The Constitution of Guelph-Humber’s Accounting Council – (GHAC)
Table of Contents:
Article I – Name...... Pg 1
Article II - Ethical Policies and Guidelines...... Pg 1
Article III – Purpose...... Pg 1
Article IV - Structure of the Council...... Pg 2
Article V - Duties and Responsibilities of Membership.....Pg 3
Article VI - Selection of the Executive Council...... Pg 6
Article VII - Adjustments to the Membership...... Pg 7
Article VIII - Meetings and Procedures...... Pg 8
Article IX - The GHAC Constitution...... Pg 10
Article X – Financing...... Pg 10
Article XI –Remuneration...... Pg 10
Article I:Name:
The name of this body of government is the Guelph-Humber Accounting Council
(Hereafter to be referred to as “the Council” or “GHAC”)
Article II:Ethical Policies and Guidelines:
i)The contents of this article are intended to guide the actions of the council’s executives, representatives, volunteers, and other members when representing and/or acting on behalf of the Council.
ii)In any area involving the participation of the Council, discrimination (whether intended or not) based on a person’s membership/affiliationto a socially distinct group or category, such as race, ethnicity, sex, religion, political party, age, physical condition, marital status is strictly prohibited.
iii)This council values the opportunity to provide equal rights and opportunities to everyone. The members of this council must abstain from any conduct which infringes on the rights of others
iv)It is also the policy of this council that every member treats all stakeholders with respect and dignity. Furthermore, the Accounting Council will not tolerate harassment. In fact, this council strives to have a harassment free working environment
v)The principles of this policy aim to replicate the principles of the University of Guelph-Humber Student Charter and Responsibility.
Article III:Purpose:
The purpose of this organization is:
i)To represent the legitimate interests of Guelph-Humber’s accounting students.
ii)To maintain an environment within the University of Guelph-Humber that is welcoming to all new accounting students
iii)To give an opportunity for University of Guelph-Humber students to participate ininformational seminars, programs, skill-building sessions, networking events, and social activities. These events are intended to be particularly relevant to the accounting students thereby enriching their study environment
iv)To be responsible to the University of Guelph-Humber with regards to all of the Council’s activities
v)To take proactive measures in the following areas:
- Increasing student awareness about the council and its activities; for the
purpose of convenience, awareness will be measured by the number of Guelph-Humber Students contained in the Council’s online database intended for communicationpurposes. - To continue to develop the council’s policies and procedures in order that they may serve the Council’s purpose better
- To strengthen collaboration with other clubs in the University of Guelph-Humber, with the administration as well as external parties such as other accounting councils, accounting firms etc.
- To continue to look for new ways of financing the costs of the Council which can be expected to increase with increased and better delivery of various services to accounting students
Article IV:Structure of the Council:
The GHAC will consist of:
1) President – Appointed
Vice-President – Appointed
Controller– Appointed
External Affairs Associate – Appointed
Administrative Secretary – Appointed
Marketing Coordinator– Appointed
2) Elected Cohort Representatives: the number of representatives from each
Cohort year will be determined each year as necessary
CA Representative – to be determined each year
CMA Representative – to be determined each year
CGA Representative – to be determined each year
3)Several Commissioners, as deemed necessary each year by each council. These individuals will be brought in so that the Council may benefit from their expertise. (For example appointing a 4th year marketing student to plan an event)
4)Interested Volunteers from various clubs and organizations on campus who would like to contribute to the Council’s activities.
5)Staff Advisor(s).They will be chosen by the council yearly.
Number 1) and 2) above comprise the Executive of the Council, herein referred to as the “Executive.”
On a yearly basis, the Executive may determine whether the responsibilities of a particular position (where applicable) may be shared by more than one person. If such is the case, the shared responsibility is awarded to the two persons who best meet the eligibility criteria outlined in the Council’s Constitution.
Article V:Duties and Responsibilities of Membership:
Overall Expectations:
i)Each member will be expected to abide by the constitution when representing and/or conducting his/her affairs on behalf of the GHAC.
ii)Each member will understand the commitments made to the GHAC must be upheld for the Council to run effectively
iii)Each member must understand the duties of his/her office and fulfill them to the best of their ability
iv)Each member is expected to be familiar with the objectives of the council as well as be up-to-date with the events the Council is engaged in so that they can represent the Council in good light when interacting outside the GHAC community.
v)Each member is to respect the confidentiality of members’, applicants and other parties’ personal information which they may have access to due to the nature of their job
Duties of the President:
i)Organizing the meetings of the GHAC, overseeing general operations of the Council as well as providing direction to its activities.
ii)If needed, revising GHAC’s tactical and strategic objectives in consultation with other executive members to ensure that the GHAC can fulfill its organizational mission.
iii)Maintaining healthy relations and a stream of constant communications with Guelph-Humber Accounting students while acting as a liaison to Career Services regarding any of the events that GHAC is holding which may require further advertising to our accounting students.
iv)Collecting and compiling all business matter pertinent to the Council’s official meetings and informing the Administrative Secretary to raise the matters during the discussion period.
v)To work with other members of the council to coordinate information sessions with CA, CGA and CMA representatives;these sessions will promote the benefits of these designations to the University of Guelph-Humber accounting students thereby facilitating career-related decisions.
vi)Show the new president how to get the council sanctioned for the following term.
