University Students’ Council of The University of Western Ontario
Policy Manual Packet
Current as of 02-24-2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Agenda and Council Operations Terms of Reference 9
Associate and Coordinator Selection Directive 10
By-Law #1: Corporate By-Law 18
Clubs Governance Board Terms of Reference 69
Conference and Retreat Policy 80
Conflict of Interest Policy 83
Constituency Council President Terms of Reference 87
Council Composition Procedure 93
Councillor Accountability and Discipline Procedure 96
Councillor Resignation and Replacement Policy 99
Councillor Terms of Reference 101
Deputy Speaker Terms of Reference 104
Elections Governance Committee Terms of Reference 106
Elections Governance Committee Campaign Finance Procedures 112
Elections Governance Committee Violations Policy 120
Elections Governance Committee Violations Procedure 127
Executive Officer Accountability and Discipline Policy 134
Executive Council Terms of Reference 141
Executive Officers’ Salaries Procedure 144
Executive Officers Terms of Reference 145
Executive Reporting Policy 153
External Relationships and Strategies Policy 154
Grants Committee Terms of Reference 156
Nominating and Selection Committees Terms of Reference 162
Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance Policy and Procedure 164
Peer Support Centre Policy 167
Role of the USC During a Labour Dispute 171
Speaker of Council Terms of Reference 172
Standing Committee Terms of Reference 176
Standing Orders of Council 183
Standing Resolutions of Council 188
Student Engagement Committee Reporting Policy 200
Student Refugee Fund Policy 201
Summer Council Authority Policy 204
Teaching Awards Rules of Procedure 206
Advertising Materials Policy 213
Agenda Subcommittee of the Board Terms of Reference 216
Board of Directors Rules of Procedure 228
Chief Operating Officer Policy 235
Conflict of Interest Policy for USC Paid Employees 237
Community Standards Policy 239
Continuous Improvement Policy 245
Departmental Procedure Approval Policy 247
Discrimination, Harrasment, and Violence Prevention Policy 248
Discrimination, Harassment, and Violence Reporting Procedure 252
Early and Safe Return to Work Policy 258
Emergency Preparedness Policy 264
Ergonomic and Musculoskeletal Disorder Prevention Policy 267
Finance Subcommittee of the Board Terms of Reference 270
Financial Approvals Policy 271
Financial Reporting Policy 273
Gazette Publications Committee Terms of Reference 279
Governance Subcommittee of the Board Terms of Reference 282
Health and Safety Coordinator Policy 288
Health and Safety Management Policy 291
Health and Safety Networking Policy 293
Health and Safety Orientation Policy 295
Health and Safety Responsibilities of Managers and Supervisors Policy 300
Health and Safety Responsibilities of Workers (Including Supplied Labour) Policy 302
Health and Safety Training Policy 304
Health and Safety Work Refusal Policy 307
Health and Safety Workplace Inspection Policy 310
Housekeeping and Organizing Policy 313
Human Resources Subcommittee of the Board Terms of Reference 316
Injury/ Illness Reporting Policy 318
Injury/ Incident Investigation Policy and Procedure 320
Interim and Final Reports Procedure 325
Intern and Associate Vice-President Scope of Responsibilities 330
Joint Health and Safety Committee Terms of Reference 333
Media Spokesperson Procedure 343
Operating and Capital Budget Approval Policy and Procedure 347
Performance Appraisal Procedure 351
Personal Protective Equipment Policy 361
Physical Demands Information Policy 362
Preventative Maintenance Policy 366
Purchasing Policy & Purchasing Administrative Regulations 368
Risk Identification Policy 377
Schedule of Posted Health and Safety Materials 378
Volunteer Orientation and Training Policy 383
Volunteer Progressive Discipline Policy 385
Social Responsibility Audit Policy 398
Student Awards Rules of Procedure 400
ELECTIONS GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE 405
Elections Governance Committee Nomination Procedure 406
CLUBS GOVERNANCE COMMITTEE 411
Clubs Constitutional Amendment Procedure 414
Clubs Constitution Guideline 416
Club Event Planning and Risk Management Procedure 424
Clubs Financial Procedures 431
Club Hearings and Sanctions Procedure 437
Clubs Policy Review Committee: Terms of Reference 456
Clubs Support Committee Terms of Reference 458
Club Ratification Procedure 461
University Students’ Council of Western University
Authority: Council | Date Ratified: October 30, 2019 |
Previous Amendments: March 30, 2016 |
1.00 OBJECTIVE
As an advocacy-based organization that serves as the representative body for Western’s undergraduate students, it is incumbent upon the University Students’ Council to convey principles, concerns, and recommendations (PCR’s) to the University’s administration, staff, and faculty.
