Constitution of the Chemical Engineering Students' Society

The CONSTITUTION of the CHEMICAL ENGINEERING STUDENTS’ SOCIETY of McGILL UNIVERSITY Original Version 2012 Amended March 2015, March 2016

Title I – The Society

===Article 1 – Name===1.1. The official name of the Society shall be the Chemical Engineering Students’ Society of McGill University. Its official acronym shall be ChESS. It will hereafter be referred to as the Society or the ChESS

Article 2 – Members

2.1. The Regular Members of the ChESS shall be all students currently registered at McGill University with a declared Chemical Engineering major within the Faculty of Engineering.

Article 3 – Purpose

3.1. The purpose of the ChESS shall be four fold:

3.1.1. To regroup in association the Regular Members of the ChESS

3.1.2. To represent and promote the views and interests of its Members to the Engineering Undergraduate Society of McGill University, the Chemical Engineering Department, and the Faculty of Engineering

3.1.3. To implement academic, professional, social, and other programs of interest to its Members

3.1.4. To engage in other such activities and undertakings as may seem appropriate to the ChESS including but not limited to those affiliated with the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineers (CSChE)

3.2. As the Society seeks to be representative of all its Regular Members shall remain unequivocally neutral in all matters of municipal, provincial, federal, or global politics.

Article 4 – Fees

4.1. The collection and administration of all ChESS fees shall be managed by the EUS in accordance with the EUS Financial Bylaws. Any changes to this structure must occur with EUS approval in accordance with the EUS Financial Bylaws.

Article 5 – Finances

5.1. All financial matters of the ChESS shall be in accordance with the EUS Financial Bylaws and shall be subject to audit by the EUS at any time.

5.2. A deficit shall not be run in two consecutive years without the expressed approval of the EUS VP Finance and EUS President.

Article 6 – Rights, Privileges, and Obligations of Regular Members

6.1. All Regular Members shall have the following rights within the Society:

6.1.1. The right to vote in the general elections for ChESS Council

6.1.2. The right to attend ChESS Council meetings and speak regrading current motions

6.1.3. The right to nominate candidates for ChESS elections

6.1.4. The right to call to question the current ChESS Council and initiate referenda as outlined in paragraph 6.4

6.2. All Regular Members shall be afforded the following privileges:

6.2.1. To hold office within ChESS, pending the satisfaction of the respective qualifications outlined in

===Article 19 ===::6.2.2. To make use of ChESS equipment, facilities, and services.

6.2.3. To be a member of a ChESS subcommittee

6.3. All Regular Members shall be obliged to conform to the ChESS Constitution and the EUS Constitution, Bylaws, and regulations.

6.4. In order for a member to exercise his or her right to call to question the current Council or initiate referenda a petition bearing the signatures of 10 percent of the Regular Members must be presented to the ChESS President, or to any other ChESS Vice President in the event the ChESS President’s performance is in question.

Article 7 – Dissolution of the Society

7.1. In the event of the dissolution of the Society all fees and assets shall be transferred to the EUS.

Title II – The Organization of the Society

===Article 8 – ChESS Council===8.1. The Executive Committee shall consist of the following:

8.1.1. President

8.1.2. Vice-President Internal

8.1.3. Vice-President External

8.1.4. Vice-President Finance

8.1.5. Vice-President Academic

8.1.6. Vice-President Communications

8.1.7. Vice-President Engagement

8.2. The Representative Committee shall consist of the following:

8.2.1. U4 Class Representative

8.2.2. U3 Class Representative

8.2.3. U2 Class Representative

8.2.4. U1 Class Representative

8.2.5. U0 Class Representative

8.3. Together the Executive and Representative Committees shall comprise ChESS Council

8.4. It is the duty of ChESS Council to:

8.4.1. Coordinate and administer the policies, activities, and day-to-day affairs of ChESS

8.4.2. Uphold the Constitution, Bylaws, Policies, and Regulation of ChESS Council

8.4.3. Report its activities, expenditures, and decisions to the EUS Council

8.4.4. Inform itself on current issues within ChESS and the EUS engage in dialogue

8.4.5. Avail themselves to Regular Members of ChESS for information and discussion on matters relevant to ChESS and EUS

8.4.6. Prepare and submit to ChESS a year-end report for each Council position no later than 15 May of each calendar year.

