CONSTITUTION OF THE ENGINEERING STUDENTS’ SOCIETY
CONSTITUTION DE L’ASSOCIATION DES ÉTUDIANT(E)S EN GÉNIE
UNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA
January 20th 2013
DEFINITIONS
In the present constitution, “Society” shall be defined as all the active members, as defined in BY LAW 4.1
Article 1, of the Engineering Students’ Society of the University of Ottawa.
In the present constitution, the term “Executives” shall mean:
President
Vice-President of Academic Affairs
Vice-President of Financial Affairs
Vice-President of Internal Affairs
Vice-President of External Affairs
Vice-President of Social Affairs
In the present constitution, the term “Directors” shall mean
Director of IT
Director of Special Operations
Director of Charities
Director of Communications
The term “Executive Committee” shall mean Executives and Directors
The term “Council” shall mean the people who occupy the positions designated in BY LAW 5, ARTICLE 1
The term “Representative” shall mean the people who occupy the positions described in BYLAW 5,
ARTICLE 1
The term “Engineering Departments” shall mean the Departments of Civil, Chemical, Electrical, Mechanical,
Computer, and Software Engineering.
The term “Business days” shall mean all calendar days excluding University holidays.
The term “Office” shall mean the ESS office in Colonel By Hall, room A05.
PREAMBLE
The Engineering Students’ Society’s goals, governed by the following document, are as follows:
•
To promote, by all legitimate means, the general and higher education of the engineering students of
the University of Ottawa;
•
To promote the interests of the University of Ottawa in general and those of its engineering student
body in particular;
•
To develop among the engineering students the sense of personal and community responsibility, and
to promote their actual involvement in the Society;
•
To participate fully and actively in the decision making concerning the engineering students;
•
To create and preserve true friendship and close cooperation between the students, the administration,
and engineering departments.
•
To develop among the students the practice and spirit of responsible government;
•
To promote bilingualism and a good relationship between cultures;
•
To develop events for the members of the Society;
•
To represent the entire group of student members of the Engineering Society in dealings with duly
elected and/or appointed authorities of the Society, with other student organizations and with all other
bodies, public or private, and at any manifestation or meeting where it sees fit to be represented;
•
To make rules and regulations concerning the general administration of its affairs and of its members,
in as much as such regulations shall not be incompatible with the laws of Canada and with its charter;
•
Each of the members shall be responsible for the repairs incurred by the Society through his or her
negligence, fraud, or malice;
•
The Society shall be empowered to publish and/or sell magazines, bulletins or other publications
which it shall deem useful or necessary for the purposes of the said Society;
•
Should the Society be dissolved, its funds shall serve, after the payment of creditors, to the general
good of the students of the Society. Assets will be liquefied by form of silent auction involving
Society members only. The monies will then be donated to the Engineering Endowment Fund for
Engineering Students at the University of Ottawa;
•
The official languages of the Society shall be French and English.
BY-LAW NO. 1
ARTICLE 1: CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS
1. The organized body of the undergraduate students in the Faculty of Engineering shall be called
“Engineering Students’ Society of the University of Ottawa / Association des étudiant(e)s en génie de
l’Université d’Ottawa”(ESS/AÉG)
2. The following document is the constitution which governs The Engineering Students’ Society of the
University of Ottawa / L’Association des étudiant(e)s en génie de l’Université d’Ottawa.
ARTICLE 2: REVISIONS
1. The Engineering Students’ Society Constitution is to be reviewed every year by the Constitution
Committee prepared by the President (as defined in By Law 6).
1. The Constitution Committee will review the constitution before the final council meeting of
the term of office to identify what needs to be modified and changed
2. The Constitution Committee will be comprised of members of good standing of the ESS
3. Constitutional amendments are approved by a 2/3 majority vote by the council of the members
present
4. Constitutional amendments must be presented to the council for approval at least once a year
by the final council meeting of the term of office.
5. All proposed constitutional amendments must be included with the notice and agenda of the
meeting one (1) week prior to the meeting at which these amendments will be proposed
6. All Constitutional amendments will be ratified at a general council meeting dedicated to that
purpose.
ARTICLE 3: SUSPENSION OF THE CONSTITUTION
1. The constitution can be suspended at a council meeting with both:
1. Written submission of the proposal of suspension to the President two (2) business days before
the council meeting.
2. Unanimous consent from the council
BY LAW 2:
ARTICLE 1: ACTIVE MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY
1. The active members of the Society are the regular full-time students, part-time students and Co-op
students, registered in one of the engineering departments at the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th year level. All
active members in good standing enjoy full use of all services and facilities, owned by the Society and
may have an equal vote when called for by the Executive Committee. Any student who is a member
in the winter semester and not graduated or deceased shall be a member in the following summer
semester.
ARTICLE 2: MEMBERSHIP
1. Membership fees shall be paid through the amount of money allocated to the Society by the Students’
Federation of the University of Ottawa. Thus, once tuition is paid in full, membership is automatically
renewed.
2. Honourary membership may be given at the discretion of the Student Council. Honourary members
receive access to all privileges except the right to vote or to hold office.
2.1.Honourary Members include
2.1.1.
Dan Dicaire (2008)
2.1.2.
Ted Horton (2010)
2.1.3.
