Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl

Constitution

Mission Statement

The Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl (AAMP) believes that artistic and cultural development within a city increases the quality of life for all citizens, and in keeping with that belief, AAMP intends to provide support for artists and their work and to create opportunities for artists and citizens to explore their artistic interests.

Administrative Details of the Constitution

I. This organization shall be known as “The Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl”. For purposes of this constitution, “The Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl” will be referred to as “AAMP”.

II. The Mission Statement, By-Laws, and Rules and Regulations shall be known as the “Constitution of the Association of the Arts in Mount Pearl”.

III. This Constitution is the supreme source of policy and direction for AAMP, and no action, policy or directive of AAMP, its membership, or executive of any branch of AAMP shall be inconsistent with this constitution.

By-Laws

Article I: Name

I. The name of the organization is The Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl. The Association may also be known by the acronym AAMP.

Article II: Membership

Section A: Conditions of Membership

I. Any person who is interested in furthering the goals of AAMP, and who is willing to follow the By-Laws and Rules and Regulations of the Association may become a member of the Association for the Arts in Mount Pearl by filling out an official registration form and filing it with the Secretary of the Board of Directors.

Section B: Non-Discrimination

I. AAMP will not discriminate in membership on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, gender, sexual orientation, age, or disability.

Section C: Withdrawing from Membership

I. Any member who no longer wishes to participate in AAMP should inform the Association in writing so her/his name can be removed from mailing and membership lists and/or their position can be filled by another AAMP member.

Section D: Membership Fees

I. There are no membership fees for AAMP.

Article III: Directors’ Meetings

Section A: Schedule

I. Directors' meetings will be held at least once per month as called by the Chair on a preset schedule agreed on by the directors.

Section B: Notice

I. A reminder for each meeting will be issued via email or telephone at least one week in advance.

Section C: Voting

I. All Directors have equal voting privileges. A simple majority rules.

Section D: Quorum

I. Quorum for Directors' Meetings shall be 50% + 1 of the number of BOD positions filled at the time of the meeting. The Chair or Vice-Chair must be present to achieve quorum.

Article IV: Members’ Meetings

Section A: Schedule

I. The Annual General Meeting of AAMP members will be held in March of each year.

Section B: Notice

I. The AGM meeting will be advertised via mailing lists and public service announcements for at least two (2) weeks prior to the meeting date.

Section C: Voting

I. All General Members who have completed a registration form at least thirty (30) days in advance of the AGM may vote. Motions will be passed by a simple majority vote.

Section D: Quorum

I. Quorum will be thirteen (13) members.

Article V: Board of Directors (BOD)

Section A: Description and Powers

I. The Board of Directors shall be comprised of General Members who are interested in taking a leadership role for AAMP as a whole. Each member of the Board of Directors must be elected at the AGM or at a Special Meeting of the General Membership except in the case of Section C: III.

II. The Board of Directors shall:

· Execute the general business of AAMP in line with the objectives and goals of the organization and the provisions of this constitution

· Execute any contracts, deeds, bills of exchange and other documents as well as contact government and media outlets on behalf of AAMP

· Authorize expenditures for the Association as a whole

· Represent AAMP to all levels of government

· Create a yearly arts calendar to be reflected on the web page, on the AAMP bulletin board and in mail-outs

· Create committees to further the goals of the Association

· Apply for funding and/or create a trust for fundraising purposes

Section B: Officer Positions on the BOD

I. There shall be a minimum of twelve (12) members of the AAMP Board of Directors.

II. Those members will include

i) Chair

ii) Vice-Chair

iii) Treasurer

iv) Secretary

v) Communications Officer

vi) Technology Officer

vii) 5 Members At Large

viii) Arts Industry and Development Representative

ix) Youth Action Team Representative

x) Seniors Independence Group Representative

Section C: Elections and Appointments

I. All Officers on the Board of Directors will be elected/appointed at the AGM or at a Special Meeting of the General Membership, except in the case of subsection III (below).

II. If a director resigns in the six months following the AGM, a Special Meeting will be called in order to elect a new director.

III. If a director resigns less than 6 months before the next scheduled AGM, the Board of Directors may appoint an ‘Acting’ Director to replace the resigned director. An Acting Director will have voting rights and the full responsibilities of the position until the AGM when he or she may seek election through a normal election process.

