Proposal for a New Arts FA – Ariel Bowering – April 10 2007

Proposal for the Creation of a New Arts Faculty Association

April 10th 2007

Submitted to

SU VP (Academic) Amanda Henry

And

Director of Student Group Services Nina Jaffer

Submitted by:

Ariel Bowering Women’s Studies IV

Endorsed by:

Leah Trueblood Philosophy II

Christopher Langlois Human Geography/Film Studies IV

April 10th, 2007

To: SU VP (Academic) Amanda Henry and the New Arts FA Selection Committee

Please find enclosed a proposed structure for a new Arts Faculty Association. Additionally, we have laid out methods to accomplish this structure as much of the visioning work must be conducted with a wider participation than the timeframes involved in this proposal process has allowed. With this in mind, we have striven to create as inclusive, flexible and effective a structure and process as possible. We look forward to the mentorship and support that the SU will be providing as the new Arts FA takes shape.

Thank you very much for your consideration.

Ariel Bowering

10842 128 St. NW

Edmonton AB

T5M 0W2

780-434-6985

Outline of Proposal

  • Introduction
  • Portfolio Positions for an Arts FA council
  • Division of Duties, Decision Making Process and Philosophy
  • Financial Accountability/Transparency
  • Elections and Ratification of Operating Policies and Bylaws
  • Concluding Remarks
  • Guarantee of Participants/Volunteers
  • Appendix A: Timeline

Definition:

Council: the Executive body of the Arts FA consisting of those individuals who are responsible for each of the following: SU Liaison, CODA Portfolio, COFA/Faculty Portfolio, Website/Communications Portfolio, and Financial Portfolio with the possible future addition of an Events Portfolio.

Introduction

Due to the dissolution of the Arts Students Association in February 2007, a new structure for an Arts Faculty Association (Arts FA) must be formulated. It is the duty of this organization to provide services and representation to Undergraduate Arts students at the University of Alberta. With these responsibilities in mind, the following lays out various structures, practices and protocols that will be undertaken to achieve the creation of a new Arts FA. The new organization will tentatively be named the Arts Students Council, though another snappier name may be adopted. It will herein be referred to as the Arts FA or Arts FA council in this proposal.

This proposal has been informed by discussion with Ariana Barer, Christopher Langlois and Leah Trueblood. With the understanding that this is a continuing and evolving process, Chris and Leah have agreed to endorse this proposal and collaborate on its execution.

Portfolio Positions for an Arts FA council

The below positions have been created with a flat organizational structure in mind. This means that power will be balanced throughout the council, each person holding a portfolio will be responsible for carrying out the duties within their purview in consultation with the other council members. The ideal of mutual empowerment and growth is central to these positions and the equitable and efficient functioning of the organization. These positions have taken into consideration what functions an Arts FA needs to fulfill and how best to ensure that these are fulfilled in a sustainable manner.

SU Liaison: The Arts FA will request the appointment by Students Council of an Arts Councilor to be a liaison between the Arts FA and Students Council. This Liaison will be expected to attend Arts FA council meetings but will not count towards quorum. This individual will be expected to bring forward and represent Arts FA concerns to Students Council as well as report initiatives or decisions that may be of interest to the Arts FA to that body.

  • Duties:
  • Expected to attend all bi-weekly Arts FA meetings
  • Provide updates at bi-weekly meetings on any SU council business that may be of interest to Arts FA
  • Responsible for tabling of quarterly update on Arts FA’s activities in SU Council during probationary period
  • Provide consultation to Arts FA on SU matters, operations, and policies

CODA Portfolio: This individual will be responsible for coordinating and facilitating Council of Departmental Associations meetings. The DAs are often much better situated to hear what Arts students have to say about their undergraduate Arts experience. By fostering and supporting these organizations, the Arts FA can much more effectively find out what services should be provided and advocacy undertaken. This portfolio is responsible for communication within the Faculty of Arts.

  • Duties:
  • Coordinate, facilitate and attend regular, preferably monthly, CODA meetings
  • Contact students in programs or departments without undergraduate associations and facilitate creation of a DA
  • General internal Arts communication and coordination
  • Offering general support to DA’s
  • In conjunction with Financial Portfolio hold granting rounds for DA’s
  • In conjunction with COFA/Faculty Portfolio produce quarterly report of Arts FA activities to be tabled by SU Liaison
  • Minimum 2hrs/week regular office hours
  • Locker sales/grad photo tabling
  • General office tidying and upkeep
  • Answering phones, taking messages, answering walk-ins
  • Production of applicable portion of year end report
  • Attend bi-weekly Arts FA meetings
  • On a rotating basis take minutes for and facilitate Arts FA council meetings

COFA/Faculty Portfolio: This individual will be responsible for sitting on the Council of Faculty of Associations as well as being in regular contact with the Faculty of Arts. Their role will be to seek out and foster collaborations and opportunities for Undergraduate Arts students outside of the Faculty of Arts. This portfolio is responsible for communication between the undergraduate population of the Faculty of Arts and external bodies.

