LSS Annual General Meeting

By   Published on: Wednesday March 04, 2009

Your LSS will be holding it's Annual General Meeting t 12pm-1pm on Tuesday, March 17th in Room 305. It's a great chance to learn more about the LSS, speak to members of the board and executive, and enjoy the free lunch. We will also be voting on the following constitutional amendments:

The Memorandum and By-Laws of the Dalhousie Law Students' Society

Name and Objectives

A. The name of this Society shall be the Dalhousie Law Students’ Society.

B. The objectives of the Society are:

a) The promotion of unity among and diversity in the law students of Dalhousie University;
b) The promotion and organization of academic, social and athletic activities for law students;
c) The promotion of law students participation in the decision making processes of the law school, including student representation on Faculty Council and faculty Standing Committees;
d) To guard against any infringement of student rights and interests;
e) To maintain incorporation under the Societies Act of Nova Scotia

C. The society shall not engage in and shall respond to instances of discrimination against any member. For the purposes of this constitution, discrimination refers to unequal or derogatory treatment against any person on the basis of a personal or immutable characteristic, including on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age or mental or physical disability.

PROVIDED that nothing herein contained shall permit the Society to carry on any trade, industry, or business and the Society shall be carried on without the purpose of gain to any of the members and that any surplus or any accretions of Society and for the promotion of its objectives.

PROVIDED further, that if for any reason the operations of the Society are terminated or are wound up, or are dissolved and there remains, at that time, after satisfaction of all debts and liabilities, any property whatsoever, the same shall be paid to some other charitable organization in Canada, having objectives similar to those of the Society.

THE activities of the society are to be carried on at the Weldon Building, Dalhousie University.

The registered office of the society shall also be at the Weldon Building, Dalhousie University.

Constitution

By-Laws of the Society

ARTICLE 1: Definitions

1.01 In these By-laws, the following terms have the meanings assigned:

a) “Ballot” means the manner in which a Member of the Society records a vote for tabulations in elections
b) “Black Student Representative” means a black student enrolled at Dalhousie Law School in any year
c) “Budget” means an itemized summary of the probable expenditures of the Society for a one year period including the disbursements that the Society may make to various groups within the Law School

d) “Class Ring” means the ring given by the Graduating Class of any given year to a non-graduating class member.  The mold for the ring is kept in the vault of Birks Jewelers in Halifax.
e) “Faculty Council Representatives” means the nine student representatives to the Faculty Council. This includes the President, the Vice President Academic, the Vice President Executive, the Black Student Representative, the Aboriginal Student Representative and the four Board Members as chosen by the Board of Directors.
f) “Faculty Standing Committees” means those committees established by and deriving their authority from, the Law School
g) “First Year Student” means an individual registered in one of the sections A, B, or C of first year law school at Dalhousie University
h) “Law School” means the Faculty of Law at Dalhousie University
i) “Legal Who” means the list of names and photographs of Members of the Society published annually by the Society
j) “Majority” means a simple majority (i.e., 50% + 1)
k) “Aboriginal Student Representative” means an Aboriginal student enrolled at Dalhousie Law School
l) “Official Notice Board” means that bulletin board which is reserved for the exclusive use of the Law Students’ Society
m) “Plebiscite” means a non-binding vote of the general membership of the Society
n) “Referendum” means a binding vote of the general membership of the Society
o) “Registrar of Joint Stock Companies” has the meaning assigned to it in the Societies Act of Nova Scotia as it may change from time to time
p) “Second Year Student” means an individual other than an individual as defined in 1.01(f) or 1.01(s), for the purposes of these bylaws.
q) “Securities” means any bond, debenture, preferred or common share of any Canadian federal or provincial company and any Canadian federal or provincial municipal bond or debenture
r) “societies” means all law student societies under the umbrella of the Society

s) “Society” means the Dalhousie Law Students’ Society
t) “Special Resolution” has the meaning of a 3/4 majority as assigned to it in the Societies Act of Nova Scotia
u) “Third Year Student” means an individual registered in Professional Responsibility in either semester of an academic year

ARTICLE 2: Membership

2.01 The annual membership fee of the Society shall be $46.00 or any other amount as may be agreed upon as a result of an official referendum conducted by the Board of Directors. This fee is payable to the business office of Dalhousie University at the time of registration, and is non-refundable.

2.02 Any registered law student who has paid the membership fee for the academic year becomes a member in good standing for that academic year and remains as such unless relieved of that status by graduation, dismissal or withdrawal from school.

