Constitution

CONSTITUTION

Approved at Annual General Meeting, November, 2023 

1.0  PREAMBLE

Whereas we believe that the sport of rowing provides Canadian

 post-secondary students at our respective institutions the opportunity to learn skills beyond those taught in our classrooms, lecture halls and laboratories;

Whereas we believe in the principles of fair play for all participants;

Whereas we believe that all students at our several institutions deserve the opportunity to achieve their personal best in their rowing and academic careers;

We, the members of the Canadian University Rowing Association (CURA), willingly and freely agree to be part of this association and abide by this constitution and by-laws.

2.0  PURPOSE AND NAME:

2.1  The name of this organization shall be The Canadian University Rowing Association (CURA)

2.2  The purpose of this association shall be to promote and act as the self-governing body for rowing programs at accredited universities and colleges throughout Canada

3.0  MISSION STATEMENT

3.1  CURA is the steward of Canadian University Rowing.

4.0  VISION STATEMENT

4.1  CURA promotes and celebrates excellence in Canadian University Rowing by crowning national rowing champions in a spirit of fairness and inclusiveness.

5.0  VALUES

5.1  We support academic and athletic excellence;

5.2  We support and promote Canadian university student-athletes’ high-performance ambitions;

5.3  We support a student-athlete centred experience;

5.4  We uphold the values of fair play, integrity, and respect;

5.5  We fairly and equitably address the needs of student-athletes, CURA members, and their institutional representatives.

6.0  DEFINITIONS

6.1  ROWING PROGRAMME:

6.1.1      A rowing programme shall be defined as an association of individuals who perform the sport of rowing or sculling at an accredited institution;

6.2  ROWING:

6.2.1      Rowing shall be defined as the act whereby individuals propel a racing shell towards a specific purpose using one (1) oar;

6.3  SCULLING:

6.3.1      Sculling shall be defined as the act whereby individuals propel a racing shell towards a specific purpose using two (2) oars;

6.4  ACCREDITED INSTITUTION:

6.4.1      An accredited institution shall be defined as a public or private post-secondary institution that has been given degree-granting status by its respective provincial or territorial government.

7.0  RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ASSOCIATION

7.1  SELF GOVERNMENT:

7.1.1      CURA is the supreme governing body for all matters affecting the Association including, but not limited to, constitutional matters and the annual championship regatta while recognising the jurisdiction of Canadian Interuniversity Sports (CIS) and/or Rowing Canada Aviron (RCA);

7.1.2      CURA reserves the right to maintain its sovereign independence from amongst all other sport, and educational institutions.

7.2  PROMOTION OF POST-SECONDARY ROWING PROGRAMMES:

7.2.1      It is the responsibility of CURA to engage in any and all reasonable activities that support the promotion of rowing in all accredited institutions throughout Canada.

7.3  MANAGEMENT OF THE PLAYING REGULATIONS:

7.3.1      It is the responsibility duty of CURA to design, amend, and enforce the playing regulations as agreed by majority vote at the semiannual general meetings;

7.3.2      With regard to enforcement of the playing regulations: all members are required to comply with all requests for information from CURA’s governing bodies.

7.4  MANAGEMENT OF THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP:

7.4.1      The national championship is the property of CURA and shall be called the Canadian University Rowing Championship (CURC) Regatta;

7.4.2      It is the responsibility of CURA to ensure that the Rowing Canada Aviron (RCA) Rules of Racing are adhered to at the CURC Regatta in so far as they allow for the spirit of fair play;

7.4.3      It is the responsibility of CURA to arrange for the safe and efficient annual running of the CURC Regatta.

8.0  MEMBERSHIP AND VOTING

8.1  A member is an accredited institution in good standing with CURA.

8.1.1      Members shall appoint one (1) delegate to participate in the activities of CURA and to attend and to vote at all meetings;

8.1.2      A delegate shall have voting rights if their member institution has participated in one (1) or more of the three (3) preceding years and paid all annual membership fees.

8.1.2.1  Delegates may be members of the CURA Board of Directors;

8.1.2.2  One (1) vote shall be allowed to each voting member’s delegate at meetings of the members.

8.2  An accredited institution shall be considered to be in good standing if it

8.2.1      Has made payment of registration and all fees assessed by CURA;

8.2.2      Abides by the CURA constitution and the playing regulations.

8.3  VOTER ELIGIBILITY:

8.3.1      Only delegates of members in good standing in attendance at the semiannual general meetings are eligible to vote.

