Club Constitution | Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association Clubs

Muslim Students' Association (MSA)

Last active term

Constitution

Club Name

The name of the club will be Muslim Students' Association (MSA). 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

The purpose of the club is to gather University of Waterloo students, staff, faculty, and members of the
UWaterloo community at large to serve Allah in the best way possible through the principles laid out in
the Qur’an and Sunnah as understood through the Sunni tradition. The MSA will encourage and
facilitate the practice of Islam on campus, as well as promote a traditional understanding of Islam
among the Muslim community on campus. The MSA will organize events (social events, academic &
career development, educational; etcetera based on needs of the community) and services in
accordance with the Islamic principles. Any interference on the pretext of “modernization” based on
liberal, secular values, or any such ideas that subvert traditional Islamic interpretations will not be
accepted; as Islam is a way of life for all times and places and hence is not subject to being outdated or
needing reform. Where differences of opinion arise on Islamic thought and practice, the MSA shall
adhere to principles recognized by the majority of Sunni Muslims in Canada.

Club events, activities, and/or initatives will include

Providing essential Islamic services to the Muslim students on campus and addressing
their Islam-related needs;
● Social events can include (but not restricted to): sport activities, entertainment events,
fundraisers, dinners, etc.;
● Academic & career development can include (but not restricted to): resume critiques,
Mentorship, Career workshops, etc.;
● Educational events can include (but not restricted to): weekly halaqat, Islamic Lectures, etc.
● Voicing the concerns of Muslim students on campus as an official body to third parties; and
● Hosting events that bring together and connect the UWaterloo Muslim community.

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

Club Membership is Free

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.
The rest of the Executive team and the MSA membership receives leadership and guidance;
All Executives strive to adhere to an Islamic code of conduct at all times that will positively influence the rest of the membership;
The agenda is set and followed for General and Executive meetings in collaboration with VP Operations;
The club operates smoothly, including that any inter-Executive & inter-Substream conflicts are resolved peacefully and that all MSA and Feds documentation is reviewed (refer to Substream Affiliation section for inter-Substream conflicts)
An operating plan capturing the goals and strategic vision of the term is prepared within the first two weeks of the term
Executive Support Committees are formed and disbanded as necessary to meet the MSA’s goals
Contact with Affiliated Substream clubs (UWOSP & IICUW) is regularly maintained;
The Advisory Board is contacted if advice or past MSA context is needed.

The President is a signing authority.

The VP Operations 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.
Event bookings are submitted to Feds for all MSA events and meetings, including the necessary requests for UWaterloo facilities and equipment; ● Any rented or borrowed equipment is safely used duri
Any rented or borrowed equipment is safely used during all events and returned on a timely basis to avoid penalties;
Oversees the Tech team with some guidance/feedback based on the most current Marketing Scheme (ie. colour scheme and stylization)
The documentation of past MSA executives is consulted where relevant, and additions and modifications are made to it if necessary.

The VP Operations is a signing authority.

The VP Finance 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.
A financial report is prepared at the end of the term and released to club members
A budget is prepared within the first two weeks of the term, with the assistance of the President
All financial transactions on behalf of the MSA are pre-approved by a majority of the Executive team or the President
Reaching out to Sponsors and Donors (alumni, community members, organizations, etc.) to fund events or initiatives
The Executive team receives a bi-weekly update on the MSA’s financial status and its latest bank statement
Donations are collected after all Friday prayer services
A Jumuah collection schedule is created and maintained in collaboration with the substreams (Presidents and VP Finances)
The Finance Team is overseen

The VP Finance is a signing authority.

The VP Education ensures that:

Friday prayer services organized by the MSA are properly planned and executed, including but not limited to: khateeb & volunteer recruitment, training, assignment, and feedback
Proper Islamic conduct is maintained at all MSA events
Educational Content and events/halaqas are organized as per what is currently beneficial for the UW Muslim community
A healthy and communicative connection with the Islamic Information Centre (IIC) is maintained to ensure that the mission and process are Islamically sound
The VPs of Education for MSA and IIC will work together (which could include: Attending each other’s meetings, contacting various speakers and islamic organizations, increasing access to Islamic knowledge on campus, collaborating on events of educational nature relating to Muslims and Non-muslims)
The Education Team is overseen
The next VP Education is trained
Ensures that the next VP Education is trained.