Section D: Terms of Office

I. All Officers shall be elected for a one year term, with the opportunity for re-election at each AGM.

Note: The Chair may remain a member of the Board of Directors for at least one month ex-officio, if she or he has not decided to seek re-election in another position.

Section E: Remuneration

I. There is no financial remuneration for serving on the AAMP Board of Directors.

Section F: Removal

I. Any member of AAMP who acts in a manner contrary to the goals of the Association will have their actions reviewed by the AAMP Disciplinary Committee, an ad-hoc committee consisting of five General Members elected each year at the AGM.

II. The Disciplinary Committee shall not include the Chair or Vice-Chair of the BOD.

Article VI – Documents

I. AAMP’s signing officers will be the Chair, the Vice Chair and the Treasurer of the BOD. All documents must be signed by the Chair.

Article VII – Fiscal Year

I. AAMP fiscal year shall be January 1-December 31 inclusive.

Article VIII – Corporate Seal

I. The BOD Secretary will have custody of the corporate seal.

Article IX – Books and Records

I. The directors shall see that all necessary books and records of the corporation required by the by-laws of the corporation or by any applicable statute or law are regularly and properly kept.

II. Minutes of the Board of Directors' meeting will be circulated to Board members only.

Article XIII – Auditors

I. An auditor shall be appointed by the members at each annual meeting to audit the books for report to members at the next annual meeting.

Article XIV – Amending By-laws

I. Amendments to these by-laws will be reviewed by the Board of Directors and, those amendments passed by a 2/3 majority of the Board of Directors will be tabled at the Annual General Meeting or a Special Meeting of the general membership.

The amendment will be accepted or rejected based on a 2/3 majority vote of attending members, however, no appeal or amendment shall be enforced or acted upon until it has received the approval of the Minister of Industry.

Article XV – Rules and Regulations

I. The Board of Directors may prescribe such rules and regulations not inconsistent with these by-laws relating to the management and operation of the corporation as they deem expedient, provided that such rules and regulations shall have force and effect only until the next annual meeting of the members of the corporation when they shall be confirmed, and failing such confirmation at such annual meeting of members, shall at and from that time cease to have any force and effect. Motions to create or change Rules and Regulations outside of a General Members meeting must be passed by a 2/3 majority vote of the Board of Directors.

Rules and Regulations

Article A: General Objectives

Section 1: Objectives

The objectives of AAMP are as follows:

I. To create a supportive community of artists with the intention of providing appropriate venues in which to perform and display their work.

II. To ensure that the needs of local artists are being met by the City Council of Mount Pearl.

Section 2: Fulfillment of Objectives

I. AAMP will fulfill its objectives by:

· Hosting regular artistic events in Mount Pearl

· Encouraging and supporting AAMP members to hold events in Mount Pearl

· Providing networking opportunities for artists

· Providing an online forum for arts discussion

· Acting as an arts advocacy group with the City of Mount Pearl

· Encouraging and supporting school programs

· Encouraging artist mentoring and educational programs in the arts

· Acting in an advisory capacity for artists working in the city

· Creating a directory of artists living or working in Mount Pearl

· Creating an website of local arts resources

· Increasing public awareness of the arts in general and AAMP in particular

Section 3: Cooperation and Competition

I. AAMP has been created in the spirit of cooperation and support, not competition. In keeping with that intent, AAMP will make a reasonable effort not to compete with events and promotions planned by its members. However, it is the responsibility of the members to give reasonable notice of their upcoming events.

Article B: Organizational Structure

Section 1: Categories of Membership

I. AAMP will recognize the following categories of membership:

i) General Membership

ii) Board of Directors

iii) Working committees

Article C: General Membership

Section 1: Conditions of Membership

I. Any individual working or interested in supporting the arts in Mount Pearl may register to join AAMP by completing an official registration form and submitting it to the Secretary of the Board of Directors.

Note: All members of AAMP, including the Board of Directors, are considered General Members and must be registered.

Section 2: General Powers of the General Membership

I. General Members may:

· Vote at the AGM,

· Participate in AAMP events

· Join any committee that interests them

· Bring any suggestions to the appropriate committee

· Bring by-law amendments to the board of directors

Note: General Members who are not members of other committees or of the BOD may NOT represent the organization as a whole when talking to the media or other interest groups.