ARTICLE 3: Structure

3.01 The governance of the Society shall be undertaken by the Officers and the Board of Directors.

3.02 The Officers of the Society shall consist of:
a) the President;
b) the Vice President Finance;
c) the Vice President Executive;
d) the Vice President External;
e) the Vice President Academic;
f) one First Year Representative from the Board of Directors. This position will be filled by a decision made by the three First Year Representatives. The last person to fill this position shall do so until another set of First Year Representatives are elected in the following academic year.

3.03 The Officers shall:
a) be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Society;
b) in fulfilling 3.03 (a), the Officers may make non-budgetary expenditures:

(i) no single expenditure may exceed $200.00 unless such an expenditure has been approved by a majority of the Board of Directors;

c) create Standing and ad hoc committees when it deems it necessary to do so in order to protect or enhance the interests of the Society;
d) appoint, from among the student Faculty Council members, a representative to sit on the Studies Committee

e) appoint student members to Faculty and student, Standing and ad hoc committees;
f) dismiss (with the approval of the Board of Directors) anyone appointed under article 3.03 (e);
g) collect committee reports;
h) keep the Board of Directors informed of the activities of the Officers;
i) maintain and authorize the use of the Society’s seal;
j) allow the membership of the Society to inspect the books and records of the Society during office hours set by the Officers;
k) meet in quorum which shall be the lowest number of person required to constitute at least 50% of the Officers of the Society sitting at that time;
l) each give an Officers report to each meeting of the Board of Directors unless incapable of doing so.

3.04 The Board of Directors consists of:
a) the Chairperson;
b) the Secretary;
c) the Officers;
d) three First Year Representatives;
e) three Second Year Representatives unless the President for that academic year is in his or her second year. In this case there shall be two Second Year Representatives;
f) three Third Year Representatives unless the President for that academic year is in his or her third year. In this case there shall be two Third Year Representatives;
g) the Black Student Representative as appointed under Article 7.07;
h) the Aboriginal Student Representative as elected under Article 7.08.

3.05 The Board of Directors shall meet at least once a month throughout the academic term.

(a) The Officers or any four members of the Board of Directors may call a meeting of the Board of Directors at any time it deems necessary during the academic term.

(b) The officers shall call a meeting of the Board of Directors if presented with a petition signed by Twenty (20) members of the Society calling for such a meeting.

3.06 All Members of the Society may attend meetings of the Board of Directors:
a) in the case of a special session, the Board of Directors may meet in camera if it deems it necessary to do so;
b) anyone may be given speaking rights at Board of Directors meetings at the discretion of the Chair.

3.07 Only the Officers, First, Second and Third Year Representatives, Black Student Representative and Aboriginal Student Representative may vote on all matters.

3.08 The Chairperson, who shall be appointed by the interview panel, as described in Article 16,  may only vote in the event of a deadlock among the other voting members of the Board of Directors.

3.09 Quorum at meetings of the Board of Directors shall be 50% of the members.

3.10 The Board of Directors shall:
a) act as final authority regarding all matters affecting the Society;
b) authorize single non-budgetary expenditures of the Officers exceeding $200.00 where it sees fit to do so;
c) approve the budget of the Society;
d) discuss and resolve matters brought to its attention by the Officers or the Membership of the Society;
e) act as a forum by which information can be disseminated to the general Membership of the Society;
f) in the event of a motion brought against an Officer(s) or a resignation of an Officer(s) the Board of Directors may temporarily reallocate the duties of the Officers as they see fit.

3.11 All meetings of the Board of Directors shall be conducted in accordance with Robert’s Rules of Order as interpreted by the Chair.

ARTICLE 4: Regulations of the Society

4.01 The Board of Directors has the power to adopt regulations which, until changed, shall bind the Board of Directors.

4.02 Such regulations may be adopted, amended or rescinded by a motion passed by a majority of the Board of Directors.

4.03 The regulations of the Society shall be kept on file in the Society’s office.

ARTICLE 5: Duties of the Officers

5.01 The President shall:

(a) call meetings of the Board of Directors to deal with the business of the Society;
(b) act as formal and official representative of the Society, and as such will:

(i) meet with the Dean of the Law School on a regular basis to discuss matters which concern the Members of the Society;
(ii) act as a voting member at Faculty Council meetings;
(iii) act as a voting member of the Law School Alumni Board of Directors;
(iv) act as the official spokesperson of the Law Students’ Society;

(v) perform other such duties as the Officers deem appropriate;

(c) call all meetings of the Officers;
(d) co-ordinate duties of the Officers;
(e) take final responsibility for the day-to-day operations of the Society;
(f) co-ordinate the appointments process;
(g) act as co-signatory to the Law Student Society’s bank account ;

(h) co-sign all contracts  entered into by the Society;
(i) act as the Society’s agent pursuant to section 5A of the Societies Act of Nova Scotia.

