The Postdoctoral Association of the University of Calgary

Constitution (back)

Article I - Name

The organization shall be known as "The Post-doctoral Association of The University of Calgary" and hereinafter referred to as the PDAC.

 

Article II - Membership

The membership of the PDAC shall consist of three categories:

1) All persons in post-PhD research projects at The University of Calgary, excluding those persons hired as technicians and those who hold faculty positions or those who are registered at The University of Calgary as students, shall be classified as Active Members. Membership begins upon commencement of post-PhD research and continues until termination of project or reclassification of the individual concerned.

2) Non post-doctoral persons may be asked to be Associate Members. Associate members include but are not restricted to past active members, visiting post-doctoral associates, president or designate of the Graduate Students' Association of The University of Calgary and president or designate of the Faculty Association of The University of Calgary. Associate members, excluding past active members, shall be appointed for a period of 1 year with start and termination dates to be determined by a majority vote of the PDAC Executive Committee. Associate members shall enjoy all privileges of membership but may not vote or hold office and may not speak or otherwise participate in meetings of the PDAC executive except by permission by a majority vote of the PDAC Executive Committee. Associate members shall not be required to pay fees.

3) The PDAC Executive Committee may confer Honorary lifetime Memberships on any person. Nominations may only be made by active members. Honorary members shall enjoy all privileges of membership but may not vote or hold office and may not speak or otherwise participate in meetings of the PDAC Executive Committee except by permission by a majority vote of the PDAC Executive Committee. Honorary members shall not be required to pay fees.

 

Article III - Mission

The missions of the PDAC shall be:

1) To provide a collective voice for the issues of particular relevance/interest to post-doctoral associates.

2) To provide a liaison between post-doctoral associates and the administration of The University of Calgary.

3) To promote and develop effective training and career counselling of post-doctoral associates at The University of Calgary.

4) To develop and maintain the University of Calgary post-doctoral associates' registry.

5) To disseminate information pertinent to post-doctoral associates.

 

Article IV - Government

1) The government of the PDAC arises from, and shall always follow, the principle of democratic rule.

2) The PDAC shall have three branches, the PDAC Council, the PDAC Executive Committee and the Judicial Board.

3) The PDAC Executive Committee shall be elected by the active members of the PDAC, shall speak for the PDAC, shall act as representatives and advocates of the PDAC, shall be responsible for the administration of the affairs of the PDAC and shall always be accountable to the membership at large and to the PDAC Council.

4) The PDAC Council shall consist of the PDAC Executive Committee as well as representatives from Research Groups from the Faculty of Medicine and non-medical departments, the number of which shall be decided by the PDAC Executive Committee as outlined in the Bylaws. The PDAC Council shall be the policy making body of the PDAC. All executive officers, all committees or other groups formed by the PDAC except the Judicial Board, and all elected or appointed representatives to University committees, boards, or other representative groups are all accountable to the PDAC Council.

5) The Judicial Board shall be appointed by a random selection from the PDAC Council Representatives (excluding the PDAC Executive Committee). The Judicial Board shall arbitrate all disputes regarding adherence to the Bylaws and to PDAC policies.

 

Article V - Rights and Obligations

Active members of the PDAC shall be obligated to:

1) Observe the Bylaws of the PDAC

2) Pay fees levied by the PDAC in accordance with the Bylaws.

All active members of the PDAC shall have the right to:

3) Nominate to or be nominated for positions on the Executive Committee of the PDAC.

4) Cast a ballot in any PDAC election, referendum, or plebiscite.

5) Petition the Executive Committee of the PDAC with respect to any matter, including the removal of any officer from their elected position.

6) Exercise any other powers inherent in this Constitution and Bylaws.
   

Article VI - Meetings

1) All meetings of the PDAC shall be run according to Robert's Rules of Order, unless provisions of the Bylaws or resolutions of a General Meeting or Referendum or of the PDAC Executive Committee require otherwise.

2) The Executive Committee of the PDAC shall meet regularly in accordance with the Bylaws.

3) The PDAC Council shall meet regularly in accordance with the Bylaws and Council meetings are open to all members of the PDAC.

4) General meetings of the PDAC shall be held yearly in conjunction with the Post-doctoral Career Development Days whenever possible. Annual General Meetings of the PDAC are open to all PDAC members.

 

Article VII - The PDAC Executive Committee

1) The PDAC Executive Committee shall comprise the following elected officers:

a) President

The president shall preside over all PDAC Executive Committee, PDAC Council and PDAC Annual General meetings, enforce due observation of the Bylaws and undertake all duties that usually fall to the President of any association.

b) Secretary

The Secretary of the PDAC shall be responsible for scheduling and taking minutes of PDAC Executive Committee, PDAC Council and PDAC Annual General meetings. The secretary is also responsible for maintaining the PDAC Constitution and Bylaws, posting meeting information, booking meeting rooms and working closely with the Vice-President of Communications to disseminate information of importance to post-doctoral associates.

c) Vice-President Internal

The Vice-President Internal of the PDAC shall be responsible for the organization of professional development and PDAC events excluding PDAC meetings. The Vice-President Internal, in conjunction with the administration of The University of Calgary, will also oversee set-up and maintenance of grievance procedures for post-doctoral associates. In the event of absence or illness of the President, the Vice-President shall have the authority to perform the duties of the President.

d) Vice-President Finance

The Vice President of Finance of the PDAC shall be responsible for all financial activities of the PDAC including preparation of the yearly budget, receipt of monies due the PDAC, maintenance and custody of all books pertaining to the PDAC, making all payments, preparing all financial statements and arranging for audit of the books by an auditor who shall be approved by the PDAC Executive Committee and who shall be a member of the Chartered Accountants of the Province of Alberta, or of the Association of Certified General Accountants of the Province of Alberta.

e) Vice-President Communication

The Vice-President of Communications of the PDAC shall be responsible for disseminating information of importance to post-doctoral associates including maintenance of the PDAC Registry and E-mail database, and the Internet homepage/website.

f) Vice-President External

The Vice-President External shall act as public relations officer and, whenever possible, shall be the PDAC's liaison to other post-doctoral associations, off-campus groups, government agencies including granting agencies and the public at large.

