CONSTITUTION OF THE SOCIETY OF ARTS AND SCIENCE STUDENTS Articles: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13
Article 1 NAME
The Association shall be known as the "Society of Arts and Science Students," and hereinafter referred to as SASS Under its name shall be included, "recognized Association of the M.S.U.". The views and actions of SASS in no way reflect the views of the McMaster Students Union Inc.
Article 2 INTERPRETATION AND ABBREVIATIONS
2.1	"Executive" means the Executive Committee.
2.2	"President" means President of SASS and not of any subsidiary body in SASS.
2.3	"M.S.U." means McMaster Student's Union.
2.4	"Student" means "a person who is registered in a course of study approved by the Senate" (McMaster University Act).
2.5	"Member" means one who has officially been admitted to Arts and Science Programme at McMaster University, and/or has paid fees for membership in SASS and under Article 5; as prescribed by SASS.
Article 3 HEADQUARTERS
3.1	The Headquarters of SASS shall be located in the Commons Building, Room 105, Arts and Science Programme, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8. All correspondence shall have the mentioned address and shall be directed to same.
3.2	A virtual headquarters for SASS shall also be located at www.sassweb.ca.
Article 4 AIMS AND PURPOSES
SASS shall provide a society which fosters a spirit of unity and fellowship amongst the students of the Arts and Science Programme through organizing social, intellectual, and other events representing SASS students.
Article 5 MEMBERSHIP
5.1	Any student admitted to the Arts and Science Programme becomes a member of SASS upon payment of membership fees as prescribed by SASS
5.2	Membership in SASS is open to M.S.U. members upon receipt of membership fees.
5.3	Membership in SASS is not open to individuals outside of McMaster University except on an honourary basis.
5.4	Honourary membership in SASS may be granted by majority vote of SASS executive to former SASS members who have been active in SASS and have rendered distinguished service by a majority vote of the SASS executive.
5.5	Honourary members may not hold any executive positions within SASS They have the right to attend meetings with speaking privileges but no vote.
Article 6 MEMBERSHIP RIGHTS
Every member in good standing is entitled to:
6.1	Be represented by SASS executive;
6.2	Be treated with dignity and respect within SASS;
6.3	Be mentioned for, and hold one or more positions in SASS executive, subject to any qualification stipulated elsewhere in this Constitution;
6.4	Participate in SASS's business and in the elections;
6.5	Request in writing a formal presentation to the secretary and president of the SASS executive no less than three (3) calendar days before the date of the regularly scheduled executive Meeting. The presentation may be changed by majority vote of the Executive;
6.6	Attend any regularly scheduled meeting of the Executive, notwithstanding that she/he may not have a vote at such meeting;
6.7	Have access, in C105and on Sassweb, to a copy of the constitution of SASS, to be advised of amendments and to see an up-to-date copy whenever the Constitution is compiled and/or reprinted.
Article 7 MEETINGS
7.1	At least one general meeting shall be called by the President per academic term (Fall and Spring meetings).
	7.11	The Executive shall organize the time and place of the meeting.
	7.12	Upon receipt of five (5) signatures from members requesting a general meeting, a meeting shall be called by the President at the earliest possible date.
	7.13	Decisions reached at a general meeting shall be binding on the Executive. In case of a tie, the President shall cast the deciding vote.
7.2	At least four (4) Executive meetings shall be called by the President per academic term.
	7.21	Special meetings of the Executive may be called by the president with a minimum of three (3) days notice upon receipt of requests in writing for such a meeting signed by at least half of the Executive members. All requests and notices shall state the purpose or reason for the special or emergency meeting, and the said matters shall be dealt with before other issues may be raised.
	7.22	Regular meetings of the Executive may be called by the President with a minimum of three (3) days notice.
	7.23	Voting procedure for regular business at Executive meetings shall be by majority. The President shall abstain from voting, except in the case of a tie.
	7.24	In emergency matters where the guidance and decision of the Executive is required, but where a meeting of the Executive is deemed by the President to be impractical, a decision of the President in conjunction with two other members of the Executive shall constitute a decision of the Executive. These decisions must, however, be ratified by an Executive quorate meeting.
