Constitution of the PCSS Alumni Association

 

ARTICLE I - NAME

The name of this organization shall be the Port Credit Secondary School (PCSS) Alumni Association, hereinafter referred to as The Association.



ARTICLE II - PURPOSE/MISSION

The mission of the Association is to communicate with the Alumni Body, link Alumni friends and their high school memories, support actively and financially the current school student scholarship programme and selected school capital projects. The Association would be connected to the school through the Alumni Association Committee, (AAC) who in turn would maintain the present Principal and Vice Principal as primary contacts to further the causes of the Association.



ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP

Section 1 - Regular Alumnus Members. Any individual, having attended, or taught, at Port Credit Secondary School, may consider themselves, and will be considered by the PCSS Alumni Association Committee (AAC), to be entitled to all rights, privileges, and obligations of membership as defined by The Association Bylaws Article 1, Section 1.



ARTICLE IV - ALUMNI ASSOCIATION COMMITTEE (AAC)

Section 1 - Responsibilities. The Alumni Association Committee [AAC] shall be responsible for developing and implementing the operating plan necessary to serve the Alumni Association as indicated in the Association bylaws, Article II and to administer those Subcommittees as indicated in the Association Bylaws, Article II. The AAC will direct and implement issues affecting the association.


Section 2 - COMPOSITION OF AAC. The AAC shall consist of 12 positions as described below, elected from regular Alumni membership.[The election process is described fully in the Bylaws, Article IX, Section 1]. All members of the AAC, with the exception of the chair and Ex-officio members, will have voting privileges.


POSITIONS OF THE AAC

  1. Chair

  2. Treasurer

  3. Secretary

  4. Alumni Night Subcommittee Chair

  5. Scholarship Subcommittee Chair

  6. Alumni Recruit Outreach Subcommittee Chair

  7. Database Manager

  8. Web Site Manager

  9. Member-At-Large

  10. Member-At-Large

  11. Member-At-Large

  12. Member-At-Large



ARTICLE V - SUBCOMMITTEES

Section 1. There shall be three subcommittees of the AAC as follows:

  1. Scholarship Subcommittee

  2. Alumni Outreach Subcommittee

  3. Alumni Night Subcommittee

Section 2 - Ad hoc Committees. As the need arises, the AAC may establish ad hoc committees to achieve specific goals in accordance with the Association purposes as stated in Article II of the constitution.


Section 3 - Responsibilities. Each subcommittee shall be responsible, and be organized as indicated in The Association Bylaws, Articles II & III. Recommendations, or plans by any of the subcommittees, or requests for funding to accomplish Subcommittee goals will be passed on from the Chair of the SC to the Chair of the AAC for further discussion with other appropriate members if thought necessary by the Chair. Disagreements between the Chair of the AAC and the Chair of the Subcommittee over such issues will be settled by a 2/3 majority vote of the AAC present at any meeting.



ARTICLE VI - MEETINGS

Section 1 - Annual Meeting. An annual meeting of The AAC will be held after the Annual Alumni Night and prior to the end of June of that year. Advance notice must be given to all Committee Members at least thirty days prior to such meeting.


Section 2 - Special Meetings. Special meetings of The Alumni Committee may be called by the Chair of the AAC or the Principal of the school after conferring with the Chair.



ARTICLE VII - BYLAWS

Section 1 - Authority. The AAC has the authority and responsibility to create and maintain bylaws governing the business, administration, and responsibilities of The Association in accordance with its purposes as stated in Article II of the Constitution.



ARTICLE VIII - AMENDMENTS

The constitution may be amended by a 2/3 majority vote of the AAC present at any meeting, provided any proposed amendment has been stated in the notice calling such meeting.




The Bylaws of the PCSS Alumni Association

 

ARTICLE I - MEMBERSHIP

Section 1 - Regular Members. Any individual qualified as a regular member as defined in Article III, Section 1 of the Constitution shall be entitled to the following: the right to attend all meetings of The AAC without vote; the right to address the AAC, provided written notice is received by the Chair not less than fifteen days prior to such announced meeting; the right to hold office; and the right to participate in all programs of The Association.



