Constitution

Table of Contents

• Article I: Scope and Definition
• Article II: Purposes
• Article III: Membership
• Article IV: Executive
• Article V: General Meetings
• Article VI: Elections
• Article VII: UTism
• Article VIII: Confluence
• Article IX: Constitution ​

Article I: Scope and Definition

1. The name of the union shall be the ‘Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence Student Association’, abbreviated as ‘CASA’. A ‘member’ is any person who is a member of CASA, as outlined in Article III. The ‘E.C.’ is CASA’s Executive Committee, as outlined in Article IV.
2. The Arts & Science Students’ Union shall be referred to as ‘ASSU’. In the case of conflicts between the ASSU Constitution and the CASA Constitution, the ASSU Constitution takes precedence.
3. The Cognitive Science Program of the University of Toronto shall be referred to as ‘the Program’.
4. The duration for which the E.C., is in office shall be referred to as the ‘term’.

[Go to top] ​

Article II: Purposes

1. The purposes of CASA shall be as follows:
   • a. To act as a representative and liaison body for its members in dealing with the Program and with the larger university community;
   • b. To arrange for dissemination of information related to Cognitive Science;
   • c. To provide an open forum for both students and faculty to discuss topics of mutual concern and to foster, through academic and social exchange, an increased level of community consciousness within the Program; and
   • d. To host events on the current status of research in Cognitive Science and its associated disciplines.

[Go to top] ​

Article III: Membership

1. Members of CASA shall consist of:
   • a. Students who are enrolled full-time in Arts and Science and the University of Toronto or ASSU fee-paying members, and
   • b. Enrolled in a POSt from the Program, or taking at least 0.5 credits of courses offered by the Program.
2. Members have the right to:
   • a. Run for election for the E.C.
   • b. Request for the E.C. to call a general meeting for some issue. Unless the request is considered unreasonable, the E.C. shall call a general meeting to occur within four (4) weeks of the request during the fall and winter semesters.
   • c. Propose amendments to this constitution.
   • d. Vote at general meetings.

