1.1 General Organization
The Association shall hold an Annual General Meeting (AGM) as part of the annual conference of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE) / Societé Canadienne pour l’étude de l’éducation (SCÉÉ).
The Association shall be carried on without purpose of gain for its members, and any profits or other accretions to the Association shall be used in promoting its objectives.
In the event of the Association's dissolution, all remaining assets, after payment of liabilities, shall be distributed to one or more Indigenous-controlled charitable organizations in Canada recognized by the Department of National Revenue.
1.2 General Membership
Members of the Association are full members of the Canadian Society for the Study of Education/Societé Canadienne pour l’étude de l’éducation. The amount of the annual dues shall be determined from time to time by the membership at the Annual General Meeting and in accordance with the policies of other CSSE/SCÉÉ cooperating Associations.
All members of the Association in good standing shall have the privilege of:
Participating in deliberations at the Annual General Meeting.
Nominating members for office in the Association.
Voting in the election of Executive Officers.
Standing for office in the Association.
Benefitting from the services of the Association.
The Executive Officers of the Association shall be:
President
Conference Chair
Director, Membership & Communications
Secretary-Treasurer
Member(s)-At-Large
Past President
The Executive Officers shall propose policies and conduct business related to the Association. The Executive Officers shall be responsible for:
The finances of the Association.
Accepting and reviewing proposals from members to present at the annual conference of CSSE/SCÉÉ.
Creating standing, nominating and ad hoc committees and appointing members to these committees as deemed necessary.
Overseeing any publication partnerships entered into by the Association.
Planning the AGM at the annual conference of CSSE/SCÉÉ.
Every consideration should be given to maintaining regional representation among the Executive Officers of the Association.
Elections and Terms
Positions shall be elected biennially through a standard ballot process, serving a two-year term.
If an officer of the Association gives up his/her position, the President is empowered to appoint a substitute to act until the next annual general meeting. At that meeting, a candidate for the unexpired term of office is to be elected by the membership in accordance with the usual procedures.
The President position will be offered first to those who have previously served on the CASIE Executive; external candidates will be considered if no internal candidates come forward.
The Conference Chair shall assist the President in performing their duties and shall assume the President's duties in their absence, incapacity, or resignation. The Director, Secretary-Treasurer, and Member(s)-at-Large will subsequently act in the same capacities.
Graduate students or faculty members may hold the positions of Secretary-Treasurer, Director, Membership/Communications, and Member-at-Large.
The Conference Chair position must be held by a faculty member or jointly held by a faculty member and a graduate student.
Joint Positions
Two individuals may jointly share any Executive Officer position, with a mutually agreed-upon delegation of responsibilities to support CASIE Executive mentorship, succession planning, and Indigenous representation on behalf of CASIE as a participant member of the CSSE / SCÉÉ Board of Directors and Conference Committee.
Each co-holder of the role shall possess equal rights and responsibilities and be jointly accountable for the duties associated with their position.
Specific Duties
The President shall be responsible for:
Carrying out administrative duties associated with membership on the CSSE / SCÉÉ Board of Directors.
Supporting the VP Indigenous, CSSE, in planning the pre-conference event in partnership with Indigenous communities.
Providing general oversight of CASIE affairs and supporting the work of the Executive Officers.
The Conference Chair shall be responsible for:
All duties associated with serving as the Program Chair for CASIE sessions at the annual conference of CSSE / SCÉÉ.
Assisting the President in working with academic journals to facilitate publication of scholarly work presented by CASIE members in CASIE-supported sessions at the annual conference of CSSE / SCÉÉ.
The Director, Membership/Communications shall be responsible for:
Maintaining the CASIE webpage, ensuring timely content updates and website functionality.
Overseeing all membership communication channels (including email listserv approvals, announcements, and other outreach efforts) to effectively engage and inform CASIE members.
Monitoring the CASIE email account, responding to inquiries, and forwarding messages as appropriate.
The Secretary-Treasurer shall be responsible for:
Maintain accurate, organized records of all pertinent documents, policies, and financial processes.
Assist the President with preparing agendas, taking minutes, and ensuring thorough documentation for all meetings.
Oversee meeting logistics by sending invitations, managing reminders, and recording seasonal processes and historical practices.
Compile and prepare a summary report of key highlights from each CSSE/SCÉÉ pre-conference and conference for publication on the CASIE webpage.
The Member(s)-at-Large shall be responsible for:
Acting as a conduit between the broader membership and the Executive, and promoting Association activities regionally.
Collaborating with other Executive Officers and participating in committees, as needed, to advance the Association’s objectives, including developing and implementing special projects or initiatives endorsed by the CASIE Executive.
Outreach to new and existing members, promotion of attendance at the CSSE / SCÉÉ Annual Conference, and facilitation of member contributions to publications and other Association events.
When electing Members-at-Large, the Association shall consider regional and broader stakeholder representation, including Indigenous communities and educational partners, where possible.
The Past President shall be responsible for:
Guiding the Executive Officers and members regarding the Association’s decisions and operations.
Presiding over the nomination and voting processes conducted by the Association.
During Association deliberations, the CASIE executive Officers will collaborate with the CASIE membership to establish agreement through consensus. However, in situations when consensus is not possible or appropriate, decisions will be reached by a majority vote.
Consensus means an opinion, position or decision reached by, and accepted by a group as a whole; general agreement or concord; harmony. Decision-making through consensus consists of the following:
Full deliberation among meeting participants.
Consideration of relevant points of view.
Identification of areas of agreement and disagreement through discussion.
Dialogue until the sense of the group is clear.
An agenda item may be revisited in subsequent Executive Committee meetings if necessary.
The President shall be responsible for assessing overall agreement through:
Summarizing the sense of the discussion.
Articulating the specific decisions.
Asking whether there are other concerns, and if necessary, returning to deliberations.
Articulating the consensus decision.
The following terms describe the level of support for a decision:
Unanimity: All participants agree.
Consensus: No participants object (but some may abstain).
Dissent: At least one participant objects.
Where unanimity is not possible, the participants should strive to make decisions based on at least consensus and substantial support (i.e., few abstentions) from all members.
To avoid making decisions solely based on apathy or lack of objection, participants are encouraged to affirmatively express their agreement or disagreement before a decision is recorded.
Decisions may be made during meetings (face-to-face or distributed), through email, teleconferences, or any other medium as long as the principles expressed in this policy are adhered to.
1.5 Dissent Process for CASIE
If the Association cannot achieve consensus after carefully considering all viewpoints, the President may call for a simple majority vote by the members.
Members who strongly disagree with the majority recommendation are not required to accept it. They may formulate an appeal in the form of a dissenting opinion endorsed by all who dissent. This appeal shall be submitted in writing alongside the recommendation reached by consensus or majority vote.
1.6 Affiliation of Special Interest Groups
1.7 Languages
1.8 Regulations
1.9 Amendments
Amendments to this Constitution shall be made by consensus. If consensus cannot be reached, then a vote will be held. For proposed amendments to be accepted, they must be supported by 60 percent of all members in good standing and in attendance at the Annual General Meeting, or responding to a virtual ballot.
Written notice of motion for an amendment to this constitution shall be distributed to all members of the Association in good standing thirty (30) days before the annual general meeting or, in the case of a virtual ballot, thirty (30) days prior to the last date on which ballots will be accepted.