Established 2002

Constitution -- April 2005

Article I: Name

A) Name -- This society shall be referred to as the University of Guelph Criminal Justice and Public Policy society

B) Short form B The recognized short form of this society is Criminal Justice Society

C) Usage of Name B The name of the Criminal Justice Society shall be used only in conjunction with those activities that have received the endorsement of the Executive Members.

Article II: Mission Statement

To increase awareness of the University of Guelph\s Criminal Justice and Public Policy program, and to provide the means for Criminal Justice students to interact within the academic community, as well as the public and private sectors.

Article III: Objectives

A) Provide a representative voice for the Criminal Justice members to the College of Social and Applied Human Sciences, Faculty, and Alumni.

B) Create an environment where members, businesses and government contacts can interact in a productive and informal manner.

C) Raise visibility and understanding of the Program amongst Private and Public sector employers.

D) Increase attractiveness and promote the program within the academic communities, focusing on increasing enrollment by targeting potential high school applicants.

E) Equally allow students the opportunity to participate in program related events.

F) Consciously administer the funds allocated to the Criminal Justice Society for running events, conferences, and other positive program related events.

Article IV: Membership

A) Membership status shall be granted to all full and part-time undergraduate students registered in the Criminal Justice and Public Policy major at the University of Guelph.

B) Honorary membership status is assumed by all Criminal Justice and Public Policy Alumnus, Faculty, and Sponsors.

C) All members are entitled to attend general council meetings.

D) All members are entitled to cast one ballot in the annual Criminal Justice and Public Policy Society executive elections and all other general council meeting votes.

E) All members shall be encouraged to participate on committees and in other ways to facilitate the Criminal Justice club in achieving its objectives.

Article V: Structure

A) The Criminal Justice Club executive shall consist of the following positions, all of whom will be elected annually for a one-year term starting April 1 and ending March 31 of the following year:

a) President

b) Vice-President

c) Treasurer

d) Public Relations Officer

e) Special Events Co-Ordinator

f) Communications Officer

g) Advertising Director

h) Consultant(s)

B) The responsibilities of the executive members shall be:

a) President shall:

Chair all executive council and general council meetings

Be responsible for arranging the executive council meetings and shall inform each and every member of the council of these meetings

Be responsible for the election proceedings at the end of his/her term

Act as a liaison between faculty and members

Prepare an agenda for all meetings

Represent Criminal Justice on the CSAHS Board of Directors and commit to attend their bi-weekly meetings

b) Vice-President shall:

In the absence of the President, assume his/her responsibilities

Aid the President in meeting the objectives of the council and its members

Oversee the activities of the other Criminal Justice members

c) Treasurer shall:

Take minutes at executive and general council meetings and distribute them to the other Criminal Justice members

Be responsible for budget preparation and financial responsibilities such as maintaining the account is up to date and all monies are accounted for

d) Public Relations Officer shall:

Act as a liaison between the members and the academic, public sector, private sector communities, and potential high school students

Be responsible for the promotion of events to all members as well as the updating of any current events to the student body and the affected Faculty members

Provide general assistance to all other Executive members in the event of a necessary delegation of duties

e) Special Events Coordinator shall:

Organize and facilitate events in order to promote the Criminal Justice Club\s objectives as outlined in Article III

Provide general assistance to all other Executive members in the event of a necessary delegation of duties

f) Communications Officer shall:

Create, maintain and update the Criminal Justice Society\s website.

The website should include and updated list of events, contact information and links which pertain to Criminal Justice students.

g) Advertising Director shall:

Be responsible for advertising all society events, will make poster, overheads and will make announcements in classes before upcoming events.

h) Consultant(s) shall:

Be Any former President, Vice-President or member for more than 2 years who wishes to remain a part of the society in order to advise and consult with new members, namely President and Vice-President. Not required to attend every meeting or event but to be a vailable for consultation when necessary.

Article VI: Election Procedures

A) Elections for the executive will be held in March of each year.

B) The nomination period will be set in advance and will be announced and advertised at least two weeks before the deadline date.

C) Campaigning can take place any time after the nomination period has begun, and can continue until the Election Date.

D) Elected members will assume office following a one-week transition period where new executives are introduced to current executive and faculty, and a meeting has been held to ensure continuity.

E) An executive member that is not running for a position will do the ballot counting that will be confirmed by a Criminal Justice Society Member that the Executive will name by way of a vote.

F) Votes cannot be proxied, unless given in writing, signed by both parties with an executive witness

G) To be eligible for election a member must:

a) be returning as a full-time student enrolled in the Criminal Justice and Public Policy Major for a minimum of two semesters

b) not be running for more than one position during the same election

Article VII: Meetings

A) There will be a minimum of one executive meeting held per month.

B) Each meeting will be advertised one week in advance to all members to allow for general members to attend and suggest ideas.

C) Requests for specific meetings must be submitted in writing to any Executive member stating the reason for request along with ten (10) or more member signatures.

Article VIII: Amendments

A) Passing an amendment of the constitution requires the unanimous vote of the Executive membership.

B) Amendments are effective immediately as the vote is passed and must be written into the Constitution within one week of the vote.

C) There must be a minimum of two weeks advance notice of any meetings that will address a Constitutional amendment.

Article IX: Finance

A) The financial operation of the Criminal Justice Club shall be as follows:

a) Overall financial policy shall be formulated by the Executive

b) All cheques and financial documents must be signed by the Treasurer or the President

c) No member of the Criminal Justice Club is empowered to make purchases with Criminal Justice funds without permission granted by majority vote at an Executive meeting

d) The Criminal Justice club may use any legal means as it deems necessary to raise funds for the society

E) Budgets:

a) The budgetary period shall cover the period from May 1 to April 30

b) Individual budgets shall be prepared on a semester by semester basis and will be submitted by the Treasurer to the CSAHS-SA committee

c) The money will be allocated by the Executive and disputes will be settled through a majority vote

d) The budgets shall be prepared by the Treasurer and approved by all members of the Executive unanimously

e) A majority vote is required to reallocate any funds within an already approved budget

F) Bank Account

a) The President and the Treasurer, along with the required CSAHS-SA representative shall be have the sole signing authority on the bank account

b) In case of the Criminal Justice Club dissolution, the account will be frozen, and all funds will be forwarded to CSAHS-SA.

Article X: Interpretation

A) The Constitution shall be interpreted by the Executive of the HREM-SAC

B) The ultimate authority of the Criminal Justice Club resides in the undergraduate Criminal Justice student populous at general meetings

Article XI: Constitution

A) The Constitution of the University of Guelph Criminal Justice club was voted upon and adopted at the Executive Meeting on Wednesday, February 25, 2002.

B) The Constitution shall be signed and deemed in effect at the first meeting of the new Executive after the annual general election.

C) The signing of this document shall signify the end of the current Executives term and the beginning of the new Executive.
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