Champlain St-Lambert College

Champlain Students Association &
Student Life

C.S.A.
Student Association Constitution
Article I
Article II
Article III
Article VI
Article V
Article VI
Article VII
Article VII
Article IX
Article X
Article XI
Article XII
Article XIII
Article XIV

Student life is an important part of the Champlain experience, be it in terms of student government, an active social calendar, a variety of leisure time activities, or a wide-range of interest groups and clubs. There is something for just about everyone, and opportunities abound for students who want to get involved or who have new ideas to propose.

Student government falls under the auspices of the Champlain Student Association with its ten member popularly elected student executive. With a substantial annual budget drawn from the Student Association Fee that is charged to all students, the C.S.A. is able to get things done. It has representatives on the Academic Council, the Commission of Studies, the Student Life Council and on several college committees. A representative also sits on the college's Board of Governors.

C.S.A.
Champlain Student Association
Association des Étudiants Collège Champlain

President Randolph Millard

Vice President (Internal) Joulia Maistrenko

Vice President (External) Dana Wittenberger

Treasurer Steven Bowles

Assistant Treasurer Jean-Jacques Ianeva Lespinasse

Secretary James Grabowski

Activities Coordinator Nancy Bono

Multi-Cultural Officer Sophie Vallee-Smejda

Members-at-Large Denis Millard
Don Nguyen

Student Association
All registered students of the College are members of l'Association des étudiants et étudiantes du Champlain Regional College (Campus St-Lambert/Longueuil), commonly known as Champlain Student Association. Your association maintains business offices in F120 and F114. Telephone : (450)466-4436 E-mail : csa_stlambert@hotmail.com

Clubs
Your Association annually recognizes and funds a series of student clubs. A minimum of 15 signed?up students and a constitution is all that is required to request recognition. Once recognition is granted, the club can make a request for funding through the Association's Finance Committee. Questions on clubs should be directed to the Vice-President (Internal) or to an animator in Student Services.

Newspaper
The student newspaper, THE EDGE, is published on a regular basis to provide coverage of student events. Those wishing to work on THE EDGE, or hand in announcements, should go to D103. Submission deadline is Tuesday, 4:00 p.m. before each issue.

Radio
News, weather, sports and a variety of good music is aired daily from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the Band Ring. Champlain Radio - CHAM welcomes those wishing to join up. Drop by F124 for details.

The C.S.A. also supports numerous student clubs and organizations that serve the interests of Champlain's varied student population:

3CO (Collective Consciousness Club)

ABC (anti-racism education)

Anime (Japanese gaming guild)

Arab Club (cultural club)

C4 (Champlain College Charity Club)

CCF (Champlain Christian Fellowship)

CHA (Champlain Hellenic Association)

CHAM (student radio) Champlain Theatre Club (live theatre)

CIBSA (Champlain Int'l Black Students Affiliation)

Desi Pride (multi-cultural club)

Environmental Club (community action)

Freezone Club (gaming club)

Muslim Club (cultural club)

Outdoors Club (outdoor activities)

The Edge (student newspaper)

The C.S.A.'sActivity Committee is an active body that calls upon students to help organize and promote a wide range of on and off campus events including:

- Film Series
- Comedians
- Parties
- Ski Trips
- Musical Groups
- Carnival
- Pleasure Trips
- Excursions
- Welcome Week
- Hypnotists
- Multicultural Programs
- Speakers

Finally, it bears mentioning that the Champlain Student Association oversees the use of THE COMFORT ZONE, a lounge with a satellite dish T.V. connection that provides diversion for its members. It also manages the use of THE BAND RING, a large activity room that includes pool tables, video games, table soccer, all of this within a musical ambiance provided by CHAM Radio.

For more information send an e-mail to the Champlain Student Association, or enquire at the Office of Student Services (Room F-121), or directly to the Champlain Student Association (Room F-120) or by phone at (450) 466-4436

Student Association Constitution

L'Association des étudiants et étudiantes du Collège Régional de Champlain (Campus St-Lambert/Longueuil), hereinafter referred to as the C.S.A. promotes and provides for the common good and welfare of the Association and its members.

As the sole representative body of the Association, the C.S.A. will act as an active agent for educational and social change. It will also uphold the rights of the Association and its members.