5.02 The Vice President Executive shall:

(a) fulfill the duties of the President, including the exercise of signing authority, in the temporary absence or incapacity of the President;
(b) act as Chief Communications Officer, which involves:

            (i) keeping law students informed about internal events which affect or concern them;

            (ii) promoting a school-wide communications strategy in conjunction with the First Year Executive;

            (iii) maintaining a Master Calendar listing all society events at the law school;

            (iv) maintaining the LSS Notice Board
            (v) acting as the main liaison between the LSS and societies, which includes:

(1) holding an information session for societies within the first three weeks of the school year;

(2) co-hosting an information session with the incoming VP Executive prior to exam period at the end of the school year;

                    (3) meeting with each society at least once per semester by either:

                                    (a) attending society meetings; or,

                                    (b) holding individual meetings with society presidents.

                    (4) working with the Vice President Finance, ensure societies are fully informed of funding opportunities; and,

                    (5) obtaining event dates for the Master Calendar.

(c) act as co-signatory to the Law Student Society’s bank account;

(d) act as a voting member of Faculty Council
(e) be responsible for the publication of the ‘Legal Who’;

(f) perform those duties which the Officers deem to be of an internal nature;

5.03 The Vice President Finance shall:

(a) Perform all banking and accounting duties regarding the society;
(b) act as co-signatory to the Law Student Society’s bank account;
(c) co-sign all contracts entered into by the Society;
(d) present to the Board of Directors a proposed Budget for the year;
(e) Chair the budget committee;

(f) maintain and update existing budget policy as received from previous Vice President Finance;

(g) maintain the Law Students’ Society’s incorporation under the Societies Act of Nova Scotia;

(h) perform those duties which the Officers deem to be in accordance with his or her office;

5.04 The Vice President External shall:

(a) serve as the official LSS representative to the Dalhousie Student Union (DSU). The duties of which include:

(i) attending and voting at DSU Council meetings;
(ii) acting as a liaison between the DSU and the LSS;

(iii) ensuring that law students are informed of the general business and functioning of the DSU by reporting to the Board of Directors or Officers of the Society as needed;

(b) be responsible for keeping law students informed about external events which affect or concern them;
(c) acting as chair of the Mentorship Committee;

(d) act as a liaison between the Society and

(i) the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society;
(ii) the Nova Scotia branch of the Canadian Bar Association;

(e) perform those duties which the Officers deem to be of an external nature.

5.05 The Vice President Academic shall:

(a) be responsible for keeping law students informed about academic events which affect or concern them;
(b) act as a student member of:

(i) the law school Academic Committee;
(ii) the joint faculty and student Teaching and Course Evaluation Committee;

(c) act as a voting member of Faculty Council

(d) act in an advisory capacity to anyone requiring information or assistance with regards to academic appeals within the Faculty of Law;
(e) co-ordinate the distribution of rolling evaluations, no later than the fourth week of school, each academic term;
(f) act as the chair of the Hannah and Harold Barnett Excellence in Teaching and the Alumni Excellence in Teaching award committees;
(g) perform those duties which the Officers deem to be of an academic nature.

5.06 The First Year Representative shall:

(a) represent the views of the first year students at all meetings of the Officers;

(b) as part of the school-wide communication strategy managed by the Vice President Executive;

(i) liaise with the Webmaster to ensure an up to date LSS page, including but not limited to posting approved minutes and anything else the Officers deem appropriate;

(ii) put out a monthly poster

(c) carry out a yearly CANS drive, supported by LSS funding if necessary, with the purpose of updating the LSS CANS webpage

(d) be responsible for the recording of Executive meeting minutes, as per Regulation III(2);
(e) perform those duties which the Officers deem appropriate for the position.

ARTICLE 6: Duties of Certain Members of the Board of Directors

6.01 The Chair shall ensure compliance with the Constitution by way of a monthly review of the constitution and bring any inconsistencies to the attention of the President.

6.02 The Secretary shall create and maintain a listserve of all LSS members and circulate the meeting agenda and approved minutes to them.

6.03 The five student Faculty Council members that have so been chosen by the Board, in addition to the Aboriginal Student Representative and Black Student Representative, shall attend and vote at all Faculty Council Meetings.

6.04 The Aboriginal Student Representative will attend and vote at LSS meetings and Faculty Council meetings and endeavour to promote the academic well being of the Aboriginal students, encourage cooperation and closer ties between all members of the Dalhousie Law School student body, and establish a vehicle through which Aboriginal concerns and recommendations are brought to bear on the Society’s policy and direction. 