2) The offices of the PDAC Executive Committee shall be open to any active member except the office of PDAC President which is open to any active member of the PDAC who has been an active member for a period of 6 months prior to his/her nomination and must intend to remain an active member until the end of the usual term of office.

3) Terms of office for the PDAC Executive Committee members are one year.

4) Any officer of the PDAC Executive Committee may resign at any time by submitting a letter of resignation to the PDAC Council. An executive officer must resign from office upon termination of post-doctoral research at The University of Calgary or upon reclassification of position.

5) An executive officer may be removed from office by a resolution passed by a minimum two- thirds vote, at a PDAC Council meeting at which at least eighty per cent (80%) of the PDAC Council are present or at a PDAC Annual General Meeting with quorum as stated in the Bylaws.

6) If the office of President becomes vacant, the Vice-President Internal shall become the Acting President until such time as a new President is elected. If any other executive office becomes vacant, the duties of that office will be assumed by other officers of the PDAC Executive Committee, as the PDAC Executive Committee may direct, until such time as the vacancy is filled.

7) Meetings of the PDAC Executive Committee shall be held at the discretion of the President or upon 24 hours notice of a PDAC Executive Officer.

 

Article VIII - The PDAC Council

1) The PDAC Council shall comprise the following members:

a) The PDAC Executive Committee

b) Representatives from the Research Groups of the Faculty of Medicine or non-medical departments at The University of Calgary in accordance with the Bylaws. All representatives, hereafter referred to as Councillors, must be active members of the PDAC and shall be elected or appointed to the position of Councillor by the active members of the research group/department they represent.

2) The PDAC Council shall be the policy making body of the PDAC.

3) PDAC Councillors must be members of the research group/department they represent.

4) The terms of office for PDAC Councillors are one year.

5) Any PDAC Councillor may resign at any time by submitting a letter of resignation to the PDAC Council. A Councillor must resign from office upon termination of post-doctoral research at The University of Calgary or upon reclassification of their position.

6) An PDAC Councillor may be removed from office by a resolution passed by a minimum two- thirds vote, at a PDAC Council meeting at which at least eighty per cent (80%) of the PDAC Council are present or at a PDAC Annual General Meeting with quorum as stated in the Bylaws.

7) If the office of Counsellor becomes vacant, another individual, an Active Member of the PDAC, from the research group/department the Councillor represents shall assume the role of PDAC Councillor until such time as a new Councillor is elected. Research groups/departments will have 60 days to elect a new Councillor. Failure to elect a new Councillor will result in loss of PDAC voting privileges for that research group/department.

 

Article IX - The PDAC Judicial Board

There is established by this Constitution, a body entitled, "The PDAC Judicial Board". Notwithstanding any article of this Constitution, the PDAC Judicial Board will function within the jurisdiction of the PDAC to address grievances against the PDAC Executive Committee and to arbitrate all disputes regarding adherence to the Bylaws and to PDAC policy.

1) The PDAC Judicial Board shall be appointed by the PDAC President from a random selection of PDAC Councillors at the first PDAC Council meeting following PDAC Executive Committee elections.

2) The PDAC Judicial board shall comprise five (5) PDAC Councillors excluding those members of the PDAC Executive Committee.

3) The terms of office for members of the PDAC Judicial Board shall be one (1) year.

4) In the event of the resignation of a member of the PDAC Judicial Board, that position shall remain vacant until the next PDAC Council meeting at which time a replacement will be chosen randomly from those PDAC Councillors not on the Judicial Board.

5) Any member of the PDAC may raise a dispute regarding failure to adhere to the Bylaws, Constitution or policies of the PDAC to the President, in writing, clearly stating the nature of the dispute, and which provisions of the Bylaws or Constitution are relevant. Where applicable, the President shall forward a copy of this communication to all individuals and bodies within the PDAC that are involved in the dispute, and shall request a written response from these parties to the communication. If disputes involve the PDAC President, submissions may be made directly to the Judicial Board.

6) The president (where appropriate) shall attempt to mediate a solution to any dispute under section 5.

7) If after fourteen (14) days of receipt of the original communication by the PDAC President, the dispute has not been solved, the parties raising the dispute may request in writing to the President that the dispute be forwarded to the PDAC Judicial Board. The President shall then forward to the Judicial Board all written communications he/she has received or sent regarding the dispute to the Judicial Board. The President may refer the dispute to the Judicial Board before the fourteen (14) day mediation period is over if he/she deems such action is in the best interest of the PDAC.

8) The Judicial Board shall consider all submissions that it receives regarding the dispute and may

request any additional information it deems necessary to make an informed decision. The Judicial Board, by majority vote, shall make a ruling as to whether the Bylaws, Constitution or policies of the PDAC have been violated. All members of the Judicial Board must vote on each ruling.

9) The PDAC Executive Committee shall be responsible for enforcing the rulings of the Judicial Board.
 
 

Please note: This constitution has not been officially ratified by the PDAC membership. It is a working copy. Any complaints, or comments can be addressed to the PDAC executive.