Constitution of the University of Alberta Mathematical Sciences Society

Revision 8

Amended and Ratified 15 March 2019

Name
1. The organization to which this document pertains shall be known as the University of Alberta Mathematical Sciences Society, hereinafter referred to as “the MSS” or “the Society.” The MSS exists under the student groups section of the University of Alberta Students’ Union Constitution.
2. The symbol of the Mathematical Sciences Society shall be a transposed upper case sigma followed by two integral signs to create a stylized representation of the Society’s initialism.
Mandate

The MSS has a responsibility to provide the following to its membership:
1. To organize academic activities designed to improve the knowledge and experience of members in the diverse areas of the mathematical sciences.
2. To foster camaraderie by organizing social activities and allow the exchange of ideas in an informal atmosphere.
3. To represent the interest of members before external organizations such as the Students’ Union.
4. To maintain the Society lounge in CAB 453.
Membership
1. Levels of Membership and Eligibility
  1. Associative Membership
    1. Staff, academic or non-academic, and graduate students may obtain associate membership at no charge upon request.
  2. Full Membership
    1. Any undergraduate student, full or part-time, may become a full member of the MSS during the academic year in which they are registered at the University of Alberta.
    2. The terms “full member” and “voting member” are considered equivalent and may be used interchangeably.
    3. Two thirds of the MSS’s total membership must be full members.
2. Privileges
  1. Associative Members
    1. Each associate member is entitled to the use of the lounge.
    2. Each associate member is entitled to attend all general meetings and Society events, albeit without voting privileges or other preferential status.
  2. Full Members
    1. Each full member is entitled to the use of the lounge.
    2. Each full member is entitled to attend all general meetings and Society events.
    3. Each full member may vote at a general meeting.
    4. Each full member is entitled to special discounts on certain Society events.
3. Membership Dues
  1. Membership dues must be paid in full before membership is granted. This fee of five dollars is non-refundable.
4. Terms of Membership
  1. Payment of dues confers membership from the date of payment to the beginning of the next academic year.
5. Suspension
  1. Any member may have their membership suspended under Article III, Section E during a general meeting by a majority vote. Valid grounds to suspend membership are violation of the University of Alberta Code of Student Behaviour or the MSS’s constitution.
6. Reinstatement
  1. Any member suspended may have their membership reinstated during a general meeting by a two-thirds vote.
Meetings
1. General Meeting
  
  A general meeting may be called by any full member and shall be considered valid if and only if all of the following conditions are satisfied:
  1. 40% of the non-executive voting membership must be in attendance.
  2. Three members of the executive must be in attendance, one of whom must be either the President or the Vice President.
  3. If the Secretary is not present, a designate will be appointed to take the minutes.
  4. The general meeting must have been advertised at least five business days prior to its occurrence.
2. Initial General Meeting
  
  The optional Initial General Meeting of the MSS in each academic year shall be held no more than three weeks after the commencement of the fall session. This meeting shall be extensively advertised no less than one week prior to its occurrence.
3. Annual General Meeting
  
  In February, a special general meeting shall be called for the purpose of electing the executive officers. More than 50% of the total voting membership must attend this meeting for the results to be considered binding. The newly elected executive will take office on May 1. The current executive will make themselves available for operational training until that time.
4. Executive Meetings
  
  In order for an executive meeting to be considered valid, the following conditions must be satisfied.
  1. Quorum must be established; at least three of the executive members, including either the President or Vice President, must attend.
  2. If the Secretary is not present, a designate will be appointed to take the minutes.
5. Committee Meetings
  
  Committee meetings shall be scheduled and conducted at the discretion of the committee chair.
6. Emergency Impeachment Meetings
  
  Should any full member wish to impeach an executive member, the following criteria must be met.
  1. At least two-thirds of the voting membership must meet.
  2. An emergency chair must be nominated and elected by majority vote of those present.
  3. The emergency chair must appoint a secretary to record the discussion and outcome of the impeachment vote as per Article V, Section C.
7. Minutes
  1. Full minutes for every MSS meeting, both general and executive, must be taken and made available to the membership at large in both electronic and printed form no later than one week following the meeting.
  2. These minutes must be approved by the next meeting of the body which produced them.
8. Chairmanship
  
  Every general and executive meeting will be chaired by the President or, in their absence, by the Vice President. In the event of an emergency impeachment meeting, this section shall be superseded by Article IV, Section F, Subsection ii. Should any conflict arise as to the procedure used during a meeting, Robert’s Rules of Order shall be considered as the definitive source.
9. Motions
  