ARTICLE II - ORGANIZATION OF AAC, WITH ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF ALL COMMITTEE POSITIONS

Section 1 - Chair. The Chair shall provide the necessary leadership and guidance required to accomplish the AAC's mission within its guidelines as defined in Article II of the Constitution. The Chair shall preside at all meetings of The AAC. The Chair shall be responsible for coordinating planning objectives. The Chair will not have a vote, but will cast the deciding vote in case of a tie vote. The Chair shall be responsible for giving notice of all meetings, establishing the Agenda, distributing it to members at least 10 days before , bringing extra copies to the meeting, and then arranging said meetings by requesting and receiving permission from the Principal if the meeting is held at the School. The Chair will communicate with the various Subcommittee Chairs, and all the other positions of the AAC to ensure coordination, teamwork and see goals are met on a timely basis. The Chair will also proof read minutes before they are sent out to members and assist directly in producing or proof reading e-mail blasts communications to Alumni. The Chair will also oversee AAC activities to ensure adherence to the Constitution / Bylaws of the AAC, as well as overseeing all elections for membership.


Section 2 - Treasurer. The Treasurer shall be responsible for managing and accounting for all revenues and expenses of the AAC using proper accounting procedures and should have a base knowledge of accounting. The Treasurer will be responsible for recording all donations, and issuing receipts for income tax purposes, for maintaining the AAC chequing account for which there will be three signatories, with two required for payment. The Treasurer will be responsible for paying all authorized expenses of the AAC, and producing a profit / loss statements for all any and all AAC events such as Alumni Night in conjunction with the Subcommittee Chair for the event.

The Treasurer shall also be responsible for handling, tracking, securing and counting cash floats and receipts at AAC events in conjunction with the Subcommittee Chair, as well as maintaining complete files to show records of these financial expenditures with receipts. These records will be available to the AAC to support meeting reports, or for audit, or for passing on to the succeeding Treasurer in case of resignation.


Section 3 - Secretary. The secretary shall be responsible for recording the minutes of the meeting, submitting them to the Chair for proof reading, then sending them out to the membership of the AAC. The Secretary shall also be responsible for archiving the minutes, to be passed on to the next Secretary.


Section 4 - Alumni Night Subcommittee (ANS). Alumni Night is normally held on the first Friday of May, unless there is a major reunion being held[ which typically occurs every ten years] The Event is normally held in the school cafeteria unless there is a major event planned[ ie sports or musical event] in which case the gym[s] or auditorium might be used.

The ANS Chair is responsible for directing and organizing his group as follows:

  1. Planning the logistical components of setting up and operating the Alumni Night.

  2. Organizing AAC members and volunteer "Friends of the AAC" to staff the various duties for the evening.

  3. Setting up all facilities for the Alumni Night including: entrance tables to collect cover charge, arranging cafeteria tables, bar tables, drink ticket stations, snack tables, coffee station, snack bowls , table clothes, public address system if needed, music etc.

  4. Arranging for various signs at entrance and at drink ticket stations indicating costs being charged as well as table notices advising all profit goes to Scholarship Fund and other worthy school projects.

  5. Contacting necessary outside support staff including bar staff, police and janitors.

  6. The ANS will manage sales of entrance tickets, bar tickets, maintaining sufficient cash float, collecting the proceeds and balancing cash with tickets sold. The ANS will purchase appropriate ticket rolls for all drinks and supply cash boxes for all cash stations.

  7. The Chair of the ANS will prepare a financial budget for the event with projected revenues , expenses, and estimated profit. The Chair will also produce a final statement in conjunction with the Treasurer for Alumni Night showing actual revenues, expenses and profit to be reviewed at the Annual General meeting of the AAC in June.


Section 5 - The Scholarship Subcommittee (SS). The Chair of this Subcommittee will, from time to time, be asked to report to the Members of the AAC on the present state of this Subcommittee.

The Chair of the SS will also draw up appropriate application forms [most of them already exist] and ensure they are downloadable by students from the school website. The Chair of the SS shall liaise with appropriate teachers at PCSS who are involved with the scholarship program to integrate the AAC scholarship awards with the Commencement program. The Chair of the SS will gather together all applications at the end of May and meet at least a month before Commencement with the other members of the SS to discuss the applicants and decide on the winners. The Chair of SS shall be responsible for dealing with any possible conflicts of interest that might potentially exist between applicants and members of the SS, bringing any such existing conflicts to the attention of the AAC Chair. The winners will be initially be advised by telephone by the Chair of the SS and subsequently by letter. Each winner will be asked for a personal photo to be posted, along with a SS Chair provided write-up, on the PCSS Alumni Website. These write-ups are also to be forwarded to the school to be utilized in the introductions at Commencement when the recipients are given their awards.