Nicholas Crawford (2012)
3. A member in good standing is defined as:
3.1.A member who does not fit any criteria outlined in Article 2.4
4. A member not in good standing is defined as:
4.1.Having any membership privileges revoked
4.2.Having been penalized by any disciplinary committee at the University of Ottawa
5. To place a member in bad standing, general council must pass a vote with a 2/3 majority.
5.1.For a member to reestablish themselves in good standing, they must present themselves to
council and request to be placed in good standing
5.1.1.Council must then assess the situation and pass a vote with a simple majority to
return the member to good standing.
ARTICLE 3: LOSS OF MEMBERSHIP
1. Any active member who violates any regulation of the articles for the Society, or whose conduct or
activities are deemed detrimental to the Society may be suspended or expelled upon request submitted
to Council and the member in question at least one (1) week prior to the next general council meeting
and passed by a unanimous vote.
2. Any student who is no longer registered in one of the engineering departments ceases to be an active
member of the Society.
3. Any member may withdraw from the Society by presenting a written request to that effect to the
Student Council. The request must testify that the individual will henceforth not make use of any
Society facility, nor will he take advantage of its works, activities, or services. Full reimbursement of
membership fee for that academic term will accompany withdrawal. This can only occur at the first
council meeting of either semester.
4. In each case where the provisions of Section 4 are satisfied, the withdrawal is automatically effective.
ARTICLE 4: ADMINISTRATION OF THE SOCIETY
1. The affairs of the Society are regulated and/or administered by the following bodies:
•
The Student Council
•
The Executive Committee
ARTICLE 5: SPECIFIC STATUTES OF BODIES
1. The statutes and regulations of any body or organization under the ESS as defined by By-law 7
Article 3 shall in no case be contrary to the general intent of the Preamble to this constitution.
ARTICLE 6: ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM)
1. At a date to be determined by the Executive Committee, the President acting on behalf of the Student
Council will call a general assembly. Notice of the assembly shall be posted seven (7) whole days in
advance, in all ESS publications in English and French. Any proposal by a member of the Student
Council to be placed on the agenda shall be given to the President at least three (3) days in advance of
the general assembly.
2. Sufficient advertising must be done for this event and it is the responsibility of all Executive
Committee Members to be present
3. An accountability session for all Executive Committee Members will be held during this meeting.
4. The procedure followed during the course of any general assembly shall follow the “Robert’s Rules”,
at the discretion of the Chairperson.
5. Motions will be submitted to the chairperson before the end of the Executive Committee’s annual
reports. All motions will be read, and openly discussed by the executives and then Society Members
6. Question period from the General Society Members must take place.
7. It is the responsibility of the newly elected Executive to be present at the AGM.
8. The AGM is an official meeting, as such all members of the general council are required to attend.
9. All members in good standing present get a vote on all issues presented at the AGM.
ARTICLE 7: SPECIAL GENERAL ASSEMBLY
1. The President of the Society shall call a special general assembly on the request to that effect signed
by at least thirty (30) active members within ten (10) calendar days following the reception of such
written request.
2. At least 1/2 of the signing society members on the request must be present at the special assembly.
3. All members in good standing present get a vote on all issues presented at the special assembly.
BY-LAW NO. 3
ARTICLE 1: STUDENT COUNCIL
1. The student Council is composed of the members of the Executive Committee, and at least the same
number of class representatives as executive committee members plus one.
2. The class shall be represented at the Student Council by the Class Representatives elected as such, as
outlined in BY LAW 8.
3. All Student Council members, during their term of office, must be Members of the society in good
standing.
4. Class Representative positions are to be allocated in the following manner:
•
•
•
•
•
One representative from each GNG 1105 class of the fall semester.
One representative from each GNG 1505 class of the fall semester.
One Co-op representative
One representative from each of the following:
2nd year Chemical 3rd year Chemical 4th year Chemical
2nd year Civil 3rd year Civil 4th year Civil
2nd year Electrical 3rd year Electrical 4th year Electrical
2nd year Mechanical 3rd year Mechanical 4th year Mechanical
2nd year Software 3rd year Software 4th year Software
2nd year Computer 3rd year Computer 4th year Computer
One francophone representative from 2nd, 3rd and 4th year.
5. Co-op rep will be a student who is currently partaking in or has completed at least one co-op work
term 6. Each sub-association, as defined in By-Law 7, Article 3, will hold one representative position on
council.
7.Although Commissioners hold no position on Student Council, they are to attend Student Council
meetings. A Commissioner may participate in discussion however he or she may not vote unless the
Commissioner is also a Class Representative.
8.Any Member of Council missing more than two Council meetings without sending a proxy can be
impeached.
9.The responsibilities of the Representatives are:
1. Represent their class at the council meeting in terms of voting and opinions stated
2. Report to the ESS from the individual classes about issues to be addressed
3. Report back to the class what the Executive committee is doing
4. Make Class announcements and presentations based on the information provided by the
Executive Committee
5. Participate and help with the initiative put forth by the executives.
6. Submit an academic report to the VP Academic each Semester
10.Any member of the Student Council who cannot assist in an ordinary or special meeting of the
Student Council may be replaced by another student of his or her class who is in good standing
(proxy).
ARTICLE 2: INCOMPATIBILITY
No member may at any time hold more than one voting position on Student Council.
ARTICLE 3: POWER OF STUDENT COUNCIL
1. Authority:
1. The Student Council holds all final authority, except in cases where it may choose, by
resolution, to entrust such authority to the Executive Committee or any other organization. The
Student Council’s authority includes the following:
1. Adopt, modify or revoke any resolution.
2. Adopt, amend or reject the budget prepared by the Vice-president of Financial Affairs
of the Society.