  All motions presented to a general meeting shall be considered passed by a majority vote in favour of the motion except as specified by certain sections of this document.
Society Executive
1. Elected Officers (in order of precedence)
  1. President
    
    It is the responsibility of the President to
    1. Chair all meetings of the MSS when present.
    2. Oversee the general affairs of the MSS and ensure the fulfillment of the Society mandate.
    3. Oversee, in cooperation with the Treasurer, the financial affairs of the MSS.
    4. Serve as liaison with external groups and individuals.
    5. Represent the interests of the MSS before any external organization.
    6. Abstain from voting, except in the event of a tie, where the vote of the President shall decide the issue.
    7. Complete mandatory Group Leader Orientation.
  2. Vice President
    
    It is the responsibility of the Vice President to
    1. Assist the President in all of their responsibilities as delegated by the President.
    2. Assume all duties of the President in the event of their absence.
    3. Optionally edit, publish, and distribute the society newsletter with the assistance of the Newsletter Committee, if formed, established under Article VI, Section D, Subsection i.
  3. Secretary-Treasurer
    
    It is the responsibility of the Secretary-Treasurer to
    1. Maintain detailed records of all financial transaction undertaken by the MSS.
    2. Report the financial status of the Society to the membership at all general meetings and upon request.
    3. Oversee the collection of all membership dues and generated revenues.
    4. Administrate all disbursements of Society funds.
    5. Plan, organize, and oversee the execution of fundraising activities with the assistance of the Fundraising Committee, if formed, established under Article VI, Section D, Subsection ii.
    6. Take minutes at all meetings at which they are present and ensure that these minutes are available to the membership as per Article IV, Section G.
    7. Assist the executive in the preparation and delivery of Society correspondence.
    8. Keep membership records in order.
    9. Complete mandatory Group Leader Orientation training.
    10. Make monthly deposits of funds obtained by the Society.
  4. Social Convenor
    
    It is the responsibility of the Social Convenor to
    1. Plan and organize social activities with the assistance of the Social Planning Committee, if formed, established under Article VI, Section D, Subsection iii below.
    2. Provide moral support and assistance to members as necessary.
    3. Act as liaison between the Society and the Faculty of Science, its various departments, and associated student groups as delegated by the President.
  5. Lounge Officer
    
    It is the responsibility of the Lounge Officer to
    1. Clean and maintain the Society lounge, CAB 453, with the assistance of the Lounge Upkeep Committee, if formed, established under Article VI, Section D, Subsection iv below.
    2. Oversee the stocking of the snacks and drinks made available for purchase by members in the lounge.
    3. Oversee the availability and state of repair of the Society stationary supplies.
    4. Maintain and replace furniture as necessary.
2. Succession
  
  In the event that any member of the elected executive resigns their position or is impeached as per section C below, a temporary replacement shall be appointed by the executive until a by-election can be held. This election shall be held at the next general meeting following the resignation or impeachment. More than 50% of the total membership must be in attendance in order for the results to be considered binding.
3. Impeachment
  
  Any member of the executive may be impeached in either of the following two ways.
  1. Three of the five executive members vote to impeach in either an executive or general meeting.
  2. A full member calls an emergency impeachment meeting as per Article IV, Section F.
4. Term of Office
  
  The term of office of each executive officer shall extend from May 1 until the following May 1 as per Article IV, Section C.
5. Past Executive Advisor
  
  Immediately upon their election, the President shall appoint a non-returning member of the previous year’s executive to serve in an advisory role. In the case of a full returning executive, no advisor will be appointed. It is understood that all outgoing executive will make their contact information available to incoming executive.
6. Student Representative for the Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences Council Meetings
  
  One member of the MSS must sit on departmental meetings. This member must be a full member in good standing registered in a program that pertains to the Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences. If the Social Convenor is unavailable for this commitment, another executive may fill the role. If all executive are unavailable, the executive must elect a general member who fills the requirements to sit on the meetings and report back to the executive.
Committees
1. A committee shall consist of an odd number of voting members, chaired by an executive officer. The executive officer shall abstain from voting except in the event it is required to break a tie.
2. Committees are to be formed by the MSS executive for a specific task and are responsible only to the executive.
3. The executive may disband a committee at any time.
4. Optional Standing Committees
  
