1 Concordia Cinema Politica Student Association Constitution (Approved on June 15, 2011) Definitions For the purpose of this

document, the following terms will be defined as follows: 1) CCPSA: the Concordia Cinema Politica Student Association. 2) Student: any person who is registered in a course at Concordia University for the current academic year. 3) Cinema Politica Concordia: the Concordia local (chapter) in the Cinema Politica Network, which holds screenings on the Concordia University campus, and is administered by CCPSA. 4) BOD: The CCPSA Board of Directors 5) Board Member: any member of the CCPSA Board of Directors (BOD). 6) General Member: any person who is enrolled in full or part time studies at Concordia University, who has paid student fees towards CCPSA and has not requested a refund. General Members have limited voting privileges at General Assemblies (see Article 5). 7) Active Member: any person who is enrolled in full or part time studies at Concordia University, who has paid student fees towards CCPSA and has not requested a refund, has completed a minimum of five (5) volunteer hours with Cinema Politica Concordia per semester and has attended a minimum of two (2) Cinema Politica Concordia screenings per academic year prior to the Annual General Meeting, to be confirmed by the BOD of the CCPSA. 8) Community member: any person who has completed a minimum of five (5) volunteer hours with Cinema Politica Concordia per semester, has attended a minimum of five (5) screenings per year, and has contributed an annual membership fee of $5 prior to the Annual General Meeting, to be confirmed by the BOD of the CCPSA. 9) RAVL: Research Archives and Viewing Library. 10) General Assembly - either an Annual General Meeting or a Special General Meeting, at which at least three (3) CCPSA BOD Members are present and at least 15 members are present (unless otherwise indicated - see Article 4.4), at least eight (8) of whom shall be registered students. Article 1- Name The name of the association is Concordia Cinema Politica Student Association, hereafter referred to as CCPSA. Article 2 Mandate 2.1 The CCPSA has the mandate to promote and support the objectives of Cinema Politica Concordia by providing Concordia students (the General Membership) with: 1) An exhibition venue where regular film screenings and discussions of current pressing social, environmental and political issues, take place in an environment that is pluralistic, democratic, accessible and inclusive,

2 2) A Research Archival and Viewing Library (RAVL) complete with digital files of films screened at Cinema Politica Concordia events where students may conduct independent research into documentary and political film. 3) Part-time employment, and volunteer and internship opportunities at Cinema Politica Concordia, which is a chapter of a national and international non-profit organization. 2.2 Further to these services, the CCPSA is obliged to follow the mandate of the parent organization, the Cinema Politica Network, as stipulated in the Cinema Politica Network Locals Agreement document, and summarized here: Cinema Politicas main objective is to disseminate, exhibit and promote the discussion of political cinema by independent artists, with an emphasis on Canadian works. Films that are screened are chosen for their potential to engage an audience on important sociopolitical, cultural, environmental and economic issues. They are films that provocatively challenge dominant ideologies and accepted norms. Exhibited works are selected for their innovation and Cinema Politica screenings seek to educate, entertain and especially inspire audiences to participate in openly democratic practices. Emphasis is placed on works that tell stories that are underrepresented by mainstream media, including narratives around minority struggles within Canada (gender and sexual identity for example). Article 3 Membership 1) Every Concordia student who has paid student fees towards CCPSA is a General Member of the CCPSA. General Membership ensures free admission to any Cinema Politica Concordia screening held on the Concordia campus. General Membership does not include voting privileges. 2) Active Membership is defined as fee-paying individuals enrolled as part-time or full-time students at Concordia University who have completed a minimum of five (5) volunteer hours per semester with Cinema Politica Concordia, have attended at least two (2) Cinema Politica Concordia screenings per academic year, and are approved by the CCPSA BOD. Active Membership includes voting and speaking privileges at all General Assemblies. Community Membership is also considered Active Membership. 3) Rights, Privileges and duties of Members is outlined as such: a) All Active Members may attend, participate, and vote at all General Assemblies. b) All Active Members are eligible to run and sit on the BOD. c) All General Members may attend, participate, and make suggestions to the BOD at all General Assemblies. d) All General Members have a right to examine all records of the CCPSA and to receive copies of this Constitution and any other official documents of the association. e) Each Active Member has the responsibility to abide by the Constitution. f) Any complaints General Members wish to make must be first filed in writing with the CCPSA Chair. g) Voting rights at General Assemblies are granted to Active Members only, as described above.