3. Create or abolish committees.
4. Dismiss the members of commissions, committees or other bodies with the exception
of the Executive Committee.
5. Exercise any other legal activity.
ARTICLE 4: CHAIRPERSON
1. Appointment and functions:
1. The Chairperson is nominated by the President and his appointment shall be affirmed by the
Student Council.
2. Shall be responsible for maintaining order during Student Council meetings.
3. Shall be responsible for deciding, at the meetings of the Student Council, the annual general
meeting or all special assemblies, any difference of opinion in the interpretation of the rule of
procedure.
4. During the first meeting of the Student Council, he must outline the procedures to be followed
during the Student Council meeting. These procedures will be determined by the Chairperson
and based on the advice of the President.
2. Should be experienced in assemblies following Robert’s Rules.
3. The Chairperson must be functionally bilingual.
4. The Chairperson cannot be a voting member of the Student Council
5. The Chairperson cannot influence the opinions of the voting members.
ARTICLE 5: SUBSTITUTE CHAIRPERSON
1. Should the Chairperson be absent or incapable of acting, the Student Council shall appoint a
substitute who shall exercise the same functions and powers as outlined in article 4. Should the
Student Council appoint a voting member of the Student Council, this member shall relinquish his
vote for the duration of the meeting.
2. Should no suitable chairperson be available, the meeting will be chaired by the President, who will
have no vote.
ARTICLE 6: PROCEDURE AT STUDENT COUNCIL MEETINGS
1. Procedure for meetings shall be set forth and shall be enforced by the Chairperson, following Robert’s
Rules of Order.
2. The Chairperson shall be designated by the President
3. The Chairperson does not have a vote
4. Questions put to a vote are decided by a simple majority. The number of members abstaining from the
vote will be recorded in the minutes.
5. A vote will be declared null and void if one-third (1/3) or more of the members present abstain from
voting. In such cases, the motion is deferred for consideration at the next regular Student Council
meeting provided that the motion not be time-sensitive.
6. Any member of the Society, as well as the Computer Science Students’ Association (CSSA) and
Engineering Board of Administration (BOA) representatives, may attend meetings and have speaking
right, yet may be asked to leave by a 2/3 majority vote.
ARTICLE 7: QUORUM AT STUDENT COUNCIL
1. The quorum for the Student Council shall be half of the Council positions filled plus one.
ARTICLE 8: PROXY
1. Any of the Class Representatives can transfer their voting power by sending a member of their class
to the meeting and inform the president to that effect.
2. Any member who appropriately fills the position of a missing council member can be appointed by
the President and Chairperson as a proxy however, this will count as a missed meeting for said
council member.
ARTICLE 9: REGULAR MEETINGS OF STUDENT COUNCIL
1. At least once a month during the academic year, the President shall call a Student Council meeting, by
email mentioning the date, time and place of the meeting excluding the months of exams (December
and April).
2. The notice of the meeting shall be at least five (5) business days in advance accompanied by the
proposed agenda and the minutes from the previous meeting.
3. Any proposal to be placed on the agenda shall be given to the President at least 24 hours before the
meeting.
.
ARTICLE 10: SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETINGS
1. A special meeting may be called when deemed necessary by:
1. One Executive Committee member and two Student Council members.
2. Five Student Council members.
2. A notice must be sent to the Student Council members and chairperson two (2) business days before
the proposed date of the meeting.
3. Non-attendance to special council meetings is penalized as in Article 1.8
ARTICLE 11: LOSS OF MEMBERSHIP ON STUDENT COUNCIL
1. A Student Council member who ceases to be a member in good standing of the Society ceases to be a
member of Student Council.
2. A council representative may also be impeached, as outlined in ByLaw 5 Article 13.
ARTICLE 12: VACANCY ON STUDENT COUNCIL
1. Should there be a vacancy on the Student Council, it may be filled according to the election
procedures established in BY-LAW No. 7, Article 5. In the case that an Executive vacates his or her
position, then the Executive will be replaced by following the procedure outlined in BY-LAW No. 7,
Article 6.
ARTICLE 13: IMPEACHMENT OF A CLASS REPRESENTATINE
1. To impeach a class representative, a formal complaint must be signed by no less than five (5)
members of the class in question and presented to the president at least three (3) business days before
the next general council meeting to ensure that it is on the agenda.
2. The president will motion for the impeachment of the class representative to allow for discussion.
BY-LAW NO. 4
ARTICLE 1: THE EXECUTIVE
1. The Executive is composed of six active members of the Society, elected by the members of the
Society as a whole, namely:
•
•
•
•
•
•
President
Vice-president, Academic Affairs
Vice-president, Financial Affairs
Vice-president, Internal Affairs
Vice-president, External Affairs
Vice-president, Social Affairs
ARTICLE 2: DIRECTORSHIPS
1. The directors will be elected to the position as indicated in BYLAW 8, ARTICLE 7
2. The directors are a member of the Executive Committee and so are responsible to the Council and
Society in the same way, although their portfolios may have more focus.
