The Constitution

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The constitution outlines the objectives and workings of the McGill Debating Union. It explains how membership is acquired, the roles of each member of the executive committee, how these members are elected, how the tournament selection committee is formed, and the required number of general meetings per month.

Due to the possibility of this page being maliciously edited, anyone with a concern or question about the constitution should refer first to the version available for download at the McGill Group.


Contents

Full Text of the Official Constitution

Amended March 1990, April 1991, March 1997, January 2001, 2003-2004

1. Name

This document hereby establishes the Debating Union of the Student's Society of McGill University (l'Association des Débats de l'Association des Etudiants de l'Université de McGill), hereafter referred to as the McGill Debating Union (l'Association des Débats de McGill), and shall serve as the Constitution for that Debating Union.

2. Objectives

  • A. To engage in the activities of a debating society, including, but not limited to:
  • B. To organize and conduct exhibition debates and public speaking seminars for the McGill community at large;
  • C. To carry out all such other activities as are incidental to or conducive to the attainment of the above objectives.

3. Liability

The views expressed at any activity organized by the Debating Union or the views expressed by any member of the Debating Union at any competition do not necessarily reflect the views of the McGill Debating Union, the Students' Society of McGill University, or McGill University.

4. Membership

  • A. All students of McGill University are eligible to become members of the Debating Union. Membership is granted upon attendance at one general meeting. No membership fee shall be levied;
  • B. Voting members of the Debating Union are those who have attended a minimum of 25% of the general meetings held during the current academic year. Voting members have full voting privileges.

