Alumni       STU Home

. Names and Definitions Purposes Membership Alumni Records Alumni Affairs Office Membership Dues Executive of the Association Directors of the Association Tenure of Office of the Executive and Directors Meetings Elections Vacancies and Appointments Committees Chapters Fiscal Year Finances Amendments Dissolution ARTICLE 1.0 NAME AND DEFINITIONS 1.1 Name  The name of the organization is the "St. Thomas University Alumni Association", hereinafter called the "Association". 1.2 Definitions 1.2.1 St. Thomas University is referred to herein as the "University" . 1.2.2 St. Thomas College is referred to herein as the "College". 1.2.3 St. Thomas High School is referred to herein as the "School". 1.2.4 The executive and additional members of the board of directors of the association are referred to herein as the "Directors". Top ARTICLE 2.0 PURPOSES 2.1 The aims and purposes of the association are:  to support and promote the interests and welfare of the alumni and the university; to promote a mutually beneficial relationship between alumni and the university; to provide a voice for the alumni in university decision making; to nurture a sense of pride and community among alumni and students. 2.2 The Association is a not-for-profit organization: all assets held in the name of the Association are used solely for the attainment of the aforementioned aims and purposes.  Top ARTICLE 3.0 MEMBERSHIP 3.1 Members of the Association include: all graduates and former students of the university, college, and school; all present and former members of the faculty and administration of the university and college; all recipients of honourary degrees conferred by the university and college. 3.2 Honourary Membership in the association may be granted to individuals other than those identified in article 3.1 by a majority vote of the association's board of directors.  3.3 Rights and Privileges All members of the association, including honourary, enjoy the following rights and privileges:   to hold office in the association or membership on the board of directors; to speak at all meetings of the association; to vote in elections of the association and on matters affecting the association; to make and introduce motions, resolutions, petitions, and suggestions at meetings of the association; to propose and advocate any measures designed to promote the best interests of the alumni and the university, subject only to the approval of the board of directors and/or the association. 3.4 The association will not deny membership or privileges on the basis of sex, race, colour, creed, disability, sexual preference, age, or national origin and will not accept any organizational unit that denies membership or privileges on such grounds.  Top ARTICLE 4.0 ALUMNI RECORDS A record of all members of the association will be maintained by the alumni affairs office.  ARTICLE 5.0 ALUMNI AFFAIRS OFFICE 5.1 The alumni affairs office is established to oversee the administration of the association; manage and maintain the association registers and records; coordinate communications between the university and the association; coordinate and administer association programs and activities; serve as a resource centre for the association; and provide secretarial services to the association.  5.2 The alumni affairs office is supervised and directed by the director of alumni affairs.  Top ARTICLE 6.0 MEMBERSHIP DUES 6.1 Membership dues are payable annually to the St. Thomas University Alumni Association.  6.2 The amount of the dues is set by a two-thirds majority vote of the directors of the association.  6.3 Members are advised annually by the alumni affairs office as to the date on which dues are payable.  6.4 A membership card is issued by the alumni affairs office to all members upon receipt of payment of dues.  6.5 A receipt is issued by the association to members upon receipt of payment of dues.  Top ARTICLE 7.0 EXECUTIVE OF THE ASSOCIATION 7.1 The Executive of the Association consists of:  the officers of the association and; the director of alumni affairs. 7.1.1 The Officers of the Association are: president past president vice president secretary treasurer 7.2 The President of the Association: presides at all meetings of the association as well as meetings of the executive, and the directors of the association; is responsible for enforcing due observance of the bylaws; sets the agenda for meetings of the association, as well as meetings of the executive and the directors of the association; presents a report to the annual meeting of the directors of the association; is a signing officer for the association. 7.3 The Immediate Past-president of the Association: The most immediate past-president of the association chairs the nominating committee of the association. 7.4 The Vice-President of the Association: assists the president; assumes the office of the president in the event of absence or incapacity. 7.5 The Secretary of the Association: ensures that the minutes of all meetings are recorded; ensures there are accurate records minutes of all meetings; carries out any additional duties that may be requested by the members of the executive and the directors of the association. 7.6 The Treasurer of the Association: is responsible for accounting for all financial transactions of the association; is a signing officer of the association; submits a written financial report to the annual meeting of the directors and the association; shall ensure that the books of the association are audited annually; shall appoint and act as chairperson of the budget committee. 