Section 3: Duties of the General Membership

I. General Members are expected to:

· Attend the AGM to vote on relevant issues

· Inform AAMP of their upcoming events

· Attend AAMP activities of interest to them

Note: AAMP suggests that members inform the association of upcoming events so relevant information may be included in AAMP promotions and so AAMP can make a reasonable effort to avoid competing with the members’ events

Section 4: Communication with Members

I. General Members who are not also members of any other committee will:

· Receive (via mail or email) an AAMP newsletter at least once per year

· Be informed the AGM and of events relevant to their area of interest via mail or email at least two weeks prior to the event

Section 5: General Members Wishing to Attend/Present at a BOD Meeting

I. Any General Member of AAMP may attend a Board of Directors meeting by informing the BOD secretary that she or he will be attending.

II. With three (3) days notice, any AAMP member may attend a Board of Directors meeting to present an item for consideration.

Note: Non-directors do not have voting privileges at Directors meetings.

Article D: The Board of Directors (BOD)

Section 1: General Information

The Board of Directors is the elected governing body of AAMP responsible for liaising with government, and reporting to the public.

I. The Board of Directors shall meet on a regular basis and not less than once per month.

II. Quorum for a BOD meeting shall be 50% plus 1 of the number of positions currently filled on the BOD and must include either the Chair or the Vice-Chair.

III. The signing officers shall be the Chair and the Secretary and the Treasurer. The Chair must sign all documents

IV. All Directors have equal voting privileges. A simple majority rules.

V. A reminder for each meeting will be issued via email or telephone one week in advance, and a copy of the minutes of the last meeting and a draft agenda, with its supporting literature, for the upcoming meeting will be distributed at that time and posted in the BOD section of the AAMP website.

VI. A preliminary agenda will be prepared and distributed by the Chair and the Secretary one week prior to the meeting.

VII. Any Director wishing to add an item to the agenda must inform the secretary at least 3 days in advance of the meeting, else the new topic must be introduced during 'other business' at the end of the meeting.

VIII. No person may hold more than one position on the Board of Directors at any given time.

IX. Committees may be formed for any purpose as authorized and outlined by the Board of Directors.

X. Committees must submit event and activity plans (where applicable) to the Board of Directors for approval. Plans must be submitted by the BOD member who sits on the relevant committee.

XI. When the BOD is voting on an issue pertaining to a special interest group (working committee, ad-hoc committee, member organization, or other group with a vested interest in the issue), no more than 50% the BOD members voting on the issue can belong to that group.

a. In a situation where more than 50% of the BOD is comprised of members of a special interest group, sufficient members must voluntarily abstain from voting to meet the condition above.

b. If no interest group members voluntarily abstain, the chair will draw names via lottery to determine abstainers.

c. In a situation where more than two members would be required to abstain in order to reduce the automatic majority, voting on the motion shall be suspended until the next BOD meeting so as to avoid having a minority of Board members creating policy for the entire organization.

Section 2: Composition of the BOD

I. The AAMP Board of Directors shall consist of the following positions:

i) Chair

ii) Vice-Chair

iii) Secretary

iv) Treasurer

v) Communications Officer

vi) Technology Officer

vii) Member at Large

viii) Member at Large

ix) Member at Large

x) Member at Large

xi) Member at Large

xii) Arts Industry and Development Representative

xiii) Seniors Independence Group Representative

xiv) Youth Action Team Representative

Section 3: Conditions of Membership

I. BOD Officers must be General Members in good standing who have been elected by the General Membership at an AGM or Special Meeting.

Section 4: General Powers of the Board of Directors

I. In addition to specific powers outlined in other sections of this constitution, the Board of Directors shall have the authority to:

· Execute the general business of AAMP in line with the objectives and goals of the organization and the provisions of this constitution.

· Execute any contracts, deeds, bills of exchange and other documents as well as contact government and media outlets on behalf of AAMP.

Section 5: Duties of the Board of Directors (as a whole)

I. The BOD as a whole is responsible for:

· Approving the annual budget and allocating financial and other resources to the Working Committees

· Planning the annual calendar,

· Creating arts related policy,

· Seeking funding and corporate sponsorship,

· Strategic planning for AAMP as a whole,

· Collaborating with the Working Committees on their projects.

· Approving the public activities of the Working Committees

· Ensuring that the actions of the Working Committees are in keeping with AAMP's mission statement and that those actions reflect the aims and objectives of AAMP.

Section 6: General Duties of BOD Officers

I. Directors are expected to attend Board meetings, fulfill the responsibilities of their position (as outlined below), attend and vote at the AGM, represent the BOD at relevant Working Committee meetings and report on those meetings at BOD meetings. They are also expected to attend at least two AAMP activities each year.