8.5. ChESS Council members must be Regular Members and remain Regular Members for the duration of their mandate.

8.6. Each Member of the ChESS Council shall be entitled to a single vote at ChESS Council Meetings.

8.7. No Member of the ChESS Council shall receive financial remuneration for actions as such.

8.8. A ChESS Council Member shall cease to remain in office upon the acceptance of a letter of resignation by ChESS Council, upon his or her impeachment, as per Article 24, or upon the completion of the standard one year term of office.

Article 9 – President

9.1. The President shall act as the ultimate manager and supervisor of all affairs of the ChESS and will be the first of two EUS Financial Officers for the ChESS.

9.2. The duties of the President shall include the following:

9.2.1. To establish a regular schedule for ChESS meetings

9.2.2. To act as the official spokesperson of the ChESS

9.2.3. To attend all necessary meetings with associated groups including but not limited to the McGill Engineering Student Centre, the Faculty of Engineering, the Chemical Engineering Department, and the EUS

9.2.4. To delegate tasks to the Representatives and Executives

9.2.5. To compile year-end reports and ensure a smooth transition of power to the incumbent ChESS Council to the best of his or her ability

Article 10 – Vice-President Internal

10.1. The Vice-President Internal shall be responsible for all major social events internal to the ChESS.

10.2. The duties of the Vice-President Internal shall include the following:

10.2.1. To organize, plan, and execute of all major events internal to the ChESS including but not limited to the U1 Welcome, Blues Pubs, Fall Banquet, and Winter Gala

10.2.2. To promote EUS events within the Chemical Engineering community

Article 11 – Vice-President External

11.1. The Vice-President External shall be responsible for representing the ChESS to external professional, government, and industrial bodies

11.2. The duties of the Vice-President External shall include the following:

11.2.1. To develop and maintain relations with industrial bodies for the purpose of student career opportunities and ChESS sponsorship

11.2.2. To maintain relations with the McGill Engineering Career Centre

11.2.3. To organize a McGill student delegation trip to the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineers’ Annual Conference

11.2.4. To organize at least one professional networking event and at least one industrial tour during his or her mandate

Article 12 – Vice-President Finance

12.1. The Vice-President Finance shall be responsible for all financial matters within the ChESS and will be the second of two EUS Financial Officers for the ChESS.

12.2. The duties of the Vice-President Finance shall include the following:

12.2.1. To conform to all applicable EUS Financial Bylaws and regulations

12.2.2. To prepare a midterm and end of year financial statements and reports for submission to the EUS by the respective deadlines prescribed by the EUS VicePresident Financial

12.2.3. To keep detailed and current records of all ChESS transactions

12.2.4. To prepare budgets for all events and services with the assistance of the given executive in charge

12.2.5. To prepare funding applications for events and trips with the assistance of the given executive in charge

12.2.6. To organize regular fundraising events for the ChESS

12.2.7. To promote sound and frugal spending habits within the ChESS and, barring extenuating circumstance, to end his mandate with a balanced budget

Article 13 – Vice-President Academic

13.1. The Vice-President Academic shall be responsible for all academic activities of the ChESS

13.2. The duties of the Vice-President Academic shall include the following:

13.2.1. To organize one academic forum per class per semester of his or her mandate

13.2.2. To initiate at least one Undergraduate Curriculum Committee Meeting per semester of his or her mandate

13.2.3. To coordinate with department Professors to apply for funding through the EUS Equipment Fund (EFC) and the Engineering Undergraduate Support Fund (EUSF)

13.2.4. To update and sell course packs for some of the major chemical engineering courses each semester, pending the approval of the respective course instructor

13.2.5. To work with the ChESS President and McGill Engineering Student Centre Staff to assist in the organization of McGill Open House

Article 14 – Vice-President Communications

14.1. The Vice-President Communications shall be responsible for all internal communications and promotion of ChESS events and activities.