7.7 The Director of Alumni Affairs: the director of alumni affairs is appointed by the president of the university in consultation with the board of directors of the association; the director of alumni affairs if the chief executive officer of the association, and is responsible for the overall management and administration of the alumni affairs office; the director is an ex officio voting member of the association's board of directors, executive committee and budget committee, and is a signing officer for the association. Top ARTICLE 8.0 DIRECTORS OF THE ASSOCIATION 8.1 The board of directors of the association consists of:  the executive of the association; six directors at large of the association elected by the members at the annual meeting; the association's member on the board of governors and the senate; presidents of local chapters; two members at large who may be appointed by the directors. 8.2 Duties and Responsibilities of the Directors: to establish the policies of the association; to uphold the bylaws of the association; to strike committees of the association; to make interim appointments to vacancies on the executive and board of directors of the association; to approve and supervise the appropriation of the funds of the association; to submit a report to the annual meeting of the association; to represent the interests of the alumni to the university and other organizations. 8.3 Alumni Representatives to the Board of Governors and Senate:  the immediate past-president shall serve as the association's representative to the board of governors. In the event that the immediate past-president is unable to serve, the board shall appoint, or where necessary, elect a member of the board of directors of the association for that position; the association's representative to the senate shall be appointed, or where necessary, elected from the board of directors of the alumni association. Top ARTICLE 9.0 TENURE OF OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE AND DIRECTORS 9.1 The term of office of all officers and directors is two years. 9.1.1 The term of office of the representatives to the board of governors and the senate shall be as established by the bylaws of that organization. 9.2 At the annual general meeting of the association, at which these bylaws are adopted, one-half (1/2) of the directors at large shall be elected for a one (1) year term, and one-half (1/2) shall be elected for a two (2) year term. Thereafter, a director's term of office shall be for two (2) years from the date of the annual general meeting at which they were elected.  9.3 The director of alumni affairs holds office at the pleasure of the president of the university in consultation with the board of directors of the association.  9.4 Officers of the association and members of the board of directors may be re-elected or may be candidates for other elected positions in the association.  9.5 No members may hold more than one position on the board of directors at one time.  Top ARTICLE 10.0 MEETINGS 10.1 Annual Meeting The association shall meet annually, at a time and place determined by the executive of the association. All members of the association, including honourary, are entitled to attend. 10.1.1 Members of the association will receive written notice of the meeting at least thirty days in advance. 10.1.2 Each member in attendance at the meeting will be entitled to one vote. 10.1.3 A majority of the members present at the annual meeting responsible for electing members to the board of director's pursuant to provisions set out in the association's bylaws. 10.2 Special Meeting of Members of the Association 10.2.1 A special meeting of the members of the association may be called at any time by the executive or the board; or by petition, delivered to the alumni affairs office signed by no fewer than ten members of record. 10.2.2 The date of the special meeting shall be no fewer than fifteen (15) days nor more than twenty-one (21) days from the date on which the notice of special meeting is forwarded to the members (when said meeting is called by the executive or board) and the date the petition is delivered to the alumni affairs office (when said meeting is called by petition). 10.2.3 Notwithstanding the foregoing, no special meeting shall be considered called unless and until the petitioners of the executive or board, as the case may be, set(s) forth in writing the purpose of said meeting. 10.2.4 The notice of the place, date and time of the meeting shall also set forth the purpose(s) for which the said meeting has been called and it shall be forwarded to all members immediately on receipt of the petition, if the said meeting is called by petition. 10.2.5 At a special meeting only such matters of business as set forth on the notice of meeting under the heading "Purpose of the Meeting" shall be discussed, unless a majority of the members of record, present at the meeting, decide by standing vote to entertain and discuss further matters. 10.3 Meetings of the Executive and Directors of the Association A notice of meeting, specifying the time, place and agenda of the meeting is communicated by mail or facsimile transmission to the members of the executive and/or the directors of the association by order of the president at least ten (10) days prior to the date of the meeting, unless such time provisions are waived by the members of the executive and the board of directors. 