ASSOCIATION OF REGISTRARS OF THE
UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES OF CANADA

Members Area

Constitution and By-laws

ARTICLE I - NAME

The name of the association shall be the Association of Registrars of the Universities and Colleges of Canada (hereinafter referred to as the Association).

ARTICLE II - PURPOSE

  1. The Association shall concern itself with academic administration including, but not limited to, admissions, registration, examinations, sheduling, transcripts, systems, records, calendars, scholarships and awards, secondary school liaison, and other activities or undertakings that may be deemed appropriate to the Association.
  2. It shall encourage, support and conduct studies on matters related to items indicated in (a).
  3. It shall conduct workshops for the exchange of information, the professional development of its members, and for the development of new procedures.
  4. It shall promote the views of the Association and collaborate with appropriate government ministries, educational bodies and other agencies.

ARTICLE III - MEMBERSHIP

Section 1 - Institutional Members

  1. Institutions which are recognized by the Universities Canada or the Colleges and Institutes Canada and have paid the annual fee in accordance with By-Law I are Institutional Members of the Association. Institutional Members are eligible to participate actively in the work of the Association. Each Institutional Member has one vote on all matters brought before the Association. The Office of the Registrar, or equivalent, of each participating institution shall designate a Regular Member as the Institutional Representative who will vote on behalf of that Institution. Institutional Members only may vote.
  2. Recognition by Universities Canada or Colleges and Institutes Canada is not required for those Institutional Members in good standing as of June 22, 1990.

Section 2 - Regular Members

The Office of the Registrar, or equivalent, of each participating institution may designate as many Regular Members as it wishes in accordance with By-Law I.

Section 3 - Associate Members

Professional representatives in educational agencies or institutions not eligible for Institutional Membership may apply for Associate Membership, which must be approved by the Executive Committee. Such institutions may designate as many Associate Members as it wishes in accordance with By-Law I. Associate Members may attend Association workshops and General Meetings, but may not vote or hold office.

Section 4 - Honorary Members

Honorary Members shall be those individuals, no longer eligible to be Regular Members, but with records of significant service to the Association, who are so selected by the Executive Committee. They shall enjoy a permanent invitation to attend Association meetings and to maintain an interest in Association affairs. Honorary Members may not vote or hold office.

Any Institutional or Regular Member of the Association may present to the Executive Committee a recommendation for Honorary Membership in accordance with the requirements of By-Law IV, Section 5 - Selection of Honorary Members.

Corporate Members shall be those organizations which provide products and/or services that assist or benefit Association members in carrying out their duties and responsibilities and which desire to participate in Association activities as non-voting members. The Executive may approve corporations seeking membership in the Association and will determine the extent and type of participation.

ARTICLE IV - OPERATING YEAR

The operating year of the Association shall be from July 1 to June 30.

ARTICLE V - EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Section 1 - Composition

The Executive Committee shall consist of the following members:

  1. President
  2. Past President (‘ex-officio')
  3. Vice-President
  4. Secretary/Treasurer
  5. five Regional Representatives - one from each of the following regions: Atlantic Provinces, Québec, the Western Provinces, and two from Ontario.
  6. No region shall have more than three representatives on the Executive Committee in any given term.
  7. The Executive from time to time may invite individual members of ARUCC to assist the Executive with particular matters or projects. Such individuals will not be voting members of the Executive Committee.

Section 2 - Election of Officers

  1. The President normally shall be the Vice-President from the previous term. The Vice-President is nominated on even years by the regions on a rotating basis in the sequence Western Provinces, Ontario, Québec, Atlantic Provinces.
  2. The immediate Past President normally shall be the Chair of the Nominating Committee. The Chair shall appoint four other members, one from each region.
  3. A minimum of two months prior to the date of the General Meeting, the Nominating Committee shall distribute to the appropriate Executive Committees for the Regional Registrars' Associations (WARUCC, OURA, CRALO, BCI, and AARAO) an invitation to submit nominations for the position of Vice-President and/or a Regional Representative, as well as nominees to the position of Secretary/Treasurer.
  4. In the event of the nomination of more than one individual to the position of Secretary/Treasurer, the Nominating Committee will select one individual for the proposed slate of officers to be presented at the General Meeting.
  5. Nominations for any position may be accepted from the floor at a General Meeting. In the event of the nomination of more than one individual for any of the positions an immediate vote shall be called, by institution, with only those Institutional Members in attendance at the General Meeting granted the right to vote. The Executive Officers will be elected by a simple majority of those present and voting.
  6. Balloting shall be supervised, and votes tabulated, by no less than two (2) Regular Members appointed by the Executive Committee.
  7. Executive Committee members must be designated as a Regular Member by an Institutional Member of the Association.

