Constitution
of the Dawson Urban Lifestyle Club
I Name
1.
The full name of the club shall be the “Dawson’s Urban Lifestyle Club”.
2.
The short form shall be the “Urban Lifestyle Club”.
3.
The club and its leadership shall hereby be referred to as the “Club”.
II Objective
1.
To introduce the urban lifestyle to the student body in a fun and educational
way. As well as give the students of Dawson an opportunity to embrace the urban
lifestyle and enjoy the benefits of being part of a college and organization that
embraces diverse cultures and individuality.
III Membership
1.
Membership in the Club shall be open to all active Dawson Student Union
members, without discrimination on any basis, including but not limited to ethnic or
national origin, sex, religion or lack thereof, or sexual orientation, as outlined in
Section Fifteen of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
2.
Members shall enjoy the following rights:
i.
To use club space during opening hours.
ii.
To participate in club events.
iii.
To vote in club elections and referenda.
iv.
To communicate with the Club in either official language.
And shall be subject to the following obligations:
i.
To share duties with regards to the planning and staging of Club
events.
ii.
To share the responsibility of maintaining a constant presence in the
club space during opening hours and providing assistance and information to
visitors.
iii.
To keep the club space tidy.
iv.
To promote ethical business values and practices on a daily basis in
the business world at large.
3.
The Club reserves the right to make, at any time, Entrepreneur status a
condition of membership.
i.
For the purposes of this article, Entrepreneurs shall be defined as
those members of the Dawson Student Union who can prove to the satisfaction of
the Club that they have started or are in the process of starting their own business.
ii.
Any invocation of this article must be applied equally to all new
members.
iii.
This article may be applied retroactively with the approval of a simple
majority.
IV Officers
1.
The list of Officers shall include the following:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.
v.
vi.
vii.
2.
Two (2) Presidents
Chairperson
Secretary
Treasurer
Events Secretary
Press Secretary
Internal Secretary
The officers’ responsibilities shall be as follows:
i.
President: Two (2) co-presidents shall be elected by relative majority
from among the self-declared candidates. They shall share the duties of president,
which are as follows: to be present at and oversee all Club meetings, elections, and
referenda; to approve and oversee all Club activities; to liaise with the Dawson
Student Union; to co-ordinate other Club officers’ activities; and to manage the Club’s
day-to-day operations. Furthermore, the Presidents may perform any duty reserved
for any other officer. Unless this Constitution specifies otherwise, only one President
need be present to perform any given Presidential duty.
ii.
Chairperson: shall lead any meetings, elections, referenda, or other
official Club functions. The Chairperson shall be chosen from among the Officers as
follows: During all official Club meetings or non-election functions, the Chairperson
shall be one (1) of the Presidents. During elections or in emergency meetings when
neither President is available, the Chairperson shall be elected from the present
members by relative majority to act as such until a President is elected or becomes
present. The acting Chairperson shall be addressed as “Mme. Chair” or “M. Chair”
regardless of their other Official titles, and shall be referred to as the “Chairwoman”
or “Chairman”, with “Chairperson” referring to the Office in general.
iii.
Secretary: shall be elected by relative majority from among the selfdeclared candidates, and shall be in charge of all records, including but not limited to
the recording of minutes at all meetings and elections and the filing of all Club
documentation. The Secretary shall be present at all Club meetings.
iv.
Treasurer: shall be elected by relative majority from among the selfdeclared candidates, and shall be charged with the handling of all the Club’s
financial and budgetary matters, including but not limited to the production of a
detailed budget and the maintenance of auditable financial records. The Treasurer
must ensure an adequate supply of funds for the Club to carry out its stated aims,
and that the Club’s aims do not exceed available funds. In such a capacity, the
Treasurer may veto any expenditure approved by the Club, as per Article V.2. The
Treasurer shall be present at all Club meetings.
v.
Events Secretary: shall be elected by relative majority from among the
self-declared candidates, and shall be charged with the planning and co-ordination of
all Club Events. The Events Secretary’s duties shall include organizing a proper
location and ensuring a proper supply of refreshments and entertainment for all
events, working within a budget determined by the Club. The Events Secretary shall
liaise with the other officers (especially, but not limited to, the Presidents, Treasurer
and Press Secretary) to this end. The Events Secretary shall be present at all Club
meetings.
vi.
Press Secretary: shall be elected by relative majority from among the
self-declared candidates, and shall be charged with all Club-media communications,
including but not limited to the production of posters, dissemination of press
releases, and taking interviews. The Press Secretary shall interact with the Events
Secretary, Internal Secretary, and other Officers to maximize the Club’s exposure,
media presence, and membership. The Press Secretary shall also be responsible for
acquiring informational materials from government and non-governmental agencies
relating to Entrepreneurship and making such documents available within the Club
Space. The Press Secretary shall be present at all Club meetings.
vii.
Internal Secretary: shall be elected by relative majority from among the
self-declared candidates, and shall be charged with maintaining an up-to-date
membership roll, approving and admitting new members, cancelling membership
when requested, enforcing disciplinary measures approved by the Club, and
promoting membership in conjunction with the Press Secretary and other Officers.
The Internal Secretary shall be present at all Club meetings.
V Finances
1.