In order to do so, the USC must be able to effectively organize, develop, and represent students’ beliefs. The Advocacy Papers Policy empowers Council to select, prioritize, research, and articulate those PCR’s. This policy outlines the process, participants, and parameters of creating these advocacy papers.
Each standing policy of the USC shall expire three (3) years from the date upon which it was Duly Approved.
Authority: Council | Date Ratified: 14 September 2016 |
Previous Amendments: |
1.00 Mandate
The Agenda and Council Operations Committee shall be a standing committee of Council responsible for preparing, reviewing, and approving the Council agenda. The Agenda and Council Operations Committee has a mandate to ensure Council has the appropriate information to make informed decisions. The Agenda and Council Operations Committee also directs the use of the Council budget.
2.00 Membership
3.00 Responsibilities
The Agenda and Council Operations Committee shall,
4.00 Special Rules of Procedure
i. The President of the USC.
ii. Vice-President Governance and Finance (Secretary-Treasurer) of the USC.
iii. The Speaker of Council.
iv. The Chair of the Board of Directors.
v. A majority of the Directors.
vi. A majority of Voting Members of the Committee.
vii. A majority of the Ordinary Voting Members of Council.
5.00 Context and Enactment
Authority: Council | Date Ratified: 31 October 2018 |
Previous Amendments: 26 October 2011, 29 February 2012 | Date Review: September 2018 |
Next Review Date: September 2021 | |
Review Committee(s): Governance & Finance Standing Committee, USC Council | |
Delegates: Speaker of Council Associate Governance Senior Manager, Government Services |
The volunteer involvement of Associates and Coordinators is fundamental to the proper and effective functioning of the University Students’ Council. Applicants to these positions must be accountable to the Executives they report to, and it is therefore appropriate that the Executives be responsible for their selection.
Authority: Council | Date Ratified: 31 October 2018 |
Previous Amendments: | Date Review: September 2018 |
Next Review Date: September 2021 | |
Review Committee(s): Governance & Finance Standing Committee, USC Council | |
Delegates: Speaker of Council Associate Governance Senior Manager, Government Services |
Authority: Council | Date Ratified: 27 January 2021 |
Next Review Date: --- | |
Previous Amendments: 24 February 2009; 11 March 2018 | |
Related Document(s): Standing Orders of Council Standing Resolutions of Council | |
Review Committee(s): Governance & Finance Standing Committee, USC Council Governance and Finance Sub-Committee, USC Board of Directors | |
Delegates: Senior Manager, Human Resources Associate, Governance |
The list of common definitions here shall apply to this Bylaw and all other USC bylaws, policies, and procedures:
i) Academic Year means the period from September 1st of any calendar year until August 31st of the following calendar year.
ii) Board Term means the annual term of the Board, which shall coincide with the corporation’s fiscal year commencing June 1st and ending May 31st.
iii) Bylaws means the bylaws relating to the transactions and affairs of the Corporation, including any bylaw adopted by the Corporation.
iv) Building on Campus means any building owned/operated by the University of Western Ontario, except for student residence.
v) Chief Operating Officer or General Manager means the most senior member of the permanent administrative staff, reporting directly to the Board of Directors and fulfilling duties as per the Chief Operating Officer Policy.
