The name of this organization is Masters of Library and Information Science Student Council, hereinafter referred to as Council.

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1 1 MLIS Student Council Constitution Contents I Name II Purpose III Definition of Key Terms IV Governance 4.1 Officers 4.2 Council Meetings 4.3 General Meetings 4.4 Committees V Elections 5.1 Elected Positions 5.2 Appointed Positions 5.3 Chief Returning Officer 5.4 Notice and Nominations 5.5 Voting 5.6 By-Elections VI Amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws 6.1 Amendments to the Constitution 6.2 Amendments to the Bylaws VII Bylaws 7.1 Student Group Oversight ARTICLE I Name The name of this organization is Masters of Library and Information Science Student Council, hereinafter referred to as Council. ARTICLE II Purpose

2 2 The mission of the Student Council is to enhance the educational experience and quality of life of the MLIS student body by: maintaining responsible student government in order to represent the academic, social, and professional concerns of all MLIS students acting as the representative of MLIS students in all issues affecting the students acting as the liaison among the MLIS student body, as well as between the MLIS students and the larger FIMS and Western communities. acting as a coordinator amongst the MLIS student groups ARTICLE III Definition of Key Terms SOGS- Society of Graduate Students FIMS- Faculty of Information and Media Studies UWO or Western- University of Western Ontario MLIS- Masters of Library and Information Science Student-Any student (on co-op, full, or part-time status) enrolled in the Masters of Library and Information Science program at the University of Western Ontario ARTICLE IV Governance 4.1 Officers The Officers of the Council are as follows: Chair Academic Liaison Secretary Treasurer Communications and Social Liaison Fundraiser Social Activities Representative(s) Co-op and Housing Liaison First-Term Representatives Chair The Chair shall: (1) Run all Council meetings. (2) Coordinate arrangements for special meetings. (3) Will work with administration to plan the Student Group portion of orientation. This will include learning the date of orientation and informing the other student groups of the date of

3 3 orientation. (4) Ensure students are represented at SOGS meetings. (5) Disseminate information to students about all SOGS and FIMS related policies. (6) Create and distribute an agenda before each council meeting. (7) Have served at least 1 term on student council to be eligible for election Secretary The Secretary shall: (1) Take minutes and maintain up-to-date records of all Council meetings. (2) Act as one of two Signing Officers for the bank account. (3) Verify all expense receipts. (4) Ensure successive Councils can access records. (5) Forward a copy of the minutes to all members of Council. (6) Check the mailbox weekly. (7) Be responsible for the copy card. (8) Chair the Constitution Committee and ensure all updates and changes made by Council are reflected in the constitution. The Secretary will recruit other members, arrange meetings, and chair them Treasurer The Treasurer shall: (1) Act as one of two Signing Officers for the bank account. (2) Ensure all Council bills are paid, collect money from fundraisers, and verify all expense receipts. (3) Administer the bank account (including maintaining a proper ledger of expenses and revenues), copy card, and office supplies account. (4) Present a weekly update to Council on the status of the bank account (balance, any purchases made, any monies given out, and status of print account). (5) Maintain a minimum balance of $150 in the general account at the end of each term. (6) Arrange for the transfer of signing authority to the incoming Treasurer and Secretary Academic Liaison The Academic Liaison shall: (1) Represent all MLIS students to the faculty and administration. (2) Participate in all MLIS Program Committee meetings. (3) Oversee the Midterm Feedback Session (if conducted). (4) Act as a neutral third party should any problem occur between a student and a professor, and assist with the appeal process (if necessary). (5) Act as Chair (until a new chair is appointed) should the Chair withdraw. (6) Run weekly meetings if the Chair is absent.

4 Communication Liaison The Communication Liaison shall: (1) Inform students of social events and administrative issues. (2) Forward items for inclusion in the Graduate Bulletin. (3) Promote Council to MLIS students. (4) Maintain all social media used by Council Fundraiser The Fundraiser shall: (1) Organize and run fundraising events to facilitate Council events (2) Make suggestions for maximizing existing funds. (3) Report to council on success of each fundraising event. (4) Set up a Fundraising Committee, recruit members, and chair all meetings.[will be fix] Social Activities Representatives (2) The Social Activities Representatives shall: (1) Organize and conduct all social events. (2) Update the white and/or chalk boards to promote events and fundraisers. (3) Create, put up, and take down all posters used to promote events and fundraisers. (4) Submit all receipts from expenses incurred to the Treasurer Co-op and Housing Liaison The Co-op and Housing Liaison shall: (1) Maintain the online MLIS Housing Board in the student common room, including deleting outdated notices and posting new ones. (2) Articulate any issues or concerns of students currently on co-op to Council. (3) Send s to students regarding available housing. (4) Promote the co-op experience to MLIS community First-Term Representative(s) (1 for each section) The First-Term Representative(s) shall: (1) Act as the liaison between Council, Faculty, and first-term students, articulating issues and concerns to each respective group. (2) Make him/herself visible and well-known. (3) Assist the Academic Liaison with the administering of the Midterm Feedback Session. (4) Participate and vote in Program Committee meetings. 4.2 Ex Officio Members The non-voting Ex Officio Members of Council are as follows: SOGS Council Representative Health Information Science Council President