3 4) Membership Fees: a) Student members shall pay their fees with their registration fees. The fees are determined by way of referendum and they cannot be changed except by referenda held by the CSU and the GSA. b) Community members shall pay an annual membership fee of five (5) dollars per year. c) Students can opt-out of membership fees during the week after the DNE deadline each semester. d) CCPSA shall administer its own fee refunds. Article 4 General Assemblies 1) A reasonable attempt must be made to invite all Members to attend General Assemblies. Resolutions passed during a General Assembly are binding to CCPSA and the BOD, as long as they do not contradict a resolution or policy of the BOD or this constitution. 2) There will be at least one General Assembly per year. General Assemblies shall not be held in the months of July and August. 3) Proper notice of a General Assemblies must be given six days in advance and clearly indicate time, date and place of meeting. 4) Agenda Items shall be added by request from General Members who submit a written request to the Chair at least three (3) days prior to any General Assembly. 5) Quorum for General Assemblies is 15 members, at least eight (8) of who shall be registered students, and at least three (3) Board Members must be present. 6) If quorum is not reached, the GA will be re-scheduled for one week later at which point quorum is reached by at least three (3) Active Members attending plus a simple majority of Members of the Board. 7) A General Assembly can be called by the CCPSA BOD or 10% of the General Membership. 8) A simple majority is required to pass resolutions at a General Assembly. 9) The Chair for each Annual General Assembly will be appointed by the CCPSA and approved by a simple majority at the General Assembly, and s/he may only vote in the case of a tie. Article 5 Board of Directors Membership 1) The BOD of the CCPSA is the governing body of all Cinema Politica Concordia activities, the RAVL, and General Assemblies; the BOD is directed by the Chair. 2) Quorum is reached at BOD meetings when a minimum of three (3) BOD Members are present. 3) The BOD shall consist of not less than three (3) and no more than seven (7) individuals. 4) The BOD consists of the following seats: a) Chair (elected by Membership) b) Finance and Logistics Director (elected by Membership) c) Outreach Director (elected by Membership) d) Community Liaison (elected by Membership) e) Faculty Member (appointed by elected Board Members) f) Board Advisor (non-voting and optional, appointed by elected Board Members)

4 g) Ex-officio Cinema Politica Member (representative from umbrella organization Cinema Politicas BOD, non-voting, and appointed by elected Board Members) 5) The CCPSA BOD will meet at regular intervals, to be decided by the BOD. Any BOD Member wishing to call an emergency meeting must submit a detailed agenda to the Chair for review. Upon approval of agenda, the Chair is to call an emergency BOD within three (3) weeks of having received notice from the Board Member. 6) Each BOD Member gets one vote on any issues raised during BOD Meetings. In the event of a deadlock, the Board Advisor may vote to tiebreak. 7) The CCPSA BOD elected seats are voted in by Active Members at the AGM and the term of office of BOD members shall be two years. 8) The CCPSA BOD must include: a) A minimum of one (1), and a maximum of two (2) Concordia Undergraduate Student Voting Members, elected biennially by Active Members; b) One (1) Concordia Graduate Student Voting Member, elected biennially by Active Members; c) One (1) Community Member elected biennially by Active Members d) One (1) Concordia Faculty Voting Member from the departments of Communication Studies or Cinema, or alternately, with relative experience to the mandate and activities of the CCPSA, appointed biennially by the CCPSA BOD 9) The BOD is empowered to vote in a new Board member should a seat become vacant during the BOD Membership term, and to do so quorum must be met. 10) If a BOD Member is absent from two (2) or more scheduled BOD meetings within the academic year, he or she is to be removed from the BOD by the Chair. 11) The duties of each CCPSA BOD Member are outlined as per Articles 6 through 12. Article 6 Chair The Chairs general responsibilities are as follows: a) The Chair must ensure at least two (2) Executive meetings occur every academic year, and must ensure that the CCPSA AGM takes place each year between March 1st and May 31st. b) The Chair ensures that the constitutional rules and procedures are followed in all activities of the Association and that written records (Minutes) are kept for each BOD Meeting and General Assembly. Article 7 Logistics & Finance Director The Logistics & Finance Director is responsible for: a) Registering the organization with Dean of Students, booking venues, furniture, equipment and projectionists. b) Hiring and overseeing a book keeper to organize and balance the books for CCPSA, including preparing expense reports, issuing cheques, paying bills, maintaining the Associations account with Financial Services at Concordia.