6.05 The Black Student Representative will attend and vote at LSS meetings and Faculty Council meetings and endeavour to promote the academic well being of Black students, encourage cooperation and closer ties between all members of the Dalhousie Law School student body, and establish a vehicle through which Black student concerns and recommendations are brought to bear on the Society’s policy and direction.

6.06 The First Year Student Representatives will attend and vote at LSS meetings and, subject to regulations, Faculty Council meetings, act as a liaison between the first year students and the Society, and ensure that first year students are informed of the general business and functioning of the general business and functioning of Dalhousie Law School by making class announcements and discussing contentious issues with the first year class. Additionally, the First Year Student Representatives shall be responsible for carrying out rolling course evaluations,

and for soliciting volunteers to organize and direct the Section skit for the Annual Pith and Substance Variety Show.

 

6.07 The Second Year Student Representatives will attend and vote at LSS meetings and Faculty Council meetings, act as a liaison between the second year students, as well as students enrolled in joint programs, including but not limited to MBA, MLIS, MPA and MHSA, and the Society, and ensure that second year students are informed of the general business and functioning of the general business and functioning of Dalhousie Law School by making class announcements and discussing contentious issues with the second year class.

6.08 The Third Year Student Representatives will attend and vote at LSS meetings and Faculty Council meetings, act as a liaison between the third year students and the Society, and ensure that third year students are informed of the general business and functioning of the general business and functioning of Dalhousie Law School by making class announcements and discussing contentious issues with the third year class.

6.09 A student representative who sits on the Studies Committee must be a voting member of Faculty Council.

ARTICLE 7: Nomination and Election Procedures

7.01 Only Members of the Society, as defined in Article 1.01 (g), (p) and (t) may vote in elections of the Society.

7.02 The Chief Returning Officer (CRO) and Deputy Returning Officer (DRO), as appointed pursuant to Regulation IV, shall conduct all society elections except:

(a) Where

i) the CRO intends to be a candidate in that election, or;
            ii) the CRO is, for some other reason, unable to fulfill this obligation.

the Board shall appoint the DRO to replace the CRO and appoint a replacement DRO or :

(b) Where

            i) the DRO intends to be a candidate in that election or;

            ii) the DRO is, for some other reason, unable to fufill his or her obligation

the Board shall appoint a replacement DRO.

7.03 First, Second and Third Year Representatives shall be elected by secret ballot in the following manner:

(a) one First Year Representative shall be elected from and by each of Sections A, B and C;
(b) three Second Year Representatives shall be elected by secret ballot by second year students, unless the President for that academic year is a Second Year student. In this case, there shall be two Second Year Representatives chosen by secret ballot of all Second Year Students;
(c) three Third Year Representatives shall be elected by third year students, unless the President for that academic year is a Third Year student. In this case, there shall be two Third Year Representatives elected.

7.03A Elections for these positions shall occur within the first three weeks of the commencement of the fall term, in a manner prescribed by the regulations.

(a)With respect to the elections for the Second and Third Year Representatives, each eligible Member voting for such positions shall have the number of votes equivalent to the number of positions available that year.

7.04 President, Vice President Finance, Vice President Executive, Vice President External and Vice President Academic shall be elected by secret ballot within the first two weeks of March in each academic year, in a manner prescribed by the regulations.

7.05 Students will be considered to be:

(a) first year students when they are part of a first year section;

(b) third year students in the academic year they are enrolled in Professional Responsibility, and;

(c) second year students in all other circumstances.

7.06 In the case of any dispute the CRO will have discretion to determine the status of a student for the purpose of elections and voting.

7.07 Elections for Officers (other than the First Year Representative Officer) shall be by secret ballot and will occur during the first or second week of March on a date specified by the Officers, in a manner prescribed by the regulations.

7.08 The Dalhousie Black Law Students’ Association shall appoint a Black Student Representative to the Board of Directors.

7.09: The Aboriginal Law Students’ Association shall appoint an Aboriginal Student Representative to the Board of Directors.

7.10 (a) The CRO shall begin accepting nominations for Officers two weeks prior to the date of the election as stipulated in Article 7.04 and shall close nominations one week later. Campaigning will take place in the one week between the close of nominations and the election, and in a manner as prescribed by the regulations.

(b) In the event that no one has been nominated for a position or positions during the prescribed period, the CRO shall:

(i) proceed with elections for those positions with nominees on the date stipulated as a result of Article 7.04;
(ii) reopen nominations for an additional week for vacant position(s) only;
(iii) after one week, proceed with elections for those position(s) that now have nominees;
(iv) repeat 7.10(b) until all positions have been filled.