II. Directors may represent their particular area of responsibility for AAMP as a whole to the media or other interest groups but they must do so in consultation with the Chair and Vice-Chair.

III. The Chair or Vice-Chair may represent AAMP as a whole if contacted by the media or other interest groups, but they must present AAMP's interests in accordance with the guidelines established here.

Section 7: Specific Duties of BOD Officers

Note: In addition to any of the duties and responsibilities outlined below, any member of the Board of Directors may perform such duties as may from time to time become necessary.

i) Chair

The AAMP Chair must be the official spokesperson and representative for the Association.

Duties of the Chair include:

· Chairing each meeting of the Board of Directors, except when he/she falls into a direct conflict of interest as determined by a majority vote of the Board of Directors

· Representing AAMP to the City Council of Mount Pearl and other levels of government as well as act as a media liaison

· Seeking co-operation with other arts groups

· Striking new sub-committees (and appointing members to those committees) as necessary

· Presenting a report at each monthly meeting

· Reporting on behalf of the BOD at the AGM

· Consulting with the Treasurer on the preparation of the annual budget.

ii)Vice-Chair

Duties of the Vice-Chair include:

· Performing the duties of the Chair in his/her absence

· Overseeing recruitment efforts

· Overseeing corporate sponsorship efforts.

iii) Secretary

Duties of the Secretary include:

· Taking minutes of all meetings of the Board of Directors and special meetings

· Maintaining the archives of AAMP

· Maintaining a current list of all members including contact information for each

· Maintaining a current copy of the constitution

· Informing members of regular meeting times and providing required notice for special meetings

· Supervising and coordinating the work of the secretaries of the working committees of AAMP

· Filing reports with various levels of government

· Administering the Association email/other correspondence

· Working with Chair to create the agenda for each BOD meeting

· Distributing reminders, agendas, and supporting documents, and the minutes of the last meeting to BOD members previous to each monthly meeting

· Holding the AAMP corporate seal

· Accepting nominations, preparing ballots and confirming voter status for the AGM

iv) Treasurer

Duties of the Treasurer include:

· Accounting for all finances received and spent by AAMP

· Maintaining a current financial record for AAMP

· Advising the Board of Directors on matters of finance

· Supervising and coordinate the work of the treasurers of the sub-committees of AAMP

· Presenting a financial report at each monthly meeting with a copy distributed to each member via email

· Presenting a financial report at the AGM

· Preparing an annual budget (in consultation with the Chair) for approval by the BOD

v) Communications Officer

Duties of the Communications Officer include:

· Administering the public relations affairs of AAMP.

· Pursuing local media groups to ensure the current and long term goals and projects of AAMP are properly represented

· Ensuring that the goals of AAMP are reflected in public communications and that a consistent message is presented to the public

· Presenting a report at each monthly meetings

· Presenting a yearly summary at the AGM

· Approving all public relations materials and assigning public relations work as necessary.

vi) Technology Officer

Duties of the Technology Officer include:

Supervising and maintaining the AAMP website.

· Troubleshooting Association email and web problems

· Maintaining current information about AAMP events and projects on the website

· Working with those members involved in designing the bulletin board/web pages that reflect the arts calendar

· Maintaining the online archives of AAMP.

· Presenting a report at each monthly meeting

· Presenting a summary report at the AGM

vii) Arts, Industry and Development Representative

Duties of the Arts, Industry and Development Representative include

· Liaising with the City on arts-related development in Mount Pearl

· Representing AAMP’s interests in the business community

· Liaising with arts-related businesses in the city

· Chairing any ad-hoc committees related to arts-related development in the city

viii) Members at Large

Duties of the Members at Large include:

· Liaising with the various Working Committees

· Administering any ad-hoc committees as advised by the BOD

· Ensuring that the needs of General Members are being met by the BOD

· Reporting on the work of their specific committees at each monthly meeting

· Providing assistance and input in the objectives and goals of AAMP to ensure completion of work

Article E: Working Committees

Section 1: General Information

.

I. Working Committees shall be formed on a project by project basis by the BOD

II. Each Working Committee shall include at least one (1) BOD member, who will represent that committee at BOD meetings.

III. The Working Committees shall meet on a regular basis on a schedule determined by committee members and approved by the BOD.

