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Social Work Student Association
Home / Social Work Student Association (SWSA) / Main / SWSA Constitution

SWSA Constitution

Article 1.
Section 1 – Name
The name of this organization shall be the Social Work Student Association.

Section 2 – Purpose
The Social Work Student Association (SWSA) is a student society which seeks to represent, support and advocate for Bachelor of Social Work Students at the University of Windsor, Ontario. SWSA acts as a link between students and faculty in order to ensure that students’ voices are represented in the School of Social Work. The association seeks to promote social justice and to enrich the community.

Section 3 – Membership
Society membership shall be given to all students registered for instruction at the University of Windsor in the Bachelors of Social Work, joint Women’s Studies and Bachelors of Social Work, and joint Diaspora Studies and Bachelors of Social Work programs.

Article 2.
Section 1 – Executive Officers and Yearly Student Representatives
The clubs Executive Officers shall include:
President
Vice President
Secretary
Treasurer
Minister of External Affairs
Minister of Social Affairs
Minister of Communications

There will be Student Representatives from first, second, third, and fourth years of the Bachelors of Social Work. Other Student Representatives include a student from Masters of Social Work, Joint Women’s Studies and Bachelors of Social Work, and Joint Diaspora Studies and Bachelors of Social Work.

Section 2 – Term
The Executive and Student Representatives shall take office on May 1st, for a 12-month term.

Section 3 – Duties of the Executive
The President shall:

  • Preside over all meetings.
  • Represent the club in its relations with other organizations and individuals or assign a designate in his/her place.
  • Be responsible for the direction and actions of the executive.
  • To either take on or delegate a specific duty of an executive if all attempts to contact said executive were unsuccessful.
  • Be responsible for calling meetings of the club.
  • Submit a report to the incoming executive detailing the activities of the previous year.
  • Be an ex-officio member on all committees struck by the club.
  • Review the financial records with members of the executive at least once a semester.
  • Ensure ongoing communication with the UWSA VP Internal Affairs.
  • Be responsible for running the elections with another executive.
  • Carry out other duties as determined by the executive.
  • Attend School Council as student representatives.

The Vice President shall:

  • Preside over all meetings.
  • Assume the duties of a President in his/her absence, at the request of a President, or if the position is vacated during the academic year.
  • Attend School Council as a student representative.
  • Assist the President in her or his duties.
  • Guide and assist executive members with their duties.
  • Carry out other duties as determined by the President and other executive.

The Minister of External Affairs shall:

  • Compile and maintain an email database of club members.
  • Support Executive Members with their respective portfolios.
  • Carry out other duties as determined by the executive.

The Secretary shall:

  • Keep an accurate record of Executives, Yearly Representatives and others who attend meetings.
  • Be responsible for keeping minutes of executive and regular meetings.
  • Help coordinate all events and meetings.
  • Submit the names of the new club executives to the UWSA VP Internal Affairs after the elections have taken place.
  • Carry out other duties as determined by the executive.

The Treasurer shall:

  • Be responsible for all of the club finances.
  • Ensure club records reflect the accurate financial position of the club at all times.
  • Submit an annual report detailing the club’s budget for the past year.
  • Carry out other duties as determined by the executive.

The Minister of Social Affairs shall:

  • Coordinate academic, athletic, social and educational events throughout the year.
  • Encourage club involvement in the community and on campus.
  • Promote awareness about the club through various recruitment initiatives.
  • Carry out other duties as determined by the executive.

The Minister of Communications shall:

  • Ensure ongoing communication between the Executive and the Yearly Representatives.
  • Be responsible for advertising any society activities to Social Work students and faculty.
  • Manage www.uwindsor.ca/swsa, or other society website with the assistance of a webmaster.
  • Coordinate the production of Society newsletter, with the aid of Executive Members and Yearly Representatives.
  • Be responsible for reading and responding to e-mail messages sent to swsa@uwindsor.ca or forwarding these messages to other Executive Members.

The Yearly Representatives shall:

  • Be responsible for announcing any society activities to Social Work students in their year.
  • Notify the President of any concerns raised by their peers in the Bachelor of Social Work program.
  • Attend meetings in order to vote on items, as their votes represent the interest of students in their year.
  • Assist Executive Members with the planning and running of events.

Section 4 – Responsibilities of the Executive
The executive shall be responsible for the club’s past and present initiatives.