Section 3 - Functions

The following shall be the functions of the Executive Committee and the members thereof:

  1.  i. to act on behalf of the Association
    ii. to determine the time and place of the Association's General Meeting in accordance with By-Law III
    iii. to report to the General Meeting
    iv. to establish study committees, task forces, and/or commissions to prepare reports, working papers and recommendations for consideration by the Association
    v. to report decisions of the Association to the appropriate government ministries, educational bodies and other agencies.
  2.  i. The President shall preside as Chair of all meetings of the Association and the Executive Committee and is an ex-officio member of every committtee or commission of the Association save and except the Executive. The President is normally considered the official spokesperson for the Association.
    ii. The Vice-President normally shall become the President upon expiry of the President's term of office. The Vice-President shall assume the role of President should that Office become vacant and shall, in the absence of the President, preside and perform the duties of the President. The Vice-President shall also serve as chief communications officer, with responsibility for (amongst other media) the maintenance and promotion of the ARUCC website. The Vice-President shall carry out those duties and tasks as assigned by the President or Executive Committee.
    iii. The Past President shall serve as Chair of the Nominating Committee in accordance with Article V, Section 2b. The Past President shall direct the activities of developing and maintaining the Association's Corporate Membership, shall be responsible for soliciting the membership for Honorary Member nominations, and generally carry out those duties and tasks as assigned by the President or Executive Committee.
    iv. The Secretary/Treasurer shall keep a record in minutes of the proceedings of meetings of the Association and the Executive Committee and shall circulate to each Institutional Member the minutes of General Meetings and to each Executive Committee Member the minutes of Executive Committee meetings. The Secretary/Treasurer shall be the custodian of all records and minutes of the Association except those that shall be in the custody of other persons as directed by resolution of the Association. The Secretary/Treasurer shall maintain and update the Association's membership lists and shall cause them to be circulated when appropriate. The Secretary/Treasurer shall ensure that all relevant constitutional and by-law deadlines are brought to the attention of the President and the Executive Committee in a timely fashion.
    v. The Secretary/Treasurer shall have custody over all monies belonging to, or managed by, the Association and shall have all such monies deposited in a recognized financial institution as designated by the Executive Committee. The Secretary/Treasurer shall cause to be kept accurate and auditable financial records and shall present a financial statement to the membership at General Meetings.
    vi. In general, Regional Representatives, as members of the Executive Committee, are expected to attend meetings of the Executive Committee, to facilitate communication between ARUCC and their respective regions, to assist in the development of the Association and to represent the interests of their constituencies. The Regional Representatives shall act as resource persons for the Association's Executive Committee, shall contribute to the Association's newsletter, and shall perform such other duties as may be assigned to them by the President.

Section 4 - Term of Office

Executive Committee members shall hold office from the adjournment of the General Meeting at which they are elected until the adjournment of the next General Meeting at which their successors are nominated. Members of the Executive Committee may be nominated for further terms of office. Normally, Regional Representatives will hold office for two terms of two years on a rotating basis with the representatives for the Atlantic Provinces and Ontario being replaced in a leap year and the representatives for Québec and the Western Provinces being replaced two years thereafter.

Section 5 - Vacancies

The Executive Committee shall have the authority, between General Meetings, to fill any position which may become vacant.

Section 6 - Quorum

A quorum of the Executive Committee shall be a majority of its members.

Section 7 - Meetings of the Executive

Normally, the Executive Committee shall convene a minimum of three times each year. Normally one of these meetings should coincide with a regional or national conference.

Section 8 - Executive Expenses

Expenses for Executive Committee meetings, other than those which coincide with the national conference, shall, if necessary, be covered by the Association. Expenses of resource personnel, invited by the Executive Committee, may be paid by the Association upon approval of the Executive Committee.

Note: Expenses for Executive Committee members attending regional conferences shall be covered by the Association except for Executive members from that region.

ARTICLE VI - AMENDMENTS

Section 1

This constitution may be amended at any General Meeting or by mail ballot.

  1. A two-thirds majority vote of the Institutional Members present and voting is required provided that notice of the proposed amendment has been forwarded by the Executive Committee to each Institutional Member at least sixty calendar days before a General Meeting or due date for the return of ballots.
  2. An amendment not proposed as in Article VI a) prior to a General Meeting may be adopted by a four-fifths vote of Institutional Members present and voting.

BY-LAWS

BY-LAW I - FEES

Section 1

The Executive Committee shall make recommendations concerning Institutional membership fees at the General Meeting for ratification by the Association . The general fee structure shall be reviewed at the end of each six-year period, the first such review taking place before the Annual Meeting of 2002.

Section 2 - Institutional Members

Commencing June 26, 2002, the provincial operating revenue reported to Statistics Canada for each institutional member during 2000-01 shall determine the base institutional fee. Institutional fees will be adjusted annually on July 1 by the average Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the preceding twelve months in order to determine the base institutional fee for the subsequent year.

