the new by-laws nick darbyshire governance officer, kucsc [email protected]
TRANSCRIPT
Role of the Governance OfficerStewards existing KUCSC policy Acts as the head of the “Judicial Branch” of the
KUCSC, coordinating the portfolios of the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, and CRO.
Interprets and enforces existing policy, and makes recommendations on amendments
What have I been up to? By-Laws!
Drafting and editing an entirely new set (170-pages) of new policies and procedures for Council
Ad-Hoc Committee to look at the new by-laws, and ensure their perfection
Modeling the by-laws in terms of fairness, equality, transparency, structure, and legitimacy.
Why are we here today? Simply put, the current by-laws are in a state of
disarrayThere is far too much ambiguity, and far too little
structureSome of our practices are against Ontario
Corporate Law, or will be soon.
ProxiesUnder Ontario Law, non-profit corporations must
allow for voting members to send a “proxy,” if they are unable to attend a meeting.
This is one of the sections that will be changing.A Proxy form will be made available to voting
members of the KUCSC as soon as possible.
What are we leaving behind?Just about everything. All of the policies, by-laws, and statutes that we
have worked with thus far will be declared void
What are we gaining? Close to 170-pages of new legislation, to be our
cornerstone, and guiding constitution from here on.
By-Law #1 A structured Board of Directors, with powers and
responsibilities. A strategic vision, or long-term plan. Very specific policies surrounding financial obligations and
procedure A new composition of Council.
Two classes of Members: Voting, and Resource
By-Law #1 Some new names: Our Vice-President Finance becomes our
CFO (Chief Financial Officer), and our Vice President Communications becomes our CCO (Chief Communications Officer).
The Speaker will be granted a vote, in the case of a tie The ability to remove Council members has been greatly
increased “Members may be removed by a Two-Thirds (2/3) Vote in
favour of removal” (Subject to certain procedures)
By-Law #1 Very specific procedures surrounding notice to Council for
motions – hopefully, we will avoid too many motions in New Business.
A reduced quorum for some issues (technically) Increased responsibility for the Deputy Speaker Provisions surrounding confidential meetings
By-Law #1- No Summer meeting! AGM (Annual General Meeting) in February/March, as
opposed to June. Very specific rules surrounding the procedure
Longer turnover period Introduction of a new committee: The Governance and
Council Operations Committee (GCO) Combines Attendance and Honourarium with a committee that
specifically deals with by-law amendments
By-Law #1 The Executive Board now has tangible responsibilities, in
addition to being on the Board of Directors The President will now make 10% more than the other
Executives (starting next year). This is up from the current 5%.
Very strict and precise By-Law amendment procedures A much harsher attendance policy
By-Law #2 - Elections A tougher elections policy, with a formal Elections Committee A codified CRO, with constitutional duties Four sets of Elections yearly (pretty much the same) Earlier campaign periods. This year’s election will most likely
be in January. A strict, yet flexible Elections Timetable
By-Law #2 Strict candidate eligibility Strict balloting procedure, to ensure fairness Much more specific and competent financial procedure
surrounding budgets, and campaigns. Campaign team specifications Liabilities of Candidates, and greatly increased
responsibilities for Candidates. Fair Market Value specifications
By-Law #2 The ability for the Elections Committee to be flexible, yet
maintain precedence and professionalism. Special rules for Vice-President elections Preferential voting rules, and the ability for Candidates to
elect scrutinizers Codified appeal processes Rules and procedure for referenda and plebiscites
Overhauled Clubs Policy Updated ratification requirements, including timelines. New de-ratification policies, if Clubs fail to adhere to the by-
laws. All clubs must hold a minimum of 15 members Sections pertaining to club constitutions (including a
template, to ease Clubs into the process), and obligations. All clubs will be required to hand in a constitution by January
15th, 2015, or face immediate de-ratification.
Terms of Reference Executives, Coordinators and Commissioners, as well as
some other positions now have a Terms of Reference to aid them in their roles
In addition, there are much more expedient procedures in regards to disciplining Coordinators and Commissioners.
Faculty Representatives should coordinate with their Faculty heads, to draft a TOR for their position.
Executive TOR Office Hours changes Work a maximum of 15 hours per week outside of the
KUCSC Writing a White Paper yearly New roles as an “Executive Council,” and Board of Directors
Updated Standing Orders Various new powers for the Speaker, including time limits on
certain sections of the agenda Time limits for Council meetings, including emergency
provisions More expedient sections of the Agenda Presentations from USC Reps, KCC Reps, at every Council
Meeting, to ensure greater accountability, and transparency. Reports from Committees
Various Policy changes Changes to reimbursement procedures Institution of a Community Standards Policy Conflict of Interest policies Introduction of interim and final reports, which every Member
shall be responsible for. Personal information protection policies
Attendance Policy Missing a meeting without regrets will result in a substantial
attendance penalty (1.5 demerits) First Warning: 3 demerits Second Warning: 4.5 demerits Suspension from Council (6 demerits)
This policy also counts for Committee meetings! Make sure to attend Committee and Council meetings.
Note! If you are removed from Council for attendance infractions,
as well as other infractions, you shall be prohibited from holding a position on Council for at least one year!
Disciplinary Policies There is now a much better HR system in place with the new
by-laws Volunteer Progressive Discipline policy Executive Accountabilities and Discipline Process
Committee Structure Rules clarifying what each Committee must do A stronger, more efficient, and more accountable Honourarium
Committee (Governance and Council Operations). Specific rules regarding quorum, attendance, responsibilities
of the Chair, etc. All Faculty Representatives will sit on one Committee: the
Student Issues Committee. Some Representatives may have to double up, and/or be required
to join more than one. Members will be allowed to participate in Committee
meetings via teleconferencing.
What happens now? Motions will be moved to strike out the entirety of By-Law #1,
our Elections Policy, Clubs policies, etc., and be replaced with the new by-laws.
Upon their passing, the new by-laws (almost all sections) will come into power immediately. This includes all business on the agenda today, as long as they are introduced after an affirmative vote.
What happens now? All attendance infractions prior to the exact moment the by-
laws are ratified will be forgiven (but not forgotten!) by the Council.
All members will be expected to conduct their operations to the standards set under the new by-laws. Ignorance of the new by-laws will not be tolerated (you are expected to have come to this meeting having read at least the sections pertaining to you).
All members will have to re-submit their interest for Committees, as all members will be pooled once again.
What happens now? No longer will infractions go unnoticed, or be tolerated. The Governance Office, as the judicial branch, will be
cracking down on attendance at Council and Committees, as well as illegitimate practices of Council Members, Executive members, Clubs, etc.
Operations will be difficult until everyone learns to adapt to the new system. There will be issues.
There will be some new faces on Council, and Members will be held to a higher standard than before
What happens now? All in all, we will be able to represent the King’s Student Body
to a much greater degree, with a vastly larger amount of legitimacy.
Going Forward We will be dealing with a new set of by-laws, policies, and
procedures that everyone will not be accustomed to We will be looking at the new by-laws, and examining which
sections work, and which do not, based on how this year goes
We will most likely have to add sections, or evaluate sections depending on whether or not the Seminary acquisition is successful
New Projects Looking at the Regis policy, and it’s place in the new system
(est. AGM 2015) Drafting and implementing a new KUCSC Travel Policy Potentially working with Huron and Brescia to codify the
Affiliate Appeals Board, in light of new Governance positions
Questions?