- Membership
- Dues
- Meetings of the Association
- The Executive
- Meetings of the Executive
- Elections
- Committees
- Finances
- Amendments to the Bylaws
- Dissolution
The purposes of the Association are to:
- facilitate the membership’s continuing contribution to the University of Lethbridge and the wider community;
- act as a liaison between the University and the community of retired academic staff;
- sponsor and support programs and activities that enhance the welfare of the University and the wider community;
- maintain contact with the local, provincial and national community of retired academic staff, their activities, and concerns;
- promote and safeguard the status and privileges of retired academic staff; and
- provide opportunities for social and intellectual interaction among the membership.
1.1 Subject to the Articles of these Bylaws, there shall be two categories of membership: Regular Member of the Association and Friend of the Association.
1.1.1 Regular Member of the Association:
- All former members of the University of Lethbridge Faculty Association (i.e., academic staff) who meet the criteria of “retirement” as defined by the University of Lethbridge are considered Regular Members of the ULRFA/ULRASA.
- The term of membership is annual from September 1 to August 31 and is subject to renewal in accordance with these bylaws.
- Each Regular Member is entitled to participate in the activities of the Association, to receive notice of and to attend all meetings of members but ONLY those who have paid the ULRFA/ULRASA Regular Membership dues are entitled to vote.
1.1.2 Friend of the Association:
- Those individuals who:
- have been nominated for membership by a Regular Member of the Association,
- have been approved for membership by the Executive, and
- have paid the requisite Friendship dues.
- The term of membership is annual from September 1 to August 31 and is subject to renewal in accordance with these bylaws.
- Each Friend is entitled to participate in the activities of the Association and to receive notice of and to attend all meetings of members but may not vote.
1.2 Members may resign from the Association by notifying the Treasurer in writing.
1.3 Members may be expelled for conduct which, in the view of a majority of the Executive, is considered to be detrimental to the purposes or reputation of the Association.
2.1 Annual dues shall be set by the Executive and are subject to approval by the majority vote at an Annual General Meeting.
2.2 Annual dues for the current membership year shall be payable anytime between September 1 and August 31 (inclusive).
2.3 Annual dues shall be publicized on the Association website and in Association newsletters.
By-Law 3. Meetings of the Association
3.1 Types of Meetings:
3.1.1 Subject to approval by the Executive of a different meeting date, an Annual General Meeting of members shall be held normally in the month of September or October.
3.1.2 A Special General Meeting may be called at any time by the President OR at the request, in writing, by five members of the Association.
3.2. Notification:
3.2.1 Members shall be notified by email of an Annual General Meeting at least four weeks prior to the date of the meeting. At least two weeks before the meeting, copies of the agenda shall be distributed by email by the President with printed copies made available upon request.
3.2.2 Members shall be notified by email of a Special General Meeting at least two weeks prior to the date of the meeting. At least one week before the meeting, copies of the agenda shall be distributed by email by the President with printed copies made available upon request.
3.3. Conduct:
3.3.1 General Meetings shall be chaired by the President or, in his/her absence, by the Vice President.
3.3.2 The rules of order shall be Roberts Rules of Order.
3.3.3 The conduct of General Meetings shall follow the Bylaws in force.
3.3.4 The quorum for any General Meeting shall be 15% of the paid-up membership for the current membership year.
3.3.5 Decisions of a General Meeting shall be the final authority of the Association.
3.4 Attendance and Voting:
3.4.1 Regular Members of the Association who have paid the annual Regular Membership dues for the current year may attend, speak, and vote at General Meetings.
Regular Members of the Association who have not paid their dues and Friends of the Association may attend and speak at General Meetings but are not eligible to vote.
Guests are welcome to attend but may not speak or vote.
3.4.2 Voting shall be by a show of hands, or by written ballot upon request. In the latter case, the Secretary shall be responsible for preparing the ballots and for selecting two Regular Members or Friends to assist with the counting. The Secretary shall announce the results to the membership.