IV. Each Working Committee must determine its own quorum level, based on membership numbers, but quorum cannot be achieved without either the Chair or the Vice-Chair present.

Section 2: Composition of Working Committees

I. The AAMP Working Committees will be composed of a Chair, a Secretary, and at least one (1) BOD member (who may hold either of those positions) as well as any number of General Members.

Section 3: Conditions of Membership

I. Working Committee Members shall be General Members who are interested in working towards a specific set of AAMP's overall goals.

II. Working Committee Officers shall be members of the Working Committee who are interested in taking on a leadership role in that committee.

Section 4: General Powers of Working Committees

Each working committee may

· Present themselves publicly as a branch of AAMP

· Execute the general business of the Working Committee in line with the objectives and goals of the organization and the provisions of this constitution

· Execute any contracts, deeds, bills of exchange and other documents as well as contact government and media outlets on behalf of the Working Committee, with the approval of the Board of Directors

Section 5: Individual Committee Members

Sub-section A: Powers of Individual Committee Members

Committee members may:

· Vote during the committee's decision making process

· Act on the committee's behalf when directed by the committee chair

Note: Committee Members may NOT represent the organization as a whole when talking to the media or other interest groups.

Sub-section B: Responsibilities of Committee Members

Committee Members are expected to:

· Attend committee meetings

· Take on roles in planning committee events and activities and committee members and attend the AGM

· Attend AAMP activities of interest to them

Sub-section C: Duties of Specific Working Committee Officers. (Not all positions must be filled.)

Note: In addition to any of the duties and responsibilities outlined below, any member of the Working Committees may perform such duties as may from time to time become necessary.

i) Chair

Duties of the Chair include:

· Representing their committee to the public

· Running each committee meeting in an orderly and efficient manner

· Working with other committee officers to assist them in their duties

· Working with the secretary to prepare the agenda and supporting documents for each meeting ensure that the minutes of previous meetings are prepared and circulated

· Recruiting new members as desired

· Striking new sub-committees (and appointing members to those committees) as necessary

iii) Secretary

The Duties of the Secretary include:

· Coordinating the administrative details for that committee

· Handling correspondence

· Preparing agendas and minutes

· Distributing them (with supporting documents) in a timely manner before each meeting

· Filing all reports and minutes with the BOD secretary

· Maintaining the archives of the Working Committee

· Maintaining a current list of all members including contact information for each

· Holding a current copy of the constitution

· Informing members of regular meeting times and providing required notice for special meetings

Article F: Meetings

Section 1: Timing

I. The BOD must meet at least once per month.

II. The AGM must be held before March 31 each year.

III. Special Meetings may be called at any time with the approval of the BOD.

Section 2: Notices and Distribution of Information

I. A notice for each meeting of the BOD or a Working Committee will be issued one week in advance, and a copy of the minutes of the last meeting and a draft agenda, with its supporting literature, for the upcoming meeting will be distributed at that time.

II. If the Working Committee meets more frequently than once per month, they must vote on a schedule for distribution of the minutes of their last meeting and the agenda (and supporting literature) for their next meeting, but the schedule must allow ample time for committee members to read the minutes and suggest agenda items.

III. Notices of a Special Meeting must be distributed to the General Membership and announced through Public Service Announcements at least 14 days prior to the meeting.

IV. Notices of the AGM must be circulated through the General Membership and announced through Public Service Announcements on the following schedule:

i) 30 days notice – detailed announcement of meeting via membership lists and on website.

ii) 14 Days notice – detailed announcement of meeting via Public Service Announcements. Relevant Documents must be available at this time.

iii) 7 Days notice – reminder notice via membership lists.

V. AGM and Special Meeting Notices must include the date, time and location of the meeting as well as all supporting documentation (including but not limited to reports, and proposed ammendments).

VI. Consent Agenda – Given that meetings are intended for making decisions and discussing the implications of those decisions, the BOD and Working Committees must operate with a Consent Agenda whenever possible. A Consent Agenda requires that routine reports/meeting minutes be forwarded to commmittee members in advance of the meeting so they may be voted on in a single motion.

Section 3: Voting

I. All AAMP members of thirty (30) days duration are eligible to vote at the AGM or a Special Meeting.

II. All Committee Members have equal voting privileges.

III. All Directors have equal voting privileges.

Section 4: Preparation of Agendas

I. The agenda will be prepared by the Chair and Secretary at an agreed upon time prior to the meeting.

II. Anyone wishing to add an item to the agenda must inform the secretary at least three (3) days in advance of the meeting, else the new topic must be introduced during 'other business' at the end of the meeting.