8.3.2      Delegates of members in good standing may attend general meetings through the use of teleconferencing, e-conferencing, or other communications technology that allows the delegate to both follow and participate in the proceedings

8.3.2.1  Delegates who make use of communications technology to attend meetings may exercise their right to vote

8.3.2.2  Delegates who make use of communications technology to attend meetings will count towards quorum, 

8.4  All motions that would significantly impact the functioning of CURA (playing regulations, eligibility, governance, etc.) should, at the discretion of the Board of Directors, be referred to either one of the standing committees or a provisional committee. The committee tasked with reviewing the motion would then present a report on the potential impacts of the motion, both positive and negative, at the following semiannual general meeting. This report would be presented and discussed before a vote on the motion could be held.

8.5  SUSPENSION/TERMINATION OF MEMBERSHIP:

8.5.1      Membership may be suspended or terminated in the event that such member is no longer considered to be in good standing.

9.0  BOARD OF DIRECTORS

9.1  The affairs of CURA shall be governed by a Board of Directors, elected for a three (3) year term at the Fall semiannual general meeting.

9.2  COMPOSITION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

9.2.1      The Board of Directors shall comprise up to five (5) members:

9.2.1.1  President;

9.2.1.2  Vice-President 1;

9.2.1.3  Vice President 2;

9.2.1.4  Secretary/Treasurer;

9.2.1.5  Past President.

9.3  POWERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS:

9.3.1      Except as otherwise provided in the constitution, the Board has the powers of CURA and may delegate any of its powers, duties, and functions;

9.3.2      The Board may make policies, procedures, and rules for managing the affairs of CURA within the limits of the constitution;

9.3.3      The Board may appoint such persons as it deems necessary to carry out the work of CURA.

9.4  ELECTIONS:

9.4.1      ELECTION OF DIRECTORS:

9.4.1.1  Directors of CURA shall be elected for a term of three (3) years at the Fall semiannual general meeting.

9.4.1.2  Elections are done by secret ballot

9.4.1.3  Terms shall be divided into three (3) blocks in order to stagger elections of Directors over a three (3) year cycle:

9.4.1.4  The President and secretary/treasurer shall be elected in the first year of the three (3) year cycle.

9.4.1.5  The First Vice-President shall be elected in the second year of the three (3) year cycle.

9.4.1.6  The Second Vice-President shall be elected in the third year of the three (3) year cycle.

9.4.1.7  The outgoing President, upon the election of a new President, shall automatically fill the office of Past President.

9.4.2      NOMINATION COMMITTEE:

9.4.2.1  The nomination committee shall put out a call to the membership for candidates for election sixty (60) days before the Fall semiannual general meeting;

9.4.2.2  (45) days before the Fall semiannual general meeting the nomination committee shall present a slate of names for election;

9.4.2.3  Nominations from the floor shall be accepted at Fall semiannual general meeting;

9.4.2.4  All candidates require the sponsorship of two (2) voting members in good standing.

9.5  TERM LIMITATIONS:

9.5.1      Directors of CURA may serve no more than two (2) consecutive terms in the same role.

9.6  DUTIES OF THE DIRECTORS:

9.6.1      PRESIDENT:                        

                                    The President shall:

9.6.1.1  Be accountable for the oversight of the affairs and operations of the Board;

9.6.1.2  Preside over or appoint a chair to preside over all meetings of the Board of Directors, and CURA as a whole;

9.6.1.3  At discretion, call meetings of the Board of Directors;

9.6.1.4  Represent CURA in relevant dealings with other organisations such as but not limited to Rowing Canada Aviron (RCA), Provincial Sport Organisations (PSOs).

9.6.2      FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT:

                                    The First Vice-President shall:

9.6.2.1  Chair the eligibility committee;

9.6.2.2  Be responsible for the collection and confirmation of team rosters and eligibility certificates from all members participating at the CURC Regatta.

9.6.3      SECOND VICE-PRESIDENT:       

                                    The Second Vice-President shall:

9.6.3.1  Be responsible for the oversight of the CURC Regatta.

9.6.4      SECRETARY/TREASURER:

                                    The Secretary/Treasurer shall: 

9.6.4.1  Record the minutes of CURA meetings and the minutes of the meetings of the Board of Directors; 

9.6.4.1.1      Said minutes should be sent to the members within 14 calendar days;

9.6.4.2  Ensure the effective communication with the membership of CURA through email and the maintenance of an online database;

9.6.4.3  Maintaining records of membership status.

9.6.5      PAST PRESIDENT: 

                                    The Past President shall: 

9.6.5.1  Chair the Nomination committee, and the Constitutional Committee and Playing Regulations Review Committee;

9.6.5.2  Carry out any other duties assigned by the Board of Directors.

9.6.6      OTHER DUTIES:

9.6.6.1  The Directors shall perform such further and other duties as may be required for the effective operation of CURA.