As representatives of the School of Social Work both Executive Members and Yearly Representatives are expected to abide by the Student Professional Behaviour Policy as set out by the School of Social Work, this may be found at www.swsawindsor.com/Student_Professional_Behaviour_Policy.doc. Executive and Yearly Representatives are also expected to follow the Canadian Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics.

Confidentiality must be maintained regarding any issues brought forth personally by any Social Work student, unless consent to release these issues are expressed by that student. Exceptions to this include reporting threats to harm self or others, or abuse of children.

Article 3.
Section 1 – Regular Meetings

  • Regular meetings of the society shall be held at lease once a month during the academic year.
  • At least one weeks notice shall be given before all meetings.
  • Quorum for regular meetings shall be one-fourth of Yearly Representatives and Executive Members.
  • All Social Work students, from BSW, MSW and joint programs are invited to attend and participate.

Section 2 – Executive Meetings

  • Executive meetings shall be held at least once a month during the academic year.
  • At least 48-hours notice shall be given before all meetings.
  • Quorum for executive meetings shall be 50% +1 members of the executive.

Section 3 – General Meeting

  • The general meeting of the club shall be held annually during the month of March, and shall include reports from the outgoing executive, any committee reports the election of executive officers, budget presentation and any new or old business.
  • At least one weeks notice shall be given before the meeting, stating the time, date and place of the meeting.
  • Quorum for regular meetings shall be one-fourth of Executive Members and Yearly Representatives.
  • All Social Work students, from BSW, MSW and joint programs are invited to attend and participate.

Section 4 – Emergency Meetings

  • Any society member may call for an emergency meeting if and when required.
  • At least 48-hours notice shall be given before all emergency meetings.
  • Quorum for regular meetings shall be one-fourth of Executive Members and Yearly Representatives.
  • All Social Work students, from BSW, MSW and joint programs are invited to attend and participate.

Article 4.
Section 1 – Election of Officers
The election of officers shall take place annually in the winter semester, before the last day of classes. If not all positions are filled an election may happen in the Fall semester, before the last day of classes.

  • At least one weeks notice shall be given before the election.
  • Only registered Bachelor of Social Work and Joint BSW students are eligible to vote.
  • Voting shall take place by secret ballot.
  • Nominations for each position require one nominator and one seconder who are registered in the BSW or Joint BSW program.
  • For an election to be considered valid, the total votes cast shall be at leastone-fourth of the registered membership.
  • A person shall be considered elected if he/she receives a majority vote cast by members of the club.
  • A person shall be considered acclaimed if he/she runs unopposed during the election.
  • Unfilled positions shall be filled during an election held in the fall.

Article 5.
Section 1 – Removal of an Executive Officer
In the event that an executive member is not fulfilling their responsibilities, the
following procedure shall take place:

  • The President will meet with the executive, to discuss concerns raised by the membership.
  • If the executive member is still not found to be fulfilling their responsibilities, the President will issue a written warning.
  • If the executive member is still not found to be fulfilling their responsibilities, a meeting will be called to determine whether the individual will retain their position.
  • In the event that the executive in question is the President, the Vice-President will conduct the above procedure.

Section 2 – Meeting to Remove an Executive Officer
A meeting shall be called to determine whether an executive will continue to hold
their position.

  • At least one weeks notice shall be given before the meeting.
  • The executive in question will be given an opportunity to address any issues and concerns raised, answer any questions as well as provide reasons why they should continue to hold their position.
  • Voting shall take place by secret ballot.
  • Quorum for the meeting shall be one-fourth of the Executive Members and Yearly Representatives and a two-thirds majority vote is required before any decisions are adopted.
  • If quorum is not met, or in the event that a two-thirds vote is not obtained, the individual will retain their position.

Article 6.
Section 1 - Constitutional Amendments
Constitutional Amendments shall take place in the following manner:

  • Introduction and discussion on the proposed change will take place at a regular meeting of the club.
  • The vote on the proposed change must take place at least seven days later.
  • Quorum for the vote shall be one-fourth of the Executive Members and Yearly Representatives and a two-thirds majority vote is required before any constitutional amendments are adopted.

Section 2 – Constitutional Review
All constitutional amendments must be submitted for review by the UWSA VP Internal Affairs.

Please note: SWSA must adhere to all UWSA Bylaws and Policy pertaining to clubs and societies. These are available at www.uwsa.ca.