The Chair of the SS will also notify all applicants who were not chosen and thank them for their efforts.

The Chair of the SS will also review, from time to time, with members of his Committee, and the teaching staff at the school to ensure the Alumni Scholarships awarded remain appropriate and financially balanced with respect to the funds generated by trust monies held by the school for the Alumni Association whose interests are represented by the AAC.


Section 6 - The Alumni Outreach Subcommittee (AOS). The Chair of the AOS will liaise with the school administration, through the Principal and Vice Principal, to develop links with the current school graduating class with the intent of developing leadership roles for those who are Valedictorians, Athletes of the year, Musicians of the Year, and all Scholarship Award winners with particular emphasis on those Scholarships awarded by the Alumni through the AAC.

The Chair of the AOS, along with its members and working with school staff, will also develop an Alumni Association / Grad Student mentoring program.

The AOS will arrange representation of the Alumni Association at the school Grad Breakfast Program and will also arrange for financial support of same .

The AOS will develop an Outreach Link on the Alumni Website and the school website www.pcssonline.com

The AOS will develop a system for connecting to successive grad classes by selecting/ appointing class representatives from the present year, as well as class representatives going back through successive years, with the objective of having these class reps use available, commonly used electronic social networking communication devices to connect to their respective classes to promote the activities of the Alumni Association and the AAC. This system should aid in building our own AAC Data base, as well as magnifying any e-mail communications sent out by the AAC.

The AOS will focus on Alumni who live in the local school area to encourage them to take an active role in the AAC either as a "Friend of the AAC" or as a member of the AAC itself.

The AOS will also liaise with other Alumni Association to bring effective practises to the operation of our Association


Section 7 - The Database Manager. The Data Base Manager will be charged with keeping updated electronic lists of Alumni, using commonly understood programming techniques, to allow the Manager to regularly communicate details of the various events and programs that the AAC promotes, using e-mail or any other social network system available. In addition the Data Base Manager will act as a custodian of the data in the base, protecting it from improper use by others, or duplication, recognizing at the same time this base will remain entirely the property of the AAC and that its use will be strictly limited only to promoting the interests and goals of the AAC and the Alumni Association.

The Data Base Manager will work with the Website Manager to coordinate their efforts where appropriate.


Section 8 - The Web Site Manager. The Website Manager shall keep our Websites up to date with respect to the events and proceedings of the Alumni Association, using established and commonly understood programming techniques, according to direction given by the AAC. The sole purpose of the Website[s] is to promote the Alumni Association and its projects and goals. The Website Manager shall ensure the Websites are used only for this purpose and will act as custodian of our Website, recognizing that the Site belongs solely to the AAC. The Web Site manager will work with the Data Base Manager to coordinate their efforts where appropriate.


Sections 9-12 - Members-At-Large. These members-at-large will assist in reaching the goals of the AAC, including serving multiple memberships on SC's if appropriate. They also will serve as a possible source for replacement by election to any other position on the AAC.



ARTICLE III - RESPONSIBILITY OF SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIRS TO AAC

Each SC will have a Chair who will be responsible for reporting on their activities to the Chair, and to the other members of the AAC at meetings when requested. All SC Chairs will be expected to actively recruit and organize suitable members as required from the AAC, or from the Alumni to accomplish the goals of that SC, provided the Chair of the AAC is advised of these selections. Each SC will be responsible for submitting budgets, if required, to the Chair and the Treasurer of the AAC for subsequent approval at an AAC meeting. It is understood that it is likely that many members of the AAC will have multiple memberships on these SC's according to individual abilities and SC needs. It is also understood that there would be SC Volunteer Members, defined in Bylaws Article VI, as "Friends of the AAC" or Ex-Officio members (i.e. Class Captains) who will serve on these SC's who will not be elected members of the AAC.



