University of Waterloo Improv Club
Last active term
Club Name
The name of the club will be University of Waterloo Improv Club. We are not agent or representative of the Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association (WUSA), and our views and actions in no way represent the WUSA.
Governance
The club will uphold the values, mission, and mandate of both the University of Waterloo (UW) and WUSA through following the directives outlined in the WUSA Clubs Manual, all WUSA By-Laws, Policies, and Procedures, as well as all policies and procedures outlined by the UW Secretariat. Furthermore, the club will abide by all laws of the Region of Waterloo, Province of Ontario, and Government of Canada. All club matters will ultimately be governed by the WUSA Clubs Manager.
Purpose
The purpose of the club is to gather University of Waterloo students, staff, faculty and members of the UW community at large to
Section 1: To provide a place for beginner and experienced undergraduate improvisers to share their knowledge and love of improv in a safe and supportive environment.
Section 2: To teach new skills to its members and provide opportunities for growth, advancement, and performance through instructional workshops.
Club events, activities, and/or initatives will include
Section 3: In all terms, the club expects to accomplish the following specific goals:
Host weekly general meetings open to all members;
Host weekly instructional workshops open to all members;
Perform at functions within the University of Waterloo and broader improv community;
Strengthen ties with other University of Waterloo clubs and the community at large.
Section 4: In non-Spring terms, the club expects to accomplish the additional following goals:**
Form a team of dedicated performers to represent the Club (and potentially the
University) at invitational events;
Host regular performance team meetings;
Represent the University and Club, respectfully and to the best of their ability, at any
events attended;
**A performance team will only be formed if there is sufficient interest from club members. The club execs will assess the level of interest at the beginning of each non-Spring term.
Membership Structure
The club will be fully inclusive and welcoming to both its current and potential membership. New membership is welcome and accepted at any time during a club’s active term. Eligible club members may be current: WUSA Members, as outlined by the WUSA By-Laws; UW graduate students; UW staff or faculty; and/or members of the UW community at large, as defined in the Clubs Manual.
Only current UW students (graduate or undergraduate) may hold voting membership within the club. UW Staff, faculty, and members of the UW community at large may hold non-voting membership within the club. (If Applicable) UW undergrad students who are eligible to obtain voting membership in the club who do not wish to pay the club membership fee at the time of joining may hold non-voting membership within the club. Voting membership can be obtained for said members by paying the membership fee.
At least two thirds of the club's membership must be current UW students (graduate or undergraduate).
Membership Fee
Executive Officers
The majority of executives will be current UW students (graduate or undergraduate). The club president will be a current UW undergraduate student. All club executives will be elected, not hired or appointed. The term of office for all executive positions is one academic term, as outlined by the UW Registrar’s Office. All club decisions will be determined by executive vote, as no executive officer (not even the President) holds decision making power for the collective.
The President ensures that:
- The club operates according to the guidelines of its constitution and some agreed upon guidelines for running a meeting, such as Robert's Rules of Order;
- The club works towards its objectives as agreed upon by the membership; and
- Their successor is trained.
- They are responsible for the overall direction of the club.
- The other Executive Officers’ operations are conducted thoroughly
- Weekly meetings of the general membership are hosted and follow expected standards of quality
- All meetings of the committee of Executive Officers are chaired according to WUSA guidelines;
- The audition process to select a competitive team in Fall and Winter terms (if interest permits) is followed through
- A coach is selected to train the competitive team in Fall and Winter terms (if interest permits)
- Communication with other universities regarding summits and events is conducted to a satisfactory level
The President is a signing authority.
The Vice President ensures that:
- Records of what the group has done are maintained, distributed, and are accessibile to all the members;
- Meeting minutes/notes are recorded and made available to all voting members;
- All club correspondence is monitored and brought to the attention of the appropriate person(s);
- Their successor is trained.
- Rooms are properly booked for the term
- Regular communication with the general club membership through email and social media, including regular reminders of club meetings
- Administrative documents are completed as needed
- Minutes from committee meetings are recorded and distributed as needed.
The Vice President is a signing authority.
The Treasurer ensures that:
- The club's WUSA bank account and all financial transactions for the club are monitored and verified;
- All club revenues are collected, deposited into the club's WUSA bank account, and reconciled correctly and within a timely manner;
- Club cheque requests are submitted correctly and in a timely manner; and
- Their successor is trained.
- The bank account with WUSA is adequately managed
- New funding initiatives are researched as needed
- Administrative documents are completed as needed
The Treasurer is a signing authority.
The Social Coordinator ensures that:
- Relationships are strengthened with parties outside of the club’s membership, including other clubs, universities, and business opportunities in the wider community
- All necessary graphics and designs are created (by themselves or by a party the Executive team approves) for club purposes
- Their successor is trained
- All correspondence with the club and greater community via social media accounts is conducted to a satisfactory degree
- Ensures that the next Social Coordinator is trained.
It is important to assure that the person with the most information and/or knowledge in the club is not the full-time chairperson. Therefore, the club will occasionally rotate the role of chairperson among voting members.
