Constitution

Constitution of the McGill Students Outdoors Club







Article I 

Name and Function



Section I: The name of this organization will be the McGill Students Outdoors Club, and may be referred to as the M.O.C.



Section II: The purpose of this club will be to sponsor and 

encourage outdoor and recreational activities, and to encourage an 

appreciation for and protection of the environment.



Section III: Environmental issues brought to the attention of the 

Executive Council will be considered and, if thought appropriate by 

a two-thirds majority of the Executive Council, will be brought to 

the attention of the membership body.







Article II 

Membership



Section I: All students of McGill University, hereinafter referred 

to as the University, faculty, staff, and alumni are entitled to 

membership upon payment of the appropriate dues.



Section II: Persons other than those mentioned will be admitted to 

the M.O.C. subject to the consent of two-thirds of the Executive 

Council and upon payment of the appropriate dues.



Section III: Persons violating University rules or M.O.C. 

regulations may have their membership refused or canceled by a 

two-thirds majority of the Executive Council.



Section IV: Honorary members may be elected by a two-thirds majority 

of the Executive Council.



Section V: Memberships are valid from September 1st until August 

31st of the following year.  Memberships may be sold during or 

prior to the period they are valid for.





Article III 

Executive Council



Section I: The management of the M.O.C. shall rest with the 

Executive Council.



Section II: The Executive Council will consist of Administrative 

Officers, Fall Activities Officers and Winter Activities Officers.



Section III: The Administrative Officers shall consist of the 

following:



i ) President

ii ) Vice President

iii ) Treasurer

iv ) Secretary

v ) House Director

vi ) Assistant House Director

vii ) Equipment Director

viii ) Publicity Director

ix ) Trails Director



Section IV: The Fall Activities Officers shall consist of the 

following:



i ) Hiking Director

ii ) Rock Climbing Director

iii ) Canoeing Director

iv ) Cycling Director



Section V: The Winter Activities Officers shall consist of the 

following:



i ) Winter Camping Director

ii ) Ice Climbing Director

iii ) Alpine Skiing Director

iv ) Cross-country Skiing Director

v ) Telemarking Director



Section VI: The Executive Council may, by two-thirds majority of 

the Executive Council, create an elected office to manage activities 

(for example: Social Director, Kayaking Director or Environment 

Director ) not covered by the officers named above.  These offices 

shall exist for only one term (one year or one semester, whichever 

is deemed appropriate).  If desired, they must be voted on with 

each new term.



Section VII: No person may hold more then one position on the 

Executive Council at a time.  An exception is permitted for 

holding both a Fall Activity position and a Winter Activity 

position during November when the terms of office overlap.  

In this case the person has only one vote on the Executive Council.



Section VIII: No position on the Executive Council may be held by 

more then one person at a time.



Section IX: No member of the Executive Council may proxy their vote.



Section X: Any member of the Executive Council may vote in absentia.





Article IV 

Duties of the Executive



Section I: The President shall be responsible for :



i ) Representing the M.O.C. to any outside organization or other 

University body, unless another M.O.C. member is appointed by the 

Executive Council to serve as the M.O.C. representative.

ii ) Organizing all meetings of the membership body and Executive 

Council.



Section II: The Vice President shall be responsible for :



i ) Assisting the President, and shall assume the duties of the 

President if so requested by the President.

ii ) Organizing the sale of memberships and for maintaining the 

membership list.



Section III: The Treasurer shall be responsible for :



i ) The accounting and all financial transactions of the M.O.C.

ii ) Preparing all necessary budgets and financial statements.



Section IV: The Secretary shall be responsible for 



i ) Recording the minutes of all M.O.C. meetings.

ii ) Keeping records of all functions and correspondence.

iii ) The operation of the M.O.C. office.



Section V: The House Director shall be responsible for :



i ) The direction and management of any and all facilities owned, 

leased or operated by the M.O.C.

ii ) Making sure all items essential to the upkeep and functioning 

of the facilities are on hand and in good working order.

iii ) The posting and enforcing at these facilities of any 

regulations deemed necessary by the Executive Council and/or the 

University.

iv ) The recruitment and training of weekend house managers.

v ) Cooperating with other M.O.C. members in coordinating functions 

or activities that make use of the facilities.



Section VI: The Assistant House Director shall assist the House 

Director.



Section VII: The Equipment Director shall be responsible for :



i ) The purchase, maintenance and rental of all M.O.C. equipment, 

including equipment kept at the house.

ii ) The maintenance and posting of an up-to-date inventory of 

equipment.

iii ) Consulting with the various Activities Officers to determine 

what equipment is most needed to carry out M.O.C. activities.



