Constitution

This is the official constitution of the Orthodox Christian Fellowship, recognized by the Student Affairs of the University of Toronto. The constitution was last updated in August 2008. Please note that although we do our best to adhere to our constitution, the OCF is organized and administered by students, who may sometimes have competing academic or other priorities. For questions about the constitution, please feel free to contact us by email.

Constitution- Orthodox Christian Fellowship

Article 1: Name

The organization will be called the Orthodox Christian Fellowship or OCF for short.

Article 2: Purpose

1. The organization will exist to put on events benefiting Orthodox Christians and those interested in Orthodox Christianity
2. These events will benefit students, staff, or faculty at the University of Toronto.
3. Such events may include services, religious study seminars sessions, movie nights or fundraisers, among others.

Article 3: Membership

1. Membership is open to all students, staff, faculty, and alumni of the University of Toronto.
2. In order to become a member, an individual must contact the executive of the organization, and pay a possible membership fee, to be decided at the beginning of each academic year by the executive. They must also submit their name, student number, and contact information to the executive of the organization.
3. Members of the community, that is, not students, staff, faculty, or alumni of the U of T may be members as long as the meet condition 3.2 and upon approval by the organization’s executive.
4. Members from outside the University of Toronto may not vote on any issue or run or vote in any elections.
5. Members of the organization may run for executive positions, vote in executive elections and at an Annual General Meeting.
6. Membership normally lasts from September to the end of April, though new members may join at any time between September and April.

Article 4: Executive

1. President – provides direction and vision for the organization and serves as a liaison with the linguistics faculty. Also in charge of finding volunteers for events if needed and keeping a list of the organization’s current members.
2. Director of Events – in charge of brainstorming and planning all logistics for events, with the help of the other members of the executive.
3. Director of Marketing- in charge of publicizing all events, including elections and general meetings through available channels.
4. Director of Finance – in charge of keeping the organization’s financial records, drawing up budgets, applying for funding, and organizing fundraisers. Also keeps meeting minutes.

Article 5: Links with External Organizations

1. The Orthodox Christian Fellowship will have links with the St. Nicholas of Myra Orthodox Mission, Christ the Saviour Russian Orthodox Cathedral, the Archdiocese of Canada of the Orthodox Church in America (OCA), and the Orthodox Christian Fellowship of the OCA.
2. The Orthodox Christian Fellowship will, among other activities, bring in speakers from these organizations, organize events including these organizations, and raise money for these organizations (as long as they are legally listed as not-for-profit).

Article 6: Finances

1. The Orthodox Christian Fellowship will ensure that proper and accurate financial records are maintained and passed on to incoming executives following each year’s elections.
2. The President and Director of Finance will have signing authority for the organization’s bank account.
3. If the organization requires regular financial reports, they will be presented at the annual general meeting.
4. At the beginning of each academic year a timeline of events for the year will be drawn up along with a budget for each event and for the year. Sources of funding will be identified and pursued, and expenses clearly detailed.

Article 7: Meetings

Executive Meetings

1. The executive will meet at least once every month, and ideally more often.
2. Persistent absence from these meetings will result in termination of the individual from their position as executive.
3. Five days notice via e-mail is required for a meeting, but an emergency meeting may be called with the approval of the president and two other executive members.

General Meetings

1. There will be at least one general meeting per year.
2. All members of the organization will be invited to attend through e-mail, and notice of the meeting will also be posted on the organization’s website, if the organization has one.
3. Two weeks notice must be given in order for the meeting to be considered valid. This requirement may be waived under exceptional circumstances, such as during extreme weather conditions or in emergencies as determined by the president.
4. Five percent of the members must be present in order for the meeting to be considered valid. This requirement may be waived under exceptional circumstances, such as during extreme weather conditions or in emergencies as determined by the president.

Article 8: Elections

1. Elections will be held each year by the end of March.
2. Elections will be announced by email one month before the general elections.
3. Elections may be held at the Annual General Meeting.
4. The President and all the Directors will be chosen through a democratic process by the general membership. Only those in attendance at the AGM may vote. Proxy votes are not allowed.
5. If any Director positions are not filled at the elections, they will be filled by an applications and interview process as determined by the newly elected executive and the old executive.
6. Nominations for the position will be open no later than two weeks prior to the election, and will close no later than one week prior to the election. To run for office all candidates must receive at least 15 nominations from current U of T students.
7. Appointments by the executive must be voted on to be ratified by the general membership.
8. Voting will be secret and done with ballots.
9. The winning candidate for any particular position is the one who receives the most votes. A majority of votes is not needed.
10. For yes/no votes, a simple majority is needed to pass a resolution or to elect a candidate who is running unopposed.

Article 9: Amendments

1. Changes to the constitution must be proposed in writing to the executive at least one week before a general meeting.
2. At the general meeting, the changes are discussed and debated, and amendments to the changes may be proposed.
3. All proposed changes, be they in their initial form or their modified form, must be submitted to a general vote. This vote need not be secret.
4. Constitutional amendments must have approval from at least sixty percent of the membership in order to pass.

Article 10: Food Handling on Campus

1. The Orthodox Christian Fellowship will conform to Provincial and Municipal Health Regulations when events which include the sale and or service of food products are held on the University of Toronto.

Article 11: Attendance at Meetings and Orientation Sessions

1. At least one representative from the Orthodox Christian Fellowship will attend all meetings or orientation sessions intended for student organizations held by the Office of Student Affairs and Services or UTSU

Article 12: Financial Responsibility

1. The Orthodox Christian Fellowship will accept full financial and production responsibility for all activities it sponsors, plans, or executes.

Article 13: Precedence of U of T Policies

1. The Orthodox Christian Fellowship will abide by all pertinent U of T policies and regulations. Where U of T policies and regulations and those of Orthodox Christian Fellowship conflict, the policies and regulations of U of T will take precedence.

Article 14: Legal Liability

1. The Orthodox Christian Fellowship recognizes and understands that the University of Toronto assumes no legal liability for the actions of this organization, and that the university is not providing blanket indemnification insurance coverage for any activities of the organization.