The Signing Officers shall be the Presidents and the Treasurer. Any of the
Three (3) Signing Officers may sign off unilaterally on any expense, with the following
limitation: the Treasurer shall have the right to unilaterally approve any transaction
totaling fifty (50) Canadian Dollars or less. For greater amounts, the approval of
either President shall be required. The President’s approval may be given verbally
before at least one other Officer and the Treasurer, or, lacking a third Officer, must be
signed by the President.
2.
The Treasurer shall have the right and obligation to veto any expenditure
approved by the Club Officers, including its Presidents, should the Treasurer deem
the expenditure excessive or beyond the budgetary means of the Club. The
Treasurer’s veto may be overturned by a 2/3 majority of Officers including the
Treasurer.
VI Elections
1.
The following positions are to be elected by relative majority from among the
self-declared candidate Club members: Two (2) Presidents, Secretary, Treasurer,
Events Secretary, Press Secretary, and Internal Secretary. No Club member may
serve in more than one elected position. In the event of an unfilled position, the
elected Officers may choose, by simple majority, one from among themselves to
assume the responsibilities of the position or may choose to share the burden, again
by simple majority.
2.
Elections shall take place in the first week of each Fall term or as soon as
possible thereafter. By-elections may take place in the first week of the Winter term.
After quorum is established, any member may declare themselves a candidate for
Chairperson. Other candidates may present themselves within the five (5) minutes
following the initial announcement, in which case a Chairperson shall be elected from
among the candidates, by relative majority. If no other candidates present
themselves, the initial candidate shall be invested as Chairperson.
Candidates for any elected position must then present themselves to the
Chairperson within a time period declared by the Chairperson (at least 10 minutes
but no more than 24 hours), declaring their candidacy and desired post. The
Chairperson may run as well. After the candidature period, the Chairperson shall
conduct a vote by secret ballot for each position, starting with President (with the top
two candidates being elected), then Secretary, then Treasurer, then Events Secretary,
then Press Secretary, and finally Internal Secretary. The votes for each post shall be
counted immediately after the last ballot for that post is submitted, and a winner
declared for each position before the next position can be elected. In the case of a
tie, a run-off vote shall be conducted after all other positions are filled. In the case of
a second tie, all tied candidates shall accede to the position and share its
responsibilities.
VII Replacement and Impeachment Procedures
1.
During any meeting, any member may call for a vote to Impeach any elected
Officer. For the vote to take place, Quorum must be established. Impeachment must
be decided by a 2/3 majority of members and a simple majority of Officers.
2.
In the case of an Impeached Officer, the remaining Club Officers must decide
to either call a by-election to replace the official, following normal election
procedures; to replace the official from amongst themselves, as in the case of an
unfilled position following a vote; or, to assume the responsibility for that position and
share it among all Officers.
3.
Disciplinary measures may be recommended by any Club member during any
General Meeting. If Quorum is established, a simple majority of members may decide
to Discipline the member or Officer in question. The Officers shall then debate
amongst themselves and approve any disciplinary measure by a simple majority. If no
quorum is established, then the Officers shall decide by 2/3 majority whether
disciplinary action is necessary and then vote a second time to decide the nature of
the disciplinary measure.
VIII Meetings
1.
General Meetings shall take place at least bi-weekly on a date set by the Club
Officers. During General Meetings, members may comment, complain, or suggest
ideas to the Officers, who shall then discuss and vote on the matters presented as
well as all other matters related to the workings of the Club.
2.
Special Meetings or Referenda shall take place at the Club at the discretion of
the Club Officers or may be called for by a simple majority of Club members during a
General Meeting, with the Officers choosing a date and time during opening hours
within the next week. Special Meetings must have a stated purpose or subject. No
other subject besides the stated subject may be discussed or voted on during a
Special Meeting.
3.
Amendments to this Constitution may not be approved during General
Meetings; a Special Meeting must be called regarding the subject.
IX Activities
1.
The Club shall hold at least three (3) major events, open to the general
Dawson Student Body. The events shall take place at least one (1) week apart. The
required events are the following:
i.
Entrepreneur Information Session: must entail at least one (1) Club
Member to provide information and answer questions about Entrepreneurship as
well as informational documentation from at least three (3) Provincial and Federal
government Agencies and three (3) non-government Agencies.
ii.
Small Business Fair: must entail a showcase of at least three (3) small
business ideas appropriate for a Young Entrepreneur and thought of by Club
members. The Fair shall contain a working model of at least three (3) of the small
business ideas. Any additional ideas may be explained in handouts and/or
audiovisual displays.
iii.
Guest Speaker or Small Business Seminar: must entail an
informational seminar provided by a Guest Speaker or well-informed Club Member
including an audio-visual display and handouts as well as informational
documentation from at least three (3) outside sources.
X Affiliation
1.
The Club shall be affiliated with no political, national, ethnic, religious, military,
or other entity.
XI Amendments
1.
Articles III, X, and XI of this Constitution may not be amended. That is, only
Articles I, II, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, XII, and XIII may be amended.
2.
Amendments to this Constitution may not be approved during General
Meetings; a Special Meeting must be called regarding the subject.
3.
Amendments must be approved by a 2/3 majority of Members.
XII Disputes and Appeals
1.
The Dawson Student Union’s Executive Council has final authority to rule on
all disputes and appeals.
XIII Dawson Student Union Constitution
1.
Where items are not defined in this Constitution, please refer to the Dawson
Student Union Constitution.
PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT
SECRETARY
TREASURER
EVENTS SECRETARY
PRESS SECRETARY
INTERNAL SECRETARY