vi) Collective Agreement means the agreement between the University Students’ Council of The University of Western Ontario and Canadian Union of Public Employees and its Local 2820.
vii) Corporation means the University Students' Council of the University of Western Ontario.
viii) Director of the Corporation means a voting member of the Board of the Corporation, as outlined in Bylaw #1.
ix) Ex-officio means a member by virtue of their office.
x) General Meetings means a Duly Called Meeting of a committee, or a Council meeting that is not the Annual General Meeting.
xi) Letters Patent means the letters patent of the Corporation, as amended and supplemented by supplementary letters patent.
xii) Observer means any individual who is not a Member and who is in attendance at a meeting of Council.
xiii) Proxy means an authorization of which a member has appointed a proxyholder to attend and act on the member’s behalf at a meeting of the members.
xv) Signing Officer means an employee of the Corporation who has authority to execute contracts and other documents on behalf of the Corporation pursuant to Bylaw #1.
The following definitions shall apply to this Bylaw and shall take precedence over definitions appearing in the list of Common Definitions found within Section 1.1 or in any other bylaws or policy.
i) Act means the Corporations Act, R.S. 1990, as amended from time and every statute that may be substituted for it.
ii) Board means the board of directors of the Corporation.
iii) Council means the Members of the corporation and the legislative branch of the Corporation.
iv) Day means any day of the week, except for Saturday, Sunday, statutory holidays, the
Corporation's winter holiday and any day on which the Corporation is closed, as determined by
the Corporation.
vi) Duly Called Meeting means a meeting of the Board, Council, or a committee called pursuant to the Bylaw or Terms of Reference, regardless of whether or not a quorum has been met.
vii) Duly Constituted Meeting means a duly called meeting where quorum is met pursuant to the Bylaw or Terms of Reference.
viii) Executive Officers means the President, Vice-President External Affairs, Vice-President University Affairs, Vice-President Governance and Finance (Secretary Treasurer), Vice-President Communications and Public Affairs, and Vice-President Student Support and Programming.
xi) Member refers to an individual holding any membership class of the Corporation:
xii) Simple Majority means more than half the votes cast, excluding blanks and abstentions.
xiii) Special Majority means at least Two-Thirds (⅔) of the votes cast, excluding blanks and abstentions.
xiv) Student means any individual undergraduate student of Western University, or an Affiliate University College, regardless of part-time status, special status, or if they are on exchange at another academic institution.
xv) University means Western University, or University of Western Ontario.
1.2 Interpretation
Other than as specified, all terms contained in this Bylaw that are defined in the Act shall have the same meaning as they do in the Act. Words importing the singular include the plural and vice versa, and words importing one gender include all genders.
1.3 Severability and Precedence
If any provision of this Bylaw is found invalid or unenforceable, this shall not affect the validity or enforceability of the remaining provisions. If any of the provisions contained in the bylaws are inconsistent with those contained in the Articles of Incorporation or the Act, the relevant provisions contained in the Articles or the Act, shall prevail.
1.4 External Affiliations
The Corporation may not be a member of any external organization in which the bylaws of the external organization, would supersede and/or conflict with the bylaws or core values of the Corporation.
1.5 Seal
The seal of the Corporation, if any, shall be in the form determined by the Board.
1.6 Elections, Referenda, and Plebiscites
Unless stated otherwise, all elections, referenda, and plebiscites conducted by the Corporation shall be conducted in accordance with Bylaw #2.
1.7 Books and Records
The Board shall ensure that all necessary books and records of the Corporation required by law are regularly and properly kept.
1.8 Purchasing, Contracts, and Signing of Cheques and Instruments
The Board shall enact a Purchasing Policy that shall delegate its authority to Officers, employees, or other agents to execute specific contracts or documents on behalf of the Corporation.
All contractual matters relating to employees, except the Chief Operating Officer, are under the purview of the Chief Operating Officer with the following exceptions:
1.9 Confidentiality
Employees, Agents, Officers, Members, and Directors owe a duty of confidentiality to the Corporation as detailed in the Confidentiality Policy.
