Proposed addition:

4.3.5.6 Oversees the Social Directors. 

Reason:

This addition would bring the VP Social responsibilities in line with the VP Communications' responsibilities in regards to the Social Media Marketing Directors.

Proposed addition:

6.4.7.  Social Directors have one (1) vote per director, to a maximum of two (2) votes collectively. 

Reason:

This addition affords the Social Directors voting rights on the council, in line with Social Media Marketing Directors and Committees. 

Proposed addition:

6.8.3. There must be a meeting in which at least three members of the incoming Executive acquire signing authority.

Reason:

This ensures that signing authority is transferred to the requisite number of Executives each year. 

Replace the following subsection:

7.3.2. The current IRC Executive shall appoint an Elections Officer to oversee all aspects of the elections. It is recommended that the Elections Officer be a member of the current IRC Executive, or if not, then a member of the current IRC. This Elections Officer shall be prohibited from running for an IRC Executive position. The Elections Officer is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the election process, including: nominations, campaigning, speeches, sanctions, voting, ballot-counting, and results publication. This process will be subject to the election rules of the current constitution, and any election guidelines implemented by the current IRC.

With:

7.3.2. The current IRC Executive shall appoint two (2) Elections Officers to oversee all aspects of the elections. It is recommended that at least one of the Elections Officers be a member of the current IRC Executive, or if not, then a member of the current IRC. These Elections Officers shall be prohibited from running for an IRC Executive position. The Elections Officers are responsible for overseeing all aspects of the election process, including: nominations, campaigning, speeches, sanctions, voting, ballot-counting, and results publication. This process will be subject to the election rules of the current constitution, and any election guidelines implemented by the current IRC.

Reason:

In previous years, there have been concerns about election rigging when there is only one person overseeing all aspects of the election. This amendment adds a second elections officer, which will help reduce the risk of personal bias interfering with IRC elections.

Proposed addition:

10.1.5 Art Committee:

Serves the IRC by hosting various events in the Innis Residence involving visual arts and/or crafts. This may include a recurring open hour in which Residents can work on individual project, at the co-chairs' discretion.

Reason:

Art Committee has had a successful first year, with consistent interest from the community, and it can now be formally added to the Constitution.

Proposed addition:

11.1.4. Social Directors:

Responsible for assisting with IRC-sponsored social events. Their responsibilities may include contacting vendors, purchasing supplies, hosting events, etc., at the discretion of the Vice-President Social.

Reason:

The Social Directors have been a position on the council for a year now and they have been an asset to the council. This amendment defines their roles. 

Replace the following subsection:

11.1. The IRC has up to five (5) positions run at the discretion of that year’s executive team: up to three (3) Social Media-Marketing Directors, one (1) IRC-ICSS liaison, and one (1) Director of Operations.

With:

11.1 The IRC has up to eight (8) positions run at the discretion of that year’s executive team: up to three (3) Social Media-Marketing Directors, up to three (3) Social Directors, one (1) IRC-ICSS liaison, and one (1) Director of Operations. 

Reason:

This amendment includes the Social Director position in the list of Director positions, to match the number of Social Media Marketing Directors. 

Replace the following subsection:

12.4 At least three executives shall have signing authority, including the Vice-President Finance. All executives are entitled to have signing authority. Two signatures are required for validity. Signing power must begin to be transferred to the incoming executives by the previous executives by the end of their term.

With:

12.4 At least three executives shall have signing authority, including the Vice-President Finance. All executives are entitled to have signing authority. Two signatures are required for validity. At least three incoming executives must have signing power before the start of the April exam period. 

Reason:

This prevents periods in which there are no current Executives with signing authority, which can create significant issues for the council. We have had issues with this multiple times in recent years, and this ensures that signing authority will be transferred before anyone leaves the city and that we will be able to sign cheques at the start of each academic year, as well as during the summer if necessary.

Proposed addition:

12.4.1. If it is not possible to transfer signing authority before the start of the exam period due to unavoidable outside circumstances, the deadline may be extended to April 30th at the latest with a two-thirds (2/3) vote by the council. The specific reasons and planned date for the transfer must be given prior to the vote, and the extended deadline shall be the planned transfer date described. 

Reason:

This sets clearer deadlines for when signing authority must be transferred and for the process to modify those deadlines. The transfer process only takes a few minutes for outgoing Executives and can take only a few minutes to an hour for the incoming Executives (depending on whether they choose to conduct the transfer in-person or digitally). In past years, we’ve had people delay this process simply because they wanted to study, which is not reasonable when it only takes a few minutes and can completely stop the Council's functioning in the following months. However, this section does allow for extensions in the case of hard commitments and emergencies, at the discretion of the Council.

Proposed addition:

12.4.1.1. Personal availability of the incoming and/or outgoing Executive may not be considered as a valid reason for an extension unless it is due to scheduled classes, midterms, or exams, or any kind of personal, family, or medical emergency. Previously-made appointments (medical, academic, etc.) may also be considered valid reasons. Limited availability due to studying or completing assignments may not be considered a valid reason for an extension.

Reason:

There have been periods in which the IRC has not been able to write necessary cheques because outgoing Executives claimed that they needed to study and could not spend ten minutes transferring authority to the incoming Executives; they then completed their exams and left Toronto, still without transferring signing authority. In these periods, the IRC cannot function, and doing this is directly contrary to the Council's mission statement. This amendment supplements the proposed 12.4.1 by outlining appropriate circumstances for an extension and providing the Council with a basis on which to make their decision, and this will help to limit the extent or impact of similar violations of the mission statement.

Proposed addition:

12.4.2. Signing authority may be withheld or revoked from an executive if they have ever been convicted of a crime or if they are currently suspected of a crime; this is particularly recommended if the crime(s) are related to finances in any way. Signing authority may also be withheld or revoked with two-thirds (2/3) agreement from the full council or with unanimous agreement from the remaining four executives.

Reason:

This reduces the risk of fraud or other misuse of signing authority in very serious circumstances, which have been encountered by the Council in previous years.

Replace the following subsection:

12.8 The total fee for the Innis Residence Council will be $61.14 per academic year (or $30.57 per fall/winter session), and will be charged to all full-time students living in Innis Residence.

With:

12.8. The total fee for the Innis Residence Council will be $70.00 per academic year (or $35.00 per fall/winter session), and will be charged to all full-time students living in Innis Residence.

In other words: Do you consent to a fee increase of $4.43 per fall/winter session for a total Innis Residence Council fee of $35.00 per term (total $70.00 per year)?

Reason:

The IRC fee has not been raised since 2015, despite rising costs and a shrinking fee-paying constituency due to increased staff spaces in the Residence, which alone result in a loss of revenue of over $1000 each year. This has become unsustainable in recent years, and we have been reliant on excess funds saved throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, which are quickly running out. The increased fee will allow the IRC to make up some of its lost revenue and will allow us to continue the programming and initiatives that Residents are accustomed to while also allowing us to provide new initiatives and services according to Residents’ interests.