5. The Executive Committee

  • A. The voting membership of the McGill Debating Union is the final authority regarding the affairs of the Debating Union. At an annual general meeting, an Executive Committee will be elected to serve as the principal administrative body of the Debating Union.
  • B. The Executive Committee shall be composed of the following officers:
  • C. The powers of the Executive Committee shall be as follows:
    • i. to implement the policies and oversee the activities of the Debating Union in accordance with this Constitution;
    • ii. to ensure the proper functioning of the individual offices of the Executive Committee as outlined in this Constitution.
  • D. The responsibilities of the officers of the Executive Committee shall be as follows:
    • i. President
      • a. to oversee the efficient functioning of the Executive Committee;
      • b. to call, schedule, set the agenda for, and chair Executive Committee meetings;
      • c. to cast a vote on the Executive Committee in case of a tie only;
      • d. to make decisions on behalf of the Executive Committee in such cases where it is impossible for the Executive Committee to convene before the appropriate deadline, subject to section 5.A of this Constitution;
      • e. to act as the official spokesperson of the McGill Debating Union;
      • f. to chair the Tournament Selection Committee and World, North American and National Championships Selection Committee, as outlined in Section 7.
    • ii. Vice-President
    • iii. Chair of Debates
      • a. to oversee all meetings of the general membership;
      • b. to direct a training program for novice debaters;
      • c. to schedule and organize regular public debates;
      • d. to provide for the development and the maintenance of the debating skills of the members of the Debating Union.
    • iv. Secretary
      • a. to keep and provide the records of all Executive Committee meetings;
      • b. to provide for the arrangements necessary for the Debating Union to attend competitive debating events;
      • c. to keep and provide accurate records of attendance at all general meetings;
      • d. to maintain communications with other debating societies.
    • v. Treasurer
      • a. to be responsible for the administration of any funds held by the Debating Union;
      • b. to be the official signing officer for all matters relating to funds;
      • c. to keep accurate records of all Debating Union financial transactions;
      • d. to consult with the Executive Committee on financial affairs.
    • vi. Chair of Exhibition Debates
      • a. to organize and conduct exhibition debates of interest to the McGill community at large;
      • b. to organize and conduct public speaking seminars pursuant to section 2. B. of this Constitution.
    • vii. Chair of Publicity
      • a. to publicize and promote the activities of the Debating Union using any media both within and outside the University.
  • E. The procedures for election to the Executive Committee shall be as follows:
    • i. The Executive Committee shall set a date for all elections. The positions of President, Vice-President, Chair of Debates, Secretary, Treasurer, Chair of Exhibition Debates, Chair of Publicity and Chair of French Debates shall be elected, in the order listed, prior to the end of Winter-semester classes;
    • ii. The position of Chair of Publicity shall be elected in the fall. The date for this election must be announced at the first general meeting of the Debating Union for that academic year;
    • iii. Notification of elections shall be made no sooner than three weeks before such elections are held;
    • iv. A majority of 50% plus one is necessary for election to an Executive position. In the absence of a majority, only the name with the lowest number of votes shall be dropped from each ballot;
    • v. All Debating Union elections are to be secret ballot elections;
    • vi. To be nominated as a candidate in Executive Committee elections, a person must obtain the signatures of five voting members of the Debating Union;
    • vii. No one may hold two Executive positions at once except in cases of interim appointment;
    • viii. The Executive Committee shall appoint one chief returning officer and one deputy returning officer prior to the elections;
    • ix. The returning officers shall be responsible for:
      • a. collection of nominations;
      • b. counting of ballots;
      • c. announcement of results of elections;
      • d. ruling on election irregularities: candidates may appeal this decision to the Students' Society of McGill University.
  • F. The rules of procedure for meetings of the Executive Committee shall be as follows:
    • i. the President shall be responsible for calling and chairing all Executive Committee meetings;
    • ii. a quorum of five members of the Executive Committee, one of whom must be either the President or Vice President, is necessary to pass motions;
    • iii. the vote of an executive officer shall count only when that person is actually present at the meeting;
    • iv. Robert's Rules of Order, Revised Edition, shall serve as the official procedural guide for meetings of the Executive Committee, except where such rules directly contradict procedures stipulated in this Constitution;
    • v. meetings of the Executive Committee shall be open to all members of the Debating Union. A meeting may be declared closed by a two-thirds majority vote of the Executive Committee. Only Executive Committee members may be present at a meeting that has been declared closed and the minutes of such meetings shall only be available to members of the Executive Committee.
    • vi. Notwithstanding sections 5. D. i. B. and 5. F. i., a meeting of the Executive Committee may be convened following a petition of 25% of the voting members.
  • G. The procedure for impeaching an Executive Officer shall be as follows:
    • i. The impeachment process can be initiated in either one of two ways:
      • a. a two thirds majority (five members) vote of the Executive Committee, excluding the officer in question, including the President, or the Vice-President if it is the President who is under consideration for impeachment;
      • b. a petition with the signatures of one third of the voting members.
    • ii. a general meeting shall be set for at least two, but no more than three weeks after the impeachment process has been initiated. At that meeting, the reasons for the proposed impeachment shall be publicly stated by one person appointed by the Executive Committee. The officer under consideration shall have the opportunity to defend him or herself, or to appoint another individual to carry out this defense in his or her place. Both of these speeches shall be of the same length;
    • iii. a two-thirds majority vote of the voting membership is required to impeach an Executive officer;
    • iv. an impeached officer retains his or her membership in the Debating Union and may run for Executive positions;
    • v. if more than one Executive officer is being considered for impeachment, the matter shall be referred to the Students' Council of the Students' Society of McGill University.
  • H. The procedures for filling vacancies on the Executive Committee shall be as follows:
    • i. if, for any reason, the office of President becomes vacant, the Vice-President shall assume the duties of the President in addition to the Vice-President until an election is held, or until the President can resume his or her duties;
    • ii. if the Vice-President cannot assume the duties of an absent President, then the Chair of Debates shall assume those duties, in addition to the duties of Chair of Debates;
    • iii. any officer who temporarily assumes the office of the President temporarily forfeits the right to vote on the Executive Committee except in case of a tie;
    • iv. if any other Executive Committee office becomes vacant the Executive Committee may appoint one of its members to fill the vacancy until an election can be called or until the officer in question can return to his or her duties. The person taking on new responsibilities shall not shirk those responsibilities already assigned to them;
    • v. all elections to fill vacancies shall be conducted with the election procedures outlined in the Constitution. The election for a vacant position must take place within eight weeks of the position becoming vacant;
  • I. There shall be no fewer than two Executive Committee meetings per month during the regular academic year, excluding April and December;
  • J. In the event that a decision of the Executive Committee in any way contradicts a decision undertaken by one individual member of the Executive Committee, the decision of the Committee shall take precedence;
  • K. The Executive Committee shall be responsible for appointing, or, if necessary, dismissing the Tournament Coordinators for the McGill High School Debating Tournament and the McGill Winter Carnival Tournament. Tab room procedures for the latter shall be determined by the Coordinators only after advice and consent of the Executive Committee has been given.