For new institutional members, fees will be established by matching the total operating revenue for the institution during 2000-01 to a comparable on-going member's current fee and Regular Member entitlement.

Section 3 - Associate Members

The fee for Associate Members and the number of individuals each instititution/organization may declare as Associate Members shall be as determined by the Executive Committee from time to time .

Section 4 - Corporate Members

The fee for Corporate Members and the number of individual representatives shall be as determined by the Executive Committee from time to time.

Section 5

Biennial conference - a registration fee, based on conference costs, shall be determined by the Conference Committee and submitted for review and approval by the Executive Committee. The registration fee for those nominated as Honorary Members shall be paid by the Association.

Section 6

The Executive may from time to time approve the charging of miscellaneous fees for special services to members or non-members.

BY-LAW II - GENERAL MEETINGS

Section 1

The General Meeting of the Association shall be held every two years.

Section 2

The General Meeting of the Association shall be held on the date and place as approved by the Executive Committee, normally at the biennial conference.

Section 3

The Executive Committee shall, in the case of an emergency, have the power to postpone or cancel a General Meeting.

Section 4

Final notice of the Association's General Meeting and agenda shall be forwarded to all Institutional Members at least sixty calendar days in advance.

Section 5

The Executive Committee shall rotate the location of the General Meeting among the four regions: Atlantic Provinces, Québec, Ontario and the Western Provinces.

Section 6

At any General Meeting of the Association, Institutional Members shall have one vote cast by their present and registered Institutional Representative.

Section 7

A quorum at any General Meeting shall be 20% of Institutional Members. All questions arising at any such meeting shall be decided by a majority of the votes cast. In the case of a tie , the Chair shall cast the deciding vote.

BY-LAW III - BIENNIAL CONFERENCE

Section 1

The Executive Committee shall award the hosting of the biennial conference on a rotating regional basis.

Section 2:

In collaboration with the regional association, the ARUCC President will establish a conference planning committee to organize the biennial conference. The President, or designate, will report back to the ARUCC Executive on conference planning activities.

Section 3

The Executive Committee shall review and approve the biennial conference budgets, proposed registration fee(s), program and local arrangements.

Section 4

A registration fee for the biennial conference shall be determined by the Conference Committee and submitted for review and approval by the ARUCC Executive Committee. The registration fee for those nominated as Honorary Members shall be waived by the Association

Section 5

ARUCC assumes full responsibility for the financial management of the conference in collaboration with regional associations in jurisdictions in which the biennial conference is held. ARUCC will negotiate with regional associations with the objective of sharing net income and deficits from the biennial conference.

Section 6

The Conference Planning Committee must produce a written report of final revenue/expenditures, attendance and recommendations for the next biennial conference to the ARUCC Executive Committee no more than six months following the conclusion of the conference

BY-LAW IV - SELECTION OF HONORARY MEMBERS

Section 1

Nominations for Honorary Membership should be accompanied by a full listing of the contributions made by the nominee to the Association. These may include service as a member and/or officer of the Executive Committee; active participation in planning committees of biennial conferences; participation as presenter, chair, recorder at conferences; service as a member on an Association task force; active participation in regional association affairs.

BY-LAW V - COMMUNICATION

Section I - Official Communication

Communication required by the constitution, by-laws or for the general operation may be electronic communication, and such communication will be considered official.

Section 2 - Website

The Vice-President shall serve as the chief communications officer, with editorial responsibility for the ARUCC website. With the support of the President, the Vice-President may appoint a co-editor from the ARUCC Executive as required.

Responsibility for the submission of material to the website shall be shared by the President and the Regional Representatives.

Under the direction of the Vice-President, the ARUCC website will be maintained as a comprehensive and up-to-date resource for members. The Vice-President will curate content on a monthly basis to ensure that the website is current and serves to facilitate communication among members. Membership will be notified of new content on the website a minimum of four (4) times per annum via the list-serv or other electronic means of communication. The Vice-President will also be responsible to ensure that the website remains technologically current and robust.

A budget, prepared by the Vice-President, detailing the production expense of the website must be submitted for approval by the Executive Committee on an annual basis.

Section 3 - Membership Directory

A directory of Association members shall be published and updated by the Secretary/Treasurer working under the direction of the Vice-President and be available on the Association's web site and shall include a listing of the current membership with institutional and email addresses as well as other Association information as determined by the Executive Committee from time to time. It is the responsibility of the member institution to ensure the accuracy of their listing in the membership directory.

BY-LAW VI - AMENDMENTS

Section 1

These by-laws may be amended at any General Meeting or by electronic ballot.

  1. A majority of the voting members is required provided that a notice of the proposed amendment has been forwarded by the Executive Committee to each institutional member at least sixty calendar days before a General Meeting or due date for returning ballots.
  2. An amendment not proposed as in By-Law VI subsection a. prior to a General Meeting may be adopted by a four-fifths vote of institutional members present and voting.