3.4.3 Except for special resolutions calling for change in the Bylaws (see Bylaw #9), all resolutions shall be carried by a simple majority of those voting. In case of a tie, the President shall cast the deciding vote.
4.1 The Executive shall manage the affairs of the Association.
The books and records of the Association may be inspected by any member of the Association at the Annual General Meeting or at any time satisfactory to the officer or officers having charge of the same.
4.2 The Executive of the Association shall be elected at an Annual General Meeting.
4.3 The Executive shall consist of the President, the Vice-President, the Secretary, the Treasurer, and two Members-at-Large.
The Past President will serve on the Executive, ex officio.
4.4 Nominations and Elections
4.4.1 Elections of officers shall be held according to procedures established by Bylaws 3.4.2 and 7.3.
4.4.2 In accordance with these Bylaws, the Nominating Committee shall prepare nominations for election to the Executive from the list of paid-up Regular Members.
4.4.3 Executive members shall be elected for two-year terms starting and ending upon completion of the Annual General Meeting.
4.4.4 Executive members may serve a maximum of two (2) consecutive two-year terms in the same position.
4.4.5 Aside from the startup year of the Association, when Members-at-Large are elected at the same time as other Executive officers, Members-at-Large shall be elected on alternate years to the election of other officers.
Periodically the terms of office for Executive members shall be adjusted to ensure that the Members-at-Large are elected on alternate years to the election of other officers.
4.5 Officers shall not receive payment.
4.6 Officers shall not borrow money on behalf of the Association.
4.7 Officers may be removed from office by a resolution passed by a majority of members at a General Meeting.
4.8 Officers may resign from the Executive by submitting a resignation email to the President.
4.9 Any vacancy on the Executive occurring during the year may be filled by appointment for the remainder of the term by the President with the approval of the Executive.
By-Law 5. Meetings of the Executive
5.1 The Executive shall meet as often as required but no fewer than two (2) times per year to, at minimum, organize the Annual General Meeting and, following the Annual General Meeting, to respond to the business arising from the Annual General Meeting.
5.2 A special Executive meeting may be called by any two Executive members, stating the business to be brought before the Executive.
5.3 Meetings of the Executive shall be called with a minimum seven (7) days’ notice delivered by email to each Executive member.
5.4 Quorum for meetings of the Executive Committee shall be four Executive members.
5.5 Any director or officer who fails to attend three consecutive meetings of the Executive without notice will be deemed to have resigned.
By-Law 6. Executive Officers: Roles and Responsibilities
6.1 President
6.1.1 The President shall preside at all meetings of the membership, and meetings of the Executive. If unable to attend, the meeting shall be chaired by the Vice-President, or (failing that) the Executive shall choose the chair for that meeting.
6.1.2 The President shall receive requests for motions to be included in the agenda of an Executive meeting or an Annual General Meeting. The President also shall receive requests for a Special General Meeting as provided in Bylaw 3.1.2.
6.1.3 The President shall be one of four signing authorities as per Bylaw 8.3.
6.1.4 The President, in consultation with the Executive, shall recruit Chairs for the Association’s Standing Committees on an annual basis.
6.1.5 The President or his/her representative is an ex-officio non-voting member of all committees of the Association.
6.1.6 The President shall be responsible for supervising all employees of the Association unless that responsibility is assigned by the President to other Members, or Members of the Executive.
6.2 Vice President
6.2.1 The Vice President shall attend Executive and General Meetings and preside over them in the absence or incapacity of the President.
6.3 The Secretary
6.3.1 The Secretary shall take and keep minutes of each Annual General, Special General, and Executive meeting, and following review by the President, shall present the minutes at the next appropriate meeting.
6.3.2 All correspondence received by the Secretary shall be acknowledged and directed to the appropriate Executive Member for response. All communications received by the Association shall be noted at the next meeting of the Executive.
6.3.3 The Secretary shall be responsible for preserving copies of all Association records, minutes, proceedings, and publications for archival purposes, including posting documentation, as appropriate, to the Association website.
These documents will be made available at the request of any Regular member.
