Engineering Undergraduate Support Fund Bylaws
Article 1: Definitions and Purpose
1.1 The Engineering Undergraduate Society of McGill University (hereafter referred as “ EUS ”) is the registered name of the non-for-profit corporation representing the engineering and architecture undergraduate students at McGill University
1.2 The Board of Governors of the EUS is the administrative board of the Engineering Undergraduate Society of McGill University which is composed of Administrators as defined by the EUS Constitution
1.3 The EUS shall recognise all Departmental Societies, Clubs, and Design Teams set forth in the relevant articles of the EUS Constitution as EUS Groups
1.4 The Engineering Undergraduate Support Fund (“ Support Fund ”) is an emergency fund composed of fees paid by engineering undergraduate students, whose purpose is to provide those students with additional human resources to that normally supplied by the University, including but not limited to TA hours, lab technician hours and funding for staff from the McGill Engineering Student Centre (“MESC”) and staff for departmental offices.
1.5 The Support Fund Committee (“ SFC ”) is a committee of the Engineering Undergraduate Society that normally administers the Support Fund.
1.6 These bylaws govern both the Engineering Undergraduate Support Fund and the Support Fund Committee.
Article 2: Function of the Support Fund Committee
2.1 The Support Fund Committee shall coordinate the expenditure of the Engineering Undergraduate Support Fund monies in such a manner that it most benefits the Engineering Undergraduate Society’s members in their academic environment and professional development.
2.2 The Support Fund Committee shall determine a list of proposals for support acquisition in the manner outlined in section :2.2.1, and shall present that list to the EUS Council for ratification.
2.2.1 Proposals are eligible only if:
2.2.1.1 They are coming from one of the eight (8) departments listed in section 3.1, from MESC, or from one of the departmental societies;
2.2.1.2 They are to fund human resources only;
2.2.1.3 They are to fund academic or professional development activities organized by the faculty, the departments, or departmental societies.
2.2.2 The Support Fund Committee shall vote on the proposal using the following criteria:
2.2.2.1 The priority and level of urgency of the proposal;
2.2.2.2 How budget cuts affected the proposal;
2.2.2.3 The number of students affected by the proposal;
2.3 The Support Fund Committee shall review the expenditures of the previous fiscal year, in a meeting at the end of the semester, to ensure that the fund was spent in such a way that it has benefited the Engineering Undergraduate Society, and shall present a report to the EUS Council.
Article 3: Members of the Committee
3.1 The eight (8) departments recognized by the SFC are:
3.1.1 Bioengineering
3.1.2 Chemical Engineering
3.1.3 Civil Engineering
3.1.4 Electrical, Computer and Software Engineering
3.1.5 Materials Engineering
3.1.6 Mining Engineering
3.1.7 Mechanical Engineering
3.1.8 School of Architecture
3.2 The SFC shall be composed of twenty (20) members as follows:
3.2.1 The President of the EUS (“President”), who shall chair the SFC (“Chair”).
3.2.2 The Vice President Academic of the EUS (“VP Academic”)
3.2.3 The Dean of the Faculty of Engineering (“Dean”)
3.2.4 The Director of MESC (“MESC Representative”)
3.2.5 President and VP Academic from each of the eight (8) departments defined in §3.1 (“departmental student representatives”)
3.3 The departmental Presidents and VP Academics identified in §:3.2.5 may appoint another student in their respective departmental councils to represent them.
3.4 The faculty (i.e. non-student) members may appoint another faculty member to represent them.
Article 4: Duties of the Committee Members
4.1 The EUS President shall:
4.1.1 Chair the SFC meetings.
4.1.2 Set and distribute the agenda for the SFC meetings, and inform all members as to the dates and times for these meetings at least five (5) school days in advance.
4.1.3 Coordinates all actions taken between meetings, and keep all members informed as to these actions.
4.1.4 Advise and instruct all members, to insure that they are able to perform their duties, and enable the SFC to be as effective as possible.
4.1.5 Oversee the financial management of the Support Fund Accounts.
4.1.6 Verify and channel the requisitions made as a result of approved SFC proposals.
4.1.7 Take action in the event that the allocated amount in any previous year is not used for its intended purpose.
4.1.8 Report all SFC actions to the EUS Council, including budgeting, proposals, voting results, and expenditures.
4.1.9 Present to the first regular EUS Council meeting of each November a description of the previous year’s expenditures in the Support Fund accounts.
4.2 The EUS VP Academic shall:
4.2.1 Assist the EUS President in overseeing the Support Fund accounts.
4.2.2 Prepare and distribute any documents necessary for SFC meetings and prepare and distribute reports to the EUS Council.
4.2.3 Determine what support is needed by undergraduate students from services provided by MESC that have been affected as a result of budget cuts, in consultation with the MESC representative.