14.2. The duties of the Vice-President Communications shall include the following:

14.2.1. To organize class announcements to be made by Class Representatives

14.2.2. To set up and maintain means of internal council communication

14.2.3. To write and distribute the ChESS Newsletter on a weekly basis

14.2.4. To maintain and update the ChESS website

14.2.5. To take minutes at each ChESS council meeting and make them available to all Council Members

Article 15 – Vice-President Engagement

15.1. The Vice-President Engagement shall be responsible for the promotion of student life via athletics, social events, or any other means that are not already covered by another Executive’s mandate.

15.2. The duties of the Vice-President Engagement shall include the following:

15.2.1. To foster a sense of spirit within the department and promote EUS events that contribute to this.

15.2.2. To organize one Apartment Crawl in each semester of their mandate

15.2.3. To organize the a clothing order in each semester of their mandate

15.2.4. To facilitate the administration of the Chemical Engineering Common Room by the selection and supervision of a common room manager.

15.2.5. To organize sporting events internal to ChESS and to organize sports teams to compete in the EUS Intramural Sports

Article 16 – Class Representatives

16.1. The Class Representatives shall be responsible to serve as liaison between the EUS, the ChESS, and their respective class constituents.

16.2. The duties of the Class Representatives shall include the following:

16.2.1. To inform their constituents on the matters of the EUS and ChESS Councils

16.2.2. To attend both EUS and ChESS Council meetings and represent the interests and concerns of their constituents to these bodies

16.2.3. To support the ChESS Executive Committee in their mandates wherever possible

16.2.4. To take an active role within the EUS Council and participate in its subcommittees and ad hoc committees as needed

Article 17 – Subcommittees

17.1. All ChESS Executives shall be permitted to delegate portions of their portfolios to other ChESS Councillors or Regular Members as they see fit. In order to facilitate this ChESS Subcommittees and Managers may be selected.

17.2. The ChESS Subcommittees may include but are not limited to:

17.2.1. Events Subcommittee, under the supervision of the VP Internal

17.2.2. Professional Subcommittee, under the supervision of the VP External

17.2.3. Funding Subcommittee, under the supervision of the VP Finance

17.3. All Subcommittee Members and Managers shall be selected by selection committee consisting of the respective Executive in charge, the President, and at least one other Regular Member, subject to ratification by Council.

Title III – Elections, Referenda, and Terms of Office

===Article 18 – ChESS Council Elections===18.1. All ChESS Executives shall be elected by simple majority vote of all Regular Members by secret ballot.

18.2. All Class Representatives, with the exception of the U0 and U1 Class Representatives, will be elected by simple majority vote of their respective constituent class by secret ballot.

18.3. The U1 Class Representative shall be elected by simple majority vote of the U1 Class by a show of hands in a well-attended U1 class before 30 September.

18.4. The U0 Class Representative shall be selected by selection committee in accordance with the EUS Junior Council By-Laws.

18.5. ChESS Council elections shall be held each year in the winter semester, administered by the EUS Chief Returning Officer and the ChESS Deputy Returning Officer.

Article 19 – Eligibility and Nomination

19.1. In order to be eligible for a Class Representative position one must be a Regular Member in the same class as their respective constituency.

19.2. All Executive nominations must be accompanied by the signatures of fifty Regular Members.

19.3. All Class Representative nominations, with the exception of the U0 and U1 Representatives, must be accompanied by the signatures of twenty-five Regular Members of the respective class.

