CONSTITUTION Article 1: Definitions and Mandate This non-profit, non-partisan organization shall be known as the Faculty of Law Oratory Association (FLOA). For the purposes of this Constitution: (a) an academic year begins on September 1 and ends on August 31 (b) an executive term of office begins on May 1 and ends on April 31 (c) a majority refers to a vote of half of the members present at the identified meeting plus one (d) a supermajority refers to a vote of two-thirds of the members present at the identified meeting Unless otherwise noted, (e) quorum for a general meeting refers to a minimum of six general members in good standing (f) any vote shall be ineffective unless quorum is met (g) no proxy votes shall be permitted for general meetings or elections (h) the Chair of any general or Executive Committee meeting shall not vote except to resolve a tie (i) votes may be held through e-mail where sufficient notice is given The mandate of FLOA is to assist University of Alberta students in developing oratory skills, which shall include (but not be limited to) training and practice toward inter- and intra-faculty competitions in mooting, debate, negotiation, interviewing and counselling. Article 2: Membership (a) Eligible Persons Subject to Article 2(c), general membership in FLOA shall be open to all members of the University of Alberta Students Union. (b) General Membership Any eligible person who provides the information required to the Executive Committee (student ID number and contact information) and has not had his or her membership terminated or suspended is considered a general member in good standing. (c) Suspension of Membership If a supermajority vote of both the executive and the general membership finds a general member to have acted in a manner greatly detrimental to to community's view of FLOA, that person's membership and all associated privileges will be suspended for the duration of the academic year. If a supermajority vote of both the executive and the general membership finds an honourary or guest member to have acted in a manner greatly detrimental to the community's view of FLOA, that person's membership and all associated privileges will be thereby revoked. (d) Voluntary Termination of Membership Any member of FLOA may resign his or her membership by informing the Executive Committee in writing of his or her desire to do so. (e) Honourary Membership A lifetime honourary membership may be granted by a supermajority vote of the Executive Committee and a majority vote of the general members. Each honourary member is entitled to attend any FLOA general meeting or function for life (subject to revocation under 2(c)), but may not vote or hold office unless he or she meets the requirements for general membership. (f) Guest Membership Any interested person who provides requested contact information to the Executive Committee may attend general meetings as a guest member. Guest members may not vote, hold positions on the Executive Committee or participate in any subsidy program, but may participate in FLOA events with the approval of the Executive Committee. Article 3: Membership Dues (a) General Members No dues shall be required for general members of FLOA. Amendment of this subsection shall require a unanimous vote of the executive committee and a supermajority of the general membership. (b) Paid Membership The Executive Committee may choose within the first month of the academic year to offer paid membership. The benefits permitted for such paid membership may include reduced registration fees for FLOA events, and partial reimbursement for reasonable and legitimate expenses related to FLOA activities. Article 4: Executive Members (a) Executive Committee The Executive Committee of FLOA shall include the following positions whose duties are listed below: (i) President - chairs all functions of FLOA and the Executive Committee where possible - acts as a representative on behalf of FLOA - ensures that this Constitution and other pertinent regulations are complied with - acts under presidential prerogative to carry out urgent business where insufficient time exists to call a meeting, subject to as much consultation as is reasonably possible as well as approval at the next scheduled meeting - acts as a liaison between the Faculty of Law, the University of Alberta, the University of Alberta Students' Union and FLOA (ii) Vice-President - assists the President in duties associated with the presidency - undertakes the duties of the President when the President is absent - undertakes special projects at the direction of the Executive Committee or the general membership (iii) Treasurer - maintains all accounts and monies of FLOA - allocates funds and pays all bills, debts and reimbursements - collects any accounts, fees and monies on behalf of FLOA - prepares financial documents (iv) Internal Director - facilitates communication within FLOA - maintains permanent records, membership lists and minutes of FLOA meetings - undertakes administrative and clerical duties within FLOA (v) External Director - acts as a liaison between FLOA, the media and other clubs and associations - organizes all off-campus, external intercollegiate and community activities as so directed - coordinates the recruitment of new volunteers and members (vi) Fund-Raising Director - acts as a liaison between FLOA and the legal community - coordinates all fund-raising activities carried out by FLOA (vii) First-Year Representative - must be in his or her first year of study in the Faculty of Law (but may have previously been a FLOA member) - assists the other Executive Committee members as needed - acts as a representative for the interests of first-year law students on the Executive Committee (viii) Technical Director - administers and maintains a website for FLOA - carries out other computer-related projects as needed (viiii) Extra Duties In addition to the duties noted above, each member of the Executive Committee shall meet with the successor to the position at the end of his or her term in order to facilitate the transition. (b) Elections (i) Time of Elections All positions except that of First-Year Representative shall be filled through elections held in the winter semester, and shall be filled at that time for one executive term of office. The First-Year Representative shall be elected no later than the third general meeting of the fall semester. (ii) Multiple Executive Positions Excepting a possible period of overlap where a First-Year Representative holds that position and another position on the Executive Committee from May to August, no person shall hold more than one position on the Executive Committee unless there is an insufficient number of candidates to fill the required executive positions. Under no circumstances shall one person hold more than two positions on the Executive Committee. (iii) Executive Committee Composition No more than three of the positions on the Executive Committee shall be held by members who are not students within the Faculty of Law. (c) Election Procedure (i) Notice Where possible, notice of elections shall be given at each of the two general meetings preceding the elections. (ii) Returning Officer The Executive Committee shall appoint an impartial Returning Officer to be ratified by a supermajority vote of the membership present for the elections. (iii) Eligible Members Any general member of FLOA except for the Returning Officer shall be eligible to run for, and hold, an Executive Committee position, subject to the limits set out in 3(b)(ii) and 3(b)(iii). (iv) Speeches Each candidate shall be allowed to speak briefly on his or her own behalf. (v) Ballots Elections shall be held by secret ballot. At the conclusion of the voting for each position the ballots shall be destroyed by the Returning Officer. (vi) Order of Elections Elections shall be held in the following order: President Vice-President Treasurer Internal Director External Director Technical Director Fund-Raising Director Candidates who are not elected to a position in their initial attempt may compete for subsequent positions. (vii) Quorum Requirement If quorum is not met for an election, a majority of those present at the meeting chosen for elections may elect interim committee members. A majority vote of the members present at the next general meeting where quorum is achieved will then be necessary to confirm each member of the interim executive. A by-election shall be held in the event that one of the interim members is not confirmed. (d) Vacant Executive Positions (i) Unexpected Vacancies In the event of an unexpected vacancy, the remaining executive members may choose an interim committee member to fill the vacancy. A by-election shall then be held at the next general meeting where quorum is achieved. (ii) Impeachment In the event of impeachment under Article 8(b), the position shall remain vacant until the next general meeting where quorum is achieved, at which time a by-election shall be held. (e) Summer Executive Positions (i) Appointing General Members Where a member of the Executive Committee leaves Edmonton during the period from May to August, that member may choose to appoint another general member of FLOA to take over his or her duties. Any appointee under this subsection may be removed by a supermajority vote of the Executive Committee. (ii) Appointing Members of the Executive Committee In the alternative, an absent member may select another member of the Executive Committee to assume those duties which cannot be carried out from elsewhere, and to report the absent member's votes. (iii) Limits No more than one added portfolio may be given to any person for the summer under 3(e)(i) and 3(e)(ii). (f) Honourary Executive Members Honourary executive members may be named by a 2/3 vote of the members of the executive committee. These honourary members may include faculty advisors, past executive members, or any other person with a close affiliation to FLOA. Article 5: Meetings (a) General Meetings (i) Regular Basis A minimum of one general meeting shall be held each semester. Additional general meetings may be held as determined by the Executive Committee. (ii) Presumption of Quorum Quorum is presumed to be met unless one of the general members present at a meeting challenges the proportion of the general members in good standing present for a vote. In this event the internal director shall compare the total number of general members in good standing with the number present in order to determine whether quorum is met. (iii) Restrictions on Attendance Any person who wishes to