10.3.1 The directors of the association will meet at least three times annually, with one meeting being held not less than one (1) month prior to the date of the annual general meeting of the association. 10.3.2 A vote from a member of the board of directors, or the executive, may be made by proxy, mail, telephone, facsimile transmission, or other means provided it is reported and confirmed at the next meeting of the board. 10.3.3 The quorum for a meeting of the directors shall be 50% plus one. 10.3.4 The quorum for a meeting of the executive shall be 50% plus one. 10.3.5 Special meetings of the directors of the association may be convened in the following manner:   a written petition for a special meeting of the directors, signed by at least one-third (1/3) of the directors of the association and stating the reason(s) for the requested meeting, is submitted to the director of alumni affairs; a notice of special meeting, specifying the agenda of the meeting, is communicated to the directors by the director of alumni affairs within five (5) days of the receipt of the written petition; the special meeting will be held no later than ten (10) days from receipt of the written petition; date and time of the special meeting is to be communicated to all members of the executive and board of directors by the director of alumni affairs at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to the special meeting. Top ARTICLE 11.0 ELECTIONS The executive and directors of the association are elected by a majority vote of the members at the annual meeting of the association. 11.1 Elections are held at the annual meeting of the association only, pursuant to the provisions of the following subsections: 11.1.1 A nominating committee, consisting of the most immediate past-president as chairman, the director of alumni affairs and any three members of the association appointed by the directors is commissioned to draw up a slate of candidates willing to stand for election to the vacant positions on the board of directors. 11.1.2 At least ninety (90) days prior to the annual meeting, the chairperson of the nominating committee will advise the board of directors as to any vacancies for which the nominating committee has been unable to obtain candidates./ 11.1.3 At least thirty (30) days prior to the annual meeting, the chairperson of the nominating committee will circulate the slate of candidates by mail to members of the association. 11.1.4 The meeting is then opened to nominations of candidates from the floor. 11.1.5 The election is by secret ballot of the members present at the annual general meeting of the association. Top ARTICLE 12.0 VACANCIES AND APPOINTMENTS 12.1 Vacancies to the elected positions on the board of directors may occur as a result of death, resignation or removal for just cause, by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the board. 12.2 In the event of a vacancy, a two-thirds (2/3) vote of the board is required to elect a candidate to fill any elected position on the board for the remainder of the incumbent's normal term of office.  ARTICLE 13.0 COMMITTEES Committees of the association are established by the president subject to the approval of the directors.  Top ARTICLE 14.0 CHAPTERS 14.1 A group of at least ten (10) members of the association may apply to the board to form a chapter. Such an application must include: a set of bylaws, in harmony with bylaws of the association, which outline the chapter's governance and management structure; a list of candidates who are willing to serve the chapter executive; a definition of the geographic limits of the chapter. 14.2 Chapters are chartered by the association by a simple majority vote on the board.  14.3 In the event that a chapter fails to identify a president to serve on the association's board of directors, a committee may be appointed by the board to reactivate the chapter. Should the committee, within one year of its appointment, be unsuccessful in reactivating the chapter, the charter of that chapter may be revoked by a two-thirds (2/3) majority vote of the board.  Top ARTICLE 15.0 FISCAL YEAR The fiscal year of the association ends April 30.  ARTICLE 16.0 FINANCES 16.1 All documentation of a banking nature and all financial instruments require the signatures of at least two (2) members of the executive who shall be designated as signing officers. 16.2 The board of directors will approve a budget for the association annually.  Top ARTICLE 17.0 AMENDMENTS 17.1 The bylaws of the association are amended in accordance with the following subsections: 17.1.1 Amendments to the bylaws of the association are voted upon at the annual meeting of the association only. 17.1.2 Written notice of motion to amend the bylaws is submitted to the president, signed by at least three (3) members of the association, no later than sixty (60) days prior to the annual meeting. 17.1.3 The amendment is presented to the annual meeting of the association with the recommendations of the directors. 17.1.4 The amendment is passed by a majority vote of the members present at the annual meeting of the association. Top ARTICLE 18.O DISSOLUTION 18.1 In the event of the dissolution of the association, all assets of the association, after payment of liabilities, shall accrue to the university.

Alumni       STU Home