19.4. The U0 and U1 Representative candidates shall be self-nominated.

Article 20 – Referenda

20.1. A referendum may be initiated by:

20.1.1. A motion passed by the ChESS Council

20.1.2. A petition presented to the ChESS Council by a Regular Member as outlined in Article 6, paragraph 6.4.

Article 21 – Deputy Returning Officer

21.1. A Deputy Returning Officer for ChESS shall be nominated ChESS Council and ratified by EUS Council.

21.2. The Deputy Returning Officer for ChESS shall assist the EUS Chief Returning Officer in the conduct of any ChESS election or referendum.

21.3. The Deputy Returning Officer shall not be a candidate in the election for which they serve nor shall they be the proposer of the referendum question at hand.

Article 22 – Terms of Office

22.1. The terms of office of all elected ChESS Councillors, with the exception of the U1 Class Representative, shall begin on the 1 May and will automatically terminate after one calendar year.

22.2. The U1 Class Representative’s term of office shall begin immediately following his or her election in September, as outlined in Article 18.

Article 23 – Vacancies

23.1. Should any Council position become vacant due to impeachment, resignation, or any other circumstance a replacement will be appointed by the remaining Council Members.

23.2. In order to appoint a replacement the vacancy shall be advertised to the Regular Members and applications for the position shall be accepted over a minimum one week period. Following the application period applicants will be reviewed by the ChESS

7 Council and the replacement will be chosen by simple majority vote of the ChESS Council.

23.3. In the event of a vacancy in the position of President the VP Internal will take over as interim leader of ChESS Council and will facilitate the appointment of a new President within one month of the impeachment or resignation. In the event of multiple vacancies the order of precedence to fill the role of interim leader will follow the order the Executives are listed in

Article 8 paragraph 8.1. Article 24 – Impeachment

24.1. Any member of the ChESS Council may be removed from office for impropriety, violations of the provision of the ChESS constitution, or delinquency of duties.

24.2. A motion to impeach a ChESS Councillor must be presented to the ChESS Council with a petition signed by the greater of 20% of the constituency or 20 members of the constituency. Note, for Class Representatives the constituency is the respective Class; for ChESS Executives the constituency is defined as the entire body of General Members

24.3. A motion for impeachment shall require a two-thirds majority to carry

24.4. Quorum for the decision on a motion for impeachment shall be defined as four fifths of the ChESS Council

24.5. In the event a ChESS Councillor is impeached he or she shall be permanently barred from nomination for a future position within ChESS Council.

Title IV – Council Meetings, Freedom of Information, and Spending

===Article 25 – ChESS Council Meetings===25.1. The ChESS Council shall meet at least once every 2 weeks while classes are in session

25.2. Quorum shall be held if two-thirds of the members of the council are present.

Article 26 – Freedom of Information

26.1. All minutes and documents associated with the ChESS Council shall be made available to all ChESS Members upon request, with the exception of the minutes of a confidential session.

26.2. The ChESS Council shall not be obliged to release information, documents, or minutes concerning ideas, actions, or motions that were not acted on

Article 27 – Spending Restrictions

27.1. The net amount of money contributed from ChESS funds as a percentage of the net positive at the beginning of the academic year shall not exceed three times the percentage of Regular Members attending the event.

27.2. A net deficit shall never be intended in the planning of the annual ChESS budget. Similarly an excessive surplus shall never be planned. A balanced budget with a modest surplus shall be the target for the end of each academic year.

27.3. The President and Vice-President Finance shall be the only financial officers of the ChESS. Only they will hold the key or combination to access the ChESS safe, and only they will have the power to distribute ChESS funds via EUS Cheque Requisition.

Title V – The Constitution

===Article 28 – The Constitution===28.1. The EUS shall take precedence over the ChESS. In the case of conflict between the EUS Constitution and the ChESS Constitution the EUS Constitution shall prevail.

28.2. This constitution supersedes all previous ChESS Constitutions that may have existed.

28.3. A constitutional amendment shall only be passed to referendum by a two-thirds majority vote by ChESS Council with full attendance at which time the amendment must then pass referendum by two-thirds majority of the Regular Members of the ChESS.