(c) In the event that only one person has been nominated for a position or positions during the prescribed period in 7.10(a), the position shall be elected by a yes/no vote. If the candidate receives a majority “no” vote, the CRO shall continue the election process for this position as outlined in 7.10(b).

7.11 Nominations for Officers shall be:

(a) in writing;
(b) signed by each nominee; and
(c) signed by at least ten (10) Members of the Society.

7.12 Except in the case of a by-election, only those students who are Members of the Society for that academic year and who will be Members of the Society in the following academic year are qualified to be candidates in an election for Officers.

7.13 By-elections to fill a vacancy or vacancies in the Officers or Board of Directors shall be conducted in the same manner as regular elections for those positions, except;

(a) nominees and/or candidates need only be Members of the Society for the academic year in which the election is taking place;
(b) Article 7.04 is superseded and replaced by a date four (4) weeks after the date in which the vacancy or vacancies occur;
(c) The Board of Directors may decide (in cases other than the position of President);

            (i) not to fill the vacant positions in the Officers should the vacancy occur during the month of February; or
(ii) not to fill the vacant position until the following September should the vacancy occur during March, April or over the summer months.

7.14 The candidate receiving the most votes in any election or by-election shall be declared the winner by the CRO.

7.15 When two or more candidates tie for the first place in an election or by-election, the CRO shall conduct a run-off election between those candidates within two business days. No campaigning is permitted during this time. The CRO shall instruct the membership that a by-election will occur and include the names of the candidates.

ARTICLE 8: Tenure

8.01 The term of the outgoing Officers will end and the term of the new Officers will begin on a date designated by the outgoing Officers to be within two weeks of the election of the five new Officers.

8.02 Non-return of an Officer will be deemed to be equivalent to a resignation.

8.03 The term for the Board of Directors shall begin on the first meeting held by the Board of Directors for that academic year and shall end on the day before the first meeting held by the incoming Board of Directors.

ARTICLE 9: Removal of Officers and Directors

9.01 The Board of Directors may judge any or all Officers to be negligent in their duties and may remove these individuals from the Board of Directors in the following manner:

(a) at a regular meeting of the Board of Directors, a motion shall be passed to convene a special session of the Board of Directors for the purpose of removing an Officer(s);
(b) included in this motion shall be the name of the Officer(s), and the allegations made against these individuals;
(c) the special session shall not occur earlier than one week from the date of the motion and no later than one month after the date of the motion;
(d) the Officer(s) in question shall be given reasonable notice of said motion by the Chairperson of the Board of Directors;
(e) the procedure to be followed during the special session shall be as follows:

            (i) each member named in the motion shall be given a full opportunity to seek clarification of and answer to the allegations made against him or her;
(ii) all members of the Board of Directors may then question the member with regards to any aspect of these allegations;

(f) a Motion for a special session of the Board as defined in this section shall automatically be placed before the Board by the chairperson where:

(i)An Officer has failed to attend two consecutive Board of Directors Meetings without regrets to the Chair; or
(ii)An Officer has failed to attend a total of three Board of Directors Meetings.

9.02 Other voting members of the Board of Directors not mentioned in Article 9.01 may be dismissed in the following manner:

(a) in the case of a First Year Representative, a petition received by the Officers containing the signature of 50% of students from that Representative’s Section requesting a by-election shall obligate the Officers to hold a by-election in that Representative’s Section. (Note: The member in question MAY run in the by-election if he or she so chooses). The successful candidate in the by-election shall automatically become the Representative of that Section.

(b) In the case of a Second Year Representative  a petition received by the Officers containing the signatures of 50% of students of the Second Year class requesting a by-election shall obligate the Officers to hold a by-election for that Representative’s position (Note: The member in question MAY run for by-election if he or she so chooses). The successful candidate in the by-election shall automatically become the new Representative.

 (c) in the case of a Third Year Representative, the procedure outlined in 9.02 (b) shall be followed for the Professional Responsibility classes.

(d) In the case of either the Chairperson or the Secretary, a motion supported by a majority of the Board of Directors shall be sufficient to remove that individual from office.

(e) In the case of the Aboriginal Student Representative, he or she shall be removed by a two thirds majority vote of the Dalhousie Aboriginal Law Students’ Association.

(f) In the case of the Black Student Representative, he or she shall only be removed from their position on the LSS Board of Directors through a majority vote of the Dalhousie Black Law Students’ Association.