3. A list of the current directorships and their responsibilities are listed in BYLAW 5 and 3.
ARTICLE 3: THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND ITS COMPOSITION
1. The Executive Committee is composed of the Executive and the Directors
2. Each member of the executive committee has one vote in the Executive Committee
ARTICLE 4: COMMISSIONERS:
1. Commissioners are individuals who have been assigned a particular commission by an Executive
Committee member
2. They are responsible to the executive member who has assigned them the commission, not to the
student council.
3. Commissioners positions are created by a simple majority vote at a Executive Committee meeting
ARTICLE 5: TERM OF OFFICE
1. The Term of Office shall begin on May 1st and end on April 30th.
2. The transition period will be from the time a new Executive Committee has been declared a winner as
per BYLAW 8, until the outgoing Executive Committee leaves office, namely, May 1st. During this
period, the outgoing Executive Committee will instruct the incoming Executive Committee as to the
workings of the Society.
ARTICLE 6: POSITION TRANSITION:
1. A maximum of two weeks after the new term has started; the outgoing Executive Committee member
will bring back his office key, to the Administrative Secretary so that his successor can obtain it.
2. Transition meetings will be composed of the current Executive Committee members, the previous
executive committee members as well as any other persons deemed pertinent,
3. Transition meetings will occur a maximum of three (3) weeks after the beginning of each new term of
office
4. In the present Article, outgoing will refer to the Executive Committee member who is finishing or has
finished his term of office and incoming shall refer to the Executive Committee member who is
starting or has started his term of office.
5. It will be organized by the incoming and outgoing executive
6. It will be comprised of at least one hour of individual professional transition between each outgoing
and incoming executive committee member as well as one collective transition between incoming and
outgoing executives.
1. These two meetings do not need to occur on the same date
7. At the individual meeting, the outgoing Executive Committee member will present his successor with
a complete transition report.
8. A transition report includes but is not limited to:
1. A description of all activities undertaken during the term of office as well as their level of
success
2. A list of contacts acquired during the term of office
3. A review of the tasks of the position as outlined in the Constitution and the Policy manual
4. A list of additional tasks which were performed by the person holding the position
5. Suggestions of New Initiatives, such as commissions, activities, tasks or ideas, if any.
ARTICLE 7: POSITION WIKI
1. Each outgoing executive committee member must complete a collection of position wiki articles
before the end of their term.
2. This collection of wiki articles will contain but is not limited to:
1. Job description
2. People I work with
3. Relevant Policy Manual and Constitution Sections
4. Daily Tasks
5. Meetings I attend
6. Projects completed this year
7. Upcoming projects
8. Time line
9. Contact information
3. It is the responsibility of each executive member to keep their collection of wiki articles up to date
ARTICLE 8: AUTHORITY AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
1. To conduct the day-by day business relating to the resolutions and policy of the Student Council.
2. To budget and account for the use of all funds.
3. To serve as members on the Student Council.
4. To appoint members to commissions, committees or other bodies formed by the Student Council.
5. To study projects submitted by the Student Council.
6. To see the implementation of decisions made by Council.
7. To attend an Executive Committee meeting organized by the President.
8. To serve a minimum of three (3) hours of office hours per week.
9. To attend all pertinent Round-Tables or meetings for their position
10. An executive committee member may be impeached if he fails to ensure the completion of these
tasks.
11. To sit on the 101 week committee
ARTICLE 9: PRIVILEGES
1. Privileges may be authorized or revoked at the discretion of the President. Privileges may involve any
facility or service provided by the Society.
ARTICLE 10: TERMINATION OF OFFICE
1. A member of the Executive must leave office when he:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Has completed their term in office which comes to an end on April 30th.
Ceases to be a member in good standing of the Society.
Submits his resignation to the Administrative Secretary (A-306) and the President in writing.
A motion to impeach must be passed by 2/3 majority vote at general council.
ARTICLE 11: MEETINGS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
1. Meetings will be held at least weekly during the fall and winter semesters (excluding holidays five (5)
or more business days in length).
2. Meetings will be held at least twice a month during the summer
3. Quorum shall be half plus one of the executive committee positions filled.
4. Each executive committee member shall have one vote.
5. Motions are decided upon by a simple majority
6. Minutes for the Executive committee will be taken by the Director of Communications.
1. If the Director of Communications cannot be present, the Director of IT
2. If both the Director of Communications and the Director of IT cannot be present, the President
will appoint another executive committee member to take the minutes.
7. In case of a tie, the President has a second vote.
8. Meetings will be called by the President and will not start until the specified time or until all
executive members are present.
9. The President is considered as the chair of the meetings.
10. The President shall be responsible for maintaining order during Executive Committee meetings.
11. The President shall be responsible for deciding, at the meetings of the Executive Committee any
difference of opinion in the interpretation of the rule of procedure.
ARTICLE 12: ELIGIBILITY FOR PRESIDENT
Any member in good standing of the Society is eligible for the office of President provided he:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Will have completed at least eight months of office on the Executive Committee.
Is and remains an active member in good standing of the ESS for the full term of office.
Has a CGPA 4.5 or above.
Is at least in his second year level at the time of the elections at the University of Ottawa in any
Engineering program.
5. Has previously served on the Student Council as a Class Representative, if none of the candidates
have previously served one term of office on the Executive Committee.
6. Should no appropriate candidate be nominated as defined by articles 12.1 and 12.5 then the position
will be open to any member of the ESS.