III. If the committee meets more frequently than once per month, they must vote on a schedule for adding agenda items.

Section 5: Quorum

I. Quorum for an AGM shall be thirteen (13) eligible voters.

II. Quorum for a BOD meeting shall be 50% plus 1 of the number of positions currently filled on the BOD and must include either the Chair or the Vice-Chair.

III. Each Working Committee must determine its own quorum level, based on membership numbers, but quorum cannot be achieved without either the Chair or the Vice-Chair present.

Section 6: Specifics of Special Meetings

I. A special meeting of the General Membership of AAMP must be called to:

a. Elect executive members

b. Amend the Constitution

c. Consider any other matter deemed appropriate by the Board of Directors

II. The Board of Directors Secretary shall give notice of a special meeting through the e-mail list of AAMP, amounting to not less than one (1) week of notice.

III. Notice of a special meeting shall include the reason for its calling.

IV. A special meeting may be called by the Chair of the Board of Directors, or by a majority vote of the Board of Directors.

V. Quorum at a special meeting shall be ten (10) voting members or 50% plus 1 of all voting members, whichever is less.

VI. Except where stated explicitly otherwise in this constitution (e.g. elections), all motions passed at a special meeting requires a 2/3 majority vote.

Article G: Elections

Section 1: Timing of Elections

I. All Officers on the Board of Directors will be elected/appointed at the AGM or at a special meeting..

II. An Elections Officer will be elected/appointed at the AGM.

Section 2: Voter Eligibility

I. Any AAMP member whose Registration Form has been received by the BOD Secretary thirty (30) days in advance may vote at the AGM.

Section 3: Nomination of Candidates

I. Any member who will be eligible to vote at the AGM may stand for election to the BOD by submitting a nomination request (on paper or via email), supported by two other eligible voters, to the BOD Secretary thirty (30) days in advance of the AGM.

Section 4: Campaigning

II. Campaining must be limited to the following: Candidates may submit a photo and 500 word platform document to the Technology Officer for placement on the AAMP website. Platform documents must be submitted at least seven (7) days in advance of the AGM to ensure placement on the website.

III. There will be no opportunity for campaigning at the AGM.

IV. The general mailing list, the Arts Directory, or any other contact information collected by AAMP must not be used to promote or disparage any candidate.

Section 5: Ballot Procedure

I. The BOD Secretary will prepare a separate numbered ballot for each position, all candidates for each position will be listed, in alphabetical order on the ballot form.

II. The BOD Secretary and the outgoing Elections Officer will require each eligible voter to sign in at the start of the AGM and ballots will be distributed at sign-in.

Section 6: Election Procedure

I. The election procedure will begin with the current chair supervising the election of the Elections Officer.

II. Following his or her election, the Elections Officer will call the election for each position individually by

1. Naming the position to be filled

2. Reading a brief job description

3. Reading the names of the candidates

4. Announcing the ballot number for that position

5. Inviting the eligible voters to fill out their ballots

6. Collecting the ballots after a reasonable length of time

7. Leaving the room to count the ballots

8. Filling out an Elections Record Form (which lists the candidates and the number votes received by each, and must be signed by the EO)

9. Returning to announce the candidate who has been elected

10. Filing the Elections Record Forms with the BOD Secretary

III. The elected positions will be filled in the following order:

i) Chair

ii) Vice-Chair

iii) Secretary

iv) Treasurer

v) Communications Officer

vi) Technology Officer

vii) Members At Large (5)

viii) Arts Industry and Development Officer

ix) Disciplinary Committee Members (5)

IV. If there is a single candidate for a position they will be acclaimed to that position.

V. When there is more than one candidate for a position, the candidate receiving a simple majority of votes shall be considered elected.

Article H: Disciplinary Committee

Section 1: General Information

I. The AAMP Disciplinary Committee is a five (5) member ad-hoc committee which will rule on all disciplinary matters within the organization.

II. The members of the Disciplinary Committee shall be elected at the AGM.

III. The Disciplinary Committee Term of Office is one year.

IV. The officers required for the Disciplinary Committee shall be a Chair and a Secretary.

i) The Chair shall accept complaints, call and chair meetings.

ii) The Secretary shall keep records of all official complaints, take minutes of all meetings and prepare and circulate correspondence related to complaints. The Secretary may also accept any complaints regarding the Chair of the Disciplinary Committee.