Executive Support Structure
The Coach ensures that:
- The Executive team books an audition location for an upcoming performance/competitive improv team to represent the Club/University at club summits and other events;
- The aforementioned team is chosen from auditioning students
- Team members are trained in preparation for competitive summits
- The learning and growth of members of the competitive team is conducted to a satisfactory degree
- Ensures that the next Coach is trained.
Meetings
General Meetings
The club will hold weekly general meetings. Quorum for general meetings will be 15 voting members of 20% of voting membership (whichever is more).
Executive Meetings
The club will hold monthly executive meetings. Quorum for executive meetings will be 2 executives or at least 51% of the executive body (whichever is more).
The first meetings (both general and executive) of the following term will be arranged by the outgoing executive. At said meetings, subsequent meeting dates and locations will be set. Meeting dates and times will be forwarded to voting members by:
- Email Social Media (E.g. Instagram, Discord)
Emergency meetings can be called by an executive via:
- Phone
- Email Social Media
and must be sent to the appropriate members at least 48 hours prior to the meeting time.
ELECTION PROCESS
Elections shall take place at the end of each term for the following academic term. Only University of Waterloo students who are members of the club can vote. Club members must be notified, by email, two weeks in advance of the meeting where executive elections will take place. The term of office shall be for one term. An executive can only hold office (any position) for a total of up to three terms.
Nominations for executives can be made from any club member. The majority of executives must be undergraduate University of Waterloo students. The successful candidate will be the one with the most votes. In the case of a tie, a re-vote will take place until the tie is broken.
IMPEACHMENT AND DISCIPLINARY PROCEDURES
A movement to impeach an executive officer may be made by any executive officer or by petition of at least five voting members. When the motion is made the Clubs Manager will be informed. An emergency general meeting will be called as soon as is reasonably possible. No club funds will be spent until the issue is resolved.
At the impeachment meeting, the individual(s) who initiated the process will state their case. Afterwards, the officer(s) under impeachment will have an opportunity to defend their position(s) on the matter.
There will then be a question and answer period followed by the selection process for a Chief Returning Officer (CRO) who will oversee the voting process to ensure the decision is fair and democratic. Any executive officer who is neither the initiator nor subject of the impeachment may volunteer as CRO. If there is no such officer, then any voting member of the club present at the meeting may volunteer. If there are multiple volunteers, then the CRO will be selected based on a simple majority vote cast by secret ballot and tallied publically by the chairperson of the meeting. If there is no such volunteer for CRO, then the meeting will be at a standstill until either an eligible executive officer or voting member volunteers.
The vote will be by a “YES/NO” secret ballot, tallied publically by the CRO. If at least two thirds of the votes are for impeachment, then said officer will immediately be stripped of their position. The remaining executive may choose to call an immediate by-election to replace the newly vacant executive officer position.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
A claim against any executive officer or club member regarding a potential conflict of interest can be made by any executive officer or by petition of at least five voting members. If such a claim arises, then said individual(s) under suspicion have the opportunity to remove them self (or themselves) from said potential conflict without acknowledging intention of wrongdoing. In the event the claim is contested, then the Clubs Manager will be informed and an emergency executive meeting will be called to determine the validity of the claim. Executive officers who have a claim against them cannot vote to determine the validity of said claim. If executive quorum is not possible due to the removal of said vote(s), then an emergency general meeting will be called and the same proceedings described for impeachment will be used to determine the validity of the claim.
If the claim is validated and there is suspicion of intentional wrongdoing, an immediate impeachment proceeding may be called by any executive officer or by petition of at least five voting members, of whom are not named in the claim. If it is determined that a club member is involved in intentional wrongdoing, the impeachment proceeding will be called to determine said member’s club status.
AMENDMENTS
Constitutional amendments may be proposed by any executive officer or by petition of at least five voting members. The amendment will then be voted on by referendum. The voting procedure will be the same as for the impeachment process. If the vote passes, the amendment and the vote will be forwarded to the Clubs Manager for final approval. If the Clubs Manager approves, then the constitution will be amended and any changes will be inserted into the constitution.
A motion to officially close the club will follow the same procedure as a constitutional amendment. If such a motion passes, then the club will be purged from the clubs system.
AFFILIATIONS
No organization(s) is/are currently affiliated with this club.
Community/Alumni Relations
Community members and alumni are welcome to participate in weekly meetings and
other applicable events at the discretion of the Executive team. However, this Club is
elected by undergraduate students to serve undergraduate students under WUSA
guidelines. As such, community members and alumni representing the club, including
those who previously served as club executives, are not inherently seen as affiliated
with the Club under such purposes. For this reason, the Club can not be expected to
confer or grant benefits to alumni without the primary goal being to provide a service to
undergraduate students.
Examples of permitted community member/alumni activity:
● Taking part in weekly jams
● Coaching the competitive team as a volunteer
Examples of prohibited community member/alumni activity:
● Representing the club or acting on its behalf towards another entity in the
absence of student representation, inside or outside the University
● Performing and representing the Club at other university improv club summits
Social Media Representation
University of Waterloo Improv Club uses social media to convey information about
Club events and cultivate an online community corresponding to its in-person
community. The following social media accounts are recognized as currently
representing the club, its members, and its interests:
● Instagram: @uwimprovisation
● Discord account: uwimprov
● Discord server name: Improv UW
● Email: uwimprovisation@gmail.com