BYLAW 120: COMMITTEES OF STUDENTS' COUNCIL

01. Standing Committee Mandates

1. The Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Committee

   1. Shall make recommendations to Students’ Council on the implementation on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action;

   2. Shall assist, after discussion, Students’ Council in identifying Indigenous student priorities;

   3. Shall write a yearly report to Students’ Council detailing Indigenous student priorities;

   4. Shall ensure adequate discussion, as defined by this committee, is completed by the Students’ Union in identifying Indigenous student priorities;

   5. Shall develop strategies for the respectful implementation of Indigenous knowledges and teachings;

   6. Shall foster collaboration between the Students’ Union and Indigenous students;

   7. Shall work with Students’ Council committees in implementing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, and representing and hosting discussion with Indigenous students;

   8. Shall request reports from the Students’ Union Executive Committee on its advocacy for and with Indigenous students;

   9. Shall periodically produce reports on the Executive Committee of the Students’ Union in relation to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Political Policy, the Indigenous student priorities defined by this committee, and its overall advocacy and representation of Indigenous students;

   10. Shall compile a public report on the representation of and collaboration with Indigenous students, as well as all relevant advocacy work, done by Students’ Council;

   11. Shall recommend to the Students’ Council, representatives to sit on committees, councils, etc., both internal and external, whose main focus is Indigenous students;

   12. Holds the authority to determine the criteria and application process for student-at-large and de facto representative positions on this committee;

   13. Shall ensure that cultural sensitivity training is provided to Students’ Council;

   14. Holds the authority to recommend changes to the Acknowledgement of Traditional Territories of Students' Council Standing Orders;

   15. Holds the authority to make alterations and renew the Students’ Union Political Policy on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Political Policy; and

   16. Shall ensure the Students’ Union collaborates with Indigenous elders on all relevant matters; with relevant being defined by this committee.

2. The Audit Committee

   1. Shall review any Student Representative Association for compliance with any funding agreements and contracts held with the Students’ Union;

   2. Shall investigate breaches of contract with the Students’ Union;

   3. Shall monitor the use of all Student Representative Association Membership Fees;

      1. Shall be enabled to authorize Students' Union staff to undertake the review of the use of Student Representative Association Membership Fees, provided that findings be communicated to the Audit Committee.

   4. Shall monitor the use of funds allocated by the Students’ Union to the Association des Universitaires de la Faculté Saint-Jean and Augustana Students’ Association;

      1. Shall be enabled to authorize Students' Union staff to undertake the review of the use of funds allocated by the Students' Union to the Association des Universitaires de la Faculté Saint-Jean and Augustana, provided that findings be communicated to the Audit Committee.

   5. Shall monitor the Finance Committee’s allocation of the Campus Recreation Enhancement Fund, the Golden Bear and Panda Legacy Fund, and the Refugee Student Fund;

   6. Shall annually select the Students’ Union auditor

   7. Shall oversee the Students’ Union external audit and include it with the Committee’s report on the audit to Council;

   8. Shall review the Students’ Union’s audited financial statements in advance of their presentation to Students’ Council;

   9. Has the authority to require to appear before it, in a reasonable period of time, any Students’ Union employee and/or member of the Executive;

3. The Bylaw Committee

   1. Shall draft articles, bylaws and regulations as required by Students’ Council;

   2. Shall draft referendum and plebiscite questions as required by Students’ Council;

   3. Shall make recommendations to Students’ Council on Students’ Union articles, bylaws and regulations where such recommendations are not the purview of any other standing committee;

   4. Has the power to make alterations to Students’ Union bylaws that do not alter the meaning of the bylaws in question.

   5. Shall review recommendations of the Discipline, Interpretation and Enforcement (DIE) Board by the end of the first August following the ruling’s release.

4. The Council Administration Committee

   1. Has authority to recommend changes to Standing Orders of Students’ Council after an initial set of standing orders has been adopted by Students’ Council;

   2. Shall make recommendations to Students’ Council on the structure of Students’ Council and committees;

   3. Shall oversee the Speaker and the Chief Returning Officer of the Students’ Union;

   4. Shall oversee the progress of Students’ Council’s legislative agenda;

   5. Shall determine the criteria and application process for student-at-large positions appointed by Students’ Council when the selection process is done by CAC.

   6. Shall solicit and review applications, and recommend appointments of Students’ Union members for student-at-large representative positions on University Advisory/Search Committees, and the University of Alberta Senate;

      1. Where there is not sufficient time for CAC to select student-at-large positions, the Executive Committee shall undertake 4e-4f to ensure full student representation.

      2. Where the Executive Committee selects a member, they shall notify Students’ Council through an information item to Students’ Council.