The VP Events ensures that:

Social and other events are organized to help connect members of the UWaterloo community
All events are executed smoothly, safely, and in alignment with all WUSA and MSA event policies
All MSA assets are properly stored in a clean and organized way within space provided to the MSA by WUSA
Ensures that any spaces used for MSA events are left as clean, tidy, and organized as they were found (and damages should be reported to VP Operations)
Volunteers are recruited and managed for all events hosted by the events team
The Events Team is overseen
The next VP Events is trained
Ensures that the next VP Events is trained.

The VP Internal ensures that:

UWaterloo prayer spaces are kept clean and organized, in partnership with UW Plant Ops and any other relevant UWaterloo partners
Incidents of islamophobia and other misconduct in the MSA community are addressed through the relevant channels as needed in order to uphold Islamic values
Advocacy efforts for the rights and provisions for Muslim students are sustained as necessary
Maintains regular contact with the Substreams affiliates (via meetings & events/initiatives), Orphan Sponsorship Program (OSP) and the Islamic Information Centre (IIC), and act as a liaison to provide support and information to the OSP & IIC (refer to Substream Affiliations section for additional specific responsibilities)
For Inter-Substream conflicts (between MSA and OSP/IIC), the VP Internal of MSA can be involved (after the involvement of the 2 presidents) on a per case basis when deemed necessary by presidents (refer to Substream Affiliations section for more details)
Ensures that individuals are appointed to fill leadership positions in the Executive Support Committees, in consultation with the President
There is clear communication between the Executive team and all Executive Support Committees
Executive Support Committees operate in accordance with MSA and Feds policies to achieve their given objectives
The Internal Team is overseen
The next VP Internal is trained
Ensures that the next VP Internal is trained.

The VP External ensures that:

All events are advertised through email, social media, and the MSA website (in collaboration with the VP Operations), in collaboration with the Marketing Team
All received inquiries and communication to the Executive team via social media is acknowledged within 48 hours and directed to the appropriate Executive team member to address
Correspondence is maintained with bodies external to the University of Waterloo, excluding those that are already under the jurisdiction of another VP (such as NCCM with the VP Internal)
Public relations (via social Media) are maintained with the UW population, whereby the VP External will serve as the face of any MSA endorsed message when necessary
Feedback is obtained from MSA members and the UWaterloo community around the MSA’s events, goals, and general performance (with coordination with VP Internal)
The Marketing Team is overseen
The next VP External is trained
Ensures that the next VP External 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 Advisor 1 ensures that:

Conduct MSA Exec elections and onboard new exec team every term
Support exec team with issues/decisions, and act as a liason to previous terms, transferring past knowledge as needed
Conduct MSA Advisor elections when any advisor steps down or completes their terms, and ensure new advisors are trained
Ensures that the next Advisor 1 is trained.

The Advisor 2 ensures that:

Conduct MSA Exec elections and onboard new exec team every term
Support exec team with issues/decisions, and act as a liason to previous terms, transferring past knowledge as needed
Conduct MSA Advisor elections when any advisor steps down or completes their terms, and ensure new advisors are trained
Ensures that the next Advisor 2 is trained.

The Advisor 3 ensures that:

Conduct MSA Exec elections and onboard new exec team every term
Support exec team with issues/decisions, and act as a liason to previous terms, transferring past knowledge as needed
Conduct MSA Advisor elections when any advisor steps down or completes their terms, and ensure new advisors are trained
Ensures that the next Advisor 3 is trained.

