By-Laws

ARTICLE I – FEES

 SECTION I – Regular Membership Fee

 a. Membership fees shall be reviewed on an annual basis by the AARAO Executive. If changes to the current fees are recommended by the Executive they must be approved by a vote of the membership at the Annual General Meeting. Any change in fees shall be proposed by the Executive by way of Notice of Motion to the membership at least one month prior to the Association’s next general meeting;

b. Membership fees are invoiced early May and due by August 1 of each year for the following membership year. Those institutions whose membership fees are in arrears will not be entitled to participate in membership activities until such time as the  membership fees have been paid in full;

c. No refund of membership fees will be issued to institutions whose membership has been suspended or terminated.

 SECTION II – Associate Membership Fee

The fee for Associate Members shall be one-half that of Regular Members.

SECTION III – Honorary Membership Fee

There will be no fee for Honorary Members.

SECTION IV – Corporate Membership Fee

The fee for Corporate Members shall be twice that of Regular Members.

ARTICLE II – MEETINGS

SECTION I – Annual General Meeting

The Association shall hold a general meeting every year, normally in spring. While the  Executive Committee shall have power to advance, postpone or cancel a meeting in case of emergency, a duly constituted general meeting must be held within each calendar year.

Additional Special General Meetings (SGM) of the membership shall be held upon receipt of a request by at least five members in good standing setting forth the reasons for calling such a meeting. The President shall be required to call a SGM within seven (7) days of receipt of such a request. Fourteen (14) days’ notice must be provided to each member.

A quorum for the transaction of business at any Annual General, General, or Special Meeting shall consist of no less than two thirds of Voting Member Institutions, to include representatives on the Executive where the majority of the Atlantic Provinces are represented.

Accidental omission to give or non-receipt of notice to any member shall not invalidate the proceedings at any meeting of the Association.

The Annual General and the General Meetings are the only meetings held for the membership, unless a Special General Meeting is called

 SECTION II – Location

The location of general meetings of the Association shall rotate among the Atlantic Provinces Universities and Colleges and be decided upon by the Executive in response to bids to host by member institutions.

SECTION III – Executive Meetings

Meetings of the Executive will be held as often as may be required, but at least once every quarter. All Executive meetings shall be called by the President, by the Secretary, or by any two Executive Members.

Any four (4) voting, Executive Members shall constitute a quorum.

SECTION IV – Events

An annual professional development event such as a conference, workshop or meeting shall be held at minimum once per calendar year.

ARTICLE III – TERM OF OFFICE AND DUTIES OF OFFICERS

SECTION I – Nominations

Nominations for each election as officers of the Association shall be made at every second general meeting, a majority of those present and voting being necessary to elect.

SECTION II – President

The President shall:

a. be a current Registrar at a publicly funded University within Atlantic Canada (or equivalent senior position with sufficient relevant professional experience within the Registrar’s Office, at the discretion of the executive);

b. serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the Association and assume full responsibility of the operations of the Association;

c. preside at all meetings of the Association at which they are present, or assign a chairperson in cases where they are not present; ensure good governance of all such activities;

d. serve as Chair of the Executive Committee;

e. support and understand the critical roles to ensure the execution of duties of the members of the Executive Committee;

f. provide an annual State of the Association report to the Executive Committee and the Association;

g. represent the Association or assign a designate to represent the Association on intergovernmental affairs or with other associations;

h. act on the Association’s behalf in all legal and public matters.

SECTION III – Vice-President

The Vice-President shall:

a. serve as the chief assistant to the President;

b. normally become President following the end of a term as Vice-President;

c. become President should that office become vacant. Should this occur, the Vice-President shall be eligible for full term as President in the period upon succession to Presidency;

d. assume responsibility for the professional development for the membership. This includes the development and advocacy for professional development workshops, seminars, and certificates as appropriate. This also includes ensuring annual professional development activities for admissions and registrar’s office professionals at the annual events sponsored by the Association;

e. represent, or ensure representation of, the Executive Committee on the planning committee for the professional development events, and conferences.

SECTION IV – The ROPC Chair

The ROPC Chair shall:

a. be at a senior level within a recruitment planning function;

b. serve as Chairperson of ROPC, a standing committee of the Association;

c. serve as liaison between the AARAO Executive and ROPC;

d. coordinate the annual post-secondary recruitment fair for the Association’s members and registrants to access schools across Canada and internationally. The ROPC Chair shall also manage scheduling problems or discrepancies as well as liaise between AARAO fair participants and fair hosts;

e. develop the AARAO fair schedule with input from the ROPC members and be responsible for any scheduling changes to the overall schedule;

f. Reports on the accomplishments and activities of ROPC to the Executive.

SECTION V – Secretary

The Secretary shall:

a. record and store the minutes of the Association’s meetings, and the minutes of the meetings of the Executive Committee;

b. assume responsibility for all official executive correspondence of the Association;

c. assume responsibility for the archives of the Association during term of office;

d. ensure the archives are securely stored, and ensure the transferal of those archives to the incoming Secretary when appropriate;

e. assume responsibility for the receipt of applications for new institutional members and present a membership recommendation to the Executive Committee.