(i) If the LSS Board of Directors wishes to call for the removal of the Black Student Representative, notice shall be sent to the President of the DBLSA outlining the reason(s) therefore. The DBLSA shall conduct an investigation, according to the articles of the DBLSA constitution, and promptly notify the LSS Board of Directors of their findings. The LSS Board of Directors may make submissions to the DBLSA’s investigative body conducting the investigation.

ARTICLE 10: Publications of the Society

10.01 Publications of the Society may include, but are not limited to:
(a) the Yearbook;
(b) the Legal Who.

10.02 There shall be two editors of the Yearbook, appointed by the Officers.

10.03 If there is to be a yearbook in any academic year, the two editors of the Yearbook shall be appointed by the Officers.

10.04 The editors of the Yearbook shall be responsible for the management of the yearbook and shall be subject to dismissal for cause by the Officers subject to the approval of the Board of Directors

10.05 The information contained in the “Legal Who” is for distribution within the Law school only.

10.06 If deemed necessary for whatever reason, the Board of Directors may :

(a) remove from office any individual(s) responsible for a Publication of the Society subject to a 2/3 majority vote of the Board of Directors and/or;
(b) revoke the funding received or budgeted by the Society to the parties responsible for the publication.

10.07 Without limiting the generality of the following, any publication of the Society may be deemed to be in violation of content requirements if it contains material that degrades or is adverse to any group or any member of a group in a discriminating manner on the basis of, including, but not limited to, race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, or sexual orientation.

ARTICLE 11: Finances of the Society:

11.01:  The budget of the society shall be presented to the Board by November 1 st of each year.

(a) The budget shall be passed by a 2/3 majority vote of the Board of Directors.

11.02 A budget update shall be prepared by the Vice President Finance and shall be presented to the Board of Directors by of the first week of  February and at the General Meeting of the membership.

(a) Additional financial updates shall be presented at the request of the Board of Directors.

11.03 The Vice President Finance shall deliver the Society’s financial records to the incoming Vice President Finance within two weeks of taking office.

11.04 The Board of Directors may empower the Vice President Finance to purchase and exchange securities on behalf of the Society.

11.05 The Board of Directors shall not borrow funds the repayment of which is the responsibility of future Boards of Directors without the simple majority of members in attendance at a General Meeting of the Society.

11.06  All cheques issued by the Society shall be signed by two Officers with signing authority.

(a) The Officers with signing authority shall be:

            (i) The President;

            (ii) The Vice President Executive; and

            (iii) The Vice President Finance.

11.07  Any contracts entered into by the LSS must be co-signed by two Officers, one of whom must be the Vice President-Finance.

ARTICLE 12: Registry of Members

12.01 The Vice President Executive shall obtain from the Law School administration a list of all undergraduate law students. This shall act as the official registry of the Members of the Society.

ARTICLE 13: General Meetings of the Society

13.01 General Meetings:
(a) shall be chaired by the Chair of the Board of Directors;
(b) shall require a quorum of 20 Society members in good standing, subject to subsection (g);
(c) shall require two weeks prior notice;
(d) shall be publicized throughout the law school;
(e) may adopt binding resolutions of a non-budgetary nature;
(f) must consider any resolutions to amend the by-laws of the society, subject to subsection (g);
(g) shall require a quorum of 30 Society members in good standing to adopt any resolution to amend the by-laws of the society.

13.02 The Annual General Meeting shall be convened annually during the month of February, or the first two weeks of March.

13.03 A General Meeting shall also be convened if:
(a) the Chair receives a petition of 45 members of the Society calling for a General Meeting; or
(b) a majority of the Board of Directors so votes.

13.04 All members of the Society may attend and vote on resolutions brought before a General Meeting. Members shall not be permitted to vote by proxy.

13.05 At the Annual General Meeting the Vice President Finance shall present a financial statement of the Society’s accounts.

ARTICLE 14: Referenda and Plebiscites

14.01 The Board of Directors may, from time to time, call for either a referendum or plebiscite on issues of concern to the Society excluding amendments to its by-laws.

14.02 The Board of Directors shall set the threshold for an affirmative vote, and it shall be not less than a majority.

ARTICLE 15: Procedure for Amending these By-Laws

15.01 An amendment to these By-laws of the Law Students’ Society of Dalhousie shall be made in the following manner:

(a) at any regular or special meeting of the Board of Directors, a motion containing the specific recommendations for change must be passed by a resolution of the Board of Directors;
(b) the motion shall then be posted on the Official notice Board of the Law Students’ Society for a period of two weeks;
(c) at a General Meeting of the membership (following the two week posting period) the motion must then be ratified by a special resolution of the members in attendance at the General Meeting;

ARTICLE 16: Selection Procedures for Committees of the Society

16.01  The positions that shall be chosen by the procedure enumerated in this article are the Committees of the Society, which may include but are not limited to:

(a) Social Committee

(b) Grad Committee

(c) Legal Who Committee

(d) Orientation Committee

(e) Sports Committee

(f) Law Games Committee

(g) Yearbook Committee16.02 The selection process for the aforementioned will be coordinated by the President.