5 SOGS Council Representative (1) Selected by Council from among the SOGS Councilors. (2) Will act as a liaison between the Student Council and SOGS Health Information Science Representative (1) Appointed by the President of the Health Information Science Council. (2) Will act as a liaison between the Student Council and the Health and Information Science Programme. 4.3 Meetings Council Meetings (1) The Council shall meet once a week during the academic year. (2) Quorum to conduct business is 50 percent plus one of all filled Council positions. (3) An agenda will be prepared and distributed by the chair before each meeting. (4) All Officers are responsible for attending all meetings, and must inform the Chair if they will be absent. (5) The Constitution should be distributed at the first meeting of the term to ensure all Council Members are familiar with and understand its mandates. (6) If anyone in attendance is disrupting Council business, they may be removed from the meeting with a two-thirds vote of the council General Meetings (1) Will be conducted at least once a term, and will be advertised at least one week before they take place. (2) Will be open to the entire MLIS student community. (3) Will be used to inform students of current issues, and act as a forum where students can discuss their concerns directly with Council. (4) If there is an issue of particular importance affecting the student body, a open meeting may be dedicated to that issue alone. 4.4 Committees Faculty Council (1) One student will be chosen by council to serve on this Committee. (2) The student will have full voting powers. (3) At the start of each term, Council will contact the administrative office of FIMS to inform them which student will serve on the Council.

6 MLIS Program Committee (1) Two students will be chosen by Council to serve on this Committee. (2) The Student Representatives will have full voting powers on the Committee. (3) At the start of each term, Council will contact the administrative office of FIMS to inform them which student will serve on the Council. ARTICLE V Elections 5.1 Elected Positions The following positions on Council are elected by the MLIS student body: (1) Chair (2) Academic Liaison (3) Secretary (4) Treasurer (5) Communications Liaison (6) Social Activities Representative(s) 5.2 Appointed Positions The following positions on Council will be appointed by the executive during the first meeting of the new Council: (1) Fundraiser (2) Co-op and Housing Liaison (3) First-Term Representative(s) (4) SOGS Council Representative 5.3 Chief Returning Officer A Chief Returning Officer (CRO) will be elected at the regular meeting two weeks before the Election by a majority vote of Councillors to organise the election. The Chief Returning Officer cannot be a candidate for election. (1) The CRO will ensure the integrity of the voting process. (2) The CRO will maintain a list of eligible voters drawn from the FIMS Directory. 5.4 Notice and Nominations (1) Notice and Call for Nominations will be given by the CRO upon their appointment (two weeks before the Election). (2) The nomination period will close at the end of the student council meeting one week before the elections. All nominees will be invited to this meeting to provide them with information about the council and the election process.

7 7 (3) At the end of the nomination meeting, the CRO will announce the nominees to the FIMS community. (4) Voting will only take place if there are multiple nominees for the same position. 5.5 Voting (1) Votes will be cast via secret ballot through . (2) The CRO will distribute to all MLIS students an absentee ballot form, which will be accepted up until the end of the election period. (3) The CRO will only accept ballots sent from uwo.ca addresses and will ensure that eligible voters only cast one ballot. 5.6 By-Elections (1) All vacant positions will be filled within 2 weeks by a vote at a council meeting. ARTICLE VI Amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws 6.1 Amendments to the Constitution Proposals for amendments to this Constitution shall be sent to the Secretary to be distributed to the members at least two weeks before the next General Meeting Proposals shall be voted upon at the next General Meeting and require a two-thirds majority of all MLIS students present to pass. 6.2 Amendments to the Bylaws Proposals for amendments to the Bylaws shall be sent to the Secretary to be distributed to the members at least two weeks before the next General Meeting Proposals shall be voted upon at the next General Meeting and require a two-thirds majority to pass. VII. Bylaws I. Recommendation of New MLIS Student Groups New groups will provide to Council the following information to be considered for a recommendation:

8 8 (1) The Designated Liaison, who will be responsible for communicating with the Communications and Information Resource Officer for the duration of the term/year. (2) Their Mission Statement and how it relates to the FIMS mandate (as defined in the LIS Mission Statement found on the FIMS website). (3) An outline of their intended Financial Management Policy including things such as cashbox regulation, bank account, and treasurer term change over rules. (4) Outline of their structural organization. MLIS Student Council will consider all information supplied, and will make final approval. However, notice should be sent to the Associate Dean and/or LIS Coordinator in advance of the final approval from MLISSC should any issues or concerns arise.