V. The Disciplinary Committee shall not include the Chair or Vice of the BOD or of any Working Committee.

VI. In the unlikely event that a complaint is received against a member of the Disciplinary Committee, it will affect the committee as follows:

i) Against a member: That member shall excuse themselves from the meeting.

ii) Against the Chair: The Secretary acts as Chair, another member acts as Secretary.

iii) Against the Secretary: The Chair appoints another member to act as Secretary.

VII. The members of the Disciplinary Committee must meet and elect a Chair and a Secretary within one month of being elected. The other three committee members will not hold executive positions. Aside form this initial meeting, the committee shall only meet at the discretion of the Chair, or in the event that a complaint is filed.

VIII. The AAMP website must include a link to information about the Disciplinary Commitee and that information must include the email addresses of the Chair and Secretary of the committee.

Section 2: Circumstances Requiring Disciplinary Action

The following should not be considered an exhaustive list but is indicative of the nature of matters which will be brought before the Disciplinary Committee.

I. Board of Directors

i) Non-Attendance

Except in the case of sudden illness, bereavement or other serious matters (subject to the discretion of the Board); if a Director misses two Board meetings in a row without providing the Board with an explanation in advance, the Board of Directors may file a complaint with the Disciplinary Committee.

ii) Misconduct/ Acting Contrary to the AAMP Constitution

If a Director does not act in keeping with the Guidelines set forth in the AAMP Constitution the Board of Directors will file a complaint with the Disciplinary Committee.

II. Working Committee Officers

i) Non-Attendance

Except in the case of sudden illness, bereavement or other serious matters (subject to the discretion of the Working Committee Executive), if an Officer misses two Board meetings in a row without providing an explanation in advance the Committee Executive may file a complaint with the Disciplinary Committee.

ii) Misconduct /Acting Contrary to the AAMP Constitution

If a Working Committee Officer does not act in keeping with the Guidelines set forth in the AAMP Constitution, the Committee Executive will file a complaint with the Disciplinary committee.

III. Working Committee Members/ General Members without Committee Affiliation

i) Misconduct /Acting Contrary to the AAMP Constitution

Any AAMP member who does not act in keeping with the Guidelines set forth in the AAMP Constitution may face disciplinary action from the Disciplinary Committee.

Section 3: Complaint Procedure

I. Any member of AAMP who feels that disciplinary action is required against another member should contact the Chair of the Disciplinary Committee for a discussion of the matter. (If the complaint is regarding the Chair of the Disciplinary Committee, the Secretary may discuss/accept the complaint instead).

II. If the member and the DC Chair feel that the matter is serious enough to warrant an Official Complaint, the member must submit a written complaint to the Disciplinary Committee either via email or via mail. The written complain must include : date and nature of the event and the parties involved.

III. Upon receipt of a written complaint, the Chair will call upon the Disciplinary Committee to meet within fourteen (14) days.

IV. The Secretary must circulate copies of the written complaint to the Committee Members and inform the BOD of the time and date of the meeting.

V. The member who is the subject of the complaint must be informed, in writing, about the nature of the complaint but the complainant shall remain anonymous.

VI. The member who is the subject of the complaint has the right to submit documentation regarding the complaint.

VII. At the meeting, the matter must be discussed fully and a course of action must be developed.

VIII. Possible courses of action may include

· Dismissal of the complaint

· Request for a written apology from the member who is the subject of the complaint

· Request for a clearly outlined, time-sensitive work plan from a member who has not completed her or his duties

· In very serious cases, the member may be required to withdraw from their elected or appointed position or from AAMP entirely.

Note: Should the Board receive an outside complaint about an AAMP member, the Chair or Vice Chair shall complete a complaint form and act on behalf of the offended party.

Section 4: Appeal Process

I. The member who is the subject of the complaint has the right to appeal the decision.

II. A request for appeal must be submitted to the BOD within ten (10) days of the Disciplinary Committee’s ruling, and must be accompanied by evidence in support of the member’s position.

III. If additional evidence is brought forth, the BOD will meet with the Disciplinary Committee to discuss the complaint and appeal and the Disciplinary Committee will call a second meeting to review the case.

IV. The ruling of the Disciplinary Committee as a result of the second meeting shall be final.