Section VIII: The Publicity Director shall be responsible for :



i ) Producing a newsletter each semester and ensure that the 

newsletter is delivered to the 

members.

ii ) Publicizing M.O.C. activities, by ensuring that posters are 

placed around campus, and/or other means that are approved by the 

Executive Council.



Section IX: The Trails Director shall be responsible for :



i ) Organizing maintenance activities on the cross country ski 

trails around Shawbridge.

ii ) Recruiting volunteers for trail maintenance.

iii ) Raising public awareness of the trails.

iv ) Promoting responsible use of the trails.

v ) Acting as a liaison between the M.O.C. and other parties 

interested in the trails.

vi ) The purchase and maintenance of all trail clearing equipment.



Section X: The Activities Officers shall be responsible for the 

following for their activity.



i ) Arranging trips.

ii ) Seminars on equipment, techniques, etc.

iii ) Ensuring that trips and events are announced to the membership.

iv ) Gathering informational material for the M.O.C. library.

v ) Inspiring and promoting an attitude of safety and environmental 

awareness.



Section XI: The Winter Camping Director shall be responsible for 

snowshoeing activities.



Section XII: Any new activity or specific event sponsored by the 

M.O.C. but not covered under the duties of any Executive Council 

member may be assigned to a member of the Executive Council by a 

vote of that body.



Section XIII: Members of the Executive Council are expected to form 

committees of their own when necessary to ensure that their duties 

are performed satisfactorily.  These committees have no vote on the 

Executive Council, nor do they have control on how any Executive 

votes.





Article V 

Finances



Section I: The fiscal year of the M.O.C. shall be from April 1st 

until March 31st of the following year.



Section II: An approved financial statement for the preceding year 

must be publicize by the 

end of September.



Section III: An operating budget for the current year must be 

approved by two-thirds majority of a quorum of the Executive 

Council by the end of October.



Section IV: Subsequent amendments to the budget require the 

approval of two-thirds majority of a quorum of the Executive 

Council.



Section V: The signatures of at least two signing officers must 

always be required for an authorization.



Section VI: All signing officers must be members of the M.O.C., 

and of SSMU or PGSS.



Section VII: Membership dues for the M.O.C. must be at least $2 per 

year.  Changes to the membership dues require approval by 

two-thirds majority of a quorum of the Executive Council.





Article VI 

Meetings



Section I: The Executive Council will meet at least twice a month 

during the normal academic year.



Section II: General meetings must be held on a regular basis.  At 

least one must be held each month, except during final exams which 

are normally in December and April.





Article VII 

Elections



Section I: The Executive Council will be elected from and by the 

membership body.



Section II: Only members of the SSMU or PGSS may be members of the 

Executive Council or vote in the election of the Executive Council.



Section III: Administrative Officers shall be elected at a general 

meeting to be held in March and will hold office for one year 

beginning April 1st.



Section IV: Fall Activities Officers shall be elected at a general 

meeting to be held in March and will hold office from April 1st to 

the following December 1st.



Section V: Winter Activities Officers shall be elected at a general 

meeting to be held in November and will hold office from the time 

of election until the following April 1st.



Section VI: All elections must be announced publicly to the 

membership body at least seven days before the vote is called.  

All elections must be held during a general meeting.



Section VII: No member of the Executive Council may be acclaimed.  

The membership body must have the choice of selecting none of the 

candidates.  If none of the candidates is elected then the position 

will be unfilled.



Section VIII: Once a candidate is found for an unfilled or vacated 

position on the Executive Council, a by-election must be held as 

soon as possible.  By-elections may not be held during the summer 

semester due to the lack of members available for a general meeting.  

A quorum of the Executive Council may appoint an Interim Officer to 

fulfill the duties of the unfilled or vacated office until the 

by-election can be held.



Section IX: A quorum of the membership body is required at the 

general meeting during an election, unless it is unreasonable to 

attain a quorum.



Section X: A Provisional Executive Council may be instated by less 

then a quorum of the membership body. The election results must be 

announced to the membership body within one week.  The election 

results shall stand unless, within a period of ten days, a petition 

containing the signatures of ten percent of the membership body 

requesting a new election is presented to the outgoing President.  

The new elections must take place within two weeks of the receipt 

of the petition.



Section XI: Any member of the Executive Council may be dismissed 

by a two-thirds majority of a quorum of the membership body and the 

vacated post filled by a simple majority of the same body.





Article VIII 

Summer Operations



Section I: The responsibilities of conducting M.O.C. operations 

during the summer months, in the event of a quorum of the Executive 

Council being unattainable, will be invested in a Summer Operations 

Committee ( S.O.C. ).



