U OF T PHILOSOPHY COURSE UNION CONSTITUTION
Article I. Scope and Definitions
A. The name of the organization shall be the ‘Philosophy Course Union’, ‘PCU’, hereinafter referred to as the ‘PCU’. Unless otherwise stated, ‘member’ shall refer to any person who is a member of the PCU as outlined in Article III. The term ‘E.C.’ shall refer to the PCU’s Executive Committee, as outlined in Article V.
B. The Arts and Science Students’ Union shall hereinafter be referred to as ‘ASSU’. The Constitution of the PCU shall not be inconsistent with the ASSU Constitution in part or in whole. In the case of conflict, the ASSU Constitution takes precedence.
C. The Department of Philosophy of the University of Toronto shall hereinafter be referred to as ‘the Department’.
Article II. Purpose and Responsibilities
A. The PCU shall exist for the purpose of nourishing interest in philosophy; representing its members and acting on behalf of their interest; and assisting ASSU with the furthering of its objectives as outlined in the ASSU Constitution.
B. To carry out this purpose, the PCU shall:
1. Obtain and allocate funds in a manner consistent with its purpose as outlined in section II.A.
2. Assist ASSU in preparing and publishing course evaluations.
3. Liaise with the Department on issues pertinent to the interests of its members.
4. Inform and advise its members and ASSU of issues and policies affecting the PCU’s members, its purpose,and/or all undergraduate students.
5. Organize lectures, symposia and other events to enhance the academic life of its members and promote friendship and understanding between the PCU’s members and the Department’s faculty, graduate students and the community at large. The PCU shall organize at least one academically oriented event per semester.
6. Deliver other services that may further the purpose of the PCU or ASSU.
Article III. Membership
A. The PCU’s membership shall comprise of:
1. All St George campus students enrolled in at least one half-course equivalent (0.5 FCE) offered by the Department during the current academic year.
2. All St George campus students enrolled in a programme in the Department, or enrolled in a joint programme coordinated by the Department.
Article IV. Meetings and Procedures
A. Meetings of the E.C. shall be called and conducted according to the provisions enumerated herein:
1. The E.C. shall meet at least one (1) time during every month that classes are offered in the fall-spring sessions. Meetings of the E.C. shall be called upon the request of any member of the E.C.
2. The quorum for an E.C. meeting shall be fifty percent (50%) plus one (1) of its membership.
3. The President shall preside over meetings of the E.C. or appoint another member of the PCU to preside. The person presiding shall retain their vote, if applicable.
4. Each member of the E.C. shall have one (1) vote. Decision of the E.C. shall be made upon the affirmative vote of fifty percent (50%) plus one (1) of the members present.
5. A member of the E.C. who misses two (2) consecutive E.C. meetings without reasonable cause shall be deemed to have vacated the position and may be replaced under Article V.
6. Meetings held to ratify or change appointments to positions on the E.C. shall be held as closely as possible according to the guidelines for elections.
7. Items shall be procured for the PCU as follows:
a. The E.C. member shall, upon purchasing the item, return any receipts obtained as well as change or unspent funds to the Treasurer responsible for maintaining the PCU budget, who in turn shall immediately return such money to the PCU account.
b. The E.C. member responsible for purchasing items for the PCU shall be given a cheque, signed by both signing officers, for the specific amount budgeted for the item.
8. At the last E.C. meeting before the last general meeting in the spring, the Secretary shall present to the rest of the E.C. a brief summary of the activities of the PCU for that year, including issues and activities expected for the upcoming year. Upon approval by the E.C., this report shall be presented to the members at the last general meeting for approval and kept on record for at least one (1) year.
B. General membership meetings shall be called and conducted according to the following provisions:
1. General meetings shall only be held on dates when classes are offered. Regular general membership meetings shall be called by the E.C. There shall be a minimum of two (2) such meetings a year, the first in the fall term, the other during the spring term. At least two (2) weeks’ public notice shall be given of regular general membership meetings, and business pertaining to them.
2. Any business, excepting elections, removal of E.C. members, and amendments to this Constitution, not specified in the notice of a regular general meeting may be dealt with upon the affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of members present and voting.
3. The PCU shall adopt ASSU Council’s Rules of Procedure for general membership meetings, or adopt its own Rules of Procedure consistent with this Constitution and not inconsistent with those of ASSU. When and if any doubt occurs, ASSU Council’s Rules of Procedure shall be taken to be authoritative. The general membership may suspend the Rules of Procedure only for the duration of the meeting at which the suspension is adopted and only with unanimous consent.
4. At the last spring meeting, the PCU shall hold elections to the E.C. If after the spring elections, the E.C. numbers fewer five (5), a regular general meeting shall be called to elect members to vacant positions, or ratify or change appointments made to the E.C. in the fall. This meeting shall take place at least two (2) weeks and at most three (3) weeks from the start of the fall term.
5. Upon election of the new E.C., all records of the PCU will be given to the new E.C. If no E.C. is elected at the last general meeting in the spring, any and all records of the PCU shall be given to ASSU, until such time as an E.C. is elected.
6. The quorum for a general membership meeting shall be ten (10), not including members of the E.C. Records of minutes shall be kept for all general meetings for at least one (1) year after the date of the meeting.
7. The President shall preside over general meetings, with the exception of elections, see Section IV.C.4. In the case where the President is unable to do so, the Vice-President shall preside. If the President is unable to do so, he or she will appoint another member of the E.C. to preside. The person presiding shall retain their voting rights for the meeting.