5. The Finance Committee

   1. Shall recommend budgets to Students’ Council as required by Students’ Union legislation;

   2. Shall review and approve changes to the Students’ Union budget that are outside any administrative limits prescribed in Operating Policy and that are not dependent on external factors (for example, higher or lower cost of goods reflecting higher or lower sales), and make recommendations to Students’ Council on alterations to the operating budget that would cause a deviation from Budget Principles or put the Students’ Union in a deficit position.

   3. Shall make recommendations to Students’ Council on expenditures of funds from the Projects Allocation;

   4. Shall make recommendations to Students’ Council on legislation dealing with Students’ Union finances as it considers appropriate or as required by Students’ Council;

   5. Shall regulate and approve the methods used by the Registrar's Office in disbursement and appeal of the Access Fund;

   6. Shall make grants and has the authority to set an implement policy regarding the disbursal of funds from the Campus Recreation Enhancement Fund, the Golden Bear and Panda Legacy Fund, the Refugee Student Fund, and the portion of the Students’ Union operating budget designated for grants to Student Groups;

   7. Shall oversee, review, and approve as necessary the contracts and agreements between the Students' Union and Dedicated Fee Unit organizations as outlined in the Bylaw 6000 schedule;

   8. Shall conduct an annual financial review of each Operational Dedicated Fee Units as outlined in Bylaw 6200;

   9. Has authority to grant loans to student groups in amounts not exceeding $1,500 per student group;

   10. May delegate the granting of funds where the Finance Committee has established standing orders identifying the delegate and comprehensive regulations within which the delegate must exercise its discretion when granting;

   11. May establish, amend, eliminate, and bestow awards recognizing student involvement, such awards to be funded by the Student Involvement Endowment Fund and/or external sources, as outlined in Finance Committee Standing Orders;

   12. Shall bestow all externally-funded awards delegated to it by the Students’ Union Executive Committee; and

   13. May establish, amend, eliminate, and bestow awards recognizing outstanding undergraduate teaching at the University of Alberta.

   14. The Finance Committee may establish such rules and procedures as may be necessary for the fulfillment of its mandate and may delegate this authority as it deems necessary.

6. The Policy Committee

   1. Shall make recommendations to Students’ Council on Students’ Union political policy;

   2. Shall receive reports from the Students’ Union Executive Committee on advocacy activities and evaluate their effectiveness; and

   3. Can make editorial changes to all political policy.

7. The Executive Committee

   1. Mandate and membership of the Executive Committee is outlined in Bylaw 130.

8. Standing committees have the authority to make recommendations to Students’ Council on matters related to their mandates but not explicitly set out in this bylaw.

9. Students’ Council has the authority to require recommendations from standing committees on matters related to their mandates but not explicitly set out in this bylaw.

02. Standing Committee Membership

1. First principles regarding changes to this bylaw, in regards to standing committee membership, require a recommendation from the standing committee in question.

2. Membership on standing committees shall follow the following classifications:

1. Class A - voting + permanent members of Students’ Council;

2. Class B - voting + non-permanent members of Students’ Council;

3. Class C - voting + permanent member who is a student-at-large

3. Every member of Students’ Council shall be a non-voting non-permanent member of each standing committee.

1. Notwithstanding the above, a standing committee may mandate a member of Students’ Council leave a meeting if the business relates to the standing committee's oversight over that member.

4. Audit Committee (5)

1. Five (5) Class A members.

5. Bylaw Committee (5)

1. Five (5) Class A members; and

2. The General Manager (or designate), as a non-voting member.

6. Council Administration Committee (26)

1. Five (5) Class A members; and

2. All members of Students’ Council, as Class B members.

7. Finance Committee (7)

1. The Vice President (Operations and Finance);

2. One (1) member of the Executive Committee, chosen by the Executive Committee, as a voting member;

3. Three (3) Class A members;

4. Two (2) Class C members; and

5. The General Manager (or designate), as a non-voting member.

8. Policy Committee (9)

1. The Vice President (Academic);

2. The Vice President (External);

3. The Vice President (Student Life);

4. Four (4) Class A members; and

5. Two (2) Class C members.

9. Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Committee

1. Two (2) voting members of the Executive Committee, chosen by the Executive Committee;

2. Two (2) voting members from the Indigenous Students' Union, as appointed by the Indigenous Students' Union;

3. Three (3) Indigenous students-at-Large as voting members, as appointed by the Indigenous Students' Union;

4. Three (3) Class A members;

5. One (1) elder as a voting member, chosen by the Committee, as an ex-officio member;

6. Up to twenty (20) additional Class B members of Students’ Council; and

7. Up to twenty-one (21) additional self-identifying Indigenous undergraduate students currently enrolled at the University of Alberta.

10. Notwithstanding any provision in this bylaw, standing committees may appoint non-voting members to themselves by passing regulations to this effect as part of their standing orders.