[Go to top] ​

Article IV: Executive

1. Any person may run for a position on the E.C. provided they satisfy the membership requirements of CASA during the time they will hold the position.
2. The E.C. shall include at least the President, Vice-President, the Secretary, and the Treasurer. If those positions are vacant at any point, they shall be filled as soon as possible by the process described in Article VI.
3. The E.C. shall consist of the at least five (5) of the following roles:
   • a. The Presidents shall:
     • i. Be responsible for and oversee the activities of CASA and of the E.C.
     • ii. Be responsible for ASSU, Ulife, the UC Lit, and the UTSU.
     • iii. Be a signing officer for CASA’s bank account including digital wallets.
     • iv. Facilitate executive meetings and make decisions for the E.C.
     • v. Represent CASA and manage collaboration with external parties.
     • vi. Oversee the management of CASA’s finances and budget.
   • b. The Vice-President shall:
     • i. Assist the President in overseeing the activities of CASA and the E.C.
     • ii. Represent CASA to external parties in the President’s absence and act as a liaison with sponsors, partners, and other organizations.
     • iii. Be responsible for ASSU, Ulife, the UC Lit, and the UTSU.
     • iv. Ensure that the responsibilities of the E.C. are conducted efficiently.
     • v. Be a signing officer for CASA’s bank account including digital wallets.
   • c. The Treasurer shall:
     • i. Prepare a yearly budget in cooperation with the rest of the E.C.
     • ii. Accurately record and manage the funds in CASA’s budget.
     • iii. Keep records of all of CASA’s receipts and expenses and present regular financial reports.
     • iv. Write cheques or otherwise refund members for purchases made for CASA activities.
     • v. Be a signing officer for CASA’s bank account including digital wallets.
     • vi. Develop fundraising strategies, manage the organization’s payment infrastructure, and reconcile financial records related to payments and transactions.
     • vii. Ensuring compliance with financial regulations established by The Governing Council of The University of Toronto, Arts and Science Students Union (ASSU), and the Cognitive Science Department.
   • d. The Secretary shall:
     • i. Maintain CASA’s library and documents.
     • ii. Take minutes at general and executive meetings.
     • iii. Manage internal communications with the E.C.
     • iv. Manage the office, including ensuring the office is kept clean and office hours are being held.
     • v. Hire and manage volunteer admin, as well as schedule office hours.
   • e. The Communications and Branding Director shall:
     • i. Manage CASA’s email account, including:
       1. Checking for incoming mail on a regular basis.
       2. Responding to any emails that come into the account.
       3. Sending out announcements through the CASA mailing list.
     • ii. Oversee CASA’s social media and website, including:
       1. Creating advertisements through social media (Instagram, Facebook, and Discord).
       2. Responding to queries on the aforementioned accounts.
       3. Keep the Discord orderly and functional, such as updating roles, ensuring members are following the rules of the Discord, and sharing appropriate advertisements.
     • iii. Be responsible for class announcements.
     • iv. Oversee all aspects of promotion through duties 1-3, including posters for conferences.
     • v. Advertising events on the SOP (Student Organization Portal) and organizing and sorting the CASA inbox regularly.
   • f. The Events Coordinator shall:
     • i. Be responsible for the organization of both social and academic events, including:
       1. Booking rooms.
       2. Providing food and beverage where funding is allocated for such.
       3. Communicating with guest speakers and managing event dates, times, and locations.
       4. Creating materials for COG250 workshops.
     • ii. Oversee the events or ensure that another member of the E.C. is overseeing the events.
     • iii. Assist Conference Coordinator with at least one (1) event per semester and vice versa.
       1. Events Coordinator to focus on academic workshops & pub nights and other socials.
   • g. The Conference Coordinator shall:
     • i. Be the main organizer for UTism, as described in Article VII, in terms in which it is held. This includes:
       1. Helping the outgoing conference coordinator to create at least two (2) proposals for the UTism in their term, including a topic and ten (10) possible speakers.
     • ii. Be the main organizer for Confluence. This includes:
       1. Forming committees to select speakers and revise presentations.
       2. Delegating advertising, acquiring resources for the event, and other organizational duties among the executive.
       3. Coordinating volunteers and other logistical support for the event.
     • iii. Do the following in any term preceding a term that will organize UTism:
       1. Ensure and contribute to the creation of at least two (2) proposals for the coming term, including a topic and ten (10) possible speakers. Provided that these proposals are created, they shall be recognized as a co-organizer of the following UTism, even if a different topic is chosen.
     • iv. Be the main organizer for any other conferences held by CASA, including:
       1. Booking venues for the conference, managing catering, and communicating with attending speakers.
       2. Obtaining sponsorships for the event
     • v. Assist Events Coordinator with at least one (1) event per semester and vice versa
   • h. The Technology Director shall:
     • i. Develop and maintain CASA’s website, merchandise, and social media presence.
     • ii. Manage the use of technological tools and software.
     • iii. Budget and manage CASA’s technology-related expenses.
     • iv. Set up and maintain online payment systems for event registration and other financial transactions.
     • v. Ensure security of the payment infrastructure with relevant regulations and standards
     • vi. Provide support and troubleshooting for customers that encounter issues with online payments.
     • vii. Be responsible for managing the filming, editing, and upload of CASA-hosted academic seminars.
   • i. The COG250 Representative shall:
     • i. Act as a liaison between students in COG250 and CASA and encourage student involvement in CASA.
     • ii. Give weekly announcements in COG250, organize and manage study groups for COG250 students, help CASA organize,run, and attend at least one (1) COG250 workshop.
4. All executives shall:
   • a. Assist each other with their duties and delegate them when needed.
   • b. Divide among themselves their attendance at ASSU meetings along with the Co-Presidents.
   • c. Attend any other meetings related to CASA or to Cognitive Science when necessary.
   • d. Hold office hours.
5. Regarding executive meetings:
   • a. CASA shall hold at least one (1) executive meeting each month during the fall and winter semesters.
   • b. Executive meetings shall be advertised to the executive at least one week in advance.
   • c. The quorum for executive meetings shall be more than half (1/2) of elected members of the E.C.
6. Members of the E.C. may be removed from the E.C. in one of the following manners:
   • a. Any member of the E.C. who, without demonstrable temporary reasonable cause, misses three (3) executive meetings in a row or 75% of executive meetings over an 8-week period during their term, shall have their position declared vacant and may be replaced. An affirmative vote of more than two thirds (2/3) of those present and voting at a general meeting as described in Article V.