7.3	The quorum for meetings of the Executive shall be two-thirds of the voting members in office unless opinion by proxy is provided in writing
	7.31	The quorum for general meetings of SASS shall be 20%.
Article 8 ELECTION
8.1	Member of the Executive shall be elected by majority (50% +1) of all members casting valid ballots or by acclamation. In the event of more than two nominations for one position, the preferential ballot system will be used.
8.2	Any member of SASS in good standing may be a candidate for a position on the Executive.
	8.21	The nomination shall be in writing, signed by the candidate and returned to the president within a predetermined nomination period.
	8.22	The election shall be announced one week prior to the Spring General Meeting. Nominations shall be accepted at the Spring General Meeting. For a period of no greater than a week, the candidates may campaign by any respectable means as defined by the Executive.
	8.23	Elections must be held no later than a week after the Spring General Meeting. They shall be conducted by secret ballot.
8.3	The results of the election including the number of votes obtained by each candidate shall be conveyed to the President as soon as the results have been tabulated.
8.4	A member elected to the Executive shall be known as a member-elect of the Executive for a period of time from her/his election until their term of office commences.
8.5	The term of office for members of the Executive shall be from the last day of class in April, in the year they were elected, to the last day of class in April of the following year.
Article 9 VACANCIES
9.1	A vacancy on the Executive may be declared by the President if a member is absent for three or more consecutive regular meetings without a valid reason acceptable to the Executive. A vacancy shall be declared if a member ceases to be a Society member in good standing for whatever reason.
9.2	If the office of President should fall vacant, the V-P Functions shall automatically assume full duties on an acting basis. As well, she/he shall continue to hold the office of V-P Functions until an election is held to fill the office of President.
9.3	When a position becomes available, all members of SASS shall be informed of the vacancy. Interested members may be nominated for the position.
9.4	If the office of the V-P Functions, V-P Social, Secretary, Treasurer Community, Program Advisors or Formal Convener should fall vacant, the Executive shall appoint a member on an acting basis.
9.5	In every case of filling vacancies, the new incumbent shall serve only the unexpired duration of the office in question.
9.6	Any member who wishes to resign from office shall discuss the matter with the President. A letter of resignation shall be given to the President no less than ten (10) days before the terminating date, with the exception of extenuating circumstances.
Article 10 FINANCE
10.1	SASS may solicit financing from the M.S.U. for individual events only, on individual occasions, in accordance with M.S.U. policy.
10.2	SASS shall collect an annual membership fee from each member of SASS. The amount of this fee shall be determined in accordance with the rules set out by the M.S.U..
10.3	Monies received from a source other than that of sections 10.1 and 10.2 of this article shall not involve any obligation on the part of the M.S.U..
10.4	SASS may use any means consistent with its Constitutional purpose and within its membership (other than sections 10.1, 10.2, and 10.3 of this article) to raise funds for its activities consistent with M.S.U. guidelines.
10.5	SASS's books shall be subject to: i) a mid-year audit by the M.S.U. which shall be filed with the M.S.U. auditors between December 7 and 23 annually; and ii) an annual audit which shall be filed with the M.S.U. auditors no later than May 15 annually.
10.6	All cheques shall be signed by the Treasurer and with the two of either the President, VP Social or VP Functions.
10.7	All funds for SASS shall be used only for legitimate purposes. Accounting for revenue and disbursements shall be done in a proper and business-like manner. All expenditures shall be by cheque or from petty-cash, and shall be properly supported by vouchers.
10.8	Financial control of SASS shall rest with the Executive which shall have full control of funds they may raise through their own activities.
10.9	Any funds remaining in a SASS account at the end of the Academic year shall be considered the sole property of SASS, and shall be subject to audit by the M.S.U.
Article 11 OFFICERS
11.1	The officers of SASS shall consist of the President, Vice-President Functions, Vice-President Social, Treasurer, Secretary, Formal Convener, SRA Representative, S.R.A. Ex-Officio, the Senate Representative, Undergraduate Council Representative, Juion and Senior Student Programme Advisory Council member, Level I Representatives and other Level Representatives. These members shall constitute the Executive Committee.