Article I
1. The Association consists of all full-time day students, including those students in their final semester with less than four day courses.

2. Members of the Association will annually pay a membership fee that is included in the Student Activity Fee.

a) This membership fee is a condition for registration at Champlain St-Lambert.

b) The amount of this fee is determined by the C.S.A. at an annual general assembly (open forum) held at the latest February 28th of each calendar year.

Article II
1. The C.S.A. is vested with all powers necessary to accomplish its mandate limited only by those check and balance measures set forth in subsequent articles. Elected officers of the C.S.A. are members of the Association.

2. The responsibilities of the C.S.A. require it to:

a) act as the sole representative and spokesperson of the Association in all matters pursuant to its mandate;

b) promote and maintain the rights, interests and welfare of members of the Association in all matters respecting their common interests;

c) promote and maintain responsible and effective student government;

d) promote and maintain communication between students and duly appointed authorities of Champlain Regional College;

e) promote student activities on campus;

f) act as the sole representative of the Association in all financial matters ? such representation includes the authority to determine the funding of all clubs, activities, groups and individuals that pursue authorized objectives of the Association;

g) effectively and efficiently manage the finances of the Association, and ensure that no officer of the C.S.A. or a member of the Association obtain personal gain as a result of having access to Association funds;

h) appoint an auditor at the annual general meeting (open forum) for the verification of the Association's finances;

i) facilitate the operation of all clubs, groupings, etc. of the Association.

Article III
1. The elections for C.S.A. office are held in the Spring and/or the Fall.

a) if held in the Spring, the members will hold office from the last day of classes of the year of election to midnight the last day of classes of the following year;

b) if held in the Fall, the member will take office immediately and hold it until the last day of classes of the following year.

2. The following list of conditions apply to all C.S.A. elections:

a) there will be one (1) ballot box at the College;

b) the ballot box will be manned by at least one scrutineer who is not a member and who is appointed by the election chief returning officer;

c) as each member votes, his/her name will be checked against a comprehensive list of students registered at the College;

d) members must present their validated campus I.D. card to vote; e) there will be no proxy voting.

3. The C.S.A. appoints the chief returning officer who must not be a member of the Association. 4. In the event that any member of the C.S.A. is impeached or resigns, a by-election may be held at the beginning of the following semester or the position can be filled at the next general elections.

5. The C.S.A. will use as its guidelines for elections the Student Association Electoral Act.

6. In the event that a position cannot be filled, a person from the General Assembly may be appointed. This person will have no voting power.

Article IV
The C.S.A. is composed of the following ten (10) voting officers:

a) The President who is:

(i) Chairperson of C.S.A. meetings;
(ii) responsible to implement decisions of the Association and the C.S.A.;
(iii) official spokesperson for the C.S.A. and the Association to the College administration and community;
(iv) head of the student delegation of the College's Student Life Council;
(v) responsible for the overall operation of the C.S.A.;
(vi) responsible to call all C.S.A. meetings.
(vii) responsible to be one of the signers of all cheques issued by the Association.

b) The Vice-President Internal who is:

(i) responsible for the efficient running of the C.S.A. and helping the President in his/her duties;
(ii) responsible for all duties of the President in his or her absence;
(iii) chairman of the Club Recognition Committee;
(iv) responsible to facilitate the recognition of all clubs;
(v) responsible for all publicity and promotion related to the C.S.A. and for keeping members of the Association informed, via all available campus media, on actions of the C.S.A.

c) The Vice-President External who is:

(i) liaison person with other student associations; with particular emphasis placed on English CEGEPs. He/she will be responsible to promote and enhance our share in the English CEGEP associations;
(ii) responsible to attend college Board of Governors meetings and attend college academic council meetings;
(iii) directly responsible to the President;
(iv) the Acting President in the event of the absence of the President and the Vice-President Internal;
(v) Official academic spokesperson for the C.S.A. on all academic and student rights matters.

d) The Treasurer who is:

(i) responsible for the financial records and transactions of the Association;
(ii) responsible for the control of the Association's budget;
(iii) responsible for preparing and submitting to the C.S.A. monthly financial reports;
(iv) responsible for preparing and submitting to the C.S.A. an end of the year financial statement;
(v) responsible to have the books audited and closed by the 31 of May prior to handing them over to the next treasurer.
(vi) Responsible to be one of the signers of all cheques issued by the Association.