  The following optional standing committees shall meet on a regular basis, if formed, during the academic year. The makeup of these committees shall be determined by the executive at the Initial General Meeting. At their discretion, the executive may remove a member from a standing committee, provided that they are replaced at the earliest possible opportunity.
  1. Newsletter Committee
    1. The Vice President shall chair the committee.
    2. The committee shall be responsible for editing, publishing, and distributing the society newsletter.
  2. Fundraising Committee
    1. The Secretary-Treasurer shall chair the committee.
    2. The committee shall be responsible for the planning, coordination, and execution of fundraising activities.
  3. Social Planning Committee
    1. The Social Convenor shall chair the committee.
    2. The committee shall be responsible for the planning and organization of social activities.
    3. The committee shall coordinate financial planning and revenue collection with the Secretary-Treasurer.
  4. Lounge Upkeep Committee
    1. The Lounge Officer shall chair the committee.
    2. The committee shall be responsible for the cleanliness and upkeep of the Society lounge, CAB 453.
Elections
1. Any member is eligible for office if and only if they are a full member in good standing. No member may hold more than one elected position. All members of the executive must be current undergraduate students.
2. Elections for all executive positions shall be held at the Annual General Meeting as defined in Article IV, Section C. Bi-elections are held as required in accordance with Article V, Section B.
3. Nominations for each executive position will close one day prior to the voting for that position. Nominations by either motion or volunteer shall be accepted. Nominations must be accepted either in person or by signed letter.
  1. Executive positions shall be voted for independently in order of precedence as per Article V, Section A.
  2. A deputy returning officer (“DRO”) who is not standing for any position shall be appointed by the meeting chair and the final decision on all voting will be the right of the DRO.
  3. A scrutineer for each candidate is allowed, provided the scrutineer is not the candidate themself.
  4. Voting shall be by secret ballot. Voting by proxy is not permitted.
  5. Absentee balloting is allowed under the circumstance that a member can not be present at the meeting. Absentee ballots must be submitted in a sealed envelope, signed across the seal, after the complete list of nominees has been released and prior to the beginning of voting.
  6. Results will be validated by a majority vote. In the case that no candidate achieves a majority, the candidate who received the least votes, determined by random lot administered by the DRO if there is a tie, shall be stricken from the ballot. The position shall be voted for again. This procedure shall continue until a majority is reached or, if a tie occurs with only two candidates remaining, the winner shall be determined by a random lot administered by the DRO.
Financial Administration
1. Disbursement of Funds
  1. Any disbursement of funds greater than five hundred dollars ($500) must be approved by motion in general meeting.
  2. Any disbursement of funds of five hundred dollars ($500) or less shall be at the discretion of any executive member subject to the passing of a subsequent motion at an executive meeting.
  3. Signing authority on any MSS accounts shall be restricted to exactly the President and Secretary-Treasurer.
  4. Any member may be reimbursed money, excluding membership dues under article III, section C, put towards the operation of the Society as approved by the executive.
2. Record Keeping and Budget
  1. A detailed ledger of financial affairs shall be maintained by the Treasurer and made available to the general membership as per article V, Section A, Subsection iii, Paragraphs a and b.
  2. A budget for the school year shall be created and approved by the executive team by September 31.
  3. The budget shall be updated by the Secretary-Treasurer prior to executive meetings throughout the year.
  4. The budget shall be posted online and made available to the general membership as per article V, Section A, Subsection iii, Paragraphs a and b.
3. Audits
  1. The executive shall audit the financial records of the MSS for one financial year beginning May 1 and ending April 31 the following year. This audit shall occur between the executive elections in February and May 1, under the supervision of the incoming executive.
  2. Any member may audit the financial records by requesting a meeting with the Treasurer.
Amendments and Ratification

Amendments to this document made by a full member must be submitted in writing to the executive and will be immediately tabled for discussion and vote at the next general meeting. A two-thirds majority vote is necessary to approve a constitutional amendment. The constitution will be reviewed once every two years and ratified if needed. The Secretary-Treasurer will maintain documentation of review periods when the constitution is reviewed but not ratified.
Disbandment
1. The Mathematical Sciences Society may be disbanded by a unanimous vote of the entire voting membership at a general meeting.
2. In the event of disbandment, all funds shall revert to the Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences, University of Alberta.

These amendments ratified 15 March 2019 by:

Jacob Garber, President
Aysha Aarian, Vice President
Satchel Armena, Secretary-Treasurer
Alandra Jessup, Social Convenor
Carson Glodek, Lounge Officer