9.7  VACATION OF OFFICE:

9.7.1      The office of a Director shall be automatically vacated:

9.7.1.1  If a Director shall resign from office by delivering written resignation to the Board of Directors; or

9.7.1.2  If such Director is found by a court to be of unsound mind; or

9.7.1.3  By the death of such Director.

9.7.2      The Board of Directors shall appoint an interim replacement to the vacated office, who shall serve until the following November semiannual general meeting, at which time a replacement shall be elected to serve the remainder of the term of such office.

9.7.3      In the event that the role of President is vacated before the expiration of that term, the position will be filled in the following order (Past President, First VP, Second VP, Secretary/Treasurer).

9.8  REMOVAL OF DIRECTORS:

9.8.1      The members of CURA may, by resolution passed by at least two-thirds (2/3) of the votes cast thereon at a special meeting of members called for the purpose, remove any Director before the expiration of such a Director’s term of office and may, by simple majority vote, elect any person to serve out the remainder of the term of such office.

10.0        MEETINGS:

10.1               All members of CURA in good standing shall meet twice a year to discuss matters of business relating to CURA.

10.1.1   The first semiannual general meeting shall be held directly following the conclusion of the Canadian University Rowing Championships. The second semiannual general meeting shall be scheduled by the Board of Directors for a day in May of each year, and will be held through web conferencing technology.

10.1.2   Quorum at the semiannual general meetings shall be constituted when one (1) more than one-half (½) of all voting members in good standing are present including members of the Board of Directors;

10.1.3   While a semiannual general meeting is in session it constitutes the supreme governing body of CURA and all decisions, in accordance with this constitution and the by-laws of CURA, are final and binding.

10.2               Special meetings may be called by written notice, signed by one-third (1/3) of the members in good standing.

10.3               The Board of Directors shall meet at least two (2) times a year, in addition to the semiannual general meetings. 

10.3.1   Quorum at a meeting of the Board of Directors shall be constituted when four (4) of the five (5) Directors are in attendance.

10.4               The minutes of the semiannual general meetings and of meetings of the Board of Directors, as well as any special meetings shall be made available to all members in good standing.

11.0        COMMITTEES

11.1    Appointments to committees, both standing and provisional, shall be decided upon and extended by the CURA Board of Directors. The Board of Directors is responsible for ensuring that all committees possess their full complement of appointees. 

11.1.1   Committee members shall serve until such a time as they decide to withdraw their services

11.1.1.1 Committee members shall provide written notice of their resignation to the Board of Directors.

11.2    The following standing committees shall be established and maintained:

11.2.1   PLAYING REGULATIONS COMMITTEE

11.2.1.1 Shall be composed of three institutional representatives as nominated by the CURA Board of Directors. 

11.2.1.2 Shall deliver a report of their activities at every CURA general meeting

11.2.1.3 Shall make amendments to the playing regulations as required by CURA practice, circumstance, and changes already accepted by RCA, FISU, FISA, and other relevant governance agencies

11.2.1.3.1   Any proposed alterations judged by the committee to be sufficiently controversial shall instead be presented to the voting membership at a semiannual general meeting as a series of potential motions to be evaluated and then voted upon

11.2.2   ELIGIBILITY COMMITTEE

11.2.2.1 Shall be composed of three institutional representatives and led by the 1st CURA VP. 

11.2.2.2 Shall deliver a report of their activities at every CURA general meeting

11.2.2.3 Shall be responsible for collecting and confirming team rosters and eligibility certificates while using and updating best practices as it relates to that data.

11.2.2.4 Members of the Eligibility Committee shall recuse themselves from any deliberations relating to an athlete from their own institution.

11.2.3   NOMINATING COMMITTEE;

11.2.3.1 Shall be composed of two institutional representatives.

11.2.3.2 Shall be supervised by the Past President

11.2.3.3 Shall deliver a report of their activities at every CURA general meeting

11.2.3.4 Shall be responsible for nominating candidates for available positions on the CURA Board of Directors.

11.2.3.5 Shall be responsible for putting out a call to membership for candidates sixty days prior to the November semiannual general meeting.