Duties of the Vice President:
i)Being thoroughly familiar with the duties of the President.
ii)To fulfill the roles and duties of the President in his/her absence.
iii)Develop and maintain a strong network with other Guelph-Humber executives throughout the year, while promoting Accounting Events simultaneously.
iv)To assist the Presidentin fulfillingall or part of his/her role if and when called upon to do so.
v)To cooperate with the External Affairs Associate and the Marketing Coordinator in scouting for and communicating external opportunities that allow GH students to broaden their appreciation and understanding of the various aspects of accounting; e.g. case competitions, online quizzes, reference books etc
Duties of the Controller:
i)Manage the monetary budget of the Council and ensure the financial spending by each department of the Council adheres (except where agreed to otherwise in conjunction with the Executive) to the budget
ii)Accountable for the fiduciary assets of the council including security policies pertaining to those assets.
iii)Producing quarterly and year-end financial statements to demonstrate how the council used its monetary resources to provide value-added experiences/opportunities to the accounting students’ community in the University of Guelph-Humber
iv)Working in conjunction with President and Vice-President to implement an expert budget for the council’s fiscal year
v)Acting as the trustee for any monetary amounts lent to/belonging to GHAC for a specific purpose.
Duties of the External Affairs Associate
i)Facilitating the relationships between the Counciland other organizations within and outside Guelph-Humber (including Humber College)
ii)Responsible for overall coordination of all social events (including competitions) and directional flow of information from employers and other external organizations to students
iii)Working to maintain a positive image of GHAC in the minds of the University of Guelph Humber community and beyond.
iv)Working closely with the Administrative Secretary to ensure that communication sent to and received from external organizations is delivered at the right time and in the proper format to deliver the intended message.
Duties of the Administrative Secretary:
i)To deal with administrative work in the following areas:
- Member recruitment
- Council meetings
- Communication with external organizations
ii)In the area of member recruitment, the administrative secretary will,
- Ensure that all application and nomination forms sent are duly
completed and accurate - Will notify each candidate of their interview date
- Will notify successful as well as unsuccessful applicants regarding theirappointment to a particular position within the Council and any necessary details related thereto.
- Maintain all applicant and member records in a safe mannerensuring the confidentiality of sensitive personal information
iii)In the area of council meetings, the administrative secretary will,
- Record the minutes of every meeting and sending an electronic copy toall the members at the end of every meeting
- Read the minutes of the last meeting
- Sending out an email in advance of each week’s meeting including time and location
- Notify the council of any administrative issues that need to be resolved
iv)In the area of communication with external parties, the Administrative Secretary will work with the External Affairs and Marketing Coordinator to ensure that the communication sent to and received from external organizations delivers the intended message in a timely fashion to the intended parties. The Administrative Secretary will also be responsible for the organization, maintenance and archiving of such communication records.
v)Perform any other duties as deemed part of the position by the
executive
Duties of the Marketing Coordinator:
i)All marketing activities concerned with promoting GHAC’s activities, mission etc.
ii)If necessary, will organize a sub-committee to help with marketing initiatives
iii)Working closely with the Controllerto work out budgets for marketing materials.
iv)Also work closely with Vice-President, External Affairs Associate and the Administrative Secretary in communicating external development opportunities to the University of Guelph-Humber accounting community
v)Overlooking website operations and updates on a regular basis.
Article VI:Selection of the Executive Council:
Eligibility for positions on the council: (FOR EXECUTIVE positions)
i)No applicant can be on academic probation and has to have minimum average of 75% (cumulative).
ii)Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria as outlined in the GHAC Membership Application Form found on the Council’s website.
iii)The final decision on appointment of an individual to a particular position depends on the professional judgments of the Executive.
iv)Applicants for President and Vice-President must be in their 3rd year or higher.
v)Applicants for the other executive and non-executive positions can come from any cohort year. All applicants who wish to pursue executive position must fill out a nomination form one week prior to the interview dates. The nomination form is available on the Council’s website.
vi)All the application forms along with the nomination form (where applicable) must be returned, fully completed, to the Administrative Secretary one week prior to the interview date.
Applicant Interviews
i)Will be conducted by the president, vice president and one other member from the executive council; this third interviewer will chosen by a secret ballot vote conducted at one of the executive council meetings.
ii)Interviews will focus on the following areas: the ability of the nominee to make a long-term commitment (at least 8 months)to the GHAC, the nominee’s ability to work independently as well as in a team, the nominee’s academic achievements in accounting and/or proactive involvement in the community
iii)All interviews will be conducted fairly, with respect and will focus only on the eligibility criteria set forth in the constitution.
