OVERVIEW
Our constituency associations are student groups that have been approved by the Capilano Students’ Union board of directors to represent marginalized populations of students at Capilano University. Our constituency associations are more autonomous than our collectives, selecting their own representatives to the Capilano Students’ Union board according to their own process instead of by general election.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
In order to create a constituency association, a group’s organizers need to apply to the Capilano Students’ Union board of directors to approve the creation of the new constituency association. In order to apply to the board for approval, you should have the following information ready:
- a draft constitution
- draft bylaws
- an executive, leadership, or convener team of at least three members
- notes from an organizing meeting of your members
Complete a constituency association application form, and attach a draft constitution, draft bylaws, and the names and Capilano University email addresses of at least three members who are going to serve as members of the group’s executive, leadership, or convener team. Please also include the minutes (meeting notes) of an organizing meeting that demonstrates that the constituency’s members have approved the draft constitution, the draft bylaws, and the selection of executives, leaders, or conveners.
In your application, please also identify whether the association’s organizers believe that the association overlaps with one of our existing collectives and, if so, whether you believe that the association (a) overlaps entirely, and should replace the collective; or (b) overlaps only partially, and should be created in addition to the collective. (The board is responsible for making this determination, but your recommendation is appreciated.)
A constituency association’s constitution needs to include the student group’s name, and its purposes. Per the bylaws of the Capilano Students’ Union, one of those purposes must be generally to the effect of representing and serving a community of members who share an experience of systemic oppression. Feel free to use this template as a resource or example to get you started (but you don’t have to use it).
A constituency association’s bylaws generally need to include the major rules by which the student group is going to govern itself. Per the bylaws of the Capilano Students’ Union, at a minimum, the bylaws must include (a) who the members of the constituency association are going to be, and (b) when the association’s members would expect that the Capilano Students’ Union should suspend the association’s activities (for example, if the association becomes inactive for a certain period of time). Feel free to use this template as a resource or example to get you started (but you don’t have to use it).
The leadership structure of each constituency association is up to the members of the association to determine for themselves in their own bylaws. However, per the bylaws of the Capilano Students’ Union, a constituency association is required to have at least three leadership positions — the titles of these positions don’t matter, and the leadership structure of the constituency association does not need to be hierarchical.
A constituency association is also expected to select a representative to serve on the Capilano Students’ Union board as a constituency liaison; the method by which this person is selected is entirely up to the members of the constituency association to determine for themselves in their own bylaws, and there is no rule preventing one of the association’s three leadership positions from being, itself, this liaison role.