1.10 Long-Term Plan
The Corporation shall maintain a long-term plan in accordance with Section 3.1. The President shall be responsible for initiating long-term planning and the Long-Term Plan shall be presented to, and require the approval of, Council.
2.1 General
The Board and Council shall enact or amend bylaws and policies in compliance with the procedure provided herein, and not contrary to the Act and the Letters Patent.
2.2 Policy Jurisdiction of the Board and Council
The Board and Council may enact, amend, or repeal policies that are in line with their jurisdiction.
The jurisdiction of the Board shall be:
Policies that relate to the authority granted to it by the Act to supervise the management of the Corporation with a focus on human resources, labour-management relations, internal controls, audit, legal and insurance, leases and contracts, purchasing and capital expenditures, banking and investment, physical plant, UCC space usage, any other general corporate policies, and The Gazette.
The jurisdiction of the Council shall be:
Policies that relate to the democratic legitimacy granted to it through election to represent the interests of Western’s undergraduate students. This shall include policies that establish the Terms of Reference, salaries and discipline and accountability of Executive Officers, and advocacy and student interest positions and policies.
If jurisdiction over a policy is unclear, the Vice-President Governance and Finance (Secretary-Treasurer) shall make a recommendation to the Speaker of Council and the President for their joint decision. If agreement can’t be found, both the Council and the Board shall be required to enact, amend, or repeal the policy.
2.3 Adoption and Amendment of Policies
The Board and Council shall establish their own procedures to govern the adoption and amendment of policies that are within their jurisdiction.
2.4 Adoption and Amendment of Bylaws
2.4.1 Amendments by the Council
If an Ordinary Member wishes to amend a bylaw, they must submit proposed amendments to the Agenda and Council Operations Standing Committee (ACOSC). If an Ordinary Member introduces a proposed amendment at a Council meeting, it shall be stood down by the Speaker and referred to the ACOSC.
The ACOSC shall review proposed amendments in consultation with the USC Chief Operating Officer and the Chair of the Board or their designates, who may engage USC legal counsel for review and comment. The Chair of the Board may also refer the matter to the Board for comment if, in their opinion, the amendment could conflict with the best interests of the Corporation.
The ACOC shall review the proposed amendment and make every effort to forward a recommendation to the Council within ten (10) days of the proposed amendment being referred to it. If it cannot make a recommendation within this timeframe, it shall provide Council with an estimated timeline at its next meeting.
The ACOC shall not decisively confirm or reject any proposed amendment, and shall provide a report to Council that includes:
i) precise wording for the proposed bylaw amendment;
ii) precise wording for any other sections of the bylaw that are affected by the proposed amendment;
iii) summary of any legal opinion sought to ensure the amendments are not in conflict with the Act, or any other laws or regulations;
iv) analysis from the SOC of the merits or ramifications of the proposed amendment; and
v) analysis from the Boardif the proposed amendments are in the best interests of the Corporation, unless this requirement has been waived by the Chair of the Board.
A motion to approve the bylaw amendments, accompanied by the report from the ACOC, shall be posted at least six (6) calendar days prior to the next Duly Called Meeting.
The Ordinary Members may approve or reject the amendments, or may amend the proposed amendments or other sections of the bylaw that are directly affected by the proposed amendments.
Amendments to the bylaws shall be approved by a Special Majority of the Ordinary Members.
2.4.2 Amendments by the Board of Directors
As per the Act, the Board may amend the bylaws. If a Director wishes to amend a bylaw they must submit the proposed amendment to the Board’s Agenda Committee with a review from the relevant subcommittee, including a rationale for the change. The Agenda Committee shall ensure that the Board has the information and advice it needs at its meeting to make a well-informed decision related to the proposed amendment.
Bylaw amendments come into force immediately upon a Simple Majority vote by the Board, but must be ratified by a Special Majority vote of the Ordinary Members at the first Duly Constituted Meeting of Council following the Board meeting in which the amendments were introduced. If the amendments are not ratified at said Council meeting, the bylaw shall revert to its previous reading.