  • Duties:
  • Attend COFA meetings and offer regular reports to the rest of the Arts FA council
  • Keep in regular communication with the Faculty of Arts
  • General communication and coordination of collaboration with bodies external to Arts
  • Using process previously established by the Faculty of Arts to solicit students at large to sit on Faculty committees
  • In conjunction with CODA Liaison produce quarterly report of Arts FA council activities to be tabled in Students Council by SU Liaison
  • Minimum 2hrs/week regular office hours
  • Locker sales/grad photo tabling
  • General office tidying and upkeep
  • Answering phones, taking messages, answering walk-ins
  • Production of applicable portion of year end report
  • Attend bi-weekly Arts FA meetings
  • When applicable attend CODA meetings
  • On a rotating basis take minutes for and facilitate Arts FA council meetings

Website/Communications Portfolio: This individual will be responsible for maintaining and updating the Arts FA website. They will also be responsible for any relevant electronic communication necessary for the functioning of the organization. This will include collecting information and resources that are of interest to undergraduate arts students. Further they will be responsible for production and coordination of communication materials necessitated by the Arts FA.

  • Duties:
  • Maintenance of website, email, and any other electronic communication
  • Production and distribution of publicity materials; posters, handbills, print and radio advertisements
  • Assisting DA’s with above for their own projects
  • Regularly posting Arts FA minutes to the website and maintaining a hard copy in the office.
  • Minimum 2hrs/week regular office hours
  • Locker sales/grad photo tabling
  • General office tidying and upkeep
  • Answering phones, taking messages, answering walk-ins
  • Production of applicable portion of year end report
  • Attend bi-weekly Arts FA meetings
  • When applicable attend CODA meetings
  • On a rotating basis take minutes for and facilitate Arts FA council meetings

Volunteer Portfolio: This individual will be responsible for recruiting and coordinating volunteers. There are a number of activities for which the Arts FA requires volunteers, so it is the Volunteer Portfolio’s first responsibility to ensure that these duties are covered. Once these activities are outlined below, it will be up to the discretion of the Volunteer Portfolio as to how it wishes to expand these activities.

  • Duties:
  • Volunteer recruitment
  • Upkeep of Arts microwaves and FA office space or coordination of volunteers to do so
  • Coordination of volunteers to do locker sales
  • Coordination of volunteers to do grad photos
  • Coordination of volunteers for postering
  • Coordination of meeting times and office hours for the Arts FA council
  • Minimum 2hrs/week regular office hours
  • Locker sales/grad photo tabling
  • General office tidying and upkeep
  • Answering phones, taking messages, answering walk-ins
  • Production of applicable portion of year end report
  • Attend bi-weekly Arts FA meetings
  • When applicable attend CODA meetings
  • On a rotating basis take minutes for and facilitate Arts FA council meetings

Financial Portfolio: This individual will be responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the financial records of the Arts FA. This will include maintaining signing authority and production of regular financial reports. They will be responsible for all monies collected and disbursed by the Arts FA.

  • Duties:
  • Maintaining financial records of the Arts FA and conduct correspondence with appropriate financial institution(s)
  • In conjunction with CODA Liaison hold granting rounds for DA’s
  • Weekly updating of financial records
  • Appropriate volunteer training as necessary for tasks such as issuing of receipts
  • Production of bi-weekly and quarterly financial reports and appropriate distribution thereof
  • Production of financial report for AGM and facilitation of question and answer period
  • Arrange for yearly audit
  • Attend CODA meetings
  • Minimum 2hrs/week regular office hours
  • Locker sales/grad photo tabling
  • General office tidying and upkeep
  • Answering phones, taking messages, answering walk-ins
  • Production of applicable portion of year end report
  • Attend bi-weekly Arts FA meetings
  • On a rotating basis take minutes for and facilitate Arts FA council meetings

A note on an Events Portfolio. For the time being events coordination should be something the Arts FA council does together, or through one of the portfolios as appropriate in conjunction with another organization. A sub-committee structure may be adopted which could take on particular event projects as needed and could be constituted of council members and volunteers. These sub-committees could be struck as needed and would exist until event completion.

At this point it is perhaps a little ambitious to be trying to plan events when simply getting the house in order is necessary. Additionally there are plenty of events occurring on campus all year long and the focus for the interim could be making Arts undergraduates more aware of these events and supporting these events to be more successful. There should be a provision in the new constitution or bylaws that would allow for the future addition of an Events Coordination Portfolio if the capacity of the Arts FA should require it. At this point actively supporting the existing DAs and their activities so that the DA system is strong should be the main objective of the Arts FA in terms of event planning.

Philosophy, Division of Duties, and Decision Making Process

Philosophy:

It is the goal of this proposal to put forward a structure that foremost meets the needs of undergraduate Arts students in terms of representation, but does so in a fashion that can most equitably and efficiently make use of the diverse skills of those involved. The aforementioned portfolios incorporate the roles and responsibilities of the Arts FA as well as those activities that have been most successful in the past. In this way, by clearly defining goals and jurisdictions members can be empowered to fulfill the mandate of their position and still be accountable to the Arts FA council and Arts undergraduates as a whole.