5 c) Providing the Executive with a year-end financial report every year, to be submitted by October 31st at the latest. Article 8 Outreach Director The Outreach Director is responsible for: a) Overseeing the marketing, promotional and advertising aspects of Cinema Politica Concordia events and activities. b) Consistent communication with media both inside and outside Concordia in order to advance promotional aspects of CCPSA. c) Maintaining an ongoing and growing database of community contacts, consisting of individuals, media, groups and associations who CCPSA has collaborated and communicated with, as well as those listed for possible future collaborations. d) Maintaining relations with the parent organization, Cinema Politica Network. Article 9 Community Liaison The Community Liaison is responsible for: a) Overseeing the communication and collaboration between Cinema Politica Concordia and campus-based groups and organizations. b) Liaisoning with the CSU and the GSA, Concordia faculty groups and organizations, as well as Concordia faculty and staff. c) Maintaining an ongoing and growing database of campus contacts, consisting of individuals, media, groups and associations who CCPSA has collaborated and communicated with, as well as those listed for possible future collaborations. Article 10 Faculty Member The Faculty Member at Large must be a Concordia Faculty member from either the departments of Communication Studies or Cinema, or alternately must have relative experience as it relates to the CSSPSAs activities and mandates. The Faculty Member is responsible for ongoing communication between Concordias faculty and academic communities and the CCPSA. Article 11 Board Advisor The CCPSA may appoint a Board Advisor to sit in on BOD meetings and give expert advice on Governance, Finances, Programming, Promotion or organizational aspects of the CCPSA. The BOD may dismiss the Board Advisor with a majority vote and the Board Advisor may only vote at Executive meetings should a deadlock in voting arise. Article 12 Ex-officio Cinema Politica Member Should they decide, the umbrella organization the Cinema Politica Network is entitled to one non-voting seat on the CCPSA BOD as an Ex-officio Member at Large. This position is key to maintaining an ongoing productive and complimentary relationship between the CCPSA and the parent organization the Cinema Politica Network. The Ex-officio Member is responsible for all information that must be conveyed to the CCPSA concerning the parent organization.

6 Article 13 Policies and Procedures 1) The day-to-day operations of CCPSA are governed by the policies and procedures, as developed and approved by the BOD. 2) The CCPSA BOD may make changes or amendments to the Policies and Procedures, based on majority vote. 3) New Policies and Procedures, or modifications to existing Policies and Procedures, must be ratified by the CCPSA BOD in a majority vote. Article 14 Constitutional Amendments 1) All amendments to this constitution shall take effect upon their adoption by the CCPSA BOD. 2) The CCPSA BOD may make amendments to the constitution by means of a unanimous vote. 3) The CCPSA BOD may propose amendments to the constitution by means of a unanimous vote. 4) All constitutional changes must be approved by the CCPSA BOD and ratified by a simple majority vote of Active Members at a General Assembly.