Terms of executive appointments
i)If elected or appointed the new incumbent shall hold his/her position from beginning of the fall semester till the ending of the summer semester.
ii)If an elected or appointed member must leave the council for any reason, a by-election will be held to replace that member
Article VII:Adjustments to the Membership
Resignations
i)If at any time during the semesters, a member of the GHAC resigns his/her position, that position will be filled through an internal by-election held by the GHAC
ii)If the President resigns, the Vice-President will assume the position of the President
iii)If the Vice-President, Controller, External Affairs Associate, Administrative Secretary or Marketing Coordinator resigns, they will be replaced by the original method of selection
iv)If the Elected Grade Representatives, CA Representative, CMA Representative or the CGA Representative resigns a member of the Executive council will volunteer to take over their responsibilities
v)Under special circumstances, resignation of more than one individual from the Executive may be barred if the remaining Executives decide that such an action will hamper the effective functioning of the Council.
vi)No more than two executives may resign in a 6-month period unless the circumstances for resignation relate to an emergency.
Removal from Office:
i)Any member that does not uphold their responsibilities as outlined in this Constitution will be removed from office
ii)A member will be removed for the following reasons
- Absence from 4 Executive council meetings without regrets
- Absence from 4 Executive Council meetings with regrets, but without a justifiable reason
- Failure to uphold his/her responsibilities as outlined, and not limited to, by the constitution
- Actions that question the integrity of the office held, decided by the Executive Council
- One member using the council for their own personal gain, again decided by the Executive Council
- It will be the responsibility of the Executive Council to remove any member or members that are not upholding their responsibilities
Rules for Impeachment:
i)When a member of the GHAC warrants removal from office, it will be the responsibility of the other members of the Council to make a motion for dismissal. Concerns that a member is not upholding his/her duties must be brought to the attention of the Council by any member at the GHAC meetings. The Administrative Secretary must be notified before the councils meetings in order to place the concern on the agenda for discussion.
ii)The Executive Council will appoint a 3 member impartial committee to hear all charges against the member(s). The internal committee will consist of 2 GHAC members and one student from the accounting program, chosen by the accused. The internal committee will hear arguments from both sides and then recommend a course of action to the Executive Council
iii)When the committee has given its recommendations, a secret vote will be taken in the Executive Council. A two-thirds majority will constitute removal from the council
Article VIII:Meetings and Procedures
Regularity of Meetings:
i)Regular meetings will take place weekly
ii)Sub-committees may hold meetings as often as needed
iii)Executives may decide from year to year when, and if, they would like to meet.
Meeting Procedures:
i)All meetings are to proceed in a formal method, chaired by the President. Meetings should be no longer than necessary and the President may control the discussion as is needed
ii)During the meeting all questions should be addressed to the Chair
iii)The format of the Executive Council meetings should be as follows
- Call to order
- Roll call
- Review minutes of previous meeting by the Administrative Secretary
- Executive member reports or updates
- General discussion
- Unfinished business from previous meetings
- Question period
- New business (issues and upcoming events)
- Adjournment
Motions:
i)Motions for actions should be written down and signed by the mover
ii)All motions need to be seconded
iii) Motions should be recorded in the “New business” section of the meetings
iv)If a motion is seconded, it may be voted on immediately after discussion, or at the next meeting
Questions:
i)All persons wishing to ask questions shall be required to address their questions to the Chair
ii)Once acknowledged by the Chair, questions can be directed at any member at the meeting
iii)The Chair person must ensure that questions are not repeated, and clarify questions as need be
Committee Reports:
i)All members presenting reports should be ready to present the reports when called upon
ii)Questions about the report can be directly addressed to the member(s) presenting the report after their presentation
Voting:
i)Voting on minor issues will be done by a show of hands, counted by the Chair
ii)Voting on major issues will be done by a secret ballot vote conducted by the Administrative Secretary
iii)All members have equal say in every matter, and a majority vote must be obtained in order to have a concern approved or rejected
Article IX: The GHAC Constitution
Amending Procedure
i)The Constitution should be revised each year to have an effective Constitution for each GHAC
ii)To change the Constitution, 75% of the council must support the amendment(s)
iii)A copy of the Constitution will made available to any student upon request to the Administrative Secretary
Article X:Financing:
i)Responsibility lies with the Controller to keep track of all financial elements of the council
ii)Main source of funding is the HSF – Humber Students Federation
iii)Secondary sources of income will come from sales of GHAC paraphernalia
iv)Any funds left in the account at the end of a councils term will be used to better the council in the future years
v)The council will conduct fund raising events to sponsor its activities.
vi)The “Sponsorship package” will be updated every year by the marketing coordinator and sent to prospective sponsors. It will be found on the website.
Article XI:Remuneration
i)All Executivepositions are deemed volunteer positions and consequently shall receive no remuneration.
Last Revised February 20, 2008