16.03 The President shall call for volunteers from the Board to sit on the selection panels. An unlimited number of Board members shall sit on the panels.

16.04 A minimum of 2 selection panel members shall be present at all interviews.

16.05 The President shall provide all panel members with guidelines regarding useful questions to be asked during interviews.

16.06 Once all interviews have been completed, each panel shall make a recommendation to the Board for approval

16.07 Under the supervision of the President, all applicants and Committee Chairs shall be notified of the outcomes no later than one week after approval by the Board.

16.08 The fall selection process shall be completed before the end of September of each year, and the spring selection process shall be completed before the end of March of each year.

16.09 Selection of student members for committees shall be made in accordance with the Society’s objectives as set out in the Constitution, and, in particular, in accordance with the promotion of unity among and diversity in the population of the Law School.

ARTICLE 17: Composition of Studies Committee

17.01 One position on the Studies Committee shall be selected from the Officers who sit as members of Faculty Council:

17.02:  The second student position on the Studies Committee shall be selected by the Officers based on applications from interested Members of the Society.

Regulations

I - ELECTION REGULATIONS

1 (a) Each candidate shall be allowed to apply for only one (1) of the following positions during the Spring elections, as per Article 7:

(i) President
(ii) Vice President Finance
(iii) Vice President Executive
(iv) Vice President External
(v) Vice President Academic.

(b) Each candidate shall be allowed to apply for only one (1) of the following positions during the Fall election as per Article 7:

      (i) First Year Representative

      (ii) Second Year Representative

      (iii) Third Year Representative

 

 2 (a) There shall be an all-candidates forum which shall be held in the days prior to voting in the Spring election. 

(b)At the discretion of the CRO and DRO, there may be an all-candidates forum which shall be held in the days prior to voting in the Fall election.

 3 (a) Per Article 7.10(a) of the By Laws, campaigning may take place over the maximum period of one week, with the following limitations:

(i) NO posters in the Weldon lobby, or on the front windows of the Weldon building.

(ii) The area constituting the Weldon lobby refers to any space on the first floor not situated north of (and including) the wall on which the elevators are located. The locker-bay and men’s washroom area on the first floor is not to be considered the Weldon lobby.

(iii) A limit of one (1) posters larger than 8 ½” by 14”, and a maximum of twenty-five (25) 8 ½” x 14” legal-sized posters or 8 ½” by 11” letter-sized posters, per candidate.

(iv) All posters are to be taken down between the hours of 6:00pm and 8:00pm on the day prior to voting or at a time dictated by the CRO and DRO. It is the responsibility of individual candidates to ensure that all their posters are taken down.

(v) Leaflets (hand-outs) are allowed.

            (vi) Class visits are allowed with the Professor’s permission up to and including the last day of campaigning.

(vii) Any defacement, removal or destruction of a candidate’s posters by another candidate shall result in the removal of the responsible candidate from the election race.

(b) The CRO is empowered to make further rules regarding any aspect of campaigning, so long as they are consistent with the Constitution.

4. The CRO shall announce prior to election day the location and time of counting the ballots.

5. Each candidate is entitled to have one scrutineer present during the counting of ballots, so long as that scrutineer is not a candidate for any position in that election.

6. The scrutineer must be in the room for the counting of ballots prior to the commencement of counting.

7. Once a ballot counting has begun, no one may enter or leave the room until the results for all of the elections have been revealed.

8. There must be a minimum of three (3) Officers or Board of Directors members present when the ballots are tabulated.

9.  The tabulated results will be posted on the official LSS notice board by the CRO or DRO.

10. In the event that the totals for two or more candidates vying for the same position are less than or equal to five (5) votes apart, the candidates shall be notified..

11.  At the request of a candidate, a recount will be done.

(a) Such a request must be made within one (1) week of the announcement of election results.

12 (a) All voting shall be done online unless there is a pressing and substantial reason for the vote not to be conducted online.

(b) The decision to not hold a vote online shall be at the discretion of the CRO.

13. After the completion of the one (1) week period referred to in Regulation 11, the CRO shall destroy all completed ballots or the electronic tabulation of votes

14.  In the event of a dispute arising from the interpretation of these rules, the CRO shall have final and binding authority to interpret the Bylaws and Regulations pertaining to the Election procedure.