e) The Assistant Treasurer who is:

(i) directly responsible to the Treasurer;
(ii) responsible with the Treasurer for the preparation and submission to the C.S.A. of the annual budget and, if required, subsequent revised budgets;
(iii) the Chairperson of the Finance Committee;
(iv) responsible for coordinating the funding of clubs;
(v) responsible for keeping an up-to-date inventory of all Association furniture, equipment, and supplies.

f) The Secretary who is:

(i) responsible for the minutes of C.S.A. meetings;
(ii) responsible for the good and accurate order of all C.S.A. records, files, documents and official correspondence;
(iii) responsible for publishing all agendas, minutes and notices of C.S.A. meetings;
(iv) responsible to submit copies of C.S.A. minutes to the Director, the Director of Student Services and select organizations within the College.

g) The Activities Coordinator who is:

(i) responsible to coordinate campus-wide events sponsored by or under the auspices of the C.S.A.;
(ii) Chairperson of the Activities Committee;
(iii) Chairperson of a Carnival Committee;
(iv) responsible for managing the Activities budget authorized by the C.S.A.
(v) Responsible to give detailed monthly financial statements of expenses and revenue.

h) Multi-cultural Officer will be responsible for:

(i) co-ordinating multi-cultural activities at the College, and if necessary, responsible for the establishment of a multi-cultural council;
(ii) liaison person between the C.S.A. and the presidents of various multi-cultural clubs;
(iii) member of the Activities Committee: to facilitate the co-ordination of events between the C.S.A., and its multi-cultural clubs.
(iv) responsible for promoting cultural awareness: i.e. Multi-cultural Show, Multi-Cultural Week, Socio-cultural events.

i) Two Members-at-Large who are:

(i) active participants in C.S.A. activities and who are each expected to perform duties in relation to one or more committees, organizations, etc. as determined by the C.S.A.;
(ii) members of the Activities Committee;
(iii) responsible to assist other C.S.A. members in their duties.
(iv) Each member will be responsible for projects that do not fall under other council members responsibilities.

j) Two Assistant Members-at-Large who are;

(i) Active participants in the Champlain Student Association activities and who are each expected to perform duties in the relation to one or more committees, organizations, etc. as determined by the Champlain Student Associ-ation.
(ii) Members of the activities committee with the Activities Coordinator acting as chairperson.
(iii) Responsible to assist other association members in their duties. (iv) Assistant members-at-large are not considered as voting officers of the C.S.A., and are not counted as part of the quorum of a meeting.

k) Members of the C.S.A. cannot hold executive positions in clubs, organizations, etc. recognized by the C.S.A.

Article V
Meetings of the C.S.A. are to be held at least once a month during the academic year.

a) The procedures at all meetings will follow Robert's Rules of Order, except for those specified in this constitution.

b) One-half (1/2) of the C.S.A. members will constitute the quorum.

c) The Chairperson will vote only in the event of a tie, or if the negative votes total one (1) less than the positive vote. In the latter case, the Chairperson may vote negatively to create a tie and thus defeat the motion.

d) The Chair may be surrendered, but may not be resumed during the course of a meeting.

e) All meetings will occur on a regular lecture day, with two (2) lecture days notice to the members of the Association.

f) An emergency meeting may be held on a regular lecture day with twenty?four (24) hours notice given to the members of the Association.

g) The President may cancel a meeting if notice is given to the members prior to the meeting.

h) All official meetings of the C.S.A. will be open to all members of the Association unless called in camera.

i) Any members of the Association will be allowed to participate in the discussion on the floor.

j) All members must be available to attend entire meetings. Any member missing three (3) regular meetings without valid reasons, determined by the council, shall be impeached.

k) No proxy votes will be allowed.

Article VI
The following will have cheque signing power:

the President

the Treasurer

a member of Student Services

Either the president or the treasurer must co-sign with a member of Student Services for the cheque to be valid.

The appointed Student Services member shall have signing authority for a mandate of one year.

Article VII
The C.S.A. shall appoint an Advisory council (A.C.) that assesses the actions of the CSA and ensures that CSA officers:

follow and respect the Constitution by-laws and rules of the Association

follow acceptable accounting procedures

provide a variety of good quality student activities

ensure active representation of its members on various committees and college bodies

receive the training necessary to fulfill their duties and mandates

do not profit financially or otherwise as a result of the holding electoral office.