Archival materials shall be stored in the Archives of the University of Lethbridge.
6.3.4 The Secretary shall prepare ballots for votes which require such procedures as described in Bylaw 3.4.2.
6.4 Treasurer
6.4.1 The Treasurer serves as the financial officer for the Association.
6.4.2 The Treasurer shall be one of four signing authorities as per Bylaw 8.3.
6.4.3 The Treasurer shall keep an account book of all receipts and disbursements and shall issue receipts as required.
6.4.4 The Treasurer shall have custody of the corporate seal and shall be responsible for its use.
6.4.5 The Treasurer shall maintain a Register of Members and take note of those Regular Members and Friends who have paid their dues for the current membership year.
6.4.6 The Treasurer shall submit the Annual Report to the Corporate Registry.
6.5 Members-at-Large
6.5.1 Members-at-Large shall serve in roles as agreed to by the Executive.
7.1 Standing Committees
Normally, the Association will have three standing committees:
7.1.1 The Membership Committee
7.1.2 The Program and Social Committee
7.1.3 The Newsletter and Communications Committee
Chairs of the Standing Committees of the Association will be recruited by the Executive.
Chairs of the Standing Committees of the Association shall recruit members as necessary from the general membership.
7.2 Ad Hoc Committees
7.2.1 Ad hoc Committees may be created as necessary by the Executive or by a General Meeting.
7.3 Nominating Committee
7.3.1 On an annual basis, the Nominating Committee will be appointed by the general membership at the Annual General Meeting.
7.3.2 The Nominating Committee must secure each nominee’s consent before putting them on the slate of nominations.
7.3.3. The slate of nominations shall be presented to the Annual General Meeting. Additional nominations shall be accepted from the floor at the Annual General Meeting subject to the consent of the nominees.
7.3.4 Voting will be conducted in accordance with Bylaw 3.4.2.
8.1 The financial year shall be September 1 to August 31.
8.2 The Executive shall establish one bank account and more as necessary.
8.3. Signing authority
8.3.1 Cosigning authority for all bank accounts will normally be held by at least four (4) members of the Executive: The Treasurer, The President, and two (2) other members of the Executive as determined by the Executive.
8.3.2 At least two signing authorities must authorize all approved expenditures and withdrawals.
8.4 Receipts shall be issued for all income and revenue to the Association.
8.5 The Executive shall arrange for an annual audit of the financial statement of the Association, which shall be conducted by two members of the Association not from the Executive and appointed by general membership at the Annual General Meeting.
8.6 An audited financial report shall be presented to the membership at each Annual General Meeting.
8.7 A budget shall be prepared by the Treasurer in consultation with the President and shall be approved by the Executive before being presented to the Annual General Meeting for ratification.
8.8 The Association may acquire and dispose of property.
By-Law 9. Amendments to the Bylaws
9.1 Amendments to the Bylaws may be initiated by the Executive or by any two members of the Association and shall be submitted in writing to the President. If an Annual General Meeting is not pending, the President shall call a Special General Meeting within six weeks for this purpose.
9.2 The Bylaws of the Association may only be amended or rescinded by a special resolution during a General Meeting of the Association with the approval of three-quarters of membership present at the meeting.
9.3 Twenty-one (21) days’ notice of the General Meeting is required and must include details of the proposed resolution to change the bylaws.
9.4 Amended Bylaws take effect upon their acceptance by the Corporate Registry of Alberta.
10.1 A motion to dissolve the Association must be presented to, or formulated by, the Executive and announced in writing to the membership at least one month in advance of a General Meeting called for that purpose. If there is no quorum, the motion shall be presented to the voting membership by mail ballot.
10.2 In case of dissolution, all properties held by the Association shall be liquidated and the proceeds added to the cash holdings. These funds shall then be presented to the University of Lethbridge in support of students.
End of By-Laws for the University of Lethbridge Retired Academic Staff Association (ULRASA)
Date Updated: 2020-06-05 by Leona Jacobs, Member-at-Large (2018-2020)