6. The Members at Large

  • A. There shall be a Novice Member-at-Large and a Member-at-Large who shall be elected, in that order, according to the procedures outlined in Article 5.E, with the following modifications;
    • i. The date set for elections shall be in the fall, preferably in the month of October;
    • ii. Notification of elections shall be made, at least fourteen (14) days before such elections are held, at a General Meeting of the Debating Union;
    • iii. To be nominated as a candidate in a Member-at-Large election, a person must:
      • a. be a voting member of the Debating Union;
      • b. obtain the signatures of five (5) voting members of the Debating Union, excluding themselves, and submit them to the Chief Returning Officer;
    • iv. Further to be nominated as a candidate for the Novice Member-at-Large election, a person, in addition to meeting the requirements of Article 6.A.iii, must:
      • a. have never attended more than a total of four (4) General Meetings of the Debating Union prior to the beginning of the academic year in which the Member-at-Large elections are being held;
      • b. qualify as a "novice" as defined by the Canadian University Society for Intercollegiate Debate (CUSID). If no such definition exists, the Executive Committee shall be empowered to create a reasonable one.
  • B. The responsibilities of the Members at Large shall be as follows:
    • i. to act as liaisons between the Executive Committee and the general membership;
    • ii. to alternate from one tournament to the next as voting members of the Tournament Selection Committee;
    • iii. to vote at meetings of the World, North American, and National Championship Selection Committees.


7. Tournament Selection Committee

  • A. The Tournament Selection Committee (TSC) shall have the sole mandate of selecting delegates to attend debating and public speaking competitions excluding the World, North American, and National Championships;
  • C. The TSC shall be chaired by the President, and all members must be present at a meeting to have their votes counted;
  • D. The TSC shall be empowered, by majority vote, to declare its meeting closed to the general voting membership. At such meetings, no minutes will be taken;
  • E. Quorum for TSC meetings shall be three members, one of whom must be the President or the Vice-President.

8. World, north american, and national championships selection committees

  • A. If four or more teams are to attend the tournament in question, the selection committee and its procedure shall consist of a full meeting of the Tournament Selection Committee (ie both of the Members at Large shall be included).B. If three or fewer teams are to attend the tournament in question, a Special Tournament Selection Committee and its procedures shall be approved by the Executive Committee.

9. Constitutional amendments

The procedure for amending the Constitution of the McGill Debating Union shall be as follows:

  • A. The amendment process can be initiated in one of two ways:
    • i. a two-thirds majority vote of the Executive Committee (five members) including the President;
    • ii. a petition with the signatures of one-third of the voting members of the Debating Union;
  • B. A general meeting of the membership shall be held no sooner than two weeks, but no later than three weeks after the amendment process has been initiated;
  • C. Proposed amendments shall be considered passed when endorsed by a two-thirds majority vote of the voting membership;
  • D. The Executive Committee shall decide the procedures of debate and voting for said meeting prior to the day of the vote.

10. Quorum

Quorum for votes on Constitutional amendments and impeachments shall be 50% of the voting membership.

11. General meetings

There shall be no fewer than five general meetings of the Debating Union per month during the academic year, except for December and April.

12. Judicial review

Any judicial decision not previously specified that concerns the Debating Union shall be referred to the Judicial Board of the Students' Society of McGill University.

13. Official symbol

Ralph, the moose, shall be the official symbol and mascot of the Debating Union, and is the exclusive property of the McGill Debating Union.

14. Citation

All members of the Executive Committee are responsible for knowing and abiding by the rules and procedures described in this Constitution. Any decision or actions taken that contravene the Constitution are invalid.

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