UofT SGI Club ~ Mission Statement ~ SGI UofT shall dedicate itself in: providing an environment for students to develop a greater understanding of Buddhist philosophy and history creating a forum where discussion of spiritual and philosophical issues can be held promoting peace, culture, environmental awareness and education in society through exhibitions, special guest lectures and cultural activities SGI U OF T ~ CLUB CONSTITUTION ~ I.   NAME The name of the club shall be Soka Gakkai (Value Creation Educational Society) International in University of Toronto, abbreviated as SGI U of T. The Club has direct contact with Soka Gakkai International (SGI) Toronto. Soka Gakkai means "Society for the creation of value" in Japanese. II. OBJECTIVES SGI UofT shall dedicate itself in: 1. providing an environment for students to develop a greater understanding of Buddhist philosophy and history 2. creating a forum where discussion of spiritual and philosophical issues can be held 3. promoting peace, culture, environmental awareness and education in society through exhibitions, special guest lectures and cultural activities III. MEMBERSHIP 1. open to all registered students, staff and faculty at University of Toronto 2. all members retain the right to participate in general meetings, quorum voting, special lectures and Buddhist seminars 3. there will be no membership fees upon joining SGI U of T IV. EXECUTIVE 1. the executive committee will consists of (I) President (II) Vice President (III)Secretary (IV) Treasurer. Other position may be included in the future as required. Title of each position is subject to change depending on the present the executive team. 2. the term of office shall be 1 year (September to April) 3. See article III for candidacy requirements V. DUTIES OF EXECUTIVE OFFICERS 1. President shall i) be responsible for the daily operation of SGI UofT - oversees all events occurring in each team ii) represent SGI UofT in any matters concerning University of Toronto iii) conduct and attend all executive, voting and general meetings iv) have signing authority of finances in conjunction with the Treasurer v) make the appropriate room / booth bookings vi) communicate with SGI Canada vii) prepare study materials for meetings viii) type up meeting minutes 2. Vice President of Internal Communication shall i) contact members within the club ii) type up event summaries, e-mails to general members iii) count number of attendees at events iv) keep records of executive member's schedules and contact information 3. Vice President of External Communication shall i) communicate with other on/off campus groups ii) communicate with U of T staff and professors         • e-mail invitations for club events 4. Vice President of Promotions shall i) be responsible for the maintenance of club website ii) design / make flyers and posters iii) organize for classroom presentations         • list of classes to present and their schedules         • organize list of presenters and their allocated classes to present in iv) organize list of available executive members for booths         • shift schedules Note: All exec members will participate in helping out with actual classroom presentations, recruitment, and putting posters around campus VI. ELECTION PROCEDURES 1. eligibility for official nomination shall be open to all SGI U of T members based on the criteria outlined in article III 2. elections to be held in September 3. each member entitled to one vote 4. in the event of a tie, in the case where there is 50% in favor and 50% against, including the vote of the presiding officers, the vote is considered lost. The presiding officer can also vote to break a tie vote. VII. MEETINGS There will be three types of meetings: 1) Annual meeting 2) Executive meeting 3) General meeting 1. Annual meeting:             The annual meeting will be held once a year in the month of September. The purpose of the annual meeting is to elect an executive committee. Only club members are eligible to vote at Annual meetings. A minimum of 50% of club membership must be present for candidates to be voted on. Notice of the Annual meeting must be made to all members 7 days prior to the meeting. 2. General meeting:             All members may attend general meetings. The agenda and frequency for these general meetings will be determined by the executive committee. Notice for such meetings must be made 7 days prior to the date of the meeting. 3. Executive meeting:             The executive shall meet at the call of the President, or 2 or more executive officers. Notice for such meetings must be given 7 days prior to the meeting. Issues discussed and motions carried out in the interest of the club, will be based upon majority decision of the executive committee. VIII. EXECUTIVE DISMISSAL 1. for a justifiable cause any executive officer may be dismissed by a majority vote of the executive committee 2. any executive officer that has been dismissed has the right to appeal before the committee 3. a dismissed officer may be reinstated by bi-election based on a majority vote among the executive committee IX. CONSTITUTION AMENDMENTS 1. any amendments to the constitution must take place at the Annual meeting 2. amendments must receive a majority quorum vote, to be considered 3. all amendments will be approved after a majority quorum vote has been taken