7. Cannot be on a co-op work term during both the fall and winter term.
8. Must be able to complete his Presidential duties during the summer.
9. Must reside in the National Capital Region during the entirety of his term.
ARTICLE 13: FUNCTIONS OF THE PRESIDENT
1. He, as Representative of the Society, is responsible for its dealings with matters pertaining to:
1. Relations with the University of Ottawa.
2. Relations with all agencies on all levels of government.
3. The explanation and awareness among students of all matters pertaining to the system of
student government.
2. As Chairperson of the Executive, he shall:
1. Report to the Student Council on any concerns or resolutions of the Executive.
2. Articulate to the University or public at large all decisions or resolutions of the Student
Council.
3. See to the smooth running of all commissions.
4. Call regular Executive meetings as defined in article 11.
5. Act as chief spokesperson and representative on all matters of the Student Council, and shall
serve as the chief public relations officer of the Council.
6. Ensure that every executive is properly fulfilling their mandate.
3. In case of emergency, he may act in matters that do not officially fall within his power, providing he
receives approval from the Executive by a two thirds majority of positions filled, and later ratification
by the Student Council, at the next meeting.
4. During any University of Ottawa holiday of five (5) business days or more, he shall act alone if the
Executive Committee cannot meet, but he shall ratify his actions at the next meeting of the Student
Council.
5. In the event of a tie during a vote at the Student Council or the Executive Committee, the President is
authorized a second vote to break the tie.
6. The President will be responsible for organizing regular Student Council meetings.
7. The President may authorize privileges to members at his discretion. These privileges may include
any facility or service provided by the Society. The president must report these privileges at the next
council meeting. In the case that an authorized privilege is questioned, the President is bound to
justify it at the next Student Council meeting. The President is bound to the decision of the Student
Council.
8. The President must organize a summer weekend-long meeting before the end of July for the
Executive Committee. This meeting will be used for discussing upcoming events during the academic
year.
9. Shall organize one (1) Executive Committee weekend per semester. The winter semester weekend
must act as the transition with both the incoming and outgoing Executive Committee.
10.Shall appoint one of the Executives to be a suitable replacement in an absence greater than five (5)
business days or when he is not reachable.
11. Shall ensure the ESS constitution rules and values are upheld.
12.The president shall be responsible for the administration of the engineering student scholarships.
They shall uphold the process outlined in By-law 8 Article 8 for selecting recipients.
13.Write a Society update to be sent to the faculty and published on the website.
14.Shall advertise the election of the EEF Chair at the annual general meeting.
ARTICLE 14: ELIGIBILITY FOR VICE-PRESIDENT ACADEMIC AFFAIRS, EXTERNAL AFFAIRS,
FINANCIAL AFFAIRS, SOCIAL AFFAIRS & INTERNAL AFFAIRS:
1. Any member in good standing of the Society is eligible for the office of any of the above positions
provided he:
1. Is and remains an active member in good standing of the ESS for the full term of office.
1. Has a CGPA of 4.5 or above
2. Is at least in his first year level at the time of the elections at the University of Ottawa in the
Engineering program.
3. Will be in his 2nd year level, or greater, while in office.
4. Is not on a co-op term during both the fall and winter semesters.
ARTICLE 15: FUNCTIONS OF THE VICE-PRESIDENT, FINANCIAL AFFAIRS
1. Will report the recommendations of fiscal policies to the Council.
2. Any sales on behalf of the ESS must be overseen by the VP Financial Affairs or his appointed
agent(s).
3. Presentation of the annual budget at the first Student Council meeting.
4. Presentation of a financial report, to be distributed with the agenda, at every regular Student Council
meeting consisting of:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
All cheques written
All funds received
All monies owed to the Society
All monies owed by the Society
A realized up to date copy of the budget
5. Establish a contingency fund of no less than 5% of the annual funds received from the student levy
fees in liquid assets for the next elected Executive.
6. Work with and advise the members of the Executive Committee with their individual budgets.
7. Will be responsible for the allocation of no less than $2500 for each of the iron ring wine and cheese.
8. Will be responsible for the allocation of no less than $1500 to sub associations and is responsible for
the subsequent management of said funds as defined in BYLAW 7.
9. Make the approved annual budget available on the website and available to all students upon request.
10. Must submit all audits on time.
11. Must set and follow a deadline for locker payments in each semester no later than one month after the
start of each semester
12. Must organize one locker cleanup in each semester and manage items recuperated from the lockers.
13. Must assist the executives with their applications to the EEF
14. Must make a weekly count of the funds in the cashboxes and ensure that there is enough float for
ongoing sales.
ARTICLE 16: FUNCTIONS OF THE VICE-PRESIDENT OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
1. Responsible for organizing the Iron Ring wine and cheese. 2. Will obtain a list of graduating students’ e-mails from the faculty for each semester at least one month
before each iron ring ceremony to be shared with the VP Social.
3. Acts as a mediator between the University and the Society when academic issues are involved.
4. Will work with the Director of IT to maintain and expand a database of practice exams that will be
made available to society members with the consent of individual professors.
5. Will organize at least one (1) morale night per semester.
6. Will organize at least two (2) speaker nights per semester.
7. Will compile at least one (1) report per semester on Academic Issues facing students, to be presented
to the Dean of Engineering.
8. Will sit on the Curriculum Committee of the Faculty of Engineering.
9. Will sit on or send a proxy to the Library Committee
10. Hold monthly meetings with the Vice Dean Academic of the Faculty of Engineering
11. Actively assist the Director of Special Operations with the University of Ottawa Engineering
Competition
12. Will sit as or designate a representative to the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS)
meetings.
