Human Geography Student Society - Constitution

HUMAN GEOGRAPHY STUDENT SOCIETY - CONSTITUTION

The Human Geography Student Society exists to provide services to students in a Human Geography program, or that are interested in issues surrounding Human Geography students. The Society aims to provide information about professors, classes and graduate school opportunities. The Society also hopes to provide a voice for Geography students within the Earth and Atmospheric Science department, as well as a venue for students to meet other students and professors within the department. The Society also plans to host and facilitate workshops, events and other activities that will promote the ideas and practices of Human Geographers. Finally, the Society aims to strengthen the geography department at the University of Alberta by attracting new faculty members and students to our department.

Article I: Name

The name of the group shall be the Human Geography Student Society, or HuGSS.

Article II: Membership

Membership in HuGSS is open to any person, student or not, that wished to join.

There are no separate classes of membership, anyone that wishes to be a member may do so.

For a member to be admitted, they must come to at least one meeting and sign up with a member of the executive.

For a member to be expelled from the club, a 2/3 majority of the club must agree on their expulsion.

Grounds for expulsion include offensive behavior, any illegal activities and any activities that contrary to the University Code of Student Behavior.

Article III: Membership Dues

There shall be no membership dues.

Article IV: Executive Committee

A- President

·  The President shall:

i.)  Attend all meetings or send proxy

ii.)  Oversee organization of events and fundraisers for the club.

iii.)  Ensure compliance of rules and regulations of the club

B- Vice-President

·  The Vice-President shall:

i.)  Share responsibilities with the President in all duties

ii.)  Act as proxy for the President

C- Treasurer

·  The Treasurer shall:

i.)  Maintain the HuGSS budget

ii.)  Put in charge of yearly applications for group grants, if necessary.

iii.)  Responsible for counting floats before and after events.

iv.)  Make annual budget address at general meeting

D- Fundraiser/Recruiter

·  The Fundraiser/Recruiter shall:

i.)  Taking the lead in organizing fundraising events

ii.)  Representative of the group to the student body

E- Secretary

·  The Secretary shall:

i.)  Take minutes at all meetings

ii.)  Responsible for correspondence between executive and group members

iii.)  Booking facilities for meetings, events etc.

F- Department Representative

·  The Department Representative shall:

i.)  Maintain a dialogue with faculty members

ii.)  Ensure society is well informed of current events and issues within the department

iii.)  Ensure department is well informed of current events and issues within the group

iv.)  Act as a liaison between the group and department

Requirements for Executive Members

i.)  All Executive members shall be members of the HuGSS in good standing.

ii.)  2/3 of executive members shall have been members of the club for at least one semester (4 months)

iii.)  Executive positions will be filled on a volunteer basis. Should two or more people contest a position, an informal election may be called.

iv.)  This election shall take place at either the annual general meeting or at a special meeting that will be called with support from 2/3 of the executive.

Article V: Committees

Committees shall be established as required.

Article VI: Meetings

1.)  There shall be an annual general meeting held before the first week of October every scholastic year. Two weeks notice must be given to all members of HuGSS for this meeting.

2.)  During the course of the year, regular meetings shall be held at least once a month.

3.)  Special meetings organizing events, fundraisers etc shall be organized as needed.

4.)  One week notice must be given for all meetings, either through telling members at the previous meeting or through email.

5.)  Quorum at meetings shall consist of the three members of the executive, or their proxies.

6.)  Meetings shall be run using consensus-based decisions. In the case where a vote is called, a simple majority will determine the outcome.

Article VII- Amendments to the Constitution

1.)  In order for an amendment to the Constitution to be approved, there must be at least 6 members of the club present, including 3 executives.

2.)  At least 2 weeks notice must be given for a meeting where an amendment is to be made.

3.)  Absentee Ballots may be cast, and must be given to the President in a signed, sealed envelope, to be opened at the meeting.

4.)  A 2/3 majority is needed to affect any constitutional amendments.

5.)  Voting shall take place by secret ballot.

6.)  Shall take place only at the General Meeting.

Article VIII- Finances

1)  There will be 4 signing authorities on the bank account. These will be President, Vice-President, Treasurer and Fundraiser.

2)  Two signatures will be required on any withdrawal from the bank account.

3)  The 4 signing authorities must reach consensus prior to any expenditures.