4.2.4 Collect proposals from students and faculty for MESC spending (“MESC Proposal”).
4.2.5 Act as an advisor to departmental student representatives, who will collect proposals for departmental spending.
4.3 The departmental student representatives shall:
4.3.1 Determine what support is needed by the undergraduate students in their department. This determination shall be done in consultation with the chairperson of the department, or his or her appointed representative.
4.3.2 Collect proposals from students and faculty in their respective department for departmental purchases (“Departmental Proposal”).
4.3.3 Verify the allocated funds through the Support Fund from the previous year to insure that they were put to correct use.
4.3.3.1 If irregularities are found, they shall promptly be reported to the EUS President, in agreement with §:4.1.7 and §:4.1.8
4.4 The MESC Representative shall:
4.4.1 Determine what support is needed for MESC Staff that has directly affected undergraduate students as a result of budget cuts.
4.4.2 Collect proposals from MESC for MESC purchases (“MESC Proposal”).
4.4.3 Present to the SFC members the proposals for MESC
Article 5: Replacement of Members
5.1 If for any reason a member cannot continue his or her term, he shall be replaced as follows:
5.1.1 The Dean shall appoint representatives
5.1.2 The EUS Executive Committee shall appoint a replacement for the President or the VP Academic
5.1.3 The departmental society presidents shall appoint replacements for the departmental VP Academic of their respective department.
5.1.4 MESC shall appoint a replacement for the MESC Representative
5.2 Appointments made under §:5.1.2 and §:5.1.3 must be ratified by the EUS Council.
Article 6: Voting Procedure
6.1 Departmental Proposals shall be voted on in the respective Departmental Council before being submitted to SFC
6.1.1 Proposals submitted to the Departmental Council must be approved by the Department Chair and one other member of Faculty within that department.
6.1.2 A two-thirds (2/3) majority of the Departmental Council is required for the Departmental Proposal to pass; otherwise the proposal is dismissed.
6.1.3 A dismissed proposal may be submitted to the SFC for further consideration; otherwise the proposal is rejected for the current semester.
6.2 MESC Proposals shall be voted on by the SFC
6.3 Each member as defined in §3.2 shall have one vote on the SFC
6.4 Quorum shall consist of twelve (12) members of the SFC , provided the Dean (or his or her representative), the MESC Representative, one (1) student representative from each of the eight (8) departments, the VP Academic, and the President are all in attendance.
6.5 A two-thirds (2/3) majority is required for a MESC Proposal to pass; otherwise, the proposal is rejected for the current semester.
6.6 The SFC shall honour the decisions made by the Departmental Councils (“departmental decision”) on the Departmental proposals submitted, provided the proposals fall in line with the purpose and intent of the Support Fund .
6.6.1 The departmental representatives shall present all the departmental decisions made by the Departmental Councils to the SFC
6.6.2 In the case that a departmental decision is called to question by the SFC , two-thirds majority is required for the departmental decision to be dismissed; otherwise, the departmental decision will be honoured.
6.7 A departmental proposal which was dismissed by the respective Departmental Council may be submitted to the SFC in which case a two-thirds majority vote of the SFC is required for that proposal to pass; otherwise the proposal is rejected for the current semester.
6.8 Proposals dismissed in §6.5, §6.6 and §6.7 may be submitted again, with or without modifications, in subsequent semesters.
Article 7: Reporting Procedure
7.1 The department representatives shall present a report to the SFC at the end of the semester, detailing how every departmental proposal was spent, and a quality report from the students who benefitted from services received as a result of the Support Fund .
7.2 The MESC Representative shall present a report to the SFC at the end of the semester, detailing how every MESC proposal was spent, and a quality report with testimonials from students who benefited from services received as a result of the Support Fund .
Article 8: Support Fund Finances
8.1 The Support Fund shall be composed of two (2) distinct accounts; one account shall receive all monies collected from students and shall serve to make purchases (“main account”), and another account shall receive all other contributions to the Support Fund ( “contribution account”).
8.2 Support Fund fees and the collection of those fees shall be as follows:
8.2.1 Every student registered in an Undergraduate Engineering program and taking nine
(9) credits or more, shall contribute thirty-five dollars ($35) per semester to the Engineering Undergraduate Support Fund.
8.2.2 Every student registered in an Undergraduate Engineering program and taking less that nine (9) credits shall contribute per semester one half of the amount stipulated in
§:8.2.1 to the Engineering Undergraduate Support Fund.
8.2.3 The fees outlined in §:8.2.1 and §:8.2.2 shall be collected by McGill University as part of the normal payment process, and deposited into the main account of the Support Fund .
8.2.4 Any contributions other than those outlined in §:8.2.1 and §:8.2.2 shall be collected by the EUS and deposited in the contribution account of the Support Fund .
8.2.5 Transfers from the contribution account to the main account shall be initiated by the EUS President whenever necessary, provided that the transfer is ratified by the EUS Council.
8.3 For a given year, the gross amount available for allocation (“gross amount”) shall consist of the sum of the collected fees as outlined in §:8.2.1 and §:8.2.2, of the funds transferred from the contribution account, if any, and of the monies not spent in the previous year(s) that were returned to the main account.
