordinate all union social events (pub nights, semester-end socials etc.) including being responsible for obtaining all required permits and licenses. In this regard, the union agrees to provide funding, if necessary, so that the Event Coordinator can obtain their “serving it right” license.
  6. Council Representative – The duties of Council Representative shall be:
    1. to represent the Department at SFSS Council meetings, including voting on behalf of the Department on Council matters, and
    2. to act as a liaison between the Student Union and Council.
  7. Interdepartmental Representative – The duties of the Interdepartmental Representative shall be:
    1. to represent the Department at Faculty of Environment Liaison meetings, and
    2. coordinate with other departments within the Faculty to promote cross-departmental engagement.

VII. Elections

  1. Terms of office shall be one year. Candidate must commit to a minimum of 1 semester in office to be eligible to run for office, with their position being held if they wish to complete the full one-year term.
  2. Elections shall take place within the first 30 days of the fall semester. The notice of the meeting shall contain notice of the elections. Nominations are open until the election is conducted.
  3. Any member of the Environmental Science Student Union is eligible for any position.
  4. Voting shall be by raised hands, with the person receiving the majority vote elected.
  5. In the event that a vacancy occurs on the Executive committee, an election shall take place at the next general meeting. Notice of this meeting shall include notice of the election.
  6. The members may recall any person elected to represent them by a 2/3rds vote of the members present at a quorate meeting called for this purpose. Notice of the meeting must contain the purpose. 

VIII. Amendments

  1. This Constitution may be amended by the membership of the Environmental Science Student Union by a 2/3rds majority of those present and voting at the quorate meeting called for the purpose;
  2. Except that Section 9, Dissolution, shall not be amended.
  3. Such amendment shall not be effective unless ratified by the Simon Fraser Student Society. 

IX. Dissolution

  1. In the event that the members decide to dissolve the Environmental Science Student Union or in the event that the Environmental Science Student Union becomes inactive, all assets of the Environmental Science Student Union become the property of the Simon Fraser Student Society, to be held in trust for a minimum period of two years.
  2. If during this period the Environmental Science Student Union becomes active again, the trust shall be dissolved and all assets shall become the property of the Environmental Science Student Union. After two years, if the trust has not been dissolved, the Simon Fraser Student Society may dispose of the assets as it sees fit.
  3. For the purpose of this article the Environmental Science Student Union shall have become inactive if, for two consecutive semesters, the membership does not hold the minimum number of quorate meetings as required by this constitution.
  4. This article shall not be altered except with the prior written consent of the Simon Fraser Student Society.

 

Ratified EVSCSU November 2018