ARTICLE 17: FUNCTIONS OF THE VICE-PRESIDENT, EXTERNAL AFFAIRS
1. Increase the visibility of the Society and protect its reputation within the University of Ottawa and the
public at large.
2.
Communicate with other engineering societies with the goal to learn about different or innovative
ways to run our society and the goal to plan inter-university events.
3. Responsible for organizing delegations for conferences organized by the Engineering Student
Society's Council of Ontario (ESSCO) and the Canadian Federation of Engineering Students (CFES)
as well as delegations for engineering events at other institutions.
4. Write a brief research report every semester on the subject of how different engineering societies
operate and how we could bring changes to our own as well as a summary about each conference
attended during that semester
5. Facilitate the communication with other engineering societies as well as provide inter-university
contacts to other executive members who have a need for them.
6. Responsible for informing all members of opportunities available to them through ESSCO and CFES.
7. Confirm with ESSCO that there are no outstanding requirements to remain in good-standing.
8. Promote the opportunity of hosting conferences and aid the host committee.
ARTICLE 18: FUNCTIONS OF THE VICE-PRESIDENT, INTERNAL AFFAIRS
1. Obtain and sell engineering merchandise
2. Organize one fitting session for leather jackets per semester.
3. Seek business ties with retailers of his choice to expand the ERTW sticker. 4. Production of the handbook to be available for 101 week. 5. In conjunction with the Vice-president, Finance, he will establish all prices for products sold by the
Society.
6. Coordinate inter-university sporting activities. 7. Coordinate “co-ed” intramural sports for engineers.
8. Is the liaison between the ESS and its sub-associations and must:
1. Hold monthly meeting with at least one representative from each sub-association
2. Assist them in the promotion of their events
3. Provide assistance when requested.
ARTICLE 19: FUNCTIONS OF THE VICE-PRESIDENT, SOCIAL AFFAIRS
1. Responsible for organizing committees concerned with social affairs.
2. Responsible for 101 Week, DUSTED, Iron Ring Stag, GOAT and other social affairs during the year.
3. 101 Week must be planned and presented progressively to the Executive Committee during the
summer meetings of the Executive Committee.
5. Works closely with the Director of Charities to raise funds for various charitable organizations.
6. Works closely with the Director of Special Operations when planning events.
7. Must reside in Ottawa for the duration of the mandate.
ARTICLE 20: ELIGIBILITY FOR DIRECTORSHIP
1. Is and remains an active member in good standing of the ESS for the full term of office.
2. Has a CGPA of 4.5
ARTICLE 21: FUNCTIONS OF THE DIRECTOR SPECIAL OPERATIONS
1. Shall assist the VP Social to plan and run events, including but not limited to 101 week.
2. Responsible for planning the University of Ottawa Engineering Competition in the fall semester as a
qualifying round to the Ontario Engineering Competition.
3. Will work with the faculty to plan at least one (1) activity as part of National Engineering Month
(NEM).
4. Responsible for no less than six (6) regular minor social events per year to encourage the building of
engineering camaraderie.
5. Responsible for the planning of STAGED
ARTICLE 22: FUNCTIONS OF THE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
1. Responsible for all translation of ESS documents.
2. Responsible for taking minutes at all ESS meetings.
3. Shall appoint a secretary to take minutes during Council Meetings
4. Produce an update on the activities of the ESS to the faculty every semester.
5. Produce a monthly update on the activities of the ESS to be published in The Iron Otis.
6. Work with other members to help promote the ESS and its events.
7. Responsible for all publicity pertaining to the Society. To that effect, he shall:
1. Ensure that all publicity be posted in English as well as in French, preferably on the same notice.
2. Be responsible for a committee of his choice to design and post any publicity pertaining to the
Society.
3. Submit regular updates to the Director of IT for the website.
8. Responsible for communication with Student Representatives.
9. Responsible for an e-mail list for engineering students.
10. See policy manual for operational tasks and descriptions.
11. Shall make Executive Committee Meeting minutes available upon request.
12. Is the liaison between the ESS and its sub-associations and must:
Hold monthly meeting with at least one representative from each sub-association
Assist them in the promotion of their events
Provide assistance when requested.
ARTICLE 23: FUNCTIONS OF THE DIRECTOR OF CHARITIES
1. Is responsible for the Engineering Shinerama campaign.
1. Responsible for organizing sucker runs during the campaign period.
2. Responsible for organizing an annual Engineering Charity Ball.
3. Responsible for organizing a minimum of two charitable activities of their choice
4. Shall work in conjunction with the VP Social to plan charitable activities.
ARTICLE 24: FUNCTIONS OF THE DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
1. Maintain Server, website, wiki, and other relevant technologies and proper documentation thereof.
2. Maintain and improve the functionality of website.
3. Actively pursue new forms of communication and technology.
4. Ensure contact information and office hours are updated on the website.
5. Works with Director of Communications to maintain the bilingual website.
6. Shall work with the VP Academic to expand the Exam Database.
BY LAW 5
ARTICLE 1: SUB-ASSOCIATIONS
1. Associations are invited to apply for sub association status to be put to a vote by Council and shall
remain at the discretion of student council. The Vote shall be an amendment to article three (3) of BY
LAW 7.