11. Non-voting members of standing committees:

1. Are not entitled to move, second, or vote on motions of standing committees;

2. Are not entitled to chair standing committees; and

3. Do not count towards a quorum of standing committees.

12. Student-at-large members of standing committees shall be nominated through Council Administration Committee. Refer to Regulation 120.02 - Standing Committee Student-At-Large Replenishment for the process.

03. Standing Committee Quorum

1. Quorum of standing committees shall be a simple majority of current committee membership.

04. Functioning of Standing Committee

1. Standing committees shall establish meeting schedules on a trimester basis, with the trimesters being

1. May to August; and

2. September to December; and

3. January to April.

2. No meeting of a standing committee shall occur unless:

1. every quorum-counting member of the standing committee has received at least seventy-two hours notice of the meeting; or

2. every quorum-counting member of the standing committee consents to the meeting taking place.

3. Standing committees may adopt such standing orders as do not conflict with legislation.

4. The Speaker, and through them Chairs of standing committees, shall have access to sufficient administrative support to ensure the proper functioning of committees, including but not limited to

1. The creation and publication of agendas for committee meetings;

2. The creation and publication of minutes for committee meetings;

3. The booking of meeting rooms;

4. The duplication of required documents; and

5. Access to Students’ Union archives.

5. Any permanent member of a committee may designate any member of their appointing body, or in the case of Councilors, their Councilor-Designate, as their proxy for any portion of their term, provided their proxy fulfills the eligibility requirements to serve on the committee in question.

6. Every standing committee named at the introductory meeting shall hold a meeting before the first meeting of its Students’ Council in order to

1. Elect a Chair; and

2. Set initial standing orders; and

3. Set a meeting schedule for its first trimester.

7. Voting members may be permitted to teleconference/video conference into standing committee meetings, at the discretion of the Chair, except under conditions in which the committee is in camera.

05. Chairs of Standing Committees

1. Each standing committee, unless otherwise specified in the committee’s Standing Orders, shall be chaired by a member of that standing committee elected by the voting members of that standing committee using the procedure outlined in Regulation 120.05 - Standing Committee Chair Selection.

2. The Chair of the Council Administration Committee shall be a permanent member of the Council Administration Committee.

3. The Chair of the Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Committee shall be a permanent member of the Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation Committee.

06. Standing Committee Attendance Regulations

1. Attendance of standing committees is defined as attending for at least one (1) roll call of attendance.

2. Members are expected to attend, send another member as proxy, or in the case of Councilors, their Councilor-Designate, to standing committee meetings as a minimum expectation of holding a seat on a given standing committee.

3. Where a member meets the following criteria for four (4) scheduled meetings in a trimester, they shall be automatically removed from that standing committee if they:

1. Fail to attend;

2. Fail to send a proxy; and

3. Fail to provide a formal document to the committee’s chair, prior to the start of the meeting, including their written thoughts on all agenda items listed.

4. The committee minute template shall include a criteria in the attendance portion indicating whether the formal document listed in 3(b) was sent by any member.

5. In the event that an individual meets the aforementioned criteria the Chair, or any other member, shall contact the Speaker indicating:

1. The name of the Committee; and

2. The name of the member; and

3. The minute documents showing the members’ absence and failure to provide a written statement.

6. Following verification of the information provided, the Speaker shall declare the seat vacant.

7. Any member removed from a committee shall be able to be re-nominated and re-appointed.

8. The Speaker shall inform all members of Students’ Council of these regulations at the start of each Students’ Council year and at the time of appointment of vacant seats.

07. Written Reports

1. Chairs of standing committees shall draft and submit written reports to Students’ Council, outlining the activity of their committee, before the last meeting of each trimester.

2. The report tabled for the last meeting of the elected term shall include required transition documentation.

3. Each report shall include the following items, at a minimum:

1. Activities of that committee during the trimester; and

2. A general summary of decisions, recommendations and motions made under the authority of that committee; and

3. The presumptive schedule for the coming semester, if applicable.

4. The transition documentation for the final trimester shall include, at a minimum:

1. An outline of the committee structure and function; and

2. The general responsibilities of the Chair; and

3. Future tasks or objectives that should be considered by the incoming committee; and

4. Advice to the incoming chair.

08. Right to Attend Students' Council Committee Meetings

1. Every member of the Students' Union is entitled to attend any meeting of a Students' Council Board or Committee except the portions of any such meetings that occur in camera.
2. The Committee of Students' Council may allow any person access to the in camera portions of any meeting.
3. Every member of Students' Council is entitled to attend any in camera session of a committee thereof.
4. The Chair of the meeting may expel any person, including a member of the Committee, from a meeting for improper or disruptive conduct.