1. The A.C. is made up of:

a) one ex-student who served on the C.S.A.

b) one member of faculty

c) one staff member from Student Services

d) the accountant of the C.S.A.

e) one administrator of the college.

2. Members of the A.C. serve one year terms at the end of which the A.C. appoints new members. The C.S.A. can recommend eligible candidates to serve on the A.C.

3. The A.C. appoints a chairperson and a secretary from its membership. The chairperson is expected to serve a two year term.

4. The A.C. meets monthly during the academic year. Minutes of its meetings are distributed to the C.S.A., The Director of Student Services and to the members of the A.C.

5. No decision or action of the A.C. shall be inconsistent with the C.S.A. Constitution.

6. The A.C. has the power to impeach members of the C.S.A. A minimum on one month forewarning is necessary. At least 4 out of 5 members of the A.C. must be present at a vote for impeachment. 4 out of the 5 must be in favour of this action. Moreover, all members present must vote.

7. In order to abolish the Advisory Council, a referendum must be held whereby a minimum of 50% plus 1 of the entire student body must vote in favour of the abolishment.

Article VIII
As the need shows itself, the C.S.A. appoints a Constitutional Change Committee (C.C.C.)

1. The C.C.C. mandate is to formulate and recommend to the C.S.A. necessary changes to the Association's Constitution.

2. The C.C.C. is composed of:

a) two (2) C.S.A. members;

b) three (3) members of the Association's general membership who are appointed by the C.S.A.;

c) one (1) non-voting member selected from the staff of the campus' Student Service Department.

3. The recommendations of the C.C.C., after having been passed by the majority of its members, are:

a) forwarded to the C.S.A. for approval;

b) voted upon in their entirety, without modification, by the C.S.A.

c) approved as amendments to the Constitution only upon obtaining unanimous approval (i.e. no dissenting vote) of the C.S.A.

Article IX
The C.S.A. appoints standing committees to assist in its work.

1. The Finance Committee

a) The Finance Committee (F.C.) has the responsibility to:

(i) analyze and verify the proposed and revised budgets of all clubs, committees, groups, etc. recognized by the C.S.A. for funding purposes;
(ii) explain and outline all financial procedures to new clubs, committees, etc.;
(iii) hold at least one monthly meeting;
(iv) forward its financial recommendations to the C.S.A. for approval;
(v) recommend measures to the C.S.A. that are to be applied when clubs, committees, etc. do not respect their financial obligations or do not follow established financial procedures.

b) The F.C. is composed of:

(i) one (1) representative from each recognized club (the treasurer or someone responsible delegated by the club);
(ii) two (2) C.S.A. members including the Assistant Treasurer who serves as Chairperson of the F.C.

2. The Activities Committee

a) The Activities Committee (A.C.) which has the responsibility to:

(i) organize and promote general student life activities on campus;
(ii) establish a Carnival Committee whose mandate will be to plan and implement the annual Carnival;
(iii) coordinate activities of clubs, groups, etc.;
(iv) meet at least once a month.

b) The A.C. is composed of:

(i) the two (2) Members-at-Large, the Multi-cultural Officer and the two (2) Assistant Members-at-Large of the C.S.A. and the Activities Coordinator who serves as Chairperson;
(ii) one (1) student animator;
(iii) students from the general membership of the Association.

3. The Club Recognition Committee

a) The Club Recognition Committee (C.R.C.) which has the responsibility to:

(i) verify all club constitutions to ensure that they are in accord with C.S.A. recognition guide-lines;
(ii) ensure that the same individual does not hold an executive position in more than one club;
(iii) recommend annually to the C.S.A. those clubs that are to be recognized;
(iv) recommend annually to the C.S.A. office assignments for various organizations (i.e. clubs, committees) of the C.S.A.;
(v) recommend to the C.S.A., as the need arises, modifications in office assignments and decertification of clubs that are not fulfilling their engagements as set forth in the Constitution or the Club Handbook.
(vi) must hold monthly meetings. Club representatives must be present. Failure to attend will result in budget freeze or loss of club status.

b) The C.R.C. is composed of:

(i) the Vice?President Internal of the C.S.A who serves as Chairperson;
(ii) two (2) students from the general membership of the Association appointed by the C.S.A.;

4. Student Rights The mandate of the Vice-President External is to:

a) Help to ensure that the rights of members are upheld;

b) promote the development of the concept of student rights on campus;

c) Work in close cooperation with the campus' Student Life Council.