2. Only one sub association per discipline, to be put to a departmental vote in the case of a contest.
ARTICLE 2: APPLICATIONS FOR FUNDING
1. The executive will determine the amount of money to be allotted to sub associations as a whole at the
beginning of their term.
2. The amount determined in 2.1 will be no less than $1500 $1.40 per student adjusted to the 2014
consumer price index and shall be made available on a per capita basis.
3. To be eligible to apply for funds, a sub association must meet the following criteria:
i) submit a written constitution to the VP Finance before the first council meeting of the term of
office.
ARTICLE 3: RECOGNIZED SUB-ASSOCIATIONS
1.
2.
3.
4.
IEEE - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
CSChE – Canadian Society of Chemical Engineers.
MESS – Mechanical Engineering Students’ Society.
CSCE – Canadian Society of Civil Engineers.
ARTICLE 4: FINANCIAL CONTROL FOR SUB ASSOCIATIONS
1. Each recognized sub-association shall submit one audit by September 30th. The audit shall detail
revenue and expenditures of the previous year. The V.P. Finance is required to announce the audit
deadline each year to all sub-associations.
.
3. Once an audit has been submitted, the V.P. Finance will review the submission and will deem if it is
passable. The V.P. Finance will prepare a short report as to the success or failure of the audit.
1. If the audit passes, the recognized sub-association shall receive the allocated funds by
November 1st .
2. If the audit fails, the recognized sub-association will be able to re-submit the audit without
penalty until the penalty period, as outlined in BY-LAW 7, ARTICLE 4.4.
4. A penalty of 50% of the allocated funds for the audit period will be imposed if the audit has not been
passed by November 30th. A penalty of the final 50% shall be imposed if the audit has not been
passed by January 31st. These penalty charges will be absorbed by the ESS and will be used for ESS
initiatives.
5. Each audit shall contain the following:
1. Audit submission letter
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Constitution approved by The Executive Committee
Previous year’s budget and current year budget
Log book for the past year
All monthly bank statements for the past year and cheques used
Receipt for every written cheque
ARTICLE 5: Requirements of Sub-Associations
1. Each recognized sub-association shall:
1. hold a minimum of one (1) social event per semester and one (1) academic event per semester.
2. Organize a delegation to a departmental conference.
3. Hold elections in the Winter Semester
4. Make their approved annual budget available on their website and to all students upon request.
2. If the requirements of Sub-Associations as outlined in By-Law 5 Article 5 SS 1 are not met 30% of
their next levy shall be deducted.
BY-LAW NO. 6
ARTICLE 1 5: 101 WEEK COMMITTEE
1. The 101 week committee will be responsible for organizing and executing 101 week
for the incoming engineering students and will be chaired by the VP Social.
2. All Executive Committee members must sit on the 101 week committee
3. Any member of the society is eligible to sit on the 101 week committee
4. 101 week committee members are chosen by the VP social
5. 101 week committee members responsibilities are to be assigned by the discretion of
the VP Social
6. The 101 week committee must make a budget to be approved by the Executive
Committee and ratified at the first Council Meeting.
BY-LAW NO. 7 6
ARTICLE 1: GENERAL ELECTIONS
The following are proposed changes to the current election procedures which are drawn from the SFUO
constitution (attached) By Law NO. 14. Any unmentioned articles are to remain as they appear in the
constitution. Any articles which are added will cause the subsequent articles to be moved down and renamed accordingly. The elections procedures will be translated into French once the proposed changes are
approved by the ESS general council.
14.4.2.2
Anyone that is not a candidate, an official representative, a candidate’s volunteer in the election can be
selected as CEO. Preferably, the CEO is not an engineering student. In the event that such a person could
not be found, the executive shall nominate a person who is not a member of the executive and that person
shall be ratified by council
14.4.2.3
A CEO shall be chosen and ratified by the February 15th of the current academic year.
14.5.2
An official representative or volunteer cannot serve on more than one candidate’s campaign in the same
election
14.6.2 Any student who wishes to run for an executive position must have 15 signatures of students from the same
federated body.
14.6.4 At this meeting, the CEO shall outline the rules of the campaign and disclose all penalties associated with
infractions to these rules.
14.6.5
Platforms must be less than 200 words per language and candidates must submit one English platform and
one French platform, which are translations of one-another. The translator is not an official volunteer and
is chosen at the discretion of the candidate.
14.6.6
The campaign must last for at least 7 business days and includes polling days. Campaigning is allowed on
polling days, but candidates may not campaign within sight or sound of the polling station.
14.7.1
Candidates are allowed to spend a maximum of $50 for posters, banners or any other campaign related
expenditure. The ESS will cover the cost of posters if they are printed using the ESS printer, but this
expense counts towards the $50 maximum. Receipts must be submitted to justify up to a $50 expenditure.
14.10.2
Candidates are required to make at least six (6) class presentations in engineering courses, or courses with
“engineering” in their title at the discretion of the CEO. Four (4) must be in courses taught in English and
two (2) must be in courses taught in French.
14.13.3 Ballots must be counted twice
14.15 Electoral Rules posters must be taken down by the end of the campaign period, before ballot counting.
poster violations should not be penalized by more than 15% of a candidate’s votes.
Non-compliance with class presentation requirements is penalized by a maximum of 30% of a candidate’s
votes.
14.17
Disqualifications: A candidate will be disqualified if he is guilty of the following as determined by the
CEO.
