Committees
Committees committees committees. They're the lifeblood of the EUS, concentrating the interest of engineering undergraduates into specific bodies with specific mandates. They cover a major of all EUS Groups, and wildly vary in scope, mandate, and membership.
Contents
Definition
The term committee is stretched so thin by the various groups that hold it's title, it's tough to put a strict definition on it; both The Plumber's Faucet and the Equipment Funding Committees share the term, where's the overlap? Section 5 of the EUS Constitution defines five possible variations of committees within EUS; while these are rarely known by the members, it helps outline the existence of certain committees. Unfortunately the constitution is very loose in the definitions, what is found below is the current interpretation:
Organizing Committees
Organizing committees is the catchall term for committees that are tertiary to student life at McGill. This includes events, projects, publications, and so on that offer new opportunities for students. They are additive to student life, but are not necessary to the functioning of EUS as an organization.
Standing Committees
Standing committees are groups that assist in the machinations of EUS, be it for funding, sustainability, first-year outreach, and so on. They exist as a supportive role, working to fulfill the EUS operating mandates.
Service Committees
Service committees is a term for groups that explicitly provide services. While it may seem redundant, yes, technically all of the EUS services are considered 'Service Committees'. The definition of a service is tricky; it could be argued that event planning committees provide a service, that Plumbers' Student Design is a service, but by the strictest of definitions they are not categorized as such. Service committees today tend to be in demand year-round by the students, exchange currency for the service, and have paid employees.
Select Committees
Select committees, also commonly referred to as ad hoc committees are created to aid the EUS executives research issues of interest. They are not selection committees, see below. Select committees exist for the duration of the time needed for research; the findings are then reported to EUS Council alongside a recommendation. There is not a poignant example in recent memory.
Standing Selection Committees
Selection Committees exist to aid in the fair selection of a variety of leadership roles among the EUS, including, but not limited to the EUS VP Finance, Service Managers, and chairs of the various EUS groups. Do not be mistaken, there is not one selection committee, but a catchall term for the temporary groups that get together to select positions.
A lot of groups have their own bylaws dictating when selection committees are formed, who sits on them and so on. There is one overruling Selection Committee Bylaw that dictates how these groups must act.