8.4 No money shall be allotted for the support, upkeep, or business of the Support Fund .
8.5 All expenses incurred by members of the SFC for the legitimate business of the Support Fund , such as its promotion, shall be paid for by the SFC operating budget as approved by the EUS Council, provided that these expenses have been authorized by the President
8.6 If a department agrees to allocate money from its own accounts toward a Support Fund proposal, then a letter covering the agreement and signed by that department’s Chairperson must be presented to the SFC before that proposal can be voted on.
8.7 If the Faculty of Engineering agrees to allocate money from its own accounts toward a Support Fund proposal, then a letter covering the agreement and signed by the Dean must be presented to the SFC , before that proposal can be voted on.
8.8 In the event that a partially funded purchase can no longer be bought on the side of the Faculty or department, the monies set aside by the Support Fund shall be returned in full to the department or Faculty account for the following year’s purchase. The SFC must verify the Faculty’s or department’s claim before the above is approved.
8.9 The gross amount outlined in §8.3 shall be distributed as follows:
8.9.1 MESC shall be allotted 50% of the gross amount (“MESC allotment”) for the current fiscal year.
8.9.2 One thousand five hundred dollars ($1500) shall be allotted to each of the departments of §3.1 (‘fixed departmental allotment”).
8.9.3 The remaining amount (“net amount”) shall be allotted so that each department is provided with a variable allotment corresponding to the fraction of the total number of students enrolled in that department at the beginning of the Fall semester over the total number of students in the Faculty of Engineering times the net amount determined (“department allotment”). General engineering students will not count towards the number of students in the Faculty of Engineering or towards any of the departments
8.9.4 The total allotment for a department shall consist of the sum of the fixed departmental allotment of §:8.9.2 and of the variable allotment of §:8.9.3.
8.10 The MESC allotment shall be subject to MESC proposals only.
8.11 The department allotment shall be subject to the respective Departmental proposals only
8.12 The MESC allotment and department allotment division for the following year shall be decided at the end of semester SFC meeting, after the committee reviews the expenditure from the previous year.
Article 9: Identification of the Support Fund
9.1 In any course that has hired teaching assistants or graders as a result of the Support Fund , representatives of the respective department shall make an announcement to the students in that class that their teaching assistant hours have been granted and funded by the Support Fund .
Article 10: Termination of the Support Fund
10.1 The Support Fund shall terminate after two (2) years.
10.2 A general referendum must be passed to extend the Support Fund fees past the two (2) years of its planned existence.
10.3 Following the termination of the Support Fund , whether by spontaneous referendum or by termination as per §10.1, then the following shall apply:
10.3.1 The SFC shall be rendered obsolete and dismissed.
10.3.2 Any allocations that were proposed by the SFC and duly ratified by the EUS Council prior to the dismissal of the Support Fund fees shall be honoured.
10.3.3Any outstanding fees that were assessed prior to the dismissal of the Support Fund fees shall be deposited into the main account of the Support Fund .
10.3.4Notwithstanding §:8.2.1 and §:8.2.2, the clause outlined in §:8.2.4 shall remain in full effect.
10.3.5Notwithstanding §8.6, §8.7, and §8.8 and its subsections, any surplus or forwarded monies shall be returned to the main account of the Support Fund .
10.3.6 The administration of the Support Fund shall be transferred to the trust of the EUS Executive Committee, who may delegate this function to a Trustee Committee
(“trustee”).
10.3.7 The trustee shall administer the Support Fund in agreement with §2.1
10.3.8.Any actions to be taken by the trustee involving or leading to the expenditure of Support Fund monies shall be ratified by a two-thirds majority of the EUS Council.
10.4 A general referendum must be passed to reinstate the Support Fund fees in the case that the Support Fund fees had previously been suspended as outlined in §10.2.
10.5 In the case of a passing referendum as outlined in §10.3, then:
10.5.1The trusteeship defined in §:10.2.6 shall be rendered obsolete and terminated.
10.5.2The SFC shall be reinstated.
10.5.3Any proposals that were proposed by the trustee and duly ratified by the EUS Council prior to the reinstatement of the Support Fund fees shall be honoured.
Article 11: Superseding Clause
11.1 This document completely supersedes any anterior versions of the Support Fund Bylaws.
Article 12: Amendments
12.1 Amendments to §2.1, §:8.2.1, §:8.2.2, §10.1, and §12.1 must be approved by the EUS Council and ratified by a general referendum.
12.2 Amendments to sections other than those specified in §12.1 must be approved by a simple majority vote of the Board of Governors of the EUS
Article 13: Interpretation
<poem> 13.1 In the case of a conflict between these Bylaws and the following documents, the following documents prevail in the order they are listed in:
- 13.1.1The Quebec Companies Act
- 13.1.2The EUS Letters Patent
- 13.1.3The EUS Constitution