Defamation Using ESS, SFUO or other fed body resources not available to every student Not submitting a complete nomination by the deadline set by the CEO Not attending the all candidate’s meeting without a previous agreement with the CEO Illegal activity Slating Any other as specified by the CEO 14.17.1
In the event that a candidate in a contested election is disqualified after voting has begun:
-If it is a two way contested election where the winning candidate is disqualified, council will appoint a
member of the society x to the vacant executive position until a by-election is held. This by-election must
be held between September 15th and October 31st.
-If it is a three way or more contested election:
a. If the winner is disqualified, council will appoint a member of the society x to the vacant executive
position until a by-election is held. This by-election must be held between September 15th and October 31st.
b. If any other candidate is disqualified whose number of votes could have affected the outcome of the
election, council will appoint a member of the society x to the vacant executive position until a by-election
is held. This by-election must be held between September 15th and October 31st.
c. In all other cases, the election results are upheld.
-The disqualified candidate must present themselves to council to ensure their good standing to be eligible
to run in the by election or any other subsequent ESS election.
14.18.2
The use of virtual communities such as Facebook is allowed as long as candidates notify the CEO of each
such activity and do not violate article 9 of this by-law
14.9
Slates are not allowed ARTICLE 2: STUDENT COUNCIL ELECTION
1. The 1st Year Class Representatives shall be members of and elected by the GNG 1105/1505 class they
represent. Class Representatives shall be elected within the first two weeks of regular classes. The
election will take place within the class room when the majority of the class is present and one
member of the Executive Committee is present.
2. All other representatives will be elected at the first Council meeting of the year by the elected first
year representative, the sub-association seats and the Executive Committee.
3. All members wishing to be elected to representative positions will present themselves at the first
council meeting where they will give a brief presentation outlining their intent to run and relevant
experience. The speeches will be followed by a vote of the executive committee, the first year reps
and the sub-association seats.
4. If a position is vacant at a given point, the council may elect someone with a majority vote.
ARTICLE 3: DIRECTORSHIP ELECTIONS
1. The Directors will be elected at the Annual General Meeting.
2. Only one member may hold one directorship position and that member must be in good standing.
3. All candidates will submit a directorship candidacy form before the beginning of the Annual General
Meeting
4. Each member of the society postulating a directorship shall give a speech and be asked to answer a
series of questions to test their knowledge of the position postulated
5. Winner will be decided by simple majority vote.
BY-LAW NO. 8 7
ARTICLE 1: FISCAL YEAR
1. The fiscal year shall start on April 1st and end on March 31st of the following year.
ARTICLE 2: SIGNATURES
1. Contracts, documents, cheques and negotiable instruments requiring the authorization of the Society
shall be previously approved by the Student Council and signed by two of:
1. The Vice-President of Financial Affairs.
2. The President.
3. The Vice-President of Social Affairs.
ARTICLE 4: CHEQUE BOOK PROCEDURE
1. All organizations or persons receiving money from the Society shall deliver receipts and
disbursements to the Vice-President, Finance. The cheque book shall indicate the date the revenues
were received or expenses paid, a brief description of the transaction and the cheque number.
ARTICLE 5: APPROVAL FOR EXPENDITURES
1. Total expenditures for a single event of 300 dollars or less must be approved by the Executive
committee and more than 300 dollars must be approved by the Student Council.
2. A cheque will not be written without an acceptable receipt or invoice.
3. If an expense over $300 must be paid and is unable to be passed by general council in an appropriate
amount of time, then the Executive Committee may pass the expense which must be ratified by
general council at the next scheduled meeting.
ARTICLE 6:
1. Each executive committee member shall prepare a budget in coordination with the Vice-President of
Financial Affairs, to be approved at the first council meeting of the academic year. The SpringSummer term expenses can be passed retro-actively.
ARTICLE 7: SIGNING AUTHORITIES ON CHEQUES
1. The Vice President, Financial Affairs shall sign every cheque unless unavailable. The second
signature of every cheque shall be the responsibility of the President and the Vice President, Social
Affairs shall only sign in an emergency when the Vice President, Financial Affairs or President is
unable.
ARTICLE 8: Volunteer Scholarship
1. The executive shall set aside 1000$ each year to award 2 scholarships of equal value to
engineering students.
1.1. The Engineering Students' Society Volunteer of the Year
1.2.
The Engineering Student Volunteer of the Year
2. Each scholarship shall have an application process clearly worded and advertised for a minimum
of 4 weeks prior to being awarded. The President shall be responsible for selecting a scholarship
committee consisting of engineering students who will be responsible for screening all
applications and for awarding the two scholarships. The scholarships are to be awarded during the
annual volunteer appreciation night hosted by the engineering students' society.
ARTICLE 9: Conference Fund
1. A minimum of $1200 will be budgeted each year towards a Conference Fund.
2. Any member of the society can apply for funding from the Conference Fund.
3. The executive committee shall review all applications at the end of each month and grant no more
then the allocated amount per month.
4. The allocated amount will be a minimum of $150 plus any leftover funds from months where less
then $150 was distributed.
5. The fund can be applied for from September till March.
ARTICLE 10: Sub-Association Loan
1. Each recognized sub-association may apply for a loan of a maximum of $500 to be approved by
the executive committee.
2. No loan maybe issued for a period for longer then sixteen (16) months.
3. No loan may be approved to any Sub-Association engaged in a loan agreement with the society at
the time of application.