	11.11	Members of the SASS Council shall include the Most Recent past-President, Admissions Representative, Faculty Representative, and Programme Director.
	11.12	Members of the SASS Council, and all SASS members, have voice privileges only. The officers of SASS shall have vote privileges as well.
DUTIES OF OFFICERS
11.2	President. The President shall:
	11.21	be the chief executive officer of S.A.S.S.
	11.22	prepare the agendas for and be the chairperson of the Executive Committee and SASS Council and shall assume primary responsibility for chairing meetings. However, nothing shall prevent the President from turning the chair over to the Vice-President or to other ranking officers or to any neutral person for the purposes of conducting elections.
	11.23	have sole authority to interpret this Constitution and any by-laws of SASS When an interpretation is made for the first time on an issue, the President shall find and report appropriate background information at next meeting of the Executive. The President's interpretation may be altered or reversed only by a two-thirds majority vote of the Executive.
	11.24	notify the V-P Functions of any expected absences.
	11.25	have overall authority over the affairs and operation of SASS on a day-to-day basis and shall also exercise such powers and duties as the Executive may assign from time to time.
	11.26	act as chief spokesperson for SASS on policy matters.
	11.27	attend any meeting of a subsidiary body with voice but no vote.
	11.28	call Executive meetings to discuss and solve any problems, ideas and plan future goals.
	11.281	enforce compliance with by-laws and regulations of SASS as well as with the M.S.U.
11.3	Vice President Functions (V-P Functions). The V-P Functions shall:
	11.31	act for the President in the latter's absence or incapacity.
	11.32	assist the President in the duties set out in Section 11.2
	11.33	be the chairperson of the Functions Committee.
	11.34	perform any duties designated by the president and/or the Executive.
11.4	Treasurer. The Treasurer shall:
	11.41	deposit all monies received in the SASS bank account.
	11.42	keep an accurate record of all monies received, banked and spent.
	11.43	keep a file of receipts to correspond with all expenses.
	11.44	keep account book up-to-date and report each month on the state of SASS's finances.
	11.45	have the books available upon request of any member of SASS or M.S.U. office, and post financial reports on sassweb at frequent and regular intervals.
	11.46	perform such other duties as are assigned by the president.
	11.47	create a tentative budget or proposed programme for the present year in September and budget for Summer Funding in April at the M.S.U. Main Office in accordance with M.S.U. guidelines.
	11.48	create a statement of complete inventory on stock, capital, equipment and SASS-owned equipment in May with the financial records, or upon two weeks written request of the M.S.U., according to M.S.U. guidelines.
11.5	Secretary. The Secretary shall:
	11.51	take careful notes of motions and recommendations being sure to get the names of all persons moving and seconding the motions and noting the results of votes carried or defeated;
	11.52	keep a clear, concise minutes, always dating each set of minutes and post them on Sassweb after they have been e-mailed to the executive. These minutes will be clearly-labeled and shall be available to members upon logging into sassweb.
	11.53	be responsible for chairing the pop committee should such a committee exist.
11.6	Vice-President Social (V-P Social). The V-P Social shall:
	11.61	organize Post-Inquiry, Hallowe'en Party, Pizza Plunge and any other social event sanctioned by the Executive and chair the social committee.
	11.62	hold regular meetings of the social committee.
	11.63	along with all other members of the executive, attempt to hold all social events in venues accessible to all students, including physically challenged ones.
11.7	Level Representatives.
	11.71	Two Level One Representatives and Four Level Four Representatives shall be elected annually in September for each level not currently having a voting member on the Executive. They may also be elected at the discretion of the Executive.
	11.72	These representatives shall have voice and Level One and Level Four will each have one vote on the Executive.
	11.73	The Level Representatives are responsible for relaying information from SASS and the administration to those they represent, as well as bringing information from those they represent to SASS and the administration.
11.8	Formal Convenor. The Formal Convenor shall:
	11.81	organize the SASS formal in second term, and possibly a semi-formal in first term;
	11.82	be chairperson of the formal committee, and call meetings as are deemed appropriate.