SECTION VI – Treasurer

The Treasurer shall:

a. ensure the development and submission of an annual budget for presentation at the Annual General Meeting;

b. ensure all invoices and financial obligations of the Association are invoiced, expensed, and paid, as necessary; secure the approval of the President on all invoices before payment;

c. organize and expedite the payment for such “pooled expense” arrangements as may be authorized by the Executive Committee;

d. ensure that member institutions have submitted the appropriate annual membership fees;

e. ensure that member, and registered, institutions have submitted the appropriate AARAO Fair participation fees as indicated by the ROPC Chair;

f. prepare and present financial statements to the Executive at each of its meetings;

g. maintain an accurate roster of institutional membership, and related institutional information including contact person(s), of the Association; report changes in the membership list to the Executive Committee;

h. advise the Executive Committee on fiscal responsibility, best practice, and costing of various activities of the Association as well as ensure all necessary CRA filing is completed annually.

SECTION VII – Past President

The Past President shall:

a. be an advisory, and non-voting role;

b. serve as the chief advisor to the President;

c. assist in the planning of programs, workshops, and conferences as needed;

d. serve as Chair of the Nominating Committee, for the election of new officers, at each general meeting;

e. serve as a resource person to the Executive Committee, and to the Association, to ensure continuity of the Association.

SECTION VIII – ARUCC Representative

The ARUCC Representative shall:

a. be held by a Registrar or senior level within a Registrar’s Office;

b. represent the interests, and official positions, of the Association and its membership, to the ARUCC Executive;

c. table ARUCC agenda matters at the Association’s Executive Committee for discussion and position statements, prior to ARUCC meetings;

d. provide reports of the activities of ARUCC to the Association Executive Committee and an annual update to the Association membership;

e. serve as liaison between the Association and ARRUC.

SECTION IX – – Communications Officer

The Communication Officer shall:

a. assume responsibility for marketing and communications on behalf of the
Association;

b. support content development for use across multiple communication platforms;

c. promote AARAO sponsored events through media and promotions; providing
support to those event conveners;

d. manage website and liaise with web developer as required;

e. support and oversee the listservs and mass communications of the Association

SECTION XI – Terms of Office

Elected officers shall be elected at every second annual general meeting of the Association for a two-year term. They shall hold office from the adjournment of the general meeting at which they are elected until the adjournment of the general meeting at which their successors are elected. Their term of office shall begin one month from the adjournment of the general meeting at which they were elected. During this month, they will be able to receive training on their role from their predecessors. Their term of office shall end on month after the general meeting at which their successors are elected. Officers are eligible for re-election. An elected officer may not hold the same position in excess of four years (two terms), but may be eligible for re-election to the same position after a one-year vacancy.

SECTION XII – Executive Vacancy

The Executive Committee shall have authority between general meetings to fill any vacancy not otherwise provided for. 

ARTICLE IV – COMMITTEES, STUDY GROUPS OR TASK FORCES

SECTION I – Recruitment Outreach and Planning Committee (ROPC)

Each member institution is eligible to appoint one member to ROPC.

The ROPC shall:

a. take responsibility for coordinating joint recruitment initiatives of member institutions;

b. actively seek new opportunities to promote and advance the greater cause of Atlantic post-secondary education in all markets;

c. serve as a forum for communication amongst Recruitment and Admissions Managers, observing a model similar to AARAO itself;

d. provide support for additional recruitment activities outside Atlantic Canada where it adds value to the Association;

e. be governed by their Terms of Reference.

SECTION II – Annual Priorities

a. Where needed, committees, study groups or task forces will be formed to represent the annual priorities of AARAO as determined by the Executive Committee through the Annual General Meeting;

b. Terms of Reference will be established by each working group and approved by the Executive Committee.

SECTION III – Ad-hoc

Committees, study groups or task forces may be appointed by the President with the approval of the Executive Committee.

SECTION IV – Ex-officio

The President or delegate thereof shall be ex-officio, a member of all committees.

ARTICLE V – DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROCEDURES

Member institutions and their representative should make every attempt to resolve situations that arise informally via discussion with any affected parties. Representatives may consult a member of the current AARAO Executive to aid in assessing the situation and if necessary, having an informal discussion with the offending representative.

If an issue arises that cannot be settled through an informal discussion, the affected member(s) should report the issue to the AARAO President or Vice-President who, after being apprised of the situation, will determine whether to initiate dispute resolution procedures or take other actions to resolve the issue.

Should the AARAO President or Vice-President decide to initiate dispute resolution procedures, a written formal complaint must be submitted by the reporting member(s). A copy of this complaint will be forwarded to the representative(s) in question and to their immediate supervisor for acknowledgement.

Should the AARAO President or Vice-President find that the member in question does not demonstrate improvement, the AARAO President or Vice-President may immediately notify and suspend the member in question and refer the issue to the AARAO Executive for review and action. The member in question may choose to submit an appeal for membership reinstatement as a process of the review by the AARAO Executive.

Any decision of the AARAO Executive at the end of the dispute resolution process shall be considered final and binding, and no further appeals on the same issue will be considered during the current membership year.

ARTICLE VI – AMENDMENTS

These By-Laws may be amended at any annual general meeting by a two-thirds vote of the voting members present. One month’s notice of motion shall be required except where all of the members present, and voting agree to accept the motion from the floor. Amendments shall be initiated by, or submitted by members, to the Executive Committee for governance review prior to presentation to the membership.

ARTICLE VII – DISSOLUTION

In the case of dissolution, the Executive Committee shall compile all monetary assets and mdistribute equally amongst current Regular Membership institutions in good standing

*updated Oct. 2021