8. Only current members of the PCU may vote at general meetings, and each member of the PCU shall have exactly one (1) vote for any given decision.
9. Decisions of the general membership will be made upon the affirmative vote of fifty percent (50%) plus one (1) of its members present and voting, except in cases where specified otherwise by this constitution.
10. The general membership may strike any number of committees it deems necessary to the pursuance of its duties.
11. A special general meeting may be called by the E.C. or upon the written request of ten (10) members of the PCU. Upon receiving such a request the E.C. must hold a general meeting within two (2) weeks. Public notice of special general meetings and business pertaining to them shall be given at least one (1) week prior to the meeting.
a. No elections may be held during a special general meeting.No amendments to this Constitution may be passed during such a meeting.
b. Special general meetings can only deal with such business as was specified in their notice.
C. Elections shall be conducted as follows:
1. Members of the E.C. shall be annually elected in the spring for a term lasting until the end of the current session or until the PCU’s course evaluation activities for the current session have been completed according to ASSU guidelines, whichever is longer. Members of the E.C. who are not members of ASSU at the time of their election or appointment shall fulfill any and all requirements for their becoming members of ASSU thirty (30) days before the fall semester or lose their position on the E.C.
2. Elections may only be held at regular general meetings for which they have been publicly notified at least two (2) weeks in advance. ASSU shall be notified of all PCU elections two (2) weeks in advance. Only positions that were advertised for in this manner will be voted on.
3. Elections shall be held at Sidney Smith Hall or the Department building. If the above is not possible, elections shall be held at a neutral campus location not affiliated with any College or Club.
4. The presiding officer of the elections general meeting shall be appointed by the ASSU executive at least one (1) week in advance of the elections meeting. The presiding officer may not be an outgoing executive member of the PCU or be up for election.
5. Voting at elections shall be done by secret ballot. Ballots must be clearly distinguishable and controlled using identifying and validating measures respectively; the ballots must be held by the PCU for at least two (2) weeks after the election; and the results of the election, including the number present and voting, their names and student numbers, must be held on file by the PCU for at least (1) year. Each candidate may select a scrutineer for the ballot count.
6. Two (2) weeks shall be allowed for any appeals to the PCU’s elections. In the absence of any appeals, the results of the elections shall be ratified.
Article V. Executive Committee
A. The E.C. shall consist of a maximum of seven (7) and a minimum of five (5) elected members. The E.C.’s responsibilities shall include, but not be limited to the following:
1. Disseminating information to PCU members, the public and ASSU.
2. Coordinating and promoting student representation on the bodies the PCU has seats on.
3. Reporting to and implementing the decisions of the general membership.
4. Other responsibilities that ensure the furthering of the purpose of the PCU.
B. The E.C.’s membership shall consist of the following roles:
1. The President shall:
a. Delegate and be responsible for course evaluations until their delivery to ASSU. All members of the E.C. shall be expected to render such assistance as is necessary for the success of this task.
b. The President shall regularly attend ASSU Council meetings and report to the E.C. at its meetings and members at general membership meetings. Other members of the E.C. shall rotate the remaining seat among themselves as they wish, ensuring that the seat is always filled. Failure to attend without reasonable cause will be treated the same as missing a meeting of the E.C.
c. Oversee and delegate the proceedings of the E.C.
d. Act as a signing officer for the PCU’s bank account.
e. Discourage sophist tendencies and inspire the members of the E.C. to have true philo-sophia.
2. The Vice-President shall:
a. Assist the President with his or her duties as necessary.
b. Take on all of the President’s roles in the case where the President is unable to fulfill his or her duties, or in the case of impeachment, until a by-election is held.
3. The Treasurer shall:
a. Act as a signing officer for the PCU’s bank account. There shall be at least two (2) signing officers for the PCU’s banking account; they shall comprise of the President and Treasurer of the E.C. Any cheque issued against the account shall require at least two (2) of the signing officers’ signatures.
b. In cooperation with other members of the E.C., prepare and maintain the PCU budget.
c. Maintain records of all receipts of the PCU, and be responsible for complying with ASSU’s auditing process.
4. The Secretary shall keep records for the PCU. Minutes from the E.C. meetings shall be distributed to E.C. members shortly following meetings. The Secretary shall record the names, student numbers, and signatures of members voting at any PCU election meeting. This information shall be passed onto ASSU within one (1) week of the meeting.
5. The E.C. shall also include a communications director, an events coordinator and a bioethics liaison.
C. Members of the E.C. shall co-ordinate tasks amongst themselves pursuant to the purposes of the PCU. The E.C. may, at the option, appoint individuals to fill vacancies that arise on the E.C. and other PCU committees between general meetings subject to change or ratification at the next general membership meeting.
D. Members of the E.C. may be removed by the affirmative vote of two-thirds (2/3) of the members present and voting at a general membership meeting, provided that two (2) weeks notice be given to ASSU.
Article VI: Amendments
A. Amendments to this constitution may be made at regular general meetings on the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds (2/3) of those present and voting.
1. Public notice of any and all proposed amendments must be given no less than two (2) weeks prior to the date of the meeting.
2. ASSU must be given notice at least three (3) weeks from the date of the meeting.
3. The results of all votes for amendments to this constitution, including the number present and voting, shall be kept on record at least one (1) year.
B. Any amendments to this constitution shall come into effect immediately at the meting at which they are adopted.
C. The PCU shall provide ASSU with at least one (1) copy of this constitution and subsequent updates to it within fourteen (14) days of adoption.