ARTICLE IV - REMOVAL OF AAC MEMBERS

All members of the AAC shall hold office for the length of the prescribed term, but shall be subject to removal at any time for cause by 2/3 majority vote of the AAC membership present at a special meeting called for such purpose. Cause would include, but not necessarily be restricted to, those who are derelict of duty, those who disrupt the harmony of the AAC, those who misappropriate funds, those who cause unauthorized access to our data base or its reproduction or distribution without the expressed consent of the AAC, those who are seen to have conflict of interest with the objectives of the AAC, and those who conduct themselves contrary to the policies and procedures of the AAC in ways that offend, or could be regarded as damaging or potentially damaging to the public image of the School, its students, the AAC or the Alumni body it represents.



ARTICLE V - EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS

Section 1 - Principal and Vice Principal of the school or designate. The Principal of the school shall be responsible for assisting and supporting alumni activities, programs, and services which include all areas of Alumni concern within the purposes of The Association as indicated in Article II of the Constitution.

Section 2 - Student Representative. The Student Representative shall be a member of the graduating class selected jointly by the Alumni Outreach Subcommittee and the Principal of the School to act as a liaison, during their graduation year, between the student body and the AAC through the Alumni Outreach Subcommittee. After Graduation this person, or alternate, selected from this class, would remain an Ex-Officio member and would continue to serve as a class contact for the Alumni Outreach Subcommittee.

Section 3 - Immediate Past Chair. The Immediate Past Chair shall be responsible to provide advice and counsel to the AAC and to mentor and assist the present Chair in carrying out his / her duties.

Section 4 - Immediate Past Treasurer. The immediate Past Treasurer shall be responsible to provide advice and counsel to the AAC and to mentor and assist the present Treasurer in carrying out his/ her duties.



ARTICLE VI - SPECIAL PROVISION FOR VOLUNTEERS KNOWN AS "THE FRIENDS OF THE AAC"

There shall be a provision for any member of the Alumni to volunteer to an Auxiliary group of the AAC that will be known as the "Friends of the AAC". This group will be comprised of, but not necessarily limited to, retired or aspiring AAC members, as well as all Alumni, and their partners, who simply wish to donate their time, by active participation, to aid or support the authorized activities and projects of the AAC, including Alumni Night.



ARTICLE VII - REQUIRED MEETINGS OF AAC, AND WHO CAN ATTEND

Section 1. Any member, as defined in Article III of the Constitution, may attend a regular Alumni Committee meeting without voting privileges and may address the AAC, provided that advance written notice has been given to the Chair not fewer than 15 days prior to said meeting or, if approved by the Chair, a 2/3 majority vote of the AAC present at that meeting.

Section 2. If in the judgement of the Chair there is business to warrant the AAC will meet at least five times annually, including the Annual General meeting, with a minimum 15 days notice to AAC members. Under extraordinary circumstances, the Chair of the AAC or the Principle may call a special meeting, providing all members are given notice.



ARTICLE VIII - QUORUM DEFINED

A quorum is necessary to conduct regular business of the AAC. A quorum shall consist of a simple majority of the voting members of the AAC (i.e. six voting members not including the Chair).



ARTICLE IX - ELECTION OF ANY MEMBER OF THE AAC

Section 1. Nominations to fill any vacant position, or to move from one position to another on the AAC, will be accepted from any member of the Association, including the membership of the AAC. To be valid, nominations must be both accepted by the nominee and seconded by a member of the AAC and must be in the hands of the Chair at least 10 days before an election is held. Voting will be by secret ballot. A 2/3 majority vote of the AAC will cause a duly nominated person to be elected.

Section 2 - Term Of Office. All AAC members, regardless of position, shall be elected for a one year term that normally would start at the end of the Annual General Meeting [AGM] held in June and finish the following year, again at the end of the AGM. At the end of the term, provided both a 2/3 majority of those present, and the member in question agree, it will be extended for another year. Thus the term can be renewed indefinitely from year to year with mutual agreement. At anytime during the second term, or any other subsequent term, if the member wishes to resign, three months notice would be asked, barring exceptional circumstances. Any member elected to fill a vacant position during the year at a time other than the AGM would go through the same renewal process at the AGM that full term members do.

Section 3. In the event of tie votes or disputed election results, the AAC shall meet and, by 2/3 majority vote, decide the issue, and such decision shall be final.



ARTICLE X - BYLAW AMENDMENTS

The Bylaws may be amended by a 2/3 majority vote of the membership of the AAC at a meeting, provided the changes proposed are stated on the Agenda for that meeting and circulated to membership 10 days before the meeting.

Amended: February 23, 2011