do so may attend a general meeting. A supermajority vote of all members in good standing present at a general meeting (with no quorum required) may choose to remove any person who unduly disrupts the proceedings. (iv) Procedure General meetings shall operate based on a procedure agreed upon by the members of the Executive Committee. (b) Executive Committee Meetings (i) Procedure and Quorum Where possible the Executive Committee shall hold monthly meetings to be governed by Robert's Rules of Order. Quorum for any such meeting is five executive officers. (ii) Open Executive Meetings General members, honourary members and guest members may attend, and speak at, meetings of the Executive Committee. (iii) Matters of Importance A member of the Executive Committee may move that a matter is too important to be handled without general input. If a majority vote of the Executive Committee agrees, that matter shall then be referred to, and voted on at, the next general meeting. Article 6: Administration (a) Business and Transactions All business and transactions of FLOA shall normally be carried out by the Executive Committee. (b) Recording Actions All actions of the Executive Committee shall be recorded in the minutes, to be made available at the next general meeting. (c) Reversing Actions Where quorum is met, the membership present at a general meeting may rescind or reverse any action taken by the Executive Committee through a supermajority vote. (d) Documentation Any documents or records from FLOA shall be provided to a general member upon demand. Such documentation shall be provided within three working days of the initial request. Article 7: Finances (a) Financial Reports (i) Operating Year The operating year of FLOA shall be concurrent with the executive term of office (from May 1 of one year to April 30 of the following year). (ii) Interim Budget By October 1, the Treasurer shall prepare and submit to the Executive Committee an interim budget for the remainder of the operating year. (iii) Year-End Statement By December 31, the Treasurer shall submit to the Executive Committee a complete updated FLOA financial statement. (iv) Final Statement By April 30 the Treasurer, upon supervision of the Executive Committee, shall submit a complete FLOA financial statement for the operating year, including pertinent receipts. (v) Financial Records The Treasurer shall make all financial records of FLOA shall be made available to any general member upon three working days' notice. (b) Contracts and Disbursements (i) Prior Consent No funds shall be disbursed or contracts entered into without the prior consent of the Executive Committee or general membership. (ii) Signing Authority All financial actions of FLOA must be signed for by at least two of the President, Vice-President and Treasurer. (iii) Payment to Members Payment may only be made to general members in reimbursement for reasonable and legitimate expenses. No general member of FLOA shall receive any salary, honoraria or other remuneration for services to FLOA. (iv) Honoraria With a supermajority vote of the Executive Committee, honoraria may be given to guest speakers provided that these are not general members of FLOA. (v) Surplus Funds All revenue generated shall be reinvested in FLOA. Any profit or surplus of funds from one operating year shall be carried over to the next operating year. Article 8: Executive Sanctions (a) Suspension A majority vote of the Executive Committee may choose to suspend any member of the Executive Committee for a period not to exceed fourteen days. No member of the Executive Committee may be suspended more than once during his or her term of office. (b) Impeachment Any member of the Executive Committee may be impeached from is or her position by a supermajority vote at a general meeting where quorum is achieved. If impeachment occurs, a by-election shall then be held to fill the position on the Executive Committee as per Article 3(d)(ii). Article 9: Dissolution (a) Unanimous Vote Required Dissolution of FLOA shall be effected only by unanimous votes of the membership present at two consecutive general meetings held not less than seven days apart. (b) Division of Assets Upon dissolution all funds, accounts and assets of FLOA shall be transferred to any creditors. Any surplus shall be given to the Law Students Association. (c) Preservation of Records All attempts shall be made to preserve the records of FLOA so as to ease the re-establishment of a similar organization at a later date. Article 10: Amendment Procedure (a) Amendments Subject to any alternate requirements set out above, any part of this Constitution may be amended only by a supermajority vote of the members of the Executive Council followed by a supermajority vote at a general meeting. (b) Additions Articles may only be added to this Constitution only by a supermajority vote of the members of the Executive Council followed by a supermajority vote at a general meeting. Article 11: Effectiveness (a) Overriding Document This Constitution is recognized as the basic governing document of the Faculty of Law Oratory Association. All resolutions, bylaws, regulations and other policy documents of FLOA are superseded by this Constitution. (b) Effective Date This constitution is to be effective upon ratification.