11.2.3.6 Shall present a slate of names for election forty-five days before the November semiannual general meeting.

11.2.3.6.1   This slate of names shall be vetted by the committee prior to publication to ensure that all candidates are suitable and willing to take on the position

11.2.4   CONSTITUTIONAL COMMITTEE

11.2.4.1 Shall be composed of three institutional representatives

11.2.4.2 Shall be supervised by the Past President

11.2.4.3 Shall deliver a report of their activities at every CURA general meeting

11.2.4.4 Shall make amendments to the Constitution and governance documents of CURA as required by CURA practice, circumstance, and changes already accepted by RCA, FISA, FISU, and other relevant governance agencies

11.2.4.4.1   Any proposed alterations judged by the committee to be sufficiently controversial shall instead be presented to the voting membership at a semiannual general meeting as a series of potential motions to be evaluated and then voted upon

11.3           PROVISIONAL COMMITTEES 

11.3.1   APPEALS COMMITTEE

11.3.1.1 Shall be struck by the Board of Directors upon receiving written notice of an appeal

11.3.1.2 Shall only consider appeals if:

11.3.1.2.1    The Board of Directors agrees that the decision being appealed has been fully considered and decided upon by the relevant authority (standing committee, etc.). 

11.3.1.2.2   The appeal is being submitted on the grounds that: the committee or individual making the decision did not have the jurisdiction to do so; failed to follow proper procedure in making the decision; made a decision which was influenced by bias; exercised its discretion for an improper purpose; made a decision that was grossly unreasonable or unfair. 

11.3.1.3 In the event of an appeal being received and accepted, the Board of Directors shall appoint a Case Manager to oversee the appeal. The Case Manager is responsible to ensure that procedural fairness is respected and the appeal is heard and decided in a timely manner. The Case Manager shall be chosen on the basis of both their expertise and lack of bias towards the issue being appealed.

11.3.1.4 The Case Manager may appoint a panel of up to three persons who will hear and decide the appeal. These persons should be chosen on the basis of both their expertise and lack of bias towards the issue being appealed.

11.3.2   A motion proposed by a voting member that does not fall under the purview of one of the standing committees shall be reviewed by a provisional committee before being brought to a vote.

11.3.2.1 PROVISIONAL COMMITTEES 

11.3.2.1.1   A provisional committee shall have four members, chosen by the Board of Directors for their interest and expertise in the issue. 

11.3.2.1.2   A provisional committee is responsible for fully considering all the potential impacts of a suggested motion upon CURA. 

11.3.2.1.3   A provisional committee, once struck, shall deliver a report on their findings to the CURA membership at the next semiannual general meeting.

12.0        ORDER OF BUSINESS

12.1        Unless otherwise approved by the voting participants, the order of business at all meetings of CURA shall be:

12.1.1   Welcome and introductions;

12.1.2   Approval of the agenda;

12.1.3   Approval of the minutes of the previous meeting;

12.1.4   Business arising from the minutes;

12.1.5   Correspondence;

12.1.6   Reports;

12.1.6.1 President’s Report

12.1.6.2 1st VP Report (Eligibility)

12.1.6.3 2nd VP Report (CURC Hosting)

12.1.6.4 Secretary/Treasurer Report

12.1.6.5 Past President Report

12.1.6.6 Standing Committee Reports

12.1.6.6.1   Playing Regulations Review Committee

12.1.6.6.2   Eligibility Committee

12.1.6.6.3   Nominating Committee

12.1.6.6.4   Constitutional Committee

12.1.6.6.5   Appeals Committee (as required)

12.1.6.7 Regional Updates

12.1.6.8 Provisional Committee Reports

12.1.7   Unfinished business;

12.1.8   New business;

12.1.9   Election of Directors

12.1.10 Adjournment.

12.2        All meetings of CURA shall be conducted according to Robert’s Rules of Order.

13.0        AMENDMENTS TO THIS CONSTITUTION

13.1        This Constitution and the By-Laws of the Association may be amended by a vote of two-thirds (2/3) majority of Voting Members present at a general meeting.

13.1.1   This vote will be conducted by secret ballot.

13.2        Any Member in Good Standing may request to amend this Constitution and the By-Laws of the Association;

13.2.1   Forty-five (45) days notice of Proposed Amendments must be given to the Board of Directors;

13.2.2   Thirty (30) days notice of Proposed Amendments must be given to all Voting Members.