[Go to top] ​

Article V: General Meetings

1. CASA shall hold at least three (3) general meetings per term, excluding the summer semester, with at least one (1) in each of the fall and winter semesters while classes are in session.
2. General meetings shall be advertised at least two (2) weeks in advance.
3. Only current members of CASA may vote at general meetings, and each member shall have one (1) vote.
4. The quorum for a general meeting shall be four (4) members, not including members of the E.C.
5. The following business shall be decided only at a general meeting, and require an affirmative vote of more than two thirds (2/3) of those present and voting:
   • a. Amending this constitution.
   • b. Ratifying an elections officer.
   • c. Removing a sitting executive from their position.
6. All other business at a general meeting shall be decided on an affirmative vote of more than one half (1/2) of those present and voting.

[Go to top] ​

Article VI: Elections

1. A term shall begin on May 1st of a given calendar year, and end on April 30th of the following calendar year.
   • a. This means that executive members must fulfill their duties as described in Article IV during this period
2. A general election for next term’s E.C. shall be held towards the end of the winter session. The President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and at least one (1) other executive positions (and not the COG250 Representative) shall be up for election for a general election.
3. The general election shall be conducted according to the following procedures:
   • a. The election shall be advertised at least two (2) weeks in advance of the first day of voting. The beginning and ending of the nomination period shall be advertised at such a time.
   • b. The nomination period shall begin at least two (2) weeks in advance of the first day of voting and end no earlier than three days, not including weekends and holidays, prior to the first day of voting.
   • c. The elections shall be run by an elections officer. The elections officer shall not be a current member of the E.C., nor a member running for election for next term’s E.C.
   • d. The elections officer shall be appointed by the E.C. and ratified by a vote at a general meeting of more than two thirds (2/3) of those present and voting, as described in Article V.
     • i. Assistant elections officers may be appointed by the same process
     • ii. Assistant elections officers shall not be running for a position for next term’s E.C.
   • e. Members, provided that they will be a member in the following term, may be nominated for a position upon being nominated by another member so long as the nominee agrees to be nominated.
   • f. No one shall be nominated for more than one (1) position on the E.C.
   • g. Each candidate shall have the opportunity to submit a statement, for which all candidates will have the same word limit.
     • i. The statements shall be available to voters during the voting period through CASA’s website and social media.
   • h. The voting period shall occur over at least three (3) days in which classes are in session. These dates and the times in which voting will be available shall be advertised at least one (1) week in advance of the beginning of the voting period.
   • i. After the election, the voting process shall be ratified by an affirmative vote of more than half (1/2) of the E.C.
   • j. Voting shall occur by paper ballot in the CASA office, or online.
   • k. Each position with only one nominated candidate shall have a Yes/No vote.
   • l. The candidate with the most votes shall win the election for that position.
   • m. If the No option wins, that position shall remain vacant in the following term until it is filled.
4. Vacant positions shall be filled by one of the following procedures:
   • a. A by-election following the procedures of a general election, except that instead of an elections officer being appointed at a general meeting as in Article VI Section 3d., the elections officer shall instead by appointed vote of more than two thirds (2/3) of the E.C.
   • b. A by-election at a general meeting. The candidate who receives the most votes for a position shall be declared the winner.
   • c. An appointment of the executive requiring an affirmative vote of more than half (1/2) of the executive. This appointment shall only be on an interim basis, and a by-election for this position shall be held as soon as is reasonably possible.
5. The COG250 Representative shall be elected no later than one (1) month after the first class of COG250 in a term.

[Go to top] ​

Article VII: UTism

1. The E.C. shall organize the University of Toronto Interdisciplinary Symposium on the Mind (UTism) at least every two (2) terms.
2. The symposium shall address current research in the field of Cognitive Science and feature speakers from a wide range of disciplines.
3. The symposium shall provide an opportunity for undergraduate students in Cognitive Science and related disciplines to engage with material outside of the classroom.

[Go to top] ​

Article VIII: Confluence

1. The E.C. shall organize Confluence at least every two (2) terms.
2. The conference will showcase research done by undergraduate students in Cognitive Science and related disciplines, including (but not limited to) RA work and research essays written for course credit.
3. The conference shall provide an opportunity for undergraduate students in Cognitive Science and related disciplines to engage with material outside of the classroom.

[Go to top] ​

Article IX: Constitution

1. Amendments to this constitution shall be approved by a vote of more than two thirds (2/3) of those present and voting at a general meeting, as described in Article V.
2. Amendments to this constitution shall not come into force before the end of the meeting at which they are approved.
3. The constitution of ASSU takes precedence whenever that constitution and this constitution are in contradiction.

[Go to top]