The structure is a council with individuals running in elections for particular portfolios which entail certain sets of duties. Activities not specifically outlined in each job description would be taken on by the individual in whose purview it seems most appropriately to fit. The idea would be to have people working on those things which they are most interested in and to get rid of unnecessary hierarchy. This lessens the possibility of a concentration of power in the hands of one individual who either becomes overwhelmed and unable to perform their duties or who blocks others from contributing. This would entail the further flushing out of what kinds of decisions each portfolio would be empowered to make and how best to report back at the next meeting. Additionally, what kinds of decisions requiring approval by the council as a whole needs further articulation. Both of these elements would be addressed by further work shopping during the summer break. This would entail a series of one-day gatherings with outside facilitation to work through specific ideas and goals.

Division of Duties:

To ensure that there is sharing of those duties and responsibilities which are of a regularly recurring nature and should be viewed as collective, the following have been incorporated into the duties of each portfolio: minimum 2hrs/week regular office hours, locker sales/grad photo tabling, general office tidying and upkeep, answering phones, taking messages, answering walk-ins, production of applicable portion of year end report, attend bi-weekly Arts FA meetings, on a rotating basis take minutes for and facilitate Arts FA council meetings. The rotating facilitation and minute taking will ensure that each council member contributes to administrative duties as well as gains experience in chairing meetings. Each council member being responsible for office hours would enable the Arts FA office could be open at least 2hrs/week five days a week.

Any decisions that have to do with expenditure of money or endorsement by the Arts FA will be brought to a bi-weekly Arts FA council meeting. The council will then empower a portfolio to make an expenditure or endorsement on behalf of the Arts FA.

The Arts FA council as a whole will be responsible for compiling a year-end report of its activities. Each member will be responsible for compiling the portion that specifically pertains to their area of responsibility. Final compilation and overall assessment will be undertaken collectively with final responsibility for oversight of completion being assigned at a meeting and generally to the individual who has the least to report back for their own portion so as to more fairly distribute the labour.

Decision Making Process:

The exact decision making process will be decided on over the course of the summer as the Arts FA is revitalized. In order to ensure that the organization is fair, accountable and inclusive, I will be proposing either a consensus based decision making process, or Rusty’s Rules, a sort of hybrid of consensus and Robert’s Rules. These processes are particularly suited to the small size of the organizing group and ensuring that each individual’s input is solicited, valued and incorporated.

Council meetings will be open to the general student body, though council members are required to attend. Members at large will be actively welcomed and volunteers encouraged to participate in meetings and provide input in decisions. If there are issues of a sensitive nature, such as financial or FOIPP concerns, or interpersonal issues, the council may take the meeting in camera at which point all non council members would be asked to leave. The criteria for what would constitute grounds for going in camera are another issue to be further fleshed out this summer and enshrined in policy.

Quorum for decisions will be three of five council members. As previously mentioned the SU Liaison will not count towards quorum so as to ensure that decisions can be made should they not attend meetings.

Consensus:

Rusty’s Rules:

Financial Accountability/Transparency:

It is the goal of this proposal to lay out measures to be taken which will ensure future financial accountability and transparency of the Arts FA. The following steps would therefore be implemented:

  • There will be two to three individuals with signing authority at all times and cheques will require two signatures.
  • Mail correspondence with the financial institution of the FA’s choice must remain in the FA office and will remain in a locked filing cabinet along with other financial materials.
  • All financial materials will be archived in the Arts FA office or other appropriate locale for a period of seven years and then materials not required for institutional memory will be destroyed.
  • The Financial Coordinator will be responsible for weekly updates of balance sheets to ensure that all money coming in and going out are accounted for regularly.
  • Any monies taken in will be issued a receipt. The Financial Coordinator will be responsible for either providing this or adequately training volunteers so that they can issue receipts.
  • A financial report will be provided at biweekly Arts FA meetings. It may entail as little as how much money has come in and gone out and for what. This report will be included in the meeting minutes.
  • A more detailed quarterly report should be produced which in addition to monies received and expended and for what would include a one to two page narrative of the budget to that point.
  • A financial report will be prepared for the yearly AGM at which the Financial Portfolio will present it and facilitate a question and answer period.
  • For the duration of the probationary period, the Financial Portfolio would be responsible for compiling their bi-weekly reports and forwarding them to the SU VP (Academic) on a monthly basis. Further they would ensure that their quarterly reports are submitted to the SU VP (Academic). They would make themselves available for follow up questions from the SU VP (Academic).
  • The Financial Portfolio would arrange for an outside audit to be conducted at the close of each fiscal year. This does not need to be a full audit and could be conducted by an Accounting student or other equally qualified student.

Elections and Ratification of Operating Policies and Bylaws

Elections for the previously outlined portfolios for the 2007/2008 academic year will be conducted at an Arts undergraduate AGM in September 2007. Subsequent elections will be held in March of each year for the subsequent year’s Arts FA council members. If a position is vacant, the Arts FA council may appoint to fill it and may favour those who ran for other positions but were unsuccessful providing they did not receive more “no” votes than “yes” votes. This is to ensure full functioning capacity of the Arts FA as well as to try and harness the enthusiasm and commitment of individuals who have expressed interest in contributing to the Arts FA.