Article X
The C.S.A. names student representatives to serve one year mandates on the following campus and college bodies.

1. The Campus Academic Council:

a) one (1) student chosen from the membership of the Association;

b) members of the Association are eligible to nominate themselves.

2. The College's Commission of Studies One (1) student chosen from the membership of the Association.

3. The Campus' Food Service Committee:

a) one (1) student chosen from the membership of the Association;

b) members of the Association are eligible to nominate themselves.

4. The Campus' Student Life Council:

a) three (3) members from the C.S.A. including the President who serves as head of the student delegation;

b) Three (3) students actively involved in student life, (i.e. clubs & committees) who are selected by the C.S.A.

5. The College's Board of Governors: The student chosen to sit on the Board of Governors will be chosen in conjunction with the agreement formulated between the 3 campuses and current government laws.

Article XI
A Board of Appeals (B. of A.) is formed within five (5) lecture days of its request.

1. The responsibilities of the B.of A. are:

a) to hear appeals regarding any C.S.A. decision involving the Association, the C.S.A., its respective committees and/or clubs;

2. The B. of A. is composed of;

a) two(2) members of the plaintiff party;

b) two (2) members of the defendant party;

c) three (3) members that are agreed upon by both plaintiff and defendant parties. If, however, agreement cannot be reached by both parties within these five (5) days allotted for the formation of the B. of A., an animator or other full time employee of Student Services shall appoint the three (3) members within a twenty?four (24) hour delay;

d) all members of the B. of A. must be members of the Association.

3. Deliberation:

a) after the B. of A. has been formed, it has a maximum of ten (10) lecture days to render its decision;

b) the final decision on the appeal is based on a majority vote;

c) members do not have the right to abstain from voting.

Article XII
1. Any member of the C.S.A., any delegated representative of the C.S.A., and any member of one of the groupings mentioned in articles vi and vii of this Constitution will be impeached if:

a) A special meeting called by the C.S.A council on the matter results in a 2/3 vote in favour of impeachment.

b) a petition of 50% +1 of the Association membership demands the impeachment of a member.

2. The grounds for impeachment are:

a) Contravention and/or abuse of the Constitution and/or policy and procedures of the C.S.A. and that of the groupings mentioned in Articles VI and VII of the Constitution.

b) Failure to respect mandates given by the C.S.A. Council.

c) Failure to fulfil duties as stipulated by the Constitution and/or adopted policy and procedures;

d) Abuse of the position or office and/or the privileges thereby accorded.

e) The person to be impeached has the right to be advised, present and vote at the impeachment meeting.

f) Quorum for an impeachment meeting shall consist of 50% plus 1 of the elected members of the CSA members holding office.

g) All members of the CSA with voting power must vote, including the chairperson. There will be no abstentions.

Article XIII
1. A referendum is conducted whenever one of the following conditions prevail:

a) when the C.S.A. votes in favour of holding a referendum on campus;

b) when a petition signed by at least 10% of the Association is forwarded to the C.S.A.

2. The C.S.A. shall appoint a referendum office for any and all referendum.

3. The procedures for a referendum are as follows:

a) it is to be held in the same manner as the C.S.A. elections;

b) the presence of one (1) C.S.A. member and one (1) non-C.S.A. member of the Association at the ballot box is mandatory at all times during the referendum;

c) the presence of two (2) individuals not involved in the Association are required as scrutineer; d) all parties involved in the referendum are allowed to have one (1) agent at the counting.

4. A referendum is valid only when 50% or more of the Association members vote. The referendum is decided by majority vote of those taking part in the referendum.

Article XIV
Any amendments, deletions, and/or additions to this constitution must be introduced through either of the following procedures:

a) through the procedures set forth in Article VI of this Constitution;

b) if a petition is signed by 50% + 1 of the members of the Association demanding the change or addition of one or more items, the C.S.A. must adopt the recommendation(s).