15. The CRO has the power to implement any of the following penalties:

(i) removal of a candidate from the election;
(ii) limitation of campaigning time;
(iii) removal of any or all posters;
(iv) fine up to $50;
(v) issue sanction to the individual and make it known to the student body.

16. A candidate who has received a sanction from the CRO has a right of appeal to the Board of Directors.

II - REGULATIONS REGARDING THE GRADUATION COMMITTEE

(1) The duties of the Graduation Committee shall include:

(a) Coordinating the election, by the members of the graduating class, of:

(i) Valedictorian

(ii)  Class President for Life
(iii) Class Vice-President for Life
(iv) Class Secretary/Treasurer for Life;

(v) the recipient of the Class Ring, who shall not be a member of the graduating class

(b) Organizing the activities of graduation week;
(c) Compiling a class directory for distribution to the class members;
(d) Arranging for graduation photos to be taken of class members;
(e) Arranging for school rings to be available for purchase by the members of the class.

III - REGULATIONS REGARDING EXECUTIVE MEETINGS

(1)    The executive shall meet at least bi-weekly.

(2)    The Officers will keep minutes of their meetings. These minutes will be kept by the first year executive representative, and kept on file to be examined on demand of a vote of the Board of Directors.

IV - REGULATIONS REGARDING COMMITTEES AND BUDGET COMMITTEE

(1) To facilitate the Committee interview and hiring process, the following guidelines should be observed whenever possible:

(i) The President should provide all panel members with guidelines regarding useful questions to be asked during interviews;

(ii) Applications for all positions should be due at least one week before interviews are to be scheduled, and selection panel members should have a period of at least two days in which to review the applications of those candidates who they will be interviewing;

(iii) Applications for all positions should be posted at least one week before the application deadline;

(iv) Successful candidates must be chosen and notified within one week of the last date of interviews;

 (v) Selection panel members should take notes on each candidate and these notes should be kept on file for one week;

(vi)The panel, with the approval of the President, shall have the option to create a shortlist of interview candidates from among applications received.

(vii) The panel shall have the option, with the approval of the President, to either restrict the number of applications which a candidate may make, or to shortlist interview candidates from among applications received, or both;

(2) The Standing Budget Committee will be chaired by the Vice President Finance and be composed of one First Year Representative, one Second Year Representative and one Third Year Representative. The Committee may also include the Black Student Representative and/or the Aboriginal Student Representative should one so choose to sit on the Committee.

(3) The Standing Budget Committee shall have the following responsibilities:

(i) review budget submissions from other groups;
(ii) prepare a budget for recommendation by the Board each fall;
(iii) review budget submissions and requests that arise during the year and make appropriate recommendations to the Board.

V - REGULATIONS REGARDING THE CALLING OF MEETINGS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

(1) The Chairperson shall give one week notice of meeting to each member of the Board of Directors.

(a) This requirement can be waived in a matter of urgency by a majority vote of the Board of Directors prior to the commencement of the meeting.

VI - REGULATIONS REGARDING THE ANNUAL ‘PITH AND SUBSTANCE’ VARIETY SHOW

(1) ‘Pith and Substance’ is the Law School’s annual variety night All participants in the event must keep in mind this dominant purpose and act in accordance with the fact that this is a highly public event which is attended by the community at large and which reflects upon the Law School as a whole. It is the duty of the Social Committee to plan this event.

(2) A second purpose of ‘Pith and Substance’ is to provide an evening of entertainment for and interaction between all members of the Law School community, including staff, students and professors.

(3) First year sections traditionally compete to win a prize for best skit; individual students or groups may also enter talent or skit numbers in the show.

(4) If participants in ‘Pith and Substance’ choose, in a skit, to portray other members of the Law School community, including professors, they are under an obligation to do so with good taste, good judgment and respect. At a minimum, under no circumstances shall any participant portray another person in a manner which makes fun of or demeans the immutable personal characteristics of that person.

(5) The Board of Directors shall be responsible for liaising with the Social Committee to ensure that the principles of Regulation VI (4) are upheld.

VII - REGULATIONS REGARDING THE SELECTION OF VOTING FACULTY COUNCIL MEMBERS

(1) The nine student members of Faculty Council shall be:

a) The President

b) The Vice President Academic

c) The Vice President Executive
d) The Aboriginal Law Student Representative of the Board
e) The Black Student Representative of the Board

f) Four further representatives chosen from amongst the members of the Board of Directors.

(2) The selection of the four other members of the Board that will sit on Faculty Council will be made by a majority vote of the Board of Directors no later than the second Board meeting of the academic year.

 

[Back to News]