Section II: The duties of the S.O.C. shall be :



i ) To organize meetings, trips and other activities for those 

M.O.C. members remaining in the vicinity during the summer months.

ii ) To see to the proper management of all M.O.C. facilities and 

equipment including the collection of any rental fees.

iii ) To perform any other duties established as being necessary by 

the Executive Council.



Section III: The S.O.C. shall not have control over M.O.C. funds or 

assets except those which are expressly placed under its 

jurisdiction by motion of the Executive Council.



Section IV: The Executive Council shall appoint a member of the 

Executive Council or a member of the M.O.C. to serve as S.O.C. 

Chairperson.



Section V: The S.O.C. Chairperson shall be responsible for :



i ) Presiding at all meetings of the S.O.C.

ii ) Appointing as many members as necessary to the S.O.C. to 

ensure the performance of its duties.

iii ) To prepare a report of S.O.C. activities, including a 

financial statement, to be submitted to the Executive Council in 

September.





Article IX 

Access to Information



Section I: An up to date copy of the Constitution, By-Laws and 

Policies of the M.O.C. must be maintained and be available on 

request.



Section II: No member of the M.O.C. shall be denied access to any 

records of the M.O.C. except the contact information of other 

members, such as phone numbers or addresses.





Article X 

Definition of Terms



Section I: A quorum of the membership body will consist of twenty 

percent of the total paid membership.



Section II: A quorum of the Executive Council will consist of 

two-thirds of the Executive Council, excluding vacant or unfilled 

posts.



Article XI 

Constitution



Section I: The interpretation of the Constitution shall rest with 

the Executive Council.  Should the Executive Council fail to reach 

a decision on any point of interpretation, the ultimate 

adjudication shall rest with the SSMU Executive.



Section II: A proposed amendment to the constitution requires one 

of the following before it shall be put to a referendum.



i ) Approval by a two-thirds majority of the Executive Council.

ii ) At least five percent of the membership body endorses the 

proposed amendment in a signed petition submitted to the President 

of the M.O.C.



Section III: Proposed amendments to the Constitution must be 

announced publicly to the membership body at least seven days 

before a referendum is called.



Section IV: For a proposed amendment to become part of the 

constitution it must be approved by at least  two-thirds of a 

quorum of the membership body.  Voters in the referendum must be 

members of the M.O.C. and be members of either SSMU or PGSS.



Section V: If a quorum of the membership body is unattainable the 

results of the vote on an amendment to the Constitution must be 

announced to the membership body within one week.  The amendment 

shall stand unless, within ten days, a petition containing the 

signatures of five percent of the membership body requesting a new 

referendum is presented to the President of the M.O.C.  A new 

referendum must take place within two weeks of receipt of the 

petition.  If the new referendum does not take place, the 

amendment is automatically null and void.



Section VI: In order to maintain accredited status with the SSMU 

any amendment to the constitution must be approved by the SSMU 

before it takes effect.



Section VII: In case of a conflict between the M.O.C. constitution 

and the SSMU constitution, the SSMU constitution will take 

precedence, provided this does not impede the ability of the M.O.C. 

to unilaterally terminate its agreement with and withdraw from the 

SSMU.





Article XII 

Referendums



Section I: A referendum requires one of the following before it may 

be held.



i ) Approval by a majority of the Executive Council.

ii ) At least five percent of the membership body endorses the 

referendum in a signed petition submitted to the President of the 

M.O.C.



Section II: A referendum must be announced publicly to the 

membership body at least seven days before it is held.  The 

announcement must include the date, time, place, and question(s) 

of 

the referendum. 



Section III: For a question to pass in a referendum it must be 

approved by a majority of a quorum of the membership body.  Voters 

in the referendum must be members of the M.O.C. and be members of 

either SSMU or PGSS.



Section IV: If a quorum of the membership body is unattainable, the 

results of the vote must be announced to the membership body within 

one week.  The vote shall stand unless, within ten days, a petition 

containing the signatures of five percent of the membership body 

requesting a new referendum is presented to the President of the 

M.O.C.  A new referendum must take place within two weeks of 

receipt of the petition.  If the new referendum does not take place,

the original vote is automatically null and void.



Section V: The result of a referendum is binding on the M.O.C. 

until another referendum is held that supersedes or revokes it.



Section VI: In the case of a conflict between the M.O.C. 

constitution and the result of a referendum, the M.O.C. 

constitution will take precedence.





Presented by the Executive Council on 27 September 1971; Passed at 

open meeting 19 October 1971



Amended 21 March, 1973

Amended 25 February 1975

Amended 16 February, 1977

Amended 15 March, 1989

Amended 12 November, 1997

Amended March 2000

Amended November 2000.

Amended October 2001