3. Organizational Planning
3.1 Long-Term Planning
The Corporation shall maintain a Long-Term Plan that will serve as the foundation to all its operations. The package shall be comprised of:
i) Foundational document to indicate the mission, vision and values of the Council to be reviewed by Council and Board every 10 years starting from the year 2020.
ii) Series of frameworks (no limit) to outline the lenses the organization is to utilize in all operations to be reviewed by Council and Board every 4 years starting from the year 2020.
iii) Library of policy papers based on the foundational document and frameworks that outline the stances on specific files and subjects of the organization to be reviewed by Council.
3.2 Tactical Planning
The Corporation is to complete a yearly tactical plan based on the compilation of all executive mandates and goals to be approved by Council and released publicly for all relevant stakeholders.
4. Financial
4.1 Banking
The Board shall by Simple Majority designate the bank in which the money, bonds, or other securities of the Corporation shall be placed for safekeeping.
4.2 Borrowing
The Board shall by resolution have the authority to borrow money on the credit of the Corporation; limit or increase the amount of money borrowed; issue, sell, or pledge securities of the Corporation; and borrow against the assets of the Corporation.
4.3 Investments
The Board shall by resolution have the authority to direct the investments of the Corporation. It may also enact an Investment Policy that delegates its authority to other individuals to manage the investments of the Corporation.
4.4 Financial Year
The financial year of the Corporation ends on May 30 in each year or on such other date as the Board may determine. Changes to the financial year require a Simple Majority of the Board.
4.5 Annual Budget Process
The Corporation shall maintain a one (1) year operating budget and rolling three (3) year capital budget that shall be updated annually no later than March 15th of each year as per the approval process detailed within the Operating and Capital Budget Approval Policy and Procedure.
5. Directors
Subject to the Act, the directors of the Corporation shall supervise the management of the Corporation and shall be composed of:
i) Eight (8) Western undergraduate students-at-large, voting;
ii) President/CEO, ex-officio, voting;
iii) Secretary-Treasurer, ex-officio, non-voting.
5.1 Election and Term
The Board Nominating Committee shall nominate a slate of Directors for the Members to elect at the Annual General Meeting, as per the Board Nominating Committee Terms of Reference.
Directors shall be elected for two (2) year terms, with the term starting at the end of the Annual General Meeting in which they are elected and expiring at end of the AGM that occurs in their second year of service.
Directors who are elected by the Members to fill a vacancy on the Board that occurs in-between AGMs shall serve a term that expires at the next AGM.
Should a Director cease to meet the qualification requirements as per the Act or the bylaws they, shall cease to be a Director.
5.2 Removal or Discipline of Directors
The Members may remove any Director before the expiration of their term of office as per the Board of Directors Accountability, Discipline, and Removal Policy. This requires a resolution passed by a Special Majority of Ordinary Members at the General Meeting. Six (6) days’ notice of that General Meeting specifying the intention to pass the resolution must be given.
5.3 Vacancies - Directors
Should a Director resign or cease to meet the qualification requirements, the Board Nominating Committee shall nominate a replacement to the Members for election as per the procedures established within its Terms of Reference.
If there are three (3) or more vacancies, the Board shall strike a Nominating Committee to nominate a replacement to the Members as soon as possible.
If the vacancy does not result in three (3) or more vacancies and it occurs between January and the next AGM, the Board shall strike a Nominating Committee, which may recommend to the Members that the Director not be replaced until the AGM. If the vacancy results in a loss of quorum the Members shall not wait until the next AGM to fill the vacancy.
5.4 Responsibility of Directors
Every Director, when exercising their powers and discharging their duties, must:
i) act honestly, in good faith, and in the best interests of the Corporation;
ii) carry out their duties as a reasonable person would in the circumstances; and
iii) comply with the Act, all other applicable laws; and the Articles, bylaws, and policies of the Corporation.
5.5 Qualification
A Director shall meet all the requirements as