The Marketing Team ensures that:

The Marketing Team is responsible for all MSA marketing, including event poster creation, photography/videography, and engaging with MSA members and the UWaterloo community through social media.
The marketing team ensures that educational events are Live-Streamed (e.g. on Instagram) and have a saved accessible recording (e.g. on Youtube) to be showcased to the general UWMSA community, which includes maintenance of this content.
The Marketing Team reports to the VP External
Ensures that the next Marketing Team is trained.

The Finance Team ensures that:

The Finance Team is responsible for all MSA finances, including the handling of the MSA donations collected from MSA events, from both the Donation Box and the dedicated MSA debit machine(s).
The Finance Team reports to the VP Finance
Ensures that the next Finance Team is trained.

The Education Team ensures that:

The Education Team is responsible for aiding the VP Education in researching and presenting sound Islamic knowledge to the community. This may take the form of educational posts, workshops, recurring classes, or special halaqat
The team oversees that Jumuah and Taraweeh prayers are managed, and serves as the MSA’s consulting team within the scope of Islamic knowledge
The Education Team reports to the VP Education
Ensures that the next Education Team is trained.

The Events Team ensures that:

The Events Team is responsible for aiding the VP Events in creating event ideas, ensuring that events cater to the interest of the Muslim community, and handling all event logistics (set-up, take-down, AV)
The Events Team reports to the VP Events
Ensures that the next Events Team is trained.

The Internal Team ensures that:

The Internal Team is responsible for aiding the VP Internal in advocacy efforts against Islamophobia. This includes engaging in meetings with NCCM and other on-campus support bodies to develop practical solutions in combating Islamophobia
The Internal team is also responsible for gathering information on causes that impact the Muslim community, that would later be delivered to the VP External or Marketing Team for public release
The Internal Team reports to the VP Internal
Ensures that the next Internal Team is trained.

The Tech Team ensures that:

The Tech Team is responsible for maintaining the MSA website, MSA App development and repairing any IT issues that may arise in the MSA
The Tech Team reports to the VP Operations
Ensures that the next Tech Team is trained.

Meetings

General Meetings

The club will hold termly 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 weekly 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
Slack or other

Emergency meetings can be called by an executive via:

Email
Slack or other

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.

Index

Islam, Muslim: Islam is a way of life that is defined by the Qur’an and sunnah. It contains beliefs
including, but not limited to belief in the one God (Allah), His prophets, His holy scriptures, His angels,
His divine decree (Qadr), and the eternal afterlife. A Muslim is someone who ascribes to all the
aforementioned beliefs (i.e., Islam).
Qur’an: A book, considered the last of five Holy books sent down by Allah. In it are teachings of Islamic
creed, jurisprudence, etiquette, and stories of exemplary role models. The Qur’an serves as a timeless
guide for Muslims in every aspect, unchanging across history.
Sunnah: All teachings detailed by the final Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وسلم (that create a comprehensive and
practical definition of Islam. The actions he took in his life, narrations that are recorded of him by his
companions, and the traditions that he established all constitute as the sunnah.
Sunni: The sect of muslims that derive their beliefs directly from the Qur’an and sunnah via orthodox
tradition. Sunni muslims do not overlook any Qur’anic verses or sunnah, and they acknowledge the first
four caliphs as rightful successors of the Prophet Muhammad, Peace and Blessings be upon him.
Khateeb: A person who delivers the sermon at the beginning of the Friday prayer.
Halaqat: Plural for halaqa. A halaqa is any gathering at which people come to study the teachings of the
Qur’an and Sunnah.
Jumuah: Friday congregational prayers.
Taraweeh: Night prayers during the month of Ramadan.
NCCM: The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM) is an independent, non-partisan and
non-profit organization that protects Canadian human rights and civil liberties, challenges discrimination
and Islamophobia, builds mutual understanding, and advocates for the public concerns of Canadian
Muslims.
Executive Support Committee: Refers to the new temporary teams formed in order to complete MSA
projects as necessary they appear (excluding the Advisory Board, Education Team, Events Team, Tech
Team, Marketing Team, Internal Team, Finance Team, and Elections Committee