11.9	Welcome Week Planner. The Welcome Week Planner shall:
	11.91	be the primary summer contact for Arts & Science Welcome Week;
	11.92	be responsible for planning Arts & Science Faculty Day, Faculty Night, faculty T-shirts and MSU Faculty Week Events
	11.93	two will be selected by the SASS Executive Committee through a formal application process;
	11.94	begin his/her term in February preceding Welcome Week and finish his/her term to the following February, once all post-Welcome Week duties have been fulfilled and new planners have been selected;
	11.95	be eligible to run for SASS Executive or Council positions in the same year that he/she is serving as Welcome Week Planner.
11.10	SRA Ex-Officio. The SRA Ex-Officio shall:
	11.101	provide the members of SASS with an additional voice, although not an additional vote, in the MSU’s Student Representative Assembly
	11.102	Attend the bi-weekly meetings of the SRA, and report any relevant information to the SASS executive on behalf of the SRA representative who is often unable to attend due to SRA time constraints
11.11	Admissions Representative. The admissions representative shall:
	11.111	must be a student in at least his or her fourth year of study, having been eligible to grade supplementary applications for one year or more.
	11.112	attend the committee meeting to determine the grade required for admission to the program
	11.113	attend the meeting(s) to determine which transfer students will receive offers of admission into the program
11.12	Community Chair. The Community Chair Shall:
	11.121	hold regular meetings with the community committee
	11.122	Organize Progressive Dinner in first semester
	11.123	Be in charge of SASS community initiatives throughout the term
11.13	Junior Program Advisor. The Junior Program Advisor shall:
	11.131	act as a liaison between students in Levels I and II, faculty and administration
	11.132	provide student input into discussion about issues pertaining to the academic program
	11.133	be a student in Level II and fulfill the role of SPA in Level III.
	11.134	attend the Council of Instructur Meetings as an observer with speaking but no voting rights.
	11.135	hold two Closed Forums (one each term) for students in Levels I and II
	11.136	organize the Thesis Gala in February or March along with the SPA
11.14	Senior Program Advisor. The Senior Program Advisor shall:
	11.141	act as a liaison between students in Levels I and II, faculty and administration
	11.142	provide student input into discussion about issues pertaining to the academic program
	11.143	attend the Program Advisory meetings as a member with voting rights.
	11.144	provide student input into discussion about issues pertaining to the academic program
	11.145	hold two Closed Forums (one each term) for students in Levels I and II
	11.146	organize the Thesis Gala in February or March along with the JPA
11.15	Undergraduate Representative. The undergraduate representative shall:
	11.151	provide a voice and vote for members of SASS on the University Undergraduate Council.
	11.152	attend all meetings of the Undergraduate Council and report ay relevant proceedings to the SASS Executive
11.16	Senate Observer. The senate observer shall:
	11.161	represent the Arts and Science Program on the University Senate, with a voice but not a vote, at monthly Senate meetings.
	11.162	report details from Senate to SASS
Article 12 AMENDMENTS
12.1	This Constitution may be amended by a two-thirds vote of those members present and voting at any General meeting.
12.2	All proposed amendments shall be submitted in writing to the Secretary and presented to the members of SASS for approval. Then, the reformed Constitution shall be submitted to the M.S.U. for ratification. Notification of the proposed amendment(s), in detail, shall be available to all members of SASS one week prior to the meeting at which time the amendment will be voted on.
12.3	Bylaws shall be created or amended by a two-thirds majority voted of the Executive and by a two-thirds majority vote at a general meeting.
12.4	If the Executive intends to create a bylaw in a general meeting, the contents of this proposed bylaw shall be posted at Sassweb, seven days prior to the general meeting in which the vote is to be taken.
Article 13 CONSTITUTION
The Constitution shall be available to all members of SASS. A copy of the Constitution shall be filed in SASS's Headquarters and in the M.S.U. office. A record of all changes and results of this Constitution shall be kept on file by SASS as well as by the M.S.U. for perusal by all M.S.U. members. The Constitution shall be reviewed once every year. All members of the Executive shall become familiar with Bylaw 10.1 of the M.S.U. Constitution and Bylaws. A copy is filed at the Headquarters.